Disclaimer: Don't own The Fast and the Furious. Not making any money off this work of fiction. Sigh.

A/N: I agonized writing this chapter. It won't do as I ask. After waiting weeks for it to get it together, I have decided to just post it "as is". 'Nuff said.

Chapter 7: Penance

The next morning I woke up somber but with a purpose. I was going to do my best impression of a grovel to Letty and get her to forgive me. Not bothering with the Mazda, I walked down the street to her parents' house. I struggled to remember the last time I had walked to her door. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It was the time I took her to her first street race. That was, at minimum, three and a half years ago. I'd rarely had to come to her house for anything. Before we were dating there was no reason for me to want to other than to appease my father. I often walked her home when Papi said it was 'too late' or 'too dark' for a 'young mechanic'to walk home alone. And after we started dating she was at our house so much that most times her dad would come to get her. Sometimes her parents called and Papi would send Vince with Letty instead, claiming that he couldn't be sure she'd stay a 'young mechanic' if I decided to detour on the way there. A ghost of a grin crept over my face. Papi's comment had been three weeks late and a bolt short if he'd been trying to protect Letty's virtue from me.

I knocked on the front door then rubbed my hand across the back of my neck, listening to the shuffle of someone approaching the front door. After a few seconds I heard the snick of the deadbolt being thrown. I knocked again calling out, "Letty?" I was greeted with silence. I didn't hear anyone shuffling away so I assumed it was her. "Letty, come on, talk to me." Still no response. That had to be Letty. I knocked again. "Letty, I can't apologize if you don't open the door."

I kept up in this vein for twenty minutes but I never got a response. My knocking started to reflect my frustration. "Letty, it was an accident. You know I would never hit you, not ever." I groaned in desperation. Finally I started banging on the door without pause. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. I don't know how long I kept at it but I only stopped when Vince grabbed my arm to whirl me around. Vince was livid. His clothes and hair were rumpled from sleep but his furious eyes were alert.

"She doesn't want to talk to you brotha," Vince growled at me. Letty must have called him to intervene.

"Then she needs to tell me that," I told him, turning to knock on the door again.

"First beatin' now dictatin'," Vince said, his temper shortening his words. He grabbed my arm again forcing me to turn to look at him straight in the eyes. My eyes were angry too.

"This is between me and Letty. Back off," my voice was low and menacing.

"Your hands made it between me and you. Piss off." I stepped forward to get in his face but Vince grabbed my shirt, the shock of the gesture allowing him to pull me away from the door and onto the lawn. I twisted myself out of his grasp, intending to walk back to the door but Vince ran to stand in front of me, his fists raised. Crazily I stepped forward and Vince finally gave me the punch to me eye that I deserved. He paused before asking, "You gonna leave now?" I shook my head no. He punched me again, this time splitting my lip. He asked the question again, I still shook my head no. I received a third punch to my stomach, then a fourth to my side. He'd keep asking and I kept telling him no. I lost count of the punches that I refused to defend myself against. I deserved this for hurting Letty. Every punch was penance. When I finally fell down, Vince nudged me with the toe of one boot. "Get off her property."

Without a backwards glance he walked away. I didn't waste time. Struggling to my feet I didn't give the house a backwards glance. I hope she saw Vince beat the crap out of me. I allowed myself to hope it would make a difference. Limping back to my house I prayed for a miracle that would get me up the stairs into my bedroom before anyone else saw me. I wasn't that lucky. Mia took one look at me then shook her head, assisting me to the bathroom where she cleaned my cuts quickly and coldly. She used alcohol instead of peroxide on the cuts, her scowl daring me to whimper or complain. I did neither. Once she finished she left me to my own devices, not caring enough to get me ice for my eye. I did not want to traverse the stairs again so I shuffled back to my room and locked the door, partly for privacy but mostly for protection from Vince. Then again, the locked door wouldn't deter him for very long if he was really determined continue where he left off on Letty's lawn.

Somehow I made it to three weeks after my fight with Letty. Day twenty-two to be precise. Twenty-two days, no contact. She refused my phone calls from home begging her to come back to live with us. She returned my letters asking for her forgiveness unopened. She ignored the pleas I left from the garage begging her to at least come to work with us. She never responded to the messages from my cell phone telling her I was an ass. I hadn't gone to her house since the day I got worked over by Vince. He'd finally started talking to me on day three, feeling I had learned my lesson. However he and the rest of the team refused to let me use their cell phones to trick Letty into talking to me. They wouldn't even pass her a word on my behalf. No one was going to get in the middle of our domestic situation. I would have to work things out with her on my own, on her time.

I started my part-time job driving for Johnny Tran on day twenty-two. I'd spent the last week taking an express course on driving a rig, courtesy of one of the various Tran cousins. My mind was full but as I pulled up to the docks with the cab I felt adrenaline push me forward. The job turned out to be really easy. I waited for the other dock workers to hitch up my load then drove to a warehouse across town. I didn't have to do much tonight since Johnny's cousin Lance had his crew overseeing the unloading. I did take a peek at what they unloaded: DVD players, high end TV's, digital cameras, and an intricate looking couch that didn't seem like it could hold my weight. Lance caught me looking and shook his head distastefully. I rolled my eyes. Lance was openly hostile about my relationship with his favorite cousin but I couldn't blame him. They were in business together but I don't think Johnny discussed my employment with Lance. Once the truck was empty, I drove back to one of the trucking lots owned by Tran Senior, parked and made my way over to Johnny's garage.

"Toretto," Johnny called out, wiping his hands on an already greasy rag when I arrived. I gave him a head nod in return. No matter how clean he thought he was getting his hands, I was going to avoid a handshake if at all possible. I did not want grease smeared in the interior of my car. "Not bad for your first night."

"I'm no amateur when it comes to driving," I said in way of reply. He smiled then motioned for me to follow him to his office. He offered me a Corona which I took gratefully then made a production out of going to his desk, opening a small safe, and producing twenty-five large in cash.

"Next week I have two jobs I need you to do. I'll pay you after the second job." I nodded polishing off the Corona. We stood and shook hands. "See you at races."

"Yeah, I'll be there," I said dryly. This was not the same sort of friendship I had with the team. Something about Johnny made me wary to trust him completely. Or perhaps I kept reliving the fight we'd had in high school. Regardless I was always going to be on my guard with Johnny Tran.

Night twenty-seven the team, still sans Letty, showed up at races. I was starting to get annoyed with the rumors. It had been clear that Letty and I were no longer together, considering she no longer showed up at races with us. However the speculation surrounding the breakup was astounding. In case no one was aware, men can gossip worse than women especially when it's about someone in the spotlight. No one came right out and said anything to me directly but I overheard several racers and racer chasers probing the team for a juicy tidbit. Perhaps Letty was pregnant and I dropped her. Perhaps I'd broken her leg for beating Robinson to hide the fact that I may not have been able to beat him myself. Perhaps I had caught her sleeping with my best friend, in which eyes would immediately seek for Vince.

Interestingly enough, that didn't stop women from hanging around me, trying to get me to take them home in Letty's place. Who would be Toretto's next conquest? Of course no one knew besides the team that I had refused to take anyone to bed since Letty left. It wasn't their business and it wasn't good for my reputation. Besides, even if they did know I don't think many would have believed it of me. Before Letty my dating calendar had been overbooked. Wouldn't it make sense that I would return to a different girl every day? I definitely had takers.

All of the speculation made me eager to squash the competition on the streets. I became singularly focused on beating every racer and wannabe that threw down a challenge. But tonight I was making the decision to keep myself out of racing tonight when I saw the familiar purple 240sx round the corner. My heart rate picked up as Letty parked beside Sam then made her way to greet Sam and Hector who were organizing the main event. I felt my heart clench as Sam put his arms around her in a big bear hug, whispering in her ear and making her laugh. My fist closed involuntarily. No matter how much I missed her laughter, I was jealous that some other guy was making her do so. I was even more perturbed that it was Sam. I always had a sore spot when it came to Sam. As others began to notice her arrival, the traffic around their circle increased. Letty just soaked it all in, her arms crossed, Sam's left arm keeping her close to his side. I got so caught up in watching Letty, willing her to look at me, that I didn't notice Joi Tran had approached me.

"Her leg's not broken and she doesn't look pregnant, but then again it could be too early to tell," Joi extended as a greeting. I tore my gaze from Letty to look at her in the face but my nasty retort died on my lips. Joi was still beautiful. She hadn't grown past five-foot-three but her hair was shiny, long, and straight down her back. Her fingers were long and graceful with fussily done up nails. She had on pink eye shadow to match a short pink dress and heels which gave her an additional three inches of height. She'd filled out nicely too, still on the skinny side but with enough curves to make her look exotic and feminine.

"I guess she slept with my best friend then," I supplied, letting the rumor slip from my mouth unchecked. She gave me a half cocked grin.

"She's alive so that can't be it," she said flippantly, shrugging. I stared at her, prompting for her to explain, "With your brawn, I figured you'd kill her and Vince if they betrayed you in that way." Our inappropriate conversation coupled with her brazenness made me laugh. It was the first true laugh I'd had in weeks. She laughed too, poking me in the chest in a flirtatious way that raised my heart rate. It felt good to let go of the tense feelings I'd kept inside since Letty left. I felt myself relax, the loneliness easing slightly as I focused in on Joi.

Instinctively I leaned in closer to her ear in a move that had made me burn moments before when Sam had done it to Letty. "So what do you think broke us up?"

Joi unexpectedly leaned into me, standing on her tip toes to put her arms around my neck and whisper in my ear, "My brother. Thanks for moving my couch for me."

I was shocked she was that intuitive. She smiled at me again then turned to sashay away from me. Because I'd allowed myself to relax, to think of nothing beyond this moment, I'd allowed my libido to take over. Joi's assertiveness, attractiveness, and straight forward femininity had me hooked. If I had been in my right mind, I would have noticed that Letty had been aware enough of me to witness the whole exchange. If I had been aware of anything other than the lust sweeping over me I wouldn't have followed Joi, putting my arms around her so her back was cradled to my front. But I wasn't able to see past anything other than the enticing sexy feelings so I ran my hand across her hip and suggested we go take a more detailed look at her couch. And I woke up on day twenty-eight naked next to Joi Tran in her apartment.

"Dom, could you hand me that other popcorn string?" Mia asked from her perch on the ladder. It was day seventy-eight, Christmas Eve, and she was re-stringing the tree for the third time this month. For some reason, popcorn kept missing in chunks off the previous strings. I suspected Vince but no one had caught him at it. Yet. I gave my sister a long look. She looked so much like our mother at that moment, her brown hair around her shoulders, her eyes bright with glee, her mouth curved into a slanted smile. I was pleased when Jesse came by with a camera and took a picture of her.

"Baby girl, please tell me this is the last time we have to assist with the popcorn chains," Leon whined. He was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn on one side, a needle in his hand attached to another string. Vince was on the other side of the popcorn, shoving handfuls of the popped kernels into his mouth. Mia shot him a dirty look which slowed the eating slightly. I shook my head at their antics. Jesse seized the moment and took a picture of the pair which immediately deepened Leon's scowl.

"As long as they don't disappear between now and tomorrow morning, these will be the last ones," Mia replied continuing to drape the strings around the top of the tree while removing the partially bare ones.

"So quit you're whining cutie," Vince teased Leon before shoving in another mouthful of popcorn. Mia threw her handful of bare strings at Vince who sniffed them before deciding they weren't worth eating. Mia sighed. I passed the end of the popcorn string to Mia as the doorbell rang, knowing who would be on the opposite side of the door. Joi kissed me quickly on the lips before bustling into the living room. She posed for Jesse who snapped her picture before walking over to retrieve the last of the popcorn strings from Leon. Together with Mia, they finished circling the strands around the tree in record time, then moved to the kitchen to finish the big Christmas dinner. Within thirty minutes we were all sitting at the table, heads bowed, Mia praying for our continued good fortune and for family safety.

After dinner and the obligatory watching of Christmas specials, I walked Joi outside to her car. She never stayed here anyway but tonight she had to go to her parent's house. They would be having Christmas there in the morning. I kissed her then watched her drive around the corner before glancing down the street to look at Letty's house. The move was involuntary but I sighed just the same. Her car was in the driveway but none of the lights were on in the house. Before I could wonder if Letty was awake or asleep, Vince came out of the house.

"You ready brotha?" He asked me, moving towards the Maxima at the end of the driveway. I nodded, jumping in so we could run a quick errand before turning in for the night.

"Dom! Wake up, it's Christmas!" Jesse yelled, banging on the door at nine in the morning. I was thankful he didn't wake us up at six like he had last year.

"Yeah, I'm up," I told him. I made a quick detour to brush my teeth after throwing on some clothes then met up with the rest of the team downstairs. Mia passed me coffee and we all sat together, taking turns to open gifts. I laughed. Most of the gifts were car related, except for the ones from Mia. She'd made sure we got sane things like new clothes and cologne. I saw Vince sniff his with apprehension before leaning over to peck Mia on the cheek. She blushed but was pleased that he liked the gift.

"So Mia, you didn't open your last gift," I told her, standing up and offering her a hand up. She looked confused but took it, following me out of the house. The rest of the team followed us to the curb where a white Acura Integra was waiting.

"You didn't!" Mia exclaimed before rushing to the car to peek inside.

"Well don't just stand there," I said, tossing the keys to her which she caught with a wide smile. She got in the car and immediately started adjusting the seat and mirrors to suit her much smaller frame.

"Hey, pop the hood," Jesse said eagerly. You would have thought this gift was for him the way he was itching to get at the engine.

"Sorry cutie, but that's stock only," Vince laughed. Jesse's mouth fell open at the scandal.

Leon laughed, "Damn dawg that's cold." Mia popped out of the car to stand in front of me, he arms folded across her chest. I mirrored her stance before shrugging.

"I got you a car but ya still ain't racing," I told her, cutting across the old argument quickly. She huffed and Vince stepped up to wrap Mia in a hug.

"Be thankful you're free to go to class and whatever without us," Leon tacked on with a smile.

"Can we at least tune it up?" Jesse asked his face still stuck on shock. "Please?"

I caved with a small smile, "Tune up, no mods."

"And some paint? Please tell me we can at least paint it," Jesse added, taking the opportunity since I'd already begun to cave.

"Hell yeah we have to paint it. It's too plain to be in front of this house," Leon piped up. Mia laughed then pushed back from Vince to stare him in the eyes.

"No Mia. I'm with Dom on this," Vince told her, not falling for the pleading look in her eyes. She rolled her eyes then went back to the car to pop the hood for Jesse. I shoved Vince.

"What?" he grumbled.

"We'll talk about this later," I warned him. He was getting too comfortable with my sister. Leon, Vince and I joined them at the car and started to talk about what would be acceptable upgrades and car colors.

"What about baby blue?" a voice suggested from behind us. My head whipped around to see Letty standing on the curb watching us, her eyes hidden behind shades. Seventy-nine days. She'd waited seventy-nine days to come here and I was shocked to see her.

Mia went over to hug Letty, pulling back with her eyes shining with tears, "Baby blue is cool."

"Yeah, that's girly enough for baby girl," Leon added before hugging Letty and kissing her hair.

"Could we add some lights underneath to liven things up?" Jesse asked. Letty crossed over to the car and looked under the hood, her nose wrinkling in distaste. She ruffled Jesse's hair which caused him to grin but he kept playing under the hood.

"It couldn't hurt to be all show and no go," Vince joked, reaching out to give Letty's hair a slight tug. She chuckled.

"Wait him out chica. He won't stand for anything that slow around here for long," Letty called out to Mia. I huffed.

"I think I'll live in this case," I said dryly. They were not going to goad me into making Mia's car as fast as the rest of ours. I wouldn't be able to stand it if she was hurt in a car crash, speeding along the way the rest of us recklessly did. Letty finally turned to look at me. I still couldn't see her eyes but her eyebrow rose slightly and her mouth went into a lopsided smile. Seventy-nine days and my hands still itched to stroke her skin. I wanted to kiss her, to make love to her. And yet I knew that she wouldn't accept even a hand shake from me. Especially now. Especially since I'd moved on to sleeping with Joi full time.

"Yeah Dom, you'll change your mind in time," Jesse said with a definitive nod of his head. He lowered the hood then made his way inside, everyone else following, leaving Letty alone with me. We stood awkwardly beside the car, looking at it rather than at each other.

"Letty," I said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I figured that when you let Vince kick your ass," she acknowledged without heat. We stood there in silence for another minute.

"You knew? Why didn't you let me work it out? We could still work it out," I grumbled.

"Because feeling sorry didn't stop you. You're still working for Johnny," she forced out still staring at the hood her face taking on a sad twisted smile.

"You know why I didn't say no."

"So nothing has changed." She looked tired all of a sudden, her shoulders slumping. I turned to face her head on, lifting her sunglasses to rest on her hair.

"Letty, let's fix this," I said softly, moving towards her.

"You know how to fix things with me."

"I can't."

"Then stick with Joi. She can handle you working for her shady ass brother. I can't." Letty turned and stalked back down the street. I let her go. I did not want to fight Vince on Christmas which is exactly what would have happened if I tried to grab her arm and make her stay.

I yelled to her in feeble attempt to make her stay, "You're not going to stay for lunch?" Christmas day lunch was always a tasty treat of leftovers and tons of desserts. She paused to consider me.

"On one condition."

"What's that?" I would give her anything to make her stay.

"Come up with a story for why we broke up. I'm tired of people thinking I slept with Vince. It's ruining my street cred." She said this in such a deadpan that we both had to laugh.