My darling, you and I could take over the world one step at a time, just you and I.

2022

Two Months Later

In the tramped down circle in the long grass, Deckard couldn't help but admire Emily's legs as she lay on her stomach, face pressed into the sniper rifle's scope. Her one leg was bent at the knee with her bare foot in the air, the other flat on the ground. He was sitting cross legged beside her, watching. She took the shot, and he could see from her smile that she'd hit her target. She pulled back and looked at him, a hint of gloating in her expression. If he was honest, he loved watching her fire a gun. When she fired a shotgun, he could barely contain himself. He just hoped she never had to actually shoot someone. He didn't want that for her, the feeling of taking someone's life. He just wanted her to feel confident that she could protect herself if she had to. He'd taught her all he knew after her request to learn, and she was a quick study.

"You're so hot right now," he told her. She scoffed and pushed herself up, swiping her hair out of her face as she settled into a sitting position. It was a warm summer's day; one of those rare days where he was sporting a white tank top and cargo pants instead of something dressier. Emily was in a yellow summer dress, her hair in a type of twist with strands hanging loose. She'd teased him for keeping his so-called chicken legs hidden, and he'd chased her for it, making her laugh hard when he finally caught her and sent them tumbling down the hill a bit. It was nice to just spend time together. After Hattie's escape from the virus and losing Brixton again, he just wanted to take some down time before going back to the hunt for Eteon.

"Let's see you do better," she said, tilting her head towards where the target was. He made a "watch this" type of expression before getting settled onto his stomach, pulling the scope up to his eye.

Ever since he'd taught her how to shoot, take apart, and clean all guns, she'd gone to shooting ranges with him or, like today, abandoned places to practice. He'd taught her how to fight too, and she gave him a run for his money sometimes.

"Hey," he said when he felt her sit on his lower back. "Interference!" She smoothed her hands up to his shoulders, and he felt her lips press into the back of his neck as she settled onto him.

"I thought nothing distracted you," she commented, folding her arms on his upper back and resting her chin on them. He chuckled and put his eye back into the scope. He'd show her. He lined up the shot and fired, hitting his target square on. He pushed the rifle away and laid it down, making her exclaim in surprise when he twisted onto his back under her quickly and rolled her over so that he was resting on top of her. He kissed her firmly, resting a hand on her waist and the other in her hair with his elbow propping him up. She had more of a dirty blonde hair color now, and he found he liked it.

"You're right," he said during a pause. "Nothing distracts me, but I give my fullest attention to an attempt when I'm finished."

"Is that so?" she asked playfully. He smiled as she pulled him down for a deeper kiss, the long grass around them blowing gently with the breeze and keeping them hidden. He was just about fully lost in her when his phone began to ring.

"Mm, leave it," she said against his cheek when he twisted his head to look at it on the ground next to them. He obliged, putting his full attention on her again until it rang once more.

"I have to," he told her, breaking apart. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she said, laying there with her arms above her head as he reached for it.

"Yea?" he answered. He did his best to ignore the feelings from her hands roaming under his shirt again after a moment. He listened to the voice on the other end, and he felt immense relief suddenly.

"What is it?" Emily asked, noticing and pausing what she was doing.

"Thanks," Deckard said. "Call me later." He hung up and tossed his phone onto the grass, looking down at her.

"What?" she prompted again.

"That was Nobody," he said. "He's got Cipher."

"Are you serious?" she asked, sitting up a bit. Deckard nodded, and she started to laugh in relief, pressing a hand to her face. "Wow. I just...wow."

"Yea," he agreed, starting to grin now. Emily kissed him hard, and he fell down onto her again, feeling her hold him against her as tight as she could. Cipher was caught. She was no longer out there somewhere as a potential threat. It felt so good.

Hearing his wife say his name the way she did in this moment felt even better.

Deckard sat with her tucked on his lap a bit later, watching the sunset together. She was warm against his chest; he buried his face into her hair and breathed her in.

"Do you think she's a part of Eteon?" Emily asked after a moment. "Will she talk?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I guess we'll find out."

"Do you know what I regret?" she asked, the darkness beginning to fall now.

"What's that?"

"Letting my father die thinking I hated him," she answered. "I came to that conclusion a while after his funeral, that he must have thought that because I left him behind without a second thought for so many years, and I worried that maybe I did hate him because I was angry at him for a while after he died. He did hurt me at times when he drank with the things he did and said, but it was pointed out to me by my therapist that holding onto that anger was not good for me. It was pointed out that I didn't actually hate him like I feared I did, just the things he'd done and said."

"Hm."

"Your father apologized to me," she said next, making him feel surprised.

"When?"

"After I was rescued from the loft. He came to the hospital and apologized for that night where he...he almost killed you. I knew he meant it, Decks."

Deckard wondered why she hadn't said anything about it until now, but he figured it had something to do with a few missed calls from Harry lately. She probably thought bringing it up now would maybe help their relationship since she knew Harry was still trying to reconcile with him. Deckard still fought anger towards his father, but he had to admit, it was tiring at times feeling that anger.

"I suppose we should get going," she reasoned when he didn't say anything. He tightened his arms around her briefly, kissing the top of her head gently.

"I suppose."

He always hated when good days like this ended. The older he got, the more he realized time slipped away faster than a blink of an eye. Emily stood up and reached for his hand to pull him up behind her. He gathered his rifle and dismantled it quickly, putting it in its bag before slinging it over his shoulder. He took her hand, and together, they walked to his car.

Days Later

Magdalene looked up when Harry approached her. She was sitting at a table alone in a cafe, and she was wondering what the hell he was doing there. She hadn't seen him in years; he'd disappeared to hunt for Cipher not long after Emily was released from the hospital. She knew it was his way of continuing to gain redemption with all of them.

"What is it?" she asked, noticing he looked a bit disturbed.

"I don't even know where to begin," he said.

"Sit down," she urged, and he obeyed, dragging the chair under him closer to the table after.

"As you know, I was working with Nobody to find Cipher," he began. She nodded in understanding, and he continued. "He teamed me up with one of his agents, Jakob Toretto."

"Oh bollocks," Magdalene said, knowing what was coming next. She'd just seen Dom a few days ago as he was trying to find his brother, who had gone rogue.

"Well, we found her. Cipher, I mean," Harry said. "But Jakob went rogue, and Cipher got free."

"She what?" Magdalene asked, alarmed. She was on high alert now.

"She's disappeared again, Queenie," Harry advised. "But I think she's heading this way."

"What makes you think that?"

"She made it quite clear to me that she was not finished with my family, and she's been greatly riled up recently, so I feel like she's going to strike soon."

"Well, find her!" Magdalene exclaimed.

"I'm trying," Harry said. "I've been harboring Mr. Nobody for the last few days. He's been wounded, but he's coming around."

"If she hurts a hair on any of our children's heads, you'll be very sorry," Magdalene warned. He sighed.

"We're doing all we can. I just wanted to warn you."

"Where are you going now?" she asked when he got up to leave.

"Back to work. I'll be in touch," Harry promised. He tapped the table with his fingers and walked away. He looked over his shoulder a lot now. He was certain Cipher was watching him from somewhere.

He just hoped he'd catch her before she did the unthinkable to his family.

...

Owen was concentrating hard on what he was doing. He could feel Mara staring at him, trying to make him mess up. He rested the card ever so gently on top of the two resting at a point.

And the entire house came down.

"HaHA!" Mara exclaimed, clapping her hands. "You owe me 50 quid."

"You did it somehow," he argued. "I know it."

"I did not."

"You were breathing a bit harder than usual."

"Oh get over it," she said with a laugh, wheeling herself to the kitchen now. Owen chuckled and started gathering the cards. He looked towards where she was pouring them each another glass of whiskey. He felt a bit of pride on her behalf. She'd come a long way since she'd become paralyzed. He didn't worry about her wanting to take her own life anymore. She'd found group support and a purpose.

She was a consultant now, courtesy of Mr. Nobody. As long as she was helping in some way on missions, she was happy.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Mara asked, returning with the drinks. Owen took his and sipped it, setting the glass onto the coaster on the coffee table.

"Not for another hour."

"It's your niece's first play. You can't miss it," Mara insisted.

"And I won't," he replied. He started building another card house slowly. Grace had taken up acting in high school and had gotten involved in the local theater recently. She was quite good. Owen believed she got her dramatic side from her grandmother.

"I have to say, I'm thankful she didn't follow your brother's footsteps. Or yours, for that matter," Mara added.

"Why's that?"

"I just think it's time the cycle got broken, you know? Step out of the warzone and into something more ordinary."

"Grace would make one hell of a soldier."

"She would, but I feel like it's time for something new in the Shaw family career wise."

"Emily's in fashion."

"I know, and she's gotten your brother all fancied up, which gives me my humor for the day," Mara snickered. "But it's good. I think it's good that Grace finds her own way too."

Owen made a nonverbal sound in response, concentrating again. This time, Mara intentionally leaned forward and huffed on his cards, making them topple. He gave her a look, and she cackled in laughter while swigging her drink. Her phone rang, and she reached for it, answering curtly. Owen gathered the cards, giving up on his house project. He could tell from Mara's tone and posture that she was not getting good news on that call.

"What's going on?" he asked when she hung up.

"Owen," she said seriously, making him pause and frown as he looked at her. "It's Cipher."

"What about her?"

"She's escaped."

His heart sank to the floor. He'd known that Nobody had finally captured her, but hearing she was free again made him almost panic. He took some breaths, smoothing a hand over his scarred cheek from his jaw to the back to his head until his fingers caught a hold of his hair.

"Do they know where she is?"

"No."

He swore softly, banging his fist against the coffee table.

"I'm sorry, Owen," Mara said as he stood up.

"I gotta go," he said. "Decks is probably freaking out."

"If you need me, just call," she offered.

"Thanks." He bent to hug her quickly before leaving. He pulled out his phone to call Deckard, who answered instantly. "Hey, Decks, it's me. Have you heard?"

"Yea," Deckard said. "Where are you?"

"Heading your way."

"Don't," Deckard ordered, and Owen paused outside of his car, waiting.

"Why not?"

"Just act normal. If she sees us riled up, then she knows she's got us. I'm not giving her that satisfaction."

"So what do we do?"

"Just act normal."

"Have you called Hattie?"

"I've been trying. She must be at work; it's just going to voicemail."

"Keep trying," Owen urged, pulling open his car door now and getting inside. "She was Cipher's first target after all."

"I will. Be safe," Deckard said.

"Yea. You too." They hung up, and Owen tossed his phone onto the passenger seat as he cranked his engine to life. He tore out of there, dirt flying. He was so done with Cipher and her bullshit. He wanted it to end, now.

...

Hattie was watching as Hobbs bent over his paperwork, face crunched in concentration. She loved watching him but always turned away before he could catch her doing it. They had a good relationship so far, and she loved his daughter, Sam. The girl was a sweetheart; she reminded her of Grace.

"Something interesting about my face, Agent Shaw?" Hobbs asked without looking at her. She smiled, loving how he kept it professional at work.

"Just making sure everything's in the right place," she answered. He gave a scoff and smirked. Then he finished up and began tidying his desk a little. Hattie was already finished and was waiting for him. Once he was done, they walked out together.

"Everything okay at the apartment?" he asked as they walked to their vehicles. Hattie nodded.

"It's bright and loud," she replied, "but I'm getting used to it. Ollie still hasn't come out from under the hutch, though. I think he's still traumatized from the airplane ride."

"That's too bad."

"Ah, he'll figure it out soon enough."

"We still on for tomorrow night?" Hobbs asked as she opened her car door. He was hovering next to his.

"I dunno, are we?" she countered, smirking. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, looking amused.

"I'll pick you up at six," he said.

"I'll be there."

Hattie gave him a smile before getting into her car. She and Hobbs were doing this tentative dating thing. She thought it was sweet. She still thought about Rusty at times, but it wasn't as often and didn't hurt as much anymore. It felt like she finally had gotten over him.

Hobbs kind of fit into her family despite Owen and Deckard rolling their eyes and taking shots at him whenever they could. It was a thing between them, she guessed. Emily loved him, and Hobbs loved hearing all her stories about the Shaw boys. He definitely livened up family dinners, which they'd done one in the last two months on the insistence of her mother. Hobbs had even done well with Magdalene, which could be a challenge. Hattie smiled as she thought about how things were going with her family. They were definitely better.

She was pulling into the parking lot of her apartment complex when it happened. A car came from nowhere and smashed right into her. She let out a yelp and bounced off the window from the impact. Stunned, she couldn't think straight. Then hands were pulling her out of the car and dragging her across the parking lot. It was only when her arms got bound behind her that something clicked in her brain that she was being kidnapped. She started to fight back, but she was no match against her captors, who finally jabbed something into her neck. She felt a bit funny after a moment.

As she was stuffed into a trunk and locked in a moment later, slowly fading to black, she realized that she was screwed.

...

Deckard stared at the photograph and felt a sense of déjà vu in his body. His sister, bound and gagged, was looking back at him. The message was clear. He was to come to the address provided or else his sister would be killed. Deckard knew what was happening. Cipher wanted them all there in order to get rid of them all. He wasn't an idiot.

"What are you going to do?" Emily asked, her voice hushed. Grace was sleeping in her room. They'd attended her theater show earlier, but Deckard had felt bad for being distracted the entire time. He'd expected Cipher to burst in there guns blazing. It turned out she was busy kidnapping his sister instead. He was a bit angry at Hobbs for letting it happen, if he was honest. His anger was throbbing with his heartbeat right now, and he was working to keep from losing his shit.

"I'm going to go there and get Hattie back," he answered. Emily chewed on her bottom lip and fidgeted with her fingers. Deckard knew that she was afraid, and he hated that Cipher was making her feel that way again.

"You'll come back to me?" Emily asked, and he moved into her, taking her face in his hands and resting his forehead against hers.

"I will always come back to you," he promised. She tried to smile but didn't succeed so well. He kissed her softly and went to pack his things. Owen was meeting him in ten minutes since they were going together. They hadn't told their mother because it didn't make sense to get her upset or in danger.

When he finished, he went to kiss the top of Grace's head while she slept. He watched her breathe a few times before walking out and closing her door behind him. He grabbed his bags and went to the door, opening it to find Owen standing there with his fist raised to knock.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yea."

"Please be careful," Emily ordered both of them. Owen leaned to give her cheek a quick kiss and squeezed her shoulder.

"Decks and I will be in and out before she even knows what hit her," he promised. Deckard met Emily's eyes and tried to convey to her how much he loved her. He knew she understood.

"I'll be in touch," he promised.

"You better."

"You'll go to my mother's?" he asked. He needed her to not be alone when he was gone, but he didn't want his mother finding out he was leaving just yet.

"Yes, I'll give you guys a few hours head start," Emily promised. Deckard nodded, struggling to leave her.

"Come on, Romeo," Owen said, tugging on Deckard's jacket. "We gotta ding dong this bitch before she kills our sister."

"What are you on about?" Deckard asked, confused.

"You know, ding dong the witch is dead?" Owen reiterated.

"Oh God," Deckard muttered, feeling annoyed. Emily was chewing on her lips to hide her smirk as he gave her one last look and a wave goodbye. He followed Owen to the car, resisting looking back at her.

"I thought it was good," Owen said, referring to his comment.

"In your head maybe." He tuned out Owen's response. He was feeling anxious and jittery. He just wanted this whole thing over with. He caved and looked back at Emily as he started up his car, seeing how small and afraid she looked. He knew he had to ensure his safe arrival back home along with his siblings. He pulled away, reaching for his phone as he did so.

"Hey, isn't that illegal?" Owen asked, and Deckard scoffed. Since when did he care about doing things properly?

"Yea?" the voice on the other end asked when the call connected.

"Dom, it's Deckard," he said, making Owen lift a brow at him. "I just thought you might like to know that I have Cipher's location."

"Really. Where?"

"I'll text it to you. Can you guarantee back up for me?"

"I'll be there."

"Erm, since when are you so chummy with Dominic Toretto?" Owen asked after Deckard hung up.

"A while now."

"Interesting."

Deckard didn't say anything else. When he was stopped at a light, he sent Dom the information. He just hoped the guy really would have his back when the time was right.

...

Harry couldn't believe that Jakob had turned dark. He hadn't expected that at all, and it had cost him Cipher. That's what really cheesed him off. He wanted this broad dealt with, not left running around free again. Cipher had seen him, too, and she'd promised to bring hell to his family. It scared him, and he'd warned Magdalene, but he had been too late.

Cipher got his daughter.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling the anger pulsing along with the blood in his body. Nothing was going to stop him now. He was going to kill Cipher with his bare hands if he had to.

He wasn't about to make his nightmare of watching his children die before him come true.

...

Hattie was very ready to put Cipher into the ground. She'd gotten beat up by the henchmen for a bit until Cipher herself came to play head games with her. She was sitting in front of her in a backwards chair in a dark room with only one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.

"Where are your brothers?" Cipher asked, her voice low and soft, but there was a menacing feel to it. "I thought they'd be here by now. Perhaps they really don't give a shit about you like you thought."

Hattie knew she was being baited. She sat there staring straight ahead, not even bothering to make eye contact. She was pretty sure Emily had set the bar high for being restrained since Hattie couldn't even wriggle her wrists a centimeter. She knew her sister-in-law had given them a run for their money, so they were making sure Hattie couldn't do the same.

It was annoying.

"I think they've left you for dead," Cipher said softly now. "And Hobbs...he probably wouldn't even care if you died."

Hattie knew that wasn't true, and if she knew Hobbs at all, he'd be ripping apart everything in his path to find her. She hoped he would have figured it out by now that she was missing, but maybe not.

"You know, Owen was so much fun to mess with," Cipher went on. She smoothed her hand across the back of the chair absently. "He had issues that made it easy for me to play him. He also made the mistake of telling me how much he loved his sister."

Hattie didn't realize her brother ever talked about her to anyone, but now she wished he had kept his trap shut. Did he not realize a thing or two about leverage? She remembered he'd always tell her to not trust easily. Had he abandoned his own lesson?

"I will destroy all of you," Cipher said now, getting up. "If they don't come for you, I'll go find them. They can feel such guilt over your corpse after I show them what I've done because they didn't come rescue you." She walked away, and Hattie stayed staring at the wall. She wasn't going to break. She was not that easy to wear down after all.

...

Deckard and Owen were gearing up when their father scared the hell out of them. Owen aimed a pistol at his head while Deckard yanked out his knife and held it at the ready in front of his face.

"Easy, boys," Harry said, holding up his hands. He was dressed in all black with Kevlar on. He had weapons attached to him all over the place. "It's just your old man."

"What are you doing here?" Deckard asked angrily as Owen lowered his gun.

"Waiting for you lot," Harry answered. "Took you long enough."

"How did you know she was here?"

"I just did," Harry said evasively. Deckard sighed roughly.

"Did you hack into my phone?" he asked, annoyed.

"No..." Harry's tone indicated he was lying.

"That's very high tech of you, Pops," Owen commented, a little bit impressed.

"Thanks, son," Harry said proudly.

"Don't get in our way," Deckard ordered, loading his rifle now and slinging it over his back. Harry scoffed.

"Look here," he said. "I was in a war, remember? I know my way around mission work." He looked sternly at his boys, and Deckard could suddenly see his father running around in the bush, clutching his rifle in his hands and ducking bullets. He'd never asked his father about his time at war because he'd never wanted to know. All he knew was that it had made his father become a monster, and he'd wanted to separate himself from him for as long as possible.

He couldn't help but think of Emily's words earlier about regretting not telling her father she didn't hate him, just had hated what he'd done.

"I know it turned me into a bad person," Harry went on, "and I regret that every single day. If I could go back, I would. You boys...you've made me so proud. Your sister too. I am so glad none of you turned into someone like me."

"Dad," Owen said, not up for this. "It's fine."

"It wasn't fine, which is why I'm saying sorry again. I'll say it over and over again, however many times it takes. I mean it."

"We gotta go," Deckard said, moving past them. Owen looked at his father, and he reached to shake his hand.

"Never too late for redemption, Pops," he said softly. "I would know." Harry's eyes looked slightly wet for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and gave Owen's hand a final, hard shake.

"Let's go get your sister," he said, following Deckard. Owen brought up the rear, hoping that this would all be over very soon.

...

Emily braced herself as Magdalene raged on about being left out of the plan to rescue Hattie. Grace had not taken kindly to being woken up so late and dragged across town to her grandmother's. She was half-asleep on the couch and trying not to appear scared or worried, but Emily could tell she was.

"How could they do this?!" Magdalene shouted angrily. "I would have gone with them!"

"They didn't want you to be in any danger, Mum," Emily said softly. It still felt strange to call Magdalene by the term "Mum," but Magdalene, despite her manipulative tendencies and desire for crime, had been more of a mother to her than her own. When Emily had been recovering from her trauma, Magdalene had been there night and day if she needed to call and cry to someone other than Deckard.

"Danger?! I am more than capable of looking after myself!" Magdalene raged on. Grace was shifting next to Emily now, and she rested a hand on her daughter's knee comfortingly.

"Honey, why don't you go get some sleep?" she suggested, ignoring Magdalene for a moment.

"It's too loud," Grace replied, referring to Magdalene's tirade.

"Put your headphones in."

"Alright." Grace knew when she was being sent away. She hugged Emily and gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek before going to her designated bedroom at the end of the hall. Once the door clicked shut, Emily turned back to Magdalene.

"We needed you, Mum," she said, making Magdalene soften a bit. "Decks is trusting you to keep Grace and I safe." Emily knew how to fight now, but she wanted to give Magdalene that sense of being the protector. It would help soothe her frustration towards being left behind.

"I see," Magdalene said, sighing now. "Well, that I can do."

"It'll all be over soon, and then we can get on with our lives," Emily reasoned. Magdalene nodded and then went to sit with her head in her hands. Emily reached to rest a hand on her back, smoothing it in small circles. After a while, her mother-in-law reached to take her hand in hers, and they sat there together in silence, praying for everyone to come back home safely.

And then they stood guard. Magdalene sat with her pistols, and Emily sat with a shotgun over her knees. She felt jittery and anxious, but she was never going to let Cipher hurt Grace again.

Over her dead body.

...

It hadn't been hard to work their way to where Cipher was standing with Hattie. She had three men aiming rifles at them while she held a pistol against Hattie's head, angling her towards the edge of the tank of water they were beside. Deckard had wondered why Cipher would pick a place like this, but it made sense now. She was going for drama. She thrived off of it.

She looked a bit harried, if Deckard was honest. It was as if things hadn't gone her way recently and she was now just lashing out without much caution or planning as per usual. He wondered if she planned on dying today and hoped to take them all out first.

"One more step, boys, and she's going in," Cipher warned. Deckard kept his gun aimed at her while taking looks at his sister. She was still bound and gagged, and she looked incredibly pissed off. He and Owen noticed more men coming out of the shadows, and he wondered if his back up was going to arrive on time or not.

"You know who you're dealing with, right?" Owen asked.

"Of course. The Shaw family," Cipher said mockingly. " The people who never give up. It's why it's so much fun."

Deckard was trying to figure out how to get out of this mess when his father stepped towards Cipher. He clenched his rifle tighter, doing his best not to ask his father why he was being so stupid.

"Look here," Harry said, moving closer still. His gun was lowered to his side now. "You want to take someone from the Shaw family? Take me. I deserve it. You leave my kids alone, and I'll pay the price."

Cipher's lips were curled in a smile as she watched him. She flicked her eyes to Deckard and Owen before landing back on Harry.

"I know I messed up, and I know I haven't been fully forgiven, but I'm doing my best to make up for all of it," Harry went on. "I really am sorry, Hat." He looked at Deckard and Owen next. "Boys. You have no idea how sorry I am."

"Dad, get the hell back," Owen ordered, aggravated, but Harry ignored him. He stood watching Cipher calmly.

"How sweet," Cipher sneered. She gripped Hattie a bit tighter now. "Well, since I'm being given a freebie..." She aimed her gun and shot Harry in the neck. He went down hard, gulping and choking on the sudden onslaught of blood. Hattie screamed through her gag, and Owen started shouting while Deckard's heart clenched and he took a step forward.

"He asked for it," Cipher said, looking at them. "And you hated him anyway, right?"

Deckard went to shoot when the lights went out. He heard Hattie give another muffled scream and a splash occur right after. He shouted her name, but Owen beat him to it and leaped into the water after her. The lights came back on, and there were people everywhere. Deckard took his shots at Cipher's team as she slunk away. He got to his father on the ground, who was fading fast.

"Dad," he said, shaking him. "Dad!"

"Stick...together," Harry gurgled, gripping Deckard's hand hard. Deckard could still hear Emily's words practically roaring in his ears now, and suddenly, the urge to say it before it was too late was too powerful to stop.

"We forgive you," he blurted out. "Dad, we do...I do. I hated what you did, not you. I get it now. I do." He watched as Harry's eyes reflected so many different emotions in that moment. He nodded his understanding, and then Deckard watched his father slowly die in front of him. His throat was tight as he looked at his father's lifeless eyes. There had been a time where he'd wanted this in order to make the pain stop, but he recognized now how hard his father had worked to become a better person, that he'd finally chased away his ghosts that were haunting him. If all of them could have a second chance, then why couldn't he?

Then he forced himself to get up and keep on fighting. He could hear Dom shouting now with Little Nobody calling out orders to his men, and he suddenly realized Owen and Hattie were still missing. Deckard looked at the water frantically, trying to find his siblings.

...

Owen's hands grabbed her, and he pulled them to the surface slowly. Hattie felt like she was about to drown, and she couldn't stop seeing her father getting shot in front of her. He'd tried to sacrifice himself for all of them. She'd spent so long thinking he couldn't be redeemed or forgiven, and he'd gone and done that. She was feeling guilty for keeping him at arm's length for the last few years from her continued lack of trust.

They broke the surface, and they both gulped in air. Deckard helped pull her out and then Owen, and he cut her free. She saw her father lying there dead, and she crawled over to him, taking his face into her hands.

"Dad?" she asked. "Dad?!"

"He's gone, Hat," Deckard said softly. She felt herself starting to cry, and she didn't know why. Her feelings were always so conflicted when it came to her father lately.

"He really was sorry, wasn't he?" She looked up at her brothers. Owen was dripping everywhere as he stood with his arms crossed. Deckard was resting his hand on the rifle hanging around his neck.

"He was," Deckard confirmed. She remembered a conversation with Deckard from long ago as she struggled to make sense of it all.

"He found his beauty again," she said, holding Deckard's gaze. "Didn't he?"

"He did," Deckard replied softly. Hattie breathed hard and then reached to pull out her father's pistol from his holster. She got to her feet and made sure it was loaded and ready to go. They still had a fight to finish.

Bullets whizzed past, and all three of them ducked out of the way. Hattie went for cover and saw Cipher in the shadows. She gave a roar and chased after her, leaving her brothers to fight their way out. She ran hard behind Cipher, hating the woman's cackle echoing on the walls around them. She burst through the door and saw Cipher going down the stairs. Hattie didn't even care. She hoisted herself up over the railing and dropped down onto Cipher.

"Argh!" she cried out in pain, landing on Cipher hard and tumbling down the stairs with her. When they hit the bottom, Hattie pushed herself up and began to punch Cipher hard and fast. They engaged in a hand-to-hand combat with each other for a while, throwing each other around when they could and getting in hard blows to the body and face. Hattie was enraged. She had lost so much, and losing her father was the final straw. There was never going to be a chance for them to be fully reconciled, and it hurt.

"Did I kill your daddy?" Cipher mocked, dodging a blow. "I thought you'd be thanking me."

"Shut up!" Hattie shrieked, clipping Cipher's face with her fist. Each blow was for the family member Cipher had hurt with her actions over the years. She managed to knock Cipher to the floor after picking up a discarded piece of wood and bashing her head with it. She pulled out her gun, standing over her.

"Hattie!" Deckard called, appearing with Owen. They both joined her, encircling Cipher, who was getting to her feet slowly.

"A nice little family reunion," Cipher commented, spitting out some blood. More was running down her face and out her nose. "How nice. Aren't you missing someone?" Hattie gritted her teeth hard at the barb.

"Let them take her in," Deckard said, and Hattie gaped at him.

"Are you mental?! She just murdered our father!"

"I'm sorry, Hat. They need her alive."

"Do they, though?" Owen asked. Hattie steadied her hands as she kept her gun aimed at Cipher. She imagined herself pulling the trigger over and over in her mind.

"Step off," Deckard warned, and Hattie slowly lowered her gun. She knew that Cipher was probably entangled with Eteon somehow and that Deckard wanted answers about that organization still.

"Come on, Hat," Owen said, reaching out his hand to her. "Let's go home." She felt the fight draining out of her suddenly. She was tired. She was emotional. She wanted to sleep forever. Then, she saw movement in her peripheral, and she aimed and fired at Cipher the same time Deckard and Owen did. Cipher fell to the ground, dead, her gun clattering away from her. Breathing hard, Hattie stared at her. The witch was dead.

"Shit," Deckard muttered.

"Better her than us," Owen reminded him. Little Nobody came charging in, then, with Dom on his heels. At the sight of her dead body, Dom looked instantly relieved. He reached to shake Deckard's hand, and Hattie turned away to go throw up. She felt Owen rest a hand on her back afterwards, and she started to cry. He pulled her into a hug, and she let him.

"Hattie!" Hobbs was shouting now. She saw him come barreling in there looking stressed and anxious. It made her realize how much he really did care for her. She reached for him, and Owen let her go so that Hobbs could grab her into a back breaking hug.

"It's okay, Hattie," he said over and over. "It's okay."

"M-my dad's d-dead," she stuttered out through her tears. "H-He's dead."

It was all she could say, and Hobbs just rocked her back and forth while everyone behind her did their own thing and her brothers stood watching with faraway expressions.

...

Emily started to cry when Deckard told her Cipher was dead. She let the shotgun rest against the wall, her hands trembling. Magdalene was giving her a questioning look, but Emily just held up a finger to make her wait.

"Are you okay? Is everyone okay?" she asked.

"Owen, Hat, and I are fine," Deckard replied. She heard him hesitate.

"Tell me," she said. She met Magdalene's eyes, feeling her heart skip in fear. She gripped the phone tighter in her hand.

"Harry...Dad...he tried to trade off with Cipher. She killed him," Deckard said finally. "My dad's dead." She could tell he was feeling a lot of different things. Her own eyes welled up. Harry had definitely been through a lot and done a lot in his life, but she knew he'd worked himself to the bone trying to make up for it all.

"I'm sorry, Decks," she said quietly.

"It just feels weird, you know? I feel bad. I didn't even let him try," he went on. "I just kept him shut out because I didn't trust him. I could have had my old father again, Em."

"The mistrust was warranted, though," she advised. "I don't blame you for that."

"Is Mum there?" he asked, sniffing hard and clearing his throat.

"Yes."

"Let me tell her."

"Okay."

"I love you."

"Love you too." She held out the phone to Magdalene, who took it gingerly after raising a brow. Emily saw Grace come out then, and she gestured for her to come for a hug.

"What's going on?" Magdalene asked in the phone. Emily smoothed a hand over Grace's hair.

"Is it over? Is Cipher gone?" Grace asked her.

"Yes, my love. She's gone."

"W-What?!" Magdalene cried out. Emily's grip on Grace tightened. She could see that Magdalene was feeling raw grief, that even though she'd walked away from Harry all those years ago, losing him still packed a punch.

"What's going on?" Grace asked, sounding worried.

"Oh my God," Magdalene said, pressing a hand over her mouth. "Oh God. Oh, Harry..." She turned away and went to another room with Deckard still on the phone. Emily looked at Grace, who was about to start crying.

"Your grandfather didn't make it," Emily told her. "I'm sorry, love."

"Oh," Grace said, a tear sliding down her cheek now. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Harry, but he'd always treated her well. Emily knew her daughter would never forget how he'd rescued her after Cipher tried to traffic her.

"Come here," Emily said, holding her close again. Grace held on tight, crying a little bit more. "Dad's coming home soon. Everyone else is okay. I promise."

Grace didn't respond, and Emily just rocked her back and forth comfortingly. When Magdalene returned with red eyes and a trembling lip, she reached to pull her into the embrace, which she gladly obliged.

The three of them stayed that way for a long time.

One Week Later

Deckard stood in the graveyard alongside his mother, siblings, Emily, and Grace. Mara was there, too, holding Owen's hand. Hobbs had sent his regrets, but he was coming the next day. Rain was in the air, but it hadn't fallen yet.

"He was a good man," Magdalene said softly. "And then he became a hard man, a scary man. He got lost and haunted by demons, but he found his way back. I think I speak for all of us when I say that if he could do that, if he could turn a new leaf and start over, then any one of us can."

"I used to wish him dead," Owen stated, "but now...now I wish he was alive so we could get to know our father the way he used to be before things went to shit."

"I pushed him away," Hattie whispered, tightening her grip on Deckard's hand. "He tried to reconcile with me, and I pushed him away in the end. I was too afraid of getting hurt again. He died thinking I couldn't forgive him."

"No, he didn't," Deckard corrected, making them all look at him. "I told him we did."

"Decks," Magdalene said, tears in her voice. If anyone had a difficult time forgiving him, it was Deckard, so him telling them all that he had took them by surprise.

"If he was still a monster, he wouldn't have done what he did for Hat," Deckard reasoned. "He wouldn't have saved Grace or spent so much time trying to find Cipher and end this for us. And I don't want to hold on to that hate and anger anymore." Emily squeezed his hand at this, and he swallowed down his emotion.

"He used to tell me that he and I could take over the world," Magdalene said after a moment. "I believed him, and I think if he hadn't gotten sidelined, we would have." She turned to look at all of them now. "He wrote me a letter a few years ago, explaining what happened and why he reached for the drink to start with. He had so much regret for not being able to save his men, that he'd been the only one to survive after all his efforts. It ate him alive, and I wish he hadn't kept that to himself, but he felt like the war needed to stay back there and not in our lives. In the end, it ruined our lives. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't save him. He had to save himself, and thankfully, he did. I love all of you so much. I hope you know how sorry I am for not trying harder to spare you the pain from him. "

Deckard took in this information. How could he have never thought about that? He suddenly remembered that his father had a photograph he'd look at every now and then of a group of men. Deckard now understood who they were. They were the men Harry had lost during his war. The men he'd drank himself into oblivion over because he blamed himself for failing them.

"You loved him," Owen said simply. "You had hope he'd snap out of it."

"It's in the past now, Mum," Deckard told her, making her eyes well up with fresh tears. "How about we focus on the future instead?"

"I'd like that," she replied.

Grace moved forward now, kissing her hand and resting it on the headstone. "Goodbye, Grandpa. Rest in peace." Deckard stood back while the others said their farewells too. Then it was over. Owen and Mara were moving towards his car, and he saw Mara pull Owen down to kiss his cheek before he helped her into the passenger seat. He knew they were best friends, but he had a feeling that maybe one day they could be more. He knew Owen still loved her with all his heart; he was just waiting for Mara to let him in.

"Ready?" Emily asked, making him look at her. He remembered the first time he'd laid eyes on her and knew instantly that she'd steal his heart forever. He was glad he hadn't been wrong.

"Yea," he answered. She moved in to give him a soft kiss before sliding her arm around his waist and walking to their car. Grace was talking to Magdalene ahead of them.

"It's a shame I didn't get to use my sharp shooting skills on her," Emily mused while they walked. "I really wanted to."

"I'll be happy if you never have to use them," Deckard confessed. "But there's still Eteon if you're that anxious."

"Ah, yes," she said, nodding. "Oh, that reminds me. A Han came by looking for you? He's going to come back around later."

"Thanks." Deckard had heard through Dom that everyone knew Han was still alive now. Mr. Nobody had put him to work, which got him tied to the whole mess of things recently. Deckard was hoping that Han would help him with Eteon if he could. Dom had offered support if needed too. He'd told Deckard about his brother, Jakob, going rogue and then coming back around. It seemed that redemption was a theme for both families.

"I love you," Emily said now as they stopped by his car. He smiled and pressed a hand against her cheek.

"I love you back."

"Come on, you lot, I'm starving!" Magdalene hollered out her car window now. Deckard chuckled and shook his head. He took one look back at his father's grave, knowing that for now, things were okay.

He'd do everything he could to keep it that way.


I know Cipher isn't dead in the films, but I just can't stand her lol. So, she's gone in this version of events.