Chapter 13 - Enlightenment

Tokyo, Japan

The following morning Dom practically glided to the kitchen at the smell of Mia's homemade pancakes. One smell of the chocolate-chip flapjacks and he was heaven; Dom was definitely thankful for Mia showing up unannounced. Her cooking had been his favorite since she was old enough to see over the stove. She had their mother's natural touch when it came to cooking, and he was slightly jealous that Brian was the one reaping the benefits.

Upon entering the kitchen he was surprised to see he was the last one to wake and it was only eight AM. He walked to the stove where Mia was standing over a pan of simmering bacon and kissed her cheek affectionately. She already had a mug of steaming coffee waiting and he took it graciously, taking a seat at the island. It was nice to have some normality in his life again.

"I could get use to this," he teased.

"Get a wife then," she retorted with a smile, sitting a plate of pancakes and bacon in front of him.

"Uncle Dommie!" Dom smiled as his niece ran towards him, her long ponytail bouncing behind her and a happy smile on her face. He lifted her into the air and placed sloppy kisses on her cheek.

"How's my favorite princess?" he asked as he sat her on the stool next to him.

"Good," she grinned. He looked down at the young girl and couldn't help but smile. She was the spitting image of Mia with her long brown hair and olive skin, but the striking blue eyes were all Brian. She was a sweet girl who loved playing with her dolls and loved anything pink. "Why you no come home, Uncle Dommie?"

"Brooklyn, I already told you – Uncle Dommie lives here now. He can't live with us forever," Mia explained to her daughter as she sat a plate of food in front of her.

"But why? I missed you. Daddy don't drive fast," she looked up at him with sad eyes. Dom had to turn away; those blue eyes always got to him. He knew one day that she'd use them against him.

Dom lifted her with a deep laugh and sat her on his lap, "Honey, it's not your fault. Daddy is just a bad driver."

At that time, Brian and Elena entered through the patio, Brian's laughter stopping as he caught the end of Dom's response.

"Corrupting my daughter?"

"I think you've done that on your own. She already knows I'm a better driver."

"Is that so?" Brian scooped the little girl up and sat her on the island. She erupted with giggles as her father tickled her sides.

Dom watched the interaction between father and daughter and he couldn't ignore the jealousy he felt. He never thought seriously about being a dad, but seeing Brian with Brooklyn, watching the child grow up, he knew he longed for that affection. To create something to precious and innocent, to guide them in the right path like he father tried to with him. To have someone worship him, and him worship them the same. To teach his mini-me about cars, the birds and bees, and family. Without his family around, he had no one to protect anymore. They were all adults now, starting families of their own. He never had the opportunity to try with Letty; it never seemed like the right time to start a family. Not on the run. And now he would never have the chance.

"What's so funny anyway?" Mia asked, not missing the longing look in Dom's eyes as he watched the toddler.

"Brian was just telling me about the joys of being married to the snoring Toretto. You know Mia, I didn't peg you as a snorer," Elena laughed as Mia rifled a fist into Brian's shoulder.

"What? She asked why I looked so tired. I didn't wanna lie to her," he defended himself with a smile.

"Well I hope you're feeling really good about your honesty when you're sleeping on the couch tonight," she said with a sweet smile that wiped Brian's clear off his face. "So what's on the agenda today?"

"Well, I thought Brian would like to come with me to work today. Maybe if we get him around some men, he'll worry about something other than my love life," Dom taunted as Brian flipped him the bird. Mia punched him again and he howled in agony.

"Not in front of Brooklyn. You know she mimics," she griped, "Anyways, I thought we'd have a girls day out, maybe check out a nail salon."

Brooklyn squealed with cheer at the mention of a salon. Such a girly-girl, Dom thought.

The family split up, Dom and Brian heading for the garage and Mia, Elena, and Brooklyn in search of a pampering salon. When Dom pulled into the garage, he was glad to see his crew already working.

"Hey, I thought I'd call around and see if I can get any leads on Leon," Brian said as they entered the garage. Dom nodded.

"Guys, lemme talk to you for a second," Dom's roaring voice echoed throughout the barely empty garage. Sean, Earl, Reiko, and Twink ceased working and surrounded Brian and Dom. "This is my brother-in-law, Brian. He's gonna be giving us a hand today."

"Good, 'cuz we got a ton of cars coming in. Especially that pain-in-the-ass Skyline," Twink said, shoving the paperwork for the car into Brian's hands. He grinned with a shrug; Skyline's were his specialty.

"You know anything about cars?" Sean questioned with his arms crossed over his chest. He was territorial of the garage.

"Yeah, bro. I mean, they're the ones with the big circle thingy on the inside, right?" Brian made a motion to show him turning a steering wheel. "Or is that the one you have to peddle?"

Dom gave a hearty laugh and slapped him upside the head, "Get to work, smart ass. And hurry with the Nissan 'cuz I got a 3000GT with your name on it. Earl, show him around," Earl nodded and led Brian over to the white Nissan.

Dom shook his head and made his way to the office. He changed into his blue VonDutch work shirt and flopped down in the boss's chair. He looked up at the portrait of Han that was over the door and smiled. After his death, he left the garage to Dom, the only man he could trust. Han left a portion of his heist money to the garage so they could afford top-of-the-line equipment if needed. The rest of his fortune – over four million – went to his family back home in L.A. Dom wondered whatever happened to Gisele. He knew they traveled a lot when the two left Rio, but they soon split after a year together. Last Dom heard, she went back to her life as a Mossad agent, working undercover in an undisclosed location.

Whether he wanted it or not, Dom was now the proud owner of Seoul-Oh's Mechanics and the new leader of the dysfunctional team that came with it. He's since then handed that prestigious honor over to Sean, the Drift King, himself.

Looking over the incoming orders for the week, Dom dove deep into his work for a few hours and barely noticed when the door opened with a slight creek. Sean gave a small knock and Dom waved him in.

"What's up with the pretty boy?" he got straight to the point as he sat down in front of Dom.

Dom gave a small smile and pushed the paperwork away, "What do you mean?"

"The city boy. Seems a little too nosey for my likin'. What is he, a cop?"

"Former, yeah. He's instinctful, but he's a good guy so give him a break. He's only gonna be here for about a week if you're that threatened."

"I'm not threatened, but if he smarts me off again, cop or not, I'll knock those pretty teeth of his down his throat," Sean was now leaning across the table and his cheeks were ten different shades of pink.

"You really think he's pretty? I mean the hair is great, but he's got that goofy-" Dom laughed deep from his stomach when Sean stormed out angrily.

"What's wrong with the redneck?" Brian asked as he caught the door before it slammed in his face.

"He thinks you're a cop."

"Do I have a freaking badge tattooed on my forehead?!" Brian replied incredulously.

"Don't sweat it, O'Connor. What do you have there?" he asked, motioning to the stack of papers that Brian was holding.

"Well I have at least one friend still working with the Feds, Agent Lihn. She didn't get a hit on a Leonardo Caparilli anywhere in the U.S, but you know that famous cigar guy? Lenny Hernandez. Senior," said Brian as he placed a photo of a stocky Cuban man with a handlebar moustache on the desk in front of Dom.

"What's the connection?"

"His wife is a woman named Sophia Caparilli, lives in Los Angeles, about four blocks from Echo Park."

"Leon's mom's name is Sophia," the connection finally dawned on him. "Cigar guy is Leon's dad." Staring at the picture, he could see the resemblance – the bright green eyes, the strong jaw line. It was definitely Leon's father.

"Yeah, he died last year. Dude was worth a fortune, left it all to his pride and joy."

"So Leon is rich now?"

"Not Leon, his baby brother. Lucas Hernandez, twenty-two old years old, last known address is in Miami, Florida."

"Leon has a brother?" Dom was flabbergasted by all the new findings. He realized that after over decade of friendship, he hardly knew Leon at all.

"You don't know much about him, do you?"

"He and Jesse showed up at the races together one night. They got on with Vince and he convinced me that they would be good assets to the team. He was right. All I really knew was that his parents split and he lived with his mom. He never mentioned he had a brother and he definitely didn't say his father was a cigar mogul," Dom felt a little uneasy about his friend. Why had he kept so much useless information private when they were supposed to be a family? His family didn't have secrets. "You think Leon is with his brother in Miami?"

"Neither of them is in Florida. I called up Agent Markham in Miami and he knew exactly who I was looking for. Said other than a couple misdemeanor racing tickets, the kid is a saint. Does volunteer work in the community, and funded the construction of several parks in his neighborhood."

"Explains why no one knew about him; Leon didn't want our trouble catching up to the little brother."

"Where do we go from here?" Brian asked after laying all the cards on the table.

"Find Lucas. If anyone knows where Leon is, it has to be him."

Leon took a long drag from his cigarette as he leaned against his car, patiently waiting for his team to finish gassing up at a rest stop. He was thankful for the break. He was running on barely any sleep and the only thing keeping him going was a ton of coffee and the anxiety of seeing Letty again. Leon was devastated when he received the call informing him of her funeral, so discovering her again sent a rush of relief and happiness through him. He had words for her though and she wouldn't be happy.

"You know that's gonna kill you," James said as he leaned against the Supra.

Leon chuckled and dropped the butt under his shoe, "Yeah, and all my other habits are doing wonders to my health."

"Listen, I understand taking this God-awful trip for your brother, but this girl… is she worth it?"

"Without a doubt, yes," Leon replied without hesitation, "I've known this woman for over a decade. She was a vital piece of my old team, one of my best friends, and she was Dominic's girlfriend. I have to get her back to him."

"This Dominic guy the same one who got your friend killed?"

"He didn't get Jesse killed. It was the shit we kept getting ourselves involved in. We were all adults and we all knew the consequences. Dom just escalated the situation further than it should've gone."

"Whatever. From how you tell it, the guy sounds like a real fucking prick. If he steps out of line, I will be happy to put him in his place," James said with a smile, slapping Leon's back.

Leon rolled his eyes; he knew Dom could crush James, but if he wanted to act tough, he'd find that out soon enough. He turned his attention to Jerry.

"What did you find?" his question caught Red's attention and she hurriedly put away the pump and joined the conversation.

"Thank goodness for wireless internet. I did a quick search and you won't believe this," Jerry stated, opening his laptop and showing a mug-shot of Dom. "I pulled up a search of a Dominic L. Toretto and any recent arrests or convictions, and it looks like your boy is still wanted and he's made the top of the Most Wanted list, and he's not by himself."

With that piece of info, Leon scanned the website, "Dominic Toretto, Mia Toretto, and former FBI agent Brian O'Connor are all wanted in questioning for the murders of three ATF agents during a robbery on a train carrying DEA agents in possession of high-priced stolen cars. The three criminals are also wanted for the robbery of one Hernan Reyes, a business man who was a key figure in Rio de Janiero's financial state. Jesus fucking Christ, Dom!" Leon snapped after reading over the news article dated two years earlier.

"Looks like your hero has been real active," Red said sarcastically. "Too bad he can't take credit for those ATF agents. That'd be a real nice shine on his rap-sheet. Though I'm surprised they didn't tack on a hefty destruction of property charge."

"What the hell does that mean?" he snapped, shoving her against the side of his car and his hands planted on either side of her face. "What do you know about this, Red?"

She could see the fire in his eyes and she thought carefully before speaking; Leon didn't have the greatest temper, especially when he was jacked up on cocaine and coffee.

"That story was all over the news. I lived in Rio at that time. They tore the city to pieces, but they didn't kill the agents. Reyes was a corrupt business man who had every city official in his wallet. One of his idiotic men killed those agents."

"I thought you were from New York?" James asked, narrowing his eyes at her. Great, she thought, the last thing I need is for that paranoid fuck to get into Leon's head.

"I am, dipshit. My father was in the military and he got sent around a lot. Germany, Japan, Washington. Brazil was the last place we lived before … he passed."

Leon stared deep into her hazel eyes as she spoke and he could sense that she was hiding something but he wasn't sure what. He never had to question whether he could trust her, but now she had thrown him for a loop twice in one day.

"There's more," Jerry's timid voice turned the attention back to him, "It looks as if the FBI sent in their secret weapon to track him down. A Diplomatic Security Service agent, Luke Hobbs. He was assigned to capture Dominic and anyone of his accomplices seen with him. It appears he was found, but managed to escape without cuffs. Took a Rio officer with him, speculation says she's his girlfriend. Hobbs is still on the case. This all stems from a prison bus break orchestrated by the ex-cop. Dom was just sentenced to 25-to-life after being caught in the Mexico desert. The three escaped before they even made it half-way to Lompoc."

"I guess your golden boy isn't so golden after all, huh?" Red spat as she slid back in her car, slamming the door behind her.

"It's not much, but I'll be able to do a more thorough search when we're settled."

"You getting the feeling that she's hiding something?" James whispered once they were alone.

"More than a feeling. I know for a fact she knows more than she says. Have Jerry dig up everything he can on her, discreetly please. If nothing turns up, we let it go. But if he does find something, you let me handle it. Got it?" James nodded and jogged back to his car.

Leon kept his mind fixated on the article, wondering what the hell made Dom take his illegal activity to another continent and drag Mia along with him. He wasn't surprised to see Brian still in the picture – Mia loved him and Dom respected him. He would always be in the family, cop or not. He was even more devastated that Dom was romantically involved with a cop. That was news he had no clue how to pass on to Letty. And the longer he held that from her, the more heinous his murder would be at her hands.

"So he abandons her in a foreign county and runs off with a cop, and she fakes her death. Why can't they be like a normal couple and break up?"

Red took a harsh breath as she dialed her phone swiftly, eager to relay the details she had stumbled upon. She always hated this part – reporting anything that went on between the crew to her boss. Even though she didn't want to, she really liked the guys that she clung to for the past two years. They were her home away from home, but that didn't take away from her mission.

"What have you got, Red?"

"They pulled up the robbery in Rio. And you were right – Officer Neves is still with him. Hernandez seems a little devastated. I think he really hoped the heists would stop. Like I said before, he hasn't had any contact with Toretto in a while. He had no clue about anything that the Torettos have been implicated in since the heists in L.A. I don't think he knows anything."

"That isn't your decision to make. Where are you guys headed? I'll have a car pick you up."

"You cannot do that. You'll blow everything I've worked my ass off for!"

"You said he's trying to contact Toretto and bring him in. That's all I need to know. Now what part of that was unclear?"

"I understand that, but we won't get to Dom until we get to Germany. I just need more time."

"You are running out of time, dear. Now we asked you to take this on because you were objective, but if you're getting too attached I can find another-"

"No!" she yelled quickly. "I can handle this. I just hope you're prepared to handle the shit storm that will follow. I'll see you in Germany."