Gosalyn didn't think she'd ever get used to having doors opened for her.

Launchpad would definitely open doors for her, but he was usually piloting the Thunderquack or running after Darkwing, so he didn't always have the opportunity.

Her father and Negaduck were far too paranoid to let her enter a room before them.

And Darkwing didn't like the conventional entrance of a doorway. The amount of times he'd crashed through windows to make a grand entrance was staggering.

But she supposed she'd better get used to this chivalry thing. Max was really big on it.

He ushered her out of the the restaurant, handing over the parking slip to the valet who jogged to the parking lot to find Max's car.

It was so normal.

When Max had driven up to Avian Way, parked in the driveway, then walked up to the door like the gentleman he was, Gosalyn had hesitated. What was the protocol here? Was she supposed to invite him in? Just grab her stuff and leave with him? It really shouldn't be this hard to figure out what she was supposed to do. There were countless versions of Max who had fallen in love with her across thousands of universes.

But this was her Max. Her universe. This was where it really counted.

In the end, she had invited him into the house.

To meet her father.

It was like a bandaid: you had to rip it off to avoid hurting yourself more.

Better to have Max meet Darkwing now, upfront.

Darkwing had been blind to Max's charms, muttering vague threats and glaring at every tiny move Max made. But Launchpad had countered the disgruntled hero, all smiles and polite questions before telling the two of them to have fun.

And they did.

Dinner was at one of the new upscale restaurants, and conversation came naturally. She hadn't realized how convenient it was to have Max know about her vigilante persona from the get go. She didn't need to worry about hiding her activities or only letting certain details slip through. He had a lot of questions, sure, but nothing too invasive. Just curiosities and debunking tricks of the trade.

Besides Gosalyn's "interesting life" — his term — and Max's "insanely grown up job" — her words — they talked about their families. They both shared a strong bond with their fathers and swapped stories all night, each trying to win the "my dad's crazy protective" prize. Gosalyn ended up winning, only because the likelihood of her father actually becoming a stalker was alarmingly high. And Max's father — Goofy — seemed much more even tempered.

"That's an extensive list," Max said, nodding to the back of the dinner receipt where Gosalyn had started keeping track of all the movies they hadn't seen. Breakfast at Tiffany's was scrawled at the top.

"We'll probably have to spend a lot of time together if we want to watch all of them," Gosalyn said, raising an eyebrow and Max smiled down at her.

"I think I can handle that." He stepped closer.

"Make the sacrifice." She took the final step, closing the distance between them.

"Take one for the team." He leaned down.

The high pitched squeal of tires made them jump apart, both looking up to see what the commotion was all about.

Negaduck's yellow motorcycle roared down the street followed closely by the Ratcatcher. A few canvas bags were stacked in Negaduck's sidecar and the villain leaned down over the handlebars, revving the engine to pick up speed. Darkwing followed suit, Launchpad holding onto his cap as they rushed down the block.

The two vehicles zoomed past the restaurant, both Mallards glancing towards them — really, at Max in particular — with the same expression of dark skepticism. Launchpad, being Launchpad, smiled when he saw them and waved with his free hand before the vehicles whipped around a corner, tires protesting in another ear-splitting squeal.

After a beat, Gosalyn turned to Max. "I win. Now and forever. I always win the 'my dad is crazy' category."

Max's eyes were wide as he returned his gaze to her. "Was your dad chasing Negaduck?"

Because of course Max knew who Negaduck was. All his research into vigilantes had made him overly familiar with the criminals they fought against. He'd asked about a few of the super villains, intrigued by Bushroot's handle on plant life and Quackerjack's inventions. Inevitably, Max had asked about Negaduck, the rival her father fought against with the most frequency who had disappeared for a few years but now seemed to be back.

And since Max already knew she was a superhero, Gosalyn had owned up to being Negaduck's partner. To which Max had blinked in surprise, asked a few more questions, then nodded his acceptance as their main course had arrived.

"That happens a lot," she said with a shrug.

Max glanced to the corner where both motorcycles had disappeared. "Will they be okay?"

Gosalyn nodded. "They won't do any lasting damage to each other."

"So…." Max's eyes found hers again. "I'll probably meet him. Negaduck. Someday. Right?"

"Oh, he'll make sure of that." Gosalyn stepped close to Max again, tangling her fingers in his, insanely pleased with herself when Max smiled down at her once more.

"Good." He leaned down, face inches from hers. "I'd like to explain my intentions."

"And what are those, Mr. Goof?"

Max's smile widened before he brushed his fingers over her cheek and kissed her.

Gosalyn wondered if she should explain that Negaduck carefully constructed all crimes in St. Canard. That he had, therefore, planned this elaborate motorcycle chase so he could drive by the restaurant Gosalyn had mentioned — in passing, mind you — to get a visual on the man who'd been brave enough to ask Gosalyn Mallard out on a date.

No.

That was second date material.

She had to keep some mystery about her, after all.

A/N: And that's that! Thank you for staying with this story through to the end and for those of you who were waiting for this to be complete before you started reading, welcome! I hope that this was everything you hoped it would be and that you enjoyed the journey our heroes and villains went on.

There's a few thank you's I want to give out before departing:

Fairyhaven13 — Thank you for your reviews; I had fun responding and seeing your thoughts with each new chapter. I hope you like the end to this series.

Here'sNegsy — Thank you for all your support and your kind words that you've given me throughout this process. I always enjoy seeing messages from you, and I hope that you'll never stop writing. Negaduck needs more love and you're more talented than you think you are.

ViridianVenus — I'm still obsessed with your fan art you made for "I Bet My Life." I will never be able to adequately express my gratitude at you choosing my work to create a beautiful piece of art for, but I am so happy whenever I see it or think of it existing at all (which is a lot. Like… a creepy amount). I hope this story was as good as that "I was right" moment was for you!

BookwormGal — You've been so wonderful, always reviewing every single chapter, sometimes on the multiple sites I post these stories on. And then PMing me back with your own theories and questions; it's been so fun to hear your thoughts, to see what sections you really liked and to hear what you think is going to happen. Thank you so much and I hope the ending to this massive series is a satisfying one for you, one of my readers who has been here from the beginning. :)

Amelia — Without you, this story would not exist. Much of the "Geronimo" series would not exist without you, but this story in particular would still be stewing in my brain instead of fully realized and written. You suggested bringing in Taurus Bulba and advocated strongly for Negaduck to get the happy ending he's fought so hard for. "Thank you" is insufficient a term for how grateful I am for all your support, but I hope that this story goes some small way to show my appreciation and gratitude. Thank you for being you, darling, and for being my inspiration 3

Thank you all again! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

~RS