(A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Someone will find out about the girls being friends. You'll have to read this in order to find out who that someone is!)

A few days have passed since Joy and Tootie met and became friends. Vicky was having a ton of fun torturing Timmy and scaring her parents. However, she hadn't seen Tootie lately, but what did she care? She was getting paid 24/7 to watch over Timmy, not Tootie.

Timmy, on the other hand, had been getting suspicious as to why Tootie hadn't been paying much attention to him lately. When he told Cosmo and Wanda about it, they said that she was probably hiding from Vicky and couldn't be near him because she didn't want to see Vicky beat him, and trying to defend him would get her beaten, too.

Timmy wasn't sure of the main reason, but he was going to find out what it was very soon, and it was the last thing he was ever going to expect. That's right, just imagine his surprise when he decided to spend time with Joy in her room one stormy afternoon, and he found her sitting on her bed with none other than Tootie. The two girls were busy playing a board game together.

"What the-?! Tootie! Joy! What in the world are you two doing together?!" Timmy almost screamed, causing the girls to look at him. He never thought he'd live to see his sister and Tootie spending time together, and it was quite a shock.

"We're playing a board game, Timmy. What does it look like we're doing?" Tootie asked.

"Timmy, what's the matter? You're acting like we're doing something wrong, but as you can see, we're not being bad. And in case you're wondering, I'm winning the game." Joy replied.

"Not yet..." Tootie contradicted.

Timmy could not believe what he was seeing and hearing. He needed to find out just what was going on, and how it happened. Is this why Tootie had been leaving him alone?

"Tootie, do you think you could give me and Joy a few minutes alone?" Timmy asked, trying hard to keep his temper under control.

"Hey, whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of Tootie." Joy replied, getting a small smile from Tootie.

"No, Joy. I don't think I can do that." Timmy said.

"Sorry, Tootie. I tried to convince him to let you stay in here. At least that way you might've been safe from Vicky." Joy said.

"Well, at least you tried, and that's what matters most, I guess." Tootie said, before leaving the room.

When the door closed, Joy said to her brother, "Okay, Timmy, what's the matter? You sound really upset about something, and since you couldn't say what it is in front of Tootie, I'm going to assume that you don't like the idea of her being my friend."

"She's your WHAT?!" Timmy screamed. He had no idea that the two girls had become friends. He didn't even know how they met. Wanting to get to the bottom of this, Timmy asked Joy, "How did you even meet Tootie in the first place?!"

"Remember when I was hiding under the couch, and you told me to run for the stairs? Tootie saw me running to the stairs. Vicky didn't see me, and she most likely hadn't noticed that Tootie had come after me." Joy said.

"Well, that was a dumb move on my part. Oh, why didn't I just ask Cosmo or Wanda to be with her and make her invisible until she was safe in her room?" Timmy asked himself, before asking his sister, "How could you two even become friends?"

"You're acting like this is the worst thing that could ever have happened. But it's not, because in case you haven't noticed, Tootie is nothing like Vicky. That's a good thing." Joy said.

Timmy had to admit that Joy was right on that. Tootie was nothing like Vicky. But that probably had to do with the fact that Vicky treated her so badly. He found that out the hard way, and it did make him feel kind of bad for her.

"So, is that why you like her? Because she's not like Vicky?" Timmy asked.

"There's more to it than that, Timmy. Because of Vicky, she's also pretty lonely. She really needs a friend." Joy said.

"Joy, she's at least 3 years older than you." Timmy said.

"I know. She told me that the other day, so I deemed her the big sister I never had. And now I have someone to talk to about girl stuff. I know I can do that with Wanda, but she has to spend time with Cosmo, and you, too." Joy replied.

"You could easily do that with Trixie, if only she'd give me the time of day." Timmy said.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Timmy, but you know that's never going to happen. She really likes boy stuff more than girl stuff, and she only notices the popular boys, acting like the normal boys don't even exist unless they tell her that she's pretty." Joy reminded him, before adding in her mind, "Pretty ugly, in my opinion."

"She'll come around someday." Timmy said.

"No, she won't, Timmy. She doesn't even want to try to get to know anyone who isn't popular, and her friend is totally nuts." Joy said.

"I can't argue with you about Veronica, but is that the other reason why you like Tootie? Because she's not Trixie or Veronica?" Timmy asked.

"I know Tootie isn't one of the so-called pretty and popular girls, but that's not a bad thing. Tootie doesn't act like you don't exist; like you're not there. She really loves you, Timmy. You just have to give her a chance and get to know her. She's not as bad as you think." Joy said.

"But I can't give her a chance. That's just what she wants me to do so she can smother me." Timmy said.

"If you give her a chance, maybe she won't smother you. And I know she may not look that pretty right now, but you should know that real beauty comes from within." Joy said.

"All right, I know for a fact that you heard that saying from Wanda." Timmy said.

"You're right. She told me that after we listened to the song "It's What's Inside That Counts". She also told me that Trixie's beauty is only skin-deep. She's right about that." Joy said.

"But Tootie is obsessed with me." Timmy explained.

"So what? If I were you, I would just be thankful that she's not Veronica, and that she notices me, unlike Trixie." said Joy.

"But that doesn't change the fact that Tootie is still related to Vicky!" Timmy said.

"Tootie doesn't look up to Vicky the way I do you. She told me that she'll never be anything like Vicky. Knowing how awful Vicky is, I don't blame her, and you should be grateful that she knows better than to become a witch like her sister! In fact, she even said that due to how Vicky treats her, she can't call Vicky her sister!" Joy said.

Timmy wasn't sure if he should really believe his sister or not. But he did have to admire the way she was standing up for Tootie. She was proving herself to be a good, loyal friend, and he hated to admit it, but Tootie did need a friend like that. Timmy knew there was no breaking the girls apart now. They were true friends, and he felt that not even Cosmo and Wanda's magic could interfere with that.

"Okay, then. I think I need to have a talk with Tootie now." said Timmy.

"Don't you dare tell her that she can't be my friend, or find a way to try and break our friendship!" Joy told him.

"I won't break you apart. I promise." Timmy said. He left the room, and after he quietly closed the door, he saw Tootie standing patiently in the hallway, quietly waiting for Timmy to allow her back into the room again.

"Tootie, has Vicky come by here while I was talking to Joy?" Timmy asked Tootie in a whisper.

"No. And even if she had, I wouldn't tell her where you were, and I would never tell her about Joy. Friends don't put friends in harm's way." Tootie whispered back.

That was what Timmy needed to hear.

"Tootie..." Timmy began. This wasn't going to be easy for him to say. He sighed and asked, "Can you come with me for a second? I need to have a word with you. Alone."

"Sure!" Tootie eagerly replied.

Timmy opened the door to his room, ushering Tootie in. The girl happily entered Timmy's room and looked around in happiness.

Cosmo and Wanda looked surprised to see Tootie enter the room. What was Timmy doing inviting Tootie into his room? Didn't he not like her? They wanted to ask him, but not right now, so they knew they were going to have to listen in on the conversation between the two to find out what was going on here.

Once they were inside the room, Timmy quickly closed the door and locked it.

"Timmy, why did you lock the door?" Tootie asked, confused.

"I can't risk Vicky coming in here during our conversation. I figure that if the door is locked, then she can't get in." Timmy explained.

Cosmo and Wanda had a feeling that Vicky might still try and get in, and that Timmy's words hinted at a wish, so they inconspicuously put a spell on the door so Vicky would keep out.

"Okay. That's really smart, and also very kind of you." Tootie smiled.

Timmy looked surprised at Tootie's words, but he replied, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, what do you want to talk about with me?" Tootie asked shyly. She did not attempt to hug Timmy, or even try to kiss him. Something told her that she needed to let him speak, so she stayed put.

"I... I want you to promise me something." Timmy said.

"If you want me to stop loving you, I'm afraid I can't promise you that, Timmy. Joy says that you keep her away from Vicky, which proves that you're a sweet guy who loves his little sister, and that makes me love you a whole lot more." Tootie said. She wished she had a brother who could protect her from Vicky.

"That's not what I was going to ask you, but I was going to tell you about the protecting Joy from Vicky part." Timmy replied.

Tootie's heart soared, and her eyes sparkled with hope. Maybe, if she played her cards right, there would be a chance for her and Timmy.

"Okay, what is it?" Tootie asked, ready to hear it.

"You have to promise me that you will never tell Vicky about Joy." Timmy said.

Tootie smiled and said, "Don't worry, Timmy. That I can promise you. I also promised Joy the same thing. She's my friend, and I don't want Vicky to hurt her and ruin our friendship."

"Good." Timmy said. Then he added, "As you might have found out, Joy is my little sister."

"I know that. She told me that you're her brother. Oh, Timmy, I was so surprised when she told me what her last name was." Tootie said.

"I might have guessed. Anyway, when Joy was born, Mom and Dad told me that as her big brother, I have to watch out for her." Timmy explained.

"I don't know if Vicky was told to watch out for me when I was born, because she never looked out for me! She does the exact opposite. She wants me to be miserable!" said Tootie, hanging her head. It made Timmy feel pretty bad to see her like that.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Tootie. But as soon as I found out that Vicky was evil, I vowed to keep my baby sister safe from Vicky and her evil intentions." Timmy went on.

"You see? This is why you're a better sibling than Vicky! You're watching out for your little sister and keeping her safe! And that makes you so lovable!" Tootie said.

Cosmo and Wanda could not argue with that. Timmy was a good brother to Joy, keeping her out of harm's way. They helped, too, but for the longest time, Timmy had done that on his own. And even then, he still seemed to act as her sole protector.

"And thanks to my vow to protect Joy, Vicky doesn't even know she exists... yet. And I plan to make sure that she never finds out about her. Now that you know about Joy, you have to promise me that you will keep quiet in order to keep her safe from Vicky, too." Timmy said.

"Don't worry, Timmy. My lips are sealed. Vicky will never know about Joy. I won't ever tell her about your sister, or our friendship. I intend to help you keep her safe." Tootie promised.

That made Timmy feel a whole lot better. He let out an inaudible sigh of relief and actually hugged Tootie, whispering, "Thank you, Tootie. I'm glad you're my sister's friend."

Tootie was surprised, and her heart sped up, but she smiled and returned the hug, very gently, and she replied, "You're welcome, Timmy. She's a good friend, and you're a wonderful brother to her."

Cosmo and Wanda were glad to learn that Joy had another person who was willing to keep her safe from Vicky. And it was sweet to see Tootie promise Timmy that his sister would be safe.

The End

Well, that's the end of the story. So Timmy didn't try to stop his sister and Tootie from being friends, and he learned that like him, Tootie will keep Vicky from finding out about Joy. I hope you enjoyed this story.