AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello my fanfic friends! Long time no see! However I am back at it and I've decided to reload my story with sone edits. I'm going to keep my old story up a little longer but I'm eventually going to delete that. Thank you so much for all of your patience and welcome to any new readers! Enjoy the story friends!

Doc watches with Pride as Lightning rounded the final curve of Willy's Butte before stopping next to him, causing a small cloud of dust to kick into the air around their tires.

"Good job, kid, let's call it quits for the night," Doc told the racer, glancing at the brilliantly colored sky and the sinking sun nestled into it.

"Sounds good, Doc," Lightning replied dully, scuffing the reddish dust with a tire.

Doc studied Lightning carefully, the usually playful kid had been downcast since they had begun practice.

"What's wrong, Rookie?" Doc asked gruffly, though concernedly, there was no denying that he loved Lightning like his own son, everyone in Radiator Springs knew it. Lightning felt the same way- Doc was like the father-figure he never had.

Lightning broke out of his stupor, flushing, "Huh? Oh um, nothing, Doc,"

Doc's expression softened, "You're a terrible liar, Lightning. What's eatin' you kid?"

Lightning hesitated.

"Are you nervous for your next race? Doc questioned.

Lightning looked up incredulously with a trace of joking cockiness, "What?! No of course not, I'm Lightning McQueen I don't get nervous!"

"Are you feeling well?" Doc wondered, hoping the kid wasn't coming down with something before a race.

"I'm fine, Doc!" Lightning sighed, starting to drive towards the town.

Doc followed, hesitating before asking, "Have you and Sally been arguing?"

Lightning stiffened for a moment.

"Kid?"

Lightning sighed in defeat and turned to his mentor with disappointment shining in his eyes, "No not really, we haven't been fighting, but it's about Sal," Lightning admitted, "For some reason she gets really sad around this time of year and when I ask her she always avoids my question,"

(A/N: It's early November just so you guys know.)

Doc stayed silent for a second, he knew why she was like this.

"Do you know why?" Lightning asked, suddenly hopeful upon seeing Doc's expression.

Doc sighed heavily, "Yeah, I do, Lightning,"

Lightning looked at Doc pleadingly, "Can you tell me? Please, Doc I just wanna help her,"

Doc looked sadly into Lightning's sky blue eyes, "I'm sorry kid but I can't tell you, it's Sally's business, when she's ready she'll tell you,"

It was Lightnings turn to sigh as he continued to drive towards the shimmering neon lights of Radiator Springs, "Okay, I understand, Doc, thanks anyway,"

"I'm really sorry, Rookie. She just needs time, kid. This is difficult for her to talk abou but Sally is in love with you, Lightning, and knowing her, she would never let this come between you two,"

Lightning smiled a little upon hearing Doc tell him that Sally is in love with him, "It's okay, Doc, I'm sure you're right. We should probably start heading back to the town now," Lightning said before revving his engine.

The two cars drove in silence until they reached town where they stopped.

"Are you eating at Flo's tonight?" Doc asked Lightning.

Lightning nodded, "Yeah, I'm just gonna check on Sally first,"

"See you there, Rookie,"

"See ya Doc,"

Lightning drove to the garage he and Sally had next to the motel. Inside he found Sally wrapped in a blanket on the couch watching a movie.

"Hey, Sal," Lightning murmured, wrapping a tire around her comfortingly.

"Hey, Lightning," Sally said, a small smile breaking across her face despite her sadness, she hated making Lightning feel like this.

"How are you doing, babe?" Lightning questioned caringly.

"I'm okay," Sally mumbled, leaning against her boyfriend.

"I'm gonna go to Flo's for some food, would you like to come?" Lightning asked, knowing well what her answer would be.

Sally smiled tiredly, "No thanks, Stickers, could you bring me something back, though?"

"Sure thing, Sal. See you in a bit, I've got my cell with me if you need anything," Lightning kissed his girlfriend before leaving the house disappointedly and driving to the cafe.

"Hey bud! What's wrong?" Mater asked sympathetically as he noticed Lightning's downcast expression.

"Oh it's nothing Mater, I just wish I knew why Sally was acting so strange," Lightning sighed defeatedly.

Mater's eyes widened and he was momentarily silent, he knew what was wrong.

"Oh, so I guess you know whats wrong too then?" Lightning asked glumly.

"Well, yeah sorta…," Mater said hesitantly, not wishing to make his friend feel even worse.

"It's fine, I'm sure she'll tell me at some point," Lightning replied, smiling a little at his best friend.

"Tell you what, Lightning?" Flo questioned as she drove up to take the boys' orders.

"Miss Sally won't tell Lightnin' whats wrong," Mater informed Flo.

"Oh I see, well I'm sure she'll tell you at some point, hon," Flo assured Lightning, smiling warmly at him.

"She's been through a lot, man. Sally is one tough cookie," Ramone added from a couple tables over.

By the end of the meal Lightning only felt worse. Everyone in the town had attempted to console and Lightning was truly grateful for their care and efforts but the more he listened, the worse he felt about not knowing seeing as everyone else clearly knew.

Shortly after finishing his meal Lightning made his way home, laden with a hamburger, fries and a quart of Flo's finest oil. When he got home Lightning found Sally in the same spot he'd left her. He sat down on the couch next to his wife and handed her the food.

"Thanks, Stickers," Sally said gratefully before turning down the TV and digging into the food. Lightning watched sadly.

Eventually Sally noticed Lightning, "What's up babe?" she asked softly.

"Sal I love you more than anything else in the world, I want to know what happened, I want to know what is wrong. I want to understand so I can help you," Lightning pleaded earnestly.

Sally looked at Lightning's desperate face and knew she couldn't keep this from him anymore.

Timeflash to 2 years previously:

Rain thundered down outside the small apartment. Sally fixated on a spot on a wall. A tear formed in the corner of her windshield, threatening to fall. A clock ticking methodically on top of the stove said it was almost midnight. Sally inhaled shakily and sobbed quietly.

Suddenly a laugh and then yelling resonated on the porch, just on the other side of the door, piercing the maddening silence. The front door opened with a force that slammed it against the hallway wall and a car in his early 20's drove in, wobbly from alcohol. Sally quietly wiped the tear away with her tire and moved quietly towards the doorway. The male jumped a little as he finally noticed her in his drunken stupor.

"Woah! Oh my god, Sally you scared me! What are you doing still up?" The dark green Range Rover asked in an almost accusatory manner.

"Where were you, Lance?" Sally asked, her voice breaking with sadness and pain.

Lance swallowed, looked nervous for a second before asserting himself once more, "I was just out with friends, there was no reason to wait up for me, babe," There it is again. That accusatory note in his voice that he uses to manipulate Sally time and time again when he is in the wrong.

"Lance, why do you keep doing this? You're never home anymore!" Sally cried, tears now freely tumbling down her windshield.

"Me? I'm never home anymore? You're the one that's working all hours of the day, not me! In fact you're probably just fucking your boss you stupid whore" Lance said angrily his voice beginning to raise.

Sally gasped. "I'm working, I'm trying to support us while you go off and drink! Not everyone has a trust fund! How dare you accuse me of cheating with my boss?! I love you, babe, and for what it's worth I wasn't anywhere tonight! I made dinner for the two of us, and at first I thought that the rain had just kept you a little late, then I realized you'd just failed to give a shit about my existence again!" Sally fired back, all traces of sadness had been replaced by anger.

There was a smack as Lance's tire hit Sally. Sally choked out a sob and crouched away from her boyfriend.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP YOU BITCH!" Lance yelled furiously.

"No, please, Lance, no!" Sally screamed desperately, knowing what was coming "Please I'm sorry!"

"SHUT UP!" Lance roared as he hit her harder.

Sally sobbed as Lance repeatedly rammed into her and dented her, chipping her pale grey paint job.

"P-please, Lance!"

It was to late, Lance flipped her over and climbed hungrily on top of her. Sally's vision began to blur.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sally just managed to suppress a cry of pain as she woke up. She dizzily looked around, Lance dozed lazily on the couch. Sally's heart pounded as memories came flooding back. The female car looked at herself; she was covered in dents and a trickle of oil flowed between her back tires. Sally gasped causing Lance to stir on the sofa before going back to sleep.

She couldn't stay here, Sally knew that. This relationship was over she couldn't let herself take any more of this. But where would she go? She had nowhere. Sally decided she would have to figure out where she was going on the road, she had to leave before Lance awoke.

The female car quietly snuck upstairs and went to the bathroom. Inside, Sally wiped away the oil and did her best to cover up the scratches and dents with makeup. Once she was cleaned up Sally grabbed all the money she could find and snuck downstairs. Lance was awake. Sally's heart pounded.

"What are you doing?" Lance questioned suspiciously.

"N-nothing," Sally stammered.

Lance got up from the couch, dizzy from drinking and Sally made a break for the door and out onto the street. The pounding rain and the darkness of the night made it almost impossible to see as Sally zoomed away.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Lance yelled behind her.

Sally's heart continued to pound as her motor roared into the night. She had to get out of LA, the safest way was the big freeways, Lance could capture her more easily if she went through the backroads.

Carelessly turning onto the nearest freeway Sally looked at the sign overhead and saw she was going to be heading into the desert towards Arizona. Sally felt slightly comforted- she had always loved the desert and it would be harder for Lance to find her there. Sally took a deep breath, she just had to stay strong now.