The sun rose upon a beautiful summer day in Dimmsdale. The birds were chirping, heralding the new day. In the distance, children could be heard laughing and playing.
"Close the blinds," groaned a head beneath a pillow.
"Come on, Sweetie," cooed a female voice. "You're wasting the day away."
"Yeah, we had it all planned out, remember?" a male voice continued.
"That was before the all night Phone of Responsibility marathon," the pillow replied. "Followed by the Horns death match."
With the soft ringing of a bell, a torrent of water fell on the bed. Startled, the sheets flew back as Timmy Turner leapt from his dampened bed.
"Great," Timmy sighed. "I wished by bed was dry."
Raising their wands in triumph, Cosmo and Wanda granted their godchild's wish. Instantly the bed was dried, and the sheets carefully made.
"And I don't see what's the point of getting up so early?" Timmy said as he peeled off his wet pajamas. "I still have a week before school starts again."
"Need to make the most of summer," Cosmo cheered.
"Just admit you're lonely with Poof off at summer camp," Timmy said as he headed toward his bathroom. "You two have been super clingy ever since Jorgen showed up last Monday.
Meanwhile, Poof was panting along with other magical children as Counselor Jorgen marched them up a mountain while being chased by wild and angry squirrels.
"Are you sure he's not an anti-fairy?" a young elf asked.
"Yes," replied Foop. "He would be laughing louder."
"That's not very reassuring," the elf replied. She screamed as a squirrel managed to land on her shoulder. "I DIDN'T TAKE YOUR NUTS!"
"It's not just that, Timmy," Wanda said through the open bathroom. "We don't know how much more time we have left with you. It seems like only yesterday that we were assigned to your case."
"Really, I thought yesterday you were complaining about how long we've been together," Cosmo said as he closely examined Timmy library of V-Cube games. Ignoring her husband, Wanda continued. "You are getting older. It's only a matter of time when you won't need us anymore."
"Fifth grade sure was rough," Timmy agreed as he started the water for his shower, "but high school isn't a picnic either. Now do you mind, I really need to take a shower."
Closing the door, Wanda floated over to Cosmo who had selected the last year's baseball video game featuring the World Series Champions Chicago Cubs.
"Cosmo, I've got a bad feeling about this," Wanda said as Cosmo loaded the game. "I feel a disturbance. Like a thousand voices crying out and then getting louder."
"You worry too much," Cosmo said as he frantically mashed buttons. "Lately, Timmy's only had to worry about that gray kid."
"Yeah," Wanda admitted. Having left elementary school behind, Crocker's daily challenges were a thing of the past. And the only good thing about Timmy growing up, meant Vicky was also grown. Having left for college, she never bothered to return home. Apparently, she enjoyed spreading her icky as far as possible.
"Still, I can just feel danger approaching."
Waiting for Timmy to finish getting ready, Wanda joined Cosmo in his video game. Despite having the coordination of an epileptic Chihuahua, Cosmo was leading the score by ten. Years of practice had honed his skills at random button mashing to the point of mastery.
"Okay, what's first for the day," Timmy asked as he exited the bathroom. His sense of fashion had barely improved in the past six years as he still wore a pink t-shirt and jeans. The only noticeable change in his attire was the large "D" now present on his pink hat. The hat had been a gift from Dad during a ball game to see the Dimmsdale Pirates. It had been one of the few activities the two had done all summer. His parents had even foregone a family vacation. Timmy had woken one morning to find a note on the refrigerator saying they would be back in two weeks. If not for the intervention of his fairies and friends, he would have starved as his parents had only left a half-emptied box of cereal.
Magically, a clipboard and reading glasses appeared in Wanda's hands. "First, it's to finish your chores."
"Pass."
"Then it's your summer reading."
"Pass."
"Meet up with Chester and A.J. at the mall."
"That's not until noon," Timmy said as he looked over at his clock. "You could have let me sleep a little longer."
"Then it's watching the girl's soccer scrimmage this afternoon," Wanda concluded. The clipboard and glasses disappeared in a pink cloud as she floated down to Timmy.
"Better not miss that one," Timmy said as he grabbed his skateboard and helmet. Still the reigning queen of the skate park, he would kill the extra time at his old haunt.
"Wouldn't want to upset your girlfriend," Cosmo laughed. Wanda, unable to help herself, joined with a little chuckle.
"She's not my girlfriend," Timmy said defensively. "I just want to cheer on the team."
"Whatever you say, Sport," Wanda said as she rolled her eyes.
Running down the stairs, Timmy leapt past the last few and landed on the ground floor.
"Morning, Timmy," Mom called from the kitchen. "Do you want some breakfast?"
"No, I get something on the way to the park," Timmy replied. "I'll be back before dark."
"Just be home for dinner. I'm making meatloaf."
"Sure thing, Mom," Timmy said as he closed the door. His stomach nearly rebelled against him at the thought of his mother's last attempt, but he would grin and bear it. At least, he would bear it. Oh, who was he kidding? Both his father and he would disappear until the stove melted down and order a pizza.
Riding down to the park on his skateboard, he stopped when he encountered his least favorite classmate. Just a few yards in front of him, Francis was shaking down a poor child of his pocket money. While he lacked Vicky's imagination in torturing, he made up with brute force. He had already been kicked off most of the sports teams for unnecessary roughness.
"Well, well," Francis grinned as he noticed his observer. "I wasn't expecting you until school started, Turner. Guess I could use the practice."
"Hello, Francis," Timmy grimly replied. "I thought your parole hearing wasn't until Friday."
"Oh, I got a new sponsor," Francis gloated as he cracked his knuckles. "He worked out a deal with judge."
"How nice for you," Timmy said as he started to skate away. "I just wish you would trip up again."
"Oh, I'm out for good now, Timmy," Francis said as he stepped toward him. Unbeknownst to him, his shoelaces were tied together a small puff of pink dust. When he tried to reach for Timmy, he tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face.
"TURNER!" Francis shouted as he tried to untangle his laces. Fortunately, Timmy was long gone by time he managed to get to his feet. Growling in frustration, he immediately searched for a new victim.
The rest of the morning was pretty uneventful. After a few hours at the skate park, Timmy meet up with Chester and A.J. at the mall. With his summer sports all wrapped up, Chester was enjoying until spring training began. Following in his father's footsteps, Chester had joined the school baseball team in hopes of redeeming the family name. While a partial success, he was far from star material, but he at least did not require a paper bag over his head.
A.J. on the other hand had seriously slacked off during the summer. Having been warned by a note from his future self, he slowed his perceived educational progression to only slightly accelerated. Truthfully, he would have been working on his post-doctorate if not for a warning he had received in fifth grade. Secretly at home, he had already advanced beyond most universities, but he enjoyed dumbing it down for his teachers at school.
"Only one more week of blessed freedom," Chester said as they hung out in the food court.
"Please, you make school sound like a prison," A.J. laughed.
"At least during the summer we aren't called losers all time," Chester griped. "Also, Francis has been enjoying his stay at his 'special' school all summer."
"Yeah, about that," Timmy sighed. "I ran into him this morning. Looks like he hasn't missed a beat."
"Great, just great," A.J. said downhearted. "He always said he liked using eggheads for warm-ups. They were always softer on his hands."
Collectively, all three let out a deep sigh.
"Are guys going to the scrimmage today," Timmy said as he tried to lighten the mood.
"Can't," Chester replied. "I have to get groceries and fix supper tonight. And the good stuff is gone if I don't get out to the highway before rush hour."
Not wanting to continue down that path, Timmy looked over at A.J.
"Elmer and Sanjay want some help with that junker they picked up," A.J. answered. "They managed to get the engine to turn over, but it cuts out after a few minutes."
"Besides, I doubt she'll care to much if we don't make it," Chester laughed.
"Knock it off," Timmy said as he heard some additional snickering coming from two of the decals on his skateboard.
"Hey, I wonder if the new Chip Skylark CD is out," A.J. said as they walked past Music Haven. "I heard he's remastered Icky Vicky."
"No, it's coming out sometime in this fall," Timmy said. With two of Chip's biggest fans for parents, he was always up to date on the pop star's release schedule. The CD was supposed to help promote his new reality show, Teeth Rock. "Let's head over to the Comic Hut. I want to pick up the latest Crimson Chin."
Walking into the haven for the male youth, Timmy glanced through the racks for his quarry. After a few moments of searching, he had located not only the latest chintastic release but also a few of the spin-off series he had missed. He found Chester eyeing a mint condition Crash Nebula first series action figure.
"You can almost smell the originality," Chester said lovingly. "I wonder if they give an employee discount here."
"The answer to that is no," A.J. said as he came out of the some the vintage comic stacks. "Believe me, I've asked."
"Ah, dang it," Chester said as he snapped his fingers. Pulling himself away from the precious artifact of seven years ago, Chester joined his friends and paid for their purchases.
"I can't believe you bought Scaredy Cat meets the Crimson Chin," A.J. commented. "I mean back in the seventies Scaredy Cat was meeting everybody."
"It's a classic," Timmy shrugged. "Besides, it fills out my collection of Crimson Chin campy team-ups."
Leaving the mall, the three friends split up to go their separate ways. Chester quickly rushed to the road as he heard the sound of squealing tires.
"Sweet, raccoon," he shouted as he leapt over the guard rail.
A.J. in turn began waking toward Elmer's house. By himself, Timmy rode his skateboard down the streets of Dimmsdale to the high school. Having changed from the decals on his skate, Cosmo and Wanda followed behind Timmy as green and pink birds.
"You know, we could just poof you there," Wanda said. "It would be a lot faster, and you could talk with her before hand."
"I'm enjoying the pace," Timmy said as he passed by his old elementary school. Little had changed since he had left it behind. He saw some of the custodians painting the outside in preparation of the new school year about to start.
"He's just trying to work up the nerve to ask her out," Cosmo laughed.
"Shut up," Timmy hissed as he continued to roll down the street. After arriving at the high school soccer field, his godparents resumed the form of decals on his board.
The bleachers looking onto the field were only sparsely filled. A few of the teachers had left their early planning sessions to enjoy the slight reprieve. The rest were parents and friends of the players. Only being a friendly scrimmage, the visiting team was the Brightburg High Koi. The two teams were scheduled to meet at the end of their seasons, and the scrimmage would allow each coach to size up their rivals.
"You can do it, Dodos," Mr. Knacky, the shop teacher called from the top row. "Turner, up here."
Timmy walked up the bleachers and joined his favorite teacher. After years of repairing the damage caused either by Vicky, Cosmo, or an errant wish, Timmy had learned he was good with hands. If not for his parents pushing for college, Timmy would have probably gone for technical courses rather than the college prep route. Still, he had managed to fit into as many of Mr. Knacky's classes as possible.
"I see you're taking Mrs. Longfield's literature class this semester," Mr. Knacky said as they watched the teams warm up. "Shame she was in the car crash a few weeks ago."
"Oh no," Timmy said with genuine concern. She may not have been one of his favorite teachers, but she did not torture him like some in his past. "Is she okay?"
"She broke her leg and was really bruised up," the teacher replied. "She's taking early retirement since she was only a few years away. She's moving in with her daughter upstate."
"That's too bad," Timmy said as he noticed the teams were getting ready to start. "Are they canceling the class?"
"No, they hired a few new teachers last spring to handle the turnover," Mr. Knacky answered as he stood up to get a better view of the field. "I suppose one of them will take over."
As the game began, Timmy quickly scanned the field. The Koi were easily dominating their rivals. Timmy waited for the Dodo's secret weapon to make her appearance.
While the Koi's leading striker was approaching the goal, a swift foot stole the ball and passed it on the forward Dimmsdale players. Stunned, it took a moment for the Koi forwards to fall back, but by then Dimmsdale had already made the score.
Timmy smiled as Tootie ran back into her position in the back field. Years of abuse from her older sister had given her the drive for her aggressive play style. Though she was pitiful in offense, she was regularly carded, she was an almost impenetrable wall when it came to defense. The coach had naturally placed her in the sweeper position.
"Tootie is up to form," Mr. Knacky said as the Koi desperately tried to breach Dodo defense. "If they moved her up from junior varsity last year, we might have made state."
"She spent most of the freshman year in the wrong positions," Timmy said as Tootie forced the forwards into the waiting full backs. "Once the coach saw her quick reaction time, he placed her as sweeper."
As the game progressed, it became a battle of each teams' defense. Aside from their first goal, Dimmsdale had not scored again, but Brightburg was also struggling. When the referee called for half-time, the teams retreated to their respective benches. Timmy watched as Tootie nearly collapsed on the bench. Grabbing a bottle, she quickly drain the sports drink. She looked up and saw Timmy sitting in the bleachers. Smiling, she to him across the field. Timmy stood up and waved back. Sitting down, he heard kissing noises coming from his skateboard.
"You might want to check your axils," Mr. Knacky said. "Sounds like they could use a little grease."
"It's probably just a screw loose," Timmy replied as glared down at the green decal on his board.
A moment later, the teams returned to the field. Tootie remained on the bench as the coach wanted to test the second string defenders. They played reasonably well but allowed the Koi to make three goals. When the game ended, the Dodos had lost 3-2. The players exchanged the normal niceties along with promises of a better performance later in the year. Timmy grabbed his gear and met up with Tootie on the field. She was talking with striker Kimmy about how to slip past the Koi defense. When he approach the two, Timmy still got a slight uneasiness around Kimmy. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something was very familiar. "If you want some extra practice, just let me know," Tootie said as they headed back toward the field house at the football field. "I can get Molly to help out too."
"Thanks," Kimmy replied. "I can't believe how tough it was to make that shot."
"It'll get better," Tootie reassured her. Seeing Timmy following, a small smile appeared on her face. "I'll catch up with you later."
Seeing her male doppelganger, Kimmy nodded and continued toward the field house. "You were amazing, Tootie," Timmy congratulated. "No one can slip past you."
"Twelve years dodging my sister is finally paying off," she laughed. "I'm glad you came."
"What are friends for?" Timmy replied. "Well, I need to clean up," Tootie said as she watch the last of her team enter the field house. "Do you mind waiting for me?"
"No problem. I need to kill some time before I head home anyway."
Tootie gave Timmy a quick smile before rushing to join the others in the locker room."
Timmy wandered around the school fields while he waited for Tootie. The sun was slowly finishing its arc in the sky, and he was enjoying the late summer rays on his face. "You ready?"
Timmy turned to see Tootie holding her gym bag. While she kept her hair in a tight bun on the soccer field, it was now hanging down in two unbraided pigtails. No longer forced to wear Vicky's old clothes, she wore a simple yellow sundress with a pair of white sandals. Placing on her thin rimmed glasses, she looked at Timmy and smiled. A sudden wolf whistle emanated from his skateboard. "Is that wheel still squeaking?" Tootie puzzled. "Don't worry. I plan on drowning it some oil later," Timmy said as he looked down at the offending green decal. "I only wish it was boiling."
Timmy and Tootie began to walk toward their neighborhood. Timmy had offered to carry her gym bag, until she pointed out that he was already carrying his own shopping bag and skateboard. "Crash Nebula or Crimson Chin?"
"Chin," Timmy admitted. "The new issue and a few old ones to fill in my collection."
Tootie giggled at Timmy's excitement over the comics. She knew he had been collecting since he was nine, and the way he talked about them, you would almost think the Crimson Chin was real. They continued to talk about the upcoming school year. Like for the past two years, they had managed to take many of the same classes. As they neared Tootie's house, she invited him in to listen to the new Brittany Brittany CD. Looking down at his watch, Timmy decided that Mom would have destroyed most the kitchen. He politely declined and walked her to the door. "I don't have practice tomorrow," Tootie said as she lingered at the door. "Would like to go shopping for school supplies?"
"Sure," Timmy said to Tootie delight. "I can call the guys and invite them along."
"Great," Tootie said slightly downhearted. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night," Timmy said as he dropped his board and skated away. Tootie unlocked the door and slipped inside. Leaning against the door, she let out a heavy sigh. "Why am I in love with such an idiot?"
"Don't know," replied a voice in the darkness. "Why don't you tell your big sis all about it?"
As quietly as possible, Timmy tried to sneak into his house, but as he placed one foot on to the stairs, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. "You're late, young man," his mother commented. "Your father has just about chewed off his own arm by now."
"Run, Timmy," his father called from the kitchen. "Save yourself."
"March," Mom instructed her son.
"I don't wish the meatloaf would not burst into flames," Timmy said as his mother followed behind. At the abandoned skateboard, Cosmo and Wanda poofed into their normal forms. "Was that a wish?" Wanda asked Cosmo.
"Works for me," Cosmo said gleeful as raised his wand.
"Ah!" Mr. Turner cried. "My eyebrows!"
Wanda looked crossly at her husband. Cosmo whooped and cheered as they floated upstairs. After being rescued by a pizza deliveryman, Timmy made his way upstairs to his room. Opening his door, he saw his two goldfish swimming in their bowl.
"You know, Sport," Wanda said as she and Cosmo appeared over their fishbowl. "You really should tell Tootie how you feel."
"Not you too," Timmy whined as he collapsed on his bed. "We're just friends."
"Is this the same Tootie who spent most of elementary school stalking you?" Cosmo said as he again started to search through Timmy's video games. "Or this the nice Tootie who's been tutoring you for the last two years? I can't remember."
"You know she's been less..."
"Obsessive, intrusive, unsettling, neurotic," Cosmo suggested.
"Clinging," Timmy finished, "ever since Vicky left."
"Well, can you blame her?" Wanda said. "Vicky tormented her day and night. Not to mention frightened away anybody who would be her friend."
"Yeah," Timmy sighed. "She only started stalking me when Vicky had to watch us together. I guess I was her first friend."
"And then you treated her like dirt," Cosmo said as he found Catman: Hambone Vet Hospital.
"Yeah," Timmy sighed. "Not to mention rejecting her constantly for whatshername," Cosmo continued.
"Trixie," Timmy corrected as he grabbed he pillow to cover his face. "Please don't remind me."
"And she forgave you every time," Wanda added as she whacked Cosmo in the back of the head. "Look, Timmy, I know the two of you are a lot closer now, and despite this knucklehead, you two seem to care for each other."
"Oh, you've been reading those love notes he's been writing," Cosmo said as he zipped up from the floor.
"Love notes?" Wanda asked as a panicked look flushed Timmy's face.
Raising his wand, Cosmo ducked as Timmy tried stop him. "No, Cosmo," Timmy vainly cried as wastebasket full of crumbled papers appeared.
"What's all this?" Wanda asked as she picked one up. After reading it, she looked up at Timmy with a smile.
"Go ahead and laugh," Timmy sighed.
"No, I think it's sweet," Wanda said. "Why don't you just tell her?"
"After all the time I avoided her," Timmy said, "she'd just laugh at me."
"Timmy, I don't you think you're being a bit silly," Wanda replied as she patted his shoulder.
"Yeah, it's not like she still has her Timmy shrine or anything," Cosmo said. "You two are just friends."
"Yeah, friends."
The next day, a cross Kimmy and Timmy were sitting in Elmer's car. Sanjay and Elmer were busy arguing under the raised hood. Kimmy sighed as she looked down at her watch.
"Guys, we were supposed to pick up Tootie ten minutes ago," she said out of the window. "Why not just admit this piece of junk will never work?"
"We almost got it," Sanjay called back.
"I just wish we could get going," Timmy whispered to his pink watch with green hands. Instantly, the car backfired a pink cloud, and the engine began working again.
"Told you we could fix it" Elmer said triumphantly as he closed the hood. Kimmy rolled her eyes as she was crushed between her boyfriend Sanjay and Elmer. Elmer's nearly flawless skin still held a little trace of the blemish he carried most of the fifth grade, but unlike his friend, he was still unable to get a date.
Sanjay on the other hand had become quite muscular under the rigorous training of his stepfather. Timmy had once asked Sanjay why he was not attending a military school, but Sanjay's stepfather had called them glorified day-spas.
Arriving at Tootie's house, the sky began to darken.
"Strange weather," Elmer commented as he stuck his hand out the window to feel for rain. "Timmy, can you see if Tootie's ready?"
"No problem," Timmy said as he pushed against the door to force it open. When the door finally gave way, Timmy nearly fell out of the car.
"If they weren't the only ones I knew with a car," Timmy grumbled as he approached the front door. As he reached out to touch the doorbell, a shiver surged up his arm.
"I sense something; a presence I've not felt since," he muttered under his breath as he rang the doorbell.
Behind the door, he heard a fury of shuffling feet. Tootie's mom quickly opened the door. Timmy could not remember ever seeing her so frazzled before.
"Good morning, ma'am," Timmy greeted. "Is Tootie ready?"
"No, she's not feeling very well today," she hurriedly replied. Silently she mouthed something which Timmy thought meant Run.
"Okay," Timmy said as he tried to peek past the door. Noticing the movement, Tootie's mother quickly closed the door.
"That's weird," Timmy commented as he started back to the car. Behind him, he heard a loud thump and a rustling in the leaves. Turning his head, he saw Tootie rush out of the bushes beside the house.
"GET TO THE CAR!" she screamed as she grabbed Timmy by the arm.
Suddenly, lightning flared above, and the front door flew open. Glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows.
"It can't be," Timmy whispered as Tootie threw him into the car.
"GO GO GO!" she shouted at Elmer, but he was dumb stroked by the figure who leapt out of the doorway.
"Where do you think you're going, twerps?" Vicky cackled as she revved a chainsaw above her head.
The only passenger in the car that had not been stupefied by the return of their childhood nightmare was Kimmy. Not wanting to wait for the berserk woman to reach them, she stomped on Elmer's foot and forced the car to flew down the street. Shaken by the jolt of acceleration, Elmer quickly regained his sense and control of the car.
"I can't believe she's back," Sanjay murmured as began to assume the fetal position.
"We have to warn the others," Elmer said as tears ran down his cheeks. A slight red mark began to form on the side of his neck. Dark whispers were again returning to fill his mind with suspicions of the others.
In the back seat, Tootie was crying into Timmy's chest. Leaves and branches covered her clothes and her hair. It was then Timmy noticed something was missing.
"Your hair?" Timmy said as he lifted the remained of a pigtail. "Did Vicky do this?"
"She said I was only fooling myself if I thought having hair that long would make me pretty," Tootie cried. "She laughed as she cut them off."
"Why didn't your parents stop her?" Kimmy asked. The others just looked at her. "What?"
"She never babysat you," Sanjay said as he began to compose herself. "She's pure evil."
"Icky with a V," Elmer added.
"And the worst sister you could ever have," Tootie cried. The tears were flowing freely now, and Timmy was at a lost as how to help. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her.
"Vicky's parents are as scared of her as we are," Timmy answered Kimmy. "We only had to deal with her a few hours at a time, but they had to live with her."
"I thought she had left for good," Elmer said as he felt confident they had place enough distance between themselves and Vicky. He gradually brought the car down to the speed limit and continued toward the mall.
"She graduated last spring," Tootie explained. "We thought she had found a job near her school, but she was only biding her time. She says she'll be moving out once she starts her new job next week."
Kimmy pondered it over for a few minutes and gave Tootie a smile. "Why not stay with me until then?"
"You wouldn't mind?" Tootie replied. "What about your parents?"
"I'll just tell them you're going to help me with soccer until school starts," Kimmy said with a reassuring smile. "If you want, I'll call Molly and invite her as well."
"You would do that for me?"
"What are friends for?"
As Kimmy continued to reassure Tootie, a dark frown appeared on Timmy's face. When Vicky left, Tootie had finally found the confidence to make friends. It was that confidence that had ended her outlandish attempts of pursuing him. While now he had come to like the attention, he did not want Tootie's confidence destroyed by her evil sister. He would need to think of a plan to make sure that never happened again.
"Look! There's Chester and A.J.," Sanjay pointed out. Timmy looked up from Tootie who was still clutching his chest. Chester and A.J. were both walking towards the Wall-to-Wall mart.
"Hey, guys," Sanjay called as Elmer pulled up beside them. "Bad news. Vicky's back."
While they did not succumb to the immense terror the others had felt, Chester and A.J. were visibly shaken. Squeezing in with Timmy and Tootie in the back, the packed vehicle made its way down the street.
"I'm sorry, Timmy," Tootie whispered. "I wanted to warn you."
"That's okay," Timmy replied. "I've handled her before."
For the first time since Vicky greeted her yesterday, Tootie smiled. Though she was cramped, she was at least leaning against the boy she had loved for most of her life. The only one who had ever tried to defend her.
Pulling into the parking lot, Elmer quickly located a space to park. The quickly unloaded from the car and stretched out their cramped muscles.
"Here, let's clean you up some," Kimmy said as she started to pick the leaves and branches out of Tootie's hair and clothes. "Maybe we should head to the salon first."
Tootie felt the stubs of her pigtails behind her neck and sighed. Prior to Vicky's mutilation, her hair was nearly down her back. It was now just to her shoulders.
"I should try something new anyways," she sighed.
"We'll meet up with you guys later," Kimmy said as she lead the distraught Tootie away to the salon.
"This is bad guys, really bad," Chester muttered.
"Calm down," Timmy said to the others. "It's not like we need a babysitter anymore."
"Yeah, but she's just evil, man, EVIL..." Chester began to rant hysterically. Timmy nodded to A.J., who gave Chester a swift backhanded slap. "Thanks, I needed that."
"First, let's just enjoy today," Timmy said as he walked toward the large doors to the shoppers' paradise. "We'll just have to wait and see what's she doing here."
Grudgingly, the others agreed and followed behind him. While they waited for Kimmy and Tootie to return, they browsed some of the selections at GameGo. When the girls finally returned, Timmy was nearly floored by Tootie's new look. With the lose of her pigtails, she had decided to allow her hair to freely hang to shoulder length. She apparently also had taken the time to apply a little makeup before leaving the salon.
"Tootie, you look..." Timmy stammered at a lost for words.
"You like it?" Tootie asked hopefully.
"If he liked it anymore, he would be drooling," his watch commented. "I mean, tick tock."
"You look great," Timmy answered as he slapped his hand down on his wrist. Tootie smiled shyly at the comment.
Bemused, Kimmy grabbed the arm of her friend and dragged Tootie back out into concourse. "I doubt you'll want to go back home for clothes, so let's go buy a few things."
"But Vicky took all my money," Tootie said as her depression was creeping back into her countenance.
"Guys, a little help," Timmy whispered to his watch. Timmy felt his pocket get a little bulkier. When he reached inside, he pulled out a credit card belonging to Tootie's mother. "Thanks."
Timmy ran up to the others and handed the card to Tootie. "Your mom slipped it to me when I answered the door. We'd better hurry and use it before Vicky calls to cancel it."
Tootie's face lightened and gave Timmy hug before running off with Kimmy. While the girls shopped for clothes, the boys split up to locate the supplies needed for school. When Timmy returned, he saw Tootie showing off some of her new clothes to Kimmy. They were chatting up a storm, and their voices were only interrupted by the occasional laughter.
"Glad to see you're feeling better," Timmy commented as he joined them.
"I wonder where Sanjay wondered off to," Kimmy said with a smirk. "Watch my bags while I search for him."
Leaving the two alone, Kimmy gave Tootie a wink before walking away. An awkward silence followed her departure.
"Tootie..." "Timmy..." they both started. They stopped with a little nervous laugh.
"Tootie," Timmy began again. "I just wanted you to know I'll always be there for you."
"Thanks, Timmy," Tootie replied. "I guess it was too much to hope my sister would stay away forever."
"Maybe she'll move on," Timmy said hopefully.
"No, I think she has something planned," Tootie sighed. "I saw her looking at the apartment listings this morning. My best hope is that she moves out."
"Any idea what she's up to?"
Tootie shook her head. Again, the awkward silence fell between the two.
Eventually, Kimmy returned with Sanjay in tow. A moment later the others rejoined them.
"What now?" Chester asked.
"How about lunch?" Tootie offered. "My treat."
Not wanting to abuse Tootie's mother, they settled on a few booths in the food court. After lunch, they finished shopping and began heading towards the exit.
"I think I'll walk," Timmy said as once again smoke rose from beneath the hood.
"It'll just take me a minute to fix it," Elmer replied.
"But I still have a few chores to finish today," Timmy said as he looked down at his watch. According to the watch face, it was time for cake. It was hard to argue when both of the hands were reaching out for the cake in vain.
"Mind if I join you?" Tootie asked.
"I'm sure Vicky is waiting at the house for me," Timmy replied. "It might be best if you stay with Kimmy."
A bit downhearted, Tootie reluctantly agreed. Timmy had wanted to stay with Tootie, but he needed time to plan. It was Vicky's treatment that brought his fairly godparents to him, and he wanted to make sure she could not cause him anymore problems.
Walking home, he was followed by two saddened dogs. The trio were silent for most of the walk home.
"Timmy, you're being awfully sullen," Wanda said as they finally arrived on his street. "Vicky is not the only thing on your mind."
"I'm scared Vicky might have hurt Tootie," Timmy admitted. "What kind of person does that to their own little sister?"
"The kind that uses them for a toilet bowl brush, destroys all their toys, and frightens away her friends," Cosmo answered.
"Really, Icky with a V," Timmy sighed.
As he walked up to his house, he was greeted by Tootie's father nervously waiting at his door.
"Timmy," he greeted. "I wanted to thank you for getting Tootie out of the house this morning."
"Then do something about Vicky," Timmy hissed. It was then he noticed large bruise just below the neck of shirt. "I'm sorry."
"I probably deserved that," the older man sighed. "Maybe if I was a more disciplined father, Vicky wouldn't have turned out to be such a monster."
A twinge of guilt overcame Timmy. He want to blame Vicky's parents, but they were just as much victims as Tootie. "Is Tootie okay?" her father finally asked. "I saw the two of you leave together."
"She's staying at a friend's house," Timmy answered. A small smile crossed the older man's face. "It's good to hear she has such good friends."
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He handed it to Timmy and clasped his hand.
"This all I could hide before Vicky took everything," he shamefully admitted. "I hope it will last long enough for Vicky to move."
Walking away from the stunned teen, Tootie's father stopped at the sidewalk.
"Thank you for looking after my little girl," he told Timmy. "You don't know how much of a relief you have been to her."
Timmy watched as the broken man walk toward his home. Once he was out of sight, Cosmo and Wanda appeared on his shoulders.
"What a poor man," Wanda commented.
"Yeah," Cosmo agreed. "My worst trouble is a nagging wife."
Wanda shot him a evil glare but refrained from rebuking him for now. She had bigger problems than the idiot statements of her idiot husband.
"What are we going to do about Vicky, Sport?" Wanda asked. "Tootie can't hide from her forever."
"I have an idea," Timmy said as he opened the door. Predictably, he found a note on the refrigerator from his parents. Apparently there was a special at the Cake and Bacon, and they would be back later that night.
"Perfect," he said as he ran up to his room. "Come on guys. I've got a lot of wishing to do."
"Thanks for inviting me over," Molly said as she dropped her overnight bag in Kimmy's room. "Now, what happened that got all the boys so worked up?"
"Just my sister," Tootie nearly growled. "She finally decided to come home."
Molly's face blanched at the thought of Vicky's return. Absentmindedly she rubbed her left wrist. It had been Vicky gentle treatment that had led to her fear of being touched for years.
"Are you planning on hiding here?"
"I don't know," Tootie sighed. She did not know what to do, but she was happy to have friends to help her this time. "Timmy really took charge today," Kimmy said as she rolled out a sleeping bag for Tootie. "I've never seen him so decisive before."
"He's the only person I have ever known to stand up to Vicky," Molly said. "I remembered we once tied her up with a rubber snake. I thought she was going to kill us, but he was so calm about it."
"Thats how we met," Tootie admitted. "He stood up to protect me from her."
Both Molly and Kimmy looked at each other puzzled. Both knew prior to high school, Timmy usually went out of his way to avoid Tootie. Seeing their confusion, Tootie giggled.
"He was so brave about it," she sighed. "I don't think I ever saw her angrier. Or meaner."
"When did all this happened?" Kimmy asked. "From everything Sanjay has told me, Timmy used to hate you."
"I doubt he really hated me," Tootie said hopefully. "I just never had any friends because of my sister, and he was the only one who was ever nice to me. I was probably a bit clingy."
"Is this the same Timmy Turner who ran away screaming, and I quote," Molly said as she made air quotes, "Save me from the Tootie Cootie Machine?"
Kimmy and Molly both laughed as Tootie turned bright red. "Okay, I was very clingy," Tootie admitted, "but he still stood up to Vicky for me."
"What could he had done to earn your complete devotion?" Kimmy skeptically asked. She had heard the stories of Tootie and Timmy during their time in elementary. She seriously doubted Timmy Turner wad as noble as Tootie thought he was.
"Well," Tootie started, "it all started when Vicky dragged me off to babysit a boy down the street."
"Why do I have to come?" a nine-year-old Tootie asked her older sister. She was always glad when Vicky left to babysit. It usually the only time the elder girl did not torment her.
"Because Mom and Dad said I had to," Vicky snapped back. "Don't worry. With two twerps, you can double the chores."
"But boys are so gross and dumb," Tootie whined.
"It's not like I'm forcing you to marry the brat," Vicky sighed. "If you two don't bother me, I just might take it easy on you."
Not convinced, Tootie saw any further arguments would only provoke Vicky's ire. Walking up to the house, Tootie smiled and kept quiet as Vicky had instructed. Vicky rang the doorbell and tapped her feet as she waited for a response. "Good evening, Mr. Turner," Vicky sweetly greeted. "I brought along my assistant to look after Timmy. I will need to charge double my normal rate, but you can be extra certain Timmy is receiving the very best care."
"Well in that case," Mr. Turner said as he pulled out his wallet and handed Vicky a stack of bills, "would you mind watching him longer."
"No problem," Vicky said as dollar signs appeared in eye. "For an additional fee."
"Of course," Mr. Turner said as he gave Vicky the last of his money.
"No," a tiny voice called from behind a chair. "Don't leave me behind."
"Come on, dear," Mr. Turner said to his wife. "Our furniture is good hands."
"What about Timmy?"
"Who?" Closing the door, Vicky emptied a bottle of liquid on the chair and dropped a lit match. The chair disappeared in a flash of flames and revealed a terrified little boy.
"Twerp, this is my sister," Vicky introduced Tootie. "Show her around, then get to work."
Still shaking, Timmy nodded and showed Tootie all the downstairs rooms while Vicky watched television. He had made very little impression on her as he led her around his home. She thought she had seen him in the playground at school, but she had little to do with boys. The other children had little to do with her. They were all scared of Vicky which frightened away any from being her friend.
"Would you like to play in my room?" he asked once they finished scrubbing the kitchen floor.
"I guess," she replied.
His room was typical of boys his age. A few toys laid skewed the floor, either belonging to the Crimson Chin or Crash Nebula. The thing that had Tootie curious was the empty fishbowl on his nightstand.
"Mom promised to buy me a pet," Timmy sighed. "She bought the bowl but forgot to get any fish."
Tootie laughed which proved to be contagious as Timmy laughed along with her. Soon the two were playing super hero as the Crimson Chin saved the damsel in distress from the dreaded Bronze Kneecap. As they played together, the sound of their laughter woke Vicky.
"They're happy?" she snarled. The plan was to make her androphobic sister and the fidgety twerp more miserable, not for them to have a play date.
"You two are so going to pay when I find you," she shouted. Hearing the threat, the two immediately began to panic. Looking for a place to hide, Timmy stopped when he saw his Crash Nebula poster. Neither Crash Nebula or the Crimson Chin would run and hide and leave a girl to face a monster and neither would he. He grabbed Tootie by the arm and pushed her under his bed. He had just managed to put some clothes to obscure her from view when Vicky knocked down the door as flames blazed behind her. "Where is she, twerp?"
Too scared to reply, Timmy just dumbly stared at her. After she shook him a few times, he found his tongue loosened enough to answer. "Bathroom," he stammered. "She needed to use the bathroom."
"We'll just see," Vicky spat as she dragged him with her. Too frightened to move, Tootie listened as Vicky began to torture Timmy by repeatedly dunking him in the toilet. "Where is she?"
If she had been able to move her legs, she would have ran to her sister to make her stop. Instead she remained hidden under Timmy's bed. After what seemed like hours, she finally heard Timmy again, but instead of giving her up, he provoked Vicky onward.
"Thanks," he stammered. "Mom said I needed to take a bath tonight."
Infuriated that he had shown any resistance, Vicky let out a blood curdling scream. None of her other 'clients' would ever dream of sassing her, and this nobody should not have been any different. How he did suddenly grow a spine?
"Just you wait," Vicky threatened. "No one disrespects me."
"Hey," Timmy half heartedly laughed. "Icky."
"What was that?"
"Your name," Timmy laughed. "You're just icky with a V."
This was hardly the first she had ever heard that one. Through most of kindergarten, she had heard several of the 'cool' chant it as she would walk by them. She remembered the tears she cried as she ran away. She would not take it from snot-nosed runt, and he would learn his place.
"Shut up, twerp," she growled as he threw him on the floor. He continued to laugh, almost hysterically at this point. "Just shut up."
She started kicking him in the kidneys. Soon, his laughter turned into howls of pain, but she never let up on punishing him. Under his bed, Tootie felt the tears run down her checks. She felt so powerless.
For what seemed like an eternity, Tootie continued to cower beneath Timmy's bed. Eventually, the howls turned to merely sobs.
"Am I still icky?" Vicky huffed. "Am I, twerp?"
Tootie did not hear any reply. Grasping onto what little courage she could muster, she crawled out of her hideaway. Slowly, she peered out of the door. In the hallway, a soaking wet Timmy lay unconscious beneath Vicky.
"Vicky?" Tootie said.
The anger gradually began to drain from her eyes, and she realized what had just happened. Dropping to her knees, she quickly checked her victim. The little first aid she had acquired during her time as a Creme Puff instantly came to mind.
"Help me get his clothes off," Vicky said as she began to peel away Timmy's shirt. Modesty placed aside, they removed his clothing and bandaged all his bruising. Vicky was thankful that most could be easily covered.
"Let's get him to bed," Vicky told her sister. Carefully, the two lifted his still body and placed in the bed. Pulling the covers over him, Vicky glared at her sister. "Breathe a word of this, and you are dead."
Nodding, Tootie kept vigil over her hero as Vicky left the room. Once they were alone, she nearly broke down and started crying over him. He could have saved himself all this pain if he had told Vicky where she had been hiding. The worst that could have happened would have been a little extra misery before his parents got home. Kissing his check, she curled up next to him in the bed and fell asleep crying.
A gentle hand shook her awake as she looked up at Mr. Turner. He offered to drive the sisters home, which Vicky readily accepted. It was just a quick trip down the street, and Tootie only hazily remembered what was said between Vicky and Timmy's father. Apparently she had broken up a fight between Timmy and Tootie over some stupid toy. Mr. Turner frowned as he listened to the story, saying he had already told Timmy it was not nice to fight with girls. It was even worst because he had lost.
"Perhaps we should have you look after him a little more regularly," Mr. Turner said as he pulled into their driveway. "Without a sister, Timmy doesn't really know how to treat a girl."
"Oh, that won't be a problem, Mr. Turner," Vicky sweetly replied. "I'll make you my number one clients. Call me every night if you need me."
As he drove away, Vicky sighed and unlocked the door. The ordeal tonight had drained her, and she was not even in the mood to continue Tootie's torment. Tomorrow was a new day, and she needed some sleep.
Silently, the two sisters marched to their rooms. Wordlessly, Tootie fell on her bed and again cried herself to sleep.
"I saw Timmy the next day," Tootie said as she again wiped the tears from her eyes. "He really didn't remember much after Vicky started kicking him, but he did give me the biggest smile."
Kimmy and Molly were no better than Tootie. Having already emptied one box of tissues, the three had made headway into a second.
"No wonder those two hate each other so much," Molly said after she blew her nose. "I'm surprised they haven't killed each other."
"So, you started chasing after him then?" Kimmy asked.
"Not at first," Tootie blushed, "but I never forgot what he did."
"That's so sweet," the other girls sighed.
After a little more time of pressing Tootie for details of her earlier exploits of chasing after Timmy, the three began to discuss the current problem of Vicky.
Meanwhile at Tootie's house, a miniscule pink cloud quickly dispersed with a soft buzzing. Flying in a mechanical fly, Timmy began to search for his target. He finally found them in Vicky's room. Tied to the wall, Vicky's parents shivered as they watched their elder daughter sharpening her ax.
"Now, where are the rebels?" she asked. She plucked a hair from her father's head and split it with the edge of the ax blade.
"We don't know," he mother cried. "She ran off with the Turner boy."
"Timmy, Timmy, Timmy," Vicky hissed. "It always comes back to Timmy."
Putting down her ax, she picked up a black bull whip and began to crack it above her parents heads.
"I wish Vicky's parents' clothes were made of armor," Timmy quickly wished as Vicky was about to whip her father. Raising their wands, his fairy godparents obliged the wish. Instead of feeling the whip's sting, Vicky's father was relieved to find no matter how many times she attempted to whip him, Vicky could not hurt him.
"Now, I wish he was strong enough to break his chains," Timmy continued. His plan could only work if Vicky's father saved himself, otherwise it would never end.
Renewed strength filled Vicky's father, and a new determination entered his heart. With a groan from the years he had been cowering beneath his daughter's heel, he rose to his feet. He pulled on his chain and ripped them from the wall. After free his wife, he glared at his daughter.
"Vicky, I think we need to have a long overdue talk," he said with righteous fury in his eyes.
Not realizing she was losing, Vicky just smirked. "And what do you plan to do, old man?"
"Vicky," he said with authority, "I love you."
"What?" Timmy shouted. "That's all?"
"Wait for it, Sport," Wanda shushed him.
"I love you, Vicky," her father repeated. "You will always be my little girl, but I think it's time you grew up."
"What are talking about?" Vicky puzzled.
"You are a grown woman, and still you act like a spoiled child," he answered. "You terrorize your sister and her friends. Not to mention, you are holding a grudge against a sixteen-year-old boy who can't even shave."
Timmy nearly took offense to that. He had shaved nearly six months ago.
"You graduated last spring and still claim to be searching for yourself. Are you still in high school? You have spent the last four years searching for yourself and have not found it?"
Vicky was taken back by her father's speech. He had not spoken like this to her since Tootie was born. Then, he had told her all the new responsibilities that came with being a big sister. She did not particularly wanted to hear it then, and she was not so sure about now.
"Your mother and I will support you in whatever you try to accomplish, but you will quit harassing your sister. She is just as uncertain about herself as you were."
Dropping her tools of destruction, Vicky realized she had just been defeated. Her father had cut her to the quick, and she knew he was right. Breaking down, she fell to her knees and began to cry.
"There, there, sweetheart," her mother comforted. "We only want what's best for our little girl."
"Okay, Mom," Vicky sniffled. "I guess I should apologize for how rotten I've been?"
"We forgave you a long time ago," her father said as he knelt down and wrapped his arms around his daughter and wife. "But you may want to tell Tootie, just in case."
"Okay," Vicky sniffled.
Hovering above them, Timmy was still confused by what just happened. He knew if he pestered Wanda long enough she would explain, but now was not the time. "Let's wrap this up and head home, guys," Timmy wished.
The next morning, it was a telephone and not cold water that woke Timmy. Reaching out for it, he was nearly startled awake by the high pitch squealing of Tootie.
"Vicky called to apologize," she shouted. "She never apologizes."
"Really," Timmy replied as he tried to rub his ear. "And good morning to you too."
"Oh, sorry," Tootie squeamishly apologized. "I guess I got a little carried away."
For next ten minutes, Timmy listened as Tootie recounted the late night phone call she had received from Vicky. Apparently, Vicky had found Kimmy's phone number in an address book that had been left open on Tootie's nightstand. After spending most of the night talking to her sister, Tootie agreed to come home in the afternoon. Timmy smiled as he continued to hear Tootie somewhat disjointed explanation of events. Once they finally ended their conversation, Timmy looked at his two fairy godparents.
"It worked," he congratulated. "I think Vicky is out of our hair for now."
Timmy spent the morning feeling better as now Tootie would finally be able to relax and not worry about her sister's return. The pleasantness of the day was eventually interrupted by a large explosion his room.
"TIMMY TURNER!" a loud voice boomed.
"Hello, Jorgen," Timmy sighed. "What did I do this time?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about. I just came to give this back to you."
Jorgen opened his hand to reveal a deflated Poof.
"Poof, baby!" Wanda shrieked as she snatched her baby boy from the large fairy.
"He was quite the trooper," Jorgen beamed. "I have high hopes for him."
While Cosmo and Wanda joyfully greeted their son back home, Timmy glared at Jorgen. The past day had made him think back on all the time Vicky tormented her sister. She drove away anyone that could be close to her.
"What?" Jorgen asked once he noticed Timmy staring. "Did I step in something?"
"Why didn't Tootie ever get any godparents?"
"I don't know what you mean?" Jorgen said as he began to fidget. "Look at the time, have to be going."
"Not so fast," Timmy said as he dropped a butterfly net over Jorgen. "You are going to answer my question."
"But Da Rules..."
"Don't apply," Timmy finished. "I'm not asking about someone else's godparents. I'm only asking why me and not her?"
"Oh, that's simple," Cosmo answered once he noticed Timmy was talking to Jorgen. "It was either you or her."
"I stole you away from her?"
"No, puny Turner," Jorgen sighed from beneath the net. "You two were tied for selection."
"It came down to the night you two met," Wanda explained. "You stood up to Vicky for Tootie. We saw you would need us more."
"That's crazy."
"Not really, Sweetie," Wanda continued. "After that night, Vicky focused solely on you. In turn, you became a hero to Tootie. A source of hope."
"And with that hope, she lost in the running," Jorgen said. "When given between the hopeful and the hopeless cases, it was an easy choice."
"Then you made a mistake," Timmy said. "I only had to deal with Vicky some of time. Tootie had to live with her. I had friends and parents who love me."
"She did lack friends, but her parents did love her," Wanda agreed, "but you also had to deal with bullies, abandonment issues, and a host of other problems."
Before Timmy could continue to raise objections, Jorgen yelled, "Enough of this. I have a very busy day and cannot spend it trying to convince you who was more miserable. Don't doubt I regretted that decision many times over the years. Now, let me go!"
Timmy lifted the butterfly net and released Jorgen. With his usual glare, Jorgen disappeared in another loud explosion.
"Guess I should get ready for the others," Timmy said as he headed toward the bathroom. He still had a lot on his mind and took a longer shower than normal to let all the new information to sink in.
When he returned, Cosmo and Poof were playing one of their silly games while Wanda watched smiling. After getting dressed, he left the fairy family to spend some time together and to eat some breakfast with his own family. When Elmer finally pulled up in his car, his Dad had already left for work. Joining up with the others, Timmy was surprised the car was still running.
"We found a few more leaks last night," Sanjay explained. "After they were patched up, the engine stopped quitting out unexpectedly."
Timmy looked at his pink watch which winked at him. Smiling he leaned back, only to have a spring poke him in the back. The car was still a work in progress.
Tootie, Kimmy, and Molly waited at the kitchen table for the boys to arrive. Tootie was still excited about reconciling with her sister. It was always hard to really hate your family even though they were usually the ones that could hurt you the most.
"You think Sanjay will like this outfit?" Kimmy asked for the fifth time that morning.
"I'm sure he would like any outfit," Molly smirked. "The boy follows you like a little lost puppy at times."
Tootie giggled at the insinuation as Kimmy blushed. However, when Molly mentioned Timmy, she felt the heat in her own cheeks.
"He doesn't see me like that," Tootie replied.
"Only when you walk past him," Kimmy laughed, "or look at him, talk to him..."
"You're just reading too much into it," Tootie sighed. "We're just friends."
"After what you told us last night, I say he was your knight in shining armor," Molly commented.
Before Tootie could object, they saw the boys pulling into the driveway. They went outside to greet them. Kimmy gave Sanjay a good morning kiss while Molly and Tootie squeezed in with Timmy in the back seat. As they drove down the road, the three were forced to watch Kimmy lean on Sanjay's shoulder with the occasional smooching sound from Molly.
"It's almost magical how all this worked out," Molly commented as she looked out the window. "Makes you wish magic was real."
"Yeah," Tootie agreed as she glanced up at Timmy's face. She had not noticed he had been watching her, but when their eyes met, both quickly turned away as their faces turned bright red. As they continued down the road, Molly laughed.
"What a day," Jorgen groaned as he walked into his home in Fairy World. "That Turner kid is such a nuisance."
Sitting down in his easy chair, a note poofed into his hand. His little strudel was working late and would not return until the next day. He smiled as he placed the note down on top of an acorn. Why was an acorn there anyway?
Looking around, hundreds of furry tails with demon red glowing eyes surrounded him.
Outside, Poof waved his sparkling rattle as the sound Jorgen's screams filled Fairy World.
"AHH! I DIDN'T TAKE YOUR NUTS!"