An End and a Beginning
Summary: They didn't work out the first time around, but they have something tangible between them that forces them to be in each other's lives forever. They are getting a second chance, but with Dominic and Letty, nothing comes easy. Rating: M
Disclaimer: I don't know where this went… Sorry if anyone thought I owned anything.
Chapter 25
Vince had been expecting - waiting for - the intrusion that invaded his apartment the next afternoon. He sure hadn't thought she would bring a case of beer with her.
"Letty", he muttered warily.
She flashed a grin at his nervousness. Yeah, she was known for showing her claws when someone messed with her family. But internal affairs usually needed to be handled differently – even if she was still planning on knocking some sense into Vince's thick head.
Letty stuck the case in the fridge and pulled two out. Vince took the offering a bit skeptically.
"You poison this?"
She snorted. "Do I waste good beer?"
He conceded the point and swallowed a mouthful. "So what's the deal? Are you getting me drunk before you yell at me?"
She raised a hand. "Man, when I'm pissed at you, you don't need to be drunk to find out. Here's the deal. When Mia asks, you tell her I came over and yelled until you were cowering in the corner. You are sufficiently terrified of me, alright?"
He smirked. "Can do. So, what's up, lil mama?"
"What? Can't we just hang? I've got Dom on 'daddy duty' for the afternoon."
"You're just lovin' life, aren't ya, Let?" he mused.
"Kinda", she admitted, a small smile on her face, crossing to sit on one end of his beat up couch.
Vince frowned. He didn't read Letty's 'thinking face' so well for nothing. "Hey. What's going on?"
She shrugged. "I tell you, you've gotta answer the question too, yeah?"
"Why do I get the feeling like I'm about to be involved in a conversation you should be having with Dom?"
"How about you let me talk, and then when I'm done, you can just tell me to stop being a fucking idiot and stressing out. No other psychoanalysis needed. Promise."
Vince groaned. "I know I'm going to regret this."
She chuckled. "Wanna know something?"
"No!"
Her grin widened. "Dude, quit acting like I'm gonna tell you about my sex life, bro."
He let out a relieved sigh and took a seat next to her on the couch. "Alright girl. Hit me."
0
Nearly an hour later, Vince was sitting with his mouth hanging open in the most unattractive fashion.
"So you were gonna... and he- and you still broke up with him?!" he spluttered, brain scrambling to comprehend the mess his friends had made their lives for the last seven years. He'd watched pieces and parts, but to have the whole mess laid in front of him so bluntly had thrown him for a loop. "Damn, girl", he muttered. "That's cold."
"Wasn't easy on me either", she shrugged. "We were both a mess. I just couldn't deal with mine and his at the same time. You think I wanted things to go like that? V, I know I hurt him... And then I figured I lost my chance."
"You guys did talk all this out didn't you?"
"To death", she muttered. "Long before we told the family we were working on shit. We've cleared out most of the cobwebs..."
"Then what's the problem here?"
She shrugged. "I know he wants us to have more kids. We agreed to wait a bit... The idea is pretty fucking terrifying."
He stared at her incredulously. "Let?"
"Yeah?"
He rolled his eyes. "You're a fucking idiot, and you're stressing out over nothing."
She tried to laugh, but it didn't come out right.
He sighed and tugged her against his side. "C'mere, you crazy dumbass. Now I get why you brought the beer", he muttered into her hair. "And you're gonna ruin my favorite shirt."
Letty pulled back slightly to eye said shirt. "It's just black", she muttered petulantly. "Why you so stupid?"
He grinned as she cuddled back against him, head resting on his shoulder. Vince poked her ribs gently. "Why're you? You're a kickass mom, Let. Don't let anyone tell you different. I know avoiding is like your default switch when emotions are hard, but I know my boy. Dom ain't letting you go again. I can make that promise, alright?"
"Thanks, man."
"And if he even thinks about it, I'll kick his ass."
She laughed. "You play both sides so well."
"Years of experience", he said gravely.
That sat in an easy silence while Letty put herself back together. It was ten minutes before she finally spoke.
"So, why are you harshing on Mia's boyfriend?" she asked softly.
Vince tipped his head to peer down at her face with an annoyed look.
She just raised an eyebrow in response. "I'm waiting", she teased.
He made a disgruntled noise. "Come on, Letty, he's a cop."
"He ain't arresting you. What's the problem?"
"You think it ain't weird? Anyone in this family dating the law?"
Letty stared incredulously. "V, just because you, me, and Dom ran in the streets after midnight- Mia didn't really do that. She went to school, got good grades, and she liked it. She needs a nice guy who's gonna treat her like a princess. Brian does that. I'm not saying you have to be best friends with the guy-"
"Good thing, 'cause dealing with you and Dom is a full time job already", he muttered crankily.
She swatted at him, stifling a laugh. "Stop it. All I'm asking is that you act like someone taught you some damn manners. And if Mia has to come after you, you should join the Witness Protection Program, because she'll be coming at you with a flame thrower."
"That girl can be damn scary", he mock-shuddered.
Letty snorted in amusement. "Come on. You're gonna let me kick your ass in Grand Theft Auto 4."
"Let you win? You wish!"
0
Letty read the text Dom had sent her over an hour later. Finally she shrugged. "Want pizza?" she asked Vince. "Dinner's at casa Toretto."
"You okay?"
"I'm not gonna cry on the pepperoni, if that's what you're gettin' at", she rolled her eyes, heading to the bathroom. "Give me a minute and we'll go."
"Good. You know how much I hate soggy pizza", he called after her.
"Shaddup!"
Minutes later they were driving their cars back to Tony's.
0
Letty and Vince parked both of their cars on the road in front of the Toretto house.
"You were racing me", Vince accused with a laugh.
"So?" she smirked, cracking up when he bumped her with his shoulder hard enough to make her trip as they headed towards the front porch.
Vince's booming voice carried through the house as they walked inside, loudly announcing their arrival.
Letty braced herself for her son who ran from the kitchen to give her a hug, breadstick in hand. She scooped him up, making him giggle, and taking a bite of his food.
"Hey, buddy. Have fun with your dad today?"
"Yeah! And Grandpa bought pizza for dinner!"
She grinned. "I see that." Letty eyed her bouncing son shrewdly. "Daddy gave you soda, didn't he?"
He smiled sheepishly, "Maybe just a little."
"Figures", she grumbled playfully, kissing the top of his head as she set him back on the floor. "Alright, get your butt back in the kitchen to eat at the table."
"Yes, ma'am!" he laughed.
She smirked. "Don't sass me!" Letty called after Aiden with a laugh, following after him. "Dominic", she called playfully as she entered the kitchen, voice raised slightly over the din of everyone sitting at the table.
He looked up from his plate on the counter, already looking sheepish, "Hey, babe."
She raised both of her eyebrows. "You gave our son caffeine."
"Only a little", he muttered.
"You have to put him to bed", Letty said with a sigh as she moved closer to him.
"Deal."
She leaned up to kiss him on the mouth. "Hi."
He squeezed her waist as she pulled back.
Dom caught her elbow as she reached around him to grab a plate. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing", she said honestly.
He blocked her path back to the dining table. "Let, I can tell when you've been crying", he muttered.
She smiled slightly. "I know. Look- it's fine okay. I promise. I just needed to stop thinking. And Vince is good at that."
"I heard that!" Vince hollered back to her.
"It was a compliment!" she retorted with a laugh.
"Sure it was!"
"Letty", Dom prompted softly.
She leaned up to kiss his cheek gently. "Everything's alright. I promise."
00
Third weekend of April:
It was just after one-thirty Thursday afternoon when Letty went to answer the knock on her door. Her eyes bugged a bit at the sight.
Kelly's husband David laughed at her, "Still okay with this?"
She opened the door wider. "Come on in and set all that down. Man, I forgot how much crap toddlers need."
He handed her a baby-gate and dropped two small suitcases and a bag of stuffed animals, "For the kitchen. Make it easier on yourself."
"Sarah's still yanking anything and everything out of the pantry, huh?" she chuckled.
"Of course. Drive's Kel nuts", David grinned.
"I feel you. When Aiden first got a real bed, Dom and I would wake up in the mornings and find that he'd pulled all the clothes out of his dresser."
"Speaking of Dom…"
Letty smirked. "He'll be here later. Kelly told you, didn't she?"
"Told me what?" he asked innocently.
"She did! Is this like some guy gossip? You want the details?" she teased. "'cause I'll tell you, it's juicy."
David narrowed his eyes playfully. "You and Dominic haven't been together the entire time we've known you", he pointed out. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around it."
"Lucky you. Our family is having a damn good time harassing us", she rolled her eyes. "If I hear one more Hallmark card joke, I'll slap someone."
He scoffed. "You two aren't that cheesy, are you?"
Letty grimaced, biting her bottom lip. "Cheesy, no… but we're making up for a lot of lost time."
He nodded. "Alright, I'm done poking at your personal life, for now."
She grinned.
"Where do you want this stuff?" he gestured to the pile.
"Come on", she grabbed a suitcase and gestured down the hallway. "We've got the blow-up mattress in Aiden's room. It might end up in the living room at some point, but Ryan's stuff can go in there. Sarah usually crashes in my bed when she's here. Dom will probably be here most of the weekend, but he's going to sleep on the couch."
"Relax", he laughed quietly. "You're good parents, and we've known you long enough to trust us with our kids. Just wing it, and don't sike yourself out."
She smiled wryly. "Sorry. I'm just- we've got a happy kid right now, and Dom and I are in the dark about how to act normal about being together. It's just weird." She wasn't usually such a basketcase.
"No one's normal, Letty."
"That's probably true. I've met some crazies in my lifetime." She shook her head. "Anyway- I'm going to assume Kelly wrote me a list?"
He grinned. "Yeah, she'll go over it when we bring the kids after school. We can pick up Aiden if you want."
Letty snorted, "Right. Let me and Dom get Aiden and Ryan. You guys worry about the dog and Sarah. Come over when you're finished loading up the car."
"You sure?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes. Now get out of here. You know how your wife gets all 'party planner' if you leave her alone for too long."
He chuckled. "Thanks, Let. I'll call the school."
"'Kay, see you later."
00
A/N: Yay! You guys got a new chapter finally! We'll have more of 'Dom and Letty with a herd of kids' in the next chapter. And I think you might get a bit of Dotty drama in a couple chapters… Btw, for those who might be wondering, I'd say we're just over half-way through this story. It's an estimate, because I have just over 14,000 words written for future chapters, and I know I have to fill in quite a bit… so, we'll have to see if I'm correct when this is finally concluded. But, I thought I'd let you guys know where I was at…
Good news, I've got chapters plotted properly through 31… and I know when an engagement happens! *laughs maniacally*