Disclaimer: I own nothing I swear
BUILDING A BRIDGE
Mia felt as though her heart had burst out of her chest and was currently orbiting her. Brian stood in front of and hadn't changed at all from the picture in her mind, not that she'd expected him to. Tall, tanned and lean in comfortable grey jeans and a fitted black tee, topped off with wide blue eyes and rumpled golden curls. Absolutely perfect.
But she had to talk to him first and get to the crux of everything. Too much had happened for things to just go back to the way they were before. He was holding her gaze with almost a look of wonder on his face as if he couldn't believe she was real. He'd better believe it
"Mia"
His voice was like a cool breeze over her body. She tried hard not leap into his arms. She'd heard Letty's voice talking to him a few minutes earlier though she couldn't hear the words. She'd heard the tone though and knew that Letty had been laying into him hard, letting out the big sister vibe so that Brian knew that he was walking on thin ice. He'd have to get past Dom first.
"Let's talk"
Her voice came out frozen and bitter, hardly welcoming. She saw him almost wince as she turned and mentally worked out where she could go for a private talk. Letty was out the front fixing the car, Dom was somewhere upstairs and Leon and Vince were lying out on the sofa. Then she knew
She'd take him to the beach
"Good to see you V, Leon if you want food I've prepared some stuff in the kitchen ok?" she said over her shoulder
"Sure Mia" Leon replied briefly before turning back to talking to Vince quietly
Mia turned her head to properly address Brian
"Come on, follow me, I'll take you somewhere more private"
He shrugged a little and followed her as she led him out of the house. They walked in silence, Mia gathering her words and her composure. She wanted him to know everything she'd been through and the turmoil her brother was going through too. Then maybe he'd give her some answers, maybe she'd even like them.
They walked down into the soft sand. Mia pulled her mules off and sighed as she felt the sand between her toes. In a rush, she was back to that day, wading into the foaming sea as she wore a soaked print dress. She was letting the darkness rush to her head and her lungs close up. In her mind, she didn't feel Leon's strong arms lift her out of the water and Letty blow air into her lungs. She just felt the darkness closing in. But that would mean not having Brian beside her now.
"I come here to think" she said abruptly, eyes fixed on the rolling waves "come here a lot since we arrived"
"How long's that been?"
"Little more than a week I think, lose track of days and nights here, especially since Dom arrived, I think it's been a couple of days with him here"
She couldn't look at him, had to look at the sea instead. She could feel him move closer, his sneakers in one hand. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as he looked at her. She had to stop him from coming closer; otherwise she'd forget her anger. She had to tell him.....things before she could allow herself to wallow in the overwhelming feeling of missing his arms around her, the feeling that had haunted her since getting to Mexico. With an effort she turned to him at last, hoping the strong vibes in her eyes were enough to tell him to back off.
"Why did you come here Brian?"
He looked at her, his eyes roving over her delicate facial features before taking a small regretful breath.
"To find you and to put things right"
Mia shook her head, almost laughing at his ignorance
"Things are never gonna be 'right' Brian! Not after what happened, what you did" her voice dropped a little "what happened to Jesse"
There was a heartbeat of silence between them as they both looked out into the ocean. They'd both been there as Jesse had died, the Trans approaching on their bikes and peppering the air with gun fire. Everyone else had ducked, except Jesse who'd stayed frozen with fear as bullets punched him in the chest. Dom had held him in his arms as Mia sobbed beside his lifeless form. Brian had taken off in his car after the Trans with Dom following close behind leaving Mia to deal with the body. Leaving her to deal with the death and the fact that both the men she loved could die too, though Brian was already lost to her.
"Mia, I....."
He was struggling to find the words. Mia smiled a little. It wasn't often she'd been Brian like this, fumbling for the right thing to say; that had always come so easily to him.
"I wanted to come here because I love you, do you remember what I said to you that night that I told you I was a cop?"
"That everything you'd felt for me was true"
Mia's voice came out whispery and quiet. Her eyes were fixed on her feet now and her scarlet painted toenails as they wiggled in the golden sand. She felt Brian take her hand gently in his and squeeze it a little. Finally she looked at him and almost melted at the remorse she saw in his eyes.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you Mia" he said softly "I was not using you to get close to Dom, it just happened that I was falling in love with you"
"It hurt to find out Brian" Mia felt her insides crack as she spoke "Vince was always saying you were a cop and I truly believed that you weren't so I kept sticking up for you, when you told me, I felt so....betrayed, it hurt, you know that"
"I know and that's why I came out here, I couldn't stop thinking about you"
Mia closed her eyes and allowed her feelings to wash over her. All that loneliness that had forced to walk into the ocean, the anger she'd felt at her brother for being happy and in love and the heart skipping feeling of joy she'd felt at seeing Brian again. Maybe it could work. Though they'd have to get around Dom first, he would have to forgive Brian too.
She wouldn't tell Brian about the ocean and how she'd nearly drowned. Maybe one day when she wasn't afraid of losing him again she would but right now, she wanted to enjoy him. She smiled
"I'm glad you're here" she said at last "but you're going to have to earn our trust again ok?"
The moment hung between them as Brian looked her in the eyes, his emotions skeetering across his face visibly as he did. It almost made her knees buckle, it almost made her want him to disagree and demand things to go back to the way they were but she knew they couldn't, she couldn't do that to Vince or Dom right now and she couldn't do that to herself when Brian had hurt her so much. Then he nodded slowly, still gripping her hand firmly.
"I can handle that" he said "it was what I came out here to do"
"Good" she found herself saying, warm beginning to flood her voice "let's go back to the house for some food"
Slowly they walked back up the cliffs together, clasped hand in hand with a tiny bridge built between them. Mia felt determined now. If she could give Brian a somewhat second chance then Dom could too and she'd make it happen.
BUILDING A BRIDGE
Mia felt as though her heart had burst out of her chest and was currently orbiting her. Brian stood in front of and hadn't changed at all from the picture in her mind, not that she'd expected him to. Tall, tanned and lean in comfortable grey jeans and a fitted black tee, topped off with wide blue eyes and rumpled golden curls. Absolutely perfect.
But she had to talk to him first and get to the crux of everything. Too much had happened for things to just go back to the way they were before. He was holding her gaze with almost a look of wonder on his face as if he couldn't believe she was real. He'd better believe it
"Mia"
His voice was like a cool breeze over her body. She tried hard not leap into his arms. She'd heard Letty's voice talking to him a few minutes earlier though she couldn't hear the words. She'd heard the tone though and knew that Letty had been laying into him hard, letting out the big sister vibe so that Brian knew that he was walking on thin ice. He'd have to get past Dom first.
"Let's talk"
Her voice came out frozen and bitter, hardly welcoming. She saw him almost wince as she turned and mentally worked out where she could go for a private talk. Letty was out the front fixing the car, Dom was somewhere upstairs and Leon and Vince were lying out on the sofa. Then she knew
She'd take him to the beach
"Good to see you V, Leon if you want food I've prepared some stuff in the kitchen ok?" she said over her shoulder
"Sure Mia" Leon replied briefly before turning back to talking to Vince quietly
Mia turned her head to properly address Brian
"Come on, follow me, I'll take you somewhere more private"
He shrugged a little and followed her as she led him out of the house. They walked in silence, Mia gathering her words and her composure. She wanted him to know everything she'd been through and the turmoil her brother was going through too. Then maybe he'd give her some answers, maybe she'd even like them.
They walked down into the soft sand. Mia pulled her mules off and sighed as she felt the sand between her toes. In a rush, she was back to that day, wading into the foaming sea as she wore a soaked print dress. She was letting the darkness rush to her head and her lungs close up. In her mind, she didn't feel Leon's strong arms lift her out of the water and Letty blow air into her lungs. She just felt the darkness closing in. But that would mean not having Brian beside her now.
"I come here to think" she said abruptly, eyes fixed on the rolling waves "come here a lot since we arrived"
"How long's that been?"
"Little more than a week I think, lose track of days and nights here, especially since Dom arrived, I think it's been a couple of days with him here"
She couldn't look at him, had to look at the sea instead. She could feel him move closer, his sneakers in one hand. She could feel his warm breath on her skin as he looked at her. She had to stop him from coming closer; otherwise she'd forget her anger. She had to tell him.....things before she could allow herself to wallow in the overwhelming feeling of missing his arms around her, the feeling that had haunted her since getting to Mexico. With an effort she turned to him at last, hoping the strong vibes in her eyes were enough to tell him to back off.
"Why did you come here Brian?"
He looked at her, his eyes roving over her delicate facial features before taking a small regretful breath.
"To find you and to put things right"
Mia shook her head, almost laughing at his ignorance
"Things are never gonna be 'right' Brian! Not after what happened, what you did" her voice dropped a little "what happened to Jesse"
There was a heartbeat of silence between them as they both looked out into the ocean. They'd both been there as Jesse had died, the Trans approaching on their bikes and peppering the air with gun fire. Everyone else had ducked, except Jesse who'd stayed frozen with fear as bullets punched him in the chest. Dom had held him in his arms as Mia sobbed beside his lifeless form. Brian had taken off in his car after the Trans with Dom following close behind leaving Mia to deal with the body. Leaving her to deal with the death and the fact that both the men she loved could die too, though Brian was already lost to her.
"Mia, I....."
He was struggling to find the words. Mia smiled a little. It wasn't often she'd been Brian like this, fumbling for the right thing to say; that had always come so easily to him.
"I wanted to come here because I love you, do you remember what I said to you that night that I told you I was a cop?"
"That everything you'd felt for me was true"
Mia's voice came out whispery and quiet. Her eyes were fixed on her feet now and her scarlet painted toenails as they wiggled in the golden sand. She felt Brian take her hand gently in his and squeeze it a little. Finally she looked at him and almost melted at the remorse she saw in his eyes.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you Mia" he said softly "I was not using you to get close to Dom, it just happened that I was falling in love with you"
"It hurt to find out Brian" Mia felt her insides crack as she spoke "Vince was always saying you were a cop and I truly believed that you weren't so I kept sticking up for you, when you told me, I felt so....betrayed, it hurt, you know that"
"I know and that's why I came out here, I couldn't stop thinking about you"
Mia closed her eyes and allowed her feelings to wash over her. All that loneliness that had forced to walk into the ocean, the anger she'd felt at her brother for being happy and in love and the heart skipping feeling of joy she'd felt at seeing Brian again. Maybe it could work. Though they'd have to get around Dom first, he would have to forgive Brian too.
She wouldn't tell Brian about the ocean and how she'd nearly drowned. Maybe one day when she wasn't afraid of losing him again she would but right now, she wanted to enjoy him. She smiled
"I'm glad you're here" she said at last "but you're going to have to earn our trust again ok?"
The moment hung between them as Brian looked her in the eyes, his emotions skeetering across his face visibly as he did. It almost made her knees buckle, it almost made her want him to disagree and demand things to go back to the way they were but she knew they couldn't, she couldn't do that to Vince or Dom right now and she couldn't do that to herself when Brian had hurt her so much. Then he nodded slowly, still gripping her hand firmly.
"I can handle that" he said "it was what I came out here to do"
"Good" she found herself saying, warm beginning to flood her voice "let's go back to the house for some food"
Slowly they walked back up the cliffs together, clasped hand in hand with a tiny bridge built between them. Mia felt determined now. If she could give Brian a somewhat second chance then Dom could too and she'd make it happen.