Broken Ties

Chapter 8

Author's Note: As promised, here is the last and final chapter to Broken Ties. This chapter also contains the Epilogue, which was originally going to be its own chapter, but I decided to just go ahead and have everything in this chapter rather than adding one more. The epilogue is not very long at all, anyways. Now, onto the chapter!

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By the time Darkwing, Liquidator, and Bushroot made it the Science building where Negaduck wished for them to meet it was now entirely pitch black outside as the sun had gone down entirely. The chilly winter wind whipped through them without any mercy as they looked up at the tall building. Forty five stories high and Negaduck wanted to be at the very top.

"Why exactly did Negaduck chose THIS place, of all places?" inquired Bushroot as he broke the silence between them.

Darkwing shook his head in an uncaring way. "Why does he choose any of the stuff he does?"

Bushroot and Liquidator looked at Darkwing, who was standing before them. It was evident that Darkwing was not in the mood to answer random, irrelevant questions. No longer were they dealing with the same dogged mallard dressed in a purple cape and hat. No, things were serious now.

With a deep breath, Darkwing walked up closer to the building. "The real question is: how do we get up there? Normally I would just have—"his voice broke a moment, causing him to stop short. The reminder that Launchpad and Gosalyn were not there still made this all the more difficult for him. He continued, "Normally I would just have Launchpad take the Thunderquack and drop me off up there."

After a moment of silence, Bushroot piped up, "We could use the elevator."

Darkwing gave a hoarse chuckle at that while Liquidator hid a chortle. Darkwing was the first to recover as he scoffed, "Riiiiight. Take the elevator….As if…"

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Ten minutes later found the three of them in a closed elevator which had just started rising up. All three of them looked straight ahead at the golden reflective elevator door, all wearing blank expressions. None of them had been able to think of a better way to get up there without letting Negaduck know of their arrival and Darkwing wanted to make his appearance as surprising as possible.

The elevator dinged softly every time they went past a floor and after three floors went by, Liquidator spoke up.

"Charities" was all he said.

"What?" queried a perplexed Darkwing as he and Bushroot turned to him.

"I used to donate to charities" repeated Liquidator with a bit more explanation.

Darkwing gave him a flabbergasted look. "What are you talking about?"

Liquidator looked as though he really didn't wish to be having this conversation, but he pressed on anyways. Bushroot was keeping himself from laughing on the other side of Darkwing. "Earlier, you were able to name a good quality about everyone but me. So, I'm telling you now: I used to donate to charities before I was overcome with my reputable greed."

Darkwing, having caught on to what he was talking about, nodded. The awkwardness was still there, even as Darkwing replied. "Oh…." He honestly didn't know what to say to that. "Well…..good." Bushroot squeaked as he tried to keep his laughter to himself, placing a leafy hand over his beak. Liquidator just shot him a glare. The rest of the ride up to the forty fifth floor was silent.

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Out on the windy rooftop of the bank, Negaduck paced back and forth as he waited impatiently for his foe to show up. It was now pitch black outside as the sun had set long ago. The faint smog and lights from the city made it difficult to see the stars to those who weren't looking for them. Yet Negaduck's mind was far from stars as he clicked his tongue in annoyance once more. He was getting tired of waiting; it seemed that was all he was doing these days: waiting for Darkwing Duck to arrive.

As Negaduck turned to continue his pacing the sound of a struggle came from his left as he turned his glare up to the corner of the rooftop. Two of his remaining thugs were restraining a furious Morgana and keeping her in her place between them. Each of them had a strong hold on her petite arms. The thugs were dressed in all black, making them hard to see in the darkness.

"You're going to regret doing this, Negaduck! Darkwing won't let you get away with this!" she hissed as she struggled. Her dark eyes were staring coldly at the mallard in yellow.

Negaduck simply smirked, finding her amusing. "Oh, but I already have, my dear… I already have…." he spoke in his deep voice. He turned his gaze away from her then and looked out over the city, imagining what he would be able to do once the city belonged to him. After a moment he called over to her, his back still to her and the thugs. "It really is sad, seeing what Darkwing has been reduced to. I should have thought of thing long ago….. Chasing away that oaf of a sidekick of his…..and getting rid of that little red-headed brat was a bonus…..I had no idea this plan would have worked out so well. I had simply planned on killing the pilot in hopes to see Darkwing crack. What I got instead was the amusement of seeing that idiot flee for his life, taking the girl with him…." He paused as he gave a bemused sigh, placing his hands behind his back. He then finally turned to sneer at Morgana. "Then you showed up and it was like….the cherry on top of everything. I suppose I should thank you for stupidly coming to attempt to help Darky…"

Morgana only grew angrier as she pulled harder against the thugs' grips.

It was then that a puff of purple smoke began to rise from the cement roof, catching the attention of all four of them. Negaduck turned to the smoke, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. "Really, Darkwing? After all these years this is the best arrival you could come up with?"

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!" began the normal opening to Darkwing's entrance. Negaduck groaned, stepping closer to the smoke. "I am the weather forecast that refuses to cooperate!" Negaduck looked down, stifling a yawn. "I am DARKWIIIIIIIIING DUCK!"

Negaduck stood there, tapping his foot in impatience as the smoke began to clear. It was then that Negaduck realized that Darkwing was nowhere to be seen. He blinked in confusion, not understanding what was happening. He had heard Darkwing's voice coming from the smoke, yet he wasn't there. Had he fallen off the roof by accident? Negaduck figured he would laugh himself silly if that was the case. He began walking closer to the edge of the roof when suddenly a great weight crashed into him, ramming him into the hard cement of the roof.

Negaduck grunted in alarm, rolling onto his back to see that it was Darkwing, who had snuck up from behind him. He realized too late that the masked hero had thrown his voice to throw him off track. "What's the matter, Negs? Did I catch you off guard?" taunted Darkwing before punching Negaduck in the face.

"Shut up, you idiot!" shouted Negaduck in anger, punching back and hitting Darkwing in the chin. Darkwing was barely fazed though as he continued to throw punch after punch as he lay on top of the struggling Negaduck. After a moment, the villain became aware of the sounds of shouts and cries of pain coming from the other side of the roof. Daring a glance to his left, Negaduck could see where Bushroot and Liquidator had appeared and where taking care of the two thugs. Roots had twisted around their feet while Liquidator grabbed Morgana and got her to safety. He turned back to Darkwing and glared. "I told you to come ALONE! It was meant to be just the two of us!" He grabbed Darkwing by the shoulders and threw him off, making him land on the cement before him.

Darkwing was quick to get up and tackle Negaduck once again. "And yet oddly enough—"he grunted as they fought. "—I didn't listen to a scum bag like you!" He was then caught off guard as Negaduck kicked him in the side, causing him to fall over in pain. Negaduck saw his chance to strike and took it. He lunged on top of Darkwing and the two of them began rolling on the concrete in their struggle to stay on top and in control. "Besides, those two are only here to take care of your lackies and get Morgana to safety! Then it's just you and me!"

Negaduck grunted before throwing a swing at Darkwing, missing him by a millimeter. He could see that their struggle was not going as well as he would have hoped, so he decided to take another tactic that he knew might hurt Darkwing. "And—how do you know-they're not still working-for me?" Darkwing paused for a moment as his words sunk in before continuing to struggle once more. Seeing that that had gotten a reaction from him, Negaduck pressed on. "How do you know—this wasn't all come sort of act? I mean, can you REALLY trust them Darky?"

Bushroot and Liquidator paused in their fighting at the sound of Negaduck's words. The two thugs saw their chances and ran, knowing they held no chances against the members of the Fearsome Five. They ran to the rooftop door and ran through it, slamming it behind them in their wake. Bushroot and Liquidator looked at each other, unsure of what their ex-boss was trying to say.

Morgana, who was no longer being constrained by the two thugs, moved up to stand behind them. "Don't listen to a thing he's saying! He's just trying to trick Darkwing!" she assured them, but the two mutated villains wouldn't hear it. They wanted to keep listening to what was being said; they were curious to hear Darkwing's defense.

"I trust them!" Darkwing argued.

Negaduck pushed down on Darkwing, now being the one on top, and pinned him to the cement ground. He leaned in closer, "Oh, really? Why the sudden change of heart? You never once trusted any of them, not even your precious Morgana! Didn't you used to say, 'Once a villain ALWAYS a villain'?"

Darkwing winced inwardly as Negaduck used his own words against him, yet there was nothing for it; as he knew he would have to keep fighting. "Things change, Negaduck! You've changed everything! You turned your back on them! That's why I trusted them! We were after the same goal!" He shoved Negaduck, making the mallard fall backwards and allowing himself the chance to be in top of the struggling. He grunted before saying, "The moment you betrayed them was the moment we became allies! We all wanted the same thing, which was to stop you! Get RID of you!" The two of them continued to struggle.

"I betrayed no one! They betrayed me!" he glared for a moment over at Bushroot. "This all began when that miserable vegetable you call a friend betrayed me all those months ago!" he jammed his knee into Darkwing's side, causing the purple clad mallard to cry out in pain. Negaduck was now the one on top. "Then you somehow managed to win over Megavolt! I don't know how you did it, but suddenly that dim watt started betraying me! The lunatic clown and drip face were soon to follow! But it doesn't honestly matter, now does it, Darky?" he leaned down closely and sneered into Darkwing's face. "Because they're all idiot. They're worth nothing. They waste their powers and whether they are your enemy or friend, I care not! I'll still kill you all!"

Bushroot and Liquidator both fumed in anger from where they were standing in front of Morgana. Morgana, for her part, knew how this topic affected Darkwing. The short mallard still tore himself up for all the times he hadn't trusted Morgana because of her past; though a few of the times she had given him reason not to trust her. Though that was far from the point. It was hard to forgive someone who has done so much evil, especially members of the Fearsome Five, who have done their fair share of true cruelty.

Darkwing tried shoving his foot into Negaduck's chest, yet failed when the other mallard caught on to his tactic and moved. "You underestimate those four, Negaduck! You don't give them enough credit!"

Bushroot and Liquidator perked up at his words.

Negaduck laughed harshly. "Oh, is that so?"

"YES! They have a lot more potential than you'll ever be able to see them for! I have fought them time and time again and while they have failed, they never give up! Not only that, but they are there for each other! That's what's important! If one of them is down, they are all down! That's something you will never have, Negaduck! Nor will you ever understand!"

"Oh, don't even get me started on that 'love' crap! That's what you're talking about, isn't it?" groaned Negaduck. "When will people get it through their thick skulls that I DETEST love! I need no one! I work alone! Love is useless! It serves no purpose other than the fact that it blinds and tricks people into thinking they're appreciated!"

Darkwing stopped struggling for a moment before smirking up at Negaduck and saying, "That's where you're wrong, Negaduck." With another great shove, he pushed Negaduck off of him and quickly got to his feet. He turned to Morgana, Bushroot, and Liquidator. "Go! Get out of here! This is just me and Negaduck now! GO!"

Morgana looked like she was going to protest when a leafy hand grabbed hold on her arm and gently tugged her along. "Come, Morgana. He's right! It's just them, that's what this is about!"

"But we could help him!" she argued, turning to the half plant half duck villain.

Liquidator shook his head. "It's always the hero's final battle with evil that ends it all…." He had said it in his salesman voice, yet it didn't sound at all like a jargon. Bushroot and Morgana knew what he said was true. "Let's move now before the offer lasts!"

Morgana unwillingly followed after the two villains, feeling an ache in her heart as she looked one last time to see Negaduck and Darkwing throw punches at one another. She knew the two of them were right; this was Darkwing's battle, and no one else's.

The two mallards were unaware that they were now alone as they continued their fight. This time, it was just them: one on one. No gas gun. No chainsaw. Just them; fighting to what they knew would possibly be death.

Negaduck tripped Darkwing, causing the hero to land on the edge of the rooftop, smacking his head against the cement. Darkwing winced, seeing stars dance before his eyes for a moment before Negaduck came back into his view. His cape was flailing in the wind below him. He gasped when Negaduck jumped on him, forcing him down onto the cement and glaring into his face. "Time to die, Darky…." He pulled out a knife from his suit. Darkwing's eyes widened. Perhaps Negaduck had lied about it being just the two of them, nothing else, as well.

Darkwing glanced to his right, feeling Negaduck push him closer to the edge. His fedora hat flew off from the wind of the night as his head craned over the edge of the building. He grunted in fear as he glanced over and saw the edge and the street far below. He looked back up to Negaduck, who was bringing the knife closer and closer to his neck when an idea struck him. Placing his foot square in the middle of Negaduck's chest he growled, "Not today, Negaduck!" He grabbed Negaduck by the shoulders and simultaneously pushed Negaduck by his foot upwards and tossed him over his head. Negaduck screamed in fear as he was suddenly tossed over Darkwing and over the edge of the roof.

Though just as Darkwing had thought he had won, he felt a strong pull on his cape, which had been loosely hanging over the edge and flapping in the wind. Negaduck had grabbed his cape in an attempt to stay alive, making Darkwing flip upwards and over the edge of the roof as well. Fear gripping his heart, Darkwing grabbed the edge of the roof just in time before falling.

Both mallards were hanging off the edge of the roof, dangling high above the streets of St. Canard. They were both grunting in pain and fear as Negaduck began climbing up Darkwing's cape. He tried grabbing Darkwing's feet, but the hero moved them so that he didn't have that option. Since Negaduck was holding onto the very end of his cape he couldn't reach. Darkwing kept his feet up, both to prevent Negaduck to climb up and in an attempt to climb up the wall himself.

After another moment, his cape began to strangle him as he fought to breath. Dizziness started to overwhelm Darkwing the more his cape continued to press into his neck due to Negaduck's weight. "DARKWING! HELP ME!" rang Negaduck's plea through the cold night air.

Testing his grip, Darkwing took one hand and started undoing his cape just as Negaduck cried out for help again. "Sorry-Negaduck. But-you need no one…..Remember?"

Negaduck's eyes widened in fear upon hearing those words.

Darkwing tore at the material of his cape, trying to take it off. Just as Negaduck was trying to reach up to get a better grip, Darkwing managed to tear off his cape.

"AHHHH!" Negaduck's scream echoed throughout the night as he fell to the streets below.

Now being able to breathe again, Darkwing took in greedy gulps of air. He was truly regretting making the other leave for he could surely use their help at this point. The dizziness was getting worse even though he could breathe again and he could feel the palms of his feathery hands getting sweaty and bloody from holding into the cement edge. The fight with Negaduck had worn him out and he now was unsure if he would be able to pull himself back up. He closed his eyes, feeling the world spin around him.

His grip loosened and he could feel the air around him whirl past as he began his descent downwards.

It was then that he felt himself ram into something.

Strange. The ground did not feel as hard as he would have guessed. It had come sooner than he had expected too. It hadn't felt like that far of a drop.

He opened his eyes slightly, blearily looking around him. He was staring at the wall of the building. He was still in the air. But how?

He looked down at the black mechanical hands under his arms and holding him up. He could hear the sound of a distant whirring.

"Gizmoduck…."whispered Darkwing faintly before promptly passing out.

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"Megsy! You're not playing fair!"

"Since when did I ever play fair?"

"Give me it!"

"No."

"GIVE me it!"

"No."

Before Quackerjack was able to retaliate, Megavolt stuffed the last of the chocolate bar into his mouth. Quackerjack pulled down on his hat in anger, stomping his feet as he sat on the purple plush armchair. The two of them were sitting next to each in identical purple plush armchairs.

Morgana walked past them, completely ignoring their antics. She had invited everyone back to her house, which was still in the process of being rebuilt. Her father, along with some of his monster friends, had been busy working on restoring the house to its former glory with the aide of their magic. Morgana had been helping them until she had heard what was happening between Darkwing and Negaduck. She had immediately gone to help, leading to the events on the rooftop.

As she glided over to the other side of the room, she held a glass of water in her hand. There was a mixture of compost in it, meant specifically for one thirsty plant mutant. "Here you go, Bushroot." She smiled warmly as she handed the ex-scientist the drink he had asked for.

Bushroot beamed at her offer, the anthers on top of his head bouncing slightly. "Thank you, Morgana!" he took the glass from her. Liquidator was standing beside him with a bemused grin on his watery features. Bushroot glanced shyly between Liquidator and Morgana before spilling the contents of the glass to the floor. He then dipped his root-like feet into the puddle. He closed his eyes with a content smile on his face. "Hmmm….That tastes great!"

Morgana smiled at him before moving over to where Launchpad was currently standing. The two of them had left as soon as they could from Duckberg after having seen Negaduck's threatening video on the news. Gizmoduck had managed to get the St. Canard before them and, from what they heard later on, just in time too.

Launchpad was looking around the ceiling of the room as he gave a soft whistle. "Gee, Morgana. I'm sorry to hear about your house and restaurant…."

Morgana frowned sadly. "Yes….Daddy was pretty shaken up about it, but, thanks to his friends, it should be back to normal in no time."

Launchpad nodded mutely. "Yeah…..DW was probably shaken up about it too…"

Morgana nodded. "He certainly was sweet about the whole thing. He was there for me the whole time."

At the mention of Darkwing, both sets of eyes traveled over to the side of the room where a bed was currently sitting. Darkwing was resting in the middle of the bed, his head lying on a pillow and the covers drawn all the way up as he slept peacefully. It had been several hours since the battle between him and Negaduck. According to the police, Negaduck was found in critical condition. It was hard to say whether the evil mallard would make it or not, but they all knew one thing was for sure: They would not be hearing from him for a long time.

Lying on the bed next to him; on top of the covers, slept Gosalyn. Ever since Darkwing had been brought to Morgana's house, she hadn't left her father's side. She had cried a little at the sight of him, having been severely worried over him, yet she denied any such thing. Though she wouldn't admit she had cried, everyone knew how hard it had been for her to leave her father in such a tough time.

"I'm sure Gosalyn was a handful over in Duckberg" commented the witch.

Launchpad shook his head. "Surprisingly, no. She stayed to herself. The triplets: Huey, Dewey, and Louie couldn't even get her active. She was really depressed in Duckberg, cause she wanted to be here" He paused before adding, "Doesn't mean she didn't try to escape and make her way here to St. Canard a few times. But…"

Morgana nodded, understanding. She didn't need it explained. Gosalyn loved Darkwing very much and hated the thought that she couldn't be there for him. The sound of Megavolt and Quackerjack arguing on the other side of the room could still be heard, a calm silence falling between the two friends. Gizmoduck was over in the corner talking to Moloculo. Thankfully he had been able to get there in time.

Darkwing winced from where he was lying on the bed. He grunted as sleep escaped him and reality began to sink in. His mind slowly started working as memories came back to him. As he remembered what had happened on top of the roof, he gasped as his eyes went wide. He sat up in shock.

Gosalyn woke at the sound of the gasp and the movement beside her. As soon as she saw Darkwing awake, her eyes went wide in happiness. "DAD!" she cried. She moved quickly and soon her arms were around his neck.

Darkwing was still stunned at what was happening around him. There were bandages around his head and his fingers were wrapped tightly in gauze. He patted Gosalyn awkwardly on the back. He reached up, feeling that his mask was still on. He was still in his Darkwing outfit. "Hello, Gosalyn…" he said uncertainly. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"We're at Morgana's house, dad!" she informed him happily.

"Morgana's-?"

"Yeah! And everyone is here to make sure you're okay! You did it! You stopped Negaduck!"

"I did?"

"YES! He fell off the roof! You would have too, but Gizmoduck saved you in time!"

Upon hearing her words, everything began to make sense to him. He winced in pain as he sat up a bit. By this point everyone was aware that he was awake as everyone started clambering around his sick bed.

"Why, hello there, Gizmobuddy! We were worried about you!" came Gizmoduck's loud booming voice. Darkwing winced at the sound of it before turning to look at the mechanical duck. "Hi, Giz…." He spoke lamely. "Thanks….for catching me…." He said this quietly.

"No problem! I'm glad I was able to get here in time!" beamed the other hero.

Darkwing shook his head, looking around those who at his bed. He saw Morgana, Launchpad, Gizmoduck, Gosalyn, Moloculo, Quackerjack, Megavolt, Bushroot, and Liquidator. Darkwing did a double take as his eyes landed on the Fearsome Four. He blinked at them for a moment before opening his mouth to speak, yet no words would come out.

Seeing his struggle for words, Bushroot spoke up. "We….wanted to come and say….." he glanced at the other three, who were conveniently looking away. He turned back to Darkwing. "We wanted to say….Thank you…For…stopping Negaduck….and for helping us….stay alive…" he chuckled nervously, running a hand over the back of his head.

"Yeah…" mumbled Megavolt. "We also wanted to thank you for….standing up for us back there…" He shuffled his feet nervously, his plug hat sparking a bit.

Quackerjack crossed his arms and swayed back and forth. "I guess you're not….THAT bad…"

"This is one satisfied costumer!" announced Liquidator as he pointed to himself, his ears perked up.

Darkwing smiled at them. "Well, I guess I should thank you guys too, for helping ME as well. I know Bushroot is done with crime, but…..does this mean…..you guys won't be committing crimes anymore?" He aimed that question more on Megavolt, Quackerjack, and Liquidator.

"Oh, now Darky…" scolded Quackerjack, the bells at the end of his jester hat jingling.

"You really ought to know by now…" continued Megavolt.

"That these villains are not about to give up on their life of crime!" finished Liquidator proudly.

Bushroot merely laughed at their response from where he was standing at the end. He looked to Gosalyn. "I don't know….I'll probably stay clean…..But…." he looked to Liquidator. "A certain someone may tempt me from time to time."

Darkwing nodded, understanding. He didn't honestly think they would stop being villains like Bushroot. They had formed a sort of friendship, but nothing more than that. Things were back to normal now, meaning no more freebies and that it was back to the old crimes. He shrugged. "I suppose I can't complain about that. I mean, without you guys, I would be out of a job, right?"

The Fearsome Four smiled sheepishly at him.

Gosalyn moved closer to Darkwing, wrapping her arms around him. "It's good to be back, Darkwing" she said, remembering not to call him 'dad' in present company. Darkwing nodded. He looked up at Launchpad. "I'm glad you two are back." He then looked at everyone around the room. "Now everyone STOP staring at me and go about your business!" he snapped.

Everyone was gone from the bed in an instant, save for Gosalyn and Launchpad. Darkwing could hear Quackerjack complain though. "Ugh, how RUDE!"

Darkwing raised his arms out to Launchpad to show him he wanted a hug. Launchpad blinked and awkwardly walked up to him. "Oh….gee…..A hug…DW?" he was nervous at first, but then quickly scooped Darkwing into his arms. "Oh, DW! Gos and I were so worried about you!" His grip tightened as he remembered the videos on the news. Darkwing made a gagging noise.

"Launchpad! Can't breathe!" he croaked.

Launchpad let him go and chuckled. "Eh, sorry about that, DW."

"Ugh…..I guess some thing will never change…." Sighed Darkwing. He shook his head and smiled, being able to relax for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. Negaduck was now gone from their minds and they no longer had to worry about him trying to kill any of them. Things would slowly be able to go back to normal. The Fearsome Four would continue wreaking havoc on the city and he would be right there to stop them. Morgana would have her restaurant back. Gosalyn and Launchpad would be back at the house, living under the same house as him and driving him mad. Darkwing simply wouldn't have it any other way.

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The End

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Author's Note: IT"S OVER! The DWD series I've been working on for years is finally over! I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update this and I'm not about to ask for anyone's forgiveness. The point is, I finished it. I didn't forget about it. I promised everyone I would finish it and I did. I hope this ending chapter was not disappointing. I have been out of this fandom for a very long time so for me to suddenly start writing in it again was difficult. I wanted to wrap up everything that I could without it being entirely corny. Please review and let me know what you all think! Enjoy! -EricaX