Summary: This is the story of the team and how they became just that; a team. With unbreakable, unshakeable bonds, this group of people overcomes every obstacle thrown at them… or do they? Before TFATF. Before the racing, the heists, and the hype. This is the story of the team, and how they became the team they ended up as. This is the story of the blossoming relationship between Letty and Dominic, the friendship between everyone, the introduction of Jesse, Leon, and Vince. Kind of AU because Dom and Vince haven't known each other since third grade.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters… I don't own the original storyline – although I own everything that does not go along with the movie.

Author's Note: I hope this makes up for the long pause in my updates. Two chapters in one day! WOW! But, I'm trying to write frequently, doing at least 1/3 of a chapter everyday, so I'm hoping to be posting 2-3 chapters a week, but that's only if ALL goes as planned.

Chapter Eight. Bits & Pieces.

"Fuckin' Toretto," Johnny Tran remarked with an evil giggle as he slipped his helmet off of his head and walked a few steps toward Dominic and Letty, clenching a gun in his right hand. Johnny's cousin stood behind him holding a large semi-automatic weapon, and two females stepped out of the car, also holding weapons; one held a gun, and the other held some kind of oriental sword. "I thought we had a deal."

Dominic pushed Letty behind him with a protective arm and stepped towards Tran. "We did, until you crashed a party at my girl's house," he growled.

"Your girl?" Johnny laughed as his cousin snickered behind him. "Is that a new nickname for a high class prostitute?"

Dominic lunged forward at Johnny, but was met with a gun barrel to his stomach with a hard shove. He stepped back, protectively, in front of Letty once again and growled. "Don't talk about her like that," he whispered, trying to catch his breath between his angered words.

Letty sobbed quietly behind Dominic, fearful for not only her and Dominic's lives, but also for the life of the baby she was carrying. "Dom," she whispered from behind him, placing a steadying and gentle hand on his arm. "Stay calm."

"Aw," Johnny's cousin cooed from behind him, mockingly. "She's trying to keep her boyfriend safe," he said grinning and stepping towards her. He grabbed her hair into his hand and yanked her head back roughly.

Dominic punched him in the side of his stomach, making him step back and let go of Letty's hair. Letty's sobs grew louder as she looked at Tran and his cousin both pointing gun's at Dominic. Tran laughed. "I told you, Dominic. It's not over – I told you I'd get you. And guess what?" Tran eyed Dominic and pulled the trigger of his gun. An ear-drum shattering pop went off and Dominic crumpled to the ground, blood slowly dribbling out of a wound on his stomach, a patch of blood growing apparent on his white T-shirt. "I just got you."

Letty crouched down at Dom's side, trying to find the wound and plug it with her hand as he gasped to catch his breath and tried to stand. Johnny took a step towards Letty, and she put her hands up in fear and backed away. Johnny just laughed and hit Letty in the abdomen with the butt of his gun. She fell to the ground with a sickening thud. "Letty!" Dominic yelled as loud as he could with the air in his lungs and crawled to her side, putting her head in his lap.

Johnny, his cousin, and the two whores that accompanied them got on their crotch rockets and in the car and took off, a cloud of smoke enveloping Letty and Dominic.

"Baby," Dominic whispered as he held her in his lap, brushing hair from her face, his own blood covered his hands and matted her hair to her face – defeating the purpose of brushing the hair away in the first place. He looked at his hands, looked at the blood smeared across Letty's face, looked at his own wound, and looked at his own blood stain growing across his stomach. "Fuck," he growled, as he picked Letty up into his arms and limped away.

"Help!" Dominic screamed as he half limped, half fell through the emergency room doors. By now, the entire front of his shirt was soaked with blood, and the part of Letty that was closest to his body was also drenched in his blood. "Help her please," he said gently as he fell to his knees, still holding Letty to his body. Although pain surged through his body, and ravaged him senseless… he had to get Letty help. That was his first… his only concern.

Two male nurses ran over to try to catch him. "What happened?" they asked as one checked Letty's vitals, and another one rushed for a bed.

"S-She… she got hit in the stomach with a gun," Dominic stuttered. "She's pregnant!" he screamed. "Please make sure her and my baby are okay."

Dominic collapsed onto the floor, falling into a light state of unconsciousness. "Sir?" he heard a male voice saying into his ear as he felt himself being turned over. "Gun shot wound to the lower right abdominal flank, get me help – STAT! He's lost a lot of blood. I don't know how much more he can lose…"

Dominic heard a light rustle of voices from around him. The room was hazy as he tried to open his eyes; he saw blurred lights and blurred figures and shadows of people around him. A voice Dominic couldn't recognize spoke slowly, and it seemed as though the others respected him because they listened intently.

"He lost a lot of blood. It's a miracle that he's still alive, but more of a miracle that he was able to carry that woman all the way here without dying. The police followed the trail of blood from our front doors to a mile away," the voice said. "I've never see anything like this."

Dominic tried to open his eyes; tried to see who was speaking around him, but he couldn't. Now the voices sounded so far off, as if they were miles away. He could only catch bits and pieces of the conversation.

"Is he going to…"

"A lot of bloo…"

"I can't…"

"Strong man…"

Dominic gave up the fight and let the darkness and quiet envelope his body as he drifted into a state of deep sleep. He was wrapped up in reminiscence of his father, Mia, his mother… all the people he loved. The last one Dominic could make out was Letty, holding a baby in her arms – cooing softly as she gentle rocked and cradled the child. Letty was whispering something like, "Your father was a great man… it's a shame you can never meet him, now." As tears gently rolled down her cheeks.

"Hey guys," Letty said in a muffled voice as she smiled up at the team standing around her. That was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes were her best friends smiling down around her. Leon, Vince, Jesse, Mia. They were all there, and she was thankful.

"Hey Ma," Mia said smiling.

Instinctively, Letty's hands flew to her stomach, as though she could feel whether or not her baby was still there. "Miss Rodriguez," a new, unfamiliar voice said to her from the corner of the room. "Welcome back."

Letty looked and saw a Doctor standing behind her friends, smiling brightly. "Thanks," she whispered her voice hoarse.

"Could you excuse us?" the doctor politely directed the question at the group of people in front of him.

"Sir," Letty piped up. "This is my family… anything you tell me, they can hear."

The doctor nodded slowly and opened up her chart. "You suffered two bruised ribs and a broken one," he started. "The one rib was so badly broken that it was almost completely shattered. We went in and repaired it, and checked your baby." The doctor paused, as tears welled up in Letty's eyes. The doctor patted her hand. "Don't worry, Leticia. Your baby is just fine."

A sigh of relief was felt around the room. Even Mia was smiling ridiculously wide as she bent down and kissed Letty's forehead. "Guys?" Letty asked. She tried to look past team, her eyes darting around the room. "Where… where's Dominic?"

A tear slid down Mia's cheek as she gently rubbed her thumb across Letty's hand. Letty looked at Mia disgusted and snatched her hand away – trying to sit up in her bed. She ripped her IV's out of her arm. "Dominic?" she called. When she received no answer, she screamed. "DOMINIC!" She continued ripping out all her tubes and thrashing her body around in a panic.

The boys held her down as the doctor injected her with a sedative. "Letty… he's still alive, but he's in a coma. They're not sure when… or if he's going to wake up," Mia cooed. Letty felt the gentle drip of tears falling onto her hand. Then she felt them pouring down her face. She felt the sleep creeping up on her as she tried her best to fight it. Letty kept opening and shutting her mouth, trying to speak – but no words would come out. "Sh, baby," Mia cooed. "Just go to sleep."

Letty let the sleep drift over her as she had visions of Dominic floating through her mind's eye. There was a flash of Dominic; all dressed in white, and sitting amongst Angel's in the sky. She reached out her arm for him; tried to call to him – but as quick as he appeared… he was gone.