Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brian had missed the races. Sure, he had been driving for weeks, all over Mexico and Central America, stopping at small races to earn enough money for food and a place to sleep for him and Mia, but this was different. That had been racing for survival. This, this was racing just to race. Between the race bunnies dancing around, trash talking with Rome and Dom, and the music in the air, he was feeling freer than he had in a long time. Too bad it was all about to come to an end.

"Toretto!"

The crowd around them parted like Moses and the Red Sea. A large man decked out in military fatigues and bullet proof armor strode through the crowd, a team of similarly dressed men at his back. One lone woman in the uniform of Rio police hovered at the edge of the group, nervously eyeing the people that had formed a ring around the two groups. He had to give Hobbs credit; it took guts to walk into a situation like this with so few people.

"You're under arrest."

Hobbs snarled, coming to a stop about 10 feet away from where their crew was lounging on their cars.

"Arrest? I don't feel like I'm under arrest. How about you Brian?"

"Nah not really." Turning his head, Brian locked eyes with Hobbs. "Not even a little bit."

"Oh just give it a minute. It'll sink in."

Brian glanced a Dom, wondering why his eyes kept darting over to the female cop. If it had been anyone but Dom, he would have said that he was interested in the cop. Not wanting to draw attention to Dom's lack of focus, he spoke once more.

"We didn't kill those feds. It was Reyes."

"You think I care? I'm just here to bring in two guys whose names hit my desk."

Scoffing Brian couldn't help but shoot back, "Yeah. Sounds like a real hero."

At Brian's flippant remark, fury overtook Hobbs's face. Stalking forward, Hobbs loomed over Brian.

"That's funny. Comin' from a guy who took the oath of a cop, then went against everything it stood for. But what else can you expect from a guy that walks out on his baby sister for a new family? You turned fugitive for a man you barely knew, and yet you couldn't be bothered to even call when your own flesh and blood was in the hospital after almost being killed." Seeing the pain and shock flash across O'Conner's face brought a sick sense of satisfaction to Hobbs. Smirking, he turned to Toretto, "Or a wanna be tough guy…"

At the mention of Bella, a buzzing took over Brian's ears. He could no longer focus on what was going on around him. Bella had almost died? She had been in the hospital? Why hadn't Charlie said anything?

He felt Rome step up in front of him, nudging his leg, while keeping his eyes on Dom, who now stood toe to toe with Hobbs. Even still, Brian couldn't stop the worry churning in his gut and the questions tumbling about his head.

Only the sound of dozens of guns being pulled and cocked around him brought Brian back to the present. Fixing a smirk on his face, he fought to bring up his "Iceman" persona that had served him so well undercover. No way was he letting Hobbs know that he had rattled him. As the agents backed away, the crew did the same, sliding into their cars, or in Giselle's case, onto her bike. As soon as the agents were a decent distance away, they peeled out, the crowd swallowing the path behind them.

Racing Twilight

Stopping the car in the new hideout, Brian dragged his body out of the car. Rome stopped in front of him, a hand landing on his shoulder.

"You ready for this?"

The two men never talked about Bella. After beating the hell out of each other in Barstow 4 years ago, it became their unspoken agreement to not bring her up. Rome was the only one in the crew that knew about Bella. He hadn't even told Mia, unable to bring himself to admit what he had done to his little sister. Part of him always knew that the Torettos' would never accept his choices regarding Bella. Family was everything to them, and he had sent his away and pretended that she didn't exist.

Brian locked eyes with Rome, his expression bleak and desperate. The other man nodded, wrapping his arms around his friend.

"We'll figure it out man. We always do." With that, Rome moved to have one arm thrown over Brian's shoulder, as they walked into the "family room" area of the warehouse.

Tej came barreling out of the tech area once they made an appearance.

"Check it out man, I've got eyes on Hobbs. Any move they make, we'll know about it. No way those dudes…" His excited rambling dropped off, eyes glancing between the two groups that had formed in front of him. Rome and Brian stood on one side, with Dom and Mia across from them. Leo, Santos, Han, and Giselle stood farther back, watching everything warily.

"Okay, what's up?" Tej asked, his hands falling to his hips.

"I think that we'd all like to know that." Dom's gravelly voice cut through the silence that had fallen in the warehouse, his eyes fixed on Brian.

"Come on, man. It's time." Rome squeezed his shoulder and led him over to the couches. Brian slumped down, his head buried in his hands. He felt Mia perch next to him, her hand rubbing along his spine.

"It's okay Brian. Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Just talk to us." A look from Rome had her quieting down, but she kept her hand moving up and down his back.

"Dom, you know that I didn't have the best childhood. My dad skipped out before I was born, and there was a rotating door of men after that. When I was 9, my mom gave birth to my little sister Bella. Bella's dad was one of the few decent guys that my mom dated.

He had been to jail, and was in to some shady business sure, but he was always nice to me, and he didn't hit her like some of the others. He made sure that there was food in the house, and showed me how to work on cars.

When Bella was born, he started to clean up his act. He was doing one last race to earn enough money to get us into a new apartment when his car crashed. After that, Mom went back to scumbags and users.

From that point on, I was in charge of Bella. I traded chores with an older neighbor of ours, so that she'd watch Bella when I was at school. I'd leave at lunch to check on her, and then run back before the bell. Rome and his aunt helped out where they could, but it was tough.

Things got easier after we met Charlie. He was a beat cop who answered the call when my mom's new guy was beating her up. He took us to the hospital, sat with us all night. Filled the cupboards up with food and made sure that Bella had diapers before he left. From then on, if we were in trouble, Charlie was there.

He came by on his days off, talked to my teachers when I was in trouble, bought food and diapers. Hell, he even tried to adopt us at one point. But CPS didn't see a reason to remove us from the house, and Mom wouldn't sign the papers. This went on for roughly 5 years.

We moved to Arizona, chasing after some guy. Charlie called up his ex-wife and asked her to keep an eye on us. She'd take Bella whenever I couldn't or I needed a break. Then when I got sent to juvie and my mom OD'd, Renee became Bella's foster parent.

I got Bella back when I joined the academy, and for a couple of years it was good. Then when I got sent undercover for the truck jacking's, I sent Bella back to Renee. She and Charlie got official custody when I was on the run."

Brian told the whole story while staring at his hands. He didn't want to see the looks of disappointment in Dom and Mia's eyes. Didn't want to see the anger and hatred that he knew would be in Rome's eyes. He had never told Rome what had happened with Bella, only that she was now living with someone else. Taking a deep breath, he knew he had to finish the story.

"Charlie offered to let me see her, to have her come visit me, when I started working with the FBI, but I told him no. I told him that it was best that she thought I was still on the run. I walked away from her because I told myself that it was for the best.

But the truth is that I was just too much of a coward to face her. From the time I got custody of her when I was 18, I've done nothing but uproot her life. She begged me to let her stay with Renee when I got out of juvie, but I said no. When I sent her back, she begged me to stay, reminded me that I had promised her that I would never leave her. But I did just that."

With his story finished, Brian pushed himself kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ground. Mia's hand had stilled on his back, and Rome's shoulder had gotten increasingly tense next to him.

"Tej" Dom barked out, shattering the silence that had fallen. "Find out everything you can about Isabella O'Conner. Hobbs said that she was in the hospital. I want to know why."

Brian's head shot up, disbelieving eyes meeting Dom's.

"What?"

"She's your family Brian. Just because you joined ours, doesn't mean that she stopped being yours. And sure, you messed up by walking away, but you were doing what you thought was best for her. Just like I did when I left Letty. And we look out for family. If she's in trouble, we'll find a way to help."

Keeping his eyes locked on the younger man, Dom waited until he saw relief and acceptance wash across Brian's face.

"Charlie and Renee changed her name. She goes by Isabella Swan now. Last I heard she was living up in Forks, Washington with Charlie. He's the Chief of Police up there. Her birthday's September 13."

"On it!" Tej darted back to his computers, fingers flying across the keyboards. Something in Brian's gut loosened at the sight. They weren't condemning him. The family he had made for himself wasn't turning him out, but was working to help him. Part of it felt surreal to him.

"Everyone take an hour. After that, we've got work to do!" Dom barked, watching as Han and Giselle drifted one way and Leo and Santos drifted another.

Turning to look at Mia, he saw nothing but love shining from her eyes.

"You're going to be a good dad" she whispered, kissing him softly on the cheek "But if you ever think of leaving me behind 'for my own good' you won't live to regret it." The threat was delivered with a small smile that told him that she was at least somewhat teasing him.

"I'm not strong enough to walk away from you again Mia." Kissing her softly, he pulled himself up from the couch to go answer questions that Tej had. Rome pulled him into a quick man hug, followed by Dom.

"We're family. We'll get through this."

AN: The confrontation between Dom/Brian/Hobbs is taken almost word for word from the movie. It is not my work.