Okay, this is the last full chapter of the story, so let's just get right to it. Wander over Yonder is owned by Disney. Nefarious and everything else is owned by Insomniac Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Enjoy.

The Breakup: Chapter 7.

(Nine Hours Later)

It was your typical evening at the Oliver Wendell Funny-Name Memorial Hospital.

Which in other words meant it was loud, crowded, and reeking of ammonia and formaldehyde.

Of course, none of these things were of any particular interest to Sylvia at the moment; for she was much too preoccupied trying to come to grips with the events of the last twenty-four hours to be thinking about gross hospital smells.

It had been rather touch and go during those last eleven minutes, but thankfully they'd all managed to get out of range just before the ship exploded. Unfortunately, none of them were in any shape to go much further. Peepers graciously offered to take them all to the nearest hospital for treatment, and he even agreed to a temporary truce to keep Hater from pulling something while they were being looked after, but only if they all agreed never to tell anyone about Nefarious' involvement in the whole ugly affair. An unusual request, but doable.

Anyway, shortly after arriving, the motley band was split up into three groups. Peepers, Hater, and Ripov were carted off somewhere for examination; hopefully, at least in her opinion, never to be seen again. Wander, who was seemingly unhurt after the whole ordeal, elected to stay by Dominator's side while the doctors made sure their baby was okay. Which left Sylvia, whose checkup lasted all of five minutes and revealed only a few minor cuts and bruises, all alone with her thoughts.

Now she was just sitting there, in a lonely corner of the main lobby, waiting for the end to come.

Oh, the endless waiting.

She both hated and loved it so fervently.

Hated it because every passing minute brought forth a new and increasingly unpleasant scenario to playout in her addled mind.

Loved it because as long as it continued her friendship with Wander was still technically a reality.

But as soon as it ended, as soon as Wander returned from wherever he was, their friendship would die.

And all it would take is a few choice words.

"Is this seat taken?"

"Huh! Whah?" went Sylvia as a familiar voice pulled her back to reality. She quickly turned her head to investigate and, to no surprise, she found Wander standing there; his expression serious yet unreadable. "Uh… I mean, no, go right ahead."

"Thank you." The orange nomad replied politely; before taking the seat beside her.

"So… H-How are you?" she asked nervously.

"Oh, you know, same as always. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with me either, so that's a plus. What about you?"

"About the same." She answered hollowly. "So… how's…."

"Deedee's doing just fine." He cut in unexpectedly. "The baby too. As it turns out, Amphiboid wombs are surprisingly durable. Something about an extra layer of… something or other. I don't know. I could never understand any of that medical mumbo jumbo."

"That's good. So… I guess this means you're gonna be a dad in seven months."

"Actually, it's more like twenty-two."

"What?"

"Yeah… apparently Amphiboid pregnancies last a minimum of two years. Something to do with why they live so long. Who knew?"

"Yeesh. Two years of mood swings and morning sickness. Can't say I envy you, buddy."

"Personally, I see it as a bold new adventure. Plus, Deedee says that once her belly starts getting big in the sixth trimester, her hormones will make her act extra girly and affectionate. So I've got that to look forward to."

"Yeah, I guess you… I… I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"You know what, so just stop it okay."

"Stop what?"

"Stop pretending like everything's the same. For Grop's sake, a few hours ago I tried to kidnap the love of your life so a bunch of costumed nut jobs could skin her like a cat. And then it turns out she was pregnant the whole time and that only makes it a million times worse. And please don't say you forgive me, because not even you can overlook something like this!"

"Sylvia, I… no, you're right. I can't just overlook this. What you did was… monstrous." The orange nomad admitted. "But still, that doesn't give me the right to torture you for it."

"W-What?" the blue Zbornak went confusedly.

"Sylvia, you made a choice. A choice made in anger and jealousy, but a choice nonetheless. And just like every other choice that has ever been made, it comes with consequences. In this case, that means you have to learn to live with the knowledge of what you've done. And trust me, that's a thousand times worse than anything I've got to say."

"Yeah… well, it still feels like you're letting me off too easy."

"Sorry, but I've never been one for throwing stones. It's just not in my nature." The furry wanderer said with a sort of lighthearted seriousness. "Besides, at least some of this is my fault."

"No, Wander, that's not true."

"Yes it is. Most of this whole mess could've been avoided if I'd just been honest with you from the start. But I guess I… I underestimated how much I really meant to you." He explained soulfully. "Nefarious may have been a hateful, psychotic bully, but he was right about one thing. This was never about Zbor. This was about you and me. Specifically, about how you were afraid of losing me."

"That's not… I mean… yeah, it's true, but can you blame me? Before I met you, I was just a two-bit thug; a lowlife gun for hire. But then you showed up and… and… you bring out the best in me. I guess I was just scared that without you I'd… go back to being who I was."

"Sylvia, I'm honored that you think so highly of me, but I'm not some magic talisman that keeps you from doing bad. If you really want to be a better person, then you have to choose to be one."

"You know it's not that easy."

"Never said it was, but then nothing in this life worth doing ever is." The orange nomad said philosophically. "It's the kind of thing you have to struggle with every day of your life. Its grueling, its maddening, and sometimes its even painful, but you just gotta plow through it. Otherwise the grief 'll kill you."

"Grief?"

"Yeah, well… you know what I mean."

"No, not really. But I think I get the gist." The blue Zbornak replied as a subtle smile crept across her lips. "You know, I think this is the longest you've ever gone without making a bad joke."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Yeah…" she said calmly, before her mind suddenly shifted to a much less pleasant subject. "So… what happens now?"

At first, Wander said nothing in response; he just closed his eyes and let out a deep, somewhat sad sounding sigh.

"Well… at first, Deedee and I considered spending some time apart. You know, to give me a chance to make things right with you. But after recent… developments… I don't think that's gonna be possible."

"So… what are you gonna do?"

"Simple, I've asked Deedee to marry me."

"What?"

"And she said yes."

"Wha…actually, that part's not that surprising."

"Yep, we've got the date all picked out and everything. We're doing it six weeks from next Tuesday."

"So soon? I mean… uh… don't these things take a little more time to put together?"

"Yeah, well… we've already called Demurra, and she said that was the quickest she could organize something like this. And the sooner we have the wedding the sooner we can leave."

"Leave?"

"You know, leave this galaxy and move on to the next one."

"B-B-But, you guys don't have to leave. You could just stay here for a while. You know, to raise your baby."

"No… I'm sorry, but that wouldn't work."

"Why not?"

"It's… complicated." The orange nomad began, in his usual 'I'm not going to tell you' voice. "But I'll try to explain it as best I can. You see, Sylvia… I'm old."

"Yeah, I kinda figured. I mean, from what little I've heard, you gotta at least be in your seventies."

"No, you don't understand. Sylvia, I'm really old. Like, over three hundred years old."

"W-What?"

"Sylvia I… I don't age like most people. I'm gonna live at least another seven hundred years, and look like this through most of it. Deedee's pretty much the same way, so we can be together through it all. But you… people like you… you die so young, and so fast. It's like watching a flower in a vase full of water; rotting away to nothing in just a few days."

"Yeesh, that's pretty grim."

"I know. That's why I always leave my partners behind whenever I move on to a new galaxy. For a while, I thought this time would be different. That our bond was strong enough to weather through any kind of… unpleasantness. But after today I… well, I just think leaving would be better for both of us."

"Yeah… I can kinda see your point. But you know, you guys don't have to leave right after you get married. You could hang around a little while. Like… until after the baby's born."

"That's a nice thought, but no. See, I always like to leave a galaxy in a better state than when I found it. And with nearly every villain either dead or in hiding, I'd say now's as good a chance as any. If I stay too much longer, something new 'll turn up and then I'll be stuck here forever."

"Would that really be so bad?"

"Maybe not for you, but for people like me and Deedee…"

"I get it. Always on the move. Always on the lookout for something new and exciting."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"So… I guess that means this is it." The blue Zbornak said somberly. "This is where it all ends. This is where we break up the partnership and go our separate ways."

"Yeah…" the orange nomad replied, sounding equally despondent; only for his demeanor to suddenly perk up just a bit. "But~ Maybe not right away."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well~ Deedee and Demurra said they wanted to handle all the wedding prep themselves. So~ For the next six weeks, I've got nothing to do. And there are still a few places in the galaxy I'd like to check out before I leave."

"Wait… Are you saying…"

"That's right, Syl. So what do you say? One last tour before the big breakup?"

"I… I don't know what to say…." Sylvia replied, clearly thrown by this sudden turn of events. "I mean, after everything I've done… You're just gonna forgive me? Just like that?"

"Oh, I never said anything about forgiving you." Wander replied; his tone becoming slightly more serious. "But… a good chunk of this whole mess is my fault. So I feel like I owe you. Plus, I'd probably never forgive myself if I left things bad between us. You know, after all we've been through together."

"Wow… you really are something else. You know that."

"Yeah… So~ What do you say? One last adventure?"

"Are you kiddin'? A pack of bloodthirsty Zork Beasts couldn't keep me away from this deal."

"Aw~ C'mere you big lug~"

And with that, the two friends sealed their final covenant with a big, bone crushing hug.

Neither of them knew this at the time, but over the next few weeks, Wander and Sylvia would perform some of the most amazing feats of their career.

However, for the moment, they were merely two old compadres trying to reconnect.

Unfortunately, said moment was soon ruined, as Wander's face turned uncharacteristically sour.

"Hey, wait a minute." He said, sounding genuinely furious. "You think my jokes are bad?"

"Oh… right…" she replied; suddenly feeling like a deer caught in someone's headlights. "Okay… here's the thing about that."

End Notes:

Next Chapter is the Epilogue. Then I go on break again until February. Until then, I hope everyone had fun and I'll see you in the next one. Peace.