This weekend they found themselves in Brno.

"Oh my gosh, look at the...!"

"No way isn't that the....!"

For someone who claims to despise MotoGP and everything about it, Alicia did seem pretty excited to have arrived at the circuit of Brno.

"Thought you said you didn't watch MotoGP?" Alessia smirks. Alicia drops her hand that had been pointing, they were passing in the paddock. "Well I figured, that I'd try to understand what the hell you are talking about when you call me?"

"Right."

"Thank you for being such a supportive friend Alicia." She said, referring to herself.

Alessia was thankful. Getting through this last weekend was going to be alot easier with Alicia present, the thought of Valentino seeing her around knowing that she and Esmeralda would soon leave him behind was tormenting. However having a sunkissed Alicia here, mended her soul, she had reduced her trip to the french riviera with her La Fab friends just to come to Brno.

Valentino and the little family they had together has left her feeling like a selfish homewrecker by not committing. What can she do when unhappy? It's not running away, that she has established, considering going back home means facing the challenges over there.

"Alicia what do you think of this one?" The Tailor said excitedly as they entered their little work space. Of course the tailor tossed Alessia to the side, hearing that her friend, a student of the best fashion and design school in Paris, France, was attending this weekend.

"I'm gonna go for a walk." Alessia announced, making her way towards the door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Alicia asked out of courtesy, really she looked to enjoy chatting with the tailor.

"No it's fine, just make sure Esmeralda doesn't get her hand on the sewing kit.

If he happened to be around it would just be couisndetial, right? Alessia made her way up the busy paddock. Deceiving herself, she kept making her way around in a way that she would always have Valentino's motorhome in sight. Sure she wasn't the only one to do it, many people who had access to the paddock seemed to, just like her, wanna catch the smallest glimpse of Valentino walking by.

"Alessia?" A voice behind her. She did her best to act surprised as she turned around to face Valentino. "Vale?" She said, making sure to raise a brow. He must have come from the garage on his way to the motorhome. Alessia was just coming from the other direction and in between two giant trucks they collided.

"What are you doing?" A light smile roamed his lips.

"Just walking." Alessia hated how timid she suddenly felt. Then there is the awkward pause. "What are you doing?" Alessia swallows. She was seen looking over his shoulder making sure no one was coming up behind him.

"Just came from an interview, now I'm just walking, I guess." Alessia was convinced that the oxygen level was dropping. "Well, have a nice walk." She said hastily, attempting to squeeze past him. Just as their torsos grasp she feels his arm around her wrist. "Wait." He said, with a voice that awakened every nerve in Alessia's body, along with his touch, she was ready to hand over all of her money.

"Yeah?"

"Are you in a rush?" He smirks. Her back was against the side of the truck. Valentino lets go of her wrist and makes more room by taking a step back, leaning against the other truck. Alessia exhales knowing how silly she was acting. She shakes her head "No I'm not."

"Good." He smiles.

"Why is that good?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "If you wanna talk?"

A snort buzzes Alessia's nose. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"I dunno, the weather?" He chuckles. "What do people who've just broken up talk about?"

Broken up, the words make her feel sick.

"Or figuring things out." He is quick to correct, seeing Alessia's gaze fall on to the ground.

Alessia raises her head again, Valentino's kind eyes beaming at her. "Tell me about your day?"

A dimple carves his cheek. "My day..." He hymns, bringing a finger to his chin. "Overall it has been good, I did a couple of interviews, signed a couple of autographs, the fans here are amazing..." It only takes a minute for Alessia to come to the realisation that she could listen to his rambling, all day.

"I saw you walking Esmeralda around the paddock this morning, Alicia was with you." He curled his lips. "Has she been here all weekend?"
Alessia nods, "Yeah, she's driving us home after the race."

"Right." He is seen kicking something invisible on the ground. There is a long pause before either of them speak. All she would like to do is leap forward and cup his cheeks. It takes every bone in her body to contain herself.

"My mother told me that the room is there waiting for you if you want to stay at my house."

"You talked to your mother." Alessia sighs.

"Of course, shouldn't I have?"

"She is gonna hate me Vale, everybody is gonna hate me." Alessia has nowhere to go when Valentino takes a step forward closing the gap between them. "They would never hate you for anything, If I don't hate you I don't see how anyone else could."

"You don't hate me?" It is with shimmering eyes she looks at Valentino.

"Alessia I love you." His hands go to her cheeks. "I mean it everytime I say it, you know."

Alessia feels herself rising to her tippy toes, trying to match his height. She begins counting the lashes on his lid. "Vale, someone might see us."

"I don't care." He whispers, his warm breath caressing the side of her face.

Somehow Alessia was able to walk away unkissed. How? She had no idea.

She was making the right choices for herself, for them. Valentino's words made her more certain, it really was for the best.

Arriving back at the office Alessia is met by no one. The room was empty, the tailor, Alicia and Esmeralda gone. Her face sours, they went for lunch without her.

With a gust of wind the door behind her suddenly flung open. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Alicia exhales. The tab of sweat on her forehead indicates that she had been walking fast, running even.

"What's the matter?"

"Is she here, has she returned?" The tailor appears at the door. When spotting Alessia he sighs disappointingly, "Still missing eh?"

Alessia feels a headache coming on, "What's going on, who's missing?" Alicia leaps forward putting her hands together like a surgeon about to tell that their loved one didn't make it.

"Esmeralda, we were watching her I swear..." Alessia's heart jumps.

The tailor hides behind Alicia. "When we turned around, the door was open and she was gone." How Alessia didn't erupt in a tantrum she has no idea, however she was the first one out of the door.

The tailor and Alicia trails her rapid steps while pleading for their forgiveness. "We've looked everywhere I swear."

"For how long has she been missing?"

"Thirty minutes, an hour, how long were you gone for?" The tailor interrogates. Alessia turns around not wanting to look at them anymore. "Well she couldn't have gotten out of this paddock so let's start fucking looking."

"Unless someone took her." The tailors smothered words.

"Esmeralda!" They shout heading down the paddock. When people stop to ask, they give the description of the little girl, however the paddock is a jungle on a saturday, no one has seen anything.

"Alessia, Fernando!" Alessia sighs, seeing Max Biaggi head towards them. "I've been looking all over for you." Fernado steps in, "My apologies Sir, we..."

"Not now!" Alessia hiss brushing past Biaggi, leaving both him and the tailor with their mouth slightly open. "I'm so sorry Sir," The tailor's face is scarlet. "The child is missing."

"Esmeralda?" Biaggi said. "Where did you see her last?" He asks, catching up to Alessia.

"The office, I was on a walk when..." Alessia feels herself finally panicking.

"Don't worry I'll make sure someone calls security." Biaggi is seen pushing past people heading for the hospitality.

"See, it is all going to be alright." The tailor smiles.

"Fuck you." The words spill out of her like tap water. "Pardon?" The tailor frowns adjusting his collar.

"You heard me."

"Okay let's calm down a bit." Alicia is quick to step in between them. "I don't wanna calm down!" Alessia shouts, removing her friend's comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Security is looking for her." Max Biaggi said as he came running back.

"I want to keep looking."

"I'll help." Biaggi insists.

"Max." She sighs. "You have qualifying to worry ab...."

"Don't worry, you'll need me to get into the garages." Alessia nods, "okay."

"Let's split up,"She said. "I'll go with Max."

It is with the guiltiest of faces she leaves the tailor and Alicia behind, but for the moment she didn't care."

*******

"Esmeralda!" They shout. For every minute that passes, her mind starts imagining the worst, Esmeralda hit by one of those towing trucks around the paddock or what if she is really scared somewhere, scared and alone.

Max and Alessia stop in front of the hospitality. "I'll go see if security has heard anything." He said, leaving her outside.

Alessia takes this opportunity to run down the paddock, she is running towards Valentino's garage. Her hyperventilation continues although reaching her destination. Who can she call? There was no way for her to enter. Remotely standing to the side of the garage, she watches mechanics slip in and out.

"Uccio!" She thought aloud. She should call Uccio.

"Mama!"

"Alessia gasps. Valentino approaches Esmeralda in his arms. "Oh my god Vale you found her!"

"What?" He frowns.

"You found Esmeralda!"

"I guess?" Valentino said unsure. Handing her over to Alessia who to his surprise breaks down in tears. "I'm so sorry baby, Mama is so sorry."

"Lessy, what's the matter?" Valentino is quick to pull her into his embrace.

"Where did you find her?" Alessia sniffles. "Find her? I didn't even know that she was missing?" He said with a light smile.

"What?" She frowns. "Esmeralda has been gone for two hours, where did you find her?"

Valentino's eyes twitch obliviously. "I thought that after we met you went back and got Esmeralda so she could stay with me in the motorhome."

"What did you say?" Valentino steps back seeing the pulse throb in the middle of her forehead. "You left her outside of my door, didn't you?" He stutters.

"Vale, why would I do that?"

"I dunno, I thought you..."
"We have been looking for Esmeralda for hours and you're telling me you had her with you all this time?"

"It's okay, she is okay Lessy" Valenitno pulled Alessia towards him, letting her head rest against him.

"Papa!" Esmeralda smiles clueless.

"I was so scared." Alessia feels herself calming down in his embrace. "I know baby, I'm sorry."

"You found her!" It is with an electrical shock Valentino and Alessia separated, hearing Max Biaggi's voice appear behind them.

"Max?" Alessia said , not knowing how much he saw.

"Where did you find her?" Biaggi continues, not showing any unusual signs. "Err..." Alessia looks at Valentino. "She was playing outside of our garage and then..."

"He found her!" Alessia said in between. "Valentino Rossi found Esmeralda, can you believe it?" She takes a step towards Biaggi who looks at them, hands on his hips. "When I came back outside you were gone." Alessia bit her lip, "Cuz I spotted them from afar, yeah, I spotted Valentino holding Esmeralda and ran here."

Another expressionless gaze, this time directed towards Valentino. When Max Biaggi leaped forwards Alessia didn't know what to expect. "Thanks for finding our kid Rossi." Biaggi shakes his hand. "Could have gone bad if it weren't for you."

Valentino doesn't know how to respond.

"Wouldn't want my favourite girl to return home without her baby now wouldn't we." It is when Biaggi threw his arm around Alessia, Valentino felt every muscle in his body stiffen.

"Let's head back sweetheart." Biaggi winks. Alessia noticed Valentino's sudden reaction, it takes everything for him to contain his emotions.

"Alessia?" Max said, shrugging her shoulders. Still, Alessia doesn't move. With her eyes she is pleading for Valentino not to react, however his eyes had gone dark.

"Baggy!"

Alessia sigh, hearing Esmeraldas joyeuse shout.

"You had me worried there little one." There is nothing Alessia can do when Biaggi unhands her Esmeralda. "Let's head back to the garage so you can watch Biaggi race"

"Yay!"

"I'm sorry." Alessia silently mouths, Valentino is seen angrily walking away, his knuckles as white as snow.

Walking back to the garage Alessia felt herself swallowing a heavy rock. Valentino had looked shattered.

"Did you get his autograph?".

"Pardon?"

"Rossi, did you manage to score an autograph?" Biaggi chuckled, showing off his sparkling teeth. Alessia doesn't answer him.

"Thank god!" Alicia and the tailor emgreged. "Where did you find her?" Alessia feels Biaggi's eyes on her. "Valentino..." She mumbles.

"What was that?" The tailor said, wrinkling his nose. How she wanted to punch that nose.

"Valentino Rossi found her." She said, raising her voice. Alicia and Alessia share a gaze.

"Valetino Rossi?" The tailor said dreamingly "How fascinating.

"I need some air." Alessia excused herself. "But we're outside." The tailor chuckles, raising his hand to feel the breeze. However she takes Esmeralda and keeps on walking.