Hey! I'm back. Thanks to everyone who's favourited and followed so far, it means a lot. It seems to be quite clear that this fic isn't necessarily as popular as it's predecessor, but never mind, I shall carry on with it anyway. Mainly because I LOVE writing Della.

Anyway, see chapter one for the disclaimer and let's crack on.

11/10/2020

So...my theory that Fragmuffin was fitting into the family? Turns out not all of us are on board with her.

After the whole 'not telling us PBJ had escaped thing' she went DOWN in Mrs B's estimation. By, like, a LOT. Granted Mrs B hadn't been exactly a-okay about her before, always pointing out bits Fragmuffin had missed in her cleaning and polishing, to the point even I was like. "Beakley, I get that she's stolen your job, but you CAN'T WORK for a few weeks! She's not STAYING afterwards!"

Which was when Scrooge dropped the bombshell that although Beakley would be taking her position back, he was considering allowing Fragmuffin to stay.

"...You realise you'd have to PAY her, right?" I asked, while Donald spluttered and choked next to me. [He'd been enjoying a cup of coffee when Scrooge gave us that news]

"That's no problem." Scrooge said.

Cue everyone looking at him like he'd lost his mind, to the point that Webby actually got up and placed her hand on his fore-head. "What are you doing, Lassie?" Scrooge asked, irritated.

"Just checking you're feeling alright..."

"I'm fine! Sit down!" Webby sat down, eyes filling up with tears, which she bravely tried to wipe away with the back of her hand doing more than a passing impression of an orphan. [Maybe that wasn't the best comparison seeing as she sort of IS an orphan? Never mind, anyway...]

Scrooge - seemingly not noticing Webby's upset - carried on with: "It's just av've noticed that the work Beakley does is a lot. And she's not getting any younger. It may be helpful to her to have an assistant maid. And it's not like we're short on rooms either-"

Now it was my turn to choke. "She's be staying here!?" I spluttered as Donald thumped me on the back.

Scrooge gave me a look that indicated he thought I was stupid. "Of course. Where else would she be staying?"

"Eh...at the guesthouse? Where she can apparently afford to stay now? That's a little strange isn't it?" I asked Donald, somewhat abruptly. "That she can afford, like, 30 quid a night when Scrooge isn't even paying her anything?"

"I am here, you know!" Scrooge snapped.

By this point the kids were looking uncomfortable. Huey was clutching the JWG like it was his life line and Louie was retreating further into his hoodie.

"Kids, go upstairs." I said, seeing this.

I then spent the next twenty minutes of my life trying to convince Scrooge that hav9ng some girl to stay in the house that he'd ONLY MET about a month ago was NOT his best plan. And don't get me wrong, I like Fragmuffin, she seems quite nice, if a little shy and reserved, but this is the way murders happen.

Just as I was looking up statistics on my phone, there was a polite British cough from behind us and we turned to see Beakley in the doorway, looking FURIOUS. "Webbigail." She said, addressing Scrooge. "Seems to be under the impression that you 'hate her', Mr McDuck. Is this true?"

"Of course ah don't 'hate' her!" Scrooge shouted, banging his fork on his plate. "I just wish she wouldn't fuss so!"

"She's CONCERNED about you, Mr McDuck. As am I. You've been acting very strangly recently. Wouldn't you say so, Della?"

I agreed and suggested that maybe Scrooge should take a break from his work. He has spent a lot of time with Mrs B recently trying to come up with a secure way to defend us when PBJ inevitably appears. Actually now I'm writing this, maybe that's why he wants Fragmuffin in the house? More defence? I don't really see how Fragmuffin's going to help though. Unless she does a Rapunzel and bonks him over the head with a frying pan. Though to be fair, it's Fragmuffin, so it'd be more likely to be a vacuum.

Anyway, not the point. The point IS that Scrooge refuses to budge and EVEN gave is the 'I'm the head of the house' spiel, which he hasn't done since me and Donald were 17 and getting ready for prom. [Getting new outfits for prom out of a notorious tightly-fisted Duck was akin to getting Goofy to go in a haunted house. Doomed to failure. Eventually we went in hand-crafted outfits, sewn by Minnie and Daisy who were delighted to have the chance to 'practice there art' The fact that it would only be our small group there - seeing as I'd already been kicked out of High School - seemed not to concern them]

"You can't be serious!" I gasped. "Donald, back me up here!"

Donald broke from his thoughts and looked at me blankly. "About what?"

"WHY HAVING FRAGMUFFIN IN THE HOUSE IS NOT A GOOOD IDEA!" I screeched.

"It seems logical to me." Donald said, while I seriously considered strangling him with my bare hands. "With PBJ on the loose we need all the back-up we can get."

Thankfully Donald was spared imminent death by Mrs Beakley, who said, calmly. "I think that's the point Della's trying to make, Donald. With PBJ on the loose we need to be tightening security, not letting any old Tom, Dick or Harry in. Or in this case, April, May or June." She chuckled and we all stared at her blankly. She shrugged. "Well, I thought it was rather good. Anyway, maybe we could accept Miss Fragmuffin on a permanent basis when all of the PBJ nonsense is over? [Side note - only Beakley could describe a psycho wanting to kill us as 'nonsense'] What do you think, Mr McDuck?"

Scrooge's jaw tightened. "I think." He said, stiffly. "That you are getting above yer station, Beakley!"

So...yeah. So to say the house is a bit tense at the moment, doesn't really do it justice. I'll try again later in the week though. Give him the puppy-dog eyes. Scrooge has never been able to resist my puppy-dog eyes!