A/N- I've decided to combine the final two chapters of this fic into one. This is it. Please enjoy!
Chapter 12- In the Nick of Time
"Noooooooooooo!" came Gosalyn's frantic screech as she threw herself in between Negaduck and Darkwing.
Darkwing quickly pointed the barrel of the gun up into the air. Negaduck couldn't help but let go with a sigh of relief. Gosalyn, chest heaving from her run, stood with her arms spread straight out from her sides in front of her love. Her eyes were locked; however, on her father.
"Gosalyn, move!" Darkwing demanded.
"No!" Gosalyn said, her voice still a yell. "I've had enough of this stupidity!"
"Dark!" Morgana's voice called.
Darkwing's, Gosalyn's, and Negaduck's heads turned to see Morgana and Gizmoduck rushing towards them. However, it was not long until they switched their attention back to each other. Morgana and Gizmoduck came to a halt feet away from the scene.
Gosalyn shook her head, trying to move her rain-soaked locks from her eyes. It worked only for a few moments.
"Gosalyn…" Negaduck said, trying to stand.
With a sharp intake of breath, he fell back to the ground. Without taking her eyes from her father, Gosalyn said, "Don't try to move."
"Just…move, Gos. Please, I'm doing this for your own good!" Darkwing said.
"My own good?" she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "Dad, talking about this sensibly would be for my own good. Not this. Dad, this isn't you. You're not a murderer. Why are you doing this? What are you afraid of?"
"He's no good for you, Gosalyn! He'll only hurt you!" Darkwing said, apparently trying to reason.
"Dark, darling, just please listen to what Gosalyn has to say," Morgana said.
Gosalyn gazed over at her step-mother, who smiled warmly at her. A great weight lifted from her heart to know that finally one of her family members understood.
"Morg? Do you hear yourself?" Darkwing asked her.
"Yes, darling, I do. I'm not deaf. I have been blind, though. Blind to the truth of things. Darkwing, don't you realize? Negaduck's love for her is genuine, or he never would've come here for her! It's never been her safety that's worried us! It's been our own fears!"
Darkwing shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to hear this. Not from you, Morg."
"Dad, are you afraid that you'll lose me? Like you lost Launchpad? That's not going to happen!" Gosalyn said.
Suddenly, Darkwing's eyes welled up.
"I--I can't lose my little girl," he said, nearly weeping.
Finally budging from her spot in front of Negaduck, Gosalyn walked over to her father. Hugging him, she whispered, "And you never will."
With a great sigh from everyone, the gun fell from Darkwing's hands as he hugged his daughter. Morgana and Gizmoduck rushed forward and helped Negaduck up.
"Thanks," he muttered.
After a few moments, Darkwing pulled back and looked from Negaduck to Gosalyn.
"I'm…sorry. I know that doesn't cover it…not even close. But I am…I don't know what came over me," Darkwing said. "I…I can't believe that I almost killed you."
"Not a problem," Negaduck muttered, the sarcasm not going unnoticed.
Gosalyn laughed. "Morgana, could you heal him? Maybe just enough so I can get him to a hospital?"
"I'll try," she said.
Locating a crate, Gizmoduck sat Negaduck down, and Morgana moved to begin healing him. Darkwing turned to Gosalyn and sighed.
"So…you really love him?" he asked.
She nodded. He sighed. She hugged him again.
"I'm so sorry I ran away, Dad," she said.
"Well, I'm not without fault there, either. Just…let's promise not to go crazy ever again, okay?"
"Promise."
"You know, guys, our problems aren't over yet," Gizmoduck said.
"Oh, what do you mean?" Negaduck asked in despair.
"Well, you're immortal, Negs. Gos isn't."
"You know," Morgana said, pocketing the bullet she had just magically removed from Negaduck's leg. "He's right. That is a problem."
"How so?" Negaduck asked.
"Well, it's all a question of how devoted you are to Gosalyn," Darkwing said. "I mean, do you want to spend eternity with her? Cause I'm sure Morg could arrange it."
"Then the question is, does Gosalyn want to live forever…let alone with you?" Gizmoduck asked, playfully giving Gosalyn a punch on the shoulder.
"Well, as of right now, I do want to spend eternity with you, but I don't want to spend it as a seventeen year old. I mean, legally, I can't do anything," Gosalyn said.
"I know what you're getting at," Negaduck said, taking no offense to the "as of right now."
"What?" Darkwing asked.
"Exactly," Gosalyn said, ignoring her father. "When I reach twenty-one, if I still want to, then Morgana can cast the immortality spell on me. Then, if I don't, then she doesn't."
"And that'll give you two plenty of time to get to know whether you want to spend eternity with each other or not!" Morgana said, smiling. "It's a wonderful plan."
"Sounds about right to me," Negaduck said, pushing up on Gizmoduck to stand. "Now, if you and Giz here don't mind, Gos, could you see about getting me to a hospital? I'm still in a lot of pain."
"Oh!" Gosalyn said, running to him and allowing him to use one shoulder as a prop. "Of course! We'll meet you back at McDuck Manor, if that's okay?"
"We'll be there if you will," Darkwing said.
Gosalyn smiled. "Deal."
Once they were on their way, Darkwing sighed and sat down. Morgana sat beside her husband.
"What did I almost do? Have I lost my mind?" Darkwing asked her.
"It's…understandable, as incredulous as that may sound. You were simply afraid of losing your daughter to the same man you lost your best friend to. Even I feared that," Morgana said, wrapping her arms around him.
"Aw, it was more than that, Morg. Admitting that they were really in love meant more than just losing Gosalyn…it meant losing the little girl that was my daughter. Now she's all grown up. She's gone. It happened so fast," he said, staring off in the direction that Gosalyn had headed.
"Well, I hear that happens with children, Dark. They grow up."
"Yeah, but I made so many mistakes. Especially here at the end…"
Morgana smiled. "Would you like a chance to try again?"
Darkwing looked at her, confused. "What?"
"Raising another child? Would you like a chance to be a parent again? I hope so, darling, because…I'm pregnant."
Darkwing leapt from his seat.
"Really? This is…this is great! Really?"
Morgana laughed, standing. "Yes, really. I found out about the same time that Gosalyn ran. I wanted to tell you, but we were all so preoccupied."
Darkwing kissed his wife. Then, hugging her, he said, "Wait until I tell Gosalyn. She's gonna love this!"
End Notes: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that. Sorry if the ending was a bit anticlimactic. This was one of those endings that just…you know, had to happen. As for how this story ended, I'm not really planning any sequels to this, chapter length, one shot or otherwise. However, I really loved this series, so I like to keep my options open. Thanks again for reading! See you next DW fic!