Sea of Green
A/N: And here we are. Final chapter! Sorry this one is so long but... well it turned out more was going on than I'd realized. :P Hope it doesn't disappoint, and thanks again for the reviews!
Act III, Chapter 3
She was stupid. So, so stupid. She knew he was a criminal, and she'd tried to keep that in mind, but she'd let her guard down - so distracted by that amazing greenhouse, put at ease by his friendliness and his stories of how easy-going a guy he was... And now look.
Beth struggled against the vines that were pushing her down onto the platform and found there was absolutely no give. She tried appealing verbally. "Reggie, don't - don't do this. Reggie?"
He was standing over her but not looking at her; instead his attention was on some kind of setup with a potted flower and a bunch of wires. "Reggie - Bushroot! Don't! Y-you're not this kind of person!"
At this point he stopped, and looked at her beseechingly. "Look, we'll talk about this later. In a few minutes you'll have a totally different viewpoint on this, trust me."
She felt cold. He wasn't at all upset or touched by her reaction; it was like he was blocking the whole thing out. "BUSHROOT!"
He elevated a large piece of machinery that looked like a transistor or conductor, and then he turned to her. "I promise this won't hurt! I mean... in the long run. There's a little bit of electrical discharge that isn't very comfy, but-"
"You don't have to do this. This- this isn't who you are. Listen - listen," she said in desperation, straining to keep her tone level. "No one knows so far that you caused the plant overgrowth, right? So, so let me go, then when Darkwing gets here, we'll tell him that you had nothing to do with it but that you're going to fix it! You can fix it, right? I mean... you figured how to use giberrellin to cause the growth, can't you use - what's the antagonist of gibberellin?"
"Paclobuzatrol," he said musingly. "I guess I could find a way to make that work..."
"Yes! And get the plants back to normal! We'll tell him you've been working on it all day-"
"Yeah, right, like he's gonna believe me about that. Heck, I wouldn't, under the circumstances!"
"Okay - okay," Beth said breathlessly, "well, I'll vouch for you, and he'll have to believe me, because..." She blanked; there was really no reason he should believe her. They were total strangers, and even though they were both acquaintances of Drake and Gosalyn Mallard, that didn't mean she had unimpeachable references. Oh well, she needed to say something. "Because I - I don't have any criminal record! So, so... you won't need to fight him and I won't n-need to be a plant and you can just... let me... go..."
He looked at her levelly as she trailed off, and there was something in the back of his eyes, something unsettling but also very sad. This expression was what quieted her, and it kept her quiet; and then he said, "If I let you go, then what? Are you just going to go home like nothing ever happened?"
"Yes! Yes, absolutely!" She nodded furiously. "I won't say anything about this to any-"
"Like nothing ever happened," he said miserably, his tone biting. He closed down and turned away, and she mentally kicked herself. Wrong answer.
"W-well, but I mean, of c-course we can st-still be fr-"
"Oh right! Right, like you're just going to drop by on weekends and hang out, huh? Someone like you, coming by of her own free will to spend time with a freak like me?" She cringed as he spun back to face her, both of his leafy hands clenched into fists. "No. You'd never do that. You'd go on back home to your sunshine and your happy life, and forget all about me while I just wilted away with my memories, right?"
"No!" she cried - choked, almost - and, sadly, she knew she was lying. Right now, she never wanted to come back here.
"Beth." He stopped, and softened, visibly pulling himself back. When he spoke again it was much kinder, and sincere. "I'm sorry. I... I really like you. You're the first person I've had a real conversation with in months... who wasn't a supervillain, I mean. But... you're never going to stay with me. I'm not a fool, I can see that. Why would you?"
"Oh, Reggie... What if I promise to-"
"No." He shook his head. "The only way I can get you to stay my friend is this way. But look, it won't be bad for you like it's been for me. Because we'll have each other." He smiled; the expression only slipped a little as she groaned and started struggling against the bonds holding her down. "Aw, Beth, just give it a try before you make your mind up, huh?"
"REGGIE!" she said in exasperation. "This isn't like trying out a new pair of shoes!"
"Okay, granted, but I'll walk you through the whole thing..." He moved for her, and reached for a lever. Horrified, she made one last effort.
"PLEASE WAIT! I - I, listen, I'm a horrible conversationalist and I snore at night! You don't need to settle for me when you could have a bunch of friends so please just listen to my idea, my great idea, please, okay?"
He stopped with his hand an inch away from the lever.
She gasped for breath, trying to calm her heart as it thumped against her ribcage. "You - you - here's what you, what you do. Okay. So no one knows you did all this right? So... when you fix it - you uh - ev-everyone will love you. They'll all line up to- to meet th-the person who saved them. Who let them out. You'll be a hero. Wouldn't... would that be great?" she asked weakly. She was starting to feel dizzy and although she'd never fainted before, she wouldn't be surprised if she was leading up to that. She was so terrified that she felt like she could hardly breathe.
Bushroot lowered his hand slowly to his side, away from the lever. "Well..." he said softly, "that does sound neat. Do you really think that would work?"
She smiled encouragingly. "Do you... have any idea how happy I was to get outside this morning? Haha - I could've k-kissed the ground. I-if you let everyone out... a-and they all know it was you who freed them... I-I just bet-"
"Hmmm." He put a leaf to his chin, pondering. "Maybe..."
They were interrupted by a sound of shattering glass and then a hiss, as a puff of coloured smoke began to fill one side of the greenhouse. Bushroot's expression contracted into anger again. "Aw, come on! One hole wasn't enough!" he snapped.
A disembodied voice filled the air as the smoke began to spread. "I am the Terror that Flaps In the Night," it said; if this was Darkwing Duck, he certainly had a strong flair for the dramatic. Beth wasn't entirely sure what a Flapping Terror was, but it had a certain style.
Turning back to Beth, Bushroot said quickly, "Look, I see what you're saying, but there just isn't time for this. Sorry." And he yanked the lever down.
Beth shrieked as the platform she was strapped to began to rise skyward, and Bushroot stalked off to deal with Darkwing Duck.
They'd left Gosalyn safe in the ThunderQuack, and after the earlier attacks she had only protested halfheartedly and given up after only a minute or so. After the little plant's retreat trajectory had become clear, Darkwing had instructed Launchpad to overtake the plant just before he reached the Greenhouse and it had been mulched before it could deliver its news. With the element of surprise on their side, Darkwing had plotted their entrance.
"I am the month-long drought that kills your crops! I... am Darkwiiing Duck!"
And, at the moment, he had no real idea where Bushroot was. He tried not to show it as he let the smoke disperse into the greenhouse, but since it was always anticlimactic to enter the room and have his entrance be met by silence, he was a little bit put out. He was attempting to surreptitiously look all around the place when something tackled him from behind.
"Whoa, look out, DW!" yelled Launchpad a few seconds too late, and Darkwing twisted around just before he hit the floor and found that he was being pinned by that giant flytrap dog that Bushroot always kept around.
He grimaced. "Releasing the hounds, huh Bushy? Nice welcome!"
"Well, if you're going to trespass on private property," came a peevish voice from off to Darkwing's left, "then it's only fair that I defend myself."
"Pff! I wouldn't call siccing your minions on me the same thing as you defending yourself," Darkwing taunted. Somewhere in the background, he was aware of some kind of electric humming; from the sound of things, Bushroot had some sort of fiendish machinery going. He gave a great heave, and pushed Spike off of his legs. The huge plant took the momentum and went hurtling towards the wall. He didn't see where he went, but something broke. Bushroot, stepping into the scene, barely spared his pet a glance.
Instead, he aimed a hefty glare at Darkwing. "I'm busy right now, Duck! You're interrupting personal business, so I'm giving you until the count of five to leave and then..." He waved his viney appendages, and a small jungle seemed to grow up around Darkwing and Launchpad. Launchpad made a little strangled noise.
In response, Darkwing took out his gun and revved up the blade attachment. He narrowed his eyes, and Bushroot narrowed his eyes as well, and then over the shriek of the blades and the hum of the machinery he suddenly heard someone yelling. He turned off the spinning blades, and looked around. "What was that?"
Launchpad was looking as well, and he saw the platforms first. Pointing to the far end of the greenhouse, he said, "I think there's someone up there!"
"So, up to your old tricks again, huh Twiggy?" Darkwing asked.
"Oh, mind your own business!" Bushroot snapped. He shot one of his arms out and it extended rapidly, winding around Darkwing's wrist and pulling. The gun was yanked from his grip and it spun away across the floor.
"LP - go take care of whoever that is," Darkwing instructed, grappling against Bushroot's grip; his sidekick nodded and took off, and Darkwing turned his attention back to the plant-duck trying to ensnare him. He pulled against the vine, and as he expected, Bushroot tightened his snare; Darkwing pulled harder for a few seconds longer, then reversed and threw himself at his enemy. Bushroot, taken by surprise, stumbled backwards and Darkwing used his momentum to make a flying leap which landed on Bushroot's shoulders. They tumbled to the ground, and in the ensuing confusion Darkwing's arm was released. He made a dash for the gas gun.
Whoever the person was up on that platform, they were yelling like crazy up there, but he could hardly hear it. As Launchpad got closer to the machinery it got a lot louder - he hadn't realized so much was being drowned out. He was actually surprised that they'd managed to hear her (was it a her?) when they had.
The platforms were tall, and he couldn't see the tops. This looked like the same experiment Bushroot had tried before, with that lady scientist; without being able to see, Launchpad couldn't be sure that the he wasn't already too late. He searched about for an "off" switch but couldn't find anything clearly marked. There was some kind of lever off to the side; he crossed his fingers and pulled it.
To his immense relief, the humming stopped and the platforms started to lower again. When it reached the ground, the form lying on it was still. He hoped she'd just fainted and wasn't more hurt than that... but on the other hand, at least he could see brown hair and pale yellow feathers, and nothing green. That had to be a good sign, right?
"Miss?" he said cautiously, moving closer in case she needed help. To his surprise, she immediately pushed with her shoulders against the bonds holding her down, with more force than he'd expected. "Hey, calm down - you're safe now." He grabbed the bond that was circling across her shoulders and pulled; it gave, and she sat up right away and put her head into her hands. He still hadn't gotten a good look at her face, but she was clearly upset. "Uh, did it... did it finish?" he asked gently.
She shook her head slowly. "I don't think so," she answered in a wobbly voice. "But I just... oh gosh... you have NO IDEA the kind of day I'm having," she finished weakly. She lifted her head and looked up at him, about to say something else. Then her eyes widened. "Launchpad?"
"Beth?" They stared at each other for a moment, and then said in unison, "What are you doing here?"
Then there was another silence, this one slightly awkward. Launchpad recovered and scrambled for an excuse - the first one that came to mind was, "Uh, I'm here to save you!"
Beth looked completely befuddled, and not quite convinced. He realized that, on the heels of asking her what she was doing there, that was probably the absolute stupidest thing he could have said. He forged on anyway, in the hopes that maybe if he just kept going, she wouldn't notice the blunder. "I mean, well, D- Darkwing, he was lookin' for someone who knew you who could help track you down, an' I volunteered. So we didn't know you were here, specifically, but ... there ya go."
"Oh." She nodded, and then looked across the greenhouse to where Darkwing and Bushroot were apparently taking turns chasing one another. "But... but how did he know I was missing? I mean, I haven't spoken to anyone except Henny all day, and..."
Launchpad swallowed nervously. "OH, well, he's a real good detective. Heh heh."
She still looked confused, but she nodded slowly as she watched two trees tossing Darkwing back and forth between themselves. "Oh," she said again, sounding distracted.
"So... how DID you end up here?" he asked as she started to stand up shakily. He offered his arm, and she took hold and leaned on it for a moment before straightening up.
"Well, it's... it's a really long story." She looked uncomfortable, so he didn't press the issue. "Is he... Darkwing, I mean, is he going to be okay? Does he need help or something?"
The roar of a chainsaw reached them even from where they were standing, and a moment later pieces of the two trees when flying. Bushroot gave a yelp of alarm and took off running as Darkwing emerged from the wreckage of branches and leaves. Beth stiffened slightly but didn't say anything more.
"He's fine," Launchpad said.
The whole thing was over very shortly after that. Bushroot caved in the face of the conifer carnage, and gave up, Darkwing did a little bit of gloating, from the sound of things Launchpad had managed to rescue Bushroot's captive, and everything seemed to be going well. Darkwing had just slapped some handcuffs onto Bushroot's skinny vine-wrists, knowing fully well that they weren't likely to stay there or do a whole lot of good but it was the symbolism that he liked, and he said, "Hope you like being cooped up, Bushy, because you're going to be stuck inside for quite a while now!"
"No, wait!" yelled a woman's voice, and Darkwing turned to see a figure darting up to him. A female figure - evidently Bushroot's kidnappee. A... familiar figure.
No. It couldn't be her. It couldn't.
"WHA-" he began as she got close, but behind her, Launchpad was shaking his head vehemently. Darkwing closed his mouth before the syllable was entirely finished.
"So, Darkwing Duck," Launchpad said loudly, emphasizing every word in a wooden tone the way he did whenever he was trying to cover up for something, "you were right about my friend being here. Just like you said, and now she is rescued, thanks to your detective skills."
Darkwing's mouth opened wordlessly for a few moments before he was able to manage, "...Right." Honestly, Launchpad just got worse and worse at lying. Oh, well. He turned to look at Beth Webfoot - he still couldn't quite believe this was a coincidence - and said grandly, "Well, thank you for your help, Mr. McQuack, you've got good instincts. Miss, you don't have to worry about this whacked-out weed here anymore, he'll be-"
"Oh, um, Mr. Darkwing-" She sounded like Honker, he thought for a moment as she stammered out an interruption. "Well, of course I appreciate your coming here to rescue me, but... but... I think there's, um, a kind of misunderstanding involved here. Um, you see... Bushroot, he, he didn't do anything wrong."
"What?" said Darkwing.
"What?" echoed both Launchpad and Bushroot. Darkwing shot a look at his enemy, who covered his mouth sheepishly.
"W-well... Really, he... he didn't do anything. Much. I mean, anything at all. I mean I guess you could say that-"
"Okay. Let's just cut to the chase here," Darkwing said impatiently. This was getting to be too much. "This guy wrapped up the whole city, kidnapped you, and tried to make you his science experiment and you say he didn't do anything wrong?"
Beth cringed, but shook her head. "P-pretty much..."
He crossed his arms. "Explain that one."
"W-well..." She dropped her eyes and looked at her feet, then wove her fingers together and tugged at them. It was amazing, like she just couldn't keep from fidgeting. "S-see, I know the, um, the plants all over the city thing looks like Bushroot did it, but... um..."
"It wasn't me!" Bushroot chimed in suddenly.
Darkwing glared at him. "No leading the witness!" Bushroot retreated again.
With all the attention on her, Beth looked very uncomfortable, but she picked the thread back up. "Yes, it - it wasn't him. He, he doesn't know who it was, but... but just before you got here, Bushroot was just telling me about how he could make an antidote out of Paclobuzatrol and it would shrink the plants back down and then they'd let everyone out - see, Paclobuzatrol is an opponent of gibberellin, which is a plant growth hormone that we- I mean Bushroot thinks might be behind this sudden rapid growth and so he thinks if he makes a formula with-"
Darkwing found that he was making a sound, a kind of part-exhalation and part-groan. Beth seemed to hear it, because she suddenly stopped talking and fell into an awkward silence.
"So," Darkwing said to Bushroot, "Pacman booze-a what?"
"Paclobuzatrol. And as a matter of fact that's exactly what I was saying just before you got here. We were literally just discussing it."
"Right." Darkwing turned back to Beth and said, "So he kidnapped you so that you could give your input on how to reverse all this, then."
She nodded. "Right. I mean no! I mean, um-" She swallowed and said, "He didn't kidnap me at all. I was just visiting. I - not that I - I mean 'visiting' is not the right word, precisely, but I got out from the, from the place I was stuck in, and um... I guess I just... ran into Reg- um, Bushroot on the street? And we came back here because I, heh - it's funny - I actually have a background in botany, believe it or not, so it made sense. To, to talk about it."
"And then you decided to become a plant duck."
"No! Oh no! No, I do not want to be a plant duck. Or any kind of plant. At all." She shook her head very sincerely as she said this, and out of the corner of his eye, Darkwing saw Bushroot's head droop. Since no one else was speaking, Beth didn't seem to be able to keep from filling the silence; she added, "Ever."
Darkwing stared at her, trying to figure her out. She fidgeted some more, twiddling her fingertips together, and after he'd let her move uncomfortably for some time, he said, "Sooooo, if you didn't want to be up on that platform, and Twiggy didn't do anything wrong, then just what, pray tell, happened?"
Beth looked up, her eyes wide and a little stricken. "Oh - um.. I... wellll..."
It was obvious that she hadn't thought of that, and Darkwing rolled his eyes.
"I, um, I guess what happened is that... we were talking, and then when you came in, he got kind of - startled, and pulled a lever, and he didn't... know it?"
Oh, please. That was pathetic. He turned to Bushroot, who grinned nervously. When he turned back to Beth she was wearing an almost identical expression. Well, something was going on here, that was obvious. "Listen, Ms. Webfoot," he said, "if something happened here this afternoon, you can press charges and I can guarantee you this guy will never bother you again. All you have to do is say something."
She shook her head. "No, sir. I... I have nothing to say."
"So you just came over for tea."
"Well... not exactly, but... he didn't do anything wrong."
"Alright. So you're best friends, then."
"No," she said, and her eyes had an odd look in them as she stared at the mutant plant-duck that was standing beside Darkwing. He waited for her to say more, but she fell silent then, and looked at her feet again.
This whole thing was looking more and more peculiar. But it was obvious he wasn't going to get any kind of testimony out of her, so he might as well get her out of here.
"Well, then. If there's nothing more to add..." He paused, and she didn't say anything, so he finished, "I'll finish up here with Bushroot. You can get going, miss." Beth looked up at him again, and now she looked at him oddly. He narrowed his eyes. "Is there a problem? Do you want to give a statement?"
"Um, no, I - I'm sorry. You... you just remind me of someone." She cocked her head, looking intent and thoughtful, and Darkwing felt his heart skip a beat. He stepped back and pulled the brim of his hat down slightly, avoiding eye contact.
"Yeah, I uh, I get that a lot," he said, making his voice a bit more gruff than usual. "It's, uh, all the TV interviews and - and so forth."
"OH," she said, dawning recognition in her voice. "You're probably right. Well." She stepped back and smiled nervously. "I guess I'll... get going, then."
When she didn't go anywhere, Darkwing sighed. "You're released," he said, in case she needed permission.
She looked at him, then at Launchpad, a little awkwardly. "Actually, um, this will sound weird but... can I have a moment to speak to R- to Bushroot?"
Darkwing's suspicion radar went off. Loudly. "Suuuuuure," he said carefully, and stepped aside, letting go of Bushroot's handcuffs. He signaled to Launchpad, and when his sidekick approached, he hissed, "Something's wrong here. She's obviously lying."
"Yeah, I dunno, but it does seem awful weird that she'd be here on her own, doesn't it? Why do you think she'd be protectin' him after he kidnapped her?"
Darkwing shook his head, his eyes never leaving the skinny brunette as she spoke in low undertones to Bushroot, their heads close together, the message clearly intimate. "I don't think she's lying about not being kidnapped. I think she's lying when she says they weren't up to anything."
"Huh?" Launchpad asked, clearly taken aback.
"Mark my words, LP," Darkwing muttered, "that woman is anything but harmless."
When Darkwing and Launchpad had moved off to the side, Beth approached Bushroot. He was nervous - things hadn't exactly been going all that well between them for the past little bit - but, given that she'd just covered for him in a big way, he was hopeful too.
He smiled when she got close. "Well. Thanks. I think maybe he'll let me off."
Beth smiled too. "Good. I hope he does. Maybe he's not all as bad as you say."
"Well..." Bushroot thought; there had been a few times when he'd thought that himself about Darkwing, times when they'd worked together, but... Those times had never lasted. "Maybe," he said, since she seemed to want him to think positively. "Heh. So. Um, about that whole experiment thing..."
Looking uncomfortable, Beth said, "Let's not talk about that, okay? Let's just leave it at this."
He nodded, relieved. "Okay. Look, Beth, if I don't end up in jail-" She looked up at him, an unvoiced question in her eyes. He swallowed hard, and finished. "Can I... look you up?"
She pressed the edges of her bill together tightly and looked away. His heart sank in his chest. "Um... Listen, Reggie... You're a nice guy. Really, I can tell that you are. But... I think you have some things you need to work out for yourself. Things like... letting people not be plants."
"That does seem to keep coming up," he admitted in a low voice.
Beth nodded. "Yeah. I think... until you get that stuff sorted through... I'd really rather we just..." She stopped, and he could tell she was searching for something gentle to say. "Just... left it this way."
Well... Easy come, easy go. He sighed, and shrugged. "Yeah, if you say so," he offered. "Story of my life."
She looked sad. "Sorry. Maybe we'll meet up again someday."
"Sure." He nodded, but he didn't believe it, and he didn't think she did either. Oh, well.
Beth gave him a quick pat on his shoulder, smiled a little, and walked away. A mere moment later Darkwing was just behind him, grabbing at the handcuffs again. The big pilot sidekick brushed past them both, following Beth out; Bushroot ignored him and asked, "So, if I get this antidote together, what are the chances of you NOT taking me to jail?"
Darkwing didn't look like he was willing to bargain. "Look Twiggy, you and I both know you did this. Nobody else could and nobody else would."
"But can anyone else undo it?" Bushroot asked stubbornly; he turned his head away from Darkwing, holding his chin high, and waited until the vigilante answered.
In a begrudging tone, Darkwing said, "Okay. So let's make a deal, then."
"Hey Beth! Beth, hang on!" Launchpad had been instructed to make sure she didn't notice the ThunderQuack - and Gosalyn - once she got outside. The easiest way to do this was to escort Beth home, even though that meant a long walk and leaving the TQ up at Bushroot's greenhouse for however long it took.
She turned around and looked at him inquisitively. The sun was starting to go down just behind her, and it set off a highlight in her hair that he hadn't known was there - a very slight red against the brown.
"Uh, hey, I'll walk ya home," he said as he caught up to her.
"Oh. That's nice of you," she said, and smiled. She walked slowly, looking at the leaves on the trees, apparently deep in thought.
They went in silence for a few moments, before he spoke up. "Wow. Crazy day, huh?"
She gave a short laugh. "Crazy. Oh gosh. You have no idea." Grinning self-consciously, she turned around to face him. "I haven't eaten, I've barely slept, and I spent the day with a supervillain trying to convince him to let me go home. If you hadn't come in when you did, I'd be some kind of botany experiment right now. This day has been pretty far outside of my comfort zone, actually, and the only reason I'm not crying right now is because I can't quite believe it all happened."
Launchpad blinked. "So he did kidnap you?"
She froze. "Oh lord. Don't tell Darkwing I said that, okay?"
"But he did," Launchpad pressed. She nodded reluctantly. "Why'd you say he didn't? Why're you protectin' him?"
"Because... because he..." She stopped walking as they reached the bottom of the hill the greenhouse sat atop, and shook her head. "I felt sorry for him. He's not scary, really, and he's not mean. He's just..."
"Misunderstood?" Launchpad offered. Beth met his eyes and cracked a smile.
"Kind of," she agreed. "I mean, I was scared of him at first... and maybe I should have been the whole time, maybe I should be angry, but I... I can't. There was something he said earlier, about loneliness. 'The crushing loneliness of knowing you're the only one of your kind.' It just got me thinking, and I didn't want anything to happen to him after that."
"Got you thinking about what?"
She half-shrugged. "I don't know. About things. Everything. Me, I guess. I mean, I've been lonely, I know what that's like. Not THAT lonely... not so lonely that I'd want to punish everyone else, but..."
"I don't think you'd ever be that lonely." When she looked up at him, Launchpad smiled. "What I mean is, I think it's more than just bein' lonely that makes someone do that."
She returned the smile, but it was sad around the edges. Then she turned her head and her glasses caught some of the sunset, reflecting a light orange and hiding the view of her eyes. "I hope that's true," she said softly.
Launchpad felt an overwhelming need to change the subject. "So - hey, how'd you get out today anyway? Or were you outside when alla this happened?"
"Oh no," she shook her head vehemently. "I woke up and just PANICKED. I had to crawl out through a skylight in the attic of the store and then climb down from the roof-"
"The store?" he interrupted. "D'you mean Bindler's?"
Beth didn't answer, but she made the most appealingly crestfallen face.
He knew he probably shouldn't ask, but he just had to. "Did you sleep at Bindler's last night?"
Beth looked down at the ground, her shoulders slumping at her sides, and let out a long breath. "Yes," she said finally, "yes I did." She looked up at him, and said, "I slept at Bindler's last night," almost apologetically, then started laughing.
He couldn't help it; he laughed too, and that got her going even more. Slightly breathlessly, she said, "I-I had to do the inventory - and - oh gosh, it sounds so pathetic, but..."
"Aw, you're too hard on yourself." Launchpad grinned, and she looked sheepish. "It is funny though. Sounds like you really love hardware."
"Pfff, hardly." She laughed again, then stopped and sighed. "Look, you don't need to walk me home. I don't really think anything's going to happen to me."
"Well..." He looked around; she had a point, there was nobody out who could do anything. "For the company?" he tried.
She shrugged, and managed to give it an air of "no". "I haven't had a chance to be alone all day. I need to decompress and just... enjoy all of this while it lasts."
"Ya mean the plants?" She nodded. "You like it?"
Smiling slightly, she said, "I like it as long as it's going away." She shuffled her feet, then gave Launchpad an awkward wave. "Come by and see me tomorrow, okay?"
He smiled. "Will do." And then he watched her walk away for a moment or two, before turning and heading back up the hill to where Darkwing was waiting.
"What kept you?" Darkwing asked when Launchpad got back. He was standing outside the greenhouse, feeling slightly lost. His sidekick was their only ride home, and he'd been gone so long that Darkwing was starting to worry that Launchpad was going to walk that woman home or something crazy like that. He was relieved to see he'd been wrong, but still worried about the absence.
Launchpad shrugged. "Just talkin'. You said to keep an eye on her. What happened to Bushroot?"
Darkwing jerked a finger back towards the glass walls. "He's working on the cure to this whole thing. I said we'd let him off with a house arrest if he could do it in less than three hours."
"Wow, that's nice of you!"
Darkwing snorted, and headed back towards the ThunderQuack without another word. His thoughts were full of Beth Webfoot, and what her presence here today implied. Not only did she pal around with two known supervillains, but her comment about finding him familiar had him pretty sure that she was staking him out; well, he'd stake her out right back. And he had the advantage, because she had no idea he was on to her.
As counterintuitive as it might seem, Darkwing intended to have her keep babysitting for at least a little while longer. He planned to keep that woman close at hand for as long as it took for her to slip up... and then he'd have her. Until then, he'd just have to wait.
END.
To be continued in "Forever Young".
Notes: HOKAY it's done. Bah. Names of flowers, including rare ones, are correct; I either Wikipedia'd them or googled them. Gibberellin and Paclobuzatrol are real things but unlikely to cause the effects shown here even with a telepathic suggestion from a mutant plant duck (but hey you never know, right?). I just wanted something that sounded vaguely plausible.
Sorry to anyone who wanted Bushroot to come out as a good guy. If anything I think he'll get house arrest for this one, if that's a consolation. Honestly, I think if Darkwing hadn't shown up right when he did then Bushroot probably would've backed off on Beth... But we'll never know will we? Well, the thing is, I just couldn't let him not be a villain. Because the dude's got problems. I love him like crazy but he needs group therapy or something.
Announcement: I've started uploading my fics over at An Archive of Our Own - archiveofourown dot org. So if you have problems viewing now you can check me out there too! Just go over and search for me - I'm Zebeckras, yet again. Right now I've only got the first two Webfoot Chronicles up but I'll have more soon, and I'll be simul-posting over there from now on.
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Check my blog, the Weblog Chronicles, for related info on this and my other fics; I'll try to put chapter notes up soon. The URL for the blog is in my profile. Thanks again for your interest and I hope you keep reading! :)
Copyright 1995, 2010-11 by Zebeckras. Beth Webfoot and Henny Chickstein are the property of the author; Darkwing Duck, Launchpad McQuack, Gosalyn Mallard, Bushroot, and pretty much everyone else are the property of Disney.