This is a story I promised a while ago and despite the Cars FFN page- not to mention the Cars fandom- is pretty much dead, I still wanted to keep that promise. And I wanted to do it before Cars On the Road (I am so excited for that!).
This one isn't great because I didn't have many ideas and I know next to nothing about weddings. Plus, I feel like it's a little too OC-centric. Still, I hope you enjoy anyway.
Sammy's Wedding
It was a somewhat familiar scene for me. I was sat on the ground, watching the most famous Disney characters parade down the street, amid an array of bright colours that stood out against the black of night. It was an amazing end to another wonderful day at a Disney theme park. I had been to Disney plenty of times (Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea; Disneyland Paris and Disney World in Florida once each and Disneyland, California, which is where I was now eleven times, once a year since I was five, almost six).
The only thing that had really changed about the scene was who was there with me. Of course, my family in Radiator Springs where with me, just like always, except for Uncle Doc, who had passed away seven years ago. Then there were the new people: my new racing buddies- Cruz Ramirez, Danny Swervez, Ryan Laney, Chase Racelott, Bubba Wheelhouse, Joey Sparks, Flick Turner and Blake Fitzgibbons- some of my biological family- my half-siblings, Sammy and RJ Rose- and Sammy's boyfriend, Phil Marshall; his kids, son-in-law and grandkids. It was almost unbelievable that someone like me could be surrounded by family. (If you were abandoned at birth, you'd know what I mean.)
KA-BOOM!
I nearly jumped right out of my skin as fireworks danced across the night sky. Fireworks are pretty and all, but they combine two of my biggest fears: fire and loud noises. Still, I managed a sigh of happiness. Yesterday had truly been an unforgettable day, winning my first Piston Cup and making history. Now, today had been unforgettable too. I'd had a blast going on lots of rides with my family and my closest friends.
Foolishly, I believed that watching the fireworks signified the end of the day. I was wrong.
"Close your eyes and make a wish, honey", I heard Phil whisper to Sammy behind me.
"Okay", Sammy replied.
A second later, I heard gasps and soft cries, so, naturally, I was curious. I turned around too.
Phil was down on one knee.
I gasped too. Sammy, with her eyes still closed, raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Okay, honey. Open your eyes."
So, she did. And she immediately began to cry. She clasped her hands over her mouth and her face turned bright pink.
"Samantha Jean Marigold Rose", Phil popped the question with a big smile on his face, "will you marry me?"
"Oh, my God!" Sammy exclaimed. "Yes!"
Phil slipped the ring on her finger and everyone around us applauded, even people we didn't know.
I'll be honest, I was more than a little surprised. I was shocked enough that Sammy had gotten into a relationship that lasted more than a month. And she most definitely did not seem like the type to get married. In fact, she had made it very clear to me before how she'd felt about marriage (quote: "Half of all marriages end in divorce; the other half end in death, which ain't much better." I know that sounds pretty cynical, but I must admit, she does have a point.) I was glad that Phil had opened her mind up a little. I was overjoyed for both of them.
Needless to say, I went to bed very happy that night. My first Piston Cup victory, a super day at Disneyland (both of which, I had shared with my fabulous family and awesome friends) and a wedding. Could there possibly be any more wonderful in my life?
Unfortunately, I was awake early the next morning. Blake, Joey and Flick were all flying back to their hometowns (Des Moines, Indianapolis and New Orleans respectively) early that morning and I wanted to see them off.
What was also unfortunate was that, even though it was still dark outside when they left, I could not get back to sleep. Even worse, it wasn't like I even had any plans that day. The following day, Cruz and I had interviews and Mr. Tex wanted to renew our sponsorship. So, that day, I had no plans whatsoever.
However, these seemingly unfortunate things turned out to be quite fortunate things in the end because the day turned out to be a very busy one.
"Fudge!" I heard a voice hiss from behind a door that was open just a crack.
I stopped short. "Sammy?"
"C'mere!"
Uncertainly, I entered the room. Both my sister and Phil were fully dressed, surprisingly. They were also both wearing ginormous smiles. I was almost afraid.
"What's up?" I wanted to know.
Sammy and Phil looked at each other. "You tell her, honey!" the latter urged.
"Tell me what?" I questioned curiously.
"Me and Phil decided to get married today!" Sammy exclaimed excitedly.
I was taken aback. "Today?"
"Yes", Phil confirmed. "While both our families are all still here in California. Besides, I'm sixty-three years old. I don't want to wait for this!" He laughed.
"And I have a very important question to ask", Sammy added, smiling warmly at me. "Fudge Rossi-Topolino... Will you be my maid of honour?"
The question both surprised and pleased me. "Really?" I had been to a couple of weddings before (my cousins in Italy and I attended the ceremony when Aunt Flo and Uncle Ramone decided to renew their vows on their fiftieth wedding anniversary), but never had I been asked to be a bridesmaid. This was amazing.
"Yes, really!" Sammy laughed. "You want to!"
"Absolutely!" I threw my arms around her. "Thank you so, so much!"
Sammy shrugged good-naturedly and hugged me back. "No problem. Now, listen, maid of honour, if we're gonna get this wedding done today, then we've got a lot of work to do. So, let's get started!"
My first task as maid of honour was helping to assemble my Radiator Springs family, Sammy's Thomasville family, Phil's family, Finn and Holley at a table for breakfast in the hotel. Phil's kids weren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of their father's marriage, but said nothing. RJ had kind of a sad look on his face too.
"Something wrong, RJ?" Sammy wanted to know.
"Not jealous 'cause your sister's getting married, are you?" Smokey teased.
"No!" RJ cried defensively. "No! I was just thinking about how much I miss my girlfriend."
"You have a girlfriend?" Sammy asked sceptically. He hadn't dated anybody since Penny Lewis- whom he claimed to be the love of his life- moved back to Kentucky for college.
"Uh... Yeah, I do", RJ insisted. "I didn't say anything before because we haven't been going out that long. It's only been a few weeks."
"Yeah? What's her name?" Junior wanted to know.
"Lily", my half-brother replied smugly.
"Lily?" Smokey repeated, also sounding sceptical as he pointed to a vase of lilies on the table.
"Yes. Lily."
"Sure you have a girlfriend", Sammy teased.
"Come on!" RJ groaned. "Are we planning this wedding or not?"
I was amazed by how quickly everything went. In under an hour, we had it all worked out. It was going to be a simple wedding on the beach at sunset. Plus, we had everyone's roles in the wedding organised. Cruz, Louise and Phil's daughter, Erin, were going to be bridesmaids too. Phil's son, Reggie, would be the best man and Reggie's daughters, Brianna and Macy, would be the flower girls. We all had to laugh and agree when Sammy thought it would be funny if we used Herman as the ring bearer.
"We could just secure the box to a ribbon around his neck!" my half-sister explained.
Papà, Babbo, River, Junior and Reggie's husband, Derek Chang, would be groomsmen (Papà and Babbo were only chosen, so they could escort me down the aisle). Uncle Sheriff was officiating. Flo agreed to sing. Finn, Uncle Sarge and Uncle Ramone offered to cater (which meant going to McDonald's; I told you it was going to be a fairly simple wedding.) RJ was the photographer, of course. Then, after those details, came a sight that I never thought I would see: gruff Smokey had tears in his eyes. Why? It was because of the favour Sammy had just requested of him for the wedding.
"Y'know, Smokey", she began, "since I ain't got a father to walk me down the aisle, I was thinking... Well, I- I would be honoured if you would escort me down the aisle."
That was when the tears sprang to the pickup truck's eyes. "You really want me to escort you down the aisle?" he asked, sniffling a little.
"Sure", Sammy replied. She kind of looked like she was about to cry too. "I mean, I guess you've always been like a father to me."
"I would be honoured!" Smokey assured her, enveloping her in a big hug.
I couldn't help smiling.
"All right!" Sammy barked, letting go of Smokey. "We got a lot of work to do today, but I think, with all of us working together, we can pull this off!"
Several of us cheered.
Pretty soon, we had our assignments. I won't bore with everyone's assignments, but after Sammy and Phil picked up their marriage license, I was going to go dress shopping with Sammy, Erin, Cruz, Louise, Brianna and Macy. (Even though Cruz and Louise obviously didn't need dresses, we still decided that they should come with us because they were bridesmaids too.)
"Let's go!" Sammy hollered.
"I love weddings!" RJ proclaimed as we jumped into a cab to a shopping mall. "You know, I met Lily at a wedding. I was the photographer and she was a bridesmaid."
"Does Lily have a last name?" I questioned, not quite as sceptical as the Thomasville crowd was.
"Pham", RJ replied, just as we past a Vietnamese restaurant called Pham's. "What? She's Vietnamese! Well, half Vietnamese, half Alaskan native."
"Uh-huh", Sammy droned as we past a travel agency advertising deals to Alaska.
"I live in Alaska!" RJ pointed out. "It's not hard to believe. She's from Fairbanks."
"Right..." Sammy pointed to a sign advertising a fair bank.
Sammy shrugged. "If you say so. And what does Lily do for a living?"
"She owns a bakery. And she's working on a novel."
Wouldn't you know it? We just happened to pass a bakery, followed by a bookstore.
"D'you have a photo?" Sammy continued to interrogate her little brother.
"Nope", he answered. "This is a brand new phone. I don't have any pictures yet."
"What about your camera? You're a photographer."
"Just replaced the card."
"Okay, RJ!" Sammy scoffed disbelievingly as the taxi pulled to a stop and she and I scrambled out. "Well, let me know if you can think of anything else you can tell us about Lily. In the meantime, I have to prepare for my real wedding."
Even though the wedding talk was all very exciting, I must admit, I was mentally absent as we made our way through store after store, trying to find the perfect dresses for each of us. Tons of human girls and women love clothes shopping. Me? I can't imagine anything more boring! Maybe I'd like it more if I were interested in fashion, but I hate getting dressed up too; I'd rather be comfortable. I wouldn't even know how to dress up, even if I wanted to. And this was Los Angeles. There seemed to be no end to the stores available in the city.
Let me tell you, though. When Sammy came out of the changing room in her wedding dress, I definitely paid attention. She looked so excited, so happy, it was impossible not to feel happy for her. Not to mention, it wasn't easy finding a wedding dress that fit when she was pregnant with twins, but she looked... Well, there are no words to describe how she looked.
"Oh, my God!" was how I answered when she asked everyone how she looked.
"Oh, my God good, or, Oh, my God bad?" she quizzed me.
"Good!" I assured her hurriedly, even though they word felt inadequate. "Definitely good!"
"Absolutely beautiful!" Louise confirmed.
"Like a princess!" Brianna and Macy marvelled.
Erin remained ominously quiet.
Sammy blushed. "Thanks! I love it too!"
"So, let's get it!" Cruz squealed, just as excited as I was.
"Yes!" Sammy cried. "Then bridesmaids and flower girl dresses!"
"Great!" I answered, making an effort to be enthusiastic.
I tried to be interested in getting my bridesmaid dress; I really did, but I told you. I hate clothes shopping. To keep myself entertained, I decided to ask polite questions to Erin. Since she was going to be my step-niece (God, that sounds so weird! She's twenty-nine years old and I'm only seventeen!), I decided it would be nice to get to know her. Unfortunately, I don't think she was exactly interested in getting to know me. Sure, she was polite in answering all of my questions, it was obvious that she wasn't thrilled that her father was marrying someone younger than she was. Despite that, I found out that she still lived in North Carolina where she and her brother were born and raised; she worked as a flight attendant; she had a cat named Milly and she lived alone.
Brianna and Macy were a little more talkative, telling me all about their lives in Olympia, Washington; their dog; their friends at school and the presents they were hoping to get for Christmas. Either they didn't notice that their grandfather was marrying someone more than half his age or they didn't care. I have never been really good with children, but all I really had to do was smile and nod, act like everything they said was so cool.
"Hey, Fudge!" Sammy called while Macy was in the middle of telling me about the time she had a sleepover at her best friend's house. "You like this?"
She was holding up a fuchsia silk dress that did look nice, despite what I said about getting dressed up.
"Yeah!" I nodded enthusiastically. Then I noticed how big it was. "I don't think that's my size, though."
"This is Erin's", Sammy explained. Well, that made sense; Erin was significantly tall, while I'm pretty short. "Well, I think you and Erin should wear matching dresses... What size are you?"
It took a little hunting, but we found a dress for me that matched Erin's. We tried them on and they looked great!
"So... Is this it?" I wanted to know. Sammy had her wedding dress and a new bracelet (something new!); Brianna and Macy had matching pale pink dresses and now, we had the bridesmaid dresses. None of us needed shoes. Why? Since this was a beach wedding, we decided to all go barefoot.
"Yep, that's everything", Sammy confirmed. "Now, we better get going! We got a wedding to put on!"
"Hey, Fudge?" Sammy got my attention. We were back at the hotel, getting dressed.
"Yeah?" I replied.
"D'you still have that star necklace McQueen got you?"
"Yeah. You wanna wear it?"
"Would you mind?" she requested, sounding like she didn't really want to ask. "I need something borrowed."
"Sure", I agreed. "What else do you have?"
"I got my new bracelet today", she answered. "These earrings are sapphires." She pointed to the beautiful blue earrings. "And this pearl pin", she gestured to it, "my grandmother gave it to me for sixteenth birthday and it belonged to her grandmother, so it's an antique."
I nodded, satisfied. "Cool."
"Can I do your hair, Fudge?" Brianna offered. "I'm very good with hair."
"She is", Macy confirmed.
"Sure", I agreed, confident that any ten-year-old could do a better job with my hair than I could.
As Brianna got to work, I heard a very heavy sigh come from Sammy.
"You okay?" I questioned worriedly.
"You're not planning on running away and not marrying my father, are you?" Erin asked, sounding almost hopeful.
"Of course not!" Sammy assured us hurriedly. "I love Phil so much! I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. I just... I wish my mom could be here to see this."
"I'm sure she will be", I offered, knowing full well that that wasn't going to mean anything to Sammy. She didn't believe in heaven or hell, or reincarnation, or any kind of afterlife, for that matter. She believed that when you're dead, you're dead. That's it. There's nothing else. Sammy had never been religious, but she was a devout atheist ever since she saw her mother get shot dead, which I can understand.
Not surprisingly, Sammy shook her head. "How can she be? She's dead."
Nobody quite knew what to say after that.
I think we were all relieved when Brianna sang out, "Done!" She handed me a mirror and I could not believe how different I looked. She had just swept it off to the side, but I thought I looked quite grownup. The dress helped with that too. I no longer looked like Fudge Rossi-Topolino. I looked like... I don't know who or what I looked like, but I liked it.
Knock, knock!
Louise opened the door to find Papà there.
"I just wanted to make sure Fudge is okay", he explained. "And remind everyone that you are expected on the beach in thirty minutes."
Sammy nodded. "Okay, we're just about ready", she assured him.
It was Papà's turn to nod right before he gasped. Obviously, he had just noticed me. "Oh! My angel! You look so beautiful!"
I blushed. "Thanks!"
"Okay. Thirty minutes", Papà repeated before closing the door.
"Thirty minutes!" Sammy squealed excitedly.
She and Louise hugged each other. Then we all started rushing around, determined to be ready in time. Thirty minutes, thirty minutes!
Then it was, "Fifteen minutes!"
Then, "Ten minutes!"
Then, "Five minutes!"
Finally, "It's time!"
This time, we all hugged and squealed, even Erin. Trying to hurry, but without tripping or making a mess of ourselves, we made a beeline for the beach.
Everyone else was already there. I could see the shadows of Phil and Uncle Sheriff by the makeshift altar. Finn, Holley and most of my Radiator Springs family were gathered in front of it. We were met by the rest of the wedding party: Smokey, Junior, River, Herman, Derek and Reggie.
"Is everyone ready?" Smokey wanted to know. He handed us our flowers that Uncle Red had done an excellent job of picking out. I wasn't sure what kind they were, but they were absolutely beautiful.
We all answered with things like, "Yep", or, "Ready as we'll ever be."
"And everyone knows what they're supposed to do?" Smokey quizzed us.
We all nodded.
Behind me, I became aware of Erin muttering to herself. "Why is she even marrying him? I bet she's a gold digger!"
I debated whether or not I should tell Sammy. In the end, I decided not to. Call me chicken, but I also didn't want to ruin her special day. Besides, Sammy could take care of herself.
Plus, I liked what Reggie told her: "I don't exactly love it either, Erin, but we can't criticise who people fall in love with." To emphasise his point, he squeezed his husband's hand. "Dad certainly didn't criticise my life decisions."
"Reggie!" Uncle Sheriff called out just then. "We need you here!"
So, Reggie left, leaving Erin still standing there with a sour expression on her face.
"This is it!" Sammy murmured, looking like she was about to both laugh and cry.
"You'll be great", I assured her.
Sammy nodded. "I know." (Not exactly modest, but that's Sammy.) She turned to Brianna and Macy. "Okay, girls. You're on."
Solemnly, Brianna and Macy walked down the aisle, scattering flowers. They hadn't taken more than two steps before I heard Uncle Red blubbering. That was no surprise. He's quite often crying.
Then it was Herman's turn. He ran down the aisle with the box attached to him with a ribbon, honking loudly. Often, he would go off in some other direction, wherever he wanted to go, really, and it would be up to one of my family members to steer him back on track. At least while Herman was coming down the aisle, people's tears turned into laughter. I don't think anybody- not even Uncle Sarge- kept a straight face.
"Okay, Fudge, you're next", Smokey whispered to me.
"I'm ready", I assured him, clutching my flowers.
I was escorted down the aisle by Papà and Babbo. It was hard to see with the setting sun sending its golden rays directly into my eyes. It was very beautiful, though, with the pink sky; shimmering, crashing waves and the guests glowing in the sunset. It was so bright, I barely noticed the flash of RJ's camera, but I could hear it clicking. I loved the feeling of the sand between my toes and the wind blowing in my face gently.
I could not stop giggling because I was so excited and nervous. My dads had tears in their eyes.
"Fudgie!" Papà cried. "I did not think I would be escorting you down the aisle when you were so young!"
"Relax!" I laughed. "I'm not getting married!"
Papà laughed too. "That is a relief. I don't think I could ever get over the day I would lose you to someone who will never be good enough for you."
"Papà! You will never lose me!"
All around me, I was vaguely aware of gasps and whispers from my family. I could tell that they were saying that I looked beautiful, which made me blush and giggle even more.
Behind me were Cruz and Junior; River and Louise; and Erin and Derek, in that order. I heard Cruz remark, "Now, I'm glad Mr. McQueen taught me how to drive on sand." I tried not to giggle, but since I was giggling already, I failed.
Finally, Sammy came down the aisle, escorted by Smokey, who was smiling like a proud father. She looked simply stunning in her wedding dress, the silver sparkles on it glowing even more in the setting sun. She still looked like she was going to both laugh and cry. Me? I was smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. Both she and Phil, who was wearing a white tuxedo and obviously on the verge of tears, appeared to be very much in love.
My heart started beating a little faster when Sammy arrived at the altar. This was it. The ceremony was about to begin.
"Friends, family", Uncle Sheriff began, "we gather here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony."
I caught a glimpse of Sammy and Phil. I don't think they were even listening to Uncle Sheriff or even aware that the rest of us were still around. They were just staring into each other's eyes, each with a goofy smile on their face.
I didn't think that they would know when it was time for the vows, but they did
Sammy gazed deeply into Phil's eyes. "Phil", she began, "I've lived a pretty crazy life, full of adventure. You wouldn't believe half the things I've done. I've always loved the feeling I got whenever I started a new adventure, I loved the way it got my blood pumping. But now, you are the only adventure I need. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you."
I could hear several people crying, but Uncle Red was the loudest.
Then it was Phil's turn.
"In 1990, my beloved wife, Lisa, was taken from me in such a sudden, tragic and violent manner. For a very long time, I thought that I could never be happy again. And for an even longer time, I thought that I could never fall in love again. Then I met you, Sammy. Not only are you so beautiful, strong, kind and unique, but you taught me that even though it hurts to lose the ones we love, we should never stop loving. For that and so much more, I say thank you."
Uncle Red's sniffling grew louder.
"Do you, Philip Reginald Marshall, take Samantha Jean Marigold Rose to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"
Phil beamed. "I do."
"Do you, Samantha Jean Marigold Rose, take Philip Reginald Marshall to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, till death do you part?"
Tears shone in Sammy's eyes. "I do."
"Who has the rings?" Uncle Sheriff asked.
Reggie and I stepped forward. He removed the box from the ribbon and opened it. He took one of the rings out and handed it to his father, who placed it on Sammy's finger. Then I took the other ring and handed it to Sammy, who placed it on Phil's finger.
"By the power invested in me", Uncle Sheriff announced, "I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
The newlywed couple were more than happy to oblige, leaning towards each other and kissing for quite a long time.
Finally, the guests just started cheering and either clapping honking, depending on their species, to get them to wrap it up. Red was sniffling and Mater was bawling. (He did once say he always cried at weddings. Now, I could see that it was true.) They looked startled for a moment before recovering, only for both of them to start crying. They were ridiculously happy and everyone else was ridiculously happy for them.
My sister was officially a married woman.
The party lasted for hours. Some highlights included when Sammy tossed her bouquet... and Aunt Sally caught it.
"Look, Stickers!" she exclaimed. "I caught it!"
Lightning looked embarrassed. For years, people had been demanding to know when he was going to propose to Sally. He kept insisting that he wasn't in any rush and he was happy with the way things were.
Another highlight was when RJ got a video call.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my very real girlfriend, Lily Pham." He held up his phone to reveal a very pretty girl with cropped jet black hair and glasses.
"Hi, guys!" She smiled and waved. "I've been wanting to meet RJ's family."
We stayed on the beach, talking, laughing and dancing until it got dark. Finn, Uncle Sarge and Uncle Ramone went to McDonald's to grab some food, just like they promised and I don't think McDonald's had ever tasted so good. They had even picked up a gorgeous bakery cake that most of us demolished. (Only Fillmore didn't eat anything; he refused to). Aunt Flo sang and it was just beautiful, as always.
At one point, just as the party was dwindling down and the happy couple were getting ready to leave for their honeymoon (a few days in Santa Cruz, where Phil had grown up and then on to Paris), Sammy hugged me. "Thank you."
I was confused. "For what?"
"For coming into my life. And for becoming a racer. Without you, I never would've met Phil. And, of course, I'm just glad to have a sister."
I smiled and blushed. "So am I." And I was. I was glad I met Sammy and happy to have her in my life. Plus, I was just very happy in general right at that moment. I felt like I had finally achieved my happily ever after. Now, it looked like Sammy had found hers.
Well, I hope you enjoyed that. I kind of wanted to wrap up Sammy's story properly (and I guess RJ's, which is why I included Lily).
Please review!
