Hello there. So I took the time to write a new chapter for you guys. I'm relatively happy with it. Some stuff is happening and it's endlessly long. As always comments are welcome, if you wanna say something just do it, it's always great fun. Enjoy reading it, I have no idea when the next chapter will come so yeah, life is hard. Cheers!
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Joanna never liked shopping, it was a mere necessity for her. Nothing she ever used to overly enjoy, especially if the people joining her loved doing so, it was just exhausting in her opinion. Now, it was still exhausting but for whole other reasons. She never believed that carrying a child, would tire her out like that, but that was the case even if it was a special kind of tired, a good kind. The Austrian was so content at the moment with her own life, that she didn't even mind Charlotte's constant chatter, or Pia's fake forced laughter or her bad lies and keeping Charlotte from finding out the truth. It was not nice per se, but the moment Joanna held a pair of socks meant for a newborn baby, the other two woman and their problems were forgotten for a moment. Joanna knew Max couldn't wait to hear tiny feet running around in their home and by now, Joanna dared to be excited as well.
"You can go on, you don't have to stop by," Pia told Joanna as they were walking in the paddock next to each other on their way to the Ferrari garage, following behind Charlotte who was hanging on Charles's arm, chatting away at him about their day and the many things she had bought, Pia and Joanna a few steps behind them.
Sometimes, Joanna felt not welcome when the little Italian said things like that. As if she was dismissing the Austrian after she had come to her aid and supported her. Deep down, she must think it polite, to spare Joanna the drama Pia's life was, but if Joanna knew one thing, it was drama. She was used to it, but even more important, she could handle it.
"I don't mind," Joanna answered honestly. She had seen the miserable gaze on Pia's face while she stared a hole into the back of the Monegasque Ferrari driver's head, but to be honest, Joanna's mind was not with them. She was thinking about what she had bought and how Max would react upon seeing the first baby clothes she had bought for their son.
They must have made an uneven pair. Joanna was smiling quietly to herself. Anticipation and careful excitement taking over while Pia looked miserable, staring at the man she loved, who was with another woman. A few months ago, Joanna could have sworn that Pia and she would share their bitterness for a while longer, but then she had become pregnant and things changed for her. Other than for Pia, things seemed to stay the same with her. Not in terms of action in her life, Joanna knew that there was pretty much going on, the whole chaos with Lando, but with the level of her personal happiness. Pia seemed to only get worse.
"Right on time for lunch ladies," Sebastian said as they approached, leaning against the side of the garage and having an eye on Theo, who had been talking with one of the mechanics until he saw his sister and Joanna approach. His interest in Charles was no-existing which amused Joanna.
Pia walked up to Seb and hugged him shortly, before presenting her little brother with as much undivided attention as she could muster, while Joanna moved to greet Sebastian as well. Kissing both his cheeks in a quick greeting, Sebastian pulled back but held her at arm's length.
"How was the shopping?" He asked Joanna, who gave him a painful expression before glancing over at Pia for a second, which told the German already enough.
"You know me, I hate shopping." The Austrian said, which caused Sebastian to give her a grateful look. He was glad Joanna had accompanied his troublesome child, so at least someone would have an eye on her.
"Oh, poor you." The German teased. "Let me buy you lunch for all your exertions." The German said, right at that moment Joanna's phone went off, which caused her to get it from her pocket only to see a long treat of notifications coming from none other than Max Verstappen. Asking where she was and making some funny comments about Mercedes staff looking at him as if he was a zoo animal.
"As much as I would love to, I have to decline. I've made plans to meet Max for lunch and he's getting nervous all alone at Mercedes." Joanna spoke, the amusement about her partner's texts audible in her voice.
"Another time?" She asked Sebastian as she looked up to meet his gaze again. "I will hold you up on your offer." The Austrian said teasingly which caused Sebastian to nod, while he reached out to squeeze his friend's shoulder. He was so proud of Joanna for getting things back in line, for trying to be better for Max and their child.
"Yeah sure, don't let him wait for too long. I'm surprised they even let him inside." Sebastian joked which caused Joanna to snort, before giving him a look which told Sebastian enough that she was surprised as well to a certain degree, but apparently, nobody wanted to cross her even now or especially now.
"Yeah well." She spoke while shrugging, two steps already towards the pitlane as Theo appeared in front of her, looking disappointed, while Pia gave him an unhappy glance. Her little brother just ditched her for the woman he fancied.
"You are leaving already?" Theo wanted to know displeased, the frown on his face so similar to Pia's as he crossed his arms over his little chest.
"Oh Theo, hello," Joanna spoke while she bent down to be on eye level, before giving him one of these bright smiles normally only Max gets, before she tousled his hair but somehow gently.
"Yes, I'm meeting Uncle Max for lunch. He's waiting for me already." The Austrian spoke, before getting up again. She was about to say goodbye when Theo spoke up again.
"Can I come?" He wanted to know, causing Sebastian to give his son a disapproving look.
"Theo." The German warned him, but Joanna shook her head.
"No, it's fine." She said. "Yeah, sure I guess. If your sister wants to tag along a bit longer?"
If she was already taking one Vettel child out for lunch, she could always ask the second one as well, which surely wouldn't want to have lunch with Charlotte and Charles, but knowing the female Monegasque, she would surely ask her to join, so yeah, why not?
"Only if you don't mind," Pia spoke politely, but before Joanna could even think about answering, Theo already did.
"She doesn't mind Pia, or she wouldn't have asked us," Theo said, before walking over to Joanna and taking her hand with a bright smile, causing her to rescue the bag she was holding in that hand by hanging it on her cast. It wasn't heavy after all.
"Let's go." The little boy said before pulling Joanna with him, Pia following behind while Joanna mouthed at Sebastian that he would have them back before qualifying, which caused him to nod, before shaking his head fondly at his friend.
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Walking to enter the Mercedes facility slowly, Joanna couldn't stop herself from smiling while Theo was hiding behind her leg a bit, suddenly not so brave any longer, while Pia watched with crossed arms from a few steps behind them. Joanna knew it was stupid, it was only one race the Austrian missed, but it felt as if it was ages ago. How much she would love to just go and have a normal day at work again. Get ready for the race and work with her team, but it would never be the same, which the Austrian realised at that moment. Her arm is broken, there is no chance she will sit in the car again before the baby is born and after, well after is a big question mark, she hasn't dared to touch just yet.
Joanna had never believed to make it that far in her pregnancy, she was still doubtful that she would actually have a baby to care for once the pregnancy is over. It hadn't worked out two times before, so there was also no guarantee that it would work out this time. But little expectations or dreams are slowly stealing themselves into Joanna's mind, she dared to hope everything would turn out alright this time.
Like taking the baby to the paddock with them, so they can watch Max race together. The image of little socks laying around everywhere and maybe a brother or sister on the way for the baby. It was a hard decision for sure, Joanna loved racing, it was the only thing she was really good at, but maybe racing would have to wait a few years in favour of her own little family.
"Want me to show you around? You seem rather lost after one race you didn't attend." A familiar voice spoke, which caused Joanna to turn around only to see James standing there with a big grin on his face.
"James," Joanna said full of joy before letting go of Theo's hand and hugging the Brit tightly, who moved right away to pull his arms around the Austrian, despite being careful with her broken arm.
"You did amazing last week with Nyck, I'm so proud of you." The Austrian said, which caused the Brit to smile at her.
"The boy is good, yes, but thanks to you. The setup notes you send him helped a lot." Her race engineer told her, causing Joanna to brush him off. Nyck would have done great without her as well. He was an overly gifted racer, and it was a shame his journey led him to Formula One just now.
"We both know that's not true. You just try to be charming." Joanna said while Pia moved closer to them, urging them out of their private conversation while taking her little brother's hand fully to his disapproval. He had reached for Joanna's again before Pia could get a hold of his hand, but the Italian was faster.
"Speaking of trying to be charming. Nyck is chatting up Max since you didn't show up on time." James joked, pointing out the two Dutch native speakers, sitting together in the facility at a table in the corner.
"I would be careful in your stead. He's more charming than you are." James said, before squeezing her shoulder shortly and disappearing, causing Joanna to shake her head amused.
"I don't think so, if that cheers you up," Theo spoke after pulling his hand from his sister's grip and taking Joanna's hand again which caused the Austrian to look down at him shortly.
"Thank you. I think you are right." She said, before smiling. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting," Joanna said before walking over to them. Theo on her hand with a bright smile, while Pia followed them a bit dimmed. She had never once eaten at Mercedes. This was Joanna's and Lewis's team. She never felt welcome in this facility, nor did she have a close relationship with either of the driver, to be honest. Most of the time was spent at Ferrari or McLaren, but that won't be the case now any longer. She also came to visit Max a few times at Red Bull, but she never felt welcome there, but she didn't understand why. Sebastian was welcome, as was Joanna and they were their biggest rivals.
"Ah, so you do remember where you work," Max said, seeing Joanna first, an amused smile on his face which caused Nyck to turn around in his chair to smile at Joanna as well before getting up and hugging the Austrian shortly in greeting, kisses pressed to each other's cheeks.
"I nearly forgot with all the fun I had while shopping." The Austrian let him know while putting the bag with the baby clothes she had bought on the floor next to a chair. She walked over to him and rested her good arm on his shoulder forcing Max to look up at her, who rested his hand on her hip automatically.
"You say that word as if it's poisonous," Max told her matter-of-factly. "I don't believe one word you say." He added, his nose scrunched up adorably before he leaned up causing Joanna to lean down to kiss him.
"Hello, schatje," Max muttered, causing Joanna to snort in amusement, while Max brushed the hair back behind her ear which had fallen forward into her face. "I hope you didn't have to wait for too long, but Nyck's been keeping you company kindly enough."
"Sure thing, Joanna." The older Dutchman said. "He looked a bit lost and if I may say so scared between all the Mercedes people with his Red Bull polo." Nyck teased while Max was ready to argue that he was very much not afraid of or scared of anything, maybe just not wholly comfortable with the situation.
"I can imagine," Joanna said while rolling her eyes half sitting on Max and half sitting on the armrest of the chair, her arm thrown around his shoulder before her eyes had landed on Pia, who stood there by the table, but unsure about what to say or to do while Theo had climbed into the chair next to Nyck.
"Oh sorry, do you know each other?" Joanna spoke up swiftly, feeling a bit bad for forgetting to introduce them to each other.
"I don't believe we do," Nyck spoke as he moved to take Pia's hand in greeting. "I'm Nyck de Vries." He introduced himself which caused Pia to give him a look Joanna couldn't quite read.
"Yeah, I know." She said. "I mean, nice to meet you. I'm Pia. Pia Vettel and that's my little brother Theo. Theo, say hello." The Italian spoke, causing Max and Joanna to share an amused smile as Nyck moved to shake Theo's hand as well.
Once everyone had greeted each other and the redness in Pia's cheeks had subsided, they ordered lunch, Pia sitting in between her brother and Nyck, she tried to tame her little brother and his million questions for the Austrian a little bit which worked the moment they but a burger and some fries right in front of him.
"I know you hate shopping but have you guys found something?" Nyck asked after a moment, his gaze wandering from Joanna, who was sitting diagonally from him, before presenting Pia with his attention who was sitting right next to him.
"Charlotte did," Pia muttered unimpressed, playing around with her salad, while Joanna reached under the table to get the bag, before dropping it on Max's lap.
"Maybe one or two pieces," Joanna said, her gaze on Max, who looked at her for a moment, before putting his fork and knife down. "Something I can unpack right in front of everyone?" He wanted to know the amusement in his voice audible, causing Joanna to roll her eyes.
"Just look inside, Verstappen." She told him, causing Max to reach inside before pulling a tiny orange onesie from the bag. Moving the onesie to hold it properly, Max smiled at the lion on the belly. It started to feel so overly real now.
"There is more," Joanna said, after watching Max stare at the baby cloth for a long moment, his eyes superstitiously glassy. Another onesie, this one in white with a bunch of tiny cars all over the fabric and a pair of socks which Max's driver's number on them.
"Where did you get those?" The Dutchman wanted to know, while Nyck used the moment to take a look at the orange onesie as well.
"A fan shop. The poor guy nearly had a heart attack as he saw me." Joanna said which caused Max to roll his eyes before he leaned over and kissed her.
"Thank you," Max muttered. "The clothes are perfect." He added which caused Joanna to brush her fingers shortly over his cheek.
"No need to thank me." She whispered back, before taking Max's hand, the one that wasn't holding the baby socks, and resting them over the baby bump. Their son had been very active during the shopping, apparently unhappy with it, but now his movements were softer again, calm as if he felt his father's presence close.
Pia watched Nyck for a moment. His gaze was on Joanna in a certain way that Pia didn't like. The moment the older Dutchman noticed the Italian gaze on his, he looked away from Joanna and started to ask Theo questions.
"Can we go over the data together before qualifying maybe? I just wanted to check in with you about something." Nyck said once the lunch was eaten and they all just lingered around, too content to leave just yet.
"Yeah of course. That's what I'm here for." Joanna told Nyck, before giving the others an apologising look and sitting up in her chair a bit more.
"I have to go as well. You know, get me the pole." Max said before he reached out and got a gentle hold of Joanna's chin to turn her face, only to kiss her softly. "We see each other tonight at the hotel?" He wanted to know which caused Joanna to nod before handing Max the bag with baby clothes to put in his driver's room in the meantime.
"Would you mind bringing Theo back to dad? I need to go talk to someone." Pia asked which caused Max to nod, before holding his hand out for Theo, which caused the boy to move over and hug Joanna shortly before he ran over to Max after Pia promised that they would see each other in a moment.
Joanna waited until they were gone, before looking over at Pia. "Lando?" She asked, causing the Italian to nod.
"Yeah. Lando." She answered Joanna, who put her hands down on her thins for a moment and said 'well'.
"I will go and look at the data then. See you in a bit?" Joanna said to Nyck while she stood up causing the Dutchman to nod before Joanna said her goodbye to Pia and left as well.
"Well, that leaves the two of us," Nyck said, he was trying to be charming, but Pia have him a dark look. She never meant to go and talk to Lando.
"Do you have the slightest idea what it took them to get this far?" She asked Nyck who looked at her confused.
"I... Pardon? I think I don't understand." He spoke causing Pia to snort while she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I know that look when I see it. You can't keep looking at Joanna like that. Gently touching her shoulder every here and there. Aren't you Max's friend?" Pia spoke while leaning forward so nobody would hear, should that rumour spread, they will have a lot of problems. The last part is not more than a whisper.
"They are both my friends," Nyck spoke in the hope Pia would let it go, but the Italian had seen too much in the last few weeks and months. She was sick of lies and secrets.
"You are eyeing up for friend's pregnant girlfriend." She pointed out what caused Nyck's expression to change but not in one of anger as Pia had expected but one of shame.
"Don't you think I know that?" Nyck asked her, voice lowly. "I feel terrible about it. I have a crush on her, on the woman Max, one of my best friends loves more than life itself but I'm not acting on it. I try my best to hide it. I really don't want to cause any problems but I can't change my feelings either." Pia couldn't believe it. She would like to swear, to ask God why everyone seems to be totally and hopelessly in love with Joanna. What even is so great about her?
"I'm trying, Pia. I'm trying to will it away, to fall out of love with her, but have you ever tried something like that, it's terribly hard." Nyck pointed out and yes, she understood. It was hard to stop loving someone.
"Yeah, I know," Pia muttered. "You still have to get rid of it. Max can never know about this."
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"Someone we can trust, and the best you can do is Mark Webber?! Are you kidding me?" Max wanted to know from Joanna the moment she got out of the car coming from her doctor's appointment and walked up to join Adrian and the Dutchman but instead of walking inside through the grant door, Joanna took Max's hand and intervened their fingers before pulling him after her around the house.
"He said he would do it on such short notice and he's not a stranger," Joanna answered as she stopped where she knew they would be unobserved, before kissing Max's lips, even though he thought for a moment to pull back but didn't in the end. His hand came to rest on her little bump.
"For you surely not." He mocked her causing Joanna to roll her eyes. "They asked for an interview and we're doing Sky Sport, that's not what I wanted, but we need someone to interview us we know. Mark is a good option. For this I trust Mark, he will help us clean this mess up, he owns me that much." Joanna said, she was about to go inside not intending to let Mark wait as Max pulled her back at their joined hands.
"I don't trust him. Not one bit." Max said, causing Joanna to open her mouth to reassure him and promise him that everything will go smoothly, but she never had the chance to speak up.
"But," Max said before Joanna could speak. "I trust you and your judgement. If you believe this is the way to go, I will follow." He added, which caused Joanna to brush her fingers over his cheek in pure adoration.
"It is." She murmured, which caused Max to hug her.
"Everything will be alright, I promise you. Nothing happens to us as long as we stay together." Max said, causing Joanna to look up for a moment, searching his eyes, before she kissed him.
"How's the baby and you, by the way?" The Dutchman wanted to know, his concern written all over his face, which caused Joanna's expression to soften even more before she rested her hand over her belly as well.
"We're both fine." She promised Max, her stormy eyes gentle.
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"As you know, I posted a story on Instagram that fans could send me questions to ask you, and I clearly underestimated the public interest in you two. How do you personally deal with that?" Mark asked the very first question since the camera was rolling. Max and Joanna were sitting together on a sofa in the main hall, the championship-winning cars right behind them, just like in the Hanger 7 in Salzburg. Max had to let them that, the Austrians knew how to demonstrate power.
Max knew that the Lauda House was holy ground and that never before an interview had been given here, but under these circumstances, it was the best way to go. The fans and reporters were aware of that fact too. The location alone was almost a guarantee for the interview to be watched already It was the home of legends, nobody wouldn't want to look around and see how people like them lived.
If they would have given the interview on Red Bull ground Mercedes would have been offended and the other way around and there was no way Joanna was flying any more than she had to get home. They wouldn't risk a miscarriage, not again. This was the best place, a sign of who they are, a sign to not cross them. Niki Lauda's legacy, their own story right behind them. It seemed like a sign of publicity to most, but it was a warning to those who understood. Do not cross us. Do not question us again.
"Social media is a very powerful tool if you have a large number of followers. I try to stay out of it for the most part and my team takes care of that for me. I simply think it can be very dangerous, when you say one wrong word and it goes viral, it's hard to redeem yourself or if it's taken out of context." Joanna explained in that interview voice Mark hated so much. So neutral and innocent.
"Max?" Mark asked instead of picking up what Joanna said to talk about it some more. This was an interview so the two of them could say whatever they had to say, and this was only the first question. Mark would make sure to sneak in what he wanted to know later on as well.
"I don't deal with it personally either. It's a very big platform to generate brainless hate and I don't want to deal with that. During a race weekend, I don't have time to post anything really and when I'm at home I have other things I like to do."
"So, you both don't deal with social media at all, I don't believe that. As a matter of fact, I know you, have a private social media account." Ups, did that slip? Nah, it was intentional, but Joanna had to be prepared for a few jabs after asking this of him. Asking him to come into this house, the place Joanna seemed strongest. The legacy of her father giving her hold he himself never gave her. It was sad to know the truth.
"Yeah, I do have a private one, where I can like things without thinking about it how it will look and just enjoy the nicer side of social media, but I'm never commenting on anything. I'm more like the person to come online and look at funny videos and leave again." Joanna admitted, Mark felt like she was talking way too much in this interview. The viewers wanted Max as well and honestly, Mark hated to have to listen to Joanna with no chance of calling her out for her bullshit.
"You have a private one as well?" He asked Max. His voice was somehow softer when he talked to Max. Well, he genuinely liked the Dutchman better than his ex.
"Actually no, J has one, that's enough for both of us. It doesn't really matter if we're laying on the couch in the evening if we're both holding a phone and watching reels or if we do it together on her phone." Mark watched as Joanna tensed at that answer, He might be the only one to notice besides Max. They knew her after all and talking about their private life was always a no go for the Austrian, but it was clever, to be honest.
Max made them seem more human, which brought them sympathy points but also made people believe they had a right to know more about them. They weren't in as much paralyzing awe of them any longer.
"I think this way it's actually smarter because we show each other the reels every time when we think something is funny anyways," Joanna spoke up before gazing at Max.
Mark knew that the look of love in her eyes when she looked t Max was honest, he had seen it, noticed it long before they were officially together, well officially for all the drivers to know. He remembered a drunken night in Belgium years ago, Max had rested his head in Joanna's lap and Mark knew what they were for each other. He had known in 2016 in Monaco already, most likely one of the first people to notice.
"That's very sweet," Mark noted. He should have never agreed on doing this interview, he was too involved, but he was a professional, that's why Joanna asked specifically for him, so he did his job. "If we talk about sweet, one of the most asked questions is how did it start between the two of you? Like what is your love story?"
"Well, I had a massive crush on her since I was like twelve and she thought I was an annoying golden retriever puppy," Max noted which caused embarrassment to bloom on Joanna's cheeks while she groaned.
"I said that once to Seb and I apologised for that, but I didn't know you had a crush on me back then already." Mark was sure she didn't know. When it came to other people, she never missed even the smallest detail, but when things revolved around her, she was blind.
"I know," Max commented. "But to come back to your question. I guess it's not the grant story people believe it to be. I fell in love with her and was persistent until she agreed to start dating and that's really it." The Dutchman added which almost made Mark snort.
"Oh, come on, I don't believe you. No grand gestures, no flowers, nothing?" The Aussie wanted to know which caused Max to shake his head while reaching out to hold Joanna's hand. The Austrian and the Aussie never held hands, not once in their entire life, Mark couldn't recall. The broken arm was covering the baby bump rather nicely, keeping another open secret hidden.
"I think grand gestures were never our thing. I mean we both are very dramatic in private but it's more the little things. Like everyday things, other people don't notice but they mean the world to us." Joanna said, clever about not actually having to say anything and would have Max given that answer Mark would have let it slip, but it was Joanna, so he asked again.
"Like?" He wanted to know, expecting Joanna to stay silent, to try and give another vague answer, but Max was fast to answer with no restraint. He was ready to share pieces and parts of their private life to make sure the rest stayed private. The Dutchman was ready to give just enough to be left alone and Mark had to admit, no matter if Max was aware of what he was doing or not, it was a clever move.
"When she notices I'm restless, she puts some of the lavender oil on her skin, so I fall asleep easier. She knows I don't like the feeling of the oil on my skin, so she does that for me. She waits for me up so we can go to bed together when I'm busy on the sim or she stays awake with me on plane flights because I can't fall asleep easily there. She frames pictures of us and puts them everywhere." Max admitted, showing a soft side of Joanna Mark knew only a few - maybe no one put Max - have ever seen. He wasn't about to wait for an answer from the Austrian, but she did speak up before Mark could read out the next question.
"I can't sleep without him, so he stays in bed even when he's awake so I can sleep a little bit longer. I tend to forget to eat or take my vitamins, but Max always makes sure I eat enough and have everything I need. And he lets me pick every movie we watch together, which doesn't sound like much, but it means a lot to me."
"When have you started dating?" Mark asked. He knew a lot of people, reporters would have jumped at this opportunity and asked for more private details, but he didn't. Couldn't even. Mark wasn't able to bare it, so he went on with the next question, hoping this strange feeling in his chest would subside. He was sure it was the baby bump, he couldn't see it but knew was there which caused this sudden confusion about the Austrian.
"Well..." Max said thinking, while Joanna turned to him. "Do you count Spain as dating?" She wondered causing Mark to raise an eyebrow.
"What happened in Spain?" He wanted to know, but Joanna just looked at Max, who gave the camera a cheeky grin.
"I count Spain." He said with a smirk on his lips. "Well, then since Spain 2016." He concluded, before nodding to himself as if to say that yes, he was right about what he had just said.
"That's a long time. You were barely legal back then." Mark knew it was cheap, especially coming from him. Joanna wasn't much older as they started their little ... whatever they were. But people would ask and comment on it, so better give them a platform to answer questions right away before an uproar would get them all.
Mark was in this mess now as well, Joanna had made sure of it the moment she told Sky Sports that Max and she would do an interview in the Lauda House and they would get exclusively the opportunity to interview them, but only if it was Mark, who would interview them. Apparently, Nico was too close to home with him being a member of the FIA council just like the two of them sitting right before him. They believed he would be more accepted as a neutral reporter but in reality in this case Mark Webber was everything but neutral.
"Yeah well, I was legal in Europe and that's also a reason why we kept it quiet. If you're in a relationship and everything is still fresh and new you don't need the opinion of a few million people about what you do." Max explained. Strangely enough.
It was always Joanna's strong unit to talk, to be charming and to make people fall in love with her, Max was known for talking too fast, for not filtering what came from his brain to his mouth, but it also made him more authentic, maybe that's why he spoke and Joanna just sat there, looked at him from time to time as if he had put the stars into the night sky and otherwise looked pretty. Seems like he had learned a great deal from her, as she had learned a great deal from Mark all these years ago. Sometimes he wondered if that was all it was about if he had fallen into her trap all along. Joanna was always a self-sacrificing bitch, he would not put it beyond her to do such a thing for whatever reason her brain told her she was doing it for.
"But you're not been secretly together since 2016, right?" Mark questioned. The timeline of their relationship seemed to confuse a great part of the fans greatly.
"No, we had our moments when we were fighting more, but we always found each other again, we just had one break after my father died," Joanna said, which caused Mark to furrow his brows. She can't really think that saying that will be enough and that they will just go on with another question as if nothing has happened. This was the centre of what the people wanted to know. If they weren't open and honest about this, it wouldn't matter how open and honest they were about the whole rest. Nobody would care.
"You will have to excuse my confusion, but I actually believed you, Max, were still together with Kelly Piquet at this point, but the latest news article from the journalist and what we've been told from you guys do not seem to be the case. And I also did a bit of maths, so you must have cheated on Kelly, for the baby Joanna is expecting to be yours." Mark pointed out and suddenly the softness Joanna seemed to give Max was gone, the edges rougher again, sharp and ready to fight. He knew this was the important part as well. Mark wanted to say that Joanna had taught him well, but something told him that that wasn't Joanna's doing at all.
"And your question is...?" The Dutchman asked and suddenly Mark was painfully aware of where they were again. This place was their home, their secret weapon to make sure no one would ever forget who they are. Mark had to let them that, using the Lauda house was genius. Something told Mark that it was Max's idea.
Max wasn't harmless in comparison to Joanna. Mark even believed that Max was the more dangerous one of the two of them. People like to say that a mother can generate supernatural powers to save their child, a saying like that about fathers does not exist as far as Mark was aware, but Mark also knew what a man is ready to do for the woman he loves with all of his heart.
"Did you cheat on Kelly, Joanna or both?" Mark asked. This must have been the climax of the interview. Higher than that wouldn't be possible.
"I'm not a cheater. I only ever slept with one woman at a time." Max said, and yes fair enough, Mark believed him that he never managed to get Kelly and Joanna in bed with him at the same time, but he wouldn't let it go just yet and Joanna was dangerously silent.
"But you were in a relationship with Kelly and slept with Joanna, nevertheless, right?" Mark pressed. He only wanted the truth. Finally, he wanted the truth, so they could let it come to an end and he would be able to go home.
"It wasn't as much a relationship as everyone seems to believe which speaks for her acting." Max suddenly said and that changed everything. Mark furrowed his brows and Joanna suddenly seemed surprised as well, maybe not surprised but worried. This wasn't meant to be in this interview and all of the people watching this live right now realised that at the same moment. Now it was on Mark to let it go or write history new. This was about to be a mud fight.
"Speaks of her acting," Mark said, the emphasis on the words strange as if he couldn't believe what Max just said. "What do you mean, Max? I can't seem to follow." Mark watched as Joanna squeezed Max's hand. If it was in warning or support, Mark couldn't figure it out fast enough before Max Verstappen dropped a real bomb on them. Later on, thinking about it, Mark wished he wouldn't have done it. He wished it wasn't him who had done the interview with the two of them.
"My father and Nelson Piquet thought I needed someone to forget about Joanna. In their opinion J was never the right match for me, so they tried to push Kelly into my lap really, but I'm not a little boy any longer, so I refused to let them manipulate me. Kelly and I agreed to act as if we were in love. We kissed to uphold appearance, but I never slept with her, so as I said, I'm not a cheater."
"So, you faked a relationship to get your fathers off your throat. That's... wow. I did not expect such a thing." Mark wanted to hit Max. Why would that boy so green behind the ears ever say something like that on live tv? He just told the world how awful his father and Nelson Piquet truly are, to be honest, Mark wasn't surprised, the world knew these were awful people but not to this extent.
"Why haven't you told me?" Joann muttered to Max, sadly enough loud enough for the camera to catch, but Mark wouldn't do that to her, he wouldn't talk about that, pretend he hadn't heard it or that it was something else she had said if someone would ever ask. Max hadn't answered, just reached over and squeezed Joanna's hand which was good enough for now. Mark just wanted to get out of that interview.
"So, you were with Joanna and Kelly, was she with someone else as well?" Mark asked, praying that the boy was clever enough to say yes, no matter what the truth would be and for once, it seemed like God listened.
"Yes, she was. We both lived our life. As well as we could with our father's breathing down our necks." Max admitted and Mark really felt like he needed a drink, but they weren't done yet, they needed to talk about something else, and give them sympathy points. Mark didn't want to be at fault that the Laudas got cancelled or something like that, and received brainless hate as Max had called it before.
"How would you compare your relationship with Joanna to your relationship with Kelly then?" The Aussie asked. Giving Max the opportunity to make things right and to be a good guy. He just had to say the right thing.
"I know that Kelly got a lot of hate, but it was undeserved. She did only what her father told her to do. She understood that her place on my side was only temporary. Joanna and I are very different together from the perfect picture Kelly and I showed the world. We fight, we discuss things, and we also argue and more often than once some plates flew through the kitchen, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We both have a temper and are stubborn, but we're loyal to each other. Joanna is the only one for me." Max explained which had Mark nod along.
"That's very interesting and it must have taken a lot to talk about it and it fits very well with another question the fans have asked before." The Aussie commented before he looked at the Austrian and noticed that she seemed somewhere far off. He had to suppress an ironic smile at the thought that her expression must be quite similar to most of the viewers.
"Joanna." He called out, which caused Max to rest his hand gently on top of her's and shake it a bit, causing Joanna to free herself from her frozen state only to look at Max a bit lost for a moment who raised his eyebrows in concern, fingers itching to touch her belly, but then she pulled her gaze from Max and looked at Mark, the moment over.
"Yeah, sorry." She said and Mark hated himself for trying to figure out if she had ever apologised to him about anything before. He couldn't recall. They were so terribly wrong for each other.
"Your father is a legend of this sport. A triple champion, just as you are, but did Niki agree with your relationship with Max? Assuming you told him." Mark asked, he knew the answer. Of course, Niki knew.
"You knew my father Mark, there was never anything he didn't know about, or that he didn't notice sooner or later." Yeah well, just his thought but it was interesting that Joanna tried to show a personal connection with him. She never had to feed off someone else's popularity and he hated her for fearing that she would have to do it now. The thought that she just wanted to make it more personal because she felt how uncomfortable he was never crossed his mind. In Mark's mind, Joanna was evil, a wicked witch who would tear everything apart just to see him bleed onto the floor.
"So, he did know, but you did not tell him? Was he not happy with Max as his son-in-law?" The Aussie questioned instead. He shouldn't have called her by her name. It always only caused pain and drama.
"He knew before I could tell him, yes. We weren't as good at keeping it a secret as we thought. My father was never one to applaud a fish for swimming and he was very sparingly giving compliments, but he did like Max, I know that much, mostly I would say he was impressed with him." Mark hated how Max and Joanna listened to each other while talking, how they never spoke over the other. They were so disgustingly perfect together. He must feel a bit like Kelly right now he thought, which made Mark even sicker. This wasn't about him.
"Impressed?" Mark wondered. Nobody ever impressed Niki Lauda, but then a memory came to his mind. A short video in which Niki Lauda congratulated Jos Verstappen after Spain 2016. There was a second one where he spoke about Max and lifted his cap to show his respect, maybe Joanna was right.
"He was the first man, who really managed to make me happy and yes, that impressed my father. Niki always thought of me as rather difficult." Mark could only agree. Joanna was difficult. Terrible difficult. He wanted to say that it was unfair of her to say Max was the first one to truly make her happy, but she was most likely right. Mark never made her happy, he knew that very well.
"Speaking about Niki Lauda. I assume you are relocating to Austria, Max. Is there something you will miss about Monaco and does the Lauda House already feel like home to you?" The Lauda House, to Mark it felt like a from history haunted house. He instantly disliked it, after being in awe for a few long moments.
"Monaco was my home for a long time, we actually also lived there together for a long time and a lot of memories are connected to the place, so of course, I'm a bit sad to have to say goodbye to friends I won't be able to see every day now, but the Lauda House is perfect for our little family. It's still new to me, but it's our home now. And it's not like I'm never coming back to Monaco." Mark missed the time when Max wasn't as media trained as today. He could really use a bullshit answer, it would be nice, and might even pull him out of whatever this was.
"Let's go through some personal questions, before going to the million baby questions we got. Congratulations again at this point." That, the Aussie really meant. He couldn't resent Joanna for having a healthy baby this time. They both thanked him, their smiles honest, Joanna even removed her broken arm from the belly, for it to be seen.
"Joanna, what are the three traits you appreciate the most in Max?"
"Only three, let me think for a moment. He's endlessly loyal. Once you have Max loyalty, you have it forever. He's a beast on track but at home, he's an absolute softy. His heart is pure and he's so kind, that I often wonder how he does it in a world like that. He has this no-bullshit attitude, he's honest and straightforward. He would rather get into trouble than lie to someone. Max's pretty amazing." She said, the gentle almost breakable love in her voice was making Mark sick. She really loved Max. He had never seen her like that before.
"And the worst?" Mark hated these kinds of questions.
"Worst is such a hard word. Max forgets himself sometimes, he puts all his loved ones first which leaves him exhausted and empty sometimes, but he does it every day a new. He forgives easily, so easily that I sometimes worry if it was the right thing to do." Max had listened closely, before kissing Joanna for the first time since the interview started. It was a short peak but already a highlight of the interview. Joanna Lauda and Max Verstappen were private people, a quick peck on the lips was all they would ever get but it was enough, the viewers went crazy about almost everything they did. The tiniest show of affection was enough already.
"Max, what are the three traits you appreciate the most in Joanna?" Mark asked the same question again, just the Dutchman this time.
"Joanna is unbending. Even if everyone is telling her that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling her to move, she will stay strong because it's her heart and mind she follows. Her sense of right and wrong and her sense of duty are unbelievably strong. Joanna takes over responsibilities because it's in her nature to protect the people and the things she loves. She never gives up on the people she cares for and tries to give them what they need in her way. The people she loves come always before her." Mark couldn't agree more. It all made her unbelievably annoying to him, but he knew that his feeling for Joanna a biased.
"And the three traits you don't appreciate?"
"Well, she can be harsh, which I don't mind, I'm nearly as harsh as her, but some people don't understand that, especially if they never met her before. She's very ambitious, which brought her the triple crown, but playing board games with her is a pain." He said, which caused Joanna to laugh. An honest laugh.
"Joanna, you're a woman with a busy schedule. Of course, you won't be able to drive for a while, but you still have your job as a member of the FIA council. How does a baby fit into your busy lifestyle?" The question was boring but people wanted to hear Joanna talk about the baby, but they absolutely begged to hear a single word about the baby out of Max's mouth.
"Easily, you just make space as much as the baby needs. Despite what people might think, it's our baby and it's not going to be raised by an army of nannies. I will step back, and I've already named a new council member, which will substitute for as long as I need it." Joanna told them, while Mark noticed that she had not looked at the camera, not a single time.
"I take it you're not telling us who will get your seat?"
"You?" She asked. "Yes, later behind the camera. The world? Not just yet." Mark had to accept them, even though he wouldn't ask behind the camera either, he already knew.
"Are you going to raise your child as your father raised you? Question for both Max and Joanna." Mark asked and he knew that this question was more interesting for the viewers again. They did not know how Joanna was raised in detail or Max, but they knew it had been not as it should have been.
"If our baby has an interest later on in the sport, of course, we will support him but maybe not as my father did. We will find a way for sure." Max said before looking at Joanna.
"J?" He said, which caused another uproar in the comments as Mark saw on the tablet he was holding. It was one letter, a stupid nickname, but the word screamed about how cute they were together. Only wait until the baby is born, Mark thought.
"No chance. We won't raise our child as my father raised me. We will find our own way." Joanna said and out of respect, Mark let it go.
"Will you raise a little racer? Is it something you want to do?" The question was cute, it was one of the fans who wanted to know it and Mark didn't have the heart to change the wording.
"Yes, I think we have fuel in our veins. Racing is something we both did before we could talk properly, so yes, I think your child or future children will take after us. If not, it's not an issue either. We just want a happy and healthy child." Max answered this time which caused Mark to nod.
"From recent news, it looks like you are a bit of a party guy. It seems like something you enjoy. Will that stop now that you're going to be a dad?"
"Reduce it yes, I do think so, but stop altogether rather not. I do enjoy going out, but it's not like I can't live without it. It's rather something we will see over time. Once the baby is born."
"There are some questions from fans for both of you before we end the interview. Will you get married?" Maybe it was a question from the fans, but it was also a question Mark wanted to be answered. Or whatever reason he wasn't so sure.
"We will have to. I mean I'm with Joanna now, but the line after me is long. Even though one of them is just five." Max answered the amusement in his voice audible while Joanna rolled her eyes at the jab at Theo. He was a sweet boy, Joanna liked him a lot.
"Which last name will the baby have?" Mark then asked the last question of the interview, something cute to end it with.
"Well...." Max started to speak, they clearly haven't talked about it yet, but Joanna interrupted him before he could anything. "Verstappen." She said without any room for an argument over it.
"That was a very fast answer, Joanna. No Laudas on the future grid?" Mark wanted to know, he felt like a dream come true, no more people carrying that cursed name. Joanna must have felt similar.
"No, Verstappens only." She answered, but Mark thanked them for the interview and they all said goodbye more or less and with that, the camera stopped rolling.