Vicky's eyes shot open- Or at least the right one did. There was... something covering her left eye, it seemed to be some type of cloth. Light filtered into the white room she was in and onto the cloth. She could see that the cloth too was white... So that meant her eye was still there, still worked...

She glanced around with her uncovered eye. The ceiling above her was... speckled tile, like in an office building or...

"A hospital?" Vicky sat up and propped herself up with her right arm, her left wasn't cooperating for some reason. A glance down at said arm showed why: It was currently wrapped up in a cast and shoulder sling. The act of sitting up caused a sudden pain in her head and she was hit with a wave of nausea. "Ugh... What happened?"

Her right hand felt cold, looking at that revealed that it had an IV in it. "Okay, I'm definitely in the hospital..." Vicky lifted the blanket up and looked at her legs. The calf of her left leg had a large purplish bruise on it, and there was a bandage on her right thigh with a brownish red stain going up it. She tried wiggling her toes and, while sore, they complied with her mental command. "Least I'm not paralyzed..."

She brought her right hand up to her left eye to find it was bandaged like a good portion of the rest of her.

The door to her room opened, and in walked her sister. "Yeah... Alright, I'll let you know if there's any change, I-" Tootie locked eyes with Vicky. "V-Vicky?! You're awake! Chester, I- She's up! ...No, not up and walking around, she's awake! Yeah, come by when you get off work! I'll see you then, bye!" Tootie pocketed her phone and placed the coffee she had been holding on a nearby table, then rushed over to Vicky and wrapped her arms around her. "I didn't think you'd- I was so worried..."

"You... have me at a bit of a disadvantage here." Vicky stroked her sister's hair comfortingly. "What happened? Why am I in the hospital?"

"You don't remember...? Well... I guess it makes sense... Um... Where to start... You were in a car accident. Eighteen wheeler crashed into the driver's side of your car... As I'm sure you've noticed... you got pretty banged up. And I-" Tootie began to tear up. "I thought I'd lost you..."

"Take more than that to bring me down... What else happened? How... how did I even survive the crash? You said the eighteen wheeler hit the driver's side... How-"

"...You... don't remember that either...? Of course you survived... You weren't the one driving."

"I wasn't driving? Then... then..." "W-where's Timmy?" her voice cracked as her mind began to piece things together.

"I... He was driving when you got into the accident..."

"I want to see Timmy. Right. Now! Let me-"

"Vicky!" Tootie stopped herself from yelling at her sister. "He's-" another wave of tears hit Tootie as she hugged Vicky even tighter. "He's gone."

"No, he- he can't be... You're lying! He can't-"

"Why would I lie about that?!" Tootie pulled away from Vicky and glared at her. "He was my best friend, why would I even think about joking about something like this?!"

"But he- And I- I'm-!" Vicky pushed the blanket away and brought her hand down to her navel. "No. No no no no no! Where's-?"

"Oh Vicky... I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry..." Again, Tootie wrapped her arms around her sister.

The room grew deathly quiet, then an anguished cry cut through the silence.

0o0o0

She wouldn't cry. Not in front of all these people. Her parents, her sister, his friends, her friends...

Of course they'd be absent. Why would his parents show up to their own son's funeral? They never cared about him... Did they even know? Did they care?

"No... I cared... and Tootie. His friends... but not them..." "If I ever see them again..."

"Vicky?"

Her head snapped to her left to look at Tootie. "What?"

"I- You'll be okay, you know that, right?"

"No... No I won't."

There was a sudden clap of thunder as the sky opened up, drenching the entire procession and everyone in attendance.

His friends tired their best to mask their fear of the red-head, the blond one... Chester, even going so far as to hug her like he was family. The rest kept their distance while offering their condolences. "Better off..." she didn't want to appear weak, not ever, not even now.

"Sis?"

"Yeah, Toots?"

"I... I'm moving in with you, alright?"

"I don't need someone to keep an eye on me. You think I'm gonna off myself or something?"

Tootie was taken aback by her sister's words. She hadn't seen her so cold and unfeeling in a long time. She couldn't blame her for how she felt, but... "No, but I'm not gonna let you push me away either. I won't let you go through this alone."

Vicky frowned at her sister's insistence on helping. "Do what you want." she walked away toward Tootie's car. There wasn't any point in sticking around any longer...

Tootie stood still and watched her sister get into hr car.

"How're you holding up?" Chester came up and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Me? I'm... I don't know. I just lost my best friend- Or... Sorry, I know Timmy was your friend too..."

"No, I know. You and him were always really close. Closer than I or AJ ever were with him..."

"Things... I don't think they'll ever be the same, Chester. He made her happy, something that no one else could ever do... I'm afraid of what she might do now..."

"You really think she'd hurt or... kill herself?"

"No... but that's the problem. I know she won't kill herself... Not before... It doesn't matter. I'll call you later, staying here is only gonna make things worse for her right now..."

Chester watched Tootie walk away and get in her car, then drive off.

0o0o0

After Tootie moved in, things fell into a routine of sorts. She worked and got help from their parents to pay the rent and utilities, and Vicky... Stayed home. She wasn't sulking... but some part of her was just... Gone. She barely ate, didn't talk to anyone, and shut herself up in her room for hours at a time, only coming out to grab a bite to eat or use the bathroom.

A week and a half of this behavior and Tootie had had enough. "Vicky." Tootie's fingers curled around her sister's wrist and stopped her in her tracks. "Do you wanna talk about it? Maybe I-"

"No. Leave it."

Okay, now she was scared for her sister. There was absolutely no emotion in her voice, not even annoyance at her sister trying to help her. "What about... I could make you an appointment with a grief counselor? Or a therapist... Or... Or something!"

Vicky yanked her hand away from Tootie. "I don't need to talk to anyone. I need to be left. The Fuck. Alone." she slammed the door in Tootie's face and climbed into bed, then pulled her legs up to her chest. She was thankful for the lock on her door, even if she knew that Tootie wouldn't try to come in uninvited anyway. "Try to help me... I don't need help. Not from anyone. Not-" Vicky rested her arms on her knees and began to cry. "Look at me, crying like a goddamned child..."

She reached into the end table by the bed and pulled the drawer open, producing a pill bottle containing anti-depressants that her doctor had prescribed for her. She had yet to open the bottle, telling herself she didn't need them, she was tougher than that. She didn't need a shoulder to cry on, didn't need...

"Agh!" Vicky threw the bottle at the far wall, causing the contents to explode all over the room.

She'd never admit it to anyone but herself... but she missed him. As bad as their past experiences with each other had been... He found it in his heart to forgive her for everything... Made it seem like it didn't even matter; like it hadn't even happened.

"And now... all I've got left..." she fingered the pink gemstone hanging from the silver chain around her neck. "Even..." she rubbed at her stomach. "What's left?" Vicky looked up at the ceiling, as if she expected an answer. "Did I not deserve to be happy? Was that it? All those years of being horrible... This is karma, right?" she got off the bed and headed into the bathroom.

The razor in the bathtub caught her eye, and for the first time, she actually considered doing what Tootie was so afraid she would. Then something else caught her eye instead. Her reflection.

Vicky stepped closer to the bathroom mirror and looked at her face. A long scar, starting at her jawline, traced it's way up her cheek, over her eye, and onto her forehead. It had healed well, and the doctor told her she was 'lucky' that she hadn't lost her eye. "Yeah. 'Lucky'." instead she had lost the person who loved her, the only person that she truly loved.

The accident had actually left her without much lasting damage. A few scars, sure, but nothing was crippled or unusable... Emotionally though... It was more than just a struggle to get out of bed every day, it was a battle. She couldn't figure out why she even bothered to get up anymore, yet every single day, her mind willed her body out of bed to get food, drink, use the bathroom... Clearly some part of her still wanted to live, but why? To what end? To accomplish... something, but what exactly? What could she possibly do to find meaning in her life when everything felt so... "So meaningless?!"

"Vicky? Are you alright in there?"

She heard Tootie call out to her, open the door to her room.

"I heard what sounded like you... throwing things?"

"...What happened to the driver?"

"Hm? The truck driver? He's... I dunno. I think I heard he was in stable condition, why?"

"Stable... Stable... So he'll most likely recover?" Vicky didn't take her eyes off the mirror.

"I... Suppose so? Why?"

Yes... That was something she could latch onto. Her mind welcomed that idea, wrapped itself around it. Anchored itself to it. "We should go visit him."

"Um... are you sure you really want to?"

"I want to know... Why he hit us. Timmy didn't run a red light. He did. I want to know what was so important that he had to run a red light and kill-" she choked back a sob.

"I..." Tootie sighed. "Alright. It's still early... you want to go now?"

"I do."

"Well... get dressed then, I'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

"Mm-hm." Tootie left the bathroom with a nagging feeling in her chest. She knew her sister, knew that they weren't going to go have an amicable visit with this man. Vicky would likely yell at him for what had happened... And part of her agreed with her sister on that. Vicky may have captured her best friend's heart, but Tootie still loved him, the hole she felt in her heart attested to that.

Fifteen minutes later and they were at the hospital again, five after that and they found themselves in the man's room. He looked small, fragile even. He didn't fit with the trucker stereotype at all.

"Hey. Wake up." Vicky spoke commandingly. Tootie hadn't heard her speak in such a way since her childhood.

The man opened his eyes and looked around. They were a grayish-blue color. His eyes fell on Vicky, and Tootie noticed that he looked... frightened? "Well... he should, she's about to give him an earful..."

"Do you know who I am?" Vicky leaned in close.

"N-no..."

"I was in that car you hit. See the scar?" Vicky lifted her hair away so the man could see the scar on her face.

"Oh... But I see that you're... alright. I'm happy, I thought-"

"What was so important that you had to run that light?"

"Hm? I- I don't remember... I-"

"I suggest you start remembering." her tone lowered, and Vicky shot the man a dark look as she roughly gripped his lower jaw.

"I- You!" the man locked eyes with Tootie. "Get a nurse! She- What's she going to do to me?!"

Tootie glanced into the hallway, then moved to the door and closed it. She locked it for good measure. "You should probably answer her question..." she watched as fear; true, primal fear came over the man's face.

"I- I had to make my deadline and- I... I figured I could make the light, but it was too late for me to stop... I'm sorry! But- but you're okay, right? Please, I-"

"No." Vicky squeezed the man's jaw. "You're not sorry. You think I was the only one in the car? You killed-" a stray tear ran down Vicky's face. "The father of my... And I'll never get to meet her, hold her in my arms... And all you can say... is you're 'sorry'?"

Tootie thought about calling for a nurse now, her sister's voice was barely above a whisper, but the look she gave the man in the hospital bed spoke volumes.

"No... you're not sorry..." Vicky's hand slipped lower, off his jaw, and instead to wrap her fingers around his neck. "Not yet you aren't." her melancholic face gave way for a maniacal grin as her grip tightened.

The man gave one last look at Tootie as he gasped out a word that sounded like 'please'. Then Vicky wrapped the fingers of her other hand around his neck and pressed her thumbs into his Adam's apple.

Tootie looked on, standing stark still even as her brain screamed for her to help the man. But... A part of her wanted revenge, this man killed her best friend, her sister's boyfriend... to make sure he got his delivery in on time?! And stopping her sister... How did she know that Vicky wouldn't turn on her next?

By now the man's eyes were beginning to bulge out of his head and grow bloodshot, yet Vicky's grip didn't slacken in the least, she wanted to make sure the trauma stuck this time. Eventually, his struggling stopped, and she released him.

"Is he...?" Tootie asked her sister as she came up next to her.

"I'd say so." Vicky panted heavily for a few seconds. This was... she had never done anything like this... The man paid the price that she laid out, she had avenged Timmy in her own twisted way. It wouldn't bring him back, and if there was a big fluffy white city in the sky... He was probably looking down at her with disgust. She knew that, and yet... It didn't bother her. Her judgment felt clouded by another feeling. Euphoria. She didn't feel guilty in the slightest over what she'd done. "We should go."

"Yeah..."

The two sisters left the hospital as if nothing was wrong and returned to their shared abode, with Vicky shutting herself up in her room once they arrived.

Tootie remained in the living room, contemplating the fact that she was now an accessory to murder.

Vicky returned to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. "That felt... good." she smiled at her reflection.

"Did it?"

"No... you're gone... I was there, at the funeral, you-" Vicky looked at her reflection again. She could hear his voice.

"Of course I'm gone." he appeared in the mirror, holding her reflection close, he stood behind her, his head on her shoulder, arms wrapped around her midsection. He was just as she remembered him: pink hat and shirt, striking blue eyes, brunet hair...

"And teeth you could land a plane on..."

"Ouch... Ya really can't lighten up on me? Even when I'm dead?"

"You wouldn't have it any other way and you know it." she smiled warmly and brought her hand up to thread her fingers through his hair, though only her reflection got to enjoy the feeling.

"Hm... Good point." he chuckled and kissed her cheek. "But... do you really feel better after having done that? What about Tootie? Why drag her into it?"

"She could've stopped me if she wanted to. And yes, I did have to do that. And I do feel great. That dumbshit had it coming."

The Timmy reflection glanced down at her flat stomach. "Guess I'll never know the joys of fatherhood."

"...No..."

"We would've made great parents, even with how crazy we both are..."

"...What do you want? Why are you haunting me?"

"Why? Well... I needed to give you this." the reflection of Timmy held up a small, black velvet box. "Left it in the end table that morning, meant to take it with me to..." he blushed. "Y'know..."

Vicky took the box out of the reflection's hand and held it in her very real hands. "Can I open it?"

"Hm... No." he grinned at her.

"You're still such a dick, even in death."

"Go ahead." he tightened his grip on her slightly. "Personally, I wanted to go with a pink diamond, but I guess white is all traditional and-"

"Shut up." Vicky stared at the small gold ring in the box. The diamond in it sparkled even in the dull bathroom lighting. "It's..."

"I dunno. I still think you're way prettier than some rock, but I guess it's not too shabby..."

Her eyes stung again, and she realized she was crying. "I miss you..."

"I know... But there's something I need from you."

"What?"

"Well... I need you to wake up."

"...I'm not having an existential crisis Twerp."

"No I know. I mean... Wake up."

"I am awake!"

"Lemme try and make sense of all this, okay?"

"Like how?"

"Like this."

Vicky felt her head get roughly pushed forward and smash into the bathroom mirror-

"Ah!" Once more she woke up, this time sitting bolt upright and panting heavily. "Timmy?" a look around revealed that she was in her room again. It was dark, save for the moonlight trickling in from the window. "What- what the fuck..."

There was a loud crash from the kitchen, followed by a cat yowling. "Ow! Dammit Cosmo!"

"Cosmo?" Vicky looked around the room again. It was definitely her room, but...

The door opened and Timmy walked in-

"Wait. Timmy?!" "You- you're okay?!"

"Huh? Well... yeah... I just went into the kitchen to get a drink..." Timmy rubbed the back of his head in confusion. "Something wrong?"

"But... you... and I- And we were... And..." Vicky rubbed her belly and felt a barely noticeable bulge. "I..."

"Have a bad dream or something?" Timmy tilted his head to the right and looked at his girlfriend like she had three heads.

"Just... just come back to bed..." Vicky slumped back down tiredly.

"With pleasure." the brunet lifted up the covers and crawled back into bed. "Sammy okay?"

"She's fine." Vicky rubbed her belly. "Listen..."

"Yeah...?" Timmy scooted over next to Vicky and looped his arms around her.

"I know you wanted to go out for dinner tomorrow... But..."

"Mm-hmm?"

"Could we stay in instead?"

"I thought you were tired of my cooking?" Timmy asked in mock-offense.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Heheh... Must've imagined it. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm- I'm great, really." Vicky leaned in and kissed Timmy. "And... I love you."

"Wow... Didn't think you'd ever be the first to say it, normally I-"

"Timmy? Please shut up."

He chuckled and kissed her this time. "Love you too."