Notes: Vince, Dom and Mia don't belong to me. They are the property of MCA/Universal Pictures. I am borrowing them for nonprofit entertainment purposes. All original characters are mine.

The Letter

"Yo, Dom. You drop this?" Vince called out, picking up the slightly dirty envelope. Dominic Toretto turned and looked at his childhood friend. "Drop what?" he asked. His friend waved the envelope. "This was on the street next to your car, brother. I figured you might've dropped it or something," Vince told him, holding it out. Dom shrugged. "I'm pretty sure I didn't. Lemme see it." He took the envelope and swiped at the dirt on it. The writing on it was so smudged that he couldn't make out either address on it. "Looks like it's been on the ground awhile. I can't make out who wrote it or who got it," he commented, debating whether or not to open it. Vince must have been reading his mind. "Well, open it, man. See who it's for. Maybe we can give it back, y'know?" Dom stared at Vince suspiciously. "You just want to know what it says," he accused, though he started smiling. "Like you don't?" Vince shot back with a grin. "No, I don't." "Yes, you do. Admit it, brother," Vince laughed. Dom sighed. "Okay, so I'd like to know what it says. But it ain't right to do that, V," he replied, rubbing his hand over his head. He started to open it but Vince stopped him. "Not here, man. Wait till we get back to the house," he muttered, rolling his eyes. Dom nodded, tucking the letter in his back pocket and leaning on his car so he could watch the rest of the races.

Three hours later-Toretto house

Dom sat out on the back porch, a Corona in one hand and the envelope in the other. He was still debating whether or not to open it and read the letter inside. Before he could convince himself not to, Vince came out and sat down on the step below him. "So?" he asked Dom expectantly. "You're hoping it's one of those kinky letters, aren't you?" Dom laughed, shaking the envelope slightly. As the letter slipped out, Vince laughed. "Nah, but hey, if it is..." Toretto shook his head. "You are such a fuckin' perv." He unfolded the light pink paper and shifted around so the porch light shone on it. "What's it say, Dom?" "Hang on, man. I'm getting to it," he answered, smoothing out the paper. Clearing his throat, he began to read it.

June 8, 2002

Hey Princess,

'Lo, dahlin'! Duchess here. You won't believe this but last night I went to my first street race! It was so awesome. You wouldn't believe all of the badass cars that were there. They make Tank and Joey's cars look like toys.

And, joy of joys, HE was there! Juli's picture doesn't do him justice, I swear. That guy Leon was with him, too. He doesn't look too bad but our man was looking dayum hot. I think God made tank tops just for him.

"Who goes everywhere Leon goes?" Vince asked, fighting to keep from laughing. "She ain't talkin' about Jesse. She can't be," Dom laughed, wondering if any of the race girls really thought that his mad scientist was hot. "I dunno, man, but it sounds like it. Keep reading." Dom did just that.

As always, Dominic Toretto won the main race. Edwin put down three large and then actually asked RaeAnn for money the next morning. She was irate, let me tell you. Anyway, I ran into Mia at the race and told her that you said hello. I would have talked to her more, but HE came up and told her that everyone was heading out. (THUD Thank you, Lord, for making him a tank top man.) She invited me to come back to her house for the after-race party but RaeAnn wanted to go home, so I couldn't. Life sucks, huh?

"June 8th. So this chick is talking about the 7th. Who all did Mia talk to at the races that night?" Dom mused aloud and then elbowed Vince in the shoulder. "That was what? Two weeks ago?" Dom nodded. "She talked to Edwin, Hector, Rosaria, Mandy, DeeDee and some chick I never saw before," Vince said after thinking about it for a few minutes. Dom perked up. "Some chick you never saw before? What did she look like?" he demanded. His friend shrugged. "I'm not sure. I only saw her for a few seconds," V replied.

I managed to get some good pics at the race that I'll send in an email. I know that your dad hates the thought that you might even know about street racing. Among those pics are some lovely butt shots of our man. I think you'll really enjoy those.

Listen, girly, I've got to go. Hector's teaching me how to drive a stick and I'm supposed to meet him in half an hour. Keep it loose and I'll see you when you get here in August. I'll keep you updated on the races and the status of His Seriously Studliness.

Much love and all the hotties you can handle

Duchess

"That's all?" Vince asked in exasperation. "That's it. What were you expecting, man?" Dom asked, folding up the letter and putting it back in the envelope. "I'm not sure, but I wasn't expecting that. That was just-" "Just what?" "That was lame, brother. And I mean really lame," Vince answered, taking a long drink of his beer.

Both men jumped when Mia spoke from behind them. "What was lame?" she asked, trying not to smile. She'd been standing at the back door the whole time that her older brother was reading the letter aloud. "Nothing, Mia," Dom lied, acting nonchalant. "Uh huh," she retorted, coming out to the edge of the porch and snatching the letter out of Dom's hand. "Hey, give it back!" he demanded with a glare. "Why should I? It's not yours," she laughed, opening the back door. "Like you know whose it is?" her brother sneered. Mia smiled. "As a matter of fact, I know exactly who it belongs to," she informed him, walking into the house.

Vince watched his best friend. "You really think she knows, brother?" Dom slowly nodded. "Knowing Mia, oh yeah. She probably even knows who wrote it." "She'll probably give it back to them, right?" Vince asked, his blue eyes narrowing slightly. Dom looked thoughtful and then smiled. "Yeah. So maybe we should keep an eye on her and see who gets it." Both men jumped up and ran into the house, looking for Mia. They finally saw her waving at someone through the front window. The letter was nowhere in sight.

"Mia!" Dom hollered, making a few people stare at him strangely. "What's the matter, Dom?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Where's the letter?" Vince demanded, jamming his hands in his pockets. "I gave it back to the person who wrote it," she told them. "Well, who wrote it?" Mia smiled mysteriously. "A friend of mine," was all she would say as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Women!" Vince snorted in disgust. Nodding, Dom muttered, "Sisters!"

The next weekend

Between races, both V and Dom kept a close eye on Mia. They were hoping to find out who had written that letter. Though they'd bugged her about it all week, Mia had refused to tell them whose it was. Now they had to resort to tailing her after convincing Leon and Jesse to help them.

Just before his own race, Dom saw his sister talking to a woman he'd never seen before. While her back was to him, he could see that the conversation was very animated. "Yo, V," he called to his best friend. "Yeah?" "Does that look like the chick you saw Mia talking to that night?" he asked, casually pointing in their direction. Vince peered at the two of them. "It might be, brother, but I can't be sure." Dom rolled his eyes. "Well, go check her out," he said exasperatedly before turning back to Edwin.

Vince casually strolled over to the black and silver Eclipse where Mia was standing. As he came closer, he got a better look at the woman she was talking to. She wasn't very tall, maybe Letty's height, with curly auburn hair that hung down to the middle of her back. On closer inspection, he noticed the bright sky-blue eyes and full rosy lips set in an attractive oval shaped face. She had soft, rounded curves, just the kind that he liked. If he were honest, he would say that she was beautiful. "Mia," he said, interrupting the conversation as he came to a stop next to her. Dom's sister jerked to the side and glared at him. "What, V?" "Relax. I just wondered who you were riding home with. Leon's making a beer run and Jesse's making the munchie run. You wanna ride with me?" he asked her, glancing at the now silent woman. "That's fine," Mia told him, suddenly smiling. "Cool. I'll let you know when we're heading out," he said, turning to walk away from the two women. "Thanks, Vince," Mia called out to him before facing the woman and giggling. He glanced back and shook his head slightly. Women were weird.

The woman had remained silent during the exchange between Mia and Vince. "So he actually read the letter?" she asked, her voice sounding oddly muffled. Mia laughed. "Not really," she signed, "My brother read it out loud and he was listening." The woman smiled. "Thanks for not telling them it was mine, Mia," she signed back. "It's no problem, Kee. You're just lucky that you signed your nickname instead of your real one." Kee laughed softly and spoke aloud this time. "I guess I am. I think I should be more careful with my letters to Cathy. God knows there are some things I've written that don't need to be read by your brother or Vince," she said, glancing around at the other cars. "Written about Vince?" Mia signed curiously, looking at Kee. The smaller woman blushed and nodded. "I can't help it, Mia," she signed, "There's something about him that just makes me want to come unglued. But it'll never happen so I need to get over it." "Who says? He's free and over 21. So are you. I say go for it." Kee shook her head. "Me and Vince? There's not a hope in the world for that." Mia smiled. "Come to the house tonight after the races. See how things go. What could it hurt?" she encouraged, gently squeezing Kee's arm. Kee seemed to think about it and then nodded. "All right. But if I make a total twink of myself, it's your fault," she agreed in sign language, winking at Mia. The dark haired girl bounced happily. "Gotcha. I better find out when V's leaving so I don't miss my ride. I'll talk to you at the house, okay?" she said, before turning to walk away. Kee nodded and watched her friend head over to where Vince stood with Dom. She sighed heavily. Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

Vince rejoined Dom and leaned against the hood of the car. "Well?" Dom asked expectantly. "It might be her," Vince replied, shrugging. "Did she say anything?" "Nah. That was weird though. She never said a word and Mia didn't even try to tell me who she is," he told his friend, thinking about the woman's strange silence. "Maybe Hector knows who she is," Dom said after a few minutes of thinking. "If she's the one who wrote the letter, Hector would know her," Vince agreed and looked around for the man in question. "There he is," Dom told him, pointing over to where Hector stood talking to Edwin. "You go ask him. I checked out the chick so it's your turn." Dom grunted softly. "I'd call you a pussy if I thought it was true," he joked, grinning broadly. Vince gave him a dirty look. "Haha. Go talk to Hector, would ya, brother?" Dom did just that.

Hector saw Dom approaching out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't help but smile. Kee had told him that Dom Toretto had read the letter she'd dropped. "He's probably going to ask about her," he thought and then nodded when Dom reached him. "Hey, Dom. 'Sup?" he asked in a friendly voice. "Not much, man. Still heading for the NHRA circuit?" Hector nodded. "Another month and I'm a pro." Dom smiled. "I'm happy for you, Hector. Listen, I need to ask you something. You have any idea who that girl is over by the Eclipse?" he asked, surreptitiously gesturing to the auburn-haired girl that stood laughing with Hector's girlfriend Rosaria. Hector nodded. "Her name's Kee Dawson. She's a friend of Rosaria's that moved out here a few months ago. Why?" he replied, already knowing why but interested in hearing the big man's reason. "I hadn't seen her before so I was curious," Dom answered nonchalantly. Hector hid his smile. "I'm teaching her to drive a real stick. She drove a standard pickup back home but wants to drive a real car," he told Dom, acting as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about Toretto asking about a woman. "Cool. Thanks, man. I've got to get back to my car. Letty's looking for me." Hector smiled. "No problem. See ya later." Dom nodded and walked back to his car. Hector grinned. This was going to be interesting.

During the ride back to the house, Vince tried to draw Mia into conversation. He only succeeded slightly since she only laughed at his attempts to find out who the woman was that she'd been talking to. "C'mon, Mia, gimme a break. All I want to know is her name," he said in a near-whine. Mia grinned broadly and shook her head. "I'm not supposed to tell you yet," she replied for the fifth time. "That's cold and you know it," he complained as he pulled up in front of the house. "Just be patient, V," she said, still smiling as she got out of the car. "Just be patient, V," he mocked under his breath, getting out of the car and slamming the door. As he walked up to the house, he couldn't help but wonder why Mia was being so secretive.

"You sure you want to do this, Duchess?" RaeAnn signed as her friend parked in front of the Toretto house. "Why not, Rae? What have I got to lose?" Kee answered verbally as she shut off the car. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea but, girl, you know the rep he's got. This could blow up in your face and I don't want to see that happen." Kee smiled slightly. "Sometimes the greatest risk of all in life is never taking one," she explained softly, "It's time I took a chance on something." "I understand that, Kee. Really, I do," RaeAnn told her, "ButVince? Duchess, that is one helluva chance." "If it's a mistake, I'll learn from it. But at least let me make it." RaeAnn laughed. "Hell, why not? Besides, I think he'd like you." Kee laughed as well and they got out of the car. When they walked into the house, RaeAnn waved at Mia who was saying something to Jesse and shaking her finger at him. The younger man was blushing and nodding. She broke off what looked to be a lecture and waved back, smiling brightly when she saw Kee.

Mia hurried over and lightly hugged both women. "I'm glad you came," she signed to Kee, who smiled. "Relax, Mia. I can read your lips, you know," the woman laughed. "Just a thought: V's in the dining room getting a beer," Mia told her with a sly wink. Giggling softly, Kee replied, "Spanks ever so, Mia. I owe you one." Watching Kee head for the dining room, RaeAnn looked at Mia. "I hope she's not expecting too much. I'd hate for Vince to hurt her feelings," she commented worriedly. "If he does, he'll have to deal with her 'inner bitch', remember? It hasn't been turned loose lately," Mia said with a smile. RaeAnn grinned. "And if it does get turned loose, I want to see it." "Me too." Both women started laughing at the thought of Kee using words to bring Vince to his knees.

Kee slipped into the dining room and walked over to the cooler that sat on the table. Not acknowledging Vince's presence, she reached into the cooler and started to wrap her fingers around the neck of a bottle just as he reached for the same one. Their hands managed to wrap around each other. "Oh, sorry," she murmured, glancing up at him. "No problem. You take it," he said, giving her a half-smile. "Thanks." She pulled her hand free of his and picked up the bottle. Before she could move, he spoke. "You're a friend of Mia's, right?" She nodded. "Kee Dawson. Hi," she replied, smiling up at him. She could see the odd look in his eyes and laughed. "What?" he asked, staring at her. "I know what you're thinking. My voice sounds funny." He nodded and leaned against the table. "I was wondering why you never said anything when I was talking to Mia. Speech stuff?" he answered, looking at her speculatively. "Something like that. Actually, I'm deaf. Can't hear a damn thing," Kee explained, wanting to see his reaction. "Deaf? But how do you know what I'm saying?" A soft giggle escaped her. "I read lips. It's easier to do when I'm around someone who doesn't know sign language." He nodded. "That's understandable. So how long have you known Mia?" Kee looked thoughtful. "Almost a year now. She's a real sweetheart. Plus, she can sign so we can talk about all sorts of stuff without other people knowing," she answered with a sly grin. The look of surprise on his face told her that he'd figured out her little secret.

The moment Kee had opened her mouth, Vince had been sure that something was wrong with her. He hadn't expected her to inform him that she was deaf so he was actually surprised. But he was also fascinated. Kee was definitely a woman unlike any that he'd ever known.

"You wanna get some air?" he suddenly asked, hoping that she'd say yes. "Sure," she answered, "Lead on, MacDuff. I don't know where the doors are in this place." Vince laughed. "Right this way," he told her, taking her free hand and leading her into the kitchen and out the back door. He sat down on the steps and patted the spot beside him. With a smile, Kee shook her head and sat one step lower, leaning back against the railing and looking up at him. "You afraid I'll bite?" he teased, his blue eyes twinkling. The soft laugh that came from her almost shook him. "Nah, but I can't read your lips if I can't see them," she joked, taking a long drink from her bottle. He laughed and shook his head."Honey, you can read more than my lips if you want,"he thought, trying to smother a low groan as her fingertips lightly stroked the neck of her Corona bottle. "So you bite, huh?" she asked teasingly. Giving her a wolfish grin, he replied, "Only if you ask me nicely." "Do tell. I thought I was the only one who did that." "You're a consensual biter too? Where have you been all my life?" Kee giggled. "I don't really bite. I just like to give a little nibble here and there but that's only if I really like you. As to your other question: here and there. Mostly there, of course." That got a laugh out of him. Kee really wasn't like the other women he'd met.

Over the next few hours, Kee and Vince bantered back and forth. They also talked about other things such as cars, sports and video games. The whole while, they were being quietly observed.

"I don't believe it!" RaeAnn exclaimed happily, "Would you look at them?" Mia grinned. "I told you not to worry. She'll be good for him and vice versa. God knows she needs some excitement." "Who needs some excitement?" Dom asked, stopping behind RaeAnn. "Shh," both women hissed, glaring at him. He gave them a questioning look and they pointed out the window. Dom leaned over the sink and then grinned. "How long have they been out there?" he finally asked, moving away from the sink. "Nearly two hours," Mia reported, her dark eyes twinkling. "And they've both been smiling the whole time," RaeAnn finished with a smile. "Good for them. But why the big deal?" Both women grinned but Mia answered. And her answer damn near floored him.

"Because it all started with a letter."

THE END?

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