A/N: So, my previously unbreakable Nokia phone broke over the weekend, distracting me from working on Summer of Discontent, seems the Fates themselves don't want this story to happen, too bad I'm not listening, but it is once again gonna be delayed... 'til tomorrow, that's when I'll upload Chapter 30, for now... I HAVE THIS! Takes place after the end of Cherchez La Femme, which yes, I have yet to actually finish ...Enjoy?

"Timmy?"

Timmy looked over at his friend Tootie, she, him, Chester, and AJ currently sat at their table as usual during lunch.

"Yeah?"

"What's with the sunglasses?"

Timmy adjusted his shades slightly. "What? Don't I look cool with them?"

"I... guess so... but why are you suddenly wearing them? You know the school doesn't allow you to wear sunglasses when you're at school..."

"Well, nobody's said anything, so as long as they don't care, I'm gonna wear 'em."

Chester decided to speak up. "Y'know, we should all get sunglasses, since we're always together, we could look like a gang or something, make our own clique!"

"Like greasers?" AJ spoke up.

"No, not like greasers, just something we all do to separate ourselves from the rest of the people we go to school with... y'know... a sense of individuality..."

"We already do, it's called being unpopular. There's a reason the four of us hang out all the time." AJ rolled his eyes.

"We used to be six..."

"No, we used to be three." Timmy spoke up now. "Me, AJ, and you, Chester. Then came Elmer, and then Sanjay."

"I was the last." Tootie interjected.

"Uh-huh. Then Elmer disappeared-"

"He moved to Germany." spoke AJ.

"He did? Why?"

"No idea. Probably parents or something."

"Well what about Sanjay?"

"Back to India."

"He was from India?"

"You mean it wasn't obvious?"

"Not really..." Timmy scratched his chin in thought.

Tootie shoved him lightly and giggled. "You're just dense!"

"Maybe... a little."

"We're getting off topic now, why are you wearing the shades?"

Timmy looked between his three friends. "Because... I make this look good! Yeah..."

"If you're going for the 'bad boy' look, you may wanna wear something besides pink, maybe black." Tootie pointed at his pink hat.

"Can... we talk about something else?" how about... you and Tristan?"

Tootie rolled her eyes. "This again? So I like girls. What of it?"

"Nothing! Just..."

"Yeah?"

"It's hot." Chester interrupted.

"You're a perv... Is that what you three have been thinking about this whole time?"

"..."

"...Yes?" AJ was the first to speak up.

"I'll admit it, I was." followed by Chester.

"Not really." last to speak was Timmy.

"Really?" both Chester and AJ looked at him incredulously.

Tootie put her arm around Timmy's shoulders, a gesture that no longer held the same meaning it once had for so long. "At least one of my friends thinks with the right 'head'."

Timmy returned the affectionate gesture. "What can I say? Maybe I'm growing up faster than you two."

Chester and AJ looked at their two friends, an odd expression on their faces. Now that Tootie had given up on chasing Timmy and had 'jumped the fence', as Chester once very ineloquently put it, and Timmy was seeing 'someone', though not even Tootie knew who, Timmy and Tootie were, ironically enough, closer than they had ever been before.

Tootie was actually even closer to Timmy than Chester or AJ had ever been. The rumors started almost immediately that the two were dating, which both of them just shrugged off.

Currently, Tootie still kept the knowledge of her sexual preference on a need-to-know basis, and very few people needed to know. The only ones who knew were Timmy, AJ, Chester, and obviously, Trixie.

At first, she expected her friends to cast her out for being weird(there weren't exactly a lot of pre-teen lesbians in history, let alone Dimmsdale), but they were completely supportive, causing Tootie to remark that they were 'true friends'. The moment would have been rather sweet, were it not for AJ ruining it by calling her speech sappy, eliciting a smack by Timmy.

What nobody knew, except Timmy, of course, was that Vicky also knew, though she was fine with it too. Timmy was immensely proud of his girlfriend, she was able to hold her tongue, she never brought up what she had learned about Tootie to anyone but him, amazing, if one were to consider who it was they were talking about.

It seemed that, just as Timmy was succumbing to some questionable behavior thanks to Vicky, Vicky was steadily becoming a more and more decent human being, though, he had to admit, only to people she cared about, everyone else was still in danger of being on the receiving end of her fiery personality.

Baby steps.

"When did you two become so close? I know you've been acting this way for a while now, but this is the first time I've thought to ask..."

"I dunno." Timmy shrugged in Tootie's grip. "I guess now that all the sexual tension is gone, I realize how cool Tootie can be."

"Sexual tension?" Tootie grinned at Timmy.

"You know what I mean!"

AJ scoffed at his friend's explanation. "You two are practically a couple now! You spend way more time together, go on 'study dates', have all the same classes, walk home together..."

Timmy and Tootie listened to their friend go on a tirade about how they must be some sort of 'secret couple', despite the fact that Tootie had explained she was dating(kind of) Trixie Tang. "Will he ever stop over-analyzing?" Timmy asked Tootie.

"I've got an idea..." Tootie grinned evilly like her sister.

"Fire away... I wouldn't want you to make my girlfriend jealous... and all his questioning is gonna get noticed..."

"Y'know AJ... you and Chester would make the cutest inter-racial gay couple, just sayin'."

"I... what?!" AJ looked at Chester with a face showing absolute horror.

Chester mimicked his expression.

"I have to go." AJ stood up from their lunch table and quickly left.

Chester did the same, making sure to leave using the complete opposite door that AJ did.

"That was... strangely effective." Timmy looked at Tootie.

"Yeah, most of the time when people like the thought of two girls going out, they are horrified by two dudes going out, bonus points if you jokingly pair up two of these people."

"I see. Nice one then... just don't pair me up with anyone, seriously."

"Fine, you're no fun. So tell me, what's with the shades, really?"

"Nothing. Really."

"Timmy..." Tootie gave him a knowing look. "I know something's up, just tell me."

"I'm serious. Nothing. Is. Up. I look cool with sunglasses, you said it yourself."

"Am I gonna have to take them from you?" a mischievous smirk replaced the knowing look.

"You can try." Timmy challenged.

"This won't be hard." Tootie extended her hand with lightning swiftness, only to catch nothing as Timmy slid over to the next seat just as quickly.

"Won't be easy."

"Grr... come here!" Tootie got out of her seat and rushed toward him.

"Pass." Timmy slid under the table to the other side, then got into a seat.

"Am I gonna have to get Trixie?"

"Ooh... two girls on one guy? Sounds interesting... I think..." Timmy put his hand to his chin in thought.

"You have no idea what sexual innuendo is, do you?"

"Sexual in your what now?"

"Thought so." Tootie leaped onto the table and slid directly at him, only to stop centimeters from his face and be shocked into brief submission by their closeness.

"Hey there."

Tootie shook herself from her daze. "Gotcha now!" she reached forward.

Only to be stopped by Timmy's intervention, with his hand grabbing her arm.

"Nope."

Tootie sighed in defeat.

"Consolation prize?"

"Huh-"

Timmy leaned forward and placed a feather-light kiss on Tootie's nose.

"What was that?" Tootie wasn't blushing, she didn't even feel the butterflies that she knew such an action would have once brought her.

"Consolation prize. Also..." Timmy stood up, and the bell rang a second later. "Lunch is over. See you on the bus Toots."

"You can't call me that! Only Vicky can! And you can't just kiss me on the nose! It's... it's weird!"

"Sorry! See you on the bus though?"

"Yeah, sure..." Tootie watched him leave. "Figures, now that there's no hope of us being together, he's flirty... wonder why?" Tootie muttered to herself.

After school...

"So what was that, huh?" the two rode the school bus now, AJ and Chester having already gotten off at their respective stops.

"What was what?"

"That kiss! Or whatever..."

"Oh! I don't know..."

"You don't know?"

"Nope! Just a kiss between friends, I guess."

"Friends kiss each other on the cheek, and even that's rare, but kissing your friend on the nose? That's bizarre."

"Well, to be fair, neither of us has ever been what most would call 'normal'."

"I suppose so..." Tootie looked at Timmy, who still wore the sunglasses. "You gonna tell me what the shades are for?"

"Tough luck my friend, but the answer's still no."

"Are you referencing a song?"

"Perhaps."

"Jeez, your girlfriend must think you're so corny..."

Timmy shook his head and grinned. "You have no idea..."

"Can you at least tell me who it is?"

"Hmm... no."

Tootie groaned and pouted.

"But... I'll give you some hints, so you'll figure it out, you're smart."

"Flattery isn't getting you anywhere with me, your ship has sailed."

"Right. So, first hint... you know her."

"I know several girls."

"Well, think of who it might be."

"Um... Veronica?"

"No."

"Sam?"

"Who's Sam?"

"That girl who's been in the news. From Amity Park? Always seems to be around that superhero guy with the white hair?"

"You think I'm in a long distance relationship with a teenager from a town that I wasn't even aware existed?"

"Uh..." "When he puts it like that..." "Trixie?" "Alright, that was a bad guess..."

"Yes, right on the money, I'm dating your lesbian girlfriend behind your back." Timmy deadpanned at her.

"I- Cindy! I'll bet it's her!"

"Cindy... Neutron's girl? You do realize she lives in Retroville? I don't even know where that is. Also, she's dating Jimmy, last I heard."

"Crap... this is hard!"

"Okay, how about another hint? Red hair."

"Red hair... Wendy?"

"The girl from the fast food joint? Are you even trying?"

"Yes I'm trying! Melissa, the girl in our history class."

"Lip piercing?"

"Yeah!"

"Eh... I'm not ready for that. Try again."

"But!" "The only person I know with red hair is Vicky, and it can't be her..." "I need another hint!" Tootie whined.

The bus stopped at their stop and Timmy got off, followed closely by Tootie.

"Come on!" they were currently in front of Timmy's house.

"Want me to walk you home?"

"I want you to tell me who your girlfriend is! But yes, I'd like it if you walked home with me."

The two walked side-by-side as Tootie continued guessing.

"Carly?"

"No."

"Wendy?"

"You already said that."

"The other Wendy."

"There's another one?"

"Yeah, works in some shop in Gravity Falls, my family went there last summer on vacation."

"Oh... nope. You know of a lot of towns I've never heard of."

"Rose, it's gotta be Rose." Tootie looked at him smugly, she knew she was right.

"Rose dyes her hair red. It ain't her."

"Damnit!"

"Alright, hint number three, and the last one I'm gonna give. Ready?"

"Yeah!"

Timmy looked around and exhaled a shaky breath. "Pink."

"Hm?"

"Eyes."

"What now?"

"The last hint. My girl's got the most beautiful pink eyes..." Timmy stared off into dreamland.

"You're a sap." she giggled.

"Anyway, we're here!" Timmy gestured to Tootie's house, making her lose track of her thoughts. "When you figure it out... don't tell anyone, please."

The cocky attitude was replaced by boyishly nervous pleading. "Okay... I promise."

"Thanks." Timmy began to walk back to his house, but turned around to look at Tootie. "And tell Vicky I said Hi!" he returned his gaze toward his house and walked off.

"Vicky?" it was the second time that he expressed something for her sister, the girl, who he had claimed on multiple occasions, haunted his nightmares, though his complaints about her had stopped rather abruptly...

Tootie shrugged her shoulders and headed into her house. "Vicky? Mom? Dad? Anyone home?"

No response.

"Huh. Weird. Vicky didn't say anything about working today... unless the Turners... called... last... minute..." as she spoke, the gears in her head began to turn and piece together a strange thought. "Red hair, pink eyes, someone I know... And Timmy asking about Vicky... Her attitude after the trip to the ski resort... the sudden change in her attitude after she went... somewhere when Timmy called her..." everything began to piece itself together.

"Timmy and... Vicky?!"

Timmy sneezed as he reached his front door. "Someone's talking about me..." Opening it revealed the TV to be on in the living room and a note to be left on the small table next to the couch. "Dear Timmy, we're leaving, again. So Vicky's coming over to take care of you for X amount of time, see you -insert time of day here-." Timmy spoke before he even reached the note and saw that what he spoke was the gist of what his parents had written. "I wonder what it'd be like to have parents that actually cared..."

Plopping down on the couch, Timmy lost himself in his favorite TV show nearly instantly, so he didn't notice Vicky creep out from behind the couch and quietly sit down next to him. "Fancy meeting you here..." she purred into his ear, causing him to jump nearly three feet into the air in shock, doing so almost made his sunglasses fall off, but he caught and re-adjusted them before they revealed much.

"Please don't do that... my heart can only take so much..." Timmy's hand was over his chest and he was breathing slightly harder.

Vicky's slender arms snaked around his waist and pulled him over to her. "How are things?"

"Fine, just another school day, as usual."

"Nothing interesting happen?"

"Uh... Crocker harassed me about fairies again, and Tootie told Chester and AJ that they'd make a cute couple, which made them both freak out. Though the reason for that was because AJ kept suggesting that Tootie and I are in some sort of secret relationship."

"Ah... she makes me so proud... So what's with the new eye-wear?"

"Ugh... you too? It's nothing! I just wanted to wear sunglasses! Don't they make me look cool? Tootie said they did!"

"Well, hate to break it to you, but she lied. You look like someone from the eighties."

Much as Timmy felt he loved her for her blunt honesty, he hated her for it when she used it on him. "I think I look cool, so that's that."

"But you don't look cool."

"I'm not taking them off."

"I'll make you take them off."

"Vicky... just drop it, please?"

"Nuh-uh, I wanna see my favorite pair of blue eyes!"

Sweet as that compliment was, Timmy didn't plan on relenting. "Too bad." he struggled out of her grasp. "I'll be in my room." he made his way to the stairs.

"Oh no you don't!" Vicky sprang forward and grabbed him, pulling him down and pinning him beneath her as she did.

"Well, you caught me, good for you."

"Now, let's see what you're hiding!" Vicky's hand shot forward, but Timmy moved his head slightly, causing her to miss.

"Can we not do this?"

"We don't have to, just take 'em off!" she tried again, but he dodged again.

"Vicky... please? Just let it alone?"

She could hear the pleading tone in his voice, which only furthered her curiosity. "What are you hiding?" once more, her hand shot forward, only this time, Timmy caught her wrist as her fingers curled around the rim of the sunglasses.

"Don't." his grip on her wrist tightened ever so slightly.

"Not listening..."

Though it was clearly a game to her, it never had been to Timmy, and she had yet to realize. Timmy sighed in defeat and released her arm, allowing Vicky to yank off the sunglasses and look at them victoriously. "Was that so-" she looked down to see he had turned to look to his left, toward the door.

Vicky looked over to where he was staring. "What? I don't see anything..." Vicky put her hand to his chin and pulled his head over so he was looking at her, she smiled as his right eye stared at her, but gasped when his left came into view. It was heavily bruised and nearly swollen shut, what she could see of the actual eye was red from being bloodshot.

"I really wish you listened to me..."

"I do listen..." she lightly caressed his left cheek.

"Should've known the sunglasses wouldn't get by you..."

"Yes, you should've." Vicky stood up from the floor and went into the kitchen, returning a few seconds later with an ice pack, then putting it on his eye.

"Thanks..." Timmy now sat on the couch, he tried holding the ice pack himself, but Vicky wouldn't move her hand away, so he figured it would be better to let her hold it.

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

"I was being stupid."

"What else is new?" Vicky meant it as a joke, but noticed Timmy continued looking down. "Um... sorry, probably not the best time for my brand of humor..."

Silence.

"So... what actually happened?"

"Francis happened."

"The gray freak?"

"Yeah. He tried shaking me down for my lunch money, as usual. But I wasn't gonna give him any, so I stood up to him and called him the freak that he is. Which, as you can see, didn't work out as I hoped..."

"Timmy... you're not a fighter, you know it, I know it, and anyone who takes a good look at you will probably know it. I realize you have to stand up to bullies, but you can't do it alone..."

"On the plus side, I did get to keep my pride... and my money."

"Did you even listen to me just now?"

"I did. But I can't rely on you all the time, I need to find my own strength, to stand on my own feet..."

"You will one day, just... don't over do it while you're still young..." Vicky pulled him back into the warm embrace that very few knew she was capable of.

"But... what if you're in trouble one day? What if you need me and I can't help you because I'm so weak? What if I need to save you?"

"I can take care of myself..."

"That's just it! I know you can, but- ...I want to be someone you can rely on too..."

"Come on... you've saved me a few times... what about the avalanche? Or when I almost got crushed by that steamroller?"

"That's different... I'm talking like if I ever needed to protect you from someone, or something, what if someone like Francis showed up and came after you? What could I possibly do to protect you from someone like that, when I can't even protect myself?" he blinked back tears that threatened to fall.

"You worry too much..." she hugged him tighter. "Nothing like that is gonna happen."

"It could."

Vicky relented with a sigh. "Maybe. But there's no sense in worrying about it right now, all this stress is gonna drive you crazy."

After several tense seconds, Timmy relaxed in Vicky's arms. "Thank you, for... y'know."

"Mm-hm, no problem."

"By the way, I told Tootie about us."

Vicky rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Kinda... I gave her hints, but she's pretty smart, she should figure it out soon, assuming she hasn't already."

"Any intentions there?" Vicky gave him a sly grin.

"Yep. Gonna romance the both of you, despite the fact that Tootie likes girls, might even give Trixie a whack, cause, y'know, I have really loose morals."

"Ooh, sarcasm. Who'd you learn that from?"

"My babysitter."

"Sounds like my kind of girl!"

"Nah, you wouldn't like her, she's too nice and she already has a boyfriend anyway."

The two broke into giggles at their strange conversation.

"Here." Vicky handed him the ice pack. "Keep this on it to make the swelling go down, I'm gonna go fix some dinner."

"You can cook?"

"No, but I was hoping you wouldn't notice and I'd just order out."

"I can cook... sort of."

"With one eye? I don't think so. Let me handle dinner, your parents overpaid me."

"Fine." Timmy returned his attention to the TV, leaving Vicky to order their food and plan some revenge.

"Nobody hurts Timmy, and nobody hurts those eyes of his."

"Vicky? Are you plotting revenge in there?"

"Damn psychic boyfriend!"

"Not psychic, I just know you."

After several TV shows, some conversation, and one pizza, the two opted to spend the rest of the day in companionable silence.

"Twerp?"

Until Vicky spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said? About wanting to protect me?"

"Is there a reason I would say it and not mean it?"

"Well... if you just wanted to get into my pants..."

"Why would I want to wear your pants? I have my own..."

"Boy, teaching you about sexual innuendo is gonna be a blast..."

"There's that term again! Sexual in your what now? What is that?"

"Best to wait until you're older."

"Where have I heard that before? Anyway, yeah, I meant it. You always take care of me, pull me out of the fire, I want to be-"

"Someone I can rely on, I know. I'm sure you'll get your chance."

"I'm glad one of us is sure..."

The next day, Timmy arrived at school, only to realize that Vicky had never returned his shades, yet no one seemed to notice his still bruised eye, even his friends only made a few off-hand comments, so he told them what happened.

They nodded in understanding and patted him on the back, leaving him confused.

When Francis came in in a wheelchair, both arms and both legs in casts, both eyes black and bruised, and in a neck brace, well, Timmy thought to himself:

"Maybe being weak isn't so bad at times... as long as someone like Vicky is on my side..."