Well, chapter 2. It's a little longer than the first one. Hope it's still okay. Any ideas or suggestions that anyone has would be appreciated. Also I'm not really up to scratch on my cars (more of a boat person meself) so if I totally screw up on the car info then don't shoot me. I'm gonna try an do some research or something for later on so I don't look too thick. Oh, and please bear with me, I'm having a hard job writing America (being a British girl born and bred!) so if there are any problems with places, place names etc then please, please tell me and I'll try my bestest to correct them!
Thankies go to Nosaparra and GoSpeedGrrrl for your lovely reviews! Hope this next chappie is okay!
Super Duper! Chapter 2! Yay! Thankies for reading!
Gem
Xxx
Chapter 2: Pit Stop.
The sun had yet to venture up into the sky, though pale grey blue morning was slowly seeping up from the horizon. It wouldn't be long before another day unleashed it's blazing fury upon the beat up Ford Mustang and it's passengers. For the present, though, Dom was content to drive in the cool air of the pre-dawn, heading for the spec on the ever lightening horizon-line that suggested that there was a petrol station or rest stop. It was the first that they had come across in over a hundred miles and the muscles in Dom's neck were beginning to protest at his head's constant uprightness. An hour or so stop wouldn't put too much time onto their journey.
Letty had fallen asleep miles ago, resorting to cradling his large hand in both of hers when her previous position had proved too uncomfortable to maintain. He smiled, glancing over at her peaceful face and carefully disentangled his fingers from where they were locked with hers. His smile widened as she frowned and made an irritated noise of protest to the removal of his warmth and then stirred, squinting one eye open at him.
He chuckled and turned his eyes back to the road. Right after their last heist Letty had been furious with him. For putting the Team in danger. For almost losing Vince and Jesse. For almost losing her. He shuddered every time he recalled the wreck her car had been after it had flipped. She had been lucky, no thanks to him.
Yes, Letty had been livid. She'd gone home and thrown the entire contents of his wardrobes out of their bedroom window and onto the front lawn for all of their neighbours to see and then locked him out. For three nights Dom had slept on the sofa in the garage and his back still wasn't completely recovered. But then on the fourth night, when he had all but given up hope that she would forgive him, she had gone to him in the garage. Not said a word. Simply loved him then and there on the office floor like they had so many times since she had turned sixteen. It had been Letty's way of showing her forgiveness, of renewing their love, of reuniting their separate Team that had only the two of them as members.
Dom grinned and slowed the car down, pulling into the parking area of the petrol station. The break pads gave a high pitched moan of protest at the abrasion against the tyres and the car came to a gentle halt.
"Time is it?" Letty queried in a sleep contorted mutter, scrubbing her knuckles into her eyes to banish the last vestiges of sleep. She yawned wide and Dom planted a kiss on her forehead before replying.
"It's a little after four."
They sat in silence for a few moments before Letty shifted to stretch out her tense muscles and attempt to scratch at her shoulder blades.
"Thought we'd stop for somethin' to eat." Dom announced stepping from the car and shaking out the stiffness in his legs. "Gotta call ahead to my cousins as well. Let 'em know when we're likely to crash on 'em."
Letty nodded and followed Dom out of the car. She leaned her elbows on the roof that bowed beneath the weight and made a metallic popping sound and glanced across at him. "You want me to drive for a bit while you catch a few Zs?" her voice left little room for argument and Dom had long since stopped trying to turn down one of Letty's suggestions when she was in her authoritative frame of mind. He simply nodded and smirked at his own obedience. As Vince would say, he was most definitely 'under the thumb'! Letty had had him wrapped around her little finger since she had been four years old and he eight and at 20 and 24 nothing had changed that.
"I'm gonna go use the phone, 'kay?" Dom asked bringing himself out of his thoughts and Letty muttered her agreement from where she had moved to Mia's door. She opened it as quietly as possible as Dom moved away towards the small shop.
"Mi?" she asked softly, brushing the usually immaculate black hair from her sleeping face. "Mia, c'mon. You want somethin' to eat? Huh?"
Mia stirred and opened her eyes and for a split second Letty saw the confident, cheerful girl that she had been before their circumstances had taken a nose dive. Then her dark eyes that were so much like Dom's, dulled and she shakily pushed her way out of the car. A few wobbling steps further, she wretched and stumbled to her knees. Letty was beside her in an instant, holding her hair back and away from the vomit that spewed onto the dusty ground.
"S'okay, Mia. It'll be okay." Letty soothed, rubbing the younger girl's back with her free hand comfortingly, repeating the words and actions that Mia had so often used when Letty had come home dog-sick from a night of partying. "Just let it all come out and you'll feel better."
Mia stayed there for long minutes until all that she was spitting up was saliva and then allowed Letty to drag her to a nearby dusty verge where dieing grass clumped together in sparse patches. She lay back, unable to protest, sweat cooling on her hot face and matting her already scruffy hair together.
"I'm so stupid, Let." She cried softly, still shaking and curled towards Letty's embrace.
"C'mon, girl. Things aren't so bad." she said in an attempt to quell the despairing sobs. She rubbed Mia's back and shoulders again glanced up as Dom reappeared. Concern darkened his gaze but Letty shook her head, signalling for him to leave them alone for the moment. Dom nodded once and opened the other back passenger door causing Jesse to jolt awake.
"Shit, Dom! A little warning next time, man!"
Letty sent a seething glare to both Dom and Jesse that sent them moving swiftly towards the safety of the café.
"I feel so stupid…" Mia repeated, more to herself than Letty. She sat up and swiped furiously at the tears that fell from her eyes. "I really dropped everyone in the shit this time, huh, Let?" her laugh was self-derisive.
"C'mon, Mia. Think about it. Sure it's gonna be a struggle, but kids always are, no matter when or where you have them." Letty paused to wipe fresh tears from Mia's cheeks. "But you got a helluva lot of things to look forwards to. Just think! In nine months time you're gonna have a beautiful baby, Mi, and you'll look down at him or her and fall in love with that little life that you created."
Mia calmed down tremendously and took deep tremulous breaths to steady her still shaking body. Letty knocked her shoulder into Mia's gently and grinned.
"We'll put Dom and the boys on shitty nappy duty and night time feeding. We can have all the fun jobs like playing with Baby Toretto and dressing her and buying her clothes. Shit like that."
Mia grinned and for the first time glanced up at Letty. She gave one final sniff and Letty saw a spark of the girl's former self ignite deep within the brown depths of her eyes.
"I'm having a girl then?" she queried and Letty snorted in mock incredulity.
"Of course! No way are you havin' a boy just so he can grow up like Dom, Jesse, Leon and Vince!"
they fell silent for a long time simply sitting side by side and Mia linked her hand together with Letty's feeling the older girl, who she loved like a sister, squeeze back in return.
"We're all gonna be there for you, Mia. We wouldn't let you do this damn thing alone."
"Thanks, Letty." Mia replied with a breathless smile. Her words no longer despairing. "For making me feel better. I'm glad you came with us."
Letty grinned wickedly and stood, dusting down the seat of her combat pants.
"Yeah, well, your brother thinks more with his balls than his brains. I gotta make sure no skanks are muscling in on my man!"
That made Mia laugh and she stood brushing down her own pants in a gesture mirroring Letty's. Letty laughed too, more than she had in years and the pair stood clutching their sides and stomachs as they ached from laughter and tears of joviality instead of sorrow rolled down their faces.
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Yay! Chapter 2 is finished. The next one should have some of our lovely Vince in it! Double yay!