Chapter 1
Mia stepped out of the Greyhound bus into a street that was instantly familar. She shook her long dark hair free from the slight film of perspiration at the back of her neck. Excepting her bag from the driver Mia looked around for her ride.
Buying a soda from the soda machine Mia kicked her suitcase over resting her foot on top of it as she let the cooling liquid slide down her throat. Losing herself slightly in the cool relief from the blazing heat of the summer night, Mia's head turned sharply at the horn that sounded in front of her.
Tossing the can into the bin, Mia picked up the suitcase and headed to the car, without the exhuberance many thought came naturally to her. Stopping at the door of the car Mia flicked a long strand of thick black hair behind her ear and said quietly, "hi..."
Brian jumped out of the car, walking around to the pavement Mia was standing on, "hi..." he said back just as quietly. "Shall we go?" Brian asked tossing her suitcase in the back of the car, and walking back around to the front seat.
Mia bobbed her head and they both stepped into the cool, air-conditioned comfort of Brian's Wrx impressa. Brian zipped out of the park and down the highway. Mia was pretty sure they both new what this was about. Not what they could have had, but what she had to do.
"So what's the plan?" Brian asked shifting gears smoothly.
Mia looked at him with her honest eyes and shrugged, "guess I'd better go to Jesse and Vince... but not with you." Mia added quickly.
Brian took a deep breathe and nodded, "Sure... tomorrow. You drop me at work and borrow the car."
Mia nodded, looking around the impressive interior of Brain's newest car, the 4th she had seen him drive, 3rd she knew he'd owned. "Is this what a detective's salary can afford?" Mia asked without the bitterness of many in her same postion... she was just curious... she wondered if it was worth it. His job.
"Mia..." Brian said slowly.
"No. I don't want to hear. Forget I asked... do you have any food at your place?" Mia changed tact swiftly.
"Yeah sure... I'll fix you up something when we get home." Brian nodded, and Mia shrugged back.
Mia turned her attention from the uncomfortable scene with Brian to watch the cars on the freeway, a mixture of joy, sadness and resentment swirling inside her as she tried to figure out, why she even trusted Brian. After everything he had done to her and her brother... she should have hated him. But she didn't. Probably because Dom didn't.
Dom was happy in his little house in Mexico, with Letty, Leon, and her... living life a quarter mile at a time. Dom could look back on the events before they left and not get worked up... orginally... that hadn't been the case, but he got over it, and she hadn't. She couldn't flip whatever switch Dom did and forget. To her... Brian was still the enemy.
And not because he was a cop, she could have lived with that, she could maybe have even enjoyed that, but because he'd lied. Lied to everyone. Worked his way into there lives. And he'd spun her a fairy tale. Told her what she had wanted to hear... but she knew it couldn't have been the real Brian... he said he'd meant it... but everything about her had been in the survilance.
He knew her before he even met her. He hadn't even had the decency to met her first. He'd seen photo's, knew her history, it seemed so orchestrated and callous. So perverted. She couldn't forgive him for that. She couldn't forgive him for making her love him, then so casually ripping it all away from her. Letting her know that he wanted to put her brother behind bars, Letty, Jesse and Leon as well... even Vince, yet telling her it was okay because he really meant what he had said to her. It was easy to mean something he'd given himself 2 months to practise.
That's what really made her sick to think, that it had been planned. Every moment he had been with her.... it had been planned down to the last detail... every smile, or touch, or compliement had all been organized by a team of experts, even that night... she couldn't forgive him for that. He'd stolen a part of her and she wasn't sure she would ever get it back.
Staring out the front window, Brian swerved sharply as three bikes nearly clipped the car as they ran a stop sign. It was instinct to chase after them... instinct to hunt them down and arrest them... just to prove he could. That he hadn't gone soft, he was still Brian Spindler, worthy of his Detective badge.
Pulling off the highway, Brian ignored the need to chase and continued towards his modest apartment in West Covina. Pulling up into his apartment complex a few minutes later, Brian grabbed Mia's suitcase and quickly ushered her up into his top floor apartment.
Mia flicked her long hair once more staring around the nicely decorated apartment. It was completely different to where he had taken her. This was classy and elegant, it had definately been professionally designed. She could place a big tick against Money, as one of the reasons he used and abused her.
"You'll be sleeping in the guest bedroom... is that alright with you?" Brian asked quietly, returning from what she assumed was the guest bedroom, because that was where he'd put her stuff.
"Yeah... I was expecting just a couch but the guest room is fine." Mia just hoped to god he hadn't expected her to wanna move into his room or something. She may have been naive 4 years ago, but she wasn't self-destructive.
"Well... I'm really tired I think I'll go to bed... " Mia said on a sudden yawn.
"But I thought you wanted something to eat?" Brian asked.
"I never wanted anything to eat... I just wanna sleep... 'night." Mia said sharply, heading into the guest bed-room.
"Night..." Brian called, wondering if she was just nervous or if it was gonna be like this the entire time she was here. He had thought... when she had called him... that she was ready to forgive him. That maybe... after 4 years... she was ready to give him another chance... but 4 years was a long time, and stupidly... he hadn't expected her to have changed, and maybe phsyically she'd changed very little... inside... he could tell she was completely different. How did he explain to her... that he had just been trying to do the right thing. That's all he had ever wanted to do. The right thing by EVERYONE, not just him.
With a sigh, Brian poured himself a night-cap.. and slumped on his recliner, switching on the television, Brian hoped to drown out the memories of his time with the Toretto's... for just an hour... a small escape from his 4 year prison sentence... he just wanted on hour. But Brian didn't hold out much hope of getting it. He never had before, and with Mia only a room away... he doubted that he would.
Mia stepped out of the Greyhound bus into a street that was instantly familar. She shook her long dark hair free from the slight film of perspiration at the back of her neck. Excepting her bag from the driver Mia looked around for her ride.
Buying a soda from the soda machine Mia kicked her suitcase over resting her foot on top of it as she let the cooling liquid slide down her throat. Losing herself slightly in the cool relief from the blazing heat of the summer night, Mia's head turned sharply at the horn that sounded in front of her.
Tossing the can into the bin, Mia picked up the suitcase and headed to the car, without the exhuberance many thought came naturally to her. Stopping at the door of the car Mia flicked a long strand of thick black hair behind her ear and said quietly, "hi..."
Brian jumped out of the car, walking around to the pavement Mia was standing on, "hi..." he said back just as quietly. "Shall we go?" Brian asked tossing her suitcase in the back of the car, and walking back around to the front seat.
Mia bobbed her head and they both stepped into the cool, air-conditioned comfort of Brian's Wrx impressa. Brian zipped out of the park and down the highway. Mia was pretty sure they both new what this was about. Not what they could have had, but what she had to do.
"So what's the plan?" Brian asked shifting gears smoothly.
Mia looked at him with her honest eyes and shrugged, "guess I'd better go to Jesse and Vince... but not with you." Mia added quickly.
Brian took a deep breathe and nodded, "Sure... tomorrow. You drop me at work and borrow the car."
Mia nodded, looking around the impressive interior of Brain's newest car, the 4th she had seen him drive, 3rd she knew he'd owned. "Is this what a detective's salary can afford?" Mia asked without the bitterness of many in her same postion... she was just curious... she wondered if it was worth it. His job.
"Mia..." Brian said slowly.
"No. I don't want to hear. Forget I asked... do you have any food at your place?" Mia changed tact swiftly.
"Yeah sure... I'll fix you up something when we get home." Brian nodded, and Mia shrugged back.
Mia turned her attention from the uncomfortable scene with Brian to watch the cars on the freeway, a mixture of joy, sadness and resentment swirling inside her as she tried to figure out, why she even trusted Brian. After everything he had done to her and her brother... she should have hated him. But she didn't. Probably because Dom didn't.
Dom was happy in his little house in Mexico, with Letty, Leon, and her... living life a quarter mile at a time. Dom could look back on the events before they left and not get worked up... orginally... that hadn't been the case, but he got over it, and she hadn't. She couldn't flip whatever switch Dom did and forget. To her... Brian was still the enemy.
And not because he was a cop, she could have lived with that, she could maybe have even enjoyed that, but because he'd lied. Lied to everyone. Worked his way into there lives. And he'd spun her a fairy tale. Told her what she had wanted to hear... but she knew it couldn't have been the real Brian... he said he'd meant it... but everything about her had been in the survilance.
He knew her before he even met her. He hadn't even had the decency to met her first. He'd seen photo's, knew her history, it seemed so orchestrated and callous. So perverted. She couldn't forgive him for that. She couldn't forgive him for making her love him, then so casually ripping it all away from her. Letting her know that he wanted to put her brother behind bars, Letty, Jesse and Leon as well... even Vince, yet telling her it was okay because he really meant what he had said to her. It was easy to mean something he'd given himself 2 months to practise.
That's what really made her sick to think, that it had been planned. Every moment he had been with her.... it had been planned down to the last detail... every smile, or touch, or compliement had all been organized by a team of experts, even that night... she couldn't forgive him for that. He'd stolen a part of her and she wasn't sure she would ever get it back.
Staring out the front window, Brian swerved sharply as three bikes nearly clipped the car as they ran a stop sign. It was instinct to chase after them... instinct to hunt them down and arrest them... just to prove he could. That he hadn't gone soft, he was still Brian Spindler, worthy of his Detective badge.
Pulling off the highway, Brian ignored the need to chase and continued towards his modest apartment in West Covina. Pulling up into his apartment complex a few minutes later, Brian grabbed Mia's suitcase and quickly ushered her up into his top floor apartment.
Mia flicked her long hair once more staring around the nicely decorated apartment. It was completely different to where he had taken her. This was classy and elegant, it had definately been professionally designed. She could place a big tick against Money, as one of the reasons he used and abused her.
"You'll be sleeping in the guest bedroom... is that alright with you?" Brian asked quietly, returning from what she assumed was the guest bedroom, because that was where he'd put her stuff.
"Yeah... I was expecting just a couch but the guest room is fine." Mia just hoped to god he hadn't expected her to wanna move into his room or something. She may have been naive 4 years ago, but she wasn't self-destructive.
"Well... I'm really tired I think I'll go to bed... " Mia said on a sudden yawn.
"But I thought you wanted something to eat?" Brian asked.
"I never wanted anything to eat... I just wanna sleep... 'night." Mia said sharply, heading into the guest bed-room.
"Night..." Brian called, wondering if she was just nervous or if it was gonna be like this the entire time she was here. He had thought... when she had called him... that she was ready to forgive him. That maybe... after 4 years... she was ready to give him another chance... but 4 years was a long time, and stupidly... he hadn't expected her to have changed, and maybe phsyically she'd changed very little... inside... he could tell she was completely different. How did he explain to her... that he had just been trying to do the right thing. That's all he had ever wanted to do. The right thing by EVERYONE, not just him.
With a sigh, Brian poured himself a night-cap.. and slumped on his recliner, switching on the television, Brian hoped to drown out the memories of his time with the Toretto's... for just an hour... a small escape from his 4 year prison sentence... he just wanted on hour. But Brian didn't hold out much hope of getting it. He never had before, and with Mia only a room away... he doubted that he would.