Having defeated Magica De Spell, the triumphant Duck clan decided to have a swim in the Money Bin before calling it a night. But they had barely been there three quarters of an hour when Scrooge noticed his nephews flagging. Beakley and Donald looked shattered, Launchpad bruised and Gizmoduck looked flat.
But it was Webby he was most worried about; although relieved that Magica was gone, she was also looking very downcast and had barely spoken for half an hour.
Huey, ever the big brother, and Dewey, who was closest to her out of the triplets, were both looking considerably worried about her.
Scrooge knew that Webby had lost a dear and close friend today, and nothing could change that. He felt sick thinking back to how Magica had casually discarded her 'niece' as though she was just an inconvenience.
He would never, never, NEVER forgive her for treating a child's life with such disdain and cruelty, and he vowed justice for Lena- and Webby too, as she had been hurt the most by Lena's betrayal and by her loss in the fight against Magica.
But he had acted no better, telling Webby she was 'not family' back on the Sunchaser. He had been haunted by grief and guilt over his mistake and vowed to help Webby through her trauma.
But he also had to right his own wrongs, to take the first step in showing that he, unlike Magica, valued family and cared about all who were in it… biologically or not.
"Webbigail?"
"Yes, Mr. McDuck?" Asked Webby. The use of his honorific made Scrooge wince, remembering what had happened hours on their attempted vacation to Monacrow, and their precarious misadventure with the Sunchaser and a precipice.
"This is a family matter! You are NOT family!" His cold, angry voice rang in his mind, not for the first time since he had uttered those words; in fact, they had haunted him when everyone left him, shortly before Magica's ambush.
Scrooge brushed the memory aside, in order to focus on his surrogate great niece "May I… may I have a word with you in private, lass, when we return to the mansion?" He asked, sneaking a look at Beakley. His faithful friend/housekeeper merely nodded once, which meant she was alright with him speaking to her granddaughter again.
"… of course, Mr. McDuck." Sighed Webby.
Scrooge was relieved Webby was willing to speak with him at least, but he felt his stomach curl and coil at the horrible memory of telling sweet Webby that she wasn't family.
She was family to him, regardless of what anyone had to say about it. And he was determined to make things right with his surrogate great-niece.
….
Once they had returned to the mansion, Donald and Beakley checked everyone for injuries. Launchpad had taken a fair beating, but he was fine otherwise. Everyone else was mostly exhausted, bruised, and sore, but not as badly injured as Launchpad.
Webby was bruised from being flung into Scrooge's money, but she remained silent and solemn as her grandmother checked her for injuries.
The boys were concerned for Webby, considering she had lost Lena in the battle, and they wanted to be with her, but she waved off their concerns, saying she'll rest once she had a chat with Scrooge.
"Ok, just, don't push yourself," Huey advised. "As Woodchuck Rule No. 87 states, don't push yourself so hard that you'll wear yourself out."
"Yeah, Webs," Said Dewey, giving his best friend/surrogate sister a quick hug.
Louie said nothing, but he squeezed her hand supportively.
….
Scrooge caught sight of his nephews giving him a warning glare, and he sighed, wondering how well this would go down. He invited Webby up to his study for their chat, where they would be guaranteed privacy.
And although she had acquiesced to allowing Scrooge to speak with Webbigail, Beakley warned him not to keep her long, as she was clearly exhausted and still trying to keep herself from falling to pieces over Lena's sacrifice.
Scrooge agreed.
….
Now, Scrooge sat in his chair, Webby facing him. He blinked at her, trying to think where to begin this conversation. "Lass, what I said back on the Sunchaser…" he began, awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.
"… You are NOT family!"
'She is!' Scrooge shot back in his mind. 'She is family! She's as precious to me as my biological relatives and nothing you can say you can make me think otherwise!' Scrooge winced. He wished his thoughts would shut up for a moment.
"… I… I had no right to interfere." Webby said, her hand encircling her wrist. "I'm not her daughter, I shouldn't have said anything, sir…"
"I… I had no idea that Della would steal the rocket early, or that she would end up caught in a cosmic storm," he said, slowly. "I… I really did try to get her back. She's my niece, my little sister's daughter, and that makes her a greater treasure than the contents of my Money Bin." His eyes glistened with tears. "She and Donald are all I have left of Hortense, you know, and those two are wonderful in their own right… no matter what I've said or treated Donald since her loss."
"I thought the rocket wasn't a sensible gift choice," Said Webby, to which Scrooge snorted. "But I knew that you wanted to find her. After all, I've seen what you've done for us… even me and my granny, considering we're not related."
"And there's Launchpad, Gyro, Quackfaster, Gizmoduck…" Added Scrooge, quietly. "They're also like family… like 'here are the crazy cousins' type of family." He smiled, and Webby smiled too.
"I know, but I wanted to give Della the stars…" he said wistfully, "just as she wanted. And I had no qualms doing so, as she was adding some new stars to our own little universe." He sighed dreamily. "But I… I had no idea Della would do that… and by the time I did, it was too late."
He paused, realizing he had strayed from his original point.
"Point is, lassie, I was hurt at the boys lashing out at me the same way Donald had after Della's disappearance. Della's disappearance, it seems, haunts, and will continue to haunt, generations of the Duck family. And I instantly put up my defenses, trying to guard my heart against the pain… but, in doing so, I only succeeded in hurting you greatly… I'm so sorry, sweet Webbigail."
"I… I can understand why you did that, Mr. Scrooge," Said Webby, still forlorn. "And I… I hold no ill will towards you. I only interfered with the business of Della and the Spear of Selene to help the boys find out about their mom…"
"I- I appreciate that, lassie," Said Scrooge. "It shows you care about the boys a great deal."
"They're family to me, Mr. McDuck," Said Webby. Her eyes glistened, no doubt recalling the words Scrooge had hurled in her face.
"I had no right to say that to ye, my lassie," Said Scrooge, ashamed. "You are family, no matter what anyone says. And I'm sorry for what I said." He gazed into her hopeful, teary eyes, and gave a small, tear-filled smile. "I know an apology is a pathetic offering after such cruelty, but I've never felt so ashamed in all my life, sweet lass, and I've had plenty reasons to feel ashamed."
He lifted her chin with his hand. "I hope you can forgive me, Webby… and I can understand if ye'd rather not after what I said to ye, but ye can call me 'Uncle Scrooge' again. There's nae need for "Mr. McDuck" round here." He tried to smile, but his face fell, worrying what Webby would say.
….
Webby paused. Normally, she'd forgive him in a heartbeat, but this, along with Magica's cruelty towards her in the battle, along with Lena's death had left her so emotionally drained that she couldn't process her thoughts or emotions properly, so they all swirled in her head like a storm.
"Lena was just a shadow! How pathetic of you!"
'Lena…' thought the young duck, her eyes tearing up again at the memory of her awesome, cool, loving best friend, dying so young at the hands of Magica.
It didn't matter that Lena had been a shadow. The connection between the two was real, and her heart felt like it had been ripped out of her chest and disintegrated in dark magic.
"Scrooge…" she said, her voice cracking up. She felt that he was letting him down, being unable to carry on.
….
"Scrooge…"
'It's a start,' he mused to himself thoughtfully. "Yes, my dear?" he asked her tenderly, placing a hand on her shoulder before giving it a brief, loving squeeze.
"I… I'm sorry, I've got so much to take in…" she said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. "Lena's gone… the truth about Della… Magica… and…" she began to cry, unable to hold on any longer.
In a heartbeat, Scrooge had gone around his desk and was hugging the young duck close to him. "Webby… ye dinna need to apologize, lassie, you've been through enough." He cooed, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry about Lena, I really am. I liked that girl."
"Magica, for the hell you've put both these innocent lassies through, I'll ensure the next time we meet will be our last…" He vowed to himself, his hold tightening protectively over Webby.
"Webby, I'm sorry this happened, but we're all here for you, and will help you through it." He assured her kindly, moving back a little so he could make eye contact with her. "We're a family, we'll pull through this together and get justice for Lena, somehow."
A sniffle.
"And you can take your time on deciding whether you'd like to call me uncle or not," added the older duck. "I see you need time to process what you've been through, so please, take that time you need to heal. But whatever you call me, I'm here for you, my dear, and always will be."
Webby merely buried her face into Scrooge's shoulder, her fingers desperately grasping at his coat like it was a lifeline. Scrooge held her close and rocked her gently as she sobbed, her hot, salty tears soaking his coat and neck. But he paid the wetness no heed.
"Shh, there, there, Webbigail, it'll be alright, lassie. I've got you now." He soothed gently, rocking her. "Ye're alright, I'll look after ye. We all will." He promised, ruffling her hair tenderly.