238 Minutes Lost

• Chapter I •

She'd only been giving him a lift; he'd only accepted. They hadn't expected to find themselves lost in the depths of Hero's Duty, the threat of Cy-bugs and being unplugged looming overhead. But with 238 minutes to the arcade's opening, the two have to pull together and find their way back home before the worst imaginable becomes reality...

There she was.

He could see her now, looking beautiful and tall as ever, dark soldier uniform such a sharp contrast to the bursting colors and zany patterns that made up Sugar Rush, her gorgeous eyes wide. She stood with a posture indecisively shifting between uncomfortably tall and a shrinking shrug, as if confused by the shortness of the game's inhabitants and wondering if she'd be better off standing proud and tall or kneeling to face-level. Either she decided on the latter or she needed a better look at the situation before her, for in an instant she was on her knees, evaluating the only-slightly damaged escape pod she'd left behind days before. Her gloved hands wandered around the outside of the vehicle, fingers trailing lines on the few visible cracks and dents. He watched her work, along with some other racers, including their new president, Vanellope Von Schweetz, donning her old outfit rather than the dress she'd received upon recognition of her status once again. He needed to ask the sergeant a question, but he didn't want to be an intrusion. Maybe he should wait...

Of course, Sergeant Calhoun wasn't unaware of the short man eyeing her nervously. Being a soldier, it was in her programming to detect eyes on her; the natural feeling of an extra presence was instinctive. Her trained ears could easily pick up on the small footsteps he'd taken (though it had taken time to distinguish them from any of the natives'; everyone was so short here!). It was fairly obvious that someone new was among them.

... although the sound of his jumping wasn't a terribly difficult clue.

But exactly why he was there was a more interesting question. He had no business in Sugar Rush at four hours to opening, as far as she could tell (not that she'd paid attention to him at all). She couldn't help but hope that she was his business. A strange thing to think, indeed, but it would have been disappointing if he didn't notice her, and Calhoun didn't like being disappointed. If he forced her to come to him to have a conversation, she wasn't sure she'd turn it down.

Well, she would have to, she decided. She had exactly 238 minutes to return this escape pod to Hero's Duty and get the rest her body required before the arcade opened. It was strange, but sleep seemed like such an unnecessary thing to the other characters. To the fighters in Hero's Duty, however, it was second nature to need sleep. Everyone else — Ralph, Fix-It, Vanellope — they had no taste for rest unless emotionally tired.

She snickered. Maybe Fix-It's job was easy, tapping windows with hammers and such, but she had Cy-bugs to kill, and that wore on a person. She was already getting tired, so even if Felix didn't approach her, she would be out of there in the least amount of time the task at hand allowed.

Felix could sense that the woman was in a hurry, as her movement instantly quickened. She rose to her feet, making Felix's eight-bit heart jump in his throat. If he didn't say something soon, she'd be out of there quicker than Mario in his pipe. He had to man-up and talk to her...

But his feet didn't seem to agree. Without much say in the matter, he found himself walking away, fear driving him further.

Calhoun's shoulders slumped at the sound of footsteps growing distant; she knew they were Felix's. So he really wasn't there to see her. Shame, she said inwardly. I was really looking forward to shrugging him off.

And by "shrugging him off" she meant saying something to make him blush, or get the "honeydews" or whatever he called them, then walking away with a smile on her face. She liked the reassurance that he still admired her, but was tentative in pursuing the little man. The kiss they'd shared was a whim; it was gone. But mysteriously, the feelings remained...

So she was sad to see, or hear, him leave. Nevertheless, work was to be done and she had no business in dilly-dallying either.

Her dissatisfaction at Felix's departure was apparent for a short time, then soon dissolved into seriousness. But Vanellope, watching the situation from a distance, had picked up on it and associated it with the handyman that was almost out of hearing range. She frowned, wanting to help the situation. She'd seen sparks fly between the two only days before; she couldn't shake the memory, even as they rejected each other before her eyes. There was something about the pair together, something special, something right. She knew what she saw, even if they didn't. Consequently, she took it upon herself to initiate further sparks. This meant she could under no circumstances let Felix leave.

"Hey, Felix!"

Felix turned around, hearing his name. He'd half-hoped that Calhoun was the source of the voice, but the raspy high-pitched words obviously belonged to Vanellope. He smiled and waved at her, but that evidently wasn't enough.

"Come over here, crazy! I don't bite!" she laughed. He came closer. One down, one to go. She now needed the sergeant to notice him, so she added, "Or make 'duty'!"

Calhoun overheard this and turned around, just as planned. Wait for it...

"Look, mousy, I already told you. It's not that kind of-"

But she stopped short at the sight of Felix nearly seven feet to her right, looking up at her. Something flashed in her eyes: a fond recognition. Vanellope could tell her work here was nearly done.

"Fix-It," she stated matter-of-factly, as though he didn't know his own name. "I didn't know you were here," she lied.

He smiled nervously. "I didn't, either." He paused for a second. "Uh, I mean, I knew I was here, of course! I just didn't know you were here..." he stuttered, looking down at his shoes. "Ma'am," he finished.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't respond immediately, instead wondering what she would say in rebuttal to such an odd and endearing sentence. Eventually she settled for a straight-to-the-point question. "What's got you in Sugar Rush?"

He looked up at her again. "Oh! I, um, was just stopping by — in the neighborhood — and saw you were here... and remembered I had a question for you."

She eyed him carefully. "Is it important?"

He hesitated to answer. "Well, no — not really important, but I would like to ask, if I may, ma'am."

She was intrigued by his question, but knew she had work to be done, and used a simple out; an exit-strategy that never failed. Gesturing to the escape-pod, she began. "Then it'll have to wait. I've got to return this vehicle to my game; it's a little beat-up, so it could be a challenge."

Felix's eyes lit up. "Well, ma'am, if you'd like," he started, pulling out his hammer. "I can fix it."

She raised her eyebrows. "Be my guest." Stepping aside, she let him approach the machine and, with a simple tap, all remnants of damage were gone. It wasn't incorrect to say that she was thoroughly impressed.

"There she is! Good as new!" he cheered, twirling his hammer in his hand. He looked up at the momentarily-silent blonde and grinned. "Hopefully now I'll be able to-"

But she hadn't been listening, instead stepping into the pod and inspecting its repair. "Wow, Fix-It," she gazed. "You've done a great job."

He smiled. "Well, the ol' hammer's an incredible little thing."

She turned to face him, eyes taking a new shine into them. "You're incredible."

Woops. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She hadn't even meant to think that!

His cheeks turned a deep red at her statement, astounded that she'd said it. "Well, ma'am..."

Embarrassed, she looked back into the vehicle and feigned a smile. "This should be a lot easier to return now. Thank you, Felix."

He nodded. "Glad I could help." With that, he turned to walk away. But Vanellope noticed and ran up to the pod.

"Hey, Sergeant Blondy," she whispered to the woman quietly. "Why don't you invite Felix for a ride?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked down at the girl. "What makes you think that I'd-"

"FEEEE-LIX!"

"No, quiet! He'll-"

The shorter of the two ignored her and called him back over. "The sergeant said she wants you to come with her."

Felix's eyebrows lifted. The sergeant wanted him to ride with her?

Calhoun looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights. "I-" she began, as if to change her mind. Felix's face fell, and he waited for it. She'd be sending him home afoot in no time...

She frowned at his expression, feeling guilty for turning him away. With a softer tone, she asked, "Would you like a ride?"

His head snapped up at her question, mouth open. She really did want his company! His heart fluttered at the news. Maybe she didn't forget about him after all.

With a bashful grin, he nodded. "I'd love one."

So? Should I continue? Not like I haven't already. I've written four more chapters so far, and I'm really pleased with it. I hope you guys are, too!

My goal for this story is to go deeper into the characters and answer some of the burning questions that linger in my mind – what were they thinking immediately after the movie's span? How accepting was Calhoun of Felix? How did things progress from mere attraction to marriage? Reading how others answer these questions has been interesting, as some think it was a quick transition, but others go so far as to rehash the kiss and start all over again. I personally disliked the instant warmth that most portray Calhoun to give off, when in reality I picture her more closed off, hesitant due to the nonexistent past that haunts her memories. I want to capture their characters in a different light, one more slow and cautious. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks.

Well? Don't just sit there! Give that review button a high-five and tell me what's on your mind!

* *-TheSongbird341-* *

DISCLAIMER: Guess what? I don't own Wreck-It Ralph. There would have been many more Felix/Calhoun moments if I did.