A/N: I want to thank allycat909 and guest for their reviews. And also all the amazing readers that touched the first chapter. I wanted to give you the second chapter a little earlier than planned. It's the third chapter that is a little tricky to write, and you will see why when you get to the end of this chapter. I do hope that you enjoy the emotional rollercoaster that you have signed up for lolol. Please don't forget to review, I look forward to each and every one of them. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them by the next chapter. Thank-you again.

THAT AFTERNOON I HAD decided to ignore the August buildup of ozone, and humidity that caught me in the back of my throat. I had just dropped my baby sister, Mia off at the store and climbed into my Mazda RX-7, which I had restored from the ground up with the help of my family. The air conditioner was blasting flat out, as I was singing along with some CD that I had borrowed from Leon. With the windows open, my hair was whipping around my face in a frenzy of curls, my ever-vigilant green eyes were coolly hidden behind my Oakleys, and my foot rested heavy on the gas pedal as I whipped around the cars on the road.

It was Sunday, I had a date with the last race of the season and to see my father win. I had stopped for a red light and checked my rear-view mirror, swearing when I saw Lenny Gruber pulling up beside me in his Acura NSX. "Shit." I'd gone to high school with Gruber. He was a maggot then, and he was a maggot now. Unfortunately, he was a maggot with a cause, always trying to race me and see if I would open my legs if he won. You'd think with having a family like I do, and the type of attitude that we all carry, a maggot like Gruber would know better. But for some God forsaken reason, it just seemed to make him more determined.

"Hey sweet cheeks," Gruber said, full of joy and faux surprise. "What a treat."

I bit the inside of my cheek as I looked over at him, my sunglass slipped down my nose causing me to look over them. "What do you want?"

"How about in the next two lights, I win, you open those pretty legs of yours for me?"

I laughed, "You been sniffing NOS again?" I jested. "If you want ass, why don't you hit Hollywood Boulevard?"

Before he could answer the light changed to green. I did what just came naturally, I started off in first and smoked his ass, double clutched into season, as I looked in the rear-view mirror. The only thing I could give him credit for, is that he tried. But the maggot was granny-shifting and didn't have a clue on how to street race.

It didn't take me long to leave him far behind as I swerved in and around the cars that were on the street. And before I knew it, I had made the highway that lead to where the track was. As I shifted down, and rolled up to where my family was, I saw the shinny black paint on the '70 Dodge Charger RT that my father would be racing in.

As I cut the engine of my car, Leon and Jesse made their way up to me. I climbed out of my car and looked at Jesse, "She's still doin' it, Jesse. She's uploading in second." I said as Leon opened the hood of my car.

Jesse leaned over the passenger side fender of my car and looked at the engine. "I lengthened the injector pulse a millisecond. Just tune the NOS timer, you'll run nines."

I leaned over the diver's side fender and looked over at Jesse, "Guess what you're gonna be doin' when we're back at the shop, Mad Scientist." I smirked.

Jesse and Leon were good friends of ours, family would be a better term. They just showed up one day with Dom and me – and never left. Not that I would complain about it, we are all really close to one another, to be honest.

We all pulled away from the car when we heard the Charger's engine come to life. Leon kept his arm around my waist as we made our way towards my father and the rest of the family that had come out to see the race. I watched at Dom closed the hood of the Charger, "She's good." He stated as I smiled up at my father.

Leaving Leon's arm, I took a couple steps to my father and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug, "Good luck, Pops." I said, as I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Visualize the win, Tony." Leon smiled.

Letty who by this point was in Dom's arms gave my father a smile. "You got this."

As everyone gave their good lucks and praise, I couldn't help but have this gnawing feeling in the back of my brain, something wasn't right about this race. However, pushing that aside I knew that this was going to be amazing. After all, my father was going places in the pro stock-car circuit. And with the Charger pushing nine hundred horses, all of it Detroit muscle, nothing stood in his way.

Soon enough we made out way to the stands, where we had the best seats in the house. The weather was holding up, as the sun was now high in the sky, beating down on us and all the other by standers waiting for the race. The wind had died down into a slight breeze, which was refreshing since the humidity had climbed in the index.

We watched as the cars all started to do the practice rounds, warming up the tires and the engines for the big race. We had our front row seats, which I loved. The sound of the engines and the wind that rushed by as the cars passed our spot in the stands. The smell of the exhaust mixed with the rubber of the tires, just makes my heart pound in my chest, sending my adrenaline into over drive. This was my world and I wouldn't change it for anything.

I smiled as I saw Leon and Jesse, made their way back up to where we were on the stands. Leon smiled as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a kiss on the temple. "Thought you two got lost," I laugh, as I lean into Leon.

"Of course not, Princess." He jested, as he and Jesse handed out the Coronas they had gone back to get.

I roll my eyes at the nickname he gave me years ago; however, we all turn our attention to the track as the announcer stated that the race was about to start. It was hard to hide my excitement as the sound of the engines revving once again filled my ears, along with the sound of tires squealing as they rounded the first left hand turn of the lap.

Every lap the cars went around, I would cheer along with everyone one of my family members. Inching forward, we watched our father get closer and closer to the finish, to win. But as my excitement grew, that gnawing feeling of something bad grew into dread. It was working its way forward and into the pit of my stomach. I looked over at my family, all of them seemed oblivious to the feeling. I bit my lip as I felt my own anxiety start to build. Something was wrong about this. Something terrible was about to happen, and I just knew it.

As the race went on, my blood pounded in my ears. Not from the adrenaline of the race but from the dread that just continued to build inside of me. It was like I was about to watch something that I could not stop, that none of us could. That's when my heart started to thud in my chest harder, and my hands started to shake. I took a drink to the Corona I had, in hopes that it would help my nerves that seemed to have been set on fire.

That's when it seemed that things started to go into slow motion before my very eyes. A red '71 Chevelle Nova SS, that I knew to be driven by a guy named Kenny Linder, came up from the inside of the track on the final turn. I watched in fear as the Nova clipped my father's bumper. My breath seemed frozen in my chest as the sound of screeching tires and crunching metal filled the air. I dropped my Corona, as I watched my father hit the wall doing at least 120mph.

I felt like I was frozen in time. I couldn't move. I watched the fire and smoke start to engulfed the car. My vision started to disfigure, as if I was looking through a fish-eye lens. That's when I heard it, I could have sworn that I heard him scream just as the car fully exploded before my very eyes.

I was oblivious to the fact that my twin, and most of the family had jumped over the wall towards the horror that was before us.

My breath was clutched in my throat so hard that there was no way I could breathe as the tears welted in my eyes. Somehow, without knowing where I found the strength to break free of the hold my mind hand on my own body, I started to move towards the wall. I had to help them get my father out of that car.

As I screamed, "Pops!" A pair of arms grabbed me around the waist and pulled me to their chest. I fought to get out of their hold as I had to get to the car. That was the only thing that kept repeating in my mind.

"Nico! C'mon baby." I heard Leon's voice. It seemed like it was in the distance as I fought him to get towards the wall.

"No! Pops!" I cried out as I continued to fight, but my strength was leaving me as my vision continued to blur from the tears that were forming. The sense of doom continued to engulfed me as I knew, I knew in my gut what had happened.

"C'mon baby," Leon coaxed as he pulled me closer to his chest, turning me away from the scene. All sense of will gave up in me, as I felt myself get light headed and vile raise in my throat. I felt him wrap his arms tighter around me as he steered me away from the scene.

The sound of sirens filled the air as he took me away from the stands, and towards where our cars were parked. Before I knew it, we were at the cars, and I collapsed on the ground. Leon wrapped his arms around me and held me close as I cried. Running his hand up and down my back, the images of my father going into the wall, the fire and smoke filled my mind. This had to be a bad dream, it just had to be.

"Take deep breaths, baby." Leon choked. I could hear the tears in his voice, which only signified that this wasn't a dream, that this was real – all to real.