A/N: As promised. A fast update.

What We Need Part II

"Don't you think I should?" I ask wiping tears from his face.

Even though I don't have a reason to, I still want to protect him and sooth away his pain.

"If I'd cheated on you, you'd have left me, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah but we've already established that you're a better person than I am." Dom says, emphasizing the irony.

I laugh and let him pull me into his lap one last time. "Except I'm not. You're the one that people are drawn to Dom. You can be anything in this world you want to. I wish you could see yourself as I see you."

He nods solemnly. "I'll try. I'll try to fix… this. Because I cherish you- even if I didn't show it like I shoulda. From the depths of my soul, it's beyond my control. It scares me. But now I'm more scared of what my life will be like if you- if we- Shit."

He's shaking. He didn't shake when he went into Lompoc. God- I wish this was just a bad dream.

I take his hand and pull him with me to the bed. I sit down with my back against the head board and he curls up against me, his head on my chest.

"Dom," I say as I stroke his head. "I hope you can do it. I want to believe you. One day I want all of this to be a bad dream. If only tears were laughter, we'd be set."

It's Dom's turn to reach up and kiss my forehead. He gives me a sad smile and nods, agreeing with me. "No shit."

We sit there for a few minutes before I stroke his cheek and start to speak slowly. "When… when you were away and I was scared I used to pray that I would dream about you. I wanted to dream that you were holding me like you used to. Because if you were holding me at night, then nothing bad could happen because you'd protect me. I don't know what's going to happen to us tomorrow Dom, but for tonight, what I want more than anything else is for you to hold me. Could you do that?"

"Baby it's only four in the afternoon. You want to go to bed already?"

"Yeah," I laugh lightly before kissing his bald head one more time and getting serious. "I'm tired Dom. I'm so damn tired."

Dom's eyes fill up with guilt, but he nods and manages to reply in a steady voice. "I'd love to hold you tonight."

I stand up and push the covers back while Dom waits hesitantly by my side.

"Do you want me to put some boxers or something on?" he asks, playing with the belt on the robe.

I give him a look of regret and nod. "I'll put something on too." I go to the drawer and pull out an old pair of his boxers and a white tank and slip them on.

From a bag I didn't notice earlier, Dom pulls on a pair of boxers that look vaguely familiar even though they are obviously pretty new. After a second I recognize them as coming from the stash of clothes I'd slowly built up for him over the last two years.

"Where'd you find those?" I ask, remembering that I'd left them in the closet where I'd kept the journals.

"After we… argued… I got curious." Dom looks at me bashfully. "Thank you. I don't know that I could ever thank you enough Letty. I know I didn't do a good job of it before today, but I swear to God I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much I appreciate how much you've done for me and Mia."

He takes my hand and kisses it as we slip into bed.

"Just hold me, okay Dom? I want to forget everything else for a little while."

"Okay."

I fell asleep almost immediately after Dom wrapped his arms around me. I slept better that night than I have since Palmdale.

We didn't do anything, but somehow it was as powerful emotionally as if we'd made love. So much of the pain and anger we'd both been feeling just evaporated, leaving a sense of hope that I'd thought had been lost.

For the first time in nearly a month, I dreamt of two sets of foot prints in the sand. They weren't as close together as they used to be, but they were there. Together.

The room phone woke us the next morning. It was on Dom's side of the bed so he was the one to answer it.

"Hello?" he said groggily. "Uh, hold on Mrs. Coronado. She's right here."

I groaned. What a way to welcome reality back into our lives. There's no way mama is going to believe that nothing happened.

"Yeah?" My voice was thick, forcing me to clear my throat. "Hello?"

"I thought you went on vacation to get away from him?" my mother says with a mixture of concern and laughter.

"We'll talk about this later," I say in Spanish before I remember that Dom can still understand me. "What is it? Why are you calling at?" I reached for the clock to see what time it was. "Ten in the morning? Jesus, what time is it back there?"

"It's early. I just wanted to call before I went to work. The supervisor at LAX called yesterday. He wants to interview you on Monday. Can you make it back here by then? If you need more time with Dominic-"

"I'll be back this afternoon." I hang up the phone and collapse back into a heap on the bed. Shit. It's time to face reality.

"What'd she say?" Dom asks as he watches me get out of bed.

"You know what she said," I reply stripping as I walk to the shower. The bath is still full of rose petals and what is now cold water. I wonder how I'd feel today if I'd let the magic work on me…

I get in the shower and start it. I was my hair under the pounding stream. I'm going home. I'm going home. I'm going home.

When I get out of the shower, I blow dry my hair and put my make up on. I wear make up now. Weird huh? I wear it especially when I want to feel like an adult. It helps me play the role of a mature and responsible grown up.

Wrapped in a towel I walk out and pull on some clothes. I look at Dom who's just staring up at the ceiling. He looks like shit and I doubt that Jesse and Vince had anything to do with it this time.

Without glancing at me, he asks in an almost rhetorical way, "Why do I feel like the world is going to end when we walk out that door?"

"It'll get better." I don't know that but it sounds better than the truth so I say it anyway.

"You're not even going to work at the garage?" he asks as he finally gets out of bed and starts to get dressed.

"Nope."

"Were you serious last night? I can't even call you?"

"No calling, no writing, no messages through Mia- no stalking in any form." I pick up the phone and call Leon. I tell him that we gotta go back and that he should call the airlines.

When he asks about Dom, I cut the conversation short and hang up.

Way to deal, Let.

"Letty, what am I going to tell Mia? She's going to be pissed."

"That's your problem, not mine. But I am going back, so technically you're still good."

I'm terse this morning. I've been terse with everyone- my mom, Leon, Dom…

He comes up behind me and runs his hand down my neck and back. "Are you going to date other people?"

"I… I hadn't thought about it. But you already are so-" And yet, all I want to do is turn around and push him onto the bed and just- No. No. No.

"An eye for an eye will leave us both blind Letty. I feel like I'm finally seeing you now and I don't want to loose that." Dom is still trailing his hands up and down my spine.

The bastard never did play fair.

I swallow and lean into him. "I can't promise anything Dom. But I won't do it just to hurt you, okay?"

"Okay." He wraps his arms around me for a moment before pushing me away gently. "Go. Go now or I won't be able to let you go ever."

I nod and pick up my duffle. As I open the door I look back at him. "Dom… just… I want this to work, okay? So try. Please. Just try your hardest for us. I need you to do this for us."

"I swear to God Letty, I'll do everything I can. I'll be that man for us."

I nod and walk out the door.

Leon and I were on the next flight to L.A.

We didn't see Dom on the flight but I know he got back soon after we did cause Mia came storming over that night with him in tow.

"What the HELL is wrong with you two?" She wasn't asking so much as stating as she burst into my room, holding my husband by the ear.

"I wasn't my idea to come here Let. I told her I shouldn't be here but she fucking grabbed me by my ear." He's sputtering and trying to twist out of his younger sister's clutches.

"Hey Mi. How you livin?" I ask as I put my laundry away and try desperately not to smile.

"Other than the fact that I haven't been able to hang out with my best friend for almost four months, just peachy. But this isn't about me. Dom said you wouldn't take him back even though everyone he loves you and you love him. He did get on his knees and beg right?"

"Fuck! Mia, I swear I got on my knees. At least twice. I swear!" He's squealing like a stuck pig. It's fantastic. "Letty, please, fucking tell her I begged. Please Let!"

"He got on his knees." I can't keep the laughter out of my voice. It's just too much.

She looks at him in disgust and pushes him away with disgust. Watching him stumble and fall on his ass, she looks from him to me and back again. "Then what's the problem. Explain."

"We just need some time," I say, not looking Dom in the eye.

"You had two years," Mia says, dismissing me.

"You sound just like your brother," I say dryly.

"Maybe we're right then." Mia crosses her arms and sits on the top of my bureau- directly in my way.

"Mia- come on. I promised I'd give her some time." Dom is trying to be stern, but you can tell he's afraid of both of us. "I fucked up things here, not Letty."

"What does that man? You're just gonna break up?" Mia looks shocked and sick.

"We're just… separated. We're doing a trial separation," I say quietly as I put my dog tags on. I wonder if Dom saw that my wedding ring is on the chain?

He walks over to us and picks Mia up over his shoulder. Winking at me as she squeals and beats his back.

"Come on Mia. You heard her. It's just a trial. Now try not to piss her off. If I want to get her back, then I gotta do what she says, okay?"

He waves goodbye as he takes the youngest Torretto with him.

My heart stops when I see that he's got his wedding ring on too. Only his is actually on his left ring finger.