Hello there, readers! So glad this got good reviews. Makes me happy! ::Piece of chocolate and kiss on the nose to Flamer33 and tempest-racer:: My muse has been happy lately, so he's provided me with lots of work (::salutes my muse, Jack::). Here's chapter two! And to address the comment from tempest-racer, Letty and the rest of the team show up in this chapter, yay! Don't worry, they're in the whole fic. This story was orignial one big long short story, but I split it up into chapters to post it on here. It is complete now (you can thank Jack), and I will post it as I feel like it (mwahaha I am evil). So, this author's note is turning into a novel! Onto the story!!
From then on, it seemed like Ellie was always in the garage. Dom had begun by asking her over, and then Mia became friends with her and took over that job, and eventually, she started staying on a cot in Mia's room as they all prepped for Race Wars together. Somehow, she had just become part of the team. It sort of amazed Dom: the southern chick and the L.A. street racers. She got along so well with everybody, including, crazily enough, Letty, who didn't get along with anyone in the female race, except Mia. Dom was finding that Letty was getting the in the way of a lot of things. Things had never been serious between him and Letty, but nowadays, he couldn't even enjoy sex with her anymore, and she was getting unhappy. Not to mention Dom, who was miserable. He just couldn't take his eyes off of Ellie. He didn't let on to anyone, and Letty was the only one who guessed. She and Ellie were alone in the garage one day, when Letty laughed suddenly.
"What?" asked Ellie.
"I was just thinkin' about Dom."
"You guys serious?"
"Nah, far from it. Little sex now and then, but, hell, he's pissing me off now." She laughed again. "Thanks to you."
"Huh?"
"Oh, God, don't tell me you haven't noticed him watchin' you."
"Been trying to ignore it."
"He's gone obsessive. You didn't know him before, but Dom wasn't concerned with anyone but himself. He didn't watch nobody. Never had a woman he could get, and even then, it wasn't too big of a deal. You've gotten to him."
Ellie laughed.
"It wouldn't be so big of a deal, but -- there're just too many problems."
"Like what?"
"Too many. It's funny I should snag the guy that every chick in the racing world is after, and I don't want him." Or do I? she couldn't help asking herself, silently.
"Lunch!" yelled Ellie, as she walked from the kitchen into the garage, carrying a plate of sandwiches. There was a mingled response of approval from the various mechanics, and they all appeared from under cars, in cars, behind cars, and beside cars to retrieve their lunches. Only Dom didn't appear.
"Dom!" yelled Ellie. "You don't get you butt over here, I'm giving your sandwich to Vince!" Vince was eyeing it hungrily.
"Take it, V!" said Dom, from somewhere in or around his car. Ellie shrugged, tossed the sandwich to Vince, and walked over to Dom.
"What's up?" she asked, finding Dom under the car.
"Hydraulics are all screwed up."
"Hmm …" Ellie grabbed his foot and pulled. The cart he was lying on slid out and he looked up at her, surprised.
"Take a break," she said.
"Ellie, look at these hoses! They're a mess."
"I think you should take a break."
He frowned, shrugged, and stood up.
"I've got a beer for you in the house, come on." They walked into the kitchen and she tossed him a beer, popping open her own.
"Now, aside from cars, what's goin' on?" Ellie asked.
"What is going on?" he looked at me in amazement. "You've been right here, what's your problem?"
"You've just shut up a little bit lately."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you've been this strong-but-silent guy for about two weeks now."
"What makes you think I'm not that way all the time?"
"Toretto, just because you didn't used to see me at the races, doesn't mean I wasn't there. Besides, I've been here for two months. This is strange."
He frowned. Ellie was backing him into a corner and he didn't like it. Dom took that moment to take the upper hand. He narrowed his eyes.
"How about you? It's just occurred to me that I don't know a damn thing about you. Fill me in."
She was stonily silent. Why the hell had she brought him in here? What was she thinking? He smirked, took a swig of his Corona, and walked out. Ellie bit her lip and sat down, thinking about the conversation she had had with Letty earlier. What the hell was she playing at?
Ellie parked the car in front of the Texaco when there was a yell.
"Put your hands behind your back!." She frowned and complied, feeling a set of cuffs clamped around her wrists. She was backed into a car, and zipped downtown. As they drove up, she said,
"Dammit, Muse, take these things off. I mean, shit, you put 'em on so tight!"
"I like realism."
"He likes realism… Sarge, I've only got a minute," she said to the bearded cop standing in front of her. "Dom's expecting me back in about fifteen minutes and it's a ten minute drive."
"So whattya got?"
"Nothin'. If he's plannin' to pull a job, I don't know about it, if he is the guy hijacking the trucks. But I don't think he's the deranged criminal you have him made out to be. Just a little bit of a desperado."
"Oh, that's a big improvement!" said Muse, sarcastically. "You've been in there three weeks and you've got us nothing!"
"I'm going to make a move. Don't rush me. I'm going to check out Hector's garage tonight."
"Okay -- take care of yourself, Ellie. Give me a call when you can."
"Sure, Sarge Muse, see you." She walked out, suddenly feeling guilty. Was she doing right by these people, letting them trust her like this? And Dom? She was having trouble admitting she was attracted to him, but after her conversation with Letty about his attraction to her ... And after what Letty had told her about the guy he had beat, and why, she could think of him quite the same way. He was a huge man, broad-chested, handsome, and dangerous. But somehow lovable. He was a man in everything he did, and Ellie felt that perhaps she had come up against the one person in the world who could have controlled her, if her cared to. It frightened her, and yet somehow, she liked the feeling. She climbed into her truck that had been towed here ("Hasty service," she thought), and paused a moment before putting it in gear. "Damn my work ethic," she thought, with a sigh. It was getting in the way of seeing a clear path through her feelings.
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Action and angst in the next chapter, hooray! Things pick up a little. Stay tuned, and review! Reviewers THIS time get ... a kiss on the nose from MY MUSE (who is about three inches tall, but very cute, just like his namesake, the infamous Jack Sparrow) and a big bowl of sugar!
From then on, it seemed like Ellie was always in the garage. Dom had begun by asking her over, and then Mia became friends with her and took over that job, and eventually, she started staying on a cot in Mia's room as they all prepped for Race Wars together. Somehow, she had just become part of the team. It sort of amazed Dom: the southern chick and the L.A. street racers. She got along so well with everybody, including, crazily enough, Letty, who didn't get along with anyone in the female race, except Mia. Dom was finding that Letty was getting the in the way of a lot of things. Things had never been serious between him and Letty, but nowadays, he couldn't even enjoy sex with her anymore, and she was getting unhappy. Not to mention Dom, who was miserable. He just couldn't take his eyes off of Ellie. He didn't let on to anyone, and Letty was the only one who guessed. She and Ellie were alone in the garage one day, when Letty laughed suddenly.
"What?" asked Ellie.
"I was just thinkin' about Dom."
"You guys serious?"
"Nah, far from it. Little sex now and then, but, hell, he's pissing me off now." She laughed again. "Thanks to you."
"Huh?"
"Oh, God, don't tell me you haven't noticed him watchin' you."
"Been trying to ignore it."
"He's gone obsessive. You didn't know him before, but Dom wasn't concerned with anyone but himself. He didn't watch nobody. Never had a woman he could get, and even then, it wasn't too big of a deal. You've gotten to him."
Ellie laughed.
"It wouldn't be so big of a deal, but -- there're just too many problems."
"Like what?"
"Too many. It's funny I should snag the guy that every chick in the racing world is after, and I don't want him." Or do I? she couldn't help asking herself, silently.
"Lunch!" yelled Ellie, as she walked from the kitchen into the garage, carrying a plate of sandwiches. There was a mingled response of approval from the various mechanics, and they all appeared from under cars, in cars, behind cars, and beside cars to retrieve their lunches. Only Dom didn't appear.
"Dom!" yelled Ellie. "You don't get you butt over here, I'm giving your sandwich to Vince!" Vince was eyeing it hungrily.
"Take it, V!" said Dom, from somewhere in or around his car. Ellie shrugged, tossed the sandwich to Vince, and walked over to Dom.
"What's up?" she asked, finding Dom under the car.
"Hydraulics are all screwed up."
"Hmm …" Ellie grabbed his foot and pulled. The cart he was lying on slid out and he looked up at her, surprised.
"Take a break," she said.
"Ellie, look at these hoses! They're a mess."
"I think you should take a break."
He frowned, shrugged, and stood up.
"I've got a beer for you in the house, come on." They walked into the kitchen and she tossed him a beer, popping open her own.
"Now, aside from cars, what's goin' on?" Ellie asked.
"What is going on?" he looked at me in amazement. "You've been right here, what's your problem?"
"You've just shut up a little bit lately."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you've been this strong-but-silent guy for about two weeks now."
"What makes you think I'm not that way all the time?"
"Toretto, just because you didn't used to see me at the races, doesn't mean I wasn't there. Besides, I've been here for two months. This is strange."
He frowned. Ellie was backing him into a corner and he didn't like it. Dom took that moment to take the upper hand. He narrowed his eyes.
"How about you? It's just occurred to me that I don't know a damn thing about you. Fill me in."
She was stonily silent. Why the hell had she brought him in here? What was she thinking? He smirked, took a swig of his Corona, and walked out. Ellie bit her lip and sat down, thinking about the conversation she had had with Letty earlier. What the hell was she playing at?
Ellie parked the car in front of the Texaco when there was a yell.
"Put your hands behind your back!." She frowned and complied, feeling a set of cuffs clamped around her wrists. She was backed into a car, and zipped downtown. As they drove up, she said,
"Dammit, Muse, take these things off. I mean, shit, you put 'em on so tight!"
"I like realism."
"He likes realism… Sarge, I've only got a minute," she said to the bearded cop standing in front of her. "Dom's expecting me back in about fifteen minutes and it's a ten minute drive."
"So whattya got?"
"Nothin'. If he's plannin' to pull a job, I don't know about it, if he is the guy hijacking the trucks. But I don't think he's the deranged criminal you have him made out to be. Just a little bit of a desperado."
"Oh, that's a big improvement!" said Muse, sarcastically. "You've been in there three weeks and you've got us nothing!"
"I'm going to make a move. Don't rush me. I'm going to check out Hector's garage tonight."
"Okay -- take care of yourself, Ellie. Give me a call when you can."
"Sure, Sarge Muse, see you." She walked out, suddenly feeling guilty. Was she doing right by these people, letting them trust her like this? And Dom? She was having trouble admitting she was attracted to him, but after her conversation with Letty about his attraction to her ... And after what Letty had told her about the guy he had beat, and why, she could think of him quite the same way. He was a huge man, broad-chested, handsome, and dangerous. But somehow lovable. He was a man in everything he did, and Ellie felt that perhaps she had come up against the one person in the world who could have controlled her, if her cared to. It frightened her, and yet somehow, she liked the feeling. She climbed into her truck that had been towed here ("Hasty service," she thought), and paused a moment before putting it in gear. "Damn my work ethic," she thought, with a sigh. It was getting in the way of seeing a clear path through her feelings.
Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Action and angst in the next chapter, hooray! Things pick up a little. Stay tuned, and review! Reviewers THIS time get ... a kiss on the nose from MY MUSE (who is about three inches tall, but very cute, just like his namesake, the infamous Jack Sparrow) and a big bowl of sugar!