Nothing Like Us // Brian O'Conner [1]

twelve

Alex looked around the garage, sighing. She put her hands on her hips. She had a lot of work to do. Now that everyone is on the run from the cops, Alex would be living in the house all alone. Between work, college, and her new boyfriend, Mia was basically gone too. Mia never really fit into this lifestyle anyway. She had always wanted to get away from it all and now she had her chance. Alex was trying to tidy up the garage since there would be no one around to use it anymore. There was no need for all these tools to be laying around with no one to use them. Her heart ached. She was going to miss her family.

Taking a deep breath, Alex pushed the thoughts away and grabbed an empty box. She set it atop of the counter and began gathering tools and other miscellaneous items to fill the box. One it was filled, she grabbed a marker and labeled it useless junk, then moved onto the next box.

Brian had asked Sergeant Tanner to take him to the Toretto house. He wanted to see Alex, maybe see if he could fix things or at least let her know how he felt. He thought it was worth a shot. He only had a few days until his court date. Brian was most likely facing jail time yet the only thing that swarmed his mind was Alex. Tanner pulled into the driveway, putting the car in park.

"Okay, here you go," Tanner spoke. He didn't think that this was a good idea, but Brian was stubborn and there was no use fighting with him about it. The older man turned to Brian. "You have a good one."

"Thank you," Brian said to him, offering a small smile. Tanner nodded. Brian inhaled a deep breath before opening the car door. He got out and shut the door behind him. He stood in front of the house for a moment, taking everything in. Here goes nothing, Brian thought.

Tanner pulled out of the driveway, leaving Brian standing there alone. He made his way towards the garage. He could see Alex packing stuff into boxes. She looked sad.

"So, where you movin' to?" Brian asked, nearly giving the girl a heart attack. Alex turned her attention to where the voice came from, frowning at the sight. She was so focused on what she was doing she hadn't even heard him walk up.

"I'm not," Alex said, looking away from him. She went back to packing away all the shit Dom kept in the garage. "Not yet at least," She mumbled. If Mia moved out then Alex would probably have to as well. She couldn't afford that place by herself. Brian stood there, watching her.

"Have you heard from Dom?" Brian asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Alex stopped in her tracks at his words. She shot him an irritated look.

"Seriously, Brian? I mean, that is your name right?" Alex asked, shaking her head. She was trying her hardest to fight back tears. She knew she was being mean but she didn't really care. Alex was hurting. She added a few wrenches to the box in front of her. Please just go away, she thought. It was already hard enough for her to deal with everything going on, having him there simply made it worse. A wave of anger washed over the girl. Alex turned to face the blonde, putting her hands on her hips. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought your job was done, Officer." Her words were laced with venom.

"Well, actually, I'm not a cop anymore," Brian replied, taking a few steps towards Alex. He took his hands out of his pockets. Alex reached over and grabbed some old trophies that Dom had won back in high school, then put them in the box, trying to ignore him. "I quit and they let me go quietly," Brian added with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood. It wasn't working. Alex sighed when she noticed he had yet to leave. She turned to face him again.

"What do you want, Brian? Obviously you want something. You wouldn't be here if you didn't," Alex told him, resting her arm atop of the box on the counter.

"What do I want?" Brian asked, getting even closer to the girl. They were only a few inches apart. Brian smiled down at her. "I want another chance.. with you." As soon as the words left his mouth, tears filled Alex's eyes. She looked away from him then took a few steps back, putting some distance between them. She felt frustrated. She wanted to just take him back and pretend like nothing had happened, but she knew she couldn't do that. They both knew that.

Alex had finally let her guard down and let someone into her life, only for them to just screw her - and her family - over big time. She was terrified of that happening again. She didn't want to get hurt. Who knows if he's even telling the truth right now? Everything before was just a big lie, what makes this time any different? He claims he's not a cop anymore, but what if he is? What if he's just doing this to try and get information on Dom? If he was serious about wanting to get back with her, why bother bringing up Dom? Alex couldn't stop herself from thinking negatively.

"I need time.." Alex spoke after a moment of thought, finally looking up at him. "What you did.. It's not easy to forgive that. I don't know if I ever can," Alex admitted, blinking back a few tears. Brian leaned against the counter, staring intently at her.

"I've got time. I'll wait for you as long as you need me to," Brian said softly, smiling at Alex again. She fought back a smile from his words. He had stayed there with her for a while, helping her out.

Alex really wanted to try. She spent the whole night contemplating the things she and Brian had talked about. The next morning, there was a knock and Alex's front door. She wasn't sure who would be stopping by. The only person she could think of would be Brian. Alex made her way to the door. She unlocked the door, then opened it. She smiled, expecting to see Brian standing there. It faltered when she made eye contact with an older man dressed in a suit. He was beginning to grow bald and the glasses he wore framed his face. She didn't recognize him.

"Can I help you?" Alex asked quietly, unsure of why this man was standing on her porch. Her eyes wandered down to the envelope he held in his hand. Her brows furrowed in confusion. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Good morning, Alexandria. I'm Sergeant Tanner. I'm a friend of Brian's," The man spoke. His voice was a memorable one - it was low and raspy. She stood up straighter at the mention of Brian's name. "He wanted me to give this to you," The Sergeant spoke. He outstretched his arm and handed the dark haired girl the envelope he had.

"Uh, thank you," Alex said, only growing more confused. Why wouldn't Brian just give the contents of the envelope to her himself? The man offered a sympathetic smile before turning around and walking away. Alex raised her eyebrows. She took a few steps back, then closed her front door and locked it.

Alex plopped down on the couch as she began to open the envelope. Inside of it was a letter addressed to Alex. She recognized the handwriting. It was from Brian. She began to read the letter.

Alex,

I don't have much time, so this is gonna have to be short. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you and your family. I really mean it. I'll regret hurting you for the rest of my life. I'm sorry for doing this, but if I stay, I'll just bring you more pain. You don't deserve that. You deserve a better man than me. Running seems like the only option. I wish that things were different. I'm sorry.

Alex's jaw hung slightly ajar. She couldn't believe what she was reading. So he's going to beg for forgiveness and a second chance one day, then the next he's going to disappear? This didn't make sense. Tears filled her eyes. What did he think he was going to accomplish by going on the run from the cops? That would benefit no one. Quickly, Alex stood up. She walked over to the house phone and dialed Brian's cell phone number. It rang and rang, and eventually went to voice mail. Alex huffed in annoyance and called him one more time.

"Pick up the damn phone, Brian.." Alex mumbled, blinking a few times to clear the tears from her eyes. When the call went to voice mail again, Alex angrily hung the phone up. She slid down the wall, sitting down on the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest. Tears began spilling out of her eyes. Everyone that Alex loved had left her.

Now she was utterly alone.