So, I started writing this over on ff.net and someone pointed me in this direction. I've been lurking for a while on here reading all the wonderful stories and enjoying all the Letty love. And, I've decided to add to it.
Title: The Calming Effect
Disclaimer: I do not own The Fast and The Furious characters or anything in relation to the movie.
Warning: Minor scene involving sexual references. Also, unsuitable language for minors in used.
Rating: This is rated T for the reasons listed above.
Pairing: Dotty
Summary: As a kid, two things calmed Leticia Gonzalez down: Dominic and the ocean. Years later, nothing has changed. After the heists, Letty is all alone on the beach Dom promised her. With the team in ruins and Dom in jail, Letty is anything but calm. Dom/Letty.
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::Ch 1::
Dom stalked down the hallway, not paying any mind to the claps on the backs and lustful looks. He had one thing on his mind, Letty. He heard his Latina girlfriend had gotten into a huge blowout with Ms. Frazer, the crusty, old Biology teacher. Knowing her, she would be fuming, to the point where she just might do something stupid enough to get her suspended, or possibly even expelled.
As Dominic stalked down the cluttered halls, he spotted a familiar head. “V! Hey, Vince! Yo man!”
“Dom, what’s up bro? Heard about Let, yet?” Vince asked grinning, always enjoying the things Letty got herself into at school.
“Dude, how could I not? The whole school is talking about it. Hey, have you seen her?” Dominic asked, rubbing the back of his freshly shaven head.
“Who? Your little, loveable girlfriend? Or, that fire-breathing Latina that just got into it with Ms. F?” the male asked, laughing.
“Real funny V. Seriously though man I need to find her before she does something stupid.”
“Only stupid thing I’ve done is gone out with you,” a voice retorted from behind him.
Turning around, Dominic smiled, eyeing up his girlfriend in her baggy pants, tight shirt, and classic pose with her hands on her hips, eyebrow cocked. “Baby, I didn’t mean it that way. You know I’m only looking out for you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Letty added with an eye roll, already stalking off down the hall towards her locker. Dominic grinned at Vince and took off after her, slowing down once he caught up to her.
“Mami, what’s wrong? What happened in class today?” Dom asked, throwing an arm over Letty’s shoulders.
The brunette shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Dom, cocked an eyebrow, not believing her. “Leticia.”
Letty looked over at him, glaring. “Don’t. Call. Me. That!”
“What? Leticia? Sorry, I didn’t know it was impolite to call people by their names!” Dominic sarcastically said.
Sighing, the female rubbed her temples. “I know. Sorry. Today’s just been a shitty day, ya know?”
The male nodded, pulling his girlfriend closer into his embrace. “Sorry to hear that baby. Anything I can do to make it better?”
“You’re already doin’ it,” Letty added, leaning into his embrace.
Dominic grinned, about to make a sarcastic remark when he saw how truly worn-down Letty looked. Instead, he settled for pulling her closer into his arms. “We only have one more class. Think you can stick it out, Let? After school we’ll go down to the beach, unwind a little, and then head to work, ‘kay?”
Letty sighed and opened her eyes, looking up into Dom’s brown ones. “”Kay Papi. I gotta head to Math, see ya at the car afta?”
“You know it babe.” As Letty started to walk away he caught her arm. “Hey, how’d that old bat punish you?”
Letty grinned. “I have detention tomorrow with Mr. Fuzz. She’s outta her mind if she thinks spending detention with my favorite shop teacher is punishment. Crazy bitch.”
Dom grinned back at her before pulling the Latina into his arms again. He stared into her warm, caramel eyes before pulling her in for a kiss. Letty moaned, opening her mouth. Dominic smirked against her lips and pulled back, leaving a slightly upset Letty.
“Hey, don’t be a tease Dom.”
“Love you, Mami. See ya afta class?” he asked before pecking her softly on the lips.
‘Mmhm. Love you too, Dom.” At the words, the two parted ways. Letty headed off to Algebra and Dominic walked towards his Spanish class.
An hour later, Letty bolted out of her Algebra class, happy to finally put an end to her shitty day at school. The brunette turned down the main hall and headed towards Dom’s classroom, hoping to catch him before he headed off towards his locker. Spotting his head in the crowd, Letty intersected him in the busy hallway. As she neared him she was he was staring intently at a piece of paper, muttering under his breath.
“Stupid Spanish. Who needs the shitty language anyways?”
“Well, accordin’ to my abuela, I do,” Letty joked, walking step-for-step with Dominic.
“Hey, Let. I didn’t mean it.”
“Yeah you did.”
“It’s just, I don’t get it. I study and study and yet I’m still failing Spanish. Pops is gonna kill me.” Dom sighed, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. Letty grabbed his hand in hers, stroking it with her thumb.
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing that you’re dating me huh? Dom, I’ll help you with Spanish, okay? You’ll be a pro in no time. After all, I am the best!”
Laughing, Dom kissed his girlfriend. “Girl, you always have my back. Love you, ya know that?”
Letty grinned at him. “I love ya too, Papi. And, I’ll always have your back Dominic.”
Dom groaned, “With you speaking like that Let, damn, you sure know how to get a guy fired up. I think with you as my teacher, Spanish will be easy!”
The Latina smirked. “You do huh? Maybe I should put on a skimpy little skirt, a button-up top, maybe put my hair in a bun. Dress the part. What’da say?”
Dominic groaned again, shifting uncomfortably. “Baby, I can’t wait. But, can we please get out of here? I don’t think I’ll be able to control myself much longer. And I don’t think the principal would enjoy the show,” Dom said, nodding his head in the direction of the head administrator.
Letty’s head dropped back as her laugh filled the halls. Dominic grinned, taking her laugh as a yes, and practically pulled her to his car in the parking lot. He quickly flung his backpack into the back seat, doing the same with Letty’s. Letty swiftly scooted into the passenger seat and Dom jogged around the car, hopping in and quickly turning the engine over before peeling out of the parking lot, causing a lot of students to laugh and shake their heads.
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“So, Papi, we still headed to the beach?” the Latina questioned, rubbing a hand over his thigh as he zoomed down the street.
Dom merely grunted and shifted uncomfortably. Letty chuckled, liking the power she held over him. The Italian gunned the car the last half-mile to the beach. Once at their destination, the two lovers sat still, staring out into the deep blue pool from the car.
“Mmm, I love it here,” Letty sighed, sinking deeper into Dom’s chest.
“Me too mija. Me too.”
“I just wish everything else would vanish, ya know? No more school, no more adults, just you, me, the team, and racing. That would be the good life.”
“Careful what ya wish for.”
“Wha’da ya mean?”
Dom sighed, shifting to find a better position. “Just, sometimes things don’t work out like you think.”
“Dom, look at me,” Letty demanded, pulling out of his embrace. When his attention was fully on her she continued. “Something is on your mind, tell me what you really meant by that.”
Again, Dom sighed, this time more heavily. “I wished for more freedom, ya know? I didn’t want mom and pops always nagging on me. And, then ma got sick. Letty, it was my fault. I wished for it. I wanted more freedom, and her dying led to that. Dad doesn’t ride me any more, he’s too busy running the garage, and the market, and taking care of Mia. What you wish for isn’t always the best is all I meant.”
Letty’s heart dropped. She thought they had gotten past this last year. “Papi, look at me. It was NOT your fault, you hear? Your mom was sick long before you made that wish, the doctors said so. Don’t go blaming yourself. Just don’t. I won’t be able to handle it a second time. It damn near tore me apart before, Dominic.”
“I know it wasn’t my fault, but it feels like it sometimes, usually when I’m enjoying all the freedom. Hell, I’d give it all up if she could return. Let, come here.” Dom opened up his arms and Letty snuggled back into them. “I’m fine Mija.”
“Promise?”
She sounded like such a child with her question that it tugged at his heart. She still was a child, only sixteen. Yet, she had gone through so much in her life between losing her dad, having to move from Puerto Rico, her mom dating that pervert, Chris, and then losing her mother figure in Mrs. Toretto. Dominic kissed the top of her ebony hair. “I promise Letty. I love you.”
“Mmm, I love you too,” the Latina murmured, adding in a “Papi” just to get him riled up.
It worked. It always did. “Ugh, Let, you know I get hot for you when you call me that.”
“Really, I had no idea.” Letty feigned innocence, the twinkle in her brown eyes giving her away.
“You are a bad girl Leticia Gonzalez. A very bad girl.”
“Stop with the full name shit Dominic Toretto.” Letty glared playfully at Dom. Hardly anyone used her full name and got away with it. He was one of the few.
“What, you want me to call you by a different name? How about Candy? Or maybe Shaniqua?”
“Why are they all stripper names? You trying to send a message, baby? I know you’re a teenage guy, but damn Dom, you got laid this morning!”
Dominic laughed. “I can’t help it Let, you are smoking. I can’t keep my hands off you.” He leaned in, slipping his hands under her shirt as their mouths connected. Letty moaned, his hands leaving her skin tingling and hot. She in turn tugged his shirt over his head, throwing it into the backseat. Just as things were getting hot and heavy, Dominic’s phone started ringing.
Groaning, Dom pulled back, cursing whoever was calling. Letty giggled at her Italian boyfriend and slipped her shirt back down, reaching into the back to grab his discarded one. “Vince, what the hell?” Dominic’s voice echoed through the car, revealing his frustration.
“Damn, you were about to get laid weren’t you dog? Sorry. But, your pops is wondering where you and Letty girl are at.”
“Shit,” Dom cursed, turning the car on and pulling out of the parking space.
Letty sighed, their escape from the outside world finally ending. It was time to get back to reality, back to school, and work, and stress. But, for at least a little while, her world had been problem free. The Latina was surrounded only by her boyfriend, love, and the sound of the ocean-all three calming her down significantly from the day’s events.
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Ever since they were teens, Dominic and the ocean had that affect on her, subduing her in times of stress. So, at the promise of her handsome boyfriend and a beach in Mexico, Letty allowed her fear surrounding the heist disappear, allowed herself to be calmed down to the point of submission. It was stupid, so stupid. She knew now. She should have fought. She should have kept her ground on the matter. She should have resisted Dominic Toretto’s charm. She should have trusted her gut. She should have saved the family.
Now, sitting on the beach in Mexico, as promised, her mind was occupied with thoughts of Dominic. Surrounded by the two things that used to subdue her the most, she was far from calm. If anything, Letty was more worked up, more nervous, more on edge. The crashing waves seemed to mock her and her blind faith in Dominic. And he, the man that promised her a beach in Mexico, was nowhere to be seen. The man that promised her the world was sitting in a jail cell, the one place her vowed he’d never go back to. Vince and Jesse were probably sitting 10 feet under, in coffins side-by-side in a little cemetery back home. Leon was probably sitting in a bar somewhere, drinking his life away. Mia was most likely sitting in a lecture hall back home at the community college, trying to move on with her life. And Letty, Leticia Gonzalez, was sitting on a vacated beach in Mexico, all alone. Leticia Gonzalez was sitting in silence, beating herself up for watching her family fall apart, and doing nothing. She was kicking herself for allowing Dom to go back to jail when she knew it would destroy him. For allowing Brian to penetrate their safe place, their home. She was kicking herself for not being strong enough to prevent everything from happening. The members of the team had given her so much, a family, a place to belong, hope. And yet, she couldn’t even do one simple little thing in return. Here she was relaxing on a beach in Mexico, almost as if nothing ever happened, while all their lives were upturned, in havoc. But, Letty was far from okay, she was mourning the loss of two brothers, Vince and Jessie, the loss of her only sister, Mia, and her good friend, Leon. She was mourning the loss of Dom, her one and only love. Most of all, though, she was mourning the loss of her innocence. When had things turned so wrong? When had she become so blind? When had those crazy stunts actually started to sound appealing? When had she lost the ability to tell Dom no? When had she become so weak?
As the waves lazily lapped the shore, a small figure with black locks blowing in the wind sat at the ocean’s edge, not caring about the fact that she was getting wet. Because as long as she could feel something, anything, it meant she was not dead. It meant there was still a possibility of fixing everything. It meant there might still be hope, not for the past, or even the present, but for the future, all of the team’s futures. Letty would bring them back together; she had to. Because as much as they claimed to need her, the truth was, she would die without them. They became her people, one of the reasons she decided to keep continuing on after Tony’s death and after Dom got sent to jail. Since she couldn’t live without them, the only choice she had was to bring everyone back together. It was the only way.
Getting in her car, the Latina sped off in search of a brighter future. The right future. A future with her family.
Here is Ch 2! And, I still don't own Fast & Furious, unfortunately.
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::Ch 2::
To understand where the team ended up, you have to understand where they came from – what events influenced their choices. The turning point in many lives can be traced back to one single event. That one event affected so many more people than one can imagine. This point on the timeline is where everything changed
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Los Angeles, 1994
Returning promptly to the garage, Dom and Letty sighed reluctantly, for once not wanting to get to work. “Ready?” Dominic asked, his fingers softly stroking the palm of Letty’s left hand.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said, pushing the car door open and casually getting out.
Dom followed suit, carefully shutting the car door and lovingly rubbing a hand over the paint. He turned to walk towards the garage, noticing Letty smirking at him a few feet away. “What?” the big man questioned defensively.
“You sure love that car,” Letty said, pointing to the machine behind him.
“Not half as much as I love you, girl,” Dominic growled, pulling her against his body.
“Good to hear,” Letty sighed, burrowing her head into Dom’s chest.
“What really happened today in school?” Dom cautiously asked.
“Chris was being a dick this morning and when that witch Ms. Frazer started chewing me out, it was like in some pseudo way, it was him. So, I just snapped, you know? I said the first word I was thinking at the moment and it was not a word she appreciated.”
“What did Chris do Letty?” Dom asked, his body tensing.
“The usual – mean words, tried to hit me – but this morning he was just weird. I was going to change and he just stood there in the doorway, watching. He’s a creepy fucker. I mean, he’s my mom’s boyfriend, why doesn’t he go watch her 24/7?” Letty questioned, ending her rant.
By now Dom was coiled tight, almost ready to explode. “That asshole. If he touches you Let, tell me okay? I’ll take care of the bastard.”
“Dom, I can handle myself. Besides, if you kill him, the cops will cart you away. I need you here. Mia needs you. You dad needs you. Hell, V needs you too. He’d be like a lost puppy without you,” Letty said, her ebony eyes trained on Dom’s face.
“I’m not going anywhere, Let. Just wanna stay right here with you, Mami,” Dom stated, leaning down to gently attacking her full lips.
“Mhmmm. As much as I want to rip your clothes off right now, we gotta get to work,” Letty declared, stepping out of Dom’s arms and heading the rest of the way into the garage.
Tony Toretto stood in his office, watching his son and surrogate daughter together. He had accepted Leticia into the family long before Dominic had. But, he was glad the two had found happiness in each other. He watched as Dom leant down to kiss his girlfriend, who said something quickly before walking off. Mr. Toretto picked up the first magazine his hand touched, trying to appear busy as Letty approached. The Latina spotted him and sent him a look somewhere between slightly embarrassed and happy. Tony smiled back at the teen, showing her that she was not in trouble for her late arrival. Letty started to walk though the bay doors before stopping and staring intently at Mr. T. She promptly broke into laughter, clutching her sides as she hightailed it into the garage. Tony glanced around confused before slowly looking down at his hands – he was not holding a car magazine as he had assumed, but rather on of Mia’s Cosmos! Chucking the magazine onto the couch as though it was on fire, the man embarrassedly rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, chuckling lightly to himself. He walked back over to the window, noticing that Dom had not moved an inch. The teen appeared troubled about something, his brow scrunched up in thought. As though startled, Dom jolted from his trance, swiftly walking off towards the service entrances of the garage. Tony took a seat at his old desk, knowing Dominic would be in to speak to him in a matter of minutes. Over the years, Tony had become very grateful for the relationship he had with his son. Even though work, taking care of Mia, and life had kept him extremely occupied, Tony knew that Dominic trusted him enough to seek his advice if needed. A soft knock rang throughout the quiet office.
“Come in Dominic,” Tony stated. The boy was like clockwork.
Grinning sheepishly, Dom entered, shutting the door softly behind him. “Hey Pops.”
“What’s bothering you?” the older Toretto asked.
“Nothing!” Dom claimed a little too quickly. At his father’s pointed glare, Dom faltered. “Okay, it’s Letty.”
“You two didn’t fight did you?”
“No. No. It is just Chris has been getting worse,” Dom said, his body stiffening at the man’s name.
“Something is seriously off about that man, Dominic. You need to look out for Mia and Letty around him, okay? I won’t always be around to run interference with him. As soon as Letty turns eighteen I plan on getting her out of there.”
At that news, Dom grinned. He could get used to having his girl in his bed every night instead of trying to sneak out of the house to see her.
As if reading the teen’s mind, Tony interrupted, “But she will not be living in your room She will have her own. And there will be no bed swapping. The last thing you two need is a mouth to feed before you can even feed your own. You hear me, Dominic?”
“Yeah, Dad. No banging Letty while she lives with us.”
“Dominic!” Tony cried indignantly, a grin slowly appearing on his face. He highly doubted the two would cease having sex, but he hoped they would at least be safe about it. “Just watch out for Let for now, okay?”
“Of course I will, Dad. I love her. I’m not going to let the asshole lay a finger on her,” Dom proclaimed.
“That’s good to hear, Dominic, but watch your language. That girl is the perfect match for you if I ever saw one. You treat her right.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, then. Anything else?” Anthony asked.
“Nope. Thanks, Dad,” Dom said, turning to leave.
“You’re welcome, son,” Tony responded, watching Dom smile and shut the door as he left the room.
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“Yo man!” Vince called to Dom as the he exited his father’s office.
“What?” Dom questioned.
“We goin’ tonight, brother?”
Turning to look at Letty and seeing her smile widely, Dom said: “You know it!”
Vince let out a loud whoop. “Gonna have some fun tonight!”
“You mean you’re gonna get laid tonight,” Letty shot back.
“Mhmm. Those racer girls sure hit the spot.”
“You mean those slutty skanks,” Letty clarified.
Vince was becoming annoyed at the Latina’s attitude. “I like them just fine.”
“You could do so much better, V,” Letty claimed, setting a wrench back in the tool chest.
“Maybe not all us guys want a Letty,” Vince retorted, watching as anger settled into the girl’s eyes.
“Hey watch your mouth!” The demand had not come from Letty, as expected, but rather from Dominic. “You’d be lucky to find someone half as good as Let.”
“I know,” Vince stated, defeated. “I meant that there aren’t a lot of Lets out there, you know? We aren’t all as lucky as you, Dom.”
Letty’s anger had dissipated by then. “V, just keep looking. There’s a girl out there for you, man. Though she’ll probably be crazy if she’s attracted to your scruffy ass.”
Vince stuck his tongue out at her last comment. “I can still have fun while I wait, right?”
Letty and Dom started howling at the overly eager look on Vince’s face. Dominic grabbed his friend in a headlock. The two scuttled around the garage, joking with each other as best friends do.
Tony Toretto could hear the boys from inside his office, and he smiled. Those two had grown-up together. They were practically brothers. The phone rang, stealing Mr. Toretto’s attention away from the past.
“Hello, DT’s Garage and Auto Repair. How may I help you?” The person on the other end chatted excitedly as Tony listened intently.
After hanging up, Tony headed into the garage declaring, “Guys! Come here a minute.”
The boys stopped their wrestling, eagerly trotting over to Tony as Letty casually closed the hood of the car she was working on and walked towards the males. When all the teens were around him, Tony unveiled his news. “That was Scott…..we’re in!” The two teenaged boys whooped and hollered while Letty stood grinning from ear to ear. One by one they hugged Tony, congratulating Tony on his accomplishment.
“When’s the big race, T?” Vince asked.
“Two weeks from Saturday.”
“Plenty of time to get the Charger ready,” Dom mused.
“He’s gonna need a new set of tires depending on the condition of the track,” Letty supplied.
“Oil change,” Vince stated.
“We got a lot of work to do,” Dom declared.
Tony watched the three teens walk off, still naming off the upgrades his perfectly fine car supposedly needed. Shaking his head, he walked back to his office smiling. This race was huge for him. He had become rather well known around the local scene, but the race he had been invited to would have racers from many states. Tony would finally be swimming with the big fish – he would no longer be stuck in a little pond. He was excited and terrified all at once. But, his moment had come and there was no way he was going to back down. Only one phrase can sum up his thoughts at that point: Let the races begin.