Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Woah…”

Rivet can’t help but utter a breath of absolute amazement as she leans up against Aphelion’s canopy, looking out the window as Ratchet flies her, Clank, and Kit through the Lombaxes’ city, the setting sun illuminating all the Lombaxes, all the buildings, all the traffic, and simply everything about a city she never thought she’d be so utterly entranced by.

“I know, right?” Ratchet says amusedly from the pilot’s seat with a smile.

“It’s just… There’s so many Lombaxes…” Rivet utters, noting all their different fur colors, tails, sizes, genders, clothing, and ages. “I thought I’d be the only one I’d ever see but… This is a whole city of Lombaxes!”

“A whole planet!” Ratchet adds, raising a finger.

“I’ve spent most of my time on Savali researching about your people and your customs, but being able to visit their planet and seeing Lombaxes before me is… Breathtaking.” Kit says in amazement, looking out of the canopy right alongside Rivet.

“Indeed. While my own research was nowhere near as extensive as yours must have been, it was indeed quite an enthralling experience to come here and experience their culture firsthand.” Clank agrees with a nod and a smile, but right before raising a finger. “Except for the fact that you got us arrested and myself temporarily deactivated because of your childish nature, Ratchet.”

“Oh, come on!” He groans, hanging his head before turning to point at Clank sitting behind him in the backseat. “What else was I supposed to do when that asshole wouldn’t let us in here because I was ‘just a kid?!’ Just sulk outside their bigass walls saying ‘please’?!”

“It would have been preferable to starting a city-wide chase that earned the City Guard’s disdain, yes.” He says flatly.

As Ratchet scowls at Clank, he hears Rivet snicker, making him look over to her to find her pulling back from the window with a smile.

“Someone thought you were a kid?” She asks amusedly.

“Yes!” Ratchet says exhaustively, throwing a hand up. “Can you believe that?!”

“Yes.” Clank immediately answers.

“Not you.”

“Well, given your father’s statement that you are of a below average height for your species—and meeting his friends when we arrived here as well—I do not believe that is an unreasonable assumption.” Kit says innocently.

Ratchet scoffs once more, focusing his attention forward to his flying.

“Yeah, well… That guy was an asshole about it.” He pouts.

“And you were childish about it, proving his point.” Clank points out.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Rivet chuckles at their exchange, as does Clank. She knew he and Ratchet were very good partners from how Ratchet talked about them during their long adventure today, and what little she’s seen of them together through the hectic mess that was the end of it, but it was another seeing them simply banter and exist together, being able to truly feel their partnership in a more relaxed setting such as this.

Well… Relaxed in a relative sense in that they don’t have to worry about getting shot and killed like literally all day today. In all honesty, Rivet still felt pretty fried about dealing with everything that happened today.

Meeting another Lombax, taking down Emperor Nefarious once and for all, meeting the warbot that took her arm all those years ago and finding an unlikely partnership with her, meeting the Lombaxes and—most importantly—her still-living family in her previously unknown Uncle Mags.

To say she had a lot to process was the understatement of the century, and she still didn’t quite know how to go about it. But thankfully, Kaden seemed to pick up on her anxiety back when they first got here, as when she, Mags, and Julie finally broke from their hug and became more coherent, he proposed Ratchet just give her a quick tour of the city. He said it was so that he and Mags would have some time to discuss everything that happened and get some affairs sorted before they send her back home for one hell of a deserved rest back at her home, but she could tell that he sensed she could use a little decompressing to process everything.

Mostly because when her apparent ‘Aunt Julie’ was begging to come with to get to know her ‘new, actual niece’, Kaden shot her down saying that ‘She’s already dealt with a genocidal intergalactic Empire, Julie, and the last thing she needs is to deal with you on top of it in the same day.’

So… Here they were, with Ratchet offering her a ride in his ship to give her a little tour of the Lombaxes’ city before she heads back home in her own dimension for the night. Just a nice little flight to rest after what was undoubtedly the biggest day in her entire life, getting a preview for the species she was now going to be able to mingle with.

But as she rests on that thought, she couldn’t help but look all around his ship—named ‘Aphelion’ as she told her herself—apparently being a genuine, Lombax-made ship he built with his own hands after finding her crash landed in his own dimension.

And looking at the console’s tech, seeing it had an extremely advanced AI, and listening to the hum of her perfectly tuned engines…

“So… This is a real Lombax ship, huh?” She says, running a hand across the dashboard in front of her.

“Oh, uh, yep!” Ratchet says with a nod. “Isn’t she sweet? I mean, I thought I knew a thing or two about the best ships growing up, being a mechanic and all, but when I first flew Aphelion here, I was just blown away by what Lombax tech can do. She’s probably the best ship I’ve ever had the chance to fly—except for Centauri, probably.”

“I heard that, Ratchet.” Aphelion’s voice says disapprovingly.

“Hey, that’s a special exception because Mags’ ship is, like, his whole hobby! I don’t think anyone can compete with Centauri, it’d be unfair.”

“I am still holding you to that, mister.”

Ratchet rolls his eyes, but as he does, he looks over to Rivet to see her raise an eyebrow with a smirk.

He furrows his eyebrows, glancing aside for a moment.

“Erm… What?” He asks with uncertainty.

“So, she’s the best ship ever, huh?” Rivet asks. “How fast can she go?”

Ratchet’s confusion instantly evaporates as he can recognize that excited twinkle in Rivet’s eye, knowing that she was just as much of a ship enthusiast as he was by just looking at her own ship, and a grin crosses his own lips as well.

Clank, however, sees this from the backseat, and immediately frowns.

“Ratchet, no.” He says firmly.

“What?” Kit asks confusedly, glancing between them. “What is it?”

“I almost died a dozen times today, pal, I think I deserve to unwind a little bit.” Ratchet replies, cracking his knuckles before gripping the steering controls. “And besides, how else am I supposed to give Rivet a proper tour of Lombax culture? Not show her what their ships can do?”

“You can always just tell her what Aphelion is capable of instead of—”

“Hey, where’s the fun in that, though?” Rivet cuts in with a grin of her own. “Plus, I deserve to unwind, too, and nothing’s better than a good ol’ joyride.”

“Erm… Is that not dangerous, though?” Kit worriedly asks.

“Not if you’ve got the skills.” Ratchet answers.

“Ratchet—”

“Well, what are you waiting for, hotshot?” Rivet asks, pointing ahead. “Let ‘er rip!”

“Will do!”

Before Clank or Kit could voice a protest, Ratchet floors the accelerator, pulling out of the traffic they were flying amidst to give themselves a clearer path as Aphelion accelerates through the city, ships and buildings zipping by at increasingly high speeds, the Lombaxes down below becoming multicolored blurs, and reflections of the setting sun dancing across the windows of the many skyscrapers flying past them.

Clank and Kit hold firmly to their own seats while telling Ratchet to slow down before he hurts anybody, but he and Rivet simply laugh with almost childlike happiness, the familiar rush of adrenaline pumping through their veins at their favorite simple yet thrilling pastime of flying fast ships, expertly bracing themselves against the G’s they were pulling.

“Woo, she’s got some speed to her!” Rivet says amidst her laughing.

“Oh, she’s got more than speed, check this!” Ratchet says.

He yanks on the steering controls, and proceeds to perform a series of rolls and tight turns to display Aphelion’s excellent maneuverability (and his own expert flying skills to possibly impress Rivet, no doubt), zipping to and fro in between buildings and passing ships that honk at him, but neither he nor Rivet giving a care in the world.

“Oh, man, I’ve got to get myself a ship like this!” Rivet says eagerly. “This is awesome!”

“See? I told you Lombax ships kick ass!” Ratchet says, laughing while looking over at her. “Hey, maybe once you get all settled and stuff, maybe you could ask Mags to hook you up with something! I’m sure he’s got—”

He’s cut off as the sound of sirens blaring interrupts their joyride, making them pause as he looks behind them, and just as he suspected, sees a City Guard cruiser get on their tail, lights flashing.

As he slumps with a frown, Clank simply crosses his arms while looking at him.

“I told you to not—”

“Calm down, Clank, it was worth it.” He cuts him off.

“Wait, what’s that?” Rivet asks, looking behind them as well, brows furrowed.

“Ugh, City Guard, we’re probably getting arrested.” Ratchet says as he starts decelerating the ship, at least attempting to get off somewhat easy this time. “Dad’s probably not going to be thrilled about—”

“Wait, we’re getting arrested?!” Rivet asks with sudden, fiery concern, snapping back at him. “And you’re letting them?!”

“What? I mean, yeah?!” he returns confusedly, looking at her with a bewildered expression. “We’ll just talk to them and—”

“What are you doing?! Get out of that seat and let me get us out of here!” Rivet says, suddenly yanking on his arm.

Ratchet lets out a cry of surprise, finding himself thrown out of his seat from sheer surprise, and briefly feels Rivet hurriedly crawl over him to replace his seat, his frazzled mind hardly able to process it.

And just as he gets himself somewhat situated now in the passenger seat, he’s nearly thrown down again by the sudden force of Aphelion quickly accelerating, making him turn his head to see Rivet in the pilot seat, but instead of wearing a face of thrilled fun, sees an expression of cool, determined focus.

“Rivet, what the hell are you doing?!” He asks in surprise, now properly sitting back up in his seat.

“Getting us away, Captain Obvious!” Rivet replies, not bothering to look at him. “What else are we supposed to do? Get arrested?!”

“I—Yes!”

“Rivet, I must insist you just comply and pull over!” Clank says worriedly from the backseat, gripping tighter for his own safety.

“No way, we’re not getting tortured or executed just because we got caught in a joyride!” She argues.

Ratchet blinks, staring at her in complete shock and bewilderment.

“…WHAT?” He demands.

“What?!” Rivet asks, finally looking back at him.

“What the hell do you mean ‘tortured and executed’?! They’re just cops, Rivet! They’re probably going to just give us a ticket!”

She scoffs.

“That’s not what arrest means, Ratchet! Getting arrested means getting thrown in a place like Zordoom where they do whatever they want to punish you! I know!” She argues, thumbing to herself.

“What?!”

“Oh, dear…” Kit says, shaking her head as she realizes before picking it up to look at Rivet. “Rivet, that is what the Emperor did for an arrest! The Lombaxes—as well as everyone else—do not!”

“What?” Rivet asks.

“I—Yeah!” Ratchet answers, suddenly putting the pieces together. “If you lived under a genocidal psycho like him, then yeah! Maybe getting arrested means a one-way ticket to torture or whatever! But to a normal, functioning society, getting arrested means having a cop chew you out before giving you a ticket or just throwing you in jail for a night or two!”

“Wait… Really?” She replies, brows furrowing for confusion. “Like… They don’t try to shoot you or beat you or lock you up and throw away the key?”

“No! They’d only beat you or shoot you if you were trying to shoot or beat them back!” He replies. “This isn’t the Empire, Rivet!”

Rivet remains silent as she digests this information, being all-too-used to living as a rebel under Nefarious that conditioned her into knowing that being arrested was almost just as good as a death sentence. After all, it was how she ended up in Zordoom directly after being ‘arrested’, and many Resistance members she personally knew were shot point-blank after being ‘arrested’, as well—and that wasn’t counting all the countless citizens that get publicly arrested and subsequently punished for minor crimes as well.

So while it was hard for her to believe that an arrest could end in any other way beside death or maiming… She also had to realize that this wasn’t the Empire, as Ratchet said. This was a normal, peaceful society that wasn’t ruled on oppression that snuffs out any slight resistance. Which meant that Ratchet and Kit were probably right. Probably.

“…So they aren’t trying to kill us.” Rivet says.

“No!”

“And they won’t beat us half to death.”

“No!”

“And they won’t throw us in a supermax prison to be tortured or locked away for the rest of our lives?” She clarifies.

“No, goddammit! I mean, at this point, they’ll probably throw us in a jail cell for the night since you’re resisting arrest and trying to fly away!” Ratchet says, throwing a hand up. “Just pull over!”

“I… Okay.” She says quietly, slowing down as she lowers her altitude, the cruiser behind them doing the same, but hot on their tail. “But if they try anything like that, I’m running, got it?”

“They won’t, Rivet, trust me." Ratchet says with a roll of his eyes, exhaling a breath.

“Just how horrible was Emperor Nefarious’ regime to ingrain such a visceral response to the authorities?” Clank asks with concern.

“Believe me when I say that Rivet’s fear is justified.” Kit says quietly beside him. “I should know. I have performed… Arrests, before.”

A tense silence falls on the cabin at that remark as they softly land on a random street in the city, the streetlamps beginning to turn on from the darkening sky, opening the canopy with a hiss while the City Guard cruiser’s sirens finally turn off, landing just behind them as well.

But as Ratchet rubs his face, wondering what the hell kind of story he was going to tell to even try to get them some slack, he hears the cruiser’s door open, but then slam with such ferocity to indicate clear fury.

He instantly removes his face, his gut dropping at the sound.

There was only one person in the City Guard he possibly knew that cared enough about her job to even get that angry at a joyrider to slam her door like that—and it was from personal experience.

“…Shit.” He says with a scowl, not needing to look back. “It’s her.”

“Ah, great to see karma is still in.” Clank says amusedly.

Rivet snaps towards him with concern.

“’Her’?” She asks. “Who’s ‘her’?”

“I SWEAR TO THE FUCKING STARS THAT THERE BETTER BE A GOOD GODDAMN REASON WHY I CLOCKED YOUR ASS AT FIVE TIMES THE SPEED LIMIT AND HAD TO CHASE YOU ACROSS HALF THE CITY, YOU LITTLE SHIT, OR ELSE I PROMISE YOU THAT MY FOOT IS GOING TO GO SO FAR UP YOUR ASS I’M GOING CLEAN MY BOOT WITH YOUR TONGUE!” A voice angrily shouts from the cruiser.

“Her.” Ratchet says with a sigh.

Before Rivet could possibly ask again who the hell ‘her’ was and if she was an exception to that whole ‘arrest doesn’t mean death’ idea, they suddenly see a uniformed, brown furred Lombax walk up to the side of the ship with a furious expression.

“AND DON’T THINK I DON’T RECOGNIZE YOUR SHIP FROM LAST TIME YOU PUNK, BECAUSE—”

She suddenly freezes, expecting to be face-to-face with Ratchet yet again, but instead seeing a completely random Lombax girl in his stead, even though she knew for certain that this was the Punk’s ship he was already caught joyriding in.

Instead, she sees him just past the girl, sitting in the passenger seat as he gives a small wave with a disgruntled expression.

“Hey, Wells.” He greets dryly. “Still just an absolute ray of sunshine as usual, I see.”

“Ratchet.” Clank chides from the back.

Wells scowls, snapping out of her surprise as she points at him.

“Shut the hell up, Punk, I know you’re responsible for this, somehow.” She scolds him before pointing at Rivet in the front seat. “And who the hell are you, Missy?”

“Wha—Missy?” Rivet repeats in an offended tone. “Who the hell are you?”

“Chief Wells of the Lombax City Guard, and the one who’s asking the goddamn questions here, because it looks to me like you’re the one in the pilot’s seat that flew this ship like a bat out of hell and almost killed fifty people trying to run from me.” Wells says coldly. “So, again, who the hell are you?”

Rivet simply scowls right back at Wells, already deciding that she didn’t like this woman very much, and turns back to an annoyed Ratchet, thumbing over to her.

“I thought you said getting arrested wasn’t going to be that bad, Ratchet.” She accuses him.

“Hey, that was before I knew that she was the one chasing us, don’t look at me.” He defends, raising his hands. “Which, why the hell are you even patrolling out here, huh? It’s, like, almost night!”

“A: Because one of my officers called in sick, and B: Shut the hell up, because I still have yet to know who the hell this delinquent child is that’s flying your ship for whatever reason.” Wells snaps back. “So I will ask one more goddamn time before I taze your asses for resisting an arrest for refusing to answer the simplest goddamn question; Who are you?”

“Child?! I’m a grown adult, asshole!” Rivet bites back, pointing back at her. “How about I start answering once you start showing me some respect, I didn’t almost die a hundred times today just be called a child from some wannabe Trooper who—”

“Rivet, her name is Rivet.” Ratchet suddenly cuts her off, reaching over to grab her shoulder, immediately sensing that a rebel who’s dedicated her life to resisting authority and the Chief of the City Guard do not mix. “And, honestly, sorry, we’ve had a looong day today. For what it’s worth, I was going to pull over before she ripped the steering controls out of my hands.”

Wells, however, doesn’t immediately blow up to chew Rivet out for throwing an insult right back, to Ratchet’s surprise, and instead pauses, furrowing her brows.

“…Rivet?” She repeats incredulously. “That’s your name?”

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?” Rivet asks with a huff, crossing her arms with a grimace.

“I think I’m starting to have a big problem with that.” Wells answers grumpily. “You have some dumbass made-up name like the Punk here.”

“Made-up?! I—”

“Not finished, Missy.” Wells cuts her off coldly, snapping a finger to her face before flicking her gaze between her and Ratchet.

As the gears of Wells’ mind turn, she was really not liking the picture it was painting, thinking about everything that’s been said so far concerning this… Rivet.

She closes her eyes, taking a deep breath while clasping her hands together, placing them against her lips as Ratchet and Rivet watch on with slight confusion.

She then brings her hands down, opening her eyes with a frown.

“Your name is Rivet. Your name is Ratchet.” She states, looking between them before resting back on Rivet. “And you just said you didn’t ‘almost die a hundred times today’ to be rightfully chastised for acting like the child you are, almost exactly like how the Punk here kept bitching about when we first had the displeasure of meeting.”

“Not a child.” Rivet counters.

“You have a snippy-ass attitude like him, too, and given that he just snitched you out for trying and failing to outrun me—just like he did when he first came here, I may add—you’ve got a penchant of trying to kill yourself for a cheap thrill in a stupid joyride like him.” She continues, not skipping a beat. “So, allow me to make a wild assumption that I pray to the stars that, for once, you will tell me I am dead wrong in saying.”

Wells then clears her throat.

“You, Rivet, are miraculously from another dimension like the Punk here, which is why you are so clueless to even fathom disrespecting the law in my goddamn city so frivolously. And given how nonchalant you are about endangering your life and others’ with your flying, you’re probably used to living some kind of batshit insane lifestyle that you’ll say is from being some kind of ‘intergalactic hero’ that stops ‘villains’ from taking over the galaxy, or whatever.” She explains, waving a hand around before looking in the backseat, seeing Kit, who instantly grows nervous at having her attention on her. “Plus, given that I know that Clank’s already babysitting your ass, I’m going to assume that this other robot here is your babysitter, too, Missy, and that I hope she’s as reasonable as Clank is.

“And you know what? Just for shits and giggles, I’m already going to assume that you were probably taking down someone like Tachyon so you can constantly try to shove it in my face to defend yourself like the Punk here does. And to make yourself a real pain in my ass, your dad is probably also on the Council, too, somehow.”

She then raises her eyebrows, glancing between them while leaning forward slightly with a frown.

“So… Am I wrong?” She asks.

Both Ratchet and Rivet remain silent, honestly quite impressed from such an accurate deduction while only mildly insulted from her various colorful comments sprinkled throughout, but their silence instead makes Wells’ gut drop.

“Well? What happened to your smart mouths now?” She asks bitterly, hoping for some rejection of her theory.

Ratchet is the first one to break from his silence, clearing his throat while raising a finger.

“Well, erm… You got a few things a bit wrong, actually.”

“Oh? Then do enlighten me.” Wells asks with a smile, with only some sarcasm, hoping that the ‘few things’ meant ‘nearly everything’.

“Well… She wasn’t some famous, bigshot intergalactic hero like I was if that’s what you were thinking.” Ratchet clarifies. “But, she is most definitely a hero for helping lead an entire Resistance.”

“And I don’t exactly know who this Tachyon guy is, but since I’ve heard that Emperor Nefarious is just as bad as the bastard, then yeah, I guess I’ll constantly shove it in your face that I took down the bastard that killed my parents, friends, and took my arm.” Rivet adds with a frown, holding up her prosthetic. “So I’d like a little more respect, asshole.”

“And it’s not her dad that’s on the Council, actually.” Ratchet follows up. “It’s her uncle. He and my dad work together.”

Wells remains silent, wearing a blank expression while digesting this information, calmly looking between the two Lombaxes, their robotic partners remaining apprehensively silent in the backseat, not sure if this situation was about to devolve into something worse.

But then, Wells plants a hand onto her face as her muffled voice speaks behind it.

“Son of a BITCH.” She growls before throwing her hand up with a furious expression. “THERE ARE TWO OF YOU LITTLE SHITS I HAVE TO DEAL WITH NOW?! WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS BULLSHIT?! IS THIS JUST GOING TO BE A NEW THING NOW?! HAVING SOME TINY, UNRULY LITTLE BASTARD JUST PLOP OUT OF A DIFFERENT DIMENSION AND INTO MY CITY EVERY MONTH TO CAUSE CHAOS THAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH UNTIL THIS PLACE BURNS DOWN FROM YOUR DUMB ASSES CARRYING ALL SORTS OF ILLEGAL WEAPONS AND RACING SHIPS LIKE THEY HAVEN’T ALREADY ALMOST DIED A THOUSAND TIMES?!”

“Hey! What the hell would you want us to do, huh?!” Ratchet defends indignantly. “Not have us meet our family and our species we never got to know, and live miserably?! “

“I WANT YOU GODDAMN CHILDREN TO RESPECT AND UPHOLD THE GODDAMN LAW INSTEAD OF TREATING IT LIKE SOME KIND OF CHALLENGE TO BE BEATEN SO THAT I DON’T HAVE TO BE PLAGUED WITH YOUR BULLSHIT EVERY GODDAMN WEEK THAT MAKES MY BLOOD PRESSURE GO SO DAMN HIGH THAT I CAN FEEL MY BLOOD CELLS TURN INTO DIAMONDS AS WE SPEAK!” She bites back, slamming her hands on the side of Aphelion.

“Ratchet was right earlier. You are just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Rivet asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t you get smart with me, Missy!” She yells before looking at Ratchet. “Why am I not surprised that you somehow managed to find a girlfriend that is just as aggravating as—"

“Wait, what?!” Both Ratchet and Rivet suddenly cry out in shock.

“We’re not dating!” Rivet argues.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!” Ratchet says, throwing up his hands.

“GOOD.” Wells says fiercely. “Because if you were, I was going to make damn sure to throw a box of condoms at you both to ensure that you dumbasses won’t reproduce any more little shits into my city!”

“What?! What the hell is your problem?!” Ratchet asks in shock, not expecting Wells of all people to accuse them of being a couple, let alone the idea of them… Well… Doing that.

“YOU TWO!” Wells yells, pointing at them both. “Have I not made that clear enough?!”

“You literally just met me three minutes ago!” Rivet argues, crossing her arms. “Hell, I’ve only been in this dimension for, like, twenty!”

“And ALREADY I’m having to pull you over for trying to run away from me, just like that little Punk right there did when he first came here!” Wells demands. “And just like what we had to do with him when he first showed up to blight this city, I need your asses to step out of this ship before I drag you out of there, because you’re both under arrest for speeding, reckless flying, and resisting arrest.”

“Oh, come on!” Ratchet exclaims.

“Seriously?!” Rivet adds.

“Wait, what?! Surely there must be a misunderstanding!” Kit says worriedly from the back.

“Calm down, Kit, this problem will resolve itself.” Clank says calmly, holding a hand up to her. “And besides, they deserve it.”

“Screw you, pal.” Ratchet sulks as he and Rivet climb out with scowls, all the while Wells yells at them to march their sorry asses to her cruisers before she’s tempted to break out the tazer.

“And after that, well… We showed up here, you yelled at us, and you know the rest.” Kaden finishes with a shrug, sitting at one of the workbenches in the Interdimensional Division’s lab.

Mags, across from him, simply sits quietly in thought, digesting Kaden’s tale of the book trip turned war against an intergalactic Empire run by what seemed to be a counterpart of his son’s nemesis.

Julie, however, sitting next to him with completely enraptured attention, crosses her arms with a pout.

“What the hell, Kaden?! You forced me to stay behind and miss all of that?! That sounds so sick!” She complains.

“Julie, what part of ‘I got kidnapped three times while constantly almost dying every step of the way’ makes you jealous?” Kaden asks dryly, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah ha! There’s the trick, because I wouldn’t be kidnapped!” She counters with a smirk, pointing at him. “I’d be too busy shooting everyone with my brand new RYNOs to worry about getting kidnapped by space pirates and stuff!”

“First, those are Ratchet’s guns that he’s letting you borrow for research, and second, I highly doubt the girl that locked herself in her own ship for an hour like a dumbass would be impervious to getting kidnapped by space pirates.” Kaden rebuttals with a smirk.

“Wha—Hey! Screw you!” She says with a frown. “That was years ago, and it’s not my fault that ship malfunctioned!”

“Yes, it was, because it malfunctioned from you flying it so rough that the lock’s circuits got shorted against the chassis, as Mags found out when he fixed it for you.” Kaden replies. “Just be glad you weren’t there with me and Ratchet.”

Julie mockingly shakes her head while rolling her eyes, muttering something inaudible in a high tone, but Mags finally breaks out of his silence after seemingly not paying any attention to Julie’s Julie-ness.

“So… I guess that Empire was the same one that killed Kayla and Dex, then, wasn’t it?” He asks, furrowing his brows. “And… Rosie—Rivet took it down.”

“Oh, uh… By what Rivet said when I explained who her parents were… Yeah.” Kaden answers with a shrug. “That Empire’s no more. Rivet and Kit made damn sure of that. I mean, you saw the oil stains on her when you saw her.” He adds with a chuckle.

“Yeah…” Mags answers distantly, looking off in thought.

Kaden senses something off about Mags’ reaction, and by the looks of it, Julie too, as she glances at him beside her with furrowed brows.

“What’s wrong, Mags?” Kaden asks. “I know it’s a lot to process, but, hey, you got your niece back! Doesn’t it feel great to know that your family is still alive and well?”

Mags sighs, hanging his head slightly as he leans onto the workbench.

“I mean… Yes, of course it feels good knowing that she’s here now. Even if Kayla or Dex didn’t manage to escape, she did.” He explains. “But…”

“But…?”

“From the sound of it… She barely did. Hell, I’m not sure you can say she escaped at all.” He says sadly. “She might not have gotten killed by that Empire, but… It sounds like her life was hell living under it. I mean, she dedicated her life as a rebel to it? She talked about how nearly all her friends and loved ones died from it? She lost her arm to it? It’s just…”

He sighs.

“I… I just can’t help but feel responsible for it.”

“Wait, what? Mags, how the hell can you be responsible for that psycho?” Julie asks with concern, placing a hand on his back.

“Because if I did my job as the colony’s leader correctly, Kayla wouldn’t have even been off-planet to get shot down if I told her to stay and wait for an evacuation order, or at least kept her from bringing Dex and Rosie along for being non-research personnel.” He explains, looking over at her. “If they didn’t get shot down, Rosie—Rivet wouldn’t have been forced to grow up with that life, and—”

“Mags, you didn’t know that would happen.” Julie says firmly. “You didn’t know when this evac order to the new dimension would come, if ever, and if you knew Kayla was going to leave to look for an anomaly, then I doubt you would’ve told her to stay, either. Hell, I doubt you’d even tell her to not bring her family along, because you didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“It’s exactly like what we’ve been telling you ever since the Exodus happened, Mags, and finding out that your niece was alive the whole time doesn’t do anything to change the fact that you did all you could, and that you’re not to blame.” Kaden adds. “You know how I was with Marie and Kip, and I don’t want to see you sink back down to how I felt back then, either.”

“I… I know I shouldn’t, but… Hearing about how she had to live…” He looks back up to Kaden. “It’s like if I told you that it turns out that Ratchet was living under Tachyon for his whole life, even despite what you did. And even though I’m happy Rivet’s alive and well… I’m just not happy about how she had to live a life of pain and suffering like that, and how it could’ve been avoided if I did something different.”

Kaden remains quiet, finding his statement put a little more perspective to Mags’ conflicting feelings. He already felt horrible at hearing and seeing Ratchet’s bullied childhood of loneliness from his species that he had damned him to when he left him on Veldin, and the shock at learning he faced Tachyon himself.

And having felt those, he couldn’t imagine just how much more horrible he’d feel if he met Ratchet and learned that his efforts were in vain, and that the very same creature that killed his mother was the very same tyrant that made his life a living hell.

But as he grapples with that idea, Julie speaks up once again, moving her hand from his back to his shoulder.

“Hey. Shut up. You know who you sound like now?” She asks, prompting Mags’ attention. “Kaden, whenever he got into his depressive episodes. You know, when he’d start saying how he could’ve done more to save Marie when he couldn’t, or second-guessing how he went about protecting Ratchet when he made the right choice, and just blaming himself for everything that happened to his family when it wasn’t his fault?”

Mags furrows his brows, but gives a small nod.

“Yeah?”

“And you know how we both felt at hearing him say all that, right?” She says, smiling. “That he was being stupid and bullying himself. And that’s what’s happening right now, but with you this time. Except this time, it’s even dumber because unlike Kaden—back then—you actually have your niece here. What’s the point of worrying about woulda, shoulda, coulda if she’s here with you now?”

Mags frowns a bit.

“Well, it’s different when the choices I made led her to losing a whole arm, Julie, so—”

“It’s really not that different.” Kaden cuts him off, wearing a small smile at Julie’s argument. “Do you think I was all sunshine and happiness when Ratchet first came back? Hell no, I was honestly disturbed and second-guessed the choices I made when I heard how he lived. I mean, getting bullied as a kid, making a living off of nearly getting killed being a hero, and fighting Tachyon? Man, you should’ve seen me when I first heard that.” He chuckles.

“And… Your point being?” Mags asks, crossing his arms.

“My point is that the past is the past, Mags.” Kaden says with a smile. “And you can’t change the past. But what you can change is the future. And even though mine and Ratchet’s past were full of misery, we decided to put it aside to make our future even happier together. Now, we’re finally living the lives of father and son that we never got the chance to have, and we love every second of it.”

He then leans forward, pointing at Mags, who quietly listens with a softer expression than what he was previously holding.

“And you, Mags, need to stop worrying about yours and Rivet’s pasts, and start embracing your futures together as uncle and niece. Even if there was something either of you could’ve done to have happier lives up to this point, it doesn’t matter, because it happened. And if you really want her to be happy to make up for the life she had, then the best way to start is to stop wrongfully blaming yourself and start making up for that lost time you’ve never had together.”

“Especially with me by your side!” Julie says happily, draping an arm around his shoulders. “Because with me as your girlfriend and Rivet’s actual aunt, I’m going to make you two have a good time together without you trying to blame yourself!”

And for the first time since Kaden started recounting their adventure, they finally see a smile cross Mags’ lips as he huffs a small laugh through his nose, looking over to her.

“You’re going to emphasize that you’re Rivet’s legitimate aunt by technicality all the time now, aren’t you?” He asks.

“After all the shit you guys give me about being Ratchet’s Cool Aunt Julie while technically not being his aunt? Hell yes.” She states pointedly. “And hey, if Kaden’s right about his hunch about them having the hots for each other, then maybe soon I’ll be his actual aunt too when they marry and stuff!”

“They met today, Julie, calm down, and don’t torture them like I know Kaden probably did today, knowing how much of a smartass he is.” Mags says, rolling his eyes as Kaden snickers. “But… Thanks, guys. I guess I’m just… Processing all of… This. My mind’s honestly a bit fried between thinking you and Ratchet died on top of finding out my dead niece isn’t actually dead. I just… Need a bit to realize that I actually have my family back.”

“I know that feeling all too well.” Kaden says amusedly. “And don’t worry, because I’m sure Rivet feels the exact same way with everything she’s had to deal with today, so hopefully Ratchet’s tour lets her relax a bit, too. Which… I hope they’re wrapping up soon, because it’s getting late and I need one hell of a good night’s sleep.” He says, glancing at a nearby clock on the wall before rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s been years since I’ve had to fight for my life, and my body sure as hell feels it. Glad I retired from all of that.”

“Oh, is Ratchet right about you being an old man, then?” Julie asks smugly.

“Shut up, I managed to break out an entire prison ship by myself.” Kaden rebuttals, pointing at her. “I can still kick ass.”

But as Julie starts to snicker, they suddenly hear Kaden’s communicator go off, prompting them to silence as he reaches for it with confusion.

“Who’s—Oh, it’s Alice.” He says with pleasant surprise.

“That Chief lady you've told us about?” Mags clarifies.

“Yep.” Kaden says with a smile as he answers it, placing it up to his ear. “Hey, Alice, what’s… Oh. Oh. Hm… Alright. I see.”

He sighs, rubbing his face.

“Yeah… Yeah… Alright, we’ll be there in a few minutes to explain. Sorry. I’ll see you in a bit, bye.”

He frowns, putting the communicator away while Julie and Mags stare at him in confusion, right before he looks back up at Mags.

“Welp, looks like we’re taking a trip down to the City Guard, Mags. They got arrested. Joyride.” He says blankly.

“Seriously?” He asks. “I… Well… Actually, I don’t think I’m all that surprised, given Ratchet. And what you’ve said of Rivet.” He mutters, placing a hand on his chin.

“Me neither.” Julie says with a shrug.

“Seriously? What, are you saying it was too much to expect Ratchet to behave just a little bit on his own for only a… Few…” Kaden begins to argue before he trails off, hearing what he was saying. “…Hm. Alright, now that I say it out loud, me neither.”

“Yeah.” Mags says before standing up from his stool with a sigh. “Well, I guess I’ll follow your lead on ‘bailing a relative out of jail’, given that you’re the expert between us. Lead the way.”

“Unfortunately.” Kaden groans as he and Mags head towards the door.

“Hey, I don’t know what you two are complaining about, because if Rivet got arrested, too, it just proves she’s just as fun as Ratchet!” Julie adds with a smile as she follows them.

“Shut up, Julie.”

“If the rest of the Lombax dimension is like this, then I’m leaving for good.” Rivet says, sulking on a bench in a City Guard cell, propping her chin in her palm that is resting on her knee. “This sucks.”

Ratchet snickers, sitting next to her on his back with his feet propped up on the wall.

“I said the same thing when I got here.” He says, his hands clasped across his stomach. “Although, it was a bit different since me and my dad were trying to prove to the Council that I was his son and not dead and stuff on top of getting arrested, but… Don’t worry, this place is great. Wells just sucks because she’s a huge bitch.”

“I am literally right here, Punk.” She growls, standing in front of their cell while crossing her arms.

“And?” He asks.

“Erm… How long will they be in there?” Kit asks nervously, standing next to her outside of the cell alongside Clank, who simply crosses his arms with an unamused expression.

“Until his dad and her uncle come here and explain to me why I’m damned to have little Missy there run around my city now to cause just as much chaos as the Punk there.” Wells answers, still staring at them.

“I have a name.” Rivet says, scowling at her. “Rivet. RI-VET. Or is it just too hard for you to say because it’s a big girl word?”

“That’s a losing battle.” Ratchet comments. “I’ve been fighting it for a month, and still no progress.”

“Shut your goddamn mouth before I decide to throw handcuffs on you for the hell of it.” Wells counters, unflinching. “I’ll make sure to make them extra tight, too.”

“Oh no, handcuffs, what ever would I do if I got handcuffed?” Rivet says dramatically, rolling her eyes while casually detaching her prosthetic, and suddenly looking at it in mock surprise. “OH, huh, look at that!”

Ratchet starts to snicker, finding himself greatly enjoying seeing someone beside himself give Wells a taste of her own medicine for a change, and seeing Rivet have the same sense of sarcasm as him.

Wells, however, points at her with a deadly glare.

“If you want to be a little smartass, then I’ll just handcuff your other arm to the door here to force you to stand until Kaden gets here to explain why I shouldn’t leave you like that for the night.” She says coldly.

“You don’t scare me.” Rivet says, staring right back into her eyes with a frown while reattaching her prosthetic into its socket. “Zordoom’s torturer was scarier. Had better ideas, too. Ever punish someone for talking back by spraying them until their clothes and fur were completely soaked, then throwing them in a dark freezer for an hour so you can ‘cool down to think about what you said?’ Now that’s something. You can actually feel the ice forming on your skin.”

Wells, however, doesn’t counter with another insult, instead shifting from anger to shock and concern—an expression that both Ratchet and Clank suddenly put on as they look at Rivet at that comment, but with her remaining stony, staring back at Wells. Kit, however, merely wears a soft, melancholic expression, knowing all too well that was actually one of Zordoom’s kindest treatments.

“…What the hell’s wrong with you?” Wells asks with what sounded like genuine worry, albeit tinged with her usual foul-tempered voice.

“I’m sitting in a prison cell during my first ever visit to the Lombaxes’ dimension that I didn’t know existed after finally beating the son of a bitch Emperor that took over my galaxy, took my arm, friends, and parents, and some bitch keeps calling me a child on top of it, too.” Rivet answers coolly with some irritation. “So, in other words: Just peachy.”

Wells in any other circumstance would have put a miscreant like her back in her place for talking back like that, but given her statement about that torture at this ‘Zordoom place’, that mention of an Emperor, and most importantly, that look in her eye that, deep down, held a pain reminiscent to those who were most affected by the Exodus in its aftermath…

She honestly felt sorry for her. 

Just what kind of life was she living to talk about things like torture so casually? She thought this Rivet would be just another annoying pain in her ass like Ratchet that’s all too cocky and full of himself from being a hero, but… Maybe she honestly just… Doesn’t know any better?

However, before Wells could try and psychoanalyze this Lombax any further, she suddenly hears a knock on the door, snapping her out of her thoughts as she realizes that Kaden must be here.

Huffing a breath, she walks over to the door, and sure enough, there stood Kaden wearing an apologetic smile while another bespectacled, bluish Lombax stood behind him, bearing much resemblance to Rivet.

“Hello, Chief Wells.” Kaden greets before motioning beside him. “This is Mags, my coworker and Rivet’s uncle.”

“Oh, erm, hello. Pleased to meet you.” He says with a nervous smile, still not sure what to expect in retrieving an arrested family member.

“Well, you look like her uncle, alright.” Wells answers, looking him over before frowning. “But I can't say I’m pleased to meet you given the circumstances. Your little bastards are in the cell over here.” She says bitterly, leading them into the room.

And as Ratchet and Rivet perk up at seeing them enter, Kaden sighs, rubbing his face once more upon seeing them.

“Literally twenty minutes back here, and you still manage to get yourself arrested by pissing Alice off.” He says tiredly.

“’Alice’?” Rivet repeats confusedly, looking over to Ratchet.

“Stop calling her that! Ugh!” He counters with disgust as he readjusts himself on the bench to sit properly upright.

“Now that you’re here, mind explaining to me what the hell her deal is?” Wells demands, pointing to Rivet, who scowls at her again. “Is this just your hobby now, Kaden? Pulling random, tiny Lombaxes out of other dimensions who love to run their mouths and seem to make pissing me off their sworn duty?”

Kaden lets out a breath as Mags stands awkwardly behind him, suddenly getting how Ratchet and Kaden talk about how people find this Chief Wells intimidating, but wondering why Kaden talks about her like she’s one of the nicest women he’s recently met.

“Yes. Well. This is technically business that only concerns the Center and the Interdimensional Division specifically, but, well, not the first time I told you ‘classified’ information, so—”

“Cut to the chase, Kaden, I’ve been pulling a long shift and I’d rather be home than dealing with this bullshit right now.” She cuts in dryly, crossing her arms.

“Right.” He says before clearing his throat. “So! Me and Ratchet, on Keeper business, went to retrieve materials from our old research colony in another dimension this morning. As it turns out, we got sidetracked as we heard about a Lombax that was stranded there like Ratchet was—who turned out to be Rivet—and found ourselves caught in a bit of a war against an intergalactic Empire ruled by a psychotic robot Emperor who was pretty hellbent on genociding organics. Ratchet and Rivet there fought like hell the whole time, I got kidnapped three times—once by these annoying-ass space pirates—then we lead a huge army to take the capitol, Rivet and Kit here beat the Emperor, we came back here, I proposed Ratchet give Rivet a little tour of the city to wind down from this hectic day, and here we are.” He says, gesturing around them. “Which, again, sorry that he’s causing you so much trouble, Alice. Guess it was too much for me to assume he wouldn’t act like a child, but… You know.”

“Hey, Rivet’s the one that tried to run away from her!” He accuses, pointing at her. “I actually tried pulling over!”

“But you were the one that initiated the joyride in the first place, Ratchet.” Clank points out. “So, the blame still falls on you, regardless.”

“Hey! Shut it, pal!”

Wells, however, simply stares at Kaden with a blank look for a few seconds, completely ignoring Ratchet, and remains silent before letting out a breath and pinching her nose.

“I want to call bullshit on everything you just said, but last time I did, it turned out that you were right all along about the Punk’s… Everything.” She says tiredly, waving a hand before sighing. “My life used to be so much simpler a month ago.”

“Again, I’m sorry to give you so much trouble tonight. It wasn’t my intention.” Kaden apologizes again.

“So, uh…” Mags speaks up from beside him. “Do we just… Take them back home now, or…?”

“No. Normally.” Wells answers, removing her hand from her face with a frown. “But, you know what? Like I said, I’m tired, I want to go home, and I do NOT have the goddamn patience to deal with whatever the hell all of THIS bullshit is for tonight.”

She then turns away from them and walks over to the cell, looking at Ratchet and Rivet with a scowl while pointing at them.

“You little bastards are lucky I’m letting you off with a warning this time, because if you try pulling any shit like that again, you’ll regret it.” She says coldly.

“Sure.” Rivet says with a roll of her eyes before she stands up with a stretch, Ratchet following suit.

“So, the trick is to make sure to get arrested when you’re too tired to care?” Ratchet asks with a smug smile.

“Ratchet.” Both Kaden and Clank chide him firmly.

“Hey, I’m kidding!” He defends as Wells inputs a code on the keypad to release them from the cell. “…Mostly.”

“I dare you to try, Punk.” Wells growls as they walk out of the cell. “Then you’ll get to see me when I really don’t have the patience for your shit.”

“Just shut up and follow Mags and Rivet back to the ship before you get yourself in more trouble, Ratchet.” Kaden instantly follows up as Rivet and Ratchet mount their respective partners onto their backs.

“Oh, come on! I wasn’t even going to say—”

“You and I both know that’s a lie.” Kaden says. “Let’s just get back to the Center and call it a day.”

Ratchet groans, but does as his father says, and follows Mags as he leads them out the door while warning Rivet that Julie’s waiting for them, and to brace herself for the giant bear hug she’ll undoubtedly give.

In the meantime, though, Kaden hangs back and remains with Wells as he turns to her with an apologetic smile.

“Again, I’m really sorry for tonight, Alice, especially if you’ve had a long day, too, by the sound of it.” He says.

“Me? You’re the one who just said you had to fight space pirates and Emperors and whatnot.” She replies before looking up and down his body, now noticing some cuts and scratches in his roughed-up clothing. “Which, by the look of it, was a hell of a day.”

“Eh, nothing an old ex-Praetorian couldn’t handle. I only almost died a dozen times, no biggie.” He says with a smile, waving a hand.

Wells, however, simply looks back at him with furrowed brows of slight concern, making him awkwardly clear his throat.

“Well, erm, still, I didn’t mean for you to get bothered tonight, is all. Here I thought he’d be mature enough to not get arrested after everything today, but… Ratchet’s Ratchet, I guess.” He shrugs.

“Unfortunately. And that Missy there isn’t much better than him.” She says, crossing her arms while huffing an exhausted breath. “But… I was wondering… Just how bad was it over in that dimension she was living in? I mean, she’s got one hell of a snippy mouth just like the Punk, but… Some of the things she said were… Concerning, to say the least.”

Kaden’s smile falls a bit as he rubs the back of his head with a slow nod.

“Yeah… Just trust me when I say that the life she’s led was not an easy one. Grew up thinking she was the only Lombax in the universe, spent her entire life rebelling against an Emperor that took over her entire galaxy, and had almost nothing to show for it. She lost nearly everything because of it. She lost her arm, her parents, and nearly all her friends, too. Hell, she even said if we hadn’t shown up to help today, she’d probably be dead.” He explains.

“Goddamn…” Wells replies, shaking her head. “Well… That explains a lot.”

“Yeah. I was hoping that Ratchet’s little tour would just help reaffirm that things will get better for her now, y’know? Her Emperor’s gone, she’s got friends in us, she’s got her family back, and she’s finally able to get to know her species now.” He says, gesturing broadly around them before sighing. “Guess that was a bit soured with this arrest she helped escalate, but, Ratchet’s first impression was no better, and he still enjoys it here, so whatever, I suppose.”

“Hm.” Wells mutters, looking off towards the ground in thought. “I guess she just… Doesn’t quite know any better, then, by the sound of it, huh? Not really knowing a normal life, then?”

“Far from it.” Kaden says with a grim nod. “At least Ratchet had a good life outside of his fighting heroics, but her? Not so much.”

“I see…” She says. “I… Guess she deserves some slack, then, compared to the Punk. It wouldn’t be fair, otherwise.”

“Wait, really?” He says with surprise. “You’re serious?”

“What? I’m not a monster, Kaden.” Wells says with a frown, crossing her arms. “Ratchet deserves all the shit he gets because he knows goddamn better than to act like the little pain in the ass he is. But Rivet… She doesn’t, really. I saw it. I’ve met my fair share of troubled kids that catch doing stupid shit just because life screwed them over and didn’t give them the chance, but the thing I’ve learned is that if you want them to stop acting stupid, you give them that chance. Granted, Rivet’s a grown adult and not some delinquent from a bad home, but the logic still applies if she’s at a point to get a better life like you said.”

Kaden remains silent, staring at her in shock for such an unexpectedly sympathetic response and charitable outlook from Wells.

Not that he expected her to be some kind of sadist, obviously knowing better than that after getting to know her since when they first met, but to learn that she has such an empathetic and measured attitude in recognizing that some troublemakers act not out of malice, but out of desperation and ignorance was surprising. And more than that, that she genuinely wants them to act better, to be better, and knowing that the best way to do that isn’t to just beat them while they’re down, but to allow them that room to grow.

In all honesty, while he knew that she was a great, passionate person who wanted to strive to protect the people of the city she loved, hearing her say that also showed him that she was someone kind and caring, willing to extend a hand to those in need, and truly wanting what was best for everyone—even those that tend to piss her off.

And to see such a side of her was just… Great to see, for some reason.

“Erm, Kaden?” Wells asks, raising an eyebrow. “You good?”

Kaden snaps out of his thoughts, not realizing he didn’t respond, and gives a quick nod with a smile.

“Oh, erm, y-yeah!” He says before tapping his head. “Sorry, long day.”

“Yeah, you’ve said.” She replies, a ghost of a smile appearing on her lips for the first time tonight.

“Yeah. But… Honestly, thank you, Alice.” He says genuinely with a grin. “Both for letting them off easy tonight, but also for Rivet. She deserves a better life now, and I know Mags will appreciate you giving her some slack, as well.”

“Yeah, well, don’t expect too much. Just because I’ll know better than to mouth off on her too badly doesn’t mean I’m going to let shit like flying through the city at five times the speed limit fly.” She clarifies.

“But I still know how much restraint that takes on your end, and again, I really appreciate it, Alice. You’re a great person.” He says genuinely.

Wells huffs a small laugh through her nose, rolling her eyes while waving a hand, but unable to suppress a small smile anyway.

“Whatever, I’m just doing my job. The City Guard protects and serves, after all, and that includes helping out those less fortunate, however small.”

“And I could think of no better person to represent it than you.” Kaden follows up. “And even if it’s your job, I still feel as though I owe you. Just let me know if you ever need anything.”

“Will do, Kaden.” She responds with a nod, raising an eyebrow while still smiling. “But… Maybe you can tell me more about your little romp against that Emperor sometime. If not to get a better idea for what I’m dealing with in terms of having another little punk around now.”

“Don’t worry, I’d be happy to. But another time.” Kaden chuckles before stretching a bit, and walking over to the door. “It’s about time I finally get some rest. I’m still feeling that crash landing into Nefarious City.” He mutters.

“And to think I accused you of having a cushy office job as a Councilman.” Wells says amusedly with a roll of her eyes while crossing her arms. “I’ll see you later, Kaden. Even though tonight was a bitch and a half with Missy’s arrival… It was nice seeing you.”

Kaden, opening the door, looks back at Wells, and gives her a smile and a nod.

“And the feeling’s mutual.” He says earnestly. “I’ll see if we can meet up sometime to tell you about our little ‘romp’, as you put it. Have a good night, Alice.”

“You, too.” She returns with a smile, a sight that Kaden has learned to become grateful to see from her before he walks through the door, shutting it behind him.

Maybe he’ll schedule that little talk over another dinner with her sometime, he thinks as he walks through the City Guard to head back to Mags’ ship. After all, the last two they’ve already had went well enough, and it was always a treat to destress after a long day by talking with Alice over some good food.

Next time he gets the chance, he should bring it up with her. And hopefully, that next time won’t be over another arrest caused by Ratchet.

But knowing him… He wasn’t holding his breath.

“And that’s why Julie’s banned from flying Centauri.” Mags explains to Rivet as they walk into the Interdimensional Divison’s lab, Ratchet, Kaden, and Julie following behind them—the latter of whom giving a large groan.

“Oh, dear.” Kit comments from Rivet’s back as Julie raises a finger.

“One time—”

“That destroyed my ship!” Mags cuts her off. “And, no, the fact that you helped pay me back for Centauri doesn’t mean I’m letting you fly her, either!”

“Screw you!” Julie snaps back at him before she leans towards Rivet, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Just remind me to tell you about why I ban Mags from shooting my guns. In fact, why don’t you come down to my weapons lab for a visual aid!”  

“Wait, you have a weapons lab?” Rivet asks, a hint of interest in her voice.

“Do I?!” Julie asks excitedly, suddenly letting go of her. “Oh-ho-ho, I am the head of the Weapons Division, Rivet! I’ve got guns, grenades, rocket launchers, turrets, mines, blasters, missiles, cannons, everything! And because I’m your Cool Aunt Julie, you have exclusive VIP access to anything and everything you could ever want from my lab!”

“Really?” Rivet asks with a smile.

“Oh, yeah, she’s got some good stuff, too.” Ratchet affirms with a smile of his own.

“Hell yeah, I do! I even got RYNOs!” Julie says, grinning ear to ear.

“Well, actually, those are my RYNOs.” Ratchet corrects her, raising a finger before looking over to Rivet. “But, if you ever want to borrow them instead, just ask.” He says, winking with a thumbs-up.

“Just do exercise more caution in using them than Ratchet does.” Clank pipes up as he hops off Ratchet’s back. “The amount of times he has nearly exploded our home ‘having fun’ with them is much too high.”

As Ratchet shoots Clank a dirty look, Rivet chuckles while giving a nod.

“I’ll be sure to take the offer sometime, then, hotshot, thanks.” She says.

“Well, Julie being the gun nut she is aside,” Mags speaks up, prompting their attention as he rubs the back of his head. “I, erm… Suppose it’s time you get back to your home, huh? From what Kaden’s said, you’ve had a hell of a day today.”

“Oh… Erm… Yeah, I suppose so.” Rivet says, suddenly remembering about her actual home in her own dimension—a phrase that still felt odd to her—after finally being able to meet the Lombaxes and her family. “Time to… Head back home, I guess.”

But as she hangs her head slightly, anxiously holding her prosthetic arm while wondering why she felt such hesitation leaving a place she’s only been in for not even an hour, she suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder, making her look up to see Mags’ softly smiling face.

“Don’t worry, because you’ll always have a home here with us.” He tells her. “And from what I hear, you don’t have to deal with a monster back there, either. And even though I know your first visit here was… Less than ideal, I’m looking forward to the next time you come here, which will hopefully be soon. I want to know the niece I never knew I still had, and I want you to learn about the species you never got to meet.”

“Yeah!” Julie adds, suddenly sliding next to Mags. “If Ratchet’s had a blast coming here ever since he met us and stuff, then I know you will too! I’ll make sure of it as my duty of being your Cool Aunt Julie!”

“Stop calling yourself that every single time.” Kaden says tiredly, rolling his eyes. “Just ‘aunt’ works.”

“I’m making a point, Kaden.” She sneers at him.

“What she said. I’ll make sure you’ll always have a good time here, too.” Mags says with a nod before he steps over to Rivet to give her a hug. “But… It’s just so good to know that you’re back, Rosie. I love you.”

“Me, too!” Julie says enthusiastically, joining their hug. “If you're Mags’ family, then you’re my family, too!”

Rivet freezes for a moment, still not used to being told ‘I love you’ and hugged from people other than the Morts, and even more not used to the fact that it was coming from other Lombaxes, let alone her actual, biological uncle.

But unlike the first hug that damn near paralyzed her from the wave of emotions she felt first stepping into this dimension, she recovers from the shock much faster, starting to begin feeling that warmth of familial love a little better as she smiles and returns it.

“I’m… Looking forward to it, too… Uncle Mags and… Aunt Julie?” She returns uncertainly before sighing. “Sorry, it's just… Feels really weird to say that.”

“Just ‘Mags’ is fine, don’t worry.” Mags chuckles, still holding her. “And ignore Julie. Just ‘Julie’ works, too.”

“Asshole.” She says, sticking her tongue out at him.

He rolls her eyes at her childishness, but then furrows his brows as he realizes something.

“And, erm… Does it bother you if I call you ‘Rosie’? That’s just the name I’ve known you by, but I know you’ve grown up under a different one, so I just wanted to make sure…”

“I… Don’t think I mind too much either way.” Rivet says with a shrug. “It’s just… Also really weird to learn what my real name was supposed to be. On top of… Well, literally everything else, I guess.”

“Well… I’ll keep that in mind, then.” Mags says with a smile as he lets go of Rivet, Julie following suit. “Hopefully everything else will start to feel more natural once you’re used to… Everything, like you’ve said.” He says amusedly, broadly gesturing around them.

“Hopefully.” Rivet agrees with a smile and a nod.

The two relatives stare at each other with soft smiles for a few seconds, sharing a quiet moment together, and each silently drinking in the fact that the other was now a part of their life moving forward. What that would look like, neither of them knew, for they never expected this day to even come.

But what they did know is that for however uncertain and strange it would be… They were looking forward to it just as much.

“So, uh…” Ratchet speaks up, rubbing the back of his head. “You got anywhere specific you want us to take you, or…?”

“Huh? Oh, uh… I think my hideout’s fine, thanks.” Rivet answers, snapping out of her thoughts before her eyes widen, looking over her shoulder. “Wait, uh… Did you… Want to go back to Savali, too, Kit, or…?”

Kit thinks for a moment, looking aside, but takes only a second before shaking her head and looking back at her with a small smile.

“No, I am fine with your home. If we are partners now, then… I suppose it is my home as well… Right?” She finishes a little nervously.

Rivet, however, assures her with a smile and a nod.

“Right.” She states, making Kit smile as well while she looks back to Ratchet, placing her hands on her hips. “Sargasso it is, then.”

“Sure thing! Let me just get the Dimensionator all set up.” He says, walking over to said device sitting on a workbench.

“Oh! Before you go!” Kaden suddenly says, raising his fingers as he quickly moves over to another workbench, and crouching down to look in its cabinets.

“What?” Rivet asks confusedly.

“Make sure to take this with you.” He says as he stands up with a smile, holding up some kind of device. “Interdimensional communicator. Lets you call from another dimension, in case you want to get in touch with any of us or want a trip back here.”

“Woah…” She says in slight awe at their technological capability to do such a thing as Kaden walks over to hand it over to her, seeing that it honestly looked no different than a standard communicator save for some kind of Lombax-shaped logo that apparently represented this Center for Advanced Lombax Research.

“Just make sure to answer if someone calls you on that thing so they know you’re not dead.” Mags comments, shooting a look over to Kaden, who raises his hands.

“Seriously? After everything I’ve told you of what we had to deal with, you’re still blaming me for that?”

“The whole day I was worried you guys were dead, Kaden, of course I am.” He responds, crossing his arms.

And as Kaden scoffs with a roll of his eyes, Ratchet rejoins them with the Dimensionator in his hand, smiling towards Rivet.

“All set up! And, man, that Dimensional Map really does make it so much easier to do that, too.” He comments, looking at the sphere inserted into the device.

“Oh, uh, sure thing!” Rivet replies, placing the communicator into her pocket. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Will do.” He says with a nod, cranking the Dimensionator.

After a few twists, the end of the device glows, and pointing it in front of them, pulls the trigger, shooting out a purple portal that cracks the very air, and manifesting in front of them, the cave entrance to Rivet’s hideout, bathed in moonlight from the end of a very long day.

And with a smile, Ratchet raises the Dimensionator up while gesturing to the portal.

“And voila, your ride home.” He says.

“Wait, you live in a cave?” Mags asks looking through the portal.

“Cool.” Julie comments, making him shoot her a confused look.

Rivet ignores him, however, staring at her hideout that up until an hour ago, was the only home she has ever known, with the only family that she thought she ever had.

And in seeing this glimpse into what was her ‘normal’ home with her ‘normal’ life, everything about today quickly flashed through her mind, knowing that it wasn’t ‘normal’ anymore.

Instead of having a home in a musty cave on a swampy planet, she now had a home here with the species she never knew.

Instead of a family that consisted of almost literally a whole town of Morts, she now had family in a Lombax uncle and aunt, and was now able to learn about her actual parents she never got to meet.

Instead of having to wake up every day wondering what fruitless battle they were fighting against Nefarious today, she was going to wake up to a new, liberated galaxy that didn’t have to worry about that bastard ever again.

And most importantly, instead of having to go through the rest of her life alone as she always had, all-too-used to keeping people at an arm’s length away, she now had a partner that she knew she could trust, having helped her take down Nefarious once and for all.

And to think that this was now her life thanks to one small, chance meeting.

“Erm… Rivet?” Ratchet’s voice breaks into her thoughts as he raises an eyebrow. “Are you good, or…?”

Rivet turns her head away from the portal to look at Ratchet standing next to her, who looks back at her with some worry and confusion at her sudden silence and no attempt to move, wondering if she was getting some kind of anxious paralysis from hesitating to leave.

Instead, however, he sees a smile spread on Rivet’s face for only a second before she quickly takes him into a tight hug that takes him by surprise.

“I know I already said it, but thank you, Ratchet. For everything.” She says earnestly, squeezing him. “I wouldn’t be standing here right now with all of this if it wasn’t for you. Meeting you is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

He blinks a few times, still recovering from the sudden assault, but the surprise quickly washes away for an odd warmth and notable thought that her hugging him felt really nice, prompting him to hug her back with a smile of his own.

“You’re welcome, Rivet.” He says warmly. “I’m glad I met you, too.”

She doesn’t respond, only hugging him for a little longer to let her touch speak the grateful words for her, a language that Ratchet very much has no trouble understanding.

But after a few seconds (or minutes, what it felt like to him), Rivet finally lets go of him, allowing the both of them to stare into each other’s eyes with warm smiles as Ratchet gives a nod.

Rivet then turns back to the portal, and with a breath, walks over to it and steps silently through the threshold before pausing. She looks behind her at everyone, and along with Kit strapped to her back, the both of them give waves in farewell that everyone also returns (Julie of course being most enthusiastic about it).

And as Rivet makes eye contact with Ratchet through the portal, her smile growing a tiny bit bigger, the portal then closes shut, leaving the group staring at the blank wall of the lab.

Ratchet keeps his waving hand raised a bit for a few more seconds before lowering it with, still wearing a smile on his face, Rivet’s thankful words still echoing through his mind.

But as he lets out a small breath, turning to face everyone else, he pauses as he sees their expressions, with Kaden wearing a smug grin, Clank an unimpressed stare, Mags an amusedly raised eyebrow, and Julie a joyful grin before she lightly elbows Kaden.

“Now I totally see what you were talking about with them.” She tells him. “I’m gonna be Ratchet’s actual aunt in no time!”

“Wait, what?” Ratchet asks blankly, furrowing his brows. “The hell does that mean?”

“When you and Rivet get married eventually, duh.” Julie says with a roll of her eyes, planting her hands on her hips as Kaden snickers.

“W-Wha—MARRIED?! What the hell are you talking about?!” Ratchet stammers in indignant shock before glaring at his father. “What the hell did you tell them?! I TOLD you that nothing’s going on between us, dad!”

“That’s not what we just saw, Kip.” He says with a roll of his eyes, still wearing an amused grin. “Doubt it all you like, but we know what’s happening.”

“Shut up, because NOTHING’S happening!” He says, pointing angrily.

“You really had to jump the gun to ‘marriage’, huh, Julie?” Mags asks, crossing his arms.

“I had to explain the technicality!” She defends.

“Well… Whatever.” He says with a roll of his eyes before looking back to Ratchet, thumbing to Julie and Kaden. “I’m not going to be obnoxious like these two are about it, but if and/or when something happens between you and Rivet, just know that I support it. I know you’re a good person, Ratchet, and I know you’d do good by her.” He says with a small smile.

Ratchet drags a hand down his face with a scowl.

“For the love of—Nothing’s happening, alright?! I don’t have a crush on her or anything like you guys are accusing me of! I mean, seriously, what is it with everyone saying that?!” He cries out before counting on his fingers. “Rivet’s family said that, dad said that, Pierre was scared of that, and even Wells said it! What, are we not allowed to be friends or something?!”

“Not friends who look at each other like that, they don’t.” Kaden answers amusedly.

“I concur, as I have said, this is looking suspiciously like Sasha and Talwyn again.” Clank comments beside him.

“This isn’t looking like anything, pal! Shut up!” Ratchet argues, pointing at him before pointing at his dad. “And do I really need to bring up that argument with you and Wells again?! Or should I say, ‘Alice’?!”

Kaden stops his laughter at Ratchet’s argument, frowning, but beside him, Mags keeps chuckling.

“I think he’s got you there, Kaden.” He says with a smile. ”You seemed pretty chummy with Chief Wells back at the City Guard.”

“I was being polite, Mags.” Kaden argues, crossing his arms. “How else was I supposed to act to convince her to let Ratchet and Rivet go?”

“But haven’t you, like, taken her out to dinner before? Twice?” Julie questions, tilting her head. “You talk about her a lot, recently, too.”

“Those were just meetups!” He argues, throwing his hands up into the air before counting on his fingers. “The first one was to apologize for Ratchet’s mayhem, and the second was because she was having a really stressful day and I wanted to cheer her up!”

“And let me guess, you arranged for another ‘rendezvous’ like you keep telling me they totally were after we left?” Ratchet counters, using air quotes with his fingers.

Kaden instead shoots him a stiff look, making Ratchet smugly smile as Clank, Julie, and Mags stare between them in a mixture of amusement and confusion.

But after a few seconds, Kaden breaks the silence with a scoff.

“I just said I owed her another favor for letting you guys go, and she said she wants to hear about our adventure today.” He concedes with a roll of his eyes before pointing at Ratchet. “But, there weren't any dinner plans or anything!”

“Sure there wasn’t.” Ratchet replies with a roll of his own eyes.

“Why do you even keep accusing me and Alice of this, huh?! Don’t you hate that idea with how much you two hate each other?!” He returns indignantly.

“Oh, one hundred percent. But with how much you keep accusing ME and Rivet of having ‘crushes’ on each other, I have to point out how much of a hypocrite you are!” He says, pointing at him.

“Me? You’re the one who’s being a hypocrite Mr. “Oh, We Had A Connection When We Looked At Each Other!” He argues with air quotes.

“And you’re the one calling that hardass ‘Alice’ and inviting her for dinners to our house and making goo-goo eyes at her whenever you talk!”

“There’s a reason literally everyone is pointing out the obvious between you and Rivet, you know!”

“And there’s a reason you never shut up about that cranky bitch who hates my guts for existing!”

“Must we have this same argument again?” Clank asks tiredly, stepping between them both. “It has been much too long of a day, and I believe we are all deserving of a rest.”

“Aw, why’d you stop them? It was getting good!” Julie complains.

“You just thrive on chaos, don’t you?” Mags asks, raising an eyebrow while looking at her beside him.

Ratchet and Kaden, however, instead both sigh, conceding with Clank that yes, they were both very exhausted from an impromptu liberation of an entire galaxy today.

So, holding up the Dimensionator once more, Ratchet gives his father a tired look.

“Whatever. Nothing’s happening between me and Rivet, and you should stop trying to say there is.” He says before beginning to type in coordinates. “In the meantime, me and Clank are going to head home for some sleep, where I won’t ever have to hear about any crushes that don’t exist from now on.”

“Agree to disagree.” Kaden responds before he rubs his face. “And I think it’s about time I head back home, too. Stars know I need some recovery after coming out of retirement for a day.” He says, stretching his back out.

“Old man.” Ratchet says with a smile as he cranks the Dimensionator, Clank stepping beside him.

“Shut up.” Kaden argues as Julie and Mags chuckle, a portal opening to Ratchet’s Veldin garage in front of him.

“Nah. See you later!” Ratchet says, giving a wave before stepping through the portal, and having it snap shut behind him.

Kaden, opening his mouth and raising a finger for a rebuttal, simply flops it down with a roll of his eyes before looking back towards Julie and Mags, both wearing amused smiles at the scene that’s played before them.

Kaden crosses his arms with a tired look.

“You’re both enjoying this way too much, aren’t you?”

“How can we not?” Julie asks. “The smartass that’s been plaguing us for the last two decades is finally getting a taste of his own medicine!”

“She’s got a point there.” Mags says with a smirk. “Between that and Rosie coming back, these are interesting times indeed.”

“Ugh, whatever.” He says before walking past them and towards the door with a small wave. “I’m going home. See you guys tomorrow.”

They return the wave with their own farewells before Kaden disappears behind the lab doors, seen through the windows to be walking down the corridor to the elevator while yawning with a small stretch.

And after he disappears from view, Mags and Julie look back to each other, the latter wearing an amused smile.

“Why does everyone make dating so complicated? I mean, you and me just kinda happened, and it’s working out pretty good.” She says with a shrug.

“Yeah, but then again, they haven’t known their possible future girlfriends for the last twenty years to make asking each other out feel about as normal as asking what our favorite movie is.” Mags says as he too starts walking towards the door, ready to call it a day as well. “I’d say we’re a special case about that.”

“Still, though! They should just, like, ask them out right now!” She argues, following him. “It’d totally work!”

“Not everyone’s as forward as you are, Julie.”

“What? You saying I was too forward with asking you out?” She asks doubtfully.

“We ended up in bed literally ten minutes after you proposed we try out dating.” Mags argues with a roll of his eyes. “Yes, you’re one of the most forward people I know.”

“Hey! You were the one that let it happen, though!” She argues with a pout as the door opens, Mags shutting off the lab’s lights with the switch beside the door. “So what does that say about you, huh?”

Mags raises his finger while opening his mouth, ready to shut down her claim, but then slowly lowers it as he realizes that he really couldn’t.

“…Alright, good point.”

“Ha!” She cries out in triumph as they walk out, the lab door shutting quietly behind them as Mags rolls his eyes, but unable to suppress a smile at Julie’s Julie-ness.