Thanks to my amazing reviewers: Rmeyer90, Sassy Ava, xxxlil-miss-mercerxxx, lover of many things804, and sweetist of sin. All your reviews make my long, hard school day so much better! :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter...I'm slowing things down a little bit ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey and Alex

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 9: Missing You

By: LoveInk

As the days passed by, Michaela watched her brother fold in on himself. Gone were his smiles and his teasing attitude. Suddenly surly Vince took his place, all scowls and grunts. It was rare she could get more than a three word response from him. He didn't eat, well at least not as much as he used to, and when they went to the races, he'd stand there, arms folded over his chest, a scowl on his face. No one dared to go near him, not even the skanks.

She had an idea, something to lighten his mood. With a small smile she skipped into Dominic's office. "Hey Baldy," she said sitting in the chair adjacent from him.

"Mickey," he replied, not bothering to look up from whatever paper work he was studying. "What do you need?"

"I think a beach day is in order," she stated simply.

This caught his attention; he looked up at her, an eyebrow raised. "Really?" he said his voice flat.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. We've all been so caught up in work and the heists and shit, we need a day to unwind."

"There's a lot of work to be done here, Mickey. We can't just blow it off and go to the beach," Dom answered, going back to his papers.

"Oh c'mon, Dom! Everyone is stressed to the max! Jesse smokes a pack and a half a day, Letty's always pissed, Lee comes home with huge knots in his back, and Vince won't talk to anyone! They need a break, this place is suffocating!"

Dom sighed. She was right. The whole team was on edge, ready to snap at any given moment. "All right. Go ahead and round them up. I'll call Mia and tell her to close early."

"Yes!" Michaela exclaimed triumphantly. "Thank you Dom!" She left the office, slamming the door behind her. "I have an announcement!" she shouted loud enough so everyone in the garage could hear.

One by one the team member stopped what they were doing, save for Vince who remained under his car. When she was sure all eyes were on her, she grinned. "Drop what you're doing; we're going to the beach!"

The hoots and hollers that were heard in response were deafening. Leon ran to her, sweeping her up in his arms and spinning her around. The only person not excited was Vince. He stayed under his car, no doubt listening to music as loud as humanly possible to drown out everything and everyone.

Michaela walked over to the car, hooking her foot under the creeper and using all her strength to pull him out from under it. He glowered up at her, pulling an earphone bud out of one of his ears. "What?" he growled.

"We're going to the beach," she stated, gritting her teeth to keep from getting angry at him.

"Good for you," he retorted, starting to slide back under but she stopped him.

"You're coming too."

He shook his head at her. "No thanks."

"It's not negotiable," she said stubbornly before sighing. "Please? Just for a little, you don't have to stay long. Just come and relax. That's it. For me."

"Why?"

Michaela shrugged. "I just want you there, bro. Please?"

Vince groaned as he got up from out the car. "Fine, but I'm driving."

Instead of riding with Leon, Michaela chose to ride with her brother, knowing if she didn't, he might not show up. She knew he wasn't going to stay long, but it was nice to just be with him. The car was awkwardly quiet as Vince drove to the beach. She let out a frustrated sigh. In the past, car rides with her brother had been filled with laughter, talking, and music. Now it was just silent. "Okay, chatty Kathy," she said trying to make it less awkward. "Let's put on some tunes." She leant forward and flicked on the radio, tuning it to a mellow oldies station.

The first notes of 'Tiny Dancer' came on and Michaela watched as Vince winced, his jaw clenching tightly as though the song caused him physical pain. "This was Mom's favorite song, wasn't it?" Michaela asked, wondering if that was the reason for his strong reaction.

"One of them." His knuckles turned white as he gripped the wheel tighter. "Just turn it off," he mumbled, leaning forward to click it off.

"No," Michaela said, swatting his hand away. "I like it, it reminds me of Mom."

She saw him shake his head, but he didn't go into it. As the song went on, she watched as his shoulders slumped sadly. What was going on with him? She'd heard him listen to this song a million times before with Alex. Oh, that's why, she thought grimacing as the reason came to light. A memory flashed through her mind. One morning, a just few weeks earlier, she'd wandered down the stairs to find Alex pirouetting around the kitchen as she fixed a bowl of cereal for Vince. He was chuckling as he watched her, his blue eyes glittering with happiness. "C'mere, tiny dancer," he'd murmured just before pulling her in for a kiss.

She reached forward and shut it off feeling mean for putting him through such torture. "Tiny didn't just refer to her height, did it?"

He cleared his throat and shook his head. She could hear the pain in his voice when he uttered his one syllable response, "No."

She slid down in her seat, feeling about three feet tall. From her new angle, she could see a set of footprints on his windshield. Michaela raised an eyebrow; Vince wasn't the cleanest of guys, but his car was usually pristine. "You have footprints on your windshield," she pointed out.

Vince glanced at them briefly before nodding. "I know."

"Whose are they?"

"Hers," he answered quietly. He couldn't count how many times Alex had kicked her bare feet up onto the dash after one of their trips to the beach. He'd always wipe them off the footprints the next day and tease her about her dirty feet, but he never told her to stop. He loved seeing her tanned legs stretched out, a light coat of sand covering the smooth tan skin. They'd get something good to go and sit and eat, talking for hours while the sun set all from the safety and of his car. He couldn't bring himself to wipe them off this time. It was one of the few traces of her he had left in his life.

Michaela winced, strike two. Her gaze fell to the floor. She wasn't surprised when she found sand in between the grooves of the mat, yet another trace of Alex. "You miss her, don't you?"

He shrugged. "She's just a girl, Mickey," he answered, his voice flat.

"You keep saying that. She's just a girl. What does that even mean?"

He sighed. "It means that there are plenty of more fish in the sea."

She studied his face before shaking her head at him. "You don't believe that."

Vince shrugged again, his foot pressing down on the accelerator. It was a sign that Michaela had struck a nerve. The velocity he was going at would be enough to make anyone feel uneasy, but Vince was comfortable with it. Strangely enough, it made him feel safe because it was something he could control. One of the only things he could control.

"She's not going to wait for you forever," Michaela stated. "I mean, she will wait because she loves you, but Eddie is chomping at the bit to get back in her pants."

"Stay out of it," he ground out through clenched teeth as he tried his best to be patient with his sister.

She didn't heed his warning, instead, she kept pushing. "Vince, if you can't see that you're in love with her…"

"I said leave it, Michaela!" he yelled, his loud voice ricocheting off the walls of his car.

Michaela looked at him in shock. He hadn't yelled at her like that since she'd been in high school. "She misses you too, you know," she said softly. "She won't admit it, but I can tell."

Her words made him feel better, though he didn't show it. He grunted in response and shrugged a shoulder. "She'll get over it and move on," he said miserably as he pulled into the parking lot.

"I doubt that. Just think about it, V. She'll take you back," she advised as she got out of the car. She approached Leon slowly, a sad smile on her face.

The rest of the team including Vince were already on their way to the beach leaving just Leon and Michaela behind. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss into her temple. "Why the sad face, baby?"

She looked towards where her brother was making his way to the beach, slower than the rest of them as though avoiding all contact. "He's hurting, Lee," she said, her voice soft and sad. "I don't know how to fix it."

"There's nothing you can do about it, Princess," he answered with a scowl. He was not Vince's biggest fan at the moment. "He did that to himself."

Vince grabbed a six pack of Coronas for himself and wandered closer to the water. He found a place atop a sand dune and sat down, setting the beers beside him. He didn't want to play ball with the boys or tan and chat with the girls; he wanted to be alone. His eyes searched the waves studying the surfers one by one searching for her. It was her favorite kind of day. Clear skies, nice surf, good weather. She should be there.

And she was. She was sitting by herself, too far out to catch any of the big waves or get in the way of other surfers. She was just floating, contemplating the horizon it seemed like. Her dark hair was down, a clear sign she wasn't serious about surfing that day; she was just there to think.

Opening the first beer, Vince decided to play a drinking game by himself. A sip if she caught a wave, a sip if she fell, a sip if she missed a wave…the game quickly progressed into something deeper, something more painful. A sip every time he thought of her smile, a sip when he thought of her hair, her laugh, the way she looked lying next to him, the way she felt in his arms. Two hours went by and four empty bottles sat next to him. He finished off his fifth bottle just as Alex caught a wave into the shore. Vince studied her as she hit the sand, noting the slight slump in her shoulders as she walked. Gone was her happy gait, the swing of her hips, her easy smile.

Alex knew he was there. She could see his scruffy face from miles away. She stayed out longer than she wanted to in hopes that he would disappear. He hadn't, and she was running late for her lunch with Fisher and Ronnie. She picked up her surfboard and headed in his direction, determined to walk right by him without paying him any attention.

When she got near him, however, he nodded to her. "Hey," he called out to her his voice rough.

Though she desperately wanted to ignore him, she found herself responding on auto-pilot. "Hi," she replied slowly.

"Saw you surfin' out there," he commented, slurring his words a little. "You look good."

She let out a long breath while raking a hand through her wet hair. Her eyes fell on the empty bottles next to him. "Are you drunk?"

His eyes followed the path a stray drop of water made down her neck, over her clavicle, and into the valley of her chest. "No."

She doubted that. "What are you doing here, Vince?" she asked suspiciously.

He shrugged in response. "Nothin'."

"You shouldn't be here like this. It's not safe."

Vince shrugged a shoulder again. "Sorry, I didn't know you owned the beach," he mumbled, getting up off the ground. He swayed a little on the spot but caught himself before he could fall. His eyes left her face for a second and focused on someone behind her. "Him? You're here with him?"

Alex turned to find Carter heading past them to his car. They'd met there, but only because she didn't like surfing alone. There was nothing between them. In fact, Carter was happily engaged. Even if he was an option, she was in no state to start seeing other people. "We're just surfing, Vince."

"Like hell you are," he muttered back.

He took a few steps in Carter's direction and Alex put a hand to his chest to stop him. She was glad Carter was already halfway to the parking lot and hadn't noticed their conversation, otherwise there was a possibility a fight would break out. "Stop that!" she shouted up at him angrily. "Even if there was something going on, you have no right be angry! You let me go!"

"I didn't think you'd run straight to him," Vince growled, getting in her face.

For the first time ever, Alex felt afraid of him. His size had never intimidated her before, but when he was looming over her with that angry, drunk look in his eyes; it was hard not to be a little frightened. She took a step back and swallowed hard. "Look, I just came here to surf, Vince. I didn't want to do it alone."

Leon was out of his chair as soon as he saw Vince take another step toward her. He ran towards them, stepping in between them nonchalantly. "Lex! How's it going?" he asked, hugging her gently. When he pulled away, he saw the fear in her eyes and his heart dropped. Vince was royally screwing up whatever chance he had at winning her back.

"Hey Lee," she said giving him a squeeze to let him know she was okay.

"V, Dom wants you," Leon lied, nodding his head to the team's spot.

Vince shrugged a shoulder. "Who gives a fuck what he wants?" he spat with a sneer.

Alex's eyes widened in shock; since when had Vince not listened to Dom? Leon looked just as surprised. "Would you just go?" he asked him, sending a glare his way.

"Fuck, Lee. 'M not gonna hurt her," Vince defended, scowling. "Do you think I'm gonna hurt you?" he asked, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at Alex.

She hardened herself against his beautiful blue eyes as she shook her head. "No," she answered. Leon glanced at Alex, studying her face. He knew she wasn't afraid of Vince that the fear had passed, but her eyes still had that wounded look to them. It was clear she wanted to get away from him, far away. She cleared her throat, fidgeting with the surfboard under her arm. "I'm gonna go. I told Fish I'd have lunch with him. See you around, Vince," she murmured, pushing past him, making sure to hit him with the back of her surfboard.

Vince turned to watch her leave, rubbing idly at the spot where the fins of her surfboard had grazed his leg. Muttering a curse word, he sat back down and opened his last beer. Leon shook his head at his friend before chasing after Alex. He caught up to her easily enough. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, falling into step beside her.

"I'm fine," she answered softly. She swiped a tear from her cheek and shrugged a shoulder. "I can't avoid him forever, right?"

Leon nodded, taking the surfboard from her and carrying it up to the parking lot. "What'd he say to you? Cause if he said something stupid, I'll kick his ass."

"No, he just commented on my surfing. He's trashed, Lee. I've never seen him so…drunk. Has he been doing that a lot?"

"That's all he's been doing lately, Lex," he admitted with a frown. "If we're lucky, he'll show up to work or to dinner, but he mostly just drinks and scowls."

Alex's brows furrowed in concern. "That's not healthy. Please tell me he doesn't drive like that!"

Leon shrugged a shoulder. "I won't tell you then."

"Leon!" she gasped, her eyes wide. "Why do you guys let him do that? He's going to kill himself one day!"

"No one can tell him no, Lex. Not without getting a punch to the face."

"What about the girls? He wouldn't hit them."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Mia's not speaking to him, Letty's given up trying, and Michaela…she just doesn't know what to do. He won't listen to them, Lex. It doesn't matter any way; he's not your problem anymore."

Alex scowled at him as they approached a truck that was painted a garish orange color. "I know, I just…I can't stop caring, Lee. I can't just turn it off like that."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," he said on a sigh. He'd had a similar experience when Michaela had broken up with him a few years before. "You just gotta…forget. It won't be easy, but it's something you need to do."

She nodded slowly, taking her surfboard from him and sliding it into the trunk bed. She hopped up into the bed, strapped it down, and jumped back down gracefully. "I told Fish I'd go on tour with him."

"On Eddie's tour?"

Alex nodded. "They're going on their first world tour and one of their stunt dancers broke her wrist. I was going to take her place for awhile."

His face fell slightly. Truth be told, he was going to miss her; she was the best listener of the bunch. "How long will you be gone for?" he asked.

"A few weeks. Maybe months, I'm not sure yet."

"You're not going to get back with Eddie are you?"

Alex let out a light laugh and shook her head. "No. I just…I need to get away, you know? I need to go somewhere where everything I see doesn't remind me of him."

Leon nodded his head up and down for lack of a better thing to say. "Where'd this truck come from?" he questioned, changing the subject.

"It's my friend Ron's," she said, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "The Jeep's been acting funky for a while. We took it off-roading and it just hasn't been the same. Ron says it's the suspension, but he didn't want to mess with it."

"Why didn't you just bring it by the shop? We do fix cars, you know. We're not just fuckin' around all day long," he asked, an eyebrow raised.

Her mouth formed a small 'o', a clear sign she hadn't thought about it. "I guess I could. I don't want to bother you…"

"Lex, just bring it by. I'll take a look at it. This car is awful."

"Says the man with a banana yellow car," she teased with a roll of her eyes.

He ruffled her hair gently before pulling her into a hug. "I'll see you later, Short stuff. Be good."

She gave him a tight squeeze before pulling away. "I will," she answered, a small smile on her face. The smile faded a bit as she glanced back toward the beach. "Take care of him, Lee. For me?"

Leon sighed. Michaela hadn't even asked that of him, she was too busy trying to fix it herself. He thought he'd gotten out of helping, but if Alex wanted him to look out for Vince, he'd try. He nodded. "Yeah, I'll try, but only because you asked me to."

Like it? Love it? Gotta have it? (haha Coldstone's reference, anyone?) ;)

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~LoveInk