Dominique's eyes went wide as she saw the car Jesse had brought in to the garage. It looked like an old sports car but she couldn't be sure because it was trashed pretty badly. Jesse popped the hood and she walked over to see what he was looking at. She took note of it's powerful engine and decided that it might not be too bad if they worked on it day after day. Doing the calculations she figured it'd be up and running in a few weeks. Grabbing the pair of coveralls and boots that her father had bought just for her for when she worked with him in the garage she dressed quickly and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.
"Alright, let's get to work." Jesse said as he pulled out the tool kit that he used most often. They worked diligently for several hours, time flying by as they worked nonstop. Before they knew it the noon bell rang, signaling lunch time to all those who might be working. They ceased their work and left for the employee lounge room, or as the team dubbed it, the grease room. The Grease Room was always dirty, the couches were stained from all the dirty workers sitting on it in their oily coveralls, the counter's were constantly being washed because of oil smudges and the fridge was permanently stained grey from greasy hands. Opening up the fridge Dominique tossed Jesse a coke and a pre-made sandwich. Grabbing something for herself they sat together on one of the couches and ate happily away.
Hearing the Grease Room's door open their heads turned in unison to see Dominique's father, Dominic, enter the room. She was constantly amazed at how powerful he could look one second, and how helpless he could be the next. Right now her father looked like he had just tamed a lion, proud, powerful and not afraid to flaunt it. Walking over to them he stood in front of the couch with his arms crossed, in his white wife beater and blue jeans he looked strangely like he was about to scold them for something.
"Who's car?" The words were simple but the meaning was understood as Dominique and Jesse sat silently on the couch.
"Mine." Dominique answered without a glimpse of uncertainty.
"Your's?" Her father's deep voice intimidated her but she wouldn't let him see that.
"Yep, Jesse brought it in today so we could start working on it as soon as possible." Her voice betrayed the excitement she was feeling at having her own car. Dominic raised a brow as he inspected his daughter.
"And who gave you permission to have your own car?" Realizing that she should've asked her father first before she went to Jesse, Dominique stumbled over what she would say.
"Well, I um... I kinda figured it'd be okay if I you know... got my own car." She bit her lip and glanced at Jesse for back up.
"Yeah Dominic, she's old enough to drive, surely she can have her own car." Jesse stated as he rose from the couch. Not wanting to be the only one sitting, Dominique stood next to the men and glanced between her father and Jesse.
"I never said she couldn't have a car, I just asked who gave her permission to go get it without my help?" Her father's words cut deep into her heart as she saw how much this disturbed him. Dominic and his daughter had done everything together since she was a baby, from eating food to giving a car a tune up, they were the inseperable duo, now by getting her own car without him, Dominique had disturbed that carefully woven tapestry that their life was.
"Sorry Papa, I wasn't thinking, I should've taken you with me but I was just so excited and Jesse was willing to help." Her eyes pleaded his forgiveness and his expression softened.
"It's okay 'Nique, just next time, ask me first." They joined together in a hug while Jesse stood to the side uncomfortably.
"Awww, does Jesse Wesse want a huggy wuggy too?" Dominique cooed as if she was talking to a baby as she gripped Jesse in a tight hug. His cries of annoyance and stun were drowned out as he was pulled into Dominique's tight embrace. Laughing, the trio went back into the working area of the garage to continue work on Dominique's new car.
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Michael-Xavier paced his room as his anger slowly receded and guilt set in. Earlier that morning Carolina had left for school before him because he slet in later than normal, finding out that Dominique wouldn't be going to school that morning because of her 'state of emotional distress' as her family so kindly dubbed it, he had to go alone. On his way out the door he saw Dominique's new boyfriend coming up the driveway headed for the house.
"What are you doing here?" He asked harshly at the time. The boy's face beheld surprise at being confronted but he quickly schooled his face into neutrality.
"I've come to pick Dominique up and walk her to school." The boy's speach was very polite and well spoken, he reminded Michael-Xavier of a preperatory school kid. Probably went to a manners school. He had thought at the time.
"Dominique's not going to school today, and besides she wouldn't go to school with you even if you wanted her to." Michael snapped at the boy.
"How would you know? I asked her yesterday and she said I could." The boy's voice now beheld smugness that burned into Michael's skin and made him want to smack it out of his voice.
"You're not worthy of her! She's way too good for you! And 'sides, she's mine." Surprise flitted across the other boy's face momentarily before being replaced by a smirk.
"My name is Alexandro Rodreguiz and my family is from Beverley Hills, we can afford a palace in India if we wished while you live in a house occupided by several different families and you think I'M not worthy of her?" Alexandro snorted at Michael-Xavier's assumption, making his blood boil in anger. Acting on pure instinct Michael leapt at the boy and pushed him against the porch door. He flew through the screen door and fell onto the porch floor. Rising he aimed a punch at Michael's jaw but he missed when he ducked. Grabbing him by the collar, Michael threw Alexandro into the door, the door's lock not being well made snapped easily at the added pressure. Alexandro flopped down onto the carpeted floor in a heap. Standing shakily he punched at Michael and managed to hit him in the stomach.
Michael-Xavier hit Alexandro in the face which sent the boy spinning around slightly before falling onto the coffee table which broke at contact. Alexandro grabbed Michael-Xavier's ankle and yanked him down to the floor with him, the boys tussled around on the floor before they were broken up by Vince. Looking back on the incident Michael-Xavier regretted it. Alexandro wasn't worth the effort, he was just some high top boy that wanted to get a girl in bed. Laying down on his bed he relaxed his now tense muscles. His father Leon had called his school to inform him that he wouldn't be going to school that day for health reasons. Alexandro had gone home and called in to school also Michael-Xavier assumed, any boy would with the bruises and cuts the boy was probably now sporting.
A knock at the door brought Michael out of his thoughts. His father entered the room and he turned away from him so his father couldn't see the guilt in his eyes. The weight shifted on the bed as he sat down, a hand was placed on his shoulder but he shrugged it off as he stared blankly into space.
"Michael, I need you to tell me what happened this morning." His father's voice was low and gravelly, it reminded him of Dominic Toretto's voice, but it was no where near as booming as Dominic's. Suddenly Michael-Xavier couldn't hold it in anymore and it all spewed forth from his mouth as he told his father about Alexandro and how they had fought and why it had hurt him so much that another boy had Dominique's attention. They sat in silence for a while after he was done tellilng the story. They were both awed at how much he had said and it affected them both deeply.
"I love Dominique." Michael addmited to his father as he turned to look at the wall again. Although he couldn't see him, he knew his father had raised an eyebrow.
"Then why are you with Carolina? And does Dominique know?" His father's question was expected by him and he frowned.
"Dominique dosn't know because she's too good for me, that's why I'm with Carolina, because if I can't be with the girl I love than I'll be with her best friend. While it's not best it's second best." A smack across the back of his head caught Michael-Xavier off guard. "What was that for?" He exclaimed in indignation.
"Because you're an idiot! Dominique wouldn't care if you were trash on the street as long as you loved her! And Carolina shouldn't be treated this way, even though she can be a brat she's your friend and you taking her because you can't have her best friend is a very bad way to treat her." The sense in his father's words cut Michael's heart badly as he realized just how many bad choices he had made.
"So what do I do?" He asked. He had buried himself so deep in this mess that he wasn't sure how to make it right again. Dominique had a boyfriend, Carolina though he loved her and he was hopelessly confused in all he had done.
"I think you need to break things off with Carolina, and you need to apologize to Alexandro for beating the crap outa him and you really need to tell Dominique how you feel." Michael wasn't sure he could carry through with what his father suggested but he nodded anyways.
"I hope you're right dad, I really do love Dominique, I just don't want Carolina to hate me." The men sighed in unison. There they sat, father and son, both hopelessly in love with two women who could never love them back but hope was in their hearts as they searched for a reason why things ended up the way they were.
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Leon closed his son's door as he exited the room, all the talk of falling in love and making things right again brought him back to his own pain at loving Michael-Xavier's mother. Angelina was her name, she had been the most wonderful woman that had ever walked the Earth, she was beauty in itself with long blonde hair, blue eyes and perfectly tan skin. They had met at a race and had fought the whole time they were there, she was with Hector, just another girl in the crowd. They had nothing in common but they continued to talk and by the end of the night they were inseperable. They had married soon after the last heist had gone down, living in the house Dominic had declared would be the safe house from then on.
They had only been married a year when Angelina became pregnant with Michael-Xavier. They had been over joised and they shared the happy news with the team so everyone could celebrate together. They had waited the long months for the arrival date with eagerness. In the eighth month Angelina went into labor, they had driven to the emergency room without hesitation. Michael-Xavier had been born prematurely, but sadly Angelina hadn't survived the birth. Everyone was shocked at her death, she had been greatly loved by the whole team and the loss was greatly felt. Leon hadn't been able to function for several weeks, his heart had felt ripped out of his chest. Luckily for them Dominique had been born the month before Michael and so Letty gave Michael her milk out of a bottle.
Even though it was now sixteen years after her death Leon still felt like she had died just yesterday. After Angelina was gone he had never been the same, his life was only half lived and his smiles only half felt. Heartbroken he had raised Michael-Xavier as best as he could by himself. The team had tried to hook him up with several other eligable women but he couldn't bring himself to be with them. His heart would forever be tied to Angelina, and if he was honest with himself he didn't want it any where else.
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(A/N) Hey everybody! I'm back! After camp I came home to find that my computer crashed when my mother decided to set it up in a different room. So then she tried to set up the old laptop on my desk instead but then it crashed too, both were old computers so I don't blame them for dying. We sent for a new computer for me and now I'm typing on my fresh new lap top! Hope this chapter makes y'all happy! -Sabeybaby