Hello, my name is DiscordantPrincess, and I'm a Disneyholic.

Ever since I can remember, The Great Mouse Detective has been one of my favorite Disney movies, and a big part of the reason why is Professor Ratigan; he is my absolute favorite Disney villain. I've always wondered what happened to him to make him so nasty, and part of the purpose of this story is to show off my theory as to what that was (as well as to put my OCs into the story and to give my favorite Disney hero a love interest.)

I do not own The Great Mouse Detective or its characters, just my OCs.

LONDON 1879

Professor Ratigan paced back and forth outside the bedchamber door. He bit at his right index finger nervously. Inside, his wife Mary was giving birth to their first child.

Ratigan and Mary had been in love from the moment they met, when she was a student in his honors mathematics class at Oxford. Shortly after her graduation the two decided to get married. Unfortunately, soon after they were wed Mary's doctor advised her not to have children, for her body was so delicate that childbirth would most likely prove to be too much for her to survive. But Mary didn't care; she wanted a child, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her from getting what she wanted. Ratigan always loved that about her.

When Mary had announced that she was pregnant, Ratigan was both thrilled and scared beyond belief. What if the doctor's prediction came true, and she died giving birth? Or worse, what if both she AND the baby died? But Mary reassured him that what was meant to be would be, and that she would make sure to take care of herself throughout her pregnancy so that the delivery would go as smoothly as possible. Mary had done as she had promised she would do. Now was the moment of truth to see if it would work.

Just then, the door opened. The doctor came out, wiping his hands on his handkerchief. "Is everything all right, Doctor?"

The doctor sighed. "Well, Professor Ratigan, I have good news AND bad news. The good news is, you have a beautiful baby daughter, who is perfectly healthy and strong."

Ratigan smiled happily. "I have a daughter. And how's Mary?"

"I'm afraid that's the BAD news. It's just as I initially feared; your wife's body was completely destroyed by the birth. She doesn't have much time left."

Ratigan felt a nauseous ache of sadness form in the pit of his stomach. "Well, then, may I come in and say goodbye to her?"

"Of course, if she's up to it. I'll be right back." The doctor went back inside. "Mrs. Ratigan, your husband would like to talk to you. Is that all right?" Mary must have nodded yes, because the doctor then came right back out and said "Come in, please, Professor." He led the professor into the bedchamber, where he almost wept to see his beautiful Mary lying in bed, looking tired and sick, as if she had just aged ten years in the few hours of labor she'd gone through. Next to the bed, in a white wicker basket, wrapped in a soft pink blanket, slept their new baby girl. "I'll let the two of you talk alone." The doctor left the room, leaving the couple to say their last goodbyes.

The baby continued to sleep soundly as Ratigan gazed down on her lovingly. "Oh, Mary, she's absolutely perfect." He knelt beside his wife. "Luckily for her she takes more after you than me."

"Promise me she'll be loved, Padraic," Mary requested of her husband, calling him by his first name. "Promise me that you'll protect her and care for her forever."

"Of course I will, my love."

"And I know you never liked her, but I would love it if you named her Danielle, after my mother."

Ratigan frowned. He HAD never liked Mary's mother, and the feeling was mutual. Danielle Bentley was the most bigoted woman he had ever met, and she had been appalled that her daughter wanted to marry a man who was half sewer rat; to her, sewer rats were the lowest of the low, and even if you had one drop of sewer rat blood in you, you were less than nothing. She had even made Mary choose, IN FRONT OF HIM, between her previous life of luxury and wealth, or, as she had so kindly put it, "a relationship with a worthless sewer rat." Fortunately Mary had gladly chosen the latter, and even more fortunately Danielle died shortly afterwards, so she wouldn't be in their lives to pester them.

And now Mary wanted to name their baby girl after the old wench. It was almost laughable. But looking into his wife's dark blue eyes, Ratigan knew that he couldn't deny her her last request. "I will."

Mary smiled. "Thank you, darling." She moaned. "I'm going now, Padraic. Just remember that I love you. I've always loved you." She leaned forward and pressed against her husband, her lips touching his. After their final kiss, she lay back down, closed her eyes peacefully and let go.

"Mary, no!" Ratigan cried out. "Mary, please, don't leave me." But Mary didn't respond. She couldn't respond. She was gone. Ratigan hung his head sadly, held onto his wife's lifeless hand and wept like he had never wept before and would never weep again.

Just then, there was a cry from the basket. The baby had just woken up and was now calling for her mother. She didn't know that Mother couldn't come to her. Ratigan quickly got to his feet, went over to the basket, gently picked up his tiny daughter and cradled her in his arms. "Shhh. There, there, little Danielle. It's all right, Daddy's got you. Everything's going to be fine."

Upon hearing her father's voice, baby Danielle stopped crying and looked up at him with big, dark blue eyes...the very same shade Mary had. Ratigan sighed as he rocked his daughter gently, repeating his last sentence more for himself than for her.

"Everything's going to be fine."

Yeah, depressing first chapter, I know. Poor Ratigan has all my sads/feels.

I know what you're probably wondering; where was Danielle when her father was trying to kill the Queen and take over the empire? Well, you'll find out in the next chapter (don't worry, the explanation's not nearly as sad as you think it is.)

What do you all think of my first GMD fanfic? Good, bad, so-so? Please R&R.