Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: "Baby?" he whispered into her hair. "Please shut up."

Chapter Twenty Seven

As the holidays approached Shorty spent most of her time trying to find the perfect gifts for her loved ones. She didn't have many to buy but she wanted them to count. Her brother, Leon, and Vince were a given, but she wasn't going to splurge on everyone. She ordered a custom made guitar strap for one of Vince's guitars, but without a doubt she knew he'd choose the new brown Fender he'd just purchased. The thick strap was banded to the softest suede she had ever felt and she'd already spent hours rubbing it against her cheek. When it had arrived she contemplated taking up guitar just so she could keep the shoulder strap. The brilliant blues, greens, and reds on the front were woven into a cream background perfectly. She'd expected his gift to be incredibly difficult to find but she'd found it after only an hour of searching. And even though it was such a simple gift she knew he'd love it.

She still hadn't finished, or really even started, shopping for the rest of the Toretto crew. However, she had completed shopping for her own team. They had been wrapped and deposited under the large tree before it was even decorated. Now, their living room was alive with twinkling lights; and the rich smell of fresh Douglas fir tickled her nose every time she stepped in the room. The smell was almost like exotic spice and it triggered precious memories of her Christmas' past.

Although she enjoyed buying gifts for friends and family she had a keen distaste for receiving them in return. Accepting gifts had never been her strong point. Besides a new pair of ray bans she'd spied at the mall, there was nothing else she neither needed nor wanted. A lot of the things acquired during the holidays were useless crap she never used, like the teakettle Beto had sent her last year. It hadn't been used, or even taken out of the box. She'd lived in New York for God's sake, and if she wanted a cup of tea she'd walk the thirty four steps in any direction to a Starbucks and order one.

But her uneasy feeling of accepting gifts didn't stop her desire to shop for the remaining gifts she needed to purchase. When Letty had called and demanded she go shopping with Mia and her; she'd agreed and they'd spent hours scouring the malls. With that all day spree she finally completed her shopping list and retired to her bedroom to wrap everything before holiday laziness set in.

However, the excitement of the season was catching despite her best attempts at bah humbugging. Leon and Vince were like kids in a candy store, constantly peeking at their packages under their tree. In her best effort to trick the men into thinking she'd bought them something she hadn't, she devised a fail proof plan. She'd bought two larger boxes and placed two bricks in each, followed by their presents and wrapped everything. With only a couple days to go their guesses were becoming much more extravagant, because as both decided, the heavier the box the better the present.

When the garage finally shut down the day before Christmas Eve, Shorty was ecstatic to begin her ten day vacation. She had no plans for the work hiatus except to drink and eat far to much. The holidays for her were a time to gain a few extra pounds to make it through the winter. Not that she needed the extra weight to stay warm this year, California could get frigid but it was nothing compared to the weather of New York.

"What you doing tonight?" Pedro asked her as she walked to her car after quitting time.

"I don't know, probably nothing worth mentioning. Go see my boys for a bit, maybe find out what the plan is for Christmas. Do you think I should ask Leon to family dinner?" she asked, her voice betraying her uneasiness.

She wanted him to come to family dinner. She did. But he wasn't family, and she was unsure if it would be inappropriate. Hector had never brought a woman to Christmas in New York; in fact, none of her team had ever brought someone to such an important night. And how could she have Leon without Vince, who she already considered family. Would he be upset if she didn't invite him? And would Leon be upset if she did?

He shrugged at her question but answered anyways, "That's up to you. I don't care if he's there and I doubt the boys will either."

"Yeah, but," she faltered as she leaned against her cold car. "I don't know, you know? Isn't him being there kind of like saying "we're together"?"

"I hate to break it to you, Shorty, but you are together."

"No, I know that. But I mean like, really together. Like meet the family together," she gasped nervously. "Don't you think it's a little quick to meet the family? I mean, we've only been together for a little over seven months."

"You do realize we've all known Leon for years, right?" he grinned at her.

She rolled her eyes at him but couldn't explain her way out of it. She knew what she meant but she found it difficult to find the correct words to make him understand. She knew they had known Leon for years, but they knew him in the racing world. Bringing him to family dinner with his team was easy, bringing him to family dinner by himself was much more meaningful. Maybe she was scared that meaning would make him uncomfortable. Even the thought of discussing plans with him made her uncomfortable, and like a coward she knew she'd let him broach the subject. He was so much better at taking things seriously.

"You're about as useful as a tea kettle," she snarled, as she slid into her car and took off before he could reply.

Shorty drove straight to the Toretto's house and pulled in behind Vince's maxima. She was a little surprised the entire team was home already. Dominic had chosen to close the garage and cafe early but she'd expected them to unwind at a pub before venturing back to the fort. Leon was supposed to meet her but she hadn't expected anyone else to be around. She had to grin as she made her way to the screen door; the team was such a bunch of homebodies.

The door creaked as she pushed into the house and found the team in their usual positions surrounding the television. She smiled at the lounging racers and sat on the floor beside Vince, between Leon's knees. It was comforting to know that some thing's never changed.

"Hey gorgeous," Leon said, pressing a kiss into her hair.

She felt Leon's hands snake onto her shoulders and light pressure as her pressed his thumbs into her flesh. The prospect of asking Leon to dinner had become a little more stressful than it should have been. However, his hands working her muscles helped relieve some of the tension she'd been holding for the past few days. Once he had massaged the last knot from her shoulders she relaxed against the couch until Mia returned home from her last final of the semester.

When Mia walked in the door she looked exhausted but she held up three boxes of pizza and smiled gratefully at the hollers from her family. Even when she was at the end of her rope she still thought of feeding her team, knowing if she didn't they'd likely starve. Shorty stood and grabbed the pizza from her and led the way to the kitchen so she could set the table.

"Thanks girl. You know you shouldn't be the one doing that. One of them should get off their lazy asses for once," she grinned, and pulled beer and wine from the fridge.

Shorty nodded at the wine bottle, "Rough exam?"

"Huh?" she asked and glanced at the bottle. "Oh, yeah. It was one of the hardest exams I've ever taken. I mean, I know I passed but I just really wanted an A+ in that class too."

Shorty pulled the plates from the cupboard and set them on the table. Returning to the cupboard she pulled herself onto the counter and reached to the back of the cabinet to fish out two wine glasses. Turning and sitting on the counter she held the glasses out to Mia, "I'll join you, as a celebration to the A+ we both know you'll get. Don't short change yourself."

Mia smiled in response and filled the glasses while the boys wandered in and sat at the table.

"You never drink wine."

"That's cause it tastes like monkey piss, but I'll make an exception for you. Don't say I never did anything for you though," she answered, hopping off the counter.

She took the empty place beside Jesse and patiently waited for him to reach in to grab the first slice of pizza. It was a ritual that she had grown accustomed to in the months she'd spent at the household. Jesse, as the most impatient of the housemates, must have just given up trying to fight any longer because with a sigh he reached forward and snagged a slice. He didn't need Dom to say anything but instantly mumbled and stuttered his way through grace before taking a big bite of the steaming pizza.

Following suit Shorty grabbed a couple slices and ate in silence as the loud banter filled the small kitchen. She was content to just sip her wine and eat in silence, but at Dom's table everyone was expected to take part in the conversation. "So, Shorty, you coming to midnight mass with us tomorrow?" he asked her.

Her face stayed impassive even though she was cringing inside. She hated churches, they always left her chilled to the bone and slightly paranoid. She hadn't stepped in one since her first communion when she was seven years old. Although her parents had been quite religious they'd never forced Hector or her to attended church, though the communion ceremony was something they couldn't escape.

She really didn't want to go but she knew it was a family thing and for Dom to invite her was a big deal. Bigger than big, it was monumental. If she ever stepped across the line now she'd be relegated to outsider and she didn't know if she could handle that situation. "Yeah, of course. I wouldn't miss it," she answered. She caught Letty's eye and grinned when she received a conspiratorial wink.

"Good, I know you'll dress appropriately. After all, it's Christ's birthday," he added around a mouthful of pizza.

"Don't worry, I'll leave my leather and fishnet stockings at home," Shorty grinned. She wouldn't have expected anything less of Dom. She may have been a grease monkey but she knew when to act like a lady and pay her respects. And pissing Dom off was not on her list of fun things to do during the holidays.

"I'm serious Shorty. So far you haven't fucked it up but don't think I ain't watching you. You ever pull shit like you did in Vegas again and you're out," he countered seriously.

Normally she would have added another sarcastic comment but she held her tongue in check. He was right of course; she had made a mess out of that vacation. "Ok, Dom. I'll be good. I swear it."

He nodded at her and continued eating with the team. She would never have figured any of them for being excited to go to Church, but that was the feeling ricocheting around the small kitchen. She had to admit they really were an interesting team to be around. They drank, smoked, swore, and fornicated like bunnies but still found time to participate in a Toretto family tradition.

They finished dinner amid discussion of Christmas morning and once Mia had cleared the table, Shorty knew she could escape the inevitable no longer. Taking Leon by the hand she pulled him towards the basement amongst catcalls and laughter. She was bound and determined to get it over with as quickly as possible. And perhaps do it without awkward pauses and fake throat clears.

When they settled on his bed she drew her knees up to her chin and looped her arms around herself protectively. She hadn't meant to appear small and fragile but she knew that must be how Leon's saw her now. "Lee, I know we've only been together a few months. And you can totally say no. I mean, I'll understand if you do. It's not a big deal anyways."

"Would you spit it out?" he asked impatiently.

"Do you want to come to Christmas dinner at my house? With my family? I get if you don't want to. I mean we celebrate it totally different. I mean, Beto will cook a turkey if you want one, but we eat tamales, bacalao a la vizcaina, and spicy hot chocolate. And we beat the crap out of a piñata and even though we're not supposed to open presents until the sixth we usually can't help ourselves. Mexican tradition says a lot of things, but we really only follow the food. Have you ever had a tamale? Beto learned from my Mami and she made the best tamales," she stopped, taking a deep breath. She had rambled her way through her speech and had she not needed air badly she would have undoubtedly continued.

He stared at her impassively but cracked a small smile when she halted. His hand reached out and he pushed a stray curl behind her ear. "Of course I'll come to dinner. Why are you so worked up? Do you really want me to come or are you just asking to be nice?"

A sigh of relief blew through her parted lips before she collected her thoughts, "No, I want you to come. But I didn't know if it would be too soon. You know? Besides, I've never brought a guy home."

"Shorty, you need to stop thinking about our relationship. Just feel it. Stop trying to be that independent woman. I don't mind if you need me every once in a while. I want to be with you, wherever you are."

She smiled gratefully at him and untangled her limbs. Crawling onto his lap she held his face in her hands and gazed into his eyes. "Baby, you talk so sweet."

They settled onto the bed and spent the evening talking about her childhood in Mexico and the holiday traditions that she was used to lasting much longer than they did in America. It was the farthest they'd ever delved into her upbringing and she still hadn't managed to get a back story out of him. She knew it had to be interesting if he sidestepped her questions so often. Her knowledge of his life before L.A. ended with his mother teaching him martial arts and Jesse living down the street from him. She was content with what little she had to go on, knowing when he wanted to reveal his secrets he would.

A/N: Wow! Special thanks to Ashes2Dust18, Liz, Violet201, XOXO, Rogue's Queen, Holliday Girl, and bizchelc for the kick ass reviews. You guys really made my weekend! Liz: I'm pumped you're enjoying the story and I will try and include a little more of Dom and Letty as I go along. XOXO: That's a good idea! I will look into what I have written already to see if I can squeeze it in! Shout out's to Erika Raedene, deziprincess88, lalahawaii, and buzzybee43 for the favorites and alerts.

Happy Thursday. Cheers!