*Chapter 67*

The next few days went a lot more smoothly than Vanellope expected. Every race day was lively and exciting, just like the last. She was thrilled to be back at Litwak's, to be back home. Her racers seemed more confident to be back in their familiar territory. Every day, Rancis would eagerly watch the races from the stands. He knew he wasn't allowed to race just yet, but he figured watching wouldn't hurt anyone. After a long Friday night of racing, the arcade finally closed. Vanellope screeched her cart to a halt near the finish line and slumped in her seat for a moment. She took her dusty racing goggles off and peered down the long stretch of raceway she was in the middle of. Taffyta gently snapped her out of her deep thought.

"You alright, there, prez?" Taffyta smiled as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her eyebrow. Vanellope jolted and beamed sheepishly up at her sister.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine," Vanellope chuckled as she began to climb out of her race car, "Just thinking."

"Whatcha thinking about?" Taffyta prod as Vanellope gazed out to her group of racers; they all lingered near their cars, each one of them in excitable, friendly conversation.

"Oh, I don't really know," Vanellope sighed as she crossed her arms, "The past few days I guess. It's been such a whirlwind."

"Tell me about it," Taffyta breathed as she took her racing goggles off and began to clean them on her racing vest.

"That was some race, you guys," Rancis said as he slowly moseyed over to the two girls. Vanellope immediately locked all of her focus on the two; she almost beamed an uncontrollable smile at the fact that she was about to witness the very rare, flustered and shy Taffyta in action; even if Taffyta wasn't fully aware of it.

"Yeah," Taffyta scoffed, almost nervously, as she slid her goggles on the top of her head, before her choppy bangs, "You watched?"

"Yep," Rancis smiled as he shoved his hands into his dark brown hoodie; he was wearing a comfortable pair of racing jeans. His golden blond hair was ruffled a little, he looked as if he was enjoying his time off, "That move you did to cut Vanellope off was a little harsh though, don't you think?" Rancis chuckled as he wrinkled his nose playfully.

"Harsh?" Taffyta barked as she gazed at her sister, "I just wanted to win!"

"Really, Taff, I can still taste the dirt in my mouth," Vanellope groaned; Taffyta rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Hopefully it tasted good," Both Taffyta and Rancis said at the same time.

Taffyta and Rancis both quickly looked at each other with stunned surprise before they both began laughing, almost nervously; Vanellope put her hands on her hips and felt as if she was going to explode from holding back giddy, teasing laughter for the two. Taffyta heaved a nervous giggle and bashfully looked down to the ground as she tucked her gorgeous white hair behind her ear. She practically beamed ear to ear. Rancis chuckled with a genuine smile and shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie again. Vanellope lulled her head and let a small laugh escape her mouth before Taffyta perked up and flew her arm out past Vanellope.

"Um, Candlehead! I-I need to talk to you," Taffyta rushed as she quickly scrambled away from Vanellope and Rancis. Rancis' facial expression slowly dropped, but he still had a flicker of hope in his eye.

Vanellope watched Taffyta leave before she rolled her eyes and gave Rancis a small smile. It quickly faded once she saw the almost defeated look in Rancis's eye, as if he hasn't gone through enough. Vanellope breathed a small, understanding chuckle and nudged his arm.

"Hey…Taff, Ralph and the gang are all having a barbecue for dinner tonight down at Westwind Acres," Vanellope said, though she tried to hide her uncertainty, whether she really should be inviting him or not. She figured it wouldn't hurt as she took in a confident breath to continue, "You're more than welcome to come."

"I'd like that," Rancis said gently, his blue eyes gazed at her curiously but happily.

"Good," Vanellope nodded once as the two slowly drew their attention to Taffyta and Candlehead from a few yards away, "Everyone will be there…which includes Felix, his wife and daughter. Does that bother you?"

"No," Rancis breathed through a mentally exhausted exhale, "I'm bound to make nice with Felix sooner or later, right?"

"I would hope so," Vanellope chuckled, "Just don't expect him to take to you too kindly right now. He's a little wary around you, which I guess I don't blame him."

"Understood," Rancis said with a small nod.

"Well, then I guess we'll meet you there?" Vanellope smiled happily towards her long lost friend, "We're all meeting there in about an hour, from what I was told."

"I'll be there," Rancis said with a calm, friendly smile. Vanellope smiled back, wondering if that reset really did him some good.

"Awesome, see you then," Vanellope said gently as she waved over her shoulder. She slowly moseyed up to Taffyta and Candlehead.

"We gotta go get ready for the barbecue tonight," Taffyta said to Vanellope as she approached the two girls. Vanellope gave her a sly smile.

"I've invited Rancis," Vanellope said as her smile grew wider; Taffyta tried her hardest to act cool. Vanellope could see right through her.

"I guess that's cool," Taffyta said plainly.

A half an hour had past, and Vanellope had slowly distanced herself from the castle and from her two sisters. They took their time preparing for their delicious barbecue, though Vanellope had another chore she wanted to accomplish. She figured it was perfect timing, in line with everything that had happened within the past few days. Vanellope had made her way to Westwind Acres by herself. Sugar Rush's soft, sunset sky set the sprawling grasslands on fire with sweet, sunny gumdrops. The cool wind swept through the valley, keeping the sweet, glistening grass alive. Vanellope was dressed in her old, mint green hoodie with the pink, messy drawstrings. She wore a pair of comfortable, dark brown pants and her feet were bare on Sugar Rush's soft and inviting landscape.

She gazed across the vast scenery; Sugar Rush boasted its beauty as best as it possibly could. Vanellope took in the sight of her land and admired every last inch of it. After a long few minutes of silent longing, she opened both of her palms and gazed down at what was inside. Boba sat peacefully, though the brilliant blue feathers on his chest heaved nervously. His little wing had healed back to perfect health. Vanellope let a wide smile spread across her face as her little comfort of a blue bird sat perched in her hands. He looked apprehensive, as if he had forgotten what it was like to be free. She gently stroked the top of Boba's head and held onto him lovingly; she felt her heart swell. She knew letting her little Boba free was going to be a difficult venture.

"Vanellope?" Rancis suddenly said very softly. Vanellope looked up and turned around gently, her long black hair quickly tucked from over her shoulder and blew with Sugar Rush's calm winds.

"Rancis," Vanellope smiled, "You're early."

"I-I know," Rancis chuckled as he slowly and carefully approached his friend, "I WAS going to go to the castle to help you guys out, but I remembered that I'm not really allowed over there."

"Give it time," Vanellope said softly, remembering hers and Ralph's agreement. Rancis curiously gazed down at her hands.

"Whatcha got there?" Rancis asked softly as Vanellope slowly opened her hands, "A blue bird…I didn't think blue birds flew this far North."

"This is Boba. He's actually from Ralph's game," Vanellope smiled as Boba sat tucked and safe in Vanellope's hands.

"What is he doing in Sugar Rush?" Rancis chuckled as he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his dark brown hoodie.

"Well," Vanellope heaved a long sigh and wrinkled her nose, "We found Boba stuck in a pipe in Ralph's bathroom.When we found him, his wing was broken. I decided to take him home and nurse him back to health."

"I see," Rancis's smile urged her to continue.

"When Sugar Rush got unplugged and got moved to Disneyland's arcade," Vanellope inhaled a slow breath as she could almost feel tears sting her eyes, "Boba was the only tangible thing I had that meeting Ralph actually wasn't just a dream. Boba reminded me that Ralph was still alive in Litwak's Arcade. Though we were eons apart, Boba sort of was my comforter during the time we were apart."

Rancis and Vanellope were silent. Vanellope gazed down at Boba with so much love and affection for her small pet. Rancis gazed down at Boba with a small smile before his eyes slid up to Vanellope. His gaze was soft but final with care and understanding. He inhaled slowly through his nose and looked down to the ground.

"You really love Ralph, don't you," Rancis said with a small smile as his eyes fixed on the light green grass underneath the two. Vanellope scoffed a small laugh as a tear gently rolled down her cheek; she threw her gaze out to the vast, open field before the two. Sugar Rush's sweet breeze hit her face, as if to drench her in all of its lusciousness.

"That's the biggest understatement of the century," Vanellope giggled as she nudged her cheek onto her shoulder, wiping away the lone tear that escaped her honeydew hazel eyes. She sniffled a few times before exhaling a long, calm breath. Rancis breathed a small, understanding chuckle.

"He's, a great guy," Rancis admitted. Vanellope looked at him curiously, wondering if that was hard for him to say.

"Are you just saying that to get on my good side?" Vanellope sneered, almost playfully. Rancis lulled his head to the side and rolled his eyes with a wide smile.

"I may have come off as if I was puppy dogging after you a year ago," Rancis scoffed as he gave Vanellope a sincere look, "But I'm not that stupid. I meant what I said."

"What made you change your mind about him?" Vanellope asked softly and earnestly as her thumb tenderly stroked Boba's small head. The little bird's eyes closed with the lulling motion.

"My mind never changed," Rancis chuckled as he gazed out to the green grassland, "I-I always liked him. I guess you guys would've never guessed, what with me um…t-trying to chop him to bits with that sword."

"Yeah, really," Vanellope said in soft surprise. She looked down and pondered her conversation with Taffyta the other day. She inhaled a slow breath before tenderly looking up at Rancis, "Taffyta finally told me everything that has happened between you two."

Rancis looked into her eyes gently, his blue eyes were clouded with a billion questions. He furrowed his eyebrows just barely, his facial expression that of almost confused delight, "She did?"

"Yeah," Vanellope breathed, "Now that everything is out in the open, it all sort of makes sense."

"I knew bottling up my feelings, like that, wasn't smart…I don't know what came over me," Rancis sighed.

"Taffyta may have broken your heart," Vanellope started before she gave Rancis a playful, annoyed smirk, "But you didn't need to drag me, and all of Sugar Rush into it."

"I know," Rancis exhaled, "I was just so…so frustrated with her."

"Well, Taffyta has that effect on people," Vanellope said with a happy laugh; Rancis beamed and looked down, his cheeks almost a blushed pink.

"I'm sorry our relationship was sort of on the down low," Rancis said gently as his foot idly pushed at the grass in front of him, "It was Taffyta's idea…I-I think she was embarrassed of me or something."

"She wasn't embarrassed of you," Vanellope stated confidently, "I think she was just confused. After all, we're not really wired for this fabulous thing called love."

"That is obviously clear as day," Rancis laughed as he looked out to the scenery. Vanellope beamed.

"I know you meant a lot to her," Vanellope said softly, "I think she was just scared."

"What could've she possibly been scared of?" Rancis prod, his eyes gazed at Vanellope with curiosity and hurt.

"I'm not totally sure," Vanellope shrugged, "I think she was worried that it all would come spilling out, and if you guys split, User forbid, then our group of friends would never be the same. We DO have to all live with each other, you know. It's not like any of us can go find a new game, or a new life, to join. We're stuck with each other."

"I guess I never thought of it that way," Rancis said as he looked down humbly.

"I felt the same exact way about Ralph and I," Vanellope said gently as the wind brushed past the two; her hair blew delicately behind herself, "I was worried that Ralph and I would eventually split… And because he was good friends with Taffyta and Candlehead, I was worried that would be really hard on everyone."

"That makes sense," Rancis sighed, "I just wish she would have given us a chance. None of this mess would've happened."

"No," Vanellope corrected with a small chuckle, "None of this would've happened if you weren't so vengeful."

"Touché," Rancis mumbled as he gazed at Vanellope apologetically.

"It's all behind us," Vanellope stated softly, her hands still cradled Boba, "This new year is going to be good for Sugar Rush. A time for new beginnings. Time to turn over the leaf."

"Agreed," Rancis smiled before looking down sadly, "I-I'm, still shocked at how easily you and Ralph accepted me back into the game."

"There's no sense in holding a grudge or deleting you over a massive misunderstanding," Vanellope giggled, "It's just wasted energy. Negative energy, at that. You wouldn't think Ralph would be good at quelling negative emotions, but he keeps me in check more than anyone I've ever met."

"Minty was right, by the way," Rancis stated gently after a few moments of silence between the two. Vanellope looked at him curiously.

"About what?" Vanellope prod.

"Ralph will make a great King for Sugar Rush," Rancis admitted humbly, his eyes locked on hers with sincerity, "You did good, Vanellope."

Vanellope felt her heart swell as she let a small, beaming smile prowl across her face. She looked down at Boba, her grin was ear to ear. Her soft hair flickered in the never-ending stream of sweet wind that lushed the valley they were sunk in. Vanellope inhaled a deep breath of the cold, evening air.

"I can't tell you how much that means to me," Vanellope said softly, "I hope we can put all of our hurt feelings behind us."

"I'm game," Rancis said gently with a friendly smile. He chuckled and lulled his head, "This nonsense has gone on far too long, huh…"

"Definitely," Vanellope chuckled, "I think your next chore is to face Taffyta, though."

"Sheesh," Rancis hissed just barely as his piercing blue eyes scanned the gorgeous scenery, "I might have a game over during THAT conversation."

"Well," Vanellope lulled her head to the side, "Taffyta may come across as tough and abrasive, but her center is as soft and sweet as the laughy taffy trees."

"Don't I know it," Rancis said softly, his cheeks red. Vanellope gently shot him a look as a wide smile beamed across her face.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Vanellope prod curiously in a girly way, "Taff always told me she didn't care much for boyfriends, nor has she ever had a first kiss."

"Well, she flat out lied to you," Rancis barked with a curious smile, causing Vanellope to throw her head back in a girly fit of surprised laughter.

"I'm sure she lied because she didn't want me teasing her," Vanellope laughed as she wrinkled her nose.

"She was always very shy when it came to romance," Rancis chuckled, his deeper voice was soft with nostalgia, "It's going to take a whole lot to get her to show that side of her openly, like you and Ralph."

"It didn't come so easy to me, either," Vanellope stated gently with a smile, "But I think Taffyta just enjoys putting up a hard front."

"She'll cave eventually," Rancis chuckled as he wrinkled his nose, his eyes looked hopeful, yet nervous at the challenge, "She's shown me that soft side once before…I know she'll do it again."

"I'm sure she'll come around," Vanellope smiled at her long lost friend with a knowing smile.

Vanellope chuckled silently and gazed down at Boba for a few seconds before distant chattering could be heard. Vanellope and Rancis slowly turned around and gazed up the hill to the large ivy crowned gazebo. Ralph and everyone else was slowly approaching the brightly lit gazebo with food and treats of all sorts. Vanellope felt her heart jump at the sight of her family. She caught eyes with Ralph; he gave her a loving, yet apprehensive smile as he saw her standing alone with Rancis. Rancis inhaled a slow breath and gave Vanellope a small, sheepish look.

"Guess it's time to face my doom," Rancis chuckled, Vanellope rolled her eyes and nudged his elbow.

"Come off it, there is no more doom to face," Vanellope smiled as Ralph casually began to approach the two.

"Hi guys," Ralph said softly with a small, genuine smile. Vanellope beamed a closed mouth grin, her cheeks rapidly blushing. Rancis nodded his head once as he tucked his hands deeper into his pocket.

"Hi Ralph," Rancis said softly before he glanced at Vanellope, "I'll give you two your privacy."

"We'll be up there in a few minutes," Vanellope said with a smile as her and Ralph watched Rancis leave for a few moments. Ralph turned to Vanellope once Rancis was out of earshot and inhaled slowly.

"Should I be worried?" Ralph said plainly, Vanellope rolled her eyes at him.

"Hardly," Vanellope chuckled, "We were just clearing the air."

"Hmm," Ralph hummed as he gently tucked her gorgeous, black hair behind her ear.

"I think things are finally settling down," Vanellope said with a small smile as her eyes caught with Ralph's.

"I'm still on my guard," Ralph said nervously, but he finally gave Vanellope an assured smile, "But I'm happy things are starting to calm down."

"Yeah," Vanellope agreed as she looked down to her hands, Boba remained patient.

"I don't believe it," Ralph scoffed with a surprised chuckle as he bent down to get a good look at Boba, "Is that Boba?"

"Yeah," Vanellope breathed as her eyes billowed with tears, though she wasn't sure why, "I-I did it, his wing is all healed."

"You fixed it," Ralph chuckled as he stood up straight again and gazed down at his love with an impressed smile.

"I think he's ready to fly," Vanellope said gently as she gazed down at her beautiful blue bird. A tear or two rolled down her cheek. Ralph heaved a soft sigh and very gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder lovingly.

"You did great," Ralph breathed onto the top of her head as he squeezed her to him, "I think Boba is ready to be free."

"H-He was like a friend to me, while you and I were apart," Vanellope said softly as Boba shifted in her palms; he chirped a few times as Vanellope continued, "He was a constant reminder of your love. He reminded me every single day that what you and I had wasn't just a dream."

"That's how I felt about your code book," Ralph said gently as he tucked his cheek to the top of Vanellope's head. He gazed out to Sugar Rush's gorgeous sky. The clouds were on fire with the sunset's orange citrus passion.

"Now that we're all together, and everything is finally shifting into place," Vanellope said before inhaling a refreshing breath of the wind that breezed past them, "I think it's time to let go. He's done his part. We comforted each other while we both were injured."

"It's very kind of you to let him free," Ralph breathed softly as a small flock of Sugar Rush birds soared past them.

They fluttered around in the breeze as a few of Sugar Rush's late autumn leaves danced in the glistening sun. Boba chirped as he bounced a few times in Vanellope's hands. Vanellope giggled softly as Boba puffed his brilliant blue feathers. Ralph wrapped his arms around Vanellope's hips gently as she tucked her left shoulder into Ralph's chest and side. She very tenderly opened her palms wide and lifted her arms up a little. Boba remained flightless as his little head scanned his surroundings.

Before too much time passed, he finally spread his wings and let them catch the wind for the first time in over a month. He quickly fluttered away as Sugar Rush's birds fluttered around him playfully and happily. They chirped with glee as his new flock drifted over Westwind Acres. Vanellope inhaled a shaky breath and tucked her closed fists to her chest as a few more tears rolled down her cheeks. Ralph smiled a knowing smile as his eyes watched Boba's new flock flutter into the breeze. He squeezed Vanellope to him and breathed a small chuckle of understanding. He tilted his head down and gave Vanellope a small, curious smile.

"It's okay," Ralph soothed as he rubbed her back with his large hand, "You'll see him again."

"That was harder than I thought it'd be," Vanellope complained as her eyes speckled gold flecks with the brilliant orange sunset. Ralph took in her beauty.

"I understand," Ralph said gently as he continued to keep his attention glued to Vanellope, "It's never easy closing a chapter of your life, but you gave Boba the opportunity to live again."

"I'm going to miss him," Vanellope breathed with a small giggle as she dried the tears on her cheeks.

"I know," Ralph said softly as he slowly, yet firmly, wrapped his caring arms around her. She leaned into his chest as her arms wound around his middle as best as she could.

"At least I still have you," Vanellope said in a playful voice as she squeezed Ralph's big boned body to herself for a few moments before relaxing. Ralph squeezed her in return.

"I won't fly away, I promise," Ralph laughed quietly causing a wide smile to beam across Vanellope's face.

"I certainly hope not," Vanellope giggled with a sniffle as Ralph slipped his hand into hers. They began walking back up the hill to reunite with their family.