The Mistress and the Madman Chapter 1, a darkwing duck fanfic

This is a sequel to Roots of Revenge, though I think if you haven't read that one you may still be able to follow this all right but it certainly wouldn't hurt to read RoR too. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mistress and the Madman

-Chapter one-

An Entrance in Ebony

In the past few months there had been times when he had wondered if he had done the right thing. He was twenty-six years old, which was young by most people's standards; he was the same age as actors who were still cast as high school students. So he couldn't help but think he wasn't ready to be a father. Most men his age who had a kid either carried dewy eyed baby photos around in their wallets showing the baby off to anyone capable of using their eyes, or were the "oops" dads. He sighed, he of course was neither, leave it to him to go completely out of the usual cliques and adopt a ten-year-old girl. Now there was a creature he knew absolutely nothing about. Sure he had a few girlfriends back when he was a teen, but none of them lasted long enough to even attempt to understand the female psyche. If such a feat were even possible. She was more than a handful; she was enough to keep an army occupied. She disobeyed him, talked back, and never gave him a moment's rest while she was conscious. But he loved her, so he kept on trying. But today he seriously doubted his parenting abilities as he sat in the hallway outside the principal's office. He had seen Mrs. Farnsworth five times this month alone. Maybe if he hadn't adopted her she would be in the hands of a responsible, capable, experienced parent right now. He had no memories of his parents, just the matron at the orphanage where he was raised, and she was far from a model of good parenting. What was he thinking? He'd roped Gosalyn into a life where she would grow up in the hands of a bumbling fool. The office door opened and Mrs. Farnsworth called him in. He'd become quite familiar with the office and often caught himself deducing things about her by studying her decor. In past visits he'd been able to figure out how old she was, what her husband's job was, and that her favorite lunch was tuna salad. Today he noticed the brown hair that hung casually about her chin was in need of a touch up, he could clearly make out the gray.

"Good afternoon Mr. Mallard, I am sorry to call you in again so soon, but she's really done it this time." The tone in her voice told him that he wouldn't be able to negotiate with her today.

"Now what has she done?"

"Well, she set the science lab's rats loose in the girl's bathroom, glued the serving spoons to the wall in the cafeteria, and was caught playing baseball in the hallway with Honker Muddlefoot."

"Wow. She's been busy huh?" He said a bit taken back.

"Mr. Mallard I know she's really a good kid and I know you are doing all you can but I cannot let her go unpunished." There was sincerity in her voice that told him that she was being truthful. She really was a good kid… when she felt like being one.

"I understand. So what are we talking here, six months community service or twenty five to life?" He gave her what he thought was a charming smile.

"I'm afraid I'll have to suspend her. I've been too lenient in the past."

"Suspension! For how long?" He hadn't expected that.

"A week, perhaps she'll understand that these are actions that she must answer for. She's in detention over in room 413 you can go and pick her up now." To further the finality of her statement she opened the door for him to leave.

"There's no way I can talk you out of this?"

"You've negotiated with me before but this time it's final. Maybe you can talk some sense into her in the next week."

He stalked down the empty halls, his hands crammed in his jean pockets. He came to the door and rapped on the glass with his knuckles, the door opened and Gosalyn paraded out staring at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd enroll seeing as how I'm here all the time anyway."

"You don't want to go to school here. The student teacher ratio is horrendous and the food is quite distasteful." She smirked.

"Where do you hear this stuff?" He asked taken off guard, he shook his head, "You know what… I don't want to know. You're in real trouble this time."

"More detentions with Principal Farnsworth?" She groaned.

"No, you've out done my negotiation skills this time. You've been suspended."

For a second she looked upset but the concern melted into a bright smile. She started to dash down the hall toward the exit, with him striding behind her.

"Keen gear no school! For how long?"

"This isn't a reward! You're going to have this on your record forever!"

"Yeah sure Drake. They're going to deny my application to college because I was suspended in elementary school." She snorted.

"What will it take to get through to you?" He opened the outside door and led her to his motorcycle.

"A new video game would be a good start!" She teased.

He shoved a helmet on her head un-amused.

"Gos, I'm serious. You have to stop acting up at school. You tell me you will and than a few days later I get another phone call. I can't keep doing this." He strapped his helmet on and turned to her.

"Well maybe you'd just be better off with out me." She said bitterly.

"I didn't say that."

"You don't have to. I'm just no damn good and you wish you had never met me."

"Don't be ridiculous. You know I love you Gos. It's just… I'm not as good at this parenting thing as I thought I would be." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We can make this work, I know we can. You just need to bear with me okay? I need you to try and behave at school."

"I'm sorry Drake. I didn't mean to screw up your life." She sniffed loudly.

He picked her up, sat her on the back of the bike, and patted the helmet.

"Before I met you I didn't have a life to screw up. And you haven't ruined anything. I just want you to try harder. You are brilliant, down right the smartest girl I know. I just need you to focus okay?" He saw her eyes look up at him from behind the wind guard.

"I'll try."

"That's my girl." He smiled. He got the bike and it growled into action, her arms clasped tightly around his waist. Over the din he heard her shout.

"I take it the video game is still out of the question?"

The cool October wind swirled through the city. It was close to midnight now, and his patrol was pretty uneventful. He had left Launchpad to baby sit Gosalyn as he did every night. He really couldn't ask for a better best friend, and yet he felt guilty, like he was taking advantage of LP's kindness. He knew Launchpad was crazy about Gos, and they got along so well. LP had told him that he had tried to adopt Gosalyn when he was missing, and again he wondered if she would have been in better hands with him. He straightened out his fedora as he peered down at the streets. Since his bout with Bushroot almost half a year ago he hadn't seen much action. There were petty crimes but nothing too taxing or dangerous. His bones had fully healed, and he was secretly hoping for a real challenge apart from parenthood Maybe he'd call it a night, get up early and spend the day with his delinquent daughter. Just as he agreed to do so, a far below a car caught his attention. He stared at it, it wasn't really a car it was a hearse. He felt drawn to it, like he was being pulled by an invisible string towards it, he entertained the hunch to follow it. There was an urgency in the way the driver weaved recklessly in and out of the passing cars. It swerved through traffic building speed; he struggled to keep up with it along the rooftops. It careened off the main road and bolted through the side streets purposefully. Just when he thought he would need to catch his breath and loose it, the hearse screeched to a halt. He watched keenly as an assortment of passengers departed from their morbid vehicle, all decked out in black robes. They were impossible to make out from this high up, so he repelled to a lower balcony and saw them approach a classy, expensive door. It hardly surprised him when the largest figure punched a hole in the glass pane. It was time to foil an other petty crime he told himself and loaded a canister into his gun. He steadied his aim and fired.

He cut through his familiar blue smoke with a burst of excitement and confidence he couldn't quite explain. He'd always enjoyed this but tonight was different, he felt a surge of power that was unmatched by anything he'd ever felt before. He could take anything they could throw at him…or so he thought. He came to shrouded figure that broke the window and the face he saw damn near made him fall over backwards. A great gnarled wolf's face was under the hood with… a duckbill where the snout should have been. Regardless he delivered a well-placed sweep kick to the beast and as the smoke began to clear he saw the other members of the motley ensemble. He found himself surrounded by faces that belonged in the movies Gosalyn watched on Midnight Monster Madness. The wolf duck got slowly, and angrily, to his feet. A strong voice boomed from beside him.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"I could ask you the same question…" Dark turned to the macho voice to see a small rat with huge muscles protruding through his robe a few feet away from him.

"This has got nothin' to do with you. Leave now if you know what's good for you." Growled the rodent.

"I'm afraid that isn't happening tonight short stuff. No crime will go unpunished under the watch of Darkwing…" something slid around his ankles and pulled him down hard to the cement. His eyes bolted to his captor as he skid along the cracked sidewalk. A large pink tongue had encircled a large portion of his legs and was dragging him toward the jaws of what looked like a giant frog. He grabbed for another canister but was stopped by a mismatched pair of hands. His hands were yanked above his head and bound tightly together by a creature that looked to be sewn together pieces of cadavers. A brutal tug of war sensation came over him.

"You should have listened…" said the sympathetic voice of the monster. "..get a better grip Queenie or he'll wiggle free."

The tongue wrapped itself all the way up around his torso crushing the wind out of him, white lights floated around in front of his eyes. The patchwork creature let him go and he shot toward his digestive doom.

"STOP!"

Everything froze… literally. The wind stopped, sound stopped, everything stood still and silent, he couldn't move even if he wanted too and judging by the hush neither could anyone else. His heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest, the tongue was unbearably constricting him. Suddenly there came the unmistakable sound of high heels approaching and the tongue released him from it's gooey grasp. He was restored his mobility and he painfully scrambled to his feet, where he saw her. There were only a few times he could recall being completely speechless and this one blew the rest of them away. She stood only a foot away from him in a black silk form-hugging gown that accented her perfect hourglass figure. Her long black hair hung loosely around her face and was highlighted with two shockingly white strips that ran through it. Her blazing green eyes were hypnotizing and upon him, the gaze made his face burn. He couldn't believe this woman was real… was it possible for any living creature to be that beautiful? He stood there like a fool staring at her.

"Who are you?" Her voice was deep and sultry.

"I am Darkwing Duck…" he pulled himself together, "…are you connected to these…"

She placed a small soft hand on his bill and time unfroze itself. All the unnatural faces contorted in shock at the sight of her.

"Darkwing Duck?" She smiled as she thoughtfully repeated his name.

"Mistress!" Shrieked the giant frog. "But how…"

The sound of police sirens screamed toward them. Darkwing could do nothing but return her piercing stare. There was something… he felt funny. The feeling didn't last long however for he received a kick to the side that toppled him. He heard her cry out in surprise and he wheezed as he sat up to see the were-duck shoving her into the back of the hearse. Her eyes were on him until she was gone. His hands were still bound, he was sticky with saliva, and his beak still tingled where she had touched it, and he was still unsure of what had just happened. The red and blue lights were getting closer. He managed to break the black rope and grappled to the rooftop before St. Canard's finest arrived.

In the hearse the woman turned in her seat when she could see him no longer. She held the hand that touched him and looked around at her comrades. The were-duck turned to her as they escaped the last patrol car.

"Mistress you're alright? But how?" He saw the frailty returning to her.

"Don't worry… this was a bad idea. I'll get it myself tomorrow." She closed her eyes and smiled lightly. "Darkwing Duck….hmmm?" She said dreamily to herself as her head drooped into sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------