Beginning of the end! Three chapters left after this one

Scrooge was holding on rather tightly to Webby and Huey's hands. After the rest of their family and the ship's crew had vanished without a trace he wasn't going to take any chances.

Scrooge remembered all too well what it had been like to lose Della the first time, and to be cut +off from Donald and the boys. No matter what happened, he was not going to lose his family again.

Except… He already had, hadn't he? Donald hadn't come back from the moon. His boy hadn't come home. And Donald wasn't a quitter, Donald didn't give up on his family, which meant that Donald hadn't had any say in the matter.

"I'm sorry, Don," Scrooge whispered, squeezing his eyes closed and vowing then that he wouldn't give up on their family either.

"It wasn't your fault, Uncle Scrooge." Scrooge's eyes flew open and he looked back and forth between Webby and Huey but both of them seemed too distracted to have heard his lament and responded.

"Did you say something, kids?" Scrooge asked cautiously.

"No," Webby and Huey both echoed.

"I'm hearing things... " Scrooge frowned, shaking his head as if the voice was inside it.

Webby lit up, "Maybe it's the spirits!"

She grabbed Huey's hand to complete the circle and looked up at the sky.

"Hear us, oh spirits, we are but your humble servants. Speak and we will listen, command and we will obey!"

Huey thought that Webby was being a little dramatic, but if it got them back to their family he didn't much care.

"Speak to us, spirits," Scrooge and Huey repeated.

The shimmering image of a spectre began to appear before them. When Scrooge recognized the spirit he dropped Huey and Webby's hands and stumbled back, falling on his butt.

"Uncle Scrooge! Are you okay? Webby asked, helping him stand back up.

"Did you see him?"

"The spirit? Yeah, I didn't get a good look at it though, before it disappeared."

"It was Donald," Scrooge said, clearly shaken.

"What? No, it couldn't be…" Huey muttered.

"Are you sure?" Webby asked.

"I know my nephew. It was him. All of this is because of him."

"We need to contact him again," Webby said tentatively.

"I can't," Huey said.

Webby offered him her hand.

"I know it's scary, and I know that none of us want this to be true but this may be the only way we can get the rest of our family back. We need to contact him."

Huey took her hand, trembling a little.

Scrooge completed the circle and this time took the lead, "Speak to us, Donald. Tell us how to appease your spirit and return the vanished to the land of the living."

Slowly the spirit reappeared, confirming Scrooge's fears. Huey looked away and let out a sob but the circle remained intact.

"I'm so sorry," were the first words out of Donald's mouth when he was sure his family could hear and see him.

"It's alright, my boy. Just tell us what happened and how we can help you." Scrooge spoke in earnest, putting as much love as he could into his voice so that his departed nephew wouldn't feel so alone.

"As soon as I realized I passed on to another world I realized I would have to take a different approach to seeing my family again. I began haunting trade ships and, yesterday, my haunting paid off. My family was aboard. I guess, subconsciously, I began getting desperate, and I pulled other people into my world, like Della, Dewey, and Louie."

"You're with them? They're safe?" Webby's voice was thick with relief.

"They're safe," Donald promised.

"So how do we get them back?" Huey tentatively asked, still feeling squeamish about interacting with his deceased uncle.

"I'm not sure… My grief pulled them here, I'm not sure what's keeping them here."

"It's alright, my boy," Scrooge said, wanting to envelop his nephew in a hug, "We're here to help. What would put your mind at ease?"

"My mind is at ease," Donald said. "For the first time in months the storm has calmed and I feel at peace. My family is all here and I'm happy again. But I didn't want it like this… Huey, Webby, Scrooge, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Huey blurted. "You tried to get back to us. You never gave up, you never let go…"

Suddenly a look of realization appeared in Donald's eyes.

"I have to let go. I think I know how to get the others back but we all have to let go. Listen, kids, Scrooge… I love you all more than anything, but my time has come. We have to say goodbye, and when I'm gone you can mourn me but know that my love for you will never, ever go away."

With eyes brimming with tears, Scrooge was the first one to speak once more, "Ay. We'll miss you, lad. We will always have a place in our hearts for you. I love you dearly. Goodbye."

Webby spoke next, "I always thought you were the bravest adventurer out there. I wish we could have had more time together, Uncle Donald. Goodbye."

Huey let out a sob, "I can't do this… I can't lose you again."

"It's okay, Huey. It's okay to grieve, it's okay to be afraid. But know that whatever happens next, I will always be with you. You just have to say goodbye."

"Uncle Donald, I'm so scared. I'm scared to keep going without you, I'm scared that I won't be enough to fill the shoes you left behind. But more than that I'm mad that I have to. I'm mad that you're gone, that the universe would just take you from us. It's not fair. But I love you, and I know that the best thing I can do for you is let you go, so… Goodbye."

"Goodbye, kids. Goodbye, Uncle Scrooge. I love you all so much, and I am so, so proud of each of you."

As Donald began to disappear, the crew began to reappear. But Della, Dewey, and Louie hadn't reappeared yet. It seemed that Donald wasn't quite done letting go.