I do not own Ratchet and Clank!

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Chapter Ten

I wiped the tears that had freed themselves and were now running down my face.

Jesus, what a dream...! I thought, seeing as how it had woken me up at 3 am, according to my alarm clock. If I hadn't seen the time right then, the dark surroundings of my room would of scared me shitless. I sat up straighter, rubbing my neck and stretching out my legs. I noticed Leia sleeping at my desk with the microphone next to her head. A blanket was draped down her back; mom must have came in here to cover us up. Looking over at the drum pads, I was hoping to find Ratchet in the same situation, but as my eyes adjusted to the darkness of my room I saw that he wasn't there. His blanket lay on the floor next to chair he had been sitting in.

Getting the guitar controller off my chest, I got off my bed and slinked my way downstairs, making sure not to wake Leia up. I looked around the living room when I made my way down, looking for any dark shapes or forms, hoping that I would find one without any problems. I even checked the kitchen, thinking that maybe Ratchet had gotten hungry. But no plates or tableware were out, no glasses or bowls. Nothing emptied from the fridge. I started to worry- until I saw a shadow coming from our porch.

"Thank God," I whispered to myself, placing my hand on my chest as if to push down my worries. I quick stepped outside and there he was, his gold fur shining under the porch light. His large ears twitched to the sound of the door opening, but he didn't turn around. The disguise device's light flashed on and off. I sat down next to him.

"Thought you were asleep," he said quietly while leaning softly against my arm, which still had goosebumps from the nightmare.

"I should be saying the same thing. You seemed pretty tired last night from playing. What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"Just thinking," He paused. "...about things. You know, from before I came here." His ears drooped, a small frown forming on his muzzle. The tuff of his tail twitched a little, but didn't do much otherwise. Was something troubling him?

I turned over to look at Ratchet fully. "What's wrong?"

He furrowed his eyebrows like he was in deep concentration. He looked me straight in the eyes.

"Can I trust you with something personal? As a friend?" A serious tone was evident in his voice, telling me that he was only trusting me with someone that was so much of a bother to him. I nodded.

He sighed and looked up at the sky, all covered with stars. "A few years ago, before I crashed on Earth, I had this... friend." He took hold of my hand and squeezed, swallowing hard before he continued. This must be hard for him. After a moment he continued. "His name was- is Clank. He's a robot that had crashed on my home planet when I was sixteen. You see, I was at this place called the Apogee Space Station. And before, he had been telling me about these creatures called the Zoni. But since he was the only one that coud see him for the most part, I called him crazy and brushed it off; so when they appeared, I was amazed. But it was short-lived. Right there, right in front of me, they did something that really changed me." He looked back at me, his eyes were watered. "They abducted him, took my best friend away from me."

A memory that seemed so long ago struck my brain. "When I told you about the robot when I first found you-"

"I thought you were talking about Clank," he finished for me. A tear started to come out of the corner of his emerald eye, but his hand wiped it away before it could fall down his cheek. "It was like they had taken the only family I ever had. And ever since they took him, I spent three years out in empty space looking for him. I had left my friends without a word, never checked up with them so I could tell them I was okay. I was depressed, hurt, and mostly angry at myself because I just couldn't seem to find him, no matter how hard I tried."

"You never had a family? No brothers or sisters?"

He shook his head. "To tell you the truth- and this may seem a little cheesy or wierd- but that's why I'm glad to have met you. I finally have some company, someone to trust and be best friends with again. Like a sister." A warm smile suddenly took over the frown. "You're probably the best thing that's happened to me in years."

I ran my fingers through his hair to disguise my surprise. "Would you go back to finding Clank again?" I asked. "You know, once you finally get your ship running again?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he answered. "But if I did, I'd miss you, though." He rested his cheek on top of my head. "Thanks so much. I think if you hadn't found me and someone else had, you'd be seeing me on the news or something. I'd probably have been experimented on or killed."

I stared for a moment before closing my eyes, not really knowing what else to say at the moment, just deciding to enjoy the warmth between us and the summer night air. The silence following was peaceful, but a huge yawn escaping from my mouth gave Ratchet an excuse to speak up.

He placed a hand on my shoulder. "You sound exhausted. Come on, let's get you back inside." He tried to get me to stand up. I shook my head.

"I'm not-" Another yawn betrayed my efforts. "Tired. Hey, tell me more about where you came from- that space station you mentioned a minute ago." Part of me didn't want to go to sleep because of the nightmare. Another part of me wanted to hear more about Ratchet's life. People from his galaxy, his home.

He reached towards me. "Maybe later. You need some sleep."

I crossed my arms over my chest like a stubborn child. "No."

Ratchet thought about something for a moment, smirked, and wrapped his arms around my waist before I could do anything. He then proceeded to lift me up and swing me over his left shoulder. I flailed my arms, hit his back, kicked my legs. He just chuckled.

"Fine, whatever." I sighed in defeat. He just continued to walk me into the house without another word. Another unnecessary thought of my nightmare hit me again, and I hesitated in the question I really wanted to ask him at the moment. I swallowed.

"...Ratchet?"

He slowed down. "Hm?"

"Do you think..." I was afraid he'd take it the wrong way, but soon scolded myself for even thinking he would. "Do you think you could sleep with me tonight?"

A moment passed silently as I awaited his answer. Finally, Ratchet started walking again.

"Sure," he said.

I didn't know when we finally got back to my room then, but before I knew it Ratchet was laying me on my mattress and climbing in next to me. I felt one of his arms wrap lightly around me as he used his other pull my bed's blanket onto us. After a few minutes, he was completely asleep, snoring softly. I pressed my ear against Ratchet's chest and listened to the steady thumps of his heart.

This is nice. I thought with a smile. I looked at his now calm face. I wish you didn't have to leave.

Finally, as I finished my thoughts, I dozed off into a peaceful sleep.

FAIL EMOTIONAL MOMENT IS FAIL D:


God, I am just so glad that this chapter didn't take me as long as the last one! xD;
I had been busy with a few things- one including a website that I've been trying to make but seem to forget about for a while. Hopefully it won't take me much longer to finish it. I'm also trying to get started on creating my art portfolio, considering my dad gave me his from when he was in high school.
Also, if any of you guys remember me mentioning the side story, I decided to wait until i finished this first, and then I'll work on some more of it.

So anyways, I really wanted to make this as emotional as possible- but seemed failed after the first ten lines... XD
But the moment was sweet at least, right? I wanted to show that Ratchet was grateful to meet Cece, to be happy again. And how much he came to like her in the few months that he's been on Earth with Cece and her family.

Read and review! ^_^