Chapter Text
He woke up to the military style whistle.
"I'm awake!" Goldie said, flipping up. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
Another ear piercing sound came for the monitor and his head snapped towards the screen. Beakley stood over Della, who was covering her face with the pillow.
"Are you drunk?" Beakley asked.
"No," Della mumbled. Beakley snatched the pillow and threw it across the room and crossed her arms. Della looked up at her. "I'm hungover."
"You thought it was a good idea to drink yourself into a stupor the night before a mission?" Beakley asked.
"It was ____'s idea," Della mumbled.
"Of course it was her idea. Let's go ask her then."
Beakley grabbed her shirt and drugged her down the hall. Della didn't fight her. The cameras followed her down the hall.
"How pissed do you think she is?"
“I’m surprised she hasn’t threatened physical labor yet,” he mumbled.
Webby appeared from _____'s room and he wondered what the Las was doing in there. He watched as she ran down the hall to the air vent. She checked to make sure the hall was empty and disappeared into the vent.
They weren’t in ____’s room long. That should’ve been a good sign but he wasn’t sure. Beakley walked back out dragging Della. She shoved her to stand on her own two feet.
"Get a shower and change," Beakely said.
Della hummed in agreement. Beakley didn't wait to see if she actually complied; she marched down the hall to his office. She knocked on the door once and didn't wait for a response.
"Della is out of commission," she said, opening the door. The screen flipped to an empty room. "Surely he's still not asleep."
She marched down the hall to his room. She banded on it. This time she waited until it opened.
"Where's the fire?" Nega-Scrooge mumbled, tying a robe.
"Della is out of commission. We need to come up with a new plan."
"What did she do now?" Nega-Scrooge growled in a tone he usually reserved for when he was mad at Gladstone.
"She's just hungover," Beakley said, slightly stunned.
"I'll take care of this," he grumbled, slamming the door.
Beakley stared stunned for a minute before turning back to the hallway. She made her way to Webby's room and disappeared.
Meanwhile _____ had made her way to the kitchen.
"Aunt ____, are you okay?" Huey asked, walking in.
"I will be fine," she grumbled.
"I wanted to give you this back." He handed her the book. "I tried every decipher method I know, and I got nothing."
"What's this method?" She pointed at something on the stack of papers he was holding.
"The Caesar cipher? It's essentially three letters back and one of the easiest methods. It's a basic one of the first I tried. Although there wasn't any luck with it."
"Alright. Thanks for looking at it, Red," ____ hummed.
"Of course, Aunt ____. Sorry, I couldn't be any more help."
"You did good, Huey."
He ran into the dining room. She stared at the book.
"Mornin', Love!"
____ jumped so hard she nearly fell but his double caught her.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Are you okay?" He reached for the book, but ____ snatched it. He looked beyond stunned. "What is it?"
"What is that?" Goldie asked.
"Sorry, it's important. It's from," _____ fumbled for words. "It's by my Isabella Finch."
His mind raced. He wondered how that was possible. How had she found another human's journals? At least that's what he assumed it was a journal.
"What?" Nega-Scrooge looked confused.
"Nothing." She changed the subject. "Banana pancake or normal pancake?"
"Banana?" He looked disgusted.
"Regular it is. It's been a crazy morning. Go take a seat."
He headed for the dining room. There was his usual newspaper waiting for him but the room was empty. The other cameras showed the kids headed that way.
"You look like sh*te!" Nega-Scrooge shouted as Della walked in.
She sat down beside him.
"I know I'm in trouble, alright. Can we pick this up later?" Della asked.
"No! You need to start acting like an adult!" Neg snapped.
"It was just one night," Della hummed.
Gladstone walked in and silently took a seat.
"You ruined our plans! You should've thought through your actions for once!" He shouted.
Della didn't even defend herself. She laid her hard down on the table.
"Uncle Scrooge," Gladstone started.
"Am I wrong?" Neg asked.
Gladstone raised his hands in surrendered. Nega-Scrooge picked up the newspaper.
"He's treating them like opposites," he whispered.
"What?" Goldie looked at him.
"I would never use that tone with Della. Gladstone on the other hand," he hummed.
"Well, Gladstone has already picked up on it. Maybe Della will notice," Goldie's eyes cut to his niece and she grimaced, "When she's sober."
"Maybe," he hummed.
There were a few minutes of silence and Beakley walked in.
"Have you talked to ____ and Della?" Beakley said.
"Della and I have discussed her lack of forethought."
"What about ___? It was her idea from what I heard. I'm concerned about what or who is influencing her decision," Beakley pressed.
"Della's an adult. It's time she started acting like one. If ____ want to go out then that's not my problem," Neg snapped.
____ walked in carrying food but no one beside Gladstone seemed to notice. He sent her a warning glance.
"Scrooge, think about it logically! Something is wrong. Can't you see that?!" Beakley bellowed.
"Yeah, we're all stressed to hell and back and we're turning on each other," ____ said, dropping the plate in front of Nega-Scrooge.
Beakley's body shifted from defensive to annoyed. Della shifted at the clatter of the plate and sniffled.
"Too loud," Della mumbled.
"She's right. We trade Della out for Gladstone or Donald and continue as planned. No reason to get upset with each other," he shrugged.
"Um, Uncle Scrooge, don't you think that's a bit rash?" Gladstone asked.
If his nephew was suggesting something was rash than he new his family must have thought he was unhinged.
"It's a solution. Do you have a problem with it?" Nega-Scrooge snapped. Gladstone sat back in his seat.
"You don't see a problem with this? This has FOWL's doing written all over it!" Beakley asked.
"How exactly?" Nega-Scrooge challenged.
Beakley didn't have any answer, not a viable one or she would have protested. Instead she backed down. Not verbally but she shifted away from him showing she was done talking for the moment
"As for problems," Nega growled, "Della shouldn't have caused one!"
Beakley stormed out of the room and to her room. Della had enough and tried to stand and stumbled out of the room. She mad her way to Donald’s house boat. Nega-Scrooge picked up the fork and sat back down. He waited for _____ to say something.
"You shouldn't blame Della. I did give her the idea," ____ mumbled then added, "Don't tell, Beakley."
"Della's grown. She can handle some criticism and liquor. If she can't then she can take responsibility for it, for once," Nega-Scrooge stated.
"She was in tears," ____ said. After a moment of no response she added, "What else did you say?"
"I didn't say anything. It was Beakley and the stick she has up her ar," ____ cut off his lie.
"Scrooge!" ____ did not look amused. He chuckled.
"She seems to have it out for you too recently. Any particular reason?"
____ mumbled something he couldn't make out be he thought it had to do with Webby.
"Why would she be lashing out at you for that?" he hummed.
"Webby is coming to me instead of her for advice," _____ said a little stronger. Nega-Scrooge looked disinterested in the conversation.
The rest of breakfast remained unusually quiet. They only sound most people coming and going in for scraping plates. They all must've been able to tell attention in the room because not even José or Panchito spoke. Though the boys also looked slightly hungover as well. The kids took the cue from the adults and didn't speak. Gladstone stood and his alter ego broke the silences.
"Get ready for the mission, lad," he chirped.
"What about," Donald started but was cut off by glares from his cousin and ____.
Huey caught the ____'s stare.
"Are you alright Aunt ____?"
"Yea," she mumbled. "I just got a headache."
The kids dispersed and _____ did dishes. Webby ran to her room. A few minutes later Webby’s friends Lena and a purple youth walked in and up to her room. _____ spread out in the reading room going through the book she was so protective of. A few minutes later they made their way to the hangar.
“Who do you think will notice first? ____ and the twins or her grandmother?” Goldie asked.
He jumped. He nearly forgot she was there.
“Fifty-fifty,” he said.
Nega-Scrooge met Gladstone and Beakley in the hangar.
Huey paced around the house beak first in Finch’s journal. He settled in the dining room. Dewey and Louie had disappeared outside. The house was unneverling quiet. Even Goldie seemed unsettled by it. Della stormed back in around lunch time and marched into the kitchen. His stomach growled and he realized he hadn’t eaten in over twenty four hours. Donald walked in a few minutes and watched a sister slap sandwiches together.
“Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to say something?” Della growled.
“What’s wrong?” Donald asked.
“Nothing,” Della snapped.
Donald placed a hand on her shoulder and she crumpled into him. Donald couldn’t hide his smile. It was probably the first time they had an embrace since she had been back.
“Alright stop being mush,” Della said, rolling her eyes but smiling. “I’m just tired and everyone has been on my ass. Beakley, Scrooge, even ____.”
“I’ve noticed there's something off with all three of them,” Huey said.
“Beakley has been riding everyone extra hard recently,” Donald agreed.
“But Uncle Scrooge? He yelled at me. That’s not like him.” Della shook her head. “I mean yeah he’s been upset with me before but not like this.”
“And why didn’t he take _____ to Istanbird?” Huey asked.
“You know about that?” Donald asked.
“Webby mentioned it,” Huey said. The twins exchanged a look.
“And when was the last time you saw her?” Della asked.
“Not since breakfast. Why? Oh,” Huey said.
They took off towards Webbigail’s room.
A ring tong echo through the screens. It took a moment for the camera to settle on where it was coming from.
"Boyd, you okay?" ____ Sounded worried. She was already packing. "What's wrong?"
"Okay, where are you?" She headed downstairs. "Where are the Drakes?"
"I'm coming to get you,” she said.
"I'll be okay," she assured him. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"I’ll be fine. See you,” she chuckled.
She slammed into Della, Donald, and Huey.
"Aunt ____?" Huey said.
"Donald, I'm borrowing your car." She wasn’t asking.
"I thought you were grounded too," Della huffed.
"You're not grounded," ___ said.
"Sure as hell sounded like this morning!" she bellowed. Huey shrunk a little into his shell. Donald shot her a look.
"That's not what he said," ____ started but Della cut her off.
"You're taking up for him!? I don't know why I expected any less! You didn't even stand up for me when Beakley laid into me for going along with your idea!" She stomped off.
The three of them stared at each other for a minute. Donald offered ____ a hand.
"I'll talk to her," he sighed.
"I'll apologize later. There is a mini emergency. I'll be back. Don, call me if you need help."
Donald pulled her up, and she ran to the garage. She was too busy to notice Huey was following her. She cranked the car but she was stopped by Huey walking up to the mirror.
"Where are you going?" Huey asked.
"A friend needs some help,” she said. She sighed and opened the door. "Get in."
He crawled over her and buckled into the passenger seat.
He had lost track of how long it had been. He thought his whole family had left the house unprotected if it was for the occasional nephew, coming into the kitchen to raid the kitchen or flick through the channels mindlessly.
Suddenly there was a loud bang from down the hall. Heron marched into the flickered screens so fast he had to look away. Her growl echoed through the place. Bradford followed her looking smug.
"Where are they?" Heron stomped. "How could they just disappear? I thought we had surveillance everywhere."
"Why do you care, Heron? I thought you didn't care about my plan," Bradford was clearly amused.
"I don't! Though I don't like the idea of them getting the jump on us, either. I don't trust him." She crossed her arms, and the picture settled on the main foyer.
"You have access to the mansion feed to monitor him. Beyond that he's simply a distraction," Bradford said.
"A distraction that cost me the sword!" She cursed.
"You accomplished your end of the mission, regardless of the complications," Bradford mumbled. "____ will come around. She'll see how foolish she's been and she'll have to agree."
Heron shook her head. "Why are you so concerned with the girl? We have enough power to wipe out Europe before anyone could stop us."
"You know it's not about that," Bradford snapped.
"I hate it when mom and dad fight," Goldie quipped. He rolled his eyes.
"Quite, Ogilt!" They shouted together.
Donald and Della made their way through the house to the foyer.
"Good, because Gladstone just called. It's bad," Donald said into his phone. "We're having a meeting as soon as they get back."
____ walked in the front door.
"What happened?" _____ asked.
The twins glanced at each other. Huey and another boy ran upstairs.
"Webby and the girls snuck away with them," Donald said. "Beakley is pretty upset about it."
"She's pissed. Even more so that Uncle Scrooge doesn’t seem to give a f*ck!" Her voice echoed off the walls. She deflated on the stairs. "Sorry."
He felt Goldies’s eyes on him.
"I think we all feel like screaming." ____ sat beside her. "Though I should be apologize for throwing you under the bus with her to begin with."
"Yes, you should," she said. "Though I would've done the same. She scares me."
"Agreed," Donald nodded.
He chuckled to himself. Beakley had that effect but so did _____.
Nega-Scrooge opened the door and his eyes dart from one twin to the other. Gladstone followed him holding the sword. The girls held each other and walked behind Gladstone.
"I will be calling your fathers. As for you, Webbigail, how could you risk your friend's life?" Beakley was more concerned with the girls than anything else.
"Did you get it?" _____ broke their concentration.
"Of course," Gladstone said.
Gladstone pulled the sword out of its shive. ____ and Lena seemed to be drawn towards the sword.
"We had some trouble with FOWL but it was no biggy," Gladstone shrugged and spun it back around.
"I'm just glad everyone made it back safe," _____ said.
“Well we got lucky,” Gladstone chuckled.
“No thanks to the stowaway situation,” Nega-Scrooge spat.
“The girls had a close call,” Gladstone added. “Of course we knew it was a trap going in.”
"Girls go to Webby's room," Beakley broke in.
"____, you have some nerve." She bawled her fist, barely waiting till the girls were gone. "You know what I'm talking about. You left the house unprotected?!"
“How does she know?” Goldie whispered.
“Of course,” he whispered. “She installed them.”
“Does she have access to the security cameras?” Bradford asked.
Heron immediately started typing.
“It appears so I can block her access, but she’ll know we do too,” Heron said.
“That may pose a problem. Don’t mess with her access,” Bradford hummed. “We could have him talk to her about it.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” he said almost automatically then cursed himself.
Bradford looked at him then back to Heron.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Bradford hummed.
"Not that I have to get my outings approved by you, but it was a family emergency. Donald and Della were here. Plus, the house has enough defenses that I wouldn't have even been needed."
He had missed some but _____ was yelling at Beakley.
"You don't know that," Beakley challenged her.
"And you do?" ____ shot back. "Meeting adjourned."
Beakley stomped upstairs. Gladstone snatched Della up, who grabbed Donald's arm. He pulled them towards Donald houseboat and shook his head when they tried to ask him anything. ____ crossed the room and hugged Nega-Scrooge.
"What did you do?" Nega-Scrooge was so suspicious he didn’t even hug her back, which he was fine with.
"Why did I have to have done something to miss you?" ____ asked.
“She’s definitely done something,” Goldie laughed.
“Definitely,” he nodded.
Though he looked away when ____ kissed Nega-Scrooge.
“She noticed,” Goldie whispered.
"You've been avoiding me for days and now you're glad to see me." Nega-Scrooge hugged her back but ____ looked confused and disappointed. "So you either want something or do something. And from the sound of it..."
"Hey!" She hit his shoulder after a second she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm just tired."
"Family emergency?" Nega-Scrooge asked.
"Yea. I had to go help with Boyd, who will be living here now.” She mumbled something. Nega-Scrooge moved to look at her. She raised her voice slightly. "I couldn't let the Drakes take him back. They're awful and Gyro was no go."
"If you think it's for the best,” Nega-Scrooge hummed.
"No protesting?" ____ quipped.
"Oh, I'll protest. Just not when I've got you like this," Nega-Scrooge hummed.
He picked her up and walked them into the kitchen. She laughed and started cooking once he put her down. Nega-Scrooge dug through the cabinet looking for something. Nega pulled out a bottle and ____ watched him open it. She turned red and quickly turned back around. Nega-Scrooge poured two glasses of red wine.
“Do you think,” he cut Goldie off.
“She’ll notice,” he said.
"I think Bradford's plan is working," Nega-Scrooge chuckled.
“He’s going off script,” Heron growled.
“Let it play out,” Bradford said.
"What?" ____ squeaked.
"You are a very pretty distraction," Nega hummed. ____ rolled her eyes.
"I think he wants me to be more than just a distraction," ____ huffed.
"What else would he have planned for you?"
"He wanted me to control you Scrooge," ____ said. She wouldn’t look at him. "He wants me to control you."
He looked at Bradford, who didn’t give any signs of that was his end goal or not.
"What were you thinking about just now?" Nega asked.
"When?" ____ hummed.
"When you turned away. Was it Guatemala?" Nega-Scrooge asked. "Is that why ya've been avoiding me?"
"Don't. Scrooge," she turned back to the food.
"It's a valid question, Love."
"I'm not avoiding you." She looked over her shoulder. "I am just very overwhelmed."
She poured both of them a bowl of soup.
"I could help with that," Nega hummed as she handed it to him.
She nearly dropped bowl of soup.
"My, how forward we are," ____ was annoyed. "Though I'd rather know what Gladstone meant when he said you had trouble with FOWL."
"Oh, that." Nega-Scrooge brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "No trouble, really. Just a big brute and Heron showed up."
"It was a trap," she said.
"We knew that going in." Nega-Scrooge took her hand. She slid her hand quickly.
"Still, who does Bradford think he is, playing mind games?" ____ asked her soup.
"He wants to prove how smart he is," Nega-Scrooge shrugged.
"He's not smart. He's an Asshat. A crazy one," _____ snapped.
Bradford shifted and narrowed his eyes.
"I think his reining in chaos theory is genius. Financially, at least." Her eyes snapped towards Nega. "Tell me I'm wrong, Love?"
She didn’t protest but he knew she was wondering what was wrong with him. Bradford scoffed, taking it as a win.
"He saved the company billions. The way Bradford went about it was ill-advised, perhaps. Using you was ingenious, really. Not that ya would turn on me, but the premise was smart."
"I didn't," she stammered.
"We might have to pull something like that," Nega chuckled. "It was a joke, Love."
"It didn't sound like one," she said.
They fell silent. ____ was definitely over thinking everything he had said and would figure it out soon if she didn’t already know.
Bradford didn’t say anything and walked out. Heron was on his heel.
“Oh, she has to peg him as an imposter now,” Goldie said.
“Or she thinks I’ve lost me mind,” he hummed.
"Come here." Nega-Scrooge offered her hand after another moment. "You haven't eaten a bite. Just come here."
She walked around the counter and Neg took her hand and kiss it. He couldn’t watch anymore. He slide down the wall. He wanted to cover his ear but he needed to know what was going to happen to her. What he couldn’t protect her from.
"You're all the chaos I need," Nega-Scrooge said.
"Not sure that's a compliment," ____ scoffed.
"It is."
____ made a sound of pain and couldn’t stop from looking up. Nega had pinned her in his lap.
His blood boiled. He wanted to fight.
“Hey she can handle herself,” Goldie said, sitting in front of him.
“She shouldn’t have to,” he growled.
“Torturing yourself isn’t going to help her,” Goldie said. “Trust me. Don’t.”
“But,” he started.
She covered his ears. They locked eyes and he fought back tears. He covered her hands and closed his eyes. He felt her forehead on his and his breath even out.
…
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Scrooge sank to the floor when his double kissed _____. He was clearly delusional from lack of food and exhaustion. He looked like he might punch the glass again no one need that. ____ made a sound of pain and he looked up.
“Hey,” she whispered, kneeling beside him. “She can handle herself.”
“She shouldn’t have to,” he growled. He wouldn’t look at her.
“Torturing yourself isn’t going to help her. Trust me. Don’t.”
“But,” he started.
____ made another sound of pain so she covered his ears before he could react. Her eyes flicked to the screen. She wanted to punch the fake Scrooge herself. He was being misogynistic pig. Though more than that. She had never seen Scrooge like this and it was because ____ was being hurt. She knew he wouldn’t be this upset if had been her but it didn’t matter.
Scrooge cover her hands with his and her eyes flicked back to him. He had looked up at her and his eyes were watering. He wouldn’t cry in front of her. She knew that. She press forehead into his and he sobbed. She wouldn’t judge him. Not tonight. Not for this. Not ever.
She had never felt closer yet farther from Scrooge in this moment. She wanted to keep an eye on the screen but she couldn’t. She could pull away Scrooge. His breathing even out and she realized he had passed out.
She sighed, only slightly annoyed and pulled his head his head her lap. She couldn’t be stupider for falling this idiot.
Bradford walked in. ____ had long since disappeared into one of the kids room. Instead he looked at the scene in their cell and gave them a cruel smile.
“The heart can be cruel don’t you think?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Like you would know?”
“I thought I was in love once,” he hummed. “I was wrong.”
He marched off, leaving her with that thought.
