Scrooge was sitting in the dining room with a cup of nutmeg tea in front of him. He wasn't in the mood for a beverage: the magnate had made the tea in hopes that it would distract him from the troubles brewing within the walls of the mansion. His home was filled with people and yet Scrooge had never felt so alone. Della was giving him a wide berth; Donald, not wanting to take sides, tinkered away at his houseboat; Mrs Beakley and Duckworth maintained the house without a word; and now the kids had been keeping their distance. It had started with Louie and Webby when they returned to the money bin yesterday: they only talked to him when spoken to and they spent their time whispering to each other when they thought Scrooge wasn't listening. Things weren't better with Huey and Dewey: they kept to themselves as well, speaking in hushed tones. The magnate could feel his family slipping away and it was sending him in a downward spiral.
Giving up on his tea, Scrooge got on his feet. Every day the temptation to go sit and wallow in his old armchair grew stronger and the magnate was steadily losing the fight against it. On more than one occasion he found himself looking at the key to his study, the only thing stopping him from taking it being the memory of how he felt during the days of his retirement, when he was nothing more than a bored businessman. Scrooge didn't want to go back to those days – that decade of no adventures and no family had been the worst years of his life. But he was starting to wonder if that was what the future had in store for him, that whether he was destined to be a miserly old duck who had no one left by his side. The thought alone made Scrooge want to scream.
His despondent musings were interrupted by an explosion. The entire house shook, the windows rattling in their panes. Startled, Scrooge snatched up his hat and cane and ran across the mansion. The blast came from the backyard.
"Curse me kilts! What was that?" the magnate exclaimed in alarm. He reached the back doors and threw them open. What he saw next stopped him in his tracks.
Donald's houseboat had a large fire protruding from its front, exactly where the engine was located. Dark smoke was billowing as the flames engulfed the vessel, spreading at the speed of a grease fire. That was when Scrooge caught the smell of gasoline.
"What in Dismal Downs is going on out here?" he yelled angrily, smacking his cane on the ground.
The magnate got his answer in the form of Dewey and Donald tumbling out of the houseboat and into the pool. They swam out of it and Donald proceeded to chase Dewey around the yard in fury.
"Get back here, Dewey!" Donald shouted.
"No can Dewey, Uncle Donald! Kind of value my life here!" Dewey said.
"I told you not to play with the engine!"
"What, can't a child satisfy his curiosity? Since when is that a crime?"
"You made the engine explode and caused a fire! AGAIN!"
"Okay, so I got a couple of wires crossed! But in my defense, you're the one who knocked over the fuel container and made it worse."
Donald let out a string of choleric gibberish and continued his pursuit of the middle triplet, attempting to catch him by cutting across the yard. Dewey dodged him and made a beeline for the bushes. The boy disappeared into them but Donald wasn't giving up so easily: the uncle chased after his nephew, heading further onto the property and away from the mansion.
Stunned, Scrooge was rooted to the spot, his cane hanging limply at his side while the fire raged on. What possessed Dewey to tinker with the engine again? It was not as if he could go anywhere while the houseboat was docked in Scrooge's pool – getting the engine running would have only led to a waste of fuel and electricity. Dewey mentioned something about satisfying his curiosity but hadn't he already figured out how to make the engine work? Why would he feel the need to study those wires again? Things were not adding up.
Shaking his head, Scrooge summoned Mrs Beakley. He had more pressing concerns than the eccentricities of his family.
His housekeeper must have been nearby, for she appeared shortly after. She paused at the sight of the chaos.
"What… What happened?" Mrs Beakley cried.
"Long story. Take care of the fire, Mrs Beakley. I've got work to do," Scrooge ordered.
"Uncle Scrooge!"
Scrooge and Mrs Beakley whirled around. Webby ran towards them, looking panicked.
"Webby? What's wrong?" the magnate asked in concern.
"Uncle Scrooge, come quick!" Webby said frantically, tugging on his hand. "It's Louie. We found him passed out in the boys' bedroom – we think the antidote might not have worked properly!"
"Curse me kilts! Lead the way, Webby!"
Scrooge and Webby ran back inside house, leaving Mrs Beakley to deal with the growing inferno. The magnate's heart was banging against his ribs as he hurried through the mansion. Webby was wrong – she had to be. Louie had been fine over the last few days; how could the poison be attacking his system again? Unless the antidote had not fully expelled the poison from the green triplet's body… The fear Scrooge had felt in the temple came back in full strength but he forced it down, refusing to allow it to take over. Once again, he had to be strong for Louie.
The magnate followed Webby upstairs. As they approached the triplets' bedroom, Scrooge noticed that a large cabinet had been moved: instead of being at the end of the hallway, it was now next to the boys' room. When and how it got moved was anyone's guess but Scrooge decided to push the matter to the back of his mind. It was a mystery that would have to wait to be solved.
Scrooge ran into the bedroom and dropped his cane. Webby hadn't been wrong: Louie was lying motionless on the floor, his eyes closed. His great-uncle rushed towards him and gathered the boy in his arms.
"Louie!" Scrooge cried. "Can you hear me?"
No response. Scrooge began to frantically search for his phone. He was going to call for an ambulance.
Footsteps were coming closer and the magnate looked up on time to see Della burst through the doorway. They stared at each other in surprise, this being the first time they had been face to face since returning to Duckburg. The moment passed and Della rushed over, pushing Scrooge out of the way as she pulled Louie into her arms.
"Louie! Speak to me!" Della exclaimed.
"It's no use, Della," Scrooge told her. "He's out of it."
"I don't want to hear a word from you," Della spat, her eyes on her son.
Scrooge, pretending that his niece's words didn't sting, found his phone.
"I'm calling an ambulance," he said, turning to the door.
Except it was closed. Knowing that neither he nor Della had touched it, Scrooge approached the door with a frown. He could hear sounds coming from the other side, as if something was being dragged across the floor. Wondering what in the world was happening, Scrooge flung the door open and found himself staring at a blank wall. The magnate was momentarily confused before he realised that what he was looking at was the back of the cabinet he had spotted on the way over here. Scrooge grabbed his cane and rapped it against the cabinet.
"Oi! What in the blazes is going on around here?" he demanded. "Who locked us in?"
"Locked in?" Della said. Scrooge turned around. It was the first time his niece had spoken to him without contempt. "What do you mean, we're locked in?"
"Come and see for yourself," the magnate said, stepping out of the way for her.
Della got up, carefully placed Louie on his bed, and approached the door. She felt up the cabinet and tried to push it, but it wouldn't budge.
"Forget it, lass. Only Mrs Beakley can move that thing," Scrooge told her.
"Why would she block the exit?" Della asked. "Let us out of here! Louie needs help!" she added, yelling the last bit.
"She can't have moved it. She's outside dealing with the bonfire that is your brother's houseboat," Scrooge said, frowning. "I would know, since I'm the one who ordered her to do so."
"You know what? I don't care," Della said. "We've got to find a way to move this thing or Louie might die!"
"No, I won't."
Scrooge and Della turned around. Louie was sitting cross-legged on his bed, watching them with an unwavering gaze. His mother and great-uncle stared at him in disbelief.
"Louie, you're okay?" Scrooge asked, unable to believe his eyes.
"Yep," Louie replied, popping his lips on the 'P'. "Never felt better."
"Then what is this supposed to be? A prank? This isn't funny, Llewellyn Duck," Della said angrily.
"I see someone got used to my real name," Louie grumbled. He got off the bed. "No, this is not a prank. This is an intervention to get you to start talking again."
"You lured us in here to trap us?" Scrooge said incredulously.
"Uh-huh. And no one is leaving this room until things have been settled so might as well get comfortable."
"This is ridiculous. Have this cabinet removed from the door this instant," Della demanded.
"No can do. Like Uncle Scrooge said, only Mrs Beakley can do that," Louie said evenly.
"She did not move that cabinet. I left her outside in the backyard – there's no way Mrs Beakley could have made it to the room so fast, even with her training as a spy," Scrooge said.
"You're right, Uncle Scrooge, which is why she was hiding in another room while she waited for you and Mom to come up here. The person you saw outside was Duckworth – turns out that his shape-shifting ability stretches to imitating the living," Louie explained.
Scrooge and Della glanced at each other.
"So when Huey came to get me…" she said slowly.
"And when Webby showed up in a frenzy, it was all part of a scheme," Scrooge said. "Does it include Dewey blowing up the houseboat?"
"Uh, he was just supposed to distract Uncle Donald. I didn't specify how," Louie said, shrugging.
"You may be one brother short by the end of the day, judging by your uncle's fury. How did you get Mrs Beakley and Duckworth involved?"
"Dewey can handle him. They originally weren't part of the plan but we caught their attention with all of our sneaking and whispering about. They forced us to tell them what we were up to and decided to help out. Shall we get started?"
Scrooge turned to Della, who was pointedly staring at the wall ahead.
"You heard the lad, Della. We're not going anywhere," he told her.
His niece glanced at him before letting out a heavy sigh, running a hand over her face.
"Fine," she said. "But only because it's what Louie wants."
"Glad to see you're talking sense, Mom. You and Uncle Scrooge can sit on my bed while I –" Louie said, but Della interrupted him.
"I am not sitting with Uncle Scrooge," she stated firmly. Her words were like a stab to the heart for the magnate.
"I hate to break it to you, Mom, but you're not running the show: I am," Louie informed her. "You're sitting on the bed with Uncle Scrooge. If it must be on opposites ends, then so be it."
Scrooge walked towards the lower bunk bed and sat down, giving Della a pleading look. After some hesitation, she imitated him, sitting on the other side.
"Good," Louie said, pulling out the desk chair and taking a seat on it. "Now that we're all settled, let's begin."
"This is a waste of time," Della said stubbornly.
"Mom, please," Louie said. His mother fell silent. "So, I've heard that there are some drastic measures being taken."
"What do you mean, lad?" Scrooge asked.
"Mom has been looking at house listings," Louie told him.
"Wait, what?" Scrooge said, turning to his niece. "You can't be serious, Della."
"How did you find out about that?" Della asked Louie. "I wasn't going to tell you kids until after I found a place."
"We have our ways," Louie replied vaguely. "You can't really keep a secret from us. Now I believe Uncle Scrooge spoke to you, Mom."
Della looked at her uncle. "I'm completely serious," she said. "My job as a mother is to protect my sons and if we stay here they'll just sneak off to join you on adventures. I have to get them away from here so they can be safe."
"Della, I have been protecting these kids ever since they've set foot in my mansion. Even Mrs Beakley said that Webby is safer travelling with me through a sunken city than being locked up in Fort Knox. It's no different with the boys."
"I thought that, too, until I saw one of them be poisoned and almost lose his life! I've lost my boys once – I'm not going to lose any of them again."
"And you won't. I would give up my own life if it meant they would be out of harm's way. It wasn't the first time we were in a dangerous situation and came out all right in the end. We always do."
"But what if we don't next time? What happened the other day was too close for comfort. I can't risk letting it happen again."
"She makes a fair point, Uncle Scrooge," Louie remarked. "We never truly know what can happen while we're gallivanting around the world."
"I know," Scrooge acknowledged. "Going on adventures does require a certain amount of risk-taking. You've always known that, Della."
"It's different this time. Back then, the risks only applied to me," Della said. "Now they affect my children, too."
"Mom makes another good point," Louie said, nodding sagely. "I mean, it's way important to assess risks whenever we're about do something dangerous, right, Mom? We should totally think about the harm that might be caused to others, not just us."
"Exactly, honey. We can't just dive in blindly."
"Was that your thought process when you stole the Spear of Selene? Because you didn't seem too concerned about how the risks would affect the boys then."
A deafening silence followed Scrooge's statement. The magnate briefly closed his eyes – he hadn't meant to say those words; they just came out. He looked at Louie, who had a triumphant glint in his eyes. Scrooge then realised that the green triplet's last words were used as bait, and he and Della fell for it.
"How dare you…" Della said softly.
Since it was out in the open, Scrooge decided he might as well continue.
"Is it not the truth, Della?" he said. "And, for your information, those risks didn't just apply to you: they affected me and Donald as well. You took a solo trip on an experimental rocket that was meant for family adventures. The Spear of Selene was in its testing phases, which you knew. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were about to hatch, which you also knew, and you still took that blasted rocket without thinking of the consequences your actions might bring. Your sons spent a decade without their mother because of your foolishness! And don't get me started on all the dangerous nonsense you did while adventuring with me and your brother. You've done your fair share of ignoring the risks so don't even think about lecturing me about the importance of assessing danger levels!"
Scrooge was burning with an anger that he now realised had been kept buried deep within since the day Della disappeared into space. He had been so consumed by grief when she was lost and by joy when she had returned that he never paused to consider how angry he was with her. The magnate was furious at his niece for taking the Spear of Selene and choosing adventure over her children. Even if Bradford was the one who told her about the rocket, Della should have had enough sense to ignore the impulse that led her aboard the spacecraft. Scrooge might have been responsible for building the Spear of Selene, but it was Della who had made the decision to take flight behind her uncle's back.
Scrooge glanced at Louie. The boy had managed to open some emotional floodgates with just a few simple words. The magnate was impressed despite himself.
Della looked stricken. She shifted her gaze to Louie, who was watching her impassively.
"I-I…" Della said. Words were failing her.
"Can't defend you there, Mom," Louie told her. The magnate noticed that Louie's arms were crossed rather tightly. "Game, set, and match to Uncle Scrooge."
"Now wait a minute…" Della began but Scrooge interrupted her.
"No, you wait a minute," the magnate snapped, pointing his cane straight at Della's heart. "Going to that temple this week was a mistake – I'm the first to admit it. When I saw that there wasn't much information on it, I should have left it alone. But despite that I still didn't dive into that adventure blindly – I still tried to learn about that temple as much as I could in order to be able to make an informed decision about it. Did I mess up? Yes. But at least I can say that I tried to keep my family out of harm's way since the beginning."
"Easy, easy…" Louie said, holding up his hands in an appeasing manner. "Try not to say anything you'll regret later."
Della looked at her uncle. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Scrooge, the tension between them ready to snap. Louie kept silent, his eyes bouncing from his mother to his great-uncle. There was such a look of contained fury on Della's face that Scrooge was certain that she would hit him. That fury then extinguished itself and Della dropped her head in her hands, visibly shaking.
"Della?" Scrooge said unevenly.
"Mom?" Louie said.
"You're right," Della admitted quietly. She raised her head and Scrooge was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I've got no right to criticise you after what I did. I didn't think at all of what might happen if I flew out to space – I thought I'd be back on time to see my boys hatch. I didn't think there might be a cosmic storm or a meteor shower or something that would prevent me from coming home. I didn't mean to leave them, to leave you and Donald. But I didn't think of the dangers involved and that flight became the biggest mistake of my life. There's nothing I can do that will make up for ten years of lost time."
Scrooge deflated. He hated seeing his family in pain, physical or emotional. He looked at Louie, who jerked his head towards his mother. Cautiously, the magnate inched closer to Della and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't push it away.
"Look, Della," Scrooge said gently, "we both did careless things. You have every right to be angry with me over what happened to Louie – I'm angry at myself for that. I want you to know that I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart, to you and Louie. I cannot stop you from moving out but I beg you to reconsider. You kids are the light of my life and I can't bear the thought of you being gone again."
"Again?" Della said, confused. "What do you mean?"
"After you got lost in space, Uncle Donald and Uncle Scrooge didn't speak for ten years. My brothers and I didn't even know we were related to the richest duck in the world until a couple of years ago," Louie explained. "I guess no one told you that."
"No, they didn't," Della said. "Why am I only finding out about this now?"
"Better late than never. My point is, Mom, that isolating himself and us from Uncle Scrooge was a huge mistake on Uncle Donald's part. And you're about to repeat it," Louie said.
"What if I can't protect you or your brothers on the next adventure? Or the one after that? It would destroy me if something happened to you and we couldn't save you. If we stay in the mansion, you boys will resent watching Uncle Scrooge go off on adventures without you."
"I'm not going on any adventures without my family. I need all of you," Scrooge declared.
"And you don't think we'd resent you if we moved out?" Louie asked, acting as if Scrooge hadn't spoken. "Adventure is in our blood, Mom. I'm telling you right now that if we do leave this place, Huey, Dewey, and I will find a way to go back to Uncle Scrooge. We can count on him to keep us safe. He's the one who cured me, isn't he?"
"You won't be able to keep them away, lass. I've tried to prevent the boys from going near the dangerous stuff and they ran towards it with gusto. Especially Dewey," Scrooge said.
"See? We're going treasure hunting with Uncle Scrooge whether you like it or not. You can either join us or stay behind. No one can guarantee that we won't be in danger but we can be assured that Scrooge McDuck will come through for us if we are," Louie stated.
The green triplet almost sounded like a lawyer to Scrooge. If there was anything to be said about Louie, it was that he knew how to make a convincing argument when he wanted to do so. Perhaps the magnate would hire him to work for his company one day.
"I'm still worried," Della said.
"Of course you are, lass. You're a mother: you'll always be worried about your children," Scrooge told her. "I know I was constantly concerned about you and Donald when you permanently came into my care."
"You were?" Della asked, looking astonished. "But you hardly ever showed it."
"What was I supposed to do? Become one of those helicopter parents? I had to let you make your own mistakes so you would learn. I still kept a close eye on you, ready to jump in if you encountered a problem too big to handle on your own."
Della gazed at her uncle in wonder before turning to her son. "You think I should do the same with my boys?" she asked.
"Aye, but I can't tell you what to do. It's up to you to decide," Scrooge replied.
"I never realised that you understood how I was feeling."
"That is why I gave you space and didn't try to argue when you said you were stopping the boys from adventuring. I would have done the same when you and Donald were their age."
Della's lower lip trembled. She threw her arms around Scrooge's neck and hugged him tightly, tremors coursing through her body. The magnate returned the embrace, trying to keep his emotions under control.
"I'm sorry for being so harsh on you, Uncle Scrooge," Della said in a thick voice.
"And I'm sorry for all the stress I've caused you," Scrooge whispered. "Could you ever forgive me?"
"I do forgive you. I want to move forward from now on."
Scrooge pulled back and wiped the stray tears that had fallen on Della's cheeks with his handkerchief. "So do I."
The magnate turned his gaze and caught Louie dabbing his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. Scrooge smiled. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Louie was the most emotional of the triplets. It didn't surprise Scrooge to see his youngest grandnephew fighting back tears.
"N-Now that the two of you made up," Louie said, "what's the verdict, Mom? Are we staying or going?"
Scrooge waited with bated breath as Della switched her gaze between her son and her uncle. The moment of truth was here.
"We're staying," Della said with a smile. "And the adventures will continue."
The magnate could barely contain his joy as he grabbed his niece and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. He motioned at Louie to join, who happily got off his chair and tackled the two adults. The weight Scrooge had been carrying was finally lifted: his family wasn't going anywhere.
"Mrs Beakley, you can move the cabinet. It's all good," Scrooge heard Louie say. The magnate reached over and pulled out an earpiece from Louie's ear.
"Where did you get this?" Scrooge asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, uh, I might have gotten it from Gyro a while back," Louie said sheepishly.
"Why?"
"It was for Louie's Eleven…"
"Louie's Eleven? Was that another scheme? What did I say about those?" Della said reprovingly.
"It was ages ago!" Louie exclaimed indignantly. "You can't punish me for that. And Uncle Donald was in on it!"
"He was what?"
The sound of the cabinet being moved interrupted the squabbling. The door was cleared and Huey, Dewey, and Webby ran in, Mrs Beakley and Duckworth watching from the hallway with a smile. Dewey, Scrooge noticed, was covered in scratches.
"What happened to you?" the magnate asked, jerking his chin towards the middle triplet.
"I gave Uncle Donald the slip in the forest," Dewey replied. "There are a lot of branches that stick out at odd angles."
"So your uncle is now lost in there?"
"Yep."
"Fantastic… I'll send Launchpad to look for him."
"Are we staying, Mom? Please say we're staying," Huey pleaded.
Della patted the red triplet's head with a smile. "We definitely are," she said.
Huey, Dewey, and Webby let out a victorious cry and jumped into a group hug.
"We should celebrate!" Webby exclaimed cheerfully.
"I agree," Mrs Beakley said from the hallway. "I'll prepare a feast for tonight."
"An excellent idea, Mrs Beakley. Please make all of our favourite dishes," Scrooge told her.
Mrs Beakley walked off after giving her boss a nod, Duckworth floating behind her. Scrooge looked at his family.
"I hear there's an Ottoman Empire marathon going. Why don't we go watch it together?" he suggested.
The kids cheered and ran out of the room, Dewey dragging Della by the hand. Louie was about to follow but Scrooge called him back.
"Just a moment, Louie," the magnate said.
Louie stopped in his tracks and faced his great-uncle. Scrooge opened his arms.
"Come here, lad," he said. Louie smiled and ran into Scrooge's arms.
"Thank you," the magnate whispered. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stepped in."
"I wasn't going to let the family break apart. Not again," Louie said as they pulled away.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to properly express my gratitude."
"You can start by letting me swim in your money again."
Scrooge let out a laugh. "Never miss a beat, do you, lad?"
"Hey, when opportunity knocks, you've got to answer," Louie said.
"I couldn't agree more. All right, you can swim in my money one more time."
"Yes! Thanks, Uncle Scrooge."
"You're welcome. Now let's join the others."
Scrooge held out his hand. Louie took it and together they exited the bedroom. Everything was right in the magnate's world once more: his family was happy and the adventures went on. Scrooge was determined to not allow the events of the other day to happen again. The next time he considered exploring an ancient abandoned building, he was going to enlist Della's help in the research. If there was anyone who could spot the things Scrooge missed, it was her, and together they could avoid another potential disaster.