"NATALIE QUINN TORETTO-KING-SHAW, WHAT the fuck did you do to my house?"

The woman in question winced at the sound of her full name being seethed almost terrifyingly calmly from the other side of her phone; she already knew she was in for a hell of a talk.

She would've preferred to just be yelled at ─ the calculated anger that fuelled Mia Toretto's tone was much more frightening than any amount of screaming and shouting.

Somehow, even Deckard, who was sitting in the passenger seat next to her, managed to catch snippets of his sister-in-law's tone of voice and couldn't help but shudder – it reminded him of when his mother, Queenie, used to reprimand him when he was a teenager (and still sometimes in adulthood), and she was downright terrifying when she wanted to be.

The couple sat in their 2014 Maserati Ghibli, waiting for the perfect moment to drive into the cemetery and disrupt the funeral of Dominic Toretto's dear friend. Whilst they had been simply basking in each other's company, Natalie's personal phone had buzzed in her pocket. The woman knew what was coming and dreaded it with everything in her being, but ignoring her sister would only make it worse.

So, she had to face the consequences of her own actions.

"I...blew it up?" Natalie said sheepishly, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel nervously.

"You blew it up!!" Mia yelled, "Blew it to pieces! ¡Lo destruiste por completo! ¿Sabes cuánto tiempo llevará reconstruirlo? ¡Años, Natalie, años! (You completely destroyed it! Do you know how long it'll take to rebuild? Years, Natalie, years!)"

And there's the yelling, the Shaw woman thought to herself.

Unfortunately, both Toretto women shared the habit of swapping to Spanish when they were arguing or pissed off.

"¡Sí, pero nadie murió! Lo hice para darle una lección a nuestro hermano y pensé que tú, entre todas las personas, lo entenderías. (Yes, but nobody died! I did it to teach our brother a lesson, and I thought you, of all people, would understand that.)" Natalie bit back, "Why do you think the explosion happened when you, Brian, and Jack weren't home?"

Silence ensued on the other end of the phone, allowing Natalie to continue.

"Because I would never, and I mean never, put you or your little family in harm's way. You're my sister, Mia, and I will always protect you, no matter what."

Natalie heard Mia's deep sigh over the phone, making her wonder if she'd gone too far this time ─ she never, ever, wanted to lose her sister.

Mia's mind was running rampant with so many thoughts about the past few days — Han's death, the house blowing up, Hobbs' near death, her family being targeted, and the recent revelation of her being pregnant with her second child.

Everything was happening in such a short amount of time, and it was making the woman's head spin with uncertainty. One of the only things she was absolutely certain of, though, was that Natalie Shaw would rather die than put anyone she loves in danger.

Mia also knew that if Dominic had done to her what he had done to Natalie, the Toretto woman would've done more than just blow up his house — hell, she'd only blow up the house if she knew he was in it.

"Thank you for protecting us, Nat." The Toretto woman whispered, eradicating all doubt and tension from Natalie's body. The Shaw woman visibly sagged in relief, and leant her head back on the headrest before sighing.

Both sisters were silent for a few moments, trying to think of what to say next, but also just enjoying each other's company. They didn't know when they'd next see each other ─ with the war brewing between the two families (or one family, depending on how it was interpreted), and the fact that both Natalie and Dominic are as stubborn as each other, there was a chance it could be a long time before the two sisters met again.

Mia couldn't let that 'long time' be forever.

"I need you to promise me something." The Toretto spoke.

"Anything." The Shaw woman said without hesitation.

"Make sure you protect yourself, too. Dominic deserves to suffer, but losing you can't be the price that the rest of us pay." Mia said firmly, despite her voice being flooded with emotion towards the end of her words.

"I promise." Natalie whispered, forcing the sting in her eyes to subside as she stared at the steering wheel in front of her. She glanced at the watch on her wrist and cursed under her breath ─ it was time to crash the funeral. "I'm really sorry, Mia, but I have to go─"

"That's okay, just keep your promise for me. I love you, Nat. Forever." The Toretto woman said softly, making Natalie smile at their little saying.

"I love you too, Mia. Forever."

Hanging up the phone, Natalie looked towards her husband, who smiled gently at her and moved to cup the side of her face with his calloused hand.

Warmth spread across the woman's cheek, causing them to flush with a light pink. Deckard intently examined every inch of his wife's face, almost trying to reassure himself that they shouldn't just turn the car around and book a flight back to London.

Natalie, as though she had just read his mind, grabbed the hand on her cheek with her own, before pressing a delicate kiss to his palm.

"I'm okay, we can do this." She reassured, pressing one final kiss to his inner hand before removing it from her cheek. Instead, Deckard rested it on her thigh, making the woman grin as she started up the car.

"Let's go crash a funeral." Deckard smirked.

DOMINIC TORETTO STEPPED TOWARDS his close friend's coffin, his eyes locked intently on the large photo that stood next to it. He couldn't believe that Han was gone ─ if anything, he refused to believe it.

But standing at the funeral, surrounded by dozens of people mourning the loss of his friend made it all feel sickeningly real.

Toying with the damaged photograph in his hand, Dominic gently rested it up against the photo of Han. It was Gisele, the woman who had managed to steal Han's heart but unfortunately died on the night of the plane incident.

At least they'll be together now, Dominic thought to himself.

"They say to live in the hearts of those we leave behind is not to die," The Toretto man said, his anger surrounding the situation bubbling to the surface with his next words, "but they put you in this grave, so now I'll do the same to them."

He made the motion of a cross with his hand, lowering his head as his grief washed over him in tidal waves.

Although, it was overpowered by a much more volatile emotion when the low growl of a car engine echoed from his left. He glanced towards the noise, only to find a grey 2014 Maserati Ghibli driving past.

The tinted windows may have prevented him from seeing who was inside, but deep down, he knew exactly who it was. The Shaws.

Natalie grinned at the sight of her estranged brother's eyes being locked on their car, allowing herself to glance at Deckard and joke.

"And we have contact." She said humorously, making Deckard chuckle, before Dominic darted towards his car. Knowing that they had his full attention, Natalie pushed harder on the gas, speeding away from the funeral and towards the cemetery's gates.

Despite having one hand resting on her husband's and only one on the wheel, the Shaw woman's turns were clean and precise, smoother than Deckard had ever seen anyone drive.

But then again, there was only one Natalie Shaw.

Just as they passed through the gates and drove onto the main road, Natalie glanced into her rearview mirror, only to find Dominic a lot further behind than she had thought he was going to be.

"Oh, come on, now he's just making it easy." She muttered sarcastically as she peeled out of the cemetery.

Weaving in and out of cars, Deckard watched as they seamlessly darted through traffic, quicker than he had thought possible, making him grin at his wife. His hand still rested on her thigh, with Natalie's hand resting on top of his knuckles.

They took a sharp right turn onto a busy bridge, but continued to effortlessly weave between the other vehicles. Deckard took a peek at his side mirror, watching as the Toretto's car only just turned the corner.

He scoffed, wondering how everyone believed that Dominic Toretto was the 'best' driver. Had they seen Natalie Shaw race?

The woman pressed her foot down harder on the gas, her eyes locked onto the traffic lights in the distance. It was silly ─ she was fine blowing up houses and working as a mercenary, but running a red light? Oh no, that was where she drew the line with breaking the law.

The light had just turned yellow when the Shaws' car made it to the crossroads, sailing across into the adjacent road. Unfortunately for Dominic, the light turned red before he could do the same, causing him to slam on the brakes.

The tires squealed on the pavement, the friction producing white smoke which clouded around the back end of his car.

Natalie smiled in victory, not bothering to see if he was still tailing them as she knew he would eventually catch up. Taking the opportunity to slow down, the car cruised through the traffic at a nearly-normal speed, before taking the right turn that led to the underground parking.

She drove a decent way into the tunnel before speaking to Deckard.

"Honey, grab the handbrake for me, would you?" She asked, smiling as she sharply turned the wheel to the right, and pressed the clutch down. Deckard quickly grabbed the handbrake, pulling it, causing the rear wheels to lock and start to slide.

Natalie swiftly turned the steering wheel in the opposite direction to align the wheels the way she wanted them. Deckard then released the handbrake, allowing the Shaw woman to let up on the clutch and align the car.

She had seamlessly and without any hesitation achieved an 180-degree turn that would make most people stop dead in their tracks so that they could watch.

The car was now facing the way that they had entered, ready for Deckard to have his showdown with Dominic. Natalie turned to her husband, who couldn't help but grin at his beautiful, talented wife ─ he couldn't believe he had gotten so lucky.

Little did he know, his wife was thinking the same; she couldn't believe that Deckard Shaw was her husband, and was one of the most supportive and caring people she'd ever met.

Leaning over the console, Deckard delicately cupped the back of her neck with his warm, calloused hand, before gently pulling his wife towards him. Natalie smiled as she leant in and met her husband's lips with her own.

The two moved in synchronisation for a long moment before pulling away, and resting their foreheads together. Natalie's hand reached up to rest on her husband's stubbled jaw, whilst Deckard's thumb traced his wife's now slightly swollen bottom lip.

The Shaw woman couldn't resist and leaned in for one last lengthy kiss before moving away, smirking at the mock annoyance on her husband's face. Opening her car door and stepping out, Natalie winked at Deckard whilst wiping away her smeared lipstick with her thumb.

"Have fun." She said in a singsong tone, making Deckard grin and shake his head as he got out of the car, and climbed into the driver seat.

Natalie strutted over to the shadows, waiting for Dominic to arrive, and therefore the perfect moment to step back into the light.

Right on cue, the squealing of tires resonated throughout the dark space as the Toretto's car came into view. It rolled to a stop quite a distance away from Deckard's car.

Because the two were now facing each other, Dominic could see through the windscreen and into the car; he frowned at the sight of only one Shaw, having expected there to be two. Instead of dwelling on the absence of his estranged sister, the Toretto revved his engine, prompting Deckard to do the same.

The Shaw woman couldn't help but roll her eyes at their antics, watching as they flooded the backend of the cars with smoke and exhaust. If she had blinked, she would've missed the moment that both cars began hurtling toward each other, and showing no signs of swerving or slowing down.

They smashed into each other, completely obliterating the front ends of their vehicles — though Dominic's car certainly took the brunt of the crash, as the front was completely crushed by the Shaw's reinforced chassis.

Worry crept into Natalie's veins, despite her knowing that her husband was absolutely fine and could handle a little crash.

Deckard climbed from the driver seat, seemingly uninjured, whilst Dominic struggled to open his door and stumbled from his seat. The Toretto had grabbed a sledgehammer from within his totaled car and used it to support himself.

Standing straight and cracking his neck, Dominic clutched the wooden handle of his weapon tighter.

Natalie smirked when her husband rolled his eyes, knowing that he was just as sick of the Toretto as she was.

"You never should've messed with a man's family." Deckard said, clenching his fists.

"I told your brother the same thing." Dominic announced almost smugly, as though it proved he wasn't in the wrong. Rolling his shoulders to release the tension caused by the collision, the Toretto eyed Deckard's wrecked car.

"Reinforced your chassis — it's like going into a ring with weighted gloves." He said, acting as though there were rules that everyone had to abide by; Natalie couldn't help but reach to grab the handle of the pistol tucked into her hip holster.

Deckard glanced at his wife momentarily, spotting her moving in the shadows and towards Dominic. He knew what she was doing, and needed to keep Toretto occupied for her.

"Your mistake. I'm not here to play games. See, you and me? We're from different worlds. Trust me, we've seen a lot meaner streets than the ones you're used to." The Shaw man retaliated, getting a peek of familiar brown hair over Dominic's shoulder.

Confusion swept over Toretto's face as he mulled over the mercenary's words.

"We?" He questioned, referring to Deckard's last sentence, only to freeze at the feeling of cold metal being pressed against the back of his head. The safety was then clicked off, forcing the man to stand as still as he possibly could to avoid a bullet to the brain.

"Oh, don't tell me you thought this was gonna be a street fight?" Natalie mocked, knowing that was exactly what her brother was thinking.

She pushed the pistol harder against his skull; her finger grazed the trigger as she prepared to pull it, only to flinch at the sound of rapid gunfire behind her.

Several of Nobody's agents repelled from the ceiling, completely consumed by black protective gear as they rained bullets down on the three people on the ground.

Thankfully, they couldn't aim for shit.

Natalie darted towards her husband, who was ushering her towards him with one of his hands whilst the other returned fire — he had grabbed the submachine gun stashed in his jacket pocket and began open firing at the agents.

Despite being in heeled boots, the Shaw woman's pace was quick and steady as she ran towards an exit, hand in hand with Deckard.

She could barely hear her own thoughts thanks to the gunfire echoing throughout the large, underground space, but she did know one thing for sure: Dominic Toretto wasn't getting out of there unscathed.

Looking over her shoulder, Natalie raised the gun still clutched tightly in her hand and aimed for the one person she truly wanted to hurt.

Her first shot resonated through the space like a warning; it hit the car just inches from where Dominic was cowered, trying to avoid the mass amount of bullets.

Her second shot, though, hit its mark. The Toretto grunted in pain when flames erupted in his left shoulder, the warmth flooding down his bicep in the form of a deep red liquid he was all too familiar with — blood.

Natalie smirked to herself, before focusing on fleeing with her husband. The two ducked behind various parked cars, using them as shields whilst they made their way to the exit.

The bullets sparked against the metal as they embedded themselves in the vehicles' doors. Flinching at the grating sound, the Shaws pushed themselves to run faster until they finally reached the stairs.

Deckard returned fire one last time, pushing Natalie towards safety before dashing after her. To their surprise, Nobody's men didn't follow them, allowing the two to take a breath as they hiked up the flights of steps that led to the streets of LA, still hand in hand.

DESPITE DECKARD'S PROTESTS, THE two Shaws split up ─ Natalie needed to go to her and her husband's safe house to work on her car (which was in the garage there), and Deckard was needed by Finnick, who wanted some help choosing weapons for the next steps in their plan.

So, that was why Natalie was strolling up the driveway of their LA home after having a cab drop her off.

Reaching for the keys in her jacket pocket, the Shaw woman stepped up to the front door and tried to push the house key into the lock, only to have the door creak open at her touch, already unlocked.

Her hand instantly went for the backup pistol in her ankle holster. She crouched down, grabbing the weapon before rising to her full height and clutching it military-style, just as Andy had taught her.

Carefully stepping into the house, Natalie held the gun out in front of her, trying to make her steps as silent as possible. A floorboard groaned under her boots, making the woman wince as she paused and listened for any movement other than her own.

When the house remained silent, Natalie cautiously advanced into the living room, scanning it meticulously for any signs that someone had been there. Nothing looked like it had been moved or even touched, so the Shaw woman advanced to the kitchen.

Everything looked the same as it did when she had last stayed, making her confused. Natalie refused to be caught off guard, and began to head towards the stairs so that she could check the upper floor.

Before she could even climb a singular step, something sounded as though it had crashed to the ground ─ her head snapped towards the noise, her grip on the gun tightening as she headed towards what she had come to the house for in the first place: the garage.

Flicking off the safety, Natalie all but tiptoed towards the garage door whilst she tried to remain as silent as possible. Her heart ricocheted off her ribcage ─ it pounded violently in her chest and echoed in her ears, the blood rushing throughout her body in an adrenaline-fuelled haste.

The door was open by a slither, allowing the Shaw woman to gently push it open without making any noise. At first, Natalie didn't see anyone, but she quickly caught sight of a large figure admiring her dark red 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 with their back to her.

Darkness cloaked the room, making it hard for the Shaw woman to determine who was in her garage: they had broad shoulders and large biceps which were hugged by the skin tight t-shirt they wore, as well as military-grade cargo pants tucked into a pair of combat boots─wait.

Natalie felt the air leave her lungs as she bore holes into the intruder's back with her shocked stare. She instinctively lowered her gun, watching as the figure turned to face her.

"Oh my god..." She paled, her body frozen as the man grinned at her, arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, Tal, I heard you were giving our big brother a taste of his own medicine."

"Jakob."

DECKARD BEGRUDGINGLY OPENED THE front door to the King's large LA safe house, annoyed that he had to help Finnick instead of staying with his wife.

"Finnick!" He yelled, pushing the door closed behind him. "Where are you?"

Grumbling under his breath, Deckard tossed his keys to the left of him and onto the small, wooden table. He ran a hand over his face, irritated that seemingly, no one was home, including the man who dragged him there in the first place.

Determined to find someone, anyone, that could tell him where the weapons specialist was, the Shaw man began walking toward the living room, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by someone he hadn't seen in six whole years.

He clenched his jaw, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions whilst he was unable to break eye contact with the person sitting in the armchair. Deckard felt like bile was creeping, slowly but surely, up his throat, almost like some sort of impending doom.

Surely he was hallucinating.

The figure toyed with the necklace around their neck, which happened to have a grenade pin looped onto the chain. Their sharp blue eyes bore into Deckard's brown ones, feeling as though they were reaching into his soul and pulling out thoughts and feelings he had long since buried.

Deckard opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't bring any words to form ─ he closed it again, his mind going completely blank.

The woman smirked, enjoying making the Shaw man squirm in his own skin.

"You seriously didn't think that you could avenge our brother without me, did you?" She quipped, tilting her head to the side and pouting slightly.

"Hattie."

"The one and only." Hattie Shaw grinned, a devilish glint in her eye catching the light.

HAYLEY WRITES...
so... both hattie and jakob
have made very early
appearances. how do we feel?

i hope you enjoyed this
chapter! let me know what
you thought in the comments.
i love reading your thoughts :)

also, please note that i know
pretty much nothing about cars
and how they work, so any tricks
or technical stuff is just a
BUNCH of googling. i'm sorry
if any of it is incorrect 🫶

i want to do some extra stuff
for this book, but i need yall's
opinions and whether it would
be interesting. if you'd like to see
it, please drop a comment next to
it!

1. spotify playlist

2. one-shot book

3. graphics gallery (filled with
manips, aesthetics etc)

4. a spin-off book that dives more
into the other romances within
this book (e.g the kings & their
partners, and eventual couples that
i won't spoil haha)

5. more chapters throughout
the main book that aren't to do
with the main action plots of the
films (basically just more cute
family moments)

if you have any ideas for any of
these (like songs for the playlist
or one shot ideas), please comment
them!

anyways, i hope you enjoyed!

until next time, lovelies :)