A/N: Over 100 follows... I have no words. Thank you all so very much x

Curstin, I can't message you so I just wanna let you know that your review made me tear up a little. I often feel like I should spend less time on writing and more time on figuring out how this thing called real life works, but it's reviews like yours that remind me why I'm doing this and keep me going. Writing is actually therapeutic sometimes... I hope your national exam went well. If it didn't, blame it all on me. Thank you to everyone else, too. Knowing you love this story and having you express thoughts and feelings in reviews is the greatest gift I—as a writer—could ever ask for.

This contains heavy smut, so if you're not interested in that, skip the first part and start reading after the cut.

Update: A few people obviously worry I might use some of F8's plot points and I can assure you this is NOT going to happen. This story has absolutely nothing to do with the latest installment. Elena will not be a part of it. She may, however, be part of their conversations.

Rated M

She sat on his lap naked and kissed his forehead, running her fingers along his ears. Then she slowly pulled Dom's shirt over his head and let the backs of her fingertips brush over his abs, sending a quiver galloping across his skin. Letty placed a kiss over his heart, breathing in deeply his scent. She opened her mouth, but no words came past her lips. It was so hard to speak, so difficult to breathe, to swallow. Simple movements became concerted efforts. The connection between them was so profound Letty was sure she had been created from a tiny piece of his soul.

Dom drew her down onto the bed and kissed her as his hands slid along her body, searching for her thighs. She gasped and stifled a cry, but the pleasure had only just begun. He quickly shed the rest of his clothes, flinging them on the floor while he kept kissing Letty where his mouth could reach. His hands cupped her breasts and she buckled against them, her nipples hardening against his palms. His mouth captured her upper lip and pulled softly before moving to her lower lip to do the same. Letty bit back a moan, but when he closed his lips around one pouting nipple and then the other she couldn't help making a sound. No one had ever touched her like he did.

Dom let his tongue glide over the tip while his hand rolled her other nipple between his fingers, and he couldn't stop a groan of his own as her hips rocked against his. He felt himself burning hotter with each second, each rub of her hips. His teeth took delicate hold of Letty's nipple and gave a small tug. She moaned out loud and arched her back, pressing her breasts more firmly against him. The heat and sound of his breath stirred a deep ache in her core. She scored her nails on his scalp, feeling like she would come at this very moment if he didn't stop what he was doing.

"Dom..." Letty's voice was thready and panted as she arched into his caress. She tried to guide him up, wanted to feel his lips on hers. She kissed him, long and deeply, as she felt the head of his cock touch the lips of her pussy.

"God, how I love you," Dom spoke the words into her mouth, and she could feel her whole body tremble with the truth and force of them. Dom watched Letty's eyes darken, witnessed the effect of his touch through her gentle eyes and felt amazed by it. It never ceased to amaze him how she responded to him—to the things he did or said—in their most intimate moments. It only turned him on even more.

He gently plunged into her and stayed buried to the hilt for a moment, savoring the feel of her wrapped around him. After so long, dreaming of her, wanting her, he couldn't believe he was actually inside her. With his eyes closed, Dom focused completely on Letty and felt she had been waiting for it, too. She was wet, murmuring in his ear, and pushing her body so hard against him as though she couldn't bear waiting another second for him to finally start moving his hips.

Touching her so deeply, Dom could swear he could feel the pounding of her heart all throughout his own body. He forced his body to stay put, to hold onto this feeling as long as he could, but he had to open his eyes and look at her. He had to see Letty's face; see the expression in her beautiful eyes as he stayed so still while he was deep inside her body. Brown, tear-filled eyes looked up at his emotion-filled ones. Dom watched a single tear slip out and down her cheek. With all the tenderness he had, he lowered all the way down to it and, bracing some of the weight on his elbows, kissed the tear.

"You're okay," he asked, his voice so low it was a breath, a whisper, like a woodland breeze.

"Absolutely," Letty softly answered, "I just can't believe how much I love making love to you." Her smile was little more than a slight upward hook at the ends of her mouth, a shy smile, instantly reaching his heart and taking residence. "I've missed this so much."

She cupped his cheeks, her fingers grazing his skin, and Dom brushed her hair back from her temple and pressed his lips to the fragile skin. "And I have missed you," he said in a husky voice as he looked into her eyes. "Everything about you."

Letty stared back at him, feeling his words to her very core. As urgent as their need was, neither seemed to be in a big hurry to finalize the deed. Her hand slid up his chest and covered his heart. "Beating for you," Dom said, like she had been making a comment about how fast it was pacing. "Only for you." A soft chuckle escaped his lips and Letty responded with a slight smirk. He was so cheesy sometimes, but she absolutely loved it. There was just something so heartwarming about knowing that the man who acted the toughest out on the streets was the sweetest to her in private.

She put her hands around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. "Take me," she breathed against his lips. "Take what's yours." She gasped when he moved inside her, not having expected him to react instantly to her demand. "Yes," Letty moaned, "right like that." Digging her fingers into his back, she let out another soft moan. "God, this feels so good!"

Soon they found their rhythm. Dom was giddy with pleasure, sensing that more than ever before she had given herself to him one hundred percent, no holds barred. It had been a long time since they had made love, but it had never been like this. They were gentle in everything they did, giving every single part of each other's body their undivided attention, exploring it slowly. They took their time. They took their time to look at each other, to caress each other, to be with each other. They took their time, because so much time had been taken from them. It felt like that kind of sex from a cheesy chick flick, but it was incredible.

Dom drove in and out of her like he belonged, filling her heart the same way he filled her body. Slow pace, intense thrusts. Every single stroke took her to new heights. He tilted her hips so she could take more of him, though she hadn't known that was possible. His mouth meshed with hers, their tongues dancing together in an erotic display of affection, further deepening their connection. Letty felt her heart cracking with every bit of love he poured into her. All the while, Dom murmured sweet words in her ear as he brought her higher and higher. Her moans were so loud by now she was sure everyone in the house could hear them. But she didn't care. She never wanted this moment—this feeling—to stop.

"Let it go, baby," Dom whispered, finally allowing her to topple over that precipice.

Letty's breath hitched in her throat, her fingers grasping at Dom's skin when the pleasure broke free. She threw her head back and her eyes squeezed tight while she rode out her blinding bliss. Dom pushed into her again so deep Letty cried out in shock when she was slammed with another orgasm, just as intense as the first but slower, as it lingered and spread out through every cell of her body. After one last thrust, Dom followed, coming home deep inside her as she pulsed around his length. His body trembled and he pressed his face into Letty's neck, panting as one last tremor rolled through his chest. With him lying on top of her, they remained in that position for a long while until Letty broke the silence first with a small breathy chuckle.

"What?" Dom asked as he slowly pulled away to be able to see her face. She had her eyes still closed, but a beaming smile rested on her lips, and when she opened them, Dom could see her love for him shining right through.

"You know what," she purred, "You were there."

He chuckled softly. "Yeah... it was amazing," he said, his voice raspy. "You are amazing."

Rolling to her side, Dom cradled Letty's body spoon fashion against him, simply holding her without speaking. Feeling every inch of her nakedness pressed firmly against him was something he would never get tired of. Minutes ran by slowly, just like their love-making had been slow, and they savored that silent moment between them, like they had savored every second of their bodies' steamy reunion. It had been more intense than they had imagined it to be, but that was no surprise considering they had actually waited years for this—at some point, he had given up hope of ever getting to have this moment with her again as that hope had slowly died when she had continued to suffer from her memory loss.

Now Dom didn't need to hope for another breathtaking moment like this between them, because she was finally back with him, and her memories had gotten back to her, and they would get to make love to each other every single day for the rest of their lives. As the thought of their future together kept lingering in his mind, Dom flooded sensual kisses to the back of her neck. It made Letty giggle. He buried his face in her hair and clung to her tightly. He would never leave her side ever again. It was where he belonged. He belonged with her. He had always belonged with her.

Turning in his arms, Letty came up on an elbow and placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "Letty," Dom said in a quiet voice, his tone low and rough, his body aroused again as though he had never found release. Feeling her fingers surround his painful hard-on, he grunted loudly. Letty turned onto her back and he rose above her. He lowered his face to her mouth and kissed her as he breathed against her lips, "I just can't get enough of you." Using his knees, he spread her legs and entered her body slowly, burying himself deeply inside her again.

"Aren't you lucky you never have to… get... enough of me," Letty muttered under her breath, as another wave of heat washed over her. She reached up and caressed his cheek—usually smooth, now covered in stubble—and ran her fingers over Dom's scalp. Then she continued down his back until she held a rounded buttock in each hand. Caressing the supple flesh, she guided his movements.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he managed to say before his mind lost the battle on awareness and went completely dizzy.

Dom thrust into her a few times, keeping the slow pace of their first encounter. When Letty pushed to roll him off her, he gave way to her pressure immediately, rolling onto his back. In the same motion, she rolled on top of him, telling him it was time to switch positions. She leaned forward. Relishing the feel of her naked supple breast and aroused nipples pressed against his heated skin, he answered on a groan. Whatever floated her boat was fine with him as long as they kept making love to each other. Dom also loved when she took control. He always had.

Letty traced the plump fullness of Dom's sweet lips with her tongue—playing, tasting, feasting—before scorching a path along the delicate line of his jaw to nibble at his ear. Dom shivered, his body almost vibrating under her assault. He shut his eyes and embraced the sensational onslaught. Pursing his lips, he blew out softly as Letty's tongue continued its moist journey in and out of the pink sensitive shell of his ear. Moving away from tortured skin, she seared a path of tantalizing kisses down his throat, her target the large pulse beating rapidly at his groin. He understood where she was heading the second she refused to meet him for a kiss.

"I think it's also time," she spoke as she reached his shaft, "to go a little harder... on you."

Before he could answer, Letty slid him inside her mouth and applied enough humming that Dom nearly jumped off. Yet she didn't stop but pushed him further, massaging him more, using her hands and lips as erotic weapons. Air rushed out of his lungs in a fast gush. He ran his hand through her thick hair, loving the feel of it, loving the feel of her mouth wrapped around his cock while he did it. It was exactly this—her enjoying what she was doing, not just for what it did to him, but because she loved it too—that drove Dom in-fucking-sane.

"Does that feel good," she asked him in a low, throaty voice.

"Too damn good," he said, close to losing control. But before he could even let her know, before he could even come, she pulled back and his eyes flung open. His lips parted in shock, his erection a swollen thing of sweet pain. How could she have stopped when he was this close?

Seeing the expression on his face, she chuckled and crawled up his body. "Not so fast," Letty purred, dropping a hot kiss on his mouth.

She took Dom's dick lightly in one hand, brought herself into position, removed her hand and pressed firmly down until she was fully impaled on him. He watched and heard her drew a deep breath as his manhood made contact with her inner walls. She rode him slowly at first, feeling him, adjusting her position in the saddle, tightening her inner muscles about him to create just the right angle. Then she rode him hard, slamming her body against his as her inner walls stroked him tightly. Letty rode him like it would be their last ride, as if her heart would fracture and leave her broken if Dom would ever pull out of her again. She rode him with every fiber of her being, her body bucking against him voraciously.

When she lowered herself down on him, enveloping him in one swift movement, Dom groaned at the sensation. He watched her as she moved, his hands reaching up to toy with her breasts. His fingers slid behind her neck and tightened in her damp hair. He wrapped his arms around her and covered her mouth with firm, warm lips, pulling her into his body. When they both gasped for air, Dom moved to the valley of her breasts and closed his mouth over one turgid nipple. She arched her back and moaned as his hot, wet tongue slid over her other nipple, circling it before he suckled her hard, making her cry out.

She clutched his head between her breasts, wanting to keep him there so he could continue his assault on her sensitive nipples. The more he caressed her the faster Letty's hips moved, riding them both senseless, as she held on for dear life. She wasn't sure if she could just not remember it or if it was the heat extinguishing her brain, but she had never before felt this intensity between them. It was like their bodies had developed a life of their own, making up for all the time they had lost. It was without a doubt the best sex they had ever had and if there was any chance the next time would be just as mind-blowing she couldn't wait to experience it.

Every part of her was focused on the spot where his mouth wreaked a devastating magic on her skin, as she felt her orgasm nearing. "Oh God, I'm gonna cum," she cried, letting out a sharp breath. Clamping her thighs around him, Letty pressed herself harder against the hidden steel, digging her nails into Dom's skin.

"No, you're not," he growled, taking her with him as he rolled over so he was back on top. He pulled out of her and waited a moment until he saw her eyes opening slowly, a look of confusion—desperation—in them. She should've known he was just as big as a tease as she was. "Not yet, anyway," he added with a wide grin on his face and moved down her body. His head rested between her thighs. Looking up, he met her gaze. "But you're gonna enjoy what happens next."

Letty had to laugh at his comment. Oh, she was certain of that. He knew exactly how to please her and she loved that he put her needs before his own. Dom could send her over the edge multiple times and she knew how much he loved doing that, seeing that and hearing that. Whenever she slept with him, he showed her—he let her feel—that she was his every thought. There hadn't been a time where he hadn't made sure she was soaring high into ecstasy before he had his own release. She could've never asked for a greater lover in bed—or in life.

His tongue flicked across the tight nub of her clit. She jerked her hips involuntarily towards his mouth and gasped as he proceeded to lick his way inside her. Letty clutched the bedspread as the pressure inside her build with every thrust of his tongue. Dom slid two fingers into her depths while he sucked her skin into his mouth. He had waited so long for her, he was determined to enjoy every minute of it. Years felt like nothing compared to the last couple of weeks in which he had been overcome by this aching desire for her and not been able to act on it as they had still tried to find their way back to each other.

"You're so fucking wet for me," he rasped into her skin, watching her juices cream around his fingers and the tip of his tongue. "I've missed tasting you." Dom's words were filled with such longing that she couldn't help but respond.

"How much? Show me how much," she said breathlessly, and almost screamed when he hit a spot inside her that sent an even sharper pang of sensation to her nerve endings.

Lust thrummed through him with each of her needy whimpers, as he stroked the wall of muscle and felt her tightening around his fingers. She wanted it harder, faster, and Dom was more than willing to give her what she wanted—needed. He sped up the motion of his fingers and sucked her, and Letty arched her back, bucked her pelvis and clenched his shoulders with her hands. When she was close, her moans growing louder and more frequent, he removed his fingers from her heat and looked up. She locked eyes with him, desperately craving to find release.

"What was that thing about... no use of torture... in the prenup?" she let out, panting, making him laugh.

"Who said I signed it?"

"Please, Dom..." she begged. It felt like the strain was killing her. "Just let me—Make me—Please..."

Dom loved seeing the need in her eyes, knowing only he could give her what she craved. She wanted him to make her cum? Well, then he wouldn't hesitate to do that.

He began sucking on her clit again, licked figure eights and gave Letty the sweetest torture. Because if he was going to do this, he would do it at his own pace—and he knew that was how she loved it the most. He slipped his fingers through her wet folds, sinking them inside her. He twirled them around, feeling Letty push harder against him. Her head moved side to side. She jerked and moaned loudly like the devil inside her was fighting for freedom. Dom kept feasting on her clit, his fingers driving in and out of her. He slid his tongue inside and she arched her back as she yelled out in pleasure, giving him even better access to her. He continued his actions for a few minutes until the heat became too much for her and she exploded.

"Yes, that's it." His voice was a low, deep rumble. His thumb pressed hard on her clit. "Come for me, beautiful."

Letty came so hard that it almost hurt, her muscles squeezing and contracting with fierce. Dom kept his mouth to her center. Even with her thighs trembling, arms wailing and head shaking, he didn't let her go. Instead, he kept her plastered on his mouth until he was sure she felt every single bit of that orgasm. But he still didn't stop. He sucked her hard, letting her clit roll over his tongue again and again, and she held his head in place so she could keep fucking his mouth. Sobbing his name, Letty came again, feeling the spasms as her orgasm wracked her, making her muscles twitch.

With one last lingering lick, Dom pulled himself away from her. He lay with his head pillowed on her thigh, not even trying to control his ragged, satisfied breathing. He had never seen Letty reach her climax with such intensity, let alone twice, and he prided himself knowing that he had made her come that hard. It was gratifying to realize that even after all this time, even after everything that had happened, they still knew exactly what their bodies desired the most and how they could give each other the greatest pleasure. Their love-making was as amazing and mind-blowing as ever, maybe even better—definitely better.

"Get up here," Letty said, pulling at his biceps, playfulness in her voice. "I wanna kiss those gorgeous lips."

"Gorgeous lips, huh?" he replied with a low chuckle as he rested his body on hers, looking into her eyes.

Letty immediately kissed him hard, tasting herself as she tasted him. It set everything in her body on fire—again. "God, I'm crazy about you," she blurted out, running her hands over his head. She stared deeply into his eyes, grinning from ear to ear, and laughed softly when she saw him smirking. "How long can we keep this up?"

"You feeling sore yet?" he smirked and his hand strayed to her hair, smoothing the disordered curls away from her face.

"Not at all," she smirked back at him. "The only thing I'm feeling right now is the little guy down there still not having enough."

"He's not little," Dom protested, biting her lower lip between his teeth as though he wanted to punish her.

"Believe me... I know." Her laughter filled the air and she took his face between her hands to look at him. "I still owe you one," she purred, and her sultry smile was enough bait to make him bite.

And he did, reaching down to nip her neck, eliciting a groan. Letty pushed her naked body harder against his, his erection rubbing her already wet center. It seemed they could keep this going forever. Neither one of them seemed to be too tired—or sore—to end this; to stop loving each other in the only way they knew how to make the other fully understand their true feelings for each other. Saying it was one thing, showing it another. The way their lips collided, their bodies touched and their hands moved—the way Dom and Letty made love to each other—simply went beyond anything that words could convey, especially that night.

They made love four times. Four times—each time better than the first. But their last ride was without a doubt the hardest and wildest. It was just primitive, animalistic sex—a reminder of the early days when they used to have wild raucous sex all the time. They left their marks on each other. Bite marks, marks from burrowing their nails deep into each other's skins—ripping at their flesh until they almost drew blood—and love bruises. They switched positions a lot, making use of any sexual practices they knew and those they had always wanted to give a try. It was like nothing could fulfill their needs in that moment, as they desperately tried to quench their insatiable thirst for each other during their scorching sex-fest.

Dom wanted to tell her that he loved her, that this was the best birthday he had ever had and he wished for many more birthdays like that to come, but the intensity of his orgasm robbed his speech. Deep inside Letty felt the force and heat of his climax as she straddled him. Dom pumped inside her, over and over until he was completely spent. His uncontrolled movements made her body convulse in another orgasm so powerful, she couldn't help blasting him in the face with a tremendous scream. She shook like an earthquake had erupted inside her and then fell down against his chest, breathing heavily.

"Fuck," she panted after a moment of trying to catch her breath, "Now I'm sore." They both chuckled. "You think Mia heard us?"

"I'm sure everyone heard us," Dom laughed, pulling her face towards his so he could kiss her.

"That was fucking intense. I can't remember it's ever been so—"

"Mind-blowing?" He smirked, she nodded. "That's because it never has." Dom raked his fingers slowly down her back and cupped her buttocks, grasping, filling his hands with the smooth mounds. "It's never been like this." He smacked her ass lightly. "But we should definitely make sure it stays that way." A slow smile crept to Letty's lips. She didn't need to say anything for him to know she thought the same thing.

She rolled off of him and snuggled against him like a kitten seeking warmth, her hand moving over his bare chest in a rhythmic, stroking motion, her legs insinuating themselves between his. Dom wrapped an arm around her as she cradled naked against his body, pulling her even closer, and planted a kiss on her head. Sighing contentedly, he stroked her shoulder and enjoyed the moment. He had never been into cuddling after sex, but she had changed that for him like she had changed the whole experience of having sex. He had had plenty in his earlier life, all different kinds of sex, and it had always been great, but the feelings stirring inside him when he had fucked her for the very first time were much stronger and more complex than mere lust. He had wanted to share himself with all of her—heart and soul. He wasn't sure if she even knew, but she was the only woman he had ever made love to. And she would be the last.

"So, how do you like your birthday, old man?" Letty breathed against his skin as she kissed his chest, and he laughed softly into her hair.

"Been a real treat," he answered. "Never better."

"That's what I thought," she chuckled and gazed at him, her lips wearing a smile.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, his voice serious, as his thoughts kept lingering in the past. "Why did you block every attempt I made to get closer to you... physically?" He had always felt like she had wanted to be with him that way but never allowed herself to actually let go, and he couldn't stop wondering if there was more to it than just her memory loss. They had cuddled and kissed, made out heavily, but whenever he had tried to take her clothes off, she had stopped him from going further until, eventually, he had just held back.

Letty's body tensed at him asking her that question. She hadn't expected him to call her out on that behavior, not after the night they just had anyway, and so it took her a moment to react. She sighed, looking him in the eyes, and told him, "You hadn't seen me naked in so long, I didn't know if you were still into my bod—"

"You know how much I love your curves, Let. Why would you even doubt that for a second? I don't get it. I mean, being insecure about your body? Your looks? That doesn't seem like you at all." Dom raised himself up, slowly and carefully so as not to startle her, and propped himself up against the headboard while he kept his arm around Letty. He stared deeply at her, seeing how she struggled to hold his gaze. "Is that why you didn't wanna sleep with me? 'Cause of your body issues?"

"Yes... No… I don't know." Letty gave a long drawn out sigh. "I guess I was just telling myself things, because it kept me from having sex with you."

"Why? What did I do? All I ever did was letting you be. I never pressured you, I never—God knows I wanted to rip your clothes off on more than a few occasions, but I didn't. Why did you feel the need to put these thoughts into your head? Like I could ever look at you and not be completely amazed by you. You know that'll never happen... Don't you know that?"

He didn't understand her, but he wanted to. He wanted to know what she was thinking and how she felt. He wanted her to be honest with him, no matter how difficult that was for her right now. His free hand moved to her cheek and he let his fingers brush tenderly across her skin. Letty nestled her cheek into the palm of his hand, closing her eyes for a moment to give herself some time to think. When she opened her eyes again, they were covered by a small, wet layer, and the look in Dom's eyes turned into a tang of sadness. He hadn't meant to make her cry. Maybe he should've just kept his mouth shut. But the fact that she was crying was strong evidence that he had touched on a sensitive topic, so it had been right to say something about it. It still hurt him a lot, though, to see that the matter brought her to tears.

"Because I knew the moment I would sleep with you, you'd have all of me again. You'd have me... completely... and the last time that's been was—It was the night you left," she explained, as a tear slipped down her cheek. Dom quickly brushed it away with his thumb. "I guess I was scared to wake up after we just made love and see you gone." Letty couldn't stop more tears from falling, but managed to choke back a sob. "I know you may not understand that, but I can't help it, Dom. You leaving me… It's like part of me is still broken."

"Letty," he said, heaving a deep sigh, "I'm sorry." He pulled her body closer, kissing her lips a few times, kissing away every single tear that had wetted her skin. "I'm so sorry for causing you so much pain. I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry you had to—I'm sorry I wasn't there when you took care of our child, like only a real mother would." He felt himself tear up and then it was already too late as he started to weep. Silently, he cried—they both did—as their foreheads rested against each other. "I forgive you, baby. You hear me?" he whispered before dropping another soft kiss on her mouth. "You never should've had to go through that... alone... and I never should've made you feel guilty about it."

While he still held her face in one hand, both her hands came up to cup his cheek. She forced their eyes to meet and gave him a look that plumbed his very soul, tears brimming in her eyes. "I never wanted to take… fatherhood… away from you." Letty's voice came out quiet and wobbly, but it was working at least. She licked a single tear off her upper lip. It tasted of salt, and love.

"I know that, baby. I know," he appealed urgently to the anxiety that she appeared to feel in connection with him and his feelings—the anxiety that he could believe for only a second that she had done it to hurt him back. He moved his other arm, aimed his hand, found the side of her temple with his fingertips, brushing across, and lightly stroked the sides of her face with his knuckles—incessantly. Letty flinched, startled by his touch, but then seemed to relax against his grasp, closing her eyes. "C'mere," he whispered, and she collapsed into him like a building hit by a wrecking ball before he had even spoken the last syllable of that word.

He cradled her head in his strong and masculine hands, running his thumb against her face. He pressed his lips to her forehead, feeling Letty's tears as they fell from her cheeks onto his bare chest. Clinging to him, she dug her fingers into his skin. More tears started burning in Dom's eyes and they blurred his vision, making him blink several times. He kissed the wet trails down her face, threaded his fingers through her soft hair, cradled her close, thinking how perfectly she fit against him.

"Maybe it's already too late," he spoke to her in a hushed voice, "but I will try to fix you, Letty, I promise." He sighed. "I just want you to heal." His bitter tears now flowed freely again down his cheeks in a steady stream. Dom didn't even have to wonder how they had managed to end up in this sad and painful moment after the mind-blowing sex they'd had not too long ago, because things between them could turn from steamy to teary in a flash—that's just how they were.

"I felt it," she cooed in a tearful voice; the cascade of tears in her voice echoed with crystal clarity and the haunted pain there was evident. "When it was gone… I felt it." First Letty sobbed once, then stopped. "The emptiness…" Then she sobbed a second time, for just a bit longer. "I had a baby inside me and then it was just… Gone… Like you… My baby was just gone." The third time, she sobbed and didn't stop.

The emptiness and pain hit her like a wall. Letty had pushed that memory—and every feeling connected to it—out, held it back with control, but talking about it, being reminded of the fact that her husband had come back to her but her baby never would, blew all her defenses to pieces. Sobs tore through her, terrible, wrenching sobs. She couldn't stop shaking but Dom held her firm. She was hurting—not physically, but with the kind of pain that came from mourning the loss of a child—and the man giving her the greatest comfort from her grief was the man who had caused it. What an irony.

When Dom realized that, as he became aware of the hole in his chest opening up, he was no longer in control of his body as waves of sobs racked his chest. He cried with her, rocking her gently back and forth. His sobs were violent and convulsive—cloudbursts, breaking from his chest like a wild storm crashing through the woods. Letty clawed at his hold, and he held her as if he was afraid to let go, because if he did, he would lose her forever. His sobs haunted her head as his tears wetted her skin and she wished she could ease both their pain.

Dom pictured himself cradling a baby against his chest and the image was so real in his mind that he could nearly feel the weight of his child against his skin. Racked with pain, he thought of the baby they had lost and would never be able to hold, love or nurture. Dom cried for his loss. The loss of never being able to hold his baby in his arms or to smell the sweet scent of his child or to have the opportunity to guide him or her into adulthood. His heart broke knowing he would never experience the joy of looking into his baby's face and seeing it smile at him with the unconditional love only a child could give.

"I'm so sorry," he choked out through his sobs, his lips brushing against her temple. He cried into her hair, trying to gain control of his body again, but it seemed to be a waste of effort. If only he could turn back time and do it all over again. He would've stayed. He would've stayed and be a great husband to her, a great father to their baby—and yet, amid all the pain, there was hope deep within his being that life would give him a second chance to make it right.

It took Letty about five minutes to calm down, maybe even more. She couldn't tell as she had lost track of time in the infinite stretches of her pain. When at last her sobs quieted to an occasional sniffle and her breathing evened out, the tremors lessened and her muscles relaxed from sheer exhaustion, she slowly turned in his arms to face him—he, who was still crying like a kid at ten. Who cried like a kid at eight. Five. Two. Like an infant. He cried. His existence cried—and all she did then was shifting her body to pull his head against her chest so he could cry some more.

"Shh, it's okay... I got you," she whispered, rubbing his back with one hand while she held the other to his head, running her fingers along his scalp.

It was usually Dom who comforted her, reassured her that everything would be all right, but sometimes, she needed to be there for him—and she was now as she had been just a few days ago before he had gone on that secret mission. She had never seen him cry like that, like his foundation had vanished, and Letty knew he did not just cry over the loss of their baby, but because of everything else that had gone wrong between them ever since he had left her and for which he blamed himself. Seized with remorse, he cried and cried and cried until she felt there were no more tears left for him to cry.

Eventually, Dom's sobs quieted into pained whimpers as he clung to her tightly. Letty waited, letting the last of emotion drain out of him. Then she slid her knuckles beneath his chin and slowly tipped back Dom's head. His eyes were large, moist and tear-stained—hers, too—and his lips parted soundlessly as if he wanted to say something but didn't find the energy to do so. She tried to smile, but didn't succeed. Her heart was still too heavy for that kind of emotion it seemed. Letty looked at him, looked at the huge pain in his eyes, and swallowed hard before she spoke.

"I feel like you needed that," her words sailed quietly on the air to his ears.

She ran her fingertips along Dom's brow, down between his eyes—which he closed then—before she cupped all of his grief-stricken face in her hands, stretching her fingers out as wide as they would go, holding him whole. She kissed his eyes, kissed the hollow beneath them, his face. She tasted his tears on her lips, felt him responding with a sigh, and as she got to his mouth and kissed it softly, his reaction was a bit more conspicuous. He kissed her back and then initiated another kiss that he made sure lasted a little longer. It hurt to think of the past, but she was here with him, so at least they were hurting together.

"What I need is you to forgive me... 'cause I dunno how to forgive myself," he said to her with his eyes now open.

"I'm trying, Dom. I'm really trying. And that's all I can give you right now... It's gotta be enough."

She sighed. Of course she could've lied to him to make him feel better, but she didn't want to do that. She didn't want to pretend it was okay, because truth was she still hadn't forgiven him completely. She still felt it. A part of her still resented him for putting her into that position and be the reason she even had this painful memory to live with. It was only a small part, but she felt it as much as she felt that huge part of her that was just full of love and admiration for him. All she needed was time. He needed to understand that, needed to understand that no matter how much resentment she might feel about what he had done to her she would always—always—love him with all her heart.

"It hurts to see you so broken," she spoke again, her voice soft.

"You know I deserve all this... All this pain," he replied, leaning his head back against the headboard.

"Not on your birthday you don't," Letty argued, following his movement so she didn't lose touch with his face.

"So, you do think I deserve it?" He looked at her with puffy eyes. His hands rested at the sides of her body, his fingers brushed across the bare skin at her waist. For a moment, he had forgotten they were completely naked.

"Baby, I just want us to be happy," she almost cried out in desperation. "Can't we just be happy? Is that too much to ask?" Letty wasn't being foolish. She knew that wasn't as easy as it sounded, but maybe she needed moments of true happiness to be able to forgive him. "I'm tired of throwing the blame around like a freakin' football. I don't want that. I wanna see my man smile, not cry." She felt his grip tighten around her waist and took that as a response, as him saying he wanted exactly the same thing—not that she'd had any doubts about it. "You don't deserve pain... You deserve to be happy." She looked at him for a minute, just staring into his eyes, then told him, "And I'm really sorry your birthday got ruined." There was sadness in her voice.

"Letty..." Dom said her name in a sigh. "Mi amor..." She could never stop her lips from curling up into a smile and her heart from skipping a beat when he used that pet name—only at this moment did her mouth seem to have forgotten how to smile. "It's not ruined." His hand reached up to touch her cheek and he stroked it with his thumb. Once. Twice. Then again. "I got to spend it with you. That's the only thing that matters."

"But you cried. You cried so much, Dom. I don't think I've ever seen you—"

"We both did," he reminded her. "You don't have to apologize for anything, Letty, 'cause this is all just part of our journey. This is what marriage is all about. It's not just about sharing the joy. It's about sharing the grief, too. You know that. And that's exactly what we're doing. Going through it together... as a couple... and I can't even tell you how amazing this feels."

A warm open smile eased Dom's features, transforming his face into the young man she had known, and fallen in love with, years back. The sight of him almost brought tears to her eyes as she was thrown way back into their past, the image of a young Dominic Toretto so clearly before her eyes Letty could smell the strong scent of his signature cologne; the one he used to wear all the time—the skank magnet. She had fallen so very deeply in love with that young man, it had been beyond her control. And she loved this matured version of him so much more. It was impossible to fathom an existence without him.

"Go to Cuba with me," he breathed against her lips before planting a sweet kiss on her mouth.

"What?" Lost at the sight of him and absorbed by the images inside her head, she was startled when he talked to her. Her hands fell from his face. Her look, confused.

"Go to Cuba with me," he repeated, caressing her cheek. "I wanna take my wife to see my family." His smile grew wider. God, how much did he love calling her that—his wife!

"You serious?"

Dom nodded, letting his thumb stroke over her lips. "It should've been a surprise for your birthday, but I don't wanna wait anymore. I wanna take you there and just be—"

"Happy?" Now she finally smiled. It was that smile he loved the most. It was that adorable smile that made him feel warm and good inside in a way nothing else ever did.

"Happy," Dom said, pulling her close so Letty's body was pressed hard against his. Their hearts beat fast, a frantic tattoo of excitement they both shared over the prospect of their trip. They locked eyes with each other and for a few moments were lost in time. "So what do you say, Missus Toretto?" he asked, her infectious smile made him grin.

"Vamos a Cuba," (Let's go to Cuba) Letty answered, pecking Dom's lips a few times. He chuckled softly. He was happy, Letty could feel it. And she was too. She couldn't wait to go on this adventure with him. It would be like a second honeymoon. Little did she know that her husband was already making plans in his head to take her on a third...