Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: 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?

Chapter Forty Two

Shorty and Brer spent the next few days settling into the hustle and bustle of busy city life. She spent the next few days trying to find him a daycare close enough to the garage that she could work without worrying about him. Normally she didn't mind having him underfoot, but he was so curious about everything in the shop she was worried he'd get hurt.

In the mean time, she hadn't heard from any of the men in the DT team. Not that she'd really expected too. However, both women had made an effort to see her whenever they had a chance. It was a lot easier to see Mia because she was constantly at the boys house. Officially she still lived at the DT house but technically she'd moved into Shorty's childhood home months ago. Weird feelings she couldn't explain always enfolded her in their grasp when she thought of the Toretto crew living in their own houses while her team still lived together. She'd always figured Toretto's family would live under the same roof until they were old and wrinkly, just like she'd planned to do with Hector.

After returning from dinner at Hector's one night, she'd gone upstairs to shower, leaving Brer to watch a movie on the Cartoon network. When she appeared in the living room he had his hands pressed against the cool glass of the front picture window, his eyes peering into the last light of the day. The soft curtains swallowed him and she tickled him out of his daze. He giggled and turned, his little fingers already wiggling dangerously at her. She squealed once and ran around the couch at a slow enough pace for Brer to jump on the back of legs, knocking her onto her stomach. He crawled up onto her torso and shoved his hands into her armpits, terrorizing her until she was breathless with laughter. She didn't think twice or worry about what Brer had been staring at so intently.

Finally on the sixth day of searching she found an affordable day home only a block from the garage. Though it wasn't everything she wanted, it was pleasant enough that she didn't need to worry about her son's safety. Two weeks after they arrived home Shorty returned to the garage in high spirits. And she'd been right about losing most of her clients, although her reappearance had traveled quickly via word of mouth. Whether the clients came just to get a look at the girl who dare leave the two fiercest crews in the racing scene, or to actually purchase a new decal for their vehicle, she wasn't sure. But she didn't have enough business to complain, so she took all their orders and divided her day between working under a vehicle and drawing. Every night when her shift ended, she raced to her car, eager to be reunited with her son.

Working at the garage hadn't changed much. The boys still fooled around while they worked. They still teased her incessantly. And she still couldn't wait for lunch. That, however, was the big difference that took some getting used to. She'd always spent her lunch hours with the DT team, munching on a turkey sandwich, seated between Leon and Vince. Now she sat in the sun with her team and laughed at their jokes, but her mind always lingered on the small store with the larger than life Toretto team.

She wondered who ran it, now that Mia was a full time Doctor. While Letty simply wouldn't have the patience for it, the boys would never stoop low enough to serve others food. And the small store had been in the Toretto family for ages, so she couldn't imagine Dominic selling it. "Hey, Hec, who's running the store now that Mia ain't?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, but the hand rubbing the back of his sun kissed neck gave her reason to believe she wasn't going to like the answer, "I think Kim looks after it sometimes."

"Ah," was all she said; was all she really could say.

This new piece of information meant she couldn't show her face near there again. Though the though had crossed her mind a few times. But that would be like stepping into the lion's den. Except the lion was Vince, and if Leon ever grew a set of balls, he'd be the second one.

She didn't mention it again. In fact, she avoided all topics about the DT crew unless it directly related to Letty or Mia. She still hadn't seen Jesse around and she thought maybe he was avoiding her for Leon's sake. She didn't mind it in the least, even though she'd love to see the mad scientist. His loyalty for Leon was heartening, since everyone else seemed to forgive her quicker than was warranted. But Jesse's lack of attention always made her smile, his conversations flowing from one topic to another so quick she struggled to keep up. He said more in a shorter time span than anyone she'd ever met. Deep in her heart she knew wanted to see him, make sure he was still the same wonderful man she'd grown so fond of.

The first workweek back at the garage passed quickly and once Hector locked up she couldn't wait to pick Brer up. He was still a little rattled that she'd hoisted him off on someone else during the days. However, Letty was trying to get a place for Brer at the playschool she used for Lalia. Once Brer heard about that he might spend his entire day with Lalia he took to hounding her constantly for an answer.

When they got to Hector's house for dinner that night Mia had already set the table and placed a large envelope over Brer's plate. He opened it with gleeful hands and smiled when he pulled a package of information out. Although he couldn't read yet he scanned the papers, smiled happily and passed it to Shorty before digging into the food on his plate.

The package explained a spot had opened up in the same daycare as Lalia and was now reserved for her son. It contained all the information a parent would need to know about the establishment they were leaving their loved ones at. A list of rules were next, followed by a list of things he would need to bring. Meals were included in the fees and Shorty was thrilled that Letty had gone to all the trouble of getting a spot for her son.

"Well, kiddo, looks like you get to hang out with Lalia every day," she told him, while she set the information to the side and ate her own dinner.

"I bet Letty used violence," Marvin said, around a mouth full of barbequed ribs.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Hector laughed, and he ruffled Brer's curls.

"Lalia's my best friend," Brer added, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Shorty and Mia exchanged a quick look and groaned simultaneously. The two of them together would only lead to trouble in the near future. Shorty had become a nuisance to the neighborhood as soon as she'd moved to Los Angeles at the age of five. She knew in a couple years her son and Letty's daughter would be terrorizing Echo Park just as she had so many years before.

Beto and Miguel cleaned the kitchen after dinner and Shorty followed the rest of her family out to the living room to watch a movie. She sat in her usual spot and let Brer climb up onto her lap, his bony behind digging into her thighs until he was seated comfortably. Half way through the movie Brer had slid half off her legs with his head lolling back, fast asleep. She smiled down at the child and wondered how he could fall asleep even in the most uncomfortable position.

Stifling a yawn, Shorty arranged Brer in her arms and stood. "I'm taking the monster home," she whispered, as she stepped around the body parts carefully.

Hector opened the door for her and followed her to her Escalade. He had become so attached to Brer that whenever they parted ways he needed to walk her to the car, or slip into his nephew's room to watch him sleep for a minute or two. He opened the door and reached for Brer. He buckled him safety into his car seat while Shorty let her eyes wander to the house four over from where she was standing. She could see the dim light of the television through the filmy curtains and the blue Maxima parked on the driveway.

She knew Vince was home because he never went anywhere without his vehicle. It would be so easy to slip over there and knock on the door. She could just picture him lounging on his couch, feet propped up on the coffee table and crossed at the ankle, with empty Corona bottles beside him. Yet, she stood riveted to her spot staring at the house. She still hadn't heard from him, though that didn't surprise her. But she wanted to see him, wanted to talk to him, wanted to feel him. She needed to explain everything to him and ask, plead, and beg for forgiveness.

"Michael, just leave it," Hector said, and he draped an arm around her neck from behind.

"I know," she answered.

He hugged her tightly and shut the SUV door for her. He knew how badly she wanted a life she'd never have. He could see, better than anyone else around her, how she longed to have Vince by her side. She felt like she was an orange missing one of her segments. Incomplete and lopsided.

When she passed his house she avoided looking in his window, fearing he'd see straight into her soul and gloat at her pain. The tables had been reversed and she felt more heartsick now than when she'd lived in Mexico away from everyone she loved.

Shorty parked on the driveway and slid from the Escalade, shutting her door louder than she intended. She cringed at her mistake and unbuckled her son, who was now wide awake and disappointed they'd left Hector's. "Mami, I wanna have a sleep over with uncle Hector."

"Mia is having a sleepover with Hector tonight, baby," she said.

"Girls don't have sleepover's with boys!" he cried, his eyes wide.

"Some do. But you have to be really good friends, and love each other just about as much as I love you."

"I'm never gonna have a sleepover with girls. Maybe Lalia, though," he said, his head nodding swiftly.

Holding back a grin, she helped Brer from his seat and let him jump down. He raced to the front door and waited impatiently for her to unlock it. When the door finally swung open he instantly raced through the house, eager to play with Banjo in the backyard while the sun was still out. Now that he'd had a nap, he was likely to stay awake long before he usually passed out.

Shorty grabbed herself a beer and poured a glass of apple juice for Brer, setting it on the table so he could reach it. "I'm just gonna go change into some shorts," she called out into the backyard where she could just see Banjo lying across Brer.

"Uh huh!" he shouted back at her, before dissolving into the high pitched giggles of a child.

She quickly ascended the stairs to change. She didn't fear for Brer's safety with Banjo around but she still felt slightly uncomfortable leaving him alone. The dog was ill equipped to pull Brer from a pool if he ever knocked himself unconscious and fell into the water. She pulled on a pair of sweat shorts and relished the cool air of the house on her warm legs. Tying her hair up into a bun she made her way back downstairs to find a movie to watch until Brer could fall asleep.

Once she found something she'd enjoy, as much as Brer, she stepped into the kitchen to fill a bowl with a snack. Without Beto living with her she wouldn't have his wonderful cooking for a movie snack but she never turned down a bag of chips either. She dumped dill pickle chips into a wide mouthed bowl and reached into the pantry to grab a rawhide bone for Banjo. She always felt guilty having a treat without giving one to Banjo, and God knows he deserved one after so many years of watching out for her trouble making child.

"Brer?" she called, and lifted the bowl from the counter. She listened for his reply, but heard nothing, not even a stitch of giggle. Placing the bowl back on the counter she listened a little more intently until the silence stopped her heart all together. "Brer?" she shouted this time.

Again there was no answer; only the echo of Banjo's bone as it fell from her hand to the tiled floor beneath her feet. She was out the patio door before her heart could beat again, her eyes sweeping the backyard and pool swiftly. She spotted Brer an instant later, and her breath rushed out in a tangled mess of relief and heartache. Banjo was laying at his feet, licking his ankles protectively while her son aligned one of his eyes between two wooden planks in the fence. One hand pressed flat against the wood, the others fingers curving through the tiny space between, reaching for the freedom he knew he wouldn't be allowed for another couple years. Even from where she stood, gulping air, she could sense his curiosity.

"Brer?"

"The man is back," he answered, his left eye taking the place of his right. He squinted slightly, as if to make out the figure more clearly.

"What? You have to answer me when I call for you," she answered. She grabbed hold of his arms and turned him to face her, breaking his concentration. "You scared me." An unsteady sigh escaped her mouth and she watched silently as Brer leant back slowly in her arms, his head turning to the side to gaze back through the planks. "Hey!" she snapped, her exasperation creeping into her voice. "I said you scared me. You're my everything. Yeah?"

He dug the heel of his bare foot into the grass and blinked at her, unable to fathom why she was so scared. "I'm sorry, Mami. But the man is back," he said again.

"What?" she asked, standing and walking to the fence to peer through it herself. She saw only an empty park, deepening with shadows as the sun set. "What man?"

"The man in the park. He come's every day."

"There's no one there, Brer. And besides," she said, her face masking the alarm she still felt digging in the pit of her stomach. "You answer me when I call you. I thought you'd fallen in the pool. You scared me. I want you to answer me from now on. Okay?"

"Si, Mami. I'm sorry I scared you," he said, his eyes fighting to find the man he'd thought he'd seen.

"It's alright, kid. Let's go inside and watch a movie."

She picked him up and hugged him to her side, maybe a little tighter than she usually did. His body pressed against her, warm and alive, and that calmed her. She'd over reacted to his not answering her, but he'd never failed to respond before then. In those few minutes she felt the terror that every other mother feels when their child is out of sight and hearing range. She never wanted to experience that feeling again.

The next night she was still reading well after eleven when she heard her son's tiny feet whisper across the carpet into her room. He was wearing hot wheel pajamas with red cuffs and his hair was in disarray. He climbed onto her bed and she set the bookmark between the pages before putting the book in her lap. She held her arms open and he crawled into them quickly, cuddling into her chest. Banjo roamed the ground until he settled beside the dresser, his eyes wide and alert for trouble. "What's up, babe? I thought you were sleeping."

"I couldn't sleep. The man is back."

She felt prickles of unease race along her body, and her hair rose unashamed into tight goose pimples. She'd never seen any man standing in the park, but Brer seemed to sense something. In fact, once she'd calmed down and thought about it, she'd seen him gazing at the park through the front window almost every night since their return. It hadn't struck her as odd in the least; she'd thought it was only a trait he'd picked up from her. After all, he'd caught her staring blankly into space often enough.

"Come on," she said, her arms already clutching him and her feet swinging to the floor. She flicked the hall light on as she crossed into his room. The light spilled onto his floor and walls as she walked to his bay window and peered out. He turned in her arms enough to point to a dark patch in the park.

"See?"

She squinted hard through the window and scoured her memory for an image of the park in the daylight. A wooden bench sat there facing their house head on, and behind that a wall of trees spilled from the earth. The park was half hidden from their view but she could just see the moonlight glancing off the horribly colored metal slide and swing set. "I don't see anyone."

His small hand came up and cupped her face, before pointing to the bench, "There. Look."

The moonlight barely lit the area, and the soft orange glow from the short lampposts didn't reach far enough even to show the man's feet against the grass. But she could see him now that Brer had pointed him out. The dark clothes he wore helped conceal him, and the hood on his jacket was pulled high over his head. She stared hard at the man and she felt him stare back. Her heart picked up speed and she whispered, "Is that the man you always see?"

"Yes."

The panic flared instantly and she suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as well. That fear, of something hidden stalking its prey, crept up and she tried to squash it as soon as it rose. This situation was completely different but still her body reacted against her will. Her heart sped up and her body shunted blood away from her digestive organs readying itself for fight or flight. Almost as quickly she realized she and Brer were standing in plain view of the man below, the hall light broadcasting their position.

She put Brer on his feet and swallowed the nervous phlegm that gathered in her throat, "Go turn off the hall light."

He obeyed right away, his feet louder against the carpet now that he could feel her apprehension. Banjo was bristling, his fur standing on end as deep growls spilled from his muzzle. Brer slipped his hand back in hers and he climbed up on the window seat, crawling to the window again to look out.

Against her better judgment she wondered if her child was such an old soul that someone had followed him through his lives. It'd been known to happen, and though she wasn't superstitious she couldn't help but see how curious he was instead of frightened. He should be terrified that a man had taken to standing outside their house every night, in the dark no less, to gaze at their house. It was creepy as fuck and unnerved her to her very bones. But Brer's calmness washed over her and she felt the hair along her skin settling into its place easily, but the occasional shiver rocked her body.

"It's fine Mami, he won't come in."

They watched the man sit on the bench, unmoving, until finally he stood and walked to the trees behind him, disappearing. She wondered who he was and whether he was there for her or Brer. She'd never met anyone who wanted to really harm her, but Brer was too perceptive for a child. Too perceptive even for an elder. She wondered if maybe he'd seen something he shouldn't have and just hadn't told her about it. Her mind raced wildly. Her skin prickled long after Brer fell asleep in her bed, snuggled up with Banjo at their feet facing the door, guarding them long into the night.

A/N: Thanks to Violet201, ILoveAnime89, demonpixie1, and Rogue's Queen for the wonderful reviews! Shout out's to animefan4321, Diarhyn Shadows, Regin, dancer4eva, paulwalkerangel, and Saileach for the alerts and favorites! Sorry this took so long, I got caught up in all four seasons of Sons of Anarchy. Now I feel lost waiting for season five.

Cheers!