Even though everything seemed to be falling into place Letty knew that the other shoe would drop anytime soon. That was the way her life has always been. It would be good, even great at times then the shoe would drop and her life would turn to shit. Brian was making the arrangements for the car and parts that she needed. Harry had agreed to be her work cover. He even agreed to give her some garage space so she could work on the car. Zan had started school and was making friends. He was like his father that way, gravity. Mia had grown less suspicious of her which was a godsend because Letty was about to get waste deep into working undercover for the FBI. But she couldn't worry about any of that now she was too busy planning for Zan's birthday. Mia had decided to have a barbecue at the house and invite the neighborhood kids and her family over.

"Mia! Where do you want these?" Letty busted in the house with bags in tow with party favors.

"Anywhere." She shouted from the kitchen. "Did you get the steaks?"

Letty huffed. "I thought you just doing burgers and hot dogs?" She leaned against the door frame of the kitchen dropping the bags.

"Burgers and dogs for the kids. I can't see your Abuelita eating a dog, Let."

"You know you don't have to do all this. Zan would be happy with just a cake you know."

Mia stopped what she was doing and looked at Letty. "I know. I missed the first 8 birthdays. And I have to keep my cool Aunt title."

Letty laughed. "Trust me Mia you cook eatable food. You won't be losing that title anytime soon." Letty looked around the kitchen and began to itch. She didn't do cooking, if Mia would have let her way they would of gone out to eat for Zan's birthday. Then her phone rang, it was Brian. "I gotta take this. You need anything else?"

Mia waived her off. Letty went to her room and closed the door. "Tell me good news."

"It took me forever but I found it. I'll bring it to Harry's tonight. You sure about this car?"

Zan came into the room. "Mom Aunt Mia said she needs more mayo for the potato salad."

Letty slammed her phone shut. "Sure, kiddo."

Zan crinkled his nose up. "Who was that?"

"Wrong number?" She got up and kissed him on the the head. "Excited about your party? Mia really out doing herself."

He smiled and nodded. "She said we can get a moon bounce."

"Really? Wow."

"Yeah it's gonna be great." He said solemnly. "Mom? Do you think Dad will remember that it's my birthday?"

She looked at her son and all her doubts subsided. She knew that she had to do this for her son, bring Dom back. "I'm sure where ever your Dad is his wishing that he was here with you."

"You think he'll like it?" Dom asked Letty unsure of his decision.

Letty nodded and smiled. "He's one, Dom. He gets exited about a cardboard box. I think he'll like it."

Dom looked down at his sleeping son. Then looked at Letty. "This isn't how I wanted things..."

Letty wrapped her arms around him. "He's not going to remember the presents, the cake. What his is going to remember that his Dad loved him enough to spend 6 hours in a toy store trying to find the perfect gift. Which by the way is pretty awesome."

"You think?"

She kissed him on the nose. "Yep."

The day of Zan's party was pretty hectic Mia forgot how much work a barbecue was. But she was enjoying it. It made her think about when her Dad was alive and they would throw the end of the summer barbecue with the whole neighborhood. They would close off the street, blast music, and play until the stars lit the streets. She remembered the last barbecue before her father died, how perfect that one was. Letty had come back from visiting friends in Hawaii for the summer, Vince had gotten out of jail, and her brother had dumped Lisa Belle the bitchest girl she ever meet. Mia was excited because it was her last summer before her senior year of high school.

"Letty!" Mia squeezed as she hugged the prodigal girl.

Letty peeled Mia off of her. "Have you been drinking?" Letty asked smelling the alcohol on Mia's breath.

"Only a little." She showed Letty how much with her fingers. Mia wrapped her arm around her. "So how was the sunshine state?"

Letty removed Mia's arm. "I wouldn't know since Florida is the sunshine state."

Mia pouted. "Oh, then what's Hawaii?"

"Aloha State. Mia where's Dom?" Letty had to hold up Mia because she was about to tip.

Mia looked around the street. "I dunno, probably brooding somewhere. He dumped Lisa. Oh Vince got out of jail!" Mia started to jump up and down and clap. "Oh I shouldn't of done that."

Letty had to step aside as Mia vomited.

"Whoa. Come on girl." Letty helped Mia into the house. She managed to avoid her father and the other adults and got Mia to her room.

"Letty how come we aren't friends? I wanna be friends." She pouted as Letty dumped her on the bed.

She huffed as she tried to take off Mia's shoes. "I dunno. We just run in different circles is all."

Mia kept swinging her legs around giving Letty a hard time. "But, you're always over here. And I think Dom likes you. Oh." Mia popped up. "You two should so hook up!" She clapped.

Letty gave up on helping Mia into bed and just sat down. Mia sat on her knees. "I think you guys would be hot together. You both enjoy cars. And you don't mind body odor cause you're always by Vince. Annndd I know he missed you this summer." She tapped her finger on the tip of Letty's nose. "That's why he broke up with Ms. Bitch cause he knew you were coming home."

Letty had to chuckle. Mia drunk was hilarious. "You need water." Letty left Mia who had decided to lay down.

"When you get back?" A baritone voice said behind her. Letty turned to see Dom standing in the door frame of the kitchen.

"Just now. Mia's drunk."

Dom sighed. "Yeah I know. I just saw her upstairs. She was singing Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo in her hair brush."

Letty stared at Dom for his lack of reaction. Normally Hulk Dom would be stomping all over the place.

"You not gonna Hulk out? I kinda of missed that this summer." Letty brushed by Dom on her way out. She could feel his eyes following her upstairs.

When she got back to Mia's room she was past out on the floor. She was about to call for Dom when he came behind her and put Mia in the bed. They managed to get Mia in bed quietly.

"I think our little girl is growing up." Letty joked as she closed the door to Mia's room. She was feeling a bit uncomfortable because Dom just stood there looking at her like she was the last steak.

"What?"

He didn't respond, just kissed her. She was a little hesitant at first but then she kissed back. They found themselves in his room making out on his bed.

"Miss me much?" She asked between kisses. Dom didn't answer just made a move for her pants. She stopped him. "Hey, slow down."

He groaned. "What?" Dom had this frustrated confused look on his face.

"Nothing." She snapped. "I should check on Mia." Letty pushed Dom off of her.

Dom found Letty sitting against Mia's bed. She was picking at her nails. He stood at the door looking at her. She was pissed and he knew it. "Sorry." He mumbled.

"Yeah whatever."

"Letty." He pleaded. He turned to leave but pivoted back around. "It's your birthday today right?"

"Yeah."

"Sweet 16." Dom smiled. "Happy Birthday. You've been missed." He told her as he left.

"Seee I told you." Mia ruffled Letty's hair. "Letty and Dom sitting..." Mia didn't finish the last part because she past out.

Letty cleaned up the party for Mia and she put Zan to bed. She was able to break away and call Brian to tell him to meet her at Harry's garage with the car she wanted to get a head start. She could help but be tickled to see her new car sitting in Harry's garage, it was a thing of beauty.

"You know Letty it took some of the FBI's finest to find this thing." Brian said clearly amused by Letty's reaction to the car.

"I'm glad tax payers money aren't going to waste. Did you get the parts?"

Brian nodded and pointed to the work bench in the corner. "So how long do you think it's going to take to her to racing speed?"

Letty popped the hood. "Maybe a couple of weeks three tops to get him racing. Me on the other hand."

Brian laughed. "What shook your confidence? This doesn't sound like the girl who would leave tread marks faces and has one hell of a right hook."

She leaned against the front end of the car and laughed. "Those girls couldn't ever take a hint."

They were silent for a moment. "How's your son?"

"He has his days. His birthday was today. Mia went all out, moon bounce, she even got go carts." Letty looked at her feet. "I think she was trying to make up for the fact that Dom wasn't there."

He ducked so that he could meet her eyes. "That's why your doing this. Bring Dom back."

Letty had developed a pretty good routine. She would spend her days working on her Roadrunner that Brian had got, get home to pick Zan up from school, then Mia would cook dinner and they all would eat as a family. She would spend the rest of the time helping Zan with his homework and working on the Charger. Every now and then Brian would show up at the garage and help out. She liked having him around it was almost like having the old team back together.

"You can't keep bringing strays in, man." Letty scorned Jesse.

"But, it looked so sad sitting there all alone. I couldn't help it." Jesse replied solemnly.

Vince, Leon, Jesse, and Letty all stood over the 350 small block Chevy Camaro that Jesse had brought from the scrap yard. Jesse just stared at the sad state of the car's engine. "We're going to have to re build it from scratch. Maybe rush delivery on parts."

"It could be fun." Leon noted.

Vince huffed. "It sounds like work."

"Fraid you might get your nails dirty?" Letty teased.

Vince shoved her. Leon hit Jesse on the back. "Better get to work." Jesse nodded and headed over to his computer to lay out the designs. Leon and Letty began to strip out the interior while Vince pulled out the engine.

"Shit!" Vince yelled sucking his bleeding finger. "Goddamn piece of shit." He kicked the front bumper in frustration. Leon laughed from his stool where he was cleaning a valve.

"Awe poor Baby Bear." Letty teased coming from under the car. "Let Momma see it." She tried to get Vince's finger but he jerked it away.

"Hey Letty." Jesse stammered from his computer. "Whaddaya think?"

She went over to Jesse's computer to check out his designs. Letty let out a whistle. "Damn kid." She shoved him off his stool so she could get a better look at his designs. "This is good Jess."

"Really?" He sounded unsure.

"Hell ya kid." She smiled playfully punching him in the arm. "Now all you gotta do is show Dom the bill." She hopped off the stool. "Good luck!"

"Awe damn Letty that's cold. Leaving that kid out to dry like that. You know your man is cheap." Leon piped in. Vince added an "Amen" to the conversation.

"So, what do you want me to do about it."She asked.

Leon wrapped his arms around her. "Baby girl that's up to you and the big man. Just do whatever you two do to make him Mr. Cheerful in the morning."

"Yeah, that's the best time to hit him up for anything. How you think I got new speakers for the Maxima." Vince laughed.

Letty pushed away from him. "Wait are you fools pimping me out for parts?"

Leon gave her a Chester cat grin. "Well if you put it like that baby girl, you need to get to the block and bring daddy new tires and sound system." He said hitting her on the butt.

"F you guys." She laughed at she went to work.

With Brian's help Letty was able to finish the Roadrunner quicker than she had anticipated. She had called up Hector's cousin Remy to find out where the racers where going to be located. She was going to race for the first time in 8 years. She could feel the rush coming back slowly.


A/N: To the awesome peeps who review this...

Princess Cheese - I actually meant to spell Zan's name with an X because he's name is Alexander but it was too late, so I stuck with the Z spelling. But Zan rhymes with Pan.

loveangel19- Now where's the fun in telling you the end plan? You'll have to wait, cause that is something I haven't decided on yet.

Santiva Potter- You have discovered my weakness, homophones. :( They have been the bane of my existence since I started grammar back in elementary school.

-This is kind of a filler chapter, but the races will commence in the next. I'm not the best when it comes to writing action so I'm apologizing a head of time for the suckiness that will ensue. Thanks for the love.

Tonya