Author's note: Hi everyone! This is Mandolin016  ! I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the heated championship battle. I sure am! I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with this book even if updates are slow. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! Don't forget to submit any ideas or requests you may have via a message to @crxscxntmoon or myself. As always, votes and comments are very much appreciated. Each and every one makes our day! This chapter is a little more sentimental, but also gives insight to how I imagine some of the drivers' lives will be 7 years from now. There is also a tiny sneak peek to a story of my own I am writing coming some time in early 2022. Thanks again!❤️

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[age of 14]
written by fleur
Mandolin016

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2028

Max Verstappen had won his third world championship in 2027, and Charles Leclerc was out for revenge. Finishing second was never fun when you are in the fight for a win. He already had one championship under his belt, and now he wanted his second. 2028, he decided, would be the year he would stop Max's dominance of the past few years.

Charles had seldom been in Monaco, spending many of his off days at the factory and on the testing track. Charlotte and the rest of the family had stayed in Monte-Carlo for most of the year, except for the summer break when a much-needed vacation in Greece took place. Charles felt bad that he wasn't home as much, but he was leading the championship into late September.

It had been his engineer who persuaded him to stay home the week between Russia and Japan. "You need some time to see the family and relax. Max is behind an entire race win behind you, so you won't need to worry about being behind." So Charles had taken off, and he was glad for the chance to get to drive Morgane to and from school and spend more time with her when she wasn't in school. Even if it was only for a few days.

It was Friday afternoon now, and Charles was waiting outside the school to pick up his goddaughter. At 6:00 pm, him and Charlotte had to be in Nice to have dinner with Pierre Gasly and his wife. But first, he had something he had been meaning to do with Morgane for a while.

Charles sat in his parked Ferrari in the school pick-up line as he scrolled through his personal private Instagram. Most of the drivers had a separate private account like he did, so he was reading the comments on George Russell's recent wedding post when a loud knock on the  passenger side window caused him to jump in his seat. He looked to see Morgane and her friends giggling outside. He rolled his eyes, unlocked the door, and she threw her backpack into the back seat before bidding her friends goodbye and getting in the passenger seat.

"You scared me!" Charles said when she closed the door. Morgane giggled, "You looked very focused on whatever you were reading, so Simon said I should scare you."

Charles shook his head, "Simon Lavigne being a troublemaker? Never could have guessed" he said sarcastically.

Morgane giggled as Charles smirked and pulled out of the parking lot. He took a left, the opposite direction from their apartment. "We have somewhere to go before we go home," he told Morgane, his face turning serious.
"And where is that?" Morgane asked inquisitively.
"You will see." Charles answered.
Morgane sighed and looked out the window. They were now driving up a long winding road to the top of the Monégasque cliffs. Morgane recognized the area.
"Why are we at the cemetery?" She asked. She had only been there a handful of times before; she had only been taken to see Jules' grave once when she was five for the anniversary of his death. The other visits had been for non-relatives, such as for Simon's grandmother's funeral two years ago.
"We are going to see where your father's grave is." Charles responded matter-of-factly. He himself didn't come here often and he didn't see much of a reason to. Jules wasn't even buried in the Monaco Cemetery: his ashes had been spread over the Mediterranean Sea as per his wishes. But lately, Charles had been wanting to go visit the stone wall that had his godfather's name carved on it.
Morgane looked at Charles. "We have only done this once" she recalled. Her godfather hummed in response as he parked the car next to the rusty gates. "I wanted to see how it looks before I go to Japan. I can't believe it's been 14 years." He said quietly before they got out of the car.

The two walked silently hand in hand through the rows of crowded centuries-old stones until they reached the long wall bearing the names of those who had been cremated instead of buried.
"Here we are," Charles said. He pointed to one of the tiles at the bottom of the brown stone wall. Jules BIANCHI 1989-2015 it read. A small picture of the late driver was below his name. A few bunches of red flowers adorned the flat grey stone below the tile. Some small toy cars, pictures, candles, and even a Ferrari hat had been brought by fans. Besides some of the other famous graves in the cemetery, Jules seemed to have the most momentos left to him.
Morgane looked up at Charles. "Why are we really here?" She asked him. He took a deep breath. "Why not?" he responded casually, "I told you, I am leaving for Japan on Sunday, so I thought we should have a look around."
Morgane nodded skeptically. Why would Charles want to visit now, if he hadn't in the years before? If she had to guess, maybe he was feeling more sentimental lately now that Charlotte was pregnant with their first child.

The two stood there for a few minutes, staring at the name in front of them and thinking their own thoughts. After a while, Morgane squeezed her godfather's hand a little. "Are you ok, Charles?" She whispered to him. She had noticed the silent tear dripping down his cheek.

"I am ok." He said, in more of an attempt to convince himself.

"No, you are not." Morgane told him, "I know you are sad."

"We all get sad sometimes. I miss your father, that's all."

Charles wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Is it weird to you that I'm going to be.... that Charlotte and I are having a baby?"

"No, it's not weird,"  Morgane assured him, "It's actually kinda fun."

Charles smiled sadly. "I'm glad you are excited." He told her. "I am too. But I'm scared as well."

His goddaughter nodded understandingly. "Is it about Charlotte wanting to paint the nursery that shade of yellow you don't like? I will tell her for you. I know she's set on it but we can still convince her!"

"Pfft, no!" Charles half-laughed, "I'm scared about my job and the baby. What will happen if...." he took a deep breath as his face turned serious, "if I.... end up like your father or Anthoine or whoever. I want to see the baby grow up!"

Now he was crying again. Charles moved to sit on the stone bench a few feet away. Morgane joined him and put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "The cars are better now. And other drivers have kids and they race."

Charles nodded and sniffled. He knew that of course, but the worry was still there. How could he not be worried, with everything that happened in his life and to people he cared about?

"You can't live your whole life in fear, Charles. That would be ridiculous." Morgane told him. "If I lived my whole life thinking that you could die racing I would never get anything done!" She threw her hands up in mock exasperation, "Life moves on."

Charles nodded, as he considered his goddaughter's words. She sounded so grown up for her age, most likely owing to the situation life had handed her. She was right, too. Up until now, he frankly didn't care about the dangers of racing. They are there, as always, but he left his fate up to whatever higher power his belief had varied in overtime. Now, however, for the first time in Charles' life, it felt like he had to be the one to control his own fate in the racing car. He was going to be a father, after all.

"You are right...." he told Morgane, "but I know that this is easier for you to say. You don't fully understand everything because you haven't been told everything. It's not your place to worry, ok?"

Morgane nodded her head and patted Charles' shoulder. "I love you" she whispered before giving him a big hug.

Charles smiled, and whispered "I love you too mon ange."

The girl stood up, and pulled her godfather by the hand to her own father's grave a few steps away. She looked up at Charles, the man who raised her, and back down at the name Jules BIANCHI, the man who should have been able to raise her. "I love you both." She said quietly.

Charles nodded. "And I love you both."

Morgane grabbed his hand again and the two walked in silence down the row of names and stones. She watched as Charles stole a last quick glance at the one they had left behind before they rounded the corner to head back to the car.

They got into the Ferrari, and clicked their seatbelts in unison. Charles reversed and began to drive down the long twisty road.

The rest of the ride home consisted of Morgane telling Charles's about her day: about how Maëlys and her started practicing a new song in piano class, about Simon's latest stupid puns, and the painting she had finished in art class. Charles listened intently; he liked hearing about her day.

"Charlotte said you are going to dinner with Pierre and Manon?" Morgane asked him, referring to the Alpine driver and his wife.

Charles nodded. "Yes. I am." He had no idea why Pierre had asked to have a "celebratory dinner" before heading off to Japan. He really hoped that the Gasly's were going to announce a pregnancy to him and Charlotte, given Manon and Pierre desperately had been wanting and trying for a baby since the beginning of their marriage five years ago but were so far unsuccessful.

"Please don't tell me you are wearing that awful Armani suit." Morgane said exasperated, breaking his thoughts.

Charles laughed remembering the grey floral suit he had worn to the opera a few months ago. It was pretty bad, he thought. So bad that pictures of the ensemble had gone viral for all the wrong reasons. "Maybe I will!"

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