Hi!

I'm happy to report I have written the final chapter to this behemoth! It felt so good to write that final word.

here is the next part in the story, I hope you enjoy it.

TFG

Chapter Thirty-Four

Over the next few days Ella regrettably fell into a very dangerous routine. She would spend all day working at the Scene with Zina. The two were some of the only staff members left at the Scene, while the University was on summer vacation.

Then, she would spend the early evenings curled up with her boyfriend, having dinner together or discussing what they were going to do during the summer break. He had gotten a job as an assistant coach for the summer hockey camp that DuCaine ran for local schools, and was also going to be doing a summer internship at Bardon Police Department.

In the evenings, Ella then went to meet her brother at the same warehouse at the edge of town. She told Wildwing that she had enrolled in some night courses to get ready to enrol part-time in the next semester. She felt awful adding another lie to the already large pile of deceit.

During these evenings with her brother, Duke had tested Ella in a variety of different ways. One evening he had set up an intricate web of high-tension piano wires across the floor. She had to walk across these wires barefoot without breaking any of them. If she did, the wires would slice open her feet. It was a training exercise that Duke had put her through as a child, and that had caused the large number of crisscross scars on her feet.

The evening that she had to do this, she practically limped home with excruciating pain in her feet. Luckily, she managed to complete this training in a few days, much to her brother's delight.

Then, he had a series of ropes set up that Ella had to negotiate without setting off the bells. She had again done this training as a child, and after the piano wires this felt easier. It was only when Duke also joined her on these ropes to engage her in combat that she began to have difficulties. She did manage to know him off the ropes just as often as he knocked her off.

Then her brother brought in the safes. That had been a shock to Ella's system, seeing something that she had once been so proud of doing. There were always several different safes, with different types of mechanisms. All she had to do with these, were crack them.

It didn't take that long for her to be working at the speeds she once had. It was like a muscle memory, and once she started to flex those skills, she realised how much she still could do. And it made Duke smile like he had done when she was a child.

After each training session with her brother, Ella was exhausted. She was being drained physically, mentally and emotionally. She didn't know how to feel most of the time. She was constantly feeling sick but was exhilarated and nervous. She wanted to know what her brother had planned, but he would also tell her to wait for another night.

By the time she got home, Wildwing was often already asleep. She would then crawl into bed with him, urging him to hold her close while they both slept in each other's arms. occasionally, Wildwing would be awake enough to make love, but usually they just slept.

During this time, Ella found that she was spending less and less time with her friends. She felt too guilty to speak to Tia, who still thought of her as the gold standard of parole cases. And, she had no idea how to interact with Zina, who was working towards her masters and had no idea about her past life.

And, spending time with Wildwing was becoming harder. He had a lot of things to do before in left in a few days. He had to get a lot of things ready for the summer hockey camp. He had to be cleared to work with children and learn some of the basic of coaching, so he was busy for most of the day.

"Hey, do you want to do something tonight? Like, a movie?" Wildwing asked one evening, as Ella gathered up her things to leave.

"Sorry, I'm busy tonight," Ella replied, feeling sick with guilt.

"I've not seen much of you recently, I thought that we could have a lot more time together now that we've moved in together," Wildwing said, looking very disappointed.

"I know. It's totally my fault. How about I call in and say I won't be in tonight and we can get some dinner together and watch a movie?" Ella asked, putting down all her things and sitting down next to Wildwing.

"No, this is important to you. But, how long will this last?"

"Not much longer. It'll be finished by the time I come to visit you. And, if it's not, then I can do something else."

Wildwing nodded, accepting this answer. He would be leaving Bardon in a few days to go back to Central for a few weeks. He would be back after his short trip home, but the idea of Wildwing leaving on bad terms for a while made Ella uneasy.

She nuzzled Wildwing's beak goodbye, then grabbed her bag again and left her apartment. She walked a little way down the pavement, before climbing on the motorcycle that she still hadn't admitted to having.

It didn't take long to get to the warehouse now that she had her own transport. And, since she had been riding her motorcycle for a few weeks now she felt more confident weaving in and out of traffic. The wind whipping through her plumage and giving her a mild boast of adrenaline.

Arriving at the warehouse, Ella saw that another bike was parked next to the luxury sports car. She knew the bike was Duke's but the luxury car was most likely Rick's. Going further round, she spotted another car that she had never seen before.

Ella took a very deep breath and made her way into the warehouse. She had not seen anyone else other than Duke in the warehouse since that first night. And she didn't know how she felt seeing anyone else. She knew that she would eventually need to see the other members of Duke's inner circle, the people that he trusted most to get jobs done, but she did not feel good about any of them.

The last time she had seen any of these drakes had been the end of her previous life and freedom. She didn't blame any of them for her incarceration. The blame was firmly placed at Duke's feet, it was his call to go through with the job instead of calling it off like she had suggested.

Opening the large door and walking in, Ella saw who her brother had gathered. There was Rick, who was obviously the owner of the sports car. He looked almost exactly the same as he had when she first met him. Still grey feathered and broad, and just as arrogant looking. There was Lex, who looked like he had filled out a little over the last ten years. Which was understandable, as every member of the Brotherhood had to be proficient with a blade. And there was Jesh, the explosives expert, who still looked dark feathered, but with some very nasty scars across his face and body. It looked like some explosives had misfire on him.

"Hey there, kiddo, glad you could join us," Duke called out as he watched her walk in. As soon as he spoke everyone else turned from him to also watch Ella walk in.

She tried to ignore some of the looks those drakes gave her, as it made Ella very uncomfortable. She could see how their eyes roved over her body, or looked at her a little too long. She hoped for their sakes that Duke hadn't noticed, as she was sure he had declared his baby sister off-limits on pain of disembowelment.

Ella didn't say anything as she came to stand next to the other ducks, she just looked greeted each with a small nod of her head. Lex did leap out of his chair and offer it to her, standing next to Duke instead. She did accept the seat, sitting down heavily on the wheelie chair, her stomach feeling unsettled again.

"Right, I've called you all here to go over the job that well be doing in a few days," Duke said calmly and evenly.

As her brother spoke Ella looked around the room to see the various large boards that had been brought in, each had a very detailed floor plan and other information. Though Ella couldn't figure out what she was reading.

"What is the job, Duke? You've kept on in suspense for weeks now and we would really like to know what's gotten you so hot and bothered?" Jesh asked, looking at the large board that Duke and Lex were standing next to.

"It's the Mallar Emerald, it's surfaced again," Duke said evenly, his eyes looking directly at Ella.

"No, not a chance, no way in the seven circles of the underworld!" Ella exclaimed, leaping out of the chair and turning to leave only to be caught by her brother.

"Wait, Ellie, kiddo, just, just wait and hear what I have to say," Duke said practically begging.

"No way Duke, I've heard this song before. And last time I listened to it, I was put away for seven years! If this is the one job you want me to do, then you're sorely mistaken," Ella answered, feeling sicker by the second.

"I know you're scared, kiddo, but just listen to what I have to say, okay. Just listen, then if you still feel uncomfortable, then that's it, okay?" Duke explained, leading his sister back to her seat.

Ella could feel her entire body tense with apprehension. Now she wished she had taken Wildwing up on his offer to do something tonight instead of being here. She did sit down though, next to Jesh who was trying to gauge her reaction.

"So, as I was saying. The Mallar Emerald will resurface in four days in Central City. It is going on display at the Central City Museum of Natural History and will be on display for six days before it disappears again. This is the Emerald's first appearance since we last tried to steal it, and if we fail, it might not make another appearance for an additional twenty years. So, this could be our only shot of actually this priceless piece of rock."

"How do you know all this? There hasn't been a single thing mentioned in the news?" Jesh asked, which was a legitimate question.

"Um, I can answer that," Lex said moving forward, "There is an underground base-like system, which are referred to as 'hubs'. Each major city, that is over four hundred years old has one. These were military bases from when each of the districts were independent and at war with each other. They had command capabilities, and a rich network of communication. Now though, since we're all at peace, these are used to control the various aspects of the city, like traffic, conduct research and, more importantly, store some of the most valuable things on the planet. This is where the Mallar Emerald goes when it disappears."

"Again, how do you know all of this?" Jesh asked, completely nonplussed at the information that had just been vomited in his direction.

"It's an urban legend amongst hackers. No one's been able to get into their systems. I've been working on this since I was thirteen, and it's the reason I was first put on the Global Intelligence Agencies watch list," Lex admitted with a proud smile, looking like one of the peacocks from the southern islands when people from the mainland visit.

Duke didn't give Lex any more time to gloat on his own expertise, he instead went into everything they knew. It ended up being surprisingly a lot, most likely courtesy of Lex. They knew which floor the Emerald was being housed on when it went on display, which safe it was being kept it, when it would make its way to the museum and when it would be taken away. They knew which security company would be transporting it and how many police officers were assigned to guard its transport. They even knew the exact dimensions and measurement of the display case that it would be in.

The boards that had been set up around the warehouse actually held all the information that they knew, and some held part of Duke's plan. All the training that Duke had put Ella through recently were seeing if her skills were still up to stealing this precious jewel.

The plan seemed to be relatively simple. They would not steal the Emerald while it was on display, like last time, they would instead steal it before it made its way to the case. The plan was to take it out from the safe that it was being housed in at the museum, which would have lower security as it would only be in that safe for a few hours before anyone knew that it was there.

Duke took them through what they would need to do and what each of their jobs would be. Lex would hack into the security system and have it chase it tail so they could get in and out without anyone noticing. Rick was to stand by ready in one of the museum's security guards own car, so that they wouldn't be questioned. Jesh was to blow the floor above them on the next building, making them think another robbery was going on while Duke was to assist with that and have the guards chase him instead of being where they needed to be.

This would put Ella alone in the safe room again. The exact same place she was last time they had attempted this. Duke did swear that this time, both he and Jesh were going to double back and be there for additional support, in case the worst would happen. That was why she had been trained to vigorous with her sabre, he was not going to allow her to be defenceless again.

The escape seemed fairly simple as well. Rick had recently stolen the keys for one of the guard's cars. The night of the robbery he would be able to steal the car and drive them into the secure parking. If Lex, who would be watching Ella's progress, raised an alarm, then they had six ways out of the building. Rick would park an additional four motorcycles around the area, and each were to head to one of those as a means to make a quick getaway.

Looking at all the plans, Ella realised that a lot more had gone into this plan than their first attempt. There were back-up plans to back-up plans, and everyone would be in contact with the other. It seemed Duke really had learned a lesson from her incarceration, but it was not the one she had hoped.

After Duke had finished going over his plans and multiple back-up plans, he dismissed the rest of the crew, so they could check in on the other members of the Brotherhood. Each Master had several thieves that they kept an eye on, and most of those thieves did the majority of the thievery with someone like Duke only going in for the biggest and grandest heists. Currently, Falcone, who was acting as Duke's second, was in charge while Duke was planning this theft.

This left only Ella and Duke alone in the warehouse to talk. Both siblings merely stared each other down, almost daring the other to speak first. You could hear the crickets outside, once the cars had driven away.

"So, kiddo, what do you think?" Duke asked after many silent moments.

"It's a very thorough plan."

"That's not what I was asking you, kiddo."

"What do you want me to say, Duke? Did you honestly think that I would come on to do this job, out of every job you could have tried to get me on for, why this one? Surely, surely, there are plenty of safe crackers out there, who have been active over the last ten years. Why me?" Ella ranted, pointed towards all the information on the boards, unable to process most of what was on them.

"Kiddo, I want this to be you. I need this to be you. Think about how much closure we could finally bring to our family. This is what papa died for, this is what you lost your youth for. We could finally let the ghost of this rock go. And, as to safe crackers, kiddo, I've worked with so many over the years and trust me you are the best. And I know, you're gonna think that I'm just trying to sweet talk you into accepting this, but you really are the best of them all. You, you have instincts that others don't. You know when to give up on tools and go for its old school, and you can get things done so quickly, it literally gives me chills to see you work!"

Looking up into her brother's grey eyes, Ella could see the emotion swirling in them. He really did believe everything that he said, and she knew her brother wasn't one to give false praise. You were either satisfactory or you weren't, and he had no problem telling you everything you did wrong.

It was enough to make her heart just as sick as her stomach seemed to be. It would help her find closure; she knew it would. Ella hated herself for often thinking that if Kee had not betrayed them then she would have been the person to physically steal the jewel that got her father killed. And he was arguably the best thief of Puckworld's history. That title would be passed to her which no one else could take from her.

"I have to think about this," Ella said after several moments of silence.

"Kiddo, I don't have anyone else but you. If you don't do this, we lose this chance, possibly forever. I know you don't want that. I know you want this all to be done. Please, kiddo, please," Duke pleaded, something that she had never heard from him before.

"I have to think about it," Ella repeated trying not to see the crushed look on her brother's face.

Picking up her bag from the floor, Ella was making her way towards the door, probably to never see her brother again, when he stopped her. He had called her name, suddenly coming forward with a large package with a deep green ribbon.

"I wanted to give this to you, I had it made special," Duke said, pushing the box into his sister's hands and not accepting her refusal.

With a sigh, she accepted the box she realised that it was quite heavy and cumbersome. She placed it delicately on the floor hearing several things in the box move around as she did so. She pulled off the ribbon and opened the large creamy coloured box. What was inside took her breath away. It was a full jumpsuit, complete with all the tools of the trade.

The jumpsuit was a very dark green colour, like the one she had had when she was a child, but this one looked incredibly form fitting. If she ever wore this around her boyfriend, it would have been ripped off and on the floor the moment he saw her. It also had very thin-soled black boots and the fingerless black gloves need for touch safe cracking.

The tools that she could see were obviously bespoke and made for her frame and the jumpsuit. There was a deep utility belt with many compartments visible, as well as a holster for her sabre and Bo-staff. She could see a write mounted omni-tool, an engineer's tool next to the belt. She then saw the drills, and drill bits that went with them.

"Now, this was all really expensive, I suggest that you don't lose it this time," Duke said, smiling at his sister's happy face.

"You had this all made for me, you were so sure that I'd join?"

"Let's just say, I have faith in you, kiddo. I'll give you two days, two days to tell me yes or no, then I'll be gone," Duke said, bending over and closing the box, he handed it back to his sister.

Ella didn't know what to say next, so she chose to say nothing. Instead, she took the box and placed it into the compartment of her bike, and headed back to DuCaine. As before, by the time she got home Wildwing was already in bed asleep.

She walked past his small bag, that was packed and ready to go. It was nice to know that all his stuff was going to stay in her apartment with her and that he would be coming back to her soon. They also planned for her to join him for a few days at home. His mother was very insistent over the phone the other day.

Crawling into bed once she had changed into the jersey and shorts, she regularly slept, Ella was very surprised to see that Wildwing was still awake. He was sitting in bed, reading through a large package of information, occasionally make notes.

"You're up late," Ella said as she threw the covers over herself.

"You're back late, it's coming up to midnight. Where have you been?" Wildwing asked, just curious rather than accusatorily. Just as Ella was sure that Wildwing would never cheat, he seemed to be sure that she would never do that to him either.

"Around, trying to figure something out," Ella replied, curling next to her boyfriend.

"Well, it might help to talk it through, and look, I'm free," Wildwing said with a smile as he put down what he was working on.

Looking up at his caring and loving face, she realised that it might be a good idea to talk through what was going on, as vaguely as possible as Wildwing still didn't know about her past. Ella explained that she had been given the chance to make peace with her past, once and for all, but was unsure if it would work or that she would be able to get out of the situation.

"Well, I really don't know, Ella. I know whatever has been going on has been really difficult for you recently. So, if this is a way to solve that, then you might want to consider doing it, even though you still haven't told me what it actually is. Just know, that I will support and love you, whatever you chose," Wildwing said, reaching over to nuzzle her beak goodnight. He then rolled over, turned off the light and snuggled into her, encouraging her to do the same.

Once she was sure her boyfriend was fast asleep, Ella slipped out of his arms and walked out towards the living room. She pulled out her phone and called her brother's number. She didn't even wait for him to say anything before she told him that she would do it.

She hung up before he could say anything or before she could take it back. She put her phone on silent, under a cushion on the couch and went back to bed, hoping that she wouldn't regret that decision.

Though, Ella didn't have long to think on what she was doing or how it might impact her future. The next day, another delivery arrived for her, with information about a hotel in Central City. It seemed Duke had not even considered that she might not take on the job. The reservation had been made two weeks ago.

It would be a pretty tight schedule for Ella, as she couldn't just abandon Dip and the Scene to help her brother. She did have several days off saved up that she could take, and the summer session was the best time to do it as the Scene could run on minimal staff.

She was able to arrange with Dip to take the early shift with Zina the day she was meant to leave for Central. She was then to take two weeks off, which was what she had planned with Wildwing weeks ago. She would just be arriving a few days earlier than expected.

At least, Ella hoped that she would still be arriving at the Flashblade home in a few days. If everything went according to plan, she would never have to see her brother again, and her and Wildwing would head out on a mini-vacation. Then she would be able to tell him everything, and finally be completely open and honest with the most important drake in her life without fear of her past ever throwing a dark and depressive shadow over her life ever again.

But, if things didn't go according plan, she could either end up on the run or back in jail with an even longer sentence than she currently had. Both of those options would mean she might never see her friends or Wildwing ever again.

"Right, that's everything squared away," Wildwing said as he picked up his bags. He was going home that afternoon. He had managed to secure his job as an assistant coach with DuCaine that summer, which would take up most of the summer. He was also going to have a few weeks working as an intern at the Bardon Police Department, so his entire summer was planned to include Ella.

"You sure you need to bring all that stuff? You're just going to be carting it back on the train again in a couple of weeks," Ella said looking at the almost comically large equipment bag.

Even though they would just be heading back to Bardon in a few weeks, Wildwing had insisted on taking his hockey equipment with him. He said he planned to play several games with Canard, Cal and Nosedive during his time at home, as well as some friends from high school.

"I know, you don't understand but just think. We can finally start getting you playing, my mom has managed to pick up a stick that should be comfortable for you to use. And, it'll be fun to play with Cal again. You'll be through in a few days, right?" Wildwing asked, picking up his actual packed bag, which looked tiny compared to the equipment bag.

"Day after tomorrow. You won't need to pick me up, I'll just come straight to your house. Do you want me to walk to the station with you?" Ella said, leaning up to gently clasp the front of Wildwing's jacket, going in for a kiss.

Wildwing declined the offer, instead he leaned down and kissed his girlfriend back. He was very excited to be going home for a little while, and even more excited for the long weekend he had planned at Crystal Lake. It was going to be romantic and secluded, where they could forget everything that had been bothering both of them.

it was going to be a great way to celebrate his belated birthday. That was the problem of having a birthday during exam season. Luckily, Ella always made sure to celebrate with him. She would attempt to cook for him and get him a very thoughtful gift. That year, it had been a white and green jacket, that Wildwing seemed to love, he wore it most days.

When her boyfriend finally left her apartment, Ella suddenly ran to the toilet and threw up what she had eaten for breakfast. She had now thrown up most mornings, the stress of everything was obviously taken a horrendous toll on her body. She had managed to keep it hidden from most people, as she didn't want to either worry or explain to them what was going on.

The only person who had seen her throw up was Zina, as they worked most of their shifts together. But, so far, Zina had made no comment, only raising her eyebrows at the sheer amount of trips Ella had to make to the bathroom.

She quickly rinsed her mouth out again, telling herself that as soon as this job was over, she would feel better. She didn't have any other symptoms, which was odd. She only felt nauseous and would vomit a few times. Ella hoped that it wasn't anything else more serious.

After her trip to the bathroom, Ella began to pack for her trip. She had to pack three bags, which would all fit neatly into one bag. She wanted to make sure that she kept everything separate, especially the things that she needed for the job with her brother.

For her first bag, which was for her long weekend with Wildwing, Ella knew that they were heading straight to Crystal Lake from Central, so she packed accordingly. She packed some of the underwear that Wildwing loved to see her in, and his main team training jersey that she had acquired from him. It seemed to drive him wild whenever she wore something that was his that had his name on it. She did also remember to back her hiking boots and suitable clothes for if they actually left their cabin.

The second bag was the bigger bag. It was the one she would use while in Central. She still packed one of Wildwing's jerseys and shorts, and some undies that he liked, but she also packed things that would be useful for family time with Wildwing's family. These were mainly casual clothes, for all the time she would likely spend with his mother, plus one nice outfit in case they went out. She also remembered to pack the new skates that Wildwing had given her for her last birthday.

The third bag was the bag that most difficult to pack. Not because it had a lot of things, it only contained a few things, but because Ella thought she never had to pack a bad like this again. This bag contained her jumpsuit, thin-soled boots, fingerless gloves and burglar tools. She also had to pack a sports bra, and things that she needed to contain her usually free-flowing mane secure.

Once she had finished compartmentalising and packing her three individual bags, Ella packed all three into one bigger bag. She had only recently purchased this larger bag, as she had not had many things or any reason to take a long trip before. She usually just used one of the several weekend bags or holdalls instead for her many trips across to Central.

Then, Ella decided to spend the rest of the night trying to de-stress for the night. She didn't want to do anything that reminded her of what she would be doing the next night. So, she called Tia to see if she wanted to watch a movie.

Within the hour Tia was sitting on Ella's couch with the two girls 'watching' a romantic-comedy with a predictable plot line as they talked about their respective boyfriends. Recently, Tia had begun to date someone who she met in her business class and it seemed to be going quite well.

And, like Ella, Tia had not told her new boyfriend about her time spent in Allenview. She was afraid that he would dump her as soon as he found out and then tell everyone else in the class. Having spoken to quite a few other hens who had come out and were on parole, this seemed to be a very common fear.

"But Wildwing definitely wouldn't do that to you, he loves you too much. Speaking of which, when are you going to tell him about your past?" Tia asked, taking another sip of wine. She was steadily making her way through the bottle without realising that Ella hadn't drunk any.

"When he's trapped at Crystal Lake with me with nowhere else to go than stay in the cabin and talk things through. He does deserve to know, and I know I should have told him years ago about it. It's, it's just the fear of not knowing how he'll react," Ella answered, to which Tia agreed.

The two then talked about their plans for the summer. Both a little sad that they were not going to see each other in a very long time. First, Ella was going to go away to Central for two weeks, then out to Crystal Lake. When she arrived back, Tia would be travelling to Aylesbury, which was several hours south of Bardon. This was where a huge fashion show would be taking place, and Tia had wanted to go to it for many years.

The next morning, Ella woke up early and laughed as she saw her friend spread out over her tiny couch. She had no idea how she managed to sleep on that couch so comfortably, considering it was one of the things Canard like to complain the most about. Laughing to herself, Ella took a shower and dressed for work. She would be leaving straight from the Scene that afternoon, once her shift was finished. Then, Rick would pick her up from the Central City Grand Train Station.

And then, it would be time to get ready for the biggest theft of the century, again. She tried not to think too much about that part though. She was just trying to get through her day first, as normally as possible.

Before she left her apartment, Ella left a note for Tia, telling her to enjoy herself and that she'll see her next month. She also left a spare key for her, so that Tia could lock up after her. She then took one last look at her completely zonked out friend, grabbed her large bag and left her apartment, hoping that it wouldn't be for the last time.

When she arrived at the Scene, she was an encountered by the usual summer crowd of postgraduate students and some professors, as well as tourists and regular town residents. It was relatively quiet and Zina was already behind the counter taking care of the early morning orders.

Ella waved hello to her friend and colleague and made her way to the back room to store her bag for the day. She wouldn't have enough time to head home after her shift, so she was going to keep it in the Scene.

When she put down her bag, Ella suddenly felt nauseous again. She tried to push the feeling down, but was unable to. She quickly ran to the staff toilet and emptied out her stomach once again, making a mental note to go the doctors if this continued after she finished the job tonight.

The shift was not that bad, after the hell of the exam period and then the move out days. Most people just ordered their coffee and calmly went about their day, either sitting in the Scene or leaving. This left Ella and Zina to mostly chat and have a good time.

But it also meant that Zina noticed the additional two times Ella had to run to the backroom to vomit. Both times, Zina didn't say a word, she just gave her a friend a concerned look and waited for her to elaborate. Her friend never did though.

Around lunchtime another waiter came in to help with the afternoon rush and to prepare for when both Zina and Ella finished for the day. This was when Ella went into the bathroom to throw up for the third time during her shift.

As Ella was washing up at the sink, she watched Zina come in and place something on the sink next to her without a single word. Looking at her friend with curiosity, Ella picked up the box and almost threw it down in shock at what her friend was implying.

"You can't be serious," Ella almost yelled, standing up to her full height to confront her friend.

"Come on, Ella, you've been vomiting every morning for the last few months. Are you telling me you it can't be the tiniest possibility that you're pregnant? With the amount of sex you and Wildwing have, I'm surprised you haven't had a scare earlier than this!"

"It's just stress. With all the stuff I'm going through with my brother, plus applying for schools and things. And, Wildwing actually moving in and us going for our first vacation together, of course it's stress," Ella explained, cleaning up the sink and refusing to look at the bright pink box that was still sitting next to the faucet where she threw it.

"Fine, that could be true, but Ella, that's only been the last month. You've been off wine and throwing up for a lot longer than that."

"I'm on oral, that has a 99.9% success rate," Ella countered.

"What about that other 0.1%? And Ella, that success rate is only if you take it regularly. You used to take it at lunchtime, I know this because worked these shifts together for almost a year. And, I haven't seen you take it that regularly. So, again, are you absolutely certain that there couldn't be the tiniest chance that you might be pregnant?" Zina asked, as calmly and rationally as she could.

"Absolutely," Ella responded, almost defiently.

"Okay, then answer me this, when was your last course?" Zina asked, folding her arms and looking back just as defiantly.

She was about to fire back, when she suddenly stopped. Her brain doing sudden math as it remembered the last time, she had to collect sanitary products. It had been a very long time since she had to tell Wildwing that she couldn't that night due to bleeding.

"Please, just take the test. If it's negative then go to the doctors and get yourself checked out. I'm really worried about you. I've done and undergraduate degree and I'm doing a masters now, and I've never heard of anyone being this stressed to make them vomit every morning, unless they were pregnant."

After several moments of weighted silence, Ella took the box and went back into the single toilet stall in the staff back room. She quickly read through the instructions, which seemed simple enough. Just pee on the stick and wait for a couple of minutes to have your life turned upside-down.

When she had finished and capped the pee-stick, she came out to see Zina still in the staff room waiting for her. Ella put the stick back down on the sink and sat down next to her friend and waited in silence, as she watched the second tick down on the counter she had set.

It seemed to be forever when the timer dinged and caused both hens to look at each other. Though either moved a muscle. They merely stared at the bright white stick as if it was going to jump up and tell them the results.

"What happens if I am?" Ella eventually said after several moments of death staring the small piece of plastic.

"Then, there are options. Whatever it says, know that I'm here for you. But we are gonna need to see what the result is before we can figure out what to do," Zina said with a pained smile.

Taking a very deep breath, Ella got up and picked up the evil piece of plastic. She turned it over and saw the bright, luminous writing on the screen confirming that she was indeed going to be a mother.

So, I honestly believe that the Ducks of Puckworld would carry live offspring, very similar to how mammals do. I believe this due to the feminine shape of the hens on the show. I also believe that laying an egg would be difficult as the eggs would be huge.

Palacegirl: yep, you called it! Unfortunately, Ella was not done with Duke. the silly duck.

Hoopsandyoyo42: yep, you called it! and those are some interesting theories, I always saw Wildwing fainting though.

BlaBlaCat: As long as it's credited to me, I think I would be okay with it.

starrat: thanks for the read.

TFG