I awoke with a headache and crick in my neck, which wasn't that desirable. I groaned as I made a move to sit up, and realised I was in my bed, in the pyjamas I wore yesterday for our lazy day. That was when I remembered what happened. Merida was up on the second floor of the library with me, trying to calm me down from a very bad bout of emotion.

I let out a guttural groan, rubbing my hands harshly on my face as I tried to rub the sleep out of them. And doing this, I could feel how raw my face was. How long was I crying for?

I pushed the thought aside and begrudgingly got out of bed, ready to get all washed up and ready. I picked out a fresh change of clothes…

And finally realised I was alone in my room. Looking back to the bed, I noticed Gladius was nowhere in sight, and even Maple wasn't in his flower pot.

It filled me with this uneasy feeling that I had probably passed out from all the crying and had to be taken to bed. I looked down and blushed despite being all alone, ashamed at myself for losing control that much.

I sighed and continued picking out a fresh change of clothes, before heading into my bathroom to shower. I turned the water on and sat on the toilet, my thoughts stewing as I waited for my shower to warm up. This was going to be difficult, and I feared about when it would be time, but all I did was close my eyes and took a deep breath.

Merida was right. And I knew what I needed to do.

When I noticed my bathroom mirror fogging up, I got undressed and simply let the water wash over my body. It relaxed my sore neck and helped give life back to my face. I took a good long while, just letting the water beating down on me before I actually decided to start getting cleaned. After washing myself down and drying off, I wiped away the fog at the mirror and looked at my reflection.

My eyes were still a bit red, but otherwise I looked good. I ruffled my hair into its usual messy mop and quickly brushed my teeth. With my morning routine finished, I left the bathroom and made my way over towards the door to the hallway.

Only to pause, and chose to head out the way that went to the Rec Room.

Heading through the door, I was greeted by an empty, quiet room. Well, empty except for a sleeping sword and plant on the couch. I gave Gladius and Maple a small smile, and carefully walked past them and sat down on a nearby armchair. It was soft, and I simply sank into it as I watched my two companions with a wistful look.

I took a deep breath when I turned my attention away from them so I could scan around the room, but that was apparently enough noise to wake my friends up. I watched as Gladius, without his scabbard, stirred and stretched, a drowsy Maple wiggling off of him.

"Hmmmmmm…?" The sword grumbled. He began to hover, looking over at me. "Ah… Caleb. Good morning."

"Hey", I greeted quietly as Maple slowly made his way over to me and onto my lap. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Well, last night", The sword explained, "When I was finally able to make it back to the Rec Room, Merida was coming out of the library with you passed out in her arms. She lied to the others that you were just really tired after all the energy and excitement yesterday, and it ended up knocking you out."

"But I'm assuming she told you the truth?" I mumbled.

Gladius nodded. "I helped her get you into bed, and she explained to me about how distraught you became because of… that. So me and Maple decided to let you sleep in peace."

I nodded sadly and subconsciously chose not to look at him. "I just… I can't handle a goodbye. I don't like that permanency.

"I understand that", the sword continued. "I will be honest, that was what me and Rainbow were arguing about yesterday. She was trying to put her foot down about the others, but I didn't let her get a word in. After you suddenly popped up, it seemed to suddenly hit her that she could lose you again."

"You did also call her something really bad", I pointed out.

Gladius was silent, then sighed. "I apologised to her about that. She was just being so stubborn, but I realised I was letting get to me far too much. But, I made sure to tell her she had to make the right choice. Or else she'd regret it."

I nodded but remained silent, letting Maple climb up onto my shoulder and nuzzle my cheek. We stayed like that for a bit longer before the sound of the door towards the hallway opening hit our ears. Looking over, I smiled as Katania came in, looking chipper as ever.

"Hey Caleb!" She said with a rapid wave. I waved back as she walked around the couch and sat down on it. "How are you feeling? All rested up?"

I hesitated when I thought she knew about my emotional breakdown, but then nodded when I realised what she meant. "Yeah, I'm feeling better. Yesterday just took a lot out of me, but I'm all better now!"

"That's great!" She gave me a lopsided smile. "Oh, yeah, I wanted to let you know that all of us wished you goodnight. We felt bad when we saw Merida and Gladdy lug you off to bed, so we thought today we could take it easy. Everyone is gonna go off and explore the castle on their own, so it's just us!"

I nodded in understanding. "That's cool. But… Maybe we could tag along with some of the others? I don't know… just…" I trailed off and fell silent.

Kat gave me a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

"I passed out because I was crying", I admitted. I couldn't keep this from her. "Earlier yesterday, I caught Gladius and Rainbow arguing yesterday, and I thought it was because she didn't want the others to visit. And… I couldn't handle the thought of saying goodbye."

Katania gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. "Oh my god… Caleb, I… That's… Why would Rainbow be like that?"

"Paranoia", Gladius said bluntly with a frustrated edge. "Rainbow is this all powerful god, but she's afraid of the Council reacting negatively." He softened up considerably. "Although, I will admit, it most likely is because of her trauma from the Vortex. She's never been the same since."

I gave Gladius a wide-eyed, sad look. Then, after a moment of silence, I looked down. "I never thought of it like that."

The sword nodded sombrely. "I hope I was able to convince her otherwise. Our argument yesterday was… fierce, to say the least."

"I guess you still have some of that resentment of being locked up, huh?" Katania asked in a quiet voice.

The sword paused. "I never thought of that. Perhaps that's part of it."

"Okay, how about we talk about something else" I said suddenly and a bit louder than I wanted. "If we keep talking about this, I think I'm gonna start crying again."

"Right, yes, let's", Gladius agreed quickly.

"DO you want to do something today, Caleb?" Kat asked.

I took a deep breath to calm my emotions, and smiled in a strained sort of way. "I don't know. But maybe something…" I trailed off when I heard what sounded like chatter from outside. And I was right, as The Doctor came waltzing in with a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Ah, there you are my boy!" the bow-tie wearing man said in a chipper tone. I shared a look with Kat, and she just shrugged. "I was wondering if you would be up to accompany us! Oh, and you three are more than welcome to come, of course."

"Okay, hold on", I said, waving my hands. "First, accompany you where? And two, us?"

"Me and Zomboss ended up hearing about this castle's place of invention, and we wanted to check it out." Doctor Who gave me an innocent smile.

Gladius huffed out a laugh. "Ah, yes, the workshop, as I used to call it. I'd like to see how it's changed over the years."

I hummed. "I don't see why not. If I'm living here, I should know where all the important rooms are." Maple nodded rapidly on my shoulder, a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Well, if you guys are doing this", Katania began. "I can lead the way. It's closer towards the military hangar, and I've got the clearance."

"Excellent!" Zomboss suddenly cheered as he barged in the room. The four of us that were in here originally all jumped at his volume. "After hearing some of the staff slip up about that last night, my curiosity peaked! And I just had to get The Doctor in on it!"

Who smiled at me again, and I laughed as Katania and Gladius huffed. But that just meant it was decided, we were going on an inventive adventure! So, with a smile on my face and a spring in my step, I followed after Katania as she led us out of the Rec Room and down the corridor. Gladius hovered above us and Maple remained on my shoulder while Zomboss and The Doctor followed close behind.

One surprising thing was that it seemed the Ponds and Jenny were joining us, as they were waiting at the end of the hall. As one group, we followed Kat to this supposed workshop that was gonna be the centre of my day's activities.

~X~

We were still following as we reached another hallway with a wall length window. Only instead of showing us the city, it showed us a small town that rested inside a fancy and high metal fence. The town was lively, with scattered buildings painted green and grey amongst small green fields and proud trees.

"This seems like a quaint place to live", Jenny said as we all paused to look at the town.

"That's my home", Katania mentioned. When we all looked at her, she continued. "That's the town most of the army lives in. It has easy access to the hangar, but isn't completely cut off. There's a road somewhere that cuts under the castle and heads towards a special entrance by the museum's parking lot."

"That's interesting…" Amy mumbled. "Which home is yours?"

"The one in the back there." She pointed towards a house on a small hill, and we all took in the sight.

The building was at least as wide and long as the other houses, only looked to be two floors taller than the others. It looked very fancy, almost as if it was from the European countryside.

"That's a really nice home, Kat", Rory said kindly.

"Thanks, Rory", Katania said back shyly. "It's the home that all the past generals of the army have used, and now it's mine. Well, my mom's, but still."

"Interesting…" Zomboss muttered as he stroked his chin. "I would love to have a tour sometime."

Katania cringed. "Maybe. You need some high clearance to enter, though. And I can't get you in. Caleb and Gladius, maybe. Only because they're with Rainbow, Virus and the twins. The rest of you… I don't think so."

"Shame", The Doctor said as he looked over the town. "I would like to at least meet some of these people."

"You can talk to them in the hangar", Katania said, continuing on her way. We all followed after her as she continued. "The hangar is open to all staff and guests because security is high enough to let them walk around."

"Explains how I bumped into you", I said cheekily. Katania blushed and hid her face in her hair, earning quiet chuckles from the others.

"Yeah, yeah… shush." She bumped me lightly, trying to guide me towards another door. It was noticeably different from the others, as it was a set of steel double doors.

"This must be it!" The Doctor said in giddy excitement, even doing a little dance as he walked on in. Zomboss followed shortly after.

"Guys!" Katania chided as the rest of us followed them in. "You can't go running in without me! You could get in trouble!"

"But look at this place!" Zomboss cheered. I looked around, and he was right, the room looked crazy cool. It looked like it was a combination of a laboratory and factory, with catwalks above so crew members could walk about without getting in the way.

Sparks flew as electrical wires dangled around haphazardly, or as welders worked tirelessly to meld pieces of metal together. I noticed there was what looked to be a firing range of some kind, scorch marks all over as a new series of worn steel dummies were raised, only for them to be blasted back down by some powerful looking cannons.

We followed Kat carefully, avoiding all hazards as we headed to the back of the room. Maple clung to me as we walked past a metal and glass making area, the molten rock used to make it hot even from a good few metres away. I gently rubbed the side of the Wasabi Whip as I quickly passed by, the plant quickly relaxing.

Towards the back of the room was what looked to be some sort of R area, with men and women in lab coats looking over blueprints on white boards or on tables, eyes clouded with thought and excitement.

We continued to walk through, the sounds of hammering and welding getting quieter until we made it to the very back of the room. The back was a fairly large area with tables, white boards, and miscellaneous boxes filled with random junk. There were a few more R employees wandering around, but they all seemed so preoccupied with their own work they barely noticed us.

"Okay, so until I can talk to some of the higher ups…" Katania began, looking over her shoulder. "You guys can all stay here. Everyone who is part of castle staff knows me, so don't worry about me being kicked out suddenly."

"We weren't worried about that all too much", I said. "Although I am a bit worried about us being kicked out if you aren't here…"

"Don't you still have your own pass?" She asked me.

Gladius quickly flashed the ID card up. "Luckily it was still on your vanity the whole time we were gone, so I made sure to snag it before we got too far."

"That explains why you ran back…" Jenny said flatly.

"Hey, it means you guys are safe", Katania said with a shrug. "I'll be back, don't run off too far." She held up a finger, gave us a look, and walked off, leaving the seven of us on our own.

The Doctor was looking around like a kid in a candy store, while Zomboss had this face that made me fear we'd be caught up in one of his schemes. They both looked to be in the element, and I had no idea if I should fear it or admire it.

"So… what are you two planning on making?" Rory asked carefully.

"Preferably something to help back at home", The Doctor pondered as he walked over to a white board, using one of the available markers to sketch out a rough plan.

"I'm interested in seeing how far I can push the technology here", Zomboss said in a foreboding tone. "Just if it's up to snuff to help me create something for use back at Zombopolis."

"Well, that'll be fun", Amy grumbled. "If what's built literally blows up in our face, I have the right to slap both of you."

"Yes ma'am…" Both scientists squeaked out fearfully. Mrs.Pond rounded them with one last glare before turning my attention back to the rest of us.

"So what do we do?" She asked.

"I suppose we do our own thing", Gladius said in thought, "Help them if they ask…"

"And enjoy the fireworks when they happen", I said cheekily. That made the others smirk, and we all moved to another table. Amy and Rory walked off to a stack of boxes to see what was in them, while Jenny stuck close to me.

"So, how are you doing Caleb?" She asked me.

I shrugged as Maple and Gladius went to join the Ponds. "I've been better. Still a bit tired, but that's fine."

She gave me a neutral look. "Earlier today, I checked the gateway being built on the balcony…"

I gulped as my heart rate sped up. "And…?"

"It looks like it'll be done by the end of the week."

I felt my heart physically crack. "Yep, that's great", I said through a strained smile and clenched teeth. "Great, wonderful even!"

Jenny was silent again as she looked me over. "I know you don't like that Caleb. But like Merida said, Rainbow will be in one heck of a fight if she tries to keep us all apart."

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, I kinda thought you'd hear…" I turned away from her. "I just… after being with all of you over the course of two months, saying goodbye just doesn't feel right. Especially with you, Ralph, Vanellope and Steve. You four have been through all of this with me and Gladdy the longest…"

The teenage robot put a hand on my shoulder. "I feel the same way. And I'll be honest… These two months have been more fun than my whole life. Even with the low points, I've never felt more alive. It feels like I can do anything with you or the others."

"I do too…" I mumbled. "Which makes the permanency of a goodbye all the more scarier."

"Caleb, look at me." I hesitated, but eventually looked Jenny right into her loving eyes. "You are like a brother to me. With everything we've done, I can say that with nothing but honesty. You've made my life so much better all because you gave me the chance to meet Maria, Star, Ralph, Steve, and everyone else. You made it so we could see things we never thought were possible, and I wouldn't trade that for the world."

"Same here", Rory mentioned. I looked over and saw the Ponds approaching the two of us again with reassuring smiles. "Hell, with what we've dealt with in just our home alone, not having you guys there would have made it ten times more boring."

"I liked walking into the TARDIS and seeing what Majima or Dave were getting up to", Amy added. "It was this breath of fresh air. With The Doctor, we could expect anything, but then you all showed up and blew that out of the water."

I could feel a smile slowly grow on my face. "You guys mean that?"

"Of course we do", Jenny reaffirmed. "If we're here, we always do."

I smiled brighter as tears lightly pooled in my eyes. "You guys…" I sniffled and wiped my eyes. "What did I do to deserve any of you?"

"We could ask the same question about you, Caleb", Rory said with an almost fatherly smile.

"Hey! Are you four done babbling over there?!" Zomboss roared. The four of us at the table all jumped and looked over, with Jenny and the Ponds shooting him a glare. "The Doctor and I have something planned out, and we'll need help with this!"

The teenage robot rolled her eyes as we all began to walk over to them. As we did, I carefully slid up next to Amy and stood on my tiptoes so I could whisper something in her ear.

"At least now you have a bigger reason to slap them now", I said.

She snorted, then immediately broke out into a fit of contagious laughter, and soon all four of us were laughing like toddlers. The two scientists looked at us as if we were crazy, while Gladius and Maple looked over from the boxes.

It was just then Katania finally showed back up. "So we got the go ahead… what did I miss?" She trailed off and started a new sentence when she saw us still laughing.

"I'll tell you later…" I said, calming down my giggles. She gave me a weird look, but shrugged as we all moved to help the two inventors with… whatever they had planned.

~X~

It was utter chaos, and I couldn't be happier.

Basically, The Doctor and Zomboss agreed to try and build a separate portal device for the TARDIS so it could travel the multiverse with ease, and even the madman with a bow-tie was apparent of my distraught over everyone leaving potentially forever. So we all tried to pitch in and build something for the TARDIS.

Gladius was all on board as well, as he explained the technology at the Capital could make something like that if we built it correctly. So we all got to work and built based on the blueprints that were drawn up on the white board.

The first model immediately turned to ash when it was turned on. Not even a second of life. Just switch flick and poof. I laughed at the silliness of it.

The second model exploded. Not a violent explosion, more like a balloon pop as the metal scrap we used to build it went everywhere. Amy didn't slap for that, much to the scientists' relief.

"Not yet", she whispered to me, making me snort.

The third model simply fell apart like we didn't spend half an hour screwing it together. I would have laughed, but I actually cut myself while helping to make it, so I was more frusterated if anything.

The fourth model, when it was turned on, flew up into the air and blasted Jenny with a bolt of electricity. She jolted as the bolt crashed down on her, left standing and covered in soot as the pieces of the device landed around her or limply off her head.

The teenage robot made sure to zap the inventors for that.

The fifth model exploded. This time, though, it actually exploded. We were blown back but mostly unharmed as the device was reduced to nothing. After we removed, Amy spent the next few minutes chasing Zomboss and The Doctor around until she caught them and slapped them both. She looked proud when she walked back over.

The sixth and final model did nothing.

At first.

After a few seconds of nothing, it suddenly shut off in a random direction and started bouncing off the walls all a ping-pong ball. I was holding myself back from making the appropriate noises as it kept up its rapid and dangerous movement. It only stopped when Gladius stupidly flew in front of it, catching it with ease. Except the force set both of them into a nearby wall, making us all wince at the sound.

Peeking around the table we used as cover, we all saw the machine in pieces on the floor and Gladius embedded in the wall, leaving a him-shaped crater in the wall.

"Okay, I think that's a sign we should stop", Rory said firmly. "We don't need any of us losing a hand."

"You're no fun…" Zomboss grumbled dejectedly. "Science is about trial and error. Stuff like this is commonplace."

"As much as I believe that…" The Doctor droned out, nursing his still sore cheek from when Amy slapped him. "I think we should try this again some other time. Preferably when it's just us two, and we don't have to worry about angering the other adults…"

"Yeah, sure", Amy said flatly with an eye roll. "I say we head out and get something to eat. And then maybe have a nap. I'm exhausted."

"I second that", I grumbled, feeling the bags under my eyes. "Science and inventing is fun and all, but the injuries are not worth it!"

Rory ruffled my messy mop of hair as Kat hugged my arm. "Let's go then", Katania said with a smile. "I wanna see what the others have been up to, anyway."

I nodded, and me and her left with Maple on her shoulder and Gladius hovering by my side. She led me through the workshop, which seemed to be in the process of closing. The others didn't make a move to follow, making me assume they were sticking behind to help Zomboss and The Doctor help clean up. It made me feel a bit guilty that we were leaving all of that for them to clean up.

When we left the workshop, Kat quickly began to make her way back to my bedroom. I was shocked at how quick she could be, pulling me around corners as if she was on a track. It was extremely jarring, and based on Maple's discombobulated appearance, it was a mutual feeling.

Soon enough, we made it to my room, with none of the others in sight. I was going to ponder what they could be doing, but my musings were cut off when Kat pulled me into my room.

"Okay, I'll order you a light dinner", she said sweetly. "You get ready for bed, I want you to get plenty of rest."

I shook my head and sputtered as Gladius and Maple did as they were told with no counter. "But… why?"

"Because I have plans for tomorrow and I want you 100%." Kat shot me a wink. "I'll get going. Love ya', Caleb!" She called out that last bit as she waved, darting out of my room and shutting the door.

I waved back slowly, utterly befuddled. But I snapped out of that when I heard some quiet laughter behind me, so I spun around to shoot Gladius a pointed glare.

"What's so funny, butter knife?" I spat indignantly.

"I just think you two are adorable", he explained in a kind tone. "You two were separated for two months, and yet here you two are talking like you knew each other for years."

my expression softened considerably as I moved over to my dresser. "Yeah… Yeah, you're right. It feels weird when you say it, but when we're together, it just feels like nothing's different." I paused. "I like that. Okay, Imma go change. Call me when my food shows up."

Gladius and Maple waved me off, moving to the small couch I had as I headed into the bathroom.

Despite my worries of the future, this was a fantastic day.

~X~

After taking a short break, chapter 84 is out! Happy how this one turned out, with the character moments and inventing montage. It was fun to write!

But yes, Jenny hinting at the gateway nearing completion is hinting at the end of the fic. I'm gonna cry when I get to it, but it'll be so satisfying. Hopefully this whole journey was worth it!

Also, shoutout to my buddies at the TDWriters server. Y'all are real ones, for getting me into fanfiction in general. Love you all, and I hope life treats you well!

Up next: Caleb is dragged along on a girls day Katania set up. Despite his protests, he can't help but love spending time with his best friend (even if the other girls keep teasing him)…

~Caleb~