Chapter 16: Heart to Heart
"Alright," Elsa said as she held up her hands and did a quick spin, "How do I look?"
Elsa was currently wearing a navy blue, sleeveless dress with a skirt that came down to just past her knees and a top that was covered in small rhinestones that glittered in the light. Her hair was done in a French braid and her feet were covered by a pair of black, high-heeled shoes.
"You look as good as the last dozen other outfits you've tried on," Anna commented with a bored expression from where she sat reclining on Elsa's bed.
"I personally liked the third one the most," Olaf spoke up from his position on the floor next to Anna.
"Well, sorry I want to put a little effort into my outfit," Elsa replied, her tone annoyed as she crossed her arms and looked her sister over.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Anna questioned defensively.
Currently, Anna, with her hair done in a ponytail, was wearing light blue jeans and brown ankle boots along with a blue sweater upon the front of which was a depiction of a fully decorated Christmas tree, complete with actual twinkling lights that had been woven into the fabric.
"Doesn't it seem a little….casual?" Elsa questioned.
"Maybe you're a little overdressed?" Anna countered as she narrowed her eyes at her sister.
"You know, I'm really happy that I don't have to wear clothes," Olaf spoke up, "It seems very complicated."
"Look, at the last princess meeting, Rapunzel let me know that at every Christmas party, they have something called an "Ugly Sweater Contest"," Anna explained, "And I decided that I'm going to win this year."
"You know, sometimes I don't understand how we can possibly be related," Elsa commented sardonically.
"What I don't understand is why you're getting so worked up about all this," Anna countered, her brow furrowed, "I mean, this is basically just another get-together, so I don't know why you're trying to look your…."
Anna trailed off as a look of realization passed over her features, causing an expression of terror to plaster onto Elsa's own.
"You're going to try and kiss Ralph for the first time at the party tonight!" Anna exclaimed as she pointed an accusatory finger at Elsa.
"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Elsa retorted, her face flushed.
"That's what you always say when I'm right about something but you don't want to admit it!" Anna argued with a broad grin.
"I don't really understand what the big deal with kissing is," Olaf spoke up, "Hugs I get, but what's the appeal of pushing your mouths together?"
"You probably don't understand because you don't have lips," Anna pointed out, causing Olaf to nod in agreement with a thoughtful look on his face while the princess turned her attention back to her sister, "Anyway, I want to help."
"I know this might surprise you, Anna, but I don't need your help kissing Ralph," Elsa replied defensively, "I'd rather keep this between him and I."
"Fair, fair," Anna replied as she held her hands up in mock surrender before clapping them together excitedly, "But I want all the details afterwards."
Elsa's only response was to roll her eyes as she walked over to her vanity and picked up a navy blue shawl that she had left on the chair. As Elsa wrapped the shawl around her shoulders, a knock came from the door.
"Are you ladies ready to head out?" Kristoff questioned through the closed door.
"Yep!" Anna called as she hopped to her feet and pranced over to the door, "Elsa finally picked out her outfit and we're ready-"
Anna cut herself off as she opened the door and found Kristoff on the other side dressed in blue jeans and a pine green sweater with the depiction of a cartoonish reindeer's face at the center of it, complete with a bright red nose that blinked on and off periodically.
"Ugly sweater, huh?" Anna observed as she arched an eyebrow at Kristoff.
"Well, someone has to win," Kristoff replied with a knowing smile.
"Oh, it's on," Anna stated with a challenging tone.
"Alright, you two," Elsa said as she walked over to the door with Olaf in tow, "Save your posturing for the party."
As Elsa exited the room, Kristoff watched her with a confused expression.
"Isn't she a little dressed up?" Kristoff whispered to Anna as the couple followed Elsa and Olaf.
"I'll explain on the way," Anna replied, wrapping her hands around Kristoff's arm as they walked.
Meanwhile,
In the small bathroom of his small house, Ralph looked at himself in the mirror. He had done his best to get his unruly hair under control, combing it so it was swept back away from his face. He was currently dressed in a maroon colored sweater and a black jacket along with brown slacks and dark brown shoes.
"Are you ready yet!?" Vanellope's annoyed voice drifted in from the living room, "Felix and Calhoun left like ten minutes ago!"
"Alright, alright," Ralph sighed as he exited the bathroom, shutting off the lights behind him, "Keep your pants on."
"I would if you let me wear them!" Vanellope argued as Ralph stepped into view.
Sitting in Ralph's armchair, Vanellope was currently wearing a short sleeved, dark green dress with black leggings and black mary jane shoes.
"Ah, come on, kid," Ralph said with a roll of his eyes, "Don't you want to look nice?"
"Ralph, we went to this party last year," Vanellope stated as she crossed her arms and glared at the wrecker, "You know we don't have to get all dressed up for it."
"True, but I thought you might want to look nice since you'll be spending so much time with Elsa tonight," Ralph replied as he placed his hands on his hips, "And if I know Elsa, she's probably going to get just as dressed up as us."
"Wait what?" Vanellope asked as her expression morphed into one of surprise.
"Look, kid, I know you've been avoiding Elsa," Ralph explained with a knowing smirk, "Which is weird, since you admire her so much. But I figure, since she and I are dating now, you should probably get used to being around here, and I figured this would be a good night to start."
"You act like I'm scared to talk to her or something," Vanellope commented crossly as she looked away from Ralph.
As a silence fell over the room, Vanellope slowly turned her gaze back towards Ralph, who was looking at her with an arched eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe I am," Vanellope admitted with a sigh, "I just….I don't want her to think I'm some stupid kid, you know?"
"Well, you are a kid, but I don't think you could do anything to make Elsa think you're stupid," Ralph replied with a sympathetic smile, "She might start thinking you're weird though if you keep avoiding her."
"I guess you're right," Vanellope agreed with a look of defeat as she pushed herself out of Ralph's armchair.
"There's no reason to be nervous, kid," Ralph said with a chuckle as he made his way towards the door, "You know how nice Elsa is. The two of you are going to get on great."
"I hope so," Vanellope mumbled nervously as she followed Ralph out of the house.
Later,
Walking through the streets of Downtown with Anna, Kristoff and Olaf, Elsa paused as she saw something that caused a smile to bloom across her features.
"I just spotted Ralph," Elsa told the others as they paused and looked at her, "Go on ahead. We'll catch up."
Nodding in agreement, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf continued on their way while Elsa crossed the street to where Ralph and Vanellope were.
"Good evening, Ralph," Elsa greeted with a smile, "You're looking handsome tonight."
"Yeah, well, I've got to keep up with you," Ralph replied with a chuckle.
"Are any of your friends coming tonight?" Elsa questioned.
"Yeah, a few," Ralph answered while looking down with annoyance before stepping to the side so that Vanellope wouldn't be able to hide behind him anymore.
"Oh, hello Vanellope," Elsa greeted with a tone of surprise, "I didn't see you there."
"Yeah, funny that," Ralph commented as he narrowed his eyes at Vanellope.
"Uh, h-hi Elsa," Vanellope greeted, averting her eyes as she played with the hem of her skirt, "It's uh, nice to see you."
"Right," Elsa replied, watching Vanellope with an awkward expression for a moment before looking back at Ralph, "Should we….go to the party?"
"Sure, follow me," Ralph replied as he glanced between Elsa and Vanellope before motioning for them to follow him, "It's going on at Lottie's mansion this year."
"I don't believe I've met this Lottie yet," Elsa observed as she and Vanellope followed behind Ralph.
"You'll like her," Ralph assured Elsa as they walked down a road shaded by drooping willow trees, "She's a southern belle type."
As Elsa looked up at him with confusion, realization dawned on Ralph.
"And you don't know what that means," Ralph concluded with a look of chagrin, "Basically, Lottie's a ball of Kentucky fried sunshine. You'll understand when you meet her."
Though Elsa still didn't understand what Ralph meant, she decided not to press the issue as Lottie's mansion came into view, the queen's gaze widening as she took in the sight of the plantation mansion, which had been decorated with large wreaths and strands of garland wrapped around its columns.
As the three of them approached the front door, Ralph spotted Lottie standing before the entrance, clothed in an elegant green dress that left her shoulders bare, with a red sash tied around her waist, tied at the small of her back like the bow on a present and her hair pulled back in a bun. Standing next to Lottie was John Smith, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail tied with a red ribbon, and dressed in a green suit with a red vest and cravat.
"Well, lookie here," Lottie said, smiling as she saw Ralph approaching, "Is that Wreck-It Ralph all dressed up?"
"Hey, Lottie," Ralph greeted with a smirk, "You're looking pretty nice tonight as well."
"And, my oh my, it seems like those stories I've been hearing are true," Lottie continued as she turned her attention towards Elsa and gave her a curtsey, prompting John to bow as well, "It's a pleasure to finally make yer acquaintance, Queen Elsa."
"It's nice to meet you, miss," Elsa replied as she smiled and nodded towards Lottie, "I must say, you have a lovely home."
"Well, thank you," Lottie said as she smiled brightly at the compliment, "Technically, it's my daddy's home, but I spruced it all up for our little party tonight."
Pausing as she looked over the three people before her, Lottie's grin turned almost suggestive.
"I must say, the two of you, make quite the couple," Lottie said as she used her finger to point between Ralph and Elsa, before her finger lazily dropped to point at Vanellope, "And addin' a third? Well, ain't that just the picture perfect family?"
At this, all three of them became uncomfortable and looked away from Lottie with embarrassed expressions.
"Lottie, should you really be embarrassing your guests like that?" John muttered as he leaned down to Lottie's level.
"Oh, I'm just havin' a bit of fun, honeypie," Lottie retorted with a dismissive wave of her hand before she gave the trio a warm smile, "I hope I didn't offend y'all. I wasn't foolin' and I'm happy to see Ralph found someone."
"Well, I'm happy to have found him as well," Elsa replied as she wrapped one of her arms around one of Ralph's.
"Well, I won't keep y'all any longer," Lottie said as she gestured towards the front door, "Go on in and have yourselves a good time."
Nodding their thanks towards Lottie, the trio entered the mansion and headed to the main ballroom where a large number of characters had gathered.
"Wow," Ralph commented with an impressed chuckle as he looked around at the christmas decorations that festooned the room, including a particularly large and well lit Christmas tree, "Lottie wasn't kidding, she went all out. And I was at her Halloween party, so that's saying something."
"What's Halloween?" Elsa questioned curiously.
"You don't know what Halloween is!?" Vanellope exclaimed as she looked at Elsa in shock, "It's literally the best holiday!"
"We didn't have it back in Arendelle," Elsa explained with an amused smile, "You'll have to show me what it's like."
"Absolutely!" Vanellope shouted happily before a look of embarrassment came over her features and she looked away from Elsa, "Or, it-it could be someone else. It doesn't have to be me."
Looking at Elsa and noting the stricken expression on the young woman's face, an idea formed in Ralph's head.
"Hey, so I'm going to grab us some drinks," Ralph said as he began backing away from Elsa and Vanellope while indicating towards the refreshment table with his thumbs, "You two stay here, okay?"
"Wait, Ralph-" Elsa began to say nervously.
"Hold up a second-" Vanellope said at the same time with an anxious expression.
"I'll be right back!" Ralph interrupted, smiling at them before disappearing into the crowd.
There was an awkward pause as Elsa and Vanellope looked in the direction Ralph had gone in. After a moment, Elsa looked down at Vanellope, only to find the girl staring up at her before Vanellope immediately turned her gaze towards her feet. Seeing this, Elsa took a calming breath and turned to fully face Vanellope.
"Vanellope, may I ask you a question?" Elsa asked.
"Um, yeah, sure," Vanellope mumbled as she nervously played with her hands.
"Do you….not like me?" Elsa questioned hesitantly.
"...What?" Vanellope asked as she looked up at Elsa in confusion.
"It's just….Ralph and I have been dating for awhile now, and I can't help but feel like you've been avoiding me," Elsa explained, "And whenever we are together, you seem reluctant to even look me in the eye."
Vanellope's face went pale as she stared at Elsa with wide eyes.
"I know that you and Ralph have a kind of….a kind of a father-daughter relationship," Elsa continued, her face stricken, "And I just want you to know that I would never do anything to interfere with that, so if that's what you're worried about, I-"
"Oh no," Vanellope moaned as she hid her face in her hands, "I-I've messed it up."
"I'm sorry?" Elsa asked as she looked at Vanellope in confusion.
"I-I don't not like you," Vanellope explained as she lowered her hands, showing her large, chocolate brown eyes were welling up with tears, "I think you're amazing!"
"...You do?" Elsa questioned, looking even more befuddled.
"Of course!" Vanellope answered, "You're nice, and smart, and pretty and y-you've gone through practically everything I have, and came out on top. If you could drive a car, you'd be exactly who I wanted to be when I grew up."
"What did you mean when you said I went through practically everything you have?" Elsa questioned.
"Your powers," Vanellope explained, pausing to sniffle before continuing, "You were so afraid of people finding out about this thing you were born with. You were scared about what they would do, and I understood that so much because I went through what that was like."
A sad, sympathetic expression formed on Elsa's face as she listened to Vanellope.
"Everyone in my game knew exactly what I was," Vanellope continued, her expression miserable as her voice began stuttering in an electronic way, "A f-freak. A-A g-g-glitch. They h-hated me, a-and b-bullied me whenever they c-c-could."
"Ralph….told me a bit about how you were treated," Elsa observed as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"R-Ralph d-d-doesn't know the h-h-h-half of it!" Vanellope snapped as her entire head began to stutter and glitch in a cloud of teal pixels. Snarling in frustration, Vanellope grabbed the sides of her head in an effort to get her glitch under control, her face burning with shame as tears began running down her cheeks.
Glancing around, Elsa noticed a few of the other party goers beginning to look over at them and muttering amongst themselves. Leaning down and taking Vanellope's hand, Elsa quickly led the girl to a more secluded section of the room, where she found a small couch to sit on, the girl too surprised by the move to do anything but follow the queen.
"There," Elsa said as she sat down on the couch next to Vanellope, "Better to be away from all those prying eyes, right?"
Vanellope nodded in agreement before sniffling and wiping her tear-filled eyes.
"Y-You must th-think I'm s-s-so stupid," Vanellope groaned miserably.
"You're not stupid, Vanellope," Elsa replied gently.
"B-B-But I am!" Vanellope argued as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, while her whole body seem to stutter and glitch, "A-A-All I w-w-w-wanted was for you t-t-to like m-m-me, b-b-because you're like R-R-Ralph and you u-u-understand what it's l-l-like to be s-s-so lonely. B-B-But I was so w-w-worried about saying the w-w-w-wrong thing that I-I-I ended up making you h-h-hate me."
"Oh, Vanellope," Elsa said with a sad expression as she reached out and cupped the girl's cheek with her cool hand, "I don't hate you."
"Y-Y-You don't?" Vanellope replied as she looked at Elsa in surprise.
"Of course not," Elsa answered with a small laugh as she used her thumb to flick away one of Vanellope's tears, which transformed into a snowflake and floated away, "Everything Ralph told me about you made it clear that you are a sweet and vivacious young lady, and I was terribly worried that it was you that hated me."
"I-I don't think I could ever hate you," Vanellope replied with a chuckle, enjoying the feel of Elsa's cool hand against her warm skin while she got her glitch back under control, "You're too awesome for that."
"I don't think I've ever been called awesome before," Elsa observed with a smile as she lowered her hand.
"Well, you are," Vanellope stated with a grin, "I mean with those ice powers of yours, how could you not be?"
"Well, thank you," Elsa replied, "Though from what I've heard, what you can do is even more impressive."
Leaning in, Elsa lowered her voice so that she was stage whispering.
"Can I see you do it?" Elsa asked, "Use your….glitch, I believe you call it?"
"You want to see me glitch?" Vanellope questioned, her eyes wide with surprise.
As Elsa nodded in reply, Vanellope glanced around before her eyes settled on the refreshment table on the other side of the room and an idea formed in her head.
"You want to see me grab us some cookies from the table over there?" Vanellope asked as she pointed to the spot in question.
"I suppose that would be-" Elsa began to say but was cut off as Vanellope disappeared in a cloud of teal pixels, only to reappear by the refreshment table a split second later. Quickly grabbing a pair of cookies off the table, Vanellope glitched again, reappearing back in her seat, holding out a cookie to Elsa with a broad grin on her face.
"Do you want to see me do it again?" Vanellope questioned before biting into her cookie.
Elsa could only laugh at this as she took the offered cookie. From his position by the refreshment table, Ralph watched the scene with a broad grin before he took a sip of his glass of punch.
"Well, hiya, Ralph," a voice said to Ralph's side, prompting the wrecker to look down at its source. Standing next to Ralph was a cartoonish, anthropomorphic mouse. His fur was black except for around his face, which was a pale, slightly pinkish color. He had large, expressive black eyes, and particularly large ears that looked like a pair of large, black circles on the sides of his head. He wore a black jacket over a white button up shirt along with red pants and white gloves on his hands.
"Oh, hey, Mickey," Ralph greeted with a smile, "How's it going?"
"Oh, you know, same old, same old," the mouse, Mickey, replied with a shrug, "Though I've heard that the same couldn't be said about you."
"I mean, I guess I've been up to some new stuff lately," Ralph replied with a look of embarrassment.
"I'm sure your date hopes it's something a little more than that," Mickey teased, "But I didn't come over here to gossip about you and Elsa. I wanted to talk to you about the other thing."
"You mean Bad Guys Anonymous," Ralph replied, a look of realization on his face, "Look, Mickey, I know how some people feel about the villains-"
"Easy, pal," Mickey interrupted with a chuckle, "I'm not here to tell you to stop."
"You're not?" Ralph questioned in surprise.
"I know when you started this, Emma and some other people were weary about it," Mickey explained, "But I think what you're trying to do is a good thing. I think that some of those people really do have good inside of them, and that you can change them, and our community, for the better."
"Wow, Mickey, thanks," Ralph replied, grinning after blinking in confusion for a moment, "That means a lot coming from you."
"Don't mention it, pal," Mickey said with a dismissive wave of his hand as a concerned expression came over his features, "Though, I still feel like I need to tell you to be careful."
"Why's that?" Ralph asked as he looked down at Mickey in confusion, "I thought you just said you were happy with what I'm doing?"
"I am, don't get me wrong," Mickey answered quickly, "But I just want you to be aware that while I think you can help a number of the villains, I don't think you can help all of them."
"Come on, Mickey, give me some credit," Ralph said with a snort and a roll of his eyes, "I know that I can't do anything for guys like Frollo or that big, mountain demon guy-"
"Or Maleficent," Mickey added as he cut Ralph off.
"So you heard about that too?" Ralph inquired as he crooked an eyebrow at Mickey.
"Yeah, I did, and it's got me concerned," Mickey admitted, "Maleficent's dangerous Ralph. There's a reason she's in charge of the other villains."
"I get that, trust me," Ralph assured him, "If looks could kill, I'd already be dead. But, I don't know, I feel like Elsa and I managed to get through to her a little."
"Look, pal, I'm not going to tell you not to try," Mickey explained with a concerned expression, "I'd be happy to be proven wrong. I'm just worried that you will put your trust in the wrong villain, be it Maleficent or someone else, and you'll end up getting hurt."
"I'm a big guy, Mickey," Ralph said with a grin, "Trust me. I can take care of myself."
Mickey looked up at Ralph uncertainly for a moment before smiling at him.
"I've got no doubt you can, pal," Mickey replied with a smirk, "Anyway, I should probably go find Minnie. Have a good night, Ralph, and keep up the good work."
"Thanks, Mickey," Ralph said with a broad smile, giving the mouse a small wave as he walked away, "You too."
As Mickey left, Ralph turned his attention towards where Elsa and Vanellope were still sitting, his smile growing as he watched the two sharing a laugh.
A/N: So, I thought this ended up being a pretty nice chapter. I especially enjoyed writing Elsa and Vanellope's heart to heart. Hope you enjoyed it as well! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!