Dom and his friends arrived at the race meeting in their cars in their usual flock of birds V shape. Brian took over Jesse's place, Mia sitting next to him in the car. Vince drove his own car behind Dom, Leon drove his, and Letty drove hers. Dom led the flock with his youngest sister Serena in the front seat next to him. He pulled up and got out, wearing his usual muscle T and loose fitting pants. His fan club of girls gathered around him as he made his way to Hector. He found out from him what street they were racing on and that there were only four cars, including his, racing that night.

They ended the meeting and gathered in their cars to the area. Once there Leon was on watch when the coast was clear he signaled Hector to start the race. Dom looked down the row to see if there was anyone worth the racing. Most of them were people he had beaten in the past ready for a rematch. Except for one, but by the way his car was running it would take a miracle for him to win. He smiled and shook his head. He turned up his stereo, blaring Ja-Rule through the speakers and lifted the passenger seat since Serena was with Vince. He turned on the NOS tanks and waited for the signal. Hector dropped his arm and they sped off. Seconds later, Dom was declared the winner and Leon's voice came on the speaker.

"Cops, go, go, go, go, go, go."

Everyone flocked to their cars and was gone in seconds. Back at the house Dom stepped through the front door where the party had already started. His crew was the only ones there. They cheered and he grinned waving his hand.

"No applause please," he said, they only laughed at him.

"Where's everybody else at?" he asked looking at Vince.

"We told them it was a private party. Crew only," he explained watching Leon and Serena play a video game on the TV set.

Dom nodded and walked into the kitchen to grab a beer and noticed Brian and Mia at the kitchen table talking with each other.

"What you two up too?" he asked.

"Nothing," his sister grinned holding Brian's hand.

"Good race, man," Brian told him, holding his beer up and taking a sip from it..

"Thanks," he told him.

"You smoked 'em tonight as usual."

"Brian," Dom gave him a look with a crooked smile. "Enough with the ass kissing, you're already dating my sister alright."

He laughed, "Alright man. What ever you say."

Mia giggled and kissed Brian's cheek girlishly as they went back to whispering.

Dom shook his head. Young love, he thought, grabbing a Corona and heading into the living room. He spotted Serena playing Race Way U.S.A. with Leon on the Play Station. She was sprawled out on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows and staring at the screen in total concentration. Her dark brown hair was twisted up and pinned with a clip to keep it out of her face. A wicked grin spread across her face as she finished the game. She set her controller down and gave Leon a lopsided smile, the same one Dom used in triumph.

'Beat you again, Leon. I lapped you four times," she smirked.

"Damn it," he threw his controller down on the ground, crossing his arms over his chest like a three year old.

"You're lucky Dom doesn't let me race or I'd kick your ass," she said sitting up against the couch by Letty's legs. She straightened out her black tank top and hitched her beige baggy pants up only to have them slip back down to her hips, showing her underwear straps. Dom shook his head.

Serena was too much like Letty. They had been friends for years even though they had a six year age difference. Serena would be seventeen in five months. He couldn't believe how fast time went by.

"I-I let you win," he stammered.

"Ten times, man. Face it, she kicked your ass. She's a natural racer. Serena takes after Dom," Vince laughed taking a sip of his Corona.

"I could beat her in a street race," Leon said.

"You'd lose your car to me, Leon," Serena told him, touching the scars on her arm unknowingly. Dom flinched as he saw her do it. He looked at the long pale scars on her tanned skin. Six of them trailed on her upper arm in every direction. Then there was one that gave him nightmares to look at. It was only half an inch big, but it was the one he hated the most. Serena had gained these marks when she was twelve, almost five years ago. He had taken her out to go buy parts for the cars when one of Tran's cousins slammed into their car in their 4x4 truck, knocking them a good twenty feet. The car was a wreck. Dom was a little banged up, but Serena was a mess. Her left shoulder had slammed into the glass, dragging bits across her arms and one had lodged into her shoulder, it was only half an inch of glass but it did the worst damage. She needed nearly twenty stitches in that one alone. Forty all together. There was a lot of blood. He remembered that since he had panicked. Luckily enough it didn't hit any arteries and she was released the next day after a minor blood transfer.

She had been in pain for a long time but never told anyone. It was the way Serena was. She'd rather eat shit then admit to anything that hurt her. She still felt the pain every now and then, so the doctors kept her on regular meds for her nerve system since her old injury had injured her nervous system in some way. It would cause her to become weak and faint if she didn't take a pill every day or so. Sometimes she'd go three days before taking one. He hated it when she did that. It scared the shit out of him when she fainted one day. He couldn't revive her on his own so he ended up taking her to the hospital in a hurry. He found out there that she hadn't taken her pills for a week causing the muscles in her arm to bleed internally and depriving her nervous system of energy. He made damn sure she took her pills every day now, taking no chance. Dom made Serena do it in front of him everyday. If not him then one of the others.

"Is your shoulder okay, Serena? Does it hurt?" he asked, stepping closer to her, looking at her arm.

"It's fine Dom," she told him smiling up at him. She stood up so he could look at it, knowing he felt guilty despite the fact it was Tran's cousins fault not his. She vaguely remembered him beating the shit out of Tong for causing the crash on purpose. She knew Tong had a scar on his face from the beating now. She saw him once at the Desert Races a few years back.

"Did you take your pill?" he asked eyeing her suspiciously.

"Yes, I took it. Ask Vince he watched me," she told him, gesturing at Vince.

Dom looked at him for reassurance. He nodded, "Yeah I watched her swallow it."

He looked back at Serena. "You swear you didn't just spit it out."

"Bro, I know what it does to me if I don't take it. I'm not that stupid."

He nodded, believing her, "Alright I trust you. But if it hurts you tell me."

She nodded and sat next to Letty on the couch. "I can still beat the crap out of guys with it so I'm fine."

"Why don't you get a boyfriend?" Leon asked.

Both Letty and Serena narrowed their eyed at him. Everyone one of them knew what had happened just a year and a half ago when she was 15. She had a loving boyfriend, Jaime. They'd been going out for 3 years. But one day she found him with her best friend Ashley in bed having sex. She was devastated. They later told her they had been going out behind her back for six months. Jamie tried to say sorry to her, but Serena only hit him in the face and left, never looking back. She switched schools and never spoke to them again. Jaime ended up getting Ashley pregnant in the end. He tried to come crawling back to her. He came over and begged her. She turned away calling Dom to take care of him. Since then, Jaime hadn't come back. Serena gave up on love since then. She hadn't dated since. She had plenty of guy friends and that was good enough for her. She never went beyond friendship with anyone else and there were plenty of chances but she turned everyone down and became the girl she is and always had been.

"I don't need a boyfriend, Leon. I get enough shit from you as it is, why would I want a boyfriend to give me more?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in confirmation.

Letty laughed, "Good one," she patted her friend's shoulder.

"I was just saying, jeez," he looked at Dom. "I'd be careful with her. She's a deadly combination of you and Letty. If you have kids they'll be just like that. Stubborn, bitchy, and smart assey."

"Smart assey?" Serena questioned. "Did you even pay attention in English class or was that your napping period, Leon?"

'See what I mean," he pointed out.

"Mean what?" Letty asked. "You're sitting there bagging on me and my girl. I'd love to have a kid like Serena, it'd be great. She'd be great at fixing and driving cars. Besides if you had kids Leon they'd be illiterate and dim-witted."

"Dom, will you get her off my damn back, please," Leon begged.

Dom chuckled, "Alright Letty. Stop it, leave the poor guy alone.'

"Yeah, we don't want to make him cry," Serena grinned. Dom gave her a look and she quieted down mumbling an apology, but still smiling nonetheless.

"Not that I don't find this amusing, because trust me I do, but I'm starving. How 'bout you four?" he asked.

They all nodded.

"Alright, I'll order pizza," he told them, grabbing the phone and dialing the number. He ordered two large pizzas, one with pepperoni and the other with everything but sardines and mushrooms since they made him sick. The pizza arrived twenty minutes later. Everyone grabbed their share and sat back in the living room to watch movies. They debate was between Gone in 60 Seconds and Nothing to Lose.

"Gone in 60 Seconds," Leon voted. "I love that movie."

"You only like it cause Angelina Jolie's in it," Serena countered.

"No," he blushed. "I like the cars."

"Yeah, that's why you love Tomb Raider."

"Ooo, do we got that movie?" he asked sitting up.

"Shut up, man. You're embarrassing me," Vince shook his head. "Some roommate I got."

"Alright, if you wanna watch Gone in 60 Seconds for the hundredth time, raise your hand," Dom said, holding the movie up. He watched as only Leon raised his hand.

"Oh, come on. It's Angelina Jolie."

"I thought you liked the cars?" Letty asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and that too," he defended himself taking a bite out of his pizza.

"Then Nothing to Lose it is," Dom put the video into the VCR and sat next to Letty on the couch. Mia sat on the floor snuggled next to Brian while Leon and Vince sat on the other couch. Serena lay on her stomach watching the movie as she ate.

Dom looked at the empty seat next to him as he took a bite of pizza. "Aight, something ain't right here."

"What?" Letty frowned, taking a sip of her Corona.

"I got a good movie on, I'm eating pizza, I'm sitting next to the love of my life," he smiled at Letty. "But the other girl in my life isn't on my other side." Serena looked over her shoulder at him as he glanced at the empty seat on the couch. "Now why is that?"

"I didn't know you wanted me up there," she told him.

"Of course I do, now get your ass up here. You're my diamond, Serena. I always want you next to me," he told her as she curled up next to him on the sofa. He put his arm around her and turned his attention back to the movie.

Two hours later it was already one in the morning. The movie was still on but almost everyone had gone to bed. Only ones still down watching the movie was Letty, Dom, and Serena. Brian and Mia went to bed after they finished eating. Leon and Vince went down to their room in the basement an hour later leaving the three alone. Letty shut off the movie as it ended and smiled at Dom as he stroked his sister's hair. Serena had fallen asleep next to him, her head resting on his chest.

"Can't believe she fell asleep?" Letty said, sitting next to him.

"Yeah, it happens. She was worn out from the night," he explained. He took a deep breath and looked at Letty. "I've been thinking," he paused and licked his lips, something he only did when something weighed on his mind. Letty knew he had been contemplating whatever it was for a long time. "I was thinking about letting Serena race for a change. Not just on her motorcycle at the Desert Race every year. I mean on the street with us. I was thinking of letting her race one since she did good this year at the Desert Race Wars."

Letty blinked and her eyes widened a bit, "Really? You used to hate letting her race at all because of…you know."

"Yeah, I know. But I realize now that it wasn't her fault. She wasn't driving the car, I was. She had nothing to do with it."

"And neither did you," Letty told him. He turned his face away, but she pushed his face back to hers with her hand. "Hey, that wasn't your fault. It was Johnny's gang, not you. Forget about it Dom. It was a long time ago and it's over now."

"Look at what it did to her, Letty," he said sternly looking down at his sister before settling his hard eyes on her. "It screwed her up good."

"Does she blame you?"

Dom was a little taken a back by the question. He shook his head, "No."

"Then nothing's wrong, am I right. Serena doesn't feel it was your fault so when will you stop feeling like it was?"

He took a deep breath and nodded. She was right. He was only feeling guilty for himself because of something that happened to Serena.

"You should tell her she could race tomorrow night in the morning. She'll get a real kick out of that. I can't wait to see what the racers will think when the find a girl representing our team."

He smiled at her, the famous lopsided grin his sister had, "I can't wait to see the look on their faces when she smokes 'em."

Letty laughed, "We better put her to bed," she said, leaning closer. "If you haven't forgotten, you won the race and we haven't celebrated yet." She kissed him gently. "I'll be waiting in our room for you." She stood up and went up the stairs he heard the bedroom door click shut a second later.

Dom looked down at Serena as she slept peacefully against him. He picked her up into his arms. She fidgeted a little before resting her head against his chest. He carried her up the stairs and into her room. It was typical for a teenager. A pile of clothes lay in one corner of her room, her closet was open revealing her tomboyish clothing and tight tank tops. Her boots lay scattered across the floor on one area. Her CD's were piled in their cases around her CD player and a couple of posters of Eminem, Staind, and Linkin Park covered the walls along with pictures of a few cars she favored.

He laid her down on her bed. She immediately rolled onto her side, facing him. He removed her shoes and hair clip before covering her up. His eyes went to her scars and he gently traced them with his fingertips. Serena moved onto her stomach sighing in her sleep. He smiled at her and brushed a strand of hair from her face before leaving her room.