A/N: I appreciate everyone of you who's kind enough to review and let me know that you're still enjoying this story even though I'm the worst at updating. So sorry it always takes me so long! I love your feedback. I love that you love this story. Thank you!

As I mentioned in the earlier chapter both Dom and Letty get very emotional during this talk. I honestly wasn't sure if this was the right way to portray them but re-reading it I felt like it's still in character. If it isn't for some of you then please respect that I tried. bammbamm28 guessed that their conversation starts to get heated and the minor spoiler is that it does but not yet, haha. In the next chapter though, so brace yourselves!

Enjoy x

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Dom decided to be first in line opening up, "I never wanted to do that." Letty noticed how his breath grew sharp and pained, as though he was about to act on feelings that had lain dormant in the depths of his being. "And I hate myself for it," Dom told her. "I couldn't live with myself if I ever–"

He didn't continue, not even after what seemed like a minute, so Letty looked up to him and was shocked to see his eyes flooded with tears. He cried – silently but still. Dominic Toretto was actually allowing himself to be vulnerable; to feel it; show it. Letty couldn't stand the sight. It almost made her burst into tears herself.

She tried to recall the last time she had seen him cry. It must've been after his dad had died. So long ago. And that had been different. He had screamed in pain, furiously hitting against the wall, almost breaking every bone in his hand. Letty felt like looking at him right now was a lot harder. It was harder for her to witness him cry when she didn't hear him yell but saw him trying to gulp back his sobs. It was heartbreaking to see this big grown man look so child-like, weeping bitter tears of remorse, obviously.

"Dom, don't. Don't cry. Please," she begged in a whisper, kissing Dom's cheek, tasting the saltiness of his tears. "I'm here now," she assured him, kissing him again.

Dom stared at the ground with a clenched jaw, not wanting to cry even more. "It's okay," he answered softly, smiling through tears, and slowly turned his head to look Letty in the eyes. He could see the wet layer covering them. Well, so much for not wanting to see anymore tears, he thought. That had turned out just perfect.

Dom guided his free hand, the one that didn't hold hers, to her face, wiping away a small tear. "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look... even when you cry?" he murmured.

His words put a shy smile on Letty's lips, as she felt her cheeks blushing. Looking down at their hands, she let her fingers run over his skin. Just sitting here with him, even if they were both crying right now, made her happy. Happy, but also terrified since they hadn't even really started to talk about anything serious yet. Letty was almost sure that when this conversation was over there would be no more tears left to cry.

"And I hate to see you cry," she sighed, looking up to him again.

Dom cracked a smile when she brought her hands up and rested them on both sides of his face. Her thumbs stroke along his orbital rim, then her fingers travelled further moving from his cheekbones down to his lips where she let them stay for a while. She loved his lips; loved how they made her feel whenever they touched her.

Then suddenly Dom's mouth was upon hers, devouring her with kisses. It took her by surprise, but it didn't take long until she returned the passion with her own. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling her so close that his heartbeat felt like her own while Letty's hands moved from his face to the back of his head.

God, his kisses were like an ice-cold Corona on a hot summer's day; like bolts of lightning running through her, electrifying her body.

She knew this was wrong, as they were obviously just trying to avoid talking, but only for a moment she wanted to revel in the pleasure of feeling Dom's lips all over her. However, when he buried his face in her neck, tugging at the hem of her shirt, trying to pull it up, she couldn't give into this temptation any longer.

"No," she told him, as she grabbed his hand, gently pulling it away from her hips. "We can't– We need to... talk," she uttered, her voice quivering a little.

Letty felt Dom's hot breath caressing the skin in her neck. She heard him sigh and knew what his face would say before he even looked at her. She could still see his skin being wet from tears, his eyes that must've showed his desire, were now indicating discomfort. They both clearly felt the same way about needing to have this talk.

Dom looked at Letty, licking his lips that still tasted of her. Somehow they had never found it this difficult to talk about something. That was probably because they knew it would be the hardest conversation they ever had to go through. Maybe they would argue, or cry again. He didn't know and actually, he didn't even want to find out. But they were grown-ups, so they couldn't deal with this like teenagers, acting like their problems didn't matter that much; that love was enough. Ignoring their problems wouldn't make them go away.

Dom lowered his head, in- and exhaling deeply before he opened his mouth to speak, looking at Letty again. Brian was right; he had to tell her everything.

"I'm scared," he whispered, his voice almost breaking under the weight of his grand emotions. "I'm so scared to lose you again, I can't– Every time– Every day I wake up and I see you, I remember what it was like not seeing you... being without you and–" He stopped, as he could feel his eyes well up. As much as he wanted to say all this, he hated how it made him feel.

"Everyone knows how much I suffered from your loss, but they all think that the pain got less after I put Braga behind bars... Killed that bastard, who killed– Well, almost killed you, but... they're wrong," he declared, sighing deeply. "You know I always loved you, but I never understood how much until you've got taken away from me."

Letty listened to him closely. Seeing Dom so vulnerable, hearing him admit to being scared, touched her so intimately tears rolled down her cheeks. She couldn't help it. And it meant so much to her that Dom allowed himself to be this open about his feelings. He had always been kinda emotional, but this was different. All this time, when she had had no memory, he had pulled himself together to be of support for her. Now, he was finally falling apart.

"When I asked you to marry me, I told you that I can live without you... that I just don't want to... but it's not true. It's far from being the truth. I can't live without you... not a week, not a day, not a second. And realizing that, I just– To be honest, it doesn't help. It just makes this fear I have even bigger."

"But you're not gonna lose me again, Dom, I promise. You just can't– Just don't leave me... ever again."

"It's not just losing you I'm afraid of. It's– I hurt you so much and I wanna make up for that, but I'm scared to do it all wrong. I mean, what if I do something that will make you–"

"Leave?" she asked to which he nodded. She understood where that angst was coming from, but she had no intention to leave him and he knew that. Hell, if she had any reason to go, she had been given it already when he had left her in the DR. But she had come back to him, forgiven him. There was no way she was ever going to regret that decision. He didn't need to fear anything.

"That will never happen," she promised. "Nothing you can do will ever keep me away from you, Dom. Don't you get that by now?" Letty tried to smile, as she cupped his face.

"I don't doubt your love, Let, I'd never do, but I've put you through so much. How much more can you take? I just don't want you to feel like there's anything out there that is more important to me than you are. Whatever I do, I'm doing it for us… for you."

"I know that, Dom, okay? I know that," she made clear. "And I love how you're taking care of me, I really do. I just hate it when you think you can decide what's best for me. I'm old enough– I'm woman enough to make my own decisions, and if I wanna stay with you then you have to respect and accept that, even if it is dangerous. I don't care what you do, Dom. You can go rob a bank, if you want to. Just let me decide for myself if I wanna be a part of that. It's my life we're talking about, so I decide what's best for me." Letty paused for a second before she continued, "But my decisions will always include you... Wherever you go, I go. You ride, I ride. You fight, I fight," she smiled, "Remember?"

Of course, he did. Her wedding vows had been the most meaningful words she had ever told him. He would never forget them. He had been so wrong not to cherish them enough to stay with her; to not give her the chance to live up to those words and stick by him. It was so hard to accept the fact that he needed to live with that poor choice he had made. They had had it all and he idiot had ruined it. Now, they had to get back on track and he was the only one to be held responsible for that.

Dom gave her a silent nod and out of the blue, like someone had shot him, sunk down to rest his head on Letty's lap, his body leaning against her. He sighed like an old man with the burdens of the whole world on his shoulders, but looked like a kid that wanted to find comfort in the arms of his mother. His movement took Letty by surprise, but it was right then and there that she clearly understood how hard it was for Dom to be so open about his feelings.

Letty slowly bent forward to plant a kiss on top of his head. She caressed his skin with her lips and stroke his cheek with the back of her hand. "What else, baby? Anything else you fear? You can tell me," she said, whispering to Dom. A small smile played upon her lips. She couldn't help but find it somewhat adorable how he clung to her. What had happened to her had not only changed her, it had also changed him.

Dom put a hand on her leg, sliding his arm down its length and back up again while he closed his eyes. It felt good not being the one who held her close, but having Letty comforting him for a change. He felt like a mama's boy, but he didn't care. He had missed her touch, and after all the drama, he needed to be close to her again – while he was fully conscious this time. He was a man, who had lost his wife, fortunate enough to get her back. If there was just one thing he could do for the rest of his life it would be snuggling up to her.

"I don't wanna be overprotective over you," Dom spoke quietly, "but just the thought of not being there when you need me the most... that I might be responsible for anything bad happening to you... again... that I could've protected you from... I can't shake it off. I really want to, but I can't. It's me who got us here, though, so I guess that's my own fault."

Dom heaved another sigh. He needed to say more, but he wanted to be able to look her in the eyes when he did. Wanting to sit up, he made a move, but Letty's hand on his back kept him down and so he rested his head on her lap again. He felt Letty's breath right next to his ear, then heard her voice.

"I'm enjoying this. Please give me another minute," she said, and Dom knew that she was smiling. It made him smile too. "You don't always have to be such a tough guy," Letty reminded him like she had done so many times before when they were younger. She knew how much he wanted to be, but ultimately, he was just a big ball of cotton candy covered in strong American muscle.

"Does this look tough to you?" Dom questioned, and Letty had to giggle.

"I mean, it's okay to be scared," she explained to him. "I'm glad you told me. You should always be able to tell me these things. Don't ever feel like you have to put on a mask. I know you want to be there for people all the time, be strong for everyone, but you don't have to do that with me." It was important for him to know that. "The protection thing works both ways, you know. I may not agree with your choices, but I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe. I'm always gonna be here to catch you when you fall, Dom," she declared fondly. "I love you."

Letty leaned her upper body against him. She was pretty sure, he still had no idea how much she actually loved him. She would do anything for him. Well, anything she thought was right. If he needed her advice, then she would give him that. If he needed her to tell him he was an idiot, then she wouldn't hold back. And if he needed her to be the one to comfort him, to hold him, then she would be exactly that. He just needed to allow himself to need her, like he did now. She knew it was hard for him, it was hard for her too, but they both had to learn how to do that more often.

"And nothing bad's gonna happen to me, because I got you," Letty chose to continue speaking since Dom didn't say anything. "You don't need to worry. I'm not gonna do anything stupid."

"You mean apart from the stupid shit you've been doing your whole life?" Dom butted in.

"Yes," she laughed, "apart from that," and pinched his arm. "But look who's talking."

Dom straightened and, running his hand over his head and his face, tried to get his feelings to settle down so he could focus. His eyes still burned a little from all the tears he had shed; his emotions still running high. Looking at Letty, he started to tell her, "Seriously, Letty, that shit you pulled with Braga–" but didn't get far.

"I did that for you." Letty argued.

"Yeah, I know," he stated and his face turned dark, which Letty noticed right away.

"What?"

"After Mia called me in Panama to tell me about your murder, I was– I was okay. Well, not okay, but, you know, I wasn't– All I thought about was revenging your death, but then– When I got the box with your stuff, I called the number in your cell and when Brian's phone rang, I was– There was all this hurt and anger, so I jumped him and I fought him like– I was just so mad at him for not telling me and then he told me you were doing it for me and I– I felt like– I left. I had to get away from him... from Mia... from everything, so I got into the car and–"

"What did you do?"

He tried to smile, but all he could manage was a grimace. "I broke down and cried," he recalled. "I felt so bad for knowing you died because of me... for leaving you in the first place. I couldn't stop crying." Dom remembered how it had made him feel, and the pain was as present now as it had been that day. "I started driving. I could barely see anything through the tears, but I didn't care, I just wanted to get there." Letty's look seemed to search for an answer, so he gave her that. "To that spot where you and I had our first real encounter... when you almost lost your arm."

Letty recalled the memory of when Dom had tried to show off at a street race, pulling a stunt with his car he hadn't mastered and thus had wiped out right next to her. And although she didn't feel like it, that memory made her smile. If he had known back then that she had already had the hots for him, it had surely been less funny. She had acted like she didn't care and he had made a complete fool of himself. It had been adorable.

"You did it again, didn't you? That stunt?" she guessed.

"I know this sounds dumb, but I didn't want us to be over, so I went back to where it started. I wanted to relive that memory. I was so into you that day. Just knowing there's this girl that– that doesn't compare to anyone else… that deserves a great show. I was really happy… and so excited." His expression softened until he looked like he was about to break down again. "But then, really all the memories came back, the images, and–"

"You crashed?"

Dom nodded.

"You stupid idiot!" Letty protested, almost shouting at him. "What if you had fucking killed yourself?" She took a deep, calming breath. No one else, she thought. No one else could set her off so easily. Sometimes, Dominic Toretto really did do the stupidest things possible.

Dom looked at her as though he was saying it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because inside, he had already stopped living the moment he had lost her. "I could see you standing there, Letty, and I just lost it. I lost control and I didn't care. I didn't do anything, I just let it happen."

He knew now how reckless that had been. If anything bad had happened to him, Mia would've been all alone. Dom was sorry for having done something so selfish; for putting himself in danger without thinking of his sister first, but not as sorry as he was for what he had done to Letty. That had been, and still was, the biggest regret of his life.

"I didn't wanna die, I just didn't feel like living," he confessed, sighing.

Instantly, Letty grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. "And how does that feel?" she asked, as she kissed him on the cheek, "Does that feel like living?" She saw Dom's face lighten up, his mouth curl into a smile, and she chuckled. "I take that as a yes," Letty said, lowering her head to his shoulder. But once she gave herself some time to think sadness got hold of her again.

"The worst part was not knowing if you were gonna come back," she sighed. "I mean, the closer I got to Braga the more I allowed myself to think I could get you home, but– But if your name hadn't been cleared, would you still have come back... some day?"

Letty raised her head and looked at him. She had been dying to ask him that ever since she had gotten her memories back. She had always kinda known that he would come back to them, come back home, but there had been a constant doubt in her heart that he actually might not. She really needed him to be honest with her just so she could stop wondering.

"Letty, what did I leave behind? In the DR?" Dom turned to face her.

"Me?" Letty replied quickly with a weak smile on her lips.

"Yeah… What else?" Dom smiled back at her, his thumb stroking along her cheekbone. He could see in her eyes how much she struggled right now to be able to pull herself together.

"Money… like I'm a fucking hooker." Letty didn't sound as sad as she looked. She suddenly sounded rather mad. Real mad.

"You know, it wasn't like that," Dom defended himself, reacting to the different tone of her voice. "I'd never–" He sighed. If she really felt this way, he had done more damage to her than he'd thought.

"The cross necklace," Letty mumbled, "That one thing that was supposed to remind you not to leave... Our wedding ring. One hell of a way to break your vows, Dom." She soon managed to swallow her anger. If she could choose between being angry and sad, though, she had rather not because the less mad she got, the more she felt hurt.

"And what did I give you before we took on Shaw?" Dom continued asking questions.

"What kind of question is that? You know what." Letty didn't know why he kept bugging her with this. What the hell was he trying to achieve? "The cross. You said you'd come back for that," she stated.

"Right, and what happened then?" Dom knew it was only a matter of time until she would get to the core of all of this. If she put her hard feelings aside and started to really think, she'd be able to understand.

"You came back... You literally came back." Letty drew in a jerky breath. She closed her eyes, hopelessly trying to keep her composure. "Dom, please stop reminding me of– You almost died. Why are you doing this? It– I don't wanna–"

Dom saw the look in her eyes when she opened them again, the small layer of tears, and he was sorry to have made her cry again, but he wasn't finished just yet. Surely he could've told her the end of the story, but he wanted her to figure that out for herself.

"You remember our street race in London? I had a gift for you."

"Yeah, you– you gave me the cross... said it was mine," Letty answered, slowly realizing what he wanted to emphasize. "And then you... came back. You... saved me."

She would never forget what it felt like to have someone she hadn't known turn into freaking Superman and launch himself off a bridge, risking his life in an attempt to save hers. That was when she really knew she could trust him.

"You see, I didn't leave the cross behind to tell you I'm done with you... with us," Dom told her. "I left it there to protect you... To let you know I was gonna come back for that, because I always do." He took her face in his hands. "I will always come back to you, mi amor."

"But you should've never left me in the first place," Letty cried. "You have no idea how much that hurt. It still does, Dom. It fucking hurts!"

God, she really was sick of crying, but she had never been so hurt in her life. She had never been so happy either. Did that make even sense? She knew how sorry he was, she could see it in his eyes, and she really had forgiven him, but that pain just seemed to take the longest route possible to reach Fuckthat ville.

"Letty, I can never undo what I did. I can never go back in time to that night and... not disappear... erase my mistake," he tried to explain himself, "But what I can do is... trying to make up for it and show you that I've learned my lesson. I'm here for you now and I always will be. I never wanted to– Please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you on purpose."

"C'mere!" he whispered, pulling her close. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and moved his hands up and down her back, hoping it would calm her down. Seeing Letty like that broke his heart. He knew he could probably never repair the damage he had done, but he was willing to try even if he had to spend a lifetime doing that.

The thought that Letty could've suffered a tailspin like he had back in the days had motivated his actions. He really hated prison and he didn't want Letty to experience anything like it, especially because of his poor choices. He had made several in the past, the poorest one leaving her, but as flawed as his decision had been, he had just wanted to give Letty her best chance for a life of agency and freedom. If he had stuck around, that would've never been possible.

But in the end, leaving her behind had only proved to be dangerous and led to her death. He should've never made that decision for her. In fact, he should never make decisions for someone else. He had pushed Letty away and yet she had gotten herself killed while trying to clear his name. The guilt he felt about what had happened had never entirely disappeared. It haunted him every day of his life, even now that she could remember and had forgiven him. Maybe it was time to finally forgive himself – one of the hardest things he had ever had to do.

"I fucking hate crying," Letty grumbled, "I swear to God, if you ever tell anyone–"

"I won't. Trust me," Dom laughed out loud. "No one will ever know what a big ball of mush you are," he chuckled and tucked her head against his chest. Kissing her hair, he sighed deeply. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Good," Letty muttered, snuggling her face into Dom's shoulder, her hands grabbing the back of his shirt. Being in his arms was the most comforting feeling she had ever experienced. Those arms had become her true home a long, long time ago. They still were.

They held each other for minutes until Dom eventually broke the silence that had lingered between them, his tone as serious as it could be. "I don't wanna do any more jobs," he spoke quietly.

"Dom, you kidding? You love doing this stuff," Letty mentioned astounded, sitting back.

She didn't know where this was suddenly coming from, but she sure as hell knew that these words hadn't been easy for him to say, especially since he meant them. Being out there with the family and doing stuff that was dangerous, and sometimes hardly legal, was kind of his lifestyle. He had always gotten a kick out of these heists for as long as she could remember.

He loved not doing anything for a while, but could he really be like one of these retired people who relaxed at home, took care of the family and did some gardening work – though in Dom's case gardening implied fixing cars. Brian was settling down with Mia, but Dom was different. Didn't he need the action?

"You mean more to me than any of that," Dom stated firmly.

"You don't have to do that just because–"

"I want to. It's time," he interrupted her. "I don't need this heist thing to feel alive or anything, I got you."

He had thought about this long enough and if he really wanted to make things work with her, to make amends, he needed to leave this adventurous and dangerous life behind. He needed to focus on his family; the wife he loved more than anything. She was all that mattered to him.

"You don't have to give up something you love... for me."

As sweet as that was, she couldn't deny to be a bit worried that Dom would regret his choice; that this life he was obviously wanting to live with her would not give him the satisfaction he needed. Besides, she wasn't so sure about herself and her own needs. That thought of settling down somehow made her feel slightly anxious. She couldn't explain why. There was just something about it that scared her.

Maybe it had to do with him. Maybe she was scared that once they were settled, they would learn things about each other that, even after 15 years, they hadn't gotten to know yet; that it would be bad things; that they would get sick of hanging around together and jeopardize their marriage. However, Letty couldn't help but think that this was the exciting thing about going to be one of these married couples. After all, life with Dom was always exciting.

"Letty, I know what it's like not having to run from the authorities, not needing to hide, to just be... free… and happy," Dom argued.

Yeah, life with Dom was always exciting – as long as it didn't hurt.

"You mean when you were with Elena? You liked that?" Letty didn't even feel like it had been her own words passing her lips. The words had left her mouth before she had put so much as a thought into it. It was like a feeling inside of her had somehow discovered the ability to find its own voice; to speak.

"Yes... No. No, not that... Not– Not because of Elena, okay, just–"

"Why her, Dom? Why did you–"

And then it was too late. He had to talk about the one thing – that one person – he still rather not wanted to talk about.