A/N: This chapter... SOOO hard to write! Also very hard to title.

Chapter 7: Misconceptions

Ralph groaned and arched his back a little. He'd always been a little slow to wake up, at least when allowed. He slowly started stretch himself awake. He stretched his face, and wiggled his toes. He wiggled his fingers too, with the intent to scratch at his chest. The fact that the fingers never made contact tipped him to an oddity in his environment. There was something next to him, pressed against his side. Whatever it was it was blocking his hand.

Not being entirely awake Ralph wasn't really sure about what to do about this. His groggy brain reasoned that he should find out what this thing was. Having an unknown thing in the bed with yourself just seemed like a bad thing.

Ralph thought about this. The easiest way to go about finding out, would be to look. But opening his eyes would mean he'd accepted that he was awake. That didn't really seem worth it. Whatever it was, it wasn't bothering him bad enough for that.

His arm was already draped around it, so it couldn't be all that bad. Inspiration sparked. He wiggled his fingers again, when that didn't tell him much he started to feel around. He rubbed the thing a bit. It was soft and... hairy?

Before Ralph could think too much on the texture of this mysterious thing it made a sound. A sweet, delicate, feminine moan reached his ears, and there was some wriggling.

Ralph's body reacted before his mind could even think about catching up. He shivered and emitted a happy sigh as he clutched a little tighter to the female form under his arm. A smile started to creep onto his face.

It was about this time that his brain finally woke up.

"Why is there a woman in my bed?" Ralph thought with a start. He began to open his eyes, but as he had started his head had rammed into his pillow stump. Ralph sat up suddenly and rubbed at his head with his free hand. His other hand had kept a tight grip on the woman next to him.

"Oomph!" Said the woman, who he'd clearly startled awake. Ralph managed to open his eyes, this time without incurring any head damage. What he saw... nearly gave him a heart attack.

It was Vanellope. This in itself wasn't really odd, but...

Her face was crammed into his chest, and she was sort of on her knees on the bed. The effect of him sitting up was that her arms were clutched around him and her back was somewhat arched, causing her re... skirt to be prominently displayed.

Ralph nearly choked.

"Gyaaah!" Ralph was off the bed and across the room faster than he ever thought he could move. He'd almost ran through the wall. Vanellope's precarious balance on the bed was toppled when she didn't let go of Ralph quite fast enough. She wound up on the floor.

"Geez Ralph! I wasn't trying to scare you awake THIS time!" Vanellope complained. She gave him an annoyed, but very surprised, look. Ralph saw how she was crumpled on the floor and felt a twinge of guilt as his heart rate slowed down.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Ralph didn't know exactly how to put it.

"It's just..." Ralph tried again. "Don't do that again, it's weird." He insisted as he gave up trying to explain it any more.

"What do you mean? I do that all the time." Vanellope insisted as she got herself up off the ground. She frowned as she straightened her skirt and brushed herself off.

Ralph was about to vehemently protest that fact, but then stopped. He could recall several times when she had fallen asleep in his arms as a little kid. She probably thought that counted as the same thing.

"It's... different now." Ralph said, rather lamely due to shell shock.

"What? No it's not." Vanellope insisted, sounding rather confused. "Why is it different?"

Ralph turned away and scratched at his neck nervously.

Vanellope recognized that behavior. Ralph wasn't telling her something. Something that he really didn't want her to know. She narrowed her eyes at him, examining his features and trying to find whatever clue he probably didn't know he was giving away. After a minute his eyes cut to her and looked her up and down before quickly cutting away again.

"Ralph!" Vanellope gasped, sounding wounded.

"What?!" Ralph asked quickly. Vanellope had never seen him look so guilty.

"You said what I looked like didn't matter!" Vanellope howled in an accusatory tone.

Ralph paused as his brain locked up. What did she...? The light dawned, but a little too late. Vanellope took his pause as a confirmation. Not only that, but she was going to tell him just what she thought about it.

"Ralph you are such a... Augh! I don't even know!" Vanellope screeched.

"Vanell-" Ralph started towards her.

"No!" Vanellope shoved at him. It didn't do anything, but it made him stop anyway. "I don't want to hear it! You're terrible! And awful! And... and, and the biggest hypocrite I've ever seen!" Vanellope continued.

Ralph thought about interrupting her again, but wondered if it would do any good. He almost preferred her misguided interpretation of events to the truth.

"What right do you have to be so awful about the way ANYONE looks?!" Vanellope went on. "With your stupid, stupid face and-!" She cut herself off with another scream. Suddenly her face got all screwed up.

Ralph really thought that she was going to go on a little more. She still looked really mad. But rather then starting to yell again her eyes started to well up with tears.

"Vanellope..." Ralph said softly. He started to put his arm up but Vanellope slapped it.

"Oh just... shut up! You stupid, ugly, jerk!" Vanellope howled. After a moment she ran out the door.

"Vanellope!" Ralph called after her. He didn't run after her, like he felt like he probably should. He didn't really have the heart. He just stood there, feeling stupid, and more than a little hurt.

After a moment he looked out his back window. Vanellope was in her kart, but she hadn't started the engine yet. She was, sensibly, calming down before she took off. For as fast as she went she was certainly never reckless.

Ralph just stood there looking at her as she calmed down and wiped her eyes. After another few moments she started the engine and left. Ralph shook his head with a dejected sigh.

+++[Sugar Rush...]+++

Vanellope clutched a pillow to her chest as she held back tears. She stared into a mirror on the wall as her lip trembled. She was determined to find just exactly what it was that Ralph seemed to find so strange. What about her appearance made being near her cause to panic? She probably couldn't change it, but if Ralph suddenly hated her... She was at least going to figure out why.

A/N: I feel so mean. Soooo, anyway, on a few unrelated notes... Feel free to search "Adult Vanellope WIP" in DeviantArt to see the art I'm working on. Also, I really liked a couple of the names you guys came up with. Particularly Chikki Verma and Damien Devilscake. Though I was thinking of changing his name to Forrest so that I can add cherries and make his hair coconut looking. Like a Black Forrest Cake. And for Chikki her bindi can be a peanut! I thought that was clever. Thanks to Cat That Roared for Chikki's name and thanks to Blak-Ice for Damien Devilscake.

Review Response:

Jeh-nee, BoredParanoia - your reviews made me really REALLY want to get this chapter out fast, so I hope Ralph's reaction didn't disappoint. You guys made me feel like "OMG, even I want to know what happens next!" even though I had some idea of what I was going to do anyway.