Love Always Wins

12

New Year's Eve.

With the music playing loudly and filling the gym, Seb ran hard and fast. He could feel the sweat tricking down his back, his torso and down his face as he ran out his pent up frustration and anger on the treadmill, slowing just enough so that he could remove his t-shirt and throw it down on the floor beside him. Then he realised that he was running to the same track he'd seen her dance to with Harry, it caused a swell of longing to build up inside him and he started to run harder, trying to chase it away. It had been quite a week since Christmas Day, since he'd nearly kissed his wife. That had been the last time he'd managed to spend any time alone with her, since then she'd always been with her parents or grandmother, his kids or his parents and siblings until they'd returned to Germany the day after Boxing Day and while he was happy to see her getting on so well with his family again, he was craving some more close moments like the ones they'd shared on Christmas Day. He'd been unable to even get one minute to ask her if she would have really kissed him. He wanted to ask her what was holding her back and why she'd reacted like she had. Then there was the conference call with the Norwegian Police that they'd taken in his office on Friday, understandably she'd wanted her mother there with her for support as they were told that Corinna had been charged with 'planned murder' and could face a lengthy spell in prison and that when it got to court, they were both required to be there. Antti and Stephen hadn't got away things either, with the Finn being charged with firearms offences and Stephen being investigated after the contaminated cloth was found at the lodge. Unsurprisingly, the media had got hold of this new information and it had been on the tv and online as well as plastered all over the papers the very next day. It had given Britta a very busy weekend dealing with it all and Chloe had become rather subdued, leaving Seb angry and anxious that this had pushed her back in her recovery. This was exactly why he hated things about his private life and that of his loved ones being in the press, this is why he worked hard to stay out of the limelight and said so little about his life away from Formula One. The effects it had on other people just wasn't worth it. He was so lost in his thoughts as he ran that he didn't notice David enter the gym. David paused for a second, seeing Seb like this, training hard, was a first. His son-in-law certainly had the body of an athlete, lean, toned yet muscly and his expression was one of steely focus and pure concentration, he was certainly an impressive sight. As he got nearer to the treadmill Seb finally noticed him and started to slow his pace down steadily until he came to stop and grabbed a remote from the drinks holder on the handle to turn the music off. His body and his hair was absolutely soaked in sweat, it was obvious to David that he'd been running for a while.
"I thought you wasn't training until Thursday?" He asked as Seb stepped off of the machine, panting heavily. He said nothing back for a moment as he grabbed a towel that he'd left flung over a spin bike and started to wipe his face and body. "That was quite some pace you had going there." David added to break the silence.

"Thanks." Seb breathed. Leaving the towel draped around his neck he grabbed a bottle of water from a small table that stood against a wall. It was clear that he had a lot on his mind, he hadn't been quite right for days and while David knew that Friday's conference call was part of that, he also knew that his daughter was probably an even bigger part of it, which is why himself and Chrissie had come to the decision they had.

"Do you usually push yourself this hard when you run?" David asked. Seb's brows raised as he lowered the bottle from his lips.

"I have to push myself hard, it's part of my training, it's part of my job."

"So you're not doing it because you've got things on your mind?"

"Such as?"

"The trial in Norway, my daughter....."

"I have a new trainer coming over from Finland on Thursday, I thought I'd start training now." Seb eyed the weights bench, maybe if started on there then David would leave him alone.