A short series of snapshots from my version of the gen-swap AU while I'm working on a bigger chapter. I took Thursday off to just give myself time to chill but I'm back, baby!

Some of these are light-hearted, others are more heavy, but I worked hard to bring them to you.

Here we go!

Spending the Night

Louie yawned as he entered the dining room.

Mrs. Beakley had set out his typical breakfast already and he sat down as Della, Webby, and Donald ran in to join him. Dewey wasn't far behind. Huey was there, too, reading some new books on marine biology he'd gotten from his job.

"What are you kids planning today?" Louie asked.

"We're going to Funzo's!" replied Della brightly. "June's gonna drive us!"

"Speaking of June, should I set a place for her this morning?" Mrs. Beakley spoke up, crossing her arms. Louie choked on his coffee.

"W-what are you talking about? She's not here!"

And as if the universe was bound and determined to screw him over, it was at that moment June entered the dining room with messy bedhead and wearing one of his shirts with a pair of sleep pants. He counted his lucky stars on that point but Mrs. Beakley gave him a pointed look.

"Hi, June!" Della greeted her, smiling broadly. "Your hair looks crazy."

"It gets like this sometimes. It's usually a sign that I need to trim it soon."

"I didn't know June slept over last night," Webby remarked.

"Your uncle happens to have a thing for cuddling," giggled June before turning to Mrs. Beakley. "I can fix my own breakfast, Mrs. B. I've been doing it since I was a kid."

"All right, then."

June disappeared into the kitchen and Huey fixed his youngest brother with a glare.

"What?"

"I'll tell you later when the kids aren't around."

"I'm gonna go help June!" Della declared, dragging Webby and Donald with her. She'd apparently taken the hint.

"Seriously, she spent the night! We didn't do anything!" Louie's cheeks were burning bright red.

"Sure. And I'm guessing she was in one of the guest rooms." Huey's tone communicated that he definitely wasn't pleased.

"No, she was with me."

"Louie, I don't have a problem with you being in a relationship with her. My problem is the example you're setting for the kids."

"Huey…"

"Hey, leave him alone," Dewey insisted. Mrs. Beakley took the opportunity to exit the room.

"I'm just… I know we're all adults here, but I'd like our babies to stay babies a while longer. So why'd she spend the night?"

"Let's see… it's more convenient since she took over from Launchpad, I like her company, I like cuddling with her, and she's my girlfriend. Just because we share a bed doesn't mean that we're—"

Louie was cut off as the door to the kitchen fell open to reveal the kids had been listening in on the conversation. June was standing behind them holding a bowl of cereal.

"Uh… I think the kids have an eavesdropping problem," she told the guys, pointing her spoon downwards.

"We don't!" squeaked Della, glancing up. "Aunt June, I promise!"

"Sure, Dells. You go finish eating your breakfast and then we'll head down to the arcade once I shower."

Huey again crossed his arms at Louie, who threw his in the air as if to say 'what do you want from me?'

Nieces

"I can't stay for dinner. Sorry."

"Why not?" Della asked with a pout.

"A friend of mine called. She needs me to babysit her daughter."

"Why can't you babysit me and Donald and Webby instead?"

"Well… it's a complicated situation. But her daughter is actually my niece."

"Like a real niece?" Della's eyes were wide.

"Biologically, yes."

"Whoa, which of the sisters had a baby?" Dewey asked, coming into the room.

"May. Actually, her daughter's about Della and Donald's age… her name's Daisy."

Donald choked on the cup of water he was drinking.

"Daisy's your niece! That's awesome!" Della cheered. "Donald has a massive crush on her."

"Oh, well good to know."

"I don't have a crush on Daisy!" Donald insisted. "Della just keeps—"

"Donald, there's nothing wrong with having a crush."

"It's called a crush for a reason, June Bug," Dewey told her pointedly.

"Every situation is different, Dewford."

"You and Louie when we were kids."

"That was not my fault."

"Why did he call you the name Uncle Louie calls you?" Della piped up.

"Because he wants to annoy me. Bug is my middle name. My mother was… the worst." She shuddered a little. "I could talk to Violet about bringing Daisy by if it's okay with Scrooge."

"He knows Daisy," Donald informed her. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"It'll be you, me, and Louie with them, Webby, and Lena," Dewey warned.

"Believe me, I can handle my nieces and nephew." Della gasped happily.

"You called me your niece."

"Yes, I did. Because you are."

"When are you and Uncle Louie getting married?"

"DELLA!" Donald snapped.

"What? I want it to be official." June ruffled Della's hair but neither twin nor Dewey failed to notice the red in her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it. You're already officially my niece in my book. Just like Donald is my only nephew."

"Aw," Donald muttered.

"I'll be back soon. I promise."

Sleep-Deprived

As the moon outside continued to set, Louie focused on the paperwork in front of him.

With Bradford and the other members of the board having betrayed Scrooge and the company, it left Louie in a position where he had so much more to do. It meant he had little time for anything but work. That included eating and sleeping. He often stayed up several nights in a row now, no matter how much his family tried to convince him to get some rest. There was no time for rest, not when the family was in danger and he had to run McDuck Enterprises single-handedly. Who could he trust?

"Lionheart?"

He half-turned to see June in the doorway to his office.

"Hey, June." He went back to work. "What do you need?"

"I need you to go to sleep."

"No time. Sorry. I need to finish all this."

"No, you need sleep. It's been three days. This isn't healthy."

"Well, if I don't do it, who will? Nobody."

"Louie, please."

"Leave me alone, June." He could feel that famous McDuck anger rising and while it was strongest in Huey, it did come out of him at the worst times.

Don't lose control!

"I'm worried about you. Please, just go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning."

"June, I'm the only person running this company now. This needs to be done."

"You're no good to anyone like this." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We're worried about you."

"Maybe you shouldn't be. I didn't matter to this family for ten years. Nobody cared that I was put in this position before I was ready. Nobody stopped Huey from tearing this family apart. Nothing stopped Dewey from getting stuck on the moon. And nothing stopped you from leaving me behind when we were kids."

"Just because I wasn't here doesn't mean I stopped caring."

"Yeah, right." The words came out before he could stop them. "Just like your mother. She cares about you so much even though she left you behind."

As soon as the words left his mouth he saw the hurt on her face.

Iris Duck, when they were kids, had been an agent of S.H.U.S.H alongside Mrs. Beakley. It had recently surfaced that Iris was now working for F.O.W.L and June had confessed that her mother left the family behind after they moved to New Stork City. Until the revelation of the villainous organization none of the Duck sisters had seen or heard anything from their mother. Iris didn't care that her youngest daughter was connected to the McDuck family; she'd gone as far to personally fight June not long before and force her youngest daughter to cause harm to the woman who'd birthed her.

She'd cried herself to sleep in his arms that night after he'd patched her injuries.

"June—"

"No. You know what? I can't see you right now. Just… go to bed. You're not thinking straight, Llewellyn."

Oh. Oh, he'd really messed up. She had not once in the twenty-plus years they'd known each other called him Llewellyn. He could hear her sniff as she headed down the hall away from his office.

He stared down at the papers. They could wait until morning. He needed some sleep and then he'd apologize to her. That had been way out of line.

She wasn't in their room. She'd apparently taken the guest room down the hall, the one furthest from him. His heart cracked a little at hearing her sob into her pillow. That's it, he was definitely apologizing in the morning if his family didn't kill him first for what he'd said.

He almost couldn't fall asleep from the guilt but he managed.

When morning came and he emerged from his room, he discovered that Scrooge had gone into the office alone. Huey and Dewey had sent texts telling him they'd taken the kids out for the day. An additional text from Della just had the angry emoji and a 'YOU NEED MORE SLEEP OR YOU'RE GONNA LOSE MY COOL AUNT'. He found June in the dining room, running her fingers over a mug of hot cocoa. Her eyes were downcast, refusing to meet his.

"I want to say I'm sorry, but sorry can't make up for what I did."

Silence.

"You're the last person in the world I want to hurt. Everything that's happened over the past couple months has had me beyond stressed out. It's hard to sleep and it's easier to bury myself in my work than face it. And what happened with your mom—great googly moogly that was bad. I know it was bad. I was just so sleep deprived that I wanted to—to lash out. I knew it would hurt you to bring it up and I did it anyway."

He glared down at the carpet with angry tears in his eyes.

"June, I love you, and I'm sorry that I let myself get like that."

In his tear-filled blurry vision, he didn't notice that she'd gotten up from the table.

"I should never do that to people I care about, especially not my family. Because like it or not, you're stuck with this family now. I can't let you go again, not after—"

Her arms wrapped around him and he felt her tears soaking through his shirt.

"She told me that I was supposed to be alone," June hiccupped. "That nobody was supposed to care about me and that anyone who did was only doing it because they wanted something."

"No. Not me." He tightened his arms around her.

"I know. But you need to take care of yourself. You're no good to anyone if you drop dead from exhaustion."

"This from the workaholic mechanic." There was laughter in his voice.

"Okay, but I listen when you drag me off to bed, buster." She had a hint of laughter and the tension was gone, melted like ice in hot water. "I think you need to take a day off. Scrooge said he'd go in for the day so you can rest."

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, honestly. I didn't have someone hogging the blanket."

"It was too quiet in the guest room. Nobody was snoring."

He chuckled and hugged her tighter.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Technical Difficulties

June narrowed her eyes at the tech Mark Beaks had brought her.

"This seems like a dangerous project," she told him. "A self-driving car with a personality… I don't think this is a good idea."

"Listen, sweetheart, I didn't hire you to do what I do. I hired you to take care of the car." He tilted his head towards the car that would be a 'Waddle-brand achievement for the ages!' "If you can't do that, I'll have to find a more qualified mechanic."

"I'm more than qualified, Mr. Beaks." She picked up her toolbox and went over to the half-finished vehicle. "I can finish the car."

"Great! Let me know when it's done so we can test it."

B.U.D.D.Y watched her with that smiley-face screen as she worked on the engine. She muttered to herself about lousy clients before reaching for a wrench, only to find that it wasn't in her toolbox. It must've fallen out. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and there was the robot, extending its arm to give her the needed instrument.

"Wow, thanks. You're pretty smart. I find it hard to believe Mark Beaks made you."

The mechanical marvel nodded and sat by her side, learning about the car as she explained each component. Even if he was a robot, he was still someone to talk to. But she quickly learned that B.U.D.D.Y had a bit of a temper. This only solidified her thought that this had not been a creation of Mark Beaks but rather someone who actually had the intellect and the drive to create something like this.

Eventually the car was done. And after some testing Mark decided B.U.D.D.Y was ready to go on the market, despite her advising him not to do it because of the robot's temper. She had known Huey Duck as a child. She knew what a volatile rage could do (on the few occasions he'd lost his cool). But Mark Beaks was the oh-so-amazing CEO of Waddle and he knew better than some mechanic he'd hired because he thought she looked good and did good work.

Sexist jerk.

At least she reconnected with her childhood friends because of the incident, so some good came out of it.

Support

As soon as she heard the door to the garage slam shut, she stood up.

There, standing in the doorway, was Della with tears in her eyes. Wordlessly the girl rushed towards her and buried her face in June's stomach. June gently stroked her head, kneeling down to hug her better.

"Della, what happened?"

"Uncle Scrooge lost my dad in space."

They'd finally found out the truth. Or at least part of it.

"I can't believe nobody ever told us! Did you know?"

"I knew bits and pieces but… I warned them. I told them that you deserved to know."

"I don't wanna see Uncle Scrooge anymore."

"Della—"

"I came to say goodbye. Donald and I are gonna go back to the old house with Uncle Huey."

Warning bells went off in June's head. She'd heard Louie tell her about how miserable life at the manor had been without Huey, Dewey, and the kids. And by the sounds of it, the family was starting to break apart again. If it had nearly destroyed Scrooge last time, what would it do now? Della let go of June and wiped her eyes.

"Bye, Aunt June. I'll miss you."

"Dells…"

Della ran out of the garage, the door once again slamming shut behind her.

June immediately ran out after her, finding that the car was already packed and the twins inside. Scrooge was nowhere to be seen. Mrs. Beakley had also packed her own car intending to go on a vacation. As the two vehicles peeled off (and the limo with Launchpad wasn't far behind), she went into the house. She found Louie in the bedroom that had belonged to Della and Donald, staring at a picture in his hands with a blank expression on his face.

"Lionheart?"

"Hey, June." She sat down next to him and looked at the photo.

Dewey sat between his brothers on a couch, Scrooge standing behind them. In Dewey's arms were a pair of eggs. All four sets of eyes were on the precious bundles.

"What do I do?" His voice was breaking. "I can't… not again. I can't watch this family break apart again."

"Louie, it won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because this isn't a family breaking apart. Emotions were running high and everyone needs space but you."

"Seems like it's breaking to me. This is what happened with Dewey all over again."

Her arms wrapped around him.

"But this time you have me. I might not be family but I'm someone who's not gonna leave until this is fixed. Fixing is what I do." He let out a humorless chuckle. "Hey. I will go and drag those kids back if I have to. Della will listen to me."

Louie stared down at the photo again then up at her.

"You know what it feels like, don't you?" She nodded.

"My mother left our family right after we moved. She just walked out the door for work and never came back. No note, no phone call, nothing. I found out while we were in high school that she was working for S.H.U.S.H and disappeared on a mission. Dad didn't tell us for the same reason you guys didn't tell the twins what happened to Dewey. All three of us walked out of the house because we were so angry at him for hiding the truth, but… we still came back. Because he was our family and we needed him as much as he needed us."

"I need the twins. And Huey. They're…"

"Your family." She gave him a comforting hug and he returned it. "Besides, I remember somebody telling me when we were kids that Ducks don't back down. Why do it now?"

"You're right."

"I'm always right."

"Even that time you told Dewey you could do a backflip of the half-pipe you two built in the backyard and you broke your ankle?"

"And my wrist. Don't forget my wrist."

He chuckled.

"Thanks, June. I needed that."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right down the hall if you need me in one of the guest rooms… if that's okay with you."

"Oh, of course it's fine."

She smiled and disappeared out the door.

Old Friend

Dewey heard music as he headed towards the garage.

A woman was working on the limo back there, rocking out to the Powerline classic of "Stand Out" as she bent over the engine. He didn't know who she was, probably a mechanic they'd hired if that picture of Launchpad McQuack they had was any indication of the new pilot's driving abilities.

"Hey?" he called. She yelped and stumbled backwards before regaining her footing. Dusting herself off, she turned around and her eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Dewey?!"

"Uh, sorry, who are you?"

"Guess it has been a while. Last time you saw me I was wearing a pair of homemade roller skates and trying to show off my skills." He blinked and his eyes lit up.

"No way—June?!"

"Yep, in the flesh!"

"You work for Uncle Scrooge now?"

"Thanks to your daughter. By the way, I think her puppy-dog eyes should count as a legal weapon. You cannot say no to her once those things light up."

"I haven't seen them yet, sorry."

"Trust me, you'll know when you see them. April's have nothing on hers."

She picked up the wrench she'd dropped.

"It was nice to see you again. I'd better get back to work before Launchpad takes this thing out again."

"Right. The new pilot."

"He's a sweet guy, Dewey. Give him a chance to be your friend."

"You're not—"

"No. Now go spend time with your kids."

"Can do, June Bug."

"Goodbye, Dewford. See you later!"

He chuckled and exited the garage.

Like I said, this was a small series of shorts to tide you all over while I work on my next big chapter that ties into the story with Iris and F.O.W.L. And yes, that part with Louie and June's fight over his sleep schedule hurt to write.

So long and thanks for all the fish!