Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: It was kind of funny how they wanted the same things, but for completely different reasons

Chapter Forty One

The next day Shorty moved Brer's car seat seat into her car and buckled him in while he wiggled uncontrollably. His glee was contagious and she turned in the drivers seat to face her son before she too wiggled in her seat, crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out. His laughter was high pitched and she smiled as she pulled off the parking pad and took off without any real direction.

He'd been bugging her since Letty and Mia had left the previous afternoon to take him for a drive. Lalia had told him how fast her mother and father drove, and she acted slightly superior because she'd experienced something he hadn't. Their friendship had bloomed fast in the few hours they'd played together and she wondered if Brer even remembered Kennedy.

Shorty rolled the windows down and when she finally merged onto the highway she winked in the rearview mirror at Brer, then slammed her foot down on the gas. The wind rushing in the windows stirred both their wavy locks into complete abandon. This was what she was born for. This was what she'd missed so much when she'd first purchased the Escalade. It was a safer vehicle for Brer, but felt more like a her own jail cell.

Once she'd gotten that first drive out of her system, she pulled off the highway and hauled Brer out of the car. They walked to a small trailer parked beside a truckers rest stop and gas station. She bought her son a strawberry milkshake and fries while she ordered a chocolate shake, a double cheeseburger with bacon and chili fries. He climbed up beside her as she sat at one of the many picnic tables, facing her with his feet dangling on either side of the bench.

He shoved a handful of fries into his ketchup and jammed them into his mouth, his eyes still wide with excitement. The thrill of the drive had put them both in high spirits. "We went so fast, Mami. Like lightening!"

"Yeah we did, baby."

He chatted wildly for the rest of their lunch and continued until they were back on the road. His green eyes focused on the cars the rushed past and the blurred shapes lulled him to sleep. When they returned to the house, she parked the car on the driveway and lifted her sleeping child from the car seat. She kept Brer pressed against her side while she fumbled in her purse for her house key, which hung on the keychain for the Escalade.

"Here, let me get them," Dom said, his deep baritone voice surprising her into a small jump backwards.

He reached forward for her purse and she handed it to him, resigned that now was good a time as any to deal with the King of the Streets. He unlocked the door and pushed it open for her to step through, following behind her. The soft sound of the door clicking into place pressed against her eardrums like a warning. Just as she arched her back he spoke, "I'm not going to hurt you, Shorty."

"Let me put the kid down," she answered, not bothering to turn around. She climbed the stairs swiftly, put Brer in his bed and shut the door to block any raised voices that might frighten him.

When she returned downstairs Dom had pulled two Corona's from the fridge, his already open and half gone. He seated himself on one of the stools against the island and she moved around the opposite side. She accepted the beer and opened it before pushing up onto the counter behind the island so she was a safe distance from him. Her hand was within reaching distance of the knife block but if push came to shove she knew she'd never harm the man that belonged to her Letty.

"You're back."

"I'm back."

"And you have a kid."

"Do I?" she asked sarcastically, her eyebrow arching against her will. Reminded once again that Vince had once claimed she used it as a coping mechanism. She wondered inwardly if that was what she was doing now?

He bristled at her answer and she immediately dropped her gaze to the knife block and back to him in warning. His laughter boomed deep and she shivered as she always did when he rumbled. He'd always had that effect on her and it had nothing to do with sexual desire. Quite simply, he was such a powerful figure and she'd always felt the desire for his approval. Even now, unbidden, she still craved it.

"Letty says he's Leon's," he said, and she read the underlying question.

She sighed and looked at her hands – hands that had cared for Leon's child by themselves. "Yeah, Brer is Leon's."

"You're a bitch."

"And you're an asshole. What of it?"

"I would have made him take care of you." She knew then that he would have, and that Leon would have done exactly as Dom said, though he would have been forever unhappy.

"Why does everyone want to force Leon on us? I don't need you to make him do anything. If he wants to see Brer, he's more than welcome too. But I won't have you, or Hector, or even Letty, making him accept us."

Dom sighed, heavy and deep, running a hand over his face like she'd seen her brother do so often when he was frustrated or upset. Shorty had heard multiple times how old fashioned Dom's father had truly been. His views had always been that the man took care of his wife and children, no matter what. Family was more important than anything. Family was life. And she'd always known that Dom carried this viewpoint as well, wearing it on his chest like a Medal of Honor awarded for extraordinary heroism.

"I hated you for a long time."

"I don't blame you."

"And then I didn't. It drained me. And when Mia started dating Hector I wondered what the hell it was that kept drawing my team to you guys. Then, after they'd been together for two years, I saw it. Both of you are so damn strong. So damn easy to love."

"Uh, thanks, I guess?"

"They're gonna get married, you know," he said, but again she sensed the question below the statement.

"Probably."

"We're going to be family."

"That's true."

"So I can't hate you. I can't even really be mad at you."

Shorty lowered her eyes and watched him through her lashes. What he'd just confessed was so far from what she'd expected their reunion to be like. It was so unexpected in fact that she felt her throat thicken with guilt. He deserved his hatred, his anger, any negative feelings he wanted to have for her. It was his right. Just because they'd soon be family didn't meant shit.

But then it did. After all, to him, family was life.

"I'm sorry, Dominic. I screwed up. Again."

"Before now, did you ever think of coming back?"

Once again his calm demeanor unsettled her, as if his quick temper had been a trait she'd imagined. It was absurd to be so nervous with the change in him, and yet, she felt like he was hiding behind a wall ready to burst forth when she wasn't expecting it.

"No."

She didn't know why she told him she hadn't thought about it when really it crossed her mind at least once a day. Perhaps it was to protect herself, to appear stronger than she had been. Maybe she said it so he wouldn't try and force Leon on his own kid. But for whatever reason, she wasn't going to correct it.

He cocked his head to the side and studied her, really studied her, probably for the first time since they'd met. "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" she asked. He opened his mouth to call her bluff and she cut him off with a quick, "Don't answer that."

He shut his mouth and they stared at each other in silence for what seemed like forever. She scanned his body language for a hint of his true feelings but found she couldn't even anything. Like he was closed off from her somehow. He'd always been difficult to judge, and she'd spent very little time trying to understand him when she'd been a part of his family All she could absorb from him was indifference, and in many ways that was worse. He didn't care for her, but nor did he hate her. She just was.

"Did you come back for him?"

"I came back for me and Brer, Dom."

He nodded immediately, his acceptance once again out of the norm. Had becoming a father changed him so much? Could he now accept other's flaws? Could he even forgive the grievous mistakes she'd made? Was there a chance for her? A place for her?

"Lalia likes Brer. She dropped the cousin thing, told Jesse he was her boyfriend."

A smile crinkled the corners of his eyes and he looked much younger than his thirty six years. He turned those dark eyes to her and she rolled her shoulders forward under his scrutiny, in an unconscious effort to protect her vital organs. He hadn't meant to intimidate her but unfortunately for her she'd reacted as if he had. Her insides sprang alive in turmoil.

"He breaks her heart," he started and stalled. His smile returned and he laughed again. Dangerous Daddy Dominic threatening a child. "I'll break his hot wheels."

"He's three."

"Almost four."

Dom pushed himself off the stool and drank the remained of his beer in one deep gulp. His hand looked enormous wrapped around the small bottle and she was glad they weren't wrapped around her neck. She followed him back to the front door where he turned to look at her once more, his gaze unfocused, maybe looking back in time.

"For what it's worth, it wasn't my intention to hurt them."

His eyes focused and he blinked to clear the last memory from them, "I don't like how you handled it, but I know what you were up against."

He reached his closed fist out to her and she pressed her own against his in a truce. He may not have wanted to kill her but she could tell that she still had a long way to go before she could make it up to him. And before that, she needed to make it up to a great many other people, including herself.

"Do you want to meet Brer?"

He thought for a moment, then glanced to the sun making it's arc over Los Angeles. It wasn't late but he had family to attend to. "Not today."

Shorty shut the door behind him and collapsed on the wide couch, slumping over and pressing her face into the cushion. She screamed and wailed and her throat throbbed painfully. Finally when she had released enough pent up anxiety she rolled onto her side and covered herself with the blanket off the back of the couch.

She was pissed, and frustrated. But also thankful. The things she'd done to these people were wretched and undeserving. How could they find it in themselves to forgive her so easily? What had happened to them since she'd left? Had their brains been snatched by aliens and replaced with mindless drones? Letty, Mia, and Dom had all assured her they understood her reasoning. And it wasn't fair. Granted for her it was all peachy keen, but they were Leon's people and it upset her that they weren't standing next to him staring down their noses at her. Did loyalty mean nothing anymore?

A/N: Thanks to Violet201, Liz, musicluver17, Idoneous, ILoveAnime89, 0netflixme0, and Love Ink for the reviews. As always they are so muchly appreciated. Shout out's to musicluver17, call me Richardson, 0netflixme0, lole12312, dianatfatf, and Aerianna Lupin for all the favorites and alerts.

I hope this Dom chapter lived up to your incredibly high expectations. If not, totally let me know.

Also, I had a crazy dream about zombies about a week ago and all the cast from The Fast and The Furious were in it. If I were to ever write a totally craz,y off topic, alternative universe story about zombies and our favorite cast, would anymore read it?

Cheers!