Thanks to:

Rue Dawn - We get some Mickey vs. Lauren action here. Leon's thoughts will be coming up soon ;)

Mrz Letty Ortiz-Toretto- Just 5 days now! :)

Xsparklesthemagicalunicornx- haha I'm glad you hate Lauren! :D I tried to make her absolutely horrible!

For those of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter! :)

FIVE days until FAST FIVE! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Mickey, Alex, and Lauren

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 41: Losing It

By: LoveInk

Michaela heard Leon's engine pull into the engine and froze, a grimace on her face. She glanced over at Alex who looked equally pained to learn that Lauren was back. Vince chuckled at the exchange, shaking his head at them. "Play nice, girls," he said, grinning to let them know he wasn't serious.

Mia sighed as she pulled the lasagna out of the oven. "You two had better. She's a guest."

"Oh, she's not staying here," Alex stated flippantly. "No way."

"Lex, where else is she going to stay?" Mia asked.

She shrugged in response. "A hotel, maybe? You know, like normal people."

"She can sleep on the futon," Mia suggested. "I feel like that's punishment enough."

Michaela shook her head. "No, she can't! Why can't she go to a hotel, Mia?"

"Looking to get rid of me so soon, Michaela?" Lauren asked as she sauntered into the room. "Some things never change."

Sucking in a deep breath, Michaela manage to plaster a smile onto her face. "Hello, Lauren," she said through clenched teeth. "So nice to see you again."

Lauren just smirked in response. She sat down at the table next to Vince and grinned at him. He nodded in greeting but didn't smile back. "That's my fiancée's seat," he said curtly. He didn't want Lauren sitting anywhere near him. If memory served him correctly, the last time she'd visited them, she'd tried to play footsie with him under the table, her foot sliding up his leg to a place where he hadn't wanted it. If she tried again, he'd have to break her foot.

With a roll of her eyes, she stood from the seat. "Where do I sit then?"

Leon heard both Alex and Michaela mumble rude responses to each other before giggling. He looked at Lauren who hadn't heard a thing. "Just sit, Lo."

Lauren took the seat next to him. It was a seat that was usually empty anyway since Michaela sat on his other side. She played with the ends of her blonde hair, picking at split ends while the other girls set the table around her. "So, Michaela, I hear you're Vince's sister," she said, not looking up from her hair. "That worked out oddly well for you."

Michaela walked up behind Leon and draped her arms over his shoulders, her hands on his chest before pressing a kiss to his temple. "Mm-hmm. I guess we're just meant to be."

"Whatever," Lauren shot back, a disgusted look on her face. "I'm surprised you took her back, Leo. He was so devastated the last time I saw him, Michaela. Don't worry; I did my best to make him feel better."

Before Michaela could slap Lauren, Leon grabbed onto her wrists, holding them still in the position they'd been in. She struggled against him for a second, but calmed down when he pulled her closer to him so he could kiss her cheek.

"I bet you did," Alex murmured under her breath as she sat down next to Vince. He grinned at her and squeezed her leg under the table.

"What have you been up to, Lauren?" Mia asked, taking her seat. "It's been awhile since we've seen you last. Do you have a job or something?"

Lauren shrugged a shoulder and sighed. "I'm in retail."

"Sounds important," Michaela mocked, reaching to grab the first piece of lasagna. No one stopped her to say Grace. That was Dom's tradition, not theirs.

"I bet it's a better job than being some stripper."

Leon almost choked on his bite of lasagna. "Lauren!"

"What? That's what you are, isn't it?" she questioned, looking at Michaela with an innocent expression.

"I think the term burlesque dancer is more appropriate," Alex corrected for Michaela.

Michaela gave her a grateful look and nodded. "I didn't take my clothes off. Besides, now I'm a dance teacher."

"Oh, I worry for the kids in your classes," Lauren commented on a sigh.

"Would you two cut it out?" Leon asked, fed up with their crude remarks. "Can we talk about something normal for a change? Alex is fuckin' pregnant, let's talk about that!"

Mia laughed at Leon's outburst. He was usually so calm and collected, it was clear these girls really got under his skin. "Have you decided on names yet?"

"Uh…we just found out, Mi," Vince said slowly.

"You don't have any names in mind?" she asked looking at Alex.

Alex shrugged a shoulder. "Vince likes Maxima, but I'm more partial to Wrangler."

"That's badass," Vince commented as if he was taking the name seriously.

"I thought so."

"Ha-ha, very funny. I forgot, you're not normal," Mia murmured with a roll of her eyes. "Don't you have sisters? Didn't you play with baby dolls? You must have some sort of idea!"

"Nope."

"Mi, we don't even know what we're having," Vince said on a sigh.

"Do you want it to be a surprise?" Lauren asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alex and Vince exchanged glances. Neither of them had brought it up. "Um, we haven't really talked about it yet…my first doctor's appointment is in a few days and even then, you can't tell for awhile."

"Twenty weeks," Lauren answered easily. "Let me see your hands."

Alex awkwardly held her hands over the table, palm up. "What?"

"Old wives tale says you're having a girl."

Michaela scoffed. "Who believes that crap?"

"I do," Mia and Lauren said at the same time.

"Can you imagine a little girl? Oh my gosh, she'll be so cute!" Mia gushed, already excited about it.

While Mia and Lauren gushed about baby girls, Michaela and Alex made faces at each other across the table while Vince tried to contain his laughter. Leon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He considered it quite an accomplishment that Michaela had yet to smack Lauren. The last time they'd been together, it'd taken her all of five minutes before she slapped her.

Once they were done with dinner, Lauren went to take a nap in Mia's bed while everyone else started cleaning up. Alex and Michaela were standing at the sink washing the dishes and whispering to each other, no doubt about Lauren. Leon approached them, leaning his back against the counter space next to Alex. She looked at him with a smirk. "Am I in trouble?"

He nodded slowly. "Sabía que ella iba a actuar así, pero tú? No lo esperaba. Supone que ibas a ser por lo menos más amable con ella." (I know she would act like that, but you? I didn't expect that. I thought you'd at least be nicer to her.)

Alex rolled her eyes at him before letting out a long sigh. "Ella lo empezo. Trate de ser amable pero ella quiere dormir con mi hombre. Eso es inaceptable. Lo siento." (She started it. I tried to be nice but she wants to sleep with my man. That's unacceptable. Sorry.)

Leon frowned and nodded. She had a point, Lauren had admitted to him that she wanted to sleep with Vince. "Fair enough."

"I have got to learn Spanish," Michaela muttered as she dried off the plate Alex handed her. "It's really unfair when you do that."

Michaela was in hell. She was convinced of it. Every day it was something new with that idiot blonde! She'd found her in her bed the night before wearing some sexy lingerie and waiting for Leon. Too bad she'd gotten there first. Michaela had used every single ounce of her self-restraint not to kick her ass right then and there. She was getting better at the whole self-control thing. She got back at Lauren in other ways. Flushing the toilet while she was in the shower, putting baby powder in her hair dryer, salt in the sugar bowl…all small triumphs that she'd easily gotten away with.

Ironically, the only place that was safe was Jesse's hospital room. Lauren hadn't gone in there since the first day she was in LA. "Hey J-Man," she greeted sitting on the edge of his bed. "When you gonna wake up buddy?"

As usual, he didn't respond. Michaela let out a long sigh and flipped on the television. She hadn't been watching long when she smelled that distinct, overpoweringly sweet perfume. She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, did the bottle break on you?" she questioned, turning to look a Lauren. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my brother, duh," Lauren said with a sneer. At Michaela's look of disbelief, she shrugged a shoulder. "Lee's with Vince down in PT since Preggo had to work."

"Figured," Michaela mumbled in response.

Lauren walked up to Jesse's bed. "So when are they taking him off these machines?"

"Um when he wakes up," she answered, looking up at Lauren warily.

"You mean if he wakes up," Lauren corrected, her manicured finger trailing up and down her brother's arm. "Poor Jess."

Michaela tried hard not to jump to conclusions, but the way Lauren was talking made it seem as though she didn't want Jesse to wake up. She could feel anger slowly building up inside of her. "Why are you talking like that? He's all the family you have left."

"I still have Leo," Lauren said softly. "He'll always be here for me. When Jesse's gone, I'll move here. We'll see how long you two stay together then."

That's when Michaela lost it.

What'd you think? A bit of a cliffhanger...sorry ;) I swear I won't leave you hanging long! :D

Reviews are well loved and cared for so please leave me one! :)

~Love Ink