Disclaimer: It's nice to see that there are some people interested in the first chapter. Hope you're ready for the next chapter!

On another note, I have no clue how this one chapter got so huge. It's over 6000 words!

RainbowCelin: Thank you! I was hoping I nailed his character.

StoriesUnleashed: Technically, she isn't a duckling.

ultima-owner: Yes, yes it will be.

1234BlueLagoon: Thanks! I will!

L.A Taiva: For the story I'm aiming for to work, I needed a backstory similar to this. To have the type of bond she'll have with the McDuck clan, this was needed. It's kinda hard to come up with anything truly original as mostly everything's been done before. Besides, there wasn't a lot of planning put into this as I just wrote it on a whim.

GuestGirl: I will!

April's mine! Now, onto the show!

"Speaking"

Thinking

Making my way down the staircase that fed into the hallway my room was on, I walked with purpose to the front door through the living room. It was a relatively dark room, as light somehow only found a way in through one window. Pictures of Scrooge from different adventures decorated the walls, especially the large one hanging above the fireplace. An umbrella and a sword sat together near the flames for decoration, along with a small table holding apples and diamonds in a bowl. Why he insisted on that, I never really knew.

Opening up the large oak door, I stepped outside just as Mrs. Beakley came out from another hall to see what the commotion was. I could hear Scrooge and the mystery duck yelling at each other on the other side of the gate. "Jettison that jalopy from my driveway this instant, you deadbeat!" Scrooge shoved him back with his cane before planting it firmly on the ground. Yeesh. Whoever this guy was must have really done something to upset Scrooge.

"Oh, here we go! Giving orders like he's the richest duck in the world!" The unknown drake exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. I walked slowly, hand over my mouth to smother my giggles. It-it's just-wow, his speech was amusing. And I thought Scrooge's accent was fun to listen to. This was glorious!

"I am the richest duck in the world!" Scrooge argued back. "Now move!" From my line of sight, I could've sworn there were three heads in the car parked in front of the limo. Boys, I believed, judging by the looks of them.

"I would love to! It just so happens I have a job interview!" He pointed his thump behind him in the direction of the city, going along with his point.

Scrooge looked him over, noting his choice in attire. "So, why are you standing there yelling!?"

"Mrs. B. said that you would watch the boys!" He pointed from him to the car behind him, squinting his eyes at Scrooge. Ah, so I was right about there being children in the car. "Can you do that without losing them!?"

"Of course I can!" Scrooge exclaimed, clearly exasperated at this point.

"Fantastic! Thank you so much!" The duck said sarcastically, rolling his shoulders as he turned around.

"You're welcome!" Scrooge finally ended their bizarre argument, before he realized what he just agreed to. "Wait, what now?" The unknown duck went to open the car door, and the three kids climbed out. Triplets, huh? Haven't seen many before. One was in a red t-shirt and ball cap, one wore a dark blue shirt with lighter blue sleeves, and the last wore a green hoodie.

"Huey, Dewey, Louie, meet Scrooge McDuck," he introduced the boys. It looked like they were in order from how he addressed them. The three smiled smiled at Scrooge pleasantly, trying to contain their excitement. "Remember, no tricks, no lies, no trouble."

"Yes, Uncle Donald," the boys echoed, turning to look up at him. Wait, Uncle Donald? It couldn't be… could it?

"I wasn't talking to you," Donald told them, narrowing his eyes at Scrooge. The elder duck did the same, both visibly displeased with the other. That is, until Scrooge caught sight of me on the other side of the gate. I gave a small wave, shrinking back nervously. Was this something I wasn't supposed to see?

"Launchpad, tell Beakley to open up the gate," he said back to the limo. The iron doors slowly creaked open, giving them passage into the Manor. Donald, without another word, climbed into his car and drove around the loop inside before going past them on the way out. I stepped clear of his path, and it looked like he didn't even notice me off to the side of the driveway. Launchpad drove through, going off to park the limo as Scrooge and the triplets walked the rest of the way to the front door. I jogged to catch up, and went inside with them. Well… after Scrooge went and closed it on the kids and then Mrs. Beakley opened it for them.

"Beakley, who are those kids?" I whispered to her as I slid inside. The kids followed Scrooge into the Manor, watching everything in fascination as they moved across the red carpet lining the manor.

"Those are his nephews, April. And I advise you to help keep an eye on them while they are here." She went off towards the area where they went, leaving me to process what she just said. Scrooge's… nephews. How-it's just-how!? Did he have any siblings that I wasn't aware of? I knew all about his adventures, and if that Donald was the right one I was thinking of, then that meant he was Scrooge's nephew and the one Webby went on and on about in her stories.

Curious, I ventured off after the others. I could hear them in the dining area; the boys' rapid questions echoed down the hall. Poking my head inside of the dining room, I could see Mrs. Beakley off to the side watching as well. It wasn't as fancy as the other rooms in the manor, but it still stood out among what most would consider normal. Light blue walls, brown tiled flooring, tall stained glass windows and purple curtains. There looked to be three chairs at my end that the triplets were originally sitting in, with Scrooge's parents' portrait hanging above their heads, but it looked like they had all moved up to the large king-sized chair Scrooge sat in so they could talk to him. It seemed I had reached a tipping point in their question load though. Poor Scrooge looked so confused at the amount of information spilling from them. I did, however, hear the last question from the green one.

"You used to be a big deal! Whatever happened to you?" Oh, he did not just go there. One of the many, many lessons that Scrooge McDuck had taught me was never to pressure him about his past. I've known him longer than these kids did, and I didn't no zip. As if they'd get anything out of him either.

Shaking angrily in frustration, Scrooge rose from his seat, slamming his newspaper on the long table. "Ugh, Beakley!" Okay, time to skip out again. Closing the door gently, I made my way out of the hall. I wonder how Webby's going to take our newest arrivals? Probably scare them to death first, and then bombard them with questions about Donald.

"Maybe I should go hunt her down beforehand," I mused. Let me say, this mansion is a maze. So many halls look the same, even now it could get hard to find where you want to go. Webby's room was actually more of a small attachment to a larger room filled with mementos and artifacts dedicated to the McDuck clan. Not sure how she found all of this information, but it's pretty impressive. Approaching her door, I gave a rap on the wood. "Webby? Can I come in?"

The door opened a crack, and she popped her head out. "Oh, hey, April! What is it?"

"Just thought you ought to know we've got some guests staying with us. Why don't you go introduce yourself." She gasped loudly, and ducked back inside. Stepping inside to watch, I noticed all of the lights were off. "Uh, Webby?" The girl dashed past me without another word, rope in hand before running down the hall from where I originally came from. "Oh, boy. I think I made a mistake here."

Well, it's too late now. Moving into the corner of the room, I leaned against the wall. Won't be long now until those poor kids are tied upside-down to the ceiling. To pass the time, I took out a notebook I kept stored inside my jacket, and clicked the pen stuck inside the coil binding. As Scrooge's assistant, I also had to keep track of meetings and events. Though, I wouldn't lie that I used this for my own personal use too. Maybe that's why he let me decorate the cover to mimic my bedroom ceiling. What can I say except I love the nighttime?

Taking my time, I made detailed notes on how today was going so far. Triplets, Donald and Scrooge's scuffle outside, and how unfortunate it was going to get for the boys when Webby gets a hold of them. "Sounds like she got them." I could hear the screams coming this way.

Stuffing my notes away, I watched Webby burst through the door, and quickly tie the trio to a hook on the ceiling. She turned on one of the bulbs, giving them enough light to see around them but not enough to see the whole room. "I'll put the marbles back, I swear!" The blue one yelled desperately.

Webby jumped down from a chair, circling around them in the shadows. "Who sent you? Ma Beagle? Glomgold? Answer me!" She growled.

Red and blue remained quiet, too scared to respond. "U-uncle Scrooge!" The green one sobbed, close to tears.

"Alright, Webby," I finally spoke up. "I think you've had enough fun." Webby stuck out her tongue, before registering what the boy said.

"Uncle Scrooge!? Oh my gosh, the nephews!" I turned on the lights, and the three looked at her and me in confusion. Webby rolled a chair back over to them, and pulled a dagger out of the map behind them.

"Wait, you know us?" The same boy asked just as they were cut loose. Falling to the ground in a heap, the trip groaned as they got to their feet.

"Of course! Researching Mr. McDuck and his family is kind of my hobby," Webby explained. She tossed the knife across the room, letting it scatter to the floor as she ran around them excitedly. "What are your blood types? What's Donald really like?" I giggled as she plucked a feather from the green one's head. "Who's the evil triplet?"

"Louie," blue and red answered immediately, pointing at the brother.

"Eh," Louie shrugged in agreement. Okay, let's see if I have this correct. I don't want to keep going off colors all the time, I thought. Louie is green; that's known now. If the order was correct when Donald listed them off, then Dewey is blue, and Huey is red. I… think I'm right? I should write this down later so I don't forget.

"Tell me everything!" Webby snapped a picture of them, stunning them for a moment. Taking the picture from the bottom of the camera, she walked across the room as they tried to clear the spots from their eyes.

"Um, we live with our uncle?" Louie said slowly.

"On a boat?" Dewey added. Poor kids. Webby scared them silly right off the bat. Now I know what it's like when it happens to someone else. At least it's not me this time.

"Go on." Webby got a thump tack out from a can on a desk, examining the photo.

"Kinda it. We're just a normal, boring family," Huey said.

"Normal, boring? HA!" Webby laughed, before kicking a volley ball at the triplets. Screaming, they ducked out of the way as it hit the wall. The map chart covering it rolled upwards, revealing her prized research of the McDuck clan. The boys oohed in amazement, and Webby pinned the picture to the board. "Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck." She wrote their names on the bottom with a black marker, tossing it over her shoulder. Taking one of the strings running around the board, she looped it around the tack to connect it with the rest of the family. "Scrooge McDuck's great-nephews on his sister Hortense's side with Quackmore Duck twice removed!" So, he does have a sister. Would have been nice if he told me at least something about his family why I was here. How does she get all of this information anyway? I mean, who does she talk to?

"And you two are?" Dewey asked, looking from Webby to me still by the wall. I gave a small wave, and walked over to them.

"Oh, right," Webby said. She pointed at two drawings on the board of her and Mrs. Beakley. "Webby Vanderquack. My granny's the housekeeper." She twirled her hair feathers nervously.

"April, at your service," I smiled. "I'm Scrooge McDuck's personal assistant."

"You work here?" Louie asked, glancing me over. "You seem a little-"

"Young?" I interrupted. "Kid, I'll have you know my age means nothing. Just because I'm the youngest employee he has, doesn't mean people don't respect me." It's nothing I haven't heard before. When I first started, people thought it was a joke having me work for Scrooge. How much it meant to me when he would stand up for me, and then sometimes let me demonstrate why I should be taken seriously. I, uh... can be just as vicious as Scrooge when push comes to shove.

"I was gonna say cute, but hey, young works too." The boy winked at me, and I blanched at the action. Uh... okay? Great. One of the boys is a flirt. Perfect.

"Wait!" Webby cried. "Are we… friends now?" She leaned in, watching their reactions.

"If we say yes, will you let us live?" Huey asked worriedly.

Webby scoffed, finding their behavior hilarious. "Pffft! Good one, new best friend!" She took a string, looping it from their photo to her drawing and wrote "friends" underneath in a red marker.

"So, friend, what do you do for fun around here?" Louie asked, hands in his hoodie's pocket. Webby sat the marker on the board's ledge, and grinned.

"Oh! I'm the best at fun! Um…" she looked around, before kicking at the vent grate beside her. "Yeah!" It fell down in a bang, and she gestured to it. "Don't tell granny," she told me as she disappeared inside.

"I won't," I replied, laughing. "Have fun, you three. I best be checking in on your uncle."

"You're not gonna stop us?" Huey asked me as I opened the door. Turning around, I looked at the triplets. Besides clothing, there were clear differences in their attitude. Louie seemed much more laid back. Dewey appeared to be on the adventurous side, having already gotten on his hands and knees to crawl inside the vent, and Huey seemed more thoughtful and intelligent.

"My job isn't to babysit. It's to make notes, schedule appointments and meetings, and stuff like that. You guys aren't my responsibility, even if I am to help keep an eye on you today. Besides, it's been ages since new people have been in this manor. Webby hasn't been this excited in ages." Before they could say anything else, I ducked out of the room and closed the door.

"Where, oh, where, could that Scottish duck have gone to?" I mused. "Hmmm." Closing my eyes, I let my ears do the work for me. Somewhere, a few halls away, I could just make out the muffled shouting of Scrooge. "Bingo." Taking my leave, I made my way through the maze of corridors towards where I believed I heard his voice. I watched Launchpad sneak his way down the hall away from a specific door, just as I heard Mrs. Beakley raise her voice at Scrooge.

Approaching the closed door, I hesitated at the knob. Why do I feel… like I shouldn't enter? Something important was happening here, that perhaps I should not interrupt. Instead, I leaned against the wood, pressing my head against it. "I have enough excitement caring for Webby," Mrs. Beakley said. "Perhaps you should spend some time with your family.

"Oh, aye? Hang up my spats? Become the doddering old relic everyone thinks I am, spinning yarns to those loud-mouth young 'uns about the man I used to be?" Scrooge retorted.

"You have avoided them for ten years!" Wait, what? Ten.. years? He's… that day by the water? Scrooge… something was clearly bothering him when I first met him. The look on his face, and how torn-up he seemed. He hadn't interacted with his family, his own flesh and blood for ten years?

"Because family is nothing but trouble!" Scrooge shouted, and I leaned away from the door as if the words struck me. To be honest… it felt like they did. It was like a slap to the face. "I'm Scrooge McDuck. I made my name being tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties. And I made my money square-on my own, no nephews, no family-no one helped me there, and I don't help now."

Stepping back away from the door, I gripped my chest. He wasn't being serious, was he? Not needing anyone's help, and not needing any family? I-it stung. It hurt. Hearing the doorknob beginning to turn, I dashed down the hall where I initially came from and turned a corner. I didn't want to see him. Not right now.

Scrooge… was I just a distraction to him? I thought, face downcast. Trudging down the empty corridor, I stared down at my feet as I went. Was I just a distraction from whatever separated him from his family? From Donald, and the triplets, and his own problems? A mopey teen being the perfect fit for a substitution to put his attention on instead? "After all," I bitterly chuckled. "No need to connect to a lowly assistant."

Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I passed by the door to the garage, when I heard… screaming? "Huh?" Stopping, I turned to the door and opened it. I was drained mentally at this point. I no longer had the patience to deal with whatever mayhem she dished out on them. "Webby, if you're scaring the boys, I-HOLY COW!"

Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby were dodging a glowing sword as it flew around the room, threatening to chop their heads off. A ghostly pirate was on the other side of the room, and-why on earth would a horse not have a head!? "Webby!" The four snapped to look at me, and I grabbed a small box and threw it at the ghost's head. It fazed through him, but it bought my enough time to drag the four off to the side and avoid the sword. "You are in so much trouble!"

"I didn't mean for this to happen! The ghost was unintentional!" She argued. The headless horse-man… thing, stumbled around the room, and banged into a gong in the corner.

"That's twice!" Dewey cried.

"One more, and something terrible could happen!" Webby shouted. You mean it was already hit once!?

"What could be worse than this!?" Louie asked.

"What in dismal downs is going on in here?" Slowly, we all turned around, and found Scrooge glaring at us. The duck was dragging a wet suit behind him, and he pointed his cane at us.

"There it is," the triplets echoed in unison. Dropping the suit, Scrooge marched up to us, looking at our worried faces. "Why aren't you in your rooms?"

"Hit the deck!" I shrieked, dragging Webby out of the way as the sword came flying past. Screaming, I brought her, Huey, and Dewey behind an opened safe's door. Louie dragged Scrooge in behind him, and we all watched the madness from our safe zone.

"We've got this. There are five of us and three of them," Huey informed us as he poked his head out. "If we wait-never mind. They teamed up." The ghost now had his hand on the sword, wielding it over his head as he sat on the horse-man. Man-horse? Why is it even a thing!? Scrooge joined me and Huey in watching the disaster, and smirked.

"Ah, good, that means only one target." Before we knew it, he moved towards the creatures. Dewey poked his head out in shock, waving his hand.

"No, get back! You're old!" He yelled.

"Oi, beastie! What's it gonna take to shuffle you off to the afterlife?" Scrooge asked with both hands planted on the top of his cane, keeping a fair distance between him and the ghost.

"The head of Scrooge McDuck!" The ghost shouted, and his head became engulfed in bright blue flames, turning his skull face black. Scrooge, still with that grin on his beak, cracked his neck. Twirling his cane in the air, he got it again, holding it as if it were a sword.

"Would you settle for his hat?" The ghost roared, and the man-horse began to charge. Scrooge took his hat, and threw it through the ghost's face, Blinded for a brief second, it wasn't aware of duck sprinting towards him and then sliding underneath them. Straightening back up in front of a statue of himself, he grinned as the ghost whirled around and threw the sword at him. It easily sliced through Scrooge's neck, sending his head flying.

The children and I gasped, but relaxed once they saw it was the statue that was chopped off and not their uncle. Scrooge caught the head, gesturing to it with a sly grin. "There's your head." He tossed it at the ghost, who stared at it in horror.

"Oh! I should've been more specific!" He bellowed, vanishing in a blue smoke. The head fell and landed on the man-horse, who happily tapped its hooves before running off out the door. Scrooge took his top hat off the ground, dusting it off before putting it back on. The children cheered, rushing past me and up to Scrooge in celebration. I was happy too, but that didn't mean I was going to rush up there and forget all of what happened ten minutes ago didn't exist.

Scrooge slammed his cane against the ground, shutting them up. "We can explain," Louie began nervously. "We came down to your secret museum to look for you, because… we… love you?" He hugged his uncle awkwardly, and Scrooge raised a brow.

"Secret museum? This is the gar-age!" He fished a remote from his coat and pressed a button. On command, the entire back wall went up to reveal the front yard.

"The what?" Dewey and Huey echoed.

"Do you mean 'garage'?" Louie asked. Yeah, his accent takes time getting used to.

"Pfft! No, that's ridiculous," Webby said behind them. "If this is a garage, then how do you explain all this amazing stuff? Like the garden hose of destiny? Or Montezuma's stack of old magazines?" Okay, now you're just making stuff up. "Or-oh, yeah. I-it's a garage."

"Unbelievable," Scrooge exclaimed. "I invite you into my home-"

"You locked us in a room!" Louie cut him off. The boys glared angrily at him, while Webby side-stepped towards me.

"I gave you marbles!" He defended.

"All we wanted was to hang out with you," Huey said desperately.

"Well, now you have, and look at the mess it's got me!" Scrooge gestured to the room and the boxes spilled everywhere. I saw Dewey was about to say something else, but my brain decided to not work with me today and dig myself into a larger pit.

"Well, it ain't like you ever cared about family, eh, Scrooge?" Everyone turned to me in surprise, seeing that I spoke up. "After all, what do I know, huh? I'm just some poor kid you took off the street after hearing her wee pity party. So then why should you have the need to care about me or anyone else when you're tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties, you selfish blaggard?"

"She's right. Looks like family is nothing but trouble, right, Scrooge?" Dewey said after I was done my mini rant, arms crossed.

Scrooge's eyes widened at our comments, stunned. Maybe he was expecting it from the boy, but not me. Scowling deeply, he whispered, "everybody out."

"But we're-" Huey started.

"OUT!" Scrooge bellowed, and swung his cane. To our horror, it ended up hitting the gong. That, uh, was the third time, wasn't it? The children gasped, and we stepped back. "Oh, what are you gaping at? The course is only activated if you ring the gong three times and-and-and you already hit it two times, didn't you?" The stone dragon statue behind the gong began to crumble, revealing gold underneath. Scrooge, ever the wiser, stepped back to join us at a safe distance.

With a loud rumble, the rock all fell away, revealing a golden Chinese dragon. Its head twisted around before it burst through the roof of the garage, looking around. "Pixiu, the Gold-Hunting Dragon," Webby breathed.

"Gold hunting? Sounds great!" Louie said cheerfully.

"Not when you're Duckburg's single largest owner of gold!" Huey explained, voice rising at the end. The dragon sniffed around, and we saw its head stare off at the island in the distance. Oh no.

"Ah! Me money bin!" The dragon began to make its way out of the hole in the roof, and Scrooge gave chase after it. Climbing up the rubble on the floor, he quickly turned around to face us. "To your rooms!" His last word got dragged out as he grabbed the dragon's tail, and was pulled away into the sky. The five of us stood there, staring at the golden dot high above us. Louie, I'm not sure if the others noticed, stuck a green sticky note to a vase.

"Where are you going?" Looking out of the garage towards the yard, I saw Webby had started walking out of the mansion. The setting sun bouncing off her face.

"I'm gonna go eat a hamburger!" Webby declared. The boys exchanged looks, and nodded as a whole.

"We're in," Dewey said, speaking for the group as a whole.

"Cool." Webby went to start running, but glanced from the gate to them. "To be clear, I'm gonna go catch the dragon. The hamburger was a metaphor from before, I-"

"Yeah, yeah, no, we get it, we get it. But how are we gonna get up there?" Dewey asked.

"I'm a pilot." I turned to see Launchpad sticking is head out of the door eagerly.

"Alright. Launchpad, start up the plane. Kids, find whatever you think will be useful and meet us in the back. Let's go save your uncle." I still have more than a few choice words to say to that drake. With that being said, I broke off from the four and followed Launchpad to the backyard. I've only ever been up in the plane once before, when Scrooge had to go overseas for a large conference. He hated leaving his home back then; living the life of a recluse. I think I was the most excitement he's had since that falling out with Donald happened-no. No, stop that. You're still mad at him, April.

Once the engine was running, the kids dashed inside the plane, and we took off on the runway. "Alright, if we're gonna do this, we'll have to be quick about it." Clapping my hands together, I lowered the bay door again. "Launchpad, circle about in case Scrooge falls off that lizard. Don't need him becoming a pancake."

"Yes, ma'am!" Launchpad shouted back at me. I could see the dragon pass over us, with no Scrooge on board. I loud thump came from one of the wings of the plane, and I watched Scrooge come sliding off of it. Quickly, I reached out of the plane, wind whipping past me and grabbed his outstretched hand. Dewey grabbed my other hand, and the kids continued the chain. With a yank, we pulled him inside the plane, and Launchpad closed the door from the cockpit. Scrooge, visibly tired and bruised, looked up at us. We all smiled down at him, while Huey was cheering loudly in the back.

"I thought I told you to go to your-"

"No time. We gotta work fast," Dewey stopped him, helping him to his feet.

"Webby, how do we stop it?" Huey asked her.

"it's mystical, so we need a mystical device, like an Oblivion Mirror or a Medusa Gauntlet, or-"

"Like this?" We all turned to Louie, who was sporting said gauntlet on his hand. Webby crossed her arms, growling at him while Huey glared disapprovingly.

"What? April did say to take anything that might help." Shoot. I did, didn't I? He took off the device, and handed it over to Scrooge. Moving towards the window, I watched the dragon begin to tear at the money bin's roof.

"Good thinking, kid. Now do any of you have something to get him down there?" I asked. Huey moved to the side, and ran back over to me with the garden hose.

"Garden hose of destiny!" He cheered. Handing it to Dewey, he ran up to Launchpad as the three kids began to tie it tightly around Scrooge. "Launchpad, we need to swing him out. Nosedive towards the bin and get ready to pull up!"

"Yes, sir, random kid I just met!" We began to descend towards the bin, and the door opened for us.

"Any questions?" Dewey asked Scrooge, holding the end of the hose.

"Since when is Launchpad a pilot?" Dude, he's been going on and on about it ever since you hired the man! Scrooge leaped out of the plane, flying in the wind above us as we readied to swing back up as fast as we could. With great aim, he grabbed the dragon's tail, and we gripped the hose together to keep him connected to us.

"You guys, our family is awesome!" Dewey announced. A blue shimmer came from the glove, and I watched the magic flow through the dragon, turning it to stone before our very eyes. However, the sudden shock of it frightened the beast, making it twist in the air and send Scrooge flying into the air and out of our grasp. "SCROOGE!" We shouted, watching the hose fall away.

Scrooge untied the hose as he fell, and vanished from view as he went into the bin below. The door closed, and we scurried to the windows to watch the gold in the bin. The coins shuffled below, and suddenly Scrooge popped out at the top, spitting coins out of his mouth and raising his hands in victory.

The kids gave a loud cheer, as Louie shouted, "he swims in money! I knew it!" Guess he's talking about the money swimming rumors. But… we did it. That-wow, hehe. This must have been the most excitement I've had in years since I first moved in here.

Launchpad turned around to look at us, smiling. "Aw, family truly is the greatest adventure of-oh, no, the ground!"

And this is why I never want to travel with the man. "Launchpad, pull up!" I shrieked. Grabbing the kids, I threw them to the ground and pinned them to the floor. "Brace yourselves!" He didn't have much time to get out of the nosedive, and we cried out in alarm as the plan rumbled underneath us, skidding across the ground and grinding to a halt. "A… are we done?"

Letting Webby, Huey, Dewey, and Louie get to their feet, we quickly got out of the plane, followed by Launchpad himself. Groaning, we turned to see that we had crashed into the side of the money bin. "Another successful landing," Launchpad announced, smiling… and then the front of the plane caught fire.

Sighing, I saw the garden hose laying off to the side in a shrub. "Launchpad. Hose down the fire, will you?" The pilot saluted me, grabbing the hose and going off to attach it to the side of the money bin. The kids and I moved to sit on a piece of rubble, and just as planted myself, Scrooge came walking around the corner of the island. Coat torn in several places and feathers ruffled, he stormed in front of us, and I grabbed Webby's hand for hers and my comfort.

The old duck began to pace, and we waited for him to lose his temper on us. "In the short time I've known you, you've wrecked my home and my money bin, unleashed several ancient evils, and almost got me killed… twice!"

"Four times if you count each monster as an individual time," Huey informed him. Scrooge moved closer to us, and I gripped Webby's hand tighter. Well, that's it. Say goodbye to your home and jo-is he laughing? Scrooge moved over to sit between Louie and Huey kicking his legs excitedly and waving his arms in the air.

"That was incredible! When you pulled me into the airplane and said 'no time'! And who would have thought of a Medusa Gauntlet!? Brilliant! Oh, and then you swung me out and pulled up just in time and- ah ha ha ha!" He got up, resting his hands on the cane. "You kids are nothing but trouble! Curse me kilts, have I missed trouble! I suppose I'll have to keep an eye on you and teach you how to get into trouble properly." He took out his phone, and dialed a number.

We all looked at each other, leaning forward. "You mean…!?" Dewey asked, hope clear in his voice.

"Beakley! Clear my schedule! I'm taking the wee ones on a field trip." The kids jumped off their seat, grinning while I stood up and moved beside Launchpad who came up behind me. "Now, let's go find the lost city of Atlantis!"

"Yeah!" The kids cheered loudly.

"And no one tell your uncle Donald!"

"YEAH!" I sighed softly, seeing how happy they were so thrilled with the change in Scrooge's behavior. Still, though… I was holding a grudge against him for what he said back there. Venting my frustration out on the old man helped, but he actually had me scared that he was about to boot me out all for yelling at him.

Though, I will admit, I do question his thinking. Since when was a life-or-death situation fun? "Hmm. Launchpad, why don't you take the children into the money bin while we await for the limo? I need to be havin' a word with my assistant." The children's cheering died down, and I saw them looking at me. I, uh… oh, I'm in trouble now, aren't I? Launchpad nodded, and led them away towards the front door on the other side of the island. I caught Louie's gaze, and smiled in reassurance. If I was going down; heck, I was going down fighting. "Now, April-"

"Stop." I raised a hand. "I get it. What I said back there was-it's just… Scrooge, I'm sorry for that. My emotions got the best of me." The duck shook his head, and turned to look over over the rocks to the sea below.

"It'd be my fault for your behavior, lass. You were perfectly right in the things you said. I assume you heard my conversation with Beakley?" Deadpan was his answer. Sighing at my expression, Scrooge turned away from me again. "There's much more to it than that, April. You're no distraction, and you're certainly not a hassle to me. Maybe at first I thought of you as that, but I meant when I said there was something worthwhile in ya. The same spark some fool saw in me, I saw in you." I felt his hand lift my chin up to meet his eyes, and I smiled. This was the Scrooge I remembered. "Aye, my family is a mess, but it appears I be on my way to fixing it. What do you suppose I be doing to mend this, my trusted assistant?"

Aw, Scrooge. "Give them a shot, just like you did with me, Scrooge," I replied. "Chances like this here don't come often, and you shouldn't squander it." I gave a small laugh at his face, seeing how I spun the words he used back ten years ago on him.

"Exactly. Take note, April. We've got some preparin' to do! Four-no, no. We're going to be needing more oxygen tanks now that the children are coming along." Rolling my eyes as he began to pace, I stooped his rambling with a quick hug. Scrooge froze, and stared at me. "Uh, what are you doin'?"

"Thank you," I mumbled into his coat. "Thanks for giving me this chance."

I wasn't sure if the man was used to physical contact like this. Shoulder touches and handshakes were usually all he did, but I felt a surge of triumph when slowly and very, very awkwardly, hugged me right back. "You're welcome, lass."

I… I have no clue how this got so huge. I think I got a little carried away with this chapter. Not complaining though. This was fun.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Angel