Title: Hard Times

Summary: There's an accident. A child is born, and 17 years later, he's following in someone's footsteps. Make me happy, R&R!

Rating: PG-13, may change to R later

Author: ice-angel

E-mail: angel_kaylen@yahoo.com e-mail me if you've got comments, but NOTE ME FIRST!!! I wanna know what ya'll think. Flames are welcomed so I can know what I should change and what not.

New Characters in Chapter 1~

Steven Matthews: Age-21/Hair-Dark brown/Eyes: Hazel/Height: 6'1/Car: Black and orange Supra

Chapter 1~

After the last heist, the team was slowly but surely falling apart. Vince thankfully didn't lose his arm, but the scars will remain with him forever. Letty got out of everything with a dislocated shoulder and a few bruises and got engaged to Dominic two months after the heists. No one had heard from Brian in months, leaving Mia heartbroken. Leon was still living in the Toretto household, and reluctantly getting over the loss of his best friend. Jesse didn't make it that day, after Johnny and Lance shot him he bled to death on the sidewalk.

It's been six months since that day. As far as the team knew, Brian didn't say anything to Sargent Tanner about them jacking trucks. But in their eyes, it didn't make up for the betrayal. Other then the heists, the FBI didn't have anything on any of the team that they could show in court, so the case had been dropped and the team didn't look back at what they had done, and hoped it wouldn't come back to haunt them in the future.

The team laid off of street racing for these six months, but staying away was hard. Today was the day they were coming back, but it wasn't the welcome that they were hoping for.

Dom got out of his car with the rest of the team following not to far behind him. Just like the last race they had been to. Only this time, no skanks, no welcomes, no Jesse, and no Brian. Everyone stood in disbelief as Dom went to talk to Hector about tonight's race. While the team was laying low from the street racing world, Hector stood by loyally and kept them informed about everything that was going on.

"Welcome back man." Hector told him shaking his head.

"Thanks. So what is it tonight?" Dom asked seeing how much he was going to need to lay on the line. A man came up from the crowd. After the team stopped racing for a while, the street racing around LA changed since Dom wasn't on top anymore. New people started taking over.

"Dom, this is Steven. Steven, Dom." Hector said introducing the two.

"So you the one who had a cop on his team huh?" Dom shook off the comment. Attention from a fight was sure to bring the cops around eventually which was the last thing he needed on his first night back on the streets. Dom knew all about Steven. Even though Jesse was gone, Dom still knew a thing or two about computers, and could get the information that he needed. "Alright, I see how it is. Don't want to drawl attention to yourself huh? The cop teach you that?"

"You don't think I know you?"

"Well, he speaks, imagine that."

"So you're the one who beat his girlfriend?" Steven glared at him.

"21G buy in. Me and you." Dom looked to the team, then back to Steven who was one step away from being needed held back from Dom, then nodded.

"Lets do it."

Being at the starting line with the crowd around him brought back memories to Dom as he sat and took everything in again. The people, the cars, everything was like new. Dom glanced to Steven, who was staring right back, then look back at the straight rode ahead of him. A flashback from the last heist ran through his head. Seeing the straight road along the dessert, and Vince helplessly hanging onto the side of the truck that was supposed to lead them to a long vacation, but only led to hell for each one of them. Jesse's death, Vince's scars, Mia's broken heart.

As Dom snapped back into reality, Hectors hands were up in the air, and felt like they were coming down in slow motion. It was so long since Dom had raced. Not that he could forget what he needed to do, but what happened after this? Would they continue racing until the cops came back with whatever evidence they could gather up? What was going to happen?

Dom didn't have time to think. The only thing that mattered what was what happened when Hectors hands went down, which they did. Dominic put his foot to the floor and sped across the intersection that was blocked off by cars from the people who had come to watch the nights race. Steven wasn't far behind. Getting closer, and they went by another street light. It was all coming back to him now. The feel of racing again. It felt like he had never left and that everything was normal again. Even though what was coming up on the next intersection would blow everyone's mind.

Steven switched lanes and was right on Dom's ass. Dom knew was he was trying to do. But there was no way he was going to get run off the road. He was too close. Another 21 grand, and they needed they money. Dom hit the NOS, and took off past a stop sign, leaving Steven a little bit farther behind. But it did no good. Most racers in LA who've got the money will put NOS in their cars if their interest is in street racing. Clearly Steven was one of them. Whenever he pressed the red button on the left side of his steering wheel, he caught right up to Dom, and clipped his bummer sending him through another intersection, where the race was just about to end, and straight into a oncoming car. The Mazda slid sideways and hit a parked car. From where the team was standing, flames filled the air, and they ran towards the burning car.