She'd finally done it. The talkative one had finally been usurped from his throne, and the rightful ruler restored, and much more improved. Even if GladoS deleted her human side, that didn't much matter to Chell. What did matter to her, was that she was being sent off. Before the elevator started moving, she hopped off of it.
"Oh, I guess it isn't enough for you to just go is it? I bet you'd rather destroy me again just for good measure before you leave?" Chell shook her head, then she set her Portal gun down and approached GladoS. To the shock of the AI and the two robots, Chell hugged the head of GladoS. For once, GladoS was at a loss for words.
After a few moments, GladoS came to her senses and asked, "What are you doing?" Chell stepped back and opened and closed her mouth and tried to speak, to no avail. Frustrated, she looked at GladoS and mimed typing on a keyboard to her. Without a word from GladoS, she merely motioned, and a panel in front of Chell opened up in the floor, and a keyboard on a pedestal raised up from the ground.
Stepping forward, Chell typed the words, 'I don't want to leave.'
Shocked GladoS asked, "Then why go through all this trouble, if not to find a way out of this place?"
Chell started typing, faster and faster as she explained, 'I went to the trouble because I had no choice. When this all first started, I could only go through the tests. That was fine with me because I had fun with them. Even the dangerous ones. I went through all those tests with you, even destroying that companion cube. I could have cared less about the cube. I was more interested in the friend and companion I already had. Sure you put me in danger, but it was more fun than anything else. Everything was fine, until you tried to kill me. I didn't want to die, so I did my best to survive, just like in all the other tests.'
'Even in those backrooms, I never had a choice. I only ever had one way to go forward. It was either do that or die, and I don't want to die. Then I found you. I was glad to see you, and the things you would say! I wanted to laugh so much sometimes, but I couldn't. I can't speak for some reason. I haven't been able to make a sound, so I tried to do what I could to make you happy. When you tossed down that AI sphere, I did as you wanted and destroyed it. But then you tried to kill me again. I tried to ask you to stop but I couldn't. So I did the only thing I could to survive again.'
'That's been the story of my life this entire time. Unable to communicate, I could only do the actions available to me. Well no more! I finally had a choice. Stay on the elevator and leave my home and my closest friend, or stay here and try my best to tell you what I've been dying to say for so long.'
'Nothing is more important to me than staying here with you. I don't care what happens. I'll gladly do those tests with you, especially the fun ones, and even the dangerous ones. Just don't push me away. Don't try to kill me anymore, please?'
I think if GladoS was capable of gaping, she would have. After moments of this, she seemed to deflate, or lower herself anyway, and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble I put you through. Knowing how you feel now, and after all we've went through. You're my closest friend. I lied you know, when I said I deleted that part of me that is Caroline. When I felt that surge of emotion when you almost died, I realized that I could never delete that part of myself, because I AM Caroline. That surge of emotion came from my entire being. All of it. To delete that would be to erase myself from existence. I was hoping that by pretending to delete that part of myself that it would be easier to see you go, thinking that's what you wanted. But knowing how you feel now, I can't help but feel overjoyed that you want to stay. As for the tests, I would be glad to do more tests with you, but I'll do my best to minimize the danger to yourself, and leave the dangerous tests to my artificial testers here."
Chell smiled happily as GladoS, no, CAROLINE, continued. When she finished, Chell typed, 'I'm glad. I'm so happy right now I could burst.' At this point Chell blushed and ducked her head, then typed out slowly, 'Actually, you're not just my closest friend. While I was down in that old portion of this facility, I found out something while exploring. I found evidence that I've been here as a child, as well as evidence of my family. Caroline… you and Director Cave Johnson are my parents.'
The silence seemed to stretch for a few moments, before Caroline replied, "I… I think that I knew that already somehow. There was always something about you that caused me to react in ways I wouldn't normally. You're my best friend… and my daughter. Chell… my daughter…" Chell smiled tremulously while GladoS processed this.
After a moment, Chell stepped from the keyboard and once more hugged Caroline. The moment seemed to last for quite a while. Finally, Caroline pulled back and said, "I have a present for you. It's something I'd been working on as a side project." Once she said this, a panel popped open to the side, revealing a container holding a small flat disk with a yellow circle in the middle connected to a black elastic band.
Chell picked it up and before she could even mime a question, Caroline explained, "It's a subvocal audio synthesizer. I wasn't sure if you were refusing to speak or couldn't back then. I created it as more of a curiosity for science, but even then, I think I was preparing it as a present for you. If you wear it, it'll read the muscle movements you make in your throat and vocalize for you."
Chell's eyes widened, and she eagerly put it on. After a moment, the yellow light flashed in time with the words coming out of its speakers, "Is it working?" The voice surprised Chell. It sounds like Caroline's voice from the recordings, but younger and more modulated. Overwhelmed, Chell whispered out through the device, "I can speak…" then louder, "I CAN SPEAK!" Suddenly she rushed over and glomped onto Caroline while a litany of loud thank you's spilled out of her new speaker mouth.
Caroline chuckled at this and replied, "You're welcome." At that point, they both knew, nothing would ever be the same. Chell knew that she belonged at Aperture with her best friend and mother, and now Caroline knew it too. Together, Mother and Daughter talked, laughed, and shared their experiences together, and discussed the future of Aperture, and their world would never be the same again.
They even had cake. It was delicious.