Next two chapters! This is mostly old stuff, a Driven to Win flashback and one of my oneshots.

Chapter 3- Australia, an Argument and a Rebellion

"Fudge! There you are!"

"Fudge! How you doing?!"

"I am so glad you have recovered well!"

That was the way I was greeted by Lightning's international racing buddies when Luigi, Guido, Francesco and I arrived at the hotel.

Guido and Luigi had taken me to Italy to see our relatives. They all wanted to see me because the last time they saw me was before the accident. That was the same reason why the World Grand Prix racers were happy to see me, even though we didn't know each other all that well. They had all met up in the Republic of New Rearendia, China, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. However, Team McQueen missed out because I was still in the hospital, but now, we were back with them.

This time, we were in Australia. We were going to be touring all of the great spots: a weekend in Canberra, Uluru, Perth, Kangaroo Island, Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. After that, we were going to New Zealand and I was very excited.

Not only that, but things were still going really well for me. I hadn't messed up as crew chief as of yet, but I was convinced that it was only a matter of time before I screwed everything up. On top of that, Sammy had been able to return to the United States. She was staying in her old hometown, Thomasville, Georgia, when she wasn't in hospital. I'd visited her in hospital one weekend while a race was being held in Georgia and we video chatted a lot. I was glad to see she seemed to be doing much better.

The previous day, Francesco was just as happy to see me as the other racers were.

"Signorina Fudge!" he exclaimed as we met up with him at the airport in Rome.

"Hi, Francesco!" I greeted him.

"It is so good to see you again!" he exclaimed. "Francesco has been so worried about you! He heard about your-a accident just-a hours after he last saw you!"

"Well, I'm doing a lot better now", I assured him.

"How? What happened? Francesco does not think he has the whole story."

All the way through security and while we were waiting for our flight to start boarding, Francesco insisted on making me describe the whole story of the year I'd had. On the plane, he was asking me all kinds of questions whenever I was awake.

Now that I'd landed in Canberra and was reunited with my family and Lightning's friends, I was still being bombarded with questions about how I was going.

"I'm doing okay", I answered with a nervous giggle. I was a little overwhelmed. "I've started walking again and now, I'm Lightning McQueen's crew chief."

"That's pretty cool", Jeff commented.

I beamed proudly. "Yeah!"

"Well, none of us are exactly surprised with how amazing your racing knowledge is", Raoul remarked.

I felt my face turn red. "Thanks!"

"So, how's the crew chief life treating you?" Nigel questioned.

"I love it!" I informed them. "Sure, it can be hard sometimes, but it's a lot of fun too." I described the challenges I had to overcome while I was the crew chief.

"Well, it sounds like you've been doing a great job", Rip informed me. "Of everything."

"Thanks!" I repeated.

Our time in Australia was awesome! I loved seeing the sights of such an amazing country. At Sammy and RJ's encouragement, I met up with my uncle Matthew, his wife and my cousins in beautiful Perth. It was really weird meeting my relatives for the first time, but it was also pretty exciting. Uncle Matthew was also able to provide me with some stories of my father, but nowhere near as many as my siblings.

"Your father's fourteen years older than my sister and me", Uncle Matthew had explained. He and my Aunt Lila are twins. "He left home when I was pretty young and he didn't exactly visit often. I do remember there was one Thanksgiving where he visited and he got us all locked out of the house while all the food was still on!"

I giggled.

Of course, the people weren't the only part of the trip I enjoyed. I enjoyed the scenery (especially the beaches and the outback), the wildlife (especially the kangaroos and koalas) and some of the food (meat pies, Tim Tams, lamingtons, Cherry Ripes and Anzac biscuits are nice; Vegemite is not!). I enjoyed the racing, of course.

There were just two parts of the trip that I didn't enjoy. The first one was the fact that everyone fussed over me.

"I can walk!" I protested as Lightning picked me up and placed me in my wheelchair on our first morning of sightseeing.

"I know you can, sweetie", he responded, not completely listening. He started pushing my wheelchair.

"So, why won't you let me?"

"I just don't want you overdoing it", he explained.

"But I've been walking for months!" I pointed out.

"I know." He still wasn't really listening.

Even his World Grand Prix friends were doing it too.

"Fudge! Where are you going?"

I turned around to see Lewis Hamilton and Jeff Gorvette parked behind me. Of course, they had my wheelchair with them.

"I'm just going to get my jacket from my room", I answered.

"We'll get that!" Lewis informed me, easing me down into the wheelchair.

"I can do it!"

"Don't worry about it!" Jeff told me, heading in the direction of my hotel room, swiping my room key card from my hand.

I sighed.

The other thing I didn't enjoy was watching the racing. Well, it wasn't so much watching the racing. It was more the fact that I couldn't race myself. I missed the thrill of racing. After all, I'd gone without it for over a year now and it was a huge part of my life.

So, even though even I wasn't sure if I was ready, I decided to take the risk and approach Lightning on the matter when we were getting ready for another day of racing in Melbourne.

"All right", Lightning began. "Well, I'm meeting the others for a couple of practise laps. You all know what to do."

I took a deep breath and gathered up my courage to ask my question. "Hey, Lightning?"

He turned around. "What is it, Fudge-O? I gotta go."

For a moment, I considered not going through with it. Then I decided that I should just do it. What was the worst that could happen? He could say no. I wouldn't like that, but it wouldn't be so terrible... Would it?

I took another deep breath. "I was wondering when I'd get to go for some laps again", I answered nervously. "I'm getting better now and I really miss doing that."

Lightning hesitated.

Finally, he came over and stroked my hair. He spoke gently, but his words still hurt. "I really don't think that's a good idea, sweetie."

"What?" I cried. "Why not?"

"Because of what happened the last time!"

"But I-" I started.

"Wow! I better go!" my brother cut me off. I guess he just didn't want to talk about that anymore. "Why don't we talk about this after the race?"

"It's not fair!" I whinged before I could stop myself.

Lightning stopped dead in his tracks. "I'm sorry." He sounded annoyed and even kind of emotional. "Is it unfair that I'm afraid you'll almost get killed again? Is it unfair that I care about you too much to put you through that again?"

I felt terrible. I regretted bringing this up. It still wasn't the right time.

"Sorry", I offered.

Lightning sighed and he calmed down a little. "It's all right." He stroked my hair again. "I know how much you loved it." He kissed me. "Well, I gotta go. We'll talk about this later, all right, Fudge?"

"All right..."

When he left, I turned to look at the others. Most of them seemed busy, preparing for the race.

"Guess now's not the right time, huh?" I muttered.

"I guess it is a little too soon", Sally agreed. "I mean, you're still in a wheelchair."

"I can walk!" I insisted indignantly.

"Well, I can understand why McQueen wants to wait a while", Luigi pointed out. "And I understand why you want to race again. If you just give it time, then I am sure he will let you."

I nodded slowly. Luigi was right. I was feeling a lot better, but I was still recovering. I was just going to have to wait a little while, but I would ask Lightning again. He'd come around, for sure.

After what happened in Australia, the plan had been to wait a little while longer before I brought up racing again. Unfortunately, as more and more time went on, I was starting to grow restless. By the time I turned fourteen, nearly every time I saw Lightning, I was begging to be allowed to race with him.

"Fudge, no", he told me flatly every time.

"Please!" I begged, jumping up and down (when I was well enough to).

"Fudge", Lightning warned me.

"But I'm getting better-" I began.

"That's just it, Fudge! I don't want you hurting yourself again!"

"So, when will I get to race again?" I wondered.

Lightning gave me a glare. "If I decide you're ready!" he answered.

That would be when I'd let it go. For the time being.

Lightning wasn't the only one who didn't want me to get back into racing either.

"I wish he would take me racing again", I commented to my fathers one night as we ate dinner.

"No", Luigi disagreed. "We don't. We don't want you racing again either."

I guessed he'd changed his mind since the Australia trip then.

"Why not?" I questioned, feeling like everyone was against me and that is a feeling that I do not like at all.

"For the same reasons McQueen refuses to take you", Luigi answered in a stern tone that would always make me feel guilty.

That's why I chose not to say anything else.

Luckily, even though he didn't agree with me, Guido was a little more sympathetic. "(Fudge, we are your fathers. All we want is to look after you. We always want to make sure you are happy, healthy and safe. You understand that, don't you?)"

"Si", I admitted reluctantly.

"(And you understand that we are not convinced that you are safe while you are racing?)"

"Si", I admitted again. I wasn't happy about it at all. I loved racing! At the same time, though, I guess I could see where they were coming from.

"(Good)", Guido answered, smiling and nodding as if I were five years old or something. "(We are glad you understand. Everyone in Radiator Springs loves you very much and just wants to take care of you... We are just trying to protect you.)"

"That is right", Luigi agreed.

"Yeah, I know."

I really did know too. Still, as Luigi changed the subject, racing was the only thing I could think about. Was I really never going to feel that rush of moving two hundred miles an hour ever again? Was I never going to set foot on a racetrack again? Would I never get to help Lightning in a race with the fans cheering for both of us? I guess I never would do any of those things again. Sigh.

I thought about Doc. I thought about when he'd told me the story of his big 1954 wreck. My mind travelled back to the moment Lightning and I were stood in his garage, gazing up at the newspaper clipping. I remembered thinking how awful he looked after the crash.

"When I finally got put together, I went back expecting a big welcome. You know what they said? You're history! Moved right onto the next rookie standing in line", he'd recounted. He softened a little and his voice went quiet as he added, "There was a lot left in me. I never got a chance to show 'em."

I never thought it was fair that he was forced to give up racing. And I certainly didn't think it was fair when it was happening to me.

I panted, but I was still smiling as I heaved my go-kart, known as the Fudge-mobile, up the biggest hill in the surrounding area of Radiator Springs. It was a long climb, but it would be worth it, I was sure.

That's right. Against my family's wishes and my better judgement, I'd decided to try my hand at racing again. I knew I wanted to race, but I'm not sure why specifically I wanted to race then. Maybe I just wanted to prove to myself that I still could race. Maybe I wanted to get it out of my system because I knew I wasn't allowed to do it anymore. Whatever the reason was, I was about to stir up some trouble.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to do the car racing I loved. There was no way Lightning was going to do it, so I didn't bother asking. I didn't think there was much chance of racing with one of his friends without getting caught. Junior racing leagues had been an option, but when I looked into them, I discovered that I needed my parents' signatures to join. So, at least for now, the Fudge-mobile was my only option.

With very little hesitation, I pushed off the hill. It wasn't the same as going two hundred miles an hour, but I managed to get some serious speed going and I definitely enjoyed it. I still felt that rush of exhilaration I got whenever I raced. Awesome! Totally awesome!

When I got to the bottom, I was thrilled. I'd done it! I could still race and I'd gotten it out of my system... Or had I? Glancing up at the top of the hill, it just looked oh, so tempting! Now that I knew I could do it, I had to fine-tune my skills, so Lightning could see I was ready. And I could just enjoy the thrill of the speed. I took a quick scan of my surroundings. Satisfied that I was alone, I made my way back up the hill.

That was how I spent a good portion of my next two weeks. Every opportunity I got, I was riding down that hill. My adrenaline was sky-high and not just from the racing, but the fear that I would get caught. As it was, I did have a couple of close calls. Lightning and Sally came past me on my way to the Wheel Well, but luckily, they didn't see what I was doing. (They must've known I was up to something, but they didn't know what.) On another occasion, I lost control and crashed into a tree.

"Great!" I groaned, convinced that Guido and Luigi were going to kill me.

They didn't, but that was only because I didn't tell them the whole story.

"I wasn't looking where I was going and I ran into a tree."

What? That wasn't technically a lie.

Luigi frowned. "Well, you have to be more careful."

Wasn't that the truth?

The thing was, though, I wanted more. The hill was fun and all, but I missed the track! Now, I wanted to get up to two hundred miles an hour. I didn't know how to do that, but I couldn't believe my luck when an opportunity came to me.

Cal Weathers came to visit Radiator Springs and I began to wonder if I would be able to race with him without Lightning there to stop me. So, like I said, I could hardly believe my luck when I found Cal Weathers by Willy's Butte all alone.

"Where's Lightning?" I wanted to know.

"At home. Sally says he has to do the paperwork he's left as usual."

"Oh." That sounded like Lightning, all right.

Lightning was nowhere around! Neither was anybody else who would try to stop me. Should I? I wondered to myself. I want to, but I really shouldn't... Though, nobody would know, would they? Cal can take me for a couple of laps, then I can tell him not to tell.

"You all right?" Cal asked me abruptly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look worried about something", he observed.

"No, no!" I was worried about something, though; I was worried about whether or not I should do what I was thinking of doing. "I was just thinking..."

"Yeah?" Cal prompted.

"Do you think... you could take me for a few laps?" I questioned hopefully. Half of me hoped he would say yes for obvious reasons, but the other half hoped he would say no. That way, I could forget the whole thing.

"I don't know, Fudge", Cal informed me tentatively. "I'm not sure McQueen wants you racing."

"It's fine!" I lied. "Really! Lightning just doesn't want to take me himself because of..."

Cal nodded slowly. "I can understand that."

"I'll be right back!" I announced before he could say no. "I'll grab my racing stuff!"

I made it from Willy's Butte to Luigi's Casa Della Tires and back again in record time. When I returned, I put my helmet and magnets on in a flash and was quick to bounce onto Cal's roof.

"You ready?"

"Yeah!" I assured him.

So, Cal raced. Normally, I would be calling out tips to the racer (as the rider, that's my job), but this time, I just enjoyed the ride. After all, this was the first time I'd raced in ages and I didn't know when I'd get the chance again. I was laughing, whooping and smiling. This was why I wanted to race; not for the fame and fortune (although I did think fame and fortune would be pretty cool). As Cal picked up speed, I felt more and more excited. The wind blew across my face. I closed my eyes and smiled. For the first time in a long time, I felt free!

Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived. All too soon, Cal came to a stop.

"Hey, McQueen!" he called out.

Oh, no! Lightning was here?! Had he seen me? Could I get away without him noticing? I rolled off Cal's roof and hoped I would become invisible.

As I peered round Cal's side, I could see Lightning's face. It was too late. He'd seen me before Cal had even stopped. I was shocked. I couldn't speak. I remained rooted to my spot.

I have thought about writing about Team McQueen going international, but first of all, I've had no ideas. Second of all, even if I did, in order to make an interesting story, I feel like I'd have to make something bad happen and I don't want to do that. I'd want their adventures overseas to go well. Does that make sense? I hope so.

Fun fact: Before I moved recently, I lived in Melbourne, the Australian city mentioned in this chapter. Now, I live near the Great Barrier Reef. In case you didn't know, the move went okay, I guess. It was hard to leave my brother, sister and the cats (sadly, I had to leave my cat with them because she's old and probably wouldn't have survived the journey; that was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life) and we're still in temporary accommodation, but we'll be moving into our new house soon.

Another fun fact: Cherry Ripes are my favourite chocolate bars

Like I said, this is from a Driven to Win flashback and the Tales from Radiator Springs story, Need for Speed. The next chapter will be more original, so head on over there now!