Magica sat in her new potion lab, staring out the window as the moon was setting and the first rays of sun were beginning to peek over the horizon. She sipped her tea and clutched her robe tighter around her as she shivered in the morning air.
The nightmare had recurred several times over last few weeks and this time had taken an even more unsettling tone.
Just as before Haguk mercilessly attacked Scrooge until he was left lifeless on the floor; but this time Magica had freed herself from Haguk's binding magic and sobbed over Scrooge's cold body and then suddenly his family; Mrs. Beakley, Launchpad, Webby, Huey, Dewey, Louie and Donald appeared and accused her of the horrendous act. When she looked around Haguk had vanished and they wouldn't listen to her, instead demanding she pay for the terrible crime; trying to seize hold of her and chanting of dragging her off to be punished.
When she awoke, she held back her screams and sobs as she had done everytime the nightmare had recurred so as not to disturb Scrooge and quietly slipped out of the bedroom to get some chamomile tea to soothe her nerves.
She sighed as she continued to look out the window. By now she was beginning to wonder if the nightmare held some meaning other than residual fear from the encounter with the evil warlock. Magica knew very well that dreams can easily have deeper meanings; remembering how her mother had explained that especially those with the gift of future sight can have prophetic dreams and that even she herself had had one or two such dreams.
Of course, the idea was a little contradictory because if Magica believed she actually did have any prophetic dreams then surely that would mean dreaming about seeing Scrooge in her mother's crystal ball as a child was also prophetic and telling her that she would do exactly what she did; marry him. So then why would she now be having dreams implying things going down in flames?
She sighed again. Maybe Poe was right and these dreams were just the result of her own fears of the marriage failing and how devastating that idea was to her. At this point she couldn't imagine going back to the way things were.
Realizing the truth had been so sweet and so amazing; it was like everything just fell perfectly into place when she finally admitted she had fallen for the stubborn miser at some point during all the years of endlessly fighting over the dime. She couldn't pin point exactly when she'd lost her heart in the fight, maybe when using a love potion or spell she became taken with the loving look in his eyes or one of the times she'd had to work with him because her plan backfired and his chivalry showed or it could have even been day one, the cliché of love at first sight. Who really knew? But once she had admitted it and learned he reciprocated the feelings it was like that was what was needed to finally achieve her goals.
Now she was happier than she'd ever been and the thought of losing it all as quickly as she'd found it was nothing less than terrifying. Especially because if the recurring nightmare was indeed foreshadowing the end, then it was showing her that it would be something completely out of her control, something she would be unable to do anything about.
She shuddered as the thought passed through her mind.
Scrooge blocked Magica's swing with his cane, pushing back against her staff. "You almost got me that time." He grinned before pushing her back and swinging his cane.
Magica quickly ducked and slid across the floor, springing up behind him and took another swing only be blocked again when Scrooge quickly swung his cane behind his back.
"Ooh, nice one." Magica had to admit his reflexes were impressive. He turned around and without warning he hooked the end of his cane around her ankle and with a quick tug pulled her foot out from under her.
As she lost her balance he reached out and wrapped the other arm around her waist, catching her mid fall. He grinned as they locked eyes. "Gotcha." He started to close the distance as she grinned back. "Oh really?"
Suddenly she slipped from his grip and with a similar tactic she used her staff to knock his feet from under him and he landed on his tailfeathers. She then lightly tapped him in the chest with the end of her staff. "I win." Her grin turned smug as he scowled. "Don't look at me like that Scroogie, that's what you get for being distracted." She said as she got to her knees beside him, giggling.
"Yeah, laugh all you want." He muttered. "Oh, come on darling…" she cooed as she moved closer. "The look on your face when I knocked you down was pretty funny." She was practically in his ear now. "Next time you'll be the one on the ground." He said, now running his hand through her hair. "You'd like that in more ways than one, wouldn't you?" She whispered suggestively in his ear. He blushed a little. "I thought we were sparring here, not… doing other things." "Well the match is over now…"
As the words left her lips Scrooge felt Magica slide herself onto his lap, now straddling him in middle of the floor in the ballroom which they had decided to use for a sparring match. She ran her fingers through his sideburns and his arms wrapped around her. They locked eyes again before she kissed him.
"Oh, yuck! How disgusting can you get?" Rochelle turned from the window in disgust at the sight of the two love birds inside. "She is not worthy of being called a witch, let alone of being named one of the Elders chosen successors!" She complained to herself through grit teeth. "And just who does that stupid old mallard think he is! Just look at those two in there… like they own the whole darn world!" She seethed, shaking so much with anger that the tiny golem on her shoulder almost fell off.
The poor little golem clung to her shoulder desperately and when she suddenly calmed down, he was able to climb back up and return to his original sitting position on her shoulder. "I'm sorry cher." Rochelle gently patted her little golem and it made a sound similar to a purr.
"Make no mistake though, I WILL find a way to make them both pay for my humiliation!" She shook a fist in the air. Then her beak curled up in a wicked smile. "And I have an idea how to do it!" She then proceeded to slink off, to go prepare her plan.
After kissing for several minutes, they pulled apart to each catch their breath. "Feeling better now Scroogie?" Magica teased. "I didn't really care about winning the match but I'll take any excuse for a kiss from you sweetheart." He responded with a laugh. She sighed contentedly. "There are no words to describe how happy I am Scroogie, I love you." She then kissed him again; deeper than before, wrapping her arms around him and holding him close.
Scrooge almost thought she was going to heat up the kiss but instead she held him tightly and as closely as she could, further adding to his observations over the last several days of her being more affectionate and cuddlier than normal, even to the point of saying things like the words she'd just spoken more often.
"Magica…" He started as they broke the kiss. "What's bothering you?" He looked her in the eye when he posed the question. "What makes you think there's something bothering me Scroogie?" He began to list all his observations, including her avoiding everyone but him most of the day and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
She sighed in defeat. "Okay… I've still been having that nightmare; last night was worse… your family showed up and blamed me for it…" She took a moment to gather herself before continuing. "It's really beginning to scare me Scrooge… what if it's some sort of sign or something?"
Scrooge looked at her with concern, then a reassuring smile spread across his face. "There's no way anything is gonna break us apart. Don't worry," He cupped her face in his hands. "I'm not going anywhere and I certainly hope you aren't!" He teased and she laughed. "I have no intentions of leaving you. Ever." She grinned back and they shared a short kiss.
"Still; my mother could see the future so it is possible that I am having some sort of premonition," Magica looked Scrooge in the eye and he could see the fear in her eyes. "What really scares me is the thought that whatever it means is something beyond my control…" she trailed off, shuddering a bit at the thought.
He wrapped her in a tight hug. "Even if this nightmare is a premonition, we can handle anything together. You once told me that the world could be ours if we became a pair; well here we are and I really do feel like the world is ours."
They sat there, in the middle of the ballroom floor just embracing each other for a moment until Scrooge pulled away slightly. "Say Magica, I-" He was cut off by his phone ringing.
"Sorry, just give me a minute." He said as he took his phone from his pocket and answered it. "McDuck speaking… yes…uh huh…" He spoke to whomever was on the line. "My…wife?... Oh right! My wife!" Magica, still sitting on Scrooge's lap, just glared at him. He smiled sheepishly as the conversation continued and finally ended with him agreeing to something and hanging up, returning the phone to his pocket.
"What was that? Did you seriously forget that you're married?" Magica asked, an annoyed look on her face and her arms crossed. Scrooge again gave that sheepish smile. "I'm still getting used to people inquiring about my wife." He said. "Well, I still think you need a reminder." She said, now grinning and she kissed him again. After they broke the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together and both laughed a little.
"So, what was that call?" Magica asked. "A reporter from a local magazine wants to do an interview with us." Scrooge explained. "Because we're married now?" She asked. He nodded. "Uh-huh. Do you mind?" "Not at all. I already figured that something like that was bound to happen eventually; after all, I imagine we're the talk of town these days anyway." She shrugged.
Magica was never one to care too much for public opinion, not surprising given some of things she'd done over the years to try and steal the number one, but she knew she'd have to be more conscientious with it now that she and Scrooge were married; after all, any idiot knows that it's important for a business magnate like Scrooge to maintain a good appearance and reputation.
Scrooge smiled. "Don't worry about it, this time all should go well since your family isn't here to scare the reporter!" They both laughed. "Okay Scroogie, but nevertheless I promise to be on my best behavior." She grinned mischievously and winked.
They finally got up and straightened their clothes. "The reporter should be here in an hour, an hour and a half. I need to go and run a quick errand but I should be back in time for interview." He said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Okay. I'm going to go freshen up a little for interview and I would advise you do the same before you leave… I think we're both a little sweaty from sparring." She laughed and they headed to their room.
Thirty minutes later Scrooge left and Magica decided to brew some tea and had Mrs. Beakley prepare some finger sandwiches to serve with the tea. Magica decided she would do her best to play hostess to the reporter and make a good impression, also it was going to be lunchtime soon anyway so it would be a win-win.
Just when they had finished preparing the tea and sandwiches the gate intercom buzzed and the reporter gave their name and reason for being there. "Mrs. Beakley would you go let her in and I'll finish in here." Magica asked. "Certainly." Mrs. Beakley replied and pushed the button to open the gate and greeted the reporter at the door.
The reporter introduced herself as Edna Featherby and was an older woman, wearing a sharp heather grey suit jacket and matching pencil skirt with a blouse that had a flowy bow at the neck. She had her graying brown hair tied in a very professional looking bun and wore gold bracelets on both wrists and some rings with large stones on her fingers. She greeted Mrs. Beakley with a friendly "Hello" and the standard pleasantries as she was seated in the lounge and only had to wait for a couple of minutes before Magica walked in with a tray holding the tea pot, teacups and sandwiches.
Magica smiled and served the tea and sandwiches. "Would you care for some tea or finger sandwiches? Since it's lunchtime I thought it would be nice to have something eat while we talk." She offered a cup to Edna who took it with a smile.
Magica had decided when she bought hew wardrobe to try some different looks given that she was now the wife of a multi billionaire who routinely would deal these kinds of things so she had chosen to wear some black dress pants and a red cashmere sweater that Scrooge had given her along with her black heels. Looking more like the wife of a multi Billionaire than a witch.
"Why thank you very much Mrs. McDuck. I honestly wasn't entirely sure what to expect, given your colorful history, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised, and I love your cashmere." Magica took a seat opposite Edna. "Thank you. I have to admit, I'm still getting used to this kind of lifestyle." She said with a friendly chuckle. "So, where's Mr. McDuck?" Edna asked. "He had to run an errand but he should be back soon." Magica answered. "But I am more than happy to start the interview whenever you are." Edna nodded. "Okay, so to start with could you tell me how you two ended up married?"
The two talked for a while and Magica answered the various questions about her marriage to Scrooge while they enjoyed the delicious sandwiches and wonderful tea. Edna asked questions like "What is it like, being married to Scrooge McDuck?", "In regards to you being a witch, how do feel about someone suggesting you used magic to land McDuck" and ultimately asked "What about Scrooge's number one dime? Do you still want it and how do you feel about anyone accusing you of only marrying him for the dime and the rest of his money?"
Magica answered the last question with a lighthearted laugh.
"Why would I need to steal my own property? Scrooge made it clear that what's his is mine the moment I accepted his proposal and honestly, I don't need the dime for anything anymore," She grinned a little smugly. "Now that we're married, I am the wealthiest witch in the world and I haven proven myself as one of the most powerful at this point as well so that's all in the past and should stay there."
Her grin then shifted into an almost dreamy smile. "As for any assumptions that I only married Scrooge for money… that's entirely untrue, I really do love him, we are very happy with each other and anyone who would say otherwise is an idiot." Magica refrained from saying what she really wanted to say, that anyone who tried to say she only married Scrooge for money might just get turned into a fly, because she really didn't want to make herself or Scrooge look bad.
At this point Edna got up and Magica stood as well; the two women shook hands as Edna said that was more than enough for an article about them and since Scrooge missed it she would make it a two part story and call to arrange a sit down with him for his side for the second half of the story.
As Magica walked Edna out Scrooge returned. "Did I miss the interview? Gee, I'm so sorry!" He apologized as he realized the reporter was on her way out. "That's quite alright Mr. McDuck; as I just told your wife I've decided I'll split the story into two parts, her interview and yours. I'll call you again later to make arrangements." She shook Scrooge's hand, then turned to Magica. "It was lovely meeting you Mrs. McDuck, lunch was great and I enjoyed talking with you." Magica smiled and nodded. "Yes, I enjoyed it too." "Well, I'll be in touch." Edna said as the couple closed the door and she walked down the driveway to her car.
"Oh, I'm sure this interview will sell magazines like hotcakes… and then I'll interview Scrooge; about the upcoming divorce!" Rochelle silently cackled to herself as the guise of Edna Featherby melted away, revealing her true appearance. "You want to ruin my reputation Magica DeSpell? Then I'll ruin your marriage!"
A few days later Scrooge was in his office when Fenton came running in, in a panic over something. "Mr. McDuck! Mr. McDuck! You need to see this! It's an emergency!" He cried and tossed a copy of The Weekly Quack, a trashy tabloid magazine that usually went ignored by most, on his desk. Front and center on the cover was a manipulated photo from the wedding and a headline in bold letters that read "Why Magica DeSpell REALLY married Scrooge McDuck!"
Scrooge's beak just fell open in shock and he opened the magazine to the page with the interview and read the article; his blood boiling more with every word.
The article quoted Magica saying things like he was boring and an old fuddy-duddy but what really took the cake was the last part; "Now that we're married, I am the wealthiest witch in the world and I have proven myself as one of the powerful as well. As for any assumptions that I only married Scrooge for money… that's entirely true and anyone who would say otherwise is an idiot."
Scrooge was fuming and leapt from his desk chair, strode out the office door and called Launchpad, demanding he drive him home immediately.
Magica was sitting in the library, reading a book on tribal magic and rituals. She had been expertly multi-tasking, reading and giving the boys the impression that she had eyes in the back of her head as she kept flicking her small wand to use magic to block all their attempts to prank her over the last couple of hours. Magica was pulled from her reading by the sound of the front door slamming open and Scrooge shouting.
Magica placed her bookmark in the book and left her seat to go and see what Scrooge was so upset about. She met him in the foyer and saw the angry look on his face. "Scrooge… what's the matter?" He took a deep breath and handed her the magazine. "I want to hear your side of the story first before I call these people and tell them just what I think of their magazine. I can't believe they had the nerve to publish this garbage!" Magica took the magazine, eyed the wedding photo with her happy smile manipulated into a wicked sneer on the cover then flipped to the page with interview.
Magica's eyes widened in shock and horror at the words on the page. "I-I didn't say any of this! I mean I did but, they took some things completely out of context and twisted and paraphrased what I said!" She looked back at Scrooge. "I'm so sorry…" She said, handing him back the magazine. Scrooge huffed. "I'm calling this so-called publication's office and demanding a retraction!" He marched into his home office.
Most everyone could hear Scrooge yelling into the phone about the article and he got even angrier when the editor-in-chief of The Weekly Quack told him he couldn't fire Edna Featherby as she was a freelance reporter who they hired for the interview. He even laughed when Scrooge told him that she never said she was doing the interview for his trash tabloid and implied that she worked for a respectable publication.
"That's on you for not asking questions McDuck! Besides, we haven't seen sales like this in ages!" the editor laughed through the phone. "This is slander! I'll not only sue you for every penny you have but I'll buy your stupid magazine and turn your headquarters into a trash pick-up company, because exactly what your magazine is; TRASH!" Scrooge barked back.
Magica could hear the yelling from her lab and just sighed. She felt bad, interviews involving herself and Scrooge never seemed to go well. At all. This one however, made it sound like exactly what Donald had accused her of; faking everything for money and power, not that she hadn't done so to a lesser extent in the past, but this was different. She wasn't faking anything, she was in love with Scrooge and that's why she married him; because what they realized they felt for each other was real. She knew that if it hadn't been for those accursed nightmares she wouldn't be feeling nearly as insecure about the situation but after a while she decided she needed to get out of the house and knew exactly where to go.
Poe answered the knock at his front door. "Magi! What happened? I saw the magazine at the store earlier and I have half a mind to go turn a few people into insects and pin them in insect displays." He said, letting his sister into the house. After he made some of their favorite Italian coffee they sat down and she told him everything.
"Scrooge is so angry about it… and I think he might be angry with me too…" She said, slowly sipping her coffee. "Nonsense, I'm sure he's not mad at you, you didn't do anything." Poe took her hand in reassuring gesture. "But what if he is? What if this makes him have second thoughts? Poe, I know I shouldn't be so rattled by this but… what if this marriage really is doomed to failure? At this point I don't think I could back to anything like the way things were before." She stared silently into her coffee cup. Poe put his hand on her shoulder now.
"Magi, this marriage has been a wonderful thing for you both, the fact that you're so worried proves you're serious about your lifetime commitment to Scrooge. If you didn't love him it wouldn't bother you but look at the other side," She looked up at him. "What do you mean Poe?" He smiled reassuringly. "I don't think he would be so angry if he didn't love you too. Don't worry, your marriage is going to survive this and I'm positive it'll survive any other bumps and pot holes in the road of life." She smiled back. "Thanks Poe."
They finished their coffee and Poe, now confident Magica was reassured, decided to ask "What makes you so concerned about your marriage any Magi?" She sighed and explained about the nightmare becoming a recurring nightmare and now including Scrooge's family. "I see, it does sound like it could be some kind of vision. All I can say is that if it continues maybe you should ask Granny about it." He said thoughtfully. She nodded. "That's a good idea but I think I'll save it for a final option." Magica said, imagining having to discuss it with her overbearing grandmother and feeling annoyed and embarrassed just at the thought.
Later that evening Scrooge was feeling better after having made several calls and had people looking into buying The Weekly Quack so he could tear the place apart in whatever way he saw fit. He got up from his desk and went to find Magica. She wasn't home. Mrs. Beakley told him she'd gone to see her brother for a while and should be back soon. Scrooge decided to just wait and asked Mrs. Beakley to start preparing some lobster salad for dinner for himself and Magica along with whatever she had planned for everyone else's dinner. He figured he needed to apologize for his temper and the surprise he had Poe helping him with would be a good way to do so.
He had intended to tell her about it before but hadn't had the chance and decided to wait until it was ready but given the circumstances, he figured letting her in on it early would be a better idea to cheer her up. He was feeling in even better spirits as he thought about her reaction to the surprise he had planned and was going to his home office to get the sketches he and Poe had made of the project when there was a knock at the door.
"Goldie? What are you doing here?" Scrooge was surprised to see Goldie O'Gilt at his door. "I wanted to check up on you after reading that disgusting article in The Weekly Quack." She explained as he let her in and took her coat. "I can't say I'm too happy about it." He said. "Me either. It's absolutely awful!" She agreed and they went to the library to sit and chat while they waited for dinner, after Scrooge asked Mrs. Beakley to make an extra serving for Goldie.
The conversation was pleasant to begin with, Goldie asking if he minded if she stayed for a night and some brief chatter about the Klondike days, then the conversation went lopsided.
"Scrooge, I have to admit that article worries me." She finally said. "What do you mean?" He asked. "I'm starting to think you've made a terrible mistake in marrying Magica." She said flatly. "What? I appreciate the concern but I think you're overacting Goldie. That article was just a bunch phoo-" He cut himself off as she got uncomfortably close to him. "Come on Scroogie… You and I both know how this kind of thing could affect you and businesses… it might be a wise idea to end things here before it gets really bad." She ran her fingers through his sideburns and he swallowed. "G-Goldie what's gotten into you? This is highly inappropriate as I am a married man now, maybe we should go see if dinner is ready yet." He tried to diffuse the situation diplomatically. "I know it's a little late for this but I really have started to regret not snapping you up when I had the chance… maybe this fiasco will prove be a second chance for us…" She cooed.
Magica returned home and entered the house and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. Mrs. Beakley told her that Goldie had come to visit and was in the library with Scrooge and Magica happily went to the library to see her husband and their friend, thinking of sharing her frustrations with scam interview with her new friend but the sight that greeted her when she opened the door left frozen in shock, the glass slipping from hand and spilling water all over the floor.
Goldie was just a fraction of an inch from kissing Scrooge, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He saw Magica from the corner of his eye and called her name, probably a little louder than necessary. "MAGICA! YOU'RE HOME!" He said, pulling loose from the now startled Goldie. "Am I interrupting something?" Magica asked, her blood now starting to boil.
"Yes, you are. I was just trying to convince Scrooge that the interview you did proves that marrying you was a mistake." Goldie huffed, crossing her arms. Magica just looked at the two of them blankly for a moment, then her brows furrowed in anger. "Oh really?" She glared at Scrooge. "What say you Scrooge?" "I wholeheartedly disagree Magica! That interview doesn't change a thing because I know it's just a load of phooey!" He said, then Goldie draped her arms around him. "Poor Scroogie, you're so noble, trying to give this witch the benefit of the doubt. You deserve so much better." She nuzzled him and he just tensed up, becoming stiff as a board.
Magica just couldn't take it… part of her wanted to hit someone but the rest of her was just finished at this point. She didn't say another word, just turned to leave but as she turned, she caught Goldie giving her a downright evil smirk and saying "He should have proposed to me instead." in a low tone while still hanging on to Scrooge and nuzzling him. Magica left the room at that point, internally fuming.
Magica used her broom to head for Poe's house, all while running Goldie's words and actions through her mind. She had been hurt that someone she had thought was her friend would try to stab her in the back like that but something just felt off about it. That evil smirk rang a bell somewhere in the back of her mind then she replayed her words "He should have proposed to me instead."
Magica also mentally cursed the reporter for her blatant lies; then her mind started connecting dots… and a sneaking suspicion began to surface in her mind as she recalled a conversation she'd had with Goldie when they were working on things for the wedding; Goldie told her what she had told everyone at the table at the lounge the night they had gone on the double date with Brigitta and Rosolio. That Scrooge had proposed to her once years ago and she turned him down; if that was the case why would she then talk like he'd never done any such thing unless…
Magica changed course and flew to the Money Bin.
Once inside the Money Bin Magica searched for what she needed. If her suspicions where right then somebody was in for a world of hurt for everything that had happened. Then she saw something that had confirmed her suspicions; old number one, which Scrooge had placed in it's display case a week ago, still in the amulet, was gone! Now Magica knew exactly what was really going on and when she finally found what she'd come to the money bin for, she headed back to the mansion.
Scrooge had tried to follow Magica but Goldie was having none of it, so he only got as far as the foyer. Everyone came into the foyer, drawn by the sound of Scrooge and Goldie arguing and now everyone was watching Goldie try to convince Scrooge to get a divorce and suddenly the front door opened.
"Okay LaQuack, you have exactly three seconds to get your hands off my husband and get out of my house or get a load of garlic! Three!" Magica snapped, aiming one of Scrooge's garlic guns at Goldie, whose expression turned to a combination of horror and disbelief. "What? How did you figure me out?!" Rochelle LaQuack's voice now came out of 'Goldie's' mouth and she backed off of Scrooge. "You're a pathetic actress. Two!" Magica responded, pulling back the hammer and putting her finger on the trigger. "Oh, sugar honey iced tea…" Rochelle muttered, eyes wide with fear, inching towards the door. "Now I'm sure we talk about this-" "One." Magica said, then Rochelle yelped and ran out the door as fast as she could, Magica right on her heels, shooting garlic rounds at her and screaming threats and a few obscenities.
Everyone just stood and watched as the two witches ran, no one wanting to know what would happen to Rochelle if Magica caught her.
"Uncle Scrooge, don't you think you should do something?" Donald asked, not really sure what to do but having the feeling that maybe some sort of intervention might be needed. "Aye, I will do something… take a dozen showers while Magica does her thing." He replied, shuttering at the very idea that Rochelle LaQuack had been touching him. "That was a despicable thing to do and quite frankly she deserves whatever punishment Magica gives her." He said, his tone of voice calm but carrying a certain malice not often heard from him.
Donald knew his uncle could be downright cruel when he wanted to, especially towards anyone who would dare try to harm him or those he held dear but he hadn't seen that particular side of him rear it's ugly head in years, not since he and Della had first started to spend time with him as children, when was first rebuilding his relationship with his sister Hortense, their mother. Maybe Magica was starting to bring the villain in him back out a little bit.
Several hours later Magica had returned with the empty garlic gun and showered off the dirt and sweat accumulated from the chase. Once cleaned up she met with Scrooge in the kitchen to eat their re-heated dinner that had gone cold while she tried to kill Rochelle, who just barely managed to escape, and he had taken his own multiple showers to try to sanitize himself after knowing just who had actually been all over him.
"If she ever shows her face around here again, I swear to Circe I'm gonna kill her." She muttered as she took a seat beside Scrooge at the kitchen table. Scrooge chuckled and took her hand, raising to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Calm yourself sweetheart; I'm sure she won't be stupid enough to come back, though if she does, I may just pay for arena and then we can sell tickets to your fight, we'd make a killing!" He joked. Magica grinned wickedly. "Oh, Scroogie that wouldn't be a very fair fight, nor a very long one. She's no competition at all. Even if she tried to cheat, I know every trick in the book!" She laughed.
He kissed her hand again, then gently pulled her closer. "Are you okay about everything now?" He asked. She looked at him quizzically for a moment. "What do you mean?" "When Mrs. Beakley told me, you'd gone to see your brother I figured you were upset about that article and needed to talk. I wasn't exactly in the best mood for that." She nodded. "Yeah, I did and I do feel better now… but I do apologize for that whole mess." Now it was his turn to look confused. "Why? We were both fooled by her reporter routine and she's the one who sold that phony baloney interview to that trash tabloid, which by the way I now own and will see it to that they never print another garbage rag again." He said triumphantly, with a hint of malicious glee.
Magica giggled. "What do you plan to do with it?" He shrugged. "I don't know yet, maybe bulldoze it and build something else, maybe burn it along with all their garbage magazines to the ground." She smiled and put her free on his, so that she now held his hand in both of hers. "I don't think those are very good ideas darling." "Why not?" "Because, if you do something spiteful like that it really will look bad considering the article. I have a better idea." She looked him in the eye. "I'm listening…" He said, returning her gaze.
"How about you rebrand it as your own publication under the pretense of 'taking out the trash' in response to their article and we do a real interview with a real reporter to explain and clarify everything?" She suggested. "Then you look like the noble do-gooder you want everyone to believe you are my sweet, malicious, Scroogie~" She said, now wrapping her arms around him. He smiled happily. "I like that idea much better." He gave her a soft kiss. "By the way, I'm curious, your liberal use of the garlic gun tonight made me think of something; if garlic is so detrimental to you then why is it an ingredient in your family pasta recipe?" Scrooge asked when they parted. "Scroogie darling, there's difference between using a pinch of garlic as a seasoning and getting a mound of it thrown in your face." She laughed.
She then looked away a bit nervously. "There's something I need to tell you Scrooge…" She said hesitantly. "What?" He asked, now concerned. "When I put two and two together. I went to the money bin for a garlic gun and I saw the dime's display case was empty, She stole the dime and amulet and I couldn't catch her to get them back… I'm sorry." After a moment of silence, he started to laugh.
"Why is that funny?" Magica demanded, now looking him dead in the eye. "Because, she didn't steal anything!" she just looked at him in disbelief. "So, you have the dime?" She asked. He nodded. "Actually, I've been meaning to tell you about this but now that Poe finished his part, I can just show you instead." He produced a jewelry box from his robe pocket and handed it to her. Magica took the black velveteen box in one hand and opened it with the other. She was speechless when she saw what was inside.
Inside the box were two necklaces, one with a deep green stone hanging from a golden chain and the other had the amulet with the dime in it hanging from a beautiful white gold chain. The dime had clearly been fused to the amulet but only around the edges, leaving the face of the dime in center of the intricate designs, a little out of place but still beautiful, especially with the addition of lightly colored blue resin over the face of the entire amulet, molded like a large gemstone.
"Scrooge, I don't know what to say…" Magica was awestruck not just at the beauty of the pieces but what his intention clearly was. He took the amulet and put it around her neck. "I think this will help to quell any more nonsense. If you walk around wearing this and still be by my side it should convince plenty of people that what's between us now is real." She just looked at the amulet. "The other necklace is a magical gemstone I found in the money bin after we dealt with that old relic of a warlock." Scrooge explained. "I had Poe and a jeweler look it over and the jeweler couldn't determine what kind of stone it is but Poe said it seemed to be a simple thing for storing power like a battery or something so I figured you would like it."
Magica's eyes welled up with tears of joy and she hugged Scrooge tightly. "Oh, Scroogie, I love them both! Thank you!" The hug soon turned into kissing and after they ate their dinner they retired to their bedroom where Magica continued to show her appreciation for his gift and he showed his appreciation for saving him from Rochelle.