An End and a Beginning
Life Unaccounted For Universe: Part 6
Summary: Part One of a series of one-shots in an AU setting inspired by a picture I found and put in the top corner.
Disclaimer: Hahaha, I wish! I own nothing.
A/N: Sorry for the repost. I found a few mistakes that glared at me so I wanted to fix them – nothing major. Have a happy Turkey Day!
"Well, tonight wasn't all that bad, was it?" Mia asked, handing Letty a cup of tea before sitting at the other end of the couch with her own. "I mean, we got through a whole night without Vince singing 'Oh, Susana' and your mom slapping him – for the first time in years."
Letty snickered. "I was kinda looking forward to that."
Mia grinned behind her cup. "I bet you were. You think after all these years he'd know better."
"It's Vince", Letty snickered. "He's got a slow learning curve."
0
Letty sighed as her head hit the pillow that night. Her heart felt shredded. Her break up with Trevor hurt, despite the fact that it had been her idea. And even if she didn't want to admit it, she knew that it also spiked residual pain from her decision to break up with Dom all those years ago. She didn't regret the decision she made then; she hadn't wanted to hurt him. She had been a wreck emotionally. Letty realized now that she had been naïve, thinking that absolving him of his responsibility for her well-being would stop him from worrying.
If her mother hadn't stepped in, maybe she would have found her feet in their relationship eventually, or she would have continued her spiral. 'Post-partum depression' the therapist in Miami had diagnosed her with – common for young mothers with unplanned pregnancies.
She groaned and flipped over, trying to shut her brain off. She hated feeling weak. And it didn't matter who told her the situation had been out of her control, she still had a hard time letting it go – especially since she had lost one of the most important people in her life. Sure, she still saw Dominic nearly every day – way too much for separated parents – but everything was different. They lived behind masks and façade, guarding their emotions in a way they had never had to before.
Letty remembered when they used to be happy, when they were allowed to be free with their affection. She remembered when they only needed a few words and touches to soothe anger or hurt…
00 Two years before Letty got pregnant 00
At nineteen, Dom had spent the past eight months making a name for himself on the underground racing scene. And with his talent, he was quickly rising into the ranks of the best. Now, his father wouldn't be all that thrilled that this was how he chose to use his natural talent for driving, but the adrenaline was becoming a sort of addiction.
He was set to race in five minutes, as long as they weren't interrupted. Dom took a minute to look up from two leggy blondes that were flirting at him. He found Vince quickly, in much the same predicament as he was. It took him a bit longer to set eyes on Letty.
He frowned slightly. Apparently she had her own group of admirers. Granted it was only Hector and some of his buddies, but Dom wasn't blind. At seventeen, Letty had more than a few eyes following her. She acted like she didn't notice, but he wasn't always sure about that.
They had flirted for several months before he had asked her out officially. It had been nearly a year since then. Letty had always been headstrong – even when her mother had forced her to wear a dress and pigtails when she was a child. Susana had acknowledged a forfeit when Letty came back from playing with the dress sash tied around her forehead like a biker's bandana. His mouth quirked upwards at the memory.
She was one in a million. His only complaint was that she was all the way over there. And he didn't even seem to register as a thought in her mind even with the Double Mint Twins pressed against him. He brooded until he was told it was his turn.
He got into his car and was startled by a tap on his window. It was Letty. He rolled his window down. "Can I help you? I'm a little busy", he said sarcastically.
Her eyebrows furrowed. "I was gonna give you a good luck kiss. What's your problem?"
"Nothing", he muttered.
She made an irritated face, and leaned in the car quickly to kiss his cheek anyway. "Relax. You race like shit when you're tense."
0
Dom won the race despite himself. But when Hector invited them to a party, the look on Letty's face clearly said that if he went out to party tonight, there would be hell to pay once he got back home.
He wisely declined. Letty may be irritated now, but putting off their argument for him to have a few drinks while her anger turned into a steady, simmering boil would guarantee prolonged pain and suffering for him when he finally came home.
Letty drove her own car home when they dispersed, and she was waiting in the kitchen drinking from a bottle of water when he arrived with Vince behind him. She scowled at them when the door slammed.
"Tony's asleep. Would you two knuckleheads shut it", she hissed.
Vince grinned at her, ruffling her hair as he stole her water and drank the rest of it, not quite dodging the hit she swung at his chest. "Thanks", he teased throwing the empty bottle away before walking towards the basement door. "I'm goin' to bed."
She rolled her eyes and grabbed another water from the fridge. Letty passed Dominic silently to go upstairs. Dom flicked off the lights with a sigh and followed her.
She was sitting on the middle of his bed when he shut the door behind him.
"So", Letty arched an eyebrow, "Are you going to tell me what your problem is, or are we playing Twenty Questions?"
He stared at her incredulously for a split second before apparently remembering that she couldn't always read his mind. "What the hell was that shit tonight, Letty?"
Her eyes widened. "Excuse me? What did I do?"
"Nothing", he growled. "You did fucking nothing."
Letty blinked. "I did nothing… and you're pissed? Look, Dom, you're gonna have to spell it out for me here, because I've got no idea what you're going on about. What was I supposed to do?" she asked carefully.
He sighed harshly, "Never mind. Just forget it." Dom reached for the door, intending to go to the bathroom to get ready for bed when Letty stood up and walked across the room to stand in front of him.
"Hold it", she demanded seriously. "You can't just throw that shit at me and then tell me to forget about it because you don't want to talk. You've got a problem with me, you'd better tell in the next five seconds or I'm walking out the front door."
"Letty-"
"Why are you angry at me?" she repeated calmly.
"I'm not angry at you", he said finally.
She snorted. "Bullshit. Try again."
"I'm not angry at you", he repeated more seriously. "I'm pissed at myself for expecting you to know what I wanted without having to say anything. You didn't do anything wrong, Letty."
Her head tilted curiously. "What did you want from me tonight that I didn't give you?"
"I just wanted you with me tonight, Let, that's all."
Letty scrunched her eyebrows thoughtfully. "Are we fighting because I was talking to Hector?"
"Let, I had Trixie and Minnie hanging on me like leeches, and you didn't even take a second glance", he said exasperatedly.
Oh.Well, now that they were finally on the same page… Her mouth quirked into an amused smirk. "That's not their names", she chuckled.
"I don't really give a fuck", he growled.
"What did you want me to do? Chase them away with a fly swatter?"
"Sorta", he admitted.
She rolled her eyes. "You're a big boy, Dom. If you didn't want the slut twins hanging on you, you shoulda shaken them off. You can't put that on me."
"So, what you're saying is that you aren't jealous, and you don't care that I have more groupie girls than a rock band", he said flatly.
She blinked. "Could you sound any more like a douche bag?" she asked finally.
"Letty-" he started again, voice rising in anger.
She interrupted before he could get any more pissed off, deciding to give him a straight answer. "I'm not worried so much if your eyes wander - as long as your hands don't", she arched an eyebrow pointedly, taking his hands and settling them on her hips. "Got that?"
He grinned, letting his left hand slide to her backside, right hand reaching up to tweak her chin. "I can live with that."
Letty smirked. "Admit it. I had you worried for there for a hot minute. You thought I didn't care."
He leaned down and kissed her mouth roughly. "Cocky bitch", he mumbled against her lips.
She pulled back slightly, looking amused. "I'm cocky because I know you're mine? You bet your ass, Papa." Her head tilted to the side, taking on a serious look. "I'm always gonna care, Dom", she said softly. "I just won't let it make me crazy. Whatcha want me to do anyway? Wrap myself around you like a damn pretzel every time we go out?"
He looked her up and down before yanking her against him playfully and picking her up by the waist. "I'll settle for you wrapping your legs around my waist right now so I can take your ass to bed."
She did and leaned over to nip his ear as he carried her back to his bed. "Looks like you and I are having a private party tonight then", she murmured.
He laid her out on the comforter and crawled over her, pulling at the zipper of her pants. "Damn right we are."
0
Awhile later, they lay under the sheet together, the air cooling their sweat-slicked skin. Letty was sprawled half on top of him, chest pressed against his side, and her left leg slung carefully across his right hip. Her eyes fluttered closed when she felt Dom's hand in her hair, and she took a few minutes to indulge in the feeling before she leaned up on her elbow.
"I don't wanna be that girl, Dom", she said seriously. "Those stupid girls who chase after their men with a leash to keep them in line when they should just dump the asshole… I don't want that to be our relationship. You and me- we're strong people. I'm never gonna be the damsel in distress, and you won't ever be a hen-pecked husband-"
"Husband?" he interrupted with a chuckle. "You've got us married already, Let?"
She groaned and flicked his nipple, trying not to grin at the hiss of pain and they way his muscles contracted underneath her for a brief second. "It was a figure of speech, jackass. You think we're seriously gonna be able to put up with each other's shit for the rest of our lives?" she asked curiously.
"If not me and you, then who?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Gimme a few years to find someone", she teased.
He scowled and popped her on the ass. "That's not funny."
She laughed. "It's a little funny. Come on. I'm seventeen, and you're already trying to tie me down." He smirked, and then laughed when her face flushed slightly and she elbowed his side. "Get your head outta the gutter, Toretto."
"You know, most girls would get all gooey and clingy if a guy said they wanted to spend forever with them", he pointed out.
"I'm not like any other girl", she said seriously. "If I was, you wouldn't have even brought it up. And you need to stop getting all suspicious just because I don't hound your ass. I'm low on ulterior motives right now. You'll know when you need to be worried."
Dominic groaned exasperatedly. "You're just trying to be difficult", he accused.
Letty grinned and moved to straddle his hips. "Are you gonna do somethin' about that?"
He grabbed her firmly before flipping so she was under him, and he rubbed against her, watching her head tilt back further into the pillows. "Are you going to do something about this?" he teased.
00
A/N: Yay! A little flashback piece for you all! Enjoy and review! Hope you liked it. There might be another flashback in the next chapter. I have a small idea to tinker with.