EIGHT

"Papa, where did mama go?"

A young Lennox Knight questioned her father anxiously, chewing on her fingernails and the skin around them until they bled.

Leon Knight faltered in his steps at the sound of his young daughters timid voice, turning his body around to see the girl staring up at him whilst her body shook.

He knew that she had seen that all of her mothers belongings had disappeared.

"She has left, ma rayon de soleil. I am so sorry."

His arms reached out to his daughter in an attempt to wrap them around her to comfort her, but he was forced to frown as she flinched back away from him and his soft touch.

"She has abandoned us..."

Her frail voice sounded, her shaking body stilling whilst her breathing began to quicken, hands violently trembling whilst her eyes became glassy from tears appearing in them.

"We don't need her, Lennox. You and I can take on the world together." Leon smiled gently at his daughter in an attempt to comfort her, knowing that because she was so young that it would be deeply upsetting for her.

Her mother had abandoned her because she had been diagnosed with Autism. She had said that it was because she hadn't signed up to have a freak as a daughter.

But he knew something that she didn't.

His Lennox Knight was no freak.

Lennox was his ray of sunshine. His blinding light. His partner in crime and his little sidekick. His little girl. His baby girl. His perfect little princess.

His daughter.

"The world. Yeah." Lennox muttered underneath her breath, a small huff leaving her lips as she stared at her hands in sadness.

"Ma rayon de soleil, you do not need a mother like her. All you need are people who will always be by your side."

Leon twirled a piece of her brown curly hair within his fingers, gaining her attention so that he could look her deep in the eyes.

"Like you, papa?"

He released a small sigh, a ghost of a smile appearing on his lips from the look of hope which was held within her eyes.

"Yes, like me."

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"Keep looking at me, Len."

Gina Schumacher spoke sternly at her best friend, of who was suffering a panic attack whilst they had gone grocery shopping together.

Lennox clung to her sleeves desperately, feeling her chest constricting from the lack of oxygen that she was suffering from, which made her wince every single time that she tried to breathe in.

Her eyes were glassy and panicked, bottom lip trembling as her mouth became as dry as a desert. Her heart was rapidly pounding, and she felt like the organ could come out of her chest from how hard it was beating.

Gina was exaggerating breathing deeply in and out to try and trick the her best friend in to copying her, but noticed how she was failing.

She had no idea what had caused her sudden outburst, since they were doing really well in not losing each other but she just hoped that the Knight woman was going to be okay.

"Woah, is she okay?"

Kevin Magnussen found his eyes widening when he noticed the girl frantically trying to calm her breathing down, locking eyes with the terrified brunette.

He attempted to reach out to her arm, but winced as the Schumacher girl that was beside him sent a slap against his hand, making him pull it back towards his chest to cradle it.

He had been shopping for food for Gunther, since the man was in a meeting with his team mate, and had recognised the blonde Schumacher girl first, before he realised that something was wrong.

"Does she look okay?"

Gina spoke in a snarky tone towards him, seeing him shift his eyes to stare down at the ground with a guilty look on his face.

"I can run and get Mick for you, Lennox. Would you like me to get him?" Kevin spoke directly to the woman.

He noticed how she frantically shook her head from side to side, eyes widening even further in panic.

"He-he has a- a meeting." Lennox stuttered out whilst being short of breath and unable to speak full sentences. "C-can't, can't mess- it up for him."

"But you need help! He won't be happy if he finds out that he missed out on helping you." Kevin spoke in fear, wanting to help the woman but was unable to.

"I just need to get her breathing slowed slightly. Mick told us that it was an important meeting but said that he would find us if we needed him." Gina spoke for her best friend, knowing exactly what her best friend was thinking.

"Len will panic more if Mick is here because she knows its an important meeting." The Magnussen man was pushed away from the ladies. "He doesn't need to know."

"But I want to help."

"You can help by getting her a bottle of water and keeping your mouth shut."

Gina spoke bluntly, not wanting to waste more time in calming the Knight girl down because she knew that if she was unable to get her breathing slowed soon, that she would end up fainting from the lack of oxygen to her body.

She had no idea what had caused Lennox to burst in to such a state of fear and panic, since she had been talking to her literally seconds before.

She had absolutely no idea of the reason that Lennox Knight had suffered an anxiety attack.

She had absolutely no idea, that Lennox had caught a glimpse of a face that she had not seen in a very long time.

Her mother.

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"I'm not wearing jeans!"

"Yes you are! You can't wear sweatpants!"

"Yes I can!"

"No you can't!"

"But that's not fair!"

Gina Schumacher and Lennox Knight bickered loudly as they resided in their shared apartment, with the German woman trying to get her best friend to wear a pair of jeans so that she could meet her father.

"I'll call your dad." Gina threatened with raised eyebrows, knowing that Leon would agree with her.

"I'll call your mom." Lennox fired back, knowing that Corinna would be on her side because she had always said that Lennox should wear what clothes she was comfortable in.

"No you won't. You hate speaking on the phone." Gina attempted to hold in her laughter, but found that she was suffering.

"Yeah, to you!"

Gina gave Lennox a pointed look.

"Okay so to everybody, but that's not the point!"

The two best friends stared at each other for a second or two before grins lit up their faces, making their skin glow.

"I just want to wear something comfortable! I don't wanna look and feel like an idiot when I'm meeting your dad for the first time! I made him cupcakes." Lennox spoke in happiness, hearing a soft chuckle from the blonde Schumacher.

"You can be comfortable in jeans."

"Oh! I know!" Lennox released a loud gasp, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as an idea popped in to her head.

She abruptly turned around to run in to her bedroom, with Gina being able to hear the sound of crashing coming from within the room.

The Knight girl returned a couple of minutes later, fully dressed in a different outfit which made the German woman laugh loudly, nodding her head up and down a couple of times.

"You win."

Lennox fistbumped the air as the other woman gave in, since she recognised what she had decided to put on and wear.

It was something that always gave her some comfort, and she felt like she would not feel like an idiot whilst wearing them as they always gave her a feeling of safety.

Mick's clothes.

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"Guten Tag, Mr Schumacher, sir."

Lennox muttered quietly as she laid eyes on the father of her best friend, who was sat in a wheelchair but was smiling up at her.

"Hello Lennox."

Michael Schumacher spoke with a small smile on his face, his words slightly slurred whilst he lifted one of his hands to offer the girl a handshake.

All three other Schumacher's attempted to stop him, since they knew that she hated shaking peoples hands, but found themselves in for a shock when she lifted one of her own hands to shake his hand.

Mick Schumacher watched on in awe as Lennox didn't shy away from his father's handshake, instead standing tall and proud with a small smile upon her face.

He had immediately noticed within her first entering the room that she seemed to be comfortable, despite the fact that she was meeting his father for the first time, but he had also noticed the outfit that she had chosen to wear.

It was his clothes. But ones that he often regularly wore so they would smell strongly of him and his cologne.

He had wondered where some of his clothes had vanished to.

"I made you some cupcakes, sir. Not too much sugar as I was ordered, but I made different flavors." Lennox spoke, her tone hurried and rushed as she was nervous but not panicked.

"Did you make chocolate?"

Michael questioned with a childish grin, making her glance out of the corner of her eye to see his son staring at her.

They really were, like father like son.

"Uh yes, sir. Chocolate flavor, vanilla flavor, orange flavor, cinnamon flavor-"

"Yes! My favorite!"

Gina's voice was heard in the background, making the group laugh lightly, whilst the Schumacher man smiled happily at the nervous woman standing in front of him.

His wife, Corinna, smiled gently at the young woman, before her eyes fell upon that of her son who was not concentrating on anything except one single thing.

Lennox Knight.

His eyes were soft and gentle, sparkling their signature crystal blue color that he had inherited from his father.

There were wrinkles around his eyes as he smiled at the brunette girl, unwavering and unfaltering as he smiled at her with such care and attention, such admiration and respect for how gentle she was being with his father.

Corinna had seen that look before many, many times before. It was a look that she had given his father. It was a look that his father had given her.

It was a look of love.

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"He really liked you, you know?"

Mick Schumacher spoke, as he laid on the sofa of his family home, since his sister and mother were helping his dad get up the stairs and in to his bedroom.

"He did?"

Lennox released a gasp, a bright smile immediately forming on her face as she stared up at the German boy, since she was resting her head in his lap whilst his fingers drew circles on her arms.

"Yeah." Mick laughed lightly at the look of childlike excitement written all over her face, lifting one of his hands to gently nudge against her dimpled cheek.

"I think he liked my cupcakes too. He all of them, except the cinnamon ones. Ginny took them." Lennox beamed happily, feeling a weight off her shoulders now that she knew that her best friends dad liked her.

She didn't have a panic attack, either.

"He definitely did." Mick laughed, before he fell silent for a couple of seconds.

Lennox noticed the frown that had begun to form on the face of the youngest Schumacher and nudged him slightly, gaining his attention and making the frown disappear.

"Kevin told me about yesterday and the panic attack." Mick admitted sadly, noticing how the smile immediately vanished, not a single trace of it left on her lips.

He removed his hand from her cheek, placing it over the both of her hands to lightly squeeze them, feeling her immediately squeeze back.

"He told me why you didn't want me to help you."

Lennox sighed sadly, curling up in to the side of the blonde as he wrapped his arm around her waist, using one of his fingers to twirl a piece of her curly hair around.

"It was a meeting for your job, Micky. It was important to you, plus I had Gina." Lennox spoke quietly, her voice sounding timid.

"You're important to me, Lex."

Mick's soft voice spoke in to her ear, making a shiver run down her spine and goosebumps to lick her skin.

"I don't care what I'm supposed to be doing. I want to be there to help you. Hell, I'd quit mid race if I was about to win a championship to help you." Mick wrapped his other arm around her to hug her gently, smiling as she turned her body around to bury her face in to the crook of his neck.

His hand gently rested against the back of her head as she clung to him, finding safety and comfort in his arms, whilst he felt calm with her being pressed against him.

It was like they were a perfect fit.

"You better not." Lennox muttered underneath her breath, the vibrations from her lips making goosebumps form on the body of the Schumacher boy.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to be there when you become World Champion."

Mick chuckled, his eyes glistening and sparkling whilst he glanced down at her beautiful and gentle face.

"Oh you will be. Right by my side."

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A/N

I was tempted to make them kiss, but we're still in the early stages. Lennox isn't ready!!

But I promise you, you'll love it when she is!!

What do you think?

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you all soon for the next one,

I'm so proud of all of you, my loves

Love you all,

-RUBY