It was just after six in the morning when Magica woke from the nightmare again. She quietly slipped out of bed, put on her robe and went down to the kitchen to fix herself some tea to soothe her nerves.
She had made herself comfortable with a little breakfast to accompany the tea when she heard knocking on the front door.
Unsure of exactly who or what had trespassed to get to the door she cautiously approached and peered outside the window nearest the door.
In the distance she could see exactly how someone could get to the door; Launchpad obviously had forgotten to close the gates when he left.
Launchpad had left at around four am to visit his family and Dewey had gone with him. In fact, the only ones still home were herself, Scrooge and Donald. Huey had gone to a Junior Woodchuck camp and Gladstone had invited Louie to go with him to Las Vegas. Mrs. Beakley took Webby and Lena with her on a vacation so the house was very quiet and very empty.
Normally, Magica had no problems with a quiet house but after so many months of living in the mansion she had gotten used to the noise and the chaos and would never openly admit that she kind of missed it.
After satisfying herself that no one was at the door anymore she was about to go back to her breakfast when she noticed the handle of a large basket by the door. Magica opened the door and was gob smacked by what she saw.
There, sitting on the doorstep was a large basket with an egg nestled inside, wrapped lovingly in a soft baby blanket and a note was pinned to the blanket.
Magica just stood, in total shock as she processed the sight before her for a moment. Then a chilly breeze blew by, snapping her back to reality and she grabbed the basket, bringing the egg inside.
Once inside she unpinned and read the note:
Dear Mr. McDuck,
I am a young mother who has fallen on hard times and sadly cannot provide for my child. If you could find it in your heart to care for the child, I could rest easy knowing he/she will want for nothing and be well cared for.
My deepest gratitude forever.
"What in Circe's name are we gonna do with you?" Magica pondered aloud as she picked up the egg and looked it over.
"Well, well! Looks like you and Scroogie have been busy!" Poe's voice and laughter came from the door behind her and she jumped, startled, and turned to face her brother, her own face bright red.
"It's not our egg you goon!" she screeched in embarrassment. Poe chuckled a little more then approached the basket and looked it over, reading the note. "Well, looks like its yours now." He said, putting the note aside.
"What's all the commotion about down here?" Scrooge asked, coming into the foyer. "Congrats Scroogie; you're going to be a father!" Poe laughed. Scrooge's beak just fell open in shock while Magica smacked her brother in the back of the head. "Shut up Poe!"
After a few moments of silence to process the new information Scrooge finally spoke. "Magica… what's going on?" Magica handed him the note. "Someone's idea of a joke; I hope." She said while he read the note. Poe held up his hands. "Don't look at me." He shrugged, knowing what his sister was thinking. "Bless me bagpipes! Who would think that I would be a good choice to raise kids?!" He exclaimed when he finished reading the note.
"Honestly, you're more equipped than I am darling but, I don't think either one of us is truly suited for… parenthood…" Magica swallowed hard. "What are you two talking about?" Poe looked at Scrooge. "You're actually pretty good with kids and quite paternal toward your nephews." He turned to Magica. "And you did help me raise Lena…" "But I had you watching and giving me advice, besides, I wasn't exactly a shining example of a maternal figure." Magica argued. "Right, right; That's why you're her favorite aunt and why you've actually been pretty good with your new nephews." Poe teased. "Well I'm Lena's favorite aunt because our sisters are crazy. Furthermore, I'm really just- It's moving!" Magica squealed.
Poe put a hand on the egg and felt the movement. "Looks like the little one is going to hatch soon." "Criminy!" Scrooge looked at the egg in Magica's hands as she shoved it into her brother's hands. "You take it! You're a parent already!"
"What's all the hub-bub?" Donald asked, entering the foyer, drawn by all the raised and freaked out voices. "It looks like you have a new baby cousin on the way Donald." Poe held out the egg and laughed. Donald was frozen for a moment, then he saw the note.
He quickly scanned the note then proceeded to start dying of laughter. "These two raising a kid? That's rich!" he sputtered through his fit of laughter.
Scrooge just scowled, until Poe handed him the egg. "Here; have a feel for yourself." Scrooge felt the movement in the egg and froze. "It is going to hatch soon!" He quickly handed it to Donald. "Here, you know more about these things, you take it!"
Donald just passed the egg to Magica. "Nope, it's your responsibility!" he continued to laugh. "But I don't want it!" Magica passed it back to Donald who then handed it back to Scrooge.
The three kept passing the squirming egg back and forth until Poe finally grabbed it. "Oh, for pity's sake Magi! It's an egg not a hot potato!" He gently cradled the egg for a moment. "Though at this rate the poor thing is probably scrambled!"
"Here, hold it for a minute while I go and get us some coffee started." Poe handed the egg to Magica who just looked at it uncertainly and flinched a little bit every time she felt the movement of the duckling inside.
"Come on Donald, be reasonable!" Scrooge argued with Donald about the egg. "Nuh-Uh! I'm already raising three myself, I'm not taking another one." Donald said firmly. The two kept arguing back and forth until they heard Magica yelp.
"What do I do, it's hatching!" She panicked, as the egg shell began to crack open.
It only took a couple minutes before the egg had cracked open completely and the baby duckling inside began to cry and then opened its eyes and looked up at Magica who just looked at it as though she was holding an alien; Scrooge swallowed nervously as he looked at the duckling while Donald just started laughing again at the expression on Magica's face. Then Poe walked back in.
"Poe!" Magica yelped. "Help me, what do I do with it?" Poe gently took the duckling from Magica and it began to wail. He tried to shush the baby but to no avail. Finally, he handed the duckling back to Magica. "Why me?" she squeaked as he handed her the duckling. "I can't get her to stop crying but she's probably hungry so I just need someone to… Well how about that!" As Magica took the duckling in her arms she had stopped crying and started to coo.
"What…" Magica looked at the baby incredulously. Poe just smiled. "I think she thinks you're really her mother Magi." "Wait, 'she'?" "Yep. Congrats you two, it's a girl!" Poe laughed and both Scrooge and Magica scowled. Donald laughed as well.
After a few moments the baby began to fuss again and Magica just sighed in defeat. She headed into the kitchen with Poe behind her. "What are you doing Magi?" he asked as she used her magic to begin setting up a pan on the stove. "I'm going to feed this baby; I don't really have any choice but to accept this situation." She sighed again as her magic turned on the faucet and filled the pan. "Wait… we don't even have any formula, never mind a bottle, ugh." Magica groaned in frustration. Poe turned to her as he was finishing the coffee. "How about Donald and I go and get supplies while you and Scroogie get better acquainted with your new daughter?" he suggested. Magica made a small sound of disgust at the word 'daughter' but nodded. "Thanks Poe."
After they all gathered in the dining room and drank their coffee Donald agreed to help Poe get baby supplies and the two left the reluctant new parents alone with the baby.
"What in the world are we gonna do with you?" Scrooge sighed as he looked at the baby. "Don't ask me; I have no idea." Magica replied, defeated and resigned to the situation.
"Well I guess we should start with a name." he said thoughtfully. "You want to name it?" Scrooge nodded. "We can't just keep calling her 'baby' or 'it' forever you know." "Good point." Magica nodded back. "So, any ideas?" he shrugged. "I'm not sure to be honest."
The room then fell silent as they tried to think of names for the baby. Then, suddenly they both piped up with ideas. "Downy." "Magia." They both said in unison. They looked at each other for a moment. "You want to name her after your mother? That's sweet." Magica said. "What about your suggestion? Does that have some kind of significance?" He asked. She nodded. "Magia DeSpell was my great-great-grandmother and as you can no doubt tell, I was named after her. From I've been told she was pretty powerful." He nodded. "I see. Well let's think it over a bit more before we come to a decision." He said, not wanting to have a spat over something so simple.
They both looked at the little duckling, getting a bit fussier as time passed, writhing around in her pink baby blanket that they'd wrapped her in. Scrooge found his mind wandering, thinking about the Moonquartz and the island adventure Magica took him on with it and suddenly an idea came to mind that sounded just perfect. He gently took the baby in his arms and looked at her, silently confirming his decision before he spoke. "I know what her name will be." He finally said, feeling like it fit perfectly. "What do you wan to call her?" Magica asked.
He held up the fussy baby duckling and beamed proudly. "She will be Isla Magia Downy McDuck." "Isla? That's beautiful Scroogie. What made you think of it?" Magica asked, rather happy that he decided on using both of their suggestions and feeling like it was a perfect name. "I got to thinking about our Moonquartz adventure on that island and, well, Isla." Magica chuckled. "Of course, leave it to an adventurer like you to think about islands and adventure when naming your child." She then fell silent for a moment, realizing what she had just said.
"Oh boy, she, for all intents and purposes, is our child… this was not something I ever anticipated…" she said, realization dawning on her of how they were now actually parents, like it or not, and that this was now reality, this was now their lives. She almost fainted. "Do you really think we can handle this Scrooge?" Magica asked, looking at baby Isla. Scrooge looked long and hard at little Isla, fussing in blanket, and then a confident grin spread across his face. "Of course, we can! She's just a wee baby, can't be that much trouble, can she?" Just as he finished speaking Isla began to cry and wail.
All of Scrooge's attempts were in vain, no matter what he did he could not get Isla to stop crying. Eventually he handed her back to Magica. "Here, you take her for a while." He said, turning for the door. "Where are you going?" She asked as she tried to calm the crying baby. "I'm going see if there's anything we can use for a diaper, and change my clothes." He said in annoyance. Then Magica noticed the wet spot on his robe and snickered. "Okay, you do that then I think I'll hand her back to you so I can change too." She said, bouncing the fussy baby as Scrooge left the room.
Shortly thereafter, Poe and Donald returned with plenty of bottles, formula and diapers as well as some baby clothes. Magica diapered Isla and put one of the onesies they had brought on her, a cute little lavender one with stars on it. "Could one of you get a bottle ready for me?" She asked as she used one hand to look at what they had brought while holding Isla in the other arm. "Sure." Donald took a bottle and some formula into the kitchen.
Scrooge came back in at the same time as Donald with the bottle. "Ah, you're back. I'm sure Isla will be happy to get something to eat." Scrooge said. Donald just looked confused for a moment. "Isla? You guys named her already?" He asked. Magica and Scrooge nodded. "Isla Magia Downy McDuck." Magica said. Poe just grinned. "For people who don't want a baby you sure picked an elaborate name." "If she's gonna be a McDuck then she's got to have a good name." Scrooge said. Magica took the bottle and tried to feed Isla. "Uh, I think I'm not doing it right…" Isla took the bottle but immediately let go and started crying.
"Here, let me see." Donald took the bottle and inspected it. "The hole in the nipple only goes halfway through, she can't get any formula out of it." He said after a minute. "Here, this should do the trick." Poe said, walking over with a safety pin in hand. He opened the pin and used it to puncture the nipple completely and then Donald tested it by shaking it over his wrist, formula came out. "Here, now try it." He handed the bottle back to Magica and this time Isla got her formula. "This so strange." Magica said quietly as she watched the baby drink her formula. Poe just kept grinning like a Cheshire cat while Donald groaned a little in disgust as Scrooge watched Magica feed Isla with a bit of a twitterpated expression.
Once Isla finished her bottle, she fell asleep and Magica carefully laid her in her basket and tucked her in with the baby blanket. Then, after ensuring she left in a safe spot, the four of them set about setting up a temporary nursery in Webby's room. Donald and Poe moved an old dresser from the attic into the room then Poe and Magica used their magic to clean it up a little and added a small mattress and small safety rails to the sides to make a changing station. Scrooge then helped Magica to put all the baby supplies in the drawers and once again with the use of some magic Poe and Magica put together a bassinet.
"This just like when you helped me put together a nursery for Lena." Poe reminisced happily. "Yeah, sort of." She agreed, her voice carrying a reluctant tone but her expression betrayed her, showing that she was actually having fun setting up the nursery. "We're just missing one thing…" Poe said thoughtfully. "What?" Magica asked. "A rocking chair; Every nursery needs one." He replied.
"Well I can fix that. My sisters gave me a nice rocking chair for my birthday a few years ago, I consider it a gag because I'm no old coot who spends his time rocking away in a living room or on a porch so I stored it away." Scrooge explained. "Donald, would help me bring it in here?" He asked. "Sure." Donald replied and the two left, soon returning with a lovely mahogany rocking chair.
The chair was upholstered with soft red material, not just on the seat but on the armrests as well. The back was a bit high but above the red upholstery the McDuck family crest carved. "This must have cost a fortune!" Magica gasped as Scrooge and Donald positioned it between the dresser and the bassinet. "That ought to do it." Scrooge said, looking at the side of Webby's room that had been rearranged into a nursery. "I don't think Webby will mind." Donald looked at the room. "I hope not."
They all went to the kitchen to grab some lunch and while preparing it they all heard Isla crying from the dining room. "I'll go get her." Poe said, leaving the kitchen and returning moments later with baby Isla. "Here you go sweetheart, here's mummy." He cooed in baby talk as he handed her to Magica. "Great." Magica muttered, then saw Isla's little face light up as she looked up at her and started to coo.
Again, Magica looked at the baby as though she were a tiny alien. "I don't understand why she prefers me of all people!" She looked around at the men for answer. "I think it's imprinting Magi." Poe said. "What?" "When she hatched you were the first person she saw, therefore you're imprinted on Isla and she thinks you're her actual mother." Donald nodded. "She'll grow out of it and come to her senses eventually." He snickered. "Very funny." Magica shot Donald a glare.
The rest of the day was spent caring for Isla and when night finally came and they had gotten her to bed they all retired to their rooms, exhausted. Poe had prepared to stay the night since the original plan had been for to spend some quality time with his sister while Scrooge and Donald shared a little one on one bonding time but the arrival of Isla and put a crashing halt to those plans.
Scrooge and Magica changed into their pajamas and climbed into bed, snuggling up to each other. They shared a few kissed which soon became deeper and more passionate. Before long they had both decided they weren't that tired and after some more intense making out she had stripped him of his nightshirt, then proceeded to tease him by very slowly pulling off her own nightshirt. However, just as she had raised the shirt to her stomach the mood was immediately killed by the sound of Isla crying.
"Curse me kilts…" Scrooge muttered. "Oh, for Circe's sake." Magica grumbled. They sat in silence for a moment, Magica dropping her nightshirt back down. "Poe is a heavy sleeper, he could sleep through Mt. Vesuvius erupting." Magica muttered. "Donald's a light sleeper but his temper wouldn't help matters…" Scrooge added. They looked at each other then groaned. "Let's go." Magica got out of bed and pulled on her robe. Scrooge pulled his nightshirt back on along with his robe and the two left to go tend to the baby.
As was becoming the norm, Isla calmed down a little once Magica picked her up. "Scrooge, you go get a bottle and I'll check if she needs a change." She said. Scrooge nodded and left to go prepare the bottle. Magica changed Isla's diaper, quickly disposing of the smelly diaper in the diaper collector Poe and Donald brought. "Yuck. Number one reason why I never wanted kids. Who wants to deal with such a stink?" She muttered quietly while taking Isla into her arms and settling into the rocking chair to wait for Scrooge.
When Scrooge returned, he just stood silent in the doorway for a while, watching scene inside. Magica sat in the rocking chair, rocking back and forth with little baby Isla cuddled up in her arms, softly humming the tune of 'Rock A Bye Baby'. The look on Magica's face was nothing short of sweet and adorable. She claimed she wasn't good with kids, and in some ways, she was right, but right now, she genuinely looked maternal. For a brief moment Scrooge almost wished that they would have come around to each other years ago when they were younger, when Isla might have actually been their egg.
He smiled contentedly as he watched Magica. Just like her oversized nightshirts, this scene just made her even more attractive to him.
Once they were back in their room Scrooge began snickering. "What?" Magica asked, moderately annoyed. "You say you're no good with kids but you actually seem to have a natural knack for it." He wrapped his arms around her and locked eyes with her. "Honestly, it's really endearing to see you like that." She returned his gaze. "That's sweet and all, but how long are we going to keep this kid?" she asked sweetly. "I honestly don't know but I really think we can handle this. Now, where were we?"
Once he finished the sentence, he started preening her neck feathers with his beak and running his hands over her body. Magica giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "If it gets this sort of reaction from you, maybe having this little nuisance around isn't a bad thing~" Before long they were back in bed and being as quiet as possible while resuming their activities from earlier.
Over the following week they all did their best to care of baby Isla; when Donald wasn't dying of laughter when either Scrooge or Magica had problems and Poe cracked the occasional joke at their expense while taking over like a pro alongside Donald when necessary. The whole time Magica remained Isla's preferred caregiver. But then Scrooge was absent for the majority of three days. Magica was not happy.
On the third day she finally demanded to know what he had doing during the day that left her to deal with the clingy baby and Donald and Poe's shenanigans by herself. She stomped into his office, Isla on her hip. "Scrooge, I'm getting tired of handling this adorable little goblin on my own. Yes, Donald and Poe are helping but they're annoying as heck." She complained.
Fenton and Gyro were in the office with Scrooge and all three looked up when Magica entered. "Is that the baby? She's so cute!" Fenton immediately rushed over to see Isla closer. He made funny faces and talked to her in baby-talk, commenting how cute she was. Then Fenton made the mistake of asking to hold her. "You can try." Magica deadpanned and handed Isla to Fenton.
After about ten seconds she started screaming and crying, reaching for Magica, who just sighed defeatedly and took her back. Almost instantly calmed back down. "Wow, she's really a mama's girl, isn't she?" Fenton asked, then chuckled. "I don't think I've ever had a girl turn me down that fast!" Magica wasn't amused. "First of all, I'm not her mother and secondly, that joke was entirely inappropriate." "I can see why you would be having trouble; aside from the fact that kids are just trouble in general." Gyro said.
Magica nodded and turned her attention back to Scrooge, giving him an expectant look. "I'm sorry dear, I know I've been really busy but I promise it was for a very good reason; I wanted to wait to tell you so I wouldn't get your hopes up but I-" he was interrupted by the phone ringing. He answered.
"McDuck speaking." It was Mrs. Beakley. "Mr. McDuck you have a visitor who insists on speaking to you and Mrs. McDuck directly. In person. She says it's important." "I see. We'll be right there, please let her in and serve some tea or coffee." Scrooge said, then hung up and looked at Magica. "We have a guest so we need to get back to the house." He stood and walked over to his wife and looked over his shoulder at Fenton and Gyro. "Thanks for the help guys, I'll see to it you get the promised bonuses in your paychecks." "Thank you, Mr. McDuck." Gyro said with a proud grin. "Happy to help Mr. McDuck." Fenton added happily.
Magica was curious as to what the men had been talking about but decided she'd ask later as she and Scrooge entered the house and made their way to the lounge where Mrs. Beakley said their guest was. In the lounge sat a young woman who looked to be no older than twenty-five, nervously sipping the tea that Mrs. Beakley had set out. When she heard them enter the young woman looked over and her face lit up at the sight of the baby on Magica's hip.
"Is that her? Is that the baby I left here?" She asked, holding herself back from approaching. Scrooge nodded. "Yes, I assume you're her mother?" The woman nodded. "I am. I really didn't want to give her up but I just wasn't in a position to provide for her. I'm sorry I just dropped her on you like I did Mr. McDuck." She apologized. "Why are you here?" Magica asked. "I… was hoping to take her back… if that's okay with the two of you…" She started hesitantly. "I recently got a very good job as a receptionist at an office building in town, they even have a daycare facility in the building so I can bring her to work with me." She explained happily. "I now have a means to care for her so if it isn't too much to ask, I want to take her back and apologize for my actions."
Magica approached and held out Isla to her mother. "She might not take to you right away… she imprinted on me so she literally doesn't want to be with anyone but me." She explained. The mother just gently took Isla in her arms and after crying for a few moments Isla calmed and began cooing. Magica couldn't help the mixture of relieved and stunned on her face. "Wow, someone other than me for once." "Well of course, I'm her mother after all." The mother tickled and cooed at Isla for a moment before she looked back at Scrooge and Magica. "Can I take her back? If you want to keep her, I won't argue because she would clearly be well cared for here but, I really would like my little Mary back…"
Magica returned to Scrooge's side and the looked at each other for a moment, then back at the mother. "Of course, you can take her back. I would never stand between a mother and her child. Besides, my wife and I aren't exactly the parent types anyway." Scrooge answered. Magica nodded. "Yes, we aren't really up for being parents but we did take good care of her. With some help from my brother and our nephew."
The mother's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you! You're both so wonderful I can never thank you, or your brother and nephew enough!" Scrooge gave a friendly laugh and smile. "No thanks needed. Although if you give us your address, we can have all of the things we bought for Mary delivered to you." He offered. Her beak just fell open in shock for a moment before joyful tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "Thank you so much Mr. and Mrs. McDuck! That would be so wonderful!" After packing a few bottles, the formula and some of the diapers and clothes the Isla's mother thanked them again and took Isla home.
Scrooge and Magica stood in the doorway and watched the young mother walk down the driveway. "That's what had you so busy wasn't it?" Magica asked, smiling up at Scrooge. "I don't know what you're talking about." He grinned back. "The company that hired her was one of yours wasn't it?" He just kept smiling like he'd just closed an insanely lucrative deal. "Maybe." Magica just leaned her head on his shoulder. "Well I'm glad, as cute as that baby was; I don't really want one of my own." He nodded. "Agreed, although I do like our name better." He chuckled.
She nodded and at that moment Launchpad and Dewey pulled up and got out of the car Launchpad had borrowed from Scrooge, the least expensive and oldest car Scrooge had, and ran up to them. "Hi Uncle Scrooge, hi Aunt Magica!" Dewey called as he ran past them into the house.
"Hey Mr. and Mrs. McDee. As you can see, Dewey and I are back after a fun time with my folks and my sister. Did you guys go on any fun adventures while we were gone?" Scrooge and Magica just looked at each other and chuckled before looking back at Launchpad. "You have no idea Launchpad." Magica laughed. "Say Launchpad, would you mind making a delivery for me a little later?" Scrooge asked.
Okay, new note:
After much deliberation I have decided that little Isla will be shelved but will likely be used in a different ScroogexMagica story in the future. With everything I have planned for this story sadly there's just no room for her here. Glad she made a good impression though! Next chapter (coming soon) is inspired by The Road to El Dorado because why wouldn't Scrooge McDuck want to find a city of gold lol!