Disclaimer: Not Mine

Author's Note: Wow! the response for the last chapter was great. Thank you all so much. This took longer to post, not because it took long to write but because I was at the shore for a week with my family. No computer allowed. Or cell phones. Or anything else entertaining... like cd players or game boys (that's my lil brothers complaint) It was... interesting.

Anyway, I'm back now. There is this quote I plan on using in this story. I found it on website with only Lewis to identify it. I did do some research and tracked it down to C.S. Lewis, whether or not it is found in this particular book I have no idea. It seemed right.

The quote isn't actually in this chapter, it will come up later, this is just scaffolding.

Anywhoooooo.....

Tp96:

Did you get my email? Just in case: Thanks again

Sweetest Addiction:

Thank you. Yeah, the story is sort of on a sad track, but its has a happy ending.

TrueMarie88:

This took longer to post, sorry. I bet your horses went wild. Thank for the review.

Lou:

We'll see...

Phoenix452:

He might, He might not.... keep reading....

LettyDomLuva:

Mia continues her efforts in this chapter... the girls persistent...

Starshine2212:

Thanks and Angelo does have one thing that saves him from being a complete asshole. Letty will tell you next chap. He's not in this one.

Nikkioola:

Interesting name. I'm glad you like Taylor... =)

Pips24:

Sure go ahead and hate his guts ;) Yes they are moving but shhhhhhhhhhh, the Team doesn't know yet...

Range Webb:

Mia will try and get them together again and again and again and again.....

RxBrat:

Wow, a review from a non-Dom/Letty fan... I'm flattered. I'm really a diehard Dom/Letty fan so this fic never had chance for them not being together. But thank you so much for the compliments, I really appreciate the encouragement, and would like it if you continued to read the story.

November-Leaves:

That's high praise! but I'll take it =) Thanks. I'm glad you like it...

Three Sisters:

I'm glad your sister likes it. =) As for Dom and slugging Angelo... I'm not sure I want that to happen. It might sometimes the characters get away from me, but I don't think it will. Your right Letty is caught between a rock and a hard place... thankfully for her she doesn't realize it yet. She will, but first Dom....

DomLetty4eva and Tanya:

Thank you for reviewing.

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Thank you all.

Enjoy and please review!!

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"What's wrong?" Brian asked quietly, blinking away sleep. It was close to four in the morning and he could feel Mia sitting up beside him in bed.

"Can't sleep, going to the kitchen," she whispered back.

He pressed his face into her back, murmuring gently, "Want me to come with?"

She smiled softly, turning to face him a little, "No, go back to sleep. I'm fine, I'll be right back."

He nodded and she stood, quietly making her way out of the room and down the hall.

It had been three days since the barbecue and the guys were still disappointed that Dom hadn't even so much as swung at Angelo. They'd been bellyaching about it constantly -- when he wasn't around, of course.

Who was she kidding... she was disappointed too. She'd expected a bigger reaction from her brother. She'd expected him to yell or slam something; to be the hot-headed, put-my-fist-through-a-wall, can't-stay-quiet, you-don't-want-to-mess-with-me brother she knew and loved; instead what she'd gotten was a grim, very quiet, somewhat well behaved version of him.

Like watered down beer...

She sighed as she descended the steps, Letty had been coming over a little more, but she'd also gone from covertly trying to avoid Dom to she-didn't-care who-noticed avoiding Dom.

And he was no better.

How was she supposed to gently and subtly shove them together if they were never around each other?

It was beginning to piss her off.

"Mia?" Dom's voice cut into her thoughts as she entered the kitchen; he was sitting at the table.

Just sitting there.

Not drinking...

...not eating...

...not looking at a magazine...

...nothing.

Just sitting there.

She frowned lightly at him, "What are you doing up?" she asked.

He smiled a little, but it didn't reach his eyes, he stood walking over to her and lead her to a chair, "I could ask you the same thing?" he said.

"I couldn't sleep and decided to get myself something to drink," she said, searching his face.

He looked... tired.

He nodded, "Want me to make you something?" he asked avoiding her gaze.

"Sure," she said dismissively, "What about you? What's got you up so late... or early..." she asked gently.

He shrugged turning away and rummaging through the cupboards. She watched him for a little while.

Waiting for him to answer. She had a feeling if she gave him time, he would.

She watched as he pulled the milk out of the fridge and poured it into a pan muttering something about milk chocolate, it became apparent to her that he was making her hot cocoa.

"You okay Dom?" she asked softly, when he poured the chocolate into the milk and put the pan on the stove.

He was silent for so long that Mia feared he wasn't going to answer her, then softly without looking up at her, he said, "My wife used to do this for me, whenever I couldn't sleep," he paused, "... in the early years that is, before..." he didn't finish.

She waited for him to continue, when he didn't, she asked the question that had been on her mind since he'd shown up on her doorstep, "Is everything okay with you two?"

He was searching her spice cabinet, sprinkling cinnamon into the chocolate, "No," he finally whispered as he put the little bottle, "...it isn't."

"She called here," Mia said softly, as he poured the liquid into a mug, "...before you came. She called and... and she wanted to know... abou... about Letty..." she finished unsteadily.

Her brother was sitting next to her now, he handed her the mug, but remained silent, just looking at her.

"I didn't want to tell her anything, but, she... she insisted..."

Dom nodded, "I know, she told me," Mia didn't like the sound of his voice -- it was dull.

"What happened Dom?" she asked, sounding so much like their mother, he just wanted to cry.

She reached out and laid her hand on his arm, he looked at it -- the slim hand on his tanned skin, without looking up he whispered raggedly, "She wanted a divorce,"

Mia gasped.

"And I gave it to her..." he finished miserably.

"Oh, Dom," she said forgetting the cocoa and standing so she could hug him.

Wrapping his arms around his sister's large middle, Dom laid his head on her belly, "I didn't want to," he whispered, "But... but she was... is... she is so sure it's what we have to do."

Mia smoothed his back gently, just letting him talk.

"I don't know why but she is; and she... she convinced me somehow to sign it away... all those years. All that work trying to keep things okay, trying to keep it together, trying to make it better... and she convinced me to sign it away."

"Oh honey," Mia whispered her heart breaking, what the hell was wrong with this woman!

"Mia," he said peeking up at her, looking so much like Taylor, she was sure her heart must be bleeding, "I would've tried harder," he said raggedly.

Then laying his head again he continued, like a little boy, "If she'd let me, I would've tried harder. "

"Oh, Dom, I... I don't even know what to say?" she said softly, bending to press a soft kiss to his head.

"She says, one day I'll understand. That it's better for all three of us like this... Taylor... he thinks she's on vacation or something. He thinks he'll see her again... but he won't. She doesn't plan on ever coming back... she doesn't plan on being his mother.... she doesn't want to be his mother..."

He was crying now. She could feel the tears soaking her night gown; and as she rubbed soothing circles on his back and murmured wordless sounds of comfort, she fought to silence that little voice in the back of her heart that was screaming for joy.

For christsake, her brother was in pain over this!

...but she couldn't help it, a woman who didn't want to be that sweet little boy's mother, who refused to try harder with a man who so obviously cared deeply for her, didn't deserve to have them.

In her mind: that was that.

If only she could make her brother see it.

After a few minutes, she pulled a little and took his wet face in her hands, placing a kiss to his forehead she said firmly, "Taylor is going to be just fine... and so are you. You two are wonderful and if this wo..." Mia stopped suddenly, she didn't know this woman's name.

She didn't know the name of her nephew's mother.

Dom read her expression and had the grace to look a little ashamed, he really shouldn't have cut her off completely from his life, "Kara," he whispered, "her name is Kara."

Mia nodded, focusing once again on him, "... if Kara can't see that than she doesn't deserve you."

"...but I love her," Dom said, in probably the closest to a whine he'd come since reaching the ripe old age of seven.

"Why, Dom?" she asked before she thought better of it, "Or better yet, how? How can you love someone who would turn her back on her son?"

He scowled at her, all traces of Taylor vanishing from his face, he pulled away and said defensively, "You don't understand, Mia, things have been difficult for Kara."

Mia nodded, sitting back in her chair, "Okay, they've been difficult, but that doesn't justify leaving her son."

He was silent.

Then said softly, "I'm not letting her go," his voice was steel and Mia felt the little light of hope in her heart begin to fade.

She knew that voice; it was Dom being stubborn and not just any stubborn, but Torreto stubborn.

No one would talk him into or out of anything while he was using that voice. He had to work it out for himself when he was in that mood.

"What do you mean?" she asked a little warily.

"I mean, I'm not letting her go," he repeated steadily, "I know she's made mistakes, but so have I, so have you. So has everyone else. We can work past those mistakes, I'm gonna make her see that. I... I'm going to make her fall in love with me again."

"Oh, Dom,"

"I'm serious, Mia."

She nodded, "I know. That's what worries me. What makes you think you can just waltz into her life and make her fall in love you again."

"She loves already, she said so. I just have to make her see how right we are together," he said, still using that tone.

"And what if you're not, Dom"

He scowled at her, this time getting up, "Of course you'd say something like that!" he snapped angrily.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She snapped back, her eyes flashing.

"You know what it means!" he hissed, "You think the only person that's right for me is Letty! Well newsflash Mia, she's getting married and I was happy with Kara!!!"

His voice was louder, harsher, than he'd intended it to be. He turned around angrily, running a frustrated hand over his head.

Mia said nothing.

He went to the table, picked up the untouched cup of cocoa, and stuck in the microwave.

After warming it up he placed in front of Mia again, a peace offering, saying softly, "Drink that and go to bed. Don't bother with clean-up I'll do it in the morning..." It was the closest to an apology she'd get.

When he turned to leave, she called out to him softly, "Dom,"

He turned back to her, looking at her with deep, shuttered, dark eyes.

He was grieving and didn't want her to see it.

Didn't want to show her his pain, because she wouldn't understand.

She stood, "Regardless of what I think," she whispered, "I am sorry you're unhappy, I'm sorry you're hurting."

His eyes filled suddenly with tears and at the sight of them hers too filled.

She opened her arms to him. He came to her and she held him tenderly, as he'd held her so many times in the past.

She murmured to him that it was going to be okay, that everything would be okay, over and over again. Like he'd done to her, in those day so long ago when Brian had left her life and she hadn't known if she'd ever see him again.

She'd thought her heart would wither away to nothing from the ache of not having him, and Dom had held her.

He couldn't have been very pleased with Brian, couldn't have liked him very much right then.

But he'd mourned with her, for her.

Now she did it for him.

She didn't cry because his relationship with Kara was over. She cried because he cried. She hurt because he hurt.

And as she murmured over and over that it would be okay, she knew as sure as the sun would rise in a few hours that it would only be okay if he let this woman go.

It would only be okay when he was finally with Letty -- for good -- then, only then, would it be okay.

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"I always make the same mistake when it comes to you Dom," Brian said almost sadly as he entered the garage, a slight smirk on his face. It was nearing dusk outside, and he could see the other man's outline against the window.

A week had passed since the brother-sister conversation.

Mia was enormous now; looking like she was ready to blow any second, and acting like it.

She was grouchy, always tired, and constantly running to the bathroom.

Everyone was doing their part to make her feel better, but the truth was simply, she was driving them all nuts.

They didn't want her to be alone, but no one wanted to be alone with her.

Letty came over every afternoon of the week, that helped a lot. She kept the kids entertained, did a little cleaning, and started dinner before leaving promptly at five -- before Dom and Brian came home from the garage.

No one asked how she managed to leave the office so early nor how she managed to break free of Angelo each afternoon. Everyone knew the man was still in town, and it wasn't like him to allow Letty to spend so much time away from him.

Still no one asked.

And the arrangement was working well.

It hadn't escaped Mia's attention that Letty and Dom were still avoiding each other, nor that they were getting damned good at it.

Letty managed to leave just before Dom walked through the door.

Dom managed to avoid all of Mia's not-so-subtle attempts at getting them to accidentally run into to it each other.

It was annoying as hell; and an annoyed Mia could get rather... irritating, for lack of a better word.

When Brian had come home without Dom, she had only to look over to the couch where Letty was playing Barbie's/Action-figures/Race-Cars with the kids -- a combination of the three, that left most people baffled -- to realize why.

It was Friday, Letty stayed later on Fridays...

Obviously Dom had picked up on that and was staying late at the garage.

She'd dragged Brian into the kitchen and told him to go talk some reality into her brother.

And the fact of the matter was Brian was more than happy to do it. He liked Dom, loved him like a brother, and it was really paining him to see the guy behave like a freakin ostrich.

Mia had told him it would take something big to reach Dom, in the state of denial in which he found himself.

She'd told him to use personal experience, and after a lot of coaxing he'd agreed.

So now, instead of sitting at his dinner table with his wife and daughters. Brian was preparing for a conversation he didn't really want to have.

A conversation that in all actuality had a good chance of leaving him with a black eye, a busted lip, or both.

Mia was gonna have to do something really, really special for him once the baby was born...

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Dom was sitting on a stool, facing the windows, that faced the street... a beer in his hand.

The place had been closed for almost two hours, but he didn't want to go back to the house yet.

He knew he was avoiding her...

...but unbeknownst to his beloved sister, Dom had already taken one very large step in terms of accepting reality, as she referred to it.

He had accepted, that yes -- he had reason to avoid Letty.

He had acknowledged: They couldn't be together.

All his rationalization of everything, all his thinking things over, and trying to figure out how to free himself of her boiled down to one thing.

One concrete fact that was wholeheartedly irrefutable -- they just couldn't be together -- alone or otherwise -- without something happening.

Because, there was something there...

It was a something that neither of them wanted to explore...

... but it was there nonetheless...

So the conclusion was obvious... it was safer to be apart. Even causal encounters should be kept to a minimum.

Furthermore, there was one blatantly obvious fact... he sure as hell couldn't be present at her wedding.

"Dom?" Brian hissed, bringing him out of his thoughts, "Are you listening to me?"

"Yea, yeah, what are you talkin 'bout?" he said, not bothering to look over at him.

"When I worked you as a case I didn't believe it was you pulling the jobs. You know why?"

"No, but your gonna tell me," Dom answered his voice uninterested as he took a drink of his beer.

"Yeah, I am. I thought you were too smart for it. Just like I thought you were smarter than this, but you proved me wrong then, and you're provin me wrong now."

Dom sighed, taking another drink, still not looking at his brother-in-law, "Gonna hafta be more specific."

Brian scowled at the side of his head, "You gonna tell me it's escaped your notice that Mia's been callin here before closing, everyday all week with some lame excuse to get you to go over there?"

Dom shrugged, "I don't think she'd appreciate you callin them lame excuses."

Brian narrowed his eyes, "Yesterday she called and asked you to go over and mow lawn."

"So?"

"It was raining!"

Dom smirked, "She hadn't looked out the window yet."

He still hadn't looked over, if he had he would've seen Brian's eyes flash.

"She's getting married, Dom!!! You understand what the hell that means!!" Brian growled, sick and tired of beating around the bush.

Mia had been hounding him all week about it...

...about Dom and Letty and how they belonged together...

...how she and him and the guys had to work out a way for them realize...

...how neither was ever going to be happy until they were together.

The woman was constantly talking about it!

He adored Letty and Dom, and wanted to see them happily married as much as the next guy but... frankly he was just sick of hearing Mia talk about it!

Dom's reaction to his outburst, though, was a little more -- heated --then he expected.

In one swift motion the muscled man stood, turned, and flung the almost empty-but-not-quite beer bottle into the far wall.

Shattering it into millions of shreds and spraying beer all over.

"She's not mine anymore, Brian!!! Do you understand what the hell that means!!" He roared, and Brian swore he felt the walls shake.

He flinched, expecting the blow.

It didn't come though.

Nothing came...

They were both quiet for a while. Brian facing the window Dom had been looking out of.

Dom facing the wall dripping with beer.

It wasn't the first time this week he'd been attacked by one of the guys.

Two days ago Leon, had approached him to tell him to wake up and smell the shit of life. You're lettin your woman marry someone else, he'd said. And it had taken a lot of self-control to keep from throwing a wrench at his head.

He knew he'd just snapped a little, but he couldn't help it. It was like a conspiracy to shove Letty up his nose.

Absentmindedly, he wondered if she was getting any of this harassment.

"She's not mine anymore," he whispered, and he found that the idea actually hurt.

It took a great deal of courage for Brian to speak again after the rage he'd just seen displayed in that single action, "Where did you get an idea like?" he asked quietly.

"You just said it, she's getting married... and I... I love my wi..." he stopped himself, "I love someone else."

Brian paused, then said softly, "Mia, told me what happened with your wife. I'm sorry about it."

Dom was silent.

Brian watched him take his seat again.

Then added, when the man seemed to once again lose himself to memories, "It sucks to fail at somethin,"

Dom didn't look up at him, so Brian continued, "You put somethin together and when it starts to fall apart. You swear to yourself you won't let it, you can keep it whole. You work at it night and day, keeping it together by sheer determination. You work so hard, it becomes a part of you, you won't let fall apart. You can't. You won't. You can't imagine being if it does. You won't let it fall apart. And then it does." He paused, "Nothing quite like that kinda hurt."

The garage was silent, then: "You speaking from experience?" Dom asked, gruffly, Brian's description hitting a little too close to home.

"Yeah," the man answered softly, his eyes on a far away spot.

"I had a life before you guys, Dom," he started, "You, the garage, Mia, the guys, you were all one thing -- The Torreto Case. Just one case among the dozens of others I'd worked and planned on working. And I can assure you when I first looked through that file I never in my wildest dreams thought it would bring me here."

He paused. Dom was silent, still not looking at him, but Brian could feel the man was listening, "I had a girlfriend. We were pretty serious, had plans and shit. I had friends, I had family. I had a life. I'd worked hard to bring it to that point. I hadn't always been on the right side of the law; growing up I... I was probably a lot like one of you. Racing, fighting, stealing. It took a couple of close calls and a chat with my baby sister -- in which she plied me with so much guilt she would'a put Mia to shame -- to get me to straighten up. I was happy by the time I got this case. I had everything under control. I was settled."

He took a breath, "Then all of sudden The Torreto Case wasn't one thing anymore, it was you, it was the garage, it was the guys, but most importantly, it was Mia. It wasn't just a case among the other dozens. All of sudden I wasn't in control anymore. I wasn't settled. I tried to be. After I gave you the car. I tried to get things to go back to normal. To forget. To keep it together. To keep this life that I'd created from falling apart."

He stopped again, "I didn't want to let go," he said passionately.

"I'd fought so hard to get to where I was. I wasn't going to just let it go. Not for anything. I was going to continue with my plans. I was going to keep my job, I was going to hang out with my friends, I was going to marry my girlfriend. I wasn't letting go. I'd fought hard for the life I had. I wasn't letting it fall apart."

He finished here. Just stared out the window.

"What happened?" Dom asked, his voice very quiet.

"It did," Brian replied in the same tone, "It fell apart. I couldn't stop it. At first I tried to ignore it. To act as if I could fix it. I tried hard, then I tried harder, and would have kept on trying. I'd probably still be trying today, if..." he trailed off.

"If what?" Dom asked.

There was a part of him that was screaming to just get up and leave; that what Brian was saying was nothing like what was happening to him and Kara.

But he didn't move.

Didn't move because that chill had appeared again.

And now he knew what it meant.

The chill was a truth he didn't want to be true.

The chill was reality.

"My sister had another little chat with me. Little by little she poked holes in the life I was trying so hard to keep together. It was easy, until she got to the girlfriend. I was deadest: I loved her. My sister didn't argue, she's the bookish type so when I saw her pull out this little book, I rolled my eyes. I remember thinking here we go. She held it up, and said, If she's what you see when you read this, then go ahead and try. If not than suck it up and get on with life."

Brian stopped here.

Dom took a deep breath and turned his head to face Brian. The blonde man was looking out the window, lost in memories.

After a moment, he met Dom's gaze, "It was good advise. I was right, I did love that girl, I still love her... in a way... but she wasn't what I saw. So I got on with my life."

"You came here." Dom said, softly.

It wasn't a question but Brian answered anyway, "Yeah, I came here. I let it go. And it hurt -- a lot, but..." he couldn't stop the smile that lit his face.

And in that smile Dom saw not just happiness, but peace.

This was a man who'd gotten to where he'd always wanted to be.

"I got Mia in the end. I got the girls." The smiled turned into a grin, "I couldn't have done better."

Dom didn't reply, and Brian remember the words Mia had said to him last night during one her many tirades, he's hurting so much....

"It still hurts like hell, though, realizing you can't fix it." He added, the smile gone. His voice thick as he remembered.

They were silent for a long time, both lost in thoughts.

Dom shook his head, finally, standing again.

There was a part of him that recognized Brian's words as truth, a part of him that identified with what he'd said... but the there was another part... a part that just couldn't let it go, "...it's not the same thing, Brian," he began, but Brian cut him off.

"Mia said you'd say that. That the only person who'd talk you into reality was yourself."

Dom glowered suddenly, "Why the fuck does everyone keep saying that! What is the freakin reality I'm supposed to see?!"

Brian arched an eyebrow, "I repeat, I really thought you were smarter than this."

He met Dom's dark glare and smiled a little, "Let me spell it out for you. Everyone in this family wants you to get your head out of your ass, stick your fist in Angelo's face, and ride off into the sun set with Letty."

If possible Dom's look got darker, "Not gonna happen, I..."

Brian nodded, cutting him, "Yea, yeah, you love someone else," he reached behind him and pulled out a little pamphlet that had seen better days.

He didn't hand to him, he tossed it onto the hood of a car they were working on, and smirking said, "Take a look at that. If it's her you see. I swear I'll get everyone off your back."

He turned to leave, when he heard the question, "And if it's not her I see?"

He didn't turn around, "If not, than I suggest you take steps to making the families dreams come true."

He was almost out the door, when he decided to share with his brother-in-law one of the hardest lessons he'd ever learned in his life.

His voice was gruff with emotion, as he offered the gift simply, "The hardest part is letting go, Dom."

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The hardest part is letting go...

If it's her you see...

....

It would be her...

It would be Kara...

...who else was it gonna be?

The answer came quickly...

...way too quickly.

He shook his head making his way over to the car. He stared at the little pamphlet on the hood, making no move to retrieve it.

Brian had insinuated that that little book is what had brought him back to the garage... to Mia.

Brian'd seen Mia when he'd read it, so he'd come back.

He would see Kara, so he'd go back.

Right?

He walked back and forth in front of it, reluctant to pick it up.

It was just a book... not even a book.

More like a few pages bound together... just a few... not more than... twenty or twenty-five....

...how was a tiny little book like that gonna redirect his entire course of life...

He sighed, it's not like he was child or something. His mind once made up, didn't just change.

He wanted a family with the mother of his son and his son, why was that so hard to understand?

A little book wouldn't change that...

....roughly he reach out and snatched the thin volume.

The Four Loves

Excerpts from C.S. Lewis

That was all he read when a trio of little minions ran through the door... Mia had pulled out the big guns.

"Daddy, come pl-w-ay with us..."

"Yeah, Uncle Dom..." Jessa assented.

Dolly walked up to him, tugging on his hand, "Don't you like us anymore?" she questioned, her dark eyes wide, her blonde hair standing up at odd angles.

"You never play with us, no more?" Jessa continued.

"Puh-lease Daddy..."

Dom smiled, how could he not?

Mentally, sighing, he quickly stuck the pamphlet in his back pocket.

"What kinda question is that?" he said laughingly as he bent and scooped Dolly up high into his arms, swinging her in the air, "huh? Your one of my two favorite nieces...of course I like you."

Dolly giggled as he set her against his side, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"I'm da o-d-ther, right, Uncle Dom," Jessa asked as they began walking out of the garage.

"Yep," he said smiling down at her, his hand on top of her head.

Outside he put Dolly down so he could lock the place. The kids chattered to him about the things they'd done today. Things they wanted to do tomorrow.

Somehow he found himself agreeing that he'd play with them tomorrow morning before leaving for the garage.

They never got tired of playing...

He hardly recognized his son anymore. Because he had Mia to rely on he'd allowed himself to spend more time away from Taylor than he had since the child had been born. He'd leave the little boy in bed in the mornings -- not asleep, just not ready to get up -- and come back around five or six in the evening. At which point Taylor had already had dinner and was usually outside the girls.

At bedtime the boy never failed to regale his father with his exploits, but still, the change and speed at which his son was blossoming was almost alarming.

He'd made a liar out of his father by not being absolutely any way problematic, as Dom had mentioned at the real first barbecue. The little boy ran around like a gazelle, leaped around like a monkey, and occasionally shrieked like a hyena but one word from anyone and he'd stop.

He allowed Mia to smooth his hair and kiss his face on a regular basis and allowed Sonya to pick him and sometimes he even sat on her lap.

Even his seriousness was beginning to wear away... leaving behind laughter... a lot of it.

It was wonderful, he was happy about it, he wanted his son to laugh... but the laughter worried him.

It worried him because...Taylor hadn't asked when they were going home in a week and a half.

That scared him.

Last night as he'd tucked the little boy in, he'd told him that when he his Auntie Mia had the baby they'd go find mommy.

Taylor had said nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

You could have heard the proverbial pin drop.

Usually at the mention of his mother Taylor was always contented, if not animated. Some type of emotion was always present... except for last night...

He sighed as the kids continued to drag him up the street. They were moving rather briskly, he noticed suddenly, and they'd stopped chattering.

In fact, he realized suddenly, looking down at them, Taylor had his right hand and Jessa his left and they were pulling him... as if he was walking too slow.

Dolly was in the lead, practically running, and she kept shooting sharp looks at him.

He was about to say something when Taylor exclaimed "Hey! That's L-w-etty!!" he cried pointing at the car driving away.

To his astonishment the kids all stopped and stared at the quickly disappearing car.

Pouts on all three expressions.

"This means no ice cream," Dolly finally stated to her two young companions, just when Dom was about to ask what was going on.

She glared up at him, "Ya had to lock da door, didn't ya, Uncle Dom?" she asked him, her dark eyes glowing.

"Auntie Mia was gonna give me extra whip cream..." Taylor said sounding desolate as he began walking again.

"And me extra cherries..." Jessa added, following him.

Dolly said no more, but her now slow gait, showed she too had been promised extra something.

Dom watched them head up the street and grinned realizing what the their words meant...

Mia must be hitting rock bottom on her plans.

'Cause bribing the kids to bring him home... that was low.... real low...

Shaking his head, he walked after them, already rehearsing his speech of indignation.

===========================================================

He didn't have to read it... he thought, shutting the door to his bedroom firmly behind him.

He'd had a nice little chat with his sister after dinner. She'd denied having any knowledge of anything that could possibly have to do with her bribing the children to help her bring him and Letty together.

Then she smiled sweetly at him, kissed him on the cheek, and asked him to help Brian get the kids ready for bed.

Which he'd done. Brian had been tactfully quiet during the process and Jessa had asked if Taylor could sleep in their room... again.

The answer, as usual, was yes.

So now he found himself walking around his room getting ready for bed while the little pamphlet burned a hole in his pocket.

He had the whole night ahead of him...

... he wasn't going to the garage tomorrow morning, he'd promised the kids he's stay and play with them...

... so he had time...

... he had opportunity...

... he just didn't' want to...

It's not like anyone was watching him, ensuring that he read it.

He could just let it sit there on the bed, no one would know. In fact, know one but Brian knew he had the book.

He didn't have to.

But then again why wouldn't he read it?

It was just a book.

And his mind was made up...

And once he told Brian that he saw Kara -- and he would see Kara -- Brian would get everyone off his back.

It was a good solution, one that would make his life simple again.

With a determined nod, Dom sat on the bed, picked up the thin volume and began to read.

==========================================================

He read it four times.

===========================================================

And when he was finally finished...

... life was anything but simple.

===========================================================

"The hardest part is letting go..."

The phrase kept repeating itself over and over in his head... his aching head.

A few hours ago, in a moment of blind fury, he'd had flung the book across the room, it had fallen behind the dresser.

It was almost five in the morning, if he sat in this position much longer he'd be crippled for life.

He could feel his muscles aching to be stretched, they weren't used to inactivity for so long.

His eyes burned from lack of sleep and reading in the dim light of a lamp.

His throat ached from holding back the emotion that threatened every time he finished that cursed little book.

...in short, he was a mess...

He wanted to put his fist through something, to destroy things, to fight, to hold on for dear life and not let it fall apart.

But it was too late.

It had.

It had.

It had fallen apart.

He'd tried hard.

He'd had to.

It was not in his nature to fail. To let things just slip away. He was used to fighting for what he wanted, used to getting it, to winning.

Dominic Torreto did not fail.

But he had this time; and he had to man enough to admit it; strong enough to live through it.

His relationship with Kara was over.

It was over.

The realization hurt...

...but it also...

... he was relieved in a way.

It was over.

He didn't have to work so hard any more. Their married life had been hard, exhausting really. Nothing he'd ever done had pleased her, nothing had made her happy.

And that was all he'd ever wanted...

...to make her happy.

But her happiness wasn't with him, she claimed.

So he had to let her go.

It was over...

... and she could be happy.

Great.

There was still the small matter of their son.

Their son.

A beautiful, smart, lively little boy who deserved a mother.

He groaned, that's what the family didn't understand, that Taylor deserved his mother.

That the boy needed her.

Shaking his head, he stood swiftly he decided to take a shower. He needed to stop the thoughts, to clear his head...

===========================================================

"You're up early?" Brian said as he entered the kitchen.

Dom was sitting at the table a mug of black coffee in front of him.

Without looking at the man, he said "Sit down," in a gravelly voice,

A voice Brian recognized from years ago, the one he'd been joking about the day Dom's wife had called.

Without a moments hesitation Brian sat.

"I want to tell you something and I want you to pay close attention Brian because I don't plan on repeating myself and I'm counting on you to pass it along," his eyes were hard, serious.

Brian nodded.

"My relationship with Letty is over. It has been over for a long time. I am fully aware that there is still chemistry between us, however that does not in anyway mean we will get back together. My relationship with Kara is also over. That too, whether I realized it or not, has been over for a long time. I care very deeply for her but we will never be in a romantic relationship again."

He paused, his eyes boring into Brian's, making sure he was getting all this, "She is however, the mother of my son," he continued, just as steadfastly, "...so when Mia has her child, I still plan to go find her and demand that she take an active role in his life."

Once again he stopped, this time for emphasis, "Anyone, and I mean anyone, who brings up the subject of me and Letty again is doing so at their own risk."

With that final warning, Dom stood and went back to his room. Had he looked back he would have seen that far from looking intimidated his brother-in-law looked rather smug.

Yep, he thought snidely, that lil book works miracles...

As for the my-relationship-with-Letty-is-over shit... Brian thought, grinning as he stood to start breakfast...

...now seemed like the perfect time to start a betting pool on how long it's going take them to get back together...

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