Within the promised ten minutes, the civilian-styled black motorcycle
roared up to the front of the school. The rider was none other than
Negaduck, only now his cape, fedora, and usual villain attire was replaced
with a black crewneck shirt, his mask now also absent from his face. He was
now dressed as his identity, Drake Mallard.
Not even bothering to shut off the engine, his took a quick glance at his watch, then no sooner than he looked back up again, he was suddenly pounced by a teenager, nearly causing them both to tumble backwards off of the bike.
"Dah!" Drake yelped as Celeste clung to him, fiercely sobbing into his chest. He took a firm grip on her shoulders and turned her to face him and try to keep her still, "Easy there, kiddo! Calm down! What happened??"
"They're here! They're gonna get me!" Celeste cried desperately, tightening her grip on his arms which caused him to slightly flinch.
Drake lifted his head up in alert, but seeing no one but several kids filing out for passing period, he glanced back down at her with a puzzled expression, "Uhh...who's gonna get you? If you say some sort of 'space invaders from Mars', then no more late night horror movies for you..."
"W-worse..." Celeste stammered in reply, quivering while choking out the next words in fright, "My parents..."
"You're...who?" Drake asked. As it suddenly fell into place, his eyes snapped open, looking from side to side, "Your PARENTS?? What are THEY doing here??"
"I don't know! But they want ME!" she cried hysterically, shaking her head, "And they've warped my principal's mind! She's on their side! Dad, I don't want to go with them!"
His eyes narrowed hatefully at the thought of the two, then gently pulled Celeste off of him, placing her on the motorcycle seat behind him, "Don't worry about it, Cel. Let me take you..." he began, but was cut off as the shouting of a giddy-sounding woman rises, then turns to see the suited woman along with her companion running towards them, waving her hands wildly.
"Oh Celeste! Darling hold on one bloomin' minute! You didn't even say goodbye, sweetums!" Darcy called as she and Laszlo approached the motorcycle. Drake let out a groan and rolled his eyes.
"Tell me that's not them..."
Celeste merely replied with a groan and a slight nod, "Yes..."
Darcy came to a stop beside the motorcycle with a huff to catch her breath with Laszlo closely behind her, "Just thought we'd get to say goodbye to you one last time before we..." she trailed off as she eyed Drake with a sweet smile, "Oh hello! I'm Darcy Laurel Tealwing, and this is my husband, Laszlo Ivan Tealwing! And you must be..?" she asked, holding out her hand for a friendly handshake.
The only reply she received was a grunt as Drake refused the handshake, "Drake Mallard...Celeste's FATHER..."
By now, Celeste had moved behind Drake, clutching his black shirt as if she was a helpless two year old again, her eyes wide with fear. Noticing this, Darcy narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand back, "I see..." Then, almost immediately, she put on her gaily smile once again, "Well, I guess this is goodbye then, Celeste...You sure you won't reconsider our offer...?"
"She's sure," Drake interjected, followed by a meek nod from Celeste behind him.
"Well, perhaps another time, eh ol' boy??" Laszlo quipped as he slapped Drake heartily on the back, causing him to gasp as the air is knocked out of him, then scowl over his shoulder. With a haughty grin, Laszlo then ruffled Celeste's hair, which earned him a threatening glare from Drake as he revved the engine loudly. The tires of the motorcycle screeched loudly on the pavement, then seconds later, the two were speeding away. As they disappeared into the distance, Darcy and Laszlo's expressions rapidly turned bitter.
"Hooligan..." Laszlo spat in disgust.
"Don't worry, Darling...We'll get her..." Darcy muttered with a sour tone, "We need her to secure our investments, and we're not going to let it slip away from us, again!" she declared, then smiled again, looping her arm with his, "Come along, Laszlo dear...We've got some planning to do..."
"Coming, Poopsey..." Laszlo replied lowly, the two of them walking over to their black luxury car, climbing inside, pulling away and disappearing in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Drake kept his eyes fixed on the road in front of him as he steered the motorcycle back to their fairly secluded civilian house. Since they had left the school, Celeste had not even loosened her grip in the slightest, as if she were a drowning victim clinging to a life preserver. Every few minutes, he would look over his shoulder and see her the same way each time: grasping onto him for dear life with her eyes shut, tears still leaving fresh, wet trails down her cheeks.
Shaking his head, he turned back around and concentrated on his driving until they finally pulled up to the fairly normal-looking house just on the outskirts of St. Canard. It was best that they had a non-suspicious living residence, but as Negaduck, he'd always insisted they were kept a fair distance from the public, and a close distance to his favorite hideout, which was not far.
The motorcycle came to a stop inside the garage, and Drake started to climb off until he was suddenly jerked back again. Celeste still insisted on not letting go.
"C'mon, kiddo..." he said as he took a hold of her hands, managing to pry her grip loose from the back of his shirt, and placed them around his neck. He cringed slightly as she tightly wrapped her arms around him, then lifted her off of the motorcycle and carried her into the house. With a swift kick, the door flew open and he moved through the house towards the living room, where he gently set Celeste down on the couch. As he straightened himself up and began to move away, Drake was suddenly yanked back by someone grabbing him frantically by the shirt, letting out a yelp and spinning back around.
"I won't go!! They'll never take me alive!!" Celeste cried out, her voice breaking into hysterics as she shook her head violently. She began to flail her arms defiantly, choking out sobs with each movement she made.
"Celeste!!" Drake snapped, sitting down on the couch to take a firm hold on her shoulders to keep her still, and turned her so she was looking right at him, "You need to calm down and listen to me! You're not going anywhere!" His sincere but fierce tone caused her to break down into tears once again, letting herself collapse forward into his arms, burying her face into his chest as he continued in his familiar threatening voice, "If ANYONE tries to take you, they're gonna have to answer to ME, got it??" he declared, then held her close to him in a protective manner, repeating in a more hushed volume, "You're not going anywhere..."
Still shaking, Celeste nodded once, trying to fight back her tears as she lifted her head and nuzzled his cheek, "I'm just so scared...I don't want to be separated from you again..."
"Don't be. It's not going to happen again if I can help it. If they even so much as come near you again, there will be Hell to pay..." he growled lowly.
There was a momentary pause until she lifted her head and stared up at him with pleading, sparkling eyes, "Promise..?"
Drake replied with a smile and nodded once, "I promise, kiddo..." He ruffled her hair with a smirk, then gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before getting to his feet, "Since you lucked outta class today, why don't you go get working on your homework?"
With a sniffle while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Celeste nodding in agreement, the faintest smile now on her face as she picked up her backpack and headed up the stairs and into her room.
***********
Later that night, Negaduck was preparing to head out on his usual rounds of causing late-night chaos. He looked in the mirror, adjusting his red fedora on his head and grinning approvingly, "You sly devil, you." he admired with a wink.
Just as he turned and headed towards the door, Negaduck paused by the stairs and looked up curiously. Celeste hadn't come out of her room all night, nor had she said anything. After a moment, he began to climb the staircase to the second floor of the house, then turned down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed bedroom door. He hesitated a few seconds before knocking lightly on the door, then slowly slid it open and peeked his head inside. Celeste was by her bedroom window, staring out with her back to the door and her shoulders slumped.
"Hey kiddo, lights out now, alright? It's getting late, and I'm about to head out for a couple hours." Negaduck called softly, then paused, awaiting a reply. When he got none, he slowly moved his way across the bedroom and came up behind her with a concerned expression on his face, "Hey.you okay, Cel?"
When she finally found the words to reply with, they came out in a shaky, fearful whisper, not even turning to look at him, "Why did they have to come after me now? When I'm finally happy.Why can't they just leave me alone..?"
Negaduck looked down at her, a sense of sympathy in his eyes as he watched her wipe away a tear, "I honestly don't know, kiddo.I really don't know why they'd suddenly show up now, but.I think after today, they got the hint of just how much you don't want them in your life. I doubt they'll be showing their faces around here again."
She turned her head to look up at him, a hint of fear apparent in her big, hazel eyes, "I hope not.I hope they NEVER come back." Celeste hissed sadly as she suddenly threw her arms around Negaduck, hugging him tightly and her tears beginning to dampen his yellow jacket.
"They won't." he reassured, holding her protectively, "I'll be sure of that." he added, then patted her on the back reassuringly, "Hey, everything's going to be okay, I promise.Now try to get some sleep, alright?"
Celeste nodded, then slowly moved out of his arms and over to her bed, climbing onto the blankets and up to the pillows as Negaduck moved around to the bedside. He pulled the blankets out from under her and drew them up to her chin, tucking them snuggly around her.
"So uhh..goodnight, kiddo." he said before he turned and started for the bedroom door. But before he could get more than three feet away, Celeste's hand reached out and desperately grabbed the end of his black cape. When Negaduck turned back around with a puzzled expression, she was staring right back at him with pleading eyes.
"Will you sing to me? It always helps me when I can't sleep." Celeste asked, her tone almost begging him. Taken aback by her request, Negaduck's eyes darted from side to side, a bit nervously.
"Uhh.You sure you don't just need a nightlight or something?" he asked. He rarely ever did this sort of thing in question; only when it was absolutely necessary.
"Please, Dad..?"
Negaduck let out a sigh and slouched his shoulders in defeat. The sincere, frightened look on his daughter was more than enough to make him give in. What did he have to lose? It wasn't as if he had to worry about it damaging his image, no one else was around to witness, anyways. And he hated seeing her scared, which rarely ever happened. With a nod, he moved back over to her bedside as she let go of his cape, "Alright, kid."
He took a moment to ponder, before he looked right down at her and began in a deep, soothing voice that was completely opposite from his normal, well- known evil tone:
"There are two things I know for sure; that she was sent here from heaven, and she's Daddy's little girl.
With all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right. To deserve a hug each morning, And butterfly kisses at night."
The voice trailed off into a soft whisper as the lyrics ended before he leaned over, planting a quick kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, Baby. Go to sleep."
Celeste's eyes fluttered, slowly giving in to the pressure that sleep was putting upon her. Only now, there was a clearly visible smile on her face as she clutched the edge of the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her and turning over on her side with a yawn.
"I love you, Dad." she whispered behind closed eyes, snuggling her head against the pillow. Negaduck reached out and rubbed her head soothingly before turning, heading towards the door and flipping off the light switch. He paused in the doorframe and looked back over his shoulder.
"Love you, too, kiddo." With that said, he closed the door softly behind him and went to proceed with his usual night of inflicting terror on the city.
Not even bothering to shut off the engine, his took a quick glance at his watch, then no sooner than he looked back up again, he was suddenly pounced by a teenager, nearly causing them both to tumble backwards off of the bike.
"Dah!" Drake yelped as Celeste clung to him, fiercely sobbing into his chest. He took a firm grip on her shoulders and turned her to face him and try to keep her still, "Easy there, kiddo! Calm down! What happened??"
"They're here! They're gonna get me!" Celeste cried desperately, tightening her grip on his arms which caused him to slightly flinch.
Drake lifted his head up in alert, but seeing no one but several kids filing out for passing period, he glanced back down at her with a puzzled expression, "Uhh...who's gonna get you? If you say some sort of 'space invaders from Mars', then no more late night horror movies for you..."
"W-worse..." Celeste stammered in reply, quivering while choking out the next words in fright, "My parents..."
"You're...who?" Drake asked. As it suddenly fell into place, his eyes snapped open, looking from side to side, "Your PARENTS?? What are THEY doing here??"
"I don't know! But they want ME!" she cried hysterically, shaking her head, "And they've warped my principal's mind! She's on their side! Dad, I don't want to go with them!"
His eyes narrowed hatefully at the thought of the two, then gently pulled Celeste off of him, placing her on the motorcycle seat behind him, "Don't worry about it, Cel. Let me take you..." he began, but was cut off as the shouting of a giddy-sounding woman rises, then turns to see the suited woman along with her companion running towards them, waving her hands wildly.
"Oh Celeste! Darling hold on one bloomin' minute! You didn't even say goodbye, sweetums!" Darcy called as she and Laszlo approached the motorcycle. Drake let out a groan and rolled his eyes.
"Tell me that's not them..."
Celeste merely replied with a groan and a slight nod, "Yes..."
Darcy came to a stop beside the motorcycle with a huff to catch her breath with Laszlo closely behind her, "Just thought we'd get to say goodbye to you one last time before we..." she trailed off as she eyed Drake with a sweet smile, "Oh hello! I'm Darcy Laurel Tealwing, and this is my husband, Laszlo Ivan Tealwing! And you must be..?" she asked, holding out her hand for a friendly handshake.
The only reply she received was a grunt as Drake refused the handshake, "Drake Mallard...Celeste's FATHER..."
By now, Celeste had moved behind Drake, clutching his black shirt as if she was a helpless two year old again, her eyes wide with fear. Noticing this, Darcy narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand back, "I see..." Then, almost immediately, she put on her gaily smile once again, "Well, I guess this is goodbye then, Celeste...You sure you won't reconsider our offer...?"
"She's sure," Drake interjected, followed by a meek nod from Celeste behind him.
"Well, perhaps another time, eh ol' boy??" Laszlo quipped as he slapped Drake heartily on the back, causing him to gasp as the air is knocked out of him, then scowl over his shoulder. With a haughty grin, Laszlo then ruffled Celeste's hair, which earned him a threatening glare from Drake as he revved the engine loudly. The tires of the motorcycle screeched loudly on the pavement, then seconds later, the two were speeding away. As they disappeared into the distance, Darcy and Laszlo's expressions rapidly turned bitter.
"Hooligan..." Laszlo spat in disgust.
"Don't worry, Darling...We'll get her..." Darcy muttered with a sour tone, "We need her to secure our investments, and we're not going to let it slip away from us, again!" she declared, then smiled again, looping her arm with his, "Come along, Laszlo dear...We've got some planning to do..."
"Coming, Poopsey..." Laszlo replied lowly, the two of them walking over to their black luxury car, climbing inside, pulling away and disappearing in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Drake kept his eyes fixed on the road in front of him as he steered the motorcycle back to their fairly secluded civilian house. Since they had left the school, Celeste had not even loosened her grip in the slightest, as if she were a drowning victim clinging to a life preserver. Every few minutes, he would look over his shoulder and see her the same way each time: grasping onto him for dear life with her eyes shut, tears still leaving fresh, wet trails down her cheeks.
Shaking his head, he turned back around and concentrated on his driving until they finally pulled up to the fairly normal-looking house just on the outskirts of St. Canard. It was best that they had a non-suspicious living residence, but as Negaduck, he'd always insisted they were kept a fair distance from the public, and a close distance to his favorite hideout, which was not far.
The motorcycle came to a stop inside the garage, and Drake started to climb off until he was suddenly jerked back again. Celeste still insisted on not letting go.
"C'mon, kiddo..." he said as he took a hold of her hands, managing to pry her grip loose from the back of his shirt, and placed them around his neck. He cringed slightly as she tightly wrapped her arms around him, then lifted her off of the motorcycle and carried her into the house. With a swift kick, the door flew open and he moved through the house towards the living room, where he gently set Celeste down on the couch. As he straightened himself up and began to move away, Drake was suddenly yanked back by someone grabbing him frantically by the shirt, letting out a yelp and spinning back around.
"I won't go!! They'll never take me alive!!" Celeste cried out, her voice breaking into hysterics as she shook her head violently. She began to flail her arms defiantly, choking out sobs with each movement she made.
"Celeste!!" Drake snapped, sitting down on the couch to take a firm hold on her shoulders to keep her still, and turned her so she was looking right at him, "You need to calm down and listen to me! You're not going anywhere!" His sincere but fierce tone caused her to break down into tears once again, letting herself collapse forward into his arms, burying her face into his chest as he continued in his familiar threatening voice, "If ANYONE tries to take you, they're gonna have to answer to ME, got it??" he declared, then held her close to him in a protective manner, repeating in a more hushed volume, "You're not going anywhere..."
Still shaking, Celeste nodded once, trying to fight back her tears as she lifted her head and nuzzled his cheek, "I'm just so scared...I don't want to be separated from you again..."
"Don't be. It's not going to happen again if I can help it. If they even so much as come near you again, there will be Hell to pay..." he growled lowly.
There was a momentary pause until she lifted her head and stared up at him with pleading, sparkling eyes, "Promise..?"
Drake replied with a smile and nodded once, "I promise, kiddo..." He ruffled her hair with a smirk, then gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before getting to his feet, "Since you lucked outta class today, why don't you go get working on your homework?"
With a sniffle while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Celeste nodding in agreement, the faintest smile now on her face as she picked up her backpack and headed up the stairs and into her room.
***********
Later that night, Negaduck was preparing to head out on his usual rounds of causing late-night chaos. He looked in the mirror, adjusting his red fedora on his head and grinning approvingly, "You sly devil, you." he admired with a wink.
Just as he turned and headed towards the door, Negaduck paused by the stairs and looked up curiously. Celeste hadn't come out of her room all night, nor had she said anything. After a moment, he began to climb the staircase to the second floor of the house, then turned down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed bedroom door. He hesitated a few seconds before knocking lightly on the door, then slowly slid it open and peeked his head inside. Celeste was by her bedroom window, staring out with her back to the door and her shoulders slumped.
"Hey kiddo, lights out now, alright? It's getting late, and I'm about to head out for a couple hours." Negaduck called softly, then paused, awaiting a reply. When he got none, he slowly moved his way across the bedroom and came up behind her with a concerned expression on his face, "Hey.you okay, Cel?"
When she finally found the words to reply with, they came out in a shaky, fearful whisper, not even turning to look at him, "Why did they have to come after me now? When I'm finally happy.Why can't they just leave me alone..?"
Negaduck looked down at her, a sense of sympathy in his eyes as he watched her wipe away a tear, "I honestly don't know, kiddo.I really don't know why they'd suddenly show up now, but.I think after today, they got the hint of just how much you don't want them in your life. I doubt they'll be showing their faces around here again."
She turned her head to look up at him, a hint of fear apparent in her big, hazel eyes, "I hope not.I hope they NEVER come back." Celeste hissed sadly as she suddenly threw her arms around Negaduck, hugging him tightly and her tears beginning to dampen his yellow jacket.
"They won't." he reassured, holding her protectively, "I'll be sure of that." he added, then patted her on the back reassuringly, "Hey, everything's going to be okay, I promise.Now try to get some sleep, alright?"
Celeste nodded, then slowly moved out of his arms and over to her bed, climbing onto the blankets and up to the pillows as Negaduck moved around to the bedside. He pulled the blankets out from under her and drew them up to her chin, tucking them snuggly around her.
"So uhh..goodnight, kiddo." he said before he turned and started for the bedroom door. But before he could get more than three feet away, Celeste's hand reached out and desperately grabbed the end of his black cape. When Negaduck turned back around with a puzzled expression, she was staring right back at him with pleading eyes.
"Will you sing to me? It always helps me when I can't sleep." Celeste asked, her tone almost begging him. Taken aback by her request, Negaduck's eyes darted from side to side, a bit nervously.
"Uhh.You sure you don't just need a nightlight or something?" he asked. He rarely ever did this sort of thing in question; only when it was absolutely necessary.
"Please, Dad..?"
Negaduck let out a sigh and slouched his shoulders in defeat. The sincere, frightened look on his daughter was more than enough to make him give in. What did he have to lose? It wasn't as if he had to worry about it damaging his image, no one else was around to witness, anyways. And he hated seeing her scared, which rarely ever happened. With a nod, he moved back over to her bedside as she let go of his cape, "Alright, kid."
He took a moment to ponder, before he looked right down at her and began in a deep, soothing voice that was completely opposite from his normal, well- known evil tone:
"There are two things I know for sure; that she was sent here from heaven, and she's Daddy's little girl.
With all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right. To deserve a hug each morning, And butterfly kisses at night."
The voice trailed off into a soft whisper as the lyrics ended before he leaned over, planting a quick kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, Baby. Go to sleep."
Celeste's eyes fluttered, slowly giving in to the pressure that sleep was putting upon her. Only now, there was a clearly visible smile on her face as she clutched the edge of the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her and turning over on her side with a yawn.
"I love you, Dad." she whispered behind closed eyes, snuggling her head against the pillow. Negaduck reached out and rubbed her head soothingly before turning, heading towards the door and flipping off the light switch. He paused in the doorframe and looked back over his shoulder.
"Love you, too, kiddo." With that said, he closed the door softly behind him and went to proceed with his usual night of inflicting terror on the city.