Disclaimer - I own nothing affiliated with The Fast and The Furious or Universal Pictures. Anything you do not recognise is mine.
AN - Hello everyone. This is my story and I'd like to say now that you probably won't expect the coupling in this story - though I'm hoping it's never been done before. I hope that the characters don't appear to out of canon though I think they would have changed over a long period of time and this is just how I viewed it. If you don't wish to read it, press the 'back' button or that little 'x' in the corner right now. Still here? Alright then. Daria x
Everyone Changes
'Ah, here's the problem Dot– the fuse in your bulb has gone is all. You just need to change the bulb and your light should be working, good as new,' Vince smiled down at the little old lady hovering behind him. He dismounted his step ladder and searched through his bag for the spare box of light bulbs he kept.
'Oh dear, I feel such a fool for not realising,' Dot admitted, in her sweet voice. It was a simple mistake for the wise lady to have made; she was alone in her old house and more jumpy since she had been widowed. Vince had felt kind of sorry for her ever since the first time he had been called out to her house, he imagined that she got terribly lonely and he had taken to her grandmother ways. She reminded him of his late grandma, she was always doing something.
'Don't worry about it, better to be safe than sorry right?' Vince changed the bulbs over and collected up his step ladder, resting it softly against the floral wallpaper of the wall.
'Would you care for a glass of lemonade dear?' She asked kindly, as he followed her into the large kitchen.
'Sure.' He sat down at the kitchen table as she fussed about, gave him cookies and made him a sandwich to go with the glass of lemonade. He wiped away renegade sweat beads from his forehead with the back of his hand as he wolfed down the hearty sandwich. He had taken pity on her ever since he had had to re-wire the whole of her downstairs. They had talked for hours and he rarely got to chat to someone about everything. She had had a very full and interesting life, whereas his seemed so minute in comparison. Though a lot of thing has happened to him, it was nothing compared to the eighty-four year old woman who sat before him.
He had been able to tell her many things that he just couldn't talk about with his friends and it was refreshing to have someone objective to talk to about his feelings and such. To be able to talk to someone freely who wouldn't judge because she didn't have time and had seen too much – done too much herself – to do so.
'How is young Mia doing?'
'She's great,' Vince smiled warmly. 'She has about three weeks left now, I think she's real excited 'cause it's sinking in, ya know?'
'That's good,' Dot returned his smile, stroking the ginger stripy cat that was sprawled across the table before her. Vince checked the clock on the wall, jumping up. It was five o'clock already and he had promised to be back in time for dinner since they were supposedly having 'guests'. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he had promised none the less and therefore had to cut his snack with Dot short.
'Well Dot, I'm sorry I've gotta eat and run but I better get going,' he explained, as she followed him back through the house.
'Not a problem my dear, I'm just glad I have someone I can call if I need something doing.' She smiled again, revealing her shiny fake teeth. He stooped down to kiss her cheek ad he departed from her house, tools and step ladder in hand.
He dumped them into the back of his pick-up truck and jumped in behind the steering wheel. He started up the engine and was graced with a Foo Fighters track. He drummed the steering wheel as he pulled out onto the road and headed for home. There was nothing quite as satisfying as cruising down a deserted road, a light breeze ticking the back of your neck and your favourite band pumping its way through the air and into your ears. For all the riches in the world, Vince had to admit he wouldn't give up the simple moments like that for anything. He was a simple kind of guy and when things got too complicated, things would go awry - something which he had learned the hard way.
As he pulled up to the familiar old house that he had called a home for so long, he noted the extra car in the driveway that belonged to Danny. He scratched his beard as he headed into the backyard, following the smell of the barbeque. His mouth pulled into a genuine smile at the sight of Leon standing before the chicken on the grill, clad in his usual basketball jersey and a tiny smirk. Though Vince had been away for two years, Leon was clearly the one who had remained pretty much the same. Vince couldn't be sure but sometimes he felt that Leon's act was just a façade because deep down he was hurting, just like everybody else.
'Hey buddy, good day at the office?' Leon greeted.
'So-so,' Vince replied, sitting down on the picnic table, sending more shards of the peeling paint floating to the ground. He turned to Letty and Danny who were sat beside each other in two garden chairs, laughing at each others jokes. 'Ladies,' he smirked, nodding his head at the two Latinos.
He couldn't explain it, but Letty seemed so much happier than he had ever known her to be. She still kept her tough girl persona when she was in unfamiliar surroundings but when she was with the 'team', she was herself. She was still the same girl who had always been car-crazed but loved to just hang out with the guys. She wore her black hair tied back and sunglasses on her head, but if she wore it down it would easily reach mid-back. Her black vest and leather pants accentuated her curvaceous figure.
'Aw Vince, I do pity you sometimes. At least I'm getting some,' Danny smirked back playfully, kissing Letty's cheek. Vince shook his head and turned back to Leon, who was turning the chicken over, which was looking close to perfect.
Mia walked out of the back door, bowl of salad in hand. Vince jumped up to grab it from her and Leon dashed forward to help her down the stairs. 'Guys, really, I'm fine,' she replied, flustered by their sudden need to help.
'I told you not to start making things honey,' Leon said, in his gravely voice.
'I didn't make anything; I just put some leaves in a bowl Le, how hard is that?' She asked, as he led her over to the table and gently pushed her into a comfy chair.
'You know what the doctor said, the last month your supposed to rest,' he said, his tone less demanding now.
'I know, I know, but I had to do something,' she replied, looking up at him with her deep chocolate gaze that he could so easily get lost in – and he so often did.
'Okay – just take it easy,' he replied, kissing her softly on her lightly frosted lips before sauntering back over to the barbeque.
Vince turned to Mia - her hair had been cut long ago to a much shorter shoulder length. The ends curled slightly into her neck and framed the delicate bone structure of her face. She was glowing healthily and the natural flush in her cheeks only added to her genuine, natural beauty. She wore one of her many floral summer dresses that accommodated for the extra weight she was carrying. She had a slight smile across her lips as she watched Leon work on perfecting his chicken when she finally focused upon Vince.
'Hey,' she greeted softly. She sighed happily, unconsciously rubbing her stomach.
'Hey yourself.' He smiled slightly at her antics, happy that she was finally happy, even though it had taken three years for things to regain some sense of normality. It had been hard on all of them, each of them had gone through personal toils but they'd managed to get through it and were getting on with their lives again. Though Vince had always had a soft spot for Mia, those feelings had changed to more of a protective older brother love over the years, a role he had partially fallen into due to a long-term sibling absence. 'So who's coming this afternoon?'
'Um, just Steff and John, we didn't really wanna have a big thing, ya know?' She shrugged.
Vince nodded his head – from what he understood Steff and John were two friends Mia had made during Medical school. He had never really met them in a formal way before though often heard Mia mention them on the days when she came home from college
The five of them heard the sound of a car pulling up and it wasn't long before Steff and John were walking out to meet them. 'Hey lady,' Steff smiled when she saw Mia, walking over and hugging her. Her hair was a similar length to Mia's, though straight and dyed red. Feathery tendrils of bangs swept across her forehead, just brushing her amber eyes. She was average height and looked comfy in a tight grey beater and cropped black jeans.
John swooped down to give Mia a hug also; his height was comparable to both Vince and Leon and when he stood up beside Steff, there was a clear foot between the two of them. His slightly tousled hair was jet black and added further to his healthy tan and blue eyes.
'You've met Leon,' Mia pointed over to the chef who smiled warmly at them both. 'This is Vince, Letty and Danny,' she pointed them each out in turn and they all smiled their way.
'Hey guys,' they greeted the rest of the gathering before turning back to Mia. Vince watched them grow in conversation, noting once again just how happy Mia was. He smiled to himself and headed inside to change out of his overalls and wash-up for dinner.
He headed down to the basement room, that was now all his own, and into the bathroom. He stripped down to his boxers and looked up to meet his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. It seemed that everyday he looked in it and everyday he was surprised by what he saw. Not the lonely, tough-guy racer he had been for so long, so long ago – but now he saw a man who'd lived. Sometimes he wasn't sure what that even meant in his own mind. He had lived through being shot in the gut, apparently one of the most painful places to be shot and he could vouch for that. He had survived hanging off the side of a truck doing sixty down the freeway by his arm. He had survived many a brawl over the two years stretch and now they say he is rehabilitated – whatever that may mean.
He caught a glimpse of the faded silvery scar that entwined his arm, a constant reminder of the biggest mistake of his life. If he looked down, he would see the worse of his scars – the one that still ached dully while he lay awake at night, unable to sleep. Staring at the ceiling and thinking wishfully about the way things could have and should have been. He stared into his own blue eyes for a long second and sighed. He rinsed his face with cold water and washed his hands before wandering back into his room and changing into jeans and a beater.
When he got back outside, plateful of bread buns in his hand, everyone was already seated at the table. Leon was in his usual spot at the foot of the table, beside Mia who was sitting next to Steff and John. Opposite them, Letty and Danny sat content. Everyone he considered family was there, minus one. He couldn't help but feel as though they had all grown up. They had all changed, moved on, become more themselves it seemed.
He sat in the free spot at the other foot of the table opposite Leon, who pointed at him, raised his eyebrows and set in a smile for his best friend. Vince returned the smile and raised his bottle of Corona, something which everyone else did with their drinks.
'To Jesse and the car Gods,' Leon said, looking at Mia, Letty and Vince, who each smiled in the memory of their friend. 'And to my daughter,' he added, smiling mischievously at Mia.
'Son,' she laughed, playfully swiping his hand.
'We'll see. Let's eat,' he added, reaching in for the chicken he was so proud of. Letty, Danny and Vince became engrossed in conversation while the other four also tucked in to their food.
The absence of two of their family members had put a strain on their closeness. The people in question had been gone for three years now – one was dead. And the other, for all they knew, could be dead too. Vince had missed out on the moving on stage, meaning that Leon had taken it upon himself to look after things in the wake of the events. But looking around now, Vince didn't feel that he was in the presence of a broken family – he was in the presence of a new era.
