Twist of Fate

by mswriter07

Written for the Small Fandom Big Bang challenge over on LJ. Summary: Brian was dead. Dom thought of everything his friend had embodied—Master Chameleon, Undercover agent, Street racer, ex-cop and mechanic. They had had their differences but he had come to respect Brian and the position he was in...now though, as Dom had only his regrets because Brian was dead…or was he?

A.N.:

First and foremost I want to thank hellbells for beta work on the story. She is my second brain. Also for keeping me on track when my brain tried to wander away. Thanks hon.

And second but not least, my artist taibhrigh, for all the awesome work she put in to making my artwork while working on all of her other projects for this event.

Main art post: /works/768347
Smaller banner url: . /taibhrigh/653687/274981/274981_

Thank you very much both of you for keeping me going and helping me create a universe I hope everyone enjoys as much I did writing it.

It was the middle of Spring when Mia called Dom at his small apartment in Panama City and told him that Brian had been murdered. She wasn't cold about it but very distant. The emotional wall Dom had built up over the years since Brian had let him go crumbled when he heard his sister tell him that one of the few people he let get close to him after Lompoc was dead. After he got the funeral information he gathered up his bag and car keys and set out to drive straight to LA not really thinking of the risk to himself crossing the border back into California but just needing to be at the funeral.

He made it in time to see them put the casket in the ground and he was angered that not many people had turned out to mourn him, least of all his team. He was furious, more with himself, than anyone else because he should've taken Brian with him when he had the chance. He didn't like having all of his emotions at the forefront of his mind but that's something Brian brought out in him - allowing him to feel things he hadn't felt after his stint in Lompoc. He didn't know what was going on but he was going to get Brian justice - his brand of justice not Brian's idea.

He drove to his house in Echo Park and hid his car in the alleyway. He looked around and saw someone had worked on the garage and expanded it further into the backyard and made it wider while fixing the door closure and still keeping most of the original work his dad did when he built it. He shook his head, not wanting to go down that path and then he thought of Brian's funeral and his friends not being there to mourn him and he felt his anger boil back up to the top again.

Dom went in through the back door into the kitchen and found everyone lounging in the living room. He glanced at each of his team - Jesse, Vince, Leon, Letty and finally his sister Mia. They glanced at Dom as he stormed into the living room. He made it to Vince first and he jabbed his finger into his friend's chest and he shouted, "What the hell Vince? Where were you guys today? Today of all days and you can't even give Brian the respect to go to his funeral! He saved your fucking life!"

Vince was pissed that Dom would come after him but he let it roll over him. One thing he learned since Brian got him off the truck was that Dom had changed - for better or worse he didn't know. He grabbed Dom's hand and pushed him back out of his face and he said with surprising clarity, "We're following the Buster's wishes. He didn't want us there so we stayed here."

Dom glanced at Letty and Mia before he looked back at Vince. He swallowed and pulled his hand out of Vince's loose grip. He was surprised Vince didn't punch his lights out but he didn't say anything as he gathered what reserves he had left and fled to the garage. He pushed open a much newer door than he was used to seeing and closed it behind himself as he looked at the newer interior and noticed that the older items were made into other things inside the garage. He noticed the concrete patched up and the newer sections around the edge to cover the expansions that were built.

He finally saw two cars sitting next to each other covered in oil cloths. He went to the fridge and found a shelf dedicated to Coronas and grabbed one, letting a small smile appear, as he thought of when he brought Brian into his house for the first time and telling him he could have any brew as long as it was Corona. He went back over to the cars and pulled the cloth off the first car he came to, and found a silver and blue Nissan Skyline - he ran his hand over the edge of the hood and finished his beer in a few swallows.

He refreshed his beer and then pulled the other cloth off the second car. He almost dropped his beer bottle when he saw his dad's 1970 Dodge Charger restored to exactly how he had it before he raced Brian through the rail crossing. He thought he'd lost his dad's car for good when Brian handed him the keys to his Toyota Supra thinking he'd never see it ever again. Seeing his dad's car made him all the more pissed that he wasn't able to talk to or see Brian ever again. He wanted to find whoever murdered him and give him a slow death for taking his truest friend from his life.

He popped both cars' hoods and inspected the work put into them and found that Brian had restored both cars on his own. Dom looked at the walls in the garage and noticed all of his dad's tools displayed and tools that he and Brian used more often than not from the shop hanging on display and a few tool boxes with drawers partially opened like someone was using the stock recently. He could picture Brian sifting through the drawers and containers they used to hold all the small items trying to find just the right kind of nut and bolt combination or some other silly thing that he liked to do and almost picked up a canister to throw it but stopped just short of picking it up.

He looked at the two cars and found that even though they were complete opposites they seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces and that's how he saw himself and Brian. He thought of Mia's reaction on the phone when she told him that Brian was dead and his own - he didn't know how to place her coolness except that she must've figured out their intentions. In the end, both of them, in their own way were doing things to protect those whom they considered family. After only a short few weeks Dominic had counted Brian as family for life even after he had to break his cover to save Vince and Dom rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. He needed to calm down some so he could focus on what needed to be done. So watching his sister come down to him when all he really wanted to do was think was not helping matters.

Mia grabbed a juice from the fridge and went to stand next to Dom. "He fixed this you know." Mia started as she looked around the garage.

Dom, knowing his sister was just trying to start conversation, said, "I know." He looked at Mia and asked, "What happened?"

Mia's look implored him to understand. "I'm sorry Dom. He didn't want us in anymore danger. He warned us away from his funeral if anything were to happen to him." Mia replied sadly looking at the ground for a moment before she looked back to her brother.

"Safety my ass. I watched as they put his coffin in the ground. No one was there for him. What was he working on that he wouldn't even back out of with threats to his life?"

"You know how Brian was, if he believed in something, then he wouldn't stop until he was either dead or finished the job. This time he wasn't so lucky."

"I know. What was he working on?" Dom asked curiously as he watched his sister for anything he could possibly use to help sort his head out and get a plan together.

"An agent, his partner or assistant, I can't remember said he was working undercover to catch a drug cartel leader. He was running things for him across the border."

"Who's this agent?"

"Sophie Trinh. Here's her card. She wants you to call her."

"Won't I go to prison if they catch me?"

Mia rubbed Dom's back as she tried to bring some comfort to him. "Something's going on and she wanted you to call her." Mia replied as she knelt down next to her brother.

"This Skyline Brian's?" Dom asked as leaned against the Charger.

"Yeah. He brought it back when he left Miami to work for the FBI. He asked me to leave it with your car."

"Did he ever try to look for me?" Dom asked wearily.

Mia was tentative not wanting to cause her brother anymore pain. All she said instead was, "He said he tried, but the FBI kept him on a short leash."

Dom's thoughts were tumultuous at best and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know more, but the anger was still burning brightly, "Damn them." He growled, "Giving him a no win situation and then he's killed."

"He thought he could do it but they didn't really give him any assistance once he went under and then they found him two weeks later on the PCH shot." Mia replied as she thought back on the crime scene photos taken on the Pacific Coast Highway that Agent Penning had shown her.

At first, she was shocked that Brian could get himself in this situation and she had crumbled onto the couch and sobbed as she looked over the pictures. While she had been angry at Brian for breaking her heart, she had made a point to get over him but seeing his murder in black and white she couldn't help but feel her heart break all over again. She knew he liked to take stupid risks but he seemed bulletproof - like her brother that she couldn't see because he had to stay on the run.

An hour later Penning brought Brian around and she went from being sad to angry at both Penning and Brian. She yelled and screamed at them until Brian had calmed her down enough to explain the plan and pleaded with her to call her brother. He explained the deal he worked out for Dom to clear him of all possible charges except he had to think Brian was dead if his plan was to work. He didn't like toying with Dom especially after the last operation but he had to take the chance and because Dom was the best driver he knew.

Penning watched the scene unfold in the Toretto living room and he didn't have to wonder where Brian's main loyalties were - he could see the male Toretto written all over Brian and knew that he could run with Brian's plan, making Dom think that O' Conner was dead. What Penning didn't know was that he was creating an atmosphere set for an explosion - hopefully he made it out of the operation intact.

"Take me to where they killed him. I want to see the scene for myself." Dom said as he swallowed the lump forming in his throat and trying to get a handle on the anger he felt welling up inside of himself.

"Are you sure Dom? Maybe you should get some sleep first."

"I haven't slept in three days. Take me to where he was killed now or I'll find it myself." Dom snapped as he glared at Mia - he knew he shouldn't be mad at her but she was right there with him and he had nowhere else to direct his anger currently.

"Okay. Let's go get my car from the front."

"I'll be out in a minute."

"Take your time." Mia left to go get her car and the gang came out on the porch.

"How's he doing?"

"Looking at the Skyline like he lost his favorite toy...you know where he gets beyond angry and gets real quiet. Word to the wise don't badger him. If you want something ask him straight out, he can't handle much more."

"It's been a really long time since he's been that mad." Leon said.

"Why can't we tell him?" Jesse asked as he drummed his fingers on his Red Bull can.

"Then things really won't go well for Brian. This takes all of us cooperating so that everyone is safe."

"Hopefully Buster knew what he was doing when he agreed to this." Vince growled unsympathetically.

Mia said, "I don't know but I don't want a drug cartel leader taking over our streets, do you?" Mia put her hands on her hips and kept her gaze steady on the team.

"No."

A few minutes later Dom came around the side of the house from the garage, twisting something between his fingers. The team had went inside and Mia was waiting for him. "I'm ready to go."

Mia noticed the twine slipping through her brother's fingers and she sighed to herself. She drove Dom down to the spot on the Pacific Coast Highway where they had found Brian's body and she stood back while he went over the scene. She wished that Brian could see Dom and the pain he was showing over his death but the deal Brian worked out was tricky to follow. They all had to live with secrets and lies until the drug lord was caught and then the wrath of Dominic Toretto would have to be dealt with and hopefully Brian survived that meeting with her brother. They were big boys though so they'd have to figure it out.

Dom walked over to Mia and asked, "Where's your phone?" Mia handed him the phone and let Dom make his calls. Dom pulled out Sophie Trinh's number and called her.

"This is Trinh."

"This is Dominic Toretto..."

Sophie couldn't believe the speed at which Dom had called her. "Yes Mr. Toretto I'm Sophie Trinh. I can meet you someplace if you'd like to talk."

"I'd love to chat. Is this being monitored?" Dom asked suspiciously.

"No."

"Fine. Meet me at Neptune's Net at six o'clock. I'll be waiting."

"Okay. I'll be there." Then she heard Dom hang up.

Mia took Dom back to the house and he pulled the Charger out to drive down to Neptune's Net. She asked after he pulled his car out of the garage, "You going to be okay Dom?"

"When I can kill the motherfucker that murdered Bri then I might feel just a little better." Dom replied as he gunned the engine and hearing nothing but perfection.

"What's going on Dom?" She asked worriedly as she leaned against the window.

"You wouldn't understand." Dom said shaking his head.

"Try me?" Mia asked quietly.

"I'll be back later." Dom said ignoring Mia, in favor of his own confused thoughts, and he took off through the alley. He made it to Neptune's Net around 5:45 and picked a table Sophie Trinh could easily spot him but where they could talk.

Sophie got there ten minutes later and found Dom sitting on the ocean side. Before she sat down she held her hand out, "Sophie Trinh but you can call me Sophie."

Dom shook her hand and said, "You can call me Dom. Nice to meet you Sophie."

Sophie sat down and looked around before she asked, "Any reason to meet here instead of closer to town?"

"I like the shrimp here." was the enigmatic response.

"Brian mentioned this place once when we were talking." Sophie mentioned casually.

Dom looked at Sophie and said, "Don't mention his name again unless it's about how I can kill the asshole that killed him.

"Okay." Sophie said noticing the dangerous territory she was entering at the mention of Brian's name. "The guy's name is Braga. He's getting more drivers shortly. We can get you in with a race his assistant sets up."

As the two ate from the shrimp platter that the waitress had brought to the table, Sophie looked over at Toretto. She was more than a little intrigued by the guy, office gossip had him somewhere between criminal mastermind seducing a poor cop, and just the standard case of good guy caught up on the wrong side of the tracks. It wasn't very smart to fly back for the funeral - not very mastermind one might say, but did speak to a deeper relationship than just a simple seduction. He was was clearly on a mission as all he wanted to talk about was Brian's killer. Any further thoughts were disturbed by Toretto asking, "What kind of race?"

"Five mile street race without blocking traffic."

Dom thought back to Bri's first race and how he drove when he saved him from the cops and knew that Brian was more a street racer than he ever was, but he would do this to find Brian's killer and maybe mourn Brian properly. "I'm normally not that kind of racer but I can do it. What else do you have?"

"Not much else as Brian went offline almost straight after the race started."

"That sounds like him but he would at least leave clues or something to let whoever know he was alive."

"That's what we thought too until a civilian called in a body down on the highway."

"Mia took me to see the scene." Dom swallowed, coughing to cover up his discomfort with the topic. "What time is this race or who do I have to talk to to get in?"

"Here's her contact information and a place to meet." Sophie said as she slid a piece of paper in Dom's direction.

An hour later at the FBI safe house, Brian paced the great room. "Brian calm down." Mia said slowly like she was taming a wild animal.

"He's going to kill the guy who murdered me and you want me to calm down?" Brian snapped. "This has got to be my most stupid plan ever."

"Arizona it's fine. We'll catch this guy and then you can ride off into the sunset with Dom." Letty said as she watched Brian pace in front of them.

"Dom's going to kill me when he finds out I'm alive."

"You didn't know my brother fell in love with you?" Mia asked not surprised by the boys not seeing what was in front of them. If there was a definition of emotionally retarded then she figured their pictures would be by it.

"No." Brian said and then fell into a chair he passed as the implication of what he just said hit him. He reviewed their short history of knowing each other since the first operation and Brian couldn't believe he had actually been in love with Dominic Toretto since the beginning. His old boss, Sgt. Tanner, his words haunted him - it's always been Toretto Brian. He looked over the team and saw Letty with a smirk, Mia looked indifferent, Vince looked like he wanted to punch him, Jesse and Leon just grinned. He ran his hands over his hair and said, "You guys need to bring Dom here so I can explain the plan. He'd kill every last one of them and we don't need him in prison for mass murder." Brian pleaded as he got up and started pacing again.

"That can't happen Brian and you know it." Mia said firmly.

"Then I'll call him." Brian said as he pulled his phone out hitting Dom's speed dial number but not hitting the call button.

"It's your real funeral if you call Dom." Letty warned.

"He'd at least know I'm alive before he kills me." Brian replied as he cleared his phone and put it back in his pocket.

Mia stood up and forced Brian to stop moving for a second and said, "After Lompoc my brother never took to any new people," Mia didn't know why she was explaining this to Brian but she felt he needed to know so he wouldn't make any rash decisions, "When you came around you fit right in next to him. He didn't feel threatened by you but knew you wouldn't take his bullshit. Even after you broke your cover to save Vince in front of him, he still saw you as an equal. He was more pissed than anything but you saved his best friend when you didn't have to. You kept surprising him with everything you did knowing he was fucking with you, I think because you knew your stuff. You guys have your own rhythms and I can tell you guys feel a little lost without each other, even if you're just arguing."

Mia watched Brian freeze as he took in everything she'd said - clearly stunned by it. She really hoped that one day soon they'd both get the chance to sit down and sort their shit out. Still knowing that Brian had his reasons she looked sympathetic and sighed knowingly, "Look it's foolish and you know it ... but say the word and I'll make the call that will have him on your doorstep."

Brian flinched and said, "Okay but watch him please. He needs to focus on Campos. I'm trying to weed out the nobodies so that the list of possible Braga suspects is more manageable. He needs to focus on the races and where they go in Mexico. It could be useful since I couldn't really get inside."

"I can do that." Sophie said.

"And when he's not running I'll try and figure out what's going on in his head." Mia said.

Brian looked at them from the chair he had fell into and said, "This is dangerous for you guys too. Don't do something that'll tip him off that something might not be right..."

"Like your fake death?" Letty said.

"Exactly like that." Brian sighed.

Meanwhile, Dom was across town sitting in an abandoned parking lot waiting for his contact. He leaned against his Charger and had his arms crossed as he kept everything in view. He swiveled his head at the sound of a car approaching and as it entered the lot he saw it was a white Porsche Caymen. The driver parked a few spaces away and got out. He looked her up and down and noticed she looked a lot like his sister but with a no nonsense attitude. She walked over and gave him an envelope. "This is the location. Be there at eight o'clock tonight ready to drive Mr. Toretto."

"I'll be there."

"You sound sure of yourself Mr. Toretto?" Gisele said as she looked over Dom, taking in his forced nonchalance.

Dom shrugged his shoulders. "We do what we gotta do."

"Many have said that and not all are lucky. What makes you think you'll be different?" She replied coolly as she took a step back towards her car prepared for Dom's reaction.

Dom grunted as he rolled his shoulders and shrugged.

"I'll see you there." Then Gisele left Dom in the parking lot.

He opened the envelope and it did have a time and location on it but he noticed a short note scrawled at the bottom of the paper. Be careful. The handwriting looked familiar but his memory was sketchy about where he last saw it. He got in his car and before he knew it, he had shot out of the parking lot leaving white smoke in his wake. Something didn't sit right and he wanted to find out what was going on before his blood boiled over.

He didn't have time to check in with Mia or Sophie so he'd have to wait until after the race to see if he could get a place with the runners. He pulled into the warehouse district and parked his car. As he got out and was looking over the other cars, he noticed two others with American muscle cars. He walked by them about to go upstairs when one of the drivers got cocky and yelled, "So Mr. Clean is replacing a nobody who couldn't hack it with the big boys?"

Dom took a deep breath before he turned around. He saw it was some skinny short guy with stringy blond guy, Dom would've sworn that it looked like the dude did drugs, but then he just thought the guy was a complete asshole. He walked up to him and the girls went around the other side of the car. Dom had Dwight backed up on his driver's side door and he grabbed the guy's shirt and lifted him off the ground. "What did you just call me?"

Dwight grew paler at the tone, and at the fact he was no longer on the ground, he stuttered, "Dwight said you're Mr. Clean..."

Dom pulled his free arm back and threw a punch that knocked Dwight's head to the side. He dropped the man to the ground and said, "I wouldn't say anything else if I was you."

Dwight held his jaw and growled, "Fuck you man. You had no right to hit Dwight like that."

Dom stepped back into Dwight's space and he said, "You didn't have the right to insult someone you didn't know and now you're going to get to know my fists - personally. When you get yourself checked out, you better go see a shrink as well. It ain't healthy to talk about yourself in the third person."

Dom took his other fist and punched the other side of his face, and as Dwight started to crumple - Dom kept on punching his ribs and gut, aiming to bruise and possibly break them but suddenly stopped. It was when he thought about Brian that he let the useless shit slide to the ground - Brian wouldn't like what he'd done. Dwight had tried to strike back but he was too busy trying to keep Dom's fists away from his ribs especially after he heard two crack.

Dom felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at the person. Gisele said, "Let's go meet Campos. Leave him here."

Dom stepped back from the man who was trying to catch his breath and not cough up too much blood. "Dwight here should go back to school and learn how to play with others." Dom spat as he walked away.

Gisele laughed. "I could say the same about you." She gave him a rag to wipe his hands clean of Dwight's blood and they walked upstairs where Campos was hitting golf balls onto a net overlooking the start of the race.

"So I'm short a driver?" Campos said as he surveyed the playing field and looked over Dom who still held the bloody rag in his hand. He set up another golf ball and hit it out over the net.

"He was a douche and wouldn't have lasted five minutes. I just took care of it beforehand so the big boys can play." Dom said.

"So now you are an expert Mr. Toretto?" Campos asked with a chuckle as he looked over at his right hand man Fenix.

"No expert. I just drive."

"I see. What do you do if you see flashing lights?" Campos asked looking directly at Dom with a slight squint, propped up on his golf club.

"I don't stop." He glanced around at the other drivers and asked, "What are we carrying? Any real driver knows what's in their trunk."

"You don't have to worry about that. Make it across and you'll be fine."

Dom bristled on the inside but kept his cool exterior. "Fine."

Gisele moved to the front of the drivers and gave her speech about the races and everyone went back downstairs to line their cars up to start. She dropped the flag and Dom shot off the line before anyone else could shift out of neutral and he followed the GPS through the heavy traffic and was almost rear-ended a couple of times by a couple of the more 'stupid' racers and he took care of them. The closer he got to the quarter mile mark the more he focussed on what he needed to do to win. He knew one car was behind him but he couldn't really pay it no attention. They hit the NOS too soon and Dom clipped the side of their car so they spun out before he hit his NOS and shot over the finish line.

He acknowledged the crowd cheering on his win but he was looking around for Campos and Gisele. Gisele walked over to where Dom was standing by his car and held out a scanner. "Driver's license? Thumb? Cell phone number?"

"What driver's license?" Dom said and Gisele smirked.

She held out the scanner for his thumb and said, "Thumbprint is for Campos. Cell phone is for me." Dom put his thumb on the scanner and leaned close to her ear and whispered his number. "Got it." She stepped back and he got in his car with further instructions about the GPS and to come when it called.

He drove back to Echo Park and parked in the garage by Brian's Skyline. He went inside the garage and looked over Brian's car He hoped he was doing the right thing getting in with Campos. He wished he could've verified that it was Brian that was killed but it wasn't meant to be and he had to accept that he came back much too late to fix everything.

Mia started to get worried after hearing the Charger park in the garage behind the garage and she didn't see Dom come inside. She went out to the garage and saw her brother leaning over the Skyline's hood shining it with a car cloth. She watched his ministrations and how he looked as he worked. She knew that he missed Brian dearly and in that instance she wanted to bring Brian home wrapped in a bow.

Her snicker at that thought broke Dom out of his trance and he looked at her. "What's so funny?"

Mia sobered up and said, "Nothing's funny. I was just thinking about something."

Dom shook his head, knowing Mia's propensity to think of crazy things, and went to get a beer from the fridge. "What do you want?"

"I got worried about you. I heard the car but didn't see you come in..." Mia said but Dom cut her off.

"What? So you thought maybe I would have a break down or something?" Dom glared at Mia.

"No Dom just you're my brother and I can worry about you any time I want and I got worried about you! I know what it's like to lose someone you love!"

"What are you getting at Mia?" Dom took a drink of his beer to hide some of his anxiety with the subject.

"You drove a three day trip in less than two not seeming to be worried about getting picked up by border patrol or the LAPD before you met with Sophie. You went to his funeral and jumped into this mess without once asking questions except who killed Brian." Mia had always been an advocate of tough love so she asked the hard question, "So what were you thinking with Dom - your head or your heart?"

Dom looked at Mia stunned - he didn't know how to take the question so he shrugged and leaned against the work table he was near. His shoulders sagged a little as he looked over the cars again and he started to talk mid-thought, "...he was always there. He didn't take anyone's shit except for mine and he followed me around but still gave me space. It's stupid, I don't know how much he told me that was true ... all I knew was that he could drive. He could probably win a race on a bicycle after he tweaked it with a few wires." Dom let out a dry chuckle at that picture but kept going, "Mia what the hell happened? One guy comes into our lives and all of us are turned on our heads for the rest of ours."

Mia went over to her brother and gave him a fresh beer, taking the empty bottle out of his hand and wrapping her arm around his back. He held onto her, taking in her support and comfort, and she finally said, "Brian loved you too." Feeling Dom stiffen in shock she tilted her head up and said, "He didn't tell me but as everyone scattered and I moved on with my life, I thought about the case and all of his mistakes and chances to catch you but he didn't. He did all of that to protect you because of something you said to him one day. He didn't go into details or tell me anything outright but I could read his body language and he missed you. He was trying to bring you home before they killed him."

Dom kept his eyes just passed the cars and he kept his arm around Mia. "I told him I'd die before I went back. He seemed to have taken that as his life's motto the last few years." Dom said thinking back that conversation that they had in Brian's Eclipse.

Mia looked up startled and said, "You told him that?"

"I did. It's the truth but he also told me truths that night too." Dom said quietly as he go of Mia and moved over to the Skyline and Mia knew it was time for her to go back inside.

She walked inside and saw Vince sitting in the living room. Vince asked as he noticed the pinched look Mia wore, "Where's Dom?"

"He's in the garage." Mia replied as she started running dish water in the sink and watched the garage.

"What's he doing?" Vince asked worriedly.

"Meditating." Mia said as she glanced at Vince.

"You mean he's moping." Vince replied as he got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen.

Mia said, "Be careful Vince. I don't know what happened tonight so talking to him might not be a good idea."

"I will." Vince took two fresh Coronas out to the garage and noticed Dom sitting next to the Skyline. Vince handed him the fresh beer and Vince asked, "How are you doing brother?"

"I'm tired. I just want to kill this bastard so I can go and mourn Brian properly." Dom replied wincing as he realized how grief stricken he sounded.

Vince couldn't believe how blunt Dom was being. "I'm sorry about the buster. He was trying to clear your record so you could come home to us."

Dom handed Vince the empty beer bottle and said, "I need to be alone."

Vince patted Dom's shoulder and left him alone. He went back inside and found Mia in the kitchen. "Dom's done for, even I want to cry." Vince said without thinking.

"What'd he say?" She asked, knowing but it was for forms sake if nothing else.

"He wants to kill the person so he can mourn properly. He's tired."

"I'll be back in a little bit. See if you can at least get him into his bed."

As Mia made her way into the living room, Dom appeared in the kitchen to get something to eat and he asked, "Where are you going in the middle of the night?"

Both Mia and Vince jumped at his question and Mia replied, "I'm getting something to help you sleep."

"I'm going with you." Dom said as he grabbed his jacket giving her his 'I'm the big brother. Don't mess with me' look.

"You can't Dom." Mia sighed thinking of the powder keg if he found Brian. She was wondering if Brian's earlier statement, where she had tried to reassure him that Dom wouldn't kill him - might turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. She hoped not but had long given up trying to predict Brian and her brother.

"Then you aren't going anywhere. I can sleep just fine." Dom said as he blocked the door and folded his arms.

"Dom I'm a grown woman who can take care of myself. You need a shower and some sleep. I'll be back soon." Mia said as she stood toe to toe with Dom and poked his chest with her finger.

"I'll get a shower when we come back."

"Okay. Let me pull the car around." She said defeated and left the house quickly. She called Brian and gave him a summary of what happened tonight. He said he'd have something out for her to take on the couch and that the door would be unlocked.

After Brian hung up the phone on his end he sighed. Dom would be fifteen feet away in a car and he wouldn't be able to see him, touch him, or talk to him. He gathered up his favorite blanket and one of his pillows and set them on the couch. He cleaned his soda cans and his dinner dishes for the night off the coffee table and waited.

Fifteen minutes later he heard Mia's car round the corner and he unlocked the door quickly and slipped down the hall as far away from the windows as possible. He stood where he could see the corner of the couch where his blanket and pillow were sitting and he held his breath. He heard the door open but it wasn't just Mia he heard, Dom pushed past her into the house. He eased into his room quietly and took a deep breath hoping beyond hope that Dom would leave so they could finish out the operation according to plan. The things that were planned he hoped he survived to the end because hurting Dom again was the last thing on his mind - Sophie told him of their meeting at Neptune's Net and his reaction when she mentioned Brian's name and Brian had wanted to cry and punch something, specifically Braga's face.

Another minute passed and Brian heard Mia as she yelled at Dom to stay in the living room. He heard doors opening as Dom worked his way down the hall and froze as Dom came upon his door. Dom hadn't yelled at all as he went through the house so he didn't know what to expect when Dom saw him standing against the wall frozen in fear. He thought he'd been afraid of Dom when he broke his cover to save Vince but this particular feeling eclipsed that by a million times in Brian's mind.

Dom pushed the door open but it didn't slam, Dom still had a hold of the knob when he saw Brian plastered to the wall eyes clenched shut trying to disappear it seemed. Dom let out a growl after that and slammed the door shut. He stalked over to Brian and grabbed the front of his shirt as Mia opened the door back up. "Mia shut the door." Dom said warningly.

"I don't think I should do that."

Brian swallowed the lump in his throat and said, "Mia come back in the morning and bring Sophie with you."

"I'm not leaving you alone Brian." Mia replied as she watched as Dom gripped his shirt tighter and raised him further off the ground.

"I'll be okay. Stop being so stubborn." Brian tried to chuckle but Dom glared at him.

"You have a lot of faith in me." Dom growled.

"I always have Dom." Brian said as he noticed his bracelet around Dom's wrist that was currently attached to the hand that held him off the ground and looked Dom in the eye. He was pulling his California cool out and he hoped Dom heard the truth behind his words - he needed Dom to hear the truth.

"Go home Mia." Dom repeated calmer but still intensely staring at the apparition in front of him.

"Okay." Mia shut the door and they heard her lock the front door.

Dom pulled Brian away from the wall and asked, "This your house?"

"No. It's a safe house Dom."

"Not so safe now." Dom said as he threw Brian onto the bed. Brian sprawled across the bed as he landed and Dom paced. Brian had the good sense to stay quiet and just listen knowing that Dom would soon start ranting.

Sure enough he was right, Dom started, "I haven't slept in almost three days. I drove straight through Central America and Mexico from Panama to get to your funeral on time. I watched as they put that coffin in the ground and I went to my house where you had Mia store your car. When I was sitting next to your Skyline, I had a small freak out that I think Vince had a tear in his eye." Dom glanced at Brian and continued, "Oh and I won the race and took care of that asshole Dwight who was badmouthing you."

Brian took in Dom's stance and asked carefully, "What did Dwight do?"

"He called me Mr. Clean..." Brian wanted to laugh but kept his face carefully void of humor and just looked curious. "...but he said you were a nobody who couldn't play with the big boys. I took care of him though."

"You didn't kill him did you?" Brian asked worriedly.

Dom stopped in front of Brian and raised an eyebrow. He popped his knuckles and asked, "He the one that killed you?"

Brian scrambled to sit up and said, "No, no he didn't. He's a jackass but he wouldn't do something like that."

"Then which one of the bastards killed you so we can close this case?"

"It was Fenix. I had my Kevlar on so when he shot me it just looked like he killed me. He didn't check for my pulse or anything. Just popped a couple of rounds into my chest and saw the fake blood and assumed I had died. Backup arrived a few minutes after he left and I've been here ever since."

"Now that we got that straightened out we need to shower. It's been a long week for me."

"I know and I'm sorry. When you got into town and Mia called me after you went to my funeral, when you reamed them for not going, I wanted them to bring you here so I could tell you the plan and apologize and..."

Dom pulled Brian off the bed by his shirt front and shut him up with a kiss. "Let's take a breather."

Brian nodded and he led Dom to his bathroom. He flipped the lights on and Dom noticed the shower being the main feature along with a jacuzzi tub in the middle. For the FBI, Dom had to give them some style points, he asked, "Which one?" He pointed to the shower and the tub.

"Whichever one you want." Brian said as he rested his hand on Dom's back.

"We'll try the shower out tonight." Dom looked Brian over and licked his lips.

Brian swallowed and moved over to the shower to turn it on. The two stripped out of their clothes and Brian put two towels on the counter for them although he didn't think they would be used. He stepped into the shower behind Dom and pressed a button - Dom looked up as the ceiling seemed to open up and he looked at Brian and saw a smirk.

He pinned Brian to the wall and sucked on his earlobe. "Trying to be a smartass are you?"

Brian wrapped his arms around Dom and laughed, "Nope just wanted to see your reaction."

"I think we need to do this to the bathroom in our house." Dom said as he moved his mouth along Brian's jaw to his mouth.

Brian's brain stumbled on the phrase our house and went to reply but moaned instead as Dom nipped at his bottom lip. As Dom kept exploring Brian's throat, jaw, and earlobes, Brian had to tighten his hold on Dom because his legs were failing him. "Dom, please?" Brian panted as the water made the tile too slick to lean against.

"Impatient..." Dom laughed. He looked at his lover and noticed the blush spread across his neck and how he was trying to control his breathing. "You are amazing." Dom said as he ran his thumb over Brian's lips.

Brian took a deep breath and said, "I'm not amazing."

"You seem to amaze me, especially since I don't ever want to kill you for your idiotic plans and stunts." Brian didn't contradict Dom there and went to move closer. Dom kept him against the shower wall and asked, "You ever do this before?"

"Never really thought about it until you came back." Brian answered honestly.

Dom grinned. He looked around and found a bottle of lube. "Turn around baby. It'd be easier the first time."

"Can't move." Brian panted.

Dom laughed and eased a wobbly Brian around and said, "Take a deep breath." Brian listened and felt something slick push inside his body. He jumped and Dom pressed against his shoulders to hold him in place. "It's okay." He ran his tongue along the back of Brian's neck and curled his two fingers.

"Fuck." Brian moaned.

"Get's better baby." Dom finished prepping him and held his hips still while he pushed inside slowly. Dom wanted to speed up the strokes but he also liked the feeling of moving with Brian in their own rhythm. Brian moaned and kept meeting Dom's strokes wanting it to last forever but found his orgasm approaching quickly and as Dom grunted and bit his shoulder he came all over the shower wall. As Dom came down from his orgasm he kissed the bite mark that would surely bruise by morning. He eased himself out of his lover's body and Brian moaned at the loss.

Brian turned around and initiated the next kiss but knew they were done with sex for awhile so he moved Dom back to the middle and found his favorite body wash and took care of Dom. Dom propped himself up against the wall as Brian massaged the soap into his skin and almost fell asleep. After Brian rinsed Dom off, he kissed Dom's jaw and said, "Let's get some sleep."

"Food first." Dom said.

"Okay." Brian turned off the taps and guided Dom onto the rug by their towels. He handed Dom his towel and then dried himself off before he wrapped the towel around his waist. Dom slowly followed suit and followed Brian into the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"What'd you cook for dinner?" Dom asked noticing the dishes in the sink.

"A few pieces of fried chicken, potatoes, and peas."

"Any of that leftover?" Dom asked curiously, not knowing that Brian could cook.

"Yeah. I'll make ya a plate. Do you want a beer?"

"Sure." Dom said not taking his eyes off Brian.

Brian pulled out two beers and gave one to Dom and made him the extra plate of leftovers. He made himself a sandwich since he already had dinner. He brought the food over to the table and sat the plate in front of Dom while he sat across from him. "Why did you have Mia call me about your death?" Dom asked curiously.

"Part of the plan was to get you back to town as quickly as possible but I didn't know how fucked up things had gotten between us." Brian replied tiredly and noticing some irony as well - his life was never meant to be normal.

"We work together now. You let me know what we're looking for and I'll do my best to get it. I like Sophie but I trust you."

"Even after the last few days?" Brian snorted trying to decide if one of them needed to see a doctor or maybe even both of them.

"We're here and together and you're not in a coma somewhere so we're good. I know you have to stay here so just let me know what you need and who you trust that I need to get it to and we'll close this case. It was shitty what the FBI had you and the team do just to get me here..."

Brian looked at his plate and said, "It was sorta my idea and they ran with it."

"I knew you had some part in it by the look you gave me when I found you in your room."

Brian looked back up and said, "I honestly didn't know how things were between us when Mia offered to call you. When she told me how you reacted I wanted to find you and apologize but they didn't think that was a good idea so I stayed here."

"Glad I came with Mia?" Dom asked as he looked at Brian, who was looking at his own plate and playing with the crust he cut off.

Brian glanced at Dom as he took a bite of his sandwich to gather his thoughts. He looked Dom in the eye - determined as he took a deep breath and then explained, "When I first heard you from the hall, I was certain you'd probably kill me for being alive but when you took your time to get to me in my room I knew I hadn't misplaced my faith in you." He didn't mention the bracelet at all, just knowing Dom found it and made it important enough to wear solidified Brian's faith even more.

"You've got a twisted sense of faith. I could've killed you and you didn't budge." Dom glanced at Brian, who in return just gave him a crooked grin and shrugged his shoulders. As Dom finished his plate and asked, "When did you learn to cook?"

"Since college. After the academy, when they started putting me on UC assignments, it came in handy working with what I had."

"You might give me a run for my money then. Thanks for dinner." Dom replied impressed and slid his clean plate towards the middle of the table and wiped his fingers and mouth clean with his napkin.

"No problem."

"Enough talk for one night. I'm ready for bed." Dom said as a yawn escaped him and he stretched. Brian looked over the hard planes of muscle drying and he wasn't trying to work a second wind up as Dom hadn't slept in days so he'd make sleep a priority.

Brian put their dishes in the sink and helped Dom back to the bedroom. Brian handed Dom some sleep pants and said, "Just in case someone tries to check on me." Brian made the excuse viable but was banging his head against the wall in his mind.

"Okay." After they changed, Brian wrapped his arm around Dom and spooned against him, as they got comfortable in bed. Dom didn't complain about Brian curling up around him nor when he laced their fingers together which lay nestled by his hip.

The next morning Brian woke up to Dom sprawled over him so he decided the closest body part could be easily attacked by his mouth. He lifted his head off the pillow and found Dom's ear to be within striking distance. He caught the lobe gently between his teeth and tugged lightly. Dom grunted and went to roll away but Brian had his arms around his chest. The light sucking noise brought him out of his sleep and Brian let go. "What the hell?" Dom growled sleepily.

"Sorry, not playful in the morning are you?" Brian asked sheepishly.

"This is unusual circumstances but thanks for trying. Not enough sleep."

"I know but this place will be swimming with people shortly and I wanted us to have some time before you had to leave again. I can go make some coffee if that'll help."

Dom propped himself up on his elbow and looked over Brian and said, "Coffee can wait." Then he gave Brian a good morning kiss. "The shower was great. Now you have to show me how the jacuzzi works."

"I can do that." Brian grinned.

They went into the bathroom and Brian turned the tub on while Dom gathered the soaps and the lube bottle they'd need. He put them on the corner and Brian got them some clothes for the day. Dom chuckled at a pair of FBI track pants and white t-shirt Brian brought for him. "It's the loosest pants I own."

"Your sleep pants survived me so your track pants should too." Dom chuckled.

"All right." Brian turned the taps off and pressed a couple of buttons to set up the jets and temperature of the water before he got in. He leaned back and motioned for Dom to join him. "The water's fine." Brian grinned.

Dom sat next to him and rested his neck against the edge of the tub. He let the water work it's magic and he asked, "When will people start coming around?"

"It's only 7:30 so maybe eight. Nine if we're lucky."

Dom opened one of his eyes hearing Brian's playful tone and said, "Well since we tend not to be so lucky on the time front I think we need to get down to business then."

"And what kind would that be?" Brian said as he felt Dom's hand on his leg.

"Some that you need to take care of today." Dom said as his hand moved up to Brian's thigh.

Dom worked himself into Brian's lap facing him and Brian pulled him into a deep kiss. Brian wrapped one arm around Dom's waist and pulled him closer as he took control of the kisses. Brian scooted them to the edge of the bench in the water and Dom put a bottle in Brian's free hand. The two looked at each other and Dom said, "I trust you."

Brian looked over the buttons and changed the jets to a more sedate pace and said, "Sit on your knees and brace your hands on the bench seat across from you."

"Okay." Dom sat the way Brian said and he felt Brian kneeling behind him.

Brian kissed the back of his neck as he slicked his fingers to prep Dom. He remembered what Dom did in vivid detail and mimicked some of those moves as he stretched and found Dom to be responsive to his fingers curling and stroking at the same time. Brian held Dom's hip as he eased inside, letting the slick and water do the job. "Nice."

"You're a terrible tease. Move dammit." Dom moaned as he pushed back against Brian.

Brian braced himself behind Dom and got a rhythm going, it wasn't fast but he was making the water work to their advantage pushing him deeper inside. Dom grunted as he pushed back to meet Brian. Brian rode out the move and said, "Won't last if you do that again."

"Wouldn't want to do that now would I?"

Brian paused and took a deep breath. He said, "Need you to turn around. Wanna see you."

They changed position and Brian wrapped his arms around Dom's back as they found their rhythm again and Dom leaned down to kiss him. They stayed like that for a few minutes feeling the pleasure ebb and flow around them. Dom leaned back changing the angle and groaned as Brian kept working his hips hitting his prostate. Dom clenched his jaw as he came hard in the water, followed by Brian exploding inside his body. Brian pulled him back for a kiss and Dom said, "I love you."

Brian swallowed and said, "I love you too."

Dom stayed sitting in Brian's lap as the two shared kisses enjoying each other when they heard the bedroom door open. Brian pulled away and said, "Fuck can't we have any time?"

"Not yet. Let's catch this bastard and then we can spend all the time we want anywhere together." Dom whispered. He moved to the other side of the tub as the door opened.

Penning looked between the two and said, "Five minutes."

He left the room quickly and Brian laughed. "That will be a priceless moment for many years to come."

"Who's that?" He asked curiously.

"My boss at the FBI."

"So he's the one that ran with your fake death and made Mia call me?"

"Yeah."

"When we close this case out, he's getting a punch in the face." Dom promised darkly.

"Be my guest. I've been wanting to punch him for a while myself." Brian said as he glanced between the closed door and Dom.

Dom wanted to ask Brian to elaborate but he'd take his agreement for the moment. He figured that Brian's boss had done several things that Brian didn't agree with and Brian would tell him eventually.

Brian stood up as he opened the drains and turned the tub off. As he stepped out of the bath Dom noticed the bite mark and asked, "Your shoulder bothering you?"

"No, I feel great actually. How are you feeling?"

"I'll be alright." Dom replied as he looked passed Brian.

"Have you had another lover before?" Brian asked as he picked up some clean towels for them.

"In Lompoc..." Dom said as he took the towel Brian handed him. Brian waited as it seemed like Dom was collecting his thoughts while getting dressed. After Dom got dressed he looked at Brian still standing in his towel and continued, "I was about your size when I went into Lompoc and probably not as strong as you even though I worked on cars and everything. It was my cellmate that started it about a week after I got in. They give you that time to get comfortable and relaxed and then they'd pounce. The only good thing that came out of it was the fact he didn't let anyone else touch me but I was his property so no matter where we were if he gave me an order I had to follow it. Three years I dealt with that shit so after I got out, I stayed away from everyone for a few months - staying at the beaches along the coast or getting crappy motel rooms for the night even though I couldn't sleep.

"It took me awhile to get back into the swing of things with Letty. They all knew something went down when I was in prison but they didn't mention it and I didn't offer. I started taking care of myself in prison so I continued outside and put away a lot of things I didn't think I'd ever feel again. Then you came into the picture and everything exploded inside me. You didn't look to me for orders or for me to take care of you but you listened. I know it was probably your job to start out with, but I can tell it's your natural knack to take things in around you and if you need to listen you will."

Brian was about to pull his t-shirt on when he heard Dom's revelation. He dropped his shirt and looked at Dom flexing his fingers, not knowing what to do with them and said, "Yeah I do like to listen when I know it means something and when I met you I knew you had a lot to say. You just didn't know who you could talk to."

Dom moved over to where Brian was standing next to the sink and pinned him gently. "I knew I could trust you. Nothing I said to you ever made it back to Mia or the rest of the team when you came back on the radar. You got things across to them without giving up what I told you in confidence."

"I trust you too. The things we both shared we knew it would be okay and I did my best back then to get you guys cleared. I even ran myself because I let you go."

"Mia saved the articles that had your running featured and then it worked out that the FBI picked you up and recruited you for bigger undercover operations." Dom said between gentle kisses.

"Yeah and I brought everyone in that they wanted except you. I wouldn't turn over for you." Brian said as he wrapped his arms around Dom's shoulders.

"We're a pair aren't we?" Dom laughed as he nuzzled Brian's neck.

Brian grinned and said, "We are." Then he nudged Dom off of him so he could get dressed and Dom stole a kiss before he moved to the bedroom to wait on Brian.

He felt a little more hopeful as he followed Dom into the kitchen and Brian sat on the counter next to the coffee pot. As Dom made them some coffee Sophie asked, "How are you feeling today Brian?"

"Better." Brian said as he glanced at Sophie before turning his attention back to Dom.

Dom handed Brian a cup of coffee and got to work on mixing the omelet ingredients. "Extra cheese right Bri?"

"Yeah Dom."

"Find us a spot at the table, these will be done in a few minutes." Dom said as he sipped his coffee.

Brian slid off the counter and went over to Dom and whispered, "Just one spot?"

Dom let out a low chuckle and said, "Two, preferably next to each other smartass."

Brian ran his hand over Dom's back and then went over to the table and found two chairs at the end of the table. Dom joined him a few minutes later, carrying two hot omelets and their coffee. He gave Brian his coffee and took a sip of his own. Brian took a bite of his omelet and held in his moan. He swallowed and said, "This is fantastic Dom."

"Glad you like it." Dom said as he ate from his side of the plate.

"Are we done flirting? We need to talk about business." Penning said from the other end of the table.

"Waiting on you." Brian said.

Penning took a deep breath and held in his cross remark. This was the first time in a long time that he'd seen Brian calm and focused - a little too focused on Toretto, for his own liking, if him walking into the bathroom that morning was any indication but he let it slide. He said, "I hear you made it onto the list of new drivers winning last night's race Mr. Toretto, congratulations. I also heard you sent one of the other punk drivers to the hospital last night because you almost beat him to death."

Dom looked away from Brian and said, "I didn't almost beat him to death. I could have but I was sending him a message and he needed to be quite alive to receive it."

"What'd you do Dom?"

Dom looked back at Brian said, "He has a few broken ribs, a couple of black eyes, and bruising. I'm not going to put up with people calling you a nobody."

"You clobbered him because he called O'Conner a nobody." Penning sneered.

"He was being too cocky and mean about everything. He deserved it."

"Be careful Dom."

"I'm trying."

"I hear you beat up anyone else from here on out then you'll be going to jail for assault." Penning said the promise clear for all to hear; it was not an empty threat.

"You won't have to worry about that." Dom said.

Penning caught everyone up and left the house. Mia went out to her car and got a bag of clothes for Dom and the GPS. She handed Dom the bag and said, "Some of your clothes because I don't think Campos would like you showing up in FBI pants."

"I don't think so either." He took the bag in one hand and tugged Brian out of his seat with his other.

They went back down the hall so Dom could change and Sophie asked, "Didn't you and Brian you used to date?"

Mia sighed, and answered what should have been a simple question. "It was a very long time ago and we went on one date. I knew he and Dom had something really special the first time I seen them together."

"But they didn't do anything then?"

"No. Brian was undercover at the time so it was expected that he try to date me to get to my brother. They knew each other before they even said two words to the other. My brother never takes to new people but with Brian they pushed and pulled and seemed lost if the other wasn't around."

"And either of them have never even thought of other guys before each other."

"As far as I know, no."

"No wonder I've never seen Brian go out on a date or talk about a special someone. And it would explain why he freaked out a few days ago."

"It makes perfect sense if you can think of those two in a relationship with each other."

"They make Penning uncomfortable." Sophie laughed.

After Dom changed, Brian walked him to the door where Sophie and Mia were waiting and pulled him into a kiss. Dom wrapped his arms around Brian and when he pulled away he took Brian's bottom lip with him. Brian fell back into the kiss for a moment before Sophie's voice broke them apart. "We have to go Brian. He needs to get his car and everything."

Dom ruffled Brian's hair and said, "I have that party tonight so let me know what I can get for you."

"I will and come back here if you can after the party."

"I'll try baby."

"Alleyway two streets over. Park there and cut through. I'll meet you in the backyard.

"Okay. I love you."

"Love you too."

Dom opened the door and Brian pulled him back for another kiss. He pulled away and said, "Sorry. Be careful."

Dom looked at Brian and said, "Don't apologize again. I'll be careful and I'll be back tonight."

"See you tonight." Brian let Dom go and went into the kitchen while they left him alone in the house.

Out in the car Sophie got in the back seat while Mia and Dom got in the front seats and Mia drove them back to Echo Park. In the car, Mia asked, "How'd you remember how he took his coffee and that he likes extra cheese in his omelets?"

"Just do."

"Now that you know he's alive you can work with us?" Sophie asked.

"I was always going to work with you but now I at least know that Brian is alive and we can close this case quicker."

"You have a lot of faith in the FBI."

Dom turned his head and said, "I don't give a shit about the FBI. I give a shit about Brian O' Conner and once this is done we're gone. We're going to go enjoy our lives."

"How do you know he'd just go with you?" Sophie asked.

"Brian will go with Dom. The two can't sit still for too long." Mia said. "He wanted to quit three days ago when we convinced him not to call Dom thinking it would be best. He'll leave the first chance he gets when they close this case."

"Enough talk about Brian and me. Let's get this day over." Dom said as he leaned back against the seat.

At the party that night, Dom arrived and Campos greeted him with a friendly shoulder pat and he was told he could have anything he wanted - beer, broads, anything. Dom gave him his public smile which wasn't really a smile but a sneer and said, "Thanks."

"Enjoy yourself man. You need it." Then Campos left Dom by himself so he could meet with Fenix. Dom went to the bar and ordered a Corona when he saw Brian walk in.

Brian tacitly ignored Dom and carried an envelope over to where Campos and Fenix sat. Campos looked at Fenix then to Brian. He stood up and glared at Fenix. "You said he was dead!"

"He was." Fenix sputtered.

Brian leaned against the table with the envelope in his hand and said, "You know that one thing Fenix was supposed to do. Well I hold in my hand evidence that he didn't come through for you again Campos."

"Let me see it." Campos growled.

Brian, the snowman, replied keeping the envelope out of reach, "Not yet. You tried to have me killed so I'm going to hang onto this for a bit. Just know that Eddie won't be bothering us anymore."

Campos looked at Brian and asked, "What the hell do you want O' Conner?"

"Let me and 'Baldy' over there team up," Brian pointed to Dom and continued, "because you know we're the best drivers you got and then you'll get this." He held the envelope up for emphasis.

"How do you know he can drive?" Campos eyed him suspiciously.

"I watched the race last night."

Fenix pushed his chair back angrily and yelled, "I had that entire race on camera and he was nowhere near it!"

Campos looked at Fenix and he sneered, "Sit down."

Brian smirked at Fenix over Campos' head and said, "I didn't say I was there but I saw it."

"If I say you and 'Baldy' can be my main drivers, then you'll hand over that envelope?"

Brian looked at Campos' face and saw a tinge of worry, which made him laugh his ass off on the inside, but he just said, "After everything is done and you don't ever try to kill either of us again."

"Fine. Let me go introduce you two so you can get familiar with each other and be ready to go when you're called."

"Sounds fair."

Then Campos looked at Fenix and he said, "Do not move from this table until I get back."

Fenix growled and lowered his head while Campos took Brian over to meet Dom.

Campos went over to Dom and said, "Toretto this is O' Conner, your driving partner for this next run. Get to know each other and be ready to go when you're called."

"Nice to meet you Toretto." Brian held his hand out and Dom shook it.

"You too O' Conner." Dom said as he squeezed his lover's hand harder than necessary letting him know he wasn't amused with the situation.

Campos clasped his hands on their shoulders, smiled and said, "Enjoy the party boys. Anything you want." He went back over to the table where Fenix was still cowering in the corner and slammed his fist onto the table causing their glasses to fall over. He growled low in his throat, "If those two make it through this operation alive then you'll be the one dead. Now get out of here." Fenix moved to the back of the club and went out one of the exit doors.

At the bar, Brian ordered a Corona and Dom leaned into his shoulder. He whispered, "You better find us someplace private. Can't have Campos knowing we know each other past this."

Brian shivered and said, "Best bet is to leave then. He has this place pretty wired."

"Then lead the way lover." Dom whispered into Brian's ear.

They finished their beers and Brian and Dom worked their way to the main exit where their cars were parked. When Dom got inside his Chevelle, Brian said, "Follow me. We should have some privacy."

"Okay."

Brian got in his dark blue Skyline and Dom followed him to the main highway. Fenix had been around the corner when he heard Brian tell Dom to follow so he he went to his car quickly and followed behind the two cars at a safe distance. He saw Brian taking Dom up in the hills outside the city limits and that Brian pulled off on an unknown side road and Dom followed him further up the hill. It was light traffic so Fenix hid his car and walked through the trees, hiding in the shadows. He saw the two cars parked next to each other and the owners currently sprawled on the Chevelle's hood. He saw Brian propped above Dom and the two sharing kisses.

Fenix moved back into the darkness of the trees and shook his head - his boss was employing faggots. He shuddered at the thought and went back down to his car so he could go report to Campos. He made it back to the club in record time and found Campos at the table he was still using. Campos yelled, "I thought I told you to get out of here!"

"O' Conner and Toretto left together..."

"Good they're getting to know each other." Campos smiled.

"I followed them and they went up to the hills and were making out by the time I got to them. Why do you have fairies working for you?"

"Because these fairies know how to fly. We need them right now but don't worry." Campos laughed and then took a shot of tequila.

Fenix ran his hand over his face and stormed off, not liking Campos' acceptance of them.

A couple of hours later Brian and Dom went back to the party still going on with a better game plan. Brian followed behind Campos quietly as he moved through a few halls to a private room where he was meeting an older gentleman. Brian hid waiting for the two to leave so he could try and find evidence. Dom was wandering around and found the lower floor garage that had everyone's cars housed.

Dom was glancing over a few of the american muscle cars when he heard heels clicking on the concrete. He turned around and saw Gisele with a key in hand. "Let's go for a drive."

"Can't leave right now." Dom said as he looked around for any of Campos' goons behind Gisele.

"O' Conner will be fine. We'll only be gone for a short while."

"Nope." Dom crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the car he was standing next to.

Gisele moved in front of him and said, "I have my own ears and you need to come with me."

"What do you know?"

"I can't say anything here."

"You have thirty minutes and we don't leave the car." Dom finally said.

"Okay. Follow me." They went over to her Porsche and she unlocked the doors. Outside the club, further down the road Gisele flipped a switch on her dash and she said, "How long have you and O' Conner been together?"

"Why the fuck would you think we're together?" Dom glared at her.

"You were angry when you saw Brian come into the club and over to Campos. The way he ignored you set you off on the inside. Is that why you and Brian left for a couple of hours?"

"What the hell is going on?"

"You two need to be extra careful. Fenix followed you two and reported what he saw to Campos. Right now it looks like Campos is okay with things but don't let that fool you. Keep each other alive and you might make it when everything is done."

"Why are you telling me all this information?"

"Because I have my own sources and they say to trust you and O'Conner implicitly no matter your stunts."

"I don't like riddles now tell me what is going on?"

"I'm also working for your people and they're going to help me find asylum once they have enough evidence."

"You're shitting me right? You knew Brian was alive when I met you the first time to get the race information?" Dom yelled.

"Yes but I couldn't talk to you then." Gisele replied as she worked the car through it paces.

"Do you know what the hell is in that envelope he has with him?"

"That I do not know. You'll have to ask him."

"Time's up, let's get back to the club. Hopefully Brian is still okay. If not, I'm not trusting another word out of your mouth."

"That's only fair." Gisele drove them back to the party and Dom took the stairs to main floor in order to find his wayward lover. What he found was Brian being fed grapes whilst holding his beer.

Dom grabbed a beer off of a passing tray and stalked over to the semi-private show and pretended to trip and tipped some of the beer down the woman's dress. She shrieked and he picked her up off the seat and set her down on her feet and growled, "Scram." The woman glared at Dom and frowned at Brian. Brian shrugged and turned his attention back to Dom.

When the woman was out of sight Brian said, "I honestly looked for you most of the time you were gone."

"What'd you find out?" Dom asked as he sat on the opposite side of the booth.

"I managed to get a couple of shot glasses I saw Campos using and his friend he met with privately."

"That's a start. Let's go home and this time you follow me." Dom said as he got up. Brian followed him out of the club and got in his car. Dom leaned inside the door and said, "We're going to be staying elsewhere tonight. Can't have Fenix or any of them finding the safe house or my house."

"What do you mean?"

"Fenix saw us in the hills. He followed us up there and then came back and told Campos what he saw."

"Who told you that?"

"Maybe when we get where we're going you can tell me that."

"I don't know what you mean Dom."

"Then be prepared for a lesson." Dom growled and he stalked over to his own car and sped out of the parking lot. He knew Brian could catch up to him so he didn't bother checking for him in his mirrors. A few moments later he heard the Skyline's engine buzzing behind his car and knew Brian was following him. He kept a watch for Fenix's car, and even Gisele's. He didn't want anyone following behind them.

He had them drive down the PCH outside the main LA city limits and he parked behind a beach motel. Brian followed and got out of his car. Dom wrapped his arm around Brian's shoulders and pulled him around to the office to get a room for the rest of the night, not caring what the night manager thought of the situation.

Dom tugged Brian into the office by his collar and Brian tried to get out of the hold. The move just made Dom wrap his arm around Brian's chest, trapping his arms and he still didn't let go of the shirt. The night manager just chuckled and looked at Dom, "Trying to smart off to ya huh?"

"Something like that. Gotta a room?"

"Just sign this and it'll be fifty dollars. Checkout's at 3 pm."

"Thanks." Dom signed the paper and gave him fifty dollars out of Brian's wallet.

"Hey." Brian protested.

"Don't start Brian." Dom said.

The manager took the money and handed Dom the room key. "Far end of the building and if you open the curtain you can see the ocean."

"Thanks." Dom said and pulled Brian out of the office and down to their room.

Once the door was shut, Brian asked, "What happened at the party Dom?"

"Campos' assistant Gisele took me for a drive. What do you know about her?"

"Not much. I didn't get to talk to her. Why? What'd she say?" Brian asked as he moved to the bed.

"She said she was playing for your team - she wants out according to what she was telling me."

"I didn't know. We could use that."

"Do you know her handler?" Dom asked as he started getting ready for bed.

"If I don't know then probably Penning himself..."

Dom straddled Brian's lap and said, "I need to talk to Penning then so that I know every angle of this. Speaking of angles, what the hell did you show Campos? And why didn't you tell me what you were going to do?"

Brian wrapped his arms around Dom's waist and said as he kissed along his jaw, "Call Sophie to set up the meeting with Penning just to make it look like I don't know about it and that envelope insures our lives will be spared. I can't show you right now because I need all the leverage I can find." Brian nuzzled his jaw along Dom's and continued, "I wish I could though."

Dom caught Brian's chin in his fingers and said, "I trust you Brian."

"I trust you too."

Dom kissed Brian gently and said, "Let's get some sleep. We've got a lot of work to do."

"I know and I'll be glad when he's caught and in jail."

"Me too. Then we're disappearing off the grid."

"The Caribbean? Bora Bora? Where do you want to go?" Brian asked as he pulled his t-shirt off.

"I was thinking further north this time."

"Canada? Are you sure?" Brian asked.

Dom shook his head - he was thinking a little bigger or at least a little wider. "No I mean we look further afield internationally ... I don't care whether it be Moscow or Rio as long as they can't extradite."

"We wouldn't be criminals especially after this Braga character goes down." Brian tried to argue.

"Still no extradition works for me just in case they get a hair up their ass and feel the need to try and drag us back." Dom said as he kissed along Brian's exposed collarbone.

Brian let his head fall back and moaned. "I can see your point." His fingers gripped Dom's hips and Dom rocked against his denim covered erection.

"Not ready for bed I see." Dom chuckled.

"Not with you teasing the hell out of me."

"Payback for the grape lady." Dom smirked as he moved from Brian's lap.

Brian groaned and fell back on the bed. He glared at Dom and said, "I totally tried to get her away from me."

"Sure." Dom grinned.

"Stop fucking with me Dom. You know we're it, don't you?"

"I know but you look great when you're pissed and hard."

Brian took the opening for what it was and pulled Dom down onto the bed next to him. "How would you like to be in that situation?"

"As long as it's you, I'll suffer through it gladly." Dom chuckled.

"Well how about you try this on for size since we're out of grapes." Before Dom could do anything Brian had his boxers off and his tongue swiped at the tip.

"Shit Bri." Dom groaned as his left hand gripped the back of Brian's head.

Brian felt Dom's fingers but took his time getting acclimated with Dom's size and taste. He slipped his mouth further down Dom's shaft and used his free hand that he wasn't using as a brace to work the bottom half. He found a slow rhythm and Dom writhed under him but didn't try to force more than he could take at once.

Dom massaged the back of Brian's scalp and neck and Brian moved his other hand to cup Dom's balls and rolled them gently and he felt Dom's back go stiff and he pulled back some as Dom thrust his hips and Brian let go and worked him with his hand to finish him off. Dom hadn't taken his eyes off Brian the entire time and rode out his orgasm in Brian's very capable hands. He knew Brian was new to all of this but he was a natural.

He pulled Brian down next to him and kissed him deeply as he worked the front of Brian's pants open. Brian went to thrust against Dom's hip but Dom stopped him and had him get comfortable on the bed before he returned the favor. Brian gripped the back of Dom's head and clenched the bedspread in his other as Dom let him bury his dick in the back of his throat while he came.

Dom savored the taste and cleaned Brian up slowly as Brian came off his orgasm. Brian grinned up at Dom and asked, "That didn't bother you?"

"No as long as it's you I don't care."

"I'll try harder next time." Brian said as he looked up into Dom's eyes.

Dom stroked Brian's hair and said, "Only when you're ready all right babe. You were wonderful okay?"

"Thanks." Brian grinned.

"Now we have a busy day tomorrow so we need to get some sleep."

The two finished undressing and Dom turned the bed down. The two crawled under the sheets and Dom spooned against Brian's back and tangling their fingers together and burying his face in the crook of Brian's neck. Brian got comfortable on his side being surrounded by Dom's body and fell into a comfortable sleep.

In the early hours of the morning a phone started going off and Dom growled, "What?"

"Where's O' Conner?"

"Sleeping. What do you want?"

"Wake him up!" Penning shouted.

Dom slid out of bed and went to the bathroom and once the door shut he said, "Brian is exhausted. You brought me back so you gotta talk to me too."

It was too early and patience wasn't something he had in abundant supply, "Why couldn't this be so simple?"

Dom contained his anger only in volume and asked, "Simple? Tearing apart lives isn't simple! Now tell me if you're Gisele's handler so Brian and I can plan and make contingencies?"

Penning sighed and said, "She came to us for help extracting herself so I'm helping her. She didn't want the UC's to know but you two need to know. Tell Brian to call me when he wakes up."

"Will do and if you're not calling about a life or death situation don't call him at 3 in the morning again." Dom wanted to try and establish some firm rules that just might keep him alive through this operation.

"Fine good night."

"Good night." Then Dom closed Brian's phone and left the bathroom.

"Who called my phone?" Brian asked sleepily.

"Penning but I took care of his ass and he is Gisele's handler like you thought. Now go back to sleep." Dom said as he crawled back under the covers and wrapped himself around Brian.

Later that day, in the early afternoon, both of their GPS' went off simultaneously. Both Brian and Dom scrambled for their devices which notified them that they had to be at the checkpoint in approximately thirty minutes. "Shit! Let's go Bri." Dom said as he moved from the warm bed.
Brian stretched under the cover and ran his hands over his face trying to get rid of the sleep. He didn't want to move from the bed either so he let his autopilot take over and he pulled his clothes from the day before back on and Dom gathered their jackets and GPS units before they dropped the key back to the office.

The two went back up the PCH and found the warehouse that Campos had them meet in previously. They noticed a large semi and car racks for their cars - Dom nor Brian was looking forward to the bumpy ride but they were going to try and get loaded on the same level so it'd be easier to move between their cars. After the scanners checked their cars, they were loaded into the truck. Brian managed to be one level above Dom, luckily he could still climb okay and waited for them to get on the road and moving, before he made his move down to Dom's car.

A few hours later everyone was able to move their cars out of the truck and Braga's men immediately loaded the product into the trunks. Gisele was waiting as usual with the main GPS and a small mic attached to her ear. Brian and Dom kept an eye on the men and when they were done Gisele started her speech and Dom asked, "Where's Fenix?"

Gisele took in his stance of crossed arms and overall defensiveness and said, "He will meet you in the desert."

Dom rolled his shoulders and said, "Let's get this show on the road." He slid into his Chevelle and revved his engine. Once the GPS downloaded he shot out over the desert out of the cove they were in and he knew Brian would have his back at the back of the line. The two cars in the middle didn't really know what to think of Dom's mood or Brian's silent following. They didn't really care either, they just wanted to make it out alive.

Midway through the desert a Ford Torino made contact with the drivers and Fenix edged in front of Dom, whom showed his dissent by revving his engine and nudging against Fenix's bumper. Brian saw and prayed to the car gods that Dom wouldn't do anything stupid although when everything was said and done he'd be cheering Dom on. Gisele came over the radios and said, "Hold steady everyone. You're almost to the tunnels. Stay single file."

Brian shook his head at that and hoped Dom held himself in check. Fenix was small time compared to the likes of Braga and Campos. He needed Dom as unscathed by this as he could possibly get; they should be able to live their lives how they want - without the bad guy wanting their time and talents, or, the good guys demanding that they do good deeds to pay for past misdemeanours. The tunnels were only lit by their headlights so they couldn't really see where they were going - only Fenix knew the official route and Dom wasn't giving him much space to maneuver and Brian wanted to get rid of the two cars in between himself and Dom.

They had barely cleared the tunnels when Brian broke rank and got in between Dom and Fenix. Dom could be pissed at Brian all he wanted when the operation was over but Brian was trying to save his life at the moment. Dom almost punched his gas too hard when he saw Brian slip into the small opening that was between himself and Fenix. He didn't have time to be pissed though because Gisele came back over the radio to announce they were almost to their destination. Dom would talk to Brian about this stunt later.

Fenix slid into the meeting space with ease and everyone else parked one after the other across from Fenix's car and the Hummer that would be carrying the product. The men unloaded their trunks and Dom untwisted his NOS valve and pushed in his car lighter before Fenix forced him out of his car. Brian stood about five feet from Dom when Fenix yelled, "The driving was sloppy! We could've been made by border patrol!"

"We weren't sloppy!" Dom started.

Fenix got in Dom's face and said, "You do as you're told fairy and you were sloppy! All of you!"

Dom growled and tackled Fenix to the ground throwing a punch. With that disturbance the men loading the Hummer pulled out their weapons and shot the other two drivers. Brian dove behind Fenix's car and found a machine gun by one of the fallen and started to clear a path for him and Dom when Dom's car started a chain reaction when it blew up. Brian watched as his Skyline went up in flames and that tipped him over into being angry. He got to the Hummer and pulled around to yell at Dom to get in the damn car. The similarities were crazy and getting old for Brian. Dom laid one more punch into Fenix's face, he got in the Hummer next to Brian. Brian peeled out of the desert and found I-5 heading into LA.

After Brian and Dom left the impound lot, Brian looked at Dom and yelled throwing his hands in the air, "What the hell was that back there? Blowing up the cars with your NOS tanks? My car to be exact?"

Dom held his hands up in surrender and said, "I had to do something. Fenix needs to stop fucking around with us."

Brian growled and said, "Next time you get a moment of brilliance then at least let me know what you want to do."

"You seem pretty psychic already. If you're pissed about your car I'll get you a new one." Dom said trying to appease Brian.

"I'm pissed about a lot of stuff Dominic! This whole thing could've been prevented if Penning would've given me all the information to begin with and now I've got to see this thing through to the end and make sure Gisele makes it out alive! If not, it's my ass! Not Penning's! Not Stasiak's! Mine!"

"You want me to call Gisele and set up a meeting so you two can chat?" Dom asked trying to get Brian to lower his hackles at least towards him.

Brian glared at Dom and said, "That would be grand." He cut off further conversation by walking into a convenience store and going to the back coolers to get a drink.

Dom stayed outside and sighed. He didn't think losing a car would make Brian this mad but it must have, as Dom couldn't think of another reason for Brian to yell at him like he was a child. He pulled his phone out as he kept an eye on Brian inside the store and called Gisele. He set up the meeting for later on that night, hoping that would make Brian feel better. He hung up as Brian walked out with two bottles of Pepsi and gave one to him before he opened his bottle.

"Was that Gisele you just called?" Brian said calmer, wanting Dom to know they were okay.

"Yeah. I set up the meeting for midnight down on the Strip." Dom said wearily.

Brian pulled Dom around to the side of the building where they were in shadows and had a semblance of privacy. Brian braced his hands on either side of Dom's shoulders and said, "Dom we're good. Okay?" Brian nipped at his bottom lip playfully and pulled away to continue, "This run has sealed Braga's and Campos' fates so a lot is riding on what we do next and how it plays out."

"I'm sorry Brian."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I just need to do a lot of stuff and you're here with me so I blew up at you." He punctuated his apology with kisses between his sentences and then he deepened the last kiss as Dom wrapped his arms around Brian's waist and pulled him against him.

Dom pulled away to catch his breath and he carded his fingers through Brian's hair. "I'll help you do anything. Just tell me what it is."

"I will Dom and you'll have to trust me no matter what." Brian pleaded as he looked over his lover's face, not wanting to see Dom return to Lompoc especially after the things that happened the first time.

"You know I do baby."

The next afternoon, Brian and Dom walked into the FBI building and Brian led them towards Penning's office. Every agent in the building was salivating over Dom and itching for their handcuffs but they knew for the moment he was off limits, Brian knew this and it made him grin as they passed his co-workers. They didn't like him either and Brian knew they were probably hoping that he'd mess up the operation just enough so he'd be charged with criminal charges himself. That'd be a red letter day if they could catch him and Dom.

They arrived at Penning's office just as Stasiak did and Dom let out a low growl as the man pushed passed the two of them to get inside before they did - childish but Brian would fix that soon. Brian rested a hand against Dom's arm to try and calm him down and held the door for him. Dom went in with Brian right on his heels and Penning ordered, "Sit. All of you."

The three sat but Dom fidgeted in his seat so Brian took his hand in his and ran his thumb over the top of his hand. Dom almost squeaked but took a deep breath. Stasiak just glared and let out a distasteful noise but Penning just rubbed his forehead. It amazed him how O' Conner could wind up Stasiak with his mere presence - Penning almost wanted to let out a laugh and smack Brian on the back for a good laugh but he held it in with much learned patience.

Penning took a deep breath and cleared his throat, mainly to get Stasiak's attention, the other two were waiting on him having their own silent conversation. "So what do you have in mind O' Conner?" Penning asked leaning against his desk and crossing his arms.

Brian glanced at Dom before he looked back at Penning and said, "We met with Gisele last night and if you can give us seventy-two hours you'll have Braga on your doorstep."

"We're out of time and you're asking for more time Brian. I can't do it." Penning didn't want to bust his star undercover agent's bubble but his own bosses and Washington were on him about closing the case ASAP.

Dom growled, "That's fucking bullshit. We can pin his ass to the front door of this building wrapped in a bow ready for the local news."

Brian tightened his grip on Dom's hand and he looked at Penning. "Come on Penning, with the information that Gisele gave us last night, if you let us go we can bring him back and you can have all the damn glory."

"What's in it for you?" Penning asked curious about O' Conner's proposition.

"Let me retire and drop the warrant against Dom and his family. They can't prosecute them anyway without evidence and there isn't any."

"That's an awful lot."

Brian let go of Dom's hand and stood up so he was almost toe to toe with his boss and said, "The last six years of my life have been hell. That UC assignment where you pretty much forgot about me for years and then yanking me out so that I could be placed in this assignment. My proposition isn't asking for much - just our freedom to be what we are..."

"Fags, fairies, and cocksuckers." Stasiak sneered.

Before Brian could even react, Dom had Stasiak against the wall holding his collar almost choking him. Penning was the one that broke through Dom's fog. "Mr. Toretto let him go. Stasiak you're on unpaid suspension and I'm filing papers for removal from my office. Get out now."

Dom dropped him back onto his feet and went over to Brian. Stasiak sputtered, "What?"

"You heard me! Get out!" When Stasiak scampered out of the office Penning looked at the two and said, "You two get out of here. Seventy-two hours and I'll have all of your papers drawn up. Don't tell me what you do, just that he's here wrapped in a bow."

Brian grinned an honest grin for the first time in a while and he said, "We'll have him." He pulled Dom out of the office before Penning could change his mind and they ran into Sophie.

She asked, "What happened to Stasiak?"

"He's in trouble. Penning will tell ya if you ask nicely I think." Brian said.

"Now might not be the time then." Sophie laughed as she looked through the glass at Penning shuffling papers and making a phone call.

"Definitely not." Brian grinned. "We'll see ya later. We have a lot of work to do."

"See you Brian. You too Dom." Sophie said as she rested a hand on Dom's forearm.

"You too Sophie."

The two worked their way out of the building to see Stasiak shoving a box in his car and cursing at anything that moved. Brian and Dom went over to the Charger and drove away before they could be spotted.

Away from the FBI building, Dom asked, "So we're free in three days time?"

"Yep. Now we need to get Gisele to tell us where Braga went and then we bring his ass back and we can get out of here for good." He said matter of factly, wanting to do something with his rainy day stash and finding somewhere with a beach and quiet.

"You sound like it'll all work out without a problem in the world." Dom said as he glanced at Brian's easy lean against the seat.

Brian laughed loud and easy. "This is us Dom. We'll have problems but we'll make it through as long as we stick together."

Dom chuckled. Brian was right and he knew it. He reached for Brian's hand and laced their fingers together. "We stick together, always." Dom declared.

Brian grinned and leaned over the seat to give Dom a sweet kiss on the cheek but then blew a raspberry afterwards.

Dom mock-glared and said, "You're going to clean your slobber off." He liked the lighter mood though and felt good about the operation and how it could be ending in a few short days - it gave them time to finish the plan and have a few hours to themselves. Maybe they'd go see the others for a short bit and cook out before they headed out of town.

Brian wiped off Dom's cheek with his shirtsleeve and said, "Let's get the info from Gisele and we'll get a cookout going for tonight before we head off to parts unknown."

"So you're planning our goodbye party already Brian?" Dom chuckled nervously.

Brian stroked the back of Dom's hand and said softly, "No. It's not a goodbye party. We need to reconnect with everyone, get side plans made and make sure everyone survives to get their pardons."

"You're sure?" Dom asked trying to figure out if Brian was messing with his head to get him to go along with the plan, according to Brian.

"Have I been wrong before?" Brian laughed. "No don't answer that." He finished as he looked out the window at the passing LA scenery he'd never thought he'd see after the first undercover operation went bust.

Dom looked at Brian and said, "Brian if you're not confident about this we need to come up with a few more contingencies."

"No I'm good. We got this Dom. Let's just have fun tonight before all hell breaks loose. Plus we're finishing up the Impreza that you found me. Need two cars for this."

"As long as you're still good I'm good. I'll call Gisele once we get back to my house and we can get the grill going."

Brian grinned, "We'll have to get a few cases of Coronas before we get to your house."

"That's definitely part of the plan." Dom chuckled. He was hoping the Coronas would relax the two of them and maybe allow for a few minutes of privacy to reconnect with the other. He didn't realize all the stuff he missed out on the last five years and he didn't want to miss anymore.

And just to reinforce the precarious situation they were in, Brian had them go back to the beach room just in case Penning or Campos decided to place a tail on them. He doubted it but just in case. An hour later Dom's cell went off and it was Campos informing of the location for the run. When the two heard from Campos about the run taking place the next day Brian called Penning immediately. He was pacing the hotel floor of the room that he and Dom had taken residence in near the beach - while they finished the operation.

As he talked to his boss, he watched Dom sit at the small table and look over a map of Mexico, drawing possible routes for them to take them away from the border and out of everyone's lives. He was looking forward to that - a freedom he hadn't had in awhile. He snapped his phone closed after he finished his conversation and shook himself like he was a wet dog - he didn't like what Penning had had to say and he needed get out for a while so he said to Dom, "Hey I'm going down to the beach. Call me if you need something."

"What did Penning have to say?" Dom asked as he looked up at Brian over his beer bottle.

"Pretty much be there til the end and that's something that I don't like. He won't tell me what's up but maybe you can call Gisele and ask her. I need some air so I'll see you later." What he really wanted to do was surf but being undercover meant he didn't have his board with him.

Dom said as Brian left the room, "Be careful Bri."

Brian paused and said, "When am I not Dom?"

Dom looked him over really good in the light and said, "You might be careful but shit seems to find you. Walk off your steam and come back here and rest. We'll need it for tomorrow and I'll try and get Gisele to spill why Penning's got you in knots."

Brian waved him off and said, "I'm good Dom. See ya." Brian left the room and headed towards the beach so he could at least sit on the beach and watch the ocean and pretend he had his surfing gear with him.

When the door shut Dom held in a growl and thought that if Penning stood in front of him any time soon that he'd punch the guy. He hated the one eighties that Brian seemed to pull when he'd talk to his bosses or with Campos and it took Dom hours of comfort and touching to bring the Brian he loved back. And that was what he really wanted - for Brian to finally get back his own life - not Brian Spilner's life, or his own with just his juvie record for a story. Dom returned to the map of Mexico and found the most direct backroads to Mexico City and decided that when they were done that they were going to take a trip. Brian needed to find his own head space and Dom wanted to help him with that.

Dom called Gisele and she answered on the third ring. "Hello."

"Gisele, did you talk to Penning today?" Dom asked straight up.

"Yeah. He wants Brian to testify at the trial even though they will have enough to put him away."

"Ah. I'll let Brian know when he comes back."

"Brian doesn't know yet?" Gisele asked getting a feel for Dom's brusque manner.

"I don't think so." Dom said as he looked over his map again.

"Penning said that he just told Brian." Gisele said confused.

"Yeah well maybe there was a miscommunication. It's the FBI, it happens all the time."

"I've noticed." Gisele said.

"Well I'm going to go find Brian and tell him what he needs to do and hopefully contain his meltdown." He hung up before Gisele could say anything else and went down to the beach. He saw Brian sitting with his feet buried in the sand and while Dom himself didn't like the beach he sat behind him and pulled Brian against his chest.

Brian jumped and Dom laughed. "You scared the shit out of me." Brian said as he twisted himself in Dom's arms.

"I'm sorry baby. I just called Gisele and Penning told her that they want you to testify. Is that true?"

"Yeah and that'll extend my time with the government by almost a year if not more and I don't want that. I want to go home."

"Where's home?"

"You know where it is Dom." Brian replied as he got comfortable against Dom and rested his head against his shoulder. He didn't like that he sounded girly but he couldn't express it any other way he could think of right this moment.

"I know and we'll get there." Dom nuzzled his head against Brian's head. Dom wanted to really kill Penning now, trying to prolong Brian's stay in the FBI when Brian wanted to just go be a beach bum and live his own life. He wasn't trying to sell himself short, he knew he'd be a part of Brian's life but he'd make sure that wherever they went he'd have a beach within walking distance and any surfboard he wanted and a garage for him.

Soon the moment was broken and Brian said, "Let's go to your house. Need a few hours of normalcy before we deal with Campos and Braga for the last time."

Brian stood up and held his hand out for Dom to take. Dom took his hand and Brian pulled him out of the sand. Dom cupped Brian's jaw and ran his thumb over his cheekbone and said, "We'll be alright. We'll find a way to get you out of your extension."

"I'm sure it'll happen but let's finish one thing at a time. Party first then Braga second."

"I like that plan." Dom laughed. He dropped his hand and Brian grasped his fingers before Dom could walk away. Dom wrapped his free arm around Brian and said in his ear, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here with you."

Brian chuckled sadly, "Yeah sorry." He went to let go of Dom's hand and Dom tightened his own grip.

Dom pulled away and looked Brian in the eye and said, "I don't want to hear another apology from you the rest of this operation."

"Okay." Brian said with his smile taking on the sunnier side of his personality. Chewing on his bottom lip he said, "Sorry about all the apologies."

Dom could see Brian holding back a full blown California smile and the sparkle was returning to his eyes so he did what he did best - he pulled Brian into a headlock and gave him a noogie. Brian yelped and they landed back in the sand wrestling each other, Brian letting Dom win the match. Dom leaned over Brian and kissed him chastely on the lips and Brian chased after Dom's mouth when he pulled away and he whimpered.

"Turning into an exhibitionist on me Bri?" Dom grinned.

"Never just trying to get you to kiss me." Brian laughed wiggling under Dom's weight.

"If I kiss you the way I want to then you might end up with a new profession before you're even out of your old one." Dom replied pressing against Brian's hips.

Brian bit his lip and held in a moan but matched Dom's thrust with his own.

Dom glared at Brian and said, "We're so finishing this after the cookout. Let's go." Dom stood up and watched Brian squirm in the sand.

"You tease me then tell me I'm going to have to wait hours before I can come. You're pure evil Dom."

"You are too. Looking like you do and teasing the population clothed, let alone without them." Dom laughed.

Close to eleven o' clock, Dom found Brian talking to Jesse in the garage tweaking the Subaru Impreza that Dom got for Brian at the FBI impound lot. He leaned against the door frame and watched Jesse show Brian how he'd get the most power out of the car running over the desert. Finally, Brian noticed Dom and he grinned at his lover. Brian glanced at Jesse and said, "I'm gonna hit the sack. Got an early morning."

Jesse smiled and said, "Go on. I'll make sure your car is good."

"Cool. Thanks man." Brian replied as he clapped Jesse on the shoulder as he moved away towards Dom.

Once Brian made it into Dom's space, Dom said, "Let's go to sleep."

Brian didn't complain when Dom wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and tugged him up to his level before Dom gave him a gentle kiss. Brian pulled away and said, "We got time for this later."

"Hopefully." Dom whispered letting some of his worry show through.

Brian wrapped his arm around Dom's waist and said, "Let's go."

They walked back into the house and Dom wanted to sweep Brian off his feet but followed behind his lover as he peeled his clothes off one by one. They made it to the top step before Dom growled and pushed Brian against the wall and taking what was his - Brian groaned in the back of his throat as Dom's tongue made short work of his brain cells. When they needed air Dom pulled away with a chuckle and he leaned down and picked up Brian's shirts off the stairs.

"We might need to bar the door tonight." Dom grinned as he glanced at Brian shaking, trying to stay upright.

Brian groaned and started to slip down to sit on the top of the stairs. Dom wrapped his arm around his lover's waist and helped him into his room. Dom shut the door and he put a chair under the doorknob so the two couldn't be interrupted.

Everyone kept to themselves and let the two men go upstairs before Vince convened them around the kitchen table. Mia, Letty, and Leon had maps spread across the surface in no time and everyone had a beer in hand. Leon looked at Vince and asked, "So now that you've got the idea in your head that Brian's been on our side this whole time what's your plan?"

"The Buster isn't a buster anymore." Vince grinned as he took a drink of his beer. "They might have plans but just like he was there for us back with the truck jacking he needs us here now." He looked over the team and saw Leon and Jesse gawking at him and Letty and Mia hiding behind their hands trying to hold in their giggles.

Vince sighed.

"You actually like Brian now?" Letty said with a grin.

"I respect his code. I don't like him." Vince said in all seriousness. "But we've all grown up and if he's going to be with Dom then we gotta have his back."

"So you're pulling the big brother routine, looking out for him?" Leon chuckled.

"Someone has to. Trouble finds his ass no matter what he's doing." There was an overwhelming truth there that none of them could argue with.

"So what do you think they'll do in the desert?" Jesse asked getting them back on track while he got himself another Redbull.

"Don't know but we'll be there waiting. Jesse you can rig up a radio so we can hear everything they do and we'll get them some sort of code if they need some help while they make this run."

"I can do that." Jesse grinned thinking of what he could build from just the pieces in the garage - a garage that Brian had made more homey.

"Leon we'll go see Hector and get some extras to come along for the ride." Vince said as he looked at Leon.

"And we'll get the route out of Dom and Brian when they surface." Mia said as she looked over the possible routes already drawn on the map.

Vince looked around the table at the makeshift family and thought about the times when Brian would join them and he knew he was making the right decision. He needed to help his brother, weird he never would've considered Brian any more family than he could throw him which wasn't far, but he knew he'd make a friend for life once this operation was finished.

The next afternoon when Brian and Dom peeled themselves off Dom's bed they drove the Charger and Impreza to the border and parked. They leaned against their cars and while they waited decided to talk. Brian looked at Dom and asked, "What do you think your team has planned? Everyone's pretty quiet which is the biggest tip off for me."

Dom chuckled, "Them being quiet would be your tip off wouldn't it? They have our back and won't interfere until they know we're clear."

Brian moved to stand in front of Dom and he asked, "What do you know Dominic? Remember we promised to keep each other informed of any changes."

Dom wrapped his arms around Brian's waist and looked over his serious expression bordering on frustration and replied, "Jesse put two radios in my car. One for you and one for me. When we make this run and if anything goes wrong then they'll be there to back us up so we can get out of there."

"They're really worried about what could happen to you, aren't they?" Brian asked understanding the plan basics but not giving much thought to himself. He'd be happy if Dom made it out but he wasn't shooting for himself to make it out alive.

Dom heard what Brian wasn't saying and he held his chin up and said, "Vince made this plan for the both of us. He respects you and what you've done for us. He might grumble around you but he cares what happens to you just like I do." Before Brian could say anything Dom pulled him into a kiss and poured all the love he felt for Brian into it.

The two broke apart when they heard a car pull up behind them and Gisele stepped out. She saw Dom holding Brian close with a hand on his neck and an arm around his waist both taking in the other. She cleared her throat and leaned against her own car and Brian moved to stand beside Dom in front of the Charger. She saw Brian shove his hands in his pockets and Dom crossed his arms over his chest - she 'tsked' in her head at their obvious defensive maneuvers and said, "Here is where Braga is headed. It's his hometown so you won't find any help from the locals..."

"We won't need the locals help." Dom said dismissively as he glanced at Brian, who was rocking on his heels. He reached out and pulled Brian close and whispered, "We're almost there baby. Pin him to the doors and we're in the wind."

Brian chuckled and said, "Yeah. We'll be free." The thought was awesome and he could almost picture it, but he'd believe it once they were really free. After the way things had gone for him he started to expect disaster to at least find him.

Dom wrapped both of his arms around Brian and ran a hand over his back. "Almost. Gotta stay strong for a little bit longer and then we don't answer to anyone."

Brian scoffed but he straightened up and Gisele handed Dom the piece of paper with Braga's location and the GPS coordinates. "Be careful." Then she got in her car and drove away.

Brian looked out across the land and said, "This is where my jurisdiction ends."

"This is where mine begins."

Brian smiled and said, "Let's go."

Dom led the way and Brian got the lay of the land. The two found Braga's entourage outside the Catholic church in the square so they went around to the back and parked their cars. Dom stayed close behind Brian and let Brian use his police training to find any stragglers without so much as making a sound. They made it into the back of the church and Brian pushed Dom inside a confessional and he joined him. Brian didn't know much about the Catholic religion but he knew enough to check the divider and see if anyone was in the seat next to them. There wasn't so he let out a breath of relief. He wanted this to go down as smoothly as possible and hopefully with both their lives intact.

Dom looked at Brian and noticed he was shaking and asked quietly, "You okay man? You look like you're going to puke."

"I'm good. Just about to arrest one of the biggest criminals of my career with no credit to my name." Brian answered honestly.

He put his gun in the back of his waistband and reached into his pocket for a slim device he found in his stuff. He moved around Dom to stand by the door and he looked through one of the cracks in the wood. He found it was a good angle to use his camera to take pictures of Braga and what looked to be a dirty priest. Brian snapped pictures at the couple of angles he could get from their hiding place. He saw the priest give Braga a Spanish blessing after Braga gave him a duffel bag full of cash and drugs most likely.

Dom looked around the small confessional and as much as he wanted to fuck Brian into the wall he would have to wait to fulfill that fantasy. He found shotguns behind the chair and motioned to Brian and Brian shook his head. The two had short, silent argument until Brian gave in. He whispered, "Quietly."

Dom grinned and set them up. Brian went back to taking a few more pictures and when he saw Braga and the priest about to go their separate ways Brian motioned for Dom to follow him with the shotguns in hand. Brian had his camera device stowed back in pocket and Dom passed him a shotgun before Braga and the priest even knew they were there. The priest tried to leave but Brian shook his head.

"Don't even think about moving an inch." Dom said imitating Brian's cop voice.

If the situation wasn't dire Brian would've laughed his ass off at Dom's imitation but as it was he kept the grin in his head and he said in his own cop voice, "Push the bag over here and lay on the floor hands and feet spread." The priest did as he said and Brian pushed the bag out of the way. They would inspect it later when Braga was in cuffs in the back of Brian's car preferably.

"Keep your hands in the air Braga." Dom said.

Brian walked over to Braga and nudged the shotgun against the back of his head and he said, "On the floor. Hands behind your back."

Braga looked over at Brian and he laughed, "You're a fucking cop."

"On the floor Braga. You're under arrest." Brian said as he pushed the gun against the back of his neck.

As Braga laid out on the floor he couldn't help but laugh at how he was taken down but it wouldn't stick - he'd make sure of that.

Brian passed Dom his shotgun and pulled his cuffs off his belt and handcuffed Braga while he kept a knee firmly planted in his back. The priest lifted his head and saw Dom with both shotguns, each pointed at himself and Braga. He whimpered and put his head back on the floor - he knew he should've not met with his patron saint Arturo Braga today. He was praying and giving himself last rites just in case.

With Braga secured, Brian pulled him up off the ground and as he shoved him to the back of the church he picked up the duffel bag. Braga laughed, "You're just going to take me out the back? That's pretty brazen of you even for a Fed."

"Shut up." Brian said. Brian looked at Dom and said, "Scare him. We have what we came for."

"Come on Brian. He was pulling shit off too." Dom said.

Brian said, "Dom no. We need to get going."

"Alright. We'll play this your way." He said reluctantly.

"You're learning." Brian laughed as he pushed Braga out to his car.

Dom followed behind a few minutes later and he pulled Brian aside. "I put the fear of God back into the priest. He won't be messing with Braga or anything illegal ever again."

"What did you do?" Brian asked worried.

"Nothing except got in his face like when we first met." Dom grinned at that particular memory.

"Fine. You ready to go?"

"Yeah." And Dom did the unthinkable in front of Braga - he pulled Brian into a deep kiss. Brian returned the kiss and slid into the driver's side. Dom got in his car and followed behind Brian who was weaving through the pedestrians and getting them out of town as quickly as possible.

Brian ignored Braga's taunting him from the passenger seat and located the tunnels on the GPS. He heard Dom over his radio getting Vince and the rest of the crew in place for when Braga's men would start their chase. He grinned and let the Impreza do it's thing across the desert sand while he listened to Dom's engine following right behind him.

He noticed a stream of colorful cars coming up and around them as they were heading for the tunnels. Braga's men weren't far behind their own team of drivers so Brian gunned his engine and sped up. Dom stayed behind him but was using one of shotguns to ward off Braga's men as the tunnels came into view. They shot into the tunnels and Braga sneered, "You'll get us killed. You don't know these tunnels."

"Then it'll be a win for everyone. Now shut the hell up." Brian growled as he pushed his car faster into the dark. Dom had managed to stay right behind him and they made it through the tunnels with minimal damage and found Penning with a team of other agents waiting for them.

Brian pulled to an impressive stop near Penning and Dom parked behind him. Penning yanked the passenger door open and grabbed up Braga. Brian got out of the car and kept the newly reorganized duffel bag and his camera close. "Here's your bow. Now we're out of here. Have fun."

"Brian you have to testify." Penning said.

"I don't. You have your evidence and I want my papers." Brian said holding onto the bag and camera.

"Brian." Penning warned.

Dom got out of his car seeing the situation get tenser and he sidled up to Brian's side. He said, "You promised and we got you everything plus some. Give Brian his papers and we'll be out of your hair never to see us again."

Penning chewed on that and said, "His papers are in the passenger seat as well as complete pardons for you and your team. Don't break the law or you'll be in jail faster than you can hide."

"Don't plan on any jail time." Dom said as he went over to Penning's car with Brian. He found the envelopes and helped Penning shove Braga into the backseat.

Brian shook Penning's hand and said, "Don't try and find us."

"Wasn't planning on it." Penning grinned.

"Good." Then Brian went back to his car and got in the driver's side. He watched Dom get in his Charger and pull up next to him. Penning glanced at the two men who brought in the top dog for drug trafficking and waved them off.

Brian and Dom both spun their tires and jetted back towards LA, on a hope and a prayer that they could leave the country and go on with their lives. When they got back to the house, they parked near the garage and Dom pulled Brian out of his car. Brian saw Dom completely relaxed for the first time in a long time but didn't have much time to follow that thought as Dom pulled him close and stroked the nape of his neck.

Dom grinned and asked, "You want a kiss?"

Brian bit his lip hiding his grin and said, "Always but this ain't a movie."

Dom rested his forehead against Brian's and they just took each other in - both of them finally free.