Sorry its been taking me so long to update. I've had a lot to do with school and work. I also have been sick really bad twice in the last three weeks. BAH! Well I hope you enjoy the new chapter and thanks again for all the reviews!!!

-14-

When she reached the garage her hands were gripped on the steering wheel with so much force that her fingers ached. She knew once she let go she would start shaking furiously again and she didn't want Luca to see it. She had held herself together for the entire trip back and she wasn't about to fall apart now. Not when her son needed her to be strong.

"Mommy?" Luca said, his voice thick with tears.

She let go of the steering wheel automatically and pulled her son to her, hugging him tightly, "This is nothing for you to worry about baby. Everything will be ok. I promise you. But you need to calm down for me, ok? We need to walk in there and I need to talk to Dom and Mia." He nodded against her chest and she kissed his forehead. She pulled up his face to look into his red, horrified eyes and she almost broke. She stroked his face and stared at him helping him calm down enough so that the tears weren't flowing as freely and his breathing was close to normal. "Ready?"

"Yes mommy." He said softly. They both climbed out of the car and walked into the garage area. She saw Jesse and Leon brighten automatically once they saw her and Luca. Jesse frowned slightly, noticing that they both looked a little shaken. She nodded to him and mouthed later and so he grabbed Leon and Luca and pulled them over to the car they were working on.

Once Luca was absorbed she basically ran into Dom's office, tears streaming down her face.

When she walked in, Dom's entire face brightened with a smile. He got up to go give her a hug and noticed right away that something wasn't right.

He pulled her to him and she started sobbing into his filthy chest. He kicked the door closed and held her tighter, "What happened?"

He waited a few minutes until the sobs were no longer shaking her and she finally answered. "He's found me. I know for sure now." She rasped.

"How?"

"I don't know. But I saw Enzo today." She felt Dom stiffen, "He's the one who told Tito about us at the water park for Luca's birthday. He's involved in all of this and I have no fucking clue why."

Dom tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead. "I'll have to have a talk with him."

It was Maria's turn to go deathly still. She grabbed Dom's shoulders, getting up on her tippy-toes, "Domonic you cannot deal with this! They are completely psycho!" She let go of him and stepped away. Her hands started shaking and she looked out the small window on his office door to see Luca playing with Leon and Jesse. "We have to leave. That's the only way I can keep us safe."

Dom yanked on her arm, pulling her back to him, "You do not have to leave. You hear me?" He said a little more vehemently than he originally planned. He visibly calmed and put his hand against her cheek, "No one here wants to lose you."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them the look in Dom's eyes broke her heart. She bit her lip softly, "How am I supposed to protect my son?"

Dom got very serious, "You stay here. You're in our family now and he wont touch you. If he does he'll finally understand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that kind of power."

Maria pushed away from him, "Dom," She said softly, her voice breaking, "I cant do that. I can't risk the lives of your family to protect mine! He is after me! My son! He has killed before, what thinks he won't kill you? Or Mia?" She was yelling now, "He's taken everything from me. I wont let him take anything else!"

Dom shook her, "You think running away will solve this? You think he'll stop chasing you now?" His voice was booming, "You've been gone for six years and he hasn't looked for you, why do you think he's after you now?"

She pushed him off, "Because for once in my fucking life I'm happy! Of course he'd find me! He doesn't care about Luca! All he cares about is destroying anything fucking meaningful! He wants to find me, kill me, take Luca and destroy everything I've been working for these past six years." Her voice finally broke, "I'll run for the rest of my life if it keeps Luca away from him."

Dom grabbed her again and pulled her in for a crushing hug, "You don't have to run anymore. I promise I'll protect you."

She pushed him away again. Fire was burning through her and her blood was pumping furiously through her veins, "I don't want you to alright?" She screamed, his face was all stone, "He will kill you and I don't want that on my fucking head, alright? I barely know you! I'm not part of your family. It's me and Luca and no one else!! Every time I fucking involve someone they end up dead or worse! I can't have that on my conscience! I can't deal with any of this shit anymore!"

That was when Dom moved so fast it caught Maria off guard. He had her pinned up against the wall, holding her about a foot off the ground with one hand holding her arms above her head and the other arm around her waist.

"What the fu-,"

Dom crashed his lips on hers. For a moment she tried to fight back. She jerked her body and tried to push him away but it was pointless. The man was a wall and in all honesty – she didn't really want to move all that bad. Finally she gave up and started to kiss him back. Once he felt her relax, he let go of her arms, which automatically encircled his neck.

"You don't get off that easy," He growled into her mouth. "You can't come here and fall into our lives, treating me like you do and expect me to just let you go." He could taste the tears that were falling down her cheeks. "You can't expect me to let you do that."

"Please," She gasped against his lips, "Please just let me go."

He growled again. "No!" And he kissed her harder. One hand went to the blinds on the office door window she was pinned beside and hit them shut. His hand tangled in her hair and he pulled his lips against her with more force than before. "You. Are. Mine. And nothing can change that."

"Please." But it was said much differently this time. Instead of a farewell it was more of a need. An acute painful need to feel safe, wanted, and protected. And if anywhere, in Dom's arms, is where she would be able to feel it most.

"You're lucky I don't have much shit on my desk." He growled again, carrying her over to his desktop and sitting her on the edge. He brushed the hair that was at her neck to the side and his lips descended over the sensitive skin. He was licking and nipping at her neck listening to the soft moans coming from her mouth.

"But Luca-,"

"Honey," Dom smiled, slipping his hands underneath her long skirt and scooting it up above her knees, "The kid loves seeing you happy and I love making you happy. I'm gonna be sticking around and so are you and he needs to understand one of these days why his mommy is gonna be pregnant again."

The statement itself didn't catch her off guard, but the feelings evoked from the statement did. It was that moment when she realized just how integral Dom was to her now. More than ever she wanted to have a child with a man that she loved that she could take care of. That could take care of her and her son.

He kissed her as he laid her down, scooting her so her behind was at the edge of the desk. His hands slipped under her skirt again and slowly pulled off her underwear, kissing her tanned legs all the way down and back up. His lips brushed her inner thighs and he felt her shiver. He realized then that he hadn't been with Maria for a few days and his body was tingling with anticipation. He let his tongue snake out over the tender skin and he heard the whimper from above. He cupped her buttocks in his large hands and lifted her hips to meet his mouth, thrusting his tongue inside of her and her taste drove him mad.

He knew she was fighting off the noises he loved to hear her make by the way she squirmed in his hands and whimpered with closed lips. He nipped at her exposed flesh, nibbling lightly on her throbbing clit and she let a tiny scream escape.

He smiled and stood up while she sat up with him. He tugged his shirt off while she managed to get his pants undone and sliding down his hips. Once she was done with that, he grabbed the hem of her white t-shirt and pulled it up and over her head. His hands drew her closer to him and undid her bra letting the material slide off of her body while he took her breasts into his hands. He kissed down her neck and took one of the small hard buds into his mouth, licking and biting it softly while her hands squeezed his shoulders. She pushed against his chest softly and he sat back. She smiled and slid back on the desk.

She crooked her finger at him and motioned for him to come, "Get over here."

"Gladly." He smiled and climbed on top of the table, pressing her beneath him. He felt her skin prickle once he was touching her and he smiled.

"Your desk is cold." She smiled, kissing him as he wiggled out of his boxers.

"I'll try to make it fast so you aren't so inconvenienced." He smiled, kissing her breasts once more.

"Please," She smiled and sighed as he pushed himself inside of her, "Take your time."

"Yes ma'am." He cooed and started to move slowly inside of her, watching her body arc beneath him as he pushed further and further with each thrust.

She never seemed to tire of his body as glorious as it was, but that wasn't even the best part of their lovemaking. As limited as she was in that knowledge, she was sure he was the best she could ever even imagine having. He used his body in imaginative ways but was never shy about wanting to touch, to feel more, and to taste every inch of Maria's body. She loved the way his eyes melted when he was inside of her, the way his body molded to hers when he touched her.

Her breathing was coming a little more labored now and Dom's speed was increasing. He pulled his lips away and straightened his body up gazing down at her and watching her hips move to meet his thrusts.

"God I love when you do that." He smiled, holding her hips up as her entire body rolled to meet him. He reached one hand in between them and started to rub her clit in a circular motion, applying more pressure when he pushed inside of her. He felt her tighten around him and he saw her eyes close and roll into the back of her head. "Come for me sweetheart."

"Oh Dom." She smiled. Her entire body seemed to warm at his touch. As he moved inside of her it seemed to pull the heat from her fingertips into her center, building and churning deep between her hips. When he pressed his fingers against her, she couldn't stop what he had started. Her heart picked up the pace and she felt him pushing himself harder into her.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Their bodies came together one last time and their orgasms washed over them and they fell into each other, wrapping themselves around one another, kissing and tasting the sweat on their bodies.

She smiled into his kiss and he pulled at her skirt, which was hiked up, to her waist, "I really like this skirt."

She rolled her eyes and slapped his shoulder. "One track mind."

"You know it." He growled and kissed her again. They started pulling their clothes on again and Maria was fighting with herself to ask him about what he had said.

"Dom?" She said softly.

He turned to watch her as she pulled on her t-shirt and slid on her underwear beneath her skirt. "Yeah?"

She sighed, "Never mind."

"No," He said grabbing her hand as she turned away, "Tell me."

She looked up at him and he smiled with all the sincerity he could muster. She sighed again and closed her eyes, "What did you mean by what you said?"

"The skirt?" He smiled, though he knew that wasn't what she was talking about, "Its cute."

She laughed, "No, that's not what I meant. What did you mean by me getting pregnant?" She looked up at him and his face was thoughtful.

"You wouldn't want that?" He asked quietly.

"To be pregnant again? Sure. I loved it. But what I mean is," She sighed, "You would want to be the dad?"

He wrapped her up in his arms, "Why not? I've never had anything like that before. And I meant it when I said I love you and I love Luca. I'm not saying today or tomorrow or even next year. But you are mine now. I want you in more ways that I know how to express." He smiled and he felt her shaking. "What? What did I say?"

She looked up at him, her eyes furious, "Why are you so nice to me?"

He laughed, very loudly, "That's the way it's supposed to be."

She smiled nervously, "So what does this mean?"

Dom chuckled, "We'll talk about all of this once this mess is over. You are staying. I will protect you. Nothing will stop that."

She sighed into his arms, "I hope so."

It was dark outside that night. The sky was clear and the air was faintly warm.

Menotti Sansone was exiting his car with a cigarette in his mouth. His date for the night was wiggling out of her seat as much as she could with her magnificently tight dress stretching over her bulbous breasts. He had just dished out for a pricey meal and was intending on taking the bitch back upstairs and fucking her six ways from Sunday. He blew out his last lungful of smoke and squashed his cigarette beneath his pricey boot. He adjusted his lapels and turned to see the woman staring at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"Mingee baby," She said in her bubbly voice, pointing to something behind him.

He turned slowly and saw the black clad fist right before it connected with his face and her scream started to fade just before he blacked out.

He woke up slowly. His entire face hurt and he was pissed off, "What the fuck?" He muttered to himself. He tried to move but he couldn't. He was strapped to a chair, duct taped in fact. Everything was dark around him except for a forty-watt bulb that hung from the ceiling. He felt like he was in a stupid gangster movie. What did failed to realize that he was a stupid gangster and most likely had deserved what was coming to him.

"Menotti Sansone." The voice said from afar, "Been a long time."

"What the fuck do you want?" He growled.

"Hit the lights." And then the lights came on. Menotti looked around. He saw all the forms around him clad in black with ski masks on, except one. "Toretto? What the fuck do you think you're doing? Once my dad hears about this he'll fucking gut you."

Dom snorted, "Please. You think I plan on letting you go back alive if you don't answer me? I could give less than a shit about you. I want to know about Tito Romani and what the fuck he wants with the state of New Mexico."

Menotti laughed, "Romani? Are you kidding me? I'm not talking about that crazy bastard."

Dom didn't look pleased. One of the dark figures walked over and punched Menotti hard in the stomach. He coughed hard and looked up at Dom. Another figure behind him was holding a baseball bat.

"What the fuck is your problem Toretto! You think my dad wont kill each and every one of your stupid goons once he sees me?" He spat.

Dom chuckled, "Like I said before, we don't plan on giving you back." He smiled, but it was dark, "At least not all at once."

Now Menotti knew better than to test Toretto. He'd seen what had been done to the people that had crossed Toretto and his crew. He also remembered how badly his brother had gotten it when he messed around with Toretto's woman. In all honesty, he didn't want to be hospitalized for three weeks with a tube in his face like his brother had been.

"Look I don't know much about him. Honestly." He said, feeling a little nervous.

"Wrong answer." Dom said in his gravelly voice. The baseball bat connected with his knee and he let out a blood-curdling scream. "You busted that leg in baseball right?" Dom smiled.

Menotti was sweating now, cursing a blue streak. He looked up at Dom who was smiling wide now and shaking his head. "I don't know nothin'."

"All of you guys think that you're so tough." He smiled, "None of you really know what pain is."

"Look Toretto I don't want to mess with this." Menotti shivered at the look in his eye.

"Too late, your brother got you and your family involved in my life." Menotti winced at the words.

"I don't have anything to do with your bitch-," Dom's fist interrupted that statement. Menotti was lifted off the ground but dropped rather quickly. He fell, still strapped to his chair over, onto his side and looked up and Dom was being pulled back by three of his black clad friends. Menotti laughed, "If I didn't know better Toretto I'd think you loved that bitch? Don't you realize how ruined she is? I heard what Tito and his brothers did to her and man, I wouldn't touch her snatch with a ten foot pole." He started laughing but that was cut short when the smaller one clad in black launched himself at Menotti. The chair rolled onto its back and the guy in black was on top of him wailing away at his face.

"Easy there tough guy." Menotti heard once the weight was lifted off of his chest. He couldn't open one eye, and he barely opened the other to watch as Dom pulled the smaller guy off of him. Once the smaller one was secured, Dom picked up the chair and set it right.

"Listen Menotti, you ever say anything like that again and I will personally rip out your fucking intestines and strangle you with them." He growled and spat in Menotti's face. He threw one last hard punch that knocked a few teeth loose.

"Fuck Toretto," He lisped and spat out blood.

"Where is he and what does he want?" Dom finally boomed.

"Look I don't know." He said shakily, "All I know is he wants her back and he plans to get her soon."

Down growled and kicked another chair in the room, sending it flying across the floor. He turned sharply and walked towards the door, he grabbed one of the dark men, "Clean him up and kick him out." He growled a disappeared.

"Hello?" The voice sounded exactly the same.

Maria gulped back her nausea, "What do you want?"

There was a low chuckle through the line that sent chills up her spine, "I've missed you."

She felt a surge of anger, "We both know that's bull shit."

He laughed again, "How do you know that?"

"Because I do!" She yelled. "Don't pretend that I don't know why you are all of the sudden so eager to find me."

"And why is that?"

"You tell me."

He laughed again, "Oh Domonique. I have missed your voice. How is little Guido?"

"Fuck you. What do you want from me? You have nothing to do with him."

"We'll see about that."

"Just cut the shit!" She screamed, her voice breaking. She was fighting hard to keep the tears from pouring down her cheeks.

"Easy Domonique, I don't like that to-,"

"My name is not Domonique. Domonique is dead." She growled.

"Not yet." She could hear his smile.

"Is that a threat?" She growled.

"So what if it was?"

She was quiet for a few beats, "I know you don't love me." She said quietly, "Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"You took what's rightfully mine and I want it back." He growled, his voice losing all semblance of humanity. "You and Guido were mine."

"We aren't yours anymore, alright?" She said, the tears falling freely now. "Just leave us alone. I don't have any money, I don't have anything else you can take from me so just stop!"

"But that's half of the fun my love."

"Stop it!" She screamed. It was silent and he just laughed.

"I'd suggest being careful darling. Be very careful." He growled, "You wouldn't want something to happen to you, or your friends, or little Guido."

Her breath caught in her chest, "You wouldn't." She whispered and he just laughed again.

"No?"

"What do you want Tito?" She sobbed.

"That's more like it."