This idea was the first thing I wrote in the original oneshot. I made a longer version here, but it didn't turn out as well as I hoped.

Racing Fudge

When I grow up, I want to be a racer.

It was as Luigi was going through the drawer where he kept photos of Fudge that he found the folded-up, slightly torn sheet of paper where his daughter had written those words in green crayon when she was four years old. The words were accompanied by a drawing of the girl, clutching a bright yellow trophy as several race cars looked on.

The Fiat smiled softly to himself. The reason he'd been looking through the old photos of Fudge was for a TV special about the last few weeks and how they came into fruition. Back then, none of them could have ever imagined things turning out the way they did…

Lightning McQueen was racing in the most important race of his life: the Florida 500. Everyone knew what was at stake in this race. If he didn't come in first place, he was going to have to retire and sell mud flaps. If he did win, however, he got to decide when he was done.

To say the Radiator Springs race team was nervous would be an understatement. Every second of this race was killing them. Everything hung on this one race.

So, of course, Guido and Luigi had been concentrating on this race more than any other. They didn't want to slack off on their duties and be the reason Lightning lost the race. So, they hadn't exactly been paying attention when Sterling was talking to Cruz. Though, they did notice when Cruz left and their daughter looked very upset.

"Come here", Luigi whispered, taking a moment to abandon his work and give Fudge a hug. Even though this job was important, nothing was more important to him than his daughter and it broke his heart to ever see her upset.

"She was my best friend!" Fudge moaned, feeling sorry for herself. "I've never had a best friend before! And I don't know if I'll ever see her again!"

Luigi didn't know what to say to her. Sometimes, he felt as though it was his fault Fudge had no friends. Even though Fudge's autism wasn't his fault- or hers- he was the one who had decided she should stay in Radiator Springs, where there were no other children. (So, even when Fudge met kids she actually liked, it was never long before she had to say goodbye to them.) He was the one who insisted Fudge went to that youth group where she met those horrible girls, Zara and Layla. Plus, when Fudge was eight, she made friends with a couple of kids in Ashgrove, but that ended when their religious mother was horrified to learn that she had two dads. He'd felt like that was his fault as well.

Luigi and Guido had both liked Cruz and thought that she could be a good friend for Fudge. They hoped, for her sake, that she would see Cruz again.

They didn't have any more time to think about Cruz, though. A couple of cars had just lost control on the track.

"Wreck in two!" Smokey cautioned. "Wreck in turn two! Go low, go low!"

Lightning followed Smokey's advice while his team looked on anxiously. Not one of them could forget the horrific crash he'd suffered in his last race and even though most of them weren't there, they remembered hearing the whole horror story about Fudge's accident. They hoped they didn't have a replay of those nightmarish incidents that day. So, needless to say, they were all relieved when Lightning came to a stop as the yellow flag was waved.

"Kid?" Smokey ventured. "You okay?"

"Smokey, I need Cruz!" Lightning shouted through the radio.

"Never mind that now-" Smokey began.

Only Lightning cut him off. "No! I need her back here! Now! Get her back!"

Not knowing what Lightning was up to, but knowing he was serious, Smokey turned to the others and began barking out orders to get hold of Cruz.

"Fudge! Go meet her at the gates!" Smokey ordered. "She won't be able to get back in on her own."

"Roger that!"

So, off she went.

"Get ready, guys!" Lightning called to his team as he made his way to the pits. "Luigi, Guido, tyres! Fillmore, fuel!"

Team 95 was ready. At least, they thought they were. However, they couldn't have possibly known what Lightning was doing...

"Okay, I'm here!" Cruz announced, pulling up as Fudge slid off her roof.

"What's going on?" the two asked in unison.

As the team raced forward to assist Lightning, he called them off.

"No, not me!" He pointed to Cruz. "Her!"

Everyone gasped, turning to look at the yellow car.

"What?" she asked, shocked and confused.

"Cruz!" Fudge exclaimed excitedly, hugging her best friend.

"What is she doing back here?" Sterling demanded.

"Come on, guys! Get her set up! Quickly!" Lightning ordered.

Just like that, everyone sprang into action. Guido changed Cruz's tyres into Lightyear racing tyres and Fillmore started filling her up with fuel. Fudge was checking that Cruz was physically ready for the race. She was examining everything from tyre pressure to oil pressure to her engine. Ramone had started painting the team's logo on her sides. Everything was happening so fast. Cruz just stood by in confusion.

"Mr. McQueen?" she questioned, still unsure of what was happening.

"Today's the day, Cruz! You're getting your shot!"

"What?!" Cruz yelped utterly disbelievingly.

"I started this race and you're gonna finish it."

"What?!" Sterling had heard the plan and wanted to put a stop to it. "She'll damage the brand! She's just a trainer!"

"No! She's a racer", Lightning corrected him. With a smile at Cruz, he added, "Just took me a while to see it."

"I can't do this! I can't!" Cruz exclaimed. "Not on my own! I... I need a rider!"

"Where are we gonna find-" Lightning started. Then he stopped when Fudge came past. "I think that can be arranged!"

"What are you-" The human girl stopped short when she realised what Lightning meant. "What?! No! I... I can't!"

"You can and you will!" Lightning thrust the sixteen-year-old's magnetic belt, gloves, shoulder and knee pads at her. "Now, get those magnets on!"

"Yes, sir!" Fudge obeyed in a shaky voice, putting her headset on.

"You're okay with this, right?" Lightning quizzed Luigi and Guido.

The two Italians hesitated. They had always been worried about their daughter racing…

Ever since Fudge first told them she wanted to be a racer, they sincerely hoped that she would change her mind. Did they want their daughter to be happy; follow her dreams; achieve great things and all that jazz? Of course; why wouldn't they? It was just that they wished she would find a less dangerous dream. Just the day before, they'd heard that one of the best human riders the European circuit had ever seen had been killed in one of the worst crashes the competition had ever seen. So, as much as they didn't want to be those kinds of parents, the kind that told their kids not to follow their dreams, the most important thing to them was that their little girl was happy, healthy and safe.

Meeting Lightning McQueen hadn't helped that. In fact, that pushed her towards the racing world. The poor Fiat had been horrified to learn that Lightning had taken his little girl for a few laps. That never changed, no matter how many times they saw her racing. Then the accident came along, the worst time of their lives. It had seemed as though the torture would never end. The two Italians could not be more grateful that it had. Of course, that had been followed by countless arguments over whether or not she still had a future in racing.

"Why can't I still race?! The accident only happened once! And I'd been racing for over six years!"

"Fudge, once was more than enough! You know we are not doing this to be cruel! We love you very much and we don't want something like that to happen to our little girl again! It is a miracle you survived the first time."

"Lightning still races! Don't you worry about him?!"

"Of course we do! But he is not our child; you are. All we want is to protect you. I would never expect you to understand. You are not a parent. You are too young to understand."

"I get where you're coming from", the young girl acknowledged reluctantly. "I just wish I could still race."

"I know you do", Luigi sympathised. "But we love you too much to watch you get hurt like that."

So, they were protective. So, sue them! It was called being a parent. They still feared that their only child- their precious little angel- would get hurt. They'd faced losing their daughter more times than they cared to remember: the social workers' visit; the accident; her failed suicide attempt… So, both Guido and Luigi had been about to tell Lightning no; they weren't okay with it at all…

On the other tyre, however, neither one of them could forget the big, beautiful grin that lit up her face from ear to ear whenever she raced. They loved how passionate their daughter was about something and not just something; something that they had been passionate about since they were small, just she'd been. They remembered how much she'd loved the sport, even at three weeks old.

Not only that, but it was no secret that Fudge was seriously talented when it came to racing. Anybody who knew anything about racing could see it (and even some people who knew nothing about racing could see it too).

Besides, Luigi had once had dreams to race himself. Unfortunately, that had never become a reality, simply because Fiats weren't exactly speed machines. He'd accepted that and he was more than happy with where he was right now. Though, now, as his daughter stood before him, presented with a chance he could have only dreamed of when he was a small car, how could he say no?

As much as he wanted to- as much as he wanted to protect her- he just couldn't.

Reluctantly, Luigi nodded. So did Guido.

"Let's get Fudge set up too!" Lightning ordered.

Before anybody could really comprehend what was happening, Fudge was having her hair tied back; her helmet and magnets secured around her tightly and her necklace removed, so it wouldn't get caught in anything.

While that was going on, both Italians couldn't help wondering if they'd made a huge mistake! The last race had landed one of their own in the hospital and there had just been another wreck already in this race! What on Earth were they getting their daughter into?

It was too late to change their minds now. Cruz and Fudge were ready to go. The latter was already climbing onto the former's roof.

"Let's do it and have no regrets!" Fudge hollered.

All too soon, the two of them were rocketing out of the pits.

"Good luck, my baby girl!"

Oh, please! Please just let her be safe!

Unfortunately, Fudge and Cruz didn't exactly get off to a flying start. Cruz was driving very slowly while Fudge was slumped down, not watching anything that was happening. Not only that, but she wasn't saying anything either. Her job was to talk to Cruz, to guide her, but she wasn't. Luigi and Guido felt sorry for them. It was their first race and they'd been thrust into it so unexpectedly. It was enough to unnerve anybody.

Plus, to be fair, Smokey's voice was only rattling them even more. Luigi and Guido knew their daughter and the pickup truck's harsh tone was hindering more than helping. Every few minutes, it was something like, "Cruz, what are you doin'? Come on! Pick it up! Gotta go faster! And Fudge, what are you doin'?! What kind of position is that?! Lift your head up! You ain't gonna see anything with your head down like that!", or, "Fudge, I haven't heard you say anything yet. Come on. You gotta talk to Cruz! Help her!", or, "Anticipate your turns! Cruz, Fudge, get your heads in the race!" It sounded more like scolding than encouraging.

Right when Luigi was about to protest and tell Smokey not to be so harsh with Fudge, Lightning told him the same thing.

"I gotta be!" the crew chief replied. "She ain't gonna learn if I'm too gentle on her."

In fact, Guido and Luigi were grateful that Lightning piped up with suggestions throughout the race. It became clear to everyone, even Smokey, that he was the one who knew how to get through to the girls. So, Smokey let him take over.

From them on, Cruz and Fudge were sailing along. Lightning was much more encouraging than Smokey had been and made it very clear that he believed in Fudge. That made a world of difference to her and Guido and Luigi were both proud to see their daughter racing like a new person.

"Go, Fudgie!" they cheered, watching her and Cruz weave through the crowd of race cars so skillfully and effortlessly, as if they'd never had any trouble before.

It amazed the two Italians to see their daughter doing so well. Of course, she had a lot of skill at racing, they never had any doubt about that, but they had never seen her do so well. And, even though she was flying past at over two hundred miles an hour, they thought they could see a big smile on her face. That was good to see, after everything she'd been through the past couple of years.

There was just one little incident that had them worried.

"Watch out by the wall; it's a little slick there", Lightning warned Cruz. "Watch it, watch it, watch it, watch it!"

Luigi and Guido's eyes widened in horror. Cruz and Fudge were getting dangerously close to the wall. They could only hope that their daughter wouldn't get hurt again. They never should have let her into the race! What on Earth were they thinking?! All they could visualise was their precious little girl go flying across the track and dozens of bones breaking! This time, they couldn't blame Lightning; they could've stopped this.

Unfortunately, Cruz couldn't stop her back end from clipping the wall, but, luckily, there was no serious damage done. There was just one little problem.

"My spoiler!" Cruz shouted. "It got detached!"

"All right." Lightning frowned. "I hate to have to do this now, but if you come into the pits, then we can-"

"No need!" Fudge cut him off. "I got it!"

Without letting anybody else know what she was going to do, Fudge turned around slowly, but steadily. Fear seized the two Italians' engines once again. What was she doing?! She was going to get herself killed! They wanted to shout at her to stop whatever she was doing at once and return to the pits where she could fix Cruz's spoiler properly. Though, they were so afraid that the words never left their throats.

"Be careful, Fudge!" both Lightning and Cruz cautioned thankfully.

Luckily, Fudge was careful. She managed to get some screws in their correct place and secured tightly into position. She'd fixed Cruz's spoilt without even having to come to the pits. As dangerous as that had been, neither Luigi nor Guido could resist feeling proud of her, especially since the crowd went nuts for it as well. That said, she didn't get off entirely scot-free.

"Fudgie, that was an extraordinary thing you did", Luigi reprimanded her lightly when she and Cruz next came into the pits, "but it was very dangerous."

"Yeah, I know", she acknowledged, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry."

"Good job helping Cruz like that, Fudge-O", Lightning spoke up, "but maybe next time, you let us know if you're gonna do something like that."

There wasn't any time to respond, as Cruz was already peeling out of the pits, but Fudge gave Lightning the thumbs-up, so he knew she'd heard him and understood.

For a while, everything went swimmingly. Fudge and Cruz even managed to climb their way into third place. Boy, did the residents of Radiator Springs cheer for them! Luigi and Guido were so amazed! Their daughter was doing exceptionally well for her first race. They could quite easily finish in the top five. It would be fantastic if they could! Of course, it didn't matter if they came in first or dead last (though, if they did come in dead last, they'd be disappointed for them, but not in them). Still, obviously, they wanted their daughter to do well. Luckily, it appeared as though she would.

Though, the elation the cars from Radiator Springs felt was short-lived. At that moment, Jackson Storm slid back into second place and pulled up beside Cruz and Fudge.

"Hey!" he exclaimed in a mock friendly voice. "Costume Girls! You know, at first, I thought you were out here because your GPS was broken. You look good. It's important to look the part. You can't have everyone thinking that you don't deserve to be here."

It was clear that Fudge was feeling the impact of Storm's words, despite Lightning's orders not to listen to him, as he was simply trying to get inside the poor girls' heads. The sixteen-year-old tensed up on Cruz's roof. Even though they were travelling at a very high speed, it was very noticeable how tense she was. Guido and Luigi felt sorry for her. She was not strong enough to ignore Storm. Many experiences such as her abandonment had made their daughter bruise easily. If her performance suffered now, they would make Jackson Storm sorry!

Though, he just kept talking, seemingly not caring how he hurt the less experienced racers. (Well, that was the whole point.) "They don't need to know what you and I already do. That you can play dress up all you want, but neither of you will ever be one of us! The car can't do this alone and the human's just a four-eyed baby who thinks she's cool enough to keep up with the cars! Why don't you two pretty girls just leave the racing to the professionals?"

Fudge groaned, watching Storm take back the lead while Cruz slowed down, slipping back from third place to fifth. "What a douche!"

"Guys, did you see what happened there?" Lightning quizzed them.

"Yeah", Cruz sighed. "He- He's in... He's in my head."

"Mine too", Fudge chimed in. "Is he right?"

"No!" Lightning cried hurriedly. "No! Listen to me! You've gotten into his head! Don't you understand?! He would never have done that if you didn't scare him!"

"What?" Cruz voiced the confusion for both of them.

"He sees something in you both that you don't even see in yourselves!" their crew chief clarified. "You made me believe it! Now, you've gotta believe it too!"

"Believe what?" Fudge questioned, puzzled.

"You are racers!" Lightning insisted. After a pause, he added, "Use that!"

Both Guido and Luigi were pleased to hear Lightning tell them that. The girls seemed to perk back up, though Luigi wanted to put in his own words of encouragement.

"You can do this! You are both excellent racers!" the Fiat called through the radio, hoping that Fudge would be able to hear him.

Fortunately, it seemed as though she had. And when the rest of the team chimed in with their own encouragement, both Fudge and Cruz appeared to be much more empowered, if their next comments were anything to go by.

"We only have three laps to go", Fudge observed. "You ready to give those three laps everything we've got?"

"Three laps to catch Storm?" Cruz repeated. "I'm ready if you are, partner."

"Absolutely." Then the human girl hollered, "LET'S GO, TEAM 95!"

The next few minutes filled Team 95 with a lot of excitement and nerves. Cruz and Fudge made up the ground they'd lost when Storm had taunted them rather quickly. Before long, the two of them were back up to second place! You should've heard Luigi and Guido cheer for their little girl. The girls only had Jackson Storm to overtake now. He would be a major challenge, but the Italians were confident that Fudge could do it. She never failed to amaze them with her strength, courage and exceptional racing skills. So, they knew she was more than capable.

Cruz drafted behind Storm and it became obvious the second he noticed they were there. Even while moving at more than two hundred miles an hour, his shock and anger was unmissable. Luigi smirked to himself. He knew Storm was just jealous of Cruz and Fudge. So he should be! he thought to himself. Though, he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't hurt the girls because of it.

The moment came when they had the chance to overtake Storm. Cruz gunned it, moving to the outside, but Storm blocked them.

"NO!" he shouted as Cruz shifted back over to the inside. He slammed the yellow car into the wall.

"Fudgie!" the two horrified fathers exclaimed fearfully. Jackson Storm was going to be sorry when he got off the track. The angry Italians would make a beeline for him and… and… They didn't know, but they'd make sure Storm knew if he thought he could hurt their precious angel, he had another thing coming!

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she shouted, though she sounded as though she was struggling.

In reality, Fudge was fine, but she was also struggling a little bit. Her legs were stretched out a lot more than usual to prevent them from being crushed. That was horrendously uncomfortable; the poor girl was really feeling the burn, but the alternative would be much worse, so she just had to keep it up. She also had her arm up to stop the sparks Cruz was letting off from getting her face. Luigi and Guido were relieved that their daughter had goggles on. None of the other racers had them; Fudge only did so her glasses wouldn't go flying off her face. Though, it seemed as though they had another purpose.

"Cruz, get out of there!" Lightning ordered.

"Cruz!" Fudge shouted. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?!"

"What?!" Lightning demanded in a panic. "What are you thinking?!"

Cruz grinned, knowing exactly what she was saying. "Yes I am! Hold on!"

Oh, no! What on Earth were they going to do now? Fudge had proven herself as a bit of a daredevil. Who knew what dangerous tricks she had up her sleeve?

"Oh, my gosh! This is gonna be so crazy!" Cruz exclaimed.

"I'm okay with crazy!" Fudge assured her.

Well, that certainly didn't sound good.

"What's crazy is that the old timer put you in this race! You don't belong on this track!" Storm yelled at Cruz and Fudge. "Either of you!"

Cruz took a deep breath. "Yes... we... DO!" she and Fudge cried simultaneously.

Right when everyone- especially Guido and Luigi- were fearing the worst, Cruz pushed off the wall to flip over Storm!

They knew they should've been terrified. They knew they should've been praying that their daughter wouldn't fall and be seriously injured. Only they couldn't. All they could do was stare in amazement at what was happening. It was simply breathtaking and quite an incredible stunt. How had Fudge and Cruz known to do that? They'd be sure to ask her later. Right now, however, they were just so proud of not just their daughter, but her best friend/racing partner. During their short time on the track, they had already blown everyone away, even their own team, with the many awesome things they could do. They always knew that their little girl was amazing. Now, the whole world would know it too.

Just then, Cruz landed on the other side of Storm and, taking Fudge with her, zipped across the finish line just ahead of him. They had won!

Even though the entire stadium burst into loud whoops and cheers (it had been completely silent during the flip, with everyone watching with bated breath), the Team 95 pits were the loudest by a long shot. All of them went crazy, cheering for their champions. Luigi and Guido were the loudest.

"That is our daughter!" they bragged excitedly to everyone within earshot (and with how loud they were being, that was quite a lot of people!). "That is my little girl! She just won her first race! Was she not fantastico?!"

Now, they figured they didn't need to tell Storm off for what he'd done to precious little Fudge. The look on his face when he lost was satisfactory enough.

What was even more delightful to see was that the other racers were giving out high-fives to the victors of the race. Luigi and Guido couldn't hear what they were saying, but, judging by the ear to ear grin on Fudge's face and the way she kept mouthing, "Thanks!", it seemed as though she was about to find even more friends now, who admired and respected her. Of course, her biggest fans would always be the residents of Radiator Springs.

Once Fudge was back in the pits, the two of them came barrelling towards her.

"Oh! My angel!" Luigi cried.

The Fiat raced forward with Guido and the latter picked their daughter up. He held her close to him and gave her a big kiss. "(Congratulations, angel!)"

"Grazie!"

Luigi hugged her while she was still in Guido's arms. "We are both so proud of you!" he whispered in her ear. "We love you so much!"

"Thanks, you guys! I love you both too!"

"Out of my way!" an unpleasant voice called out abruptly. "Come on! Move it! Move!"

Sterling was making his way towards Cruz and Fudge, prompting the entire team to bristle. Nobody really liked Sterling. He hadn't cared about Lightning's desire to continue racing; or Cruz's to start racing and he obviously didn't care about Fudge. He'd always just referred to her as "you, whatever your name is." Instinctively, Guido and Luigi stood in front of Fudge. They didn't know what the Rust-Eze owner was going to do, but whatever he did to Fudge, he'd have them to answer to.

"Cruz! Fudge!" Sterling exclaimed in an overly friendly voice. "I knew you had something! And now look at you! Winners!"

Now, the entire team glared at him in disgust. How dare he! Luigi opened his mouth, prepared to do battle, but Fudge beat him to it.

"Winners?!" she echoed incredulously. "What happened to just a trainer and a glorified intern?!" Normally, she was shy and wouldn't dare to speak to someone like that, but she was just as disgusted by him as everyone else.

Sterling continued as if Fudge hadn't said a single word. "I could use you as racers on our team! We could make-"

"Sorry, Mr. Sterling", Cruz cut him off. "I would never race for you. I quit."

"Fine!" Sterling responded coolly, clearly surprised and disappointed by this response. "Fudge, I can pair you with-"

"I'm not racing for you if Cruz isn't!" Fudge interjected firmly, but politely.

Luigi smiled proudly. As much as he- and she- wanted her to have her racing dreams, there was not a chance he would ever even consider letting her race for someone like that. He'd tell her she deserved better and was proud that his daughter knew that. The only thing was he felt Fudge had shown Sterling far more respect than he deserved.

Just then, the group heard several loud honks, followed by a friendly voice calling out, "Well, then, race for me!"

"Tex!" Fudge and Lightning cried in unison, seeing the Cadillac approach with The King.

"Miss Cruz, Miss Fudge, I would be tickled pink to have you both race for Team Dinoco!" Tex began. "As you know, we have a long history of great racers. Except for Cal", he added teasingly with a wink.

"Uh... guys?" Cal piped up. "I'm still right here."

"Team Dinoco, guys!" Lightning exclaimed, grinning at Fudge and Cruz and nudging the latter.

"I know..." Fudge grinned excitedly as her eyes began to gleam.

Luigi thought about it too. Dinoco was the single most lucrative sponsorship the Piston Cup had to offer. There was not a single racer who wouldn't want to be sponsored by Dinoco. (Sure, Lightning turned them down, but that was more about loyalty than it was about not wanting it.) They sponsored quite a few of the most legendary racers in Piston Cup history (and Cal Weathers!). Now, they wanted his daughter too!

The Fiat hugged Fudge so tight that she almost choked. "My baby!" he shrieked. His eyes were filled with tears. "You have been offered the best sponsorship! I am so proud of you, my angel! So, so proud!" He kissed her forehead repeatedly.

Fudge grinned at him. Then at Cruz. "What do you say?"

"If you'll still be my rider crew chief, I'll take it. Either both of us race for Dinoco or neither of us does!"

"Of course I will." Fudge hugged Cruz, who hugged her back immediately. "Mr. Tex has been trying to get Lightning to race for him for years. I say it's about time we got someone from Radiator Springs on his side."

Everyone laughed.

Guido and Luigi's pride swelled up once again as the reporters swarmed Cruz and Fudge!

"Cruz! Fudge! Over here!"

"How does it feel to beat Jackson Storm?!"

"Take us through it!"

"Cruz! We've heard you and Fudge have accepted a sponsorship deal with Dinoco! What can you tell us about that?!"

Both young women grinned broadly as they recounted the incredible race!

Out of nowhere, a lavender Porsche with the RSN logo on her doors turned to Guido and Luigi. They recognised her: Amy Winslow. She had interviewed Lightning many times over the years and had hounded them at the hospital after Fudge's accident.

"You're Fudge Rossi-Topolino's parents, aren't you?" she questioned. "What do you make of your daughter's victory today?!"

Luigi couldn't answer. He just parked there, smiling as though he were savouring his favourite dessert. He simply couldn't put into words how proud he was of Fudge. Of course, she could be a garbage collector and he'd still be just as proud, but she'd done it! She was only sixteen and, already, she'd landed her dream job. How many people could say that?

What on Earth did I do to deserve her? the Fiat wondered to himself for the billionth time since Fudge was an infant. That was a question he didn't think he could ever answer. Horrible as she was, he really wanted to thank Fudge's mother. If it weren't for her, none of the amazing things that had happened over the last nearly seventeen years would have ever happened. Her loss was his gain, a blessing in disguise, really.

When Fudge was finally able to escape from the press, she made a beeline for her dads.

"Thank you!" she cried happily.

Both Guido and Luigi were puzzled. "For what?" the latter asked.

"Everything!" She wept into Luigi's fender out of sheer joy for a few minutes.

Both of them suspected that Fudge had been thinking about the same things they had.

"Don't thank us", Luigi whispered. "Thank you for coming into our lives!"

"(For being you!)" Guido added.

"I wouldn't have anything if it wasn't for you guys! Thank you so much for giving me a home, a family. Thank you for… for believing in me!"

Luigi hugged her tight. Their words of encouragement must have meant a lot to her as she had her doubts. "Of course we believe in you! You are our daughter!"

"(And)", Guido put in, seeing Fudge's sceptical look, "(a very talented racer.)"

The sixteen-year-old beamed.

"Still, there is no way we can change your mind about racing?" Luigi questioned sadly. He still didn't want to be that type of parent, but he still didn't want his precious angel getting hurt either.

Fudge hesitated. "No…"

Luigi smiled. "I suppose I have no choice then. I support you, angel, and I love you, no matter what. You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

The teenager reveled in those words much more than the reporters'. "I love you too! Both of you!"

With those words, the Rossi-Topolino family became engaged in a massive group hug that lasted a very long time. Not one of them knew how long, exactly, but they all loved every second of it.

Finally, Fudge broke away. "We better go. Mr. Tex is probably waiting for us." Luigi was going to sign the sponsorship paperwork on Fudge's behalf, as she was a minor.

Luigi smiled at her broadly. "Okay. Let's make you the new face of Dinoco! You are going to achieve wonderful things, Fudgie! I just know it!"

"Thanks!" Fudge responded with a grin. "I hope so!"

As the three of them headed off, Luigi grinned at his daughter. "You know, I don't have to sign the contracts", he teased. "If you prefer, I think you could make a lot of money sitting still and doing nothing!"

Like I said, I thought I could write something much better, but I guess I couldn't.

Judging by previous reviews I've received, you guys seem to think the RS gang shouldn't tell Fudge she can't race. Well, this is them learning to accept that. Honestly, I don't blame them, though. After all, their hearts are in the right place (even Fudge knows that, though it is frustrating). I think it'd be more horrible if they just let her race without batting an eye.

So far, all of the stories in this collection have been in chronological order, but I wanna focus a bit more on Fudge's life before Lightning showed up, so there'll probably be a lot more little Fudge soon.

In the meantime, please review! :)