It was another beautiful, sunny day in Fair City, and Tobey was taking a walk through the park. His mind was flooded with thoughts about his favorite girl, Becky, as usual. Since she left for Lexicon, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. He thought about how much he cared about her, about how much he hoped she'd come home soon, about how much he wished he could know for sure whether or not she felt the same way right now, or if she was too caught up in the wonders of her home planet to care at all about Earth. He thought about her beautiful brown eyes, about how he could stare into them for hours, about how her eyes were like hypnotic orbs.

Yeah, he missed her.

Just then, there was a faint sound of a man screaming for help.

"Heeelllpp! The Butcher is robbing the jewelry store! HEeeellp!" The man screamed as he approached Tobey.

"Wait, is this the police station?" He asked, confused.

"No. This is the park. The police station is downtown, that way," Tobey answered, pointing him in the right direction. "How do you always manage to say that at the right time and place?"

"I dunno," The man said. "Maybe I know more than I let on to know…maybe I'm just conveniently stupid. Who knows, kid."

Then, the man suddenly went running and screaming in the direction Tobey pointed him in, leaving Tobey confused.

But, the man's original warning message suddenly rang in Tobey's mind, so he shoved the thought away and rushed downtown, calling for his robots with his remote.

~…~

On another side of town, Sally and Tim sat in the living room, looks of worry embedded deeply in their faces.

"What are we going to do about him? He's still angry about Becky." Sally asked.

"I don't know. He seems like he wants to admit he doesn't care anymore that she lied to us for so long, but for some reason won't." Tim answered.

"He needs to talk to someone about it. That's the only way he's going to express his emotions in a healthy way. We can't let him hang on to it. But who can he talk to that will understand?" Sally explained. The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Tobey." Tim said, his eyebrows creased in total seriousness.

Sally was silent for a moment longer as she thought about the idea.

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense." Sally said. "After all, he does know what it's like to admire Wordgirl, and what it's like to find out who she really is. He probably knows what it's like to rethink how he feels about Wordgirl after he finds out her secret identity."

"Yeah. They've lived almost the same scenario, so I seriously think Tobey could give TJ some very helpful advice on how to accept this. Maybe we should give it a try." Tim said.

"Yes, I'll call his house to see if he's available." Sally said, getting up and grabbing the phone to call the McAllister home.

~…~

As Tobey was watching the Butcher get forced into the paddy wagon, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Becky's parents standing behind him.

"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Bottsford, hello," Tobey greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We need your help." Sally said.

"Help? Is someone in danger? What's the matter?" Tobey asked worriedly.

"No one is in danger, we just want to know if you can talk to TJ. Ever since he learned about Becky being Wordgirl, and ever since she left, he's been miserable and angry. He hasn't shown that he's grown since he learned about all of this. We know you went through something similar, so we were hoping that you'd talk to him, give him some advice, help him cope." Sally explained hopefully.

Tobey was silent for a moment. The fact that they, the owners of the home he'd attempted to destroy on several occasions, had asked him for help, made him think of just how far he's come.

"I'd love to help. I know it can be hard to deal with that." Tobey said with a smile.

Tim and Sally took Tobey back to their house and led him to TJ's room, explaining the situation to him outside TJ's closed bedroom door.

"He's been spending all his time in his room. He only comes down for dinner, or to leave the house and hang out with his friends. He'll never come down to talk to us, and if we try talking to him, he'll give us the silent treatment." Sally explained.

"Okay, I'll talk to him. Even if he doesn't seem like he's listening, I have a feeling he secretly is." Tobey said. Tim knocked on TJ's door.

"TJ, there's someone here who wants to talk to you." Tim said. But there was no response.

"TJ, this young man wants to help you." Sally said. At the mention of himself as a 'young man', Tobey smiled and puffed out his chest a little.

Tim and Sally sighed.

"TJ, I can help you more than you think. You don't have to say anything, just listen to what I have to say." Tobey said. It was silent for a moment before TJ got up and opened his door.

"What do you want?" He snapped angrily, arms folded.

"I want to help you get over this whole thing about your sister." Tobey said.

"How can you help me? And what makes you think I need help?" TJ snapped. Tobey moved into TJ's room and sat down on the bed, patting for TJ to sit down next to him. Tim and Sally left them alone and went downstairs. TJ sat down next to Tobey.

"Because I've been through almost the same thing you have. I admired Wordgirl when I was younger, and I was completely blind to the possibility that if I got to know her secret identity, I wouldn't feel the way I thought I'd feel about her, or who she really is. But things changed, and so did I. I realized that there are more important things in life than being evil and angry, so I became good. I realized that once in a while, you've got to stop and smell the roses. But most importantly, I learned that I was truly capable of being good, and your sister showed me that." Tobey said as he poked TJ's chest as he emphasized saying your. "And I don't mean your sister Wordgirl, the amazing, 'i-can-do-anything' superhero, I mean the ordinary, run-of-the-mill, average human in disguise sister Becky. That's the girl I fell in love with, not Wordgirl. I realized that once I discovered Wordgirl's secret identity."

The two were silent for a moment.

"But you know how I felt when I learned her true identity? For a split second, I was surprised. That moment when I first saw her transform into Wordgirl, acted as though it was a surprise, as if no one ever saw it coming. But then, after the initial shock, I rethought my whole life, my whole relationship with her. I saw how silly it was. I saw how foolish I'd been when I was evil, how foolish it was to chase a dream the way I'd been chasing it. I realized that the only way to follow my dreams was to trust her, and tell her that everything will be alright, and tell her that she is wrong about everything she thinks about herself." Tobey paused.

"You know how you said goodbye to her, how she sees it?" Tobey said. "She thinks you hate her, she thinks you think she has betrayed you, that she will never be forgiven. But I know that's not how you actually feel. I know you're just hurt that she didn't tell you sooner, but what you're not telling anyone is that you don't feel that way anymore. You just want to tell her you trust her, respect her decisions, and care for her deeply as your sister. But you have to wait until she returns, if she returns."

The two were silent again. TJ placed a hand on Tobey's shoulder as Tobey looked down to his feet, saddened by his own fears of his love not returning to him.

"Not if, when." TJ said with a smile. Tobey smiled.

"You're right, I shouldn't doubt. And hey, I know you're probably still iffy about me dating your sister, considering I have an untrustworthy past, and I've done some unforgiveable things to you guys, and that's okay. A lot has been thrown at you lately. I understand if you don't like me that much, but I assure you, I care as deeply about your sister as you do." Tobey said.

"Hey, I don't hate you. Even my parents don't hate you, and they really didn't like you before when you were evil. But once they saw how much Becky cared about you, even when you were just friends, they knew you couldn't be the bad kid you once were. And I feel that way too. We all know that if my sister sees so much good in you, you must be worth trusting." TJ said, patting Tobey's back.

"Thanks, kiddo." Tobey said with a smile, looking up to TJ. "That means a lot."

They were silent again.

"I do miss her, you know." TJ said with a sigh.

"I know, I do too. I miss her terribly. I miss everything about her, and I think about her all the time. But you wanna know my secret, how I hold my head up anyways?" Tobey asked. TJ nodded.

"If I start to miss her, I think about how happy she must be, seeing her real parents, her home world, who she was born to be. I think about how she is fulfilling a lifelong dream, and I know she's meant to make this journey. And suddenly, I feel better. And it makes me realize over and over again, what I have to do for her."

"And it works, just like that?" TJ asked. Tobey nodded.

"Sure does. After I think about that, I feel the need to uphold my duties. So I fill in as superhero, and I know I'm making her happy. And you know, making her happy is what really matters. It's about putting your own desires aside, becoming selfless. See, missing somebody is your mind's way of being selfish. You want them there with you, no matter how important their journeys to other places are. You know they're meant to make whatever journey they're taking, but you want them back by your side anyways. But thinking about them, about how happy they are making their journey, it makes that all go away. And all you feel then, is the need for them to be happy."

TJ nodded.

"You're pretty awesome, you know that?" He said.

"Yeah, I know." Tobey responded with a smile. "But hey, who's more awesome than a kid with a superhero for a sister?" He patted TJ's back once more before heading back downstairs.

~…~

As Tobey emerged from the staircase, he was greeted by TJ's parents. Upon seeing him come downstairs, they stood up and bombarded him with questions.

"How did it go? Were you able to reach him? Did you help him deal with this situation?" Sally asked.

"It went great. At first he wasn't very willing to listen to me, but then I gave him some very helpful advice, told him what I went through with Becky, and told him how I deal with all of it. After he heard all that I had to say, suddenly he was looking at everything in a new light." Tobey explained.

"So he's okay now?" Tim asked. Tobey nodded as the three sat down on the living room couch.

"He's back to normal now. Perfectly fine." Tobey said. He smiled as he heard the Bottsford parents sigh with relief.

"It's just been hard on us, having all of this thrust upon us so suddenly." Sally explained.

"I know, and Becky feels terrible about that. It's just that she was struggling with the decision of whether or not to tell you about the whole thing. But by the time she decided to go through with it, she couldn't wait any longer to leave. She had to go when she did. It is a lot to deal with, I know, but trust me when I say you did the right thing by letting her go. Isn't that all that matters?" Tobey said.

"It is, and we realize that, but the fact that our daughter was Wordgirl this whole time…it's just a lot to deal with, and we're dealing with it very slowly." Tim said.

"I know, it was hard for me at first too."

"But…our baby girl, our precious daughter…this whole time, she was a superhero, defeating bad guys on a daily basis, all while hearing from us all the time that she doesn't even compare to Wordgirl, that she can't possibly be Wordgirl. I can't believe that after all that, she still wants to be part of this family." Sally said.

"Well, of course she does. You two took her in without a single question about who she was. You didn't care where she came from, you just cared that she was safe and in your arms, and taken care of. You took her in when she was scared and nearly alone in a strange new world, even if you didn't know it. She is eternally grateful to you for that. She doesn't know what she'd do without you guys, that's why she's coming back. You didn't abandon her, so she won't abandon you." Tobey said.

They were silent in thought.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. You're a smart kid, a good friend, and a good boyfriend. We truly appreciate all your help." Tim said, patting Tobey's back. Tobey smiled.

"And I truly appreciate you believing that I have changed, and for letting me into your lives." Tobey said.

"Now, that's one decision we'll never regret or rethink. I think you and Becky were meant to be." Sally said with a smile. Tobey smiled back at them before the three embraced in one large hug.

I know what you're thinking, I KNOWWW, I KNOOOOWWW, WHAT THE HECK HAVE I BEEN DOING ALL MONTH LONG?! I SUCCKKKK! So why did it take me SOO LONGG to update? Well, my computer had to be taken to tech service to be removed of a virus or whatever the hell was wrong with it, but the tech people messed up royally and I hate them now cuz they're a bunch of morons…but anyways, it took a while for them to give me my CPU back, and for me to get all my programs back, including Microsoft Office, and I went on vacation for a week, and was away from home visiting family after that…its been a busy month. But I'm back now, so expect more regular updating. I'm beginning to wrap up the story, and after this one is done, I'll continue Changes. I'm still setting up everything for that story in this one, plus I wanna take it one story at a time now. I figured out that if I only have one story to focus on, I can pay more attention to detail and make it a better story. Plus it's a prequel, so its better read after this one is done.

AAAANNNDD that's my long explanation. So yeah. Review?