A/N: Thanks for the awesome reviews! Shout to KariKocha for the immensely detailed feedback! I hope you see in this chapter a lot of what we talked about the last few day. I'm predicting that there will be two more chapters after this. I'm happy to hear any input you guys may have on the ending. I haven't decided on anything yet. Enjoy!

Germany: I'm also confused as to how spanking your kid is alright, but scolding them for sneaking out is considered abuse. Like what? I wish someone could illuminate me with their bountiful knowledge on the subject. ;p

"Hey"

"Hey, you alright?" Dom asked.

"I think I'm coming home tomorrow. I'm not getting much out of this stupid retreat."

"It's only the first day, maybe it'll take some time."

"I don't know...I just want to be home." Letty said in obvious turmoil.

"Then come home baby. I just want to make sure you aren't running away from something that can help you."

"I'm not, I just..."

"Babe you know I'm gonna support whatever decision you make, but you already know how I feel about everything."

"I'm not going back to that. I promised you. There's just so much going on with us and the kids and...I don't want to be on the sidelines anymore."

"That's good to hear, but you sound upset so I don't fully trust what you're saying."

"I don't want to do this right now. It's been a long day."

"Then let's not."

"Did you talk to her?" Letty asked changing the subject.

"Yeah"

"Did you tell her you love her?"

"Yeah"

"Liar, you yelled at her didn't you?"

"Of course I yelled at her. I never said that I wouldn't." Dom said defensively.

"I asked you to talk to her, not yell at her. She already got yelled at."

"Mazda needed to get checked."

"You probably scared the shit out of her. How many times do I have to tell you she's not like the boys? She's sensitive, and it's your damn fault anyways since you're the one that likes to spoil her."

"So now it's my fault she snuck out?" Dom asked defensively.

"That's not what I meant."

"But it's what you said."

"No, no, no, I was referring to her bratty tendencies. You can't act like you didn't gave her every single thing she ever asked for."

"I'm not going to do this with you right now."

"Dom this wasn't supposed to be an argument."

"Well it's going down that road Let. Why don't we just call it a night?"

"Is she asleep?"

"Probably not"

"Can you go check?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to her"

"Just call her tomorrow. It's getting late."

"God damn it..."

"I don't want to fight so let's just hang up."

"I know this is hard for you. I really do, but...this was never this hard. We were always on the same page when it came to the kids."

"That's when we used to be a team."

"Ouch, no need to be a dick about it. I know perfectly well what I've done wrong."

"Bye Letty", her husband said cutting her off.

"Bye Dom", she said before throwing her phone in the passenger's seat. "Urg!"Letty finally let out in frustration. "It's gonna be okay." She told herself. "It's going to be okay." Three hours later she was knocking on a familiar door.

"Where the hell have you been? Do you know what time it is?" Simone scolded as she quickly opened the door.

"Sorry, I was a few hours away." Letty said walking into the large home.

"Where?"

"By big sur"

"What were you doing out there?" Simone asked as they were going into the kitchen.

"I was supposed to be getting therapy, but not much of that happened. It was all a crock."

"Alright take a load off, and then tell me what happened. You want some tea?"

"I would love some."

"You don't seem okay. I thought things were getting better."

"I thought so too. Sophia's asleep right?"

"It's one in the morning. She better be asleep."

"I just don't want anything getting back to Mazda. Teenage girls love to talk."

"I think they're still mad at each other over the basketball championships."

"Still? They used to be best friends."

"Your daughter can hold a grudge. She's just like you."

"I never held anything against you, and I told you not to send her to the rival school."

"Right..." Simone said raising an eyebrow as she tended to the tea kettle in her hands.

"Whatever Simmy that's besides the point."

"So are you ever going to explain what this mysterious visit is about?"

"I guess I'll just get right into it."

"I'm listening."

"Dom and I had a really good week. We had this amazing break through and went on a couple dates, but then when we got home Thursday night, well I guess Friday morning…"

"Same shit, move on."

"Long story short, I find Mazda sneaking in."

"No!" Simone gasped.

"Yeah, so obviously I'm angry. I go off on her. She acts up. Shit gets worse. I send her to her room, and I go to ours. I tell Dom so then he gets angry. I have this big weekend trip planned in just a few hours, and everyone is telling me I should go. The house is pretty tense. I tried talking to her before I left, she wasn't in the right mind space so I leave and nothing's resolved."

"God, I really thought she didn't have a rebellious bone in her body."

"I ask Lex to check on Mazda. I tell Jensen to be nice, and I try to mediate things with Dom."

"Mediate with Dom? No one can mediate with Dom."

"I usually can. We've been married long enough, but it's hard to do over the phone. It's more of an in person job. "

"So you left?"

"I was going to stay, but then my therapist tried to drug me and kiss me."

"What?" Simone gasped loudly almost burning herself with the hot tea she was pouring.

"Shh!"

"I mean, what?" She whispered.

"The son of a bitch kissed me."

"On the mouth?"

"Yeah"

"Like with tongue."

"I don't want to think of the actual kiss. It makes my stomach turn."

"You didn't kiss him back, did you?"

"I smacked him off me. It was almost scary."

"Almost? Isn't he supposed to be someone you trust?"

"I did trust him. It's another of my many mistakes."

"I wouldn't call that a mistake, I'd call it a violation. He tried taking advantage of you. "

" I don't want to tell Dom."

"You gotta tell him."

"I can't. It's gonna send him over the edge, and he's no good to us in prison." Letty explained.

"Your husband is crazy. Let me call Mercedes. I think Vince and Dom equal out in crazy."

"Oh God" Letty said rolling her eyes. "She's probably asleep."

"She's a musician. They're nocturnal." Simone dialed and informed Mercedes of what had happened.

"Girl if you care about your husband, you won't tell him."

"Calling you was clearly a mistake. Don't listen to her she is trifling." Simone told Mercedes and then Letty.

"One time I was doing one of my music videos. You know that they can get a little steamy. I usually don't let Vince on the set, but I think he was bringing me something I needed so I made an exception. My lead back up dancer accidentally grazed my butt in one of the final moves, and then Vince caught it. Let me tell you, we're still paying that boy's medical bills four years later because he sued our asses for what Vince did to his face. So imagine what would have happened if someone tried to kiss me. I don't even want to think about it."

"Do you see what I mean? I don't want anyone killed." Letty told Simone. "Because we know when it comes to crazy, Vince normally has Dom beat. However, when Dom's angry there's no comparison. He has no self-control. I'm pretty sure we get sued every year because he loses it on paparazzi."

"Dom would hurt him, but I don't think he would kill him. He's not a brute." Simone argued.

"I'm not so sure he wouldn't. He's been very stressed out, and he might actually lose it with this." Letty pointed out wryly.

"But if you don't tell him, it's just as bad as cheating." Simon told her.

"Is it really? Vince doesn't know about what happened between me and that executive at Sony ten years ago, and it's staying that way."

"You were broken up."

"But we were still talking though, and we had an agreement which I admittedly broke."

"That's different." Simone argued.

"All women have their secrets. I'm taking that one to the grave. You should do the same." Mercedes insisted.

"No she shouldn't." Simone said before turning to Letty. "You could sue him for malpractice."

"The press would get wind of it. I don't want the boys to find out about this, let alone the entire world."

"That makes sense because all your offspring have anger issues. I'm surprised Jensen was so calm the whole time Vince was berating him."

"It must be genetic." Simone joked.

"That's not funny." Letty complained. "You know Jensen would never dare talk back to any of you."

"Given all the shit Vince said, I expected a lot more of a reaction since I physically had to restrain him from Jensen, but your boy just walked away with his tail between his legs and then Vanessa ran after him."

"Every time you mention that story, I still can't believe it happened." Simone thought aloud.

"He might have been calm during that situation, but I promise you if my son, well sons since Alexus is even more protective...if my sons ever thought I was threatened in any way, they'd go out for blood even if I tell them not to. It was so much easier when it was just Dom I'd have to worry about, but now I have two more men with the same temper."

"You can always cut a deal. Pay someone to kick his ass so that everyone else's hands stay clean." Simone suggested. Letty got flashbacks to the arrangements made to take care of Jensen's kidnapper all those years ago.

"Why can't I just move on? Why did this have to happen?" She voiced in frustration. "Shit just keeps happening.

"It's because you still got it mama", Mercedes told her.

"That's actually disgusting." Letty told her.

"We're not spring chicken anymore, but we still look fabulous."

"This conversation isn't helping me." Letty voiced.

"What do you want to do?" Simone asked.

"Would it be so bad if I waited to tell him?"

"Would it get in the way of the issues you were already working on?"

"Yeah"

"Then there's your answer."

"Letty, I'm telling you not to tell him. Hold it inside, and die with it." Mercedes continued to advise.

"Don't listen to her. She's dysfunctional."

"Why'd you call me then?"

"I had a lapse in judgment. Honesty is the best policy."

"Not all the time."

"You're an awful friend. You haven't even asked if she's okay."

"She sounds fine to me."

"She was assaulted."

"Are you okay Letty?"

"Oh I'm peachy." The Latina answered sarcastically.

"You see! Why are you trying to make me feel bad? I'm just trying to help. I'm giving my honest opinion."

"We're hanging up now." Simone said.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!"

"Girl bye",

"I'm gonna have to tell him, aren't I?" Letty asked after several silent moments of staring down in her tea mug.

"That's up to you."

"He said he would leave me if I hid anymore things from him."

"It wasn't your fault."

"It's just terrible timing. Why couldn't Mazda do this once shit was stable again? I honestly wouldn't be that worried if this hadn't just happened. He's angry with her, he's angry about us, now I have to tell him someone kissed me during the time he had made the sacrifice not to work this week."

"Shit..."

"Yeah, this ain't easy."

"Ima pray for you. In the meantime why don't you sleep on it? I have the guest room set up for you." Simone told her. Letty stayed the night, but left early that morning to get back home. When she arrived, the house was eerily quiet. She assumed no one had woken after what seemed to be a whirlwind day. She dropped off her belongings in the laundry room and proceeded to make her way to Mazda's bedroom. Letty wanted to resolve one ordeal before starting another. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. She checked her watch, and it was indeed ten in the morning, a very late start for her early rising daughter. Letty turned the knob and walked inside. She heard Mazda's shower running and decided to wait for her to get out of the bathroom.

"Hey" she greeted her daughter several minutes later. The teenage girl seemed nervous and uneasy as her eyes fell on her mother who sat on the edge of her queen sized bed.

"You're back? Why?" Mazda questioned suspiciously.

"I was worried about you."

"I'm fine. You can leave now. It's not like you want to be here anyway, right?"

"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else in the world."

"Yeah right"

"I understand you're upset Maz, but don't disrespect me." Letty said calmly yet sternly. She began walking up to her analyzing her face. "You're eyes are so swollen."

"It's nothing. I had an allergic reaction."

"To your Papi's words?"

"He told you, huh?"

"No, but I know him, and I know you."

"Well according to him I'm not his daughter."

"Excuse me?" Letty questioned puzzled. "He can't deny you. You're the only one with his ears."

"He said his daughter wouldn't do what I did. I guess I'm not good enough anymore."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way."

"You'd think I'd killed someone with the way he's treated me."

"He's just upset. That's all it is."

"It's whatever. I don't care anymore." Letty smirked at her daughter as she continuously attempted to exude an apathetic persona.

"You don't care anymore?"

"Yeah if he wants to be that way there's nothing I can do. I guess I'll just put up with it until I go to college. It's less than two years away. I won't have to deal with it then."

"So you just got caught sneaking out, and you're already plotting you're next escape?"

"It's not like you guys care if I'm here or not. You're too busy dealing with each other."

"Baby, what's wrong." Letty asked gently grabbing her daughters face. Mazda removed herself from her mother's grasp.

"Nothing, I'm just going to mind my own business, and stick to myself. I won't be a bother. I promise. Now you can go back to dealing with being sad. Sorry I interrupted that."

"Back talking me, sneaking out, trying to get away...that's not you." Letty listed while grabbing her face once again. "I know that. You know that. You're clearly upset over something, but if you don't tell me how you feel I can't help you. Remember?" Those were words Letty had repeated since the first of many conversations they had shared over the years.

"You want to know what I feel?"

"Yeah"

"You really want to know?"

"Of course"

"I feel like no one cares about me anymore. I get everyone's gone through a lot. We're all dealing with it in our own way, but even when I try to get us together no one is interested. Alexus' been working non-stop even though he's not even in season. Jensen keeps doing random stuff like getting tattoos with Tio Millo and building cars from scrap. Axel has no clue what's going on, and I have to explain to him again and again that he can't go visit Mamá because she's dead. You just lock yourself up in your room, while Papi tries to deal with it, but he's not."

"And you?"

"I'm just here." Mazda told her teary eyed. "Invisible...ignored."

"You feel invisible?"

"I had a soccer tournament, a track meet, and a recital, but no one went." Mazda told her as the water in her eyes started to spill over. "I tried to remind you, but I think everyone forgot."

"Oh baby", Letty said bringing her into a hug.

"It's okay. It's just the way things are gonna be now. I guess I could go to France next month by myself. Formula 1 can't be much different from Formula 3. I might have to change my last name in case I lose. I don't want to give Papi another reason to be disappointed."

"Stop that."

"It's true. No one was going to remember that."

"It's not okay, but what did you think? That you could get our attention by doing something foolish?"

"No, I just wanted to be around people who wanted to be around me for a change."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sorry I of all people made you feel that way, but no one was going to miss your F1 race. Jensen's been working on your car. You're dad's been practicing with you. I've been scheduling it."

"You were really dealing with the logistics?"

"Yeah baby, we know it's a big deal." Letty said placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry you don't have a mom anymore. I wish I could change it, I really do. I miss her a lot. I know that's why you're so sad."

"I'm glad you understand that."

"But I think I still need my mom though" Mazda confessed.

"You still got her."

"No, she's been gone for a while."

"What if I said she's coming back?"

"I don't know if I believe you."

"I guess I'd have to prove it to you, huh?"

"Yeah"

"Trust goes both ways."

"Well I figured since I was just a 'kid', it was always one sided."

"You're almost a woman. I'm going to start treating you that way; well after these two months of punishment pass of course."

"Deal" The teenage girl said cheering up.

"So how are you gonna fix things with Papi?" Mazda shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

"He can't even stomach to look at me so there isn't much to be done."

"Why don't you just hug him and say, 'Papi, I love', the first time you see him today?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. He said he wasn't ready to hug me yesterday."

"You know why?"

"Because he's disgusted by me", she said confidently.

"No, he said that because he knew he'd melt as soon as he hugged you."

"Sure", the young girl said rolling her eyes. "He was so mad he made a hole in the wall."

"I'm not saying he's not upset. I'm still upset about it, but Mazda out of all the things in the world you are who he loves the most. Why do you think Jensen is always so jealous of you?"

"He's your favorite, and you don't see me complaining."

"He's not my favorite. I don't have favorites." Letty lied.

"Everyone knows parents have favorites."

"Well that not the case with me. Anyway, we're still talking about the man who carried you up to your room like a baby every night you had a cold last year."

"It was an upper respiratory infection."

"Please it was barely a cold, and you never spiked a fever. Your Papi weighted on you hand foot. I, his wife, only get that attention when I'm carrying one of you. We're also talking about the same man who did not say word when you crashed the beloved Pontiac not once, but twice."

"I was fourteen. I had never driven before! It's not my fault I lost control."

"Imagine if Alexus did that? Or Jensen? Do you think your dad would have just let it go?"

"Maybe"

"What happened to Jensen when you lied and told your dad he scratched the Daytona?"

"He got it real bad..."

"He still hasn't forgiven you for it."

"But I was little, he can't hold that against. He killed all my barbies."

"And then you destroyed his sneakers; stop acting like your innocent. Only your father sees you that way."

"He used to." Mazda corrected sadly.

"His love for you hasn't just disappeared. Just do what I'm telling you to do. I've been dealing with your father for twenty-seven years."

"I already told you he said no."

"Just give him a hug. You know how sentimental he can get."

"We're not talking about the same person? Papi sentimental? In what world?"

"You'll see", Letty said knowingly. "I'll let you finish getting ready." She left her daughter in reflection and went in search of the others.

"Mami!" She heard a young voice running down the hallway. "You Returnededed!"

"You mean I returned." Letty corrected reaching down to envelop Axel and smother him with kisses.

"That's what I said." The young boy said defensively.

"Sure Axel"

"Me thought"

"I thought"

"No me thought, not you"

"The right way to say it is 'I thought'."

"Oh", the young boy said in realization. "I thought you might leave forever."

"Me be without you forever?" The little boy nodded. "Never! Who's going to teach me all the latest dance moves. I can't whip if I have no one to Nae Nae with."

"You're really bad at it Mami." Axel said raising a small eyebrow.

"Hey!"

"I'm just trying to be honesth." The young boy said shrugging his shoulders and raising his palms up.

"Well if you keep being so brutally honest, then someone may not get his special pancakes this morning." The young boy gasped at the thought.

"No!"

"We talked about only saying nice things."

"I meant you're really good at it Mami"

"Really?" Letty feigned excitement.

"Uh-huh, can I get pancakes now?"

"Hold on just a second. Are you lying to me so that you can get pancakes?"

"Yeah", he admitted. Letty snickered at her son as she placed him back down on the ground. "I'll meet you in the kitchen in ten minutes, okay?"

"Yay!" Letty watched the boy run downstairs. She figured if he was dressed, Dom must have been awake to do it. She went to Axel's room to find her husband making the boy's bed. She went up to him and hugged him from behind. He was definitely caught off guard by the gesture.

"Letty?"

"Who'd you think it was? The boogie man?"

"Axel has me check so often that I started to believe it was a possibility."

"Shut-up", she said before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Sorry, for being asshole last night." He told her immediately when their lips parted. She kissed him again in hopes of erasing the one that had been stolen from her, but it continued to haunt her.

"You ran me over when I first met you. My expectations have always been low."

"You can only move up from the bottom."

"Exactly."

"So I talked with our daughter this morning."

"Hmm", Dom said his mood suddenly shifting.

"So you made a hole in the wall?"

"She made the mistake of pissing me off when I was trying to be understanding."

"Teenagers have a way of doing that. She's our third one. You should be a pro at this by now."

"No child of mine is going to talk back to me, point, blank, period."

"I understand."

"Then why even have this conversation?"

"Because she doesn't believe you're relationship is reparable, and you gotta let her know it is." Dom sucked his teeth at her in annoyance. "Do you remember what you told me when we first brought Alexus home?"

"Forgive me I seem to have amnesia."

"You told me you wanted your kids to respect you and not fear you. Do you really want your daughter hiding behind staircases and bookshelves because she's too scared to be in the same room as you?"

"I just need time."

"You're her father. You don't get time. She doesn't feel loved by any of us, and it's our job to make sure she does. So make sure you're doing your job my love." Letty said placing a kiss on his cheek and heading downstairs to meet Axel. As she made the boy his pancakes she was distracted by the impending conversation she would have that day. Every which way she arranged the words in her head the predicted outcome was the same. She felt like and over heated computer that could not compute simple algorithms.

"I guess Papi isn't having breakfast." Mazda said as she sat at the dining table.

"After last night you really think that-"

"Jensen watch what you say. If it doesn't concern you don't speak on it." Letty warned cutting him off.

"But it does, my ears are still recovering from their screaming match." Her son contested.

"Shut up! I can't stand you." Mazda fumed in annoyance.

"Aww are you sad because you've been demoted to peasant?"

"At least I haven't always been peasant."

"I rather be peasant than fallen royalty." Mazda grabbed her fork and threatened to throw it at her brother.

"Enough! Don't you two ever get tired?"

"What's going on?" Dom's voice came from behind them, and all three of his children froze in fear. They were in fear of disturbing the beast that lay inside.

"Funny, I don't have this effect on them. I wonder how you do it."

"It's all in the glare babe."

"I must practice that."

"Father you look well rested this morning." Jensen commented sarcastically as Dom sat down at the table.

"Why thank you son", Dom responded. "So do you."

"Why are they being weird?" Axel asked Letty about his brother's and father's overly cordial interaction.

"Because they're foolish; don't pay them any mind." Letty said placing Axel's smiley face pancake in front of him. They all had a moderately quiet breakfast, and to Letty's dismay there seemed to be no reconciliation between Mazda and Dom. Nonetheless, the moment did come. As the newly designated house slave, it was Mazda's duty to pick up the kitchen. When Dom went to hand her his dirty plate she abruptly hugged and uttered the words Letty had told her to.

"I love you Papi", she said squeezing his torso tight as he stood in shock. Dom's arms slowly found their way around her small frame. The two of them stayed that way for several moments as the older Toretto felt himself weaken with the many memories of his little girl running up to him in glee to say hello or in painful cries while saying goodbye. The thoughts warmed his heart as she seemed to have permanently glued herself to him.

"I love you too Mazda." He finally said not letting her go.

"I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings."

"You did, and I'm still upset with you."

"I know, but it's okay because I know you love me." Letty smiled at the scene in front of her. She desperately wished everything could end with such a precious moment, but there was still one more thing she had to do. She finally came to the decision that informing Dom was the only way to go, but finding the right moment to do so seemed impossible.