"I'm warning you now, Dominic Toretto. If you don't come back then I will hunt you down and kill you." Harley warns the man currently in bed with her. They hadn't slept together like that, they'd just talked, kissed, cuddled. At the present moment she was straddling his waist and clad in his shirt, tracing shapes on his bare chest. Dom was doing exactly the same to her bare legs, his eyes focused completely on her. It's like her mind had tunnel vision, going straight to the worst case scenario - resulting in her brows being drawn together in a display of her concern. Brian had spoken with his co-workers and they agreed to exonerate Dom in exchange for Braga - all they had to do was set up the meeting. Harley had been more giddy at the news but then realised it could also go wrong.
"Harley, I will always come back. Why do you think I gave you that necklace? It's my promise I'll always come back to my girl." His deep voice assures her, their eyes locking onto each other. Harley had never in her life been a clingy or attached person until she met Dom and they got together. The time he spent in jail had been so hard for her. Especially when he asked her not to visit so much because the other guys were talking - he hated the way they looked at his girl. But she'd dealt with it, stuck with phone calls and any visits that were quieter.
"Well then good. I'll have the car waiting." She tells him with a teasing smile, feeling him chuckle from beneath her.
"Maybe we can get away from everything." Her tone is quieter in her suggestion.
"Just us?" Dom questions her with a raised brow and crooked smile.
"Just for a while." Harley tells him, her hand moving up and running over the back of his head. Dom sits up, holding the woman steady as she giggles from the sudden movement. His head rests against the bed frame and she leans forward, kissing his forehead and travelling down to his lips.
"Guys, we're getting ready to head back to the house." Mia calls from the other side of the door, though there's a smile planted on her face because she knows the pair inside had talked everything through last night. She was happy that they were happy.
"We'll be out in a minute." Harley's voice calls back quickly before she looks back down at Dom with the same smile.
"Come on." She orders him, tapping his pec and jumping up from the bed. Her hands find the ready water and pills - seeing the bottle is nearly empty. Here's to hoping she'll be okay by then. The woman, pulls back on her shorts and tosses her boyfriend a shirt.
-----
The two women had been waiting all day for any news on the Braga situation, busying themselves with cleaning and cooking. Well, Mia had cooked while Harley carefully observed. It was better than her trying her hand at it and then setting the entire family home alight. This place meant too much to be brought down by a stupid fire caused by the klutzy Harley Matthews. The blonde had actually decided to go out after a while, Mia not making a move to stop her in understanding. She was going to visit her mom - someone she hasn't seen in months but always makes sure she's financially secure. Another thing about Harley, she will always put family before herself. Even if it meant her having to suffer a little in order for them to thrive.
So here she was at her old family home quite a way from the Toretto home. It's a wonder she'd even found Dom and the team in the first place. If it hadn't been for racing then they'd still be strangers - Harley couldn't think of anything worse...or lonelier. No one could stand up against Dom; he drew her in with everything. His words, morals, personality, car taste and knowledge and yes...he is very attractive.
Harley walked up the blue wooden steps, boards creaky and paint flaking, to reach the white door. A smile tugs at her lips when she spots the small gnome sat at the door. She'd painted it when she was about eight years old and even though it didn't look that great, her mom had put it up. The pair had always been super close and Harley didn't even know her dad; not that it was a great burden on her. Sometimes parents stay together and sometimes they don't - you can't dwell on stuff like that. Just get on with your life and try to ensure it doesn't happen to your own kid one day.
The blonde knows that's probably why the Toretto dynamic had thrown her off at first, her never having a strong male figure around before. Mr Toretto had taken her in gladly, inviting her over for every barbecue and beaming when he found out she was dating his son. She's sure he assumed she'd keep him out of trouble and she did to an extent; whenever she thought something was too much or getting too far, she'd let her boyfriend know. Other than that, she'd probably join in on the antics. But it was her close relations with the family that meant it hit her hard when Mr Toretto died - even more when she saw how it affected Dom.
Shaking herself out of her mind, Harley raises her hand and knocked on the front door with a smile. It didn't take long for the door to swing open and the familiar smell of her home to reach the woman. A grin made its way onto her face when she saw her mother smiling.
"Harley, look at you. Getting prettier each day." Her mother, Sandra Matthews, greets her child. Something she'd say every time they'd see each other.
"What about you, you're looking like my sister now." Harley fires back with a laugh, walking inside to give her mother a hug.
"How're you?" She asks once the front door is closed, glancing around the familiar hallway. Pictures of Harley at various stages in her life were hung around the place; some with her mom, some with friends and some alone. Like the one of her holding an award for art - something she used to be obsessed with. On the Christmas of that year, her mother had gotten her this huge arts set. There'd been watercolours, pencils, fine liners, crayons, paper, paints etc. Then several easels for her to use. One thing about her mom is that she'd support every passion Harley developed, no matter how crazy it seemed.
"I'm good, sweetheart. What about you? You seem happier than last time." Sandra points out, taking a seat with her daughter in the kitchen. Harley couldn't help but let another smile slip - of course she's happier. Dom's back. The last time she'd seen her mom was a couple months ago and she'd been pretty down, the only glimmer of hope being possibly completing the job with Letty and exonerating Dom.
"I am good. I've been speaking to Dom more." She skirts around the truth.
One thing she refused to do was involve her mother in any illegal activity in her life so telling Sandra that Dom, a wanted man, was currently running around LA was out of the question. When the, now greying woman, found out about Dom running from the law, she'd been beyond mad. Mad at her daughter for not telling her what her boyfriend was off doing with the team - though she was happy Harley had never gotten involved. Mad at Dom for being so foolish. Just mad at everything.
Because she could see her daughter truly loved this man. Sandra knew her little girl, she saw the way her eyes would light up whenever Dom was around or he became the topic of conversation. Saw how giddy she was before every single one of their dates. How beside herself she was when he finally asked her out and how incredibly happy she was with the relationship. Sandra had known her daughter had already found true love at her young age.
So she was angry. Because she saw how much Harley had changed since he had to go. The woman had to witness her child hurting for five years, after the love of her life was torn away from her. It was all down to his own rotten choice is what Sandra had said. Of course Harley had protested this and immediately jumped to his defence. But the older woman didn't truly hate the man. She couldn't possibly hate the man that made her daughter happy for over eight years, still made her happy after just a phone call.
"I won't ask, don't worry. I'm just happy my little girl is smiling again." Sandra speaks honestly in a soft tone and Harley pulls a face.
"You make me sound like a teenager recovering from heartbreak." She comments, tracing circles on the kitchen island.
"But seriously though, how are you? Any guys I need to threaten?" Harley teases her mother with a coy smile.
"Of course. Can't you see the men lining up to be with me?" Sandra retort sarcastically, earning a laugh of amusement from her daughter.
"Maybe I should just buy some cats instead." The woman ponder while Harley rolls her eyes.
"You are not becoming a cat lady, mother. I can't allow it. If you're gonna get anything then get a couple dogs." The blonde suggests jokingly.
"Always the joker."
"But you named me after Harley Quinn." Harley quirks a brow, amusement sparkling in her eyes. At school she had always been compared to the villain from the comic books. And yes, she'd come to love her as well. There had been a fair amount of times she'd dressed up as said woman for Halloween purely because it was expected and, honestly, it was funny. She loved going and getting all the weapons, spraying her hair, putting on clothes that some would call too revealing. But hey, why are you criticised for wearing short shorts and not bikinis. Which one shows off more?
"Enough joking, now you're here, you can take a look at my car." Sandra stands from her stool.
"Anyone would think you use me so you don't have to pay for a mechanic." Harley points out, following her mother into the garage.
"Well the boys aren't exactly here to help." Sandra grumbles and the blonde woman rolls her eyes.
Her two older brothers - she'd only found out about them some months ago. Her mother had dragged her all the way to Berlin in order to meet them but the women didn't pay a dime towards the trip.
-----
It's dark by the time Harley returns home and her shirt is covered in grease from her mom's car. When her blue eyes glance upwards, she sees Mia's car missing while Dom's car sits in the driveway. All the lights on, both in the house and garage - it makes the blonde roll her eyes. Has he not heard of saving electricity? Her car door closing breaks the silence of outside and she quickly makes her way to the garage; the woman's mind running overtime with how everything went. Did they get Braga? Harley walks in and Dom straightens up from under the hood of the Charger; his eyes briefly meet hers before they go back to the ground.
And that's all it takes for her to know it didn't go to plan. Her smile drops instantaneously.
"I'm gonna go after him. He needs to pay for what he's done to this family." His baritone voice finally breaks the quiet and Harley frowns over at him for a few seconds before her face is left expressionless and she just nods.
"Okay." She responds calmly, walking closer to him.
"I have to go, Leah. For-" Dom pauses as he takes in what the blonde woman said, brows drawn together in confusion.
"What?" He asks. Harley tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, standing tall.
"I said okay. But I'm coming with you." She tells him simply, raising a brow as if daring him to challenge her.
"You get no say in this, Dominic. If you're going then so am I. We both want the same thing out of this." She tells him sternly and he keeps quiet.
"I don't want you to get hurt." Dom tries and she scoffs, stepping closer and placing a hand on the side of his face.
"It'll be fine. Let me do this for Letty." Harley slightly pleads, pulling his face to her so that their foreheads touch. Her blue eyes look up to his brown orbs through her dark lashes and a smile stretches across her face when he nods. Relenting.
"You're stubborn, Harley. I won't try and stop you." He grumbles, pulling her to his chest tightly, his chin resting on her head with his eyes closed. He is by no means happy that the woman he loves will be coming with him somewhere she could be seriously hurt or killed. He didn't even want Fenix looking at her again - but she was pig headed. If he said no then she'd find her own way to follow and help him. At least this way he could keep an eye on her at all times.
"Come on, you can help me with the car." He tells her, kissing her head and pulling away.
"You mean you help me. I've been the one working on it, remember?" Harley teases to get the light hearted mood back in the room, nudging him with laugh. The man beside her chuckles, handing her a wrench and going to grab a couple beers.
"I went to see my mom today." She suddenly says, straightening up and leaning against the Charger.
"How is she?" Dom questions. The two had always gotten along well, before the whole 'wanted' thing, and she near enough called him her son. Dom respected the fact that Sandra had brought up Harley alone and would be glad to help out around the house whenever. It annoyed Harley to an extent - gave her mother more of a chance to embarrass her. And she definitely managed to; the blonde had once walked in from going to grab more paint and witnessed the photo albums scattered across the table with Dom sat there shaking with laughter.
"She's good, I helped her with her car, we talked..." She trails off, pulling her long locks into a pony tail.
"She's happy I'm talking to you more. And no - I didn't tell her you were back." She assures him. The two of them look up when the garage door opens, Brian walking inside and his eyes going to the car before landing on Dom.
"Everyone's looking for you." He tells the wanted man. Dom shrugs, walking up to his girlfriend and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"I'm right here." He responds with a smirk on his face. The cop walks forward with amusement on his expression.
"It's nice to see you've gone with the times and switched to electronic fuel injection." Brian comments, nodding towards the inside of the car.
"Actually, that was all me." Harley points out with a smile on her face, sipping at her beer.
"The buster became a gear head." Dom says more to himself, a crooked smile forming on his own face. It's quiet for a little bit after that. Both men seeming deep in thought while Harley watches them curiously.
"I'm going with you." Brian breaks the silence, though his gaze is still down on the car. The blonde woman can already tell how this is going to end. Looks like it's gonna be a journey for three.
"I don't plan on bringing anyone back." Is the response he gets, Dom also keeping his gaze down while he works on the car.
"I know." That's what makes the bald man look up, the two men stare each other down slightly but there's no hostility. Harley can see them accepting each other. The three of them start working on the car and she's happy with the familiarity of all of this. She's putting bottles in the bin when a car pulls into the drive; she smiles over at the driver. Mia shoots her a wave as she turns off the engine.
"Want some help with those?" Harley offers, gesturing to the grocery bags in the trunk.
"I'll be fine, go and spend time with him." Mia nods to the garage, walking up towards the house before Harley has chance to point out Brian is in there as well. So she can only watch as a the younger Toretto stops at the open garage door, looking inside and pausing. A few seconds later, she's storming towards the house with her head down. Harley starts heading in her direction but falters when Brian runs out after her. The blonde smiles widely as she stands outside the garage; her expression only changes when she walks in and sees Dom straighten up in the direction of the door.
"Don't even think about it." She instructs him, pointing a stern finger in his direction.
"Come here." She tells him softly, a smirk on her face, taking a couple strides forwards and letting him meet her half way.
"I love you." Harley tells him, planting a lingering kiss on his cheek.
"So much." She adds, pressing another on the corner of his mouth and feeling his arms wind around her waist.
"Dominic." She whispers, moving her hands up to hold his face when she kisses his lips. His calloused hands grip her waist harder, his fingers brushing against exposed while he's still careful of where she hurt herself. The blonde leans towards him, their bodies pressed together as the kiss deepens. Dom only pulls away from her lips to trail kisses down her neck, lifting her in his arms to rest against the now closed hood of the Charger. Her legs lock tightly around him as her hands run up and down his body, resting on the hem of his shirt and lifting it; her blue orbs still linger on his toned body when his shirt is on the floor.
"You sure you wanna carry on?" Dom pulls away, his now darker eyes switching from her face to her side - brows furrowed. Harley looks up at him with a quirked brow and her swollen lips pulled into a smile.
"Positive." She assures him, pulling his face back to hers and letting him pull off her shirt.