Author's Note: Another missing scene story. These are really fun to write. This is mostly focused on Vince and Letty as well as Vince and Dom interaction. But the overarching theme is always devoted to my Dom and Letty muse. I wrote and had this quickly beta'ed in one evening so please excuse any typos/grammatical errors. I'll try to clean them up later.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or favorite-ed (is that a word?) or otherwise shown me and my stories some love. I'm terribly flattered and grateful for your support. It really does keep my muse happy and productive. I've still got a few more stories down the pipeline so keep an eye out.
And I still don't own anything from TFATF. Enjoy!
Interconnected
(Vince storms out of the kitchen, cursing and screaming about popcorn.)
Letty shifted uncomfortably in Dom's arms after hearing the harsh slam of the front door. She gazed up at Dom as he in turn glanced down at her. The meaningful look they exchanged was clear.
"I'll go talk to him," he murmured in her ear as he released her and made to get up.
"You sure?" she responded, grabbing his leg gently. Vince could be a real bear when he was wounded. It didn't take a genius to guess what had set him off. She could hear Brian and Mia's hushed voices from the kitchen and they still had yet to emerge since everyone had settled inside the house. Given that Dom was the one who brought Brian in the first place, he might not be the person Vince wanted to see at the moment.
Dom sighed and stood up to go after him anyway. "Yeah. I got this." She understood the meaning behind his words: I started this mess so let me go clean it up.
"Alright," Letty said quietly watching as he rushed out the door to catch Vince before he sped off. "Good luck," she yelled after him, turning to catch the skeptical expressions from Leon and Jesse. Never a dull moment when it came to Team Toretto.
She sat and watched some of the kung fu movie they had turned on and tried to get into it but it was hard with all the tension that had just passed through. Leon and Jesse had simply rolled their eyes over Vince and went back to their horsing around. They thought Vince would quickly get over his "Mia thing" as they called it. So they pretty much ignored it when he got shot down as he most assuredly had tonight given his attitude. He'd learn his lesson sooner or later.
But Letty was worried. Not only was she very close to Mia but she was close to Vince as well. They were all like siblings which is why it was so weird that Vince was into Dom's little sister. He had known her since she was practically in diapers. But she wasn't one to talk and had some idea of what Vince was going through. She felt torn--she didn't like seeing Vince so tied into knots but she also didn't like how Neanderthal he went when it came to Mia. And she wanted what was best for her closest girlfriend too. It was bad enough what they had all gone through with her and Dom getting together and what it would do to their little family if it didn't work out.
But it had worked out -- so far at least.
Finally Mia and Brian came out of the kitchen and sat down amongst them. They looked slightly amused with each other, flushed from flirting no doubt. The sat down next to her -- Brian closest to Leon and Jesse, engaging them about the movie, and Mia right next to her. No one said anything but the tension was evident even with everyone's attempts at being casual.
Looking at Mia's slightly worried expression over the absence of both Vince and Dom, Letty felt bad for her friend that she couldn't just enjoy her flirtation and the promise of new love. Why did everything with this damn family have to be so complicated?
Brian was unnerved too Letty could tell even though he was working hard to look unphased. He clearly had a thing for Mia and Letty thought that was cute. But he also had a thing for speed and if he wanted to kick it with Dom's crew, it wouldn't do to go risking Dom's temper as overprotective brother. She didn't know yet what to make of him but she was wiling to give him a chance as long as he made an effort. He seemed like a good guy and so far, he had treated her with respect, both as Dom's girlfriend and as a racer. But she had her eye on him too, for the sake of her family.
"Hey, how's Vince?" Mia asked while Brian was distracted with Jesse and Leon.
Letty rolled her eyes. "You know how Vince is," Letty said stating the obvious. They had both known Vince long enough to predict his reaction to rejection.
Mia wasn't a cruel person by any means. She hadn't meant to be as hurtful as she had been with him a few minutes before. But dammit he made her so mad thinking that he owned her or something. And the way that he treated Brian was so disrespectful. Their pissing contest was getting out of hand and she just wanted to put a stop to it -- and to his advances.
It's not that she didn't like Vince. She loved the guy. But they were no Dom and Letty. Vince had had a hard life but he also had a lot of growing up to do before she would ever consider anything romantic with him. It was like that with all of Dom's friends. That's why she didn't date them. At the moment she was having a hard time trying to figure out just why Brian was different.
"How long have they been out there?" she asked. It hadn't been an easy day between the two old friends either.
Letty smiled at her friend's concern. She could never be too hard on Mia. "Not long. You know how dudes are. They're probably just sitting there pouting like a couple of babies but still trying to act like tough men." They both giggled girlishly at that. They loved making fun of the boys. "I'll go check on them in a little while."
That made Mia feel better. Letty always had a calming effect on both Dom and Vince, while she, on the other hand, seemed to do more to rile them up these days.
A faint buzzing interrupted them and Letty leaned back to grab the phone that was sitting on the table next to her. It was clearly Dom's phone but Letty was casual about looking to see who it was. It's not that she expected Dom to be getting any unauthorized booty calls from racer skanks, although a few had been stupid enough to try over the years. They just did things like that -- answered each other's phones, ran errands for each other; they even picked out each other's clothes occasionally. Mia wasn't sure if either of them had consciously noticed but their sense of privacy and intimacy had long sense moved solidly into couple mode.
Letty smirked as she opened the phone. "Hector! How you livin', man?" Letty answered enthusiastically.
"Letty, what's up chica? Dom got you screening his calls now?" he joked. In fact, Hector was used to Letty answering Dom's phone by now. Dom was always leaving his phone somewhere or conveniently sleeping or slacking off when he called. And of course, Letty had his business handled. She was good people like that.
"Fuck that. You know I gotta regulate for my man though."
"True dat, chica. Let me holler at him for a minute. I got some info about next week's races. That is if you can spare him for a few. I've heard about how you roll, wild mama!"
He still liked to make fun of how ballistic Letty went a while back when Dom had been laying low over his house playing poker after the cops rolled in on a race. He was surprised Dom's pocket hadn't exploded as much as Letty was blowing up his phone.
"You know it," she joked back. "But I can hook you up this time, babe. Hold on."
******
Dom ran out the door hoping Vince hadn't jetted before he could have a word with him. He needn't of worried though. Vince hadn't made it too far. He was sitting on the front steps twirling his car keys and still looking seriously pissed off.
"What?" he growled at Dom upon seeing him step through the front door. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, bro'."
"Neither am I." Dom frowned. This was going to be tougher than he thought.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Vince trying to cool down and Dom trying to think of the right words to help his buddy out. They had known each other practically their whole lives. They'd played together, fought together, basically lived life hard while having each other's backs. He'd thought it would come naturally, conjuring the right words to alleviate the situation. But he was at a bit of a loss over how to do that.
Vince looked over at Dom expecting something but still not hearing a peep from his friend. He didn't know what to say either. He was so frustrated and pissed and he couldn't help but feel betrayed in a weird sort of way, not just by Mia but by Dom too. It was too much. He needed to get out of there and clear his head. "Look, I'm gonna go take care of some shit." If Dom wasn't going to say anything then he sure wasn't going to stick around and wait for pretty-boy to come take his ride too while he was so busy butting into his life. He was out of there.
"Wait!" Dom all but shouted grabbing Vince's shoulder and sitting him back down on the step.
"What Dom!?! I think I've had enough bullshit tonight. You got something else for me?"
"What the hell are you so pissed about?" He had his suspicions since Brian and Mia had been acting all kinds of friendly today. They were being pretty tentative, probably afraid he would notice and crack down on it. And he had definitely noticed. But he hadn't decided yet what he was going to do about it.
"It's nothing, dog." It was pretty clear from his pouty response that it was far from nothing. But neither of them was Oprah or fucking Dr. Phil. They were boys and that meant that a therapy session was not on the table.
"It didn't look like nothing back there, with you all stomping and banging shit, stepping all on people--"
"You gonna bust my chops too? Geez, you fucking Toretto's are on a fucking roll tonight."
"I don't know what you're getting at exactly but if it has anything to do with your little infatuation with my sister, I'll have to tell you again that she makes her own decisions and you bullying her isn't going to change that." He didn't say it to be hurtful or discourage his friend even though truthfully, he didn't want Vince anywhere near Mia like that. But he was firm. After all, it was his little sister they were talking about.
Vince scoffed at him and turned away. "But it's alright for 'the buster' to move in on her, right?" There was no mistaking what he thought of that idea from the sound of his disgust.
Dom sighed. He wasn't thrilled about it either but he wasn't about to tell Vince that and give fuel to his fire. If he was going to add Brian to their roster of racers then he needed his team to get behind it. For Jesse and Leon it wasn't that much of a problem. They usually stepped in line with what Dom wanted and were a lot more easy-going than either Vince or Letty. Besides, Brian had made an effort with those two and they were slowly warming to him. Letty was still holding her thoughts on Brian close to her chest. She was cool enough with him, being her usual self but as with any newcomer, she was cautious. It was just her nature.
But there was something about the new guy that peaked Dom's interest. They just seemed like the same kind of people--nitrous pumping in their veins and a love for fast cars in their hearts. He didn't fully trust the guy yet but given his skills and his willingness to go the extra mile, he was open to at least giving him a chance.
Mia already seemed smitten, but if Brian wanted to hang with them for the long haul, he was going to have to work hard to win over both Letty and Vince. They were his oldest friends and the most protective of Dom. They were his family by both choice and experience and both always had his back -- in the case of Vince, maybe a little too much sometimes. But Vince was his boy through and through. It was as simple as that.
And to that end, Dom owed him an explanation, or at least a reassurance. "Like I said, Mia makes her own decisions. I stopped trying to tell her what to do a long time ago. You know how well that works." They both cracked a smile thinking about how headstrong and independent Mia was. She really hated it when Dom tried to run her life and told him so in rather colorful ways when it came up.
"As for Spilner, he's just the new guy. Maybe he'll work out and maybe he won't. But he's not family." Implicit in the statement was that no matter how cozy he got with Mia, he wasn't a replacement for Vince, either on the team or in his circle of confidants. "I know who I want watching my back any day of the week."
That was about as "deep" as it got with them. They weren't into touchy-feely emotions but neither was above a little validation of their friendship, especially as stressful as the last few weeks had been.
"Yeah," Vince responded quietly. They were alright. It felt good.
They both turned their heads at the same time upon hearing the front door creak open. It was Letty, coming to check on them probably. Or maybe not. She was holding Dom's cell in one hand, opened up and backlit. "Hey, Hector's on the phone for you Dom."
As usual, Dom's eyes brightened a little bit at seeing his lady standing above him. Being as chill as he was tonight, he was feeling extra attentive to her. All day he had been using any and every excuse to touch her. It got to the point that she couldn't even sit next to him at dinner for fear that he'd be pawing her with his dirty hands all night. Not that it was a bad thing generally but there were just too many people around for that kind of private activity.
It might have had something to do with all that skin she was showing too.
He smiled up at her as she held his phone out to him. "You my secretary now?" he joked lightly. "'Cause I could use a drink if you want to fetch that." He laughed at her rolled eyes and dismissive shove as he took the phone from her and headed back into the house. He nodded to Vince before he disappeared and was pleased to see him return the gesture. The last thing he saw before he closed the door was Letty taking a seat next to Vince. His best friend was in good hands.
*******
Letty nudged Vince in the thigh with one of her knees and grinned knowingly at him. "You done?" she asked meaning his little temper tantrum.
Vince couldn't help but return her smile and nod with embarrassment. She caught the slight blush to his cheeks in the dim light of the porch and thought it was adorable.
"You come to rub it in?" he asked. Letty wouldn't do that and he knew it. Not when things were this raw. She'd joke with him and make fun of him later. But she was never one to kick him when he was down and she was always the first one to pull out the olive branch after he had done something stupid.
Letty laughed and it thawed a lot of the remaining tension Vince was feeling. "I should, you dumbass. What the hell did you do this time?"
He just shook his head and looked away distantly. It was a fairly quiet night on the block and it seemed that everyone was tucked away. Many of the houses were lit up and the neighborhood kids had long since been rounded up and called back into their houses. They both thought briefly about not so long ago when they had been one of those wayward kids on the block. Vince sighed and ran his hand through his messy hair a few times. "Same shit. You know how it goes."
Of course, she did. Except her story had turned out very differently than his. She had gotten the guy.
"I was just ribbing the new guy a little and Mia just ... she fucking ..." He couldn't even finish, he just waved his hand dismissively. It didn't explain it all but it explained enough.
Letty was torn. She didn't want to take sides but Vince really did look pathetic and lost. "Look, I don't know what went down a little while ago but I can tell you that you're not gonna win her over by being a dick." That was just like Letty. Brutally honest but fair.
"But I--"
"Don't you dare sit here and bullshit me. I know how you get when it comes to her. Or did you forget the rest of us standing there while you got your ass kicked the other day over this shit."
Vince had the good sense to look sheepish and dropped it. "If you're so fucking insightful, then what am I supposed to do then?"
Letty looked softly at him, taking in his defeated posture. The poor guy. He was definitely love-sick. Or at least lust-sick. She didn't want him to get hurt. "You just chill, man. If it was meant to happen it will. But you can't force her to take you seriously and the more you try the more you piss her off."
"So I'm just supposed to sit around while she salivates all over that ... that buster!" He was getting angry again just thinking about it. Who was that guy anyway to just waltz in and take everything that he cared about without even a thought? "You didn't stand for that with Dom."
"You know all about how many bitches I watched him go through before we got together. That slut Jessica from around the block; that crazy Kristy that faked the pregnancy; that fucking trouble-making whore Jenny Tran!"
"Whoa, Letty! Didn't mean to get you all worked up," Vince joked trying to calm her down. In public Letty had been as cool as a cucumber around Dom and his "girls" but in private, she could really go off about how much she hated them. But it was Dom's choice to use and be used so she kept her bitching to a minimum on a good day. And while Letty was by no means even close to slutty, she did have a way about her that got her more than enough attention from the guys. Dom hadn't been as cool about that, in private or in public.
"Anyway, point is, things will happen the way they're supposed to and forcing things isn't going to change that." It was a hard truth. They both sat in silence thinking about that simple saying and how it affected both of their lives.
Vince sighed deeply. "I know that." But knowing it and liking it were two different things. And truth be told, he wasn't even sure what he wanted with Mia except that he wanted her to be his. "It's just that I see you and Dom sometimes and I think that I want what you guys have." Letty's eyes softened at his admission. "I know that I'm a fuck up. I know I've got problems. But maybe somebody like Mia could turn all that around. You know, like how things happened with you guys."
Letty couldn't help but laugh at him. "I can't believe that you're using me and Dom as a model for anything."
"You know what I mean!" He was a little embarrassed and irked that Letty was laughing at him for being honest with her.
"I know, I'm sorry for laughing, okay. It's just that Dom and I are fucked up in our own ways, some ways that everybody knows about and some that you guys don't. We're different people than you and Mia, bro'." Vince didn't like hearing any of this because it wasn't the answer that he wanted. So he just kept quiet.
"And you know what Vince, fuck Mia!" Vince looked over at her in surprise. Mia was one of Letty's best friend's and he would never have thought he'd hear something like that come out of her mouth. "I just mean that you may be as fucked up as the rest of us but you're a great guy too. You're cool as shit and you've got hella-skillz. But if there's shit you don't like about yourself, you can't wait for somebody else to come and fix it. That's bullshit."
She had a point even if he didn't like it. It was a lot to take in. This whole day had just been too fucking much for him to deal with. But he was glad for her company and for Dom's too. They were good friends to him. Even if he were being a prize asshole, he didn't want to lose sight of that. They had always been there to pick him up when he was down.
He leaned over to Letty with a grin. "If I'm such a great guy, you wanna ditch Dom and go out with me instead." She had always loved his bright, mischievous smile and was glad to see it's return.
Nevertheless, she punched him in the arm but matched his smirk with one of her own. "Shut the fuck up, stupid." They returned to their comfortable silence each lost in their own thoughts.
"You know, I almost gave up on Dom," Letty offered quietly.
"What? What are you talking about?" He thought that from the time she knew what boys were good for, and even before, she had wanted to be with Dom. And from the time she had turned 16, Dom had wanted the same things she did even if it took them a long time to get it together.
Letty chuckled at his surprise. "I guess you didn't know."
"Does Dom know?"
"Yeah. We've talked about it a few times." It had been good to get that out in the open in their relationship. In fact, the first time she had talked about it was before they decided to get serious. She had wanted him to know just what loving him meant to her. "I thought when I turned 16 and Dom finally noticed me that we would be together and everything would be great. But then you know what happened and that got fucked up." 'Fucked up' meant that Dom had been locked up. Between the funeral and the court hearings and the two years he had spent in Lompoc, it had been 3 years before they were in any place to be together. And at that point, Dom had just gotten out of prison, she had just lost the last of her family and neither was in the frame of mind to be starting a relationship.
"When Dom got out of prison and things just weren't what they used to be, I thought that was it. I thought that my chance had come and gone and it was hard but I tried to let it go." They had gone their separate ways for a while. They still worked and played together but when it came to love and sex, they were getting it elsewhere.
Well, they got the sex elsewhere because they both admitted that neither really knew what love was until they found each other again.
"But things just had to calm down with us," she continued. "For whatever reason it wasn't our time yet. But when the pressure was off and I wasn't looking for anything to happen, that's when I fell for him all over again. Damn him," she laughed. Vince smiled at the memories too. Those two really had been hopeless in those days, both trying to play it cool but so obviously into each other.
"And when we finally figured it out and thought that maybe we wanted more, I was almost too scared to do it." Vince stared at her in shock and rapt attention. This was all news to him. "You guys are the only family I have now. If this thing with Dom and me doesn't work out, I'll lose that." Vince nodded understanding a little bit where she was coming from and why she and Dom were so apprehensive about him and Mia. "It still scares me," she added quietly, looking down.
Vince grabbed her knee and shook it a little to get her attention. "Hey, you know Dom's crazy about you, girl." He wanted to reassure her that his boy wasn't going anywhere. He adored Letty and Vince couldn't see anything changing that.
"I know," she smiled. "But you never know what's around the corner." It was harsh and it was sad but it was true. Still, deep in their hearts, neither could imagine a monkey wrench big enough to derail them.
"And Letty," Vince said softly. "Babygirl, you know I'm always here for you too, no matter what." Letty grinned up at him again and the twinkle of affection had returned to her eyes. "Dom is my boy and all but you're family too. Don't forget that."
Letty grasped his arm and squeezed it briefly before letting go. "I won't." They stared at each other for a long moment before Vince broke out into a wide grin and grabbed her roughly around the shoulders. "Come here and give me a hug you little bitch."
Letty laughed at his 'endearment' and let herself be swallowed into his embrace. The moment of friendship felt good to both of them.
"Should I be worried?" a deep voice said from behind them.
*********
Dom caught up with Hector for a few minutes and tried in vain to ignore the flirting that was going on between Brian and Mia over by the television. At one point he had to get up and leave the room for the distraction and opted instead to go sit on the stairwell and finish his conversation.
With the set up for next week's races taken care of, he looked out the window to see Letty and Vince still sitting outside looking serious. He hoped Letty was able to help Vince and knock some sense into him.
The dim light from the porch barely reached their faces so he couldn't really see what they were saying. But their body language spoke volumes. They were completely focused on each other and he could tell they were having an intense discussion. Letty's hair was still in it's loose ponytail but as usual several tendrils had slipped out and were framing her face. At the moment, her features were so soft, almost fragile but perhaps it was the sober expression on her face as she spoke quietly to Vince.
She still had on her short black shirt that exposed a long stretch of back to him. His imagination filled in the details of how her spine would feel as he trailed his fingers along it before slipping underneath her shirt. Before all this shit had gone down tonight, she had been lying very comfortably in his arms close enough for him to stroke her skin and plant the occasional kiss to her neck. All of a sudden, he didn't want to be on the outside looking in anymore. He wanted to continue what the beginning of the evening had promised.
He silently opened the front door and stepped outside in time to see Vince grab her around the shoulders and pull her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head affectionately and Dom visibly relaxed at seeing Vince back to his old self a little.
"Should I be worried?" he asked in mock seriousness. Dom usually didn't take kindly to any man getting too close to Letty but of course Vince and the boys were an exception.
They both turned their heads to look up at him, one with a small bit of fear and the other with deep amusement.
"Maybe," Letty joked right along with him. Meanwhile, Vince had disentangled his arm from Letty's body and had scooted over slightly just to be safe. But he could give as could as he got too.
"Yeah, you missed it Dom. Letty and I are going to go run off together." Letty chuckled as Vince got up and hopped the rest of the way down the stairs. "Actually, I'm gonna get outta here. I'm gonna go for a drive and then hit the sack."
Dom was quick to sit in the spot Vince had vacated as close to Letty as he could comfortably get. "Are we cool?" he asked.
"We're cool," Vince said. "I'm cool. I'm just gonna clear my head. I'll catch you guys later." He made his way to his car and opened the door but before he got in, he looked back at his two oldest friends. "Thanks," he called out, his cheeks turning that adorable pink again. But before they could make fun of him for it he was behind the wheel and on his way.
Letty sighed and leaned her head on Dom's shoulder. "The kids are growing up, aren't they?" Dom's chuckle vibrated against her cheek and she made room for him when he climbed to the stair above hers to take her in his arms.
"They're getting there," he replied to her. "Were we ever this much drama?"
This time it was Letty's turn to laugh at him. "Are you kidding? We still are this much drama." That wasn't really true. They were kind of a boring couple at this point but they had their moments.
They sat in silence enjoying the night air for a long while. He kept her in the tight circle of his embrace and every now and again she would lean up to give him a lingering kiss.
After one particularly intense lip lock, Dom took her hand in his and brought her to her feet. It was getting late and she was driving him too crazy for them to spend any more time sitting idly on the porch.
"Let's go upstairs," he said holding her in his arms and running his hands up and down her back.
Letty smirked up at him. "But we were having such a nice moment."
"We were but might I suggest we retire to someplace a little more private. I don't think we want Ms. Saldazar calling the cops on us for making a scene...again." They both smiled at the memory of that particular incident.
"I guess if you don't want to do it on the porch, we can up upstairs to your boring old bedroom."
"OUR boring old bedroom," he reminded her. "And baby, I will take you anywhere anytime," he added with a hunger in his voice. "I'll take you here, in your car, in the garage, mmm, especially in the garage ..." he trailed off thinking about one of his favorite fantasies come true.
Letty pinched him in reprimand and moved to go inside. "In that case, I guess our bedroom will have to do." She grabbed his other hand and guided him back into the house. From what they could see the remaining members of their team were still in the den watching TV and horsing around. Their crew wouldn't miss them.
Halfway up the staircase Letty stopped and turned to face Dom fully. She smiled as she took in Dom's face staring up at her in reverence. He really did love her. She trusted that. And she loved him with everything she had.
Thinking back on Vince and Mia and the drama with Brian, she couldn't help but appreciate what she had in her man. "We've come a long way, haven't we?" she said suddenly.
Dom looked at her quizzically but his expression turned gentle as he grinned in understanding. "Yeah we have." Then in one sudden move he picked her up in his arms, forcing her to circle his waist with her legs. It always excited her when he did that. "Now come here and let me take you a little farther tonight, baby."
She stroked his head gently and looked deeply into his eyes. "Gladly." The kiss they shared was deep and intense but also brief so they could continue upstairs and share a few more meaningful, hot moments together.
For the time being, the previous doubts Letty had revealed to Vince were gone. So was Dom's concern over his team's troubles. Neither could imagine being anyplace else in the world but by each other's side, no matter what life threw their way. There was no place else they'd rather be.