Disclaimer: I do not own DarkWing Duck or any other Disney character.

If you haven't read "The Path Chosen", this story isn't going to make sense to you.

This fic derives directly from the original story. It's a look into one of the DarkWing realities that could have been. This is the story of the one called Tracker.

Tracker's Story Part 9 the conclusion

J. Gander had once again summoned DarkWing Duck to SHUSH Headquarters to discuss the Time Continuum problem. DarkWing Duck once again refused to cooperate with them saying he could handle it on his own. The truth was he didn't want anything done. If what he had right now in life was a mistake of time and reality, he didn't want it corrected! He had everything he had ever wanted in his life and more! He wasn't giving it up, no way. For all he knew, reality as it was meant to be could have been a living nightmare. Maybe FOWL had taken control of the world or St. Canard was wiped out by the plague! Maybe he was doing the world a favor by not setting things right.

DarkWing had said only that he'd try and figure it out, that's it. J. Gander had a feeling the Masked Mallard was not wanting to change things. But he trusted DarkWing to do what was right in the end, he always had.

After DarkWing had left Dr. Bellum made a strange discovery. "Look here at the spectral light pattern." she told J. Gander. She decreased magnification to give a fuller view of the picture. The light pattern seemed to come to and abrupt stop about 3/4ths of the way across the screen. "You see where the Time and Space Continuum seem to stop?"

J. Gander nodded.

"That shouldn't be. This band of light should go on forever. It does represent time, after all."

"Oh," J. Ganders face paled slightly. "Is there anything we can do?"

Dr. Bellum shook her head. "That's up to DarkWing Duck, it's his life that's totally recking our whole worlds very existence." She glanced at the monitor. "What's this?" she asked.

"What's what?" J. Gander asked, almost afraid of what the answer might be.

"There's something else - around - the Time Continuum. I've never seen it before."

She expanded the view of the patter some more. Strange there was a sort of glare in the depths of space. Like a reflection of light. But for light to reflect, there has to be something for it to reflect off of. She recede the view screen several times. Moving visual

perspective back far enough to see what else was out there. Her jaw dropped and she shook her head "It can't be,"

"Wha ..what? What is it?" J. Gander asked fearfully.

"I'll show you." Dr. Bellum began to manipulate the image on the screen until a sort of transparent globe could be seen completely encasing the Time and Space light pattern.

"Good heavens,What is that thing?" J. Gander asked with amazement.

"A bubble.." Sara Bellum replied flatly. "Our entire existence is contained within a bubble." She pointed out "Do you see where the Time Continuum seems to start?"

J. Gander saw it "Just where the tear first started. When QuiverWing went into the future..." His eyes followed the Time Line to where it ended at the wall of the bubble, which, according to their data, was in the not so distant future.

For Drake Mallard, life went on. He refused to except that his. life as he knew it. was an error in time. He dealt with the appearances of his apparition the best he could, saying nothing to anybody other than Morgana.

As the weeks passed, Drake spent every spare moment with his baby son. He had cut back his hours on patrol every night and got up a little earlier ever day to spend time with Derek. Meanwhile, Gosalyn was staying away from home more than ever. She spent the night with friends as much as she could. When she was home, she stayed hid away in her room. Drake had not said a thing to her about it, mostly because he barely noticed her anymore. Though when Gosalyn's Birthday rolled around, he fell back on the family tradition rule. Holidays and special occasions were a family affair.

Drake had forbidden Gosalyn to leave the house that day, he didn't trust her to come home in time to celebrate her birthday with the family. So Gosalyn had to spend her birthday in front of the TV, looking for something to watch.

The day drug by slowly. Finally dinner time came and after that, Morgana brought out Gosalyn's birthday cake. She'd made it herself. A Double Chocolates Fudge cake and chocolate chip ice cream.

Morgana lit the candles and Gosalyn made a wish, though she doubted it would come true – the little rugrat was there to stay! She blew the candles out. But before they could have any cake she was to open the gifts they'd gotten for her.

Gosalyn was as listless about getting them as she had been at Christmas time. Still she opened them as politely as she could. Morgana had given her a ten pound box of chocolates, which Drake quickly confiscated, saying the girl could have one peace a day, no more.

Then came the gift from her dad. Gosalyn opened it. A book? She looked at the title How to be a Big Sister.

Morgana took one look at the book and felt ill "Oh Drake.."

Drake looked at his wife baffled by her reaction
"What? It's a perfect gift for her. It's very educational, Morgana. Gosalyn's a big girl now and she needs to learn how to be more responsible. " He took the book from Gosalyn and opened it. He held it open to a page and showed it to Gosalyn. "See, this tells you how you can help mommy and daddy with the baby. You can help change his diapers and give him a bath and when he gets older...."

Gosalyn slipped quietly out of her chair and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Drake asked her, not having finished telling her about the book. Gosalyn didn't answer, she just headed for the kitchen door.

"Hey," Drake called after her "Don't you want some cake and ice cream?"

She didn't answer. "Don't forget your book, you can read it when your in your room ...."

She was already gone.

Drake turned to his wife, still confused over what he'd done that was so wrong.

Morgana could only look at him and shake her head wearily "Oh Drake.."

Gosalyn had sat herself in front of the TV trying to find something entertaining to watch. And trying to get her mind off of how unfair her father was being with her over the baby.

He was so obsessed with his baby son that he didn't have time to be a father to her. It seemed to Gosalyn that now that he had a real kid, he didn't see her as his child anymore. He didn't even see her as a child anymore, rather he expected her to take the roll of an adult with Derek. Today was her birthday, she had just turned 10, she was still a child. She still needed a father, but apparently her father no longer needed her.

Flipping through the channels, she found a story about a kid stranded on an island with a wild horse, it might be worth watching. She was actually getting into the story, when Drake came in with Derek in Tow. He sat down on the sofa next to her and took the baby from his bassinet. He cradled Derek lovingly, making ridiculous baby talk to him the whole time, something in the line of "Did mummsie run daddy and Derek out of her old kitchen? Did she? Did she? Aguuee – Aguuee, goochie goochie goo..." Gosalyn stole a glance at her dads face. His entire face lit up when he looked at Derek, he had never even once looked at her that way.

Gosalyn scooted over to the other end of the sofa and turned up the volume to drowned at her fathers idiotic babbling. Just then the doorbell rang. Morgana came from the kitchen to answer it. "LaunchPad, come in," Gosalyn heard her Stepmother say.

Gosalyn saw LaunchPad walk in carrying a plastic bag. "I hope you and Drake don't mind my stopping by like this Morgana" he held up the bag "But I wanted to bring this by for a special somebody."

Gosalyn smiled, feeling a little better knowing that LaunchPad had not forgotten her birthday.

"Hey DW," LaunchPad called walking into the living room "Hey ya Gos."

"LP, It's good to see you. I know how hard it is for you to make it to our house from all the way down the street." DarkWing said in good humor.

"Aw DW, you know I just don't want to intrude. But," he said and reached into the bag "I just had to stop by and give this to Derek!" He pulled out an airplane shaped teething ring and handed it to the baby. Gosalyn's smile vanished. She sat and looked at the two men fussing over the baby. It was her Birthday, her dad had made her stay home all day because of it, and the baby gets all the attention – and the presents!

"So how does it feel to be a father?" LaunchPad asked oblivious to Gosalyn's presence.

Gosalyn had heard her dad asked that question so many times since the baby was born. Never once had he commented that he already knew what it was like to be a father.

"I tell you LP. There's not a feeling like it in the world." Drake said proudly as he watched Derek attempting to eat the gift just given him. "I never knew there was anything missing from my life until this little guy came along. I still can't believe it. He's all mine! You don't know how wonderful it feels like to have a child all your own, LP."

That was it. Gosalyn turned the TV off and headed for the staircase. "Hey Gos, where ya going?" LaunchPad asked. She didn't answer.

"Just ignore her LP," Drake said intentionally loud enough for Gosalyn to hear "She still going through the Jealous Sibling stage."

Suddenly, Gosalyn spun around, her emerald green eyes flashed with anger. "Sibling! That baby is not my sibling! How can he be! The one thing I've learned living in this house, family means blood!I'm not blood related to anybody in this house, so you're not my family. That stupid brat isn't my brother, Morgana isn't my mother ...and you're not my father!! You never were!!?" She scream those words at the top of her voice before running out the front door in tears.

Drake and LaunchPad both sat in utter shock, even the baby had been stilled by Gosalyn's loud outburst. If only Drake had known, he might have gone after her, begged her to forgive him. If he had only known that that would be the last time he ever saw Gosalyn again.

When she didn't come home that night, DarkWing Duck went looking for her. He searched everywhere all night and into the next morning. When he finally came home he was so exhausted that he only made it to the sofa before he collapsed onto the cushions and was asleep.

In his worried sleep, he had his final strange dream of the many paths of different colors and of Gosalyn.

He found himself halfway down the dark blue path. The weather had turned violent. He had gone down the path following the cries of his baby. But now the crying had stopped. Ahead of him, he saw only a shimmering wall like water suspended in mid air. He could see nothing beyond that. He looked around, then behind him. Gosalyn had stepped onto a completely different pathway and was moving away from him."Gosalyn stop!" he cried and tried to run after her. But every time he came to where the path he was on met the main path, he was suddenly back where he had started running." The whole time while his adopted child was moving further and further away. She followed a small path of what looked to be blue and white. She never once looked in his direction. She just kept walking. Then she was gone. "Gosalyn, come back! I'm sorry back.. Don't leave me, Gosalyn!!"

"Gosalyn, come back!!" Drake woke up yelling. He sat up on the sofa where he'd fallen asleep. Beads of sweat rolled from his brow. He was trembling. He understood the dreams meaning all to well, Gosalyn was gone form his life forever.

Time passed. Days drifted into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. In spite of the dream, he kept searching for his child. He searched the city, the country,the world, he never saw her again. Rumors sprang up with the passing of time. Some people said Gosalyn had run away to another country and married into a life of wealth and luxury at a very young age. Some rumors claimed the child had never left St Canard. She spent her entire life on the streets right under DarkWing's nose. Other rumors claimed the child had died the same day she ran away.

DarkWing had stopped listening to the rumors, they were more than he could bare. His life went on, however, but he was never really happy. He and Morgana had other children besides Derek. Drake had tried to be a loving father to them. But he just couldn't get close to them or anybody else after he lost Gosalyn. Perhaps a subconscious retribution to Gosalyn, in some way, for having driving her away.

He had changed his appearance by and by, trading in the cape and vest for a blue trenchcoat. He no longer felt like DarkWing Duck. It was Gosalyn who first believed in him and had made him the DarkWing Duck the world had come to know.

Ironically, his detective skills were honed to perfection in his search for his daughter. He had put away his use of hi-tech gadgets. Waffle Launchers and Laser guns weren't going to help him find his daughter. As his detective skills became known world wide, he was enlisted to help solve mysteries that had stumped even Shedlock Jones. He'd even discovered Elvis was alive and living on an uncharted desert isle with a millionaire and a movie star! His skills in detective work had become so renowned that he had been dubbed The Tracker. Very few people called him DarkWing any more.

He had stopped seeing apparitions and having those strange dreams. He'd come to realize too late that it was, Gosalyn, not baby Derek he had been in danger of losing. And in his desperate attempt to hold on to his son, he'd lost his daughter. Now it was too late. There was no way of setting things right again. Was there?

Years later back in the old DarkWing Tower. ..

DarkWing Duck AKA The Tracker was not hesitant for a moment in crossing into the wall of light, the vortex, that appeared before him. He had known the moment he saw it, it was the chance he'd prayed for. A second chance.

He stepped onto the other side of the vortex and found himself in a swirling tunnel of light. A figure in black ran passed him so fast that he was little more than a blur. But DarkWing -The Tracker knew who it was. There were others besides himself in the tunnel, all of them having crossed into the tunnel from their own vortex. One of them was dressed in a sleek black, skin tight costume and a silky cape. Another seemed to be just a boy dressed in a simple pale blue Quack-Fu GI. There was one dressed in silver and white, The Tracker recognized him from his dreams and apparitions in his past. It had been this one who had appeared to him when the fabric of time was disturbed. Next to the Duck in White was a young girl. The Tracker knew her as well. She had been one of the apparitions.

They were the ones, this Duck in White and the girl, who had been in the reality that destiny had meant to be. The Tracker looked at the girl. He could feel his heart breaking. It was her, wasn't it? Gosalyn, his Gosalyn, as she was meant to be. The Duck in White? The Tracker knew who he was without asking. He knew who they all were, And he knew, as did they all, why they were there. Without a word being spoken by any of them, they all turned and started down the tunnel of light after the one called Dark Warrior Duck. And to set destiny back on the path it was always meant to follow.

The End

Authors Note; Shedlock Jones for those who don't know, was DuckTales' version of Sherlock Holmes.