I apologize for the quality; this is pretty much what I typed without really editing it. It's my own way of doing a memorial for Paul Walker. I'm still kinda shocked, even though it's been a week since he died...
And just to be clear: I'm kinda going against the fandom, because I wanted everyone to be at the team's memorial meeting...
Anyway, I don't own anything except the basic idea. Although I wish I owned Paul so I could go back in time and warn him not to get in the car, but... *sigh* :(
Dom sat numbly in his living room, a picture in one hand and a bottle in the other. His mind was racing through the day's events, but not allowing him to believe it was true...
"C'mon, Dom!" Brian laughed. "At least promise to cheer for me..."
"All right, all right," Dom agreed with a chuckle. "Just go win..."
Brian gave him a wide grin, his blue eyes shining with delight. He winked and walked over to his car, pausing to give the crowd a wave before he climbed in. Dom shook his head as he watched the car pull up to the starting line, but he couldn't help but grin at Brian's passion for racing.
One of the women waved a flag and the cars roared off. Brian's car soon passed all the others, but Dom's excitement turned into concern as he watched the smoke rising from the engine. There was a loud pop and the car swerved off the track. Dom felt his blood run cold as he watched the car flip and roll along the ground. He fought his way past the crowds and ran toward the car, shouting for help and calling Brian's name...
"Dom!" Mia exclaimed as she rushed into the room. "What are you doing!?"
Dom glanced down. He had crushed the bottle, sending fragments of glass skittered across the floor and slashing his own hand. Mia knelt down and pulled the rest of the bottle from his hand, wincing as she saw the cuts. His hand was throbbing, but the pain was outweighed by the ache in his heart.
"Oh, Dom..." Mia muttered as she looked over his head. "What's wrong?" She looked around before adding, "Where's Brian?"
Dom felt his stomach clench as he struggled to answer. Tears burned his eyes as he tightened his grip on the photo. Mia frowned as she took the photo from him; it was a couple years old, and showed Brian and Dom standing on either side of her, all three of them grinning at the camera.
"Answer me," Mia ordered, her voice rising. "What's going on?"
"Brian had to race...he just had to race..." he sputtered as a tear rolled down his cheek. "The car seemed fine..."
Mia gasped slightly. Dom was never one to cry in front of her...
"Dom, where is Brian?!" she cried.
"He...he crashed," Dom finally replied.
"Is he-"
"He's dead, Mia,"
"No..." Mia gasped. "No, no, no!"
"I-I'm sorry..." Dom let out a choked sob.
He pulled Mia into a hug and she clung to him. She began to shake as they both continued to sob.
Mia felt her heart being torn in two. Brian was...Brian was just special; he had loved her and stood by Dom through thick and thin. He had given her a beautiful child, but her heart ached as she realized the child would never truly know his father. The child would never enjoy the pride in Brian's eyes or the sound of his laughter...
Dom held his sister as he cried. He had always hated crying in front of others, but this time, it didn't matter. Nothing seemed to matter anymore... Brian had become a close friend, despite their fighting. Dom treasured their friendship, and remembered how proud he'd felt when Brian and Mia had made him an uncle.
The two siblings clung to each other, ignoring everything around them...
Dom looked around at the different faces. He and Mia had finally managed to get their 'gang' together after passing along the news of Brian's death. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, and the atmosphere of the room was heavy and sobering.
Roman stared at the photo of Brian. When Dom had called, Roman first suspected that it was all just a cruel joke, but when he heard Dom's voice breaking, he knew it was true. But Roman still couldn't believe it...
Letty and Gisele stood with Mia, the three young women holding and supporting each other through the tears. Letty and Gisele both admired how strong Mia was staying, despite her horrible loss. Letty and Gisele couldn't help but wonder if they could stay that strong if anything were to happen to Dom or Han...
Tej stood near Roman, his hand resting on Roman's shoulder. While they had constantly bickered, neither man could make a smart remark to the other. They knew Brian wouldn't want them to fight...
Han stood alone, his eyes hard yet shining with the tears. Truth be told, he had always expected Dom to go first, never Brian...
The two Mexicans stood silently, neither of them making jokes or cracks. Even they were shaken up over Brian's sudden death...
"We're here to...remember a great guy," Dom said slowly. He let out a shaky breath before continuing, "Brian O'Conner could be the stubbornest, stupidest guy on this earth, but he was also kind and caring. He was never afraid to try something new, and always had a passion for a good car. He was also in love with a great woman..."
At that, Mia let out a small sob. Dom lowered his head, allowing a tear to fall. After a moment, he raised his head and continued.
"They had a beautiful kid," he said. "And I'm sure Brian was proud... He never lost his spirit, and he went out of this life in a way that...well, in a way that shows just who he was."
There was a moment of silence before Roman raised his bottle.
"To Brian O'Conner," he said. "A friend, no matter what."
The words, "To Brian..." echoed around the room as the group raised their bottles. The only sounds in the room were the small sobs and the sound of bottles clinking...
RIP, Paul Walker (1973-2013); gone, but never forgotten...
Kristy
