Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Any lyrics recognized belong to Insane Clown Posse.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: After Banjo galloped back into the house she locked the sliding doors and followed him up to her bedroom. He was already settled in on the bed by the time she climbed in, and soon enough she was as fast asleep as him.
Chapter Forty Six
The next morning Shorty woke with a killer headache and the undeniable urge to vomit. Throwing back the covers she sprinted to the toilet and only just made as she emptied whatever was left in her stomach. Sliding down onto the cool tile she tucked her knees to her chest and tried to breath through her nose slowly and steadily. Now that she'd thrown up, her stomach was feeling a little better but her head was pounding worse than before.
Banjo sniffed her face to make sure she was alive and once satisfied laid beside her until she could move. Knowing that she needed to pick Brer up, she sucked it up and crawled into the shower. Although invigorating it did nothing to help the throbbing behind her temples so she popped a few advil after drying off. Towel drying her hair and braiding it to the side she slowly made her way to the dresser to find something to wear.
Back in the day a hangover wouldn't have kicked her ass like this. But at least she'd discovered that a twenty nine year old body couldn't handle alcohol as well as a twenty three year old body. And Mia and Letty, at thirty one, were probably in even more pain than she was.
Once she finished dressing, she downed two glasses of warm water, grabbed her keys and wallet and climbed into her car. The engine purred like a kitten when she turned the key, and somehow the sound took some of her pain away. With a satisfied groan she pulled out of the driveway and turned towards the Toretto house to pick up her son.
When she arrived she could see Dom running through the living room and into the kitchen, only to appear again a second later from the dining room. He was smiling and if she squinted she could make out two small bodies chasing him with kitchen utensils. Unsure of what Dom had taught her son in the thirteen hours he'd been there she slid from the car and slowly made her way to the front door.
From inside she could hear squeals of delight and Dom's booming laughter and she contemplated calling Dom to let him know she was there. However easy that would have been, she knew she needed to step up. She'd done this to herself and it wasn't fair to leave Brer hanging. Although it looked like he was doing splendid without her.
Shorty pushed the screen open and the sound seemed to multiply tenfold. She groaned loudly and covered her ears with her hands, until Brer caught sight of her. His face lit up and he sprinted towards her, jumping into her arms and hugging her tighter than he ever had. As much as he seemed to enjoy his first sleepover he was sure glad to see her.
"Mami! Uncle Dom let us have brownies for breakfast! With chocolate syrup!" Brer screamed in her face, his voice earth shattering.
In an involuntary effort to keep some of the decibels from her head, her eyes slid shut in a squint, "Is that right?"
"Yeah! And last night he let us stay up until midnight! And I ate an entire pizza all by myself!"
"That's why you're so heavy. I was wondering why you were looking a little rounder," she joked, tickling his small stomach.
"Oh, Mami," he sighed, squirming in her arms to be let down.
"Rough night?" Dom asked when he caught sight of her grimace of pain. His face broke into the picture of happiness, complete with a shit eating grin.
She looked at him through heavy lidded blood shot eyes, "Nothing I can't handle."
"Good to hear. You ladies are welcome to do it again next weekend, if you want."
She forced a smiled onto her face and backed towards the stairs, "I would, but I promised Mia I'd knit her a sweater next weekend."
"Did you now?"
"Yeah, a pink one. You know how Mia loves her pink."
With that, Shorty turned and hauled her sore listless body up the stairs and into Letty's room. She could hear Letty empting her stomach in the bathroom so she fell face first into the mattress and stayed there. When the toilet flushed and the bed shifted under Letty's weight, Shorty spoke into the mattress, "Your boyfriends an asshole."
"What he do?" she grumbled.
"He's got a smart mouth. And he gave my kid chocolate for breakfast."
She could hear Letty chuckle softly then groan, "I think I'm dying."
"If Dom asks, it's nothing you can't handle," Shorty answered.
The didn't move for a long time until Shorty felt she was suffocating herself and she rolled onto her side to face Letty. Her mascara had run a little, probably from the force of throwing up and Shorty reached forward to rub it off. The laid in silence, the stink of day old alcohol settling over them as it rose from their pores. "I guess I better get up."
"Shower and get dressed, we'll take the brats to Brite Spot. I need a plate of grease and syrup."
Shorty left Letty to clean off last nights misadventure and returned to the living room. It was really a travesty that she felt so down in the dumps, because honestly, she'd had a really good night. Minus Leon and Kim of course.
Dom and the kids were still chasing each other around the house when she stepped off the last stair. The only thing that could possibly make her hangover worse was the addition of Vince, chasing after her screaming son. She stopped after the last stair and mumbled, "For the love of Christ," under her breath.
The one person she wanted to see most in Los Angeles was also the one person she had no desire to deal with at the moment. His hair was tousled and his cheeks were flushed from the youthful exuberance of her son. She'd chased Brer for three and a half years and she knew just how exhausting it could be. But that didn't detract from how much she did not want to see him at the moment.
Vince grabbed Brer around the middle and tossed him in the air, much like Hector did. She felt almost jealous that her son was receiving the attention of the man she so desperately wanted back in her life. But she also felt a little perturbed that her son seemed to have forgiven the man who shoved him so easily.
"Uncle Vince!" he cried, his laughter thickening his voice.
Vince tossed him in the air again, before flipping him upside down and dangling him by his feet. A handful of coins, his favorite hot wheels, and a foil package dropped out of his open cargo pocket. "There it is," Vince laughed, righting Brer again and placing him on his feet.
Bending down, Shorty scooped the foil package off the ground and glared at Vince, "Really?" Badgering him about something so trivial seemed harsh and ridiculous but her anger was more related to their situation than the condom in her hand.
"Easy, the kid took it from my wallet," he said, his index finger pointing at the pile of car keys, wallet, gum, and lip balm.
"You shouldn't leave your shit lying around where my kid can get into it."
"You should teach your kid not to take shit that ain't his."
The frustration and anger seemed to shimmer in the air around them and Dom stepped between them to break their attention. She glared up at Dom for a fraction of a second before tugging herself away from both men. She wanted to deal with her past once and for all, but doing so in front of Brer just seemed wrong.
In her best effort to remain mature, Shorty turned on her heel and walked to the couch. Though she managed to refrain from stomping her feet like a child, she couldn't help but collapse into the chair like a sullen teenager.
Both Dom and Vince watched her with raised eyebrows, obviously expecting her to give them a piece of her mind. But when that piece of mind was blunt and quite possibly strong worded she decided it best not to say it just then. They turned to each other before Vince shrugged and collected his wallet off the table, shoving his condom back where it came from. He didn't say anything to her but dropped his wallet right back where it'd been, just to prove he wasn't fazed by her anger.
She chewed her bottom lip in agitation. She knew he was trying to push her buttons. And it was working. Thankfully Letty had finished her shower and came in just as Vince charged through the kitchen after Brer and Lalia.
Dom clasped his arms around Letty's middle and kissed her deeply, his adoration written plainly on his face. It was clear Letty was the only woman for him and she wondered why the hell he hadn't popped the question yet. They'd been together since she was sixteen, and fifteen years later she figured it was about time they got hitched.
"Get a room already," Shorty snapped, glaring at the ridiculously happy couple. Normally, physical displays of affection didn't affect her, but their PDA's just reminded her of her days with Leon.
"I'm starving," Letty said.
"Me too. Let's round up the monsters," she agreed, allowing the change of subject. There was no use dwelling on things that would never be.
Dom dropped Letty back to her feet and slapped her butt as she walked past him and into the kitchen where the kids and Vince were making a racket. He turned and looked at her, as if studying her aura to determine her mood. When he sat next to her she felt vaguely uncomfortable.
"You ever going to talk to him? It's been over a month," he said.
She'd known it was coming and it didn't surprise her. Dominic was about family, and she was making it very difficult on his family. Albeit unintentionally. It hadn't been her plan to disrupt the DT team life. That's just how it'd worked out when she'd waltzed back in. "He doesn't want to talk to me, Dom."
"I don't care. My family is divided and I don't like it. You need to sort it out, and soon, before I give all three of you shit. I ain't playing Shorty, it's time you fixed it."
"I don't know how to fix it."
He smiled sadly, like he knew she'd troubled herself for years trying to figure out just how it'd be possible to fix everything. "Figure it out."
He stood, squeezed her shoulder, and left her by herself while he rounded up the forces for breakfast. He'd pretty much told her to get her shit together or he'd do it for her. And if he had to fix it, it'd be uncomfortable for the three major factors affecting his family. If she hadn't come back, the DT team would still be one huge happy family.
When Letty returned to the room with Lalia on her hip and Brer hanging over Vince's shoulder she felt that same twinge of jealousy. She hoped he'd squirm until Vince put him down but he seemed content to hang there, in her old spot. "Ready?"
"Yeah, I guess."
They split into three different vehicles and she followed Dom to Brite Spot. A breakfast that was meant to cure her hangover was unlikely to do much, now that Vince was attending as well. She wasn't sure if Dom had made this happen in an effort to bury the hatchet, but either way it was bound to be incredibly awkward. Not to mention that she'd gone without seeing both Vince and Leon since race night and now she'd seen them both in less than twenty four hours. It was like the whole universe was working against her, and Dom was egging it on.
When Shorty unbuckled Brer from his car seat he squirmed to his feet and jumped from the car, racing to catch up with Lalia. She alarmed her car and caught up with the rest of her party. The wait for a table big enough wasn't long and when they were seated Shorty made sure she was as far away from Vince as she could get.
Thankfully Brer and Lalia launched into a very detailed account of everything that happened the night before. From video games, to wrestling, to drinking pop until Leno was over. All in all, they'd had the times of their lives. And that meant, apparently Dom was a better babysitter than she'd expected. Instead of being completely jealous she mentally filed the information away in case she ever needed someone to watch Brer.
Listening to her son rave about his first sleep over was heart warming, and she couldn't miss the adoring grin on Dom's face. Brer had won him over as well, just like he'd done with most everyone he'd even met. She was content to listen to the kids ramble on, but her mood turned sour when Dom asked how'd they'd made it home.
"Shit!" Letty cried, her hand already rummaging around in her bag for her cell phone.
"What?" Vince asked.
She cradled her phone and her thumbs flew across the keys spastically, "I forgot I had to drive Leon to his car!"
Shorty snorted, having completely forgot that Letty had convinced him to drive Mia's car home the previous night.
"What are you talking about?" Dom questioned, as he glanced over the menu.
"Leon drove us home last night," she answered.
Letty didn't look up from her phone when she answered and Shorty could feel Vince's eyes on her. Her skin prickled and she knew he was wondering what, if anything, had happened between her and Leon. She also knew him well enough to know that he was ticked that Leon was even associating with her when he wasn't. It was obvious, even though totally ridiculous, that he was still blaming Leon for her skipping town. Eventually she was going to have to set both of them straight. But at that moment she felt a little thrill that he was visibly ruffled that Leon had spent time with her. It meant that he still cared about her, and for that reason alone she grinned into her menu.
"What the hell was Leon doing at Lotus?" Vince asked.
"He was there with Kim and her crew," Letty shrugged. She stuffed her phone back in bag and picked up her menu.
He grumbled something unintelligible then muttered, "Convenient, I'd say," loud enough for them to catch.
Just then a tiny blonde waitress approached their table with a tray laden with glasses of water. She set them down and took out a pad of paper, "What can I get for you this morning?"
"I want French fries," Brer answered right away.
Lalia nodded at the waitress, "Me too."
Dom accepted the menus Shorty handed him and he passed them to the waitress, though he never took his eyes off the children. "That's not breakfast."
"And brownies with chocolate sauce is?" Shorty laughed, incredulous.
"That wasn't breakfast. That was a late, late, late, night snack."'
"Oh, I'm sure it was," she smirked at Letty. "How about a grill cheese with those fries, little man?"
Her son sucked his bottom lip into his mouth in deep thought. Grilled cheese may have not been the best idea for breakfast but he'd already had an unconventional meal a few hours earlier. After careful consideration, he nodded and then reached for the crayons the waitress had set out for him and Lalia.
"He'll have grill cheese and fries, and I'll have the breakfast burrito with extra beans and a side of guacamole. And also a plate of sweet potato fries."
"That comes with hash browns already. Do you want me to substitute them?"
"Yeah, can I get a belgian waffle with strawberries and whip cream?"
The tiny waitress with the even tinier waste openly judged her but she smiled sweetly and turned her attention to her son. He was coloring furiously, racing to finish his picture before Lalia finished hers.
"Ok, what can I get for the rest of you?"
She took the rest of the tables orders and left them with a slightly awed look. She'd obviously never seen a small group order as much food as they had. To them it was completely normal to eat large meals, and even more so now, as she was constantly chasing after Brer.
"So, Shorty, are you talking to Leon again?" Dom asked.
She glared at Dom, swallowing her annoyance for bringing Leon up again while Vince was at the table. "He drove me home, Dom. That's all."
Again she caught Vince perk up at the topic, clearly concerned with her relationship with Leon. When she answered Dom he snorted loudly, reminding her of Leon. Just the night before he'd snorted at something she'd said and she was reminded that even though they were totally different people they had a lot in common. Their combined hate for her should have made them the best of friends.
"I'm sure Kim loved that."
The look on Dom's face was telling. Like he'd expected Kim to react as she had, like he was just waiting for Kim to stake her claim. And Shorty herself wasn't surprised at how she'd reacted. Though she was caught unaware at how substantial her possessiveness actually was. She couldn't remember being quite as bad when she was with Leon. Or had she been even worse?
"Oh she was thrilled when she saw Shorty. Even more so when Leon called her a teammate," Letty laughed. What had been funny last night, wasn't so funny when Vince was absorbing everything said. In fact, she wanted to kill the conversation right there.
"Uncle Leon?" Brer asked.
Shorty coughed uncomfortably and shook her head slightly to the other adults at the table. "Yeah, baby. We saw uncle Leon last night."
He blinked curiously, shrugged, then went back to his coloring and Shorty released an agonizing breath. It was almost too much for her, she was constantly on edge whenever someone talked about Leon around Brer. She felt like she was always listening to the conversations around her to make sure it didn't slip that Leon was in fact Brer's father. Eventually she would tell him, but her situation with Leon needed to be dealt with first. She needed to give him the heads up that she was going to tell Brer about his father, and she needed to give him a chance to get to know his son if he chose to.
Dom raised an eyebrow when she said Uncle Leon but he let it slide when he saw how agitated she became. "Teammate, huh?"
"He was just being polite," she said.
Thankfully their food arrived and she was spared from Vince's accusing eyes, and Letty and Dom's teasing voices. She knew the latter two were just goofing around but it was Vince that really affected her. Just like if it'd been Dom, Letty, and Leon at the table. It was impossible to unravel where she began and where Vince and Leon ended, although that likely wasn't the case for them.
She kept to her food for the rest of breakfast, unwilling to take part in any conversation that could lead back to either Vince or Leon. Instead, she made funny faces at the children and nodded and laughed when it was expected. But all she wanted was to get back to the house, maybe relax by the pool, and hang out with her son.
Shorty was relieved when everyone was finished and she could leave without appearing rude. Throughout the meal she'd been caught looking at Vince, by the man himself. And she'd caught him looking at her as well, only for both of them to look away, guilty at having been caught. It was childish, immature, but she couldn't help herself. She was trying to see into his head to make out why he'd come for breakfast. Why after all the time she'd been back was he able to be around her now? It was infuriating.
After they finished paying she waved goodbye to everyone and raced Brer to her car, eager to get away from the awkward situation. Once home, she began to unwind and instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Even if she and Vince never settled their issues she'd have to learn to be comfortable around him.
A/N: Thanks to Love Ink, Violet201, ks90, musicluver17, nothingsnobody, ILoveAnime89, and wrestlenascargirl for the reviews! Shout out's to ks90, Teleliniel, nothingsnobody, HogwartsHeadGirl21, and Skyler1510 for the alerts and favourites.
Cheers!