Disclaimer: Disney and Pixar own Cars and its characters respectively.

"Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!"

"Respect the classics, man! It's Hendrix!"

Lightning woke up to the same usual routine and flipped himself onto his back, just resting on the warm bed sheets for a minute, before he threw them off and walked to his closet. He tiredly pulled on some old jeans and his red "Rust-eze" racing T-shirt before pulling on some old Converses and headed out the door of his cone, not bothering to comb his shaggy blonde hair. He walked casually to Flo's to meet up with Doc, passing the Cozy Cone office on the way. Lightning had the urge to laugh when he saw Sally sitting at the front desk fast asleep, her head laying on the desk and her long blonde hair fallen on top of papers piled on top of papers. He couldn't do anything but shake his head realizing that this is about the tenth time this month he's found her in the morning asleep at her desk in the small reception. On several occasions, he's picked her up and carried her to her cone, concerned that she would get a neck crick from the uncomfortable position, and it would always be the same thing.

Sally, always too stubborn, would say, "No. Lightning, I have too much work to do."

Lightning would say, "Sally. You need to sleep and in a bed for a change. The work can wait."

Lightning's thoughts and concerns about Sally stayed in his mind all through his regular early meeting with Doc over coffee at Flo's and his early practice session that morning. The racing season was about to start soon and although Lightning would love nothing more than being able to enjoy what's left of his break, Doc pushed him even harder to start the season off strong.

A little past noon, after Doc and Lightning got the racecar back in the garage, Lightning headed over to Flo's where Sally said she would meet him for lunch after she got caught up checking in guests from yesterday evening when she couldn't go on their customary drive up to Wheel Well. He sat in their booth for thirty minutes…thirty-one minutes, he thought, as he couldn't stop his eyes from looking at his watch from time-to-time. Sally was never late. Well, except for that day in the courtroom, Lightning thought and started to reminisce about that day when he first met her, and Mater, and Doc. The three now most important people in his life and he was a jerk to all of them. He got lost in his own thoughts until he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned thinking it was Sally but came face-to-face with Flo, instead.

"You need a refill, honey?" She asked in her usual upbeat voice, holding a pitcher of ice-cold water. Lightning looked at his barely touched glass of water and smiled back at the kind, dark-skinned woman. "No thanks, Flo. Hey, have you seen Sally?"

Flo went to wipe down the booth next to Lightning while answering. "I saw her rush out of the office and into her car. She looked like she was heading for Wheel Well. But that was hours ago, I haven't seen her since then, sugar."

Lightning stood up and walked past Flo. "I'm going to go see if she's still up there."

"Oh, Lightning!" He turned to Flo, hearing his name. "Can you take this up to her? I'm afraid that girl hasn't eaten; she didn't come here last night for dinner or this morning for breakfast. She's been working harder than I've ever seen." She handed him a café carry out bag filled with food. So he wasn't the only one that noticed Sally's unusual work-hustling behavior. He agreed to take it up to her and headed out the café, getting in his Corvette and heading for Wheel Well.

"That can't be right. We have to recount again."

"Sally, I've reevaluated it four times and you have too, more than I can count!"

"Ugh." Sally groaned and held her head in her head as she sat across from one of her best and most trusted employees, Rena, who used to be an accountant she knew in California. They were sitting in the backroom of Wheel Well surrounded by millions of files and papers. This was the time of the month Sally hated, counting inventory, writing checks, and reviewing bills. She usually let Rena do it and she would simply just review it but she had to rush to Wheel Well when Rena called saying they had a problem. Files were pulled and figures were calculated over and over again. The numbers just wouldn't add up properly.

"I don't understand." Sally stated as she walked to the wall, leaning her weight against it. "We've been completely booked for the past six months and have reservations scheduled all the way till next summer. There should be more than enough funds for here and the Cone."

Rena looked up from her papers. "I would think so too but that's not what the numbers are saying. Remember how much money it took to get this place up and running in the first place and the bills just to maintain it? It takes a huge toll on the budget."

Sally rested her head on the wall, wincing from the bothering crick in her neck. "I really don't need this." If she knew Lightning would bring the town this much publicity…She wanted to kick herself for even thinking it. Lightning did more for this town than she could imagine, most importantly, getting it back on the map. Re-opening Wheel Well was his idea and they had opened the place together.

As she tried to clear the tiredness from her eyes, she glanced at her watch. "Shit! I have to go. I have that meeting in Flagstaff, remember?" She hurried furiously to pick up her papers.

Rena looked at her blankly. "But what about-?"

"I trust you to do your best to take care of it! Bye!" Sally shouted, already out the door to the reception area. Walking out of Wheel Well, she almost ran right into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I-Lightning? Hi." She smiled, relieved to see him.

Lightning smiled back and kissed her cheek, internally chuckling when he saw her tan cheeks turn a shade of pink. "Hey Sal." He noticed how her arms were filled with folders and papers. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! Just busy…as usual. Which reminds me, I have a meeting in Flagstaff. I have to go." She turned to walk to her car parked besides Lightning's.

"Wait, Sally." He waited for her to turn around before holding out the bag from Flo's to her. "This is from Flo. She noticed you weren't coming into the café the past day or so. Have you not been eating?" He asked, his voice full of seriousness.

Sally didn't want to lie to him, she hadn't eaten since this time yesterday but with so much to be done and things to finish, eating had slipped her mind…sort of like sleep. "I've been snacking. Wait…Flo's-I was supposed to meet you for lunch today! Lightning, I'm sorry! I forgot, ugh. Things aren't going as well as we hoped right now with the motels and of course, I have to fix it." She said, shaking her head.

She felt one of his arms bring her close to him by her waist so he could talk lower to her. "Sally, you really shouldn't work so hard." This was one of the reasons why she loved him. The caring things he said like that compared to the cocky jerk that flew into town almost a year ago, she couldn't believe the transformation.

"Lightning…. I have to go." She said apologetically, pushing him away and getting in her baby blue Porsche. She turned on the engine and rolled down the window as she saw Lightning walk up to it, his face serious. "Sally, you really need to-"

"We'll talk about it later." She said, partially just to soothe him.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"And will you promise me you'll eat?" He handed her the bag from Flo's once again, pushing her to take it.

Sally rolled her green-blue eyes behind her sunglasses, took the bag, and put it on the seat next to her.

"Yes, Lightning. Now, I'm going to be late. See you later." She revved the powerful engine and took off down Tailfin Pass.

Lightning started to worry for her even more as she watched her car disappear quickly into the scenery. He started to realize that maybe all this was causing Sally to lose sight of what was really important…not once did she call him "Stickers".