xX Chapter Eleven Xx

The days that followed that first kiss were some of the happiest Brian had ever had. Physically, their relationship hadn't progressed past several more heated kisses. Now though, Dom didn't leave in the evenings when Talia was tucked into bed, and Brian woke up in the mornings in a tangle of arms and legs and warmth with Dom somehow managing to share his small bed with him.

Everything was going so well, which was probably why it took Brian nearly a week to decide it was time to confront Dom about the custody papers for Talia. In the end, though, It was Dom who broached the subject, crowding up behind Brian where he sat watching the sunrise out the window and brooding. Dom leaned over his shoulder and pressed a fresh cup of coffee into his hands, staying close and sharing the silence with him for a moment before he sighed quietly and reached out to place the custody papers on the table in front of Brian, too. Brian stiffened and slowly set the coffee down, fingering the edges of the papers, not sure what to say. Luckily, Dom wasn't having the same problem.

"You know, at first when you didn't ask me what I did with the papers, I thought you were scared to hear the answer. Then, when things changed with you and me, I hoped you didn't say anything because you trusted that I wasn't going to use them."

"And now?" Brian asked the question without looking at Dom, but he didn't fight it when Dom wrapped an arm around him and covered his heart with a wide palm, chin hooking over Brian's shoulder so their faces were pressed together.

"Now I've realized that you aren't fighting me over custody because for some dumb-ass reason, you don't think you have the right to. I just don't understand why."

"She's your daughter Dom, I'm just-"

"You're just the one who raised her. The one who's been protecting her all her life, teaching her right from wrong, keeping her safe and healthy and happy." Brian pulled away from Dom just enough to twist his body so he could look into Dom's eyes while the other man kept speaking. "We've shared a lot of stories these past weeks Brian. I will never, ever be able to thank you enough for the way you kept me and my family a part of Talia's life all these years, but you need to stop deluding yourself about which one of us has more of a right to call themselves her parent. You gave up four years of safety and freedom to make sure that little girl knew what it meant to be loved and wanted. When the feds finally caught up to you, you risked your life to stay with her. Then when Letty died, you risked your life all over again in anticipation of me being reckless enough to get myself caught or killed... all so she could some day have me in her life." Brian watched wide-eyed as Dom held the papers up and ripped them straight down the middle. "You are Vitalia's father, Brian. I hope to God I'm always a part of your lives, but I would lose both of you before I would tear you apart. I-"

That was as far as Dom got before Brian pulled him into a crushing kiss, choosing to show him what his words meant rather than try to somehow come up with a significant enough way to say 'thank you.'

When they finally pulled apart long minutes later, both men were breathing hard, and they stared at each other, foreheads pressed together and hands wrapped around the backs of each other's necks.

"As much as I hate to break up this moment, there was actually something else bothering me about those papers that I wanted to ask you about," Dom said lowly, and Brian reluctantly leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest more to force himself to keep his hands off of Dom than anything else.

"What's that?"

"Tanner. Why the hell would he even make it possible for me to barge in and take Tali away from you?"

"I... hadn't really given it much thought," Brian answered slowly, but now that he thought about it, he was suddenly quite anxious for the chance to ask the man just that. Dom seemed to be reading his mind, because the next thing he said was,

"Well, it sounds like maybe you should take a day and go look into things." Brian didn't disagree, but he definitely noticed the way Dom didn't meet his eyes and shifted restlessly - all his usual signs that he was hiding something.

"Okaaaay... and what about Talia?" Dom didn't answer right away, but after a none-too-subtle nudge from Brian, he finally said,

"I was hoping to take her with me... to visit Vince in prison." The silence that followed the statement was absolute, both men hardly breathing for nearly a minute before Brian finally let out a long, loud sigh.

"I guess I better go wake her up then; have her pick out something nice to wear to meet her Uncle Vince." He stood and started towards his daughter's room, but a hand with a tight grip on his shoulder held him back, and he turned his head to find Dom watching him.

"Thanks." Brian forced a tight smile onto his face and shook off the thank you.

"He's her family," he answered simply, then patted the hand on his shoulder before shrugging it off and going to wake Talia.

As he walked quietly into her room, he tried really hard not think about Dom getting him out of the way so that he could take Talia to see Vince without him, and tried even harder not to read too much into what that might mean.