Outside
Leon smiled against Pris's curly hair. "You're amazing, you know that?" he murmured as he stroked his hands up and down her back. "Am I?" she whispered, leaning back slightly and looking up at him. He nodded and lightly kissed her. "You're pretty damn amazing yourself, Leon." His smile broadened and he chuckled. "You know what that means, don't you? We're perfect for each other," he told her. Pris remembered Niema's earlier words and simply smiled.
When Leon held out his hand to her, she took it and let him lead her to the house. "I hope Ni and Dom got everything straightened out," Pris said, sounding worried. Leon opened the front door and tugged her inside. "I'm sure everything's cool with them," he told her assuringly. The sound of a door forcibly coming off its hinges changed his mind immediately. "What the fuck?" he yelled, dropping Pris's hand and running for the stairs. Pris was right behind him. At the foot of the stairs, they saw Mia, Jesse and Vince staring upwards. "What's going on?" Pris demanded, glaring at Vince, "Where's Niema?" Mia smiled at her. "She and Dom are going to talk things over," she giggled. "Is that what that's called?" Jesse quipped, clapping his hand over his mouth so he wouldn't laugh.
The five of them listened intently and when Dom roared, Pris started up the stairs. Vince caught her arm and shook his head. "Don't, Pris. They need to take care of this," he told her, noticing the increasingly hostile looks he was getting from her. "What the hell do you know about it?" she hissed, trying to pull her arm away from him. "I know that he's hurting and Ni may just be the one who can help him." That stopped her cold. "Maybe the slut's not as dumb as everyone says," she mused thoughtfully. "All right. But I don't like it," she said stubbornly. "Thanks, Pris."
They each sat down on a step and continued listening to what was happening upstairs.
Upstairs
Dom kept staring at Niema. He opened and closed his mouth a few times but nothing came out. "I don't know what's wrong with me," he finally murmured, rubbing his face. When he looked at Niema again, she was more relaxed. "I think I know what's wrong. It wasn't your fault, Dom. You weren't driving the car that hit hers," Niema whispered, coming to him and kneeling in front of him. "You don't understand," he whispered, tears welling up in his dark eyes, "I'm the one who made her leave that day. It was my fault that she got into her car. If I hadn't pushed her so much, she wouldn't be dead." "No, Dom. It could've happened to anyone, on any day, at any time. Did you know that she was going to die that day?" she asked him softly, pulling his hands away from his face. He could only shake his head. "Did you know she would get that mad at you?" Again, he shook his head. "Did you know that the other car was going to run a stop sign and hit her?" "God, no," he answered in a near whimper. "Then how is it your fault?" "It just is."
Niema stubbornly shook her head. "That's bullshit. The only way that Letty's death could be your fault was if you were driving the car that hit her. You weren't, Dom. I know you don't want to hear this, but you have to let it go. No matter how much you think you deserve to be at fault, you have to let it go. You'll destroy yourself and your team if you don't," she told him, holding his large hands in hers.
An anguished sob escaped him and tears rolled down his face. "I miss her so goddamn much, Niema," he gasped, looking into her eyes. "I know you do, but you can't change what happened. You can change what's happened since. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love and I know it's hard to keep going once they're gone. I want to ask you something and I want you to be honest with yourself and with me. Would Letty want you to be like this?" she asked, reaching up and gently wiping tears from his cheeks. He was silent.
Dom actually thought about what Niema had asked him. If he said that Letty wouldn't care, he'd be lying. Niema was right. He had to be honest with himself, even if it was only this one time. He owed that to Letty.
He raised his head and looked into Niema's eyes. "She'd kick my ass all over this house," he replied, a slight smile curving his lips, "And then she'd kick it up and down the street." By the time he was done speaking, he was actually smiling. "And I bet she'd be pretty pissed about the way you've been treating the team, too." Dom groaned softly. He knew he'd really fucked up with them and he had to make it right somehow. "You think they'll ever forgive me?" he asked softly, looking at her hopefully. Niema smiled at him. "There's only one way to find out," she answered, rising to her feet.
She started toward the doorway and turned back for a moment. "They need to know why you've done the things you have. And don't try to bullshit 'em. They're too smart for that," she warned him, turning away once more. Niema had barely taken two steps when Dom spoke. "I was afraid V would win you before I had a chance," he explained, hoping that she understood. Glancing at him over her shoulder, she said, "Let's just say that I'm open to all possibilities, but I'm not making any promises." With that, she left the room.
Dom stared after her and smiled. He glanced upward. "If her coming here was your idea, Letty," he murmured, "I'm going to owe you big."
As Niema came down the stairs, everyone that was waiting jumped to their feet. To the surprise of all, she went straight to Jesse. "Try not to be too hard on him," she murmured, ruffling his short hair, "He's trying." Jesse nodded and hugged Niema tightly. Behind Jesse, Mia was crying. "Is he okay?" Niema nodded. "I think so, but he's going to need help. From all of you," she answered, giving Vince a pointed look. He nodded at her, half-smiling.
Niema looked at Pris and Leon. "So, who won?" she asked with a straight face. Leon looked at her, confused. Pris giggled, "He did." "Who won what?" he demanded, looking from one woman to the other. "The game," Pris told him, winking. He looked nonplussed. "What game?" he nearly shouted, getting upset. With smiles, both women answered, "Tonsil hockey." Mia broke into laughter, Jesse following not far behind. Vince just shook his head and chuckled softly. Leon snorted. "Y'all women are crazy!" he stated, shaking his head. Pris leaned up and kissed him on the nose. "You wouldn't like me if I wasn't." "And she's definitely crazy," Niema teased, laughing herself.
