Louie woke up with a gasp, his heart pounding against his chest. Another night, another nightmare. He had been getting nightmares every night ever since their encounter with the mummy of Toth-Ra. Louie would never admit it, but that adventure had scared him more than he had let on: he could have been killed by Toth-Ra in compensation for his misdeeds if it had not been for Webby, who had rescued him just in time. But escaping with his life did not prevent Louie from dreaming about his near demise whenever he fell asleep: he could still see himself cowering in the corner with Toth-Ra hovering above him, demanding his life. Only in the dreams, the pharaoh succeeded in killing his victim, which resulted in Louie waking up in the middle of the night with sweat on his brow and his heart racing. He never shouted once, for which he was grateful. The last thing Louie wanted was for anyone to know about these night terrors, especially his brothers.
He looked over at Huey and Dewey. Both were still sleeping soundly, Dewey snoring quietly while Huey mumbled the rules of the Junior Woodchucks. Louie sighed to himself as he carefully got out of bed. He was never going to fall back to sleep now so he might as well go to the kitchen and make himself a cup of hot cocoa. That was what Uncle Donald used to do for them whenever they had a nightmare when the triplets were younger to calm them and it had worked like a charm. Louie hoped that it would still work as he crept out of the bedroom and down the hall, careful not to wake anyone on his journey to the kitchen. Maybe he could add some mini marshmallows to his cocoa if he was lucky.
Scrooge was sitting in the kitchen, a steaming cup of tea placed in front of him. He could not sleep tonight: he had spent the last few hours tossing and turning in his bed without falling asleep once. He knew why, of course. Ever since their experience with Toth-Ra, he had not been able to sleep well. The magnate could not stop replaying journey in his head and reminding himself that not only had the children almost been hurt, he had almost lost one of his grandnephews. If something had happened to one of the kids, Scrooge would not have been able to forgive himself and neither would have Donald. Their relationship was already fragile due to the incident with Della and if one of the triplets had gotten injured, that relationship would have been fractured beyond repair. Scrooge had grown to care for Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby – he would give up his own life to keep them safe. When he had learned that Louie had been cornered by Toth-Ra, the magnate's heart had nearly stopped and he had to restrain himself from pulling his youngest grandnephew into a bone-crushing hug. Scrooge had known fear in his adventurous life but never to this degree; he never wanted to experience that again.
He sighed gently and was about to take another sip of tea when he heard a noise outside the kitchen. Scrooge looked towards the entrance on time to see Louie enter the room, who froze at the sight of him. The magnate set his cup back down and gazed at his grandnephew.
"Louie… It's a bit late for you to be out of bed, isn't it?" Scrooge said.
"I could say the same about you," Louie replied.
"I'm an adult. I can be awake at this hour if I want to."
His grandnephew rolled his eyes and the magnate shook his head. It was too late in the evening to deal with attitude so he patted the seat next to him.
"Come on, have a seat, lad. Would you like anything to drink?" Scrooge asked.
Louie looked surprised but he sat in the chair. He glanced at his great-uncle, looking uncertain. "Well… I hoping to make myself some hot cocoa with mini marshmallows if you have them," Louie said slowly.
"Of course I have them. One cannot have hot cocoa without them," Scrooge said with a smile as he stood on his feet. "I'll make it for you."
"Thanks, Scrooge."
The magnate nodded as he retrieved a mug from one of the cabinets. He filled it with milk and heated it in the microwave before mixing in some cocoa and adding a few marshmallows before giving the beverage to his youngest grandnephew. Louie quietly thanked him as he blew on his hot cocoa. Scrooge watched him closely, sensing that something was wrong. The young duck was being oddly quiet: something was obviously bothering him. All he had managed was rolling his eyes earlier at his great-uncle's comment and Scrooge knew very well that Louie had an arsenal of smart-aleck remarks stored in his back pocket. The magnate may not be very familiar with children but even he knew that a change in behaviour meant that something was amiss.
"So… why are you up at this hour, lad?" Scrooge asked, trying to keep his tone casual as he sat back down and sipped his tea.
"Oh, uh, just couldn't sleep. That's all," Louie replied, his own tone far too evasive for his great-uncle's liking.
"For no reason at all?"
"Yep. No reason whatsoever."
"Mm." Scrooge took another sip of tea, trying to find the best way to approach the reason behind Louie's insomnia without making his grandnephew retreat further into his shell than he already was. The magnate knew from experience that those who acted tough on the outside were trying to hide who they really were and his youngest grandnephew was one of those people: his seemingly nonchalant attitude and his bravado were textbook examples of someone who was desperately trying to disguise their true nature. Scrooge had been like that once, and, sometimes, he still was. He realised that he and Louie may have a bit more in common than he had initially thought.
"You know, Louie, there's always a reason as to why one is kept up at night," Scrooge said. "We might not always know what that reason is, but it's there, hiding beneath the surface."
His grandnephew looked at him with scepticism. "Is this some old-timey wisdom that you're trying to share?" Louie asked.
"No, lad, just speaking from experience. You think I've gotten this far in age and not have had my fair share of insomnia? Every time I've had it, it was because something was bothering me. I may not have always known what that something was immediately, but I knew it was there. So you're not fooling me by saying that there is no reason as to why you can't sleep. So are you going to tell me what's going on or do I have to mention this to your Uncle Donald?"
"You wouldn't."
"Watch me."
Louie glared at him but Scrooge remained unfazed, raising an eyebrow at his grandnephew. The young duck sighed and looked down at his mug, seeming to be fascinated by the marshmallows floating in the hot cocoa. The magnate sipped his tea, giving Louie all the time he needed.
"If I tell you what's going on, you won't say anything to Uncle Donald?" Louie asked.
"I won't," Scrooge replied.
"You promise?"
"Of course. My word is as good as gold."
"Well, the thing is… I've been having nightmares ever since we came back from that ancient pyramid."
Scrooge, who had been about to take another sip of tea, paused in the action of raising his cup to his lips. So Louie had been plagued by their experience with Toth-Ra as well… Just like his great-uncle, he had hid it well. Not once had the magnate seen his youngest grandnephew show signs of tiredness or emotional distress. Or had there been signs and Scrooge, being so engrossed in his businesses, had missed them? The thought made him feel ashamed and he made a silent vow to pay closer attention to his family from now on.
"Is that so?" Scrooge asked quietly.
"Yes! And I hate it!" Louie exclaimed, slamming his mug down on the table, making his great-uncle jump. "Every single night I can see Toth-Ra hovering over me and demanding my soul and getting it! I know Webby saved me and all that, but it doesn't change the fact that I was seconds away from death. Do you have any idea how scary that is?"
"Aye, lad, I do. I've brushed death more times than I can count while seeking my fortune."
"So you know what I mean when I say it's the scariest thing in the world?"
"It's not."
There was a stunned silence as Louie stared at Scrooge with wide eyes. "What? Of course it is! What can be scarier than almost dying?" Louie demanded.
The magnate gave him a long look. "Losing a child," Scrooge replied.
"Huh?"
"When I saw that you and Webby were gone, words cannot describe how scared I was. While I didn't show it on the outside, I was panicking on the inside. I was imagining every worst-case scenario possible. And when I learned that you were almost killed by Toth-Ra, I felt my blood run cold. It was a fear far greater than any I have ever felt before and I never want to feel it again. Try imagining what it would be like to lose one of your brothers and you'll get an idea of how I was feeling."
Scrooge watched as Louie stared at his mug, his grip on it tightening as he did what had been asked of him. The young duck looked at his great-uncle, his voice barely above a whisper as he spoke.
"That's… That's a horrible feeling," Louie said.
"Aye, it is, lad. I don't wish it on anyone," Scrooge replied, sipping his tea in order to hide the tears that were filling his eyes.
Louie stared at him before sliding off his chair and climbing into his great-uncle's lap. Scrooge looked down in surprise as his grandnephew leaned against him.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Scrooge," Louie said. "I didn't mean to scare you like that."
Uncle Scrooge… That was the first time Louie had ever called him that. He and his brothers usually called the magnate by his given name. Not that it bothered Scrooge: he and the triplets had only met a few months ago. He had been a complete stranger to them their entire life so it was understandable that they did not feel comfortable calling him "uncle" just yet. To hear Louie use the term made Scrooge feel happier than he thought he ever would and he gently hugged his grandnephew.
"It's all right, Louie. I know you didn't. I'm just glad that you're safe," Scrooge said. "Do Huey and Dewey know about these nightmares you've been having?"
"No, and I'd rather keep it that way. Dewey would tease me and Huey would try to find all sorts of ways to find meaning behind the nightmares," Louie replied, making a face.
"You have my discretion. I promise."
"Does that mean you won't tell anyone?"
"Yes, lad. It does."
"Thanks, Uncle Scrooge," Louie said gratefully. "I just wish these nightmares would stop."
"There's only one way for them to stop. You need to face your fears and deal with them properly," Scrooge said. I should follow my own advice, he thought.
"That's easier said than done," Louie whispered.
"I know, lad. But it is what it is."
Louie nodded and closed his eyes. Scrooge gently rubbed his back, his cheek resting on the top of his nephew's head. The closeness brought the magnate a sense of peace, one that was different from anything he had ever felt. He had spent many years alone in this great mansion and he thought he had gotten used to the loneliness, that he had adapted to doing everything on his own. Having his grandnephew in his arms made Scrooge aware that was not the case. He had missed his family, more than he cared to admit. He would never say so aloud, but he loved the sound of the children running through the mansion and the noises Donald made as he stumbled through his day. Sure, he had Mrs Beakley and Webby around but this was different – the new inhabitants of McDuck Manor were his family.
"We should go back to bed," Scrooge said after while, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them.
He felt Louie become tense. The magnate pulled back, met his grandnephew's gaze, and recognised the silent plea in his eyes, a plea that the boy could not bring himself to vocalise. Scrooge stroked Louie's hair.
"Why don't you stay with me tonight?" he suggested. "I promise not to tell anyone about that either."
"Okay," Louie said without hesitation. Scrooge washed their dishes and held out his hand. Louie took it and together they went back upstairs, the magnate leading the way to the master bedroom. Once there, Scrooge climbed into bed, taking one side while Louie took the other. To the old gazillionaire's surprise, his grandnephew snuggled into his side as he pulled the blankets over them. Scrooge wrapped his arms around him and held him close.
"Goodnight, Uncle Scrooge," Louie said quietly.
"Goodnight, lad," Scrooge whispered. "Sleep well."
Louie closed his eyes. His uncle remained awake for a while longer, keeping an eye on the child in his arms. Once he was certain Louie had fallen into a peaceful, nightmare-free sleep, Scrooge allowed himself to drift off, making himself a new promise while doing so: he was going to protect his family, no matter what. He was not going to let the events in Egypt repeat themselves ever again, not there or anywhere else in the world. His family mattered more than any treasure: in fact, they were the best treasure Scrooge had ever found.