A/N: Sorry this is late, I'm on holiday so I tried to disconnect for a few days. Super unedited, until I get back to reality tomorrow.

Trigger warning: PTSD, domestic abuse.


Part XII

Office of Dr. Hans Klaus, Wednesday, 5:55PM

"...and you must be Mateo. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Mateo responded, shaking Klaus' enormous hand.

Immediately, Klaus could sense that Mateo was more mature than most eleven-year-olds his age. He led them into his office where they got comfortable on the couch, Mateo between the two of them.

"So, Mateo, your mom and dad have been to a couple of sessions before, so they feel a little more comfortable with me. You don't have to talk about anything that you don't want to talk about and you just chime in when you feel like it, okay?"

Mateo nodded. "Okay."

"Is there anything that you do want to talk about?"

Mateo opened his mouth, closed it and then shook his head in the negative.

"You sure?" Letty asked, reading his body language.

"I guess I just want to say thanks for helping my mom and dad. They've been fighting less."

"We don't fight."

Mateo gave Letty a look that told her that he didn't believe her. "I'm not dumb. I could always feel when I walk in on an argument. But I haven't felt like that in a couple of weeks so something must be helping."

"I didn't like when my parents bickered either, Mateo. It made me sad. How does it make you feel?"

"Honestly, confused."

"Why confused?" Dom asked.

"Because I know you love each other, so why fight with someone you love?"

"Do you have any pets, Mateo?"

"No. I want a puppy, but my parents keep saying no."

"Well, if you had a puppy, what would you name him or her?"

"Sweeper!"

"Sweeper? That's a cool name."

"Yeah. It's the player in a soccer game that sits right in front or back of the defense line for protection."

Dom and Letty looked at each other, having a silent conversation.

"Say you came home and Sweeper had chewed up your favorite soccer jersey, you'd be pretty upset with him, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"But you'd still love Sweeper?"

"Of course."

"It's the same with the people we love. Sometimes, they do or say things that make us upset. Arguing is a way that some people express how they're feeling, but it's not always a healthy conversation. Some things can be said out of anger because we aren't thinking with a clear head." Klaus explained.

"So," Mateo caught on, "that's why we come here? To have a healthy conversation?"

"Right and to learn how to have those same healthy conversations at home without me being around."

"Cool." He responded.

The remainder of the hour was spent with Dr. Klaus getting to know Mateo. Dom and Letty spoke every now and again, but for the most part, were content to let Mateo speak for himself.

"Well, it was a pleasure to get to know you, Mateo. I hope I get to see you again."

"Nice to meet you, too."

Letty lingered in the office as Mateo and Dom walked through the lobby. Sensing there was something on her mind, Klaus waited, looking at her expectantly.

"I was wondering if I could see you for a private session sometime next week."

"Absolutely. Call my receptionist and she'll give you some dates and times. Sound good?"

Letty nodded. "Thanks, doc."

"My pleasure."

Letty caught up to Mateo and Dom in the waiting room as they waited for the elevator.

"You okay?" Dom asked.

"Better than okay."


Mia and Brian's, Sunday 3:31PM

All Letty had done was walk into the kitchen to greet her former sister-in-law and she somehow wound up in an interrogation room.

"Yo, Mia." Letty hopped up on the counter and kissed Mia's cheek.

Mia gasped and stage-whispered, "You had sex with my brother!"

"What?" Letty asked. "I did not!"

Mia stopped stirring the pasta salad and crossed her arms instead. Her lips pouted up and her right eyebrow rose.

"I didn't!" Letty insisted. "I just wanted to thank you for the great therapy advice."

"Mhm," Mia suspiciously hummed as she started stirring again, "the same advice I've been giving you for years?"

"That very same advice, yes." Letty assured her.

"So, same advice, same Letty, same Dom. What's new? An improved sex life, I wonder?"

"Eh, same sex life."

"Aha!" Mia pointed the salad spoon at Letty, accusingly.

Letty pushed Mia's hand back down. "As in, celibate as fuck."

Mia accepted that and pulled out the aluminum foil to place over the pasta salad. "Fine. Wait, it's Sunday."

"Yes, and yesterday was Saturday." Letty said slowly as if speaking to a child. "Tomorrow is Monday. It's this crazy phenomenon called a week."

"No, I mean, I thought you and Dom were doing separate things."

"We all went to church together this morning, so he asked me to come to the barbecue afterwards."

"Mhm, because he stayed over your house last night?"

"No, Mia." Letty laughed. "We're not sleeping together—."

"I never said sleep—."

"Or having sex, got it?"

Putting her hands up in surrender, Mia replied, "Fine, fine."

"There she is." Dom said, entering the kitchen with Brian in tow. He kissed his sister's cheek before leaning against the counter where Letty sat.

"What is with you two?"

"I said the same thing." Brian said, she's wide, finger pointing at himself. "You two seem happier."

"We are." Dom and Letty answered together and then looked at one another. They had one of their silent conversations.

"Well, whatever it is, keep it up." Brian said.

"Don't encourage them." Mia told her husband as she picked up the covered salad in both hands and started towards the back door.

"Why not?"

"They're doing it." She said over her shoulder, exiting the kitchen.

"We're not doing it." Dom and Letty called.


6:15PM

"Hey you." Dom said, handing her a fresh Corona.

"Hey." Letty replied, moving slightly to allow Dom to sit on the step next to her. She pushed hair out of her face and looked at him.

"Feels good, doesn't it?"

"What's that?"

"Being surrounded by family."

"It does."

"But?"

Letty opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it, exhaling and smiling. She shook her head. "But nothing."

"Come on, Let. Talk to me."

"I, uh, I invited Mom, but—," she gestured towards the backyard still full of friends, family and neighbors alike, stopping when she spotted a familiar figure. "She's here."

Dom put his hand on her knee and squeezed. "Have faith in people, Let." He stood to greet Alex as she made her way toward them.

"Dom, it's so good to see you. I brought trés leches." She said, kissing his cheek and handing him the covered cake pan.

"You didn't have to do this, Alex. Thank you."

Letty hugged her mom and the two sat on the stairs.

"I'm glad you came, Mom."

"Me too. I saw Mia, and díos, Jack has gotten so big."

"He has, hasn't he?"

"Abuela!" A small voice shouted. Mateo clambered down the stairs. Alex stood and turned just in time to catch him as he leapt toward her.

"Hello, my favorite grandson."

"I'm your only grandson." He giggled.

"Oh, yes, how could I forget that? Must be the old age."

"You don't look old."

"But I've lived a thousand years."

"Wow, you are old."

Alex made a noise of disbelief and gave Letty a look to go along with it. Letty smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know where he gets that mouth." She joked.

"I do." Alex teased.

"Abuela, you want to see Jack's new pet lizard?"

"Of course I do."

Alex was whisked away by her grandson and Letty laughed to herself. The elation that she was feeling that had been rare the last few years was suddenly becoming a frequent occurrence.

"Have faith in people, Let."

It wasn't her faith in others that Letty lacked, it was her faith in herself and her belief that she was worthy to have such great people surrounding her. She could definitely use another session with Klaus.

A few hours later, Letty was passing a sleeping Mateo off to his father and kissing her mother goodbye. They headed to Letty's car to deposit their sleeping son and head home.

"Hey," Dom said, getting Letty's attention. He put his hands on her face and pressed a kiss to her lips. Pulling away, he asked "did that help?"

"With what?"

"With whatever's been going through your mind all evening."

"I have no clue what you're talking about. That was one hell of a kiss." The brunette bantered.

"You'll tell me when you're ready." It wasn't a question, and no response was necessary.


Office of Dr. Hans Klaus, Monday, 4:10PM

"With all due respect, Letty, you asked for this session? Is there something in particular that you wanted to talk about?"

Letty was quiet for a few more moments.

"I know that anxiety disorders are a very real thing, but I don't know if that's what I'm suffering from."

"Let's start from the beginning. What makes you feel this way?"

Letty lifted and dropped a shoulder. "My dad hit my mom and I don't just mean a shove here or there. He slapped her. Pushed her. Fractured her wrist once. Yelled at both of us a lot. He took a swing at me once, but I punched him instead. I think I looked to Dom as sort of my safe space. But then a while back, there was a time that I spent months not knowing he even existed. So, I had to become my own safe space. Then Dom found me. And I was terrified of myself, of Dom."

"Why terrified?"

"Because how could I be in love with this wonderful man who would literally go to the ends of the earth to find me when I was lost, when I couldn't even remember if I was worthy of his love?"

"And when you did remember?"

"And when I remembered everything: that we were married, that he was the love of my life, that it had always been and would always be, Dom and Letty, I was even more terrified me because he was like my father too. Dom's so strong and determined and does the wrong things with the right intentions. And for a little while, things were good. Until they weren't. What attracts me to these masculine figureheads who are too arrogant to take what I'm feeling or saying into consideration?"

"Have you heard of PTSD?"

"Of course."

"What about C-PTSD?"

Letty shook her head. "I'm not familiar."

"Complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It's thought to occur as a result of prolonged trauma."

"I'm not the victim, here. My mother was."

"And you think merely being a witness to these events made you," Klaus searched for the right word, "immune to the ramifications of the mental effect that can cause?"

"No, but I used that to be stronger." Letty stood from the couch, running both hands through her hair. She stood at the bay window. "To always be the strongest one in the room. The one who could withstand anything."

"Forgive me for saying so, Letty, but that's unhealthy."

Glancing at him over her shoulder, Letty gave a trembling exhale. "It's the only way I know how to be."

"Then that is what we work on. C-PTSD won't get any better, especially in a relationship where there is an unbalanced power dynamic."

"If you want things to work out with Dom and Mateo, you have to be able to be vulnerable when you need to be."

Letty turned back to face the outside. It was safer here, the glass prevented anything from touching her. It was a lot like the wall she'd put between the world and her true feelings.

But if Letty realized anything, it was that safety didn't always equate to happiness.


Letty walked into the garage, chewing on her thumbnail. When she got to the office, she watched as Dom and Mateo went over a problem on Mateo's math homework.

She watched quietly from the doorway, smiling when Mateo worked the problem out with minimal help from Dom. He really was an incredible father. She always knew he would be. Dom seemed to feel her presence.

"How was your meeting?" He asked.

"It was… eye-opening."

There was something about the way Letty shifted from foot to foot that made Dom suspicious. She wasn't saying something.

"Hey," Dom said to Mateo, "run and ask tío Jesse to get you a soda."

Mateo hopped up and did as he was told. "Letty?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just—" she shook her head and rubbed her neck, "I need you to know something."

"I'm listening." Dom closed the distance the two of them and put his hands on her shoulders. "Talk to me."

Shakily, Letty told him, "I want this. Us. But I'm more screwed up than I thought. I need you to understand that I need help." She was crying now and Dom's heart was breaking.

"Okay." He responded, his voice pleading and his head nodding. "So, I'm here to help. Always. You know that."

"Mom, tío Jesse said I could—."

Letty quickly turned to face the desk, trying to subtly wipe her eyes and nose while Dom focused on damage control.

"—is Mom okay?"

"Yeah, papa, she's good. What did your tío say?"

"He said I could go with him to the go-kart racetrack this weekend if it's okay with you."

"Of course it is." Dom replied.

"Yes!" Mateo ran back into the shop to tell his uncle the good news.

"Letty, I got you." He pulled her into an embrace, squeezing her tightly. "I'm here."