But It's MORE than Just Pie

by CandleHeadButt

A continuation of But It's Only Pie, Ralph and Vanellope find themselves baking pies alongside the Nicelanders of Niceland and discover that there is indeed more to the little NPCs than just pie. What will our wrecking hero and racer learn about these guys that no one else seems to know? Maybe this punishment isn't so bad.

4. Pumpkin

Chapter Four- Pumpkin

"He's not moving…." Sticky moaned as she poked the frog.

It had been a terrible week for the little racer. First she came in last place during the races, her head band snapped in two and now her pet frog had come under the weather?

Come under the weather? The polliwog had been sick for DAYS but it seemed no matter how many vets Sticky went to, the creature was not getting any better.

"I don't know what else I can do…." Sticky said sadly as she shoved the frog's pool into Minty's face. The green-mint sister scrunched her nose but forced a smile, lowering the pool down gently.

"It's okay Stix. We'll…we'll find someone to take him to."

The middle Mint sister whimpered, the candied frog still bunched within his plastic castle.

"I don't know if he's going to last much longer, Minty. He looks really ill!"

"Don't fret!" said Torvald "Maybe there s someone in tha arcade who can help! There's ALWAYS someone!"

---

"ONWARD TO NICELAND!" said Vanellope, marching with pride alongside Ralph. It was funny how days ago she was dreading going back to the apartments day in and day out but after getting to know some of the Nicelanders, Vanellope was enjoying her visits, Ralph sharing the sentiment as well.

The big man never knew that much about the little people, what with them refusing to be near him in the past but with simple pie-baking, he was starting to open up to them in a way he never imagined.

He actually LIKED his neighbors, he actually LIKED spending time with them.

"Who would have thought…."

"So who is next on tha hit-list?" asked Vanellope. Ralph poked his lips, rolling his eyes.

"Aaaaaiiii believe we have to visit a certain Mr. Norwood today."

"That's the one with freckles right?"

"Yeah, that's him!" laughed Ralph "Or as I like to call 'im, 'Why is that guy messing with Gene'?"

Vanellope snickered, "Hey, he MUST be one of the good ones then!"

"We'll just have ta wait…" Ralph warned "After all, we all know what caused this in tha first place, remem-bah?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ya don't have ta rub it in, Big Guy." Vanellope pouted, putting her hands in her pockets "This is a learnin' experience for BOTH of us, only because ya decided to shove your big booty into tha plans!"

"Hey, I get free pie outta it." Smiled the wrecker "Might as well join in!"

One trolley ride later, the two found themselves at Niceland which as usual was bustling with people cleaning up and making sure everything was in place for the next game.

"It's so weird ta see 'em clean up like this…" said Vanellope.

"How so?"

"Guess I still thought that you an' Felix did all the workin'….but I guess I know that's FAR from true."

"NORWOOD, PICK UP THE SLACK!"

That high-pitch scream could have only belonged to ONE Nicelander.

Gene.

"OH-HO-HO-HO! What was that?" laughed a voice. From her position, Vanellope could have sworn it was from another character, their voice sounding MUCH too deep to be a Nicelander.

"Norwood, for the love of CRIPES, I'm gonna-!"

"Norwood?"

Wrecker and racer rounded the corner, seeing the much 'beloved' Mayor squabbling with a male Nicelander, his bright red hair and snarky smile instantly noticeable.

"THAT…." Said Ralph, pointing over to the red-head "Is NORWOOD."

"THAT'S NORWOOD?!" gasped Vanellope, looking a tad disturbed "He doesn't' sound ANYTHIN' like a Nicelander!"

Ralph ducked behind Vanellope "Yeah, creepy ain't it? Wait til ya hear him SCREAM."

"No, no, no. NO NO NO!" said Gene "I am not playing this game with you tonight, Norwood!"

"Awww, but Genie!" the Nicelander smiled, making his huge green eyes as bright as possible.

"Oh, GOD."

"Didn't cha say ya wanted ta have more fun!"

"FFFF-UN." Gene hissed, taking Norwood by the collar of his sweater "FFFFF-UN is a day when I don't have to deal with you harassing me! FFFFF-UN is a day when I can go by without being told I have to get your freckled butt out of trouble! FFFFF-UN is-!"

"PIE!?"

The two men turned around, Vanellope grinning from ear to ear.

"Excuse me?"

"Fun is PIE, Mayor Gene!" the girl quipped, a finger in the air "An' I do believe it is, er, Mr. Norwood's turn to show us how to make one today."

"Why, is this tha Vanellope Von Schweetz I keep hearin' about?" Norwood chuckled, shoving Gene into a nearby bush.

"NYAAGH!"

"My, quiet the darlin' if I have ever seen one!" the red-head said in a gentlemanly manner.

Vanellope tittered, flicking her wrist "Oh, sir! You are just too KIND!"

"Why YEEEEES!" the Nicelander chuckled to himself "AS a Nicelander, it is my duty, MY RESPONSIBILITY, to ensure that all who come here are giving the greatest of welcomes and treatment!"

The man ran a hand through his hair, eyes twinkling as if to accent his 'charm', ignoring Gene climbing out of the bush behind him.

"Granted however, I am ALWAYS the most poised and mature Nicelander around!"

"BULLSHIT."

"Gene, there's a child here." Don yelled some distance away.

"Tha night is young, tha stars are goin' through that weird multi-color cycle I still don't get…." The red-head said with a sigh "We should not waste our time!"

"Norwood, hold up." Gene said, taking a hold of the man's shoulder rather hard "I want you to be on your BEHAVIOR with that kid, got it?"

Norwood arched a brow "Why-hy-hy-hy GENIE! Why would ya even THINK I would do somethin' ta embarrass ya?"

"I could hand you one of the many BOOKS of things you've done over the years to embarrass ALL of us." Gene frowned, crossing his arms "I just don't want Vanellope getting hurt under your 'directions'."

"Why so protective, Gene?" Norwood laughed "Geeze, you're actin' as if I was gonna shove tha kid in tha oven or somethin'! Or are ya tryin' ta act all big, bad, n' blue for MAAAAAAARY?"

The Mayor turned an unearthly shade of rose, steam popping up from above his head. He scowled deeply but then relaxed.

"Norwood?"

"Yes?"

"Ya wanna play THAT game…" the mayor smiled "How 'bout this?"

Norwood's eyes darted to and fro; just what was the Mayor thinking?

"I find out ya cause ANY ruckus tonight, then I'm tellin' Nel."

Now NORWOOD was the one blushing but from the look on his face, he was blushing worse than Gene.

"YA WOULDN'T DARE."

"I would, because I CAN." Gene smiled devilishly, mussing up Norwood's mass of hair "An' I sure hate to find out she kicked ya out AGAIN."

Norwood puffed, cheeks flaring, brows furrowing….

Gene grinning.

HE HAD LOST.

"Oh, FINE." The man said "Like I was gonna cause any trouble ANYWAY!"

"Be sure to watch out for his CATS as well!" Gene waved, turning on his heels.

"Cats?" Vanellope asked in curiosity "What CATS?"

---

*PHWEEEEEEEET!*

"I'm HOOOOOOOOOOME!"

Before a word could be uttered from racer or wrecker, a flurry of CATS appeared before them!

ALL TYPES OF CATS.

Round cats, fat cats.

Skinny cats, and small cats.

Cats that were orange, cats that were white.

Cats with all sorts of colors.

Come cats were normal, some cats were alien.

Some cats were low-res, some cats were high.

SO.

MANY.

CATS!

"Wow…." Vanellope said, not sure what to make of the scene "That….that IS a lotta cats."

Norwood picked up a rather LARGE orange cat, one that looked like it fit in proper with the Nicelander design, and rubbed her behind the ears.

"Daw, Sassy. We have visitors tonight!"

Ralph looked down, his feet twitching as cats flowed past his feet like water, some of them looking up at him with huge eyes and mewling loudly.

WHAT WAS HE SUPPOSED TO DO?!

"Er, good thing I'm not allergic!"

"Are ALL of these yours?" Vanellope gasped, picking up a ten-legged, Cyclops cat "Unless there is somethin' 'bout Niceland that I DON'T know an' SHOULDN'T know about!"

"What? No." Norwood said, looking a might shocked "I don't OWN all of these cats!"

"Then-?"

The man laughed richly, Vanellope still a little startled by how different he sounded compared to the Nicelanders she knew.

"Call it cat-sittin'…." The man smiled "We have so many people here, in tha arcade I mean, sometimes they need a lil help takin' care of their pets!"

"Cats especially?" smiled Ralph.

Norwood nodded "CATS especially. I try ta offer my services as much as I can with animals an' such. Over tha years, I've found a few strays an' make sure they're taken care of before someone else take 'em!"

"Then how many cats DO ya really have?" asked Vanellope "Ya have so many of 'em in here, which ones are tha NICELANDER cats?"

The man smiled again, whistling.

"Guys! FALL IN!"

The cats proved to be more aware than Ralph and Vanellope thought, five cats jumping out of the sea of felines and sitting gracefully on the couch before the guest, all at attention.

"Allow me ta introduce ta ya, Sassy, Opal, Boxy, Noodles, and Tombo!"

"Ya have a cat named NOODLES?"

"Yeah, these were the guys that CAME with tha game!" Norwood continued "But they don't mind sharin' tha place with a few brothers an' sisters, do they?"

The largest of the cats eyed Vanellope, the girl shivering at those eyes.

"Don't worry, Sassy may look intimdatin' but she's sweet." Said Norwood.

"An'…BIG. She's a very big Nicelander cat…."

"Why do ya think everyone calls her Catzilla?" Norwood smiled "Well, that or Methuselah-Kitty, whatever sounds better ta ya!"

Vanellope looked around; for an apartment filled with cats, it was surprisingly well kept and clean. NOTHING was out of place and nothing was dirty. Norwood seemed to have full control of EVERYTHING around him.

"Guys, rest!"

The cats all sat down, looking up at their master.

"Tha cat whisper-er-er-er!"

"Or maybe everyone was right!" Ralph whispered to Vanellope, pupils shrinking "Maybe he IS a cat!"

"So!" Norwood said, clapping his hands "Who's ready to make pie?"

Best to move on; the cats were looking at the two like fresh meat.

No one says no to the master.

Not a beat was missed as ingredients were gathered and tools were laid out. It was time to get the pie on!

"So, what pie do ya make?" asked Vanellope.

"Pum'kin, of course!" Norwood chuckled "What other pie would be perfect for me?"

"Oh, cherry maybe?" Vanellope joked "Ya look like a strawberry man!"

"It depends…" Norwood said, still smiling as he sliced fresh pumpkin pieces.

"Depends?" Vanellope gasped "Who could say NO ta strawberry pie?! I don't think even Satin could keep away!"

"I said, it DEPENDS." The Nicelander replied "Are they gonna be fresh? Tha berries, I mean."

Vanellope nodded "Of course, 'less ya like garbage berries!"

The Nicelander carefully measured the flour "The crust is gluten free?"

"Uh."

He then poured the EXACT amount of vanilla into a measuring spoon "No fakey-fake this or that? No artificial dyes, nothin' that requires me ta pull out tha scientist part of my grey matter ta pronounce?"

"Say, what's that gotta do with ANYTHIN'?" asked Vanellope.

"I hafta ask…" Norwood shrugged, the smile still on his face "Don't want me ta EXPLODE now do ya kiddo?"

"Wait, WHAT?"

Norwood seemed to ignore Vanellope's confusion, starting his work on the dough "Ah, just the right amount…"

"Hey, Mr. Norwood?" Ralph asked "What's tha deal with ya an' strawberry pie? What's all this stuff about ya EXPLODIN'?"

"Ah, it's not your faults! I'm allergic ta everythin' under tha sun so I hafta watch it!"

"YA ARE?!" Vanelloep glitched in shock. Norwood just nodded, as if nothing odd had been said.

"YUUUP. Can't eat fake dyes, nothin' with gluten in it, gotta stay away from hyper-refined junk. No this, no that. It it looks like it was made with nuclear waste-!" The man said, not missing a beat as he continued mixing the ingredients"'Ey, it's what I hafta live with. I'm fine with it!"

"S-So you're allergic to strawberries?"

"I already told ya kid, I'm allergic ta all the fake mess that went inta some pies. Including' that bland stuff that we were all programed ta make! But strawberries? Heh, lead me to 'em, I can eat all I want!"

Vanellope couldn't believe it. Norwood couldn't even enjoy the pies that automatically came with his game?

No wonder everyone preferred to make their own!

"Hey, don't look so shocked about it!" the man laughed, dusting the dough as he placed it in the tin "I've learned ta get around it an' HA! I'm still in one piece! Mostly!"

Vanellope mashed the pumpkin chunks in the bowl "It still sounds bad though. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't eat any of the sweets in my own game!"

"I'm sure your game is better for my health than most others!" Norwood chortled "From what I heard, tha sweets there are only tha best! Only top prime an' finest quality! Perhaps I should vacation there!"

"You're always welcome!" Vanellope smiled bright "EVERYONE is welcomed!"

The Vanellope who had heard the rumors a few days ago would have NEVER said something like that. The Vanellope from a few days ago would have still thought the Nicelanders were just playing up to Ralph, only to kick him out again.

But then again, the Vanellope from a few days ago had never actually MET the Nicelanders nor had she sat down with them.

The Vanellope from a few days ago would have missed out on a lot of GREAT things, pie being one of those things.

"Were tha original pies THAT bad?" Vanellope asked.

"URGH, they were TERRIBLE! I think Don PUKED when he tried a bite for the first time!" said Norwood.

"EW!" the girl said, wrinkling her nose "I can ONLY imagine it then! No, wait. No I don't want to…."

"At least, ta US they were that bad. I mean, we never really ASKED Felix how they tasted ta him since he would an' HAD ta wolf 'em down!" Norwood continued "He would always give us a thumbs up an' then move on but lookin' back..he DID seem ta GAG a bit from time ta time…."

"Chomp, chomp, chomp!" laughed Vanellope "Does he actually stop to savor 'em?"

"Who has time ta savor?" said Ralph "When ya got ducks an' bricks comin' at ya?"

Suddenly, Ralph began to wonder just how much effort it took to jump that much at once. Wrecking was his thing but to twirl on his toes and so fast? He shook his head, shuddering.

"Hoo, I think I would get dizzy!"

"What was that, Ralph?"

"Er, nothin' Norwood."

Norwood began cutting the top of the pie with the precision of a surgeon, Vanellope watching on as the little man handled the blade.

There was just something rather odd to the way he was cutting. She had watched the others cut, crimp, and fold long enough but the way Norwood was handling it?

He was handling it in his own unique way.

"So are ya tellin' me all these years, the pies that I, ahem, BORROWED, from tha community fridge were all 'original recipe' ala Nicelander?"

"Mmm! Finger-lickin' good, Ralph!" giggled Vanellope.

"Yup…" Norwood said "An' ta be polite, I don't mind that ya STOLE 'em big guy. We all do what we gotta do."

"Huh, you're so much more lax than Gene would be on the subject."

"That's because I'm NOT Gene." Norwood retorted "Hand me the nutmeg, kiddo"

"Sure thing!"

Norwood shock the spice into the bowl "Somethin' tells me tha others were bein' NICE 'bout those programmed pies, weren't they?"

"I guess ya could say that."

"HA! That is SO like them!" Norwood chuckled "Those things were freakin' NASTY!"

"Dare I ask how bad they were?" Vanellope said, swinging her legs on the chair she plopped herself into.

"Ya can."

"Worse than…." The girl though for a moment "Worm pie?"

"WORSE!"

"Worse than….moldy socks sandwiches!"

"WOOOOOORSE!"

"Worse than-!"

Vanellope had to think; she had to beat Norwood on this!

"Worse than…greasy bananas!"

"Keep goin'."

"On….rotten fish!"

"Keep it up!"

"With a side of nose hair!"

"Ah-huuuuuh?"

"AN' DOG TOENAILS!"

"WE GOT US A WINNER!" Norwood cheered, Vanellope laughing so hard her sides were aching. Ralph could only look on.

No wonder Gene had warned the two; Norwood was just as childish as Vanellope when things came right down to it.

"You guys are GROSS."

"Okay, maybe I'm stretchin' it a bit…." The red-head laughed, wiping away an eight-bit tear "But I swear on my pipe! One bite of those things, you'd understand right then why we had to think of somethin' better!"

"Ms. Lucy an' Mr. Tony told us there was a bit of a disagreement goin' on about tha whole thing, though." Said Ralph "Did it get that rough amongst ya guys?"

"Believe it!" Norwood said "MAN! I was certain some of us would tear each other up had Mary not stopped in!"

"MARY?!" Vanellope gasped "Wait a second! MARY was tha one who cast the final vote?!"

"Well, yeah!" Norwood said "Didn't Lucy an' Tony tell ya that?"

Vanellope was wide-eyed "….NO! They just told us that ya guys came ta an agreement! I didn't think MARY had anythin' ta do with givin' tha final say! Gene wasn't tha one?!"

"Gene…." Norwood said, rubbing his chin. He snorted "I think that was one of the few times I have EVER seen those two argue!"

Now RALPH was interested!

He was fully aware that Gene LOVED Mary, ADORED Mary, would go to the ends of the EARTH for Mary!

Did they really fight?

Norwood slapped himself on the forehead "Look at me! I'm goin' off more than DON!"

"Is that a BAD thing?"

"Considerin' that Donnie couldn't keep a secret to save his life, YES. Yes it is!"

"But what happened?"

"Ah, naw, naw, naw! I already said enough! Gene has EARS everywhere so if I say tha wrong thing, I'LL be tha one launched out the window!"

"But Mr. Norwood!"

"NOPE." The man said, tapping Vanellope on the head with a spoon "Nope, that is their business but what I will tell is that I was on tha side that said 'Heck no! I'm not givin' him this TRASH!'"

"Ya know, I'd figure YOU'D be on that side." Ralph said.

"Hey, I won't get into tha 'wonderful' effects those old pies had on me…" the man shuddered "What happened ta me? It makes me pine for times when I would have a reaction like a NORMAL HUMAN."

Ralph said nothing, even with Vanellope eyeing him. He had been witness to some such 'reactions'.

Thank God for regenerations.

Norwood looked at the pie that Vanellope had helped make, inspecting it here and there.

"Hmmmm, even distribution of filling. Tha dough seems ta check out…"

"So, is it any good?"

The man gave the wrecker and racer a thumbs up, grinning bright "PERFECTO, kid!"

"YEEES!" Vanellope grinned, dancing about giddily "Another pie made!"

"Wait, he's gotta bake it first…" smiled Ralph, the man then crossing his arms "An' need I remind ya? WHOOOO helped ya with tha pie?"

"Mr. Norwood, of course!" Vanellope teased.

"HEY, NORY? Do ya know how ta make BRAT PIE?"

Norwood turned the dials on the oven, giving Ralph a sinister smile "I have JUST the recipe….."

"Wait, don't tag-team on me!" Vanellope pouted.

"Maybe we should have Felix try a bit'ta this…." The Nicelander chuckled "He'd be more than happy ta taste it knowin' ya made it!"

"I think he would be happy knowin' ya taught me how, Mr. Norwood." The girl smiled, Norwood feeling rather proud of himself.

"Meeeh, this is just tha motions for me kid. After so many years ya get used ta it but like I said, Felix dissevered better pies!"

Norwood stopped, his back towards the others. The two guests could see the man still smiling, as he always did, but the air had changed around him. He slowed a bit, he softened, the arrogant and haughty mask slipping.

"You deserved better too, I guess."

"Mr. Norwood?"

The Nicelander slid the pie into the oven, putting the timer on. Without saying a word, he walked over to his table, sat down in a chair and lit his pipe. Vanellope watched as the man blew smoke rings into the air, the formation floating over him neatly before poofing out into pixels.

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna ask ya somethin'…"

Vanellope went over to the table, pulling a seat out for herself "Yes?"

"Be honest with me here. Did ya really think we were gonna kick out Ralph again?"

The girl blushed, not knowing what to say but there was something to the man's question. He wasn't asking the girl about the event to be a smart-ass or to bother her.

He really wanted to know the truth.

Did she really think the Nicelanders would commit such an act upon Ralph again.

Vanellope knew the best way to respond to the man wasn't President to NPC but rather person to person, as they all were.

She breathed in, a smile forming on her face.

"Okay, yeah. I did think so."

A bit of sadness came upon Norwood's face, even with the smile he had "I deserve that."

"But see, that was my FIRST mistake." Vanellope stopped, wagging a finger in the air "I'm not gonna lie. I was upset when I heard what had happened between ya an' Ralph all these years."

"As anyone should be…" Norwood nodded, blowing another smoke ring from his pipe.

"But I just got caught up into things an' it made me realize somethin'…."

"Yeah?"

"Rumors stink. A lot worse than the place where I heard it for starters."

Vanellope leaned on the table, twirling some hair in her fingers.

"I'm startin' ta see how easy it is ta get caught up in this mess." The girl began "I had always wondered HOW Turbo could get a rumor to go on so strong an' at first, I thought it had somethin' ta do with tha memory thing he did ta us. But really? I got taken in WITHOUT some code-room cover up? Turbo knew EXACTLY what he was doin'!"

"An' that was?" Ralph asked.

"He knew how much gossip could hurt people an' on top of that? He was KING! People would listen ta him, just like those people were all the more ready ta listen ta me!" Vanellope continued "He had power, just like I have power now. When someone with power starts somethin', of course people are gonna follow 'em, which I guess was one of tha reasons so many people followed me when I was so certain that tha first rumors I heard were true. That's why I'm sorry for this whole mess. I just wanted Ralph ta be safe an' happy. I never WANTED tha entire arcade ta feel like they had tha RIGHT ta treat ya like this, especially since they did so without thinkin' even before I came here!"

"I still don't lay tha blame on ya." said Norwood.

"Really?"

"A'course not!" the man said "I don't because CONGRATULATIONS! You've just met some of tha jerks that have resided in this arcade since tha beginin'! Aren't they SWELL?"

"It makes me wonder though…." Vanellope said to Norwood "If I weren't President. If I didn't have any special title, would some of them even care? Would they treat me tha same way they do now?"

The girl began to think, remembering how some characters had approached her when she got her first chance to step into the arcade. While some where honest with her, looking past her Presidential title to treat her like any other person, there were others. The ones who moved in too close, the ones who hung onto her title and only her title.

WOULD they have cared about her if she were not President?

"Never mind…." The girl said "I already know tha answer ta that…."

"Ya gotta learn ta ignore 'em." Norwood smiled "For me, that was tha best thing I could do. I learned a long time ago I really couldn't let people like 'em bother me about whatever thing they would point out about me!"

Norwood laughed again, thinking back to the many years he had been at Litwak's.

"I could write a BOOK on all the things I've been called over the years. Shaved Wookie, Hair Ball. Oh, my favorite one was 'Oh God, not the one with the scary eyes.'"

The man sighed, feeling guilty.

"Still though, it really doesn't excuse my behavior towards ya, Ralph."

Norwood leaned back, brows furrowing.

"'Cuz really? There have been so many who have passed through here who have treated us a LOT worse. A LOT."

The big man put a hand behind his head. He knew Norwood was trying to apologize and from his tone, it was something he had wanted to do for a while. Something was still holding him back.

"I wish tha world wasn't so black n' white…." The Nicelander sighed "Maybe if we had thoughts like we do now, HALF of tha issues we ran into wouldn't have existed. Bad guys wouldn't be 'bad guys', good guys wouldn't have to plaster smiles on their faces all the time, NPC wouldn't be runnin' 'round scared like mice….a whole buncha things."

"But times are changin', Mr. Norwood!" Vanellope smiled "I know ya think so too!"

"I do. Maybe a lil…" the man said "But it still doesn't erase that I never opened up around bad guys either."

"Considerin' some of the jerks you've come across, I can't really blame ya." Said Ralph "The more I look back, there was so many things goin' on under our own noses. Things we never saw because we were so-"

"Preoccupied…." Norwood finished "Too bad I was preoccupied on a lotta negative things."

Ralph and Vanellope looked at Norwood again, his eyes drifting off to the pictures on his mantle place. One picture stuck out the most; a group shot of all the Fix-it-Felix Jr. characters together. The red-head was fixated on something.

Or someone.

The two guest could see it. Even if Norwood thought they were looking at the entire group, Vanellope and Ralph caught it.

He was looking at Nel.

Why Nel?

Perhaps it would be best to leave that question to be answered for another day.

"What about all those cats ya tried ta help?" asked Vanellope "That's somethin' good ya do!"

"Yeah, who doesn't LOVE a short lil chunker with red hair who collects CATS? I'm everyone's DREAM."

"I mean it! These lil guys seem ta like it when ya take care of 'em, an' if I'm gettin' my facts straight this time, there are some people here who do thank ya for keepin' care of 'em!"

"Eh, it's what I do." The Nicelander grinned "Ya know, besides eatin' too much cake an' buggin' Gene."

"You two aren't really friends are ya?" Vanellope nodded, a serious look on her face "I mean from tha way he was goin' at ya-?"

"GENE?! HA!" the man laughed richly "Kid, Genie is tha best friend I could EVER have here!"

Both wrecker and racer nearly hit the floor at that declaration.

Norwood, in all honesty, in all his word, could say with a smile that Gene was his friend.

Not just A friend; his BEST friend!

"Rewind that last part…." Vanellope said "Your BEST friend?! But he was about to rip ya ta shreds!"

"Phht! Those bluffs? They're just Gene blowin' some steam off!"

"Er, I wouldn't be able ta guess that…."

"Hold on a sec!" Norwood said, running to his office room. A moment later, the man came out carrying a HUGE photo album, a childlike smile on his face.

"I know some of these are just 'memories' from our programmers but they're still work a look at!"

Pictures. So many, MANY pictures!

Ralph and Vanellope were aghast as they looked at the huge photo album, showing pictures of the entire Niceland crew at various ages.

"HA! Oh my gobs!" laughed Vanellope "Is THIS what Nicelander kids look like?! You guys are so round an' tiny! H-how big are Nicelander babies?!"

"It gets better!" Norwood smiled "Here we have a pre-Mayor Gene learning why it's not a good idea to take things from Mary!"

Ralph and Vanellope looked at the picture, seeing the form of an undersized Nicelander child in blue being wailed upon by a girl in pink, the child slapping the smaller boy upside the head with a toy wand.

MARY.

"MARY?!"

"Mary."

The two erupted into laughter, turning the pages to see more.

"Wow, no wonder she can control him!" Ralph laughed "She had him under his thumb from the start!"

"Well, maybe not…." Norwood cackled, turning the page to show the again child Gene gleefully sitting on top of Mary, the girl in pink looking rather sour "Daw, tha widdle couple."

"I-! I CAN'T BREATHE!" Vanellope laughed, finding the next picture funnier than the last "I-is that you?! Look at all that hair! I can't even see your eyes!"

Norwood looked rather proud as he fluffed up his hair "What can I say? People love red-heads!"

Ralph and Vanellope were getting quite the workout from laughing at the pictures but as they continued on and the pictures became more recent, the two saw that Norwood had been truthful in his words. Even as they got older, there were so many pictures of Gene and Norwood together. Some of the pictures showed them right in the middle of getting into trouble with someone but most of them showed them acting like what two old friends would act like.

"Yeah, I know Gene seems like a hard as-, hard CASE at times but trust me, once you get past that blueberry entrusted layer of grump, he's someone ya CAN trust an' count on. I know he's had my back more than a handful of times."

"Wow, I never really would have thought." Said Vanellope "I thought most of the time, Gene was just angry and drank a lot."

"Oh, he does more than that!" said Norwood "He does things like use his universal key ta get into our apartments an' devour EVERYTHIN' in tha fridge!"

Vanellope clamped her hands over her mouth as she nearly let out a loud snort. This was just too much.

"'Norwood! Prove to me that I broke in here! You can't do it!" Norwood said in his best Gene voice, Ralph cracking up "Well Gene, my cake is missin'. Plus, there is tha fact that I WALKED IN ON YA WHILE YA WERE EATIN' IT."

Norwood frowned much like Gene, cheeks puffed out and hands to his hips much like the mayor.

"NO I –URP!- DIDN'T!"

That was it. Vanellope had gone over the edge in hilarity, falling out of her seat and kicking her legs in the air.

"Th-that! That was tha most GLORIOUS thing I have EVER been told, Mr. Norwood!"

Outside the apartment, two figures stood, listening in to the laughter.

"Well, at least he got 'em laughin'…" Nel said with a smile, Gene smiling with her.

"Yes. Yes he did." Gene smiled wide, something clutched in his hands "Good ol' NORWOOD."

"Put the ax down, Gene." Smiled Nel.

"Wait, Nicelanders can DRIVE?!"

"Yeah, that's from when we tricked Nel into bein' our getaway driver during that beer run in eighty-seven! HA! Ya should have heard her scream when she found out what we were doin'!"

"Put the crowbar down, Nel." Smiled Gene.

*DING!*

Finally, the pie was done, Norwood taking it out of the oven and basking in the smell.

"Ah, perfection!"

"Wooooow! It looks GREAT!" said Vanellope, her mouth watering.

"An' see? Ya can make good things WITHOUT all those nasty fake ingredients things!" said Norwood "Let someone say they can't!"

"I hafta admit, Mr. Norwood. I never really thought so much about HOW ya guys made your pies till now." Ralph smiled as Norwood cut him a large slice.

"Betcha thought it was automated, didn't cha?" the red-head smirked.

"I am ashamed ta admit that I did think that at first." The wrecker said, a deep look of sadness on his face.

The sadness quickly washed away, replaced by cockiness.

"But I'm not ashamed to admit that I am gonna enjoy tha HECK outta this pie!"

"You're welcome!" Norwood smiled, Sassy hopping into his lap "It's things like this that make pie-makin' worth it. I mean, I like it. I know it's my job but if I had a choice for myself, I wouldn't do it THIS much!"

"Then what would ya do?" Vanellope asked "Help more cats?"

"Yes, of course." Norwood nodded "What I mean though, is if I had more time I could actually concentrate on my real job."

"Wait, WHAT is your job?" asked Ralph "Up until now, I thought PIE-MAKIN' was all you guys did?"

Norwood gave Ralph a confused look "I thought ya knew."

"Knew…WHAT?"

"Ralph…" Norwood said, thumbing over to a degree on the wall "I'M A VET."

AND THEN EVERYTHING MADE SENSE.

Ralph dropped the fork on the table as he looked at the degree on the wall….

And then the book on animal biology on the shelf.

And the posters of animal skeletons on the wall.

So Norwood WASN'T just the 'red-headed one who lived with all the cats'!

"I shouldn't be surprised…." The big man said "I should NOT be surprised."

Vanellope's eyes lit up as she looked at Norwood "So….you know how to take care of sick animals?"

"Of course! That's my passion, young lady! I help ANY animal in need!"

Vanellope glitched before the man, taking his hands "Sir! I have just tha job for ya!"

---

"Hmm…." Norwood said as he inspected the frog "Let's see what's wrong with this lil guy…"

Sticky clutched her hands as the Nicelander looked over her pet. Her eyes glistened with tears, her lips quivered in anxiety.

Was he going to be alright?

After a moment or two, a light went off in the man's head.

"Ah-HA!"

"W-what!? What is it?!" asked a frantic Sticky.

Norwood went into his kit, extracting some tweezers. Sticky nearly dropped to the floor, ANY doctor's instruments looking like a torture device to her at this point.

"Say aaaaah!"

The frog opened its he maw, Norwood reaching in with his tools only to pull out-!

A hair bow?

"So THAT'S where your missing bow went!" Minty said in a huff "Your frog must have eaten it when it broke off!"

The obstruction gone, the fog let out a happy-sounding croak and hopped into its owners hands.

"Bubba, you're alright!"

"An' FINALLY, ya can stop worryin'!" smiled Minty, Torvald slugging her in the shoulder a moment later.

"Easy fix." Norwood smiled "Just glad ta see tha lil guy is okay!"

Ralph smiled. With each new pie he and Vanellope baked, the two were starting to learn a lot more about the neighbors that had once feared Ralph. The wrecker was starting to enjoy the sessions, starting to enjoy seeing the Nicelanders take him in but also to see them doing the things they loved.

Sure, they loved pie but there was more to it than that. Much more.

"So Mr. Norwood, do ya like frogs too?"

"Ya know kid, I DO like other animals ASIDE from cats. Cats just seem ta gravitate towards me more often."

"Maybe it's the hair…" said Vanellope.

"He just has a way with things like this, kid." Ralph said, standing proud, pride in his voice "Everyone at Fix-it-Felix Jr. has their role! An' they should be proud of it!"

Ralph's words were strong….but they were quickly broken when Sticky's frog LEAPT up and planted itself right on the man's face with a loud PLOP.

"ALWAYS PROUD."

"Bubba, you know better than that!"

"*BRI-BRIT*"