A/N: Well hell, I deleted the author's note. I don't think there was anything important in there... just read and enjoy! Hope the final chapter satisfies. This has been my favorite story to write so far, and I truly hope that you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am leaning toward writing something similar soon, because the project that I am writing more seriously on is pretty devoid of any romance at this point and I need to bleed that out of my system before I do something terrible to my other story just because I want someone to bite someone else's ear. Thoughts? Okay, all my love for stopping to read this!

It had been almost a week.

Sunday had been the worst. Keira hadn't gotten any sleep, her dreams being of the guilty variety the night before. She had woken up much earlier than usual, forced into the waking world by her sinister dreams. Her drowsy mind had immediately instructed her to find comfort.

She rolled to her side, searching for her lover. "Baby?" she pleaded softly. But Jak's side of the bed was cold. Only then did the pieces fall back into place, and she fought the desperation that threatened to consume her. She couldn't stand to look at the empty place that Jak should have been occupying, so she turned back over, resolutely depressed. She tried her hardest to remind herself that this wasn't a permanent wound, that Jak would come home and everything would be okay. She rolled this notion back and forth in her mind, trying to lull herself into a state of placation.

Deep breaths. Close your eyes, try to sleep. It's going to be okay.

But it wasn't okay. She couldn't accept that it was going to get there, either. Defeated, Keira curled up as tightly as she could and started to sob quietly.

Two hours later, the phone began to ring. The first few chirps didn't register as something that demanded attention. Keira listened to them in a semi-catatonic state, watery green eyes half open. On the third ring, recognition penetrated, and she pushed the covers back dutifully. Suddenly, the hope that Jak was on the other end of the line dawned on her, and her movements became urgent and purposeful.

She stumbled into the living room and found the phone on the fifth ring.

"Jak?" she answered, her voice a pathetically raw supplication.

"This is an automated message: Hello racer, this call is to remind you that the Class Three qualifying race takes place this Saturday at one o clock. Racers should attend formal ceremonies at noon…"

Keira could have dropped the phone out of disappointment. There was no real need to listen to the rest of the message; she got the same heads-up every year for the Class Three. But she was lonely, and any voice at all was better than the silence she had been suffering through all morning.

"…be sure to be registered by Wednesday at the latest. Good luck!" Click.

Setting aside the phone was the hardest thing she could remember doing. Daxter's number was on speed dial, she could call just to make sure that Jak was doing okay…

But no. That had been part of the deal; she wouldn't allow herself to contact him. She wasn't supposed to be killing herself with worry over him. She was supposed to be finding ways to cope alone.

The next hour was spent in agonizing boredom, every empty second reminding her that she was entirely alone. She toyed with the idea of going back to Samos' and asking to borrow Dawg for the day, if only to keep her company. But she was afraid that her father would see through her. It seemed like a pretty transparent move to her.

She couldn't stay there all day. Everything kept coming back to Jak's absence. She felt a longing for him that manifested itself as a palpable pain in her chest. It didn't' surprise her that her heart physically hurt; she had become accustomed to that particular ache during the two years she had been separated from Jak and her father. She needed a distraction bad.

Without really having formed a plan, Keira searched her bedroom for her keys. They weren't in the pockets of yesterday's jeans and they weren't on the bedside table. She opened her mouth to call out to her lover to ask him if he'd seen them, but the question died in her throat.

Frustrated almost to tears, she skulked into the living room and found her jacket on the sofa. Absentmindedly, she fished through its pockets and was startled to actually find the missing keys.

She left without bothering to lock the door.

"Keira Hagai. Good to see you back this year." The young man threw her a nervous smile.

Keira tried to smile back, but she just wasn't feeling it. "Thanks." She didn't recognize him, but he certainly knew who she was. He handed her the paperwork, two thin sheets stapled at the corners. She accepted them and turned to sit at a bench across from the desk.

She had snatched a pen off of the desk before the receptionist had had a chance to greet her. The first page was general information and Keira tackled it mechanically. Registering for races normally didn't take long, and her mind wandered to other mundane tasks she could do to get through the day. She was filling out her phone number when she felt the urge to look up.

The young receptionist was staring at her. When she caught him, he glanced away sheepishly. Disconcerted, Keira went back to her paperwork. It wasn't long before she felt his eyes on her again.

She finished the registration as fast as she could. She took the papers back to the desk and offered the man a shaky smile. Quickly, she turned to leave.

"Says here you'll be driving." His voice caught her off guard. Hesitantly, she turned around to face him.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that… last season you had a different driver. Jak?" He sounded genuinely curious.

Keira fought back the involuntary flinch. "That's right. My boyfriend."

The man's back straightened. "Oh. He's… he's not on the roster. Did you two…?"

Keira had had a hint of where this was headed, and she made an attempt to stop it before it took off. "No. We're together. I just didn't want him racing this year, that's all. He's already got too much fanfare."

The receptionist visibly slumped. "I see," he said, trying to mask the disappointment. "I guess you don't have any room for another driver? I uh, I race myself. Nothing big league, but I've been trying to get more involved in the whole…"

Keira cut him off.

"I don't really need any drivers this year. But maybe next season I'll have a place open? You would have to send me your credentials, and you have to understand that I can't hire anyone without real experience." She hoped that this would stun him enough that she would have a chance to leave.

He did look surprised. "Well, yeah, I mean I definitely understand that. Um, thank you! I can do mechanic work too, I've taken classes and my father is…"

"That would be great. Just send me some credentials before next season?" The young man nodded numbly. Keira sighed under her breath and turned again.

Outside, she took a deep breath of fresh air and ran a hand through her hair. She severely doubted that the kid could race. It was admirable of him to try to get more involved. He had even stooped to volunteering for registration duty. But without a trophy or any real chops, she knew she wouldn't be getting any resumes from him any time soon. She didn't want a new driver anyway.

She straddled the zoomer and pulled away from the uptown building and headed for the racing complex to gather some tools.

Monday came with Keira still at work upstairs. She hadn't realized how late it had become, and when she glanced at the wall clock she was startled. The heaviness of exhaustion assaulted her then. She held her forearms out in front of her. They were black with grease. She knew she had it in her hair and on her jeans, and the thought of going to bed like that made her cringe. She needed a hot shower.

She wiped down and hung up the ratchet she had been using and scanned the machine. She had a bit more work to do on it the following day, mostly fine tuning. And then there was the NYFE in the garage to finish. She had her work cut out for her.

She flipped the light off and made her way downstairs, careful not to touch the banister. She showered, barely able to keep her eyes open, and stumbled off to bed.

She woke at one. Half the day had gone by while she slept. She was drowsy and disoriented and couldn't understand why it was so late. She rolled over to ask Jak why he hadn't tried to wake her before she realized that he wouldn't be there. Her heart panged painfully and she buried her face in her pillow.

Suddenly it hit her that she had made it through the day. She could call Daxter's and talk to her boyfriend. Jak could come home!

Exhilarated, she sat up and shoved the covers away. She hurried to the living room and reached for the phone, but her hand stopped inches away. The little red indicator at the base was blinking. She had missed a call.

Keira pushed the button below the red light and braced herself for the message.

Beep. "Baby?"

Jak's voice.

"It's me, Keir. I just wanted to talk. Call me back? I'm still at Daxter's. He's driving me nuts." There was a muffled protest from the ottsel in the background. Jak chuckled. "Okay babe, just call back when you can." A pause. "I miss you." Click.

"I miss you too," she whispered. She reached for the phone. Just as she was dialing, the phone came alive in her hand. Startled, her instinct was to drop it, but she knew that it might be Jak calling. She pushed the button to connect.

"Hello?"

" Miss Hagai?" A male voice, but not Jak's. Keira's heart sank.

"Yes." She didn't try to hide her dejection.

"Um, hi. This is Kato. I'm sorry to bother you at home but…"

Keira frowned. "I'm sorry," she interrupted. "Who?"

"Oh yeah, sorry, Kato. We met yesterday? I'm the racing registration receptionist. The triple R. Ha. See what I did there? I…"

He must have been able to sense Keira's blank stare.

He cleared his throat. "Anyway. I ran through your registration this morning and I wanted to let you know that everything seems to be in order."

Keira rolled her eyes. "Great. See you around."

"Well hang on! I mean," he hesitated. "You didn't specify an inspection date. I thought maybe you'd already had it done, but you didn't mark anything that would…"

God, this kid was annoying.

Keira ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. "I'm a licensed mechanic. I do my own inspections."

"Yeah, but… hold on. There's something in the reprint about this, let me find it…" She could hear rustling noises on the other end.

She waited for half a minute before pressing the kid again. He seemed frazzled, but that really wasn't her problem.

"Okay, listen, what reprint? Every year I perform formal inspections with a notary present. She signs off on it and it's never been an issue before."

A muffled curse. "Okay. Have you had it done yet?" He was beginning to sound condescending.

Keira's back straightened in offense. "No," she informed him coldly. "I haven't quite finished the fine tuning on my racer." As an afterthought, she added, "Is there someone else I could speak to? Someone older?"

There was stunned silence for a moment. Keira grinned smugly. She hoped that the remark had landed.

"No ma'am, I am the only one available at this time." His voice sounded clipped and professional now. Good."The reason for my concern is that the rule reprint was sent out later than usual this year. Some individuals haven't received it yet."

She sighed into the receiver. "Again with this reprint thing."

"Yes, the regulations and guidelines are revised and reprinted as necessary every four years. You didn't know?" His voice held no emotion. It sounded like he was reading from a cue card, and the formality was beginning to creep her out.

Unnerved by his change in attitude, she dropped her chilly hostility. "No, I've only been racing for three years." The implications of this began to sink in and she moaned in despair. "Alright, this is pretty big for me. Is there somewhere I can run out and grab a copy of the new print?"

Sensing the panic in her voice, Kato returned to his own awkward speech. "Sure, sure. Um. We've got extra copies in the back. Wanna swing by sometime today? I'll run back and get you one."

No, I do not wanna swing by, you creepy quasi-stalker.

"Fine. Whatever it takes." Belatedly, she added, "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, listen, I wouldn't get too worked up if I were you. I'm pretty sure nothing substantial has been changed."

Keira put the phone back on the charger. "I hope so."

The rulebook was thankfully unchanged for the most part. There was a new maximum gear ratio enforced, probably to save a few bucks where engine construction was concerned. Keira made a note to adjust for that. Otherwise, things looked very familiar. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Now all she had to do was finish tweaking the racers and get them inspected by a different mechanic. There had been some conflict of interest issue with qualified racer/wrench-jockeys like Keira checking their own vehicles. It seemed stupid to her, but she knew contesting it was futile. It was in the rules now.

By the time she had picked up her new copy and gotten home, it was two thirty. By the time she had satisfied herself with rereading the guidelines, it was close to six. She had racing on the brain; it seemed like there was no room for anything else in her mind. The closer the Class Three came, the more antsy Keira felt. She couldn't help thinking that she was going to forget something. She would think that she was all set and then something would prevent her from competing, whether it was some misfiled paperwork or some oversight on her part…

Determined to race, she headed upstairs to go over the racer once more, rulebook in hand.

Tuesday passed in a flurry of phone calls and last minute adjustments to the upstairs racer. She managed to get an appointment with a licensed inspector for Friday. That meant she needed to kick it up a notch in preparations, as both of her NYFE vehicles needed checked. The racer on the second floor was finished, but she wanted to get a coat of wax on it before putting it on the track. And she needed to warp the finished vehicle out to the garage and then send the NYFE from the garage back upstairs… That was a lot of running.

Wednesday came and went. She managed to swap the racers in order to work on the second and started adjustments that night. She worked until early morning, her mind rushing in an incoherent whirl. Her mental checklist was getting shorter, but her anxiety was mounting. She didn't get much sleep that night.

Thursday was spent on the racer. There was less work to do on this one and she was surprised to finish mid-afternoon. She cleaned up and made sure she left the warp pad on. She thought she would drive back to the garage and bring the second racer over and take them both out on the track for a few laps, just to make sure.

At this point, she was trying to ignore the empty feeling in her chest. It had remained as potent as it was the second Jak left, but Keira was doing her best to live with it. Her thinking had been primarily soaked up by the upcoming race, and what was left was nothing more than an uncomfortable, hollow nagging at the back of her mind. She knew that something was wrong, something that she could identify in a heartbeat if she only devoted a little more attention. But the feeling wasn't a good one. It was as if she was waiting for test results. She wanted, needed to know how they had turned out, but it was infinitely more comfortable in ignorance. She kept trying to push the worry away. Whatever it was, it would have to wait until after the Class Three.

Jak.

She ground her teeth. That kept happening, that one word, his name being repeated through her mind when she least expected it. Some mental trip wire that kept reminding her there was something she was forgetting. She knew that the issue was going to act like an infection and get worse the longer she ignored it. But she was already under so much stress, she didn't think she could handle the inevitable confrontation and…

Confrontation? Oh no…

She had been disregarding Jak completely for the past three and a half days, and for no discernable reason. She had more than won the bet against her father. Nothing was stopping her from calling Jak and telling him to please come home. So now there was a new problem. She had to figure out why she was doing this to them, keeping them apart like this when there was nothing to gain. Maybe she did need therapy.

Great.

Friday was long and unbearable. She met the mechanic at the garage as planned. He didn't speak much, but the good news was that everything checked out according to standards. She left the two NYFE racers sitting tuned, waxed and pristine in the garage. Now there was nothing left to do but wait.

Jak.

Okay. It needed to be taken care of. She couldn't stand to wait until after the race to know how he was doing. She would call him and ask him to come home.

Keira picked up the phone and dialed Daxter's.

It rang seven times, and the voice mail picked up. Irritated, she hung up and dialed again.

"…think he would move the damn phone… less than two feet tall! Hello?"

"Hello, Tess?"

The ottsel's voice adjusted from irritated to conversational.

"Keira! Hey babe, how've you been?" Keira noted a hint of concern in the question.

"I've been… honestly? Tess I'm a wreck." She felt tears begin to heat the corners of her eyes. "I haven't had time for anything between working on the racers and worrying over the Class Three. I've been completely alone all week… I just haven't had time to be a girlfriend."

"Oh, Keira…" Warm sympathy did nothing to stem the tears that were now falling freely. Keira didn't realize how desperately desolate she had been feeling, didn't realize that she had been pushing back so much emotion.

Of course, it had just been her. She hadn't had any contact with friends or family, and that made it easier to neglect what she had been feeling. Hearing Tess's concern startled Keira into letting go.

"I miss him, Tess. Is he there? Can I please talk to him?"

Her friend hesitated, and that was enough to make her heart falter.

"He's mad at me." It wasn't a question.

"What? Oh, honey, no! He misses you so much."

"I haven't even talked to him since he walked out the door six days ago. Why wouldn't he be mad at me? I'm mad at me." She quickly reflected and found that it was true. She was disgusted with herself.

"Keira, I promise he's not mad at you. He's just… confused. He told me you just needed some space and a little time to figure some things out. And it's been a week…" she sounded like she was walking on eggshells. Keira felt lower than bedrock.

"I…" she began, searching for words to express how sorry she was. She wished Tess would just put Jak on.

"No, I understand! I'm just trying to help you see where he's at right now."

"Where… where is he at? Can I talk to him?" Her mind felt numb and her hands had begun to shake.

"He's out, Keir. He and Daxter left this morning. A club in Kras closed, and the boys made a deal with the owner to go pick up some of the furnishings for the Ottsel. They may not be back until tonight." The news hit Keira like a sledgehammer to the chest. Her head pounded and she just wanted to cry. Tess seemed to sense this in her silence. "But! He told me if you called, to tell you that he will call you back as soon as he gets back."

But she wanted to talk to him now.

It's been six days. What's a few more hours? It was a small comfort.

"Okay. Please don't forget?" She sounded pathetic, even to herself.

"I won't. First thing, I promise."

She tried watching T.V. She tried cooking, but that really wasn't her forte. She thought about taking a walk, but she knew that would force her to think and she didn't want to leave in case Jak called. Her choices were severely limited.

Finally, resigned, she curled up on the sofa with the phone and turned the T.V. back on. There was nothing on that interested her, but she found a crime drama marathon and tried to get into it.

Seven hours later and the phone was still silent. It was going on eleven o clock, and Keira was getting drowsy. She had pulled the blanket off of her bed and was wrapped up with the phone still held against her chest. Her head kept dipping forward in sleep only to be followed by that urgent jerk-awake that makes the heart beat faster. By midnight, she had fallen completely asleep.

The phone was ringing.

Keira's eyes came open. She had slumped over on her side and the phone had slipped to the floor. Quickly, she untangled herself from the blanket and reached for it.

"Hello?" her voice was heavy with sleep.

"Did I wake you, beautiful?"

Keira's heart pounded and she couldn't keep the smile off her face at his words.

"I fell asleep waiting for your call. Jak, I miss you so much."

"Hey, I miss you too. I tried to call, I left messages…"

Keira shook her head, although she knew he couldn't see it. "I know. Things just… got crazy. I'm so sorry, baby. I wanted to call you back."

"Tess told me what you'd said." He sounded compassionate and understanding. Her heart squeezed.

"I…"

"Sweetheart, I understand. Sometimes life just takes off and you have to catch up any way you can. I just wish you knew you don't have to push me away to get things done. I want to be there to help you Keir. I promise I'm not going to get in your way."

Keira was stunned.

Is that why she was acting so different? The impending races had taken front seat to everything else, and she wasn't sure she would meet deadline when she had other… distractions?

Oh my god. Why the hell was that so hard to figure out?

She knew that that was it. When she thought about it, the weight lifted from her heart. She felt like laughing at herself. It was so easy! And of course she didn't have to push Jak away!

"Jak, honey, please come home?" She was elated to have pinpointed the problem, but it didn't keep the plaintive desperation out of her question.

"I've just been waiting to hear that." Keira heard the warmth in his voice. "I'll be over first thing in the morning baby. I can't wait to see you."

She smiled into the phone. "Me neither."

She was able to sleep so much better with the knowledge that her relationship was safe and back on track. She could finally relax.

And that's what she blamed for the three extra hours of sleep that she stole the next morning. She had meant to wake up at eight in order to get ready and get to the track early. Her alarm clock did go off, but she had slept right through it. The previous week had taken a toll on her and she was paying for it in the most inconvenient way possible.

"Oh, shit!" she moaned, despairing. She scrambled to kick out of the blanket and headed for the bathroom. She didn't allow herself much time to clean up. It was already an hour before opening ceremonies and she wasn't going to be completely prepared for the race if she didn't get it in gear.

"Shit shit shit." How the hell had she managed to mess up the one morning she needed to be punctual?

She didn't have time to dry her hair.

She knew her first priority should have been getting to the track ASAP. But the one thing that kept returning to the forefront of her mind was the regret that she had missed Jak this morning.

Damn it! Do I have time to call him? Will he even answer? I am such a worthless girlfriend… it's okay. I can apologize my brains out after the race. I hope he comes… What am I thinking, of course he'll come! I just pray he forgives me.

She made sure she had her ID and the ring that she kept the racers' keys on. She was about to head out the door when she remembered she hadn't had breakfast. Quickly, she retreated into the kitchen and snagged a banana off of the counter. She rushed back through the living room but hesitated when she saw the phone. A hurried glance at the wall clock told her she should move, but her heart pulled her back with an agonized groan.

Keira snatched the phone off its charger and dialed Daxter's without seeing the buttons. It rang and rang and rang. No one was picking up.

"Shit!" she hissed. She tossed the phone onto the sofa while she made her way to the door. She loved Jak so much, but he would just have to wait. Again.

He was already at the track.

She pulled up to the pylons blocking entrance to the individual garages and hopped down to walk her zoomer through. A man stood nearby, keeping an eye on the entrances. He looked up at Keira as if to stop her, and she fished in her pocket for her ID. She didn't need it, though, as the man recognized her, smiled, and nodded her through. Her hard-won reputation preceded her.

It was easier for her to keep her street vehicle in the garage while she raced. The first year, she had made the mistake of leaving the zoomer in the parking lot with other civilian vehicles. Little did she know that rival teams had marked her zoomer. She'd had to hire someone to tow it back home.

She walked the semi-circle to her space to find Jak's custom blue zoomer pulled close to the locked doors of her garage. She grinned as she unlocked the heavy metal shutter. The guard by the pylons must have thought he was racing for her this year.

She hooked her fingers under the metal frame and pushed the rolling door up. Absentmindedly, she flicked the light on and tossed her street's keys onto the workbench along with her banana. The NYFE racers sat where she had last left them next to the warp pad. She took a second to close her eyes and take a deep breath. She was there, nothing had gone wrong, she still had a fair chance at the trophy. More than a fair chance.

And Jak will be cheering me from the stands…

It occurred to her that it didn't matter whether or not she won. As long as she got to see her lover, today was a good day.

She smiled again, excitement beginning to kick up her adrenaline. She fidgeted, unable to decide what to do with these last few minutes before joining the opening ceremonies. Walking to the pegboard over the bench, she scanned her tools as if to assure herself that everything was in its place. She reached out to touch a monkey wrench she hardly used. Her eye caught the discarded banana she had brought.

No sense racing on an empty stomach.

She picked up the banana and leaned back against the workbench. Just as she began to peel the fruit, the intercom above her garage door hissed into life.

"Attention all racers. Please report to the track office and check in with master of ceremonies Bry Ankar. Absentees will be disqualified."

Keira rolled her eyes. So much for breakfast. She put the fruit back on the bench and walked back out along the paved semi-circle. As she passed Jak's zoomer, she let her hand trail over the seat lovingly.

After checking in, Keira took a few minutes to mingle with fellow racers. As she had feared, the Kras boys were back this year. She threw the NYFE jockey a forced smile and hoped that it would discourage him from pushing her into a wall on the track. He winked at her in reply, which just made her grimace.

Aside from Kras City, there didn't seem to be much in the way of hard competition. She breathed a little easier. After prying herself from the conversations of nervous and confident jockeys alike, Keira scanned the stands. She knew that the odds of spotting Jak were next to nothing, but it helped to know that he was out there somewhere.

She got shuffled around in the crowd on the way back to her garage. Her next task was to bring her NYFE out to the track for the lineup and last minute inspections. These were to make sure no contestants had changed anything since the initial inspection and were very reasonable, but they took forever. At least there was entertainment on the field while they waited.

She pushed her way past the last of the stragglers and finally her garage was in sight. She walked her primary racer out and hesitated next to Jak's vehicle. A thought struck her and she grinned to herself. She left the racer for a moment and took Jak's handlebars. She walked the zoomer into the garage next to hers and pulled the rolling door shut. Now he wouldn't be able to leave without talking to her.

Then she began the tedious trek back to the track. This was always harder because race fans and kids never gave her enough space. They wanted autographs and permission to touch 'her ride.' The meaning of that phrase differed from fan to fan, and she almost began to wish she had allowed Jak to race this year just to escape the harassment. She got a little thrill out of imagining Jak's fist connecting with those men's kidneys.

Keira stepped out onto the track to the sound of applause. It always made her feel good to hear the support of a few thousand fans. Graciously, she turned her smile on the crowd and offered a celebratory wave. Her arm froze in mid-gesture.

There was Jak, making his way back up the stands, balancing three pretzels and a soda. Before she could stop herself, Keira cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to be heard over the roar of the audience.

"Jak? Jak!"

He didn't hear her. He edged by other seated fans to reach his spot, mumbling apologies to those he passed. Keira hurried to set her vehicle up beside the others and then ran to the side of the track closest to the stands.

"Jak!"

He was facing the track now, and he just happened to see her there at the edge of the stands. His expression broke into a beaming smile. He mouthed 'Hi, baby girl.'

Keira's heart swelled. She smiled back. "Where are you?"

Jak furrowed his brow, trying to read her lips. Then he raised the hand with the soda and pointed as best he could toward the far end of the bleachers. Keira followed his hand with her eyes and found the two indiscriminate orange shapes she was looking for. Daxter wasn't paying attention; he was too busy trying to steal a piece of red licorice from the kid in front of him. Tess saw her though, and she waved enthusiastically and shouted something that Keira couldn't make out. She brought her gaze back to Jak and nodded to signal she understood.

Jak held up one finger. 'Wait.'

Keira obliged. He finished squeezing by irate race fans and handed the soda to Daxter and then set the pretzels down in his seat. With his free hands he signed 'I love you' in the air.

Touched, Keira signed back. Their eyes held for a long moment, and Keira wanted so much to throw the race just to be in his arms. But what would have been the point of the past week if she did that? Hell no, she was going to race.

"All racers to the lineup." The crowd grew louder at this announcement. Keira didn't want to pull herself away from those gorgeous blue eyes, but the race was moments away. She backed away from the stands and blew him a kiss. He crossed his fingers and held them up for her to see, mouthing 'Good luck!'

She tried to shake the grin off her face. It was racing time. She couldn't afford to be distracted.

The other racers were already settling into the saddles of their respective vehicles. Keira did the same, quickly finding her game face. No city anthem was played this year to kick things off. The old song had been discarded along with the old regime and nothing suitable had been found to replace it yet.

There was however, a quick introductory speech. The announcer listed each contestant and bade them all good luck before the lights were dropped.

Here we go. Eyes on the prize. The sooner I make three laps, the sooner I get to see Jak.

Funny how her motivation had shifted.

Her left hand twisted the newly reinstalled grip ever so slightly and the motor growled in anticipation. Slowly, each of the red lights flashed green.

Green. Green.

Green.

She had timed for the last light and was off before the final notifying beep had fully sounded. Only one other racer had matched her launch, and there was another close on her tail. She glimpsed her competition out of her periphery and saw with a hint of trepidation that her hunch had been right: the man from Kras City was going to be a handful.

She knew she wasn't going to be able to use her old standby of keeping up with the head of the pack and taking the lead early in the third. Kras was going to blow her out of the water by then. Quickly, she rethought her race plan.

I could always try to run him in as soon as I get a chance. But if she drove him into a wall, that broke an unspoken truce between her and the other racers. Generally, the rule was to drive honorably. There was no written rule against being aggressive, and in fact the audience seemed to love it. But there was a certain decorum between racers, and once someone started fighting dirty, it was on.

She wasn't sure that she wanted that. At least not yet.

She kept up with Kras the entire first lap, but she felt that he was just waiting for the right moment to blast by her. A few times she glanced over at him to gauge his strategy, and once he caught her eye and gave her a secretive grin. Irritated, Keira pointed with two fingers at her goggles and then pointed ahead at the track. Eyes on the road, killer.

Bad move in hindsight. Kras laughed and shook his head. Without warning, he kicked the engine up a notch and roared past. Before he took first, he blew Keira a sly kiss.

She was surprised, a little confused, and definitely offended. Now she had a whole new reason to want that trophy.

Unfortunately, the Kras contestant had spurred the rest of the pack into a frenzied shuffle for rank. The racer that had been following close now pulled up alongside Keira. It was only the halfway mark, and already she could feel the tension usually reserved for the finishing line.

She could serpentine to cut ahead of the new threat, but then she would lose more ground on Kras. He was her real competition. She wasn't driving as fast as she would have liked to be, but there were a few rolling turns coming up and she didn't want to risk trashing the NYFE. However, she knew this track like the inner workings of Jak's first zoomer. At the end of three turns, there was a straightaway that led almost to the end of lap two. She would lose the stragglers there.

She took the turns like a pro, cleaving her way through the middle so as to avoid riding high on the walls. She knew Jak would chastise her if she rode high on turns. The thought made her smile. She couldn't wait to get to him.

She came out of the last turn and wasted no time with the boost she had been saving. Her engine was capable of about four seconds before it would overheat, and she timed it just right. She hunkered down over the handlebars and punched it.

She blew through the straightaway and turned hard to fly past the lap marker. One lap to go, and she was playing a close second. Time to shine.

She was a few yards behind first. Her engine wasn't going to be up for another boost until the end of the lap, and that wasn't going to help her now. The best she could do until then was keep to the middle and try not to lose any more ground. She hoped that the Kras contender would get cocky and maybe a little sloppy.

The last lap always ended much sooner than expected, especially when you weren't riding first. Those rolling turns were just ahead. She had gained a yard on Kras, and he was very aware of it. Again, she kept low on the turns and picked up a few more feet. She prayed that he wouldn't use a boost for the win.

She came out of the turn and saw him position his foot over the boost pedal…

Shit.

His foot came down. Keira gritted her teeth and went for broke. She wasn't going to win, but she would damn well take close second.

Her own foot touched the boost pedal and she peeled off onto the straightaway. It happened so fast she wasn't sure that she had finished until she heard the screams of the crowd double in intensity. She already knew that she'd lost. She braked and swerved the vehicle sideways to slide to a halt and dismounted in disgust. She wanted so bad to show up that chauvinistic prick from Kras… She had to fight the urge to kick the NYFE or push it into the wall. This was the first time she'd lost a qualifying race since she had settled down in Haven.

Her mind buzzed angrily, and she totally missed the announcer calling the name of the winner. She turned around to watch the others finish.

The Kras racer crossed the line just as she looked up.

She was stunned into temporary paralysis. What? How the hell…

"Keira Hagai! No surprise there, folks. What's this, her fourth year?"

"Third, I believe. Whichever, she's certainly got a following, look at that crowd!"

The announcers continued to chatter, but Keira couldn't comprehend anything at the moment. How had she managed to win? She saw him hit the boost. It just didn't make any sense. She couldn't really be happy about a win that she couldn't understand.

She was swept up by a few officials who led her down the way to the winner's circle.

Back in her garage, she set the trophy on the workbench and sat back to stare at it in bafflement. Nobody had bothered to explain it to her yet. She shook her head and sighed. She was beat.

How the hell did I pull this off?

She was so dazed that her mind refused to produce a feasible theory. She leaned back against the counter to think, her eyes never leaving the trophy's shine. Not one cogent word graced her fatigued mind in the span of five minutes. Her eyelids began to get heavy. She was sleepier than she had thought. The past week's sporadic sleep schedule was starting to catch up with her.

She heard the incoherent rumble of several people talking at once grow louder. Wearily, she turned her head to watch the stream of racers and team members shuffle past her open garage door. A few of them glanced into the garage, either to nod in Keira's direction or to spear her with their envious hatred. She didn't care. She could feel the corners of her mouth twitch up in amusement when the looks were particularly venomous.

She shook her head and pushed herself away from the counter still grinning.

Every year.

Keira picked up the trophy and held it at arms' length, studying it in the hopes that it would give up its answer. Well, I may not know what happened, but it's mine now. She turned to carry her newest prize to the shelf nominated for that purpose. She was running low on room; soon she would have to buy another shelf to accommodate her winnings.

She stood back to admire the trophy settled among the others. After a moment, she ran a hand through her hair. It didn't matter how long she looked at it, this win wasn't going to make any sense to her. Had the man from Kras let her win? That possibility didn't sit well with her, and she scowled. If that were the case, she felt it would have been an empty win. She may even hock the damn trophy.

Now frustrated, she moved to tend to her racers while she waited for Jak to make his way through the departing crowd to her garage. There was a man standing in the open doorframe.

Keira hesitated, her tired brain working to recognize him.

Kras?

He looked like he had been in mid-step, but had paused to acknowledge her on his way by. His expression was one of sober humility. He looked like a man who had sincerely lost.

Wait… so, he didn't let me win? Confused, she nodded at him in greeting. He nodded back.

"I just wanted to say, good race," he offered, his voice level and polite. Keira caught a hint of disappointment, but nothing hostile aimed at her. He sounded genuine.

Trepidation dissolved into confusion. She had to make sure.

"Was it?" she replied, arching an eyebrow skeptically.

The Kras driver looked affronted.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Keira felt her face flush with heat. "I've been trying to figure out how that trophy ended up on my shelf instead of yours. You had the win."

She peeked at his face tentatively. He stared for a moment, the cogs struggling to click into place. Then he smiled, unable to hide his amusement when he realized her concern. He laughed shortly.

"You think I threw the race?" Another chuckle. "Why the hell would I hand you first if I was going to win? Sorry kid, I would have pinned you to the wall if I could have."

A new voice entered the conversation. "Care to repeat that?"

Startled, the Kras driver spun around to find Jak standing just behind him.

"Do I know you, fella?"

"No," Jak smiled sarcastically. "But I'm about to introduce my foot to your ass if you have any more offensive remarks for my girlfriend."

The driver's face blanched. Keira had to fight the laughter out of her voice when she spoke.

"Baby it's okay," she interrupted, unable to suppress the smile in her tone. "We were talking about the race. Just the race." She smiled at Jak in amused appreciation. He grinned back at her.

He pushed his way past Kras and took his place behind his lover. From there he glared at the racer. "Well, carry on," he said mock-flippantly.

Keira laughed quietly and reached behind her to take his hand in hers. He obliged, and she squeezed it lovingly.

It took a moment for the stunned driver to shake off Jak's abrasive entrance. Keira broke the silence.

"If you didn't let me win, then what happened? Did I hit a wormhole?"

Kras shook his head and grinned. "My boost pedal jammed. I came down on it too hard and it just locked up. You passed me when you used yours. No wormhole."

"Oh, no way." Keira felt her shoulders slump in relaxation. She wanted to laugh out loud, but she was afraid of offending the driver. "Wow. Listen, I…"

Kras stopped her with an excusing gesture. "Hey, don't worry about it. You obviously spent more time with your vehicle than I did. I won't make that mistake again." He paused in reflection for a moment, then smiled up at her. "I've got to be on my way. But congratulations." He extended his hand.

Keira shook it. "I look forward to meeting you on the track again."

"When I get that pedal fixed, you may change your mind about that," he laughed. He turned and disappeared with a nod.

Keira immediately spun to face her long-neglected boyfriend. Without preamble, she met his lips in an exhausted kiss. Jak laughed when she pulled away and shook his head. "God I've missed you."

"Sweetheart, I've missed you too. So, so much." She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms about his waist. Here in his embrace, she forgot the past week of anxiety and emotional turmoil. All that mattered was here and now. She felt safe, wrapped in his love. She wanted to go home and crawl into bed with him, to hold him and feel his rough hands on her skin. She breathed in his scent, something she had been missing all week. "Jak?"

"I'm right here baby." His voice was soothing.

She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. "I love you. Can we go home?"

He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

Jak held Keira as she rested on his lap. They were seated comfortably on the sofa back home. All the lights in the house were off save for the illumination of the television. It was on, but neither one of them were watching it. Keira's eyes had drifted shut and Jak watched her doze. She smiled sleepily when he lightly brushed her face with his fingertips. She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him. He was so good to her, even when she didn't deserve it.

It turned out there was no need for the lengthy apology she had been planning for. As soon as Jak had walked back in the door it was like he had never left. He hadn't asked for a deeper explanation of her odd behavior or sulked over the loss of an entire week together. He had congratulated her, kissed her, held her and loved her. In return, she had clung to him tightly and kissed him until she was too tired to keep her eyes open. Jak instructed her to rest, and she didn't protest when he laid her down and put her head in his lap.

Now, as he touched her face tenderly, she felt the warmth of happy tears tickle the back of her eyes. She opened them and found Jak's face.

"Hello gorgeous," he whispered smilingly.

She smiled back and took his hand. She pressed it to her lips.

"Jak? I… I'm so sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Shh. Keir, there's nothing to make up for. Baby you should rest." He squeezed her hand. "You've had a big day."

"Jak. I swear I will never push you away again. You didn't deserve to be shut out." At this point she was so sleepy her words were bleeding into each other.

Jak chuckled. Afraid that he wasn't taking her seriously, Keira forced the sleep out of her voice. She opened her eyes and shook her head to wake up. She offered him a hurt look.

"I'm sorry girl, you're just so cute when you're tired. I'm listening." He ran a hand through her hair gently.

"I mean it. I acted like a psycho. You're the one person I want to keep close to me, especially when I'm freaking out. I need you, Jak." Her eyes never wavered from his.

Jak sensed the urgency of her tone and sobered. "I need you too, Keira. But you don't have to keep apologizing. Stress does weird shit to people." He grinned ironically. "Just be thankful you don't sprout horns and claws every time you get upset. I'd take your brand of psycho over mine any day."

Keira smiled in spite of herself.

"But seriously, I'm always going to be here. If you ever need a little time to yourself, I'll understand. All I ask is that you keep this in mind: I love you, and I'll never stop loving you, no matter what. You never have to worry about that." He leaned in and kissed her lips slowly. Keira sighed contentedly into his mouth and placed her palm on the side of his face. Jak pulled back and smiled slyly. His eyes radiated mischief. "But… if you really want to make it up to me, there is one thing you could do."

Keira laughed out loud. "Oh yeah?" she asked seductively. "And what might that be my love?"

Jak leaned in again to administer eskimo kisses. "Let me drive for you."

The request surprised Keira, but she wasn't displeased. She grinned at him roguishly. "I suppose I could do that…" She pretended to mull it over for a second. "But… what if I want to win?"

Jak's jaw dropped. "What are you trying to tell me?" His words were warningly playful. Keira knew she was in trouble now.

She giggled. "I don't know, I just thought I may want to hire a good driver… Oh no!" She erupted into laughter as Jak's fingers found her ticklish sides.

"Oh, you're in it now!" Jak threatened teasingly. Keira rolled from side to side, but there was no escaping his wrath.

"Oh crap please no more Jak! Okay okay, you can drive, you're in you're hired oh god hahahaha baby stop stop stop I can't breathe!" She tried pushing his hands away, but he was too strong. And it seemed like he wasn't going to stop until it became a medical emergency. Her only chance was to play the pity card. "Jak! Baby, please? I'm hahaha I'm so tired please let's go to bed?"

He let up. She caught her breath and smiled warmly at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Tired, huh? Dirty trick."

She laughed. "No, I really am. Come to bed?"

His expression relaxed into the open, loving smile she couldn't live without. "Yeah baby." He stood up and held out a hand to help her to her feet. She staggered sleepily and Jak used her lack of balance to pull her against his chest. His arms locked around her, encompassing her in protective warmth. Keira smiled, genuinely happy for the first time in what seemed like an endless week. Her arms found their way around his neck. He kissed the top of her head and spoke into her hair. "I love you Keira. You're my world."

Her heart twisted. "I love you too Jak. More than anything."

They held one another for a few long minutes. Finally, Keira raised her head to meet Jak's blue eyes.

"Jak?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

She smiled. "Welcome home."

A/N: So that's it for Shiner. I hope that it was fun to read; it was certainly fun to write. I really appreciate all the support and feedback I've gotten from readers on this site over the years. It's all been a really great ride, and it may not be completely over. I am writing my own stuff now, with original characters that I hope develop into book-worthy stories. But as far as the JxK thing is concerned, I may jump back into it when I need to. It's so much easier to write confidently about characters that have already been developed and that everyone loves and is invested in. And as I mentioned above, sometimes I need to go on a fluff binge or my other work might take a weird and desperate left turn. Reviews on any of my stories are welcome and appreciated! I love you guys. Feel free to drop me a note regarding any thoughts on a new JxK story, motivation never hurts. Peace easy until next time, friends.