When she refocused on her surroundings, Bree realized she was near the beach. Parking her car, she got out. She slipped off her shoes, threw them behind her, and began to run. She was panting lightly when she made it to the water's edge. She closed her eyes and stood still taking in deep breaths of the cool, salty ocean air. Her skirt billowed around her legs and her shirt collar fluttered against her neck.

She lost herself in thought of better times and when the icy ocean water nipped at her toes, it brought her back to the present, where she was alone and cold. She found her face damp with tears again when she went to brush her hair out of her face. The pain of betrayal resonated in her chest and it was worse than anything she had felt before. The hurt threatened to consume her and it took everything she had to not let it beat her. She wasn't about to let Daman be the thing that brought her down. She never heard someone approaching and when he spoke, she turned, her arms swinging.

Dom caught her arms with ease and tried to calm her down.

"Hey I'm not going to hurt you. Sorry I scared you." He said holding her wrists in a firm, yet gentle hold.

"Let me go." Bree said pulling her wrists free. Her eyes went wide as she took him in and hoped that he stayed true to his word about not hurting her. He was muscularly built and his bald head gleamed slightly in the moon light. His eyes were dark pools and she figured they were a dark brown. His white wife beater hugged his chest tightly and his jeans hung low on his hips.

"Hey, you were the one trying to hit me." Dom said fully looking at Bree's appearance. She was only a couple inches shorter than him with shoulder length brown hair. Her hazel eyes were red rimmed and pain seemed to echo within their depths. She had full, kissable lips and her skin was a creamy bronze color.

"Only because you snuck up on me." She said wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

"I snuck up on you?"

"Yes."

"Look, I just saw you standing out here and wanted to see if you were okay." Dom said.

"Well, I'm fine." Bree snapped back. Yeah you are, Dom thought but didn't say it out loud.

"You don't look okay." He said instead.

"Oh so now it's up to you to decide if I'm okay or not? Men! You guys are the worst people I know. First they want to make sure you're okay, then they want to be with you, and when you've given them everything, they screw you over." Bree ranted and Dom looked at her quizzically not sure what she was talking about. He went to put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention and she whipped around on him.

"What's with the touching? No touching." She said. Bree then looked around on the ground for a stick and found one. Picking it up she drew a line in the sand and then looked up at him. "You see this line? Don't cross it. This side is mine and that side is yours. You stay on your side and I'll stay on mine." Internally Dom wanted to laugh at her childishness but kept a straight face.

"Alright, I'll stay on my side if you tell me what's wrong." He said crossing his arms, a ghost of a smirk on his lips.

"Like I'm going to tell you what's wrong. You're a complete stranger. Why am I still even talking to you? Just leave me alone." She said sitting down in the sand and turning her head away from him hoping he would take a hint.

"You're going to find that I'm not that easy to get rid of." Dom said sitting in the damp, squishy sand.

"That's all your side, go find someone else to bug." Bree said waving her hand over to the left.

"I really don't feel like moving."

"God, what is it today, Kick Bree Day or something?"

"So your name's Bree?" Dom asked. Her scowl gave him his answer. "I'm Dom." He said sticking out his hand.

"And I care why?" Bree said glancing at his hand in dismissal.

"Oh you will care when you find out who I am." Dom said confidently.

"And you are?"

"Dominic Toretto." Dom said expectantly.

"Nope, doesn't ring any bells." Bree said looking away.

"You're saying you've never heard of me?"

"Look buddy, I've never heard of you, don't know you and I don't care to find out, so why don't you get your over pompous ass up, get in your car, leave, and find someone who does." Bree said her eye blazing.

"What is your problem?"

"You are my problem! You and every other guy alive! You're all egotistical, arrogant pigs who thinks of no one but themselves!" She yelled turning towards him.

"You don't even know me!"

"I don't need to know you. I don't want to know you. Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Bree yelled turning away as tears formed in her eyes. She hugged her knees to her chest and rocked lightly back and forth.

"Well, why don't you leave?"

"Because I was here first, and because I have no where to go." She said mumbling the last part so that Dom couldn't understand.

"What?"

"I don't have anywhere to go, okay." She said in a huff.

"Oh. So it was a bad day?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to cover it."

"What happened?" Dom asked curiously.

"Do you know today's my anniversary?" Bree said turning her head sideways on her knees so she could see his face. "Yup, three years we've been together and you want to know what happens? We got out for a nice romantic dinner; I'm hoping he's going to propose because he's been acting funny but no. We get there and half way through dinner he tells me he's been cheating on me, with my best friend."

"Oh." Dom said at loss for words.

"Yeah. Life's a bitch, huh?"

"Yeah." Dom said thinking about his own situation with Letty. They had just broken up for the first time that month. Everything had been going good, then yesterday he came home late from working on a car, and she had accused him of cheating on her. He tried to tell her that he hadn't but she just wasn't listening. He finally got so mad about being accused of something he didn't do, he left and did exactly what Letty accused him of so that she would really have a reason to be pissed. He knew it was wrong but he was frustrated and didn't know what to do. It was times like these when he really wish his Dad were still alive to give him guidance.

"Listen to me? I'm sitting in the middle of the beach pouring my heart out to some stranger who probably doesn't even care. I'm out of here." Bree said getting up.

"Where are you going?" Dom said getting up and trailing after her.

"The best idea to me right now is to get drunk, so I'm going to go buy some liquor, rent a hotel room and drown myself in a bottle." She said never looking back.

"And that's going to make everything better?"

"Never said it was. It's just going to dull the pain and make me forget for a little bit." She said.

"And you're just going to rent a hotel room?" He asked catching up to her.

"Yup, it's not like I've got anywhere else to go."

"How's that? You must have some friends or something."

"No, I had one friend. She's the one my boyfriend cheated on me with. I've only been here a few months. I don't know anyone else well enough to know where they live or ask to stay with." She said as she came up to her Subaru Impreza. Dom glanced over to his car that was parked a few feet away.

"I'll make you a deal." He said.

"A deal?" She said looking on the ground to find her shoes.

"What are you doing?" He asked when she got down on her hands and knees.

"What does it look like? I'm looking for my shoes." She said as she crawled around; finally she found them and got back up. "So you were saying?" She asked as she sat on her hood and hitched up her skirt to put on her shoes. Dom was momentarily distracted by the view but caught himself before she could notice.

"I have an extra room and plenty of beer. Why don't you just stay with me for now until you can find a place of your own."

"Stay with you? Do you think I'm crazy?" She asked, slipping on her other shoe and lowering her skirt.

"It's not just me. There's my sister Mia, Brian, Vince, Jesse, Leon, and Letty."

"Sounds like a full house. You want me to say in a house with 2 girls and 5 guys?"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I won't charge you much for a room. It'll be less than a hotel, I can promise you that." Dom said.

Bree sat and thought about it. She had to admit the deal sounded appealing. She wouldn't be able to afford a hotel room until she could find a place; other people were living there so it wasn't like anything could happen. From her perspective at the moment, the deal was looking good, very good. Being homeless, with only your clothes and a car could make you desperate.

Dom watched as she thought, her eyes looking at him but seemed to be seeing through him. He took the opportunity to look at her. Her now high heel clad legs disappeared into her skirt that was hanging low as she sat so he could see a few inches of her toned stomach.

"Okay, but only till I can find my own place. But this doesn't make you own me or my life." She said getting Dom's attention.

"Okay." He said with a nod. "Just follow me." He said jogging to his car and started it up. He reversed and waited for her to pull up behind him. Bree pulled up behind him and hoped she was making a good choice as she began to follow him.

Bree parked on the street as Dom pulled up to a white house. It was about 2 or 3 miles from where she lived with Daman, so she was pretty familiar with the area. She got out of her car, locking it behind her and waited as Dom locked his car and came over to her.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." He said turning towards the house.

"Wait, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why are you doing this? Asking me to stay and everything." She said gesturing at the house. Dom was quiet for a moment as he thought of what to say. No one usually asked him why and just took what he said.

"Because…" He faltered not knowing exactly how to word what he wanted to say, "Because I know what it's like to struggle and wish that someone was there to help." He said honestly.

"Thank you." Bree said quietly.

"Come on, I think everyone is still up." He said walking up the stairs. She followed him into the house. Several faces looked over as they walked in and one girl's looked positively pissed.

"Yo Dom! What's up? You come home and bring this scank!" The girl who was looking mad said getting up in his face.

"Excuse me, but I'm not a scank." Bree said.

"Shut up hoe, no one wants to hear what you have to say."

"Letty." Dom said in a stoic voice but she ignored him.

"What, you think you're better than everyone 'cuz you got to lay Dom?" She said getting in Bree's face.

"I think someone needs to shut up and get their facts straight." Bree said without blinking an eye.

"That's it!" Letty said and swung her fist. Bree easily dodged it and swung back, popping Letty a good one in the eye. After all the crap with Daman, it felt good to hit something. Letty stood stunned for a second, not use to someone getting one in. A rage overcame her and she started swinging violently. Bree was able to deflect or dodge most of them and get in a couple good hits herself.

"Damn it Dom, do something!" Bree heard a female voice say. A pair of muscular arms grabbed her and another pair grabbed Letty, separating them.

"Let me go V! I'm gonna kill that bitch!" Letty said struggling against him.

"Letty, stop it now!" Dom said. He let go of Bree and took Letty from Vince. "Me and you are going to have a little talk." He said taking her by the arm to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" a girl asked coming up to her. Her long brown hair framed her face and her brown eyes were regarding her warmly.

"I'm okay." Bree said.

"I'm Mia." She said.

"Bree."

"Come on, I'll help you get cleaned up." Mia said leading her to the bathroom. She pulled a first aid kit and cleaned the one cut she had on her eyebrow. Mia put a butterfly bandage on it. "Okay, you're done." She said.

"Thanks." Bree said gingerly touching her eyebrow and then grimacing at the blood on her hands.

"So you're staying with us?" She said.

"Yeah, Dom offered me a room until I can find a place of my own." Bree said washing her bloody knuckles.

"Uh huh, and how long have you known him?" Mia asked.

"A few hours." She said realizing that sounded bad. "I didn't sleep with him." She added as a last thought.

"I know."

"Huh?" Bree asked confused.

"If Dom slept with you, he wouldn't have brought you here." Mia said with a grim smile.

"Oh. So I take it that that girl has a reason to be suspicious." Bree asked quirking the uninjured eyebrow.

"It's complicated but Letty doesn't have a reason to fight you like she did." Mia said. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Bree said as the last of the adrenaline left her body and she began to feel the little aches and bruises all over.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." Mia said grabbing the first aid kit and leading her to the living room. Bree followed after her, hoping that this time it wouldn't end up in a fight.

So let me know what you thought, good or bad. Thanks!