Notes:

This gets a little toward non-con territory. It never actually crosses that line (nor will it, because, for all of his flaws, I don't see Negaduck as a rapist), but it will brush uncomfortably close to that edge.

Morgana regained consciousness in the Negaverse. She'd suspected Negaduck had a hideout beyond St. Canard and here was the proof. She suppressed a groan and kept her eyes shut. If she could manage that, perhaps Negaduck wouldn't realize she was conscious. She needed a moment to examine what had changed within her and to mourn Eek and Squeak. They had been with her since she was a teenager and losing them tore at her. It also made the rescue more difficult, which was doubtless what Negaduck had had in mind.

She tried thinking about Darkwing and how she might get a message to him, but every time she broached the subject, her mind veered sharply away. Instead, images of hurting him filled her thoughts and, buried, part of her shuddered. Her mind was particularly gruesome today, describing in great detail how she might torture Darkwing before letting him succumb to his injuries. He would suffer for days before dying.

Morgana shoved at the thoughts, which were heavy and ponderous, in an attempt to free her mind back to normal. It didn't work. It almost felt like someone else was in control of her mind, except she could still think; all her thoughts were subverted, not extinguished. The image of Darkwing's feathers soaked in blood turned her stomach and she fought a whimper.

Negaduck had killed Eek and Squeak to prevent her from getting a message out to Darkwing or Gosalyn. Before this strange mental affliction had struck, she had tried to astral project to Darkwing, but she didn't think she'd succeeded. As much as she loved Dark, he could be quite thick-headed sometimes. It hadn't helped that she couldn't choke out Negaduck's name.

Her chest ached and she didn't know if it was the Negaverse's darkness weighing upon her or her misery over her familiars' demise. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. For a long time, Eek and Squeak had been her only friends, her confidants. She would pay Negaduck back for this, as soon as she was herself again.

Though the universe weighed upon her chest, she didn't sense anyone nearby. Cautiously, she opened her eyes to find herself in a shabby replica of Drake Mallard's bedroom. She was lying in what she assumed was Negaduck's bed. As far as she could tell, he hadn't taken any liberties, but the thought of him carrying her here unconscious made her shudder. Another part of her mind, the same part that reveled in Darkwing suffering, thought it was romantic in a misguided fashion. He'd been a perfect gentleman, that part argued.

Yes, as though the only prerequisite for being a perfect gentleman after kidnapping someone was keeping one's hands to one's self.

Arguing amongst herself was giving her a headache and she took the time to survey the room anew. Truth be told, she'd only glimpsed Darkwing's bedroom through astral projection. She hadn't spent the night in his house, on an unspoken agreement not to risk upsetting Gosalyn. Negaduck's bed had handcuffs attached to a bedpost (she didn't want to think about why), the sheets were blood red, and there were multiple guns near her head. She pushed herself into a sitting position. Knowing Negaduck, those guns were loaded.

It was more than that she was accustomed to Eek and Squeak. It was that she felt lost without them. They had been her constant companions and to be without them, unable to use them to scout ahead, left her feeling off-kilter. Morgana pushed herself to her feet and swayed, the after-effects of the powder Negaduck used still in place.

When she walked out of the room, holding onto the wall to maintain her balance, she found another version of Gosalyn waiting for her. She knew it wasn't the Gosalyn she knew because that Gosalyn would never have been caught dead in a frilly pink dress, Shirley Temple curls, and a pink bow. The smile she plastered on her face also unnerved Morgana. NegaGosalyn, then, she supposed. Somehow, she didn't think her Gosalyn would've been pleased to meet this one.

"Dad left me instructions in case you woke up," NegaGosalyn said with a bright smile. "How did you sleep?"

"Like I was kidnapped," Morgana said bluntly. "Where is your father?"

She assumed NegaGosalyn's 'father' was Negaduck.

"Dad's off doing something important," NegaGosalyn said. "Would you like a tour?"

Morgana didn't know how to respond to that. Would she like a tour of a house she already knew, albeit in worse shape? Would she like a tour of her new prison? Would Negaduck permit her to leave? The way he'd described it before, she was to work with him and steal for him. And...possibly to help him destroy Darkwing. Again, the image of Darkwing pinned to the wall with blood soaking his feathers filled her mind.

"I'm all right," she said.

"I'll cook you some breakfast," NegaGosalyn offered. "You were sleeping for about twelve hours. You must be pretty hungry."

She swallowed past bile in her throat. Darkwing Duck pleading for his life, his eyes bright and filled with tears from the pain she had inflicted. Darkwing reaching out to her as his last hope before she left him to languish in misery. She shook her head at NegaGosalyn's suggestion. She'd never been less hungry in her life.

"I'll cook you eggs and bacon," NegaGosalyn decided. "You'll be hungrier once you smell it."

She led her down to the kitchen, which was grimy, had bullet holes in the walls, and where NegaLaunchpad was already seated, glowering at a news report on an old tube set. It didn't look like the Negaverse had the same technology as the real world. Morgana sat down across from NegaLaunchpad, who glared at her, and she sighed, clenching her eyes shut. When she did, she saw Darkwing in pieces and she shuddered.

"Would you like coffee?" NegaGosalyn asked sweetly and Morgana opened her eyes. NegaLaunchpad was drinking coffee and, although other things in the Negaverse were decrepit and/or in shambles, the coffee smelled normal. She nodded, though she wasn't certain she would be able to keep it down. Blood soaked white feathers so quickly…

She reached out instinctively toward Eek and Squeak to send them to Drake Mallard, except they weren't there. The space in her mind where they ought to be had faded to black. Morgana fought another whimper. When NegaGosalyn gave her a fresh mug of coffee, she wrapped her hands around it and pushed away from the disturbing mental images she had.

Her hands were shaking and NegaGosalyn glanced over at her while she buttered the pan and used a whisk on the eggs.

"Are you all right?" NegaGosalyn asked. Though she didn't doubt the girl was sincere, the question grated, like bright sunshine with a hangover.

She wasn't, but she couldn't confide in a child. Instead, she gazed down at her coffee. She sensed NegaLaunchpad staring at her from across the table and lifted her head.

"You're not stealing him away, you know," NegaLaunchpad said. Morgana blinked.

"I beg your pardon?" she said.

"You think you're hot stuff, but you're not. I've seen the way he gets around you," he snapped. "It's ridiculous. You're not his partner, I am."

"You think I wanted this?" she choked out. "I wanted to be with Dark-"

She couldn't get the rest of his name out. Instead, her throat closed up and NegaLaunchpad sneered.

"You wanted to hurt Darkwing Duck, didn't you?" he asked and NegaGosalyn turned away from the frying pan to watch them. She didn't know what NegaGosalyn's relationship was with Darkwing, but she glimpsed pain and fear on NegaGosalyn's face before the girl turned away. The two knew each other, then. Negaduck probably didn't like that at all.

"I-" she started and then stopped. A voice that sounded like her yet bore no resemblance to her normal self retorted, "Of course I do. I want to make him suffer for what he's done. He's stood in the way for far too long. He needs to be tortured, long and slow, and shown no mercy."

NegaGosalyn dropped the spatula. It went unnoticed by NegaLaunchpad. This time, Morgana knew she wasn't imagining it. The child's gaze was wide and terrified. She wanted to comfort her and tell her she didn't mean any of this, except that part of her was being squashed. Morgana continued with relish.

"Let the blood drip down," Morgana hissed. "Let him bleed just enough to plead for mercy and then deny it to him; don't let him bleed too much or he'll die."

NegaGosalyn shuddered uncontrollably and all Morgana could see was Darkwing's daughter. She yearned to go over to her and comfort her, but her body wasn't responding. NegaLaunchpad snorted at Morgana's assertion and went back to brooding over the TV. The pressure in her chest eased slightly and she balled her free hand onto her thigh. She had the unsettling image of Darkwing gasping and coughing up blood. All of these disturbing images were making her stomach churn and even after NegaGosalyn gave her breakfast, she couldn't will herself to eat it.

NegaGosalyn was avoiding her gaze, as she was NegaLaunchpad's. When she had finished cooking, she disappeared into the living room to wait for them to finish their meal. She could have Morgana's. Morgana didn't think she was capable of eating a single bite.

The images floating in her mind were like pieces of her worst nightmares. She drank her coffee, more for something to do than because she wanted it, and reached out pointlessly for Eek and Squeak. When she remembered again, she dropped her head. Misery pounded at her from the Negaverse and her own unhappiness over the situation.

"Where's Negaduck?" she asked again and NegaLaunchpad sneered.

"Same as he always is," he responded. "Up in his lair on the bridge."

The way he said it, he intimated that Morgana was an idiot for asking. Morgana didn't bristle; her mood was too low for that. Instead, she pushed the coffee mug away, then picked it up, dumped its contents down the drain, and rinsed out the mug before putting it on the drying rack.

When she entered the living room, she found NegaGosalyn watching TV. NegaGosalyn turned toward her and her eyes were bright, the same odd intensity as Morgana had experienced in those mental flashes before, albeit from Darkwing and not Gosalyn.

"You won't really hurt him, will you?" NegaGosalyn asked. "You love him. I know you do. Negaduck complains all the time that he can't get you away from Darkwing Duck."

She wanted to promise her that she wouldn't. More than anything, she wanted to strip that desperate terror from NegaGosalyn's face. But she couldn't. The words wouldn't come.

"I won't touch him…" she promised and NegaGosalyn brightened, up until she added, "unless he gets in my way."

With that, she left the house, closing the door behind her. She wished she weren't so sensitive to auras and magical portents. Judging by Negaduck's fixation on her, she didn't have a counterpart here, which somehow didn't surprise her. Everyone here was a negative or evil counterpart. When she'd first started in St. Canard, she'd been somewhat malicious, yet not enough to merit a strong stance. There were probably other variables in here she didn't know about and didn't care to conjecture about. Her stomach churned again. Her poor Darkwing…

Negaduck was indeed in his lair and overseeing the next stage in his plan. In addition, he was dressing down Bushroot, Quackerjack, Liquidator, and Megavolt. Or, rather, their Negaverse counterparts. She hadn't caught all of it, but it seemed that he was displeased with their general existence.

"Negaduck, darling!" she cried, interrupting his diatribe to fling herself at him. Negaduck, who might've been ready to skin anyone else who dared interrupt him, opened his arms wide to her. He kissed her on the beak and inwardly, she recoiled. Outwardly, however, she kissed him back with gusto and molded her body to his.

"This is much better," he proclaimed, pulling apart from her. He nipped her on the neck. "See, this is how a true villain operates. He takes goody-two-shoes and puts them in their place, then steals the best parts for his own use."

His own use? Yes, Morgana was definitely trouncing him once she was freed from this heinous geas.

"Morgana used to be Darkwing Duck's girlfriend. Now she's mine," he preened. He squeezed her butt and she hissed inside her head. So much for being a perfect gentleman. Still, at least she was conscious for this. Not that that was much of a comfort.

He ordered the other wannabe villains to scatter and pulled her toward him and onto a nearby chair. He placed her atop his lap and kissed her again, perhaps just because he could. The compulsion reared its ugly head again and she found herself reciprocating, actually finding it pleasurable when his hands wandered along her body.

Inside, she was screaming that she didn't want this. But it didn't seem to matter. When he broke away from her again, his grin was wicked.

"Isn't this so much better without an audience?"

He meant Eek and Squeak. She stiffened and willed herself to slap him. Instead, she caressed his cheek. Betrayed by her own body.

"Now that we have the hard put over with, it's time to put my plans into motion," he said and got up, gently pushing her away. It might've been the only gentle thing he'd ever done.

That didn't keep his hands from improper places, unfortunately. Darkwing would never have touched her without permission, especially not there.

"We've got the city under lockdown with all of the power outages," he said, spreading out a map along a table for her to see where the most recent attacks had come. She wished she could communicate it to Darkwing. Negaduck also had potential locations listed for future robberies and crimes.

"But it's time to get serious. All of this loot won't do us any good unless we can pin Darkwing Duck down. That's where you come in, my sweet."

He pulled her to his side with his arm about her waist.

"You know how to create illusions. You could trap Darkwing Duck in his worst fears while we televise his inadequacies all over St. Canard, to show the city what a terrible 'superhero' he is. I want the city to turn against him. Once that's accomplished, they'll be begging for us to punish him. We can make it sound like all of these robberies and power outages are his fault because he couldn't stop us."

Somehow, she thought Darkwing seeing her at Negaduck's side might already be part of his worst fears. It was one of hers. Negaduck nuzzled her and then bit down on her neck. She yelped as he gave her a rough hickey with his razor-sharp teeth. The worst part was the dominant part of her, the part that was compelled toward Negaduck, liked the mistreatment.

"I need you to go back to St. Canard and act like your normal self. Don't let Darkwing think anything is wrong. That way, when we spring the trap on him, he'll be surprised. But you can't say a word to him about what's really going on."

Negaduck smirked. "As if you could. You're mine now, for bad or for worse. All mine."

He squeezed her tail and she wanted to slap him so badly that she could almost move her arm against the onus. Almost, but not quite. Not good enough.

"Go. I'll be waiting here for tonight."

Her tongue was thick in her mouth. He couldn't possibly be suggesting what she thought he was. Again, she willed her arm to move and it rose an inch before falling back at her side. Oddly enough, that gave her hope. Perhaps she could break the compulsion if she had enough power. And make no mistake. If Negaduck thought he would get the same treatment as Darkwing Duck in that particular area, she'd fight it like a wild animal. She'd claw his eyes out first.

None of this showed on her face, thankfully, and she departed the lair thinking dark thoughts that transferred to Darkwing. Darkwing was the one who deserved his eyes clawed out. Negaduck was her lover now. Morgana wanted to scream.

What was the saying? "I have no mouth, yet I must scream."

Lena didn't have much to do when Gosalyn went to school. Therefore, she crept back to McDuck Manor. Scrooge was out on business and, to her shock, Mrs. Beakley let her back in. When she gazed into Mrs. Beakley's eyes, she knew. Magica was leering back at her and Lena shuddered. Mrs. Beakley grinned.

"I knew you'd come crawling back," Mrs. Beakley/Magica hissed, grabbing Lena by the throat. "Have you come to help me instead of being a hindrance like usual?"

Seeing as she had her hand clamped about her neck, Lena couldn't respond even if she'd wanted to. It didn't help that she was afraid of her. Fifteen years of verbal abuse might not leave physical marks, but it had left marks all over her psyche. Lena shivered and Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered before flinging her aside like so much rubbish. Lena choked, clutching her bruised throat.

"You always were so melodramatic."

"Where is Webby? And the boys?" Lena gasped.

"Webby's around here somewhere," Mrs. Beakley/Magica snorted. "As for the boys, they're in school. No one will be protecting you, my dumb little Lena."

She patted Lena on the cheeks in a way that sent shivers down Lena's spine. She might've been about to do more, exhort her to help her in some fashion, when Webby appeared and tackle hugged Lena to the floor. While Lena wasn't used to being hugged, she thought in this instance, she was grateful to Webby. Plus...Webby exuded so much light and happiness it was hard not to be swept up in it. Lena liked her despite herself.

Webby was such a good person. She didn't deserve Magica leering at her.

"Lena! I didn't think you were coming over!" Webby cried and hugged her tightly before releasing her. Oddly, Lena found herself wishing she hadn't let go. Lena hadn't been happy very much (or ever) in her existence so far, but Webby made her feel like she might be accepted. Like Webby could see her for who she was and want her around anyway.

"I didn't think I was either," Lena said, brushing herself off as if she hadn't wanted Webby's hug. She didn't want to show weakness in front of Magica.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Lena said, meaning to pull Webby aside and tell her about her grandmother. Magica cleared her throat and shot Lena a poisonous look that promised future pain and torment should Lena divulge her secret. They might've been separate now, but Lena wasn't foolish enough to cross her.

"Lena, dear," Mrs. Beakley/Magica said. To Lena's ears, she could hear Magica's voice hissing beneath Mrs. Beakley's no-nonsense tone. "Might I have a word with you first?"

"I'll be waiting," Webby promised and then skipped away. Her innocence really ought to be grating instead of refreshing. Lena watched her go with trepidation. Once she was no longer in earshot or within sight distance, Magica grabbed her by the throat again and ripped the amulet off her neck.

"That's so much better," Magica breathed. "I can't turn it back into my staff, not yet, but at least the power is back where it belongs."

"Are you an idiot?" Lena asked, her heart racing. "Webby and the others are going to notice you're wearing something new."

"I'll hide it as you do. Besides, no one's noticed anything so far. This vessel is perfect. No one cares enough about her to ask stupid questions. If only I could keep you close as well...but I haven't constructed an excuse for your freedom that wouldn't connect the dots to mine. As much as I loathe Scrooge, he isn't completely stupid, unlike you. He will notice sooner or later when he goes into the Bin, but since he seldom does it, I might be able to pull this off for a while. As long as you stay where I can keep an eye on you."

"Or I could tell Webby and blow your whole cover."

Mrs. Beakley/Magica squeezed the amulet and Lena choked, falling to her knees. Her vision was spotty and breathing grew harder and harder until she could barely squeeze anything past her constricted throat.

"Or I could kill you. Well, I might not have the power for that just yet...but I could make your life much more miserable than it's already been. What do you say? Would you be willing to risk my displeasure?"

Lena shook her head weakly and fought to remain conscious. Mrs. Beakley/Magica sneered and Lena gazed into her eyes; she desperately sought any indication Mrs. Beakley was still in there.

"Lena-" Mrs. Beakley gasped. At least, Lena hoped it was her. Their eyes met and Magica sneered, shunting Mrs. Beakley to the back again. Lena's heart sank. If Mrs. Beakley was pinning her hopes on her, she had the wrong person. Lena wouldn't be able to help her. She couldn't do it and keep Webby and the others safe. If Magica had no qualms about hurting her, she'd have none about hurting the others, either. Lena barely knew them but knew she didn't want anything to happen to them, either. And she already had what might be an unhealthy attachment to Webby.

"Go on," Mrs. Beakley/Magica said with a malicious gleam in her eyes. "Go play with Webby. But I'll be watching."

She shooed her away and Lena, relieved to be out of her presence, dashed to Webby's side. Webby had been waiting in the hall and Lena was thankful until she remembered why she was. Then her heart sank further.

"What did Granny have to talk to you about?"

"Nothing much," she lied. "Why don't you show me around now that Scrooge's busy?"

"Oh, yeah," Webby said, beaming at her. "C'mon. I'll give you the grand tour. And after that, maybe we can do something fun. Like, tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets."

"Uh...pass…"

Her stomach flip-flopped.

"It'll be fun," Webby promised. "And then we can swear blood oaths to each other and practice our defensive moves. It'll be a blast. I'll tell you about Gosalyn and you can tell me what you've been up to for your first real day of being alive."

Webby shook her and grinned widely. "Wasn't it amazing? I mean, after being trapped for so long, of course it was. I wanna hear every detail."

No, she didn't. But Lena wasn't going to correct her on that. It wouldn't help, anyway. Magica's threat loomed over her and she plastered a smile on her face too. Maybe she could be friends with Webby somehow before the house of cards all came crashing down if Magica let her. What Lena wouldn't give to be free of that old witch once and for all.

She let none of this show on her face. Webby was pure and untainted by the world. Lena hoped to keep her that way for as long as possible. If possible. She didn't want Webby to be hurt the way she was. As Webby led her through the manor, Lena concentrated on Webby's hand on hers and not on what lay ahead. Her neck felt empty without the amulet and she wondered what Magica had in mind.

Not that she would've told her, regardless. She, like everyone else, would have to wait and see. It was the waiting that she dreaded because once it ended, all hell would break loose.

A strange compulsion seized Darkwing Duck and he stopped by Morgana's house on the Ratcatcher. It was during the day, so she'd probably be asleep. After all, she wasn't answering her doorbell. Really, he ought to leave her alone. Nonetheless, something was warning him something was up. After that dream that he'd had, he'd been a little on edge.

The front door opened at his slightest touch and he frowned. That wasn't normal. Morgana didn't like people waltzing in unannounced. True, he'd rung the doorbell and received no response. He crept inside, feeling more like a burglar than her boyfriend.

There was a strange powder on the floor and two twitching bodies. Darkwing flicked the lights on to see better and realized that the two twitching bodies were bats. Specifically, they were Eek and Squeak. Darkwing knelt and realized they were still breathing, if barely. Morgana would never have left without her bats. She never went anywhere without them, even when they had wanted alone time. Darkwing colored at that reminder.

This looked and felt like a crime scene. Beyond the preliminaries, he could determine nothing. Being a mundane, he had no sense of magic, but something told him that if Eek and Squeak were lying prone on the floor, Morgana wasn't here. She never would have left her bats in such poor condition. That begged the question of where Morgana had gone and what was up with that strange dream he'd had. Had it really been her seeking his help? Why couldn't she have spoken more plainly? Or was he reading too much into it?

He wished he could bounce ideas off Launchpad, but Launchpad was in Cape Suzette with Scrooge McDuck on a business trip. Gosalyn was at school, at least until she did something wrong and he got called in. Man, he needed more friends. It wasn't like he was going to ask Herb or Binky for advice. His circle of friends was rather limited; he could always talk to himself, as he usually did, but he probably wouldn't get anywhere. After all, he could only come up with what he already knew.

Where would Morgana be if she wasn't here? Darkwing didn't know where she went. With a niggling doubt in the back of his mind, he departed the house and closed the door behind him. The powder had left a grating residue in the back of his throat. Maybe he ought to analyze it. With that thought in mind, he charged back in, grabbed some powder, dumped it into a plastic bag, and left on the Ratcatcher. Maybe the powder would give him a lead onto what was really going on. Assuming the powder could be analyzed, that was.

Feeling like something was going horribly wrong somewhere in St. Canard, he drove off and back to the bridge. Maybe once Launchpad got back, he'd be able to bounce ideas off him. Assuming, too, that it wasn't like bouncing a rubber ball off thin air, because Launchpad's ability to respond in certain situations was rather...limited. To say the least.

He liked his pilot, but, man, he was dim. And people thought he, Darkwing, was slow on the uptake? Ha. That was nothing compared to Launchpad. Wait, why was he comparing himself to LP again? He shook his head at himself. Clearly, he hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before.

And who could sleep when St. Canard was in danger? Certainly not him. In fact, Darkwing foresaw a lot of sleepless nights ahead. A lot of them. He suppressed a groan. For once, couldn't the town function without him? One measly day. That's all he asked. Was that too much?

Probably. He'd just cleaned up that mess. Why did he have to go out and do it again? Why couldn't it stay clean for once?

As he drove through the city, he was unaware of Negaduck looming overhead on a nearby building and watching him move with a sneer. Darkwing might've been the terror that flapped in the night, but Negaduck was the malice that lurked in the day. And night.