I_soprano_5x13 -

He leaned in close, his shadow swallowing her bed. He didn't yell. He didn't shake her. He just whispered into the plastic of her oxygen mask. I know, Ma. I know it was you.

Tony left the room and walked straight into the path of the FBI. The feds were moving in, a swarm of windbreakers and warrants. They weren't there for Livia; they were there for the wreckage Tony had left behind in his wake. I_soprano_5x13

Outside, the sirens were getting louder, but for one last night, the walls held. He leaned in close, his shadow swallowing her bed

He drove to the Green Grove retirement community. The hallways smelled of floor wax and faded memories. He found Livia in her room, looking frail, a breathing mask over her face. To the world, she was a dying old woman. To Tony, she was a smiling executioner. He just whispered into the plastic of her oxygen mask

Inside the house, the silence was brittle. Carmela was upstairs, her rosary beads clicking like a countdown. She knew the storm was coming; she could smell the gunpowder on Tony’s skin even when he hadn't fired a shot. Tony stood up, his heavy footsteps echoing off the flagstone. He had a stop to make before the world exploded.

The following story is a reimagining of "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano," the Season 1 finale of The Sopranos .