Letty continued to work through her day, anxiously awaiting the call from Dom. She questioned several times if being alone with him was a good idea, for both of their sakes. She didn't want to lead him on into thinking this would immediately make them a couple again. And because of her sexual deprivation, she knew it would be hard to hold out much longer. Sure, she could've went to a bar and took home the first man who hit on her, but that wasn't Letty's style. Her body was sacred and she didn't share it with just anyone. With Owen, sex had been more of an obligation - she felt indebted to him pulling her from that hospital and taking her under his wing. She never felt that obligation with Dominic. He never pushed for sex with her, though they had come close several times. She couldn't deny the chemistry between them, so sharing a room alone with a man she so badly wanted to connect with could prove dangerous.

But they could start slow, as friends, and friends had take-out together, right?"

"Heard you have a date," Letty peaked to find Jess sitting against the car Letty was working under. She seemed to be in a much better mood as she bounced around from station to station, chatting up nearly every employee. None of the mechanics seemed to mind, and a few actually put her to work.

"Not really. Just dinner with a friend."

"A boy friend?" she asked curiously.

Letty chuckled, "He's a man that's a friend, yes."

"Is he nice?"

"He's very sweet, yes."

"Where will you go?"

"Enough already, Jess," Leon scooped her up from the floor, "Steve has a few concepts he wants you to check out for Mr. Peterson's GT. Go tell him what you think."

The kid scrammed off for another station, leaving Leon leaning against the car.

"She's about as bad as Brooke with the questions," Letty tightened one last bolt before rolling out from under the car.

"She's a curious kid."

"Concepts? What's she know about concepts, she's six."

"Hey, just because I didn't have a junior doesn't mean I didn't have a mini-me. Girl loves this place more than I do. She has a knack for picking out great designs."

"All women do," Letty smiled.

They worked for two more hours before Leon gave them the OK to split. Brooke wanted to find a nice outfit for her date with Oz, and Letty felt she was due for some new additions to her wardrobe as well. Letty kept their visit to the mall short by threatening to leave Brooke behind if she didn't shop fast. After finding cute outfits in less than an hour, they headed back to their home in LA.

It was almost four PM, and Letty knew Dom would be leaving the garage soon. The closer it go to his call, the more her nerves ate away at her. While Brooke prepped for her date, Letty kept herself busy by taking Ginger out back and giving her a proper bath. Letty groaned with a laugh when Ginger attempted to dry off, shaking her sopping-wet body vigorously. Finally, the pup had had enough, sneaking the hose from Letty and darting across the yard with it.

"Ginger, come on!" Letty begged and stood to go after her when a loud whistle from behind her not only scared the shit out of Letty, but got the pup's attention as well. She turned to find Brooke standing next to a tall, muscular man with tan skin and a man-bun. He flashed Letty a brilliant smile before putting his fingers to his lips, ready to call for the dog again. "You whistle again, you'll be leaving with two less fingers," Letty warned. She snapped her fingers a few times and Ginger finally trotted over.

"As I mentioned before, she's not a fan of new people," Brooke said to him, "Oz, this is my best friend, Letty. Letty, this is Oz. He works for Dom."

Letty held out her knuckles to him, only he didn't return the gesture. He gave her a strange look before holding his hand out. Letty cocked a brow at him, placing her hand gently into his.

"Sorry. Where I'm from, this is how you greet a lady," he grinned. "I'm Oz. Nice to finally meet the legend. Had no idea meeting Brooke would result in me meeting you. I've heard a lot."

"Letty. Was the whistle a part of the greeting?" she asked, a small smile breaking. He softened her up by being a gentleman. "And where the hell are you from with that accent?"

"Georgia, of course."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Oz," she said. She turned to Brooke, who was anxious for Letty's opinion. "He's cute. Be careful and wear protection."

Brooke groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"You don't have much of a filter, do you?" he asked as they followed Letty back inside, avoiding the soapy trail she left behind with each step.

"Honesty is the best policy, right?" she replied, drying her face on a towel. "What're you guys gonna do?"

"Oz is taking me for lunch, then we're gonna head to the beach," Brooke said excitedly.

"You don't seem like the beach-going kinda guy."

"I'm not. Been in California for four years and never made it there. Figured now is as good a time as any to try it out."

"Let's get going so she can get ready for her date with Dominic," Brooke sing-songed while pulling her date towards the door.

"It's not a date!"

"If it's any consolation, he's really excited for tonight. Big Guy never stopped grinning for a minute. Be good to him tonight!" he yelled before slamming the door shut.

Letty headed for her bedroom to find an outfit for tonight. She wanted to look nice, but not over-do it considering they weren't leaving the house for dinner. She settled for black pants and a low-hanging tank-top - casual, but cute. As she dug through her new clothes for the red lacy underwear she picked out, her cell phone started ringing. She darted across the room, nearly tripping over her own feet to get to her phone in time.

"Hello?" she answered breathlessly.

"Hey," she could hear the smile in his voice. "Are you busy?"

"No, just trying to find something to wear. What's up?"

"I'm closing down the garage now. Gonna head home and clean up then I should be that way about 6:30. That okay?"

Letty glanced up at the clock - 5:35 PM.

"Yeah, that's cool. I was gonna order some Chinese, you okay with that?"

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I could cook for you."

"You can cook? I never saw you make anything more than a PB&J sandwich."

"Hey now, don't forget my Italian roots. I've made you many meals back in the day."

"Riiiight, I forgot - Little Italy. Alright, Toretto, you're on."

"Great, I'll see you soon."

"Don't you need my address?" she asked, secretly wanting to keep his voice in her ear for a few more seconds.

"No. I know where you are," Letty frowned skeptically, and Dom picked up on it. "Letty, I drive past your street every day going to and from work. Kinda hard to miss that big maroon Camaro sitting in the driveway. Not many of those driving around here."

"Are you stalking me, Dominic Toretto?" she asked playfully, stripping down naked in the bathroom.

"Stalking would be sitting outside your house every day, watching your every move. I've done a few slow strolls, but nothing to call the cops over just yet," he teased.

Letty laughed, and she realized that all of her nerves were quickly gone. It was something about his voice that ensured her everything was okay, and the harmless dinner would go fine. Suddenly, she was excited about him making her dinner and was anxious to have him over.

"Great. Well I'll be here," she said and they ended the call. Letty glanced in the mirror and even blushed at the big smile that was plastered on her face.

Dom took the steps two at a time, hurrying inside to get cleaned up and prepped for his dinner with Letty. On his way up the stairs, he ran into Mia.

"Hey! Heard about you and Letty," she said with a grin, "That's great news."

"It's just dinner, Mia," he assured her, "But I told her I would cook. I'm thinking about making Dad's stuffed chicken, you think you can pack a bag for me while I shower?"

"Of course. Good idea."

"Thanks, sis. The apple pie too," he said and planted a kiss on her cheek, continuing up to his room. He stripped down naked and headed for a shower. He tried not to get his hopes up, but dinner was a step in a good direction. It meant she was ready to be around him, even if it was for a short time. Dom would stretch the dinner out for as long as he could to optimize it, too.

He tried to maintain his cool while he dressed, selecting khaki pants and a navy-blue shirt as his attire. He remained focused on the task at hand - blowing Letty away with dinner. He was sure Mrs. Brown dealt with her fair share of men seeking her attention, so he trusted her suggestion with food. It was a way to get Letty to relax around him and feel comfortable. It also showed her what to look forward to if things progressed past tonight.

He slipped his feet into blue loafers and grabbed his cross necklace before heading downstairs. He met Mia at the kitchen as she was gathering the rest of the ingredients for her brother's date.

"This should be everything you need for the chicken," Mia said, handing over a large tote bag filled with food. "I had Bri load your trunk with a case of Corona. I'm sure she has her own, but an extra case couldn't hurt. The apple pie is on top so you don't squish it," she rattled off before doing the top two buttons on his shirt, "You look handsome."

"Thank you, Mi," Dom said, trading the bag for a kiss on her forehead. "Wish me luck."

"You'll do fine. Just remember to watch the chicken closely, or it'll burn."

"Got it. Don't wait up," he said with a smirk. Dom hustled out to the car, placing the bag of food gently in the passenger seat before running around to his side. He slid in his Charger and made his way over to Letty's home four blocks over. He pulled into the driveway of the gorgeous Tuscan-like home next to her Camaro and killed the engine. One final clock-check showed 6:35 - he was late. He checked himself over one last time, again unbuttoning the top two buttons that Mia had re-done. Dom killed the engine and exited the car as the front door to the home opened, revealing his date for the night. She stepped out onto the porch, her hands stuffed in the back pocket of her tight pants and a smile on her face.

"Hey," she said with a wave.

"Hey you," he said as he stood frozen next to his car. "Wanna give me a hand?"

She nodded and went to him, helping him unload the bags from the car. She grabbed the case of Corona from the back while Dom grabbed the food and led him back inside.

"Nice place you got," he said, glancing around at the spacious, elegant home.

"It's Leon. We're renting it for a while. Come on, I'll show you the kitchen."

Dom followed Letty to the back, his eyes glued to her perfectly round ass in the black pants. He watched her bend over to sit in the beers in the fridge and pull two already-cold ones.

"You clean up nicely," she said with a smirk, handing over a Corona.

"You don't look so bad yourself," he smiled. "Show me to the pots and pans, and I'll get this started. It shouldn't take too long."

"Everything you'll need is under that cabinet," she pointed, taking a seat at the island. She peaked in the bag, "What's on the menu, Chef?"

Dom playfully smacked her hand away from the bag, "You'll just have to wait and see."

"I sure hope it's better than that awful turkey sandwich you made for me at the cafe on our first date."

Dom laughed a bit before freezing, looking up from the cutting board he was using, "You remember that?"

Letty nodded with a blush, "I definitely remember. You were bummed because you thought I would stand you up. You made me a turkey sandwich on rye with a side of potato salad."

"I ended up burning the turkey because I was distracted by our debate on tuners. You were trying to convince me not to get the RX-7. You said it wasn't my style because I'd look like a giant in a clown car."

"Was I wrong?" she laughed, "It just didn't fit you. You were always meant to be behind the wheel of muscle, not that little Mazda. Whatever happened to it? I remember when we got back you were trying to track it down, along with Mia's Integra, and my 240. Ever find them?"

"Sadly, no," he said, "Last I heard they were boosted from the police impound a few months after we left town. I guess they were worth a lot more on the streets."

Letty felt bummed about the news on her car. It was her first car - her pride and joy - and a lot of her favorite memories came from working on it at the Toretto garage. Dom could tell she wasn't happy about her car, "How's the Camaro treating ya? Any new upgrades?"

"Not recently, but I will be in search of new tires soon. Ran her pretty hard in Mexico."

"Well whatever she needs, you just come on by, all right? I'll take care of it, on the house. We'll call it a welcome home gift," Dom smiled.

"Thanks," she returned. She watched him work on the meal, which she presumed was some type of stuffed chicken. His hands were as delicate with the food as it was with an engine, each slice and flip deliberate. Her sights traveled up his arms, his biceps twitching with every slash of the knife against the meat. The button-up clung to his pecs and traps but didn't restrict him from moving gracefully about the kitchen. The first few buttons of his shirt were left open, revealing his signature cross necklace hanging over his wife-beater.

Her eyes finally landed on his face. His eyes were set on the slabs of chicken that he stuffed generously with cheese and peppers, but every few minutes they'd dart over to glance at her.

"Thanks for agreeing to this," he said, "I know it's not easy for you, with our history being what it is, but I'm glad you made your way back to LA. It's nice knowing you're just a few blocks away."

"It took me a while to realize the past is the past. Regardless of what happened back then, it's all just tiny figments of my imagination now. It's not like I can go back and change anything you or I have done. Only thing we can control is the now... and at this moment, the now isn't so bad," she said with a smile. "I'm gonna go check on Ginger."

Letty exited through the back sliding-glass doors and found Ginger laying across the patio deck, chomping away at her stuffed chew-toy. Her tail wagged eagerly as she saw Letty making her way over. Letty sat on the steps next to her.

Okay, Letty, smooth start so far, she said to herself. Just keep the conversation light and easy. Things will only get weird if you let them. But God he smelled so good, and looked even better in that dark-blue color. Is it possible for him to have gotten bigger in the two years I've been gone?! If so, he was wearing it well.

"Mind if I join you?" that deep voice spoke from behind her. She gave a nod and he handed over her beer before taking a seat on a patio chair nearby. He kept a good distance between them at all times, and Letty was grateful. The smell of his cologne alone made her want to jump into his arms, but she kept her composure. "So when are you gonna tell me about this trouble from Vegas?"

Letty sighed, "It's nothing, really. At least I don't think. I worked for this sleazy mechanic. He was the only shop that'd take me on. I guess this time my tits were a disadvantage. After a few weeks I noticed my checks were getting shorter and shorter, after he guaranteed me at least six-hundred a week. When I confronted him, he said the money was going to expenses, even though the shop was obviously filled with boosted tools and parts. After a short exchange, I convinced him to return my money... with interest."

Dom shook his head with a grin, "You never took shit from no one. Glad to see that hasn't changed."

"And it never will. That's where I got the Glock. Didn't want to give him a chance of using it on me later," she shrugged.

"You think he'll call it in?"

She shrugged again, "Not if he doesn't want cops snooping around his garage, he won't."

"Well as a precaution, you need to get rid of the evidence - that gun," Dom said seriously.

"Way ahead of you. One of Hector's guys dumped it yesterday," she said, "Dom, I'm a lot smarter than I was back then, and a lot less reckless. I used alias' and fake IDs anywhere I went. I guess I knew I wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble."

"You never could," he replied with a smile, "Come on, I gotta put the finishing touches on dinner."

He headed back to the kitchen, pulling his Italian green beans off the stove and plating them. He forked a few and cuffed his hand underneath, holding it out to her.

"See how you like this."

Letty eyed him with a smirk before leaning forward to take the food into her mouth. After a few tense seconds, she finally let out a moan.

"Way better than that turkey sandwich," she said with a satisfied smile.

"Damn right," Dom grinned before turning to the oven. When he bent over to pull the chicken out, Letty wasn't shy about oogling his perfect ass in those khakis. He sat the pan holding his beautiful stuffed chicken on the counter and Letty's stomach immediately growled. The food smelled amazing and looked even better, with roasted tomatoes and spices as toppings. "Get to the table."

Dom carried over their plates while Letty took the seat across from his, ready to devour the meal he created. Before they dug in, Dom opted to say grace, like always.

"Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this gracious, and hopefully, delicious meal," Letty smiled, "We thank you for blessing us with the opportunity to return home to LA, and most of all, thank you for keeping Leticia safe on her journey. Amen."

Letty blushed slightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't correct him when he said her full name - she never did. It always sounded nice rolling off his tongue, and it always gave her a tingling feeling in her belly.

They ate in silence for a portion of the meal, but that didn't stop them from exchanging glances when the other wasn't looking. Dom didn't care if she didn't talk for the entire night, he was just glad that she agreed to spend time with him. Nothing felt better than being in this moment with her - not even the cool ninety million dollars he was sitting on. That didn't even compare to having Letty with him.

"This is incredible, Dom. I couldn't remember the last time I had a nice home-cooked meal," she said while cutting into her chicken, watching the cheese ooze out of the middle. "Brooke can barely boil water."

"What, you don't cook?"

"I worked at the garage from nine-to-five, then served drinks from ten at night 'til five in the morning. When I got off work from the garage, the last thing I wanted to do was cook. So take-out has been my diet for the past year or so."

"Well that ends today," Dom smiled. "You're welcome to the house whenever. Brooke too. I don't get to cook for anyone since it's just me now."

"As good as this is, I might just take you up on that."

They talked about everything under the sun over dinner, but kept the conversation as light as possible. They steered away from topics that'd bring up the night of her disappearance, and his. Instead, they spoke about Jack, and Ginger, and the garage. Letty liked this. It reminded her of how easy things were before her memories started to return. How they would sit up for hours talking about everything, and nothing at all. They never had a shortage of topics, and there was never an awkward silence between them. He always had a way of making her laugh until her stomach ached, or smiling until her cheeks hurt.

She missed that. Sure, she had plenty of fun times with Brooke, but nothing compared to the short time she spent with Dominic. He was her best friend, and she missed him. Suddenly, she felt the strong urge to apologize.

"Dom, about that night... I'm sorry I left the way I did."

Dom held his hand up, swallowing his last bite before speaking, "Don't. It took me a while, but I understand why you did it."

"You do?"

"I do. But I should be apologizing more," he sat back in his seat, "That night in the Dominican... I lied to you. We sat by the shore and I promised that we would ride it out together, that we would run together, but I knew it wasn't true. My main priority was keeping you and everyone around me safe and out of jail. Han was already taking off for Tokyo, Tego and Rico were heading to Panama. All that was left was you. I knew there was no way I could talk you into going back to LA with Mia, not without me. I knew what prison was like; cold, brutal, and unforgiving. I refused to let you fall because of my greed."

Letty didn't know what to say, so she didn't speak.

"I thought putting distance between us was what was best. I thought you would be safer if I wasn't looming around with this target on my back. I didn't realize how wrong I was until it was too late. I'm so sorry for how your life turned out after I abandoned you."

Letty could hear the sincerity in his voice, and saw regret in his dark, watery eyes. She blinked back tears of her own. "Dom, as far as I can remember, no one put a gun to my head and forced me to go to the FBI. That was my decision. Would I do it again, knowing what I know now? I don't know. I mean, if I never went after you, would you have come back? Would you guys have run into Hobbs, and worked to take down Owen Shaw? Probably not. If I hadn't 'died' that night, you probably would still be a wanted man hiding in the shadows of some third-world country."

"I would've come back," he said.

"When? Weeks later? Months? Years?" he broke eye contact to gaze down at his empty plate. "Everything happens for a reason. Maybe it was meant for me to knock my head around a little bit, get some clarity. Of course, I didn't expect it to happen this way... to lose every memory of who I was and the people I loved. To look at you, and Mia, and Leon knowing you guys have fifteen years of me that you know and love, and I can't reciprocate that. That's the worse part of all of this." Letty took a deep breath, swallowing the aching lump in her throat, "That's why I had to leave. I couldn't be here, pretending that everything was normal when I didn't even know you guys."

"So why did you come back?"

"The same thing that drove me away, brought me right back. Those memories. Those flashbacks of how things used to be. How good things used to be, even when they weren't. The Toretto's are the only family I know; I'd rather take my chances here than risk running into another Shaw."

Dom gave a smile and a nod that said he understood. "Well it's good to have you back. Now I don't have to worry about you riding around in tanks with psychopaths."

"Well I'm not making any promises," she joked and gathered the used dishes from the table. She loaded them into the dishwasher. "I think I'll wait a bit for the pie. I'm stuffed."

"Sounds good," he replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Letty stood leaning against the counter, nursing her half-empty beer as the room grew silent. Dom remained at the table, picking at the label on his empty bottle. It was getting late, nearing almost nine o'clock, but Letty wasn't ready for him to go just yet. She liked his company.

"I don't have a lot of movies, but From Dusk Till Dawn has been in my DVD player for weeks now if you're up for it," she offered casually.

Dom's eyes lit up at the offer, but he held back his grin and gave a curt nod, "I have no where to be."

Letty smirked and they made their way into the living area. She put on the movie while Dom got comfy on the sofa. They settled in with the cult classic movie, commenting on the plot, the acting, and of course, the vampire strippers. Letty made sure to keep a good distance between them at all times, keeping her body pressed against the end of the couch while Dom lounged on the other end. She watched as he kept his eyes focused on the screen, careful not to make eye contact or physical contact with her. Dom could feel her eyes on him, but he knew what looking into those deep, soulful eyes could do to him. It was torture enough watching her grin and laugh during dinner. It killed him to have her so close, but still so far away. The tension steadily built in the air, and Dom was finding it hard to resist pulling her into his lap and kissing the breath out of her. Instead, he kept his hands clutched around his beer and his eyes pointed straight ahead.

An hour later, Dom noticed Letty rubbing her arms rapidly and figured she was probably cold. The house had cooled off considerably, even his arms were covered in chills. He knew just the way to warm her up. A few ways, actually.

"Come here," he held his arms open invitingly and nodded her over.

Her eyes darted over to the throw blanket adorning the back of the sofa, but Letty choose to step into the fire instead, crawling over to snuggle under his arm. She leaned against his chest and was instantly warmed by his immense body heat, even feeling bold enough to wrap her arm around his waist, nestling closer to him. On the inside Dominic was screaming for joy but on the outside he kept a cool facade, simply wrapping his arm around her body. The smell of her shampoo hit him like a ton of bricks, and Dom never felt more at home. He had long given up caring about the movie.

Right now, nothing mattered more than having Letty in his arms.

An hour later, the movie had long finished and Letty had somehow ended up lying on the sofa with her head in his lap, snoring away. His legs were asleep from the added pressure, but he didn't care. She was comfortable, and if that meant a night of sleeping straight up on the sofa then he was prepared to do it. The DVD menu screen played on a loop, but he eventually tuned it out. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

He looked down at her, pushing the hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful as she slept, with her hands tucked under her head and her lips parted slightly.

"Welcome home, baby," he whispered softly before dropping his head on the back of the sofa, ready to drift off into his own slumber.

Half an hour later, Brooke finally stumbled in the house from her day out with Oz. She noticed Dom's Charger still parked in the driveway and grinned inwardly. Maybe Letty had finally gotten the sex she so desperately needed. Upon entering the house, she could hear the TV blaring from in the living room and made her way to turn it off. Rounding the corner, she jumped out of her skin at the sight of Dom sitting up on the sofa, his head lolled back as he slept. Closer inspection found Letty also asleep on the couch, her head in his lap as she rested.

They both looked so peaceful, so she didn't bother waking them. Instead, she pulled her phone out to snap a few pictures before shutting off the lights and heading to bed herself.

Letty finally stirred awake a few hours later and instantly realized she wasn't in her bed. The thick object she used for a pillow wasn't nearly as comfortable as the one in her room. A heavy hand rested on her hip and for a moment, her body went into fight-or-flight mode. She sat up quickly, ready to behead whomever had intruded her home, but quickly relaxed when she saw that it was only Dom, who was also fast asleep.

She relaxed, and even smiled a bit. He couldn't have been too comfortable sleeping with his head back on the couch like that, but she was sure it was because he didn't want to disturb her. She looked over at the clock on the wall, noticing that it was nearing four AM. She knew he had to work in a few hours, but she didn't have the heart to send him driving home so early, even if it was only a few minutes away. Instead, she nudged his leg.

He peaked one eye open.

"Let's go," she whispered while standing and reaching for his hand.

"Am I dreaming?" his voice murmured, thick with sleep.

"Not this time," she said with a smile, "Let's go sleep, man."

Dom took her hand and allowed her to lead him to her room. She stripped down to her tank-top and slipped on a pair of old boxers before crawling under the duvets. She watched sleepily as he kicked off his loafers and khakis. Next, he unbuttoned his dress shirt and hung it over a nearby chair along with his pants, and necklace. He stood in his wife beater and black briefs, which was new to her.

"Switched to briefs, huh?"

Dom smirked, doing a full spin to show off, "Do they make my ass look big?"

Letty laughed and shook her head at him, "Your ass was big before you put those on. Go to sleep."

He finally crawled in bed, his body quickly heating up the space under the blankets between them. She rolled onto her side, putting her back to him while tucking her hands under her head. She tried her best to keep her body from touching his. They were already in dangerously close quarters, and any contact could prove risky.

"Goodnight, Lett," he whispered. He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck, and it sent chills down her spine.

"Night, Dom," she managed through a shaky voice.

After a few quiet minutes, she was still awake and struggling to get comfortable in the small space that she had confined herself to. Dom's breathing had evened out, indicating that he quickly succumbed back to sleep. Letty decided a little spooning couldn't hurt and scooted over closer to him, pressing her back against his chest. Instinctively, Dom's arm wrapped around her body and pulled her even closer. Letty smiled softly and allowed the comfort from him to lull her to sleep.

Sorry if the story is moving along a little slow, but I was in desperate need of some Dotty love. I'm not feeling too inspired lately, but I'm working hard to get these up for all still keeping up with this story. I'd love some feedback, so please review and/or message me with comments, complaints, or suggestions. I could use a muse or two.