Chapter 5

"I'm going to give you a choice."

"So, um." Louie said to Luca as they filed onto the plane. Della, Launchpad, Lena, and Violet took turns hugging Garret and Hope. "Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but any chance you can lift this curse off me?" He asked hopefully.

Luca was about to answer when something made him whirl around. He scanned the island and his blood ran cold.

"What's wrong?" Louie asked seeing the look on his face.

"Get onto the plane." He told Louie firmly.

Louie hesitated a bit to late when Soran came strolling out of the woods with an evil gleam in her eyes.

"What the Hell?" Louie snapped.

"You leaving so soon? Darling?" Soran called out. "We've still got so much catching up to do!" She flicked her wrist and green fire engulfed her hand.

"That's new." Luca said, staring at it in surprise.

"Must have happened when Webby kicked her ashes into the fire." Huey said, coming up behind them. "She regenerated herself."

"That's right, boy." Soran cackled. "I'm back, and I'm going to give you a choice."

"What kind of choice?" Huey asked.

"Not you." She growled, then looked over at Louie and Luca. "Them." She explained. Louie and Luca glanced at each other.

"Huey, get back on the plane." Louie told him firmly. "Tell Mom to get ready to lift off."

"But -." Huey began. Louie gave him a sharp look and he stopped. Then slowly backed up and into the plane with the rest of the group. Hope, however, edged towards the mouth of the plane while her Mom was busy taking care of Garret's wounds.

"I'm going to let you two choose who's going to stay, and who gets to leave." Soran told Louie and Luca. "If not, I'm just going to blow all of you up, with my new power here." She said and tossed a fire ball towards them. It landed in the sand in front of Louie and Luca and exploded. After the sandy cleared away Louie and Luca glared over at Soran.

"I'm waiting." She sang out and flicked her wrist again, making another green fire ball engulf her hand. She snickered at them.

Hope's heart pounded hard against her chest. This wasn't good. She couldn't find an angle out of this, and by the look on her Dad's face, he couldn't either.

"Get on the plane, Luca." Louie said, taking a step forward.

"W, What?" Luca asked.

"Dad! No!" Hope cried out. She ran up and hugged him tightly. Louie looked straight ahead, trying hard to be strong for once in his life.

"Don't be an idiot." Luca snapped. "It's obvious she's pissed off at me." He looked towards his mother and glared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him with a smug look on her face. "I'm going." He told him firmly. "Hope needs her father, I, I'm just collateral damage..."

"Luca, you are not -." Hope began.

Soran groaned loudly interrupting her. She threw another fire ball directly at Louie and Hope. Luca rushed in front of them just as the ball hit him with such force that he knocked backwards into Louie and Hope. He groaned loudly.

"Luca?" Hope asked, her voice breaking.

"I, I'm fine." Luca assured her, but as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. Soran had hit him square in his mother board. The one part that kept his robot parts running. Without that, the human part of his body won't function at all. He could already feel himself slipping away.

As the plane lifted in the air, he looked back at his mother who snickered at him. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply before opening them again.

"You win, Mother." He told her in defeat before turning back to Louie and Hope. Hope was crying softly now, and Louie had a grim look on his face.

"Take care of her." Luca said to Louie as he helped him onto the plane. Louie nodded slowly, not saying a word.

Luca went over to Hope and took her trembling hand and helped her onto the plane. He tried letting go but Hope held onto it tightly. He smiled at her sadly and pulled out something from his pocket and handed it to her. She didn't even look at what it was as she stared at him through her tears.

"Thanks." He whispered, putting his forehead to hers. "For being my friend."

Hope's heart pounded hard against her chest and her eyes widen as the plane quickly lifted higher in the air.

He forced her to let go of his hand and with disembodied words said, "Self-destruct engaged."

"NO!" Hope shouted down.

She tried jumping out of the plane, but her Dad held onto her tightly. She watched as Soran slowly strolled up behind him. Luca stared straight ahead and blinked hard as she started stroking his hair lovingly while snickering up at her.

Soran said something to Luca that made his eyes widen but he remained calm as he looks over at her and slowly a smile spread across his face. Soran's own eyes widen and then Luca exploded right there beside her. Nothing left of them but Luca's dismantled robot parts and Soran's skeleton.

"LUCA!" Hope wailed.

She buried her face in her father's shoulders and cried as she clinched the object that Luca had given her tightly in her hand.

She didn't say a word as they flew home. The mood surrounding the group was a gloomy one as the plane made it back to Duckberg. As they departed the plane Dewey carried Garret into the house while everyone else quietly talked among themselves.

Hope slowly walked towards the far side of the courtyard and sat down on a bench in front of the Koi pond. She stared into the pond; her eyes filled with tears again as she slowly started to feel a panic attack about to creep up on her.

"Hope?"

Hope glanced behind her and saw her Aunt Gosalyn.

"You okay, kiddo?" She asked.

No sooner had she said it Hope started shaking violently. Gosalyn looked at her in alarm and quickly sat down beside her. She took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"It's okay, Hope." She said softly. "Just breath. Count to ten -."

Hope closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply but didn't count.

"Studies show that counting doesn't really help, with panic attacks." Luca's words echoed in her mind, as she started to hiccup. She swallowed hard and held her breath for a few seconds before she slowly opened her eyes.

"Better?" Gosalyn asked, she pushed Hope's bangs out of her face.

Hope shook her head.

"I don't think I'll ever be better again." She whispered. She unfolded her hand and revealed what she had been holding.

"What'd you go there?" Gosalyn asked.

Hope slowly handed it over to her so that she could take a closer look.

"Is that, a hard drive?" She asked, her eyes wide, as Hope nodded. "It's looks like a top of the line… the latest model. Extremely hard to come by, this type. How'd you get ahold of -."

"It, It's Luca's." Hope stammered, then she started crying again.

Gosalyn looked at her in alarm then pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Who's Luca?" She asked. That made Hope stop crying and slowly pull away.

Hope filled her in on who he was and what had happened. Gosalyn listened patiently and with a grim expression on her face. When she was finished Gosalyn looked back at the hard drive. It didn't look like it had been damaged at all. she looked back at her niece who looked like the whole world had come crumbling down around her.

"Wait here." She said finally, she handed Hope back the hard drive and got up. Hope nodded but didn't say anything as she watched her Aunt disappear into the garage nearby and came back out moments later holding a blueprint in her hands.

She sat back down and folded it out across her and Hope's lap.

"W, what is this?" Hope asked as she stared at the blueprint.

"A project I've been working on." Gosalyn replied. "Instead of using a pair of human helping hands, worried about injury's and things like that, I'd figured I could use a -."

"Robot?" Hope asked.

"I know it won't be the same." Gosalyn told her, "but with that hard drive it will practically be as if Luca's still here." She told her.

Hope stared at the blueprints then at the hard drive in her hand.

"So," Gosalyn said, "what do you think?" She asked.

Hope looked at her and a smile slowly started to spread across her face.

"Let's do it." She said.

"Webs." Louie said, once they were alone in their bedroom. She was staring out the window at her daughter, she was talking with Gasoline.

The sun was just setting overhead and Webby was extremely tired but was too worried and concerned to even think about sleep. First her children got kidnapped, then her husband was practically cut all to pieces all over again by the woman who she had sworn to protect them against and failed.

How could she look at her husband, her kids, after all that?

Not to mention,

Hope.

Poor Hope.

Webby knew she cared a lot for that boy, in the end sacrificing himself for her sake has torn Hope apart in more ways than one. She really hadn't wanted Hope to see the world from that point of view at such a young age. She wondered if Hope would ever get passed this.

"Say, something. Please." Louie tried again. He crawled across the bed and took her hand. That made Webby look at him and he saw tears in her eyes. He had just got done telling her what had happened while they were held captive.

When he got done, she had gone completely quiet, slowly got up off the bed and walked to the window. She hadn't moved for nearly ten minutes as she stared out of it. Louie couldn't stand the silence anymore.

Louie sighed deeply.

She didn't resist as he pulled her close to him.

"I, I don't know what to say, Louie." Webby said, finally. She laid down on his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat as Louie stroked her hair. "Y, you've been through a lot, Louie, first, Soran, then the kids, finding out you had another one, all just to lose him."

He felt Webby tensed up at the mention of Luca. Louie blinked hard. He wasn't going to cry. He was done crying.

"It's, It's all my fault..." She whispered.

Louie stared straight ahead, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply before saying,

"Remember," Louie said, after a minute of silence, "when you first began your career as a spy?" He asked. Webby nodded her head against his chest. "You said, we'd have to adjust to life with you as one. So, you asked me if it was alright if you could be one instead of you just going ahead and taking it."

He paused and lifted her face with her chin to make her look at him. Her tear stained face made his heart ache.

"You said we had to take the good with the bad. That's when I purposed. Remember?" He asked. She nodded again. "I said, as long as you take the good and the bad with me. I don't really care what happens as you as a spy. I don't regret it. Any of it."

He leaned in close to her face.

"We're a team. Now and forever." He finished his speech and kissed her then and they stayed that way until they heard a knock on the door. They pulled away and Webby watched him slowly get up and l opening it. As she got up, he heard him groan and opened the door wider.

"Dewey, can't you see I'm kind of busy here?" Louie snapped. "I've just been through Hell and back and -."

"We've got a problem." Dewey interrupted. He looked passed him at Webby who's eyes widen as she quickly got her robe and came up behind Louie.

"What kind of problem?" She asked as they followed Dewey out of the room.

He had a grim look on his face as they walked down the hall and made it to the family room. Six heads turned towards them as they walked in. Each had a worse expression on their faces then Dewey did.

As Webby and Louie got closer, they saw them standing around Louie's laptop. Louie's heart nearly stopped when he saw what was on the screen.

"No!" Webby said,

"Yessss." Soran replied. Even as an image on a screen Soran's eyes gleamed brightly at Webby and Louie.

"It, it can't be..." Louie whispered. "You can't be alive. Luca destroyed you."

"That's just it, darling. He didn't, I can't be killed. Not yet, anyway." She beamed at him as they stared at her. Louie had a sudden chill run down his spine as he backed away slowly.

"Y, You're pregnant. Aren't you?" Louie asked. Soran smiled at him and it took all of Webby's will power not to punch the screen.

"That's why you keep regenerating." He continued with a deep sigh.

"That's correct, darling." Soran cooed. "Such wonderful news, considering what just happened, hmmm." She said.

"What? How?" Webby asked confused.

"If a female vampire bites then drinks a certain amount of its mate's blood." Louie answered for Soran gloomily. Webby stared at him. "That vampire can get pregnant with that mate's child."

He glared at Soran.

"That's why you needed my blood. Wasn't it?" He asked.

"You actually were paying attention to me all those years ago." Soran cooed.

"Enough small talk." Webby snapped. "What do you want?" She moved in front of Louie protectively, glaring at Soran. "You didn't just make this a personal call, Soran. Want another rematch? I'm not going to take it any easier on you just cause' your -." She stopped.

Webby couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I want," Soran snarled, "what I wanted to begin with, Webbigail. You and Dewey's head on a platter, and that little present Luca gave that little brat, and..." She paused not taking her eyes off Louie. "I want Louie to bring it to me."

Louie swallowed hard. He knew it couldn't have been that easy to escape her. Not that watching his son practically committing suicide to save them had been easy, but it could have turned out a lot worse.

"No." Webby growled

"I believe Louie should have a say in it, don't you? Webbigail?" Soran snickered at her. "I'm sure he doesn't want me to come get it myself, right? Darling?" Soran cooed at him.

"You're only doing this because you know it's killing me." Webby snarled.

"Well, that," Soran agreed. "and I've gone rather fond this one." She is looking lovingly at Louie who stared back at her.

"W, why do you want what Luca gave Hope?" Louie asked, trying to stall until he thought of a plan. He wasn't about to take what Luca had given Hope. It means so much to her, and after what they had just gone through together, well. He wasn't going to be the one to cause her anymore pain.

"Well," Soran said, sighing deeply. "Luca was a failed experiment. I see that now. So, I'm going to make sure this little bundle of joy we made from love -"

Webby scoffed.

"won't be." Soran finished. She shot daggers at Webby and Louie could feel the tension between them rise even higher.

"Lad," Scrooge said coming up beside him. Louie looked up at him, his eyes brimming with tears. "Think this through, carefully." He advised.

But Louie had already made up his mind.

"Fine." He said finally. He looked towards Soran who's eyes were sparkling. "I'll bring it, but you have to do something for me first." He added.

Webby's eyes widen and Soran frowned.

"What's that, darling?" Soran asked.

Louie snatched Webby's knife she kept hidden on her and used it to make a deep cut where Luca had bitten him.

"Louie!" Webby shouted. She rushed towards him, but Louie held up his hand. She froze as backed away from her. Louie didn't take his eyes off Soran.

"Make a blood oath that you will never harm anyone I care about. Ever. Again." He told her firmly, his eyes shining brightly. Webby stared at the blood running down his neck.

"No matter what I do to you?" She asked, licking her lips greedily.

"No matter what you do to me." Louie agreed. "Do we have a deal?"

"I knew I shouldn't have told you so much about vampire ritual's last time." Soran muttered. Louie's eyes narrowed at her.

"Do. We. Have. A. Deal?" Louie growled at her.

Soran sighed in frustration then cut her own neck with her long fingernail. Louie winced at their oath sealed themselves.

"We have a deal." She said, regretfully. "Not that it matters. Once the baby is born the oath will be broken." She told him. "I look forward to seeing you again, darling." Soran added, then cut the feed to the camera on the laptop.

Louie stared at the blacked-out screen. He was prepared for the oath to be broken once the baby was born, but until then he had time to think of a better plan on keeping his family safe. All his family.

"Louie? What the Hell?" Webby said, once she was able to find her voice. Louie slowly put her knife that still had his blood on it on the far side of the coffee table. He didn't look at her. "What ever happened to us being a team?" She shouted.

Louie looked over at Dewey. Dewey looked back into his determined eyes. He started walking towards the door.

"You were right, Dewey." He told him, as he passed him.

"I can't rely on Webby always bailing me out. I got to stand on my own two feet and be a man." He told him.

"I also said that you have a family that can back you up if you ever need it." Dewey said, his heart pounding hard against his chest, he grabbed Louie's arm.

Louie forced himself to look at him. "

You don't have to go through any of this alone." Huey added. Louie looked from him, to Huey, then the rest until his eyes fell on Webby.

"Yes." He said, looking back at Dewey. "I do."

He jerked his arm away and ran the rest of the way out of the mansion before anyone else could stop him.

Webby tried to run after him but Dewey stopped her. She looked at him as tears swelled up in her eyes, Dewey looked at her sadly and shook his head. She ran into his arms and started crying.

"Rule number two," He said solemnly. "Don't ever let the job get to close to home."