An End and a Beginning
Summary: They didn't work out the first time around, but they have something tangible between them that forces them to be in each other's lives forever. They are getting a second chance, but with Dominic and Letty, nothing comes easy.
Rating: M - eventually
Chapter 13
Six weeks after their first kiss in 'Messages from the Heart':
Letty entered the Toretto house like an angry whirlwind, passing Dominic wordlessly to get to the kitchen. She grabbed a beer, slammed the refrigerator shut with her hip as she twisted the top off the bottle. She downed the entire contents in three swallows, choking a little, swiping the back of her hand over her mouth before tossing the bottle and cap into the trash with a clang.
Dom shoved the fridge closed when she opened it for another. He peered down at her, slightly amused. "How old are you?"
"Just move", she sighed exasperatedly.
"What's goin' on?" he asked seriously. She nearly stamped her foot at him, and he had to refrain from laughing. Her scowl was not playful. Letty always came over without an announcement, but she had left the Toretto's three hours ago after a phone call from her mother had ordered her home. The fact that she was back… he was concerned.
She shook her head irritably and went to stand in front of the sink, looking out the kitchen window. He waited, watching her intently until she finally spoke. "My dad is leaving. They're getting divorced."
Dom let out a breath. They had all seen this coming – even Letty. But it didn't make the fact that it was now reality any easier. "I'm sorry."
She snorted. "Why are you trying to take credit? It has nothing to do with you."
"I'm sorry you're hurting", he murmured into her hair, stepping up behind her and holding her to his chest.
"They used to really love each other. Do you remember that?"
"Yeah, I do."
"I felt so lucky to have both of them", she admitted quietly, "Especially in this neighborhood where half the kids around here have parents who are shooting up or abusive alcoholics that beat the shit out of each other."
"They don't love you any less. They're both good people, Let. Things just got fucked up", he said gently.
"I know. He was packing when I walked out", she said hoarsely.
"He's not going to leave without making sure you're okay", Dominic shook his head.
"I can't go back there right now."
"You wanna come sit with me for a little while?"
She nodded silently and let him lead her back into the living room so she could curl up against his side on the couch.
Half an hour later, Letty was dozing on his shoulder. He still had the television on with the volume low, but was paying more attention to her than what was on the screen when he heard an engine.
Dominic was reluctant to wake her up, but he recognized the car that had pulled into the driveway. His fingers stroked through her hair lightly. "Let, baby, wake up."
"Hmm?" she mumbled against his neck.
He sighed. "Letty, your dad is here."
She sat up slightly. "What?"
"Your dad, honey. His car just pulled into the driveway", he said quietly.
"Tell him I'm not here", she muttered half-heartedly as they heard a knock on the door.
He shook his head and squeezed her knee. "I'll get the door."
Dominic invited her father inside and then turned to find Letty behind him. He kissed her forehead gently. "I'll give you a few minutes." He didn't go far, only into the kitchen where he could hear without being intrusive.
"You're leaving now?" Letty asked softly.
"Neither of us wants to keep hurting each other or you, Leticia."
"Papi-"
"Your mother and I, we had great love once. But we changed and grew apart. Our love gave us you, the best thing in our lives. You should know that we could never regret it. When it is true love, no matter how it ends, you can never wish it didn't happen. Do not give up on love, my girl."
"Where are you going?" she asked resignedly.
"I'll be finding a place near your aunt Alicia."
"Aunt Alicia lives in Miami", she said flatly.
He smiled. "You can visit whenever you like. Your mother said I should expect to see you on your next break."
"Miami", she repeated incredulously.
He chuckled. "Don't look at me like that. I know California is home for you. I would never try to take you from it. But coming to try out the East Coast for a few weeks won't make you a traitor."
"You're really leaving?"
"I'm only a phone call away. And if you ever really need me, I'll be here."
"But you can't just-"
He pulled her into a hug. "I love you, mija. More than you know. You won't be alone. Dominic, you can stop eavesdropping now", Luis said wryly.
Dom moved to lean against the doorjamb between the family room and kitchen. "Sorry", he offered sheepishly.
"No, you're not", Letty muttered.
"I trust you'll take care of my daughter?" Luis asked sternly.
"Papi!" she scolded, embarrassed.
"You know I will, sir", Dominic said seriously.
Luis leaned down to kiss both her cheeks. "We'll talk on the phone soon."
It was only after the door closed that a few tears spilled from eyes without permission. She swiped them away angrily. Her life was exploding, and somehow it felt like Dominic was here to clean up this emotional mess her parents' divorce was turning her into.
"Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest?" he suggested, pulling her against his chest. "I'll call and let your mom know you're here."
Her arms slid around his waist and she squeezed back, absorbing the reassurance she got from his touch for a few brief seconds before pulling away. "Thanks, Dom."
0
Two hours later:
He'd been watching her for about five minutes before he heard her voice. Her eyes were still closed. "I can feel you staring at me", she chuckled.
"I like seeing you in my bed", he growled.
She opened her eyes, rested her chin in her hands, and eyed him suspiciously. "I'm sure you do."
"You okay?"
Letty sighed. "I'll be fine. Sorry for taking your bed."
"I need to ask you something", Dom said seriously. "And I feel like a jackass for even bringing it up in the middle of all this shit. But you don't need to give me an answer today, alright? So try not to be too pissed off."
She quirked an eyebrow, her interest peaked "What is it?"
"How hard do I need to keep coming after you before you figure out I'm serious?" He couldn't deny that their relationship had changed since they had kissed. She had been slow about accepting affection from him – or even giving it. But he saw the way his touch relaxed her. And this… the guest room was more or less hers, but she had opted for his room. He counted it a win that she didn't seem embarrassed about it.
She squinted at him and pushed herself up to sit back on her knees. "You wanna talk about this now?"
"Do you not listen when I talk?" he raised an eyebrow. "I just want to know what you're thinking, Let. It doesn't have to be today."
"Come lay with me for a while?" Letty asked quietly, shifting over to the other side of the bed, putting her back to him as she lay down again.
He crawled in behind her, slipping an arm around her waist. "Tell me if you need anything, okay?"
"Can we talk tomorrow?"
"Sure."
00
Letty showed up at the garage just after ten in the morning on the second Saturday in August. She went to see her son who was on the beat up couch in the corner playing with his Nintendo. He had been at the Torettos since Thursday. They were more flexible with their schedules over the summer. And Tony usually hired a few extra workers, usually college kids, over the summer. This year they had three.
She went to the office to talk to Dominic. Letty leaned in the doorway silently, waiting for him to notice her. She smothered a grin. He was screwing around with the computer, so it might take a while. A minute later he was cursing under his breath and jamming his finger repeatedly on one of the buttons.
Letty laughed under her breath. "Alright, stop it before you break it."
His head snapped in her direction. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough to know you've got no idea what you're doing", she teased. "Didn't Jesse try to explain this shit to you?"
"Try is the operative word in that sentence", he grumbled, scrubbing his hands over his face.
"Can I help?" she asked calmly. "Or I that going to be like someone tying a frilly pink ribbon around your penis?"
He laughed. "If you can make sense of this, I'll pay for your next set of tires."
"That's a good deal", she grinned and stepped into the office. "The tires I want are expensive."
He got up from the chair and let her have it, only so he could lean over the back and attempt to make sense of what she was doing. "You type fast", he observed curiously.
She shrugged absently, staring at the screen. "Not really. I just don't have to hunt and peck. I had to learn while I was taking those college courses. Otherwise I would have gotten knocked flat on my ass with the workload."
"You know it's your day off, right?" Dom asked after a minute.
"You can consider this overtime", she said dryly, hitting a few more buttons and then looking back at him. "This is what you wanted, right?"
He leaned further over her shoulder to look at the inventory list she had conjured magically from nowhere. "Yes", he muttered sheepishly.
She wisely did not laugh. "I'll print two copies and save this."
"Thanks."
A few more clicks and the printer came to life.
"All done." She spun the chair around the look at him, crossing on leg over the other lazily. She noted silently the look of appreciation he was giving her.
"Where are you going?" he eyed her with interest. She wasn't dressed up, but she had made an effort with her appearance that most people wouldn't notice. It was mostly her hair that was rod straight, and falling below her shoulder blades, that caught his attention. But she was wearing a red Athletic Dept. t-shirt with gold lettering, and a pair of white-wash jeans that were doing wonderful things for her ass.
"I need to take Aiden shopping for school clothes. I swear he's grown three inches this summer", she mused.
Tony appeared in the doorway then, apparently curious about Letty's presence enough to come out from under the car he had been working on. "That's Sylvia's side of the family", he smiled slightly. "The Lopez's are notorious beanpoles. That's where Mia gets it from too."
Letty turned her chair sideways so she could see both of them. "I remember."
"I can't keep you out of the garage even on your day off?" Tony raised an eyebrow at her.
She grinned. "Why would you want to? I'm your best mechanic."
"Hey!" Dom glared down at her, playfully affronted.
Letty nudged his shin with the toe of her black and red tennis shoe. "It's alright. I leave the heavy lifting to you", she teased.
He rolled his eyes.
Tony shook his head in amusement. "You two play nice", he chuckled as he walked back out.
"So?" Dominic raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"
She sighed. "Clothes", she repeated. "Can I borrow Aiden for a few hours?"
He chuckled. "Borrow?"
"I'll bring him back for dinner. I just want to get a head start on getting all this stuff done before school starts again in a few weeks."
"You're aware I can handle some of this stuff, aren't you?"
Letty made a face. "As much as I'd love to see that", she said dryly, "I think you should leave the clothes shopping to me and Mia."
"Do you need money?"
She frowned. "No."
He looked at her seriously. "Look, I know your dad's mother left you half of her inheritance money when she died, but you can't live on that money forever, Let."
She blinked. "I don't know what you think I do with my money, Dominic – not that it's any of your business. But I've barely touched that inheritance money."
"I'm not letting you start a fight about this", he said flatly. "I know what we pay you."
"Do you? The paint jobs are mine, and I get more than half of that money. I don't think you realize how much money that is sometimes."
"So, you're saying I should be paying more attention to the checks were writing you?"
She groaned. "No- just stop trying to give me money for stuff. I don't need it."
"Yeah, and I think you need to stop trying to tell me when I can't pay for things for my son", he said firmly.
She rolled her neck. "You asked if I needed money. I said no. That's not the same thing."
"I know you like your crossword puzzles, but skip the word games, alright?"
"Are you seriously offended because I'm not taking your money?" she demanded incredulously. "Because if that's what this is going to turn into, you and I are going to have a problem. I've worked my ass off to make sure I didn't need to depend on anyone else financially. If I needed your help, I would tell you."
"It would be nice if I could believe that, Letty; but you haven't exactly been in a mood to be open with me. You have your pride, and most of the time I respect that. You've been so closed off that I don't know if you would come to me if you needed to. Why the hell – with where our relationship is right now – would you feel safe to do it?"
"You don't trust me", she said flatly.
"No", he refuted quietly. "I think you don't trust me."
"Then we're in a hell of a lot of trouble, aren't we?" she murmured distantly.
"Letty?"
She shook her head and stood up. "You're right. Some things need to change. I just- I need to think. Look, I'll have Aiden back before dinner. I can drop him off at the house. I'm going to come back here later. I have to start to work on the paint job for that Nissan."
"After dinner", he said seriously, halting her retreat.
"Uh, what now?"
"Just stay for dinner", he sighed exasperatedly.
"Dominic", she groaned. "Don't push."
"Why not? You'd rather go home, eat some carrots, and stick your head under a pillow until you're sure the garage is cleared out?"
"You're being dramatic." She made a face. "And where did these mystical carrots come from?" Letty snorted.
"They were the only vegetable in the drawer last time I was over", he smirked.
"Why was your head in my fridge?"
"We have bigger issues, I think."
"Bigger issues than you counting vegetables in my fridge? Pray tell", she teased.
"Go shopping!" he ordered with amusement, pulling his wallet from his back pocket.
"If you're going to throw money at me, I might slap you", she warned with a cocked eyebrow.
"Write a check", he said tersely. "Divide it in half and give me back whatever's left over. Can you just compromise for once?"
Her jaw tightened in frustration, but she took the money with a growl, "Fine." Letty forced her temper into submission and sighed. "I'll go get Aiden. He'll want to see you before we leave."
"Hey, Let", he stopped her before she passed.
"What now?" she asked lazily.
"I like your hair like that."
She blinked, forcing away the knee-jerk reaction to slap at his hand when he reached out and tugged on a lock of her hair. "Thanks?" Letty murmured warily. His smirk made her groan, realizing immediately that her reaction wasn't nearly as calm as it should have been, and she backed away, making a hasty exit.
"Hey, buddy", she knelt near the couch, amused that she had to fight with a handheld video game for her son's attention.
"Hi, Mom."
She smirked. "How 'bout you put that up for now, okay? You're going to come with me for a few hours to go get you some new school clothes, and then we'll come back here for dinner."
"Why do I need new clothes?"
Letty cocked an eyebrow. "Because you keep getting taller", she said evenly. "And unless you're going to stop that, in a few months, we'll probably have to shopping again." She poked his side playfully. "I mean, I'd rather you didn't get any bigger, but Daddy said I can't fill you up with coffee or teach you to smoke cigars-"
"Stop it!" he giggled.
She scooped her laughing son off the couch and carried him back to the office. She heard Tony laughing in the background. "Asks me 'why'", she muttered under her breath, "Loco."
Dominic shook his head at her when they came in. "You're gonna throw your back out."
"Psh, those creepers are more likely to do it first. I lift him instead of weights." But she put her son down gently. "Go say bye to your dad. Be good at the store and we'll stop for soft pretzels."
"I want a soft pretzel."
Letty rolled her eyes at Dom. "No problem", she laughed. "You're buying."
Later, after she had Aiden buckled up in the back of her car, she was driving towards the shopping center.
"Mom?"
"Yeah, buddy?" she glance at his reflection in the mirror on her visor
"You're going to eat dinner with us?"
"That's the plan." She looked
"Why?"
Her eyebrows furrowed, "Why what? Why am I having dinner with you? Am I not allowed?" she chuckled.
"Sure, Mom. But why are you eating with us on a Saturday?"
She rolled her eyes under her sunglasses, "Because Daddy said so."
"And Daddy's the boss?"
Letty nearly groaned. There was no good way to answer that – at least not anyway to be polite about it. "You ask some tough questions sometimes, kid. You know that?"
He grinned mischievously. "Daddy says that too."
"Yeah? What else did he say?"
"That I got it from you", he giggled.
She could help but laugh, "Really? I would think you get that from him."
"Mom, you didn't answer my question."
"You noticed that, huh? That's it. No more school for you. You're too smart already", she teased.
00
A/N: Yay! Another chapter happened! Lol. I have the next three chapters in progress – mostly just some things to fill in. There are interesting bits on the horizon. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I'm so happy you all decided to take this journey with me. The end isn't in sight yet, but things are going to start looking up for our favorite couple.