Chapter One:

"I grew up living my life one quarter of a mile at a time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brian O'Connor, wiped his hands on a grease rag, as he walked up to the front of his shop. He looked up at the t.v. and wondered who had turned to Lifetime.

"Hey, who's watching Lifetime supply of tampons?" he cracked.

"I am," Rome replied. He was spread out at the desk, eating his lunch. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," Brian laughed. "I'm just wondering if there isn't something you'd like to share with the group."

"Fuck you, Brian," he growled.

"What do you mean by that?" The t.v. reporter's voice drowned out thier voices. "You live your life a quarter of a mile at a time?"

That caught Brian's attention. He stared at the dark-headed girl on the screen. It couldn't be her. He hadn't seen her in three years. She was older now, but she still looked the same. A sweet, little girlish smile played on her lips and she ducked her head shyly, just like she had done when they would tease her about Jesse.

Jesse. His heart slammed against his ribs for a minute and he had to catch his breath. He had to leave LA so fast, he didn't even know if Jesse or Vince had made it. Why were they doing a show on Allie-cat?

"Well, it's like a race-track is broken up into quarter miles," she toyed with the hem of her skirt. "You have to make the first quarter, before you can make the second. One at time. It's the same way in life. You have to take everything one at a time. Some people say one day at time, we, my team and I, say one quarter of a mile at a time." She looked up and smiled.

"Good outlook for a racer," the reporter laughed. "So, how does it feel to be the first woman and youngest Nascar driver in history?"

"Like destiny," she smiled. "I mean, it's what I've always wanted to do. I'm just fortunate that it happened so soon."

Allie was NASCAR racer? She was too young for that. Dom would never allow it. Unless Dom didn't know about it.

"Okay, you know I'm going to ask," the reporter broke into his thoughts. "Who is that darling little girl who you were holding in victory lane?"

"Oh, her," Allie laughed, looking relieved. "She is a cutie pie, isn't she? That's my sister's little girl. She two going on three, though sometimes it seems like she two going on nineteen."

The smile that Brian didn't even know he was wearing faded. If Mia had an almost three years-old daughter, chances were better than outstanding that he did too.

"Rome, can you cover the shop?"

"Sure, why?"

"I've got to go see a girl about a baby." He replied. "I don't know when I'll be back, but if I leave know, I can be in LA by morning."

"Why go to L.A.?" Rome asked. "That girl is in Daytona. Next race is there this weekend. Her and her sister."

"Then that's where I"ll be." Brian threw a few things in a bag and took off for Daytona Beach.