Yay! The holidays are finally over and chapter nine is finished! Violet from the reboot gets to make a short appearance this and some bigger guest rolls go to Magica's friends Witch Hazel, Madam Mim and Roberta. Apologies if I didn't get them quite right; I've only seen Hazel in that one Halloween special where she helps the boys get back at Donald for not giving them Halloween candy and I've only ever seen The Sword and the Stone once, other than that just the trailers that always show Mim with the pig face so I genuinely forget that she's not an anthropomorphic pig lol! As for Roberta I'm merely going off of impressions from other fanfics since I've never read the comics. Of course, binge-watching Ducktales on Disney+ has been a blast and having the service gives me no excuse for being unfamiliar with Mim lol! Well, enjoy the chapter, more to come soon!
Webby, Lena, the boys and their new friend Violet were playing with Webby's dart guns; divided into teams of three; Webby, Dewey and Lena against Louie, Violet and Huey. Each player could only take three hits and the last team with a player standing won.
They ran and snuck around the halls of the mansion, trying to target each other and having a blast. Dewey jumped from around a corner and ambushed Huey in the upstairs hallway; getting two shots before getting hit himself and ducking behind a suit of armor for cover. Meanwhile, at the other end the hallway; Lena was caught by Violet who dealt the third and final hit, taking Lena out of the game.
"I believe you're out." Violet said triumphantly. "Yep, you got me this time. Next game you won't be so-what the-!" Lena cut herself off when she suddenly felt a pulling sensation and when she looked at her feet; she saw herself returning to a shadow form and screamed, panic seizing her.
Webby, Louie and the others came running when they heard the scream, with Poe and Magica right on their heels.
"Lena what's wrong?" Webby stopped dead in her tracks as she got close enough to see what was happening. "Oh my gosh, but I thought that you were back for good!"
"What's happening to you?" Poe rushed to his daughter's side and tried to help her. "I think I'm being sucked back into the shadow realm somehow!" She cried, clinging to her father for dear life. "What do you mean back into the shadow realm?" He asked, then turned to Magica, a calm anger in his face. "Magica, what did you do to my daughter?" "Why do automatically assume I have anything to do with this?" She asked defensively. "Your tone for one thing; then there's the fact that I left her in your care when I was trapped as a raven so you should at least know something about this. Oh, and the fact that you're terrible with kids."
Poe's expression said even more; it ultimately boiled down to the fact that as her identical twin he knew her well enough to know, even if he wasn't there, that she most likely did something. Magica sighed in defeat. "Okay well, maybe I do know something…"
Poe glared at his sister and she began to explain herself.
"So, not long after you were cursed and Lena was left in my care; I had found an amulet that belonged to one of our ancestors and tried to use its power to steal the dime."
Poe nodded, still glaring at her. "Okay; I'm still waiting for the part about my daughter being in the shadow realm." "I'm getting to that… I was sort of, overcome, by the amulet's power and tried to seal Scrooge in the dime only for him to find a way to turn the spell back on me and seal ME in the dime and-"
"Then WHO was taking care of Lena, Magica!" Poe interrupted and Magica could see a few small magic sparks coming from his clenched fist.
Magica shrank back a little, she knew Poe rarely ever got really angry but she'd seen it happen once before when they were children; Castandra and Winnicent had pushed him to his breaking point with teasing and harassment and turned them both into flies. It took Granny three weeks to find them and turn them back. After that it was deemed wiser to leave Poe alone, while not an evil warlock, his kindness and patience did have their limits.
"Well, I used a spell at the last moment to bring my shadow to life and I guess it somehow became… fused… with… Lena…" Magica said slowly as her brother's expression grew more agitated.
"You did WHAT!" Poe took a deep breath to calm himself down. "I knew you weren't exactly the most suited to rearing children but… SERIOUSLY! I trust you to care for my CHILD and you turn her into a SHADOW!"
"It was all kind of a mess and my fault I admit, but I had thought that Webby's friendship magic broke the curse; everything seemed alright…" Magica tried to calm her irate brother but she knew it wasn't really helping.
"I thought so too…" Lena said, looking at her feet which, for the moment, had returned to normal, the shadows pushed back by her father's magic.
Webby put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. Between your dad and Aunt Magica I'm sure it'll get fixed in no time and I'll help too!"
Violet nodded. "And I will help as well in whatever way I can."
Poe and Lena smiled. "Thanks guys." Lena said. "I appreciate it girls, but this could be risky; shadow magic isn't something you fool around with recklessly." Poe said, giving Magica a quick glare.
"Look, I… I'm… I'm sorry. But I promise I will fix this." Magica said, forcing out the apology as apologies weren't things she was entirely used to saying. Poe took a long, deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he exhaled. "I don't know what possessed me to think I could trust you with a child. Not that our sisters would be any more trustworthy." He sighed. "Maybe I should have left her with granny."
Magica looked away from her brother and niece, fixing her gaze to the floor, unsure of what else she could possibly say.
She felt terrible that she had let Poe down when he had trusted her with something so important; she had screwed up and had nothing to say for herself, no excuse, no defense.
Poe took another deep breath and relaxed his hands. "I'm going to take Lena home for now and start trying to figure out how to fix this. Come help me tomorrow." He said, taking Lena's hand.
"Okay; I'll go through my books and see what I come up with and bring my findings tomorrow… I am really sorry Poe…"
Magica knew he needed his time to collect his temper before he did, or said, something he'd regret but; he'd never been quite this angry with her before. Maybe he might have been when she first trapped him in Raven form but any anger had melted away long before he was returned to normal. Of course, someone dooming your child to the shadow realm was a very good reason to be angry.
After Poe and Lena left the kids all went to their rooms and Magica threw herself into her books, looking for the spell she had used so she could hopefully find a reversal.
"Hey, what's going on? I just saw Poe and Lena and they both looked pretty upset." Scrooge asked as he entered Magica's lab, having just returned from a meeting and seeing his irate brother-in-law and distraught niece on his way in.
Magica looked up from her desk. "I messed up Scrooge…" she looked back down at her book. "Lena is still under the effects of the shadow curse I inadvertently placed on her just before I was trapped in the dime."
"Ah, that would explain why they seemed so upset." Scrooge moved to stand behind Magica and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "Poe is only upset because he's worried about Lena." He said as he started to rub her shoulders. "I don't deserve you being so good to me." She sighed. Scrooge just smiled. "You might be right, but here I am. I've forgiven you and I'm sure Poe will too."
"You wanna know something else?" he asked. She looked up at him, smiling lovingly at her. "What?" "I know that you'll remove that curse; no curse stands a chance against you." He kissed her forehead. "And of course, I'll help you if I can. I may not know much about magic but I can help with the research."
She smiled and leaned back into his touch. "Thanks, Scroogie. For now, you can help by just doing what you're doing; it feels wonderful." She returned her attention back to her book while he continued to rub her shoulders, earning a few contented sounds from her as his talented fingers worked lose every knot and kink in her tense shoulders.
Magica kept going through her spell books with Scrooge's help until the late hours, until she started falling asleep at her desk.
At some point Scrooge had gone to get them some tea but when he returned, he found Magica slumped over a spell book and set the tea cups down on a small end table she had situated beside the plush reading chair in the corner by the door.
He gently began to pick her up but she immediately awakened at the touch, startled.
"Huh? What?" Her eyes flew open and she looked at him groggily. "Scrooge, did I fall asleep?" He nodded. "Yes, you did; so, now I think it's time for bed my love." He chuckled. "But I have to find that spell-" "No, you have to get some sleep then you can resume your search in the morning. Come on." He placed the ribbon marker between the pages of her book before closing it and leading her to their room.
Magica changed into another of her nightshirts and crawled into bed, noticing Scrooge was about the to leave the room. "You insist I go to bed, then you leave me alone?" She questioned teasingly. "I'm going back to get the tea I made so we can drink a little at least. I don't want to waste it; it wasn't cheap you know." He grinned as he left the room. "Old cheapskate." She smiled to herself as she settled into bed.
Scrooge wouldn't make it back to the lab though, as he made his way down the hall, he stepped on something he hadn't seen in the dark, Louie's skateboard! Quick as a flash he found himself rolling toward the stairs, the wheels of the board getting caught on the runner and causing him to tumble down the stairs.
"Whoa! Ahhh! Yikes!" THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
Everyone was startled awake by the sound of Scrooge hollering and the sound of something falling down the stairs.
"Scrooge!" Magica cried as she practically flew out the bedroom, rushing past the others as they all entered the hall and saw Scrooge on the floor at the foot of the stairs.
"Uncle Scrooge!" Huey cried. "What happened?" Louie asked. "Uh, guys I think I know…" Dewey said, pointing to the skate board on the floor beside Scrooge. "Sorry Uncle Scrooge."
"Scrooge! Are you okay?" Magica asked, kneeling beside him with a look of worry on her face. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Scrooge reassured her as he started to get up. "Just might be a little sore for a while… Oh, why's the room spinning?" He collapsed back to the floor, unconscious.
When he awoke again Scrooge found himself in a hospital room. "W-where am I?" He asked, still a little dazed as he sat up.
"Oh Scrooge! You're awake!" Magica had fallen asleep at his bedside and was stirred from her own uneasy sleep by his voice. Then she quickly realized something was wrong.
"Magica DeSpell! What are you doing here! And… in your pajamas?" He looked at her defensively and in total confusion.
Scrooge didn't know why he was in the hospital and he certainly didn't know why Magica was there, in an over-sized sleep shirt that read 'Boss Lady' and slippers.
"Scrooge…? Are you okay?" She asked, an uneasy feeling building in her gut. "I'm perfectly fine! What I want to know is what you're up to this time." He looked her in the eye suspiciously. Then the doctor came in.
"Good morning Mr. McDuck! Good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" He asked cheerfully. Scrooge turned his attention to the doctor. "I'm fine, my head hurts a little but I'm fine. Now why is she here?" "She called the ambulance to bring you here, wouldn't leave your side for anything… actually put a spell on one of my nurses for trying to make her leave so we could examine you…" The doctor looked nervously at Magica.
"What?" He looked back at Magica. "What in the world is going on here DeSpell?" "DeSpell… Scrooge why are you calling me that?" She asked nervously. "Well that's your name! Now what trick are you trying to pull for my dime this- my dime! Where's my dime?" He began to panic when he realized he wasn't wearing his dime and couldn't remember where he'd left it… then he saw what Magica was wearing around her neck.
"My dime! My old number one! Why do you have it! What did you to my beloved dime!" He cried in confused anger. "Scrooge… you don't remember?" She asked, trying to keep her composure as she began to realize something was indeed terribly wrong. "Remember what? I'd never give my dime to you!"
Magica took a deep breath, then proceeded to wrap her hands around the doctor's neck and shake him like a maraca while she screamed in his face. "What's wrong with him? Why doesn't my husband remember that we're married?"
Scrooge went pale. "H-Husband? M-Married! What?" Magica released the doctor and turned back to Scrooge. "Yes! Married! Look at your ring finger stupid!" He glared at her then looked at his finger to see a golden band set with blue stones on it. "See?" Magica held out her hand to show him her ring, gold and set with the same stone in the center, with diamond accents on either side. "Is that Moonquartz?" He asked. "Yes! You had them specially made for our wedding! Surely you remember that?" He shook his head. "I don't remember any wedding. Just what kind of crazy scheme are you trying to pull here Magica?" He was calmer, but still confused. She sighed. "Scrooge I'm not-" "Uncle Scrooge! Are you okay?"
Huey, Dewey and Louie came rushing in and dog piled on Scrooge. "Yes, aside from a wee headache I'm alright lads." He said, hugging the boys. "We were all really worried about you!" "Yeah, we thought for sure you cracked your head!" "Boys, get off of Uncle Scrooge." Donald ordered and the boys did as they were told. "Donald! What's going on here? Why is Magica here?" "Because she would've cursed us all if we'd tried to keep her away from you." Donald deadpanned. "What?" Scrooge looked at his nephew incredulously.
Magica grabbed the doctor and shook him again. "What's wrong with him you quack!" The doctor composed himself once she let go of him again. "It seems he's suffering from partial amnesia from the head injury, but otherwise he seems to be okay." He choked out. She grabbed him again. "Okay? What do you mean 'okay'? My husband doesn't remember he's my husband, that's not okay at all! Fix it!" Donald pried her off of the doctor. "I-I-It's not that simple Mrs. McDuck." The doctor said through his squashed windpipe.
"H-Head injuries are complex and there's no telling what damage further intervention could do. All we can do is give him a good once over and get him ready for discharge." "What about his memory?" Magica demanded. "It could come back within a few hours to a few days or it might not come back at all. All you can do is wait and see." The doctor then left the room before she could finish him off.
Donald and the boys dragged Magica out of Scrooge's room and held her in the waiting room while the nurses checked Scrooge and when they gave him a clean bill of health he was discharged and they returned to the Manor.
"Uncle Scrooge! Are you okay?" Della greeted her uncle who stopped dead in his tracks, beak agape. "D-Della? Is it really you?" He stammered in shock. "Uncle Scrooge?" Della looked at her uncle, then her brother and aunt for an explanation. "Uh, Donald, Aunt Magica… What's going on here?" "Uncle Scrooge lost a chunk of his memory." Huey explained. "He doesn't remember that he married Aunt Magica either." Dewey added. "And she isn't too happy about it." Louie finished.
"Aunt Magica? This is some elaborate scheme Magica…" Scrooge looked at Magica. "I'm telling you, it's not a trick!" She snapped. "It has to be! Della was lost ten years ago! There's no way that she could-" "But Uncle Scrooge I am here! You, Donald, the boys and Aunt Magica rescued me from the moon!" Della explained. Scrooge just looked even more surprised and confused. "What now?" Della sighed. "Come on, let's sit you down with some of your nutmeg tea."
After sitting down in the living room, explaining things and figuring out that Scrooge had lost his memories of the last year and a half, meaning that he didn't remember his fake engagement to Magica or anything that happened after, and convincing him that Della was in fact real and actually herself, Scrooge finally relaxed and settled down a bit, although he remained suspicious of Magica.
"Well, I'm certainly glad to have you back Della but I'm still not sure about all of this… it's a bit… fantastic and overwhelming… especially the part about me being married." He sighed. "Well it's true. You and Aunt Magica have made quite the pair." Della said. "But I'm a confirmed bachelor; there's only one woman I ever even considered marrying… I just can't wrap my head around this."
Magica felt a slight sting as she knew exactly who Scrooge was talking about; Goldie. "But Scrooge, you… we… I mean it really doesn't make any sense to you at all?"
There was something about the hurt look in her eyes as she fumbled her words that struck at Scrooge's heart. Was she really telling him the truth? She seemed so serious and sincere but… he was afraid to fully trust the seemingly wonderful dream he'd awakened to; what if it really was all just another scheme for the dime… what if, the moment he chose to believe all of this, Magica ran away with the dime and left him heartbroken?
True, this was nothing like any other scheme of hers and would be much crueler than he'd ever known her to be but still, if she didn't know his true feelings for her then she could easily assume he wouldn't care, wouldn't be affected by it outside of angry over the dime. It wouldn't be the first time someone pretended to be his wife.
Scrooge remembered when Millionara Vanderbucks tried to marry him for his money and when Ma Beagle convinced a judge she was his wife just so she could try to take his money, even Goldie had taken him for a ride once of twice for money.
Magica was really the only one who hadn't done such things before. Sure, she attempted to charm him now and again for the dime but those stunts had always seemed somewhat half-hearted; as though she really wasn't comfortable with such tactics, spells or potions, almost as though she never liked the idea of tricking him like that. Scrooge had developed a great deal of respect for her over the years because she had always been a noble opponent and at times a trustworthy ally so even now, the idea that she may have resorted to such an awful plot, even finding a way to bring Della into it… despite not being quite sure she was really telling the truth and that any of it was real, he couldn't convince himself she was really lying either.
Unsure of what to say or do, Scrooge just kept thinking everything over, trying to remember what he'd forgotten, if he'd actually forgotten anything to begin with, occasionally glancing at Magica, who was still wearing his dime around her neck, trying to decide if he could truly trust her.
While the rest of the family fussed over Scrooge, Magica kept her distance since he hadn't stopped giving her suspicious looks. She was wracking her brain trying to think of how to help him get his memory back but couldn't think of a spell that might work.
She just sat in the room, never taking her worried eyes off Scrooge and wringing her hands anxiously while her mind spun and she fought to kept her composure, fought to keep from completely loosing her mind to the irrationally fearful thoughts that attempted to invade her mind.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and before anyone could answer it Poe walked in, looking concerned.
"Who are you?" Scrooge questioned, at first angry that a random stranger would just walk into his house like that, then he realized that the stranger bore a strong resemblance to Magica and the hat he wore… it couldn't be…
Poe just returned Scrooge's confused stare for a moment before Scrooge spoke again.
"Poe DeSpell…? But you're a Raven… how?" He looked at Magica, now realizing for the first time her usual raven companion had been absent.
"Okay… does someone want to explain to me what's going on here? I couldn't understand everything Donald said over the phone and clearly Scroogie hasn't a clue…" Poe looked around for clarification.
Della spoke up first. "Uncle Scrooge hit his head last night and lost part of his memory." "Well that explains his confusion and Magi's obvious distress. Donald was certainly right to call me."
Magica's beak fell open as she fully processed it the second time her brother mentioned who had called him. "Wait… Donald called you? Why?" she asked in disbelief, staring dumbly at Donald who just shrugged.
"I thought he would be the best one to keep you calm." He explained. He would never admit to it but he knew, being a brother and especially a twin, that sometimes just getting to talk to your sibling helps when you're upset and Magica needed that help, desperately.
He couldn't be sure of just what was going through her mind but her expressions said a lot and Donald didn't want to deal with a witch in such a state. He just hoped Poe could keep Magica from killing or cursing anyone until Scrooge recovered.
"What in the world is going on here? I'm apparently married… to Magica, Poe is a duck again and Della is here… I-I have such a headache right now." Scrooge stood, then quickly sat back down as his head began to throb.
"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald and Della were at either side trying to get him to put ice on his head or take the pain killers the doctor had prescribed. He took the ice pack, putting it under his hat but refused the medicine. "I don't need that stuff… I just need to get some rest." He stood, slowly this time as the room began to teeter a bit, and started for the stairs.
Magica was immediately at his side and he didn't argue as she gently floated him up the stairs with a spell. She let him down at the top so he could walk the rest of the way and when they reached their bedroom door he stopped.
"Scrooge? What's wrong, are you okay?" Her worried eyes gazed into his, looking for signs of distress. "Aside from this headache and a little dizziness, I'm fine." Then what's wrong?" "It's just… well, I don't think I'm comfortable with you going any farther…" He trailed off, not sure how to explain his discomfort with her being in his bedroom, given he didn't even remember marrying her let alone… anything else that normally comes with that sort of thing.
He just wanted to rest and hopefully sleep off the lingering effects of his injury so that he could better process what was going on. The pain in his head and feeling of the floor moving under him was making hard to focus.
"I understand… you go rest… I'll just…" Magica took a deep breath. "Go back downstairs with the others." He smiled a little, showing his appreciation, and entered the room, alone, going straight to his bed and falling asleep almost instantly.
When Magica returned to the living room she had tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away as she sat down in the nearest chair. "Is he ever gonna remember us?" She sniffed, looking sadly at her wedding ring.
Poe and Della came to either side. "I'm sure he will Aunt Magica; you two are so scarily perfect for each other that it would take a heck of a lot more than some measly little bit of memory loss to break you up!" Della gave her Aunt a big, reassuring smile. "She's right Magi, the bond you and Scroogie have is unbreakable." Poe said, rubbing his sister's back.
"I can't believe I'm going to say this…" Donald muttered. "Just try to relax and give it time Aunt Magica… Uncle Scrooge will get better before you know it." Magica gaped at him for a moment before grinning mischievously. "Thanks Donald… You're a sweet nephew." She snickered as Donald shuddered.
Poe chuckled then spoke again. "Say Magi, while Scrooge is resting you should distract yourself… your niece still needs your help after all." He gave his sister a serious, although still sympathetic look. "Oh my gosh Lena! I almost forgot; I was so worried about Scrooge!" Magica gasped, jumping up. "You're right! I've got to get back to my research."
Several hours later Magica, still not having found the right spell, tossed the spell book she was reading across the room, groaning in frustration. As much as she tried to concentrate her thoughts kept drifting back to Scrooge and the nightmare. She stood, stretching her arms, legs and back, and left her lab; hoping some food would help her mood.
As she entered the kitchen, she was surprised to see Scrooge there, about to chow down on a sandwich.
"Scrooge, how are you feeling now?" She asked, eyes again filling with worry. "Better now, and hungry." He chuckled, taking a bite of his sandwich.
She smiled, getting herself a sandwich and sitting with him at the kitchen table. "Do you remember anything?"
He shook his head. "Nope, I still don't remember turning in my bachelor card." He chuckled. She sighed. "As long as you're feeling better Scroogie." They ate the rest of their sandwiches silently, her never taking her eyes off of him and him occasionally giving her a pondering glance.
Finally, he broke the silence. "It's gotten awful late now; I uh, suppose it's about bedtime… what exactly do you intend to do?" He asked awkwardly. She just stared at him for a moment. Of course. Of course, he doesn't want to share the bed with her anymore since he doesn't remember their marriage at all.
Magica couldn't help giggling a little despite her annoyance and disappointment; Scrooge was a gentleman after all, she was positive he was uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping in the same bed as her right now because it would feel totally inappropriate since, to him, they weren't even dating.
The thought that he was still being a gentleman despite clearly still being suspicious of her made Magica feel a little better, but she had decided that once she freed Lena, she would find a spell to heal his memory so everything would be right again.
"You're so cute Scroogie." She moved closer and tried to give him a kiss on the cheek but he shied away. "Uh, Magica I would appreciate it if you didn't do anything like that right now… I need to adjust to the idea that we're… involved… now and-" She cut him off. "It's okay… I understand. I'll… sleep in my lab I guess-" "Lab? What lab?" "The one that you helped me set up here." He looked at her uncertainly for a moment. "What?" "Um…" The wheels in Scrooge's mind were still well oiled and easily turning, giving him an idea; perhaps a test could prove whether this was all a trick or not.
"Actually… Uh, you can stay here tonight but maybe… if you wouldn't mind giving me some time to ah, adjust to everything…" he started, feeling a pang in his heart when he saw understanding and hurt mixing in her eyes.
"You're asking me to leave… alright, if that's what you want… If it'll help you feel better then I'll go stay with Poe for a few days." She nodded, trying not to show just how much it really bothered her. "I… I am sorry I just… I'll call you when I'm ready to talk about all of this, I just need to rest and process it." He said, heart aching from the hurt in her eyes. "Alright, I'll wait for that call then." She turned to go pack a bag but stopped, turned back to Scrooge and took the amulet from around her neck. "I won't take your number one, I think you'd rather hold on to it." She said, hesitantly putting it around his neck, then left the room.
Scrooge looked at the amulet his dime was encased in, despite being unable to examine the coin itself as closely as he would have liked he could still tell it was his number one, there was no doubt of that. The dime was clearly the centerpiece, fit perfectly in the center of the intricate design of the amulet itself. A little out of place in the magical object? Obviously; but somehow it seemed appropriate anyway.
Turning it over in his hand Scrooge couldn't help feeling guilty for asking her to leave but… he needed to assure himself that everything was real and not an illusion created for the dime.
Magica went to her lab and gather several of her spell books to continue her research and with a quick wave of her wand had a small bag packed with her things.
She couldn't bring herself to go into the bedroom in case he came in to go to bed; he wasn't comfortable with her in his room, or even his house anymore.
She sighed heavily and picked up her bag, using another quick wave of her wand to transport herself to Poe's house.
Poe was surprised to see his sister at his door so close to midnight and knew something was wrong.
"Magi, what's happened? Why are you here at this hour instead at home caring for Scrooge?" He saw the tears forming in her eyes.
"H-He asked me to give him some time to process everything so I figured I'd stay with you for a couple of days." She forced a smile. "Besides, I have to help Lena so while Scrooge recovers, I can focus on breaking the shadow curse." "You mean he wanted you to leave?" "Just for a couple of days while he wraps his scrambled mind around the fact that we're married." She reassured.
Poe didn't say anymore on the subject and let Magica in so she could get settled and begin her research on the shadow curse she'd accidentally placed on Lena.
When Magica left, Scrooge wandered the house a bit, looking around and feeling conflicted; there didn't seem to be any sign of her living there at all. When Ma Beagle convinced a Judge that she was his wife and moved in she'd wasted no time changing things to her liking; hanging a tacky portrait of herself over the mantle, taking over his bedroom and letting her boys destroy the triplets' room. Magica, for supposedly being his wife, hadn't seemed to do much of anything to the house. There were no tacky portraits, no cobwebs, no cauldrons, none of the Halloween-like décor that normally seemed to litter her abode.
Upon closer inspection however he noticed little things; a few of her ornate candlesticks on the mantle, some more books on myths, legends and magic in the bookshelves, potted herbs on the windowsill in the kitchen. Little traces of her presence, the kind that accumulate over time and just kind of blend with everything else.
Then Scrooge entered his bedroom and paid closer attention. The room did look almost the same at first glance but a closer look told a different story. The green bedspread had been replaced with one of a deep burgundy color, the drapes had been changed as well to match the bedspread and he liked the look.
Again, there was none of what he would have expected for Magica in the room but the subtle signs of a woman's presence were abundant; The closet had been equally divided between them, yet his things still remained organized as he liked, just on only one side now. The large double dresser was also evenly divided now, everything neat, tidy and looking as though it had always been that way.
The only area that looked like what Scrooge would have expected was the vanity table that now stood against the left wall.
The mirror had a frame with a bat carved in the wood at the top and small batwings on either side. On the table was a small array of cosmetics and jewelry; just a small eyeshadow palette labeled "Midnight Magic", an eyeliner pencil and a mascara tube. The jewelry sat in a small crystal dish shaped like a raven, just a couple pairs of simple pearl earrings, a dainty bracelet with rubies and a pendant that looked like a simple emerald on a golden chain.
He took in everything, it was plain to see that Magica had not done anything more than just integrate into the household… maybe she really was telling the truth. Or maybe she just wanted her sham to be as believable as possible.
Either way Scrooge was tired and needed to sleep; he felt confident that time would tell the truth, whatever it might be. He just needed to keep his hopes down… he wasn't sure he really wanted all of this to be just another scheme, if it was, then it would be the most heartless thing anyone had ever done to him and he just couldn't bear the thought that Magica could be capable of it.
A couple of days came and went, then a couple more, then a couple of weeks and Magica still had heard nothing from Scrooge and was sick with worry, and heartache.
During this time Magica tried to focus on saving Lena, who was gradually having more trouble with the shadow curse as time passed.
"Go home and talk to him, or at least call him Magi!" "I can't Poe! I don't want to do anything that could make things any worse!" That was the argument Magica and Poe had every so often as she became more depressed without Scrooge.
"I'll go straight back once Lena is saved and I've found a healing spell for Scrooge." Was always Magica's firm stance despite clearly losing her ability to focus on anything but her beloved husband.
"Dad!" Lena cried, shadow tears beginning to drip from her eyes while her feet and lower legs were being swallowed by the inky blackness.
"Lena!" Poe rushed to his daughter's room and wrapped her in his arms. "It's okay, I won't let the shadows take you." He soothed, rubbing her back and stroking her hair. "Shadows be gone, leave and harm none, bother us nevermore!" He chanted as his magic once again pushed back the shadows. He held Lena for several minutes as the shadows retreated, until she stopped shaking.
"I don't want to go back there, dad. It's so cold and creepy…" She slowly pulled away from her father's grip. "I know, I won't let that happen." He soothed just as a pounding on the front door broke the silence.
"Poe! It's so good to see you in your own feathers again!" Mim greeted Poe cheerfully when he opened the door. "Indeed. I can't even recall the last time I saw you not perched of Magica's shoulder." Hazel nodded with a friendly smile. "I'm so glad you ladies came." Poe smiled back. "Of course, we came! When you said Magica needed us we came as quickly as we could." Roberta as they all looked at Poe with concern. "So, what's happened?" "Come inside and I'll explain everything." Poe led the three witches to his study.
"Oh, poor Magica!" "That's terrible!" "So, what exactly do you want us to do?" Mim, Roberta and Hazel all wore expressions of worry for their friend. "I want you three to just do your best to comfort her and distract her while I call Granny to come check on Scrooge and help me with Lena." Poe explained. "You sound like you don't want Magica to know you're calling your grandmother." Hazel eyed Poe suspiciously. "I don't. Magi would just get even more upset if she thought I didn't have any faith in her." "But if you're going to ask Caraldina for help then doesn't that mean you don't have any faith in Magica right now?" Mim asked. "Well… yes; but she's so distraught right now that she really isn't of any help to anyone, just the mention of his name makes her fall apart right now." Poe sighed. "So please, don't even say it, don't mention him at all, this is just a normal visit from friends okay?" They all nodded.
Magica sat, staring at the spell book on the table in front of her and sighed. She desperately wished he'd call or at least have someone come to get her… any sign he wanted her back at all would be more than enough. The nightmare had been recurring again, making her even more on edge and waking up alone, without Scrooge's arms around her, wasn't helping. At this point part of her almost wished they'd never even met so that she wouldn't feel so… lost right now. That was the one good thing so far, she wasn't feeling that pain from the nightmare, just lost; lost and terrified.
"Magica! How are you?" Magica turned at the sound of Roberta's voice in the doorway and lit up at the sight of her friends. "Roberta, Mim, Hazel! Oh, I'm so glad to see you! What brings you here?" "We just came to visit honey." Hazel said, hugging her friend. "Yep! So, how's married life treating you? It must great not to be chasing after Scrooge's dime anymore-uh oh…" Mim asked, then quickly realized what she'd said as Magica's eyes welled up and her smile flopped into a quivering frown. "I want my Scroogie back!" She wailed, dropping her head on Hazel's shoulder as she wept. "You just had to go and say the 'S' word…" Roberta shot Mim a look. "Oh, now, now; it's okay honey…" Hazel tried to comfort Magica as she burst into tears. "No, it's not!" She cried, her tears soaking Hazel's sleeve. "Magica honey, everything will be fine; he may not remember marrying you but he surely remembers loving you." Roberta said, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her friend.
"Why sure he does! After all, he fell in love with you well before you two admitted loving each other!" Mim added. "Exactly, he had to have; think of how many times he could have had you arrested or even just left you to your fate from a backfired spell or that time Elders turned you into a fairy." Hazel said, pulling a hankie from her sleeve and wiping Magica's face with it. "He never did and helped you when you needed it, when your own family wouldn't have lifted a finger to help you!"
Magica sniffled. "You're right… my sisters would have just laughed and jeered at me if I'd ever asked them for help; I don't even want to know how they would have reacted when the Elders turned me into a fairy." "See? It will all be just fine!" Hazel said, magically dismissing the used hankie.
Once her friends got Magica calmed down they proceeded to get her mind off of things with a little witch tea party, with Lena as well, and watching some of their favorite movies while munching some of Magica's favorite popcorn. The fun turned into a slumber party when Poe called Hazel on her crystal ball to let her know that he would be staying at Caraldina's for the night while she looked for her spells and asked if they could watch over Magica and Lena.
Magica awakened and found herself back in her and Scrooge's bedroom in the mansion. She started to get up and felt a hand on her arm; turning over she saw Scrooge beside her, looking a bit confused.
"Magica, what's going on?" He asked. She just looked back, equally confused. "Scrooge? How did I get here?" "Well this is our room, right? Why wouldn't you be here?"
They looked at each other in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "I think I had some kind of nightmare because I could've sworn you weren't here when I went to bed but, my mind is so fuzzy right now…" She cupped his face with her hand. "Scrooge, I am certain I was at Poe's house when I fell asleep… maybe we've both had nightmares." She snuggled up to him. "But why does my head feel so foggy? It's like I can't quite see clearly…" "I, I'm not sure but Scrooge…" She looked him in the eye. "I love you, so very much, please don't ever forget that." She kissed him tenderly. He returned her tenderness. "I love you too." He smiled, then ran his fingers through her hair. "Whatever's going on, we'll be fine, everything will be fine."
"Indeed, it will; as long as you two can get yourselves together." An unfamiliar voice spoke calmly from across the room.
Scrooge and Magica sat up and looked at the window across from the bed. It was open, the drapes blowing gently in the cool nighttime breeze, sparkling stars visible in the darkened sky, and upon the windowsill sat a black cat with eyes like the blue sky, gazing at them with a piercing stare.
"Who are you?" Magica asked the cat. "My name is Lulia and I have been watching you for quite some time now." The cat responded telepathically. "What for?" Scrooge asked, now eyeing the cat suspiciously. "Wouldn't you like to know, miser." She responded, a sly glint in her eyes. "Right now, all you must know is that you are correct, there is a fog in your mind; this fog is unnatural and must be lifted." "And what do you know about it?"
Magica now gave the cat a dark look. "Oh, don't be ridiculous; I did nothing to him." Lulia hopped down from the sill and approached the couple. "However, this fog doesn't affect him alone." She rested her gaze on Magica. "What do you mean by that?" "You two are so tightly bound that the fog which has crept into his mind has also entered yours. You cannot break this spell but do not worry, someone else will." Lulia explained.
"I can't break the spell? Okay this must truly be some kind of dream brought on by all of the stress and heartache, at least it isn't that nightmare again." Magica sighed. "No." Lulia shook her head. "This is a dream but it is also quite real. You two unconsciously sought each other out in this dreamscape, the only place where Scrooge can see clearly at all right now." They just looked at each other in confusion, then back at Lulia.
"Listen to me very carefully; There is nothing you can do for Scrooge right now but I can tell you how to help your niece." Magica was again eyeing Lulia. "How do you know about Lena?" "I told you, I've been watching you; I can't stay here much longer or I'll be discovered so just listen to me." Lulia commanded. Magica went silent, still eying her suspiciously.
"When you used the Amulet of Na'anna, claimed once before by your ancestor Ultimo DeSpell, to increase your shadow magic you unknowingly bound her to that dark magic and to your shadow; yes she is free from the amulet now but she is still tied to your shadow, which is fueled by your negative emotions."
Magica's eyes widened. "You mean the shadows are coming back for her because of me?" "No, I mean your shadow is threatening to swallow her up in response to your negative emotions. Your fear of losing everything you love." "What can I do to stop it, and you had better not be lying or I-" "You'll listen to me and help your niece, that is all you will do." Lulia snapped, cutting off Magica's threat.
"There is a spell in a book belonging to your grandmother. Page 233. You'll know it when you find it. If you can cast it; you will save your niece." With that the cat returned to the window and leapt out into the starry night.
The couple looked at the window for a few silent moments, then looked at each other. "That was strange; I wonder just where that cat came from…" Magica said thoughtfully. "I don't know but it seems like something of your sort rather than mine." Scrooge replied, then yawned. "Let's get some rest darling, we'll figure it all out in the morning." He said as laid back down. Magica nodded. "Sounds like a good idea Scroogie." She cuddled up in his arms, wrapping her own around him. "I love you." She whispered, kissing him tenderly once more before drifting back to sleep.
When Scrooge awoke the next morning, he sat up and looked around his room, having the feeling someone was there with him but he was alone.
Alone as he had been every morning recently.
It was so strange how it felt as though something was missing the last several days and now he could have sworn someone had just been holding him close, could have sworn he felt someone else's warmth yet there had been no one there.
He got up and dressed, then headed down for breakfast, still thinking about Magica as he walked and wondering if these feelings were her doing; was she truly telling him the truth and his heart remembered what his mind didn't or was she really pushing her scheme this time? He vaguely remembered a dream but it was already very faded; had he dreamt of Magica? Lately he felt so foggy in his mind; he couldn't tell if he was remembering anything or forgetting more.
Donald, Della, and the kids were already at the table when Scrooge appeared. They had all noticed he seemed to be in a haze since the accident and though he often said he felt like something was missing he refused to call Magica and they all knew why; he was afraid. Afraid that if he admitted his feelings for her he would find he had fallen into a trap and she wouldn't care less.
"How are you feeling today Uncle Scrooge?" Donald asked. "I'm fine, no more headaches and I'm ready to get back to work."
"But Uncle Scrooge, what about Aun- uh, Magica?" Della asked, trying to abide by her Uncle's wishes and not refer to the witch as her Aunt. "Later. Maybe tomorrow." He tried to ignore the topic, focusing instead on his breakfast. "Uncle Scrooge, you can't ignore her forever." Della chided.
"That's right, you'll have to talk to her again sooner or later." Huey said, his brothers nodded. "Yeah, it's not cool to leave a girl hanging like that." Dewey added, then Webby chimed in. "Besides, there's no telling what she'll do if you never speak to her again."
"I can't! Don't you kids understand that I can't!" He snapped, standing up and slamming his hands on the table. "What if this really is just an extremely convoluted illusion and when I say anything to her it all falls apart? I can't… I can't bear the thought of losing you again…" He looked at Della. "I can't bear the thought of…" He trailed off, unsure he wanted to say it out loud. "Losing her too." Della finished the sentence for her Uncle.
He slumped back down in the chair and sighed. "I just don't know what to think right now. Maybe if I get back to work and forget about it for a while my mind will clear itself out."
After breakfast Donald and Della sat in the living room and discussed the situation. "Uncle Scrooge is falling apart without her." He sighed. "I know, and I'm willing to bet she's falling apart without him too." She nodded. "This is insane Della! He can't go on like this but he's too stubborn to talk to her!" "Well maybe one of us should go bring her back; honestly I'm surprised she hasn't come back on her own yet." "What if she doesn't want to?" Della shook her head. "No, she'll want to come back I know it, and I'm going to go get her." And with that Della left to go get her Aunt.
Magica had awakened before everyone else and immediately tried to contact her grandmother only keep getting her crystal ball answering service.
"Curses! Granny why aren't you picking up when I need you?" She cursed at the blank orb. "Why? What did that dream mean? Is there really something more going on here or was it just a dream?" She questioned aloud in her frustration.
"Magica? Are you okay?" Roberta walked into the crystal ball room when she heard her friend's voice. "Yes; just frustrated." She sighed and stood from her chair. "Do you want to talk about it? Mim's making breakfast so we can all discuss it over her special bat-wing flapjacks." Roberta suggested, knowing Magica loved Mim's flapjacks.
Magica nodded, realizing now how hungry she was at the mention of Mim's cooking. "Sounds delicious!"
They decided to let Lena sleep since she hadn't betting much rest herself lately and over breakfast Magica told her friends about the nightmares she'd been having since she and Scrooge had returned from their honeymoon and about the dream that she had that night with the strange cat.
"Hmm… It very well could have been a meeting in the dreamscape; but if so then the big question is just who, or what, is Lulia?" Hazel said. "Sounds like she could be another witch in disguise, maybe even Rochelle!" Mim posed a reasonable theory.
"But then why and how could she have known about the Amulet of Na'anna? That Ancient Sumerian talisman is so unknown I didn't even know about it until I discovered it in my ancestor's belongings." Magica replied. "No, I don't think it was Rochelle but it definitely could have been another witch."
"Regardless, how can you trust anything the cat said?" Roberta asked. "Yeah, for all you know it's trying to lure you into some kind of trap." Mim nodded. "I don't know… but that dream felt so real… I could feel his arms and his warmth even when I first woke up, like he had really been there and just got up." Magica rubbed her arms a little, as if remembering waking without her husband brought the early morning chill back to her. Then there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Roberta said, leaving the kitchen.
When the door opened Della was surprised to see someone who was not Magica or Poe behind it. "Uh, hi. Is Magica home?" she asked. "Yes, and you are?" Roberta eyed the young woman in front of her for moment before recognizing her from Magica's descriptions. "Wait, you're Della, right? I'm sorry. It's just Magica has been terribly upset and-" "Well so has Uncle Scrooge. That's why I'm here; Aunt Magica needs to come back home." Roberta smiled warmly. "Well come in here and tell her that yourself sweetie."
"Look who I found at your door." Roberta said as they entered the kitchen. Magica practically pounced on Della when she saw her and the two hugged tightly for a moment before speaking. "Della! Oh, I've missed you and the boys! Did Scrooge send you here?" Magica asked hopefully.
"Not really but you know how stubborn he is." Della said as Magica's happy eyes saddened just a little. "Don't get all sad on me now! I came here because he needs you Aunt Magica; but he's too scared to admit it." "What do you mean?" Magica asked. "He loves you but he can't quite accept that you aren't pulling some dirty trick… he's terrified of it all being fake and losing both of us…"
Magica couldn't help smiling and giggling a bit. "The old fool… where is he?" "He went back to work so he's at the Money Bin. Are you going to go talk to him?" "Of course, Then I'll be back to help Lena."
Magica couldn't handle being away from Scrooge any longer and Della's words gave her comfort and confidence, all see had to do was prove to Scrooge she was telling the truth. She had taken her broom to fly to the Money Bin and sure enough, there was Scrooge sitting at his desk, looking sad and distracted. With a flick of her wand she opened the window and entered the office.
Scrooge hadn't noticed he wasn't alone until the papers on his rustled as a result of someone sitting on his desk. He looked up and right into the beautiful dark eyes of Magica.
She sat on the edge of his desk, looking at him with concern. "Magica? What are you doing here…? I haven't asked you to come back yet." He said hesitantly, inwardly so happy to see her again, wanting so much to hold her but remaining firm in his resolve. "I… couldn't stay away any longer; I miss you terribly and when Della came to see me…" She trailed off, searching the ocean of his deep blue eyes for any signs of recollection, affection or rejection before proceeding.
"She did, did she? And what did she tell you?" "That you're afraid… well I am too and if you need to be convinced that I'm telling you the truth then I'll convince you." She said, sliding off the desk as he stood from his chair.
She took hold of the amulet with the dime and, meeting his skeptical eyes with hers, removed it from him and gently tossed it on the desk. "I'm not after the dime anymore…" She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "I only want you… I love you Scrooge." She looked into his eyes as she spoke, pulling him even closer.
Scrooge lost himself in her deep, loving eyes; he wrapped his arms around her just knowing that this felt too right to be anything less than true and held her tightly. "Magica… I love you too."
Her heart leapt at the sound of those words, as though she was hearing them for the first time and she moved in so close he could feel her breath on his lips. "I'm still going to convince you of my honesty Scroogie~" She whispered, going in for a kiss.
"Heal and mend the memory, rest and regain harmony!" Magica was startled by the voice but even more startled when Scrooge slumped down in his chair, out cold. "Scrooge!" Magica bent over him and heard his snores. "Scrooge wake up!" She yelled, shaking him violently.
"Granny! I asked you to heal him, not kill him!" Poe scolded his grandmother. Caraldina looked back down at her spell book, then back up sheepishly. "Oops. Wrong spell." "Granny!" Poe face-palmed.
"Granny! Poe! What did you do to him?" Magica demanded angrily. "Relax bambina, he's only asleep and when he wakes up, he should be as good as new!" Caraldina explained, trying to calm her irate granddaughter. "Well when is he going to wake up?" Magica demanded. "Um... I'm not sure honestly." "GRANNY!" Poe and Magica both snapped at their grandmother. "Now see here, don't go raising your voices to your Grandmother like that! Let me read the book for a moment… aha… it's all a very simple matter; he just needs true love's kiss to wake him up. See? Simple." Caraldina closed her book triumphantly.
"Well, not that simply won't do… can't have you fixing all my hard work just like that." Rochelle appeared with her signature bang and smoke plume. "After all the trouble I went to, to cloud his mind when it was vulnerable to break you two up… it'd be such a pity if you ruined it all." She cackled.
"You… You did that to him?" Magica practically growled. "But of course, I know you two can't live without each other so I figured it would just be a matter of time before one or both of you just couldn't go on any longer." She sneered, quickly knocking them all to the ground with a spell. Then she summoned a pair of golems to keep them away from Scrooge.
Magica tried to get to Scrooge but it was useless, the Golems kept getting in the way, then she heard Rochelle speak again. "I'm going to change that lil' spell around some, let's say, if he doesn't wake up within the hour he'll be sleeping forever!" She cackled wickedly as she began to chant.
"I don't think so!" Poe snapped, whipping out his own wand and with every flick sending lightning bolts toward Rochelle, cutting off her chant. "If you think you're going to get away with what you've done, you're severely mistaken." He said, his voice taking on a dark tone.
"You have no idea how long it took to get these two together, how much effort I have put in over the years, I will not let you destroy it all!" Poe raged and his lightning bolts grew stronger, Rochelle barely able to dodge his onslaught.
"It looks like Poe has her on the ropes, let deal with these piles of dirt bambina." Caraldina said, she and Magica turning back to the golems. The golems were weakened with Rochelle's focus diverted so they fell quickly to Magica and Caraldina's efforts.
Finally, Rochelle could dodge no more and was struck by one of Poe's bolts. Fried and defeated again she summoned her own broom and flew out the window. "I'll get you next time DeSpell!" She rasped through her roasted throat.
"Scrooge!" Magica was instantly beside her husband again, checking him for injuries. "Oh, thank goodness, he's okay." She sighed, relieved that he was still only sleeping. "Now to wake you up." She said softly, leaning down and kissing him gently.
After a moment Scrooge's eyes opened briefly, before he realized he was in Magica's arms and closed them again as he returned her kiss.
Her arms slid around him and they deepened the kiss, his fingers entangling in her hair, pulling her closer, hers running through the feathers of his sideburns, cupping his face.
"Ahem… you two can come up for air anytime now." Poe cleared his throat, chuckling.
Immediately they pulled apart, faces flushed from the kiss and embarrassment.
"Well, perhaps you two should be alone for a while, or take some cold showers." Caraldina chuckled. "Granny…" Magica grumbled. "Now, now; there will be plenty of time for you and Scroogie to continue your reunion but first do you think you can bring yourself to remove your curse from Lena now?" Poe looked at his sister, waiting for a response.
Magica remembered the dream and turned to her grandmother. "Granny, can I see your spell book?" "Of course, bambina." Caraldina handed her book to Magica.
Magica flipped to page 233 and her eyes went wide when she read the page. It was a purification spell for purging curses brought on by negative emotions, a purification spell that would completely release Lena from her shadow. A spell only white witches could cast. She put the place holder ribbon over the page before closing the book and taking the dime amulet and putting back around her neck.
They returned to Poe's house were Mim, Hazel and Roberta were waiting with Lena, keeping the shadows at bay as best they could. Magica approached Lena and opened the book again, to the purification spell. Her friends all moved aside so she could cast her spell.
Magica swallowed hard and breathed deeply, gathering her courage to attempt such strong white magic.
"I command shadows leave, darkness fade and evil be vanquished; let this dark bond be broken and light redeem, let love conquer all the light upon be shed." As she chanted the words a light enveloped Lena and the shadows left her body, her shadow splitting into two, one her own and the other returning to Magica.
Once the light faded Lena stood, feeling so much better, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, like a dark cloud that had been looming over her was now gone. She no longer felt any pull of the shadows. "Aunt Magica, you did it!" She hugged her aunt who, for the first time in a very long time, hugged her back vigorously. "I'm so sorry I caused you so much trouble Lena." Magica stroked her niece's hair.
Lena pulled away and looked into her Aunt's eyes, then at Scrooge, finally feeling free to say something she'd wanted to say for a while. "Thank you so much Uncle Scrooge, I haven't seen Aunt Magica so happy and content, well, ever. And Thanks for saving me Aunt Magica." Lena hugged her aunt again. "Well, she makes me pretty happy too." Scrooge smiled. Magica stood after Lena released her and looked at Scrooge. "You remember again?" "Yes, and I'm so sorry I ever forgot love." He said, pulling her into his arms.
They all visited and had dinner at Poe's house; Donald, Della and the kids all coming over looking for Scrooge and Magica and joining in, Webby and the Boys happy that Lena was saved and Scrooge had gotten his memory back. Then, eventually, Mim, Hazel and Roberta said their goodbyes, knowing Magica needed to be with her husband again and Caraldina left as well then, the others returned to the mansion.
Once, goodnights had been said Scrooge and Magica entered their bedroom and she turned to him.
"I missed you, being without you was practically torture." She said, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling his neck feathers with her beak. "I'm so sorry Magica." He squeezed her gently. "I'm never letting you go again…" She breathed small kisses on his neck, then worked her way up to his beak, kissing him deeply and passionately.
"I love you." She said when they parted. "I love you too, I'm so sorry for everything…" he said, now preening her neck feathers and returning her earlier treatment. "Oh, Scroogie…" She sighed happily, pulling him even closer as he left his trail of kisses. He then returned to her mouth and they kissed over and over, whispering 'I love you' and 'I'm so sorry' in between.