Happy Lightning McQueen Day! (September 5th, 9/5, 95, get it?) I figured today would be the perfect time to finish off Life Could Be a Dream. Besides, after my latest update for Ride, I feel like I owe you all something a little more light-hearted.

For the last time, enjoy!

Chapter 25- A Happy Family

The social workers were all gone by the end of the day. Mary was the first to leave. It seemed like she was in a hurry to get going as fast as possible. Amanda and Helen were the last to depart. They wanted to go over the very few conditions they had to let Fudge stay. Luckily, there weren't many. Just that humans needed to keep coming through on a regular basis and Fudge especially had contact with humans and preferably one she felt comfortable around when she hit puberty.

"I'm sure you'll do a fine job of raising her as a human rather than a car", Amanda assured them. "Because you have for six years now. There are just some things I think Fudge would need humans to teach her. Still, not enough for her to be taken away from here."

Everyone agreed that they could live with the conditions given to them. They would've agreed to just about anything if it meant that their Fudgie could stay.

Then even Helen and Amanda were gone, leaving the citizens of Radiator Springs smiling briefly at each other and watching the sunset over Route 66. As the two dark shadows of a human and a forklift faded away, they were happy beyond words that there wasn't an extra shadow of a little girl- their little girl- beside them.

"Well, Fudgie", Luigi announced when the sky turned a silvery-grey, breaking the content silence that had engulfed them while they watched the sunset. "I think it is time we went home. You still need a bath and it has been a big day." He paused dramatically. "And we have another big day tomorrow... Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"My birthday!" she yelled.

Luigi smiled and kissed her. "That is right. And Luigi wants Fudgie to be all nice and clean for her special day, so..." The Fiat picked her up. "Let's get you in the bath."

"Okay!" she agreed.

There were no nightmares for Fudge that night. For the first time in a long time, she and her fathers all got a good night's sleep. The human girl awoke early the next day. Boy, was it a day to celebrate! It was her birthday! Plus, she got to spend it in Radiator Springs with her family! There was nothing she could think of to make this day even better. Nothing!

"Happy birthday, Fudge!" Luigi greeted her, entering her bedroom only a couple of seconds after she woke up.

Guido was right behind him. "(Happy birthday, Fudgie!)" he added.

Fudge smiled. "Grazie!"

"Are you ready to go, Fudge?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" she cheered, grinning from ear to ear. It was an unofficial tradition for Fudge to come over to Flo's in her pyjamas on her birthday and she is later dressed into her new clothes that she has received as presents.

"There she is!" the others yelled when the two Italians appeared with their daughter.

"Hey! Happy birthday, Fudge-O!"

"Happy birthday, Fudge!"

Fudge beamed. "Thank you!" she cried. "I'm six today! Six years old! That's this many!" She held up six fingers.

"Yeah. You need two hands to count your age now, Fudge!" Ramone remarked.

Fudge nodded. "Soon, I'll need three hands to count my age!" Then she looked at her hands. "But I only have two."

The others laughed.

"Well, you still have two feet", Lightning pointed out with a chuckle. "That'll keep you happy till you're twenty-one."

"Yeah!" Fudge agreed.

"Oh, I hope she is not twenty-one anytime soon!" Luigi exclaimed. "She is my baby and she is already growing up too fast!"

"Well for now", Sally piped up, "let's just let Fudgie enjoy being six."

"Yeah!" everyone agreed.

"Got your breakfast right here, honey!" Flo announced, carrying a plate and dropping it in front of the girl. "Chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream and strawberries! Happy birthday, Fudge!"

"Thank you! Yum, yum!" Chocolate chip pancakes with ice cream and strawberries was a favourite of Fudge's and Flo only ever made it for her on special occasions. Normally, that meant either Fudge's birthday or anytime she was really upset. Like they day after the social workers arrested her whole family and Fudge learned that her mother abandoned her. She got those special pancakes for breakfast that morning.

Everyone smiled.

"I get the feeling Fudge is gonna be spoilt rotten today", Lightning commented.

"Yep", Doc agreed with a smirk. "We spoil her every day, but especially on her birthday, Christmas and Fudge Day."

"Fudge Day?" Lightning repeated. "What's Fudge Day?"

"We celebrate the day Luigi and Guido officially adopted her. Fudge Day's in November."

"Oh, that's nice", Lightning remarked.

"Ready?" Flo prompted everyone. "One, two, three..."

Everyone began to sing, "Happy Birthday" to Fudge, who just laughed happily.

"We done got you lots of presents!" Mater announced, bringing forward a mountain of presents.

"Wow!" Fudge gasped, running forwards. "These are all for me?!"

"Yes. These are all for you", Luigi assured her.

"Wow!" she squealed, lunging for a present at the top of the pile.

Her presents mainly consisted of clothes, toys and books. As usual, Fudge loved all of her presents.

"I think we have one more present for you, Fudgie!" Luigi announced some time later. "Well, it is some smaller presents that lead up to one big one."

Fudge glanced up curiously. Luigi brought forward a series of wrapped presents.

"Grazie!" She tore open the smallest one to reveal a silver and blue backpack. "Nice backpack."

"And here is the other one." Luigi gave it to her.

This one turned out to be a sky blue suitcase.

"Oh, I like the blue!" Fudge declared.

"Now, Fudgie", Luigi began, taking her hand, "what do you think these are for?"

"Packing!" Fudge replied triumphantly, throwing her hands up in the air.

"That is right!" Luigi responded. "You pack these for a vacation... And is there anywhere you want to go for vacation?"

Fudge thought. She had a place in mind, but she didn't wanna say it.

"Didn't you always say you wanted to go to Italy?!" Luigi quizzed her.

She nodded. "Yeah!"

"We are going!" Luigi announced.

Fudge just stared at him. "What?"

"We are going to Italy", Luigi repeated.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Fudge shrieked.

"No", Guido assured her. "(We are not kidding. We are going.)"

"When?!" she demanded.

"(In October)", Guido answered. "(So, this is a present for your birthday, but we will be there for mine.)"

"Really?!"

Luigi nodded. "Really."

"But I thought we couldn't go!" Fudge pointed out.

"We can now", Luigi assured her.

"(That is right!)" Guido added. "(We have the money now because we have more customers!)

Fudge couldn't stop smiling. "This is the best birthday ever!"

A few minutes later, the two Italians ushered their daughter off to get dressed into new clothes. When Guido led Fudge home, Luigi stayed back for a second to talk to Lightning.

"Thank you", he whispered.

"For what?"

There were so many things. Without him, there would still be no business in town. Fudge would be gone before her birthday and they still wouldn't be able to afford the trip to Italy.

Finally, Luigi responded with, "For letting me keep my daughter where she belongs."

The RS gang finished up singing "Happy Birthday" to Fudge later that evening as Flo placed the strawberry cheesecake in front of the now-six-year-old.

"Okay! Blow out the candles, Fudge!" Luigi, who was right in front of her with a camera, instructed the little girl.

She obeyed, blowing the candles out, prompting cheers from her family. The human didn't bother to make a wish. Everything she could ever wish for was right here.

"Did you have a good day, Fudgie?" Sally wanted to know.

"It's been the best birthday ever!" she repeated.

And indeed, it had. She'd spent the whole day, playing games with her family (the entire town had shut down for the big day). They had a water fight and she had squealed with delight every time someone got her. Then, once it got dark, the townsfolk switched on the neon lights as well as Lizzie's radio and Fudge's bubble machine. And that's when the singing, dancing and cruising began. Just like when Lightning arranged the surprise for Sally. Only this time, Doc joined in with them, not going to miss out on the celebrations for their youngest family member. Still, the star of the singing, dancing and cruising was, of course, Fudge herself.

"Well, we're all glad you had fun!" Doc informed her.

"And I'm going to Italy!" Fudge reminded the others.

"Yes you are!" Luigi kissed her. "And we hope you have the most wonderful time there!"

"Me too!"

But in the meantime, she was going to have the most wonderful time in Radiator Springs. The most important place in her life. With the most important people in her life.

Abruptly, Doc cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone? I'd like to propose a toast."

All of the citizens of Radiator Springs shifted their eyes towards Doc expectantly.

"You know, I've been thinkin' a lot lately", the Hudson Hornet began. "With Fudge bein' allowed to stay..." He gestured to Fudge with a grin and she beamed back. "...and the rookie arrivin' in town..." He smiled at Lightning before looking around at everyone around him. "And it makes me think... think about... how grateful I am that each and every one of you is a part of my life."

The others all felt both touched by Doc's words and amused that he had seemingly gone completely soft.

"We're all different", Doc went on. "We all have different interests..." He looked at Sarge and Fillmore. "We've all come from different places. Some of us have come across the seas to be here..." He looked at Luigi and Guido. "Some of us have never called anywhere but Radiator Springs home." Mater. "And I've even helped bring one of you into this world." Fudge. "But despite our differences, we're all a family. And maybe I haven't shown it and I know I haven't said it, but I am the luckiest car in the world to have all of you as my family."

There was an awkward pause as Doc considered whether or not to say what else he wanted to say.

Finally, he decided to keep going. "I know some of you know this, but I don't know if all of you do... I wasn't in a good place when I first arrived in Radiator Springs. I suffered a crash that ended my racin' career and, although I had degrees in both law and medicine, I didn't really know where I was goin'. And the only reason I got out of that state is 'cause all of you were kind and carin' enough to pull me out of it. That's one of the reasons why I decided to stay all these years. And it's somethin' I feel I can never repay you for. And then Fudge came along and, well, we all know what a little ray of sunshine she is."

"Hear, hear!" everyone agreed, while Doc's comment made Fudge beam.

"Then we had Sally arrive and she brought more hope to our small town."

"Hear, hear!" the others repeated.

"And when the rookie arrived, it brought a lot of great things to our town and to each of us. Thanks to him, we got customers comin' through the town again, Fudge ain't goin' anywhere and I was finally able to let go of the grudge I was holdin' over how my racin' career ended. And I finally got the big welcome I was expectin'. It was fifty years overdue, but better late than never." He was smiling at Lightning once more and the younger race car smiled back.

"Hear, hear!" the residents chorused for the third time.

Then Lightning cleared his throat. "Well, I got something I wanna say too." He looked just as embarrassed as Doc had been. "I think... I think you all know what a jerk I was when I first came here and I'm sorry about that." He paused. "You know, I really appreciate you all coming out to my tiebreaker race and helping me out. Thank you. And I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I'm looking forward to my second season in the Piston Cup way more than my first. Because I know you're all gonna be there cheering me on."

"Yeah!" Fudge yelled, making the rest of her family laugh.

"Thanks, Fudge-O! Well, anyway, I'm glad I met you all. Now, I know that life is about the journey, not the destination. And I can't wait to go on this amazing journey with my new friends by my side."

After that, Fudge had something to add too.

"I'm so happy you guys didn't let those mean people take me away!" she informed her family. "You nearly went to jail because of it, but you still didn't let them take me. Thank you. I love you all."

All of the residents felt their hearts melt at Fudge's words. And it just got sweeter when she went around, hugging everyone.

"Group hug!" Lightning called at one point.

And just like that, everyone came charging at the little girl, eager to hug her. She giggled when they all came towards her, but stopped when the hugging began. She felt both calm and happy. She didn't have to worry about being taken away anymore. She could just enjoy every single beautiful moment with her family, knowing that it wouldn't be the last moment she'd ever spend with them. That meant more to her than anything in the whole world.

At the end of all the hugging, Doc cleared his throat again and tried to get back on topic. "And that's exactly what I'm talkin' about. I don't know what the future holds for all of us. None of us do. But any surprises that come our way, I ain't afraid. 'Cause I know we're all gonna get through it together. As a family. Just like you were all here for me when I needed it. Just like when we all refused to let those social workers take Fudge. Just like when we all went to Lightning's race. We've already come so far together and I can't wait to see where the future takes us. All of us. Together. And all of that is why..." He pushed his can of oil forward. "I wanna propose a toast. To family!"

Everyone joined in pushing forward their own oil cans while Fudge raised her cup of lemonade. "To family!"

And... cut! That's a wrap! There's another story done!

You may have noticed that in this story, they have a toast to family and a toast to friendship in When Life Gives You Lemons, but believe it or not, that was purely coincidental! You see, when I originally wrote this, I wasn't intending on publishing it (hence why a couple of the first chapters are part of Tales From Radiator Springs, rather than here), so even though posting song lyrics is against FFN site rules, I included a couple, thinking I don't have to follow site rules if I'm not posting it on the site. However, when I did decide to post it, I ended with song lyrics, so I needed a new perfect ending, hence the toast. Maybe I should come up with another toast for Ride (I already have one in mind for Run That Race)!

Now, for the Easter Eggs!

A113- the entrance the RS gang took to get into the stadium at the race.

Release date of Cars (June ninth)- during the Radiator Springs shopping spree, Fudge says she only has six dollars and nine cents.

Day I saw Cars at the movies (March fourteenth at a Pixar film festival three years ago)- 3:14 is the time Mary leaves her Cozy Cone to try and kidnap Fudge.

I'd like to thank you all for reading, reviewing, favourite-ing and following. You have no idea how much it means to me. I'm amazed that this is my second story to reach over a hundred reviews, so thank you so much for that! Even though this story's over, stay tuned for updates to Ride. I've got a few more ideas and surprises in store!

So, one last time for this story, I'm gonna ask you to please review.