The Cotter Pin was packed, even for a Saturday afternoon and the group lingered near the door trying to figure out their next plan of action as their usual spot was filled with people.

"So much for being a small town..."

"Anyone got any suggestions?"

"Why can't we just sit outside?"

There weren't any tables available to seat a group of seven and even more people were starting to crowd the door as they weighed their options.

"I say outside." Lou commented and the girls nodded their agreement.

Ruth was already weaving her way through people. "I'm not sitting around at the house all afternoon."

The boys looked over the room again in a final attempt to find a suitable spot before giving up and turning to join them, hesitating briefly when they heard comments from their usual corner.

"Hey there's room over here! You're all with Piston Cup?" They spoke as if they weren't sure and the group all turned back toward them in unison. Ruth and Joan had rejoined them, having realized they weren't being followed outside.

A few of the out of town drivers sat in the crews' usual spot, and Ruth didn't hear exactly what was said next but she glanced toward her brothers when Henry put an arm up to stop Jesse from stepping forward.

The next day's race was in South Carolina and drivers from further south had stopped in Thomasville on their way through. A majority of the group were the season's rookies and while Ruth didn't recognize most of them, she at least knew who Leroy Heming was.

"Did we take your spot? We can make room."

The offer sounded sincere, and even if he was there was tension between the two groups masked with smiles and forced southern charm.

"We were just leaving, but thanks anyway." Smokey replied before anyone could get a word in and silently cued the rest of them to make their exit.

Junior and Lou eyed the group briefly before turning to join the others, but none of them missed the comment that was said just loud enough for them all to hear.

"Too bad. I was hoping to get to hear some of the great tricks they all have. Especially Hudson."

Jesse muttered lowly as they left the dim lighting for the sunlight. "Who th- ow-" He rubbed at his side where Smokey had elbowed him discretely. "Does he think he is anyway..."

"The Fabulous Chrysler 300." River deadpanned as he caught up to them, grinning when Jesse reached out to shove him lightly.

"How dare you."

"Stop worrying about the rookie and start worrying about what we're doing, I'm starving." Smokey stopped at the door of his truck and looked back toward the others. There really wasn't much to do in Thomasville on a Saturday if The Pin wasn't available.

Junior glanced at his watch and commented jokingly that the amateur racing at the Speedway would be starting in half an hour. Not expecting anyone to take him seriously, he raised his hands in question when everyone parted ways to get to their vehicles at the same time. "Hey! What-?"

Lou stood with her door open and answered for everyone. "Watch those kids trip over themselves when real Piston drivers show up out of the blue?"

"Don't forget the likelihood of free food from the stands-" River added.

He only shook his head with a muttered comment of what the hell as he returned to his own car and joined the caravan as they left the lot.

River was right and the group had been allowed through the gate and had been handed more food than they knew what to do with. It was surprising how many people still came out on Saturdays to the unsanctioned races.

"I thought Thomasville had a population of maybe fifty if it was lucky."

"That's an exaggeration..."

"You think?"

"You know people can cross county lines right?" Smokey muttered dryly while they all waited patiently for people in front of them to find seating in the bleachers. He looked up closer to the press box as he spoke, intent on keeping Ruth away from the dust sure to be heavy in the air once the race started. He nodded to Joan when she pointed out an area that seemed large enough for the entire group and looked back toward the others again. "Though who knows why."

"I know why." Jesse started.

"You shut your mouth, Hudson." Junior cautioned sarcastically and glared when Jesse only grinned and stole food from the paper tray he was unable to protect.

"Those are fightin' words." He grinned with raised brows when they finally made it to the row they'd planned to sit in. Jesse let Ruth in first to sit beside their brother and looked back at Junior once they were all settled. "Watch yourself tomorrow, Moon."

"Yeah, sure. You watch yourself, your target is a little bigger than mine."

Jesse only mimicked him in a mocking tone before leaning against the bleacher behind them and putting his attention on the track. They were high enough up in the stands that they could sprawl out and he was going to take advantage.

"Boy that sure shut him up."

"Nash."

"You called."

"Shut up."

She only grinned and put her attention back on the track.

For the rest of the afternoon they watched and critiqued the racers on the track below. They weren't heckling per se but they were certainly enjoying themselves with smart quips and comments on how they hoped they hadn't looked like that before becoming the names they were.

"This is almost painful." Jesse muttered with a smirk before Ruth pinched his arm with a frown. "Well it is."

"Other people are allowed to drive Hornets you know."

"That is not driving."

She looked down toward the track and tilted her head before conceding with a grin. "Yeah...you're right."

The group fell silent after some time, watching the action on their home track, everyone passing their trash to the end of the line where River threw it in the can at the end of their row.

Ruth leaned back against the bleacher behind them and gathered her hair off of her neck as the humidity of the evening thickened. She hadn't thought to bring a tie or even a ribbon and made a face at how uncomfortable she was. She could breathe though, so she'd take that particular trade off. She suddenly heard a buzzing near her ear and went to brush whatever it was away from her face, but when it got stuck in her hair she panicked, leaning to the side and trying to rid herself of whatever it was.

"What are you doing?"

"Get it out of my hair!"

"Get what out of your hair?"

"I dunno but it's big!"

She hit her twin when he started laughing. "Jesse!"

"Sorry. I'm sorry..." He grinned and told her to sit still, unable to find whatever was tormenting her at first until grabbing what looked like a small beetle and throwing it on the bleacher in front of them.

Ruth ran her fingers through her hair and shuddered, looking down at the insect and making a face. "They're disgusting."

"Everything to you is disgusting."

"Because it is."

They'd gone back to watching the race as the bug crawled it's way across the metal seating and Ruth frowned when another landed at her feet. "I didn't know they fly."

Jesse glanced down, watching the pair for a moment before tilting his head as the late sun caught the iridescent shells of the beetles' backs. "They're June Bugs."

Junior had leaned forward to scoop them up and let them crawl over his fingers before letting them fly over the edge of the stands. "Pa talked about them when he was showing me the old shine trails." He noticed Jesse's look of confusion and elaborated. "You stay on the car in front of you like-"

"-June Bugs on a summer night." Jesse answered with him, nodding. "I have heard that one."

"It helps when you aren't using headlights."

Jesse only hummed before looking back at the track and falling silent. For the rest of the race he paid more attention to the cars below them than the conversation to either side of him.

"Drafting."

"Yeah."

"You think this is a good idea to experiment with on a race day?"

"What's it going to hurt?"

Smokey considered him for a moment before nodding and setting about unhitching the trailer. Jesse had a point, they'd only had one win in the first two and a half months of the season. "I'm sure it won't take long for others to catch on."

"Maybe not." Jesse grabbed his gear quickly before backpedaling toward where the sign ins were. "But we'll deal with that later."

He only nodded again and waved him off before straightening and cracking his back, muttering lowly to himself as he watched the other teams work at getting their own cars in order. It was still surreal. It was still hard to consider the fact at times that they were in to their third year of racing fulltime as their profession. Their names, or at least the name of The Fabulous Hudson Hornet was known up and down the east coast and even apparently on the west coast from what they'd recently heard through the grape vine. Even with the newer drivers showing up, they generally watched the veterans with a nervous air or sense of awe in the line ups before races started. It might not have started out as a stellar season, and he could tell Jesse was frustrated while trying to keep his cool, but in all reality they were still sitting in a pretty nice place. His brother just needed to find a new niche.

He was drawn from his musings when Jesse joined him once again, picking up a handful of dirt to inspect before brushing his hand on a pant leg quickly. "Like Thomasville."

"Then you should have a leg up." He replied, still looking over the line up of cars.

"We'll see." Jesse muttered while getting his helmet adjusted.

Smokey was pleased to see that Jesse had seemed to pick up the technique of drafting fairly quickly. It needed some refining but was serving them well so far. He'd been right, other drivers had picked up on it fairly quickly, but Jesse had been able to keep his position as everyone shuffled about further back. He ran a hand over his face and spoke lowly as if the kid could hear him. "Alright Hollywood, you can draft but that still only gets you a second or third if you can't get in front..."

He knew Jesse would be thinking the same thing. He was a sharp kid, always thinking three steps ahead. He just needed to be able to execute whatever he'd planned next.

As the last laps of the race flew by, he watched for the opening they were both waiting for. He was sure the front of the Hornet was nearly touching the bumper of the car in front as they came around the far turn and he inwardly feared that just a bump could send the first five cars in to devastating spins. His eyes narrowed when Jesse backed off abruptly and the front group of cars all spread out suddenly, leaving a gap between the two leading cars. The Hornet snuck through quickly and dropped to the inside, closing off any opening just before passing under the checkered flag.

Smokey grinned. "That's how you do it." He slapped his ball cap against his leg before returning it and pulling it low on his brow.

"That's not always going to work. They'll watch for that from now on."

Jesse nodded, slouched in the passenger side of the truck but grinned as he punched the lock down in place and watched out the window.

"We still have work to do this week."

"I know."

"Do you think you'll-"

"Henry, please, can't I just have this for today."

He only smirked and raised a brow, looking back out the front windshield as they left the track. "I guess."

Silence fell over the two for some time until Smokey spoke again. "What got you on the idea of drafting anyway?"

Jesse looked away from the window and paused briefly before he began laughing. "Our sister."

He offered a quizzical look.

"And her love of wildlife."

"I'm not even going to ask."

AN: I just want my babies to be happy forever.