Dammit, people, I'm a fanfic writer, not the owner of Cars!
The Radiator Springs team were up with the sun, too excited to sleep. Ramone quickly set up his painting supplies in one of their assigned garages (the one with Lightning's 95 on it, to be precise) where he awaited one of the three cars to be first to get painted. He looked up when he heard one come in, and found Doc already on his portable lift. Ramone nodded and took out the photo he used as a reference for Doc's paint job. It wouldn't do well to have the Fabulous Hudson Hornet racing with a messed up paint job.
He needn't have worried. Like magic, his airbrushes flew over the car, first giving him a fresh coat of blue, then the "Twin H Power" logos on the hood.
"Ohhhhhhh yeeeeaaah. Ramone sighed as he painted the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet" words down the sides, along with the iconic number 51, and the giant Hornet logo across the trunk. He finished it off with a coat of glossy shine, then polished the chrome hood ornaments, trim, bumpers, and grille. He didn't need a sponsor sticker. Everyone knew who he was. Still, Ramone slapped a Radiator Springs sticker on either side of him.
Doc heard a wolf whistle and a purr as he got off the lift. Marina and Lightning appeared in the doorway.
"That was her." Lightning said immediately as he got up on Ramone's lift next. Marina grinned.
"Lookin' good, Doc." she said, "Love the chrome."
"You would." Doc huffed, "You're the reason I'm painted like this and about to do what I said I'd never do again."
"Aaaaand someone woke up on the wrong side of the garage." Lightning said.
"Still got that attitude, eh?" Doc teased with a smile as Luigi and Guido appeared with his racing tires.
"Guilty as charged, Your Honor." McQueen shot back, and that set them all laughing.
"Hold still, would you?" Ramone said, "I'm good, but not so good I can do it while you're moving."
"Sorry." Lightning settled down. Ramone finished him quickly, then moved on to Marina. Lightning got Radiator Springs stickers like Doc's. But Marina got the town logo huge on her sides and trunk, and her trademark number 66 on her sides and roof. She got a set of sponsor stickers for each individual business in the town, even the fire department and police department, as well as Doc's clinic. She knew back in town, Lizzie was waiting to receive an additional set with the logo for The Hornet's Nest. But Ramone couldn't know about that yet.
"Thought we ought to have a little fun with this one." Marina said. She brought out coordinated bumper stickers for each of them. When lined up, the front stickers read "Looking for", "Chick Hicks'", "worst nightmare?" and the back ones read "HERE", "IT", "IS".
"I'm guessing Lizzie helped with that?" McQueen asked, remembering the bumper sticker the antique car sold that read "HERE IT IS Radiator Springs"
"Yeah, she did." Marina said, "She was so excited, I couldn't turn her down."
"I'll take 'Chick Hicks" and 'IT' please." Doc said.
"And I'll take 'Looking for' and 'IS' definitely." McQueen said.
"Cool, I get 'worst nightmare?' and 'HERE' Oh man, I can't wait to see his face!" Marina cried.
"It'll be priceless." Lightning agreed as they all headed out onto the track for a last warm up before they had to be ready to race.
Strip turned out to be just as good a crew chief as Doc. Nothing escaped his watchful eye as he followed his three racers around the track. They were doing exactly as he told them to do, helping each other whenever possible. His old rival Chick was not making it easy on them. Strip caught his breath as Chick tried to ram Doc into the wall once, but Doc pulled out one of his old racing moves and used the wall to flip himself over Chick, landing on the other side of the amazed green car, much to the crowd's excitement. Strip grinned to himself as he remembered watching Doc do the very same trick on TV as a child. One of the reasons the Hornet had been his favorite racer.
"Amateur!" Doc yelled as he landed from the flip and passed Chick. Some of the other racers couldn't help but laugh.
Toward the end of the race, Doc slid back behind Chick, which surprised Strip as well as the green racer.
"Doc, what are you doing?" Strip called, concern evident in his voice, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Doc said, "But this delinquent road hazard, as Sheriff would say, is about to get a little surprise."
Chick looked back and saw Doc line up between McQueen and whatever the black Hornet's name was. But what really caught his eye was their front bumpers, which read "Looking for Chick Hicks' worst nightmare"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Chick called. The three laughed, then shot past him in single file, only to line up again with McQueen on the outside and the female Hornet on the inside. Now they read "HERE IT IS" across their back bumpers. Chick let out a rather dramatic shriek as the three cars shot on ahead to keep their lead and finish with Doc first, Marina second, and Lightning in third. Originally, he and Marina had been tied for second, but when he realized Chick was ahead of everyone else, he slipped back to knock Chick off the podium, much to his dismay.
"That was a great race, you three. Well done." Strip said as he met them at the end, nodding his approval to each. And he meant it. He now knew how Doc had felt coaching first Lightning, then Lightning and Marina. He was so proud of his racers as he watched them congratulate each other.
"Did you see his face when Doc flipped over him? Hilarious!" Marina laughed.
"Doc, that flip was amazing!" Lightning complimented.
"You were right, Lightning" Doc chuckled, "I DO 'still got it.' And it felt good to show him up, too."
"Come on, guys, we've got a date back in town!" Marina said, "Sheriff just called to say-"she spied Ramone headed their way, "-he needs us back now! He even called some friends from his Police Academy days to give us an escort!" The entire Radiator Springs team was packed up in mere minutes, the racers and Strip loaded onto the trailers.
Sheriff's friends met them at the exit to the track and escorted them quickly down the interstate, stopping only when Houston and Mack needed to fill up. As they pulled in, Flo recognized that as her cue and put on her best tired and drowsy act, even drifting onto the shoulder of the exit ramp a few times for good measure.
It worked like a charm. Ramone was at her side in an instant, asking if they had to keep going, saying Flo was tired. Strip and Lightning gave up Strip's trailer for Flo, knowing Ramone would want to ride with her. Strip had even shut the shades so she could "sleep". As soon as the ramp closed, Strip and Lightning nodded to the others. Quietly as they could, they all left with Mack and all but four of their escort, who had stayed behind for Houston.
As soon as Mack's trailer opened in Radiator Springs, everyone sprang into action, getting a special table ready at The Hornet's Nest, its front now finished, complete with a neon sign that had the name in bright red and a picture of a blue Hudson Hornet with buzzing hornet's wings emerging from its nest.
"Aaaawwww, that's so cute! I love it!" Marina squealed when she saw the sign. She was about ask who designed it, but then she saw the huge grin on Red's face. "Thanks, Red, it's perfect." Just then, Guido shouted something in Italian.
"Guido says 'ere they come!" Luigi translated. Everyone rushed inside the restaurant as Houston pulled up to Flo's.
"Flo? Baby, I think we're home-Oh man, I forgot!" Ramone cried.
"Thank goodness." Flo said as she rolled out.
"Flo, it's our anniversary!" Ramone cried, "I forgot! I'm so sorry! Here, I-I'll go get some candles, we can still have dinner, we-"
"Come here, Ramone." Flo said as she started towards downtown, "I want to give you your present, then we can do that, okay?"
"O-Okay. But I really am sorry, baby."
"I know, I know."
"Hey, what's The Hornet's Nest?" Ramone asked, spying the new sign. Flo smiled.
"Why don't we find out?" She led Ramone through the door into the dark restaurant. Suddenly the lights came on.
"SURPRISE!" yelled the entire town, gathered around a decorated table filled with cards. Above the table hung a banner that read "Happy Anniversary!"
"Oh my...Flo, did you do all this?" Ramone asked.
"I had help," she admitted, "but it was my idea. You always make our anniversary so wonderful every year, I wanted to do the same for you for once. And I wanted it to be a surprise. So, do you like it?"
"I love it," Ramone said, "Not as much as I love you, but I love it."
"Dinner's on the house." Marina announced as she brought their meal over. Flo had given her Ramone's favorite recipe to use for them.
"You even ordered my favorite!" Ramone exclaimed as he took a sip. Flo nodded The others let them enjoy their dinner before Marina took the stage at the back, where Lizzie's stereo was set up, She knocked it and the first notes of Bryan Adams' "Heaven came out, causing Flo to gasp. Even she hadn't known about this part.
"Ramone, it's our song!" she said.
"May I have this dance?" he grinned, just like he had when the song played at their wedding reception. A teary-eyed Flo accompanied him to the dance floor, where they danced slowly as Marina sang, the others watching and smiling.
At the end of the night everyone headed back to their homes, switching off their neon for the night.
"That was the best anniversary ever." Ramone said, "Thank you, Flo. But, you didn't have to do so much."
"Yes I did." said the show car. "I wanted to make you feel as special as you make me feel every year. I wanted everything to be perfect."
"Our anniversary's always perfect." Ramone said.
"What about the year we both spent it broken down on the side of the road? Or the one where we missed our reservation? Or when we were stuck in traffic? Or-"
"All perfect." Ramone said.
"How?" Flo asked. Ramone leaned closer and gave her a kiss as they entered their shared home behind his shop. His words brought tears to her eyes again.
"Because I spent them all with you."