I feel like I should've done something like this a little while ago, but I've just never had the ideas. So, here it is. Fudge and RJ (and Sammy) are still trying to figure out how to be siblings and there's so much they still don't know about each other. So, I've tried to reflect that here.
Enjoy.
RJ in RS
"So, Fudge, are you excited to have your brother come and visit, honey?" Flo asked her, serving the twelve-year-old human girl with her dinner.
"You know what? I think I am!"
"What do you mean you think?" Sarge wondered.
"Well, I guess I'm still nervous. I still don't really know him all that well and we kind of got off on the wrong foot."
"He does seem like a nice guy, though", Lightning remarked. "I can't wait to see him again."
"And we're all looking forward to meeting him", Sally added. Only Luigi, Guido, Lightning and Mater had met Fudge's half-brother River Patrick Rose, Junior- or RJ, as he preferred to be called- and even they had only met him briefly. "I've got his cone all ready for him. He'll be glad to know it's number one." Anybody who stayed at the Cozy Cone Motel hoped to stay in cone number one since the great Lightning McQueen had stayed there once.
Fudge grinned. "I think he'll like that."
"It's nice that he chose to spend his week-long break from school here, man", Ramone commented. "I mean, if he goes to boarding school, I'm surprised he didn't choose to go home."
"Plus, since his school's in Florida, a bunch of his friends were going to Disney World", Fudge added. "He could've gone with them."
"Well, Fudgie, you should get some sleep once you have finished your dinner", Luigi informed her. "We are getting up early to pick RJ up from the airport."
"Aw, but I don't wanna go to bed!" the girl complained.
"I know you don't, but I am sure you are not going to enjoy the early morning either!" Luigi laughed.
"Do you see him?" Luigi quizzed Fudge.
"No..." Fudge didn't want to admit it, but she couldn't remember exactly what he looked like. She remembered he had blonde hair and blue eyes; he was tall and thin and he wore glasses. She just didn't have the precise look of his face memorised. Still, she was ninety-nine per cent sure she'd recognise him if she saw him.
Just as she was starting to worry that that wouldn't be the case, amidst the crowd came the flashing light of a camera.
"I think I see him!" Fudge announced to her fathers.
"Fudge!" a southern accent called out.
"Hi!" Fudge exclaimed, catching sight of the seventeen-year-old dressed in shorts and a Star Wars T-shirt.
As the two siblings approached, there was a moment of discomfort and uncertainty. Should they shake hands? This wasn't the first time they'd met. Do they hug? Were they close enough to do that? In the end, they went for the most awkward hug of all time.
It didn't take Fudge long to pull apart. "You remember my parents, Guido and Luigi, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah." RJ offered each of them a handshake. "It's nice to see you again."
"And you remember Sir Tow Mater?" Fudge went on. Mater had accompanied them to the airport to give the two humans a ride home.
"How could I forget? Hey, Sir Mater."
"Howdy dere, Mr. Fudge's brother. You kin jus' call me Mater."
"Well, you can just call me RJ."
After grabbing RJ's bags from baggage claim, the five made their way out of the airport and headed in the direction of Radiator Springs.
"It's about three hours to town", Fudge explained.
"That's all right", RJ assured her. "I'm used to the long drives. Thomasville ain't exactly a bustling city."
"Why don't you tell us about Thomasville?" Luigi suggested. "Is that where you live?"
"Yeah", RJ confirmed. "I've lived there since I was four. So, it's in Georgia and it's famous for having one of the first Piston Cup tracks."
"Really?" Mater was fascinated. He didn't know much about racing, but it was important to his best friend, so he was interested in it.
"Yeah! That's where Doc used to race!" Fudge jumped in.
"Really?" Now, Luigi, Guido and Mater were all fascinated.
"Yep", RJ answered. "A bunch of his old racing friends still live there."
"What are they up to nowadays?" Fudge wanted to know.
They chatted about racing, Radiator Springs, Thomasville and the latest news in their lives all the way back to the small town.
When RJ caught his first glimpse of the place, he was impressed.
"Wow!" he exclaimed softly. Immediately, he began taking photos. "This desert landscape is just amazing!"
"Yeah..." Fudge smiled. "I think so too."
"I can see why you love it here!" RJ remarked.
"There are so many great spots around here", Fudge informed him. "I'm sure you could get some pictures near the Wheel Well and the waterfall."
"There's a waterfall around here?" RJ asked in surprise.
"Yeah, we'll head there later. But first, my family really wanna meet you."
"Hi, guys!" Fudge greeted the rest of her family, who were all gathered at Flo's for lunch.
"Hey, Fudge-O!" they all responded.
"There's someone here I want you to meet." The twelve-year-old gestured to the seventeen-year-old beside her. "This is my half-brother, River Rose, Junior."
"You can just call me RJ", he spoke up with an embarrassed laugh.
"Hey, RJ!" Lightning grinned. "It's good to see you again!"
"Yeah, you too!"
"So, you know Lightning and Mater, Guido and Luigi", Fudge began the introductions. "This is Sally, Lightning's girlfriend and she's the one who runs the motel where you'll be staying."
"It's nice to finally meet you, RJ", Sally informed him. "We've heard so much about you."
"And this is Flo, who runs the café. That's her husband, Ramone. That's Sheriff. That's Sarge and Fillmore. And this is Red. And Lizzie."
RJ nodded with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you all."
"RJ? Can I get you anythin' to eat, honey?" Flo offered.
"Yeah. That would be great. Thanks. Just, uh..."
"You don't eat meat", Flo finished.
"Oh. Did Fudge tell you already?"
"Yep."
Most of lunch was spent getting to know RJ. The members of the small town who had never met him yet (and even those who had, but didn't know him very well) asked him all kinds of polite questions about where he lived, what he enjoyed doing and how he liked school. He answered all of the questions with equal politeness.
Finally, when everyone had finished eating, Sally spoke up. "Well, RJ. Why don't you come with me to take your bags over to the Cozy Cone?"
"Sure", he agreed.
"You know, you're very lucky", Fudge informed him as she, Lightning and Sally showed RJ to his cone. "You get to stay in cone number one. Everyone knows that's the best one!"
"Really? Why's that?"
"I stayed there once", Lightning explained.
"Really?" RJ repeated excitedly. "I get to stay in the same motel room the Lightning McQueen once stayed in!"
Lightning nodded with a grin. "That's right!"
"For several months", Sally added. "That's where he first lived when he moved here, but then he moved in with me and the rest is history", she finished with a smile at her boyfriend.
"Wow! I'm so glad I didn't go to Disney World!"
He set down a framed photo on the bedside table. Fudge glanced at it and saw a photo of her brother dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, cuddling a brown and white collie.
"I didn't know you had a dog", Fudge remarked, looking at it.
"Yeah. His name is Chewbacca. You know, from Star Wars?" He gestured to his shirt. "I've been obsessed with Star Wars since I was a kid. Chewie's always been my favourite, so I named my dog after him."
"Oh, yeah. Well, I've never seen Star Wars, but I know who Chewbacca is!" The twelve-year-old was giggling as she spoke.
"What's so funny?" RJ wondered.
"I didn't even know you had a dog!" Fudge repeated. "It seems like the kind of thing a sister should know about her brother!"
RJ laughed too. "I guess so!"
"You ready to go?" Fudge quizzed RJ about twenty minutes later. She was going to show him around Radiator Springs.
"Yeah. Just let me grab my camera." He picked it up from the desk where he'd put it down to put his bags away. "I never go sightseeing without my trusty camera."
"So, I've seen." Fudge smiled, recalling how attached to that thing he'd seemed when they were in London and Edinburgh.
"Let's go."
So, their tour of Radiator Springs began.
"Most of the town itself you can see here." Fudge pointed out all of the stores and businesses in the small town from Fillmore's organic fuel and the drive-in theatre at one end of town to the courthouse at the other.
"Nice", RJ remarked, constantly taking photos.
"Just let me know when you're ready to move on", Fudge told him.
"So, where's the waterfall and this Wheel Well?" he wanted to know.
"We'll get to those. First, we should go to Willy's Butte. That's closer."
Wow!" RJ exclaimed softly, taking in Willy's Butte. "Very beautiful landscape. This is where some of the greatest Piston Cup racers train."
"That's right!" Fudge confirmed. "But what about where you live? Thomasville is home to the greats too!"
RJ nodded. "Yeah. Of course. You know, I would love to see Lightning McQueen race while I'm here."
"He'll be training at about four", Fudge informed him. "We can come back then."
RJ nodded. "Okay."
Beep, beep, beep!
RJ looked around, puzzled. "What's that?"
Fudge's eyes widened in alarm. It was her spy watch! Before she could figure out how to stop it, Sammy's face appeared. "Fudge?"
RJ was even more confused. "Is that Sammy?"
"Is that RJ?" Sammy asked, equally surprised.
"Not a good time!" Fudge informed Sammy, fearing that her sister's cover would be blown.
"Hey, Sammy!" RJ called, peering at Fudge's watch.
"Hey, RJ!" she responded as if nothing strange was going on.
"I've never seen a watch that can do that", RJ remarked. "How is it..."
"Fudge and I got these in Japan", Sammy explained. RJ knew they met during the World Grand Prix. "You know how technologically advanced Japan is."
"That's true. It looks like something secret agents would use."
Sammy burst out laughing. "Secret agents?" she repeated. "That's a good one, bro!"
Fudge smiled weakly.
"So, what's up, guys?" Sammy wanted to know.
"RJ's visiting me in Radiator Springs", Fudge explained. "He gets a week off school, so..."
"That's great!" Sammy proclaimed. "I think that's a great thing for both of you!"
Each of them felt their faces turn red in embarrassment. "Thanks..."
"Be sure to check out the Wheel Well, RJ! It's beautiful up there!"
"Yeah, we're heading there next!" Fudge informed her sister. "Well, we're stopping at the waterfall on the way."
"Oh, good! You'll love that... And, Fudge, if RJ ever gets annoying, just tell him-"
"Shut up, Sammy!" RJ interjected.
"Hey, Fudge! Can I talk to you alone for a sec?"
Fudge felt her heart rate shoot up in anxiety. She knew this was about being a spy, but RJ would probably get angry and hurt like in London. Luckily, all he did was raise an eyebrow and leave.
"What's up?" Fudge questioned as soon as her brother was no longer within earshot.
"Remember how Finn, Holley and I just saved a whole bunch of foreign dignitaries from being assassinated?"
Fudge nodded. "Yeah?"
"Well, guess what! Holley and I are getting knighted by the Queen for it!"
"Really?!" the younger sister exclaimed in amazement.
"Really", Sammy confirmed.
"That's awesome! Congratulations!"
"Thanks.. I didn't wanna admit it, but I was... a little jealous when you and Mater got knighted. I wished I could do something so amazing the Queen decided to knight me. So, this is pretty cool!"
"It is pretty cool!" Fudge agreed. She was so happy for Sammy and Holley. (Finn wasn't getting knighted because he already had.)
"The ceremony's next week", Sammy informed her. "If Siddeley comes and picks you up, do you think you could make it? We'd really love it if all of you, especially you and Mater, could be there. Holley's getting in touch with Mater right now."
"I think so. I'll have to talk to the others about it."
"Thanks, Fudge! You're the best!"
"But what about RJ?" Fudge wondered.
Sammy looked blank. "What about him?"
"You're not gonna invite him?"
Sammy sighed. "You know I can't do that."
"I was just thinking... Well, if it were me, I'd want my brother there", Fudge pointed out. When she got knighted, it had been very hard for her to not have Doc there.
"You think I don't want to invite my own brother?!" Sammy shot back. "Hell, I'd give anything to have him there! I just can't have him there! RJ can never know I'm a spy!"
"I know..."
"I know you do", Sammy responded quietly. "I've thought about this as well."
Fudge decided she better change the subject. "So, how can I annoy RJ?"
Giggling, Sammy told her. Then she sighed again. "Well, I guess I better go. Me, Finn and Holley are goin' out for drinks to celebrate."
"Okay... Well, I hope to see you in a week."
"See ya!"
"Bye!"
Sammy's face disappeared.
"What did Sammy want?" RJ wanted to know.
"Oh, she... she was just talking about Finn's birthday... You met Finn, right?"
"Yeah..."
"So..." Fudge tried to change the subject. "Shall we continue with the tour?" she suggested, putting on the poshest voice she could muster.
So, they did. Fudge took her brother to the waterfall where they even stopped to take a brief swim, followed by the Wheel Well Motel. RJ was stunned by the natural beauty of the town and its surrounding area. He got a lot of use out of his camera that day.
"I'm gonna need some more film!" he remarked on their way towards Willy's Butte. "You must really love living here!"
"I do!" Fudge informed him seriously. "This is my home... And everyone you met earlier is my family."
RJ smiled softly. "Not a bad family."
"Nope... I'm pretty lucky."
"Hey, guys!" Lightning called out, waiting for them at Willy's Butte.
"Hey, Lightning!" Fudge called out.
"Hey, Mr. McQueen!" RJ echoed.
"Hey! RJ, we're brothers, all right? You can call me Lightning."
"Right!" RJ chuckled. "I've always wanted a brother... Wait. How old are you again? I should know how old my brother is."
"Just turned twenty-six in September."
"Wow! You're older than Sammy then!"
"I am?"
Fudge nodded. "Sammy's twenty-three."
"All right... Well, Fudge-O! What do you say we show our brother how we race in Radiator Springs?"
"Okay!" Fudge agreed, strapping into her magnets and climbing onto Lightning's roof.
"RJ, would you like to do the honours?" Lightning offered.
The seventeen-year-old boy had no idea what he was talking about. "Uh..."
"'On your marks, get set, go!'" Fudge prompted him.
"Oh! Yeah! On your marks, get set, go!"
When Lightning shot off with Fudge, all RJ could do was watch with bated breath. He'd seen some of the biggest legends of the sport race back in Thomasville, of course, but this was a champion in his prime! It was amazing to watch.
Plus, he knew Fudge liked to go out racing with Lightning McQueen, but he'd never seen her in action. Even if you didn't know anything about racing (though, RJ did), it was clear that Fudge had talent. He couldn't wait to brag to all of his friends at school that his sister was going to be a Piston Cup champion one day.
"Whoo! Good run!" Lightning declared as he came to a stop after about half an hour.
"Yeah, that was fun!" Fudge agreed, adjusting her helmet slightly, so she could wipe some sweat off her forehead.
"That was amazing!" RJ exclaimed. "Lightning, you look so cool racing on TV, but twice as awesome in real life!"
"Really? Thanks!"
"And Fudge!" RJ marvelled. "You're a shoo-in for the Piston Cup, no doubt!"
Fudge blushed. "Thanks..."
"So, I think it's time we start heading back", Lightning announced.
"Yeah, I could really go for a lemonade at Flo's!" Fudge wiped some more sweat away.
"That sounds good!" RJ put in.
"Last one to Flo's buys!" Fudge challenged, zipping in the direction of the cafe.
Lightning laughed and chased after her. "You're on!"
"Wait for me!" RJ hollered, taking off after them. Then he stopped. "Hey... What's that?"
Fudge skidded to a halt, almost slipping over in the dirt. "What's what?"
RJ started walking off course and when Fudge saw where he was going, she panicked. "RJ!" she called, running after him. "RJ, wait!"
Too late. He was stood exactly where Fudge didn't want him. He glanced down at the ground in front of him.
"This is the grave of the Fabulous Hudson Hornet?" he asked in surprise. "That's so cool!"
"It's not cool!" Fudge countered through gritted teeth. She grabbed his arm and tried to yank him away, but RJ was significantly bigger than she was. "Let's go!"
"But I wanted to-" RJ began, reaching for his camera.
"Stop!" Fudge shouted. "Just stop! Do you have to take a photo of everything?!"
"Everything that interests me."
"Can we just go?!" Fudge requested, irate.
RJ sighed, clearly annoyed. "Fine!"
"Fudge?" Lightning ventured. "You okay? What's wrong?"
"Nothing", she groaned.
"Fudge, it's me", he pointed out.
"Don't worry about it."
However, Lightning couldn't not worry about it.
Fudge was sullen all the way through dinner at Flo's. Her family asked her if she was okay and she said yes, but they weren't convinced. Something was definitely bothering her.
"I don't know what happened", Lightning informed the others after Fudge had gone home and RJ was in the bathroom. "I thought we were having a good time and then she just got upset for some reason."
"It does seem a little odd", Sarge remarked. "Sure, it's not going to be easy for either of them at first, but it seemed to be going so well."
"Let's leave her alone for a little while", Sally suggested. "Maybe it'll do her some good to have some space for a while."
Fudge didn't come out of her bedroom for the rest of the night, but she seemed to be in a better mood in the morning.
"Where's RJ?" the twelve-year-old wondered.
"He hasn't come out of his cone yet", Sally replied.
"Oh. Okay."
"You feeling better, Fudge-O?" Lightning wanted to know.
"Yeah, I was just a little upset."
"Why?" Flo wondered.
"Hey, y'all! Guess what!" Mater shouted, racing to a stop at Flo's. "Sammy and Holley is gettin' knighted!"
"They are?!" a bunch of the others asked in amazement.
"Yeah", Fudge confirmed. "Sammy told me about it yesterday. 'Cause they stopped that assassination."
"Good for them!" Lightning remarked sincerely.
"Yeah! They is the greatest spies in all of da world!" Mater shouted. "Along with Finn, me and Fudge, of course!"
"Yeah!" Fudge agreed, laughing. "Sammy wanted us to be there! Can I go?!"
"Of course!" Luigi beamed. "You can't miss your own sister being knighted!"
"Well, I don't-" Fudge began.
She stopped short, noticing that RJ was stood there. He was just staring with this hurt look on his face. His lips trembled, his chin quivered and he looked like he was about to burst into tears. Fudge wasn't sure what upset him more: what happened the day before of what she'd just said (because there was no way he didn't hear it).
"Good mornin', RJ!" Flo came out to greet him. "I hope you're hungry, honey, 'cause-"
"I'm not hungry!" he blurted out in a wobbly voice. "I wanna go home!"
Fudge felt ashamed of herself. "Look, RJ-"
"No!" he shouted. "I can't stay here! I have to go home! Now!"
"But-" Fudge tried again.
"I've already booked a flight home and I'll be leaving as soon as-" Now, it was RJ's turn to stop short and his entire body seemed to stiffen up.
"RJ?" Fudge ventured.
Half a second later, the teenager was sprawled out across the floor, shaking violently.
"RJ!" Fudge screamed, rushing towards him.
Guido held her back as Sarge and Sheriff approached RJ.
"What's wrong with him?" Fudge wondered anxiously.
Nobody knew.
"I'll call an ambulance!" Sally offered, speeding off to do just that.
Fudge couldn't really tell you what had transpired between that moment and sitting, waiting at the emergency room.
"What was wrong with him?" Fudge questioned.
"I don't know, Fudge", Luigi responded quietly.
"Will he be okay?"
"I don't know", Luigi repeated.
Beep, beep, beep!
Fudge's eyes widened. "Be right back!" She shot off to the bathrooms and ducked into a stall just as Sammy's face appeared.
"Fudge! Where are you?" Sammy wanted to know.
"At the hospital."
"Oh, my God! What happened?!" her sister demanded.
"RJ just... fell down!"
"Say no more! I'm on my way!" With that, her image disappeared.
"Fudgie!" Luigi called out when she returned and she could see there was a doctor standing by him.
"What is it?!" she demanded fearfully. "Is he okay?"
"He is fine!" Luigi assured her.
"Your brother had an epileptic seizure", the doctor explained. "I suppose they can be scary if you don't know what they are, but he's going to be fine."
Fudge remembered hearing a little bit about epilepsy from Doc, so she just nodded.
"You can go and see him if you want", the doctor continued. "He's in Room 416."
"Thank you!" Fudge headed off with Guido and Luigi right behind her.
RJ did look a lot better when they arrived in his room.
"How you feeling?" the twelve-year-old human girl ventured.
"I was a little confused at first, but I'm doing okay", he assured her.
Fudge smiled and nodded. "Good... Look, RJ, we need to talk-"
"I'm here!" a breathless voice called out as Sammy dashed into the room. "I'm here!"
"Wow!" Fudge exclaimed in amazement. "That was fast!" Normally, it would take Siddeley no more than half an hour to fly from London to Radiator Springs, so that was fast, even for Siddeley!
"Sammy? How'd you get here so fa-"
RJ was cut off by a hard slap in the shoulder.
"Ow!" he moaned. "What'd you do that for?!"
"You idiot!" Sammy hissed. "Why the f**k weren't you wearing your f**king medical bracelet?! You've got it for a f**king reason!"
"Medical bracelet?" Fudge echoed, puzzled.
"Yeah! He has a bracelet that clearly states that he has epilepsy! If he'd been f**king wearing it, you wouldn't have been so f**king scared!"
"I... I didn't want to wear it", RJ piped up in a small voice.
"YOU DIDN'T WANT TO?!" Sammy repeated incredulously.
"It's embarrassing!" he insisted. "I don't want anyone to worry about me!"
"Do you even hear yourself right now?!" Sammy scoffed in disgust. "You've just made everyone f**king worry even more because you weren't wearin' it!" She spent the next two minutes ranting at her brother for his utter stupidity.
"I think that is enough, Sammy", Luigi piped up, afraid a doctor or nurse would come and investigate the yelling and profanities.
Sammy sighed. "Fine!" she agreed reluctantly as Guido and Luigi slipped out of the room to give the Rose siblings a moment alone. Then she hugged her brother. "I'm so glad you're okay, though."
"Me too", Fudge agreed. "I didn't know you had epilepsy... That's the kind of thing a sister should know about her brother."
RJ smiled weakly. "I guess so."
"I know so", Sammy affirmed sternly.
"It's genetic", RJ explained to Fudge. "It runs in the family."
"You mean I-" Fudge began worriedly.
"No, no!" Sammy cut her off. "It runs in the family on our mother's side, so you're good."
"Okay."
"Just answer me one thing, Sammy", RJ requested.
"What?"
"How did you get here so fast?"
"I was on my way to Radiator Springs anyway", Sammy lied. "Fudge and I planned it weeks ago, but I wanted it to be a surprise for you. That's what Fudge and I were talking about yesterday."
It amazed Fudge how easily Sammy could lie. She knew it came as part of her job, but still.
"Really?" RJ questioned. "I'm sure you would've headed straight to Thomasville when you heard the news. You must've known I was!"
"Oh! Right!" Sammy recalled. "How you doin'?"
RJ's only response was to have his eyes bubble up with tears.
Fudge took a deep breath. "RJ, look! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to get upset yesterday, but I-"
He cut her off. "What are you talking about?"
"I know you didn't mean to do anything wrong, but it's just... Doc meant a lot to me and it's hard for me to-"
RJ burst into tears.
"I'm sorry I-" Fudge began.
"Fudge, shut up!" Sammy broke in. "This isn't about you."
"Of course it is!" Fudge insisted. "I was-"
"I said shut up!" Sammy repeated, making Fudge very angry. She didn't appreciate how much she was being interrupted. Plus, she always hated being told to shut up. "RJ's dog just died."
Fudge's heart pounded in shock. "What?"
"Chewbacca..." RJ explained through his tears. "He was old... He had arthritis and it's just been getting could barely walk yesterday, so... So, they put him to sleep." He cried harder.
"Oh, RJ! I'm so sorry!" Fudge exclaimed sympathetically.
"It's okay. You didn't know." He shook his head in disbelief. "He was my best friend. Grandma got him for me after Mom died and he's been my best friend ever since. Whenever I'd had a bad day, he'd be there, waiting for me. He didn't care that I didn't fit in at school or that I was a massive nerd... He just loved me."
"C'mere!" Sammy wrapped her arms around her brother and Fudge slipped out quietly. She still didn't feel she was quite part of the family and figured that the brother and sister needed to be alone.
"She's going to be late!" Finn commented anxiously, keeping one eye on the skies, hoping to spot Siddeley and the other eye on Buckingham Palace behind him.
"I don't understand you, Finn McMissile", Holley remarked with a laugh.
Finn was perplexed. "What do you mean by that?"
"You've constantly had guns pointed at your face or bombs planted on your roof and you're concerned about Sammy being late."
Mater and Fudge giggled.
Finn smiled too, despite himself. "I suppose... But you two deserve to be knighted. I don't want Sammy to miss this."
"I don't think she will!" Fudge observed, pointing upwards towards a streak of silver in the sky.
When Sid landed, Finn, Holley, Mater and Fudge rushed forward to greet him and Sammy. (The rest of the Radiator Springs residents, unfortunately, couldn't make it.)
"Sammy!" Fudge and Mater hollered in unison.
However, when the ramp was lowered, the group received a surprise. Sammy wasn't the only one there.
"Fudge!" RJ threw his arms around his sister.
"RJ!" Fudge laughed. "I wasn't expecting to see you here!" She hadn't seen her brother in a week. He'd returned to Thomasville shortly after being discharged from the hospital to say goodbye to Chewbacca before heading back to school.
"Well, we weren't gonna miss Sammy bein' knighted by the Queen of England, were we?" a new voice spoke up.
Fudge whirled around to find four cars there. She recognised three of them right away and the fourth- a brown-orange pickup truck- looked vaguely familiar.
"Louise Nash?! Junior Moon?! River Scott?!" the twelve-year-old squealed excitedly.
"I thought you might recognise some of my family", Sammy commented with a grin. "And this is Smokey, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet's crew chief."
Finn nodded politely. "Nice to meet you all."
Junior Moon looked Fudge up and down. "So, this is River's daughter?" Noticing the panicked expression on River Scott's face, he added, "I mean, not this River! River Rose."
"I was gonna say!" River Scott laughed in relief. "You know somethin' I don't, Junior?"
Everyone laughed.
"And this is your half-sister", Louise Nash added.
Fudge nodded, giggling excitedly and nervously. She was barely able to speak, but she managed to utter a, "Hi!"
"And these are your British spy partners?" River asked, looking at Finn and Holley.
"Yep!" Sammy confirmed. "This is Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. And this is Sir Tow Mater."
"Wow!" RJ shook his head in disbelief. "So, it's true! I can't believe my sister is really a spy!"
"We always knew she wasn't bein' honest about her career", Smokey explained. "Now, we know why."
This was followed by more laughter.
"So!" Finn announced. "Let's go inside! They're all waiting for us!"
As they all started to file into the palace, Sammy stopped Fudge.
"Thank you!"
Fudge was confused. "For what?"
"My family wouldn't be here if it weren't for your words", Sammy clarified. "You were right! I couldn't bear it if my family weren't here, so.. Thank you."
Fudge blushed and shrugged modestly. "No problem."
"But that doesn't mean I won't be takin' care of it later on!" She showed off what looked like a water pistol hidden in one of her high heels. Fudge recognised it right away as the gun that had wiped RJ's memory in Edinburgh.
Fudge grinned. "I wouldn't expect anything different from you."
"Yeah, well, I thought it would be a good compromise."
"Fudge! Sammy!" RJ called out. "You comin' or what?"
"We better go", Sammy stated the obvious.
Fudge grinned again. "Go get 'em, Sammy!"
"So, RJ", Fudge whispered in the middle of a long speech before Sammy and Holley were supposed to come on, "you doing okay?"
"Yeah", he responded softly. "It was hard to say goodbye to Chewie, but I was glad I got the closure."
The twelve-year-old nodded in understanding. "And listen, I am sorry I got mad at you." Even though RJ was never really upset about it, Fudge knew she needed to apologise. "It's just... Doc's death was very hard on me. I can't open up about it much, so I was a little upset when you saw the grave. But... it's the type of thing I should be open about with my brother."
"Yeah, I get it", RJ assured her. "I'm sorry too... I was bein' insensitive." He sighed. "Death isn't cool. I know that."
Fudge didn't answer. Holley and Sammy were coming down the aisle. They both looked excited, but a little nervous too. Fudge couldn't recall ever seeing Sammy nervous. Despite that, she was still confident as she curtsied before the Queen.
"I hereby dub thee Lady Holley Shiftwell and Lady Samantha Rose", the Queen declared, tapping Holley on each fender and Sammy on each shoulder with her antennae.
The crowd clapped and cheered. Mater raced up to Holley and gave her a kiss. RJ and Fudge charged at their big sister and each threw their arms around her. Sammy laughed and the Rose siblings were enveloped in a group hug.
Fudge and RJ caught each other's eyes and smiled. Maybe they didn't really feel like brother and sister just yet, but their bond was definitely growing. It was safe to say that they thought of each other as friends.
Three Weeks Later:
"Welcome back, RJ!" Fudge greeted her half-brother as he arrived at the Cozy Cone Motel.
He grinned. "Glad to be back!"
"Well, if you wanna come with me to your cone", Fudge began. "It's cone number one again."
RJ grinned. "Great!"
After RJ was settled into his cone, he and Fudge headed off in the direction of Willy's Butte. Fudge noticed two things. One, he was wearing his medical bracelet. Two, he had the photo of him and Chewbacca in his back pocket.
"It makes me feel like I've got him with me", he'd explained.
Fudge knew what he meant. Sometimes, she liked to talk to her Fabulous Hudson Hornet figurine.
"So... What are we doin' first?" RJ wanted to know.
"There's someone I want you to meet", Fudge answered. She gestured to the grave in front of her. "This is my mentor, doctor and grandfather figure, Doc Hudson. You may know him as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet." (Since RJ had had his memory erased of her apology, Fudge had given him a note before he got on the plane back to Florida.)
RJ smiled. "Nice to meet you, Doc. I've heard so much about you over the years. Everyone in Thomasville still really misses you."
"Huh! Funny", Fudge remarked.
"What?" RJ wondered.
"How I wound up here while you lived in Thomasville. You know, a member of my family was close friends with your family."
"I know... What are the odds of that?"
"If I had a nickel for every time Sammy and I've asked ourselves that question, I'd be the world's youngest billionaire", Fudge responded. She smiled. "I think this whole thing was meant to be."
RJ nodded. "I feel the same way. I'm glad I've got two great sisters."
"I'm glad I've got three great brothers."
There was a brief moment of content silence.
Then a devilish grin spread across the sister's face as she recalled her conversation with Sammy. "Hey, RJ?"
He looked her way. "Hmm?"
"Dumbledore is my favourite Pokemon from Star Trek: The Empire Strikes Back because he has the TARDIS!" Fudge proclaimed, giggling.
RJ groaned. "Sammy told you to say that, didn't she?"
"Yep", Fudge confirmed.
"I take it back then! I have two horrible sisters!"
"That's just rude!" Fudge shouted as she took off in the direction of town.
"Get back here!" RJ demanded, chasing after her.
And so, half-brother and half-sister chased each other back to Flo's, laughing all the way.
I hope you enjoyed. I don't know much about epilepsy, but I did a little bit of research to write this. I apologise in advance if there are any inaccuracies.
Now, I've got good news and bad news.
The bad news is this'll be the last oneshot for a while.
The good news is that's because I'll be working on some longer projects like the Cars Origins trilogy. I have two other projects coming soon, but I want to get this and Origins done first. Those projects are listed on my profile, if you're interested.
In the meantime, please review!
