Work in Progress: Study of a Mad Golfer

Inspired by Work in Progress: Study of an Evil Genius by purplegirl761. The idea and concept goes completelyto her-I just changed around our main character! I'm a Duff fan, so I thought I'd try this lovely fan fiction idea with him. I don't think I'll go up to 100, but I'll try my best. :) Most stuff is going to be made up, since we really didn't get to see many episodes with him, therefore not getting many situations or information to write about. The one-shots will be random, ranging from as a wee laddie, to his mad golfer days. Hope ye like it, me lassies and laddies!

I'm giving it the highest rating, because certain subjects will be brought up later. And sorry to any Scots out there if I mess up some kind of information or something like that. I'm not Scottish.

Sorry I've been long...senior year. ugh.

Christmas

Duff opened his eyes. His sister was on top of him, shaking him and beaming like she was filled with rays of the dawning sun.

"Duffie! Duffie! Wake up! It's Christmas!"

He grinned, matching his sister's excitement. They both giggled as Duff pulled off the covers and slid off the bed. She followed him, and they both ran down the stairs.

The parlor was decorated with a large tree, and dozens and dozens of candles, which filled the room with a warm scent of spice. Will was already up, running around the castle, flailing his arms about, yelling like a maniac. Pa yelled at him to sit still and he obeyed.

Duff and Carol came down the steps and joined their older brother on the floor. The three Killigan children sat patiently, their eyes gleaming with hope and expectancy.

"PRESSAAAHHHNNNTSSS!" Will roared obnoxiously. Duff rolled his eyes and Carol snickered in response.

"Be patient, William." Belle cooed. She smiled, as if her smile could promise, and her promise would not be broken. Her hand touched her son's shoulder, and her eyes glimmered like the Loch Fyne did, shining like the color of dusk. Pa came in the room, holding a glass of whiskey.

"Where's Gram?" Duff asked his parents.

"Gram is sick." Belle said. "Nae worries, jist a wee cold eh'm sure." Her voice had clarity in it.

"But we should all celebrate Christmas tegether!" Carol sang, standing up, about to fetch her grandmother.

Will forced her back down by pulling her.

"WEH WANT PRESSEHHHNNNTSSS!" He roared, again. Belle smiled, innocently. She disappeared behind the immense Pine and brought back three items, each dressed in its own collection of newspaper. Belle handed each of her children gifts, hoping with her heart they did nothing but love them.

"Will, Duff," she said. "Pa helped meh choose yer gifts…he said he knows whut boys like ye would want."

The sounds that escaped Duff's mother's mouth were not words. Had she just said that Pa assisted in the gift-picking? Even though Duff was but six years old, something was ringing to him that this wasn't a good sign.

Will charged all his energy against the paper surrounding his Christmas present.

"What'd tha' peper e'er deh te ye, brer?" Duff asked.

"Shut it!" Will snapped, as he tore away the remains. Lying in his hands was a gorgeous toy truck. It wasn't shiny new, but nothing that ever came to the castle was. Will beamed and once again resumed to running around the house like an overexcited maniac. Duff smiled when he had seen Will's gift—it was a nice one. He couldn't wait to see what his was.

He looked over to his 4 year old sister. She held a small wrapped present, waiting patiently.

"Go 'head an' open yers nae, Carol." Duff offered.

She smiled in generosity. Slowly and carefully, like the angel she was, she opened her gift. Her grin extended as far as it could go when she saw and held the doll before her. The doll was beautiful in every way, just like her owner. Carol hugged it and smiled. She looked to her parents.

"Thank ye Ma, Pa!" she giggled.

Belle smiled. Allan nod his head.

Carol looked to Duff now. "Yer turn, brer!"

Duff laughed a little and looked at his mystery item. He shook it…he weighed it. It was a thick rectangular shape, and it was heavy. Heavy was usually a good sign. Heavy usually meant expensive. What was it? What could it have been?

He tore the paper away little by little, as if too scared to see. But finally he got the courage and just ripped it all away, and stared face to face with a dark brown cover.

…

"Well…dye like eh, Duff?" his mother asked. "Yer Pa said ye'd love eh!"

Duff blinked. He couldn't even figure out what it was. He turned it, and saw ridges of paper. It was a book. He's seen those before.

He opened up the book. He looked at what was written:

"Hure, Hure, ich finden Sie unter den wichtigsten, ich werde kommen und versuchen Sie, was Sie zu schützen, und Projektierung, was Sie am Ende und so ..."

Huh?

"Huh." Pa said. "Tis eh textbook fro' tha' country 'er seas called Germany, Duffieh. Ye've always teken an' interes' in learnin' an' stuff. Thought ye'd like te learn fer Christmas."

Duff looked up to his father. He could see no warmth whatsoever in his eyes. It was a ruse. It must have been. Duff couldn't understand a word inside that book. Of course he loved to learn…but…

Duff's train of thought was cut off my his brer's obnoxious sounds across the castle, flying his toy truck around.

'Eh want eh truck too…' he thought. He looked at Carol hugging her doll. He'd even like to have a doll rather than a German "textbook", whatever that was. Must have something to do with books, since it had the word in it, and learning. But…Duff didn't understand it. He looked back inside it again and…not one word he could identify as a part of his own Scots language.

Carol…she was almost clairvoyant. She got up and walked over to her brer and gave him a warm, comforting hug. Maybe it was in the spirit of Christmas, or maybe she could sense his disappointment. But despite the reason, 6 year old Duff Killigan needed that hug.

As Ma and Pa retreated into the kitchen, Carol pulled away and looked at Duff, and smiled. "Let's goh see Gram an' wish er eh Merry Christmas!" she offered. Duff nod and ran with her down the hall.

When they entered the room, Cathella Killigan was sitting before her bureau, looking at her reflection in the mirror. When she heard her door open, she looked down at the two children who walked in and smirked. She turned to them, welcoming them. She indeed looked ill.

"Mama said ye have eh cold, Gram." Carol said, climbing up onto her Grandmother's lap. Duff sat on the floor, but Gram picked him up and lay him on her lap as well.

"Aye, jus' eh wee bit sick tha's all. Noti'n te worry abou'. Within time, eh'll beh all better nae." She reassured. Carol smiled, and then looked to Duff. He gave her a weak smile back. All that came to mind was,

'Eh want eh toy too…'

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Belle and Allan argued:

"Allan, she ain' fine! She's yer Ma! She needs te beh taken te te mainlan'! Ye an' eh ain' certified te take care eh er!" Belle pleaded. She seemed to be begging rather than arguing.

"She's fine! Jus' like ye said, Belle! Eh cold! Tis naetin' else!" Allan roared in response.

"Weh both know tha' ain' true! Eh love Cathella an' ye do too! She needs te beh taken te te mainland…te eh hospital!"

Duff and Carol retreated back to the parlor after visiting their Grandmother. They were looking for Will when they heard the yelling.

"Ehm nae takin' er te no hospital! Ye KNOW weh cannae go te te mainlan'! An' ye think yer carin fer te fam? Te kids cannae go ther, who knows whut te folks will sae! Te know ther is eh new generation eh Killigans?"

Belle shushed her husband. "Eh didn' sae anyting abou' te children…ye take Cathella. Take eh boat an' get te te nearest hospital…"

Allan narrowed his eyes. He didn't like his wife telling him to be quiet. He didn't like it one bit.

"Don' beh tellin meh whut te do! She's fine! Notin' eh wee bit rest an' medicine can do! Notin' weh cannae fix erselves!"

Duff and Carol listened to the argument, secretly. They could hear how heated their father was being toward their mother. They caught on that something wasn't right with Gram after all. What they didn't understand, though, was why they could never go to the mainland—Scotland.

Duff watched his brer Will make another round about the castle, roaring again like a maniac and waving around his truck. Why did Will get a truck? Why did Carol get a doll? And why did he get something his Pa knew he couldn't use?

'Eh want te be loved too…'

They continued to listen to the argument...it ended soon with Pa making his last stand. Belle hurried upstairs so the kids couldn't look at her. Pa had his way, as always, and took care of Gram the way one would usually take care of a common illness, from what he predicted it was anyway.

Except, the illness wasn't common. Not a chance.

Gram was gone within a week.