Sarge was up before dawn. His time in Radiator Springs often resulted in him getting up a little later than he was supposed to, but he was on a mission now and would act accordingly. Taking a deep breath in the clearing, Sarge felt like his engine was ready for anything.

It would need to be if he was going to chase off those ladies. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, it wasn't just the thought of two hippie neighbours that worried the veteran - it was the thought of losing a friend. Not many ladies would want to move to Radiator Springs. Love was a powerful motivator and Sarge couldn't bear the thought of Fillmore moving away. Who would he have to fight against if that happened? He needed the push, the drive, and Fillmore provided exactly that. No, Sarge decided. He had lost enough. Fillmore would not be leaving in the clutches of a 'contestant'.

None of the ladies bothered him too much, except maybe for Lilith. In fact, he'd been surprised to see Tia there. He had met her during her correspondence and had the utmost respect for her. Hopefully she would see sense and realize that she and Fillmore were completely incompatible.

Sarge was jerked out of his thoughts as he heard a snore to his left. Luigi was curled up in his tent, smiling softly as he dreamed of either tires or Ferraris - Sarge wasn't sure. The Fiat had asked how long they would stay and Sarge had replied until the bitter end, which would be three weeks. The first rose giving ceremony

would be on Saturday. If some of those ladies were smart, hopefully they'd leave of their own free will. In the meanwhile, they would collect data. Guido had found a small hole in the hedge surrounding the mansion big enough for him to squeeze through. He would pose as gardener and scout out the area.

It was a waiting game and Sarge was determined to be patient.

Fillmore choose to have his first one-on-one date with Tia, the Jeep. Li was the one who opened the envelope and the other girls crowded around her curiously.

"Tia," Li read. "Will you come with me on a date to learn from those before us?"

Tia was rather surprised and just a little bit nervous. What exactly would this date entail?

"What do you think, Tia?" Angela asked her as they drove towards the destination.

"I don't really know," Tia replied. "I'll see when I get there."

It didn't leave Angela much room to interrogate on so she left it at that.

Tia's worry melted away as she saw where the date was taking place. A war museum. Fillmore was waiting for her and together the two drove through the front doors. Angela wasn't really impressed at the location, but there had been worse, right?

Fillmore and Tia spent the whole morning driving through the museum and talking. The Jeep's worry disappeared as she explained what she knew about the guns and weapons and traded stories with Fillmore.

They finally settled into a peaceful silence as they reached a corridor dedicated to the Vietnam War.

"Tell me, Tia," Fillmore said slowly as they parked by a display's glass. "What exactly are you looking for?"

The Jeep hesitated, glancing at the display. It showed several snapshots of Vietnam. She hadn't seen all of the action, but certainly a good part of it.

"I suppose," she said slowly, glancing at Fillmore. "I need a new mission, a new story."

The van nodded but didn't say anything, allowing Tia to gather her thoughts. The Jeep was hesitant to speak her heart, but glanced first at Fillmore, then at the peaceful, organized museum around her. There weren't many cars around this time of day. Sometimes risks needed to be taken. Fillmore was a calculated risk.

"After my correspondence," she started. "I never really found… anything that compared to it. Everything else I worked on was too small or insignificant." She shrugged and turned back to the display. "I suppose that's why I signed up… perhaps doing something like this would help me focus on what I should do next."

A good minute of silence settled between them. It wasn't an awkward silence that usually settled over contestants, but a thoughtful, deep silence.

"Tia, I don't think you need to look forward," Fillmore said slowly. The Jeep glanced at him curiously and he continued. "Your heart… It belongs with that story. There's no 'next' new story. There's a second story. One that follows the first one."

"You mean," Tia frowned. "I should do a kind of follow-up?"

"Sure," Fillmore nodded. "Sometimes, Tia, we need to draw inspiration from the past to move forward."

Tia pondered over the hippie's words. Fillmore was right. Ever since her correspondence she'd tried to move on and and find something new to do. While there had been some interesting stories, her heart wasn't in any of them. Maybe she could do a follow up! Call up some of her old contacts and have a reunion of sorts. Now would be a perfect time for a documentary, or, or a book even!

"Yes… Yes…" she started getting excited. "There's always a story!"

The date ended with her promptly racing back to the mansion and Fillmore following with a satisfied expression. Tia was going to be alright, she'd find a story she truly enjoyed.

Angela was confused. Tia had come back with her date with Fillmore and immediately talked to the other girls excitedly. There was no bragging that she had gotten the first date, no jealousy from the others. Only enthusiasm. In fact, Cheyenne was helping her brainstorm ideas for a follow up story.

This wasn't right. Fillmore and these girls were supposed to be looking for love - romantic love. It needed to entail all the drama that usually came with the emotion. Confused, the Mini decided it was time for a chat with the van. She found him humming in his room to some invisible tune only he could hear.

"Fillmore?" She asked, pushing the door open.

"Ang," he greeted. "How's my favourite reality host?"

"I'm good, thank you," she replied politely. "But also a little confused, Fillmore."

"You're probably just overthinking it," Fillmore said in a way he probably thought was wise.

"Just tell me this," Angela cut straight to the point. "Fillmore, are you here to find love?"

She fixed him with a stern look that didn't faze the hippie at all. Instead he sighed and looked dreamily at the roof.

"Of course I'm here to find love, Ang," he replied. "But also to give it."

He looked in love, Angela realized. But he wasn't in love with a girl. He was in love… with love. This hippe was completely delusional.

"We have a huge problem," she muttered to herself as she left the room. If Fillmore wasn't interested in fighting for a girlfriend, how were the views going to go up?

Another boring, under-budget date came in the form of Fillmore's date with Cheyenne.

Cheyenne, the letter to her read. Let's go far together.

A little confused, but optimistic, Cheyenne followed Angela to where Fillmore was waiting. It was just on a stretch of road, but with a magnificent view. It twined and twisted between hills and Cheyenne found the sight freeing.

"What're we doing today, Fillmore?" She asked, glancing at the road in front of her.

"Chey, we're just gonna go for a nice long drive," Fillmore replied, beaming internally as the truck's face lit up.

They started down the the road which was remarkably empty. Two or three others cars were travelling in the other direction along with a few trucks. The camera van behind them got a few stares but no one stopped to asked questions.

"Cheyenne," Fillmore finally said casually. "Tell me, are you enjoying this so far?"

"It's somethin' else, that's for sure," Cheyenne admitted. "All of those girls are really nice."

"You don't feel intimidated at all?" Fillmore prodded. He knew girls could get quite defensive and nasty at times and wished to avoid that.

"We are all meant to be who we discover in ourselves," Cheyenne replied and Fillmore nodded. Wise words.. This truck was clearly on his level.

They drove until the next town was in sight then decided to turn around.

"As much as I've been enjoying this," Cheyenne started. "It's a little hard just sittin' around, doin' nothing."

Fillmore understood her sentiment. The mansion was a great place to get pampered and spoiled. For a truck like Cheyenne, it would be hard.

"Perhaps you need somewhere more your flow," he suggested. "Someplace that you can relate to. Where the cars understand where you're from."

"Well, I grew up in a pretty small town," Cheyenne started. "Kind of like the one you're from."

"Radiator Springs," Fillmore nodded. "It's a lovely place, Chey. You should come visit sometime."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Cheyenne nodded.

Later that night as Angela looked over the video she was again worried that the ratings would go down.

"It was a lovely date," Cheyenne said enthusiastically in the interview. "Lovely just drivin' around and seeing the scenery."

"Well, you gotta admit the scenery is something else," Bill commented as he parked beside Angela to watch the footage. "They'll string it together and come it with something."

The date ended up being a homage to the California countryside more than anything else.