Title: Through Another's Eyes
Rating: T
Ship: Dom/Letty
Description: A background, foreground and future fic surrounding Dom and Letty and the circumstances invloved in the movie. Answering a lot of questions the movie left open.
Disclaimer: I wish. The things I could do with Dominic. ;)
Chapter 2
Letty's POV
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It's this common misconception that I lived for the Torettos. That I was always at their house, avoiding something at my own. Stereotypes at work I suppose. I guess people look at me, and look at Dom, and just assume that I was escaping to him. To his strength. But I wasn't. Not always anyway. I have a wonderful family. And despite my love of cars and supposed lack of femininity, I'm really close to my mother. I've always been a Daddy's Girl, but I was always Mommy's little girl too. The truth is, however much time my family spent at the Toretto's, they spent equal at our house. We only lived two doors down and my mama had known Maria since they were kids. I remember listening to them talking one day, when I was about 5, and hearing them joking about Dom and I ending up together so they could be family in the true sense. I'd rolled my eyes, disgusted at the thought. I guess our mama's knew something we didn't though, even back then.
They'd even said a few times that Mia and Joey had a shot together. But they always made it seem like they were the fall backs, in case Dom and I never got it together. I suppose Mia and Joey should have been insulted. But they weren't. Whenever the idea was being thrown around to tease me and Dom, Mia and Joey always just looked at each other and smiled. Like they had some joke the rest of us weren't in on.
It's no wonder Mia took Joey's death really hard. She'd known him her whole life, and looked at him like I did. We shared him. Our big brother. To people who didn't know better, we were sisters, so it was only fitting that he was our brother. But for some reason, I never saw Dom as a brother. A friend, yes. Always. But never a brother. I guess there was something to the teasing even when we were so young.
When I think back on it now, on our crazy family, it really surprises me that I didn't call Tony and Maria, Mum and Dad. I was so young and we were all so close. They were second parents to Joey and I. They were our family even if blood disagreed. And I know that Dom and Mia consider my parents their second parents. But like Joey and I, they always called them Eddie and Lucy.
My parents. Eduardo and Lucia Ramieraz. They really are wonderful people. They made life so much easier on all of us growing up. We didn't have it easy, but our parents, both sets, always did everything they could to insure it wasn't any harder than it absolutely had to be. And after Joey's death it got harder. We all struggled. Dom, I know took it hard, he'd seen it. I know he had nightmares for weeks after but all our parents got together and they got him through, even when they were nursing their own pain.
I remember the day of Joey's funeral as if it were yesterday. And the pain is just as fresh. Dad and Tony, Dom and Vince were pallbearers. They were young, but they insisted. My Papi and Tony let them. Afterall, Joey was so small himself. I remember my mother crying freely. Weeping in the church as she touched his face for the last time before lighting a candle in his honour. I remember my Papi picking up his hand and kissing it softly. He whispered to him in Spanish "Safe journey my baby. Papi loves you". And I remember crying on Dom's shoulder as Mia held my hand.
Dom was wonderful. He was in so much pain himself. But he sat straight and strong and held me while I crumbled. It was one of the events in my life that made me the way I am. Having to fight through the pain and the loss. It taught me to be strong. But on that day, Dom let me be weak. I know I was only seven. But my stubborness wouldn't allow me to be weak. I had to be strong for mama and papi. Dom however wouldn't let me fake it. He wouldn't let me hold back the tears that wanted to spill down my face. And he held me as they broke free.
The pain is still so strong. My brother. My protector. Was ripped from our lives in a violent instant. And although the pain still clenches at my heart, I can smile at his memory. I can picture his laughing face and laugh too. I can see the photos of him around the house and instead of crying and running up to my room in anger at the tears that betrayed me, I smile.
I know how twisted this sounds, even as I say it. But his death led me to cars. I was always fascinated by them. By their speed and strength. They reminded me of Dom. They were something that fit him so well. Even when we were kids, he just fit standing beside a car. But I never had the motivation to go to the garage and learn.
Things changed after Joey's death. Cars stopped being alluring and started being terrifying. I don't do so well with fear, I hate it. I woke up one morning and Dom and Tony were working on the charger, my father was with them that day. I watched as the car roared to life and squared my shoulders. I was done with being afraid. I headed straight over there and asked them to teach me. I guess I figured, if I knew everything about it, knew how to manipulate them, they couldn't hurt me, and the fear would be gone. Well it worked, I stopped fearing them. But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about the fear, and started to become something I love. It became a part of me even.
I think it even helped my father through his grief. Having someone there who wanted to know everything he knew about cars and more. Sort of taking over for Joey without replacing him. I became the son for my father. But I stayed his daughter. I hope it gave him something he would have missed out on otherwise. I don't know. All I know is, it gave me something I needed. Filled a void left by my brother's death. Became something to help heal the pain. And it brought Dom and I closer together... Even if I didn't realise it at the time.
TBC...