Chapter Text
His phone buzzed, and he groaned. He peaked an eye open slightly to see who it was. A familiar number with no caller id screen lit up the screen. Begrudgingly he answered it pulling away from ____ enough to not wake her.
"Hello?"
"Scrooge! Ya need fix this blasted castle ya built at once!" He winced at his dad’s tone.
"Da, what are ya going on about?" It was to early for this.
"Did I wake ya up? Ya lay about!" Fergus screeched.
"Ya know there's a seven-hour time difference." ____ shifted in her sleep. "What's wrong with the castle?"
"The mist is disappearing."
"Ya called me because of the mist?" He was slightly annoyed.
"No, I called ya because your mother has been on about it for days. The mist only parts every five years, so why has it decided to take a holiday now?"
"Fine. Fine. I come and take a look,” he sighed.
"Good.” With that, his father hung up.
"Arguing this early?" ____ asked.
"My parents," he explained, looking over at her.
She was in different pajamas than the one last night. He noticed because these were dark and matched the sheets. Last night she had been wearing something much lighter in color.
"Oh, we can't catch a break, can we?" She deflated on the pillow.
"Especially when you go on midnight time traveling rendezvous." She looked surprised that he noticed. Words tried to come out but they failed her. "You're in different pajamas."
"You noticed what I'm wearing?" she asked cheekily.
"I always pay attention to what you're wearing." He leaned over and kissed her, and she tensed slightly. His heart nearly stop but she smiled.
"Mm, that's good to know," she hummed as he pulled away.
"When did you go?" he asked.
"I didn't catch the year." He raised an eyebrow. That wasn't an answer. Her phone buzzed, and she dashed for it. "That's Beaks. He couldn't shut the cameras down. He also hosting a party in Rio."
"It's fine." Scrooge stood. He was already making plans. He hated his house was compromised, but he wasn't looking a gift horse in the mouth. "We'll head to my parents and reconnect there."
"Willing going to your parents?" she laughed.
"Father called and said mother was worried. Besides, the manor is compromised. Might as well check it out."
She nodded and headed downstairs. The next time he saw her, they were both dressed, and she had made breakfast.
She bounced back to boys, who were making a plan to snatch another Missing Mystery. A family heirloom of the McDuck's. The flight seemed to go by faster now. Webby narrated our drive through the bog.
"Deep in the heart of Scotland lies the ancestral home of Clan McDuck, a family whose name is synonymous with greatness. Magic mists keep the castle hidden out of time except for once, every five years."
"So, where are the mists?" he demand. He marched towards his father, practically jumping out of the still moving car. "Did you break it?"
"No, this magic castle is on the fritz. You gave us a lemon!" Fruges complained.
"It's a typical homecoming, as Scrooge and his father perform a traditional Scottish greeting ritual." Webby was grinding his nerves.
"Stand back Webs." ____ removed the las.
"Oh, let's just be thankful for this unexpected visit. Family hug!" His mother appeared out of nowhere and pulled them into a hug. She turned to ____. "Oh, Scroogie you brought ____ back!"
He watched to make sure his mother didn't do anything embarrassing. She gave ____ and turned to the twins. His father filled his mother.
Fergus touched ____ arm lightly. "Glad to see Scrooge hasn't run you off."
"Oi!" He protested but his father ignored him.
He pulled ____ into the manor. He was annoyed and Webby's narrating bounced off the walls.
"Treasures of the past, tales of the future and a mystery for now. What could have made Castle McDuck reappear from the mists four years early?"
"That's strange." He ran his across the fireplace. "Seems like the magic has been drained somehow."
"Scrooge McDuck inspects the castle's mystical foundations," Webby said into her device.
"Please don't tell me this is a long-term thing," ____ asked her.
Scrooge didn't hear a response, but from ____'s groan, he didn't like his chances. He shook the las' voice from his head and focused.
"Got to be delicate when dealing with unpredictable druid stones," he mumbled, mainly to himself.
"I've got it," Fergus kicked the rocks. "Oh! Now, you broke my castle and my foot!"
"I broke!" He took a deep breath. "If you don't like how I do things, you can call one of your other kids instead."
"Who do you think I called first?" Fergus asked.
As offended as he was, he could not help but be more confused. He had seen none of his siblings.
"Hello, brother!" Matilda said, sliding into the room.
"Oh, Matilda!" He hadn't seen her in ages. He ran over to hug her. "I thought you were off selling goat yogurt?"
"It was goat-gurt and, unfortunately, that business went sour," she laughed at her own pun.
"What?!" - L "What is happening?!" - D "Scrooge's youngest sister, Matilda!" - W
"A McDuck I've never met?!" Webby jumped in between them.
"You have haven't met anyone outside of the immediate family. Right?" ____ chuckled, stepping up beside them.
"It's extensive immediate family," she nodded. "And still the coolest! Stay professional, Webby." She calmed herself and repeated into her Walkman. "This is the coolest."
"Hey, did you ever try to slap your sibling so hard that your other sibling felt it?" Dewey knocked Huey out of a chair and knocked Louie to the floor as well in the process. "And then they did?"
"Dewey, please. They're better than that. They're McDucks!" Webby said, beaming.
"I don't think that's how that works, Webby," ____ whispered.
"Yes. Your sister is back at home," Fergus said.
"Just until I get my next big idea on its feet." She rolled her eyes. They landed on the duckling at her feet. "Oh - and you are?"
"Hi, I'm Webby, I-just-met-you but-I-idolize-you!" Webby answered.
"Got good taste, this one. Well, you may be interested to learn about my egg-citing new business!" Matilda laughed.
"A businesswoman, just like her brother!" Webby gasped, stepping closer.
"Webs!" ____ pulled the las back. "Sorry she has little to no self-control or notion of personal boundaries."
"Ahh! And how might you be?" Matilda asked.
Matilda was in a suspicious mood and he didn't like the look she gave ____. It took everything in him not to treat his own sister like a threat.
"Met ____, Scrooge's fiancé." Fergus introduced us.
He completely forgot he had told them the last time he was here. ____ looked mortified, but only for a second. She must've forgotten too. Well, there was no taking it back.
"What?!" Donald said in the background.
Louie carting him away, explaining what had happened the last we were here.
"No way! Why am shaking your hand? You basically family." Matilda wrapped her in a hug.
At least his sister seemed to like her.
"You said you had a new project?" Webby thankfully butted in.
"It's an emu farm!" She exclaimed. Downy shooed a randomly appearing emu away. "Why have a bunch of noisy chickens cluckin' about, laying lots of puny eggs when you could have one bird that lays a giant egg? I'll be rollin' in emu-lah! Eh? Ehh?"
"Ah! well, let me be the first to invest." He pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. He wasn't above believing in his family and maybe this would get Matilda off his back about ____.
"Ach, I don't need to start my business with family money," she retched.
"What?" he asked in confusion.
"I'm gonna go ice my foot. You two got a handle on this." Fergus excused himself quickly.
"We'll get on it, da. As soon as Scroogie gets out of this headlock." She grabbed him. Even though he knew it was coming, he couldn't stop it. He struggled, and she started chatting with ____ like she was on a picnic. "So ____, tell me more about yourself."
"I like to cook," was all ____.
He paused in his struggle to be amazed that ____ could be intimidated by Matilda. Of all people.
"Aye. An easy way to my brother's heart has always been his stomach."
"Oi!" He struggled harder and managed to flip her to the floor.
He managed to get away, but Matilda went after ____. He leaned on the wall. ____ wasn't in any real trouble, still he didn't like the sight.
"Take it easy on her, Matilda. This is why you two have never met before," Scrooge said, popping his back.
____ bolted. Slowly, he made his way down the hall. Webby and Dewey on his tail. When he rounded the corner, he saw Matilda and Della mid-fight. He chuckled slightly, then turned back to the castle.
"I don't know why the mists would've parted early," he hummed to himself. A hellhound growled at him from the shadow. "The castle's still lousy with magic."
"Each room is more magical than the next!" Webby ran to the next opening. "What is this trove of historical wonderment?!"
That got his sister quite fighting. All three of them made their way their way to the entrance.
"This is the Staruary Hall," he said before Della and Matilda butted in.
"Come on, this place is boring!" Della yawned. "It's just a bunch of stuffy old statues. Although they do offer some great hidden spots for hide and seek."
"This is where the most legendary members of Clan McDuck are memorialized in stone for eternity," Matilda explained.
"Yeah, but have any of them been to the moon?" Della sang.
"Mom, look at these arrows!" Dewey said.
Webby was at the base of Murdoch's statue.
He walked to the base of his favorite relative, "Here's Agnes Countess McDuck. She single-handedly stopped the Whiskerville Rebellion."
"One of our ancestors was invisible?" Dewey asked, and it made him take pause. He looked at where the lad was standing.
"That empty pedestal is waiting for is waiting for the next worthy family member. Only the greatest McDucks get a statue," Matilda explained.
"You mean like Uncle Scrooge?" Webby bounced.
This subject had always been a delicate one. They all had to be careful with the subject, despite how badly all of them wanted it.
"Oh, well, Webby. Pfft. It would be a nice token but statues aren't,"
"You? Ha! Riches are all well and good, brother, but we aren't making a statue of the money, are we? I'm the one taking care of the castle with Ma and Da." Matilda prattled.
Dewey grabbed Webby's arm. Della stepped in between him and his sister.
"We'll that's enough reminiscing for one day. Who's hungry? I sure am." Della grabbed Matilda's arm.
"I'm sure I'd help around the house more if I live at home half the time. A magical home that I built which has granted you immortality, by the way," he gritted.
Della had already pulled Matilda out of the room before she could give a retort. He fumed. He cared about his family and figure out this magic problem. If he meant besting her, he would check every room in this blasted castle. He stomped out and made his way to the guest chambers first. He didn't think he would find anything in this wing, but at least he could check it off fast.
"Uncle Scrooge! Is that a family photo album?" Webby asked. She sprawled across the bed and flipped through the pages. "Awww look, it's you and Matilda."
He sat beside her.
"Our first business. McDuck's Famous Mudslide Pie, made with genuine mud. We only made a penny, but we had so much fun." He remembered it like it was yesterday. Probably because he only had a few memories like that with his sister.
"See, why don't you forget about the statue and love your sister again?"
"Ah dinnae fash yerself, las. Of course, I love my sister. No, silly family squabble could change," he saw a photo with Whiskers in the background, "that!"
He threw the book to the ground and marched to her room. The kids were confused, but followed him.
"Matilda!" He barged in without warning.
"Yes?" she hummed, too innocent for his liking. She was brushing her Emu.
"You said Whisker's ran away!"
"I donnae know what you're talking about," she hummed.
"Where is he, eh? Oh, I bet you've got him stashed away somewhere." He rummaged through her bookshelves and throw open her chest. He spotted the clump of hair. He pulled it out. "Ah ha! Uhhh!"
In the new light, the hair was purple and blue. He was beyond mad.
"Oh that Whiskers," his sister hummed.
"Where dying his fur?!"
"It was for Matil-Dos! My very popular salon!"
"That clump of hair was my pet!" It was about the principal now. She shouldn't have taken it. The emu bite Whiskers and he had enough. She needs to feel his pain and who better to bestow that? "Ma!"
"If you get me in trouble. I swear to Grammy's ghost I will take you, and you hold dear, down with me!" Matilda yelled.
The emu screeched and snatched Whiskers out of his hand. He tried to save Whiskers, but Matilda tackled him.
"Scrooge! Your blasted clump of hair is choking my beloved pet slash business venture!"
"That's your own fault! Let me go so I can get Whiskers back!" He flipped her to the ground. He backed the emu to the corner.
"Oh, you want me to let you go so you can hurt him? I don't think so."
Matilda went to jump on him again, but he lunged for Whiskers. The emu didn't let up and slung him like a rag doll until his grip slipped.
"Whiskers! What had Scrooge done to you?!" His father asked, taking him from the emu's mouth.
"Me! It was Matilda!" He said, standing.
"You probably weren't watching him well enough!" His father yelled back.
The emu snatched Whiskers and headed for his mother. She snatched Whiskers and pulled the emu out of the room.
"What did I tell you? Animals live outside!"
"That's not an animal. It's an investment!" Matilda ran after her.
"Whiskers is family!" He followed his sister down the hall.
His mother put the Emu out after it trampled Donald. Matilda didn't dare say a word, but her face said it all. His mother then led them back to the kitchen. His father was missing but his mother continued to bark orders and made them care for the food the dinning hall. He sat beside his mother and Della. Donald, Matilda, and Fergus sat across from them. He barely noticed ____ taking the seat beside Downy.
"Da, pass the neeps and tatties," Matilda said.
"Tatties are for children who follow the rules." Downy said, scooping them up. "____, would you care for some, deary?"
"Oi! Why does she get any? She wasn't even helping with the magic problem." Matilda pouted like a child.
"She was with me being unproblematic," Downy said, giving me a scoop of mashed potatoes.
"Ya mean she was being an ars," Fergus cut her off.
"No cursing in front of the bairns."
"Hey!" the twins yelled in sync.
"And don't call ____ names! I'm sure she was helping Ma with something you were too busy playing emu shh... fur to do!" He changed words mid-sentence. Fergus grabbed a dish, eyeing him. They glared for a minute before he began again. "Mama, ask da to stop hogging the black pudding."
"This is for whiskers. He's had a hard day." Fergus stuck a fork full of pudding into Whiskers's mouth.
"No animals at my table!" Downy yelled. She grabbed the edge of the table and started pushing. "Scroogie, flip over this table you bought me for emphasis."
"What?!" He hadn't bought this table.
"You don't get to flip the table! I flip the table!" Fergus tried to pick up the table. "Matilda!"
They struggled for a moment. Each side attempting to flip the rather large table. Webby jumped on top, stopping both sides.
"Everyone! Come quick! Dewey's hurt!" She gasped.
"Oh, dear!" Downy was the first one up.
Della was close behind her. ____ fell to the back of the group and he wanted to talk to her but his sister elbowed him to get in front and couldn't let that happen.
"In there!" she pointed.
Dewey was in the middle of the room. There was a red stain on his shirt and he was being his normal dramatic self.
"Oh! My blood! Put it back in, put it back in!! Ugh!" Dewey said. "Oh, the pain! It hurts so bad!"
"Boy! Lad, what happened?" he asked. Della fell to his side.
"He was worried about you fighting," Webby said. "He tried to make you both a statue. But he fell off and here, under the eyes of the greatest members of Clan McDuck, your bickering has led to disaster! Why did Dewey have to suffer for-"
Della dropped Dewey, and he took her place. "Look what your pettiness has done to my favorite great-nephew!"
"Of course. Nothing is ever precious Scroogie's fault!" Matilda yelled. "Maybe your nephew was hurt by your own negligence!"
"I'm your favorite?" Dewey asked, free of any pain.
He glared at Dewey, who chuckled. Everyone's voices over lapped as they continued to argue. He could only pick out pieces.
"Aye, just like his negligence hurt poor whiskers!" His father agreed.
"Whoa-whoa-whoa, so, your favorite, Dewey here, is gonna get all the inheritance after I waste my time on Huey's dumb quest?" Louie demand of Scrooge.
"Dumb quest? Dumb quest?!" Huey was about to lose it.
"Don't worry, I just said that to make Matilda feel bad," he laughed.
"Does anyone else care about the missing mystery? Huh?" Huey asked. "Because it's somewhere in here!"
"Bless me Bagpipes!" His father's voice cut through everyone else. He was holding his foot, like he had kicked something and was bouncing around.
He heard ____'s voice but couldn't make it out. Currently, he was listening to Father telling him why he should be more like Matilda. A cracking noise filled the air, and he figured one of kids broke a family heirloom. He would handle that later.
"Enough! None of you deserve the pedestal, because none of you living up to the name Clam McDuck!" Webby screamed.
"Matilda, you can have the pedestal. Because I am no longer a McDuck! I don't need this hassle. I am now, Scrooge of Clan McScrooge! Right, come on kids!" He turned to ____.
"Seilbh!" she yelled.
He blinked as a set of bagpipes landed in her hands so hard they threw her into a stone column. A single note escaped the bag and blasted the statues. Their ancestor started moving slowly at first, confused by the sudden transformation. He ran to her side.
"Love, are you okay?"
"Scroogie, what did you do?" Fergus gasped.
"What? We were all standing right there?" he demanded.
"He right, it was ____ fault." Matilda pointed at her.
"Don't blame her!" he hissed. They could blame him all day long. This wasn't ____ fault.
"The Blessed Bagpipes bring life to that which has not." Huey pointed at where the yellow duck had just fell. Phantom Blot was helping them stand. "FOWL is after it!"
"Not for long! For now, this fine family's greatest members have awakened! And we will all come together to defend their home as a unified Clan McDuck!" Webby declared.
"Oi, who took my bagpipe?!" Murdoch demanded.
Sibling rivalry was old as time apparent. Before he could come up with a plan. The emu ran by and stole the bag pipes from ____.
"Hey!" She took off.
Matilda dodged a statue and bumped into him. He shoved her, and she immediately took him to the ground. They began tussling and a piece of ceiling careened down at them. They both yelled and rolled out of the way.
"Oh, great, now the castle's coming down! Let's go! Kids! Webbigail! ____!" Scrooge called.
The lads were trapped. Della was attempting to help them out. ____ was staring at the crumbling ceiling. The battle roared, but Webby's words echoed.
"The McDucks meant everything to me. Not just because of their great name, but because they were a great family. One I thought I could be a part of. But now, it's gone. Guess the name McDuck didn't mean much after all."
She stepped down and head towards them. A column fell towards her. Matilda and him rushed forward to stop it.
"Webbigail, look out!"
It stopped just short of their hands. One of their ancestors was holding the beam. They stepped out from underneath it and before they could say thank you; they were off fighting again.
"For Clan McDuck!" Scrooge cried.
"But I thought you were Clan McScrooge now," Webby said.
"It's not the McDuck name that makes our family great," he explained.
"It's the people in it." Matilda looked at _____ and his whole being warmed.
A chunk of ceiling fell. He grabbed Matilda and Webby. The twins had freed the boys, but now we're fighting, so they had to put a stop to it. The Phantom Blot took the bagpipes from the emu. ____ lifted her arms and said a spell.
The cracks in the ceiling started fixing themselves. The statues surrounded them, but the FOWL agents froze them using the bagpipes. ____ was blasted to the ground. A loud crack echoes throughout the room. Phantom Blot pointed up his gauntlet at her. Webby took off to help ____.
"Get away from my aunt!" Webby threw a rock at Blot and he spun towards her.
He aimed the gauntlet at her. The boys copied her rock throwing and name calling names, but nothing got his attention. Webby gasped and stumbled backward, falling off the piece of ceiling she was standing on. Blot shot at her and ____ blocked it. He and Matilda charged Blot. They managed to knock him to the ground. He grabbed the gauntlet while Matilda pulled the Blot's elbow.
"Get out of my house!" Downy yelled, and the echo caused another piece of debris to dislodge.
He and Matilda scrambled backwards, and when the dust cleared, the Blot was gone. ____ collapsed onto Webby. Donald helped her stand. He was appreciative he was winded himself.
"____! Are you alright?!" Webby asked. She nodded. "You're not mad at me anymore?"
I knelt down, much to Donald's protest.
"I was never mad at you, Pink. And I never could be so mad that I would let someone blasted you." Webby hugged her and looked at the damage over ____'s shoulder.
"It's all destroyed." Webby was on the verge of tears.
"It's not your fault, lassie. Sometimes families fight," Scrooge said. "But the mark of a great family is one who can work through their petty differences to be closer than ever. But next time, we won't try to put ourselves on a pedestal."
____ chuckled.
"You all realize that that's literally what we're doing right now, right?" Louie asked.
Clean up last until dinner, even with ____ and Webby doing magic. It was limited because he was opposed to her using up all her strength. He made her take a brief rest before dinner. She had looked on the verge of collapse when the Blot left. He knocked on the door.
"Come in," she breathed. She was sprawled along the bed but smiling. "I can't believe they put us in separate rooms."
Of course, that's what's complaining about.
"They're very traditional. Almost too much." He collapsed beside her.
"And you're not?" She moved just enough to look at him.
"Aye in some things." He turned up to match her. "I suppose we could be a bit more traditional, if you wanted Love."
He didn't want to push her. Though the idea sent him spiraling with ideas.
"Do you want that?" she asked.
He wondered what she was implying. How much she knew. If this was some kind of test, he couldn't fail it.
"Maybe," he said, not wanting to scare her off. "If you do as well."
He ran his hand down her arm. She wasn't wearing the ring, but the way she was talking. Maybe he had accidentally insinuated something, but he was always careful around the subject. Maybe it was just his mother getting to her.
"Well, your mother offered me her dress. Don't know how much more traditional it gets."
He hadn't thought about her in a white dress, least of his mother's dress, in years. ____ was just beaming like she liked to be in on the joke, but it just hurt.
"I don't know how much hounding I cannea take. We need to come clean or leave." ____ frowned. He didn't mean to sound unenthusiastic, he just didn't want to hurt her. "She'll have a whole wedding planned if we don't."
"Wasn't just her," ____ laughed. What? "Your father was rather mad at the idea of not getting invited."
He groaned, and the door slammed opened. He sat up, startled.
"____! We need to talk!" Matilda busted in and grinned. "Ooh, wait until I tell Mummy and Da!"
"I'm not a boy anymore!" He yelled after her.
He would not make that mistake of letting his parents know they were sharing a bed. He'd rather eat day old haggis. He pinned Matilda down in the hall.
"What do you want?"
"You finish my chores and I won't say a word," Matilda beamed.
"The catch?"
"There is none," Matilda smiled.
He was skeptical. Though it wasn't a terrible deal. He just had to set the table and do the dish later. He felt like there was something he was missing.
He started setting the table and ____ joined him. She took some plates from him.
"Hey not to start any more petty fights, but I think you deserve a statue," I whispered.
"I wouldn't let anyone hear you say that," he chuckled.
"Never."
"Say what?" Della asked, walking in.
"I'll tell you when you're older," she mocked. His niece growled.
Donald walked in with a red mark on his face and carrying Dewey by the back of his shirt. Downy and Matilda put the food down and Fergus joined them. They made our plates in silence. Once they were eating, He spoke up.
"We need to take the offensive. FOWL infiltrated our home one too many times!"
"No battle strategy at the super table." Fergus struck the table.
"We have been attacked. In our homes, no less. We need a strategy!" he countered.
"Okay, but just this once," he grunted. He didn't know why his father changed his mind, but he had an idea that it had to do with _____.
"My original plan was for Della and kids to go after the Fountain of the Foreverglades. Beakley's team was to find the Stone of What Was. My team would go after The Lost Harp of Mervana. I think we should keep similar teams but different targets to throw FOWL of our tracks."
"I'll go after the stone! That's on monster island right? Who wants to come with?" Della cheered.
"Oh, oh! Me! Me!" Dewey shook his hand in the air.
"Yeah, I want to go not there. What about the Mervana place? It's sounds kinda chill. At least until some deep, dark mystery that is trying to kill us is revealed." Louie shrugged, looking at his phone under the table.
"Awww. Don't be like that. I'm sure it's rainbows and sunshine like all the time!" Webby beamed.
"You two can be on Beakley's team, then. That leaves us, Love." They rarely gif to go on solo missions anymore.
"And me!" Donald said.
How had he forgotten?
"And you. We'll be going after the Fountain of the Foreverglades."
"How are you going to capture a fountain?" Louie asked.
"That's part of the fun, lad. I'll call Beakley when we're done. We need to all meet back at a central location afterwards."
"You could come back here?" Matilda smiled. "I would love to get to know my new sister-in-"
"The Bin will be a secure meeting point afterwards," he cut her off. He didn't want ____ around his family anymore than necessary.
Matilda crossed her arms.
"What about Finch?" ____ asked.
"She has her own mission." He didn't go into detail.
The rest of the dinner was quiet, with the odd "pass this" or a groan leaving someone's lips. ____ excused herself and he did too soon after. He contacted Beakley and wondered when ____ would join him. He knew she could go through the night without the fear of nightmares looming over her.
