#chapter50 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lettheladylead · 2 years

Text

running in circles

chapter fifty: take me back to the night we met summary: One hundred and twenty-five years is a long time to figure things out. warnings: references to sex, nothing explicit wordcount: 10640 playlist (will be updated as chapters are posted): shorturl.at/bfBCQ ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33776632/chapters/104591502 site link: https://sites.google.com/view/running-in-circles/chapters/chapter50

here’s chapter fifty!! it’s the final chapter so thank you for reading and i hope you like the last little bit :)

2022; Yukon:

For their 125th anniversary (and Goldie’s 154th birthday), Scrooge suggested they go on a trip together.

Just the two of them.

Of course she couldn’t say no. She’d been assimilating herself into his family for the past two and a half years (doing her best, anyway), and it was rare when they got an opportunity to do something romantic together for more than a few hours. Very, very rare.

After the Poisoned Confession of 2020 (which she unfortunately remembered every last second of), Scrooge had been much more attentive to Goldie. He sent her more messages, asked her to come along to things, he even asked about her history and her adventures. Subtly, in a way that made it surprisingly nice instead of annoying like she’d thought it’d be.

In return, Goldie was being more communicative about her feelings and her expectations. And she stayed more often. When she did leave, she’d let the family know at least a day ahead of time, and she’d make specific plans to return within a reasonable amount of time. She broke fewer promises. She spent one-on-one time with all the kids, when she could, and was falling for each of them in different ways.

She couldn’t deny it any longer: she was starting to feel like a part of the family. It still scared her, but she was Goldie O’Gilt! She could handle scary situations just fine.

Still…every once in a while, it was nice to get a break from the family and just be with Scrooge. He was the whole reason she was in Duckburg, after all. He was the whole reason she was still alive, too.

He was the whole reason for a lot of things.

—

“Alright, sourdough,” Goldie said, crossing her legs. “We’ve been in the air for almost five hours. Where are we going?”

He smiled at her and tapped his fingers against his knees. “Why would I tell ye that now? We’re almost there.”

“A five hour flight from Duckburg…” Goldie considered out loud. “Well I know we’re not going to Paris.”

“That’s true.”

“Seems about the right distance to get us to Dawson, but why would we go there?” she continued, giving him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Considering how often I’m there already, certainly you’d know that it’s not really special for me…”

Scrooge chuckled and leaned back against the wall, comfortable in his seat. “Anywhere can be special, dear. Ye just have to make it special.”

“Hmmm.” Goldie leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. “That’s an oddly romantic sentiment from you.”

“I can be romantic.”

“I guess I’ve been seeing some evidence of that lately,” she said with a small smirk. “It’s new, though. Gonna take a minute to get used to it.”

He huffed and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Though she loved to tease him, Scrooge knew that Goldie appreciated his efforts more than she’d ever say. She tended to express herself better physically, though over the past year he’d managed to coerce a few genuine ‘thank you’s out of her.

They chatted casually as Launchpad landed the plane - Goldie was trying not to get her hopes up for whatever Scrooge had planned, and Scrooge was trying not to get too excited for Goldie’s reaction. He knew she’d be surprised, though she’d spend an hour being annoying before that happened.

“I don’t know how you get used to the crash,” Goldie mumbled, hoping their pilot couldn’t hear. She knew the guy was slow, but she still didn’t want to offend him. He was their ride home, after all.

“I just think of it as addin’ to the excitement,” Scrooge responded with a smile. “Now come on, shake yourself off and let’s go!”

Scrooge opened the door for her and Goldie took one step out, then posed dramatically against the doorframe and sighed. “Oh my!” she started with a southern accent. “Did my beloved take me all the way to Dawson City? I ain’t never been here before!”

He rolled his eyes and stepped past her. “You’ll notice we’re a bit outside of the city, dear.”

She gasped, loudly and melodramatically. “Could we be going to…the cabin?” she asked sarcastically.

Scrooge leaned forward and kissed her beak. “Are you comin’ or not?”

Goldie shrugged, still leaned against the doorframe. “That seems like a long walk for a place I’ve been to plenty of times before…”

He grumbled and rolled up his sleeves before reaching down and throwing Goldie over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She screeched in surprise and laughed as Scrooge struggled to get down the plane’s stairs to start their journey on-foot. Lucky for him, Launchpad landed them much closer to the cabin than the city. Probably dangerously close, considering Moosehide Mountain was nearby and prone to avalanches still after all this time. But it was for the best.

Launchpad waved goodbye and shut the door behind them while Goldie wiggled in Scrooge’s arms. “I’m gonna start telling people you’re a kidnapper, you know.”

Scrooge snorted and adjusted how he was carrying Goldie, one hand holding her knees down while the other held onto her ass for balance. He gave her a few squeezes for good measure and laughed when she squeezed him right back.

“I know you love the nostalgia,” she started to say. “But I thought we’d be going somewhere more interesting. Somewhere new, maybe.”

“New isn’t always interestin’.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

He continued to carry her while Goldie made jokes about how he wouldn’t be able to do this much longer and she was happy to walk next to him instead, when they finally came to a clearing that both ducks recognized as if they’d been there just yesterday. Scrooge put her down, wanting to see her gradual reaction.

“I’m completely prepared to walk into that old, musty cabin and find that you set up candles and rose petals everywhere,” she said with a smirk. “And I definitely appreciate the effort. I still think you could’ve done a little more than that, though.”

“You’re so presumptuous, Goldie,” he responded haughtily. “Ye dinnae know what’s in store.”

“Oh?” She smiled, surprised by his confidence. “Alright then, sourdough. I’ll go into this with an open mind.”

She wrapped her arms around one of his as they continued to walk, the cabin finally starting to come into view in the distance. Goldie immediately noticed one particularly shocking thing:

Lights.

The cabin had lights. And those weren’t candlelights, no way. That was electricity.

Alright, he was right. She certainly hadn’t expected that.

Too curious to take her time, Goldie grabbed Scrooge’s hand and rushed towards the cabin. She was very excited for whatever he had in store and she wouldn’t let him slow her down.

He squeezed her hand and held onto his hat as they ran together, glad he took his ibuprofen before they left. His back wouldn’t have survived this trip otherwise.

Goldie didn’t wait for either of them to catch their breath before she opened up the door and was immensely shocked at the sight in front of her. The cabin was nothing like she remembered it. The lights were noticeable from a distance, but from the inside she could feel that there was heat and nice, new furniture and decorations. She found herself baffled.

Scrooge took off his hat and hung it near the door just in time for Goldie to punch him in the arm. “Ow!”

“When did you do this?!” she shouted. “I can’t believe I didn’t-! This is-! I-!”

He smiled, rubbing his sore arm. “I cannae believe my ears…Goldie O’Gilt is speechless. Never thought I’d see the day.”

Goldie stared at him, not sure how to respond. She wanted to yell at him or question how he could’ve possibly done all of this without her knowing - either from paying attention to his whereabouts or hearing about it from her employees still in Dawson City - but in the end…she could only do one thing.

As they stood right by the open cabin door, she grabbed him by the collar and pulled him close for a big, long kiss.

Scrooge let out a surprised oof!, but quickly kissed her back and latched his hands onto her hips. He’d imagined her reaction might be something like this, though he thought she’d ask more questions first. He wasn’t one to complain about a good thing, though.

They kissed their way through the cabin - Scrooge only barely remembered to shut the door with a kick as they made their way to the bedroom. Goldie was leading him almost aggressively and before he knew it, Scrooge found himself on his back on the bed.

He leaned on his elbows and smiled, blushing a bit. “Ye dinnae want the tour?”

Goldie climbed onto the mattress, straddling his lap, and bounced up and down a few times. Not to turn him on, but because there was a mattress on the bed. “Tour later. Sex now.”

Scrooge smiled and kissed her excitedly. And she said he didn’t know how to be romantic.

—

( sex summary: https://sites.google.com/view/running-in-circles/summaries/nsfw50 )

—

"How exactly is there power here? The world's most expensive generator?"

"Ah, um…solar panels. On the roof."

"Oh. Sensible."

Scrooge shuffled in the bed as Goldie got up and started putting on her clothes. He watched her get dressed for a minute, smiling like a goof. "Did ye want the tour now?"

Goldie rolled her eyes playfully. "Unless you built a basement, I've already seen all but one room. What'd you do with the woodbin, hm?"

He stood up and cracked his back with a stretch, then quickly grabbed his robe. "I cannae just tell ye. Let's go look!" He walked to the bedroom door and held it open for her.

Goldie smiled and stepped past him, taking the quick step and turn that brought her to the woodbin door. The last time she'd been in there for any significant amount of time was a long, long time ago and a day that she'd made a very bad mistake. But now was different.

She was different. They were different.

Goldie pushed the door open, expecting the six foot by six foot woodbin to be a big closet for her or something like that. Instead, it looked more like a small living room or study. There was a place to sit, a nice rug, and a shelf with a small speaker on it.

"This is unexpected," she said quietly. It wasn't bad, of course, but it didn't explain why Scrooge was so eager to show her.

Scrooge stepped past her and over to the speaker, messing around with it for a few seconds until soft music started to play around them. He put his now-plugged-in phone on the shelf and turned to give Goldie that same awkward smile she fell for so many decades ago.

Now she understood why this room was such a big deal.

God, since when had he become so romantic?

He stuck out his hand and Goldie took it without thinking, entirely on reflex. He pulled her closer and they started to gently sway along to the classical piece playing.

"I wanted us to come here so we could…talk," he said nervously.

She raised a curious eyebrow. "Is that so? I should've known you had a secret agenda to our romantic vacation."

He chuckled and squeezed her waist a little tighter, feeling like he needed to hold onto her. "I want ye to stay."

Goldie frowned and looked around the room. "Here? It's a little cramped for something long-term, no offense."

"No-! Ach, I mean…" He spun them to distract himself for a moment. "In Duckburg. In the manor. With me and the kids. You should…ye should move in!"

"I'm there more often than not, Scroogey. I'd say I'm already pretty moved in."

"But I want ye there…" He swallowed. "...all the time. Always. I want to wake up with ye every mornin' and fall asleep with ye every night."

She frowned, a light blush on her cheeks. In an attempt to lighten the suddenly serious mood, she asked, “You’re really asking if I want to move into a house full of teenagers?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly. “And I know ye love those teenagers as much as they love you.”

Goldie didn’t expect him to turn that around on her like that and she glanced away from his gaze. She didn’t want to, but she felt a little guilty for saying something silly. He was putting a lot of pressure on her at the moment.

"I dinnae mean ye need to stay away from your home and your life and whatever other secret things you've got goin' on…" Scrooge continued, starting to ramble. He was trying not to sound bitter about how secretive she still managed to be despite their closeness in the last few years. "But I…well, the kids and Beakley and I…we'd all like it if ye were around more consistently. Be in family photos. Come with me to interviews. I want the whole world to know that you're with us and you're not leavin'."

Goldie's blush only deepened as he spoke, and she felt all her usual anxieties creeping up on her. She and Scrooge had had so many feelings-y conversations after her initial poison-induced one. Things were so much better between them than they'd ever been before. But she still needed her alone time and time to spend with Dickie and she didn't want to have to explain or justify herself every time she left Duckburg.

But hearing him say all the right things was stressing her out. In a good way. And a bad way.

They swayed for a few more seconds before Scrooge opened his mouth again. “Are…um, well? Anythin’ to say to all that?”

She leaned forward to lay her head on his shoulder, continuing to dance. She should definitely respond to him. It would not make any sense to stay silent longer than she already had. He deserved a response after putting himself out there so intensely like that, just for her.

His hands fell from her waist and the swaying stopped.

“Goldie, if this is too much…” he started quietly, tugging her away from him.

She interrupted before he could continue that thought. “No, it’s not! It’s not.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“It’s just…” Goldie exhaled deeply and looked into his eyes. They were the same big, blue eyes that she’d been thinking about since the day they met and she’d be thinking about until the day she died. “I just didn’t expect all of this, is all.”

“Is it really so shockin’?” Scrooge crossed his arms over his chest. “With the way things have been goin’, I think ye could’ve seen this comin’.”

“Yeah, well…” She linked her hands behind her back and stretched awkwardly. “After so many years, I stopped having any particular expectations with us.”

He frowned, glared at her, then looked down at the floor. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

His sudden forlorn expression sent Goldie’s mind into panic mode and she stepped forward to grab his arms. “No, no! Don’t-! Don’t, um…it’s not bad!”

“Ye certainly sound like it’s bad.”

“Scroogey, come on. There’s still so much you don’t know about me. I just want to make sure that you’re sure.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been tryin’ to fix that. I want to know everything about ye! And I want the kids to know as much as you’re comfortable sharin’. But we cannae do that if you’re still disappearin’ every few days.”

“You want to know everything?” Goldie challenged, leaning back and putting her hands on her hips. She absentmindedly noticed the song changing and wondered who taught Scrooge to make a playlist.

“Yes, you insufferable, irksome instigator!”

“Rude.”

“I want to know everythin’ that you’re willin’ to share.” He looked exasperated while he spoke, as if this was the hundredth time he was saying this to her. (It definitely wasn’t the first.) “I know some of your worst moments and certainly your best, what’s the harm in sharin’ some of the middle? I want to know about your family and your business and…and when ye were trapped in a dozen different dimensions. I want to know everythin’.”

“My family, huh?” Goldie asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She had a decision to make at that moment. Because she really did want to move in with Scrooge and spend more time with his family, but if she did that then she’d need to explain a certain person with him that she’d never wanted to tell him about. Though he was already mad at her, so she couldn’t exactly make it worse.

It wasn’t like she was his grandkid, anyway. He couldn’t be that mad.

“Yes, your family! Ye can tell me what happened to them or the last things ye said to them or…I dinnae know. Whatever you’d like.”

Goldie hummed softly along with the music as she considered her next words. “Do you remember the Dawson orphans I told you about?”

Not expecting that, Scrooge glared at her suspiciously. “Yes…”

“So…one of them had a kid. And that kid had a kid. And so on and so forth until…” Goldie rolled her hands around each other while she spoke. “There was a kid born a little before the turn of the century and her parents kicked the bucket and left her…to me.”

“...huh?”

Goldie finally looked at him again, glaring. “I have a child. A granddaughter, sort of. She’s not really mine, but I’ve been taking care of her since she was three.”

“You…wait, what?” Scrooge said, shaking his head in disbelief. “A child has been in your care for over twenty years and ye never…I mean, ye just…you…I…”

Unable to listen to him babble like that, she continued. “I didn’t want to introduce her to you or your family because I…well, honestly there were a couple of reasons. But mostly because I wanted her to have as normal a life as possible and McDucks and anyone adjacent to McDucks are destined for abnormal lives! She’s into music and acting and thanks to my money, she can waste all her time on having fun and being young. Live a low pressure life like I never could.”

Scrooge stayed silent, soaking all that in. Of all the things Goldie could’ve said to him in that moment, this was not even on his radar. He never could’ve expected it, and it made him feel like a fool. Obviously she’d been hiding it from him, but he was supposed to be sharper than the sharpies. How could he miss something like this?

“Where is she now?”

Goldie chuckled awkwardly and tugged on her ponytail. “Ah…she’s at Duckburg University.”

“You’re kiddin’.”

“And she’s actually a big fan of your family. Which is absolutely not my doing. I guess that comes from living in Dawson and then coming to Duckburg. There’s too much of you everywhere I go.”

The two ducks grew silent for a few moments, letting the music and conversation wash over them. She, for the millionth time in her life, didn’t know how Scrooge would react. She also, once again, didn’t know how she wanted him to react. There wasn’t exactly a chapter of the Woodchuck Guidebook dedicated to this sort of thing.

(God, did she really just think that? She really had moved in already.)

“...can I meet her?”

Surprised by the question, Goldie turned her head and stared him straight in the eyes. “Seriously?”

“One hundred percent. And I’d love for her to meet the kids.”

Goldie blushed and ran her fingers through her ponytail again. “Yeah, well…I think that could be nice. She’d go absolutely nuts for them. And you can probably use her for some free babysitting if you need it.”

Scrooge stepped closer to Goldie again, putting his hands back on her hips. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is livin' an abnormal life really all that bad?"

She laid her hands on his shoulders. "No. But it can be painful. Pink and her little girlfriend are two great examples of children going through awful situations because of their relation to you."

He scoffed, though he also knew she was right. "Webby has gone through a lot, but she's happier now than she's ever been!"

"Yes, well…the a lot is what I was trying to avoid for Dickie." Goldie started to sway with him again now that the conversation had calmed down. "The De Spell spawn - I genuinely can't remember her name, think it begins with an L? - seems to have a breakdown every few months, though."

"I dinnae think your granddaughter's situation could compare to Lena's," Scrooge commented. "At a certain point ye need to admit defeat and just let her join the family."

Goldie huffed, but relented. Yeah, he was right. She wanted Dickie to live a normal life, but just being in Goldie's periphery made things abnormal. What was the harm in adding Scrooge and his family to the mix? More allies? More resources? More places to go for the holidays?

She laid her head on his shoulder as the song changed to something slower. It was a good playlist, she had to admit.

"So what do ye say?" Scrooge asked quietly.

Goldie took a deep breath before answering, though her words were a little muffled in his neck feathers. "Okay."

"What was that?"

She pulled away from him and pouted. "Alright, Scroogey. I'm willing to try. For you and for Sharpie and Pink and the rest of them…I'll give it a real shot this time."

Scrooge gave her an odd look in response - some mixture of happiness and pity - then grabbed her hands and held them up between their bodies. "Goldie, ye know I want ye to stay more than anythin' right now. I think we'd be happier together all the time than apart. But…"

Goldie knew her confusion was etched into her face.

"I want ye to stay not for me or for the kids. I want ye to stay for you."

Very suddenly, Goldie felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes and she hoped to God that Scrooge didn't notice. Her heart started beating louder and she knew there was a blush to her cheeks. "Okay, Scrooge. For me, then. I'll try for me."

Scrooge leaned forward and kissed her briefly, then suddenly they were dancing again. He looked like she just agreed to marry him (for the fourth time) with how big and cheesy the smile on his face was.

"I love ye, O'Gilt."

"Yeah, yeah." Goldie rolled her eyes playfully. "What's not to love?"

He opened his mouth, likely to say something that Goldie would find charming and annoying at the same time, when the song changed to one that threw him off. Scrooge grumbled and turned around to change the song to something else, which Goldie knew would take him longer than the average person to do.

She watched him playing with his phone and gripped her arm at her side, feeling vulnerable. She was still getting used to their new status quo…where he’d be careful with her feelings and she’d do the same. Where he’d acknowledge that she had an important place in his life and she’d acknowledge her desire to be a part of that life.

It wasn’t fate that brought them together so many years ago. It only made sense for two gold-loving, greedy bastards to find themselves in Dawson City at the start of the Gold Rush. But it was lucky, she’d say. She felt lucky to have met him. Even with all the drama and pain and insensitivity and ickiness…if this was how it all ended up, then it was worth it. And she was starting to feel at peace with this new lifestyle; starting to feel like she wasn’t some imposter who’d managed to con her way into a big, loving family. They loved her. She loved them. That was all they needed, right?

Scrooge finally picked a new song, and Goldie recognized it immediately.

After the Ball.

It was one of her favorite songs to sing back on the Blackjack Ballroom stage, and the song that Scrooge caught her singing to a bunch of squirrels during their month together in White Agony Creek. She supposed it was a special song in their relationship - something else that’d been there since the very beginning.

When he turned around again, he was smiling nervously, and Goldie couldn’t help but smile back.

“Great song choice, hun.”

Scrooge came back over and grabbed her hand and her waist so they could glide into a nice waltz. “I thought ye might enjoy.”

The two ducks danced together for what felt like hours - staring into each other’s eyes and letting time pass them without worry. If they weren’t so invested in the adrenaline rush of business and gold and adventure, maybe retirement wouldn’t be so bad. But only if it was just like this.

“I was thinkin’, Goldie…”

“Hm?”

“That, um…” He gulped quietly. “Maybe we should get married. Again. For real this time.”

Goldie smirked at him, enjoying the blush on his beak. “You wanna go through it a fourth time?”

“Maybe,” he answered quickly. “I think it could be nice. With the whole family there. Your granddaughter, too, of course.”

“Hmmm…” Goldie hummed along with the song for a few seconds rather than answer him right away. “I’ll think about it. The absolute fiasco of our last wedding turned me off from them quite a bit.”

They spun and Scrooge dipped her slightly, frowning. “Fiasco? Because of the Cuckoos?”

She shook her head as he lifted her back up. “That was two weddings ago, Scroogey. I’m talking about last time. 1976? Remember?”

It took him a second, but then Scrooge closed his eyes and nodded at the memory. “Dzidzilegos, aye. I hadnae thought about that one.”

“I guess it’s different since we didn’t sign any paperwork, but it was still a ceremony,” Goldie said with a shrug as they went back to the easy swaying they’d been dancing earlier. “Three marriages to the same man. Maybe I should divorce you twice so it adds up.”

“I’d rather ye didnae.”

Goldie laughed at his response and a second later he was laughing along with her. There was always something about laughing at a stupid joke together that warmed her heart and made her feel so, so good about being with him.

“Ye really thought Dzidzilegos was a fiasco?” he asked genuinely.

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Forced to get married in an alien language by some kind of high priest after getting caught with our pants down…it wasn’t ideal.”

“Ah,” Scrooge said quietly. “I may have forgotten some parts of that.”

“I figured.”

“Was there swimmin’ involved in the ceremony somewhere?”

She chuckled. “They tossed us into a large body of water to fight a giant sea creature together, if that’s what you mean.”

They did another little spin.

“Aye, that was unexpected. Ye think all their marriages involve that or just the scandalous ones?” he asked with a laugh.

Goldie smiled at him, happy that he hadn’t forgotten the entire wedding. Just parts of it. He did have a tendency to remember his favorite parts (or most heroic parts) of adventures, but not the bad things. “Hard to say. They didn’t have any gold in that whole kingdom or whatever they’d call it, so I never bothered to go back.”

They danced and swayed for another few minutes, enjoying some more of the songs on Scrooge’s playlist. Goldie wanted to make a jokey comment questioning his ability to make it, but instead she decided to lay her head on his shoulder again and enjoy the moment. She didn’t have to tease him all the time, she supposed.

“I cannae remember the last time we danced,” Scrooge mumbled.

“There was that dinner date back in 2020,” Goldie answered with a small smile. “That was a nice night.”

“It was.” His hands squeezed her waist. “I…I’m sorry we havenae had another one since.”

Goldie pulled back to stare at him curiously. “Well…not that you could get me to admit this twice, but it’s not entirely your fault, sourdough.”

“That’s true.”

“But if I’m moving in more permanently…I’ll expect some regular date nights for us.” She gave him a sultry smile and Scrooge gulped.

“Of course, dear. Once a month, at least!”

She tilted her head.

“...once a week?”

Goldie chuckled and smacked his shoulder lightly. “Let’s try twice a month and see how it goes. Who knows, maybe I’ll get tired of all that alone time with you.”

Scrooge pouted at that and Goldie leaned forward to kiss the pout off his beak.

“I’m kidding, Scroogey, c’mon. You know if I was going to get tired of you, it would’ve happened already.”

—

( sex scene summary: https://sites.google.com/view/running-in-circles/summaries/nsfw50?authuser=0#h.yqa0m71pv3y7 )

—

They were laying in bed together after another few rounds of fun when Goldie started joking about all the things the cabin was missing in the update. A TV, an office, a den, a man cave…

“What in blazes is a man cave?” Scrooge asked, taking none of her suggestions seriously.

“I don’t really know,” Goldie said as she played with the feathers on his chest. “It’s in all the home redesign shows I watch. A room with arcade games and a beer fridge.”

“Sounds like a waste of money.” He glanced down at her head and saw a few gray hairs poking out of her scalp. Rather than tease her about it, Scrooge placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “I think this cabin is perfect the way it is.”

“I’m still surprised you did all this, Scroogey,” Goldie commented. “I mean…of course it wasn’t ideal before, but when it’s just the two of us…it was liveable.”

“I wanted it to be better than liveable. I wanted somethin’ we could look forward to.”

Goldie huffed, once again frustrated by how romantic Scrooge was being, and rolled over so she was on top of him. She straddled his hips and laid chest-to-chest on top of him. “You did a good job, then.”

“What’s that?” Scrooge asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and kissed him briefly. “You did a good job, old man. Now it’s time to get your hearing checked.”

He huffed and then they kissed some more, but before things could get heavier, Scrooge rolled them so he and Goldie were on their sides staring at each other.

She looked at him curiously.

“I hate to say this but I’m not sure how much more my back can take,” Scrooge said with an embarrassed chuckle. “Could we take a break?”

Goldie sat up and let the blanket fall from her shoulders to her lap. “I’m not a nympho, Scroogey. We can do something else.”

“Good. Because I…” He hesitated for a moment, then sat up to mirror her. “I wanted to ask about your granddaughter. Dickie, right?”

She suddenly felt awkward and turned away from his gaze. “Yeah, that’s her name.”

“Can ye tell me more about her?” he asked cautiously.

Goldie took a deep breath before answering. “Like what? She’s twenty-three, she’s blonde, she’s loud, she’s into rock music and protesting things…standard college stuff.”

“As if either of us know anythin’ about college,” he said with a laugh.

“Alright, well, based on all those shitty college movies she’s made me watch, she seems pretty normal.” Goldie turned and faced Scrooge again, feeling more comfortable. “I think she’d get along with Dewey. All the kids, really. She’s great with kids.”

“Ah, she didnae take after you, then?” Scrooge asked with a smirk.

Unfortunately for both of them, Goldie didn’t think his comment was as funny as he did. She frowned and turned away, stretching her arms behind her. “Guess not.”

He’d been working very hard to improve his ability to read Goldie’s moods - especially when she suddenly turned sour during a good moment. Scrooge had learned to think about what he said and how it could be taken the wrong way, which was helping his relationship with the rest of his family, too. “Ach, Goldie, ye know I was jokin’! I’ve told ye before that the kids love ye.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Goldie stood up from the bed and started to pick up her clothes, though she couldn’t deny that his backtracking was appreciated. It wasn’t an apology, but she didn’t really care about apologies, so long as he knew he’d said something annoying. “They love me, I love them. If you say it too often, it won’t be as special to me anymore.”

Scrooge pouted and wondered if she’d said that to test him - see if he would get angry or fight her about it. He wasn’t interested in a fight, and he knew she wasn’t either. But old habits died hard and Goldie used to instigate fights to give herself an excuse to run away from him. He wouldn’t let her do that anymore. “It’ll always be special to ye, dear, no use pretendin’ otherwise. Now where exactly are ye goin’?”

As she zipped up her pants, Goldie started stretching some more instead of looking behind her at Scrooge. “I don’t know. Being here again just takes me back…makes me think of running off and leaving in the middle of the night like I used to.”

“I would stop ye from leavin’.”

Goldie turned around, surprised by his quick response. And he had a very serious glare on his face. “Scrooge, I was kidding-”

“I wouldnae ever leave ye out in the cold again,” Scrooge said, remembering a very specific night from their month together so long ago. “So dinnae do it to me, either.”

She was taken aback by him, as she so often was. Goldie walked back over to the bed and sat down on the end next to Scrooge, moving a hand down to take his. “I won’t.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, trying to figure out the next move. Often, their relationship was like a game of chess, and although he loved the challenge, sometimes he just wanted things to be simpler. He just wanted her to tell him how she felt and to understand how he felt.

He wondered if Goldie ever felt like that in the earlier years of their relationship.

“I’m with you, alright, Scroogey? ‘Til the end.”

Scrooge smiled, comforted by that. “Y’know, Goldie…that could be a very long time.”

She smiled back and elbowed him gently in the arm. “Yeah, well, what’s another hundred and twenty years, huh? We’ve gotta make good use of the second half of our lives.”

No longer as tired as he was a few minutes ago, Scrooge reached forward and grabbed Goldie’s arm, tugging her closer to him so they could kiss again. What could he say? He loved kissing her. He loved being with her. He loved having her in his life.

As they separated - Goldie’s face flushed and looking cute as ever - Scrooge smiled and left a small kiss on her forehead.

Goldie huffed, always embarrassed by cheek and head kisses more than hand or beak. “You’re real sweet on me, aren’t you?”

He chuckled and kissed her again. “I am Scrooge McDuck, after all. Lovin’ Goldie O’Gilt is just part of bein’ me.”

“Hmm…” Goldie hummed, then reached up to hold his face between her hands and play with his whiskers a little. “...and I am Goldie O’Gilt, so isn’t that nice for me?”

They kissed again, and then some more - enjoying each other intimately without feeling the immediate need to get undressed. She moved her hands down to his shoulders and he moved his to her face, holding her tightly and stroking his thumbs against the feathers on her cheeks. He could feel a warmth beneath them, like she was blushing, and smiled against her mouth.

“What?” Goldie asked, pulling away.

“You’ve been Goldie O’Gilt for such a long time,” Scrooge said, still holding her face. “Why not try somethin’ new? Goldie McDuck, maybe?”

She stared at him for a minute, then laughed out loud and shoved him lightly in the chest. “In your dreams, old man! How about you change to Scrooge O’Gilt, huh? I think that has a nicer ring to it!”

He rolled his eyes and kissed her again, though he left a note in the back of his mind to bring this conversation back around someday. She didn’t have to change her last name, of course he didn’t really care about that, but…he wouldn’t mind trying to make things more publicly official.

He’d probably have to propose again.

Maybe someday soon.

—

—

(...but wait, theres more?)

—

Duckburg; Summer of 2024:

—

“I ask for white roses, and they give me these?!”

Huey Duck held up a bouquet of twelve pink roses, shaking them around. “This isn’t a Valentine’s Day Parade, it’s a wedding!”

Webby approached her anxious relative and put a hand on his arm. “Take some deep breaths, Huey. It’s alright. The flower shop ran out of white so I told them to give us a mixture of different colors!”

“O-oh?” Huey asked, trying to calm down his innate rage. He followed her advice and thought back to some of the mental exercises he’d done with Lena over the years. “Alright. It’s alright. I’m alright. White and pink and red mixed together is fine.”

“There’s a few gold roses, too. Uncle Scrooge’s decision,” Louie added, walking over and adjusting his tie. “I think it looks pretty nice.”

The three of them looked around the room, watching all the caterers and staff going crazy trying to get all the decorations and food ready in time. The guest list was prepped, thanks to Louie, the music was going well, thanks to DJ Daft Duck, and Huey and Webby were watching over everything and making sure things were going according to plan. Huey with his meticulous attention to detail, and Webby with her ability to quickly adjust plans in case of last-minute changes.

“Lena and Violet just got here, if you guys wanted to catch them,” Louie said, checking boxes on his never-ending list of guests. “I didn’t expect Lena to follow the dress code, but she actually looks pretty nice.”

Webby pouted at him. “Lena always looks nice!”

Huey and Louie shared a look, then Louie shrugged and said, “Agree to disagree.”

Before Webby could respond with an insult to Louie’s fashion sense, the three of them were interrupted by two familiar sisters down the hallway.

“Webby!” “Webbigail!”

She smiled brightly at the sight of her two best (female) friends and waved excitedly. “Hiiii! Thanks for coming, guys! Where are your dads?”

“They’re parking,” Violet said with a nod. She quickly observed Webby, Huey, and Louie’s outfits, then nodded to herself. She’d recently earned a Best Dressed Badge and was happy to see she was still deserving of the honor.

“I told them we could just teleport, but they’re trying to get me to limit how much I use my powers,” Lena added with a shrug. “What’s the point of getting stronger and stronger if I can’t use my powers to make everyday life easier?”

Webby and Louie laughed, while Huey and Violet greeted each other.

Huey bowed, ever the gentleman. “Nice to see you, Violet! You look, ah, really pretty!”

Violet smiled and curtsied in response. “Thank you, Hubert. You as well. It’s always a surprise to see you without your signature hat.”

He reflexively reached up and touched the top of his head where his hat usually laid. “Yeah, my head feels kind of naked. But I can’t bring myself to wear a fancy top hat. I don’t wanna look too much like Uncle Scrooge.”

She chuckled. “I imagine it’d be especially weird for your mother and uncle.”

The teens were interrupted by an older blonde with short, shaggy hair, who came into the room with a headache and a sigh. She was wearing the same staff uniform that Huey, Webby, and Louie were wearing. “Ughhh…”

They all turned towards her curiously.

“What’s wrong, Dickie?” Webby asked.

“I can’t find my granny! She’s not answering my texts and she’s not in the bridal suite, so where the hell could she be?”

Most of the kids looked to Louie, who held up his hands in innocent protest. “Wha- I don’t know! Last time I saw her was at breakfast!”

Webby frowned and Huey groaned. “We don’t have time for Aunt Goldie’s drama!” Webby said angrily. “She’s gotta be around here somewhere! Did anyone check if she’s with Uncle Scrooge?”

Huey and Louie looked at each other, then Louie said, “I actually haven’t seen Uncle Scrooge since breakfast, either.”

“Oh, great,” Dickie said, smacking herself on the forehead. “Hopefully they’re getting ready and not just messing around.”

The teenagers all made disgusted noises before splitting up to search the manor. Dickie watched them go and shook her head, wondering where her dramatic grandmother and not-quite-but-sort-of grandfather might be.

She sent Goldie another text just as Della Duck walked into the room, humming some pop song that Dickie recognized but didn't have time to remember the name of. Huey and Webby had asked for her help preparing things and she didn't want to let her relatively newfound family down.

"Hey Della, have you seen Scrooge or Goldie?"

Della looked surprised by the question. "I just saw Goldie heading for the bridal suite. Was she missing?"

The taller duck pouted. "I guess she's just running late and decided not to answer any phone calls. Classic Granny."

Della shrugged and brushed invisible dirt off of her romper. "How do I look? Gimme a younger woman's perspective!"

Dickie backed up a step and looked Della up and down. She was wearing an asymmetrical dark blue silk romper and her hair was up in a tight bun. "I think you look really nice. How about me?"

She did a little spin and found Della smirking at her. "Kiddo, you look like a waiter."

"I guess that makes sense," Dickie responded with a laugh. "Okay, I'm gonna go find my granny. I think I saw Penumbra in the backyard, if you're looking for her."

Della chuckled and adjusted her neckline. "I'll have plenty of time to see her at the reception. Now I'm headed to the groom room to help out. Good luck with the girls!"

Dickie smiled and waved, heading towards the room where the bride would be getting dressed and getting all her makeup on. And all the other stuff that went into getting fixed up for a wedding. She’d watched some TV shows and BeakTube videos about it, but she certainly wasn't an expert.

As she walked down the hall, she passed Gladstone and Fethry, Donald and Della's cousins, chatting amongst themselves.

"Don't be sad, Gladstone! I'm sure it'll be your turn soon!" Fethry said happily, a glass of water sloshing in his hand.

Gladstone frowned and took a long sip of a drink that looked suspiciously like whiskey. "I don't wanna be married! I'm just annoyed that I couldn't find a date. It's embarrassing."

"I don't have a date, either!"

"That's really not helping, bud."

Dickie continued onward, since she talked to them a little bit earlier in the day. She liked spending time with the McDuck family and being at the big mansion, but sometimes she hated how huge it was. What kind of person needed all these rooms?

"Watch out!"

She jumped back as two identical teenage girls zoomed through the hall, almost knocking her off her feet. Behind them was a third girl around the same age, shouting after her sort-of-cousins (if Dickie understood the relation, it was hard to keep track).

"Sorry Miss Dickie!" the third girl said, adjusting her long, purple dress. "Once I catch them, I swear they'll settle down!"

Dickie waved at her. "No problem, April! I know May and June are just excited to be here again!" She said this confidently, but really she didn't understand their family situation at all. From what she'd been told, May and June were clones of Webby created by an evil villain. Donald and Daisy had taken May and June on a boat trip down south to help them work through trauma and learn about themselves, where they met Daisy's sister, Donna, and her daughter, April. They’d later moved in with Donna and April, but sometimes they'd stay with Donald and Daisy, who’d recently moved in together not far from Scrooge's mansion.

It was a lot to remember. But she was doing her best, as the newest member of the family! Sort of.

—

Huey was still searching for Goldie and Scrooge when the grouchy old duck came waddling down the stairs. “There you are!”

Scrooge looked surprised at his nephew. “Were ye lookin’ for me?”

“Where have you been?” Huey said angrily, though he was trying his best to stay calm. His uncle’s callous reaction was making it difficult, though. “You should be in the groom’s suite by now!”

“Ach, calm your tail feathers. I was, ah…with your Aunt Goldie,” Scrooge said as he continued walking past Huey.

“Uncle Scrooge, now that I’m seventeen, I can comfortably say that you and Aunt Goldie need to learn some self control.” Huey followed his uncle and sent a quick group text to let his family know he’d found one of the missing adults. “Couldn’t you wait until after the wedding?”

“Ye dinnae know what you’re talkin’ about,” Scrooge answered.

He wasn’t making eye contact, though, which told Huey that he was right. Old people romance was fine and beautiful, but their physicality was a little much sometimes. It was, as Louie would say, straight-up gross. “And what about Goldie? She was supposed to be in the bridal suite half an hour ago!”

Scrooge waved a dismissive hand at him. “Bah, dinnae worry! She was headed that way last time I saw her.”

“...well, then…good. Good!”

–

Dickie responded to Huey’s message in the Wedding Party group chat letting them know that she’d found Goldie, so all missing parties were officially accounted for. Thank God for that, she did not want to have to go hunting for them.

She opened the door and found Daisy and Goldie in the bridal suite, getting ready.

“Dickie, hey!” Daisy said happily.

Dickie gave her a smile and then walked over to sock her grandmother in the arm. “We have a schedule to keep! You can’t just go off with Gran’pa Scrooge every five minutes!”

Goldie stuck her tongue out at her granddaughter. “It was just a quickie! You’re so dramatic.”

“Ew.”

“Dickie, don’t stress about it!” Daisy said, still happy. “I’m not one of those brides who freaks out over everything. Goldie’s here, my makeup and hair will be done in time, so it’s fine!”

“See? Daisy here isn’t stressed and she’s the one who's getting married!” Goldie said, pulling some makeup out of her little bag. “This’ll take just a few minutes. And I’m not really sure what you want me to do with your hair, considering how short it is…”

“Just fluff it up! Nothing crazy.” Daisy was playing with her hair and staring at herself in the mirror, looking a little bit drunk and satisfied with her life. “My dress should be the focus, so I don’t want anything too eye-catching, y’know?”

“Of course, of course.” Goldie finished getting out all her makeup and spun Daisy around in her chair. “Now close your eyes and don’t move.”

Daisy did as she said and Goldie went to work, carefully applying the liquid eyeliner. Dickie watched in utter fascination - she liked makeup, found it fun, but wasn’t really good at it. She watched videos about it on Wingstagram, sure, but it wasn’t the same as actually putting in the work. One of her high school friends was very good at winged eyeliner, but Dickie only barely knew what that meant.

“So Goldie…” Daisy said, careful not to move her face too much. “When are you getting hitched?”

Dickie looked at her grandmother curiously, but Goldie just laughed. “You don’t need to worry about that, hun. Just focus on today.”

The youngest duck stood up straight and pouted. That answer was odd. It wasn’t a never as she expected, or some kind of ‘we’re not interested in that sort of thing.’ Just a…’don’t worry about it.’ Suffice to say, Dickie was curious about what that meant.

–

Scrooge entered the groom’s suite after getting away from Huey and his angry ranting to find Donald and Della arguing over something.

“Kids! Kids!” he shouted, closing the door behind him. “What’s goin’ on?”

“Donald isn’t wearing the blue bowtie that matches my romper!”

“Well Della won’t let me decide on my own goddamn tie!” Donald shouted, shoving his twin.

Scrooge watched while they roughhoused for a few seconds before suddenly shoving his cane in between them, shocking them into quiet. “Both of ye, shut up!” He took a few steps closer and turned towards Della. “This is Donald’s big day. Not yours. Let the man make his own decisions.” Then he turned towards Donald, ignoring the noise of protest from his niece. “And you dinnae shove your sister! Am I clear?”

“Yes, Uncle Scrooge,” the twins said together.

He stomped his cane down and stood there menacingly, staring at the both of them. “Did either of ye see your mother yet?”

Della rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. “Ah, ummm…I saw her across the crowd but didn’t exactly get a chance to say hi…”

“I’ve been busy,” Donald added, walking over to the mirror to adjust his tie. “You can’t expect me to greet every single person on my wedding day!”

“She’s your mother.”

Donald hesitated for a second, then spun around. “I’ll see her at the reception, Uncle Scrooge, c’mon. Dad, too!”

“Yeah, yeah.” Della joined her brother at the mirror and did some obnoxious poses behind him while simultaneously checking out her outfit. “They’re not going anywhere!”

She had a point, Scrooge supposed. He sat down in the nearest chair and stretched, loudly cracking his back. He sighed and melted into the chair, happy to take a break after all the running around he’d been suffering through. It was worth it, of course, but still.

“It’s pretty funny that Donald is getting married before you, Uncle Scrooge,” Della said suddenly.

“Yeah! You ‘n Goldie have been together, like…” Donald started counting on his fingers and then gave up. “At least forty times as long as me ‘n Daisy have!”

Scrooge groaned and stood up, already headed towards the door. “Cannae you two just focus on this weddin’? I’m goin’ to go check on your parents.”

Donald and Della looked at each other awkwardly as Scrooge left the room.

“Maybe that’s a sore subject for him?” Donald asked.

“I dunno…he seemed less upset and more secretive to me.” Della checked her hair again in the mirror and then gave Donald a quick slap on the back. “You’re good here, right? I’ll send in your band to keep you company before it’s go-time!”

Donald nodded and sat down again. He was getting married in an hour and he felt great.

—

Dickie was wandering the halls of McDuck Manor when she spotted Della directing José and Panchito (of The Three Caballeros, a band she had tried to listen to and…struggled with). She jogged over to the older woman and waved. “How’s the groom?”

“Oh, he’s great. Lookin’ suave, feeling very excited,” Della exclaimed. “How’s Daisy?”

“Beautiful as always,” Dickie said with a sigh. “She’s like a model.”

“Yeah…she’s very pretty.”

“Yup.”

“...”

“Do you think Scrooge and Goldie are secretly married?” Della and Dickie asked each other at the exact same time. They both blinked rapidly after asking, and then laughed together.

“Happy to know I’m not insane,” Della said with a smile. “Did Aunt Goldie say something weird?”

“Yup. Gran’pa Scrooge did, too?”

“It wasn’t as much weird as he was just avoiding the question.”

Dickie nodded thoughtfully. “Sounds like we should ask the kids. I may not know the answer, but Louie and my grandma spend a lot of time together on their little capers. Maybe he knows!”

They didn’t have to walk far to find Louie, who was chatting with Gosalyn and Boyd in the backyard. The two of them walked over while waving him down.

“Yeah, so then we…uh…” Louie froze in the middle of his story and turned to the women headed his way, shouting his name. “Gimme a sec, guys.”

Gos and Boyd started a conversation of their own while he walked closer to the house. “What’s up?”

“Are Aunt Goldie and Uncle Scrooge secretly married?” Della asked, sparkles in her eyes.

“Huh?”

“They’re both being weird and we wanted to know if you knew anything!” Dickie added.

Louie shoved his hands in his pockets and scoffed. “I’m kind of in the middle of something. Why don’t you two focus on today’s wedding instead of poking around?” He turned around and went back to the story he’d been telling.

Della pouted. “I shouldn’t let him talk to me like that, right?”

“I dunno. He’s kind of right.”

“But it was also a weirdly nonspecific answer!” Della pointed out. “Let’s try one of the other kids!”

Dickie checked her Wedding Party group chat for a moment and shook her head. “Webby and Huey are way too busy right now. We can probably try Dewey, but he’s kind of…in-character right now?”

“In-character as the DJ?”

“Yeah, you didn’t notice?” Dickie pointed to the very blue, electronically-decked-out teenager up by the speakers. “His outfit looks like a Halloween costume.”

“Oh…right.” Della snapped her fingers. “Y’know, I saw the outfit and I thought about it for a second, but then I was like…no, it’s Dewey, it’s how he is. Let’s ask him anyway!”

The two ducks walked over to the DJ booth and watched as Dewey danced around for a minute, enjoying his playlist of music that was definitely not chosen by Donald or Daisy and wasn’t exactly the most wedding-appropriate songs they’d ever heard. They weren’t inappropriate, per se, just not exactly what the bride or groom would ever have in mind.

“Dewey, honey, can I ask you something?” Della asked sweely.

He held a hand up to the side of his helmet and continued bouncing up and down. Then he grabbed a keyboard and played a few keys that shouted out, “DJ Daft Duck in the h-h-h-h-hoooouse!”

She looked over at Dickie for help and instead saw the (almost twenty-five year old) woman dancing around like she hadn’t danced in ages. This was probably a dumb idea. The boys were all too busy to answer and it wasn’t like this was some question that desperately needed answering right now at this very moment. “Eh, forget about it. Dickie, let’s head back inside and see how everyone’s doing!”

Dickie gave Dewey a quick high-five and spun away from the booth, still jiggling in place. “He’s got great taste, Della! I gotta have him send me this playlist, for sure!”

“They were right, we should just leave this alone for now. I mean, what’s the point? It’s not like we’re gonna do anything with the knowledge, right?” Della voiced her thoughts out loud, not really concerned if Dickie was paying attention or not.

An unexpected voice responded. “All knowledge is valuable, Miss Della.”

The two older ducks turned to see Lena and Violet Sabrewing standing there in their cute little wedding outfits. Della shook her head. “Huh what?”

“I said that all knowledge is valuable. What information are you looking for? Perhaps my sister and I can help you find it.” Violet pulled out her phone with one hand and motioned to Lena with the other, whose eyes lit up in a bright blue. “We’re very resourceful.”

“Well…if you’re offering…” Della started.

“I thought you wanted to give up?”

“Oh, c’mon, it’ll take these two like twenty seconds!”

“Okay, okay!” Dickie held up her hands in surrender. “Do either of you know if Scrooge and Goldie are married? Like, secretly? They said suspicious things earlier that got our attention.”

Violet and Lena made eye contact for a moment, then nodded at each other.

“I’ve got this,” Lena said as she started to glow and float in the air. She mumbled some words of enchantment while she formed a magical bubble between her hands.

While she was doing this, Violet was quickly typing away on her phone.

Dickie and Della stood there awkwardly while the teenagers worked. Dickie felt a little dumb - she used to be one of the tech-savviest people in town. Now that she was getting older, she was struggling to figure out some of the most popular apps. FlapFlop was fun, but people were using it to make money and she just didn’t understand how. But that was neither here nor there.

“Twice,” Violet said as she looked up from phone.

“Three times, actually,” Lena corrected. “One time in another dimension.”

The four of them froze as they heard both Scrooge and Goldie sneeze loudly from different areas of the house.

Lena shrugged and chuckled. “Sometimes information gathering makes people sneeze. What can I say?”

“Did you go inside their heads?” Violet asked, bringing up the notes app on her phone. “There are a lot of ethical ramifications to that. I’d love to know what you saw or what the process was like.”

“Nah, nah, nothing crazy, Vi!” Lena shook her head. “I’ve been working on a way to search people’s brains with magic like I’m searching for a file on a computer.”

As the sisters talked about that, Dickie and Della turned towards each other and locked eyes. They were suspicious and they got their answers, but…it didn’t feel as scandalous as they’d expected. Sure, this information was withheld from them for unknown reasons, but it wasn’t like they’d ever really asked. Plus, being married multiple times meant they were either divorced at least once or they didn’t really honor their marriages. So maybe it wasn’t a big deal after all.

“I’m not surprised they never told us, honestly,” Della said suddenly. “Uncle Scrooge was always really private about stuff that involved Aunt Goldie.”

“I didn’t even know about Gran’pa Scrooge until two years ago!” Dickie said with a laugh. “So yeah. I don’t know what I was expecting. But I think it’s nice.”

“Nice that they’re married?”

“Well, yeah, but also…nice that they don’t feel like they need to do it again. It just seems like they’re happy with things the way they are, y’know?”

Della hummed affirmatively and the two walked towards the backyard. It was almost time for the wedding to start and they’d need to hurry up and take their seats.

—

On the bride’s side, in the front row, sat April, May, and June, along with Donna’s date whose name no one could remember. On the groom’s side, in the front row, sat Scrooge, Goldie, Louie, Huey, Webby, and then Dickie.

The music started to play and the bridesmaids began to come down the aisle - Donna, Della, a woman that made Goldie double-take named Clara, a very pretty mouse woman, and some other friends of Daisy’s. Dickie checked the Wedding Party group chat one last time to see if there were any last second emergencies that needed help, but it looked like everything was just fine.

Curiously, she leaned towards Webby and whispered, “Did you know Gran’pa Scrooge and Granny Goldie are married?”

Webby didn’t turn around, too mesmerized by the beautiful bridesmaids. “Oh yeah, Huey figured it out a few years ago. He’s great at noticing romantic stuff like that.”

“So that officially makes you my aunt then, isn’t that weird?” Dickie said, suppressing a laugh because she didn’t want to distract anyone from the ceremony.

That time, Webby turned towards her and she looked decidedly uninterested in the title. “I like cousins better, if that’s okay,” she said with a chuckle. “Sometimes it’s nice to just stick with what’s comfortable even if it’s not exactly accurate.”

“True that,” Dickie said, knowing full-well what the younger girl was talking about. Her relationship with Goldie O’Gilt was a perfect, shining example, after all.

After that little conversation, Dickie decided to stay quiet and enjoy the wedding as she was actually meant to do. She recognized most of the groomsmen - José and Panchito, of course, and a demigod named Storkules, naturally. Gladstone and Fethry were up there, too, along with two vaguely familiar-looking men: a tall dog and a short mouse.

As the ceremony went on and Professor Ludwig Von Drake started to speak, Dickie looked around at the row she was in. She still couldn’t believe she was a part of this amazing family! Dewey was still manning the DJ booth, but the other boys were sitting quietly and looking happy as could be for their uncle. Everyone looked really, really happy for Donald and Daisy, and though Dickie didn’t know them very well, she couldn’t help but be happy for them, too.

Dickie noticed that her grandma was leaning on Gran’pa Scrooge’s shoulder and she smiled. That was pretty cute.

“Zen you may now share your furst kiss as Mr. and Mrs. uh…Duck!”

Donald and Daisy’s beaks crashed together excitedly and everyone started to cheer. Instinctively, Dickie looked over at her grandmother again, only to see her and Scrooge sharing a brief kiss of their own. She rolled her eyes and joined the crowd in whooping with joy and throwing rice at the newlyweds, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.

DJ Daft Duck started playing a fun, upbeat song that got everyone dancing around a little bit and Dickie had never felt more at home. She might not be Dickie O’Gilt or Dickie McDuck, but she still felt like a real part of their family.

…

“Y’know, Scroogey,” Goldie said quietly as the people around them got into the music. “Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Ye think so?” he asked with a smirk, almost as if he knew how she’d feel. Despite his cockiness, the reality of this conversation made his face heat up and warmth spread throughout his chest.

“A smaller one for us. Definitely.” Goldie brushed her bangs back away from her eyes. “But yeah. I think it could be okay.”

Scrooge leaned down and kissed her beak again, briefly since the guests were already starting to filter out towards the reception inside the manor. “Whatever ye want, dear. What’s mine is yours.”

Goldie rolled her eyes and kissed him back before grabbing his hand to drag them out of the yard. “C’mon, sourdough, we can talk about that later. Let’s get some of that shrimp before it runs out!”

He held onto his hat and let her pull him, zooming past Dickie and the kids and some of the other guests with a big smile on his face. Almost one hundred and thirty years later, and she could still take his breath away.

A second later they were enjoying shrimp and had champagne flutes in hand. Scrooge, unable to stop himself, clinked his glass against Goldie’s.

“Here’s to another hundred and thirty years, O’Gilt.”

She smiled at him - that particular smile that she only ever gave to him - and took a sip. “And even more after that.”

—

Okay so this is the final chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed the fic!!! It was really fun to write and I've really enjoyed all the comments and feedback. And please feel free to message me if there's a particular scene in this fic that you might wanna see illustrated 'cause I think that'd be fun lol anyway thanks again!!!

REAL HISTORY FACTS: - Dzidzilegos is named after Dzidzilela, an "alleged Polish goddess" whose authenticity was rejected by historians. But when she was suggested, she was considered a goddess of marriage or love :) - BeakTube is YouTube, Wingstagram is Instagram, FlapFlop is TikTok. I think y'all probably figured those ones out on your own but just in case

DUCK FRANCHISE REFERENCES: - Anytime in this fic that Goldie makes a comment about Scrooge kidnapping her, that's because he did! In the original Barks comic. Don Rosa switched it up to give Goldie more agency in the situation but originally she was very unwilling lol - Revisiting the cabin all these years later is a Rosa reference. Idk he said in a book or an interview somewhere that he imagined Scrooge leaving Duckburg to live his final years in the cabin with Goldie and sooo this is inspired by that though not exactly the same - Yes they kissed right at the cabin door, just like their first kiss in Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa! - The 1976 Dzidzilegos wedding wasn't mentioned previously in this fic. I just wanted them to have gotten married in another dimension 'cause it's fun - 2020 dinner date is a reference to Landslide! Great Goldie-centric post-series fic. Read it here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30260742 - DJ Daft Duck was Dewey's alter ego in the episode McMystery at McDuck McManor! - Donna being Daisy's sister is popular headcanon, but she's really just Donald's love interest before Daisy existed. It's fine. Donna is latina so I usually see her and Daisy as half- or step-sisters. Either way, that's why April Duck (in this specific version) has brown feathers instead of white. - Obviously Daisy designed the dress. I mean technically I googled many wedding dress designs and chose some of my faves and then made it pink because a white dress over white feathers looks boring, but I digress. - Yes, Hortense and Quackmore are still alive! They're just kind of absentee parents so Donald and Della have an awkward relationship with them. - This wedding is taking place in the Summer of 2024. Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby are all 17. Dickie is 24 (her birthday is in December!) Donald and Daisy have been together for like five and a half years. I've got a birthyear timeline for all the characters that you can see here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Mfu8OyqEuhWXsGYs7DYyzh7izNoOAlShW5_QuIWuSJ8/edit?usp=sharing - I included Clara as a bridesmaid because she's Daisy's friend in the comics, but you may recall that she was the social worker that helped Dickie find Goldie lol Also yes, Minnie and Mickey and Goofy are all in the wedding party!

BONUS IMAGES:

60 notes · View notes

littlebitofeverythingphff · 6 years

Text

Chapter 50

A/N: PLEASE READ CHAPTER 49 HERE FIRST! This is the second chapter of the DOUBLE FEATURE today and just so happens we have hit 50 CHAPTERS!!! WOW thank you guys for all the love and support xx please enjoy! It would mean a lot to me to hear from you xx

Adalyn stepped slowly down the stairs as the two dogs wounded around her feet purposefully trying to trip her. She rubbed her tired eyes as she stepped onto the cool floor. The wintery morning air chilled her to the core.

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Her eyes darted towards an oddly alert Carlson sipping on his coffee. Turning around to find the clock it read 0800 am.

“You are never up this early.” Adalyn confusedly wondered why her father was up this early on a Saturday. Rounding the counter island, she greeted her grandmother who was elbow deep in pancake mix. “Morning, gran.”

“Morning, sweetie. How did you sleep?” Florence tried to mask a mischievous smile.

“Ok…” Adalyn caught the look on her grandmother’s face before it faded. Taking a step back she glared at both her father and grandmother curiously. “What the hell is going on?”

Carlson stood up with the paper, grabbed his coffee and left the room making the guilt evident. Popping her hip out she stared down her grandmother. “Gran?”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Florence brushed it off like she did not know a thing. “Will you set the table for breakfast dear?” Adalyn pursed her lips together knowing that something must be up. Opening the cupboard doors she grabbed a stack of plates.

Everyone was around the table eating breakfast when Elena turned to see a black SUV coming up down the road to the house. “Gran are you expecting anyone?” Florence had just sat down in her chair and simply shrugged her shoulders.

“No, honey. I wonder who it could be.” Her innocent granny voice could fool anyone.

Adalyn peered out the front window following everyone else’s eyes. Indrawing a breath, she recognized that vehicle. “No…” she whispered and turned towards her father who was grinning from ear to ear. “Daddy?” The whole table turned to see Adalyn’s face light up.

“Yes, Addy?” His face was beaming seeing how happy Adalyn her green eyes were shinning once she realized who it was. “Go and see who it is.”

“Wait... it’s Harry?” Elena leaned into Reid and asked him while her fiancé shrugged his shoulders in return being completely unaware of the situation.

Adalyn pushed her chair back and slipped on a pair of boots. By this time the vehicle had pulled up to the side of the house and stopped. Hearing the door slam shut, everyone’s eyes followed Addy as she ran towards the car despite the snow coming down hard.

The back door opened and Harry stepped out with the biggest smile seeing Addy running towards him. Within a few seconds Addy practically launched herself into the prince’s arms as Harry caught her and slowly twirled her around.

“What are you doing here?!” Her voice muffled by his jacket.

“I wanted to surprise you.” Harry gently placed her back on the ground feeling her cool hands cup his cheeks. Placing his hands over top of them, he angled his head to kiss one.

“Well you really did! I had no idea!” Addy’s eyes were shinning happily staring up into Harry’s she still did not believe that he was here.

“I told your father not to tell you.” Harry confessed as his head turned to see Addy’s whole family eagerly peering out the window by the breakfast nook at the couple, watching their every move. He waved politely, making Addy turn her head to see where he was looking having completely forgot about them.

“I knew he was acting strange this morning!” Addy snaked her arm around her boyfriend and leaned up to kiss him. “Come… I want you to meet my grandparents.” She simply could not stop smiling at the fact that Harry surprised her and had come here.

The couple walked arm in arm towards her grandparent’s house. Addy just stared up at the prince in silence with an adoring smile plastered on her lips. “What?” Harry smirked as he caught a glimpse of it.

“I just…” She shook her head in shock. “You are here, you are at the farm!” Addy giggled lightly. “I thought you had to stay longer?”

“Let’s just say Zara easily convinced me to surprise my girl.” Harry and Addy climbed the steps to the house stopping briefly on the porch. Harry had noticed this was probably the last private moment he would have with Addy until later and he definitely was going to take advantage of it.

“Come here...” He lifted Addy’s chin and captured her sweet soft lips against his. Addy moaned into the kiss, putting more pressure on his lips indicating she wanted more of him. Harry cupped her cool cheek rubbing it over with his warm hand and holding her lips steady as he continued to taste them. Breaking their lips apart, Addy had her signature blushed cheeks on display.

“I love it when I make you blush like that.” Harry leaned in and placed a quick reassuring kiss to her lips.

“Stop it…” Addy tried to hide her head in embarrassment. “My whole family probably saw you kissing me.” She opened the door and reached back to find Harry’s hand to lead him into her grandparents home. The Mackenzie family had left the table and congregated near the front entrance ready to bombard the couple as they came in.

Addy walked in with Harry, never leaving his side as he greeted her family. Addy’s grandmother pulled him right into a warm inviting hug that caught him a little off guard. “Hello, Harry. I am so happy you were able to join us and spend some of your holiday time here.”

“Thank you, Florence. I hope it wasn’t a bother me showing up like this.” Harry moved out of the hug.

“Oh not at all! We have been waiting what seems like forever to finally meet you, dear!” Addy gently rubbed Harry’s back up and down, staring up at the prince fondly.

“Harry, this is my grandpa, Edwin.” Adalyn proudly introduced Harry to her grandfather who was like a second father to her.

“Hello, son.” Edwin shook his hand firmly while Harry admired the elder man’s huge hands. “Welcome to the farm!”

“Thank you, sir.” Before Harry could speak another word, he felt Chance whacking his leg with his tail trying to gain the prince’s attention. Kneeling down he was met with an excited pup dancing around in circles happy to see Harry. “Well hello to you too Chance.”

“Babe, are you hungry? There are a lot of pancakes left.” The family sat back down at the table finishing their breakfast.

Grandma Florence gave Harry a healthy helping of her pancakes. “Eat up, son.” “Harry, you are going to gain probably ten pounds here.” Gavin, Lila’s boyfriend chimed in.

“Oh, I believe it.” Harry took a bite of the pancake and was in literal heaven. “This is amazing Florence, thank you. Now I know where Addy gets her cooking skills from.” Addy’s smile still had not left her lips as she turned to glance at the prince.

Elena leaned into Reid and whispered, “Look how happy Addy is, Reid.” She placed her hand over top of her chest watching the giddy couples sit beside each other and steal loving glances. They were constantly touching or leaning into one another. Harry had finished his pancakes and had Addy leaned into him, absent-mindedly rubbing her arm gently up and down while the couple listened to a story of Edwin’s.

Addy had gone up stairs to shower after Harry brought his things to her room. He was outside with Addy’s grandfather getting a tour of Edwin’s gun cage. The look Addy displayed when her grandfather offered to show Harry it had him dissolving into a fit of giggles along with everyone else at the table. Edwin and Carlson convinced Addy that they would return Harry to her in one piece.

“Addy was sure surprised to see you.” Carlson watched Harry handle one of his father’s guns.

The prince smirked and bit down on his bottom lip. “She really was.” Harry handed the gun back to Edwin. “Thanks for letting me come, Carlson. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Hey, if you can make my daughter as happy as I saw her this morning you are welcome whenever, Harry.” Carlson crossed his arms and became quite serious. “I need to ask you this since it seems like you are the closest to Addy…” Harry lifted his gaze to lock eyes with Carlson. “How is she really doing?”

Harry released a deep sigh and bit down on his bottom lip. “With all due respect sir, I want to answer it but I think the best person to is your daughter.” He was not about to discuss every thing that Addy had confided about to Harry.

“I am asking you because she won’t tell me, Harry.” Carlson was putting Harry in a tough position. Her grandfather had become silent and was staring at the prince waiting to hear his answer.

“I can’t do that to her.” Harry firmly stood his ground with Adalyn’s father. “I can tell you that she has her moments like anyone would assume, but she is doing what she needs to get through it.” Sighing deeply Harry continued, “it is not fair to Addy to tell you what she tells me in confidence, without her permission.”

“He’s right.” Everyone turned around to see Adalyn leaning against the doorframe, surprising the whole group. Her eyes drifted towards Harry and smiled weakly at him. “You should not have put him in that spot dad.” Adalyn pushed herself away from the door and walked towards Harry.

“Addy, we all want you to be ok… we are worried about you because we care about you.” Harry lifted his arm so Addy could come in beside him. He watched her face morph into a soft gaze while staring at her father as she let his words sink in.

“That doesn’t mean you are allowed to ask Harry to do that. If you are so worried about me, then ask me.” Addy angled her head and leaned it on Harry’s shoulder.

“Fine, are you ok Addy?” Her father crossed his arms stubbornly and for the first time Harry knew exactly where she had gotten that trait. He coughed to try his best to stifle a laugh knowing it was serious question. Silence filled the room, the tension becoming more palpable with each passing second. Harry could feel the anxiety from Addy’s tense body as she blindly searched for his hand that he freely gave.

Inhaling a deep breath she answered, “I’m not ok, dad. How can I be ok? I am still working through it all.” Addy looked up at Harry who quietly smiled at her. “But, I will be because I have all of you.”

Carlson steadied himself as he leaned back against a pile of boxes. “You know… if you are ever feeling like uh…” Addy sensed what her father was trying to say as he struggled to formulate the words.

“Dad…” Addy shook her head. “I would never.” Her voice faded away.

“Good…” Carlson chocked back tears while hanging his head low. Addy dropped Harry’s hand and walked towards her father, engulfing him in a warm hug. After sharing an embrace with Carlson, Addy looked back at Harry remembering why she had come out here to find him in the first place.

“Would you like to go for a walk with me?” Addy patted his chest.

“Of course I would!” He let Addy lead him back through the house to grab their coats.

“Do you want to go for some walkies?!” Willow started running around the room while Chance wiggled in Harry’s arms ecstatically.

“He’s missed you.” Addy couldn’t help but giggle as Chance attacked Harry with kisses. “Shall we test out his Christmas present from you, love?”

“You got it already?!” Harry’s head snapped up. “Yeah, I got it that afternoon you left. Your friend was not sure if it would work, but at least we can give it a try?” Addy pulled out a make shift puppy leg prosthesis. A man that Harry had worked closely with for a veterans charity was known to make custom prosthesis for amputee veterans. Harry had mentioned that his girlfriend’s dog was in need of one and within a week, Harry had brought Chance to the man to get measured and fitted. It was Harry’s Christmas present to Chance as he knew that Addy had been in search of one for a few months. With how Chance’s leg was injured, he was not able to fit the average prosthesis commonly made for dogs.

“Here…” Addy handed it off to Harry. “You put it on him.” Harry shook his head up at his girlfriend.

“I will hold him, you put it on. You are the one who rescued him after all, it should be you who gives him this chance to walk normally again.” Addy’s eyes locked with Harry’s as his words tugged at her heart, choking her up.

“Ok.” Was all she could manage to force out with a shaky breath.

“Come here Chance.” Harry gently grabbed the excited pup.

“What are you guys doing?!” Elena and Florence glanced around the kitchen corner.

“Chance is going to test out his first prosthesis!” Addy grabbed the first piece and slipped it over Chance’s stump. Chance shook his leg, glancing back at it becoming unsure whether he liked it or not.

“It’s ok buddy. It’s going to be different, but you have to wear one.” Harry provided gentle strokes along Chance’s body that instantly calmed him down. They had now gained a full house audience as the couple fastened the last piece onto Chance.

“He will be more likely to try it outside.” Addy told Harry to pick Chance up as she held the doors open so Harry could carry him through. Addy was right behind Harry as she took out her phone to capture the moment. Her family had all come out and stood on the porch to watch.

Harry gently set Chance down on the ground and petted his ears. “Merry Christmas Chance.” He swore that dog smiled at him as he stood up and told Chance to run.

The dog looked back at his leg and took a few stumbling steps in a circle. “It’s ok, go play with Willow!” Addy encouraged the pup.

Chance spotted Willow running ahead and took off in chase of her. He stumbled a few times, but eventually caught up to Willow and egged her to chase him back.

“Yayy!” Everyone from the porch started to cheer and clap.

Harry turned his head hearing silence coming from the woman that stood beside him. Tears were forming in her green eyes, threatening to over pour. But, beyond those tears, her green eyes were smiling proudly as she watched Chance run free.

“You ok, love?” He wrapped his arm around her tightly.

“Yeah…” She wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek. “This is why I do this, Harry. Moments like this are what keeps me fighting for them.” Adalyn’s head twisted to lock in Harry’s eyes. “But, I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“No. You helped Chance when no one else would, you gave him this amazing life Addy. I only bought the prosthesis.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her lips. “This is all you, babe. Enjoy it.” Addy’s head turned to see Chance running back as fast as he can just like a normal dog with a slight hobble. His tail was wagging happily while his tongue hung out over a smile. “Hey boy!” Addy bent down at her knees to give the dog some love. Chance jumped up steadying his paws on her knee and leaned into her body as if he was thanking her. “Do you like Harry’s gift for you? Isn’t he the best man anyone could ask for?” She angled her head to look up at the prince with a fond smile.

“I wouldn’t be half the man I am without you.”

“Oh, you two!” Elena had walked down the steps of the house. “Give me that phone and let me take a picture of the three of you!”

Harry gave Elena his phone before kneeling down beside Adalyn and Chance. “You should put this up on your website.” Harry spoke through a smile.

Addy turned her head and was scolded by Elena for not looking at the camera. “I want this moment for only the three of us... our little family.” It was now Harry’s turn to look her in the eyes as the camera captured their tender moment together.

“Our family.” Harry repeated while looking into Adalyn’s deep green eyes seeing the future clearly within them.

“Ok, where do we start?” Harry rubbed his hands together eager to learn some baking tips from Grandma Florence.

“Before we start young man, you need one of these!” Florence bent over and rummaged through a cupboard pulling out a flowered apron.

“I think I am good…” Harry eyed that thing knowing if one of the guys saw him in this, he would never live it down.

“Oh! Wipe that look off of your face. You don’t want it to stay that way!” Grandma Florence insisted as Harry reluctantly put it on to appease Addy’s grandmother. “What are we going to make?” Harry looked around searching for a recipe book. “Where’s the recipe?”

“Oh, my dear.” Florence leaned in and pointed to her temple. “It’s all up in this young mind.” Tying her apron behind her, Florence looked up at the tall prince. “I am going to teach you how to make Adalyn’s favourite dessert. That way, when you have a special occasion, you know how to surprise her with it? How does that sound?”

“That sounds fantastic Mrs. Mackenzie.” Harry’s lips spread into a wide smile.

“First rule, please call me Florence or granny.” Florence eyed the prince with smiling eyes. “Second rule, this kitchen is my church and we treat it as such.”

“Yes, Florence.” Harry leaned in and deliberately spoke her name.

“Be a dear and grab those pots on the top shelf for me.” Harry turned and grabbed a handful of them. Setting them down on the counter, he recognized one that had little paw prints and flowers all over them like a child had painted it. Pausing to admire he, he saw Addy’s scribbled name on it.

“I am sensing that she has not told you much about this place, has she?” Florence could see the curiosity brewing on Harry’s face.

“No… to be honest she hasn’t.” Harry set the bowl back down. “Just that she loves it here. I know that she was really looking forward to coming her for Christmas.”

Florence directed Harry on what to mix in the bowl as she handed him the items while telling him more about Harry’s past. “Addy… my son’s whole family stayed with us the summer that their mother left. This is all of their safe place.”

Harry’s hand froze almost dumping in a cup of flour into the bowl. “She doesn’t talk much about her mother. I guess I don’t either.”

“This is Addy’s safe place. She comes here when she needs to think, when she feels she has no where else to go.” Florence handed Harry some more ingredients. “She came here when you were deployed.” Harry’s head snapped towards Florence having no idea that she had done that.

“I could tell she had met someone new. There was a little sparkle in her eyes and I knew she was worried about whoever it was.” Harry remained quiet while gently mixing the ingredients together. “Now, I know that it was you, Harry.”

“And I am happy that it was you.” Harry’s lips spread into a wide smile at her grandmother’s remark. “I can tell how happy you make my granddaughter, Harry. You and Addy have been through a tremendous amount of struggles and hardships already. I know she can be….”

“Stubborn.” Harry interrupted causing Florence to bark a laugh.

“Ah yes… she is my granddaughter after all, Harry!” Florence offered the prince a wink. “Be careful with her heart. It’s full of love, but it has had it’s own fair share of breaks. I can see the way you look at her, that look of love. Just remember to keep seeing her.”

“Thank you, I will.” Harry smiled politely.

“Well we must move on because this dessert is not going to make itself young man!” Florence got right into the mix of things with Harry and taught him how to bake Addy’s favourite dessert.

It was after dinner when Harry and the guys were down stairs playing a game of pool when Addy wandered her way down to the basement. Catching Harry’s eye, he noticed in the way she fidgeted towards him that she was anxious about something.

“How’s it going down here?” Addy’s feet brushed against the wooly carpet walking towards Harry.

“Reid and Harry are winning.” A snide remark came from Gavin who was not the greatest at pool, but did his best.

“Hmmm… I see.” Addy wrapped her arm around Harry’s waist and watched Reid pocket a ball.

“What’s on your pretty little mind?” Harry whispered into Addy’s ear and placed a gentle kiss to her temple knowing that she was nervous about something. Green eyes turned to stare right into his own as they searched for whatever answer she was looking for.

“I want to steal you away for a bit…” A glint in her eyes sparkled. “I want to show you something.”

“Addy can’t it wait? We are in the middle of a game.” Reid turned around and must have over heard their quiet conversation.

Addy was clearly nervous to even ask Harry meaning that it was important to her that she show Harry whatever it is. The upset expression forming on Addy’s face at Reid’s remark made Harry step in. “It’s just a game Reid, it can wait.” Addy’s face perked up hearing Harry defend her.

“Let’s go.” He placed his hand on the small of Addy’s back and guided her forward.

“But we are going to win?!” Reid tossed his arms up in the air making the couple look back at him.

“I am already a winner.” Harry smirked and walked off with Adalyn up the stairs.

“So, where are you taking me?” Harry held Addy’s hand as she led him up the stairs towards the kitchen.

“Some place special to me.” Addy grabbed a thermos and a few mugs. “You better go change into something more warm. We may be outside for a while.” Addy giggled and gently smacked his ass as Harry ran up the stairs quickly.

“Addy? Where are we going?” She had led the prince down a narrowed path past a small pond towards the bush.

“It’s only a little further ahead.” Addy squeezed the prince’s hand firmly to reassure him.

“Here!” Addy looked up towards the trees. The sun had set, making their only light coming from the bright moon that reflected over the small pond.

“A tree house?” Harry glanced up, aligning his view with Adalyn’s.

“Not, just any tree house.” She pulled Harry close to her body. “It’s the one my father built us when we stayed here one summer.”

“The summer your mom left?” It came out without Harry even realizing it until it was too late. Addy’s smile instantly fell off of her face hearing Harry’s question.

“Shit.” Harry rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry Addy. Your grandmother told me.”

“It’s ok…” She trailed off and a hint of her smile re-appeared. “It just caught me a little off guard is all.” Addy inhaled deeply trying to calm her nerves. “I wanted to show you a little piece of my childhood…” She glanced up towards the tree house. “Share a little bit of my past with you.”

This was Adalyn finally opening up more to him and he was eager to hear every single thing she was ready to share with him. A mischievous smirk formed on his lips. “Well, shall we go up and check it out? Isn’t that why we brought all these flashlights, blankets and hot chocolate with us?” Harry encouraged Addy as best as he could.

“Here. Hand me these and I will carry them up and then help you.” The prince gathered all of their supplies and quickly climbed up the wooden steps up along the tree. Clambering into the tree house he took a brief look around to see little drawings that clearly Adalyn had done. Turning around and reaching his arm out, he waved for Adalyn to climb up.

Addy looked up and started to climb the wooden ladder. Her head rose to find Harry watching her carefully over the edge of the entrance. He stuck his hand out for her and she froze in her spot as a memory of Alex came flooding into her mind.

“Here, Addy grab my hand.” Alex reached down and offered his hand to his little sister who was trying her best to climb up the ladder. “I won’t let go of you, I promise Not now, not ever.”

“Addy?” Harry’s voice broke her out of the memory.

“Sorry… I just. You reminded me of a memory of Alex.” Harry clasped their hands together and hoisted her up into the tree house.

“I am sure there are a lot of memories with him here.” Harry sweetly spoke to her.

“There are.” Adalyn glanced around the tree house seeing little pictures and memories written all over the wooden walls.

Harry laid out a blanket across the floor and motioned for Addy to join him. Wrapping them both up in a thicker blanket, he ensured that Addy was warm enough from the wintery night air. Pulling out the hot chocolate Harry asked Adalyn. “So your grandmother said you spent the whole summer here, that year?” Harry wanted to encourage Adalyn to share what she wanted to, but did not want to push for any details.

Nodding her reply, Addy accepted a mug of warm hot chocolate that Harry had poured. “I know I don’t talk much about my mom with you.” Addy sighed, “but, it’s because no one really does anymore. It’s like she doesn’t exist to us and quite frankly that’s how we think she feels about us…”

“I don’t want you to tell me if you don’t want too, but… what happened?” Addy smiled warmly at Harry and snuggled in closer to Harry as if she was searching for his comfort to get her through it. “I’m right here.” He reassured her quietly.

“I was six.” Addy started. “I was in grade one, having only a few days left before summer break. My mom dropped me off at school that day and all I remember was that she was sad, but… happy too. She hugged me and said that she would always love me.” Adalyn grabbed Harry’s hand and stared down at their interlocked fingers.

“That was the last time I saw her. She didn’t pick me up from school so I sat on those steps for hours, at least that is what it seemed like. That is until Alexander came dressed in his football gear and asked if I was hungry. He took me to a convenience store and bought me anything I wanted.” She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. “When we were walking home I remember him holding my hand really tight, like he was never going to let it go. But, when we walked into the house something wasn’t right. Like our home would never be the same.”

A frown formed on Addy’s forehead creasing it. Harry slowly rubbed up and down her arm soothingly. “My dad came running towards me and hugged me tight and said that everything was going to be ok. At the time I had no idea what he was talking about. That night, Alexander said I could sleep in his big bed with him, which he never let us even be in his room, but he even let Lila and Reid in. He said he were having a sleepover party, celebrating him making the football team… but now I know he did it to make sure we were all ok and so dad didn’t have to worry.”

“He was looking after all of you.” Harry comforted Adalyn with a quiet whisper. In that moment, Harry wished that he had the chance to meet Alexander. He seemed like he was always looking out for Addy and his family. He understood better, how hurt they all were and are still that he is no longer with them.

“The next day, my dad packed us up and took us here for the summer. I kept asking where mom was and he couldn’t reply until he finally said she went on a long trip.” Addy leaned her head and rested it on Harry’s chest. “She abandoned us Harry. She never came back, never once did she write or even attempt to contact us.” Addy sat up slowly to stare into Harry’s eyes.

“She never even came to Alex’s funeral.” He could see the hurt, the betrayal, the heartbreak, all-circling in her green eyes. The same ones no doubt her mother gave her, the only thing that she ever gave Adalyn. “Years later, I found out that she was having an affair with a co-worker and that day she decided to leave us all behind. She wrote my father a note… a bloody note… saying that she did not want to have this life anymore with him. It wasn’t like he treated her poorly, he loved her and all of us. And what hurts the most is the memories I do have of her, I remember dancing and smiling and laughing with her. There was never a time where I felt that she didn’t love me. But, now I wonder if she ever really did and that is why she was able to leave. Some days I think if I told her I loved her or wouldn’t argue with her that things would be different.”

“It’s not on you that she left, Addy.” Harry firmly assured his girlfriend then fell into silence as Addy tried to comprehend what happened even to this day. He could see how difficult it was on Addy and probably her whole family to talk about their mother leaving them all one day. “My dad could hardly look at me…”

“Because you look like her?” Harry questioned as she nodded her reply. “The eyes?”

“How do you know?” She angled her head at Harry.

“You are the only one in your family with green eyes, babe.” His hand reached out and touched her cheek giving it a loving stroke. “They are gorgeous.”

“Thank you…” She grew quiet. “Thank you for letting me share this. I uh –” Adalyn paused and looked down at the wooden floor that creaked as she shifted her body. “I found it hard even thinking of sharing this with you because of your mother.”

Harry’s brow furrowed questioningly about to speak, but she cut him off. “I thought if you knew how much I hated my mother that you would somehow think less of me because of what happened to yours and I know that you would give anything to have her back, but I cannot say the same about mine.” She breathed out. “I felt I couldn’t share this with you earlier because I felt guilty about hating her and whenever I wanted to I knew it would bring up things for you too.”

“Addy… shhh…” His girlfriend bursted into tears and covered her face being ashamed from Harry. “I don’t think that at all.” He scooted towards her and brought her shaking body down into his arms. “Your mother left you by choice, mine had no choice. I would never think less of you because of that and I want you to tell me everything…. Things like this that make me know you more, that make me love you even more.”

Addy wiped away her tears and lifted her head. “I was so scared to tell you how much I hate her. For what she did to my family, my father… everyone.”

“Don’t ever be scared to talk to me.” He held her head steady between his hands before placing a sweet kiss to her forehead. After wiping her dampened cheeks dry, Harry rummaged through the bag they brought and pulled out the final product of his baking session with Florence.

“I baked these for you today.” Harry handed one to Adalyn who displayed a shocked expression.

“Gran, showed you?!” Adalyn was nearly speechless. “Harry, she won’t even tell me how to make them! She always says then they would not be special to me.”

“Well take a bite!” Harry laughed seeing how amazed Adalyn was that he actually made them.

“Ok, ok.” She took a bite and let the dessert melt in her mouth. “Oh my god… this is.” Addy took another bite. “Amazing!” She spoke with a mouthful of dessert.

“Anything to make you smile.” Harry took a bite of his piece and was thoroughly impressed by his baking skills.

“I cannot believe you are here, right now, in this tree house with me.” Addy leaned in and kissed Harry’s lips tasting the dessert on them.

“Believe it, because I am here and I always will be.”

#royalfanficcentral #prince harry #prince harry fanfic #phf #fanfic #chapters #chapter50 #littlebitofeverythingphff

34 notes · View notes