Niema sat quietly on the couch and wondered if Jesse was ever going to come back. He'd wandered off over half an hour ago saying he'd be right back. She sighed and glanced at her watch. It was still early, at least for her. The noise was getting to be a bit much though.

She rose to her feet and looked around, spotting Leon and Brian not far away. Walking over to them, she tapped Leon on the shoulder and said, "If Jesse comes looking for me, just tell him that I stepped outside for a few minutes." Leon grinned. "You can smoke in here, you know?" he teased, winking at her. "I don't smoke, wiseass. I just need some air. Tell him, would you?" Leon nodded. "You got it, Ni." As she walked away, the two men went back to their conversation.

The moment the front door closed behind her, she took a deep breath. "Much better," she murmured, turning to walk toward one of the railings. Halfway there, she tripped over someone and fell, just barely catching herself with her hands. "Sorry about that," a male voice said as a warm callused hand caught her arm. "It's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going," she replied, turning around and sitting down. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized who she had tripped over. "Vince, right?" she asked, smiling slightly. "And you're Niema Cross," he answered, not looking at her. "Sorry if I'm bothering you," she said quietly, leaning back against the house. "Nah, you're cool." Neither of them spoke for a while. Finally, Vince broke the silence.

"Two years undefeated at Big Bear, huh?" he asked, setting down his bottle and looking at her. "Yep. Retired on top," she joked softly, lightly scraping the Corona logo on her bottle. "On top is the best position," he told her and then wished he hadn't said it. A low, musical laugh spilled from her, making him relax. "Good," he thought, "I didn't piss her off." "I like being on top," she teased, her eyes twinkling in the low light. "Me too. What do you know about that?" he laughed, grinning at her. "We both have good taste in positions?" He laughed harder, feeling the tension run out of his body. "You're okay, Niema Cross," he said when he had finally caught his breath. "So are you, Coyote," she replied, quirking an eyebrow. He smiled and wondered how she knew about that.

"Ahh, so you've heard of me?" Niema nodded. "I've heard of you. I don't know how much of it is true, but I've heard of you," she replied, trying not to laugh again. "What have you heard?" he asked curiously, turning slightly to face her. "That you're a legend among women, protective of your team, good with cars and a damn good driver," she told him, wondering if the first part was true. Vince laughed. "I am protective of the team, good with cars and a damn good driver. I don't think I'm a legend among women. I guess I have tried though," he answered, hoping he wasn't making her angry. "Most men try to be legends among women but few succeed," Niema stated with a broad smile. Vince couldn't stop laughing this time. He didn't want to because it felt too good.

Inside

Dom stalked out of the kitchen and almost ran into Jesse. "Everything okay, Dom?" Jesse asked, worried by the look on his friend's face. "Yeah, Jess. Don't worry about it. Where's Niema?" he answered, looking around the room. "Leon said she stepped outside for a little bit. She said she needed some air," the younger man laughed, hoping that Dom really was all right. He'd been acting strangely ever since Letty had died. "Thanks, Jess," Dom told him, grinning and clapping him on the shoulder.

Jesse watched as Dom wove his way through the small crowd and headed toward the front door. He shrugged and went into the kitchen. "Mia, what's up with Dom?" he asked, seeing the girl leaning against the counter, her dark eyes sad. "I mentioned the 'L' word," she replied, smiling sadly. Jesse stared at her. "You're braver than I am," he told her, leaning over and hugging her. "I just wish he'd deal with it. He's letting it eat him alive." "I know. He'll deal with it when he's ready to, you know that." Mia nodded. "I do know that. I just wish he'd let me help." Jesse hugged her again. He understood exactly how she felt.

Niema was laughing so hard at Vince's story that she fell over, her head landing on his muscular thigh. "Then what did he do?" she gasped, looking up at him. Vince hiccuped and replied, "He says, 'But I thought you wanted to see my engine.' I swear I was rolling." She laughed harder, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Vince, you are hysterical. Absolutely hysterical," she complimented him, grinning as she caught her breath. He reached down and lightly ruffled her hair. "You're pretty funny yourself."

Niema tucked her hand under her head. "Why do they call you Coyote?" she asked after a few moments. He sighed and fiddled with her braid. "Because I'm pretty much a loner. Well, except for the team. They're my family," he told her, suddenly liking the feel of her hand on his leg. "You're lucky," she murmured, toying with his jeans, "Not many people have people that they're so close with." That comment surprised him. "You don't have anyone you're close to?" he questioned, stroking her hair lightly. "Nope. Just me. I think it's always been that way," she answered, closing her eyes. Vince was about to say something when the front door opened and someone stepped out of the house.

"Niema, you out here?" Dom called out, squinting to see in the dim light. "Yeah, Dom. I'm over here talking to Vince," she replied from his left. He walked over just in time to see her sit up. For some reason, he got angry. "Just talking? Hope you both enjoyed it," he gritted, turning and going back inside, the door slamming behind him. Niema sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go. Tell Jesse to let me know when he wants to install the Pattern 4," she murmured, getting to her feet and stepping over Vince's legs. He got up and caught her around the waist. "You don't have to leave, Niema," he said softly, using his free hand to tilt her face up to his. "It's better if I do. I'll talk to you again, Coyote," she told him, smiling as she pulled away from him and went down the steps. "Count on it," he called to her as she climbed into her car. She nodded in reply and started her car, backed it out of the driveway and drove away.

Vince watched her taillights disappear into the night and wondered what was wrong with Dom. He didn't know but he was damn sure going to find out.