Vanellope pushed open the front door of their home, jumping up and down. Glitter flew out of her hair, showering Ralph's suit with silver and gold. A light snowfall had started up again, and the tiny crystals kissed their cheeks and sleeves as the floated down. Fireworks could still be heard off in the distance, the loud, hissing sizzle as they shot up into the air, followed by the theatric explosion and a colorful burst of light. "That was awesome!" Vanellope cheered as they walked in. "Did you see me when I was crowd surfing? I mean, I couldn't believe it! I just couldn't believe it! Everyone was dancing, and they just lifted me up in the air! It was CRAZY!"

Ralph yawned. It was almost 1:30, in the morning, and Vanellope was still hyped up on sugar. Then again, he really shouldn't have been surprised. At about 12:25 he'd found Vanellope taking multiple shots of Pixie Sticks-which were, of course, just sugar in tubes. Now he just awaited on the crash that came with any sugar high. If it ever came, that is. Vanellope was still bouncing all around and looked like she had no intentions of stopping any time soon.

"And then Gloyd and Swizzle and me had a contest to see who could fit the most cookies in our mouths, and Rancis was the judge!" Vanellope squealed. "And I won! Can you believe it? I can't! Except I kind of can, because I already beat them in a marshmallow-eating contest, so this was kind of expected."

Ralph chuckled. "Well, it sounds like you had fun."

"I did!" Vanellope exclaimed happily. She ran over to Ralph by the door where they both took off their shoes. "Did you see my awesome dance moves? It was amazing!"

"Aren't you tired?" Ralph asked hopefully, watching as she went to bounce on the couch.

"Not really! Vanellope called, doing a back flip. "I could stay up all night!"

Ralph sighed and looked up to the ceiling, cursing whoever had invented the Pixie Stick. Seriously though, who had thought that it would ever be a good idea to put sugar in a stick, and give it to kids? "Well, you're going to have to go to bed." Ralph sighed, going over to pick her up fire-fighter style.

"Aw!" Vanellope moaned, hanging over his shoulder. "Just one more hour? We could play Hero's Duty! Or eat that leftover cake from Christmas!"

"I think you've had enough sugar for one night-maybe even two." Ralph chuckled, heading up the stairs.

"You just don't want me to beat you again." Vanellope giggled.

"No! It's just late!" Ralph protested. "And besides, I let you win last time."

"Suuuuuure." Vanellope snickered, poking his back. "Funny how that seems to happen every time we play together."

Ralph smiled and brought her to her room. Vanellope had found an extra strand of Christmas lights in the garage a few days previous and had practically begged Ralph to let her hang them in her room. She said that when the you flipped the light switch off and plugged them in, they looked like magic. Ralph hadn't really understood what she was talking about, but he had let her put them up anyways. "You're right-it is pretty funny." He teased, laughing at the annoyed look she gave him. "Now c'mon, get ready for bed." He sat her down on her bed and got ready to walk out.

"Do I have to? Can I just stay up a wittle wonger?" Vanellope pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"Oh no you don't!" Ralph said, shielding his eyes and waving his finger at her. "None of that pouty stuff! It may have worked before, but I can assure you, it won't now."

"Are you sure about that?" Vanellope giggled, crawling over to him. She opened her eyes even wider and stuck out her lip further.

"Yes!" Ralph said, walking backwards for a moment before falling to the ground.

Vanellope laughed and started tickling him all over. "I don't think you are!" She squealed, taking his hand away from his eyes. "I'm breaking through to you! You're going to crack at any moment! I can feel it in my bones!"

"St-st-stop!" Ralph laughed through panted breaths. "V-vanellope! I-I'm s-serious!"

"Never!" Vanellope giggled, tickling him under his chin, also known as his most sensitive spot, tickle-wise.

They wrestled around like this on the floor for a bit, Ralph laughing so hard tears were streaming out of his eyes, and Vanellope tickling and poking every part of him she could reach, laughing as well. It wasn't until Ralph managed to grab a hold on both of her wriggling hands that Vanellope's antics were put to a halt. "G-get r-ready f-for bed." He heaved, prying her off of him.
Vanellope puffed out her cheeks. "Fine!" She sighed, going over to her drawer to get out her pajamas. "But I'm not going to be happy about it! Except for tickling you! I'll still be happy about that!"

Ralph chuckled and walked out to his room to change as well. The pair met up in the bathroom, where they stood side-by-side, brushing their teeth and giving each other mischievous grins. Vanellope had recently found entertainment in making funny faces at Ralph while he brushed his teeth or gargled mouthwash. The first time she'd done it, she'd put her hands by her face and puckered her lips. "Blub, blub, blub!" She had chortled, waving her fingers. "That's fish language for: Look at me, I'm a fish! I hope Ralph doesn't catch me and eat me! Blub, blub!"

This had caused Ralph had burst into a fit of laughter so bad he had almost choked on his toothpaste suds. It wasn't pretty.

Vanellope was ecstatic. And ever since then, she had been trying to get that same effect.

But Ralph was prepared this time. He stared determinedly ahead, refusing to look at Vanellope, even though he could feel her eyes boring into his skull. "It's not going to happen Vanellope. Not tonight."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vanellope said innocently, her voice sounding muffled from all the toothpaste in her mouth. "I'm just brushing my teeth."

"I'm still not looking."

"Okay."

"Great."

"Fine."

"Glad that's settled, then."

"Me too."

Ralph smiled proudly at his resolve and leaned forward. He swished some water around in his mouth, still not looking at Vanellope.

"Ow!" Vanellope suddenly exclaimed with a loud thud.

"Vanellope?" Ralph cried out, startled. He looked over to her quickly.

Vanellope put her face near his, her hands holding the sides of her mouth open and her tongue sticking out. "Blargh!" She said, rolling her eyes in circles. "I'm a zombieeeeee!"

Ralph snorted. His throat rumbled and he could feel the laughs coming on. With a very undignified grace, he leaned over the sink and spat the water out before it had time to go up his nose again, like that last time, when she'd done a scarily good, but yet overly exaggerated impression of Felix. "Oh my land!" She'd cried out in a deep Southern accent. "I have no ice for my tea! I'm going to die! Tamora, give me CPR!" Then she'd collapsed into an over dramatic faint.

This time around, it wasn't so much that what she had done had been terribly funny, but just that she looked so cute doing it. "I can't believe I fell for that." He laughed, wiping his mouth off.

"Ha, ha, sucker!" Vanellope giggled, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Oh, I'm the sucker, am I?" Ralph laughed, picking her up. Now he tickled her, laughing as she squealed and squirmed, trying to get away like a tiny black and mint-green ball.

"Y-yes!" She said. "You're a big s-sucker! A D-Dum Dum! A Chupa Chup!"

Ralph carried her over to her room where he finally relented his tickling and tucked her under the covers. She still giggled under her breath, and Ralph could feel the affects of the sugar beginning to wear off. The sparkle in her hazel eyes was dimming, and she had to blink her eyes several times in order to keep them open.
He thought back to her first night. Had it really only been 4 months? The end of August seemed so long ago, another lifetime even. It felt like Vanellope had always been there, it was becoming hard to imagine his life before her. Thinking back to those lonely nights spent in the living room, sitting on the couch and watching whatever he could find on TV, felt like someone else's life all entirely now. What was it like to work all day, knowing all you had to come home to was an empty house? To spent every morning and night alone, the only exception being the occasional visit to Felix's? To have no one else to look out for, to love and protect, other than yourself? Ralph couldn't even remember now. The most important and warmest of memories were all linked back to her. Camping in the backyard, screaming their lungs out on roller coasters, making leaf piles, playing in the snow, acting out robot apocalypses-none of it would had ever existed without Vanellope.

Now Vanellope gazed up at him, the reflections from the Christmas lights sparkling in her eyes, and Ralph knew this is where he was meant to be-right here, at Vanellope's side.

Vanellope rested her head back against her pillows, smiling softly. "Did you see Coach Calhoun and Felix?" She murmured. "At midnight? I saw them kiss! It was kind of gross, but at least they can get married now."

"Someone's getting ahead of themselves." Ralph smiled. "I wouldn't be planning on hearing any wedding bells, not in the near future, anyways."

"Aw, man." Vanellope groaned, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. "I just want them to be together! And for them to have a wedding, so I can go and see what weddings are like. Well, as long as I don't have to wear a fancy dress."

"Hate to break it to you, but you might have to, kid." Ralph smiled, ruffling her hair. "But who knows? Felix and Calhoun could let you be the ring-bearer, then you could wear a suit!"

"But then I'd have to match with you!" Vanellope complained playfully, giving him an impish smile.

"Well, we can deal with that problem when we get to it." Ralph laughed softly. "They've still got a long road ahead of them before they get to that point."

"I guess." Vanellope sighed peacefully.

Ralph made sure she was nice and comfy in her bed before he reached over and turned on the lamp. "'Night Vanellope." He said, kissing her forehead. Vanellope nodded sleepily in reply as he stood up and went to flick the light switch off.

"Ralph?" Vanellope called out, sitting up suddenly. Her eyes were wide open now, and her expression was full of an anxious wonder.

"Yes?" He asked.

A moment passed as they looked into each others eyes, neither saying a word, and with a small heartbeat, Ralph knew.

The story.

The story. The story that he'd promised her so many nights ago. He opened his mouth to say it; that he didn't have one but that by tomorrow he swore he would. But as he looked into those wide, innocent, hazel eyes, the eyes that slowly started to shut down and cloud over as they realized what he was going to say, Ralph couldn't. He wasn't going to let her down again. Not tonight, not ever.

"Okay." Ralph finally said. He walked back over to her and sat down, his eyes shining determinedly in the glow of the lamp. "I'm going to tell you a story."

"Really?" Vanellope whispered, her voice rising with excitement.

"Yes." Ralph nodded firmly. "But not just any story. This story is going to be the best story ever told."

"Even better than To Kill a Mockingbird?" Vanellope asked, thinking of the most prestigious book she knew.

"Yes." Ralph smiled. "Even better than that."

Vanellope's eyes widened and she took an excited breath. She sat up and turned her attention fully on him.
Ralph sighed. "Once upon a time..." He began, not knowing at all where he was going with this. "There was a beautiful princess." Yeah, that was a good start.

"Can she be a president?" Vanellope interrupted. "No offense to them, but I like presidents more than princesses."

Ralph smiled. "Sure. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful president. She grew up with a pretty rough life. People looked down on her, and mocked her, and threw her in the mud. All she wanted was to be herself, but when she did people seemed to hate her for it. And so one day, she finally had had enough and decided to escape. She left that place far behind, never to return. She ran off into the forest where she ran and ran and ran until she suddenly came across a troll living under a bridge."

"A troll?" Vanellope smiled, scrunching up her nose.

"Yes." Ralph grinned, pinching her cheek. "A troll. He was forced to live under the bridge because he was being treated the same way as the president. People took one look at him and decided that he was a bad guy, and that he didn't deserve any friends. He tried to prove that he was a nice guy, but people wouldn't listen to him. They ignored him and treated him like dirt. And so he sat there every day, scaring people away from his bridge, because, well, he had started to believe that he was best off alone. That was until he met the president, who saw the good in him. And they became friends."

"Is that the end?" Vanellope asked, looking worried.

"No." Ralph smiled. "In fact, that was only the beginning."

And so the story took flight. The president and the troll went on many adventures together. They climbed mountains, battled dragons, wielded wands, faced foes, and made a few new friends along the way. They traveled through time and space, invented impossible things, and explored the universe. They flew high above the clouds, leaving the world far, far, behind. They touched the moon, swam through the deepest seas, navigated the deadliest terrains, and still made it back in time for dinner. They could do anything, they were unstoppable, because on those adventures, they had each other, and that was all they needed.

"And so," Ralph finished, stroking Vanellope's hair as she began to nod off. "They lived happily ever after. The end."
Vanellope smiled up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "That was the bestest story ever." She whispered, resting her head against her pillows.

The room was silent, and Ralph and Vanellope were both sleepy by now, the tales of the story still dancing through their heads. "I try." Ralph shrugged, smiling at her.
Vanellope giggled softly.

Ralph leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. "Goodnight, Vanellope."

He started to sit up but before he could, Vanellope reached forward and pulled him down into a deep embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him there tightly.

Ralph squeezed her back, taking in the feeling of her soft breaths on his neck, her tiny heartbeat fluttering against his. He would have almost missed it, her next few words, except for the fact that her lips were very near his ear, sending her hushed whispers floating into his ears like a lovely melody. And when she said it, his heart wanted to stop beating, melt, and explode all at once. When she said it, he told her that he did too, and that no one had ever meant as much to him as she did now. And that no matter what happened, he would never leave her, or hurt or, or let anyone else use or abuse her ever again.

But most of all, when she leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "I love you, Dad," everything fell into place. For in reality, this was only the beginning. And as everyone knows, after the beginning comes the adventure. An adventure that would be something crazy, beautiful, wonderful, and memorable.

They were ready. Because the world was a big, unpredictable place, and side-by-side, they could handle it all. Because together, they were infinite.