Not for you (FIN)

We woke up at eleven; I even think we woke up at the same time.

Showered, had breakfast, talked about non important things. I noticed that he was touching me whenever he could; his hands, arms or even body brushing along mine; accompanied with the looks he gave me it almost broke my heart.

I tried not to think about it.

At the garage we met the others. They all tried to look as cheerful as possible about the upcoming party, but I could see that they were all tensed; more than ever before.

Michael gave me a short message that he would use the Corsa to get to the party; and this was probably the first time I realized that he, too, would be a part of this. Of course, I thought; he had been hanging out with the team in front of the cameras far too much not to be a part of it, but... I always thought that this wasn't important. Damn, and right now I couldn't even argue about it, and nobody was up to switching the pendant with me.

Bilkins, I thought, you better make this all work or I'll personally kill you afterwards.

If you still can, the little devil on my shoulder said.

I signaled Michael by writing to a piece of paper that he should get the spare keys from Dom as soon as I was out of sight, and that he should park the Corsa in a distance to Verone's house - at the place where I had left the Pacer when he had loaded my clothes into it. He just nodded.

Then it was time for me to get some more supplies and get to the house; which I did quite unwillingly. I so didn't want this any more.

How much I really didn't want it, however, was something I just knew a few hours later, at about three o'clock, when Brian and Roman arrived at the house.

"You're early." I smiled a fake smile at them.

"Yeah, well, we were just around and thought that we'd come here right away. Though, if it's too early for you..."

"No, it's not. Come in, feel at home. Drinks are in the fridge, food too. TV is in the living room."

When they walked past me through the door, I felt Brian tucking something into the back pocked of my jeans. Ah, probably my surveillance unit... good, I thought.

At four, the house was practically crowded. They were all there, trying to 'entertain' each other with music, TV, drinks and food. I talked to them, played the caring host; and all too soon, when I looked at the clock, I knew it.

My time to go had come.

"Folks." I said, loud enough for anyone, but especially the cameras, to hear. "Think I'll get some more beer. I'm back before you notice I was gone."

Dom took me in his arms. "Want me to come with you?" He said. I knew he wasn't serious but just seeking for an excuse to take me into his arms one more time; something I was thankful about.

"Not really." I laughed, not really wholeheartedly. "You just keep an eye on your friends so that they don't wreck the house."

"Don't you think it is time to get rid of that stupid necklace? This way your ex can take it with him if he comes to pick up his stuff. Just in case he comes here while you're gone, I mean." He said and tugged at the chain.

"Yeah, you're probably right." I said after a short, fake hesitation. In fact, I was very thankful for this possibility to get rid of it.

He took the necklace off me and tossed it to a small chest in the hallway while he smiled down at me, a fake smile together with the lines on his forehead. Then he embraced me once more. "Love you." He whispered into my ear for no one but me to hear.

"I know." I replied as quiet as he.

We looked at each other for a moment, then, finally, he pushed me out of the kitchen door.

"Come back soon." He waved.

"Oh, I will." I said.

And just to make it look right I went into the garage, took the bag with the money that was waiting there for me, got into the Pacer and drove off.

And now what? Back to the garage? Too far for my taste - I wanted to stay around. Parking near the place where Michael would have left the Corsa? Too close. I drove one block further than the Corsa and stopped the car. Waited. Then I thought it would be a fairly good idea to call Verone once more, just to find out where he was.


The phone was picked up while it was ringing the first time.

"It's me." I said. "Just left the building, they're all yours now."

"I know. Anything else?" He replied very quiet. In the background I could hear something that seemed familiar; a certain kind of squeaking which, however, I couldn't place.

"No, nothing else. Bye, Carter."

"Bye." He said and hung up.

The squeaking. Where did I know that from? Damn, I couldn't remember...

Then I pulled the thing Brian had given to me out of my pocket. Looked like a Gameboy, small display, lots of fancy buttons, with an earplug attached. A small piece of paper attached to it told me how to operate it - thanks, Brian, I thought.

I switched the device on. With the buttons I could navigate through the different channels of each of the cameras in the house. Another button switched the sound to the current FBI radio transmission. I could hear that they were practically all around the house, in distances relatively close to my own.

I flipped through the channels. Funny, one of the cameras was in a dark room; or camera was broken. I wondered which room that could possibly be, because all other rooms I recognized; even the garage had two cameras in it. Broken camera, I thought. Perhaps one which would show a different angle of one of the rooms.

I watched the guys in the kitchen and the living room, having their 'fun', which, as I could tell from their faces, wasn't real.

When I switched from the kitchen to the garage, I froze when I heard something that accompanied a certain action on screen. Letty was just about to get something from the garage, and half closed the garage door behind her. The door hinges were squeaking.

The squeaking! I knew that I had heard it before!

Just a moment. If I could hear the squeaking while talking to Verone and that squeaking was the same as the one the garage door hinges gave...

...then Verone was already in the house.

I flipped through the channels, half panicking. There must have been something that I hadn't seen, hadn't noticed. The kitchen. Only my people in there. The living room? Too far away to hear the squeaking that loud.

The garage. It suddenly dawned me that the Charger had filled the garage with its length. I also remembered that from the outside, the garage had been as long as the house.

No way was the Charger as long as the house.

That meant... the garage was longer on the outside than on the inside.

Which, of course, wasn't possible.

Except...

I switched back to the 'black' channel and listened carefully. My heart almost stopped when I heard someone breathing in the darkness the camera showed.

Fucking shit! Verone and his pals were obviously already there; in a space of the garage that was obviously separated from the rest of it.

Back to the FBI channel. They were bored, looking out for Verone to approach from any of the roads that surrounded the house.

Back to the black channel. I heard a clicking there; then a small light was turned on.

Holy shit! Besides Verone there were at least five other people in there.

Back to the FBI channel... they were still looking around.

The formerly black channel... someone was talking.

"-they're so fucked, man. You think Toretto and his friends know this is their last day?" One of them said; I could hear but not see him from the camera angle. That made at least six people if I didn't count Verone in.

"Don't know. Well, let's just get the party started, right?" Verone laughed.

This wasn't a trap for Verone, it was a trap for the team! I had no idea why or how, but it was. And I had to stop it, again without having any idea how - but having a car at hand would help. Hell, even a phone call would help.

I grabbed my cell phone, typed 911.

Just to hear the damn thing beep and die. DAMN! Did I really forget to recharge it?

And what now? Look around for the next FBI car? Too much work.

I started the Pacer. Well, at least I tried to.

The engine didn't even wake to life fully. I tired it, again and again, more and more panicking; it didn't work. By then I had probably choked the engine by giving too much gas. One thing was clear, that car wouldn't start now.

I stared at the steering wheel for a moment.

I had to do something, anything. So I just jumped out of the car, the device in my hand and started to run into the direction of the house. Just one block, I thought, the Corsa is just one block away.

It never occurred to me that the distance of a single block could be that long. I tried to run fast but at the same time to run slow enough that I could hear what was happening in the house.

Kitchen-, garage- and front door being kicked open at the same time.

Verone's people shouting at the others.

A short look to the display showed me Dom's face, staring at the intruders in disbelief.

I ran faster.

Finally I arrived at the Corsa, fumbling with the keys which just didn't seem to want to fit into that damn lock.

Finally I was inside, took a deep breath and started the engine. It ran.

I knew that I had to do something. Definitely. Here comes the cavalry, I thought, and pushed the pedal down. A short look next to me - Michael's cellphone; he had forgotten it. Good lord, if you exist, please don't let this be empty or turned off I thought.

It was neither.

I was pushing my car to the highest speed available - and called the police. I told them where Verone's friends were, and that they better hurry up if the plan should work.

The house was at the end of the street, on the exact opposite side of the T-crossing. With the afternoon sun in my back, its light shining to the front of the house, I could see someone standing in the hallway through the open door; and that was no one I would have wanted to stand like that.

Verone was pointing a gun at someone.

Too far away to really know that it was him, but it looked like him.

The voices that came through my earplug told me that four of them were about to shoo the team, except Dom and Brian, into the garage. Then I heard a shot. The sound was so strange, so unreal and shocking that I almost tore the steering wheel aside.

What now? Waiting for the police? No time. Stopping, getting out, trying to distract him? No time.

There was only one thing that came to my mind, and I touched my car's steering wheel.

"Sorry," I said to her and pushed the pedal further down while already opening the door. Dom, you're gonna get your jump from me, I thought.

When I had almost arrived at the crossing I started to brake the car. No way I could pull this stunt off at high speed. Seventy... sixty... fifty... forty... thirty miles. Crossing. I opened my door and stepped on the gas again.

As soon as the speeding car had jumped over the pavestones in front of the house, still speeding up into the direction of the front door, I jumped off. A risky stunt, but I managed well, rolled over the lawn, got back to my feet and started running behind my car, which was just about to crash into the veranda.

I must say that I've rarely seen anyone look as surprised as Verone when he saw my car plowing its way through the wooden stairs, metal parts from the car and wooden parts from the house flying around.

And then I saw a movement behind Verone; Dom was running towards him in the hallway. While this was happening, I had already jumped on the veranda and approached him from the other direction. One of us would get him, if not I, then Dom, Brian or anyone else who still had to be inside there somewhere and this nightmare would be over. Or the police.

I heard some kind of fight in the garage. No shots. I didn't care and just ran on.

Dom was first, he jumped on Verone's back who had obviously forgotten that Dom was even there. It was just like slow motion when I saw Verone raise his gun, pointing it over his shoulder.

There was only one possibility to keep him from shooting Dom.

I jumped at both of them and took them down by the impact, pulling Verone's raised arm successfully downwards, in the movement rolling into the partially destroyed hallway with both of them.

I heard a strange noise and felt a sharp pain, but assumed that this came from the jump at them.

I saw the gun sliding away, sliding towards Brian who stood a little further away, his face white as chalk; his upper arm bleeding. That had been the shot I had heard!

He did the right thing and put his foot on the gun.

Verone's fist hit me at my shoulder, I was pushed further back into the house, into the living room at the end of the short hallway, far behind Brian and came to a halt at the wall facing the hallway, where I stayed standing.

Brian pointed the gun at Verone. "Enough of that shit! The police will be here any minute, I suggest you put your hands up or I swear I'll kill you."

Verone got up, slowly, vary. He was obviously looking for a way out of this, but there was none - Dom between him and the door, Brian and the gun between him and the living room. He looked at me and snarled. "Snake in my house!" He hissed.

"Damn, I think I cracked my ribs." I stuttered, not really able to breathe and held my side while leaning to the wall. Dom came over, not letting Verone out of sight, took the gun from Brian who couldn't really hold it with the arm - which I assumed to have been shot at - and pointed it at Verone.

"You OK?" Dom didn't look at me, still pointing the gun at Verone.

I wanted to answer, but I couldn't - I was mostly holding my breath because by now it was too painful to breathe, just letting tiny portions of air in and out of my lungs which were too few to speak properly.

"Dana?" Brian said, looking from Verone to me.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't. The warm and wet feeling on my hand, coming from somewhere around my rib cage, startled me. No, I thought. No.

Brian saw it. Brian knew it. I could tell that from his eyes. I guess he had heard the strange noise too, which, as I realized, had been a shot. And that shot had hit me.

"Dom, bring that fuck out. Wait for the police outside." He said in a voice so loaded with authority that I almost thought it was Dom who was speaking.

A hiss escaped my lips. Funny, I thought, I sound like a turbo charger. My legs were as soft as cotton balls, and with the back to the wall, I slid down the wall into a sitting position, not taking my eyes off Brian who was still looking at me, his eyes still growing wider while Dom was walking out, pushing Verone before him, obviously still unaware what had happened to me.

Someone came running in through the kitchen. Letty. "All safe in the garage, we got them. What the hell..." She said, looking from Brian to me to the Corsa which stood smoking and steaming buried in the veranda.

"Vince!" Brian barked. I heard him stumbling into the room now. He looked at Brian, but he just nodded in my direction; and as soon as he saw me, slumped to the floor, he was by my side.

"Shit," he whispered, touching my hand that was still firmly pressed to my side, looking at the blood which was now on his fingers. I stared at him, felt my eyes watering and my mind getting dizzy. " Brian," Vince said with a quivering voice, "call an ambulance. NOW!"

Brian was busy with the phone and Vince was still sitting in front of me, his hands on my arms, trying to support me. "You knew it would be dangerous."

I gave a short, small nod, still frantically trying to breathe in breaths as small as possible.

"You badly shot?"

I nodded again, now feeling that tears were running down my face.

"Did you tell him?" The moment he asked I knew that he was not referring to me telling Dom that I was shot. I had seen Vince talking to Sway last night, but didn't pay much attention to it - now I knew what they had been talking about.

I shook my head and tried to speak, but suddenly it felt as if I had to throw up. I opened my mouth and felt something pouring out, but my nose told me that this was something else than me throwing up.

I still couldn't speak but started to cough, trying to get that strange stuff out of my mouth and throat, not able to produce anything but a gargling sound which somehow seemed funny to me.

" Brian!" Vince cried alarmed. "Faster! Don't you dare dying here. Don't you dare."

I wanted to cry. Wanted to cry so badly, but I was lacking the air. I looked to the door, where I could see Dom and Verone in a distance, the police arriving in a bigger distance. There was also an ambulance coming. I looked back at Brian, who looked at Vince, then at me, dropped the phone and ran his hands over his face.

Roman came in from the back room; he was smiling. The moment he saw me, his smile faltered. He looked at Vince, he shook his head slowly and Roman started running outside towards Dom, took the gun from him and pointed back to the house. Dom started running.

I looked at Vince, having so many questions, not just for him, which I wasn't able to ask. He smiled, tears in his eyes. "I don't think you need to speak. I think he knows."

I tried to look at him with the question in my eyes, and he understood.

"If you don't manage to tell him... I'll do later. Or maybe Sway will. Don't worry."

I closed my eyes, breathing out. Dom came rushing in, dropping to his knees next to me and Vince and took a long look at me.

And all of a sudden I noticed that I couldn't breathe in any more. It was a strange feeling. My lungs hurt, my body was willing - but I just couldn't breathe in. As if someone had placed an iron clasp around my lungs, not allowing them to expand.

Looking back, I knew that my reaction to this was illogical; probably caused by the lack of oxygen. I should have panicked, but I didn't. Instead, I all of a sudden had the idea how I could tell him without saying a word and smiled at Dom.

And all I could see in his face was that he didn't understand. I saw desperation, I saw hate in his eyes; and I knew that if Verone had been anywhere near enough to grab, he would be dead by now.

"I..." He started, choking on the single letter. A tear found its way down his cheek.

I still smiled, and it took most of the power I had left to take his hand, squeeze it and pull it up to my face so that he would touch my cheek; a touch I had not only willingly accepted, but, in fact, initiated. There would have been no words more powerful in the world to tell Dom what I felt; and he should know me well enough to know what it meant.

"Fuck," screamed Vince and got up, running to the door, wildly waving his arms to signal the ambulance. Brian had just dropped to his knees. I have no idea why I remember this, because my eyes were still firmly on Dom.

"No..." He whispered, carefully moving his thumb over my face. I smiled sadly, tilted my head, and then my body made a last effort to finally get its desperately needed oxygen. I cramped, finally falling forwards, to the floor, into Dom's arms and coughed. This was the time I became aware that the strange stuff coming from my mouth was blood, I coughed it all over Dom's shirt; but in between, I somehow managed to breathe out one single, quiet, rasp word.

"Sorry..."

"No!" Dom screamed. "You little bitch, you will not leave me behind with just another blood stained T-shirt! 'Not for you', you remember? You will not die for me!"

He picked me up with just one arm, the other hand never leaving my face, lifting me as if I had no weight even if I was still coughing. For a short moment, he looked at me. "Don't leave me, you hear me? I'll personally kill you if you do!" I tried to laugh; it would have been a desperate laugh if I had managed to. Instead, I gurgled at him but I guess he understood what I wanted to say.

And then he started running, with me on his arm, carrying me outside to the just arrived ambulance. I could see my car, torn apart just like the steps and the veranda. Could see the others coming from the garage, staring at us. I took a last look at the car and closed my eyes.

The last thing I remember to hear was Dom screaming at the doctor, threatening to kill them all if they wouldn't help me. And then, finally, the world became dark around me.