A/N- Sorry for the super, super long wait, everyone. It's just that I had attempted that Nanowrimo thing and…well, let's just say I didn't make it. However, my friend and I have a few things planned to keep us busy for the next few months. Nanowrimo was National Novel Writing Month for November. SlinkyAndTheBloodyWands and I have proclaimed December National Finish Your Fan Fiction Month! This means that if you've got a fic that is closed to being finished, finish it off! There's no set number you have to finish, just finish as many as you can! As for what this means for this fic in particular, counting this chapter, there are only six chapters left to finish. By the time December rolls around, it'll be five, right? That means that I will definitely be finishing this story next month! We invite any other authors to join us in our endeavors! Well, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 8- Snatched

Gosalyn's heart thumped loudly in her chest. She could almost swear that it was loud enough for everyone to hear. She pulled out her single suitcase and stuffed all the clothes she had brought with her into it. She briefly revisited the memory of the night she had left home. The same frantic packing had happened that night too. She had been clear on her feelings on running that night, though. This night, however, something felt wrong.

Gosalyn knew that they had no choice in running, and she had come to terms with that. But something just felt…wrong. It was as if some evil shadow hovered above her, waiting until she least expected to swoop down upon her. When she felt Negaduck's hand on her shoulder, she started. She turned to see his brow knitted in concern for her.

"Are you okay, Gosalyn?" he asked, his own suitcase packed and by his side.

Gosalyn threw her arms around him, and he hugged her back.

"Are you afraid that your father will catch us?" Negaduck asked, cradling her.

"I don't know. I don't know why I feel like this…" she whispered into his shoulder.

"Feel like what?"

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. She did not want him to misunderstand the meaning of her next words.

"Unsure. I feel unsure," she said.

"Not about us?"

"No! No, never about us. I can't explain it. I just feel like something awful is going to happen," she said, turning to shut her suitcase…and to hide her quavering beak.

Negaduck gently stroked her red hair. Then, leaning around, he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Gos, I'm going to take the suitcases out to the cycle. Then I'm going to meet my--ahem--friend who's going to get us out of here. Why don't you wait here for us to come back? Just rest a bit before our trip," he said, taking both his and her suitcases in hand.

Gosalyn turned and gave him a sweet kiss. Smiling, she said, "Okay. But try to be fast about it."

He nodded. She followed him out of their bedroom, past a confused Bushroot, and to the door of the greenhouse. With one last kiss and a plea for him to be careful, Gosalyn watched as Negaduck ride away. Turning back for one last glance, she re-entered the greenhouse.

"What's going on?" Bushroot asked her as she passed the vegetable.

"None of your business," she answered, not necessarily cruelly.

"Fine," Bushroot huffed, walking away.

He donned a brown trench coat and hat, called to his pet…flytrap, and exited the greenhouse. Once the door was shut, Gosalyn collapsed on the couch, tired for some unexplainable reason.

We can't do this forever, she thought, rubbing the temples on her head.

But we can't do anything else, she argued with herself.

Gosalyn felt inexplicably like crying. Well, inexplicable to her. She had never been the crying sort. She had only cried as a child if the situation had merited it. The death of a close friend was one reason for her to cry. She had cried at Launchpad's funeral. Crying was also the natural reaction of someone begging forgiveness from someone else. Contrary to the beliefs of her father, she was sure, she had prayed for Launchpad's forgiveness for allowing herself to love the man who had murdered him. Gosalyn felt as if she had received that pardon. In fact, she could've sworn--the night she had secretly asked of this--that she had actually heard him speak to her.

"What's there to forgive, Gos?" he had asked her.

"I'm in love with the man that murdered you! Do you think I've forgotten you? That I've betrayed you?" she had sobbed.

"I know you haven't forgotten me, Gosalyn. I know that because of what you're doing right now. I know that means that you care…for both of us. As for betrayal, how could love ever be betrayal?"

Gosalyn's tears, upon this revelation, had transformed their purpose from sorrow to joyfulness. But now, as she sat on the ratty couch, crying silently now--fighting the sobs so hard that it was beginning to make her throat hurt--she wondered if the fear of running, of never being safe with her love--safe to have her love--was worth crying for. For that, she turned once again to Launchpad, for she felt as if he was always with her. That God Himself had made her father's old sidekick her personal Guardian Angel.

"Can I keep running? What do I do? What should we do?" she silently threw the question upwards.

Nothing but complicated feelings followed. She loved Negaduck. There was no question about that, about how she knew she couldn't be without him now. But she also loved her father. And she knew…knew how it must hurt him to have his little girl gone from him.

But I'm not a little girl, the naturally defensive nature of Gosalyn thought. He should realize that. Respect it.

Even as her mind argued, she knew the more sensible reply to this thought.

It's just that everything about this is making it hard for him. It doesn't mean he's right, and it doesn't mean you're wrong.

"So what happens now?" Gosalyn muttered aloud.

"Now, you come home," she heard her father replied as she turned.

In a move that Gosalyn thought she would have never live to see, a white cloth covered her beak, and her eyes began to droop. Her world went black.

End Notes: Wow, I've kind of made ol' DW the bad guy here, haven't I? I feel really bad for doing this. Seriously. But, I'm sad to say that it's going to get worse before it gets better. Please review!