Race It Roxie: Those were the names that won the poll I had up back in December, so that's what I went with :) haha I don't know if I can out-do the wedding ring feels.

dalek: yep, finally some names lol. And of course Gene has to show up ;)

Rainlily216: I'd had a poll going on way back in December about twin names, and that was the winning pair. Though to be honest, I preferred those names anyway. And lol, I would like to throw Gene into Diet Cola Mountain myself :P

apple: Yes, he is trapped in the movie-verse, meaning he can go anywhere he wants there, but he can't leave to go to another movie/dimension or the Real World.

guest: hehehe you can always count on Gene to mess things up!

That Guest Person: Yeah, he had good intentions, he did at least want to be friends with them. Things just went really south really fast. LOL and yeah, poor twins, they're the only canon characters that don't have voices I believe.

The Lizard: I had people vote on the names, and that's the pair that won, so that's what I went with ;) And I try to respond to reviews best I can, if I have something to say back lol.

One More Turbo-Tastic Day at a Time

I had been on edge ever since Turbs disappeared into thin air; it was rather annoying not being able to see the new teleportation device, but then again did I really want to see a giant holographic screen in my yard every time I went outside?

I wasn't sure how the visit with the twins would go, so I thought to make a chocolate cake. If things went well, it could be a congratulatory cake; if not, then it would be used to cheer him up. Hopefully, the first option would be the reality.

I had just finished spreading the frosting on it when I heard the door unlock then open. I quickly got a rag and cleaned up along the rim of the cake pan (I'm really bad at putting frosting on without making a mess).

"How did it go, Turbs?" I asked before I turned around, and then realized I should have maybe turned around first before asking. I was more than little surprised to see that he still looked like King Candy. He didn't even look at me, just kept his head down and trudged slowly to the bedroom. I had to lean forward over the sink to see inside the room, and I watched him collapse on the bed before burying himself under the covers. My heart sank, and I took a moment to wipe my hands clean on a dishrag before going in there. The only part of him that was visible was the top of his head and his eyes and nose.

"Turbs? Turbo, what happened?" I sat on the bed and rubbed at his shoulder, but the only answer I got was some strained whimpers that slowly turned into quiet crying. "Oh, don't do that, baby," I frowned, doing my best to hug him through the covers.

"It wasth terrible," he choked out, keeping his face hidden from me. "I sthaid stuff I shouldn't have. And now they hate me even more than they already did, and…and it'sth all one big messth! I screwed it all up!"

"Turbs, surely not," I said quietly, hugging his back to me more the best I could with all these blankets in the way. "They can't hate you forever. Look, we just need to try again another day. They may need to spend more time with you, to see that you're different."

"They don't want to!" he kept insisting, curling up more into a ball. "They want nothing to do with me…becausthe I'm a jerk. A big fat jerk. I told them the only reasthon they got plugged back in wasth because I needed to cross the finish line."

I stared at the back of his head in shock. Wow, that really was a jerk thing to say. "Why would you say something like that?" I sighed, trying to imagine how that scene must have played out. "That had to have really hurt their feelings."

"I know," he whined, and I could see all the tears streaming out of his eyes. "Maybe they're right, maybe I really haven't changed. I'm still a selfish cad. And maybe an idiot too for thinking thisth would go well."

"Hey," I said firmly, pulling back on his shoulder to make him roll backwards enough to look at me. "Don't talk like that. You're not a selfish cad, and you're not an idiot. We just…we should have been better prepared before you went over there. But we'll know for next time that-"

"Next time?" Turbs blinked some more tears out and rolled back away from me, tucking the blankets under his chin. "There won't be one."

"You're just gonna give up?" I couldn't believe I was hearing this. "You, Turbo, are giving up? Are you kidding me? That's not like you at all. You always keep on trucking no matter what."

"What'sth the point, blondie?" He had his eyes fixed in a glare, and he sounded kinda snappy when he said that. "They've already made up their mindsth."

"Then you have to convince them that-"

"Just forget about it," he huffed, closing his eyes tightly. "I'm tired, and don't want to think about it anymore."

I frowned and sighed lightly. I really shouldn't prod at him while he's upset like this; that never makes anything better. I inched down on the mattress some and curled up against his back, pressing my head between his shoulder blades.

"I made you a chocolate cake," I told him softly, using my finger to trace along the swirled pattern in the blanket.

Turbs didn't say anything right away, and at first I thought he didn't hear me. "You made me a pity cake?"

I tucked my arms to my chest and exhaled through my nose. "Turbs, please don't act like this. You know that's not true."

"I'm not acting like anything. And yesth, that'sth what it isth. You made a cake to make me feel better just in casthe things went south."

He sounded even angrier than he had earlier. "I made it because I love you, you jerk." Great, now he was making me angry. "You know what, never mind, forget I said anything."

I turned over to my other side, our backs facing each other. I pulled my pillow down so I could hug it, pressing my face into it. My throat started burning, so I forced a gulp down. Tears started pricking at my eyes, and I told myself to quit acting like a baby. I tried to force a flashback away that pertained to Guy giving me the cold shoulder out of spite when all I'd tried to do was make him feel better.

I heard Turbs breathe out heavily before he started shifting positions, making the mattress rock a good bit. He threw an arm over me, and I instinctively hugged it close while he snuggled up to my back.

"Sorry." I heard him force the word out so he wouldn't lisp it, and I couldn't help but smile a bit at that. "Not your fault I'm being a grouch." He kissed the top of my shoulder and nuzzled against my head. I let his fingers weave through mine so they'd link together. "Love you."

"Love you too," I whispered back, my eyes closing and making myself relax. "Don't worry about anything. It'll be fine, okay?"

"Mm-hmm."

He must have really exhausted, because he fell right to sleep after that. I let out a tired sigh and rubbed his fingers against mine. I hoped I was right in saying things would be fine.

~TurboTime~

'Burn?'

'What?'

Crash sighed as he closed his eyes, his body relaxing on the hood of his car with his arms thrown back behind his head to cushion it. His brother was doing the same, except his leg that was crooked over one knee was swinging back and forth in an impatient manner. Burn in particular had been on edge since their unexpected visit from Turbo.

'Maybe we were too hard on him.'

'Too HARD on him?' Burn sat up on his elbows and glared at his twin. 'You're joking, right? He outright admitted that the only reason he was having anything to do with us was so he could cross the finish line and get his old body back.' He laid back down on the car hood, lacing his fingers together and laying his hands in his lap while he glared at the blue, cloudless sky above him. 'I say we went too SOFT on him. I should've punched his face in.'

Crash lowered his eyes down, frowning more than he had been earlier. 'Yeah, I know, but...maybe he just said that because we were being jerks. We didn't even let him explain anything.' He almost said something about how Turbo had looked genuinely saddened earlier, but he decided to keep that to himself.

'There's nothing to explain,' Burn shot back hastily, his eyes flicking about uncomfortably. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, wanted to forget Turbo even existed. 'HE'S the jerk, not us. He tried to kill a kid, Crash. And some other people. He could even do the same to us.'

"Oh, he WILL."

The mysterious, sudden voice caused the twins to bolt upright from their positions, both of them staring simultaneously at the short, rotund man in front of them. He had his hands buried in the pockets of his cardigan, and he looked around at the game with a smug look about him.

"Never thought this place ever existed," he kept on talking as if it were normal for him to be there in the first place. "We all thought it was just a figment of pre-programmed imagery."

'Who the heck are YOU?' asked Burn, crossing his arms and gazing at him angrily. 'We don't exactly approve of trespassers.'

"Funny thing to say when your lead racer trespassed into more than one game," the little man shot back with a knowing smirk. "You two wouldn't happen to have similar ideas, would you?"

'Of course not!' Crash gasped, putting a hand to his heart. 'We wouldn't dare think of doing such a thing!'

'You never answered my question,' Burn snapped while hopping off the car's hood, keeping his heated glare fixed on the intruder. 'I'm in no mood for beating around the bush, Mustache, so state your business.'

The man held his hands up defensively, yet the smirk still remained. "Oh-ho, someone who knows what he wants and gets down to business. I like that!" He positioned his hands to wrap around the edges of his cardigan and tug at the edges to straighten them out. "I'm Mayor Gene of Niceland, the setting of Fix-It Felix, Jr."

'I'm Crash, and this is my brother Burn!' Crash introduced himself, hopping off of his car to stand by the other racer. 'At least I THINK we're brothers...'

'Of course we are!' Burn grouchily retorted, not budging from his spot or taking his eyes off Gene. 'And you still haven't told us what you're doing here, MAYOR.'

"No need to be so suspicious," Gene brushed him off with a scoff. "I was only curious how things went when Turbo came in here."

The two racers reacted similarly, yet different. Crash appeared hurt at the reminder, looking down at his shoes and scuffing one against the ground. Burn turned his head away and glared at nothing in particular. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, in other words.

"I suppose that means it didn't go well," Gene assumed out loud, sticking his hands in his pockets now. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. Being the nasty villain that he is, he probably came in here wanting something out of you."

Burn snapped his head back towards Gene, a hostile look etched on his pixellated face. 'If you're here to tell us what we already know and rub it in our faces, then GET OUT.' He jerked forward and shoved his finger against Gene's nose to push at him. 'We don't need outsiders coming in here and making fools out of us for having been associated with that guy!'

'Burn!' The other racer rushed forward to grab his hand to make him quit. 'He's only saying what WE were saying ourselves! No need to be rude!'

The angry racer breathed heavily, his shoulders rising up and down as he tried to calm himself. He wasn't sure what exactly had gotten into him, why this visitor's words had upset him so much.

Gene chuckled as he smoothed out the front of his shirt. "Your outburst only confirmed my suspicions. Now, hear me when I say I'm not judging you just because you're from the same game. That would be unfair."

'So why ARE you here?' Crash asked of him in a nicer tone than his brother had used. He looked over at Burn worriedly, glancing back and forth between the two men. He had a feeling he was going to have to be the level-headed one of the two. No need in BOTH of them acting out when it came to conversing with other people. He didn't exactly want a reputation of being a hothead either...or be accidentally mistaken for Burn. He wanted his own identity after all.

"I'm here because I believe you two are the only ones who can help me."

'Why should we help you?' Burn asked, having calmed down enough to talk more evenly, though he still was obviously peeved. 'We don't even KNOW you.'

Gene held up a finger. "True," he agreed, "but hear me out. We're all in the same boat together."

'Meaning...?'

"We all hate Turbo." Gene shrugged his shoulders as if the answer were obvious. "And we want to see him suffer. Why should HE have a happy ending, after all? What did he ever do to deserve it?"

'Whoa, whoa, WHOA,' Crash interrupted him, his eyes closed and shaking his head, his arms going waving in front of him to cut Gene off further. 'If we get revenge on him, then we're no better than HE was.'

"IS," Gene corrected him flatly.

Burn glared at the Nicelander with more intensity than he had been earlier. 'I don't know what you're playing at here, but we're not going to be pawns for whatever little scheme you have cooked up. I'm not going to make a bad name for myself just because I think Turbo doesn't deserve anything nice.'

'Yeah, and we just got here,' Crash added, secretly surprised that Burn wasn't jumping at the chance to get involved in this Gene person's plan...whatever it was. 'What if Litwak pulls our plug because we misbehaved? I don't want to think about losing anymore time than we already have.'

Gene gawked at the two of them, his mouth opening and closing like a fish on land. "But...but...I thought you guys HATED him! What the heck is wrong with you two? Don't you want vengeance?"

'Do your dirty work yourself, I'm not getting mixed up in it,' Burn snapped at him. 'If I want to do something to Turbo, it'll be on my own time and on my own terms.' He jerked an arm up and pointed to the exit. 'Now get lost.'

Gene continued staring at both of them, his head turning slightly back and forth between them. At last, he cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. "Very well. Good day, gentlemen." And without another word, he headed back in the direction he came from, grumbling about the long walk back.

"Those idiots," he muttered once he was far enough way from them. "Fine, if THEY won't help me, then I'll just find someone else who will."

Crash and Burn watched him leave, and Crash looked over at his brother. 'You don't think he'll cause any trouble for US, do ya?'

Burn scoffed and turned to head towards his car. 'Don't be paranoid. How dangerous can that egghead be?'