Upon stepping back out of the portal and onto the grassy turf, Ralph let out a heavy and tension releasing sigh that was so intense he almost stumbled over. Vanellope was silent, simply jumping down to the ground and walking back towards the wrecker's house. Ralph watched her go with a frown, but didn't say anything as she disappeared into the undergrowth. He simply just let her go, planning on getting her when the arcade opened.
If the other racers didn't rush her and drag her along first.
So the wrecker decided to go for a walk, taking in the chilled air of his long standing home. His mind was at peace now, especially after talking with everyone…
But a sequel.
He and Vanellope were doing the sequel of their movie, although how much was intended and that they broke through was what slowed his movements as those ideas gently swayed in his head. It wasn't as mind destroying as he thought, but it still made him a bit worried about what the sequel's intention was. It was clear from the trailer it was just Ralph and Vanellope going to the internet together…
When it was released, he was going to watch it on his own. Vanellope didn't need to deal with it.
Ralph let out a sigh and shook his head, walking subconsciously back to the duck pond's bridge. The sky twinkled down at him, almost like it was happy he was back after his much smaller visit. The mountain man looked up and smiled at the sky above, happy for its limit yet still noticeable company. But even that did little to fully lift his spirits.
So when the wrecker found himself back on the bridge, staring down at the pond below, he was once enamoured with his reflection. Only, rather than seeing a tired old man, the still water showed him a hopeful person who had finally weathered the storm and stood tall.
As he remained there, leaning against the railing, he heard footsteps approaching him. Glancing over, he watched as Felix and Calhoun, in much more leisure focused clothing, walked over with smiles.
"Hey there, Ralph", the handyman said as he stopped next to his brother and mirrored his position. "What's got you coming out here so early in the morning?"
Ralph shrugged. "Just thinking, can't sleep because of relief, all that…"
The sergeant nodded slowly as she moved beside her husband, mirroring the position as well. "I feel ya', Ralph. After everything, it feels a bit surreal to have all of that finally be over."
Ralph noticed she looked a bit… Off, and raised an eyebrow. "You okay, Calhoun? You look a bit distracted. That's not something I expected from you."
She blinked in surprise and shook her head, letting out an airy laugh. "You've gotten a lot better at reading people, Wreck-It. I hate that, but I admire it too."
Felix gave his wife a loving smile, then looked back at the wrecker. "Me and Tammy were just talking earlier, and being with the racers, it made us realise… We want to start a family."
Ralph looked at them with curiosity. "So you two want to have a kid?"
Calhoun nodded, smiling a bit and looking skyward at the thought. "I always wanted a little soldier to call my own. But with everything about my history and stuff, I never felt like it was in the books. But, after I met this little bottle rocket", she playfully ruffled her husband's hair, "I realised there was a chance."
"And I love the idea of being a dad!" Felix said happily. "You both know I already love kids, especially those little ragamuffins that you're usually with, Ralph. So… Why not give them a little sister or little brother. It'd make things around here really show how things have changed."
Ralph chuckled and did a 180 so he was leaning against the railing with his back. "That is one way to put it, but hopefully you two know what you're both getting into. Being around the other bad guys during Bad-Anon means I picked up a lot of info, like with kids."
"Says you, Wreck-It", Tamora spat good-heartedly. "You're basically Schweetz' dad at this point with how much you look out for her. I wouldn't be surprised you basically adopted all the racers behind our back at some point."
Ralph's next laugh was a lot more jovial and loud. "Yeah, you got me, I'm actually the dad to 15 little hair-pulling gremlins, have been for a while."
The trio of adults all shared the laugh, before falling into a comfortable silence. They all looked up at the sky, and Ralph closed his eyes with a sigh. "In all seriousness, I would love to be an uncle to your guys' kid. And I'm positive Vanellope would love to be a big sister."
"If anything, Ralph, you'd be the godfather to our kid", Calhoun said honestly, making the wrecker look at her in shock. She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Don't give me that look, Wreck-It, you more than earned it."
"She's right, Ralph", Felix said with a nod. "You helped us meet, you were my best man at our wedding, you've shown you can take care of kids with the racers, and so much more! Plus, you're my brother, and it's only right that my brother has the right to call himself uncle and godfather."
The wrecker smiled at the couple, and looked up at the sky again as a single tear trailed down his cheek. 'Thanks, guys. That… That really made my day."
"Glad it could, Wreck-It." Calhoun looked down at the water, and smiled at the innocent ducks paddling on by under the wooden walkway. "When our kid is born, we're getting him a pet duck." Felix paled a bit while Ralph burst out laughing, and based on the sergeant's smirk shot at her husband, she was well aware of what she said.
Felix recovered from his momentary surprise, and smiled up at his brother. "Well, hopefully you're ready for work, Ralph. Because I have a feeling it'll be particularly busy."
Ralph nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be expecting it. Especially with the excitement of Sugar Rush getting plugged back in. So I'm just going to say watch out for all the bricks I'm gonna hurl at you, Felix."
"Says the guy who'll be lobbed off the building, today", the handyman jabbed back.
Calhoun barked out a laugh. "That;s nothing compared to the swarms of Cy-Bugs I'll have to put up with. But… I'm oddly looking forward to it…"
"We're all excited for things to get back to normal", the wrecker said with a happy sounding sigh through his nose. "And trust me, when work is over we'll all be wishing for it to be work again." Calhoun rolled her eyes with a smile and head shake, while Felix just beamed and shot his brother. "I mean it, you two!"
They fell into another comfortable silence, all three of them closing their eyes as they let the cool breeze wash over them. It was nice, just being able to relax and chat. Ralph wished the three of them could do this more, but sadly time keeps moving on regardless.
Felix let out a disappointed sigh as he opened his eyes. "Well, I really hate to say it Ralph, but I think we should go and start getting ready for work. This was really nice, though."
"Yeah, we should do it again!" The wrecker said happily, following the couple as they all headed back down the trail towards the front doors of Niceland.
"We really should…" Calhoun said thoughtfully. "Would you two be down to heading to Street Fighter for some after work coffee?"
"That'd be great, Calhoun, thanks." Ralph smiled at her with a nod. The trio stopped at the front door to the apartment complex, and the married couple looked at Ralph.
"Again, thank you Ralph", Felix said warmly. "I couldn't ask for a brother better than you."
"Ah, don't mention it Felix. I learned from the best to be a good guy." The wrecker smiled at the handyman, and the couple bid farewell as they entered the building. Ralph smiled at them as they left for a bit, then headed down towards his own place. As he walked, he found himself humming a gentle melody, helping him stay on the path.
As he arrived at his cosy little abode, he was surprised to see Vanellope sitting on one of the lawn chairs, dressed in her usual attire. She was looking at him with a neutral expression, then had the ghost of a smile grace her lips.
"Headin' in to get ready for the day, Stinkbrain?" She asked.
Ralph let out a short, surprised laugh at her usual sass coming out. "Yeah, you caught me kid. Just trying to do the mature thing, something you wouldn't understand."
The racer giggled, then fell silent as she relaxed in the chair. "Well, don't let me keep ya'… Unless you need help getting back to your room, grandpa."
"Oh haha", the wrecker shot back sassily. He headed inside and made his way towards his room, leaving his unopened water bottle on a side table before heading in.
As he started to get changed into his usual uniform, he started to think about what Calhoun and Felix had told him, and made him slowly start to connect the pieces with what Zomboss suggested. He smiled, realising he and Vanellope's connections probably made things turn out for the better. So, with his head held high, he got dressed and left his room.
~X~
GCS was buzzing with activity the moment the call that Litwack was back was announced. He had the new steering wheel with him, and the usually loud and active power bar was silent and still as everyone stood before the outlet that was once the entrance to Sugar Rush. Ralph, Vanellope, Felix, Calhoun, the other racers, the donut cops and Sour Bill were all in front of the crowd, looking up at the LED sign with baited breath.
Surge stood between them and the gate, torn between his role of being security and joining the others to wait for the outcome.
Things were tense as the arcade heard Litwack mutter with someone else, probably another hired hand, and there was a deep double gong sound. The arcade looked up at the LED display, no one daring to move or make a sound.
Vanellope, perched on Ralph's shoulder, crossed her fingers. The wrecker could feel her heart racing, and he would be lying if we said he wasn't as nervous. So he eyed the display like a hawk, not daring to say anything, yet silently daring it to show anything else.
After an agonising minute of nothing, the display finally showed its destination.
Sugar Rush.
Everyone who lived in the game cheered so loud Ralph was wondering if most of the others in the arcade were going to go deaf. But he didn't have time to dwell on that as the horde of candy citizens rushed past stamped style, almost trampling a still thrown off Surge in the process.
The racers were all hugging and cheering, and Vanellope had a look of pure relief on her face. It was so intense Ralph could swear her glitching in shock made her shine brighter than before. She let out a quiet laugh, which became a giggle, and then a full blown laugh of joy as she fell to the floor, caught by Taffyta and joining in with the celebrations. Most of the arcade denizens stuck around to watch everything, but eventually were shooed off by Surge.
The security officer walked up to Ralph, smiling gratefully. "Ralph, I don't know how you did it, but you were somehow able to do it. I… I don't know how to thank you."
"Let me slip Pac-Man cherries by and we'll be even", the wrecker joked. Surge laughed good-naturedly, nodded, then zipped away. Ralph smiled, then turned towards the racers, his smiling falling a bit as he knew what was coming.
"I can't believe it, we got our game back!" Jubileena said in awestruck shock. "We aren't homeless anymore!"
"Yeah!" Gloyd said cockily. "And that means I get to tear up the track and have you all eat my dust."
"Unless Vanellope wants to have a shot at first", Swizzle said, jabbing a thumb at the candy president. She smiled, though it seemed a bit strained. The other racers didn't notice.
"Nah, let her race how she wants", Snowanna said, bumping Swizzle towards his prank buddy. "She has a choice."
"Well, let's just get going", Rancis said firmly. "We have a whole day of work ahead of us!"
The racers all nodded, and Candlehead grabbed Vanellope's hand to lead her home. But Vanellope didn't move, making the green-haired girl grunt in shock, and make all the racers look at her in confusion. Wynchel and Duncan, who had started to head inside with Sour Bill, also paused and looked at her in concern.
"Vanellope?" Minty asked in concern. "Are you okay?"
The candy president nodded slowly. 'Yeah, I am. I just… I just need to have some time to wind down. So I was thinking of staying at Ralph's place for a while, just till I feel better."
The racers all looked up at the wrecker, who they all finally noticed was still there with Felix and fully suited up Calhoun.
"Are… Are you sure?" Candlehead said sadly. "Our game is back! Wouldn't you rather come back home?"
"I'd love to guys, but… I just need more time. It's not any of either, don't you dare think that. I just… Everything that happened was so fast, and the internet was so overwhelming that I need a relaxing space to calm down. And being surrounded by castle staff isn't how I want it to go."
"Hey, guys, Vanellope can do what she wants", Taffyta said with surprising protectiveness. "She did so much to help us, so it's only right she can get this."
"Which is why Taffyta is in charge till I come back", Vanellope added with a smile.
The diva froze and looked at her friend in shock. "I'm… I'm what? You… You trust me with keeping things stable?"
The candy president nodded. "I trust you, Taff. So until I come back, you are the temporary president of Sugar Rush. You think you can keep things running till I come back?"
Taffyta, still completely floored, nodded. "I-I promise, Vanellope! I won't let you down!"
Vanny nodded, then brought her friend into a hug. "Loosen up a bit, Muttonfudge", she whispered. "You saw me, you know what to do."
When they pulled away, Taff had a bright blush on her face with a sheepish smile. Vanellope then walked away, glitching onto Ralph's shoulder and looking over all her closest companions from her game. They all smiled up at her, and then all headed into the game while bidding their own farewells, each unique to each of them.
With the main quartet all that was left, it was time to get to work. Felix and Calhoun shared a moment and kiss before the sergeant went to her game, and the remaining three went back to Fix-It Felix Jr.
As they walked, the handyman glanced up at Vanellope. "Are you going to be okay, Vanellope?"
She nodded in response. "I will, Felix. Just have a lot to think about, and Ralph's place is the best to do it."
A nod in response. "Okay. But if you do need anything, you can always get me or Ralph. And if neither of us are available, I'll tell the Nicelanders to keep an ear out for you."
"Thanks, Felix…"
The group remained silent as they boarded the tram into the game, and as they cruised down the cord. The only thing to fill the void of silence was the electricity arcing between the copper wire interior, which was almost rhythmic as they went along.
At some point, Vanellope started to gently sing, catching the attention of the two men.
"Singin' to myself, singin' to my neighbours…" The racer sang. "Holdin' on for work, holdin' on to the paper…"
Felix was enamoured with her singing, while Ralph simply smiled sadly at his friend.
"I was on the left, you were only fadin'… I was on my own, starin' at the ceilin'…"
The handyman looked at Ralph for some sort of answer, but the wrecker simply shook his head and raised his finger to his lips, silently telling Felix to remain quiet and just listen. While he didn't like that answer, Felix didn't argue and just stayed quiet.
"Holdin', holdin' out… Read it on a map, never how I planned it…"
Vanellope continued to sing as if in a trance all the way till they reached the end of the tunnel. When the tram shifted as it stopped, the racer was knocked out of her musings, and looked around. Ralph said nothing as he picked her up and started heading to his home.
"I'm just going to drop her off!" The wrecker shouted at the still confused handyman.
"Don't take too long, Ralph!" Felix called back before heading to the main apartment.
Ralph nodded back and headed to his house, Vanellope not saying a word as they headed down the path. Q-Bert skipped past with his buddies in tow, ready for work, but still was able to squeeze in a greeting to the duo. Ralph waved back as the racer took a deep breath and leaned back against Ralph's arm, closing her eyes as she relaxed. Or tried to, at least.
Soon enough, the duo made it back to Ralph's house, and the wrecker entered and set the racer down on the couch. Standing at his full height, the mountain man looked down at her with a reassuring look.
"Everything will be okay, kid", he said, tilting his head slightly. "Just go and talk to her, take all the time you need."
Vanellope nodded. "Thanks, Ralph. I'll try my best."
Ralph knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. "That's all Hilda would want from you. Try your best, and talk."
As soon as he stood up again, Vanellope zipped off to get changed. Ralph smiled and left his home, ready to get started with today's shift. All he could hope was that things would work out okay, and while he was optimistic…
There was that part of him that said otherwise.
Shaking those ideas aside, he headed towards the apartment, finally feeling at ease somewhat.
~X~
Ralph adjusted his strap after sliding the fire escape's final ladder, work being a lot less stressful than he had thought. Maybe it was because he had been through such a stressful ordeal that this was now nothing. Regardless, he started helping the Nicelanders clean up after the last player of the day was completely crushed, meaning Felix was jumping over the awnings and such to fix up all the broken windows and cracked cement.
As the wrecker helped clean up, Mary walked up to him with a smile and a pie in hand. "Ralph, I had an extra pie from work today, so I was wondering if you'd like to take it home with you after."
The wrecker smiled gratefully at the woman and carefully took the pie, setting it down on a nearby table. "Thank you, Mary! I'm sure Vanellope will love it."
"How was the dear, anyway?" Mary asked in concern. "I never got to ask before work. But Felix said she did look the happiest, and that made me worried she might not be over what happened."
"Ah, she's a kid, Mary. Stuff like this will leave its mark on her. But she's got me, so don't worry."
Mary smiled and nodded. "That is lovely, Ralph. Just remember that if you ever need anything, just knock on my window."
"I'll make sure to not break it this time", he jabbed back, making the Nicelander laugh as she headed inside, since all the mess was cleaned up. Looking up, Ralph smiled at Felix, nodding that he was still up to do the coffee thing.
Just had to see if Vanellope was home.
So the wrecker took the pie and and started to head to his humble abode, making sure not to drop the dessert as he went along. Under the starry sky, with the warmth of the pie, Ralph found himself happy. Truly, without a doubt happy. Everything was finally getting back on track after all the headache and heartache. It was back to being its own weird form of perfection.
Stepping inside his house, he looked around. "Vanellope?" He called. When he got no response, he moved to the kitchen and looked around in there. While there was no Vanellope, he did see a note on the fridge that wasn't there before, so he set the pie down and went over to read it.
Hey, Ralph, sorry if I'm not there, but I'm just here to write this letter to let you know I'm gonna be hanging out at the Capital for a while. Hilda and I have a lot of stuff planned, and I don't want any distractions. So if you have any desserts, save some for me!
Sincerely, Vanellope.
P.S. Hilda told me to tell you she thinks you're a Stinkbrain too.
Ralph laughed at the letter as he read that last bit, then smiled warmly as he moved over to the pie. Grabbing a knife, he cut himself a slice before putting the rest in Saran Wrap and then in the fridge. Taking a pie of the pie, he glanced out the window with a look of happiness and content. Things, truly, had returned to normal.
After finishing the slice, Ralph headed towards the front door. But he paused when something caught his eye.
Looking over at his small bookshelf, he saw a photo that wasn't there before, and getting a closer look, he just melted in joy. It was him with all the others, only it was when they were celebrating his movie's anniversary earlier this year, which Caleb said he would get developed and framed.
And here it is.
Wiping away his happy tears, the mountain man finally headed outside, closing his door behind him…
~X~
And that's it! WorldWide Wreck-It Is finally done! After all this hard work, this is now a worthy addition to my series. And after everything, you think I'm gonna be slowing down? Hell no!
This story was originally gonna be something completely separate, fun fact. My original plan was to just have TIYCC as a middle point between DCT and DCT2, but after some careful deliberation I realised that a RBTI rewrite could fit right in perfectly with what I had planned. It allowed me to make changes that befit my AU, rather than doing nothing. So we have this story!
Also, you may have noticed a little thing in here: I referenced the scrapped kid Felix and Calhoun were supposed to get in some of the og sequel's concepts. While I couldn't have the kid make an actual appearance because timelines wouldn't line up, it was… set up. Because, yes, someday you will see the kid.
You guys don't understand how crazy it is to me that I've finished this story now. I'm three stories into this AU now, and gonna be starting the fourth very soon. Claw My Heart Out will be a fun one, just trust me…
Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this story. I'd like to thank one of my biggest inspirations for this fic, jbwarner86, who made me even want to make a Wreck-It Ralph fic in the first place! They're own WiR sequel fic is amazing, I highly recommend it for those who haven't read it.
Love you all…
Up next: A look into what happened with Vanellope after Ralph left for work…
~Caleb~