Making Memories III "Highway Wings"
So this started out as a drabble about Letty and Mia and then turned into something else...there will be more Letty/Mia coming soon, this just sort of wrote itself. Simone Frank requested overprotective Dom, and I guess that just stuck. Aladyfish, don't worry though, there's some Letty/Mia here and there's more to come! :) Hope you guys like it!
The garage was full of movement for the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, mechanics moving around tending to the performance cars they were known for fine-tuning. Mia carried her son, Jack, through the bustle, cooing to the child as she said hello to her brother's staff. She knew Dom and Brian were out picking up parts at a shop across town, and she wanted to stop by to check the books and say hello to Letty. They hadn't been able to spend too much time together since they'd been home, other than the normal Toretto barbeques on Sundays. Since Letty was staying with her brother, she often saw her around the house, but they hadn't had the opportunity to really talk.
Jack leaned toward a cherry red 1969 Ford Mustang, talking in his 6-month old baby talk over his mother's shoulder. Mia turned her head in the direction he reached, and laughed, bouncing the baby on her hip. "Don't let Daddy see that, mister," she spoke kiddingly, kissing his creamy blonde hair. Letty emerged from under a vintage Chevelle as Mia reached the office, having heard what Mia had spoke. She smiled up at her friend.
"Uncle Dom would be proud," she laughed, standing up, and heading toward the baby. She touched his little hand gently, taking care to not get grease on the child's pure skin. He smiled and gurgled up at Aunt Letty. They'd called her that from the moment she'd met the baby, because though Letty didn't know the weight it carried, they were family, no matter the relation. "Hey there, mijo," she purred at the small child. Mia watched the interaction with a grin.
"He loves his Aunt Letty," she spoke with a sweet smile, lifting the child off her hip. Letty's cheeks turned a hint of red at the name; it was still so fresh, being part of this tight knit family.
"Can you hold him for a second? I need to heat up his bottle," she passed the child off to Letty, who took him with fair ease, despite the fact that she had engine grease on her face and her hands.
"Sure, as long as you don't mind if his overalls get a little dirty," she bounced the baby on her hip as he reached for her cross. She glanced down, taking in the little hands holding the important emblem, twisting it around between his little fingers. She followed Mia into the office, chatting with the little being. "You like the shiny stuff, huh, mijo?"
"Brian often comes home covered in grease or oil of some sort and lays right down on the floor to play with Jack. And he's here so much I don't really worry about it anymore. It didn't hurt Dom, so I'm sure it won't hurt Jack," Mia replied laughingly, placing the formula in the microwave. Letty joined her laugh, giving the child a squeeze.
"He's bound to grow up here, I suppose. Any child around us is destined to," Mia eyed Letty as the words left her lips. She referenced children occasionally, but never really elaborated. Mia knew it must be unsettling for Letty, still adjusting to her life here, not remembering much of her past life. They'd had her examined by a doctor upon their arrival back to the states; the prognosis wasn't necessarily permanent, memories may return over time. But it wasn't a guaranteed thing, and though frustrating for them all, Letty the most, they made way through their everyday lives, accepting that she may not get anything back.
"Do you want kids, Letty?" Mia leaned back against the counter, watching her friend interact with her son. Jack tugged on a piece of her dark hair that had fallen from her ponytail, and Letty laughed it off, looking down at the adorable child before responding.
"Ehh, I don't know. Maybe someday," Mia suspected that was the answer she'd get. She turned at the ding of the microwave, pulling the now lukewarm bottle out. She tested it on her petite wrist, the temperature just right. She was finally getting the hang of this formula thing. Nursing had been much easier. Letty watched her movements, curious of why Mia had done what she did. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously, as Mia wiped off her wrist.
"Testing the temperature," she responded. She eyed Letty, intruigued, before grabbing her free wrist. "See?" She turned the bottle up and a few drops fell onto Letty's tan wrist, "Feel the warmth, but it's not too hot? That's how you know it's ready," Letty nodded, interested in this new education that was babies.
"Can I feed him?" She asked, grinning at the child. Each time she saw him, she fell more in love with this little face. He reached his tiny fingers for the warm bottle, as Mia nodded, smiling all the way up to her eyes.
"Of course! That'd be a big help actually, because I need to check the books, and balance the check book. Dom can't be trusted with numbers," she rolled her eyes regarding her brother, and handed the bottle to Letty, who gladly accepted the responsibility.
Letty settled Jack back in her arms and tilted the bottle up, settling it to his little lips. He took it excitedly, sucking his delicious lunch down. Letty watched him, his little eyes flickering up to meet hers every once in a while.
Neither of them noticed the two men who had come in through the far garage bay, carrying boxes back and forth from the truck outside.
"Mia's here," Brian commented, seeing her motherly Acura sedan sitting in the parking lot beside his Nissan. She was hardpressed to find a car she'd like that wasn't all minivan, and when she'd found the Acura TSX, she'd begged Brian. He'd settled on the safety ratings and the fact it was foreign, despite Dom's protests.
Dom peered toward the office and saw his sister sitting at his desk, binders open before her. He could tell through the glass windows she was deep in thought, and mathematical equations. He didn't mind her double checking his work now; they had the money to support the business properly.
As he was turning his eyes away from Mia, he saw Letty. He stopped momentarily to take her in, her high ponytail, loose from the humidity and her hard work, her black tank top, where her coveralls came to meet it on her thin midriff, the arms tied around her waist. And the baby she held, bottle to his lips, watching her intently as she walked around the Chevelle, talking to him quietly. He had seen her hold Jack a couple times, but for the most part, she didn't ask, as if too nervous to do so. But she was a natural. He imagined she was telling his nephew the ways of American muscle cars, the trivia facts of a blue Chevrolet Chevelle SS. He couldn't take his eyes off her. That was, until Brian bumped into him on purpose with a box of decals.
"Dom, are you gonna finish helping me or just stare at Letty?" Brian smirked as he made his way around the large man, who dropped his eyes with a self-deprecating laugh. He made his way back to the truck, lifting out three more of the boxes and carrying them into the storage room. "Letty!" Brian called out, catching the woman's attention. "Don't be brainwashing my kid with all that American car crap!" He laughed at himself, stacking another box of parts.
"I'm just trying to undo all the damage you've already done." Was her sassy retort. Dom laughed as Brian didn't respond, simply making a face. They finished unloading the truck, Brian parking it back in its place, as Dom walked toward the office. He stopped when he reached Letty and Jack, catching her eyes in a smile and touching the young child's barefoot.
"Hey buddy," he spoke softly to the baby, his voice rough at that volume. Jack kicked his little legs in reply as Dom laughed, standing back up straight. He caught Letty's eyes. "You doing okay?" Concern was always evident in his voice. She nodded, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, just taking a break to help Mia. I was in need of some Jack time anyway," She rocked the baby in her arms, cooing at him. Dom couldn't help himself, stepping a foot forward and pressing his lips to her forehead. She stopped, still, as his lips lingered for a short moment, before he moved on to the office. She watched him walk toward his sister and could still feel the warmth lingering where his lips had touched. These feelings she still felt for him…the butterflies, the tingles. She felt like a school girl sometimes. If they'd known each other all this time, how could she still feel this way? Taking a breath, she focused back on Jack and his almost empty bottle.
"Dom, someday you're going to have to take a math class or something, this is ridiculous!" Mia scolded her brother as he entered the office, reaching in the refrigerator for a bottled water.
"Mia, this is what I have you for. You're always coming behind me so I don't worry about it." He winked at his little sister, putting the bottle to his lips, enjoying the cool liquid on such a hot day.
"This is such a mess though. It's not better than it was years ago. I need you to really focus when you work on these things. They're important to running a business!" She put down her pencil and sighed. He wasn't listening to her. He was watching Letty sit in the driver's seat of the Chevelle, Jack's little palms on the steering wheel. "Dom!" She exclaimed, bringing him back from his reverie. "I'm serious!"
"I know, Mia. I promise, I'll do better." He patted her shoulder, as he walked past her and out of the office. He wasn't concerned about the bank account, or the invoices on the desk. He knew they were fine. And he had Mia for the math. He was more concerned with his nephew and Letty playing in a client's car. Her motherly instinct was evident. She'd grown up a lot in recent years.
He crouched down beside them inside the open driver's side doorway. The baby slammed his palms on the steering wheel, laugh with glee.
"He's pretty cute, isn't he?" Letty said rhetorically, bouncing the child gently on her thigh. Dom nodded in agreement.
"Can I steal him for a minute?" She smiled up at him and gently handed him the baby, who accepted Dom's strong arms with a gurgle of baby words. She climbed out of the car as Dom stood and stepped back. Jack was so tiny within Dom's strong hold, his biceps making the child appear smaller than he was. Letty could see the pure joy in his eyes and he tickled the baby playfully, laughing right along. She leaned against the side of the car and watched him, taking in his demeanor with Jack. For all his size, she'd come to realize he was not much more than a gentle giant. Though she was sure he could kick some ass if needed. She'd found out the other day he's spent two years in jail. His size wasn't a surprise after that.
Mia watched them play with her son from the office, where she sat at the desk. They'd been taking things slow since Letty had been back. She knew why-there was so much Letty didn't know. And how hard it was for her to commit herself to something she barely knew. But Mia knew Dom loved Letty unconditionally, more than she'd seen him love anyone other than family. Elena has been a brief blip on the radar that was Dom's life, and though they'd spent quite a few months together prior to London, no one compared to Letty. And she knew Dom would spend the rest of his life at an arms length with her if he had to-whatever it took just to be close to her. Though she knew no one else would be able to get close to her either, if that happened.
"Mia, I think you should bring Jack by more often. It really makes the afternoons more enjoyable." Dom sat against the counter by the microwave, holding the baby with his back against Dom's chest, Jack's hands wrapped around a tire gauge. Mia rolled her eyes, standing to take the tool away from her child.
"Right. And then no one would get anything done around here." She crossed her tan arms, taking in her brother and the way he held her son. She'd never seen him with a child before Jack. And she couldn't say she was surprised by his softer side. Though she knew he'd deny such things.
They chatted for a moment, about the garage and life, as work resumed outside in the garage. She showed him a few things she'd notated in the binder, and the checks that lay on the desk waiting to be sent to their respective companies. Dom heard a car start, one with a big engine, but continued to listen to Mia until she was finished, knowing otherwise he was destined for a beating from his petite sister.
As they walked out of the office, Brian was clapping his hands and hollering as the Chevelle stretched her legs down the driveway. He could see the tail lights, the car pulling out onto the street.
"Did Ron come by early?" Dom asked skeptically, checking the clock. Brian shook his head, a big grin across his handsome face.
"Oh, no. That's Letty, man! She's checking her work, taking her for a spin." He crossed his arms, looking pleased with himself. Dom looked over at him, his chest puffing out like an angry gorilla and Mia immediately stepped forward to take her son.
"Dom," she warned quietly as he released the child.
"What do you mean, a spin?" His voice was deep, controlled. Brian looked at his friend, confused.
"Just around the block, 10 minutes or so. She'll be right back." He watched Dom's jaw set in his direction, and furrowed his brow. "We do this all the time, Dom. What's the problem?"
"She doesn't know what the block is, O'Connor! She doesn't remember!" Mia had managed to get Jack back into the office before Dom's voice rang out through the garage. Everyone slowed their work to peer at their boss, who was clearly distraught over the situation.
"I told her exactly where to go. She'll be fine," Brian stepped back, away from his seething friend. "Did you think she'd never drive again? I mean, seriously, just because she doesn't know where she is, doesn't mean she can't drive."
"She could get in an accident, or worse! In a client's car!" Dom rubbed his bald head, stepping toward Brian. "What were you thinking?" He exclaimed. Mia re-appeared between the two men, no longer holding her son.
"Guys!" She pushed Dom away from Brian, her hands planted firmly on his chest. "Dom, she'll be fine. She's not made of porcelain. She's Letty, remember?" She spoke smoothly, quietly, trying to ease her brother's mind.
"She doesn't know where she is, Mia!" He was breathing heavily, stress evident in his loud voice. Brian realized then what Mia had already—he was terrified of losing her. He had become an over protective parent-never letting her out from under his thumb. He constantly worried about her. "She doesn't know where to go, what areas to avoid," Dom rubbed his face, the worry evident in his voice, turning away from the two, staring down the driveway.
"She'll be fine, Dom. She'll be back in one piece. Relax." She crossed her arms, watching her brother pace. He walked out into the parking lot. She knew he'd wait right there for her return. Her heart went out to him. He rarely let her out of his sight. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her again. He loved her too much to lose her.
"I didn't realize he'd get so mad," Brian rested an arm around Mia's waist, peering back toward the office where Jack lay strapped in his bouncy seat they kept in the office. She looked up at him sympathetically.
"I know you didn't. He'll be okay. Lord help us when Letty gets back though."
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