Timmy and Vicky Conquer the World

by DRAGONGHOST

First Archive Currently Undergoing Revamp.

5. It's Not A Date!

It's Not a Date!

To anybody who actually reads the A/N at the top and/or bottom, I'm back again! I was taking a break from writing chapters so that I could relax and think about all the other chapters I'm going to write. Aren't I a workaholic. :D

Anyway the title of this chapter is brought to you by me and Samuel Sadi. See, when I kept thinking of writing this chapter, I kept calling it the 'not a date' chapter. Then Samuel had to leave that one review and I was totally convinced. Oh yeah, thank you guys for reviewing my fic. As always, it means a lot to hear from you.

And, as I told my reviewers, I feel responsible to tell you guys that, including this one, we're are looking at four more chapters!

For this arc, at least...

---

The week passed by quickly for Timmy. Oh sure, it was slow during the actual week, but it ended faster then what he anticipated. Time always seemed to do that.

Though it wasn't necessarily boring. On Tuesday, Francis returned to class as a fully admitted student to the six grade class. He had gotten a 'B' minus on the test the teachers had prepared for him and surprised even Turner himself. Magic was useful, especially the kind that could conjure nearly anything from a thought, but he didn't think it would actually work so effectively this time since he was the teacher. Heck, if Francis could do that much, then the brunette should start considering looking in a mirror and teaching himself. Everyone knows he needed the extra help with his own homework, Mr. Crocker was being merciless as always.

Wednesday was a good day if you happened to not have fairies. Crocker made many attempts to expose Poof to the general public of the school, one of them involved him putting on a skirt, lipstick, some mascara, and a wig while swinging around an electric butterfly net. By the end of the day, after Turner foiled his evil teachers plans for the...well, far more times than he was actually willing to count, Crocker refused to remove his feminine disguise.

Something about feeling "...like a woman, named Linda."

Thursday proved to be just as entertaining. Like Francis from before, Tootie had finally been accepted to the lunch table. Thanks to her arm, she had instantly become a celebrity of the boys who sat there. Chester was trying to teach her a secret handshake, one that anybody who had a life would not actually remember. It was meant to be a joke, and served quite well as one by bringing snickers and chuckles to the other boys. One thing led to another, Tootie got irritated, and finally it turned into an arm wrestling match. Tootie's strength from Monday had returned with a vengeance, Chester, ironically, screamed like a little girl when she nearly twisted his limb off. Afterwards, to show good sportsmanship and keep things friendly, each of the boys to a crack at defeating Tootie themselves.

AJ, Sanjay, and Elmer didn't need to be geniuses to realize that they were going to lose, so they made sure not to strain their arms to hard. Francis, on the other hand, refused to not give it his all. The two were locked in their match for nearly a minute, but it felt like an hour. Truly, it was the most epic battle of the century, no decent human being could ever forget it. The veins in Francis' arm looked as if they were going to burst from his skin and cheer him on. And yet, the girl who sat across the table from him was able to slowly overpower the living fortress. She forced his fist to touch the table, sealing her fifth victory in a row. With a wild grin she turned to Timmy, ready for a sixth.

Gulping, the boy accepted. It would do him no good to back out of the challenge now, he would be seen as a coward. Even though Francis, who was easily the strongest...male at the table, lost to her, at least even the nerds had the courage to take her own. Though he had an uneasy feeling in his gut, Timmy locked thumbs with the girl with pigtails. Chester had placed his hand on the fist they made, waiting to release the tension that was building up. Timmy grinded his teeth together, preparing for the battle to come. Like Sanjay, Elmer, and AJ, he knew he had no chance of winning.

And, yet, like Francis he refused to not try. When Chester removed his hand, the brunette turned and threw everything he had into his arm. He braced himself for Tootie's retaliation, surely, compared to Francis, he wasn't even a good warm up. That was what he thought before he slammed the back side of her hand into the table. He couldn't believe what had happened, and neither could the other boys. He had broken her winning streak that easily, there must have been some mistake. Looking towards her confusingly and with question, Timmy was answered by a apologetic smile and an explanation on how defeating Francis had tired her arm out. He actually started to believe her, before he realized that he couldn't remove his hand from her still powerful grip.

"Umm, Tootie? You can let go now," he said nervously.

"Right, but first we have to secure it. Chester count to three..." she said easily.

"..."

"...hundred."

"Tootie?"

"Times one thousand."

"Please don't do this."

"Squared-"

"Let go of me!"

Yep, Thursday was indeed just as heart attacking as Wednesday. On Friday, the students were released earlier than expected and the boy spent the rest of the day with his friends. This time he was playing video games with Chester and AJ, just like the good old days. He was happy to be with his two best friends after a long summer stuck in Dimmsdale, it was nice to know that some things stayed the same amongst all the changes that were occurring around him. Actually, to be honest, he needed to know that throughout the first week of school, for Timmy couldn't help but notice the growing anxiety within him.

Ever since he made that call on Monday night.

Each day at school, or out, he subconsciously made sure to pay extra attention to his surrounding environment. Not that he went through the trouble of recognizing the color of the sky and shape of a ball, that's just silly. But he focused on his friends and family, for in them, and the time he spent with them, he found an anchor. He needed something to distract him, something that could take his mind away from the issue at hand, something that was bigger than the elephant in the room.

But as each day disappeared to night and night disappeared to day, that elephant grew bigger. And his anchor became a shadow swallowed by the one of the great beast.

On Friday night, he spent what could be considered the most fun get together with AJ and Chester after a long time. He wished for many things to celebrate their all-summer-long reunion. Soda, chips, candy, movies, video games, stuff, the point is that it was an awesome reunion! If they ever ran out of something, Timmy made sure to wish for more and blame the internet. And yet, the one thing he couldn't wish for was more time.

He could have, of coarse, but he understood better than most that even that wasn't the answer. As the night went on, he found himself pleading through his actions for the two of them to stay longer. And even though he never said it, they answered by giving just a few more minutes at whatever they were doing. The three boys had been close friends for a long time, they could just feel when something was off with a member of the group. They themselves never asked what was wrong, much to Timmy's appreciation, all they knew was that they were needed.

Eventually, though, it had to come to an end. Just when the clock was a minute from midnight, the boys had asked their host if he felt like playing one more game. When Turner looked to meet their eyes, he recognized what could only be known as sympathy. It wasn't pity, just an offering of a shoulder to lean to on.

Slowly he came to realize just how much he taxed them that night, and decided to send them on their way.

In which case, his father didn't mind driving them home. It gave him a reasonable excuse to make a quick run to buy something incredibly expensive and dangerous at the store so he could give Dinkleberg a 'gift' before he left tomorrow.

And while his father, AJ, and Chester thought of how they were killing two birds with one stone by taking this course of action, Timmy could only see the bigger and deeper meaning that it had for him. Come tomorrow, he was going to be all on his own. There would be no one to stand at his side, his parents were going out of town, his friends had their own plans for the weekend, and he was not taking his godfamily along with him.

"Why not?!" Wanda asked when the boy broke the news to her.

"It just...doesn't feel right," was all he could manage to say to her.

"What, bringing us along or going in the first place?!" she could hardly believe what he was saying.

At this point, Cosmo and Poof appeared above their fishbowl to join in on the conversation. They had been swimming in the castle, preparing for bed, when they noticed the argument the two were having.

"Hey Suicidal Timmy, hello Pessimistic Wanda," Cosmo said as a greeting, catching both of their attention.

"What's that suppose to mean?" they said in unison.

Cosmo made an open dictionary and some reading glasses appear. "'That'. A term of-"

"Not that 'that'!" they spoke in harmony once more. Glancing at each other in confusment, Timmy and Wanda took a moment to reorganize themselves before speaking.

Starting off, Timmy asked "Just what makes you think I'm being suicidal?"

Silence.

"Okay. That was a stupid question. Don't bother answering it," said the boy as he folded his arms across his chest.

"And just what makes you think I'm being pessimistic?" said the pink haired fairy.

More silence.

"...Without good reason?" she added after a second.

"Oh, well in that case I'll tell you," said Cosmo before he cleared his throat.

"First on the list, you're Wanda and therefore are doomed to an entire life of pessimism. Second, Timmy is about to do something so incredibly stupid that I'm starting to feel challenge. Usually it doesn't have to be that ridiculous before your pessimism starts to show."

The two turned back to each other as they prepared to enter another argument, when they stopped to think about what Cosmo actually said. Turning to him again, they asked in unison "So wait, do you agree with me or him/her?"

"Hmm, I'm going to have to take that up with my supervisor," he said before turning to Poof.

"Poof poof."

Nodding knowingly, Cosmo said "Yeah, it's about fifty-fifty."

"What?!" they questioned him once again.

"To be honest, both of you are right and that makes both of you wrong at the same time," Cosmo said as he succeeded in confusing them even more. "Let me put it this way. Timmy, your plans for tomorrow are absolutely idiotic. I'm questioning the sanity that this idea obviously doesn't have. Are you trying to get an early peek at your grave."

"That stupid, huh?" said Turner.

Cosmo's closed his eyes slightly as his look became serious and said "There can only be one in this family...and all of them happen to be me!"

"That doesn't make any-" Timmy stopped short as Cosmo epic stare down became more...epic. "Fine, it's you."

"That what I thought" said the green haired fairy after snapping his fingers. "And Wanda, even though you're right ninety-nine, point ninety-nine, percent of the time, Timmy also comes up with great ideas."

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm not saying that most of his ideas don't back fire...a lot. But I am saying that he has a habit of seeing things through with great results by coming up with more ideas. He's moves within impromptu, thinks best on his feet. At any moment, even with the odds stacked up against him, he can turn everything around in an instant. So even if you're my Wanda who's intuition I've learned to trust after ten thousand years, and still counting, I can't single out the fact that Timmy, who obviously doesn't know what he's doing, knows what he's doing."

At that moment, Cosmo flew over to his wife and grasped her palm. Then he lead her to Turner and took his hand as well. Puling them just a little closer, he placed both palms together.

"Can't we...just give him a chance," he said. Wanda's cheeks were tainted slightly with pink. Turning away from her husband's gaze and looked at her godson.

"And Timmy, you know Wanda's instinct is not to be taken lightly...especially when she's thinking in your best interest." Now it was Timmy's turned to feel a little ashamed. In response, he turned to Wanda. Scratching the back of his head, he put some thought to his next words.

"Um...sorry if I worry you," he said.

"No problem...sorry for doubting you," she replied.

"It's just, I feel like I've got to do this on my own. Or at least, put forth my own best effort."

"I can understand that I guess. It's just I want to make sure you're safe, and, above all, succeed."

"Thanks," he said. "Maybe, if you guys could keep a distance, you could come along."

At this, Wanda's eyes twinkled. "We could just keep an eye on you, and help if it's an emergency."

"Yeah! It'll almost be like when we made friends with Francis," Turner was suddenly with the idea of taking his godparents along with him.

"I think I would enjoy that," the pink haired fairy smiled. The two were finally in agreement for the first time that night, they were back on board together. It was always better to know his godfamily supported him, especially since he went off on his own accord many times.

At that moment, Cosmo placed his hand on Timmy's face before shoving him away. Looking Wanda in the eye, he grinned a grin that reminded Turner of Tootie.

"Of course, Mrs. Fairywinkle-Cosma, if these results are not to your liking we could discuss them over dinner," he said in a voice that apparently was suppose to be charming. "Say, my place tonight? I've just installed a brand new bear skin rug."

Exercising amazing disdain, Wanda put her own hand on Cosmo's face and shoved him towards their son.

Looking at his father, the little fairy chimed questioningly "Poof?"

"It wasn't a 'no'!"

"One of these days..." the pink fairy looked towards her godson. "So, we're set for tomorrow?"

"Hehe, yeah I guess so," Timmy found his godparents amusing in their relationship. "You gonna ask me what the plan is?"

"Nope," she raised a hand to stop him.

"Good because I haven't really thought that far," he rubbed the back of his forehead to show his folly.

"I'll take Cosmo's advice on that note."

"Hmm?" the boy raised an eyebrow as his look became quizzical.

"My instincts are telling me..." she closed her eyes as if she were giving great thought over the matter "...that you'll come up with something spectacular tomorrow."

Timmy blushed slightly before giving a small smile. Wanda raised her wand before poofing her godson in his pajamas, into his bed, and turned off the lights. And with that the fairy themselves returned to their fishbowl as goldfish. Timmy got comfortable, and was even starting to doze off, when all of a sudden his fairies started making ruckus.

"What the-" that was obviously Wanda.

"I told you I installed a brand new bear skin rug," replied Cosmo.

"Cosmo, that's an actual live bear!"

"Well yeah, but he's also a live bear who rents himself as a bear skin rug."

"Grrr," Timmy heard the bear for the first time.

"Yeah yeah, you'll get your money pal. I'm trying to sweet talk my sweetheart here."

"Growl?" the tone had changed slightly.

"What do you mean you don't take the dust that accumulates inside of an empty wallet?!"

"RAWR!"

At that point the fishbowl started jumping up and down, back and forth, and basically giving the brunette a pretty fair idea of what was happening inside. This went on for a bit before the entire bowl went poof and returned to it's normal state. And just like that, the night became quiet once more. Looking up towards the ceiling of his room, Timmy soon found himself entranced by the deep blue that sat above him. His thoughts became weary and his eyelids became heavy. Whatever turmoil tomorrow might or might not bring could wait until then. It wasn't that he had suddenly become calm and collected over it, oh no he, was still amazed that he was going through with it. He just wasn't going to let it bother him.

For tonight was the first time this entire week that he was actually looking forward to tomorrow.

---

"Sigh," the boy let out a breath of air to relax himself.

"This is Everyone's-Favorite-Character-On-The-Show to Pink-Tooth. Do you read me Pink-Tooth? Over," a voice came from Timmy's ear. Before he left the house this morning, it was decided that he would use an ear mic to communicate with his fairies. The same devices that secret agents used to communicate with one another, only different. There was no wire or mouth piece, instead this device was able to hear things from a good distance away. It was a tiny, gold star that sat in the boy's ear, giving off the impression of wireless ear plug.

"Yeah Cosmo, what's up?" Timmy asked.

"I'm sorry, who are you talking to? Over," the fairy replied.

Timmy sighed again before saying "Right. Hi Everyone's-Favorite-Character-On-The-Show, I read you loud and clear."

The ear mic remained silent.

"...Over," the boy added.

"Very good, Pink-Tooth. We're receiving readings that show a rise in your stress levels. We'd like you to tone it down a bit, maybe a lot. Over."

"Well, I'm trying my best. But I just can't stay 'calm'," Timmy said. Taking another deep breath, he took the time to survey his surroundings once more. He sat at a table in the food court of the mall. This was were he had planned to meet the second party of this get together. The food court at the mall, ten A.M., Saturday. It was just a few minutes before the actual time that was set, and there was still no sign of the second party. While you could say that there was no issue with this, it wasn't even time, it still played terrible tricks on the boys mind. Was she going to be late, if so than for how long? Was it possible that she simply wasn't coming at all?

"Hey, Pink-Tooth! We're seeing spikes in your stress level. Stay cool. Over," Cosmo said over the ear mic.

"I'm not sure if that's possible Cosmo," Timmy said as his breathing became more audible.

"Who's Cosmo? I'm Everyone's-," before his godfather could get any farther than that he was interrupted.

"We're NOT calling you that," Wanda's voice appeared in Timmy ear mic.

"Awe. But why not? Over."

"Because it's ridiculously long, ridiculously stupid, and just plain ridiculous," she laid it out for him.

"You mean ridiculously awesome," Cosmo barked back. "But I'll admit that it's a little long. You can call me EFCOTS for short. Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes, yes it would. Thank you Cos-I mean, EFCOTS," Wanda actually sounded grateful with their agreement.

"No problem Discount-Blonda."

The mic became dead silent. Timmy could feel tension build up over the line, and an immense murderous aura was growing. Wanda was one of the most patient and disdainful person Timmy ever knew. But there were certain buttons you did not push, ever. Comparing her with her sister was one of them.

"Wanda…" the boy said "Cosmo didn't mean it."

"I'm not mad at Cosmo…" her voice seemed perfectly natural before it turned into what sounded like blades being dragged across concrete "…but 'EFCOTS' is a different matter."

"Gulp," Turner tried to swallow his nervousness as if it were a tangible. "Please don't hurt him."

"Is that a wish?" she asked.

"Wanda!" the boy nearly screamed.

"Huh? What are you doing at central command instead of site B Discount-Blon-" Cosmo was abruptly interrupted as new sounds began to dominate the line.

The mic went silent for quite a while, Timmy was beginning to worry. Then there was something like a muffled bubble, the mic on their end was being moved.

"Poof poof?" Poof said through the mic.

"I'm here Poof, what happened?" Timmy inquired on the health of his godparents.

"Poof, poo poo poof," his little brother chimed.

"What do you mean they just disappeared?!"

"Poof!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the brunette apologized. "It's just that it's almost time, I'm getting a little nervous, and now Wanda and Cosmo are…are…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it, for now his fairy godparents were gone. Where they were, he had no idea. If they would return soon, he still had no idea. All he knew now was that he was actually alone like he wanted to be in the first place…except now was not the first place. Now, felt as if he been dumped in the middle of nowhere without a map.

As that realization struck him, his breathing became quicker and shallow. He could feel pressure in his head increase and decrease at the same time, as his very mind was trying to escape in a great rush. He felt like fainting, he thought he was going to pass out right there. He…he had to get out of there, he had no idea what he was thinking when he set this up. He tried getting out of his chair and nearly tripped over it at the same time. Using the handle to hold himself up, the brunette tried to get his breathing together.

"Poof Poof!" the sound of his little brother came to him all of a sudden. Timmy remembered that he was, in fact, not alone.

"Yeah…yeah I'm still here Poof," said the boy through his raspy breath.

"Poof," the fairy added.

"I-I'm trying to stay calm, but I'm not sure if I can."

"Pooof, pooof," this time words came out in a soothing manner.

"Breath, yeah I am," Timmy said as he started taking deeper breaths.

"Poof?"

"Time? It's…" Timmy looked at a large clock that sat on a wall.

The time was ten o'clock.

Suddenly, Timmy felt at ease. He didn't feel like he was going to pass out anymore. His breathing became slower and less erratic, and pretty soon it returned to normal. His body seemed to regain its balance and he found that he no longer needed the chair to hold him up. Wiping his forehead for whatever sweat that might have broken free, Timmy started to realize that he finally let go of all his anxiety. All this time, even when he thought he was ready, it still lurked beneath the surface. Now he was free.

"Hey Poof, sorry about that," he said. "I almost lost it there for a second, I'm surprised I didn't." The little fairy responded in a cheery voice as he accepted the apology, causing Turner to smile. Timmy looked across and around the food court, trying to see if his guest had arrived. Now that he finally got over the pressure he had been building up all week, his thoughts became clearer. He didn't see her anywhere in near of him, so he decided that he would go look for her. He turned around and started to walk away, when he bumped into someone.

"Oof, sorry about that. I didn't see-" he stopped short when he got a better look at the person who he walked in to. Standing over him with great height, wearing black pants with a green t-shirt that oozed familiarity, was…some random stranger he had never met in his life. "Huh?"

"Hey man, watch where you're going," the guy said as he leaned over. This allowed Timmy to see his face more clearly. He had a Mohawk which was dyed in heavy dark blue and piercings that lined up in two rows on either side of his nose. He also had a lot of black eyeliner to surround his eyes. But his most noticeable distinction were his eyebrows, which were incredibly huge. Timmy found it pretty hard to turn his attention away from them. It was like furry caterpillars had gotten stuck to his face. He almost would have thought the guy had an actual unibrow if it wasn't for the narrow but sharp space in between them.

"What're you looking at?" the guy said in what Timmy guessed was supposed to be an intimidating voice.

Snapping back to reality, Turner said "Who the heck are you?"

The guy's face went blank for a moment, surprised by the brunette's question. Then his face turned and gave off an angry look at the kid standing in front of him. Who was this little punk to question him so simply, who was he to question him at all?!

"You giving me lip, chomps?" the guy remarked on his teeth as he stood back to his full height. He was even taller than Francis, and Timmy realized that he was much older. A full blown teenager stood before him.

"Depends. Are you trying to wink or are you seriously mad at me?" Timmy threw his own comeback into the guys face. Once again, the older teenager was taken aback by the younger one's bravery. Even Timmy was surprised that he was bucking up against him. Normally, he wasn't one to agitate others like this. To be honest, though, he started it anyway.

"Okay…that's it," the guy began to crack his knuckles. As each pop rang out from his enclosed his fist, Timmy instinctively prepared his body to move into action. His feet spaced apart from each other, weight was being place at their tips in the front. Hands were opening and closing, back and forth, into and out of fist as if they couldn't decide what angle they wanted to be curled at.

Timmy was still surprised by all this, by the fact that he was getting ready to fight and that he couldn't take the guy in front of him seriously. This dude was a joke, a funnier one than Cosmo. Even if he was taller than Francis, it was only by a few inches. Plus, the boy could tell just by looking that the teenager's muscle and bone mass weren't anywhere near in comparison. He was, in short, a chump. After facing down many villains that clearly outclassed the punk, there were hardly any reasons why the boy should've taken him seriously.

Maybe it was because he usually had fairies at his side and more than often bested his opponents by outwitting them instead of overpowering them. Remembering that he was short on at least one of those things, Timmy's attitude changed. He realized that this was going to be more difficult than what he originally thought. Lowering himself just a bit, Turner braced himself for the teen's attack.

"It's lights out for you kid," the teen pulled back his arm to a punch. Timmy tensed himself up, ready to dodge the guy's attack. If he could get to his side, then he might be to deliver his own punch. And if that wasn't enough, he could always throw a chair at him. But before either combatants could move, something miraculous happened.

Out of nowhere, a flash of white light stroke down from the heavens and in between them. It came out of nowhere, shining brightly like an intense camera flash, cackling with great power and loads of electricity. And just like that, the lightning disappeared as if it were nothing but a dream. Both of the boys stood absolutely still, stuck in place like perfect statues. The bolt of lightning cut away at the tension, rending their fight completely obsolete. Its magnificence had robbed them of all their moment, leaving their minds to contemplate what was left.

"Lightning, during a sunny day with no clouds in the sky. In doors where there's a ceiling," Timmy said in his minds. The look on the other guy's face, which was now naked of the bushy eyebrows, told him that's what he was also thinking. But it soon proved that only one of them actually understood the significance of this display.

"…Oh no" Timmy's eyes widen. Suddenly, a shadow had been casted over him from behind. With it came an extremely powerful, and familiar sense of killer instinct that seemed to have coiled around his very soul.

"You're late..." said a voice that matched the shadow in its ominous nature.

His knees became weak, it was a surprise that he manage to stand. A chill as cold as ice climbed his spine like a latter, until it reached the top and whispered in his ear promises of blizzards. Turner seemed to become attune to the beating of his heart, which grew slow as if something grabbed ahold and wore it out. His blood ran like a slush, for it to was being held back by an unforeseeable force. All of this pressure kept him from running away, kept him from acting on his fear. In some ways, that was a good thing. Even if it terrified him in others. Slowly, the brunette turned his head to see who it was. Even though he had no doubt.

Towering behind him stood a girl. Like the boy who Turner nearly fought just now, she wore black pants and a green shirt. Also like him, she was much older than Timmy and well into her teens. And that was were the similarities ended; because besides the age difference and preference in cloths, they were nothing alike.

Her pants, black jeans, match the darkness she inspired in the hearts and minds of other. The green t-shirt matched the venom she put into her deception and deviousness. Also, it was raised to give a clear view of her mid section. As if to buck at and mock anyone by showing them the defenselessness of her flat belly, beckoning any to oppose her. Her skin was creamed and most likely smooth, not giving any credit to what battles she may or may not have fought. She was also a natural redhead, her hair flowed behind her in a ponytail. It seemed to glowed as if it were a blazed by an inner fire, if the tip were white then it cold have been confused for a glorious red fox tail. Finally, Turner met eyes with this girl. They were pink, maybe even hot pink, and they burned right back into his own pupils. The way this girl carried herself was also different from the guy. She was not a punk, chump, or any kind of wannabe. She was the real deal, a dragon amongst lizards. She wasn't just taller than Francis, she was more powerful than Francis. Her aura more imposing than ten angry Wandas, her presence more suffocating than a hundred Tooties.

"Twerp," she said in a voice he was all too familiar with.

"...Vicky," was all he could say with his mouth which was at a loss for words. She grinned at him, pleased with hearing her name fall from his lips on reflex. The grin did nothing to calm Timmy down, for now he could feel his heart race uncontrollably and his blood rushed throughout his body like a flood.

"Wait. When you say 'Vicky', do you mean that Vicky? As in...Icky Vi-" the guy behind Timmy also seemed familiar with the legend of Vicky. He was cut off when she took her gaze off of Timmy and turned it upon him. Timmy watch as the grin disappeared into a frown and her eyes filled with scorn.

"Who the heck are you?" her voice was filled with knives that shredded the teen to ribbons. At that moment, he had the answer to his question. Knowing full well that he was not wanted around here and clearly did not want to be anywhere near here, the guy burned rubber in his shoes. As he ran, Timmy could hear his footsteps grow more and more distant and quiet. He was actually starting to miss the other guy, even if he was poor company. Vicky watched as the stranger left and, when she had become more bored than she already was with his fading presence, she turned her attention back on Timmy. This time she didn't give so much as a hint of a grin, though this itself wasn't any better. Timmy remained standing, unblinking, unmoving, and somehow hoping that she wasn't actually seeing him.

"Don't tell me..." she leaned down until she came to eye level with the boy "...you called me out here for a staring contest." Okay, now he blinked.

"N-no," he said in his defense.

"Hmph," the girl rose back to her full height. "Now you look like a sore loser."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, the brunette retorted with "I did not call you out here just for a stupid staring contest."

Vicky's eyes seemed to change at his back talk, and Timmy didn't like the way they looked now. The fire which blazed in defiance inside of them would not settle for another, there could only be one. Reaching a hand towards him, it seemed that Vicky was going to carry out the will of that fire. Timmy's body went ridged, torn between running away and actually moving an inch in the presence this tyrant. Not knowing what to do, Timmy closed his eyes and braced himself for what was coming. He would've stayed like that forever. And yet, all he felt was her palm being gently placed on the top of his head.

"You grew taller since I've last saw you," she said to him before removing her hand. When Turner realized that she wasn't about to do him bodily harm, he opened his eyes to see her walking towards the table he was sitting at. "But you're still a twerp, Twerp."

Spinning on her heel, she plopped a seat in the chair Timmy was sitting in when while he was waiting for her. Kicking her feet in the air, she placed them on the table itself before leaning back comfortably. Regaining control over his body for the second time that day, Timmy walked over to the table. He gave Vicky a wide birth and walked to the opposite side. When his hand got to close to the edge, the tip of his finger was shocked. Recoiling as quickly as possible, the boy grabbed a nearby chair and placed it as close as he could sit without getting electrocuted. Then he joined her.

"So..." the redhead said behind closed eyes "if you didn't call me here for a staring contest, was it so you give me the wonderful experience of a school principal?" Timmy might have smiled if it wasn't for the fact that he was scared witless, he in fact did feel like he stepped into the principal's office. Vicky gave off an air that said she owned the entire place, Timmy was just visiting on some business. Shaking his head at the thought, Timmy began to speak.

"You're the late one."

Silence.

Wow. Great way to start a conversation with evil incarnate literally sitting across the table.

"Did I see you?"

"No-"

"Then you're late," she said before closing her eyes again. Though it seemed like she was sleeping, Timmy knew better. She had one of the strangest abilities to take a cat nap and laze away, becoming completely ignorant of the world and everything around her, yet still be ready to jump if she needed to. Still, it didn't mean that it wasn't somewhat irritating. Hey, he was actually feeling something besides absolute fear towards her for the first time today. One could not be sure if he deserves a cookie or smack to the face to snap him back to reality, but it was a step.

"Soo," he tried to start their conversation again. This time she didn't respond so he continued to ask "How was your week?"

This kid was a genius!

"Meh, so so," her answer was short.

"Babysitting anyone lately?" Brillia-Okay he should hit himself for that one.

"Nah, this year I'm reeling everything in."

Oh? Timmy became curious and inquired "What do you mean?" At first the only thing she did was sit there, but eventually she decided that he was worthy enough of hearing her breathe words.

"Well, I'm preparing for next year," she said before she slipped back into her quiet cat nap like state. The table remained silent for a while.

"..."

"Sign. College, Twerp. Next year I'm going to college," she spelled it out for him.

"Oooh," said Timmy as he came to understanding. He remembered that Vicky was six years older than him, so she was eighteen. A high school senior embarking on her last year as what many considered her childhood. "So you've been busy lately?"

"Yeah you could say that. Trying to raise my grades up, find scholarships, and other stuff so I can get into a 'respectable' university next year," she used a sarcastic tone with the word respectable. "To be honest, I wish I could've kept my old job. But I would've been too busy having fun than to actually work on getting into college."

Timmy could feel a sweat drop appear somewhere on his face, he knew all too well about what Vicky considered fun.

"I was working so diligently when you called me on Monday," she continued. "I was debating if I should've gone to your place and had some 'fun' with you, but I'm actually grateful to have an excuse to get out of the house."

Dodge a bullet there.

"So how's school? I heard you had played a trick on Trixie," she caused Timmy to raise an eyebrow. His face was filled with confusement, she was actually interested in his life. Then she added "Tootie wouldn't stop talking about it, or you for that matter."

"O-oh, yeah," he smirked when he thought about it. "Gave Trixie a blank note and told her it was everything I loved about her."

"Ha, nice," she grinned. "Also, what's this about Francis taking on her security guard?"

"Well, I wouldn't say he took him on, it didn't escalate that far. But he definitely got on his nerves, I thought he was going to throw both of us in the trash can."

"Speaking of throwing, is it true my little threw her lunch at the snotty rich kids?"

"Yep. Mines as well, but she got them."

"Mmm," Vicky's grinned seemed warm with pride. "Don't take nothing from nobody, definitely my blood."

"In the case where she scares me, yes-" Timmy took only a split second before he clamped his mouth shut. Vicky's feature and demeanor did not change, but that didn't change the fact that she heard him loud and clear. Timmy could tell he had stepped over some boundary, how could he not have after basically insulting her? He didn't mean it as such, it just slipped out. And now he waited in anticipation for her to exact what she would consider a 'just' punishment.

"God, you're selfish," she said finally breaking the boy from his thought.

"Huh..." he was surprised that she didn't break anything else.

"Jeez, I mean, you're going to have those lips for the rest of your life," she sighed. "And my poor little sister just wants them for a few hours a day, everyday."

"..."

The redhead from across the table opened one eye. "That was a joke."

Timmy blinked. "...No it's wasn't."

At that moment, Vicky started to chuckle. And then she started to laugh. Timmy was shocked. It wasn't her evil babysitter, which was capable of making him feel like a victim before she started her torture routine. Instead just was just an honest laugh, and it was a hard one at that. He could see her clutch at her sides which must have started to hurt, he almost thought she was going to fall when she even started to lean back in her chair. At once he got up from his own chair, ready to make an attempt to catch if she leaned back too far. But then she had raised a hand to stop him, and began to reel in her laughing until she came to a stop. And there they were, Timmy out of his chair to help her and Vicky kindly stopping him from exerting himself. A spark ignited in both of their eyes and the two began laughing again together. Such an odd thought which had passed through both of their minds simultaneously, how could they not laugh?

Timmy was starting to ease his sides from the pain that they now felt, and it gave him a moment to watch his guest who was trying to do the same. At first he was frightened by her laughter, and then he realized that it was her that he was actually scared of. But at this moment, the chuckles she was trying to gain control over made her look...less scary.

Finally, she got her laughing under control. Kicking her feet off the table, she stood up.

"Well, thanks for wasting my time twerp. Lets do it again sometime." And with that, she started to walk past him in the direction she came. As Timmy watched her go, he suddenly felt an emptiness. Maybe it was just him overthinking, but those last words she chose...felt like they weren't picked lightly. What had he just done, make a few comments, and laugh. Watching her walk away, Timmy became cold even though sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Wait!" he called. He was almost afraid she was going to continue walking, whether or not she actually heard him most likely wouldn't have affected her. He was all but too surprised when she stopped and turned around.

"Oh? Finally going to tell me why you have me out here," she wore a clever smile on her face. "Alright, let's hear it then."

Turner was quiet at first, not sure what to say. "I know we're not on the best of terms, and it'll be a long time before we come to better ones...if we ever can."

She was quiet, her face still. Completely serious.

"But I-" he was searching for the word that he knew was somewhere inside of him. Vicky's piercing gaze didn't help him collect his thoughts properly, and she didn't show any signs of stopping.

"I don't want to be scared of you anymore!"

There, he finally said it. He realized just how out of breath he was, his breathing all over the place. He almost forgot about Vicky there, even though he was contemplating over the fact he had basically just challenged Vicky. Looking back towards her, he was startled when he saw she was right in front of him. He backed away, but didn't get past an inch when he bumped into the table.

"That is, utterly, the dumbest reason anyone could ever come up for calling me. Especially for you," she said in a monotonous voice. "I can think of whole list of better things to bring me out here. Revenge and…well concerning you and me, that's the only reason I can think of. But we're way pass that point, you're probably just happy that we never have to see each other again."

Timmy avoided meeting her gaze. "I thought I would be happy to, I've dreamed of this day for quite a long time…no offensive."

"None taken."

"But the fact is that I'm not," he spoke remorsefully. "We've got…history…together. I'm not going to forget you any time soon, and I'm sure that goes vise versa. I rather not wake up every day, for the rest of my life, and the first thing I remember about you is how much I'm afraid of you."

"Maybe I'd enjoy that," she said in an indifferent tone. "I remember us agreeing that I'm a monster who feeds on the fear of children."

"Yeah, and maybe you are," he with grim realization. And then his eyes lit up with the same defiance from before, the kind that caused him to stand up in the face of danger. "But it just so happens that I'm one kid who's not going to settle for that excuse."

Vicky raised a curious eyebrow, silently questioning what he meant.

"Starting from today, I want us to be friends!"

You had admit, he deserved points for that. He might have wanted to say more, but that right there was enough. It was to the point and, according to the look on Vicky's face, extremely effective. It was wiped clean of the scornful look from before, like a computer's browsing history after it was deleted. She was utterly surprised, completely blindsided, and obviously not expecting any of that a moment ago. She probably had been thinking all week that he was indeed, most likely, trying to get back at her for the last four years of pain and humiliation. She did however, seem to notice her blank stare after a while. She coughed a bit before taking a step back, preparing her words as she gave herself some room.

"There's only two ways that's going to happen," she said before raising her hand. As she spoke, she lifted her fingers to count. "One, you pay me. How much you got on you?"

Timmy blinked before reaching into his pockets. "Don't even bother," she stopped him. "As much as I would love to take your money, and I'm still considering it, you only have pennies to what I want. So option number two, well actually there is no option number two for you, because you would have to be hot. When I say this, I mean the most offense-"

"Don't you mean 'no' offensive?"

"-All offense, when I say that I don't know what my sister see's in you. So sorry to burst your bubble, but it looks like you're out of options," she shrugged her arms nonchalantly. Timmy could feel himself grow pale. At first he thought that she was joking, but nothing about her said that what she spoke was anything but the truth. And for moment, he almost thought that he could do it.

"Well, guess I'll be on my way-"

"Option three," he interrupted her. She looked down at him, curious as to what was compelling him to do so. "I do whatever it takes to make you change your mind." She laughed once more, though this time he could detect the evil cackle that was harmonious with it. The Vicky in front of him right now, was the one he knew best.

"That's not option three," she corrected him. "Option three would have been you and I actually doing something together, of course that usually lines up with option tw-"

"Then let's do it," he said before she could finish. Though wait a second, was she about to say that option three had something to do with option two. Before Turner could think it over, Vicky's hand shot out towards him. With blinding speed, he could barely move as it struck. Yet all it did was strike the table, leaving an audible smack. Vicky lowered herself a bit...a bit to close that is. Her face came closer to his own, causing Timmy to lean back and further away from her. Once he doing limbo over the table, she was only inches away.

"Are you asking me out?" she grinned.

"WHAT?!" he couldn't stop himself from shouting. "No!"

"Oh right. I forgot," she stepped back to give him some breathing space. "You already did that on Monday."

Timmy's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "T-This is not a date!"

"Who said 'date', not me," she tried to sound innocent. "Relax, it was a joke." Joke or not, Timmy could hardly believe what she was saying. Him and Vi-OH, he didn't even want to think about it. He furiously began rubbing his head, as if he could push out the thought.

"Alright then," Vicky's voice had a slight change in it, gaining the boy's curiosity. "There's this one place I was hoping to go to when I had the spare time. If you're interested, I'll let you accompany me."

Thinking about it for a moment, Turner asked "Where to?"

"Someplace, fun," she said in a way that made Turner question the legitimacy in this. On one hand, fun could mean a lot of things that weren't necessarily fun for him. This could've been Vicky's way of luring him in so she could get one last chance of torturing him for the year. It was a possibility, she fairly enjoyed it. So much in fact that she was the reason he had fairies in the first place.

But it was also a chance. He was tired of living in fear of this woman, even if yesterday's enemy didn't become tomorrow's friend, he had enough of this cat and mouse relationship.

"Alright, option three it is."

---

Thinking back on that morning, maybe he should've rethought about choosing option number three.

You know, just a little more consideration before agreeing to go who knows where with Vicky. Then it turns out that who knows where is a paintball range, and that some other people rented it out for the specific hour he and Vicky arrived. Then Vicky being Vicky forced the manager to let them in on the match, thus infuriating the match participants. Who were on different teams but now, thanks to Vicky, joined forces to give the duo hell for the next hour. You know, just a little consideration.

As a handicap for the obvious difference in team size, Vicky and Timmy were allowed to go first. Giving them the chance to become more familiar with their surroundings before the larger team came two minutes later. In half that time, the redhead manage to disappear like fairy that went poof. Leaving Turner to himself as the clock began to reach the end of its two minute period.

"Why did I ever agree to this," he said as went pass some trees. "Paintball is fun and all, I'll admit she was right about that. But did she really have to call them-"

At that moment, he heard an alarm go off. Nearly jumping out of his skin, he turned in the direction from which it came. It was from the direction of the entrance. Timmy came to the grim realization that his two minutes of peacefully trekking through the forest were over. Stepping behind one of the trees, he began to look himself over and check his gear. Had to admit that this particular range made some nice looking gear. He was wearing camouflage jacket with a hood draped over his head, carried a regular belt filled with ammunition packs. Choice of weapon was a hand gun type, closely resembling a pistol in every way except that the magazine stood horizontally on top.

Made it look pretty cool though. Almost like a blaster from some sci-fi show.

Reaching into one of the packs, he pulled out several pink pellets and began to load them into his weapon. It was Vicky's idea, apparently because it matched his attire and infuriated the team even more. Should one of them manage to hit an enemy, some dude was going to have to walk around in pink for the rest of the game. Not that Turner saw an issue with that, he had been walking around in pink for his entire life.

As he loaded the weapon, he became aware of how quiet the forest had become. Though there were no squirrels or anything like that, there were some birds around chirping merrily away. But ever since the alarm, the chirping began to diminish. The birds were becoming quiet, as if some unforeseeable force was on the loose in the woods. It made him uncomfortable. Luckily, he manage to place the ammo in correctly without dropping any.

A rustling in the bushes suddenly caught his attention, spurning him into action. Immediately, he spun around the tree and fired a shot into the direction he thought he heard the noise. The pellet disappeared in a flash, diving into the bushes. The bushes were slightly disturbed by this intrusion, but soon returned to a still state. Turner stood there, muzzle leveled and aimed towards the flora. He could've sworn that they had indeed moved, and he watched too many movies to actually believe that it was a bunny or something. Yet the bushes did not betray any signs of being anything more than bushes.

Letting out a quick sigh, Turner decided that for now the bushes were just bushes. Reaching into the pack that he had opened but a moment ago, he pulled out another pink pellet. It was a shame he had wasted one already, and not even on the enemy. Best make sure to keep control of his trigger finger and the magazine full. Except this time, the pink pellet was simply refusing to enter. Why couldn't reloading by easier like video games, the only bright side to this was the he didn't have to do the extensive math. Finally, the pellet had enough fiddling and jumped out of his hand…not at all a bright side to the wonders of reloading in real life. He leaned to pick it up.

And that saved him from experiencing just how painful a paint ball could be when taken to the face.

SPLAT. The sound came from behind him. Looking between his legs, he could see the tree he was behind just a moment ago. Though it was upside down, he could make out where a blue paintball hit at what would have head level for him. Immediately his body reacted by kicking forward and sending him into a roll in one direction.

SPLAT. SPLAT. SPLAT. Several more shots came from behind him, proving that it was definitely no mistake for him to be too careful. He finally reached the side of another tree when a fourth shot flew right past him. Once there, he picked himself up and pressed his back against the bark. Looking in the direction he had just come from, he saw three large splats of blue lined up, so perfectly, that all they needed was an arrow to point at him. If it wasn't for the boy's quick reflex, he would've been hit three times by now and possibly four.

Whoever was firing the paintball gun was pretty accurate. Taking a deep breath, Timmy looked around the corner of the tree to see who his attacker was. Standing right there in the bushing he had previously been inquiring, was a guy from the enemy team. He was supped up in a vest, military boots, and goggles. His choice of weapon was a rifle type which sat snug in his arms. The man seemed to be extremely angry, and Timmy could see why. His head, if he had not already dyed it, was covered in pink. Timmy wasn't one to make fun of a person's choice in color, for the most obvious reasons by now. But that didn't stop him from letting out a little snicker.

Instantly, the guy leveled his weapon and fired a shot at the boy who was trying not to laugh. For a moment, the only thing Timmy could see was blue. Then he stepped behind the tree as quickly as he could to avoid being hit in the face. As the paintball flew on until it ended with an audible SPLAT, Timmy came to a clear definition of the guy.

"Very accurate!" he said in his head. The guy didn't stop firing the paintball gun. Clearly infuriated his new hair color and Timmy's laughing, he kept firing at the tree. As if he expected the rounds to somehow grow stronger from his rage and break through the trunk. They didn't of course, and Timmy was forced to continue relying on the tree for a shield. Suddenly, the guy stopped firing on him. At first, Timmy thought of this as a blessing. But then he became curious, what was the guy doing? Being behind the tree meant he was safe so long as he kept it between him and his opponent, but it meant that he could watch what he doing either. Being in the dark on such a matter did not sit well with the brunette, the guy could've walked away and he would still be stuck here out of fear. He needed to investigate the situation. Gathering his courage, he peeked behind the tree again,

The guy was loading his weapon, Timmy realized after he saw him fiddling with it. He was just about done when he saw Timmy staring at him. Raising his weapon, he fired again. And once again, Timmy dodged it in the nick of time.

"Dang! He was reloading, didn't even see me for a few seconds, and I had him," he yelled in his head. Turner had missed a prime window, taking down an enemy who had no way of returning the favor and was defenseless. He started to realize that he wouldn't get another chance like this so easily, the guy was very accurate and, besides the one shot he fired after reloading, seemed to have his anger checked. He wasn't going to wasting any more pellets unless he thought he would get better results. Plus, it had just occurred to Timmy that the guy had a larger magazine than him anyway. So basically, more pellets…yay…

"Not good, his aim is good, really good. And even if he misses, he still have more ammo than I do," Timmy said in his head. This guy easily had him overpowered, it wouldn't be long before he painted him in blue. Timmy tried to think, he wasn't exactly sure if it was for winning but he was definitely trying to think of a way to avoid getting shot at. He heard a twig snap in the guy's direction and realized he was on the move, it didn't matter if he could out shoot the boy if he stayed in the exact same spot.

Timmy blinked, and then he blinked again. That last thought had stuck to his head, refusing to leave him. And finally, it dawned on him why.

"I've got an idea," he said under his breath. As the guy came closer, he got into hearing distance of the boy. He couldn't tell what he had said, only that he had spoken. That made him tense and he ready his weapon to open fire on the kid as soon as caught sight of him. The dude was going to make him pay for what he did to his hair, that and for what his older sister said about his team mates. How on earth could she ever call them-

A sudden rustling in the bushes to the guy's right snapped his out of his train of thought. Seeing movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned and pull the trigger. He fired four times, certain that at least of them would home in on its target give him vengeance. The look of surprisement on his face was something to behold as the young brunette dashed from behind the tree in the opposite direction. Realizing his mistake, the guy immediately turned the muzzle of his rifle towards his quarry and started to lay waste.

SPLAT. That one hit the tree as he tried to line up the barrel between him and the boy. SPLAT. That one struck the ground where his feet had been three seconds ago. SPLAT. Two seconds ago. SPLAT. He missed by centimeters! He pulled the trigger one more time, and this time he knew that it would be different. The pellet was flying true, it was going to hit the kid in the face. Or it would have if the boy hadn't suddenly dropped to his knees and slid across the ground. The pellet had flown way above where his head currently was, and harmlessly went SPLAT against the first tree the guy had shot when the kid leaned down all of a sudden.

Looking at him, the guy saw that the brunette was picking something up and trying to force it into the magazine of his paintball gun. He realized, with great satisfaction, that the kid must have dropped a pellet from before and made a wild dash to get it back now. The guy couldn't believe his luck, this was seriously as close to taking candy from a baby as he was going to get. Pointing his muzzle towards the kid's head, he slowly squeezed the trigger. Savoring the anticipation, waiting for sound of it being fired to surprise him. When the thing went click and refused to turn the target blue, his face filled with glee fell into a mask of despair. He was definitely surprised right.

Timmy turned to the guy with a crafty smile of disdain. Raising his paintball gun so it traced the guy's own, he aimed directly for the face. And squeezed the trigger without any mercy. The enemy's face was turned pink in an instant before he fell on his back. At this, Turner felt an immense surge from within himself. Pride, joy, satisfaction? All of them seemed to mix into one drink that he easily sipped on. He couldn't help but marvel at his cleverness.

Back when he was behind the tree, he had remembered that he had dropped one of his paintballs back in the open. He didn't understand the importance of this thought at first, but he refused to just forget it. What he needed to do was to get away from the guy without getting hit, so maybe he could make him waste some of his ammo first. He took the time to count how many shots the guy's rifle fired and, when he thought it over, it came at about ten paintballs. He didn't want to just run into the guys view, he needed a distraction. Looking at his gun, it occurred to him that throwing the five pellets that were inside would definitely get the other guy's attention. But then he would be out of ammo...the dropped pellet!

"Course I could've just open one of my other packs," he said in his head. He could've done that, but, after looking at the guy's face once more, he realized it wouldn't have been as fun. Still smiling, he walked over to the bushes to grab the five pellets he tossed. But before he could move more than two feet, several other figures stepped out into his field of view and fired on him. A stinging pain hit his left arm as one of the paintballs scratched it, jarring him awake from his stupor. Turning, he took flight and ran away from the previous battlegrounds.

He ran as fast as he could, and that was pretty fast for a twelve year old. Past trees, bushes, and even a familiar stream he crossed earlier during the handicap. He realized that he was going in the direction of the entrance, and that thought caused him to halt immediately. Something wasn't right about this, he couldn't put his finger on it but something nefarious was lurking just an inch away from him realizing. It was like a word at the tip of his tongue, in fact it was a word at the tip of his tongue. What was it, this feeling that he was in the middle of an ambush?

...That was the word he was looking for.

In an instant, Timmy dived for the nearest cover he find. It just so happened that a boulder twice his size sat only a few feet away. It turned out that he had been right to do so, because before half of his body was stored safely out harms reach, the rest of the enemy team open fired on him. This time, he manage to avoid getting hit. But only barely, he could still feel one of the paintball glide past his legs. Once he was fully behind the boulder, he could hear the paintballs slam into the other side. SPLAT. SPLAT. SPLAT. SPLAT! They came with fury, refusing to let him have the smallest chance of escape. But as they kept on, Timmy realized that he could benefit from the boulders position. There were some trees nearby...well there were trees everywhere, it's a forest...but there were two trees sitting side by side like a gate. A door to get out of this mess, and opportunity was knocking. Someone else might've been shot down before he could make it, but not Timmy. This twelve year old may not have been the shrimp he was two years ago, but he was still small enough to make it to the trees. Running past them, he could hear the enemy team trying to gun him down but the paintballs only hit other trees in the way.

He almost thought he had gotten off scot free when the three figures from before suddenly appeared in his path and resumed firing on him. Like a cat, but probably not as graceful, the brunette did a one-eighty degree turn and ran back in the direction he had just came from. Back at the boulder he was nearly hit again, but thanks to his size and alert state, he came clean of all shots. Once he was under the protection of the boulder again, he realized that the three teammates weren't firing on him anymore. Well, they did shoot a few paintballs. But they did it so lazily and without aim, almost as if they weren't trying to hit him.

That was when he finally understood what was going on. Indeed this was an ambush, but, instead of using bate, they had sent hounds in to flush him out. He remembered that there were ten people on the other team. They must have sent four scouts out to find him, when one of them finally did the others zeroed in on and flanked him. Of course, whether they got him or not then didn't matter. He was already hurrying towards the main event. Now, while the rest of the team bombarded him with paint, the scouting party were cutting off his escape. At this moment, he was literally stuck against a rock and surrounded in a hard place.

But this wasn't going to last long. The scouting party had the job of pushing him towards the main party. The boulder was getting in the way of that. So at this point, the main party became a wall that could not be breached and the scouting party became hunters who had their prey cornered. He could hear them getting closer even with all the paintballs running loose. Cowering on his side of the boulder, he began to reload. They hounds would find out that this cornered animal was even more dangerous than they originally perceived. He had just finished putting the sixth and final pellet in when the scouting party came from behind a tree. All three of them stood there for a moment, curious as to why Timmy wasn't wearing new colors on his uniform. Seeing that the huge rock at his back was the cause, they instantly switched from hounds to wolves. Aiming directly for him, they began to squeeze their triggers. Timmy leveled his own weapon to them, but he didn't make it in time for the first SPLAT.

One of the guys suddenly toppled over. SPLAT. A second followed his example. The third guy and Timmy turned towards them with bewilderment. On their faces, as close to their chins as possible, were pink paint shots. Turning in the direction from which they came, the third guy managed to fire a few shots of his own before a pink paint ball hit him in the face. Timmy was left stunned as he fell backwards, and then he remembered that he wasn't a one man army in this match. Looking in the direction from which the shots came, he thought that he could make out a silhouette moving through the trees. Guessing off the top of his head, he figured that it was circling around so that it could get to the enemies side.

"That was close," he said as he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Looking towards the enemy team, he realized just how much they let up their fire. At the same he realized that it was becoming somewhat easier to make out the silhouetted figure in the trees. This worried him, for if the enemy wasn't focused on him and even he could see the shadow move, then it wouldn't be long before she was caught. That actually used to be the norm of things, he letting her reap the consequences of her actions if any ever occurred. But at the same time, it was also the norm of things for him to help in these trying times. So, once again in his life, Timmy decided to help her.

"Stop shooting!" he cried as he jump out from behind the boulder. To his surprise, they actually did. "I get the feeling that this is more personnel than it should be, what happened to your sportsmanship?"

Silence, not that Timmy was expecting anything from them. This seemed like a pretty ridiculous thing to do during a match that revolved people doing bodily harm against one another. He was pretty sure that one of them was going to take their best shot.

"We threw that away when you walked all over our pride at the entrance," one of the guys shouted back. Timmy was surprised that he actually did, but that only proved that the boy had struck gold. Now all he to do was keep digging until he got it out.

"That's what this is all about? Can't we all just get along?" he inquired.

"NO!" the entire team spoke up this time. That was good, it gave the boy a slight idea as to where they were in the trees in front of him.

"To be fair, I didn't say anything about you guys," Timmy kept talking.

"Well your sister did!" said one of the guys. Timmy could almost feel his heart give out. Having Vicky as a babysitter was one thing, if he had to switch places Tootie he was sure he'd be dead by now.

"Wait, that was his sister? I thought she was his cousin." That was no better.

"I thought she was his babysitter." How...accurate.

"I thought she was his girl-"

"ENOUGH!" shouted one the guys that Timmy presumed to be the leader. "I see what you're trying to do, and it won't work. I'm not going to let you escape so easily."

Timmy felt a chill run up his spine, he had done all he could. Now it was up to her to make the most of it while he was getting creamed.

"Now, rainbow this guy!" the leader roared. Timmy closed his eyes, waiting the shots to come. Instead of shots, all he heard was them continuing with their talk.

"'Rainbow this guy', are you serious?"

"What?! It sounds good!"

"I don't know man, it sounded...meh, sort of okay."

"Okay, you think it was just okay?!"

"Look, we're not saying it was bad, but..."

"I mean, considering you came up with it on the spot makes it good, but...it could have been better..."

"I don't believe this! I really put some effort into that!"

"Mind if I make a suggestion," a new voice joined in. It took Timmy a second to realize it was his own.

"Oh, and I bet it's so much better," the leader said sarcastically.

"Well, I'm not saying it is, but next time you could say 'Taste the rainbow'". Everyone became really quiet.

"...Crap, that's good!" the leader hissed.

"I like it."

"Definitely better."

Timmy smiled, seeing that he got them talking again he decided to stretch his luck. "OH! You could also try 'Here comes the rain'."

"Ooh, really nice."

"Got anymore?!"

Smirking, Timmy said "Shower time."

"This guy is brilliant!"

"Also there's 'Skittle power'."

"He's a genius!"

"One more, one more!"

Seeing that he basically had them all wrapped around his finger, Timmy decided it was time to end this little game. "Last one."

Though he couldn't see them, he could feel the anticipation building up in atmosphere. They were expecting a master piece, a grand finale. Putting some careful thought into it, he found the words that were perfect.

"Here comes Vicky!"

Silence.

"I don't get it-SPLAT!" the sound of a paintball finding it's target cut off the guy.

"Huh? What the-SPLAT!" another one followed after him.

"AH! It's an ambush on the ambush-SPLAT!" screamed another enemy team mate.

"A DOUBLE AMBUSH! What does it mean-SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT!"

Timmy had a very good idea of how things were going down within the trees before him. Vicky had manage to circle all the way around them, and was now mercilessly picking them off. It had stopped becoming an assassination after the first four guys were brought down, the last two had regained their wits and were now facing off against the redhead. Paintballs flew everywhere, both in places Timmy could and could not see. He had taken cover behind some bushes, when, all of a sudden, something crashed in on top of him. The boy nearly screamed before a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Keep it down twerp, I'm almost out of ammunition," said a familiar voice. Looking out the corner of his eye, he saw Vicky crouching beside him. "Nice job with the distraction by the way." He would have screamed again if her hand wasn't stopping him. Vicky looked terrifying. Her hair was standing on end, her evil smile was etched out on her face, and her eyes burned. Clearly she was enjoying herself with the match, so much to the point Timmy could feel sympathy for the other team. But at the same time he probably wouldn't have, her complement had surprised him so much that he could only stare in wonder. Thinking on it, it was in fact thanks to Timmy that Vicky could sneak around the enemy. So he did deserve some credit for points she scored. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Stay down!" she whispered fiercely. One of the other guys had stepped out in front of them. He didn't see them, wasn't even turned towards them, but if they moved so much as a muscle he would be on them in an instant. Timmy could feel Vicky tensing up next to him, ready to move. He wasn't surprised when she did, but he was surprised when she tossed her gun at the guy.

The other guy saw this, but, instead of painting her a new color, he caught the gun instead. A common reflex that most people had, when something falls you catch it. Timmy realized that Vicky utilized this habit, and he was impressed. But now she was weaponless, what was she going to do? He soon got his answer. As soon as the girl came into arm's reach of the guy, she grabbed something from her back pocket. In an upper cut, she slashed at the guy with blinding speed.

All was still for the moment, and Timmy began to worry for the other guys condition. What had she done to him? The guy took a step back, and Timmy got a clear look.

A pink line had been drawn on him, all the way from his stomach to his face. Looking at Vicky, Timmy saw a pink marker in her hands. She looked back and smiled as he stared at her with his mouth open.

"Are you serious?!" he nearly shouted in his disbelief.

"What?" she said in a confused voice, not sure what the issue was. "I got him, didn't I?"

"This isn't Call of Duty!" the boy retorted.

The guy next to Vicky shook his head disapprovingly before saying "And to think you had the nerve to call us Battle Field Friends at the entrance."

Taking back talk from the twerp, that's one thing. Taking it from a stranger who wasn't attractive or paying her, that's another. Turning to the guy, Vicky grabbed a hold of her paintball gun before stomp kicking him. When he fell to the ground, she unloaded what was left in her magazine. Finally she turned back to Timmy and said "There, you happy?"

The boy sighed, then he looked at her again and felt himself go numb. Immediately, he raced towards her and tackled her to the ground. Stunned, Vicky was about question if this kid wanted an early death by her hands when a paintball flew over their heads. Once they were on the ground, Timmy took out his own paintball gun and started firing on the last guy left standing. He had been waiting for the opportune time to take down the redhead assassin, but he had forgotten about the kid. Now Timmy had him, and was finishing him off. When his magazine was finally empty, the guy took only a few steps back before collapsing.

Once again that day, the boy let out a sigh. That rush left him tired, he thought he was going to drop dead. All he wanted to do now plant his face in the mud beneath him. There, that was relaxing. The boy let out one more, good, long, and deep sigh. Finally, he felt at peace, like nothing else in the world could ruin this moment for him. He felt like dozing off, he almost started to. It helped that the mud was real soft, warm, and breathed at a soothing pace...

"This is not mud," his eyes flew wide open in shock.

"What Tootie wouldn't kill for this" Vicky said as Timmy leaped off her and on his feet like a cat doing party tricks. Startled beyond comprehension, the boy looked as if he were sitting right next to a tiger. Or tigress in this case. Breathing erratically, Timmy struggled to find the words to set things straight. But his mouth kept fumbling and tongue kept twisting. While he was trying to figure out what syllables matched, Vicky had gotten up walked over to him. Landing an open palm on his back the same way Francis did, she nearly knocked him over. At the moment though, it seemed like she had manage to break him out of his mindless chatter. Timmy looked up at her, not sure what to say or how to apologize.

"I-I-I-" he had no idea what to do.

"Good game Twerp," Vicky grabbed his hand and shook it.

"Huh?"

"We annihilated the enemy team, and with time to spare," she explained. "So good game."

"But I-"

"Didn't I tell you this would be fun."

Timmy was quiet this time. All he could do was stare at her for a while, watching as she smiled down on him. This smile wasn't one that belong to his evil babysitter, there was no alternative motive to it. It was simply an honest smile. He wouldn't go as far as to say it was affectionate, but it was obviously a sincere and enjoyable smile. Taking a moment to think, he had to admit that she was right. This did turn out to be fun. Heh, having fun with Vicky...

"So, what say, you and I ditch this place," said the girl before resting her arm on his head. "The fun doesn't necessarily have to stop, does it?"

Timmy was quiet for a moment, and then he smiled.

"No, it doesn't."

---

It was later that day when Vicky drove Timmy home. They had spent the rest of the day at the mall, walked around some stores, saw a movie, and eventually got chased by security. Vicky's version of fun involved a lot of things, some of which that Timmy would never think about doing. But he would not lie, he did have fun with her today.

He could not get over the fact that he was actually hanging out with her in such a great way. He expected today to be the worst day ever. Though it might not have been the best it was getting close. He glanced her quickly out of the corner of his eye. Finally, his arch enemy was his friend. He had made peace with her and achieved a new level of insight on her. When Vicky finally pulled into the driveway, he almost felt a little sad. That was new, he had felt sad for Vicky and because of Vicky before, but not in a way where he found himself missing her. That was also new!

Stepping out the car, he made his way for the door. Before he turned the knob, however, he turned back towards her.

"Want to come inside?" he asked, hoping she would say yes. Shaking her head, the girl simply said "Sorry Twerp, I gotta head back home. College stuff to do."

"Oh...I see," he was a little disappointed. "Well see you again some other time."

"Yeah...you to kid," she replied. "Hey, you know...I really enjoyed today."

"Yeah, me to," he answered quickly, glad to have some excuse not to go inside just yet.

"Shame it's not a date, I might've considered giving you my number so we could do it again." Now he wanted nothing but to get inside of the house. His face went from normal to atomic red flat. "Course, if I remember correctly, you already know it so-" she was stopped when Turner put a finger over her lips.

"Please stop that," he said flatly.

Grinning, she replied "But it's so fun to see you get flustered."

Shaking his head, Timmy smiled weakly before saying "So..."

"So?"

"Friends?"

Vicky became quiet, closing her eyes as she began to think the matter over. It was a good few seconds before she replied, and by then Timmy was as nervous as he could possibly be.

"Friends," she smiled lightly as she gave her answer. Timmy let out a breath of air that he actually knew he was holding this time. Turning around, he walked slowly to the door of his house. When he grabbed the knob, he began to turn it slowly. It became even slower, this turning. It was almost as if he didn't want to open the door. He could feel an emptiness about.

"Hey Vicky?" he called.

"Hmm?" she answered as if she had been lost in thought.

Turning to her, the boy let go of the knob and faced the girl. He was half surprised to see that she wasn't looking at him and instead took interest in anything else but him. Only half surprised though, because the emptiness he felt was coming from her.

"You wouldn't be lying to me right now?"

There was a flicker in her eyes, a sign that he was getting somewhere.

"I'm Vicky, I lie to everybody," she shrugged off answering him directly. Timmy watched her for a moment, and then turned back to the door. He heard a sigh from behind him. "But, I'll make an exception this time." In an instant, Timmy walked away from the door and was at her side. They were quiet for some time, leaning against her car, but eventually she broke the silence.

"The thing is, I've done things in my life. Call me a villain or a bully, I'm all of those things," she said. "Because of that, I have grown a strong sense of morality. I'm not saying I do moral things, I do what I want regardless of the consequences so long as I think I can afford it. But I know when what I'm doing is right or wrong. Quite frankly, that sense is telling me that I can't tell you this one particular lie...and I don't want to either."

"We can't be friends...can we?" he said in a voice that had almost no sound. She looked down at him, giving a weak smile before shaking her head. Timmy felt his heart grow still, the world around him became null and ignorant of and to him. Taking a long breath to check and see if his lungs were still working, he asked her "Can you tell me why? Why this can't work out between us?"

She looked at him again, this time, though, it seemed that she was actually showing another form of emotion through her eyes. Pity for him, was she feeling pity for this kid.

"I'd rather not..."

"It's not something you can lie about to me, is it?" he said as she shook her head.

"It be best for both of us to stop right here," she said.

"...I say lets do it," he responded to her by getting of the car and facing. "I'm willing to do anything to change your mind, so please...tell me why can't be friends!"

Silence. Vicky closed her eyes and melted into that silence. It looked almost as if she slipped into one of her cat naps from before, only this time it seemed as if she would never wake up and was doomed to be a statue.

"It's because, I...you."

All the sound around him disappeared, it was as if a sound grenade had went off without him knowing and he was left to the after affects.

"What was that?" he felt like he was in a dream like state, his mind unable to perceive the reality around him "What did you say?"

"I said," she started again, opening her eyes to look down on him "I. Hate. You."

Timmy's legs grew week underneath him, he had no idea of how heavy he had gotten all of a sudden. He began to sway slightly, though to him it felt like a mountain was moving beneath him. He tripped slightly, and fell to the ground. Except, he never reached it. Focusing his eyes, he realized Vicky had caught him. She was helping him back up, and was even walking him over to the door. She was gentle with him, patient with him, and ever careful with him. When they finally were at the door, she took out a key that had been given to her by his parents a long time ago and suddenly the door had been cracked open. Timmy couldn't believe how easily she was handling him, it was like she were a model babysitter who took care of her charge.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why do I hate you? Why am I helping?" her had changed considerably from her usual tone. "First, let me explain why I treated you like I did for the past four years. When I met you, I felt something boil inside me. I just wanted to make you miserable the best way I could."

He listened quietly, her words were the only thing that made any sense to him now.

"And when college came around and your parents told me that I wouldn't be needed anymore, you know how I felt?" she asked, but he had no answer. "Unlike you, I felt real happy that I would never have to see your face again. That's true hatred, in my opinion. And then you call me on Monday, I felt like throwing the phone at my mom. But no, I thought, "I'm in the wrong here, maybe I'll give him a chance". Yet no matter how much I enjoyed today, I still return to hating you."

He was quiet once again.

"You want to know why I hate you?"

He didn't answer her.

"Come, it's real easy, just ask me."

Again he was quiet, but this time he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Movement, lots of it.

"If you hate me then why are you helping me."

She didn't answer.

"If you hate me, why did you bother with this in the first place?"

She still wouldn't answer, but instead Timmy's eyes caught something else.

"If you hate me...then why are you crying?"

Vicky's shaking became still. She looked down at him and Timmy could see the tears in her eyes.

"Because I don't know why I hate you," she said as the first one flowed down her cheek "All I know is that I can't stop, even though I want to."

Timmy felt like reaching out to her, holding onto her, as if he could somehow settle this in a way that words could never convene. But she took a step back.

"Please don't call me anymore," she said. "Please don't remember me like this anymore. Please, just forget how I was before. And please...please refrain from thinking of me anymore."

And with that, she was gone. Timmy didn't know for how long she had been gone, only that she had disappeared. Turning back to the door, he walked inside the house that he called home. On the inside, he saw candles lit everywhere. He saw Wanda and Cosmo, who's face was covered in claw marks, bruises, and kisses imprinted from lipsticks, siting on a huge bear in the room. They turned to him, surprised to see him standing there. They never got the chance to say anything though, for Poof was already on the case.

He flew in front of Timmy, holding his rattle in one hand and a tiny star in his little hands. At that point, Timmy remembered that his little brother had the other ear mic. He tossed those aside and flew straight into Timmy, applying all of his strength into giving his big brother a hug.

Timmy couldn't feel it, but you could hardly blame Poof. Timmy couldn't feel anything.

There was one thing, what was it? That fire of defiance that twinkled in his eyes, that spark which was trying to connect with his little brother. But then, it to disappeared.

His tears put it out.

---

FINALLY, I'm done with the chapter.

Sorry guys, I had no idea it would be this long...again.

Though the way you were talking about it, I'd figure you'd like the length.

Also, this is what you get for righting Spite hoagie...break my heart with literature and I do the same to you!

Nah I'm kidding, don't worry guys. I won't spoil anything, but you could say that I have my reasons for this chapter.

Things got to get ugly before they can get beautiful.

I hope you enjoy and I'll be back as soon as I can. Please leave your reviews.

Thank you and goodnight.