The city was burning. And by her hand no less, she had never particularly liked Dimmsdale (or Brightburg but it was a city sized crater now so it mattered little) but she wondered if her family had escaped or not, she knew Tootie did she was the only person she warned after all. Her parents might have been warned by Tootie but they didn't deserve to escape after what they had done to her, cast her out, their own flesh and blood!

She never had many friends, the other babysitters, of which she was the de facto leader were never really her friends just pawns in a game she could no longer remember and she knew they hated her anyway, no she didn't have friends, well, perhaps she did have one, him, he had been spared her wrath. She extended the offer to him before she began to burn the cities and he had hesitated, she couldn't blame him what she offered was safety but at a tremendous cost, his family and his friends would not enjoy the safety the would burn in their cities.

Eventually one week later he accepted her offered hand and joined her in her ship which was best described as a helicarrier she supposed, she had seen one in some movie and loved the idea from the start, granted it would be expensive but for Vicky money was no object. She had asked him why he would join her, (not to say she didn't want him there if he had refused she likely would have forced him into it anyway, she wouldn't, couldn't, leave him to die like the others and she suspected why she felt this way) and he told her he didn't know but when he said this and their eyes met his blue and hers pink she could see it, the reason, and she embraced him and could feel his body shake ever so slightly from sobbing and for a second she wondered how someone like her who destroyed so much could possibly be loved by someone like him.

"Better not to think about it." She thought to herself.

When you read the stories about how good always wins and the big bad is defeated you thought that's how it's supposed to be right? Except that isn't how it went she had won and no one could stand against her. Unbeknownst to her, it was because he had intervened, in this world he had stopped everything that could have stopped her with the magic from his fairies, he knew what she was doing, destroying everything, but some emotion deep within him wanted her to be okay, wanted her to survive, and wanted her to win. And so she did and even if she never knew it was he who kept her safe and even if the world collapsed around them he was happy that she reciprocated the feelings that he himself did not understand.

She stood now at the bridge window of the carrier in an outfit that was unusual for someone of her current station, she had imagined herself to be wearing a dictator's outfit or a soldier's uniform, or maybe even an evil catsuit but instead she wore her green tank-top, her hair in a ponytail, white shorts, and sandals, not her usual attire but she felt the whole evil dictator look was far too cliché. She heard footsteps approaching from behind; he was trying to sneak up on her but evidently wasn't as good as he thought he was, still, she would play along. She felt his arms snake around her waist, he was taller now but still shorter than her.

"I honestly thought you'd wear something more evil for someone who was systematically destroying every city, town, and person she didn't like."

"You're not very sneaky and besides those evil outfits are far too cliché for someone like me."

Ignoring the blow to his ego he continued:

"Well let me just say I much prefer this outfit to those."

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

She didn't have to turn around to know that his face was turning red.

"He is still so easy to tease." She thought.

An introspective about what she was doing could wait, she wanted some affection, a need born from her parents love towards Tootie and lack of it towards her, not to mention the drinking and hitting by her father, there was that too. She spun around in his grasp so she could face him and, as she had guessed, his face was tinted just slightly pink (though this was admittedly hard to tell with the light of a dying city pouring in) and leaned in towards his face so they were only centimeters apart, the tint darkened to a rosier red.

"Glad to see I still have this effect on you Twerp."

Over time (though he was uncertain as to when the change occurred) the nickname Twerp became less insult and more term of endearment even before they had entered this... relationship. He certainly no longer minded being called Twerp, but when they were alone and behind closed doors away from all prying eyes she would call him Timmy and he felt even more emotion from her and more love towards her during these times.

She pulled him closer and felt his lips on hers and she felt that even with a burning city behind them that all was right with the world. She tried to deepen the kiss-

CLICK

Vicky awoke to the sound of the front door being unlocked. She remembered going to sleep on the couch because she wasn't feeling well but wondered exactly how long she had been out, she looked outside and saw that it must have been around the hour of twilight. The only person who had keys were Timmy, his parents, and now her and seeing as how they were probably halfway to Tibecuador by now, process of elimination left her with Timmy finally being back.

"God, what a weird dream, me and the Twerp? I must be losing my mind that or someone in my brain is really sick! I wonder if it was dream at all or a glimpse into another reality."

Now one might question the other things in the dream like the flying death fortress or the burning cities but these weren't particularly unusual for Vicky's dreams only the part about Timmy was.

She could hear Timmy attempting to stealthily make his way through the house.

"Still not very sneaky." she mused.

Thinking quickly she rested her head on her pillow and closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. Without being able to see she could hear ever so slightly better and he was beginning to say something.

"I guess she is kind of pretty when she isn't trying to kill me or torture me or yelling at me."

"What am I saying?! This is Vicky! The girl who is evil!" he thought to himself.

"And pretty." And just like that his very thought s betrayed him and he decided it would be better to slink off to his room and postpone the inevitable torture (or death) she had planned for him.

Of course Vicky heard this and, waiting until she heard his bedroom door close to erupt in a (barely controlled) fit of giggles, though at the same time she felt the slightest flutter in her heart, where people claimed there must only be a black hole. It was so slight that she barely noticed it, but notice it she did, and it scared her and made her happy at the same time to think that while she had feelings for him he might in fact, feel the same or at least similarly towards her. But fear would win out for now and she sealed those thoughts away.

"Better to think on them later."

Timmy's parents had told her to make sure that he stayed out of the liquor cabinet but she was beginning to feel like she may need a drink at this rate. It was then that a thought occurred to Vicky, the Turner's had not told her where she was supposed to sleep. She most certainly wasn't going to sleep on the couch all summer and she wasn't about to use Timmy's parents room either, which only left hoping that there was a guest room or...

"Stealing Timmy's bed from him." A smile graced her lips.

"Or sharing the bed with him." This thought was... unwelcome to say the least.

"Grr... Bad thoughts! Bad bad thoughts!" Vicky was not in the mood for an internal conflict today especially one that could lead to serious trouble if not approached in the right way.

"Right way?! I'm actually considering this?! Never mind what my heart flutters at or wants, this is seriously messed up!"

Vicky slapped herself once, twice across the face and then followed with some deep breathing.

"Okay, everything's fine I'm fine. Just need something to take my mind off of all this... I know! Mind numbing video games!"

Vicky's interest in video games had grown since she started babysitting Timmy and she had to admit, it was a great way to blow off steam... unless you got angry and threw a controller... or console... or couch. Well it didn't matter it wasn't hers anyway if she broke it, it was just something she could blame Timmy for breaking.

"Or replace yourself."

"And why would I do that me?" As soon as the question left she wished she could have reeled it back.

"Because you like him."

It was going to be a long first night for Vicky at the Turner house.