Worst fool of all a sentimental fool

by DragonBookLoverKitkat913

Lena's life before Friendship Hates Magic was hard, to say the least. Especially with Magica. Lena was verbally (and at one point, physically) abused by Magica and doesn't realize the McDuck/Duck Clan don't do that. Basically, the story of Lena's life but AU because she ends up living with the McDuck family.

WARNING: Mentions of child abuse, both emotional and physical. Kind of sad but has a nice ending. Sort of.

---

To end the line of Clan McDuck,

she sought a token of their luck.

Lo, with the Eclipse in its prime,

she'd trap old Scrooge within his dime.

But Scrooge reversed her vengeance planned,

and in his dime the witch did land.

Yet as he struck the final blow,

she cast a spy from her shadow.

I walk the earth and wield her power,

to bring about McDuck's last hour.

For the first ten years after Lena's creation, Magica wasn't able to manifest in Lena's shadow. Instead, she was simply a part of Lena, a part that could only communicate inside Lena's mind, where Magica channeled her thoughts into a voice that only Lena could hear.

At first, Lena didn't mind the voice. All it did was give her orders, mostly regarding whatever magical artifact her aunt was after. And while Lena knew Magica wasn't really her aunt, she always seemed so sincere and kind, as if she really did see Lena as family. Which encouraged Lena to continue on with her journey from Italy to other parts of Europe.

Lena had been 'born' as a thirteen-year-old girl, so it was sometimes difficult to move around from one town to the next mostly because she had no proof of her existence, but Lena somehow managed.

While her aunt never had any solid plans, she did have goals. Goals that led Lena to various magical artifacts or spellbooks to help further Magica's "master plan". Every time Lena managed to get the job done, Magica would be happy and showered the young duck with praises.

"Good job, Lena dear."

"Thank you for your help."

"You are so good at this."

If she failed, Magica would be disappointed but never scolded Lena. "Oh, well that's alright. I'm disappointed of course, but perhaps I was asking too much of you. I'll just wait longer to get my full powers back."

"I promise to do better," Lena always replied. She hated to let her aunt down and worked twice as hard to make up for her failures.

Though most of the artifacts turned out to be of no help, Lena did come across several spell books that Magica deemed useful enough to keep. Which meant Lena had to steal a duffel bag to carry it.

Stealing was, unfortunately, a necessity in order for Lena to survive. She didn't need food or sleep as much as regular people did, only requiring it every four to five days, but starvation and sleep deprivation was something Lena preferred to avoid. Not only because it was uncomfortable, but it also made her sloppy and more likely to get caught.

Overall, it was easy enough to trick people. She just had to play the role of the sweet, innocent child and swipe things when no one was looking. As long as she left town in a timely manner, then there was hardly ever any trouble.

And that's how Lena's life went. Search for whatever Magica had her metaphorical eyes on, steal to survive, and repeat. For ten whole years.

Until one day, when everything changed. And not for the better.

That was the day when Lena had finally tracked down an ancient scroll that belonged to a powerful Sumerian warlock. She'd used a basic location spell and found the parchment being sold at a vendor in a French marketplace.

This particular piece of parchment contained a ritual that, according to Magica, would amplify her power and allow Lena to grow stronger.

Even with the artifacts she'd found, Lena could only wield Magica's amulet, and that was for the most basic of spells. She simply didn't have the experience to perform anything that would be useful to Magica.

"Soon that will change, my pet," Magica stated as Lena made her way to the vendor who possessed the scroll. "Everything is finally coming together. Now, be careful. Failure is not an option."

"I won't let you down," Lena stated before she grabbed a bundle of money she had stolen the previous day.

"You better not," Magica warned. Lena didn't hear her, too focused on trying to bargain with the vendor.

A few minutes later, Lena left the vendor feeling very proud of herself as she read the scroll. The necessary items required for the ritual were all things Lena already had waiting for her in a small cave outside of town.

Lena made her way out of the city and looked behind her to ensure no one was following her before entering the cave.

"About time!" Magica snapped impatiently. Lena paused; her aunt never got onto her. Magica, sensing the shadow girl's confusion, sighed slightly. "I'm...I'm sorry, dear. I'm just excited."

"Me too!" Lena exclaimed joyfully as he pulled out some black candles, magical chalk, as well as a small piece of stone that resembled an arc. "It's going to be so cool to see what you look like."

"Remember, Lena, this is only going to give me a form in the shadows. I won't get my body back until the Eclipse- "

"Where you'll get revenge against that Scrooge guy and be set free," Lena finished. Magica had said that exact sentence enough times for Lena to be able to quote it verbatim along with her aunt.

"Very good," Magica muttered in a voice that made it seem like she did not, in fact, think it was very good. "Now, draw the magic circle before you light the candles with my amulet."

Lena hummed to herself as she drew a large circle with white chalk and two triangles that formed to make a 6-pointed star. She added a couple of runes along the edges and inside the star, then placed the candles on each star point. Lena snapped her fingers to light said candles as she placed the stone arc in front of the cave's back wall.

"I did it, Aunt Magica!" Lena beamed, expecting the usual praise. Instead, her aunt huffed and told Lena to get on with the ritual. But she chalked it up to Magica being anxious about the spell. "Okay. On it."

She took a deep breath and clutched the amulet with both hands, concentrating on the flow of magic she could feel inside her. Then she began the incarnation.

Summoned Spirit of the dark,

Show thyself before this arc.

Free thy dread Soul from its prison,

Once more shall thee be risen.

Lena's body was encased in pink light, and she watched as the chalk lines of the magic circle became pink as well, flashing brightly. The candles went out as a strong wind whipped around the cave.

The young duck struggled to stand her ground as the wind threatened to break her concentration. Finally, though, the wind ceased. At first, Lena couldn't tell that anything had happened. That is, until the candles lit themselves once more, casting Lena's shadow on the cave wall.

Or to be more precise, Magica's shadow. The only thing that set her apart from any other shadow was her eyes, which glowed a vibrant red. The sorceress cackled, sending shivers down Lena's spine.

"Yes! At last, the hard part's over," Magica kept looking down at her hands, and Lena watched in awe as she saw the shadow act and move like a real person. "It's not perfect, but it's a start."

"This is so cool. You're my shadow now!" Lena couldn't take her eyes off of the shadowy form. "We did it!"

Magica stopped looking at herself and turned to face Lena. Her voice no longer held the warmth and love Lena had become familiar with. "We? I am the one who made you in the first place. I am the one who told you what to look for. It's my magic you've been using. We didn't do anything. I did."

"But I helped-"

"Are you really talking back to your Master?" Magica growled, her eyes brighter than before. Lena gulped slightly. She was terrified without knowing why exactly. But it was clear that things were going to be different from that point on.

"No, Aunt Magica."

"That's what I thought," Magica turned her gaze to the cave's entrance. "Now, we are going to get on the next boat or plane or whatever and go to America. In order to move on to Phase 2, we must go to Duckburg."

---

Lena did not like Phase 2.

Nor did she like Aunt Magica. Not anymore, at least. Any love she'd felt for the sorceress was replaced with fear and anger.

The fear came from the power Magica had over her. No matter how many times Lena tried, she couldn't walk away from the sorceress. Literally. Whenever she tried, Magica would grab Lena's feet through the shadows and force the teen to stay put.

And the anger was because of the betrayal. Lena has trusted Magica, seen her as someone who cared for and loved the young duck. But it was all a charade, something Magica used to manipulate Lena to do her bidding.

'I feel so stupid,' Lena thought for the umpteenth time as she looked out to the horizon. She had managed to sneak onto a boat headed for Duckberg, the home of Magica's archnemesis. 'I can't believe I fell for her act.'

"Oh, do cheer up. Aren't you excited to see America?" Magica asked in a sickly sweet voice. Lena huffed but said nothing. "Come now, child. We'll be starting a new life, one of villainy and revenge. At least pretend to be happy."

Lena glared at her 'aunt' harshly. Magica sighed in annoyance before fading back into Lena's shadow. The teen sighed in relief. Magica was still there, yes, but she wasn't talking and that was probably the closest thing Lena would ever get to being alone.

Alone to ponder what would become of her when they arrived in Duckberg. How was she supposed to get the world's richest duck to let his guard down?

The answer was: she couldn't. As soon as she stepped foot into the city, Magica pointed to a mansion on a ridiculously high hill that Lena had to climb just to be told Scrooge wouldn't see any visitors. Ever.

Apparently, he had become a shut-in recluse who hardly talked to anybody nowadays. Suffice to say, Magica was not pleased.

"All these years of suffering, and we finally get close to the duck who ruined my life, and he won't even let us in!" Magica screamed as Lena looked around an abandoned amphitheater she had stumbled on after the disappointing venture to McDuck manor.

"Gee, I wonder why that is? Maybe because he knows that should he let anyone close, they might take his precious dime and release his most hated rival," Lena retorted. Though Magica would get irritated, Lena had found the best (and only) way to get under the woman's skin; be the stereotypical sarcastic teen with no respect for her elders.

Like always, it worked perfectly. "Ugh, you little whelp. What I wouldn't do to put my arms around that little neck of yours and snap it in half."

"Good luck with that. Only way that'll happen is if you get the dime," Lena sneered.

"You'll pay for that, insolent girl."

Truth be told, she'd gotten used to Magica threatening to end or ruin her life one way or another. Not that Lena had much of a life to begin with. But that didn't make it hurt any less to hear such cruel words come out of the mouth of someone she had once loved, and who she thought had loved her.

That's when the sarcasm came in. It both upset Magica and kept Lena from revealing how hurt she was. Two birds, one stone.

Not to mention it was pretty good building material for the wall Lena put around her heart. She had learned her lesson. Never again would she let someone take advantage of her the way Magica had. She would be cold, distant, and cynical.

'Can't get the dime if everyone hates you,' A little voice in Lena's head that sounded suspiciously like Magica's echoed.

'Maybe if you had been more polite, you could've gotten into the mansion.'

'You messed up.'

'This is all your fault.'

'Stupid girl.'

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Lena yelled, covering her ears. Her shadow stilled, as if caught off guard, then the dark mass grew in size and looming over the small duck.

"I'm sorry, I must've misheard you. Are you telling your Master what to do?"

"What? No, I was- I mean, I was only thinking-" Lena found herself cut off before she could finish explaining.

"You're not supposed to think. You're supposed to follow my orders. Understood?"

"Yes, Aunt Magica."

"Good girl," Magica pretended to pat Lena's head before yawning. "I'm getting tired. Find a place to sleep for the night."

"Okay," Lena replied sullenly. She came across a small hatch that led to a room under the abandoned theater, probably meant to be a place of storage or something. It had a bed, probably a prop made for one play or another, a desk and chair, and some miscellaneous items. "How about this place?"

After a moment of silence, Lena realized that since there was no light, there was no way her shadow could be cast. She went back to the surface and repeated her question.

"Eh. It'll do, I suppose," Magica said. "But make sure you get a lightbulb for the place. I'm too weak to force myself to manifest in such a dark area."

"I'll go steal some money and buy it tomorrow," Lena answered. She was too exhausted to try stealing anything that night. After setting her duffel bag on the ground, she grabbed a small cloak from a pile of costumes heaped into a corner. It smelled musty but felt warm so she wrapped it around herself before curling up in the bed.

For the first time in ages, Lena didn't fall asleep to the sound of Magica's ramblings.

'I wonder if they sell black light bulbs,' Lena mused as she looked at the ceiling, where a single socket rested in the middle. She'd heard someone say that black light bulbs created fewer shadows, and she had to admit...not being able to hear Magica was pretty sweet. Unfortunately, her mind wouldn't let her content feeling last.

'Oh, my sweet, dumb-dumb Lena. You can't get rid of me.'

---

Webby was different. Lena had no doubt of that. Though whether that was a good thing or not was still uncertain.

Magica insisted that it was. After all, with that girl, Lena was given a golden opportunity to get close to Scrooge. She'd had to wait a year and a half after Lena had first come to Duckberg, coming up with scheme after scheme to try and get into the manor without success.

Webby was the key to everything Magica wanted and more. She was also the only way Lena would ever get the one thing she had dreamed about for nearly three years.

"We use Webster to get into the mansion. Then you shall find Scrooge and take his dime so I can enact my revenge," Magica cackled loudly in the room underneath the amphitheater.

Lena sighed slightly. "Yeah, yeah. You get your revenge and I get to be a puppet for the rest of my life."

"You are ruining the moment," Magica groaned. A moment of silence passed, and right before Lena could ask what Magica was thinking, her red eyes widened. "How about this? If you can get Scrooge's dime, I shall give you your dark heart's fondest desire: your freedom."

"Really?" Lena asked in disbelief, her eyes wide. Magica nodded curtly.

"Yes. Use whatever tools are given to you. The girl, those boys, any and all servants Scrooge has. Get in by any means necessary," Magica stated solemnly.

The teen was elated beyond belief and swore to do whatever it took to get the dime. But as she spent more time with Webby, guilt began to gnaw at her constantly.

It wasn't just because of the girl's naivety, or obvious social awkwardness, although those reasons certainly didn't help.

Webby was so...good. She was loyal to a fault, loved adventures, and was nice to everyone she thought deserved kindness. Including Lena, who did not deserve it. At least, that's what the voice in the shadow girl's head told her.

Not that Webby knew that, though it was harder than Lena would've thought to keep her secret. Lena found the strange urge to spill everything to the pink-bowed girl she pretended to be friends with. But she didn't. She couldn't. Her freedom was at stake.

It was during another lecture about Scrooge that the two girls' relationship took a turn Lena was never expecting.

"And that, my dear friend, is how Scrooge once again one-upped Glomgold. Pretty cool, right?" Webby asked. Lena blinked her eyes and nodded, attempting to look like she'd been paying attention.

"Uh, yeah. Sure is, Pink," Lena replied, eyes on the ground to avoid the younger girl's face. "This Glomgold guy sounds like a real idiot. Though probably not as dumb as me."

Webby didn't say anything. Lena looked up in confusion, to see Webby frowning at her. She seemed sad at first, but that sadness faded into determination and Webby put her hands on her waist.

"No."

"No what, Webs?"

"No, you're not dumb. Don't say that," Webby stated firmly.

"I was just joking around," Lena muttered. Webby huffed before wrapping her arms around the teenager. Lena didn't move for a second, then reluctantly hugged Webby back.

"I don't care. You're smart."

"Not as smart as you," Lena sighed slightly. She wasn't sure why they were having this conversation. "Besides, you've called me an idiot before. Right after I got swallowed by that money shark, remember?"

"I-" Webby stopped talking for a second then pulled away slowly. "You're right. I did. I was only kidding, but I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry."

"What- you don't gotta apologize," Lena said. Webby looked down sadly and Lena sighed again. She wasn't good at comforting people. Webby was worth it though. Which was a small thought Lena mentally noted to think about later. After Webby felt better. "I know you were just messing around and I'm not upset. Promise."

"Look, I think very highly of you. You're my best friend. So please, don't insult my best friend. Okay?" Webby asked with those puppy dog eyes that even Lena couldn't go against.

"Aw, not the eyes! Anything but the eyes!" Lena covered her eyes, smiling despite herself. "Alright, no more being mean to your friend."

"Best friend," Webby corrected her. Lena looked at her in awe for a second then nodded.

"Best friend."

It wasn't until later that day when Magica was yelling about Lena failing to get the dime, that Lena came to a startling revelation.

She was Webby's best friend. And...Lena genuinely cared about whether Webby was happy or not, and had tried to make the girl feel better. Did that mean Webby was her best friend?

'Yeah, she is,' Lena thought glumly as she remembered why she'd befriended Webby in the first place. 'I'm so screwed.'

---

Said statement was even more true than Lena had thought when she discovered that Webby wasn't the only one who didn't like people being jerks to Lena.

Webby was on a weekend trip with her grandmother, something she had neglected to tell Lena about. Since she had already made the tiring up the hill, Lena resigned herself to hanging out with the triplets.

Even though she'd probably get chewed out by Magica later, Lena could always argue that she was trying to get information from the great-nephews of Scrooge.

"Don't you guys ever watch anything besides this lame show?" Lena asked as she sat on the end of the couch, next to Huey and Dewey. Louie was laid out on the floor, Pep in hand, as he watched the two roosters talk about ottomans.

She grabbed an unopened can of Pep off the side table and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl sitting next to Huey.

"Don't you ever do anything besides mooch off of us?" Louie shot back. Instead of feeling hurt, Lena laughed. He was the most sarcastic of the three, and the one she got to joke around with the most.

Huey, however, didn't really like the way the two of them bantered.

"Louie!" Huey scolded. He turned to Lena apologetically. "We know you're not a mooch, Lena."

"Come on, Hubert, lighten up a little," Louie rolled his eyes. "It was a joke."

"Yeah, it's not like I care," Lena said as she drank from her can of Pep. Dewey frowned slightly and grabbed the remote from Huey before he turned the TV off. "What?"

"Why not? Shouldn't you care if someone is being a jerk to you?" Dewey asked, ignoring the indignant 'hey' from his younger brother.

Lena sat there, stunned that the blud-clad duck actually bothered to ask. She knew inwardly she should brush it off, say she doesn't answer to babies or better. But something inside her urged her to tell the truth, for whatever reason.

"Lots of people are jerks, Blue. I'm used to it," Lena admitted with a shrug. Then, in an attempt to lighten the mood, she added, "And it's not like he's wrong. If your uncle wasn't so rich, I'd probably have eaten you guys out of house and home by now."

And boy did she eat. Getting food at McDuck Manor was way easier than stealing since there were a bunch of snacks lying around, waiting to get eaten. So maybe it was less about the long walk to the manor and more about wanting to eat that compelled Lena to stay even if Webby wasn't there.

"I'm sorry," Louie mumbled after a moment, looking sheepishly up at the tall girl.

"Relax, Greenie. Never said you were one of the jerks," Lena replied, not liking the silence. It was never a good thing when all three of the boys went quiet. Huey looked like he was thinking about something while Dewey just stared at her with a blank face. "Come on, I wanna know more about that black ottoman. It looked way cooler than all of the ones I've seen on this dumb show."

"Oh please, everyone knows black is so last year," Louie drawled as he snatched the remote from Dewey. Though the tension had faded, Lena noticed Dewey kept looking at her every few minutes until she eventually went home.

Lena brushed the encounter off, not thinking anything would come of it.

When Webby finally came back, Lena and she had a sleepover. The triplets were nowhere to be seen, but Lena didn't think much of it.

The next morning, Lena woke up before Webby, like she usually did. So she made her way downstairs and sat at the dining room table, knowing Beakely would soon be on her way to make breakfast for the household.

She sat on her usual seat, only to pause when she noticed three pieces of construction paper in front of her. On further inspection, she saw that it was three hand-made cards.

The first one was blue, almost the same color as the shirt Lena wore under her sweater. There was a picture of Lena smiling taped to the front, one that she remembered Webby had taken with Huey's phone after their first adventure together. On the inside, there were several bullet points scrawled in neat handwriting.

Lena's Good Traits

Great listener

Sarcastic but in a good way

Clever

Adventurous (not really, but she goes with the flow when caught up in one of our adventures)

Funny

A good person

And on the right side of the card was a small patch that looked like one of Huey's Junior Woodchuck badges. It was two stick-figures holding hands, and underneath the badge, it said: 'Here's a badge for being such a good friend to Webby'

The second card was gray and had black stripes glued onto the outside of the card. On the inside, Lena saw a crudely drawn picture of her face, with a black arrow pointed at the pink streak in her hair. Written in big block letters were the words: 'Lena is awesome, 'cause she always listens to my jokes and plays tag with me. Anyone who's a jerk doesn't deserve to be listened to. P.S., I like your hair.'

Lastly, the third card was made with white paper and wasn't really decorated. The front said 'to Lena' and on the inside was a green dollar bill. Next to the dollar, there was a short caption scribbled in pencil. 'You always turn a blind eye to my schemes, and even help me sometimes, so I guess I kinda owe you. Plus maybe this way you can buy your own food instead of hogging ours (jk). You get 0.01% of all my earnings.'

It didn't take a genius to figure out who had made each card even though none of them were signed. Lena smiled softly, quickly rubbing her watering eyes. She snatched the cards up and put them in her pocket before Magica could notice them.

One by one, each of the other kids made their way to the dining room, as did Beakley. Lena didn't say anything to them, but she did shoot a smile towards their way, beaming slightly when they smiled back.

---

Lena never expected the boys to care about how she saw herself. Which meant she was completely blindsided when Launchpad, the driver/pilot she had never had a real conversation with at all, tried to make her feel better. Even though she wasn't that upset to begin with.

He had offered to drive her home one day, but of course, to avoid him finding out about the whole 'homeless' thing, Lena just told him to drop her off at a local burger place/arcade, insisting that her parents were going to come have lunch with her there.

"Well, alright. But if Mr. McDee asks, I took you home, alright?"

"Sure thing, um, Launchpad," The older duck's name felt foreign on Lena's tongue, like a strange language she'd never spoken before.

"I love this place, you know. Not as good as Funso's though."

"I've never been."

"WHAT?" Launchpad exclaimed in surprise. He pressed the brakes suddenly, and Lena was suddenly glad she had actually bothered to use the seatbelt this time. "Ok, we are so taking you the next time Dewey and his brothers want to go. Um, with your parents' permission, of course."

"Eh, it'll be fine," Lena could already hear Magica's lecture, about how dumb the pilot was and how nothing could be gained from spending time with him or the boys. If she could somehow convince Webby to go, maybe then Magica wouldn't be as mad. "Kinda surprised you wanna drag- I mean, take me along with you guys."

Launchpad frowned, yet said nothing in response. They drove in silence, and Lena wondered if she had done something to upset the guy when he pulled up to the fast-food joint. He turned around and looked at Lena, a serious expression on his face.

Lena quickly determined she didn't like that expression, as it didn't seem to match the childish personality that practically defined who Launchpad was.

"Hey, um, well, we don't really know each other but Dewey's talked about you before, and so has Webby. But...well, you seem pretty nice. Quiet, maybe, but nice. So of course I'd invite you. Plus, you'll get to have some fun with your friends."

"Still. Like you said, you don't know me. Besides, wouldn't want anyone to go out of their way to pick up some kid. Beakley thinks I'm a bother as it is," Lena opened the car door and slipped out of her seat. She walked to the passenger window, which Launchpad had rolled down.

"Yeah, but you're not 'some kid'. Definitely not a bother. Just give Mrs. B some time. You really ought to think more highly of yourself, kiddo," Launchpad ruffled her hair playfully before he drove off.

"Hmph. That was an utter waste of time," Magica grumbled. Lena ignored her and simply watched the car as it drove out of sight, wondering if she had misjudged the simple but kind driver.

---

Not everyone seemed to care, at least not at first. Like when Lena was stuck with Mrs. Beakley in the abandoned subway tunnel. Her words echoed in Lena's head long after she'd returned to the dusty room underneath the ampitheater once breakfast was over.

"Who raised you, anyway?"

"I know a bad influence."

"Those are good children with bright futures."

"Yeah? What does that make me?" Lena had shot back. Beakley didn't have an answer, and to be honest, neither did Lena.

Unknowingly, Beakely had fueled the fire burning with Lena, making her more motivated than ever to go through with Magica's plan to earn her freedom. Once she got that, Lena could start a new life, without adults who hated her guts.

In retrospect, Lena should've realized that Beakely wasn't the one to blame. She was just trying to take care of her granddaughter (and the boys). After the Terrafirmian incident, the housekeeper seemed to warm up to Lena. She may still have been a little too prim-and-proper for Lena's taste, but she had to admit that Beakely had her moments.

There was one moment in particular that Lena cherished the most. One where the Beagle Boys had jumped her on her way to Webby's, earning the teen a black eye, a cut on her left cheek, and a multitude of bruises that littered her arms.

The second Lena had walked into the mansion and Beakely saw her, the older woman rushed Lena into the nearest bathroom and got out a first aid kit.

As Beakely smeared ointment on Lena's cheek, the girl looked up at the housekeeper with confusion.

"I gotta know something. Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Beakely asked as she put a bandage on Lena's cut.

"Why are you taking care of me? I thought I was just some bad influence," Lena stared at the woman in confusion. Beakley was a total mystery to Lena. One moment she hates her and forbids any contact with Webby, the next she's inviting her to the manor for pancakes and taking care of Lena's injuries.

Beakely was quiet for a few minutes, a faraway look in her eyes. "I am sorry, Lena. I shouldn't have said those things. You might be a little, er, wild, and certainly unorthodox, but you clearly care about Webby. And even if you didn't, I wouldn't let an injured child go unattended. Not in my house."

"Isn't this Scrooge's place?" Lena asked, trying hard not to seem too taken aback by the sincerity in the purple-clad woman's eyes.

"This may be Mr. McDuck's mansion, but it's my house," Beakely stated matter-of-factly. Lena snorted with laughter. Beakely smiled fondly for a second before her face became serious once more. "Lena, I know you probably won't like this, but I must ask what happened to you."

"I figured as much," Lena mumbled. She glanced over to her shadow on the wall. To anyone who hadn't had the sorceress attached to her for as long as Lena had, the shadow remained unmoving. But Lena could see the slight nod of Magica's head.

Later, she would ask why Magica had wanted her to tell Beakley the truth. And in response, Magica would simply say, "you're the one who wanted to play the long game. The more sympathetic she and all those brats are towards you, the easier it'll be to manipulate them."

That, however, was a guilt-wracking problem for future Lena. Present Lena simply sighed and looked the large woman in the eye.

"I don't know if Webby ever told you this, but I kinda made an enemy of Ma Beagle. Her boys didn't really like that, and when they saw me on my way here, they decided to 'avenge their mom' or something like that," Lena explained.

Beakely, who had begun to examine Lena's arms, stilled, halting her movements. Lena glanced away to stare at the floor, not wanting to see the pity that was surely in the older woman's eyes.

"How many?"

"What does it matter-?"

"Answer me," Beakely cut Lena off sternly. Lena looked up and winced at the angry expression she saw. Beakely apparently noticed this and her gaze softened. "I'm not mad at you, just the no-good delinquents who dared hurt a child. And yes, you are a child, teenager or not."

"I...I don't know, it was kinda dark," Lena fibbed. It had been dark in the alley the dim-witted Beagles had caught her in, at least until she used her amulet to light up the area and temporarily blind the boys long enough for the teen to make her escape. Luckily, none of those blundering fools seemed to have known where the light had come from. Which was good because there was no way Lena would ever tell Beakley about the whole 'magical amulet' thing.

Despite knowing nothing about the amulet, Beakely still seemed to know the shadow girl was lying as she stared expectedly at Lena.

"Fine!" Lena groaned. "There was like seven or eight of them. Happy?"

"Happy to see you injured as a result of seven or eight individuals ganging up on you? No, I am not happy," Beakely stood up, having finished taking care of all of Lena's injuries. "But I am glad you told me the truth."

"I don't see what good it'll do you. Nothing you can do about it now," Lena stood up too, though she wobbled a little before steadying herself.

"You'd be surprised," Beakley had replied mysteriously as she opened the bathroom door. "Webby's in her room. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you."

"Alright. Thanks for the help, Tea Time," Lena said as she made her way down the hallway. A few hours passed, and when Lena and Webby came down for dinner, they saw Beakley looking fairly smug in the kitchen.

Lena wasn't sure if she had imagined it, but she could've sworn she saw Beakley wink at her. After that, the Beagle Boys never messed with Lena again. And while she couldn't be one-hundred percent confident, it seemed like Beakley had something to do with it, unknowingly making the teen feel a sense of respect for the housekeeper.

Her newfound respect for Beakley only increased after Webby told her the stories about Agent 22. It wasn't as shocking as it should've been to hear the employee of Scrooge was once a secret agent. Even Lena couldn't deny that made Colonel Crumpet a little cool. But only a little bit.

---

Scrooge didn't seem to be nearly as cool as his employee, at least, not from Magica had told her. For nearly fifteen years, Lena had heard the sorceress go on long, boring tangents about how "horrible" and "treacherous" Scrooge McDuck was. When Lena finally met the older duck, she wasn't sure what to make of him.

He certainly didn't seem evil. And if he was, then he did a great job hiding it. Sure, he was cheap, reckless, greedy, and maybe a little crazy, but not evil.

If he was evil, he wouldn't have smiled when Webby introduced him to Lena.

"Ah, so here's the infamous Lena I've heard so much about. Glad to make your acquaintance lass," Scrooge grinned, sticking a hand out. Lena looked at it, then Scrooge's face, then his hand again before she reluctantly shook it. "I'm not gonna bite, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, I know. But from all the stories Webby's told me, I wouldn't be surprised if your hand was cursed right now," Lena had replied, hoping no one noticed the way her hand shook from nervousness. "And maybe the only way to get rid of it is to pass it on to an unsuspecting teen who made the mistake of shaking your hand."

"If that kind of curse existed, I'm sure Mr- I mean, Uncle Scrooge would've come across it by now," Webby chimed in, earning her an eye roll from her best friend.

"Even if a curse like that existed, I'd never pass it onto a child," Scrooge smirked slightly as he leaned in to whisper. "Mostly because Beakley would make me take it right back."

"Most definitely, sir," Beakley said calmly, startling Scrooge and Lena, though Webby didn't seem the least bit surprised.

"My bad, then. Shoulda had more faith in Tea Time here," Lena crossed her arms. Scrooge blinked before laughing.

"Hah, 'Tea Time'. Why, that's brilliant!" Scrooge winked at Lena before he glanced at Beakley's unamused face. He coughed slightly and glanced at an imaginary watch. "What do you know, it's time for me to go to the bank. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lena!"

And with that, he was gone, leaving Lena conflicted.

Where was the evil monster? The one who had knowingly imprisoned Magica with no remorse? The one who Lena had been raised to fear and hate for thirteen years.

The one that Lena would've had no problem tricking and stealing from?

Whoever that person was, it wasn't the Scrooge McDuck she had met. The one who made Lena wonder if she was doing the right thing in helping Magica get revenge. Not that she would ever voice these thoughts aloud.

Because while she might've felt sorry for the guy, Lena couldn't risk her freedom for him. She consoled herself by saying that if Scrooge ever found out what she was, he'd kick her out without a second glance, becoming the person Magica believed him to be.

Lena just wished she could make herself believe that.

---

Donald was an unexpected factor Lena hadn't prepared for. Or rather, Magica didn't account for him and Lena just tried to ignore the sailor since she couldn't understand him.

Which was hard because she often found herself sitting next to the older duck in the manor while waiting for Webby and the others to get back from whatever wild adventure they were on that time.

Usually, Lena just played on her cell phone to avoid an awkward conversation. But then one day the adventurers were late (again) and Lena's phone had finally died, making it near impossible to not talk to Donald.

'Maybe if I avoid eye contact- dang it, too late,' Lena thought as she accidentally met Donald's eyes. He seemed to take this as a cue to start a conversation.

The thing is, Lena could see his beak move and hear the noises coming out of it, but she still had no idea what he had said.

"Um, come again?" Lena winced inwardly. She ought to have made an excuse to go to the kitchen, or just nod like she understood what he was saying.

Donald opened his mouth, but seemed to think better of it as he sighed sadly, shaking his head and waving Lena off.

For whatever reason, the teen felt guilty, something she had been feeling more and more whenever she hung out with any of the inhabitants of McDuck Manor. So she glanced around until she spotted a notebook and pen on the side table next to the couch she and Donald currently sat on.

"Maybe you could write it down?" Lena suggested shyly as she handed the items to Donald. "I know it's not the same as talking, but maybe it'll help me understand you more?"

The sailor didn't say or do anything for a moment and Lena was just about to brush it off when he began to scribble furiously in the notebook before he handed it to her. His handwriting wasn't great but Lena could still make out what he had written.

'It's alright. Even my family has a hard time understanding me. I was asking how school was.'

"Oh...well, I'm homeschooled. Kinda like Webby and the boys," Lena lied. The only times she had ever gone to school was when CPS had gotten a hold of her, and with no evidence of her existence, they'd sent her to boarding schools Lena purposefully got expelled from. But the duck beside her didn't need to know that.

'Ah. I like it bc the kids get more individual attention than they did in public school.'

"Yeah, way better than being crammed in a room with twenty-something kids with a teacher who couldn't care less about her students," Lena replied. "Guess it makes it easier for them to go on adventures if they aren't in school for 8 hours a day."

'The only downside to homeschooling.' Donald rolled his eyes, but his grin showed he was only kidding.

"I honestly don't why they're all so eager to go," Lena admitted. Webby would tell her the stories of their adventures and all Lena could ever think about was how dangerous it sounded. Especially when magic was involved.

'McDuck blood runs in the boys' veins. And you know who Webby's grandmother is,' Donald wrote. Lena chuckled a little at that before Donald continued writing. 'You don't ever go with them. Not one for adventuring?'

"I like being where it's safe," Lena looked at the door, half-hoping Webby would come barrelling through to end the conversation. "The world's a crazy and dangerous place. Heck, half of their adventures happen here. I'm lucky that I somehow manage to avoid most of them."

Donald frowned slightly, and he took a little longer to write his response, eyes focused on the paper. 'Sounds like you go on some difficult adventures of your own. Is that why you come here so much?'

"I…" Lena didn't have a good response to that. And Magica was being quiet for once in her life as Lena fished for something a normal, non-spy would say. "I'm sure Tea Time already warned you about me. I get into trouble sometimes. At least here I know what to expect."

'Beakley didn't tell me anything,' Donald noticed the doubtful expression on Lena's face and spoke aloud. "I promise."

"Hey, I actually knew what you said!" Lena exclaimed. Luckily, that seemed to divert the conversation as Donald spoke some more, Lena listening carefully.

Over time, Lena finally caught on to what Donald was saying. Well, sometimes it was still hard to decipher the duck's words but with some context, Lena could usually figure it out. It made those long periods of time where she had to wait for Webby bearable.

Sometimes, Lena even wished the adventurers actually took longer to get home. 'Cause once they did arrive, Donald went straight into parent-mode and their conversation was always put on hold until next time.

"No way! You actually worked for that Glomgold guy?" Lena asked one time. Donald smiled sheepishly and nodded. "That's crazy. Didn't he try to kill your uncle? Like, a lot?"

"It's not like I knew!" Donald said defensively. "My uncle has so many enemies, it's hard to keep track of them all."

"Okay, I'll give you that. This family has more enemies than I could ever count," Lena laughed. Donald opened his beak to reply when the front doors swung open.

"Lena!" Webby yelled as she spotted Lena. Despite wincing every time she put weight on her right leg, she speed-walked over to the couch to hug Lena. Lena hugged back awkwardly and watched Donald get up to fuss over the boys. "You didn't have to wait for me."

"Yeah, I know. Didn't have anything better to do," Lena said, only half-listening to the younger girl.

"Uncle Donald, it's just a cut," Dewey whined as Donald bent down with a first-aid kit he always kept near the front door. Donald got out Neosporin and bandages while gesturing for Huey and Louie to sit and wait for their turn.

"Yeah, we're fine," Huey insisted. "Tell him, Uncle Scrooge!"

Scrooge rolled his eyes fondly yet shook his head. "Sorry, lad. I lost this fight ages ago. You'll have to wait and suffer."

"My bad for taking care of my kids. Speaking of which," Donald turned as Webby, who had gotten comfortable on the couch. "Webby, don't think I didn't see that wince when you walked. Once I'm done with the boys, it's your turn."

"Okay, Uncle Donald," Webby sighed, though she didn't seem as annoyed as the boys were. Lena stared at Webby expectedly. "What?"

"Uncle Donald?" Lena smiled teasingly. Webby flushed slightly.

"He said I could call him that," Webby said quietly, a small smile on her face. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing much," Lena glanced at Donald, who turned to wink at her before he turned his attention to Louie.

Seeing the way he took care of his nephews, hearing him call Webby one of his kids, it made Lena want to be taken care of like that. She wondered if she ever got injured whether or not he'd fix her up like the others, with a hug and kiss when he was done.

And while that never happened, she treasured the conversations she had with Donald. He was a little clumsy and had ridiculously terrible luck, but he cared so much for the kids in the house and worked to protect and love them every day. Even Webby, who wasn't blood. Lena found she actually respected the guy.

He also made Lena super happy every time they spoke one-on-one, even though Magica would go on a tangent afterward about how Lena was wasting time talking to Donald, as he was a "gibberish-spouting buffoon" who played zero part in Magica's grand plan.

Not that Lena cared about what Magica had to say. If she was going to listen to any adult, it was more likely to be Donald than it was to be the shadow/aunt that Lena held no respect for.

---

"What was so important you dragged me out of bed in the middle of a sleepover you wanted me to go?" Lena rubbed her eyes groggily as Magica paced on the bathroom wall.

"Oh shut up, will you? I'm trying to think," Magica snarked as she glared at the duck, who just sighed impatiently. "The eclipse is coming and we are no closer to getting the dime than when we started."

"Excuse you, I am literally in his house. What more do you want from me?" Lena huffed. Magica rolled her eyes.

"For you to actually succeed. You've let that girl and this horrid family distract you from getting the dime time and time again. Not to mention what happened to poor Tiffany," Magica seemed genuinely distraught by what had happened to the magical shark. Lena, however, couldn't care less.

"Whatever. We'll get it when we get it," Lena shrugged as she turned to open the bathroom door, fully intending to go back to Webby's room and try to get some sleep.

"You ungrateful brat! I'll teach you to try to walk away from me!" Magica screamed, and if anyone besides Lena could hear what the shadow said, Lena was positive the houseful would've been up and running towards the sound.

The sorceress mimed closing her hands around Lena's throat, just like she'd done a dozen times, yet like always, she wouldn't actually be able to hurt the girl.

Or at least, that's what Lena thought would happen.

Lena's hands raised by themselves and attempted to strangle herself just like Magica had tried to do. The ancient shadow stopped when she realized what had happened.

Magica seemed shocked, as if she hadn't known she was able to do that. And considering she'd never done something like that before, she probably hadn't known. All Magica had ever done was keep Lena in place, making it impossible for the teen to walk around from the shadow.

That was clearly no longer the case.

Lena looked in horror as her 'aunt' smiled wickedly and raised her hand, causing Lena to do the same before slapping herself.

"Aunt Magica, please," Lena hated the thought of begging, but if it was between degrading herself or having Magica force Lena to hurt herself, she knew what option she'd choose.

However, it seemed like that decision wasn't up to Lena, at least not anymore.

"Oh, dear, stupid, sarcastic Lena...It's time for you to finally get the punishment you deserve," Magica practically growled as she loomed over Lena ominously. "This changes everything."

---

Indeed it did. That little revelation led to a world of pain for Lena. Whenever she screwed up or was a little too opinionated, Magica would take control of the shadow girl.

She couldn't control all of Lena like she wanted to, but she could now possess an arm or leg, apparently. Lena figured it was one of two reasons. Magica's power-boost was either because of the incoming of the eclipse or because of the increased time Lena (and consequently Magica) spent near Scrooge's lucky dime. Or it was both of those things.

Lena found she didn't really care about the why or how, instead focusing on how to make it stop. Unfortunately, Lena's magic came from Magica in the form of an amulet. So Lena found herself incapable of attempting to hurt or restrain the shadow.

Which left her vulnerable to each and every form of 'punishment' Magica used against the shadow girl.

And boy did that leave a lot of injuries. Evidence of Magica's temper littered Lena's body. While her long and baggy sweater hid most of the proof, her legs, neck, and face were still exposed.

So Lena got her hands on cheap makeup. A black eye? Some purple or black eyeshadow took care of that. Bruises and/or scars? Heavy concealer was always the answer. Something on her beak or legs? Either orange paint or eyeshadow. Burns were a little harder since it hurt to touch it, let alone apply makeup to it. But Lena would just grit her teeth and ignore the pain.

Webby may have been trained by a former secret agent and had eyes sharper than a hawk, her guard was almost always down around Lena, making it easier to hide her injuries.

Beakley never looked too closely, nor did any of the other adults.

Two of the triplets seemed oblivious as well. Dewey didn't really seem to notice anything simply because he never seemed to be able to focus on any one thing for too long. And while Huey was more observant, he was almost always busy with

Louie, however, seemed to know something was up. He was the one who paid attention to his surroundings more than his siblings, and Lena knew that. As a result, she tried to avoid being in the youngest triplet's presence.

Especially after a particularly brutal beating where Magica had made Lena use a candle to burn herself. Most of the burns were on her arms, but Magica had given her one on the base of her neck along with the spot right under Lena's left leg.

Like with his uncle, though, Lena found herself doing a terrible job keeping clear of Louie as she found herself alone in the kitchen with him. Webby had been working on some school stuff Beakley had given her so Lena had wandered around the mansion before deciding to grab a snack.

Apparently, Louie had the same idea as he grabbed a six-pack of Pep from the fridge and a bag of chips from the pantry.

"Sup, Greenie?" Lena asked, trying to sound as aloof as possible. Louie shrugged as he leaned against one of the kitchen's counters. "You guys got anything good?"

"Meh," Louie took one of the Pep cans and handed it to her. "Beakley hasn't gone to the store yet. Limited supply of Pep left."

"And you're giving one to me? Such an honor," Lena said sarcastically, but with no malice in her tone.

"Eh, what can I say? I'm a charitable guy," Louie smirked playfully.

"Like with that charity you work with, Louie's Kids?" Lena shot back. His eyes widened in shock as Lena snickered. "Dewey told Webs and she told me. Brilliant idea, in my opinion."

"Right? That's what I said."

"Gotta say, you're really good at seeing all the angles," Lena sat down on a barstool, Louie following suit on the stool across from her.

"Uncle Scrooge said that too. I'm just that great," Louie bragged.

"Sure you are," Lena scoffed. Louie narrowed his eyes and playfully kicked her left leg. Lena hissed in pain as she pulled her leg up to her chest, gripping it tightly.

Louie was on his feet in an instant, pulling Lena's hand away so he could look at her leg. Lena inwardly cursed as she noticed she'd accidentally smudged the paint that covered her burn.

The youngest Duck boy rubbed away the paint, either not noticing or ignoring the pained noises coming from the teen (or he was simply trying to figure out what was wrong). He inhaled sharply upon seeing the large burn.

"What. Is. This?"

"Nunya," Lena tried to figure out a way to get out of this mess

"Nunya? Like, nunya business? What are you, 5?" Louie deadpanned as he grabbed Lena's hand and pulled her surprisingly gently off of the bar stool. "Come on, we're getting Beakley."

"Please don't," Lena pleaded. "If we have to, let's get that nerdy brother of yours. Just...no adults, okay?"

Though the disapproval on his face was apparent, Louie just huffed and headed for his shared bedroom. Louie swung open the door to reveal Dewey reading a comic book upside down from his bunk while Huey sewed some new badge onto his Junior Woodchuck sash.

Neither of them glanced up to see Louie and Lena, and didn't pay them any mind until Louie spoke.

"Lena's hurt. Pretty bad. She needs help."

Those words got Dewey and Huey to drop what they were doing and follow Louie, who refused to let go of Lena's hand while walking into the direction of the bathroom.

"Sit," Louie ordered. Lena looked at the three individuals and did as she was told, only because she knew she was out-numbered. "Hue, see if you can tell what kind of burns these are and whether they're in that book of yours."

"What happened?" Dewey asked as Huey began to examine Lena's injuries.

"I accidentally burned myself."

"On your leg and your neck?" Louie asked in disbelief. Lena groaned. "Who did it?"

"Nobody did it!" Lena shouted. Nobody spoke for a few minutes, until Huey finished looking at Lena's leg and neck.

"Okay, these look like second-degree burns," Huey stated. "My guidebook should have something about how to treat them."

'You don't deserve their help,' The voice in Lena's head said as Huey flipped through his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. 'You're not even real. Why should anyone care about a shadow?'

"Why are you guys doing this?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Huey asked as he apparently found the page he was looking for and began to dig through the first-aid kit.

'Because no one else would have! Not Magica, not any adult or kid I've ever met! But you three and Webby and everyone else in this ridiculous family treata me differently than everyone else and I don't know why!' Lena wanted to scream. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and hoped that someone would actually answer her question.

"We did it because we're not jerks," Louie finally answered. Lena looked at him, expecting the green-clad duck to look nonchalant about the whole thing. Instead, he wore a serious expression on his face, with a sad look in his eyes.

"Never said you were, Greenbean," Lena glanced away, unable to look him in the eye for another second. Huey sighed softly as he squirted some antibiotic ointment onto Lena's leg while Dewey put some on her cheek.

"I know you won't tell us who did this, and I'm sure you have your reasons, but...we're here for you. So is Webby. If she knew-" Lena cut Huey off, frantically shaking her head.

"No! You guys can't tell her!"

"And why not?" Louie asked sharply. Lena bit her lip, wondering what she should say. He sighed slightly. Everyone in the household seemed to do that a lot around Lena. "We won't if you don't want us to. But I still think you should."

"Maybe...but not now," Lena's voice was barely above a whisper. "She's too...good. She shouldn't have to worry about me, and she shouldn't have to know how awful the world can be."

"She'll find out eventually. Like we did," Dewey stated. Lena couldn't bring herself to say anything, just nodded her head in agreement as Huey stood up.

"Louie, put gauze around her leg. Duey, get a bandage for her face," Huey ordered. He turned to look at Lena and his gaze visibility softened. "Dewey's right. But we'll let you be the one to tell her. Only when you're ready though."

"Thank you," Lena's throat was raw with emotions and it took every ounce of self-control not to burst into tears in front of the triplets.

"Of course," Louie bent down and gently wrapped the gauze bandaging around her leg. "Louie Inc. can't possibly let one of their main supporters get injured."

Lena laughed, missing the boys' relieved smiles. After her burns had been taken care of, Lena and the boys exited the bathroom in single file. She glanced at her shadow for a second before gazing back at the boys.

"You guys wanna play video games or something?"

"Only if you're prepared to lose!" Dewey shouted as he headed to the den. Huey rolled his eyes at his brother's enthusiasm but also ran with him. Louie and Lena lagged behind a bit.

"Whenever you're ready, we'll listen too. Just letting you know."

"You guys are such dorks. It's not a big deal. But...good to know."

When Lena and Webby were in the Other Bin, and Magica possessed Lena's body, the shadow girl couldn't help but think about the kindness the boys had shown her that day. How Huey, Dewey, and Louie had helped her, despite all the bad things she had ever said to them. Despite the fact that she was Webby's friend, not theirs.

Although, if they weren't friends, then why would they help her? If Lena had control of her body, she would've cried when she realized that they were her friends, even if she hadn't known it. They cared about her. Webby cared. Launchpad. Donald. Heck, even Scrooge seemed to care.

And...maybe even Beakley. Even after what happened in the subway tunnels. Each and every person who lived in McDuck Manor cared enough to try and help a broken teenager who was working for their worst enemy.

Their worst enemy, who now had complete control of Lena's body.

'No! Please, help me! Just one more time, please!' Lena had thought helplessly, begging someone, anyone to hear her, as her aunt followed behind Webby and Scrooge out of the Other Bin. But it was all for naught, as Magica was the one in charge now. All Lena could do was hope and pray that help arrived, somehow.

---

Help did not come. Not until it was too late. Not until Scrooge finally knew the truth and struck a deal with Lena, only for her to be sucked into Magica's shadow.

Lena was only able to come out once, when she rescued Webby. Even after Magica's powers were gone, Webby's friendship bracelet managed to keep Lena connected to the young girl. Dewey had been right; Lena would always be with her.

Though she didn't have a choice, Lena didn't mind. Sure, this wasn't quite the freedom she had pictured, but she'd rather be dragged along by Webby as a silent spectator than be a puppet/slave controlled by Magica.

Then again, she was pretty sure any sane person would make the same choice as Lena had done.

The only downside was that Lena had a front-row seat to her dear friend's grief.

Webby was a wreck for weeks. She hardly ate anything, cried herself to sleep every night, and constantly talked to her friendship bracelet as if it was Lena.

Which it kind of was, but Webby didn't know that.

"Lena, I'm so sorry I doubted you. You really were my best friend," Webby said the night following Lena's sacrifice. "I promise I'll never give up on you. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I'll find you."

'Oh, Pink. Please don't do that to yourself,' Lena thought to herself sadly. She didn't deserve to be saved, even if there was a way to bring Lena back from the Shadow Realm.

Even if Webby could communicate with Lena, the teen knew there was nothing that would deter her ambitious friend from her quest. And Webby's daily visits to the library for "some casual research on shadow magic" so she could try and bring Lena back from was proof enough.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie didn't seem to have any hope of bringing Lena back, but that doesn't mean they took the news of her 'death' very well.

Lena could still remember the night she had strayed from Webby's side, similar to what Magica used to do, so she could hear the conversation taking place in the kitchen long after the boys should have been asleep.

They'd gathered Scrooge, Donald, Beakley, Duckworth, and even Launchpad to discuss what exactly they had found out about Lena's connection to magic when looking for the girl during the Shadow War, to catch everybody up.

"She was a spy," Beakley said, with no emotion in her voice. Lena winced, knowing how disappointed/angry she must have felt.

"Not by choice, Bentina," Scrooge stated firmly, eyes daring the housekeeper to interrupt him. When met with no resistance, he continued. "From what the boys have said, as well as Webbigail, Lena clearly didn't have a say in the matter. She was bound to Magica, who promised to free her if she did Magica's bidding. Not to mention the fact that she was a child. I admit though, I was angry when I first realized the truth as well."

"What changed your mind?" Dewey asked hesitantly. Scrooge smiled sadly as he looked down at his Number One Dime.

"She told me somethin', before Magica trapped Lena in her shadow. She said something about her family being good for nothin', and talked about how great our own family is," Scrooge spoke softly. "And how she wished she had our family. I just wish we could've given her that, at the very least. "

"Poor girl," Donald mumbled. Lena was surprised to see tears welling up in his eyes.

"I...I don't know how to feel. She kinda felt like she was already family. Then we find out she betrayed us…" Louie trailed off. Huey clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, but she saved Webby. Dewey too. Even though she didn't have to," Huey added. He seemed the least shaken up, but Lena figured it was probably because he wanted to look strong for his younger brothers.

"It was super sad though," Dewey admitted quietly. Lena noticed how he wouldn't meet the eyes of anyone else in the room, more withdrawn than she'd ever seen him. "She came back for like five seconds, and called Magica her aunt. But Magica said that she wasn't family, that she was nothing."

"Well, they were wrong," Launchpad lifted up the middle triplet and placed the boy on his shoulder. "Lena was a great person, shadow or not. Definitely not nothing."

"Indeed. I didn't know her as well as the rest of you, but she was here. She helped out every now and again," Duckworth, who had stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation, said. "A nice enough girl, in my opinion."

"Little too sarcastic for my liking, but for once, I agree with you, Duckworth," Beakley sighed, a frown on her face. "I should have noticed."

"She was a clever lass who was good at hiding things," Scrooge said, though he didn't seem very sure of himself. Then a thought seemed to occur to him as he stared down at the boys. "By the way, when did you find this out?"

Huey and Dewey looked sheepishly at one another before Louie took the task of explaining how they had all gone looking for Lena. And how they'd found her journal underneath the ampitheater.

"She was homeless?!" Launchpad exclaimed. Beakley shushed him, though seemed quite distraught at the news. Lena wasn't sure what to make of the regretful glances all the adults in the room shared.

"It's been a long day, boys. Why don't ya head to bed?" Donald waited until the boys were out of earshot to bang the table. "Why didn't we see it?"

"We were blind, laddie."

Lena decided she didn't want to hear whatever else the grownups were going to talk about as she made her way back to Webby. On the way, however, she couldn't help but look in the boys' bedroom to check in on them.

If she'd been in her physical body, she'd never have let them know she was concerned about how they might be feeling. But as a shadow no one could see, it made it a little easier to care without worrying about what people thought.

She heard hushed voices coming from the bottom bunk, with three boys hidden under the covers.

"She was practically homeless! And you called her a mooch!" A voice that sounded suspiciously Dewey whispered.

"I didn't know!" Another voice shot back, one Lena was 1000% sure was Louie's. "I...I didn't know."

"We know you didn't," A third voice chimed in, one that was definitely Huey. "None of us did. It's not your fault. How could you have known?"

"Launchpad never got an address from her. We never saw or heard about her parents," Dewey argued.

"Yes, but that's because she didn't want us to. She knew how to cover stuff up," Huey shot replied. "Not that it's her fault. If anyone is to blame, it's Magica."

"I hope she gets what's coming for her," Louie grumbled. "I mean, taking out someone she created? Even I'm not that evil."

"If I ever see her again, I'm punching her three times."

"Why three, Dew?"

"Once for Lena. Again for Webby, for breaking her heart. And once more for trapping Uncle Scrooge and trying to split up our family. Again."

Lena stood perfectly still. Dewey wanted to hit Magica, Huey didn't blame her, and Louie actually felt bad! And all because of her. Lena couldn't believe it.

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but I really wish she was here right now," Louie sounded like he was close to tears.

"We all do, Lou-Lou." Huey reassured his younger brother.

"I'm right here!" Lena cried out. But, of course, no one heard her. Dejectedly, she went back to Webby, crying alongside her best friend until she couldn't cry anymore.

'I hope one day you guys can all move on and forget me.'

---

Thank goodness no one actually did that or else Lena wouldn't have been able to return with Webby and Violet's help.

The first one to find out she was back was Launchpad, who seemed a little too preoccupied to actually realize what seeing Lena meant. After Lena and Violet pranked Webby, they all went back to Webby's room to hang out. The young Vanderquack held onto Lena's arm, as if she was worried she'd blink and suddenly Lena would disappear.

And Lena didn't have the heart to pull away from her friend's strong grip.

"I don't think Launchpad really realized what was going on, so that means we have plenty of time to figure out how to tell everyone you're back!" Webby squealed excitedly.

Violet got out her notebook, pencil at the ready. "That's true. You're to be re-introduced to society, aka all those who live here."

"Yep! You get to be reunited with everybody…-oh wait," Webby frowned slightly. "A lot happened that you don't know, so we'll have to catch you up first."

"No need, Pink. I already know everything that's happened in this place while I was gone. I was by your side for the last six months, remember?" Lena asked. Webby's eyes watered as she nodded her head rapidly.

"Oh, yeah. You were here. You were really here," Webby smiled fondly as she hugged Lena (again). "I'm so happy."

"Me too, Webs," Lena looked at the younger duck fondly before her eyes darted up to meet Violet's, who seemed pretty happy too. Even if she didn't quite know what was going on. "But, um, are you sure everyone will be happy to see me?"

"Are you kidding?!" Lena had to lean away as Webby practically shouted in her ear. "Of course they will! Everyone's missed you so much!"

"If you're sure…" Lena trailed off hesitantly. She knew the boys would be happy, and Launchpad certainly seemed glad to see her...but what about the others? Sure, they felt bad for her, but Beakley wasn't Lena's biggest fan before news of her betrayal came out. And Scrooge...well, who knew whether or not he had really meant it when he promised Lena that she could be a part of his family.

"I am," Webby stated firmly. "Now, how are we gonna do this?"

"If I might be so bold, I may have an idea," Violet glanced at the closed door before waving Lena and Webby closer. "Here's what I was thinking…"

The following morning, Violet had to leave early since her dads' wanted to have breakfast with her. So after seeing Violet off, Webby whispered to her shadow that looked suspiciously like Lena.

"Britannia, this is Englabeth. Do you copy?"

"Why yes, Englabeth, I do," Lena whispered back, despite the fact that only Webby could hear her. While her pink-bowed hadn't loved the idea of Lena attaching herself to Webby's shadow again, she was overjoyed to find out Lena could do it without having to worry about getting stuck in the Shadow Realm again. Apparently, a shadow gaining freedom allowed her...well, the freedom to go in and out of the realm as she pleased.

"The Hummingbird just left. Time to initiate Operation Reunion," Webby smiled as she began to make her way to the dining room, attempting to look inconspicuous. "Phase 1 is about to commence."

"Copy that, Englabeth. This is Britannia, signing off."

Webby marched into the dining room, thrilled to see that Scrooge and Launchpad hadn't left for work yet, and that Donald was eating in the mansion rather than his houseboat. The boys were in their seats, waiting for Beakley, who finally made her way into the kitchen.

As Webby sat down, she cleared her throat. No one spared her a second glance other than Beakley, who gazed at her granddaughter as she passed around the plates of food.

So Webby cleared her throat again, louder this time. Donald and Huey looked up at her, the latter nudging both of his brothers to look at Webby. Launchpad only paid attention to Webby when

"Sir, I believe Miss Vanderquack has something to tell all of us," Duckworth stated as he phased through the wall. Scrooge put down his newspaper and turned his gaze to Webby.

"Thank you, Duckworth," Webby pushed back her chair and stood up as she held up a flashlight. "I have something that I think you guys will find very interesting."

With the way Webby angled the flashlight on the table, the wall behind her lit up, showing her shadow.

Lena took that as her cue to will herself to change the shape of Webby's shadow, showing the outline of Lena, glowing blue.

Donald dropped his mug, spilling his coffee on the floor. Neither Duckworth nor Beakley seemed to notice the mess, gaping at the wall. Huey frantically flipped through his guidebook, most likely to try and find an answer to how it was possible while Dewey and Louie got out their phones to film/take photos of Lena.

"Curse me kilts, is that who I think it is?" Scrooge asked after a moment of silence. Webby nodded her head eagerly.

"After Magica, well, you know, Lena got attached to my friendship bracelet. She's been my shadow this entire time!" Webby said excitedly.

"How on Earth did you find this out?" Beakley asked as she walked up to the wall, putting her hand out. Lena waved, startling the housekeeper. "Well, hello, dear."

"Can she hear us?" Dewey asked. At Webby's nod, he laughed as he ran over to Lena, followed by his brothers. "Hi, Lena!"

Lena smiled and waved again.

"Violet found Magica's amulet, and we ended up summoning Lena from the Shadow Realm," Webby (briefly) explained. Launchpad looked at all the surprised ducks (and ghosts) in confusion.

"Wait, you guys didn't know she was back? I saw her yesterday."

"You saw her and didn't tell us?!" Scrooge turned around to wave his cane at his driver/pilot. "For good grief, why didn't ya say somethin'?"

"Because she seemed fine. Wasn't even a shadow then, Nice to see ya again, though," Launchpad waved at Lena then shrugged as he returned to eating his breakfast. Donald stared dumbfounded before he trotted over to the wall like his nephews had done.

"You mean you can come out?" Donald asked. Lena nodded her head then turned to look at Webby. Webby nodded enthusiastically, bouncing on her feet.

Lena closed her eyes, thrusting out her hand as blue energy swirled around both her and Webby before poof, she was standing in her physical form in front of everyone. She smiled awkwardly. "What's up?"

"She's back!" Webby yelled, laughing as she threw herself at Lena, hugging the older teen. Lena stumbled back a bit until she was supported by the wall as she laughed.

"Pink, you already knew that. This was supposed to be a reunion with everyone else," Lena rolled her eyes as Webby said 'I don't care!' and continued to hug her. Lena glanced up and was caught off guard by the tears in the triplets' eyes, along with the downright bawling Donald. Beakley looked awful close, and even Scrooge seemed to be pretty emotional. Lena wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Webby, it's our turn! You clearly got to hug her already!" Huey pushed Webby aside (gently) and hugged Lena tightly, followed by Dewey and Louie. "We missed you!"

"I missed you twerps too," Lena admitted with a fond smile. Soon, she found herself in the arms of Donald, who was babbling too quickly for Lena to understand anything as he cried and held her close. "Hey, Donald. Good to see ya too."

He wiped the tears away as he pulled back, smiling at Lena. "Good to see ya too, kiddo."

Like always, their conversation was interrupted, though this time it was by Beakley bringing Lena into a crushing embrace that could rival her granddaughters'.

"Need to breathe, Tea Time," Lena gasped as she attempted to hug the older woman back. Beakley let go after a few seconds, examining Lena from head to toe. "I'm fine. Really."

"Just to be safe, we ought to give you a proper examination. And find out how exactly you came back."

"Power of friendship or something like that. I dunno, magic is weird sometimes," Lena replied.

"Magic usually brings nothing but trouble. I'm glad to see there's an exception to the rule," Scrooge stated. Lena looked up at the multi-billionaire. She hadn't been sure how he'd react (or anyone, really) but she sure didn't expect him to tug her into yet another hug, whispering how relieved he was to see her. "I'm a man of my word. If you want it, this family is yours."

"I'd like that," Lena finally broke down and began to cry, unable to keep the tears back. For the first time since being created, Lena felt like she was home. And nothing could take that away.

AN: So I know technically The Golden Spear was released before Friendship Hates Magic BUT Della isn't mentioned at all and I really think that the timeline has Lena returning before Donald leaves on a cruise and Della returns to Earth. Plus this is already AU with Lena living with the McDuck-Duck clan instead of with Violet so...yeah, I ain't changing this.

---

Or so she hoped after being dragged into a random room because she may or may not have stolen a black sweater at the mall. Officer Cabrera had taken pity on her for whatever reason though, so Lena had been dropped off at McDuck Manor to be lectured by Beakley and Scrooge.

"What on earth were you thinking?"

The girl in the striped sweater (not the one she stole) shrugged from her spot on the couch.

"I mean, honestly, Lena. Why would you steal something?" Beakley asked exasperatedly. "Was it to impress someone? Get attention? What?"

Lena stayed quiet. If there was one thing she knew from her time spent with Magica, it was that keeping quiet was her best bet. Talking just got her into more trouble, and made the punishment that much worse. If she simply waited it out, then Lena would get hit and be sent to her room or something.

Though...Lena wasn't entirely sure if Beakley or Scrooge would hit her. She'd never seen them do that to any of the other kids, though that didn't mean it hadn't happened. As she pondered this, Lena gazed at Scrooge, who had yet to say anything. She could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. He kept pacing while Beakley told Lena off.

"Well? Don't you have anything to say?"

When Lena didn't say anything, Scrooge banged his hand on his desk loudly. Lena leaned back against her seat, startled. The Scottish duck turned to glare at her as he spoke.

"Answer her, Lena. What were you expecting to get from this? Other than a harsh punishment, of course."

There was that word. The dreaded word Lena had come to hate. Punishment. Whether or not Scrooge meant the same type of punishment as Magica, Lena wasn't sure. All she knew was that she was tired of waiting to find out.

"Look, I get it. I screwed up. Skip the lecture and get on with the punishment already. Magica never took this long when it came to hitting."

Dead silence.

Lena clasped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd said. Her eyes darted nervously around the room, not missing the shocked expressions on both of the adults' faces. Nor did Lena miss the hurt look in their eyes. Especially Beakley's.

"I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset-" Lena was cut off by Mrs. Beakley holding her tightly.

"No, Lena. Don't apologize," Mrs. Beakley's voice was soft, so incredibly soft, yet so full of emotions that Lena couldn't figure out. "Yes, you shouldn't have stolen anything and you will have to be disciplined, but not like that. Never like that."

"We ought to have been more clear about how this family works, lass," Scrooge said, his voice also low and quiet. "When we punish one of you young ones, that usually just means being grounded or somethin' like that."

"I don't get it," Lena murmured into Beakley's shoulder. "Why not? I'm a handful."

"You could be the worst-behaved child in the world and it still wouldn't be okay. If Magica did that, then she's more of a monster than I realized," Beakley pulled away a bit to look Lena in the eyes. "I honestly didn't think she was able to physically hurt you as a shadow."

"She couldn't do it herself," Lena realized her eyes were watery and she used her sleeve to wipe her eyes. "When we got close to Mr. McDuck's dime, it kinda gave her a power boost or something. She found out she could control my body a little bit at a time. Long enough to….to make me….she never did it, technically but..."

Lena choked up, unable to get the words out. She hoped the looks Beakley and Scrooge shared meant they had understood what Lena meant without her having to actually say it.

"I know you guys can't do that 'cause I'm free now," Lena whispered, unable to look at either of the adults. "I've never seen it happen to Pink or boys but I wasn't sure. Does...does Donald…?"

"No, lass. None of us do. Not me, not Beakley, Donald, Della, Launchpad, none of us. That's….that's not okay," Scrooge knelt down beside Beakley, placing a hand on Lena's shoulder. "If anyone, and I mean anyone, does that, you tell us and we'll take care of it. Alright?"

"Alright," Lena replied as she leaned into the rich duck slightly, who wrapped his arms around her without question. After a moment or two of consideration, she decided to finally answer Beakley's question from earlier. "Do you really wanna know why I stole the shirt?"

"I'll admit I'm a tad curious," Scrooge admitted, though it seemed like Lena's theft was the furthest thing from his mind.

"I thought you'd be mad if I asked for something. I mean, you gave me so much already. A house, food, freedom. Why bother you guys if I want a new sweater because my old one's got holes in it."

Scrooge sighed, though he didn't seem to be angry. "We're your family now. I'm your guardian for Pete's sake. If you need somethin', ask. Like new clothes, or something for your education, or more food because, despite Beakley's fine cooking, you're still thin as a twig."

"So if I need new shoes, I can just ask and get new ones?"

"Yes."

"And new journals for Beakley's school lessons?"

"Of course."

"What about a TV for my room?"

"Don't push it," Scrooge said. Lena laughed at that, feeling like she'd had this weight lifted off of her shoulders. "Look, we'll discuss this some more after dinner. For now though, just go run off and play. Be the child that you are."

"Teenager," Lena shot back, smiling as she walked out of the room. Beakley and Scrooge watched her fade from sight before they looked at one another with grim expressions on their faces. Apparently, they had some things they needed to discuss.

Like whether therapy would help Lena understand just how loved she was, and how she deserved to be treated far better than Magica had led the young teen to believe.

---

Lena wasn't sure why she felt so compelled to tell the triplets about what Magica had done. No, that wasn't quite true. She knew why.

Because of that fateful day when she'd been burned by Magica and they had respected her request not to tell Webby about her mysterious injuries. Injuries that Lena knew they were probably still curious about.

'You can do this. It's just the three dorks. It'll be fine,' Lena thought to herself as she raised her hand to knock on the boys' door.

"Come in!" Huey called through said door. She saw him leaning against bed posts with his guidebook in hand, staring at her curiously. Louie was on his bunk with his laptop, and Dewey was on the beanbag, scrolling down his phone. "Since when do you knock?"

"Since I had something I wanna say, nerd," Lena ignored the eldest triplet's eye roll and continued on. "To all of you, actually."

"What is it?" Dewey asked, eyes never leaving his phone.

"Um, well, I thought maybe…" Lena took a deep breath. As hard as it had been to open up to Beakley and Scrooge, it was even harder to talk to the guys because they knew the kind of damage Magica had inflicted. "Maybe you guys wanted to know how I got burnt, that one time when I asked you not to tell any adults. "

Louie slammed the laptop closed as he turned his eyes to her, startling Lena. Dewey shut off his phone and looked up at her while Huey gestured for her to continue.

"Okay, so this is, er, I don't know how to say it, really," Lena admitted as she sat down, leaning against the wall. "It was because of Magica."

"Did you...were you the one who did it?" Dewey asked, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to leave the room immediately and pretend she didn't want/need to have this conversation.

"Yes, but not the way you think."

"What do you mean? How is it not the way we think?" Huey's voice rose, looking like he was on the brink of hysteria. Lena winced. She probably could have worded that a little better.

"Because she made me do it," Lena rolled up the sleeves of her (new) sweater to reveal faded bruises and scars that littered her arms. "Kind of like how she possessed me when Webby and I were in the Other Bin. But she could only possess my arms, and only one at a time. So she...she made me hurt myself to punish me."

"That explains so much," Louie broke the awkward silence that had befallen the ducks as he stared at Lena's arms. "I always thought it was kinda weird you'd gotten hurt. I mean, you and Webby did take on the Beagle Boys. You know your fair share of self-defense too."

"Can't defend myself against me," Lena joked weakly. She glanced at Huey, who'd gotten up to get a closer look at Lena's injuries. "Beakley looked at these earlier. Said most of the injuries would heal with time."

"Physical or mental?" Huey asked, not missing a beat. Lena shrugged, not wanting to get into that particular subject. "These look awful. How...how'd you manage to hide all of them?"

"Her sweater. Duh," Dewey snarked. Lena glanced up to see him glaring angrily. "Add in some paint and makeup, and bam! More secrets hidden in plain sight."

"Look, I get why you'd be mad. I didn't tell you, or Webby, or anyone. But I'm telling you now," Lena sighed softly. She knew there was a chance they wouldn't take the news well, and now she'd have to learn to live with the consequences. "Guess it's a little too late though."

Dewey huffed before she headed over to Lena, followed by Louie, and the blue-clad duck patted Lena's shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm not mad at you. I just...I just wish we'd told someone. Or noticed your pain or how you never gave LP an address or...or something!" Dewey exclaimed exasperated. Lena chuckled slightly as she smiled.

"I wish I'd done things differently too. I'm sure everyone in this house does as well, but you gotta quit torturing yourself like this," Lena wasn't great at reassurance but gosh darn it, she would not make anyone cry today unless it was her. "We can think of the 'what ifs' or we can focus on the now."

"Since when did you become wise?" Louie teased gently. Lena scoffed then smirked at the triplets.

"Since I defeated Magica de Spell, spent a lot of time reflecting in the Shadow Realm, and since I got to be older than all of you. So listen to the wise words of Lena de Strange."

"Lena McDuck, you mean," Huey corrected with a grin. Lena groaned as she remembered the teeny-tiny detail she kept forgetting.

"Do not tell Scrooge I forgot about the name change or else I'm dragging all of you into the Shadow Realm," Lena warned. The boys laughed, and any tension in the air was gone. "Why don't we find Pink and play that dumb video game you guys like?"

"Are you gonna tell her?" Huey asked pensively. Lena paused for a second before nodding her head.

"Yeah. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning," Lena vowed. 'At least I don't have to worry about telling anyone else about this today.'

Little did she know that a certain sailor had been listening in to the conversation and charged down into the kitchen to have a long discussion with Scrooge and Beakley, one that may or may not have ended with said sailor in tears over the whole situation.

But that's a story for another time.

---

"Magica used to make me hit myself."

Lena really should've been a bit more tactful when telling Webby. Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, she just blurted it out in the middle of a presentation *cough* boring lecture *cough* about Scrooge's childhood.

Looking at Webby's horror-stricken face nearly broke the former shadow's heart. She rushed to explain the rest of her story, about all the injuries Lena had to inflict on herself, the ways she covered up the bruises and scars, the night the boys found out, and how Lena had accidentally told Scrooge and Beakley when she thought they'd do the same.

Webby stood perfectly still, her face frozen in horror as she listened to Lena. She only interrupted at the end, when Lena told her about the conversation following her theft.

"First of all, I would've happily asked Granny to get you a new sweater. But that's not important right now," Webby gave Lena a warning look, indicating they'd still have to talk about the crime. "And of course they wouldn't do that!"

"There's no 'of course', Webby!" Lena shot back defensively. "How was I supposed to know they didn't do that? I mean Magica did it. I thought it was...normal. Well minus the possessing me to hurt myself part."

The younger duck paused at that, her brows furrowing, looking to be deep in thought. After a few moments, she walked over to Lena and grabbed the teen's hands.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about it from your perspective," Webby apologized. "You just assumed that's how things were based on what you know. But they don't do that."

"I know," Lena replied, hating the sad expression on her best friend's face. "They told me that. Afterward, I thought about it and decided it wasn't fair that you didn't know. Or the guys."

"The guys know?"

"Yeah...it was easier telling them. I was saving the hardest part for last," Lena winced at the hurt look in Webby's eyes and rushed to explain. "I-I mean, because you're my best friend. And that makes it so much harder to tell you because...I don't wanna let you down. Or whatever."

"Lena, you didn't let me down. I'm glad you told me," Webby smiled a little, though it was sadder than Lena would've liked. "I wish you hadn't had to go through that though."

"Me too, Pink. But hey, that's what this fresh start is all about," Lena leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Things will be better here."

"Yep," Webby agreed as she leaned against Lena, her eyes darting at the former shadow before gazing up at the ceiling.

The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes, content not to say a word. That is, until Webby pulled back to look Lena in the eyes.

"Are you gonna tell Violet?"

"...I knew I was forgetting somebody."

---

AN: This took forever to write! I used quotes from the show because honestly, the canon stuff Magica said counts as verbal abuse so I didn't really need to make up too many insults of my own. Also, I know squat about magic, especially Magica's, so I just made up some stuff on my own.

This is kinda sad but I promise there will be happy Lena one-shots in the future. (Maybe not nearly as long as this one otherwise it'll take months to post another one-shot). Although I kinda want to do a sequel with the convo between all the adults after Lena 'died' and after Donald found out about the abuse. Leave enough comments and I just might. I hope you enjoyed the story! Until next time...

- Kitkat Out!