Of Rain and Thunderstorms
by Firebird (FireSaturn)

DISCLAIMER: Cars, its plot, setting, and characters are not mine, but belongs to Pixar Disney. Sapphire Sky, Amber Weathers, Tony Blitz, and Donny belong to me.

CHAPTER FOUR

"Ah, so this is where she has ended up, eh?" a 1997 black Toyota Supra mused with a sly grin on his front.

The silent Ford Explorer sitting next to the Supra nodded without speaking. His name was Donny and he was the head henchcar of Tony Blitz, a well-known and dangerous drug-lord from New York.

"Look at this place, Donny," said Blitz as he rolled as close to the cliff edge as he dared, "This little, measly dump that these residents call Radiator Springs is defenseless. No one can stand up to me."

Again, the Explorer nodded silently.

"And Amber, my poor, dear Amber, is cooped up here," Tony cooed in mock sympathy, "She is mine and will forever be mine. I will kill the first car who ever gets in my way."

Meanwhile, in town, Amber was pacing restlessly in front of Flo's while the other cars watched her anxiously. They were just as worried as she was. If her ex-boyfriend came, they feared what he might do, since Amber had explained how vicious Tony was to her.

"Hon," said Flo finally, "you're gonna a wear a hole in the pavement if you don't stop that."

The Pontiac Trans Am stopped and looked apologetically at the show car-turned-business owner. She smiled and rolled up to sit between Boost and Sapphire.

"I know," replied Amber, "I'm sorry, Flo. It's just that I'm afraid of what Tony will do if he finds me here and what will happen to you guys if you get in his way."

"If I ever get my wheels on Tony again," growled Sapphire, "I won't be so lenient with him, like I was last time."

A silky, baritone-like laugh floated over. Everyone turned and saw two black vehicles making their way slowly over to Flo's Diner. Sapphire and Amber recognized them to Tony Blitz and Donny.

"Lenient?" laughed Tony, "Please, Julia. You were never lenient with me. You've caused me alot of pain and suffering last time and I will not go through that again."

Sapphire glowered. She hasn't heard anyone call her by her family name in years after she took on the moniker of Sapphire Sky to be able to make it in the racing world in which she was now a professional racer.

"You're not welcome here, Tony," she told the Supra.

Tony laughed again and rolled up to where Amber was parked by one of the pumps. Boost tried to roll forward, but when he saw the Ford Explorer glower at him, he retreated behind Doc Hudson. He didn't want to get banged up as badly as he had been the other day.

"Since when have I ever been unwelcome in a cozy little town as this?" Tony asked, then turned to the Trans Am, "Ah, Amber. You don't know how much anguish and worry you have caused me when you left our happy home in Upstate New York. Come back with me and me can renew our relationship as we had enjoyed it before."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Tony," replied Amber defiantly, "You've hurt me too much to make me ever want to go back to be abused again."

"Abuse you?" Tony feined shock, "You think I have abused you? This must've come from that silly little imagination of yours."

Amber gasped and slowly began to back away. An angry roar of a racecar engine stopped him. Sapphire was growling and stalking toward Tony.

"You touch my sister and I'll..." she warned with a dangerous roar of her engine.

"Or you'll what?" Tony challenged the racecar.

"I'm too smart to fall for that, Tony," Sapphire said, "Besides, I can trounce you again if I wanted to. But I won't. So how about a little race instead. See if you can best a professional racecar."

"That sounds like a challenge," Tony smiled, "Where and when?"

"Willy's Butte. At noon. Be there."

"That is a promise," replied Tony as he turned around, signalling for Donny to follow him out of Radiator Springs to wait for the appointed time.

After a moment of silence, the others turned to Sapphire, surprised at what she had just done.

"Why did you do that?" Sheriff was the first one to ask the question that was everyone's minds.

"I've had some challenges before," replied Sapphire, "Mostly from Chick Hicks. Tony doesn't even compare to my rival on the racetrack and makes Chick sound like and angel."

"But this race isn't going to held at Willy's Butte, not at one of those motor speedways where the Piston Cup is always held," Doc Hudson explained, "Can you race on dirt?"

"Sure. I did it in Hazzard County with General Lee," replied Sapphire, a smile appearing on her grill, "I even learned a few tricks from him."

"I heard Dad mention General Lee before during one of our phone conversations," said Amber, "He was the one who pushed you across the finish line right after Chick made you crash."

Sapphire nodded. She still remembered that horrible wreck that Chick had forced her to endure. General Lee had gently pushed her across the finish line as she was too badly damaged to do it herself. His kind eyes, soft smile, and drawling baritone voice was what she remembered the most about General Lee Duke.

It was noon. A hot summer day. Everyone was gathered at Willy's Butte to watch the race between Sapphire and Tony. Sapphire let Luigi and Guido be her cheerleaders of sorts, bringing their Ferrari memoriabilia along with them.

The rules were simple. As Sheriff explained to the two contenders, they will go around Willy's Butte in five laps (just to make it interesting) and the first one to finish the last lap and crosses the makeshift finish line wins. The loser has to leave Radiator Springs forever and never come back. Everyone cheered for Sapphire.

"On-a your marks," called Luigi excitedly, "Get set! Go!"

With the wave of the flag, the two cars roared off around the dirt track. Sapphire took the slope easily, countersteering without any serious problems.

"Who knew Sapphire knew how to countersteer," Lightning comments from audience row.

Tony was having a harder time at it, but he pulled through, managing to returned to the track the same time Sapphire did and both were racing fender to fender. The sharp turn left was quickly coming up and Sapphire tried the turn right to go left trick that she had seen Lightning do at her father's last race. Tony slowed down a little so he could take the curve without skidding off an incline and into a cactus patch. Everyone wished that he would somehow be thrown into the cactus patch sooner or later.

The four other laps went the same way as the first one without a hitch. At one point Tony tried to slam Sapphire, but she quickly got out of his way.

"You race like Chick Hicks," Sapphire called behind her.

"Who in the heck is Chick Hicks?" demanded the angry Supra.

"Oh, just someone I know," snickered the racecar.

Tony growled and stared after Sapphire's retreating form. This time he wasn't looking where he was driving and skidded off the incline and into the cactus patch. Laughter floated over from the spectators.

Cheers erupted suddenly, telling Tony that he had lost the race and that Sapphire had won. The Supra tried to reverse from the cactus patch, but it was no use. He was stuck. Shortly, a tow hook latched onto his back bumper, startling him. He was fished out backwards by the tow truck named Mater.

Thoroughly humiliated by the racecar, Tony and his henchcar, Donny, slunk out of Radiator Springs an hour later and left Ornament Valley and Route 66 behind forever, like he had promised before the race. He was never heard from again.

"Thanks for standing up for me, Sis," Amber approached Sapphire, who was sitting at the start line at Willy's Butte later that day.

"Hey, you're my kid sister," replied Sapphire, "I wouldn't want anything bad happen to you. I love you too much to see you get hurt by that loser."

Amber nuzzled her sister's fender. "I love you too, Sapphire."

The two sisters sat in silence for a moment, watching the sunset announce the end of the day. Amber thought of something. She turned toward the racecar.

"Hey, do you think that someday I might get to meet General Lee?" asked Amber, "From what you said about him, he sounds like very nice car."

"He is," replied Sapphire, "come to Hazzard County with me someday and I'll introduce you to him."

Again, there was silence.

"What about you're relationship with Junior?" Amber looked at her sister with a serious expression on her face.

"Oh, Junior and I are just friends, that's all," replied the racer, "We do sometimes help each other on the track or instigate a friendly rivalry, but other than that, our relationship hasn't gone far enough to make us more than best friends."

"Oh," sighed the Trans Am.

"Something up, Amber?" asked Sapphire, concerned for her sister.

"Um, you know Boost, right?" Amber decided to get this over with.

"He's that import tuner that shoved you into a ditch," Sapphire quickly guessed what her sister was implying, "You like him? Isn't he a little too young for you?"

"I know it sounds strange, but the day he arrived in Radiator Springs all torn and banged up, I felt, I dunno, sympathy for him, I guess," Amber explained, "He was the one who came and warned me about Tony. That was really considerate of him to do that, in my book."

"I hafta agree with that," said the racer.

Silence again.

Ya know," Sapphire said playfully to Amber, "it's been years since we last played together. What do ya say, a little race around Willy's Butte. Loser buys breakfast at Flo's tomorrow."

You're on," Amber zoomed off.

"Heh heh," Sapphire chuckled and raced after her sister.

The End