Redoing My Life (Modern Family)

The house Vin had invited me to was luxurious yet surprisingly welcoming. It was an intricate mix of Hollywood glitz—polished marble floors and exquisite artwork—yet it also managed to have an earthy, lived-in warmth that made you feel at ease. A staff member by the door gave me a friendly nod and let me inside.

As I stepped further in, I immediately noticed a familiar face—Paul Walker, whose easygoing smile reached me before he did.

"Hey! There he is! We were just talking about you," Paul said, his face lighting up. He put a casual arm around me, guiding me deeper into the house. His friendliness was genuine, making me feel like I'd known him for years, even though we'd only met a few times before.

"Vin! Daniel's here!" Paul called out, his voice carrying over the hum of casual conversations and laughter. Vin Diesel, who was chatting with Gal Gadot, turned around at Paul's announcement. His gravelly voice carried easily across the room as he approached, his smile widening at the sight of me.

"Ah, the big man himself!" Vin's voice rumbled with enthusiasm, his arms extended. He wrapped me in a bear hug before I could even react, his embrace practically knocking the wind out of me. With one arm still draped over my shoulder, he turned toward the gathered cast.

"Here's the wonder man himself—Daniel Adler!" Vin announced with such warmth, I couldn't help but smile despite the awkwardness. I raised my hand and gave a small wave.

My eyes scanned the crowd, noting familiar faces and some new ones. Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock, was approaching from the back of the house, nodding at me in acknowledgment. We'd already met, but it was still something seeing the guy in the flesh—massive, even more so in person, and every bit the larger-than-life persona he carried on-screen.

Vin clapped my back and began introducing me to the rest of the cast, walking me through the group gathered in the living room.

"Daniel, this is Jordana Brewster," Vin said, gesturing to the brunette standing to his right. She smiled warmly, shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Daniel. Vin says a lot about you," Jordana said.

"All good, I hope?" I asked, and she laughed.

"Only good things," she assured me, and I returned the smile.

Next to Jordana stood Ludacris, who nodded in greeting before giving me a quick handshake.

"Tyrese!" Vin shouted over to another corner. Tyrese Gibson came strutting over, wearing a wide grin.

"Hey, hey, hey! Look who it is! It's the mastermind!" Tyrese boomed, pointing at me theatrically.

"Yes, this is he," Vin said.

"Thank you for writing me in," Tyrese said, his tone sincere despite the theatrics.

Vin led me over to a quieter spot in the room, where Sung Kang stood, casually sipping on a drink.

"Sung, meet Daniel."

Sung gave me a nod, extending his hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise," I replied, appreciating his cool and laid-back vibe.

Lastly, Vin brought me to Gal Gadot, who smiled brightly when Vin introduced us.

"So, this is the guy?" she said in her accent, her eyes sparkling with interest.

"Guilty as charged," I responded. "Nice to meet you."

"Vin says you wrote the script in a week."

"More like two or three weeks," I said.

"That is still impressive," she said.

I continued mingling, and after some time Justin Lin arrived as well.

"Come on, Daniel. Let's get you a drink," Vin said, pulling me toward the bar area where The Rock was.

I couldn't help but notice how strange it was seeing Vin and The Rock interact so cordially, given what I knew about how things would unravel between them over the next few years. But for now, there were no signs of the feud that would dominate headlines in the future. They laughed together, The Rock giving Vin a friendly pat on the shoulder as they exchanged jokes.

As Vin left to talk with Justin, I found myself chatting with The Rock. It wasn't long before we both started diving into a more focused conversation.

"So, Hobbs," I said, "he's going to be a major player in 'Fast Five' and beyond."

"And beyond?" The Rock said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think if the audience loves Hobbs as much as I believe they will, there might be spin-offs on the horizon. You know what I mean?"

The Rock grinned, a self-assured gleam in his eye. "Oh, they're gonna love it, trust me," he said. "Hobbs is exactly the type of character I can play—a guy who gets things done, no nonsense, and packs a serious punch. People will love it."

I nodded. "I can already see people clamoring for more Hobbs. He's not the kind of character you just introduce and forget about."

Dwayne chuckled. "And what can I say? I never shy away from owning the screen," he added, that unmistakable Rock confidence radiating from him.

Seeing an opportunity, I slowly started shifting the conversation to another one of his worlds—wrestling. "By the way," I said, taking a sip from my glass, "WrestleMania 28... that match, man. It was incredible. Absolutely lived up to the hype."

The Rock smiled, nodding. "Thank you, brother. It was good to be back in that ring—there's nothing quite like it."

"I hear WrestleMania 29 might be the two of you again?" I said casually.

The Rock gave me a look, his eyes narrowing in mock suspicion. "Rumors, rumors," he said, shaking his head. "Don't go reading the dirt sheets. Meltzer and his friends just ruin the fun."

I laughed, raising a hand in mock surrender. "No, no, but let's be real. If it's true—hypothetically, of course—that rematch is going to get memed to death. You know what I mean. It was 'Once in a Lifetime,' right? Now it's... 'Twice in a Lifetime'?" I gave him a playful grin, and he looked at me, clearly amused but maybe a bit wary.

The Rock leaned closer, giving me that raised eyebrow look. "I hear you. I hear you, man."

I nodded, then took a more serious tone. "But seriously, as a fan—and I mean this from a purely fan perspective—I'd like to see something different, you know?"

"Different, huh? Like what?"

I smiled, leaning in. "Add CM Punk to the mix. I mean, he's the reigning champ, one of the longest in decades. Imagine—make it a triple threat."

He looked at me, now more intrigued. "Triple threat, huh?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. And here's the best part: you won't even have to take the pin."

The Rock's eyes lit up with interest. Clearly, this was something he hadn't considered. "Won't have to take the pin," he repeated.

"Exactly. Obviously, Cena's winning, but you can have Punk take the fall. You're too big right now, man. You're going to explode in the movie industry—I can already feel it," I said, stroking his ego just enough to drive the point home. As a fan, I felt obligated to try and change wrestling history to make it a bit more, well, interesting.

The Rock rubbed his chin, considering it. "Hmm, you know, that would be pretty big. Bigger than the first one, right?"

"Definitely," I agreed, leaning back. "Could be even bigger than last time. You get a fresh element, keep the fans guessing, and keep the excitement high."

The Rock nodded, seemingly lost in thought for a moment before he looked back at me. "Alright, alright. I think I get it, man. It's something to think about."

I flashed him a grin. "If anyone can sell Vince on this, it's you, man. You're The Rock."

He laughed, nodding again. "We'll see, Daniel. You make a good case, though."

With that, I let the topic settle, giving him some time to mull it over. It was clear I had at least planted the seed of an idea in his head.

From there, I moved on to talk to some of the other people scattered around the party, mingling with both familiar faces and new ones.

Eventually, I found myself face to face with Michelle Rodriguez, who was sipping on something that looked like a mojito.

"Ah, the wonder guy everyone's buzzing about," Michelle said.

"Just a normal guy named Daniel," I replied.

"So, Daniel, got a question for you," Michelle began, her eyes narrowing playfully as she sipped her mojito. "Any chance you could resurrect my character? I mean, Letty deserves a comeback, right?"

I chuckled, pretending to mull it over, rubbing my chin theatrically. "So… no one told you?" I said with a mock-serious face.

Michelle blinked, confusion flickering across her face. "Told me what?"

Before I could respond, Vin Diesel appeared, seemingly catching the tail end of our conversation. He placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder, his broad smile lighting up the room. "Well, I guess there's no point hiding it now, huh, Daniel?"

I nodded, throwing up my hands in mock defeat. "Alright, alright. The cat's out of the bag. We're bringing you back, Michelle. Letty's coming back for Fast 6. Or is it Fast and Furious 6?" I said, glancing at Vin for confirmation.

"We're still workshopping the name," Vin added with a laugh.

Michelle's eyes widened, her shock giving way to excitement. "Wait, are you serious? You're not messing with me, right?" Her gaze darted between Vin and me, her smile growing as realization set in. "I thought I was done for good!"

"Not anymore," I said, grinning. "We're bringing you back—big time."

The ripple effect of the news was instant. As the conversation spread, the other cast members started reacting.

"You guys are already working on a sixth movie?" Jordana Brewster asked, her tone equal parts surprised and impressed.

"Oh, yeah," Paul Walker interjected with a knowing smile. "They're way ahead."

Vin laughed, nodding. "Daniel here already wrote the story for the sixth."

Tyrese Gibson, overhearing, couldn't contain himself. "Hold up! There's gonna be a sixth one already?!"

"It's true," I said, smiling as I shrugged. "I've got it all mapped out."

Ludacris shook his head, his expression a mix of amusement and amazement. "Damn, Vin, where'd you find this guy?" He turned to me, clearly impressed. "You've already got all this planned out? That's some serious hustle."

I smiled modestly. "It's been a lot of fun. I even have the seventh movie in my head—just need to get it all down on paper."

"Number seven, too?" Gal Gadot asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Yup," I said with a grin.

"Damn, we hit the freakin' jackpot!" Ludacris declared, his words earning a round of laughter from the group.

Vin gave me an approving nod, clearly proud of the reaction I'd sparked. 

We spent more time talking, laughing, and sharing a few drinks as the party carried on. But as the night wore on, I decided it was time for me to head out. I began saying my goodbyes when Vin caught up to me, pulling me aside to a quieter corner of the house.

His demeanor had shifted slightly, from the jovial host to something more earnest. He clasped my shoulder, his expression serious. "Daniel, I've gotta ask you something."

I raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind?"

Vin took a breath, his voice lowering. "You've already helped out with Fast, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that. But… there's another project I've been dying to bring back."

"What is it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Riddick," Vin said, his voice carrying the weight of years of passion. He leaned in slightly, his tone resolute. "I want to do another Riddick film. I've been wanting to for a long time, but I need someone with vision. Someone who gets it, you know? And you've got that vision, Daniel. You can make it happen."

The unexpected request caught me off guard. "Riddick, huh?" I echoed, letting the thought settle. I could see the fire in his eyes—this was something deeply personal to him.

Vin nodded, his gaze unwavering. "Yeah. I know it's not Fast, but it's a story I care about. And I need someone like you to bring it to life."

I paused, weighing my words carefully. I didn't want to dismiss the idea outright but wasn't ready to commit either. "I hear you, Vin. Let me think about it, alright? It's definitely an interesting challenge."

Vin's face softened into a grateful smile, and he clapped me on the shoulder. "That's all I ask, brother. Just think about it. I know you've got a lot on your plate."

"Alright, Vin," I said with a nod. "I'll give it some thought—I promise."

With that, I finally made my way out, giving the cast waves and goodbyes as I stepped into the night.

The ride home was quiet, the city lights blurring past as I replayed the evening in my mind. Vin's request lingered, a question mark hovering in my thoughts. Riddick... It wasn't something I had been planning, and it would be a challenge. But there was something compelling about it—something worth considering.

"Maybe," I muttered to myself, leaning back in my seat. "Just not right now."