"Why aren't the rivets with the rivet gun?"

"Because they're fasteners. Not a tool. And you think you've got it hard? I think he's arranged the sealants by… viscosity?"

"Viva what?" Launchpad slammed the doors to the tool cupboard he'd been riffling through, and moved onto the next. Despite the organisation of their parents' hanger, finding the right parts they needed, without leaving anything behind and as quickly as possible, proved a challenge. "And what ever happened to using chewing gum?"

"Wrong viscosity. Hurry it up. We've got to get out there, rivet back up the strut, seal the wing and let the sealant dry…"

"It can dry as we tow it. This would be easier if we could just bring it straight back and fix it in the hanger."

"Do you want to explain what happened?"

Launchpad gritted his teeth. "Finally, fasteners! And no, I don't." He jammed his hand into the box containing the right sized rivets, and pulled out a fistful. A couple bounced out and found their way into nearby containers. He stepped back and pushed the rivets around in his hands, counting to make sure he had enough along with a couple spares. "I wish you'd never convinced me to fly through that damned canyon."

"You flew where?!"

Launchpad spun around and threw himself back into the cupboard, slamming the doors closed behind him. The entire thing rocked under the impact of his weight. Inside, the clatter of hundreds of airborne fasteners bounced around and off the metal walls. The rivets he'd held scattered across the floor.

Ripcord McQuack's gaze trailed one of the unfortunate rivets across the floor, then snapped back up to Launchpad. "You went to… the canyon?"

Loopey sidled up beside him. "Told you. Deja vu."

"Launchpad! Answer me!"

"I… yes?" What else was he supposed to say?

Ripcord's chest heaved. "I told you kids you were never allowed to fly there."

"Dad, calm down," said Loopey. "We're not kids anymore, remember?"

"Then how come I find you two riffling through everything like a couple teenagers and creating a mess?"

Launchpad exchanged a look with his sister.

"Launchpad!"

"Why am I the one getting yelled at? We just had a… minor…"

Ripcord looked around the hanger. "Loopey, where is your plane?"

"At the bottom of the canyon. Its fine," she said quickly. "We're just going to have to tow it out."

"You're here for five minutes and you take your sister…"

Loopey pushed past her brother. "Launchpad didn't take me anywhere. I've been to the canyon before. You know, when I come and visit and go out flying by myself and decide where I'm going like an adult is supposed to?"

Ripcord swallowed hard. "You've… Launchpad could've, you could've… don't you think I told you not to go there for a reason?"

"Yes, but what reason?" Loopey threw her arms out wide. Launchpad let her talk. She was getting through to Dad a lot better than he would've. He was taking her more seriously too. Launchpad should've been mad but he just wanted this to be over. "You've told us not to go there, but you have never, ever, told us why. We're adults now. If you don't want us to do something just tell us the reason. We'll listen to you. But you can't expect us to do what you say, with no explanation."

"Okay, fine, I'm overreacting. Just tell me what happened."

"I broke a strut on the canyon wall. We figured we…"

Ripcord paled. "What?"

Launchpad wasn't letting Loopey get in trouble for this one. He stepped up and put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Dad, it's not her fault. I got too close on top of her; she didn't have room to move."

"You were right on top of each other? What the hell were you doing in there?"

Launchpad swallowed. "Racing."

Ripcord squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. "You have no idea how stupid that was. Anything goes wrong in there and there is nothing you can do…"

"That's not true. Loopey landed the plane just fine, and…"

"Enough! Just forget it. If you're going to act like children, you're both bloody grounded."

Launchpad rolled his eyes. "You can't actually ground us anymore."

"Want to bet? I'm not talking about sending you to your rooms. I mean literally. These are mine and your mother's planes. We decide who flys them. And for the rest of this visit that doesn't include either of you." Ripcord stomped over to the jeep and began rearranging the tools the siblings had already haphazardly packed. "Don't worry about your mess. I'll clean it up myself."

Launchpad felt heat rise in his cheeks, but he kept his beak firmly shut. He was way too old to be grounded. But arguing would just make him sound even more childish. He was done with that for this visit.

Beside him, Loopey folded her arms across her chest. She also looked a little flushed. "What the actual heck? We've all flown in tight spaces plenty of times before, done dangerous stunts... And I thought I'd never have to hear another grounded pun again."

Launchpad watched his father rifle through the jeep with his back to his kids. He was going to go get that plane all by himself. However bad he was reacting, that wasn't his fault. And however innocent it had been, racing through that spot had been pretty dumb. "I'll go out with him. It's kind of my fault."

"Not completely."

"I know," he smiled at his sister faintly. "Speed demon. Go on, don't worry about this. I should spend some time with him anyway."

"Thanks, big brother. Good luck."

Launchpad sidled over to his father. "Dad, I'll come with you. You're going to need help."

Ripcord straightened, rubbed at the corner of his eye, then turned to face his son. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? You want to fly like a maniac, that's your business. But when you're flying with someone else you've got a responsibility for them too, especially if they're family."

"I know, I'm sorry. Do you want my help or not?"

Ripcord swallowed. "It's going to be a long drive. Sure you want to spend that amount of time with me?"

That look in his father's eye. It was trying to be anger, but there was something deeper, more desperate. He'd definitely put this off way too long. "Yeah, Dad."

The jeep bounced and rattled along the dirt track as they started the trek out to the canyon. Ripcord drove, one hand on the steering wheel. He was the first to break the silence. "I should probably let you know, Gosalyn was mucking around with… Launchpad… she hit her head. She's okay!" he said quickly, when Launchpad jerked up from his slouch in the passenger seat. "I'm pretty sure her dad can take care of her. Just thought you should know."

Launchpad huffed. "It wouldn't be the first time she's done it. What did Launchpad do?"

Ripcord shrugged. "Whatever it was he felt pretty bad about it. He wouldn't have meant to hurt her. Kids… stuff happens… it's not his fault."

"As long as she's okay."

"You really care about those two, don't you?"

Launchpad groaned. "We're not dating!"

Ripcord smirked. "I know. I think your mother does too. But can you blame her? You've been so secretive." The smirk slipped from his beak. "Me and your Mom, we're sorry for lying to you. It's just that we haven't seen you in so long. And you'll talk to your Mom on the phone. But you always seem to manage to hang up before I get there. And, well, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something anyway and I wanted to do it in person."

"I'm not trying to avoid you. It's just… complicated…"

Ripcord glanced across at him, and Launchpad dropped his gaze to his lap. His father smiled faintly. "It's okay. I've got a pretty good idea what's going on."

"I'm pretty sure you don't." How was he supposed to tell his parents about Darkwing Duck? He had to tell them something. But he hadn't talked to DW about this, so he didn't even know what would be okay to share. He didn't want to put his friend in a spot. He had his secret identify for a reason.

"Launchpad, I get, it really, I…" Ripcord huffed. "Okay. You don't think it was weird for us having a guy that looked exactly like you crash onto our doorstep, bleeding and begging for help?"

The Negaverse Launchpad. It was certainly a safer topic. "Yeah, what happened to him?"

"He crashed in here with a broken arm, near exhaustion. Told us, once he'd woken up, that he'd gotten involved with air pirates. He was a bit of a mess. When he woke up he was throwing punches at doctors and I thought I was going to have to sit on him or something. Until your mother calmed him down. I guess he didn't expect us to take him to a hospital and all that attention actually scared him. Since he left Saint Canard he's just been butting around, not knowing what to do with himself. He didn't just come to us because he was hurt. He was at the end of his rope and he needed someplace where he'd feel safe, with people he knew he could trust."

Launchpad had set him up with a plane but then he'd left him to his own devices. Those two weeks they'd spent together, his double had been an wreck for most of it, as he'd progressively worked up the courage to tell him more stuff about Negaduck. He'd only started to pull himself out of it once the plane had started to come together. It had been naive to assume he'd be alright out here by himself. "I told him to stay away from Saint Canard. I guess he thought he had no place else he could turn. Guess I didn't help him as much as I thought."

"Son, he can't stop talking about how much you helped him and how you made him that aeroplane. Its weird, one moment he's trying to fight your mother's plants, and then he's getting all excited about that scrap heap you built. You helped him plenty. But he was on our doorstep, hurt… I think, at that point, seeing him like that, we…" he gulped, then shook himself a little. "We thought of you. We just went into full blown parenting mode. But after, well, we started asking questions. He told us about the Negaverse."

Launchpad nodded. "And Negaduck?"

Ripcord's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Oh, yeah. And Negaduck. I tell you, if I ever get my hands on that manipulative piece of work…"

"Dad, do not mess with Negaduck."

"You'd know, wouldn't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Follow what I'm saying here. Launchpad explained where he came from. That he's your twin from another universe. He told us he works for Negaduck, and that Negaduck is the twin of Darkwing Duck, you know, infamous vigilante from Saint Canard."

"Yeah…"

Ripcord sighed. "He had to explain how you guys met. Launchpad, I know you've been flying a plane for Darkwing Duck."

It was everything he'd been trying to figure out how to explain and he hadn't known how to tell his father and then it was just… done… over… and… he still didn't know if too much had been revealed. Launchpad sunk into his seat and put his face in his hands.

"That's why you haven't come to visit, isn't it? Look, I get some of its got to be secret stuff. But if this Darkwing Duck has been bullying you, or…"

"Wait, wait," Launchpad jerked up in his seat. "He only told you that I worked for Darkwing… that's it?"

"That you were his pilot. I think he caught on pretty quickly that we actually had no idea that's what you were doing. So, yeah, that's all he said. And I get that there's identities that need to remain secret, assuming you even know that…"

Some of the tension left Launchpad's shoulders. The Negaverse Launchpad had to tell them something. He should've figured that. But it looked like he'd been smart enough to keep Drake out of it. His parents knew about Darkwing Duck. They just didn't know he was also living with the guy and doing his groceries.

"Launchpad, look at me." His father grabbed him by the shoulder, his fingers digging in, and the jeep rumbled to a halt. "You don't have to share everything about this. It'd be the same if you were working for the government, or any other place where there might be confidentiality agreements, or… we don't expect that of you. But I just want to know one thing."

Launchpad put his hand over his father's, if only to loosen his grip. "Sure, Dad."

"The whole Negaverse thing, there's parallels to it."

"You mean how everyone's opposite?"

Ripcord shook his head. "No. Not opposites. I see a lot of you in that other Launchpad. I think you did as well. And, I guess that's why I'm worried. You and Launchpad. Negaduck and Darkwing. You've both worked for them. But, some of the stories Launchpad has told me about Negaduck…"

"He told them to me as well. I know."

"I just want to know if Darkwing has ever hurt you. Because if he has I'll pack up my shotgun right now and…"

"What? No…" Launchpad pulled back. "he's not Negaduck."

"He hasn't forbid you to come see us? Or just made you feel that you can't? Or threatened to hurt you if you reveal to much about him, or… anything, Launchpad, you just have to tell us."

"Dad, I said no!" said Launchpad, a growl creeping into his voice. "DW's a good guy, and besides, he's my friend. He's difficult, and he's got an ego, but he'd never do anything like that."

"Then why haven't you said anything about working with him before?"

"He never told me I couldn't. I just… I never brought it up properly with him." Launchpad slumped back in his seat as he heard his own words. Yeah, DW was difficult. And any conversation about him telling his parents anything would result in DW stressing out, probably overreacting a bit, but… he would eventually come around. And he would've told him exactly how much information he was comfortable for his sidekick to share. He'd never actually stopped him. In fact, every time his mother had called, Drake had always pushed Launchpad to talk to her.

"Oh. Okay." Ripcord put the jeep in gear and pulled off. After a few moments, he spoke again. "It's alright if you don't want to talk to your dad about what you're doing anymore. But, we're still proud of you, okay? Even without the superhero sidekick stuff. Drake and Gosalyn… being a single parent is tough. The fact you're helping Drake around the house, and being there for Gosalyn, not a lot of people would do that. And after how bad the other Launchpad hurt you," he reached out, and gently squeezed Launchpad arm, "to still go and help him when no one else would, that took a lot of guts."

Launchpad rested his head against the window, unable to look at his father, and watched the rocks and withered trees rumble by. Sure, he'd been there for Drake, and Gosalyn, and the other Launchpad. But he hadn't tried hard enough to just do something as simple as have a difficult conversation with DW, so they could get their story straight, and he could come see his Mom and Dad.

"I just… wish I didn't have to lie to you to see you. I miss you."

Launchpad squeezed his eyes shut tight.

The doctor arrived within half an hour, pronounced Gosalyn 'mostly fine', and then told them to keep an eye on her and not let her nap until it was evening. Then Mrs McQuack pulled Launchpad aside and asked him what had really happened. He told her the truth. About the potato gun anyway. He wasn't really lying, leaving out Negaduck. Negaduck hadn't had anything to do with what happened to Gosalyn.

Birdie patted him on the shoulder and told him he needed to 'be careful with that thing', especially if he was playing with a kid, and that maybe it was best if he left it alone until the Mallards left. Heck, she'd been angrier about her stinking rose bushes. But that was probably more to do with the mood he'd been in at the time.

Truth be told, Launchpad had expected everyone's reaction to what he'd done to Gosalyn to be much worse. Even Drake, though he'd been shooting him glares all day, had eventually left him alone in front of the television with his daughter. Although, Launchpad was pretty sure that was because he'd finally got stressed out sitting with his daughter most of the day, and couldn't take watching the cartoons she'd pronounced were the only sure fire way to keep her awake.

It was the longest, most stressful afternoon of Launchpad's life. And not because Gosalyn kept trying to bully him into bringing her snacks. Negaduck's ultimatum hung in his mind like heavy fog. It wasn't that he was conflicted about the choice he had made. He just wasn't sure he was strong enough to pull it off.

Launchpad tapped his foot on the ground; he needed a cigarette. Mrs McQuack had been trying to get him to cut down and the one he usually had in the morning had lately been enough, but not today. Besides, he'd left them all in a heap outside his shack after Gosalyn had startled him.

"You're as bad as Launchpad."

"I am Launchpad."

"No, I mean the real one. You're shaking the whole sofa."

"I'm keeping you awake."

"Hello, that's what the cartoons are for?" Gosalyn waved at the television.

"This drivel? It's unrealistic. You hit a cat with a hammer it doesn't make little stars, it just…" Launchpad folded his arms with a harrumph.

Gosalyn leaned forward to check no one was in the next room, then lowered her voice. "You're worried about Negaduck. We should tell Dad."

"We can't. Don't worry. I'm going to take care of it." Launchpad stood to his feet. It was nearing sundown; Negaduck's decision time. But first, he was going to collect some tools from the hanger. He'd give Negaduck his decision alright, and he was going to make it bloody clear.

Gosalyn glared up at him. "I should come with you. But I still feel a little dizzy so it might not be a good idea. Just be careful. If you get hurt, I'm going to be mad. And if you take too long, I'm telling Dad. I don't care what I promised."

Launchpad waited for a second. "Aren't you going to ask what I'm going to do?"

"Is what you're going to do appropriate to tell a kid… oh, are you going to hit him with a bat or something, or just punch his face in? Or, you know, worse?"

Launchpad huffed and rolled his eyes. "I meant about… he asked me to join him. He wants me to kill your dad. Which I already tried to do once."

"But you were different then. And you told me that story…"

"I could've been lying."

"I don't think you're smart enough to make up a story like that."

"I…" Launchpad's shoulders sagged. "Aw, kid. You know how many faces I've smashed in for calling me stupid?"

Gosalyn stood up on the sofa so she could look him in the eye. "I know he's hurt you. But you can still beat him."

Launchpad swallowed hard. Damn this kid. "How do you know that?"

Gosalyn grabbed him by the collar. "I know because you're Launchpad McQuack! And you're not going to let anybody hurt your family!" Her beak was pressed almost to his, and she glared into his eyes so earnestly, almost angrily.

Launchpad's gaze hardened. "Cover for me? They won't be suspicious. I do this sometimes; wander off at night."

"I've got your back."

"Good on ya, kiddo."

Launchpad made his way over to the McQuack's hanger. A crowbar was always a good go-to. But maybe he should find something bigger, and sharper. You never knew with Negaduck. Sometimes it didn't matter what weapon you had.

Inside, the lights were on. Launchpad made his way straight to the tool board. At first, he'd found the place nauseatingly tidy. But after helping the McQuack's out with some repairs, he had to admit, it was nice to be able to find stuff. That would've been the last thing he needed today, stressing about digging through tools when he just wanted to grab what he wanted and go deal with Negaduck.

There was the ping of metal on metal. Launchpad spun around and brandished the crowbar.

"Oh, Launchpad, sorry, I thought you realised I was in here." Loopey sat on the floor, surrounded by a half dozen containers filled with bolts and fasteners. The noise had just been her pegging a bolt into one of the half filled containers, and it was absolutely ridiculous that it had startled him. He really was on edge. She jumped to her feet, picked her way amongst the containers, and came over to him. "I was hoping we'd get a chance to chat."

"Oh, yeah."

Loopey frowned at the crowbar. "Now, what are you doing with that?"

"Er…" He'd almost forgotten that most people in this dimension didn't routinely carry around weapons, and here he was waving a crowbar in the McQuack's daughter's face. Still, most people in both dimensions wouldn't bounce right up to him when he had a weapon in hand. "Um… was going to knock some… heads off flowers. Sometimes I need to blow off steam."

"Ah," said Loopey, as if that had been a perfectly rational answer. "Just don't mess with anything in Mom's garden."

Launchpad winced. "Yeah, I'll only make that mistake once."

She had her arms folded, looking at him, trying to figure him out. She seemed far too calm. His own sister would've been swinging her fist in his face, just like the last time he'd seen her.

"You burned your planes? For him."

He'd caught her fist. Laughed.

"I am so glad Mom and Dad aren't here to see what you've become."

"They were weak. Negaduck isn't." And then he'd thrown that punch right back.

Loopey lightly brushed his sleeve. "Hey, you okay?"

Launchpad shook himself. He had to deal with Negaduck. But he wanted to talk to Loopey. It was just like what he'd felt with Gosalyn; he wanted to connect with her. It wouldn't make up for anything with his own sister. But, shit. He missed her. "Er… what are you doing in here anyway?" Launchpad waved the crowbar towards the containers.

"Launchpad crashed into the cupboard, typical, and messed them all up. But he's out with Dad and…" Loopey rubbed at her arm. "We crashed one of the planes. They're out there now to bring it in… and… well, Dad seemed a bit upset. I didn't want to leave this for him to clean up. So, you got a spunky little sister over in this Negaverse place?"

One who hated him so much he'd never be able to speak to her, like this, again. "We haven't spoken in years."

"Oh. What about your parents?"

Rougher around the edges then the McQuacks he'd spent the last two months with. Still good people, by Negaverse standards. He and his sister would've never hit each other like that when they'd been alive. You only fought if you'd both agreed you were sparring, because a family had to have some way to blow off steam when they were pissed at each other. Other people? Fine. If you knew you needed to smack them one you just did it. But not family. They were your backup, your protection. You treated them with some respect. "They're dead."

Loopey winced. "Oh, did this Negaduck guy…?"

Launchpad shook his head. "Nothing to do with him. The Negaverse is just a rough place." And he'd actually been angry with them, just for not being tough enough to take on the air pirates that had challenged them for their air space. It had been ridiculously immature of him, and he'd figured that out, as he got older, before he even left the Negaverse. When things had come to a head, two planes had taken down nearly a dozen pirate fighter planes between them, until the pirates finally shot down the Negaverse's Ripcord McQuack. And then Birdie McQuack had flown her plane straight into the main engine of the pirate airship and brought the whole thing down with her. What his parents had done had been borderline legendary.

But they were still dead. And Launchpad had decided that was because they hadn't been strong enough. Despite how much they relied on and protected each other, when they'd been outnumbered, it wasn't enough. Allying in yourself to just anyone, no matter how much you trusted them, was not enough. You needed to ally yourself to someone strong. Like the guy who had singlehandedly brought the chaotic and dangerous Negaverse to its knees and declared himself its ruler.

"I'm sorry."

"You're Mom and Dad didn't even know me. But they've been everything I needed right now. Them and your brother…" Launchpad gulped at the lump that had risen to his throat. Negaduck hadn't given him the safety he'd been looking for. How he'd treated him had been a poor exchange for his protection. Then he'd come over here. And the McQuacks may not have had the strength he thought he needed, but they'd given him what Negaduck never had and didn't ask for anything in return. Apart from refraining from ripping up their garden.

Now Negaduck was here to take that all away from him. Launchpad's fist tightened around the crowbar.

"They're pretty great, aren't they? Look, if you want to talk some more, you don't have to go assault plants. You could help me, er…" Loopey's shoulders slumped. "Sort fasteners."

Launchpad forced a smile. "Raincheck?"

"Pft. Coward." Loopey blinked as she caught herself. "Um, sorry. I talk like this to my brother all the time. You realise this is very confusing, right?"

At least he wasn't the only one getting mixed up feelings about his actual family mixed in with the ones he was starting to develop for this one. "Yeah, I get it. But we can talk later. I really just need to… blow off some steam."

"Later."

The Gator was parked outside. Launchpad swung himself in, grabbed the seatbelt, then let it slide back as he remembered he wasn't riding with Mr McQuack. He put the machine in drive and tore down the hill as fast as he could.

They might not be his family. But he was attached. And for once, that no longer felt like a weakness. If only he'd worked that out back in the Negaverse with Gosalyn, and with his sister. He may have blown his chances back home, but he would not fail this time.

Negaduck was going to pay.

A/n: Ripcord is taking full advantage of the fact he can still take away his adult children's favourite toys. I'm really enjoying writing Gosalyn and Nega Launchpad. They're both ratbags. And Gosalyn would've totally tried to bully him like she does Launchpad, but it probably didn't work too well. Please leave me a review!