Thank you SOOO much, everyone who's read/reviewed, I love reviews and I so much appreciate the support! I've just about finished writing the entire story by now, so am hoping to publish a new chapter every couple of days, maybe every day. We'll see!

Okay, so... yeah, I know his real name is Montgomery according to canon, but... imo, that just doesn't sound right. So I've named him Kellan, but he's mostly Lightning through the story...

Commotion reigned on Main Street again the next morning as Sally stepped out into the bright Arizona morning sun. Shielding her eyes as she glanced around her at the wreckage, she groaned out loud. Mater's familiar laugh startled her.

"Most excitin' thing t'happen in Desert Springs since we set the fire station on fire at Red's birthday party," he grinned. "Ya oughta get a look at that there fancy car, Miss Sally," he jerked his thumb in the direction of his scrap yard. "It's a race car, Doc says. Ain't never seen nothin' like it. All flashy red with great big lightnin' bolts on th' sides of it."

"What did you say?" Sally gasped, turning towards Mater abruptly. "What kind of car?"

"Race car," Mater repeated in mild surprise. "Wall, I gotta git to the jail. Sheriff asked fer my help with the prisoner. I was there when he woke up last night… I kinda like that guy. He wanted a tour of the town, but Sheriff wouldn't lemme take him. Said he was tryin' t' escape."

"Sounds like it," Sally said absently, thinking about race cars and lightning bolts. "Well… I'm going to get a better look at this damage… we have a lot of work ahead of us." her shoulders slumped a bit as she looked at the torn pavement. This was the last thing Desert Springs needed.

The townspeople gathered again at the doors of the courthouse, watching as the driver from the night before was shoved somewhat indignantly down the street by the sheriff. His hands were cuffed behind his back and still he resisted, dragging his feet in spite of the sheriff's angry threats. Mater walked alongside chattering amiably, until told by the sheriff to shut up, after which he did shut up for the few moments it took them to get almost to the courthouse. And then he began again and Sally could see the prisoner's face clearly as he glared at Mater with annoyance. He certainly wasn't amused by the conversation. Sally just caught Mater's last words…

"Like Miss Sally done said yesterday… or wait… 'twas the day before yesterday, was it? Yeah, the day before. Anyhow, she done said that no one come to this town lessen they're lost or crazy. So, which one are ya? Lost or crazy? Or both?" He elbowed the stranger in the ribs and guffawed loudly.

"Hush up, Mater! Alright, make way, make way," the sheriff snapped at the crowd on the courthouse steps, and then added to the prisoner, "C'mon, git up there, ya fool." And he shoved harder. The prisoner stumbled a bit, almost falling, but Mater caught him and pulled him up again.

"Easy there now, pal, havin' some trouble with yer legs? Doc kin fix ya up… iffen he don't kill ya fer what you done to this town!" and he laughed again. The prisoner just rolled his eyes.

The crowd filed into the courthouse and it seemed as if every last soul in town was there. The accused was shoved into place and he stood looking lazily down at the townspeople as if they were little more than dirt under his feet. A strange attitude to take, considering the situation he had gotten himself in. Sally hung back a moment to get a good long look at him and shook her head in disbelief. Talk about strange coincidences… only two days after watching that race on TV… and she never watched races anyway… and here he was in the flesh, in Desert Springs of all places in the world… Lightning McQueen himself. And even more arrogant up close and in person, she thought, sizing him up and not much impressed with what she saw. Well... she took that back. She was impressed... not with his attitude, of course, that was a given... but wow... those eyes... that face... she blinked hard and shook her head to clear it.

Strange, this feeling that was creeping over her. Just like last night. The feeling that beneath that armor of arrogance and disgust was a lost, lonely person who needed little more than a place to call home and a real friend or two.

The court went wild as Doc pressed through toward the podium at the front of the room. Accusations were hurled from one end to the other and Lightning simply ignored them all, head held high.

"You sideswiped my shop!" Ramone was yelling. "Scratched up all the paint!"

"You broke-a the road," Luigi shouted, eyes narrowed. "Crashed into my garage! You a very bad boy!"

Lightning tossed his head and turned to the sheriff.

"Officer, talk to me," he commanded. "How long is this gonna take? I gotta get to California, pronto." He rattled the handcuffs impatiently.

"Where's your lawyer?" was the only reply the sheriff deigned to offer. Lightning shrugged, carelessly.

"I don't know. Tahiti maybe. He's got a timeshare there."

"When a defendant has no lawyer, the court will assign one to him," the sheriff drawled in a tired sort of way. "Hey! Anyone wanna be his lawyer?"

"Shoot, I'll do it, Sheriff!" Mater chuckled and winked at Lightning, who pretended not to notice. Having finally reached the podium, Doc rapped a gavel on its surface and the courtroom descended into silence, except for a stage whisper from the sheriff to Lightning…

"May Doc have mercy on your soul."

"Alright," Doc narrowed his eyes at Lightning. "I wanna know who's responsible for wrecking my town. I'm gonna put you in jail until the jail rots and falls down on top of you, and then I'll put you in another jail until that one rots and falls down on top of you and… what's your name, stranger?"

"McQueen," came the confident answer. "Kellan McQueen. I'm known as Lightning McQueen, famous racer, future winner of the Piston Cup. Listen, bud, I've gotta be in California, I don't have time to hang round this podunk town of yours any longer…"

"A racer, you say? Piston Cup?" Doc's eyes narrowed even further, until they almost disappeared. "Sheriff! Throw him out of here. I want him out of my courtroom, out of my town! He's not good enough for our jail. Case dismissed."

"Yeehaw," Mater cried, tossing up his ball cap. "Boy, I'm purty good at this here lawyerin' stuff."

"Hold on a moment, your Honor," Sally stepped forward. She had thus far watched the proceedings in silence from a back corner, but she couldn't let this go on any longer. She couldn't believe what she was hearing… Doc, backing down like this?! It made her tremble with rage. She moved to the center of the room, and Lightning's jaw quite literally dropped for a moment or two. She met his gaze of admiration with a cold stare.

"Heyyy," he drew out the word and flashed a dazzling grin at her. "You must be from my attorney's office, eh? Hey, thanks for comin', but we're all set. He's letting me go."

"Impossible–" Sally began, but Lightning cut her off.

"Yeah, your job's pretty easy today. All you have to do now is stand there and let me look at you."

Sally grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Had he been any closer, she would have slapped him for that statement alone. And he wasn't even finished. "Listen," he went on. "I'm gonna cut to the chase. Me, you, dinner. Ka-chow!" he winked at her.

"Seriously, please–" Sally tried again, but Lightning kept talking.

"Oh yeah, I know," he tossed his head and grinned wider. "I get that reaction a lot. I create feelings in others that they themselves don't understand."

"Okay, I'm going to talk to the judge," Sally tossed her own head back at him. There was no talking to this person, for sure. She couldn't remember ever meeting anyone so completely full of himself.

"Do what you gotta do, baby," Lightning spoke nonchalantly. "But listen. Be careful. Folks around here seem to be a bit slow on the uptake, if you know what I mean. Ka-chow!" he winked again. Sally swallowed an angry reply.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind." She turned to wave at Mater. "Hey there, Mater, Hi, folks, good morning!" she said this almost triumphantly as she realized Lightning didn't know she was from Desert Springs.

"Howdy, Miss Sally," Mater waved back cheerfully. Sally didn't miss Lightning's start of surprise and his whisper to Mater,

"You know her?"

"Shore, she's the town attorney and my fiance," Mater guffawed at the look of something akin to horror on Lightning's face. "Nah, I'm kiddin'. We're just real good friends."

"What do you want, Sally?" Doc half-growled as Sally approached the podium.

"Come on," Sally sighed. Wasn't this obvious? "Make this guy repair the damages. The town needs this."

"No," Doc snapped. "I know his type. Racer. That's the last thing this town needs."

"Okay," Sally grinned, an idea forming in her mind. "I didn't want to have to do this, Doc, but you leave me no choice." Turning to the audience, she struck a dramatic pose, enjoying the role she had suddenly stepped into. "Fellow citizens, you're all aware of our town's proud history."

"Here she goes again," someone grumbled as Sally went on.

"Radiator Springs, the glorious jewel strung on the necklace of Route 66, the mother road! It is our job and our pleasure to take care of the travelers on our stretch of that road…"

It took no more than a five minute speech and the townspeople were demanding that Doc make Lightning stay to fix what he had destroyed. As Lightning was marched past her out of the courthouse, he shot her a startled glance and she couldn't resist a smile of satisfaction. Maybe this would be good for him too. He looked like he could use a bit of humbling and some good, honest, hard work.