Precious Star

My Precious Star

*Six years later*

Charles POV:

"Papa? Why do you have three stars on your heart?" Little Jules asked me, as he sat on my lap, pointing at the tattoo that was placed on my heart

"Yeah, why, Papa?" Little Ayrton asked, looking up at me from my right side.

We were currently sitting on top of the roof, looking at the stars. It was a warm summer night and we had spent the whole day out in the little secluded area on the beach Valentine and I found many years ago. "Well," I say, looking down at the ink on my chest, "This one is for your grandpa Ayrton, and this one is for your Uncle Jules."

"They have our names!" they both exclaimed. Valentine and I had decided to name our little boy Jules and Ayrton Herve Perceval Leclerc Senna. In honor and memory of Jules and her father, of course.

"What about this one?" Ayrton asked.

"That one," I say as my eyes are brimmed with tears, "Is for your mama."

"I miss her, papa," little Jules said as he leaned his head on my chest, tracing his mother's star.

"Me too," little Ayrton said, leaning his head on my chest as he looked up at the sky, reaching for the stars the same way Valentine would.

Placing a kiss on both boys' heads, I looked up at the night sky. A sigh left my body, along with a few tears, "She is the most precious star of them all."

~

*Two years ago*

"Where is she?" I asked my engineer.

"P1, 20 seconds ahead of Max." This was the end of the 2027 season. Valentine and Max were yet again head to head for the world championship, but she was clearly showing her dominance in this race. Valentine had won her first world championship in her rookie year, of course. I believe she would have taken it all in the 2023 season if it hadn't been for her pregnancy, which evidently made her take a year off. Nonetheless, she came back even stronger the following year, gaining her a second championship. And she kept that title for the next three years. She was an absolute legend, "The Great" became her nickname after her rookie season and it stuck since. She surpassed her father's and anyone other drivers successes. She became much more than just her father's daughter to the F1 community, and I was beyond proud of her. Through all her trials and tribulations, she managed it all. I was able to witness her growth as a person, a driver, a wife, and as a mother.

Rounding the corner I see flames up ahead right before the finishing line. the checkered flag remained still, no one had won yet. "Who crashed?"

Silence. A horrifying, deafening silence came through the radio.

"WHO CRASHED?!" banging my steering wheel. I pulled into the pits as the marshals stopped anyone from going ahead. I knew it had to be one of the top five drivers, but driving past the garages I saw every driver parked their cars into their garage before hopping off and heading to the crash.

Dear god. No.

Approaching the Ferrari garage I saw her. Not her physically, but her absence. Her parking spot remained empty, with no sign of life. Parking my car I slowly stepped out, watching as everyone in the garages turned to look at me, their faces pale and full of sorrow. To my right, I watched as my mother held onto four-year-old Jules and Arthur held Ayrton, tears flowing down my mother and brother's cheeks. Our little boys look scared and confused. They seem to understand what's happening but they don't understand the complexity of it. They were a pure reflection of Valentine when she saw her father and Jules crash.

"Valentine, where is she?" I asked. No one answered. "WHERE IS MY WIFE?" I screamed, throwing my helmet in rage. Before anyone could say anything the commentators answered for them.

"Dear God. Alaina Senna has just gone into the barriers. Just meters away from her fourth consecutive world championship. She lost total control, what a horrid, horrid crash." The replay of the crash showed through the screen.

Quickly running out of the garage, I felt as if everything around me slowed down. Pushing my way through marshals and anyone who got in the way I was about to jump into the flames to get her out but a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my waist along with another pairs of arms which held me back. "You can't go in there, mate," Max said as he pulled me back from my waist.

Looking at Max, I pleaded, tears flowing down my face, "Let me get her out, please." I couldn't leave her like this. Her father and Jules had died the same way. I almost died the same way. I came out of it, she will come out of it. She needed to come out of it. She couldn't die like this, she wouldn't. She had defeated all the odds, she had to defeat this.

"I'm sorry mate," Carlos said as he helped the rest push me back, as tears coming out of his eyes.

The scene in front of me felt surreal. The car had split in half, flames surrounded the front and rear. But there was no sign of her, no life. The marshals contained the fire, as they tried to go into the fire to retrieve her. After an agonizing five minutes of me fighting back against everyone to go in there myself and get her out myself, the marshals contained the fire and pulled her out. Her red and white suit and helmet had turned black, and her suit was filled with holes, exposing her burnt skin. I was finally able to get out of everyone's grip since their bodies went limp and weak as they saw her condition.

"Valentine, preziosa!" I approached her, and carefully removed her helmet and balaclava which only reflected the status of her suit and body. "Look at me, mon amour. LOOK ME AT ME, VALENTINE!" I screamed as I cautiously brought her into my lap, waiting for any sign of life.

"Mi vita," she coughed weakly. A sigh escaped my lips, as relief entered my body.

"Yes, preziosa, I'm here, I'm right here," I whispered, placing my hand on her face and placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Making sure not to hurt her any more than she already was.

With her frail body, she lifted her left hand to my left hand, bringing it to her lip and shakily kissing my knuckles before looking up at me. "I love you more than all the stars combined."

"I love you, Valentine," I said, a weak smile growing on her face. I placed my forehead on her chest, feeling as her chest rose and fell for the last time. "Valentine?" I looked up, hoping to find her gorgeous amber eyes. "No, no, no. Look at me! OPEN YOUR EYES, VALENTINE." I cried desperately shaking her slightly, waiting for any sign of life again. "Don't leave me," I whispered, completely defeated, pulling her into my arms one last time.

She hadn't defeated the odds. She had left just like her fathers and Jules.

In a way, I felt a sense of relief. I had fulfilled the promise she left me years before. She left first, she could not bear losing me and we both knew that. The only reason I could bear her loss was because she had left me two beautiful boys, they were my anchor.

Looking up at the sky, I watched as a new star lit the sky right in between her father and Jules, brighter than any star this world had ever seen. She had finally joined the stars like she said she would.

She truly became My Precious Star.