"Without you..."

~•~

FOUR YEARS LATER

The Australian Grand Prix returned as it did every year, and this time it was the second race in the series – the entire season kicked off in Japan, where the Formula One drivers had an amazing time. As always at every race. And the Japanese knew how to organize a great event.

Alira, now Ricciardo, stood impatiently at the hotel doors, waiting for her husband, who should soon appear in the elevator with their two-year-old son. The girl had dressed quickly because she wanted to catch Carmen and have a chat – Carmen was expecting her and George's first child and wanted some information from a mother who would soon have her second child to care for.

The brunette was happy for Carmen and George, as she had been following and rooting for them since she started dating Daniel. She had been waiting for the moment when George would propose, which happened in the summer of 2026 during the Silverstone race, which the Brit had won.

"Here comes your man," Carmen smiled, pointing to the elevator from which Daniel was emerging with their son Thomas Maximilian Ricciardo – named after Daniel's grandfather, with his middle name chosen in honor of his godfather Max Verstappen.

Alira couldn't help but smile when she saw her two men, who had stolen her heart the moment she saw them.

She might not have known Daniel since her youth, but from the first moment she saw him at Perth Zoo, she knew this was the man she wanted to marry – although she didn't know then that in the first few days he would annoy her to the point that they almost didn't end up together.

She had fallen in love with Thomas from the moment she found out she was pregnant, exactly a week after she and Daniel got married. On the exact day she changed her name from Barisha to Ricciardo. At that moment, she didn't know she could love anyone more than Daniel, but when Thomas was born and she held him for the first time, she knew that Daniel was now second. Thomas was her number one love. But he was an exact copy of Daniel, so you could say she loved them both equally.

"Mummy!" Thomas exclaimed, dressed in a Mercedes shirt, Mercedes cap, and black shorts.

Daniel wanted their son to love Red Bull. Max, his godfather, wanted him to love Red Bull because he raced for them. Alira wanted their son to love Red Bull because they spent the most time there due to Max and Christian. But their two-year-old son had other plans. At one year old, he fell in love with Pierre Gasly, who currently drove for Mercedes, so he refused to wear anything that wasn't Mercedes. Poor George had a big ego and still thought it was because of him.

"Tommy, Mercedes again?" she asked when the boy ran up to her, and she picked him up. She was already seven months pregnant, so it wasn't the easiest, but she could still rest him on her hip so he wouldn't get in the way as much.

"Pierre Gaslyyyyyy," Tommy exclaimed excitedly. Alira looked at Daniel, from whom he had picked this up – Daniel always called the blonde Frenchman that, and his son had simply copied it and started using it. Tommy was young, so he didn't know why his father used it, he just found it funny.

"I tried, but he just won't put on the Red Bull stuff," Danny explained as he reached them. He gave Alira a kiss on the cheek and looked at Carmen. "Nice belly you have there, do you know what it will be?" he asked her.

"It's always twisted weirdly when we go for the ultrasound, but the doctor is eighty percent sure it's a boy," Carmen answered, placing her hands on her belly, which was in the same state as Alira's – seven months. The funny thing was that Carmen and Alira had the same due date, so their children might share a birthday.

"You'll be great parents to a boy," Alira smiled, "I can imagine George as a father to a boy."

"You're always gushing over how he acts with Tommy," Danny said as he started walking toward their Jeep to finally get to the paddock. Carmen would accompany them to the car but was still waiting for George, who had promised to pick her up.

"Maybe it's good that he's a Mercedes fan," Alira chuckled, "Pierre and George treat him like an angel."

"Toto already treats him like a grandson," Danny laughed.

"I don't know whether to be horrified or pleased."

"Both?" Danny joked.

"Funny as always," Alira rolled her eyes.

"That's why you married me, Mrs. Ricciardo," Danny smiled, giving Alira a kiss on the cheek and taking Tommy from her to put him in the child seat, as he wanted his wife to finally sit and rest.

"I'll never get used to it," Alira smiled, "it sounds so wonderful."

~•~

"Tommy Max Ricciardo is here, everyone!" echoed through the Mercedes garage. The tall, blue-eyed blond looked at the two-year-old curly-haired brunette with love in his eyes.

Pierre and Kika were engaged, but they weren't planning on having children yet because Kika's modeling career had taken off, and at the moment, children were the last thing she needed for her career. Fortunately, Pierre understood this and didn't pressure her. Alira was happy that all the relationships Daniel had told her about had come to fruition and were stronger than ever. Even Charles and Alexandra were engaged. Alex and Lily got married six months ago. Everyone was doing well, and the fans were thrilled too.

"Uncle Pierre," Tommy exclaimed excitedly, slipping out of Alira's grasp and running towards the blond man. His legs were still short, but he did his best. He was very cute in the process.

"How is it that every time I see you, you look more and more like your father?" Pierre asked rhetorically, but he directed his gaze at Daniel and then at the little boy in his arms.

Tommy was indeed a copy of his father. Imagine Daniel, just a few years younger and a few centimeters shorter. That smile. The eyes that form half-moons when he smiles. Curly dark brown hair. Even his dark brown eyes. Some might argue that Alira also had curly brown hair and dark brown eyes, but Alira insisted that he was just like Daniel. He even inherited his sexy big nose – Danny hoped he would grow out of it, but Alira wished he would keep it. She loved that nose on Danny.

"He's also becoming a bigger and bigger fan," Alira added, "when we showed him to you a year ago, you didn't have to be so friendly. We wanted a son who was a Red Bull fan, and instead, we got a Mercedes fan."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Pierre stuck his tongue out at her, "Tommy looks great, but his outfit is missing something."

"What am I missing, Uncle Pierre?" Tommy asked. For a two-year-old, he spoke excellently; even doctors talked about him as a little genius.

"This," Pierre said, pulling a shirt out of his pocket. It was from his collection, perfectly sized for Tommy. It was a Mercedes shirt, but it belonged to Pierre. A shirt with his number and name. Alira sighed, realizing that with this, he would become a total Pierre Gasly and Mercedes fan.

"You're terrible, you know that?" Daniel laughed, "Get him a Red Bull shirt."

"I'm with Mercedes," Pierre laughed, "I had this made especially for Tommy because I know how big of a fan he is."

"You didn't have to go to such trouble," Alira objected, "he would have been happy with just a Mercedes shirt."

"It's a small thing."

~•~

"How's our penguin man doing?" Max teased Daniel as the three-member family arrived at the Red Bull garage. Tommy was dressed in Mercedes team gear and a special Pierre Gasly shirt, but no one minded. The teams loved Tommy and were always excited to see him – perhaps because he was a spitting image of Daniel, and just looking at him made everyone happier.

"The penguin man has been dealing with disputes between Perth Zoo and Melbourne Zoo. Melbourne promised to take in our newly born penguins, but now they're backing out, and we don't have a home for ten penguins," Daniel responded honestly.

"So, no boredom at work," Max chuckled.

"No boredom at work," Daniel nodded.

"I saw on Instagram that you got a penguin tattoo," Max began, "I thought you were done with tattoos and that the ones you had were enough."

"I decided to get one more," Daniel pulled up the sleeve on his right arm, revealing a small penguin tattoo. Specifically, it was Tim, who had died a year ago from choking on a plastic cap that a child had thrown into the enclosure.

"Nice," Max commented.

"I was named after you, Uncle Max," Tommy cheered from his mother's lap. He jumped down and ran towards Max, who was dressed in his Red Bull suit, with the top half tied around his waist and his fireproof shirt covering his torso.

"You sure were, Tommy," Max smiled, lifting the boy into his arms. "You got your middle name from me, and I couldn't be happier."

"Why was I named after you?" Tommy inquired.

"Because Max here was, is, and always will be my best friend," Daniel answered for Max.

"You were named after one of the best Formula One drivers," Alira added as she got up from her seat on a plastic stool near the observation area and walked over to join them.

"We didn't want Lewis," Daniel laughed, "that would have been too much pressure for him when he's older."

"And has he shown any interest in Formula One, or will he be like you," Max looked at Alira, "a lover of animals from an early age?" he asked.

"He comes to work with us, not because we force him, but because he wants to," Alira replied. "He loves taking care of the reptiles; they fascinate him. Maybe it's because he loves Jurassic Park movies."

"That could be it," Max nodded with a laugh.

"But he also constantly puts on Daniel's helmets at home, reaches for his trophies, and has asked many times if we'll take him go-karting."

"I think he'll be exactly what I never wanted to be," Daniel said, "a Formula One driver and an animal lover at the same time."

"So, in a few years, we'll see another Ricciardo on the grid?" Max asked.

"Absolutely, and this one will break all your records," Daniel nodded. "If it weren't for my knee, I'd have beaten you too."

"Even without that knee, you wouldn't still be racing," Max told him.

"Decided to be cruel today, have you?"

"Maybe," Max laughed.

"And does Mom's opinion matter to anyone?" Alira asked, drawing attention to herself. "What if I don't want him to race go-karts?"

"And what do you want him to do?" Daniel asked.

"I want him to be happy and follow his dreams. If he chooses to be a Formula One driver, I'll support him, but I won't push him into it," she explained.

"I'm not pushing anyone into it," Danny smiled. "He's the one always grabbing the helmets."

"Good thing we'll have another one who will hopefully steer clear of Formula One," Alira placed her hands on her belly.

"You haven't told me what it's going to be," Max interjected.

"A girl," Alira answered with a smile, "so Daniel can play with Tommy, and I'll keep her."

"And do you have a name?" Max tried to ignore Alira's last comment.

"Sabine, after Daniel's late grandmother," Alira replied, "and her middle name will be after her godmother."

"And who is that?" Max inquired.

"Kelly," Alira responded, watching Max's face turn to surprise. She realized Kelly hadn't told him.

"Really?"

"Really," Daniel nodded, "we asked her yesterday, and she said it would be an honor."

"We wanted them to stay close if anything happened, and that will only happen if their godparents are close. So that's how we came up with Thomas Maxmilian Ricciardo and Sabine Kelly Ricciardo," Alira smiled.

"You guys are the best," Max hugged the couple. He would have chatted longer, but he had to get into his Formula 1 car and win the qualifying round, which was becoming increasingly difficult for Red Bull, especially since Mercedes had regained their dominance and Williams had improved to the point where they were now third in the Constructors' Championship.

"Max was right," Daniel whispered into Alira's ear, "you are the best," he kissed her hair.

"You're the best. Without you, I wouldn't have the best husband, the best son, and the best daughter on the way," Alira whispered back.

"Without you, I'd still be depressed from that accident," Daniel whispered.

"Without you, I would never have known what it truly means to love."

"Without you, I would never have discovered myself."

"Without you, I would never have realized how beautiful it is to sometimes stop and just watch life go by."

"Without you, I would never have dared to make that huge leap from Formula 1 to the zoo. It's only because of you that I can stand here today with you by my side and my son at my feet."

"I love you, Daniel Ricciardo."

"I love you too, Al Ricciardo, I love you so much."

~•~