I have broken my own cardinal rule in starting closing one door before opening another. But this was one rule I felt I must break. This is the first chapter of a Cars series that I've been planning for quite a while now, much longer than I have with any other of stories. And I felt it was finally time for it to heard.

I have been working on the beginning of this story on and very off since January. I would have gotten this out MUCH sooner had this leach called college got stuck to the back of neck and sucked the sheer life out of me. Thankfully, it should fall off around the middle of May:)

But in the meantime, I wanted to know what you guys think of this overall chapter before this story gets off the ground

So, without any further ado, I present Raising A Story

Chapter 1: Pilot

December 25, 1990

12:57 am

A scared and teary eyed woman was driving along the weary and seemingly endless route of 66.

She had been driving for hours on end. Her destination, Los Angelas, California.

But before then, she had to make a stop, somewhere. Anyway on this long forgotten road.

Her only passenger in her 1960s beat up Mustang, a tiny baby boy with light blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. All wrapped up and fast asleep in his carrier, right next to his mother.

The mother took a glance at her sleeping little angel, then the tears started flowing again.

She had never seen a child so beautiful, so innocent looking in her entire life. Like he was an angel sent straight from heaven, just for her.

She called him her little lightning bug. Cause when she first held him in her arms, she felt like her heart had been struck by lightning.

That, and because of the weird lightning bolt shaped birthmark above his heart.

It might sound strange, but in her mind, she couldn't have picked a better name.

Lightning

Lightning McQueen

She loved her little lightning bug with all her heart.

And yet, she couldn't keep him.

The woman's new husband forbid it.

The woman's first husband, little Lightning's father, was the woman's soul mate. The man treated her like a queen, no pun intended.

However, fate would rip the two apart via a mysterious hit and run. Leaving the woman a widow.

After the devastating loss of her husband, a new man, an old family friend, stepped into her life. This man was kind and offered her a shoulder to cry on. But, he had a tendency to be very demanding, and possessive at times. However, always a tender heart, she found a way to over look this negative trait.

The man showered her with gifts and compliments all the time and provided for her, and the woman's aching heart began to heal.

Within months of her husband's death, the woman rewed to this new man. And tried to get her life back on track.

A few weeks after their marriage, the newly weds got some very exciting news.

The woman was pregnant. They couple was astatic.

But when they learned how far she was, the mood was bitter sweet.

The woman was approximately 3 months along. It was her deceased husband's child she was carrying.

While the woman was still joyous as ever to be carrying her beloved late husband's child; the man started carrying resentment.

He wasn't too fond of the idea of raising another man's child.

Not long after they found out, the man's behavior changed.

He was getting cold, and distant towards the woman. And barely looked her in the eye anymore.

And when the woman decided that she was going to give the baby her husband's name; that was it.

The man was furious.

He was screaming and hitting at her. All his blows were aimed at her stomach, but the woman protected her child with her very life.

After it was all said and done, she was left battered and bruised, but her baby was safe.

But she didn't know how much longer she could keep her baby safe.

So, for the time being; she moved out of their home in Los Angelas, and moved back home to Amarillo, Texas.

She completely dropped contact with her husband and was planning on divorcing him.

Little Lightning McQueen was born on November 18, 1990.

That was the happiest day of the woman's life. Little Lightning was the spitting image of her, but she reminded the woman so much of his father with his blond hair and blue eyes.

However, the woman's happiness was short lived when she received a phone call from her soon-to-be ex-husband.

He was furious that she filed for divorce.

He kept screaming at her and threatening her. And everytime she hung up, it kept getting worse.

Until he made a threat that she couldn't possibly ignore.

He told her that if she didn't get back to LA as soon as she could, he was going to track her down and kill both her and the baby.

But that wasn't all he had to say, he told her to get rid of the baby. Or he would do it for her.

The woman thought her heart had stopped beating at that moment. It might as well have, cause she felt like it was ripped right out of her chest.

She loved her child, her little lightning bug, more than anyone can imagine. And she would have rather died than give him up. But if she didn't, he was going to. They both would.

Not knowing what else to do, she done what she had to do. For the good of both of them.

She had to give up her beloved Lightning.

So she packed up her beat up 60s Mustang with Little Lightning and drove and drove and drove. Until she found someone, somewhere, anywhere, that would take her precious baby.

She had found herself on Route 66, somewhere near the New Mexico/Arizona border.

She had been driving for hours, and the more she thought about giving her baby up, the more it made her sick.

But, she knew if she didn't comply with her husband's order, he would surely kill them both.

She was approaching a canyon and she honestly thought of driving off the face of it. Facing death seemed to be the easier option right then. At least their death would be quick, and not prolonged in the hand of her maniac husband. And then they can all be together in heaven with her first husband.

The only thing that erased that thought from her mind was the her headlights beaming down on an old faded sign that said "Welcome to Radiator Springs".

Right up under it read, "A Happy Place".

"A happy place is just what you need, Little One," the woman said, looking down at her sleeping son.

She drove into town, it looked like an ideal small town to live and grow up.

It had basically all it needed.

A cafe/gas station, a few stores here and there, and a clinic with a car still parked infront of it.

'Perfect,' the woman thought as she drove up to the clinic where the iconic 1951 Hudson Hornet was parked.

The woman pulled over and began to write a short letter.

Paul Doc Hudson was finishing up paper work that early Christmas morning. He was accustomed to staying this late at the office, and the holiday didn't stifle this behavior at all.

He never really cared for Christmas, or any holiday for that matter. And the only thing 'festive' he had in the entire clinic was a tiny Christmas tree on his desk that his good friend Flo gave him.

He was about to finish up when he heard a car door slam and a series of frantic knocks at the front door immediate after.

When he finally got the front door, he saw a car speeding off down the street; and at his feet was what appeared to be a bundle of blankets with a note pinned to it, just sitting at his clinic's doorsteps.

At first glance, he honestly wasn't in the mood to think anything of it at the moment. It was late and he was too tired to be dealing with any pranks someone may have had in store for him. Recalling how fond his friend Ramone is of playing practically jokes on him.

Until the moment he saw movement coming from beneath the blankets.

"What on earth?" Doc asked with shock in his voice as he bent down to exam the sight.

Doc pushed back one of the blankets, and the blood drained from his face.

Beneath the blanket, was the tiny baby, little Lightning McQueen; his big sapphire eyes and stared at the strange man kneeling over him.

"Oh my God!" Doc cried out as he immediately lifted up the carrier and took it inside the warmth of his clinic.

Doc sat the carrier down in the middle of floor as he removed the blankets, momentarily disregarding the note pinned to them.

Doc's thoughts were racing a mile a minute.

'This better be some sort of joke,' and, 'Who in their right mind would leave their child on a complete stranger's door?' were the most common of those racing thoughts.

For a moment, he honestly thought that this was some sort of unpractical joke. Any moment now, he was half expecting the mother, or driver of the car that sped off to come back any minute with a T.V. crew, filming their latest episode of Springer or something.

And the other half expecting to wake up with his head still buried in paper work.

He was hoping, praying that this was some sort of dream.

But the sight before him, and the couple of self inflicted slaps to the face proved to him that he was in reality.

"There has to be some sort of explanation here," Doc said, running a hand through his hair and squeezing the bridge of nose.

"The note," Doc immediately thought, "what about the note?!"

Doc scurried around to feel for the note pinned to the blanket.

"To whoever it may concern," Doc began reading quietly, skimming through the note.

However, as Doc continued to skim through the note, the anger and frustration he felt in his heart soon gave way to sympathy and heartache.

"Please, let my Lightning know that his mother didn't abandon him. That I done what I thought was absolute best for him. Please, whoever you are, let him know that his mother loves him and will always love him. And please, please take good care of my little Lightning bug," Doc felt a tear roll down his cheek as he concluded the note.

The note made Doc's heart wrench and any animosity he felt toward the mother instantly vanished upon finishing the note.

His heart went out to her for suffering what she went through, and for having to make the painful choice that she made.

"Don't worry, I will," Doc uttered.

Doc had to catch his breath as the moment of the situation finally hit him. He had a child now, to take care of and love as his very own. Granted, he never thought of himself to be a father. It's not that he didn't want to, it's just that he never found someone to share that joy with. Of raising a child.

He had planned on settling down one day, getting married, having kids. But since his terrible wreck that fateful day, those plans were erased.

Who would want to be with a washed up racer anyway?

No one, and Doc painfully knew it.

So, Doc abandoned any thoughts of having of family and decided to focus himself on his new found career, and new life in Radiator Springs, New Mexico.

However, as the years progressed and new families began to call Radiator Springs their home; Doc began to feel a void deep inside him slowly growing.

He seen many-a birthdays, holidays, good times and bad pass throughout Radiator Springs for its families that called it home; and felt alienated through all of them. Sure, he was there to celebrate these occasions with them, but he just felt part of the sidelines; not having a 'real' family of his own to celebrate with. As most of the families grew and moved on, forgetting all about little ole' Radiator Springs; only he and few old faithfuls remained.

Lizzie, Red, Sarge, Filmore, Luigi and Guido, Flo and Ramone, and of course the Sheriff and little 3 year old Mater.

The Sheriff had adopted little Mater about a year ago. He was working a case in another town when got wind of a couple neglecting their little toddler. Always a softie for little kids, the Sheriff decided to check it out.

The house that the Sheriff found Mater in was nothing short of atrocious. The carpet was filthy, holes were in the walls; furniture, what little there was, was spewed which ever way. And there was tiny little Mater, crawling around in all that filth and disgust, all but completely abandoned by his parents; being that they were nowhere to be found.

By the end of the month, both of Mater's parents were in jail and the Sheriff had legally adopted the young toddler, and taken him home to Radiator Springs. To Raise him with his 'family'.

The Sheriff, as well as everyone else in Radiator Springs, told Doc that he should adopt a child.

Doc had put thought into the matter, but he never felt that he would make a very good father on his own. His patience had dwindled over the years, and he was at the office nearly around the clock.

Besides, with little Mater running around and Flo and Ramone expecting their first, Doc felt that was enough to suffice his want to be a dad. He was perfectly okay with being 'Unca Doc' as Mater calls him, for the time being.

However, that mentality changed as of right this moment.

Doc slowly dropped the note to his side and turned his attention to the little bundle of joy sitting in the center of the room.

Normally, an infant his age would start crying their head off in the presence of an unknown stranger; but little Lightning remained silent, for the most part.

The tiny baby only grunted a few times as he tried to lift and extend his tiny arm, curiously trying to reach for the mysterious man in front of him.

As Doc felt his heart melt, and with a few tears in his eyes, he shakingly extended his hand forward, allowing his finger to be grasped in the tiny hand.

"H-hi there, little guy," Doc choked a little, trying to contain himself, "that's a mighty strong grip you've got there."

Doc couldn't help but chuckle at the bewildered look on the baby's face as he held the massive in comparison finger in his tiny little fist.

Doc then tickled little Lightning's nose with the finger, cause a wide smile to appear, on both their faces.

Even with this first, small touch, Doc felt something grow in him that he thought he would never feel. The love a father has for his son. An hour ago, he had no idea this child even existed; and now there was no way he could imagine his life any further without this child in it. If the mother of this child were to come in that door at any moment, Doc wouldn't hand him over for anything.

This was his child now, his baby.

His little lightning bug.

So, what do you guys think?