Disclaimer: The great and powerful Disney owns all their characters and I am playing with them for NO money. I gave them some extra playmates to fill out the things Disney neglected to mention in their plots so I can tell my own.
Drake pulled uncomfortably on his dark blue, silk tie as Morgana kissed his bill and straightened the collar of the pale blue dress shirt he was wearing. Instead of his usual green sweater vest and peach colored shirt he had chosen to wear the same indigo blue suit he had been given for the trial in Duckburg last month.
He wanted to appear more official and less emotional to Principal Farnsworth since he was determined to get the children out of harms way as soon as possible and he knew that appearing in this much more formal outfit would make a favorable impression on the administrator. Hopefully, this would translate into less arguing and more productive action than was usual when he tangled with her. The dark colored suit jacket, pale shirt and dark tie ensemble was new and had been custom tailored to fit well but the emotional connotations associated with wearing it not the fit of the suit was what was causing his discomfort.
That and the fact he still felt like HE was being castigated for failing as a parent whenever he was called into the principal's office. Despite the fact he had been parenting for almost two years now, there was just something about being called to the principal's office that called to mind all his doubts and fears.
Drake's Spell Chain tingled a little as he settled the tie a smidgen straighter and fluffed his feathers under the shirt. He suddenly felt a little more confident and he could feel himself relaxing a fraction as he waved goodbye to LP and the lanky pilot shut the front door behind him and went back to finish his second breakfast. Hopefully Honker, Gosalyn and Tank would eat something too, but…. It was impossible to predict whether or not any of the kids would be hungry even though all three of them were awake; especially since Tank had been added to the mix of personalities this morning.
His Spell Chain seemed quiet but he could tell that Morgana was experiencing her own set of butterflies in her stomach as she caressed his broad cheek and smiled at him while checking to make sure he had buttoned his shirt correctly. Her infamous temper was lurking just below the surface of her mind, but fortunately it wasn't aimed at him this time.
Morgana had spent the early hours just after dawn sitting with Gosalyn and Honker in the lair while they tried to sleep to give Launchpad a much needed break and trying to soothe them had been very stressful for her. Drake had been researching things trying to solve Scrooge McDuck's smuggling problem and had stayed up far too early after finishing his last round of correspondence. In order to try and make sure everyone at least attempted to get some rest, all of them had stayed in the tower lair last night and come home via the spinning chairs before Tank had been dropped off by his grandparents about thirty minutes ago.
Archie, Eek and Squeek had been able to keep Honker's companion Fenrick and Gosalyn's two Kin, Feri and Cleo calm. And the more experienced trio of familiars had been only too glad to show the baby Kin how to help their ducklings when they were caught in a nightmare; but this small benefit hadn't really been enough to counteract the grief and anger Morgana and her Kin felt upon experiencing the aftermath of all that had happened to their loved ones recently.
Launchpad waved goodbye from the doorway, dressed in his usual aviators outfit and already armed with a doughnut to fortify him while the eggs cooked. He was ready to keep both eyes on all three of the kids while Drake, Morgana, the Spoonbills and Drake's lawyer Mr. Tweeter; went to see Principal Farnsworth. Drake had awakened at dawn and had placed several calls before agreeing to meet Mr. Tweeter at the school. They had decided to drop LP and their two children back at the house so Launchpad could keep an eye on Tank for the Spoonbills; this way Tank wouldn't have any reason to suspect anything and Honker and Gosalyn had already been awake in spite of Morgana's best efforts.
They were going to the sixth grade center after the elementary school to transfer Tank to the private academy across town. The classes there were smaller and the personalized tutoring would hopefully keep Tank engaged in the learning aspects of schoolwork while the state ranked athletics would give him a real opportunity to shine. Graduates tended to be scouted by college recruiters and that would please Binkie. They were supposed to visit her on Monday and as long as they downplayed the trouble, and emphasized the benefits for the children in these changes, it was bound to ease her state of mind; that was the hope anyway.
Mr. Tweeter had the papers with him to give to the school for their records transferring Gosalyn Mallard and Honker Muddlefoot to the private/ home schooled educational system. For security reasons; Drake and S.H.U.S.H. didn't want electronic records entered from a civilian computer so their records had already been transferred entirely to H.E.R.O. data bases along with Tank's and the rest of Honker's family in order to protect them.
Mr. and Mrs. Spoonbill had agreed to meet them at 8:30am. at the Principal's office so Drake drove himself and Morg over to St. Canard Elementary in the station wagon. Mr. Tweeter was efficient, calm and he had been watching out for Drake's legal interests since he had been recruited by S.H.U.S.H. at the tender age of seventeen. Tweeter was the senior partner with H.E.R.O.'S clearance at the firm and had been there from the beginning. He had been there when Drake and the other recruits had been caught in the scandal that had ultimately resulted in Director Minya's retirement and Director Hooter's being appointed head of the agency and for the wild ride that was Drake's life ever since.
Even with all that had happened to Drake before now though, Mr. Tweeter had to admit privately that this whole scenario was something he hadn't envisioned. Ever since the media blitz in July, Drake's legal issues had mushroomed into something from a Hollywoodland tabloid.
They had been inundated with everything from Paparazzi and other stalkers to endorsement deals. There had even been legal motions related to Darkwing's crime fighting activities all of which had been dismissed for lack of actual evidence and two different paternity suits against his sidekick Launchpad McQuack, both of which had been proven false. Fortunately, the firm of Squawkman, Herald, Beakwood, and Tweeter was experienced in both governmental and local law and even with this whole messy disaster concerning Drake's foster son; the firm had been successful in protecting their privacy and Drake's civilian identity at least until now.
Fixing a professional expression on his face Mr. Tweeter greeted Mr. Mallard and the exotic female with him who he recognized as Morgana Macabre. She, along with Drake's alter ego Darkwing; had become quite famous locally and therefore celebrities back in July. The media showed no real sign that they were becoming disenchanted with the exploits of the mysterious protector and shadowed guardian of St. Canard either. The media had in fact seemed to embrace Darkwing even more since he had been so low key after returning from Duckburg.
His 'mysterious protector' persona had been enhanced even more by the rumors and the small amount of facts that had been unavoidably released when Darkwing had moved with the team of Justice Ducks to apprehend Frank Muddlefoot. There was even occasional national interest in Darkwing and the Justice Ducks since Gizmoduck had been cornered in several interviews and divulged the fact that Darkwing was actually his nominal boss.
So far at least, it seemed that no one outside of S.H.U.S.H. and those affiliated directly with their civilian identities had made the connection between the flamboyant costumed crime fighter and his fiancée and the couple walking towards him. But Tweeter had no idea how long this happy state of affairs would last, especially if the media caught wind of what was happening to the children now.
Twitter sternly suppressed the tension threatening to give him a headache and spoke quietly as he recognized the Spoonbill's getting off of their custom built two-seater trike with it's sidecar attachment and heading briskly towards the group forming just outside the school's front entrance. "I have all the necessary paperwork filled out and already filed Mr. Mallard. Judge Whippoorwill is very sympathetic to your situation and he has expedited the legal process. Including the situation with young Francis and…."
Mr. Twitter paused at the intense look in Drake Mallard's eyes and continued cautiously, "From the photo's you e mailed the firm, I can say that I understand your being upset; but I MUST warn you that an undo show of temper would be a mistake at this point. I have already started the due process for a civil suit to cover your position but as your legal advisor…."
Mr. Twitter stopped and was fervently grateful he was on the same side as the slightly shorter, white feathered mallard styled duck beside him. Morgana laid a hand on Drake's arm and he blinked before Drake Mallard the FURIOUS father was replaced by Darkwing Duck the government operative who survived assignments most operatives weren't even considered for.
In honesty both of them were far more dangerous than most people suspected. Mr. Tweeter was happy and relieved to see that the boiling sea of emotion in Drake's eyes was temporarily replaced with a calm, cool façade that would serve their purposes this morning far better than an emotional outburst.
After shaking hands with the Spoonbills and giving them the copies of the papers they were entitled to as Franklin's legal guardians, he moved swiftly to catch up to Drake and Morgana. They were already moving down the hall toward the school offices, so Mr. Tweeter decided he would have to catch the Spoonbills up later. Transferring Francis to the private school across town would be handled after they went to the sixth grade center.
Things would be ever so much more difficult if Mr. Mallard lost his temper and did anything unfortunate. At least Morgana and Artimus were here which meant someone was around to help him with Joanne and Drake's tempers. Sighing Tweeter felt another twinge of gratitude as he opened the office door to see Principal Farnsworth quietly greeting Drake.
At least the principal at this school was female and Drake had always been a little more careful of females, the Dean of the sixth grade center wasn't even going to have that to help him. But first things first, he was going to have to go there after this confrontation anyway; and at least there the Spoonbills would (hopefully) do most of the talking. And although, Joanna Spoonbill was as much of a handful as Drake Mallard and even more in some ways, at least they were cleared to understand that young Honker and the Mallards had more than one set of responsibilities and more than the usual resources which made his job that much easier.
It HAD come as a bit of a shock though that the Spoonbills had accepted so easily that young Francis had to be kept ignorant of the details with S.H.U.S.H. 's involvement for now. Given Tank's issues with everything from his name to his parents conditions Tweeter had to admit Honker's older brother was a definite security risk.
Hopefully his official name change and transfer to the private school would settle at least a few of his issues. From what little he had been told, young Franklin had been harboring far more internal stress than anyone had suspected and his grandparents were still playing catch up, but Tweeter had confidence in the Spoonbill's and the Mallards; all they needed was enough time to build trust with the boys and Gosalyn.
Putting all his other concerns aside, Mr. Tweeter moved up beside Drake and offered, "I don't mean to interrupt, but perhaps we could go into your office so I can explain the particulars of this meeting Principal Farnsworth."
Glancing worriedly at the slightly taller than average, white feathered, mallard style duck in the conservative, dark brown suit and stylish glasses; Principal Farnsworth nodded and held open the door to allow her guests to enter. They went quietly into the office and shut the door to keep any of the students or office personnel from overhearing anything they shouldn't.
Mr. Tweeter opened his attaché case and removed a sheaf of papers as the Spoonbills seated themselves in the office chairs. Principal Farnsworth watched as Mr. Mallard, the other male duck and the female with a distinctive air of the exotic about her moved in front of the desk.
Nervously Principal Farnsworth offered, "can I offer any refreshments?"
Drake took a deep breath and stated ignoring the offer, "I'm taking my daughter Gosalyn and my foster son Honker Muddlefoot from the student body today."
Principal Farnsworth winced in spite of herself and sat heavily down behind her desk to say, "I am truly sorry this happened Mr. Mallard, I can assure you that the instigators of this incident have been suspended and we are taking steps to ensure the safety of all the students here. Our aim is to provide a safe learning environment after all…."
The school administrator paused uncomfortably as she realized that the group in her office wasn't actually here to listen at all. The tall woman in the formal gown was a bit of a surprise but Principal Farnsworth was glad to see that she seemed to be at least a little calmer than Mr. Mallard.
Morgana for her part HAD intended to tear into the principal for allowing things to get so out of hand, but through her Spell Chain and her familiars, she was getting a lot of feedback about how hard Drake was having to work at controlling his temper. She had decided to try and balance Drake so they would be better able to work with the Normals; and at Morgana's touch on his arm he stepped back slightly and took a breath.
Drake nodded reasonably and said quietly in a voice that brooked no argument, "I'm sure the other parents will appreciate that Principal Farnsworth, but that doesn't change my position."
Drake actually closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, clearly he had paused to get a firm grip on his temper because his voice was still calm but no longer polite. He gestured to Mr. Tweeter who opened his attaché case to get the hard copies of the documents that were to be filed in the school's physical records.
Drake continued quietly gesturing to the other duck, "this is my lawyer Mr. Tweeter. He will show you the necessary paperwork and you have my number at home if you need to speak to me. Although it might be best if you go through Mr. Tweeter's office until I get Gosalyn and Honker settled in their new routine."
Turning abruptly Drake moved to the door and opened it courteously so that the Spoonbills and Morgana could exit the office before turning back to the now drop jawed principal. "I DO understand, Principal Farnsworth…but I refuse to put up with this kind of thing anymore and fortunately for Gosalyn and Honker they don't have to put up with it now either. I will contact you about next year if I decide to have them reenrolled in the public school system, but with everything that's happened…I can't risk this kind of incident happening again."
Without another word he turned and shut the door quietly behind him as the lawyer began to show her various papers and offered an explanation of sorts to the stunned educator. "Now then Principal Farnsworth these are to go in the physical record and both students are to be removed from the computerized records by noon today in accordance with this injunction."
Morgana was more than a bit worried, she hadn't expected Drake to be so abrupt with that female. Not to mention that he was leaving so fast that even with her longer stride she was having to hurry to keep up.
Archie, Eek and Squeek had been unusually quiet all morning even going so far as to remain hidden from Principal Farnsworth and the other Normals in the school; but now Eek took action. Fluttering rapidly he landed on Drake and settled determinedly on the collar of his shirt and began to croon quietly.
Eek called to Archie silently, 'tell Morgana that Drake is actually fairly calm now that he is out of the school. I'll try and center him a little and once we get back then Morgana can try and get him to talk.'
Catching up to Drake she moved quietly to his side as he paused beside the Spoonbill's motorcycle. When he realized he had outdistanced the Spoonbill's and Morgana he paused unhappily to wait for them to catch up.
Looking guilty and uncomfortable he offered, "I could have handled that better I guess."
Shaking her head Morgana offered, "Actually Drake it's probably a good thing I didn't get a chance to get started. I don't have any official rights to either of the children yet and if I lost my temper it would have made things worse."
By then Mr. and Mrs. Spoonbill caught up and Drake turned his attention from Morgana to them. Looking a bit sheepish he offered, "I am sorry I was so abrupt and I am very glad you came with us…. I really thought I could handle this but I can't risk the children being attacked again and the fact that they were…it just eats at my temper."
Turning back to address Morgana and caressing Eek Drake added quietly, "And don't worry about the legal side of thing's Morg, I had Mr. Tweeter appoint you and LP as Gosalyn's legal guardians and S.H.U.S.H. will keep the Spoonbills and Honker close if something happens to me even before the wedding."
Artimus smiled and clapped Drake on the shoulder reassuringly, "You ARE handling things Drake. I have to admit that you aren't the only one with questions about all this, and I for one am very impressed with your proposed alternatives."
Shuffling the papers Mr. Tweeter had given him and glancing towards the front door of the elementary school to see the lawyer coming out Artimus commented, "At least this didn't take long. Jo and I will meet you and Morgana at the sixth grade center and then you can explain more about your plans for Honker and Gosalyn alright?"
Artimus nodded significantly and added quietly, "Nothing better happen to you Drake. Gosalyn and Honker aren't the only ones depending on you young male."
Drake braced himself and nodded decisively before holding open the passenger door for Morgana. As she got in he shook hands with Artimus and accepted a demure kiss from Joanna before saying, "I'll meet you at the sixth grade center and then we can meet at the Shadow Chateau for lunch. I'll give you my ideas and we can discuss things securely there. LP will contact us if he or the kids need us until then and LP, Honker and Gos LOVE Morgana's cuisine. She has even developed a new casserole that Tank should enjoy so we'll have LP bring the kids to join us after we discuss things unless you'd rather do something else for lunch?"
Artimus shook his head with a smile and helped Jo onto the Trike before agreeing, "It's best if we discuss everything today and Morgana's restaurant is a good choice for a lot more reasons than just her delicious food."
Morgana blushed slightly, Artimus was as charming as could be and his sincere enjoyment of the Monster inspired cuisine at the Chateau was a great compliment. Drake affected a grin as he handed Morgana to the passenger side of the car and forced his stomach to calm down; he really DID like a lot of Morgana's cooking but sometimes the thought of eating food that still moved even after you stabbed it with a fork made his stomach twist and the last thing he needed was to upset Morgana.
Once inside the car Drake admitted, "I'm glad you came with me Morg. I know it's not her fault but…."
The promise ring threaded through the Spell Chain around his neck glowed with the energy of her feelings and Drake could tell that she wanted only to support him and that she didn't seem to know that he was fighting his stomach about lunch.
Relived he settled in to drive as Morgana added, "I know it's hard but we'll get through this together love."
Her Spell Chain tingled and she could tell that Drake's stomach was bothering him again so she had Archie send a message to her Quackmoronicon to have a copy of the recipe for her Great, great grandmamma Myra Hornswoggle's Avian stew ready so the sous-chef could have some prepared at the Chateau in time for lunch. Deciding that Morgana had the right idea, Squeek crawled onto Drake and took over soothing their tired and frazzled duck while Eek summoned a small atomizer.
Archie promptly sprayed both Morgana and Drake but because he did so from behind Morgana's headrest; and the liquid was odorless and colorless neither duck noticed when they breathed in the ultra fine mist all they felt was a slight sense of relaxation. Archie shifted the bottle and sent it back to Morgana's medicinal cupboard with a portal spell and raised both his foremost limbs in a gesture of victory to the bats.
This Morgana DID see and at her questioning look and raised eyebrow Archie confessed, 'we were careful dearest. The potion we used is very subtle and Mossie has been tutoring us so we can gage what Drake can handle. Drake will be too keyed up for the rejuvenation potion to affect his driving. We just want you both to remain calm and relax so you can rest; once these details are seen to the potion will help you both sleep and that is a good thing.'
Aghast at this not so subtle interference, Morgana scolded silently, 'Archie dear, I don't want to use potions on Drake without his consent, if we lose his trust….'
Archie soothed, 'We can't talk to him directly yet but when he lies down this afternoon we will help you connect to him in the mindscape and we can try and explain things then.'
Sensing Morgana's acute discomfort, Archie added, 'If at all possible we will wait for you to ask him next time beloved. But taking care of you and Drake IS our primary function and sometimes we get overly enthused….'
Mollified and more than a little amused at the contrite expressions on all three of her familiars faces; Morgana relaxed against the seat and waited to see if Drake was going to need help staying awake. However, it seemed as though Archie, Eek and Squeek had gauged his metabolism correctly once again and their meddling had no ill effects that she could see. Morgana still intended to tell Drake about this though. Trust between them was too important to risk, to her utter shock though as they pulled up to the sixth grade center Drake paused before getting out of the car to yawn hugely.
Then he said, "I trust you Morg but it's not safe to drive and take most Normal medicines and I have no idea how something like a potion will affect my driving."
A hint of the mischief maker that lurked under his serious adult exterior peeked out of his eyes as Drake took in the surprise on her face and continued nonchalantly, "I'm going to have LP bring the kids in a taxi and drive us home from the Chateau in case whatever Archie sprayed on us makes me sleepier than this. Next time let's talk about things before you use stuff on me unless it's an emergency okay?"
Blushing a very becoming bright pink under her plumage Morgana confessed, "Archie, Eek and Squeek are almost too eager to help sometimes Love. They know I don't want to risk your trust and I am grateful you aren't angry."
Drake looked surprised at this and admitted as he opened the door for her, "Your potions and spells have saved my tail feathers plenty of times before now Morg and I LOVE you. I really AM getting used to all the different stuff you have been teaching me and the kids and Launchpad you know."
Morgana's blush deepened but instead of trying to reply out loud, she kissed him until his feet left the ground in delight and as he floated back to earth her voice sounded gently in his head as she confessed, 'I am learning a lot today too Drake my Darling. I love you.'
Negaduck scowled at his reflection behind the bar as he waited for Anna to put the finishing touches on her hairdo and makeup. Ordinarily of course, he thought she looked fine in nothing but his slouch hat, and he took great pleasure in removing everything else she might have on at the slightest opportunity so he could prove that this was her best look. But tonight he was taking her to the Velvet Rope and since he wanted her to look the part of a successful potential client for the club and even more importantly she was HIS date; he was trying to be patient while she made the appropriate adjustments to her usual appearance.
He tossed back his seltzer water, slammed the glass down on the mahogany bar top and stalked his way into the bedroom to see how much longer she would be. He paused, his bad mood forgotten as he took in the sight of the fit, healthy female adjusting her hat in the mirror of the dressing table.
She was wearing an emerald green evening gown with a deeply V'ed neckline trimmed with fringes draped in lighter sea foam green and draped across her shoulders in the same lighter fringe to form the sleeves. Her fashionable, pointy toed, black shoes were waiting beside the bed for her to put them on and her black beaded clutch was waiting on the bed. She had just pinned a tiny matching pillbox hat onto her platinum blonde hair that was swept back and piled atop her snowy white plumage and tied a black silk beaded half-mask over her face and at his entrance she spun to show off her well shaped rear and pert tail as it peeked through the slit in the back of the dress.
Slipping her feet into her shoes and scooping up her purse she asked demurely, "well, will this do?"
Dirk grinned as he gave her a slow once over and even though he wanted to give her one of his patented sneers he found he just couldn't work up the necessary emotion for that expression. Instead his beak was turned up in a smile that was much more sincere and warmer than he was used to. Struggling with the unfamiliar expression and his emotions he turned to look at his own reflection to divert his attention away from her svelte ankles and long, sexy neckline.
The mallard in the mirror was a fairly good match for the sensuous and succulent femme fatal that watched him from her place by the bed. He noticed that his freshly flocked, black slouch hat was crooked and self consciously straightened it and adjusted his red silk tie. The black designer suit he wore was set off by the vivid yellow silk shirt and cummerbund that was patterned with jet colored beads that accentuated his trim waist and highlighted the line of the jacket.
After checking one last time to make sure none of his weapons showed he nodded to Muscovy and then stepped up to her and opened a medium sized jewelry case as he said, "It'll do as long as you wear this with it."
She tried to act cool and collected, after all Dirk had explained several times about how important it was for people to see her as a dangerous and competent criminal and not to let them see any emotions that might be interpreted as a weakness since that would reduce her to the status of a mere, decorative piece of eye candy. But the necklace inside the case was a heavy piece of solid gold, engraved with the initials D.O.A. and entwined throughout the links of the chain that he wrapped around her neck several times were several tiny charms.
It was a stunning piece and clearly had been custom made for her and the fact that he had had this made for her meant a great deal. She was quite overwhelmed especially once she saw the inscription. Gasping and blinking back tears she tried to thank him but she couldn't speak, instead she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to preen the tiny, sensitive layer of feathers just above his down under his jaw.
Dirk meant to fasten it for her and looked for the clasp but the ends wrapped themselves back into the necklace and fused into the chain itself humming contentedly as it began to adapt to it's wearer again. Anna's attentions were very distracting, and the Chains both took advantage of their wearers emotional confusion to blend into the background of their minds and both ducks contentedly forgot that there was anything unusual about their jewelry for the night.
Anna didn't know this of course, but the Chain itself had originally been part of the same Chain that Dirk now wore as a constant accessory and the plaque and charms had been added at Dirk's insistence after the Chain had split itself back when they had traveled north to find Megavolt back in July. He had gone to Granny Babalawo and tried to bargain with her to add to the Chains protections for his love but she had cackled uproariously and used her water scrying bowl to put him in contact with that Mintaka saying that what he wanted was not within her skills and he needed a master craftsman just to attempt it.
Mintaka had been more than a little surprised at Dirk's request but he had agreed to forge the charms and the plaque and fuse them to the chain and Dirk instinctively shied away even now as he remembered the mage's searching gaze and the way his own Spell Chain had tingled and buzzed during their negotiations. Dirk had no intentions of double-crossing the craft mage, he wasn't stupid; but by the same token he hadn't wanted to tell Muscovy the particulars about what he had done to ensure she was healthy and whole after their encounter with that hideous, deformed bear thing that Gina Gaia had called Shunt.
This being the case he didn't mention how the necklace had fused itself around her neck, or try and explain about any of it's more esoteric properties. Instead he indulged himself by planting a series of tiny kisses along her neck just above the jewelry and grinned as she shivered under his touch. His own Spell chain's tingling he put down as his reaction to her fresh, clean, feminine scent and her skill in thanking him for the gift, not even realizing that his Chain was now entirely activated since he had gifted the other Chain to Anna and it too was bonded to it's wearer.
Pulling himself together Negaduck admitted, "I had the inscription made just for you baby. D.O.A. forever no matter what else happens."
His voice lowered even more and took on a much rougher quality as his emotions took hold of him again.
He could feel his own Spell Chain tingling madly as he finished in a husky whisper, "I promise."
Anna nearly swooned as she went weak-kneed and wobbled in her heels but like Dirk she put the fizzy feeling in her feathers down to her reaction to this expensive token from Negaduck and ignored this to straighten up and admit shyly, "Dead on Arrival, my kind of inscription,"
Both mallards laughed at the in joke since it actually stood for 'Dirk Oaths Anna' and symbolized the first time he had admitted that he loved her and wanted her in his life permanently. The fact that most everyone would assume that it meant something else entirely was just an added bonus.
Clearing his throat Negaduck offered Muscovy his arm and escorted her downstairs to the waiting limo. The Velvet Rope had sent a car to pick them up since Negaduck hadn't wanted Muscovy to arrive at the club in her semi-formal evening gown on the back of his motorcycle, and if they delayed anymore they were going to be late for their dinner reservations. This was a combination pleasure and business evening since Negaduck wanted to check up on several of his plans and Lady Velvet was the only person to ask if you really wanted to find out something in St. Canard's criminal culture or even the law abiding side if you needed to be discrete.
Amidst all the rumors that he had been working his way through, Negs had come across several nasty bits involving the smuggling of some sort of rare poison from Asia. Since the compound didn't appear to have any legitimate cover uses and it had been flagged by the government three or four weeks ago continuing to smuggle it into the country made no sense. Not in the kinds of numbers he had heard about anyway, the resale of the shipments wouldn't even cover the cost of hiding it while it crossed the inspection stations or pay for people to shift it out of whatever was used to hide it from boarder agents or customs officials.
This unusual circumstance, combined with the blatant attempt on his life by that Black Secret chick back in July; and the fact that most of the smalltime operators in the city were running scared was making Negaduck's paranoia skyrocket. And since it appeared that he had finally manipulated his ever so dense twin into hiding the most vulnerable potential targets of any actions by Clovis or her goons away from prying eyes it was time to clue in the caped wonder blunder; particularly since all the signs he had found were currently pointing to trouble finding both of them; and never mind that they were working different sides of the law.
In his less…competitive moments Dirk could acknowledge that Drake wasn't a total loss as an investigator and as long as he wasn't snooping around one of Negaduck's plots, the crime fighter part of Darkwing Duck was actually fairly useful as well. As much as he would fervently deny it under any circumstances, Dirk had the feeling that in this case he and Drake were working toward the same goal and would most likely have greater success if they worked together BUT…. Dirk of course wanted to keep whoever was trying to cripple St. Canard's criminal underworld from muscling in on HIS territory and good old predictable, heroic Drake was, of course; going to want to protect the law abiding citizens from this criminal threat.
Or at least he would as soon as Dirk figured out a way to get Drake to pay attention. Keeping that idea in mind was proving to be a little more difficult than he'd anticipated though. Negaduck had been planning on offering a trade to Lady Velvet in exchange for helping him figure exactly how and where to intercept one of the shipments of poisons but for some reason the expected shipments were coming up clean and Dirk wanted to get a sample for Bushroot to analyze. It felt as though the poison issue was time sensitive but honestly for him that part of the rumor mill was a distant second or third compared to his other concerns.
Negaduck had discovered that the raven Black Secret was actually working for Clovis Bovine the rumored heir to criminal kingpin Taurus Bulba's fortune and criminal interests and he wanted to check this out as well. At the same time, Dirk had been wanting to find an excuse to introduce Muscovy to Velvet's for a while now and tonight everything had fallen into place.
Not being one to shy away from what he wanted, Negaduck kissed Muscovy on the inside of her wrist and settled into the luxurious seat of the limo to enjoy the view and the evening. Darkwing and his do-gooders club would keep for one more night and after finessing a better picture of the situation from his contacts at the Velvet Rope he could distract his twin and probably get him to do most of the legwork for them both once Drake got himself into Darkwing mode.
Now that the children should be tucked safely out of sight and that Honker kid's family was being looked after by those cookie cutter agents of Hooters; getting Drake back to work at least a little might even be good for him and give him an outlet for his anger and frustration. Dirk grinned and after stealing a peek in his compact mirror at his twin and seeing that he was tucked up in Morgana's house, although from the fact that he was alone in the bed showed that Drake STILL hadn't climbed into her sheets…the idiot. Dirk snapped the mirror closed and tucked it securely into an inner pocket of his jacket and focused all his attention on his lady.
Muscovy knew better than to comment on the mirror or the fact that Dirk had looked in on his brother instead she touched the necklace at her throat and cooed appreciatively, "I am very glad that you think I am ready for this Negaduck. I won't let you down darling."
He grinned possessively and caressed her thigh through her dress and growled, "You better not baby, you are about to see and be seen by the movers and shakers of this town and I don't want anyone thinking you are available to anyone but ME GOT IT?"
His temper and the deep lusty tone that entered his voice as his grip tightened slightly made Muscovy gasp. She sternly got a hold of herself and nodded keeping her expression cool and attentive and Negaduck's expression changed as his eyes warmed with approval and a slight grin creased his beak before he settled back against the seat to wait out the rest of the ride to the club. This was going to be FUN!
Here is the next chapter and in the next bit I intend to get back to Negaduck and his little schemes. I mean HUGE world dominating schemes of course and Darkwing is going to get on the stick about solving Scrooge's smuggling problem from Trials & Tribulations as well as getting the scoop from S.H.U.S.H. about himself and Gosalyn and hopefully I will get the chance to go into some detail about Professor Waddlemire's work and how he took care of Gosalyn. Thank you for sticking with this and I hope many people enjoy it as much as I LOVE getting it out there for you to read, your friend Irual.