*Chapter 14*
Sugar Rush slowly melted into a warm, spring time evening. Thick, puffy clouds full of anticipated rain hung in wait for the darkest hour of the upcoming nightfall. Sugary cubed stars began to wake and boast their mighty shine, as well as the moon. As welcomed darkness fell over the kingdom, the large castle's kitchen was adorned with a bustling crew; much opposed to the atmosphere Sugar Rush's every pixel tried to hold onto.
Ralph slowly, yet confidently, eased his way into the excitable group in the kitchen. Tammy, Penny, Tessa and Emery were all largely gathered at the island of the kitchen, each of them were heavily leaned onto the marble from their knees on wobbling bar stools. They were loudly chattering as they played a rather competitive board game against each other, though their smiles and girly chatter never ceased. Ralph tried his hardest to remain unseen, so not to disturb the small, young group; or perhaps to avoid being added to their overly sugary equation.
Ralph eased his way to the fridge and opened it. He was dressed in comfortable clothes for the night. He kept his eyes trained to the interior of the fridge, which he had just opened, though his ears and attention were glued to the four chittering girls from behind him. He furrowed his eyebrows in pretend contemplation and rubbed his chin, as if to appear his attention was given elsewhere.
"Tammy, you're cheating!" Tessa blurted out as she waved her hand around, "You can't make that move unless you have five marbles! You only have two!"
"I don't cheat," Tammy pointed out in a playfully aggressive tone, "I am the 'honest to a fault Fix-It-Felix Jr.'s daughter. Cheating isn't a part of my programming. I made that move because Emery played the skip card over Penny."
"Uhg," Tessa sighed in an exasperated way as she slumped her shoulders. She furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the game board in a contemplative facial expression, "So many rules..."
"She won't even cheat her way out of the Game Central Station Academy ball that's coming up," Emery sneered playfully towards Tammy; the fixer sent her best friend an embarrassed look.
"Okay, I'm only going because I was asked in a really nice way," Tammy urged with an annoyed frown.
"Or was it the fact that you were asked by Kito, the guy you haven't stopped talking about since, oh I don't know, I've been alive," Tessa barked; everyone laughed.
Ralph largely rummaged through the fridge, he knew he had struck gold; luck had been in his favor when he chose this prefect moment to drop by the kitchen.
"I'll go with him, it's no big deal," Tammy said in a nonchalant way, though her face was alive with a harsh blush. Tessa eyed her cousin with a wide beam, which caused Tammy to retaliate, "What, you can't tell me that if Zane asked YOU to go to the ball with him, you'd deny him?"
"You really want to see ME get dressed up and go to a ball with someone who is equally as dorky as I am, let alone with someone that's just a friend?" Tessa said with a highly amused chuckle; Penny largely rolled her eyes and beamed in Tammy's direction, as did Emery.
"Wouldn't that be a sight," Tammy muttered.
"Besides, the ball is only for Academy students," Tessa said before she darkly eyed the back of her father's head. She softened her voice and just slightly squinted her eyes, "Which I'm not even attending anyways."
"I think anyone can go," Emery stated as she held up a finger, her thick, dark green hair splayed all over her shoulders, "It's typically for students but I think you can attend for the fun of it."
"It's generally for program-made gamers, like us, anyhow," Tammy concluded.
"Eh," Tessa shrugged, though deep down she knew she'd love to be invited to such an event; she knew she wouldn't ever be caught openly admitting it, however.
"It's your turn to roll, Tess," Penny chimed, though Tessa eyed her cousin with a sudden fervor.
"And what about you? Would you go?" Tessa wondered loudly; shy, sweet and innocent Penny immediately sunk into herself and let her eyes go wide.
"O-Oh I... I think it'd be fun!" Penny said with a nervous smile, "I-I'd only go if someone asked me, though."
"You could always go with Tessa," Tammy uttered through a laugh, which caused an uproar from her and Emery.
"Yeah yeah, keep laughing," Tessa said through an annoyed glare.
Ralph gently grabbed a drink from the fridge and moved it to the counter next to him; he tried not to seem to suspicious as he turned around and began to leave. He avoided eye contact from the group and was thrilled to find that not a single one of the four smarties, he had left behind, tried to get his attention or acknowledge his presence. He furrowed his eyebrows and felt an idea hit him as he slowly strolled down the kitchen hallway and towards his and Vanellope's beckoning, spiraling staircase. He climbed it with purpose and finally made his way into his and Vanellope's room.
Ralph gently laid eyes on the warm, inviting room. The balcony doors were perched open to let in the cool, night time breeze; the curtains fluttered softly. He averted his attention to their bed, which they had recently moved away from the center of the wall, and more to the edge of the room. Ralph came to the dead center of the wall, where the bed had used to be housed, and placed his hand over intricate, carved wood work Vanellope had made, using only her glitching abilities.
Detailed etchings of circuit lines and grid patterns of coding graced their wall in an artistic form, though Ralph smirked at the secrets it hid, only for him and Vanellope to access. As easy as one swipe of the hand, Ralph let his palm come alive with his and Vanellope's hot purple code, which in turn caused the hundreds of carved circuit lines, on the wall, to fill and glow with the very code that created it. With ease, Ralph pushed past the wall and glitched into their secret room. The only added room that lay dead center above their precious code room.
"Looks like Tess has caught wind of us holding her back," Ralph grumbled as he approached his bride; she was sat across the small, cozy room at their desk, the master computer glowed a dim, humble glow across her cheeks. Behind her was a bowed window that had a proper view of the entire code room sphere.
"It was only a matter of time," Vanellope said softly, her voice was coated in defeat.
"I don't know, Vanellope," Ralph said just as gently, though he came alongside her and gazed down at what she was working on. He heaved a long sigh and set the small drink down on the desk beside her, "Do you really think holding her back will do more good than damage?"
"Are you rethinking our agreement?" Vanellope wondered nervously as she finally tore her eyes from her work and landed them straight into her husband's soul; Ralph nearly flinched.
"I just wonder if too much restraint on the poor girl is just going to make matters worse," Ralph sighed as he motioned his hand towards the strict routine she was mastering, "Anyone will go nuts under too much restraint."
"You think we should just send her to Academy with the sour attitude she has?" Vanellope argued as she largely gestured her arm towards the exit of their secret hull.
"Just hear me out," Ralph eased as he tenderly grabbed her hand, "When I was in the kitchen, the four girls were talking about a ball that will be happening for Game Central Station Academy... Any self programmed gamer, however, is invited. Maybe we should let her attend, and if she behaves and has fun, we can rethink sending her to Academy next month."
"The pros and cons of eavesdropping on a teenaged slumber party," Vanellope muttered as she slumped her shoulders and peered across the room.
Ralph largely rolled his eyes with a wide smile and gingerly grabbed both of her hands. He quickly yanked Vanellope up out of her seat and made her stand. She wobbled a little, as if this was the first time she had stood in hours. She exhaled a surprised yelp as Ralph gently, yet clumsily, twirled her away from her desk. In the midst of being interrupted from her work, she groaned an annoyed noise, but she knew it was impossible to hide a smile around Ralph.
"Stop being such a party pooper," Ralph stated loudly, though his tone was that of playful, tough love. He sloppily danced with her in an unusual bout of playfulness, it suddenly brightened the room tenfold. Vanellope finally beamed a wide smile as Ralph shook her around a bit. She lazily followed his movements and lulled her head in a tired way.
"Ralph, come on," Vanellope complained with an annoyed smile.
"No, you come on," Ralph urged as he sloppily twirled her and finally forced a genuine laugh out of her, "You're so uptight lately."
"Someone's gotta be," Vanellope spat with a wide smile as she finally gathered her strength and shoved on Ralph's chest; he didn't budge.
"You're beautiful when you smile," Ralph urged with a wide, blushed beam; he gazed into her eyes like it was their very first trip to Vanilla Lake together.
"Ralph," Vanellope urged, though she felt her smile widen and her heart finally soften after a few weeks of stress.
"So, we have a stubborn first born," Ralph shrugged as he looked away for a small moment. He furrowed his eyebrows and gazed back at Vanellope with earnest, honey brown eyes, "You remember how it was. We had duties and chores and responsibilities... Though every once in awhile, we'd steal away, and forget everything."
"It's not like I don't want that again," Vanellope urged quietly, her cheeks grew red.
"Our night swims at Vanilla Lake?" Ralph gingerly reminded through sweet eyes.
"Ralph," Vanellope tried to hide a wide smile.
"How about that escape to Pepper Frost for the auroras?" Ralph continued as he drew closer to her, Vanellope caught eyes with him eagerly.
"Come, now," Vanellope hissed with a wider smile as she bashfully looked away.
"The first time we shared codes," Ralph said as softly as he could as he took her small hand in his and placed a delicate kiss atop of it. He smiled on her skin through closed eyes, "That unforgettable day at EZ Living. These purple circuits make one hell of a souvenir..."
"I won't ever forget," Vanellope tried her hardest to defend herself, though her heart stirred in a frenzy of almost forgotten memories.
"Oh and neither will I," Ralph assured deeply and gently as he held her hand close to his heart, "Surely you remember that sunrise at Kit Cove..."
"It was easier, then," Vanellope said through a tired sigh, though her cheeks were bruised with blush. Her eyes slid down to the ground before piercing Ralph's; her gaze was loaded with uncertain inquiries.
"How?" Ralph furrowed his eyebrows with a confused gaze, though he glanced about his wife; her beautiful black hair draped her shoulders in a messy, endearing sort of way. She wore a comfortable shirt, though she still wore her racing pants. As if she had attempted to relax for the night, but got distracted with her usual duties that had piled up. Ralph held onto both of her small hands in his large ones and pulled her closer as he continued, "Put yourself in Tessa's shoes... We were, and still are, forces to be reckoned with. So, she has an attitude. You know, as well as I do, that she has a good heart, and would do anything if it meant keeping someone from harms way."
"I know," Vanellope breathed as she looked down.
"If we smother our first born, our heir to everything we fought so hard to protect," Ralph said as easily as he could; his eyes pierced hers with purpose, "I'm afraid we won't have a kingdom to hand over eventually."
"There is always Oliver," Vanellope said, though as if to try to make an argument she knew she wouldn't win. She continued to gaze downward in defeat; Ralph chuckled and shook his head.
"Yes, there is," Ralph said with a small shrug, "He is, and will be, a wonderful leader for Sugar Rush... But Tessa's life was what we fought so valiantly to keep alive. She is the first and most raw example of us. If we dampen the fire in her heart, we'd be going against everything we believe in."
"I know," Vanellope finally admit, "I didn't want to smother her... I just... I guess I'm just-"
"Afraid?" Ralph eased in a question as he gingerly tucked some of her silky hair behind her ear. She finally gazed up at him through a teary, defeated gaze, "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid as well... But if she is eventually going to follow in our footsteps, she has to be allowed to be herself."
"I agree," Vanellope said gently as she cupped Ralph's large hand in her small one, she kept it pressed to her cheek, "I-I... Just want to protect her. I don't want to lose her. We came so close to losing her last year. I just don't want that to happen... To any of the Sugar Rush kids."
"We'd do no good hiding her away," Ralph said softly, "Sure, she disobeyed by taking her bike, but honestly... What would you have done in that situation?"
"...Taken the damn bike for a ride," Vanellope muttered in defeat as she looked away.
"You see?" Ralph chuckled as he hooked his finger under her chin and made her look him square in the face, "That's what I love about you... No boundaries. I fell in love with that fire. So much so that we made not only one but two lives from it. She has her mother's drive. So what if it gets her into a little bit of trouble. This is pretty much the worst thing she's done. I think we can handle it."
"I just want her to be safe. Outside the game, she's so vulnerable," Vanellope frowned, "I still have nightmares of Rancis's clone, coming after all of us and Sugar Rush's core... I can't imagine what I'd do if he came back and tried to hurt Tessa while she was out of the game."
"We can only do so much," Ralph assured in a sad tone, "She's becoming an adult... She can make her own choices and go her own way. At the end of the day, Sugar Rush is her home, but it's her life to live. If we raise her right, the way I know we will, she'll understand the true meaning of family and responsibility. I don't think we turned out too shabby, right?"
"I guess I could use a bit of work," Vanellope scoffed with an annoyed smile as she eyed her husband, though after a few moments, she shook her head and slumped her shoulders, "Thank you..."
"Hmm, for what?" Ralph chimed innocently as he firmly nuzzled his nose to Vanellope's; she largely scrunched her shoulders in a playfully annoyed way and slid her arms around Ralph's neck.
"You know what for, you big idiot," Vanellope playfully spat with a girly laugh.
"For always being right?" Ralph urged as he planted an annoyingly large, few kisses on her face, "I thought that was your job."
"Ralph," Vanellope heaved a loud giggle, though she softened after a few moments as Ralph's tender kisses mellowed out and trailed to her neck.
"You'll run yourself into the ground if you work as hard as you have been the past few weeks," Ralph said softly into her neck as he hugged her so close to his warmth, "I think Sugar Rush can handle it's idling server for a little bit. That's what the 'sleep' button is for."
"Ralph, I still need to run checks on the town," Vanellope urged as her spine tensed, as if she had been flooded with memories of what needed to still be done.
"You and I both know that's Orion's job," Ralph argued as he furrowed his eyebrows and buried his face into her neck and shoulder, "Orion is a part of this equation so we can delegate all the tasks Sugar Rush requires."
"I-I know, but-"
"Just pretend, for one measly second, that this game doesn't exist," Ralph said softly, he gazed down at the work Vanellope had piled all over her desk; mostly all of it was redundant run-overs from days prior. Statistics, maps and scattered thoughts that had no direction or purpose. Ralph largely rolled his eyes and, as easily as he could, he powered down her computer after saving her data. He could feel Vanellope tense and open her mouth to begin to protest.
"Ralph, I-I need to check for-"
"The game is stable, the game is safe," Ralph stated in a firm, yet reassuringly soft tone, he gently grabbed her upper arms and very lightly shook her just once. She peered up at him through undivided attention and, for once, he could see her soul rest. Weeks of stress finally began to slide off of her shoulders. Ralph raised his eyebrows and tilted his head down to get a good look into her eyes, "It's just you and me."
"We're not alone, though," Vanellope said through a small frown, though she quickly ate her words as Ralph let an annoyed, daring smirk grace his face.
"She says in the room only her and her King have access to," Ralph chuckled. Vanellope rolled her eyes and looked away as a deep blush graced her face. Ralph tenderly kissed her forehead through a knowing laugh, he gently closed his eyes as his hot breath continued on her forehead, "I know you made The Hull for that reason."
"What do you mean?" Vanellope finally eased as she, for the first time in awhile, allowed herself to relax.
"This is the only place in the castle you and I have full privacy," Ralph said just above a whisper, "I know what was in the back of your mind when you built this room."
"It was to keep the core of the game safe from little hands," Vanellope quietly protested with a defeated smile.
"And to keep our alone time safe from little eyes?" Ralph asked in poised cheerfulness as he tightened his arms around his bride; Vanellope finally slumped into his warmth and beamed a smile that finally was relaxed and not annoyed.
"Guess you caught me," Vanellope gently sighed into Ralph's warm chest.
"Don't I always," Ralph breathed in return.