A/n: I know this chapter is going to seem odd. Not only was I on medication, but I really used my imagination, so please keep an open mind! I wanted to change it up a bit, give it a different tone, and yet do something that would make sense in an odd kind of way. Let me know how I did, lol. Take care you guys.

AN2: Tempest here, I read the concerns about the formatting of the previous upload so I took the liberty of repairing and re-uploading this chapter. Sorry about the confusion folks. It turns out the last upload was written in Cheerish, a language only myself and Cheer actually read, LOL. Enjoy the repaired chapter ya'll.

Puzzling Pieces

By Cheerthis95

Ch.46 –Erosion

"She what?" Matty sat up, his chest feeling like he had a ton of bricks on him. He attempted to jump out of bed, but Benny Chains had anticipated this already and some of his guys held him in the bed. He threw his arm up, shrugging them off.

"She's been in an accident, Matty." Benny said, looking down.

"I want to talk to those punks that were looking for her earlier. Now!" Matty was still fighting to get up, his breathing somewhat ragged.

"It was an honest accident and it was your sister's fault." Benny said quietly. He was the first to be hard on his kids and that meant putting the blame where it belonged, even if bad and in a troubled time.

"NO! They had something to do with it. Is she okay? You gotta tell me." Matty said, his voice breaking slightly. Benny turned away and looked out the window, not wanting to see the pain of his son from the news of his daughter. He was barley holding it together, and he knew Matty would not take the news well even in Storm only had a scrape on her. He was that protective.

"She's …I don't know, Matty. I don't. I can't even get them to tell me at this point." Benny scratched his head, hating this. Cara had streaked mascara running down her face as she cried openly; witnessing Matty's love that Benny had spoke about earlier in the night firsthand now for herself.

"She has to be okay." Matty shook his head in disbelief. He felt like he couldn't breath and was taking large gasps of air.

"It doesn't look good." Benny sighed, facing his son, biting the bullet so to say.

"You did this to her! You wanted her gone so you didn't have to feel guilty about refusing her the business, didn't you?!" Matty sat up, his shock, fear, and panic turning on Benny.

"Matthew Demaret, that is not so. I may be a hard father but I would never put a hit on my own kids, much less my Storm." Benny's eyes flashed with anger. Matty looked down, tears falling as he realized just what he had said. "She already has her hand in the business and you know this. All because you didn't take it so how would I do something to hurt her? You don't realize your words, Matty." Benny said in a softer tone.

"Sorry Pops. I don't care who or what it takes, but guard her room every damn minute. I talked to Tay and he told me that Stacey's brother and them want vengeance." Matty said, his voice sounding weak now. His breathing was slowed by the tranquilizer that was being administered into his veins by the nurse who had slipped in.

"I will, Matty. Rest for now. I have this one." Benny walked to his son and smoothed his dark hair as his eyes fought to stay open and eventually closed. Benny sighed, feeling terrible. It just got so much heavier than it had ever been.

"He's a doll." Cara sighed, on the other side, her eyes still every so often leaking tears.

"Yeah, a doll who will be going on a rampage if god forbid something happens to Stormianna," Benny sighed, not feeling like trying to explain anymore to his estranged wife.

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"You're lucky I work at this precinct. You put in a good word for me, Tay." The officer took off the hand cuffs off Taylor three blocks down from the hospital a day later. ." Taylor looked at the officer, who he didn't give a damn about at this point. He just wanted out of the cuffs to get back to jail.

"You ain't a damned cop." Taylor said, it dawning on him that it was an old acquaintance of The Demaret's.

"You're lucky too. If you do something that stupid and confess like that again, you'll be put away for who knows how long." The guy with the thick drawl said, shaking his head. Taylor rubbed his wrists and wished he could find this so funny. It had been a set up all along to throw off Team Toretto, Taylor thought bitterly as he took off walking. His mind reeled with what Storm had said; that she still loved him. She hadn't come out and said it but he knew her well enough to know she did. As much as he hated to admit it, he loved her too. He kept on walking, enjoying the air, needing some time to clear his head. It turned dark and he kept on walking endless, just wanting to escape the heaviness of the whole situation. That was when it got even worse and all hell felt like it had descended upon his, Storm's, and Matty's world. He walked at a brisk pace to the hospital and went right for Brian O'Connor. He grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off of his feet, no words spoken.

"Hey, what is your deal?" Brian asked, punching him.

"You had anything to do with Storm getting hurt and it will al be over for every last one of you and your crew." Taylor threatened, pointing towards Mia's room.

"Dude, I don't know what the hell you are talking about." Brian said, his voice raised.

"Put him down, Taylor." Benny walked out of Matty's room and saw Taylor, fist balled and ready to loose his self control. He saw it then. Just how blind he had been. Taylor was in love with Storm. He could read it in his eyes, his face, everything. He felt like he had been blindsided but chose to let it go for the moment.

"No, they didn't want to give her the befit of the doubt and they would do something like this if it came down to it." Taylor shook his head, knowing Benny was right. He couldn't create a scene here. He pushed Brian away from him and started after Benny. "You better hope God can save you..." He added and turned to walk down the long corridor.

"What are they talking about?" Vince asked, his thoughts going to one extreme to another. He ran down the hall to catch up, despite the calls of Brian and Dominic's warnings.

"Hey, I told you all to stay away or pay the price." Taylor growled, hearing footsteps behind him. He lunged at Vince.

"I won't stay away. I happen to like her an I won't back down to you no matter your threats, asshole." Vince caught his punch, and blocked him. The two wrestled. "What happened to her?" He asked, after there struggles had come to a break.

"You don't need to know. Go watch over your precious Mia." Taylor snarled, his hatred loud and clear.

"That ain't right and you know it's not." Vince yelled, so loudly that nurses had stepped around their desk to see what was going on.

"No, what's not right is you thinking you can waltz into her life, give her a few nice words and be there to act like you care and can love her went you know you can't." Taylor yelled, his face red and his breathing harder as his blood pressure rose.

"The two of you knock it oft this minute." Benny commanded in a stern tone. He then followed the doctor into Storm's room, shutting the door behind him, indicating that he wanted nether of them to make an entry into that room. He saw his daughter laying there and so peaceful at that , it brought tears to his eyes as he touched her cool skin. "Storm, I led you down the wrong path in life, but it's time you use what I have taught you and be strong. If ever there was a time, it is now." Benny said, his throat thick.

"She's unconscious and has some severe head trauma. We won't know how much damage until she wakes up and if we can get her to wake up." The doctor said, his feet shuffling nervously, knowing who this young woman was.

"Is the outlook good? I hope for your sake and this hospital it is." Taylor added his tow sense after walking in. Benny threw him an irritated look. This was not how Benny preferred to handle things when dealing with the public, especially being out of their home state.

"We're doing our best." The doctor assured him, and exiting quickly.

"Taylor, I expect you to handle yourself better than this." Benny said, pulling up a chair to his precious Storm.

"I'm trying." Taylor admitted, his eyes on Storm and how she was positioned in the bed. Her hands were folded across her chest, funeral style. Taylor had seen one too many funerals.

"And you're doing a great fucking job, Tay." Matty walked in, rather limped in, supported by a crutch he had taken on his way down. Benny and Taylor looked up in shock. Vince, was standing there awkwardly feeling as if he didn't belong in the same room.

"You need to get to bed." Benny pointed at him.

"Bed, smed. This is my Storm and I ain't leavin until she wakes up." Matty said, climbing in bed with his sister. He adjusted his body to fit into the free space that was left by her lifeless body and then proceeded to put his good arm around her, just as he had the other night. He looked determined and rather smug and as though he belonged there all at the same time, Benny noted to himself mentally. He knew if Storm didn't leave alive, the chances of Matty laying beside her and forfeiting life was too huge to even think about at the moment.

"I see you made up your mind." Benny said, not really knowing what else to say. He had to stop his thoughts from continuing, they were too grave to even surrender to think about at this point.

"Yeah." Was all Matty said as he played with a piece of blood soaked hair of his sister's. He looked lost in thought, then as though an idea occurred to him. He had managed to fight the sedation after it initially put him to sleep. He had woke his own self up, his determination to see his sister winning over the drugs. They were making him feel sleepy and now that he was with his sister, he was feeling even more of the synthetic sleepiness.

"I have to go meet your mother and make some calls. Will you be okay?" Benny asked, his concern greater than he was letting on.

"Tay, can I talk to this one alone?" Matty asked, nodding towards Vince, who was leaned against the wall behind the door, almost in the shadows.

"You let me kill him, you don't need that on your hands at the moment." Taylor said, making Matty grin.

"We'll see how that goes." Matty laughed, pointing towards the door. Taylor walked out, but not before he stared down Vince and made like he was going to lunge for him. He laughed, whispered the words 'you're mine, son' and then walked out. There was an awkward silence before anyone spoke a word.

Vince started to walk closer to the girl he had fallen so in love with in such a short time. "Keep your distance. I want to know what the last words you spoke to my sister were." Matty's chin was lifted defensively, sheltering his sister with a hand as Vince neared.

"She took a life in her own hands and tired to play God." Vince looked Matty square in the eyes, not cowering to him or what he was in the lines of being a mob boss's son.

"You tell her that?" Matty asked, licking his lips, the medicine making him have cotton mouth.

"I did. I felt like Storm is worthy of knowing the truth, that being my feelings or whatever we talk about. I respect her enough to be point blank honest and I was very honest with her." Vince stared at Storm's peaceful expression on her face.

"Respect huh? I don't know if I can buy that one." Matty said, locking eyes with Vince. The street racer looked scruffy and exhausted, his eyes red and his action in slower motion than normal, as though he had been in some kind of accident himself. Truth be known, it was all the stress wearing on him and the lack of sleep. He was becoming almost hypocritical in the fact he had told Storm she had to have sleep and food to keep her body going and here he was following her footsteps, he thought to himself bitterly as he held her brother's gaze.

"I'm not selling it you. I ain't selling it to no one. You asked, I'm telling." Vince shot back, his voice giving out in various parts of his sentence, another tell tale sign of his wearing down of his body like eroding soil.

"Whatever. What else happened?" Matty asked, noticing Taylor had an ear at the door, unbeknownst to Vince.

"I don't hint I need to go into full detail." Vince coughed, now that he thought back on the conversation, realizing his last words they had exchanged were nothing pleasant.

"I think you do. You owe my family that much." Matty reasoned, never loosing his cool, never faltering as he watched Vince shift uncomfortably.

The scene played over in Vince's head as he thought back. His recollection showed it all.

"Storm, can I talk to you for a minute before you take off?"

"Sure V, what's on your mind?"

"If you wanted to go back to Taylor couldn't you have told me about it?"

"Back with Taylor? What are you on about? I don't want to go back with Taylor."

"I heard you asking him if he loved you and stuff Storm. I know you want him back. And he wants you back too. I'm not blind or stupid, no matter what you'll hear from my team."

"I don't think your stupid Vince. Well, I didn't until you came out with this. I was upset about M…" "Matty and Taylor just comforted me. It was something that had been on my mind for a long time now and the fact that I hadn't slept in over 72 hours wasn't making me the most coherent person in the world."

"It was looking awful cozy."

"That's just me'n Taylor. If you'd hung around long enough you would have heard me forgive him for how he broke up with me and him tell me he wished he could take it back. Then you would have heard me tell him that it wasn't fair of him to try and mess up what I had with you because I was happy with you."

"You really said all that?"

"Yeah. I really did."

"Not that I'm not glad to hear that Storm but," "I know you say it wasn't you and I know Taylor says it was him, but I know it was you and I don't know how I feel about that. I know what she did to Stacey is pretty shitty and I know how protective you are of your brother, but no matter what she did at the time, Mia's family to me. I don't know how ok I am with what you did. So for now, there is no us. I need time to think."

"Fine, if you have so little faith then do what you want."

"Something you want to share, Vince?" Matty asked, folding his arms carefully, paying close attention to the injured arm he thoughtfully placed in a semi-comfortable position.

"I got to go; I'll be back when she wakes up." Vince headed for the door, tears blurring his vision. Taylor faced him, grabbing him by the neck and holding him up, choking him.

"You ain't goin no where, we're gonna talk." Taylor punched him in the stomach, then thinking better of fighting in the hospital, he dragged a struggling Vince outside through the stairway.

"What is fighting gonna do to make it better?' Vince asked, coughing as the cold air hit his lungs as he tried to get back his breath that had almost been choked out of him.

"In my world, revenge is everything. Whether it helps or not. And it makes me feel better." Taylor said calmly then hauled off and hit Vince point blank in the face, sending him backwards into the railing of the stairs. He lunged for him, this time not faking him out. Vince being on the higher stairs made the height difference fairly even, as Taylor was on the lower steps, towering over them as he hit Vine repeatedly. Then he and Vince traded blow for blow and in their struggle, made it down the stairs and onto the ground.

"You're only pissed cause you know your girl loves me." Vince said, breathing hard as the two kept up their struggle and their fight. Vince got in a good right hook to Taylor's jaw.

"I don't' care how she loves if she's' happy. I do care about people treating her like shit." Taylor hauled off, his forceful fist pounding into Vince's rib cage, causing him to double over. IT was a struggle for Vince to stand up and look at Taylor.

"Then you should hold a grudge against your self." He said, spiting blood on the ground and kicking Taylor in the back. "You had her and you threw it all away. You treated her like shit." Vince snarled, his adrenaline no pumping and him getting three good hits on Taylor in a row.

"It's not your business. I want to know what you said to her. She was fucken drinking and driving. She was so trashed she didn't see where she was going. My Ella doesn't drink like that unless she's hurt." Taylor yelled. He pulled Vince by the collar close to his face, his voice booming. "What did you say to her?? Tell me or I'll ice you right now." he shook Vince as though he was a rag doll.

"She was drinking and driving?" Was all Vince could say. He was stunned, he was shocked, he was at a loss for words. He knew that was her only escape for pain and that was one thing he agreed with Taylor on. He had already seen that coping skill of hers. IT was better to run ad hide than to face the reality she had murmured on the first night she had met him, in her drunken state.

"Tell me." Taylor knocked Vince with his other hand with a punch in the stomach, main his own grip loosen and Vince go flying a few yards.

"I told her we were nothing, that I knew she did that too Mia. That Mia is my family. That I thought she still loved you. There, I told you, are you happy?" Vince shouted, his anger spewing out faster than a flaming fire that was at the worst it could be.

"In her weakened state, you said that shit to her? What the fuck is wrong with you? You missing part of your brain or what?" Taylor asked, rushing at him.

"NO more than what you are. I mean, you couldn't even tell the poor girl you did or dint' love her. DO we have to go into this now? Sound familiar, Robo Cop?" Vince asked, his words making Taylor stop as though hew had been slapped in the face. He seemed frozen, his mind rebelling." How many times did she have to ask you, huh?" Vince asked, getting up off the ground, breathing hard. Taylor walked past him and inside, not saying a word. The door that slammed echoed in Vince's ears as he sat down, his head in his hands.

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"Stacey, is that you?" Storm asked as she walked on the fog like white clouds. Her body felt weightless, rejuvenated, and she felt as though she was floating. She made her way to where the person she thought to be Stacey was. She was sitting cross-legged by a bright blue pond and on bright green grass as frogs made leaps in sequenced order as Stacey, her back turned to Strom, watched.

"Storm?" Stacey sniffled, floating up. It was then Storm saw the familiar red, white, and black inform Stacey and Tabitha had both worn to so many games that they had convinced Storm to go to. She played with the Pepsi cup that was made of wax as she looked excited to see her friend.

"It's me. You okay?" Storm asked, holding out a hand to help her up. Stacey accepted and stood up, making Storm draw her hand back in utter horror. The place where Stacey's heart would have been was an empty, black hole.

"I'm fine. No pain. What are you doing here?" Stacey asked, her voice sounding almost synthesized as 'here without you, baby' played in the back ground by Green Day. It was the song her and Stacey both loved.

"I'm fine, no need to worry bout me." Storm replied, her mind in total chaos, all sense of reality beyond her mind.

"Remember when you moved and you left me and you would call me every night and play me this song?" Stacey laughed her big blue eyes on Storm's. Storm nodded and smiled despite her confusion as to where she was.

"Yup. I never missed a night and you always fell asleep on me." Storm nodded. Stacey looked at the frogs, her concentration almost gone for a minute. "You do love frogs, don't you?" She asked, smiling at Stacey's love of the green amphibians.

"Funny you remember." Stacey walked away, Storm following her.

"Do you hurt, Stacey?" Storm asked, forcing the one question out she hadn't wanted to ask, for fear of finding the answer. Stacey walked over to a grave, where she knelt down by.

"I only hurt from certain thinks. Nothing you could have helped, you know that, right?" Stacey asked, her eyes downcast as she looked at headstone the same time as did Storm. It read Samantha Allen, Stacey's mother, who had died before Brian had taken custody of her. She kept on walking after getting up from there.

"I could have stopped it if I had don things differently." Storm argued. Stacey smiled, faced her best friend her hands on her shoulders and shook her head.

"You can't change the world. You can't and though you try, it' something you need to learn." Stacey said, sighing as she turned away and kept on walking, her face expression one of interest this time as she walked into the height school that Storm had frequented for the sake of Stacey and Tabitha. She opened a locker to display a long glittery sleeveless, strapless dress that was slender to the feet and flowing at the bottom, ball gown style.

"Your homecoming queen dress." Storm recognized the dress. She had made that dress and had made Stacey swear to never tell a soul.

"You know, I never told anyone, though I wanted to. I was so proud of you and it and the fact you did it for me." Stacey said, playing with the fabric, running her fingers over the downward seam of the material. "I was so excited I forgot the fact me and my mom were poor and couldn't' afford it but you were determined to not let me back out of the nomination for homecoming queen." Stacey reminded, her voice filled with pride.

"I couldn't let you. After all, you took the crown and what would they have done if you had backed out?" Storm said, being modest. Stacey turned to face her friend, the tiara on her head now. Storm blinked her eyes, trying to make sense of all this. There was no making sense.

"They would have picked someone else." Stacey giggled at the memory. "You were all secret making it and I felt like I was on the secret agents service with you." She admitted as she kept on walking. Storm looked down to see a swirl of white clouds pass by in a whirlwind and her attention was drawn to the lighting from the next clouds quickly rolling in, almost as if on fast forward.

"Where we goin, Stacey" Storm asked, worried things were going to get bad and Stacey would suffer through bad memories as well.

"Does anyone know where they are goin in life, Storm?" Stacey asked, standing by a hospital bed with a sheet over the person. Storm's knees felt weak and as much as she hated to admit to herself, she was scared of what she would find. Stacey's bright blue eyes seemed to darken a bit as she stared at the sheet.

"No, Stacey. I don't think so." Strom said softly, her own path not clear to her. She was thrust into the family business only because her bother couldn't and wouldn't do it. She had to fight every day for her dignity, respect, and she had to earn the status she had achieved.

"You have a path. You have a life. I admire you so much." Stacey said, looking her best friend in the eyes.

'There's a lot you don't know about me, Baby girl." Storm sighed, hating her self and her choices at the moment. Stacey giggled, her mood changing yet again. That was so unlike Stacey, Storm thought to herself, puzzled more than ever.

"I love when you call me that. I wish I could have been your sister." Stacey admitted, sitting beside Storm, sighing wistfully.

"I'm not that great, Stace." Storm sighed, her own hate and guilt tripping up her feelings.

"You didn't abandon me, Storm. Not once. I always knew where you were. Not even my own brother can I say that about." Stacey reasoned, laying her head on Storm's shoulder. She seemed to be quiet for what seemed to be forever. Then she lifted her head, her blue eyes now black and panic stricken, making Storm jump back in surprise and terror. The eyes looked like black holes, just like her heart.

"I won't ever abandon you either." Storm said, trying to recover form the gasp that had now made Stacey look hurt and shake as tears of black tar rolled down her cheeks. Storm found it in her to pull the girl into her arms and hug her.

"Then don't leave me. Please. I kneed you. I can't stay with him. Or her." Stacey said, her voice almost baby like as she slowly tugged at the white she covering the hospital bed. It was a dummy, a dummy that resembled Mia. She looked at Storm. "Why didn't I get to be your sister?'" Stacey asked, her eyes and face in a pout, a familiar face that Storm had often seen when Stacey didn't get her way, at little things. She was a determined girl and if she wanted something it had to be right then. NO waiting. Her and Storm had clashed on many occasion in regards to little things such as going shopping or their plans and Stacey always managed to convince Storm. Even when it was Tabitha ad Stacey vying for something they knew not ever Storm could go for or say yes to, it was Stacey's eyes and pouting face that had won them many a battle.

"I can't answer that. I'm not too good a sister or person for that matter." Storm sighed, making Stacey look at her in anger, her eyes flashing like blue lightening in them now.

"I won't stand you putting down yourself when you deserve better." Stacey chided, then got up to walk some more. She waked to Storm's mansion in L.A. that she had been to before Carter had taken her.

"If you leave and give up, I won't try for anything in my life. NOT even to wake up. I need you, Storm." Stacey said, her voice in a sing song pattern now as she began to skip away. Strom tried to keep up in a fast walk and then gave into running after her. "You can't leave me." She called in a tone of 'you can't catch me'.

"Anastasia! Stop. I'm not finished talking." Storm commanded, making Stacey bursts into giggles and laughter as she began to do cartwheels over the football field she was now on, in the homecoming dress. She picked some weeds and threw then at Storm with a smile.

"I like baby girl better.' She said, standing still as Storm tried to cross the field that seemed miles across. Stacey's voice seemed to be going farther and farther way. She turned to face the direction of Storm and gave a princess wave, a wave that pageant directors would teach their contestants.

"Don't leave me. Please. I need you as much as you need me." Storm begged, making Stacey stop. She came towards her now admitting a glowing haze.

"Tell me I can live my life wooing worry." She said, her glow almost too bright for Storm's eyes.

"How so? " Storm asked, confused.

"You'll figure it out. You are always good at games." Stacey nodded confidently." You need to realize how much of an impact you have on people and how you are valued, oh dear Storm." Stacey said, picking up a basket and picking yellow daisies that were starting to sprout everywhere.

"I'm not valued. I'm a killer, a no good daughter who often fails her father, I let many people down, including you, and I have no sense of life anymore." Storm sighed sitting down. Stacey came to her now, the ground pink and purple pastel colors, arranged like a checkerboard. She skilled on it, making it fully to her friend now.

"You are so critical of yourself you can't see the most important part." Stacey sighed, sitting beside her friend, resting her head on Storm's shoulder, something she often did when in need of comfort.

"And what part is that?" Storm asked as the clouds began to move again, all of them working in a big swirl. In the background, a telephone could be heard ringing, making her uneasy, as though she could stand to bear anymore bad news.

"The goodness of your heart. Our intentions are what matters. Not what you do." Stacey whispered, the phone ringing getting louder and louder and Stacey shrinking and moving further and further away from her. The glow and the mixture of clouds picked her up, carrying her as she gave her pageant wave. She blew a kiss and with a giggle she was gone.