A/N: Hello everyone! This story takes place during part one of the Untying the Knot Series. This particular scene captures Cruz's first night after escaping from Jackson. It also happens after the incident where Lightning physically assaulted Jackson. I used the same times under each character's point of view to illustrate what they were doing at that time. The lines in between the scenes indicate flashbacks and dream sequences. I hope you all enjoy!
Cruz
11:30 pm
Her heart was racing faster than a freight train. She managed to claw her way out of her husband's iron grip as she made her way up to the bedroom. She almost lost her balance at the speed she was going.
"Don't run away from me!" her husband yelled as he chased after his terrified wife.
He was climbing the stairs with as much force as she was. She could feel his callous presence looming over her with every step that she took. She tumbled into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. The banging on the other side of the door almost made her heart stop. Before she could give herself a chance to breathe, she grabbed her cell phone and frantically dialed 9-1-1.
"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" the operator said.
Before she could utter a word, her husband came barreling into the room, nearly taking the door off of its hinges. She let out a blood-curdling scream as he snatched the phone out of her hand and hurled it at the wall.
"No," she whispered as she watched her only means of escape shatter into pieces.
The couple stared at each other in silence. Her gaze was filled with terror while her husband glared at her with seething rage. He charged at her like a wild beast. He wrapped his hands around her neck and pressed her into the bed. He squeezed her neck with all his might. She could feel the air evading from her lungs as she struggled to break free from his grasp. The more she fought for air, the tighter his grip became. Her husband's silhouette was fading as her vision started to blur. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Her neck was burning from the choke hold. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Was her life supposed to end like this?
Lightning
11:30 pm
It was a tranquil evening in Radiator Springs. The townsfolk were shutting down their stores for the night. Lightning and Sally were already in bed, snuggling in each other's arms. They shared a few light pecks on the lips as they marveled at each other's presence. Lightning brushed his fingers through his wife's hair. He rested his hand on her cheek and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Sally placed her hand on his, as she moved in closer to him. She positioned her head on his chest as she gave him a warm hug. A heartfelt smile formed on Lightning's face as he returned her embrace.
"This is so nice," he said as he gave her another kiss on her forehead. "You know what makes this even better?"
"What?" Sally asked as she looked up at her husband.
"I finally get to spend some time with my baby," he said as he gave her a tender kiss on her lips.
"You know, I was thinking the same thing," she said as she returned the affection with another kiss.
The two passionately made out with each other. They deepened the kiss as their bodies moved closer together. Sally held Lightning's face while he grabbed her by the waist. Their lovemaking session came to an end once they heard a loud shriek. They pulled away from each other once they heard the scream.
"Did you hear that?" Lightning asked as his eyes widened.
"Yeah. It sounded like someone was screaming," Sally said as she sat up on the bed.
"Cruz," Lightning whispered to himself as he threw on one of his t-shirts and got out of the bed.
"What's going on?" Sally asked as she put on her robe and followed Lightning to the door.
"Stay here," he said as he ran out of the room.
Sally stood in the doorway, watching her husband run out of the room like a maniac. She held her chest as she looked on with concern.
Cruz
She shot up in the bed like a live wire. Her screams turned into heavy breaths as she tried to erase that nightmare from her memory. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as her body began to tremble. She slowly placed her hands around her neck to make sure that she was still alive. Her eyes darted around the room as she familiarized herself with her surroundings. She continued to breathe heavily. She couldn't bear to close her eyes (she feared that she might see Jackson's bloodthirsty face all over again). Her body was frozen in fear. The sudden knock on the door made her heart leap. She gasped as she took a knife from under her pillow. The frenetic knocking made her heart beat faster as she slowly made her way to the door. She held the knife in front of her while she stood behind the door. Just as she was about to open the door and wield her knife, she heard a familiar voice that stopped her in her tracks.
"Cruz, it's me. Are you alright in there?" Lightning asked as he stopped banging on the door.
Cruz breathed a sigh of relief as she put the knife down on the dresser near the door. She opened the door halfway to see Lightning standing outside. She could see the anxiety that loomed over his countenance. His crazed, blue eyes crushed her soul. She hated seeing him like this.
"Hey, are you okay? Sal and I heard you screaming," he said in a concerned tone.
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. It was just a bad dream," she said as she tried to mask her horrified expression.
Lightning
He stared at her quivering physique. He knew that she was lying. He remembered the last time that she lied to him.
It was at their wedding reception. He and Sally were celebrating their lives as newlyweds with all of their friends and family at Wheel Well. Everyone attended this wedding. Some guests included Tex, Harv, the World Grand Prix racers, Cal, Bobby, Francesco, The King and his wife, Lynda, Mater's family, Sally's family, Rusty, Dusty, and many others (even Chick and Sterling were invited). Cruz was one of the bridesmaids and Jackson Storm was her plus one. The party was going well until Lightning spotted Jackson and Cruz leaving the area.
Amidst all of the festivities, Lightning's eyes were on them. He watched closely as he saw Jackson grab Cruz's arm in an aggressive manner. Cruz immediately pulled her arm away from him, but he grabbed her again and took her to the back corner where the bathrooms were. Lightning followed behind the couple as they turned the corner. He stayed behind a wall to see what was going on.
"What did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut?!" Jackson yelled as he slammed Cruz against the wall.
Lightning stood there with his mouth agape. He couldn't believe his eyes as he witnessed the display of abuse. He could hear the rage in Jackson's voice as he continued to press Cruz into the wall.
"The next time you embarrass me like that, I'm gonna-"
"Hey! What's going on here?!" Lightning yelled as he interrupted Jackson's threat.
"Oh hey, Champ! Congrats on the wedding and everything. We're kind of busy here if you don't mind," Jackson said with a faux smile as he immediately let go of Cruz.
"I need to talk to Cruz," Lightning said in a stern tone.
Cruz stood there with her mouth open. She rubbed her forearms and used the shawl to cover her bruises.
"Sure, go right ahead," Jackson said as he folded his arms.
Lightning glared at him. "I want to talk to her alone."
Jackson turned and glared at Cruz. "Don't keep me waiting," he said as he walked away from them.
Once Jackson was gone, Lightning turned to Cruz and gave her amiable look. Cruz was sweating bullets.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Y-yeah I'm fine," Cruz stammered.
"Does he always talk to you like that?"
"Um, well-"
"Look, Cruz, I'm going to ask you something and I need you to be honest with me. Is he beating you?"
Cruz froze. "W-what?! No! We just had a little disagreement that's all."
"Uh huh. Do these "little disagreements" always involve you getting shoved into the wall like that?"
Cruz's eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah, I saw that. Look, Cruz, if he's hurting you, you have to let me know. I'll beat him myself."
"No, that won't be necessary. Don't worry about me, Mr. McQueen. I'm fine. Why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your wedding?" Cruz asked as she walked away from Lightning.
Cruz
She knew that she couldn't lie to him. While she tried to put on a facade of happiness, she knew that he could see right through her.
"Are you sure you're okay? You're shaking," Lightning said.
"I'm fine, I promise," Cruz said as the tears began to form in her eyes.
"Alright. Good night, Cruz," he said as he turned to walk away.
The tears were flowing down her cheeks. She clenched her hands around the edges of the door while her nose started to run. There was a sudden heaviness that lingered in her chest. The anguish was seeping through her veins. She couldn't hide the truth from him any longer. He was her mentor and best friend. She couldn't stand hurting him, but she was tired of bearing this burden alone.
"Wait!" she called out to him.
Lightning turned around and walked back to the room.
"I lied. I'm not doing so well," she said as she looked down at the ground.
"Can I come in?" Lightning asked as Cruz opened the door for him.
As he entered the room, he was shocked by all the clutter. Various articles of clothing were scattered along the floor, an empty suitcase was laid out near the bed, used tissues covered the nightstand, and the garbage can was overflowing with paper balls.
"Don't mind the mess," Cruz said as she scrambled to pick up the clothes from the floor.
While she was attempting to make the room look dissent, Lightning saw the knife on the dresser. He picked it up and held it in his hands. He stared at it with intensity.
"What are you doing with this?" he asked as he held up the knife for Cruz to see.
"Oh, I uh-"
"I hope you're not planning on doing anything stupid," Lightning said as he gave her a stern look.
"No! It's not what you think. It's not for me, it's for him," she said as she glared at the knife.
Lightning stood there in silence (trying to figure out who she was talking about). It finally hit him.
"You mean Jackson?" he asked as he put the knife back on the dresser.
Cruz nodded slowly as she turned her back to Lightning. Streams of tears cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't want him to see her cry.
"Cruz, you don't need that," Lightning said in a gentle tone as he sat on the bed.
"I do need it! What if he decides to come back?"
"He's not coming back here."
"How do you know that for sure?" Cruz asked as she finally turned around.
"Trust me, after what I did to him, he wouldn't dare step foot in this town again," Lightning said as he made a fist.
"You nearly busted his face open. What if he decides to press charges?"
"He won't."
"How do you know that?"
"Look, if he decides to press charges, he'll have to explain what he was doing here in the first place. I don't know if you saw what happened before I punched him, but he came here making threats and he was demanding to see you. I told him to leave and he refused to. He got up in my face and you know what happened after that. If he files a lawsuit against me, we'll have to bring up the issue of domestic violence. We all know that that's why he was here and we can prove it. If he's as smart as I think he is, he wouldn't want the press to get a hold of this. As much as he hates me, I doubt that he's dumb enough to throw himself under the bus. Plus, we have witnesses that can testify against him. Believe me, he has every reason not to bring this to court."
"Looks like somebody's been watching Law and Order," Cruz said with a coy grin.
"Well, I did marry a lawyer," Lightning said with a smile.
"Right," Cruz said as she nodded in agreement.
An awkward silence fell over them as Cruz made her way to the bed. She sat down slowly, giving herself some distance between her and Lightning. She could feel her bones tightening up in her body. Her mouth was dry and her hands were sweating. She kept biting her lip while her body continued to tremble.
"I don't bite, Cruz. You can come closer," Lightning said as he motioned for Cruz to slide over on the bed.
Cruz moved over slightly, leaving a large gap between them.
"Cruz," Lightning said in a stern tone as Cruz finally moved over to his side of the bed. "So, what's going on with you?"
Cruz didn't know what to say to him. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She could feel her throat closing up as she struggled to find the right words to say. It was useless. She knew that she couldn't hide her true feelings forever. He needed to hear the truth. He needed to hear her truth, no matter how crazy it might sound.
Cruz closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh. "I just wanted to apologize to you," she said as she held her head down in shame.
Lightning raised an eyebrow at her. "Apologize for what?"
Cruz took a deep breath while she tried to stop her fingers from shuttering. "I'm sorry for getting you involved in this," she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Aww, Cruz, you don't need to be sorry for that. I don't mind being involved, as long as you're safe."
"You see, that's the problem! You always look out for me. When have I ever looked out for you?" she asked as more tears began to fall.
"Cruz, I'm not some damsel in distress, you don't have to look out for me."
"Come on, Mr. McQueen! It's the least I can do after all you've done for me. All I've ever done was take you for granted."
Lightning gave her a puzzled look. "Do you really believe that?"
Cruz got up from the bed and walked to the other side of the room. "It's true! You gave me my first chance to become a racer. It was a chance that I thought I lost forever. You gave me Doc's number, you took me under your wing, and you granted me with opportunities that most people would kill to have. You're even helping me through this terrible situation! What did you get in return? I sucked at training you. I wasn't able to help you get faster than Jackson. I just kept taking. I never had anything to offer you."
Lightning shook his head. "Did Storm tell you that? I don't know where all of this is coming from."
"It's still true, regardless of whether Jackson told me that or not," Cruz said as she folded her arms in anger.
"Wow. He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Lightning said with a frown.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Cruz asked with a huff.
"I get it. You're tired and frustrated so you're probably not thinking clearly. If you were, you wouldn't be saying these things."
Cruz glared at Lightning. "I am thinking clearly, Mr. McQueen. I don't have anything to offer you."
Lightning smacked his forehead and groaned. "Who told you that you were obligated to give me something? Cruz, you don't owe me anything."
"I don't feel obligated, Mr. McQueen. I want to give back to you."
"You're already giving back to me. You are an incredible racer. I mean, you have a great track record so far and you're winning as much as I was when I was your age. You also have a vibrant personality. Heck, your smile is enough to keep me going. You are more than enough, Cruz. Just keep doing what you're doing."
"How could you have such a positive view of me when all I've done is cause you so much pain?" Cruz asked in a somber tone.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm just so ashamed of myself," she said as she looked away from him.
"Why?"
"Well, the last thing I wanted was to make you worry. I just hate that you had to get roped into this," she said as she sat back down on the bed.
"Cruz, I'm in this whether you like it or not. I'm going to be here for you until the situation is taken care of," he said as he placed his hands on hers.
"I wish I could've done more to protect myself-"
"Don't do this to yourself, Cruz. None of it is your fault. What Storm did to you was horrendous. He's the one to blame, not you."
"I know. I just wanted to handle it on my own. I didn't want to interrupt your life," she said with a frown.
"Stop it! I told you before, I don't care what's going on in my life, I will drop everything to help you; especially in situations like this. You couldn't handle that on your own. You did the right thing in asking for help. There's nothing wrong with that. To be honest with you, I'm less worried now than I was a few months ago."
"Really?" Cruz asked as her eyes glanced up at Lightning's face.
"Yeah. All of my worst fears were realized once I saw you and Storm fighting at my wedding. After I saw him shove you into that wall, I knew that you were in danger. I kept thinking about what I could've done to protect you. I kept telling myself that I should've insisted on letting you spend the night with us or how I could've prevented you from walking away after you told me that you were fine. I got really worried once we stopped communicating. I tried calling, texting, and leaving voice messages. I haven't heard from you in months. I wanted to drive up to your house in LA, but Sally didn't like that idea. She thought that I was going to do something crazy." he said as he chuckled quietly to himself.
"Whoa. I didn't know all of that. I just assumed that I would make things worse if I talked to you about it. I didn't want things to blow out of proportion."
Lightning gave Cruz a tender smile. "You know, I'm glad that you spoke up. I couldn't live with myself if I found out that you…" he choked on his words as the tears flowed down his cheeks.
Cruz held his hand tightly. She couldn't bear to see him in that much despair.
Lightning covered his face with his right hand. He started sobbing excessively. "He could've killed you, Cruz! If I ever got the news that you died because of a situation that I knew about, I don't think I could live with that," Lightning said as he continued to cry.
"Why do I always hurt the people that I love?" Cruz whispered to herself as she started to sob.
Lightning immediately stopped crying when he heard her remark. He wiped his tears and wrapped his arms around Cruz.
"Shhhhh. Just breathe," he said in a soft tone as he placed Cruz's head on his chest.
He cradled her in his arms as if she was a lost duckling. He caressed her back and ran his fingers through her hair. He allowed her to flood his t-shirt with her tears. She felt secure in his robust frame. Although she couldn't control her sobbing, she knew that he didn't mind. Lightning McQueen was truly a blessing in her life. She wanted to believe that she didn't deserve him, but she knew that she needed his support. In all her life, she has never met someone who cared so much about her. She had her family, but they weren't always reliable.
She was a bit embarrassed to be crying in the arms of her role model, yet she relished every second of it. In his arms is where she belonged and that's where she wanted to stay. After a few moments of weeping in his chest, Cruz finally pulled herself away from the embrace and stared into his soft, blue eyes. For the first time, she saw mercy in his eyes instead of anxiety. The look that he gave her made her feel like she was worth fighting for. He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes.
"You are worth it, Cruz," he whispered to her as they shared one final embrace.
"Sorry about your shirt," Cruz said as she grimaced at the wet stain on his shirt.
Lightning looked down at the stain. "This was my favorite shirt too," he whined.
"Oops," Cruz said with a sheepish grin.
Lightning gave her a cunning smile. "You're lucky I like you."
"You don't like me, Mr. McQueen. You love me," she said with a bright smile.
"Do I?"
"Mr. McQueen!" she said as she nudged his shoulder.
"I'm kidding, of course, I do. I love you very much," he said with a warm smile.
Soon, there was a knock on the door. Cruz got up to answer it. She opened the door to find Sally standing outside with a cup of piping, hot tea in her hands.
"Excuse me, hot stuff coming through!" she announced as she placed the cup on the dresser near the door. "I'm sorry, I would've come here sooner but I didn't want to spill anything," she said with a crooked smile.
Lightning started to laugh.
"Watch it, Stickers, I know where you sleep," she said as she pointed her finger at him.
Cruz laughed hysterically at that statement.
"How are you feeling, hon?" Sally asked.
"I'm doing fine," Cruz said as she looked back at Lightning.
"I see that you and Stickers had a good chat."
"Yes we did," Lightning said as he got up from the bed and headed to the door.
"You know, if you ever need anything just let us know. We're right next door," Sally said.
"I will. Goodnight guys and thanks for everything," Cruz said as she went to her bed.
"Anytime, hon," Sally said with a smile.
"Good night, Cruz," Lightning said with a wink as he closed the door behind him and Sally.
Cruz placed her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. She could finally sleep in perfect peace.