Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was about time, he figured. He'd been putting it off long enough, and the longer it took him, the harder it was going to be.

Scrooge found the boys in the television room, watching that strange Ottoman Empire show they enjoyed. He smiled, watching as they laughed at the strange requests of the Ottoman brothers' customers. It almost reminded him of when Donald and Della were young children, and how he would approach and find them giggling at the stories they would watch during the few times he would need to keep them occupied when he needed no distractions.

The smile disappeared. Those were good times, and he had kicked himself so many times over the last few months for letting such events run away from him due to foolishness. He sighed, stepping ever closer to the couch, and watching the TV for a moment.

"Boys?" he inquired softly. Dewey looked up first, his brow raising in curiosity.

"Hey, Uncle Scrooge," the duckling said, causing his brothers to acknowledge their great-uncle as well. "What's up?"

"Ah..." Why was this so hard? He'd practiced so much over the last few days, but now that the true moment had arrived, he couldn't find the words. "Could Ah speak with the three of ye? It's... important."

The boys looked to one another, silently sharing the same question amongst them, before Huey reached for the remote and turned the show off, him and Louie both scooting over to allow Scrooge to sit down.

"What's up?" Louie asked.

"Yeah, is everything OK, Uncle Scrooge?" Huey said.

"Uhm... no," Scrooge finally sighed, rubbing his temples. "No, Ah'm afraid not. Ye see... Ah wanted to apologize about what happened on the Sunchaser." The boys looked to each other once more, and the elder duck gulped. "Ah shouldn't have lost me temper. Ye all had every reason to be upset about yer mum, and everything that happened after. Ah should have been upfront with Donald about the Spear of Selene, and Ah should have realized she'd find it..."

"It's... it's OK," Dewey said, and his brothers looked to him. "It's like I said when you were trapped in the dime, we should have realized you lost her too. We did some thinking after we got back from dealing with Magica and..."

Tears had begun to well up in their eyes, and before he could realize it, Scrooge found himself locked in the middle of an embrace by the three boys.

"What I think Dewey is trying to say, is that we forgive you, Uncle Scrooge, if for no one else's sake than our own," Huey finished. "Mrs. Beakley told us what happened after Mom got lost in the storm."

"Yeah," Louie sniffed. "She said you... you spent years trying to find her, and became broken and nearly went bankrupt because of it, and that you had to be forced to stop by those vultures."

"It's not going to be a wound that will be easy to heal any time soon, and even if ye say ye have, Ah would nae be surprised if it took a wee bit longer to actually forgive me," Scrooge said, hugging them back. "Ah promise, Ah'll be more upfront about anything like that, and... and Ah'll try not to be so quick to become upset like that again."

There was no response. He looked to the boys, only to find them having been quick to exhaust themselves in the situation. Silently, he ruffled Huey's feathers in a sort of calming motion, feeling the tired punch that came with the release of so much he had carried over the last decade. Scrooge smiled at the children, becoming acutely aware of a strange feeling in his chest as he settled in amongst the inescapable grasp of the kids.

He smiled to himself, deciding not to disturb them to get out of it, and drifted off as well, realizing what he was feeling was the space that had quickly become void in the three days he was alone finally being filled once more.

Chapter Text

Mrs. Beakley wasn't expecting to find the sleeping hugpile on the couch, but she also wasn't surprised. Quite the contrary, actually, as she could only assume Scrooge had finally made amends with his great-nephews. She smiled as she decided to leave them be for now, but a thought crossed her mind not too long later: Webby. Had he talked with her about what he had said to her yet?

Her brow furrowed, remembering her granddaughter's despondant look in the aftermath of that argument on the Sunchaser. She'd never wanted to actually harm her boss, but in that moment it had only been her knowing it would only worsen the situation that prevented her from decking the rich duck then and there, and opted instead to jump to Webby's defense. It was bad enough he had gotten defensive with the boys, but old man McDuck had crossed a line by snapping at her granddaughter.

This is a family matter-YOU are NOT family!

Mrs. Beakley shook her head as his words echoed back to her. She would have to ask Webby on the situation's status later, and talk to him herself if the duckling wasn't going to.

XvX

Webby had gone back to the old ways when she and Mrs. Beakley returned to the manor, leaving the head of the house to himself unless he sought her out first. In such time, she had realized that, though she was right, she had probably not helped anything by calling Scrooge out on his foolishness while tensions were high on that peak. She had been hurt deeply when he retaliated, but when the Ducks were going to leave to Cape Suzette and subsequently the whole incident with Magica had occurred, her heart made her push those feelings aside.

It was the late afternoon, as she had been absorbed in a book she'd nicked from the library, when the knock came to her door. She climbed down the ladder leading to the space her bed was, her mind racing. Maybe it was Huey, Dewey, and Louie wanting to talk? Nah, she would have heard them before she reached the door. It was probably her grandmother come to check on her.

"Lass?" came a soft voice from the other side just as she reached the door. She stopped, surprised. What did he want?

"Yes, sir?" she called, suddenly hesitant to open the door.

"Is it OK if Ah come in? Ah would like to talk about something with you."

If you were to tell Webby that what awaited her on the other side of the door was Scrooge McDuck looking like a defeated child, she wouldn't have believed you. She blinked, unsure of what to say, and he waved gently, a tiny smile appearing on his face.

"Hello," he murmured.

"Uhm... hi," she responded, gesturing him inside and closing the door behind him. "What, uh... what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Ah just wanted to apologize to ye for what Ah said to ye." She looked at him confused. "Ah won't try to make excuses. Ye were right, lass, Ah shouldn't have made that rocket for Della with the boys on the way, and it was nae right of me to yell at ye like that for it."

Webby stared at him, her mouth slightly agape in shock. Was this... actually happening? She was at a loss for words. A small part of her had forgiven him for it when they reunited after Magica's defeat, and it had made the rest of her long to hear him ask for that forgiveness. However as the last few days had gone on and he hadn't even tried to talk to her about it, she held the terrifying realization that maybe he wouldn't.

But here he was, and the sight of this hardened adventurer looking genuinely remorseful tore that thought in two.

"Ah will nae blame ye if yer still upset," Scrooge continued, pulling her from her thoughts. "Ah suppose Ah forgot in the heat of the moment that even extended family is still family."

"You still think of me and Granny as family?" Webby asked hopefully, words finally coming back to her.

"Of course. Unfortunately... it was only when Ah was alone after everyone left that Ah realized that, as well as what Ah'd done. So if ye'll accept it, Webby darlin', Ah'd-"

Before Scrooge was finished, Webby had launched herself at him and hugged him tightly. He was surprised for a moment before hugging her back, thankful she didn't show any outward signs of bad blood about it.

"Of course I do, Uncle Scrooge. Thank you."

XvX

"Mrs. Beakley! Might Ah have a word with ye for a moment?" The housekeeper turned to find her boss walking down the hall towards her, appearing to have his confidence in his stride back.

"What can I assist you with, sir?" she inquired, her curiosity peaked. "Though may I just say, I did see you asleep with the boys yesterday. I assume you patched things up with them?"

"Ah did indeed," Scrooge replied. "And Ah've just done the same with Webby earlier today, but now Ah would like to apologize to you as well, Bentina, for the way Ah acted. Ye don't have to accept it, Ah'd understand, but Ah feel much better getting it off me chest."

"And if I choose not to forgive you, or to take a bit to think it over?"

"Then Ah don't blame ye one bit."

Beakley thought it over for a second. Scrooge did seem sincere, and he had at least mended things between him and the children. However, there was a tiny corner of her mind that nagged at her repeatedly: What if he did this again?

"All right," she decided. "I have decided to accept your apology, sir, but know this... If we experience a repeat, that's the end of everything. And... thank you for apologizing."

"Of course, Bentina. It won't happen again. Ah promise."

Chapter Text

Donald hadn't known what to think when the boys told him they knew about the Spear of Selene. At first, he felt his heart drop, but then he became angry. There was only one person who would have told them and caused them to react in such a despondent way, and it took every fiber of his being to not fly into one of his famous rages as the conclusion came to him.

He knew it would be futile. The boys would probably just react even worse were he to succumb to it, so for once, just for their sake, he didn't.

XvX

It had been on the occasional adventure Donald tagged along that he and Scrooge had been separated from the others. Despite them all coming together in the aftermath of Magica's defeat, neither duck could bring themself to talk to the other about what had torn them apart so long ago, so it was needless to say that they both felt uncomfortable in the awkward silence that ensnared them as they tried to find the rest of their family. Both were afraid, almost as if one or the other could explode at any moment.

Then they became trapped on the crumbling platform above the snake pit, and all heck broke loose.

"Donald, Ah'm sorry," Scrooge said desperately, his nephew clinging to him for dear life.

"It's not your fault this happened!" Donald responded, although he was intrigued.

"Not about that, lad! Ah'm sorry Ah dinnae tell ye about the Spear, nor that Ah couldnae bring Della down! Ah shouldnae have been so dull in the head to not see the consequences!"

Donald turned pointedly to the trillionaire, the words making his ears ring. Was now really the time for this? Scrooge was standing on the tips of his toes now, a nervous look on his face. It honestly shocked him to see his uncle this way. The sailor had time to neither respond or otherwise react before the door that had suddenly seemed so impossible to get to opened and a grappling hook shot out to connect with an adjacent pillar. Donald grabbed the cane and launched the both of them towards the line, hooking onto it and gliding through the opening to safety.

The both of them landed on the floor, breathing heavily, as the others swarmed them, bombarding with questions of concern and intrigue. Scrooge and Donald shared a look between the two of them, a silent understanding to talk about it the first chance they got.

XvX

It had been a chill day around the manor, less than three days from the adventure with the snake pit, when Scrooge finally decided to seek Donald out. He had spent some time pondering over what had transpired between the two of them in that temple, and had realized the conversation had been long overdue. He owed it to Donald to do this properly, and waited until he felt they were both ready to deal with the matter.

Donald was sitting among the garden, enjoying the warm breeze and fresh air. He'd decided to take a break from rebuilding the houseboat, and had simply gotten lost in the peacefulness of it all. Sometimes, he figured, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy what was in front of you, even if for the longest time he'd wanted to avoid it.

"Donald?" The sailor turned to see his uncle standing behind him, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Are ye ready to talk?"

"Only if you are," Donald sighed. He shifted over, allowing Scrooge the ability to sit down with him, and they did so quietly before Donald cleared his throat and spoke again. "Did you... did you really mean what you said, Uncle Scrooge?"

"Aye," Scrooge replied. "Every bit of it. Ah've... honestly been trying to figure out how to approach ye about it for a while now, ever since ye and the boys came back into me life. Ah guess feeling like we wouldnae make it out of that room alive was as good a time as any." He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the hands crossed over the top of his cane. "Of all the things Ah've come to regret in me life, the Spear of Selene is somewhere near the top."

"...How long ago did you stop?" Scrooge looked up at Donald, who didn't return the look, curiously. "The bin is more empty than I last remember. I know you wouldn't spend that gold on anything that wasn't worth it, and Mrs. B said you spent ten years looking for Della."

"It was just a few months before ye showed up at the gates, so almost a year now. Those vultures had to actually drag me away because of the expenses. If Ah went bankrupt looking for her, then so be it." Donald finally looked to the elder duck. He wasn't sure what to say, so stretched a hand out and rested it against his uncle's shoulder. "Ye don't have to accept any of those apologies if ye dinnae wish to. Ah wouldnae hold it against ye, but.. know that Ah'm just glad we were able to talk about it, lad."

"I feel the same way to be honest, Uncle Scrooge. The truth is.. I want to, I really do. Right before we became aware of what Magica had been doing, when Webby and Mrs. Beakley and Launchpad were trying to get us to come back, I realized that..." Donald swallowed hard. "I realized it was ridiculous to go back to the old ways. You needed us, and when Della got lost in space, I was so enraged and heartbroken, but most of all I was concerned for the boys, and that overrode everything, especially the part of me that was alarming me to your guilt and blinded me to see you were doing what you could to correct the mistake. Even now, though that cloud is gone... a part of me doesn't want to forgive you, no matter how much the rest of me wants to make that amend."

Scrooge was honestly speechless and Donald had felt he'd finally said his peace, so they sat in silence for a few minutes. Donald looked to the skyline, surprised to see it already so near sundown. When had that happened? And why was his vision starting to... oh wait, no, those were tears. False alarm. He wiped his face with his sleeve and looked back to Scrooge, who had gone back to looking sadly at the ground.

Without hesitation, the sailor pulled the miser into a strong hug. Scrooge was slightly taken aback, but quickly reciprocated the gesture.

"Think it over, Donald. Whatever ye decide in the end, Ah'll be fine with."

"Thank you, Uncle Scrooge."

Chapter Text

Scrooge McDuck was an extremely lucky man. Of course, when one considers the facts, they could almost say he was a brave man rather than a lucky one.

Of the many different people employed within the many companies of McDuck enterprises, it was known that some of the more crackpot ones worked within the Money Bin itself. Of these, none was more crackpot than one Gyro Gearloose, the resident inventor. A good half of his inventions were evil or otherwise didn't work, while some held a lot of potential if he could just get them to work.

Gyro and Manny had been in the underwater lab when the Shadow War began. They'd both nearly lost their lives getting to the surface, and they had gladly teamed up with Donald and company to save Scrooge from Magica, even if getting to the Money Bin and getting captured by the shadows had been a rather harrowing experience. How he managed to get through a second time and reconvene with everyone in the vault of the Money Bin, he couldn't quite remember, but he was sure it was an intriguing tale nonetheless.

(Gyro later thought it a good luck on his part that he'd had the Barksian Modulator on him when Donald was trying to give his speech, elsewise Magica might have never been defeated and Scrooge never save all so quickly.)

That's where Gyro liked to stop thinking back to it. Though it hadn't been too long ago, the Shadow War only now seemed like a distant nightmare. Sometimes, in the rare instance he dared self-deprecate, he thought back to when he had been captured by the shadows.

The burnt orange sky seemed more menacing the further up you went. He silently pleaded with the shadows to quite actually take him alive, and was surprised when he was brought to Magica herself. His eyes sank down to the coin she held in her hand, and seeing Scrooge's face, unable to call out, unable to do anything but watch, cemented the fact that this was real. It was happening.

"At last! One of Scrooge's beloved neph-" Magica's cold-hearted cackled stopped dead upon realizing that neither Donald nor one of the triplets was in front of her. She raised an eyeridge, confused and slightly irate. "Wait, who are you?!"

"I am Scrooge's number one scientist!" Gyro replied, as though he hadn't just been fearing for his life, as he fought against the shadows' hold. Magica turned to the dime.

"Blink once if this guy is a friend, twice if he's just a work acquaintance."

Scrooge's portrait blinked twice, and the shadows dropped him.

"Gyro?" The familiar Scottish voice snapped the inventor back to reality. He raised his head, not even realizing he had drifted to sleep. "Er... sorry, Gyro. I dinnae mean to wake ye."

"No, Mr. McDuck, it's perfectly all right," Gyro mumbled, suddenly taking note of the nearly empty pot of coffee he'd held in his hand. "What's up? Was there something you needed?"

"Well, yes and no," Scrooge said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Gyro, do ye remember back to the Shadow War, when Magica captured you?"

How could I forget? "It sounds familiar."

"When Magica had grabbed ye, she asked if ye were a work acquaintance or a friend. Ah... just wanted to apologize for calling ye the former."

So he doesn't think any more of me, or does he actually think less? Gyro shook the thought from his head. If he let this carry on, there's no telling what he would start saying-or rather doing. "It's perfectly fine Mr. McDuck."

"No, it's nae fine," Scrooge almost shouted. "Gyro, Ah do think of ye as a friend in most regards! It just happens to be that you are in my employ. Ah do care, Ah always have! And ye make some of the most intriguing gadgets Ah've ever seen! Even if a good portion of them turn out evil."

Gyro said nothing. His mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't think straight.

"Do ye understand what would have happened to ye had Ah said you were a friend?"

"Something bad?" Gyro asked softly.

"Very likely. Ah'm sorry, Gyro. Really."

There was a silence between the two of them. Gyro finally looked up at Scrooge.

"I know, Mr. McDuck. It's OK."

Chapter Text

Eleven years.

Eleven years since he'd come across Della's plans for the Spear of Selene.

Eleven years since she stole the rocket and left them all behind.

Eleven years he had looked for her, sacrificing countless others and nearly going bankrupt in the process.

Scrooge had a long time to come to terms with his mistakes. He accepted long ago that he was at fault for this, even if it was just by building the rocket in the first place and refusing to tell Donald. He was extremely grateful that fate brought his nephews back into his life once more, and that he was given the chance to reconcile and bond with them. He fixed wounds both old, reopened, and new, and somehow at the end of it all, he still felt that at any moment, they could turn on him.

That incident in the Sunchaser atop the peak had opened his eyes. Perhaps if he had been honest from the start, they wouldn't be all in this mess. Della would still be here, his relationship with Donald wouldn't be broken, the kids wouldn't have spent half their life not realizing they were related to the richest duck in the world, and, as if none of that weren't enough, Magica would have never been freed. He still had a lot of amending to do, and he wanted to do right by his family now that he was given the chance once more. That meant apologizing, and telling the boys whatever they asked.

He just wanted his family back, and here he was, given a third chance he knew he likely didn't deserve.

He sat now in the hidden section of the library. It was a place of solitude, and one he visited nearly every day since Della disappeared. In the days after the forced ending of his ventures to find her, if one asked where Scrooge McDuck happened to be, the library was the simple answer.

Ms. Quakfaster usually let him be. Generally when Scrooge came by, he wanted to be left alone, and she was more than happy to leave him so.

"Mr. McDuck, you know... if you ever need anything..." she began, words failing her for the millionth time.

"Thank ye, Emily," was all Scrooge would say.

She would leave him alone after that. Not out of malice, just by knowing it was better this way.

He looked up to the portrait of his neice, a thin layer of dust covering it. He hadn't been here since right before Donald and the triplets came back into his life, and the realization struck him hard.

"Oh Della," he murmured, shaking his head. "What is there left to say? Nae a day goes by that Ah dinnae think of ye. Ah was very lucky Donald came back, and with him yer wee ones. Not only that, but even after Ah messed up, kept what happened a secret and dinnae tell the boys until me hand was forced, they came back again!"

He felt tears prick at his eyes.

"Is it enough, though? Do Ah really deserve them for causing all of this? Ah wish you could see them, Della. Huey's the smartest, always has a trick or two up his sleeve. Louie, he's always trying to laze around, but his ability to see patterns is impeccable! And Dewey, he's just like..."

He paused, his voice caught in his throat.

"He's just like Donald and ye were at that age... Della... If Ah'd only known... Ah never would have built that ship. Ah never would have let ye find out about it."

Scrooge turned away from the portrait, as if too ashamed to let it see him vulnerable.

XvX

Della awoke clutching the picture.

She'd been working on the rocket again when she'd decided to rest. Seems this time around, her body decided now would be a good time to nap. Fair enough, considering how hard it was to tell time and also rebuild the ship. Deciding nap time was over, she stretched and yawned, bringing the picture to her vision once more.

"I'm trying, boys," she murmured sadly to the crudely but lovingly drawn children on the formerly blank back of the picture. "Really. I'm so sorry I can't be there for you."

She turned the picture over.

"Any of you."

She flopped back down, groaning. Her gaze turned to the blue orb hanging in the star-filled sky, and she felt a mix of emotions build in her chest. She held the picture close to her, and curled around it. She felt tears stain the feathers on her face, and she shuddered. Suddenly she could pinpoint the exact emotions she was feeling.

Anger. Sadness. Loneliness. Despair.

Guilt.

"I'm so sorry..." she sniffled, running her hand across the scribbles. "I just... I wanted the cosmos for you. Look where it got me..."

After a brief few moments, Della sat up once more. Her eyes opened, and if one were to gaze into them, they could see the steely resolve that only a mother desperate to see her family again could muster.

"Nothing will stand in my way. I'll get back to you boys, I promise."

The crashing noise made her jump, and she looked to the surface of the moon where a part of her ship had fallen to.

"I... somehow. I'll make it. I swear, or my name isn't Della Duck!"