So they're birds right. This whole time they've kind of obviously been birds right? Because it's Ducktales. So I will describe them AS birds (sort of) but if you wanna humanize them in your mind, go for it. And if it ever seems like I humanize them in my mind when I'm writing- yeah. It's hard to write this much fic and keep in mind 100% of the time that they're birds. Very hard to remember all of the time- they're birds and Boyd is a robot. But I'm trying. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Louie was not in therapy. It was only the third appointment he was missing since Boyd's accident but this one was a little bit more significant because he had told Boyd that he was going to therapy today, he had promised he would be in therapy and he wasn't.

He was here, at an abandoned apartment building that had been used for the Jailbird Initiative. Louie had had it cleared out of the science shit and left it for the squatters. He supposed he should've made sure that one of the squatters wasn't one of the scientists from the Jailbird Initiative.

"Satoshi!" Louie screamed through the building, the Jailbird materializing in front of him. Louie had his weapons system ready for the fight, but he couldn't help feeling a little prickle of fear.

"You don't get to call me that, bastard. You made me into Jailbird."

"I didn't make you into anything. You chose this."

"I didn't choose to be your pawn. I didn't choose to be discarded when you were done playing the bad guy. It's all just a game to you, Llewellyn. Well, this time, I'm in charge."

"You hurt my husband, that's not a game to me. If you turn yourself in now this doesn't have to get out of hand. I don't want to hurt you. Boyd doesn't want me to hurt you."

"Oh, it's cute that you think you could hurt me."

The lights clicked on, by Satoshi's design no doubt, and a dozen more Jailbirds appeared, these ones robotic and fully automated. That wasn't the only thing Louie noticed, though. One Jailbird guarded a small child, roughly holding onto his arm so he couldn't flee. And then Louie saw red.

In the next few minutes, Louie managed to take out two of the thirteen Jailbirds, not going after Satoshi or the Jailbird near the little boy. Louie didn't want real people to be hurt because of him. This was ultimately all his fault and he didn't want the worst to come of this. Unfortunately for Louie, things were already getting bad.

Louie could take a beating. That wasn't exactly the best thing. He was barely standing, barely continuing, but he'd brought this fight on himself.

"You could turn yourself in," Louie wheezed as he dodged another attack, Satoshi standing back, not even bothering wearing his mask at this point, smirking at the villain turned victim.

"Oh no, this is far too much fun for that." Satoshi glanced at the wailing child in the corner and sighed, "Please shut him up." Louie heard a thud and saw that the kid- that itty bitty kid, had been knocked to the ground and he was livid.

"What do I have to do to get through to you?" Louie asked, desperate and furious.

"Tell your husband I want a rematch and I'll let you go, tail between your legs."

"What do you want with him? This fight is mine."

"This fight is yours, but it concerns him. I begged you for more hours, more pay, anything to help me pay for my wife's hospital bills. You could have saved her, you could have waved your perfectly manicured hand and made her illness disappear. But you let her die. You tore my family apart. So I'm going to tear your husband apart. I'm going to make you lose everything you love because you couldn't become a good person fast enough, could you? You think you're the hero now? You think you're good, that you deserve a husband and a beach house? I know what you deserve. It's time for someone to die."

The four Jailbirds guarding Satoshi fired on Louie and he crashed to the ground, his body screaming in pain.

"I'm so sorry," Louie said, reaching imperceptibly for his gun, "I'm sorry someone has to die."

He couldn't let Satoshi hurt anyone else that Louie loved. Hell, even seeing that little kid on the ground filled Louie with enough rage to make the next few seconds worth it. Before Satoshi and his little army could fire again, Louie shot a round into Satoshi's grinning face. With all of Gyro's advanced weaponry, Louie had always known it would come down to a gunfight.

When Satoshi hit the ground, blood pouring from his head, the remaining Jailbirds dropped. Satoshi must have been controlling them somehow. When Satoshi was taken out, the other threats were taking out as well. Convenient.

Pain shot through Louie's body but Louie could only focus on the sobbing in the background. He threw off his mask and dragged himself over to the little boy in the corner who was wailing. The boy had dark grey skin and dark hair, there was a gash on his head and bruises beginning to form on his arms, and when Louie reached for him he reached back. Louie pulled the kid into his arms, sitting up the best as he could as he held the boy.

Louie let out a little protective hum as he cradled the child, "I'm Louie. That man can't hurt you anymore… No one is going to hurt you anymore."

The boy sobbed, pressing his head against Louie's armored chest. Louie ached and the kid's clinging only worsened the pain but Louie held on for dear life.

"What's your name, little one?" Louie asked, shifting the kid a little in his arms. There was enough adrenaline left inside of him to ensure he wasn't going to fully collapse until they got help, but Louie had a sinking feeling that he probably couldn't lift himself off the ground.

"Mo," the little boy whimpered.

"Where are your parents, Mo?"

Mo lifted one bruised arm and pointed towards the body Louie had left bleeding out. Shit.

"Okay, well, I've got you, buddy. I'll take care of you. Is that okay with you? You want to go home with me?" Mo squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, whimpering still.

"I've got a playground in the backyard and a really cuddly cat named Mars, and you'll be safe. Does that sound nice?"

"Nice…" Mo mumbled.

"I know you'll like it," Louie said, forcing a smile even though Mo's eyes were closed. The gash on Mo's head worried him and he recognized the need to keep the small child awake in case it was a concussion. He desperately hoped somebody would come soon, that backup that Gyro had recommended that Louie denied. Eventually, Boyd would realize that Louie wasn't at therapy. Eventually, Louie would have to face the weight of his choices, now he focused on the weight of the small child in his arms.

"How old are you, Mo?" Mo counted out two fingers and held them up for Louie.

"Well, you're a smart little guy, huh? How high can you count, Mo?"

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten." Louie gasped in pride.

"That's incredible! You're brilliant! I can count to at least 100. I'll teach you sometime. 10 is good for now, though." This kid was so small, smaller than Leo, though Leo was about two years older than Mo. Louie would look up birth records at some more convenient time. Dewey knew a thing or two about adoption so that Louie could make this less impromptu.

"I'm married," Louie said quietly, "To the most wonderful man in the world. His name is Boyd and he's so smart and kind and loving. He's a hero, a real hero, not like me. And he's going to adore you." As Louie gushed about Boyd's merits someone busted down the door. He could hear Gosalyn's voice before he saw the heroes.

"I found him!" Gosalyn yelled.

"Louie! Everyone has been worried to death about you, are you okay?"

"Help the kid, Gos. He's all alone, I'm not leaving without Mo." Gosalyn lifted the child, who protested when moved away from Louie.

"It's okay, Mo, Gosalyn is my friend. They're going to help us, buddy."

"We've got him, Louie. What about you?" Louie's arms fell to his sides when Gosalyn took Mo and he pressed up against the ground, trying to get up.

"I-I can't stand," Louie said, tears springing to his eyes and exhaustion crashing over him for the first time.

Gizmoduck leaned down and picked Louie up like he was a baby.

"I've got you. We'll get you to the hospital, Drake will tell Boyd."

Louie's heart hurt when he thought of Boyd so he forced himself to focus on the kid.

"Gos. Stay with him, okay? Mo probably has a concussion. And he can count to ten. It's really impressive."

"I'll take care of Mo, I promise," Gosalyn reassured their brother-in-law, holding Mo as if he was one of their own children.

"Thank you," That was about the moment the pain took over and Louie blacked out.