Title: Through Another's Eyes

Rating: T

Ship: Dom/Letty

Description: A background, foreground and future fic surrounding Dom and Letty and the circumstances involved in the movie. Answering a lot of questions the movie left open.

Disclaimer: I wish. The things I could do with Dominic. ;)

Chapter 23

Letty's POV

--------

"Oh for god's sake Papi. I'm 21 years old. Let him go!" I shouted at my father. He actually had Dom by the throat, up against the wall. All because I was pregnant. We'd been through so much to get to the point where we were happy about where our lives were now heading. I was still happy, even with the little detour of my father's temper. But I was so not going to deal with my Mama's when she found out that Dom and I weren't getting married.

Mama and I grabbed one arm each and pulled Papi off Dom. Dom breathed a sigh of relief when we had Papi a fair distance from him.

"Can't you just be happy for me Papi?" I asked in the sweetest voice I could. I was hoping I would be able to call on the little girl card, and get us off the hook. He gave me a look telling me that he wasn't buying it. It wouldn't be that easy. Looking back it was kinda funny. At the time however, it really wasn't.

"Leticia" That was not a good sign. My Papi only called me that when I was in trouble or he was being nostalgic. Somehow, I didn't think that was a nostalgic moment. "I can't believe you've let this happen. I thought you were smarter than this." He said as he looked at me with disappointment in his eyes.

"Eddie, we didn't mean for this to happen. That's not to say that this is a mistake. It's just unexpected... This is good news Eddie. Really." Dom said in the calmest tone I've ever heard him use. Which, believe me, is saying a lot. Papi looked at him for the longest time, with a hard expression.

"When did this happen?" We weren't expecting my Papi to ask that question. I don't know what questions we were expecting him to ask but just not that one. I suppose we must have looked a little confused and taken a little too long to respond. "How long?" I could tell he had his teeth clenched, his voice was muffled slightly around the pressure. It was a sure sign of a barely held temper.

"Six weeks Papi." I said so softly I almost didn't recognise my own voice. It was so quiet in the room. Papi was still staring and we were all just waiting. Waiting for Papi to either relax or finally lose control of his thinly veiled anger.

"Six weeks means that you were pregnant while you were out there breaking the law."

You could have heard a pin drop in that room. I looked at Dom in a panic, who looked just as panicked as I was, then to Mama, but it was like she was suddenly realising the same thing. I didn't realise I was stepping away from her until Mama's eyes snapped up and stopped me dead in my tracks.

"We didn't know Mama, I swear." I pleaded. I knew that this was something unforgivable in my parents eyes. To knowingly and wilfully put a child's life in danger, and worse yet, with a vehicle. It hit a little too close to home for comfort.

"Eddie, Luce. I swear to you. We did not know. Had we known…"

"What Dominic? Had you known what? You wouldn't have gone? You shouldn't have been out on that highway in the first place. And you sure as hell should not have taken my daughter with you." Papi's voice was so full of anger and disgust it was almost physically painful.

"Now I'm not fool enough to believe that you had to talk her into it, it was more than likely the other way around." Suddenly my father's angry stare was focused on me, but it was gone within seconds and centred squarely on Dom again. "But you are supposed to be the man, the head of the family Dominic. You do not take a 21 year old girl into danger with you no matter what she says or does. You should know better Dominic." And I knew better than to get into with my father about how no one can tell me what to do, he was angry enough. That argument could and would wait.

"I know." Dom's voice sounded so defeated. He hadn't sounded so hollow since that night in Mexico. I hated hearing and seeing him like that. He was too strong, it didn't seem right. Like an ill fit. "You're right. I know I fucked up. There's no excuse, there's nothing I can do about it. I can apologise until the day I die but it won't make it right. Nothing can. I know that. I failed."

Then the most amazing thing happened. My father folded. I watched as his face softened and his eyes took on a look of pain as he stared at Dom. He looked at Dom, all 6 foot and wall of muscle and saw a little boy. As cliché as that sounds. That's what he saw. And it broke him. All the anger washed out of him. Papi reached for Dom, put his hand behind Dom's neck and pulled him into his arms. Once again silence engulfed the room. I looked over to Mama and saw that she was as shocked as I was. My father was a strong, tough man. But he could never be accused of being a cold man. He felt, he loved, he hurt, with passion. And seeing the man in front of him who was like his son broken was enough to break him in return.

I don't know how long I stood there just staring at the two most important men in my life but I suddenly became aware of warmth against my palm. I looked down at my hand and saw my mother's hand holding mine. When I looked in her face she was just smiling softly at me. And I saw it. I saw it in her eyes. In this moment she'd forgiven us. There'd be time for full explanations later, you can be sure of that, but the hard part was over. Mama and Papi had forgiven us for everything we'd done and would support us through anything.

I smiled back at my Mama before looking back at the sound of my father's voice.

"You haven't failed Dominic." He rubbed Dom's head affectionately before pulling back and looking over at me and Mama. His eyes dropped to my slightly protruding stomach as he walked over to me. Papi reached his hand out and touched it gently, almost with apprehension.

"A baby huh?" He said without looking up from my stomach.

"Yeah Papi." I said with a smile. He was getting used to the idea. You could see it on his face.

"It's going to be wonderful honey, a baby and they'll get married soon. It'll be perfect." My Mama soothed.

"Actually, we thought we'd wait a while." Oh my god, did Dom have a death wish? I couldn't believe he just said that. My father pulled his hand away from me like he'd been burnt and snapped his eyes up to Dom. The next thing I know, both Mama and Papi are advancing on Dom. He called out to me for help and I stumbled for a moment before blurting out the first thing I could think of.

"We're going to wait til the baby's born. We want the baby there." I said giving a look that dared him to challenge me in that moment. I didn't mean it. I just had to diffuse the situation. To be honest, I didn't know whether or not I wanted to get married. It seemed to work though. Mama and Papi stopped advancing on Dom and turned to look at me. They both hugged me then Dom, before Mama started gushing about babies and weddings. We suffered through it all, but I actually enjoyed it. I looked over at Dom at one point and saw this far away look in his eyes. He was missing Maria and Tony. I know, cause so was I. I couldn't stop thinking about how wonderful it would have been to have them there.

Later that night, after we all had dinner together, Mama and I were sitting out on the back porch.

"You know, you and Dom are making mine and Maria's wish come true. To be a real family." She took my hand with tears in her eyes. "I really am happy baby. I know how much that boy loves you. I know how much you love him. And I know how much you're both going to love this baby. I'm proud of you." Damn hormones. I started crying. Mama and I held each other as we cried. And that's how Dom found us. He came out, sat down beside me and gathered me in his arms. He would do this many times throughout the next 6 months. And again a couple of years later.

TBC...