Hey! I'm back, thank you to Steampunk Wilson + MelodySouth65 for reviewing the last chapter.

I know this might seem an odd place to mention it, but I've started a new fanfiction for Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes. It's called 'Class 7KD and the Mystery of the Missing Money'.

So, that aside, see chapter 1 for the disclaimer and let's crack on with the longest chapter to date.

22/10/2019

Scrooge banished us from the house today. He came into the living room where I was harmlessly watching television [still in the process of catching up with the X-Factor] and proceeded to stand in front of the TV and announce. "Ah am very busy today."

There was a beat, me being us-sure what to say to that. Eventually I decided on. "Oh. Sorry. Er…anything I can do to help?"

"Ah want you and Donald out the house for a couple of hours while I get things sorted for this trip of ours." He got out a hanker chief and dabbed at his forehead. "It'd be a lot less stressful if SOMEONE hadn't insisted we stop of at this Spoonerville place…"

"Well, Uncle Scrooge." I said, feeling compelled to stick up for my twin. "You can hardly BLAME Donald for wanting to go and see Goofy. After all they ARE best friends-"

"Pah!" Scrooge said. "The problem with Donald is he's 'best friends' with everyone! Why does he have to…KNOW so many people!?"

I frowned. "That's hardly fair, Uncle Scrooge." I said. "After all aren't you the one who used to tell us 'It's not what you know, it's who you know?'"

"Yes and who does he know? A single father who can't hold down a job for more than five minutes-"

"-And one of the best adventures in the world." I protested.

Cue the explosion. Mickey didn't count as 'one of the best adventures in the world' His series was staged. The animals were tame. He always had a camera crew with him for back-up. He didn't go out alone and battle icy ledges and wild elements.

Well, you get the picture. I just kinda tuned him out and thought about other things.

Eventually he clocked onto the fact that I wasn't listening and angrily told me to get out. I 'got out' and waited in the car for Donald, who I felt sure was going to be following me in a minute or two. Sure enough about five minutes later I heard some outraged quacking and looked in the read-view mirror to see my brother being ushered out the door by Scrooge.

"Wak – what's the big idea!?" He was saying at he was bustled out the door.

"Ah want the house empty for a little while!"

"But the boys-!"

"- Will be fine. Beakley's teachin' 'em. Now GO."

So Donald flung open the car door and got into the passenger seat, ranting as he did so. "'Wants the house to himself for a while! Phooey! What could he want to do that's so important he wants us out the way for a couple of HOURS?"

"Maybe he wants to take a bath in gold coins." I said dryly.

Donald closed his eyes, leaned back in his seat and said, meditatively. "Maybe."

I started the car. "So off we go, then. Got any preferences?"

"Anywhere." He said.

I thought for a moment and then said. "I know! We'll go to Gladstone's!"

The reaction was immediate. Donald opened his eyes, bolted upright and said. "Anywhere but there! We're seeing him next week for crying out loud!"

I clicked my tongue. "You're acting like a five-year old." I said to him.

He muttered something under his breath that I didn't catch, but got the gist off. Safe to say it wasn't complimentary.

"I don't know." I said, after I had negotiated a tricky junction. "EXACTLY what your problem with Gladstone is-"

"He's stuck-up, pompous and a show-off – that enough for you?"

I clicked my tongue again. "He's NOT 'stuck-up'. A little bit of a show-off, I admit –"

"- A LITTLE BIT!?"

"JUST a little bit, and I don't really think he's 'pompous' - more kind of insensitive, but I REALLY don't think he actually means to be-"

"-Ah, forget it!" Donald waved a hand and sulkily looked out the window.

So the rest of the journey was spent in silence. All 45 minutes of it, till we finally turned up at Gladstone's palace.

I should point out it's not ACTUALLY a palace. It's a mansion and it's massive. Like proper massive, it has two pools – one inside, one outside – a GYM, a TV room and…loads more stuff that I've probably forgotten about.

So we drove up to the lovely green gates that I just adore. The tops of them have been shaped into four-leaf clovers and they're just GORGEOUS.

So I pressed the intercom button and Gladstone's voice floated into our ears. "Hel-lo, Gladstone's Gander's digs here. Who are you?"

"Your cousins." Donald said, flatly, before I could get a word in edgewise.

"Awsome! Hold on, I'll buzz you in…"

Two seconds later we'd parked the car and rang the doorbell. Gladstone opened the door with a cheery smile. "Dells-Bells!" He said, holding his arms out. "So nice to see you again!"

"Hey Gladstone!" I said, hugging him back. "Lovely to see you again, I mean I know I saw you, like, last month or something but still-"

"Hey!" Donald broke in. "What am I? Chopped Liver?"

Gladstone rolled his eyes and gave me a look before turning to Donald and saying. "Do you WANT a hug?"

Donald held his hands out. "No thanks."

Gladstone shrugged and turned to me as if saying 'well, I tried.' "C'min then." He said. "Wipe your feet."

As we walked into the hallway Gladstone pressed the intercom button and said, into it. "Yo, Feathers. D and D are here, you comin' down?"

There was a crackle and then Feathery's voice trickled through the intercom. "C'min! Be there in a few mins!"

"Wait, wait." Donald held his hands up. "Feathery's here?"

Gladstone looked at him, then me, then him, then back to me. "You didn't tell him?"

"I didn't get round to it." I said, defensively. I mean, I HAVE actually been quite busy since I got back you know, forgive me if I don't fill Donald in on EVERYTHING.

Gladstone sighed. "Come into the living room. I'll fill you in."

So Gladstone filled us in on what had happened, which was basically the same as what I said about three of four entries ago. The main difference was that apparently Feathry actually initially asked only to stay for a COUPLE of days, giving Gladstone the impression that the house was being re-decorated for a couple of days. Which turned into a couple of weeks, which turned into a month. Eventually Gladstone got suspicious and flat out asked Feathry when he was planning to go back to his own house. Cue a few 'ah's' 'ooh's' and 'Well, you see the builders…'

But Gladstone can be JUST as stubborn as Donald when he wants to and when he wants an answer to something he will GET an answer to something, come hell or high water. So yeah, Feathry ended up telling our cousin in green exactly what was going on at which point Gladstone instantly said he could stay with him.

This is my point. Would someone who's a complete prat do that? No.

Even Donald seemed to realise this and he cleared his throat and started to speak, when the duck in red himself crashed through the door. "Della!" He said in true Feathry style. "How ARE you?" And hugged me as well.

Donald huffed. "Am I invisible or something!?" He said, angrily.

Feathry laughed. "Hello Don." He said, giving him a hug to. "How are the boys?"

There was an Awquad pause and Gladstone gave me another sidewards look.

Donald though was chill about it. "Ask Della." He said, nonchalantly, indicating me. "She's been doing a lot of stuff with them recently."

So I filled my cousins in on the fun adventures me and the boys have been having. I told them about the trip we we're going on soon and Gladstone said, knowingly.

"So THAT'S why you two have popped round! I did wonder…"

He said it casually, but I felt a pang of guilt and said. "Well, no we've been meaning to see you-"

"We have!?" Donald said, giving me a disbelieving look.

I shot him a glare, but thankfully Gladstone and Feathry laughed. "Don't worry, we get it." Feathry said. "After all you're spending the weekend with us as well."

"I hadn't forgotten." Donald said, dryly, giving me another LOOK.

"Don't worry, we'll go soon." I said. "We're just giving Scrooge some space to get stuff ready for next month."

The cousins 'Hummed' a bit, then there was a silence.

Said silence was quickly and abruptly broken by Feathry. "Hey, Gladdy, why don't you show them the new jacket you got last week?"

"What now?" Gladstone said, taken aback.

Feathry gave him a wide beam. "Well, why not? You're hardly going to take it camping with you, are you?"

Gladstone shrugged. "Sure." He got up and headed to the door, just as he got there he paused then turned to Don. "You know, Don…" He trailed off.

My twin gave him a look. "…What?"

"…I, er, I have a – a voucher for a discount on that company Dewey wants to go to…ten percent. Would that, would that make it more, er, more affordable?"

Donald clicked his tongue, clearly thinking it over. "Yeah it would…" He said slowly. "…Slightly."

"Do…do you want me to give it to you then? You could maybe get him lessons for Christmas?"

"Hhhmm. What do you think, Dells?" My twin asked looking at me.

I jolted slightly, having not expected to be asked. "Er…yes. Sounds good. A very good idea, thanks Gladstone."

Don echoed me and Gladstone held his hands up. "Well, no problem. Anywho. I'll go get this jacket…" And he left.

Feathry waited to he'd gone, then leapt up and gently shut the door.

Me and Donald looked at each other, then said, in perfect unison. "What's up with you?"

Feathry gestured at us to keep our voices down. "I'm worried about Gladstone." He announced, sitting himself down.

"Why?" Donald asked, then added flippantly. "He's not been kidnapped by any more vampires has he?"

Now it was mine and Feathry's turn to exchange a look. "What!?" We said, just slightly out of sync.

Donald looked at first me then Feathry, then, with an awkward laugh, scratched the back of his head. "Heh, heh…didn't I mention that?"

"No." I said, glaring daggers at him. "You did not."

"Er…I'll give the condensed version. Basically Gladstone got kidnapped by a vampire who fed on luck. He managed to contact us and we flew over and helped him and he's fine now-"

"-Er, not so sure about that Donald." Feathry cut in. "Sorry to interrupt." He added, seeing my twin's face. "But I think Gladstone should have found his jacket by now-"

"You hid it?" I said, in amusement.

Feathry shrugged. "Well, I needed some time to speak to you both didn't i? He's been having NIGHTMARES for a little while now. He won't tell me what they're about. He refuses actually to even SAY they're nightmares, but he tries to avoid going to sleep until late – very late I mean – and when he does he yells out and stuff and he often has bags under his eyes-" Feathry stopped suddenly and we heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

With extraordinary quickness Feathry changed the subject and was cheerfully telling us about some of the creatures he's seen under the sea when Gladstone came in wearing a new, sparkly green jacket. He said:

"Strange…I couldn't find it at first. I was certain I'd left it out, but looks like I never got it out the wardrobe…huh. Never mind. So?" He struck a pose. "Whaddya think?"

"I think you should've been a model, Gladdy." I said, admiring his confidence.

He grinned at me and straightening his collar, said. "Well, I would Dells-Bells, but you know-"

"Too much like work?" Donald said, spitefully.

I shot him my third look in thirty minutes, but by then the damage was done and Gladstone snapped. "At least I don't keep getting kicked out of jobs for losing my temper!"

"Only cos you've never had a job to begin with!" Donald shot back, getting up and putting his hands on his hips.

Gladstone's nostrils flared and he said. "Well, it's not my fault no one will hire me!"

"Who's is it then, Gladstone? Mine? Scrooges? Feathry's?"

"-Leave me out of this." Feathry said, quickly.

"Donald!" I grabbed his arm. "Shut up, we're going."

"-But!"

"-But nothing! Bye Gladdy, Bye Feathry. See you Friday – adios!" And I bundled Donald out the door before he could completely ruin everything.

"What's the big idea?" Donald said as shoved him towards the car.

"You. Are. Insufferable!"

"He was showing off!"

"He was NOT showing off! He was simply showing us his new jacket…" I trailed off. "Okay, so he was kinda showing off. But you MUST have realised that was a decoy by Feathry so he could tell us about Gladstone's nightmares – and I'm pissed with you about that, by the way, why didn't you tell me!?"

"I havn't had chance-!"

"-Don't give me that, you have SO had chance! You've had LOADS of chances to go 'Oh by the way, Dells, I know it might be upsetting but I need to talk to you about the SMALL fact that Gladstone was KIDNAPPED by a Freakin' VAMPIRE-!"

"-We got him back!"

"-Oh, well that's alright then! It not like there's this little thing called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or anything-!"

"Oh leave off!" Donald snapped. "I know ALL about PTSD, remember?"

I stopped dead as I realised exactly WHAT I was saying and to WHO.

He read my mind though and apologised first. I apologised as well and we shared a hug.

Brothers huh. Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

So yeah. We left Gladdy and Feathry on kinda a sour note, so hopefully everything will be alright on Friday. I'll probably phone Friday morning, see if they still want to go. They probably will though. That's the thing with my family, we blow up at each other ALL THE TIME, but then we make up in like a day or two. And anyway life's to short to hold grudges forever isn't it?