Chapter 21: Homecoming

It was a tough fight, but they made it. The inhabitants of the islands were no longer Cortex's evil slaves. They returned to be what they used to be before all of this happened. The Cortex Prison was destroyed, every single damage was fixed, the Natives were no longer evil, and most importantly, the residents returned to living in peace and harmony.

Crash and his crew finally returned to Wumpa Island after destroying Cortex's space station as Cortex and Uka Uka were still stuck in the middle of nowhere and out of luck. Coco's space ship was parked in front of Crash's house and the entire crew got out of the space ship after such a long day.

''Wow... we actually did it, guys'' Crash said. ''Even if Cortex is probably lost in space because of me, it was totally worth it.''

''It seems that everyone is back to normal, and Cortex and Uka Uka's whereabouts are unknown'' Aku Aku said. ''I don't think we will ever see them again for a while.''

''Maybe he'll return soon... like always'' The golden bandicoot smirked at Crash. ''So, Crash... can you tell me more about this Tawna chick?''

The orange bandicoot rolls his eyes. ''That's enough for today, Alec.''

The brown bandicoot girl sighed. Everyone looked at her and she smiled. ''I've got a lot of stuff to say, you know.''

''Ummm... sure'' The burgundy bandicoot said. ''You can tell us anything.''

''Crash, Coco, Crunch, Aku Aku... I just don't know where to start...'' She paused. ''This has been such a great experience for me. I really enjoyed staying here with you, working together and just being there. You guys took care of us, helped us, were there for us, and we did the same for you in return. Even if we had our ups and downs, Chris and I had a great time. You did taught us the meaning of friendship and family, and I thank you for that. Thank you for everything. Thank you for at least being a family for us since that is something we lost a long time ago. You're a hero to me, Crash.''

''And I want to add something to that, guys'' Alec said. ''Words cannot describe how thankful I am for taking care of my sister and her best friend. I just wish I could have known you all a bit more.''

Crash and the rest smiled back at the two siblings. As always, Crunch tried not to cry.

''Oh, Crunch. Don't get so emotional'' Crash chuckled as he patted him on the back. ''You're welcome, Heather. Look on the bright side... at least you have something new to write on your book of adventures that you told us about.''

''I really do'' She replied. The crew once again smiled at each other. Crunch decided to call for a group hug, which consisted of them falling to the ground in the process, but they didn't care. They just laughed and helped each other back up like nothing ever happened.

''I guess that was too much love'' The smart bandicootess said as the others chuckled. ''Ah, well...''

''Helloooo!'' A mysterious voice said. Everyone started to look around to see whom it was as it sounded like it was coming from the dense forests. ''Anyone here?!''

''Who could that be?'' The witch doctor mask asked.

''I dunno'' Heather replied. ''That voice sounds familiar...''

''Hello! Are you there?!'' The leaves and trees rustled as the mysterious person kept getting closer and closer. Everyone saw how the person revealed herself at that moment, and they wondered who was her and why was she here. ''Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to-''

''Marlene?'' Alec, Heather, and Chris said unison.

''Oh, so that's the Marlene you kept talking about?'' The burgundy bandicoot said. ''Wow...''

''I can't believe it... I didn't expect you to be here. Look at you... you are a...'' Alec stared at her friend, who was turned into an orange bandicootess with a short tail. She still had her long black pony tail and her clothes, which were blue shorts, a red tank top, and sneakers like the ones Crash was wearing, but they were black. She also had some eyeliner applied. ''A marsupial.''

''Yeah. The teleportation machine messed up big time'' She laughed. ''How did you know it was me?''

''Well... because you look like yourself even if you are a furry bandicoot...'' Alec replied. ''See who's here? Chris and Heather. I finally found them.''

''I see you found them at last. I was so worried about you that I had to come here. You didn't answer my calls or anything!'' Marlene said. ''You've got to thank that brave bandicoot for the help and his family, because I do thank them. A lot.''

Coco sighed. ''It's a shame that time went by so fast.''

''It IS a darn shame because Heather, Chris, Marlene, and I have to return home. I wish all of this time could have been longer.''

Crash and his family stared at Alec with their eyes wide open. They were surprised to hear that because they honestly didn't see this coming, and to think that these may be the last few minutes with them saddened them. Even Heather and Chris were shocked to hear that they had to leave Crash behind and continue with their own lives, something that they didn't want to do because they loved staying with them the whole time and letting them go is rather difficult. But Heather tried to let those feelings go and accept the fact that she has to return home despite having a good time and getting rid of Cortex and the bad guys, which were the ones to blame for everything that happened. She knows that she has to let them go and that returning home was the thing she had to do. She will miss him as much as they will miss her. However, Chris was in denial. He couldn't accept the fact that they had to leave and preffered to stay.

''Ah, shucks!'' Crunch exclaimed. ''Tell me you're joking!"

''Return home?'' Crash said as he lowered his head a little. ''Are you sure?''

''B-But why?'' The orange bandicootess asked. ''Can't you stay?''

''Yes. As much as I... well... we would love to stay, we can't. Our lives go on and so do yours'' The golden bandicoot replied. ''I'm a cop who has to return to work, and so does Marlene. But that doesn't mean we will forget about you, right? And you won't forget about us?''

''Wait...'' The light brown bandicoot said, not believing what he was hearing right now. ''So, that's it? This is how it ends after all we've been through? We're just parting ways?''

''Chris...'' The witch doctor mask flew over to him. ''It's not the end. We won't forget about you, and you won't forget about us. Our paths might cross again some day.''

''Some day? When?'' Chris folded his arms. ''More like never.''

''Don't ever say that, young one'' Aku Aku said. ''The more you say that you will never see us again, the less likely it will be for us to remember you.''

''Listen, guys. I understand'' The orange bandicoot said. ''Aku Aku is right, and I see that you have to leave. We may or may not see each other again one day, but we won't forget. At least you won't.''

Heather, Chris, Alec, and Marlene looked at each other and smiled. At this point, the bandicoot family and them were not sure about whether or not they will see each other again. It was hard to say goodbye, part ways and take different paths, but they had no choice. The two young adults (Alec and Marlene) didn't got to know them that much, but they will miss them a lot.

''Well... everyone had their turn to say their last words. It's my turn now'' Chris paused and walked over to the bandicoot family, who smiled at him. He tried not to smile back as he was not that happy about the whole thing, but he eventually smiled back at them. ''Aku Aku, thanks for always being there to protect my butt. I seriously thought I was going to die back there, but thanks for the help! Crunch, even though we've went through those moments, I have to admit that you are the coolest even if you still hate me for making you end up in Paris, France. Coco...'' He chuckled. ''You're awesome and smart even though you make me feel stupid sometimes. I wish I could have known you more as you're different than any other girl I've known. Although, I still think you should have dated me.''

''Chris'' She laughed. ''Don't ruin it. You were going so fine.''

''I know, Coco... I know'' Chris looked over at Crash and smiled a little at him. He didn't even know where to start because there was so many things he had to say. ''And Crash...'' He made a short pause.

''Just say that I'm the special one and move on'' The orange bandicoot chuckled.

''There we go!'' Chris said.

''Ah, kiddo...'' The burgundy bandicoot patted him on the back. ''I don't hate you anymore. I'm still going to miss Crash's reactions every time you took the couch and slept on it! Good thing the couch is his again!''

The light brown bandicoot and Crash chuckled.

''Yeah, I now have a place to take my afternoon naps'' Crash said. ''Are we going to see each other again, guys?''

''Come on! Of course we will'' The golden bandicoot promised. ''We're very unsure about that, but all we can do is have some hope.''

It was time for the bandicoot family to say goodbye. It was difficult, but they tried to look at the bright side all the time. Crash himself thinks everything was better when they were around, and them leaving will make the place feel silent. He always believed in them even if they sometimes screwed up and he had to save them from trouble a few times. Aku Aku felt flattered by how they thought of him as a father figure and as a benevolent, caring and protective witch doctor mask. He was going to miss them... a lot. Coco was glad to have met some new friends because she needed at least someone to be there with her and talk to her like a friend would do. It's not that her family wasn't enough, but she did need a female friend like Heather to be able to talk about girl things and a male friend like Chris to fool around and have fun. Sadly, their company will not be there anymore. Crunch was someone else that needed friends for himself, and Heather and Chris were the ones he was looking for, especially Alec. He didn't know him that much, but the little time they spent together was unforgettable.

''I'll send you a letter as soon as I get home'' Heather said. ''It might take a few days to arrive, but you'll get it.''

''Well, Heather. Just know that every time you want to talk to us, you just send us a letter. That also goes to the others'' Aku Aku said. ''We'll make sure to reply.''

''Good. At least we have a way to communicate'' Marlene said.

Chris smirked at Coco and gave her a card with his cell phone number on it. ''Please call me.''

''I promise I will'' She replied. ''But if you start with the dating thing, I'll hang up. Got it?''

Alec chuckled. ''Chris, you never give up, don't you?''

''I guess not'' He chuckled and the rest started to laugh with him.

''Okay... this is it'' Crash paused. ''Goodbye, guys. Hope you have a safe return.''

The golden bandicoot smiled at him. ''Thank you, Crash...'' He looked over at Marlene. ''Do you have the teleportation device set up?''

''Of course! Gee... I honestly wish that I didn't had to do this'' She reached into her pocket and pulled out a remote. She pressed a button and a portal opened. ''Whenever you're ready.''

The faces were full of sadness as they approached the portal to leave. The bandicoot family simply looked and replayed some moments they shared with them in their heads. They noticed how Heather and Chris stopped walking and tried to not look back at them just for the sake of not feeling worse. Alec and Marlene noticed too, almost feeling guilty about it. They didn't even know what to say to them, but Aku Aku did...

''Young ones, it's okay. You may look back, but you will eventually jump into that portal'' He said. The two friends decided to take one last glance at them, and so did Alec and Marlene.

''Farewell, bandicoots.''

They turned around and tried to stay as strong as possible as they walked over to the portal. They took one more step, and they disappeared into the portal. The bandicoots didn't know what to say as they were still surprised to see this. They just looked at each other, speechless.

''They're not going to come back, aren't they?'' The blonde bandicootess asked.

''I afraid not, Coco'' Aku Aku replied as he looked at the sunset. ''I also don't think we'll see Cortex for a long, long time, but you never know. Paths always cross again. At least that's what I learned from all these years of fighting evil. I never thought I would see my evil twin brother again after imprisoning him, but I was wrong when he was freed and he was there again. I don't know if I could say the same about Heather and the others, but I hope I can.''

''And what about Cortex?'' Crash asked.

''Cortex? I wish our paths don't cross again some day, but maybe they will as always. Evil is unpredictable.''

The bandicoots just looked at the nice view of the ocean and of the other two islands of the archipelago. They started to hear cheers coming from N. Sanity Island and Cortex Island, followed by fireworks. It turns out that the inhabitants of these islands were celebrating their freedom after being under control of Dr. Cortex. The entire family decided to stand there and watch the fireworks in the sky, reminding themselves that good will always beat evil.

United States

1:53 am

Marlene's house

The two friends, after a long year, were finally back home. They tried hard to not think about that final goodbye and to think about other stuff that mattered most right now. Other things such as returning to their past lives and Alec were much more important than anything.

''Wow... we're back'' Chris said as he looked at the portal close. ''It has been such a long time since I came over to your house, Marlene.''

''You still can't believe you're back home, can't you?'' Marlene asked. Heather and Chris shook their heads yes in response. ''Too much time in Australia made you homesick.''

Heather turned around and saw herself in a mirror that was hanging there on the wall. She was shocked to see herself this way as she noticed that her brown fur, her tail, and her bandicoot self was gone. Her friend, Chris, also noticed that she went from a marsupial to a human being like she used to be.

''Heather, look at you. You're back to normal!'' Chris looked at himself in the mirror and noticed he also got back his human body. He even felt his skin and his face, and he didn't feel fur anymore. ''Oh, my! I can't believe this! I'm a human again! And so is Alec and Marlene.''

''We actually are'' Alec said as he looked at his hands. ''The funny thing is that Marlene and I noticed that you returned to normal, but we didn't want to say it because we thought it might freak you out.''

''True. Blame the teleportation machine, though'' Marlene handed them a small, diamond-like object. ''Here. Remember this?''

''Oh, yeah! This is the same fragment of a power crystal that we found in the park that day!'' Chris said. ''Everything's just coming back to me now.''

''I kind of regret going over to that guy selling cotton candy and leaving you guys all alone'' Alec said. ''If I just kept walking and ignored the deliciousness, none of this would have happened.''

Heather went over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. ''It's okay, big brother. So, are we going to tell anyone about this?''

''About what happened with us?'' Marlene shook her head. ''I don't think that's a good idea as they won't believe us. Who would believe that we were in a chain of islands where mad scientists, floating masks, super animals, and powers exist?''

''I agree with her'' Chris said. ''Let's just not tell anyone. We'll explain once someone finds out about what we've been through, but on the meanwhile, we'll stay quiet about it.''

''True'' Alec sighed. ''Well, Marlene. Thanks for the help. Heather, Chris, and I better get going. I'll see you tomorrow.''

Marlene saw the walk towards the front door. ''Later, Officer...''

12 days later

Wumpa Island

9:30 am

The morning sun was shining on Wumpa Island, signaling that today was going to be another great day. The bandicoots were finally awake and doing their morning routine. However, Crunch decided to get up earlier than usual to do his morning workout. As soon as he finished, everyone was already up and he decided to go inside to find Crash sitting on the couch watching TV, surrounded by three bags of chips, soda cans, and wumpa fruits. The burgundy bandicoot instantly thought that this was a lazy day for him.

''Are you lazy again?''

''Pretty much'' Crash responded. He heard someone knock on the door, but since he didn't want to get up, he left Crunch take care of that. ''Yes, mailman! Leave it on the mailbox or wherever you want!''

The burgundy bandicoot shook his head and opened the door himself. ''Can I help you, sir?''

''Yes, I've got mail for Crash Bandicoot'' The mailman handed Crunch a letter.

''Uh, thank you, sir. Have a nice day.''

The mailman left off, and Crunch went back inside. ''It's for you,'' he says. He threw the letter over to Crash and he picked it up from his lap, wondering who was it from. When he read the address and name, he instantly knew who it was.

''It's a letter from Heather and Chris'' He says to Crunch. ''Heather told me she was going to write us a letter in just a few days. I see it's finally here.''

''Really? I'll go get Aku Aku and Coco so we can read it together.''

Crash, Crunch, Coco, and Aku Aku were gathered in the living room, curious to hear some news about Heather, Chris, Marlene, and Heather's brother since it has been 12 days since they heard about them. Ever since they parted ways, they agreed to keep in touch by letters. They did not see each other, but at least they could talk.

''So, what does it say?'' The orange bandicootess asked. ''I'm curious.''

''It's Heather'' He replied. ''Here's what it says...''

Dear Crash,

I was desperate for this letter to get to you as fast as possible. My brother did something to rush the whole process in order for you to receive it the next day. I just didn't want you to think that I forgot about you so quick. I also promised that I would write you a letter as soon as I got home, but I decided to wait at least a week so I could at least have something to talk about. So, how is everything? Still taking a break from saving the world? Everything's okay here with us. My brother, Alec, is getting free doughnuts for a whole week for being a good police officer. I guess you know what that means. It means I'll have to deal with him getting hyper because of the sugar, which is something that I hate to do. Tell Crunch he said thanks for giving him a copy of the picture of Tawna that still sits in your living room after 17 years. He can't get his eyes off of her to be honest. The last thing you'd want is to have other people stalk your ex. You remember Marlene, right? She's my older brother's friend. She's still there like always. She came over to visit not too long ago and we started to have conversation. She actually mentioned you guys and said that some people know about what happened with us when we were there in the Wumpa Islands. I actually don't mind other people finding out though. That's strange. My best friend, Chris has been really productive lately. No kidding! The guy is becoming less lazier and is actually cleaning his room. Speaking of him, I heard him talking on the phone with Coco the other day. It was a normal conversation. I was surprised that he didn't drop those cheesy pick up lines on her like he always does. What can I say? He's my friend and he's just like that, and I accept him. Although, I do agree that someone needs to work on his shyness. Me? Well, all I've been doing is reading books like I always do and going out to places. There's not much to say about me. Well, I hope you get to write back soon. Tell Coco, Crunch and Aku Aku that we said hi.

Sincerely,

Heather

Actually, I was the one who wrote the letter, so it should say 'Sincerely, Chris' - Chris

Oh, shut up, Chris. I only dictated you the sentences and you wrote them. I'm still the writer of the letter. Don't listen to him, Crash - Heather

''And that's all she wrote'' Crash said. ''Crunch, I think I want to kill you right now...''

''I gotta admit... that letter was funnier than anything I've ever read. Chill out, Crash! She's the past'' The burgundy bandicoot said. ''Hey sis, what were you two talking about?''

''Just about... life things. Don't exaggerate.''

Suddenly, someone came over and knocked on the door. Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to go answer it.

''Fine, I'll go'' He got up from the couch and opened the door. After seeing who it was, he felt as if the entire day was ruined for him. ''Oh, no! P-Pasadena?! What are you-''

''Crash! It's me!'' She gave Crash hug, which almost left him without air. He gently pushed her away to break the hug and to be able to breathe again.

''Th-that's great, Pasadena. But I better get going'' He chuckled nervously. ''I've got a lot of things to do.''

''Nonsense! Come here and gimme some love!''

The orange bandicoot cringed and escaped through a window to try to get away from her. She's known to be clingy, annoying and a stalker, which makes Crash scared of her. Every time he saw her, he would try to hide as much as possible.

''Where are you going, Crashy?'' She started to run after him. He looked back to see that she was almost going to catch him. On the meanwhile, Crunch, Coco and Aku Aku stood there outside and watched. Crunch and Coco tried to hide the laughter, but it was too difficult.

''Oh, no! Okay... just run faster, Crash!'' He said to himself. He saw Pura there walking around and decided he could use a little bit of help. ''Hey, Pura. If I give you my entire bag of beef jerky, would you give me a ride to somewhere far away from her?''

The tiger cub smirked at him and kept walking.

''Not cool, Pura!'' He felt someone poke him on the shoulder. He blinked and slowly turned around to find Pasadena there. That's when he decided to continue running for his life.

Pura went over to Coco and sat beside her. She patted him on the head and said, ''Good boy!''

''Let me guess... Von Clutch gave her the day off?'' Crunch asked.

''It sure seems like it.''

Crash and Pasadena ran past them. The orange bandicoot ended up climbing as fast as he could to the top of a palm tree, but she still wouldn't give up.

''I could wait all day, Crash!''

Aku Aku decided he had enough of the weirdness, so he just went back inside. Crash, Crunch and Coco looked at each other and smiled awkwardly, followed by the three facepalming at the same time.

''Well, THIS is one heck of an ending...''

Play the Crash theme and roll the credits! I can't believe that I actually finished this story and went this far. It was a lot of hard work, guys. Thanks for the support! For those of you who liked this story, I promise that this is not the only story I will write because I will always be on this site commenting, publishing other fics, etc. But I will mostly be here on the Crash Bandicoot archive. I'm still thinking about ideas for my future stories because I really love to write, especially if it is for my favorite video game of all time. Do I have plans for a sequel? Not at the moment. I'm going to take a break for a few weeks and then I'll start to plan things. I'll just write down whatever my mind comes up with.

Remember: if you need any help writing a story or just about anything, send me a message and I'll be glad to help. Please favorite this story if you can. It motivates me to keep writing. I'll see you readers soon! Dream Instant out!

''Hey, narrator. Are we done?'' Crash asked.

Yes we are, Crash. The camera guy stopped recording a while ago.

''Really? Sweet! I can finally go home!'' Suddenly, a camera falls in front of him along with some lights. ''Yeah, you might wanna fix that fourth wall because I think I broke it...''

*Sighs* Okay, Crash.

Cheers.

- Dream Instant