Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers:
Gingermegs - That was one of the hardest chapters to write! Maybe Dom will wake up to himself soon...I doubt it. ;) Thanks!
Rmeyer90 - Don't cry! :( Thanks for the review! :)
Sassy Ava - Don't cry! :( Vince probably should've told Dom to fuck off, but a part of him agreed with Dom...
No Name - I don't see either of them being out of character. In the first movie, Dominic is portrayed as a family man who does not want to go to jail and also wants to protect his family. He wants to protect the ones he loves so much so that in Fast & Furious he leaves the love of his life, Letty. Alex is a girl he doesn't really care about or trust. He doesn't see/ chooses not to acknowledge just how much Vince cares for her. And Vince is loyal. We see that in the movie when Dom treats him like crap and yet, he still goes through with the heists. Dom isn't really bossing Vince around; he's putting ideas into his head. Vince doesn't do it because Dom told him to, he does it because he thinks it's the right thing to do to protect his family.
As for Alex, she's not going to be sidelined or alienated. She and Michaela run the dance studio together, she and Leon are tight, and she's close with Mia as well. They're not going to abandon her. This being said, she's is not a part of the team. And she never will be as far as I'm concerned. The team is an established entity consisting of Dominic, Letty, Vince, Jesse, and Leon. Mia's not even part of the team. (She tells Brian that "they" call themselves a team.) I'm not going to say whether or not Dom will like Alex or accept her because I haven't gotten that far. But I can tell you this, she's definitely not going to save the day. She doesn't have the power to do that.
Thank you for your review and your honesty. I hope you keep reading and I hope your opinion changes as the story goes on. If not, please let me know how I can make it better.
Sorry, just had to explain myself a little bit...Thanks for all your reviews (good and bad)! Keep them coming please! :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex
Diamond in the Rough
Chapter 8: Coping
By: LoveInk
Michaela walked into her backyard in search of her brother. It was almost time for Dom's barbeque and he was late; Vince had never been late to a barbeque in his life. She found him lying back on one of the lawn chairs, empty beer bottles strewn on the grass around him. He was asleep or passed out with a half empty bottle dangling from one hand. What happened here?, she thought, side-stepping bottles on her way over to him.
"V?" When she got no response, she wearily reached out a hand and poked his shoulder. "Vince!" she yelled, louder this time.
Vince came to with a start, blinking in the sunlight as he looked up at her with hazy eyes. "Mickey? What are you doing here?"
"I live here," she answered, looking at him like he had a third head. "What are you doing here? Dinner's almost ready."
He sat up and the world spun around him. Shaking his head, he lay back down. "Fuck it. I'm not hungry."
Michaela's jaw actually dropped this time. She'd never heard her brother say those words. "What is going on here? Not only are you drunk off your ass, but you're not hungry. Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"
"I'm fine," he slurred, running his hands through his hair. "I'm really okay. Just great."
"Did you call Alex? She hasn't shown up either and she's never late."
Vince winced at her name as though it caused him physical pain. "Fuck."
She took in her brother's reaction and the wheels in her head started turning. "What did you do, Vince?"
"Nothing."
"Bull shit," she accused, her voice getting loud with anger. "What did you do, Vincent?" she pushed again.
"I broke up with her, all right?" he roared back. "We're done," he uttered more quietly this time.
"Why the hell would you do a thing like that?"
"Because I'm not good enough for her," he answered his voice soft and pain ridden. It wasn't the exact reason, but it was something he'd been thinking about for awhile now. Plus, telling Michaela that he broke up with Alex because of the heists was sure to piss her off even more. "Because a criminal like me doesn't deserve her!"
Where did an idea like that come from, Michaela thought. "A criminal…"
Vince interrupted her, "I'll find someone else."
"Will you?"
"Who cares?"
Michaela scoffed. "I care! Vince, I want you to be happy!"
"I am happy," he said, his face completely miserable. "This was my choice and it's for the best," he muttered stubbornly. She wondered if he was telling her or telling himself.
"Wow, you're stupid!" growled Michaela, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration.
He nodded. "I know," Vince agreed, his voice sounding broken. She had been angry with him before, but something in his tone broke Michaela's heart in two. He stood up, his shoulders slumping forward as he headed inside. "Tell Dominic I'm not coming tonight."
Michaela watched him leave, her mind completely confused. There were so many things wrong with this situation. She headed across the street and to the backyard where Mia was setting the table and Dom was dousing the chicken in barbeque sauce. "My brother isn't hungry," she announced, sitting down at the table.
The fork Mia was holding fell out of her hand. "I'm sorry, what?" she questioned, her eyes wide in shock.
"Yeah, he's not hungry and he broke up with Alex," Michaela rattled on. She looked at Leon who had already pushed back from the table, a worried look on his face. "Go," she urged him. "Fisher is in New York. She needs you."
Leon nodded as he stood. "Thanks Princess," he said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before darting to his car.
Michaela watched him leave before turning back to Dom. "He also told me to tell Dominic that he wasn't coming to dinner tonight."
Mia looked to Dom whose jaw was clenched in anger, his shoulders tight; he hated it when people skipped out on his dinner. He shook his head briefly before going back to the barbeque. "What's that supposed to mean, Dom?" she asked suspiciously.
"That he's not coming to dinner tonight," Dom shot back as though it was obvious.
"Hmm," Mia drew out. She handed off the remaining silverware to Michaela. "Finish this. I'm going to talk to your brother."
Michaela eyed her wearily. "Mia, he's not really in the mood…"
But Mia was already halfway down the driveway and heading towards the house across the street fast. She rang the doorbell, for once being considerate about his privacy.
Vince opened the door a crack looking miserable. "Look, Mi, if you're gonna yell…"
"I'm not going to yell at you, V," Mia said calmly. "I wanted to see if you were all right and ask you something."
Sighing, Vince let her inside. He sat down awkwardly on the couch and gestured to the loveseat adjacent. "Ask away."
"Since when do you listen to Dom?" she asked.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, how did she know that? "What?"
Mia hadn't known for sure that Dom was behind the break up, but Vince's surprised reaction assured her. "Oh please, don't tell me you broke up with Alex because you honestly think it's the best thing for her. You're not that dumb, V!" Mia explained with a roll of her eyes. "But Dom is that selfish. I bet he told you to break up with her, didn't he? To keep the FBI from sniffing around? Was that his reasoning?"
"Something like that," he muttered. "I only did it because he's got a point, Mi. Think about it. She could easily rat us out and then we'd all be done for."
"You really think she'd do that to you?" Mia asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. "I mean, maybe to Dom but to you?"
Vince shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Did you ever think of just not telling her?" Mia exclaimed. He gave her a look that clearly said he couldn't keep something like the truck heists a secret from Alex. "Okay, so tell her something bad is going on and you can't tell her, but that you want to be with her regardless. She'll be okay with it as long as she has you."
"You don't think she'll find out?" Vince shot back at her. "She's not an idiot, Mia!"
"Vince, this the girl you love!" she exclaimed, standing up to emphasize her point. He gave her a heated glare which she waved off. "Don't you deny it, Vincent Catella! You have fallen for her and fallen for her hard. Ever since the moment I saw the way you two look at each other, I've noticed you've been falling. And it's been amazing! She makes you tolerable even on your worst, grumpiest days! And you, you make her have fun! You give her a confidence she never had with Eddie! You two freaking complete each other!"
Vince snorted and shook his head. "You watch too many romantic movies, Mia. She's just a girl."
Mia sighed, frustration bubbling up inside her. "If you seriously think that; you're a hell of a lot dumber than I thought you were."
Leon rang the doorbell of Alex's house and waited. He had the key, but he knew better than to burst inside; if she didn't want to talk, she'd be pissed. She opened the door quickly, her eyes hopeful. When she saw it was him, her shoulders slumped sadly. "Hi," she said sniffling while wiping at her eyes. They were red, a clear indication that she'd be crying.
"You okay?" he asked, stepping inside.
She wiped her nose with a tissue and shrugged a shoulder. "I'm fine," she lied, trying for a smile. A tear slipped down her face and she quickly swiped it away. She headed to the couch and sat down. "Sort of."
"Aww, Shorty," he murmured, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm tightly around her shoulders. Her shoulders shook as she buried her face into his chest. "What happened?"
"I don't know," she sobbed, her voice muffled by his jersey. She hated crying in front of people and usually only did it front of Fisher, but Fish wasn't around so Leon would have to do. "He said it was for the best. What the hell does that mean?" she asked, pulling away and looking up at him with tear stained cheeks.
Leon sighed, swiping away her tears with his thumb. He had no idea what Vince meant by that. Sure, V had never thought he deserved Alex, but he never said anything about leaving her because of it. "I don't know," he said with a frown.
She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. "I told him I loved him, Lee," she admitted, fresh tears falling down her cheeks. "It didn't change anything."
"Did you tell him because it's true or because you wanted him to stay, Lex?" Leon questioned boldly. Alex let out a small gasp before shrugging a shoulder. When her eyes met his, he had his answer; she really did love Vince. "It's all right, baby girl."
"I'm an idiot. I knew he was like this, Lee. I knew he wasn't going to stay with me. I was warned about his past, but a part of me hoped…hoped he'd still pick me."
Leon sighed, he thought Vince would pick her too. "You guys were fine yesterday right?"
She pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded. "Yeah. We went to the beach and just talked and laughed and..." She gasped for air as though the memory physically hurt her.
"There's was nothing weird?"
"He asked about my family," she said softly. "If I helped any of my brother-in-laws with their jobs. But that's not weird. Vince is the king of random questions."
Leon saw the connection then. Alex didn't know about the upcoming heists, but he sure as hell did. If Vince was asking about her FBI brother-in-law, Leon was almost positive the break-up had to do with Dominic and his usual paranoia. He knew Dom didn't like or trust Alex. He'd been thinking of ways to kick her out of their lives for awhile now, and it seemed he had finally succeeded. Whatever idea he put into Vince's head at been a good enough to make him do this. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said pulling her in close and kissing her temple. "I don't know else what to say. I'm not good at this shit."
She let out a light laugh, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. "You did fine," she said giving him a small smile. "I just needed someone to listen."
"You going to be okay?"
Alex let out a long breath. "Sure. I'll be fine. I just need a long, hot shower. Feel free to leave or watch TV or something," she said gesturing to the TV.
She headed into her bathroom and pulled off her clothes. Standing in front of the mirror in only her bra and panties, she did a quick study of herself, picking out every flaw she could find. Maybe she was too curvy, her tattoo too tacky, maybe he didn't like her hairstyle; she never did anything special with it. Her hand gently swooped her hair up into a mock bun. She looked fancier. Sort of. Maybe he'd like it. Her eyes stopped on a dark mark on her neck.
Letting her hair fall back down, she gently fingered the fading mark. She'd gotten mad at him for that one. More than one of her students and their parents had noticed it. "Stupid," she muttered under her breath as more tears filled her eyes. She wasn't sure if she was calling him stupid or her own reflection.
Before those tears fell, Alex turned on the shower and got in. She made it as hot as her body would tolerate and just stood there. The water lulled her into a calmer state. She scrubbed her body clean as though it would erase all traces of him, as if it would make her forget.
Leon wasn't really paying attention to the action movie he'd put on the TV. He was listening intently to hear when the shower stopped. She'd been in there for almost an hour and he was starting to worry. Finally, the water turned off and after a few minutes, she walked back into the living room wearing a simple black tank top and pair of Vince's sweatpants.
He had to admit she looked better than she did when he first got there, though she in no way looked fine. Her eyes were determined as though she was working hard not to feel anything. She gave him a smile that in no way reached her eyes. "See? I'm fine now."
He doubted that. Before he could voice his opinion, the front door swung open and Michaela barged in. "My brother is an idiot!" she announced, pushing Leon aside and wrapping her arms around the smaller girl. "I don't know what he was thinking! Are you okay?"
Alex shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah."
Leon fought the urge to roll his eyes. Seconds ago, she was sobbing and now she looked like it hadn't fazed her. He knew what she was doing, knew it because he did the same thing when he was hurt; bottled everything up and put on a brave face so no one would know how much pain he was really feeling. "Bull shit," he muttered under his breath earning himself a glare from Alex. "What? You were not fine when I got here!"
"Leon," Michaela chastised, scowling at her boyfriend.
"What?" he asked on a shrug. "It's true! When I got here, you were a mess, Lex. It's not good for you to bottle this shit up."
Alex shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not bottling anything up. I'm fine."
He opened his mouth to say something back, but Michaela intervened. "Stop," she ordered her boyfriend. "You're not helping."
Leon glared at her. "But…"
"Shush. I'll be right back," she said to Alex, grabbing him and pulling him towards the front door. Once outside, she glared right back at him. "What is wrong with you?"
"Mickey, she was sobbing five minutes ago! She is not fine!" Leon hissed at her.
"She will be! Mia and Let are coming over with some cookie dough and some tequila. She'll be fine!"
He snorted derisively. "Alcohol and salmonella, that's really healthy," he said sarcastically.
"It's better than her being depressed!"
"She's going to be depressed no matter what! This isn't something she can just get over!"
Michaela rolled her eyes at him. "Would you just leave and let the girls handle it? Please!"
Leon sighed in defeat. "Fine," he answered, heading over to his car. "Just be careful with that shit."
Michaela waved him off. "Goodbye Leon!" she shouted, smirking when he shook his head in disapproval.
Leon drove straight to Michaela and Vince's house. Throwing open the door, he stalked in. "Vince!" he shouted, anger pumping through his veins. "Where the hell are you?"
Vince stumbled into the living room from the kitchen, leaning against the wall to keep himself from falling. "What do you want?" he slurred.
"Do you have any idea what you did to her?" Leon shouted, the volume of his voice making Vince wince.
"Fuck off, Leon. It's for the best," he muttered in response, rubbing at his temples.
He didn't notice Leon stalking towards him and it wasn't until he got a punch to the face that Vince realized how truly pissed Leon was. Instinctively, Vince swung back, catching Leon right in the jaw with his mean left hook.
And that was how Michaela found them; beating the crap out of each other on the floor of her house. "Stop it!" she screamed, grabbing at whoever's shirt was closest. Luckily it was Leon's and she managed to hull him off before any more damage could be done. "Are you crazy?" she asked Leon, sneaking glances at her brother.
Strangely enough, Vince wasn't at all riled up and ready to get back into it like he usually was. He was calmly sitting with his back against the wall, testing his fat lip with his finger. It was Leon who needed to be calmed down. "He made her cry!" Leon seethed in his defense. "I warned him about hurting her!"
"Fair enough," Michaela breathed, studying his bruised face. It seemed Vince hadn't gotten him too badly, though the skin around one eye was slowly starting to blacken. She gently brushed her thumb over the purpling skin on his jaw and he hissed in pain. "Did he get you in the ribs at all?"
Leon shrugged a shoulder. Yeah, Vince had gotten him once or twice in the ribs, but it wasn't anything he was worried about. "I'm fine."
She glanced at her brother who had a fat lip and a dark bruise on his cheek. He was absentmindedly rubbing at his side. Michaela wouldn't be surprised if Leon had cracked a rib. "How hard did you hit him?"
"As hard as I fucking could," Leon replied honestly.
Michaela pinched his arm as she glared up at him. "You're such an ass."
"Hey, if I did the same thing to you, you think he'd go easy on me?"
She nodded, he had a point. "Fine. Just go. Put some ice on the bruise and on your knuckles. Let me clean him up." She waited for him to close the door behind him before turning to Vince.
"He's got a nasty right hook," Vince said, his tongue darting out over his split lip.
"I can tell," she said on her way to the kitchen. She got some ice and wrapped it in a dish towel before heading back over to him. "He came out of it relatively unscathed," she stated, handing him the ice as she sat down next to him. "You went easy on him."
"Did not," he denied.
Michaela rolled her eyes. "Please, V. I've seen you fight before. You've got fists like cinderblocks and almost always shoot for the ribs. The fact that Lee can breathe without wincing shows that you clearly did not have your heart in that fight."
She was right. When Leon started throwing fists, he just hit him back half-heartedly more to defend himself than to inflict pain on Leon. He looked down at his hands, extending his fingers out to get a better look at his hand; his knuckles weren't even that badly bruised. "I deserved it," he muttered sadly.
Thoughts? Questions? Comments?
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~Love Ink