Toretto, on the other hand, took an extra moment to make sure someone had his sister and that his team was all off before he himself made a run for it. A few quick turns and he managed to get his car stashed. He locked his baby up and threw his jacket on to hit the streets on foot, keeping his eyes open for a cab.

He kept his head down as a couple of cruisers went across the intersection he was nearing, but he was too far away for them to notice. As he got close, he slowed his pace and peeks around the corner. One cruiser had parked a few meters down, his lights off. He didn't fool Dom, however, and the racer ducked back before they could see him. He leaned up against the building and weighed his options. He could go back and grab his car and make a run for it, or he could chance it and cross the street.

Either way, he needed to make a decision fast, because the shrill echo of another siren heralded another cop coming his way. He could see the pulse of the lights bouncing off the buildings in the direction he wanted to go. So, that option was now closed to him. There was nothing to do but duck out of sight and head for his car once the way was clear.

Being careful not to draw too much attention to himself, he doubled back and headed for his baby. He had taken only a few steps when he caught a car making a sedate left-hand turn onto his street. He felt his heart jump into his throat, and he chanced a better look.

A Mazda RX-8 pulled into the curb lane and slowed to match his speed. A look inside the window was enough to convince him to get in, which he did gratefully. Cale took her time getting to the end of the street before making another turn.

They were both starting to breathe easy when another cruiser picked them up. "Shit," Cale muttered. "One of them must have tagged me before I got away from the venue. Hold on. This is going to be unpleasant."

Dom strapped his seatbelt on. "How unpleasant?"

"Drift-race unpleasant."

"Fuck." He grabbed onto something solid and did as she suggested.

They had three cruisers on them in an instant, and Cale decided that a bit of speeding would be in order. She skidded around a few turns, heading for the coast.

"You realize they've called your plates in by now, right?"

"Changed'em as soon as I could."

"...You carry spare plates around with you?"

"And you don't?" Cale spared him an amused glance. "This would be why they want you so bad, Dom. They have you in their system. Me? Not so much. This plate is linked to a false vehicle, the information on which Chris and I change every so often so they don't get smart."

"You scare me." The words were punctuated by Cale power sliding into a nasty ninety-degree turn.

"Good. Now shut up so I can drive, Toretto, or we're both going to be booked tonight."

Dom watched as Cale skilfully navigated the streets, using each turn as a way to get a little further ahead of the cops. As soon as they were several turns behind, she ducked down a small dirt path and, after a few moments, backed into a dark alcove, parking two car-lengths back from the entrance. She cut the engine and the lights, and released her seatbelt. She sank back in her seat, letting out a loud sigh.

Dom followed her lead and let the seatbelt snap back into place. He shifted a bit so he could watch her. The silence was beginning to get uncomfortable, and Cale looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"You're allowed to talk now, Dom, seeing as how I'm no longer trying to save our asses."

"Did you really fuck with Butch's car?"

"Oh, for the love of...NO!" Cale said. "Butch has no idea how to handle a car. Do you honestly think that someone who very nearly beat you would need to cheat? Just because he pushed his car over the limit, nearly red-lined and spun out, he felt the need to sooth his ego by lying about it. So he had one of his boys cut his oil-line and started telling folks that his car was being repaired due to the damage my 'tampering' had caused him."

Dom nodded. "That's what Marc said."

"Yeah, Marc's a smart guy," she snapped. Silence descended once more.

After a while, Dom said, quietly, "Mia still won't give me your phone number. Neither will Jesse, for that matter."

Cale couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "And what would you need my phone number for?"

"If I had it, I would have called you after we got back from the desert so we could straighten this out then. But you went and disappeared on everyone again."

"I was busy kicking peoples' asses on the streets."

"So I've noticed. You..." he trailed off as Cale held up a hand. It was then they heard the voices.

"Damn," she whispered. "The five-oh must have seen our tire-marks on the cut-off. Why they didn't just drive a cruiser down here and shut us in I don't know..." Cale looked around frantically.

"Can't we just duck down?"

"No, that will just force them to come in and inspect the car close-up. From out there, a cursory glance will show them it's just a car with two people sitting in it. ...But they'll recognize you. Shit..." She looked up at Dom as the first flashlight beam bounced off an interior wall. "Kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me. Now. Quickly."

"Cale, how is that...?" He didn't have time to finish as Cale leaned over and grabbed his shirt by the collar. And then her lips were pressing against his, her hand resting gently on his cheek, shielding his profile from prying eyes.

Through the cracks of her fingers, he could see the light brush over them. He heard the faint words of nah, just some kids making out. They still have their clothes on, no need to bust'em up. And then the prying light was gone.

It had taken seconds, but in those seconds, the startled and forced kiss had softened into something deeper, something more genuine. Dom couldn't help it as his hands reached out and lifted Cale over the shift and into his lap. She straddled him easily, her hands resting on his shoulders. With a free hand, he reached down and reclined the seat as far as it would go and his arms wrapped around her body. They held the embrace for a long, long time, taking the opportunity to thoroughly explore the other's mouth.

Finally, the kiss broke, and Dom cupped her chin, letting his thumb run over her lips gently. Their eyes played over the other's face, and Dom smiled. "I thought you didn't like me."

"I don't. You're not my type."

"Ah. So you just kissed me to save our asses."

"Yes." Cale smiled.

"Good to know," Dom said with a smirk. "That you don't like me, I mean."

"I suppose it is."

"Kiss me, Cale."

"Gladly."