Author's Note: This story will span from the end of the first Fast and Furious movie, to the very opening of Fast Five. While the basic story-line will be recognizable throughout, some details have changed to make the story work. Enjoy!

xX Chapter One Xx

The air was stale when he walked into his apartment for the first time in a month.

One month.

That's how long Brian Spilner had existed, how long Brian O'Conner had finally been able to experience being part of a family, and how long it had taken for the promising career of a young cop on the fast route to a detective shield to throw it all away.

Brian had been kept in interrogation - sorry, "debriefing" - overnight. Bilkins and Tanner badgered him relentlessly about Vince, Jesse, Johnny Tran, and their favorite topic: Dominic Toretto.

Vince was still alive. That was about all the information Brian had been able to glean from his (former) colleagues. That, and he would be spending a very long time behind bars if he recovered from the events of the previous day. Brian had done everything he could to save the man's life, but he knew Vince would have been arrested at the hospital; the trucker had gotten a clear look at him to ID him.

The trucker had gotten a clear look at Dom and Brian, too.

It had taken some VERY creative lying on his part (and he doubted Bilkins or Tanner had really bought it), but without further evidence and after Brian's version of events was on record, the rest of the team was in the clear.

Dom... Dom had gotten away, thanks to Brian. He may be on the run, but he should be rejoining his family right about now, and that was enough.

And Brian... well.

The good news was that Tanner had shown enough mercy that it was unlikely any charges would be pressed against Brian. The good news pretty much ended there, though. Brian was looking at a long, grueling, painful internal affairs investigation... one where all roads led to termination. He was already suspended, and his gun and badge had been left with Tanner. The only reason he hadn't outright resigned already to get it over with was the vain hope of keeping his ear to the ground on any news of Dom.

Speaking of which...

"Officer O'Conner." Brian winced as he answered the phone, the title already feeling like a lie. The dispatcher on the other end spoke briskly and professionally, and Brian was thankful he wasn't expected to contribute more than the occasional 'mhm' to the conversation, as his knees had buckled and he had slumped down heavily onto his ratty, second-hand couch.

"...Asian female, late teens or early twenties, evidence of recent physical altercation... refused to give her name when leaving her newborn at the hospital... Dominic Toretto listed as the father... Baby Toretto being collected by Child Services until her family can be reached... will send a picture of the mother from hospital security to your phone right away..."

Mhm.

Brian ended the call abruptly, not a single word spoken on his end, and opened the picture that appeared with a blank text message. He was out the door and dialing Child Services before the face had fully loaded on his phone. Dom's voice played in his head as though they were right back in China Town, walking away from the exploded remains of Brian's car:

"A business deal that went sour. Plus I made the mistake of sleeping with his sister."

Brian glanced once more at the picture on his phone, the family resemblance to the Tran clan undeniable. Apparently, that 'mistake' had further reaching consequences than Dom had imagined.