A/N- Sorry that it has taken me so long to get to this. My mind has been in other places such as school, the upcoming holidays, and some original fiction I've started at Fictionpress. Now, if you have checked my profile, you'll see that I have made a list of the order in which to work on things. However, my muse recently kicked me in the head, so I have to break out of order for what I am sure will not be the only time and write this chapter. So, please enjoy.

Chapter 9- To Save Her Honor

The car ride home was silent. It reminded Gosalyn, frighteningly, of the phrase "silent as the grave." A grave was what she was going to be in alright if Morgana decided to tell her dad about the conversation with Negaduck. As soon as Gosalyn noticed that they were nearing home, she turned to Morgana, determined to beg her mercy.

"Morg, please, let me explain…" she began.

Morgana didn't look at her, but simply said--with no hint of malice or anything, "I'm not stopping you."

She opened her beak. Then what was possibly either the most wondrous or the most horrible thing happened. She found that she couldn't explain anything at all. But it was in this moment that she finally understood and her passage from child to woman happened. She did love Negaduck, and there was nothing she could do about that.

"Morg…" she said again, perhaps a bit of the awe she was feeling crept into her voice, because her stepmother then gave her the most dreadful of looks.

"Gosalyn… you can't be with him… and you know that. Your father wouldn't allow it. It would insult the memory of Launchpad… but that is beside the point. Launchpad was not the only person Negaduck has ever killed, tormented, or tortured. I'm not your father, so I can't officially tell you no, but what I can tell you that it will be no if you were planning to ask permission. If…" the witch said, glancing sideways at her.

They were pulling into their driveway now. Gosalyn could see that her father was gone. Morgana had moved her--their--house magically to the outskirts of the city. This saved Darkwing time as he could just have his headquarters at home. The Ratcatcher was not in the driveway. Gosalyn turned once more to her stepmother.

"Please don't tell Dad," she said pleadingly.

They both climbed out of the vehicle--a shortened hearse. Morgana crossed her arms in front of her.

"Call off that little date you called with him tomorrow night," she said. "And we'll forget this ever happened."

Gosalyn's eyes widened. Then, quickly, she returned them to normal size.

"All right," she said.

"Call him now."

Gosalyn nodded dashed inside, followed closely by Morgana. She picked up the receiver of the phone and hit the speed dial. She glanced back at Morgana as the phone rang twice on the other end and then was picked up.

"Oh, hello. I really hate to do this… but… Morgana saw us. I can't see you tomorrow. I'm so, so sorry," Gosalyn said slowly.

Satisfied, Morgana gave the girl a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and walked off.

"What are you talking about?" came Honker Muddlefoot's voice from the other end.

Gosalyn smiled deviously. "Sorry about that, Honk. I'll explain later, way later. See you tomorrow at work. Bye," she whispered, then hung up.

…………………

Work took too long. She thought that it was never going to end! Honker kept asking her about the phone call the previous night, and she always gave him the same answer.

"I can't explain yet. I will one day."

"One day?" Honker had asked incredulously the first time she had given this response. She had only nodded.

Finally, Honker and Gosalyn clocked out of worked and watched as everyone else left. Gosalyn kept glancing swiftly back and forth between him and the road. She wished that he would leave. She hated thinking this about her best friend, but Honker Muddlefoot had always been such a goody-two-shoes. He would certainly tell on her and Negaduck. Finally, he sighed, possibly sensing her feelings about him being there.

"I guess I'll head home. See you at school, Gos," he said, waving.

He climbed into his car and was gone. And not a moment too soon. Negaduck pulled in a few minutes later in the exact spot in which Honker had been parked. Gosalyn suddenly realized that she had been holding her breath. She exhaled silently and ran to him. She threw her arms around him. At first he didn't respond. Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her.

"Gosalyn… ? Is something wrong?" he asked.

She rested her head on his shoulder and told him of the night before. He chuckled ever so slightly when she told him that she had called Honker to take his place.

So, she thought, a bit of that old deviant survived.

But no sooner did she think that, he pushed her back and held her at arms length. He looked at her with a frown on his beak.

"You shouldn't have lied for me," he said.

Gosalyn laughed. "I've been lying for years. This is the first time that I've had to. Granted, most of my lies were about who took the last cookie from the jar, but still…"

"Had to?" Negaduck inquired.

Gosalyn glanced away. She was not entirely sure if what she was going to do next was the right thing to do, but when had she ever really cared about that? She looked back at Negaduck with an altogether different look in her eye. Negaduck knew this look, though he had never seen it from her. In fact, it surprised him. She breeched the small distance he had placed between them and… their beaks met.

And they were lost. This was the point of no return. They both had the knowledge that they loved each other and now that couldn't be forgotten. They both knew the consequences, but they didn't care. This… this kiss was paradise. This was the happiness and peacefulness that Negaduck had longed for, and the love that Gosalyn had, unknowingly, been searching for.

When they parted, Negaduck smiled at her.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she answered, smiling back.

Negaduck's smiled waned slightly. "We shouldn't do this."

"We're only kissing."

"I know, but… what if…"

She placed at finger to his beak. "Ssshhh…no what ifs. Tonight, it's just me, you, and these kisses."

As she leaned forward to kiss him again, she whispered, "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

End Notes: Alright! Gos and Negs kiss scene! This was a great chapter, in my opinion. However, I'm not a reviewer. Please let me know what you thought. R & R! Thanks!