A/N: ahhh, reviews. so happy! onto chapter four!
Chapter Four: If you don't, I won't be able to
She was unconscious when Dom carried her into the house. The rest of the team was waiting in the TV room, looking anxious. They jumped up when they heard his voice.
"Get the door!" Mia raced for it and yanked it open.
"Oh, my God -" she whispered when she saw Ellie. "Dom, what happened?"
"Mia, get me some towels, okay? And some ice." He carried her gently upstairs and into the bathroom. Ellie groaned as he set her in the tub and started to peel off her clothes.
"It's okay, baby…" he breathed. "Shit, they really did a piece on you…" He had her down to her bra and underwear, and she was bruised and bleeding all over. He pulled down the shower handle and gently sprayed her with warm water. Mia walked in with some fresh towels and ice.
"I'll change the sheets on your bed for her," said Mia, walked out.
"Thanks -" said Dom, and set about cleaning her up as gently as possible.
A few hours later, Ellie felt herself swimming back to consciousness. She winced almost immediately. Dom was sitting in a chair by her head. He caught her eyes open, and he said anxiously,
"Ellie?"
"Hey," she said, softly.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Okay. Just a little sore."
"What happened?"
"A couple of your friends went a little car-deranged."
"What?"
"Johnny Tran. That guy takes his cars way too seriously--" she added quickly, hoping to avert him from the rage she saw blackening his features. She was unsuccessful, however. Dom's face was absolutely squared. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were smoldering.
"I'll kill him-" he muttered.
"Dom, don't. Calm down," she said.
"He's not getting away with this!"
"Don't make a huge thing out of it. Let it ride itself out. It's my fight. Let me take his ass at Race Wars, then we'll see who comes out on the upper hand. Come on, you know what I'm running. I can beat him."
"I don't car about the stupid race -- this isn't about that!"
"Let it be about that. Look, you know I can handle myself. I was stupid last night. But I can take care of myself. Let me deal with this my way."
Dom didn't say anything, but only to avert an argument. His plans hadn't changed. When Race Wars rolled around, Tran would be sorry. His features softened slightly as he looked at her, and his jaw unclenched. She thought it was because of her argument, but Dom knew it was just looking at her. She made him feel so protective, like he was looking after Mia. But it was different. That was his little sister. This was the first girl he didn't just want to get into bed with. Not that that was a bad idea either. She was watching him watch her, her eyes soft and questioning.
"Dom," she said, at last. "What is this?"
"What's what?"
"This. Why is it you here? Not Mia? I don't see you as the medic of the household."
His looked at her for a moment, judging the situation. Then, he threw caution to the wind as he did only with his life. He leaned in and kissed her. Soft and gentle at first, and when she hungrily reciprocated, harder and more passionate. His arms crawled around her back and pulled her to him. The kiss sent electricity shooting down Ellie's limbs and she began to shake slightly. Dom became more intense and with effort she broke away from him.
"Dom -" she whispered. He ignored her and lightly teased the edges of her lips.
"Dom -" she tried again. Then, stronger, "Dom!" He broke away and looked at her.
"Dom, stop -- because if you don't, I won't be able to. And I'll break every rule I ever made for myself." He stared into her eyes for a long moment, then nodded. He smiled slightly and kissed her on the tip of the nose.
* * *
The morning of the Race Wars dawned cold and clear. Ellie didn't want to do her job. She had never been so miserable and happy at the same time. Dom seemed almost never to leave her side. He would sneak up randomly behind her, pick her up, put her in his lap, and kiss her. Or tickle her. He was so loving, and so careful. He never tried to tempt her to do anything she didn't want to do, or couldn't do. She wanted to just quit the job, and admit everything, and just stay here. She'd never been so tempted by any man in her entire life. She couldn't stand not sharing this huge dark secret with Dom. She felt horrible. He would be there, doing her some small kindness, and all she could feel was guilt, and love. All of these thoughts ran through her mind as she drove to the desert, alone, following the other couple of cars from the team. They came up on the track, pulled in, and then they split and went their different ways. Ellie raced twice, won twice, and then settled back to watch the others, waiting for Tran. She saw Jesse driving his Dad's rig up to the line and walked over to Leon.
"What's he racin' for?"
"Pinks. Against Johnny."
"Aw, shit."
"Yeah..."
Jesse lost, and he panicked. He took off, tearing away from the race complex.
"Shit," Leon and Ellie said in unison, giving each other worried glances. Dom walked up just as Johnny drove up.
"Where's Jesse goin'?" asked Dom.
"He just raced Tran for slips," said Leon.
"Shit -"
"Hey, where's he goin'?" yelled Johnny.
"Went to the carwash!" said Dom. The air was tense.
"Well, whatever, go fetch my car."
"Go fetch your car?" said Dom, incredulously. "We're not on your block anymore. You better watch who you talk to like that." Dom walked away.
"Toretto!" yelled Tran. Dom didn't turn. "TORETTO!" He turned, but didn't look at Johnny, who spoke anyway.
"SWAT came into my house! Disrespected my whole family because somebody narc'd me out. And you know what? It was YOU!" Dom hit him so hard and so fast that it was blur, and Johnny was on the ground, with a bloody nose. Dom leapt on him, fury written all over him. The crowd tried to pull them apart, but Dom was too strong and too angry.
"DOM, CHILL OUT MAN!"
"GET OFF OF HIM!"
"Dom!" Ellie screamed, and grabbed his shoulders. "Dom, let him up, let go!" Leon and V shoved her out of the way and hauled him up. It took both of them to hold him back, and then just barely. He was yelling.
"I never narc'd on nobody! I NEVER narc'd on nobody!"
"Dom, let's go!" Ellie cried, and the four of them sprinted out of the crowd.
"Dom," she said. "Jesse - Johnny's gonna go after him!" Dom frowned, and the two of them leapt into a car. Dom revved the engine and looked at Ellie.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm going with you."
"Like hell you are!"
"Just drive!" she said. He floored it and they took off, weaving through cars and getting out of the raceway. They drove about twenty miles, when he suddenly pulled off the road and stopped the car.
"They're a ways behind us. I want to talk to you."
"Yeah?"
"I want you to tell me the truth. You've been bullshittin' me this whole time and I want to know what's really going down here. I can feel it. Every time I'm with you." His voice was anxious and hard at the same time.
Ellie looked at him silently.
"DAMMIT, Ellie, TELL ME!" His voice was furious. He slammed his hand down on the dashboard. Then he leaned over to her, pulled her close to him, and kissed her passionately. She had absolutely no control, and she didn't want it. When he released her, he held her face in both of his hands, and her body was only inches from him. She was reminded, again, of what a huge man he was.
"Okay," she said softly. Her eyes suddenly filled up with tears, and she looked away. He gripped her chin and pulled her to face him.
"Dom -" she said. "You're right. I'm not who you think I am… I -" she broke off and then plunged on, recklessly: "I'm a cop. I've been undercover since the first time I met you. But, Dom, I swear to God, I've never regretted something more in my entire life. I don't want to hurt any of you, I don't want to turn anyone in, I want to just stop, to quit."
He stared at her, his face becoming a hard blank.
"Dom - Dom, say something -" she said desperately. "Dom, please."
"You're a damn cop, and you're asking me to say, 'Oh, don't worry, I don't care'?" he said harshly.
"No, Dom -"
"Shut up."
He turned the key and pulled out into the road again, and gunned the motor. She turned her face back out the side window as they tore down the road.
Dom was gripping the wheel, and his muscles were tightening under his skin, trying to contain his sadness, fury, betrayal, and disappointment. How could she be a cop? It was a strange feeling for Dom, because he never had a problem letting people go. He'd hardened himself to it, because Dom didn't need anyone. No one could hurt him. But, somehow, he was having trouble dealing with this.
As they drove, they saw Jesse's car in the distance, and the roaring of bike engines behind them became audible.
"Shit," said Dom. She looked at him suddenly and he said, his voice toneless,
"Pull up the seat top in the backseat. There's a couple of guns back there. Give me one." She complied.
"What do you want? The shotgun, .22, or the pistol?"
"Give me the .22."
"I'm taking your shotgun, then."
"You're staying in the car."
"Dom -"
"You're staying in the car."
He was serious, so she only grabbed the .22 and climbed back up front.
"I'm going to get in Jesse's car. Take the wheel when I jump out."
"Okay," said Ellie, as Dom pulled alongside of Jesse's car and yelled,
"Open your door!"
"Dom!" said Ellie. He looked at her. "Be careful."
"Always," he said, and leaped from car to car. Ellie flung herself at the wheel and accelerated to get out of the way. Dom had made the leap, and she spun the car around and began to race the other way in the hopes that a few of Johnny's guys would follow her. Two of them spun and swerved after her. Ellie accelerated, then dropped back so that they wouldn't lose her. Suddenly, the window pane behind her shattered. She yelped and accelerated. The radio on the seat next to her crackled.
"Ellie! Come back this way!"
It was Jesse's voice. She spun around to face the two thugs. Shooting between them, she gave it some Nos, and disappeared in the distance. They followed. As she crested a hill, she heard the radio crackle, "Shit Ellie go back!", but it was too late. She saw the other four of the six coming at her, and Jesse's car in hot pursuit. There was a couple of shots and two of the bikes swerved off and tumbled into the ditch. The two bikers weren't slowing down, and to avoid hitting them, she'd have to turn. She wrenched the wheel, hit one of the fallen bikes and the car went flying through the air, flipped twice, and crashed upside-down off on the side of the road and slid a few hundred feet.
A/N: mwahaha a cliffhanger! Told you I was mean to characters I like. Thanks for all the reviews, I'm touched! So's Jack. More to come soon!
Chapter Four: If you don't, I won't be able to
She was unconscious when Dom carried her into the house. The rest of the team was waiting in the TV room, looking anxious. They jumped up when they heard his voice.
"Get the door!" Mia raced for it and yanked it open.
"Oh, my God -" she whispered when she saw Ellie. "Dom, what happened?"
"Mia, get me some towels, okay? And some ice." He carried her gently upstairs and into the bathroom. Ellie groaned as he set her in the tub and started to peel off her clothes.
"It's okay, baby…" he breathed. "Shit, they really did a piece on you…" He had her down to her bra and underwear, and she was bruised and bleeding all over. He pulled down the shower handle and gently sprayed her with warm water. Mia walked in with some fresh towels and ice.
"I'll change the sheets on your bed for her," said Mia, walked out.
"Thanks -" said Dom, and set about cleaning her up as gently as possible.
A few hours later, Ellie felt herself swimming back to consciousness. She winced almost immediately. Dom was sitting in a chair by her head. He caught her eyes open, and he said anxiously,
"Ellie?"
"Hey," she said, softly.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"Okay. Just a little sore."
"What happened?"
"A couple of your friends went a little car-deranged."
"What?"
"Johnny Tran. That guy takes his cars way too seriously--" she added quickly, hoping to avert him from the rage she saw blackening his features. She was unsuccessful, however. Dom's face was absolutely squared. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were smoldering.
"I'll kill him-" he muttered.
"Dom, don't. Calm down," she said.
"He's not getting away with this!"
"Don't make a huge thing out of it. Let it ride itself out. It's my fight. Let me take his ass at Race Wars, then we'll see who comes out on the upper hand. Come on, you know what I'm running. I can beat him."
"I don't car about the stupid race -- this isn't about that!"
"Let it be about that. Look, you know I can handle myself. I was stupid last night. But I can take care of myself. Let me deal with this my way."
Dom didn't say anything, but only to avert an argument. His plans hadn't changed. When Race Wars rolled around, Tran would be sorry. His features softened slightly as he looked at her, and his jaw unclenched. She thought it was because of her argument, but Dom knew it was just looking at her. She made him feel so protective, like he was looking after Mia. But it was different. That was his little sister. This was the first girl he didn't just want to get into bed with. Not that that was a bad idea either. She was watching him watch her, her eyes soft and questioning.
"Dom," she said, at last. "What is this?"
"What's what?"
"This. Why is it you here? Not Mia? I don't see you as the medic of the household."
His looked at her for a moment, judging the situation. Then, he threw caution to the wind as he did only with his life. He leaned in and kissed her. Soft and gentle at first, and when she hungrily reciprocated, harder and more passionate. His arms crawled around her back and pulled her to him. The kiss sent electricity shooting down Ellie's limbs and she began to shake slightly. Dom became more intense and with effort she broke away from him.
"Dom -" she whispered. He ignored her and lightly teased the edges of her lips.
"Dom -" she tried again. Then, stronger, "Dom!" He broke away and looked at her.
"Dom, stop -- because if you don't, I won't be able to. And I'll break every rule I ever made for myself." He stared into her eyes for a long moment, then nodded. He smiled slightly and kissed her on the tip of the nose.
* * *
The morning of the Race Wars dawned cold and clear. Ellie didn't want to do her job. She had never been so miserable and happy at the same time. Dom seemed almost never to leave her side. He would sneak up randomly behind her, pick her up, put her in his lap, and kiss her. Or tickle her. He was so loving, and so careful. He never tried to tempt her to do anything she didn't want to do, or couldn't do. She wanted to just quit the job, and admit everything, and just stay here. She'd never been so tempted by any man in her entire life. She couldn't stand not sharing this huge dark secret with Dom. She felt horrible. He would be there, doing her some small kindness, and all she could feel was guilt, and love. All of these thoughts ran through her mind as she drove to the desert, alone, following the other couple of cars from the team. They came up on the track, pulled in, and then they split and went their different ways. Ellie raced twice, won twice, and then settled back to watch the others, waiting for Tran. She saw Jesse driving his Dad's rig up to the line and walked over to Leon.
"What's he racin' for?"
"Pinks. Against Johnny."
"Aw, shit."
"Yeah..."
Jesse lost, and he panicked. He took off, tearing away from the race complex.
"Shit," Leon and Ellie said in unison, giving each other worried glances. Dom walked up just as Johnny drove up.
"Where's Jesse goin'?" asked Dom.
"He just raced Tran for slips," said Leon.
"Shit -"
"Hey, where's he goin'?" yelled Johnny.
"Went to the carwash!" said Dom. The air was tense.
"Well, whatever, go fetch my car."
"Go fetch your car?" said Dom, incredulously. "We're not on your block anymore. You better watch who you talk to like that." Dom walked away.
"Toretto!" yelled Tran. Dom didn't turn. "TORETTO!" He turned, but didn't look at Johnny, who spoke anyway.
"SWAT came into my house! Disrespected my whole family because somebody narc'd me out. And you know what? It was YOU!" Dom hit him so hard and so fast that it was blur, and Johnny was on the ground, with a bloody nose. Dom leapt on him, fury written all over him. The crowd tried to pull them apart, but Dom was too strong and too angry.
"DOM, CHILL OUT MAN!"
"GET OFF OF HIM!"
"Dom!" Ellie screamed, and grabbed his shoulders. "Dom, let him up, let go!" Leon and V shoved her out of the way and hauled him up. It took both of them to hold him back, and then just barely. He was yelling.
"I never narc'd on nobody! I NEVER narc'd on nobody!"
"Dom, let's go!" Ellie cried, and the four of them sprinted out of the crowd.
"Dom," she said. "Jesse - Johnny's gonna go after him!" Dom frowned, and the two of them leapt into a car. Dom revved the engine and looked at Ellie.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm going with you."
"Like hell you are!"
"Just drive!" she said. He floored it and they took off, weaving through cars and getting out of the raceway. They drove about twenty miles, when he suddenly pulled off the road and stopped the car.
"They're a ways behind us. I want to talk to you."
"Yeah?"
"I want you to tell me the truth. You've been bullshittin' me this whole time and I want to know what's really going down here. I can feel it. Every time I'm with you." His voice was anxious and hard at the same time.
Ellie looked at him silently.
"DAMMIT, Ellie, TELL ME!" His voice was furious. He slammed his hand down on the dashboard. Then he leaned over to her, pulled her close to him, and kissed her passionately. She had absolutely no control, and she didn't want it. When he released her, he held her face in both of his hands, and her body was only inches from him. She was reminded, again, of what a huge man he was.
"Okay," she said softly. Her eyes suddenly filled up with tears, and she looked away. He gripped her chin and pulled her to face him.
"Dom -" she said. "You're right. I'm not who you think I am… I -" she broke off and then plunged on, recklessly: "I'm a cop. I've been undercover since the first time I met you. But, Dom, I swear to God, I've never regretted something more in my entire life. I don't want to hurt any of you, I don't want to turn anyone in, I want to just stop, to quit."
He stared at her, his face becoming a hard blank.
"Dom - Dom, say something -" she said desperately. "Dom, please."
"You're a damn cop, and you're asking me to say, 'Oh, don't worry, I don't care'?" he said harshly.
"No, Dom -"
"Shut up."
He turned the key and pulled out into the road again, and gunned the motor. She turned her face back out the side window as they tore down the road.
Dom was gripping the wheel, and his muscles were tightening under his skin, trying to contain his sadness, fury, betrayal, and disappointment. How could she be a cop? It was a strange feeling for Dom, because he never had a problem letting people go. He'd hardened himself to it, because Dom didn't need anyone. No one could hurt him. But, somehow, he was having trouble dealing with this.
As they drove, they saw Jesse's car in the distance, and the roaring of bike engines behind them became audible.
"Shit," said Dom. She looked at him suddenly and he said, his voice toneless,
"Pull up the seat top in the backseat. There's a couple of guns back there. Give me one." She complied.
"What do you want? The shotgun, .22, or the pistol?"
"Give me the .22."
"I'm taking your shotgun, then."
"You're staying in the car."
"Dom -"
"You're staying in the car."
He was serious, so she only grabbed the .22 and climbed back up front.
"I'm going to get in Jesse's car. Take the wheel when I jump out."
"Okay," said Ellie, as Dom pulled alongside of Jesse's car and yelled,
"Open your door!"
"Dom!" said Ellie. He looked at her. "Be careful."
"Always," he said, and leaped from car to car. Ellie flung herself at the wheel and accelerated to get out of the way. Dom had made the leap, and she spun the car around and began to race the other way in the hopes that a few of Johnny's guys would follow her. Two of them spun and swerved after her. Ellie accelerated, then dropped back so that they wouldn't lose her. Suddenly, the window pane behind her shattered. She yelped and accelerated. The radio on the seat next to her crackled.
"Ellie! Come back this way!"
It was Jesse's voice. She spun around to face the two thugs. Shooting between them, she gave it some Nos, and disappeared in the distance. They followed. As she crested a hill, she heard the radio crackle, "Shit Ellie go back!", but it was too late. She saw the other four of the six coming at her, and Jesse's car in hot pursuit. There was a couple of shots and two of the bikes swerved off and tumbled into the ditch. The two bikers weren't slowing down, and to avoid hitting them, she'd have to turn. She wrenched the wheel, hit one of the fallen bikes and the car went flying through the air, flipped twice, and crashed upside-down off on the side of the road and slid a few hundred feet.
A/N: mwahaha a cliffhanger! Told you I was mean to characters I like. Thanks for all the reviews, I'm touched! So's Jack. More to come soon!