Birthdays are always a time for celebration, but this year was extra special for Aiden Toretto. Usually he had no trouble coming up with wish lists or ideas on how to spend the day, and yet, on his eighth birthday it was almost like he had everything he had ever wanted.

He always wanted a little brother or sister, and he was soon going to have a live-in cousin

He always wanted a dog, and he got to see Uno almost every single day.

He always wanted a father, and even though he knew Brian wasn't his dad he still really enjoyed having him around.

"Is the birthday boy awake?" Mia questioned cheerily as she walked into his room. When he didn't answer, she went over to his bed and began tickling him. "I said…is the birthday boy awake?"

"Yes!" Aiden exclaimed between his fit of laughter. "I'm awake."

"Perfect," the young mother smiled, picking up a small wrapped package and presenting it to her child. "I wanted you to open one of my gifts first."

"Its tradition," Aiden said as he took it from her. Together, they ripped the paper off and he was presented with a binder filled with autographed baseball cards of his favourite players. "No way! This is awesome! Thanks Momma."

"I had a feeling you'd like it," she said gleefully. "But make sure you thank Jesse and Brian too. They helped me put it together."

"I will," he promised, still in awe at the gift.

"Okay," Mia clapped her hands together. "Dom and Letty are waiting for you downstairs. They made your favourite breakfast!"

"Pancakes?"

She nodded.

Aiden punched his fist into the air. "This is the best birthday ever!"

XX

"So you and Dom are looking super together these days," Brian observed with a smile as he and Letty worked on setting up the piñata. They were having a small party for Aiden in the backyard. "Which one of you finally manned up?"

Letty glared at the blonde but couldn't help the sparkle in her eye from someone noticing the difference between her and Dom. It actually felt better to openly be together than use the excuse of friendship. "I did. Do you honestly think Dom wears he pants in our relationship?"

He chuckled.

"So how was your private cooking lesson with Mia last night? What did you make?" Letty asked, stroking her growing stomach with her free hand.

"It was…delicious," Brian grinned widely as he remembered their previous night's activities. "We ordered in Chinese."

"You two are disgusting," she shook her head playfully. Ever since they had all come back from New York, Brian and Mia had been attached at the hip; even more so than before. She was happy that her best friend was finally getting laid.

"At least we have the decency of going to my house. Mia tells me that she can hear you and Dom through the walls."

"Okay well its not my fault that…" Letty stopped mid-sentence and crunched over, obviously in pain. She held her stomach tightly and took a few breaths as Brian went over to her in concern.

"Letty? Are you okay?" Brian asked, leaning down so he could help her. "DOM!"

When the bald mechanic saw Brian and Letty, he ran over as quickly as possible. "What's wrong?"

Letty had now stood up to full height and had a bright smile on her lips. "The baby just kicked! Our little girl is kicking!" She grabbed Dom's hand and placed it on the left side of her stomach.

Like hers, his face instantly transformed from worry to indescribable happiness.

XX

"Where did you get that?" Mia asked, standing behind Brian's spot on the patio swing. In his lap was a photo album of Aiden's baby pictures.

He gestured for her to sit beside him and he started to flip though the pages. "Dom was showing it to Jesse earlier. I couldn't help my curiosity."

Mia smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. Pointing to the first picture she said, "That was me in what was supposed to be my prom dress."

"You didn't end up wearing it?" Brian looked at her in confusion.

She shook her head, remembering that moment vividly. "It looks okay in that picture but I couldn't get it to zip up. Letty thought the whole thing was hilarious and took a picture when we realized that I was finally starting to show. We ended up ditching prom entirely and Dom took us to dinner."

"You looked beautiful," Brian stated as they now reached a picture of Mia holding Aiden in the hospital. That was taken less than an hour after he was born.

"Thanks," Mia laughed. "That was by far the most painful day of my life. No matter how many lamaze classes or pamphlets you read, there is nothing that prepares you for the miracle childbirth."

Brian scrunched his face. "Yeah I've heard that it kinda…hurts."

She nodded, turning the page over. "But it was worth every second. Letty held my hand through the entire thing and Dom was waiting outside. As soon as I heard Aiden come out crying, I realized who my family was from that point on. I didn't have parents or a boyfriend but I had a beautiful baby boy, an supportive big brother, and an amazing best friend."

The next few pages were filled with photos of Dom, Letty, and Leon holding Aiden in the hospital.

"Was Vince involved at all in your pregnancy?" Brian found himself asking when he noticed his absence. It angered him that a man could walk away from his own child so easily. "Did he know you were in labour?"

"He knew," Mia confirmed sadly. "Leon told him but he never showed up. I gave him chances to be a father but he wasn't interested. So, when he continued to threaten me and use drugs, I fought for full custody. Vince is nothing more than a sperm donor to Aiden. He doesn't know his food allergies or his blood type. He wasn't there to see him walk or say his first word. He didn't care to be sober enough to teach his son how to throw a baseball. He's not a father."

Brian kissed her forehead to comfort her. "You have more than made up for his absence Mia. You've raised the most incredible eight-year-old in the world."

"He's pretty fantastic, isn't he?" she smiled, tracing her finger over a photo of Aiden's first bath.

Brian nodded at the rhetorical question. "And he looks exactly like his beautiful mother."

XX

"Okay everyone, its cake time!" Dom shouted in his booming voice to catch the attention of several of Aiden's friends.

Immediately, they all gathered around the picnic table to sing the boy his birthday anthem and watched as he blew out the candles.

Jesse made sure to take multiple pictures of the festivities, including the moment when Leon smothered cake all over the boy's face.

"HEY!" Aiden yelled out while everyone else huddled over in laughter.

"You better be cleaning that mess you made," Mia pointed to the prankster while her and Letty started to cut the cake for the other kids.

"Oh come on Mia," Leon chuckled. "Comedy always comes with consequences dawg."

Brian just shook his head in amusement, getting a napkin to help wipe the cake off Aiden's face.

"We have to get him back," Aiden whispered to the blonde as the group began to disperse once again.

"We'll think of something buddy," Brian assured him. "Maybe we'll put Uno in his bed while he's sleeping. He's terrified of dogs."

Aiden giggled and looked at the dog in question who was chained to the wall at Leon's insistence. "I like that idea!" he said, offering him an enthusiastic high-five.

"Well, it looks like I'm just in time!" a voice suddenly said, stopping all the adults in their tracks.

Aiden watched as a man tried to approach him before Dom blocked his way. He then felt Letty tugging on his arm as Jesse rounded up his friends and they were all told to go inside.

"Get out of here," Dom ordered once all the kids were out of earshot.

"I have every right to be here," Vince shot back, anger building up in his body. "He's my son!"

"You ain't his father," refuted Dom. By this point, Brian was by Mia's side and Leon was thinking of ways to control the situation.

"Yes I am! I know Letty's pregnant with your kid. How would you feel if she took your baby and had the court ban you away?"

"There's a difference between us Vince. I want to be a father; I'm dedicated to being the best father I can be. And I'm not drug-addict."

Vince looked directly at Mia, who had fear in her eyes. "I'm getting clean but I need Aiden in my life to keep me motivated."

"Come on Vince," Brian finally spoke up. "This isn't the time or place. Don't ruin Aiden's birthday."

"Shut the fuck up!" Vince spat out. "You don't have a say in my son's life. You can try and take my girl but you will never take my kid."

"I am not your girl!" Mia said in disgust.

"Leave my sister alone," Dom warned, clenching his knuckles and breathing heavily to stop himself from hitting Vince right then and there.

"Look Mia," Vince pleaded, trying and failing to get past Dom. "I know you're mad at me but we can get past this when I'm clean. We can be together and raise our boy like a real family."

"Okay," Leon interrupted Vince from saying anything more. They could hear the voices of Jesse and Letty trying to keep the kids entertained inside the Toretto house. "You should really go man."

Finally finding the power to charge past Dom, Vince shoved Leon to the ground. "Now you're against me too? Keep you stupid mouth shut you faggot."

"Relax!" Leon cried, accepting Brian's hand as he got back up.

"That's enough," said Dom. He pointed at Vince, who was wearing ripped jeans and a white wife-beater tank. His hair was messed up and it was evident that he had relapsed since their last encounter. "Get the hell out of here before I call the cops."

"UHHHHH!" Vince groaned, picking up a chair and throwing it across the backyard. It hit the blue baseball themes piñata that was set up earlier and piles of candy fell to the ground.

"Stop!" Brian demanded, pulling away from Mia's grasp on his arm and walking over to Vince. "Don't cause a scene. There are kids inside the house. They don't need to see this."

"You want me to leave?" Vince shrugged. "Fine, I'll leave if you do. We have some things we need to work out, you punk ass bitch."

"NO!" Mia cried out.

Brian turned to her and gave her a reassuring nod. "Its fine Mia. Go take care of Aiden."

She tried to refuse but they were already walking out the gate. As they left, Uno began barking hysterically upon seeing his owner walk away to places unknown.

"Go call the kids' parents," Dom said to Mia, who was petting Uno in hopes of calming him down. "Vince might come back here and I don't know what shit he'll try and pull."

She nodded and quickly ran into the kitchen. All she wanted today was to celebrate her life's greatest achievement and instead she was faced with reminders of her greatest regret.

XX

"Where the fuck are you running off to?" Vince called out as Brian walked several steps ahead of him. Brian wasn't running, but Vince was walking slowly due to the drugs in his system.

When Brian ignored him, he ran ahead to put the blonde in a chokehold. Luckily, Brian got the upper hand was punched him in the face.

"You want to be violent?" Brian asked, punching him once again which led Vince to fall to the ground. They were currently in an alley, away from any bystanders. "Well then this is for being a dumb fucking asshole," he continued while kicking him. He then listed off various reasons for why he was repeatedly delivering blows to the gut. "This is for trying to ruin Mia's life. This is for leaving her alone to raise a baby at seventeen. This is for not manning up to be a good father to Aiden. And this is for ruining his birthday."

Brian finally stepped back and breathed out, satisfied that he was able to unleash his anger on the source.

"You little bitch," Vince grumbled as he clenched his side. "You have no idea what you just walked into O'Conner. You're all going to pay for this."

He let out a bitter laugh in return. "You can threaten me all you want Vince. But the second you go near Aiden or Mia again…I promise that if you hurt them, I will hunt you down and I will kill you."

Vince struggled to stand, and when he finally did his posture staggered. "We both know that your father destroyed that family. How much longer until you live up to his name?"

Reminded of his past, Brian's blood began to boil. With all of this force, he punched Vince one last time and walked away. He didn't know whether he was angry that Vince had tried to use his father's actions against him or the fact that he was not the only one burdened by this secret.

XX

"I can't believe that jackass had the audacity to show up here and pull that shit in front of Aiden. Are you sure you don't want to go after them?" Letty asked Dom as she watched him stare out the window. Leon and Jesse and all of Aiden's friends had left moments prior.

He shook his head. "Brian can handle himself but if I see Vince…" He paused and clenched his fists tightly. "I might kill him and I have too much to lose to end up in prison."

Letty laughed, although she knew he wasn't joking. Dom wasn't a particularly serious man, despite his macho demeanor. In all the years she had known him, the only people he really ever admitted to hating were Vince and his mother. Ironically, they both had something in common; they didn't fulfill the responsibility of raising their children.

"Ou," she furrowed her brow when she felt the baby kick again. "I think your baby girl has had a lot of excitement today."

Dom turned around and had a slight smile on his face. "She clearly likes being the centre of attention already."

"Well she is a Toretto," Letty playfully scoffed, allowing Dom to place his hands on her stomach.

"Yeah she is," he said proudly. "We need to start setting up her nursery. She's going to be here before we know it."

Letty nodded. "Are you going to help me change diapers and feed her in the middle of the night?"

He chuckled. "Letty, you basically own me for the next eighteen years. I'll do whatever you want."

"Mmm," she sighed when he brought her into an embrace. "What if eighteen years isn't long enough?"

"I'm sure we can negotiate a longer timeline," Dom flirted smoothly. No other words were spoken as they both leaned in to kiss.

XX

"Do you think Brian's coming back?" Aiden asked later that evening while getting ready for bed.

After the earlier disaster that Vince caused, Mia, Dom and Letty had tried their best to salvage what was left of his birthday. They opened gifts, ate cake, watched old home videos, and ordered in from Aiden's restaurant.

Although he was still a little upset that his friends had to leave suddenly, he was still grateful to have spent the day with his family.

Mia looked at her watch and frowned; she was worried that Brian hadn't come back to pick up Uno. He had called earlier to say that he was okay but that was all that Mia had heard from him.

"I'm not sure baby," Mia finally whispered in response, quickly tidying up the pile of gifts that sat on Aiden's desk.

Her son was now snuggled in bed with Uno right beside him. Mia couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"What did I tell you about keeping the dog out of your bed?"

"But Mom! Brian gives him a bath all the time…" Aiden began to whine, pulling the puppy closer to him.

"Okay fine," she quickly gave up arguing. She instead sat at the edge of his bed and began running a hand through Aiden's hair. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

The young boy smiled confidently. "More than anything else in this world."

"That's right," Mia nodded, tapping his nose affectionately. "You are the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me.

Aiden sat up to hug his mom. "Love you."

At that very moment, Brian walked into the room and witnessed the sight in front of him. He cleared his throat to make his presence known and then smiled at them both.

"Brian!" Mia exclaimed when she saw your boyfriend. Her face was a mixture of happiness and worry.

"Hey Mia," he nodded reassuringly, taking a seat on the other side of Aiden's bed and facing the boy. "Happy birthday kiddo."

"Thanks Brian," Aiden replied, reaching out to high five him. "I'm glad you came back."

"Well, I had to come back for my dog," Brian joked as he ruffled Aiden's hair and then went to pet Uno. "And I had to give you your birthday gift. Its not every day that Aiden Toretto turns eight."

Mia giggled and watched the interaction between her son and the man she loved.

Brian handed Aiden a large envelope, who took it hesitantly. "What is it?"

"Open it," Brian urged, not even giving a single hint.

"Okay…" Aiden replied, his small hands quickly ripping off the seal. He spilled the contents onto the bed and a bunch of papers were revealed. When he spotted a picture of Mickey Mouse, his excitement heightened.

"Are these…?" Mia began to ask as she went through the various brochures.

"Three tickets to Disney World!?" Aiden finished in amazement.

Brian chuckled at his expression. "Yup. And a flight voucher that's redeemable as soon as you finish school and your mom has time off work."

"Awesome!" Aiden shouted enthusiastically, as he got up and started jumping on the bed. "I'm going to Disney World!" he continued to chant before leaping into Brian's arms and hugging him tightly. "Thanks Brian! You're the best!"

"You're welcome buddy," the blonde said, kissing him on the top of his head. "You deserve it."

"Brian…" Mia's voice trailed off as emotion overcame her. She had wanted to take Aiden to Disney World for years, but the costs were too high and her schedule was always too hectic. It astonished her that Brian could be so generous. "This is…this is way too much."

"Its what he wanted and its what I wanted to give to you both," Brian explained earnestly. "Besides, you guys will have fun. You can take Dom or Letty once the baby gets here…"

"We're taking you!" Mia and Aiden both said at the same time.

"You have to come with us Brian!" Aiden then began to explain. "It will be like New York all over again."

Brian chuckled. "New York was fun, wasn't it?"

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded, picking up a book off his night table. "Uncle Dom bought me a book all about the Big Apple. Can we read it right now?"

"Sure," Brian said, switching positions to rest his back against the headboard of the bed. Mia then picked up Uno so she could take the dog's place and rested him on her lap.

Together, the three of them read the book until Aiden started to drift off.

"Goodnight baby boy," Mia said in a soft whisper as she kissed his forehead. She put Uno back in the bed beside him and turned off the lights.

Her and Brian walked out and she was finally able to say what was on her mind the entire time. "Are you alright?" she asked while she gently shut Aiden's bedroom door behind them. She reached up to cup his face in her hands and their eyes gazed intensely into each other's. Even though he had tried to act like everything was normal, she could sense that he wasn't himself.

"Yeah," Brian mumbled unconvincingly. He could see the flash of hurt on Mia's face when she realized he wasn't being truthful and his stomach turned when he imagined what her reaction would be if she ever discovered what was actually bothering him.

"What did Vince say to you?" she demanded, looking him over to confirm that if Brian wasn't physically injured, it must have been a verbal assault. "I'm sorry if he said something about me that might of upset you…if it's any conciliation, he was probably lying."

Brian kissed her forehead and brought her into his warm embrace. "Mia..."

"I love you Brian." Her voice was shaky and it was evident that she had begun to cry. "You have no idea how worried I was when you didn't come back right away."

"I'm sorry." He held her closer and his guilt ate at him when he saw how his actions had affected her. He wanted nothing more than to come back as soon as his encounter with Vince was dealt with, but he needed time to clear his mind. He needed to convince himself that what happened all those year ago wasn't his fault; he needed to believe that his father's actions should not affect his relationship with the woman he loved more than life itself. He needed a sign that not telling her was the right thing to do, that it would only bring up unnecessary pain and hurtful memories.

The sign never came, but he was reminded of what his mother had told him; Tony knew the truth but he accepted Brian and never once treated him like an outsider. If Tony never held it against him, he hoped that Dom and Mia wouldn't either.

Finally Mia broke away and then grabbed his hand to guide them down the hallway and to her room.

He had been in there numerous times before, but not since they had been intimate. It was different; even though he had slept in there himself, there was something alluring about being in there with her. He was more aware of all the trinkets and décor that made the space uniquely Mia.

Without a single word spoken between the two, Mia went to her dresser to take out a set of pajamas and then walked into her closet to change. She was back out in less than a minute and looked at Brian, who was still standing by the door and looking at pictures on the wall.

"I just want him gone," Mia finally admitted through her tears, catching Brian off guard. "It hurts so much to know that he can waltz right back into my life at any time and just screw up everything I've worked so hard to overcome. Why can't I just move on from that horrible time in my life?"

"You have," Brian affirmed, moving to be closer to her. He reached out to touch her face and wiped away the water escaping from her eyes. "You have a great kid, a career, family and friends who adore you, and…you have me. Nothing Vince says or does will ever change that."

"He's shown up more in the last year than he has in all of Aiden's life. I don't want Aiden around him and I don't want Aiden to realize that the father he always wonders about is a drug-addict who couldn't bother to get clean."

They both sat down on the bed and Mia leaned into Brian's shoulder.

"Do you spend all your time wondering about your mom? Or are you grateful that Tony more than made up for her absence?"

"Honestly?" Mia rhetorically questioned. "Both. I never really missed her when I was young because I had no memories of her. But when I was a teenager, I was angry that she left. I was going through things that I needed her there for…and when I got pregnant with Aiden I was a complete wreck. Without my dad around, I spent more time imagining what she looked like…and how she could leave us…and if I would be as terrible a parent to my own child as she was to me."

"You're a good momma," Brian said. "You spend every free second with Aiden or you're constantly talking about him. You've made him your number one priority and that's an accomplishment in itself."

She nodded into his chest, believing what he said to be true. "Can you stay with me for a while? I don't want to be alone right now."

"You're never alone," Brian assured her, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. "I love you and I will always be here."

While he took off his jacket and shoes, Mia threw back the covers on the bed. "I finally believe you when you say that O'Conner. Don't make me regret it."

He let out a small laugh at her sarcastic and lightened mood. "I'm not going anywhere. I plan to travel the world with you by my side."

Mia laid down and rested her head on his chest. "That's ambitious. What if you find a new young…"

Brian then moved to hover over her and kissed her to silence. "Don't even finish the thought. Your hot and cold act drives me crazy but there's no one else who has ever occupied one hundred percent of my brain all the time."

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Its nice to be loved by someone as sexy as you."

"Get use to it," he gleamed, tugging the straps of her tank top down her arms and then grazing his tongue along the area between her breasts.

When a moan escaped her lips, she felt Brian's hand quickly cover her mouth.

"Dom will kill me if he hears us having sex in this house," Brian gulped.

"You started it," Mia laughed, pushing him off of her and putting her shirt back on properly. "Besides, Aiden sometimes comes in here randomly and there isn't a lock on my door. We can't."

"Mommy duties come first," he nodded, smiling at how she made sure Aiden was always considered.

"Always," she reaffirmed although she knew he understood. "But I promise we can schedule some time for just us tomorrow afternoon."

"Yeah?" he smirked.

"Oh yeah," she bit her lip seductively. "I have a whole two hours to kill between work and picking him up from school."

"Good," he responded in a low tone before capturing her lips once more.

With each other, the past was always forgotten.

XX

"Dom," Letty nudged her sleeping boyfriend repeatedly. It was after midnight but she had been unable to sleep. "Wake up."

"Hmm?" the mechanic mumbled in response, snuggling his face deeper into his pillow.

"I'm hungry," she complained, shaking him again. "Go get me ice-cream."

"What? Let, it's late."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Well your baby doesn't know the concept of time yet. All she knows is that she wants ice-cream as much as I do."

"Fine," Dom groaned. He turned over, yawned, and proceeded to stretch before getting out of bed.

XX

"Thank you for staying with me and for Aiden's gift," Mia said softly as her and Brian stood by the front door. She wanted nothing more than for him to stay so they could spend the early hours of daylight in each other's arms, but they both knew it was too soon for Aiden. Although he was more than aware that they were dating, the boy was still too young to understand that adult sleepovers didn't immediately equal marriage. And that was not a conversation Mia had the energy to rehash yet again.

"Anytime," Brian assured, before repeatedly pecking at her lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," she smiled, running her hand through his hair. "You have no idea how much."

He kissed her again, this time being less cautious of who may see them. When he finally pulled away for air, he saw her flushed cheeks even in the darkness. "What do you want for lunch tomorrow?"

"You're going to cook for me?" She raised her brow with a sarcastic grin.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "You know, I did manage to fend for myself before you came along. I'm capable of making some basic things."

"How advanced are your expertise?"

"Eggs…toast…maybe even both."

She giggled, playfully nudging him on the shoulder. "All I want for lunch is you."

Brian smiled goofily. "I'll see you at noon. You better be hungry."

"I will be," she kissed him one last time. "Love you."

"Love you," he repeated before walking to his car.

Mia watched as he drove off, completely unaware that someone had been watching their entire exchange from a window across the street.

"Did Brian just leave?" Dom's voice asked when she finally shut the front door.

She jumped upon seeing his shadow and held her chest. "Jesus, you scared me."

Dom turned on the light and revealed the bowl of ice cream in his hands.

"Midnight snack?" Mia asked, wrapping her sweater tighter around herself. She wanted to avoid a further interrogation about Brian. "I thought you had been dedicating a lot of time at the gym lately."

"Its for Letty," he replied, as they both walked up the stairs. "She's been having these weird cravings."

"Ice cream isn't that weird," Mia shrugged. "Its when she asks for pickles and ice cream together that you have to be concerned."

"Thanks for the tip," Dom chuckled. "But you still didn't answer my question. What was Brian doing here so late?"

She paused before opening her bedroom door and turned to face her brother. "I asked him to stay. I was still really upset about Vince showing up and I just didn't want to be alone."

Dom simply nodded. "I'm going to make sure Vince isn't a problem again. I'm sick of his shit."

"Me too."

Noticing that she was tired, Dom gave her a hug. "Goodnight Mia. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight," she repeated quietly.