A REWRITTEN FAMILY HISTORY
I loved Castle McDuck and now I'm really leaning toward bringing Matilda into this world (I was already planning on naming a potential Della/Gyro future daughter after her) Anyway some chapter specific notes...in May when I started early outlines of this piece with only the knowledge that Gosalyn would be introduced at some point in the season and no formal announcement yet of Lets Get Dangerous I began to envision introducing Drake formally to Della post Moonvasion and then have a few weeks pass before actually having Gosalyn show up... and then The Forbidden Fountain of the Foreverglades aired and I knew that the breather in between would totally be my take on that episode with some fun twists and turns (This is an AU after all) so SPOILERS if you haven't seen that episode yet... also in regards to the flashback when I refer to the Warwren's it's a poor attempt at a bird pun of the real life paranormal investigators the Warren's (famous for the conjuring verse)
Chapter Text
It had been half a year since Goldie had been on a proper adventure… the time she spent on that island and the moon battle she walked in on when coming home didn't count.
Sure, there was a slight charm to the quasi domestic life she led as Mrs. McDuck… devoted mother, wife, and patron of the arts however she had NOT gone soft. She knew that Scrooge had been keeping a journal the past twelve years, maybe longer of all the treasures and mysteries he had wanted to unearth. His missing mysteries he referred to this bucket list of a dossier as and it was one of the items on the list that had awaited them. What had brought the latest family adventure on… well…
Three Days Ago:
Goldie had been standing in Downtown Duckburg for the monthly farmers market watching as Webby and her two friends were eagerly browsing the various local businesses eagerly ready to sell their wares.
"Oh look, there is a used book seller Vi," she heard her daughter happily chirp as she flashed a smile to the young hummingbird.
"Do you think perhaps they would have anything on the Warwren's and their paranormal investigations?" The petite purple feathered bird asked.
Goldie would of thought that Don's foster daughter, Lena would of been the one with the interest in the macabre being that she was the niece of that literal witch Magica DeSpell however one of Violet's fathers, Indigo Saberwing had taught lectures on the supernatural at Duckburg University and so while Violet looked all sweet and innocent it kind of tracked.
She watched Webby shrug her shoulders back saying how it didn't hurt to ask before the two girls skipped off after gaining her approval of course however Lena had still remained.
"Not a bookworm like your friends?" Goldie asked.
She watched as Lena shrugged back her shoulders shaking her head as she began to eyeball the wares of one of the booths.
"I'm more street smart than book smart," the pink haired girl admitted as she tugged at the sleeves of her top anxiously, "and besides, I was kind of hoping to find some bric-a-brac to put my own personal touch to Donald's place."
Watching as Lena picked up a frame made out of heavy rope giving it a nautical vibe, Goldie soon remembered that her and Scrooge's fifth anniversary was coming up. Sure most of the items that had adorned their home had been relics of adventures past or McDuck family heirlooms but perhaps she could find some aesthetically pleasing wood frames to create a family photo gallery in his study.
Picking up a cherry wood frame with obviously plated gold accents she began to study it to see if she felt something when suddenly a voice broke her from her thoughts.
"So what can I do for you and your granddaughter." The dog running the booth asked clearly, flipping a switch in her.
GRANDDAUGHTER! Okay sure, technically she was over 100 years old but she prided herself in being able to pass for someone decades younger. Were her roots showing she wondered silently to herself as she slammed down the frame cracking the glass slightly as she did so before storming off toward the book vendor.
"Keep the change," she heard Lena say before the other girl finally caught up not that she had put much distance between them and besides,Lena has youth on her side.
"Girls! We need to go...family emergency."
"Uncle Gyro's tech?" Webby asked.
"Someone called me OLD."
Goldie watched as Violet began to open her beak however Webby had been quick to cover it before anything.
Entering the manor, Goldie breezed past Beakley before making her way toward Scrooge's office.
"What do you think about an anniversary trip to Florida Scroogie."
"Ahhh the Fabled Fountain of Youth."
"Just think of the possibilities."
And think they did as Goldie had employed her niece to fly them to the Sunshine State which is now where they had been. She kind of wished Della had stayed but apparently the younger duck had some new job back in that she wasn't able to disclose telling the family to text for her or Launchpad when they were ready to take their return trip.
And so with that Goldie, Scrooge, the Triplets and Webby were now standing in front of a pink and white building that upon first glance looked like some tacky tourist hot spot...The Conquistador Inn.
"Welcome," said a Lion who had seemed very energetic as he greeted the family. Goldie took note at the way his eyes seemed to linger on the tweens before talking up about how this place was on top of many lists for resorts off the beaten path and a hot spot for the college crowd.
As Goldie looked over toward the pool area she was surprised to see a good amount of rambunctious 20 somethings.
"Youth is wasted on the young," Scrooge said, going off about how he never had a childhood as he was already hard at work earning his fortune. Curling her bill into a smile as her husband talked she couldn't help but think about some of their earlier meetings...clearly he did have the mind to take some time out for more pleasurable activities. Those were the days for sure.
Taking a moment to assess the pool area some more the family made their way toward their adjoining rooms.
"Five Star my foot," Goldie grumbled under her breath as she looked around the hotel room. "Sure, I have been in worse lodging situations though this definitely isn't the Ritz."
"Well, at least it has a balcony eh," Scrooge spoke, trying to break the tension as their son began to unbutton his over shirt.
"Which if you need me that's where I'll be," Louie spoke pointing toward the balcony, "I mean unless this place has a business center."
Goldie watched her husband shake his head causing the green clad boy to shrug before making himself comfortable outside.
"And then there were three," she muttered as Webby's voice soon filled the air.
"I can't wait to see you guys in action…. Team McDuck on the case to unearth one of dad's many missing mysteries."
Watching as Scrooge now ruffled the girls hair Goldie couldn't help but smile. Webby was everything she'd always imagined her and Scrooge's child would have been, though she supposed if genetics were involved she'd of had golden blonde hair and a slight trace of her father's accent.
Turning now to the triplet dressed in red who was pulling out a book from his satchel she crossed her arms over her chest.
"So kiddo, what does your book say about the swamps of Florida?"
She watched her young nephew thumb feverishly through his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook, a book that had been more gospel to him then the Bible itself since she'd known him.
"Well there is a numbered list of ways to escape an alligator attack…. I can text you a photo of the page if you'd like."
"You're not joining us, lad?" Scrooge asked the boy with a raised brow however Huey shook his head.
"Florida's weather is a fascinating thing," the boy replied as he began to pull a few tools from out of his suitcase, I'm planning to use this experience to earn my meteorology badge."
"Nerd," Dewey said though his comment didn't phase the other boy, "but seriously Hue...you can do weather experiments anytime but summer is one of the rare moments we aren't held down by the chains of truancy laws and can go out in the world and explore."
"So I take it that you're joining us?" Webby asked her cousin a wide grin crossing her beak.
"Well being in Florida I'd prefer a day of riding coasters in Orlando…"
"That makes two of us," Louie chimed in from the balcony.
"But yea, let's Dew this!"
He held out a hand toward his aunt and Goldie couldn't help but chuckle as she indulged him in a fist bump.
"Branch...Branch...Branch…" Webby muttered cautiously as they made their way into the jungle esque swampland.
She didn't know how long the family had been searching fifteen minutes, thirty, an hour but man it was hot!
Wiping her forehead with the bandana that had been tied on her wrist Goldie let out a sigh.
"How can you tell the difference between the humidity and hot flashes?"
"I don't know, how CAN you tell…"
Dewey watched as three pairs of eyes gazed at him.
"And that wasn't a joke."
"Why did we decide to come to a Florida swap in the heat of summer again?"
"Branch...Branch…because that dog back at the market thought you were Lena's granny."
"I think that was also a rhetorical question lass."
Goldie watched as Scrooge took a brief pause to massage an aching muscle or joint as she began to adjust a crick in her own neck.
"Our little spitfire isn't wrong though Scroogie," Goldie said with a smile once more thinking about what finding the fountain could do.
"Hydration break?" Dewey suggested taking her from her thoughts as the trio around them nodded causing the tween to open up his bag pulling out a bottle of purple liquid and handing it toward Webby and then another that he handed to Scrooge who scoffed.
"What is that monstrosity."
"Pep makes sports drinks now." Dewey said with a shrug.
"It's really good for replenishing electrolytes dad."
"Electrolytes...bah...how about some good old fashioned H2O?"
The two kids looked at one another as Goldie shook her head. She had just taken a long swig of water from her canteen before holding it out toward her husband.
"Take some of mine, I "borrowed" if from the cooler behind the manager's desk and it's still cold."
"It's not borrowing Aunt Goldie if you can't return it afterwards."
"I think that's what the air quotes were for."
Goldie chuckled at her young nephew as he gave his cousin a playful salute and soon the party was on their way again.
"Branch...Branch...Br…"
"Nerp… it's moving Webbs."
"Snake!"Goldie heard the two younger ducks warn.
"Maybe if we cross this brook?" Webby asked already halfway through a rock bridge before getting her parents' consent.
Goldie watched with relief as her daughter safely made it across, her nephew close behind.
Now it had been her husband's turn however the tip of his cane got wedged between two stones causing his footing to get a bit shaky. With lightning fast reflexes or well, reflexes that were moderately swiffer for a woman of her age she had managed to toss her supplies across to the kids before jumping in just as Scrooge was beginning to fall.
"Uncle Scrooge!" Dewey spoke, pulling the older duck out.
"Mom!" Webby soon also called doing the same for her.
As her daughter pulled her safety to shore however Goldie could sense something was different. For starters her hair wasn't tied back into its usual ponytail and instead was falling wildly down covering her face. Reaching to pull it away she couldn't help but notice it felt softer as if it hadn't been damaged by decades of dye jobs and speaking of dye jobs it kind of looked like it had an added sheen to it. Standing up she was pleasantly surprised not to feel any pain however she had noticed that her clothes had fit a bit looser and had the kids gotten a head taller or had she gotten a head shorter? It was then that she turned around and her heart seemed to flutter and she could feel her cheeks begin to flush as she had spotted her husband brushing his bangs away from his eyes a devilish grin crossing his lips and his own flush crossing his cheeks as he gazed upon her.
"Golide?" his voice spoke causing her to nod.
"Scroogie?" she simply replied as he ran up to her scooping her into a hug and giving her a twirl of excitement before placing her back on the ground and giving her forehead a quick peck.
They were lost in their own little word sizing one another up like one would do if you'd gone from being a centenarian to a twenty year old in the blink of an eye.
"Lets see someone call you a grandmother now huh?" Webby's voice spoke out snapping her out of the moment as she looked toward the kids.
"Are you kidding, they probably could pass more as your cool older siblings then your parents," Dewey replied as he pulled out his phone taking a few photos.
"It's a good thing I've always wanted a sister!" Webby and Goldie both exclaimed together before erupting in a wave of giggles before Goldie looked up toward her husband again with a spark in her eyes.
"I suppose that the brook feeds the fountain, so it stands to reason if we follow the brook we'll find the fountain."
"Excellent deduction there…'Glittering Goldie'" Scrooge spoke his voice falling into a bit of a flirtatious tone as he said her name causing her to flush again as she ran her hands through her hair.
And they were soon off again, following the brook in the hopes of finding the fountain. Sure, they didn't need to be any younger than they were in this moment but there was no way of knowing how long these changes would last...and besides she was sure that Beakly would appreciate a chance to shave off a few years.
She was all smiles watching in the way that the children were now having a hard time keeping up with them for once and feeling the way that her heart fluttered each time Scrooge's fingers would brush against hers as they ran next to one another. Finally they reached a clearing covered in vines and beyond that… the fountain….this time it was her that had enveloped Scrooge in a hug and had been about to pull him into a long and lingering kiss when her husband brushed away from her as he began to peer into the fountain.
"Curse me kilts, someone or something has drained the water."
Goldie turned to move toward her husband's side. How, Why, Who….Okay, sure there were other archaeologists out there so there shouldn't of been a shock that someone else had the fountain on their rayday but she would of thought they would of recorded it...then again...she was sure that if there HAD been water in the well that she and Scrooge would keep it for themselves...at least for a moment.
"Well, we can at least have some fun while it lasts," Goldie spoke with a smirk as Scrooge gently gave her hand a squeeze another glint in his eyes clearly thinking the same wicked thoughts that had begun to creep into her head the moment that she'd seen the man in a younger visage. The sounds of panting broke her from her more perverse thoughts however as she turned to see the kids.
"Glad to see you can make it," Scrooge replied.
Webby gave a thumbs up before turning to Dewey.
"Do you have another bottle of sports drink?"
Dewey shook his head as Goldie noticed the canteen still hanging from her belt tossing it to the other girl.
"Here Webbs take this."
While Webby normally had good reflexes, she hadn't been able to catch the canteen and instead it fell on the ground a small amount of water splashing onto one of the weeds which suddenly began to transform into a flower drawing the gaze of four pairs of eyes.
"Did you see…" Dewey said as Webby nodded.
"You said you got the water from behind the managers desk right." Scrooge spoke as Goldie nodded now noticing the tubes that had most surely siphoned the water from the fountain a thought coming into her mind that she really didn't like thinking as it sent a feeling of dread into the pit of her stomach.
"What if he's not a descendant of Ponce de Leon like it said on the brochure but it's actually him?" Goldie replied back that sickening dreadful feeling getting even more severe.
"The Kids!" the duo spoke at the same time hoping that their son and nephew were out of harm's way back at the hotel.