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.

16. Continue? Blueberry

Continue? BLUEBERRY

"Are you ready for this?" Mary cooed as she straightened the Mayor's tie. Gene cleared his throat, brows furrowed close together.

"Darling, what are you implying? That I am not ready to invite guest into my abode for a simple pie-baking session?"

"You say simple…" the woman continued, brushing some lint off the man's sleeves "But need I remind you what happened the last time?"

Gene blushed brightly "N-Now, come come Mary, dear. I am aware that I let things get out of hand but…."

"Yes? But?"

The man reached down, taking her hands gently into his own.

"That will never happen. I promise you, I promise everyone here that I will make sure that Ralph and Vanellope get the pie that they deserve and-! And even better than that! I shall-!"

"Gene…" Mary smiled, pinching the man on his nose playfully.

"WARK!"

"Just have fun…you need fun."

The Mayor rubbed his nose, peering down at the rose-colored Nicelander "F-Fun? What do you-?"

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*

"Well, look who's here!" Mary sang as she looked towards the door "Shall I get that or-?"

"No, no! I've got it!" blustered Gene, rushing towards the door and nearly tripping on the way "What kind of gentleman would I be not to-!"

"BIG GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENE!" squealed Vanellope, leaping into the air and aiming herself RIGHT for the man.

"Oh Lord…"

*BOOM*

"'Well, looks like we got here right on time!" the girl laughed loudly, having knocked the Nicelander on his back "Let's make a pie!"

Gene said nothing, looking off to the side and trying his best to keep his temper down.

"She's just a child, just a child…."

"Good evening, Ms. Mary." Ralph smiled, bowing politely towards the woman "Are ya gonna stay with us this evenin' an' help out?"

"Me? Goodness no!" the woman chortled "I have some errands to take care of this evening so you'll have Gene all to yourself!"

"YEAAAA!" Vanellope cheered "Does this mean we can sneak rum cake along with pie!"

"Not on your life child…." The Mayor grumbled, still struggling to get off the floor.

"Gene, what did I tell you about behaving in such a manner?" Mary teased, wagging her finger at the Mayor "We're here to have FUUUN!"

"Ungh, how can we have FUN if I can't get up!?" the man struggled, feeling such humility at the others seeing him trapped, his stubby arms and legs reaching in the air.

Darn Nicelander anatomy! Why did they have to be designed so they couldn't get up off their backs?!

"Here, lemme help ya." Said Vanellope, finally helping Gene off the ground but not without a little effort, surprised that the man was so much heavier than he looked. His cheeks blushing furiously, Gene brushed his cardigan, sniffling arrogantly.

"Well, now that we have that settled…."

"Enjoy yourselves, everyone!" Mary said in a tone as if Ralph and Vanellope had been sent over to BABYSIT Gene "And I hope the pie turns out great! You two should enjoy it very much."

"Oh, we wiiill….." Ralph grinned rather devilishly, rubbing his chin "We shall indeed."

And then, Mary was gone.

"So Genie-Beanie…" grinned the girl as she poked the man on his head "Where is this pie? When are we going to get started?"

Try as he might, the pudgy blue Nicelander could not hide the fact that he was a tad nervous over everything. He remembered the disaster of a session that had only happened a few nights ago but he had kept to his word that he would provide both Wrecker and Racer with another opportunity, one that he would not ruin with his grievances from others in the arcade.

"C'mon Genie, just make the pie." The Mayor thought to himself, standing tall and adjusting his tie "You can't have everyone around here thinking you don't know how to have fun!"

"Helloooooo? Mayor Blueberry….." Vanellope called "Ya there? We don't need ta call Felix ta fix ya, do we?"

"Hmm, what? Oh! Oh, of course not!" the man chuckled, strolling over to the kitchen "Shall we get started then?"

Much to the man's annoyance, the duo had not heard him, already wasting no time in prying and spying around his apartment. A small cloud of smoke formed over his head, Gene not liking being ignored.

"AHEM. I said-!"

"I didn't know you collected those lil Russian nesting dolls." said Ralph "Heh, I thought ol' Zangy was tha only one who-!"

"Don't touch those!" Gene shouted as he ran towards his fireplace, swiping the figures out of Ralph's hands "I mean-! Look….just don't lay a finger on any of them. They're not 'collectables' as you so put them, they're FAMILY."

"Pffft, considering Nicelanders kinda look like 'em…." laughed Vanellope, holding another matryoshka in her hand.

"Child, I am serious!" the Mayor said, looking worried and not unlike a child himself as he jumped and jumped up to reach her "My parents owned these! I can't remember the EXACT line from which they came from in our family but I don't want anything to happen to them, okay?!"

"But Mr. Mayor!" Vanellope begged, making her eyes as big and as bright as she could "Can't I just see what's inside! I love lookin' at these things!"

Gene spied the one she held in her hands, his face paling "WAIT! NO!"

"Just one peek! This one looks so grumpy! Kinda like YOU!"

The man put his face in his palms "UUURGH. Miss Von Schweetz! I-!"

*POP!*

The little figure opened with ease between the racer's finger but unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough to catch the rest as they fell to the floor.

"AH!"

Thankfully, the strong wood and the soft carpet didn't lead to a disaster but what happened next?

"Oh goodness!"

The other dolls fell out and came apart, the smallest of the bunch rolling towards Gene's feet.

There was something….ODD about the baby doll within the nest, Vanellope noticing that it was blue.

Like Gene.

Had big cheeks.

Like Gene.

And had a little G painted in gold on a blue sweater.

LIKE GENE.

Of course, the little baby was just that, a baby, but it didn't take long for Vanellope to figure out WHO that baby was. Gene could see it in her eyes, the man starting to sweat bullets.

"O-Okay, you figured it out didn't you?"

The girl looked over, seeing a picture next to where the doll had once been, the chubby-faced baby sharing the features of that of the smallest doll.

"YOU-?!"

Gene shook his head "It's an old picture!"

"The doll-?!"

The Mayor placed his hands on his cheeks "Mother said it was CUTE-!"

This was too much.

"PFFFFFFFFFFFFT- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What?" asked Ralph, rightfully confused "Tha heck are ya laughin' at, Nelly?"

Gene growled as he picked the pieces of the doll up, putting it back together, his cheeks never having burned so brightly.

"Ah, ha. Aren't you a SMART young lady…." He growled through a forced smile.

"Gene, what's goin' on? An' stop laughin' so hard Nelly! I think tha whole arcade can hear ya!"

"R-R-Ralph!" the girl cried, her sides aching "Th-th-the egg dolls!"

"Matryoshkas!" Gene snapped, slamming the figure back on the mantle place "They are called MATRYOSHKAS thank you very much!"

"The baby is Gene!" Vanellope continued to giggle "HE'S the baby!"

Ralph looked over, stunned….

"SNRK!"

And then….

"Ralph, don't you d-!"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

What a night this was turning out to be.

"Oh programmers!" laughed Ralph, unable to take his eyes away from the photo "Th-this is almost as good as those pictures Don an' Nory showed us!"

"Oh, GOD. Don't tell me THEY had to open their albums!"

"Yup!" snorted Vanellope "An' it was SOOOO good! But not as good as THIS!"

Gene stood in the middle of the room, a hand on his aching head as Ralph and Vanellope surrounded him from either sides, laughing up a storm.

He knew he should have hidden every photo in the apartment. Why didn't he do so earlier?

"Ahaha, yeah. It's Fun-NEH!" Gene grimaced "Do you two want to make a pie or not?! We don't have to if you're going to keep up like this!"

"B-B-But-!"

Vanellope had to stop, she needed to catch her breath but then she caught another sight of the tiny wooden figure, her laughter brought up anew.

"I-It's so tiny! It's so doofy looking!" she cackled "All it needs is a MUSTACHE an' it would be COMPLETE!"

"Look! This thing? It's something my grandfather made! Is it MY fault that he made them when I was still a baby, in-story?!"

"YES!" cackled the Wrecker.

"RALPH!"

"O-Okay, Okay. I'm sorry Mr. Mayor." Vanellope sighed, finally coming off her fit "I-I just never seen anythin' like that from ya!"

"What do you mean by that exactly, young lady?"

"I mean…Well, I mean I never thought I'd see someone like YOU collectin' an' keepin' such things. I'd always pictured your apartment ta be filled with a buncha things I can't eat or drink because SOMEONE, WHO WILL REMAIN NAMELESS, told me I'm too young!"

Gene shot a glance over to Ralph; oh, how much the Mayor wanted to throw HIM out the window for a change.

"I guess I'm just surprised about your stories." Smiled the girl "Even you have one, I suppose."

An odd feeling came over Gene as Vanellope smiled at him. He had heard from the others just how much they enjoyed her company as well as the way she had reacted to the tales they had told her but he never thought anything serious about it. He had brushed it off, thinking it nothing more than the others trying to play up to the new 'President' of Sugar Rush.

But there was something to her tone, something to her smile that told the man she was being honest in her words, that she wasn't joking with him as so many others in the past had.

"What other stuff do ya have hidden here?" the girl smirked "Treasure? Weapons?"

"WEAPONS?!"

"Ms. Deanna seemed like tha type of person who would hide weapons SOMEWHERE in her apartment…." Vanellope thought "An' betcha Ms. Nel could use her heels an' sewin' equipment pretty much tha same way."

"Child…" the Mayor wheezed "I can assure you such things never happen around here."

"Heh, I guess ya don't know your neighbors as well as ya think, GENIE."

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"

"C'mon, enough with tha teasin' kid." Ralph smiled "Let's get this pie out of tha way."

"Um, y-yes!" stammered the Mayor as he rushed over to the kitchen "A-And believe me. THIS time I have made certain that have plenty of everything! No worried about running out of ingredients or-!"

"Or some sort of food fight?" giggled the girl "Remember that? 'Less ya want us ta throw some things around? Make everythin' a bit more interestin'?"

"There shall be no messes in my apartment!" the Mayor said gruffly, putting his foot down "Now, unless you want to dawdle some more, young lady?"

"Of course not, SIIIIIR! We're ready an' waitin'!"

That grin; it was just as bad as Mary's.

"Fine. Ralph?"

"Yes, sahib?"

"You shall prepare the blueberries."

"Sure thing, Mayor Blueberry."

Gene's eyes narrowed but he held his tongue.

That name. It was ALWAYS that name.

Vanellope approached the Mayor "An' me, Genie?"

"I guess you can handle the dough. IF you behave that is."

"Aw, c'mon sir! Ya can trust me!"

At this point, Gene felt that he couldn't trust Vanellope as far as he could throw her and considering his strength….

"Measured breath, Gene. Measured breaths…"

"So we're gonna make us a classic, all-American blueberry pie?" Ralph smiled as he washed a basket full of the plump berries "Heh, nice. I still haven't really figured out WHAT my favorite pie is with all the flavors I've tried so maybe…"

"Er, well…."

Wrecker and Racer looked over at Gene, the man busy away with the cream.

"Yes?"

"Its….a CLASSIC pie." The Mayor said "But it's not 'Classic American'."

"It's not?" Vanellope blinked "Then what is it?"

"Something that I apparently got from my grandmother. From, as the saying goes, 'the old country'."

Vanellope moved closer to Gene, MUCH too close for his liking.

"Reeeeally?"

"Um….please move back a bit. PLEASE."

"Tha OLD country, ya say. Where is tha old country, Old Gene?"

"I don't know…." The man shrugged in annoyance "I-I think Russia? Somewhere in Europe?"

"HA! So you DO share somethin' in common with Ol' Zangy!"

"Don't say that, Ralph. Just, DON'T."

"Guess that would explain tha Nicelander Dolls."

"Matryoshkas." Growled Gene "For the last time, they are called Matry-! Never mind…."

Ralph chuckled warmly, placing the berry basket next to the Mayor "Goodness, the origins of these pies! I never would have thought that so much went into them."

"Well, they are something to cherish." The little man said in a tone that just oozed pride, his ego just swelling "The fact that I can replicate such a dish for Felix every day? Ah, if my family existed, they would be so proud."

"Yes, I'm sure they would." snarked Ralph "Among the other WONDERFUL things you do, such as getting hurled out the window."

"RALPH." Gene snorted "We don't have to do this. We really don't."

"Ease it up there, Genie. I'm just tryin' ta lightening the mood!"

"Well, it was fine enough without the both of you teasing me as such…." Gene huffed, his cheeks blushing brightly again.

"Teasin' ya? Aw, don't even say that word!"

"Look, I said too much already!" the Mayor said "Let's get this pie done so-!"

"Mr. Mayor…."

The man looked over, Vanellope leaning on the counter next to him.

"Ya love pie, I can tell…." The girl began.

"Er, well. Y-Yes, I do."

"Stink-Breath an' I have been through all tha apartments here. We've been with ALL tha Nicelander an' ya wanna know tha thing that has really gotten me tha most outta all'a this?"

"Yeeees?"

"It's just how much PIE has done for everyone." The girl smiled "Pie really is special ta ya guys an' not just because it taste good. Ya guys have gone outta your way ta make your best pie ta make Felix HAPPY, an' its somethin' ya never really needed ta do since tha game made tha pies already if I remember right."

Gene nearly dropped the mixing spoon on the floor "U-Um! Th-those pies were-!"

"TERRIBLE." Vanellope nodded "They were TERRIBLE, weren't they?"

The chubby Mayor stood in silence for a while, a hand going to the back of his neck.

"TH-there was a good reason why a few of them ended up in the dump."

"I KNEW IT."

"Ralph…."

"What I wanna know…." Vanellope smiled, her hands on her hips "Is what Mister Grump-Tastic-Grump is hidin' from us about this pie. Why out of EVERYTHIN' ya could have made did ya choose this for Felix?"

Gene blushed even brighter, going back to stirring the ingredients.

"Can we just move on, PLEASE?!"

"Geeeeene!"

"Miss Von Schweetz, I don't have time for this!"

"PWEEEEEEEASE?"

"NO!"

"PWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE?"

"NOOOOOO!" Gene cried but the last call came out more in the sound of a WHINE than anything remotely angry "I told you NOOOO, child! I've said enough!"

"But Mistah Mayor, I wanna know!" the girl begged playfully "Or I'm gonna tell Ms. Mary ya were bein' an even bigger Grumpy-Grump an' she'll get mad an' she'll pinch your nose again an'-!"

"AUUUUUURGH! FINE!" the little man let out in a frustrated roar "Geeze, why does everyone have to dog-pile on me?! I wouldn't be HALF as 'grumpy' if you guys would just BACK OFF."

"Now, now. Let's keep things civil." Ralph grinned, adding to the man's annoyance.

"I…."

"Yeeees?"

"This pie….."

Gene couldn't do it. He was surprised that he couldn't talk to either character like he thought he could. Only hours before, he had readied himself for their arrival and for their questions but now he felt so tongued tied, horrifically embarrassed as they were forcing their way thought him to get him to confess as to why he baked the pie he did for Felix. He could only guess in shame that the other Nicelanders had been able to regale their tales with some ease, even MEG of all people, but Gene?

Gene couldn't find the words he needed.

He hadn't felt this shy in years, not since….

Not since….

MARY.

"UUURGH!"

Yup, that same feeling Mary had given him when they first met and it meant one thing and one thing only.

That someone had begun to chip away at the hard, outer shell of the Mayor and was making their way towards the softer, blueberry-flavored center, the center Gene wanted very little to show through.

But he couldn't let Ralph and Vanellope down, not like the last time. Not like that terrible night.

Gene inhaled deeply, his chest puffing out.

"Phoooo."

He had to clear his mind for this, had to push back all that anxiety and fright.

"Okay, so you want to know."

"Yes!" said Vanellope "Or we can just make tha story up an' spread it from there so-!"

"DON'T." the man said "I've gotten so tired of rumors now. Next one that starts up, I'll begin burying people in the backyard…"

"Don't test him on that!" whispered Ralph "I've seen him do it!"

Gene began mixing the berries and the cream, dairy-free of course together, the beautiful blue swirl mixing with the white of the cream and creating an almost cloud-like formation inside the bowl.

"Yes. Yes, I would do anything for Felix….." the Mayor began "I mean, I owe the man. I owe him so much after EVERYTHING he has done for us. So what else is there more to tell? I just do this to make him happy."

"Ah-uh, Gene." Said Ralph.

"What now?"

"I know that tone. That tone ya use ta try to weasel your way outta somethin'."

"Ralph, unlike the other chatter-boxes around here, I DON'T like to blabber EVERYTHING about myself in such a manner!" the Mayor growled, Vanellope seeing tuffs of pixelated steam popping from over his head, a common feature whenever the Nicelander got angry. Gene stirred harder, shaking his head.

"Give me some freakin' credit, you two! Every time I open my mouth, someone turns it into something BAD. For ONCE, I would like some peace around here and more than that? I would like to have something of mine kept intact without it being twisted or spun or-!"

The man was rambling again, his cheeks puffing out in a pout.

"Oh, blast it all…."

Vanellope was starting to have second thoughts about her earlier teasing of the man. Apparently, he was still rather sore about something and trying to pry him to confess was only making him much more agitated. She had wanted Ralph and herself to enjoy the pie session, with just a little teasing for fun, but what fun was it if the man of the hour wasn't having fun either? Vanellope knew she liked to joke around with the man but even she had good enough sense to see when she was going too far.

She lowered her head, inching away slightly.

"S-Sorry…."

The little man in blue looked over "Excuse me?"

"Sorry Mr. Gene." The girl said "Guess I was just a lil too excited about everythin'. I didn't mean ta come off as that nosey. Ralph on tha other hand? He can't help it, his nose is so big!"

"KID."

"Pfft!"

Was that….a LAUGH?

A laugh from GENE?!

Vanellope looked over, Gene trying his best to hide the expression on his face "Mayor Gene?"

"A-Ah, huh?" the man said, glancing away but Vanellope could see it, her eyes lighting up.

"Ooooh, I see how things are."

"Y-You see how WHAT is, young lady?"

"So there is someone in there with a sense of humor." The girl smiled "Just gotta make the right jokes an' he'll come out I see!"

"Y-Young lady!" Gene retorted, a hand held up "Y-You know better than to make such comments towards people, even Ralph!"

"What? I can't help it! Ralph writes his own jokes"

"Kid, you're gonna end up STUFFED in one those Mar….MARTY….Those wooden dolls if ya keep this up!"

"R-Ralph, leave the child alone…." Gene forced himself to say though his stifled laughter "Sh-she just-!"

"RALPH! WE HAVE AN OPENING!" the girl cried out "Get Gene before he returns to grump mode!"

"G-Guys, stop!" Gene laughed, finding it next to impossible to stop "C-Can't we just make this pie and end it?!"

Vanellope twisted the end of her ponytail "It's all up ta ya, Genie. Less ya wanna keep grump, grump, grumpin' about!"

"Oooh…" the man breathed out, pushing the mixing bowl away "Oh, forget it. You're just as bad as Mary."

"I am?" the girl blinked "How so?"

"She used to be a lil brat like you."

"Aw, c'mon Gene!"

"No, I am serious." The man smirked "You two think she's so great, that she is so mature and so dainty!"

The man then spun on his heels, his eyes becoming so bright and shiny as he posed like the pastry-master.

"Oh, tee-hee-hee! I'm Nicelander Mary! I'm just so angelic and perfect!" Gene said, his voice up even higher to sound like his beloved "Take this pie as a BRIBE so you'll tell NO ONE how much of an immature BRAT I can be when no one is looking! Giggle-giggle, laugh- laugh, other girly noises! Come here GEEEENE! I wanna mess with you all night because I am bored and have nothing else to do! Also, PINK! And strawberries! Did I mention PINK and STRAWBERRIES?!"

Vanellope found herself laughing again at Gene's imitation "Aw man, she WOULD have your butt!"

"But it's true!" the man said, taking the dough from Vanellope and rolling it out "A'course…."

"Yes, a'course?"

"If it had not been for her…." The man said, his voice softening as was his expression "None of this would have happened…."

"Ya mean tha thing with Turbo?" asked Ralph.

"Oh, GRACIOUS no!" the smaller man gasped "What I mean is…I think that had she not stepped in, NONE of us, and I mean NONE OF US, would have seen what potential we could do with our pies."

"Ya really think that?" said Vanellope, poking Gene in the cheek.

"Yes, I do." Nodded the man but he shooed her hand away "Had she not said something, had she not been the one to step up first I am sure we would still be handing out those repulsive pies to Felix this very day!"

"Ya know, after all these years…." Ralph began "It still amazes me what she can do. I never thought she could take on as much as she could but-"

"If only you knew…." Gene cut in, dusting the dough with powdered sugar "I bet she could lead this place much more smoothly than I could if SHE were the Mayor."

"Mayor Mary…." Vanellope said with a smile "Has a nice ring to it!"

"Yes, it does….but I doubt she'd like the BENEFITS of being Mayor, right Ralph?"

The Wrecker coughed "Wh-who knows. She might like the thrill of being thrown….and blown up."

"That night was just a storm though…." Gene said "A storm of so many emotions. We were all conflicted on what to do about it really."

Gene shook his head, the thoughts off the past coming back to him.

"I mean, we ARE going against the code, Ralph!" the man blurted "If people knew! If they knew the truth about everything! It would-! Oh, it would be an even BIGGER disaster! But we HAD to do it, we had to do it for Felix!"

"There is a difference between making sure Felix isn't poisoned by crappy pies an' screwin' with everyone in a game…." Said Ralph "At least ya guys are still workin' with your programmin' by handin' these things out. It would be different if ya were tryin' ta, I don't know, get out of it or-!"

"Or what?" asked Gene, looking more and more frazzled "You have no idea how many nights I stayed up, unable to sleep with thoughts that what we were doing was no better than what Turbo had done to Road Blasters!"

"Hang on a second, there Genie!" said Vanellope, a serious look on her face "Okay. Bakin' pies in place of nasty pixelated ones is ONE thing but are ya really tryin' ta say that what ya guys are doin' is on th same level as TURBO? REALLY?!"

"I-It would be seen that way." The Mayor said nervously "You'd be surprised what people say about so many things around here young lady."

"Oh PUH-LEEEEEZE!" the girl scoffed "From what I could gather, ya guys weren't goin' around tryin' ta be a butt an' take tha attention from someone else nor were ya tryin' ta unplug people from their own game! All ya guys wanted ta do was make pies! Make pies to make someone else HAPPY!"

Gene felt his face warming up from more blush; he could not believe what the girl was telling him. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.

"Huh, just sorry I had ta wait this long ta get some of that pie Felix kept ravin' about!" laughed Ralph "But better late then never, I guess."

"He 'RAVES' about it?" Gene smiled, his heart warmed at those words "RAVES."

"Of course he does! I never got a moment in when those new pies came into play! 'Man, Ralph! I don't know what happened, but tha game suddenly began churnin' out pies that actually TASTE like somethin'!"

"You do know he eventually found out?" said Gene, digging through the drawers for something "He DID find out and boy….that was a talk."

"Was it bad?" Vanellope asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Eh….it was…..well, it was something that NEEDED to be said but as you all can guess, things were patched up soon enough and we were able to continue with our baking. So no harm was really done."

"That's good!" smiled Ralph "Since it would be a shame if ya guys stopped bakin'!"

"YES…." The mayor said in a harsh voice "It would, wouldn't it?"

"What was THAT for?" asked Vanellope.

"Oh, just more backstory garbage…." The little man huffed "You'd be surprised how deep such memories can go, even if they never play out in the actual game. They are always with us in our minds, always telling us to go forward or to stay back. We cannot escape them as they are the building blocks that eventually-!"

"Gene?"

The man blinked, realizing he was getting lost in his speech and in his cooking, nearly forgetting that Ralph and Vanellope were standing over him.

"…..YES?"

"Um, I can tell you pie has somethin' ta do with this. Ya can't hide that fact anymore…."

The Mayor moaned softly, pinching his brows.

"Okay, fine." The man grumped "According to my backstory…."

Vanellope felt as if she were on pins and needles "According to your backstorrrrrry-?"

"I-?"

"Aw, stop with the secrets Gene! Just tell us!"

"Fine!" the man said "I never actually wanted to be Mayor even though I eventually wound up being one ANYWAY."

Both Wrecker and Racer felt as if the floor had been taken up from under them, the duo nearly falling on the ground.

"WHAT!?" shouted Vanellope "Ya never wanted ta be M-!"

"Shush, SHUSH!" the man waved, placing a hand on the girls' mouth "That's something only a few of the guys know!"

"Then….then what DID ya want ta be?" Ralph asked, more curious than ever.

"I…"

He couldn't say it.

"I-!"

He just couldn't say it!

Or maybe….

Gene stopped, he thought.

Could he trust his two guests with the truth? Or would the blabber about, telling the entire arcade one of his deepest secrets which would only arm them with more things to throw towards the him?

But he had trusted Mary.

AND he had trusted Felix.

Why couldn't he trust Ralph, why couldn't he trust Vanellope?

They had proven to themselves to all the Nicelanders that they were not out to get them like so many others, both past and present, had. The two might have tested his nerves more often than once but as things were showing forth, they never wanted to hurt the Nicelanders.

So maybe….

Deep breaths Gene, deep breaths.

"I-I wanted to cook." The Nicelander said "I wanted to cook, just like Mary."

It all made sense now; EVERYTHING made sense!

No wonder Gene had a taste for the finer things in life, no wonder he always had to make sure he was in charge of setting up EVERY dish at EVERY shindig that was thrown in the apartments. There might have been 'perks' given to the man for being Mayor but Gene was always at his happiest whenever he was creating something with food.

FOOD.

IT WAS ALWAYS FOOD WITH GENE!

"My father never liked it…" the Mayor continued "His son, the boy he planned on following in his footsteps from start to finishing, BAKING? Making food for others? He had always reminded me of how EMBARRASSING it was, how much I was putting him down by going towards such a profession."

"Wow….that's kinda harsh…" said Ralph.

"But I managed to sneak in as much as I could, behind his back and, well. That's how I can do so much now. And this?"

A small smile formed on the Mayor's face, a good memory forming in his mind this time.

"This…this was the first pie I made…."

"For Felix?"

"No…" the man shook his head "For MARY."

"Ms. Mary?"

"The one and the same."

The little man could not stop the smile on his face, the images of Mary's smile on her face as she gave her the plate. The sound of her laughter, the twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, you big blueberry! Must you spoil a girl so much?"

"E-erm, I-I just wanted to give you something nice…."

"And you have dear, you have! I'm just surprised you left enough for ME!"

"If you're going to act like that, I regret making this."

"Awwww!" cooed Vanellope "Ya guys would make tha PERFECT bakin' couple!"

"D-Don't say it like that!" the Mayor stuttered "I-I could NEVER reach the levels of her talents! She is like a GODDESS with her work! I could only DREAM of reaching the pedestal of which she has been placed upon."

"Well, ya could always invite her over more often ta bake pies….among other things." Snickered Ralph, enjoying watching the man squirm.

"R-Ralph! There is a CHILD here, need you be reminded?!"

"So is that tha reason ya eventually buckled?" asked Vanellope.

"B-Buckled? Buckled to WHAT?"

"Ta tha whole 'We can't make pies because that would be bad for tha game!" thing!" the little Racer said, trying her best to impersonate the Mayor "I betcha ya just wanted ta show off ta Felix those hidden pie-makin' talents! Show 'im that ya could do more than just do that scream. How does it go again? NYAAAAAAUGH!"

Ralph erupted into laughter once more, Gene wanting nothing more to do than crawl under the couch.

"We are all comedians this night, are we not?"

"Ya know, I think it's a good thing ya decided ta follow up on somethin' that ya like." Said Vanellope.

"Something that I-?"

"I mean, from what I remember tha other's sayin', ya can REALLY make a mean meal, Gene. When you're not eatin' everythin' yourself that is!"

"So I have a healthy appetite!" the man huffed "Is that a problem?"

"I'd say it's more SHOCKIN' than a problem." Laughed Ralph "Need I remind ya of tha tower of bowls ya inhaled at Street Fighter only a few nights ago? Tha guys sure remember it! They haven't stopped laughin' about it for DAYS!"

"See? That's why I DON'T like telling stuff to people! They always have to make it into some sort of INSULT or something!"

"We're not tryin' ta insult ya…." Said Ralph.

"TRYING."

"We're just…."

"You're WHAT, Ralph?" said Gene "What is it?"

"I guess when it call comes down to it, I'm a little surprised at how even YOU can make so much with pie."

The Mayor turned his head away, not wanting to show the two he was a little flattered by the comment. Granted, seeing Ralph comment towards his 'greatness' was always welcomed by his over-inflated ego.

"Hmmph, I guess Mary was right! This session was really worth it!"

"Then let's get the pie done!" said Vanellope "I wanna try this thing before-!"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Gene waved "We are not done yet!"

"Aw, don't tell me there's more!" the girl whined "Can't we just put the berries in the crust an' bake it!"

"You could do that." Gene said with a snicker "If you wanted to make just any ol' pie. But this is? Heh, you'll see."

The little man took out a rather fancy looking cookie cutter from his vast collection, handing it to Vanellope.

"What do ya want me ta do with this?"

"Cut the dough of course."

"But I thought we were makin' PIE!"

"We are." Nodded he Nicelander "Just MINI pies."

NOW things were starting to turn.

Still a little unsure, Vanellope did as she was told, Gene and Ralph watching her as she cut little clover shapes from the dough.

"There, good. Good!" Gene said, pride in his voice "You're doing just fine!"

After a while, two dozen little clovers had been cut out, Gene dusting them with another helping of powdered sugar.

"Ralph?"

"Yes?"

"You can handle the berries."

"Ya sure about this, Big Guy?"

"Of course I am! Now hop to it!"

Now it was Ralph's turn on the pie assignment. He took a nice dollop of berry filling into a spoon and placed it in the middle of the clovers, watching Gene fold them up once he was done.

"And just repeat."

One pie, two pie, three pie, four.

With each pie that was filled, the Wrecker watched as Gene folded them with delicate grace and care before placing them on the cookie rack.

"Just a few more…."

When all the mini tarts were filled, the Mayor popped them into the oven, his smile bigger than ever.

"Just wait for a few…."

Soon the entire apartment was filled with the warm scent of blueberries, Vanellope lost in the delightful aroma.

"Oh GOOOOBS! They smell so good!

Click, click, click.

*DING!*

All done!

"Baked to golden perfection!" chuckled Gene as he pulled the rack out with a gloved hand "But they still need a finish touch!"

The cream.

The Nicelander moved about the kitchen with such ease and comfort, giving each tart a good helping of sweet cream on top, the final touch to such delectable morsels.

Vanellope's mouth was watering as she stared at the baked-goods before her "Now I know how Candlehead feels!"

"Wait a second…." Said Ralph "THIS is the pie you make for Felix?"

"Why, yes. Yes it is…."

"But these things are tiny!" the Wrecker said, picking one up as carefully as he could "The thing ya usually give out ta Felix is….is many times bigger than this!"

"I just stretch out the recipe." Gene replied, matter-of-factly "I told you before, this is one of those recipes from 'the old country'! I just applied something new in order to make it perfect for Felix. A mini-tart becomes a wonderful, decent-sized pie!"

"Mmph, an' HOW!" Vanellope said, stuffing her face.

"HEY! Save some for me!" shouted Ralph, pulling the girl away from the tarts "We made these together, we SHARE 'em together!"

"Is it MY fault your too slow?"

"Vanellope!"

"Guys, don't make a mess of things!" Gene fussed "If you wanted more, you could have told me and we-!"

"Oh, is everything alright in here?"

"MARY?!"

Yes, Mary indeed.

"Oh, I heard so much commotion in here." the woman smiled warmly "I just decided to check and see if things were alright."

"Things are fine here!" smiled Ralph "In fact, Genie was just going on about how he wanted to bake even more of these lil tarts for EVERYONE in tha apartments!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, an' how he wanted EVERYONE in tha arcade ta taste 'em too!" Vanellope joined in.

"N-Now wait a moment you two-!"

"Oh, dear that's sounds WONDERFUL!" Mary said, clasping her hands together "I always knew it was a good idea to share our work with others! I was just waiting for you to join in."

Gene had never turned such a shade of rose before his love, his words caught in his throat.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-?!"

One mental slap and he was back.

"Ahem! You have?"

"'Course, I have Chubby-Chunks." The female Nicelander cooed, pinching the Mayor on his cheek "Doooh, 'bout time you had some fun with everyone, instead of being cooked up here in this apartment."

"W-Well, it's not that I-! What I mean is-!"

"Yeaaah, spend some time with Ms. Mary!" said Vanellope, reaching for another tart "Ya two could use a coupl'a nights on the town!"

"YOUNG LADY!"

"I would have to agree, Mayor."

Gene looked up, Mary eyeing him sweetly "What was that?"

"A few nights out of this place? It would do you well."

From Gene's point of view, it was if a burst of light and rainbows had formed behind Mary, his feet feeling as if they were lifting off the ground, his head filled with hearts and the sweet sound of song birds! He felt lost in his dream, his mind drifting.

"I-If you say so…."

"Besides…." The woman continued, putting a hand on her hip, the other hand going under Gene's chin "It would give you SO MUCH MORE TO DO! You know! ASIDE from telling our guest who much of a BRAT I used to be as a child!"

Gene's eyes went down to pin-points, seeing the sneer appearing on Mary's face.

"…..You heard th-AAAWRK!"

"Genie, GENIE!" Mary chortled, squeezing the man's cheeks with impressive strength "It's as you said yourself. There are ears EVERYWHERE in this arcade! I just so happened to have mine here at the EXACT moment you were exchanging those flattering comments!"

Ralph and Vanellope began to duck behind the kitchen counter, Vanellope taking the remaining tarts with her.

"Should we get ready for the fireworks?"

"YUP!"

*WHOMPH!*

"NYAAAAAGH!"

Before Gene had a chance to move Mary tackled him to the ground, the woman sitting atop him and pulling his legs back!

"Who's a brat again?!" the woman laughed powerfully.

"Who else but you?!"

"Wrong answer, Blueberry!"

"Mary, OW!"

"So…." Asked Vanellope "How long before these two tie tha knot? Placin' bets now…."