Flashback From The Future XII

Dom sighed, today had been a very hard day for him, one of the hardest and most painful in his life, today he had put his Wife and Father in law to rest, all on the same day.

There was nothing that he or no one else could say to convince him that this was not all his fault, because in a way, it was, everything was, he still could not stop blaming himself for Natasha's death, if only he had gone after her, if only he had looked for her when he did not see her, maybe she would be still here right now, here, with him and their daughter.

Everyone had tried to console him, but if only they knew that he could not be consoled, he could not forgive himself, he just felt so empty, regardless of anything Natasha did or not do, she was his wife, he had promised to everyone that he would love and protect her, and he failed, he felt useless.

Dom removed his tie as he threw it on the dressing table mirror, and he did the same to his suit jacket, he walked to the bathroom in his bedroom bathroom.

He and Joy were back home, everyone needed time to grieve, especially him, he did not think that he would go to the office for a few days, maybe even a week, he needed to think.

Dom turned the tap of his bathroom sink as he washed his face and he looked at his reflection in the mirror, he had red eye from all the crying, he had bags under his eyes, he looked dark and lifeless, with a blank expression on his face.

Dom blinked, he took his towel as he dried his face, no one could feel what he was feeling right now, even he did not wish this type of feeling on his worst enemy, to think that he would never see Natasha again, not her smile, he would not hear her voice any longer, it hurt him, he just wished that she could come back, he would give anything for her to come back, anything at all.

…

Dom sighed once more as he dried his hair with his towel, he had taken a shower, and he was in a plain white t-shirt and blue pants, he threw the towel on the dressing table mirror as he climbed into bed, he needed to go to sleep, he had a splitting headache, he closed his eyes, but he opened them again.

As he laid there in bed, he could not just stop his mind from wandering, his thoughts were raging, he could not sleep at all, he had memories rushing through his head, he turned to look to his left, the empty left side of his bed, where Natasha would always sleep, since she insisted on sleeping in his room.

Dom reached out to touch the left side of his bed, if he knew that this was going to happen, that she would be killed in cold murder, he would not have ever let her go, he would hold onto her, no matter what.

Dom was still deep in his thoughts when he heard a soft knock on his bedroom door.

"Come in" said Dom as his voice came out cracked and the door of his room opened softly as he heard little tiny footsteps.

"Daddy…" called Joy in her soft voice.

"My Princess, is something wrong?" asked Dom as he forced a smile and he sat up straight in his bed.

"Daddy I… I can't sleep" said Joy.

"Oh really?" asked Dom and Joy nodded her head.

"Come here my princess" said Dom as Joy walked to his side of the bed as he caressed her face.

"Did you have a nightmare my Princess?" he asked as he smiled and Joy shook her head no.

"Are you scared?" he asked and Joy nodded her head.

"Oh come here my princess" said Joy as he carried her and he placed her on his lap.

"Don't be scared okay? Everything will be alright" said Dom as he smiled and he gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Do you want to sleep here with me?" asked Dom, and Joy nodded her head.

"Alright then my princess" said Dom as he smiled and he placed Joy in his bed, she was not wearing her slippers.

He tucked her in as she faced him and he smiled at her.

"Do you feel better now?" asked Dom as he smiled and Joy nodded her head.

"Alright" said Dom as he smiled.

"We will sleep here together" said Dom as he smiled.

"Daddy…" called Joy.

"Yes my princess?" asked Dom as he smiled.

"I miss mommy" said Joy as she wanted to start crying again, but no tears would come out.

"Oh my Princess, I miss her too" said Dom as he smiled sadly as he ran his fingers through Joy's curly hair.

"I miss her a lot" said Dom as he sighed.

"But you know what?" asked Dom.

"What?" asked Joy.

"Your mommy loved you very much" said Dom as he smiled.

"And she is always going to be in here, no matter what" said Dom as he smiled and he pointed to Joy's heart as Joy sniffed.

"Daddy…" called out Joy once again?

"Yes my Princess?" asked Dom as he smiled.

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow" said Joy.

"You don't need to my Princess, you will stay home with me" said Dom as he smiled.

"Does that make you feel better?" asked Dom as he smiled and Joy nodded her head.

"Good now, get some sleep my Princess" said Dom as he smiled.

"Goodnight my Princess, sleep tight" said Dom as he smiled and he gave Joy a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight Daddy" said Joy as Dom smiled at her and she closed her eyes, and before long she fell asleep.

Dom looked at his little princess, his angel, and he smiled, she would always and forever be his top priority, now more than ever, he was going to take care of her well, because she was his whole life, and no one else.

Dom smiled, as he breathed out deeply, and he closed his eyes as he forced himself to sleep as well, the days were not going to get any easier for him, and he knew that.

…

"Pete sighed, he could not sleep of course he could not, how could he? How could he sleep when his best friend and the love of his life was murdered, everything was now nothing to him, he promised her that he would find her killer and he would, even if that was the last thing he did.

What was the point of him being in power when he could not help those who mattered most? To think that, that night, he was off duty, he was enjoying himself at home, until he was called, and he saw her… why did it have to be her?? Of all people why her?

Pete sighed, this was getting him nowhere at all, he would end up thinking till morning, he needed to work, that was the only way he would be able to relieve himself, he needed to find whoever did this and fast.

Pete got out of his bed, as he closed the door of his bedroom, and he walked to his office as he opened the door to the office as he switched on the lights and he sat down at his desk, he opened the drawer of his desk as he brought out Natasha's phone, now would be a good time to go through it.

Pete switched on the phone as he could not go any further, he needed to enter a password, so he tried her birthday, but that did not work.

"What is your password Natasha?" asked Pete to himself as he was thinking, so he decided to try Joy's name but that did not work at all.

The phone gave a hint that the password started with the letter I, and L.

Pete had one last try left before the phone locked him out completely.

"Natasha, don't let this be it" said Pete to himself as he sighed and he typed "I Love Dom", and just as he had feared the phone was unlocked.

Pete sighed in frustration, of all the thing, of everyone, even in death, she still loved that man, why??? Why??? Why could she not love him?? After everything, he always wished that maybe if she had met him first, before Dom, maybe she would love him the way he loved her.

"Why Natasha… why?? Why did you love him so much? When he never deserved your love at all, why??" asked Pete as he vented out all his frustration, he had watched, he had loved her from the side-lines, he had been there at her wedding, he watched the love of his life get married to another man, he had decided to love her in silence, because he did not want her to get hurt.

And when she did get hurt, because of that man, he felt like punching him in the face, because he did not take responsibility for their baby, but when Joy was born, everything changed, and so did Natasha, Pete always blamed himself, thinking that if he had insisted, Natasha would have been happier.

"Oh Nat…" said Pete to himself as he sighed, he had to go on, he looked at her phone as he went to the contacts, and he went through her messages, and the last message on her phone was one from an unknown number that read "It is almost time, he is almost here, meet me"

"What the…" said Pete to himself as he knew that he had just found himself the next lead.