Direct reference to the last chapter, Louie knows Lena calls Della Mom.

No one would admit to it first. If anyone asked Lena, she would say Louie had been the first to slip and accidentally call her sister one Saturday afternoon when they were raiding the kitchen to watch a new episode of the spin-off of Ottoman Empire. According to Louie, however, Lena had asked about their mom's whereabouts, accidentally revealing she usually called Della like that when no one was near to tell.

Both had been incredibly awkward at first, but now, as long as no one was there to hear them, or therefore tease them, they would both call each other "bro" and "sis", respectively and refer to Della as Mom. The only person allowed to know that was, of course, the pilot herself who was beyond happy with the arrangement.

The real challenge began when others started to notice the change in their dynamic.

"You two are up to something" Huey accused, pointing his spoon at them.

"What?" Lena gazed up from her phone as Louie kept scrolling on his.

"You are definitely plotting something" Huey repeated "You've been snickering and sneaking here and there. What scheme are you pulling?"

"Scheme? What scheme?" Lena shook her head confused.

"Don't bother, once he thinks he knows something he won't drop it" Louie said "Just go along with it"

"Okay" Lena shrugged "Sure, you got us, nerd"

"Oh, you think that will work?" Huey challenged "I know what you are playing, reverse

psychology, but it's not going to work"

"Jee, you got us again" Louie rolled his eyes "What should we do now?"

Lena chuckled "I could use a spell to erase his memory"

"You sure?"

"It worked last time, didn't it?"

"Wait, last time? What last time?" Huey intervened.

"See? Perfect results" Lena gestured at him.

"Gah!" Huey stretched the edges of his hat "You are just messing with me and I won't put up with it, no! I'm leaving"

"Good, can you close the door on your way out? Wouldn't want anyone hearing our master plan"

The last they heard was a faraway scream of frustration.

Once alone, both shared a good laugh.

"Man, it's always so much fun to tease him," Lena said.

"I know, right?" Louie chimed in "the way he overthinks everything does half our job for us,

though"

"That's the best part" she nodded.

"Stick with me, sis. I'll show you a world of fun" he gestured with his hand "if you think Huey is amusing, wait until Dewey asks you to join his dumb little TV show" he shook his head "I think you are the only one that hasn't been prey of it"

"Scrooge went along with it?"

"He would take any good press" Louie nodded.

"What about Mom?"

"Well...hers took a bit of a dark turn" he admitted shyly "She actually said something similar to what you told us about the Shadow Realm, how time is meaningless"

Lena shrugged into herself "Right" she felt the shiver.

"Is that still an issue? For any or both of you?"

Lena rubbed the back of her neck "Kinda?" she offered "We just...space out. Wow, terrible word choice" she mused out loud.

Louie chuckled before turning his face a bit softer "For real, though, something to look after, sis?" he asked openly.

Lena pondered for a bit "For Mom I think is losing a grip of time through looking at mirrors.

Gazing at her reflection can get her mind to trick her into believing she is still up there. It's hard to believe all this good stuff is real after having lived through that darkness for so long" she explained casually.

Louie had earned her trust in his own way, that's why she could talk to him almost as openly as she could Webby or Della. He could tease, but he knew better than to do so at sensitive times, he was also the best at keeping secrets, being discrete, and overall just chill enough to be around. He wasn't as hyperactive as his brothers and he approached subjects in a different way.

Most importantly, he cared. Even if he preferred not to show it, he cared a great deal.

"What about you?" he asked "Time is still messy?"

"Just at nights," she said "when there's sun I can tell time is still moving forward, but in darkness, it's not as simple. In the Shadow Realm it's was always equally dark and for the most part, I was lost inside of it. It took me a while to finally find my corporeal form again. Luckily I had Webby to anchor me, whenever I was losing my identity and merging back with regular shadows, I would seek her out to remind me I was someone other than what Magica made me to be, I was sentient"

Louie gazed at her with newfound admiration. And beyond that, he started understanding just why the pink duckling meant so much to her. Lena practically refused to die and be swallowed by darkness just to stay by her side, and through that sheer will, she had found her way back.

Her level of loyalty was something he deeply admired.

"Alright," he said picking up his phone again "if time gets messy or whatever in the middle of the night, shoot me a text. We can chill or watch some movies until the sun comes up. It's probably the only time of peace and quiet in this place" he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders casually and nonchalant as always, but Lena knew, that was his way of showing support, of caring.

"Thanks, man" she smirked gently pushing his shoulder with her own "you are a good brother"

"Not so bad of a sister yourself, I can see why Mom adopted you behind the scenes" he replied smugly as both chuckled, but it was a short-lived moment that was interrupted by a shocked voice that came from the entrance.

"Adopted?" The thick accent of Scrooge McDuck echoed in the room as both teens gazed up with equal parts surprise and terror.

Lena was positively pale, frozen to her seat, so it was up to the sharpest triplet to jump in.

"Uncle Scrooge!" Louie jolted from his seat "we were just messing around!" not his finest cover up story, he felt Huey-levels of amateur "it's an inside joke we have, to mess with Dewey and Huey"

Scrooge was not answering, his sight going back and forward between the two.

"I better go," Lena said once able to will her body to move again.

"Wait" Louie turned around to try and stop her, but she vanished with the shadows and into the abyss. So, now alone with the older duck, he dropped his shoulders, trying to figure out what to say next.

"Has this...joke of yours been going on for long?" he asked after a pause, the way he said it sounded awful cryptically.

Louie decided to lie with the truth "Um, just a month or so" he replied, noticing a shift in his Uncle's eyes "Why? Does it matter?"

The Richest Duck fumbled with his cane, gazing down, a frown showing "Is Della part of it? Of the joke?"

Louie didn't like the implications of where this was going "Does it matter?" he repeated, harsher this time. The fact his Uncle was so aback with Lena bothered him, they had been through enough adventures and life-or-death situations together for Magica's greatest enemy to start minding Lena's inclusion to the family right about now.

"No" Scrooge finally said, but there was so much more under the surface that was kept unsaid "carry on lad," he said as he left the kitchen, mumbling something under his breath.

Lena didn't show up at the manor the following day, or the one after and Louie couldn't shake off the feeling that it was because of Scrooge overhearing them talk. So he fished out his phone and kept on texting her.

"Hey, sis. U should drop by, we have tons of episodes to catch up on"

But she didn't reply.

"Come on, I know you are reading my texts"

"I'm busy, Louie"

The reply finally came and he knew his suspicions to be true, it's been a long while since she last called him by name via private messages.

"Look, I know Uncle Scrooge took us by surprise, but it doesn't mean you should stop coming over" he insisted "you are always welcome into the manor"

"Kind of why you were blindsided the first time around"

Louie frowned "That's ancient history" he tapped.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty much still the same. I'm magic, Llewellyn. The one thing he absolutely despises. So yeah, naturally he might not want me that close to his family. As long as it is arm's reach, we are fine. I'm just going to let the situation cool down. I don't want to put Della in the middle"

Louie smacked a hand against his face. Of course! He had overheard his mom admitting she still feared confronting Scrooge, naturally, Lena didn't want the situation to force her to do exactly that, so her reasoning was to not steer the water and let the whole thing die down a little.

"'Kay, I get where you are coming from, just don't be a stranger, alright? Or Webby will start talking to her shadow"

She replied with an emoji that put a smile on his face for all its fierceness.

"Whatever. Don't watch the new ep without me, though"

Louie smirked, a bit more comforted "No promises. Later, sis"

"Later man"

A few more days strolled by and Louie noticed that not only did Lena hadn't come around; his Uncle Scrooge was nowhere to be found either. It had been unusually quiet and uneventful. No adventures, quests, nothing of the sort. That somehow wasn't comforting either. The quiet was as unsetting as Scrooge's previous words and he wasn't so sure how to go about it. If Lena didn't want to put their Mom in the middle, then perhaps not telling Della anything about it was the best. After all, soon this would be forgotten and everything would go back to normal.

So, he casually wandered into Webby's room that afternoon, it was weird not to see the rebellious teen next to her pink counterpart.

"Hey Louie!" the spy in training greeted "what's up?"

"Not much" he answered walking in with his hands shoved inside his pockets "No Lena today?" he asked offhandedly.

"Not today" she shook her head "We'll go out for ice cream on the weekend though" she waved her phone and as if to prove it, a message under her name appeared on screen, making the duckling smile.

"Cool" he shrugged, but the fact that he didn't take his leave didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Is there something else you wanted to talk about?" she asked.

"No," he said perhaps too quickly, receiving an unconvinced frown in return "I don't know" he amended, gazing down "Remember when we followed my Mom to Lena's false first date?"

"Yeah?" She traced back slowly.

"Did...did it throw you off when Lena called her Mom?"

Webby blinked in confusion "I mean...it was unexpected, but not exactly a complete surprise, we all know she got close to Della" she answered and Louie averted his gaze, clenching his jaw, did Scrooge really didn't notice too? Or rather just refused to acknowledge it? "Why?" Webby asked, bringing him back from his thoughts.

"Hum?" he gazed up "No, nothing" he put on his facade "just curious to see if I overreacted back then," he said instead.

"Oh" Webby relaxed her posture, "I think you handled it very well. I'm glad the two of you are getting along so well!"

That actually made him smile. Webby didn't know about their little inner-arrangement, but she knew enough to understand that their relationship had changed, even if she had never heard them refer to each other as siblings.

"Thanks," he said after a beat. "Hey, you know why there hasn't been any call to risk our lives and die in the midst of glory?" he asked sarcastically.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed clearly disappointed "I'm sure there are tons of mysteries out there, but Scrooge has been very busy in his office, talking to a lot of people"

"I thought he hated budget meetings"

"He does and those are not it. I know his schedule, these ones he is the one that has been scheduling them"

That was bizarre, to say the least, "Oookay" Louie rolled his shoulders back "Anyways, I better enjoy some peace and quiet while it lasts, later Webs"

"Goodbye!" she waved energetically as the green triplet wandered aimlessly through the halls, his thoughts elsewhere until he walked outside his Uncle's office, right when he was in the middle of a phone call.

"I know, I'm just asking ye," he said "is the paperwork final? I mean, there was no real legal record on her before" Louie felt a tug, Scrooge's voice sounded oddly stern and concerned "Ye, I know how it works, so the decision on the lass is final?" he sighed heavily "Ye, I know my involvement in the matter. Thank you anyways" he hung up and Louie had to do the worst and fill the blanks he thought were missing with the little context he had. That unsettled him.

So he headed to the garage where his mother usually spent her time, especially now that Launchpad wanted to give Dewey some flying lessons too, which ultimately ended in crashes and such.

He found her on the side of the plane welding a piece back into place while wearing some headphones, so Louie knew better than to try and talk over the sound. He reached her side and lazily passed her the metal plaque.

"Thanks!" she said louder than needed just to then realize her youngest child had been the one to hand her the piece "Hey son!" she removed the headphones noticing she had been shouting "Sorry. Dewey gave me a whole playlist to listen to, it's good! It helps me...focus" she decided to say, instead. Louie could tell that complete silence and too much noise could equally overwhelm her, so listening to music seemed like a good idea, especially since she had a decade to make up for new genres "What brings you here?" she asked with an open smile "I thought not having adventures was your kind of adventure"

So she too had noticed the unusual calmness. Louie leaned his back against the plane resting there "Has Lena talked to you lately?" he asked to see how in the loop she was about the matter.

"Not lately" she shook her head, taking a cloth to wipe her hands "Why? Is something wrong with your sister?" she asked, the fact she phrased it so naturally made Louie feel as though Lena was truly related by blood to them.

"Were you going to eventually tell the others about Lena?" he asked abruptly "that she's pretty much your daughter?"

Della took a step back at the blunt question "I- I don't know, Louie" she stammered, a lot of conflictive emotions showing in her eyes "I...haven't exactly gotten the best record as a mother to then add another child to my care just because I could sympathize with her" she gazed down rubbing her metallic leg unconsciously.

Louie gazed down, it was a difficult topic to talk about, they all still tiptoed around certain parts of it "Uncle Scrooge overheard us" he finally explained "Lena and I were just talking in the kitchen and he heard us say how you basically adopted her" he shrugged "he...I don't know, his reaction was so weird" he dropped his head "I think Lena's been avoiding coming here because of it, and I think our conversation stuck with Uncle Scrooge as well"

Della's hand covered her mouth as she stayed speechless for the better part of a minute "I'll talk to him" she finally said, although her eyes were determined, her voice quivered.

Louie knew his mother tended to keep a lot of parts of herself hidden from her Uncle. He was the one person she would rather never confront. She respected and idolized the older duck a great deal, and he tended to do the same with her, and that was the reason she didn't want to disappoint him or show him the broken pieces. She would much rather jump into the ocean than admit all the things that were left unsaid to him.

"You don't have to" Louie added quickly "I can talk him out of it"

"Out of what?" she asked confused.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure, but Scrooge making all those calls got him on edge "Not sure. I just don't want him to intervene" he explained. Having Lena as a sister had been somehow incredible. He thought after having Huey and Dewey over his case all the time and living with Webby for some years now, he would be all done with the experience of having siblings. But Lena was different. She was street-smart, witty, rebellious, a shadow construct, chill, and overall, a good person. He liked having someone like him in the mix.

Della knelt in front of him "I've got this, kiddo" she said, steadier.

"She doesn't want to put you in the middle," Louie said under his breath, shrugging. He knew that was one of the reasons why Lena had accepted to go to therapy, because she didn't want to put Della in an uncomfortable situation regarding certain things she needed to say, some that could involve her family members.

Della smiled weakly "Don't worry, honey. It's long overdue for me to talk to him" she admitted, chuckling dryly to herself.

"Are you sure you want to tell him?"

Maybe she wished the circumstances were different, but in the end, she did want to do this. She hoped to share with the people that knew her better than anyone this part of her life "Yeah" she finally said.

Louie nodded slowly "Okay" he hid his hand inside the hoodie's pocket, now he got to experience the kind of nervousness Lena mentioned about getting her involved.

"It's alright" she patted his head, ruffling his hair "Thank you for telling me"

Louie smirked faintly "No more secrets, right?"

Della breathed in sharply, caught off guard "Yeah...no more secrets" she smiled back "I'll see you later, kiddo"

Della stared at the closed door feeling her chest tightening. She remembered all the times she had been on the other side of the portal, nervously fidgeting before knocking to confess to one of her mischiefs. To come clean about breaking a base while roughhousing with Donald, or the time she took the plane from the garage to sneak out to a concert and got detained for flying in private airspace.

Or the time she was ready to meet her kids.

The first person to greet her back had been her Uncle. The last person to have seen her had been her Uncle. He was her paternal figure, her role model, her idol. And yet, she could count in one hand, the times she had gone to him for moral support. She trusted him, of course. But he was better giving pep talks to rally the troops on a mission than sit down to talk about a broken heart. When they were reunited, he literally stepped on her toes- the metallic ones- and instead of prying about the accident, he praised her resourcefulness. It had been a relief at first, not having to relive those events as soon as she had made it back home and was eager to meet her sons, but then...the topic never came up again. And now, she needed to pour her own heart out and explain what Louie and Lena had been talking about, and by doing so, she would have to admit to all the broken pieces she kept hidden under her sleeve.

So she breathed in and knocked twice with a trembling fist.

"Come in!" the voice called from the other side, it sounded distant and distracted, he clearly was attending to something else.

She walked in holding the air in her chest as she approached his desk "Hey...Uncle Scrooge"

He gazed up "Della" he put the papers down "What brings you here, lass?"

She swallowed hard "Is this a bad time?"

"For ye? Never" he smiled, offering a seat in front of him. She felt like a kid sent to the principal's office.

"What is it about, lass?"

Della felt her heart bumping on her chest and the drumming deafening her ears "I...I need to talk to you"

"Is everything alright?" he leaned in, noticing her unusual nervousness "what is it?"

She managed to look up, locking gazes "Is about what you heard... Louie and Lena talk about"

His face turned blank, almost unreadable. Della would much rather have a clear emotion showing to understand what was going on in his head.

"Is this...about the joke?" he asked instead and something in Della's inside turned to flames.

"Joke?" she repeated, her tone harsh and wounded.

Scrooge noticed the reaction and backtracked.

"The lad said it was a joke among themselves to tick off Huey and Dewey. He never actually told me if you were in it too"

"Oh" Della gazed down, losing her resolve for a split of a second before trying to find the courage to say it out loud "I'd say it's anything but a joke" she finally said "And...I'm actually the one that started it" she admitted "maybe that's not true, I'm not too sure how this came to be but..." she pressed her fist "Uncle Scrooge, Lena is...my kid" saying it out loud was as surreal as it was liberating. It was both terrifying and endearing "She's my daughter. I don't care if it's not by blood, if she was a shadow created by Magica or whatever past baggage she has, I love that girl"

Scrooge blinked slowly, letting her words impregnate the room with just that one truth "I know" he mumbled back.

Della felt her blood run cold "You-you do"

"Aye," he twiddled his thumbs "Or, at least I knew to some extent, just last week I truly began to understand how much you've grown attached to the lass" he scratched the back of his head "attached is not the word. I guess I just didn't realize you'll take the role of her mother. Or the fact that Lena would accept it so willingly"

Della tugged at her friendship bracelet, the one the teen had given to her on Mother's Day of all dates "That's the thing, Uncle Scrooge...the reason she leans on me is the same one for which I can talk to her" her tone quivered at the end "I'm...I'm not okay" a single tear rolled out of her eye "And I-I've been trying to put my life back together but..." she hugged herself tightly as if that would prevent her from falling apart "But all the pieces are scattered and I'm just so, so broken" she felt the sob taking over "And I want to be better, I want to be exactly as you remember me to be, but I can't and I'm not- I'm not that person anymore. When I left the moon I left behind a lot of who I was, parts of me stayed over there like pieces of a shattered mirror. Most days I'm not sure if I am but the reflection that escaped and the real Della is still up there, wandering aimlessly"

Scrooge couldn't breathe, he never thought, or never dared to see the truth that was right in front of him. He stood up, moving cautiously towards her before wrapping the woman in arms firmly, letting her cry over his chest.

"I'm sorry, lass," he said, closing his eyes tightly. "I never meant to..." he choked on the knot in his throat "I love you, Della. You. I love you for the kid you used to be, the pilot you became, the woman that fought for her way back home, the mother that came back to her family, the adventurer, the sister you are, everything. I love you as much right now as I did in the past. You are my niece, lass. That will never change, no matter how broken you feel, you'll always be part of my life and you will always have a place in my heart"

Della held onto his robe, sobbing against his shoulder "I'm sorry" she choked "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" she repeated.

"I know" he mumbled back, rubbing small circles on her back "for what happens all those years ago, I've forgiven you, but for how you are feeling right now, you don't need to ask for my forgiveness, lass. I'm the one that should have been there for you, before and...when you made it back" he said bitterly "I just wanted things to go back to normal, I-I didn't stop to ask about all that happened up there. I didn't dare to listen to those tales but...if you don't mind, I think I would like to understand you better"

Della sniffed, trying to regain some composure "They are not pretty stories"

"And that's why they are the ones that should be shared" he replied softly "only if you wish to" he added gently. His tone was even, but there was fear underneath. Terror to realize all the harsh experiences he had been unable to protect her from.

"My-my leg" she traced back, hesitantly "I...I had to..." she clenched harder into his clothes "I wasn't being practical or rational, I was scared out of my mind! I was terrified, I thought I wasn't going to make it unless-!" she couldn't bring herself to say it "From that moment on it only felt like I was losing more parts of who I was the longer I stayed there" sh opened her eyes breathing in "and I had to keep lying to myself about it, because the moment I admitted how bad things were, would be the moment I decided to give up"

Scrooge embraced her closer "But you didn't, lass. You never gave up, nothing stopped you"

Della chuckled dryly "That's my problem, Uncle Scrooge. I'm- I'm afraid of stopping, even now. I-I have to keep reminding myself that I'm allowed to live now, not just... survive" her tone gave away how tired she was of all of it.

"We'll get through this, lass," he said solemnly "We are getting you the help you need" he assured tenderly, to which Della actually tried to meet his eyes.

"I am getting help" she admitted in a drowsy voice "Mrs. B. found someone I could talk to about the crash, the incident..." she wiped her tears "I talked the kid into going to therapy and she turned the tables and did the same for me" she chuckled, drying her eyes.

"Lena...did that for ye?"

"She's been keeping me from the brink of collapse for far too long" she nodded, her eyes downcasted "She understands. I wish she didn't." she swallowed the salty admission "Because, why should a kid understand what lives in the darkness?" she said bitterly "but she does, and she came back from that place still able to smile and care for others" she gazed up "I'm proud of her, of how far she has come, of how mature and independent she is and the fact that she reaches out while becoming her own person" she smiled softly "I know I'm the adult here, but I look up to her. Because if that girl, that knew nothing but fear and hatred throughout her life, managed to move forward and learned to trust others and love herself...maybe there is a chance for me to get better too"

Scrooge gazed at her as though she was just the little girl that used to roam the hallways, her eyes always full of wonder and glee. That spark was still there, it just needed to be nurtured back to health "I'm sure you will" he said earnestly "and I'm glad the lass has been there to help you through, especially since I didn't" he caressed her face.

Della smiled softly "Thank you, Uncle Scrooge"

They settled into a warm embrace for a couple of seconds before the older duck, cleared his throat "I have to ask ye, something, though" he added, "Is Lena...willing to be adopted by ye?"

"What?" she frowned in confusion.

"Since I heard her and the lad talk in the kitchen, it got me thinking if I had rushed her process with the Saberwings, given that I facilitated the papers for her adoption. I never knew she felt as close to you as to call ye mom" he explained "I've been making some calls, just to see if the process can be out ruled if you-"

"No!" Della urged "Lena loves living with them!" she rushed to say "She needs them far more than you can imagine. They are the only part of her life that feels normal, a place she can belong and not be Magica's shadow" she explained "She cares so much about Ty and Indy and having Violet as a sister! I would never take that away from her just so my last name was also hers"

Scrooge was aback, pleasantly surprised "I see. I didn't stop to consider that," he said softly "So are ye alright with how things are right now?"

Della sighed soundlessly, now that he knew, it felt more fitting, maybe in due time, she would feel strong enough to let others in. So she nodded "Yeah. I know the kid can always come to me and can call me Mom, I don't need a paper proving anything"

He smiled proudly "Alright, lass" he patted her head "Is Louie really the only one that knows?"

Della gazed away guiltily "Beakley" she admitted, shrugging shyly "I-I...I kind of told her first," she said waiting for a reaction, but Scrooge didn't appear to be mad.

"Good to hear, if anyone was going to be able to give you guidance to parent Lena, that's her"

Della actually giggled "It's true" she agreed before evening her tone "Thanks, Uncle Scrooge...for...for listening"

"I'll always be here to hear what you have to say. I should have told you so sooner" he gazed down sadly "I want to know this side of you, Della. If you'll let me, I would like to talk again" he gently patted her shoulder "about the moon"

Della took in a deep breath, and even though it scared her, she was going to. Because that was her path towards healing "I'd like that"

Louie waited by the manor's entrance well past the sunset, pacing from one side of the fountain to the other, waiting for the shadows around him to rearrange and transform into the teen. And when they did just that, he was equal parts relieved and terrified.

"You told her?!" Lena demanded, holding out her phone to show the text message he had sent.

"I had to!" he replied immediately "Uncle Scrooge was acting kinda weird and I think it had something to do with this!"

"That's why I was going to let it calm down!" she emphasized "She wasn't supposed to know!"

"Well, Mom insisted on going through with it!" he responded, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Why did you tell her?! You are the only one that can keep a secret, what happened?!"

"Well, maybe I don't want to lose you as a sister!" he yelled back, turning away, defensively "Besides, aren't you a little bit glad he'll know? Don't you want to be part of the family?" he looked over his shoulder.

"Of course I do! That's why I don't want Scrooge to find out!" she yelled back "You know how much hurt I've inflicted to your family?!" she retorted, her tone saddening "I'm his worst enemy's replica! I'm a being of pure magic! I almost destroyed him!" her voice broke "The sole reason of my existence was so I could bring his demise" she ran a hand through her hair "I should be nowhere near his family" she sat down at the foot of the stairs.

"Come on, that's not true" Louie said sitting next to her "Uncle Scrooge would never try to keep you apart from us" he said "for starters, that would break Webby's heart. Secondly, who would talk back to Mr. Beakley?"

Lena chuckled dryly.

"Third, who would help me keep the other nerds in check?"

"You are a nerd too"

"Rude!" he lightly shoved his shoulder into hers "And above all, even if he ever tried to keep you away, you know all of us would stilll reach out" he pointed out "you do know, that, don't you?"

Lena smirked weakley "Yeah, I know"

"Good" Scrooge's voice cut in "Because I would never dare push you away"

The two teen jolted up, seeing him at the top of the entrance's stairs.

"Hello, Lena" he said in a gentle tone "I was hoping I would get a chance to talk to you"

Louie saw the girl's shoulders tense, so he instinctively reached out for her sweater, getting a hold of it. He knew sometimes her natural reaction was to flee, but now she needed to stand her ground, and he was going to stay there with her.

Lena noticed this and couldn't help but to smile, patting Louie's hand for him to let go, she wasn't leaving "It's okay, man" she mumbled before turning to Scrooge, breathing in "I'm-"

"Thank you, lass" he said sincerely "I...I talked to Della. And although there is still a lot to say, I think I understand enough to know you've helped her a great deal. Far more than any of us...than I could have"

The teen shrugged, taking a step back "I'm...I'm the one that got the better part of the deal, really"

He smiled to himself "I...wanted to apologize for before, to both of ye, actually. I reacted poorly, but not because I didn't want you in my home, but because I thought I had pushed you out of it. I know it was your decision to leave and go to the Saberwing's residence, but I feel as though I should have insisted or at least made sure you weren't leaving on my behalf" he gazed down "what you said before, just now, that...you were created to destroy me..." he fumbled with his cane "If I was ever put on trial again, I know that's one crime I am guilty off. You were brought into this world to get revenge over me. You didn't ask for anything that happened to you and...I'm sorry. Because of me, Magica created you, lass"

Lena felt those words hit too close to home. She never expected to get an apology out of anyone, specially not him. For a while, in the past, she had hated the man with almost the same burning passion that her aunt did, because if not for him, then she wouldn't have to endure all the torture she did. But at the same time, if she hadn't been through all that, then she wouldn't have all the amazing things she did now. All the incredible people that loved her.

"Thank you" she mumbled, feeling the hot tears roll out of her eyes, as she scrubed them away "Thanks" she breathed in.

Scrooge walked down the stairs, tentatively wrapping his arms around her "Thank you, Lena. All you've done means far more than what I can put down in words" he patted her head before turning to his nephew "You did a good job, lad" he said "standing up for family is the greatest strenght, keep looking out for each other" he patted his shoulders "and when you are all ready to tell this to the others, I'll be right there for ye" he smiled heartedly "you'll always have a place in this family, Lena. You are the reason I still have it in the first place, lass"

The teen smiled moved, as she nodded.

"I hope we'll see you around" he turned to go back inside the manor "for now, I bid you goodnight"

"Night" they waved as he dissapeared behind the door.

"I better head in too" Louie pointed behind him.

"Hey, nerd" she called "What you did...I appreacite it, man. It's hard to let others help but... you stood by me" she gently punched his shoulder "Thank you, bro"

"Well, now you are stuck with me" Louie smiled rightiously so before softening his features "Anytime, sis"

I have a whole chapter ready to go, but I need to write one more in the middle before going there becuase it's a bit of a time jump (2-3 years) and I think it will finally get the fic to some clossure, not entirely sure yet, so let's see how this goes. See you soon!