Chapter 27 Albert's New Life

Celia sighed as she laid in her bed while looking up in the ceiling. She did her best not to cry. She had told herself that crying wouldn't help anyone, nor would it get Roy out of jail. She swallowed her tears, her breathing heavy. She wished there was something she could do. She wished there was a way to fix all of this.

But there wasn't. Roy was in jail, and there was nothing she could do about it. This particular thought caused more tears, a cascade of tears in fact, to fall out of her eyes. She did her best to wipe them away, but the effort was futile. She cried so many tears that she wouldn't be surprised if she drowned in them.

Realizing that trying to sleep in her current state would be just as difficult as not crying, Celia got up out of bed. The floor beneath her bare feet felt cold as she made her way out into the living room. While sitting on the couch, she took long, deep breaths. She tried to tell herself that this was all going to be alright. That's all she really could do at this point in time. And hey, maybe if she said it enough times, she would end up believing it. Maybe she could push all her worries to the side and actually feel better.

She almost snorted at that proposition. Without thinking, she pulled her legs up onto the couch and hugged her knees. She sniffled again, and the tears came back. They covered her face, drenching it in a manner that would take hours if not days to dry up. She put her head in her lap, not knowing any way that would allow her to feel better.

And that's when the door opened. The sound surprised her, as she previously believed that no one had been outside of the house. She lifted her head, not really knowing who to expect. That uncertainty made her gasp all the more strong.

"Roy?"

Roy smiled at her. "Hey Cee."

Celia sat still for a minute, not really believing what she was seeing. And then, she entered into a state of high strung, positive yet confused emotions. She got up off the couch and ran to her boyfriend. She cried and cried as she embraced him. The way he hugged her back was probably the sweetest hug Celia had ever received in her life.

"Roy" She couldn't stop crying to save her life. "I can't… I can't believe…. It's you! It's really you!"

Roy chuckled. "Yep! It's me, right here and in the flesh!"

She pulled herself away from him and looked into his face. There were so many emotions painted on his face. One of the most prominent and pronounced ones was relief, which she didn't blame him for in the slightest. He also appeared to be overjoyed, and this only proved to be all the more true as he looked into Celia's face.

Celia's face fell. "How… how did… how are you here right now? Why aren't you in jail?"

Before Roy could answer, a second person made their presence known by stepping around him. Celia blinked, not believing what she was seeing for the second time that night. "Albert?"

Albert smiled. "I paid Shady's bail." He walked up and put his arm on Roy's shoulder. "I thought it would be the best thing to do." His face fell. "Granted, I'm officially broke now." He smiled. "But I think it was worth it."

Celia's jaw dropped. Wait, what? Albert paid the bail? The bail of a koopa? He spent every last penny he had for the well being of a koopa? Celia did double take after double take. She even pinched and slapped herself, not entirely sure that this wasn't a dream.

"That's unbelievable." Before she could stop herself, she went over and embraced Albert. "Thank you, Albert! Thank you so much!"

While he might not have sometime earlier, Albert hugged her back. "Of course, Cee. We're family. I couldn't just sit back and not help my family when they needed me most."

That statement - that statement right there - melted Celia's heart. Family. Yes, they were family. Albert recognized that, a fact that put Celia over the moon. To hear that Albert, the same person who hadn't valued her because of where half of her DNA came from, say and acknowledge that he and her were family…

"Of course we're family." Celia dried another one of her numerous tears. "I always knew family was what was most important." She sniffled, putting on a smile despite wanting to collapse into a puddle of grateful emotions. "You… I'm proud to have you as a cousin, Albert."

"Same, Celia." Celia once again went over the moon; was this the first time that Albert addressed her by her name? "Same."

Celia grinned now, her heart so overwhelmed by everything that she didn't want this moment to end. However, something soon occurred to her. It didn't exactly kill the mood, but it did dampen it a little bit. She turned back toward Roy, her brow furrowed.

"But wait. Won't you have to face a trial sometime in the near future?"

Roy's face fell as he scratched the back of his head. "Well… probably. I mean, I would imagine so."

That made Celia's heart skip a beat. Oh NO! What could they do about that? What chance did Roy have of being declared innocent in a trial where absolutely everybody, from the judge to the jury to even the onlookers, was against him? Oh, it wouldn't be too out of the question for Roy to be given prison for life! Sure, the Mushroom Kingdom had a law against cruel and unusual punishment, which a life sentence would certainly qualify as for a crime as minor as petty larceny. But that provided Celia little comfort due to Roy being a koopa. To the Mushroomers, there was no such thing as a punishment too cruel or unusual when koopas were involved.

Just as she was about to go into a downward spiral, Albert stepped forward. "I'll take care of that. I'll talk to the store employee, showing her evidence and maybe even going through some security camera footage if she has such a thing." He wore a determined look. "I don't care how long it takes; I'll get her to drop the charges."

Celia still felt a little uncertain. "You think she will?"

"Oh, I know she will." Albert smirked. "I can be very persuasive."

Even though she wasn't one hundred percent sure, Celia still smiled. "Okay. If you're sure, I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be." She looked back at Roy. "Oh, I'm so glad you're free." She hugged him again, squeezing his scaly body with enough force to pop his heart out.

"Me too," Roy said as he hugged her back, squeezing her even harder than how she was squeezing him (which didn't surprise her due to Roy's natural strength). After a little bit though, he let go. "Oh!" The grin he wore wasn't happy per say; instead, it was excited. "We've got some more news! Your aunt has been found!"

Celia's eyes grew wide. "Wait, really?" Her jaw dropped as she looked between her cousin and her boyfriend. Neither one of them looked like they were joking. "That's incredible!"

Albert cringed. "Yeah…" he hesitated, now looking more concerned and more uncertain than Celia had ever seen him. "About that…"

…

A few days later, Roy and the entire Patch-Marksmite family stood before Albert in the house's living room. As Celia looked at her cousin, she didn't know what to feel. On the one hand, he had somehow managed to convince the store clerk to drop the charges (a miracle to end all miracles), which filled her with more joy than she could feasibly comprehend. On the other hand though… this situation was difficult. It was difficult for her, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was difficult for Albert. The fact that he had spent most of his freetime looking out the house's main window with a frown on his face really convinced her of that fact.

"Well…" Albert bit his lip as he held onto his tulip. Even though he did his best to keep a steady grip, Celia still noticed that his hands shook. "I guess this is it. I'm really doing this."

Celia nodded before exchanging a look with Roy. On some level, this was wrong. It was very wrong of Alicia to completely abandon her own son because he decided to help out a koopa. Sure, him ultimately coming to the conclusions he did about koopas was very good for all of them, and yes, she did feel that him going off to live on his own and pursue his dreams as opposed to his mother's was a great thing. An excellent thing, as a matter of fact. But under these circumstances? No. These were very unfortunate circumstances, and the impact that the last few days had on Albert was apparent just from looking at how much and how strongly he was shaking.

So, she took a step forward. "I'm sure you'll do great." She smiled. "It'll probably be amazing. You'll get to do everything that you want to do."

Albert sniffled before nodding. "That is true." His teeth visibly and audibly chattered. "I just… I don't know, I just don't really know if I can handle this."

"Yu'll do fine," Ruby said. She smiled at her nephew. "You're a Patch; you'll be able to forge your own path just fine."

"And we'll always be here, in case you want to visit us," Singe chimed in. "We'll welcome you back with open arms."

"Yeah," Roy said. "And remember, you can always come to me for money." He chuckled. "Sure, family support is cool, but it pales in comparison to the awesome gift of a never ending bank account!"

This got everyone in the room to laugh. Unfortunately, Celia noticed very quickly that Albert's laughs were the weakest. In fact, the young man looked like he was about to break down at any moment. Celia could already imagine what was going through his head; all the memories with his mother, all the uncertainty that he would be able to make do, all the guilt, resentment, and sadness that came packaged with what would possibly be the last encounter he would ever have with Alicia. All of these were loud enough to be heard even when Albert didn't say a single word. And if they were this overwhelming toward an outside like Celia, she couldn't even begin to imagine the effect they had on him. The fact that he was standing tall instead of crying in a corner was really impressive. It also spoke volumes about his character.

So, with these realizations in mind, Celia went over and hugged him, just like on that fateful night where he had managed to pay Roy's bail. However, there was a whole boatload of differences between that time and this one. Celia had been the one overwhelmed with emotions back then. This time, it was Albert, and he needed as much love and support as anyone could get.

"You can do this," she whispered at him. "I know you can."

Before long, everyone else joined in on the hug. "We're all very proud of you," Ruby said as she held onto her nephew. "You're an amazing person, one who we're happy to have in our family."

Albert sniffled, which prompted everyone to squeeze harder. Celia didn't want to let go. Even as Albert's breathing slowed down to a calmer rate, she didn't want to let go of him. He was starting a new, bigger, scarier chapter of his life. If there was anytime where he would need his family, it would be now.

Eventually though, she had to let go. When she did, Albert wore a smile. "Thanks guys." He dried a tear from his eye. "That really means a lot." He turned toward the door. "Well…I guess I'm off." He stole one more glance at everyone, then got one more glance at his tulip before taking a deep breath and exiting. The sound of the door closing rang in Celia's ears. She almost wanted to run outside herself and give him one last hug.

"You think he'll be okay?" Celia asked.

"Of that, I have no doubt," Singe said.

"Yeah," Roy added. "He's got a lot of spunk." He smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. "In that sense, it's not surprising to me that you two are related." This got a laugh out of Celia.

"I have a feeling he'll do alright too." Ruby smiled. "And I know that I'll try to support him in anyway I can."

Celia beamed. When did she and Albert get so lucky to have such amazing family? Before, she had questioned whether or not it was worth it to even consider Albert family. But now? Now, she gladly would. Sure, Albert still had a lot of growing to do. But despite his flaws, he was putting in a genuine effort. He was constantly trying to do the right thing, and trying his best to be the best possible version of himself that he could be.

Celia really did feel proud to have him as a cousin.

AN: Well…it's finished! Hopeful nothing about it felt too rushed (oh goodness, I really do hope nothing feels too rushed).

This was another story I started all the way back in 2021. And honestly, like The Ferocious Five, I questioned whether or not I would actually finish it for a while (especially considering it had an even longer hiatus than Ferocious Five). Heck, I even questioned if finishing it would be worth it. But I'm glad I stuck by this. I really am.

Thank you to everyone for all the support! You guys are really amazing. Stay safe and stay awesome! :)