Author's Note: I had the feeling this would happen, where I'd forget to update one chapter on one site and post the next on the other.
So you get two chapters today, because I'm an idiot. -_-
Chapter Five: American Beauty/American Psycho
She gleaned as much information about the triplets as she could in the next week. The Bloodhound Gang grew restive-they were disused to prolonged periods of inactivity and resented her refusing them marijuana. The alcohol she permitted, but pot gave her a dreadful headache. They were petty criminals, inclined toward thievery and other, unimaginative crimes. Evidently, attacking the girl was the most ambitious thing they'd ever done. It also might be the last thing they ever did, because Magica had been forced to move three times in the last week. Scrooge was scouring the underground, leaving no stone unturned in his search to rout out and punish the Gang. Even she, who maintained enmity toward him and considered him beneath her, was wary and unsettled.
She'd never seen Scrooge so enraged. The longer the search wore on, the angrier he became. He was turning into a berserker. Then again, this was by far the worst thing that had happened to his family, barring Della's disappearance. In that, at least, she might've been partially culpable. Webby hadn't deserved her fate, despite what Magica had told the girl.
The whole thing unnerved her in a different way, too. She did not like working with child rapists. They were the lowest of the low, normally scum such as she wouldn't deign to acknowledge in the streets. What she had in mind for the girl was not more of the same, despite the Gang itching to get their hands on her again for that purpose. No, she wanted Webbigail tortured, in a public forum, as it would bring forth Scrooge and Lena. That friendship bracelet was like a thorn in Magica's side.
It was a tricky proposition. If she did it somewhere that the cops (and Gizmoduck) patrolled, they'd shut her down before she had a chance to ensnare her targets. Right now, Mount Vesuvius would be out of Scrooge's mind, so it'd have to be staged in Duckberg. Magica thought that the old theatre with its irony would be the perfect place to bring the girl. Between the Bloodhound Gang inflicting terror by their mere presence and the backdrop the location of her assault, the girl should be paralyzed with fear. If not, well, there were spells to handle that.
However, luring the girl from McDuck Manor proved to be the current and most looming problem. No one was willing to let her out of their sight. Scrooge had Gizmoduck and Gyro working overtime to patrol the manor and prevent egress by any unsavory characters. The Bloodhound Gang couldn't stroll up to the gates, steal away the girl, and escape with no one the wiser. They'd probably be shot on sight.
She could shapeshift, but the difficulty with that lay in her voice. No matter how she effected the change, her voice remained the same. Thanks to her previous arrogance, which she now had cause to regret, everyone within the manor knew what she sounded like and, much to her irritation, her voice was singularly recognizable. No, she would need a stooge for this, and she'd need someone who could think on her feet.
The loss of Lena rankled again. Lena would have been the perfect pawn. She could have led Webby out and into danger, although...Lena would have balked at handing Webby straight to her attackers. So, no, maybe Lena wouldn't have been perfect. Her body would have been, but Magica couldn't inhabit it anymore.
That meant she had to scour the rogue's gallery for an appropriate lackey. Oh, she hated hiring help. They never performed as advertised. She also had to contrive an excuse for Webby to leave, possibly bringing the triplets along because otherwise, the brats would grow very suspicious. Damn, she hated complications.
Nonetheless, she calmed herself and vowed she'd figure out a way to solve this quagmire. There had to be a solution, perhaps one so obvious she hadn't thought of it yet.
Then it struck her. Della Duck. The triplets would leave the manor if they thought their mother had returned. It would be cruel to give them false hope, which satisfied her. Webby might be inclined to follow, but if not, she would have a stooge retrieve her.
Now...to look through the Yellow Pages for an appropriate henchman…
Scrooge was in a towering rage. They'd combed every inch of the underground and hadn't turned up Magica or the Bloodhound Gang. It was Della all over again. Unable to vent his spleen on anyone, he stormed around his office and considered tracking them down himself. If you want a job done right…
Slamming his cane down, he stomped toward the door, flung it open, breathing hard, he considered his next few options. It was possible Lena was holding out on him, but he didn't think she had anything to gain by withholding information. Moreover, she seemed genuinely concerned about Webby. And he could hardly shake Webby down for information. The poor girl was in a state already. She didn't need Scrooge barking questions at her.
Lena wasn't just their best lead, she was their only lead. Damn him, but he had no idea where the girl lived when she wasn't visiting them. Webby didn't know either and he huffed, wishing he could call Mrs. Beakley and demand to know whether Lena was visiting. Instead, he rushed toward Webby's room, where he found her, the boys, and Lena engaged in a board game. Lena looked bored out of her skull and Louie had given up, lying flat on his back and staring at the ceiling.
"Watching dust fall down is more exciting than this game," Louie proclaimed.
"Lena? A word?" Scrooge growled and Webby startled. It was the most normal thing he'd seen her do in weeks, that board game, and he felt a twinge of guilt for disturbing her. Lena rose to her feet and when he moved his cane swiftly, to slam it against the floor again to emphasize his point, Lena winced.
He stopped, the girl's fear penetrating his rage briefly.
"Lass, I'm not going to hurt you," he said.
"Lena?" Webby said and Scrooge remembered that despite the incident a couple weeks ago, Webby was still innocent to physical abuse for the most part. His eyes narrowed at the teenager.
"Magica?" he asked and Lena didn't meet his eyes.
"It doesn't matter," she said, shrugging. She sprang to her feet and tossed her cards onto the floor. "I'll be back."
"Wait," Webby said and jumped to her feet too. "I want to come too."
"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," he demurred. "I want to talk to Lena about Magica and the Bloodhound Gang."
Although Webby shuddered, she held her head high and met his gaze. He was impressed. He'd always known that the lassie had a spine of steel.
"I know more about the Bloodhound Gang than she does," Webby said. "I can probably help you."
"You can't help me locate them, can you?" he asked and Webby shook her head. She cast her gaze downward and Scrooge stroked her head feathers.
To Lena, he said, "We've combed every inch of the underground, the old subway system, and anywhere else they might be hiding. We found the Beagle Boys, as well as a bunch of other lowlife scum. But we haven't found Magica or the Bloodhound Gang. If you're holding out on me, lass…"
"I really don't know where they could've gone, okay?" Lena said and she swallowed hard. "I'd tell you if I knew, I swear."
"That's all well and good, lass, but I'm getting awful tired of the run-around," he growled.
"Lena said she doesn't know," Webby said, grabbing her friend's hand and squeezing it. "She's trying to help as best she can."
"Does Magica have anywhere else she might be? Anywhere she stayed in Duckberg?" he queried.
"How should I know? She's been attached to me for my entire life," she pointed out. "It's not like she needed a hideout as a shadow."
Scrooge slammed his cane down again, impatience and fury surging through him. He fixed Lena a hard look and Lena winced. Webby wrapped her arms around Lena and Scrooge noticed that Lena was wearing Webby's friendship bracelet again.
"If I found out you've been protecting them…" Scrooge snarled. "You'll be very sorry you ever came back here."
"Why would I protect them?" Lena shot back. She was quivering too and her eyes flashed warningly. "I'd never protect Magica, not after what she put Webby through, never mind me. And what possible reason could I have for protecting child molesters?"
"C'mon, calm down," Webby cajoled, looking from Lena to Scrooge and back. "Scrooge didn't mean it. And Lena, I know you wouldn't hide them."
Her voice was tremulous and she squeezed Lena around the waist.
"I came back here because I care about Webby, okay?" Lena said and she seemed close to tears. "Webby is the only person since my father disappeared to show me any kindness at all. I love her. I'd never want to see her hurt. Even when Magica was manipulating me, the last thing I wanted was for Webby to be upset. I don't care if you don't believe me, but it's true. All of it.
"I don't know where Magica and the others are because Magica kept me away from villains like that. If Magica has a hide-out, I don't know where it is. If you don't want me around Webby, just say so and I'll go."
"No!" Webby cried, aghast. "No, Lena, don't go! Please!"
Scrooge struggled to rein in his temper. Screaming at Lena had done nothing to further the investigation and had only agitated Webby further. Webby was hugging Lena so tightly he was surprised the other girl wasn't complaining. He surveyed the two of them for a minute and although Lena's lower lip quivered, she held his gaze. There was another girl with a spine of steel.
"All right, lass," Scrooge said after a minute's silence. "All right. I believe you. It's just so damned frustrating not to be able to find her. And I have the feeling she won't let us find her until she wants to be found."
"That sounds like her all right," Lena said weakly. She placed her hands atop Webby's. Webby looked up at her and Scrooge saw more than friendly affection in her gaze. The girl was smitten.
"I'm going back to my office," he announced and cast one last glance at the two girls. Wishing that had been more fruitful but aware that it could've gone much worse, he pounded back toward his hopeless endeavor. Maybe he'd be lucky and he could crack a few skulls soon, crack them open like melons.
Lena was trying not to cry. She was trying valiantly and she was failing. Webby guided her into another room, one she hadn't been in recently, and shut the door behind them. It looked like a parlor of some sort and Lena's gaze swam with tears, so she couldn't really distinguish many details. At least the couch that Webby pushed her onto was soft.
"I'm sorry," Lena whispered. She swallowed hard and offered Webby a weak smile. "I've been kinda on edge lately, what with Magica and the nightmares."
"You too?" Webby said and plopped beside her. She squeezed her hand. "You've never mentioned your father before."
"That's because Aunt Magica turned him into a crow and then banished him from me," Lena said dully. "I haven't seen my dad in years."
"Oh," Webby said. She guessed that was a sensitive subject. Cupping Lena's face in her hand, she turned it toward her. "I'm sorry. Scrooge is on edge too and I guess he was desperate."
"And he needed a target," Lena said. "I get it. I make a pretty good target."
Webby's heart twisted. "No, no, you don't."
"Sure I do," Lena said and shrugged. "I mean, I've spent my whole life being a target for abuse. Why stop now?"
"Because I love you too, you beautiful fool," Webby said softly and, feeling her heart pound, she leaned forward and kissed her on the beak. Lena did a double take, falling backward on the couch and Webby started laughing. It wasn't really funny, just awkward, but it was still the funniest thing she'd encountered in the last few weeks.
Lena stared at her and then, to Webby's relief, started laughing too. Soon they were both rolling around in laughter, probably tempered by the recent trauma. Webby curled up against Lena and smiled at her, which prompted the older girl to smile back, which caused them both to burst into peals of laughter again. Webby laughed until she had a hard time breathing and even then, she had to work on breathing again.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry…" Webby gasped. "It's just...when I pictured kissing you, your falling backward was not what I had in mind."
"I never pictured you kissing me at all, so you're one up on me," Lena said and fought to regain her composure. A giggle snuck out. "Have you been practicing?"
"On pillows," Webby admitted, blushing furiously. Lena snickered.
"Hey!" Webby objected. "It's not like I had anything else to practice on!"
"You could've asked Louie or Dewey," she said with an evil grin. "They would've been glad to help you practice your technique."
"What? They don't have crushes on me. Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed.
"They've been fighting over you worse since I came back into the picture," Lena reminded her. "They're not going to be happy that you chose me."
"Who said I chose anyone?" Webby replied. "What's a kiss between friends?"
"That was not a friendly kiss," Lena shot back. "And you know it. A peck on the cheek is a friendly kiss. I'll show you the difference.'
Lena leaned forward and this time, Webby didn't sit there like a bump on a log. She met Lena head-on and kissed her back, clumsy but at least full of passion. Lena wrapped her arms around her and, with an effort, Lena pulled away long enough to add to what she'd said.
"See? There's a difference," she said with an impish grin. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed."
"I don't know," Webby said, sly. "I might need some more convincing."
