A/N: Usual disclaimers apply the the whole story. I ain't writing it at the start of every damn chapter.
This had been bouncing around my head for a while, and finally managed to escape. I can't guarantee superfast updates, but I'll try.
I sat down and tried to work out the ages and timelines for this story, but if you notice any discrepancies, let me know and I'll fix them. Based on the fact that Brian says to the EMT's that Vince is 24, I've decided that Dom is also 24, Dom being older. Leon, Brian, Han and Letty are all 22, with Letty being youngest. Jesse and Mia are 20, with Jesse being younger. Raeka is 21, and Alex is 26.
I liked it, but 2Fast2Furious doesn't happen, not sure about Tokyo Drift just yet.
Reviews are always welcome. Enjoy!
He felt like he was floating, bodiless, nameless, worry-free. It was kinda nice.
Then a voice started calling to him, causing him to slowly open his eyes.
"Vince? Vince? Can you hear me?" then, to someone else, "Can he hear me? Is he okay?"
"Mia?" he croaked, opening his eyes to see her standing over him, looking tired and worried, although for the moment she had a weak smile on her face.
"Yeah, Vince,"
"What happened? Where am I? Where's Dom? Is he okay?!" Vince said, the events of the last couple days coming back to him. The heist, getting shot, winding up in the hospital where the bitchy nurse sedated him 'cause he wouldn't stop yelling at people. He tried to sit up, but the nice floaty-feeling vanished, and pain shot through his abdomen.
"Shhhh, it's okay. You're in the hospital, do you remember what happened?" Mia asked.
"Yeah, I fucked up, and got shot. What happened to the others?" he asked.
"Letty, Leon and Dom made it down to Mexico. Jesse…he got shot up pretty bad by Tran, the doc's don't know if he'll make it." Mia sniffled.
"Shit! What about Spilner? He saved my ass didn't he?" Vince sighed.
"Yeah, but we can talk about that later. The cops are all over this. Dom called in help to try and stop the three of us from getting locked up. Don't say anything to them, Vince, and try to be nice to the nurses, if you start screaming again they're not gonna let anyone visit, okay?" Mia warned.
"Wait, who'd Dom call that could get us outta this shit?" Vince asked frowning, drawing a blank.
Mia gave him an eye roll, "Letty's cousin, Alex, remember? Rae's big brother. He's a lawyer now, and he's trying to do some damage control and clean this mess up. Rae's gone to talk to Dom and the others, but she'll be up here in a day or two. It'll be so great to see her! It's been what, like two years since she left? I miss her so much!" Mia gushed, excitedly.
"Three," Vince corrected groggily as the painkillers kicked in.
"Well, whatever. I hope the others aren't too pissed at her. I wonder what she's like now? I mean, all we got was that call from Alex a couple months after she left sayin' she was okay but that she needed space. Just be nice, okay?" she pleaded as he began to drift off again, "She's our guardian angel in all this,"
Angel? Yeah right. Vince thought as he began to loose consciousness. More like demon.
She walked along the crumbling sidewalk, her flip-flops thwapping her feet with each step. The sun beat down on her, making her sweat in her jeans and tight t-shirt. Jeans in Mexico. Real smart, girl.
She checked each of the numbers on the houses as she passed by, looking for her destination. She stopped outside of a small three-story hotel and double-checked the name. Yup, this is it.The building was slightly run-down, with the terracotta colored plaster siding chipped and crumbling in places, and bougainvillea growning with abandon over the balconies. It had what could be called 'rustic charm'. Or not.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to do this, to see them again. She didn't know if they'd forgive her for running out on them like she did. She didn't have any excuses for staying away so long, at least none she want to tell them, but she refused to lie to them.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the cool, shadowy entry way and asked the young girl standing at the desk which room they were staying in, using the fake name Dom had given her brother, and then made her way up to the room.
Before she could chicken out, she knocked on the door, then took a step back.
"Who is it?" a muffled voice asked.
"It's Raeka, Letty." She replied.
The door was flung open, but before she could even register the fact, she was tackled in a fierce hug, only to be shoved away by a suddenly angry Letty.
"Where the fuck have you been? You think you can just waltz back here and everything'll be okay?! I can believe you cut-out on us, cuz!" Letty yelled, storming back into the room and slamming the door.
Rae blinked in surprise. Well that went well. At least she didn't hit me.
A second later, the door opened and Dominic stood there, filling the doorway. She hadn't seen him since he got sent to Lompc. He'd always been a big guy, like his dad, but he must of spent his time inside lifting weights cause he was frickin' huge!
"Look Dom, I'm just here to help. My brother sent me here to get the details okay? I don't want trouble," she said.
He looked at her for a moment, then seeing the honesty in her eyes, nodded, stepping out of the doorway and letting her pass. Leon nodded at her from where he was leaning against the counter of the kitchenette.
"You don't want trouble? That's a new one!" Letty laughed darkly from where she was sulking on the couch.
"Oh yeah, and you three are just takin' a vacation down here, huh?" Rae retorted.
Letty just glared.
"Look, why don't you just tell me everything that happened, including how it all got fucked up, then we can figure out what to do."
Rae whistled. "Damn! And I thought I was the screw-up of the family!"
Leon laughed at the look on Letty's face.
"D'you think Alex can help?" Dom asked, frowning.
"Yeah, I guess. I assume you don't want to plead out?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
"If it'll get Vince, Mia or Jesse of the hook, I will," Dom replied pointedly. He wouldn't the others take the fall for him.
"From what Alex was saying, it won't make much difference. Promise me you three will stay here until this gets sorted out? If you go back, you'll make their case for them. They haven't got anything on Jesse, his computer drives were wiped, and all they've got on Mia is obstruction, although they might try and make a bigger deal out of it. Vince is the only one they've got solid evidence on, but Alex said he's working on that."
" 'Working on that.' You mean like a cover-up?" Leon asked.
"It's not his normal way of handling things, but the truth is you guys are as guilty as sin, and the only way you're gonna get out of this without doing time is if he plays dirty. It's your choice," she shrugged; unhappy about what her brother would have to do.
Dominic thought for a moment, then nodded. "What can we do?"
"I need the names of everyone you dealt with, everyone who can link you with the heists. We need access to the accounts with the money in them, silence doesn't come cheap. We need names of anyone in the area who will cover for you, give you alibis," she counted off on her fingers, running through the list her brother had giving her before she flew down. "Here's a pre-paid phone. My cell and Alex's are already in the phonebook. Don't call anyone else. If you need to speak to someone, call us and we'll set it up, we can't risk you being traced."
"Damn, that's a lot," Letty murmured.
"Yeah, well, I'm just the messenger," Rae replied.
"You think he can pull it off?" Leon asked in his gravelly voice.
"If anyone can, it's Alejandro. Call him when you have the list, I'm flying back out in two hours." She looked at them, "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah girl. Where ya been?" Letty asked quietly.
Rae looked at them and sighed. Here goes nothin'
"I know that I shouldn't have left. I realised quickly that runnin' off without a word was worse than what I did at the races, but it didn't feel like it at the time," she shrugged, "I messed up."
"Yeah, but your note said you'd only be gone for a couple weeks, you were gone for three damn years! What the hell happened? Did you get lost or something?" Dom rumbled.
"I guess you could say that. After I left, I drove up to San Francisco, and got a job working as a waitress. I meant to come home after that, but," she took a deep breath, "I hand a one-night stand with this guy I met at work, and he knocked me up. I've got a kid now, a little girl, Bella. She's with Alex's wife just now."
They stared at her in shock.
"You got a kid?" Letty asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I stayed with Alex, got a job, and had Ella. I know I should have called, but I didn't. I didn't know what to say."
Letty nodded.
"How long you gonna hang around this time, Rae?" Dom asked.
"I don't know. I'll stay 'till this gets sorted, maybe 'till Jesse gets outta the hospital, I don't want to get in anyone's way," she looked down.
"Are you kidding?" Leon asked. "We're just glad to hear you're okay! One call from your brother three years ago does not let us know how you're doin'" Leon grumbled. Rae smiled at him. The two of them had good friends back when she stayed in L.A., although he hadn't moved in with the Toretto's at that point.
"Sorry, Le."
"You're gonna stick around long enough that I can met my niece, ain't ya?" Letty demanded.
Rae looked at Dom, who nodded, smiling. "Yeah, definitely."
She chatted with them for a while longer, catching up. She told them about Bella and her life in Chicago, and they told her how things had been going in L.A., about how Han had got into some trouble with the Trans, and was kickin' back in Tokyo. She had sensed some tension between Letty and Dom, but didn't ask.
Too soon, she had to leave, and after bone-crunching hugs from all of them, she made her way outside and hailed a cab for the airport. Meeting with them had gone better than she had expected. Although she hadn't quite been forgiven, they were at least giving her a second chance, which was more than she'd ever hoped for.
She thought about the others back in L.A. Jesse would forgive her anything, she knew; Mia too, although she'd make her work for it. Vince would be the problem. Because he knew the real reason why she left, and he obviously wasn't telling, which meant he probably wouldn't be too happy to see her again.
She knew he hated her; he pretty much had every right, although she was still pissed at him too. She knew that if she stayed around long enough, all her dirty little secrets would come out, but she had promised her brother she would try and make things right with the team after they had done so much for her.
If only he knew.