Author's Note: This one is about the friendship between Letty and Brian and the friendship between Letty and Vince. Some nice history here and I'm pleased with this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! And just want to let you all know that I read and appreciate every review it really makes me happy to know you're loving my little stories.

A Lost Friend

She and Brian had spent the better part of the morning going through the storage shed at the garage, tossing out old shit and reorganizing. Dom had offered to help but someone had to work on the few cars they had in today, and truth be told he took up too much space in the cramped storage area.

Though they worked in silence it was companionable and neither of them seemed to feel the need to fill it with anything. It was only when Brian reached for his half-empty water bottle, wiping a hand over his sweaty brow that Letty lifted her head to glance in his direction.

She grinned. "Need a break?"

"Maybe just a minute," he admitted, sitting down on a long bench which had a box full of cables sitting on one end.

"Getting old?" she teased.

"Very funny. Come on, aren't we the same age?"

Brian took another drink as Letty raised a brow at him.

"No. You and Dom are the same age. Mia and I are the same age. Don't tell me I remember something you don't?"

"Cut me a break. Mia told me I was supposed to forget how old she is anyway. While simultaneously remembering her birthday."

Letty laughed, dropping down beside him and stretching her arms over her head.

"Remember anything else lately?" he asked, glancing at her.

She looked down at his feet. "I remember you've always worn those ridiculous shoes since we first met you," she said, nodding to the black converse. "Like some Cali surfer boy. Trying to blend in?"

He grinned. "You caught me. No, come on they're cool."

"Whatever you say man," she grinned. "White boy shoes."

He punched her in the arm lightly and she laughed more, then sobered, staring up at the ceiling.

"There was something," she admitted. "But I dunno if you want to hear it."

"What is it like some sex thing with you and Dom because then, definitely not."

She laughed. "Hell no! I wouldn't even offer you sick, sick bastard."

"Okay then, hit me," he said, tucking one hand behind his head as he leaned against the dirty stone wall. "What is it?"

"You remember Vince..?"

"Yeah, of course," he replied, sobering slightly, gaze drifting away. "Not that he and I were what you'd call… best buddies."

"I recall," she said drily, raising a brow. "At least that much. I mean… he had a thing for Mia for a long time. She was never interested, but she was interested in you. You can't blame him for being hurt. That hurt turned into resentment."

"Yeah, I guess it's easier to look at it logically now. At the time he was just always in my face."

"He was right about you though." Letty's voice was soft. "You were a cop. He was the only one who saw that."

"True," he agreed, dropping his head. "He probably deserved an apology for that."

"From Dom, and the rest of us. For not listening to him. But you? You were doing your job, Brian."

He shook his head, brushing away her words. "What did you remember about Vince?"

She sighed out a long breath, tugging her fingers through her long hair as she hunched forward on the bench. She leaned her arms against her thighs.

"When I was a kid… I wasn't really into school. Like, especially in High School. I mean, I hated it." She straightened up to look over at him. "I used to think it was all bullshit. Like somehow knowing how to write a fucking essay about Catcher in the Rye was gonna change my life? Was gonna matter at all?" She laughed. "I always knew that whatever I did it was going to be with cars so it didn't really seem that important."

"I hear you," he muttered.

Letty cast a glance at him, somewhat dubious, then shrugged. "And I used to cut class a lot… and I would always, always ditch school whenever me and Dom had a fight. He used to give Mia and me a ride home. Not that I was complaining except when we fought I really didn't want to see his face."

Brian laughed. "What did you guys fight a lot?"

"Not excessively, but now and then. I mean come on, Brian we were kids. And you've met us you know how stubborn we are."

"Yeah that's true the both of you," he grinned. "Hard headed to the end."

"When I was a teenager… I avoided being home whenever I could." Letty scuffed her boots against the floor, folding her fingers together. "So when I wasn't at school I was here or I was at Dom and Mia's house."

"Sounds like a problem if you were trying to avoid Dom."

She grinned at him. "Yeah, hell of a problem."

"Where'd you go?" he asked.

The hollow sound of the tennis ball thunking against the wall, then bouncing back against the ground had been her only company for hours. Mindless, really, the motion of tossing the ball and catching it again, sitting on the dirty pavement in her ripped up jeans and red tank top. She wore beat-up combat boots with steel toes that Mia liked to call her 'Ball-busters' in a way that made Dom and the other guys wince.

She didn't even look up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Just kept tossing the ball and catching it, mulish, bored expression fixed on her face. Didn't look up when someone settled down beside her, letting out a great sigh, long denim clad legs stretched out next to hers, grease-splattered work boots planted on the blacktop.

A hand reached out and intercepted the ball next toss. She frowned, glancing sideways at her companion. Scruffy as always, looking in need of a damn shower, right arm bandaged from his newest ink. He tossed the ball in the air, caught it, and glanced at her.

"You're so damn predictable, Let."

She didn't say anything, just turned back away, staring at the graffiti on the wall in front of her. The abandoned lot held only the one empty, brick building and everything of any value had long since been stolen. But it sat on the far end of an abandoned track.

Before her dad had gone off to die in someone else's war he'd taken her here and taught her how to drive. She'd been far too young, ten years old and not even able to reach the gas pedal. But he'd sat her on his lap and showed her how to steer and how to shift. She liked this place because it reminded her of her dad. Because she could hold onto those happy memories she'd had with him.

"You gonna stay here all day?" Vince asked, finally unable to stand her silence any longer.

"Where else am I gonna go?" she bit back, sneering in his direction.

"C'mon Letty… come home," he told her. And when he said home he meant to the Toretto house. It was the place all of them truly considered home.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with Dom's shit," she muttered.

"You're the only one that can," he said softly, tossing the tennis ball into her lap before he stood.

She grabbed at the ball, her head snapping up and her eyes narrowed.

"What does that mean?"

"Oh you want to talk now?" Vince asked, holding out his arms.

"I never said I didn't want to talk."

He sighed, reaching down to ruffle her hair in a brotherly fashion. "Can't ask for a damn thing, can you?" He was grinning though. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened." She stood up slowly, arching her back to stretch the stiffness from her limbs.

"Bullshit you and Dom had a fight which is why your ass is here instead of home," Vince told her.

"And what? He didn't give you the rundown already?" she asked, eyebrow arched moodily.

Vince laughed. "All he says is that you get pissed off for no reason. You know how he is."

"He keeps treating me like a kid," she complained, throwing the tennis ball with force. It smacked against the wall loudly, then bounced back with force. Vince ducked out of the way, and then stared at her.

"I get you're angry here, Letty but uh… you are 16. Technically not an adult."

"What a surprise you take his side," Letty said drily, shoving past him. "If he thinks I'm a little girl, then he probably shouldn't be fucking me."

"I don't want to know about that!" Vince complained, hurrying after her. "How does he treat you like a kid?"

She eyed him, as if debating on saying anything more, arms crossed over her chest. "Keeps asking me about school… my grades. Gets mad at me when I get in trouble or cut."

Vince wrapped his arm around her, drawing her against his side. "C'mon girl, don't act stupid. You know he does that cause he cares about you. Wants you to make something of yourself. What you want to end up cleaning other people's houses or waitressing tables for the rest of your life like so many other ladies from our neighborhood?"

She grimaced, because she knew he was right, and that was why she didn't shove him away. Sighing she looked up at her friend. "I get it. I do. But I hate school, V. It's not for me. I'm not going to wait tables or clean houses. I'm gonna work in the garage. And I don't need to learn how to write essays or dissect a fucking frog to do what I want to do. It's just a big fucking waste of time."

Vince looked at her, nodding slowly. "I get you. Fine. That's what you want. Explain to Dom what you just did to me. Calm-like. Don't fight over it. Ain't worth that shit."

She wrinkled her nose. "I tried that. Sort of."

He laughed. "Not hard enough. C'mon girl… let's go home. It'll all work out."

She looked up to meet Brian's gaze. "And you know what? It did work out… But… not for Vince."

Brian looked down at his hands, collecting his thoughts. He'd known that Vince had been a part of this family before he had. That Letty and Dom and even Mia had been close to him, in their own ways. It sounded more like Vince had been like a brother to Letty. That there'd really been a side to him that Brian had never known, never seen. The side of him that had driven Vince to risk his life to save Mia's in Rio.

"He had a wife and daughter you know?" he finally said, looking up at her.

"Yeah. Dom told me about them," she agreed, nodding. "Said Vince named the little guy after him." She smiled. "Nico."

Brian chuckled softly. "Yeah. We left Vince's share of the Rio job to Rosa. I'm sure she'd rather have Vince back but… at least they can live a comfortable life."

"Yeah," Letty said softly. "I've been meaning to write to her. But I don't know what to say."

"Maybe just… talk to her about Vince," Brian rubbed a hand over his face. "I admit I didn't really get to know her."

"It didn't sound like you guys had a lot of time down there."

"No, I guess not," he agreed, pushing himself to his feet. "But Vince helped us out big time there. He saved Mia's life, among other things. In the end… he and I made peace. I'm just sorry he had to die."

"Me too," she said softly. "I miss him. Now that I can remember him…. I miss him a lot."

She lifted her head then, holding onto the good memories she did have of her lost friend, scanning the piles of junk still to be sorted. She shook her head, smiling slightly.

"Shit," she muttered. "We've wasted enough time. C'mon… let's get back to work."