A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I can't believe I am finally posting this chapter. It has been written for a long while now, pretty much unchanged. Just sat down one night and wrote it, flowed surprisingly easy. I hope it doesn't disappoint. I'm not going to say anymore.

Chapter 36

Leon was back home a little over two hours after he had come to his final decision. The grief that consumed Dom and Letty was soon overshadowed by ensuring that they made his last few days as good as humanly possible. Walking slowly, painfully, into the living room he was greeted by his family. He sat himself down on the sofa and proceeded to be ambushed by Mia, making sure he was entertained and generally just filling him in on everything that had been going on in his short absence. It was obvious that he appreciated the gesture, none of them making him feel like he was dying, despite it being the truth.

After putting Maddie to bed, Letty settled down to watch Enter The Dragon with the others. Vince slipped the DVD into the player and sat back. It felt weird to have everyone in the room once more. The days without Leon in the house had been strange, but with grim realisation Vince knew they would have to adjust to it soon. He glanced round the room and caught Letty's eye. She smiled at him, though it was obvious it masked the pain she felt. Leon was lying on the sofa, exhausted but refusing to sleep. Dom, who was busy stroking Letty's hair as he sat behind her, had his eyes firmly focussed on the screen in front of him. Mia and Roxy were snuggled up on the other sofa, a blanket covering them, Roxy's hand firmly in a bowl of popcorn. He laughed at the two of them. Mia had been so hostile to Roxy when they first met, and now they were acting as if they had been friends forever. As the movie began to play, Letty flicked off the light, plunging the room into near darkness.

"Now you two, no funny business." Vince mocked, before feeling a cushion against his head.

"V, shut up." Dom muttered.

As the closing credits rolled and the light came back on, Letty glanced at Leon. His eyes were closed but by the movement of his chest, she knew he was only sleeping. Dom rose from his seat and wandered into the kitchen. As he passed Leon, he noticed what his wife had noticed and sighed with relief. Vince laughed and pointed to the other sofa,

"Guess she got a little bored?" He said, grinning at Roxy.

"Yeah thanks, V. For someone who weighs as little as she does, she is like a dead weight when she's asleep. My arm is numb." Roxy cried, causing Letty to join Vince in laughing at her, "Let, wake her up please." Complying, Letty shook Mia gently. Realising she wasn't getting anywhere, she resorted to a good punch on her arm. Mia jumped and groggily stared at the perpetrator.

"Come on girl. Bed time. Roxy wants full use of her arm back." In no state to argue, she nodded wearily and stood up. Walking towards the stairs, she leant over the back of the sofa. Kissing Leon on his head, she whispered something that no one could hear before walking off.

The three of them glanced at Leon, who was still sleeping soundly. They didn't need to say anything to know they were all thinking the same thing. It wouldn't be long before he passed away. The past couple of days had been hard on all of them. Slowly watching the life ebb away from him. That night at the races had shown them how much people respected him. Hectors words ran through Letty's mind. He was right. If there was ever anyone needing help, Leon would be there. Sure, Dom was the one who everyone looked up to and Vince was the one they feared, and when Jesse was around, he was the one they went to if they needed expert advice, but Leon was the steadfast member of their team. Always willing to help, always looking out for the others. Letty knew more than any of them just how true that was. It upset her to know that the reason he hadn't sought treatment was because he had promised Dom that he would make sure she was happy and safe. Yet at the same time, she knew that was his way. Dom wandered back into the living room and glanced at them.

"Do you want me to carry him upstairs?" He questioned. Leon stirred on the sofa, before slowly opening his eyes.

"No, I will walk." He spoke, his voice struggling to escape his mouth. Realising he was serious, Dom helped him to stand. He was weak on his feet and Vince was quick to assist him as well. With Dom and Vince on either side of Leon, they slowly made their way towards the stairs. Each step he took, painful to watch.

"Night Leon." Letty said as they slowly climbed the stairs.

"Yeah, night Le." Roxy echoed, her voice cracking under the worry. As the shadows of the three men disappeared from sight, Roxy turned to her friend. Tears had begun to fill Roxy's eyes, one falling silently down her cheek, "It's not going to be long now, is it?" Letty shook her head.

"No, it's not." She said sadly, not really knowing what to say, "Come on girl. We need to tidy this room. Did you eat all that popcorn, you greedy ho?" Roxy was confused at Letty changing the subject so quickly, but dismissed it. This was neither the place nor the time to hassle or question her. They gathered the various items strewn across the floor and chairs, and carried them into the kitchen.

After a long while, Dom and Vince joined them. No one had the energy to talk, they simply sat around the table in silence. A short time later, they heard a shuffle on the stairs and Mia walked in. She pulled up a chair beside her brother.

"I couldn't sleep." She whispered, trying not to disturb the silence too much. Letty smiled at her before handing her a drink. Accepting the offer, she sipped back on the beer. The silence came down around them like a thick shroud.

Letty looked around the room, noting how each person was dealing with it. Mia was taking it the worse. Her tired expression struggling to hold back the tears. She reasoned it had something in part with having to watch Jesse die. She couldn't imagine how hard it had been for her to cradle the body of her friend in her arms, slowly watching the life fade from him as the blood oozed from his wounds. They had talked about it once, all those years ago when they were in hiding. Mia was eternally optimistic and was just happy that he hadn't died alone. Letty knew that deep down though it had scarred her. She turned to see Roxy. A girl who Leon had been the first person to approach. She was thankful for that. Roxy had proven to be a good friend to him, to all of them, but she knew the times she had spent with Leon had helped both of them.

Vince was more of a mystery. He's temperament had changed so much since the accident. He was more open to admitting his feelings, able to appreciate the fact that it was alright to feel upset. Yet, as she looked at him, she couldn't gauge whether he was still in denial. Praying for some miracle perhaps. Dom was the opposite. He had resigned himself to the fact that Leon was about to die. Letty could see the face she had witnessed when he was coming to terms with his father's death. Those few days after he had died had been terrible and she prayed that being older would make the coming days easier for him. If only by a little.

No one was really aware of the time. It was irrelevant given the circumstances. But slowly, one by one, they moved away from the table and to their respective rooms. The last one to leave was Vince. He held his beer bottle tightly in his hand, almost willing it to break under the pressure. After a while though, it was him that broke. Shaking his head in frustration, he rose from the table and dropped the bottle in the trash can. Wiping his face to rid his eyes of the tears that had formed, he left the kitchen and slowly walked out to his makeshift room in the garage to join Roxy.

Dawn came with little haste. Letty could already hear Mia in the kitchen. She was getting a little too used to Susie Homemaker being back home, knowing that Mia would be returning to New York soon enough. It was nice that she was home though. Even if she had relegated Vince to the garage. She nudged Dom to wake up and he stared at her through squinted eyes.

"Morning." She whispered softly. He grunted some sort of greeting before rolling away from her, "Hey Dom, wake up. Breakfast sounds as if its about to be served. And from the smell, I'm thinking Mi went all out." She said in an attempt to rouse him. Crawling to the bottom of the bed, she grabbed her robe and walked in to Maddie's room. Traipsing over to the crib, she lifted up her daughter. "Hey baby. Time for breakfast." Letty muttered as she left the room.

She had been right. Mia was busy dishing out breakfast for the troops and had laid on an impressive spread. Vince and Roxy wandered in from the garage. He wiped the sleep from his eyes before stretching. Letty laughed at him, realising how much like a Neanderthal he looked in the morning. Roxy poked him in his side, causing him to double over mid yawn. Sitting at the table, they were soon joined by Dom. He took hold of Maddie, placing her gently down on his knee's. It had only been a few moments before they realised that one of them was missing.

"I'll go see if Leon is awake yet." Letty murmured, rising from her chair. A deep sense of trepidation made its way through her body. However, she forced it down within her and wandered up the stairs.

She walked into Leon's room and went to draw back the curtains. The sun streamed through the window, partially blinding her. Turning round quickly to avoid the brightness, her eyes were brought immediately to the bed. Leon was pale and looked so ill, any traces of his former fun-loving self were ebbing away with each passing second. She glanced at him, suddenly unsure whether he was asleep or had actually passed on in the night. Slowly walking towards his bed, Letty braced herself for the possibility that he was no longer with them. Her every move slowed down, each step she took was deliberate. The time they had spent preparing for this moment was worth nothing as she stooped at the side of his bed. Delicately lifting his arm, she was relieved to feel the warmth emit into her hand.

"Hey Let," Leon said in a barely audible voice, "thank you." Letty smiled at him, relieved that he was still with them. He looked at her, his eyes clinging desperately on to the last glimmer of spirit that he was known for. The battle was slowly going against his favour, each breath he took, a little more of him slipping away.

"Just letting the light in. It was like a cavern in here." She said, trying to force back the quiver in her voice. He gripped her hand tightly, a smile slowly coming to his face. She could tell it was taking every ounce of effort.

"No, thank you." Leon repeated, every word a struggle. Letty gently stroked his hand with her thumb, "For Maddie," He paused before his arm raised and he pointed to the bedside table. Understanding what he meant, she nodded.

There was a long silence. Nothing more needed to be said. They could hear the mumbles and soft laughter of everyone from downstairs, occasionally interspersed by the baby cooing. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and crisp bacon rashers was slowly being dispersed around the house. Letty listened intently, noticing Leon's breathing had become irregular and strained. Every breath he took was a fight for him. From outside, people went about their business. The noise of a car engine would pass by every now and then, the distant rumblings of the freeway making sure it was never silent. Children playing noisily in the street. Teenagers answering their cell phones though allowing them to ring just long enough so everyone heard their latest ring tone.

The wind caught the curtain and it began to flail around, every so often covering the picture on the cabinet. Letty glanced at it, smiling. It had been such a great day, surpassing any idea she might have had when she was younger. Looking at her family, she smiled contentedly. In that moment, everything had been perfect. She jumped as the curtain knocked the frame off its shelf and causing it to fall on the floor. Releasing her grip on Leon's hand, Letty wandered over to it and picked it back up. She rubbed the glass delicately with her hand, smiling as she placed it back in its place. Consciously placing it slightly further back.

Gazing out of the window for a while, she laughed to herself. There was a young girl standing with a taller, and obviously older, boy in a headlock. Their three friends were standing on the sidelines, laughing loudly as she continued to hold him there. His moans and yelps only to prove more humorous to them all. Two younger girls were sitting on the grass nearby, playing with a cat's cradle. Everything seemed so idyllic and innocent.

"Do you want any breakfast, Le?" She questioned, knowing the likely answer but wanting to give him the option. Her eyes broke away from the window, "Mia has cooked some," She turned round to face him once more. The colour in her face slowly crept away. Her heart jarred. As she inhaled, her eyes closed and everything was silent. An eerie, calming silence. Opening her eyes once more, she cautiously moved over to the bed and kneeled by the side. Taking his hand once more, this time there was no doubt. Resting her head beside him, she finally exhaled.