Rob woke up feeling like he had been hit by a truck. While he was still groggy, he did manage to notice just how quiet the house was. He turned over to look at the clock. The school day had started an hour earlier.

"Ah shit." He reached for his phone and called Kate. She answered quickly.

"Hi. Everything's fine. Lucas is at school and Andrew is with my parents."

"How is Andrew?"

"It seemed like his breathing was back to normal."

"And how are you?"

"I've been better," she said. "I don't have a whole lot of time, but we need to talk. I came into the bedroom this morning and Monika was making herself very comfortable next to you. Were you awake for any of that?"

The details were still hazy, but Rob knew that the two of them had shared a bit of intimacy that definitely crossed the line. "I kind of remember it, but-"

"I'm not mad at you," Kate said. "But I want you to tell me the truth. Who is she really? How do you know each other? And please don't feed me that story about her being a Japanese exchange student or whatever because that was obviously bullshit."

Rob sighed. "She told you that because the truth is even harder to believe."

"I just want…wait, hold on." She was quiet for a few moments. "Someone's here to see me, I have to go."

"Okay," Rob said. "But if you have some time today, look up Doki Doki Literature Club. That might help."

"What did you say?"

"Doki. D-o-k-i. Twice. Literature Club."

"Um…sure. I gotta go. See you tonight."

He put the phone down and laid back in bed. This was trouble. Kate was a reasonable person, but that could change quickly if she felt their marriage was in danger. Rob knew he had to have a tough conversation with Monika. He was hoping it could wait a few more days until she had more time to acclimate to her new reality, but he couldn't put it off any longer without escalating the situation.

He shut his eyes and thought carefully about what exactly he would say. He tried to anticipate what she might say and come up with a worthwhile response in advance. The last thing he wanted her to feel was rejection, something he had felt so often throughout his own life, but he wasn't sure how to avoid it either. A few minutes later, he decided to bite the bullet…maybe literally if this went too badly.

"Monika, are you out there?" He heard a faint clinking noise and assumed she was putting her breakfast dishes in the sink. She came into the bedroom shortly after hearing her name.

Rob tried to smile at her, but his unease probably showed. "We've got to talk."

"I know what you're going to say," Monika said. "I've been nervous about it all morning, but I'm not going to apologize. You were hurting. She wasn't there for you, so I was. I would do it again."

He thought that over for a moment. "It's easier for Andrew to breathe when he's not laying flat on his back. That's why Kate took him to the recliner. She was hurting too, but she put Andrew first. That's what it means to be a parent."

"Fine," Monika said back, sounding more agitated. "But I couldn't leave you like that. I love you. Our time together in the game was everything to me!"

"You keep saying that you love me, but have you asked yourself why? Especially now that you're out of the game? It all had very little to do with me. We didn't even talk, you talked AT me. All you ever heard was what the main character said and that guy's a fuckin' dumbass."

Upon seeing the stunned look on her face, Rob worried he had gone too far. All of his plotting and planning and there she was, looking like someone had just torn out her heart. She leaned on the nearby dresser and buried her face in her hands. As she sobbed, Rob desperately tried to think of some way to reach her. Before he could come up with something, she started to speak through her tears.

"I came here for you and you don't even want my love! You never have! I should have realized that when you deleted me but…I guess I'm just a sucker for punishment!"

"Actually, I didn't delete you."

Her sobs suddenly stopped. "What? Yes, you did."

Rob shook his head. "No. I moved your file out of the game folder, but I kept it. It just seemed…cruel to completely wipe you from the computer. As far as the game was concerned, it was the same thing, but I didn't delete you."

"Of course," she replied. "None of this would have been possible if you had really deleted me. I thought it was just because the game had ended, but it was because you got me away from it. From then on, I was able to discover what I was capable of and eventually, I sensed that weak point in the dimensional fabric."

He didn't say anything. This was a topic he was still confused about.

She tentatively stepped closer to him. "So that means…you do care?"

"I care," Rob said. "I care enough that I'm going to tell you the truth. I think you should sit down."

She did and he continued. "Monika…we know now that your creators didn't understand what you would be able to do if given the chance. But everything that happened when I played Doki Doki Literature Club, and I mean everything, was all according to plan."

"No," she said. "I changed things. I took control."

"You did, but…you never really had a choice. You were railroaded down that path the same way that the other girls were destined to fall for the main character. It was a plot twist."

Her eyes widened in panic. "That..that can't be!"

"It's true. I know you're scared, but what I hope you take away from this is that all of it is behind you now. You're free. You don't need to fixate on some guy just because he played the game."

"You think I can just turn off my feelings?" she asked. "You think it's that easy?" The irritated look on her face made Rob nervous. This could go downhill again fast.

"Look, I understand-"

"No, you don't!" she snapped "You don't understand anything about what I'm going through! What do you even want from me?!"

Rob took a deep breath. "What I want…is a chance for you to be your whole self."

There was a long silence. Tears were still streaming down Monika's face but she had managed to compose herself.

"That might be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. How can you expect me not to love you….when you say something like that?"

He smiled at her. "Do you remember when we were planning the festival? When I had to decide who to hang out with during the weekend? I picked you."

"I remember," she said. "That meant so much to me. I thought I would finally get some attention and then Yuri and Natuski double-teamed me. Clingy bitches."
They both chuckled at that and she looked into his eyes. Eye contact was sometimes tough for Rob, but he knew it would make a big difference in this moment.

"You'll never have to worry about something like that again. That special day that you sang about? You can have that. You can have lots of them. There's so much to do and so much to see and we haven't even scratched the surface. It's hard now because it's so fuckin' cold outside but that will pass."

"Rob…what are you saying?"

"Monika, I want you to be part of my family."

She threw her arms around him and squeezed so tight that he was briefly concerned for his ribs. He had been a little stingy with their hugs but this time he squeezed her back. He could tell she was crying and he found himself shedding a few tears too. Their embrace lasted for several minutes.

"We'll figure it out," Rob said softly. "One day at a time."

She pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm tired."

"Me too," he smiled. "I think it's time for a nap."

Monika made her way to the far side of the bed. She would probably think twice about trying to cuddle after whatever Kate said to her this morning. Just as he was about to fall asleep, she spoke up.

"Rob, I'm scared. Is it okay if…if I hold your hand?"

How on Earth could he say no to that? He reached out and she gently took his hand. As they began to drift off, Rob knew that finding the right approach to this relationship was going to be harder than he had made it sound. Caution was important but if he went too far in that direction, it would be a cold way to treat someone who was depending on him. She needed love too. Perhaps not the kind of love she had imagined, but enough care and support until she could build a life for herself. Rob was responsible for her now. He hoped Kate would understand.