Hello everyone, I'm back with another Cars fic! This is an old one I made a few years ago and have done some heavy revamping on. In honour of the Cars series turning 15 this year, I decided to go ahead and post this as the first of a series of Cars one-shots! Hopefully this will tide you over until we get the Cars TV series! *squee* Planet Earth Prix's next chapter is still on the way so don't worry! Just having some major life changes right now...anyway here's the story and I hope you enjoy it!

It was a bright, clear sunny day in Radiator Springs. Lightning McQueen and Mater were cruising down Route 66, admiring all the sights that their town had to offer.

"It sure is a lovely day, isn't it, Mater?" said Lightning.

"Sure is, Buddy!" replied Mater.

"Just look at those mountains," mused Lightning, "that cloudless blue sky."

The two cars continued down the road and into the town. They were just passing the town's sign when they heard a sneeze.

"Acho!"

Both cars spun around to face the sign. "What was dat?!" asked Mater, his hazel eyes wide.

"Acho!"

Mater and Lightning peeked under the sign. There was Sheriff, parked next to a box of tissues, under the Radiator Springs billboard,

blowing his bonnet with a loud snort that sounded very close to his horn. He sniffed.

"Sheriff!" cried Lightning, "are you all right?"

"'Course I am, hot rod," said Sheriff hoarsely. "Just got a mild case of the cold, that's all."

Neither car quite believed this; Sheriff's eyes were droopy, his voice was hoarse, and he looked exhausted.

"Don't ya think you's outta be at home restin' than bein' out here?" asked Mater.

Sheriff shook his head fiercely. "No. Someone's got to be out here to keep the town safe, as well as watching out for those Delinquent Road Hazards. They've been getting much bolder lately."

"But you can't catch them if you're not feeling well," Lightning pointed out.

"I don't have a choice," said Sheriff, "who else is going to protect the town?"

Mater's eyes brightened. "Why, we could!"

"WHAT?!" asked Lightning, surprised.

"We can be cops for a day!" said Mater.

"What?!" exclaimed Sheriff, "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life! You, a race car and a tow truck, being cops? No way!"

"Yes way!" insisted Mater, "I used to be a police truck!"

"Mater, please!" begged Lightning. "Not another one of your crazy stories!"

Mater ignored him. "We can guard this town. Why, I'm bettin' that we could capture them delinquents, once and for all!"

"Mater, we can't," said Lightning, "we don't have the training for it!"

"Well, can ya think of someone else who can do it?" asked Mater.

"Well no..." said Lightning.

"Then it's just you and me, Buddy!" said Mater. He turned back to the police car. "Can we Sheriff, please?"

"I don't know Mater," he drawled uncertainly.

"PLEASE?" begged Mater with a giant smile and big eyes.

"Oh, all right, I guess we can give it a shot," said Sheriff, "but I'm warnin' you, it's really tough work, tryin' to chase those delinquent little punks. Are you sure you can do this?" He raised an eye-rim.

"Dad-gum, yeah," said Mater. "We'll manage just fine! I've got a hook, and I ain't afraid to use it! Plus Lightning here's the fastest car in town. Right Lightning?"

"Uh—right Mater!" agreed Lightning hesitantly.

"Then let's do dis!" said Mater.

Lightning shrugged. "Whatever you say, Mater-boy."

Sheriff glanced at the two cars uncertainly. "Well, I suppose you can try it, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Don't worry, we can handle it," said Mater.

"Come on, Sheriff, let's get you on over to Ramone's." Lightning suggested as Mater swung his tow cable onto Sheriff's back axle, "I bet he can help you. Then we'll take it over from here."

With that, the two cars started up and headed towards the House of Body Art.

….

A few minutes later Mater and Lightning were staring at themselves in the mirror at Ramone's House of Body Art.

"Hey Buddy, how do I look?" asked Mater, spinning around from the mirror to face Ramone.

"Radical, man." said Ramone, who was purple with flames today. "Like a police truck."

"Dad-gum!" mused Mater, who was all in black except for his door, which was white with a gold star that said Radiator Springs Police. His tow truck lights were replaced with a police siren and light.

"Do you think I look all right?" asked Lightning, who also had a siren, lights, and colour scheme.

Ramone nodded. "You two dudes look just fine. You just might scare some speeders."

"Maybe," said Lightning doubtfully.

"Don't worry, buddy," said Mater, "we'll manage."

"Right Mater," said Lightning, forcing a confident yet slightly shaky smile. "We'll manage."

"Dad-gum!" said Mater, "come on, Lightnin', let's git-er done!"

….

After their paint dried, Lightning and Mater drove over to the Radiator Springs billboard, where they temporarily camped for the day. It was a hot day, so the two friends were glad that the sign provided them some shade. Still, it was muggy and humid, and Mater occasionally complained that his paint was dripping.

"It's just sweat," Lightning reassured him.

"AAAAGHHH!" Mater screeched, "It might ruin my rust and ya know how much dat rust means to me!"

"Mater," said Lightning with a bit of irritation in his voice. "You're totally fine. Besides, water never damages rust."

"Oh! Right."

The early afternoon passed like molasses, and nothing interesting happened—until mid-afternoon.

Lightning and Mater were parked under the sign, flipping through the law book Sheriff had given them and sipping glasses of lemonade that Flo had kindly made for them when a loud BANG! made them both jump.

"What was that?" asked Lightning, glancing around.

"Oh, dat was probably just Otis. Guess I'd better go see what's wrong." Mater began driving down the road to where a dirty blue lemon car stalled a few miles away.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" said Lightning. He started to drive forward but Mater waved him back. "Nah, Buddy, you gotta stay and watch da town. I'll come back after I take Otis to Ramone's."

"Okay," said Lightning, easing on his hind tyres.

Mater drove off to attend to Otis's problem while Lightning stayed behind. Mater had not even been gone ten minutes before another car showed up.

Lightning's cab perked. "Lizzie?" he asked, "what are you doing out here?"

"Hey, whippersnapper, tell me, ah, where's the way to Radiator Springs?" the black Model T asked.

"We are in Radiator Springs, Lizzie," said Lightning, "right behind that sign."

Lizzie's eyerim raised. "Hey, wait a minute," she peered at Lightning, "ya sound familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?"

"Lizzie," Lightning sighed, "I'm Lightning McQueen."

"That can't be right," replied Lizzie, "Lightning's a race car, not a police car."

"Lizzie, I'm filling in for Sheriff because he got sick!" Lightning explained, "no one else was available."

Before Lizzie could respond, Mater appeared towing Otis. "Howdy Lizzie!" he greeted, "nice day, ain't it?"

"What? Oh, yes it is," said Lizzie, "and say, uh, where do I drive to get to Radiator Springs again?"

"Well, you're already here!" said Mater, "c'mon, Lizzie, you can come with me, I's gotta get Otis ta Ramone's. I sure hope he can patch him up."

Lizzie followed, muttering "I wonder what's goin' on?"

Lightning sighed. Being a cop for a day was a lot harder than he had imagined. All he wanted right now was to be racing around the Butte, or be at the Cozy Cone having a frappe with Sally. If only he had not let Mater talk him into this crazy scheme. But that was Mater for you.

Bored and restless, Lightning's wheels began to roll, and soon he was driving in donuts and making U turns in the middle of the road.

It was just then Mater drove up. Realizing that his friend was making an illegal manoeuvre, he began hopping up and down shouting.

"Citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest! Citizen's arrest!" he shouted, pointing an accusing tyre at the racing car.

Lightning turned to face Mater. "What?"

"Ya made an illegal move, buddy," said Mater, "ya know ya not s'posed ta make donuts in da middle of da road."

"Sorry, Mater," said Lightning. "I'm just...well...nothing's been going on here."

"Well, accordin' to da manual, I gotta take ya in fer violatin' traffic laws." said Mater.

"Mater, please!" begged Lightning.

Mater burst out laughing. "Don't worry buddy!" he laughed, playfully slapping Lightning's side. "I wasn't really gonna take ya in. I just had ta do dat. That there was funny!"

"It was?" asked Lightning.

"Sure it was!" exclaimed Mater between laughs, "shoot, didn't ya ever watch The Andy Griffith Show when you was young?"

"Uh...no." said Lightning. "Why?"

"Oh, shoot, ya really oughta see it sometime," said Mater, "I remember dis one episode where da deputy was doin dis illegal U-turn in da middle of da road and his friend realized he was breakin' da law and-"

"Okay, Mater, I get it," said Lightning, "he tried to make a citizen's arrest."

"Dat's right!" said Mater, "how'd ya know?"

"I saw that episode on Sally's TV last week."

That was the most interesting thing that ever happened all afternoon.

The evening was slow, the sun was inching down and no one had shown up, yet both cars were beat from the day.

"Hey, Buddy, I'm inclined to think dat dem Road Hazards ain't showin' up," said Mater, "when can we go and do some tractor tippin', or get some oil at the V8 Café?"

"Let's wait till it gets dark," suggested Lightning, "Then we'll tell Sheriff we've had it."

"Oh, you have it, Bro, you have it!" shouted a shrill voice.

McQueen and Mater spun around to see the four cars zooming up to the sign, laughing and cursing. Boost appeared first, his tyres spinning so fast they were a blur, followed by DJ, who was hopping and twirling in circles, blaring loud, obnoxious music from his built-in player. Wingo was next, spraying his spray paint bottle into the air, causing it to rain loud, rude neon colours of blue, green, yellow and red. It splattered onto Lightning and Mater, who both started coughing, gagging, and spitting. Last but not least came Snot Rod, who lagged behind, sneezing like crazy as if trying to blow all the snot out of his engine.

"Aha! So now ya come!" exclaimed Mater. "Watcha doin' here?"

"We wanted to bug the Sheriff!" shouted DJ, only too happy to go on, "guess he was too sick to chase us today, so he hired you two to do it! Too bad you're not fast like we are!"

"'Course we are!" defended Mater, "why, Lightnin' here's the fastest car on the track, ain't ya Lightnin'?"

"Right Mater!" Lightning agreed.

The DRH burst into laughter.

"Oh really?" challenged Boost, "tell ya what. We'll have a little race. If Lightning wins, we'll leave you alone. If I win, we can bug you all we want. Deal?"

"It's a deal!" agreed Mater.

Lightning stared at him in horror.

"Come on, you," ordered Boost. "Let's get on it!"

Next thing Lightning knew, he was at the starting point with Boost. The race was short, but challenging: through the Forest of Ornament Valley and back. Boost revved up his engine, excited. Lightning narrowed his eyes and revved up his. His competition mode kicked in. Speed, I am speed...

Mater, who was playing track official, waved his flag—just a worn white handkerchief with holes that looked much more like a bombed-out flag of defeat. "On your marks...get set...GOOO!"

Boost shot ahead, leaving Lightning trying to catch up. He cursed himself for not paying better attention. Of course he should have known Boost would have allowed himself a head start. He knew that car wouldn't hesitate to cheat any more than Chick Hicks would. He should really go talk to Chick, thought Lightning as he tried to get closer to the dark purple car. Slowly, slowly, Lightning was getting closer. By now he was almost touching Boost's tail, but Boost, realizing his rival was gaining, roared his engine and shot several feet ahead. Instead of getting mad, Lightning used the anger as extra energy to help him get ahead. By the time they reached the forest, he and Boost were neck-and-neck.

Lightning had always thought the forest was lovely in the springtime, but he also knew it would be muddy and slick and very difficult to navigate through. Both cars slushed through the axle-deep muck, spraying brown clumps everywhere. Their faces and paint were splattered, and both cars were spitting it everywhere. Boost had no trouble getting through it, thanks to his large tyres, but Lightning, who only had his racing tyres, lagged behind. Within seconds Boost was ahead again. Lightning's tyres spun and spun, but he gained no ground and unless he had a pair of off-road tyres, his chances of victory were slim.

But Lightning kept puttering on.

Suddenly splat! Lighting's right hind tyre sank into a patch of mud. He tried to drive out of it, but it was no use. He was stuck.

Come on McQueen, get a grip on yourself! he thought fiercely as he tried to pull himself out. Finally, pop! He managed to free his tyre from the mud and move on. He was almost out of the forest, and he could now see Boost, zigzagging around trees and rocks as if he had done this all his life. Lightning began to pick up speed and soon his only focus was catching up to Boost. He was so focused that he lost all awareness of what was going on around him.

Then suddenly BANG! Lightning's tyre hit a rock, and a massive blow-out occurred. His left hind tyre wobbled and his axle hurt like crazy, but he refused to stop, even though Boost was getting the better of him again. There was just no hope of ever catching up to him.

Then all of a sudden, his left front tyre slipped on a patch of mud, and McQueen went skidding through the forest's end, zooming past Boost, who stared at him in wide-eyed, open-mouthed surprise.

"WHOOOAAA!" cried Lightning as he skidded in what seemed like light speed, all the way to the finish line. He slammed on his brakes, crossing the finish line with a loud screech. Then he managed to come to an abrupt stop.

"Ya did it, Buddy!" cried Mater, hopping up and down, waving his "flag". "Ya did it! Ya won, ya won!"

Lightning's head was spinning too much to comprehend what Mater was saying. "I did...I mean...I did?"

"Yes ya did, Buddy!" said Mater, coming over and giving Lightning a tap on the door. "Ya shut him out!"

Now that Lightning's head had cleared, he realized he had crossed the finish line and was back in Radiator Springs. "You mean...I won?"

"Dad-gum you did!" said Mater. "That was some speed, Lightning McQueen!"

"It wasn't me," said Lightning with a sheepish grin, "I slipped on some mud."

"Shhh!" hushed Mater. "Don't say that ta Boost."

Behind them came Boost, who was huffing and puffing. "How...did...you...do...that?" he demanded between breaths.

"It's simple," said Lightning, "I just wait until my competitors are ahead, each thinking he's got the trophy in his tyres, then I speed up and take them all out by surprise!" Lightning smacked the ground with his tyre. "Ka-Chow!"

"It's not possible!" exclaimed Boost, "I always do that!"

"Boost, the more ya talk, the further ya shove your tyre in your mouth," shouted Wingo.

"Now, since Lightning won da race, you're gonna leave us alone, right?" asked Mater.

"But he cheated!" cried Boost, "he stole the victory from me! No one beats the Boost! NO ONE!"

"Uh, it looks like someone did, Boost," said Snot Rod between sniffles.

"Alright, we had a deal. I win, you leave us alone. Now run along before we put you in the impound!" ordered Lightning.

The Tuners sped off before he could even finish, blowing dust everywhere and causing Mater and Lightning to cough.

"Dad-Gum let's get outta here and get some oil! I'm thirsty!" exclaimed Mater as he turned and started to make his way towards Flo's. "Come on!"

"I can't really move, Mater, my tyre's blown." said Lightning.

"Don't worry Buddy," said Mater, swinging his hook onto Lightning's axle and towing him back to town. "I'll tow ya on over to Casa Della Tires, get a paint job at Ramone's and we'll take Miss Sally out to dinner at de Wheel Well Motel."

"Sounds good," said Lightning as they drove their way back to town.

….

About a day later Sheriff had fully recovered from his cold and was back to guarding the town under the Radiator Springs billboard. Lightning got his tyre fixed and his regular paint job back and overall, was happy to get back to his normal life—training at Willy's Butte, hanging out with Mater and dating Sally.

Later that day, while the duo was sipping some oil at the V8 Café, Sheriff came by to congratulate them. "Thank you so much for taking over for me yesterday," he said, "I was pretty sick. It was only a head cold, but I felt miserable. I ended up staying at Ramone's overnight. But now that I'm well, I can resume my duties again." He chuckled, "I'm surprised you handled the delinquents as well as you did."

"I even surprised myself," said Mater.

"I guess we did do a pretty good job," admitted Lightning, "but I'm only hoping we won't have to do that again. It was hard! But it was also fun!"

"Well," said Sheriff with a smile, "now you know how it feels to be a cop. Well, see you later." He turned and headed back towards the sign.

After they had finished their oil, the two cars started their way down Route 66, for a night of racing, high-riding and perhaps even a little bit of tractor-tipping.

The End

Just to clarify, in my Cars-verse, vehicles can sweat if they get too hot. XD

I hope you all enjoyed, and please be sure to review! Constructive criticism is welcome. Stay tuned for more fanfics coming soon!