Note: Speed Racer is the property of Speed Racer Enterprises. I don't not own any of the characters.

You will notice that Speed is quite different in this story. Picture Sam Malone from Cheers. As for Trixie, she's one hundred percent of Diane also from Cheers. Based on those two characters, you know sparks are going to fly!

Oh, I think Speed might have a little Sawyer (Lost) mixed in there, too.

Prologue

Pops Racer hung up the phone, the frustration plainly showing on his face. "Nothing. Inspector Detector's men can't find a trace of him. It's like he fell off the earth."

Mom Racer felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. "He's somewhere… I just think he's confused or too scared to come home after what happened between us. "

Her husband sighed. "Who knows what's going on in the head of his? The only thing anybody knows for sure is that the last time he was seen was three days ago at the airport bar where he drank nearly a whole bottle of Jack Daniels. When the bar closed for the night, he left and nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since. He must've been pretty drunk to leave his car in the airport parking lot. The Inspector said that they would probably have found him by now if he had been driving. Although there's a good chance he'd have ended up in jail on a DUI charge..." Pops' voice trailed off.

"It's not like Speed to drink," Mom said. "It's because of them that he ended up in that bar. I told you that Dallas Maverick was up to no good. But did you listen to me? No. Same thing with her father." She shook her head. "Because you turned a deaf ear to me, our son is missing."

Pops sighed. His wife was right. She had seen right through the Mavericks. Why hadn't he? "He'll be found," he said.

"I hope so." Mom gazed out the window looking as if at any moment Speed might stride up the walk. "I wish I hadn't scolded him the other day. He's so sensitive, it must have hurt him to have us turn against him." She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer, "Dear God, please let us find Speed. Let him be safe." She opened her eyes again. "I love you, Speed. Please come home."

-----

Janine Trotter sat at her boyfriend, Sparky's, kitchen table; a glass of iced tea in front of her. She'd just gotten off the phone with Trixie Shimura, who had arrived safe and sound at JFK Airport in New York and was settling into her new apartment in Manhattan. Janine knew that the move had been hard on her friend. The last thing she wanted to do was tell her that Speed had gone missing. The young woman was still in love with him, even though he'd treated her poorly.

While Janine had been angry with Speed, she was still worried about him. He had been thrown for a loop when he found out that Dallas Maverick and her father, Paladin, had been using the Racers for their own gain. The fact that Speed had fallen hard for the blond beauty had made things doubly difficult for him. When he found out the truth about Dallas, his world fell apart and that was when he took off. Sparky was once again out looking for him. Janine wondered if he should even bother at this point. Speed obviously didn't want to be found.

She started at the sound of the front door opening. Was he back already? He had said he would most likely be gone for a few hours and it had only been a little over thirty minutes since he'd left.

Janine did a double take when she saw him. Sparky stood in the doorway, he held Speed up with one arm. She was shocked at the young racer's appearance. His clothes were filthy, as was his hair; it stuck out at odd angles. His eyes were glassy, his face pale. There was nearly three days growth of beard on his face.

"Speed! What happened to him? Is he alright?" she asked.

"I don't know," the Go Team's mechanic answered. "He's pretty messed up."

"Where did you find him?"

"Maple Lane Park. He was sitting under a tree, way back in the farthest corner by the duck pond. He didn't even recognize me. I'm still not sure if he does."

"What made you look there?"

"When we were kids we used to hide out there because it was pretty much out of sight. Something told me I'd find him there."

Janine helped him get Speed over to the sofa. "You want something to drink?" she asked.

The shake of his head was barely perceptible. "No more…" he said in strained whisper.

"No more?" Janine asked, looking at Sparky.

"I think he means no more booze," her boyfriend said. "Janine, he's been on a three day bender. The guy is totally sloshed."

"Coffee. He needs coffee." She squatted down so that she was on face level with Speed. "I'll get you some coffee, okay?"

"Yeah… Could use some coffee," he said, his voice a little stronger.

Janine pulled Sparky aside. "What he really needs is a bath. He's a mess."

Sparky nodded. "Let me get him in the shower. I'm sure I've got something he can wear 'cause his clothes are nothing more than trash now."

Forty-five minutes later, Speed was showered; shaved and wearing a pair of Sparky's sweat pants and a flannel shirt. Wrapped in a wool blanket, he sipped a cup of black coffee.

"Feeling any better?" Janine asked.

Speed nodded. "Yeah, lots. Thanks."

"Are you hungry? I can make you some soup."

"No," Speed responded, "not right now. My stomach's doing flip-flops. It's a wonder I can even keep this coffee down."

"Well you let me know if you feel like eating anything, okay?"

Speed nodded.

"I called your folks and let them know I found you and that you're alright," Sparky said.

"Why'd do that for?" Speed couldn't keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"They were worried about you, Speed."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. Like my old man gives a damn about me after what happened. And I doubt my Mom cares anymore either."

Janine lightly touched his arm. "Speed, everyone was worried about you. Your poor mother has been crying her eyes out. Pops has been beside himself. Sparky was combing the streets looking for you."

"What about you?" Speed asked. "I'm sure it must thrill you to no end that your prediction came true. Dallas screwed me over, broke my heart, just like you said she would. Happy?"

"No. I think what she did to you stinks. What her father did to your family... I feel awful."

"Still, I bet you couldn't wait to tell Trixie all about it."

Janine shook her head. "She doesn't know a thing, Speed. Honestly? I don't think she wants to hear anything about you right now."

"Guess I can't blame her after what I did," he said. "I really treated her like crap. No wonder she hates me."

Janine shrugged. "I really don't know how she feels about you at this point, Speed."

"Uh huh, right." He threw his head back and yawned. "I'm so tired all of a sudden."

Sparky arose from the chair. "You must be exhausted. Why don't you take a nap, buddy? Janine and I will be out on the porch if you need anything."

"Okay," Speed lay down and closed his eyes, feeling the inevitable crash coming on.

"Oh, and don't worry yourself over Dallas. She' not worth it," Sparky said.

"Not Dallas," Speed sobbed, burying his face into the pillow, "Trixie… "

Neither of them heard his words, and he never let anyone know how he truly felt. Instead he drowned his feelings in alcohol until there was nothing left to feel.

----

Speed spent the next two months living on Sparky's couch. Unable to deal with his guilt, he avoided any contact with his parents. He paid his fine and also decided not to contest the decision of the Racing Commission, much to the dismay of the Driver's Union. But, he knew he couldn't finish out the season, not with the turmoil he was going through. Times, emotionally, were rough on him. He spent his nights in the bars, trying to forget his problems and woke up paying for it the next morning. There was no way he could continue racing when he could barely function until well past noon. Even then he didn't bother to change out of his sweat pants until the evening when he would finally dress and, if he felt like it, shower and shave.

It exasperated Sparky to leave the house in the morning and come home in the early afternoon to find his friend still on the couch, asleep. It also annoyed Janine that Speed had pretty much moved in.

"I thought it was supposed to be temporary," she told Sparky.

"It is. He'll be gone once he's back on his feet."

Janine crossed her arms as she glanced over at Speed, dozing on the couch after another night of heavy drinking. "How can that happen when he spends the majority of his time here, off his feet?"

"Give the guy a break, he's been through a lot," Sparky said.

"I was willing to give him a break when this first happened. But it's been over two months now and I think he's just taking advantage of your good will at this point. He knows he's overstayed his welcome, I can tell by the way he's been avoiding the both of us. Oh, and don't even get me started on his hanging out with that Alpha creep, Zoomer Slick."

"Aw, Slick's not that bad," Sparky said. "He did quit the Alpha Team, you know, so that's gotta count for something."

"Huh. Once an Alpha always an Alpha," Janine said. "Listen, from now on, if you want to hang out with me, we do it at my place. I really can't stomach coming here and seeing your friend lying around like a bum."

Sparky sighed. "Alright, I'll talk to him later when we get back from the store." He held the door open for her as they left his apartment.

Speed had been awake and overheard Janine and Sparky's argument. "Am I really that bad?" he wondered. He went into the bathroom and took a long look at himself in the mirror. He didn't like the image that stared back at him.

"Geez… I look like crap." He turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face, feeling facial stubble. "When's the last time I shaved?" He sniffed and wrinkled his nose. "Hell, when's the last time I took a shower?"

He stripped off his t-shirt and sweat pants and stepped into the shower. He turned on the spray as hot as he could stand and stood under it, feeling a bit of life come back into him.

After nearly half an hour, he finished his shower and shaved. "I really needed that," he said.

As he was getting dressed, his cell phone rang. He took a quick glance at the number and sighed. "What's up, Slick?"

"There's a big party goin' down at Pete's Ale House tonight. You're gonna be there, right?"

"Uh no, actually. I'm gonna hang out here."

"What? You can't miss this, Racer, it's the biggest party of the year!" Zoomer Slick exclaimed.

"Sorry, dude, some other time. I gotta go." He ended his phone call and put the cell in his pocket. "I need to get outta here for a while."

It was a beautiful, if chilly, afternoon. Shrugging into his leather jacket, he bounded out the front door. "I think I'll walk for a change. The fresh air'll do me good," he said.

He walked the couple of miles into town and when his stomach started to rumble, decided to stop at the Gold Star Diner. The manager led him to a booth towards the back of he place. A very attractive waitress came up to him with a menu. "Hi my name is Daisy. I'll be your server this afternoon."

Speed smiled. Daisy was quite pretty with dark brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, sparkling brown eyes and a beautiful smile. He couldn't help but notice how her tongue played across her lips as she spoke. There was a stirring in his groin that he hadn't felt in a long time. He quickly averted his gaze, looking down at her nametag. That might have been a mistake as she wore a very low-cut blouse. When she bent down to hand him the menu, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"I'll be back in a few minutes to take your order," she said, winking before she turned and walked away.

"Oh man... I'm gonna lose it right here. It's been ages since a girl's made feel like this," he said. "Of course, that could be because I've been a zombie for the past couple a months and haven't been able to feel much of anything." Shaking the haze from his brain, he perused the menu, realizing that he was starving. He ordered the Meat Loaf Special.

Daisy delivered his meal, lingering so that she could flirt with him.

"So... What time do you work until?" he asked between bites of the meat loaf, which he found to be delicious.

"You're my last customer. If you want to get technical, I'm already off the clock. Although, since you're still eating, I have to wait until you're done before I can leave."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know I was holding you up."

She smiled. "You're not. Honestly, I'm in no hurry to leave."

He returned her smile, only a bit more seductively. "Me, neither." He motioned to the seat across from him. "Would you like to join me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she purred.

It started raining before he finished his meal. Daisy offered to drive him home. He ended up at her apartment, never making it back to Sparky's that night.

He finally arrived home at eleven am the next day.

"Where the hell have you been?" Sparky asked. "When you didn't come home last night I thought maybe you went off the deep end again."

"Nah, I'm fine. It was raining, so I spent the night with a new friend," Speed replied, a mysterious grin on his face. He went to the closet and started removing the clothes that he had gotten while staying there.

"What are you doing?" Sparky asked.

"Packing. I've taken advantage your hospitality long enough. I think it's about time I got my sorry ass outta here. You got a bag or something I can put these in?"

"Sure. I've got an extra duffel bag you can use," Sparky said.

"Great, thanks!" Speed hummed as he neatly folded his clothes and placed them on the couch while he waited for Sparky to return. He was in a wonderful mood.

"Here," Sparky said, tossing the bag on the floor. "You got some place to go?"

"Yeah. I found a nice little apartment over on 12th St. It's affordable and within walking distance of just about everything. I couldn't pass it up."

"Wow, sounds great. So, when did you get this apartment?"

"This morning. My friend helped me find it," Speed said.

"Your friend sounds like a nice guy."

"Girl," Speed said, his eyes twinkling. "And yes, she's nice. Very nice."

Sparky comprehended what Speed meant. "I get it. Well, good for you. She certainly helped cheer you up. I guess when I meet her I can thank her in person for getting you out of that nasty funk you've been in."

"Well, I don't know if you'll ever get to meet her because I'm not sure if I'm going to see her again. The last thing I want is to get involved in any kind of relationship," Speed said.

"Huh?" Sparky asked, dumbfounded. Speed had obviously slept with the young woman. Why would he do that if he didn't want to get involved with her?

"She's a great girl, Sparky. But, there are lots of other great girls out there and I intend to meet as many of them as I can."

-----

Speed tried to make good on his promise, much to the dismay of his family. Though, some other positives did happen. He cut down his drinking to a manageable level, sometimes not even drinking at all when he went out. He made amends with his parents and was relieved to find out that Paladin only got away with a small portion of the family's savings. Some years ago, Mom had opened up account where she saved up any left over money from the family's weekly budget. It added up to quite a bit! As for the engine, Pops still had the original, hand-drawn plans and vowed to make them even better. "Let the Mavericks have the other ones, my new engine will put theirs to shame."

What of the Mavericks? Paladin was finally brought down when he scammed the wrong person, a man of some wealth who was also connected to organized crime. Threatened within an inch of his life, he slunk back into the shadows, living on the money he made off Pops' engine. Dallas married a wealthy, older man. She had no choice when her father left her to fend for herself after he went into hiding. Unfortunately, Dallas didn't have the necessary life skills to survive. She was lucky to find someone who wanted a trophy wife. She ended up having a couple of children and was often left alone while her husband went off on business trips. She was miserable. Speed didn't want to know anything about it. "Dallas is a part of my past that I don't want to revisit," he would say when confronted with any information about her.

Speed raced the next season and his record was near perfect. He complied with random testing, which was part of his agreement with the Racing Commission. He didn't worry, as drugs were something he would never do. The press, alas, continued with their obsession of all things Speed. Of course, he didn't help matters any with his well-known sexual exploits and partying.

Speed's family and friends worried about the way he was conducting his life. Sparky eventually confronted him about it.

"I know it's really none of my business, Speed, but do you really think it's such a good idea to be catting around so much? I'd think you'd like to find one girl and be with her. You're kind of getting the reputation of a player."

Speed shrugged. "Don't worry about me, Sparky. I know what I'm doing. I've been told, more than once, that I'm shallow. Well, this is the kind of life shallow guys like me lead. I'll be fine." He winked, smiled and took off in the Mach Five to practice for the next race.

Sparky watched him drive off. "I don't get you at all anymore, Speed. But if you're happy, I guess I'm happy for you. One thing's for sure; you're the best driver in the world right now. Nobody can touch you, so you must be doing something right."