Authors Notes: Okay, first off…Wow. I've never finish a fanfic, so technically, this is my first piece of fanfic ever. So please allow me the looonnnnngggggg Author's Notes before I send you off to read the rest of the chappie.

First off, thank you to all those who took a chance at reading a crossover fic, especially those who didn't think I could make it work. Thank you for taking the time to read my work.

To the people who have always reviewed this…maile, maliek, greenglowchassis, ranger webb, pips24, Jada91…thank you! And to nighttime writer, who rallied for my 100. It was very much appreciated. You rock, man.

And for those Jim and Letty fans who still stuck by me…Tempest! Thank you for that review, it means a lot since I am a fan of your work. To Eli, and Shortie212, thank you for continuing to read this, even if they didn't end up together.

To tehzo, who came in at 100 with a wonderful, wonderful review. That was just…wow. And to Sweetest Addiction, my fellow flip, who reviewed me via-email when ffnet wouldn't let her, keep on writing gurl. And to the girl whom I dragged with me from Trek…Steph4. Yes, I will finish Remember.

And for those who are still with me in reading this…Remember was what started it all. I needed some Vin Diesel data coz I made him play one of the leads in my Trek fic. And though I am a TFTF fan, I was never really into the DL fandom until I re-watched it. And just coz I saw all the Diesel films, and saw Blue Crush, I just had to watch SWAT, and things just went on from there.

Okay, I know you people want to just scroll down now and read, but before that…forgive the typos, for this chap and all the other chaps. I don't have a beta and heck, English isn't even my first language. I promise to mop it all up before…uhm, later.

Also…as a writer, I am extremely picky with personalization. Real racers in this fandom nitpick the cars and the technical terms—which I know nothing of and thus never use—but I really, really, try to be a stickler to the characters personalities.

As a fanfic writer, I feel like I have a responsibility to be faithful to them, even when it makes some readers want to tear their hair out, I will most likely do what is more logical and believable than what I think will make people happy.

I really wrote this to be a Dom and Letty fic, but in order to make it believable, I needed to make a really nice Jim…though I never once thought that i'd do such a nice job that people would actually want Jim over Dom.

Maybe I'll do one of them…but I'm really a sucker for canon pairings. I hope my Jim and Letty fans will accept my apology in that I made him very, very happy.

See, I like happy. I'm a sucker for happy endings…I really, really am. I swear.

Everything happens for a reason.

I used to think that was such a cop-out excuse until I realized how important it was for a person to believe.

We all get to this point in our lives where we start questioning things. We can switch religions, lose our religion, and have no religion, but ultimately we all go back to that one fundamental thing: faith.

Faith that I have a purpose. Faith that I have direction. Faith in the things that I have no control, but somehow believe should happen for whatever purpose that I had yet to know.

Faith in me, in the people around me. Faith in God, faith in the universe.

For a long time, I thought I was so weak for not being able to fight circumstances, but see, you're not supposed to. You can only control yourself, and how you react, but everything around you…that's up to faith.

And one of the hardest things in keeping that faith is learning to let go.

Present

"Her name is Chris Sanchez"

Chris Sanchez…

I watch as Jim's face light up just by saying her name.

In all the time that we've been together, I've heard him say other women's name, a select few of whom he's loved, but I've never seen his face light up like this when he's talking about them...

Or even me…

"She's a cop…and a mom"

I blinked, surprised "A mom?"

And here's another surprise.

The corners of his mouth twitch and he gets this soft look in his eyes.

"Yeah, she's got a kid, Eliza. She just turned nine" he smiles "She's a really great kid, real spunky and smart. Great soccer player. Sometimes, if we're free that weekend, we'll come here in the beach and play some rounds with Roxy."

"Roxy" I smile "Where is the old girl?"

"She's okay" he answers "She misses you, though not by much considering she's got Eliza now. Damn dog follows her around so much that she might as well be her dog."

"Don't you think she already is?" I kidded

He sits back, reflecting on that. "Yeah, I guess she is."

We take a few moments, just thinking and looking at the sunset. Once the sun comes down, it's going to be pretty cold, and something tells me that we're not going to be doing our traditional methods of warming up anymore.

I close my eyes and think back to those days, when we just sat here, thinking about anything and everything.

I thought about a lot in those days, usually while sitting in this spot, alone or with Jim. Didn't matter.

A lot of my biggest decisions were made here. I thought of my future here, of whether I should stay here with Jim or patch things up with Dom.

And as I listen to Jim talk about this amazing little girl, I remember what it was that made me decide.

I never…had that image in my head. Of Jim, a family, a life…of SUV's, and carpools, marriage and commitment and birthday parties and little girls. Never.

Sitting here, on this beach, I realized that although I loved Jim, I never tried to pictured my future with him.

It hit me then.

Our lives were too different, and although we were together, we were bound for separate directions.

Jim had wanted that life, that sense of normalcy. He needed it, to balance his life in SWAT. And he craved it, because he grew up with it. He needed a Chris Sanchez, and a Roxy, and an Eliza, while I didn't.

Maybe someday, but not then, not now, and certainly not with him.

And if I wasn't willing to give it to him…then it was unfair for me to keep him.

I had to let go.

"I didn't think it was possible"

I looked at him, his face full of wonder. "What was?"

"This…all this. I didn't think…I didn't think I would ever want it"

"Sometimes…" I said "Sometimes we find things in our lives that we never thought we wanted, or needed, but are actually the things we can never live without."

He looked at me then, like really looked at me. And it wasn't the old Jim looking at me, but a new one, a better one.

"Thank you Letty" he said "I didn't understand what you were saying then, but I do now, and I can't thank you enough for what you did."

He said it with so much gratitude that I can't decide whether I'm shocked or happy with this attention that I'm getting.

One thing's for sure though, I'm damn near uncomfortable.

"Aww, shucks Jim"

He just laughs. "I forgot that you don't take compliments that well."

I just grunted.

"You know…she's a lot like you."

I let out what seemed like a cross between a laugh and a snort. "Really?"

"Yeah, she is. She's smart, and tough…won't take shit from anyone. And she's an incredible person, though she doesn't like to hear it. She's a bit..shy when it comes to compliments, even if it's about work. She's one of the best officers out there, and a great friend too. She'd take a bullet for any one of us on the team."

I blinked. "Whoa, wait a minute. On the team?"

"She's on the team with me" he said proudly "She's my partner…She's SWAT"

Well, holy cow

"Damn…" I said, amazed

"Plenty have had the same reaction" he said "She's one of the first women to ever be admitted in the division. Like I said, she's amazing"

"And what do your superiors say about your relationship with this amazing woman?"

The smile on his face falters…but doesn't fade.

"They're looking the other way…for now. We're one of the best units out there so they can't afford to lose us, and Chris…I dunno how to explain this Let, but working with Chris…it's just fucking eerie. When we're on the field…we fuckin' connect. We can anticipate each others moves, and just know what the other's plannin'" he says, in total awe

"I can't explain it, but as a team…we're a real fuck-ass unit. And sometimes I'm worried about her, because I know she'd take a bullet for me. Fuck, I know she'd take a bullet for any one on the team, and when that happens, I don't know what I'd fuckin' do…for myself and for Eliza…"

I just nod. "Wow man, that…sounds like a lot."

To be honest, I can't even begin to understand what it is that they do.

I understand the rush, but let's fucking face it. Dragging your ass through a quarter mile in an insanely fast car powered with volatile materials might be fucking dangerous…but it's nothing compared to chasing after criminals while getting shot at in the process. And that's on a good week...

I couldn't even live with the idea of Jim going out there getting his ass shot at. For him to go out with someone, to work with someone he loved, and have that possibility hanging over his head every fucking time they go on a mission…

"This is one helluva situation you got yourself into Jim"

"But it's one that I'm willing to live in" he concludes

We're silent for a minute, thinking of what he just said. The sun's almost gone, and I can feel the chill settling in as I pull my jacket tighter.

"I can't…I can't live without her" he tries to explain "It took a while for us to admit this because of those same reasons, and we were aware of the risks, but like you said…you just can't chose who you love"

"She's my partner Let, in everything. At first, we thought this was just some weird transference, some influence of us being really great on the field. But the more we got to know each other out of work, and the more time I spent with Eliza…I realized that I can't…I can't be completely happy with my life without her, without them in it"

I breathed in, taking in the salt sea air, letting the night and the ocean fill my lungs as I shared in the wonder of his revelation.

"She…she was shot once. Fuck, she's been shot at several times, but there was this one time when she really went down and…it was after the two of us started seeing each other, and I was so scared, that I…wanted to end it."

Even in the dark I could see that he was slightly guilty.

"I…I didn't think I was ready to be a dad. But when she went down, my first thought was of Eliza. And I…I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. So I tried to distance myself, and she did the exact same thing."

It was completely dark now, and several of the neighbors had opened their porch lights. The light in the driveway was the only one on right now, other than that we were completely surrounded by the darkness.

Neither of us made any move to change it, because sometimes…sometimes there are some things that you can't say in the light but be completely honest with in the darkness.

And now we needed that darkness.

"It took me two months, just two months. Eight weeks without her and I knew" he said "I became such an ass, hooking up with all these women, until I met this really great girl…and she was so great, and sweet, and wonderful, and charming, and smart and…and…completely unlike Chris"

He looked at me, trying his damnest to explain.

"I tried going out with her, and she was perfect, but…I knew it wouldn't work" he said, biting his lip "I could see myself happy with her. Fuck, I could see myself happy with other women, but deep down…I knew I'd always be thinking of her."

And there it was.

My forgiveness.

Funny, I didn't think I needed it. I always knew that Jim would eventually see why I had to end things before…but things ended so badly that I guess a part of me always hoped that when he forgave me, I would be there to see it.

"All those times, I couldn't understand why you were with Dom, when he hurt you so damn much. After all that, I just didn't think it was worth it. Then I met Chris…" he paused, before going on

"I don't know how it's possible, but I love you more now than when I was with you, although this time…it's in a different way. And I don't know how to explain it, but I knew you needed to hear it"

And I did. So help me God, I didn't know why, but I did.

A part of me, that small part of me that will always love Jim, is somewhat jealous of what happened. But a bigger part of me, the part that's his lover and his friend, the part that loves Dom, is happy for him.

More than happy for him.

Shit, I'm fucking ecstatic.

"You're probably wondering how all this can work, with all that bullshit with us being partners and us loving our jobs…but I don't fucking care. Neither of us do, and right now it's not fucking important. I just know that if I don't give this a chance, I'll fucking regret it."

"Jim…"

"I'd give it up Let, for her" he admitted "For her, for Eliza…but the thing is, I don't think I have to. She knows me Let, and she understands me, and I didn't think I'd ever find anyone who ever would"

Suddenly, his hands are so tight around me that I couldn't breathe, but I don't fucking care, because right now I'm happy.

I'm happy…and hopeful.

"Thank you for making me understand" he whispers in my ear

I just close my eyes and hug him back, thinking…of all the things, of what lies ahead…

I'm hopeful…

"And thank you for understanding" I answer softly

I always wondered how it could happen, how I could love two people at the same time, but this is how I look at it.

Dom…Dom was always my sun. He was gravity, he was my center…he held it all together.

And Jim was like the moon. He stayed the night, and lit my way through the darkness. And in the day, when my sun was back, he faded with the morning…but he was always there. Watching me.

But like the moon who borrows his light from the sun…I shared my love for Dom with Jim.

I couldn't love Jim, if I didn't love Dom. I have couldn't put that much faith in loving, wouldn't have taken the risk to feel that way about someone else, I didn't already know what it was like.

And in the same way, I would never have come back to Dom, if it wasn't for Jim.

He made me realize what was important, even when he didn't know that he was doing. He forced me to face my fears, even when it hurt him to do it. He gave me the strength to make the sacrifices, when I thought I didn't have it in me to do it.

And he was doing it all over again…

Present

We parked a few meters away from the house and killed the engine.

It was three in the morning, and without a party, the street was fuck ass quiet.

"Where's the fun?" Jim smirked, looking at me

I had promised him a party and now there was none, but I could tell that neither of us were really that disappointed.

I stared at the house, which had all the lights—save for the porch light—off.

That was unusual.

"I dunno" I said "Things have kind of mellowed down lately, but I know this week we were definitely slated for a party"

"Doesn't look much like a party to me"

I smacked Jim on the chest and looked at the house.

I'm worried. They should be back by now, instead…

All the cars are still gone except for…I squinted then jumped back as one of the bedroom lights came on.

"I'm guessing that's your room" Jim muttered

"Not lately" I mumbled, looking at the light from the master bedroom…Dom's room

A shadow passed by the window and lingered there for a few seconds before moving away.

I guess that's his way of saying that he's not watching us…but he's definitely waiting for me to come in.

I take a deep breathe, silently thanking the team for being out.

Dom and I…we still have a lot of things to talk about. A lot of things to finish…

I look up at the bedroom again and remember all those times that I had to stay up, waiting for Dom to come home…

My eyes wander to the one next to it. The lights are off, mainly because it's Vince's room…Well, Leon's and Vince's room. But once upon a time, it was Dom's room. And for a long time, it was that room that I'd watched from afar.

I crane my head and turn around, looking at a light blue house not too far down the street.

It hasn't changed all that much, except that it used to be white. The new owners painted it as soon as they moved in. Lovely old couple. I still talk to them, but I never could accept one of their invitatons to go in.

Jim turns around to see what I'm looking at. He sees the house and just nods his head in understanding.

"You okay?" he asks

I sigh and sink back into my seat. "Yeah, just…nervous I guess."

He just laughs. He already knows that there's nothing he can say to drive the butterflies out of my stomach.

"You look terrible" he says "And I hate to say this, but you smell like dog"

I hit him again. "Well if you'd kept Roxy down, then I wouldn't be covered in your dogs spit"

We'd talked for about another half hour before Richard had come home with Roxy and turned our little melodrama into a luau.

"Richard looks great by the way" I told Jim

"And that's all Clarissa" Jim answered "She's a great gal. We've doubled a couple of times, she and Chris get along pretty well."

That was one thing Jim was quick to point out.

While there are a lot of things me and the now infamous Chris Sanchez have in common, being fru-fru apparently isn't one of them. Well, maybe not fru-fru. But Jim says that despite her being in an uber testosterone filled environment (like i'm not, but since Mia's there, who's asking), Chris is actually quite…feminine.

"Damn; you, a girl, a kid, a dog and an Escalade" I smile "You got quite a deal there, Jimmy"

His face practically cracks with that smile. "Yeah, I know."

He reaches over and gives me one last hug before pulling back to come look at me.

I know that this isn't the last time we'll see each other, but I also know that it'll be a long time before we do.

Jim needed to close this chapter in his life, and now that he's done and ready to move on, he needs time to adjust to things before throwing me in it.

"Try and come by sometimes, get to meet Chris and Eliza" he says "When things settle down, maybe you can bring that guy of yours for a barbecue."

I just smirk.

"Yeah, and when have things settled down for you?"

He just laughs. "You gotta point"

One last hug later and I'm outta the car. I told Jim not to walk me, this one I need to do on my own…starting from down the road.

He rolls down the window and I look back at him.

"Will it help if I say that it's going to be okay?" he says

"No…but thanks for saying it anyway" I answer candidly

He nods knowingly. "Good luck Let"

"Thanks Jim" I sigh, giving him one last wave

"And remember girl" he says "I've got your back"

I just laugh as I stand up and finally watch him drive off, probably heading home to his new life, and his new family.

When the cars finally gone, I take a deep breath and head towards my family.

Dom…

I shove my hands in my pockets and will myself to put one foot in front of the other.

"Well, here goes" I tell myself

Flashback

My back is achy from sitting down for too long, and my legs feel still feel a little rubbery when I walk.

Still, I make the two minute walk to the front door without once landing on my face.

I raise my hand on the front door, but stop for a minute when I realize I don't know how the hell I look.

I've been up for three days. I don't have any luggage, have only just scrubbed my face and brushed my teeth. It's been a whole day since I last showered, and I know after sleeping in the car that my hair must look like a mess.

Not exactly the best homecoming look…but hopefully they won't notice.

I'm about to knock on the door again when it suddenly opens.

And there's Mia on the door about to throw the trash.

And the two of us about to die in shock.

"Letty" she gasps, standing there, with her eyes wide and looking at me

I run my hand through my hair, patting it down. "Hey girl, how ya livin'?"

One second, two seconds pass before Mia drops the bags and the whirlwind of affection comes up.

"Letty!" she cries, hugging me and pulling me in "Oh my God, Letty!"

I hear what sounds like a herd of Rhino's coming down the stairs and I see Leon and Brian running down.

"Christ girl, that you?!" Leon yells, running over and hugging the both of us

I just laugh and look over his shoulder, staring at Brian who's giving me a shit eating grin.

"What the fuck is all the noise about?" a really ticked off voice comes from a room right next to the stairs

I see a slightly groggy Vince with hair sticking in all directions come out with a yawn.

He takes one look at me, Leon and Mia and I swear, his eyes almost pop out of the sockets.

"Holy shit!" he yells, and I laugh

"Hey V" I greet him through a tangle of arms

Pretty soon I'm being smothered by four pairs of arms and I'm having trouble breathing.

Like, really having trouble breathing.

"Hey you guys, I need a little space here" I wheeze "Don't want to crack another rib."

They all laugh and let go of me, but only to have a pair of hands go around my waist and whip me out of their grasp, and straight into his arms.

"Letty"

A pair of soulful dark eyes lock with mine, and my arms immediately wrap around his neck.

"Letty" he says again

My mouth opens for an explanation…but nothing comes out. Fuck, I don't think I can say anything.

"Jesus Let" he cries, his hands squeeze my waist while he buries his face on my neck "Letty, Letty, Letty"

I finally crack and my eyes water while I gasp. "Dom, Jesus Dom…"

My hand tightens on his back as I breath him in, his voice coming in gut wrenching sobs as he says over and over

"You're home Let, don't worry, you're home, You're finally home."

Present

The house is quiet when I come in.

I switch on a lamp in the living room so the boys won't trip when they get back, then head up to the bedroom.

I know he's up, and there's no use stalling when there's still so many things to talk about, and I want to do it before Mia and the guys get home.

Soon as I reach the foot of the stairs, all the butterflies in my stomach vanish, only to be replaced with this sense of determination.

I needed to do this. I owed it to myself and to Dom. To the team and to Jesse.

It was time for us to at least get to some sort of resolution.

I open the door to the bedroom and find him sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

Three of Mia's large candles are lit in different parts of the room, and I looked at Dom questioningly.

"For mood?" he shrugs

And soon as he said that, we both just bust out laughing.

Not that there was anything funny. We were about to have one of the most important—if not the most important conversation we've ever had, and the two of us are coming down in stitches.

Well, you know what they say. If I didn't laugh, I might just cry, and we've fuck ass done enough of that already.

After a few more minutes, the two of us had settled down and were looking at each other on the bed.

I blinked, waiting for him to start, but somehow he's just as lost as I am.

Shit…how to start, how to start…

"So" I said, reaching out for his hand

"So" he answers, giving me a reassuring squeeze

I take a deep and just…dive right in.

"I guess you know that we really need this talk" I smile wanly

He smiles back, but doesn't say anything.

"Dom…first off, I'd really like to thank you for taking this quite well…though I have to admit, you had me going there when you talked to Jim in the shed."

"But seriously, thank you Dom, for doing that for me. For…letting me have my space, because right now…that's really what I need."

My voice catches, and I pause for a minute as I think about what I'm going to say.

This wasn't the first time that I've thought about it…but I gotta be honest with myself when I say that I didn't think I'd actually do it.

I didn't think I could, nor did I think that there would ever be a right time.

But back the beach, while I was talking to Richard, I realized that there would never be a right time, nor would there be an easy way of saying it.

Instead, I just had to put it all on faith.

"Dom…I love you" I say, and a part of me wants to wince

I'm following all the cliché's of letting him down gently…who would have fucking known.

"Let…" he asks, his hands are squeezing mine. He knows what about to say already and his face is fucking full of fear

"Dom…' I start again "You know I love you, and I have no doubt that you love me too…but I also know…that you know…that there's been something wrong in our relationship for a long time and…and I think it's finally time for us to come fix that."

His forehead creases as he tries to remain calm. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do, Dom" I say softly "We both do, and unless we do something about it, it's going to keep eating at the both of us until finally…there's nothing left."

"But we can fix this, right?" he says "You said it yourself, we just have to work at it, and together we can--"

"It's not that simple Dom" I cut in

"You and I…we've been together a long time. We've known each other ever since we were kids, and I…I've loved you for a long time. So long that I don't really know what it's like not to love you."

I could literally feel my heart breaking as I went on, but I knew it had to be done.

"When you're with me, I love you. When you make me feel like I'm the center of your world, I love" I explain "But more importantly…I love you, even when you were cheating on me. I love you, even when you were ignoring me. I loved you, so much, even when I was I loved Jim and--"

"Are you saying you don't love me anymore?" he panicked "And that you wanna leave?"

"No!" I answer quickly "No…God Dom, I love you so much, and…that's kinda like the problem."

"I love you, and I don't think anything will ever change that. It may, or may not turn out to be this kind of love, but I can assure you that whatever happens…I will never stop loving you." I say

"And I already know that I love you and this family too much for me to ever leave. I…I've seen what it's like to be without you, Dom, and without the team, and I don't think I can ever go through that again…But at the same time, I don't think we can do whatever it is that needs to be done if we're together like this."

"I don't understand" he says

"You said it yourself, all our lives we've only been apart three times. And in those three times, something incredibly big had to happen before either of us had to come back"

I looked at him, willing him to trust me as I tried my best to explain the situation.

"We've been together since I was seventeen Dom, and for some people…seven years is a really long time. Some people fucking get married after seven years."

"Is that what it is?" he asks "Because you know I love you and I'm committed to this relationship."

"And I am too" I say "And I want this to work, but in order for that to happen we have to find out whatever is that is wrong in ourselves first before we try and solve the problems we have when we're together."

I sigh.

I wonder when love will ever be easy…shit, I wonder when anything in this world will ever be easy.

…But then again, nothing that's worth it in this world is every easy, and if I have to work for this…then that's what I am going to do.

"I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't want to become a habit" I explain "We've been Dom and Letty for so long that we've forgotten what it's like to be just Dom or just Letty, to the point that we're taking it for granted how special it is to be Dom and Letty"

Dom looks at me like this is the most insane idea that I've ever had, but at least he's still willing to listen.

"I need a break Dom, just…a little breather. And for once, I don't want it to be caused by some traumatic event."

Dom's face crumples and he sighs. "I don't like this."

"But deep down, I know you think it makes sense." I say

"We've got shit that we need to work through Dom, and I'm still going to be here if you need my help, just not…right here."

I tense for a bit as he processes this bit of information. Doesn't take too long for it to hit home.

"What the hell are you saying?!"

"What I'm saying is…I think I need to move out."

"What?!" he says, his voice rising "Letty, this is your home, you can't leave--"

"And I won't" I say "Not really. I'll still be here in California, I'll still work at the garage, it's just…I won't be living here with you. Which is better, since technically if we're gonna break up, we can't sleep in the same room and it's still going to be mighty awkward staying in Jesse's room and seeing you at the breakfast table mornings."

"This is nuts!"

"No it's not" I argue "It fucking sucks, but it's something we're gonna have to do if the two of us want to survive."

"We already are surviving" he reasons "The cheating, the heist…this thing with Jim…it's over Letty"

"The situation maybe, but not with the problem with ourselves" I say "The cheating, Jim…they're all symptoms of something else."

"We gotta grow up Dom, as people, and we gotta do that on our own before we do that together."

I can see the fear creeping in his eyes, and I know he's scared shit at the moment because I am too.

He's not the only going out on a limb here.

I've been with Dom all my life. But there are issues here that I need to deal with myself.

This dependency with Dom is one. I was so young when I went out with him that I always thought of him as the adult, to the point that I let him make most of the decisions, even the ones that I really should be making for myself.

There's also the fact that there are so many things I haven't done, or even tried, mainly because I couldn't leave the team or I thought Dom wouldn't approve.

And I can't be disappointed with him for not saying yes when I didn't even have the courage to ask him…

Argh, fuck. How much harder is this growing up thing gonna get!

"What if we grow apart?" he asks

Ah, the million dollar question.

"That's a risk that we're going to have to take Dom" I say "C'mon, you're smart, you know this."

He groans and pulls our hands to rub his head in frustration.

"I fucking don't want to lose you Let"

"And you won't" I say "We're not going to start ignoring each other because of this Dom, and it would be stupid to say that we're gonna go back to being completely friends."

I trace my thumb over his huge knuckles, comparing the size of our hands.

His are about four sizes bigger than mine, so strong.

He may not have done a perfect job out of it, but considering the circumstances he's taken care me…of us, quite well.

"It's been seven years Dom, I think…I think it's time for you to face…whatever it is that you need to face from your time in Lompoc."

He instinctively pulls out his hand, but I don't let go.

And I know I won't, not ever.

"I was too young to understand…but I'm older now. And if you'll let me, I'll be here to help you, maybe not as your lover but as your friend."

His face is clouded with worry, but he looks at me with so much open trust that I knew that even though it hurt so much, this was the right decision.

"I thought we couldn't go back to being completely friends"

"Then don't think of me as a friend, just think of me as…Letty"

And I don't know what…maybe something from my speech finally started to make sense, or maybe it was just the way that I said it, but he just…started to look at me in a differently.

Not as a lover would…but in a way that I knew Dom should.

In a way that the old Dom that I blindly followed as a little girl would, the Dom that buttoned my coat up, or the Dom that gave me my first real kiss,or the Dom that asked me to believe in him when no one else would…the Dom that I saw when I closed my eyes and prayed for the future.

"I'm going to be honest with you in saying that I don't like it…" he says "But I love you, and if this is going to make things better for you…"

"It's just for me Dom, but this is for you too" I say "This is for us"

"For us" he repeats to himself, then looks up at me, his eyes shining with hope "We get to start over"

"Yeah, yeah I guess we do" I say, lacing our hands

And just like faith, Dom's words still make me feel better.

We get to start over…

The End…

Or is it?