A/N: I know, it's been a long time. But let me tell you: I was not completely pleased with the last story I did. It wasn't my best work, and I knew it even when I uploaded it. So I won't do that again. Even when school gets me busy, I will take time to write and edit and make quality work, because I know I can produce such better writing. Like Into the Psyche 3, which I plan to start this week. So you may not see much more of Psyche Stories for a while.

So here's this double oneshot, in hopes it makes up for the last one!

Fathers

It was a quiet, summer night in Propwash Junction. Everyone slept peacefully, knowing that tomorrow was a new day for fun and farm work. Darkness consumed the Riley hanger, broken only by the moonlight coming through the window. The hanger's occupants slept soundly, except for one.

A twelve-year-old Sky tiptoed silently across the hanger, scooting around Skipper's sleeping form and going towards a set of shelves near the door. Sky made sure her father still slept, and she began perusing the shelves. She found a row of scrapbooks, and she pulled one of them down. As quietly as she could, she began flipping through the pages and staring at the pictures inside. These were photos of Skipper and Sparky during the war, before Glendal Canal. Most of them depicted Sparky and Skipper at various places around the Flysenhower, doing seemingly random things that didn't give Sky much information.

Skipper suddenly shifted in his sleep, mumbling incoherently. Sky froze, staring at him and praying he wouldn't wake up. Skipper soon settled, snoring softly. Sky let out a breath, and she put the scrapbook away and snuck back to bed.

The next morning, Skipper and Sparky gave no indication that they knew of Sky's snooping. They simply went about their normal morning business before seeing Sky off to her walk. Max had invited Sky to go on a hike with him, and Sky wanted to ask the firefighter about something very important.

"Father's Day, huh?" Max mused as the two of them trekked through the woods.

Sky nodded. "It's my first Father's Day with Skipper and Sparky. I mean, Sparky might be more of a brother, but I still want it to be special for both of them."

"Well you got at least a week to think about it." Max said. "Why all the fuss?"

"Because I don't know what to do." Sky said. "I don't know the best way to celebrate. I lived with them long enough to know them, but the only times we really have a party is my birthday, Thanksgiving, or Christmas."

"Maybe you don't need to do a party." Max shrugged.

"But I still want to get them something." Sky said. "Something that shows how much I love and appreciate them."

Max chuckled. "I don't think you need to go to all the trouble, Sky. Skipper and Sparky probably aren't expecting much. Last I checked, Skipper didn't like surprises, anyway."

"Yeah." Sky bobbed her head uncertainly. "I don't know. It's been a long time since I had a dad to celebrate Father's Day. Why shouldn't I take advantage of that?"

"These are things you have to answer for yourself, kiddo." Max said, tousling Sky's hair. "Look, whatever you decide to do, Skipper and Sparky will love it because it came from you, and they love you so much."

Sky smiled in thanks, her thoughts going back to that oh-so-important gift she wanted to give to Skipper and Sparky. It felt so much more important than it really was, but that's how Sky saw it. She owed so much to Skipper and Sparky. How could she show them that?

She worked all week, meticulously going over every single detail to make sure it was absolutely perfect. Making this perfect gift became a matter of pride for her, and she didn't stop planning and working until she absolutely loved the end result. Then she spent an hour wrapping the gift better than a store clerk at Christmas. Her stomach churned with nervousness the next morning, so much that she didn't eat much breakfast.

Sparky noticed. "You okay, Sky?"

"Yeah." Sky nodded, taking a bite of her cereal and wiping her mouth on her wrist. "May I go outside? I promised Chug I'd help him at the Fill N' Fly today."

"Be safe." Sparky said, waving her off as Sky headed for the door.

"Bye Dad! See you later!" Sky called as she walked out.

"See you later, sweetheart." Skipper called back. He hummed in thought after she left. "She seemed to be in a hurry."

"Didn't eat much breakfast, either." Sparky noted. "What's eating her?"

"Can't say." Skipper shrugged.

Sparky shrugged too. "Well, better go clear off the table." He drove back into the kitchen area and gathered the dirty dishes from breakfast. He noticed something else on the table that he swore wasn't there before: a rectangular object wrapped in navy blue wrapping paper and tied with a pretty white ribbon. The tag read, "To Dad and Sparky. With love, Sky." Sparky guessed that Sky left it there just before she left. He picked up the gift and drove back into the main room of the hanger. "Hey Skip! Check it out! Sky left us a Father's Day present."

"Well isn't that sweet?" Skipper chuckled. "Wish she hadn't gone to such trouble."

"Knowing Sky, it wasn't trouble at all." Sparky said.

"Open it up. Let's see what she thought to get us." Skipper encouraged. Sparky gently pulled off the ribbon and tore the paper, letting the wrapping fall to the floor. He held it up for Skipper to see better. Their reactions alone would make it clear to anyone how much they loved the present.

Sky had taken a picture frame and painted it blue-gray, similar in shade to Skipper's paintjob, with a Navy ribbon design across the bottom and silver stars on the side panels. Across the top panel, Sky painted the words "My Heroes." The picture itself was a family portrait Rosa took of Skipper, Sparky, and Sky on her eleventh birthday.

"It's perfect." Sparky sighed happily.

Skipper nodded in agreement. "That's our girl."

"I'll bet they hated it." Sky groaned, stacking a couple cans of oil on a shelf at the Fill N' Fly.

"I think you're overreacting." Chug laughed. "Plus, it's too late to back out now."

Sky sighed. "I think I overthought this whole thing too much."

"I agree." Chug nodded.

"That doesn't help, Chug."

"Well, you just can't overthink something like Father's Day. You know what I got my dad? A cheap card and a gift certificate to a restaurant in Sterling he likes."

"He liked it, right?"

"He loved it! You know why? Because it came from me. Because I put sincere thought into it. Even if I got him a crummy gift, at the end of the day, we love each other, and that's what's important."

Sky smiled at last. "Thanks, Chug. I really needed to hear that."

Chug grinned and nodded. "You gotta have more confidence in yourself, Sky. There are times to really think about stuff and then there are things you don't need to put a lot of effort into. Father's Day is one of those don't-think-about-it-too-hard things. I see the way Skipper and Sparky talk to you and the way they act around you. You're their whole world."

Sky blushed. "Oh shut up." Chug laughed heartily.

Sky decided to go back to the hanger for lunch. Skipper and Sparky waited outside, to her surprise.

"Hey kiddo!" Sparky waved. "Grab your jacket. We're going out to eat."

"Sounds fun!" Sky said excitedly, jogging into the hanger. She grabbed a light sweatshirt from her dresser and headed back towards Skipper and Sparky. Something caught her eye, and she paused and turned to the wall.

Her Father's Day gift hung on the wall, perfectly illuminated by the sunlight.

"You coming, Sky?" Skipper called from outside.

Sky looked to him and smiled broadly. "Coming, Dad." I love you.

Skipper jerked his nose to one side. "Then let's go." I love you too.

Under normal circumstances, Harley would've tried to scare Sheriff as the police cruiser slept at his post. But today was a special occasion, so she decided to forgo the antics.

"Hey Sheriff!" Harley called from down the road, raising her voice loud enough to wake him but without startling him.

Sheriff shook a little as he roused awake. "Hey there, Harley darlin'." He noticed she held something behind her back. "All right, what do you got there?"

"Relax. I'm just making a delivery." Harley brought her hands around to reveal a can of oil and a large, colorful card. "Happy Father's Day from me and Mater!"

"Aw, that's sweet of ya." Sheriff said, accepting the gift. "Why didn't Mater come out here? He's usually bouncin' around like a kid on Father's Day."

"Lightning got tangled in the cacti and Mater's been trying to fish him out." Harley sighed. "He told me to bring this to you before the oil got too warm to drink."

"Well tell him I appreciate it." Sheriff said gratefully. "And tell McQueen to stop racing at Willie's Butte until he gets a brake service."

"I've been telling him that all week." Harley rolled her eyes. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to go give Dad his gift."

"Of course." Sheriff nodded in understanding. "See you back in town?"

"You bet! You still have to come back in time for the party tonight." Harley waved as she skated back towards town. She knew Sheriff would never miss the Radiator Springs Father's Day party. It was a tradition that, every Father's and Mother's Day, the townsfolk came together to celebrate their parental figures, be they blood relations or otherwise. This would be the first year Finn and Holley joined the celebration, at Mater and Harley's insistence. Finn had already agreed to come down so he and Harley could practice strengthening their Soul Connection. Currently, he chatted with Sarge about their fighting days while Holley spent some time with Mater.

When Harley arrived in town, she saw Lightning getting a hose down from Red to get the cactus pieces off of him. Once he was cactus-free, Lightning shook a little to get the excess water off. "Thanks, Red."

The firetruck beamed proudly, driving off to tend to his flowers. Harley came up and smirked knowingly at the red racecar. "Well?"

"All right, all right." Lightning sighed, rolling his eyes. "You can take a look at my brakes."

"Tomorrow." Harley decided. "I'm going to see Doc right now."

Lightning perked up at this. "Uh…..mind if I…..you know, come along?"

Harley smiled softly. "I think Dad would like that. Come on."

The two of them journeyed through town and to the gravesites of Stanley and Doc. Since his death, Harley made it a tradition to come talk to him on special occasions: Christmas, Doc's birthday, and Father's Day. No matter how busy she was any other day of the year, those three days were devoted specifically to Harley's father. With her permission, Lightning joined her. He was surprised when Harley told him he never needed to ask permission. Harley had clearly seen the fatherly role Doc took on for Lightning, so it was only right for him to join her on these talks.

Their talks weren't always anything special. General things that happened recently, sharing memories, and sometimes venting frustrations. Lightning always complimented Harley on her great work with being his crew chief, and Harley would playfully complain about the little things Lightning did to annoy her. They even talked about Harley's spy work.

"You should see her, Doc." Lightning said. "Tough as nails and really knows how to kick…..butt…"

Harley giggled. Lightning never cussed, but he made especially sure to avoid those words around Doc. "It's fun. Finn says he's going to teach me everything he knows. I hope you're watching, Dad, and don't worry too much. I can do this."

Lightning didn't speak, staring at the grave marker for a long moment. He sighed. "Does it ever stop hurting, Harley?"

"Of course not." Harley said, her tone of voice betraying her smile. "It hurts to lose someone you love. But it gets easier as time goes by. The pain dulls. You just can't ever forget about them."

Lightning grinned. "Yeah."

"All right, everyone!" Flo called as everyone gathered at the café. "You know the rules. The party starts with memories of our fathers. I think it's only fair that our guests go first." The townsfolk voiced their agreements, causing Finn and Holley to fidget nervously.

"I don't think I have much to offer." Finn admitted.

"You won't be the only one, man." Ramone assured. "We're all family here."

"Start us off, Mr. McMissile." Sally encouraged.

Harley patted Finn's fender comfortingly. She wanted him to know that he could trust these people. At her smile, Finn finally gave in. "To be honest, I never had a very good relationship with my father. We had…..a difference in opinion regarding my occupation." He waited for someone to pressure him into the details. To the surprise, most of the townsfolk just nodded in understanding.

"Totally get it, man." Fillmore said. "I haven't spoken to my dad in years. He didn't like the decisions I made."

"You mean the organic fuel?" Harley asked.

"I think the thing he hated more was the crush I had on a boy in my class." Fillmore corrected.

"How did you deal with it?" Finn asked politely. "The relationship with your father, that is."

"When I couldn't hold our relationship together, I decided to let him go until he could accept me for who I am." Fillmore said. "We never did patch things up, but it was quite a relief letting go even though it was hard."

Finn nodded slowly, beginning to smile. Harley grinned at the sight. "Holley? Want to go next?"

"I'm afraid I don't have much to offer either." Holley admitted.

"What is it with you spies and the lack of parents?" Lightning asked.

"Stickers!" Sally scolded.

"Our cases aren't typical, rest assured." Holley said. "My mother died when I was a teenager. Father was never around, but Mother told me stories about him all the time."

"Did you ever find him?" Mater asked.

"No, I'm still looking." Holley said. "For now, I'm just going to have to get used to the fact that I don't have much of a family."

"That's not true." Harley corrected. "You got us!"

"You got this entire town here for ya." Sheriff added. "You and McMissile are part of the Radiator Springs family now."

"Trust me, we understand what it feels like coming in without a family." Flo assured. "Some of us came here without anyone. Some of us don't have any living family left. So we make up our own little family right here."

"Befriending Harley and Mater basically roped you two into this." Lizzie said. "So, like it or not, you're stuck with us."

Finn and Holley chuckled, sharing a look. This wasn't really a bad family to be with. Harley scooted closer to Holley while Ramone told a funny story about his father trying to fix their chimney (a story he had told at least twenty times before).

"I hope you find your dad, Holley." Harley whispered.

"I'm sure I will someday." Holley whispered back. "Of course, I don't have much to go off of except Mother's stories."

"Did she ever tell you what he looked like?" Mater asked.

"No." Holley said. "Just that he was an older model. She liked to talk about him, but she would never show me pictures or tell me what he looked like. I seem to know everything about my father and yet I would never be able to pick him out in a lineup."

"I'm sure there's a good reason." Harley said. "Was he a spy?"

Holley nodded. "Mother told me he died in the line of duty. But I don't believe it."

"Why not?" Mater asked.

"I don't know." Holley admitted. "There was always something about the way Mother talked about him. A certain shine in her eye. Like she reminisced on the past with fondness instead of mourning."

"I don't understand." Harley said.

"Well, whenever she talked about my grandfather, she always sounded a bit sad and mournful." Holley explained. "When she spoke of my father, her tone had a feeling of longing. Like she wished he would come back."

"We should try and find him." Harley suggested.

"Yeah!" Mater agreed. "I bet if we work together, we'd find him no problem!"

"You'd help me?" Holley grinned hopefully.

"That's what family does, right?" Harley said with a wide grin.

Though the three of them whispered amongst themselves while the rest of the residents talked, they didn't realize someone eavesdropped on them. Finn listened closely to Holley's words, and he felt more and more dread with every sentence. He couldn't bear to listen to them anymore, and he quietly excused himself. Though Harley voiced her concerns, Finn casually lied and told her he had to use the loo. Once he was alone in his room at the Cozy Cone, Finn took a few minutes to calm his racing engine. All this talk of fathers dredged up old memories. He was honestly surprised he lasted that long without having a minor meltdown.

Finn absent-mindedly made his way to his computer and turned it on. As he browsed deeper and deeper into the many folders and documents on the computer, Finn thought back to her: her warm smile, those shining eyes that always brightened when she thought of something happy, and that nasty temperament she had when someone threatened her family.

Her name: Emily.

Originally, Emily had been Finn's target. He was supposed to kill her because she was the daughter and successor of a mob boss in London. Emily's father was ill and about to die. C.H.R.O.M.E. wanted to wipe out the family-run mob for good, and Emily had yet to marry or have a child. She was the only heir. Without her, the mob would fall apart.

But when Finn arrived to kill her, he found her already dead.

At least, he thought she was dead. It took a bit of investigating of her hotel room to discover she had faked her death. C.H.R.O.M.E. was blamed, but the mob already dissipated. Finn kept an eye on Emily, wondering if she would rebuild her father's mob elsewhere. He didn't realize until two years later that Emily kept her eye on him too, waiting for him to try and kill her. Their first "date" was a vicious fight and chase that took them all over London.

When she kissed him, he knew he was in over his hood by falling in love with her.

They spent several years in a casual relationship. She often worked as an informant for Finn on some of his London-based cases. He wanted to marry her. He feared his enemies would find her and kill her first. So he faked both of their deaths, and they went their separate ways. Finn didn't hear from her again for fifteen years.

"There it is." Finn murmured, finally finding the right document. He entered in the password, and the file opened to reveal a copy of a letter Finn received years ago. At times like this, he liked to open the letter and read through it, reminiscing on the blissful moments of his past.

Dear Finn,

I know I'm probably the last thing on your mind nowadays, but I hope you remember me. I trust you are doing well, and you're staying alive with all this spy business.

Sadly, this is not a letter to catch up. You see, I am writing to you now because we will never see each other again in this life. I was in an accident last year, and required an engine transplant. But my replacement engine has been failing, and I doubt I will live long enough to receive a response from you.

I had to write to you, Finn. I have to tell you: we have a daughter. Oh, she's so beautiful. Everyone says she's the spitting image of me, but inside she's you. She even wants to be a spy, just like her father! I told her you had died in the line of duty, and yet that hasn't deterred her in the least. If you think about it, and if you have the time, you ought to come see her. She'd be happy to see you. Then again, I'll be happy enough with you just seeing her for yourself. She would make you so proud.

If you think about it, go see her. She has my maiden name, Shiftwell. And I decided to give her the name you said you liked so much: Holley.