"So that's what happened..." Ratchet said quietly as he sat down next to Sasha, Circuit in his lap. Circuit and Sasha had just explained the whole situation to him. Finding Circuit on Zanifar, restarting her heart, discovering that the Hexzar Virus had died out. He looked a bit unconvinced when Circuit had told him that she met Orvus, but he couldn't believe that she had been at the Great Clock for the past year. He looked down at her, "You know, you didn't have to tell Orvus to erase everyone's memories. We could've came and visit you at the Great Clock."
Circuit shook her head, "That would not have worked. You see, Orvus put me on a spiritual plane, but he only had enough power to make it so only Sigmund could see me. The Zoni could sense me, but they could not actually see me. So, even if Orvus didn't erase your memories, you would have not been able to see or hear me at all."
"Well, yeah but...I mean, just knowing the fact that you were there would have made me happy."
"Yes, but...another reason that I had your memories erased was because you were so sad-"
"Of course I was sad! You died!"
"And that is why I did it. I did not like seeing you and Clank mourning over my death, and I did not know how long you would have been sad for. So I thought that if I was removed to your memories, you would be happy again. And it worked! Without knowing me, you got to continue being the upbeat hero, going on adventures and stuff like that! You got to do what made you happy-"
Ratchet put his hand on Circuit's face, interrupting her, "Circuit, don't you remember the conversation we had when we were outside at Al's? One of the things that most makes me happy is you. And the last thing that I wanted to do was forget you. Even though you had died, I was happy knowing that I got to spend time with you and know you and what are you doing?"
Both Ratchet and Sasha looked at Circuit with a weird look as the robot took her face out of the Lombax's hand and began removing his glove. When she took it off completely, she placed the hand back on her face. She smiled and then giggled.
"You are still soft."
"We're reunited after one year of separation and the first thing you do is check is to see if my fur is still soft? Yep, you're Circuit alright," Ratchet said, placing his ungloved hand on top of Circuit's head.
Sasha smiled. She knew that taking Circuit to Ratchet was the right thing to do, but it was sad that it took Circuit crying for her daddy in order to see that. She would love to sit there on the roof and watch the two more, but she really had to get going. So the Cazar stood up and brushed herself off. "Well, Ratchet. It looks like that you have everything under control here. I'm going to head back to the Phoenix now."
"Wh-What? No! Do not go Sasha!" Circuit said, jumping out of Ratchet's arms and latching onto Sasha's leg.
Sasha got down on her knees and removed the little robot from her, "I'm sorry, Circuit, but I have to go. The team needs me."
"I am sure that they are doing fine on their own! Please do not go yet! Wait until morning! Just stay until morning, then you can go! Please, mommy-" Circuit's eyes went wide as she covered her mouth with both hands. She accidentally let herself go overboard. This was bad, she said too much. "Sasha, I uh...u-um..."
Sasha grabbed both of Circuit's hands and gave her a happy look, "Alright, sweetheart, I'll stay until morning. Besides, staying longer means that I can keep an eye on your dad, make sure that he treats you right."
"Hey, I treat her fine!" Ratchet said folding his arms.
"It is true, he does," Circuit replied, looking between the Cazar and Lombax. Then she put her hands behind her back and shuffled her feet cutely. "Oh, and uh...I-I am sorry, Sasha. Me calling you what I did must have made you feel uncomfortable..."
"Aw, it's okay. I'm fine with you calling me your mom. I actually had a tiny feeling that it would happen eventually."
"Wait, she's calling you mommy already? How long have you had her for?" Ratchet asked.
"About two days."
"Two days?! It took ya two weeks to start calling me daddy," the Lombax said, placing his hands on his waist and looking at Circuit.
"Ehhh...heh-heh," Circuit placed a hand on the back of her head and giggled nervously. Then she walked up hugged Ratchet, and spoke in her cutest little kid voice. "I love my daddy!"
"...I'm trying to be mad at you, but that was way too cute for me to ignore. How dare you use your cuteness against me!"
The female robot giggled as Ratchet nuzzled her antennae with his ungloved hand. It felt amazing to be with the Lombax again. Everything was exactly the same with him, it was like that she had never died at all, like the time they had spent separated didn't happen at all. However, as much as she loved being with her father, she urged to see Clank. But, unfortunately, Clank was away at Holostar Studios filming his Secret Agent series, and he wouldn't be back for awhile. But that was alright, Circuit still had Ratchet to be with. So she could wait it out with him.
After a few moments, Circuit let out a great big yawn. She was getting pretty tired. Sasha noticed how tired she looked and a strange expression formed on her face, "You've been so tired lately, it's a little concerning."
"I am sorry. It is just that my systems are working their hardest right now, so I get tired out more easily now."
"Hm, maybe we should take you to see Al. I'm sure that your software could use a nice update," Ratchet said, poking Circuit on the head.
A-Al? Oh um...I do not think that is necessary. I will be fine," Circuit said, remembering the freaky cyborg guy who ran the Robo Shack.
"Honestly, Circuit. You should be getting used to people by now. I know that you're shy, but it's time for you to learn how to trust people. You're eight years old, and you're-"
"Nine."
"What?"
"I am nine years old. I turned nine in November."
"You're nine years old? Man, at this rate, you won't be my little girl anymore!"
"W-Well, age does not matter for robots! So I can always be your little girl!" Circuit said, standing up and looking up at Ratchet with an upset face.
Ratchet couldn't help but laugh about how defensive Circuit was getting about her age. It was nice seeing the robot act like the little free spirited girl that she was. Before she had died, Circuit was depressed and she had even matured a whole lot, taking responsibility for the Biobliterator and her brother. But, the hard part about her changed personality was during her final moments, when she was lying on the ground with Ratchet and Clank. She thought that her dying was no big deal, and that the two shouldn't have been sad about it. Circuit had seen herself as an insignificant piece of metal that could be replaced. But she was so much more. To Ratchet and Clank, Circuit was the most sweetest, creative and amazing robot there was. And Ratchet was happy to have her back in his life again. It was like a forgotten dream come true.
The Lombax grabbed Circuit and he stood up, the little robot putting her head on his chest. She could hear the heartbeat again. Ratchet looked down at Sasha, "Come on, let's go inside, it's starting to get dark. Plus, I think that it's getting close to bedtime for someone."
"I do not know what you are talking about. I am not..." Circuit paused to yawn. "...not tired."
"Uh-huh, sure. Yeah, I think that I'll have Al fix you up. I can't have you being tired all of the time."
The three went inside, leaving the incoming cold night behind them. Ratchet had Circuit go to bed, even though she said that she would rather stay awake with him. But he told her that she had to let her systems rest, so she reluctantly agreed and went to her old bedroom. After that, Ratchet dumped out his now old coffee and decided to wash some dishes and Sasha wanted to see if there was any alerting intergalactic news that she needed to hear, so she turned on the news channel. There was only one story was was fairly alerting, and that was a story about several robot suddenly disappearing throughout the universe. Apparently, ever since last Thursday, jerky and tough robots and commandos have been vanishing across the universe.
"So far, the number of missing robots is twenty four. We have yet to pinpoint why these disappearances have been happening, and we hope to find out more as time goes on. And now, the weather..."
"Hey, that sounds like a pretty big deal. Shouldn't the Q-Force be doing something about it?" Ratchet asked, drying a blue tinted drinking glass.
"Well, we have been considering taking the problem into our own hands, but the Galactic Police prefers that we stay on the Nefarious search. I swear, if it wasn't for that stupid Biobliterator 2.5, I wouldn't have to conduct these ridiculous searches for Nefarious-"
"Sasha, shhh! Circuit might hear you. She doesn't need to be reminded about the whole Biobliterator 2.5 incident."
"Oh, sorry...so anyway," the Cazar turned around on the couch and looked at Ratchet. "Tell me 'daddy', what do you plan on doing now that you have Circuit back?"
"Hm, I don't really know. I guess that I'll just carry on with my life, but Circuit will be with me this time."
"Uh-huh, and, before Circuit died, were you ever going to tell me that you had a kid or...?"
"Personally, I didn't think that you would have been interested. Also, it doesn't appear that Circuit is just my kid anymore. She seems to have recognized you as her parent too."
"Yeah, it seems so...I guess that we'll have to do something about all of this."
"What do you mean?" Ratchet asked, exiting the kitchen and into the living room area. He took a seat next to Sasha and gave her a confused look.
"Well, we've had our...disagreements in the past. But it looks like we'll have to do a bit of cooperating for the sake of Circuit."
"I'm still not following."
"What I mean is that your Circuit's father, and I am now apparently Circuit's mother. And ever since we broke up, I know that we haven't been on the greatest terms, and that's why we don't see each other anymore. So, for the sake of Circuit, we need to be on better terms with each other, but not...get together again."
"Okay, I get what you're saying. So you want us to be parents, but you don't want us to date again. Yeah, that seems reasonable. Anyhow, welcome to parenthood, Sasha," Ratchet said, folding his arms behind his head and lying back.
"I'm still having a hard time comprehending the fact that you're a father. With all the carefree gun handling, dangerous adventures, ship building and constant explosion making, you seem like the very last person in the universe who would have a sweet little-"
"Daddy?" Circuit's sudden voice said as she appeared behind the couch. She looked tired but awake at the same time.
Ratchet, who was recovering from a mini heart attack, looked over the back of the couch with Sasha he tilted his head a little. "Yeah?"
"I cannot seem to get to sleep. Will...will you read me a bedtime story, please? I-If you want to, of course."
Sasha looked at Ratchet with curiosity. He read her bedtime stories too? The Lombax smiled and gave a small nod of his head, "Of course I will. I'll be back a few minutes, Sasha."
Sasha watched Ratchet get up off the couch and pick Circuit up, the little robot looking over his shoulder and at her. The little robot waved at her, and she waved back, the amazed look was still on her face. The two entered Circuit's bedroom, leaving the Cazar all by herself. Of course...of course he would read her a story. Ratchet...Ratchet...was reading his kid...his kid...a bedtime story. This whole thing was completely unbelievable. Three days ago, Sasha thought of Ratchet as a carefree child who recklessly tried to save the universe by blowing a bunch of things up. But, it looked like that she had been wrong for a very long time. Ratchet appeared to have outgrown his childlike personality, and he matured greatly. So much so that he had taken up being a father to an orphan robot who had been tormented by evil. Maybe it was about time to give the Lombax another chance...
The Cazar shook her head. No, she was not going to go for him again. They tried being together, and it didn't work. Fatherly or not, there was no way that she was ever going to get back together with that Lombax-
"Hehehehe! What happened then?"
Sasha's ears twitched as she picked up Circuit's voice. She got up off the couch and crept over to the bedroom entrance and slowly opened the door, curious about what was going on. She saw Ratchet sitting on Circuit's bed, Circuit snuggled up to his side.
"Well, Clank entered the other dimension and went to save Vendra while I stayed and fought Mr. Eye. After a few shots from Mr. Zurkon and couple of shots from my blaster, I-"
"You whipped out your RYNO and took Mr. Eye down with one last shot!" Circuit said, looking excited.
Ratchet gave her a strange look "Y-Yeah, that's what I did...how-how did you know that?"
"Oh! Um...lucky guess?" The robot lied. Truth was, she had watched the entire Mr. Eye fight when she was at the Great Clock.
"Okay...well, Neftin and Vendra were finally reunited, and they turned themselves into the authorities. After that happened, everything went back to its peaceful state. And there hasn't been a sign of a villain since then. And you're probably asleep now, aren't you?" Ratchet looked down at Circuit, and sure enough, she had fallen asleep. It was amazing how quickly she could, but peaceful and happy endings to stories always put her out like a light. "Yep...works every time."
Ratchet carefully put Circuit under the covers and left her to dream. He turned around and was scared to death by Sasha's presence. He leaned on the wall and placed a hand on his chest. He gasped quietly, "Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me!"
"Sorry," Sasha whispered. She looked at Circuit, "Wow, looks like you're story really worked."
"Yeah, nothing soothes her more than a happy ending. What are you doing in here, anyway?"
"I just wanted to hear the story that would be putting Circuit to sleep. I'm surprised that she fell asleep to such an exciting story."
"I know, it's weird. But all that matters is that she's finally resting. Peacefully dreaming about whatever her imagination has to throw at-" Ratchet's ears twitched as he heard a distressful noise come from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Circuit uncomfortably shifting several times in her bed and making sad whining noises. Something was wrong. "Or maybe she's not so peaceful right now."
"I think something's wrong with her. I'm going to wake her up," Sasha said, bending down and preparing to shake Circuit's shoulder.
"Wait!" Ratchet grabbed Sasha's shoulders and pulled her back, which made her a bit mad. The Lombax looked down at Circuit, studying her squirming. She looked like that she was attempting to grab something. And when she grabbed air, she gave a sad whine. Ratchet looked deep into the memories that he had just recovered. What was wrong with her? What was she missing? What was the one thing that she needed while sleeping? Think, Lombax, think...! Ratchet's eyes went wide as he remembered. He looked at Sasha, "I know what's wrong. Wait here for a second."
"Wait, what? What's wrong with-"
Ratchet rushed out of the room, the sound of the other bedroom's door opening was heard. After a few moments, the sound of the door closing was heard, and the Lombax came back into Circuit's room. In his hand, he held a familiar Lombax plushie, or as Circuit would call it, 'Little Ratchey'. He walked over to the bed and bent down, waiting for Circuit to open her arms up. When she did, he quickly slipped the stuffed animal into her arms. Circuit noticed the plushie immediately and she smiled as she began snuggling it. Ratchet smiled, and he glanced at Sasha, who looked a bit confused.
"That's her favorite toy. I gave it to her when I found out that she was having nightmares. Get this, she named it 'Little Ratchey'. Is that not freaking adorable?"
"It's pretty adorable alright," Sasha replied. After a few moments, the Cazar looked at Ratchet. "...Listen, Ratchet. I'm leaving tomorrow, but I don't want Circuit to think that I'm abandoning her or anything. So, if she ever says that she really wants to see me, just fly her up to the Phoenix and you two can stay there for a few days. You don't have to call or anything. Besides, I like surprises sometimes."
"That sounds like a nice deal. I'll be sure to bring her whenever she wants to come up."
"Thanks, Ratchet."
Circuit twitched a little in her sleep. She buried half of her face into her pillow and she hugged Little Ratchey. "Daddy...mommy..."
Looks like that Circuit officially has a daddy AND a mommy! But Sasha will have to work with Ratchet in order to keep the family together.
And, in case some of you don't know, Insomniac confirmed a relationship between Ratchet and Sasha after the events of Up Your Arsenal. But they apparently broke up and stopped talking to each other (until the comic book series. I don't think that that series is canon though). So that's why Sasha is so uptight about being a parent with Ratchet, because of their past.
Oh, and Clank will either show up next chapter or the chapter after that. He'll probably show up next chapter though.
Make sure to leave a review while picking up your complimentary toaster!
This is Amberdiamondswords, Lordess of Diamond Swordness, pledger to Tobuscus, signing off!
