Life wasn't fair.

After being alive and existing for fourteen years, Timmy was sure of this.

If life were fair, Timmy Turner wouldn't have the same teacher now that he'd had since elementary school; Denzel Crocker. Resident psycho, school teacher, and nutjob who searched for any and all magical creatures whose legends he could scrounge up from the darkest reaches of the internet. To date, he had yet to prove the existence of any creature that he claimed to search for. Bigfoot, Nessie, Champ, Skunk Ape, Fairy Godparents, Half-Demons, Full Demons, Angels, Witches, Warlocks, Elves, Santa, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, Cupid... the list went on and on, but Crocker never found any of them.

This didn't stop him from harassing the pink hat-wearing boy at every opportunity. Everyday was the same:

"Ready to admit you have Fairy Godparents, Turner?"

"No."

"'F'!"

"Fantastic..."

Maybe Crocker would stop following him when he got to College...

If life were fair, Timmy wouldn't have to deal with Francis, a gray-skinned mutant with a penchant for wholesome family-friendly activities like torture, beating children, beating adults, stealing, beating old people, beating off, and beating pretty much anything that could be beaten to a pulp. Timmy had long ago left Francis behind in middle school, yet that didn't stop the fifteen year old from showing up every now and again and laying into him, stealing his money, or(you guessed it) beating on him.

"Hey Turner."

"Francis."

"Have you met my fist?"

"Francis, I-"

-Cue Timmy being interrupted by a fist to the eye-

"My fist says it's nice to meet you. Maybe you can meet my other fist later today?"

"I look forward to it with bated breath..."

Maybe Francis would get arrested for the attempted rape charge that was sure to be in his future...

If life were fair, Timmy's best friend Chester wouldn't need braces to correct his crooked teeth. Nor would Chester be a part of the losers group that was comprised of Timmy, Chester, AJ, and Tootie. He would be rich and famous, get all the girls he wanted, not live in a trailer, have a normal non-bag-on-his-head-wearing dad, and his mom would be in the pictures they took at Christmas in front of a dead pine tree. Instead of not at all.

"Hey dude. Nice shiner."

"Thanks, might get the matching set."

"Oh yeah? I heard that's the 'in' thing this year!"

Maybe Chester would find a nice girl at the very least...

Timmy sat down at his lunch table with the rest of his friends.

If life were fair, AJ wouldn't be bald. He'd go to a fancy school like Harvard, be a professor at ten, be a physicist at twelve, and cure cancer by fourteen. He'd be well respected by everyone who encountered him, have an even nicer house, be friends with the president... AJ would go places.

"Hey AJ."

"Hey Timmy. Met up with Francis for your daily fight lessons, eh?"

"You know me, I'm a big brave dog."

Maybe AJ would still go places, he was pretty smart, after all.

Timmy turned his attention to his best friend, the only girl in their little group.

If life were fair, he would've taken Tootie up on her wanting to date him, rather than be distracted by Trixie. He would've been okay with her slightly overbearing nature and odd advances. She would be his first love. His only love. They'd graduate together, go to college together, graduate together(again), get married, have two kids named Tommy and Tammy, a nice house with a white picket fence, they'd have the 'American Dream'. She wouldn't have given up on him before his sad realization about Trixie.

"Hey Toots."

Tootie handed him her ice pack that kept her lunch cold. "Here."

"You're the best."

"I know." she giggled cutely at him.

Maybe they could be together in another universe... But not this one.

If life were fair, Trixie wouldn't be unattainable. She would've jumped at the chance to go out with Timmy because she would've seen what a great guy his friends insisted he was. He and her would have their own 'American Dream' with pretty much the same layout as his and Tootie's. Except... if life were fair, he would've woken up before the dream began and seen her for what she was: Manipulative, spoiled, crazy... Well, maybe that was too mean. Hanging out with Vicky likely made Timmy dislike her more than she deserved. Still, he saw her for what she was... or what he thought she was.

"Trixie's looking over here."

"She's nuts."

"She probably likes girls."

"Tootie, I think you're right... and way too perceptive."

Maybe waking up was for the best.

If life were fair, Veronica wouldn't have played second fiddle to Trixie. She deserved better. She thought she deserved Timmy. And she did, but Timmy didn't deserve her. Veronica should have a guy who could appreciate her, not one who was too oblivious to see that she liked him.

"There's Veronica too."

"You like her."

"So what if I do?!" Chester shot back defensively.

"You should talk to her."

"Maybe..."

Maybe one day he would. Timmy hoped so.

If life were fair, Timmy's parents would have loved him like your parents are supposed to at that age: Unconditionally. Timmy wasn't a bad kid, not even remotely. Mischievous yes, but bad? No. At eight, they left him alone and he called her babysitting service out of fear. He didn't want to be alone. She came over... and he realized just how unfair life could be. They believed her over him every time. Every. Single. Time. What could he have possibly done in this life to warrant such cruelty? At eight, no less!

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!"

"Great news, Sport! We're going to a cookout!"

"Really?! Awesome!"

"It is awesome! For us! You can't come. Adults only."

"B-but..."

"Oh... don't worry! Your favorite babysitter Vicky is coming over! Since you two are best friends, you'll have plenty of fun here!"

Maybe they didn't care about him after all...

Finally... If life were fair... Vicky wouldn't be in it. That's it. Well, perhaps not. Timmy didn't even wish for her to not exist, much as he disliked her. Everyone had a right to live. Even evil babysitters. Even Vicky. Because, in that regard, life was fair. Yet if life were fair, Vicky would only be his babysitter. She wouldn't be his classmate. She wouldn't wear somewhat skimpy outfits to tease him. She wouldn't know that he secretly harbored weird, twisted, out of place feelings for her. However, she wouldn't be Tootie's sister who loved her like a sister should if life wasn't fair.

"Hey Twerp."

"What is it?"

"These shorts seem... too short?"

"My front teeth seem too big?"

"Yes."

"Hmph."

Maybe- No, definitely, Vicky wasn't this horrible in another universe.

He walked home from school now. Sporting an extra shiner courtesy of Francis.

And she insisted on walking home by his side. Any other girl would've been fine. Any. But he got her instead. Red hair, pale skin, pink eyes.

Vicky Vicky Vicky. If life were fair, that would be the correct spelling. As it appeared in his head.

But, again, life wasn't fair. Just as another excuse to tease, torture, and annoy him, Vicky preferred 'Vicki'.

Her reasoning? Because it sounded cuter. And looked cuter when written on paper.

As if anything could make her cuter... Wait, what?

She wasn't cute.

Not ever.

Nope.

"So Twerp, what's with the double shiners?" she poked at his cheek, seemingly being careful to not harm him.

"Francis."

"Ah, right." she looked away. Even someone like her wasn't safe from someone like him. He teased her too, even more than Tootie and other girls. "That's what you get for standing up to him." Vicki shrugged nonchalantly.

"Right. I was standing up to him, let's go with that." He hadn't been standing up to Francis, he had been walking to class when Francis suddenly showed up though.

"I forgot, you're a coward." Vicki stepped forward and stuck her foot out, tripping Timmy and causing him to fall to the ground.

Timmy laid on the ground for several seconds before releasing an annoyed sigh. "Why are you walking home with me?" his voice was muffled by the sidewalk his face was currently pressed against.

"Cuz your parents asked me to babysit you, duh. I could go home first, but the walk to your house is shorter and I need someone to do my homework for me."

Timmy got up off the ground and dusted himself off, then glared at Vicki. "You do realize that you're two grades higher than me, right?"

"Yeah-huh. And I owe all that to you for doing my homework for me... also I'm blackmailing Crocker."

"So why do you need me to do your homework?!" Timmy yelled exasperatedly.

"I- hm... I guess I don't... Anyway, c'mon, my homework isn't gonna do itself!" Vicki walked further ahead, sashaying her hips just slightly to tease him.

Vicky V- What was it again? Valentine? He thought he heard someone say that that was her last name once, but Vicki went out of her way to hide it. Timmy didn't really know why, the name wasn't particularly embarrassing, or silly sounding. He supposed it must be Tootie's too, though it didn't quite fit with the naming convention that people in Dimmsdale apparently used: Timmy Turner, Vicki Valentine, Chester Chesterton, Trixie Tang... What was it that AJ had called that...? Alliteration? That sounded like one of those big words he'd use.

"You'd better not be hanging back so you can stare at my ass!"

"Then why walk like that?!" Timmy ran up and matched Vicki's stride. "I keep up with you, so you trip me, I fall behind, you get mad at me for looking at your ass... I can't win with you!"

"Thought you'd be used to it by now." Vicki stuck her foot out again, but Timmy hopped over it this time. "Wow, you actually dodged it."

"The same trick twice in a row? I'm not an- AHH!" Timmy was interrupted as Vicki crouched and swept her leg into his shins, causing him to faceplant once again.

"What was that? Couldn't hear you over your make-out session with the asphalt." Vicki snickered as she continued walking ahead of him.

Timmy looked up and watched as she walked away. How could someone like her; someone only two years older than him, be fit to be a babysitter? How did she have the time or the energy to babysit Timmy, AJ, Chester, and Tootie? Who knows, she may have babysat other kids as well. Then again, there was little energy involved when it came to Vicki's version of babysitting. All she did was sit on the couch and watch TV, play video games, or read magazines, so it made sense.

Timmy once again pushed himself off the ground and followed after Vicki. "Crocker ever bother you about... Fairies?" he wasn't really sure why he was trying to make small talk with someone like her, but maybe it would distract her and keep her from tripping him again. Unlikely, but worth a shot.

"Fairies?" Vicki stopped walking and raised her hand to her chin in thought. "Like... magical wish granting fairies? Like in the Fairy tales?"

"Yeah, those."

"Of course he has. I'm pretty sure he's asked just about every kid he's ever taught if they have fairy godparents or some such shit. Why?"

"Just wondering..." Timmy looked forward, avoiding Vicki's gaze and saw that they were almost to his house.

"Huh. Yeah, I told him I did."

"What?!" Timmy looked at Vicki incredulously. "You do?!"

"Of course not! This look like some crazy story from someone's equally crazy mind?! This is the real world here! There are no fairies, witches-"

"Might have to disagree with you on the subject of witches..." Timmy thought.

"Goblins, dragons, bigfoots... I just told him I had fairies to see how he would react; and boy oh boy did he react perfectly!" Vicki smiled evilly.

"How'd he react?"

"He came over to my house and talked his way past my parents, saying that I was in danger. My parents, being good parents; if a little low in the common sense department, allowed him to rush up to my room. He burst through the door... While I was getting dressed. Cue Tootie, a digital camera, and a very embarrassed Crocker, and now I have the perfect thing to blackmail him with. It's so perfect, it still gives me goosebumps!" Vicki giggled to herself.

"Aren't you... embarrassed about putting yourself on display like that?" Timmy asked with genuine curiosity, this was the longest non-hostile conversation he had managed to have with the red-head. The longer he could keep it going, the longer he could stave off more torture at her hands.

"Please. He only saw me without a shirt and my back was facing him. Trust me, no one's getting a free show anytime soon." Vicki turned her attention to her nails, finding them far more interesting than her conversation with Timmy.

Timmy felt a strange feeling in his chest... Relief? It had to be that, but why? "Damn teenage hormones..."

"Penny for your thoughts..."

"They're not worth getting into. Let's just get back to my house, I'm getting a- AHH!" Timmy once again fell on the ground thanks to Vicki tripping him. "Headache..." Timmy mumbled into the asphalt.

"Is it feeling any better?" Vicki asked in a sweet, yet mocking voice as she walked away.

"Like you care..." Timmy mumbled as he stood up.

Vicki was waiting for him on his front porch, though he didn't know why; she had a key, just like him. "Man, you sure are clumsy today."

"Yeah, I must've gotten a concussion when Francis punched me." Timmy deadpanned and opened the door. He attempted to walk ahead of her, but she shoved him out of the way.

"Ladies first." Vicki pushed past him.

"I don't see any ladies around here..."

"Watch your mouth before I staple it shut." her eyes flashed dangerously at him. "And don't think I won't do it." Vicki walked over to the couch and flopped down into it, her long slender legs propped up on the armrest while her head reclined on the pillow. "Get to work doing... whatever your chores are." she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "I mean now."

"Of course. It's not like I might need ice for my two black eyes, certainly not..."

"They don't look like life-threatening injuries."

Timmy grumbled as he walked past her and into the kitchen. Spying a post-it note on the table, he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, then looked at the note while he pressed the pack to his right eye.

Dear Vicki and Timmy, How are you two? We're going to see a famous opera in downtown Dimmsdale and won't be back until late evening! We expect you both to do your chores while we're gone. Vicki, please mop the kitchen, do the dishes, and vacuum the living room. Timmy, please clean your room, water the garden, skim the pool, and clean the bathroom. Love you both! Timmy's Mom and Dad.

"Love you both? Since when is she their daughter?" Timmy looked out the window at his Mother's garden and sighed. The plants in it were all brown and skeletal, any fruits they bore were shriveled and black. Despite his best efforts, Timmy couldn't save the plants from his Mother. He'd bring them back from the brink time and time again, but as soon as she went out there to begin tending them, they died on the spot.

Timmy shifted the ice pack to his left eye. "Skim the pool..." The pool Vicki forced him to dig two years ago. It was a good-sized in ground pool and took up much of the backyard. If anyone asked, Vicki put up that saccharine facade and said she helped. She did help, but mostly by wearing a bikini and shouting words of encouragement/discouragement, depending on how she was feeling and how fast Timmy was digging. "Why not just hire a pool boy for it...?"

"Because you're the pool boy, Twerp!" he heard Vicki shout from the living room.

"Noted." Cleaning his room wasn't too bad, nor was cleaning the bathroom, as long as Vicki didn't make him scrub it with his toothbrush. But those were just his chores he was covering, he had to do Vicki's as well... "Do the dishes..." Timmy glanced at the mountain of dishes looming over him from the kitchen sink and thanked whatever God that was listening that his parents had splurged on a dishwasher. "...Which is probably why they asked Vicki to do them..."

"Y'know what I don't hear? The sound of chores being done!"

Ignoring Vicki, Timmy thought about the other chores that his parents had left for the demonic red-head. "Vacuuming the living room..." it was hardly even a chore since his parents bought one of those little robots that did it for you, all while crashing into every single thing that was in the room it was vacuuming. Finally, there was mopping the floor in the kitchen, the only chore that had any real semblance of difficulty.

One might think that Timmy wouldn't mind so much, since Vicki's chores were hardly all that difficult, but it cut him even more to know that they were giving Vicki the easy chores and Timmy the hard ones. And for what? Because she must have it harder because she had to babysit him? Because Vicki fooled them into thinking she was the sweetest girl around? ...Because they loved her more than him?

Timmy took the ice pack away and felt his eyes. Both still felt somewhat swollen and were a bit tender, but they were definitely better than they had been.

The pool came first, just so that Timmy could get away from Vicki while she lazed around in the house. There wasn't much to pull out; some leaves, a pine cone, a dead possum... Timmy chucked it over the fence and into the Dinkleburg's pool because, why not? When he felt the pool was sufficiently cleaned, he went to the front yard to water his Mother's plants. As he made his way there, he passed by the window that looked into the living room and looked in. Vicki was reclining on the couch as usual, watching TV as usual. She noticed him and smiled sweetly while waving.

He didn't return the gesture.

Timmy watered the plants and they immediately turned green and sprang back to life, as if to mock his Mother and her poor gardening skills. The shriveled black fruits turned red and engorged themselves, revealing that they were actually tomatoes. Timmy picked a few and carried them in his shirt like it was a basket into the house, passing Vicki and allowing her to take one of the tomatoes which, surprisingly, didn't shrivel to dust from her touch. "Wow. You're good at doing my homework and you can garden? All you need to be able to do now is cook and you'll be the perfect man to sweep some desperate, desperate girl off her feet."

"Not interested." Timmy remarked plainly as he walked by Vicki. Had he looked back, he would've seen her blush at his statement.

"I- I didn't mean me!" she threw the tomato at him, but missed and hit the wall. "Clean that up too!"

Timmy shook his head as he entered the kitchen and deposited the tomatoes in a bowl on the table, then grabbed some paper towels and returned to the living room to wipe the tomato off the wall.

"How are my chores coming?" Vicki didn't bother to look at him.

"Fine." Timmy walked over and pressed the button on the small vacuuming robot, then went back in the kitchen and began placing dishes from the mountainous pile in the sink into the dishwasher, then started it once they were all in. "Next is..." Timmy's eyes fell upon the mop leaning in the corner. "Right..."

As he mopped the floor, he thought about his time with this nightmarish creature known as Vicki. They had known each other for six years now, six years that felt like eternity. In those six years, Vicki had tortured him, lied to his parents, stolen from various stores(though she didn't blame that on him), blackmailed him, and pretty much cheated her way through life. Fighting back against her was futile. She worked her magic on his parents and made them think she was a perfect little princess. In their eyes, Vicki really was the daughter they always wanted... but that was because they didn't know the real her, and they likely never would.

But. He had made peace with that, bad as she was, Vicki never really hurt him... physically. Emotionally? Different story. Mentally? A similar story. She delighted in playing little games with him. Like asking how her cut-off jean shorts fit. Or asking if the top she wore was cut too low. Or telling him he'd never amount to anything. Or that he was a loser.

He winced slightly as his headache came back in full force. He then cleaned off the mop head and returned it to its lonely corner.

Looking over the list of chores, Timmy crossed off those that he had already finished. "All that's left is... My room and the bathroom." Timmy entered the living room and sat down in front of Vicki's legs on the couch, causing it to bounce slightly and Vicki to be startled awake.

"Agh! I- wha-? Oh, it's just you-" Vicki stretched and yawned cutely.

"Cutely? God, I need help..."

"What are you doing? Don't you have chores to do?"

"Taking a break." Timmy reclined into the couch, pressing his back into her legs lightly as he did.

"Did I say you could take a break?"

"No." Timmy closed his sore eyes, hoping that would be the end of it.

It wasn't.

"Then get off and get back to work!" Vicki tried pulling her legs out from under Timmy to no avail.

"Pass..." his response wasn't malicious, just tired. "Just let me rest for a few. Your chores are all done anyway..."

Vicki seemed to contemplate his words for several seconds before giving her response. "Don't you dare tell people that I'm going soft on you." she yanked her legs out from under him and laid them across his lap.

Timmy cracked an eye open and looked at Vicki to find that her eyes were closed, then looked at her legs and their current position. He had to admit, when she was being quiet and the two of them were just relaxing, it felt nice. Almost like they were a couple- "Don't say it! Don't think it, either! You're both just a couple of lunatics if you say it!"

Timmy shook his head and grimaced at the pain the action brought with it. It felt like his brain was rattling around in his skull.

"Would you stop shaking the damn couch?! I let you take a break, so you repay me by shaking the couch like an epileptic?!"

"Sorry." Timmy relaxed back into the couch and closed his eyes again.

Now Vicki cracked an eye open to look at Timmy. The swelling in his eyes hadn't gone down much, and his nose was scraped from when she tripped him, but he looked almost... content? "You'd better not go getting 'excited' from this." she just now realized how close her legs were to a certain place on Timmy.

"Excited?" Timmy looked at her with genuine bewilderment. "What do you mean by-"

Vicki moved her leg slightly to emphasize her point. "Don't sit there and tell me you haven't had perverted thoughts about me."

"I haven't!" Okay, that was a lie, but telling the truth here was... well, it wasn't an option.

"Right... Just remember, if I feel even the slightest amount of..." Vicki blushed a deep crimson. "I'm kicking you, hard."

"Once again, noted." Timmy blushed slightly himself and looked away.

An uncomfortable silence followed.

"Hey."

Which Vicki broke, yet did not arouse Timmy's attention.

"Hey."

Timmy felt more pressure on his legs from Vicki's as she sat up.

"The price of ignoring me may be steeper than you're willing to pay..."

"What?" Timmy asked tiredly and turned to find that Vicki was leaning uncomfortably close. "Um..." his blush returned full force as Vicki stared into his eyes.

"Does it hurt much?" her hand came up and came to rest on his cheek.

Timmy was surprised as he unconsciously leaned into it rather than shy away like he normally would have.

Vicki seemed to be equally surprised by the act as she froze in place.

"It's fine. Doesn't hurt so much now..."

"Oh. Um... Good. That's- that's good."

He felt conflicted suddenly. More conflicted than he had ever felt. There wasn't any denying that he had some feelings for Vicki... But this moment they were sharing felt... perfect. Part of him wanted to enjoy it while it lasted, but part of him...

Part of him wanted to see how far it could go.

Part of him wanted to love, and be loved in return.

Even if it was from her.

The girl who teased him.

The girl he didn't- ...couldn't love.

The girl who didn't love him.

Timmy leaned forward.

What did he have to lose?

Quite a lot, actually.

He felt his forehead lightly bump into hers and rest there.

"What are you doing?" Vicki looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"..." Timmy's eyes responded with just a hint of fear. What was he doing? "Um..."

"You were gonna kiss me, weren't you?" her voice was barely above a whisper.

"..."

"You were!" Vicki pulled away and looked at Timmy with amusement. "I knew you had a crush on me!"

"I- ah- no! I just-!"

"Nope! No denying it! You almost kissed me just now!"

"I-! I was just lost-"

"Lost in the moment?" Vicki swooned and hung her head over the arm of the couch. "That's so sweet! Hahaha!"

She was laughing at him. At the fact that she tricked him into exposing his feelings for her, to her.

"That's what you get..." Even his own thoughts were mocking him now. "Yeah..." Timmy stood up and made for the staircase.

Vicki's hand shot out and grabbed Timmy's wrist. "Don't be like that!" she was barely holding in another fit of laughter. "I realize I'm a beautiful specimen of woman, so you shouldn't be embarrassed about having a crush on me!"

Timmy glared at her coldly and yanked his hand away. "Yet you're more than happy to make fun of me for it. I can't believe I actually thought that you and I-" "Careful there Turner, you've given her enough ammo for one day." "It doesn't matter..." Timmy ascended the stairs and went into the bathroom to finish the rest of his chores.

Vicki watched him leave and almost felt bad at first. Almost. "I'm more than happy to- I was just joking! Does he- And what doesn't matter?!" "You'd better be doing your Goddamned chores!"

No response.

"Coward..." she muttered under her breath.

Timmy set about cleaning the upstairs bathroom, the toilet, the sink, bathtub, mirror... "How could I have been so stupid?!" Timmy headbutted the sink in anger, causing his headache to return once more.

"I."

Timmy headbutted the sink again.

"Am."

And again.

"Such."

Once more. Then he opened the medicine cabinet, pulled out a couple of pain pills and swallowed them with a mouthful of water. "An idiot..."

Amazingly enough, the sink(and his head) were both unharmed, so Timmy finished cleaning the bathroom and exited it...

Only to crash into something oddly soft that smelled like... lilacs? Definitely some kind of flower...

"Like I said: Pervert." he was shoved away by Vicki into the now closed bathroom door.

He had apparently walked right into her, and being that he was still a bit shorter than Vicki... He had walked into her chest. "What do you want now? Haven't I suffered enough head trauma today?!" Timmy rubbed the back of his head where it collided with the door.

"I only came up to make sure you weren't breaking things up here. Sounded like you were slamming something."

"You're hearing things. I was just cleaning the bathroom." Timmy shrugged at her.

"I'll be the judge of that." Vicki pushed past him and went into the bathroom.

After a few seconds, Timmy followed her in. "See? I cleaned it, just like I said I did."

"Hmm... Fine, I guess you did. Not exactly a glamorous job..."

"Huh?"

"I could've done better."

"Be my guest." Timmy held out the washcloth he used.

"And demean myself further? I already have to spend more time with you than I want, I'm not doing your chores for you."

"Yes, I'd hate for you to have to know the pain and torture I go through on a daily basis by cleaning up after myself..."

"Keep it up. I'll make one of those eyes blacker at the rate you're going." Vicki threatened with a dangerous edge.

"No you won't." the words surprised Timmy himself, nevermind Vicki, but he didn't show it.

"Oh? I won't, huh?"

"You can threaten me all you want, but you and I both know you won't hit me." "Wow. Go me..."

"You sure you wanna test that theory? Maybe I just have a mountain of self-control. Maybe I just don't wanna leave any marks on you? Maybe you've never given me enough reason to... but now..." Vicki cracked her knuckles threateningly.

As a surprise to both of them, Timmy stood his ground, though he swallowed nervously.

"How can he be so confident?! Where's the sheepish, scared Timmy that I'm used to?! Where's the Timmy that I put the fear of... well, me, into?" Vicki pulled back her right hand and balled it into a fist, then brought it forward with lightning speed.

Timmy waited for the impact. Had he finally pushed back too hard? No... this wasn't his fault; she was the one who had been awful to him, mocking him for liking her... He didn't deserve to get hit, to be told he was useless, a loser, a coward... If she hit him... that would be it for her, she couldn't possibly deny it to his parents. They'd see how bad she really was; he'd finally get rid of her and move on with his life. Most of all, she'd prove that she really was as bad as he, Chester, AJ, and all the other kids she babysat thought she was. He knew this was going to hurt though, Vicki took some sort of martial arts classes. She had told him what they were called, but he tuned her out, not caring in the slightest. He steeled himself for the blow that he was sure was coming, he had been contemplating for several seconds now, it had to be coming, right about to connect...

Except it didn't.

Because life was fair and she stopped just before hitting him. He didn't blink, didn't even flinch. Just stared at her fist and her face beyond it. A face that carried some unidentifiable emotion, one he couldn't place.

Perhaps she stopped because life wasn't fair and she realized what would happen if she did punch him.

She pulled her hand away and let it fall to her side. "Clean your room and stay there."

Her voice sounded odd. Was that hatred in it? Sorrow? Pity? Something else that someone like her couldn't possibly feel?

He watched as she went downstairs, her footfalls barely audible on the stairs.

Timmy turned away and went into his room, then collapsed onto his bed. His head hurt, and not just from the physical trauma he had endured that day. His thoughts made it feel like his head was about to burst, figuring out this girl was taking a heavy toll on his mental state. He thought he had figured her out to some extent.

She was evil, she was terrible, she was a red-head. She was Vicki. And yet...

There were times when they were together that the barest hint of a human being came out of the tough, abrasive shell that comprised who she was. Times where she was almost bearable. Times where he was reminded of the reason he had the feelings for her that he kept locked away...

He looked up from the faceplant he fell into on his pillow. His room was spotless, a testament to how out of touch his parents were with their only child when they asked that he clean his room. The bed was made, the computer desk was clear of clutter, his dresser was neat and organized, and the fishbowl on his bedside table was empty; the goldfish in it having died the year before, of natural causes, surprisingly enough. Pets were generally a luxury that Timmy resigned himself to not being able to afford. School trips meant that he couldn't take them with him and his parents couldn't be bothered to do something so simple as feed the animals. Unless he went and got a snake or some other hardy reptile...

Either way, it was too big a risk. Timmy was the type to wear his heart on his sleeve, getting another pet and getting attached to it only for it to die was more than he was willing to put himself through again. So after his goldfish died, the fishbowl remained empty and almost forgotten.

"At least my chores are done..." Timmy said with a sigh as his eyelids began to droop. Sleep seemed like a good idea right about now...

Downstairs...

Vicki flipped through channels on the TV, trying her best to not think about how Timmy had not only stood up to her, but the fact that she had backed down at the last second and not hit him like he deserved.

Yes he deserved it. Her job was to keep him in line, if that meant hitting him or scaring him, it was her job to do it.

And he had talked back to her. "How dare he?! Where does he get off talking to me like that?!"

Vicki began pressing the channel button harder, hoping her anger would make a channel appear that would distract her from her thoughts.

In Vicki's mind, she wasn't wrong. She was never wrong. She didn't need a reason to act the way she did, she just did. Manipulating people to get her way came naturally, putting up a sweet facade to get what she wanted and threatening people when the sweet facade didn't work; it all seemed to be so... easy for her. Granted, those two sides of her didn't work all the time, Francis was immune to the threats, and she didn't dare act sweet around him, he already harassed her enough, she didn't need to give his peanut brain another reason to follow her around.

Her parents weren't to blame. They were easily the nicest parents her and Tootie could ask for... Vicki made sure to hide the fact that she was mean to people like Timmy from them though. Mostly because she was sure that her parents would have been disappointed in her for her behavior and, unusually enough, she actually cared about what her parents thought of her. They were certainly far better than Timmy's were to him.

"Oh God?! Do I actually feel sorry for him?! No... sorrow is one thing... I pity him, that's all..." "Ugh... the Hell's wrong with me?! I must be tired..."

Vicki pushed herself deeper into the couch cushions and got more comfortable.

Several hours later...

Timmy awoke and looked around. His eyes were still throbbing slightly... and it was dark.

"Great. I've gone blind..." a car went by outside, its headlights slightly illuminating his room. "Wait, false alarm. It's dark out." he got out of bed and stretched, then opened the door to his room and went downstairs to the living room.

Vicki laid on the couch, still asleep from what he could tell. He attempted to tiptoe the rest of the way, but years of listening to children stealthily creep around had given her a greater sense of hearing than most. "Our chores had better be done..." she was still waking up... maybe he could work this to his favor...

He crouched down next to her. "Go back to sleep... this is... uh... just a dream. Yeah..." he spoke in a soft, almost soothing voice.

"Yeah..." Vicki rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "And I'm late for piloting a giant robot."

"Worth a shot..." Timmy got up from his position and went into the kitchen.

"It really wasn't. Your voice is about as soothing as a cat being ripped in half."

"Thanks for that mental image..." Timmy shuddered.

"Are the chores done?" Vicki walked into the kitchen and microwaved herself some sliders.

"Yeah. They're done." Timmy took the ice pack out of the freezer and brought it up to his right eye.

"Now you're just milking that-"

Timmy took the ice pack away to reveal that his eyes were both still blackened, still swollen, and bloodshot.

"Um..." Vicki turned away and grabbed her food. Timmy huffed in annoyance, but was surprised when Vicki placed a plate down for him, as well as herself.

"What's that for?"

"It's what's for dinner. I'm not cooking for you. Not more than that, anyway."

Timmy looked down at the food before him with his uncovered eye. It had to be a trick. They were still frozen, or she poisoned them... or he'd take a bite and snakes would fly out... Okay, that might be a little over the top, but still.

"They're not poisoned. And I cooked 'em thoroughly." Vicki bit into one of her own burgers.

Timmy continued staring blankly at his own.

"Fine, I'll eat them. No sense letting them go to waste..." she extended her arm and her fingers wrapped around the rim of his plate, but stopped when his hand came down to rest on hers.

Time seemed to stop as Timmy's eyes locked on Vicki's, then both teens looked at their touching hands.

"Thanks." Timmy squeezed her hand very, very slightly, hoping that he could get across to her the fact that he appreciated what she did without her freaking out, or worse, lashing out at him.

Vicki pulled her hand away and continued eating.

Timmy released a shaky breath that he didn't know he had been holding and placed the ice pack on the table, then began eating as well. "That went better than expected..."

This was nice, like when they were sharing the couch, no fighting, no arguing, just sitting around. Peace and quiet. Not so far as enjoying each others company, but at least things were calm between the two.

RING-RING

Then the phone rang.

RING-RING

And continued to ring.

RING-RING

"Gonna answer that?" Vicki looked at Timmy.

Timmy sighed and gave her a tired look, but stood up from his food and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Timmy? It's Mommy, are you okay?"

"Mommy? Since when does mom call herself Mommy?" "Are you okay? You sound upset..."

"I'm fine but..."

He could tell his mother was on the verge of tears, but why? "Is Dad okay?"

"Yes... your Father's fine, we're both fine... but..."

He could tell from her voice that the tears were beginning to fall. "Then what's the matter?" he noticed Vicki looking at him with a raised eyebrow. She mouthed 'What's going on' at him, but he shook his head. He didn't know much at the moment. "Mom, just take a deep breath, what's going on?"

"Is Vicki still there?"

"Yeah... I'm looking right at her."

"Good, keep her there, we'll be over in a few, both of you get ready to go."

"Go where?! Mom, what's going on?! Are you in trouble? You're freaking me out here!"

"No... no. We're not in trouble... Honey... it's Vicki..."

Timmy looked over at Vicki, who now had a somewhat worried expression, though she was trying fairly hard to hide it. "What about Vicki...?" Timmy swallowed nervously.

As his mother relayed what was appearing to be forbidden information to him, Timmy felt his heart sink lower and lower as a sickening taste in his throat rose higher and higher. If he did have fairies, he'd wish away the knowledge he just received. No... he'd wish what happened never happened...

"Alright Mom, we'll be ready when you guys get here..."

"Now that you know... you should probably tell her... You're her best friend..."

Once again, his parents were wrong about his relationship with Vicki. They weren't friends. They weren't even acquaintances. He was Timmy, she was Vicki. That's all they were to each other, yet now his mother expected him to...

Timmy placed the phone back on the charger and sat down at the table across from Vicki.

"So? What's up? You don't look so good."

Timmy's head snapped up to look at Vicki. "I- we- we need to get dressed." Timmy made no move to stand up.

"For... what exactly?"

Right now, Timmy would rather be anywhere else in the world. Sitting in front of his whole school in his underwear while playing a trumpet, diving in shark infested waters while wearing a bacon necklace, being the president in a time of war, even pointing a gun at the head of the entire universe. But not here and now, anything, anywhere, not here, not now...

"I don't think you'll want to hear it from me. You should wait until my parents get here..."

"Don't even think about it! You tell me right now, or so help me, I'll- I- I don't know what I'll do! Tell me!"

No, life wasn't fair.

"It's your parents."

Vicki watched as a few stray tears ran down Timmy's cheeks. "He does wear his heart on his sleeve..."

"And Tootie."

"What about them?! Tell me!" Vicki couldn't keep the anguish out of her own voice now.

"They... were in an accident."

"What-" Vicki swallowed past the growing lump in her throat. "What do you mean, an accident?"

"Vicki, I'm- I'm so sorry, I know you don't want to hear this from-"

"Tell me!" Vicki slammed her hands on the table, causing Timmy to jump in his seat.

Vicki, red-headed demon, witch, bane of his existence and occasional roommate; was crying now. And the sight tore his heart in two. He wanted to reach out, to try and comfort her, that's what he was supposed to do in this type of situation, right?

But he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot.

"Tell me..." she sounded so sad, so... fragile...

"There... was a car accident while they were driving back to Dimmsdale from the mall..."