Author's Note: I just wanted to say I really love the reviews guys. It makes me happy to know you're all enjoying my little shorts here!

A Milestone

The young woman sitting on the hood of the Red 69 Shelby was the picture of her mother at that age. He knew because he could remember. The same long hair, dark and curled wild down her back. She wore it longer than Letty did back then, more at ease with her wild nature and having inherited some of that self-confidence from him, no doubt.

Long bronzed legs peeking out from ripped denim shorts. Feet bare, toenails painted black. She wore an old grey tank top of Letty's and an oversized shirt from the garage. She smiled when he approached, raised her bottle of corona and took a drink.

"Hey, Dad."

"Shouldn't you be enjoying your graduation party?" he asked, his own beer held loosely in his hand. The music from the house was loud enough to drift out to them, the chatter of voices, laughter…

She smiled. "I'm enjoying it. And my moment of peace." She sighed, tilting her head back. "I have half a dozen more parties to go to this week. Seems like such a big deal for a slip of paper saying I managed to drag my ass through high school."

"Drag your ass, you did great."

"Only cause you made me do my homework and study. And Aunt Mia helped me." She laughed, folding up her legs to sit Indian style.

"So you can go to college," he reminded and she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"Community college," she said with a smile. "Right here in LA. General courses part time so I can work at the garage," she pointed at him. "You promised."

"And then?"

"And then we'll see…" she shrugged vaguely, taking a drink of her beer then grinned at him. "Come on, Dad I'm only 18. No need to plan out every bit of the rest of my life."

"I guess you're right." He smirked. "Damn, kid, when did you get so smart?"

"Oh I don't know… sometime between oil changes and tire rotations?" She slid off the car and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. He ruffled her hair and tweaked her nose when she pulled away and she laughed, heading back towards the party.

He stood for a moment, studying the Shelby in the lights from the house that washed the driveway. He remembered like it was yesterday the day they'd picked it up at an auction. It had been a rusted wreck, in need of some serious wrench time and more than one coat of paint. But they'd put that time in together, as a family. The same way he'd worked in the garage every week with his Dad as a kid. The same way Letty had tuned up the Charger when she'd wanted him to come home.

He ran a hand along the hood of the car idly, lost in his thoughts.

"It's a damn fine car," Letty's husky voice snuck up beside him, but he smiled as she ducked under his arm and reached for the beer in his hand. "She said you were still out here. What's on your mind, Papa?"

He sighed, tangling his hand in her hair and staring out into the distance. "How'd it get to be high school graduation already? Seems like just yesterday she was trying to cut kindergarten."

"Seems like… sometimes, but we've got 18 years of good memories that say otherwise." She smiled. "You just can't deal with getting old."

"That's just mean, Let."

"That's me, taking joy in your suffering. Especially because I'm younger." She smirked and then squeaked when he lifted her up by the hips and set her on the hood of the car. Her dark eyes glinted up at him, bronze skin glowing in the faint wash of light.

"I'll show you how old I am," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her slowly. She smiled against his lips, catching the lower one between her teeth as her hand inched up his back slowly.

The front door swung open and then there was a groan of disgust coming from the direction of the house that had Dom lifting his head to see his daughter standing there.

"You guys are so not making out on my car right because I could really do without that."

Letty laughed, hoping off the car and heading back to the house. "What makes you think we hadn't already?" she asked cheekily, followed by her laughing husband, past their shocked child, back into the house.

"Ah man! Gross!" she cried.

So maybe 18 wasn't all that grown up.