Letty had stayed with the police all night, until they released her into the temporary custody of the Torrettos. She seemed a little shell shocked the first few days. Losing her father and her mother in a matter of weeks was NOT the kind of sweet sixteen she had been hoping for. And it turned out that her custody hearing was the day of her birthday.

Happy birthday to me, Letty thought as she and Tony were ushered to the judge's chambers. They entered and Letty felt a chill run threw her, and for the first time she was afraid, of not being appointed to the Torrettos permanently. Where would she go? Who would take her in?

Two hours later, Letty left the judge's chambers, a smile plastered on her tanned face. She was a Torretto now. She looked up to Tony, who was positively beaming at her, and she couldn't help but smile a little wider. She had a family again. And that was all that mattered to her now.

As they drove home in silence, Letty wondered what she would do the rest of the day. The sun was still in the sky, and Mia was still at her friend Stacy's house, finishing a project. Dom would be home and Tony had to stop at the garage for about an hour.

'I can walk home.' Letty offered getting out and nodding to the mechanics as they ducked under the Sunfire that was currently Tony's main project. Tony smiled.

'Okay. I told Dominic we'd be home at seven, but he'll be happy to see you.' He said before disappearing into the back of the garage, probably searching for his coveralls, which always seemed to be lost. Letty nodded and turned and began walking up the sloped street toward the Torretto's block. After about ten minutes, the white house came into view and Letty quickened her pace. She couldn't wait to tell Dom she was officially part of the family. He hadn't been spending a lot of time with her lately. He would talk with her at breakfast, or have a quick conversation with her in the hall, but other than that, he seemed to disappear off the face of the planet. He'd come home early in the mornings, and woke late. He would come home after school, and no sooner had Letty arrived, then he would leave again.

Probably the stupid engine he and Vince were working on for shop, Letty muttered to herself. She wondered how her team was doing. They were one person short after all. Letty walked up the front steps and reached for the doorknob, when she stopped suddenly. She looked to the driveway and there was Dominic's truck. And a red Volvo 780. Letty winced. She hated Volvo's and this one was too ugly to be one of Dom's friends'. They had taste after all. It looked more like a girl's car. Letty swallowed.

It's fine, Letty told herself. You don't own him. You knew this day would come. He's eighteen after all! He's not into you THAT way. She had to keep telling herself these things. Act normal. She inhaled and turned the doorknob.

She walked in and surveyed the hall. No one was there. But there were a pair of ugly black high heels, kicked in the corner next to Dom's boots. Letty shuddered. Another skank, she sighed. She probably wouldn't have minded as much if it were some nice girl, who actually covered most of her body, but the hoes from school just got under her skin. Letty shrugged and looked around the kitchen. No one there. No one in the living room either.

Letty suddenly heard a squeak and looked up. She then inwardly groaned. They were in Dom's bedroom. There was a deep laugh, and then a high pitched giggle that drifted down the stairs. Letty grinded her teeth together and looked around angrily. She ran over to the door and slammed it shut, so forcefully that it almost flew off its hinges. Letty looked at the stairs and then walked into the kitchen, noticing how everything had suddenly gone quiet. She opened the fridge and took out a Corona. She hadn't told anyone, not even Dom, but she'd been sneaking them since two weeks after her father had died. She leaned against the counter and began sipping, as the sound of Dom's door opening sounded, and footsteps began down the stairs.

Dom came down first, straightening his shirt and he was followed by an Asian girl. She had long black shiny hair, and she was a lot skinnier than Letty. She didn't have much in the way of curves though. She was wearing a very short black skirt and a red tank top, which she was tending to. Dom looked to the door and then to the kitchen and saw Letty. He seemed a bit unsure of how to play this off. Letty shrugged, might as well help him along.

'Hey Dom.' She said in a mock casual tone. The girl whipped around, as she finally fixed her top, and smirked. Letty wanted to wipe that stupid smile off her face but maintained an unfazed expression. 'Hello...' Letty trailed off.

'Mailin. Mailin Tran.' She said in a high, bouncy voice. She smiled and looked to Dom. 'And who's this little girl?' she said as if she thought Letty was some cute little child. Dom opened his mouth about to answer, when Letty cut in.

'I'm Leticia Torretto. Dom's sister.' Letty said, drinking more of her Corona. She figured Mailin went to another school. But the name Tran sounded familiar. Dom stared at Letty, his mouth still open but Mailin seemed to accept her answer.

'Well it was nice meeting you.' She said in a fake tone. She turned to Dom, her voice becoming soft, but still bouncy. 'Dominic, I'll see YOU later.' She gave him a small kiss on his lips and hopped down the last stair, and walked toward her shoes. After she'd slipped them on, and was out the door, Dom turned around and walked into the kitchen. A guilty look plastered on his face. Good, Letty thought, you should be ashamed.

'They just keep getting younger and younger huh Dom. She sounded as if she were in preschool. What next? A sexy seven year old? A foxy five?' Letty said jokingly, trying to withhold the edge she wanted to add to her comment.

'She's seventeen, Letty, that's two years older than you.' He said walking up next to her, grabbing her bottle, 'And when did you start drinking?' he asked, frowning slightly. Letty glared and snatched back the Corona.

'First of all, you're not my father, so don't lecture me on drinking. Second of all, it's my birthday today, you ass whipped Neanderthal, so she's only one year older. Thanks for remembering.' With that, Letty pushed past Dom and stormed up the stairs to his/her room. She threw herself down on the bed, and stared up at the ceiling, sipping her Corona again. She stared for five minutes, before she heard footsteps out in the hall.

'So you're a Torretto now huh?'

'I guess. I'm still Letty Garcia, but I'm gonna stay here.' She said not breaking eye contact with the ceiling, her face hard and cold. She heard Dom come closer and felt the bed sag as he sat down on the edge.

'I guess we should start fixing up the guest room.' He said with a sigh. Letty's eyebrow shot up.

'You have a guest room? Why did I stay there?' she asked, still trying to maintain her angry face, though it was slowly starting to ebb away.

'Because that would have meant cleaning it. And you don't understand what a shit pit it is. It looks like ground zero in there.' He paused, probably looking hopefully for some sign of acknowledgement from her. She didn't give him the benefit of one. He sighed again. 'Look, Lett, I'm sorry I didn't remember.' He said. 'Don't be mad.'

'How can I not be?' Letty said, finally rolling over to look at him. 'And it's not so much that you didn't remember. It's just, you act like I'm such a kid! And now I'm legal and shit, and I'm still a kid. I'll never be good enough.' She finished, taking a deep breath and sipping her Corona again. She noticed Dom's eyebrow was raised. 'What?' she asked frowning.

'Nothing. Just you talking about legal age and shit.' He said smirking. Letty glared.

'Why? Don't you think I've done it before? Sex and shit like that? Just means now I can do it legally.' She finished off her Corona with a smirk at the look of horror on Dom's face. 'Oh come on Dom! You didn't think I was gonna be little virgin Letty forever, didja?' she smiled wider.

'You're not a virgin?' he repeated. Letty laughed as she set the empty bottle on the side table.

'Are you slow or somethin?' she asked, 'I popped the cherry months ago.' She said looking as if this was no big deal. Inwardly Letty was laughing her ass off. Of course she was still a virgin. Who would she have done it with? Shawn? He was the only guy who had ever seen her romantically. Well besides Bobby from last summer. But Letty could play it off that it was him that was 'the one'. She just liked watching Dom squirm.

'Whatever.' Dom said trying to not look put off. Letty smiled and looked Dom over.

'Does it... bother you Dom?' she said, trying to look seductive, stretched out on his bed, wearing tight black pants and a fitted blouse. She was going for the good girl look when she went to the hearing. Dom shook his head.

'Naw. I mean, I'd be a hypocrite if I told you not to do anything.' He said matter-of-factly. Letty frowned. Okay, not exactly what she wanted him to answer with. But Dom continued. 'I mean, I've had so many women, if I told you it was wrong, I'd kind of be acting like a dick.' He smirked, and Letty knew he knew what she had been trying to do. She tried to kick him but he jumped up and practically ran for the door.

'You ARE a dick, Torretto!' She yelled, throwing a pillow at him as he ran out into the hall. He reappeared and smiled.

'You're a Torretto too now, remember!' he said before running down the hall. Letty let out a sigh and fell back across the bed. She was.

Later that night, Tony and Mia came home with a big chocolate cake that read 'Happy Birthday Letty Torretto Garcia!' and there were a couple of gifts. To Letty's surprise, there was one from Dom.

It was no big deal, he told her, it was a huge picture frame, with three different picture cases. In one there was a picture of Letty, Dom and Mia when Letty was ten. The second picture was of her and Dom when she was fourteen. The third was empty. Letty smiled and thanked him.

Tony gave her, his old camera, which Letty supposed fit in with Dom's present. And Mia gave her some jewelry and a few of her old shirts. Letty thanked them all, telling them they were the best. She took a picture of all of them together and a few of them individually. After cake and a movie, Mia and Tony went to bed, too tired to stay up. Letty and Dom were left to finish off the rest of the cake.

'So, you and Mailin huh?' Letty said finishing a slice of cake. Dom smiled.

'Yeah I guess. We've been together a week.'

'WOW! That must be an all time record or something!' Letty said in mock admiration. Dom smirked at her.

'Ha ha Letty.' He said sipping a Corona. 'Very funny.'

'I thought so. Mailin's kind of prissy though.' She said sipping her own Corona and taking another piece of cake. Dom raised an eyebrow.

'How would you know? You've only met her once.' He said laughing. Letty smiled back.

'Actually, I've met her before that. When me and Torynn went to Spanish school, she was at the Chinese end of the building. Her brother's a lot like you when I think about it.' Letty said sipping her beer. Dom smiled.

'Johnny? Yeah, he's okay. He's all about cars and shit, but he's no where near my skills. Kind of a poser if you ask me.' Dom said finishing the last piece of cake. Letty muffled some laughter. 'What?'

'Nothing. He asked me out when we were younger.' Letty said swallowing the last of her beer.

'Really? When you were what? Five?' Dom said placing his dishes in the sink.

'When I was thirteen. I turned him down though. He was running high off himself. All ego and no real personality. Kind of like you.' Letty said smirking to emphasize her joke. Dom sat back down.

'So what's Mailin like then? In your opinion.' Dom said. Letty paused, gathering her memories and then put her fork down on her unfinished cake.

'Well. As I remember it, she was really high maintenance. Always whining about something. Really into gossiping and stabbing people in the back.' Letty leaned back. 'She was pretty good at tennis too.' Dom grinned.

'That's Mai alright.' He said taking Letty's plate and scraping the contents into the garbage. 'She's hot though.' He said, and Letty rolled her eyes.

'How observant. I really hope I can find a guy as deep as you someday Dom.' Letty said with a snicker. Dom grinned again.

'Damn straight. So when are you coming back to school?' he said leaning against the counter. Letty shrugged.

'I almost wanna drop out.' She said. 'BUT!' she put in before Dom could attack her about the value of education. 'But, I know I can't. So probably next week. I'll have to study through summer to pass.' She sighed.

'Oh yeah, Yates gave this to Mia yesterday, said she wanted you to read it ASAP.' He handed Letty a thin envelope. Letty frowned as she stared at it and ripped it open, removing the pristine contents and reading it.

'Well?' Dom asked impatiently after waiting five minutes, 'What does it say?' Letty looked up as she threw it onto the table.

'Not much.' She said looking nonchalant. 'Stuff about this private prep school wanting to accept me.' Dom's eyebrows raised. 'I'm not going though. I told Yates I didn't want to.'

'Lett, this is huge! You can't throw an opportunity like this away! You've gotta go.' Dom said sitting down across from her. Letty shrugged. 'Come on Lett, I've always known you were a smart girl, now you can prove it to everyone else. And plus, you get a uniform!' he said as his eyes swept over the letter in his hand. Letty snatched it back and glared as he laughed. 'Come on, it's a turn on.' He said getting up.

'Yeah, yeah.' She looked back at the paper. Dom smiled.

'Look Lett. Just think about it.' He said softly as he walked over to the stairs. She sighed.

'Alright Dom, but only for you.' She said smiling.

'Don't do it for me Letty. Do it for you.' He said as he walked up the stairs. Letty watched the spot he had been for what seemed like an eternity. She hated how he made her love him.