The Drifters

The low purr of an engine caused a slight smile to shift across West's lips. He'd been working on this car for months, secretly in a garage downtown where he had been certain his wife wouldn't find him, and finally it was ready. It had been nearly a year since he last had the chance to drive his baby. A tragic accident on the pavement had left her bruised and broken, and the repairs had been extensive, but finally she was ready and he couldn't be happier.

Now he could finally get back his street cred.

"She sounds good, still didn't think you would have her running so soon." Reid commented from under the car he was working on for a client. He used his skills to pay for his hobbies, it also helped him not get tracked when he bought parts for his own car. It was a dangerous sport but it was addicting, more than any other drug he had ever tried. There was just something so thrilling about the ability to push a petal and move faster than anyone else on the street, it was better when there was someone to push him and force him to go even faster.

"What, did you doubt me?" West frowned as he glanced over at his friend. "I'm slightly insulted. You know that I wouldn't give up on this. Not when I have a title to take back."

While he spoke West carefully switched off the ignition and stepped back out of the seat in favor of stepping over to the cart he had stocked ahead of time full of new auto paints. He was looking forward to giving her a new look. And maybe a new name too. After all, there was nothing wrong with a fresh start.

"I just figured with the wife it would be quite a bit longer. I think you should rename her, just don't use your wives name. I don't want to see your marriage break apart like your last relationship." Reid pointed out, it was so hard on West last time and he would hate to see how it would go when West was married to the girl. That being said he would always be there for West and he knew West would be there for him too. They were close, close enough that they considered each other brothers.

"Yeah, Seria has made things a little more difficult," West agreed with a slight grimace. Selecting a bright red paint he turned to eye his car thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke. "What do you think I should name her?"

"Something flashy or intimidating. Since your going for that title again I suggest something fierce but somewhat simple, like Forge Ringer or Fire Bringer." Reid suggested as he rolled over and looked at West, he knew it had to fit West as well.

West nodded thoughtfully as he eyed the car for another moment before he spoke. "I'm thinking maybe Ember," he admitted after a moment. "It's flashy but simple, something that might be remembered. And really she's a new spark of her old self, so I think it fits."

"I think you're right. How long before you want to take her out to the streets and see what she can do?" Reid asked curiously as he went back to working on the car, he knew there were always races but it can be hard to test anything new in that setting.

"Well, I have some time tonight," West shrugged as he turned to grab a mask from the cart. "What do you think about taking a test drive with me? I could use a warm up partner. That is," he added with a slightly smug smile, "If you think you can keep up."

"Then I guess we'll have to let your driving do the talking and see if those repairs of yours will hold." Reid chuckled, "you sure you go all that in there right? 'Cause I'm gonna give you some serious hell if you break her tonight."

"I wouldn't dream of it," West rolled his eyes as he slipped on the mask and grabbed the paint. Once it was loaded in the sprayer he turned back and carefully began to paint the car. A moment later he paused and his jaw dropped in shock. "I didn't cover the window before I started," he admitted in clear horror. What had he done?

"You moron," Reid laughed as he moved to see the damage. "There is acetone in the red tool box, I'd get it quick if I were you before the paint dries too much. Once that's cleaned up the tape and paper are in the white cabinet."

Determined to save his baby West rushed over to the tool box to grab the acetone and immediately began to scrub feverishly at the mistake. Much to his relief it came off easily and within a half hour he had a successfully painted car. Sighing in relief he stood back to observe his work for a moment before he whistled. "Oh baby, you are back in business. Time to light up those streets tonight."

"Need me to go so you can have a moment with your car? Or should I warn your wife that she has some competition?" Reid asked curiously as he looked over at West, it was an oddly tender moment for him and the car.

"My wife could never have any competition," West protested as he looked up at his friend. "Although they are both very sexy. Speaking of which, weren't you supposed to be meeting with Rachel soon? I thought you had a date tonight."

"She canceled again, something or another about fashion - I wasn't really paying attention. So I'm around all night for your test," Reid shrugged, he was starting to see his girlfriend less and less these days.

"I'm sorry to hear that," West frowned as he thoughtfully ran his hand across the hood of the freshly painted car. He couldn't help but feel like she was still missing something. "Do you want to head out early then? Seria is only expecting me for dinner and I have a couple of hours until 6."

"Sure, I have nothing else to do tonight. Speaking of which does your family car need any work? I'm happy to work on it tonight," Reid offered as he wiped his hands clean.

"You mean the mini-van thing?" West cringed as he glanced over at his friend. "You can't even call that a car. I still can't believe Seria even bought that piece of junk. She swears by the trunk space and how easy the seats are to maneuver for the kids but I can't even believe she'd be willing to drive it."

"It makes her happy and that is what should matter. That being said is it still running okay, the last thing you want is her calling you up because she's broken down on the side of the road with two screaming kids in the back." Reid pointed out.

"It's got some engine noises," West admitted reluctantly as he turned back to admire his car. "She wanted me to fix it last week but I told her I was busy at the forge."

"I'll follow you home tonight and she can borrow my truck till I can get the mini-van back," Reid proposed. He wanted to help take care of West and his family because West was lucky enough to have something that Reid couldn't.

"Works for me," West shrugged as he lightly rubbed at a small smudge in the paint of the car's hood. After a moment he looked up at his friend as he spoke. "Well, if you're ready let's hit the road. I want to see what she can do."

------

Traffic duty. Why was it always traffic duty?

Sighing Serith let his head drop dejectedly onto the steering wheel of his cruiser as he watched the traffic race by on the highway with bored eyes. He couldn't help but feel like this was intentional. His boss never seemed to give him the exciting jobs. Nothing risky, no drug busts or shoot outs. Just traffic duty. Every. Single. Day.

This was not what he had gone to the police academy for.

Reid nodded and stepped over to his racer taking a moment to set up the radios so the two of them could keep in touch, it was nice on a test run like this to know if something is going wrong as soon as it starts to go wrong. "Following your lead."

West nodded and happily stepped over to his repaired car. With a rev of the engine and a swift shift of the clutch he swerved out of the garage and onto the open streets. The fresh air and the roaring of the engine felt amazing and incredibly refreshing, and before long he was drifting around corners on the city streets, paying no mind to the traffic around him or the possible dangers of cops in the area. Skidding around a sharp corner his car swerved slightly, narrowly missing the front bumper of a waiting police cruiser.