Chapter 20

Brian and Mia finally got the results back and as expected they were positive. Mia was pregnant, around four weeks to be exact. She took into account what the doctors had said. She cut out bad habits, tried to stay stress free and ate properly. Eventually she started to look and feel so much better, something the entire team was happy about. Brian and Mia still hadn't told them. They instead made plans to get their first ultrasound done at the end of the first trimester before they told the team.

During the time between finding out and the scan they looked at the apartments they listed. They managed to cut it down to just two. Although they struggled excessively with those two options. They rarely got to speak about as they were hardly alone and when they were they always ended up speaking about the baby.

"We need to pick," Mia complained.

"Why?"

"Because I want this sorted so we can move out and buy things for the baby," she explained.

"Honey, we have months to do that."

She shook her head. "What if something happens and we have to delay telling everyone? We're not a normal family, anything could happened."

"And you think we won't be able to get the stuff without them getting angry for not saying?" She nodded. "Come on. They'll work it out if we don't tell them. But I promise to try and pick today."

"Thank you!" She grinned widely and happily waited for them to arrive.

When they got to the first apartment they studied the interior while they waited for the estate agent. There was a small lawn and driveway up front which was good. Round back the garden was pretty big and would be suitable for having people round, or even for when the baby got older. There was a small patio area that had sliding doors leading out onto it.

When the estate agent finally arrived they wondered inside. The front door led straight into the living room. There was a coffee table, couch, chair, bookshelf, unit and TV. To their left was a door that led into a small room, one of the few that wasn't furnished. Behind the living room was the kitchen. It had all small and big appliances but not essentials like plates or cutlery. There was a small hall that led to the back of the house. The patio door was right at the end of the hallway. There were three other doors along the hall. One was a bathroom and the other two were bedrooms. Both had a double bed, wardrobe, shelving unit, mirror and TV. If they chose this apartment then they would pay for the furniture too then add some of their own things to it to make up for what was missing.

They spoke to the agent for a while before moving on to the other apartment. This one a good distance from the beach, shops and Toretto house. The garden was much bigger and had high fences so no one could easily see in. The front driveway was bigger so it could fit both Brian and Mia's cars. As they walked through the door they were greeted with a small opening connected to a hallway. To their left was a door that led to the kitchen. It had the main big appliances, counter tops, cupboards and a table with chairs. To the right of the open area was the living room. It was empty but the floors were wooden with a large fluffy rug in the middle and the space was massive. Down the hall was five doors. One was the bathroom which had plenty of space to move around. Another was the master bedroom which had a huge bay window inside and unsuited. Another seemed to be another quite big bedroom. Instead of an unsuited it had a walk in wardrobe. The other two doors were empty but obviously supposed to be guest bedrooms. Although it wasn't fully furnished it was open, light and comfortable. Brian started to wonder why the choice had been so hard in the first place.

"So?" Mia asked hopefully as they moved away from the agent to discuss it.

"This one."

"You sure?" She smiled widely so he knew they both agreed.

"Yes. I love it. And it's the cheaper choice so all the money we didn't spend from what we saved can go on some furniture."

She nodded. "I'm so glad you picked this one!"

He chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead. "I'll go tell her then."

Brian went over and discussed details. He put down the deposit but she was sure that their offer would get them the place. Once papers were signed they headed back home. Mia had a smile on her face the entire time. They agreed not to buy anything big for the house till their offer was officially accepted and they signed the rest of the papers. They both tried to lose their excited expressions before they got home.

When they did arrive home Mia plopped down next to Vince and started to munch on the crisps he held in a bowl. He growled but she just hit him lightly and continued to eat. He rolled his eyes and sunk into his seat. Brian tried not to laugh as he sat with Leon and Jesse on the floor. They turned the PlayStation on after a while and the three took turns in playing.

Days passed and it was almost a week or so till the scan. The offer on the apartment had been accepted so Brian paid the money upfront. The deal would take a couple of weeks to go through before they got the official go ahead that it was theirs. That meant they had time to tell the others.

"I need to tell you something," Mia said. She bit her smile and tried to smile.

"What?" Brian asked urgently.

"Jesse, Leon and Letty know everything."

His eyes bulged. "Since when?"

"Couple of days ago," she said cautiously. "And Rome, Tej and Suki know too."

"So you left Dom and Vince till last?" he chuckled.

She nodded. "I'd rather wait till we have an apartment to hide in."

He smiled as he relaxed on the bed. He lifted up Mia's shirt slightly. He smiled at the tiny bump. You couldn't even tell it was there if you didn't know about it. She covered it up well. The size had worried them but they would ask about it properly at the scan. He ran his finger across it then settled on drawing patterns. He spoke quietly to himself as he did it, and sometimes he spoke to the baby even though it did make him feel kind of stupid.

"Is this all too soon?" He asked.

She tensed beneath his touch. "Don't you want him?"

"Him?" He asked curiously.

"I think it's a boy, just a feeling."

He smiled and moved to sit beside her. "I have that feeling too."

"So why do you think it all might be too soon?" she asked sadly.

"Just, it wasn't that long ago that I came back and you hated me."

"I never hated you," she sighed. "I hated what you did."

He nodded. "Still, can't you see where I'm coming from?"

"I do," she smiled. "But it's a stupid reason to think this is too soon."

"I guess. And we both seem to want him and that apartment so we're doing pretty well."

She snuggled close to him. "We're doing perfectly. And I hope we're alive long enough to enjoy it."

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah. I hope Dom takes all this news well so that he can stop Vince from killing us."

"You got his little sister pregnant and you're taking her away, you really think he's going to take it well?"

He scrunched his face up in disgust. "Well you're not that little," he said hopefully.

"We all know that but Dom doesn't seem to," she laughed. "Nah, we'll be fine."

They lapsed back into silence before Brian had a thought. He got up and went to stand in front of the bed. Mia looked at him with amusement.

"Ok this room is about the size of the master bedroom at the apartment, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Ok so I'm talk you through some things, alright?" She nodded and he went to stand in front of the door. "So we walk in and there's a double bed straight ahead of us. Above it is a nice looking picture. Either side of the bed are two small tables with lamps on them. On the left wall as you enter is a wardrobe. Maybe a chest of drawers too. We'll also put a shelving unit up. On the wall with the door we'll put a table and your vanity mirror. We'll also put a canvas wardrobe for the baby's clothes and essentials. On the right wall as you enter there will be cot near the corner. It'll be near the window so we'll have to get black out blinds so the baby can nap. But on a positive note the cot will be near the attached bathroom in case we need it for him."

"Colour scheme? Decorations?" She asked, intrigued.

"Carpet or wooden floors, it's your choice. But a plain colour for most of the room with pictures. However around the cot should have colour or cartoon characters, maybe Tin Tin? And there should be soft lighting for the baby."

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Since I saw the room the day we made an offer," he shrugged.

"You really thought about him while deciding," she grinned.

"Well he needs us to think about him," he smiled as he laid down on the bed, head near her belly.

"Tin Tin?" She asked after a while.

"Loved him as a kid."

She chuckled. "What if it's a girl?"

"Anything but Barbie."

"Why not?" Mia asked curiously.

"Too obvious. Too average."

"And average is bad?" She was amused.

"Hell yeah, our baby is special."

Mia rubbed her belly and smiled down at Brian as he shuffled closer to her. His nose nudged the small bump and he rested his hand on it slightly.

The day of the scan finally came and Mia was suddenly very nervous. She finished up at the diner but Brian practically had to drag her to the car. When they got to the hospital she was more fidgety. He was too but he tried not to show it. Everyone who knew wanted to go but Brian and Mia insisted on doing it alone. As they waited they wished they had let them all come. They twiddled their thumbs till they were finally seen.

Mia laid down on the bed and lifted her shirt up. The nurse started the process just as Jesse, Leon and Letty came in.

"What are you guys doing here?" Brian asked.

The nurse was too busy to say anything so she didn't argue when Dom and Vince walked in too. Both look unamused causing Brian to gulp.

"Sorry," Jesse squeaked.

"O'Conner," Dom said as he advanced forward.

"Yes?" He croaked.

"You're dead."

"And I'm backing up that decision," Vince smirked.

"Look, it wasn't planned," he said hastily as he backed away.

"You're not helping yourself," Vince warned.

"Not planned?" Dom roared as he grabbed Brian. "You did this to her and it wasn't planned?"

"You make it sound like a bad thing! He isn't a bad thing!" Brian yelled.

"He?" Dom seemed to falter slightly.

"My son, we think it's a boy. He wasn't planned but that doesn't mean he's any less important." He pushed Dom away. "Never say that he is! He is not a bad thing, screw you if you think he is!"

Dom looked angry still but a little unsure. He went to punch Brian and Vince looked just about ready to as well but then they all froze. Mia's cry filled the room. They all whipped round to look. She held her hand to her mouth and tears streaked her face. They all worried till they saw the happy look on her face. Vince and Dom both relaxed as they saw how happy she was.

"It's not a bad thing," Dom whispered to Brian.

"I know you worry about her but we're for good," Brian promised. "I won't hurt her again."

"That kid is the only thing keeping you on my good side," Vince muttered. "But screw up again and I'll come for you."

Brian nodded. He welcomed the threat and any others. It would keep him on his toes. He would never hurt Mia again but at least now he had threats to make sure he didn't screw up at all.

He wandered closer to Mia. She grabbed his hand and held it tightly. He kissed the top of her head as the nurse pointed everything out on the screen for him.

"Is the fact my bump is tiny a problem?" Mia asked.

The nurse shook her head. "The baby looks fine. Try eating more and if it continues to worry you just make an appointment."

"Good," Mia sighed.

"Still think it's a boy?" Brian asked curiously.

"Yes, but I don't want confirmation yet. I'll find out when he gets here."

"Or she."

Mia grinned as she pulled the monitor closer to them. "Look!" She said excitedly as she stroked her belly then the screen. "Our baby. He's perfect, isn't he? Brian, look."

"I see him," he chuckled.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek a few times as his fingers touched the screen. The nurse smiled and printed out a picture for them. Mia happily took it and kept watching it as she leaned against Brian. He watched the picture slowly and carefully. The first picture of their child. Everything was fine and healthy. He reached out and touched Mia's belly, trying to wrap his head around the fact that what he saw in the picture was beneath his hand. He definitely wouldn't screw this up.

The end

A/N: So this is the end of A Path to Forgiveness. Hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all my loyal readers, it's been such a great journey writing this story. Thank you, thank you and thanks again. Love to all my loyal readers.