Lightning rolled out of the cone, and Thunder awoke shortly after.

"Morning, Thunder." Mariana said softly, and Thunder wagged his tail. She showed Thunder the 53 on her trunk. "That one wasn't there before." Thunder wagged his tail as he stretched and yawned, then Mariana was gone before he could open his eyes. She returned shortly, balancing a large plate with a large steak on her hood. Thunder took the plate from her, and began to eat. He finished quickly, and Mariana took his plate back over to Flo's. She returned with a large bowl filled with something delicious-smelling and set it down in front of Thunder.

"Coffee. Careful, it's hot." She warned as Thunder nearly burnt his tongue when he went to take a drink. He pawed at her gently as she giggled. He waited patiently for about half an hour, then tried the coffee again. It was cool enough, and he began lapping it up gratefully. When he had finished, he stretched, then got up.

"You want to go outside?" Thunder wagged his tail and licked her hood. The two departed the room slowly because of Thunder's paw, and eventually made it outside. Thunder hobbled over to Flo's and laid down, looking around for Lightning. Mariana guessed who he was looking for and replied, "He's at the Butte with Jack." Thunder laid his head down and sighed. He looked up as Flo approached, and his tail began to wag. She smiled and petted him gently with a tire. He licked her tire, whining happily.

"He really loves those steaks, Flo." Mariana giggled.

"I'll bet he does. He never could resist them." Flo laughed, then went to go give a few of the others their orders. Sally drove out of her lobby, and parked next to Thunder. He couldn't help but notice that she seemed exhausted, and nudged her tire, whining softly. She petted him absentmindedly, staring off into space. He licked her wheel and she jumped.

"Oh, it's only you, Thunder." She said softly, petting his head gently. He nudged her tire with his muzzle, whining slightly louder. "It's nothing, really. I'm fine." She offered him a small smile, then ordered a coffee from Flo. Thunder couldn't help but notice that she had ordered it black. Thunder just laid his head down again and sighed. He wanted to make Sally feel better, but he didn't know how.

"Don't feel bad, Thunder. I'm sure there's something we can do." Mariana whispered softly. Just then, Lightning drove up, covered in mud and laughing, driving alongside a smaller ball of mud that was also laughing, but had numerous needle-like extensions coming out of the mud in random directions. The ball of mud had an odd shuffling gait, and Lightning appeared to be helping it along slightly.

"What happened to you two?" Doc asked, chuckling.

"The track's still muddy from that rainstorm we had, so me and Jack were mud wrestling!" Lightning said. The others all chuckled, and he continued on.

"Anyways, we were wrestling, trying to pin the other down, when she slips and falls!" Lightning exclaimed, laughing as he nudged the ball of mud. "After that, she kept slipping and falling, and ended up in the cactus patch. I rolled her out, and then she was slipping and sliding all over again, so I tried to help, but I kinda... knocked her over and sent her rolling." Lightning's voice changed from a loud exclamation to a quiet mumble as he finished his story.

"Red, do you think you could give Jack a bath?"

Red nodded, and sprayed Jack with a cold stream of water. Gradually, a dark, metallic-blue Mini Cooper emerged from the ball of mud. She was covered in cactus needles and bits of cactus, not to mention soaking wet and shivering. She appeared to be favoring her right front wheel, so Doc led her into the clinic shortly after her 'bath'. He pulled the cactus needles out first, then looked at her wheel. It was the same side she had injured before, but this time she had bent her axle pretty badly when she had hit a rock going into the cactus patch. Doc attempted to straighten it, but Jack yelped and backed away quickly.

"Hmmm, that's no good..." He muttered to himself as he lowered the lift. He sighed after thinking about what to do for several minutes, and began wrapping Jack's axle in gauze.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Your axle is pretty badly damaged. I'm not sure there's anything that would help it except time. Go on over to Lightning's cone and get some rest." Doc sighed. Jack could tell that he wasn't happy with his decision, but she hobbled over to Lightning's cone anyways. She didn't escape the others' detection, and Thunder hobbled over, whining and nuzzling her gently.

"What's the matter, Jack?" Lightning asked, coming over to her. His sides were still streaked with mud, as though some of it had worn off.

Jack's gaze wandered to Sally, who looked as though she was running off the coffee she was sipping, and asked, "What's wrong with Sally?" Lightning's gaze fell to his hood and he shuffled his tires nervously.

"It's nothing. You should go inside and rest your axle." Lightning said, opening the door for her. Thunder hobbled in after her, matching her gait perfectly. Lightning sighed, then shut the garage door again.

"How did he know I damaged my axle? I didn't tell anybody." Thunder shrugged, then hobbled into his room, Jack following. The swelling had gone down slightly on his paw, and it hurt a lot less. He laid down in his bed, Jack gingerly laying down beside him, wincing as her axle brushed against the fabric of the bed. Thunder rolled her onto her other side, and Jack sighed with relief as she relaxed. "Thanks, Mutt." She said, petting his side gently. Thunder's tail wagged softly and he licked her side comfortingly.

Lightning snuggled next to Sally, still looking over at his cone absentmindedly. "How's the court case coming, Sal?" He asked, and she cast him a sideways glance and sighed. In her glance, Lightning could tell that the case was not going well, and that Sally was losing a lot of sleep over it. Lightning kissed her fender comfortingly, and she smiled at him slightly, faint shadows under her windshield.

"Thanks, Stickers." She said softly. "I just wish I could figure it out. It's making no sense to me right now, and with the possibility of customers coming in during the day, I can't work on it then. And with you leaving tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

A look of fear passed quickly over Lightning's face, but he snuggled against Sally again and said confidently, "You'll figure it out. You just need a vacation is all."

"I wish I could take one, but I just don't have the time." She said sadly, sighing and leaning against Lightning's side.

"Why don't you come to the race tomorrow? It'll only be for a day."

"That sounds like fun. Sure, I'll go, Stickers." She said, nuzzling his fender affectionately. Lightning grinned, and happily returned the gesture.

Thunder and Jack were snuggled together, asleep, when Mariana came in. She saw Jack, smiled, then went to go get Thunder another steak for when he woke up. She returned shortly, and he was awake in minutes, sniffing eagerly for the steak before his eyes were open. Mariana giggled softly, and passed him the plate. He began eating the steak eagerly, and Mariana laid down next to him. He wagged his tail, and stretched before he arose. He licked Mariana's side, making Mariana giggle. Thunder just wagged his tail again, looking pleased with himself. The swelling on his paw was almost gone by now, and he was able to limp slightly faster as he made his way out the door. He scooped up Mariana in his jaws, then went over to Flo's.

"Hey, after we thank Flo, would you wanna go see my parents?" Mariana whispered to Thunder. She got a muffled woof for an answer, along with a wagging tail. Mariana giggled as the pair arrived at Flo's. "Hey, Flo?" Mariana called.

"Yes, honey?" Flo replied, looking over her way.

"Thunder wanted to thank you again for the steaks." Mariana giggled, and Flo smiled. She patted Thunder's head gently, and he wagged his tail. He barked at Mariana, and the two departed, heading for the cemetery.

They arrived after about half an hour's walk, and Mariana led the way to the gate. She got a sudden chill, almost like a forewarning, and shivered. She shook the feeling off, driving through the open gate. She noticed that her parents' grave was blocked by a large tree branch, and she struggled to pull it away. Thunder threw his weight against it, trying to help, and it rolled a few inches, then stopped. The two shoved and pushed the branch in unison, but only moved it about a foot farther.

Finally, the two gave up, panting as they leaned on the branch. Mariana's gaze drifted over to Thunder, then back to the branch. "Hey, Thunder?"

He panted as he looked over at her expectantly, his tongue flopping out.

"Fetch!" Mariana exclaimed, pointing at the branch with a tire. Thunder wagged his tail, then picked up the branch at the skinnier end, dragging it along to the entrance of the graveyard. He wagged his tail as he limped back over to her. She was facing the littlest grave there, and appeared to not have noticed his return. He sat down quietly beside her, looking at her parents' grave. It showed that her father was the famous Beetle racecar, Herbie, with his number engraved in the stone underneath his name. He laid down and nuzzled Mariana's roof gently. She hugged him tightly as her eyes grew distant.

A thousand times I see you standing, gravity like a lunar landing, make me want to run till I find you. I shut the world away from here, drift to you, you're all I hear, everything we know fades to black. Half the time the world is ending, truth is I am done pretending. I never thought that I had anymore to give, pushing me so far, here I am without you. Drink, to all that we have lost, mistakes we have made, everything will change, but love remains the same. Find the place where we escape, take you with me for a space, a city bus sounds just like a fridge. I walk the streets through seven bars, I have to find just where you are, the faces seem to blur, they're all the same. Half the time, the world is ending, truth is I am done pretending, I never thought that I had any more to give, wishing me so far, here I am without you. Drink, to all we have lost, mistakes we have made, everything will change, but love remains the same.

He had a sudden idea as he watched Mariana sitting completely still, and gently detached himself from her. He hobbled out of the graveyard, and was gone for at least five minutes. When he came back, he had a bouquet of desert flowers bunched together in his jaws. He set the flowers down gently on her parents' grave, and Mariana came back to the present. She spotted the flowers, and smiled. "Thanks, Thunder." She petted him fondly, and he licked her side, his tail wagging gently.

Abruptly, there was a moaning sound that came from the forest around the graveyard. Mariana leapt behind her parents' grave with a frightened squeak, and Thunder began to growl softly, ready to protect his friend. The bushes to their right, just outside the fence, shook violently, and they heard metal hit metal, then a soft, muttered curse in a male voice. "Wh-Who's there?" Mariana called out fearfully.

"Who's that?" The voice sounded like the owner was from the West, and sounded tough, but not mean.

"Where are you? C-Could you show yourself?" A grille poked through the bushes, and Mariana could see orange paint on the hood.

"I think I ran over a cactus patch or two, so I'm pretty much stuck here."

"Come on, let's go see if we can help." She said to Thunder, who nodded, and the two left the graveyard. They went over to where the grille was poking out of the bushes, and fought their way through the brush to get to the car's side.

When they finally had struggled to the driver's side, they found an orange car with blue eyes, his tires covered in cacti needles, and a one following a zero on his side. He looked like an older racing stock car. He looked down at them in a friendly way, but Mariana was still slightly cautious.

"There's nothin' to be afeared of, darlin'. I ain't gonna hurt ya." The car convinced her, and she drove around the car slowly, trying to see how many cactus needles he had in his tires. Meanwhile, the strange car was attempting to claw his way out of the entanglement of bushes on four flat tires.

"I don't think you'll be able to get very far before it gets dark, Mr..."

"Now I don't wanna hear any of this 'Mr.' business. My name's General Lee, but everybody calls me Bo."

"Okay, nice to meet you, Bo. I'm Mariana, and that's Thunder."

Thunder wagged his tail, and woofed softly.

"Howdy there, fella." Bo smiled, then winced. Thunder whined softly, and Bo looked thoughtfully at his new friend. "Hey, darlin'?"

"Yeah, Bo?"

"How much can your buddy here pull?"

"I'm not sure, Bo. He's probably strong though. He fights mountain lions and bears all the time."

"Normally, I wouldn't be askin' some friends that I barely know somethin' like that, but I just had me an idea, and since it's gonna be dark soon..."

"Do you have any rope? Thick rope?" Mariana asked, seeing where Bo was going with his thoughts.

"In my trunk." He popped his trunk open, and Mariana found a thick coil of rope. She began tying it together to make a harness for Thunder, and attached the remaining length to Bo. Thunder stepped into the harness, and Mariana secured it as tightly as she could.

"Okay, now pull, Thunder." Mariana said, and Thunder threw his weight against the front of the harness. Bo began to roll a few inches every time he took a step.

"It's workin'!" Bo exclaimed happily, then scooped up Mariana onto his hood with a tire. Mariana smiled up at him, and though she couldn't see him grinning, his blue eyes told her that he was. Thunder was pulling with all his might, and was going at a good clip, Bo rolling steadily behind him.

He pulled Bo all the way into town, where he stopped in front of Flo's. The others laughed, and Thunder wagged his tail. He always enjoyed helping. "Thunder, why'd you drag this poor guy into town?" Sally asked, and Bo looked over at her. She was very pretty, and he grinned.

"Oh, your good ol' boy here decided to help me out of a tight spot." He replied, smiling, and held up a cacti-filled tire for explanation. The others all nodded knowingly, and Doc rolled forwards.

"Thunder, if you wouldn't mind pulling him over to my clinic, would you?" Thunder wagged his tail and threw his weight against the harness again. Bo began rolling much quicker than before, and Thunder pulled Bo into Doc's. The others all laughed, shaking their hoods at Thunder's willingness to help.

Sally had seen Lightning off in his trailer, and couldn't wait to go watch him tomorrow. She had put the court case away for the day, and had decided to not think about it until after she was back home from the race. She was feeling more relaxed, and was sipping a coffee contentedly.

Thunder had gotten Bo onto the lift, and Mariana jumped down off his hood to untie him from Thunder. Once he was untied, she let him out of the harness. "Thank ya'll kindly." Bo smiled at the two.

Mariana replied, "No problem, Bo." then smiled back at him, and Thunder wagged his tail and woofed softly. Doc rolled into the clinic, and Thunder and Mariana went to wait outside. They could hear the two talking back and forth, and fifteen minutes later, Doc told Mariana to go ask Luigi for some dirt racing tires that would fit a 117 inch wheelbase. Mariana took off for Flo's after nodding, and then Thunder watched as she and Luigi went over to his shop. Mariana called out to him, and he trotted over to her.

"Do you think you could help?" Thunder wagged his tail, then stuck his head through two of the tires, so they were hanging from his neck. He nudged one upright, and began rolling it out of Luigi's. Mariana and Luigi giggled, then Mariana rolled the remaining tire out after Thunder. The two delivered their load to Doc, who chuckled when he saw Thunder. Thunder wagged his tail as Doc removed the tires from over his head, then he laid down outside Doc's. Bo rolled out of Doc's a few minutes later, a grin on his bumper as he ruffled Thunder's ears gently with a tire.

"You sure helped me out of a tight spot there, fella." Thunder wagged his tail, and barked. Bo laughed, and patted Mariana's roof. "Thanks for helpin' too, Darlin'."

Mariana giggled, then replied, "You're welcome, Bo. It's really getting dark. How far away do you live from here?" Mariana looked up at him curiously as she turned her headlights on.

"Oh, I live a far stretch from this here place." He replied, turning his low beams on so he wouldn't blind his newfound friends.

"Why don't we go ask Sally if you can get a Cone for tonight?" Mariana asked.

"All right, although I don't rightly know what a 'Cone' is, Darlin'." He replied somewhat sheepishly.

"You'll love it! Let's go!" Mariana said happily, driving over to Flo's, Bo following. Thunder quickly caught up with Mariana, and scooped her onto his head, where she slid down his neck and landed on his back. Bo and Mariana laughed, then they entered Flo's.

"Hey Sally?"

"Yes, Mariana?" Sally replied, turning towards the three.

'Her name is Sally.' Bo thought to himself as he grinned at her.

"Oh, hello." Sally greeted him with a smile.

"Howdy there. I was just wonderin' if I could have a room for the night? Y'see, my town's a far stretch along the road, and these two thought it would be a good idea." Bo explained, and he could tell that Sally had taken a liking to him.

"Of course. Follow me over to my lobby, and I'll get you a key." She smiled and led the way, Thunder and Mariana bringing up the end of the line. Bo followed after her, and caught a glance of Sally's tattoo. He grinned to himself, but didn't say a word.

"I think he likes Sally." Mariana whispered to Thunder, who nodded his agreement. Sally handed Bo the key for Cone number two, and he took it, wishing her a good night. She returned his kind words, and he departed for his Cone. He called out for Thunder and Mariana, and they entered his cone.

"What do ya'll think of that Sally? Whoo, she sure is fine lookin'!"

Mariana cast a glance in Thunder's direction, then replied, "You like Sally?"

"Sure do, Darlin'! 'Course, I like you too, but I think I'm too old for you." Bo laughed at his joke, while Mariana looked confused. Thunder leaned close to nuzzle her, then Mariana suddenly understood the joke. Mariana nodded to show that she understood.

"So is Thunder, but I still hang around with him." She giggled, and Bo joined her in her laughter. Thunder barked, and nuzzled Mariana on her hood. She giggled harder, and Thunder was almost snickering himself. Bo caught Mariana as she tried to escape, then tickled her also. She squealed and giggled and laughed, making Bo laugh also. Thunder licked her side, sending her into a fit of giggles even louder than the last. Bo laughed as he watched Thunder chase Mariana around.

Finally, Thunder laid down, panting. Mariana came over to him and climbed onto his head, slid down his neck again, then curled up onto his back.

"I think it's bedtime for the little Darlin'." Bo chuckled as Mariana yawned. Thunder gently grasped Mariana in his jaws and wagged his tail as Bo petted him good night. Thunder departed the cone with Mariana, and Bo closed the garage door after hearing theirs close.

He awoke the next morning, momentarily wondering where he was. He remembered the past night's events quickly, and chuckled to himself. He opened the garage door, and departed the Cone. He was surprised to find that Sally was gone from the town, along with more than half of the residents. The only ones that remained were a fire truck who he hadn't seen last night, a Model T that he hadn't seen either, Thunder, Mariana, and a small, blue car that he hadn't seen with Thunder before.

"Howdy." He greeted the fire truck and the Model T in a friendly tone, watching as the fire truck smiled and nodded a hello as the Model T replied, "Who might you be, young man?"

"Ya'll can just call me Bo." Bo grinned, and Lizzie smiled back.

"Nice to meet you, Joe. I'm Lizzie, and that's Roy." She said, gesturing to Red with a wheel. Red shook his roof and sighed silently as he rolled his eyes to the sky, which was cloudless.

"It ain't Joe. It's-"

"She's not going to remember your name, anyway. And that's not Roy, his name's Red." Mariana giggled softly.

"Nice to meet ya, Red."

That's right. The General Lee. :D I can't tell you guys how much fun I had writing this chapter, and don't worry, you'll get to see baby triplets soon, I can promise you this. :) I'd say in about... in the next chapter! WHOOHOO! Tiny baby Muscle Cars! *Squee* See you next weekend, Liz :D