Hi! Back with chapter two! Just so I give proper credits where they're due, my sister wrote much of this first little chunk. Little Webby making a cake was her idea and she started the writing for it. I just sort of finished it and polished it up a bit. The rest is my work, though. Anyway, please enjoy!

...

Chapter 2

Close to a year later (about a year after Della's disappearance)….

Bentina watched as young Webby brutally attacked the cake batter in a circular motion that slightly resembled stirring. She smiled at her granddaughter. Webbigail has to be the sweetest little girl in the world, she thought to herself as Webby continued to whack the batter with the spoon.

Despite her violent motions, Webbigail hadn't spilt a single drop of batter from the bowl. Suddenly her hand slipped and a small splatter of batter flicked onto

Bentina's face. "Whoops! Sorry, Granny!" Webby said as she walked across the counter with a wet cloth and attempted to reach Bentina's face with it.

"That's quite alright, Webbigail." Bentina said, taking the cloth from Webby and using it to take care of the small mess on her face. Webby gave her a huge grin and proceeded to start dumping the cake batter into a pan. Bentina wasn't sure how such a small creature could lift such a huge bowl, but Webby's unusual natural abilities didn't really bother her that much anymore. Over the past year or so, (as Mr. McDuck fell into a depressive spiral) Webby had mastered English along with two other languages, how to walk, how to write, and even a little parkour. It was unnerving. Well, it honestly made sense….if Beakley's theory was correct…

"Man, Mr. McDuck is going to be so surprised!" Webby said excitedly. She easily lifted the pan from the counter and squealed with excitement. Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them.

"Bless me bagpipes! What in the blazes is going on here!?" Bentina slowly turned around to see Scrooge standing in the threshold of the kitchen with a shocked expression on his face, staring at tiny Webby holding the huge pan in her arms.

"NO, NO, NO, DON'T LOOK, DON'T LOOK!" Webby said, dropping the pan back onto the counter.

"Don't worry, Webbigail, I'll help Mr. McDuck out while you continue making the… surprise." Beakley assured her young granddaughter.

"But-" Scrooge stuttered.

"Now now, Scrooge, you can come back in the kitchen when we're finished."

Bentina guided Scrooge out of the room as he kept looking back at the small walking and talking Webby, aghast. The former agent then closed the door behind her and Scrooge gave her an extremely confused look.

"What in the world was that?!"

"That was Webbigail, sir. She's lived in your house for the past several months now."

"Well, yes, I knew that, but….well, isn't she a bit young to be doing any talking or lifting of anything over the weight of a handful of marbles?"

"She is quite young, yes. She really shouldn't be. It's impressive. She's certainly…." Beakley hesitated before continuing. "Stronger than most."

Scrooge nodded grimly. "Something strange is afoot with that child."

Beakley nodded. "So you've noticed as well. I believe she's-"

"A killing machine!" Scrooge declared. "Sent by F.O.W. L to kill us in our sleep, eh? Isn't that right, 22?"

"No!" Beakley exclaimed. "For heavens' sakes, sir, all she did was mess up your kitchen a little bit! She's never hurt a fly, well, except the one time…"

Scrooge stopped and lowered his cane back to the ground, grinning. He had mostly been kidding, after all. "Ah, curse me kilts, curse everything! She's the sweetest wee thing I've ever laid eyes on. Reminds me of, well…..Della." He sniffed and wiped away a tear. Confound it, his niece had been lost to space for a year now, and he had reluctantly given up the search ages ago, but he still thought of the poor girl constantly. "You're right, Bentina, as always."

He composed himself and began pacing thoughtfully. "But, we do know that F.O.W.L created her, but we don't know how or why…."

"Well, actually, I do have…one theory." Beakley stammered.

"Oh?" Scrooge said. "Well, then, come now, spit it out."

"Webby is….she's…..I believe she….she's…..the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Scrooge glanced over to her blankly. "Erm, was that all?"

Beakley offered one of her fake, flawlessly crafted 'embarrassed smiles'.

"Honestly, for once, I'm as lost as you are."

"Oh, we'll figure it out someday." Scrooge assured her. "And crack F.O.W.L open and shut it down for good." He headed back towards the kitchen door. Beakley sighed quietly in relief. He had bought it. She wasn't sure he would. But she knew that both Webby's and his life would be in constant peril if they ever figured out what she had from a couple of observations. There was no way she could tell Mr. McDuck the truth. Not yet, anyway. Life would never be the same.

In the kitchen, Webby served up fresh cake…..that honestly resembled paste more than pastry.

"It's a surprise for Scrooge's birthday next week! I know he hates celebrating it now, but I dug up some info and figured out it was soon, and I wanted to do something but I didn't wanna get in trouble, so…I'm doing it early so I don't! Surprise!"

"It's lovely, lass." Scrooge said, poking at the thick batter clearly baked for all of five minutes apprehensively. "Where do I even begin? I may just have to eat it upstairs in my office." He glanced away nervously.

Beakley kicked him from under the table. "She made this for you. Eat it up."

Scrooge shrugged and sipped a bit of the cream from off his fork. "Mmhmm! Oh, gracious, holy…."

"Good, right?" Webby hopped up and down anxiously.

Scrooge nodded. It actually was! Simple, sweet and creamy, but with the texture of freshly laid cement. He offered a rare real smile, fighting back tears again. "It's wonderful. Thank you, Webby."

She reached forward and hugged him without warning, covering him in sticky, half-baked cake.

……

8 years later…

"THE MOST HORRIFIC BEAST KNOWN TO MAN HAS AWAKENED AND PURSUES THE FOOLISH EXPLORERS THAT SOUGHT ITS HEAD!" Shrieked Webby as she chased the boys around with a mace and a monster mask in the front yard. Scrooge and Beakley watched contentedly from the front window.

"So, how was Atlantis the other day?" Beakley inquired.

"Oh, it was stunning. Mesmerizing. You know, the usual. Why do you ask?" Scrooge wondered.

"You brought y-my granddaughter along; is it a crime to know that she was safe under your responsibility?"

"Oh, relax, would you, Beakley? No harm befell her, in case you couldn't tell." He assured her as Webby sprinted down the hall, hot on the terrified triplets' tails.

"SHE'S GONNA RIP A LIMB OFF, SHE SAYS SHE'S GONNA RIP MY LIMBS OFF!" sobbed Louie as the four raced by.

Scrooge gestured to the screaming children. "See? Energetic and Webby-like as ever, I think. I don't exactly know her that well."

"Oh, no she's always been headstrong. Reminds me of someone I know." Beakley muttered, glancing over to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. She just..reminds me of you."

"Is there a reason?"

"Why does there have to be a reason?" It came out more aggressively than she intended. Scrooge defensively responded.

"I don't know! Just-you're acting strange, Beakley, you know that?"

She sighed. "I know, sir. It's just hard to accept that Webby doesn't need my protection anymore. That she's mature enough to go on adventures such as discovering Atlantis, for crying out loud."

"With the world's most seasoned adventurer ever known. And not too shabby a protector, either." Scrooge laid a comforting hand on her forearm.

"Well, if you're sure…."

"I'm positive."

She nodded. "Alright. I did tell her that she could go with you whenever she liked. And it would be good if you spent some time with her.….she idolizes you, you know."

"Beakley, I will keep her safe. You have nothing to worry about."

"That's a welcome relief."

It's about time Webbigail spent more time with Mr. McDuck. After all….they're connected more than they could ever imagine.

A few more shouts sounded all the way from the front yard again. "NO! NO! NOOO!"

Then, Donald's angry screeching, and a child's voice wailing, "NOOOO! HE WAS TOO YOUNG! WHY DID THE BEAST EAT MY POOR UNCLE?"

"Huey, I'm alive, I'm just stuck in this plant pot." Donald could be heard grumbling.

"I'm so sorry, Donald!" Webby said

The two oldest inhabitants of the manor glanced at each other, confused.

"Eh. Still seems like a Beakley problem." Scrooge shrugged.

Beakley sighed, bid her boss good day and marched outside to free Donald from the potted plant.

……

A few months later…

Exhausted and battle-weary, Scrooge and Beakley followed an energetic Webby back through the mansion threshold, several hours after Beakley had been kidnapped by Black Heron. It was now nearly midnight. Webby, not even close to fatigued, cheered.

"Wooo! What an adventure! Just me and you and Granny, on a real MckDuck-Agent 22 mission! Adrenaline-through the roof-or maybe it was the bouncing serum-I'm gonna go upstairs and write about this -" Webby rocketed up the stairs.

Scrooge laughed as he and Beakley both made their way to the couch. (The triplets had long since deserted it.)

"Oh, Bentina, I'll tell ya, your granddaughter is one of the most intelligent and daring lasses I've ever met! Well, I suppose she did learn from the best."

Beakley nodded stiffly. "You seem very fond of her."

"I am, Beakley, I really am. She is now my honorary niece. Say, why did you insist on keeping her cooped up in the mansion, anyways? Poor girl looks like she hasn't seen sun for years."

"Oh, that. Well, she was young and foolhardy; she needed protection from the world."

"No more than other kids. Louie tells me that Donald's been letting them roam all over town since they could read the street signs. And he's Donald."

"Alright, well, maybe I have been a tad overprotective. But it all was for the greater good."

"Bentina, I trust your judgment well, but I also know that young Miss Vanderquack is a natural born adventurer."

"You have no idea." Beakley murmured.

Well, I am glad you're finally giving her more freedom. I look forward to more adventures with her and the boys."

He leaned back on the couch and sighed contentedly. "After a good nights' sleep, of course…"

Beakley finally summoned her courage. "Before all that, there's…there's something you should know about her."

Her grave tone made Scrooge sit back up again. He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I just-well, not long after I took Webby in from F.O.W.L, I-well, I…"

"Aw, 22, don't worry about the girl's origins. She's obviously no more evil than me."

"No, this is something else. Haven't you noticed that she always seemed….sharper? Tougher?"

Scrooge's confusion, she could tell, was only deepening. "Ugh. Come with me."

She grabbed his arm and hurried him forcefully into the kitchen.

"22, what are you-"

"I saw one of those triplets peeking over the banister and we cannot be overheard in this. What I'm about to tell you is one of F.O.W.L's greatest-kept secrets. Now, then: When you first brought us in, I quickly noticed that Webby was a very…different kind of child. It was something I couldn't put my finger on. Then, only a few months later, I realized what. So, I ran a quick experiment using a sample of Webbigail's drool and a sample of yours-"

"What, now?" Scrooge asked.

"-and compared the DNA within the two samples using top-secret S.H.U.S.H tech I was given a few years back. Using this machine, I discovered that the two vials were …. a perfect genetic match."

"What?" Scrooge didn't completely understand. Bentina shakily continued. "Not a single gene in difference. I even ran more tests. Saliva, feathers, blood.."

"Erm, seriously, what? We may need to talk about this, 22…"

She sighed and concluded. "The point is, no matter what test I ran, the answers came back the same: the only difference between you and Webby's molecular structure seems to be gender."

Scrooge was very mixed up now. "How? What? Why did-What exactly does that mean, Beakley?"

"It means that F.O.W.L cloned you, McDuck." She said. "For the Papyrus of Binding. They still need an heir of yours, after all, and making one was by far the easiest option. Wait…did you-were you seriously careless enough to let them steal clone-able material from you?"

"No, of course I-wait, of course! Black Heron's lab, 2006! She plucked a couple feathers from me jaw when she captured me." Scrooge remembered the experience in a rush of shock and emotion.

"Well, I believe I've found those missing feathers." Beakley said sternly. "And they're upstairs singing and doodling their little heart out."

"Bless me bagpipes." Scrooge whispered. "A clone. Of me. In me own home. Wait. Not even that. If you think about it, she exists because of my genetics. That doesn't just make her me cruel copycat-it makes her me kin."

"That's not quite how clones work…" Beakley started, but Scrooge cut her off.

"No, it does! I mean, technically, that makes her much more my family than yours."

Beakley felt her chin quivering. "See here." She growled. "I am Webby's grandmother, and don't you forget it! I've raised her, loved her-for eleven years! You're just barely realizing she lives here!"

Scrooge paused. "You have a point." He sighed. "I'm sorry for getting ahead of meself. But, curse me kilts, do I love that lass…and now, finding out she's much more like me than I thought…are you sure we can't at least tell her?

"Absolutely not." Bentina spoke with the finality of an executioner. "If Webbigail learns what her true origin is, the only reason she was created, that I lied to her for so long….not only would she be crushed, but F.O.W.L would come swooping in to try and convince her to join their cause. She's still so young and vulnerable and deathly curious… I'm not entirely sure she'd refuse that offer, even as wonderful a child she is."

Scrooge nodded thoughtfully. "That would not be good. Well, then, I'll at least say…thank you for trusting me with this, Bentina. I can promise, the girl will come to no harm under my watch. Not like last time. I'll be there for her….after all, she's as good as family now."

"Good. I'm glad." 22 said. "I trust you because I need someone else to help keep Webby out of trouble. But remember: tell no one of this. No one."

"……You have my word."