Chapter 15 – Lullaby
When the family returns home, it was near dinner time. Dewey decided to order in Chinese, which is a nice treat. However, Scrooge is still concerned with Dewey's spending habits. It is something he hopes to rectify once he returns to his own time.
After dinner, Dewey went into his den and came out with a box. He claims that everything he collected on the Scythe is inside. What Scrooge never expected is that all of Dewey's other personal papers are mixed and buried inside as well.
Scrooge fishes inside a box, trying to find all books and scrolls on the Scythe through all the different papers. The only thing running through his mind is that Dewey has terrible organizational skills. Why hasn't he been able to separate researching materials from his bills and work files?
"Curse ma kilts, what a kerfuffle mess," Scrooge mutters under his breath.
The billionaire elder is tempted to tell Dewey of his issue; however, the sound of his nephew playing with his kids has Scrooge biting his tongue.
They are playing a game with the stuffed animals. It is like seeing a bit of the old Dewey as he performs with funny voices for each plush toy. The twins enjoy his entertaining performance. Scrooge even finds himself chuckling at some of the jokes his nephew says to his kids.
"It's live, on the Dewey Dew-Night show, along with his special guest stars, Turb-ular and Tessa-rific!" Dewey announces. He is holding up a sock puppet with googly eyes, a hat, and a mustache. "Also with us is Monsieur Saucy; he's so funny he'll knock your socks off."
"Dad, we don't wear socks." Turbo points out with a laugh.
"Shush, don't interrupt." Dewey gives his son a wink.
Tessa holds up a pink fluffy unicorn plush to her dad. "Daddy, do Miss Uni's voice!" She requests.
"Oh, but tonight Miss Uni is Tessa-rific, the beautiful celebrity pony that will dazzle us with her singing and dancing," Dewey explains.
Taking the plush toy from his daughter, Dewey proceeds to make it dance as he sings in a semi-female voice.
"I'm a glamicorn. Everyone admires me where ever I go. No, I don't horse around; instead, I get right to the point." Dewey finishes by poking both of his kids with the toy's horn.
Both Turbo and Tessa giggle at their dad's silly song.
Though he is trying to concentrate on reading on some of the scrolls, Scrooge lets out a snort.
"What about Chief Teddy, dad?" Turbo asks.
"Tonight, this isn't Chief Teddy; he's Turb-ular, the surf dude!" Dewey changes his voice to mimic a surfer accent. "Goin' to catch me some gnarly waves, then hang with my buds on the beach, bro."
Again, the kids giggle at their dad's funny voice.
"I'm sorry, but that is all the time we have for today. My apologies to Monsieur Saucy." Dewey says, holding up the sock puppet. He gives the puppet a surprised expression to show the character isn't happy about being bumped.
"What?" Dewey cries out on behalf of Monsieur Saucy. "I will have my revenge," he adds, giving the character a fake French accent.
Turbo picks up his Gizmoduck action figure and holds it in front of his dad.
"Oh yeah, take that Monsieur Saucy, bang!" The boy bellows.
Dewey suddenly drops the sock puppet and clasps his hands up to his chest.
"Argh, you got me," he exaggerates. "I'm dying." Dewey falls back and plays dead.
Scrooge chuckles at the dramatic performance. Tessa looks more worried seeing Dewey's fake death than Turbo. She drops her unicorn plush toy and leans forward to hug her dad.
"Daddy, wake up," she cries before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.
Immediately, Dewey opens one eye and smirks. He sits up and pulls Tessa in for a hug.
"Awe, thanks, sweetie. You saved me," he tells her. "My little hero."
"I'm glad you are alright, dad," Turbo admits. He throws himself up against his dad.
"Thank you, buddy," Dewey chimes. He wraps his arms around Turbo so he can join in the hug as well.
Dewey briefly glances up at his Uncle. Scrooge is currently reading over one of the documents to notice. Dewey leans closer to his kids and whispering something into their ear.
Scrooge is unprepared when the twins run up to him and jump onto his lap. They each wrap their tiny arms around their great, great Uncle and kiss him on his cheek.
"Oh my, aren't you two a bonny pair." Scrooge laughs.
The elder duck glances up at Dewey and realizes he has a sad smile. Once again, Scrooge is concerned.
From the moment Scrooge had been rescued by Dewey on the Iron Vulture, the elder noticed a sadness in his nephew's eyes. He wonders if Dewey knows about the Scythe and the possible chance of returning to his timeline.
Scrooge, however, believes Dewy should be happier with the thought of a better future.
"Okay, guys, time for bed," Dewey announces. He stands and starts walking up to the armchair.
"Awe," the twins whine.
"Yeah, I know, but we still have one more chapter of Duckaberry Finn to read tonight," Dewey tells them. He takes each of his kid's hands before walking them to their room.
Finally, Scrooge now has a moment to himself. He goes back to trying to filter out the information he needs from inside the box. Each paper he pulls out, Scrooge glances over, just in case it is something he's relating to his research. One of them happens to be a bill for the Psychiatric Hospital that Launchpad is staying in.
The elder wondered how his former chauffeur and pilot could stay in a decent residential care facility. Scrooge starts feeling bad, not just for Launchpad's condition, but for his nephew, who is trying so hard to be there for his family.
He puts Dewey's papers aside and reaches back into the box. Scrooge eventually does find a few more books that contained information on the Scythe, and he immediately sits back down in the armchair to begin reading through them.
There are a few sections that are in different languages, which he can translate easily. Using a notepad Dewey gave him, Scrooge begins to jot down some of the translated information that is a spell that could send him back home. He wishes that Lena was still alive, so she could wield the Scythe while casting this spell. However, the elder wonders if Violet might be able to help since she too studied magic.
He has been so focused on reading and writing that he doesn't realize how fast time flew by. Scrooge is unexpectedly startled when he hears a voice from behind.
"Well, the kids are asleep now. How goes the research?" Dewey asks as soon as he returns to the living area.
"Oh, it's going well," Scrooge replies. He reaches back into the box and pulls out a piece of paper. What he thought was another scroll ends up being a bill instead. "I just wish you didn't mix up your papers with the research materials." Scrooge groans.
The young adult smiles sheepishly.
"I know, I haven't been able to get a handle on an organized filing system yet. It was sort of Izzy's thing. I am just the pilot." He admits.
"Dewey, this isn't practical." Scrooge lets out an exasperated sigh. "You should really learn to file your papers more carefully. I mean, what is this?" Scrooge examines the paper closely and scrunches up his beak. "An electric bill?"
Dewey leans in, and his eyes widen.
"Oh, hey, I was looking for that." He says, quickly snatching it right out of Scrooge's hand. "I must have mixed it up with some notes and tossed it in the box without realizing."
Scrooge slaps his hand over his forehead in frustration. He thought that this is the Dewey he expected, but another part of him felt he could do better.
"Relax," Dewey says, attempting to assure his Uncle. "I still have three weeks before this bill is due."
Before Scrooge could say another word, Dewey walks away and disappears into the den.
For the next few minutes, Scrooge focuses on another ancient book from Greece, all about Cronus and his magical Scythe.
Meanwhile, Dewey comes out of the den with a laptop in his hand. He sits down on the couch, places the bill on the coffee table, and turns on the portable computer. Once the computer warms up, Dewey spins around so his feet can sit up on the cushions. He leans over to grab the bill and starts typing.
Scrooge looks up from the book and notices Dewey typing on a laptop.
"What are you doing there, Lad?" He asks out of curiosity.
"Paying this bill," Dewey responds without taking his eyes off the screen.
"Would you like some help with that?" The elder leans forward.
Dewey pauses and slowly shifts his eyes over to his Uncle.
"No offense, but how?" He snaps. "Most of your fortune is gone, and the rest I have buried. Everything else is under the control of Magica and the Beagles. I mean, isn't this whole thing ongoing over these old books and scrolls a way to get you back to your time, so none of this would ever happen?"
Scrooge is stunned. He suspected Dewey knows something, but now he is sure his nephew figured this out already. Only one question is, why is he upset? However, Dewey is right. Without his fortune, he's nothing. Just a desperate old duck, trying to regain what has been stolen from him.
Dewey suddenly looks guilty and lets out a small sigh.
"I'm sorry," He apologizes. "That came out wrong."
"No, lad, you're right." The elder assures him. "Figuring out a way to defeat Magica and the Beagles is very important, but at the same time, I need to remind myself you are an adult now."
"Thanks, I guess," Dewey smirks.
The younger duck returns his attention to his laptop and finishes punching in a number and clicking on the mouse pad.
"There, done," Dewey announces.
"Done?" Scrooge questions.
"Yeah, I just paid this bill. It's done." The young adult holds up the paper in a victorious wave.
"Well, that was fast." The elder says.
"Online banking is easy," Dewey says nonchalantly.
"You seem to have your bills in order, then," Scrooge admits. "What do you do for your business?"
"I just throw it all into one file and give it to the accountant to deal with." His nephew shrugs.
"I suppose it's better than nothing." The elder nods. "Considering how easily distracted you used to get, it's probably best to have an accountant deal with your business."
"Yeah, but I still get distracted way too easily at times," Dewey admits. He glances over his shoulder to spot someone in the hall.
"Hey, what you are doing up?" The young father asks the young duckling standing in the hall.
Scrooge turns his head to see Tessa rubbing her tired and teary eyes.
"I had a bad dream." She whines.
"Awe, sweetie, come here." Dewey closes his laptop and sets it on the coffee table. He holds out his arms to the girl, encouraging her to come to him.
Tessa moves her little legs as fast as she can and leaps up into her dad's waiting arms.
"Okay, I got you." Dewey wraps his arms around his kid as he leans back into the cushions. "What was your bad dream about, hm?" He asks in a gentle tone.
"I was lost. There wasn't anything around me, just white. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer. It was scary. I hated it because I was all alone." The tiny girl cried.
Dewey wraps his arms tighter around his daughter to calm her. "Awe, sweetie. Let me tell you something. Do you know what the best things are about bad dreams?"
"What?" Tessa sniffles, rubbing the fresh tears from her eyes.
"They're just bad dreams. As soon as when you wake up, they are gone. They are not even real. Poof." Dewey emphasizes by using his hand to mimic an explosion on Tessa's face.
Tessa giggles a little.
Scrooge smiles; he enjoys hearing how his nephew has become a responsible and caring father. The Scottish Elder glances over to see Dewey grabbing the blanket from the arm of the couch and covering both him and his daughter as she snuggles close to his chest.
Going back to the scrolls, Scrooge freezes when the child suddenly says something that brings a chill down his spine.
"What if I'm not real, Daddy?" Tessa cries.
"What, of course, you're real," Dewey insists, whipping some of the tears off her tiny cheek with his thumb. "You and your brother are my kids. You will always be my kids."
Scrooge suddenly realizes if successful and he makes it back home – the outcome of his family's destiny would be completely different. The future would be unwritten for his nieces, nephews, and daughter, Webby, not to mention everyone else in his family's circle.
Dewey's fate could go on a different route. One where he doesn't end up living and surviving on his own. Certain events that played out that allowed him to meet the woman that changed his solo lifestyle and future mother to Turbo and Tessa may never happen.
Scrooge has to figure out something. If there's one fate that he would like to see come to existence is Dewey's kids. Scrooge breaks out of his thought when he hears Dewey hum a tune.
The billionaire duck glances over again to Dewey and his daughter. The young adult is gently stroking her tiny head. Tessa is so calm now that she is starting to fall asleep against her father's chest. The expression on Dewey's face is both sadden and concern. He may also be aware of the changes that could happen by sending Scrooge back to his original time.
Dewey's hum turns into lyrics as he sings a revised version of the lullaby his mom sang.
Look to the stars, my darling babies, two
Life is strange and vast
Filled with wonders of new
Face each sunrise with eyes clear and true
Unafraid of the unknown
Because I'll face it all with you
Scrooge puts the scroll down to focus on his nephew with his daughter. Dewey notices his Uncle looking at them and forces a smile.
"I'll be right back." He whispers. Dewey pushes the blanket off before standing up with his sleeping daughter in his arms.
Scrooge forces a smile in return. Once Dewey disappears into the kid's room, the elder frantically goes over all the documents in front of him. He's not sure what he is looking for, but Scrooge will know when he sees it.
McDuck pauses as soon as he pulls out the deed to StarDuck's Delivery. A brief read-through, Scrooge, spots something crucially important. He instantly reaches into his inside jacket pocket and takes out his note booklet. The elder jots down one thing before shoving the booklet back into his pocket.
After, Scrooge carefully puts the deed back in the disorganized box before picking up a scroll he hasn't read through yet.
A few minutes later, Dewey returns. He doesn't say anything but heads straight into the kitchen and prepares some tea for him and his Uncle.
Scrooge, himself, lets out a long breath to calm his mind to refocus on his goal.