Filling in the Empty Spots

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Chapter 14: The Final Secret

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When the fireworks ended Princess Vanellope addressed the assembled guests again, thanking them once more for coming to her ball and wishing them a beautiful summer. Her ornate green gown glowed in the twilight of Sugar Rush's night. And then she turned to her newly discovered prince and two knights.

"I've thought about it—about what I've learned tonight. Ralph is right. Nothing has changed really. All that's changed is what I know." She moved closer to them and took Felix's hand. "I will let my people know that I realize and accept that there was another Princess Vanellope before me. Her memory should not be forgotten. What happened here in Sugar Rush was not her fault, and even though it seems painful for some of us, and embarrassing for others, forgetting it would just leave us vulnerable to the same kind of thing happening again."

"You're very wise, Princess," said Felix.

"As are you. You knew that this was the best all along."

Felix beamed.

And then she turned to Ralph and beckoned.

"Yes?" he said, kneeling down to her level once again.

"However, since it was your wish, and hers as well, the marriage between you two will be kept a secret, as will your status. But, I'd like to see you around here a bit more, around the castle that is. You were not just my predecessor's husband, but also her most trusted advisor. I could use your help in running the kingdom...our kingdom."

"What do you need me for? I'm just the guy who used to wreck the building. Besides, you've been doing just fine without old Prince Ralphie around."

"But, if there's ever a time when I need a prince here, would you be willing to be a prince again? Maybe I'll need some help with a hard decision or an important ruling for the kingdom. Maybe there will be Cy-Bugs again."

He smiled. "I tried to sacrifice myself to save Sugar Rush once, and I'd gladly do it again."

She smiled at him, and just as President Vanellope used to, she leapt up and hugged him around the neck. "Would you at least come if I called you? If there was something that you could really help me with?"

Ralph reached out and put his hands around her. "Of course I would. I promised her I would do my best for the kingdom, and that promise still holds in my heart even though she's gone."

The princess smiled at him and then kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Prince Ralph."

"That's Mr. Bing Bing," he grinned, and he glanced down to see his wife grinning gleefully up at him.

"What about Stinkbrain?"

"Only she got to call me Stinkbrain."

Vanellope pressed her forehead to his jaw. "Mr. Bing Bing it is."

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That night the emotionally exhausted Bing Bing's staggered into their cabin high in the mountain forest. The first thing Ralph did was take off his socks and shoes, and he wiggled his toes happily. "Oh...much better," he yawned.

Next he returned the casket to its hiding place under the floorboards. And then he took off his tuxedo jacket and pants, leaving them over the back of the couch. "I'm going to take a bath before bed," he called up the stairs.

"All right," Jubileena called back.

Ralph staggered to the bathroom, turned on the tub faucet, and started to fill his tub. And when it was full of hot soapy water he undressed the rest of the way and climbed in, moaning happily as the soothing water welcomed him. He reclined against the sloped back of the tub, put a rolled towel under his neck, and rested his arms on the sides. The excitement and drama of the evening began to melt away immediately.

What a night it had been. He'd never expected to wear his crown ever again. He'd once even considered having Sour Bill return it to the treasury, but the love of his lost wife proved far too strong to ever give it up. And now, its heaviness seemed to have vanished. That burden of worry and guilt laid upon him by those secrets all seemed so much lighter now that the princess knew, and lighter still that Jubileena knew.

"Ralph, don't fall asleep in there," came Jubileena's voice.

He opened his eyes and saw her standing beside the tub with her hands on the lip. "I guess I did," he said.

She stepped out of her dressing gown and pink floral panties and climbed up into the huge tub, slipping into the water with a little splash. Standing between her husband's ankles her head and shoulders were just above the surface of the water. "Mind if I share the royal bath?" she asked teasingly.

"Only if you'll scrub the royal feet while you're in it," he grinned and held up one foot and wriggled his toes at her.

"Ewww!" she groaned, but then playfully picked up each foot in turn and rubbed them thoroughly with a washcloth. Ralph tried to resist the tickling sensation of it, but couldn't help but laugh. And after scrubbing her own reddish skin clean, she flopped up onto his chest and lay there facing him, her head propped up by her hands. Her glistening red hair hung down in wet curls to frame her adorable face. Her light brown eyes stared into his, and she smiled at him.

"Yes?" he prompted, noticing the way she was contemplating him.

"I never told you why I was lying out there in Red Twist Park, all alone in the grass in my gown."

"No. You never did."

She giggled, and then blushed. "I was waiting for my handsome prince to come. I thought that if I just waited there, someday he would find me and take me home to his castle. I know it was pretty foolish and I never really thought it would happen. But it certainly wouldn't if I didn't try.

"And instead of a handsome prince this big ugly giant came along and dragged you through the rain and snow and sand and ice. And then he took you to his broken-down cabin in the woods."

"He did. But it turned out that he was actually a handsome prince in disguise, and that cabin turned out to be cozier than any castle."

Ralph reached up and twirled a lock of her red hair between his fingers, his mind drifting into the past. "That part of my life was supposed to die with her. You were never supposed to find out."

Jubileena wriggled forward on his slippery chest and kissed him on the lips. "I found out long ago that he was a prince, because he always treated me like a princess."

Ralph's melancholy face turned sweet. "Jubie, they definitely used too much sugar when they made you," he sighed. And with that he closed his eyes and held her tightly.

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The End

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Filling in the Empty Spots continues in:

Chapter 15: Filling in the Empty Spots Commentary

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Wreck-It Ralph and all related concepts, characters, worlds, and events are property of Walt Disney Pictures. Original characters and story elements are property of E. Potter, writing under the pen name of Miratete.