Dom lie on the bed watching Kylie sleep. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red, and she had red blotches on her cheeks from crying. Still, to him, she was beautiful. He was afraid to go to sleep, afraid he'd wake up to find her still missing, or worse yet, that she'd succeeded at the beach, and was gone, lost to him forever.

He ran a finger down her cheek, the warmth of her skin reassuring him that she was alive. He'd come so close to losing her. His mind wandered back to when Vince had brought her home.

Once she was in his arms, he'd carried her into the house. He carried her past the few team members who'd gotten back faster than he had, not saying a word, and straight into the down stairs bathroom. He couldn't believe how cold she was and wanted to get her out of her wet clothes, and into a warm shower, right away.

He soothed her as he carried her, telling her she was safe, and that that he loved her, and that everything was going to be alright, then he sat her on top of the dryer. He slowly removed her clothes, still talking to her while he did, repeating the same comments over and over. She was trembling and shivering, but her tears had diminished to hiccuping sobs. Thankfully she'd stopped repeating how sorry she was, how she tried to do it, but couldn't. He had a pretty good idea what she meant, and it physically hurt to think she'd attempted that.

He turned away, and started the water in the shower, adjusting the temperature so as to warm Kylie, but not burn her chilled skin. Then he removed his own clothes and scooped up his girl. Kylie nuzzled her face into his neck, telling him without words that she loved him, needed him, and appreciated what he was doing.

Dom stepped into the stall and held her under the spray of warm water. Once she stopped shivering he let her down, her body sliding against his. He grabbed some shampoo off of the shelf, probably Angel's, if the peach scent was any indication, then proceeded to lather the shampoo, massaging her scalp as he removed the ocean's salt from her curls. Conditioner followed. Next he squeezed a glob of body wash onto his hands and spread the lather over her body. A quick rinsing, and he turned the water off and opened the stall door.

He reached for a long fluffy towel from the nearby shelf and quickly wrapped it around her, then fastened another around his own waist. The third one he used to dry her long curls. He stepped from the stall, then scooped her up, and once again, sat her on top of the dryer. He frowned, noticing her eyes had grown glassy and glazed with fatigue.

He reached for the pile of clothes someone, most likely his sister, had thought to bring in for them. He dressed Kylie with efficiency and speed, not wanting her to grow chilled again. He hated how she'd detached herself, allowing him to move her body this way and that as he needed, like a posable doll.

He took her face in his hands, "Ky, Baby, don't shut me out," he pleaded.

Kylie's sapphire orbs focused, locking onto his own coffee colored eyes. "I-I'm not," she replied, her voice rough from her earlier tears. "I'm just s-so tired."

Dom leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead. Then he rested his against hers. "I know, Little Girl. Just let me get a little something in your stomach, so you're warm inside, too. Then I'll take you up to bed, OK?"

Ky nodded slightly, her nose bumping his as her head went up and down. She gave him a tiny wan smile.

Dom had managed to feed her a half a dozen spoonfuls of soup before she fell completely asleep, seated on his lap at the kitchen table. She hadn't spoken to anyone else, turning her face into his chest whenever anyone came near. Dom, recognizing her vulnerability, had followed suit, and carried her silently up to bed.

Dom shifted and his gaze caught sight of the alarm clock. He realized that he'd been laying there watching Kylie for several hours. In all that time she had slept soundly, so he decided she probably wouldn't need him if he got up to stretch and grab a drink.

He slipped silently from the bed, adjusting the blanket so she was still covered. As he crossed the room and slipped out the door, he became aware of how unusually quiet the house was, and had been. He headed down stairs, intent on getting back to Kylie as soon as possible. Although she'd been sleeping soundly so far, the possibility of a nightmare was still there, and Dom wanted to be there if that happened.

He heard the others before they noticed him. They were talking about Kylie.

"But why?" Angel was asking.

"I don't know," Lexie replied. "Why does anyone do it?"

"You sure, Dog?" Leon turned to Vince.

"Hell! I don't know," Vince replied, running a hand threw his hair. "That's what it looked like. She was just walkin' into the water, deeper and deeper. I called, but she didn't even turn around. Scared the shit outa me."

Rachel hugged him tighter. She knew how much he cared for Kylie, and his reaction to finding her like that was sincere.

"I still don't get it," Lydia muttered, her pretty face marred by confusion.

"Maybe I can clear it up for you," Dom interjected, stepping from the shadows.

They all turned and stared at him, obviously surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Dom! We was just-" Leon started to explain.

"I heard," Dom cut in. "You're all trying to figure out if she was really trying to ...," Dom paused. He swallowed in an attempt to remove the lump in his throat. "if she was trying to kill herself. And the answer is yes. She kept apologizing for not succeeding, for changing her mind."

"Oh God!" Mia exclaimed.

"Shit!" Rome interjected.

"Why?" Angel asked, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.

"Seriously!" Dom shouted. "Perhaps because she's been blaming herself for coming between the team and Letty for the past two days, on top of realizing she's pregnant, and thinking that I wanted Letty back instead of her. And, of course, let's not forget how you all acted when you found out! Not one of you said anything decent, congratulated us, or even pretended to be happy for us!"

Silence followed while Dom tried to get his anger under control. His hands were clenched into tight fists and a pulse throbbed in his jaw. He strode into the kitchen and yanked open the refrigerator. He pulled out a couple of Coronas and slammed the door shut. After opening one he headed back into the living room, intent on going back upstairs to be with Kylie.

"Dom," Mia stopped him, a hand placed lightly on his arm. "None of us meant-"

"You think I don't know that!" Dom exclaimed losing control of his temper again.

Mia jumped as if he'd slapped her, and Brian pulled her into his arms.

"Look, Mia, I'm sorry," Dom apologized. "I know how you all feel about Kylie, and that you'd never hurt her intentionally. That's what makes this even worse. None of you seem to realize how fragile her self-esteem is, how vulnerable she is." He shook his head, then walked back upstairs.

F&F

AN: So many reviews, thank you. I am glad I was able to touch some of you so emotionally. You've inspired me to get this chapter u quickly. Now if you want the next one just as fast, just keep giving me your love! LOL! Yes I'm a review slut, I know! LOL!