A/N: I am so sorry you guys! I had been meaning to edit this story for a while, and then I accidentally deleted it entirely. Such a foolish mistake on my part. I'm reuploading the chapters as I edit them! Enjoy! (again)
Story summary: Meet Harley Hudson, the adoptive daughter of the Hudson Hornet. She was born and raised in Radiator Springs, and knows only a quiet town with quirky residents who love her. Then comes this newcomer: a red stock car named Lightning McQueen. Harley isn't sure what to make of him, especially since he seems to irritate Doc to no end. While Harley wants only to keep her family happy, she will learn that there is room in her heart for one more to become part of her life.
The Junior Hornet
Chapter One: The Story of Harley
The living room was dark, with only the light of the moon coming through the window to allow any sight. The smell of alcohol that splashed against his tires made him want to gag, but his focus remained on the situation at hand. Off to one side, a woman stood cradling a large comforter in her arms as she stared fearfully between the police car and her husband. Tequila dripped down the walls like some sick foreshadowing of the bloodbath soon to come. Cerulean eyes flickered down to the several blocks of C4 on the ground at the man's feet, and for a moment the police car wondered where on earth it could've come from. But he quickly resumed staring into the dark blue eyes of the human man before him.
"Do you have any idea what you're thinking of doin', John?" the police car demanded in his usual gruff, Southern drawl.
John chuckled darkly, fingering the detonator he held in one hand. "You know, Sheriff, I've been thinking of this for a long time. I think I know exactly what I'm doing."
Sheriff narrowed his eyes, tense on his axles. "You don't want to do this. You do this, you'll destroy everything good in your life."
"Why do you think I'm taking everything with me?" John scoffed. "I'm not a bad man, Sheriff. I love my wife to death." He chuckled, the sound coming out far too eerie for Sheriff's liking. "And just so I'm not leaving any loose ends, I'll get rid of the little beast that came out of her."
"John, let us help you." Sheriff half-pleaded, keeping his voice steady.
John glared. "Help me? You could never help me. So I'm going to help myself." He held up the detonator, hovering his thumb over the button.
Sheriff tensed up, panic momentarily sweeping over him. The human woman took a step back. Sheriff kept his body prepared to move but still calm. "John, don't do this. Please."
The human man shook his head, his mud-colored hair hanging in his eyes. "You're gonna die here, Sheriff. See you in hell."
The woman turned and threw her comforter to one side.
John pressed the button.
Sheriff managed to reverse a split-second before the bomb went off, ducking behind a corner just as flames enveloped the house and a resounding BOOM rang out, shattering the windows and nearly destroying the Mercury's hearing. Sheriff, dazed, could only wearily blink his eyes open as his senses slowly recovered from the sudden assault. Seeing flames around him, Sheriff felt adrenaline kick in and he moved back out to the living room. John was gone, but Sheriff could see a blackened form already being devoured by the fire. Dark liquid stained the wall nearby, making Sheriff's stomach churn. He coughed harshly from the smoke.
"Paula!" Sheriff called, coughing again. "Paula, where are you?" Coughing caught his attention, only this time it wasn't his own. Carefully driving through clear areas not already on fire, Sheriff finally saw the human woman on the ground nearby. He hurried over, gently nudging her to her back with a tire. But he recoiled in horror to see the woman's clothes and much of her skin blackened along with large shards of glass in her chest and neck. She gasped and coughed, blood dribbling from her mouth. Ash made her light brunette hair look black. She stared at Sheriff with tear-filled hazel eyes. Sheriff nudged her gently. "Just hold on, Paula. Don't move, I'll get you out of here."
But Paula suddenly coughed again, more blood coming out, and Sheriff knew at once that she would never make it. Paula could feel her strength dwindling, and she swore the voices of her father and mother called for her. But she gathered the rest of her strength and pointed towards the couch, making sure Sheriff followed her point.
"H-Harley…" Paula whispered with her final breath, her arm falling limp as she succumbed to her wounds.
Sheriff, despite things he's seen in the past, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow at the sight of Paula dead. But confusion overtook him at Paula's last gesture and word. It only lasted a moment before what Paula meant clicked in his mind, and he hurriedly moved to the couch and pushed it aside. Sure enough, the comforter Paula once held rested behind the couch, where the force of the blow from the bomb couldn't reach. Unconscious on the comforter rested a little girl, no older than four years old. Sheriff heard something crash in the flames, and he knew he had to work quickly. Grabbing the thick blanket in his teeth, he began backing up and towards the door with the girl in tow.
"Right up there, Red!" Doc shouted as the fire truck pumped water onto the burning house. "That's it, try and get it under control. There ya go!"
The rest of the Radiator Springs' residents stood a safe distance from the burning house, but close enough to see what was happening. Mater stared at the front door, remembering Sheriff's final words to him before speeding inside. Get Doc and Red. Things are going to get rough, but whatever you do, do not come after me. Only now, Mater wished he had. Fear gripped his engine, his eyes wide. But relief washed over him when he saw the flash of Sheriff's lights.
"Doc! Sheriff's comin' out!" Mater shouted.
Doc noticed the police car, and thankfully so did Red. The fire truck aimed his hose at the front door, soaking it down to give Sheriff a clear shot outside. The water drenched Sheriff and rained down on his precious cargo, but allowed him to get out safely so Red could resume his efforts on the rest of the house. He became less desperate, sending a clear message to everyone that he had it under control. The residents gave collective sighs. For a quiet fella, Red certainly knew how to do his job.
Sheriff finally got across the street and released the comforter, coughing a bit as the fresh, clean night air rushed into his lungs. He stared worriedly at the 4-year-old girl on the blanket, gingerly brushing her brunette locks, the same color as Mater's rust, from her face. Finally, the girl coughed and her eyes scrunched up before blinking open, revealing crystal blue irises that, oddly enough, were exactly the same color as Doc's eyes.
The girl looked around for a moment before settling on Sheriff's grill. "Sh-Sheriff? Is that you?"
Sheriff moved so she could better see his eyes, and he smiled. "Right here, kiddo. You're gonna be okay." The girl nodded aimlessly, still a little confused, and began pushing herself upright.
"Sheriff!" Doc called as he drove over. The other residents moved a little closer, but made sure Doc, Sheriff, and the girl had their space. Doc looked back and forth between Sheriff and the girl, assessing both for injuries. "You two all right?"
"We're a little roasted, but fine." Sheriff chuckled.
Doc rolled his eyes a little. But he suddenly noticed something. He stared at Sheriff. "Where are John and Paula?" Sheriff's face fell. He looked down, shaking his hood. Doc closed his eyes, allowing the full weight of the news to set in. The rest of the Radiator Springs' residents either lowered their hoods in mourning or stared sadly at the little girl still sitting on the comforter. The human child was more alert now, staring at everyone with confusion and a hint of fear.
The girl looked to the police car beside her. "Sheriff? Where's Mommy and Daddy?"
Sheriff looked to Doc, who finally opened his eyes and nodded. Sheriff moved to the girl and sighed. "Harley, your parents can't be here anymore. They're gone."
The girl, Harley, was only four years old. But she could understand what Sheriff meant. She stared at her house, now reduced to a blackened building as Red smothered the last of the flames. Tears built up in her eyes and Harley curled into a ball, beginning to cry. Everyone stared at her sadly, mourning as she did now.
But not Doc. He immediately moved closer to Harley and nuzzled her gently. The girl immediately climbed to her knees and hugged his tire, the only thing she could get her arms around. She sobbed into him, but soon began to quiet down as his soothing yet gravelly voice shushed her and spoke words of comfort. Finally, she managed to sit back on her ankles and wipe her eyes dry, her cheek smeared with a little dirt from hugging Doc's tire.
"Harley, are you listening to me?" Doc asked gently. Harley only nodded. "Harley, you don't have to be afraid, all right? You will always have a family in Radiator Springs. You know that."
Harley sniffled. "Yeah, I know."
"And nothing is going to change that." Doc assured. "I promise, you're going to be all right. We're going to take care of you. I'mgoing to personally make sure of that."
Harley looked up to Doc, her crystal blue eyes sparkling a little despite being a bit red. "Promise? Cross your engine?"
"You bet, kiddo." Doc nodded with a smile. "Cross my engine and hope to stall."
Harley giggled a little, a smile forming on her lips.
EIGHT YEARS LATER
Harley gasped deeply as she bolted upright in her bed, panting heavily. Her wild, crystal blue eyes darted around everywhere before she realized she was at home, safe in her bed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing her heart rate to slow down.
"Harley?"
The brunette jumped a bit as her surrogate father rolled into the room, looking concerned. "Hey Doc. Good morning."
"Good morning." Doc greeted his daughter. "You all right? I heard you scream."
Great. I must've screamed while I was still asleep. Harley put on a smile, swinging her legs around to dangle them over the side of her lofted bed. "I'm fine, Doc. Just another nightmare."
"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Doc asked.
Harley shrugged, grabbing her dark blue eyeglasses from the nightstand. "It was actually about a fire."
Doc looked down. "I see." Not just a fire. The fire.
Harley adjusted her glasses, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What ever happened that night? I mean, how could a fire start like that?"
Doc looked to his daughter with a small smile. "You'll understand when you're older."
Harley smirked. "You keep telling me that. I bet I'm gonna be real smart when I'm grown up."
Doc chuckled. "I bet you will. Now up and at 'em. We're meeting everyone at Flo's for breakfast, remember?"
"I know, I'm up!" Harley laughed, jumping down from her bed as Doc rolled from the room. She moved to her bathroom nearby and began brushing her short, shoulder-length hair, taking note of its Mater-class rust coloring with the cobalt blue streaks. Pinning back some loose hair on the left side of her head with a red barrette, she began wiping her face clean with a wet washcloth. Her skin had a slight tan from growing up in the desert environment, but it wasn't nearly dark enough to hide the dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Once she finished brushing her teeth, she set her glasses back on her face and winked her crystal blue eyes playfully. Giggling, Harley skipped from her bathroom to change out of her pajamas. Tossing the sleepwear onto her bed, she pulled on a pair of denim shorts and a yellow T-shirt with the number 51 outlined in blue on the front and a cartoon picture of a hornet on the right sleeve. Humming to herself, Harley pulled her roller skates out from under her bed and strapped them on, rolling the tiny tire wheels with her hand to make sure they weren't sticking. Satisfied, the adoptive daughter of the Hudson Hornet skated out the door to meet Doc outside. The two of them rolled over to Flo's, where the rest of the residents waited.
"Good mornin', Doc! Mornin' Miss Harley!" Mater greeted, followed by everyone else's warm welcome.
"Good morning, everyone!" Harley greeted. "Buongiorno, Guido!"
"Buongiorno!" Guido waved a fork.
"And-a how are the-a skates, piccolo?" Luigi asked.
"Working perfectly, per the usual." Harley confirmed, ever thankful Guido and Luigi made the modified roller skates for her.
"Here ya go, honey." Flo said, coming by with a bowl of cinnamon oatmeal for the girl. "Fresh outta the pot!"
"Thanks, Flo." Harley said, immediately scooping up a spoonful and blowing on it to eat.
"So Sissy, I was thinkin' we could go fer a drive tuhday!" Mater said, looking to Harley.
"Yeah, that sounds like fun!" Harley agreed, smiling at Mater's nickname for his unofficial surrogate sister.
"No tractor tippin'." Sheriff said as he rolled in.
"Aww." Mater and Harley pouted.
"Fine, jus' a drive." Mater sighed. "C'mon, Harley!"
Harley nodded happily, hurriedly scooping the last of her oatmeal into her mouth and giving her bowl to Flo. She skated over to Doc and hugged his hood. "Bye Daddy! See you later!"
Doc nuzzled the girl. "See ya around, kiddo." Harley skated off, grabbing Mater's tow hook and letting him drag her down the road.
Radiator Springs. A gem on the Mother Road of Route 66. A small town, from its humble beginnings to the present day. Not that it bothered any of the residents. They took small-town community to a whole new level that was unmatched by any other town in the entire United States, maybe even the world. They didn't feel like just neighbors or friends; they were a family. They were a family that stuck together through thick and thin, no matter what arguments arose or what the world threw at them. Lack of customers due to the Interstate aside, Harley couldn't find a single problem with her home. Sure, she was the only human in the entire town and her family was made up of vehicles, but she never found a problem with it before and she probably never would. How could she? Her father was Doc Hudson, Mater and Red were like brothers to her, and the rest of the town were her aunts and uncles (with the exception of Lizzie, who acted more like a grandmother to Harley).
Harley took a deep breath, leaning her head back so the warm summer air pathed her face. She pulled on Mater's tow cable until she could climb into the back of the tow truck, perfectly balanced on her skates so she didn't roll into anything. Mater chuckled as Harley climbed up to his roof, sitting up cross-legged on top of him. "Hey Mater?"
"Yeah?" Mater asked.
"You know I love you, right?" Harley said with a smile.
"Love you too, lil' sis." Mater said with an equally happy smile. "What done brought dis up?"
Harley shrugged. "I guess I'm just thinking about how my life is now. Sometimes it feels weird to not have my parents around. But I'm so happy to have you and Doc and everybody in town as my family."
Mater nodded, sadly thinking back to the night Harley became an orphan. But he couldn't stay sad for long; Harley was right, after all. The entire town made sure she was well taken care of, even when it was Doc who formally adopted her as his daughter. "Well we all love ya, Harley. Don't ya ever ferget dat."
"Never." Harley promised. She patted Mater's roof lovingly, still smiling. Mater, smirking craftily, suddenly jerked around and bounced a bit, forcing Harley to hang on tightly as she laughed crazily. Mater laughed with her, almost forgetting the human girl wasn't even the same species as him.
The two ended up spending the rest of the day together, driving down to the sign where Sheriff kept his post before turning around again and talking the entire time. Reaching town, the residents greeted them warmly as they passed. Harley skated about, not minding the slight bumps in the old road of Main Street. When Mater finally brought up how bored he was, Harley hurried home and returned with her soccer ball. A game began between the tow truck and the human, quickly joined by the rest of the residents except for Lizzie, Doc, and Sheriff. The residents used the entire main street as their field, declaring the goals to be beyond Stanley's statue and past Flo's café. Harley was the only unfair advantage, being able to weave between her vehicular family members and leap over their hoods.
The game came to an abrupt halt when Luigi suddenly swerved and went careening into Ramone's shop. Everyone outside winced at the sound of a crash, and then jumped when Luigi let out a shrill scream of pain. They all hurried into the shop to discover Luigi moaning in despair along with one of Ramone's lit torches nearby. Ramone hurriedly grabbed the torch and turned it off while Guido rushed to his friend's side, crying out in Italian.
"Oh Guido!" Luigi cried. "The pain, Guido! I think-a I am-a dying!"
Harley came up to Luigi and rolled her eyes. "Luigi, calm down! It's just a minor burn."
Luigi stopped crying. "Oh."
Everyone laughed lightly as Guido helped Luigi back on his tires. Still, the sight of the warped paint and blackened mark on Luigi's side made some of them wince. "Minor it may be, but we'd better get ya down to Doc's." Sarge suggested.
"I can fix it!" Harley assured.
"Oh-a no, piccolo." Luigi shook his hood. "You do not-a have to do that."
"There's no need to bother Dad with something so small." Harley shrugged, rolling closer to Luigi and kneeling down towards the burned area.
"Won' it hurt?" Mater asked nervously.
Harley still smiled. "Just a little. Like taking off a Band-Aid." Nobody could find a reason to argue anymore, allowing Harley to proceed. She placed a hand on Luigi's side, to the left of the burn, and closed her eyes in focus. When she opened her eyes again, the crystal blue of her irises turned snow-white. Everyone watched in awe as Harley put her free hand to her side, where another burn appeared under her shirt, before both burns disappeared in mere seconds. Harley's eyes reverted back to their crystal blue, and she smiled warmly at Luigi.
"Grazie, piccolo." Luigi said thankfully.
"The joys of being a psyche human, right Harley?" Fillmore said with a wink.
Harley laughed. "It certainly has its perks. Now let's get back to the game!"
To be a psyche human was very special indeed. At least Harley thought so. Psyche humans, or psych-mans as they are commonly referred to, are humans who are able to connect their consciousness, physical strength, and even their very soul to the engines and minds of machines. It wasn't exactly a rare occurrence, but it also didn't happen very often; only 1 in every 1000 humans are born with the abilities of a psyche human. These abilities allow them to do various things, such as peer into the memories of vehicles or give them strength when they don't have enough. Most of these humans develop certain powers, such as enhanced physical skills, healing abilities, and mind reading. Harley found she had a greatest talent for healing, which somehow seemed to make sense given Doc was her father. She always tried to use her abilities to help others, especially her family members. But in order to heal a vehicle, the psyche human receives the same injury in order for the healing to carry over. Thankfully, Harley was brave enough to practice her powers and developed a higher pain tolerance.
Still, it sometimes worried Doc when Harley used her powers. Serious injuries could only be partially healed by psyche humans, and on occasion attempts to fully heal these wounds result in the injury of the psyche human. So when Harley joined Doc at Flo's for dinner that night, he asked her at least a dozen times if she was all right.
"For the last time, yes I'm fine." Harley assured, laughing despite Doc's serious look.
"I just want to make sure." Doc said. "You overdo it, you could be hurt real bad. This is one of those times when you have to know your limits and stick to them, okay?"
"Okay." Harley nodded, taking another bite of her grilled cheese sandwich. She and Doc returned home later that evening, Harley changing into her pajamas and plopping down on the ground and turning on the TV. She flipped through the channels a bit before finding the RSN station at the Dinoco 400 for the Piston Cup. Interested, Harley settled down to watch. "Hey Doc! I'm watching the Piston Cup race! You wanna join me?"
"I'd rather eat my own tires!" Doc called from the kitchen.
Harley rolled her eyes with a laugh. "A simple 'no, thank you' would've sufficed." She resumed her watch on the TV, listening to the announcers. But she didn't get very far before Doc rolled in and switched the channel. "Doc!" Harley whined.
"Watch anything you want, but not that." Doc said sternly.
Harley blinked in surprise, but didn't speak for a moment. Then she smiled and settled down to watch the movie playing on TV. "That's okay. They're not even showing my favorite racecar, so I don't care." She nudged Doc playfully, giggling. Doc cast her a look, but smiled softly and settled down to watch the movie with her. Harley tugged on her T-shirt a little, staring at the hornet picture on her sleeve. If she stared at Doc long enough, she could practically see his old racing stickers. Nobody in town knew about Doc's past as a racer except for Harley. She discovered Doc's old garage behind his clinic when she was seven, and at first she was overjoyed. But Doc was adamant about her not telling anyone. After asking almost a thousand times why, Doc revealed the full story about his crash and being forced to retire. Finally understanding, Harley agreed to keep it between them. But that didn't stop her from finding an old T-shirt design store in town and creating the yellow shirt she still wore to this day. It became her signature look, and only Doc understood the true meaning behind the piece of clothing.
It was their little secret.
The movie finished an hour and a half later, and Doc yawned a bit as he shut off the TV. "All right, little missy. It is way past your bedtime."
Harley sighed. "Okay, okay." She stood and rolled off to her room, pulling off her skates and lowering her bed down to climb in.
"You brush your teeth?" Doc asked.
"Yeah." Harley nodded.
"Let me smell." Doc said. Harley rolled her eyes but exhaled towards Doc's grill. The former racecar sighed. "Minty fresh. Atta girl."
"Did you brush your teeth?" Harley asked.
Doc put on an innocent look. "Maybe….."
"Let me smell." Harley said. Doc smirked and let out a large exhale into Harley's face. The girl's nose scrunched up and she started gagging. "Oh! Yuck! You did not brush your teeth!"
"I'm too busy tucking you in!" Doc laughed, nuzzling Harley's stomach and making her laugh. Doc laughed along with her, pulling back and pressing a button to raise her bed up again.
Harley pulled her blanket up over her and snuggled down into bed, setting her glasses on the nightstand and turning to face Doc. She smiled warmly, giving Doc a quick kiss on his hood. "Love you, Doc."
"Love you too, Harley." Doc said. "Sleep well." He rolled out of the room, shutting off the lights as he went.
A/N: Italian translations should be simple enough. "Good morning" and "Thank you" and "piccolo" means "small."
So I hope the whole psyche human thing makes sense. It's just something that came to me watching Planes and I thought why leave out the Cars movies? So this story will include a couple OCs of mine in both Cars movies and Planes movies, and I'll put it all in one big story for easy access.
Read and review! Thanks!