"WHAT!" Tej, Suki, and Dom said in unison.
"yeah..." Brian said looking around at them.
"no, I don't want to. Didn't come here for that." Dom said quickly
"no way, he's going near my car" Suki said with emphasis.
"I ain't takin him downtown. Minute Rome lays eyes on'm, he gonna start somethin." Tej added.
"I'll take him, down" Brian said to Tej. Then looking at Suki he said smiling, "you couldn't put your car in better hands, girl." And finally glancing at Dom, "and come on don't even fake like you don't wanna race Dom - even just to check out the Miami scene"
"I don't. Not interested." he said in that three year old tone again.
"Bullshit. You punched me."
"You lied to me"
"It was a job" Brian said his first justification for having lied.
"It was an impulse" Dom responded.
"Suki'll be nice to you..."
"I don't care..."
"...but you will when she's nice to everyone but you..."
"no" he said firmly, using that discussion closed voice of his.
"its a Toyota Supra...." Brian said smiling, and they both remembered the last Supra Dom had driven.
He said nothing but Brian could feel him sway.
"state of the art NOS system..." he added.
"how state of the art?"
"Just put it in two and a half weeks ago..."
"you'll owe me O'Conner"
"he won't owe you shit. It's your fault he ain't racin" Suki said to Dom, then turned to Brian and continued, "...and I don't care if he invented the engine. He ain't drivin my car, only three people drive my car - you, me and Tej."
"I'm givin my right to Dom." Brian said causally.
"no" she insisted shaking her head.
"Come Suk, don't you trust me?"
"with my life, yes. with my car, no."
"Suki.." Brian started.
"Let'm do it, Suk." Tej said seriously.
She looked at him, and shook her head.
He walked over to her wrapped his arms around her and kissed her - deeply. The team smiled at each other. ooooh, they thought, so that's the way the wind blows.
"Let'm do it." Tej said when he pulled back.
She sighed.
"If B, says its okay, it is." he said to her gently, than looking at Brian added more harshly, "if it isn't he'll be putin more than just the car back together."
"Fine" she said. Turning in Tej's arms she said looking at Dom, "We race at 2." Glancing at Brian she added, "Don't be late."
Brian nodded. Tej and Suki left after that and Brian stood smiling.
"I'm starving. Let's order pizza" he said as if nothing had happened.
"Nu-uh Beth's cookin tonight." Luke said.
"I'm hungry now and I bet you guys are too." he said looking around at the Team.
"Hell yeah." Vince said emphatically.
"Yeah... I need food." Jesse said.
"See Luke, we need Pizza."
Luke shrugged, "whatever... I just thought its gonna be bad enough but hey its your funeral." He said as he headed for the door.
"where you going." Brian asked a little testily.
"Around. Its almost six she'll be here soon. "
"God, Luke she'd not a monster!!!" Brian said pissed all of a sudden.
"I'm not saying she is. I just don't want to be here when she comes home and finds Dominic Torreto sitting on her couch drinking a beer. Kay..." Luke said as he headed for the door. "If she asks I'm doing homework with Lacey at the store." He said and left.
Brian glared at his back. Then turned to the Team and forced a smile. "I want pepperoni." he said.
"Your going to order. " Mia asked a little surprised.
"of course. I just have to go into the parlor and use the speaker phone."
"Oh yeah, Luke said something about the handset missing." she said smiling. She liked Luke, he had a casualness about him that was appealing. Like he took everything in stride.
"The twins hide it sometimes. Until Beth threatens to keep them home for a week." Brian said in an amused tone.
"Keep them home from what?" Leon asked curious. He hadn't said much so far, just listened and had determined that there was a lot of action in this house... all the time.
"School, Soccer, Swimming...Everything."
"I'm guessing your sister has twins." Dom said, wryly.
"Good guess. A boy and a girl. Adam and Ally, they're six."
"Can they open the door to strangers?" Letty asked, smiling.
Brian looked at her oddly, "no..."
"He answered the door and told us he couldn't open it because we were strangers."
He laughed, "that's Adam. tells you everything he's thinking. Everything."
"Where is he now?" she asked wondering why this house was so quiet.
"At the store."
"Store?" Jesse questioned.
"yeah, its right next to the garage. Its an auto zone. Anything and Everything you need for a car we either have or can get. The kids go there after school and Lacey watches them. With all our help of course because we're usually right next door. Then Beth picks them when she gets out of work and comes home." He stopped and frowned, "If he was over here before it means he escaped which means I'm going to have to have a talk with Lacey." His voice was tired, frustrated. Expressing the fact that he was dreading this task.
"And Lacey would be..." Mia asked.
"Casey's younger sister. She's Luke's age, works part-time at the store."
"Whose there in the mornings?"
"Three days a week, Casey, and the other two Beth does us the favor of attending the store front." He said with a British accent.
"Your sisters not a car person is she?" Letty asked smirking.
Brian regarded her solemnly a moment, "On one of your good days Letty, you'd eat my sisters dust." He said seriously. "There isn't a thing about a car she doesn't know and she's undefeated on streets." He continued with a proud tilt to his voice.
The team processed this information, silently. It didn't fit in the least with the picture they'd been forming of the famous Beth.
"Of course she hasn't raced since she was seventeen," He added after a second with a little smile and continued, "but still... no one could beat her back then."
"What happened..." Dom asked, knowing that no one who's undefeated on the streets can turn there back on it for no reason.
Brian shrugged, that uncomfortable look on his face again, "If you ask her she'd say, I grew up. Really, though our parents died and she... she made sacrifices." he was lost in thought a moment before shaking his head and smiling, "Alright you guys chill, and I'll be right back."
He left, presumably to order the pizza.
Everyone was silent. Then Jesse laughed. "What's so funny?" Mia asked smiling at him.
"The way that guy swung at Dom, I just can't get over it. Just like that *bam* it was a priceless moment, really..."
The others laughed, and Dom glared, "When I get my hands..."
"Naw, Dawg, don't, jus let it go. We don't want problems out here." Vince said seriously, The others nodded. It was true.
"What we want is to play on Miami beaches and do NOTHING for awhile." Letty said smiling.
"Speaking of which we need to get out of here and find a hotel." Dom said
Letty nodded, "preferably near the beach, if not ON the beach, maybe we could just camp on the beach."
"Gee, you guys think Letty wants to go to the beach?" Mia asked her face serious her eyes sparkling.
"Naw, man, Letty hates the beach. " Leon said just as seriously.
"Shut up." she said tossing a pillow at them.
Dom laughed and tightened his arms around her, "We'll go to the beach tomorrow baby." he whispered in her ear.
She nodded against him. Turning her face towards his.
"Aw guys don't start that here." Jesse groaned from the floor. When they started to get intimate.
Letty laughed and pulled away. "We leavin..." she asked.
"yeah after pizza..." Vince said.
"Uncle Bri..." a little girl with mousy brown hair entered the room at a run. She stopped dead in her tracks though, when she saw the occupants of the room. Her hair was cut short framing her pixie face and her brilliant blue eyes were getting wider by the second. She scanned the inhabitants quickly, those eyes filled with apprehension at finding strangers in her home. For a moment the Team thought she was going to scream. She didn't though, she just took a step back.
Turning, she was ready to run out without saying a word, when she collided with Brian's legs.
She looked up at him her eyes wide. "hey kitty Kat wuts up?" he said as he lifted the little girl into his arms.
"Uncle Brian..." she said softly with relief, burying her face in his neck. After a moment she said softly, "what happened to your face?" her voice was inquisitive, looking up quickly.
"I hit it on something" he explained quietly.
"oh" she said before looking out at the people and then burying her face again.
He smiled walking fully into the room, "These are friends of mine, kitty." he said softly, sitting down again next to Mia. "Everyone this is my niece Katie."
"Hi Katie." Mia said smiling at the little girl. Katie glanced up at her quickly and then away. She whispered in Brian's ear but the Team still heard her. "what's her name?", Brian smiled, "Mia" he said.
After a minute he asked her, "would you like to know the names of the others" he said smiling. She nodded but didn't look at any of them. "Come on Kitty, who's name would you like to know."
She took a deep breath and faced the team. Internally, they all marveled at the girls eyes. So blue, so clear, so innocent. They were still wide but now curious also.
"The big one" she whispered shyly and they all smiled.
"Dom." Brian said seriously.
She looked up again, "the one with the pretty eyes."
"Leon"
Her eyes moved over each of them slowly, "the girl"
"Letty."
"the little one"
"Jesse."
Then she was silent, her eyes had reached Vince. They traveled from his arms to his eyes and he held her gaze. She left her uncle's lap and walked over to him. Tentatively she touched his arm.
"When I write on my arm with pen, mom gets mad." she said to him. Her voice sweet and not as shy as before.
"I don't have a mom to get mad." Vince said softly to the little girl.
She was tracing his tattoos with her little finger. he was absolutely still as if the slightest movement might scare her way and that was not to be tolerated.
"when I get big will you draw on my arm like this?" she asked sweetly. Looking at him intently.
"Your mom will get mad." Vince said, forgetting that there were other people in the room. Only this little girl existed right then.
"That's okay, I'll be big. Its okay for big peoples to be mad at each other." she stopped a second, "will you, please." she said sincerely.
"I'll do anything you want me to." Vince said gently and even as he said the words he knew they were true. In five seconds flat this little girl had firmly embedded herself in his heart. Maybe it was the way she looked at him, completely trusting. Or maybe it was the way she touched him, so sweetly. Or maybe it was the simple fact that she seemed to be innocence personified.
"Good. what's your name?" she said as she moved back towards Brian.
Vince seemed to snap out of a trance, "Vince." he said in his regular voice.
She nodded, smiling at him.
"Is your name Maria?" she asked of Mia turning to her.
"Yeah, why?"
"My sister's friends name is Maria. I don't like her though. She's bossy. Are you bossy?"
Mia laughed and the others smirked, "Sometimes, usually only with my brother though..."
"...and me." Letty spoke up.
"...and me." Jesse added.
Before Vince and Leon could open add their two cents, Brian interrupted, "Where's everybody else, Kitty"
"Adam's with Rome at the garage. Ally and mom are in the kitchen. I came to tell you that we're home." She said. She had the sweetest little voice and all her r's sounded like w's but other than that though, she had an amazing vocabulary for a four year old.
"Alright Kitty, go tell your mom I want to talk to her alone a second and that I'll be right there." he said giving her a little push so she slid off his lap.
"Talk to her about what?" she said looking up at him.
"I have to... explain something to her." Brian said hesitantly.
"Yes, Brian I believe you do." Came a cold voice from the door.
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