Writer's note: Almost the end of the line! This chapter was probably the hardest to write. I edited it like crazy and still not totally satisfied. Oh well. I had planned on an epilogue then decided not to do one. But now I plan to do the epilogue again. I can't believe this fic is almost over!


He had to tell Ralph.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be there?" Tamora asked the next morning. Eventually they'd returned to bed; Tamora carrying her small husband, cradling him against her chest as he dozed.

"I'll be fine, honeybadger," Felix reassured her with a warm smile.

Whether Tamora believed him or not was a different story, but she let him go parting with a lingering kiss to his cheek.

After witnessing how broken Dodge's death left Felix, Tamora didn't want to leave his side. The need to protect him from the looming darkness fueled her concern. She had to remind herself that her little 8-bit husband was stronger than he appeared, and that's what gave her the strength to watch him walk out the door of her quarters that morning.


Ralph knew something wasn't right when Felix arrived in Sugar Rush after work hours began. Pale-faced and baggy-eyed, Felix looked like he'd pulled an all-nighter at Tapper's. He walked up to Ralph, his steps heavy but determined, and plopped down next to the huge wrecker.

"Hey, buddy," Ralph greeted, unsurely. Seeing Felix out of sorts made his nerves edgy. That seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"Hey, Ralph," Felix greeted back, his voice weighty.

"Uh..you okay?"

Felix rubbed the back of neck then glanced up at his friend with a heavy sigh. "There's something I need to tell you."


By that evening, the three people closest to him knew about Dodge's death. Tamora met up with the rest of the gang in Sugar Rush and suggested they head to Tapper's for a drink in honor of Felix's fallen comrade. It wasn't a funeral or a memorial service, but it would be a part of the closure Felix desperately needed. Speaking up about what happened was the hardest part, and now with his loved ones by his side, the healing could begin.

Vanellope passed out the mugs of root beer Tapper had set on the table. She swiped a fingertip through the light brown foam atop of her mug, sucking the sugary substance off her finger with a pop. She glanced around at the somber faces and cracked a curious smile. "So, how does this work or whatever?"

"We go around the table letting everyone say something about the deceased," Tamora explained, gripping the handle of her mug, "Then we toast in honor of him."

Vanellope's eyes were wide and her expression a bit bewildered. She'd never experienced a death of a friend before, or anyone for that matter save for King Candy - but the recoded tyrant didn't count as loss in her book. "I didn't really know Dodge," she held up her hands as if surrendering, "so I'm out."

"Kid." Ralph nudged her with his giant elbow and hissed, "Have a little more respect."

Vanellope sank down in the booth, glancing at Felix. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Vanellope" Felix replied, understandingly.

"I guess uh…I'll start," Ralph said, slightly uncomfortable. The last time he attended a something like this was actually a memorial service for the characters lost from Turbotime. It was the first game to have the horrible fate of being unplugged in Litwak's Arcade and losing it shook the whole game community. Ralph recalled Dodge's reaction to losing not only his game but his twin brother. The racer had taken it so badly he became a recluse when he'd been somewhat of a social-loving, party animal before.

"Dodge was definitely a kick," Ralph began, oversized fingers covering the mug of root beer in front of him, "Sarcastic ass-" He clinched his teeth at the word that came out of his mouth and turned to Vanellope. "Don't go repeating that, kid."

Vanllope saluted him nonchalantly as she sucked up the sugary substance in her mug from a straw. Ralph hoped the little racer was more focused on her drink than the happenings around her. Time would tell whether the mature word would fly out of her mouth at the most inappropriate time.

"I remember the time after work hours, Dodge and Dash siphoned almost all the gas out of Turbo's racecar. The car sputtered and stalled right there on the racetrack." Ralph's shoulders shook in mirth at the memory. He'd been invited to the race by Clyde from Pac-Man, who'd been friends with the twins. It was supposed to be the race of the decade as Turbo had claimed, but unknowingly he'd scheduled it on April Fool's Day.

Vanellope was giggling beside him. "I wish I would of known that story before Dodge left. I would of given him a high-five for pulling one on Turbo-jerk!"

Tamora was next. She took a long swig of root beer, setting the mug down in the intense manner that followed her actions everywhere. "I didn't know Dodge as well as you two," she nodded at Felix and Ralph, "but the time I did spent with him, I had to resist the urge to slam my fist into his face."

Three pairs of eyes gawked at her. So far the honor gathering was anything but honorable.

"And I had to warn the kid about being respectful," Ralph muttered into his mug, "Sheesh."

"Hear me out, Wreck-It," Tamora growled, staring the large man down with a smoldering look. "Dodge was one of my husband's oldest friends. I may not have favored his wiseacre mouth, but he was loyal in his friendship to Felix, all the way to the very end and I commend him for that act."

She glanced down at Felix, whose eyes were glistening and patted his knee comfortingly underneath the table.

"I guess I'm last," Felix commented, unsure of how to begin. He'd lived weeks with the secret of Dodge's death and now it was known, and yet he still didn't know how to respond. He exhaled a heavy-laden breath, steeling himself for the words he was about to say. "Dodge was my very first friend outside of Fix-It Felix Jr. We met at a welcome party here at Tapper's and just hit it off. He was a bit off-colored, but a likeable guy – him and his twin brother."

A memory of when the Turbo Twins kept fooling people into believing one was the other suddenly came to mind and a small smile crossed his face. "They were two of a kind. Dodge was never exactly the same after losing his brother, but one thing did remain and that was his off-colored wit. He talked before thinking and some things he said were…questionable," like the time he called Donkey Kong a 'muscle furball' in GCS for everyone to hear and the ape would have pummeled the racer if it weren't for Pauline, "but he always made things interesting.

"During our time in The Epic Quest, I saw him change, like his fire for life was returning. He wanted to find a game to go on adventures in after we got back; get out of that outlet he's called home for so long and enjoy living again."

The last thing Dodge said played in Felix's mind.

"If this game wasn't as scary of hell, I wouldn't mind setting up residence here."

"We'll have to find a game for you when we get back; something close to this but not so hair-raising."

"I'd like that."

Felix took a deep breath before the memory could continue. It was time to move on.

Tamora lifted her mug respectfully and the others followed. "To Dodge."

"To Dodge," Ralph and Vanellop echoed as they all clinked glass upon glass.

"To my friend," Felix murmured, bringing the mug to his mouth. "I'll never forget you."


The jagged terrain was treacherous. Felix hissed as the sharp rocks he used to pull himself up the mountain pierced through his weathered gloves. Whoever created The Epic Quest made sure it was nearly impossible to leave the game. Even if Felix survived the climb, there was no guarantee the exit would be at the top. Grief and desperation drove his limbs; his eleventh-hour drawing faster and faster.

The steep rock face opened into a ledge, and Felix heaved himself over the edge with one final jump from his short, weary legs. Exhausted, he collapsed onto his back, drawing much needed breath into his lungs.

He could barely think. All his strength, both physically and emotionally, was spent. In all his years, he'd never felt earthshattering sorrow or complete and utter hopelessness. It gnawed away at his soul, stripping away what made him who he was.

It was strange that not even an hour ago his optimism drove his actions. He'd imagined him and Dodge celebrating with a victorious high-five when they arrived at the exit; their ticket home finally paid for and in their grasp. He imagined seeing Tamora for the first time; holding her against him the rest of the day and savor counting every adorable freckle on her face. Now all those wonderful images were a blur, a distant dream that seemed to fade with every moment.

"Why are you lying around like a wart toad on a log?" a voice chimed in his head.

Felix cracked open his eyes. It couldn't be who he thought it was. She was far away in a completely different world of the arcade; so far out of reach it seemed at times she was only a glorious fantasy he created.

"You must complete your mission, soldier."

Felix rolled onto his side, pushing his tired body into a seated position. Looming above stood his dynamite gal, hands firmly on her curved, armor-clad hips. She pinned him with a gaze that would spur fear in the hardest of men. But Felix never feared his wife, their first encounter proving his lack. He could always see passed the stony demeanor of the marine sergeant to the beautiful and guarded woman inside.

"I can't, Tammy," Felix replied weakly to the illusion before him. He hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry I failed you, darlin'."

A metallic clank reverberated on the rock surface, and the familiar black sheen of Tamora's leg armor caught Felix's eye. "If you lie here like a dead marmot and give up, then you have failed me, Felix." He cringed as Tamora's voice cut through him like a sharpened knife.

Felix mustered enough courage to look up, and found those sapphire eyes so very close to his. Reprimand was held in her gaze, but behind the sternness, there was longing and sadness that mirrored Felix's own. He knew this was only a beautiful dream, but Felix chanced a hand to Tamora's cheek, needing to touch her one last time.

He could feel the trembling breath that Tamora exhaled as his tattered glove caressed her skin. Gently, through the torn material, Felix swiped his thumb across the red expanse of her lips and her hard features softened at his loving exploration.

Tamora's slender hand cupped upon Felix's weary shoulder. For a gloriously brief moment, she met him with a kiss before pulling back, the tough-as-nails sergeant once again in his presence as she stood to full height.

"Get up," his wife commanded, "And complete your mission, soldier." Tamora turned away, adding over her shoulder, "That's an order."

Felix's whole body jolted like an electrical charge had coursed through him, and he sat up bolt straight, peering around in bewilderment. Hewn rock surrounded him. A tunnel stretched into darkness in front of him.

It'd all been a dream, just as he suspected. To feel her again, the press of her soft lips upon his; even to hear her voice, to truly remember without doubt the sound of the words off her tongue. All of it gave him renewed determination. He had to get home to his wife; he must complete his mission.

Felix pushed off the cave floor to his worn booted feet, staring into the darkness that awaited him. The exit had to be in there. If it wasn't, he'd search every cave, every forest, every town, until he discovered an exit – or fell over dead.

With a deep breath, he pressed on into the tunnel, the darkness engulfing him. His hand groped along the rough tunnel wall, every step carefully placed. Anything could be waiting ahead of him, including steep drops. Better slow and safe than game over.

The trek felt like an eternity, as if the tunnel stretched on into nothingness. Felix's mind burned with doubt and fear, and he tried to focus, reminding himself with every step he drew closer to getting home.

A brilliant blue flicker of light far up ahead caught his eye and a low, swooshing hum rumbled off the rocky surface. The closer Felix trekked, the easier it was to see his steps. One hand still crept along the tunnel wall as the other shielded his eyes from aching as the blue flickering light became brighter.

Felix halted. The tunnel floor abruptly ended and a swirling mass of blue began – a portal. How he and Dodge were transported to The Epic Quest finally made sense. They must have stumbled upon a portal in the outlet and it dumped them in one of the many forests that expanded across the fantasy game. This had to be the exit!

Felix breathed in, clearing his head and preparing himself for the leap of faith. There was no time for doubt, no room in his mind for fear to interrupt. He had to get home. Now.

"I'm coming home, Tammy Jean." Holding onto his cap with one hand and his hammer with the other, Felix disappeared into the swirling blue light.