Night had fallen over St. Canard and its erstwhile defender, Darkwing Duck, had had too many cups of coffee already. He was jittery and he'd dragged Launchpad out with him. If he was going to suffer, then it wouldn't be alone. And yes, he'd invariably crash from the coffee, but that was what he had Launchpad for. Gosalyn was at home-it was a school night-and he wasn't sure where Lena had gotten off to. Barely alive for a day and she was already stirring up trouble.

Ahem. Where was he? Oh, yes, the city of St. Canard trembled under the villainous onslaught of Negaduck and his partners in crime, but Darkwing Duck was there to keep the city from falling to its knees. Maybe leaning over a bit, but it wouldn't fall. The police were stationed everywhere, but they couldn't predict where Negaduck might strike. A pall seemed to have fallen over the city and creeping tendrils of darkness drifted about the city. It was unnerving, to be honest, and Launchpad was shuddering next to him.

"Calm down, LP," Darkwing scoffed. "I, Darkwing Duck, am the scourge of evil-doers everywhere. They hear my name and tremble."

"Maybe if you're about to sneeze," Launchpad muttered. Darkwing shot him a dirty look.

"Do you doubt me?" he retorted. "I'll have you know I'm the number one vigilante in town."

"When Gizmoduck's not here, you mean."

Darkwing Duck hopped up and down, irritated with his sidekick's editorial commentary. He glowered at him and folded his arms across his chest. Maybe it was the combination of five cups of coffee and very little sleep talking, but he was starting to get annoyed. Unfortunately, it seemed like the villains in town, Launchpad was impervious to his bad mood. What did he have to do to get some respect around here?

"Gizmoduck belongs to Duckburg. I am St. Canard's lone avenger, the single light against an ever increasing spread of darkness, the last stop on the bus route before chaos-"

"And there's a robbery right beneath you," Launchpad interrupted. Darkwing froze; they were perched atop a rooftop near a St. Canard Savings Bank. He didn't see anything, though. What was Launchpad talking about? Squinting, he leaned forward and almost fell off. ("I am Darkwing...splat.")

"Where?" he demanded.

"Right-" Launchpad's beak froze and no words came out. A figure floated before them and he breathed a sigh of relief. Morgana. What was she doing here? It didn't make much sense, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Then again, since when did Morgana team up to help him fight crime?

"Morgana? What's going on?" Darkwing asked. She landed gracefully like a cat atop the building and pushed Launchpad aside. The pilot was frozen and while Darkwing knew that Launchpad and Morgana had this weird love/hate relationship going on, mostly because they both wanted him, this seemed a little extreme. He poked Launchpad in the chest and the man remained utterly immobile. Uneasy, he glanced back at his girlfriend.

"And why's LP a statue?"

"Dark, darling, we need to talk."

Oh, boy. No good conversations ever started with those four words. Confused, still not seeing the robbery Launchpad had claimed was taking place, he shifted his focus to her. Even now, she was arresting; her robes flowed and she made his heart skip beats. He was enthralled by her.

"What, uh, what is it?" he said and started self-consciously fixing his hat, his cape, and his clothes. "Is there something stuck in my teeth?"

"We should see other people," she said and it felt like someone had sucker punched him in the stomach. Baffled, he gaped at her. The words refused to compute. Was she...dumping him? No, that couldn't be right. Even before they'd hooked up, she'd been mad about him.

"I've changed," she continued, oblivious to the gears grinding to a halt in his head. "You're not satisfying me anymore."

The gears struggled to move, but there was a giant cog in the machine. He blinked, unable to speak, and still unable to put the pieces together. He gawked at her.

"You're not evil enough for me, Dark. You're not half the man Negaduck is."

"Wait, what?" he said, barely able to push those words out. "Nega-Negaduck? What does he have to do with me and you? And since when are you evil again? You weren't even evil to start with...you were trying to pay off student loans…"

Morgana sniffed. "Negaduck knows how to please a woman. He'll make me rich and powerful beyond my wildest dreams."

Darkwing's gaze flitted to Launchpad, who remained frozen except for his eyes, which were wide in horror. He remained perplexed. Morgana...loved him. Morgana had always loved him. How could she be dumping him? And for...Negaduck of all people?

"But...I brought Eek and Squeak back to the house for you…" he said lamely. "They're in Gosalyn's room."

"Eek and Squeak?" she repeated and her demeanor shifted. That strange way she had of holding herself now, stiff and unyielding, softened slightly. She landed on the rooftop and he glimpsed conflict in her eyes. Balling her fists, she pulled herself back together.

"They're still alive?" she said.

"Of course they are. But why would you want Negaduck?" he said, returning to their previous topic. Morgana frowned, looking like she wanted to say something but unable to utter it. There was pain etched in her features and despite himself, he stepped closer to hug her.

"They're still alive?" she repeated. "I thought Negaduck killed them."

"Yeah, uh, why are you dumping me for him again? You weren't exactly clear on that."

He hugged her and she pushed him away. If there was an internal struggle there, he wasn't perceptive enough to catch it. Her whole body was shaking and she shifted away from him. It was like she didn't want to be anywhere near him, even if he'd caught her arms moving toward him before she'd pushed him aside.

"She's found someone better," Negaduck crooned, joining them on the rooftop. "I know just what she likes. And unlike you, I have more than two brain cells to rub together."

"Ha! If you're supposed to be my evil double, then you have exactly the same amount of brain cells I do!" he countered. "Wait...I don't have two brain cells. I mean, I have a lot more than that. Right, LP?"

"...you forgot your sidekick was frozen," Negaduck said. "You're brilliant."

Morgana glanced from one male duck to the other. Her trembling increased and she didn't seem to know where to go or where to put her feet. She seemed to be pleading with Darkwing for something, but he couldn't imagine what.

Negaduck grabbed Morgana by the waist and kissed her soundly on the beak. He then squeezed her to him and leered at Darkwing, who had no idea what was going on, only that he didn't like it. Morgana had sounded genuinely distressed about Eek and Squeak. Why wasn't she pursuing that? And why was she letting Negaduck put his hands all over her?

"Morgana?" he queried, feeling his heart break. "Morg?"

"Give it up!" Negaduck laughed. "You're beaten! The city will soon be mine and your squeeze is mine! You have nothing!"

He leaned in closer to him. "And as soon as I figure out where you live, you really won't have anything.

"I'd love to stay and chew the fat, but I've got places to rob and people to torture!" Negaduck said and cackled. "Don't wait up!"

Using a grappling hook, he and Morgana swung away. Darkwing was left, stunned, staring in their absence. He fell to his knees and Launchpad unfroze beside him. He wasn't sure how much his sidekick had heard or seen, being in that stasis. But Launchpad put a hand on his shoulder anyway.

"Don't say it, LP," he begged. "I don't think I can bear it."

To his relief, Launchpad said nothing. Instead, he swept him up in a tight hug and Darkwing felt like crumbling. Morgana had left him for Negaduck. She was back to being his enemy and it was like everything they'd gone through meant nothing to her. Should he have even rescued Eek and Squeak? Yes, he should have, because it was the right thing to do.

He cursed, remembering the parting shots Negaduck had made. Negaduck might not know where Darkwing lived, but Morgana did. She could lead him straight to Gosalyn. That meant Gosalyn wasn't safe. As much as he hated to admit it, as much as he wanted to wallow in his sorrow, he couldn't afford to. The only safe place he could think of offhand was McDuck Manor. He'd better get her there as soon as possible. He could protect himself. Gosalyn couldn't.

"Back to the house. Now, LP," he ordered once his sidekick had put him down. "We need to get to Gosalyn before anyone else does."

He could no longer trust Morgana to keep her secrets, it seemed. His alter ego suddenly felt entirely too close and foolhardy. How could he have thought it'd protect them for too long? But then again, how could he have foreseen that Morgana would betray him?

And Gosalyn. He could almost understand that she was upset with him, but why put Gos at risk too? What could she hope to gain from that? Sure, she and Gosalyn didn't always get along, but that was no reason to take out her frustrations on his daughter.

At the back of his mind, something bothered him. Morgana hadn't been acting quite right. For now, it was a secondary concern and he brushed it aside. He'd worry about it later when he had the time and energy. And maybe after a few hours of shut-eye, after he and Launchpad had brought Gosalyn to Duckburg. No sooner.

Morgana felt like her insides had been shredded. Darkwing and Launchpad grew smaller in the distance and she feared for Gosalyn. She wasn't sure why NegaGosalyn was alive, other than that Negaduck didn't care enough about her one way or the other, but hurting Gosalyn here would strike a terrible blow to Darkwing and they both knew it. Plus, Gosalyn was a child. She was relatively innocent. Even while Negaduck bragged while they flew over St. Canard and she gave him directions, it felt like her mind was disconnected from her mouth.

She did not want to do this. Her own feelings mattered little, but she felt like she could shout it from the rooftops. That said nothing for the crushed look on Dark's face after she'd told him the lies Negaduck had made her utter. Part of her relished the anguish she'd caused him and the other part, her true self, was appalled. The magical compulsion ruthlessly crushed that down. It derided her for being weak and maybe she was, but attacking Darkwing's family was cowardly.

Plus, she knew Gosalyn trusted her. She'd open the door willingly to her. Unless Launchpad flew like a maniac, which was entirely possible, she and Negaduck would get to the house first. That meant Gosalyn didn't stand a chance, not unless she put two and two together far faster than her father. But if Morgana went alone, without Negaduck, Gosalyn would probably accompany her, regardless. Morgana's stomach roiled and she heard Darkwing's broken voice say, "Morg?" in her head. She stiffened.

"Drake Mallard, huh?" Negaduck sneered. "Good thing I shed that name decades ago. It was nothing but trouble, being a 'normal' person. I killed anyone who knew me as that, too. Dead people tell no tales."

"What are you going to do to Gosalyn?" she asked. The two halves of her personality cleaved to that question.

Negaduck smiled. "I find surprises are better enjoyed when they remain surprises."

Morgana's stomach clenched painfully. They had to rely on her magic to convey them across town, which meant they were at a disadvantage. She hoped that continued and that Darkwing got Gosalyn to safety in time. Of course, that part was at odds with the part that concurred with Negaduck and was already envisioning terrible things happening to Gosalyn. Morgana thought she might be sick from the conflict.

It all depended on whether Darkwing had taken the Ratcatcher or the Thunderquack. If he'd taken the Thunderquack, then he'd stand a better chance of beating them. She couldn't compete with it. However, compared to her magic, the Ratcatcher was slow. She found herself desperate for him to have flown. More than ever, she didn't want Negaduck to win.

It took them fifteen minutes to cross town, during which Negaduck regaled her with plans for Gosalyn. He didn't want her dead, she found, but that didn't mean he didn't have a problem dumping her in the Negaverse and leaving her to rot. He intended to imprison her in there and keep her far from her father. It was a negligent type of abuse, which was better than his hurting her, but it didn't sit well with her either.

When they arrived, they descended gently to the ground and Negaduck blew the front door off its hinges. Morgana followed and she knew, without further examination, that the house was empty. Relief flooded her. She was shaking; it was a good thing Negaduck wasn't paying any attention to her.

"How did he beat us here?" Negaduck growled. Morgana scurried upstairs, where she found Eek and Squeak in a cardboard box with blankets. She scooped her precious familiars to her chest and then faltered. If Negaduck discovered they were still alive, he might try, more permanently, to kill them. Moreover, they were her only link to Darkwing right now. If he returned home or even if he went back to his lair, she'd be able to keep tabs on him. The thought appealed to both sides of her and she reluctantly put her familiars back in their box. They whined pitifully at her.

"I know, I know," she murmured, careful not to draw Negaduck's attention. "But I can't risk it, darlings. Take good care of Dark, won't you?"

It felt like a gut wrench when she added, against her will, "Or I'll take care of him for you."

The familiars looked confused and she couldn't elucidate them. Trembling, she stepped away from the box and glanced again at Darkwing's bedroom. She caressed the bedposts. Her heart was breaking, shattering into pieces.

She ignored Negaduck's tirades and left the house with that strange conflicted feeling. Negaduck vowed that he'd find Gosalyn and hurt Darkwing; she tuned him out. Now that there was no urgency, they could afford to fly without haste back to Negaduck's lair in St. Canard. He was ranting and she couldn't stop seeing the look in Darkwing's eyes as she'd told him she was breaking up with him. It looped in her head.

Once they were back at the lair, despite his earlier promises, he left her to her own devices. She centered herself magically and astral projected to Darkwing's side. She had a feeling the compulsion wouldn't let her tell him what had really happened, but she had to check up on him. The anguish she felt for him competed with her deep love for him and it was torture. Had Negaduck meant to make her so thoroughly miserable? Or was that just a delightful side effect?

As soon as she saw Darkwing was in Duckburg, she wrenched her attention away. Though she had an inkling where he was taking Gosalyn, she didn't want her theory confirmed. If it was, then Negaduck would storm McDuck Manor. She'd rather have plausible deniability. Gos...Morgana sighed. The innocents were always the first to get hurt.

She left a replica of herself in Darkwing's mind to play when he went to sleep. Maybe that version of herself would be able to tell him the truth. She doubted it, but it was her only chance to come clean. Tears pricked her eyes and she hugged herself. It seemed Negaduck's power waned when he wasn't around her.

"I love you…" she whispered. "And I'm so, so sorry, Dark…"

Once he'd ensured Gosalyn was safe, Darkwing had returned to his lair. He could barely think through the pain fogging his mind. Curling up in bed, he stared at the ceiling. The change had been so sudden. Why now, of all times, had Morgana switched sides? She'd always acted like she loved him. How could she betray him like this?

Morose, he rolled over onto his side and tried to sleep. Sleep, at least, would numb him to the anguish and the heartache. Sleep was the great panacea, after all. He hadn't told Gosalyn what had happened, which she'd resented, but he hadn't felt like going into the details. Launchpad could tell her if he wanted. He didn't need Gosalyn sneaking out because she was worried about him.

He'd be just fine. He'd been fine on his own before and he'd do so again now. Except, well, maybe he wouldn't. Burying his face in the pillow, he sobbed.

"Dark?"

The voice was faint but he'd recognize it anywhere. Lifting his tear-streaked face, he glanced around. The sensation of a frying pan struck his head, except it was more a metaphorical frying pan than a real one. Nonetheless, Darkwing collapsed into sleep.

Morgana remained elusive, a phantom floating before him. Her shoulders were shaking and her back was toward him. He tried to turn her to face him, but she wouldn't look at him. It was like trying to turn around a silhouette.

"I didn't want to do it, you know," she said softly.

"You're just a dream," he announced. "You're not real. You're playing with my head."

Morgana spun and though her features remained in shadow, her hand cupping his cheek felt real. He glanced up toward where her eyes ought to be and tears shone in the shadows.

"I never meant to hurt you, Dark."

He didn't know how to handle this. Of course his mind was supplying him with what he wanted to hear. Part of him wanted to break away and the other part longed to remain this close to her, knowing that he might not get another chance. Knowing that Negaduck had stolen her from him.

"I can't control what I'm going to say," she warned.

"Sure you can't," he scoffed.

"Would you listen to me? You're so stubborn," she huffed. "Men."

"Yeah, well, you picked Negaduck over me, so I don't see how I'm worse." It was childish and she hissed, balling her fists.

"I never wanted any of this to happen. Negaduck is-Negaduck is-" she cursed, rhyming with 'duck'. "I still can't say it. Oh, I could wring his neck."

"Wait, what?" he said, cocking his head, baffled again. "Whose neck?"

"Listen to me, Dark, because I don't have much time. You can't trust anything I say or do for a while. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed. "And you have a bridge to sell me too, sister. I'm not buying it."

"You idiot!" she exploded. "Why can't you listen, for once in your life, instead of jumping to conclusions? I can't say-I can't say-"

She cursed again.

"When this is over, I'm going to kill him," she muttered and then vanished, leaving him more confused than before. He awoke, lonely and miserable, in bed by himself.

He didn't sleep the rest of the night and when the morning came, he had convinced himself that the 'dream' he'd had was nothing but that, a figment of his overactive imagination.

Morgana was frustrated with herself and Darkwing. She'd known, going into this, that Darkwing was a stubborn, vain, arrogant, thick-headed jerk. She'd accepted the good with the bad. This was unbelievable, though. Perhaps part of it was that she'd struck a fierce blow to both his ego and his emotions. The other part might be that he didn't believe in astral projection. She hadn't taken the time to inform him, either, before Negaduck had sprung his nasty surprise on her.

But how much work would it involve for him to realize that she was being held against her will? Could he really not see beyond his own beak?

Negaduck hadn't forced her into anything, as far as that went, but that didn't stop her from feeling unnerved being near him. Negaduck struck her as a selfish, sadistic lover and that was something she never wanted to experience. But that brought her back to Darkwing, as all paths did.

She sighed, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't going to get much sleep tonight either.

They couldn't risk bringing Lena back to St. Canard, which meant they'd have to explain how she'd gotten there. That meant that Huey, Gosalyn, and Webby had to come up with a plausible explanation that shifted the blame off of them. Thus far, they'd come up with nothing and Gosalyn wanted to use her old stand-by: lying. Never mind that it probably wouldn't work in this instance. Gosalyn wanted to give it a shot anyway.

Webby was anxious and pacing the room in front of Lena. Lena was watching her and it felt like whenever their eyes met, she grew more and more nervous. She couldn't think of a way to explain this without implicating themselves. Plus, the longer they stood here worrying about it, the worse it would get. They'd have to say something soon.

Steeling herself, she knocked on Uncle Scrooge's office door. He beckoned them to enter without opening the door himself and his ghost butler, Duckworth, drifted through in front of them. Webby yelped and Duckworth looked smug before he held the door open for the quartet. Gosalyn blew Duckworth a raspberry.

"Now, what is it, Webbigail?" he asked without turning around.

"You might wanna look for this one," Lena deadpanned and Scrooge spun about so fast Webby was surprised the chair hadn't tossed him onto the floor.

"Lena de Spell?" he cried, outraged. "You...you went into my Bin without my permission, didn't ye? I told ye it was off limits and ye broke in there anyway! Where is Magica de Spell? How long did ye intend to keep this from me?"

He jumped to his feet and growled, looking far more like Glomgold, his arch-rival, than the normally even-tempered Scrooge McDuck. The infamous McDuck temper was coming into play.

"We rescued her because you kept her locked up for fifteen years!" Gosalyn retorted.

"I had a damn good reason!" he shot back. He slammed his palms on the table. "Where. Is. Magica?"

"We don't know," Huey blurted, having been startled into speaking. Webby noticed that Lena's gaze slid from Scrooge to the open window. Did she know something? No, that was ridiculous. What could she possibly know?

"Are ye sure?" Scrooge growled. "Because I dinnae wanna scour the city looking for Magica de Spell to cause trouble."

"We're sure," Gosalyn said.

Scrooge cursed quietly. "My worst enemy loose and ye dinnae know where you left her. Wonderful. Well, she's not around here. I'd have noticed if she were. I've got eyes like an eagle, ye know. And a mind as sharp as a steel trap."

It wasn't Webby's imagination. Lena was looking awkward, standing there with her arms folded across her chest.

"Lena?" Webby inquired.

"I dinnae hold it against you, lass," Scrooge said to her. "I shouldn't have left you trapped in there for so long."

Lena nodded, though her gaze remained hooked onto the green carpet as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"I'm sorry about that," Scrooge said and then scowled. "But ye should have waited until ye knew what was going to happen before unleashing Magica on the world! Now we have to find her."

"We'll help you look," Huey offered. "It's the least we can do, after, you know."

"Aye, you will at that," Scrooge agreed and his eyes narrowed. "But we don't know the first place to search. We're gonna have to involve Gyro, I think. Maybe he can get a lock on sentient shadows."

Webby wasn't so certain about that. How could you use science to track down magic? Then again, this was their fault, so they needed to help him however they could. Scrooge grabbed his top hat off the coat tree and then headed for the door. They trooped out with him.

Darkwing had warned Gosalyn not to stray too far from McDuck Manor, but there was a tunnel that linked the Money Bin to the manor. Therefore, they didn't need to actually leave the manor to reach it and the lab, although they could if they wanted to. Gosalyn thought she was perfectly safe, although admittedly Darkwing hadn't given her the details. Webby thought there was a reason Darkwing was keeping her in the dark, but she couldn't quite convince Gosalyn of that.

As they left, Webby cast a glance over at Mrs. Beakley, who was muttering to herself while dusting a painting. What was odd was that her voice had a sibilant hiss beneath her normal tone and Webby blinked. Yet when she listened again, after their eyes met, her granny sounded perfectly normal. Maybe she'd been imagining things, like the thing with Lena.

"Where are you lot off to?" Mrs. Beakley inquired.

"Off to talk to Gyro. Magica de Spell has gone missing," Scrooge said and his expression darkened. "Keep a lookout, will you, Beakley? We dinnae need her to be lurking about here."

"Will do, Mr. McDuck," she responded. "What does Gyro have to do with this?"

"I'll see if Gyro can whip up a device that can track magical energy," he answered. "Shouldn't be too hard for him."

Mrs. Beakley's eyes narrowed for a second and, to Webby's consternation, she saw malice there. Then it was gone. Was she seeing things today? What was going on?

"Good luck," Mrs. Beakley said and Scrooge inclined his head and went back to the garage. He knew Launchpad ought to be there; he'd returned to stay there after Darkwing had brought Gosalyn to McDuck Manor. At least Scrooge wouldn't need to worry about where his driver and pilot had gone.

They piled into the car and Webby stared out the window. Something very strange was going on and she didn't know what. She glanced over at Lena, who was back to staring at her phone. Lena was using the phone as a shield against the outside world, but to what avail? Webby glanced from her to her sister, Gosalyn, who was frowning too.

"What do you think Dad's keeping from me?" Gosalyn asked.

"I have no idea. It probably has something to do with the crime sprees in St. Canard, though," Webby said.

"He seems really upset about something," Gosalyn replied. "But I can't figure out what."

"Maybe it's an adult thing," Webby said.

"Maybe," Gosalyn said, but she didn't believe it and, to be honest, neither did Webby. Something much larger was at play here and they needed to get to the bottom of it. It didn't feel like the thing with Taurus Bulba and Doofus Drake, which had been personal for both of them. This felt more like it involved the adults.

That didn't mean they didn't have a stake in it. It just meant they'd have to try harder to be informed. No matter what it took.

Gyro could not be allowed to create anything that might lead to her. She'd have to sabotage his inventions. Or she could sabotage the man himself. Magica grinned. Mrs. Beakley's form was perfect for pummeling the stuffing out of people and the chicken man was so skinny and innocent, he'd never see it coming, especially not from her.

This didn't bring her any closer to Morgana, however, which meant she'd have to take a detour. Oh well. All good things came to those who waited. And she had been waiting a very long time for this revenge. She fully intended to enjoy it.

Even if it meant silencing Lena permanently to keep her from spilling the beans and putting Gyro into a coma. These were acceptable losses. And really, who would consider them losses anyway? Gyro was a pest and Lena was, well...just a child. She didn't matter to anyone.

Within her, Mrs. Beakley bristled again. Apparently, she found the idea of hurting a child morally repugnant. That was too bad, because she didn't have control anymore. Magica did. And she would do whatever was expedient.

And if killing them was expedient, who was she to argue?

Of course, doing so would blow her cover, but she'd deal with that bridge when she got to it. Magica watched the others depart and smiled to herself. Yes, she'd be very busy soon. And that was how she liked it.