A/N: I thought I'd let you know that I decided not to kill Tony. I wanted to keep this AU story happy :) .

Dani: Aww you're so sweet! Your words were very touching.

Lola: I'm crazy busy right now with school and getting ready for my job after graduation so I only have time for one story at a time. I left FastTimes in a sad and complicated place, and it would take a lot more thought to develop a new story arc than this one will. So, I plan to update FastTimes when I finish Letty and Dom +1, which should be 20 chapters or less.

After her first and last postpartum check with Dr. Torres, Letty made her way back to the hospital where she had been spending most of her time. It was Alexus' last day of observations and if he were to not have any complications they would take him home the next day. She tried not to get her hopes up because lapses would always occur the day before they would plan to take him home.

"Brenda how can you say that about him?" Dom shamelessly flirted with one of the older nurses when Letty arrived. He had become a favorite among the NICU staff, no doubt due to the fact he was shirtless most of the time he was there.

"Because it's true." Brenda responded.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Have you been nursing for ten years?" Brenda asked him.

"Maybe? You don't know what I do." He said cheekily.

"He doesn't want to leave here because he knows once he does he'll be stuck with you."

"You wound me. Lex loves me. Right X-man?" Dom cooed and Alexus squirmed in his hands. "Try to take this kid away from me and see what happens."

"Child please."

"You know he'll choose me."

"You're too much." Brenda told Dom shaking her head and then moved to attend a neighboring crib. Letty walked into the nursery unamused. Her son's discharge was not a subject she took lightly.

"Tony let you off early?" She asked Dom and sat in the nearby seat.

"Well hello. I haven't seen you since yesterday. I'm good. How are you?" Dom greeted sarcastically. Letty merely glared at him until he finally answered her question. "No I'm on my break. Where were you?"

"Check-up"

"Oh yeah" He said in realization. "I'm assuming it didn't go well."

"No, it went swimmingly actually. I got sterilized." Letty told him snidely and Dom gave her the most intimidating scowl to ever fall on his face. "Relax, it's just birth control. It's perfectly reversible." Letty informed him. Dr. Torres had decided to put her on a three year hormonal IUD rather than the pill in order to avoid a second pregnancy before the couple was ready for another child.

"Then why the attitude?" Dom asked annoyed.

"You know why."

"I don't understand why you don't like when I make new friends."

"Friends? Ha! I almost believed you." Letty said coldly.

"Mommy's crazy Lex." Dom told the child who absentmindedly lay on his chest.

"Keep it up Dom." Letty warned quietly.

"You're getting in the way of my quality time." Dom said to her. "I was enjoying myself before you came along."

"I'm not arguing with you right now." She said holding her hand up in mediation.

"I wasn't trying to. You're the one with the problem." Dom pointed out.

"He's been good today right?" Letty asked refocusing her energy on Alexus.

"Yup, today is the day. I can feel it."

"You said that last time."

"He's bigger than last time."

"I just want him out of here." Letty huffed.

"Who doesn't?" Dom asked rhetorically.

"Apparently Brenda." Letty snapped.

"She was kidding. For the record, she could be my mom."

"But she's not. She could also be a cougar." Letty whispered.

"Are you gonna say that about his teachers too?" Dom teased. Letty rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What time is it?"

"Almost one." She answered looking at her watch.

"I gotta go. Do you mind?" Dom asked repositioning himself to hand their son over to her. Alexus had minimal wires for monitoring attached to him and no breathing tube. He resembled an average newborn though he had been born six-weeks prior. He fussed when being handed over to a new pair of hands. His father's chest was his favorite location other than being attached to Letty's breasts.

"Did you feed him?" She asked taking him gently.

"Yea, you're probably gonna have to change the diaper." Dom told her putting his shirt back on.

"You should wear a button down shirt next time." She told him firmly.

"Don't worry Let. They can look, but they can't touch." Dom said with a smirk before leaning down to kiss her good bye. "I'll be back later. You gonna stay here the whole time?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" She answered with a shrug.

"Just make sure that when he goes to sleep you do too." Dom cautioned and Letty gave him a curt nod. She had been staying at the hospital most nights with the baby. The nurses had gotten Alexus on a routine therefore there was no need for her to stay when he would be sleeping, but she could not stay away. Letty would watch him sleep in his small crib while praying that they would let her take him home. However, bills still needed paying and Alexus' care had proven to be more expensive than anyone ever thought, which led to Dom spending more time at the garage than he would have liked. Letty felt guilty at times because their financial burdens fell on his shoulders most, but her maternal desires had changed her. Her sole priority was her son, and she could not bear to not be by his side. The hours passed and Letty would breastfeed, interact with other mothers, one of which had been discharged that day. Watching families leave the NICU were the only things that gave her hope.

"Are you gonna be a good boy for Mami?" Letty asked as she looked down at the feeding child who stared up at her as he did so. "We have all the toys you could ever want. You just gotta drink your milk so you can get strong enough to play." Alexus' small hands moved and flayed absentmindedly as he continued to suckle on her nipple. Breast-feeding was always an intimate moment for Letty. She could not quite describe the satisfaction she got from it, even when it was initially painful. She would stare into her child's eyes who yearned for her though he was not old enough to speak the words.

"Why don't you two go home?" One of the nurses told Dom and Letty that night. "You're gonna want to take advantage of this time before you take him tomorrow."

"No. What if he stops breathing again?" Letty asked her.

"We'll call you. Go, you'll thank me in the morning."

"She's right we have to make sure we didn't miss anything in the apartment." Dom agreed.

"You can go." Letty told him resisting their suggestion.

"Come on. He'll be ok. Tomorrow is the day." Dom said encouragingly. Letty reluctantly rose from the rocking chair and followed Dom to and past the door.

They had driven to the hospital separately and made their way back to their apartment in their own cars. "You know, the crazy thing is that if we bring him home tomorrow he'd still be home earlier than expected." Dom told Letty when she came through the door.

"I guess, but it just doesn't feel that way. I just want him so bad." Letty said desperately.

"I know. I do to. It's weird being here with an empty nursery."

"I just don't want to feel this way anymore." Letty said rubbing her temples. Dom went in front of her and encircled his arms around her waist.

"What did I tell you?" He asked her seriously.

"That he's coming home." She answered halfheartedly.

"Exactly, it doesn't mean it's gonna be when we want it, but we're gonna get him. Ok?"

"You're right." She said wrapping herself around him, and bringing him into a short kiss. "I'm gonna go shower."

"Let me go in first. I'm filthy." He said letting her go.

"Why don't you just join me?" She suggested.

"We could do that to." Dom told her with a smirk.

"It ain't that type of party so don't get excited."

"Nah, it's cool. I'm tired any way."

"Right..." Letty said not fully convinced before running the water.

"You're always holding out on me. I'm used to it at this point." Dom told her.

"I thought you'd be insufferable today, me being in the clear and all."

"Believe it or not that isn't the only thing on my mind."

"I'm gonna go with not." She teased.

"Nah, for real though, I didn't know what stress was until now. It went from 'what are we doing this weekend?' to 'is my baby gonna make it?' in five months."

"It is crazy. I finished school and had a baby in that time. Who the fuck would have ever thought that would happen? I never thought I'd feel this way. I never thought I could love something so much and so instantly. I was worried I wouldn't love my kid and that I wouldn't want to be a mom, but it's all I want to do."

"Yeah, everything else seems so small and pointless. He's all that matters. When I go to the nursery it's like he knows I'm there. I don't know how, but he does. He'll start crying and no one can calm him but me." Dom said with a glowing smile as they settled into their shared bath.

"A lot of people told me that you probably weren't gonna step-up, and I'm so glad I was right to believe in you because I don't know how I could have dealt with this by myself. I thought pregnancy was hard, but this is a fucking nightmare. I rather be pregnant a hundred times than go through this."

"I know, but Alexus is a Toretto. We're a different breed of human. He was just trying to race to the finish and got a little side tracked. He's already trying to live too fast." Dom told Letty, and she laughed quietly.

"I don't know why we thought he'd be normal."

"He's exceptional as Brenda put it. He hit all his milestones early except the one."

"I guess we'll know tomorrow for sure." Letty said with a small defeated shrug. They did not sleep well that night. It was mostly due to the fact they expected a call from the hospital alerting them that something had gone wrong, but a call never came. It was seven in the morning when the sun's glare woke Letty from an unsettling dream.

"Dom" Letty said shaking him awake "Dom wake up."

"Tomorrow" He mumbled.

"No, today!" Letty said hitting him with a pillow.

"What?"

"It's tomorrow!" She said excitedly getting out of her bed and rushing to the bathroom. She was so happy her baby was finally coming home.

"What?" Dom said again groggily.

"Alexus, Dom, Alexus!"

"Oh shit, we gotta go!" He exclaimed almost falling off the bed and finding his pants. They scurried all over the apartment frantically.

"You got the car seat?" She asked.

"Uh, I think it's in your car." He answered. It had been installed a few different times in the last few weeks.

"Diaper bag?"

"Isn't it at the hospital?"

"Right..." Letty said giving the apartment a once over before leaving. "I think we got everything."

"Yeah, let's go get him." Dom said pulling her hand. She almost did not want to believe him. Letty did not think she could handle the disappointment once again. However, when they arrived to the nursery they were preparing Alexus for his departure.

"Karen, I told you they'd be here before eight." Brenda told one of the other nurses at the NICU.

"How was he?" Letty asked peering over her child's small crib.

"Perfect. He slept through most of the night."

"So today is the day?" Dom asked Brenda.

"Today is the day. " She confirmed with a nod. "I just need you to sign the discharge papers and he's all yours."

"Oh my God. I can't believe this is happening." Letty said uncharacteristically peppy.

"Get ready for cries and diapers galore." Karen teased.

"I can't wait." Letty responded picking up the alert child to put him in his car seat. "We're taking you home today baby." She cooed at her son as he followed her with his eyes. Dom returned with a grin on his face and clapped his hands together.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yes." Letty said with the happiest smile Dom had ever seen. He took the car seat in his hand because he still treated Letty like she was the fragile pregnant woman she had been weeks before. When they arrived back to the apartment Alexus had been on his best behavior. He did not fuss nor did he cry.

"He's so well behaved. It's hard to believe he's ours." Letty said kissing every inch of the child's face.

"Don't worry it's all a front." Dom said with a chuckle. "Right Lex? You're gonna be hell on wheels, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. My baby's an angel." Letty said ogling at her son.

The couple had asked their friends and families to respect their wishes and not visit at the hospital while Alexus remained ill. It had been a very trying and emotional experience that they did not want others witnessing, but the day they brought Alexus home they nearly shouted it from the rooftops.

"Aww, he's so cute! He looks kinda Mexican." Simone said. She and the rest of their loved ones had joined them that afternoon.

"No he doesn't." Letty growled.

"Yes he does. Aww look at my little Spanish baby." Simone cooed playing with the boy's cheek.

"I think Mia's gonna get Godmother." Letty threatened.

"Girl, I will cut you. That ain't even funny."

"Then don't act all ignorant around my child."

"Pff, relax it aint the serious. He mutt anyway." Simone said rolling her eyes.

"I hate you for saying that."

"Who knows what the hell he has in him. What is Dom?"

"He's mixed, half and half."

"Exactly. Just so you know this baby don't look like you."

"He doesn't look like anybody yet. He's a baby." Letty defended.

"Let's just hope your side comes out eventually because we all know that Dom has some weirdass features we wouldn't want Lexy here to grow into."

"Yo when you have a kid that doesn't look anything like you Ima laugh because of all that shit your talking right now."

"It's true. Right baby. You wanna be good looking like mommy. Right?" Simone told Alexus animatedly, but the child began to spontaneously cry.

"Oh no, it's ok baby." Letty cooed repeatedly and patted the child's bum to soothe him.

"What did you do to my son?" Dom asked Simone.

"Nothing, why you assuming I did shit?"

"Because it's you."

"I was just telling the boy the truth. Who knew he'd get his feelings hurt this early."

"Oh my God shut up." Letty told her friend.

"Who upset the kid?" Vince asked nervously from afar.

"You okay Vince?" Letty asked with a chuckle. He looked scared of the baby.

"Yeah, it's just, you know, baby's crying and shit isn't really my forte."

"Well it needs to be cause you're gonna be Godfather, and stop swearing and shit." Dom told Vince.

"You just did though."

"No I didn't."

"And you're lying? Man I don't know if this dad thing is gonna work out for you." Vince teased while disapprovingly shaking his head.

"Why don't you shut the f-heck up?" Dom said correcting his profanity.

"So Simone gets to be Godmother, and Vince gets to be Godfather and I get nothing? That's not right." Mia complained sitting beside everyone else. "We all know I'm the best babysitter in this room."

"Este, it is dos madrinas for the baby." (Um, the baby gets two godmothers.) Ana informed Mia in broken English.

"Como?" (Come again?)

"Leticia dile." (Leticia tell her.)

"It's tradition to have four godparents. You have your house godparents where they get baptized in the home, and then your official church godparents where they're baptized in the church."

"What?" Simone asked confused.

"Yeah I don't get it either." Mia said. "It must be a Dominican thing."

"It's just the way things are done. I don't question these things." Letty told the two.

"Are you gonna follow tradition?" Simone enquired almost threateningly.

"Probably not." Letty said with a shrug. "Sorry Mia. At least you're his aunt."

"Y porque?" (And why not?) Ana asked alarmed.

"No se, no me intereasa." (I don't know. I just don't care to.)

"Bueno..." (Well...)

"Mami no comienses." (Mami don't start.) Letty warned.

"Si tu quieres que este pobre niño-" (If you want this poor child to-)

"Ya dije que no. El es mi hijo no tuyo." (I already said no. This is my child not yours.) Letty said cutting Ana off.

"Primero le pones un nombre raro. Porque no Alexander? Ese es un nombre decente. Ahora no quieres que tenga cultura. Lo que falta ahora es que digas que no quieres que él hable español." (First you give him a weird name. What type of name is Alexus? Why didn't you give him a decent name like Alexander? Then you say you don't want him to have culture. Next, you're gonna say you don't want him to learn Spanish.) Ana said offended.

"Yo no dije eso." (That's not what I said.)

"Sigue asi pa que tu veas." (If you keep going down this road you'll see where you'll end up.)

"Acabaste?" (Are you done?)

"Gracias a mi tu tienes suerte que no te quedaste gorda después que pariste." (Well I hope you know it's thanks to me you didn't stay fat after you gave birth.) Ana pointed out grabbing what was left of Letty's baby bump.

"No me hagas asi!" (Stop doing that!) Letty said annoyed with her mother.

"No te preocupes mi amor, yo voy velar por ti." (Don't worry honey I'll make sure nothing happens to you.) Ana cooed at the baby ignoring her. "Tu Mami no sabe lo que hace." (Your mom doesn't know what she's doing.)

"Ya ta bueno. Tu tienes donde ir?" (That's enough. Don't you have somewhere to be?)

"Fijate que no." (Actually I don't.)

"Urg!"

"Te molesto?" (Am I bothering you?)

"Si" (Yes.)

"Ah bueno te jodiste." (Well I guess your shit out of luck.) Ana said taking her grandson to change his poopy diaper. Mia snorted at the mother daughter interaction before her.

"Yo I gotta learn Spanish. I never know what the hell Ricky's grandmother be trying to say sometimes." Simone said in reflection.

"I wish I couldn't understand my mom. I think our relationship would be much better." Letty said shaking her head.

"Oh dang, I see that." Simone laughed.

A few feet away Tony, Vince, and Dom were quietly sharing a couple beers in the kitchen. "How's he been doing?" Tony asked.

"No problems yet, but it hasn't even been the first night. So, we'll see. They gave us a apnea monitor for when he sleeps."

"Let's just hope you won't even need it." Vince chimed in.

"Yeah, I doubt we will."

"So how's fatherhood?" Tony asked him with a smirk.

"Harder than you make it look."

"Just wait until they start talking back."

"I just hope he doesn't have Letty's mouth." Dom said with a chuckle and all three men laughed at the thought.

"We all know he will. It's just a matter of time." Tony joked. Dom looked at his father warily as he digested Tony's words. "You'll be fine. Enjoy now though. Kids grow up fast. You gotta cherish every moment."

"Yea, I like him right now." Dom told him with a smile and the men continued to share their drinks. It was nice to have collectively come together for a happy occasion for the first time since Letty's baby shower.

After everyone had gone, the couple gave Alexus his first bath, which he hated. They then prepared him for sleep just to have him poop his diaper minutes after doing so.

"That's not cool man." Dom told him. "I just dressed you."

"Dom just change him." Letty urged as she dressed in more comfortable clothing.

"How do I make him know this isn't ok?" Dom asked her.

"You can't. He's a baby." Letty said rolling her eyes.

"Alexus you can't be doing this to me. We have to work something out."

"Oh God!" Letty exasperated.

"Wah!" The baby began to wail.

"This crying thing is only gonna work for so long. Ok?" Dom told Alexus as he began to change him. A few minutes later the child was freshly pampered and newly satisfied. "Little man, can we switch places?"

"Can you stop talking to the baby as if he weren't a baby?" Letty asked Dom from outside the nursery.

"He's a man in training. Do you mind?"

"Wow"

"Yeah, it's like that. This is serious work." Dom told her handing Alexus to her for his nightly feeding.

"You're ridiculous." Letty noted with a snicker.

"Hey, so uh, you wanna do it later?" Dom enquired.

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm happy again. I can function."

"I guess." She answered with a shrug.

"So like we're talking like forty minutes, right?"

"I don't know."

"Just try not to take too long. I don't wanna fall asleep."

"Go watch TV." She told him.

"But I'm serious though."

"Dom…" Letty said warningly.

"But I'm serious though." He repeated.

"Well I have to feed your son so it depends on him."

"Yo, X-man, be a good boy so that mommy and daddy can have some much needed playtime. I'll give you anything you want if you do it." Dom told his son.

"Oh get out!" Letty said grabbing one of Alexus' stuffed animals and throwing it at him.

"Fine, but you shouldn't play with my emotions like this. He owes me his life."

"Alright, I think he gets it." Letty said with a laugh as Dom made his way to their living room.

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