Chapter 4: Just In Time

"Location: Richmond, Virginia, April 17th 2087"

A few more days passed, and it was now the last day. The arcade had closed, but instead of Timothy going to visit Crumbelina, he just went back to his castle and laid down on his bed. He was even more confused by these new feelings and wanted to figure them out once and for all. Why was it more painful then ever to be apart from Crumbelina, especially when he could see her through the game screens? It just didn't make any sense. And it also didn't make sense for his heart to beat faster whenever he was near her or even while he was thinking about her. Then he heard a knock at the door, and he sat up.

"Come in." Timothy called out.

His third cousin, Axel, came inside.

"Hey, Timothy? I was wondering if there was anything wrong?" Axel asked.

Timothy shrugged.

"Not really. I've just been feeling weird lately and I wanted to figure out why. It's weird." Timothy replied.

Axel looked both confused and suspicious.

"Weird how?" Axel asked.

Timothy frowned.

"Well, being apart from Crumbelina has been getting painful, and my heart keeps beating fast around her for some reason." Timothy replied.

Axel beamed and even looked as if he was about to cry.

"Timothy, look at yourself in the mirror." Axel ordered.

Timothy looked at Axel.

"What?" Timothy asked, confused.

"Just do it." Axel replied.

Timothy gave in and did what Axel ordered him to do. Once he did, his mouth dropped open in shock.

"Honeyglows?" Timothy asked. He touched his cheeks and started to say "Hold on, but that means...".

Axel grinned.

"Timothy, you've been getting those feelings because you've fallen in love with Crumbelina." Axel said. He then said "Oh, this is wonderful. I was hoping you'd find someone. And Crumbelina is the perfect someone for you, especially since you two already have such a strong bond.".

However, Timothy wasn't as sure as Axel about it being wonderful.

"Yeah... so, what should I do now?" Timothy asked.

Axel rolled his eyes, amused.

"Tell her, of course. And you should do it soon because I lost track of how long the potion was supposed to stay in effect, but I think the last day is almost here." Axel replied.

Timothy still was unsure.

"Right..." Timothy said.

Axel chuckled.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Good luck, Timothy... not that I think you'll need it." Axel said.

Timothy sighed.

"Bye, Axel." Timothy said.

Axel then left. Meanwhile, Timothy just groaned. Had he actually fallen in love with Crumbelina? He didn't know what to do. He knew that he probably should tell her, but what if his feelings weren't as real as Axel assumed? Timothy finally decided to ask Clyde and Zangief about it, because whenever he had problems, they always had known the right thing to say before.

"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, April 17th 2087"

Timothy arrived at Game Central Station and tracked down Zangief.

"Zangief, there you are. I need to talk to you and Clyde." Timothy said with relief.

Zangief looked concerned.

"Sure thing. Is anything wrong?" Zangief asked.

Timothy rubbed the back of his head.

"I'll tell you once the three of us are alone." Timothy replied.

Zangief nodded understandingly.

"Of course." Zangief said.

The two of them headed for Pac-Man and went to see Clyde. Clyde didn't leave his game as much as Pac-Man because he wanted to be ready in case one of the game characters wanted to see him about something. Clyde smiled as Timothy and Zangief approached him.

"Timothy, Zangief, always great to see you." Clyde greeted. However, his smile dropped when he saw Timothy's face, and he asked "Is anything wrong, Timothy?".

"Kind of. You know about Crumbelina becoming an adult, right?" Timothy asked.

Clyde and Zangief nodded.

"Well, lately, I've been feeling weird about her, and after talking to Axel just a few minutes ago, I found out why." Timothy said. He took a deep breath and then said "I've fallen in love with her.".

"But, Timothy, this is wonderful news!" Zangief said, beaming.

"Indeed. Not all of us are lucky enough to find the one." Clyde said, agreeing with Zangief.

"But, what if Crumbelina isn't the one? I mean, what if my feelings are just because of her new look? What if my feelings aren't true?" Timothy asked.

Zangief shrugged.

"Well, I never really had girlfriend before. But if you are so worried, then it is possible that your feelings are true." Zangief replied.

"Yeah, but if they aren't, then I could end up hurting Crumbelina And obviously, I don't want to hurt her." Timothy said.

Clyde chuckled.

"Timothy, that fact alone proves that your feelings are true. You care more about her feelings then about ending up with her. That's selfless love, and selfless love is always true." Clyde said.

Timothy smiled, starting to feel better.

"Really?" Timothy asked.

Zangief waved a hand dismissively.

"Of course. You are putting her before yourself. So, you care more about her then yourself. Meaning, you should go tell her before it is too late." Zangief replied.

Timothy grinned.

"Yeah, I should. Thanks, guys." Timothy said.

Clyde smiled.

"Anytime, Timothy." Clyde said.

Timothy left to hang out with Crumbelina and admit his feelings. As he entered Sugar Rush and neared her, he found his heart beating even faster, and he realized that he had never noticed how beautiful she really was before. He composed himself before he could look lovestruck though. He also now realized that he didn't want to just tell her willy-nilly because he wanted it to be more special then that.

"Hey, Crumbs." Timothy greeted. He then asked "What do you want to do today?".

"Something really special and that we haven't done before or haven't done in a long time." Crumbelina replied. She then got an idea and asked "Hey, how about we hang around the candy cane forest? We haven't been there in months.".

Timothy chuckled.

"Okay, but I'm not climbing any that's growing in the middle of taffy. I don't want to accidentally grab a double-stripe and land in the taffy." Timothy replied.

Crumbelina giggled.

"I don't blame you. That stuff is a pain to get off. How about we just hang around the ones without taffy? We can play hide and seek, as well as climb them." Crumbelina asked.

"That works." Timothy replied.

So, they headed for the candy cane forest, and played hide and seek and climbed trees. While they did, Crumbelina accidentally grabbed a double-stripe and ended up falling. Fortunately, Timothy caught her, which made both their hearts skip a beat as they looked at each other. Crumbelina awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.

"You'd think I would know better then to grab a double-stripe, since I've lived here for the past 90 years." Crumbelina said.

Timothy shrugged and he gently set her down.

"Well, you weren't paying attention." Timothy said.

"Yeah." Crumbelina said.

What Timothy had said was true because Crumbelina did have Timothy on her mind at the time.

They continued playing until the sun started to set. So, they decided to watch it.

"Say, when's the Random Roster Race?" Timothy asked.

Crumbelina shrugged.

"It probably already happened, but that's okay. I just want to spend the rest of today with you. And I'm just really enjoying myself out here, especially since we had a lot of fun today. Your the best friend I could ever have." Crumbelina replied.

Timothy smiled.

"Yeah, your the best friend that I could ever have too." Timothy said.

The sun finished setting and the stars slowly started to come out. While games normally stayed either in daytime or nighttime, Vanellope had inputted a nighttime option into the Code Room not long after the reset back in 2012. It happened almost directly after she saw what nighttime looked like when she and the other Wreck-It Ralph characters had first left the arcade and went to the party celebrating the release of Wreck-It Ralph in theaters at the Walt Disney Company headquarters in Burbank, California. She had found the stars so beautiful that she wanted her subjects to be able to see them as well without going through the danger of leaving Sugar Rush.

"You want to watch the rest of the stars come out?" Timothy asked.

Crumbelina nodded and laid down.

"I guess so. And it's a good thing that tomorrow is a day off." Crumbelina replied.

Timothy nodded and also laid down.

"Yeah. We can stay here as long as we want. As long as you get back before the day after, of course." Timothy said.

Crumbelina sighed.

"Yeah." Crumbelina said.

They watched the stars come out for a while. Crumbelina's heart pounded anxiously because she knew that it wouldn't be long until the potion wore off. It was 11:45 PM when she took it, so it would wear off at 11:45 PM. A while back, she had added a watch to her outfit, so that she could make sure of the time while she was busy, and she looked at it. She immediately regretted looking because there was less then fifteen minutes left until 11:45 PM.

Timothy suddenly sat up. He hadn't said anything about his feelings before because he had been scared of Crumbelina turning him down, but then he realized that if he didn't tell her before she turned back into a kid, then he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"Crumbs, I have to tell you something." Timothy said.

Crumbelina sat up too and looked into his eyes. She honeyglowed because she could see love in his eyes. Could it be true? She hoped so, but she didn't say anything in case she was wrong. Plus, she wanted Timothy to kiss her on his own, not in reaction to her loving him.

"I... uh... that is... I..." Timothy stuttered. Timothy groaned and then stuttered "What I'm trying to say is... I... I mean I...".

It was no use. The words kept getting stuck in his throat.

"Man what is wrong with me? I can't seem to say what I want to say." Timothy asked.

Crumbelina chuckled, despite her anxiety.

"Heh, you do sometimes have trouble finding the right thing to say. I guess you're more of a man of action." Crumbelina replied.

Timothy was stunned. Of course, that's why he was having trouble admitting his feelings: he didn't know how to say them. He thought of other ways that he could let Crumbelina know of his feelings, but only one thing came to mind. And that thing made him honeyglow. He had no choice, though. It would probably take him too long to tell her how he felt.

Crumbelina, meanwhile, was growing even more anxious. There was less then thirty seconds left.

"Forgive me for this." Timothy said.

Timothy then kissed her. Crumbelina eyes widened and her heart stopped. Then her heart started beating even faster and she returned the kiss. Timothy opened his eyes, caught off-guard. Then he saw Crumbelina's smile and tears of joy. He couldn't believe it. She loved him back? He decided to ask her later, because for now, he was just going to enjoy the kiss.

And enjoy the kiss he did, same with Crumbelina. They even felt a special connection through the kiss, which Crumbelina had hoped then later expected to happen. In Timothy's case, he knew about the 'connection' due to asking his father, Aron. how he knew his mother, Lucy, had been the one. So, Timothy had only started hoping that it would happen to him and Crumbelina after he talked to Zangief and Clyde about his feelings.

After some minutes, they finally stopped to breathe. Crumbelina hugged Timothy overjoyed.

"I was starting to think that you would never return my feelings." Crumbelina said, tears of joy still rolling down her cheeks.

Timothy was stunned.

"Return? Wait, you mean that you've loved me this whole time?" Timothy asked.

Crumbelina honeyglowed.

"Yes, you see... it's the real reason why I took the potion." Crumbelina replied.

"But that means... you've loved me for around a month." Timothy said, still stunned.

"A little over. I realized my feelings for you the day before I first wasn't at the Random Roster Race. You see, I was looking at a photo of you and I realized how much you really do mean to me. Once I did know of my feelings, I decided to find a way to become an adult." Crumbelina explained.

"But why?" Timothy asked.

"Vanellope told me that adult/kid relationships weren't approved of around here. And I didn't want you to become an outcast." Crumbelina replied.

Timothy was touched that she cared about him that much.

"Truthfully, I found out about my feelings earlier today when Axel told me. That was why I was late. I wanted to talk to Zangief and Clyde about it, and I wanted to make sure that my love was true and not just because of your appearance." Timothy said.

Crumbelina gazed at him before showing him her watch.

"Your love is true, Timothy. The potion was supposed to wear off at 11:45... and it didn't." Crumbelina said.

Sure enough, by now, it was midnight

"It didn't... then the kiss made it permanent?" Timothy asked, now happy that Crumbelina was a permanent adult.

"Partially. It mostly had to do with you sincerely loving me back." Crumbelina replied. She then sighed and said "I love you, Timothy.".

"I love you too, Crumbelina." Timothy said.

They then hugged for a long time. Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

"Location: Litwak's Arcade, The World Of Disney, April 18th 2087"

The next thing that Timothy and Crumbelina knew, they were being gently poked. They groggily opened their eyes to find Duncan, Wynchel, Sour Bill, Vanellope, and the other racers surrounding them. Timothy and Crumbelina bolted upright, startled and a bit embarrassed. They then saw that it was daytime.

"Wow, we've been here all night?" Crumbelina asked, stunned.

"We've must have fallen asleep during the hug." Timothy said. He then said "Uh, hi guys. We're sorry to worry all of you.".

Duncan smiled.

"It's okay. We all already know about Crumbelina's feelings for you, so we're just glad that you returned them." Duncan said.

"Yeah, she told us why she took the potion and when it was supposed to wear off." Wynchel explained.

"I'm glad that you guys are okay with this." Timothy said with relief.

"Well, duh. I mean, come on, your not just Crumbelina's friend. Your our friend, and not to mention, one of the best friends that we could ever have." Snowanna said.

She then smiled at Crumbelina, and Crumbelina smiled back.

"Yeah, even though your not a racer, we still think of you as one of us." Gloyd said.

"Yep. You'll always have a special place with us." Nougetsia said.

Vanellope, the other racers, Sour Bill, Duncan, and Wynchel agreed.

"Thank you, everyone." Crumbelina said. She then turned to Timothy with a slightly concerned look and asked "So, Timothy, do you think that your family will be as acceptive?".

"Axel certainly will. He was very happy when he realized that I had fallen in love with you. I don't know about the others, but my parents should be okay with it too. And I know Zangief and Clyde are really happy about it." Timothy replied.

Crumbelina smiled.

"That's good. At least you have some supporters." Crumbelina said.

"Yeah. So, how do you want to tell everyone else?" Timothy asked.

Crumbelina thought it over.

"Well, Ralph, Felix, Tamora, Turbo, Zangief, and Clyde should know first. After that, I don't care who finds out when." Crumbelina replied.

"I agree." Timothy said. He got up and stretched and then asked "How about we go tell them now?".

Crumbelina grinned.

"I'm with you on that idea." Crumbelina replied. She then turned back to the others and said "I'll be back later today, everyone.".

"Take your time, Crumbelina." Citrusella said.

Crumbelina nodded, and she and Timothy left.

After talking to Vanellope, the Sugar Rush racers, Sour Bill, Wynchel, and Duncan, Timothy and Crumbelina went and found Zangief and Clyde. Since it was a day off. Clyde was out socializing, instead of back in Pac-Man. Zangief and Clyde ended up seeing them first, and Zangief ran up to them with Clyde not far behind.

"Ralph, Crumbelina!" Zangief greeted.

Timothy smiled.

"Ah, good, we were looking for you two." Timothy said.

Timothy and Crumbelina were holding hands, so Zangief and Clyde knew how things turned out right away. Clyde smiled.

"I knew it would work out, Timothy." Clyde said.

Zangief clapped a hand on Ralph's shoulder.

"Yes, you are very lucky." Zangief said.

Crumbelina grinned.

"I'm the one who's lucky. Timothy is really a hero." Crumbelina said.

"You can't argue with that." Clyde said.

"Hey, you two." a voice greeted.

It just so happened to be Tamora. She had been taking a casual walk around Game Central Station and had noticed Timothy and Crumbelina talking to Zangief and Clyde, and she had noticed the happy looks that they had.

"So, what's the good news?" Tamora asked.

"We'll tell you in a moment. But first, we want to get to Niceland so we can tell you, Felix, Ralph, and even Turbo at the same time." Timothy replied.

"That sounds good." Tamora said.

So, they said goodbye to Zangief and Clyde, and then left. They briefly went to Turbotime and got Turbo, and they told him that they needed to speak with him in Niceland. They then went to Fix-It Felix Jr. and went up to Felix and Tamora's house, which was in back of the Niceland apartments. Felix was there, as well as Ralph, who had decided to visit, since the arcade was closed for the day.

"Have a nice walk, Tammy?" Felix asked as he opened the door.

Tamora smiled.

"Yes, I did." Tamora replied.

"Oh, hello, Timothy, Crumbelina, and Turbo. What brings you three" Felix started to greet. He then looked at Timothy and Crumbelina, and asked "Wait, did you two...".

Timothy and Crumbelina nodded, grinning, as Crumbelina wrapped her arms around Timothy's arm. Felix beamed.

"Oh, I knew it. This really is wonderful!" Felix exclaimed.

"Knew what?" Tamora asked.

"They're in love, Tammy." Felix replied.

"Really?" Tamora asked, surprised. She then smiled and "Well, congratulations, you two. You know, I did notice that you two had a special connection, but I didn't know it was this special.".

Crumbelina blushed.

"Well, there's more to the story then that." Crumbelina said.

"How about you two come in and tell us then?" Felix asked.

"That's exactly why we're here." Timothy replied.

So, Timothy, Crumbelina, and Turbo went inside and sat down. Timothy and Crumbelina then told Ralph, Felix, Tamora, and Turbo the truth about the potion. The four of them were stunned.

"So, you actually loved Timothy this whole time? How come you never said anything before?" Ralph asked.

"I wanted Timothy to love me on his own, not as a reaction to me loving him." Crumbelina replied.

"Selfless love." Turbo muttered. He then said "Since you both have selfless love for each other, then it's safe to say that you'll be together forever.".

Felix honeyglowed at Tamora and took her hand.

"Just like me and Tammy." Felix said.

Tamora just smiled and kissed his forehead. However, Timothy and Crumbelina blushed.

"Um, it's a bit early for that talk." Timothy said.

"Yeah, I'd rather stick to talking about dating." Crumbelina said.

"Exactly... how are we going to do it?" Timothy asked.

Crumbelina shrugged before smiling.

"Well, nothing's really changed between us. It's just gotten better, so we can still hang out like we did in the past. But now, we can do other things, like have dates at Tappers or anywhere else. And when we hang out in Sugar Rush, we can add things like this." Crumbelina replied.

Crumbelina kissed him on the cheek, and Timothy smiled.

"That sounds perfect." Timothy said.

So, that's what Timothy and Crumbelina did. They hung out as usual, but also had dinner dates at Tappers or some other location, such as other parts of The World Of Disney, The World Of Nickelodeon, or the real world, or they had picnics in Sugar Rush.