A BILLION thanks to: Mrz Letty Ortiz-Toretto, xXBXx (I hope you find someone to go with you soon! :\) Trickster707, VincesDirtyGirl Rue Dawn, Vincesdirtygirl, Rue Dawn, and xsparklesthemagicalunicornx (lol I've seen Fast Five three times now. :D I probably won't see it again until the DVD is out…unless someone wants to go see it in IMAX. Hehe.) THANK YOU ALL! You guys are awesome! :D

The FastFive reference was when Leon tells Vince he's "got eyes on" the girls and the baby. :) Vince and Dom both say that to each other in FastFive so I figured it was probably something the team said to each other…especially since at the end of the first one Leon and Vince do the whole eye pointy thingy… ;)

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

Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 46: Being Strong

By: LoveInk

The next day, Alex woke up feeling sick to her stomach. She gently maneuvered her way out of the very crowded bed. It seemed that everyone in the house decided to sleep there. Leon was lying on his stomach; one arm had been thrown over her while his head rested on Michaela's chest. Mia, who had been lying on Alex's other side, was curled into a small ball. Alex was impressed to see she'd gotten out without waking any of them up. Her stomach lurched again and she ran to the bathroom, clutching the toilet as she emptied her stomach. With a grunt, she stood, rubbing at her belly. "You're killing me, smalls," she murmured to the living being inside of her.

She rinsed out her mouth before brushing her teeth. She studied herself in the mirror with a frown as she worked the toothbrush around her mouth. Her dark hair, which had been in such a neat braid the night before, was a complete mess. Fly-aways made a halo around her head. Her eyes were red from crying half the night away. She rubbed at them, hoping the red would clear, but there was no such luck. Sighing, she finished brushing her teeth and patted her hair down with some water. When that didn't work, she pulled the braid over her shoulder and carefully undid the hair-tie.

Alex paused before unweaving her hair, a lump catching in her throat. That was Vince's job. He loved undoing her braid, his thick fingers gently sliding through her soft hair, unweaving Mia's handiwork. She'd lay cuddled against his chest while they watched a movie or talked, all the while his fingers would play with her hair. Tears clouded her vision, distorting her reflection.

He should be there. There was no doubt if he was, he'd have been out of the bed the minute she moved. He was usually a deep sleeper, but for some reason, every time she moved to get out of bed, he woke up with her. Sometimes he'd try and pull her in closer, get her to stay in bed. When he knew she was leaving to surf, he'd mumble a sleepy "love you," before his eyes closed and he went back to sleep. Alex bit her lip, trying to hold in a sob. She missed him already.

Stepping into the shower, she turned the water as hot as it could go, letting it soak through her skin to calm her. She closed her eyes tightly, taking deep breaths. She could do this. She would be fine. It was just a year. Only 365 days which was 8,766 hours which meant 525,600 minutes. She'd done the math the night before as she was trying to fall asleep.

"I can do this," she repeated to herself in a low voice. Vince wouldn't want her to cry over him anymore. He'd hate that. He'd want her to be strong…and she would be for him. Her hand gently settled over her stomach. "We can do this, Grem."

The doorbell was ringing a constant beat once Alex stepped out of the shower. She quickly pulled on a pair of her dance shorts and whatever tank top she found on the ground. She didn't know if it was hers, Vince's, or Leon's, until she pulled it over her head and smelled the familiar scent of soap and something else…something that was manly and distinctly Vince. Instead of getting upset, she smiled. I can do this, she repeated to herself, determined not to cry anymore.

She padded her way to the door, standing on her toes to look through the peephole to see who it was. Smiling, she ripped open the door and was instantly swept off her feet. Ronnie's strong arms squeezed her tightly as he swung her around. "What's up, gorgeous girl?" he asked, setting her down before he kissed her cheek. "I heard you missed me?"

Alex rolled her eyes but nodded. It was true, she had missed him. "How much did Mickey tell you?"

"Not much. She just said Vince got put in jaul and that you were a mess," he answered with a shrug. "So I decided to come and fix you up." He held up a bottle of very expensive tequila. "Thought this would be a good place to start!"

She smirked, of course Ronnie would bring alcohol. "No booze for me, Ron," she said pushing the bottle out of his face before heading to the kitchen.

His face fell briefly before he chased after her. "Oh c'mon, Lexi," he begged. "This tequila costs like eighty bucks. I splurged."

Alex reached up on her toes to grab a bowl before getting some cereal. "That's great, but I can't," she insisted before putting a spoonful in her mouth.

"You're a fuckin' party pooper," he pouted, shaking his head at her.

She smirked, swallowing her cereal before she said, "I'm pregnant, you fool!"

His hazel eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw dropping. "No way."

She spooned more cereal into her mouth. She didn't know if it was the pregnancy hormones or what but Frosted Flakes had never tasted so good. "Way," she said around the mouthful.

Ronnie grabbed the bowl out of her hands, set it down on the counter next to her, and then swept her up into another bear hug. "I'm going to be a fuckin' uncle! That's freakin' amazing!" He set her down, the biggest smile on his face. "Oh, I'm going to spoil that kid rotten. How far along are you?"

"A handful of weeks. Not really sure," she said flippantly. It was true. She knew she was somewhere between five and seven weeks along but it depended on how you counted it.

"Vince knows though, right? You told him before he left? How long is he gone for anyways?"

"He knows," she said on a sigh. "He'll be gone for a year which is…awesome."

Ronnie frowned, shaking his head. "That sucks, Lexi. I'm sorry. But it's all right. I'll be your baby daddy while he's away. I'll do all the baby daddy crap with you."

She was caught between the urge to laugh and cry at how excited Ronnie was about the baby. "Baby daddy crap…" she trailed, wondering what that meant in the mind of Ronnie Romero.

"Yeah, girl. I'll rub your feet and get you pickles and ice cream at midnight. Anything you want. I'll be your man slave."

"Oh wow," Mia commented as she walked into the room. "That's quite an offer."

Ronnie's smile got even bigger at the sight of Mia. "Mia Toretto," he greeted, strutting over to her. "How are you doing, doll?" he asked as he swept her up into a hug.

Another wave of nausea hit as Alex watched her two friends talk. She tried to be smooth about leaving to the bathroom, knowing Ronnie and Mia would make a bigger deal out of it than they should. Somehow, she managed to leave without having them catch on. She practically ran through her room to the bathroom and made it just in time.

"You all right, baby girl?" Leon's sleepy voice asked.

Alex looked up at him from her place on the floor. He was rubbing at his eyes tiredly; his hair was sticking up on the side from the way he slept. "I'll be fine," she murmured, before bending over the toilet again.

His hands deftly swept the hair out of her face, holding it back for her. "Gremlin acting up?" he asked as his other hand gently rubbed her back.

Sighing, she sat down on the tile floor and nodded. "Yeah."

"You feed it after midnight?" he teased referencing the movie Gremlins for which the kid was nicknamed. He chuckled when she glared at him before he stood, extending a hand to help her up.

He watched her as she brushed her teeth. "I'm going to visit him today," she said around the toothbrush as she locked eyes with her pseudo-brother.

"That's a long ass drive, Short stuff," he replied, disapproval in his green eyes.

"I know," she quipped before rinsing her mouth out. In the back of her mind, she hoped all this tooth-brushing would somehow lead to whiter teeth and easier dentist visits. "I'll bring snacks."

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. It was always about food with Vince and Alex. Maybe that's why they made such a great couple. "You want me to go with you?"

"No," she sang, brushing past him. She began rifling through her drawers looking for the perfect outfit to wear. She settled on a simple Beatles concert tee and some jean shorts. She headed back into the bathroom to change.

"You sure, Shorty?" Leon called through the door. "I don't like the idea of you driving alone."

Alex opened the door, fully clothed and scowled at him. "I'll be fine, Lee. Relax. I've driven longer distances in the past. Plus, I won't be alone," she stated rubbing her stomach to emphasize her point.

Leon rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever you say. Just be safe."

"Will do. I'm going to introduce you to Ronnie and then go," she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the room.

Leon let her drag him down the hall and to the kitchen where both Mia and Michaela were giggling like little school girls as Ronnie talked. Leon didn't like him already. "Ron," Alex called, catching his attention. "This is Leon."

Ronnie stood and crossed the room towards them. He held out his hand for Leon to shake. "Nice to finally meet you, man," he said sincerely as they shook hands. "Lexi talks about you all the time. Thanks for being there for her when I can't be."

Leon nodded, unsure of how to react. "Yeah," he said awkwardly.

"Mickey tells me that's your Skyline outside," Ronnie stated, trying to make conversation. "It's a pretty sweet ride. Nice color."

"You like the color," Leon repeated, dumbfounded. He got compliments on the Skyline all the time, but he had never heard one about the paint job. Maybe this Ronnie guy wasn't so bad.

Alex fought the urge to giggle at their awkwardness. "You have to remember that Ron's car is that disgustingly bright orange truck I borrowed once. The boy has no taste," she explained. She slipped on her flip-flops and made her way to the door, humming happily to herself.

"Where are you going?" Mia called out to her, her dark eyes shining with curiosity.

"Prison!" she shouted turning around and walking backwards so she could address Mia.

"Good!" Ronnie yelled back. "You should go there for insulting my car like that!"

Alex's only response was the slamming of the front door behind her. Mia shook her head at the small girl. "I swear she was crying her eyes out last night. Now she's bouncing around and humming."

Ronnie shrugged a shoulder arrogantly. "I do that to people."

Thoughts? Opinions? Do you love Ronnie? Do you hate him? Is he obnoxious?

As always your thoughts/comments/criticism are much appreciated and well loved. :)

~Love Ink