( **  indicate flashbacks)
(italics are spoken in Dutch)

**   The alarm blares loudly, piercing through the early morning silence. Max groans as he reaches over to turn it off, but Celia remains stubbornly asleep in his arms, oblivious to the noise. Turning around, he shakes her gently, trying to rouse her from her slumber.

"C'mon, Lia, we have to get up," Max says, his sleepy voice tinged with urgency. "We have a flight to catch soon."

But Celia merely mumbles something unintelligible and buries her head further into his chest. Max sighs, knowing all too well that Celia is not a morning person.

Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Max starts to tickle Celia, hoping to wake her. At first, Celia stirs slightly, swatting at Max's hands in annoyance.

"Max, stop," she mumbles, her voice groggy with sleep. "I'm going to kill you."

Max chuckles, undeterred by Celia's threat. "You'll have to wake up first if you wanna kill me, Schatje."

Finally, after a few more moments of tickling, Celia's eyes flutter open, and she glares at Max, clearly unamused by his antics. Reluctantly, she sits up, "Why do we always have to get up so early?" she complains, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Max chuckles softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Don't worry, one day I'm gonna be world champion and be able to afford my own jet. That way, you can sleep in as long as you want before we have to fly, promise."

Celia rolls her eyes playfully. "Or maybe I'll buy myself a jet after I beat you and become world champion."

Grinning, Max leans in to give her a soft kiss on the forehead. "Either way, I'll be happy," he says, before gently pulling her out of bed and towards the bathroom. "Now come on, we don't want to miss our flight."   **

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As they made their way towards the runway, the early morning sun barely beginning to peek through the clouds, Harper stirred in Max's arms, her voice groggy with sleep. "Why couldn't we fly at night, Dad? I mean, it's your plane and we still have to wake up so early," she questioned, her words muffled against Max's shoulder.

Max gently adjusted his hold on her, a smile playing at the corners of his lips as he explained, "Because the weather there is bad, sweetheart. We have to reach before a storm hits." He reassured her, "But don't worry, once we're on the jet, you can sleep as much as you want, okay?"

Harper continued to grumble in her father's arms, clearly not thrilled about the early start. Max glanced back at Celia with a smile, remarking, "She's just like you when it comes to flying."

Celia, carrying her bag, replied with an equally tired tone, "Well, nobody likes waking up this early for a flight, except you, apparently."

Max chuckled at her comment, thinking how alike the mother-daughter were, as they approached the stairs of the waiting jet, ready to board quickly.

As they entered the jet, a flight attendant greeted them warmly, taking their bags and ushering them inside. Max settled into his usual seat, with Celia following suit in the seat opposite him.

"Harpie, you wanna sit with mommy?" Max offered, motioning towards Celia.

But Harper, eager for a window seat, piped up, "No, I wanna sit with you! I wanna sit by the window, Dad!" Max chuckled and switched seats with her, buckling her in before the flight attendant closed the door.

With the pilot's instructions over the radio, signaling a two-hour flight ahead, the jet's engines roared to life. Celia, despite her experience with flying due to her job, closed her eyes tightly, gripping the seat handles for support. Flying always made her nervous, a fear she couldn't shake.

Feeling the jet speed up, Celia's grip tightened even more as the aircraft lifted off the ground. Suddenly, she felt a comforting touch on her hand. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw Harper and Max's hands enveloping hers, with Harper eagerly peering out the window. Max squeezed Celia's hand reassuringly, sandwiching Harper's hand between theirs.

Looking up, Celia met Max's soft smile with gratitude, silently appreciating his understanding of her fear. With a sigh of relief, Celia closed her eyes once more as the jet soared enroute their destination - Red Bull Racing's HQ in Milton Keynes.