Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: She wanted to believe him and hoped he was right, but a part of her couldn't help but wonder how he could call her naïve. He was naïve enough for the both of them. Leon and Vince were just not a part of her life anymore, and they never would be. She was just going to have to learn to get over that.

Chapter Forty Four

Shorty wiggled into the small space left between Beto and Marvin and relaxed into the feeling of a happy family. In her minds eye they were exactly that. The atmosphere surrounding her was hopeful, and for her alone – nostalgic. The joking, laughter, and happiness permeated the room and she was awed at how natural it all felt, exactly like old times.

"I think we should go out this weekend," Letty considered, before turning her attention to her husband, "Dom will watch Brer and Lalia. Won't you, baby?"

"I guess I can do that, as long as Shorty promises to stay out of trouble," he answered, his eyes focusing on the two children playing peacefully in the corner.

She snorted at Dom's assumption that she was still unable to stay out of trouble, and then threw a grin at Mia. If she and Letty were going out, there was no way Mia wasn't going as well. It'd been difficult to get her away from Hector since she'd returned hoe, and a girls night out was just what they needed considering they hadn't had one since their hilarious fiasco of a Vegas vacation.

"I have grown up," Shorty answered, her grin sliding even farther up her cheeks.

"Oh please!" Hector laughed.

"What?" she chuckled, "I have. I got a kid now."

"So?"

"So that means I've grown up."

Mia cut Hector off with an exaggerated sigh and a meaningful glance. If she agreed with Hector that Shorty still hadn't grown up she wasn't going to voice it in front of Dominic. He'd put an end to their fun before it started. And if Shorty took the time to think about her argument she'd have understood what Mia knew. Using a kid as a tool to grown up just proved how immature she still was. However, instead of voicing it, Mia smiled and said, "I'm in. There's a new club called Lotus a few blocks from the hospital. I'm off shift at eight."

"Can I come?" Jesse asked.

Letty rolled her eyes but asked, "Do you have a vagina?"

"Yes."

"It's girls only, Jess," she laughed. "Next time though, for sure."

Jesse shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the wall behind him. If he'd really wanted to come he would have made a bigger stink than he had. No doubt he didn't feel the need to sit around and listen to the girls gossip about the last five years, again. Although they'd gone over everything that happened since she'd left, Shorty couldn't hear it enough. Whenever they told her how her two favorite males had moved on it seemed to settle in a little deeper.

"I got a date anyways."

"What?" Shorty demanded, her ears prickling for news of his love life.

To her, Jesse would always be the beanie wearing young man who talked about blowjob lips and matching red carpet. She couldn't fathom that he'd actually worked up the nerve to ask a woman on a date. She wondered absently if his girl got along with Leon.

"Yeah, you should see the ass on this girl. You can bounce a quarter off it!" he answered with a wicked gleam in his eye.

She laughed almost instantly as the man she remembered peaked out of the calmer man in front of her. She was glad he hadn't become someone he wasn't. Sometimes she felt like she was trying to pretend to be someone she wasn't. Yes, she was a mother, but deep down she dreamed of being carefree again. She wanted to have her life figured out so she didn't have to worry and she could just be the fun mother for her son.

"So, this is a go? We're going out? Do they even let people our age in?" Mia asked.

"Speak for yourself, babe! I'm only twenty nine. You two are thirty one!" Shorty snorted, shrinking back as Letty's foot kicked towards her teeth. "We might have to hit Jurassic Park or the Wrinkle Ranch."

"Oh, you bitch!" screamed Letty, as she launched herself across the small space and punched Shorty's shoulder roughly.

"You two might need to get fake ID's to age you down so they'll let us in."

Mia balked in feigned outrage, leapt to her feet, and fell on both Letty and Shorty as they wrestled on the ground. The men rose to their feet and laughed obnoxiously as Shorty straddled Letty and held her shoulders down with her knees. When Mia locked her arm around Shorty's neck from behind the men cleared the room and retreated into the kitchen to let the females fight it out.

The women fought it out until they were breathless and sweaty. When they were too exhausted to continue they lay side by side heaving until they caught their breath enough to laugh themselves breathless again. The idea of her grown up maturity was now made ridiculous once again.

"I hope I can find something to wear that doesn't scream mom," Shorty said, her mind already considering the clothes she owned.

"I hope you can find something to tame those boobs," snickered Letty, pointing at one of Shorty's bra covered breasts that had slipped out of her white dress.

"Oh shut up." Though her breasts had only shrunk back to a slightly larger B cup she was still self conscious about the extra weight.

Mia laughed along with Letty while Shorty pushed to her feet and reached down to tug one woman then the other to their feet. They were still glistening with perspiration as they followed the path the men had taken to the backyard. Shorty pulled the dress back over her bra and stepped into the cool air.

"Time to go, kid," Shorty said, sweeping Brer off Miguel's lap and into her arms. "Your old lady needs her beauty sleep."

"But you're already pretty, Mami."

Shorty grinned at the pleased look on Brer's face, "You're going to be trouble one day, you little smooth talker."

"Uncle Dom and Uncle Jesse say you're trouble."

"Remind me to tell you about the heists that went wrong when you're older. Then we'll see whose trouble," she said, throwing a wink over her shoulder at the uncles who'd ratted her out to her son.

She said her goodbyes to everyone and let Hector walk her to her car. Once Brer was buckled safely into his car seat and his eyelids slid closed her brother pulled her into a tight embrace. "You did good tonight."

"Thanks," she whispered back.

Without asking she understood he was talking about Vince and Leon. She was sure everyone had noticed her not so secret glances at the door, but hadn't said anything out of respect for her. She could only hold on for so long and she was beginning to feel it was time to fully let go.

After she tucked Brer into bed, she sat on her window seat and leaned her forehead against the cool glass. He was back in his usual spot and she wondered how he could sit out there every night and just watch. Didn't his actions make him uncomfortable at all? Granted, his constant presence had come to comfort her a little in it's own weird provocative way. She couldn't explain it but seeing him there gave her hope that she could bridge the gap between them one day. Maybe fully letting go was a mistake and she should hold on tighter than she already was.

When she'd yawned for the third time she slid off the seat and tumbled into bed. She was asleep before she could yawn again and she slept peacefully knowing that someone was watching out for her regardless if he thought it was a secret or not.

The next few days passed relatively quietly and much the same as usual. Shorty continued drawing for her clients by day, and continued opening her curtains to the man by night.

But by the time Friday finally rolled around and she was preparing to take her clothes, makeup, and child to the Toretto's, her nerves kicked in. She questioned whether a night on the town was a good idea for her. She'd gotten used to spending her evenings lounging around in sweatpants with her hair tied up in a messy bun. Trying to make herself look like a female just didn't seen worth it at the moment. But regardless of how she felt, she knew she needed a way to unwind and let loose without having to worry about her kid.

She parked her car against the curb and let Brer out of his car seat. He was an adorably perfect gentleman when he hoisted her bag of clothes over his shoulder and led the way up the steps and into the house. Dom and Lalia were engaged in a fierce game of Mario cart and Brer forgot about her almost instantly. He sat next to Dom and the vacant look of the gamer came over his face while he watched, waiting for his turn.

Knowing she wasn't going to receive any greetings she retrieved her bag from the floor where Brer had dropped it and climbed the stairs to the top floor. When she entered the master suite she found Letty sprawled across the bed with her hand resting against her hipbone and her fingers tucked into her pants. Shorty smirked at the sight of her friend before collapsing on the bed as well.

"You ready for tonight?"

Shorty shrugged, "Oh, you know it," she joked.

Although she was somewhat excited she was already feeling a little apprehensive about leaving Brer behind. She knew Dom was fully capable of taking care of her kid but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"Where's Mia?" she asked.

"She got called into surgery about three hours ago. She just called to say she was showering at the hospital and then she'd head over to get ready," Letty answered.

"Let's not move until she gets here then."

"Agreed."

"How did we let her convince us into this?"

Letty snorted, knowing it had been her idea all along, "She's a sneaky little bitch, that one."

"You think if I fold the kid in half he'll fit in my purse?"

Shorty giggled when Letty's husky laughter burst from her throat. She knew it was ridiculous to be as uncertain as she was about spending the night away from her son. She'd gone to work and left Brer with family, friends, and even the caretakers at his playschool. But that was during the day, and as irrational as it was she believed nothing bad ever happened during the day.

Their laughter helped to dispel the nervousness she felt and eventually she relaxed enough to know she really did need a night out without her son. She was a mom, but she was also a women and she needed time to herself.

By the time Mia arrived both she and Letty had convinced themselves that going out was the best idea Mia had ever had. It helped that they'd already finished two beers and were tossing acceptable articles of clothing for a night out at each other.

Mia strode into the room with her gleaming brown hair curled perfectly and both girls groaned at their friends flawless beauty. Shorty had softer hair than Letty but they both found it hard to tame their locks. "I think you should wear this," she said, tossing a gold satin top at Mia.

She held the miniscule piece of cloth up to her body and rolled her eyes. The top was backless and therefore must be worn braless. Mia, as the only women in the room without a child was the only candidate to wear it. "Not a chance," she replied.

"I'd wear it, but my boobs aren't up near my chin anymore," Letty laughed, looking down at her heavy chest.

"Mine aren't either," Mia answered, throwing the gold cloth back at Shorty.

Shorty caught it in midair and held it open to her chest and contemplated it before tossing it back to Mia, "They're the closest things to perky tits in this room, girl."

Unwilling to argue over the absurdity of perky tits she dropped the top on the ground and crossed to Shorty's open bag. She rifled through a bit before pulling a simple pink ruffled tank out. She pulled her own shirt off and slid the loose tank over her head, turning to face the mirror while she fixed it in place. Letty and Shorty exchanged a glance and smiled. Even after five years it was still impossible to get Mia into anything overtly sexy. Except for their weekend in Vegas she always dressed respectfully with occasional cleavage glimpses.

Letty and Shorty settled on the usual jeans and tank top then quickly applied the minimal makeup they could handle. They were done getting ready well before Mia was finished her overall look. A glance in the mirror revealed a slightly aged memory. They still looked delighted to be in each other's company and Shorty was again thrilled that she'd moved home. It was the simple things, like getting ready for a night out with the girls; that made life so enjoyable for her in the past.

"Let's do this," Shorty said, linking arms with her girls and leading the way down the stairs.

They'd only been upstairs for little over two hours but both children were bouncing off the walls when they stepped into the family room. Dom was lying on the ground and Brer was straddling his waist while Lalia straddled his chest and held his arms down as best she could. They were giggling like a deranged clown and Dom was breathing heavy like they'd been wrestling for some time.

Shorty hoisted Brer off Dom and sat him on her hip. He smiled wide, his baby teeth glistening with the extra saliva of an excited child. "Uncle Dom's a wimp."

"Don't I know it," Letty joked, ruffling Brer's hair playfully.

She moved off to say her goodbyes to Lalia and Dom while Shorty and Brer pressed their foreheads together. "You gonna be good for Dom?"

"No," Brer answered right away with a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Are you gonna cause trouble?"

"Yeah!"

Shorty smiled and kissed her son's nose, "That's my boy."

Mia laughed at their exchange before giving both Brer and Lalia a hug and then tugging the women out the door. Shorty waved to her son but allowed Mia to lead them to the car. She needed to get in the car quickly or she knew she'd have a hard time leaving Brer with someone he hadn't spent much time around. Yes, Dom was a dad but he had a daughter and girl issues were a lot different than boy problems.

Shorty slid into the back seat of Mia's car and leaned between the two front seats to fiddle with the radio. She could tell by Letty's silence that she was also feeling a little nervous and that made Shorty wonder if maybe Dom wasn't the best babysitter for her son.

"I need a drink," Mia sighed.

"Tough surgery?" she asked, reclining in her seat after settling on a song.

"Yeah."

She didn't elaborate and neither she nor Letty pressured her into talking. They knew she had confidentiality laws and frankly, it wasn't her place to question Mia. She hadn't been back long enough to press any situation.

Instead of maintaining a bummed atmosphere Letty questioned Mia about the bar they were on their way too. She hadn't been out since Lalia was born and Shorty felt better about her own nervousness. She hadn't been put in a situation like the bar scene since before she left Los Angeles, and at that time she'd been part of a couple. She didn't need to worry about men hitting on her too much because Leon was an intimidating fixture at her side. Tonight, she'd have to deal with sleazy males on her own and she wasn't positive she could handle them as easily as she had when she was twenty three.

Once Mia parked her car, they each checked their makeup quickly before sliding from the car and making their way to the doors. They were early enough that the line was fairly short and after a twenty minute wait they were making their way to the bar.

It wasn't particularly crowded yet and they found a table relatively easy after they got their drinks. Shorty wasn't sure what the theme of the bar was, but she was sure they'd missed it. The music, pulse pounding techno didn't fit the motif of velvet backed chairs and black lacquered tables. Or maybe it was that she didn't fit in with the patrons and setting anymore. Whatever it was, she downed her drink in one fluid motion and stood to go back to the bar.

"You want anything?"

"Yeah, two more. If I'm doing this, I'm doing this right," Letty smiled, raising her vodka cranberry to her lips for another taste.

Mia smiled and shook her head, "I'm good for now."

Nodding, Shorty made her way through the slightly fuller crowd back to the bar. She wasn't surprised Mia didn't want another drink. Not only was she the driver, but she also still frequented bars with Hector and the rest of the team. The lil' homies were still just babies and the enjoyed establishments like these, with flirty women and dull conversations. Hector tagged along with the rest of the team, and Mia tagged along with Hector. They'd officially adopted another female into the family, though not yet the team.

Shorty ordered two more drinks for herself and Letty. Stealing a tray from a stack near the end of the bar she loaded up the four drinks then ordered another three shots. Figuring Mia wasn't driving for a few more hours she called the bartender back, "Can I get three shots of Jack's and a vodka water lime, please?"

He shouted something she couldn't hear and took the money handed to him. When he gave her back the change she dropped the ones in the tip jar and lifted her tray carefully. The trip back to the table was precarious and she wondered how she used to do it so easily when she was younger. Had becoming a mother made her clumsy? Because she sure felt like she was a little weak legged. Of course, she hadn't drank hard alcohol in years and perhaps with the beers and vodka combined she was a little tipsy.

"God," Mia laughed when Shorty set the tray on the table. "We look like alcoholics."

"No we don't. They look like alcoholics," Shorty said, gesturing at the table beside them full of guys, three bottles of hard liquor, a bottle of champagne, and a tray full of colorful shots. "We just look like we're thirsty."

"Perfect reasoning. Plus we don't pop our collars like those douche bags," Letty added, taking her drinks and placing them in front of her now empty cup.

"So?"

"Mi, popped collars are a prerequisite of alcoholism. It's a proven fact."

Mia raised an eyebrow, "Says who?"

"Doctor Phil."

Shorty snickered, but didn't add anymore to the argument. Mia would no doubt remember what was said and scour the Internet to make sure Doctor Phil hadn't made such ludicrous statements. And if he had, she'd find someway to prove him wrong, possibly even spending months researching the matter.

"So when does the fun start?" Shorty asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She used to love coming to the bar for a wild night of dancing and drinking and she kind of wanted to experience that wild ride again.

"Whenever you want, Boo."

"How about now?" Mia asked, downing the rest of her drink and slamming the three shots Shorty had bought for all of them.

A slow smile spread across Shorty's face and she threw her arms in the air, whooping loudly. She hopped off her stool and grabbed Mia around the middle, lifting her off the floor in a bone crushing hug. Once on her feet again, Mia grabbed both their hands and pulled them onto the dance floor.

It was so easy to remember why she loved these girls so fiercely. One dance turned into an hour and they settled back into the lives they used to live so easily. The alcohol induced thrill was contagious and they quickly joined in with the crowd, making the best of their night out. Tomorrow they'd go back to being mothers and doctors but tonight they were twenty something girls just out for a good time again.

When an even faster techno song boomed from the speakers Shorty motioned to the bar. They'd long since lost their table but that didn't faze them. They'd done some of their best drinking standing at the bar, ordering shot after burning shot.

"What you girls want?" Letty screamed over the music as they pushed their way through the crowd on the dance floor.

"Tequila," Mia answered, her eyes gleaming but slightly unfocused.

It looked like their designated driver was going to need a lift back to the bar in the morning to pick up her car. Shorty agreed enthusiastically and followed Letty and Mia to the far end of the bar. She knew she could stop drinking now, have a couple glasses of water, and she'd be fine to drive by closing. But she'd come out for a reason, "Make it a double, Lett."

Letty barked a laugh then grabbed a bartender by the shirt collar when he tried to pass them over for a blond in a sequenced bra. "We'll take six tequilas, two vodka water limes, and four vodka cran's."

"Dom is not gonna be happy."

Letty shrugged and pulled money from her pocket, "I'll just blame it on you. We all know he's expecting it anyways."

"I still don't know why I always get blamed for everything."

Both women raised their eyebrows in question, "Do you have pot?" Mia asked.

Shorty balked and shook her head vehemently, "God Mia! No, I'm a mother. Mothers don't have pot."

"Shorty," Mia said.

"Fine, I have a joint."

Mia laughed loudly as the bartender lined up their shots and moved away to make their drinks, "And that's why you always get blamed for everything."

A wicked grin crossed her face and she turned back to the bar and handed out the tequila shots. They took them one after the other and gasped a little when the liquid burned its way down their throats. After years of not really drinking much more than a casual beer she found it difficult to hold the alcohol down. She could feel it rumbling in her stomach, turning her half digested dinner with mass hysteria. After a few deep breaths, she straightened up, collected her vodka cran's and led the girls to a free table with stools near the dance floor.

The tequila was already beginning to work it's magic and her mind was already clouding over. Her fingers were tingling and she was eager to get back on the dance floor and dance the rest of the night away. She swept her eyes across the dance floor, not recognizing anyone from her old life.

A/N: Thanks to demonpixie1, Rogue's Queen, Bindie, musicluver17, Love Ink, mandy-chick00, and ILoveAnime89 for the wonderful reviews. Shout out's to cazine, kylynnjen, MizzRKOANIMALCENA, mandy-chick00, and emmybear0216 for the alerts and favorites! It means a lot to know people are keeping an eye out for updates. I also have the next chapter written and it should be up soon.

Cheers!