Note: Short chapter this week, longer chapter on Christmas Day.
Mrs. Beakley shot Lena a warning look. She should have known that the older teenager was withholding information; Lena was still secretive, even after all these years. Dewey, in the meanwhile, moved closer to Webby, despite Mrs. Beakley's admonishment that he shouldn't approach a cornered creature. Webby's eyes flashed and her grandmother knew that she didn't need the weapons. If she chose to, she could kill Dewey with her own two hands.
"You're serious," Dewey said after a minute. "You're not really going to kill me, are you?"
"No," Webby said and the pain etched in her features was so acute that Mrs. Beakley found herself ignoring her previous advice and wheeling up to her. Webby balled her fists, released them, and balled them again. She was working to calm her breathing and her eyes were bloodshot. How much sleep had Webby gotten in the last few days? She also had a haunted look; FOWL, particularly Black Heron, would have done anything to cash in on Webby's failure.
"SHUSH already approached you with a counteroffer, right?" Gosalyn said and Webby's gaze reluctantly traveled to the redheaded girl.
"Yes." It was like they were dragging the words out of her one piece at a time.
"Are you going to accept?" Gosalyn asked. "It's not like FOWL has done you any favors."
"They raised me," Webby said, but she couldn't meet Gosalyn's eyes.
"After they kidnapped you," Dewey huffed. "You can't count that. They only raised you to be a weapon, a tool at their disposal. You're so much more than that."
"Am I?" she countered. "How would you know, Dewford? You've only known me for a few days. How could you know anything about me?"
"I can tell. I have this feeling," he pressed. "Like I ought to know you. And like we were meant to be together."
He flushed, seeming to realize he was confessing this in front of a large audience. He stepped back, chagrined. Webby's gaze hooked onto him. She couldn't seem to look away.
"You still feel that way, even though I've been ordered to kill you?" she asked softly.
"You're not going to kill me," he replied. "You already said so."
Webby drew a breath to steady herself and clenched and unclenched her fists. Mrs. Beakley watched her granddaughter carefully. She could tell that Webby's nerves were frayed, if not shot entirely. If she had known Dewey was going to be this foolhardy, she wouldn't have permitted him to come. Honestly, confessing such a thing in front of SHUSH agents and to Webby when they didn't know what she intended to do. Didn't he have any sense of timing?
"I need more time," she said. She also probably needed a place to sleep that wasn't outside on the cold hard ground. Her beak quivered and she swallowed hard. Though she was speaking to all of them, she couldn't break the connection between herself and Dewey. He must've made quite an impression on her.
"We're not the ones rushing you," Mrs. Beakley said quietly. "But Black Heron, I imagine, will be very cross to find out that you had an opportunity and you squandered it."
Dewey flinched. "But she said she wasn't going to kill me! She was having nightmares about it!"
Webby winced. She reached for daggers she was no longer carrying and bent to retrieve one. She toyed with it, more as something to do with her hands than because she intended to use it. Yes, she was definitely off-kilter.
"You were begging someone not to hurt us," Dewey pressed and Mrs. Beakley cleared her throat. Dewey was being exceedingly foolish by pressing the matter.
Webby was scanning the area again to find the exits. Her back was up against the wall and although no one prevented her from re-arming herself, no one moved to allow her egress either. She panted, eyes darting wildly around again. Fight or flight must have kicked in and she wanted to run, but running was no longer an option.
"Relax," Gosalyn said. "We're not here to hurt you."
"We don't attack children," Darkwing added.
"Unlike FOWL," Gosalyn muttered and Mrs. Beakley growled, not appreciating the reminder. Webby's posture loosened slightly, her grandmother's anger on her behalf seeming to settle her. She was still twitchy and standing like she wanted to bolt, bouncing on the balls of her heels.
"What have you got to lose by joining us?" Dewey asked. "We're offering you a home, a safe place to sleep, and a chance to be yourself. If you stay with FOWL…"
They'd kill her. Mrs. Beakley's heart clenched painfully in her chest. She wanted to rush over to Webby and clutch her tightly, but she didn't want to make any sudden movements. Anything might set the girl off.
"SHUSH will protect you," Gosalyn added. "If you let them."
Webby clenched and unclenched her fists again. She was panting, sounding close to hyperventilating again. Lena stepped closer and Webby jumped back, looking like she wanted to punch the other girl out. Like Dewey, Lena held her hands up in a defensive gesture.
"Hold on there," Lena said. "Breathe, Webs."
Webby ran-or rather, tried to. Gosalyn tackled her around the middle and Webby squirmed out from under. Not looking where she was going, she collided forcefully with Dewey, who held her tightly. Whatever her impulse was, it didn't extend to attacking Dewey to free herself. Or perhaps Dewey holding her prompted a different response. He had her wrists in his hands and they were beak to beak.
"Calm down," Dewey said. "Breathe. We're not going to let anything bad happen to you, all right? I promise."
"You can't promise," she said and there was a thread of hysteria in her voice. "SHUSH didn't protect my mom from Steelbeak, they didn't rescue me from FOWL, and they didn't do anything to stop me from hurting Granny."
"SHUSH didn't know your mother had such an intimate relationship with Steelbeak," Mrs. Beakley said, approaching the two teenagers. Gosalyn had dirt on her face, which she was scrubbing off with her sleeve despite Darkwing's irritated groan. That was the sigh of a man who had to do his daughter's laundry.
"And we've been trying to find you for ten years," she said. "FOWL moved its base after your abduction and we couldn't find you until they let you slip your leash a little. As for the last, I let you get close enough to hurt me. I have no one to blame but myself for that."
Webby froze in Dewey's arms and he released her wrists to hug her tightly.
"Did you really think we'd give up on you?" Mrs. Beakley asked softly. "I love you."
Webby looked down at the words and Dewey cupped her cheek to force her to look back up again. Then, in an epic misunderstanding of timing, he kissed her.
"What is this, Romeo and Juliet?" Gosalyn muttered. The other agents politely looked away from the display while Gosalyn rolled her eyes.
When they broke apart, Webby said, "Okay."
"Okay what?" Dewey said, baffled.
"I'll give it a try," she said. She was still shaking and Mrs. Beakley rolled forward to touch her hand. Webby trembled at the touch too.
"I'm sorry, Granny," Webby said. "I'm glad you're okay."
"We'll worry about that later," Mrs. Beakley said, but she smiled at her granddaughter nonetheless. "For now, I believe we have bigger problems."
In the dark, it was hard to tell, but Mrs. Beakley was fairly sure that Webby's shaking wasn't just due to tension. She was crying and clinging to Dewey. Dewey placed his arms around her waist and cuddled her close. She pressed her face into his neck.
"Now, we need to talk strategy," Mrs. Beakley said. "After you've gotten some sleep."
"What? No. Why is she staying here?" Louie protested.
"She belongs here," Mrs. Beakley snapped. "And that's the last I'll say on the matter."
"What did Uncle Scrooge say? This is his house," Louie pointed out.
She sighed. Scrooge hadn't been pleased either, but after hearing the whole story, both from Webby and from her grandmother, he'd reluctantly agreed to let Webby stay in the manor. She'd been so exhausted that even though her bed was too small, Webby had curled up in it and passed out.
"He agreed to let her stay," Mrs. Beakley said.
"But is she really reformed?" Huey pressed.
"I don't think she was ever truly FOWL's to begin with," Mrs. Beakley replied. "She just put on a show."
"Seemed pretty convincing to me," Louie griped. He frowned. "Still...she's not the type to con someone. She's still got too good a heart for that."
"It's amazing she was able to hold onto it, considering what FOWL's like," Huey agreed. "She's still sleeping?"
"She'll probably sleep through the day," Mrs. Beakley said. "When she awakens, we'll discuss what comes next."
"Which is…?" Huey asked and Mrs. Beakley's eyes gleamed.
"I want revenge for what they've done to her," she said. "And I expect she's none too happy with them either."