WARNING: There is a character death in this chapter in a manner some might deem inappropriate at this time. Unfortunately, I've planned this from the very beginning and Paul Walker's (may he rest easy, beautiful angel) death has struck a little to close to home. You have been warned, please don't respond hatefully. Again, read at your own choice.

This has been written for a few months, just sitting on my computer with the middle waiting for completion. I never thought I'd finish, but now I just don't want it on my computer. I've grown up watching these actors, in fact, I first saw 'The Fast and Furious' less than two months after my father passed in 2001, and in some ways I think I've become attached to these people. In my own weird way, I am deeply saddened by Paul Walker's passing.

Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: But she'd take it. Without Hector breathing down her neck the transition into couple life with Vince would be all that much easier. Sure, there were plenty of people to tell still, including the rest of her team, but she was sure they'd take it well. If Hector accepted it they'd have no reason not too. If she was happy, they'd be happy. And that was all she could ask for.

Chapter Fifty Five

By the time Saturday rolled around Shorty was over the idea of cooking for the barbeque. Instead, she wanted to relax and enjoy her family without the hassle of cooking for over a dozen people. She let everyone know that the plan had changed, food wise, but the family gathering was still a go.

Without having to prepare a feast, the only thing for her to do was lounge around in her sweats until the family was due to arrive. And since Vince and Leon had decided to take Brer to an arcade, she really had nothing to do. Except maybe reminisce about the way the two loves of her life had come together and forgiven each other. Not that it was a touchy feely event, but she'd definitely had to fight back watery eyes when they'd finally worked out their issues. Though they hadn't forgiven each other completely they'd taken a jump, leap, and bound in the right direction. The fact that they both decided to spend the day with Brer, together, really spoke to the respect they actually had for each other.

Shorty couldn't begin to imagine the confusing feelings either of them must be experiencing. Leon, who, had once and still did, love her deeply was actively trying to set aside his feelings for her to make his sons life as happy as possible. And Vince, who loved her more than anything and wanted a life with her and Brer, was setting aside his insecurities over her old relationship to make sure he was included in every aspect of their lives. To say it was difficult was an understatement.

And yet, they both did it. For her. For Brer. For themselves. It was finally time to move on and let the past lie so they could all approach the future together.

While her boys were out on the town she cuddled with Banjo on the couch, flipping through channels until they all blended into one. Without anyone around she found herself bored stiff. She could have been productive and straightened the house up a bit before everyone descended on her but she really couldn't be bothered. They knew a tidy house wasn't her highest priority. Instead, she grabbed her sketchbook and flipped it open to a clean page where she warmed up her digits with a quick sketch of the wall unit and pictures hanging beside it. With hours to go before anyone arrived she busied herself with images of the three men who had changed her life. It was a quirky picture of Vince, Brer, and Leon, but she tore it gently from her sketchbook and wandered upstairs with Banjo at her heels.

In her bathroom she placed it on the counter and grabbed a cheap bottle of hairspray. Stepping back she lightly misted the paper to set the sketch and carried it into her bedroom. A quick glance at the clock showed her she'd lost track of time and it was only a matter of time before the happy sounds of her family warmed her heart. Dropping the sketch on the bed she crossed to her closet and quickly sought out a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater. Tugging the clothes on she quickly pulled a brush through her hair and left her room.

Thought she hadn't planned to clean she knew she at least had to wipe down the kitchen surfaces. She was just descending the stairs when the door burst open and Brer streaked through, his high pitched squeal following him as he dashed to the small bathroom off the living room.

"Let me guess?" she laughed, stepping off the staircase as Vince and Leon came through the front door. "He suckered you two pushovers into buying him an extra large root beer."

"Hey now!" Leon grinned, "It wasn't me. V gave in - like that," he added, snapping his fingers.

"Whoa! Easy on the blame there. I wouldn't have had to buy him so much soda if you hadn't given him a garbage bag sized popcorn."

Vince kissed her on the cheek as they passed her, eager to escape her motherly tirade. Normally she would have been the one buying both for Brer but it was too good an opportunity to pass up for razzing them a bit. Shorty followed hot on their heels and sighed heavily when she found Leon hiding his face in the refrigerator. He grabbed three bottles and passed one each to her and Vince.

"We're having a family dinner tonight and you two should have known better than to buy him popcorn or root beer."

"The kid said he was 'starving'. He needed the pop to wash down the salt," Vince countered.

"You're the adults. Say no."

"I couldn't starve my kid. He's gotta be around to carry on the family name, besides he needs to beef up a bit."

"You've probably spoiled his dinner." Both Vince and Lean snorted into their bottles. "What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped, trying to hide her grin.

"The boy eats as much as you do," Leon teased, "Like mother like son."

As if on cue Brer emerged from the bathroom, drying his hands on his jeans. "What are we having for dinner, Mami?"

Shorty laughed along with Vince and Leon while her son looked between the three of them. A grin crept across his face at their laughter, although it was clear he had no idea what they were laughing at. She could see how thrilled he was that they were getting along so well. So much so, that it felt naturally for all three of them to collaborate on what was best for him.

Scooping him up into her arms she deposited him on the counter before grabbing a bag of chips from the cupboard and handing them to her son. It would have been smarter to make him wait until they decided on dinner, but she knew that once the rest of the family arrived it could take a couple hours to come to a decision on what take out they would order. Thinking better of it, she grabbed the chips and tossed them onto the stove then pulled a bag of baby carrots from the fridge.

He accepted them without comment as she hopped up onto the counter beside him, taking a few sticks for herself. She asked them how the arcade had been and Brer was deeply engrossed in a story when Hector and the rest of her team strolled into the kitchen.

Each man placed a kiss on her cheek and bumped knuckles with her son as they made themselves comfortable. Talk quickly turned to the happenings of the garage and Shorty watched contentedly as Brer listened to their every word. There was no doubt in her mind that he would grow up to be a racer like her and his father, like the rest of his family. Deep down she knew that thought should terrify her, and maybe it did a little, but she was also damn proud. It wasn't a safe lifestyle but it was their lifestyle, the one thing that truly brought them together.

"Can I talk to you?" Hector asked, sneaking up behind her and pinching her waist gently.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Her brother looked around at all the smiling faces in the kitchen and motioned her into the empty living room. A small twinge of dread bubbled up as she followed him through the doorway away from prying ears. There was only one reason he'd want to talk to her alone, out of earshot of their family. She was a grown woman and she was ready to defend her choice in Vince even as she prayed he hadn't changed his mind. She wondered inwardly if maybe he'd been so accepting the first go round because Mia had been sitting beside him.

He laughed when he saw the guarded eyes following his movements as he sat on her couch. She remained standing even when he patted the seat beside him, indicating that this was a conversation suited to sitting down. To prove her point, she remained standing while his smile grew, "Easy, Shorty, I'm not hear to wreck havoc on you and V. This is something different."

"Sure it is," she answered, still unable to trust his soothing words.

"Seriously, come sit down," he said, stuffing his hand into his baggy jean pocket.

With a defeated sigh she dropped beside him and angled herself to face him. "This better not be some higher than thou, I know what's best for my baby sister, love talk."

"For once, it isn't."

Hector pulled his hand out of his pocket and flipped his palm towards her, showing her a small velvet box in the softest shade of purple. He reached over it with his other hand and popped the lid up to reveal the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Their mother's wedding ring rested between two tiny pillows, and had been polished back to its original luster. Shorty hadn't seen it in years, not since before their mother had died, and she reached out to finger the large diamond, "Don't make this awkward, Hec – but you're not really my type. That whole related things is really killing it for me."

He smacked her gently across the head and let her pull the ring out of the box. "Har, har, you little perv."

"Where did you find it?" she asked, twisting it around in her fingertips.

"I saved it all these years, for you."

"For me? What the hell am I gonna do with a ring?" she laughed, handing it back to Hector quickly.

"Well it was for you at first, but I'm going to give it to Mia, if you don't mind," he answered, settling it snugly back between the pillows.

Shorty nodded instantly, looking at her mother's ring in its case, "Yeah, go ahead. It should be used for something good instead of collecting dust in your porn drawer."

"I mean tonight."

"Okay," she answered slowly, "I'm really not put out by it, you don't have to ask my permission to give her Mami's jewels."

He grinned slyly, "It's not your permission I'd ask for anyways."

"Well, I think it's gonna be a long wait to hear from her," she smiled, standing and heading back into the kitchen.

Shorty shook her head and wondered if maybe Hector had been hit over the head with the stupid branch. Surely he couldn't really be expecting an answer from their long deceased mother. He should have just taken her word for it. She wasn't a ring girl, or really a jewelry girl at all, so there was no reason to make such a big deal of it. Besides, if their mother had been around she would have been thrilled to bestow the family ring on Hector's girlfriend. Of course, that was only after her brother plucked up the courage to ask Dominic Toretto if he could marry his baby sister. Then idea of it made Shorty's lips turn up and she laughed lightly. She could only imagine Dom's face when Hector got down on one knee to shove a ring in poor Mia's face.

It was the absurdity of her imagination that stopped Shorty in her tracks. She quickly backtracked her recent conversation until she realized the inflection on 'your' in Hector's permission statement had been higher.

Normally she wasn't a screamer, in fact she hated when girls screamed. To her they looked like hairless baboons flapping their arms like a set of rubber chicken's, and mimicking seal mating calls. Shorty would have slapped the annoying right out of them but even she could stop herself from reenacting the bimbo bounce, after the highest shriek she could manage. Spinning on her heel she launched herself into Hector's already open arms and bounced on the balls of her feet against his chest, all the while talking gibberish.

He scooped her off the ground and crushed her to his chest to stop her embarrassing dance before setting her back on her feet. "I knew it'd click in. I think maybe Papi dropped you on your head when you were a baby. That took a lot longer than I thought it would."

"You're getting married!" she screamed, bringing the rest of her team in on her heels.

Loud shouts and congratulations burst from everyone in the room as Shorty picked her son up and held him at arms length. She smiled, "I'm gonna have a sister!" and tossed him into the air, adding his thrilled giggles to the over zealous crowd that had formed around her and her brother. She caught Brer as he came down and hugged him to her chest tightly before setting him on his feet to hug his uncle.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Hector shouted, quieting down the room.

Vince and Leon sidled up on either side of her and she tugged them close with an arm over each other their shoulders, "This is fantastic!"

"You can't say anything, I want to surprise her."

"Better get there before this one blabs it to her," Leon called to Hector, nodding at Shorty, "Acting like a tap dancing circus clown."

"What?! My only brother is getting married! I'm allowed a little dance party."

Vince snickered low in his throat, "Not in front of people if you want to keep their respect."

"Oh, like either of your opinions matter anyways," she laughed, ducking out from under their grabs and hugging her brother again.

Shorty watched how happy her brother was as his team clapped him on the back and hugged him. She knew they were right, even perfect, for each other. They were a couple no one ever imagined getting together but now that they'd found each other it seemed to fit. It made her feel so good to see how happy her brother was. It seemed like everything was finally starting to fall into place for them. She had Brer and Vince and he had Mia. Their family was slowly but surely completing itself.

She was still gazing at Hector with a smile when she heard the first Toretto car pull to a stop in front of the house. Squealing in pleasure she ushered everyone back into the kitchen and warned them all to keep their mouths shut until he'd popped the big question.

"It's now or now there big guy," she warned her brother, gesturing around the room. "None of us will be able to keep it together longer than a minute."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you," he teased.

"You just wanted us to pump you up," Beto called from the kitchen table.

Marvin looked up from a take out menu and grinned, "Always needs us to boost his ego."

The group stopped mocking her brother when they heard the first chatter outside, followed by the door opening. Her team looked around at each other and waited for Hector to move around the Toretto team who was slowly making their way into the kitchen. "Jesus, it's fucking quiet in here," Jesse cried, placing a case of beer on the counter and bumping knuckles around the room.

Before her team could make up horribly ineffective excuses, Hector snagged Mia around the waist and pulled her away as the rest of the Toretto team entered the kitchen. Shorty wasn't surprised her brother wanted to do it away from everyone else, but she so desperately wanted to see how he purposed. And from the raised eyebrow Dom sent her way she knew he was eager to see as well.

"He talk to you?"

"Like he had a choice," Dom answered her, nodding with a hundred watt smile.

He was as protective of Mia as Hector was for her and she knew he really appreciated that Hector had asked for his permission. If she was ever lucky enough to marry she knew her man would have no other choice but to ask Hector first. Old fashioned beliefs may have disappeared in the last few decades but she could always count on her brother and Dominic to make sure the traditions were upheld.

Shorty shuffled around everyone in the kitchen to settle beside Dom, "Looks like you're really stuck with us."

He shrugged, his ear turned toward the living room, "You ever been told you're like a tumor that can't be removed?"

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too - Hermano," she smiled widely. (Brother)

"You know, you and Mia are going to be the most looked after ladies around here," Letty said, sliding an arm around her waist and hugging her side.

Shorty laughed and looked over her shoulder at Vince. Not even having "two" over protective brothers could keep her from the love of her life. She was going to utter another smartass comment when the sounds of tearful happiness floated into the kitchen. It would have been polite for them to give the happy couple a few minutes longer of alone time but belonging to the Munoz Izquierdo and Toretto family pretty much voided alone time. Family was meant to be celebrated as a group, especially something this special.

Her brother and future sister emerged into the kitchen, their clasped hands held high with tears streaking Mia's beautiful face. Whoops went up and the happy couple was rushed from all sides. They accepted hugs and well wishes gratefully, smiles wide enough to crack their cheeks across their faces. Shorty leant against the fridge and watched as Mia picked up Brer and talked with him quietly. She didn't know the specifics of their conversation but grinned when Mia started crying again, nodding her head and hugging him fiercely to her chest. Her little boy already had his new Aunt wrapped around his finger.

"Let me get in on all this love!" Shorty shouted, barreling into the crowd.

The two teams spent the next hour congratulating Hector and Mia as well as themselves. By the time they had all calmed down enough to discuss dinner and break out the board games everyone was famished. She wasn't sure who decided and placed the order but she was thankful it hadn't actually fallen on her shoulders to figure it out. She was still completely focused on the happy couple when Vince hugged her from behind, nudging her hair away from her neck with his nose, "Don't get any funny ideas, Lil' Coyote."

She snorted and leaned back into his embrace, "Don't worry, darling. You'll never get the permission of both Hector and Dom."

"I'll decide."

"Is that right?" she asked, turning in his arms and wrapping hers around his neck, twisting her fingers in his soft hair.

"You know it," he answered, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the kitchen. "We're going to get the chow," he called over his shoulder.

Shorty sat on the stairs and slipped her boots onto her feet, while Vince dug through the pile of discarded shoes to find his own. "Mami! Tia Mia," Brer stopped to allow a giggle at the accidental rhyme, "says I can carry the rings!"

"Well who else would she trust that much? You got the most important job," she answered, adding, "Just don't tell Lalia," under her breath.

"Okay," Brer replied, as he hugged her. "I love you."

"I love you too, you little monster."

With a soft tap on the bum she sent him back into the kitchen to rejoin the fun while they made a quick trip to the strip mall to grab the Thai food.

"What am I? Chopped meat? I don't get an I love you?" Vince joked, shutting the front door behind him and unlocking his car.

They slid into the car and she was a little taken aback by the sudden quiet surrounding them. The realization hit that this would most likely be the last real alone time they'd get until after the wedding. She knew without a doubt that starting the following day Mia would set her and Letty on wedding tasks. In fact, if she was honest with herself, she knew Mia would likely have them at it as soon as she and Vince returned with the take out. And really, she was more than glad to help. Her only brother was finally getting married!

Shorty smiled to herself as Vince pulled into traffic and shot around a slow moving truck. If only her parents could see them now. She liked to believe that they'd be proud of her and Hector.

"What you thinking about?"

"Just mi Papi and Mami. It's really too bad they won't get to see Hector walk down the aisle. Get him drunk at his bachelor party, you know, all the good stuff."

"They will. Just from a different vantage point," he smiled.

He clasped his hand in hers, his happiness spreading through her fingers like a warm fire on a cold night. This was her life. It may have been messy for a few years but it had finally become something so perfect she sometimes found herself breathless with awe.

Vince brought her hand to his lips and placed it against his lips and held it there, a content smile on his face before placing it back in her lap gently and shifting the car into a new gear. He glanced at her again as he approached the lights and smiled that smile she loved so much. "I'm never letting you get away, Lil' Coyote. You're mine."

She grinned slowly, her lips stretching back, lifting in the corners until a bright light burst through his window and bore down on them. Shorty uttered a short scream, her eyes widening in shock and fear. Vince blinked at her in surprise as the world shook around them. The screech of metal twisting and rubber sliding against pavement rocked her into oblivion.

The smell of burnt rubber awoke her slowly. Her brain throbbed and her breath hitched in her throat painfully. The pain was unbearable and this only confused Shorty even more. She tried to drag in one excruciating breath after another until her eyesight slowly settled into tangible images. Bright lights blinded her as she tried to look at her surroundings. The pounding in her head continued while she tried to pull her hand up to her skull. It hung limply, resting on the ground amid pearly pieces of glass. Again the confusion blasted her until the she pulled the memory of Vince's surprised eyes and the glowing lights together.

Broken glass littered the roof of the car below her, and her breath burst forth in a panic. Finally realizing she was upside down and still strapped in, she thrashed around as uselessly as her broken arm. Her right leg was wedged under the crushed dash making it virtually impossible to use her leg strength to push herself out of the chair. She croaked "Vince!" while gazing down at her broken arm.

Shorty reached her good arm up to untangle her hair from the seatbelt, trying to shift in her seat. "Come on V, we need to get out of here."

"My hair is caught, God damn it," she muttered to him, as she pulled as hard as she could. It held tight for a moment longer before it fell around her face lightly. She pushed it back from her face as much as possible and looked at her newly wet hand. It was sticky and red, and smelled faintly metallic when she brought it to her nose. Again the panic set in when she realized it was blood, and it was her own blood. "Vince, I'm bleeding. My head hurts."

He remained quiet as she struggled pitifully to control her rising panic. She knew she had to get out of the seatbelt but was too scared to unbuckle herself. Landing on her already bleeding head or dead arm would likely cause more damage, so she looked around the roof of the car trying to find her cell phone. It sat among the broken glass just out of reach. Stretching her arm as far as possible pulled at her torso and she coughed violently, her hand automatically coming up to her mouth. The taste of pennies swarmed her taste buds and she looked at her hand in awe.

Blood littered her palm. She wasn't a doctor, but she knew enough to know that coughing blood was never good. "I… I –I need to get out of here, V. You need to grab my phone."

Again Shorty looked up at her lap. Reaching up the seatbelt she pushed on the released as hard as she could. When she didn't immediately fall out of the seat she huffed impatiently. "Vince, would you just grab the phone?"

When he failed to answer again she gently turned her head to the drivers side, "Vince, seriously, we need Mia." The idea of ruining Hector and Mia's special evening tugged at her heartstrings. But thoughts of them vanished the second she saw him.

His beautiful blue eyes stared at her blankly. "Vince?" she gasped, the name catching in her throat uncomfortably. He only continued to stare at her without blinking.

"V?"

Shorty knew then why he hadn't answered her. Why he hadn't tried to get her to safety. Why he'd let her panic. Had he been able, he would never have let her hurt. Her well being was the only thing that mattered to him. He loved her. She knew all of this, even as she took in the darkly hypnotic pool of blood below his head, the neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Stains of blood ran down his face from his ears and somewhere at the back of his skull. She watched, horrified, as the drops leapt from his forehead and swanned dived into the pool below.

Time seemed to slow down and pause into an absurd calm. Vince was gone. Taken from her before she'd had enough time with him. And the knowledge of that kept her immobile. The only thing she could do was stare into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Hey Lady!"

She didn't know how long she'd been staring at the love of her life, but in that time the pain had disappeared. She no longer hurt.

"LADY!"

Shorty slowly turned from Vince to look through her broken window at the man who was yelling. He was lying on his stomach shining a flashlight into face. "What's your name?" he asked, his eyes quickly darting towards Vince.

"Don't look at him," she answered softly, turning away from the new comer and blocking him from her mind. The only thing she wanted to focus on was the man beside her. She knew he was gone but she couldn't stop herself from hoping that he'd spontaneously take a breath and smile at her. Prove to her that everything wasn't falling apart and they'd be okay.

Even as the pallor of his skin turned ashen she knew he wasn't coming back for her. He was never coming back for her.

"Lady, what's your name?" the intrusive man asked again, trying to draw her attention away from Vince. She ignored him as best she could and lifted her good arm painfully towards his face. The back of her fingers trailed across his cooling cheek and the blood upon his skin smeared grossly. She reached down and tugged his heavy arm up until she could grasp his hand.

His callused hand was as tough as always but this time it didn't close protectively around her own, providing her with the comfort she so desperately wanted. She placed his palm flat against her face, nuzzling it gently as the first tears left her eyes and dripped off her forehead to the ground. "I - I don't hurt anymore – I don't," she murmured softly, kissing his knuckles tenderly.

She held his hand to her lips a moment longer before whispering, "I love you, Ol' Coyote," and letting oblivion take her.

One year later….

Shorty leaned against the thick oak tree, staring into the feathery green above her head. The wind whistled through the leaves softly, whispering sweet stories to her that she couldn't quite make out. The whispers always seemed to follow her around these days. Sometimes she thought she could pull meaning from them but it always seemed to flit away on a breeze. It didn't matter anyways; she was only focused on one person anyways. Brer. Her beautiful son. So old for his age, now more so than ever.

She knew they'd be here any moment. And she hoped there'd be no tears, because she couldn't stand to see him in pain. The last year had seen him cry enough. Had seen them all cry enough. Hector, Letty, even Dom had shed rivers of tears. Her tears alone had stalled after she'd told Vince she'd loved him one last time. There was nothing left in her except to keep a protective watch over Brer.

He had grown huge in the year since the accident. Shot up like a bean pole. Quickly filling in like his father had at his age. He'd turned six that year but she couldn't remember it clearly. She'd been there, standing off to the side out of the way, watching silently with a smile on her face. He'd blown out his candles and looked up at her, telling everyone that his wish had been for his Mami to be happy again. She could see the collective swallows around the room, stoppering their grief again on his very special day. But he'd just kept smiling at her serenely.

Brer had always been an old soul, and since that fateful day when she'd lost Vince, it'd become even more prominent. He'd comforted everyone including her, though it'd really been him who'd needed it more. But it was as if he knew something she did not. Knew that one day he'd see her happy again and they'd see Vince again.

Shorty was still thinking about Brer when he and Leon crested the hill, hand in hand. It still blew her mind how alike they looked. She could see now that his mannerisms were slowly talking on the same identity as his fathers. They had the same spring in their step, the same slow smile that he flashed at her when he caught sight of her.

She waved to him and pushed her weight off the tree, stepping out from under the shade of the leaves. Leon carried a small bouquet of flowers and Brer carried a small blue Maxima hot wheel toy. He dropped his father's hand and carefully picked his way to the two small tombstones set side by side.

Having never seen them herself, it didn't stop her from accepting that they belonged to Vince and another of his family members. He'd spoken so rarely of his mother, but she assumed they'd laid him to rest near her. And unable to handle his death, Shorty hadn't gone to the funeral and she'd blocked out any mention of his passing. In her head, it was as if it'd never happened. She had effectively erased that day simply because she couldn't accept that he'd left her.

She yearned to join Brer and Leon but held back. "I've been looking for you."

Shorty glanced over her shoulder as Vince came around the tree she'd been leaning against and stopped beside her. "You found me," she said, drinking him in. The fact that she was talking to a dead person didn't disturb her at all. That day, exactly one year after they'd all lost Vince, was as good a day as any to lose her mind. She turned back to her son and his father as they knelt in front of the graves.

From where they stood, she could see the tears silently roll down Leon's face as he placed the flowers against the ground. He spoke softly to Brer who nodded thoughtfully before swinging his gaze towards her again. "He's gotten big."

"That'll happen."

Vince nudged her shoulder softly, "You're a hard person to track down."

"I haven't left."

"I know. That's why I'm here. It's been a year, Shorty. It's time."

"I'm not ready," she answered, turning towards the blue eyes she loved so much.

"We never are."

She sighed deeply, turning back to the son who valiantly tried to divide his attention between the father beside him and her, who was always at a distance now. Brer's eyes flickered to Vince then back to her as he answered something Leon said.

"Who's grave is beside mine, Shorty?" he prodded gently.

She answered, "Mine," even as her mind thought your mother. Her eyes dropped to the ground she stood on and she dug the toe of her left boot into the soft earth beneath her. The leaves rustled above her and the wind whispered again. "What will happen to him?"

"They'll both be fine. You have to stop watching out for them. They have each other. He's going to grow up to be a good man. Leon will raise him right, and you know Letty will kill him if he doesn't." Vince picked up her hand, entwining his fingers with hers and squeezed tight.

Shorty looked down at the huge paw wrapped around her small hand and felt Vince's warmth seep into her. She'd longed for it so desperately since she'd pressed his cold palm against her cheek the night he'd died. Finally she'd gotten back what she'd been missing so terribly. "I missed you," she said.

"We have to get going."

"I knew you'd come back for me," she answered, turning back to their graves. "One day."

Leon stood slowly, brining his fingers to his mouth then pressing them on each stone in turn. She could read his lips as he said, "I love you," and she wished she could answer him. Tell him that they missed him too, and more importantly, that he was doing everything right with Brer. Because Vince was right, Leon was a good man, and their son would never be anything but. Brer placed the blue Maxima on top of Vince's stone before Leon scooped him into his arms.

They turned away, making their way back to the hill that would carry them out of sight. Shorty felt the desperate pull to go with them, to follow and make sure they were alright. It felt like her heart was tethered to Brer's and it ached to watch him getting further and further away from her reach. But Vince tugged her gently against his chest and wrapped his arms around her middle to keep her from running after them. "I'll always come back for you."

"What if he forgets me?" she wondered anxiously.

Brer turned back towards them just then as if hearing her question, resting his chin on Leon's shoulder as they descended the hill. Her heart ached painfully until her baby boy smiled widely at her and mouthed, "I love you, Mami and Vince!" He raised a hand to them, winked, and then disappeared behind the hill with his father.

"He won't. Trust me, baby, no one will forget you. It'd be impossible." Vince released her from his grip and gave her a playful shove as they turned away from the hill and walked towards the tree. The leaves parted and the sun beamed down on them as they slowly meandered their way to wherever they were going, "Wait till you meet Tupac, he's an absolute gem."

"Seriously? You met him?" she gasped, taking his hand in hers again. "Oh man! Do you know who really killed JFK?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he smiled.

"What's Babe Ruth like?!" Shorty asked excitedly, as slowly their images faded from the world in which their teams and her son carried on without them.

"Babe Ruth? I figured you'd want to know all about James Dean."

"He was such a babe," she grinned back.

"You wouldn't leave me for him anyways, so I'm not worried," Vince answered, swinging their hands between them.

She sighed dreamily, "Of course I wouldn't."

"Shorty," he warned. "I waited a whole lifetime for you."

"I wouldn't," she said, completely dead panned. "Would I lie to you?" Vince smiled widely, picking her up swiftly and wrapping her legs around his waist.

Leaning down, she pressed her lips against his roughly, making up for a year of separation, "Don't answer that," she laughed.

And here ends the story twelve years in the making. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed along the way. The kind words will never be forgotten.

A/N: Thanks to Happy's Princess, JerZeeSkyLine, , ILoveAnime89, musicluver17, JuneBug672, wrestlenascargirl, demonpixie1, sweetkiwi604, and sugarvogue for the wonderful reviews! Shout out's to Alice. , ConsultingDetectiveInTraining, DADDY'S PRINCESS1998, DarkStorm00, dontdrinkmyjuice, Elmo96, JenksGirl, LegalAddiction20, Snake Whisperer, damonadark-hunterfan69, kori.666, lovesbooks2089, lindsaymeatsix, sugarvogue, twiightgirl099, xPoisonApplex660, BIGballofrubberbands, Camillia Vincent, ItsTheCatsPyjamas, JuneBug672, MaxCale, TiaraDanielle, Tired of The Lying, acechica, fanifction101010, jessaniah, jjchickybabe, sweetkiwi604, for the alerts and favorites.