It was the middle of the night, but Ralph couldn't sleep. He was glaring determinedly up at the ceiling, trying hard not to think of the nightmare that had woken him. The cybugs and Ki—Turbo were gone, and yet they still managed to invade his dreams more often than he'd like. He couldn't understand why he kept having them. After all, things were good now…
Just then, his bedroom door creaked open slightly, and he craned his neck a bit to see who it was, though he already had a hunch. The gumdrop nightlight Vanellope let him borrow illuminated the room just enough to let him know he was correct.
Clad in a peppermint-green nightgown, his best friend tiptoed across the room to the side of his bed. She didn't seem to notice he was awake, however, so she just stood there awkwardly, twisting her nightdress in her hands and glancing repeatedly from him to the floor.
Looking closer, Ralph saw that she was shaking and glitching uncontrollably, and heart-wrenching sniffles and stifled sobs assaulted his ears. Tear tracks were just barely visible on her face, and his heart clenched mightily. He'd never seen her so upset before, and the only logical explanation was that she had had a nightmare, too. Poor kid…
His mattress sank a little near his feet, then between his outspread shins, and he looked up. Apparently Vanellope had made a decision while he'd been thinking, for here she was, sitting on her legs in the middle of his bed. She still appeared so unsure of herself, though, so unlike the feisty little President he knew, and his concern deepened exponentially.
He wasn't sure if he should say anything at first for fear of scaring her, but after another two seconds of watching her suffer, his heart just couldn't take anymore. He had to do something.
"Vanellope," he whispered gently, and to his immense relief, his voice seemed to do nothing but marginally relax her. He opened one large arm to her, and for a split second the little girl wrestled back her 'superpower' and glitched to his side, burrowing into him with an almost feverish fervor.
"Hey, hey," he soothed, holding her close. "It's okay, kid. I'm not gonna let anything hurt—" he half-coughed and noticed immediately when she tensed, "—ya."
His hack had reminded her of something she'd heard in her nightmare, and she buried her face in his side all the more. "It's not me I'm worried about, Ralph! It's you!"
His eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
A hearty sob finally forced its way from her throat, and just like that, the tears flew. "You—you disappeared, Ralph! I—I couldn't find you anywhere! I looked and looked, s-screamed for you…but you never came back! E-even when I started b-bawling, you—you weren't there! You left me like everyone else! I—" she choked on her tears here, and Ralph had to pat her on the back a few times to get her breathing normally again, "—I was al-l-l-lone again!"
Her story told at last, she was free to let the dam break in the crook of his arm, and her best friend was powerless to do anything but curl her to his chest protectively, as tightly as she could handle, in effort to chase her fears away. This wasn't fair. Things were all right now. Neither of them, this angel-child in his arms especially, deserved to have nightmares torture them like this.
"I know you're scared of being left alone again, Vanellope," he acknowledged delicately, "but you have to know I'm never gonna let that happen. Dream or not, I'm gonna be right here, kid, at your side no matter what. And nothing will ever change that."
For a long few moments, Vanellope didn't say or do anything. But then, she backed out of her makeshift cocoon-cave and crawled on top of Ralph to lay chest-to-chest with him. Resting her chin on her stacked hands, her expression was thoughtful as she glanced down at Ralph, child-eyes burning with insightfulness well beyond her years.
"Do you think the Nicelanders treat you better now than they did before?" His raised eyebrow tells her he's confused, and she clarifies. "Sometimes I get the feeling that if I weren't President of this place, the others would still be treating me the same way they always did..."
Now it was Ralph's turn to be pensive. To tell the truth, he'd been so thrilled at the nicer flow of things in his game that he hadn't exactly taken the time to step back and take a look at things.
"Well, yeah, I think so," he answered mostly easily, forehead creased in deep thought. "I…I guess, besides Felix, they might only be doing it to make sure I don't go—" he was uncomfortable even with the notion of saying the crazed racer's name, and he could tell by the sudden paleness to Vanellope's cheeks that she was, too, so he corrected himself quickly, "—uh, run off again, but…things definitely are better than they used to be. And even if…even if they're not sincere in what they're doing, it's…still a major step up." He shrugged, though carefully so as not to jostle her too much, smiling lightly in effort to cheer her up. "If this is as good as life's gonna get, I'll take it any day. You've made my life so much better without even trying, Vanellope, so remember that even if you're not sure about anything else. That is what counts, kid."
He smiled wider for her, and spirits effectively lifted, she beamed in return, kicking her lower legs back and forth. "It was really nice of Doctor Eggman to make that clone of you for your game while you're here. Don't you think, Ralph?"
He did his best to nod, but was interrupted halfway by a large yawn that expanded his chest enough to make Vanellope slide off of him and land feet-first on the comfy mattress below. When he was done, teary, he looked at the digital cupcake clock on the nightstand with teary, tired eyes. 2:10 in the morning.
Turning his attention back to the little girl, he fixed the slightly folded hem of her nightgown and advised, "We should really get some sleep, kid."
Nodding, she lay down beside him and snuggled into his side. If they stuck together tonight, they could both sleep without fear. They could each other's living, breathing dreamcatcher.
Then, a thought struck her. "Ralph?" she called, voice soft not from drowsiness, but hesitation.
"Yeah?" he answered patiently, though by now he craved nothing more than a good night's sleep.
"You'll still be here in the morning…right?"
Instantly, all thoughts of sleep vanished from his mind. Peering down at her, this small, traumatized nine-year-old with the most beautiful brown-green eyes he'd ever seen, who trusted and loved him more than anything else in the entire game-world, he couldn't help but embrace her in the tightest hold he dared.
"I'm not goin' anywhere, kid."
-Promise kept.-
Back in Fix-It Felix, Jr., the game's namesake had been agitatedly pacing his and Tamora's apartment for over an hour.
Earlier that evening when he'd been walking toward the elevators, he'd overheard Gene and the others discussing Ralph's inevitable return with disdainful disgust. It had made Felix genuinely angry for the first time in his life, and he'd been fuming ever since.
While it was true that they Ralph was essential to keep their game going, the Nicelanders had never taken the time to get to know him like Felix had during their wild adventure together. Now that he knew the 'bad guy' was simply a misunderstood, though still temper-driven softie, the handyman showed his newfound best friend the kindness and warmth he had always deserved.
Having been watching her husband the whole time, Sergeant Calhoun finally decided enough was enough. She knew he was only fired up because of how much he cared for Ralph, but he had to stop before he hurt himself, magic golden hammer or no. She stopped him with nothing more than a forceful hand on his shoulder and a look straight in the eyes.
"They're ignorant, foolish morons, Felix," she stated bluntly, though her tone was a touch softer than out in the field. "We know Ralph is more than a wrecking machine. If they're too stupid to see that for themselves, it's their loss."
He sighed heavily and took a few deep breaths before grabbing her hand and rubbing tiny, adoring circles on its back with both of his thumbs.
"Yeah, Tami," he relented at last. "You're right." Despite knowing very well of Ralph's heroics in Sugar Rush and his best friendship with Vanellope, Gene and the other Nicelanders still saw the wrecker as the same person who had abandoned their game. But Felix was determined to change all that. "Thanks."
Glad to see he was back to being the level-headed man she'd married, she nodded and pulled him to bed. He kissed her goodnight before switching off the lamp on his side of the bed and burying his face in his pillows.
Pushing away all lingering thoughts of what had happened earlier, he focused on hoping Ralph was doing all right over in Sugar Rush. He and Tamora could go visit him again, perhaps this weekend. Maybe he'd be awake this time, well enough to tell them he was feeling better liked Felix hoped. But even if he weren't, the handyman was comforted by the fact that Vanellope was the one taking care of him.
