AN: YES! Reviews! Yay! Hee-hee, aparentlyI wasn't the only one who wondered what would happen if Jimmy were to see the unedited version of the "My Big Fat Spy Wedding" tape. Truly, one of the best eps ever, IMHO.

Anyway, this chapter is mostly piontless J/C fluff...yay! (I am such a fangirl!) I hope you like it! I'm a little disappointed that out of over a hundred hits, I only got 6 reviews. That makes me paronoid, I.E.: "They read it, and they hate it! That's why they didn't review!" (heh, guilt, guilt, guilt, hint, hint, hint!)

Please ease a tortured mind and leave a little review for moi! Thanks!

CindyVortex9; Elynsynos 18: Your wish is my command! Chapter two awaits!

Phantomhobbitses; pokey: Thank you!

Matt: Heh, I didn't think of that! Libby needs to hear the bright side of Sheen, eh!

ignite444: Thank you! And, yes, Jimmy and the gang are all about 18, except Sheen, of course, who is 20 (He was held back.)

Discliamer: I don't own Jimmy...but if I did there would be a heck of a lot more JCness, I assure you!

Chapter 2

Cindy ran the brush through her hair, tugging it softly into place. Sighing at her reflection, she put the brush on the dresser. She couldn't forget the memory that played in her mind...

"Dearest friends- family- faculty. As we, the students of Retroville High, journey into the next hereto unknown fraction of our lives, we stop here today to gaze upon the past- what we have accomplished…what we have gained and lost in our quest for knowledge."

...The words played in her head as she reached for her makeup bag...

"Where will time take us? To distant galaxies? To the deepest depths of the ocean? Or to our own backyards, the very place we call home? Shall we change the whole world? Or change one heart?…"

...It could have been her speech, she mused. Before he came along, she was top of the class…but there had been no catching up lately…with every passing year, he passed her by in all of their classes. The honored privilege of valedictorian was to be his- and she had seen it coming.

Her mother hadn't. What a rage she had flown into when she had heard the news!

"Jimmy Neutron?" She had screamed, in frustration, "That pointy haired loser? You lost to him?"

"He's a genius, mom!" Cindy had reminded her unstable parent, softly.

She had screamed, in frustration, Cindy had reminded her unstable parent, softly.

"So? We Vortexes don't lose to snot-nosed little boys!"

"But he's no little boy," Cindy had wanted to say. "Not anymore." But she hadkept quiet. Her mother could never know how she felt about that 'pointy haired loser.' No one could.

...She respected him. It had taken a long time to identify this feeling, but over the years, it had grown. Out of the early days of that schoolgirl crush, something more lasting had taken place. She saw him in a new light now, the kind, smart, handsome man he was going to be one day.

Or was now.

Sure, she still felt butterflies when he was near. But, she wasn't blinded to his mistakes or flaws…she simply loved him all the more for them.

"Love. Has it really come to that?" She asked herself now, frowning at her reflection. She smiled suddenly. She knew it had, even if she never told anyone, especially him.

Ding, the doorbell chimed, and she glanced at the clock.

"Either Libby is an hour early," She mumbled, "or mom ordered Chinese." She waited for her mother to answer, but the doorbell chimed again. With a weary sigh, she opened her bedroom door. "Good thing I finished my makeup," she thought, "Or I'd have to answer the door with half a face."

She bounced down the stairs, holding her dress up to keep it out of the way of her feet. "What a night for a dance!" She thought as she reached the hallway. "I can't believe Libby talked me into this- I won't know anyone there but her and Sheen! They just had to go to the Ultra-Lord fan dance. What I want to know is why it has to be so darn formal-"

Her thoughts were cut off when she opened the door- and there he was. Jimmy Neutron was on her front step at 6:23 Friday night, with her in an evening gown. He tried to open his mouth and talk, but only half of this process worked.

"Well," She said finally, trying to keep her insides from jumping to the outside, "Are you just going to stand there gaping? What do you want?"

He closed his mouth, and tried again. "You…ah…you look nice, Vor- er, Cindy."

She raised an eyebrow, ignoring the voice in her head. "He complimented me! YES!"

"Um, do you…can we talk?" He managed.

She hefted a sigh. "I'm busy right now." "No I'm not!" Went the little voice again. "Ask me again! I'll say yes! Don't give up, I didn't mean it!"

"Oh. Right." He said, rubbing his neck. His eyes kept a distance from hers. "Maybe anther time, I guess. I'll just-"

She sighed again. Opening the door a little wider, she stepped out. "Make it quick." "Stay forever!" The voice contradicted.

He gave a her smile as she hoped up onto the porch rail. Swinging her legs, she waited. "What does he want? Why is he acting so nervous? I hope he really does like my dress…"

"Well, I'm going to ask you something that is very, very weird."

"Wow, what a surprise." She couldn't help saying, sarcastically. Though she had tried to be nicer to him, old habits die hard, and she still defended her heart with a barb-wire mouth.

He shrugged. "I don't know how you're going to react."

"Just spit it out."

He took a breath. "...Do you like me?" He asked, looking at the floor.

Her heart bottomed out. "…Excuse me?" She said, voice cracking, attempting desperately to sound indifferent.

"Do you like me, Cindy?" He said, and brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Those eyes!" She said to herself, dreamily. Always her biggest weakness, they made her melt every time.

"Er- Well, sure, you're a nice guy, I guess. ...I like you well enough,...even if you do bug me all the time." She said, neutrally.

"No," He continued, stepping closer. "Do you like me?"

She looked away. "I don't know what you mean..." She broke off. Why was he asking this? Did he know? "Please, please just go away!" She commanded him in her mind, while at the same timethe voice in her head argued with itself."YES! YES! I love you! I've always loved you!"

"Yes you do." He said, and she took a moment to remember he was answering her words, not her thoughts.

"…" There were no words. What could she say? "Should I tell him?" She asked herself. "All these years of hiding what I feel have come to this? What if he laughs? Why does he want to know?" "Why are you doing this?" She asked, trying to keep her tone icy. "Why the interest in my feelings all of a sudden?"

"…Cindy," He said, still holding her eyes with his steady gaze, "I saw the tape today." His heart was beating rapidly, although his features were unreadable.

"Tape?" This time, she really didn't know what he meant.

He laughed uncertainly. "Don't you remember? The Jet and Beautiful wedding all those years ago? You thought you rewound it, but you only pressed the fade button. You gave me the tape, and I never got to watch it until today."

She reached into her memories…and couldn't stop a blush from spreading all over her face. "I- uh-" She said, trying to find something to say as she recalled her words that day. "…I don't remember."

"Yes you do. Remember, I was in my tux...that you liked?" He said, with a teasing tone.

She shot him a glare, meant for herself. For her own stupidity. "Why didn't I press the right button? Why? Now he knows! He thinks it's funny!"

"Cindy, I-" He began, but she cut him short.

"Fine!" She said fire in her eyes, "I admit it. I used to have a crush on you- a LITTLE one, when I was younger. Go ahead and laugh! Is that why you came? To humiliate me? Congratulations! Another mystery of the universe solved by the great James Neutron- you have me all figured out, don't you?"

"No," He answered softly, "I don't think I ever could." He turned away from her, gathering his courage.

"Darn right!" She proclaimed, allowing her anger to force away her true feelings. Anger was safe- anger was familiar.

"…But I'd like to try." He said, turning suddenly and coming closer than before. "I want to know you- the real you. All those days we spend together on the island- do you remember that? Even during the Yolkian attack, when you were nice to me…why? I used to think it was just a passing moment…now I wonder."

She was caught in his gaze now, unable to answer as he continued.

"Maybe it was more than that. Maybe you felt more. What are you hiding under all that anger, Vortex?"

"Ha! What are you hiding under your huge hair!" The stinging reply came, unbidden, to her mind. "That's exactly the kind of thing that brought me here." she told herself. "Every time I could have built a friendship, I just dish out a mean reply..." She kept her mouth shut, waiting as he ran a hand through his hair.

The stinging reply came, unbidden, to her mind. she told herself. She kept her mouth shut, waiting as he ran a hand through his hair.

"I mean, you said you liked me once- maybe that was just a little crush….maybe you put it behind you. But, see, the thing is-" He took a breath. He knew he was about to dive into waters too murky to foresee. "I liked you, too."

"Did he just say-" She wondered to herself, as her heart leaped.

"I always did. The truth is…I still do. I didn't always know it…but it's becoming more and more clear to me. You're so…beautifully… you." She looked at him in amazement as the import of his words sank into her mind. She was barely able to register the blush that had taken him over as she caught her breath.

"You mean you-"

He smiled, warm but embarrassed. "Say something!" He begged her silently. "Say anything!"

Slowly, a smile crept over her own features. "You really like me?" She asked, and he was pleasantly surprised to note the shy, delicate nature of her voice. She was finally letting him in! He knew- this was her, not her façade.

"Yes, I do. You're strong and kind…well, sometimes," he revised, with a grin that matched her own. "and I know- well, I guess I always knew- even if you and I pretended to hate each other, you'd still be there if I needed you."

She smiled downward, not knowing what to say.

Finally, she slid off the railing, and stood next to him. "I was always jealous of you." She began, with a timid smile. "I was mad that you were better than me. But, after a while, I fed off competing with you. I loved to argue with you- I got such a rush…but after a while, just seeing you gave me a rush." She paused. "I feel silly, telling you this."

"Don't," He said, taking her hand. "Don't stop. Tell me."

"He's holding my hand!" Her voice screamed in her head. "YES!" She looked down, and confirmed what the tingling feeling in her hand had told her. She smiled at him once more.

Her voice screamed in her head. She looked down, and confirmed what the tingling feeling in her hand had told her. She smiled at him once more.

"I started liking you a long time ago…but all those years of fighting and jealousy…I was sure you hated me."

He laughed. "That's how I felt, too. I was so…intrigued by you! You were a real challenge- you kept me on my toes. But I was sure you hated me…to tell you the truth, I was a bit mad at myself."

"I know what you mean- I couldn't seem to stop myself from saying something mean to you at every chance- when all I really wanted was to be your friend. I can't believe," she said, shaking her head, "All the time we spent denying this. Now that it's in the open, it's so…so…"

"Obviously perfect?" He suggested, and she nodded. "I know. And all those times we came so close to kissing…" His voice wandered off and she smiled wide at him.

"I was such a heap of giggles when I thought about that." She admitted. "Not that I would ever tell you that."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said with a blush. "Jimmy…I really do think you're handsome. You're…" She took in a breath of the night air. "You're just what I wanted…and what I didn't know I needed. Does that make sense?"

He smiled. "Perfectly logical to me." He said, and without another word, he leaned toward her. She could feel him getting closer as she closed her eyes…

"Cindy? Jimmy?" The voice from the porch stairs caught them off guard, and they broke away at the last second.

"Eh…hi, Libby!" Jimmy said, red faced and flustered.

Cindy could only wave and smile distractedly as Libby raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smile.

"Am I…interrupting something?"

"No!" Cindy said, unconvincingly. "Not at all- er, Jimmy and I were just, um-"

"Yeah," Jimmy agreed, to nothing. "We were… uh-"

"Er…" Cindy couldn't manage to think of a thing. "Come on, come on!" She commanded herself. "…Jimmy was just leaving." She finished, defeated. "Right?" She asked Jimmy, poking him in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah," He said, with a fake grin. "Er, see you around, Libby."

But as soon as he took a step, Libby began to laugh. "You guys look like kids caught in the cookie jar! What's going on? Come on, out with it." Cindy couldn't control the blush that matched her to Jimmy. She just couldn't hide from her best friend.

Libby grinned at them. "Wait, let me guess. You finally told each other you like each other?"

"What do you mean, 'finally'?" Cindy asked, in amazement.

"Oh, come on," Said Libby, with a wave of her hand, "everybody's known you two were diggin' on each other since you were little kids!"

"But- but-" Was all Jimmy could manage.

"Sheen and me even had a running bet who would crack first."

Cindy's mouth hung open. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We thought you two would figure it out on your own. We were right…but it sure took you long enough! Come on, let's go, girl, you'll have plenty of time to make goo-goo eyes at each other later."

"I don't believe you never told me!" Cindy said, as she glowered at Libby…but she was unable to keep it up for long.

With a wiggle of her eyebrows, Libby reduced her friend to a smile. "You got a lot of explaining to do!" Libby said, laughing with Cindy.

Jimmy looked confused. "I'll never understand girls." He admitted, with a smile, as Cindy began to walk out to Sheen's waiting car with Libby.

"That's okay, Neutron," Cindy said, as she passed him, dangerously close. "You don't have to understand everything."

He watched her for a moment, smiling to himself. For once, he didn't mind leaving some questions unanswered…if he had his way, he would have plenty of time to solve the greatest puzzle of his life- Cindy.

But,a moment later, Cindy paused. Running back up to the porch where he still stood, she smiled precariously. "You know, Jimmy," She said, "the dance doesn't start for another half-hour…that's plenty of time to change…and I don't have a date." She blinked up at him, sweet and saucy.

He gave her a dashing smile. "I'm sure I can find a…tux…somewhere around."

She winked at him, laughing. "We'll wait."

"Be back in five." He promised.

As he ran across the street, she watched him go. "I can finally be me!" Her heart sang. "I don't have to hide anymore!" And as she walked over to the car to wait for Jimmy, she stole a glance at her best friend who grinned. "This is going to change everything"…she admitted to herself.

She grinned as she felt the memory of him drawing closer just moments ago.

"…and it's about time."