Same author's note as the others. Things are unsettled around here, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep to my normal schedule of updating. I will try to update on Saturdays, assuming I can get the time to do that.

It took nearly an hour for Scrooge to reappear, his clothes askew and several bruises on his face that hadn't been there before. He refused to answer questions about what had transpired before and, seeing as Della had refrained from giving the whole truth while her uncle was preoccupied, his reappearance compelled her to speak it. Webby felt like she ought to be taking notes; her old self would've been. Instead, she stared at the controls leading to Earth. Lena hadn't answered the call yet. She worried that something had happened in their absence.

Gyro answered, fielding their questions and being very pleased with how the rocket ship had handled itself. Webby's stomach tied itself in knots as she waited through Gyro's tedious boasts and inquiries. Dewey approached her and squeezed her shoulder. She smiled weakly back.

"I'm sure she's fine," he said.

"You wanna go talk to your mom. I'm fine," Webby whispered back. She could sense his agitation at being separated from her; of all of them, only Louie seemed immune. He was watching their mother warily as if she might vanish on them again. Maybe if she talked to him, she wouldn't feel so alone. Or at least, she'd have something else to focus on.

She walked with Dewey so that he didn't feel like he was abandoning her and then headed for the corner of the room, where Louie was standing with his arms folded across his chest.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Not feeling the scene either, huh?" he said quietly. Dewey and Huey were clustered around Della, along with Donald and Scrooge. No one seemed to notice their hanging back.

"I don't know what happened to my parents," she murmured. A little louder, she said, "But why aren't you over there? I mean, she's your mom."

"And she left us to take the Spear of Silene," he replied, careful not to speak too loudly lest they attract unwanted attention. "She left us to Donald to raise us. Donald's more my dad than she's my mom."

"That's how I feel about Granny," she said and then winced, amending her statement. "How I felt about her. Like I said, I don't know what happened to my parents. Granny never mentioned it and now I guess she never will…"

"I'm a con man," he said and reached for her hand to hold. She let him have it and he interlaced their fingers. "I know a grift when I see it. And Mom's not telling the whole story. Something is going on with her and Glomgold...not like that. You know what I mean."

"What's bothering you?" he asked.

"Lena never answered her call…" Webby said and gnawed her lower beak. "I hope nothing happened to her."

Louie shrugged. "Maybe she's not home."

"But if she's not home, then where could she be?" she asked.

"Beats me," he said. He squeezed her hand. "You know, I wouldn't do that."

"Wouldn't do what?" she asked, confused.

"Wouldn't leave you hanging high and dry like that," he said. Something Lena had said earlier clicked. Lena had said that the boys, at least two of them, had crushes on her. Huey was preoccupied and didn't catch her eye, but Dewey was staring daggers at his younger brother.

"Am I some sort of contest for you?" she said, yanking her hand away.

"No, no, not at all," he reassured her. "I'm just saying-you have other options."

"And I'm going to abandon Lena at the drop of a hat because you think you're better for me?" she countered.

"She could've already done the same to you. She has. Twice."

"She left because she thought she was hurting me!" she protested. "That's different!"

"And she did hurt you. By leaving. And compounded it by leaving again. Plus, she used you to get to Uncle Scrooge and his lucky dime," he said.

"That wasn't her fault," she retorted. "She was under Magica's influence. She didn't want to."

"She wasn't under her influence when she up and walked out on you."

Without realizing it, she and Louie had raised their voices and were talking over the adults. Webby's fists were balled and she glowered at Louie, who appeared unfazed. He always had such a cool expression on his face, like nothing bothered him.

"She has no self-confidence because of what Magica did to her. It's not her fault. She thought she was protecting me," she argued.

"Guys, what's going on?" Huey said.

"I'm not a prize to be won, Llewellyn," she snapped.

"Okay, that's low. No one calls me that," he said. "You know I hate it. And two, I didn't say that you were. You're the one saying that. I'm just saying that if you were my girl, I'd treat you better than Lena has."

"Excuse me, but...what in the blazes is going on here?" Scrooge demanded.

Webby folded her arms across her chest. "Louie's been jealous and upset since Lena kissed me."

"I do not get 'jealous'," he said, holding up his hands. "Besides, there's nothing to be jealous of. And if you're so sure Lena's on your side, then why hasn't she called you back? Hmm? Shouldn't she have been waiting at the manor to see how you were?"

"She probably had other stuff to do…" she said, faltering. While she didn't want to think ill of Lena, Louie had introduced doubts. She hugged herself.

"See what you missed? Family drama," Scrooge told Della.

"Is there anything I can do?" Della asked.

"I'll talk to him," Donald said. Louie glared at his mother.

"Yes, Uncle Donald will talk to me because he didn't bail on me before I hatched," Louie said. Webby winced. So much for keeping that under wraps.

"I didn't think you were going to hatch so soon," Della protested. "And I took the Spear for a test run. I got stuck in a time loop. To me, I've only been gone several months. I didn't know ten years had passed. I swear."

Donald pulled Louie aside to have a stern word with him. He'd brought him back to the conference room the others had been in before and closed the door. Webby stared at the door with a strange mix of emotions. She didn't like Louie being jealous and she hated that there was strife. But...what if Louie was right? What if Lena had skipped town? She'd promised her she hadn't, but what if she'd been lying? Or, worse, what if something had happened to her? Webby would have no way of knowing for another three days at the least.

"You don't think Lena went after the Bloodhound Gang, do you?" Huey asked. "Uncle Scrooge didn't mention finding them before we left."

"If she went after them alone, they might attack her the way they did me...and Lena wasn't trained to fight people off like I was," Webby said in a small voice. For all of her training, they'd still managed to molest her. Webby had convinced them it wasn't worth the risk for a gang assault. But Lena...Lena only had the remnants of Magica's magic. Webby's stomach churned and clenched into a tight knot. She thought she might be sick.

"She wouldn't have gone after them alone, would she?" Huey asked and Webby's frown deepened. She remembered Lena denigrating herself until Webby had stopped her. If her self-esteem was that low, and Webby had no reason to doubt that it was, she might've thought she deserved whatever the Gang dealt out. Her nausea doubled and she had to swallow against the bile burning her throat. Lena…

"No word from McDuck Manor?" Scrooge asked Gyro, who looked annoyed that he'd been interrupted mid-ramble.

"No," he said. "Why? Were you expecting someone?"

Scrooge glanced over at Webby and his frown deepened. "Aye, I was. Send Gizmoduck to check on the place and then see if he can track down my niece's friend."

Gyro's eyes narrowed. "If the bumbling idiot can manage that without making things worse."

"That's the best I can do, Webby," Scrooge said. "Perhaps she's just sleeping and she couldn't get to the phone in time."

"Yeah…" Webby said, but she wasn't convinced. "Maybe."

"There's nothing we can do about it now," he pointed out. "And maybe she's not alone. Maybe she found someone to help her."

Morose, she nodded. Donald and Louie returned, Louie looking down at the floor. He mumbled an apology to his mother and then glanced over at Webby, whose attempt at a smile fell flat. Her stomach was tying itself into knots over Lena. Would she have gotten herself killed trying to apprehend the Bloodhound Gang? Was her self-loathing that strong?

"Lena, you beautiful idiot…"

Although they'd filled Della in on everything that had happened in her absence, they hadn't told her what had transpired with Webby after Magica's attack. Therefore, Della looked curiously at Webby, who wasn't in the mood to extrapolate. She let the triplets tell Gyro what Della had told them and tuned them and Scrooge out.

"She'll turn up, lass," Scrooge said after he'd hung up with Gyro. "Don't worry."

"I know she can take care of herself…" she said, but she didn't believe it. She'd only taken care of herself before because Magica had influenced her. Without Magica, Webby wasn't confident in Lena's ability to defend herself. Or, in fact, whether the older girl even wanted to.

"We're going to head straight back, at any rate," he said, glancing everyone over. "And then we'll have a nice long talk in the ship."

They trooped back and Webby was grateful that, unlike the Sunchaser, the spaceship had seats near the cockpit and also small cabins. Naturally, they were cramped, but since she was a girl, she hadn't needed to share them with anyone. That was until they'd rescued Della. Webby wasn't thrilled about sharing her cabin-she'd wanted the alone time-but she couldn't kick her out. Della was more family than Webby was.

Della was actually a Duck. Webby was just a Vanderquack.

"You're awfully quiet," Della said, stowing her gear. "I thought someone Uncle Scrooge took along would've been super excited to be here."

"Heh, yeah," she said, plopping onto her bunk and staring at the one above her. "You can take the top bunk. I don't mind."

Della frowned. "You're upset about something."

"It's nothing to do with you," she reassured her.

"I won't pretend that I have any experience with kids, but…" she frowned deeper. "You seem like you need someone to talk to."

"I don't really wanna talk," she responded, curling into a ball. She wanted to cry and sleep in that order. She hugged the pillow to her and pretended it was Lena.

"No judgment," Della promised. "I'm the only one here you don't have a history with. It might be easier to tell a stranger."

She wished she'd stop prodding. It was poking at angry open wounds and she buried her face in her pillow. The terrible need to cry was choking her and she didn't want to do it in front of Della. Della was a legend. She was incredible, a true adventurer. She didn't deserve to be boggled down with mundane things like a traumatized girl.

It occurred to her that might be the source of Louie's resentment, among other things. The triplets had placed Della on a pedestal and when that pedestal had come down, they'd blamed Scrooge. With time, they'd learned to forgive him. Louie hadn't forgiven their mother. He saw her as bigger than life and, as a result, incompatible with his view of the universe.

"All right. I'll be back," Della promised and brushed Webby's shoulder before walking out. She shut the door behind her and, once Webby was certain she was out of earshot, she gave vent to her misery. Lena, the Bloodhound Gang, her grandmother, it all swirled around her. She was a victim and a murderer all at once.

The door opened and she jerked, half expecting it to be Della intruding on her. It wasn't. Through blurry vision, she saw Louie step in and then, although the bunk barely fit her, he squeezed in beside her. Huh. She guessed Dewey and Huey were fixated on their mother.

"Hey, Webs," he said softly.

"Hi."

"Dewey's obsessed with our mom and Huey can't stop asking questions," Louie explained. "She's the 'star of the show'."

"You should go out there," she replied, rolling over to face the wall. He hugged her and she burst into tears anew. She fisted her hands in his hoodie pocket.

"It's not my scene."

"She's a legend," Webby persisted. "Don't you want to get to know her?"

"She's a legend," he repeated. "She's not my mom. She wasn't there for us. Why should I be there for her?"

The coldness in his tone prompted her to roll over. He rested his chin on her hair and she closed her eyes.

"Mom left me the way Lena left you; when we needed her the most. She left all of us. I don't understand how Dewey and Huey can just flock to her when if it hadn't been for Uncle Donald, we would've been orphans."

"Maybe they're so desperate to get to know her that they're willing to overlook that and hear her explanation for it," she said. She could taste the tears in her mouth.

"I'm not," he said and then, to her surprise, tilted her face up. "I don't walk out on people and I don't trust people who do."

He brushed his beak against hers.

"Louie?" she whispered, shocked.

"No one hurts my family," he said fiercely. "Huey might see you as a sister, but I don't. And neither does Dewey, for that matter."

She wanted to protest and say she was with Lena, but she didn't know what was happening with that. Had Lena walked out on her again? Had Lena put herself in harm's way to vindicate herself? Lena had said she'd loved her, but if she'd left her three times now, what did that say about her true feelings? Was Webby foolish to keep holding out for her?

She didn't kiss him back. She wasn't sure if it was the suddenness of it or because she had so much on her mind already.

He pulled back and she tugged on his hoodie to bring him closer again. It wasn't until he'd arrived that she realized how desperate she was not to be alone. She'd thought she'd wanted solitude but she felt more comfortable in his presence than his absence.

"I'll take care of you, Webs," he promised. "No one hurts what's mine."

A day and a half ago, on Earth…

What Lena wanted and what Gladstone was willing to permit were two different things. She wanted to spend all of her time searching for the Bloodhound Gang; they had to sleep sometime. Of course, she hadn't planned out exactly what she'd do with them once she located them. Part of her was reluctant to turn them over to Scrooge because she wanted to punish them for what they'd done to Webby. A larger part of her realized she would be in very serious danger if she confronted them alone. That part knew she needed Gladstone. The other part of her was irritated as hell she needed anyone's help at all.

Gladstone, for obvious reasons, was not willing to let her wander Duckberg unaccompanied when it came to walking through the worst neighborhoods. He was well known, too, which meant she couldn't wander down them with him without arousing curiosity and suspicion. Moreover, she wasn't sure what kind of luck he'd have. Was it the kind that prevented mugging? Or just the kind that kept him from getting seriously injured in an attack?

The sad thing was the only other person who knew anything about Gladstone Gander's luck and its limitations was Magica de Spell. After their last confrontation, Magica had gone underground. Lena assumed she was biding her time again and licking her wounds. Given their current relationship, it would've been impossible to confer with her anyway. She wouldn't have been forthcoming and Lena hated the idea of asking her aunt for a favor. Plus, it was Magica's fault that this had happened in the first place, even if Lena shared some of the blame.

It also meant she had to spend more time with Gladstone to see whether he comprehended the depths of his luck. Lena found his behavior baffling. He seemed to care about her for no discernible reason, in that he wouldn't let her run headlong into danger. She saw no reason why he should care; she was no relative of his and she hadn't established that Scrooge would concern himself should anything befall her. Nonetheless, Gladstone seemed to have taken her on as his special project.

The part of her nourished by Magica's influence resented it. He was cramping her style. The rest of her was confused.

Right now they sat in McDuck Manor while Lena drank Louie's favorite soda and sat as far as she could from Gladstone on the couch. Her body language indicated she neither wanted nor invited openness. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning away from him. The only way she could've been more closed off was if she'd turned her back on him, which she wouldn't do because that would make her vulnerable.

"You're going to have to trust me, at least a little," he said.

Lena snorted. "We have a business relationship. Not a familial one. Don't confuse the two."

"You said Magica 'raised' you," he said. "I know she's not the most loving person."

She snorted again. "You could put it that way."

"There is light in her, deep down," he persisted. "There's enough light in her to love someone."

"She recruited the Bloodhound Gang to help kidnap Webby and used her terror of them to try to kill her," Lena said flatly. "Even if she didn't let them assault her again, she didn't exactly discourage it."

"I'm not saying that she's always altruistic. Or ever altruistic."

"Don't defend her to me. It won't work," she snapped. "She kept me alive after driving my father away so that she could use me to regain her body. She didn't give a damn about me otherwise. Don't make this into more than it was."

She raised her head to glower at Gladstone. "I know her type of 'love'. It's a dark sided possession. She didn't want to have you, she wanted to own you. She's a psychopath."

She folded her arms across her chest. "In the entire time she was my shadow, she never mentioned you. What does that tell you about how much she 'loves' you?"

"She has a funny way of showing it."

"If you think she has the potential to care about anyone besides herself, you're delusional."

"What exactly did she say to you that makes you hate yourself so much you'd go running into a hornet's nest without weapons?" he retorted.

Lena balled her fists and put the soda down before she crushed the can. "Like I said, this is a business relationship. I'm not telling you my deepest, darkest secrets."

"Like I said, you have to trust me."

"No, I don't," she snarled, rounding on him. "And your trying to keep me from finding the Gang is total b.s. I'll do it with or without you."

"Lena de Spell," he said warningly and she pushed herself to her feet. She was shaking in anger.

"I'll do it on my own or not at all."

"How do you think Webby will feel when she calls the Manor to check up on you tomorrow and finds out you're gone?" he said.

Lena froze. It felt like Gladstone had stabbed her in the chest. Hissing, she snapped, "You don't get to use Webby as a weapon."

"You're not doing yourself any favors running in there throwing all caution to the winds."

"I don't care about me," she snapped. "I care about Webby. There's a difference."

"There's a difference between finding and apprehending criminals and suicide," he countered.

Lena huffed, refusing to dignify that with a response, and stormed away from the couch. He grabbed her wrist.

"Let go of me," she ordered. Her beak twitched. "Your luck doesn't affect me."

"It didn't affect Magica either."

Lena bristled. Between his weaponizing Webby and throwing Magica in her face, she was developing a strong dislike for him again. Plus, he might've hit a little too close to home with that last comment. Maybe it was suicidal.

"Let me help you," he said softly. "It doesn't cost you anything."

"Let go of me," she ordered again and he released her. "I don't like being touched."

Guilt swam through Gladstone's features, though what he had to feel guilty about, she didn't know. He raised his hand and she flinched, expecting a blow that never came. The same thing had happened with Scrooge earlier. She took an unconscious step back.

"Lena…" he said and shook his head. "I'm sorry for what Magica did to you."

"Whatever. It's not your fault. I'm fine." I deserved it. I must've deserved it.

"You're not fine," he said and, perhaps sensing a change of subject was in order, he added, "I have a hunch where the Gang will be next. Want to tag along?"

"I don't have anything better to do," she said and shrugged. Gladstone's words lingered. Magica had never apologized for verbally and emotionally abusing her and no one knew the extent of what Magica had done. Yet Gladstone was willing to make reparations for it.

What was this guy's deal? Why should he care one way or another? Could he be actually a decent person? The idea was hard to grasp. In her life, everyone looked out for themselves first and other people second, if at all. Then Webby had come along.

Her heart clenched. Webby. The younger girl would be distraught if anything happened to her. She'd already bailed on her twice. If she did it again, Webby might think she didn't care or that she was abandoning her. And Lena had killed her grandmother, albeit with Magica wielding her body.

She didn't deserve Webby. Webby was too pure for this world. Her heart clenched tighter. But, oh, did she love her.