A/N: I once again, apologise for the long wait. It's been almost more than a month since my last update, and the only way I can make it up is by letting you know this chapter has 2,000+ words.
I thank the 10 people who have favourited, and the 13 people who have followed. Your support keeps me going.
On another happy note, we've reached 1457 views. Yay!
This idea came to me about a week ago, and I've slowly reworked the chapter to make the puzzle pieces attach together solidly.
BlueStar, (my first reviewer, thank you!) mentioned that they'd like Sally to have her parts in the story, more.
I think I've done justice to her review by keeping Sally's chapter the longest. It just wouldn't end before that.
Reviews and PMs are welcome.
I hope to think faster, so I can post faster.
The bright orange lights that resembled conical structures slowly flickered off.
The Cozy Cone was finally closed for the night.
However, the lights of one of the cones remained on, except that it changed from a bright orange to a very dull blue, matching perfectly with the Porsche Carrera's paint job.
It helped Sally calm down and get a good night's rest on a regular day.
Today, though, the color enraged her.
Lightning shutting himself off from the rest of the world was the only thought that was replaying itself in her mind.
The color reminded of her inability to get Lightning to confide in her. Trust. That was what a relationship's basis was, wasn't it?
Raw emotion surfaced into her eyes for just a moment, but flitted away just as quickly as it arrived. The unspoken thought still hung in the air around her.
"Lightning doesn't trust me?"
Sally was stronger than that. A single thought would not break her.
Absolute stubbornness had propelled her to become a lawyer, her parents' arguments to the contrary firmly but politely shut down.
She reminded herself that Lightning shut himself off from everybody, not from Sally in particular.
In some ways, she hated that Lightning had a career that demanded a lot of travel, but Lightning also possessed the same stubbornness and drive to succeed as she did.
And, she knew better than anybody the struggle of trying to prove herself to people who were concerned about her and the agony caused when the same people doubted her.
She reined her emotions, as emotions had to be concealed, irrespective of true feelings and the truth, as they'd only get in the way.
Lightning was trying to show that he could handle situations himself.
As Sally pieced together the points of interest from Lightning's behaviour, she understood the events of the past few days.
Lightning thought he was a failure.
He wanted to show everybody that he still had it in him after his first true loss. Lightning was a generally amicable car who loved Radiator Springs as much as anybody else did.
Sally was transported back to an earlier time, when Lightning had just showed up in town, and after a series of unfortunate events, had reached the Piston Cup just in time.
She remembered how Lightning's face practically glowed with enthusiasm as the whole town gathered to send him off for his face off against Chick Hicks.
People support really made Lightning grow.
Sally recounted how Lightning had told her that throughout the race, the only thing he could remember was Radiator Springs and the townsfolk, which brought Sally a lot of happiness.
She knew that Lightning had grown out of the cocky, arrogant, self-centered person he was and had matured greatly.
However, not all of Lightning's past had left him.
His insecurities still remained.
Sally was curious about how Lightning could think that the town would judge him based on how his racing career was, though nobody in the town was that shallow.
She knew, however, that this was Lightning's battle to fight. Lightning and only Lightning had the power to repel the insecurities.
Everybody else could be a guiding force in helping Lightning achieve that goal, but only by Lightning's willpower could his insecurities go away.
For she had also been insecure, at some point in her life.
Sally decided to drive farther down Memory Lane. She was already quarter of the way there.
It wouldn't hurt a little to reminisce.
She could easily what attracted her to Lightning. They were possessed of the same stuff, with the instances showing just a few years apart.
She was born in San Francisco, where she had lived most of her life before moving to Los Angeles and working as a top-notch lawyer.
She'd learned that being firm and polite was the way to go. Anger was never a part of her portfolio. Anger would only hinder her reasoning, causing crucial details to be overlooked and irrational decisions to be made.
Every now and then, a life had been deposited in her hands. A life was never to be something that was to be played over.
Every decision counted. Every second when the court was in session mattered.
She was as polite as were her dues fair.
She had won all of her cases. Fair and square.
She'd achieved great success in her field. She knew which buttons to push while retaining utmost honesty and professionalism.
She still didn't feel satisfied. Why?
When this thought surfaced in Sally's mind, she initially dismissed the thought, thinking it was her body's automatic defensive reaction for whenever the nights spent researching cases were long and tiresome.
That question never left her, though.
From that day, a question was planted firmly in her mind, it's roots stretching deep into her brain's crevices, which no amount of dismissal could uproot.
Sally knew, however, that she would half to face the question, sooner or later. Her nature would never allow her to forget it.
She spent many sleepless nights on this question, even heading over to the library and reading books on personal satisfaction until her eyes had blurred over.
None of that information had ever been internalised, however.
Her recall mechanism when studying tough rules and topics in laws had never failed her.
Except when it had.
She researched the internet as well, refusing to believe she was at a dead end.
The feeling that this was a question she'd have to seek the answer to by herself had slowly gained traction, and that also never left her.
She'd always felt that 'soul searching' was frivolous and unnecessary, but now she could clearly see how it came back to bite her.
One day, she'd finally cracked.
The incapability of finding satisfaction at her job had consumed Sally until she was no more capable of forming coherent thoughts.
Her unusually distracted nature didn't go unnoticed.
Her colleagues noticed that her attention spans seemed much shorter than usual, and suggested that she take some time off.
The fact that Sally hastily agreed was of even more surprise, who were anticipating the usual reply of the workaholic.
Sally had earned enough through many high profile cases to lead a comfortable life for a few more years.
The answer was simple enough, but even the most simplest of changes can lead to far-reaching changes. She'd never realised it until now, when it was right in front of her eyes.
She didn't have a work-life balance, and that, exactly that, was stressing her out.
She tried to think when the last birthday party she went to was, when the last time she had inhaled the morning chilly winter air was, or when she had even decided to treat herself to a night of Monopoly.
She'd made a routine and had stuck to it as a leech sticks to the hoods of cars.
It had started off as something interesting, but had quickly tipped toward methodical and monotonous.
She'd work or contemplate on her thoughts until she was exhausted, and the very same had become a cycle, a chain of events that had grew to define her life so much, which she hadn't even aware of,
She also noted the fact that she never had any true friendships or people whom she could rely upon, people who could bring her back when she'd jumped off the far edge of reality with a blindfold.
Back from her little hiatus, she'd gone back and informed the firm and her colleagues that she was going to start freelancing.
Sally was feeling a bit rebellious, and decided that she'd do something completely unplanned.
She decided to travel along the Interstate, and visit the smaller towns.
Initially, this was planned as a part of a miniature vacation that she wanted to embark on.
She'd visited many towns over the course of one month, most of them in Oklahoma, including Adair, Achille, Alderson, and Empire City.
As she got back on Route 66 after departing from Empire City, she came across a sign board that pointed toward a town called Radiator Springs.
Little did she know that this town would change her life, forever.
As she entered into the town, she was met with the most eccentric of people.
People whose personalities were supposed to not gel, but did so anyway.
She raised her eyebrows, amused at the way everybody was arguing, and decided to just drive through the town and see what it had to offer.
As she drove through town, it seemed to be very ordinary and homely, unlike the other other towns she visited, which seemed to be leaning more toward developing into a city.
She did love cities with their hustle and bustle, but Radiator Springs seemed to be the sweet spot, with just enough village and a much lesser amount of city.
Just the way she liked it.
There's no point in being a Porsche without racing through the town at 140 miles per hour. As she revved her engine, she caught sight of the sleeping Mercury, with the Sheriff insignia on his door.
Sally rolled her eyes.
The second her engine touched 80 miles, she knew the Sheriff would mysteriously awaken and be hot on her tail.
She decided to continue along until she reached the higher altitudes of the village, where she was sure the old Mercury wouldn't be able to hear her, or chase her fast enough.
As she revved her engine, she drove through the circular path carved around the mountain, with wisps of smoke left in her wake.
Her exhaust started acting up, and she went down to 80 miles an hour.
She finally managed to reach the top of the mountain, and looked around to see something called the Wheel Well Motel.
As her gaze shifted upward, it became apparent where it's name was from.
She slowly went toward the other side of the mountain, and gazed at the breathtaking view, unable to speak.
She saw how the road complemented the natural features of the area, and the many others that were enjoying the scenery.
She'd seen her fair share of natural wonders around the country, but something about this place hit differently.
As she drove back, physically exhausted, but mentally satisfied, she quietly and quickly had a meal.
Looking around, she realised she was the last person in Flo's Cafe, and turned toward the owner.
"Miss Flo?" she called.
"Anything you'd like, dear? Call me Flo, by the way." came the reply, as a smiling Flo turned toward Sally.
"Just the bill, please. And, is there any good place to stay in for a few nights?" asked Sally.
"There's one, the only one, and it's the best." replied Flo, motioning toward the mountain.
"The Wheel Well Motel, right?" responded Sally.
"Mhmm." affirmed Flo.
"Oh. I was hoping there was something closer. I am not really up for chugging back up the mountain." replied Sally, with a yawn which was quickly stifled.
"There was the Cozy Cone motel, but nobody has decided to renovate it, and it's currently lying in a disrepair. You see, dear, we're a bit short of funds." stated Flo, as her smile seemed to deflate.
The infrastructure was fine, though slightly aging.
"Well, if there's anything I can do-" started Sally.
"Thank you, dear. Don't burden your pretty little head with such thoughts, though. You're a guest. We're here to help you, not the other way around." cut in Flo, her evergreen smile back on her face.
"You'll be around for breakfast tomorrow, right?" asked Flo.
"Of course, Flo." replied Sally.
"I'm sorry for keeping you up. You must be tired." continued Flo.
"Exhausted is more like it, Flo. I'll be on my way, then." said Sally, as she stifled another yawn.
"Alright, dear." said Flo, as she followed Sally to the exit to close the place up for the night.
By this time, however, Sally had found her eyelids drooping so much that no amount of energy spent would keep her awake.
"Anything the matter, dear?" cut in Flo, concerned.
"Not at all, Flo." replied Sally, as a yawn that she could not stifle escaped from her mouth.
Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
"You know what? You seem in no condition to trudge up that mountain. How about you stay in one of the rooms in the back for the night?" offered Flo.
"Thank you, Flo, but I've accepted enough hospitality from you, already." replied Sally, as she shook her head.
"Nonsense, dear. The hospitality offered only gets larger from here on." as Flo steered her to a room.
Sally, realising that it would be futile to argue, went along with the plan.
"You get a good night's rest. Maybe you can meet some of the other townsfolk tomorrow morning." said Flo, but Sally had already fallen asleep.
A chuckling Flo quickly turned off the light and exited the room.
A week had quickly turned into a month's stay, and Sally planned on staying even longer than that.
After a while, she wondered how she'd ever got through without these eccentric, but lovable townsfolk, who now had a disgruntled lawyer as another one of their company.
The Cozy Cone had been renovated and had its grand re-opening shortly after.
The memory ended and retreated to the recesses of her mind with Sally being left with a large smile, as the lights of the last cone flickered off.