Brian drove back to his old flat automatically. Luckily, it was still vacant, even though two months had passed since he moved out. Brian didn't have the keys anymore but locked doors had never stopped him. He opened it, using his lock picking gear, and threw his bag onto the bed.

And then he just stood there, staring at the door. For the first time in what felt like years, he had absolutely no idea what to do. When he'd been torn between his job as an undercover agent and Dom and the crew, he'd acted instinctively. Everything had happened so fast back then that he'd barely had time to really think things through.

But right now his fragile house of cards of a life had just collapsed right in front of him. And here he was, looking at the debris with a blank mind. He should fix this. Scratch that, he had to fix this, he needed to piece it back together because his family meant a lot more to him than any of them knew. Without them he had nothing but a shitty job and his car.

He sank down on his mattress and tiredly rubbed a hand over his face. Just refusing to work for Chestner would jeopardise the others' safety. Telling Dom the whole story would bring about the same result, since there was no way that Dom wouldn't do anything about it. He could try to convince Dom that he wasn't working against them without giving him any new information but Brian was pretty sure that with the appearance of the damned folder that option had been crossed out. Besides, he'd had that talk with Dom already. Saying the same things again would be of no use. Leaving things as they were now would ensure everyone's safety, even if Brian felt miserable with that prospect. But then again, feeling miserable was far better than being responsible for anyone of his family being imprisoned. He'd been able to survive on his own before, after all.

Taking a deep breath and briefly closing his eyes, Brian made up his mind. Then he got up and got ready for bed.

The following night Brian got yet another text with a new job. He wasn't really surprised, since it was Friday, but his day at work had been stressful already and he'd honestly been looking forward to just paying his usual bar a visit for a beer or two and then turning in for the night. Instead, he packed up his stuff at midnight and drove across town. The garage turned out to be as secured as a bank and it took Brian most of the night to accomplish his task. Ill-tempered and tired he returned to his flat at half past five in the morning and dropped down on the mattress as if dead.

When he got up the next afternoon, he felt the need to blow off some steam. With everything that had happened in the last few weeks, his mind was on overload, so he decided to go running which he hadn't done in a while.

He started off at a nearby park, since the beach was too far away to go there without taking the car (he didn't really have the patience to drive first). He didn't have a particular route in mind, so he just followed the streets that were not too crowded. Making his way down the sidewalk of a deserted street, he heard the engine of a car coming up from behind. He didn't give it any thought until it pulled up right in front of him and he saw Dom getting out and walking up to him. He'd been driving the Charger and Brian mentally slapped himself for not recognising the sound of the engine and getting the hell out of there. He didn't feel like talking and even less like giving the same evasive explanations all over again.

He stopped, though, since Dom was blocking the path with a stern look on his face. Wiping his face with the hem of his shirt, Brian stayed silent and waited for Dom to say something.

"Get in the car, Brian," he told him after another few seconds of silent staring had passed.

Well, of all the things he could have said, this was not what Brian had expected. He scowled at the commanding tone and didn't budge. "Why should I?"

Dom crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowed. "You look as if you didn't sleep much, O'Conner. Is that because it took you so damn long to get into that garage last night?" Brian gaped in astonishment at Dom's words, unable to keep his mask up. How the hell…?

Since he was speechless Dom continued, "Get in the car, now. You owe me an explanation."

That got Brian back to his senses. If Dom knew about last night, vague wouldn't do the trick this time. And spilling was out of the question, too. There was no way going anywhere with Dom would bring about anything good.

So, Brian shook his head and went for harsh rejection, hoping to deter Dom, "I don't owe you shit. Now leave me alone."

He turned to leave, but a hand got an iron grip on his upper arm. Dom dragged his stunned body effortlessly towards the passenger seat, opened the door with the other hand and shoved him inside.

Brian could have easily got out of Dom's hold but his inner turmoil had him hesitating. And before he could make up his mind if running was an option he should seriously consider, Dom had already slipped into the driver's seat and revved the engine. So Brian opted for rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, staying silent for the whole ride.

When they got to the Toretto home, Brian stayed in his seat a few seconds longer, thinking. Now that he was here, though, getting away seemed pretty much impossible. Especially since Dom was standing next to the car with an expectant look on his face. Sighing, Brian opened his door and joined Dom in walking to the house. Even though he wouldn't admit it, he knew he wouldn't get around this conversation, not if Dom had seen him the other night.

The only thing Brian had to decide now was if he could actually tell him the truth. He didn't want to and he didn't think it was a good idea but he had a feeling that this time, Dom wouldn't give up until he'd found out what was going on.

Dom motioned to the couch and Brian managed a movement that was somewhere between a nod and a shrug of his shoulders.

Dom sat down, facing Brian. For a few seconds, they simply stared at each other.

Finally, Dom broke the silence. "So, what're you doing in other people's garages in the middle of the night?"

Brian shook his head slowly. "Look, I couldn't give you an explanation two days ago, so I left. Now, why do you drag me back here and start asking questions all over again?"

Dom snorted, unnerved. "When you left, I followed you. And even if I don't know what all this means, breaking into other people's garages is something you'd never do without a really good reason. Besides, if this is what you do for that LAPD guy, then what does he get out of it? What do you do once you're inside?"

Brian took a deep breath, trying to think of something that he could say but really, how was he supposed to explain that he manipulated street races, thereby breaking an unspoken code of honour that was one of the most important ones for Dom?

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, Dom," he said quietly, eyes on the floor between them. "But for one thing, I've been forbidden to tell anyone and for the other, I know you'd do something stupid, if you knew."

At that Dom arched an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "How about you tell me and I promise to think before I act? Then it wouldn't be something completely stupid."

That had Brian chuckling. "How about you forget what you've seen and trust that I'll set things straight myself?"

"If you could do that, you would've done it already."

"True," Brian sighed, running a finger over the scar on his forearm that was still an angry red and only barely healed. This had to stop, he knew that. He just wanted to work things out himself without dragging Dom into it.

"Seriously, Brian, you obviously need some help here." Dom's voice was stern now.

Brian looked up at the tone of it. He saw the worry in Dom's eyes, saw his hand coming up and resting loosely on his shoulder, and it was just too much. He averted his eyes and took another deep breath. He was on the edge of breaking from all the pent-up tension and frustration over not being able to get himself out of this mess. He didn't need someone else to take care of it for him; he didn't want to need someone else. But here he was with no idea how to go on and with Dom asking all these questions. The hand on his shoulder tightened its grip and he realised that he'd curled up his own hands into fists.

"Brian? Are you okay?"

It was that simple question that did it for him. His shoulders sagged in defeat and he felt tears welling up in his eyes – and when was the last time he'd cried over something like this? It was ridiculous and yet he couldn't bring himself to stop the tears that were now running down his cheeks. He didn't know how to cope with the feeling of helplessness that was threatening to take over. He hadn't allowed himself to feel that way for a very long time. It made you look weak and looking weak could get you killed in the tank of sharks that had been Brian's world for so long he couldn't even remember the last time it had been different.

It was an automatic response to concentrate on other feelings he had, to avoid going down that path. He found himself looking for something that would be easier to deal with and he came up with the underlying anger he'd felt for a while now. Anger directed at the LAPD for firing him and fucking up his life. Anger directed at Chestner for what he was making him do. Anger directed at Gibbs that he'd messed him up and made him defenceless. But most of all, Brian was angry with himself for what he'd got himself into and for being unable to solve it all. He worked himself up over that feeling, let it consume him to a point where the helplessness was merely simmering underneath the surface. Anger was better, anger he knew how to deal with.

Stiffening when Dom's worried voice asked him yet again how he was doing, Brian pushed himself up and wiped his sleeve over his face, his eyes dry once more. "I'm fine," he responded curtly.

Dom, seeing the change in his friend, got up and looked at him closely. "Stop bullshitting me, Brian. You're anything but."

"Then why do you even ask?" Brian yelled back, frustrated.

Dom's gaze hardened. Calmly, he said, "Stop it right there, Brian. I know exactly what you're doing and it won't work with me."

Brian huffed. "I'm leaving," he announced and moved towards the door with quick, determined steps.

"No, you're not, O'Conner. You're not getting away with this."

He felt Dom come up behind him and then there was a hand on his upper arm and he just about had it with being pushed and dragged around. Brian snapped and he tried to yank his arm out of Dom's grip. It didn't work, though, and he felt himself being pulled back. His training instincts kicked in and he gave in to the pull, moved in the same direction and used the momentum to ram his elbow into Dom's stomach. He didn't do it full force but it was hard enough to have Dom doubling over and for Brian to break free. He continued towards the door, running now. Just as he was gripping the door knob, though, someone pushed the door open from the outside and Brian was forced backwards, his own speed making him lose his balance. His back hit the floor with a thud and a second later, Dom was leaning over him, placing a firm hand on his chest.

"Oh, man, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…," Leon started apologising as he came in. At the sight of Dom not helping Brian up but rather keeping him down, he stopped speaking abruptly and just stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded. Then he moved towards the stairs quickly. "Eh, I'll be in my room if you…need me or anything."

Dom didn't even spare him one glance. His gaze was locked on Brian's as he panted slightly from the blow to his gut. Brian was as tense as a bowstring under him and time seemed to slow down until they heard the door to Leon's room fall shut behind him. Then, Brian moved to grip Dom's wrist and remove his hand from his chest, never breaking the eye contact. He wasn't using much force, it was more of a tug and it let Dom know that he was more asking for him to let up rather than demanding.

Another second passed and then Dom twisted his arm in Brian's hold and grabbed his forearm in return, pulling his friend with him as he straightened up. It was a friendly gesture and it eased the tension that hung in the air.

As they stood in front of each other, Brian resisted the urge to shift uncomfortably. The anger he had deliberately drawn on minutes ago had vanished into thin air. All he felt now was emptiness and guilt because he'd allowed himself to get riled up enough to hit a close friend. And now Dom was just standing there, watching him and obviously waiting for him to say something.

Brian decided that another apology – he'd handed out way too many of them as of late – was in order. "I…sorry, I didn't mean to hit you." He awkwardly rubbed a hand over his neck.

"I know you didn't, you reacted on instinct there, Brian." Dom's voice was calm and his tone serious. "You shouldn't lose control like that, though. The Brian I thought I knew never lets loose like this."

Brian sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know, I know. This isn't like me. It's just…shit, I just don't know what to do."

"How about we sit back down and try to solve this?" Dom suggested.

Brian nodded wearily and a few seconds later, they were back on the couch. This time Dom was patiently waiting for Brian to say something. Waiting for an answer to the same question he had been asking Brian for the last few weeks. What had he got himself into?

Brian trailed his fingers over the scar on his arm again. Then he took a deep breath. "Before I start I want you to know that I was serious when I said I'd been forbidden to let anybody in on this. Forbidden by Chestner, to be precise. If he finds out that you know about our deal, he will go after you and the others. And he will use the new evidence you found on me against you."

"So, that folder's not actually yours but his," Dom stated. "He must've been quite keen on finding something against us."

"He's skilled at researching stuff," Brian explained. "And yeah, he certainly went out of his way to gain some kind of leverage."

"So, what happened exactly?"

Brian told Dom the whole story, not omitting anything this time. He described his run-in with Jordan less detailed than he could have, but that was mainly to keep Dom from going after the guy. He wasn't the main problem after all.

"So Chestner basically blackmailed you into working for him, using our freedom as leverage," Dom summarised the information once Brian had stopped talking.

"Sounds about right," Brian agreed. "The problem is we can't do anything about it without having the cops come knocking on your door again. That's why I didn't want to tell you. As long as I keep working for that guy, you're all safe which is why I'd like to keep it that way."

"Sooner or later, you'll get caught, Brian. Either by the car's owner or the police. And something tells me that Chestner won't be the one stepping forward and taking the blame. He'll have you rotting in prison and bring us in anyway. You can't trust him."

"I don't," Brian responded sharply. "But I don't see any alternative. Going after him might end with all of us getting arrested."

Dom stayed silent for a moment, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. When he looked back up at Brian, there was resolve shining in his eyes. "So what if we go after him and make him wish he'll never see us again?"

"Intimidation? That might work for some time but as soon as he's over the initial shock, he'll retaliate." Brian shook his head sceptically.

"Then we should use the moment we've got him cornered to make him delete the evidence. If we leave a big enough impression, he might do what we tell him to without thinking too much," Dom persisted.

Brian sighed. "No, that's too dangerous, Dom. We have no idea how he will react in the first place. Maybe he's not intimidated at all. Besides, he might keep several copies of that file, just in case."

Dom raised his eyebrows. "Do you really think that if Vince, Leon, you and me invade his home and give him the beating of a lifetime, he won't be ready to do anything to get us to leave?"

Brian hesitated. "I don't know…probably. But in the long run…"

"…it would wear off at some point." Dom rubbed a hand over his face. "I think we might have to leave the States."

Brian's head whipped around. "What? No. No, I can't have you running because of my problem, Dom. Don't even think about it."

"This doesn't just concern you, Brian. Our whole family's at risk. Besides, there might be more people like Chestner, trying to find something on us. I've had a feeling we should leave for a while now. Get out before it's too late."

Brian leaned back, crossing his arms. He didn't have a better idea but this wasn't really an option for him. "And where would you go?" he asked.

"Mexico, for a start. We could head on to Brasil later." Dom's answer came promptly and Brian could see that he had indeed been thinking about this for quite some time.

With a deep sigh, he gave in. "Well, I'm not happy about this. But we could talk it over with the others and see what they have to say."