Chapter 6

Letty squinted as the morning sun beat down no mercy. She sat upon the steps of the front porch, looking out ahead of her at everything that happened before her eyes. The guy across the street coming out to pick up his paper, the children taking out their bikes, the mother watching them as they rode away, the old lady sitting on her own porch with a ball of yarn and a rocking chair...bearing in mind this was only eleven am.

Letty rubbed her eyes and took a sip of her bottle of water. She'd been sitting out since he'd left. Just watching, waiting. She could feel her tiredness getting the better of her, but even still, she sat, waiting for him.

Leon rolled out of bed, satisfied that he'd slept a full night's sleep. He pulled on his shirt from yesterday and went downstairs into the kitchen, seeing Cassie munching on some food alone. "Mornin'," he uttered, his tone gravely. He seated himself in the wooden dining chair across from Cassie, and rested his hands upon the table, and smiled gently, happy to watch her eat her breakfast.

Cassie looked up from the plate in front of her. Her eyes were red and burned from crying and lack of sleep. The hangover hadn't hit her as she expected, but the thought of Dom wandering on his own, with only his thoughts for company worried her. Sure, Dom was a big boy and could take care of himself, but something like this could break even the strongest man. She hated herself now. She should have just kept her mouth shut, then none of this wouldn't have happened. The team was already broken up enough as it was, and now that Dom would be gone... there would be no team at all.

When Cassie saw the expression on Leon's face when he got a glimpse of her, she lowered her head again and took another spoonful of her cereal.

Leon's smile fell to a frown and he reached out a hand to her. "Ey, what's up, gurl? Why the sad face?"

Cassie moved her hand away from Leon. "Dom knows," was all she said, and she knew Leon knew what she meant. "He went 'for a walk' last night, and hasn't been back since. I dunno if he's gonna be back." Cassie kept her head down the whole time while she spoke.

Leon's face changed from worried to serious all in one swift motion and he sat forward a little, reality hitting him all too quickly. "What?" He took a moment to take in what she's told him before continuing. "He knows about..." he moved a finger between the two of them and waited for Cassie's response...a nod. He sat back and sighed loud. "Ah, shit..." He licked over his lips and sat forward again. "How does he know?"

Cassie swallowed and stood, taking her bowl to the sink and washing it up. "I ... err ... I told him."

Leon watched her as she moved to the sink, and the words came from her mouth. He moved a hand to his mouth and wiped it over as he listened to the words. "You told him...?" Silence. It's not like he could be mad at her, she had a right to. He admired her for not saying anything before.

He turned a little in his chair and furrowed his eyebrows. "And Dom is..."

Cassie shrugged. She didn't know if he was ok or if he wasn't. Or if he'd be alright. The tears threatened to spill again and she braced herself at the sink.

She calmly looked up at Leon, "you should go talk to Letty. She's been out there all day..." she gestured to the patio, "and she won't talk to me. I guess this is where you play worried boyfriend." She said, her voice laced with jealousy and sarcasm.

The words hurt like a knife, but he couldn't find it in him to be mad at her right now. She was just playing the loyal friend, and had already stepped up to help them and been reminded of why she left all in one day. He did as she said, thought lingered a moment, sensing she was breaking down. His gaze fell from her, and he headed through to the lounge, then out to the porch, and as he closed the door behind him, his gaze landed on Letty, who seemed to fail to notice someone was there with her.

He stepped forward a couple, and folded his arms across his chest, then decided to join her on the steps. He sat down, and at first just looked out ahead, before looking at her, and how her mind seemed miles from here.

He looked out ahead again, seeing how peaceful their surroundings were. "I bet you thought we'd be getting away from all the shit we left behind and not bringin' up a whole new chapter."

She failed to reply and so he continued.

"I suppose you're pissed at me..." still no reply. "Or at Cass for telling him."

Letty finally acknowledged his presence and looked at him. She left her gaze upon him and let him continue.

"Are you?" he questioned timidly.

She raised a brow, and looked ahead of her once again. "No."

"But you're mad..."

"Why do you think that..." she mumbled gently.

He shrugged his shoulders as his gaze fell to his feet and he played with the hem of his shirt with his fingers. "Wouldn't anybody be..."

"She did us a favour, Le."

More silence.

Leon outstretched his legs and sighed. "How long have you been out here?"

"Do you even care, right now Leon?" she said, a little harsh, noticing all too well his tone, seeming worried about her and her only.

"I do..."

"Dom has gone, Leon," she started matter-of-factly. "And I don't think you're getting it." She waited a moment and licked her lips. "I don't think he's coming back."

Leon scoffed and shook his head. "Is this what this is about?"

Letty looked at him as if to question his sanity. "What!"

"This...him leaving...you...being so worried...I thought...I thought we were..."

Letty frowned at him, seeming confused rather than angry. "Leon...I'm getting a little bit confused, what are you talking about?"

He licked over his lips and gazed at her, nearly obviously looking at her body, her curves.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, turned away from him. "This isn't about us, Leon."

"What did you say to me in the car, right before Dom walked away from Vince, what did you say to me, Let? Cos I swear it was something along the lines of, 'It's all about you and me now...'"

"Yeah, I was pissed off."

"At Dom?"

"Who else!" She tried to sound bothered about the conversation they were having, but it seemed all she could think about was Dom. She needed to see him right now.

"So...you didn't mean any of that..." Leon continued, a little pent up, not sure whether or not he should be mad at her for blowing him off. He'd loved Letty for a long time, as family as his friend, and for a little bit, as his lover. He'd never lost it with Letty, she was the one he could look to whenever things got too rough, the friend he could tell everything to. The lover he felt contented with. He saw so much in Letty, that even if she wasn't looking at him the way he wanted, or touching him the way he wanted, he wouldn't … couldn't get angry.

"Letty, what is this?" he questioned lightly.

"Leon...I just need to be left alone, right now...please..." she said, trailing off, her tone uninterested, her eyes not focussing upon him, her mind, still, miles from here.

He looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was shutting him out or pretending to, or what. Or if she really was concerned about Dom. He shrugged and shook his head, deciding now obviously was the wrong time, and stood, headed back inside. He lingered at the door a moment, glancing over his shoulder at her, hoping that perhaps she'd look back also, but she didn't.

Cassie had been standing at the sink the whole time, listening in on Leon and Letty's conversation. And then something struck her.

As Leon walked back inside she straightened and looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke. "Leon? I've got a question for ya." She paused and watched as he walked over next to her. She took a deep breath in, not really sure if she was ready for the answer, "while we were together." She paused and thought how she was to word the question, "did you... did you feel anything for me? At all? Or was I just, the closest thing you'd get to Letty because you couldn't have her for yourself? I mean, everything I felt for you and everything I did for you, was it just a waste of my time and strength? Did you mean anything you said to me?"

Leon hadn't realised that Cassie was listening to what they'd been talking about. He exhaled slow, wondering how to word what he had to say. "I did Cass, I really, I did," she started. He took a step closer to her. "And I did…I mean I do, I do have feelings for you. But...Letty...just...she understands me. I...after what happened, I didn't know who to talk to, you'd left, I couldn't talk to Dom, I didn't know how to talk to V and Jess, they were always into their own thing, you know? And Let was always there for me. So much shit went on after you left, this cop came and screwed up the business and that's why we're here. Tran shot Jess...you know it all. And I just...I needed her, and she was there for me." He took a step closer in towards her. "She means a lot to me, and...yeah I guess I put her first, but...you're always gonna have a place in me, I know that. But with Letty it's different..." He licked over his lips. "I can't explain it."

"But I was there when you two..." she gestured with her hands and turned away, "and you may have been drunk or whatever, but you still knew what you were doing. If it happened after I left, then I would understand. But I saw the way you looked at her. Even when we were together. I guess I just wasn't your type. Or... something." She closed her eyes and dropped her head. It was definitely too much for her to take. It was too much at one time. But she just couldn't stop - she had to know.

He moved towards her and reached out a hand to her. "I..." She moved away from his touch and he moved his hand away. He deserved that. "I can't lie to you, I do have feelings for Letty, that's true but I love you...I mean it, I do. And I'm not just saying that cos of whatever...I do mean it."

Cassie didn't know what to say to him. She had spent all these years trying to forget about the team, and about Leon and then all of a sudden, here they were back in her life - with twice as much trouble as before. And she told him exactly that, "I've spent all these years trying to forget about you and me, and I was kinda hoping you'd say you didn't have any feelings for me. Maybe it would have made the transition a bit easier. But this is just, too much for me." She paused and forced the lump down her throat, "everything I felt for you... and what I lost because of you." She put a hand over her abdomen and then the tears that had threatened to spill finally cascaded down her cheeks.

Leon squinted a moment. What she'd LOST because of him? He blinked, and took in a breath. "What did you lose because of me Cassie?" he questioned lightly.

She took a jagged breath and looked up at him, and she knew the look in her eyes told him everything. She slowly shook her head and then walked out of the kitchen and headed towards her room.

Leon followed closely behind, eager to find out what it was. Was it what he was thinking? "Cass, wait a second, you can't just walk away, this is important; what did you lose because of me?" he babbled incoherently trying to make sense of what had just happened himself. He moved a hand to his head and then grabbed the banister as she walked up the stairs before him. "Cass!" he called out to her again. "Please, tell me, what did I lose?"

Cassie stopped at the top of the stairs, then turned around slowly and walked back down so she was inches away from him. She put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him lightly on the lips, "you lost a son." Then she turned around again and ascended the stairs.

Everything happened too quickly for Leon and by the time he'd realised what Cassie had said she'd already closed her bedroom door and Faith had entered and dropped her keys into the bowl. "Hey, big guy, seems you got yourself a rough stitch here. Dom back yet?" She stood before him on the stairs, holding the banister, wondering if he would respond. He looked at her, then turned and headed out.