A Soft Place to Fall

Dom's POV

7 months later:

I walking in a tiny Mexican town, it was so close to the ocean I was practically breathing salt.  I was walking by a row of houses, when I stopped dead in my tracks.  The house was three stories: a modern looking thing and the small signs both near the driveway and on the doorway announced, " Shayne O'Connor's Visions." I walked up the driveway and stared in shock at the painting in the window.  That was defiantly Letty.  I couldn't believe it.  I tested the knob and found it unlocked. I walked into the house and looked around at the homey looking gallery.

" I'll be there in a click!" Called out a friendly voice. I heard footsteps coming from another room and a red-haired woman came around the corner.  Her eyes were brilliant blue, but were obscured by glasses, which she took off and clipped to the front of her apron.  She wiped her hands off and a red smear appeared near the multi-colored stains that dotted the apron.   " You need direction?"

I arched my eyebrow, " Huh?"

" Well, you don't look like you need a painting to hang over your mantle." Her eyes sparkled with laughter. " But if that's why you're here I'll sell you what you want."

I shook my head and pointed towards the front window. " I'm curious about that painting in the window."

" Oh that one. Come with me I have a copy in the main gallery.  It's called 'Waiting for a Dream to Come True.' I've done four of them, but two of them aren't finished and I don't show off half done work.  Are you looking for a gift for someone?"

" No, I'm curious about the girl that posed for it."

She glanced at me before biting her lip. She led me into a brightly lit room full of painting sand sculptures.  She pointed at the paintings on the wall; the two in the center were of Letty.  I looked at the title-plates on both paintings the other read: 'Listening for Your Voice.'

" What do you want with her?"

" I've been trying to find her."

" Why?" The woman rubbed her collarbone listlessly, drawing my attention to the vine like tattoos that started at the bumps of her collarbones and looped back over her shoulders. 

" Because she means a lot to me." I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked back at the paintings.

" I see." She looked at me with a sad smile. " What's her name?"

" Letitica Rodriguez, but if you knew her any longer than five minutes it would have been Letty." I knew what this woman was doing she was trying to make sure I actually knew Letty. I was wondering how much Letty had told her about us. " Look she has long brown hair it's wavier than it is in that picture, she has brown eyes you get lost in, and scars…" I trailed off as the memory of the crash flashed in my mind.  " She would have had some recent scars, one on her jaw line, it was from a car crash."

" That's what happens when you go suicidal on 18 wheelers."

My jaw came unhinged I stared in shock at the small woman in front of me. Why the Hell would Letty tell her about that.

" She told me all about it, after all we're kindred spirits, criminals and all." She laughed softly and extended her hand to me to the first time. " I'm Jennifer Shayne O'Connor murderer of an abusive, asshole husband, you can call me Jenny."

" I'm Dominic Toretto suicidal truck jacker, you can call me Dom." I actually laughed out loud for the sheer hilarity of the situation and shook her hand.  " Do you know where Letty is?"

" You're four days too late." She lamented. " God, I wish you have come sooner. She disappeared four days ago; said something about a damn dream speech and beach towns."

" Do you know which way she went?"

" No, I wish I did. I'm really worried about her. She's been living here with me and my son for a little over two months and she's never been gone this long.  I woke up one morning and she was gone, along with all her stuff."

I stood in shock. I could feel my heart sinking in my chest. I'd missed her by four days, all the stops that I hadn't had to make flashed in my mind. " I've got to find her." I muttered under my breath.

" Whoa, Whoa." Jenny blocked my potential path. " If you leave, she'll come back, then she'll go looking for you and I'll never find our how this story goes."

" I can't just stay here and wait for her."

" So you go looking for five days. If Letty comes back, I'll sit on her. Well not literally of course, but…" She trailed off and looked at me suspiciously, before rubbing her collarbone again. " Never mind. If she comes back I'll keep her here, if you don't find her, come back in five days and we can go from there."

I blinked, I was missing something here and I didn't like it. I was about to press her for what was going on, but the door slammed and in rushed a little kid.

Jenny knelt down and scooped up the blond boy. " Hi, there Hero! Did you have fun with Peter?"

" Yeah." He looked up at me suspiciously. " Hola."

" Hi." I smiled down at him.

" Morgan, this is Dom Toretto, he came here looking for Aunt Letty. Dom, this is my son, Morgan."

" Mom, is he the…" Morgan tried to ask me something, but Jenny covered his mouth.

" Hey Hero, why don't you go upstairs and clean up; okay?" She pushed him towards the stairs.

Morgan looked back at me, but hurried up the stairs.

I narrowed my eyes at Jenny, " Something you don't want me to know."

" It isn't for me to tell." Jenny turned her back on me and looked her mantle. I noticed the tattoo extended behind her back and met below neck where a fairy image was.  She flipped down a picture on the mantle and sighed.  " She left four days ago going North I would think, since the last time she left she went South. Why didn't you plan a meeting place?"

" We did. I don't know why she didn't stay there."

" Are you hungry? I was just finishing diner, you can stay if you want."

" No, I'm gonna start looking for her the sooner I find her the better."

Jenny turned back and looked at me. " Good luck."

Part 1

I ground my teeth against the jarring of the car as I fought another wave of nausea.  I took a few deep breathes, when I started to feel the bile rise in my throat. I pulled the car off the dirt road and flung open the rusted door, just in time to stick out my head and wretch up my guts for fourth time. After coughing and rinsing out my mouth, I sighed and leaned back heavily against the seat.

" Stop making me do that." I warned my unborn child and poked my swollen stomach for emphasis.

I slammed the door closed and started driving again. It had been 7 months, since the shit had hit the fan. Seven months since race wars, the last job we had pulled together, Vince winding up in jail, Jessie getting killed, Brain telling us that he was cop, and 7 months since I'd seen Dom. Despite Mia's attempt's to patch me up the wounds on my face had scarred, so had the ones on my arms, legs and the one right over my heart.

" It didn't bother you any though did it?" I teased my baby. " You probably liked flipping upside-down."

A gunshot rang out and my car veered violently to the right. I hung on for dear life and pressed on the brakes as I listened to the sickening thump-thump sound of my flat tire.  I eased the car to the side of the road and looked all around me, before pushing myself out of the car.  I examined the passenger side of the car and discovered that it hadn't been a gunshot, just my tire blowing. I retrieved the keys from the ignition and slammed the key into the trunk lock. I popped the trunk and glared at the belongings I had stored in it.

I moved the four boxes from the trunk to the back seat of my car, but was too tired to do anything else with the car at the moment. God, I wish Leon were here. I wish Dom were here or any friendly face for that matter. I was leaning against the car trying to reclaim my strength so I could continue. Finally with a huff of annoyance I went back to the trunk. I pulled out the spare and lowered it to the ground. 

I went back to the front seat of my car and fished out my cooler. I drank a few sips of water and ate a few crackers. I felt my stomach lurch, than relax. I sighed and grabbed the applesauce out of the cooler. I took five bites and quickly put it out of sight. 'Back to the tire,' I thought miserably, as I wiped the sweat from my brow.  I glanced in the car's mirror and wished I hadn't. I hadn't seen a shower for days and I was covered in dirt and grime. Not like in the old days, where a little grease was fine and dandy, I'm talking Mexican mud in places I didn't know I had.

I went after the jack and discovered that it was a hundred times heavier than I remembered it being.  It took me a dozen tries to even get it half way out of the trunk. I finally pulled it out, but it was too heavy to hold and I just barely got my toes out of the way before it came crashing down.  I started to ease myself down; when I realized that there was no way in Hell I could do this in my condition. I couldn't reach around my belly, to perform the task crouching and I certainly couldn't lie down and do it, I'd wind up getting killed.

I flopped down onto the ground and felt tears gather in my eyes. I leaned my head against the car and started bawling. I was crying for everything that I'd never gotten to cry over and for the cars that were flying by me on the old Mexican highway.

***

I finally got this damn car moving the way it should be. I was cruising down one of the old Mexican highways. I've really got to get the air fixed in this stupid thing. On a day like this AC would have been nice, it felt like Hell's sauna.  I curved around one of the bends and saw what I thought was an abandon car. 

But as I got closer I noticed a woman sitting at the back of it.  I slowed the car down and turned it off. I started walking up to the car and I could hear the woman crying. She was pregnant, no doubt about that. God, I'd ring that fucker's neck if I could get a hold of him. I hated to see a woman in distress, especially a mother.

***

I could hear footsteps thumping up to where I was sitting. I started wiping my eyes, when he stopped my cold.

" Do you need some help?"

I snapped up my head at the sound of that familiar rumble. Our eyes locked and he stared at me in disbelief.

***

I felt my jaw come unhinged. My Letty was sitting on the ground, filthy and pregnant. Her brown eyes met mine and we looked at each other for the longest time. I reached out my hand without a word and helped her to her feet.  She touched my face and started crying again. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to keep myself from crying.

" Where have you been?!?" She demanded in a harsh whisper. She struck my chest over and over, but there wasn't any power behind the blows. " I waited and waited and you never came." She looked up at me still blubbering and trying to calm down.

" I've been looking for you." I told her.

" It's all your fault." She sobbed into my chest. " You should have listened to us. We told you it was bad idea! Now Vince is in prison, Jessie's dead, Leon's God knows where, and you left me alone. I told you I had a bad feeling!" She kept accusing me over and over as she wept.

I smoothed her hair and told her. " I'm sorry. I really am, but I can't change what happened."

She jumped and seemed to calm a bit, but she pushed away from me. " Let go of me."

" Letty, you've got to understand..." I attempted to reason with her.

" No let me go now." She started pushing at me again. " I'm gonna..."

She threw up all over my arm; she'd turned her head as far away from me as she could.

I moved away from her and tore off my shirt. I wiped my arm off with my shirt. I looked back at her and saw her rocking on her heels. I caught her before she completely blacked out.

" Sorry." She muttered and closed her eyes.

I looked around and grunted before carrying her back to my car.

*Begin flashback*

I ran my fingers through my wet hair as I rested on a park bench, and flipped through the local newspaper.  I sighed and squinted at the paper again as I rested my hand over my stomach.  I was four months pregnant.  I'd found out in Mexico City three months ago, when I'd gone to the hospital.  I had just crossed the border when I guess I passed out at the wheel of my car. I woke up banged up, bruised, and in the care of a humorless doctor.  When I found out I was pregnant, I just bawled.  I mean it wasn't like we were careful or anything, but I always thought we'd be together, when I found out something like this.

Now I was in Veracruz, or more specifically Tecolutla, which was a city on the beach.  I'd been jumping from beach city to beach city hoping beyond hope of finding Dom. His dream speech ever ringing in my ears, driving me to acting like a mad woman and of course the hormones weren't helping.

" Excuse me." A quiet voice interrupted my mental tirade.

I looked up to see a red-haired woman smiling gently at me.  She was wearing a billowing white shirt and a pair of blue jeans, obviously a tourist looking for directions.

" I can't give you directions." I snipped.

" I should hope not." She grinned and pointed south, " I live ten miles that way."

I ducked my head to hide my embarrassment, " Sorry."

" Why? How could you know?" She waved her hand dismissively. " Can I ask you a rather strange question?"

I arched my eyebrow. I was not in the mood for this; I was hot, tired, and pregnant. "Shoot." I figured if I humored her she might leave.

" May I draw your picture?"

Well that wasn't the question I was expecting. I narrowed my eyebrows a bit. " I can't afford anything like that."

" No, no you don't understand. I'm an artist."

Now I was getting down right agitated. " I know. You're one of those people that draws in the park and bothers people for money."

" No, I own my gallery and I come down to the park for inspiration.  If you don't want to it's fine.  But I promise I wouldn't be trying to sell it to you, I'd try to sell to some tourist that visits my gallery."

I blinked. This chick had just thrown me for a complete loop, but now I noticed the huge flat bag she was carrying. " I don't care. What do you want me to do?"

Her face lit up with a smile, " Oh nothing just sit still. Not statue still, just don't change position every five minutes." She pulled out a bunch of stuff including an easel and sat across from me.

" Is this going to take long?"

" Do you have somewhere to be?" She questioned peeking out from around the canvas.

I winced, " No, just curious."

" Okay."

I could hear her clinking pencils together and scratching them across the paper surface.  I yawned and couldn't remember how my face had been before I moved.  I kept adjusting my face trying to figure how it had looked when I heard her ask.

"  So when are you due?"

" May 17th. Is it that obvious I'm pregnant?" I looked down at my stomach and touched it with both hands.

" Only to someone who's been there before. Please don't move for a few minutes."

I heard her flip a page on the easel and scribble insistently.  I felt foolish and vulnerable with my head down. " How old is your kid?"

" He's six. My Morgan, he's the light of my life." Her scribbling slowed, before stopping and starting, than finally stopping. " Okay you can shift now. Sorry inspiration struck, I know how weird a position like that feels."

Grateful for the reprieve I stretched quickly and leaned against the bench again. " How long have you been in Veracruz?"

" Five years." Paper flipped again and another round of furious scribbling came from her side of the easel. " How about you?"

" Less than a month." God, I haven't had a conversation in so long.

" How's your Spanish?"

I scowled, " Worse than I thought."

" It'll get better. It's amazing what you can learn when you have to." She continued her draw, peering around periodically to look at me. " So, what's your name?"

" Letty."

" Cute, is it short for something?"

" Nothing that's ever used anymore." I folded my arms over my chest and slouched, before realizing how much I'd moved.

She peered around again and laughed. " It's okay, relax there for a minute, Letty. I'm Jennifer O'Connor, call me Jenny."

" Not very art sounding." I smirked.

" That's why I always sign them, Shayne O'Connor. I figure in a hundred years, it'll give art historians something to laugh about."

We talked about mundane things, the weather, the beach and movies we'd both seen and liked.  She gave me some tips on how to keep food down and some stuff to avoid getting near while I was pregnant. 

Finally she stood up and stretched, " Well that should about do it." She looked at her watch and whistled. " Wow, we've been here an hour and half. You must be ready to run around the block."

" Actually, I'm pretty tired, which is pathetic I haven't done anything."

" I had trouble with getting tired too. I'd get around to go out and by time I was done I needed a nap." She walked over to me and handed me a wad of bills.

" What's this? I don't take charity." I tired to hand it back to her, but she shook her head.

" It's not charity, it's a payment. Standard modeling fee in the states can run up to a hundred per hour. So that's one-hundred-fifty-dollars. That you earned by being your sweet self." She fished around in her purse until she found a business card. " Come see me in a week. The picture will be done so you can see it and you can meet my son and have lunch with us."

My mouth dropped open and I couldn't seem to find my voice.

" Just think about it. My address is right on the card." She winked, gathered up her supplies and disappeared down towards the beach.

In exactly one week I was standing at a modern looking house, which no doubt overlooked the beach from the back. I was about to turn and walk away when the door opened.

" Hey stranger. Come on in." Jenny grinned and motioned for me to come in.

I managed a smile and allowed her to lead me into her home.  The floors were all hardwood and there were a few pairs of shoes by the door. " Do you want me to take my shoes off?"

Jenny smiled, " If you want. I just like to be barefoot."

I noticed that she was covered in paint and plaster; even the rag tied around her head was splattered. A shrill laugh caught my attention and Jenny knelt down and picked up a little blond haired boy. " You are so filthy." She laughed and motioned me to the living room. " Go sit down. I'll get him clean and be right back."

I could hear Jenny and Morgan laughing as they raced up the stairs. I looked around the living room at the different pictures and statues. I noticed a price tag and was confused for a moment before remembering that this was her gallery.  There were beautiful pictures of beach and mountains, god she was really good.  Another thundering on the stairs drew my attention.

Jenny was wearing an old-looking jumpsuit, and her son was in new looking pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  " Say hi to Miss Letty, Morgan."

" Hola Senorita Letty." Morgan grinned and showed off his toothless smile.

" Hi there Morgan. I've heard a lot about you." I smiled at the adorable kid.

Jenny knelt down next to her son. " Could you go pick some bananas for lunch, hero?"

" Yup." Morgan dashed out towards the back door.

Jenny looked at me and motioned for me to follow her again. " Sorry about the mess and insanity. I'm usually a bit more organized, but we were sculpting."

" Morgan helps?"

" In his own way." Jenny winked and led me into a room with sheets on the floor.  " This is creation central." She announced, before walking over to a covered canvas. "And this is what you inspired."

The picture was of me, though a bit altered here and there. I was sitting on a stonewall, my hands resting on my stomach and my expression wistful as if I was waiting for something, or someone.

" So what am I waiting for?" I questioned.

" I don't know, whoever you pining over when I met you." She gave me a critical look, " And you still are."

I folded my arms over my chest. " You've got some nerve."

" I'm an artist, it's an occupational hazard. So do you mind if I sell it?"

" If I say no, what will you do with it?"

" I'll keep in here and use it for later inspiration." She answered and shrugged her shoulders. " It's not like I'm hurting for sales."

" Momma, I got 'um." Morgan ran in with an armful of bananas.

" Great job sweetheart. What should we make for lunch?"

" Peanut butter and banana sandwiches." He grinned.

Funny as the combination sounded to me, it actually sounded good. " Fine with me."

Jenny let out a laugh and ushered both of us into the kitchen.

It was hours later and Jenny had put Morgan down for a nap. He had fused about going upstairs for his nap, claiming he wasn't tired but after a few minutes on the couch he was out like a light. Jenny showed me to the back deck, which overlooked the ocean and sat down.

" Would you like anything to drink?" She asked.

" No. I'm fine. I haven't eaten that much and kept it down in days." I knocked on the wooden table for luck.

" Doesn't surprise me. Though I only had morning sickness during the first tri." Jenny folded her arms behind her head.

" I hate you." I growled and looked out over the ocean.

" Most people say that." She followed my eyes. " So you never answered me about the painting."

I bit my lip. I'd been thinking about it for the entire afternoon. " Could you put in the front window for a few weeks than sell it."

Jenny's eyebrow arched. " I can, but why do you want me to put it in the front window?"

" I'm hoping someone will see it." I could feel tears gathering in my eyes and I wiped them away quickly.

" Same someone that your waiting for?" Jenny guessed.

" Yeah." I drew in a breath and sighed.

" Letty, what are you doing in Mexico?"

" You really don't want to know."

" Try me." She picked idly at the table. " You tell me your story and I'll tell you mine."

I wasn't sure about her curiosity, but I needed to talk to someone. " My friends and I robbed some 18 wheelers.  We got into trouble on the last job. One of friends ended up in the hospital, one is dead and the other two are god knows where." I sniffed.

" One of them is the father?" She wondered.

I pulled out my wallet. " The guy with his arm around my waist. Dom." I chocked a bit, god I was pathetic; the sound of his name killed me.

" Your soul-mate huh? God, Letty, I'm so sorry." Her expression was full of compassion.

I shrugged trying to make light of it as I took the picture back. " That's why I'm here. He told me, that he had a dream about us being on a beach in Mexico. So here I am."

" Looking at every beach town you can find." Jenny finished for me and brushed her hair back behind her ear. " There are towns all over Veracruz. This may be where you find him."

" I don't know." I sighed and looked at her. " So what's the artist doing in Mexico?"

" Making a living." She snickered. " And hiding from the cops. I killed my husband."

" You did not." I scoffed. There was no way in Hell this chick offed anyone.

" Oh yes I did. I slit his throat." She looked at me for another moment before continuing.  " I married Tom after dating him for over a year. He was sweet, but had the worst the luck. If there was a bad deal within 50 miles, he found it.  I was already moderately successful, in Seattle, which is where we lived.  I bought the house and our wedding rings, but he bought my engagement ring, or so he told me, found out later that it was an heirloom.  We'd been married for a year, before I had my first big gallery show. I ran into my old art teacher and we talked for hours after the gallery had closed.  I came home and Tom was waiting up for me.  He hit me before I even said hi, threatened me, and pulled off my engagement ring so fast he broke my finger.  Then he dug it into my shoulder and cut me with it."  She pushed the shoulder of her shirt down and showed off a nasty looking scar.

" How many stitches?" I asked.

" None. That was the cardinal rule: no hospitals.  Anyways, that was six months of Hell. Then I found out I pregnant with Morgan and Tom changed his attitude. Waited on me hand and foot.  Even after Morgan was born he was super sweet to both of us. I though the whole mess was over." She sighed and twirled a curl on her finger. " Morgan started walking at nine months. Tom would hit me every once and while, but he wouldn't touch Morgan, so I just dealt with it. Then when Morgan was ten months he knocked some of Tom's glass chess pieces onto the fall and they broke. Tom kicked him across the living room." Jenny drew in an unsteady breath. " He kicked our baby, like a fucking soccer ball. So he storms out of the house furious at the world. I picked up Morgan and panicked, his breathing was so shallow I was afraid he was going to die."

" You took him to the hospital." I guessed.

" Yeah, and Tom exploded when I got home. Beat me to a bloody pulp, then he told me that if I ever went to the hospital again, he'd kill me and torture Morgan for as long as he could.  He passed out and I made up my mind that he had to go.  So I got the butcher knife from the kitchen and I slit his throat. I still don't feel guilty."

" You shouldn't the ass deserved it. But how did you get to Mexico?"

" Oh, that the best part. See it was pretty common for me to take out thousands of dollars at a time out my bank accounts, so that what I did. By the time I hocked the ring in LA and I had over 75 thousand dollars."

" Holy shit!" I hollered.

Jenny just laughed, " I told you I was good. Anyways. I'd lived here for six months, when I talked to the Major and he arranged it that I was Irish traveler who had gotten amnesia and wanted to become a Mexican citizen."

" So your perfectly legal."

" Yup."

" What was your name before?"

" Kathryn Harrison."

" Not much better than Jenny."

" Thanks a lot."

" Why did you help me?"

" Because you didn't look like a runaway. But you looked like someone who was alone in the world."

" I'm not."

" Not anymore." She smirked and stretched. " I'll give you Rico's number."

" Who the Hell is Rico?"

" Guy that owns a garage in town. He needs a translator for the tourists."

" I can work on cars."

" Even better. He'll pay ya more."

" Thanks."

" Don't worry about it."

End Flashback*