A/N: Finals are officially over, which means it's time for the long awaited update! I'm sorry it took so long. This past semester kept me very busy and I've had some writer's block along the way. I still hope that you all enjoy it! This chapter is more heavy on the dialogue than my other ones. As always, the italics indicate the thoughts of the characters.

The Dilemma (Part 1)

Jackson

"I cannot believe this!" Jackson yelled as he came storming into the IGNTR building. He knocked over every tire rack, box, and gas pump that got in his way. He was truly fuming with rage. His crew chief, Ray Reverham came racing into the room when he heard the commotion.

"Storm you have to take it easy. You're going to wreck the place," he said, attempting to calm him down.

"I can't believe that little yellow ball of mutiny won again!" he yelled as he knocked over another tire rack, causing a mountain of tires to cascade onto the floor.

"Storm you have to relax. You'll get her next time," Ray said in a soft tone.

"You say that after every race and it never happens!" Jackson yelled. "It's no use! No matter how hard I try, that pathetic costume girl always steals my victory. I see her crossing the finish line in my sleep! Her putrid laugh echoes in my dreams! I hate that stupid laugh!"

"Maybe you need to try a new method," Ray said as he drove closer to Jackson.

"A new method? I've tried every method in the book Gus! What else can I possibly do?" Jackson said as he banged an empty box with his tire.

"Maybe you can try to be nice to her?" Ray said with a sheepish smile.

Jackson paused for a moment and began to laugh at his crew chief's suggestion.

"Wrong answer Gus! Please try again," he said as he continued to laugh uncontrollably.

"No, no, hear me out. Why don't you try to get her to let her guard down? She's gotta have a secret to her success."

"What are you suggesting?" Jackson asked as he cocked a brow at Ray.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you have to be nicer to her. I've been getting a lot of complaints from Tex Dinoco and McQueen about you being rough with Ramirez. Last week you tried to run her off the track!"

"So what? She deserved that and more," Jackson said with a menacing grin.

"Storm, I can't afford to receive another complaint from them. You know that could get you suspended right?" Ray said, giving Jackson a concerned look.

"Get to the point Gus. What do you want me to do about that costume girl?"

Ray sighed. He pitied Jackson's cold response to the world around him. No matter how many times he tried to talk some sense into the young racer, Jackson just wouldn't heed his advice. It's a shame really, since Ray is the only one who actually cared about his wellbeing (besides Gale of course).

"Um hello, earth to Gus! What do you want me to do?" Jackson asked as he waved his tire in front of Ray's eyes.

Ray snapped out of his trance and took a deep breath. "I want you to take this seriously Jackson. You really need to start easing up on all the roughhousing on the track-"

"You said that already. Just get to the point. I don't have time to listen to you beat around the bush," Jackson said, interrupting Ray.

"Can you let me finish? As I was trying to say-"

"Could you lose the attitude? It's not flattering," Jackson said as he interrupted Ray for the second time.

Ray sighed. "Alright, as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I think you should take her out and get to know her better," he said with a slanted smile.

Jackson was dumbfounded. He stared at Ray with a blank expression as he tried to think of a response to that suggestion.

"You've officially lost it Gus," Jackson said as he rolled his eyes.

"Again, you're not hearing me out. You don't have to really date her. All you have to do is pretend to like her and the rest would fall into play," Ray said with a cunning grin.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to flirt with this girl until she tells me the secret to her winning streak?"

"Yup! That's exactly what I need you to do. Just gain her trust and then rip the rug right from under her when you get the information that you need. You woo the girl, you get the secret, and I don't get anymore complaints. It's a win-win for the both of us."

Jackson folded his lips as he thought about this plan. "Hmmm. I like it Gus but there's one problem: why would she trust me? I mean, look at how I've treated her since she started racing. I ran her into a wall in Florida and I've tried to do worse things to her since then. Why would she want to go out with me? I bet she wouldn't even give me a second thought," Jackson said as he looked down at the ground.

Ray saw the change in Jackson's demeanor. He marvelled as he saw his cocky, self-centered client shrink into an insecure, hopeless mess. Was Jackson really concerned about Cruz's feelings toward him? Why would that even matter?

"Look, Ramirez seems like a naive girl. She comes off as the type of person who would trust anyone who shows her some kindness. If you can convince her that you're a changed man, I'm telling you she'll fall for you in a heartbeat."

"That's a lot of work. Why can't we just bribe a reporter so they could ask her what the secret to her success is?" Jackson groaned.

"I doubt that she'll reveal that information on camera. Besides, we don't want all of the other racers to know her secret. We want her to reveal that information to you and only you. She'll be able to do that once you gain her trust."

"I don't know about this."

"Come on Storm, you want to win don't you?"

"Of course I do. What kind of stupid question is that?" Jackson asked in an aggravated tone.

"Alright then. Let's practice your flirting skills," Ray said as he winked at Jackson.

"This is not going to end well," Jackson said with a groan.

Cruz

It was a tranquil evening in Radiator Springs. The town was stirring as the townies were doing their daily routines. Lightning and Cruz were training at Willie's Butte, as was the custom before another racing event. Cruz successfully completed her fourth lap around the old dirt track. She came into her final turn with ease as she made her way to the finish line. She crossed it with full speed, flashing her mentor with a feverish grin. Lightning, Luigi, Sheriff, and Guido were watching her from the top of the canyon, while Sheriff tracked her speed on the speed radar.

"How'd I do Mr. McQueen?" Cruz asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Lookin' good out there kiddo! Your speed was 213 miles per hour. Not bad," Lightning said with a bright smile as he drove down to meet Cruz on the track.

"Not bad? I think you meant to say that I did an amazing job! That's my top speed for this week. I think I'm ready to race on this track with my eyes shut," Cruz beamed as she made doughnuts in the dirt.

Lightning coughed from all the dust that Cruz was making.

"Sorry Mr. McQueen. I just got a little excited," she said with a nervous smile.

"You think?" he said as he continued to cough.

Cruz looked off into the horizon to behold the breathtaking sunset. She looked around at the old desert track, examining every twist and turn.

"Mr. McQueen, has anyone ever tried to go around the other way?" she asked as she continued to stare at the track.

"Uh, no. We usually start behind the left side of the starting line," he said, giving Cruz a confused look.

"Well have you ever tried starting on the right side of the starting line?"

"No I haven't. It's never been done before."

"I guess today's the day for me to change that!" Cruz said as she beamed with pride.

"Are you sure you want to try that?" Lightning asked with a concerned tone.

"Absolutely! Besides, I love a challenge," she said with a smile as she drove behind the starting line (on the right side).

"Alright. Just be careful," Lightning said as he went back to the top of the canyon with the others.

"I will!" she called out to Lightning.

Come on Cruz, you can do this!

Lightning

He was unsettled by the idea. He knew that he couldn't say anything to convince her otherwise, but he still wanted to do everything in his power to prevent her from going through with her challenge. His mind flashed back to the first time Cruz fell into the cactus field. She had an anxiety attack the last time that happened and he didn't want the situation to reoccur.

"Luigi, come on down and do your thing," she said as Luigi came down the canyon wall and waved his green flag.

This is a bad idea.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Luigi cheered as Cruz zipped past him.

Lightning watched with anticipation as Cruz was making her way into the first turn. It was the infamous turn that he failed to master after multiple attempts. He saw as Cruz started to drift into the turn. She came in too sharp, causing her rear end to swerve outside of the turn. She was spinning out of control, almost flying into the cactus field nearby. Lightning's engine raced as he rushed down the canyon wall to ensure that she was alright. Fortunately, Cruz was able to stop just before she landed in the patch of cacti.

"Cruz are you okay?" Lightning called out to her while he frantically searched the area.

"I'm fine Mr. McQueen. I just went a little too fast that's all," Cruz said, attempting to catch her breath. "That was close huh?" she said with a crooked smile.

"You're not used to driving in this direction so don't be too upset if you don't get it right the first time. It's getting dark. We should all head back to town. You can probably try again tomorrow," Lightning said as he tried to get Cruz to follow him and the others.

"Alright let's go," Cruz said as she followed behind.

Cruz

Later that night while everyone in town was asleep, Cruz made her way back to Willie's Butte to practice that turn. She made multiple attempts, but they all ended with her swerving off the track and nearly landing in the cactus field. She spent hours on the track trying to perfect that turn. She stayed on the track until the sun rose in the sky.

Is it morning already? Did I really spend the entire night on this track? I need to make it back to town before Mr. McQueen finds out about this.

Getting back to town was easier said than done. Cruz was completely exhausted. She was barely able to drive up the canyon. She slowly made her way into the town with her eyes barely being able to stay open. Her tires were drooping into the pavement while the sound of her engine faded into the air. She came to an abrupt stop before finally dozing off.

"Hey dude this is a no-sleeping zone! Find a garage man!" Fillmore yelled as he saw Cruz resting in front of his shop.

"Huh? Oh hi Fillmore," Cruz said with a long yawn.

"You look exhausted man. You need some sleep. Sleep is good for the soul," he said with calm smile.

"Oh I'm learning that lesson right now," Cruz said as she yawned again.

"You look like you could use some of my organic fuel. I'm working on making a new tonic that will bring up your RPMs and help your engine run more smoothly."

"Do you have anything that will give me a kick, you know something that will help to wake me up?" Cruz asked as she tried to keep her eyes open.

Fillmore's eyes widened. "You sure you can handle what I have? I'm telling you man it will give you more than just a kick," he said with a nervous grin.

"I'll take whatever you have. Make it two cans please," she said as she raced into his tent.

"Whoa!" Fillmore exclaimed as he followed Cruz into the tent.

Lightning

"Where is she? She should've been here by now," Lightning said to Sheriff as they all waited for Cruz to arrive for training.

"There she is," Sheriff said as Cruz came rushing to the track.

"Sorry I'm late. I'm here now so let's go!" Cruz squealed as she raced over to the starting line.

Lightning and Sheriff just stared at each other, wondering where Cruz was getting this sudden boost of energy. Luigi was scared to stand in front of Cruz due to her hyperactivity. She kept bouncing around on her tires and smiling hard.

"Uh, on your mark, get set…"

Cruz zipped past the starting line before Luigi got the chance to say "go." She raced around the track in hyperspeed. She was going so fast that she wasn't able to stop herself. Suddenly, she was in a continuous cycle of speeding around Willie's Butte. Lightning's eyes widened with shock at the sight of Cruz zipping around the track like a mad bat out of hillbilly hell.

"How long is she going to keep this up? At this rate she'll break the speed radar!" Sheriff exclaimed.

As if on cue, the speed radar kept flashing with random numbers. The numbers were coming up in rapid succession until there was a large red X on the screen. Lightning immediately drove up to the edge of the canyon wall.

"Cruz hit the brakes!" he yelled as his engine raced.

"I can't! The brakes don't have enough force to stop me at this speed," Cruz answered as she tried to speak through the gust of wind that was hitting her face.

After a few minutes, Cruz began to slow down and stop right in front of the starting line. Lightning breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way over to Cruz. All she could do was give him a nervous grin. He wasn't amused. He glared in silence at his remorseful mentee.

"Cruz, what is the meaning of all of this?" he asked in a stern tone.

Cruz

She knew that there was no easy way out of this situation. She took a deep breath and decided to tell Lightning the "truth."

"Well I went to Fillmore's shop this morning and I asked him to give me some fuel to help my engine run better and he gave me this new fuel that he's been working on," she said with a skewed smile.

Lightning raised a brow at her. "Why would you need fuel from Fillmore?" he asked with a bewildered look on his face.

"I just wanted to go faster that's all," she said in a nervous tone.

Lightning narrowed his eyes at her. His grim expression and icy stare sent chills to her lug nuts.

He's not buying it. Here comes the fireworks, he's going to blow!

Cruz closed her eyes to brace herself for Lightning's explosive tirade. She was just waiting for him to unleash his fury on her.

Lightning saw Cruz's reaction. He certainly didn't want to confirm her fear of being harshly scolded. While he was furious with her, he tried his best to refrain from yelling at her. All he could do was sigh.

"Next time, make sure that the fuel is tested before you decide to fill your tank with it. Just try to be more careful," he said in the softest tone that he could muster up at the time.

Cruz's eyes shot open as she stared at Lightning in shock.

"What?" he asked as he noticed Cruz's awestruck expression.

"You're not yelling at me," she said, still amazed at the words that were coming out of her mouth.

"I'm trying something new. I don't want to yell at you but if you insist-"

"No, please don't! I think I like this new you," she said with a smile.

"Yeah well don't think I'm letting you off the hook that easily. Your little stunt caused the speed radar to break so I guess our training session is cancelled for today," Lightning said with a frown.

"Oh sorry," she said with a sheepish smile.

"No need to apologize. The most important thing is that you're safe and that's all that matters," Lightning said as he and the others turned to leave the track. "You coming?" he asked as he saw that Cruz wasn't following behind.

"I think I'm going to stay out here for a while," she said as she went back to the starting line.

"Don't stay out too late," Lightning said as he turned to leave with the others.

Cruz smiled to herself as she revved her engine and took a lap around the track.

Jackson

"This is ridiculous," Jackson groaned as he and Ray were face to face at a local restaurant.

Business was slow in the small eatery. It was a quiet place with a scanty population of customers. Jackson and Ray were seated near the back window. They were just finishing their meal while Ray made a last minute attempt to get in some more practice dates with Jackson.

"Alright Jackson, I need you to pretend that I'm Ramirez," Ray said as he batted his eyes.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "No not this again," he said with a frown.

"Come on, all you have to do is use your imagination."

"Well unless you can paint yourself yellow and give me an annoying laugh, I can't picture you as costume girl. You're not even a girl," Jackson said in an aggravated tone.

"Look, I need you to stop complaining and start flirting. The race is in a few days and you have to make your move on Ramirez or your career will be history. Now try and dazzle me with your boyish charm," Ray said with a wink.

Jackson winced. "You've been watching too many rom-coms."

"I'm still waiting to be dazzled Storm," Ray said in a stern tone.

"Fine. Hey costume girl, wanna hang out soon? If you refuse it's your loss. How was that?" Jackson said in a sarcastic tone.

Ray shook his hood. "That is no way to charm a lady!"

"Well you're not a lady. I can't pretend that you are a girl with that deep voice of yours."

"Okay let me try again. Hey Jackson, that was a nice race today," Ray said in a high-pitched voice.

Jackson cringed at Ray's attempt at a feminine voice. "I think my lunch is coming back to me," he said as he gagged.

"You know what? You want a lady's touch, then why don't we get a lady's perspective on this?" Ray said as he began to drive away from the table.

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked.

"Come on, let's go find Gale," Ray said as he and Jackson made their way outside the restaurant to the parking lot where Gale was parked.

"You boys had a good time?" she called out to them as they approached her.

"It was fine until Gus started acting like a-"

"Gale, I need your help with something," Ray said, interrupting Jackson.

"What kind of help?" she asked with slight hesitation.

"I need you to pretend to be this girl that Jackson wants to ask on a date. He won't practice on me so I thought he might need some help from a lady. Do you mind helping him out?" Ray asked as he glared at Jackson.

"No I don't mind at all. I think it's awfully sweet of Jackie-boy to ask a girl out on a date. Who is this lucky girl anyway?"

"Her name is-"

"That's not important. Gale, you don't have to get roped into this. Gus is just being dramatic. I don't need any help. I can do this on my own," Jackson said with a huff.

"Well, can I at least get an idea of how you would ask a girl out on a date?" Gale asked as she chuckled to herself.

"I have to warn you, he's terrible at it," Ray whispered to Gale.

"I can hear you Gus," Jackson said as she glared at Ray. "Fine I'll show you," he said as he took a deep breath.

Jackson flashed a bright smile at Gale. He drove over in her direction with flare as he winked at her.

"Hey baby, would you like to go out sometime? If you say yes I promise it would be a night that you'll never forget. If you refuse, then it's your loss Toot's," he said as he flashed another smile.

"That's it?" Gale asked, giving Jackson an unimpressed look.

"What do you mean? That was my best material!" Jackson whined.

"Honey, if that was your best material then it needs a lot more work. It seems to me that you're a bit too snarky in your tone. If you want to win a woman's heart, you have to be gentle and kind."

"No, no, no Gale. Ladies want a guy who can take charge and isn't afraid to put his tire down and show them who's boss," Ray said with a smile.

"I don't know what ladies you've been talking to Ray but take it from a lady herself, genuine love is always the best way to go," Gale said with a warm smile.

"But don't be too sappy Storm. Remember, ladies love a man with confidence," Ray argued.

"Did you not hear a word I just said? Ladies love a compassionate and kind person. Not some jerk who's all muscle and no heart," Gale said as she rolled her eyes.

"What's there to love if there's no muscle involved?" Ray said as he attempted to refute her claim.

"Would you two get a room or something? Look, I have a plan for costume girl. When it gets in motion, she wouldn't even know what hit her," Jackson said with a devious grin.