AN: Sorry for the lengthy wait. My poor beta has become unavailable so I had to edit all by my lonesome (which as you can tell, is a bit of a long process for me). Thanks again to all of you who have taken a little time out to review and to everyone who is reading and enjoying. I'll try to keep things rolling for you guys.

I still don't own anyone from TFATF but I do hold dearly to my own oringinal characters. Enjoy!

-Yvonne-

Growing Up Fast--Chapter 2

Dom lay in bed for a long time that night thinking about everything that had happened in the past few hours. He went over every detail and thought up dozens of ways he could have handled things differently. He could have gone after her and forced her to talk to him. He could have followed her to make sure she was okay. But no, he just crept back to his room and sulked like a punk and now she could be anywhere, alone and thinking that no one cared—that he didn't care. It wasn't right.

After Letty ran off, Dom had gone to his room for a while just to wrap his head around this situation with her and try to figure things out. He settled on spinning his wheels about it for a while, but he eventually went back downstairs to start cleaning up, hoping that something would come to him. He barely spoke to anybody else in the house while he picked up empty bottles and threw away the trash spread all over the house and backyard. A couple of girls had tried to make nice with him pushing their tits in his face and claiming that they could help take his mind off of whatever was bringing him down but he brushed them off. He didn't feel like dealing with their bullshit right then. He didn't need to take his mind off of Letty. If anything, he needed to focus more to figure out how he was going to fix things with her.

Mia had come back after a few hours looking suspiciously satisfied but even that wasn't enough to get a reaction out of him surprisingly. He knew Mia thought he was acting strange but apparently, she let it go because it was clear he was in a mood. Little did she know that Dom had stopped caring about her disappearing act ages ago--she was a good girl and that Chris kid was a dork but he knew better than to try anything with his sister. Dom considered asking her about Letty but she looked so relaxed and happy that he didn't want to upset her--not unless things got more complicated.

But after a few hours of turning everything over in his head about 20 times in 50 different ways, he realized that this situation had gone way past complicated. No matter how much he tortured himself, he was still left lying in his bed in the middle of the night thinking about what this day meant and where Letty could have possibly gone to deal with things.

When he thought about August 2nd, so many vivid memories came to mind: the smell of Letty's father when they found him and cleaned him up; the sounds of so many cars that had shown up just to be there; the look of shock and disbelief on Letty's face and the cold moisture of her tears as they soaked through his thin shirt.

And he remembered black--so much black everywhere.

Worst of all was a heartbroken Letty's red-rimmed eyes that could have only come from hours of crying. He saw those eyes on Letty for too many days afterwards and every glance sent a pain straight to his heart. This was the most fearless girl he had ever met—she was never meant to look like that. He had been the one to answer the door at 6:00 in the morning when she came to deliver the news and he would never forget that grief-stricken image of horror on her face, not even if he lived to be a hundred years old.

And nothing could have prepared him for what she said to him: CJ was dead. Killed in some military bombing overseas where he had been deployed. As far as Letty was concerned, his death of her brother meant the end of everything for her.

Charles Torres Jr., or CJ as everyone called him, was four years older than Letty and two years older than Dom. He had been the first to get to know the Toretto family, befriending Dom and his father and eventually working with them at the garage. Not only was he a gifted mechanic but he was one of the coolest guys on the block. He was considered good looking, smart, charismatic—the perfect guy really. Everyone loved him. Dudes wanted to hang with him and the girls wanted to be with him. CJ was Dom's boy—had his back without him ever having to ask. Dom had looked up to CJ and CJ never disappointed.

But it was undeniable that the most special place in CJ's heart was reserved for his little sister Letty. He adored her and she worshipped him. Mia always joked that he was the biggest reason for Letty being such a tomboy. When they first met Letty she was all knees and elbows and as tough as any kid twice her age. Something must have been in their genes too since she was just as gifted with cars as CJ. In fact, once CJ had been walking Dom through a particularly tricky engine repair when Dom threw up his hands in frustration unable to find the problem. CJ had teased him about it saying that even a child could figure it out. Then to prove his point, he called his little sister over to take a look. After scrunching her face up in concentration, she quickly told him the problem and grabbed a tool from CJ's pocket and fixed it. Dom's father had chuckled from his spot under the hood of the car next to them and Dom threw his oil-soaked rag down and stormed off mumbling about how CJ probably set him up. But clearly he was embarrassed at having been shown up by a little girl.

CJ had picked up Letty and kissed her on her nose before putting her back down and pulling the bill of her cap playfully. Before Dom slammed the door shut behind him, he heard CJ tell her, "'Ata girl Letty. You always do me proud."

CJ took Letty everywhere they went. If you wanted to be friends with CJ or if you were a girl trying to get into his pants, it was something you just had to get used to. And he didn't tolerate anyone treating her badly. God forbid you made Letty cry because CJ would drop you so fast you'd think he never knew you. To her credit, if Letty had been another kind of person, she could have completely abused and manipulated her brother's affection but, for the most part, she was a good girl. She knew how to give her brother space and stay out of the way. Surely, she annoyed Dom at times but she kept to herself or happily played with Mia, keeping his little sister out of his hair as well.

And, of course, she grew on him eventually. He would never actually tell her that but it was pretty obvious that he had almost as much affection for little Letty as CJ did. Or had, rather.

After he met CJ and Letty's father, he completely understood CJ's attitude. For a long time, he hadn't really known anything about them other than the basics--they lived with their father, they moved from New Mexico, their mother was not in the picture and she was a subject never, ever discussed. Charles Sr. wasn't a bad man but he had lost control of his life at some point and it didn't look like he was going to get it back anytime soon. He was a terrible alcoholic and when he was particularly checked out, he tended to take it out on his kids. For the most part, he kept to himself but CJ didn't trust him around Letty and kept her close to shield her from their father's more reckless moments. There were times when Dom had noticed bruises on both CJ and Letty that popped up overnight and he knew his father had discussed it with CJ a few times. Dom never personally heard any details about it but he figured that his dad would take care of things.

Over the years, CJ, Vince and Dom became a little crew. Vince was the bad-ass and the rebel. People knew he could fuck you up for looking at him wrong but he was the guy you always wanted at your party to liven it up. He tried to call himself a musician too which was a riot. CJ was always encouraging him to do something with it but Vince being Vince never thought anything would come of it for him. Ironically, it wasn't until after that Vince really tried to get it together with his music. Although he would never admit it, it was his way of paying tribute to his buddy.

Dom was the ladies' man--so smooth and sexy that you couldn't help wanting to get into his pants. He had girls in and out of his life--and bed--constantly. Even though he knew Letty had a kiddie crush on Dom, CJ was constantly joking with Letty about how Dom was definitely the kind of guy she needed to stay away from.

But CJ was the cool one--he had the best sense of humor and the best sense of style. He was considered the nicest guy around but still somebody you didn't want to mess with because he would fuck you up as bad as Vince would. He was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be around and that the girls wanted to take home to their parents. He definitely had an eye for the ladies and them for him, but he at least attempted to have girlfriends and not take the ho-of-the-week approach like the other guys.

After graduation, CJ had decided to go into the military for a little while--nothing career like, just long enough to get a good education and save up some money for himself and for Letty's future. He always had such big plans for her. She was content working in Dom's father's garage but CJ wanted her to go to college and maybe become an engineer so she could design the cars they were always working on. It was a big decision for him because he hated to leave Letty home alone with their father. But in the end, he saw that at fourteen years old, Letty was a smart and resourceful girl. She had learned how to make herself scarce at the right times and she was tough. She hadn't wanted him to go because he was her world but he promised that it would be like he wasn't even gone. Still, he had made Dom and Vince promise to look out for Letty and talked to Dom's father about pulling Letty out of the house at the first sign of trouble.

Everything had been going so well. CJ wrote Letty every week and called all the time. He visited whenever he could and it really was like he hadn't left at all. In fact, when CJ found out he was being shipped overseas, everyone had been excited about it and CJ had even talked about sending for Letty so she could see a little more of the world.

But no one expected the tragedy that took his life.

It was bullshit—they weren't even at war and there had been no warning at all. It was senseless and tragic and it would affect their lives forever.

August 2nd.

Dom didn't care to think about the details, but the days following the news of CJ's death were some of the worst of his life. No goodbyes or last words like there had been with his mother. CJ was just gone and that was that.

He remembered holding Letty for hours the day they found out. A representative from the Army had come personally at around 4:30 am, wanting the family to hear the news before names were released to the media. Letty later told him that before that morning the officers arrived, her father was actually having one of his sobriety streaks and had been doing really well. All of that came to an end with the arrival of the terrible news that his only son was gone and never coming back.

Charles Sr.'s first reaction had been to hit the bottle and when that wasn't working fast enough, he started tearing the house to shreds, throwing everything he could get his hands on. Letty tried to calm him down but she had just lost the center of her universe and she was so scared. Yet again, Charles Sr. had absolutely nothing to give his daughter, now his only living child.

So she had gone to the Toretto's house and she didn't return home for 3 days. Dom's father ran interference as best he could but the next day, Charles Sr. disappeared on a bender and couldn't be found. It fell to Dom's father and a 16 year old Letty to make the arrangements. He would never forget going back to Letty's house to pick a suit for her 20 year-old brother to wear to his funeral. It had felt so wrong that day but he supposed something like that would never seem right to him.

After the funeral, they did what they had to do and kept on going one day at a time, Letty a little slower than everyone else, of course. Her dad was little use to her now and she would never be the same. For the longest time, you couldn't have even gotten her to string more than a couple of sentences together but eventually she learned to smile a little. You could always tell when she was thinking about CJ though—it was inevitable that something was always reminding her of him. But she dealt with it and as much as it killed him, Dom couldn't make this better for her. She had to do it for herself, step by step and day by day.

At some point, the weight of all those memories pulled Dom into a restless, unsatisfying sleep. Through the haze of bad dreams, he heard a noise at his door and slowly roused himself, feeling somewhat relieved to escape the not-so-comforting refuge of slumber. He turned towards the door wondering if some whacked out party-goer had found a way back into the house and up to his room. But before he could react, he saw a small figure emerge from the shadows and the face became clear as the moonlight shined in from the window.

He squinted groggily as the light reached Letty's eyes—her mournful brown eyes swollen and red-rimmed from hours of crying probably. He hated seeing those eyes again especially knowing that he might have prevented it if he hadn't been such a clueless asshole.

She just stood there with her tear-filled eyes looking every bit as devastated as she had a year ago. She was still wearing the same clothes as before but it was clear from their rumpled appearance that she had been out doing something since she had left him the previous evening. Yet she looked so beautiful to him standing there with more vulnerability than he figured she had ever shown another living soul--except maybe CJ. And he wasn't exactly living anymore anyway. All Dom could do was lay there and stare at her thinking for the hundredth time that he wished he had to the day to do over. He wondered where her father was and guessed that he was spending this dark anniversary getting smashed somewhere. It wasn't really different from any other day of the week for him but damn him for what it was doing to Letty.

"Dom," she whispered. He started when Letty spoke, not prepared to hear her voice for focusing on her grim appearance and the current sad state of her life. He pulled his intense gaze to hers and simply waited.

"I..." she uttered. A tear spilled from one of her tired, overflowing eyes, landing softly on her chin before disappearing into the darkness. "Will you..."

She swallowed a sob and Dom moved to pull the covers back so that he could go to her. "I need to see him Dom," she wept. "Please, will you take me to him? I want to be with him right now." Then, having gotten out her request, she completely broke down in front of him.

It was painful to see Letty so broken-hearted as she sobbed uncontrollably in the shadows of his doorway. At that moment, she really was just a little girl wanting so badly to have her brother—the only stable thing she had ever had—back in her life and he wished so badly that he could give it to her.

"Letty…" Not thinking, he muttered the first thing that his distraught, sleep-deprived mind could think of. "It's early, girl."

Her eyes focused in on him as she tried to get her emotions under control. She looked embarrassed and disappointed and even a little shocked but like the Letty he knew and loved, she did her best to hide all of that. In her distress, she failed miserably.

She wiped at her eyes and stiffened with anxiety. "Nevermind Dom. I'll find my own way there. I'll figure something out." She whirled around and headed for the door still sniffling and rubbing frantically at her eyes. God only knows what she had in mind but in her state, it wasn't good for her to be alone and roaming around the city no matter how tough she thought she was.

This time, Dom was too quick for her, grabbing her arm and turning her around. She looked up at him with such misery and Dom had to close his eyes to block out the terrible image. He shook his head and squared his shoulders still holding onto Letty who was making no attempt to fight him. When he opened his eyes again, he just stared at her, taking her in and trying to transfer some of his strength to her. He unconsciously reached his free hand up to cup her cheek and wipe away the stray tears that were streaming down her face.

"Don't go, Letty. Let me just put some clothes on okay?" Normally, he'd be a little self-conscious standing in front of her clad only in a pair of boxers but he knew that the only thing on her mind right now was CJ and the fastest way to get to him. She closed her eyes and let out the breath she had apparently been holding.

Dom let go of her arm and cupped her other cheek in his hand, cradling her face. Her gaze was now averted as she continued to weep openly. But he needed to see her eyes. He needed her to know that he understood and wanted to be there for her even though CJ couldn't.

When she didn't respond right away to his touch, he softly stroked her cheeks to get her attention. In an instant, her brown eyes shifted and bore right into him, creating an unexpected affect on him like nothing else he had ever experienced. It started in the pit of his stomach and seemed to spread through his body. He felt a warmth consume him despite his lack of clothes and the breeze coming through his window. He could tell she felt it too. He tried to remind himself that this was Letty, his friend and almost his other little sister. She was in pain and it was up to him to make that pain go away for her. But then he kept coming back to the urges he felt when she was in his grasp, the hope and the potential of what could be. Her skin felt so soft against his fingertips yet he could feel the pleasant weight of her body so close to his. He knew what he had to do as he leaned into her.

"Wait for me downstairs okay," he whispered into her ear in a gentle murmur that couldn't hide the restraint he was struggling with. "I'll be right there." He stroked her cheek again and stared into her eyes for a few extra seconds. Finally, he pulled back and let her go as he backed away. Letty's tears had slowed down for the moment but she didn't break her gaze with Dom. He returned the look and neither made a move to leave both lost in their own thoughts and sensations of what had just taken place.

After a long moment of silence, she finally nodded silently and left his room. Dom heard her footsteps on the stairs and took a deep breath as he sat back down on his bed. He nervously rubbed his hand over his head. This wasn't good. Tonight was a reminder of one of the worst days in his life and right now his mind was completely filled with Letty—how she felt against his touch, her warmth and the incredibly intoxicating vulnerability and trust that she showed him. He needed to get it together and quickly because there was absolutely no way he could go where his mind and body wanted him to go.

He quickly dressed and tip-toed downstairs so as not to wake Mia. When he got to the kitchen, he saw Letty sitting at the table staring off in space.

Dom walked up behind her and put his hand on the top of her head, softly sliding his fingers against her hair. He just couldn't resist touching her. But she remained still and stared blankly in front of her looking spent and exhausted. He noticed that her tears had stopped but the numbness that he saw settling in was no better.

Dom nervously twirled his car keys on his finger as he let go of her and headed for the door. He looked back at Letty expectantly, both grim and resigned to the difficult task ahead of them. "You ready, Lett?"

She closed her eyes for a few moments and then nodded before standing up and silently joining him by the door. With one last quick glance at each other, they left for the cemetery, neither having any idea what awaited them when they got there.

TBC...