Chapter Four: The Woman in Me

Twenty-one-year-old Tootie Turner placed her magazine labelled "From Womanhood to Motherhood" on her lap to gaze proudly at her one-year-old twins, Tammy and Tommy, playing happily together on the rug. Her husband, Timmy Turner, sat opposite her, having done the same thing with his newspaper.

"Adorable, aren't they?" Timmy asked.

"Indeed they are," Tootie replied.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, which Tootie went to answer.

"Hi, Tootie!" her mother, Lorena Masterson greeted.

"Happy birthday!" her father, Harold Masterson said.

"Thanks," Tootie replied. "Oh, hi, Uncle Vic! Hi, um... Aunt Daniela!"

A man very similar to his younger brother, Harold (except with pink eyes), stepped to the front, accompanied by his brown-haired, blue-eyed girlfriend, Daniela Roberts. Harold cowered a little behind his wife, apparently terrified of his older brother.

"Sorry we couldn't make it your wedding, Tootie, but we hadn't come back off vacation yet," Daniela explained.

"That's okay," Tootie replied. "You went to Miami, didn't you?"

"Yep," Vic said. "It was great. We had fantastic weather."

Once sat down, Tootie started opening her presents. After she had finished, she began rechecking what she already had.

"Okay," she said, "I got a bracelet and matching earrings from Timmy, a make-up kit from Tammy and Tommy (this made her chuckle), some money from Uncle Vic, some very nice clothes from Aunt Daniela – if you wouldn't mind me calling you that – and a new computer from my mom and dad. Thank you so much, everyone!"

"Wait, that's not all," Lorena said, making everyone go quiet. "Your father and I have one more gift for you."

"We do?" Harold asked.

"Yes, we do," Lorena replied, handing Tootie a little box.

Tootie opened it and gasped. Inside was a beautiful necklace with a gold chain and the words "My Precious" dangling down, made of diamond.

"Wow..." Tootie breathed, admiring every inch of the necklace, but Harold started panicking, taking breaths in sharp rasps.

"That necklace!" he exclaimed, sweat pouring from his forehead. "It's... It's..."

Lorena slapped a hand to his mouth and said, "Beautiful, we know, dear."

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Later, once everyone had gone, Tootie did nothing but frolic around the house, proudly wearing all of her presents. Tammy and Tommy didn't seem too interested, though. They were too busy playing what looked like 'Try to Help the Other to Stand Up'.

"Aww," Timmy whispered. "Isn't that cute? It's like one can't be without the other."

Tootie wasn't listening. She'd just seen a strange figure in a black hat and trench coat scurry past the window. It made her extremely nervous, but she knew that she was safe with Timmy around.

I'm not always strong

And sometimes I'm even wrong

But I win when I choose

And I can't stand to lose

Tootie, for the past few years, had given up on crying (she only did that when she was alone), as she had decided to take more responsibility and be the rock of the family. She also hated being wrong about things, but she was praying that she was wrong about this guy.

But I can't always be

The rock that you see

When the nights get too long

And I just can't go on

"Hey, Tootie," Timmy said, placing his hands on her waist, "how's about I give you a real birthday treat upstairs?"

Unable to resist his charms (even after all those years), Tootie purred, "Okay."

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Later on, Timmy and Tootie jumped awake at the sound of Tommy screaming at the top of his lungs, so, after throwing their clothes back on, they rushed downstairs. Once there, they discovered that something was missing.

"WHERE'S TAMMY?" Tootie screamed, bawling her eyes out and searching everywhere. "I CAN'T FIND TAMMY!"

"Look at this," Timmy said very seriously, holding up a note and reading it aloud. "If you ever want to see your precious Tammy again, come straight to the Dimmsdale Warehouse at the edge of town. Don't forget to bring the necklace! Son of a bitch!"

"Oh, my baby!" Tootie replied, burying her face in Timmy's chest. "My poor baby!"

The woman in me

Needs you to be

The man in my arms

To hold tenderly

'Cause I'm a woman in love

And it's you I run to

Yeah, the woman in me

Needs the man in you

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Timmy and Tootie were finally at the Dimmsdale Warehouse, Timmy carrying a devastated Tommy. Obviously what Timmy said was true – one couldn't be without the other.

"So, you finally made it?" said a voice all too familiar.

Timmy and Tootie looked up to see the one person they thought had left their lives forever... Vicky. She was standing thirty feet up on a workers' platform with her hands behind her back, looking as smug as ever.

"YOU!" Tootie growled. "WHERE'S MY BABY?"

"Relax, dear sibling," twenty-seven-year-old Vicky said, dripping saccharine, "she's right here."

Bringing her hands forward revealed what she was holding... Tammy, looking petrified.

"The brat wouldn't shut up when I told her to, so now she's got a bruise to match her teal eyes," Vicky said coolly.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" both Timmy and Tootie screamed, Tootie crying heavily and clinging onto Timmy at the same time.

When the world wants too much

And it feels cold and out of touch

It's a beautiful place

When you kiss my face

"Oooh, getting testy, are we?" Vicky asked, smirking. "Hand over my necklace!"

"Hand over our baby!" Tootie shouted.

"Necklace first, or Tammy goes bye-bye!" she said, holding Tammy over the railing.

"Nooo, don't!" Timmy and Tootie both shouted.

"I got that necklace when I was six years old, back in the days when my parents used to spoil me. It was my pride and joy and I wore it everywhere. Once you were born, however, life changed. My good-for-nothing parents were always ignoring me and saying disgusting phrases like "Who's a pwetty baby? You are!" to you. I was sick and tired of it.

"To get their attention, I tried every temper tantrum known to man, but nothing seemed to work! They always liked you better than me! Eventually, I got tired of wearing my "My Precious" necklace and locked it away. I even tripped you when you first learned to walk... Ah... I'll never forget the glorious moment when you fell flat – on – your – face! Unfortunately, my anger drove my friends away, but I just thought to myself, "Ah, who needs friends, anyway?"

"Many years later, I finally got my first boyfriend. No, twerp, not Ricky, it was way before him – a guy named Josh – and I finally had an excuse to bully Tootie – even more so when she fell in love with you. That wasn't to last, however, as none of my relationships worked out! So, incredulously jealous, I pissed off to the other end of Dimmsdale, not even bothering to come to your wedding. I've been hiring secret agents to spy on – almost – your every move!"

"That's sick!" Tootie blurted out. "And why do you want the necklace back after so long?"

"I've always wanted it back – since it reminds me of how much I used to be loved - but I was waiting for the right opportunity," Vicky replied, glancing at Tammy before putting her down on the platform. "One last request though, baby sister... be sure to put me into my favourite green dress and don't forget the necklace!"

Before Tootie could ask, Vicky jumped off and hurtled thirty foot to the ground, landing with a thud. Tootie screamed while Timmy stared in horror.

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Vicky Masterson's death was the most dark and dismal birthday present anyone could've given Tootie. She was crying all the way through the funeral five days later. (She may have hated her, but they were sisters, after all.) She, in a black dress, was tightly hugging Timmy, who was in a black tuxedo. Tammy and Tommy were asleep together nearby, also in black attire.

The woman in me

Needs you to be

The man in my arms

To hold tenderly

'Cause I'm a woman in love

And it's you I run to

Yeah, the woman in me

Needs the man in you

Only eight people came to the funeral – Timmy, Tootie, Tammy, Tommy, Harold, Lorena, Vic and Daniela – which clearly showed that, even though the whole of Dimmsdale had found out about Vicky's suicide death, not many people liked her enough to show up.

"I did as Vicky asked," Tootie whimpered in Timmy's arms. "I helped put her in her favourite green dress and placed the "My Precious" necklace around her neck."

"Then may her soul rest in peace," Timmy murmured, stroking Tootie's hair.

"I love you, Timmy..."

"I love you too, Tootie..."

Yeah, the woman in me

Needs the man in you

I need you, baby

Yeah, yeah

Oh, baby