I'm sorry, I know it's been forever, and there are probably a lot of new writers who have no idea who the hell I am, but I've been busy with a new story, and just catching up on my social life. A new year of school has brought new friends and new responsibilities.  I'll try to post more frequently, but I can't tell you guys that I'll be posting daily, like I used to. L Your reviews, however, are very helpful ^.^. Maybe they'll speed up the process…:P

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Team Toretto drove up to the old warehouse silently, with few words being exchanged on the walkie-talkies installed in the team's cars. Dominic took the first parking spot, then Vince, then Leon, each staking a nondescript place on the cracked pavement. Dom waited for Melanie to get out, then opened up the glove compartment and withdrew a shiny .9-millimeter. He checked to make sure the safety was on, and then hid it from sight into the pocket of his jacket.

"I don't know, dawg, this place looks a little too shady, even for Chris. You think it's a trap?" Leon asked, looking around at the cold, damp walls. He shivered and pulled Letty to his side.

 "I'm not that sure myself," admitted Dom. "But we've got to find out. Be careful, all of you." He let a knowing eye wander, receiving solemn nods from the men of the group, each confirming that he was packing. "Come on."

The team clustered together and took their time heading up the stairs. The entire issue of the attack was touchy, none of them wanted to be on the receiving end of another shooting.

Almost painstakingly, they descended cold, damp, and seemingly rotten stairs to the basement of the warehouse. Everyone was on the lookout for the slightest hint of noise, or anything that disrupted the ominous silence that closed in on the group.

"Hey!"

A yell from an unfamiliar voice.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?"

Another holler, and the Team clustered together, each of the men grabbing at their weapons.

Dominic signaled for Vince, Leon, Jesse, and Brian to hold off on shooting anything. He chanced a reply, and shouted out, loud and clear, "We're the Toretto Team. We're meant to be here—who the hell are you?" He prompted his voice to become threatening.

The hidden voice remained silent momentarily, as if thinking about whether it should or shouldn't reveal its identity. Finally, it came back, and this time, it sounded closer. "Brian? Is that you, bro?"

A tall dark man walked out of the shadows, his cheekbones lightly illuminated by the combination of sweat and the faint glow from the warehouse's cheap fluorescent lights. He was wearing a white t-shirt that was a couple of sizes too big for him, and baggy black pants. His arms stood out from underneath his shirt, and his dark, sinewy skin was peeking out from underneath the white tee. His head was shaven, almost completely off except for a slight bit of fuzz that was sticking slightly out of the top of his head. His smile was big; although slightly unsure of the company he'd found his way into. Beside him stood a stocky man, perhaps several inches shorter. He wore casual jeans, and a garage shirt that said "Tej" on it in cursive, red letters. The first man stepped u to Brian and ruffled his hair, reaching with his left hand for Brian's right.

"Brian! How long has it been, man? I see you let your hair grow out again! What are you doing on this side, though? I thought you'd gone to visit the parents in Arizona!"

Brian stared back at the man in near disbelief, and then clasped his hand, returning the stranger's grin. "Yeah, but then I had to bounce up to LA." Brian turned to the rest of his friends, now dumbfounded at this foreign exchange that was taking place in front of them. "You guys, this is Roman Pierce, from Miami. We were best friends growing up. Rome, this is everyone," Brian began to travel down the list of names, pointing to each person as he spoke. "That's Melanie, Dom, Jesse, Leon, Vince, and Letty. And this beautiful girl right here, is Mia, my girlfriend."

Brian smiled wide and squeezed Mia's hand. "So what are you doing up here?"

Rome acknowledged the other team, and then began a quick explanation as to why he was in California. "Well, I got tired of the scene down there. I wanted something new, and so I came here, since you always spoke so highly of it. I'm in this shitty warehouse because I was told that there was going to be a major meeting for all of the big teams in LA, but I haven't seen anyone. What gives?"

Brian nodded, and Dom stood beside him, scowling. With every step they took towards the basement of this sodden, dingy basement, he grew evermore uneasy. Hearing Rome's confession about the absence of people in what was supposed to be an exclusive, yet crowded, event was even more unsettling. Shifting his weight from one foot to the next, he rumbled out a tired answer to Rome: "We don't know, but we want to find out. It's a little to quiet for us as it is. You want to walk with us? It's nothing but a feeling in my gut, but I don't think this is the kind of situation where people would want to split up."

Rome huffed and ran a tough hand over his clean-shaven head. "Yeah, we'll back you up. Come on, let's just go down to the basement, and see what kind of shit we've stepped into."

Melanie smiled grimly. "Better to get it over with sooner than later. Let's just hope we're not in for another one of our 'fun, team adventures'."

She fell into step beside Dominic, scrutinizing his face from out the corner of her eye. He was only twenty-five, but small lines from one too many frowns were already creeping up on him. As he walked dutifully forward, she noticed that his shoulders weren't held up as high they'd been in the past. He was every inch the beautifully captivating man he'd been since the moment she'd met him, except now… he was different. He was older, and had a look in the back of his eyes that showed weariness towards life, as well as all of the painful memories that had been bearing down on him since the day his father had died. At that moment of recognition, she wanted to take him in her arms, and hold him until his eyes wouldn't hold any more suffering, but she knew that she couldn't… she knew that now was not the time. Right now, the team and these two new strangers were all facing a path that might lead to their destruction. Melanie knew it… she felt it in the very pits of her churning stomach. She slipped her hand into Dominic's broad and blistered one, gratefully accepting the light squeeze that Dom gave her.

He was scared too.