Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mia looked at Brian with a small smile as he walked with the 2 year old Lexi it was going to be hard but, she missed Dom, the team, she didn’t belong here. She’d thought that some how she could make this work, when she’d found out she was pregnant, that she could change Brian to some one what Vince wouldn’t kill or that Dom could trust. But even now watching him with their daughter she knew she couldn’t take him back to LA with her. he was such a good dad, that was why she couldn’t take Lexi with her either, she couldn’t take Brian’s only family from him after he had just given her back her own by clearing them. Brian glanced over at her with a heart breaker smile that feel as he saw the resolve on her face.
“go play with uncle Rome” Brian said setting Lexi, she nodded running off to find her uncle in the break room of the garage.
“when are you leaving?” he asked
“tonight” she said brushing her hair behind her ear.
“you can’t wait a few day for me to explain to her that I’ll see her again” Brian said looking at her like a kicked puppy
“she’s not coming, she’s staying with you” Mia said firmly
“Mia that’s not right, don’t punish her just because you don’t love me” Brian said looking at her shocked that she would leave their daughter here.
“you want me to take her away from you” Mia said, “if she comes with me you wont ever be able to see her again.”
“of course not, i love her” Brian said
“then keep her tell her what ever you want about me, I’m not even sure i can love her the way you can” Mia said
“you know i love you” Brian said
“i know, but this...” she motioned around, “isn’t were my life is”
“what are you going to tell them when they ask about her” he asked
“they wont have to know” she said he just looked at her gob smacked
“how can you be so cold about this you’re her mother” Brian asked thinking back to his own mother and how she’d never seemed to care about anything.
“this isn’t easy for me so please don’t act like it is, but I can’t have Dom look at me with that judgment in his eyes” Mia said
“bullshit, Dom may not like me but he wouldn’t hold that against Lexi and you know it. you just don’t want her to be in the way of the life you want” Brian said his eyes hard, he had thought Mia was better then his mother, better than the mothers he’d seen while walking the beat in LA but she wasn’t. She was willing to complete forget Lexi, “fine go, i’ll figure out what to tell her”

*13 years later*

Mia stepped over Jack and Alex who where playing video games as she went to answer the door. she had been shocked to find Dom had had a baby with an old family friend Angel when he’d found her in Rio. While they weren’t married they might as well have been. it was nice, to see Dom happy.
Not long after her return, she’d married Vince; and almost 3 years after that they had had little jack. Occationally she would catch herself thinking about Brian and Lexi wondering what he had told her. she sighed shaking her head as she opened the door her mouth dropping slightly, standing there was Agent Binkins, with a blonde teen.
“Hello Mia, can we come in for a moment.” he asked

*
“so let me get this straight, while we were on the run, you were off playing house with the buster” Vince growled at her as they all stood in the kitchen.
“don’t talk about my dad like that” Lexi growled back at him from her place by the door.
“wasn’t talking to you homewrecker” Vince snapped at her.
“It wasn’t like that, I was pregnant Vince, he was there” Mia said her eyes not leaving Dom she need him to understand this the most
“So what when were cleared you left the buster and your daughter to come back here” Dom asked his voice low and even as he studied his sister and the girl off to the side she looked a lot like the buster but he could see Mia in her. he turned to study her a little more as she seem to be sizing up vince.
“I’m not a homewrecker, I didn’t ask to be here” Lexi snapped, “I didn’t ask to see her again”
“Why you little...” Dom placed a hand on Vince’s chest silencing him, as he saw Lexi go taught ready for a fight, he could hear the hurt in the girls voice so the hurt from Mia leaving was still raw for her.
“It doesn’t matter you're here now, lets get you set up with a room” Dom said standing, motioning for her to follow him down into the basement. she rolled her eyes and followed after him.
Once Dom heard the door close behind them he turned and looked at the small blonde, “tell me about yourself” he asked
“Not much to tell, like most kids mom hates me dad tried to overcompensate for it” she said with a shrug as she set her bag on the bed.
“and where is Brian?” he asked calmly he knew what Binkins had said about Brian being KIA but he wanted to know what she thought
“I don’t know; he’s not dead though, and he’s coming back for me” she said with a shrug as she tried to get a read off this guy
“I bet he is” Dom nodded, “how old are you?”
“14” she said crossing her arms
“What do you know about us?” he asked glancing up at where he could hear Mia and Vince going at it, with a sigh.
“More than you know about me apparently” she said rolling her eyes, Vince seemed be a first class jerk.
“Watch the lip girly, answer the question” he warned his eyes snapping back to her.
“My dad told me stories about this crazy family, and how no matter what family always came first” she said, “but I guess I never really counted as family” she moved her eyes to one of the posters on the wall for a long past race wars. she made a little face at it.
“You're dad was right family does come first, if I had known about you...” he stopped at her sharp look that could only be Toretto.
“If you had known you would have what, taken me from my dad? made the mom who doesn’t want me take care of me?” she said, Dom sighed running a hand over his head.
“I don’t know, what I would have done but you wouldn’t have grown up...” he started, “look I’m not saying you're dad’s a bad guy, but you don’t raise a kid without family”
“I have a family, all my uncles and my aunt, dad’s girlfriend” she said looking down
“Yeah where are they then?” Dom asked
“In Miami, Binkin’s wanted to get me out of their before the real problems started” she said
“What sort of problems?” he asked raising an eyebrow, now a little concerned that the feds might have dropped a time bomb in his family; images of the Buster coming to mind.
“I don’t know they didn’t tell me not like you would care” she snapped the sarcasm dripping in her voice making Dom’s eyes narrow.
“I told you to watch that lip” he barked making her jump and reach for her back pocket. Dom put his hands up, he hadn’t meant to frighten the girl. he took a deep breath
“His girlfriend nice” he asked, hoping the girl hadn’t grown up with some bitch that resented her.
“Yeah she’s the best” she smiled touching the dogtags around her neck.
“What do they do?” he asked
“Um dad and his girl? well they work on cars when dad doesn’t have an assignment” she said
“So he’s still a cop” Dom said shaking his head.
“No he's’ an UC consultant” she said
“Right, they teach you about...” he motioned at the car posters
“I know what I need to to help around the shop and to do estimates” she shrugged
“And that means what?”
“Not really my thing but I know what I need to not get stuck somewhere” she shrugged
“Then what is your thing?” he asked raising an eyebrow, this was a car family. That was their bonding time...hell it was their everything time.
“I’ll let you know when I figure that out” she shrugged
“Right, well get unpacked I’ll call you when dinner's ready” he said pushing off the wall and heading up the stairs. Lexi watched him go and sighed sitting down on the bed and putting her head in her hands, thinking back to what had happened in her life...to her life.

Chapter Text

Lexi was sitting on the swing set by herself at the school watching the other kids played. She looked up as an adult sat next to her on the swings thinking it was Mrs. Cobbs again to try and get her to play with the other kids.
“Hello lexi” the man said with a slight accent; looking at her.
“Who are you?” the 5 year old asked studding the slightly scruffy man.
“I am a friend of your fathers” he said smoothly
“Then how come I've never met you?” she asked
“Very good question, why don’t we go ask him” he said offering a hand, Ivory had already made sure that their would be no objections to him taking the girl from the playground.
“Not suppose to go anywhere with strangers” she said playing with the end of her braid
“My name is Owen Shaw, now we are not strangers” he said still offering his hand, she nodded taking his hand, as he stood and then picked the girl up

Lexi stood and started to pull her stuff out of her bag looking for her 3DS, she could hardly tell these people that that her dad actually worked for Owen Shaw a man bent on destroying order for some places. But from what Binkins said when he picked her up at Rome’s shop, it seems like her dad might have been playing Owen all along.

*
“Dom man she can’t stay here” Vince said looking at him as he came out of the basement
“Take it out to the garage Vince” dom said his eyes whos eyes were puffy as she sat on the couch, the boys missing from the room
“Dom” Vince growled
“OUTSIDE” Dom barked putting his focus on vince now, he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out of the house away from where Lexi could overhear them
“Man, that little home wrecker can’t stay with us, we don’t need the buster being around again” he said
“You watch your mouth, she’s family. She's right she didn’t ask to come here, and you are not going to make her feel like she doesn’t belong here. She didn’t ask to be born to the buster and Mia” dom growled at him, “I'd hate to think you're teaching Alex and jack to hate”


*
“I’m going to ask you one more time nicely” owen said looking at the Miami crew, “where is O’Conner?”
“Man we don’t know and even if we did we wouldn’t tell you” Rome growled out
“Wrong answer” Owen growled, almost 11 years ago Brian had worked his way into the Shaw team on the orders of the feds and probably a few other agencies, after about 6 months of watching the blonde male Owen had pulled the rug out from under him. He had laid it out very clearly that Brian now worked for him, he would tell the feds only what he was told to tell them. It had seemed Brian really had become part of the team in the last few years, but now he pulls a disappearing act after he and that bitch girlfriend of his, Letty, tried to steal a part of the plan. Vegh had shot them he had seen them fall off the bridge himself, but they where no where to be found. He had to think of where O’Conner would hide the chip, the most likely places were either with himself or one of the team, but he had tossed this place nothing. He looked around the garage again what was he missing, his eyes stopped on Lexi’s wall of photos. They were scattered threw the years, some from when she was a baby some from just last week it looked like, some even had him in them.
“Idiot” he breathed before turning around, it really was that simple wasn’t it. The girl was the only member of this team that was missing besides Brain and Letty. He had dismissed it knowing Brian wouldn’t leave the girl out in the open. She also had a stubborn streak a mile wide and a sense of loyalty like a damn dog. If she had it and knew she that it, it would be harder to get it from her then from one of these fools on the floor. Which is why Brian would give it to her; because he knew both Shaw brother’s had developed a soft spot for the blonde dynamite teen, having watched her grow.
“Lets try a different question shall we” Owen said putting a gun to Rome’s head, “where’s Lexi?”
“I wouldn’t tell you that if my life depended on it” Rome said swallowing
“Oh it does” he smirked pulling the hammer back on the gun.
Rome just glared up at him from his knees, “Go fuck yourself”
“Wrong answer” he said lifting the gun from Rome and shooting Suki in the back of the group, she gave a cry of pain as the bullet cut threw her stomach, as Klus and Jah knocked the others out, “I’ll see you soon, Rome” he laughed, at the  man struggling in his binding cussing at him, before punching him hard in the face.
“Burn the place down” he ordered as he went back over to Lexi’s wall, he pulled the pictures down quickly placing them into a folder, “Vegh collect what is in Lexi’s room that you think will be of value” he ordered the blonde adrenaline junkie. She nodded heading for the boat house that Brian and Lexi had lived in.
“Now where have you gone” Owen muttered looking at the picture on top of him and lexi had a race in France, only 2 months ago.
*
The 8 year old Lexi looked at the 13 year old boy on the other side of the ring, she glanced over at Owen who was standing next to a wary Brian.
“Daddy I don’t want to do this” she whined watching as owen held Brian back
“Fight Lexi this is what you have been working on, what is the most important thing here” Owen said
“Precision” she said uncertain
“Why?” he asked
“Its the code” she said with a nod
“Good” he nodded motioning to the man in the middle of the ring. He nodded back ringing the bell. The boy rushed forward, and started to whale on her, she barely managed to keep her guard up, and over her face. The bell rang again and he backed off, she panted cowering into the corner.

Lexi’s eyes shot open as she rolled over, that was the day she had really started to learn...what she had learned she still wasn’t sure, but she knew how to take a beating until the other guy got cocky and then take him out; not that she took many beatings these days. When she stepped into the ring now it really was the other guy that needed to be scared, she knew to be precise with all moves. She sat up running a hand over her face, Owen was a bastard when he was teaching her...training her. But, when he wasn’t training her he was probably one of her favorite people and training wasn’t always bad.
She glanced up as she heard the stampede of feet above her. God this was a weird family, nothing like the stories she’d been told. She glanced at the clock before rolling out of bed. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, along with her bag of bathroom stuff, going up the stairs to get the bathroom. She pushed past Alex who was crowding the kitchen, as he rummaged through the fridge for breakfast.
She went down the hall glancing into the living room where Jack sat with Mia watching some cartoon, she made her way up the stairs going into the bathroom. She forced the door shut and sighed a the broken handle, rolling her eyes, somehow it didn’t surprise her that it was broken. She set her folded cloths on the sink as she turned on the water to get it heated. She unrolled her pack and pulled out her hair brush and toothbrush out, she placed her toothbrush in its case on one of the side shelves, followed by her midnight rose body wash and shampoo. She placed her face wash and hair ties at the sink. She turned back testing the water and nodded pulling off her cloths.
Lexi was reached for her shampoo when she heard the door open, “Um give me a minute I'll be right out” she said as she looked over her shoulder at the shadow on the curtain. She tensed as they didn’t leave and reached for the curtain. She reacted fast and without thought, lashing out hitting Alex dead on in the nose. She grabbed a towel as he fell back with a cry of pain. Vince and Dom came running  getting to the doorway as she secured the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower.
“What the hell is going on here?” Vince said as he pulled Alex up looking at him holding his nose.
“Bitch punched me” Alex said trying stop the bleeding.
“He was peeping on me” Lexi growled trying to keep her cool
“She's lying” Alex defended, dom looked between the two teens and narrowed his eyes at his son.
“What were you doing in here while she was in the shower then?” He asked making Vince’s jaw drop a little bit, dom was gonna take the side of the homewrecker, over his own son.
“Dad...” Alex whined, Dom looked at him. Dom wasn’t going to buy whatever he was saying, he remembered being a boy Alex’s age.
“You're lucky all she did was punch you” he said, “get down the kitchen, and I ever catch you peeping on any woman again you're gonna wish she’d hit you harder”
“Dom man” Vince said, he was silenced with a glare
“Go ahead and finish your shower” Dom said pulling the door closed leaving Lexi alone in the bathroom once more.
She finished quickly after that and got dressed, making sure her hair was perfectly braided back, and packed up her things and headed back to her bedroom. She packed her backpack with her art supplies and pocketed her ipod and DS.
“Hey kid” She said as she saw Jack in the kitchen, he looked up at her.
“Yeah?” he asked eyeing her with suspicion he had seen what she’d done to Alex, earlier.
“Is there a park near here?” she asked
“Uh, well not really” he said with a shrug heading out the back door.
“Great that’s useful” she muttered heading for the front door.

Chapter Text

“This is fucked up you know that O’Conner right?” Letty asked looking at him as he laid in the bed, he’d taken the worst of the hits, while she was in a sling and had been grazed on her side he had taken two to the chest and one to the leg.
“Yeah I know, I just hope Binkin’s did was he was asked for once” Brian said
“He's not gonna get her brain, Owen’s not going to touch her” Letty said with a growl
“Should have gone for you 16 years ago” he breathed
“Dom would have fucked you up for even looking at me like that” she laughed, “now get some rest”

*
Lexi slowly walked up the hill that would lead back to the echo park neighborhood, she’d spent all day just wondering around the city. It had been fun for her, but she wished her dad had been here to walk with her. As she came around the corner, she ran smack into Dom, who looked worried as hell.
“Where have you been?” he asked grabbing her by the shoulders
“Out” she said simply shrugging out of his hold  as she shifted her backpack
“I've been looking for you for half the fucking night and that’s all I get?” Dom growled
“What do you want form me? I needed to get out of that house, am I not allowed to do that?” she snapped back at him
“Not with out telling people where you are going” Dom said, “for almost 12 hours. Where have you been?”
“Just wondering the city” she shrugged
“You eat?” he asked
“I'm fine” she said
“That's a no, get in the car we’re gonna go grab a bite” he ordered as he unlocked the car.
Lexi sighed as she got into the car no point in arguing with him. Dom drive in silence watching the girl out of the corner of his eye.
“You have any cousins or stuff in Miami?” he asked
“Naw, just me only kid of the batch” she shrugged
“Friends? boyfriend?...girlfriend?” he eyed her right now she was kind of the same enigma her father had been.
“Not really, and not old enough to date, dad said once I started high school” she shrugged, “what’s with 20 questions?”
“Just trying to get to know you better” he defended, “I thought you said you where 14 and if my math is right you should be almost 15, why aren’t you in high school?” he couldn’t see Brian at least the Brian he had known letting grades slide enough for her to flunk, let them slide a little maybe.
“I am 14 and I'll be 15 in a few months or so, but I got really sick when I was 7, missed more then half the year of 2nd grade. Dad and the teachers decided it was in my best interest to just keep me home the rest of the year and have me start 2nd grade next school year” she snapped not liking how he seemed to think her dad might have not been paying attention to her grades...if anything he paid too close attention; between him and Owen if she so much as got a C there was trouble; “and that works both ways if you get to grill me then i get to grill you”
“Fair enough, how’d you get sick?” he asked
“I fell of the jet ski and broke my arm; while I was in the hospital, I got meningitis. Lucky I didn’t lose my hearing or die” she shrugged, “how bout you broken bones?”
“Broke my arm once when I was about 10” he nodded, “some broken ribs. Import or American?”
“Um...” she put a finger to her lip thinking, “as long it runs I'm good, but I like dad’s skyline more then his charger, so import I guess”
“Buster became a gear head after all” he chuckled pulling up to the mom and pop dinner.
“Dad's always been a gear head he was just a cop when you met him” she said, “at least that’s what uncle Rome says; where’s Alex’s mom?”
“Don't waist anytime do you, she’s in Tokyo helping her cousin out for a few more weeks” he said, “you ever go to the races?”
“Some times I go with dad, but its not really my scene. I like cars but, I don’t have the passion for it like most of the people there” she said, “but it is my safe zone, every one respects dad to much to try anything. Did Mia ever miss us?”
“So you call her Mia not mom? I don’t really know I think so, sometimes when jack was little she’d look at him like he was missing something. I know she looks at Vince like he’s not really the man she wants a lot.” He sighed
“She left me. Mom’s don’t do that, and besides I was kind of hoping dad’s girlfriend wanted the job” she shrugged
“How long has she been around?” he asked waving to the cook in the back.
“For the last 7 years or so” she said, “she’s like the best person my dad has ever met”
“That's good, so what do you do for fun in Miami” he asked
“Jet ski, work on my designs or my photo wall” she shrugged
“Photo wall?” he asked curious as their food was set before them.
“When Uncle Rome bought the garage everyone got their own section to feature themselves, even me. I started putting up pictures one day and just never stopped”
“So you're an artist are you? You’ll get along good with Angel then” he nodded
“Your baby’s mama? We'll have to see” she shrugged
“So school starts soon, are you going to ready for that?” he asked
“I'm going to be home by then going to my school in Miami” she said
“Really? You heard from your dad have you?” he asked leaning back into his seat
“no, but that’s because Binkin’s the ass-wipe took my phone” she hissed
“Tell you what, when we get back to the house you can give him a call see what he says about school” dom said
“Fine we will” she said taking a bite out of her burger.

*
Lexi laid in her bed staring at the ceiling, Brian’s number had been disconnected, so had letty’s even the emergency number had been cut. She wiped the tear from her cheek, they’d left her. What was wrong with her that both of her parents didn’t want her? Apparently all the paperwork that Binkin’s had dropped off also changed her name, to Alexandria Toretto from Alexandria O’Conner. that night had been a week ago now, all she wanted was to crawl under a rock die.

“Jack try not to get into too much trouble. Uncle Dom will be home in an hour” Mia said as she put her bag on her shoulder.
“I will mom” he said rolling his eyes as she left, she worried too much.

Lexi drifted between asleep and awake for a while before she heard the thump and cry from upstairs. she sighed rolling her eyes just what she needed to hear ‘what a great mom’ Mia was with Jack. the minutes ticked by and he kept crying with no sign of Mia, she furrowed her eyebrows as she got out of bed making her way up the stairs. she looked at the sight before her in confusion. Jack was sitting on the floor a cut on his hand chair tipped over.
“Where's Mia?” she asked making his eyes come to her
“She left for class” he said threw hiccups
“What happened” she asked with a sigh, as she kneeled next to him.
“I was making a sandwich” he said, as she looked at his hand. She nodded
“Come one lets get you patched up” she said standing up and picking him up with a little struggle, he was a little small and she was tall for her age. She headed up the stairs to bathroom.
After setting him by the sink she started going thru the cabinet and drawers to find what she needed. She found was she was looking for and pulled out the peroxide and a few gaz, she wet them with water to wipe the blood away.
“This will sting, but I need to see it” she said pressing the gauze to his hand, he cried out, “shh, its ok” she said as she pulled it away.
“This is deep you might need stitches” she said grabbing a new gauze and pouring some peroxide on it, “this will sting”

“Jack” Dom called as he closed the door.
“In there” Lexi called softly as she watched the movie credits roll for the lion king as she carded her fingers threw the Sleeping jack’s hair, “you’re later than expected” she said looking over at him.
“Had to go do a tow almost in sanfan” he said looking between the two kids
“There's soup on the stove” she said
“What happened?” he asked motioning to jack’s hand.

*
Lexi  sat in the back of her class glaring at the front of the room. She hated this school, she hated her new name, she didn’t want to be attached that bully that was her cousin; with the same last name and almost the same first name. She wanted to go back to Miami  to being herself.
On the up side Dom had decided to have a bathroom put in the basement for her after she had thrown Alex down the stairs for peeping again, and he was putting a lock on her door. She snapped out of her thoughts as a paper ball bounced off her head making her look up to see a few girls in the front snickering.
And further down the slippery down side to all of this and it was very steep, she was not making any friends anytime soon, she pushed the paper onto the floor not bothering to look at it. Let them play their little games she wouldn’t be here for long, whether Brian came back or she had to make Mia sign emancipation papers. She’d go back to Miami, get her GED be a street artist. Oh her dad would love that; not that she would care after this stunt of his.
She turned her attention back to the teacher trying to understand what he was saying about the equation on the board.
*
“I can’t believe you would let something like that happen” Lexi growled at Alex, he and his football buddies had been trying to get one of the loner smart kids to do their homework
“Oh come on it's not like it even affects you” Alex argued
“No, it doesn't but it affects Simon and you later in life” she snapped
“Please Simon doesn't care” he laughed
“Oh so he didn’t mind how you're buddies nearly broke his arm” she growled
“Oh it wasn’t that  bad” he rolled his eyes, Lexi narrowed her eyes and tossed her bag down into the driveway before tackling Alex from behind, they rolled around for a few minutes before she managed to get a hold of his arm and wrenching it hard behind his back.
“What the hell is going on out here?” a harsh female voice barked from the back door
“Mom” Alex gasped as lexi got off of him, “when did you get home?”
“This morning, now what the hell is going on?” she asked crossing her arms as she looked at the two teens, her eyes glancing over the newest member of their family taking in her eyes, they her hard and calculating.
“You must be Lexi” Angel said going threw everything that Dom had told her about the girl.
“Yeah that'd be me the black sheep” she said taking in the tattoo’s and piercings. Angel cracked a little smile, before turning a critical eye to Alex, she’d also heard about his brat like behavior
“It wasn’t anything mom just horsing around,” he said dusting himself
“Right” Angel said putting her hands on her hips, “Nice to meet you Lexi. I’m sure we’ll talk more later, right now Alex and I need to have a little chat”