The Scot hugged Kimberly, the embrace strong as he could only feel good, happy to see her come back, without a whole host of cops or her in a prison. "Thank fuck you came, Kimberly. Just stay safe...that was a step too far." He said, shaking his head, looking over at Joanne, giving a half-smile before turning back to Kimberly. "We used to be able to do this, but we've got Mia to look after. We can't carry on, not when the heat is that strong. They're taking the piss now, we drove onto an active airport and people still bat eyelids. We're lucky not to be in prison for years for what we did, that was insane." Ross added, acutely aware that he was the one that enjoyed it the most, the law breaking, the rule bending, the speed. But something had hit him, like he had realized just how close it was, and how much he wanted to protect Kimberly. Once, he could do this, on his own, no risks. But now he had a baby to look after, and her mother would have gone to prison if she hadn't have been so good behind the wheel. He could take whatever risks he wanted, but he wanted Mia to have a father to look after her, even if he was a street racer, taking mad risks. This could only go on so long, he told himself, the adrenaline rush was great and the speed was unbeatable, but it was going to have to be cut out, or at least, done in some way that wasn't as risky as that. It wasn't a crew anymore, it was just lunacy. Ross clambered back into the Impreza after the plates were changed, the classic beast rumbling as the Boxer came alive, Ross only happy that the two were back. Putting some [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEuQsxSkuZ0]Chilled Music[/url] on, he drove out of the layby slowly, following Kimberly and Joanne. The 911 roared, as they took it slower, heading on the Kentish A Roads, off the M2 and A2 towards Lydden Hill, on the other side of this long county. It was a long way, and the roads were virtually empty, no traffic at all, this being a nice, chilled out journey. It took about an hour and a half, due to the slower route they took, going through villages and hooning it on single-laned roads, Xenon lights and the winding tracks giving all three a good run for their money, and it was a good run, after all the madness of London. It felt good to be away from it all, and Ross felt happy, at least, content that it wasn't going to be as dangerous as that again, not for a little while at least. He couldn't help but feel that despite the whole surge of the moment, there hadn't really been a point to the race. They'd done it for the hell of it, and it felt like there was nothing on the line for all the risk. Not like Dubai, where they made the delivery and made their money, it felt like it was simply jailbait, a free prison sentence for no point whatsoever. It wouldn't be fun to explain to his cellie he wasn't in on a beef that involved some sort of drugs or violence, but a souped up Impreza, that much he knew. And he knew Kimberly couldn't go to prison, no matter what, he would not let that happen. Maybe he was a flawed soul, but she couldn't follow him into the worst of what he did, Ross only thought to himself. ----------- Part Five: [url=http://images.autosport.com/editorial/1401043816.jpg]Crossing Paths[/url] [url=https://doverhistorian.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/th-lydden-hill-race-circuit-2014.jpg]Lydden Hill (Rallycross) [/url] The Next Day 1pm Waking up in the small caravan, Ross could hear the noise of engines, as he looked across at the clock. He'd stumbled in here the night before, Kimberly going some other way, and it had an effect on him- he had completely lost track of time, and slept in. "Fuck." He only threw himself out of bed, and grabbed whatever clothes he could, going with a pair of thermals underneath a predominantly black Sparco racing suit, heading out. Kimberly had been thrown into a different tent, and he was quick to find her, looking in as he saw her just nod off. He hated himself when he did this, but he had to, one way or another. "Kimberly...babe, sorry I missed you last night." He said, as he clambered down, crawling into the small tent, kissing her on the cheek, looking over at the phone. "Chatted to Maria? Crap...I wanted to really see Mia too. Oh well, I'm sure she's busy with other things. You okay?" He asked, looking across, aware he'd made a bit of a goof. Still, he was sure she could forgive her, and he'd probably make it up to her at some point later in the day, that much he could say. "We should probably go and meet Ryan in a moment." ---------- Ryan looked over the sight of the cars in the makeshift garage, under a large white tent, with a couple of mechanics working away on the two Ford Fiesta STs, both equipped with Olsbergs bodykits and up to FIA standards for Rallycross. They weren't in the Global RX or anything along those lines, but when it came to one-off events, this was an opportunity to make a little money, in a highly-setup event. They both had 550bhp, and barely weighed over a ton, with the 0-60 of these cars being simply insane. They were set with short gearboxes, and while they wouldn't fly over 130, there was no need, even at a fast RX circuit such as Lydden Hill- acceleration and instantaneous power were key, and with the anti-lag and turbochargers installed, they could provide that. It was shocking just how quick they were- and on dirt, it felt even more insane to experience. 0-60 in just over a couple of seconds, on gravel, was like being strapped to a rocketship. And he was a local boy, being from Canterbury- this was his local race circuit, even closer to Brands Hatch, so being able to go around in a rallycross-spec Ford felt incredible, even beating the nice amount of money that came from coming along to the Invitational. There were a lot of analysts here, most of these cars prepped in a manner for the 2016 season, and it generally felt like a good place to make a good racing weekend happen. The cars were lined in a white and blue livery, sponsored by Sparco, the two both identical, apart from the window stickers in the rear quarter, of their respective surnames on each respective car. It didn't look too dissimilar from the M-Sport WRC livery, albeit with a greater focus on the blue, and the lack of Ford logos. A couple of engineers worked on the cars, currently sitting under Ryan's, taking a look at the suspension attached. He'd given it a go earlier, and while Ryan hadn't done anything to it, he felt the rear was a little too soft, just not sturdy enough to hold in the corners and keep stability. Ryan's Simpson race suit was a matching white and blue, his helmet sitting on the roof of his car, the Simpson X Bandit, the one that he always used in racing- hooked up with a Stillo radio system. Ryan smirked, as he looked over at the two cars once more, peering over at the couple of stone-scratches that sat on the side panels of the bodywork, cutting a little into the paint, as he then stood up. "These are fucking awesome. I'm tempted to go into RX full-time, they are mindblowingly fast." He said, as he looked around the garage, taking a seat on a plastic chair by the side of his Fiesta, grabbing a can of Monster and sipping it down, looking across to Regina. "And hey, Ross and Kimberly should be here. Crazy guys, they were racing in London. Illegally. Should be good to see them again." Ryan added, as he slurped a bit more of the energy drink down, as he saw a distinct pair walk around the corner of the white vehicle tent. Ross walked in, Kimberly by his side. Ryan turned to see the pair, both in their race suits, as he smirked at them both. "Ah, speak of the devil. Good to see ya, Ross." Ryan added, walking over as he hugged the Scot, Ross chuckling a little, as he looked over. "Likewise. Anyway, you said that there's racing to be had?" He asked the Southerner, as Ryan nodded, looking around. "Indeed, we've got an Invitational Rallycross event. With me being the second placed FIA GT3 Europe driver and some experience of rallycross means they wanted us here. Plus I live down the road in Canterbury. Just a one-off, but a bit of cash to keep the job search going, you know." He added, as he looked outside, the clear sky and mid-day beating down. "So, you want to see what you'll be driving? I'll leave it to you to fight over what you're going to have, but it's a really good selection." Ryan added, as he nodded to the two to follow behind, keeping an eye on Regina and seeing if she'd come along. "Sure." Walking a couple of tents down the paddock, the sight of the scale of this event was simply awesome to see. There was going to be a party, clearly- this part of the paddock was for all the vehicles, which were passing in and out occasionally by the barriers, but beyond this, there was a couple of festival tents set up, some with sponsors and some with music, fans crowding around to see some of the other warm-up events going on here. "Anyway, here's the choice. Take your pick. Ford Escort Mk2, Fiat 131 Abarth, BMW E30 M3. Oh, and that Renault 5 Turbo, the driver said he can't come down this weekend so we have the keys for it. ALl with rollcage, all fairly similar in power to weight ratios, all up for the Classics Event that's on tonight at 5pm. We've got a Warm-Up heat going on ourselves at 6, your race is four laps, on the full circuit. Since a few people didn't show up, it's just one heat for you- our Final is tomorrow morning, and it's going to be...fucking mental." Ryan simply said, the small tent packed with various classic cars, from Opel Mantas to Metro 6R4s to even an old-school Ford Capri, kitted out for rally. The four looked mean, right at the end of the tent, and looked well maintained. They were fitted with off-road tyres, and apart from the safety modifications, were almost untouched, apart from the Ford which had clearly been refitted with a K-Series Rover engine, to deliver a higher redline, and had the bonnet open. "As you can tell, you got really lucky. If I could, I'd be racing that Beemer, but we've got other racing to do. So, I'll leave you to it- just let Beatrice in the office know which one you'll go with, you're signed up but they don't know what car so let them know. They'll lend you the keys afterwards, and the car's yours for the day. There's a brief on at 3pm, just laying down the rules and all." "And this is why I don't race for my living...I prefer a lack of rules, fastest built car and all. Aye, that's where it's at." Ross added, as Ryan chuckled. "Maybe, but I prefer not getting arrested, you know?" "True, I suppose you have that on your side." Ross digressed, as Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Well, whatever goes- but we party just as hard, so you aren't missing out by coming here. You probably saw it, but they've got the Ferris Wheel set up, fireworks too, massive fucking party. It's going to be sweet. I can't drink, but you can knock yourselves out after you're done." Ryan added, as Ross nodded, looking about the cars. The Ford was colored blue, as was the BMW, the Fiat a bland yellow-orange, while the Renault was in a matt black, the pack of cars ranging from the mid 70s to the late 80s, but all classics in their own right. RWD, all delivering around 250 to 300bhp, though weight of course, made this all relative. They were closely contested, and Ross was finding it difficult to choose, as he looked around. "That sounds mental, Ryan. These cars, they're all really good. Tell you what, I have an idea. Kimberly, how about you make the first choice? I might as well be the gentleman here." He said, hugging her, kissing her on the cheek as Ryan cringed a little inside, knowing that the two were so close, just reminding him in a funny way of how single he was right now. Him and Regina were good friends, but he had never even considered it- and didn't really want to, knowing it wouldn't ever work in a million years. But from his perspective, the Scottish lad that he knew since they first met, three years ago back at Knockhill at a racing meet, that he had gone from being just a street racer and someone who liked fast cars and working on them to a real four-wheel tarmac terrorist, being able to do some seriously fast things. It had been a good friendship, that much could be said, and after Ross had met Kimberly, Ryan could only tell that the two had good things ahead- even if it was a little weird to see them hug right here. -------- Headcorn Aerodrome, Kent The scene was abuzz, the sight of planes taking off and landing a thing to see, and the whole day had gone fairly quick. Various Cessnas, some with skydivers, some without. But here, a particular two were looking over, rather inconspicuously. Seb sat about, the black T-shirt he wore and shorts showing he was a little casual outside of his jumping gear, which seemed about right for a place like this. The vibe was busy, tandems going through, and other jumpers getting themselves set up, but it was clear, that the two fliers were here. From within the packing hall, the sight of the couple of clouds in the sky that could be seen just out the door. Packing was a difficult thing to learn, but for Seb, it had become something of a naturality, automatic, as he finished up, pulling the closing loop through. Putting the white and red rig aside, he looked over to his female companion, his girlfriend and fellow jumper, sitting down as he watched her pack. "This is gonna be good. Weather is still forecast to be excellent, we got one good jump in together at least. But this demo is going to be even better. Them flying us out, we go with smoke, straight into the party." Seb said, as he put his Oakleys back on, leaning back on the mat. Today, they'd already jumped once, but the demo at Lydden Hill felt even better, being an evening drop. A sunset lift, and they were going to wingsuit in before deploying, bring the spectacle to the party, something that meant the jump ticket was paid for as a result. "Should we call up and tell them to have shots ready for us as soon as we land?" He added, chuckling as he pulled out his phone, swiping through YouTube, going onto their page. "TheWingman" and more specifically, the video titled "Lyngen Alps SkiBASE- Close Call!" were what he was looking for. The Austrian was a little more serious with the titling than Ellie could be, but still though, their channel had gotten a serious hit in views from that video, plus Ellie's sub-channel bringing in a hell of a lot of views. Right now, it was pushing 50,000, and the comments ranged from "It looks like greenscreen!" to "I want to do this one day!". All exited and crazed comments, but to Seb, it was a good run and he liked to tease the internet with stuff like this. Living a life less ordinary, as he watched the edited footage, beginning from the top of the ski run. He could see the beginnings of the avalanche and the winding route, using Ellie's footage too, both of them in view as they headed down from the switches of cameras, before it came to the point that they ditched the skis and took flight, the view of the rushing snow hurtling over the cliff from Seb's helmet-mounted rear facing camera catching just how epic an escape it was. Flying down, he had everything to the beach, and per Ellie's request, made sure that nothing of their romp was in there. It didn't get old, and here at this DZ, they knew full well that these were the two that had pulled it off. [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1hWi-vgoaU]Seven Lions[/url] played throughout, and while it was no Sail, it just went well with the whole thing, Seb thought to himself. Flicking through, he turned to Ellie once again, just thinking back to it all. "We're not YouTube celebrities yet, but we're racking up the views, right?"