Long Live the Evil Triplet
Chapter 22
Bonds Greater then Family
"N,No. Magica. Please!" Luis pleaded as Magica loomed over him. Della behind him wasn't remaining quiet anymore. She muffled frantically against her gag and shuffled towards Luis trying to shield him from Magica.
Magica, still in Della's form, cocked Luis's rifle.
"Sorry, Luis. I can't have two disobedient slaves now, can I?" Magica snickered. "Turn around." She ordered.
Magica was squeezing him from the inside, using her dark magic. Trying to pull him back. Back into the darkness. This time Luis feared he wasn't going to be able to help Louie, let alone ever be a part of him again...
Luis's body was forced to turn to face the crackling fire.
Della's eyes widen again and muffled something that Luis can bet was his name. Luis sighed, and untied the gag from her mouth.
"L,Louie, why is she calling you Luis? What's going on? Why does Magica look like me? How'd she even get in here?" Della began to ask, ignoring the earlier threat from Magica. She was looking at Luis, who was starting to feel sick to his stomach.
"Long story." Luis muttered, avoiding Della's confused stare.
"And it's about to end in three..." Magica snarled.
"Louie, can you hear me?" Luis asked in a panic.
Silence.
He didn't exspect him to answer. Why would he want to switch back now? On his own, and with him when Luis hadn't even done what Louie switched him for? Luis wondered if Louie was angry at him for that.
Or was it something else keeping Louie from answering?
He wanted to switch back. To be in that lonely spot, looking up at the hole instead of out here, about to get shot.
Was it selfish of him?
Yeah.
Did he care?
Maybe a little.
"Two..." Magica continued.
Luis's anger started to boil over. After everything he's done for her? She was literally going to shoot him in the back?
Them.
Lena...
All of them connected through Magica, out of hate for Scrooge they have never met Lena they can feel each other as if they had known each other all their lives. Like brother and sister's.
Luis wondered how Lena was able to over come Magica. Wondered how she was able to stay sane afterwards...
Asha had been right about Magica. She never really cared about him.
All Magica cared about was herself.
But he couldn't do that to Louie. He couldn't have Louie to deal with Magica on his own. If it was one person he cared about more then anyone it was him.
He was going to have to do this, himself. He was the only one who can.
Luis eyed a fire poker that was nestled on the other side of the fireplace. If he could only reach it in time...
He inched away from Della, who had gone quiet again, rather it was out of fear, or out of shock, Luis didn't know. He slowly gripped the handle to the poker and squeezed his eyes shut.
Luis heard the gun go off.
Luis waited for the blow, but when none came he opened his eyes.
"Stupid, girl!" Magica snarled.
Luis forced himself to turn, ignoring the aching pain that squeezed inside him from Magica's curse, and his eyes widen.
Della had somehow moved in between him and Magica, taking the bullet head on. Luis stared at the blood pouring out of Della's chest, right where her heart was. He couldn't speak, couldn't move, all he could hear was Louie's voice screaming for his Mom in his ears, and then, Luis felt himself being pulled back.
Back into the depths of Louie's mind.
They met up in the middle, between the dark abyss and the top of the whole. Louie had tears in his eyes.
Luis knew right then how to break the curse. It was never him to begin with to break it. It, It was always and had alway been Louie. But for him to be able to do that, Louie had to let go. Let go of the past, let go of him. If Louie can do that...
"L,Luis." Louie said, between sobs. 'I, I -."
Luis smiled, walked up to him and gave him a hug.
"I know, Louie." Luis whispered.
Louie stopped crying then, making Luis pull away.
"T,The curse. How do I break it?" He asked. "I want to do that for you, Luis. Because you've always been there for me. Now, Now it's time for me to return that favor. That's what you wanted, right?" Louie asked.
Luis looked at him sadly.
No.
It wasn't what he wanted.
Louie still didn't get it, and until he did...
Luis felt himself being tugged upward again while Louie was pulled downward.
"L,Luis! Stop! I, I want to switch back! Why are you doing this?" Louie shouted up at him.
"I can't switch back with you Louie. Not now. Not when everything is so messed up. It, It won't work if you can't let go!" He shouted back.
"Let go? Let go of what?" Louie shouted back up at him, and groaned in frustration. "Luis! What do I do? Help me!" He whined desperately.
'I am Louie. I am." Luis thought as he got to the top of the hole and climbed out, just as Magica cocked the gun again and pointed it at Luis. "I'm always here for you."
Luis was able to move on his own again. He didn't know if it was because of the sudden shift in the curse because of Louie, or if Magica was getting weaker, but Luis lifted the poker and whirled around just as Magica fired the gun a second time.
Luis saw it.
As if in slow motion.
Luis quickly used to slinder poker like a baseball bat, and just as the bullet was inches away from his face, he swung.
Hard.
Then everything was back to it's normal pace, and before Magica could react the bullet hit her square in the shoulder.
She howled in pain and slumped to the floor, still holding the gun. Luis took that moment to lift Della up as gently as he could, put her arms over his shoulders, and rushed for the door. He unlocked it by the small lock on the knob and ran out of the room.
"LUIS!" Magica screamed out angrily.
Luis pulled Della into the kitchen that was thankfully right by her room. So he didn't have to drag her far. He had to hurry, because Della was loosing blood, and fast. He helped her onto a chair, she moaned in pain.
Luis's eyes narrowed at her.
Yeah, for Louie.
He slowly inched his index finger towards her gun shot wound. He jammed it right in the middle, making Della scream out bloody murder.
He saw Della force her eyes to open and stared at her son. Wondering why he was doing this to her. His mother!
Luis just smirked at her and dug his finger in deeper. Della closed her eyes and screamed again.
Sure, Luis could have let Magica finish her off then and there. But where was the fun in that? Della was and has been the reason Louie was Luis in the first place. The reason for his emotional distress.
Luis was so sure that after this, Louie would finally give him love.
When he finally stopped and pulled his finger out of the wound, Della was breathing hard, and Luis's finger was knuckle deep in blood.
"Well, Louie?" Luis snapped.
His patient was wearing thin with Louie. The curse was tugging at Luis as he felt Magica's wrath over him. Luis knew it wouldn't be long now until she found him again. Luis had to be quick about this.
Nothing.
Nothing but fear coming from Louie.
Luis groaned in frustration for a long time until -.
"L,Louie." Della whispered.
Luis stopped groaning, and looked at Della.
"I, I'm sorry." Della whispered.
Luis froze.
"I, I'm so sorry that I, I've been hard on you. Especially after, after what happened with the time tub and -." Della coughed, and slumped over making Luis rush over more quickly in alarm before he could stop himself.
She was sorry?
Sorry she grounded Louie. Embarrassed him. Made him feel like he had to choose between his family and being himself?
Sure, she had forgiven Louie, only because he had used his scheming skills to save the family. It still stung, those words she left on that DT robot.
"If you want to be a part of this family. It's got to stop.''
Those words have been echoing in Louie's ears ever since that day. It's what called Luis up and out of Louie, becoming Louie.
Now.
Here was Della. Apologizing to him.
"Y, You made him felt like he had to choose." Luis accused Della. Not ready to let down his feelings for her. "After eleven years, he's been nothing but himself, and, and you tried to take that away."
"I, I understand that back then, and now. I, I didn't mean to make you feel any worse then I felt about the whole thing. I, I was just as scared about being a Mom as you were in having one." Della gave Luis a weak smile. "Excitement, adventure, all of that is easy. But, But being a mother never is, not when she loves her family, and only wants to protect them, espeically from themselves." She stared into Luis's eyes, pleading for him to understand.
Luis did.
That's what he's been trying to do for Louie.
Make him understand.
This was the thing that they had in common. Her and Luis.
Luis's stomach twisted in guilt as he looked around for a first aid kit. He spotted one in the cabinet near the sink and went to get it. He brought it down and began walking slowly back to Della. She was having trouble breathing now, and her eyes looked dull and gray.
Luis hoped that the grayness was from the lack of blood and not the curse. It would be a bad time for Della's split personality to emerge just then, to take the heat of the bullet for her.
He could finish the job. Finish what Magica had started with Della. That was the reason he was summoned to do in the first place. It would have been so easy. Just to leave her, bleeding like that. To go on with his plan.
It would be a lot easier then having to deal with all this.
Then he can go right back into Louie's mind, until he was needed again. Making the cycle go on, and the curse never ending...
But he remembered how he felt about Webby. It still was out of his reach, just a small light in his darkened heart. Did she still care about him? About Louie? Is that why he still felt that emotion, and why he wanted it so badly from Louie?
Luis sighed deeply and made the decision of attending her wound. It took him a couple of minutes to wrap a bandage around her from her shoulder to her waist and over her chest. She grimaced as he pulled at it tightly to make sure it wouldn't fall off.
Della smiled weakly at him.
"You stay here." Luis told her finally. "I'll deal with Magica."
He turned to leave but Della quickly grabbed his arm, ignoring the pain in her chest, both from the gun shot wound to her own guilt, and pulled him into a tight hug.
Luis's muscle's tightened, and didn't relax until she pulled away from him.
"I, I love all of you, Louie. You and your brothers. Nothing in the world will change that. Not even after what you just did, not even after what might happen next." She told him.
Love?
She loved Louie.
Luis felt Louie's emotions bubbling up inside him. All of them at once. Making Luis suddenly fall to the floor passed out, cold.
"Louie!" Della cried out, and rushed to him. "Louie!" She called out again when he didn't say anything.
Magica's cackling laugh filled the room. Della slowly turned and saw her slowly and causally strolling into the kitchen, a smile plastered on her face.
"You witch!" Della shouted. "What did you do to Louie?"
"I did nothing." Magica replied. "It was all you, Della. Just now. The conflict inside the boy was too much for him. Now, he's in a battle with himself that not even your words were enough to win him over."
"No." Della whispered.
Not wanting to believe it.
Why was it whenever she tired to reason with her boys, something bad would happen to one of her kids?
Asha felt the tug of Magica's wrath on Luis as she fought the last of the wereducks. She managed to take care all but one. If she can, then Huey wouldn't have to proclaim his leader rights to the pack.
But then,
Asha felt Luis fading.
Something was wrong.
Asha didn't wait, she didn't want too, but she gave the order to Huey, who jumped quickly down from the story window, landing on his feet.
This distraction had gone on long enough, but if Asha had to choose between Huey becoming a leader of the wereducks, and the curse being broken...
She'd choose.
"LUIS!"
Asha lost all control she had on Huey and Dewey just then, not caring for nothing but Luis as she whirled around and raced into the mansion.
She found them, in the kitchen, Magica hadn't seen her due to the fact her back was to her, but she could see Della and Luis as she peered behind her. Louie's kolepesh gripped at her side. Magica finally did it. She killed Luis.
"You -." Asha snarled.
Magica slowly turned and her smile faded from her face, replaced with fake remorse.
Della looked up in alarm at who she thought was Webby.
"W,Webby?" She stammered.
"You killed him!" Asha screamed.
She rushed at her, Louie's kolepesh raised, ready to slice and dice at her. But Magica merely snickered, and grabbed her throat just inches from Magica's torso. Asha gagged and squirmed as she tried to break free of her. She swung the kolepesh wildly trying to get at her but Magica grabbed it with her free hand.
"If you wish to save him." Magica hissed in her ear. "Then you get me that number one dime." She ordered, and flung Asha to the far side of the room, making her land near the bottom of the grand staircase.
"That's what all this is about?" Della asked, outraged. "The stupid dime?"
Magica turned back to Della.
"Oh, it's far more then the dime, but it's a start." Magica told her. "You fools haven't even realized I've cursed you because of it! I've cursed Scrooge McDuck right befoe he trapped me inside that dime!"
She glanced over at Asha who was just picking herself up off the floor, then at Luis who hadn't moved since the emotion overload.
"Curse? Cursed us with what?" Della whispered.
But even as she said it, she knew what curse it was.
"Until this day, I can't even look in the mirror because I'm afraid I'll see her..."
Della's words she said to Dewey that day when they tried to contact the Moon landers echoed in her ears, making Della shiver.
She was a bit relieved by the fact that what she had wasn't what she was born with, but was because of a curse. That meant it could be broken, that meant she and her family could get back to normal...
"I really didn't think the curse would have turned into this," Magica admitted. "It was just quick thinking on my part, being sucked into the dime. I had no idea which curse I yelled out, just said the first thing that popped into my mind at the time."
Asha looked towards the stairs, then at Luis. Her heart pounding hard against her chest. No. This can't be happening. Luis was suppose to have ended the curse by now. So that she and him can be together. Asha wanted that. What she had told Luis about once the curse was broken, what she'd do, she wanted to do all that with him.
Sure, they'd be gone, back into the depths of Magica's black, dark magic, but at least they'd have each other. At least they wouldn't be alone anymore, in their cursed bounded minds of their counter parts.
Asha had no choice. She had to get the number one dime from Scrooge. If not to save themselves from the curse, but to save Luis from himself. She could only imagine what he was going through right now. Asha never experienced any kind of emotion. Not from Webby. Webby didn't even know that Asha existed until now.
Asha only emerged from Webby because she wanted to protect Dewey, it was part of the curse on the McDuck's that she existed.
She felt her stomach twist into a guilty knot as she slowly began to ascend the stairs.
Asha was far from her own curse breaking, but at least, at least she can help Luis with his. Webby had her own inner problems that kept Asha here. It was totally different from what Luis was going through. Asha couldn't switch back with Webby like Luis can with Louie.
Webby had a lot going on she wasn't aware of, Asha was here to stay, for awhile. But if she could, she'd help out anyway she can. She wasn't as evil as Luis, but like him, she cared about Webby. She was more then ready to take on whatever happened with her in the future.
But right now,
Right now,
Luis needed her.
They had a bond greater then anything, a bond greater then family that Luis so desperately craved, that he thought he wanted from Louie, but already had it with her.
The bond of love...