Authors Note: Hi everyone.
Does anybody know about how long it takes to drive from LA to Miami? I was going to use a week but that seemed to short a time frame, I mean it is basically cross country, right? So I used two weeks, if that is way to long, oh well, just assume they made pit stops, got drunk, and had to wait and sober up. (Sounds like Team Torreto right:)
Anyway, as always thanks for the reviews...
- GreenGlowChassis:
Thank you soooooo much. Consider yourself hugged. =) You've just become one of my favorite people!!!
- Foxy-Latina:
Sorry I didn't make it clear, girl, Vince and Leon aren't seeing people now but they will be. In Miami... ;)
- VinsBaby1989:
Of course we stop reading, what point would there in continuing? =)
- HipHopStar, SpanishGoddess86, and Bsktballchick:
Here's more....
Enjoy and don't forget to review, it motivates me....
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I know I'm being an asshole about this. Making things more difficult then they had to be. Making it harder on the team, on Mia , on myself. I can't just be nice to her, to my baby sister who had done nothing all her life but try and take care of me. Mia who cooks and cleans and goes to school and does the paper work and manages the cafe - I can't be generous about this one thing and just give in gracefully. I have to be an asshole about it.
Running a hand over his head he started on his sixth beer. He was sitting on the front steps of the house, his house. Alone. He wanted to be alone and the team understood that. He'd told them to be ready at noon and he could hear them inside packing shit. They were laughing, joking, teasing, it would be a road tripm an adventure, a vacation all in one. And they'd pack for it - bathing suits and sadals, suntan lotion and mosquito repellent.
He knew Letty would pack for him. Just like he knew she'd bring him lunch at noon everyday, just like he knew she'd give him a massage if he rubbed his shoulder, just like he knew she'd beat the crap out of him if he made Mia cry. And she would've cried. If he'd said no, she would be upstairs right now awash in tears and he'd feel like shit. So instead she was upstairs happily packing outfits he didn't approve and he was here, feeling like shit.
why?
Good question. Why? Because Jesse was right. I owe Brian, we all do. I know that, I understand that, he must've pulled some major strings for me to be sitting here on my porch after having hijacked trucks. I understand that my sister is love with him, that he saved my best friends life, that he didn't testify against us, that he chose us over the system. Problem is - he lied.
Sounds like nothing but he lied. To me. I invited him here. Into my house, my home, my family. For Christ's sake I allowed him to take my sister out. And he lied to me. I trusted him and he lied to me. He betrayed me.
If Mia hadn't existed, if he hadn't fallen in love with her, would have still let me go?
He was on his ninth beer now. He'd given in. They were gonna go find him. They were going to go and let Mia and him get together. He wasn't stupid, he knew she wanted to be with him forever, knew that he loved her. He'd seen the look in Brian's eyes when he'd given him the keys to that car, he'd done it for Mia. Brian would be family one day. Real family. At the thought his fist tightened and he imagined the man standing in front of him, imagined himself beating him senseless, for lying, for infiltrating his family, for taking his sister. A second later, though, he also saw Mia's horrified expression and knew that he would never beat Brian senseless. In fact he didn't really want to. That's what bothered him the most, the fact that underneath he still, essential, liked Brian. He was an okay guy, a liar, but an okay guy. Deep inside he knew he'd forgive him eventually, he just didn't want to, he didn't want to give in so easily. To let everything be fine, when it wasn't, it was an issue of pride. Brian had played him, had manipulated him. That made him so furious, he saw red. Still though he didn't want to kill'm as the Team probably assumed, no. He did however want to hit'm... hard. Really hard. Just once, maybe twice, three time at the most. He thought smiling to himself as he finished the beer.
"Dom?" came soft query.
"What?" he replied, more gruffly, more irritated then he meant to.
She didn't care though, she knew what he was feeling. He didn't know how but she always knew. She came outside and sat next to him.
"Come inside." she said softly. Taking the tenth beer he now had in his hand away.
He said nothing. She said nothing.
After a moments she stated firmly, gently, "Its the right thing Dom. I know its not easy but its the right thing."
He just shook his head slowly and lowered it into his hands. She smiled tenderly at him.
"Come on..." she said gently pulling on his arm while standing.
He looks up and there eyes meet. A message deeper than words can convey passes between them and he stands.
Letty gets it. She understands. Letty always understands.
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Two Weeks Later.....
"There it is." Letty said as they all dismounted their cars. They'd come in two, no need to draw undo attention to themselves by each rolling in their own car. They were parked in from the address Jesse had gotten.
It was a nice house, large about three floors. Nice front yard.
"I don't think this is such a good idea," Mia said quietly, "I changed my mind. I'm leaving." she said turning around, intent on sliding back into the car.
"no you don't." Vince said as he grabbed her arm. Turning her back around, he added, "We're here now."
"yeah..." Leon said, looking at the house, "...and besides, Brian is Brian right."
"right." Jesse confirmed
"Well, lets go." Letty said, heading for the front door. She was in take charge mode. Since Dom hadn't said a word since they'd entered the state of Texas four days ago, she'd decided it was her duty to lead them. Dom let her, he was in no mood to deal with the everyday nuances of life.
They reached the front door in silence and Letty rang the door bell.
No one answered.
"oh too bad no ones' home." Mia said as she turned around to leave.
Leon snaked his arm around her waist and said to Letty, "ring it again."
Letty did.
"who is it?" a little voice questioned from behind the door.
"We're here to see Brian." Letty answered.
"Oh." the little voice responded, then said nothing.
"Can you open the door." she asked after a minute.
"No..." the boy answered, his voice sincere, "...I can't open the door to strangers."
Letty sighed, the others smiled, all except Dom who just wanted a beer. "Can you get someone who can." Letty asked the little boy.
"ummmm... Sure hold on." he said happily.
Even Letty couldn't help a smile as they heard the pitter-patter of little feet.
Minutes later a blonde teenager opened the door. He looked like a younger Brian. Exactly, blonde, blue-eyed, gorgeous, in that wholesome milk and whole wheat bread kinda way.
"Hey" he said.
"hi" Letty answered. We're looking for Brian, is he here."
The kid shrugged "maybe"
He opened the door wide "come on it"
As they all walked in the kid studied them. All of them, from top to bottom.
"who'd you say were again."
"we didn't say..." Letty answered "but I'm Letty that's Vince, Leon, Jesse, Dom and Mia."
The boy nodded. "I'm Luke, and you know Brian from..."
"We know'm from LA", Leon answered
Again Luke nodded, thoughtfully. "I know who you are.", he said seriously. Then regarded them solemnly for a minute, as if he was looking for something, something he apparently found cause a second later he smiled at them, wide and friendly.
"I don't know if he's here or not. Lets go out back and check. Follow me."
He led them through an immaculate, beautiful and elegantly furnished house. Opening double veneer doors they found themselves in a back yard. A back yard that looked more lived in then the house.
It was fairly large and directly across from the entrance to it there was a shed of sorts. To get to it, though, you had to go across a stone patio that held a couple picnic tables, which showed they were used often and well. There were footballs and toy cars and Barbie's scattered across the stones of the patio. To the left of the shed was an old swing set and to the right a barbecue.
As they approached the shed a woman exited it, wearing a man's button up shirt and boxer shorts. She struggled with a large chess board, a plastic bag and briefcase in her hands.
She looked to be in a rush as she fumbled with the lock on the door.
"I take since you're locking up that Brian's not in there." the boy asked as they approached her.
"nope." she said without looking up.
"you know you're wearing his clothes right?"
"yep... shit", she said as the bag slid from her grasp.
"careful", the boy said as he reached out to help her.
"you gonna tell me why your wearin his clothes."
"I gotta go Luke I have a meeting downtown in thirty minutes and I have to change."
She turned to leave. Barely glancing at the Team as she rushed away.
"where's Bri" Luke yelled as ran towards the house.
"try the garage", she said.
Luke sighed.
He looked at the team and smiled, wryly, "lets go back in the house. I'll call his cell. If he's at the garage I'll take you but if he's on a case your best bet is to come back tomorrow."
"He works at a garage? I thought he was a PI." Jesse asked before Luke could move away.
Luke nodded saying "He is. The garage's just life."
"What?" Mia asked softly.
Luke smiled, "you know life, stuff you can't get away from, natural as breathing --that's Brian and the garage. Come on lets call'm."
They all nodded, pondering life. Once again they followed the teenager into the house.
A/N: okay people this was an unusually long chapter so I expect an unusually high number of reviews. =)
Puh-lease...... =)