Ok so I wrote this at 2 am because I make terrible decisions, and I can't really tell if I was really philosophical when I made it or just tired.
Either way, I thought it was a neat idea, so have some closure for the pain I put this poor child through in CDR
Vanellope looked warily around at what had to be the strangest dream she'd ever had.
She was in King's house, and though it'd been fifteen years since she'd last seen this place, she shuddered.
It was cold and dark, and she rubbed her arms, not sure which of these things was causing goosebumps to run up them.
Thankfully, her terrifying former guardian didn't seem to be around, the house deserted and silent.
She was beginning to wonder what kind of nightmare this was before she heard a whimper, followed by a poorly stifled sob.
"Huh?"
Vanellope rounded the corner into the kitchen, where she was met with wide eyes staring up at her like a deer in the headlights.
She jumped slightly, and the other person shrunk back, curling up into a ball.
"Hey, hey, I didn't mean to scare you," she knelt down to the child's level, immediately remorseful.
"I'm sorry-" she started to apologize, but paused.
The little girl that looked up at her...
was her.
In some strange way, she realized, her subconscious was trying to give her closure from her past.
By letting her comfort herself.
"-Vanellope."
"It's ok Vanellope," she smiled as she picked her up.
The kid let out a sob into her shoulder, but the woman didn't shush her or tell her not to cry. No, instead she told her to let it out.
"It's ok to cry, Vanny," she whispered the words Ralph had spoken to her hundreds of times that took her years to truly believe.
And the little girl did, years of pent-up feelings finally getting a chance to overflow as her cries began to escalate in volume. She wailed, she screamed, years and years, her whole life really, of nightmares and fear and sadness and hurt finally getting out into the open.
And of course it hurt for Vanellope to see herself so upset, but she knew she needed this. So she let the kid cry her heart out. She'd stay right there with her all night, in the dark kitchen lit only by the full moon, the light glinting off the shattered glass on the floor.
But eventually Vanny cried herself out, the wails dying down to hiccups and whimpers. Big Vanny rubbed the little girl's back, cooing to her and humming softly and holding her as tightly as she could, doing everything Ralph always did for her. Everything she knew she'd always wished someone would do.
After a few minutes, when she'd fully calmed, the kid dried her eyes with the back of her hand. She pulled away from the woman, looking at her quizzically.
"Who are you?" she asked simply, innocently.
"I'm you, Vanny."
"Me?"
"Mmhm. I'm you, fifteen years from now."
"Am I- am I happy in the future?"
"Yeah, Van. You're happy. Really happy."
The girl smiled, laying her head on the her older counterpart's shoulder.
"Am I gonna have a family?"
She smiled softly, "Yep. You're gonna have the best family ever. The best dad you could ask for."
"Will I get married?" Vanellope asked wistfully.
She smiled at the ring on her finger before nodding.
"You'll get married. To the sweetest dork in the whole wide world."
Vanny yawned with a sleepy smile.
"You know my song," she noted absently.
"I do. And I know another song too, one your dad will sing to you whenever you remember these days, whenever you're scared and sad that'll make everything seem like it was just a bad dream."
"Will you sing it to me?"
"Mmhm," she smiled as she began to sing Ralph's lullaby.
And by the time she reached the end, her tiny counterpart had fallen sound asleep, the corner of her mouth quirked in a tiny smile.
She continued to rub tiny circles in the little girl's back, looking sadly up the stairs. She'd wished she could hold her forever, protect her.
But she kind of did protect her.
After all, this was her.
She was happy now, she did have a family, and she was married to the sweetest dork in the whole wide world.
And she could finally put this part of her life to rest.
She let out a little sigh as she set off up the stairs, maneuvering around the creaky ones she still remembered.
Vanellope lay the little girl down gently in her bed, tucking her in and giving her the tiniest peck on the forehead.
She turned around just before shutting the door.
"You're gonna be ok, kid."
Vanellope dusted her hands off after sweeping the glass off the kitchen floor.
And with one last glance up the stairs, she opened the front door and stepped out.
Vanny's eyes fluttered open.
She sat up calmly, looking out the open window, through which a full moon glowed and a gentle breeze brushed her skin.
She looked around her bedroom as if she'd never seen it before, taking in every detail, every picture hanging on the wall.
The photo of her and Ralph the day the adoption was finalized.
The ones of her and Gloyd and Taffyta and Candle as they grew up, as kids and teenagers and awkward adults.
Vanellope herself on her graduation day.
Her with Felix and Tammy.
Gloyd and Taff's wedding day.
Her own wedding day.
She sniffled almost inaudibly.
"You're gonna be ok, kid."
She'd turned out more than ok.
But just then, Rancis awoke. He had become so used to listening for Vanny's every little noise it seemed almost as if he slept with one eye open.
"What's the matter, Nelly? Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, concerned.
"No. I didn't," she answered calmly.
"Are you ok?"
"Mmhm. I'm just fine," she smiled, laying back down.
He drew her closer, nuzzling his face in her hair with a sigh.
"I love you," she cooed.
"You're the sweetest dork in the whole wide world," she sighed sleepily.
"I love you too- wait what?" he asked incredulously, but she was already asleep.
Vanny had never slept so peacefully in her life.