Lost in the Storm

by SaltyJak

A 'what if' scenario that came to me while writing Any Port in a Storm, won't be as long I don't think, maybe one or two more chapters. Deals with what would happen if Vicki hadn't been able to stay at Timmy's house. Should be at least through chapter 3 before reading.

A/N: So this one takes place during Chapter 3 of Any Port in a Storm, but deviates from there. There's still more to write, but I don't want to make a ridiculously long chapter if I can avoid it.

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Vicki tried to walk away, but was stopped by Timmy as he held her hand once again. "What?" it was a genuinely questioning 'what', rather than a snappy or mean spirited one.

"No matter what they decide down there, everything's going to be okay..."

"I doubt that..."

"...Do you trust me?"

"That question carries a lot of weight for someone like me, Twerp."

"I realize that, which is why I asked. Do you?"

"Well... Tootie does, and you bandaged me up, didn't call the hospital, and you've looked out for me... I can't really say I trust you fully, but... I'll give you a chance."

"I guess that's the best I'm gonna get right now. Just trust me, everything will be okay."

Vicki looked at Timmy skeptically; he clearly had some sort of plan in mind, but it seemed he wasn't about to share it with her. She shrugged and led the way as Timmy followed her down to the kitchen.

As she and Timmy sat down at the table, there was a knock at the front door.

"Oh! That must be the social worker!" Timmy's mother rushed to the front door and answered it.

A man of average height and build with a receding hairline and permanently flushed face walked in and introduced himself as 'Mr. McNeil'.

Vicki almost instantly grimaced at the man. He was the type of person that you just hated as soon as you met him... Or maybe it was just Vicki that felt that way.

"Vicki is right in here." Timmy's mother came in, followed by the flushed social worker.

"He looks like a tomato-head... Oh! What a perfect name!" Vicky thought to herself.

"Hello Ms. Valentine." Tomato-head stuck his hand out to shake Vicki's. "I'm Mr. McNeil, though my friends call me Pete."

Vicki didn't shake his hand. "Hello Mr. McNeil. My friends call me Vicki."

"Well Vicki, I-"

"Ms. Valentine will do."

Timmy rolled his eyes at Vicki's attitude, unsurprised as he was by it. Despite the fact that she had just met him, this 'McNeil' guy was already on her shit list.

"Alright then..." a vein twitched in Tomato-head's forehead. "Ms. Valentine, let me start by saying I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your parents. There are many children in the department who have similar stories to yours. Next, I assume you have no close family that can take you in?"

"No, I'm afraid not Tomato- I mean, Mr. McNeil."

"Right then, so it falls to me to find you and your sister... Tootie, was it? A suitable foster home. Unless I can't find one to take both of you, but not to worry, we'll make sure that you both go to suitable homes."

"Mr. McNeil?" Timmy's mother began. "Wouldn't it be best to make sure that Vicki and Tootie stay together? I mean, they really don't have anyone but each other..."

"Not my call Mrs. Turner. If the department doesn't have a home that can take care of both of the kids, then they won't be able to live together, simple as that."

"Isn't that kind of a cruel way to look at things?"

"My job isn't to care, my job is to get kids into foster homes."

Timmy felt just a hint of anger flash through his mind. Was this really how these social workers acted? How could they be this bad? "Excuse me, but-"

"And who are you?"

"Timmy Turner. I'm a friend of Tootie and Vicki's. Shouldn't your top priority be to make sure that Vicki and Tootie stay together?"

"I really don't need a teenager telling me how to do my job. Vicki and Tootie will go to whatever homes are available, there's little else that I need to concern myself with."

"Wow. I guess the rumors about the department are true, you guys are a bunch of dicks."

"Mrs. Turner, as charming as your son is, may I ask why he is here? This meeting doesn't concern him."

"Well, I-"

"Timmy's here because I asked him to be present for the meeting, end of story." Vicki spoke up.

"Fine, but we really should get down to business. There are a number of foster homes available, but I haven't gotten the chance to check in on them, nor do I know if both you and your sister will be able to move there together."

"So you want me to pick one at random and hope for the best?" Vicki asked in disbelief.

"Don't be silly! I'm going to pick, you're at the mercy of Lady Luck."

"What?!"

"Now, I-"

"Mom?" Timmy interrupted Tomato-head.

"What is it Sweetie?"

"Can we put this meeting on hold for a minute? I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh, um... Sure. Is that alright, Mr. McNeil?"

"Er... I suppose so, but hurry back! I have more families and friends to tear apart!"

Timmy and his mother left the kitchen and sat down on the couch in the living room. "Is something the matter Timmy?"

"Yeah, I'd say so. You aren't really going to let this guy split up Tootie and Vicki, are you?"

"Timmy... it really isn't my call... Where else could the two of them stay, here?"

Timmy looked at his mother seriously; that was exactly what he had been planning to ask his mother. "Well... yes, actually."

"Here?! But... where would they even sleep? The basement isn't suitable for either of them..."

"What about the big room next to mine? The one we use for storage and have never mentioned before now?"

"I... I suppose that could work... But Vicki and Tootie would have to be okay with it... And your Father and I would have to sign into the department as foster parents..."

"Please Mom, I don't want them to get split up... I want Vicki and Tootie to be okay..."

"Is there something else you aren't telling me?" his mother looked at him slyly. "You like Tootie, don't you?"

"You're close..." Yes, she was close, yet still obliviously wrong.

"Well... I suppose whichever one of them you like isn't really my business. What are you going to do about Vicki?"

"I'll... let her keep using my bed. At least until you and dad get everything worked out here... So... does that mean...?"

"I'd love it if Vicki wanted to stay here, but that's up to her."

"We might as well go ask her then, huh?"

"You're right." Timmy and his mother got off the couch and returned to the kitchen. "Mr. McNeil? I was wondering if- that is, if Vicki is okay with the idea... Might she and Tootie be able to stay here?"

Tomato-Head seemed to contemplate this for a few minutes before shaking his head back and forth. "I don't think that would work out with your son living here. The department has rules about kids and teenagers of different sexes living together, and I'm afraid there's no way to get around them."

Timmy's heart nearly shattered at this. His plan was shot down before it even had a chance... He looked at Vicki apologetically, which she seemed to pick up on as she realized that asking his mom if Tootie and her could live there was what he had wanted to bring up in the bathroom. She offered him a sad smile, hoping he realized that she really appreciated what he had tried to do for her and her sister.

"I see..." Timmy's mother seemed equally heartbroken by the news. "How long does she have to live here with us?"

"Ah... should be about a week, I picked one of the foster homes, so I'll get back to you in the coming days in regards to when it can all be made official." Tomato-Head stood up from the kitchen table and shook Timmy's mother's hand, then attempted to shake Vicki's, but was blown off and ignored. Timmy's mother led him out, leaving the two teenagers in the kitchen, a pregnant silence between them.

"I guess I know what you wanted to ask me in the bathroom..."

"Yeah... I-" Timmy sighed and held his head in his hands. "I thought it would work. I wanted you and Tootie to live with us here..."

"You know what they say about the best laid plans..."

"Actually, no..."

"Yeah, me neither." Vicki chuckled sadly. "I appreciate what you tried to do Timmy, really I do. That... that's going way beyond what's expected of a friend."

"So what do we do now?"

"I dunno. Tootie's hopefully getting out of the hospital soon... I guess we just continue with our lives and hope for the best."

But they didn't. Vicki's depression had now spread to Timmy in full force. For the rest of that day, he didn't speak to his parents or Vicki, and she didn't speak to him. He stayed with her in his room to make sure she didn't try to hurt herself again, but all the energy and life had been drained out of the both of them. When dinner rolled around, both teens barely ate, and when it was time for bed, Timmy attempted to leave the bedroom, but was stopped by Vicki when she suddenly spoke up.

"Will you stay with me?"

"What do you mean?" he didn't understand. Vicki had never asked him to be close; she was quite fond of taking what she wanted, including his companionship, and using it and him. But now, here she was asking him to stay... Stay how?

"The bed. It's big enough for both of us." Vicki gestured at his bed. "I want you to stay. Here. ...With me."

"...Alright."

Both teens changed into their sleeping clothes and Vicki crawled in first, followed by Timmy a minute later. It was awkward at first as they both merely laid next to each other. The room was quiet, except for the occasional breeze that blew in from the open window.

Eventually, Vicki slid next to Timmy and rested her head on his shoulder. "We might not ever see each other again."

"I know."

"I don't even know what might happen to me and Tootie, we more than likely won't be able to go to the same foster home... I might never see her again either..."

Timmy heard her voice crack and felt dampness on his shoulder. "It's not fair." he turned to face her and wrapped his arms around her quite suddenly as he rested his forehead against hers.

Vicki looked up at him now to see that he was crying as well. She took the opportunity to return the gesture and snake her own arms around him. "When is life ever?" she smiled sadly.

They both looked into each others eyes now, and both looked pretty miserable. "You're a mess." Timmy said.

"You're not much better." Vicki laughed, but there was no happiness or humor in it. "If there's something you wanna get off your chest... now's the time."

Timmy glanced away. "I... I don't think you wanna hear it."

"You might not get another chance..."

"You already know."

"Tell me anyway."

Timmy let out a shaky breath and let his actions speak for him as he closed the already small distance between them and kissed Vicki. He lingered for longer than he had planned to, knowing this might be the last time he would ever be this close to her. To his surprise, Vicki did not attempt to push him away. In fact, she seemed to be trying to pull him even closer as the embrace they were in tightened even more.

From what Vicki could tell, Timmy was attempting to put everything he had into the kiss; all his emotions, the ones she knew about, and the ones he kept to himself. The pent up feelings that he buried away to keep her from teasing him, all of it came pouring out in this kiss. She decided to take some measure of control and brushed his lips with her tongue; lightly, but enough to get her point across since his lips parted to allow her tongue in. Every sensation felt magnified tenfold as his hands roamed her body and slid under her shirt. For a few fleeting seconds, she hesitated and wondered if this was his first time with a girl, but when he stopped as she did, Vicki realized that it had to be. He already thought he had screwed up somehow.

"Did... I do something wrong?"

"No! It's fine... I just... nevermind." she closed the distance again. She needed this now, some little bit of happiness in this storm of depression she found herself in, and Timmy was more than willing to be her light in this darkness.

Timmy's hands once again found themselves on Vicki's hips as they crept upward under her shirt. Evidently knowing what his intentions were, Vicki lifted her shirt off her head and tossed it away, leaving her in a plain black bra. To even the playing field, she then grabbed for his shirt and lifted it off his head and tossed it away before greedily kissing him again. She had no idea where this night may lead them, and she didn't really care as Timmy's hand crept down the small of her back to come to rest on her rear. "Is this what you've felt for me?" She asked as she pulled away from the kiss. "I almost feel sorry for all those times I teased you, now that I know how it made you feel..." there was no masking the confidence in her voice as she said this and pushed Timmy onto his back so she could straddle him.

Timmy, who had been oddly quiet during the entire interaction, now moaned as Vicki pressed the space between her legs against his now obvious erection. He pulled her down onto him and crashed his lips into hers, Vicki responded by biting his lower lip very lightly and grinding against him, eliciting another moan from the brunet.

Feeling her mind becoming hazy and an odd tingling sensation coming from her lower abdomen and privates, Vicki slid her hand down Timmy's chest until she came to the waistband of his boxers. She hesitated for only an instant before sliding her hand into his boxers, before a strong hand wrapped around her wrist, bidding that she stop. "What? I know what I'm- Okay, I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm not gonna hurt you..."

"It's not that, it's- We can't do this..."

"I'm pretty sure we can..." Timmy felt Vicki try to move her hand lower again, but pulled it up and away.

"You're right, we can. But I can't." Timmy slid his hand up Vicki's wrist and laced his fingers with hers. "I like you. I really like you, so I don't want you to think that me wanting to stop is your fault for any reason. It kills me inside to have to stop this because I know we both want it and Hell, maybe even need it after today..."

"So why are we stopping?" Vicki tightened her grip on his hand. "If we both want it, then why...?"

"Because it doesn't feel right. I like you, and I want to believe that you like me too, but if we do this for the wrong reasons... If I took advantage of the situation like I almost just did... when you're at your lowest... I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself. And I don't want you to resent me for it..."

"I wouldn't resent you for it..." Vicki released Timmy's hand and caressed his cheek. "I instigated this, I don't have the right to hate you for our actions tonight."

There was little doubt in his mind now, Timmy knew he loved this girl laying on top of him, and maybe one day she'd feel the same about him, but going this far when neither of them agreed to a relationship was a mistake. Timmy brought both of his hands up and threaded his fingers through her silky hair. He pulled her down again so their foreheads and noses could meet. "Am I making it obvious enough for you? Can you tell how much I like you?"

Vicki looked into his eyes confusedly for several seconds before they widened in realization and she smiled at him; a small, nervous smile. "It- it goes a bit beyond liking me, doesn't it?"

"It does." he was immensely thankful that she didn't ask him to say the three little words. He would have said them if she asked him to, but he was still glad he didn't have to.

Vicki rolled off Timmy and laid back down next to him. "I think you're the only guy who would do that. Turn down a golden opportunity like... like..." she felt Timmy's arms wrap around her again and she did the same to him.

"We should get some sleep." Timmy clearly sounded tired as he spoke.

"You'll be here when I wake up?" Vicki, on the other hand, sounded both tired and defeated, much like when Timmy had found her in the bathroom. And yet... there was a certain contentedness to her voice as well.

"Where else would I be? I don't give a damn if anyone finds us like this, not my friends, not that moron social worker, not even my parents. Right now, all that matters is me and you."

Vicki drifted off to sleep, her mind finally at ease, if only for a little while, and Timmy followed suit shortly after.

The next day...

Vicki awoke to a pleasant warmth, and realized she was currently still sharing Timmy's bed with him. "Timmy?" Vicki tried to untangle herself from his grasp, to no avail. "Timmy, wake up. We have to get ready for school, it's Monday..."

Timmy opened his eyes to look at Vicki before rubbing at them and sitting up. "Wait here."

"Okay...?" Vicki watched as Timmy got out of bed and put his shirt back on, then left her alone in the room.

Timmy walked into the hallway; the floorboards cold and creaky under his feet, and knocked on the door to his parents' room.

After a second or two of waiting, his mother opened the door, already dressed for work. "Timmy? Is something the matter?"

"Would it be alright... if I stayed home today?"

"Are you feeling sick?" his mother rested her hand on Timmy's forehead.

"No. I just-" Timmy stopped as his mother's index finger came to rest on his lips.

"It's about Vicki." it wasn't a question.

"Yeah..."

"I'll call the school and tell them you won't be in today, no worries." she shot him a small smile.

"Thanks mom..."

"You both take as much time as you need, alright?"

Timmy wasn't sure why his mother was being so understanding, but now really wasn't the time to be questioning it.

"Moms are smart, honey. We need to be." she ruffled his hair. "I'll let your Father know... once he wakes up."

Timmy left his parents' room and returned to his own to find Vicki still in his bed with her knees up to her chest and her arms resting on them. He couldn't recall a time where he had ever seen his so-called evil babysitter looking as vulnerable as she did now. "I talked to my mom, she's gonna feed the school some line about us being sick."

"Why?"

"Because the last thing you need is to go to school and deal with everyone there asking you questions about what happened to your parents and Tootie, or where you and her are gonna live."

"So why aren't you going?"

"Do you even need to ask?" from the way she looked, Timmy could tell that she wouldn't argue with him for long... if at all. This was not a good sign. "I still want to keep an eye on you, you need someone to be here for you, and I want to be that person... if you'll let me."

"Not like I have much choice now anyway..."

"You're a brat."

"I've been called worse."

Vicki watched as Timmy got back into bed. She was torn at the moment. Between wanting to be comforted by Timmy, and wanting to appear like her old self in front of him.

It seemed he wasn't going to give her the latter option though as he sat up in the bed and pulled her over to him. She mentally scolded herself for letting herself appear weak in front of someone before relaxing in his embrace. She didn't have the energy to be strong today. It felt like nearly everything that made her, her had been drained away, leaving a barely recognizable shell. "It figures, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"We finally admit that we like each other, and we've only got a few days before we'll probably never see each other again..."

"To be fair, you didn't admit to anything."

"'Cause, y'know, the fact that we almost had sex last night wasn't a clear enough indication..."

"There's that..."

"Don't make me say it..."

"I'm not gonna make you do anything... well, except maybe stay here in bed with me."

"Didn't know you were so possessive..."

"Just like I'm sure you didn't know that I've had these feelings for you for a long time now... I've always wanted to hold you like this... I just never expected..."

"I know." Vicki pulled the blanket over the both of them, apparently having grown cold with the window still open. "Listen up... 'cause I don't plan on saying this again, and chances are that even if I wanted to, I'll be in some foster home and won't be able to."

"Okay." Timmy tightened his grip on Vicki. Yes, he most definitely was feeling possessive now.

"All the things I did to you... the teasing, the mean spirited flirting, tripping you, making you do your chores, yelling at you... I'm sorry, for all of it. I'm sorry I didn't trust you when Tootie did, I'm sorry for every mean spirited, unfair, shitty thing I've ever done to you."

Timmy honestly didn't know what to say. This wasn't the Vicki that he knew at all, she wasn't weak or vulnerable, she didn't ask people for comfort, nor did she ever want to be held. And she definitely didn't apologize. "After all you've been through, what right do I have to hate you? To be mean to you? To even dislike you? Vicki, I forgive you for all those things; it's water under the bridge now. Let's not dwell on it anymore, okay?"

Vicki's hand came to rest on Timmy's chest and she could feel the slightly accelerated beating of his heart. "I don't deserve to be loved by someone like you..."

"Heh... Too bad. You're stuck with me."

Eventually, the two heard Timmy's parents leave for work and Timmy went downstairs to make breakfast for himself and Vicki. She tried to follow him downstairs, but Timmy once again told her to stay put. He returned several minutes later with a large breakfast for both of them, though neither was sure how much they'd be able to eat.

Once they finished, Timmy set their plates down on the floor near the bed and they returned to cuddling like they were before.

The rest of the day played out in much the same way, with Timmy going to make them something to eat, and the two teens doing pretty much nothing after they finished. There were occasional whispered words of affection, or a chaste kiss now and then, but it never got to the levels it had the night before. Vicki felt stupid for almost having done that, but she was desperate for comfort, for something that could take her mind off things, if only for a little while.

Around ten o' clock, long after Timmy's parents had already come home and gone to bed, Vicki asked Timmy if he was sure, earning her a quizzical look from the brunet.

"We might not get another chance... if you want to, we could-"

"Don't talk like that. We'll see each other again, who can say what the future holds?"

Vicki looked up at him seriously. "Timmy. You know as well as I do that the chances of me going to a foster home where I can stay in the same school are slim at best. Let's be honest here, we more than likely won't see each other again. Wouldn't you rather do this than be left wondering about what could've been?" she leaned forward and kissed him again, like she had the night before.

Timmy could feel his resolve breaking down as her hands roamed over his body, and his over hers. Even as Timmy knew how right this all felt, he also knew that if they went this far, it would be wrong, it might even kill their relationship before it had a chance to start. So, with no small amount of effort, Timmy pulled away from the kiss and Vicki, leaving her with a seemingly heartbroken expression on her face.

"I thought you- don't you love me?"

"I do! Of course I do..." Timmy pulled her into another hug and buried his face in the crook of her neck, then began planting light kisses on her neck. He wasn't quite feeling like himself now, he was having a hard time keeping his hands off her and couldn't help the urge he had to kiss her. Timmy felt Vicki thread her fingers through his hair, she clearly didn't mind how affectionate their closeness was making him. But did he mind himself? There was no doubt that all her teasing had had this affect on him. She had teased him for so long; made him think that he'd never have her, so now that he did, he wanted her all to himself, he didn't want to be away from her for more than a few minutes, and even that was pushing it. Was this how it felt to be addicted to something? To someone?

"So then... why don't you want me?" her voice was on the cusp of breaking, he knew that the way he was holding her, touching her, kissing her... It likely wasn't making it easy for her. Everything was building up to bursting, and he was denying both her and himself the release they so desperately wanted, and maybe even needed.

"You don't understand. I do want you, more than I've wanted anything in the world. But..." Timmy fell backward onto his bed, bringing Vicki with him so she was partially on top of him.

"But what?"

"We can't- I can't do this. Not while you're hurting, not like this. I want... this to be special. I don't want it to be marred by bad thoughts or to remind you of how hard things got."

Vicki looked at him with wide eyes for several seconds before she began to tear up and turned over to face away from Timmy, her body shaking with sobs. "Dammit!"

"Wh-what's wrong? I'm sorry if... Vicki, I don't want to ruin things between us..." Timmy crawled over to Vicki and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Please understand..."

"I do understand... But now... I wish I didn't! I wish I didn't realize what this is between us! Now... now I don't have just Tootie to lose... When they ship me off to wherever they ship me off to... I'll lose this as well. I'll lose you."

Timmy glanced away guiltily as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He wanted to reassure her, yet instead he had only given her yet another way to be hurt. "Vicki?" he pulled her closer and laid his cheek on hers. "Vicki, look at me."

She didn't respond, nor did she make any moves to turn around.

"Please Vicki? Please, look at me."

Vicki slowly, very slowly, turned over to look Timmy in the eyes.

"No matter how bad things get, it'll be okay. I won't leave your side, not for any reason, okay?"

"How can you say that? You can't come with me to this foster home, what can you possibly do?!"

She was yelling at him now, and he really couldn't blame her. She likely expected more false promises from him since the last time he asked her to trust him had fallen through. "I know things didn't work out last time, but I need to ask you to trust me again."

"...No matter what we may feel for each other, I don't think I can handle another let down..."

Timmy sighed and pulled Vicki closer so their lips met once again in a quick kiss. "What can I say? Tell me what I can say to you to get you to trust me." it wasn't necessarily the smartest thing Timmy had ever said, sure, it would put Vicki in a position of power over him, something that would make her feel much better, a return to the norm... But this was also Vicki... Who knows what she'd expect from him in her current state?

Vicki seemed to contemplate his offer for nearly a minute, she was currently given free reign to ask him to say, or do, anything she wanted. At any other time, she would've taken advantage of this and made him say something embarrassing, but today... "Tell me... tell me you love me."

"Th-that's it? Are you sure?" Timmy's face had taken on a decidedly more scarlet shade of color.

"You wanted to know what you could say, and I told you. I know you love me, it's pretty obvious after what's happened over the past few days, but you haven't said it. You want me to trust you? Well, I do. But-"

"Okay, alright..." Timmy sucked in a deep breath, the last thing he expected to be doing at fourteen was to be telling this girl that had been so mean to him that he loved her, but if this was what it took... "I love you. There isn't anyone I'd rather spend my time with than you. I- ...Youre not gonna ask me to get all poetic on you, right?"

"No, I'll spare us both from that brand of torture."

"I don't know if I should thank you or be insulted."

Vicki chuckled and relaxed next to Timmy. "So? Now that I trust you, what's your plan?"

He figured that he might as well just be honest with Vicki this time, rather than tell her everything would be alright when he wasn't even sure himself. "Plan B, I guess."

"What's 'Plan B'?"

Timmy gave her a somber look. "We leave. And... we might not be able to ever come back."

"That's your plan? We can't do that! What about your- Mmf-mmph?"

Timmy placed his hand over her mouth to keep her from waking his parents."Keep your voice down! If my parents hear you, then you can kiss this plan goodbye too!" he gave her a serious look and she nodded in understanding. Timmy took his hand away from her mouth so she could speak.

She did, and in a much quieter tone. "You were serious in the hospital? I was bluffing to make Tootie feel better, I didn't really plan on running away..."

"Well I was serious. If this is what we need to do, then we're doing it."

"But... what about your parents? And your friends? What about my friends? How can we just up and leave?"

"That's exactly what we'll do. We can't tell anyone about this. Not a soul, okay?"

"Timmy... we can't... How are we gonna live? We don't have much money, we don't have any place to go... we don't even have a car!"

"That's where you're wrong. Your parents had a car, which is now your car."

"...Fine, so we have a car, what about Tootie?"

"Tootie's already on board, you know that. We just have to hope that she gets out of the hospital before you two have to go to a foster home."

Vicki took note of the fact the Timmy sounded oddly upbeat. Was he excited at the prospect of running away from home? "This- this is crazy! What are we gonna do?! How will we live? We'll be begging for scraps on the streets in a month at best!"

"You should have more faith in me."

"Do you realize how insane this plan is?! What are we gonna do about food? Or money? Where are we gonna live? In the car?"

"...Only at first. Look, let me worry about getting everything ready. You-"

"Would you stop and think for a second here?!"

"No, you stop and think!" Timmy nearly yelled at her. "I asked you to trust me and you said you do. I'm not gonna lose you or Tootie! I don't care what it takes, we won't be apart. You can call me crazy all you want, but I love you and Tootie. If this is what we have to do to stay together, then this is what we're gonna do..." Timmy threaded his fingers through Vicki's hair and pulled her close so her forehead rested against his once more. "So please..." Vicki watched as a few stray tears fell down Timmy's face. "Tell me you're with me?"

"...This is crazy..."

"Vicki."

"I'm with you, wherever this thing leads us in the end... I'm with you."

"Thank you." Timmy pulled her into a tight hug.

"So what are we gonna do?"

"For now? We'll... I guess we'll take a few days off from school. See how Tootie's doing tomorrow... and get ready to go. For now, let's try to get some sleep."

Vicki didn't respond, but huddled closer to Timmy and closed her eyes. Timmy continued watching her until her breathing became steady. In truth, he didn't like seeing her this way. Much as he was glad that she accepted his feelings for her, and that she had admitted to liking him, the way she was acting wasn't like her at all. If anything, this was how he expected Tootie to act if he had ever pursued a relationship with her, but not Vicki. Vicki had always come off a someone who was stronger than him, she didn't need someone like him in her life. She didn't need a rock, for lack of a better term.

Vicki let out a low moan in her sleep and shifted slightly. Timmy stroked his hand through her hair comfortingly.

Everything since her parents died felt so wrong now. Timmy had always thought that even something as bad as losing her parents wouldn't affect Vicki for long. He thought she'd just get over any hardship and return to being her normal caustic self. "I can't believe I was so stupid to think that."

Vicki, despite many other peoples' assurances to the contrary, was still a normal teenage girl at the end of the day. She wasn't a supernatural demoness without emotions or feelings, she wasn't a witch who cast her spell on kids' parents to fool them into thinking she was a perfect little princess, she wasn't even the bully that teased Timmy, at least, not anymore. She was just Vicki. A normal teenage girl with pink eyes and fiery red hair that could be hurt like any other... And had somehow come to mean the world to the brunet that now held her in his arms.

The next morning...

Timmy awoke first at the sound of his bedroom door opening, though he was still too sleepy to realize the implications of it.

"How are you feeling, Sweetie?"

"Fine Mom, I-" Timmy's eyes widened in fear as he realized that he and Vicki had been caught. "I... Mom, I wanted to- she needs me, and I-"

"Shh... You keep going on like that and you're liable to wake her up." his mother came over and placed her hand on his forehead. "I know you two are going through a hard time right now, I'm just glad I didn't walk in on you two... um..."

"Mom!" Timmy's face flushed at his mother's insinuation.

"Just making sure I've covered all my bases. If you two do that, let me know beforehand so I can pick you up something, I don't think you two are quite ready for parenthood yet..."

"Can we not have this conversation right now?"

"...Um... Okay... I assume you two aren't really up to going to school today, either?"

"No, not really. We might go see Tootie today, depending on how Vicki's feeling."

"How are you feeling?"

"Me? I told you, I'm fine."

His mother clearly wasn't convinced as she took a seat on the bed. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I know Mom, like I said..." Timmy sighed out. "I just don't want..."

"You don't want to lose Tootie or Vicki, right?"

When had his mother become this smart? Maybe she always had been, and he simply misconstrued her neglect as stupidity? "In the next few days..." What was he doing? Was it really smart to trust his mother with this secret? What if she told the department and they came and took Vicki away? "I don't think you're gonna like what we might have to do..." Timmy was surprised to feel his mother's arms wrap around him. He hadn't been hugged by her like this in... He couldn't even remember. This was a real, honest to goodness hug; a warm, caring one. Not the ones his parents gave him on Christmas or his Birthday because they had to.

"Whatever you decide to do, you and Vicki... I won't judge you for it. I always knew you were smart for your age... and I think that's why I haven't been the best mother. I was so afraid of you growing up too fast... yet I knew it wouldn't be right to try and keep you from growing up either... I could've- no, I should've done better, but I can't change the past."

Timmy's mother's phone began to ring.

"Oh! I'm going to be late!" she stood up from the bed and gave Timmy a kiss on the cheek. "Say hi to Tootie for me! I'll be home around eight, as usual!" with that, his mother left, and Timmy relaxed back into his bed next to Vicki.

"You almost told her what you're planning..." Vicki's somewhat muffled voice came from next to Timmy.

"I don't think it matters anyway. She won't tell the department about us."

"And you're sure about that?" Vicki lifted her head up to look at Timmy fully and saw that he was holding a set of car keys.

"Seeing as how she left us these... yeah, I'm sure."

"Are those my parents' car keys?!"

"Sure looks like that's what they are..."

"You... don't sound happy..."

"I just wonder how long my mom knew that we were planning this. Did she somehow find out from the doctors 'cause they heard it when we mentioned it to Tootie? Or did she hear us last night?"

"I... dunno. I wasn't exactly quiet last night... I yelled at you quite a bit..."

"Don't worry about it. At least we know whose side my mom's on, right?" Timmy jingled the keys in front of his face a few times before handing them off to Vicki.

"Why give them to me?"

"Because I'm still only fourteen? I don't know how to drive, but last time I checked, you have a license, right?"

"Well... yeah, but I've only had it for a couple weeks!"

"That's gonna have to do. Everything is falling into place too well for us to not take advantage of it." Timmy got out of bed and grabbed some clothes. "I'm gonna take a shower, you wanna go see Tootie, right?"

"...Yeah, we need to tell her the news, make sure she's still on board." Vicki got out of bed and grabbed herself a change of clothes as well. "Well? Go on and take your shower, unless you want to keep her waiting?"

It was then that Timmy noticed what had been missing from Vicki for the past couple days. There was now a spark of the old her in her eyes. Determination. The stubborn kind whose fire isn't so easily put out. He didn't notice the goofy smile that broke out across his face until Vicki spoke up again.

"What's with the dumb grin? I'm not showering with you." she put her hands on her hips. "Unless you ask very nicely."

Timmy blushed and headed out of his room. That was Vicki for you, just when he had thought she had reached her lowest point, she bounced back like she didn't have a care in the world. He was glad though, tough Vicki was preferable to meek and vulnerable Vicki, even if she was nicer to him, it didn't feel right. As he stepped into the hot water, he wondered if that was really the case. Tough Vicki was the Vicki he had grown up with, the one that loved to torture and tease him. While the Vicki that he had spent the past couple days with was completely new to him, part of him wished he could spend more time with the side of her that wanted him for comfort, just without her having to be so depressed.

There was a loud knocking sound at the door. "Hey! Save me some hot water or I'll come in there anyway!"

"Sorry!" Timmy shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. "Guess I've been in here longer than I thought..." he dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist, then went over to the mirror and wiped away the condensation. His reflection looked about the same as he felt: Tired. He was beginning to have doubts about this whole plan, mostly thanks to Vicki.

CLICK

Timmy looked over his shoulder at the bathroom door as it opened and Vicki walked in without a care in the world. "Excuse me, but... What the fuck are you doing?"

"Have you ever known me to be a patient girl?"

"Damn. She's got a point there." "You could at least wait until I got dressed..."

"Y'know, after what we almost did, technically I've seen you more naked than you are now, since your shorts aren't as long as that towel is."

"I-... Whatever." Timmy returned his attention to the mirror and grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste.

"No peeking now!"

The brunet heard the distinct sound of clothing hitting the floor before the shower turned on. "Is this too comfortable?" he shrugged and brushed his teeth, then picked up his clothes and left the bathroom to get dressed in his room.

Vicki peeked out through the shower curtain as the bathroom door closed. "...Prude."

Once both were dressed and ready to go, they left the house and waited by the bus stop until the city bus arrived. Again they made for the back of the bus, and Vicki took the window seat as Timmy sat down next to her.

"You nervous?" Timmy poked her in the shoulder.

"Nervous? I... Are you?"

"Of course I am." Timmy leaned into Vicki a bit and lifted her arm up to put it around his shoulders. "Not exactly every day that you decide to run away from home with the girl that used to babysit you and her sister. I mean... You still want to do it, right?"

"I said I was with you, and I am." Vicki lightly bumped her head against Timmy's. "We... we could probably come back in a few years, once I aged out of the system..."

"Yeah... Maybe we will..."

"...Penny for your thoughts?"

"It's nothing... just thinking about... It's... gonna be hard to just up and leave without a word, y'know?"

"I thought that's what you wanted to do?"

"It is... We don't want to risk our friends or my family telling the department that we're gonna leave. It's just..."

"You're scared."

"...Can you blame me?"

"No. I'm scared too..."

The bus reached their stop, and they walked the rest of the way to the hospital hand in hand. Both were far too lost in their own thoughts to be worried about who saw them or about how embarrassed the situation would've made them only a few days before.

It wasn't until they arrived at the hospital and got into the elevator that Timmy decided to speak up. There was a certain something nagging him now. Something like...

"So are we together now?"

"Huh?" Vicki was taken aback by the odd and spontaneous question. "What do you mean? Like... dating?"

"Well... no... We don't really have time to 'date', not until we're free and clear from the department and prying eyes... But-"

"We've already kissed... quite a lot actually."

"So..." Timmy slid against the elevator wall and over next to Vicki. "If I wanted to maybe hold your hand..." Timmy grabbed Vicki's hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "Or hold you close to me..." he moved even closer to the red-head as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm gonna get slapped if I keep this up..." "Or maybe... kissedyou?" Timmy quickly pressed his lips to Vicki's cheek and pulled away before she could respond. "Would all of that be okay?"

Ding

The elevator reached the floor Tootie's hospital room was on and the doors opened. Vicki shook her head and smirked as she left Timmy waiting in the elevator.

"H-hey!" Timmy caught up to Vicki and matched her pace. "You didn't exactly say no..."

"You're right, I didn't."

"So... it's okay then?"

Vicki stopped to take pause at his question outside Tootie's hospital room door. "Within reason. You'd better not just suddenly- Mmph!"

Timmy; evidently having a death wish, gave Vicki a quick peck on the lips, then pulled away with a dumb grin on his face.

"Try it again and you'll be making out with my fist, got it?"

"Glad to see you're back to your old self."

"One of us has to be the adult in this relationship, especially since we're-"

"Uh-huh. That's exactly right. We are... So shut. Up."

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry..." Timmy lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "Damn cameras are everywhere. The first place they'll check is the hospital."

Right. She had nearly forgotten the position they were about to put themselves in. She thanked whatever higher power that was listening for Timmy, he might be a fourteen year old, but he wasn't an idiot. A single slip up and their plan would be swept down the drain. "Okay... Good point." Vicki grasped the door handle to Tootie's room. "But don't think you can tell me to shut up without there being consequences."

"Which is why I apologized." Timmy said matter-of-factly.

"Just lucky I'm gonna accept it this time..." Vicki began to open the door, but stopped as she heard voices from within the room. "Sh!"

"What?" Timmy whispered and leaned in closer.

"Someone else is in there..."

"So what? It's probably just a doctor, or-" "Wait..." Timmy listened more closely.

"...so you're really okay now?"

"That's Chester!" Timmy whispered.

"Yeah? Why would he be here?" Vicki looked at him in confusion, a look that was reflected in Timmy's face. Why was Chester here?

"Time to find out?" Timmy slowly pushed the door open to avoid making too much noise and crouched down.

"Oh yeah! Really inconspicuous! Sneaking into a hospital room in a hospital full of security cameras?!" despite her protests on the intelligence of Timmy's idea, she too crouched down as he did.

"Just follow me." Timmy crept into the room, then beckoned for Vicki to follow him in and quietly shut the door when she did. Lucky for the two eavesdroppers, the privacy curtain around Tootie's bed was mostly drawn, and the room was only dimly lit, else they would've been noticed by the room's other two occupants by now.

Meanwhile, in the conversation that Timmy and Vicki were eavesdropping on...

"Chester, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine, really. You forget that I'm Vicki's sister?"

"No! No... trust me I didn't forget that... But... I mean... are you holding up okay?"

Tootie sat cross-legged on her hospital bed, occasionally fiddling with the IV in her arm. "Holding up okay... Like how?"

"Y'know... Chester scooted the chair he sat in closer to Tootie's bed. "Losing your parents and everything... And you almost died yourself!"

"I already talked to Vicki about all that. Chester, I've had time to grieve, and grieve I did. Crying isn't gonna bring my parents back, and neither is feeling sorry for myself. All I'm worried about right now is where I'm gonna be living."

"You still don't know, huh?"

"Nope, probably some foster home in Brightburg for all I know."

"Foster home?! But... you can't! I'll never- I mean me and Timmy and AJ might never see you again!"

"Yeah well... There's not really anything I can do about it. Vicki and I are too young to take care of ourselves, and we don't have any family around here that can take care of us... On that note, wanna see my disfiguring abdominal scars?"

"How are you... so nonchalant about all this? Aren't you worried?"

"Of course I am, but these pain drugs they have me on are really, really good! You should ask them to-"

"Tootie."

"Yes~?"

"I- You know how much I was worried about you, right?" Chester reached out and grabbed Tootie's hand to hold it in his own. "When I heard about the accident... I thought... I-I'm really glad you're okay..."

Tootie giggled obliviously. "Me too! Can you imagine how much it would've sucked if I got deaded?"

"Tootie I'm trying to tell you I-" Chester stopped as Tootie began giggling again, this time it was more mockingly girlish than oblivious.

"That you like me, right?"

Chester stared at the raven-haired girl in disbelief. "You- How long have you known?"

"Please. I'm not that high on these pain drugs. And as for how long I've known? Pah! You think you're pretty convincing with that whole 'I like Veronica!'" she exclaimed mockingly in her best Chester voice. "Act? I notice all those little glances you give me... Just took me nearly dying to come out and tell me how you feel. Or, you almost did anyway."

Meanwhile...

Behind the curtain, Timmy was barely holding in a bout of laughter, and Vicki was somewhere between seething and completely dumbstruck. "He-" before she could utter another word, Timmy moved his right hand off his face and covered her mouth while simultaneously covering his own with his left hand.

Vicki narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Timmy, causing him to pull his hand away before she did something mean(like bite him). "Can you read lips?" Vicki mouthed the words silently.

Timmy nodded in the affirmative.

"Good. What do you wanna do? Should we leave?" Vicki gestured with her thumb over at the door. "Or should we surprise them?"

Timmy held his chin in thought for a few seconds, before sticking his index finger in the air and smiling evilly. "We could jump out and scare the hell out of them?"

"On three?" Vicki stuck her hand and three fingers up.

Timmy nodded and pointed behind Vicki toward the edge of the curtain. "I say we go right over there and jump out."

Vicki nodded this time and grabbed Timmy's hand to pull him over to the designated spot. "Okay, ready?"

"Yeah."

Vicki stuck up her index, middle, and ring fingers. "Three."

Followed by just her middle and index fingers. "Two."

And finally just the index. "One..."

Meanwhile... Again...

"So...?" Tootie looked at Chester, then his hand, which currently still rested on hers, then back at Chester.

"Y-yeah...?" the blond looked at her nervously and gulped.

"You were gonna say something before I decided it would be more fun to mess with you..."

"Oh... that..."

"Mm-hm...?"

"Well... I mean... Yeah, I do like you..." Chester blushed bright red as he finished.

"Well, that's good then, seeing as how I like you too."

"You- You do?!" Chester beamed at Tootie.

"Uh-huh." Tootie smiled back.

"You like him?!" "You like her?!" Timmy and Vicki exclaimed in unison as they popped out from behind the curtain.

"Vicki?! Timmy?! When did you two-"

THUD

Timmy, Tootie, and Vicki looked down at Chester, who was now face-down on the floor.

"Oh shit." Vicki began. "I think we gave him a heart attack!"

"Pretty sure he just fainted..." Tootie facepalmed.