Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: "It's about time I learned it was food. I've been trying boyish good looks and charm for the past five months," he laughed as she fed him a bite of her sandwich.

Chapter Twenty Three

Before she knew it, the first day of September was upon her and her twenty forth birthday was just a day away. She knew her family wanted to have a huge blowout party but she had never been the type to celebrate. To her, it was just another day, a day made especially painful for her mother as she plunged head first into life. She steadfastly refused to let anyone, including Leon, plan anything for the day.

And he had asked, begged, and pleaded to take her away on a weekend trip for just the two of them. They had yet to sleep together and she knew that if they went alone they would likely spend the weekend humping like rabbits. Not that she didn't want to, her body ached for his. But since that night at the beach when she had first realized she was falling for him she decided to approach things in a different manner. Gone were the days she jumped into the sack without a backward glance. She wanted to make sure he was sticking around before she gave him the only thing she had left to give. Without him realizing it, he had stolen her heart and unceremoniously stuffed it in his pocket for safe keeping.

Still, Shorty vehemently refused and slowly the birthday plans had petered out until they were given up completely. And although the big two four was a big event in their eyes; to her, Mia's last year at the University was far more important. After all, she only had two more semesters before she would start her residency at the hospital. But more importantly, the Labour Day weekend was the last weekend before Mia would fall back into never ending homework. She figured if there was any reason to celebrate it was definitely Mia's accomplishments.

Shorty was sprawled on her back lying sideways across Leon, her abdomen jutting into the air and her feet dangling off the bed. His hand traced circles around her belly button as she planned a course of action. "You know, Mia is the one who deserves a weekend away."

"I'm not taking her."

"No, not you, stupid. Me and Lett will. Mia loves girl's night, and she's been cooped up in her room or the University for the entire summer. Well, except for race wars. "

She sat up instantly and focused on a point on the wall ignoring Leon. It wouldn't be easy convincing the men, more specifically Hector and Dom, but she knew for her idea to work she would have to win their approval. And she also knew that if Dom and Hector said yes, well, the rest of the team would just have to accept it.

One corner of her mouth quirked up in a half grin just as Leon's raspy growl floated up from the bed. She felt the mattress shift under his weight as he sat up and she turned to face his dangerously alert eyes. "You better not be thinking what I know you're thinking."

"I'm not."

"Baby, I can see you cookin' up somethin' in that brain of yours."

She shifted one knee onto the bed and leaned forward until they were nose to nose. "Would I lie to you, handsome?" she grinned, cutting his retort short with a well placed kiss. "Don't answer that."

"You're lucky you're so cute."

"Cute? Uh, I think you mean beautiful. Smoldering. Vivacious. Exotic. Enchanting. Sexy."

Leon rolled his eyes at her and pulled her down on top of him. "You're such a smart ass."

"Maybe. But I'm a beautiful, smoldering, vivacious, exotic, enchanting, sexy, smart ass," she said as she pulled from his grasp and jumped off the bed. "I'm gonna go find the girls and tell them the good news."

Shorty bounced out of the room, up the stairs and into the kitchen. If everyone was so determined for her to celebrate her birthday, she would, on her terms. And her terms included just Letty and Mia and a girl's weekend away in sunny Las Vegas. "LETTY!" she screamed from the kitchen, wandering through the hall into the front room.

She grinned when she heard Letty's heavy boots stomping down the stairs quickly. "What? What? Are you ok?" she shouted when she pulled to a stop on the last stair. "What the hell, boo? You were screaming bloody fucking murder. Are you trying to give me a fuckin' heart attack?"

"We're going to Vegas," Shorty answered, patting the seat beside her on the couch.

"What are you talking about?"

Letty sat beside her, kicked off her boots and crossed her legs, tucking her feet underneath her. She reclined back comfortably and turned to look at Shorty. "I mean, you, me, and Mia are going to Vegas this weekend. You need to talk to Dom, I'll take Hector, he shouldn't be that hard to convince."

"You know Dom will never let Mia out of his sight when you're involved," she snickered.

Shorty rolled her eyes in exasperation and slugged Letty's forearm softly, "Yeah, and that's where your feminine charms come in."

"I don't have any feminine charms, boo."

"Show him your tits then. Just make it happen. If he can't be convinced tell him I'll show him my tits. Four boobs are better than two."

Letty snorted in amusement and turned her eyes to the ceiling where Dom was resting after a tough weekend. If anyone could convince Dom to let his two girls go away for a weekend it would be Letty who could accomplish it. But even then, Letty was right. Shorty had a knack for ending up in uncomfortable situations. However, besides the incident with Spence months before, she hadn't seen a stitch of trouble since. Frankly, that had to count for something. After all, it was the longest she'd ever gone without unnecessary drama.

"I'll try, but don't count on it," she sighed as she stood. She turned half way up the stairs and glanced back at Shorty, "This a birthday thing?"

"If that'll swing his vote use it, but mostly just for Mia. Since I've been back she's been so busy with school. Race Wars was the last time she really had time to hang out. It'll be like one last throw down before she falls into homework again."

Nodding her agreement she stomped up the stairs, a determined look in her eyes. Shorty stood and returned to the basement where she found her boyfriend and best friend in a fierce battle. She knew better than to try and drag them away from Call of Duty so she kissed each on the head, grabbed her belongings and left the house. There was no use waiting around for Dom's answer. It could take hours for her to convince him.

When Shorty arrived home she found her team lounging around the pool. She strode directly to Hector and tried the most direct approach she could think of. "Hector, I'll be twenty four in a couple hours. I want to go to Vegas for my birthday. Just me and the girls. We'll be home by dinner on Monday," she stated.

Hector looked up at her from his seat and tugged his sunglasses down onto the bridge of his nose. "Es eso correcto?" he questioned sarcastically. (Is that right?)

"Por favor a hermano? Es sólo una pareja noches y Mia y Letty estará allí. Juro que voy a estar bien. Scouts de honor," Shorty begged. (Please brother? It's only a couple nights, and Mia and Letty will be there. I swear I'll be good. Scouts honor.)

"Sólo si se llama tan pronto como usted llegar. Y ¡ maldición, no peleas puto Michael. Me refiero a lo." He sighed loudly in defeat and dragged a callused hand down his face. (Only if you call as soon as you get there. And damn it, no fucking fights Michael. I mean it.)

Shorty jumped into his lap and hugged him to her chest. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she shouted, switching back to English without a thought. "You're the best. This is gonna be so awesome. I've never been, you have though? What did you do? Ew, don't answer that. Seriously though, what did you do? I have four days to learn to count cards. You think I can? I bet Jess can count cards, that kid's a fuckin' genius. Do I have to wear dresses out? I hope Dom's as cool with it as you are. How much money do you think I should take?"

Hector's mouth dropped open as she rattled on and on, more to herself than any other member of her team. She was excited for her birthday for the first time since she had received a green and yellow BMX bike for her eleventh birthday. Surely Vegas would be more exciting than a bike. Lost in thought Shorty stood and wandered to her room to wait for Letty's call.

Surprisingly, Dom agreed to the girl's weekend away and they spent the rest of the week slowly planning. As easy as it seemed for Letty to convince Dom, his acceptance came with a few rules. He demanded that all their cells be turned on the loudest ring accompanied by vibrate, Mia was to check in every evening at 8pm, and they were to take one car, not three.

The three girls agreed without hesitation and when five o'clock on Friday evening arrived Shorty pulled up in front of the Toretto's garage to pick up her passengers. She found the girls giggling on the couch and the boys sulking around them. As excited as the girls had been all week, the boys had been equally moody and stubborn. It was obvious they wanted to tag along, but Dom had actually agreed with Shorty. He loudly explained to Vince on multiple occasions that Mia deserved a fun girl's weekend, where both Shorty and Letty didn't have to keep their men occupied.

So, with Dom's blessing Shorty hauled the girl's duffle bags to her car and pushed Mia in the backseat before he could change his mind. She hugged Vince, promising him presents, and kissed Leon before sliding into her seat. He leaned in the open window and captured her lips once more before catching her chin between his thumb and index finger, "Call me if you need anything, babe."

"I will," she grinned back at him. "Be good."

"Me? I'm always good."

She kissed him one last time and laughed as she backed the car out of the parking spot, "Yeah, that's the problem, darling."

Letty and Mia's laughter rang in her ears as she pulled out of the parking lot and in the direction of the I-15N highway that would lead them to the Promised Land; Las freaking Vegas. Straight into the heart of debauchery, seduction, and sin. She didn't know how the boys would survive a weekend without them. Despite the fact she knew they were grown men capable of taking care of themselves, she pictured them starving and falling into filth.

Dismissing the thought she swerved onto the highway, cranked the tunes and pushed her baby into a higher gear, the thoughts of billions of twinkling lights forcing her already heavy foot.

Shorty slammed to a stop in the underground drop off of the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The sun had set just as they were approaching the city and as she stepped from the vehicle for valet she could understand why men enjoyed the comforts of Las Vegas so much. Everywhere she looked she saw breasts of all sizes and the curves of buttocks as they peeked from dresses, skirts, and shorts. It was a safe haven for skanks and for once she was glad the boys had been forbidden to tag along. She definitely would not have enjoyed her vacation if she had to step over Leon and Vince's tongues as they lolled out of their mouths. Nope, Vegas was strictly a place to experience without a horny man in tow.

Mia checked in while Letty and Shorty waited for the valet to bring her keys back. "Sweet ride, lady," he said when he handed her the keys. She didn't feel comfortable leaving her keys in the large key box for valet so she pocketed them and deposited a large tip in his hand. If she had to let someone park and retrieve her girl, she wanted it to be someone who could appreciate the car.

"Isn't she?" she answered. Hoisting both her own and Mia's bags onto her shoulders, she and Letty walked through the wall of glass doors and into a huge foyer. Both their mouths dropped open at the extravagant escalators leading to the casino and hotel. While Mia was used to pretty things, Shorty and Letty were used to grease and grime under their nails. Everything was so shiny and sparkly and Shorty grinned at Letty, "A girl could get used to this."

"Ok, we got rooms 5034 and 5036, he said they're connected. We just have to unlock the doors," Mia said as she handed them each a key card. "I dibs my own room, you two can share."

"Works for me. I don't plan on being in the room much anyways," Letty answered.

Shorty stepped on the escalator followed by Letty and Mia. They stepped off into a huge room filled with game tables, machines and people. The place was alive, almost like a beehive, people constantly coming and going. She turned to the right and led the girls to a bank of elevators. When they stepped off on the fifth floor they followed the signs directing them to their rooms and stopped in front of their door.

"Might as well start the gambling now, I bet you dinner we got the Woody Harrelson room," Shorty grinned at Mia.

Mia returned the grin and nodded her head towards her room, "Fine, I bet you dinner I'm in the Britney Spears room."

Shorty laughed and slid her key card into the lock. "One," she counted as Mia slid her key card into her own lock, "Two, there." She and Mia pushed their doors open at the same time and she pulled Letty in behind her. She could head Mia's door click shut just before their own and she quickly moved across the room to a small stand beside the window. What she found inside was definitely not Woody Harrelson but memorabilia from Dennis Quaid movies.

Letty knocked on the door connecting their room to Mia's before unlocking it and swinging it open. She collapsed on the bed closest to it and waited patiently for Mia to open her side. When she did she looked directly at Shorty, "So, I think I got the furthest thing from Britney Spears." She stepped into their room and sat on the foot of Letty's bed.

"Yeah, me too. Dennis Quaid. Who'd you get?"

"I got the movie Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang," Mia answered before smiling. "I'll buy your meal anyways for your birthday."

"Thanks girl," she replied as she hauled her duffle bag to her bed. "I'll grab yours too, since we both lost. I'm starving though. Should we get dressed then go eat?"

"Yeah, sure. I dibs shower first," Letty cried as she jumped off the bed and raced for the huge bathroom.

"Sounds good, I'll hop in the shower too."

Mia stood off the bed and pranced from the room into her own to get ready for the evening. Shorty pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed her brother's number. He answered on the third ring and after promising him no trouble he wished her a good weekend.

It took longer than normal for Shorty to get ready that evening, but since they were in the city of sin she figured she should look nice. Usually she could pull on a pair of boots and a skirt and she was good to go, however Vegas help much higher standards. She felt self conscious as she finally emerged from the bathroom and found Letty just cracking a beer, dressed to the nines and looking outstanding. Shorty had dressed in a tight deep violet dress, with tiny shoulder straps, and an even tinier hemline. She knew there would be no bending over or her lady bits would be on full display. However, she didn't think she'd have to worry about bending over, she would have enough trouble walking in the sparkly gold stiletto's she had let Mia talk her into buying. But if she had to guess, she'd guess she looked pretty drop dead cute. Cute enough that Leon might have had a hard time letting her out of the room.

Letty took a large gulp of her beer and whistled low in her throat, "Damn boo, now I see what Leon see's. I think I'm ready to experiment."

Shorty laughed when Letty winked at her but blushed furiously anyways. If she looked cute, than Letty looked gorgeous. She was clad in a silver one shoulder mini dress with asymmetrical hemline and black high heels. Her hair was braided to one side and the natural waves added unbelievable sexy texture.

"Babe, if I was willing to experiment, you'd have to beat me off with a bat." They exploded into laughter before Letty tossed her a beer. She snapped the can open and drank deeply, choking on the amber liquid when Mia stepped into the room.

Both Shorty and Letty's jaws dropped in shock at the beautiful Italian in front of them. "Holy shit," Letty gasped.

"Oh my dios. Wow, Mia, ves increíble. Gracias a Dios Dominic no aquí," Shorty breathed as she looked Mia over from head to foot. (Oh my god. Wow, Mia, you look unbelievable. Thank God Dominic isn't here.)

"You think?" she questioned self consciously as she smoothed out the black micromini ribbon dress. The dress fit like a glove and the tube top pushed her chest up, giving her the cleavage just like the chasers back home. Her hair hung down in a thick sheet of dark satin and the red heels added another touch of sex appeal to the outfit.

"Yeah. God damn girl. She's right. If Dom was here, you'd be locked in your room all night," Letty grinned. "You look amazing."

Mia smiled her thanks at the two women who were busy trying to roll their tongues back into their mouths. Shorty shook her head to clear it and grabbed the small clutch she had packed from the bed. Linking arms with Mia she pulled her to the door and they made their way to the elevator with Letty at their side. She had a feeling this was going to be a night to remember.

They strolled through the Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile until they came across a sushi buffet and decided it was as good a place as any. Although both Letty and she stuck to burgers and fries, Mia ate as much sushi as her stomach could handle. When their bill arrived two hours later they were full and quite drunk from too much sake. However, all three were ready to get out of the restaurant and find a club to lose themselves in until the wee hours of morning. They quickly divided their bill and hustled back to their hotel to play the slots before heading out onto the strip.

By the time they had finished with slots, Shorty was well beyond drunk and walking in heels had become a nightmare for her. She had kicked them off and was walking barefoot along the strip, holding each in a hand while Letty directed them towards Luxor hotel. The strip was brilliantly bright and although Shorty was hammered she could still appreciate the beauty of the city.

"Where we going?" Mia asked as she gazed heavenward at the lights beaming from the point of Luxor's pyramid.

Letty laughed lightly in exasperation, "Mi, I told you already. We're going to LAX."

"Oh, right," she blinked through her hazy eyes.

"You two are wasted."

"I'm not, I'm mildly inebriated," Shorty giggled. She unleashed her arm from Letty's and pranced off to the main doors of the hotel.

Shorty stepped inside the vast hotel and was still gazing up at the odd shaped roof when Mia and Letty pushed through the doors. All around them she could see what seemed to be thousands of people gambling or just wandering around. To the right she saw a long line leading to a black wrought iron gate surrounded by bouncers. The occupants of the line were decked out in the latest fashion, the females donning dresses just as short, or even shorter than their own.

Shorty slid her feet back into the too high shoes and followed behind Letty and Mia to the front of the line. She could see Mia smiling demurely at the VIP bouncer and Letty explaining something vividly with over exaggerated hand movements. He grinned down at them and nodded to the bouncer at the door who removed the velvet rope to let the three of them pass. As they ascended the stairs behind the gate she heard a few cat calls and whistles from the bouncers and grinned back at them with a wink.

They made their way through the huge crowd directly to the first bar they spotted and Letty pushed her way through to the counter. Flagging down a bartender she ordered three shots with three beers and paid quickly. She handed the shots to her and Mia and declared, "To a weekend free from hovering brothers and boyfriends!"

Shorty tossed hers back and grimaced as the liquid burned down her throat. She grasped the beer handed to her and pulled Letty and Mia onto the dance floor. She was always able to lose herself in the music and it was no different in Vegas. Without the boys around to draw them back to a table the girls spent the night immersed in the dance floor and only parted from the crowd when Mia slapped a hand over her mouth and shoved her way to the bathroom.

She was throwing open the bathroom door just as Mia slammed her stall shut and wretched loudly. The girls in the bathroom cast disgusted looks at the stall before muttering snidely to each other. Shorty told the girls where to shove it and hovered near Mia's stall beside Letty. "Mia, how you feeling?"

Mia cleared her throat roughly and whimpered, "Something's wrong Lett. My stomach feels like it's eating itself."

"You didn't even drink that much girl," Shorty added as Mia wretched violently again.

Shorty pulled her cell phone from her clutch and checked the time. They had been dancing for roughly three hours and although Mia had seemed paler than usual she hadn't appeared sick. They hadn't drank anything since they had first arrived, so she didn't think it could be alcohol related.

"Can we catch a cab back to the hotel?" Mia asked after she flushed the toilet and unlocked the stall door. She looked defeated as she stepped from the stall and splashed water on her face. She gargled a few times and let Shorty and Letty walk her out of the bar and into a cab.

"Planet Hollywood please, and hurry," Shorty said to the cabby.

She rolled the window down and leaned Mia into the cool breeze. Her skin was moist and her breathing was ragged, as if she was holding back her stomach contents. Shorty brushed her hair off her face and felt her forehead. She wasn't a doctor but to her Mia felt warm. "Maybe it's the flu?"

"I don't think so," Mia groaned as she tried to calm her upset stomach by rubbing in small circles.

"Alcohol poisoning? You're the doctor, girl, what's wrong? Do you want to go to the hospital?" she asked.

The cab pulled to a stop in the underground lot and Letty tossed him the fare before scrambling out. She opened Mia's door and hauled the sick woman to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. Shorty followed and took the other side as they steered Mia towards the doors.

"I think its food poisoning. I just need water and sleep," she mumbled.

Shorty groaned inwardly for Mia's discomfort. She'd never had food poisoning but a teammate in New York had come down with it and he'd been confined to bed for a few days. She hoped that all Mia needed was a couple hours of sleep and she'd be good as new. It may have been selfish of her but she wanted Mia to recover as soon as possible so she could experience the rest of Vegas with her and Letty.

They placed her on the floor near the toilet and Shorty dug through Mia's bag for her pajamas. She returned to the bathroom where she was vomiting into the toilet again, her hand grasping the side of the bowl. Letty dunked a washcloth under cold water and mopped Mia's face free of makeup and vomit while Shorty tied her long hair into a ponytail.

"Do you need me to go get anything?" she asked as she stripped Mia naked and dressed her in her pajamas.

"Not right now," she sighed as they picked her up off the floor and carried her to the bed closest to the bathroom. "Can you hand me the garbage can?" she asked hoarsely.

Shorty tucked the blankets under Mia's chin while Letty set the garbage can beside the bed. "You sure you don't need anything?" Letty asked worriedly.

"No, thanks though," she answered. Mia blinked back tears and looked up at Shorty, "I'm sorry I'm ruining Vegas. I know you were excited to go to that after hour's club."

"Oh please Mi, you're not ruining it. It's almost four in the morning, and we still have two nights girl. You just get better and we'll live it up tomorrow."

Shorty and Letty walked through to their own room but left the door open so they could hear Mia if she needed anything. Before they had even finished undressing and washing their faces Mia was dead to the world, albeit breathing a little louder than usual.

When she crawled into bed and turned on her side to face Letty she found her grinning wide. "Did you have fun, boo?" she whispered.

"Oh yeah, that place was huge. LAX in L.A. sucks compared to the club here," she yawned, suddenly tired now that she was wrapped in a warm quilt. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Hopefully Mia feels better tomorrow." Within minutes she could hear Letty's deep breathing and soon after she joined her in slumber.

A/N: Thanks to my faithful reviewer Love Ink, you're the best! Also, thanks to Violet201 for the review. I love hearing from readers. Shout out's to Violet201 and Marked08 for the favorites and alerts.

Off topic, is anyone else as totally in love with Instagram as I am? Seriously, I think I need an Instagram intervention.

Please take the time to review. Cheers!