*Chapter 61*

"I haven't been home in almost a whole year," Rancis croaked as the four cautiously stepped into his home. It looked cleaned and kept up, however.

"It looks like someone has been taking care of your home," Vanellope said as she looked around at the old, familiar sights.

"My bet is on Adorabeezle," Taffyta chuckled as Rancis looked around, a small gleam of hope in his eyes.

"I've surely missed this place," Rancis said gently as he idly moseyed around his little home, he took in the feel of it.

Vanellope, Taffyta and Candlehead all gave each other knowing looks as they casually followed Rancis around his little home. He had a main room, a kitchen, two rooms and a bathroom. His home was quaint in warm yellows, peach and brown accents, his furniture was wooden; the typical, charming craftsmanship of Sugar Rush. Rancis heaved a soft sigh and turned around in his living room, he gazed at the three girls before him.

"Are you guys really going to let me free?" Rancis asked, his voice coated in worry and his eyes gazed at the three girls in disbelief. His dark blue eyes, for once, looked normal and sweet. He gently lulled his hands into the pocket of his dark brown hoodie, his dark racing jeans were slightly tattered and had a small hole at the knee. His dirty blonde hair was slightly messy from the scuffle they had in the code room earlier this morning.

"That seems to be the idea," Vanellope said gently, but nervously, "What good would it do either deleting you or keeping you in a jail cell? You would just end up despising us more."

"I feel a lot better about this decision now that Ralph is back," Candlehead said, mostly to Taffyta and Vanellope.

"He really does seem like he's the driving force behind all of this," Rancis said, almost in a sarcastic tone; Vanellope wrinkled her nose and shot him a look.

"It was his idea to save your life," Vanellope spat, "You should consider yourself lucky. If it weren't for him, I probably would've been stupid enough to actually delete you."

"I bet you all think he's some sort of hero, now," Rancis scoffed as he looked away. He tenderly touched his fingers to the dried blood on his nose and upper lip; he winced.

Vanellope glared at Rancis before softening her gaze. Rancis looked absolutely pathetic, as low as he has ever looked. As if one more sarcastic blow of words would send him crumbling to the ground like a house of cards. She wondered how all of this could have escalated to this extent of violence and hatred out of a simple spark of jealousy that could've been solved far before this. She heaved a soft sigh and slumped her shoulders as Rancis mapped out his face with his two fingertips, his black eye looked darker and more sullen. He looked defeated. The gleam in his eye, that used to be present with every racing day, was replaced with guilt, annoyance and dismay.

"Are you sure we should just, leave him?" Candlehead said softly, looking to the President for guidance, "What if he tries to leave? What if he tries to kill us when we're sleeping?"

"He won't," Vanellope said loudly before looking at Rancis, her eyebrows furrowed in anger, "He won't step a hair out of line. He knows the consequences. Just because we're sparing his life now doesn't mean next time we will."

"It's not like I'm the only one with a delete button," Rancis spat, he looked offended, "Stop acting like I'm a game virus."

"The way you've been treating us for the past year," Vanellope lulled her head to the side, "For now, we don't consider you anything more."

Rancis furrowed his eyebrows and shot Vanellope an angry, yet curious, look before slumping his shoulders and looking away. He rubbed the good side of his face nervously as he inhaled a deep breath. The room was still with silent questions and ventures, confusion and concern made the quiet air thick with pixels.

"I get that I need to earn everyone's trust back," Rancis said softly as he looked away, "And I appreciate being given a second chance but you guys don't need to look at me like I'm a cy-bug waiting to destroy everything. It's me, Rancis…remember?"

"Of course we remember, Rancis," Vanellope said deeply, "Just, after all the grief you've put us through, you have to understand how wary we all are."

"If only you knew the whole entire story," Rancis muttered as he shot a daring, yet annoyed, look at Taffyta.

"D-do, you need help cleaning up?" Taffyta barked as she unfolded her arms and gave Vanellope a wary glance, she prayed to User that the subject would quickly begin to change, from where Rancis wanted to lead it, "That was some punch, Vin."

"Sorry," Vanellope mumbled in annoyance as she avoided eye contact with Rancis.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say hanging around Ralph has rubbed off on you," Rancis said softly as he looked as if he wanted to touch his eye, his trembling hands ventured his cheek in a confused manner.

"You have no idea," Candlehead mumbled as she shot Vanellope a small smile. Vanellope rolled her eyes and scoffed, her cheeks red; she held back an annoyed smile.

"Thank you, but I don't need help," Rancis said softly and honestly as he looked down in a sullen way, "I'll be alright."

"Okay," Vanellope said as the three girls slowly began to mosey towards Rancis's front door, "I guess, we'll come check up on you tomorrow then."

"Sure thing," Rancis said in a monotone, his eyes still locked to the ground.

The three girls cautiously and slowly slipped out of Rancis's house. Vanellope calmly shut the door behind her and heaved a long sigh as she gazed out to the large cul-de-sac the rest of her family was nervously standing in. The Sugar Rush sky was getting dark, the beautiful rain clouds hung still above her kingdom as fresh stars peeked through, making themselves known for the new night. She caught eyes with her wrecker, he looked sullen and confused, yet longing and relieved to be home. His large, able hands hung near the ground, his shoulders slumped. Felix and Calhoun stood close to Ralph with Tammy tucked close. Taffyta and Candlehead slowly began to mosey over to the group; they all began chattering about the knowing topic. Vanellope stayed still in Rancis's doorway and felt a small smile creep across her face at the sight of her reunited family. She breathed a sigh of relief and crossed her arms comfortably.

She hung in Rancis's doorway, her mind mulling over everything that she had been slammed with today. She trusted Ralph to be making a good decision. She figured eventually, decisions for Sugar Rush's kingdom would be made as a joint, with Ralph. She kept her eyes glued to Ralph, who was busy chatting with Taffyta; she bit her lip in contemplation. She felt a sense of relief come over her, as if half of the weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She could feel tears sting her eyes as she gazed at Ralph, at her family. They all had a certain twinkle in their eyes as they conversed, as if they all had known each other for a whole lifetime. She beamed a knowing smile before turning to look back at Rancis's front door. She gazed hard into the charming, carved cherry wood door; she furrowed her eyebrows and inhaled a deep breath. She only hoped that Ralph was making the right choice to keep Rancis on the grid.

"Ralph," Taffyta whined as she swat at his large hand, "Wait until I'm finished!"

"They look so good, though," Ralph complained as he sat back down on the stool; everyone was gathered in the castle's kitchen.

"If I wasn't treated to your baking for a whole month solid, I too would be itching to eat immediately, Taff," Candlehead laughed as she slumped her hands into her lower jaws, her elbows slouched on the counter, "Cut the guy a break."

Taffyta wrinkled her nose playfully and pulled a large batch of hot, doughy jelly puffs out of the oven. The whole kitchen was filled with the sweet smell of Taffyta's creations. Tammy eagerly jumped up and down as she gazed at the large platter of jelly puffs, her hands were gripping the counter. Felix and Calhoun were comfortably sat across the room near the kitchen's large ceiling to floor windows and patio. A cozy sitting area was made useful, they sat close together and chattered amongst themselves in a happy way. Ralph rolled his eyes into the back of his head and closed his eyes before exhaling an annoyed groan and slumping his forehead to the beautiful marbled counter.

"Just have Felix or Tammy fix it with their hammers, and then it'll be all finished, right?" Ralph complained, "Baking takes way too long. I don't know how you can patiently bake with all those good smells in your face."

"Years and years of patience, Ralphy," Taffyta boasted teasingly.

"More like years and years of sticking your fingers into the mixture a thousand times to 'test the taste'," Candlehead beamed, using her fingers for air quotes. Taffyta shot her a look.

"THAT is a legitimate part of the baking process," Taffyta said in a snobby, playful tone before shooting Candlehead and Ralph a small smirk.

"Ew, your fingers have been poking around all of these?" Ralph said as he lifted his head and wrinkled his nose. He warily gazed down at the steaming jelly puffs across the large island they were sat at.

"No, they have NOT," Taffyta barked as she put her oven mitt covered hands on her hips.

Everyone broke out in happy laughter as Taffyta threw a minor hissy fit; she put her oven mitts on the counter firmly and rolled her eyes. Ralph chuckled with a wide smile before a sudden burst of thunder cracked over Sugar Rush. Everyone jolted before giving each other knowing looks. Ralph slumped his shoulders and relaxed in his chair as Sugar Rush quaked with the storm. He suddenly realized that Vanellope had been absent from their presence for a lot longer than he thought she would be; he looked around curiously before gazing at Taffyta.

"Hey, where did Vanellope lay off to?" he asked curiously, his hunger suddenly subsiding.

"That's a good question," Taffyta said gently before thunder clapped over the sky again, pouring rain could be heard slapping the gorgeous patio roof just out the wide open french doors of the kitchen, "She said she was going outside to get something, but she wasn't very clear."

"She's outside?" Ralph worried as he quickly stood and took a few steps towards the patio; he could feel Felix and Calhoun tense with the sudden urgency. He gazed eagerly out onto the gorgeous, dimly lit patio before his eyes landed on his one and only. He froze before a small smile crept across his face, he was lost in her beauty.

"I think lover boy found her," Candlehead smirked as she leaned closer to Tammy and Taffyta.

"What is she doing out there?" Taffyta barked quietly as everyone subtly eyed Ralph with wide, knowing smiles, "I think maybe one of us should go check on her."

"I-I'll do it," Ralph quickly said as he began to head towards the beautifully crafted patio doors. Candlehead, Tammy and Taffyta began to quietly giggle and chatter amongst themselves as Ralph left the kitchen island.

Ralph inhaled a shaky breath and gazed past the patio doors. Vanellope was standing at the very edge of the patio; the roofing shielded her from the pouring rain outside. The patio was lined perfectly with gorgeous, swirling green marble tiles. The edges of the large overhang was kissed with small, delicately lit lanterns. Green licorice ivy wrapped around the large, thick pillars of the patio, giving it a sun kissed, nature filled essence. Each ivy vine had sprout at least four or five mint green, honeysuckle blossoms. They were small but had survived Sugar Rush's icy cold winter thus far. The surrounding area was warmly lit under the glow of the creamy gumdrop swirled rice paper lanterns.

Vanellope stood leaned against one of the large, stone pillars against her side. She had her arms crossed and tucked close to her as the chill of the evening, stormy wind sent a chill through Sugar Rush's air. Her delicate, black hair was let loose and hung down her back. She was wearing a comfortable, mint green tank and a pair of comfortable brown sweats. Her feet were covered with peppermint striped socks. She looked as comfortable as could be, but she shivered slightly from the cold. Thunder cracked the sky above as lightning lit up the sky for a split second. Ralph leaned against the door frame and smiled a loving, knowing smile. He gazed at his girl across the patio, she seemed to be lost in thought.

Ralph stayed still for a few moments before he could feel someone pushing on his lower back. Ralph snapped out of his deep thought and lifted his large arm to see who was behind him. Tammy looked up at Ralph through innocent, dewy blue eyes, her hands were pushed to Ralph's lower back. She giggled a silent, teasing giggle and pushed on Ralph a little harder. Ralph breathed a small chuckle and gently ruffled the top of Tammy's head.

"Go get her," Tammy said lovingly as he gave Ralph one last, loving push.

"Thanks, Tammy," Ralph said with a wide smile as he gently tugged Tammy into his side for a small hug.

She hugged his middle for a few moments before she pulled away and stepped back over to Taffyta and Candlehead, who were gazing longingly towards Ralph. He chuckled and playfully rolled his eyes at the three teasing girls. He slowly returned his gaze back to Vanellope across the patio before making his venture over to her. He slowly approached her figure, he tried to keep his footsteps as gentle and as quiet as he could be.

He gazed longingly at the back of her head and figure, he felt his heart swell with an overwhelming surge of emotions. The last month without her made him realize just how much he missed her, just how much he loved her. He knew, no matter what, he'd never take another moment with her for granted. He inhaled a gentle breath as his eyes came level with a gorgeous, fully bloomed honeysuckle gently hanging off one of the ivy vines. He reached his wrecking hand out for it and tenderly plucked it off of its branch before fluffing and situating it as best as he could. He felt his heart jolt as he gently made himself present in Vanellope's peripheral.

Vanellope gently looked up at Ralph through loving, knowing eyes. Her cheeks turned a gentle red as she looked down to the ground in a bashful manner. She began to twiddle her thumbs together, her small smile growing with each second Ralph was finally in her single presence. She inhaled a nervous breath and let it back out with a small, happy chuckle, as if she was searching for something to say. Ralph smiled a gap toothed smile and gently reached his hand up; he brushed some of her gorgeous, silky black hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Within doing so, he slipped the delicate honeysuckle into her hair above her ear. He removed his hands and took in her beautiful, womanly sight. Her eyes quickly shot from the ground straight up to Ralph's, she smiled a bashful grin.

"Hello, beautiful," Ralph said as gently as he could; Vanellope could tell he was trying his hardest.

"Hey, you," Vanellope said just above a whisper as she looked down and to the side, as if being in Ralph's presence was almost too much to bear. Thunder clapped the sky again, but Vanellope didn't even flinch. Ralph furrowed his eyebrows and let a small smile spread across his face in a confused manner.

"How come you're out here by yourself?" Ralph asked gently, his eyes locked on Vanellope's, "Aren't you scared of thunder storms?"

"I used to be, I guess," Vanellope said gently, her eyes still focused on the thick, light beige stone railings that separated the patio from the large grassy field beyond it. Vanellope inhaled an unsure breath to continue, "Ever since the last night I saw you, thunderstorms have been somewhat of a comfort to me. I appreciated whenever they came around, during the time of seemingly unending separation we had they reminded me of that last night we spent with each other."

"I see," Ralph felt his face get hot as he too looked down, both hearts became overwhelmed with bashful flutters of their familiar bursts of hot purple pixels.

Something to Ralph's left suddenly caught his eye. He glanced over and noticed Taffyta, Candlehead and Tammy eagerly leaning out the beautiful porch doors. They jolted and scurried away once they caught eyes with Ralph; their giggling could be faintly heard. Ralph breathed a small chuckle and rolled his eyes before fixing his attention on Vanellope again. She gazed down to the ground between her and Ralph. She fiddled her fingers together in a nervous manner, her cheeks blushed. The soft wind of the storm brushed past the two, sending a shiver up Vanellope's arms and shoulders.

"You look exhausted," Ralph breathed softly as he clenched his fist a few times in an nervous manner; he didn't totally know what to do with his hands. He didn't want to seem too pushy or grabby.

"I am," Vanellope said gently as she peered out to the dark, open field. The rain drizzled heavily but in a sense of calmness. Vanellope crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders a little as she inhaled to continue, "I don't think I've had a proper night's sleep since…well, you know."

"I can fix it," Ralph said gently; Vanellope wrinkled her nose and beamed a curious smile up at him. Ralph chuckled, realizing what words he just said. He shook his head and rolled his eyes playfully as Vanellope quickly looked down, her smile still wide and bashful.

"I think, I'd rather you wreck it," Vanellope breathed boldly, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground. Ralph felt his breath catch as his eyes widened a little. He gazed down at the top of Vanellope's head in disbelief before he exhaled a faltering chuckle.

"Would you, now?" Ralph furrowed his eyebrows and beamed a small smile as he gazed down at her face, which was angled towards the ground. He bent down a little, eager to see her facial expression.

"S-sorry," Vanellope chuckled nervously as she gazed up at Ralph's chest, she avoided his eye contact before slowly pulling out of Ralph's close presence. She took a few steps over to the beautiful railing of the patio, she hugged herself tight with her arms and shivered, "That, was a little too forward, wasn't it."

"Quite the contrary," Ralph chuckled with a smile as he ventured closer to her. Without much hesitation, he gently wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and upper body. He tucked her to him and felt his heart leap as she eagerly pushed into his side for warmth.

"What have you guys been up to this past month?" Vanellope asked softly as the two gazed out to the storm that blanketed Sugar Rush, "Did you guys miss us as much as we missed you guys?"

"Did we?" Ralph scoffed softly as he shook his head in disbelief, "You, Taffyta and Candlehead were all Tammy could talk about. Tammy kept going on about how you guys have to come back, because she wants, a-another wrecker in the family."

"Another wrecker?" Vanellope asked as the code on her arm glitched with her elevating heart rate. She glanced at her arm before giving Ralph a bashful smile. She tucked her chin down and avoided eye contact with him, her smile written with glee. She suddenly widened her eyes to the ground as Tessa immediately crossed her mind.

"Yeah," Ralph chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, "Tammy is something else."

"Definitely," Vanellope choked with a small, bashful smile. Her mind raced with decisions. She wanted to tell Ralph all about Tessa, all about their beautiful, first born daughter, but she knew that would be wrong. She bit her lip and shoved Tessa to the back of her mind; she repeated Tessa's wise words in her head before exhaling a relaxed sigh.

"Basically, we've just been trying to keep up with our quarter alerts," Ralph said gently, "The first week you were gone, Mr. Litwak nearly put the 'out of order' sign on our game cabinet, twice."

"Twice?" Vanellope repeated in shock as she shot Ralph a surprised look.

"Yeah," Ralph breathed before smiling down at Vanellope, "Where in the world did you guys end up? Surely it was a lot better than Litwak's Arcade."

"We ended up in Disneyland," Vanellope said as she looked down to the ground. She could feel Ralph grow tense.

"Disneyland?" Ralph barked quietly as he removed his arm from Vanellope and leaned more so in front of her; she avoided eye contact with him, "You risked your entire game cabinet, you messed with your code, you gave up Disneyland, all for returning to Litwak's dump?"

"It's not a dump," Vanellope snapped as she gazed at Ralph pleadingly, her eyes glassy. Ralph flinched as Vanellope inhaled an uncertain breath, "Family is more important than fame… My kingdom did alright at Disneyland, but my family is my first and utmost priority."

"You had the chance of a life time, Vanellope," Ralph said softly, feeling unworthy of such a drastic, selfless act.

"So, you didn't want us to come back?" Vanellope spat as she furrowed her brows, she began to feel defensive.

"Of COURSE we wanted you to come back," Ralph said firmly and pleadingly, "I…I just can't believe you'd give up the biggest, greatest hull for arcade games…just, for me."

"Yeah, well, you're worth it, believe it or not," Vanellope spat as she looked away, "Here I am. Not much we can do about it now."

"Vanellope," Ralph sighed after a few long moments. Vanellope wrinkled her nose and tried to hide the blush on her cheeks; the mere sound of her name leaving his mouth made chills send shock waves through her spine.

"What," Vanellope breathed impatiently.

"That was a very kind thing you did," Ralph said calmly as he laid his hand on Vanellope's back and shoulder. She un-tensed immediately under the warmth of his hand.

"It may have seemed like a stupid move on my part," Vanellope started softly, "Leaving the Disneyland arcades for a bad guy in a family fun center across town…but, those arcade games come and go faster than anything I've ever seen."

"That's hard to believe," Ralph chuckled as he kept his hand on his girl.

"It is," Vanellope agreed as she turned to face Ralph; she kept her eyes down, "I knew that my game would be safer and stronger in Litwak's arcade…at least here, I knew it was in good hands," Vanellope said gently as she slid her hands into Ralph's. She gently locked eyes with Ralph and gave him her signature, toothy smile. She wrinkled her nose and squinted her eyes, her cheeks blushed with renewed love.

"Bah," Ralph scoffed with a smile as he clenched his hands around Vanellope's, "What do you need me for. You have this kingdom thing down perfectly. If you haven't forgotten, I wreck things."

"I'm well aware," Vanellope chuckled as she looked down at Ralph's large hands before she shot Ralph a daring, smoldering smile, "Game day isn't over until I say it is, buddy."

Ralph held his breath and gazed hard into Vanellope's eyes. He let a small, goofy smile spread across his face as Vanellope slowly walked away from Ralph. Her hands teasingly slid out of his, and his eyes were kept glued to her figure as he watched her walk away. He chuckled a silent, bashful chuckle as he could feel his face turn hot red. He furrowed his eyebrows and continued to stare Vanellope down as she head for the open balcony doors; she was headed towards the kitchen. Ralph exhaled a surprised, silent chuckle and rested his hands on his hips; he admired Vanellope's beauty before shaking his head slowly and following her idea to head inside.

"What a catch," Ralph breathed to himself.

"For the first time in forever," Vanellope started as she approached Candlehead, Calhoun and Taffyta in the kitchen, "These actually sound appetizing."

"Finally," Taffyta barked as she slammed a jelly puff into the large pan of powdered sugar. It spout powder into the air, creating a small cloud of white dust, "The old Vanellope is back."

"Will you cut it out," Vanellope hissed to Taffyta as she glanced out the patio doors; she saw Ralph approaching and quickly leaned closer to Taffyta, "I don't want Ralph thinking I've just been mopey and mulling over him this whole time."

"Well why not?" Taffyta chuckled as she continued to work, "It shows him that you care."

"It shows him that I'm a weak little fangirl," Vanellope hissed in a whisper as Candlehead giggled and rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure that's not the case," Candlehead said softly, "Besides. Ralph will just prove that to you later tonight."

"Well…I'm game," Vanellope said plainly in a teasing way as she sat down at the island her sisters were gathered around. Taffyta and Candlehead both shot her surprised, playful expressions before Ralph made himself present in the kitchen.

"Where did Tammy go?" Ralph wondered as he slowly stepped into the kitchen.

"Felix took her home," Calhoun said gently with a smile, "It's past her bedtime. I told Felix I'd catch up with him in a minute."

"More jelly puffs for us," Candlehead beamed as she rubbed her hands together eagerly.

"You're still not finished with these?" Ralph barked playfully, "I was outside for a good ten minutes!"

"Do you want to take over?" Taffyta barked as she gave Ralph an annoyed, challenging look. Everyone laughed.

"Yes as a matter of fact," Ralph chuckled loudly, "Cause then I'd actually get to eat sometime this century!"

"I'd like to see you try baking," Taffyta sneered as she focused on what she was doing, "You wouldn't last two seconds."

"Wanna bet?" Ralph barked as he put his hands on his hips; Vanellope slumped her face into her hands.

"Oh, here we go," Vanellope groaned; Calhoun rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Yes!" Taffyta barked as she put her hands on her hips; she suddenly hunched into herself nervously and put her hands up as Ralph began to approach her. She giggled aloud and scrambled away from her spot, "Okay okay okay, Ralph, no I don't want to bet."

"You're backing down from your own bet?" Ralph laughed as he motioned towards the perfect, un-powdered jelly puffs. Taffyta winced and jolted her hands nervously towards her creation.

"No don't touch! DON'T TOUCH!" Taffyta hollered before biting her lip and giggling nervously up at Ralph.

"Ralph," Vanellope chuckled as she lulled her head.

"Vanellope, control your creature!" Taffyta urged as she shoved on Ralph's chest; she managed to push him aside a little.

"My creature?" Vanellope repeated as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Maybe he needs a leash," Candlehead laughed and covered her mouth, Vanellope beamed as her face turned red.

"C-can I please, just have ONE," Ralph urged as he quickly reached his hand out for one of the unfinished jelly puffs. He and Taffyta began to shove and wrestle for the spot in front of the jelly puffs. Taffyta glued both her hands firmly to Ralph's chest as he hunched over her. She kept him at bay just barely, his eyes fixed on the pile of goodies on the counter.

"No no no!" Taffya hollered as she hurriedly shoved Ralph's hand away from the pile a few times; she gave Vanellope a desperate look, "Vanellope, he's going to wreck it!"

"Is that a promise?" Vanellope laughed as her cheeks grew red; Ralph caught her eyes in a knowing glance as Candlehead and Calhoun roared with laughter.

"I-I just want one!" Ralph barked as he quickly averted his attention back to the jelly puffs; Taffyta was struggling to keep Ralph away.

"RALPH No! Not yet! They're NOT DONE!" Taffyta urged through impatient giggling; she gave Vanellope a desperate look and motioned her head towards Ralph. Vanellope finally heaved a faltering sigh and rolled her eyes as she stood and put her hands on her hips.

"Hey," Vanellope barked; Ralph and Taffyta both froze and gazed at her intently. Vanellope gazed Ralph straight in the eyes and cocked her eyebrow, "Game on."

Ralph widened his eyes and held eye contact with Vanellope for a few seconds. He flinched as she quickly took a few steps backwards and bolted for the exit of the kitchen. Ralph perked up and quickly scrambled away from Taffyta in a hurried way; he knocked over a few pans in the process. Candlehead quickly covered her head with her arms and squealed in protest. Vanellope whirled around and laughed at Ralph's struggling effort to gain his balance and leave the kitchen made for smaller people.

"What does that even mean!?" Taffyta hollered in an impatient way as she threw her arms up.

Ralph heaved a small chuckle as Vanellope gave Ralph a teasing smile and skipped out of the kitchen. Ralph stumbled to regain balance before whirling around and clenching his fists. His heart jolted and raced at the whirl of the situation. He gave Taffyta a knowing, almost embarrassed look and back pedaled.

"It means…I've got some wrecking to do," Ralph said confidently as he beamed and quickly left the kitchen area; he and Vanellope eagerly slipped out of sight.

"Oh, User, help us all," Taffyta said after a long few moments of distant giggling and chuckling could be heard; they bumped into walls awkwardly for a few seconds before the two were finally out of earshot.

"Well," Candlehead sighed, "At least one of us gets some."

"Candlehead!" Taffyta barked; Calhoun beamed and laughed.

"Well, make that two," Calhoun chuckled as she stood, "I'll catch you guys tomorrow."

"We'll save you some jelly puffs," Taffyta called as Calhoun smiled and nodded eagerly in acknowledgement.

"If he starts literally wrecking stuff, I'm going to kill him," Taffyta said in an annoyed way as she moseyed to pick up the fallen pans.

"How awkward would that be," Candlehead chuckled, "'Hey Felix, I need you to fix all these things in Vanellope's bedroom for me because I, uh, wrecked them in a fit of joy.'"

"Brilliant," Taffyta laughed, "Now I'm kind of hoping that happens, just so we can see how awkward of a situation they'll be in come tomorrow morning."

"I have a feeling they're going to use this Sugar Rush storm to their advantage," Candlehead giggled as she dropped her face into her hands.

"I didn't even think about that!" Taffyta groaned as she slumped her shoulders.