Chapter 50 - But you're dead!
AN: Holy reviews batman. Lets all just get along. I never intended for there to become some sort of war on my reviews. :) I know that opinions differ but shesh guys.I love you all, even the people who criticize. I know that it was all constructive and my only reason for pointing it out was that I'm having fun here. I also just wanted the conversation between Letty and Torrie to be kinda fun and playful. No harm no foul. If it's too soap operaish I don't know what to tell you. It's just the way it's goin'. I'll never kill the story off, if I get sick of writing it before it ends you'll still get a summary chapter I promise. I'm having fun here people, so don't take it too seriously. I personally get a kick out of the fact that one person said the story started out good but they're not sure they like where it's goin'. I think the early parts are horrid, and I wrote them, but I like the newer parts. So it's all subjective. Anyway enjoy the story if you're still reading it. I had some plot guessers and they were partially right for sure, but the clues were there if you looked for them anyway.
Mia walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and saw who her brother was talking to. The glass hit the floor shattered into a million pieces and an ever spreading pool of water. The glass glittered in the water like a hundred little diamonds on the floor. "This isn't happening." Mia said and sat down before she fell down, not worrying about cleaning up the spill right away. For Mia, that told them just how shocked she was. Brian came out of the kitchen.
"How the hell is this possible?" Vince asked the room in general. He could see that it was happening, he just didn't get how or why.
"Yo Dawg, I don't get it?" Leon's green gaze was confused. Jesse just looked on with the same emotion.
"Holy shit. This is insane." Letty's jaw was still hanging open. The whole team looked at the man with undisguised surprise.
"I don't understand why you're all so shocked." Harry's gaze was both confused and angry.
"Maybe cause you're dead, or you're supposed to be, and it's not every day a dead man comes to my door and into my living room." Dom answered.
"Dead! Who told you that?" Torrie's father looked confused.
"Torrie did." Dom looked back into the familiar face of the man he'd been dealing with for the last 6 or so years for all his car parts. He knew that was really Harry. No mistaking it.
"Torrie told you I was dead?" Harry looked even more confused, plus now hurt.
"Yeah. That's what the cops told her, what else was she supposed to think?" Vince added his two cents.
"I don't know. Why do the cops think I'm dead?"
"I don't know if that's our story to tell." Dom answered. "Torrie thinks you're dead."
"Maybe that was just easier for her to tell people then the truth." Harry didn't know why Torrie would think he was dead, but he was hurt to think his angel would rather tell people he was dead then that he'd had to leave. But something else in the back of his mind was telling him this all made sense.
"I investigated the crash man, you're dead as far as PD's concerned. It was definitely your car man." Brian answered. He knew that it was Harry standing in the house beyond a shadow of a doubt as well, he'd spent quite some time working with Harry.
"Where is Torrie?" Harry asked.
"She's sick, she came down with the flu this afternoon." Mia found her voice. "She's totally out of it, asleep upstairs."
"I haven't seen my daughter in almost a year. Can someone take me to her?" Harry couldn't wait to see his princess.
"I don't know if that's a great idea. I mean this is going to be a huge shock to her and she's already not feeling good. Why don't you come back tomorrow during the day and I'm sure she'll be awake then and feeling better." Dom didn't want to shock Torrie this badly when she was already not feeling well, plus they'd have to wake her up to tell her and she was never in a great mood when she first woke up.
"I haven't seen my child in almost a year. I'd rather not wait. I don't understand why she lives here anyway."
"She lives here because when you were declared dead she couldn't afford to live in her own place." Dom was starting to get mad. This man had taken off for the last year and left his only daughter thinking he was dead. Where the hell had Harry been? If he hadn't been dead, as everyone had been told then where had he been? Why had he let Torrie go through thinking he was dead for so long? Now that he was back, he had no right to be mad about where Torrie lived. He'd abandoned her after all.
"I don't know how I was declared dead. I'm right here. I had to leave the country." Harry was also getting mad. He'd never wanted Torrie to have anything to do with Toretto yet here she was living in his house. Plus, he'd had to leave the country sure, but how did he end up declared dead? That was never part of the plan. He wanted to see his daughter and find out just what was going on here.
Vince sighed and glanced up at the ceiling, knowing Torrie was asleep over their heads. He was trying to stay out of it; she was Dom's girlfriend, so it was Dom's issue. But he wanted to get involved and throttle Harry for taking off for a year and leaving Torrie to fend for herself. For making her feel like she had to sell her home, for making her think she had to race her car, for putting her in the position of needing to accept Dom's charity. She was so proud, and it must have cost her a lot to accept Dom's offer. But she'd done it and she'd grown and changed. But she'd still been forced into the situation. Who knew if she and Dom even would have gotten together if Torrie hadn't had to move in with them? Dom put his thoughts into spoken words.
"Besides that, why didn't you try to contact her during the time you were gone so she didn't have to worry? It just doesn't make any sense. I mean she had to go through her mom dieing, then thinking you were dead, then losing her house and being forced to try to race her car for money to eat and have a home. Then she lost her car to me and had to end up taking my charity at first for a place to stay. Now here you are a year later complaining about where she lives and the fact that we don't want to upset her." Dom shook his head. This was such a mess.
"You raced her, won and then used that to force her to move in with you? Dom, I never would have thought you could do something so, so, sick. Besides I couldn't contact her. I left her a letter explaining the whole situation. Are you telling me she never got it?" Harry asked Dom. He couldn't believe Toretto had taken advantage of his daughter that way. He'd never wanted her to meet Dom, that much was true, but it wasn't because he'd thought badly of Dom, it was because he hadn't wanted Torrie to get involved in street racing. Ok, the fact that he didn't think Dom was good enough for his baby had something to do with it, but he also thought Dom was too old for Torrie as well.
"I don't know about any letter but since I know for a fact she thinks you're dead I'd imagine any letter telling her something else never showed up in her hands." Dom growled out, adding "I can't believe you think I forced her to come here. I never would have taken her car or made her come live here. She wanted to. I really can't believe you didn't let her know you were ok before now, even if she knew that you'd just run away you still should have told her that you were fine." Dom took a menacing stance. Harry was starting to have a sinking suspicion that Torrie didn't just live with the team. He hoped he was not right.
"Well, damn Dom, it's not like she's gonna be upset her dad's not dead after all." Letty had to toss that out. Dom looked ready to take Harry's neck in his hands and choke the life out of him. The team pretty much had Dom's back. Harry was not taking the right attitude in this situation, trying to imply that Dom forced Torrie to live with them, to become his girlfriend. Dom tried to remind himself that Harry had just found out he was 'dead' and that his child thought she'd never see him again. He tried to calm down.
"No, I guess not but she's gonna be shocked, and pissed as hell if I know Torrie." Dom smiled a rueful smile as he thought about Torrie's likely reaction when she found out her dad was still alive. If Dom knew how her mind worked, and he thought he did, he guessed Torrie'd figure that her dad faked his own death and left her to clean up his mess.
"Why pissed?" Harry asked.
"Cause if I know my princess," Dom saw the look on Harry's face and knew that was the wrong thing to say, the wrong time for the older man to find out that Letty wasn't here as Dom's girl anymore, that Torrie had filled that role, but he recovered and just brazened his way through it, "she's gonna assume you faked your own death to cover for something or get out of something, especially since you never called or wrote or did anything else that would let her know you're alive, and she'll think you left her to clean up your messes on her own." Dom finished.
"Your princess?" Harry asked, well, sputtered. She was his princess and only his. She sure as hell wasn't dating Dom Toretto now that he was home. Maybe if he really did die, then Dom could date his daughter over Harry's dead body. The team all had matching looks of 'this isn't going to be good' mixed with 'what, our Dom is not good enough for his daughter?' Harry was turning red and he looked like he was going to explode. Dom answered.
"Um, yeah. I guess this isn't the best time to tell you but since it slipped out, um, Torrie and I have been together for the last three months or so." Dom actually turned kind of red under the caramel tones of his skin. He hadn't lied to Torrie all that time ago before they went to see her relatives. He wasn't the kind of guy girls brought home to meet their dads. He could feel the anger coming off Harry in waves. He couldn't blame the man in one way, if he had a daughter he'd be the last type of man he'd want to see her with, but on the other hand Harry'd left for a long time. Torrie had been bound to grow up some in that time frame. And in that time she'd also decided of her own free will to get with Dom. Dom wasn't giving her up now that her dad decided to come back onto the scene.
"So you and her broke up and you moved on to my baby?" Harry asked with a glance at Letty.
"Well, yeah, I did end up with Torrie after Letty and I broke up, but I didn't take Torrie in with the intention of ending up dating her. It just sorta happened that way." Dom felt like he was under a microscope and he didn't like the feeling one bit. He felt like he wasn't good enough for Torrie with her dad staring at him like he'd taken advantage of her. "I tried not to get involved with her really but fate had other plans." Dom smiled at the thoughts of how he'd just sort of morphed into more then a friend with Torrie. He knew what Mia said about him, that he pulled people to him like gravity. But this time it was Torrie that pulled him in, she'd pulled him in like a tether ball, she'd just kept winding him around her finger like the pole in that child's game till she had him right where she wanted him. Wrapped around her like the string of the ball wrapped around the pole. And she'd done it with such ease that it looked like child's play in hindsight. She was his life now and he wasn't giving her up just because Harry'd come back from the 'dead' and didn't approve of his daughter's choice of boyfriends.
"Dom?" A small voice called down the stairs. Harry looked up the stairs and almost started for them.
"Comin' baby girl." Dom called up the stairs.
"She's awake, let me see her." Harry said. Why was he asking permission to see his own daughter anyway?
"No, not tonight. You can stay here tonight if you haven't got anywhere else to go and then see her in the morning. I'm not gonna let you upset her this late at night when she doesn't feel good already. She won't sleep tonight. You can have the spare room upstairs if you need it. I already had to put the pieces back together the first time you died, I don't want the fact that you're not dead at all to shatter her. This has to be handled carefully."
Chris didn't know where she'd sleep since Dom had just given her room to this new man. All there was up there was Dom's room, Letty's room and the spare room. Torrie stayed with Dom, Letty had the room Torrie had been in up till then now that Torrie was officially staying with Dom, and then Chris stayed in the spare room. Vince must have sensed her getting worried and drawing even more into herself because he leaned over and whispered, "You can just share wit me. But we'll talk later." Chris just nodded. She couldn't believe this was happening. What a wild ride the Toretto team lived on.
Dom started up the stairs. He let himself into their room. "What is it? When did you wake up?" Dom asked Torrie.
"I thought I heard a stranger downstairs, but it didn't totally sound like a stranger either." Torrie said with a puzzled frown.
"You must have been having a bad dream." Dom suffered a pang of guilt at telling her that lie but he figured it was for the best. She'd find out about Harry soon enough.
"Maybe. What time is it?" Torrie yawned then sniffled after she asked and looked down at the covers. She felt so gross, all sweaty and scratchy. She wanted a shower really bad all of a sudden. And even sick she wanted Dom. But it was hard to feel sexy when you were sick, thought you smelled and were wearing an old men's undershirt.
"10 pm. Time for you to go back to sleep." Dom smiled and gave her a gentle shove to try and make her lie back down. He wanted her to stay asleep and in bed.
"I want to take a shower first. I feel gross." Torrie said and went to get up.
"Whoa, slow down girl. I don't think getting out of bed is a great idea right now. I think you better stay put." Dom wasn't having her out of bed, he didn't think she should plus he didn't want her to run into Harry by mistake.
"I'm not goin' back to bed till I get a shower Dom and that's the end of the story." She glared at him for being so bossy.
"Fine." Dom sighed. "I'll help you out though. I'm not leaving you alone in the bathroom." Dom didn't want her to fall or pass out in the shower.
"I just have the flu you know, I'm not dieing." Torrie was getting crankier by the minute.
"I know. I know. But you did already tell me you passed out on Vince once today so humour me." Dom stood up and scooped her up. "You want your shower you put up wit me takin' care of you. And that's the end of that story." Dom said and she could tell that he was just as stubborn and serious as she'd been.
"Fine." She said and let him carry her into the bathroom. He set her on the closed toilet seat and started the water. When he figured it was the right temperature he turned to her. "You gonna watch me shower Dom?" She asked. He wasn't sure if she was being suggestive or cranky. It was hard to tell when her nose was stuffy and the words didn't sound quite normal.
"Yeah, I don't want you to fall down and hurt yourself. I want to make sure you make it out ok." He swallowed hard at the thought of seeing her and not starting with her. It was going to take all the will power he had. He couldn't resist her when she gave him that look, with one raven's wing brow raised up and her green eyes flashing mischief at him, let alone when she was wearing nothing but his shirt then she took it off. There was something about seeing her in his cloths that excited him. He thought it had something to do with thinking of his shirt next to her bare skin, then on his.
She stood up and she wasn't very steady on her feet. Torrie didn't know if she was going to be able to stand while she showered and washed her hair. But she wasn't admitting that to Dom. She was in a bad mood and she was mad at Dom for insisting on being here with her even while she was grateful not to be alone in case she did fall down. She pulled his shirt off and stepped into the shower.
Dom could see her through the curtain and he knew she was barely standing upright with her hand on the wall, he didn't know how she was going to stay standing when she went to wash her hair. He quietly took off his clothes and climbed in with her. She looked like she was asleep in the spray. When his broad back blocked the water from reaching her she opened her eyes. "What're you doin' in here?" She asked, snappishly.
"You're fallin asleep, how're you gonna wash your hair?"
"I don't know." She answered, the fight gone out of her. He was just trying to be nice and she was so damn tired.
He turned them around so that the water hit her head and got her hair wet. Then he proceeded to work the shampoo into her scalp for her, having her lean into his arms, being her strength so she didn't have to be strong on her own. She groaned, his strong fingers with their calluses from his honest work felt so good on her head, massaging her scalp and then though the strands of her hair. "I was gonna cut my hair all off it's such a pain, but now I'm not sure." She sighed out.
"You cut this hair off and I'll beat you. I love your hair." Dom told her while he rinsed the soap out. He'd never done anything like this before, but he felt strangely happy to do it. It always seemed like she was taking care of him, he'd never had to take care of her before, of any girl really. Letty had been so self sufficient and proud of the fact. Dom realized that Torrie really had fallen asleep against him. He smiled down at the crown of her head and shut off the water. She was so stubborn. No wonder they fought so much, he'd be hard pressed to pick which one of them was more tenacious.
He lifted her out of the shower with him and tried to figure how they were going to get from the bathroom to his room if he didn't wake her up. He had to do something with her hair, they were dripping water everywhere. He couldn't figure it out, he'd have to wake her. He sat her down but she woke up on her own.
"Why do I keep doin' that?" She asked.
"Doin' what?"
"Fallin' asleep. I did nothin but sleep all day and night pretty much." She sighed as Dom started to dry her legs off. "I can do that." She said and half heartedly reached for the towel.
"So can I. Just humour me." Dom said. She gave him his way. It was nice to have someone take care of her because they wanted to, not because they felt they had no choice. Once he got her all dried off he pulled his shirt back over her head. "What're you gonna do with your hair?"
"Give me that elastic." She asked and when he handed it to her she wound it up in a messy bun. "Problem solved." She yawned again.
"Ok, bed for you." She went to stand up but Dom picked her up and carried her into the hall. Thankfully she had her eyes closed and was half asleep because Harry was in the hall, likely on his way to bed. Dom could only imagine how it must look for him, carrying Torrie, coming out of the bathroom at the same time, both of them obviously soaking wet. He really normally would have had some respect and not done it with Harry in the house but he hadn't really had any choice. He shot the other man a look telling him to be quiet. Thankfully Harry listened, but now he knew for a fact that Torrie and Dom shared a room. Another fact Dom had hoped to keep from him for the time being, but it couldn't be helped. Harry was still staring daggers at him, Dom could tell, but he kept quiet about it. Dom closed the door.
He had thought this a lot lately but tomorrow was really going to suck, Dom thought as he laid Torrie down on her side of the bed. Harry'd be mad at him for his relationship with Torrie. Torrie was likely to be mad both at her dad for disappearing and at Dom for not telling her right away the night before. There was likely to be fighting. He wasn't looking forward to it. He pulled the sheets up over Torrie, kissed her forehead and then crawled into the bed on his side.
Harry waited for Toretto to come out of the room but the other man never did. So that grease monkey and his daughter were living together. Over his dead body, he thought. No way was his princess living with Toretto. She was way too good for this life, for that man. She deserved to be waited on, to have a man that could give her everything, not to be with a no good, wrench wielding street racer who'd never be able to provide for her if he started losing races, who'd make her work for a living. She belonged running the store and that was the most manual her labour should ever have to be. He wouldn't have his baby girl worrying about money and working for strangers. He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow. Surely she'd see reason now that he was back in her life. She'd always been Daddy's little girl, following him to work and always wanting to be under his feet. He smiled at his memory of a three year old Torrie dragging a Tonka truck across the driveway at their house, her mother trying to make her wear dresses and play with dolls all the while. He wiped a tear off his cheek and went into his borrowed room.
The whole house settled down and everyone went to sleep. Dom had told them all to not bother getting up early, that the shop would just have to wait till after everything else was settled. He was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.
AN: Holy reviews batman. Lets all just get along. I never intended for there to become some sort of war on my reviews. :) I know that opinions differ but shesh guys.I love you all, even the people who criticize. I know that it was all constructive and my only reason for pointing it out was that I'm having fun here. I also just wanted the conversation between Letty and Torrie to be kinda fun and playful. No harm no foul. If it's too soap operaish I don't know what to tell you. It's just the way it's goin'. I'll never kill the story off, if I get sick of writing it before it ends you'll still get a summary chapter I promise. I'm having fun here people, so don't take it too seriously. I personally get a kick out of the fact that one person said the story started out good but they're not sure they like where it's goin'. I think the early parts are horrid, and I wrote them, but I like the newer parts. So it's all subjective. Anyway enjoy the story if you're still reading it. I had some plot guessers and they were partially right for sure, but the clues were there if you looked for them anyway.
Mia walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water and saw who her brother was talking to. The glass hit the floor shattered into a million pieces and an ever spreading pool of water. The glass glittered in the water like a hundred little diamonds on the floor. "This isn't happening." Mia said and sat down before she fell down, not worrying about cleaning up the spill right away. For Mia, that told them just how shocked she was. Brian came out of the kitchen.
"How the hell is this possible?" Vince asked the room in general. He could see that it was happening, he just didn't get how or why.
"Yo Dawg, I don't get it?" Leon's green gaze was confused. Jesse just looked on with the same emotion.
"Holy shit. This is insane." Letty's jaw was still hanging open. The whole team looked at the man with undisguised surprise.
"I don't understand why you're all so shocked." Harry's gaze was both confused and angry.
"Maybe cause you're dead, or you're supposed to be, and it's not every day a dead man comes to my door and into my living room." Dom answered.
"Dead! Who told you that?" Torrie's father looked confused.
"Torrie did." Dom looked back into the familiar face of the man he'd been dealing with for the last 6 or so years for all his car parts. He knew that was really Harry. No mistaking it.
"Torrie told you I was dead?" Harry looked even more confused, plus now hurt.
"Yeah. That's what the cops told her, what else was she supposed to think?" Vince added his two cents.
"I don't know. Why do the cops think I'm dead?"
"I don't know if that's our story to tell." Dom answered. "Torrie thinks you're dead."
"Maybe that was just easier for her to tell people then the truth." Harry didn't know why Torrie would think he was dead, but he was hurt to think his angel would rather tell people he was dead then that he'd had to leave. But something else in the back of his mind was telling him this all made sense.
"I investigated the crash man, you're dead as far as PD's concerned. It was definitely your car man." Brian answered. He knew that it was Harry standing in the house beyond a shadow of a doubt as well, he'd spent quite some time working with Harry.
"Where is Torrie?" Harry asked.
"She's sick, she came down with the flu this afternoon." Mia found her voice. "She's totally out of it, asleep upstairs."
"I haven't seen my daughter in almost a year. Can someone take me to her?" Harry couldn't wait to see his princess.
"I don't know if that's a great idea. I mean this is going to be a huge shock to her and she's already not feeling good. Why don't you come back tomorrow during the day and I'm sure she'll be awake then and feeling better." Dom didn't want to shock Torrie this badly when she was already not feeling well, plus they'd have to wake her up to tell her and she was never in a great mood when she first woke up.
"I haven't seen my child in almost a year. I'd rather not wait. I don't understand why she lives here anyway."
"She lives here because when you were declared dead she couldn't afford to live in her own place." Dom was starting to get mad. This man had taken off for the last year and left his only daughter thinking he was dead. Where the hell had Harry been? If he hadn't been dead, as everyone had been told then where had he been? Why had he let Torrie go through thinking he was dead for so long? Now that he was back, he had no right to be mad about where Torrie lived. He'd abandoned her after all.
"I don't know how I was declared dead. I'm right here. I had to leave the country." Harry was also getting mad. He'd never wanted Torrie to have anything to do with Toretto yet here she was living in his house. Plus, he'd had to leave the country sure, but how did he end up declared dead? That was never part of the plan. He wanted to see his daughter and find out just what was going on here.
Vince sighed and glanced up at the ceiling, knowing Torrie was asleep over their heads. He was trying to stay out of it; she was Dom's girlfriend, so it was Dom's issue. But he wanted to get involved and throttle Harry for taking off for a year and leaving Torrie to fend for herself. For making her feel like she had to sell her home, for making her think she had to race her car, for putting her in the position of needing to accept Dom's charity. She was so proud, and it must have cost her a lot to accept Dom's offer. But she'd done it and she'd grown and changed. But she'd still been forced into the situation. Who knew if she and Dom even would have gotten together if Torrie hadn't had to move in with them? Dom put his thoughts into spoken words.
"Besides that, why didn't you try to contact her during the time you were gone so she didn't have to worry? It just doesn't make any sense. I mean she had to go through her mom dieing, then thinking you were dead, then losing her house and being forced to try to race her car for money to eat and have a home. Then she lost her car to me and had to end up taking my charity at first for a place to stay. Now here you are a year later complaining about where she lives and the fact that we don't want to upset her." Dom shook his head. This was such a mess.
"You raced her, won and then used that to force her to move in with you? Dom, I never would have thought you could do something so, so, sick. Besides I couldn't contact her. I left her a letter explaining the whole situation. Are you telling me she never got it?" Harry asked Dom. He couldn't believe Toretto had taken advantage of his daughter that way. He'd never wanted her to meet Dom, that much was true, but it wasn't because he'd thought badly of Dom, it was because he hadn't wanted Torrie to get involved in street racing. Ok, the fact that he didn't think Dom was good enough for his baby had something to do with it, but he also thought Dom was too old for Torrie as well.
"I don't know about any letter but since I know for a fact she thinks you're dead I'd imagine any letter telling her something else never showed up in her hands." Dom growled out, adding "I can't believe you think I forced her to come here. I never would have taken her car or made her come live here. She wanted to. I really can't believe you didn't let her know you were ok before now, even if she knew that you'd just run away you still should have told her that you were fine." Dom took a menacing stance. Harry was starting to have a sinking suspicion that Torrie didn't just live with the team. He hoped he was not right.
"Well, damn Dom, it's not like she's gonna be upset her dad's not dead after all." Letty had to toss that out. Dom looked ready to take Harry's neck in his hands and choke the life out of him. The team pretty much had Dom's back. Harry was not taking the right attitude in this situation, trying to imply that Dom forced Torrie to live with them, to become his girlfriend. Dom tried to remind himself that Harry had just found out he was 'dead' and that his child thought she'd never see him again. He tried to calm down.
"No, I guess not but she's gonna be shocked, and pissed as hell if I know Torrie." Dom smiled a rueful smile as he thought about Torrie's likely reaction when she found out her dad was still alive. If Dom knew how her mind worked, and he thought he did, he guessed Torrie'd figure that her dad faked his own death and left her to clean up his mess.
"Why pissed?" Harry asked.
"Cause if I know my princess," Dom saw the look on Harry's face and knew that was the wrong thing to say, the wrong time for the older man to find out that Letty wasn't here as Dom's girl anymore, that Torrie had filled that role, but he recovered and just brazened his way through it, "she's gonna assume you faked your own death to cover for something or get out of something, especially since you never called or wrote or did anything else that would let her know you're alive, and she'll think you left her to clean up your messes on her own." Dom finished.
"Your princess?" Harry asked, well, sputtered. She was his princess and only his. She sure as hell wasn't dating Dom Toretto now that he was home. Maybe if he really did die, then Dom could date his daughter over Harry's dead body. The team all had matching looks of 'this isn't going to be good' mixed with 'what, our Dom is not good enough for his daughter?' Harry was turning red and he looked like he was going to explode. Dom answered.
"Um, yeah. I guess this isn't the best time to tell you but since it slipped out, um, Torrie and I have been together for the last three months or so." Dom actually turned kind of red under the caramel tones of his skin. He hadn't lied to Torrie all that time ago before they went to see her relatives. He wasn't the kind of guy girls brought home to meet their dads. He could feel the anger coming off Harry in waves. He couldn't blame the man in one way, if he had a daughter he'd be the last type of man he'd want to see her with, but on the other hand Harry'd left for a long time. Torrie had been bound to grow up some in that time frame. And in that time she'd also decided of her own free will to get with Dom. Dom wasn't giving her up now that her dad decided to come back onto the scene.
"So you and her broke up and you moved on to my baby?" Harry asked with a glance at Letty.
"Well, yeah, I did end up with Torrie after Letty and I broke up, but I didn't take Torrie in with the intention of ending up dating her. It just sorta happened that way." Dom felt like he was under a microscope and he didn't like the feeling one bit. He felt like he wasn't good enough for Torrie with her dad staring at him like he'd taken advantage of her. "I tried not to get involved with her really but fate had other plans." Dom smiled at the thoughts of how he'd just sort of morphed into more then a friend with Torrie. He knew what Mia said about him, that he pulled people to him like gravity. But this time it was Torrie that pulled him in, she'd pulled him in like a tether ball, she'd just kept winding him around her finger like the pole in that child's game till she had him right where she wanted him. Wrapped around her like the string of the ball wrapped around the pole. And she'd done it with such ease that it looked like child's play in hindsight. She was his life now and he wasn't giving her up just because Harry'd come back from the 'dead' and didn't approve of his daughter's choice of boyfriends.
"Dom?" A small voice called down the stairs. Harry looked up the stairs and almost started for them.
"Comin' baby girl." Dom called up the stairs.
"She's awake, let me see her." Harry said. Why was he asking permission to see his own daughter anyway?
"No, not tonight. You can stay here tonight if you haven't got anywhere else to go and then see her in the morning. I'm not gonna let you upset her this late at night when she doesn't feel good already. She won't sleep tonight. You can have the spare room upstairs if you need it. I already had to put the pieces back together the first time you died, I don't want the fact that you're not dead at all to shatter her. This has to be handled carefully."
Chris didn't know where she'd sleep since Dom had just given her room to this new man. All there was up there was Dom's room, Letty's room and the spare room. Torrie stayed with Dom, Letty had the room Torrie had been in up till then now that Torrie was officially staying with Dom, and then Chris stayed in the spare room. Vince must have sensed her getting worried and drawing even more into herself because he leaned over and whispered, "You can just share wit me. But we'll talk later." Chris just nodded. She couldn't believe this was happening. What a wild ride the Toretto team lived on.
Dom started up the stairs. He let himself into their room. "What is it? When did you wake up?" Dom asked Torrie.
"I thought I heard a stranger downstairs, but it didn't totally sound like a stranger either." Torrie said with a puzzled frown.
"You must have been having a bad dream." Dom suffered a pang of guilt at telling her that lie but he figured it was for the best. She'd find out about Harry soon enough.
"Maybe. What time is it?" Torrie yawned then sniffled after she asked and looked down at the covers. She felt so gross, all sweaty and scratchy. She wanted a shower really bad all of a sudden. And even sick she wanted Dom. But it was hard to feel sexy when you were sick, thought you smelled and were wearing an old men's undershirt.
"10 pm. Time for you to go back to sleep." Dom smiled and gave her a gentle shove to try and make her lie back down. He wanted her to stay asleep and in bed.
"I want to take a shower first. I feel gross." Torrie said and went to get up.
"Whoa, slow down girl. I don't think getting out of bed is a great idea right now. I think you better stay put." Dom wasn't having her out of bed, he didn't think she should plus he didn't want her to run into Harry by mistake.
"I'm not goin' back to bed till I get a shower Dom and that's the end of the story." She glared at him for being so bossy.
"Fine." Dom sighed. "I'll help you out though. I'm not leaving you alone in the bathroom." Dom didn't want her to fall or pass out in the shower.
"I just have the flu you know, I'm not dieing." Torrie was getting crankier by the minute.
"I know. I know. But you did already tell me you passed out on Vince once today so humour me." Dom stood up and scooped her up. "You want your shower you put up wit me takin' care of you. And that's the end of that story." Dom said and she could tell that he was just as stubborn and serious as she'd been.
"Fine." She said and let him carry her into the bathroom. He set her on the closed toilet seat and started the water. When he figured it was the right temperature he turned to her. "You gonna watch me shower Dom?" She asked. He wasn't sure if she was being suggestive or cranky. It was hard to tell when her nose was stuffy and the words didn't sound quite normal.
"Yeah, I don't want you to fall down and hurt yourself. I want to make sure you make it out ok." He swallowed hard at the thought of seeing her and not starting with her. It was going to take all the will power he had. He couldn't resist her when she gave him that look, with one raven's wing brow raised up and her green eyes flashing mischief at him, let alone when she was wearing nothing but his shirt then she took it off. There was something about seeing her in his cloths that excited him. He thought it had something to do with thinking of his shirt next to her bare skin, then on his.
She stood up and she wasn't very steady on her feet. Torrie didn't know if she was going to be able to stand while she showered and washed her hair. But she wasn't admitting that to Dom. She was in a bad mood and she was mad at Dom for insisting on being here with her even while she was grateful not to be alone in case she did fall down. She pulled his shirt off and stepped into the shower.
Dom could see her through the curtain and he knew she was barely standing upright with her hand on the wall, he didn't know how she was going to stay standing when she went to wash her hair. He quietly took off his clothes and climbed in with her. She looked like she was asleep in the spray. When his broad back blocked the water from reaching her she opened her eyes. "What're you doin' in here?" She asked, snappishly.
"You're fallin asleep, how're you gonna wash your hair?"
"I don't know." She answered, the fight gone out of her. He was just trying to be nice and she was so damn tired.
He turned them around so that the water hit her head and got her hair wet. Then he proceeded to work the shampoo into her scalp for her, having her lean into his arms, being her strength so she didn't have to be strong on her own. She groaned, his strong fingers with their calluses from his honest work felt so good on her head, massaging her scalp and then though the strands of her hair. "I was gonna cut my hair all off it's such a pain, but now I'm not sure." She sighed out.
"You cut this hair off and I'll beat you. I love your hair." Dom told her while he rinsed the soap out. He'd never done anything like this before, but he felt strangely happy to do it. It always seemed like she was taking care of him, he'd never had to take care of her before, of any girl really. Letty had been so self sufficient and proud of the fact. Dom realized that Torrie really had fallen asleep against him. He smiled down at the crown of her head and shut off the water. She was so stubborn. No wonder they fought so much, he'd be hard pressed to pick which one of them was more tenacious.
He lifted her out of the shower with him and tried to figure how they were going to get from the bathroom to his room if he didn't wake her up. He had to do something with her hair, they were dripping water everywhere. He couldn't figure it out, he'd have to wake her. He sat her down but she woke up on her own.
"Why do I keep doin' that?" She asked.
"Doin' what?"
"Fallin' asleep. I did nothin but sleep all day and night pretty much." She sighed as Dom started to dry her legs off. "I can do that." She said and half heartedly reached for the towel.
"So can I. Just humour me." Dom said. She gave him his way. It was nice to have someone take care of her because they wanted to, not because they felt they had no choice. Once he got her all dried off he pulled his shirt back over her head. "What're you gonna do with your hair?"
"Give me that elastic." She asked and when he handed it to her she wound it up in a messy bun. "Problem solved." She yawned again.
"Ok, bed for you." She went to stand up but Dom picked her up and carried her into the hall. Thankfully she had her eyes closed and was half asleep because Harry was in the hall, likely on his way to bed. Dom could only imagine how it must look for him, carrying Torrie, coming out of the bathroom at the same time, both of them obviously soaking wet. He really normally would have had some respect and not done it with Harry in the house but he hadn't really had any choice. He shot the other man a look telling him to be quiet. Thankfully Harry listened, but now he knew for a fact that Torrie and Dom shared a room. Another fact Dom had hoped to keep from him for the time being, but it couldn't be helped. Harry was still staring daggers at him, Dom could tell, but he kept quiet about it. Dom closed the door.
He had thought this a lot lately but tomorrow was really going to suck, Dom thought as he laid Torrie down on her side of the bed. Harry'd be mad at him for his relationship with Torrie. Torrie was likely to be mad both at her dad for disappearing and at Dom for not telling her right away the night before. There was likely to be fighting. He wasn't looking forward to it. He pulled the sheets up over Torrie, kissed her forehead and then crawled into the bed on his side.
Harry waited for Toretto to come out of the room but the other man never did. So that grease monkey and his daughter were living together. Over his dead body, he thought. No way was his princess living with Toretto. She was way too good for this life, for that man. She deserved to be waited on, to have a man that could give her everything, not to be with a no good, wrench wielding street racer who'd never be able to provide for her if he started losing races, who'd make her work for a living. She belonged running the store and that was the most manual her labour should ever have to be. He wouldn't have his baby girl worrying about money and working for strangers. He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow. Surely she'd see reason now that he was back in her life. She'd always been Daddy's little girl, following him to work and always wanting to be under his feet. He smiled at his memory of a three year old Torrie dragging a Tonka truck across the driveway at their house, her mother trying to make her wear dresses and play with dolls all the while. He wiped a tear off his cheek and went into his borrowed room.
The whole house settled down and everyone went to sleep. Dom had told them all to not bother getting up early, that the shop would just have to wait till after everything else was settled. He was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.