A/N: Thanks to Emma Rose23, , Trickster 707 (I GIVE YOU THE NEXT!), Holliday Girl, Violet201, AllieKat21, cari88, Running-Wild22 ( :D ), LovingBlackParadise, tanya2byour21, 2furious4u (Thanks ;) ), Lou14, wrestlenascargirl (Yeah, Vince...*drools*) and ..Seraphina.x. for their reviews!
Again..yeesh. So sorry. I hope this chapter is worth the wait, and thank you all so much for bearing with me.
Review and Enjoy!
Alex looked between his sister's guilty face and Vince lying on the grass. He'd sworn the day he found out she was pregnant that he'd kill the prick responsible, but never thought it would be one of the guy's he'd trusted to protect her. He barely noticed as she ran off, all his attention was focused on one man.
"You goddamn sonovabitch," he roared, getting ready to swing. He felt a hand on his arm and half expected Dom to becoming to Vince's rescue, but instead he looked down into his wife's brown eyes.
"Please Alex, don't do it," she begged, and he paused, catching his breath and looking around.
Mia was standing in shock, an oblivious Ella in her arms. Brain was holding Dom back, barely, and the big guy looked as furious with Vince as Alex felt. Letty was shaking her head, looking utterly confused, like she couldn't believe it.
"Let it go, Dom!" Brian yelled at him, shouting in his face. "It's something they've got to work out between the two of them. Killing Vince isn't going to help."
But Dom didn't listen until Mia's soft voice broke through the tension.
"You knew?" she asked, her eyes wide as he stared at Brian.
All attention turned to him, and Dom stopped struggling against the arms holding him back. "What?" he growled.
"Yeah, I figured I out, okay? And when I talked to Rae about it, she asked me to keep it to myself until she talked to Vince. I think she was waiting until Jesse was back. She didn't want to ruin his party," Brian added, looking pointedly at Dom.
Alex watched as they stared at each other, then Dominic slowly nodded, taking a step back.
"You still should have told us O'Connor!" Letty snapped, glaring daggers at the ex-cop.
"No," Vivian said, shaking her head. "We are family and friends, but it is between zee two of them. We 'ave no right to interfere. And no matter 'ow 'eroic you all think you are being, Rae does not need you all to save 'er. If Vince 'urt 'er, it was 'er 'eart that was injured, nothing else. She is not the child you all see 'er as."
Alex just shook his head, noticing that Vince had disappeared in the drama. Fine, Rae and Vince could sort it out between the two of them. Then he'd kill the bastard that touched his little sister. He met Dom's dark gaze and saw his own thoughts reflected back.
The sound of laughter cut through the tension and they all turned as Leon appeared, pushing Jesse's chair in front of him, careening around and goofing off. Le's husky laughter died out as he felt the charged atmosphere and saw the angry faces.
Jesse looked between them all in confusion, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "What'd I miss?"
Rae drove blindly, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe she'd let it slip out like that in front of everyone. She'd tried so hard to wait for the right moment. To tell him the right way. And now she'd fucked it all up royally.
She finally turned off, finding herself at the old garage, around the back of the café. Getting out of the car, she slammed the door, kicking the tyre again for good measure. Slumping against the door, she stared at the mural she'd painted all those years ago. The paint was peeling and faded, and it seemed so long ago that she'd stayed up late to finish the thing, just so Mia would like her.
She wished for those days, when she had less worries, less responsibilities. Rae loved her daughter, and wouldn't give her up for anything, but she missed the simplicity of it all.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks, tears she'd help back before, but couldn't help letting go of now. Legs buckling, she slid down to the ground hard, hugging her knees to her chest as she let it all out.
Even though she had a head start, Vince managed to follow her long enough to figure out where she was heading. Slamming his door shut, he stalked around to the back, finding her huddled against her car. Rae's head snapped up at the sound of his footsteps and she swiped furiously at the tears streaking her face.
"What do you mean, 'you never'?" he growled, stalking over to loom above her. She looked up, her eyes tired.
"God, you're so slow sometimes," she sighed, the fight gone from her.
He frowned. "Gimme a break, Rae. I'm just trying to…she's…she's mine?" he asked, whispering the last part.
She just looked at him with those big brown eyes and nodded, He felt like she'd decked him again and he slid down the wall opposite her, not looking away.
The kid was his kid.
Bella.
With her little pigtails and her mother's brown eyes.
He felt as though he was disconnected from his body, watching from a distance. He had a kid. He was a father. He just couldn't seem to get his head around the concept.
"I'm sorry I never told you Vince, I just didn't know how," she said, snapping him back into the real world. "You told me to leave, Vince. I had to get away. By the time I found out…I couldn't come back. I couldn't face you, or the rest of them."
She rubbed her hands over her face. "I thought we'd be okay, Bella and I, just the two of us. But as soon as I came back here, I realized she would miss out on so much. Not just the Team, but knowing…knowing her father. It's not fair on either of you. But things were so tense with Jesse in the hospital, and then what happened between us."
He stared at his feet in shock. "I don't know how to deal with this," he confessed. He watched numbly as she nodded and stood, hugging her shoulders, dust clinging to her jeans.
"I understand. I don't…I want you to be a part of Bella's life, but only if you want to be. I don't need anything from you, and I don't expect anything either. If you want us out of your life, we'll go. But if you want us to stay, you have to be sure it's what you want. Just…make this decision about you and Bella, not about you and I."
With that, she got in her truck and left, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Rae had decided calling Vivian's phone was her best bet and by the sounds of things, she made the right call. The others sounded pissed, and Viv had taken Bella back to the hotel while the others argued or whatever it was they wanted to do when they were pissed off at two of their friends. Deciding to skip that little get-together, she drove back to the hotel instead.
"You should 'ave told me, I could 'ave 'elped," Vivian scolded lightly, hugging Rae tightly. "Are you okay sweet'eart?" she asked, pulling Rae back and holding her shoulders and peering into her face.
Rae nodded, giving her a weak smile. "Yeah, at least it's all out in the open now, right?"
Viv gave her a sympathetic smile. "Did you speak to 'im? 'e went after you," she smiled hopefully.
Rae nodded. "I told him it was his choice," she shrugged. "I honestly don't know what's going to happen," she sighed, looking at where her daughter was sleeping soundly in the bed. "I don't know what I'm going to tell her."
She reached down to brush a strand of hair off of Bella's face.
"You'll tell 'er the truth. She's a strong girl. And young. She will just be 'appy, you'll see," Vivian gave her a reassuring smile. "It's Alex and the others I'd be worried about," she added.
"Gee thanks," Rae groaned, rolling her eyes and cracking her first genuine smile.
Vince stood at the door, his mind still trying to deal with what had happened. The decision hadn't been a hard one, more of a no-brainer, really. He just hoped it was the right one. It wasn't something he could change his mind about whenever he felt like it. He had to live with his choice forever.
He knocked on the door, flinching a little as a bit of tension turned it into more of a thump. A second later, the door swung open to reveal a surprised looking Rae.
"We gotta talk," he said, stepping inside, half expecting Alex to jump out, ready to swing. He hadn't been back to the Fort yet, he wasn't sure what to say to them all. Or how to stop them from killing him. "Is she here?"
"Next door," Rae supplied, smoothing her hands over her jeans nervously. "She was asleep in Viv's room when I got back, I didn't want to wake her."
He nodded. Right, kids slept more. Probably because they bounced around so much.
He sat down at the small table, staring down at his folded hands. "I don't know how to be a father, Rae. My old man was a mean sonovabitch," he said softly. He'd never spoken about his dad since the night he'd come to stay at the Toretto's for good. "And I ain't the best role-model. I honestly never thought I'd have kids," he confessed. "I'm not father material."
She nodded, and he saw tears welling in her eyes before she turned away.
"Rae, I didn't…" he began, reaching awkwardly for her hand. He was so far from her comfort zone that it wasn't even funny. "Shit," he cursed. "I wasn't asking you to leave. I just don't know if you should really want to stay. I'll be a shitty father. But I won't cut out like my father did. I just don't know how to do it."
A frown crossed her brow, and she cupped his face. "You're a good man, Vince. Just get to know her. There's plenty of time for the rest."
He nodded, hoping she was right. She stood and held out her hand. "Come on."
"You want to tell her now?" he asked.
"Why not? She needs to know sometime."
He swallowed down his fear and took her hand, trusting that she knew what was best for her…their daughter. "Okay, let's do this."
Rae nodded at Vivian, who gave her a little smile when she saw Vince. "I'll be next door if you need anything."
"Thanks Viv," Rae replied before shutting the door after her. She let go of Vince's hand and walked over to the bed.
"Hey sweetie, wake-up time," she said softly, patting her daughter gently. She smiled as Bella stirred, giving a big yawn and blinking her eyes as she looked around the room.
"Hi momma. Hi Vince," she waved at him where he stood by the door.
He was watching her closely, as if really studying her for the first time. Rae waved him to come closer, and he moved to stand next to the bed.
"Bella, before you were born, I did something silly. I got scared and ran away from here." She struggled with what to say, how to tell the toddler. She went with blunt. "Sweetie, you know how most people have a momma and a daddy?"
Bella nodded, looking curious.
"Well, Vince is your daddy."
The two adults stood in silence, waiting for the three-year-old's response. She blinked, and looked at Vince with a sweet smile. "Okay. I like Vince."
Vince let out a gusty breath and Rae laughed in surprise.
"Well, that was easy," she grinned.
They moved back to Rae's room, and talked about Bella while she played on the bed next to them. Vince didn't seem to know what questions to ask, but he seemed happy enough to listen as Rae told him random stories about Ella's life so far.
She dived into one of the boxes stacked in the corner of the room, coming up triumphant. She pulled out Ella's baby book, and watched as he flipped through the pages. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, his expression was intense and unreadable. He just seemed to be sitting back and taking it all in.
Ella didn't seem to mind at all, and Rae thanked her lucky stars that her daughter was young enough that she didn't truly seem to understand. Hopefully in time the two would get closer, but Rae wasn't going to push them.
Ella's eyes started drooping not long after, and Vince watched as Rae tucked the sleeping kid into bed. They went out into the empty hall before she spoke.
"Here," she said, her voice soft as she handed him the baby book. "Take it back, look through it on your own if you want. You don't have to, I just thought you might…"
"Yeah, thanks," he replied, looking down at the book in his hands. "Will you be around tomorrow?" he asked, blue eyes still on the brightly colored book.
Money had been tight when Ella was born, so Rae had drawn on her own artistic skill and made her own book, flowering vines twining between the pictures, and stars scattered around the name on the front.
"Yeah," she nodded. "Berto has me working tomorrow afternoon, but I was going to swing by the café to drop of Bella for Mia to watch. I'll be around at lunch."
He nodded, pausing thoughtfully before he spoke. "I get what you mean now, about things being complicated."
Rae bit her lip and nodded, trying to pretend it didn't hurt.
"But this," he continued, holding up the baby book. "it doesn't change what happened." He frowned. "So where do we go from here?"
She cupped his cheek, looking up into those dark, troubled eyes. "I don't know," she sighed, "I think we just focus on this thing with Bella. And see where we end up."
His hand lifted and cupped the back of her neck, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. "Okay," he paused, and she knew he was trying to say something else. "It must have been hard. I'm sorry I scared you off, you shouldn't have had to go through all that alone."
"Don't do that," she said firmly, looking up to stare at him. "I could have come back. I could have called. I should have told you sooner. We both…we acted like idiots. Now I'm sick of hiding it, even if Alex is gonna be pissed at me for lying. Oh shit," she exclaimed, her eyes going wide.
"What?" he frowned, worried.
"The others…do you want me to come back with you and talk to them?" she asked, biting her lower lip nervously.
He chuckled at her. "I think I can handle it alone, Mommy. Don't worry about me," he said, walking backwards in the vague direction of the elevator. "I'll be fine."
She smiled and waved as the doors closed in front of him.
Vince spent the entire drive home thinking everything over. He sat at a stoplight for a while, only noticing the light had turned to green when the car behind him started leaning on it's horn, scaring the bejeesus out of him.
When he got back to the Fort, carefully carrying the little photo book, the whole Team was up, watching a movie, save for Jesse. As soon as he pushed through the door they all turned to stare, Dom and Letty standing up, both glaring daggers at him.
"What. The fuck," Letty growled.
He just walked past, heading straight for the stairs down to his room. "Not now," he said quietly.
"The hell!" Dom pitched in, grabbing Vince's arm to stop him passing.
Vince just turned to stare at him, his turbulent thoughts bypassing his normal hot temper. "Not now, Dom."
The bigger guy stopped in surprise, letting him go back to his room.
"He really had no clue, did he?" Leon commented, watching the door where his friend had disappeared.
Vince went through the motions, showering and brushing his teeth before pulling on a pair of boxers and sitting on the edge of his bed. He stared at the album where it sat so innocuously on the top of his dresser. Tugging it forward, he flipped it open to the first page.
A tiny little scrunched up face, peering out from a pink blanket.
A picture of Rae, her hair stuck to her face with sweat, staring down lovingly at the same little face.
His daughter.
The Team were at the café by the time Rae arrived, having been hijacked by her brother for a screaming match. She'd won, barely. Because he'd finally been forced to admit that having a dead father wouldn't suit Ella's best interests.
Her temper was still on edge, and the questions she knew were waiting didn't help things either. Bella squirmed in her arms and ran straight over to them as Rae set her down, oblivious to the tension in the room.
She noticed Vince was sitting slightly apart from the rest of them, and she was willing to bet he'd left it all to her to explain. Gee, thanks. Rae's short temper made her fight-or-flight instincts kick in.
"Okay, fine. Vince and I slept together on my eighteenth. I lied. I ran away, found out I was pregnant, and kept on running. He didn't know. No-one did, 'till Brian guessed," she declared, ignoring the looks the other customers were giving her.
Vince's eyes shifted to the ex-cop and Rae realized he's missed that little tidbit, although the others didn't seem surprised.
"That's it. Any questions, or can we move on?" she asked, shooting them all a glare.
"Yeah, I have one," Letty said after a pause. "Seriously? Vince?" Rae's cousin asked, scrunching up her nose.
Vince finally spoke up, giving an indignant, "Hey!" as Rae replied.
"Yes, seriously. What are you looking at?" she snapped, turning her glare on the few gaping customers. They quickly turned back to their meals, and Rae grabbed a seat between Jesse's wheelchair and Vince's seat. "So how're you doing, Jess?" she asked.
There were a few nervous coughs as the others turn back to their previous activities.
"Good," he replied. "Confused, but good," he grinned, his fingers tapping restlessly on the arm rest.
She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "S'okay Jesse, we're all a little confused."
