This is pretty short, but consider it a little chaser after the large meal of the last chapter.

Just assume that Della's wearing a small oxygen concentrator on her belt and a nose tube for it unless specified otherwise.


Freedom from Fear

Chapter 12

Adjustment Period

Della was adjusting to normal life. Slowly, but she was adjusting.

She was diligent with her physical therapy, attacking it with zeal, and quickly bounced back. She was soon able to walk unaided, although she did still tire easily. She got used to wearing the oxygen tube, keeping a small concentrator attached to her belt most of the time. She kept up with her medicine without having to be reminded. In short, she did everything necessary to build her body back up.

However, there was problem. While she was chugging along with physical healing, her psychological healing was another story. Della often found herself unable to relax. She'd spent so long in a fugitive mindset, always looking over her shoulder, that she found it hard to settle. She could barely relax in the bathtub, and it often took her a long time to get to sleep. This problem seemed to have a visual signifier in her scarf, as despite gladly wearing her new jacket, she couldn't seem to part with the tattered old scarf she'd worn for years.

Still, she tried not to let it show. And something that calmed her would always be spending time with family.

oOo

"I'm Johnny, the brains of the outfit."

"And I'm his twin brother Randy, the handsome one."

"And we got ahead by building furniture-"

"For your feet!"

"Welcome to our Ottoman Empire!"

"So…you watch this show a lot?" Della asked, watching the two roosters on the TV mug for the camera, "It seems kind of…"

"Dumb?" Louie asked, "Yeah, but it grows on you. Every ottoman's a different story, you know?"

"Well, I don't mind the eye-candy. Those are some nice muscles they've got."

"Mom!"

"What? A girl can't appreciate beauty objectively?" Della asked with a grin.

"Please tell me this isn't going to be a running gag…"

"Well, I already leered at Launchpad today-"

"Seriously?"

"Louie, I'm teasing you!" Della laughed, "Look, I might be a single mom, but I also just got back from life in Hell, and am currently healing from it and reconnecting with my family. Romance is going to be the last thing on my mind for a while."

Louie still looked a little green at the idea of his mother dating, but he soon shrugged it off.

"Today, our client is Mark Beaks, who wants a few special functions for his ottoman."

"Whoop, here we go," Louie said, "Mark Beaks is crazy."

"You know him? Who is he?"

"Have you been living under a rock? Oh wait, you technically have. Well, Beaks is a tech giant with headquarters here in Duckburg. He's…"

The TV showed the brothers meeting a grey parrot who seemed to speak in a strange language.

"Peeps, nice to see. So I'm looking for something with a 'I'm so rich, I don't care how a look' thing going on. But not too garish, I don't need polka dots or anything like that. That stuff's not on point. It needs some storage for my gear, maybe a charger and speaker for my phone. Let's trade peep deets so you can give me updates, yeah? I'll send you a few ideas. Beaks out!"

The parrot walked backward, making finger guns and laser noises as he did.

"I understood maybe half of that," Della said, "That guy is a tech mogul?"

"I know, right? It's like the Internet spawned a living person."

"Speaking of Internet, is Myspace still a thing? I'm still catching up on things I missed."

"Not for the past decade. It kind of got stomped by other platforms."

"That sounds about right. Guess I should skip updating my account."

As they watched, Louie kept sneaking glances at Della. As a would-be con-man, he knew how to read people pretty well. He'd picked up on things he was sure his brothers hadn't. But he didn't know how to bring it up. There wasn't a good way to approach the idea that his mother might have anxiety from being a prisoner of an alien kingdom.

So he had resolved to keep an eye on things, and to be there if she ever wanted to talk.

oOo

She heard a grumbling as she passed by the library, and poked her head in.

"Huey? Everything okay?" Della asked.

"Yeah, Mom. Just having some trouble."

"What with?" she asked, walking in and sitting down beside him.

"I'm working on an essay," Huey said, "It's for history, and the topic I got was about the Mississippi River. I have information, but I'm having trouble sorting it. And it just feels like I'm missing something."

Della sat back and thought for a moment.

"Riverboats," she finally said, "Chief means of travel and trade on the Mississippi. You could construct it from the viewpoint of someone who worked on a riverboat. Start by describing things about the river itself, then go into the riverboat, like the tools and techniques, then into various things about the port towns along the river."

"That's…actually pretty good," Huey said.

Huey began to draw a flow-chart, muttering to himself as he worked.

"Yeah, this might actually work…"

"And you can use your Uncle Scrooge as a source. He worked on a Mississippi riverboat when he wasn't much older than you."

"Really?"

"His uncle had gone to America to find his fortune, and that's where Scrooge got his start on his own journey. Scrooge worked for him on the river. I'm sure he'd would be happy to tell you a few stories. Let's go ask him."

Huey grabbed a notebook and rushed off, Della following him.

"Help your kid with homework, check," she said to herself.

Donald's advice had been spot-on. Knowledge was the way into Huey's good graces.

oOo

Dewey wrapped the scarf around his neck, checking himself out in the mirror.

"You know, I do look good," he said to himself.

"You actually do."

Dewey screamed and jumped a foot in the air.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" Della said.

"Where did you even come from?" Dewey shouted.

"Sorry, I developed a great skill with stealth. It's gotten to the point where I don't even realize I'm being sneaky—wait, is that my scarf?"

Dewey turned red and began mumbling.

"I heard 'castle' and 'duffel bag'. Care to speak up?"

"We visited Castle McDuck a while back. We found that little riddle hunt you left for Uncle Donald, and your bag with a few things of yours along with his hat."

It took Della minute.

"Wait, you found that old thing? I honestly forgot that prank, it was ages ago! Long before you kids were even a possibility."

"You know there was a demon dog down there, right?"

"You talking about Fluffy? He's still around?"

"You named that monster Fluffy?"

"I have a weird sense of humor sometimes."

Della strode forward and began to tug at the scarf.

"Hold still a moment."

She rewound it and tied it around his neck.

"There. Much better. It looks good on you, you should keep the look."

"Wait, you're giving me the scarf?" Dewey asked.

"Consider it the start of all the birthday presents I missed," Della smiled.

Dewey stared at her for a moment, then hugged her.

"I love you, Mom."

Della stiffed a bit, then wrapped her arms around her son.

"I love you too…please don't start crying. If you start, I'll start, and that'll just spiral…"

Dewey choked out a laugh.

"I still can't believe you're here sometimes."

"That makes two of us."

Della broke the hug.

"Hey, wanna hear about the time I fought a yeti?"

"A yeti!"

"If I'm lying, I'm dying! Your uncles and I were in the Himalayas, searching for a crown that belonged to Genghis Khan…"

As Dewey listened to the story, he marveled at the kind of fearless person his mother was.

A small and ugly part of him wondered if maybe, if she'd been more careful like Uncle Donald, they all could have avoided the pain of lost time. Like always, he squashed that thought down into nothingness.

Amongst the triplets, there had been an undercurrent of anger at Della for abandoning them. Even if she hadn't meant to, she still put herself into a dangerous position that resulted in her disappearance. But all of them had wanted their mother back so badly that they willingly ignored such thoughts. And once they did meet Della, once they saw the anguish on her face at her mistake with the Spear of Selene and heard of what she'd been through on the moon, any dark thoughts had died a quick death.

Huey had been the one who said it best: "Fate's punished her enough for her mistake. Us being angry at her for disappearing on us does no good."

oOo

Lena paused in her reading.

"Fred, are you stuffy in here, or is it just me?"

The box containing Fred was unresponsive.

"Wait, I forgot who I was talking to."

Lena set her book down and walked over to her window. As she opened it, she spotted a spot of white out of the corner of her eye, and she craned her neck out to get a better look.

Della was sitting on the roof, staring into the middle distance. Something about the sight felt familiar to Lena…

"Hey! You on the roof!"

Della looked up at the tower window, spotting Lena sticking her head out.

"That's your bedroom?" Della asked.

"I like high places," Lena replied, "It's a magic thing. What are you doing up here?"

"Same as you, I like high places. It's a pilot thing."

"Liar. You were staring into the distance pretty hard for just relaxing up high. Why don't you come on in? You look like you could use someone to talk to."

Della looked up at her for a moment, then nodded.

Lena stuck her head back inside, heading toward her trapdoor to open it up and give Della and easier time locating her room. Then she heard something behind her, and turned to see Della crouched on the windowsill, the jostled candlestick in her hand.

"Took a shortcut, scaled up the tower," Della said by way of explanation.

"Are you sure you're not Webby's mom?" Lena asked.

"I think I'd remember squeezing out a fourth egg," Della replied lightly, readjusting her oxygen tube, which had been jostled during her climb, "What's the candle for?"

"Banishes bad mojo. I kind of have a theme of 'anti-monster fortress' in my room."

"That explains the horseshoes," Della said, looking up.

As Della set the candlestick back, Lena looked her over. She saw a hunched posture, tensed muscles, and a nervous twitch in in the fingers.

"You're nervous," Lena said.

Della looked at her oddly.

"I have anxiety, I can see the signs."

"You think I'm anxious about something?"

"I think you were on the roof for more than just the view. Let me take a wild guess, you've been in an action-ready mindset for so long that it's hard for you to let go. You keep thinking something's going to attack you any second."

Della was silent for a moment, before letting out a slow breath.

"Not bad. Yeah, I've having trouble adjusting to…civilian life, let's say. I was a prisoner for five years, and a fugitive for another five."

"And that's hard to shake."

Della nodded, getting a haunted look in her eye.

"Sometimes I lie awake at night, wondering if this is all real. Wondering if I'll close my eyes, and when I open them, I'll be back in that hole."

"Yeah, been there."

"What do you mean?" Della asked, looking at Lena in confusion.

"No one ever told you my story, did they?"

"They…kind of glossed over it."

"I'm not surprised. No one likes lingering on it, least of all me. Ironic, given all the times I've name-dropped her as part of exposition."

"Who?"

"My former guardian. I used to live in…an abusive household, let's say."

"Oh!" Della winced, "I'm sorry…"

"I'm seeing a therapist about it," Lena said, waving Della off, "But before I came to live at the mansion, I was taken care of by…well, a monster, there's no other way around it."

"Literally or figuratively? In this life, either is feasible. And you're magic, so that counts double."

"Both. She was once a very powerful sorceress, obsessed with reclaiming her stolen power and enacting her vengeance on the one who'd done it to her. Never mind that she started the fight. Actually, you probably knew her."

"I did?"

"Tremendously powerful, completely psychotic, serious hate for Clan McDuck, thing for shadow-symbolism, major drama queen? Yeah, she's kind of hard to miss."

It took Della a moment. When it hit, her jaw dropped.

"Magica De Spell?!"

"That's my aunt. But honestly, I haven't called her that in a long time. She lost that right in the worst way."

"You're… you're serious? You're actually f*cking serious? F*cking Magica De Spell was your aunt? Are you shitting me right now?"

"Serious as a heart attack," Lena said, "And it was about as pleasant as you'd expect."

"How? She disappeared after Vesuvius!"

"Her power stripped from her, rendered down to a ghostly presence, a living shadow. She skulked the night, looking for someone to use so she could regain what was lost. She found a blood relative. Distant, but viable to bind herself to. Better yet, a child. One she could mold to her will. If that didn't work, the binding would allow her to exert a measure of control over the young duck."

Lena leaned against the wall, sliding down it.

"I couldn't run away. She lived in my shadow. She could force me to obey her. There was no escape from her. So yeah, I know how it feels to be damaged, to have gone through something so horrible that it still taints the deepest parts of your mind. To have nightmares of being back in that place, and wake up wondering if this was the dream, and happiness and the love of family wasn't an illusion."

Without even hesitating, Della went over to Lena, sat down next to her, and wrapped an arm around the teen.

"Look at us," Della laughed bitterly, "Two shattered people, wondering if we'll ever be fixed."

"I'm not afraid of Magica anymore, at least in the same way I was before, when she looked after me. She haunts my nightmares, but I know that these people, my new family…they'd do anything for me. It's scary sometimes, how much they care about me, and how much I care about them."

"Shit, Lena. Maybe you've missed the lesson, but the Duck family stands together, no matter the odds. If you want to talk to us, you can talk."

Lena twisted her head and smiled smugly at Della.

"Oh wait, I see what this is. Well played, kid. Well played."

"I try."

Lena got up, giving Della a hand up.

"So, what's the future hold for you, Miss Duck?"

"First, to Hell with this Miss Duck thing. Call me Aunt Della. You're family now. As for what's next…I think I need to take it slow. Get used to being around people that don't want to kill me."

"That's a good start."

"So have you lived here for long, then?" Della asked.

"Not that long," Lena said, "I don't really keep track, anymore. Haven't since the papers came through."

Lena walked over to one wall, poking at a framed copy of the paper granting Scrooge McDuck guardianship over Lena Le Strange.

"One of the best days of my life when I got this."

"Yeah, Scrooge has always been pretty dedicated to family, although sometimes you wouldn't know it. I'm actually surprised there aren't more touches around the mansion of everything. You'd think there'd be more pictures of the boys growing up around here."

Lena stiffened.

"Oh Gaia, no one told you," Lena moaned

"Told me what?"

Lena nervously twisted her hands and turned back to the confused Della.

"That Scrooge and Donald didn't speak for about a decade after you disappeared?"

Della's face went from confused to stone cold in approximately zero seconds.

"They what."

oOo

Scrooge climbed out of the limo, stretching.

"Same time tomorrow, Launchpad," he said.

Looking across the driveway, he saw Donald getting out of his own car.

"Your errands go well, nephew?"

"Got a lot done," Donald said, "I hope Della and the kids were okay while we were gone."

"I'm sure they had a low-key day."

"Last time you said that to me, you were taking the kids on an expedition to Atlantis," Donald deadpanned.

"Della's been diligent with her physical therapy, I doubt she'll be wanting to take long trips until she's sure she's at a hundred percent. She's adventurous, not stupid."

The two entered the mansion, only to see the very duck they had been discussing waiting for them. Her arms were crossed, and her gaze was icy.

"Della? Something wrong?" Scrooge said.

Without a word, Della stomped forward and grabbed them each by an ear, yanking them toward an office.

"Ow-ow-ow! Sis!"

"Della! Gah! Unhand me this inst-OW!"

"Stow it, both of you. We need to talk."


So, I'm going to be going on a little break, guys. Call it a holiday break or whatever, I just have to build a surplus of chapters again so I can have even updates like I like.

See you all in the future