NOTE: I changed the last chapter a bit. I initially had problems with it and couldn't figure out what it was that was bugging me, then an anonymous reviewer pointed out that it was a bit out of character and unrealistic and hit the nail right on the head! :) So I changed it a bit. You can either read the changes or if you like the original a lot, don't…I'll probably make more sense if you do! ;)
Thanks so much for the birthday wishes! :) I had an amazing day (even if I feel old now...hehe)! :D
A trillion thanks and hugs to: xsparklesthemagicalunicornx, Mrz Letty Ortiz-Toretto, Violet201, xXBXx, D274, brevan, Rue Dawn (I've been toying with the idea of writing an Essie fic actually…:]), Magenta Stone, Bidie, VincesDirtyGirl, Anonymous (Thank you for pointing out the problem! I sincerely appreciate it!), melnie, Reader (I'll try and write in Letty!), and demonpixie1 (Wow! :) Both stories in 24 hrs! Awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed them!)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Alex, Mickey, and Ronnie
Diamond in the Rough
Chapter 51: Explanations
By: LoveInk
Leon stared at the ceiling fan, watching the blades go round and round. It was 3 AM and he couldn't sleep. He was too frustrated, too angry. All he wanted to do was scream. Sighing, he got up and went to his car. He dug a hand into the glove compartment, digging around blindly until he found the smashed little box of cigarettes. He'd been a regular smoker once upon a time. It was something to do back when he was younger. He and Jess used to go through multiple packs while working on their cars in his brother-in-law's garage.
When they met Michaela, she tried her hardest to make them quit. Leon had given in, switching over to toothpicks as a replacement. Jesse stuck to his ways, insisting they calmed him down and helped his ADD. Michaela used to say his meds did the same thing, but Jesse insisted cigarettes helped more than his Adderall.
He locked up his car and sat on the front steps, taking his trusty lighter out of his pocket and lighting a cigarette as he did so. Taking one long drag, he felt an instant sort of relief. The nicotine calmed his nerves and made him feel less like punching a wall and more like saying 'fuck it' and moving on. "Lexi will kill you if she sees you doing that," a deep voice said from behind him.
Leon turned his head to find Ronnie leaning against the doorjamb, his thick arms crossed over his chest. He didn't say anything in response to Ron's statement, just blew out smoke before turning his head away to contemplate the houses across the street.
The deck creaked with Ron's weight as he took a seat next to him. "Can I steal one?" At Leon's nod, Ronnie grabbed the pack and took one out, expertly lighting it up and taking a drag. "I quit a while back, but I miss it."
Leon stayed silent. He glanced down at Ronnie's other hand and found it to be holding a bottle of Jack Daniel's Whiskey. He raised an eyebrow in silent question and Ronnie chuckled. "I figured you for a Jack man," he said handing him the bottle.
"Yeah," Leon replied awkwardly. He took a swig of the amber liquid, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat. He handed the bottle back and Ronnie did the same.
They sat there in complete silence, passing the bottle around and smoking. Ronnie seemed to understand his need for silence as well as his need to forget about it. About everything. After taking another swig, he looked over at the other guy. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Ronnie shrugged. "No worries. I've been in your shoes. I know how it goes."
Silence took over again before Leon cleared his throat. "I do love her," he clarified. He knew Ron had heard the whole exchange and had a feeling the other man might be thinking twice about their relationship. "She drives me fuckin' crazy, but I love her."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," he confirmed with a bob of his head. "And I can give in to certain things and go with the flow but this…this isn't one of those things."
He nodded in agreement. "Right because if you tell her yes and follow through you might be miserable. If you don't follow through, then you basically lied to her."
"Exactly."
"What the hell?" Alex's voice interrupted from the doorway. "Are you fuckin' kidding me?"
Leon and Ronnie's eyes widened when they turned to see a very pissed off Alex in the doorway. She was wearing pajamas consisting of Vince's clothes. Her hair was in a messy side ponytail. Her green eyes glowed bright with anger. She snatched the cigarettes out of each of their mouths, throwing them on the ground and stomping them out with her flip-flop before taking the mostly empty bottle of Jack away too.
"I'm pregnant, you morons! Secondhand smoke is not good for the baby!" she exclaimed, glaring at each one in turn.
"Could you smell that from the room? I swear I shut the window. Does pregnancy give you super smelling powers because if so, that's so unfair to guys."
Alex knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to use his sense of humor to distract her from being pissed at them. It wasn't working. "No, I didn't smell it. Leon's phone has been ringing for the past 20 minutes! I can't fuckin' take it anymore."
Leon's eyes widened. "Who is it?"
"I don't know. It's an unknown number, and I was not about to answer your phone and have you get shitty with me," she answered with a shrug. "You're in a bad mood as it is."
He gave her a glare before answering the phone and wandering back into the house leaving Alex Ronnie on the porch. She narrowed her eyes at Ronnie. "Again, Ron? Really? Would you like another collapsed lung?"
"No," he mumbled dejectedly. He stood up and went to hug her.
Alex rolled her eyes, keeping her hands at her sides instead of hugging him back. "Get off me, you reek."
"You love me."
She sighed and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I catch you smoking again and I kill you."
"Yes Mama," he said, giving her his trademark smirk.
Leon came running back, heading straight for his car. Alex panicked for a brief moment. "Lee? What happened?"
He gave her a small smile. "Jesse's awake."
Jesse waited patiently to see who would get there first. He'd asked the nice nurse to call both Michaela and Leon on their cellphones, sensing that they weren't together. He flipped through the channels, slightly bored as he waited. Leon strolled in first, looking cool as a cucumber. "Look who decided to wake up," he drawled as he approached the bed.
"I was tired," Jesse explained with a smirk. He linked hands with Leon and they did an awkward man-hug. When Leon leant in, Jesse caught a big whiff of cigarette smoke and Jack Daniels. "You smell. Why do you smell?"
"Long story, I'll explain later," he muttered as he sat in a chair. Jesse gave him a look that said he'd rather have him explain now. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "Michaela and I had a…fight."
Jesse didn't look convinced. "Just a fight?"
Leon shifted uncomfortably in his chair before clearing his throat. "We broke up, I guess."
"What the hell?"
He shrugged a shoulder. "I'll explain more later," he repeated nonchalantly.
Just then Michaela came rushing in. If she saw Leon, she didn't pay him any notice. She ran to Jesse and threw her arms around him. "Jesse," she breathed, hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much."
When she pulled away, Jesse glanced back at the chair Leon had been sitting in. It was empty. He just caught sight of his back as he walked out the door. Michaela followed his stare. "Was that…"
"Leon?" he finished for her. "Yeah. What happened?"
Michaela shrugged a shoulder, trying her best to look indifferent. "He's a fucking idiot. It's over. I do not want to talk about it."
"Over for good?"
She shrugged again. "For the foreseeable future, yes."
"Mickey…"
"Don't you dare talk me out of it, Jesse," she cut off quickly. "You just woke up and you have a lot of stuff to catch up on that isn't me and Leon. So that is a subject we're not going to touch no matter how much you want to. You want to talk about it? You call him. I'm done with him. I don't even want to think about it."
Jesse winced, he could hear the anger and frustration in her voice. "You don't think you're overreacting? Maybe a little."
"No. Of course I'm not. I'm right," she replied confidently. "What took you so long to wake up anyways? We've been waiting for weeks, Jess. You missed Vince getting sent off to jail and Lex is pregnant and that asshole's whole family is here with his adorable nephew and nieces."
"Oh Mattias and the girls are here! He finally called them! That's awesome!" Jesse exclaimed with a huge grin. "Fool's been putting that off for years! And Lex and V are having a baby! That's freakin' awesome! Is she big yet?"
Michaela smiled, happy to have moved onto other subjects. "No, not yet. She's driving us crazy with her mood swings though. One minute she's happy, the next she's sobbing on the floor."
"I bet Vince being away doesn't help much with that," Jesse mused, frowning guiltily. "How long is he in for?"
"A year. Do not mention it to Lex. She locks herself into her room and won't let anyone in every time she hears it. He's going to miss a lot of baby stuff and on top of it, he won't let her visit him."
Jesse sighed and shook his head. "What about Dom and the others?"
She looked down at her hands. No, he wouldn't know about them. He wasn't there during the heists nor was her there to see the aftermath. Taking a deep breath, she told him the whole story. "Now Dom and Let are God-knows-where. Brian's gone so Mia is focusing her attention on this baby so that she doesn't have to think about him. And you were in a coma, but now you're here and awake and alive and…God, Jess, I missed you so much."
He gave her a sad smile. "I sleep for a few weeks and everything goes to shit."
Michaela laughed before sniffling. "Yeah, Jess, it's all your fault," she teased, getting up onto the bed and leaning her head on his shoulder. "How dare you get shot and stay in a coma for a few weeks."
Jesse laughed. "Silly me, what was I thinking?"
Like it? Let me know in a review!
Next chapter will have more Alex/Vince stuff, I promise. :)
~Love Ink