Disclaimer: I don't own Ducktales!

Title: Counting Cards

Summary: Goldie and Scrooge have known each other a long time now, and that's given them a special kind of closeness. Goldie can't say the same for the children he's dragging around with him now, but if she wants to continue the way they have she's going to have to learn. Too bad Goldie's never been good at being good.

...

"Hey, how you all doing?" Goldie greeted, shaking hands with the boys. She didn't pretend to know them well enough to separate their voices and faces, but they didn't seem to mind, giggling and cooing over the two of them having spent some alone time at the mansion. "Honestly, how do none of you have wallets? Oh, wait, I got one." She held up a tattered bit of brown leather. "Wait a second. I know this wallet."

"Aye, 'cause it's mine." Scrooge ripped it from her hand, glaring down at Louie. "What did I say 'bout pick-pocketing family?"

He crossed his arms in a pout. "I just wanted to hold it."

A giggling caught Goldie's attention, just in time to see Webby slipping out of the back of the limo with Lena. Webby caught her eye, balked for just a second, then went over and shook her hand with a determined little smile.

"Hi," she said, shy. "I'm Webby."

"So I've heard." No wallet on her either. Pity. "Is this Ms. Lena?"

Webby lost half her already insignificant height from sheer embarrassment. "Yes, ma'am."

"I spied on you," Lena said without prompting. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to know who this weird lady was. Then you and Scrooge got all goo-goo eyes and I bailed." She glanced at the girl. "You've talked to her about me?"

"Better question," Goldie broke in before Webby could spit out a half-baked lie. It was true that she hadn't been a duckling in many, many years, but she could only imagine how mortified she'd feel if her childhood crushes had found out she was asking for advice on how to handle them behind their backs. "How did you spy on us without me noticing?"

Lena blinked at her a moment, scanning her features, then shrugged. "I was a shadow. Duh."

"She's my shadow!" Webby gestured to her webbed feet- which, now that Goldie was looking, lacked the typical dark shape underneath and between them. "Well, not really. I gave her my shadow so she could use it- and some magic- to make herself a new body! It was pretty cool."

"You know selkie skins? Think of it like that."

"This conversation has wandered down a very strange path."

"Welcome to my life, lady."


"I know I'm wasting my breath, but do I need to pencil in any date nights? I like to keep my schedule accurate."

Scrooge made a noise reminiscent of a cat with a hairball.

Huey gave him a thumbs up from across the table. "Gotcha."

"Awww, come on, Uncle Scrooge!" Louie set his chin on his hands, batting his eyelashes. "Treat the lady to a little romance. Buy her dinner, make her a bouquet, take her to Hamburger Hippo. Something."

Goldie let out a playful sigh. "Oh, Scrooge, you never take me anywhere anymore."

Scrooge slammed his hand on the solid wood table. "This is a very temporary livin' arrangement! If it weren't fer her saving my soul from the very pits of hell, I wouldn't've agreed to it in the first place!"

"You didn't agree, Scroogey. I just came by regardless."

He shot her a dirty look.

"You said that last time," Donald said, deadpan. "And that ended with her dumping you on your wedding day a year and a half later."

Dewey whistled. "Cold."

"I didn't dump him! There were centaurs. Also fire." She reached out to touch his hand, delighting in the mixed happiness and irritation in his eyes. "Ask me again sometime. You never know."

Beakley appeared from the kitchen, handing out plates full of burgers that- if Goldie knows Scrooge- are this close to charcoal, with a lot of cheese on top. Huey carefully cut his into pieces before eating them, mindful of size and the very possible threat of choking. Dewey bet he could eat half in one bite, and proved it, though he looked quite sick after. Louie just ate, taking plenty of drinks of water between bites. His Pep sat mostly full.

I can do this, Goldie thought to herself. I've memorized credit card numbers more complicated than three short names. They're clearly very different boys. I just need to pay attention.

"Sit up and stop picking at your food," Beakley scolded Lena, who looked very disinterested in the whole ordeal. "If you don't like it, just tell me, okay? I'll make you something else."

"It's whatever."

Webby reached out to touch her arm. "Lena, please."

A conflicted expression crossed Lena's beak. She stared at the hand, her face, then her burger. She turned and started to eat, though judging by the scrunch in her face she was far from happy with the flavor. Beakley nodded, satisfied, before finally looking at her. "You'll have to excuse me. I don't cook for criminals."

"Is this about the closet?"

"This is absolutely about the closet."

"Ach, fine!" Scrooge burst in, sawing his in half with an old butter knife. "Pull me tail feathers why don't ya'."

Goldie accepted the morsel with a smirk. "I mean, I could, if that's what you'd like."

"Eww!" they all chimed, various levels of disgust on their beaks.

Author's Note: Another short one! This is more to establish characters and interactions than anything else. I'll be spacing the timeline out a bit more from here. (I'm a big fan of Vaguely an Eldritch Horror Being Lena, so sue me)

-Mandaree1