Redemption {Charles Leclerc}

24

Charles' POV. 

"Hi Sebastian," you say with a sigh as you rub Sophia's back at the same time. 

He must be so confused and worried. You've been wanting to text him back ever since you brought Sophia to safety but you couldn't do it without her permission. Last night, you asked her if she wanted to contact someone and she didn't mention him so you had to respect that.  

"Charles. I'm... I'm so confused. What's going on? What happened to her? What happened with Sophia? I just... I have so many questions. Where are you right now? Is she okay? Is she safe?" Sebastian immediately throws about ten questions at you. 

You can't blame him. You can hear the fear in his voice. He's scared of whatever happened to his little sister and if there's anything you've noticed recently then it's that their bond is extremely strong. You have a very good relationship with your brothers but it's nothing like theirs. They seem to know each other through and through and you have a feeling they tell each other everything. It's beautiful to see though, especially with their age gap. 

"Okay listen Seb. I think it's easier if you just let me talk for one minute. I don't know much and it's not my place to tell everything but what I can tell you is that she's okay now. She's safe." 

You hear Seb sigh in relief. 

"Thank god," Seb says as he sighs in relief. "I was so fucking worried. What happened Charles?" 

You take a deep breath and then decide to tell him everything you know. 

"I... we were at the party and uhh... at some point I left because... yeah just because I wasn't exactly in the mood after today's race and uhm... when I came back... Skyler and Max were all upset and crying. They were very drunk... they told me Soap went back to the hotel alone because she... she was tired and... and she convinced Skyler to stay with Max because she didn't want to ruin her night."

You decide not to tell him the real reason that you've left the party. You'll tell him one day. But not now. He's gonna be so angry with you and you're not sure if you can handle that right now.  

You take a pause for a second as you look down at Sophia leaning against your chest. You're still rubbing her back softly but she's not responding at all. When you look at her face and her eyes in particular, she seems zoned out, like she's on a complete other planet. You wonder whether she even hears what you're saying right now. 

Maybe it's for the better if she doesn't. You can imagine it's not very pleasant for her to hear the story. 

You continue telling Sebastian what you know. 

"Sophia promised Skyler to text her when she got back to the hotel but she didn't and... and Skyler said that's nothing like Sophia and that she always texts back. So we tried to call her but she couldn't be reached. I went to go search for her... Max and Skyler were too drunk to drive anywhere so they had to stay there and they asked everyone at the party whether they knew anything. So I drove around and tried to find her but I just had no idea where to go. Then I went to the hotel to ask whether she had checked in but the hotel staff told me they hadn't seen her anywhere. I... I was so worried Seb. I've never been so scared in my life." 

You bite your lip to prevent your tears from falling. It's painful to even think about how you felt in that moment. You know it's nothing compared to how Sophia is feeling and probably how Sebastian is feeling but it still hurts. You know it's selfish and you hate that you feel sorry for yourself but you do. 

"I... I just started driving around and then...." You take a deep breath. "Then I found her Seb. Out on the streets. She... she wasn't in a good state. Uhm... she was very cold and anxious and very... just helpless. She was hurt as well. I actually wanted to bring her to the hospital but she wouldn't let me Seb, I promise. I wanted to but she... she was so scared. She convinced me she didn't need any medical attention so I didn't call an ambulance. I don't know if what I did was right or wrong but... yeah I couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Seb." 

You feel yourself getting upset again. You're still not sure whether you've made the right decision and whether Seb will understand. 

"It's okay Charles, it's okay. I know how convincing she can be regarding that topic. I... I can't really explain why... but I'm sure you did whatever is best for her. Is she okay though?"

"Yes, yes, she's fine now. At least as far as she can be. I brought her to my hotel room and... and yeah made sure she calmed down and warmed up. She seems okay now, physically at least. She's got quite a big bump on her forehead and she has many bruises and... I don't know... weird spots but she's still able to move herself around. She did just throw up like a couple of times but I think it's because of the anxiety and not medical related. I... I don't know anything else Seb. I have my suspicions about what might have happened but she hasn't told me a lot. I think... I think you should talk to her when she gets home. She really needs to talk to someone she trusts." 

You once again look down at Sophia and see that she's still zoned out. You give a quick peck on here forehead and sigh. Whatever happened to her, it's eating her up inside. It seems like she's trying to keep her emotions in and you want nothing more than to tell her again that she should let it go.

But you can't. You're not in a place to tell her. You haven't earned her trust yet. 

At least, that's what you assume. 

You suddenly hear Seb sigh and you're pretty sure he's crying too. 

"I... I don't know what to say. I just... I'm coming towards you right now, Charles. I need to see her. I just need to see her to know that she's okay, to see with my own eyes that she's safe. I'm driving back to Austria right now." 

You understand his reaction but you quickly introduce a better idea, something you already had in mind before calling Seb. 

"How about I take her home? I mean, my jet is still here and I need to go to Monaco anyways so Switzerland is just along the way. It's probably the most convenient option as it will get her home as fast as possible. Skyler can come too ofcourse. I can make sure they get home safely. But only if you're okay with it ofcourse, and Sophia is too!" 

You hear a sigh after which a moment of silence follows. He's probably thinking about your proposal. 

"Can you hand the phone back to Soph?" he asks kindly. 

You nod, although you're not sure if she even knows what's going on right now. 

"Yeah, yes ofcourse."

You softly shake Sophia's body and try to catch her eyes. 

"Hey Soap... Sophia... Sebastian wants to talk to you again. Are you there?" 

It takes a good few seconds before she moves but then she suddenly blinks her eyes and you can tell that she's back. You have no clue how she just zoned out and in like that but she did. 

You smile softly. 

"It's Seb again," you tell her as you hand her the phone. 

She leans away from your chest and sits straight. She smiles sweetly and takes the phone from you.

"Thank you," she says softly. 

You nod and watch how she listens to Sebastian. He's probably proposing the idea to her. 

Sophia nods and you hear her respond, this time with a lot less emotions.  

"Yes Seb, I'm fine now... yes I'm sorry I didn't contact you... I know... I know it's not my fault... Yes that's fine for me... He's been great for me Seb... Yes... Yes I will text you... Yes... I love you too Seb... See you in a few hours. I love you." 

She hangs up and hands the phone to you with a smile. You smile back but don't take it. 

'It's yours, Soap." 

She looks at you with confusion but then she realizes the phone is hers. 

"Oh yeah, ofcourse. Sorry," she quickly apologizes and takes her phone back. 

"It's okay Soap. You don't need to apologize," you say softly. 

She smiles and you shrug your shoulders. 

"So... home?" you ask kindly. 

She sighs and nods in relief. 

"Home."