DISCLAIMER: I own nada as far as TFATF is concerned. I only own Gatewood House, and any chars not in the movie. If you want to sue me, go right ahead: I'm broke, ya won't get a CENT.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank you very much for reading this! BTW... to avoid some confusion: in my story, Brian had a bad accident a while after the end of the movie. I won't say anything more!
Dominic Toretto hated check-out lines, especially at the grocery store. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, trying not to lose his patience with the fat lady in front of him. She seemed to be taking up the entire aisle, and to top it all off, she only had a gallon of milk in her chubby hand while he and Vince had two shopping carts full to the hilt. He hated check-out lines.
Vince shifted impatiently beside him as well, and the two exchanged frustrated looks. There was a slight rustle behind them as some other poor unfortunate got in line, followed by an exasperated sigh as they realized what a wait they were in for. A musky, sexy scent drifted under their noses, mixed with a distinctly lower note of smoke. Vince and Dom looked at each other, then behind them.
It was a woman, with her red hair pulled back haphazardly and a complexion that made both of them wonder if she was sick. She wore black sunglasses, and couldn't have been much taller than five-two. Not really worth a second look. Dom ignored her and turned his attention to the endless line ahead of them. Vince followed his example.
There was a tap on Dom's shoulder. He turned around to look at the red-head. She pointed to a check-out counter that looked almost ready to open up. Nobody else had noticed it. She motioned for them to follow. Dom smiled at her. He and Vince followed her inconspicuously to the other counter, and left the grocery store before the fat lady was even half-way to her counter.
As they left the store parking lot, they stopped to let the redhead cross. Waving to her, they pulled out at break-neck speed and were gone.
"What took you guys so long?" Mia yelled at them as they walked into the kitchen laden with groceries. Dom and Vince groaned.
"Do you have any idea how much I hate check-out lines?" Dom asked her. Mia rolled her eyes and started to put the food away.
"If it hadn't been for that redheaded chick, we might still be there," Vince added.
"She pointed out a counter that was just opening up. Nobody else noticed," Dom finished as he brought in the last of the groceries on the floor, as there was no room on the counter.
"Dinner will be ready in half an hour. You boys go wash up," Mia instructed, turning back to cooking. Vince and Dom exchanged amused smiles behind her back, and sheepishly wandered upstairs.
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Sarah irritably jammed a stray lock of her red hair behind her ear as she turned her black car into the parking lot of Gatewood House, noticing who was in and who was out. She got all of the groceries in one trip, despite the horribly slow check-out lines. Thank God she had noticed that other check-out counter before anyone else had! She hated check-out lines with a vengeance, as, apparently, so had the two guys in front of her. She unloaded the car in five minutes, and was re-stocking the fridge when her sister Moira waddled downstairs.
"Morning sickness still a problem?" Sarah asked the pregnant woman, not glancing up from inside of the fridge.
"Yeah," Moira replied, her voice thick with exhaustion, "I just got over the worst of it when you left." Sarah nodded, closing the fridge door. She opened a bag she'd left on the counter, and took out several jars of herbs.
"Pot," Sarah asked, turning to the counter. Moira waddled over with the requested cooking utensil and sat down heavily at the table. Sarah nodded her thanks, and went about brewing tea for Moira.
"I'm okay for dinner, you know. What would y—"
"I'm making dinner," Sarah stated firmly. Moira shut her mouth, knowing it would be useless to argue. She sighed, also knowing the storm that was about to break.
"O'Connor?" Sarah inquired, her voice carefully casual, yet hinting at a threat that was not directed towards Moira. Her sister flinched, knowing Sarah's back was turned.
"Brian's...in his room," she said quietly. She winced when Sarah abruptly slammed the bowl she'd been mixing a marinade in down on the counter with more force than necessary.
Sarah took the back spiral staircase up to the second floor of Gatewood House. She marched down the hallway and stopped at the third door on the left, and knocked once. She counted to ten mentally, trying to calm down. It didn't work. It never does, she thought with detached and bitter amusement. Enough... She kicked the door open, surprised that her erstwhile step-brother hadn't locked it this time. He's really given up, the jerk. Well... NOT if I can help it!
"Up!" she commanded sharply as she pulled the sheets off of her step-brother. He exclaimed in protest, but she threw the sheets across the room. He lunged after them. She stopped him by yanking on his hair, ignoring his yowls of pain.
"Up!" she growled through set teeth. He blinked resentfully at her. Sarah whipped around and opened the curtains and shades he had been careful to keep closed for months now.
He hadn't meant for it to be months. It had just happened. At first, he just kept them closed and curled up in his room at the end of the day. Then, it had been harder and harder to get up in the morning. Finally, this past two weeks, he had just stopped even getting out of bed. Brian wondered if Sarah knew how long it had been. He decided he didn't care if murder was against the law when the sunlight he'd shut out pierced his eyes... he was just plain going to kill his step-sister.
"Up, O'Connor, and don't make me repeat myself," Sarah set in a low voice, her tone unchanged, hands on her ample hips.
"Why?" Brian retorted sulkily. He realized his mistake when Sarah's mouth tightened. There was no way on Earth he could have dodged the strike she aimed at his head. He reeled back against the headboard.
She walked out of the room.
"I'll carry you down if you're not downstairs in ten minutes."
Goddamn step-sisters to hell! Brian thought with the first hint of feeling he'd had in months. He resented her for that.
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Vince was not in a good mood.
To start the evening, Mia had made a terrible dinner. Which wasn't unusual... he was used to it by now... it's just that it had started the evening. What made it worse was the VCR finally deciding to quit in a shower of sparks, subsequently frying the DVD player as well. And there was NOTHING on TV... he'd checked every channel twice. And Letty was DEFINATELY on the rag, making her bitchier than normal. Just can't fucking win, Vince thought bitterly. He was finishing off the evening watching Mia pretend she wasn't thinking about the Buster.
Vince was not in a good mood.
"I'm going to bed," he announced finally. Screw this shit, he thought.
"'Night, dawg," Leon called without looking up from his ministrations on the VCR, trying to coax it back to life.
"Goodnight, V," Mia offered softly, looking out the window. Vince felt his stomach give a wrench at her painfully distracted tone. Dom noticed, nodding his understanding and goodnight. Letty remained sullenly silent, preferring to flick through the channels while reading a car magazine. Vince plodded up the stairs alone.
"Hey, coyote!" Leon called up after him, "Think you can help on the Mazda tomorrow? There's an engine and filter problem I need your help on!"
"Sure, dawg!" Vince called over his shoulder. He'd been dying to get a look under the Mazda's hood, but had been too busy with a Honda he'd been repairing and helping Dom remodel the basement. NOW, however, he'd get a glance at what the new gal had under her skirts!
Oh, baby, he thought with relish, the night may have sucked ass, but that car is something. Mm-mm, we'll see if she'll sing for me tomorrow!
Vince fell asleep half an hour later, in a much lighter mood.
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Sarah played a classic rock station as she served dinner. Brian sulkily hobbled downstairs with his cane without further threat of house-hold humiliation. Everyone treated his appearance as a normal occurrence, praying that Sarah's latest homecoming could jolt him from his depression. Brian carefully avoided all conversation, glaring at Sarah at odd moments.
"I'm opening the old pub back up," Sarah announced with no ceremony. A stunned but happy silence descended, but was quickly filled when it was obvious she wasn't saying anything more.
Brian gave her an odd, questioning look before turning back to the first decent meal he'd eaten in months. True, he'd been forced to eat it under threat of being "volunteered" to babysit the kids for a whole week... but hey, the chicken was pretty good, and so were the dill potatoes. So what if he wasn't allowed to drink wine due to the painkillers he used for his leg... he didn't care.
He'd stopped caring too much when he'd betrayed the team. Mia... NO! Don't think about her! he screamed at himself mentally. He'd stopped caring altogether when he'd hurt his leg in his... accident. They'd given him painkillers—strong ones—but they only dulled the pain to a constant ache. The only thing he'd cared about then was that it was a damn shame he couldn't drink alcohol and get thoroughly drunk. But now... now he just stared at the ceiling all day, waking at odd moments at night, and doing the same thing. Trying not to see her picture there.
Then Sarah had come home. And dammit, there went his chance to end it all quietly and painlessly.
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Dominic settled into bed beside Letty, who turned away from him in her sleep. It was late... getting up later this morning was going to be a bitch. Well... Letty was the bitch right now, seeing as she was on the rag, so waking up later on was going to be... fucking sucky.
He sighed as Letty rolled over and flopped an arm over him, unintentionally hitting him in the face. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he moved the offending appendage down to his chest. She stirred slightly, but stilled when the breeze came through the open window. Dominic watched the moon as he felt himself getting sleepy.
He dreaded tomorrow... Well, more like today, seeing as it's almost three in the fucking morning, he thought. Today... today was the day he'd first met Brian O'Connor.
He wondered if anyone besides Mia remembered. They probably would, if reminded, but had pushed thoughts of the friend-who-wasn't out of their heads as soon as possible. Brian had caused too much pain to warrant thinking about then. The team had needed to move on with their lives without him... needed to heal themselves and become a team again. Dominic thought about all that Brian had missed in the past year.
Including Mia's birthday. THAT had hurt; even Letty and Vince had to admit that. Sure, they were grateful that they were all there—Jesse had, by some grace of God, survived the shooting—but Brian was in the back of everyone's mind that day. The others had wanted to throw her a big bash, to try and take her mind off of not having the Buster there... but Dom had convinced them to make do with the simple dinner-out Mia had mentioned she'd wanted. It had been a quiet affair, even if practically every friend they'd had stopped by that day and the next to drop off random presents. Everyone, that is, except Brian. And Dominic could tell that had hurt Mia.
It hurt him too, though he would never admit to it. Brian had betrayed them. He may not have wanted to in the end, but it had happened. Sure, he'd made sure Dom got away, regardless of the consequences... but still, when the team had returned to America after a few months of letting things calm down... still, Brian had been on Mia's mind. And so, consequentially (he was beginning to HATE that word), on Dom's mind.
I wonder what Officer Brian O'Connor is doing now, he thought as he finally drifted off to sleep.
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Sarah knocked on Brian's door. He'd disappeared after dinner, and she didn't like that. She was about to give the door a good bang when it opened. She blinked once.
"You're helping me clean the pub tomorrow," she informed him calmly, "We open in two days."
He closed the door in her face. She sighed, deciding it wasn't worth it to break it down again and repeat what she'd said. She'd meant every word of it: Brian was helping her, and that was that. She'd just carry him there if he tried to get out of it. That reminds me... I need to wean him off those damn painkillers soon, she thought with a touch of sympathy. She'd been on those pills before, and coming off them had given her nasty nightmares.
She reached the third floor via the back spiral staircase. Her room was the first door on the right from there, and she would never admit how glad she was to see it right then. Nor would she admit to how tired she actually was. Closing and bolting the heavy dark wood door, she tossed the key on the dresser and began stripping. Once completely naked, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dresser mirror as she crossed the room to her bathroom. She stopped, suddenly aware of how pale she was after staying in Maine for so long. Ignore Maine, she told herself, get the damn bath and go to sleep.
She took a quick hot bath, keeping the water shallow. Her hair she'd wash in the morning, when she took a shower. Right now, she just needed the heat to release the day's tensions. Indulging in a lavender soap, she concentrated on breathing and bathing.
Lying on the bed at last, she decided against cloths. If it was one thing about living in Gatewood House with SO many family members, it was that modesty counted for shit. She could walk downstairs in the morning wearing bra and panties, and nobody would blink an eye. The kids didn't care; they were too young to even know about such things. And the teenagers had grown up with it, so it didn't bother them. Sarah pulled clean, white cotton sheets over her body, reveling in the sensation of bare skin on the fabric. She thought about the Gatewood House adolescents.
Abby was just a toddler, turning three in a couple of weeks. Logan was eight, and Liana was five. Jack was... Oh, he turned one last week, Sarah remembered. She allowed herself a small smile. The twins, Angelo and Sophia, they were nine. Mica's almost nineteen, she thought to herself with a chuckle, and Vincent is thirteen, with Shelley being eighteen. Every last one of them was an O'Connor, except Moira's baby, who would be an O'Dell; and Jack and Abigail, who were Bella's wards. Angelo, Sophia, and Vincent were Jameson's kids. I wonder how Brian's twin is doing? I didn't see him at dinner, Sarah thought to herself as she drifted into sleep thinking drearily of family.
She dreamed vaguely about singing a lullaby to a baby of her own, and woke up around three in the morning not remembering it. She went back to sleep, dreamless.
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Vince got up to the annoying buzzing of his alarm clock across the room. Groaning, he threw off the covers, and crossed the room. On the way, he tripped over his shoes and cloths. By the time he made it to the other side, he was completely awake. He shut the buzzing off with a slap of his hand, and went downstairs to have his first cup of coffee.
Once in the kitchen, he discovered he was the first one up. Sighing, he thanked God for timers on coffee-makers, and poured himself a mug full. He sipped the hot, bitter liquid with relish, draining it in three gulps. He headed back upstairs for a shower, grateful that Mia hadn't decided to get up early and make everyone breakfast. If she had, not only would he have been unable to just grab a donugt and run, he would've had to wait another fifteen minutes to get into the bathroom. That is IF Letty or Leon hadn't gotten there first, Vince thought grumpily.
He took a shower in water that would have been cool to other people, which suited Vince just fine. He groaned when he realized that Mia had bought the shampoo this time... it was apple-scented. Great, he thought viciously, When I hit on a chick I can smell like another woman... like a goddamn orchard, for Christ's sake! At least he won out in the soap department. Ivory suited him just fine, thank you very much.
He was out in ten minutes, and was heading back downstairs to finish his breakfast, when he almost collided with a groggy Mia just coming out of her room. It's funny how the Buster pretty much cured me of wanting to screw her, he thought without meaning to. Mia mumbled something that resembled an apology in sleep-talk, and stumbled towards the bathroom. Vince was just grateful that she couldn't hear his thoughts... she'd been thinking of HIM far too much lately. She needs to get laid, he thought, shaking his head.
Dom had made it downstairs before Vince had returned from his shower, and greeted him with a raised coffee mug. Vince nodded his head, pouring himself another mug and grabbing a donugt. Both men munched in silence. Vince figured when Dom wanted to talk about what was on his mind, he would. And damn if he ain't figuring something right now, Vince thought curiously, judging by his face, he ain't too happy about it either.
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Sarah knocked calmly on Brian's door. It was morning, and he needed to get up and get his ass moving if he was going to help her with the pub. And Goddammit, he IS, I don't care what he fucking thinks, she thought. She knocked again, and heard the sheets on his bed rustle. She waited... still no answer.
She tried the knob, and it turned freely in her hand. You asked for it, dumb-ass, she thought half with resignation, half with anger at her step-brother's self-pity. Throwing open the door with a loud bang, she entered the room and yanked off the sheets. Brian protested groggily, pretending to go back to sleep. Sarah narrowed her eyes.
"Alrighty then," she said, and opened his bathroom door. She picked Brian up, carried him into the bathroom, and threw him in the shower stall. He opened his eyes and would have said something offensive to her...
Except Sarah had turned the shower on full-force, using VERY cold water. She stood with her hands on her hips, unsmiling, watching her step-brother yelp in surprise and lunge to turn the water off. He sat sullenly in the shower stall, shivering and dripping, not meeting her gaze.
"Get another shower," she ordered, ignoring his hot glare, "And then come down for breakfast. Move it, O'Connor." She left him there, and went downstairs, stopping in the children's rooms to check and see if they were awake. Jack, the one-year-old, was awake in his crib. His sister Abigail was still sound asleep and sucking her thumb. Sarah changed Jack's diaper before putting him back in his crib and heading downstairs again.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not going to continue unless there is feedback. I mean it... even if you hate it, please Review! I can stand flames... I've got a flame-proof suit on lol. Thank you for reading this! Any questions or what have you, send them to me! ace_bluefire@hotmail.com