Continues on from "My Mummy".

No Relation

"You're not my mother."

Hearing that from her eldest child did not surprise Della in the slightest.

"I don't have a mother."

Hearing that as well hurt her heart, but still Della did not object.

Her firstborn had a right to vent out his frustrations. Someone had to inherit the family's temper, after all.

"A mother wouldn't leave her children with their unfortunate uncle – still mourning from the loss of his sister – and then come back, years later, and expect a warm welcome," Huey huffed, not bothering to face her, but his voice holding evident irritation, "Louie might have latched onto you, but I won't. I don't need to. I've managed this long without you, and I can manage much longer still."

"I know," Della prodded tentatively, her soul wounded and her valour non-existent, "And I'm proud that you have, Hubert."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Huey snapped, "You lost that right to call me that when you left me to take care of my brothers. When you left Uncle Donald to take care of the three of us! How could you DO that?!"

"Huey…"

"I'm not finished yet!" the frustrated duckling burst out, finally spinning around. Now there was no doubt in Della's mind that her oldest son had been crying – the bloodshot and teary eyes were obvious evidence.

"How could you leave your little brother behind, with such a burden on his shoulders? Didn't it ever occur to you that he needed your guidance, your support – the kind that only a big sibling can give? How could you leave one night, expecting and hoping, with all your heart, that I would do the same for my brothers, when you couldn't even do that yourself?!"

Lightning flashed outside the cave that they were hiding in, and Della saw for one brief moment how broken her child was. The rainstorm, an outpouring of grief and sorrow, was broken for several moments by a scream of thunder – a thunder that echoed with a tormented howl in Huey's broken heart.

"Why did you have to come back now? Why now, when we've lost Uncle Donald, Great-Uncle Scrooge, and Mrs Beakley? Why… Mom?" Huey choked out the last word, catching his mother by surprise.

"I was so lost, and afraid, and hurt…" the words tumbled out of Huey's beak in unkempt fashion. He no longer cared about sounding prim. How could he care after everything that had happened?

"Uncle Donald loved us, and he told us of how much you loved us. And thanks to Dewey, we know that you made a great sacrifice out of love to keep us safe – but I'd rather have faced the danger with you instead of you going off alone and leaving us, Mom."

Fresh tears flowed down Huey's face.

"Without you, I grew up a coward. A smart duckling, but a coward. My brothers – my dear little brothers – believe it or not they have the hearts of a lion, Ma. Can you believe that?"

"I do, son."

"And while they got bravery and guile, I just ended up getting the sin of wrath from Uncle Donald. There were times when I couldn't handle this shamble of a lifestyle, and my world would just turn red. It was awful, knowing that I could throw out all of this hurt to the people I love… But right now, I don't even know if I love you, Ma. It's just been so long."

"I understand," replied Della, her face betraying no emotion. She couldn't break down yet. She didn't deserve to.

"You say that, but I don't think you really do understand. I've got so much pain in my life, Ma. We all do, in fact," stated Huey as he gestured to the sleeping forms of Webby and Louie in one corner, and to the injured and still-comatose form of Dewey wrapped under several layers of blankets.

Huey took a much needed breath.

"And just because you came back into our lives, doesn't make much difference to be frank."

Della, her own eyes brimming with tears, closed them and bowed her head in submission to Huey's facts.

Of course, he would be the one to have inherited her brains. It just pained her so much to see that her firstborn had also inherited her brother's emotional passion.

Emotions – when handled well – became an integral, mental set of best friends to a person.

But if wielded unchecked – if one always wore their heart on their sleeve – then emotions could also be the self-destructive tools that would shatter a person's soul.

And right now, her son – her beautiful son – had been shattered and put back together several times already. But now, the ugly cracks had become visible, and it seemed it would always be that way from now on.

Still, though, Della's heart skipped a beat when Huey surged against her leg and wrapped his arms around it.

He was looking for her love and support. A maternal love and support that was a long time in coming.

"I missed you, Mom. But I don't know if my heart can ever love you the same way again…" Huey whimpered as his eyes finally started to run out of tears.

"My son," Della began gently, "I know that our family has let you down – and that I've let you down the most, especially. But from now on, I will be at you and your brothers' side. Always. Nothing more will tear us apart. From now on, nothing can tear us apart. And even if the love we share right now can never reach the peaks we had when you were in my womb, whatever love I have from you will always be enough. Enough to keep me breathing, to keep me living. To keep me fighting to protect you. I'm here now, my Hubert. My brave, smart, strong, dear little Hubert."

The storm outside the cave had stopped, and Huey looked up to see his mother's loving face illuminated by the moonlight. It was a beautiful, comforting sight – one that he would fondly remember on his dying day.

He closed his eyes and let his head rest against his mother's leg again, his heart beginning to finally feel peace at last.

"Thanks Mom."

I'm guessing, if Della is alive and returns to her family, that Huey would be the triplet who would chew her out for her disappearance. Dewey and Louie would just be too happy having their mother back to be ticked off.

And if you're Avatar: The Last Airbender fans, don't be too surprised if this scene sounds somewhat familiar.

I took inspiration for this oneshot from "The Awakening", where Katara angrily and tearfully calls out her father for leaving her and Sokka behind to go off and fight in the war.

I just have my fingers crossed that if Della is reunited with her family in canon, that there will be some huge drama and feels to go down.