All of You (Sebastian Vettel)

39. The Greatest Show

"Welcome to everyone joining us here at Yas Marina. This weekend you are going to be witnessing something truly special. Two former champions are locked in a tight battle for the championship. Both have the same number of points. Both will give everything. Only one can win. Will it be title number three for Fernando Alonso?  Or will Sebastian Vettel claim his fifth? We can't wait to find out. Stay tuned this weekend. This is the greatest show! This is Formula 1."

Alyssa sat rubbing her bump as she watched the television screen in hospitality.   Since that first kick in Brazil the twins seemed to have started a never ending football match inside her.   Shannon sank onto the chair next to her. 

"I can't believe this is the last race weekend of the season.  It's gone so quickly."

"Yeah, and it's my last one for the foreseeable future," Alyssa added, a hint of sadness in her voice. 

"I'm going to miss you so much, but you're starting an amazing journey.  I can't wait to meet Vettel Junior." 

Alyssa smiled at Shannon.  She didn't know how Joel had managed to not tell Shannon that it was twins, but if he had told her Shannon was doing an amazing job of pretending she didn't know. 

"So how's Seb feeling? Confident?"  Alyssa looked around and seeing they were alone, she sighed. 

"He is on the outside but I get the feeling that he's not so sure inside.  I know him, and he wants this so badly.   Even more so because it's Alonso he's fighting for it.  He doesn't know I know but he hasn't been sleeping well.  He's been getting up in the middle of the night and not coming back to bed for an hour, sometimes longer."

"Understandable I guess.  There's a lot at stake."

Alyssa looked up at the screen.   They were showing Lando climbing into his car ready for FP1. 

"He's had a lot of doubts over the season.  He finally seems in a better place,  but I'm worried that he's just hiding it from me.  Don't get me wrong.  I believe in him.  I know he can do this but I just...it's a feeling I get.  He seems...I don't know."

"I guess all you can do is be there for him, and give him everything  he needs."

"Yeah."   The coverage switched to a view of Seb pulling out of the garage.   He was wearing his latest special edition helmet.  It was his iconic German stripe design on top of a lilac chrome base.  He'd shown her it that morning before he'd gone to the garage.   He'd told her the lilac was for her.

She bit her bottom lip as she watched him do his out lap. 

"Come on baby, come on," she whispered. 

                                      ***

Seb flipped his visor down ready for FP2.  He hoped it was going to go better than FP1 had.  It hadn't exactly been a great start to the weekend.  The car had felt unbalanced from the minute he'd left the garage and he'd only managed to finish the session in seventh place. 

Of course this was what practices were for but Alonso had topped the session and it just felt they had so much catching up to do already.   

He pulled out of the garage, coasted down the pitlane, through the tunnel and joined the track. 

"Ok Seb, give us an install lap, then come back in."

"Understood."

He accelerated and forgot about his worries.  He was in the zone. 

                                        ***

"Oh my God!" Alyssa exclaimed, jumping to her feet as she saw the green Aston Martin spin and smack into the barriers, totally destroying the rear wing. Shannon grabbed hold of her hand as the television cameras zoomed in on the wreckage. Alyssa released the breath she didn't know she had been holding as she saw Seb remove his steering wheel and undo his belts. He climbed out of the car and replaced the wheel.