Brian was working on a car when he felt someone come into the garage. Hours before opening, no one should be here yet, not even other employees or Tej. That's why he liked it so much in the hours before dawn. Without really thinking of what he was doing, he had the intruder by the throat, pinned to the side of the car. It took him a moment to realise it was Jesse, a moment longer to override his survival instincts and let him go.

"Shit Jesse, don't sneak up on me man. Are you alright?" he sounded stressed, even to himself. Sounded like he was about to crack. The fact he had just had Jesse, Jesse, by the throat almost killed him. He knew he had changed over the years, but he hadn't thought he would ever come so close to hurting Jesse.

Jesse nodded slowly, staring at Brian's chest. In the pre-dawn he could work how he liked, usually without a shirt on as the heat was already unbearable. Jesse was staring at the three scars where he had taken bullets for the kid.

"We were so offended when we found out you were a cop, convinced you were trying to ruin our lives. And look what we did to yours." Jesse whispered, not even trying to hide the horror as he studied the other scars. The signatures of Lompoc.

Brian shrugged, turning back to the car. He had always hated talking about himself, that's why it had been so easy to go undercover, but he hated it even more now. "I knew what would happen to me when I decided to go against the job, Jesse. None of it is your fault."

Jesse nodded slowly, leaning against the front of the car as he watched Brian work. "Sure, but you had to go through all of that without family. Thinking you were disowned. If any of us had ended up in Lompoc, we would have known we weren't abandoned."

Brian stopped working, staring intently up at Jesse before deciding to let the kid see why he had done it all. "You guys are all still together? Still got each others' backs?" Jesse nodded quickly. "Then it's all good. I figured I'd be disowned as soon as you all found out who I was. I knew I was going to do the rest of it by myself, but as long as you all kept together and safe I was happy with that."

Jesse nodded, hugged his friend and left him in peace. The thought of what had happened in the past hurt, but being able to hug Brian made it hurt a little less. They had found him, finally. And it would take time, but they would bring him home.

"You've said in the past how important it is to you, family. I don't get why… No one else could see that we were just protecting each other. But you saw that, you recognised it for how important it is. How?" Dom's deep voice came from the other side of the car and Brian realised he must have come in not long after Jesse had.

Brian shook his head and went back to work. Dom stepped in close behind him and pulled Brian into a standing position, holding Brian back against his chest in a hug. "You threw away your career, your life, to protect our way of life even though you didn't approve of the stealing. That's not the normal decision Brian. Why? What did you see in us that is so damn important?"

Brian struggled to get free for several seconds before realising Dom wasn't about to let that happen. The man was stubborn when it came to fixing issues in his family, and Brian was slowly realising that he was still a part of that family. "I saw family. Family where there is normally only users and abusers. The guys watched out for the girls and everyone looked out for Jesse. That ain't normal in that kind of life Dom." Brian spit out angrily, hating to admit something so close to home.

Dom loosened his hold a little, but still held Brian against his chest. "And how do you know what's normal in that sort of life? And why did you even care?"

Brian snorted a laugh. "How do you think they had my record ready so easily when they sent me in undercover? How do you think I got to know Rome, who was in juvie more than he was out? I grew up in that kind of life Dom, only there wasn't any family."

Dom felt like someone had kicked him in the chest. This man, this beautiful man, had been welcomed into his family and his heart, and he hadn't even thought to ask what kind of life Brian had growing up. What kind of struggles he had faced, and if he survived any horrors. He had taken that cheeky grin and happy-go-lucky attitude at face value without wondering if it was hiding something more painful. He had failed Brian when everything came to a head in LA, but he had failed him long before that.