Death

Part 3
*********

I'll be picking up your petals in another few hours
In the metal and blood, in the scent and mascara
On a backcloth of lashes and stars
In a flood of your tears, in sackcloth

Dom sighed and rolled away from her, putting some space between their nude bodies as she stared up at the ceiling. His chest heaved with frustration and confusion. Letty had never lost interest in him before, especially not in bed, and he wasn't sure how to react. Did I do something? Did I not do something?

With another heavy sigh, Dom rolled back to her, his knuckles brushing along her arm. He decided to tackle the problem head on, no beating around the bush, no more wondering. "What's wrong, Let?"

"Noth..." She started to deny her sudden frigidness but she knew that he wouldn't let it go. He would keep at her until she broke and told him anyway. Shifting away from his touch, she sat up at the edge of the bed, running her hand through her thick sable hair tugging it ruthlessly.

"I don't know, Dom...I think I'm loosing it or somethin." Her voice shook with the thick thread of fear that wound through her, that gripped her stomach making her feel sick.

"What'd ya mean losing it?" he questioned, shoving up onto the bank of pillows behind him. His eyes tracked each and every one of her movements, right down to the familiar squaring of her shoulders. Always strong...

"I... Shit! Things have been happenin and I thought it was all in my head at first, ya know? I would see things, hear things - in the house, the garage." She stood from the bed, pacing in the confine space beside the bed.

"What kinda things, baby?"

"Things like.... Like... Jesse, Dom!" she sputtered, her face paling at the revelation. "But that's not all... There've been times that other shit's happened. Times when I was sleepin...or at least I thought I was sleepin and there would be touches. Like when you touch me, the places you touch me." She fell back onto the bed with a pained hiss, trembling as she allowed herself to think about it, to really think about the touches.

"I couldn't stop it, Dominic. I tried and I couldn't stop it."

"What the fuck are you sayin? That you were... Were damn near raped by a ghost or somethin?" he growled, shoving from the bed, afraid to believe her and afraid not too.

"I told you I was losing it. I just don't know anymore."

"How many times has this happened, Letty? Once? Twice?" he shouted, his big hands sliding over his dampened scalp. Fear or anger, Dom couldn't decided which he was feeling, he couldn't decided which was dictating his reactions.

"I don't know. Four maybe," she replied, dropping her head to hide the tear that trailed from the corner of her eye along her cheek.

"You don't..." The sentence went unfinished as the front door below was slammed with such a force Dom was sure he heard the entire house groan in protest.

**************

Vince stalked into the living room of the Toretto house, dazed and completely confused. His mind reeled with the nights happenings, with what he was sure he'd seen. He stood there like a victim strait from a war zone, pale and trembling.

Mia was off the couch in an instant, her eyes wide and frightened. He'd woke her from another dream and for a fraction of a second she had been sure it was Jesse standing there in front of her.

"V, what's wrong?" She lay a gentle hand against his bicep, only to have it shrugged away.

"Tran."

"What?"

He repeated the name, not knowing what else to say, not knowing how to explain it to her.

"Lance?" Mia asked, her eyes dropping to the small slit like wounds at Vince's elbow and still more at his palm. "Lance Tran did this?"

"Fuck! NO!" he yelled, stepping away from her, his feet instantly in motion towards the kitchen.

"What the hell is goin on down here?" Dom's voice boomed from the stairway, his gaze narrowing on Vince. He took the last couple of stairs and stormed across the room after the other man. "I asked you somethin, man!"

Stopping in his tracks, Vince turned to Dom. "My car's a smoldering heap of shit and I saw Tran tonight," he hissed, his eyes staring past Dom to Letty and the horrified look on her face. She knows... She's seen him too.

"Lan..."

"No! Not fuckin Lance," he growled, his face twisting with frustrated anger.

"V, Johnny's dead."