Sorry, it took longer than I'd planned to get around to posting this up, but it's a nice long chap...I added a bit of a cliff hanger =D
So hopefully the wait wasn't too horrible and it turns out kind of worth it.

Enjoy


Unless You Say It
Do you worry that you're not liked
How long 'til you break
You're happy cuz you smile
But how much can you fake
An ordinary boy, an ordinary name
But ordinary's just not good enough today
-'Superman's Dead' by Our Lady Peace

Vince got back to the house with Dom when light was already starting to fade. He saw Gabe's car in front of the house and hurried up the porch and into the house, running down the stairs when she wasn't in the living room. She wasn't there, either, so he ran back up and chose Jesse for answers.

"Where's Gabe?" he demanded.

"Her and Leon headed out. They needed some bonding time; her coach, Mr D, gave him a guilt trip about us keepin' out like that. I mean, he already felt like shit anyway, but yea," Jesse nodded, working on his laptop, beer on the table next to him.

"So where'd they go?"

"Out to eat. He didn't mention where they were goin', but they decked-up pretty well and sashayed on outta here," he chuckled. "I heard him tellin' her how things are gonna change. I was talkin' to him while Gabe got ready and he said he felt like they weren't as close right now. They've always been kindda like best friends, ya know? I dunno; he felt like he's been letting her down and shit."

"They're not drifting apart cuz of me, are they?" Vince frowned, sitting down heavily next to his friend, glad Jesse was in a divulging mood.

"Nah. He even said…well…"

"What? Jess, I won't rat on you if it's somethin' Leon didn't plan to say to my face," Vince promised.

"He was just pissed off with himself cuz you were the only one to step up with Dom yesterday night about bein' gone so long and the girls worryin', like…you were looking out for her more or something. In hindsight I feel pretty shitty about it, too; it's not fair…especially after seein' Gabe."

"Why, what's wrong?" Vince demanded.

"She's just crapped-out. She doesn't have class tomorrow, though, so that's cool."

"Shit…we're assholes, man…"

"Well we're men; they'll blame it on that and get over it," Jesse shrugged, typing away on some computer program.

TFATF

"That was nice, Le," Gabe smiled, getting back into his car after dinner.

"Yea, true that…course it would be even cooler if we could go places like that not so dressed up," he chuckled, undoing a few top buttons of his shirt.

"Aw, it's not as fun then," she chuckled.

"Well, if I had your legs I could wear little skirts and then I'd like it to," he teased in a girly tone, letting his wrist fall limp before he started up his car.

They drove-thru McDonalds for ice cream because none of the restaurant's desserts sounded familiar so they didn't want to risk it. They ate in the parking lot and then went back to the fort.

"I mean it, you know; I want shit to change. I don't want this to be me just talking at you, aiight?"

"Yea"

"Good…cuz we used to do shit together and everything; we ain't so close lately and I feel like it's my fault," he groaned, looking over at her seriously for a moment.

"…you don't blame Vince, do you?" she frowned, suddenly realizing 'we haven't been close lately' could be code for 'we haven't been as close since you got with one of my best friends.'

"Nah…I hate to admit it but I think you and V is probably a good thing," he sighed. "You've helped each other out, I guess."

"Yea…"

"You really love him, huh?"

"Yea…that's not ridiculous, is it?"

"Why would it be?" Leon frowned.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Sometimes I just think back to when I thought he was just some brooding jerk who didn't have anything to say; okay, a hot, brooding jerk. But that seems like a lifetime ago, like a whole different person..."

"Yea, V's a guy you really gotta get to know to really understand him. He's complex"

"Who'd guess, huh?"

"Got that right. More to old Coyote than meets the eye, that's for damn sure," Leon nodded.

"Don't call him that"

"He'll always be kind of a loner, Gabe. Sometimes he needs to just be on his own and chill, like the other day. He's always had a temper; it's best if he just separates himself to bring it down. It's no reflection on you, or us….it's just how he deals. Besides, not many people get him…"

"Yea, that's true…"

"Don't worry, Gabe. It's not a bad thing, and he's shaping up"

"I guess I got lucky, huh?" she smiled, resting her head back and watching scenery flash by as he entered the freeway.

"I think V's the one who got lucky, G"

"Why do you say that? Vince says things like that, too, sometimes…"

"Think about it. You're not like the girls we've usually got hanging around. They're just an invitation for trouble; you…you're a reason to try and keep trouble away. Jess and V got lucky….Dom, too."

"You'll find someone, Leon. I'll have to approve of her, of course, but you will. You're great."

"Aw, aren't you just a bucket of joy," he smiled.

"I'm a tired bucket of joy. I slept on the couch last night and Mia in the chair; the night before that she came and stayed in my room. It was too weird with the house so quiet," she explained, shuddering at the memory of the oddity.

"I'm sorry"

"…yea, it's the only time I complained about you not being around to make noise," she smiled, trying to lighten up.

He grinned back and patted her leg. He exited the freeway then and it didn't take long to get home after that.

"I'm soooo tired. I'm going to bed," she groaned, opening the side door for them.

"Alright, sleep good"

"Oh, I will; thanks again," she smiled, kissing his cheek on their way towards the stairs.

"Anytime, babe," he nodded, mussing her hair on her way away from him; he plopped himself on the couch.

"How'd it go? "Jesse asked, still amused with his computer.

"We had a good time; I love that kid"

"She ain't so much of a kid," Jesse reminded him.

"She's my kid cousin and always will be"

"You don't think of her as a kid, do you Vince?" Jesse smirked, nudging the older man with his elbow.

"Why don't you just shut up," Vince growled, glancing over at Leon who was pretending he hadn't heard this. "She ain't mad at me, is she?" he asked, turning his attention to Leon.

"Nah, why?"

"She just blew through, so I was wondering…"

"Nope, just tired. Probably didn't even look in here ," Leon assured him.

Vince accepted this and hauled his ass of the couch, trooping down the stairs.

"Can't say the same for Mia and Dom. You missed it, bro. She chewed his ass out and then stormed off, already packed to meet her friends in Long Beach. It was sweet," Jesse snickered.

"Deserves it," Leon grinned, lounging back.

Vince was downstairs by then and only the light from their little living room gave away her exact location, curled on her side on her bed; her skirt and top were still rumpled on the carpet. She was quite still, but he was sure she wasn't asleep yet and quietly removed his shoes, dropped his jeans, pulled the covers up to slip into the bed behind her, and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back into his chest. She shifted a little but otherwise did nothing. He kissed the shell of her ear and the exposed side of her neck until she shrugged him away with a soft sigh.

"Vince, I'm tired"

"I know," he nodded, pulling her tighter. "I'm sorry…"

"Mmm…can we maybe talk about it more tomorrow? Please? I'm sorry."

"Don't be, babe; just go to sleep," he supported, relaxing against the pillows as well.

She slid her arm over his around her, rubbing his hand for a moment or two before relaxing completely.

TFATF

"V…yo, Vince, get your ass outta my bed," Leon hissed from the doorway, throwing a sock at his friend.

Vince groaned and turning his head to glare at Leon blearily.

"What the hell?"

"Get up and get ready for work," he instructed, throwing the matching sock, pegging Vince right in the face. "Yes, I still got it," he chuckled. "Up!"

"What're you so on about? You're not even dressed yet"

"Cuz I am not going to the garage today. I'm chillin at the store with Gabe and I convinced Dom it's cool to open a little late to let her sleep."

"We don't have to," Gabe mumbled, now awake.

"Nah, Dom's cool with it"

"It's fine," she shrugged, rolling onto her back to grab one of the bunched up socks and fling them back at Leon.

"Like I say, you're definitely my cousin," he smiled adoringly when he caught the socks directly at his chest. "Work," he reminded Vince before going back upstairs.

Vince groaned and rolled onto his back, scrubbing at his eyes.

"Hey, just so you know…I think I'm going to use my getaway pass tonight," she informed him.

"Alright, sounds good," he approved.

"And I'm not mad at you…I'm not sure if I seemed upset last night"

"No, Leon told me you weren't...he told you why we were gone?"

"Yeah...back to back jobs. He told me you fought with Dom again," she told him casually.

He nodded slowly to confirm.

"I'm sorry we scared you and Mia," he told her honestly; he didn't know how he always got caught up in these things but, looking back on the past couple days, it was hard to believe they'd done it that way.

"I heard she had a blowout with Dom," Gabe grinned.

"Yea, he's gettin' it from all sides, I guess…"

"…I thought I'd be mad. I guess I'm just more relieved than anything," Gabe sighed, sitting and pulling her legs up to her chest to look down at him.

"Fine by me; I'll take a relieved Gabe over a pissed-off one any day," he retorted, sitting up to kiss her softly.

"Oh that's just so sweet"

"Work!" Leon hollered down the stairs.

Gabe smiled; it felt so good and so right having everyone back. Something so simple and taken for granted, but so essential to her happiness; she loved it. And there was Vince, back with her, and she didn't want him anywhere else.

The day at the store was actually pretty fun for Gabe, hanging around and chatting with Leon. He was extremely easily bored and she knew he'd much rather be at the garage working on cars. The guys came around lunch time, though, which gave him some time off from car magazines and idle chat.

Once the garage and store were both closed, Gabe and Vince headed out after he'd showered the grease and sweat from his body. They went out to eat and listened to some band at a café they'd been passing by, and then they ended up at the beach, the same place they'd went on their first sneak-away together.

Gabe was sitting on one of the cemented-in picnic tables just off the sand, Vince standing between her knees. They'd just gone for a little stroll down the beach and made their way back close to his car. Vince kissed her firmly, nibbling at her lips and pulling her to the edge of the table.

"We could have sex right here…that'd be kindda dirty, yea?" he muttered into her ear.

"No we can't"

"And why's that?"

"Cuz it's not that dark and we're in public…anyone could come by…"

Vince just chuckled a bit and went right back to kissing her, slowly lowering her back against the table surface, leaning on her.

"It's not a popular area…kindda shitty, really…"

"It's our area"

"All I'm sayin' is no one is gonna come," Vince mumbled, pushing his hands up her shirt. "Well, except us…"

"Vince, if you try to undo my pants, you're in trouble," she warned, letting a small moan slip past her lips when he squeezed her breast through her bra.

A few minutes later, someone most certainly did show up. Cars approached and screeched to halts, their lights surrounding the pair.

"What?…"

"No idea," he frowned.

They got over the deer-in-the-headlights feeling and Vince straightened up, blocking his eyes from the lights with a hand. Gabe pulled down her shirt and sat up, legs still fitted around him, turning her head in time to see a few cars cut their engines so there was less lights, and people started filing out; she still didn't recognize anyone.

"Oh, fuck"

"What? Who is it?" Gabe frowned, looking up to him for explanation.

"Come on…"

He slid her off the edge of the table and pushed her behind him.

"Cruz"

"Tran," Vince nodded.

Gabrielle racked her brain and the only Tran she'd ever heard a mention of was in reference to someone Dom didn't like; that's all she knew.

"Saw you and your girl out earlier"

"Aiight, so? We weren't anywhere near your place," Vince shrugged.

"I know…haven't seen Toretto since he's been paroled; how's he doin' these days?" the man asked casually.

"Just fine, but I think we both know you don't really care"

Gabe felt uneasy, even with all the "casual" talk, and wished Vince wouldn't have said that; of course, that was coming from her and she wasn't over 6 foot or over 200 pounds.

"True," the man didn't deny. "Gonna introduce me to your girl?" he asked, approaching,

"She ain't your business"

"Aw, come on, where's your manners? We've seen you with her a lot, so she can't just be some skank. What're your name, sweetie?" he questioned, moving around a little so he could see her.

She looked up for a moment at Vince, whose jaw was tight, but he didn't tell her not to.

"Gabrielle"

"Hammons, right? Yea, you're cousins with Isaacs"

Gabe opened her mouth in surprise but shut it again, having no words for him knowing this.

"We're not too happy Toretto's back out"

"Yea, you wouldn't be"

"For all I care, he could just rot in that cell of his. Our deal still stands; he better keep all your asses away if he knows what's good for him; you'll all regret it if you don't," Tran threatened, circling the couple. "We just don't want him to forget that."

"Pretty sure he remembers; you two have had it out enough for the message to be memorable," Vince assured him.

"Yea, I figure…but we thought giving you boys a reminder would be best."

Tran was behind them at that moment and grabbed Gabe's arm, yanking her away from Vince. Vince whipped around immediately, but someone else grabbed his shoulder and turned him, socking him in the face before he could even make a sound to tell-off Tran.

"Vince!"

Gabe made to break-away from Tran, although she couldn't exactly help if she did, but he kept a tight hold on her arm and circled the other arm tight around her waist.

"Don't fight it, girl," he snarled in her ear. "Let's watch your boy go down."

One thing to be said for this guy was that he had enough cronies; so many that it wasn't even fair. They had Vince on the ground in no time, but that didn't stop them.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, elbowing Tran and pushing at his hands frantically.

He grunted when her elbow hit his ribs sharply and he whipped her around, backhanding her across the face. Her head snapped to the side and she could feel it in her neck, pain radiating upon contact.

"He's the only one getting a beating tonight, but don't push me," he warned.

He flipped her back around and kept her close, holding her chin to make her watch. Vince was unrising, now, and more or less just rolling with the kicks and swinging fists.

"Please," she whispered, trying not to cry, but it was just a little late for that.

"You don't gotta beg, baby, just tell us what you want. Please what?" he teased, letting his lips brush her ear.

"Please stop"

He waited a moment or two and whistled to end the ruckus. A few more feet flew through the air but everyone slowly stopped, waiting around for what to do next.

"Comfy down there, Vincent?"

"Fuck you," Vince spat, groaning as he pushed himself up a little on an arm. "You've got no call comin' up here this way, Johnny."

Johnny Tran just looked around with a smug look and shoved Gabe towards someone else, who caught her loosely around the waist.

"No one's stopping me," he pointed out, squatting down over Vince, grabbing the hair at the back of his head to turn his head up. "Here on out, we're back to the good old 'you stay away, I stay away.' Only the next time it might not be you we're messing up," he warned, glancing over to Gabe.

"Lay another hand on her and you're a dead man," Vince threatened.

"Well she is awfully cute, isn't she?" Johnny grinned, stalking over to his friend, trailing a finger down the side of her face, much to her disgust. "What do you think, Lance?"

"Beautiful," he agreed, squeezing her a little.

"It'd be a shame to put a scar on such a pretty face," Johnny smirked. "Let's go home, boys."

Everyone made their way to their cars and backed out and pulled away as if this was completely normal. Johnny and Lance were last, Lance going over to start up the last remaining car.

"If you get bored with Cruz, you come find me," he told her, climbing in the passenger side of the black car; as soon as the door was shut, Lance took off, tires squealing.

Gabrielle released a breath of relief and quickly made her way to Vince, dropping to her knees next to him where he'd shoved himself into a sitting position.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he demanded before she could open her mouth, cupping her face in his hands to get a look.

"It's nothing," she shook her head, brushing his hands away. "Look at you, are you alright?" she asked feverishly.

"I'll be fine," he nodded slowly, breathing heavy. "We gotta get out of here."

She nodded and helped him to his feet, tensing under the weight he put on her until he steadied himself.

"You drive," he decided, shoving the keys into her hand.

She watched him circle around the car slowly and climb in, leaning back against the headrest. She started the car and pulled on her seatbelt, watching him get into the glove box out of the corner of her eye. What really got her attention was the handgun he pulled from its confines.

"Vince…"

"Tran has a knack for comin' back once you let your guard back down. Let's just go…Gabe, go!"

She nodded nervously and pulled out. As she wasn't driving a manual every day, the ride wasn't what she'd call smooth; it was jerky, which didn't make it easy on Vince.

"I'm sorry"

"Stop apologizing," he grumbled, head still back on the rest with his eyes closed and hand holding his side.

"Vince, you should probably go to the hospital"

"Don't worry about it," he breathed, sounding as if it hurt to talk too much and breathe too hard.

She kept driving and grabbed his cell phone from the console where he'd set it earlier, dialing Leon's number from memory.

"Yo, V, thought you were on a date; why you callin'?" Leon greeted amusedly.

"Leon, w--"

"Gabe?! What's wrong?" he demanded, processing her tone.

"We're coming home. We were hanging out at the beach and, um…Johnny Tran showed up and ---"

"What?! Are you okay? I swear to God, if he touched a hair on your head, I'm gonna go find him right now!" he began to rant.

"I'm fine, but Vince isn't; he had a bunch of guys with him"

"…of course he did…"

"So I'm driving us on the way home…I still kind of think he should go to a doctor…"

"I don't need a fuckin' doctor," Vince grumbled; she just ignored him.

"You're good, G. Just get him back here and we'll see, alright? You okay?"

"Yea…just shitty with a stick and freaked out…" she nodded, shifting while she held the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

"Alright I'll let you go then and we're ready for you guys, aiight?"

"Uh-huh"

She hung up and took a deep breath, speeding up to get this over with.

"You're doin' good. You're fine," Vince assured her quietly, reaching over and pushing his hand into her hair soothingly.

Once they got to the house, Leon and Dom both leapt off the porch, followed by Jesse. Leon was all over her as soon as she opened the door, checking her over and patting her down for injuries.

"I'm fine, Leon," she promised, more distracted by Dom helping Vince up the stairs into the house.

"I'll get ice for your right side. It's red; he slap you?"

"Yea," she nodded, finally looking up at him when Vince was inside and out of sight.

"Alright…hey, it's okay; we got you now," Leon comforted her, wiping away the silent tears streaking her face, careful on her right cheek

He walked her inside and nudged her into an arm chair to go get her some ice. Meanwhile, Letty and Dom had Vince on the couch, giving him their own little examination and Letty was cleaning blood from his face with a wet washcloth.

"Ow, shit, Let"

"Don't be a baby…"

"A baby?!" Vince asked, indignant, already pissed off with the world.

"Both of you cool it," Dom instructed. "Shirt off."

Vince slowly, carefully peeled his shirt off and set it aside before spitting blood into the trash they'd brought out to the living room. Leon returned then with an icepack covered in a thin rag, which she pressed gently to her face.

"Ya know, Gabe might be right on this," Dom sighed, checking Vince's chest. "Something could be fractured or some shit…"

"It's just bruised, man. Let it go. If anything gets worse, I'll let you know. Promise," Vince muttered.

"Alright…here's the bottle of Tylenol; don't OD. And just --"

"Damn it, Letty, have you ever heard of the word gentle? Jesus," Vince complained.

"Fine, do it yourself," Letty scowled, dropping the cloth into his lap, planting her hands on her hips.

"Okay, Gabe, what happened?" Dom interrogated, turning away from the bickerers to scrutinize the younger girl.

"Dude, I'm right here; I can tell you"

"No, you go downstairs and get some rest; clean up first. Someone will bring you ice in a few," Dom shook his head, waving Vince away.

"Dom…"

"Do what's best for yourself and just go take it easy," Dom insisted.

"Whatever"

Vince grabbed the bottle of Tylenol and the rag and slowly stood.

"You need help on the stairs?"

"I'll make it"

"…need help changing?"

"I'm 24 fucking years old," Vince glowered, grimacing as he moved stiffly to the stairs.

"And you just got your ass kicked," Dom reminded him. "Don't overdo it."

Vince rolled his eyes and slowly braved the stairs, disappearing from sight.

"Jesse, make sure he don't break his neck," Dom whispered.

Jesse slunk near the stairs and oversaw things while everyone else turned back to Gabe.

"From the beginning then," Leon coaxed.

"Well we were near the beach after we hung around in town and we were just…hanging out…"

Letty snorted here and Gabe just pretended not to notice, as did Leon; Dom quieted her with a quick look.

"And all these cars pulled up. It was already kind of dark so we couldn't see over the lights for a second. And then everyone got out and Johnny Tran did all the talking. He said…that he heard you'd been out for a while and how he wished you weren't. Then he started talking about your guys' deal and how he was making sure you hadn't forgotten it; Vince told him nobody had but he said he wanted to send a message. He held me off to the side so I wasn't in the way and everyone else just…did that to him; there was quite a few of them," she shrugged, trying not to think of the blood on his face as he'd laid there groaning.

"That's all he said?" Dom checked.

"Um…just that if you forgot your deal you'd regret it…and that next time it wouldn't be him they'd mess up," she remembered, thinking back.

"…meaning me or you?" Dom clarified.

"…me"

Leon twitched involuntarily next to her and Dom's eyes darkened as he nodded.

"…is he who you owe money to?" she asked, just trying to put things together.

Dom's eyebrows rose at this and Leon coughed spontaneously.

"No, this is something else; it's old," Dom denied, running his hands over his bald head. "Fuck. I'm sorry about this, Gabe.'

She nodded and he went downstairs for a while. The occupants of the living room remained quiet until he came back up and went straight upstairs. Letty followed after him and Leon helped Gabe up out of the chair.

"Let's chill downstairs. You can hang with me and Jess unless you're hitting the sack," Leon told her, ushering her along.

While Gabe was changing, her door creaked open and Vince was there as she finished pulling the shirt on.

"Hey, I just came over to check if you were okay," he explained, moving tenderly into the room.

"I'm fine," she assured him, staying still as he examined her puffy cheek, which was pink both from swelling and the cold of the icepack. "Are you?"

"I'm gonna be alright," he told her confidently, even though his lip was cracked, some dried blood was still under his nose and eyebrow, one eye and jaw were swelling, and he couldn't move comfortably.

"You didn't do a great job cleaning up," she informed him, tracing the bruising portion of his jaw.

"It's fine," he shrugged, pulling her hand away and kissing her palm before dropping it. "I'm calling it a night, though."

She nodded her understanding and kissed him carefully before letting him leave.


The next week passed quietly, nothing out of the ordinary happening. Vince returned to the garage after two days off, but hadn't been moving around like normal; he mostly just bitched too much with nothing to do. Mia had returned Sunday night, immediately startled by his bruised face; she'd been appalled by the story and that so much drama could happen all in one week.

Wasn't that the truth? But drama was far from over.

"Hey"

Gabe let herself into Vince's room, where he was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, TV playing any random show. It was now Sunday night and Gabe had been back to the house for only a couple hours; she'd spent the previous night -- skipping races -- at Katie's after their last softball game. The night had been spent saying their good-byes to Hayley because they wouldn't be seeing her again for a couple weeks until school started.

He nodded his acknowledgement of her and she joined him on the bed. He'd been quiet ever since the previous week's fiasco and, while understandable, Gabe was starting to get worried. And he wouldn't talk to her about it, either, no matter how much she pried about it.

"Are you feeling okay?"

He nodded.

"…are you tired?"

He shrugged and shook his head a little.

"…then you won't mind me trying to cheer you up?" she offered with a coy smile, kissing his neck.

She avoided the bruises that were fading, carefully working around them. She turned to straddle him, holding her torso centimeters from his, kissing him properly on the mouth. He kissed her back automatically and everything was fine…until it wasn't.

"Gabe…" he sighed, turning away from the kiss and pulling his hands back from up her shirt.

"What's wrong?"

"Noth…just, not tonight, okay?" he groaned, sitting them up and pushing her back so she wasn't directly on his hips.

Ouch.

"Umm…okay, what's wrong?" she frowned, feeling dejected and worried.

"Nothing…no, we need to talk," he changed his mind.

"Okay," she agreed readily. "About what?"

"The other night…"

"Which one?"

"….last night," he mumbled, looking away from her eyes.

Her brow knitted at this, confused; she hadn't been there last night.

"After the races everyone was back here and I, uh…there was this girl…"

"W-what?" she chocked, tears stinging her eyes because she had a sick feeling she knew where this was going…but it couldn't be that…

"…and I was pretty fucking wasted, so…yea."

"…say it."

"Gabe…"

"I won't believe it if you don't," she whispered, hoping this was a sick joke; she'd hate him for it, but it was better than this being a reality.

"…I fucked her."

He wasn't looking her in the eye but she could see his looked damp with tears.

"…no…" a desperate pleading filled this simple word; it was his last chance to take it back.

He did no such thing so she quickly removed herself from his lap and his room, clicking the door shut behind her.


.REVIEW.