HEY!! IT'S FINALLY HERE!! This chapter is a "prologue" chapter, and it picks up right where the movie left off, with Sally and Lightning racing each other to Flo's. Enjoy!

"Too slow, Stickers!" Sally called out as she drove into Flo's V8 Cafe.

"Not fair! You had a head start!" Lightning said as he skidded to a halt by the closest pump to the road.

"Guess dinner's on you." She teased as he playfully glared at her.

"Look who it is! " Lizzie cried.

"Welcome back, Lightning." Sheriff said. "Good to have you back."

Flo looked at Sally, smiling. "I thought we were going to have a terrible time keeping it a secret until Lightning went to find you."

"You knew!?" Sally exclaimed.

"Well I went to the race, didn't I? Here ya go sweetie." Flo placed a small can in front of Sally, then Lightning and the others at the pumps.

Lightning sniffed the container in front of him. "Gasohol?"

Sally laughed. "What, did you think there was no such thing as gasohol here? There's not much of it but we don't live under prohibition."

At the same time Doc rolled out into the middle of the small crowd of cars gathered at the pumps, still covered in stickers from the race. "I don't need to tell you all that we've seen a lot within the last ten days. Never in a million years had I ever thought I'd be parked here in front of you all, looking like I am right now. Radiator Springs is now officially home to racing headquarters of Lightning McQueen and soon a racing museum. Radiator Springs was left in the dust and forgotten about for decades, and the truly amazing thing about these last few days is that this town is on it's way to making a remarkable comeback." He looked at the faces of the cars around him as he continued, "So now it's time to celebrate. To Lightning McQueen, and the Radiator Springs Racing Team!"

A round of cheers was heard from the cars at the cafe.

Within a few moments the sun had set and for the second time in less than a week the buildings were lit by neon. Lizzie rolled over to the porch of the Curio shop and hit the dial on the radio. A mix of oldies and country came out of it, and the residents of the town rolled out into Main Street, their frames moving to the beat of the music. Sally watched the scene unfold from the edge of Flo's cafe.

"You happy?" Flo asked with a wink, appearing beside her.

"Very." Sally replied, no longer trying to conceal the smile that was threatening to reveal her true emotions to them all. "Part of me still can't believe he's actually back here. He actually came back, for the town, for us... for me."

"Sweetie, you had him since the day he saw that sign for the Interstate." Flo chuckled, watching Lightning try to fend off Lizzie and her stories yet again. "Wanted to get out of here so bad, then turned around and went the other direction following you. Now go rescue him from Lizzie."

As if on cue Lightning managed to free himself from Lizzie and came up to Sally, so they were almost face to face. Was he actually going to kiss her while she was standing right there beside Flo? Sally wondered. They stared at each other for a split second before Lightning asked, "Do you wanna cruise?"

"I'd love to." She answered and the two went out to join the others. She kept thinking about what had almost happened that afternoon, the first kiss that they had yet to share. Maybe I should make the first move, she thought, who says I have to leave it up to him? The two moved closer together as they made their way up the street. "Stickers?"

"Yeah?"

"The next time you chase me, you'd better be able to catch me." Sally said flirtatiously.

Lightning smirked, looking at her beside him. "You're on." he said.

"Hey." Lightning said, appearing in the doorway to the Cozy Cone office.

Sally looked up. An instant smile appeared across her bumper. "Hey." She moved out from behind the desk, and came over to him.

Lightning scuffed his tire against the floor. "So... I guess I was wondering, does your offer still stand from before? For Cone 1?"

"Of course." Sally replied. She couldn't remember who inched closer first, but the next thing she knew she was locked in a passionate kiss with Lightning, one that she'd been anticipating all day. About a minute later they pulled apart, looking at each other as if they couldn't believe that it had finally happened.

Lightning smiled at her. "So, I'll see you in the morning?" He asked, breaking the short silence.

"Yeah. Good night Stickers." She said sweetly.

As Lightning drove off to the cone closest to the road, Sally turned around and went back to her desk, trying to contain her excitement. She still found it hard to believe that some "hotshot racecar" she'd known for less than 2 weeks could have such an effect on her. And he was here to stay. However, her happiness dropped a level when she noticed the answering machine on her desk. With everything that had happened since Lightning's arrival, she had nearly forgotten all about what was on it. Extending a tire, she hit the "play" button on the machine, replaying the message that she'd received days earlier.

"Monday, November 21, 2005, 9:47 PM. 1 Message." The automated voice stated. A second later she heard a familiar voice on the machine. "Sally? It's me. Wow, I can't believe I actually found you... Uh, listen, no one knows I'm calling, not even Elle, and I promise I won't say anything. Sally, no one cares why you left, no one's mad, we just miss you! Look, I'm gonna be a dad in a few weeks and I guess- I guess I just really… wish you were here to talk to. You know my carphone number, Sally, just please-"

And then Lightning had sped into town.

So that was my first chapter. It's probably going to be the shortest of all the chapters, the next few will be a bit longer.

Reviews? You know you wanna…