Chapter 4 – New Friends

"Ah don't know how to thank ya'll!" Cerise gushed as she was pushed into the middle of the Toretto fold. "Ah was tellin that man Ah was ready to go back to Keira but he just wouldn't listen to me at ahll."

"What possessed you to get up and dance with someone who looked like that?" Leon asked, hating it when his girlfriend used her dangerous face on anyone.

"Hey, I resent that!" Vince commented, remembering how everyone had compared the other man's looks to his. The group laughed at his discomfort.

"No, you resemble it!" Letty chuckled.

"Well anyway Ah'm glad ya'll saved me, Ah surely am." Cerise said and looked around the bar. The biker man had left with his friends, but she saw Keira looking around, presumably for her. "Ah suppose Ah should get back to mah friends."

"She'll find you here. Why don't you stay awhile?" Jesse asked, looking hopeful. He felt slightly responsible for the girl since he'd saved her from the man who'd been trying to force her out of the bar.

"Ah guess that would be ok if no one minds?" Cerise asked shyly, feeling safer in numbers then alone. She looked around and saw that Keira was back to fighting with Blaise. Since that didn't show any sign of ending any time soon Cerise figured she'd stick around with the Toretto team if no one had a problem with it.

"We don't mind." Dom said gruffly and went back to his drink.

"Yeah, have a seat." Jesse pulled out a chair. "Do you want another drink."

"Gosh no! Ah've had about anough." Cerise, still quite intoxicated giggled and sat in the offered chair.

"So, where you from?" Jesse asked, leaning forward, elbows on his knees as he watched Cerise.

"Georgia. I just moved here a few days ago." Cerise's eyes clouded over with the memories of why she'd left her home.

"Why'd ya move here?" Jesse asked.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Cerise answered. Jesse seemed to sense she didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"You up to another dance?"

"Ah don't know, Ah'm not very good." Cerise blushed.

"Aw, you were doing ok. Dance with me..." Jesse grinned boyishly. "Come on. You know you wanna."

"Well, ahlright." Cerise was coaxed into a smile and got up, taking Jesse's offered hand. She allowed him to lead her onto the crowded dance floor and started to try to follow his lead. He was dancing crazy and it finally just cracked her up, which was Jesse's intent. He wanted to see her smile again. He'd seen too much sadness in her smile and he wanted to help take some of it away. He succeeded when she laughed outright at his foolishness.

"What'dya think of that?" Leon asked the group in general. "Jesse hasn't taken to a girl like that since before..." He trailed off, not wanting to go into the recent near heartbreak his team had survived.

"She's cute. More the kind of girl I see him with then those fast skanks that he goes after around races." Vince's date spoke up.

"She's too sweet." Letty said, looking around. "This city's gonna take her in, chew her up and spit her out."

"Not everybody here is as hardassed as you Let." Vince teased and dodged Letty's flying fist as it flew at his shoulder.

"Watch that mouth boy." Letty was all bark when it came to her team, a fact she showed off by laughing while she took aim again.

"Well if this is the kinda lookin out for her Keira does then Cherry needs someone else to take care of her. You can't leave a girl that fresh alone in a club like this. She's as innocent as a new born." Brian added. He hadn't ever been a fan of Keira's man Blaise and he wasn't surprised they were fighting again instead of looking out for the new girl.

"She looks good with Jesse." Mia said, speculative look in her eye.

"Don't you start!" Brian laughed, knowing his girlfriend had a love of playing matchmaker.

"But Jesse needs somebody and who better then that sweet little Georgia peach?" Mia grinned.

"Someone he picks himself?" Brian asked.

"He did pick her. He could have let Leon go after her but he didn't. He didn't have to ask her out to dance again. They're cute together."

The team looked at Jesse and Cerise who were still doing a remarkably silly dance together on the floor. They were still laughing, and while they watched Jesse leaned in and said something to Cerise that made her laugh.

"They do look good together." Leon admitted. "It'd be nice to finally see him knowin how to treat a lady and not all over some skank up in the livin room."

"Oh my god I left Cherry alone all this time!" Keira wailed when she realized how long she'd been gone from her friend.

"So, she's a big girl, she'll be fine on her own." Blaise said, trying to keep Keira's attention since they'd just made up from their fight.

"She can't. Not really. She's pretty innocent." Keira looked around. "Where is she?"

"Wasn't she dancing with some dude? Maybe she left with him."

"God I hope not. He was too old for her. He was scary lookin." Keira started to walk off, trying hard not to panic. She'd never forgive herself if that man had done anything to Cherry. She sped up, still not seeing her new friend anywhere. Blaise was following her around.

"Keira, you hardly know her. If she left with that guy without telling you there's not much you can do about it."

"She wouldn't do that, not unless he made her." Keira looked around, almost frantic.

"Isn't that her dancing with one of Toretto's guys?" Blaise pointed off into the middle of the dance floor.

"Thank god she's ok. But she's with Jesse?" Keira wrinkled her nose. She hadn't seen that coming.

"I guess so. Now that you know she's ok can we go?"

"No, we can't just leave her here. It's up to me to get her home."

"Well let's ask the Toretto's if they'll get her home when her and Jesse are done dancing."

"I guess that would be ok." Keira caved reluctantly and headed over to the Toretto table. "Hey guys." Keira said to the team when she reached their table.

"Hi Keira. What's up? Blaise." Vince greeted their aquatances.

"Nothin man." Blaise answered. Keira shot him a quelling look. She wasn't totally pleased he was forcing her, more or less to leave early.

"I was wondering. I hate to ask but..." Keira didn't want to ask the Toretto's for a favor because she had nothing to offer them in return. They all just looked at her. "Well, is there any chance you all could make sure Cherry gets home? I hate to ask but I have to go now and she's havin a good time and all."

Dom looked at Keira, and because he had some knowlage of Blaise he knew what was up. Truth told Dom would rather not send someone as innocent of the world off with Keira and Blaise after they'd fought. "It's no problem. Someone will run her home."

"That's so great! Thanks so much." Keira called back at Dom as Blaise dragged her out of the club.

The team watched them go.

"How did a girl like Cherry ever hook up with someone like Keira?" Mia mused out loud.

"Keira's not so bad, if she'd ever wake up and realize her boyfriend is an ass." Letty answered.

Jesse and Cerise came back to the table soon after Keira and Blaise had left the building.

"Your friend had to leave," Mia told Cerise. "But don't worry, we're going to take you home at the end of the night."

"Was Keira ok?" Cerise looked worried, unsure why her friend would have to take off when it was only 1am, and figuring something bad had happened.

"Yeah, it was just that her boyfriend had to leave so she went with him. She didn't want you to feel you had to leave early. It looked like you were having fun." Mia smiled encouragingly.

"Oh Ah was. Ah just hope that Keira wasn't in any sorta trouble."

"She's fine." Letty reassured the girl. "Enjoy the rest of the evening and we'll make sure you get home."

"Ahright. Thanks so much." That settled Jesse and Keira headed out to dance some more.