Blood Thicker Than Water

Written by Rachel Faraday
with assistance by Shelley Lynn Inks

Celeste Mallard sat boredly in her chair at her desk while listening to the professor lecture about third world countries. She was fighting to keep her eyes open, the sudden snap of her head as she began to fall forward onto the desk being the only thing keeping her awake until the voice boomed over the school's P.A. system.

"Celeste Mallard, please report to the principal's office immediately. Celeste Mallard to the principal's office..."

Her head jerked up with her eyes wide as she grabbed her books and shoved them into her backpack, grateful for any excuse to get out of the lecture of doom she was enduring. But as she walked down the hall, the thought came to her. What had she done that the principal would want to see her for? She couldn't remember doing anything wrong that could get her into trouble.

She entered the office and headed straight for the principal's door, hesitating for a moment before knocking and opening the door. Principal Farnsworth looked up from scribbling on a small piece of paper on her desk and sent a smile in Celeste's direction.

"Oh, hello Celeste! Come on in...I was just signing you a pass out of class for the rest of the day," Principal Farnsworth announced as she signed her signature on the pass.

"Uhh...what? Is my father here?" Celeste asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement.

"Well, of sorts...I got a call from Social Services this morning and there are a couple others coming to pick you up for the afternoon," she replied, standing and moving over to Celeste and handing her the pass, "Your parents are coming..."

Now completely confused, Celeste tilted her head and stared right at the principal, "My 'parentS'? Don't you mean my 'parenT', in the singular form? I just have my father, unless he's suddenly gotten married without telling me..."

Principal Farnsworth let out a light laugh, "No, that hasn't happened to my knowledge. But...you ARE adopted, are you not?"

This striking a nerve, Celeste stiffened slightly and tried not to let her eyes narrow along with her teeth clenching. The reminder of being adopted always was a sensitive subject for her, considering she had been abandoned as an infant in the Negaverse St. Canard Orphanage, and was practically kept as a prisoner until that afternoon she escaped. It wasn't until then that she came across Negaduck, who first began to look upon the runaway eight year old as just another tiny terror brat that the city would be better off without.

But as time had gone by, along with the promises to send her back to the orphanage, the criminal began to grow fond of the child who had hitch-hiked a ride in his motorcycle, and had begun residing in his hideout while conceding to doing whatever he wished; whether it was keeping the ill-groomed house a mess or ironing his cape. Not only did the kid confide to complete obedience, but there was something that seemed to click between her and the public enemy. They were, in fact, a lot alike. And Negaduck saw criminal mastermind potential in his new adoptive daughter. But that was nearly seven years ago, and since then, the two had been through a lot of hard times, including being seperated for five years due to the collapse of the Negaverse portal. Since then, the two were practically inseperable.

Taking a second to calm herself down and attempting not to explode, Celeste reluctantly answered the question, "Yes Ma'am...and your point is...?"

"They're here for you, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth responded in a sincere tone, "Your biological parents are coming."

Celeste's natural cinnamon colored plumage instantly turned a pale white as she stammered, "N...no way..."

Principal Farnsworth nodded once and opened her bill to say more, but was cut off as the door to her office suddenly swung open, revealing two very sophisticated adults. The man wore a blue, finely pressed Italian suit complete with cold cufflinks and a priceless Rolex hung around his wrist. His features were that of a professional, his feathers were white as snow, causing the goatee and mustache on his face to stand out. His eyes were a dark hazel, the similar shade as Celeste's.

The woman standing beside him wore a maroon colored dress suit, and her hands her adorned with rings of various colors and sizes. Her hair and plumage were the same brown as Celeste's, her eyes had green patches over them, and sparkled a bright blue along with the gold earrings dangling at the side of her head. These were Laszlo and Darcy Tealwing, the biological parents of the awe-struck child standing before them.

"Celeste, darling!" Darcy exclaimed in her refined tone of voice, outstretching her arms. The action caused Celeste to flinch back and conceal herself behind the principal, shaking nervously while staring wide-eyed.

"Sweetheart!" Laszlo chimed in cheerily, his voice also holding the extravagant demeanor.

"Puddin'-face!" Darcy added as she ran up to Celeste in her high-heeled shoes, the principal stepping aside as she wrapped her arms enthusiastically around Celeste's shoulders, "It's so good to finally see you again!"

Laszlo stepped up behind him, holding a suave aire to his composure, "Indeed. Its been too long since we've been separated from our own flesh and blood!"

Celeste seemed to cringe the second she was unwillingly pulled into the embrace. These were the two people who were supposed to LOVE and protect her! Her own family! But they threw that all away when they gave her up, and was not about to give in, not even in the slightest. With a grudge, she pulled herself from Darcy's embrace and turned to Principal Farnsworth, staring right at her as if she had a cobra around her neck. "Call my father!"

"Now now, Celeste!" Principal Farnsworth insisted, "they're not going to run off with you! they're just here for a visit, and would like to spend the afternoon with you. Nothing more, nothing less. It's already been discussed with Social Services, and it is completely appropriate."

"That's right, Darling!" Darcy added with a bright smile, "We just want an afternoon of quality time to actually get to know you. Maybe have lunch at a fancy restaurant, do a little shopping..."

Now nearly on the verge of tears, Celeste squeezed her eyes shut to keep the droplets of water from squeezing out, "I don't WANT to spend the afternoon with them! I'll go back to class! I'll even spend the rest of the day in GYM! Anything but this! Please!"

"Come now, Celeste..." Principal Farnsworth dais in a low, concerned tone as she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't you think you should give them a chance, considering they took the effort to track you down just so they can see you again?"

Celeste jerked her shoulder away harshly, her eyes glistening with tears that were now quickly streaming down her face, "You mean considering that they tossed me in a rainy gutter when I was TWO?? No thanks! I'm fifteen, you can't make me go with them!"

Laszlo let out a sharp laugh as he glanced at the principal winningly, "Children have such vivid imaginations, wouldn't you agree?"

The principal stared at the couple suspiciously now, and was about to interject, but was interrupted as Darcy suddenly stepped towards Celeste again, with an almost sorrowful and regretful expression on her face.

"Oh please Celeste...We know we can never make up for the mistake we made in the past, but we'd at least like to see how the daughter we never got to know has turned out. We don't ask you to forgive us, but..." she trailed off with a sigh and heaved her shoulders in defeat.

An icy glare quickly appeared on Celeste's face as she stared her mother down. These two people, her blood, were supposed to cherish her. But after what they had done to her as an infant, it was difficult for her to trust or believe in people. If it wasn't for Negaduck, she'd still be miserable in the orphanage, on the verge of slipping into a permanent depression and never coming out of it again. She sniffled and wiped the end of her bill on the sleeve of her black sweater, "Bull...I'm outta here..!"

With that said, she instantly darted out of the office, leaving the three adults watching after her. Principal Farnsworth shook her head sadly and turned back to Darcy and Laszlo, "You'll have to excuse her. She's been through such a hard time, this must all be a great shock for her."

Celeste sprinted down the hallway, still frantically wiping the tears from her eyes with her already drenched sleeve. She didn't stop until she came to a janitor's closet, took a quick glance around, then opened the door. Silently, she slipped inside and flipped on the small lightbulb hanging overhead as she closed the door. Her hand slipped into her pocket and fumbled for her cell phone, desperately trying to get a firm grip on it with her still shaking hand. Once that was accomplished, she didn't hesitate to call the only person who could save her from the breakdown she was trying to fight off...her REAL father.

Meanwhile, at the St. Canard Second National Bank, Negaduck was standing firmly in front of the vault with several bags of cash at his feet. In his hand, he held a rather large handgun, aiming it at the crowd of cowering citizens and bank employees standing before him. The well-known evil and joyous glint was visible in his dark eyes through the black mask as he grinned wickedly.

"That's right...You BETTER cower! Unless of course you'd like to know what it feels like to be coughing up your intestines!" he threatened, finishing it with a cruel laugh which was cut short by the familiar jingle of his cell phone ringing in his jacket. Negaduck sneered snidely at the citizens as he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, "Hold that thought..!" he snickered as he held the phone up to his ear, "Y-ello?"

"Please come get me..." came the hushed and shaky voice of his daughter, the words barely being choked out. Negaduck paused momentarily, nearly dropping the phone as he fumbled to hold it back up to his face.

"Cel?? What are you...Hold on a second..." Negaduck growled as he turned back to the helpless victims, shouting at one in particular who was inconspicuously trying to sneak his way out the back door, "Hey! Did I say you could move yet, pal??" he barked, followed by a gunshot that could be heard over the phone, causing Celeste to flinch slightly until she heard his voice again, "Where are you? Are you at school?"

Celeste's voice began to break again as she struggled to get her words out, "Y-yeah...and...and they're here for me..." she was suddenly cut off by a fit of sobs, her pleads barely understandable through the tears, "You gotta come and get me, Dad! Before they take me away and I'll never see you again!"

Negaduck's eyes went wide. Even though he had no idea of whom she was referring to, he knew well enough from her tone that she was scared. "Whoa whoa whoa! Just calm down! I'll be there in ten minutes!"

"Just...please hurry..." Celeste begged one last time as she hung up her phone, picked up her backpack, then cautiously opened the door a crack to glance in both directions of the hallway for any sign of the two who claimed to be her parents. The echoing chime of the school-bell suddenly blared throughout the hall, followed by a flood of students exiting classrooms. Without a second thought, she jumped into the middle of the crowd to use as cover, gradually sneaking her way to the front door and bursting outside.

Negaduck in the meantime hung up his own phone, a look of pure concern on his face. She hadn't told him what was happening, but he knew he would find out soon enough. Reaching down, he picked up his prizes for robbing the bank, slung the bags of cash over his shoulder, and saluted to the citizens as he strutted towards the exit. "Sionara, suckers!"

*********

Within the promised ten minutes, the civilian-styled black motorcycle roared up to the front of the school. The rider was none other than Negaduck, only now his cape, fedora, and usual villain attire was replaced with a black crewneck shirt, his mask now also absent from his face. He was now dressed as his identity, Drake Mallard.

Not even bothering to shut off the engine, his took a quick glance at his watch, then no sooner than he looked back up again, he was suddenly pounced by a teenager, nearly causing them both to tumble backwards off of the bike.

"Dah!" Drake yelped as Celeste clung to him, fiercely sobbing into his chest. He took a firm grip on her shoulders and turned her to face him and try to keep her still, "Easy there, kiddo! Calm down! What happened??"

"They're here! They're gonna get me!" Celeste cried desperately, tightening her grip on his arms which caused him to slightly flinch.

Drake lifted his head up in alert, but seeing no one but several kids filing out for passing period, he glanced back down at her with a puzzled expression, "Uhh...who's gonna get you? If you say some sort of 'space invaders from Mars', then no more late night horror movies for you..."

"W-worse..." Celeste stammered in reply, quivering while choking out the next words in fright, "My parents..."

"You're...who?" Drake asked. As it suddenly fell into place, his eyes snapped open, looking from side to side, "Your PARENTS?? What are THEY doing here??"

"I don't know! But they want ME!" she cried hysterically, shaking her head, "And they've warped my principal's mind! She's on their side! Dad, I don't want to go with them!"

His eyes narrowed hatefully at the thought of the two, then gently pulled Celeste off of him, placing her on the motorcycle seat behind him, "Don't worry about it, Cel. Let me take you..." he began, but was cut off as the shouting of a giddy-sounding woman rises, then turns to see the suited woman along with her companion running towards them, waving her hands wildly.

"Oh Celeste! Darling hold on one bloomin' minute! You didn't even say goodbye, sweetums!" Darcy called as she and Laszlo approached the motorcycle. Drake let out a groan and rolled his eyes.

"Tell me that's not them..."

Celeste merely replied with a groan and a slight nod, "Yes..."

Darcy came to a stop beside the motorcycle with a huff to catch her breath with Laszlo closely behind her, "Just thought we'd get to say goodbye to you one last time before we..." she trailed off as she eyed Drake with a sweet smile, "Oh hello! I'm Darcy Laurel Tealwing, and this is my husband, Laszlo Ivan Tealwing! And you must be..?" she asked, holding out her hand for a friendly handshake.

The only reply she received was a grunt as Drake refused the handshake, "Drake Mallard...Celeste's FATHER..."

By now, Celeste had moved behind Drake, clutching his black shirt as if she was a helpless two year old again, her eyes wide with fear. Noticing this, Darcy narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand back, "I see..." Then, almost immediately, she put on her gaily smile once again, "Well, I guess this is goodbye then, Celeste...You sure you won't reconsider our offer...?"

"She's sure," Drake interjected, followed by a meek nod from Celeste behind him.

"Well, perhaps another time, eh ol' boy??" Laszlo quipped as he slapped Drake heartily on the back, causing him to gasp as the air is knocked out of him, then scowl over his shoulder. With a haughty grin, Laszlo then ruffled Celeste's hair, which earned him a threatening glare from Drake as he revved the engine loudly. The tires of the motorcycle screeched loudly on the pavement, then seconds later, the two were speeding away. As they disappeared into the distance, Darcy and Laszlo's expressions rapidly turned bitter.

"Hooligan..." Laszlo spat in disgust.

"Don't worry, Darling...We'll get her..." Darcy muttered with a sour tone, "We need her to secure our investments, and we're not going to let it slip away from us, again!" she declared, then smiled again, looping her arm with his, "Come along, Laszlo dear...We've got some planning to do..."

"Coming, Poopsey..." Laszlo replied lowly, the two of them walking over to their black luxury car, climbing inside, pulling away and disappearing in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Drake kept his eyes fixed on the road in front of him as he steered the motorcycle back to their fairly secluded civilian house. Since they had left the school, Celeste had not even loosened her grip in the slightest, as if she were a drowning victim clinging to a life preserver. Every few minutes, he would look over his shoulder and see her the same way each time: grasping onto him for dear life with her eyes shut, tears still leaving fresh, wet trails down her cheeks.

Shaking his head, he turned back around and concentrated on his driving until they finally pulled up to the fairly normal-looking house just on the outskirts of St. Canard. It was best that they had a non-suspicious living residence, but as Negaduck, he'd always insisted they were kept a fair distance from the public, and a close distance to his favorite hideout, which was not far.

The motorcycle came to a stop inside the garage, and Drake started to climb off until he was suddenly jerked back again. Celeste still insisted on not letting go.

"C'mon, kiddo..." he said as he took a hold of her hands, managing to pry her grip loose from the back of his shirt, and placed them around his neck. He cringed slightly as she tightly wrapped her arms around him, then lifted her off of the motorcycle and carried her into the house. With a swift kick, the door flew open and he moved through the house towards the living room, where he gently set Celeste down on the couch. As he straightened himself up and began to move away, Drake was suddenly yanked back by someone grabbing him frantically by the shirt, letting out a yelp and spinning back around.

"I won't go!! They'll never take me alive!!" Celeste cried out, her voice breaking into hysterics as she shook her head violently. She began to flail her arms defiantly, choking out sobs with each movement she made.

"Celeste!!" Drake snapped, sitting down on the couch to take a firm hold on her shoulders to keep her still, and turned her so she was looking right at him, "You need to calm down and listen to me! You're not going anywhere!" His sincere but fierce tone caused her to break down into tears once again, letting herself collapse forward into his arms, burying her face into his chest as he continued in his familiar threatening voice, "If ANYONE tries to take you, they're gonna have to answer to ME, got it??" he declared, then held her close to him in a protective manner, repeating in a more hushed volume, "You're not going anywhere..."

Still shaking, Celeste nodded once, trying to fight back her tears as she lifted her head and nuzzled his cheek, "I'm just so scared...I don't want to be separated from you again..."

"Don't be. It's not going to happen again if I can help it. If they even so much as come near you again, there will be Hell to pay..." he growled lowly.

There was a momentary pause until she lifted her head and stared up at him with pleading, sparkling eyes, "Promise..?"

Drake replied with a smile and nodded once, "I promise, kiddo..." He ruffled her hair with a smirk, then gave her a quick kiss on her forehead before getting to his feet, "Since you lucked outta class today, why don't you go get working on your homework?"

With a sniffle while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, Celeste nodding in agreement, the faintest smile now on her face as she picked up her backpack and headed up the stairs and into her room.

***********

Later that night, Negaduck was preparing to head out on his usual rounds of causing late-night chaos. He looked in the mirror, adjusting his red fedora on his head and grinning approvingly, "You sly devil, you…" he admired with a wink.

Just as he turned and headed towards the door, Negaduck paused by the stairs and looked up curiously. Celeste hadn't come out of her room all night, nor had she said anything. After a moment, he began to climb the staircase to the second floor of the house, then turned down the hallway and stopped in front of the closed bedroom door. He hesitated a few seconds before knocking lightly on the door, then slowly slid it open and peeked his head inside. Celeste was by her bedroom window, staring out with her back to the door and her shoulders slumped.

"Hey kiddo, lights out now, alright? It's getting late, and I'm about to head out for a couple hours…" Negaduck called softly, then paused, awaiting a reply. When he got none, he slowly moved his way across the bedroom and came up behind her with a concerned expression on his face, "Hey…you okay, Cel?"

When she finally found the words to reply with, they came out in a shaky, fearful whisper, not even turning to look at him, "Why did they have to come after me now? When I'm finally happy…Why can't they just leave me alone..?"

Negaduck looked down at her, a sense of sympathy in his eyes as he watched her wipe away a tear, "I honestly don't know, kiddo…I really don't know why they'd suddenly show up now, but…I think after today, they got the hint of just how much you don't want them in your life. I doubt they'll be showing their faces around here again."

She turned her head to look up at him, a hint of fear apparent in her big, hazel eyes, "I hope not…I hope they NEVER come back…" Celeste hissed sadly as she suddenly threw her arms around Negaduck, hugging him tightly and her tears beginning to dampen his yellow jacket.

"They won't…" he reassured, holding her protectively, "I'll be sure of that…" he added, then patted her on the back reassuringly, "Hey, everything's going to be okay, I promise…Now try to get some sleep, alright?"

Celeste nodded, then slowly moved out of his arms and over to her bed, climbing onto the blankets and up to the pillows as Negaduck moved around to the bedside. He pulled the blankets out from under her and drew them up to her chin, tucking them snuggly around her.

"So uhh..goodnight, kiddo…" he said before he turned and started for the bedroom door. But before he could get more than three feet away, Celeste's hand reached out and desperately grabbed the end of his black cape. When Negaduck turned back around with a puzzled expression, she was staring right back at him with pleading eyes.

"Will you sing to me? It always helps me when I can't sleep…" Celeste asked, her tone almost begging him. Taken aback by her request, Negaduck's eyes darted from side to side, a bit nervously.

"Uhh…You sure you don't just need a nightlight or something?" he asked. He rarely ever did this sort of thing in question; only when it was absolutely necessary.

"Please, Dad..?"

Negaduck let out a sigh and slouched his shoulders in defeat. The sincere, frightened look on his daughter was more than enough to make him give in. What did he have to lose? It wasn't as if he had to worry about it damaging his image, no one else was around to witness, anyways. And he hated seeing her scared, which rarely ever happened. With a nod, he moved back over to her bedside as she let go of his cape, "Alright, kid…"

He took a moment to ponder, before he looked right down at her and began in a deep, soothing voice that was completely opposite from his normal, well-known evil tone:

"There are two things I know for sure;

that she was sent here from heaven,

and she's Daddy's little girl.

With all that I've done wrong,

I must have done something right.

To deserve a hug each morning,

And butterfly kisses at night…"

The voice trailed off into a soft whisper as the lyrics ended before he leaned over, planting a quick kiss on her forehead, "Goodnight, Baby. Go to sleep…"

Celeste's eyes fluttered, slowly giving in to the pressure that sleep was putting upon her. Only now, there was a clearly visible smile on her face as she clutched the edge of the blanket, wrapping it tightly around her and turning over on her side with a yawn.

"I love you, Dad…" she whispered behind closed eyes, snuggling her head against the pillow. Negaduck reached out and rubbed her head soothingly before turning, heading towards the door and flipping off the light switch. He paused in the doorframe and looked back over his shoulder.

"Love you, too, kiddo…" With that said, he closed the door softly behind him and went to proceed with his usual night of inflicting terror on the city.

************

The next morning, Negaduck, now as Drake Mallard, lay on his bed, his arm hanging lazily off of the edge and his face buried into the pillow to block out the rising sun through the window. He had gotten in from committing his crimes only hours before, stripped out of his suit, mask, and cape, and had collapsed into his bed with nothing but his infamous skull and cross-bone boxers in hopes of sleeping in until at least noon.

But that was quickly shattered when there suddenly came a loud, repeated banging on the front door. The sudden racket caused Drake to yelp wide awake, jerking himself upward and getting tangled in the blankets. He landed to the hard wooden floor with a loud 'thunk!', and groaned as he picked himself up off of the floor. The clock on the nightstand read 10:16 AM in bright, glowing red numbers. 'Great…' he thought, rolling his eyes and grabbing his black robe off of the bedpost, tying it around his waist and not bothering to put on his mask. 'Who would be coming around at this time in the morning?' was the question in his head as he lazily descended the staircase towards the front door. 'Obviously someone with a death wish…'.

The pounding on the front door ensued, forcing Drake to cradle his head with one hand as each bang sent a throb through his head, "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" he barked as he reached out for the doorknob and reluctantly opened up the door. His eyes immediately shot open at the sight before him, the sleep now completely gone from his composure.

Outside, there were several police cars, complete with the dozens of officers scattered about the street and the front lawn. Standing directly in front of him were two people dressed in black business suits; one a man and one a woman. The man, being a rather large and brutish looking, spoke first in a gruff tone.

"Mr. Drake Mallard?"

Drake's eyes narrowed suspiciously, keeping his hand on the door and resisting the urge to slam it shut again, "Who wants to know?"

"I'm Devonshire with St. Canard Social Services, and this is Levinson," the man now identified as Devonshire informed, motioning to the woman standing beside him, who didn't even so much as twitch as he continued, "And I think we have a matter at hand we need to discuss with you."

"Are we correct that a one, Celeste Tealwing, is in your custody at this time, Mr. Mallard?" Levinson fired the question before he could so much as even get a word in. All the while, being awakened by the commotion outside, Celeste was crouched at the top of the stairs, staring down at the scene with confused and worried eyes. Drake glared forward at the two with narrowed eyes.

"That's Celeste MALLARD!" Drake snapped in correction, "And what does that have to do with anything??" he asked impatiently.

"We'll be perfectly blunt with you, Mr. Mallard," Devonshire replied sternly, "It has come to our attention that for the child's best interest, we are going to have to remove her from your care. We've had various reports of possible abuse and neglect towards the girl since she's been with you, and we can no longer stand by and let these acts continue. We're here to withdraw your parental rights."

Celeste cringed, letting out a small whimper as she stumbled backwards, trying to make herself invisible by pressing her back against the wall. Her body began to tremble, wanting to run away, but wanting to stay and find out what was going to happen with her. She peeked her head around the corner and down the stairs, watching while tears streamed down her face.

The words seemed to feel like a gun going off in his head as Drake's eyes shot open, "What?? You can't do that! I've never struck my kid in my life! There is NO way you're taking her out of this house!"

"We will have to insist that you cooperate, Mr. Mallard. If not, we will result in placing you under arrest," Devonshire informed.

"Take out your handcuffs, then!"

"Oh, well I don't have any handcuffs on me, but those gentlemen over there do…" the social worker responded, jerking a thumb over his shoulder to point at the officers waiting patiently for any orders.

Levinson then took a step forward and relayed in a calm voice, "We've already arranged for a replacement home for Celeste where she will be very well taken care of. But now, we must insist that she come with us."

Drake glared again in an icy manner and growled in an angry tone, "I don't know where she is."

"Mr. Mallard, if we have to, we will tear this place apart from top to bottom until we find her. This can be easy, or hard on the child. The decision is yours to make." Levinson instructed, now beginning to feel a bit impatient.

The threat caused Drake to just stare forward coldly, not being able to find any words to retaliate with. The long silence was suddenly broken by a meek voice coming from behind them.

"You leave my father alone. He's never raised a finger to me in my life…" Celeste spoke in a hushed tone as she slowly descended the stairs, looking down at them with wide eyes. The three of them at the door all turned to see the frightened child with a sense of sympathy in their expressions.

"Celeste, you stay back there..!" Drake instructed sternly, pointing at her and then turning back to the social workers.

Devonshire looked at Celeste from behind Drake with a somewhat sad expression on his face, "I'm afraid you are in no position to be taking sides, young lady," he said as he moved around Drake towards her, then reached out and took a hold of Celeste by one arm, "Now, come along…"

Celeste's eyes went wide as she felt his powerful hand close around her arm. A small, frightened gasp escaped her bill as she tried to pull herself free. "Let go..!" she pleaded, tugging at her arm. Devonshire pretended to ignore her begging, and proceeded to pull her towards the door, but stopped abruptly when a forceful hand took him roughly by the shoulder, jerking him backwards and causing him to lose his grip on Celeste's arm, letting her go.

"Don't….touch my kid…" Drake hissed dangerously in his trademark evil tone through narrowed eyes. Celeste looked up at him in agony, tears now running down her face.

The social worker stumbled backwards a step, taken aback by the duck's sudden hostile action. It was then that Levinson looked over her shoulder and gave a quick nod. This was the signal for the three officers standing just behind her to move in. they rushed forward and took a firm hold on Drake's shoulders, pulling him back and holding him in place.

"Hey! What the..?? What do you think you're doing??" Drake roared, struggling violently to break free as they keep him in place.

Devonshire then moved to Celeste again, taking her once more by the arm and pulling her towards the door, "Come along, now."

Celeste choked out a sob as she looked back at her father being held back, helpless. With wide, hazel eyes, she reached a hand out to him, "Daddy…"

The look bore into him. It cut through him like a knife, and pained him like a gunshot to the head. They were taking her away from him, and there was nothing at the moment he could do.

"Celeste!!" Drake shouted out, jerking his shoulders from side to side roughly and even launching himself into the air in jumps as an attempt to pull free, "Let me go, you knobs!!"

He watched as the social workers lead Celeste out to the black sedan parked on the street. The back door was opened and she was gently pushed inside, Devonshire closing the door behind her and moved to the front doors where he and Levinson took their owns seats. The car's engine sputtered to life, and the vehicle slowly rolled forward down the street. Celeste pressed her face against the window, staring back at the house where she could still see her father struggling with the officers.

"I love you…" she choked out through her tears.

"NO!!" As the car sped out of sight, Drake had managed to drag himself, along with the three police officers, out the front door and stopped. He sadly watched them disappear, freezing in shock as the officers finally released their grasp on him.

"And I have to warn you, Mr. Mallard," one of the officers spoke out, "If you come within the 100 yard restraining order, we WILL place you under arrest." With that warning, the officer nodded and turned away with the others, filing to their patrol cars and driving out of sight, leaving behind a stunned Drake Mallard.

As soon as the last of the cars were out of sight, the broken look on Drake's face slowly transformed into one of hatred, his eyes narrowing in a dangerous scowl, "We'll see about that…" he hissed, then spun around and stormed back into the house, slamming the front door shut behind him.

The car drove a few miles above the speed limit, but the ten minute drive seemed like hours to her. Celeste leaned against the door of the car, staring out the window blindly as the buildings passed. There were several thoughts cascading through her head. Why did they assume Negaduck was abusing her? WHO would make that accusation? What's going to happen to her now? Will she ever see him again..?

The car suddenly jerked to a stop in front of a large federal building, snapping Celeste out of her absent state of mind. The sound of the front door was heard as the two social service workers climbed out, then stepped around to open the back door for her. Levinson reached in and took a hold of her by the wrist, gently pulling her out of the back seat and onto her feet. Celeste reluctantly and grudgingly followed, her eyes downcast to the ground, staring at her feet as they trudged up the stairs and opened up the front doors.

"You can have a seat over there, " Levinson said, pointing to a row of leather seats against the wall, "Your new host family should be arriving any minute now. Wait here until they arrive.

Celeste grudgingly pulled her arm away, staring at her coldly before turning away. She trudged over to the wall and leaned against it, crossing her arms in front of her and shifting her gaze downwards to hide her tears from any who may be watching. Minutes later, Devonshire approached her with his arms folded behind his back, staring down at her.

"Your foster family is here. They're just finishing signing the papers, and…" he informed, but was cut off by another voice.

"Celeste! Darling!" the overly-sweet voice of Darcy shouted as she suddenly appear from around the corner, rushing towards her with outstretched arms and Laszlo directly in toll behind her.

Celeste cringed and backed up until she was cornered against the wall, "You have GOT to be kidding…"

"Oh don't be silly, sweetie. We simply heard about the ordeal between you and your 'father'," she replied, sympathetically shaking her head with soft eyes.

"Yes, we wouldn't have pinned him as being violent..." Laszlo interjected calmly with a certain sadistic tone in his voice as he continued, "So we decided to step up to the plate, and try again to be respectful parents to you."

"Ordeal??" Celeste interrupted angrily, her eyes narrowing into hateful slits as she stared right at them both, "What in the name of St Mary Francis are you talking about??? My father never so much as gave me a hostile LOOK!! If you think for one minute that you're going to make my father, my FATHER…" she paused for effect, glaring daggers at her biological father, "…out to be some sort of monster, you'll have to do it over my dead bloodless corpse...!"

By now, her feathers were bristling with rage, and her fists were clenched so tightly, that her nails began to make indentations in her palms. The usual sweet, innocent hazel eyes were now sparkling with an intense hate to match that of Negaduck's.

Darcy paused, now taken aback tremendously as she wrung her hands in front of her and nodded slowly in reply, "You're right, I apologize. We've only met him once, so we are in no position to judge anyone. But come along now, dear. Its time to start heading down a different road..." she finished, motioning an arm towards the front door.

"The only road I'm heading down is the one into Hell…which began with you two coming back into my life…" Celeste replied bitterly as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her worn jeans with a brooding look. Without even glancing in their direction, she stormed out in front of Darcy and Laszlo, her head tilted towards the ground.

As she trudged out of the building, Darcy passed her husband a triumphant grin. He winked in response, knowing that everything was beginning to fall into place in their favor. They then followed their daughter outside to where the luxurious black car was parked beside the sidewalk, awaiting its passengers. Laszlo took a few large strides to pass Celeste to the car and opened up the back door. With a huff, she grudgingly conceded and shoved herself into the back seat where she slouched down, folding her arms across her chest.

The car door slammed shut, and Laszlo and Darcy took their places in the front seats. The car revved to life and slowly jerked forward as they began to pull away down the road. But meanwhile, the familiar yellow, red, and black clad criminal was crouched atop the Social Service building, glaring down with watchful eyes as the car rolled away. The fedora was arched over his eyes, giving him an even more devious appearance as his cape flapped behind him.

"So…They're back again, eh..?" Negaduck growled lowly as he stood back up, "A deadly mistake on their part…" he seethed threateningly as he spun around with a dramatic sweep of his black cape, and stormed off in the other direction.

The car ride realistically only took fifteen minutes to travel just to the outskirts of St. Canard to where Tealwing Manor was located. Celeste remained slumped in the back seat with a stubborn expression, barely moving as she stared bitterly out the window at the passing scenery. She suddenly had the urge to be comforted, but with her current predicament, comfort was hard to come by. Reaching into her pockets, she desperately searched for anything familiar to help ease her rising discouragement. Nothing. Letting out a sigh, she leaned forward and placed her head in her hands, looking down at the floor of the car between her feet.

Something suddenly caught her eye as she was staring downward. Celeste reached up and touched the base of her neck, feeling the small, twisted gold chain resting around her neck. Moving her hand down, her fingers gently touched the tiny gold cross pendant dangling from her neck. With a smile, she held it gently in her hands. It was something that Negaduck had given her not long ago. And what made it all the more special to her was that it belonged to his mother.

The moment of reminisce ended abruptly as the car jerked to a stop, nearly knocking Celeste forward onto the floor, since she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt. She had been planning on jumping out of the car, but the locks on the doors had been activated. The sound of the front doors signaled as her parents climbed out of the car, and moved to the back door, opening it up for Celeste. The only reply they got from her was an agitated grunt as she stepped onto the cobblestone path. Looking up, she eyes the large, luxurious house that matched the two owners' looks along with their car. 'Great…it looks like the LAST thing they need around here is a teenager…' she thought to herself, rolling her eyes inwardly.

"And don't worry about your things," Darcy suddenly piped up from behind, "We bought you some new clothes and we've got your bedroom all set up for you. We'll be sure to get anything else you wanted transferred from your old house."

She and Laszlo stepped up beside Celeste, giving her a gentle ease forward to walk up to the front door. Laszlo pulled out his key ring that held several, fancy-looking keys, fumbling for the right one before sticking it into the lock and turning it. The 'click' that followed announced their permission to enter and he pushed to door open, revealing the spacious living space inside.

"Your room is upstairs, second room on the left," Laszlo informed, pointing up the large staircase with the cherrywood railing. Without a word, Celeste gruffly stormed up the stairs, her hands balled into fists as she turned the corner. When she reached the said door, she kicked it open, then intentionally slammed it behind her as hard as she could.

At the loud 'bang' echoing throughout the house, Darcy cringed, then sighed agitatedly, turning to Laszlo, "I'll go make sure she isn't trying to climb out the window…" she rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs. She turned the corner and stopped outside the closed bedroom door, then cautiously opened the door to Celeste's room, peering in. "Celeste, honey..?

"Do you think you could fit anymore pink in here?" came the bitter reply. Celeste scowled at the ruffled, pink bed and cheery wallpaper while hunched up in a corner with her knees pulled against her chest.

"Oh...well..." Darcy waved it away with a jewel-decorated hand, "That will not be a problem. We can always go out later and pick out something more to your liking that can help you get more comfortable."

She let out a shaky sigh and buried her face in her knees, "All I want is my father back…"

"I know…" Darcy responded gently, "but perhaps this is for the better. But it's not as if you'll never be able to see each other again. You will still get to visit."

Celeste's head suddenly snapped back up, tears now streaking down her cheeks as she glared at her mother, "Yeah, like I buy that. I suppose you're going to let my friends, my uncle, and my boyfriend all come over for tea, too? Pah…I'm not stupid," she said sarcastically with a scoff.

Ignoring the bitterness in her tone, Darcy merely played along, "I don't see a problem with that, honey. You…have a boyfriend? How nice!"

Clearly not buying her act, Celeste replied in a spiteful, accusing tone, "This is all over money…DON'T pretend you give a care about me! You two just want to keep me locked up like a china doll in a glided cage until you get some child support, or inheritance, or something! If that's what you're after, I'll give it to you! I don't want the money! I just want to go home!!!" she cried out, slamming her fist down on her knees.

"You are home, Celeste…" Darcy replied coldly, now beginning to drop her act with impatience.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Laszlo was sitting in a leather recliner, reading a copy of the St. Canard Times, which was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Niles! The door!" he shouted, not bringing his eyes from the paper. When the doorbell sounded again seconds later, he sighed in frustration and grumbled as he got to his feet, heading towards the door, "Useless butler…"

His hand reached out and turned the doorknob then grudgingly pulled the door open, not willing to cooperate with whoever was disturbing him at the moment. But when he looked out, to his surprise, there was no one there.

"Ruffian teenagers and their no good pranks…" Laszlo muttered as he rolled his eyes and shut the door. No sooner had it clicked shut again, he froze at the sound of the deep and dangerous, yet familiar voice behind him.

"Well, hello…'Dahling'...!"

Before he had the chance to turn around and face his attacker, Laszlo felt an intense pain at the back of his head as something heavy came crashing down on him. With a grunt, he collapsed to the floor onto his back, his eyes fluttering as he caught sight of the masked mallard standing over him before blacking out.

"You're wrong!" Celeste snapped from upstairs, pointing at Darcy defiantly with her eyes narrowed as she got to her feet, "I may be trapped here, but this will never be my home. And you two will NEVER be my parents! My father, my REAL father, will get me back somehow…" she claimed, crossing her arms in front of his chest.

"Well, you can believe whatever you want, Celeste. I'm not going to hold that against you..." she responded carelessly as she turns heads for the door with a smug grin.

Glaring daggers after her, Celeste added in a cold tone, "If this were the Negaverse, you'd be locked up for pulling this. Lord Negaduck would NEVER let you get away with it…"

At this threat, Darcy stopped and turned around with a light laugh, "'Lord Negaduck' disappeared over five years ago, and has recently been announced 'dead' back in the Negaverse. I'm afraid, there's not much he can do now…especially for a kid. We all know how he feels about people, let alone spoiled little children…" she informed snidely, then winked as she turned again and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

A loud growl escaped Celeste's throat as she picked up the porcelain vase from the nightstand beside her and hurled it at the door, it shattering with a loud crash, "He's NOT dead!! You'll see! You...you nasty old bag! You just enjoy seeing people suffer! I HATE YOU!!!!" she screamed loudly before collapsing forward onto the bed, pounding her fists into the frilled pink pillows as sobs escaped her bill.

Descending the stairs, Darcy just smiled triumphantly to herself. But when she reached the foot of the stairs she stopped as she notices the door wide open. With a careless shrug, she stepped over to the ajar door and placed her hand on it to close it, until she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Her eyes going wide at the small drops of blood spattered on the wooden floor.

"What…? Oh no…" she whispered fearfully to herself. Dashing into the living room, she found no sight of her husband aside from the newspaper being left scattered on the leather recliner. Laszlo??" she called frantically, darting from room to room, still not finding any sign of him and ending up back at the front door, "LASZLO?!?"

Looking back down at the floor, she followed the small trail of blood droplets outside, stepping out onto the cobblestone path. She didn't look back up until the heard the sound of a motorcycle engine revving, and caught a glimpse of her husband being hauled off on the back of a treacherous looking motorbike. Holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the quickly setting sun, she tried to get a look at the rider, which she was unsuccessful in achieving. "LASZLO!!"

Frantically, Darcy ran back inside and stormed up the stairs, bursting into Celeste's room and grabbing her by the wrist rather roughly, and pulling her to her feet, "Come on! There's been an emergency!" she spat, not bothering to explain as she yanked her towards the door.

Celeste attempted to pry her fingers off from around her wrist, her eyes burning with fiery rage and satisfaction, "GOOD!!"

Darcy retaliated by glowering down at her while continuing to pull her along outside and to the car, "You're coming along with me so I can make sure that you wont run off!" she hissed as she shoved the struggling teenager into the front passenger's seat of the car. Slamming the door shut, she hastily ran around the front of the vehicle and climbed into the driver's seat, locked the doors, then started the engine. The sun was rapidly setting, warning her to turn on her headlights as they sped away.

Laszlo groaned as the pounding pain in his head began to bring him back into consciousness. His eyes lazily fluttered open, and he had to squint to help his blurred vision to clear faster. Something warm was running down the side of his face, and when he tried to slowly lift a hand to feel what it was, he found that he was tied and bound to an old chair. But he didn't need to feel what it was that was quickly dampening the feathers on his face. The thick, and still flowing red liquid dripped down in front of his eyes. The blow he had taken to the head earlier had caused a small split in the back of his head.

"Bloody Hell…" he muttered in a raspy voice, "this was my good suit…" His vision now cleared, he glanced around at his surroundings. A large dark room, with old crates and boxes scattered about. Apparently whoever had abducted him had dragged him to an old abandoned building which was due to go through renovations. There were only a few windows in the large room, and looking out through the dusty glass, he could tell that night had fallen. The only light shining in was from the lights of the city, along with the rhythmic flashing of red and blue lights. Police cars. Laszlo had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he slowly began to realize that he was in the middle of a crime scene.

"Well well well…" came the growling voice that he heard just before he was rendered unconscious, "Sleeping Ugly has finally decided to wake and keep me company…"

Not yet finding the source of the voice in the dark room, Laszlo painstakingly snapped his head from side to side, looking for his apprehender. At first, he had thought and hoped that he had only heard the voice in his head due to the strong blow he had taken before. But he was proven wrong when he spotted the dark outline of a caped figure standing at one of the windows, his back to him and staring out the window at the rapidly gathering cops and citizens below.

"Listen sir, I don't know just who you are, but..." Laszlo said, dismissing the insult inflicted on him just moments before and shifting his shoulders in his captured state, "I'm sure you're quite a reasonable man. If you will just untie my hands, I can get to my wallet. Will you take a check, or would you prefer cash?"

This offer only got him an amused laugh in return from the figure at the window, who has still not yet turned around from the window where he has been enojying the audience gathering below, "Just what kind of sap do you take me for, ya fancy-pants fop??" There was a short pause which was cut short by a chillingly low chuckle, "It's not your money that I want..."

The sinister laugh forced Laszlo to gulp his confidence down as he desperately tried to think of what to try next. He still did not know just who this was before him, but something told him he was not one to be trifled with. And something seemed to chip away in the back of his head about this person.

"Well I'm...I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement!" Laszlo stammered, grinning sheepishly with a nervous laugh, "I've also run several business corporations, and...Hey, you sound familiar..." he finally stated, tilting his head curiously.

Another snide laugh came from the window, "Well, I guess you can say that we've met on occasion...Even in another universe, perhaps..." he added in a growl, finally turning around and allowing the lights from outside to reveal his image, the menacing grin on his face.

"L...Lord Negaduck??" Laszlo gasped between stutters, his eyes going wide with fear. Being from the Negaverse, along with his wife and their biological daughter, they had lived under the iron fist and rule of this notorious criminal ever since he had claimed the title of ruler for himself. It was a known fact that every citizen in the Negaverse were to fear its king, and that king was Negaduck.

"You were expecting Donald Duck?" Negaduck replied snidely as he suavely brushed his silken cape over his shoulders and took a few steps threateningly towards his helpless victim.

"But...You're supposed to be dead! Ever since that look-alike of yours crossed over into the Negaverse and...'overthrew' your position..." he said, a bit hesitant about the last part of his sentence, knowing that it would strike a nerve with the short tempered mallard.

Negaduck smirked with amusement, folding his arms in front of him and tilting his head forward, "Dead? Hardly...This run-down city isn't lucky enough for that. I DISAPPEARED for five years when the portal collapsed, yes. But DIED?" he paused to chuckle maliciously with a wide grin, "I do believe I'm VERY much alive tonight..."

The laugh and the grin sent a shiver up Laszlo's spine. He wanted to desperately turn his head away from the piercing glance, but it seemed to hold his eyes as if it were hypnotizing. He thrust his shoulders forward, weakly attempting to free himself again, but it was hopeless. With a sigh, he let his shoulders slump in defeat.

"But there's ONE thing I still don't get..." Negaduck suddenly broke the silence with the question, staring right at Laszlo, "Just HOW did you two get here from the Negaverse? Portals aren't as plentiful as some would hope..."

"It was through one of SHUSH's inventions…" Laszlo admitted in a drowsy tone, knowing that if he wanted to live for a few more minutes, he'd better concede with whatever Negaduck wished, "It was a sort of portal jumper we had heard about in the newspaper. If it actually worked was just a rumor, but after we had heard of it working successfully on our daughter, which transferred her here, we bought out the invention from SHUSH. After testing it out ourselves, we got here."

There was a long eerie silence as neither of them moved, but Negaduck just kept his gaze fixated on Laszlo as if trying to decide between the dozens of options on how to make him suffer. The silence was beginning to make Laszlo feel extremely uneasy and nervous as he stared back at him with a hopeful expression.

"Please, just tell me what you want," he practically pleaded, his voice breaking every few words, "I've got money, businesses…You just name it, and it is yours!"

"What do 'I' want..?" Negaduck responded, his voice coming out in a low growl as he slowly stalked forward towards the man tied to a chair, his eyes narrowing further with each step, "What do 'I' want?? I'll tell you what I want..!" he snapped, stopping just inches away from Laszlo before grabbing the ropes that held him and roughly pulling forward, bringing their bills just barely apart. An intense rage was gleaming in his eyes as he seethed hatefully, his words dripping with venom, "I want my daughter back, you son of a bitch...!"

It was then that it had finally struck Laszlo. As he stared into the dark abyss of Negaduck's eyes, he realized just where else he had met this duck before, "You're..You're Drake Mallard…!"

"Yeah, but keep it under your hat…!" he hissed as he roughly let him go, sending him thumping back against the chair once again, "Although I don't think I will have to worry about you spilling it to anyone else, considering you most likely won't make it out of here alive…" he added as he pulled a handgun out of his yellow suit and began to load the bullet carousel.

"You…You're going to KILL me..?" Laszlo stuttered fearfully, his usual suave exterior now finally betraying him.

Negaduck grinned again as he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "That all depends if everything goes according to plan tonight. You see, the way I see it played out is like this…" he grinned as he bent down beside Laszlo, slinging an arm around his shoulder in a buddy-like manner as he enthusiastically explained the layout of his plan with a motion of his other arm, "Old Mrs. Laszlo comes downstairs to find her beloved husband missing, complete with a nice little blood trail as an explanation of just what might have happened to him. Then, when her curiosity overcomes her, she steps outside as she hears the sound of a motorcycle speeding away. And who else but Mr. Laszlo himself is seen being kidnapped by Public Enemy #1. I've got the cops outside, I've got the headlines on the news. What more do I need for her to find me?" he stated with a satisfied grin.

"But…what does that have to do with holding ME hostage?"

"Here's the deal," Negaduck replied, giving him a light smack upside the head and circling him around the side to stand in front of him once again, "I'm a compassionate criminal when I want to be, and I'm gonna make it easy on both of you. She just has to choose…either Celeste,or you…And if she's smart, she'll realize just what's more important between a mere sum of cash or her soulmate."

Laszlo had a look on sincere puzzlement on his face, "What are you talking about, 'a mere sum of cash'?"

With an agitated sigh, Negaduck rolled his eyes, "I may be a criminal, but I'm NOT stupid. Don't think that I don't know about your little game you two are playing with the kid. Unless you want to see just how artistic I can be with your insides, I suggest admitting to your little scheme concerning a certain 'settlement' that can only be 'settled' with the custody of a biological child..."

Taking in a deep breath before responding, Laszlo nodded once, "Yes, it's true. We thought we'd be better off financially without a child in our lives, and happier. So we dropped the child off while she was still young before she could get attached to us as a real family."

Negaduck just stared at him coldly before turning away with a grunt, taking a few steps away from him, "You disgust me..."

"Yes, it even disgusts me when I think about it at times. But what's been done has been done. There's no changing the past..." Laszlo began, but stopped himself as he noticed Negaduck clicking back the hammer of his gun, his eyes going wide, "And I told you what you wanted to know...Just please...don't torture me..!"

"Torture you?" Negaduck asked, tilting his head as he looked over his shoulder at him, a slight gleam of pleasure in his eyes, "That's a good idea, I like that..."

Darcy had the gas pedal to the metal as the car zoomed down the now dark streets of St. Canard. The streetlights were just beginning to come on, and she was actually surprised that a cop hadn't pulled her over yet for her reckless driving. But she found out why when she turned on the radio in hopes of any leads on her abducted husband as she scanned the side streets for any signs. An announcement had been broadcasted just as she turned on the radio to be rid of the silence in the car, since neither she nor Celeste had said a word to each other. The urgent bulletin was informing the city of a hostage situation taking place on the corner of 3rd and Feather.

With a slight twinge of hope, Darcy turned down a street on the left, heading straight for the said location. No sooner had she turned a corner when she forced to slam on the breaks to prevent plowing right into a crowd of gathered people gawking up at an old building. There were also dozens of patrol cars scattered about with uniformed officers hurrying about. Darcy quickly pulled herself out of the car, hurried to the other side, then reached in and grabbed Celeste, yanking her roughly out of the car, "Come on!"

"Alright, alright!" Celeste responded gruffly, purposely dragging her feet as she's pulled along, "I can WALK, you know..!"

Darcy ignored her snide remarks and hustled through the crowd, looking for anyone who could inform her of what was transpiring. Finally spotting a group of cops, she hustled over to the nearest officer, who was conversing with another and looking up at the building, "What's going on??"

The officer didn't bother looking at her and just kept looking up at the building with a professional expression, "We've got Negaduck up there holding a hostage. Apparently, we didn't see this one coming; it was a spontaneous action. The hostage is a male in his late thirties, well dressed in a suit, goatee..."

"That's Laszlo! My husband!" she replied in a panicked tone, "He was suddenly missing earlier and...Wait, did you say 'Negaduck..??"

As if it was a stupid question, the officer rolled his eyes and nodded before returning to the crowd, ushering the stray civilians back onto the sidewalk. Darcy merely stared up at the building with wide, bewildered eyes.

"Told you so..." Celeste quipped with a grin.

"You keep quiet!" she snapped back, glaring down at her for a long moment before returning her gaze back up to the building, her expression being both that of worry and hate.

There were various gasps from the crowd as a cloud of blue smoke suddenly appeared in the center of the street directly in front of the building, announcing the arrival of the city's resident crimefighter, "I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the thorn in the paw of crime! I...am Darkwiiiiing Duck!!" he declared dramatically with a flash his cape. He put on a smug grin as a few flashbulbs went off in his direction, then strolled over to the chief of police, beginning to converse with him about the details of what is going on.

The familiar voice that was just a tenor higher than that of Negaduck's caused Celeste to perk her head up, looking around anxiously. She spotted Darkwing over by the group of officers and hurried over to him while Darcy was busy gawking, "Darkwing!!"

"Huh??" Darkwing responded as he spun around in surprise, looking around for the source of the voice that had just called his name. He then looked down with surprise as he recognized Celeste standing in front of him, "Celeste?? Err...ahem! Hello there, little lady! Want an autograph?? Come right over here...!" he attempted to cover up casually. He ushered her over to a non-crowded area where they wouldn't be noticed and bent down to whisper to her, "What are you doing here, little missy?? This is a crime scene!"

"What am I doing here?? Trying to get away from HER!" she answered, nodding to her mother. She suddenly began to tremble, then jumped forward, latching onto him in a firm hug, "My parents are here for me! Don't let them take me back, Uncle Drake! That's why Dad's doing this, he's trying to save me! Please don't let them take me back! I'll never see any of you again!!" she pleaded, still clutching his purple jacket desperately.

Darkwing's eyes went wide in dumbfounded shock as she clung to him, shifting his eyes to the left, then to the right to make sure no one was directly watching them, "Eheh...That's 'Darkwing' in public, kiddo. And well, umm...Wait a minute, your PARENTS? As in your BIOLOGICAL parents??"

She nodded once in reply, still visibly shaking, "They got the police convinced that Dad was abusing me so they could take me away...They're just after some money or something. So my dad took him...my biological father..to make them give me back!" she paused, then tilted her head to look right up into his eyes with her own teary ones, "You know he'd never hurt me, you know it. Please help me...please help him get me home again!"

"Errr...well..." Darkwing began to reply with a cringe, looking from Celeste, to Darcy who was gazing up at the building frantically, then looked up at the building himself, "My job is to get justice done, kiddo...even if that means getting a convicted felon his daughter back..." he answered with a slight smile.

Celeste looked up at him with large, hopeful eyes as she smiled widely. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave him a quick, grateful hug and whispered, 'Thank you so much..."

He chuckled in reply as he gave her a light pat on the head, then looked at her sincerely, "I can't make any promises though, kiddo. Although I WILL do my best..." With that said, he turned and strutted off through the crowd, "Make way! Once side! Hero coming through!"

As he walked away, Celeste sniffled with a slight smile and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. If there was anyone else she could trust aside from her father, it was Darkwing Duck, her chosen uncle.

"Everyone outta my way!" Darkwing ordered as he attempted to shove himself through the crowd towards the building, "Darkwing Duck is here to save the...GACK!" he suddenly yelped as he was yanked back by the cape, "Hey! What's the big idea??" he seethed, turning around to glare into the angry eyes of Darcy.

"You! Get up there and find out what that yellow-jacketed jerk is doing with my husband and what he wants!" she ordered, shoving a finger in his bill to make her point.

Darkwing scoffed and pried her fingers from his cape, "Hey, easy on the cape, lady! I'm going to...Hey, you're Celeste's mother, aren't you?"

Impatiently, she nodded with a scowl, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything??"

A dark scowl suddenly spread across Darkwing's face, "Apparently it has to do with EVERYTHING...That criminal up there is holding your husband hostage in exchange to get his daughter back!" he informed, pointing up at the building.

"What are you talking about??" Darcy asked, clearly perplexed. The only response she received was him pointing at Celeste, giving her a reassuring nod, then angrily storming towards the building.

When the pieces finally began to fall into place, Darcy's eyes went wide before narrowing into a glare towards the building, then turned her glance at Celeste, "Your 'father' was Negaduck the whole time??"

She shrugged innocently, "What, did I forget to mention that? Silly me..."

A scoff escape Darcy's delicate bill as she rolled her eyes, "I see how it is...he needs something to boost his image on the side of justice, so he adopts a kid. Typical use..."

The comment only succeeded in making Celeste's eyes flare up in rage, clenching her fists angrily, "That's not true! He loves me!"

"Even if it is true, it just goes to show that at least ONE person does..!" Darcy shot back with a glare, rubbing the words in like salt in a wound.

Celeste glared right back, leaning forward challengingly, "It IS true! I'm his little girl, and he's my father. And NO ONE is going to take that away from us!"

Her mother merely scoffed, "We shall see about that..." she hissed, turning away and storming off into the crowd. Seconds later, she was out of sight, and Celeste took this opportunity. Without a second though, she sneaked across the police lines and darted for the building.

Negaduck circled Laszlo like a vulture. The victim's face already bore several bruises, cuts, and blood trails from the intense beatings that were being inflicted upon him. The criminal stopped directly in front of him, with his arms folded behind his back. He waited until Laszlo weakly lifted his head before he delivered another swift blow to the right side of his face with the butt end of his gun.

Laszlo let out a loud grunt, his head snapping to the side and falling limply onto his shoulder. After a moment, he moaned weakly, "Will you just get it over with..? It's bad enough I have to live to see this $500 suit get blood stains on it..."

With a cruel laugh, Negaduck lifted his gun and cocked it loudly, "Well, if you insist..." He grinned and lifted the gun in his hand, taking aim for the center of Laszlo's forehead, "Any last requests...?"

"Actually yes. There is a...question I'd like to ask you," Laszlo replied, lifting his head up with glaring eyes to stare into him with, "Just WHY did you take the girl in? I know as well as everyone else that you hate everything with any value whatsoever, especially kids. Why would you want to adopt a spirited brat like her?"

Even though his expression never faltered, Negaduck's tone seemed to slightly change as he slowly answered, "Because that kid saved me from Hell. She made me realize that I could look after someone else besides myself. Apparently, you and your 'wife' weren't up for that task..." he finished with a scoff.

"We never meant to have a kid!" Laszlo retaliated bitterly, "We both decided that we DIDN'T want any children! But she was a mistake that we hadn't planned on!"

"The kid showed up in the sidecar of my motorcycle one day! You think I planned on that?? Sure, at first I figured she was just another tiny terror that the city would be better off without, but over time, I grew fond of her. So now my plans have changed..." Negaduck seethed.

Laszlo tried to stifle a laugh, which earned him a deadly glare from Negaduck. "YOUR plans have changed? Which plans are those? Committing crimes? Causing chaos? Murdering the innocent?"

"Of course not! Perish the thought! Celeste has no problem with my lifestyle. What I meant by 'plans' was that..now I'm not just looking out for my own tailfeathers."

"For some reason..." Laszlo began, then paused before finishing his sentence, "I find it hard to believe that the infamous Negaduck could care about anyone else but himself."

Now growing impatient, Negaduck clenched his teeth, letting out a low growl, "It doesn't matter what YOU believe, because YOU'RE the one who's going to be buried in the ground by this time tomorrow..." he raged, raising his gun once more.

Fear getting the better of him, Laszlo's eyes shot wide open as he was coming closer and closer to death, "Hey wait a minute...Maybe I was wrong! Can't we just...you know, talk about this a little more? Two guys? I'm sure we can come to a reasonable resolution, because you and I are the same in a lot of ways..!" he begged, but was cut off by the snide laughter.

"Ha! The same?? I don't think so, pal..." Negaduck replied coolly, keeping his aim accurate, "Because you see...unlike YOU...I would die for that kid just so she wouldn't have to feel one ounce of pain..." he snarled as he slowly began to pull the trigger, "Say hello to Satan for me..."

Laszlo squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the exploding sound of the gunshot being fire followed by the surging pain in his head before he'd stop breathing. But to his surprise, it never came. Instead, he heard the famous intro line of the known hero.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the...!" Darkwing began to announce proudly as his cloud of blue smoke billowed around him, but was stopped as a bullet came tearing through the air and piercing the wall to his right, just inches away from his face. With an agitated scowl, he turned to Negaduck, who was holding the smoking gun, "Could you at least wait until AFTER I finish my intro before you shoot at me??"

"What? You mean you had something new?" Negaduck sneered as he pointed the gun to the back of Laszlo's head, "Now scram, Duck! I'm busy working here!"

"Sorry, Neggers! No can do!" Darkwing replied cheerily just to annoy his nemesis, "There's no way I'm gonna stand here and let you blow this citizen's brains out, no matter how much of a louse he may be..." he added, getting a cold stare from Lazlo in return for his last remark.

Negaduck sighed and rolled his eyes, "Do you mind?? You're ruining my concentration! I need to aim just right in order to make it the most painful experience he'll ever have..."

"Yes, I DO mind!" Darkwing protested, folding his arms in front of him, "If you kill him, then I have no choice but to take you in for murder, Negaduck!"

"Do you have ANY idea what they're making me do??" his devilish double seethed, shoving the gun against Laszlo's head, who flinched in response.

Darkwing took a step forward at his action, but stopped as he heard the gun's hammer click back, "Negaduck, you're even more insane than I make you out to be! Just what are you accomplishing by this?? Think about Celeste!"

Negaduck suddenly froze, staring at Darkwing with cold, hateful eyes and keeping his gun pressed to his victim's head, "She told you what's going on, I take it...?"

He nodded in reply and spoke in a calm voice, "She told me what's going on. And you know that, for her sake, you don't want to do this."

"I DON'T?!?!" Negaduck snapped back in a fiery rage, leaning his face forward so that his head was right beside Laszlo's and glaring out at Darkwing, "I'm Public Enemy #1, Dorkwing!! I've robbed banks! I cause unnecessary pain and suffering! I have a hit list longer than the Great Wall of China! WHAT'S....ONE....MORE?!?!?!" he shouted angrily, shoving the gun against Laszlo's head with his teeth bared and his eyes flaring.

"I know you're thinking this is the best way to go, Negaduck, but that little villain running around loose in your head as been running around for far too long! You may not agree with ME of all people, but I'll tell ya this, Negs...What you're doing is NOT helping..." he said, crossing his arms and awaiting Negaduck's retaliation.

Surprisingly to everyone in the room, including Negaduck himself, no snide retaliation came. There was a long moment of silence, aside from the crowds murmuring outside and the red and blue police lights flashing in through the window as if to remind Negaduck of what he's doing. Darkwing's words kept getting tossed back and forth in his head. They DID hold a lot to sense to them, but he was NEGADUCK. He didn't live by morals like his positive counterpart did. And above all...he wanted his daughter back. And was willing to do anything to get her back.

Negaduck suddenly shook his head violently, unaware that his expression had gone soft over the past few minutes. His eyes narrowed once again hatefully as he stared at Darkwing defiantly.

"Look Darkwing...This guy is USELESS..." he said, motioning to Laszlo, who had been remaining motionless for the past few minutes out of fear, "Think of it as one less person to have to 'protect'. All he can do is just pray for a painless death...Which he isn't gonna get..!" Negaduck growled as he began to pull the trigger.

"Negaduck! Stop!!" Darkwing shouted as he began to rush forward. Negaduck let out a maniacal laughter as Laszlo squeezed his eyes shut, every muscle in his body tensing up.

"Sianara, sucker..! Yahahaha...!!"

"Dad?!?!"

Negaduck's laughter stopped as suddenly as it began, his finger immediately snapping off of the trigger. Darkwing skidded to a halt and Laszlo slowly opened his eyes, glancing around, confused. The three of them remained silent and not moving, shifting their gazes upward and listening to see if they were just hearing voices from the crowds outside.

"Dad?? Are you up here???"

His bottom jaw dropped as he slowly pulled the gun away from Laszlo's head, straining his hearing for which direction the familiar voice was coming from, "Celeste??"

"Dad!! I'm out here!" came the response from one of the side windows. Negaduck hurriedly rushed over to the window as Darkwing appeared at Laszlo's side, slowly taking his time at untying him. With a grunt, Negaduck thrust the sliding window upwards and stuck his head out, looking in every direction.

"Where?? Celeste, where are you?" he called out.

"Right here!"

Negaduck turned his head upward and saw the familiar face with the head of auburn hair peeking over the edge of the building's roof. She looked down excitedly and waved down to him, which earned a sly grin from him in return, "Come on down here, kiddo!"

"Here I come!" Celeste shouted back before swinging one leg over the side, then the other. She held onto the edge of the building for a few seconds before giving herself a light push away, dropping straight down for the window. Negaduck reached out his arms and caught her, the momentum of her fall causing him to stumble a few steps backwards and back into the room.

They both laughed as Celeste wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She buried her face into his chest, her tears streaming down her cheeks. Negaduck brushed his fingers through her hair in a comforting manner and whispered lowly, "Shh..it's okay now, kiddo...I promised everything would be alright, didn't I?"

All the while, Darkwing was leaning against the chair Laszlo was tied to with a smug smile while Laszlo sneered in disgust, "Idiotic sentiment..." he scoffed, which swiftly earned him a knock to the head from behind. With a yelp, he turned his head and glared behind himself at Darkwing, who was turned away and whistling innocently.

"I was so scared I'd never see you again..." Celeste whispered, not even loosening her grasp on him for a second. She choked on her sobs as the tears poured from her eyes like waterfalls as they began to dampen his yellow jacket.

"Take it easy, Cel..." Negaduck comforted, holding her against him protectively, "You won't have to worry about those two anymore..." he added with a growl, glaring daggers in Laszlo's direction.

The sound of someone clearing their throat was followed by Darkwing's voice, "As much as I'd like to witness my arch enemy in a scene that could ruin his reputation, I think it's time for you two to make a quick, 'unnoticed-by-the-hero' escape before the cops decide to rain on my glamour parade."

Celeste passed Darkwing a grateful smile, still pressing herself against her father as he smiled with a wink back at her. She heaved her shoulders as she let out a deep sigh, then looked up at Negaduck happily, "Take me home, Daddy..."

With a nod, Negaduck gently pulled her out of his hold and placed her on her own feet beside him. Immediately, she slipped her hand into his, and he couldn't help but smile down at her softly, "Right, kiddo...Let's scram."

As they headed towards the far window where they would climb out, and safely away from the crime scene, Negaduck stared hard at Darkwing as he continued to untie Laszlo, as if he was trying to analyze just what had overcome the crimefighter just minutes before. It was strange to him, because Darkwing NEVER passed up the opportunity to apprehend him. Not only did it get him thrown in the slammer, but the hero always loved getting the attention and admiration from the city whenever he put Negaduck in jail.

But why was he doing this for him now? Even though Negaduck may not have known it, Darkwing did care for Celeste. Just as she had chosen him as her non-blooded uncle, he had vow to himself to look after the kid whenever he could, considering that her father was the most notorious criminal in the city.

Regardless, the pieces slowly began to fall into place as they headed towards the window, and Negaduck passed Darkwing the slightest grin in his well-known malevolent way. But there was a flash of something in his eyes, which went along with that glance that Darkwing noticed immediately. Gratitude. In return, he nodded once, followed by Negaduck turning his back on him once again.

"Okay Cel, hop up there..." Negaduck instructed, pointing at the window, "And we'll be outta here..."

"You're not going anywhere..!" a feminine voice interrupted.

The two at the window spun to face the door, as well as Darkwing and Laszlo. In the doorway, Darcy stood defiantly with her arms folded stubbornly across her chest and her eyes narrowed. With an aggravated sigh, Darkwing rolled his eyes.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Congeniality..." he groaned. Laslzo looked helplessly over at his wife, a hopeful look in his eyes.

The look present in Darcy's eyes wasn't one that anyone had seen before, and it had a threatening air to it. Negaduck glared right back at her. "You're too late, wench. There's your husband.." he nodded over to the chair where the beaten Laszlo was being held captive, "He may be a little bruised and broken, but he'll live. Now, take him and get back to the slime-hole you crawled out of, known as the Negaverse..."

Her eyes fell on her husband, filled with sympathy and intense rage. She then turned back to Negaduck and took a step forward defiantly. "I'm not through with you yet, 'Lord Negaduck'..!" she seethed threateningly.

The action caused Negaduck to stare back her, his glance so cold that it would have made Hell freeze over. He began to take a step forward, but was gently pulled back by his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Celeste gripping his sleeve and staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes. Gently, he reached down and unwrapped her fingers from around his jacket and continued to step forward, not stopping until only a few inches separated him from Darcy, the two passing each other piercing glares.

"I'm giving you one last chance to turn around and hustle your fancy-dressed self out that door...And don't assume I'm going to be generous enough to give you another one if you pass this one up..." Negaduck growled through clenched teeth.

Darcy scoffed grudgingly and stared down at him, considering he was a good deal shorter than she. "Don't be absurd...If you so much as fire a shot at me, you'll be thrown back into that prison cell also known as your second home...I doubt you will be able to do much bonding with your 'daughter' in there..." she sneered, emphasizing the word 'daughter' with sarcasm.

"Back off, wench!" Celeste suddenly snarled as she began to roll up her sleeves and storm towards the two, but then stopped in her tracks as Negaduck barked the order at her.

"Celeste! You stay back there..!" he snapped, holding a hand out behind him, motioning for her to stop.

"Hey Cel, come over here, kiddo..." Darkwing urged, waving a hand for her to come to him. He saw a look in Negaduck's eyes that was all too familiar to him...It was that insane, homicidal gleam. And Darkwing couldn't risk Celeste getting hurt, for her own sake. Obediently, she slowly trudged over to Darkwing's side, not taking her narrowed eyes off of Darcy for a moment. When she reached his side, he protectively put his hands on her shoulders to hold her back, keeping his own eyes on the pair, should he have to react to anything if one of them suddenly lashed out at the other.

"You think I won't...?" Negaduck provoked in a low growl. "Let me make a suggestion to you simple-minded saps...I suggest you return to where I won't have to come across you again, for our own benefit if not mine. The next time we meet...one of us will DIE..." he hissed in her face.

Darcy didn't even flinch at the threat, but just glared back at him coldly. After a stare-down that lasted several drawn out seconds, Negaduck sneered once more before spinning with a dramatic flare of his cape and waved at Celeste to come. "Let's go, kiddo..!"

She nodded and Darkwing reluctantly let go of her shoulders, sighing in relief. He shook his head and once again worked on untying the tightly bound man from the chair. But he suddenly stopped as he heard a cruel laugh, this time not belonging to Negaduck, but to a female.

"There won't be a 'next time'..!" Darcy hissed. In a quick flash, she reached into her suit jacket and pulled out a small revolver. With a swift movement, she raised it to aim at Negaduck's back and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet screeching through the air before anyone else had a chance to react.

Darkwing's eyes went wide as he quickly searched for where the bullet had finally come to a stop. He didn't get his answer until he saw Negaduck suddenly jerk around, as if some invisible force had grabbed his shoulder and violently thrust him around as he let out a loud gasp. The villain stumbled backwards, reaching his hands behind him to grab onto the window ledge, slumping against it.

"DAD!!!" Celeste shrieked and rushed forward just as Darkwing pounced in the other direction, knocking Darcy roughly to the ground and pinning her down.

"Get off of me, you purple blanketed yutz!!" she shrieked as the gun slid from her hand and across the floor. She tried to slap out a hand to strike him across the face, but Darkwing was prepared for it, and swiftly grabbed her wrist in mid air.

"I don't think so! Tsk tsk tsk...Such a temper!" Darkwing commented snidely as he fiercely grabbed her wrists and pulled her to her feet. She merely grunted in protest, realizing that he had gotten the upper hand of her. As he held her tightly, Darkwing caught sight of a folded piece of paper sticking out from the breast pocket of her suit. "And what have we here...?"

Curiously, Darkwing unfolded the paper, which had been printed professionally and had several signatures on it. After reading it over, his bill curved into a satisfied grin, "Well well...Looks as if I get to bring you BOTH in on attempted murder, fraud, AND embezzlement!"

Both Darcy and Laszlo grunted in defeat as Darkwing snapped a pair of handcuffs onto Darcy, holding her hands behind her back, "Yep yep yep! Another couple of corrupted criminals, their crimes cracked by that courageous crime-fighter, Darkwiiiiing Duck!" he stated proudly with a smug grin. But his triumphant stature suddenly fell as he glanced over at where he had last seen his enemy stagger.

Negaduck panted as Celeste suddenly appeared at his side, trying to help him support himself on his feet. He waved it away as he slowly straightened himself up with her assistance, leaning against the wall.

"Dad?? Dad, please tell me you're alright..!" she pleaded, staring up at him. She couldn't see any sign of blood on him, but his weak composure was trying to convince her otherwise.

In reply, Negaduck just laughed in amusement, grinning snidely back at Darcy, who was curiously watching him with her arms cuffed behind her back. Her eyes narrowed at him bitterly, it appearing that her plan had failed.

"Ha..! You shoot like a woman..." Negaduck spat the insult at her with a grin, followed by another mocking laugh. Celeste sighed in relief and wrapped her arms around his chest, hugging him tightly and pressing her cheek against his side.

Negaduck flinched slightly, and she seemed to suddenly stop breathing as her face slowly fell into an expression of shock and fright. She felt something warm running down over her hands that were concealed behind his back, and carefully removed her arms from around him. Celeste's eyes went wide as she held up her now blood-covered hands, shaking her head as she stared and whispered, "No...!"

"Whoa..." Negaduck grunted with discomfort as he swayed, leaning back against the wall. He stared back at Darcy, bewildered. "Good shot..." he groaned before slowly sliding down against the wall to the floor in a slumped position.

"No, Dad!" Celeste cried, collapsing to her knees beside him. She quickly, but gently slid her bloodstained hands under his head and slowly cradled him in her arms, holding his head in her lap.

Darkwing had been watching closely, and now seeing the blood on her hands, he quickly pulled out the small concealed radio that had been hidden in his jacket and called into it impatiently, "I need you to get your boys up here, NOW! The criminals have been apprehended and we've got an injury!" he snapped before redirecting his attention to Darcy, who seemed to have a disgustingly satisfied grin on her face. "I hope you're happy now..." he snarled into her ear angrily.

"Oh I do believe I am..." she replied coolly, which she received a violent shove for in return from the crimefighter.

"Don't celebrate just yet!" Darkwing snapped. "I've been after him for a VERY long time now. And I doubt he'd finally be stopped now by some wealthy yuppies like yourselves!" he sneered. Darcy scowled back at him, then flinched as the door behind them suddenly slammed open. Several officers flooded into the room, some covering the windows, others beginning to finally finish the job of untying Laszlo. The chief came up to Darkwing, took Darcy from his restraining hold and passed her to another officer, who led her and Laszlo out of the building to the awaiting patrol cars outside.

"Well done, Darkwing. If anyone can get the job done of keeping the peace, it's you," the chief commented, giving his hand a hearty shake with a nod of approval.

"Naaah! It was nothing, Chief!" Darkwing replied with a careless wave of the hand. "All in a day's work for Darkwing Duck!" he laughed.

The chief nodded in agreement, then raised a puzzled eyebrow at him, tilting his head curiously. "But you said someone was injured, didn't you? Did Negaduck gun someone down and make his escape?"

Darkwing's expression fell as his pride deflated. He had almost forgotten. Then nodded in reply, "Yeah Chief, someone did get hurt. But not by Negaduck..." he informed, then stepped to the side and pointed behind him where Celeste was gently holding her father's head up off of the ground, tears flowing down her eyes.

The chief just stared in calm amazement at the finally fallen public enemy. "Who did it?"

"The woman who was just hauled out of here. Both her an her husband need to be booked with embezzlement charges and attempted murder; even if the attempt was on Negaduck, "Darkwing informed, still staring forward at the scene and desperately trying to hide the sympathy in his expression. "And Chief? Can we get a medical team up here..?" he asked hesitantly and quietly, in hopes that no one else had heard his request.

The response he got was the officer looking down at him, bewildered. "Are you sure you wanna do that, Darkwing? He IS Public Enemy #1, wanted on too many charges to list, which also include murder and mass destruction. Don't you think this city would be a lot better off...?" he suggested, not bothering to finish the sentence. It was true, no matter who the person hurt was, criminal or not, everyone deserved to live. But Negaduck seemed to be the only exception anyone was willing to make.

Darkwing clenched his fists angrily, trying not to let his temper explode. He agreed with what the Chief said about Negaduck, and also believed that the city would be better off without him around to terrorize it. But Celeste wouldn't be better off. Was he really willing to let the menacing, maniacal mallard get what he didn't deserve? For the sake of the girl, he was.

"Think about it, Chief..." Darkwing finally responded. "If we let him die, then that's just an easy release instead of punishment. If he lives, then I can throw him back in the slammer and let him suffer in there instead," he stated, cringing inwardly at his own idea. No matter how many times he had put Negaduck away in prison, he always seemed to find a way to escape back into the city where he continued to cause mayhem. Would the chief buy it?

"Yes, I supposed you're right, Darkwing..." the chief conceded as Darkwing quietly sighed with relief. The officer picked up his own radio from his belt and spoke into it with a gruff tone, "Get a Med Squad inside, stat!"

"Thanks, Chief," Darkwing said lowly, then looked back over towards Celeste. "And don't worry about the kid...I'll bring her down to the police station myself for...'questioning', and I'll make sure she gets home," he added, most of which was a lie. The chief nodded, then turned and walked towards a huddled group of officers by the door. Their conversations were muffled, but they gradually began to disperse throughout the room and the building.

"Oh Dad..." Celeste whispered mournfully, nuzzling the side of Negaduck's face with her bill, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "You have to pull through this...Don't leave me behind again..!"

Negaduck groaned painstakingly, squinting his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. The blood flowing from the wound in his back had gathered in a puddle around him, quickly drenching his yellow suit and black cape. He shifted his eyes upward, looking right at her and smiled in his usual menacing style. "Don't be ridiculous..!" he wheezed, his voice betraying him. "I'm not gonna leave you again...I'm not going anywhere...!"

"But...but how do *I* know that..??" she replied frantically. "Tell me you're going to be alright! I need you to tell me that, and don't lie to me! Please...!"

There was a momentary pause as Negaduck closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a raspy sigh. He then slowly opened his eyes and looked back up at her and spoke in a sincere, low tone voice. "I'm going to be okay, Cel...I promise..."

Even though the sight of him lying in his own blood wanted to convince her otherwise, she smiled as a tear rolled off of her bill and landed on his chest. "I believe you..." Celeste whispered, leaning over and gently wrapping her arms around his neck in a light hug. "You'd never lie to me..."

Negaduck returned the action by weakly lifting his arms up and wrapping them around her back, holding her to him. But his expression slowly fell as he held her, not letting his daughter see the broken look on his face.

"Celeste..?"

At the sound of her name, she slowly pulled back from Negaduck and turned her head around to face Darkwing, who was now standing before them with a reassuring look on his face. "There's a Medical Squad on their way up right now. They'll look after him, but while they do that, I need you to come back to police headquarters with me..." he said calmly.

Her eyes shot open in fear as she suddenly reached down and grabbed her father's hand tightly in hers, squeezing it as if she wasn't intending on letting go. "But...I don't want to leave...!" she protested through choking sobs. She didn't stop until she felt Negaduck's other hand gently reach up and touch her cheek.

"Go with him, kiddo..." he insisted gently, suddenly wincing from the sharp pain shooting up his back. Celeste looked down at him with concern until he nodded back at her. "It's for the best right now...I'll be fine, remember? I promised. I'll be back in no time..."

Sniffling back her tears, she slowly nodded once just as the medics came up behind her. Celeste gently slipped herself out from underneath Negaduck's body as a medic replaced her position. Standing up, she didn't even seem to notice that her clothes were now drenched in blood....HIS blood. Darkwing put a gentle hand on her shoulder as they both stared on, watching the medics do their jobs precisely. After a moment, he gave her a gentle pull towards the door, "Come on, kiddo..."

************************

Celeste sat at the police station by herself in the waiting area, hugging herself with a slight twinge of paranoia. She had been there for hours since Darkwing had brought her, and was waiting impatiently for any news. News on Negaduck, news on her biological parents' status, anything. She lifted her head to glance at the small television hanging in the corner of the wall. Ever since she had arrived, they had been airing the aptly-named 'hostage situation' on the news.

But there was nothing of interest to her. It was only more painful to have to watch, looking at that building where she learned that her parents were scandals and where her father was shot.

"Hey! For your information, this hat is all the rage in France!" barked the familiar tenor voice from around the corner of one of the hallways. Seconds later, Darkwing emerged from around the corner, grumbling to himself. Celeste perked up in her chair and stood to her feet as she caught sight of him. Also having spotted her, Darkwing nodded and headed in her direction. She looked at him with a hopeful expression in her eyes, wringing her hands in front of her nervously.

"Any news yet, Unc...err...Darkwing?" she asked anxiously. He only shook his head slowly in reply as she let her shoulders slump in disappointment.

"Nothing yet, kiddo. I'm sorry," Darkwing responded, then piped up. "But if you want to know, Darcy and Laszlo will be going no less than 30 years in prison for the charges inflicted on them."

Celeste's eyes narrowed hatefully at the memories of them, even though she hadn't seen, nor talked to either of her parents since they were taken away by the police earlier that night. "Is that all?? I hope they rot in their cells and get eaten alive by rats..." she seethed.

The imagery caused Darkwing's face to pale to a light greenish color. "Thanks for the vivid image of that, Cel...Look, it's almost one in the morning. Did you want a coffee or something to help keep you awake? Or did you want to take a nap and I can wake you up whenever I hear anything?"

"No, that's okay. I'll be fine. Besides, I can't really think with all that's on my mind..." Celeste pointed out, but trailed off as the volume was turned up on the television by another citizen. Both she and Darkwing turned their heads to stare at the screen with listening ears at the news flash.

"We have just received this important special bulletin," the anchorman of the local broadcasting station announced, looking from his script on the desk to the camera. "The scene of the crime that took place earlier tonight has been officially cleaned out and cleared. Aside from one fatal attack by gunshot and an intense beating on another, there have been no more reported casualties. The two scandals, Darcy and Laszlo Tealwing, were apprehended by police earlier this evening and are facing imprisonment for fraud and attempted murder charges..."

Celeste didn't even flinch as she stared at the television coldly. There was a momentary pause as the anchorman was handed another sheet of paper, taking a moment to read it over and trying to hide the shocked expression on his face. He then cleared his throat and regained his composure, looking back up at the camera. "And it is my duty to inform you citizens of St. Canard the crucial information I have just been handed. It has been made official that Negaduck, Public Enemy #1, has been declared dead at St. Canard Memorial twenty minutes ago from a gunshot wound to the back."

Celeste's hand shot up to her bill, muffling the despairing shriek escaping her throat. Her knees suddenly buckled as she collapsed forward. Darkwing's eyes shot open and jumped forward, quickly taking the teenager under the arms and holding her on her feet.

"Oh my...Celeste!!" Darkwing shouted at her, trying to make his voice heard through her wails and cries. Others in the police station, officers, citizens, and criminals shifted their gazes from the television to the hysteric young girl.

She shook her head violently from side to side, her eyes squeezed shut as she gripped Darkwing by his purple jacket. The tears wouldn't stop pouring form her eyes as she let herself slump to her knees. "HE CAN'T BE!! HE'S NOT DEAD!!" she wailed as she sobbed into Darkwing's chest. "HE PROMISED ME!!!"

Darkwing took a firm hold of Celeste's shoulders, holding her up so that she was looking into his eyes. "Celeste! Listen to me! Don't do this to yourself! He doesn't want you to be like this!" he shouted at her, staring right into her glazed eyes.

His words stung her as she choked on her sobs, sniffling constantly to try and hold back some of the tears that fell from her face. She panted heavily, her hysterics having drained the intense rage from her. There were dark trails of brown feathers on her cheeks where her tears snaked down her face like small rivers. Every other breath came out in a gasp, protesting that just perhaps what she had just heard on the news was a hoax. But she knew it was the truth; the painful truth.

"Don't do this to yourself..." Darkwing repeated calmly, now that Celeste had managed to calm herself aside from the violent shaking pulsing through her body. "He wouldn't want to see you in pain like this..."

Celeste looked down, closing her eyes and stifling a sob before slowly raising her head once more, staring back at Darkwing with her eyes full of pain, despair, and sorrow. But she regretfully nodded once before throwing her arms around his neck, crying softly onto his shoulder.

"I already miss him so much..."

"Shhh...You'll be okay, kiddo..." he assured, holding her comfortingly in the middle of the police station, paying no heed to the various sets of wandering eyes.

"While the agents of SHUSH attempt to track down where the body has been moved to," the broadcast continued in the background, "the citizens of St. Canard can finally sleep soundly, knowing that the city is finally free from the torment of the masked mallard of menace..."

********************

At the St. Canard Orphanage, Celeste sat on the edge of her small bed in the large room that held at least two dozen other cots all in a line. She was the only one in the room, the other children outside for recess or other recreational activities. Her legs hung over the side and her feet planted on the floor. Leaning forward, she caressed the small cross necklace around her neck with her fingers, staring down at the ground mournfully. Her hair hung loosely around her face, as she had not cared about her physical appearance for the past couple days.

It had been two days since her biological parents had come into her life, took her away from her real family, and took Negaduck's life. The authorities of St. Canard had insisted that she take residence at the orphanage, since there was no other place for her to go, not having any other family.

Sunlight shined in through the rows of windows lining the large room, causing Celeste to cringe each time a ray fell over her eyes. Like her father, her REAL father, she hated sunlight. And since that night which occurred the day before, she's hated almost everything, like Negaduck. She never talked to anyone else in the orphanage, only replying with a nod or shake of the head. Her temper was an even shorter fuse, already causing her to get engaged in a brawl with another teenage girl who had made a snide remark about how much more peaceful the city was bound to be without a 'certain felon' around anymore.

Celeste let out a deep sigh as a single tear escaped her eye, falling onto the bed sheet under her as she continued to gently finger the pendant. "Why did you leave me..?" she whispered softly with a sniffle. "You promised me...You said everything would be okay...I know being the public enemy requires you to lie and break promises, but why THIS one...to ME...?"

She sat in silence, memories flooding through her mind. Memories such as when she saw him for the first time and slipped into the sidecar of his motorcycle, hitching a ride back to his place. The first time she called him 'Dad', or just memories of him holding her and putting her into bed at night. Something she'd never have again.

A sob escaped her throat, but she choked it back as she heard the familiar, gruff shouting from the outside hallway. "I don't care when visiting hours are! What is this, a prison?? I'm going to see Celeste Mallard, and that's that!"

Celeste's head perked up. At first, it sounded remarkably like Negaduck and her heart skipped a beat, the anticipation of hoping to see him turn the corner and take her in his arms being almost too much for her to bear. But her shoulders slumped as she heaved a sigh at the sight of Darkwing Duck strutting into the room.

Noticing her disappointed expression, Darkwing's face fell stubbornly. "Well I'm sorry if I interrupted anything..." he scoffed, then his expression softened. "I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing, kiddo. But if you'd prefer to be alone, I could go."

"No, please stay, Darkwing..." she insisted, not looking up at him and keeping her gaze down at the floor. "I could use someone to talk to who actually understands me."

With a nod, Darkwing glanced around to see if anyone may be witnessing them, then moved over to her bed, sitting down beside her. "Well, uhhh..." he began, rubbing the back of his neck nervously while trying to think of a topic to bring up that wouldn't strike a nerve. "This place doesn't seem TOO bad..." he cringed. Obviously, that wasn't the right subject.

"How come he lied to me..?" she replied, disregarding his comment and still looking down at the old floorboards.

Darkwing looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean? How did he lie to you?"

Celeste finally lifted her gaze, her eyes red and bloodshot from the constant production of tears and her lack of sleep. "He lied to me, Uncle Drake. He said he was going to be okay, and he convinced me that he would be..." she paused and heaved her shoulders, taking in a deep breath. "He was always so sure of everything; that's why I believed him. Even he thought he was going to survive. So why didn't he..? Did he know that he was going to die..?"

He hesitated, looking at her broken expression for a moment before removing his gray fedora from his head. "I think he did, Celeste. I hate to say it, but I don't want to lie to you. I…did see a dull flash of something in his eyes as he embraced you that last time..."

She looked at him curiously, her hazel eyes glittering when the sunlight hit the tears bordering her eyelids. "What was it..?"

"Fear..." Darkwing replied, staring forward. "For the first time in my life, I saw fear in Negaduck's eyes. I believe he knew what was coming for him. So he told you that he was going to be all right not only to reassure you, but himself. Negaduck didn't want you to see that fear in him; he wanted you to stay strong."

With a sniffle, Celeste ran her arm across the end of her bill, wiping the wetness away with her sleeve. "It's hard for me to stay strong without him around...He made me who I am..."

Darkwing only nodded in agreement, keeping his glance forward. The two sat in silence for what seemed like hours before she suddenly moved closer to him, slowly wrapping her arms around his waits and leaning against him for the slightest feeling of security. Even though he was taken slightly aback by her action, Darkwing couldn't help but smile slightly, putting one arm around her and soothingly rubbing her back.

"You've...'known' him for a long time, Uncle Drake...Even if it wasn't on good terms..." Celeste finally spoke up, keeping her position against him. "I need to ask you something, and I need you to give me an honest answer..."

"Sure, Cel. Ask away."

She hesitated before asking, still keeping her head down and staring across the room at the wall. "Did I really make a difference in his life..?"

As if it was an automatic question, or if he knew it was bound to be asked, Darkwing looked down at her and placed a hand under her small bill, lifting her head so he could speak truthfully into her eyes with a warm smile. "You bet, kiddo. You're right; even though I'm his 'opposite', I've been chasing him around for quite some time, and I'll tell you this: I never thought I'd ever see Negaduck, of all people, as happy as he was when you jumped into his arms the other night in that building..."

Her eyes lit up, sparkling with a warm satisfaction as a small smile spread across her face. "Really..?"

"Absolutely, Cel..." he nodded with a wink. "You just proved that there was more than just crime that could keep him happy..."

She let out a shaky sigh as she leaned against Darkwing again, nuzzling her face against his chest. "I can't help but think that if it wasn't for me, he'd still be alive. This is all my fault, isn't it, Uncle Drake..?"

Darkwing tilted his head down at her with a sympathetic expression. "Of course it isn't, Celeste. Neither of you asked for it to turn out this way. Why would you think that?"

"Because..." Celeste paused to take in another breath. "Because if he didn't have me around to worry about, he wouldn't have gotten tangled up in that mess...and would still be alive.."

"But then that would mean that you two would have never met, and he would still be a miserable, cold-hearted scoundrel..." Darkwing replied. There was a drawn out silence before he reached down and lifted her head once again to look at him, his face holding an absolute sincerity. "He couldn't help that he cared for you so much. And Negaduck's love for you was the first sign of goodness he's shown in a long time...And it was the last..."

Celeste just stared into his eyes for the longest time, the words sinking into her and filling her with truth. She slowly began to smile and let out a light laugh. "I guess that would have meant I never would have met you either, huh?"

Darkwing grinned back at her and lightly ruffled her hair. "You better believe it! And you know something else?"

"What's that?"

"I don't think he could have wanted a more honorable death than that of what he got..." he stated, slowing rising off of the bed to his feet. Celeste passed him a confused expression as he smiled, picking his fedora off of the bed and placing it back on his head. "He died for you..." Darkwing finished with a wink, then turned and headed for the door, leaving Celeste with the first genuine smile on her face that she'd shown in days.

"Thanks, Uncle Drake..." she called after him quietly.

He looked back over his shoulder and nodded at her. "I'll try to stop by again soon, kiddo. If you need anything, to hesitate to call for Darkwing Duck..!" he grinned smugly before disappearing into the long hall.

**************************

Later that night, Celeste's head peered out of the janitor's closet in the main hall of the orphanage. Taking a quick glance around, she found no one in sight and snuck over to the window. Looking over her shoulder once more, she placed her hands on the sliding window and thrust it upwards with a grunt.

It was just beginning to get dark out, and everyone was in the mess hall for dinner. Except for Celeste. The orphanage just brought back bad memories, and she couldn't take being cooped up like a prisoner any longer. Heaving herself upwards, she climbed onto the sill, squinted into the darkness outside for any bystanders, then leaped to the ground just a few feet below. She landed on her feet, and kept her eyes open in alertness as she crept across the basketball courts and over to the chain-link fence.

Celeste bent down on one knee near the corner of the fence and wrapped her fingers around the metal. She planted her feet firmly on the ground for leverage before tugging back with all her strength. Her teeth were clenched as the chain-link slowly began to roll up out of place to create a small crawlspace. When she had a hole just big enough for her to fit through, she released her breath that she had been holding and sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Checking the area one more time for any wandering eyes, she narrowed her eyes in determination and dove through the hole.

She winced as some of the wire tore through her shirt and left scratches on her back, but with a final pull, she managed to free herself, and stood up on the opposite side of the fence. With a triumphant grin, she sprinted away from the orphanage and into the deeper parts of St. Canard.

The sound of the empty can clanking against the sidewalk echoed through the empty streets as Celeste kicked it repeatedly out of sheer boredom. She took a quick glance down at her watch, which read 11:15 p.m. It had been hours since she ran away from the orphanage with one problem: she had no idea where she was going.

But wherever it was she would end up, it was certainly better than being held at the orphanage. Thoughts flowed through her mind of places she might be able to take a temporary residence at. She continued to kick the now dented can as she started listing off names in her mind. Her friend Keleen? No, probably not. She hadn't heard from Keleen in quite some time and didn't even know if she was still in St. Canard, with her father being a member of FOWL's High Command. Megavolt or Bushroot, members of the Fearsome Five that Negaduck had banded together years ago? Those two were certainly an option, but then she considered Quackerjack, another member of the Five. She had always gotten along with him, and she liked being around him more than the other supervillains of the Fearsome Five.

While being so consumed in deciding who she would want to go to that she didn't notice the dark figure watching her from the rooftops of the buildings lining the streets, nor the fact that she had turned into a long alley. After a moment of contemplating her options, she decided that going to Quackerjack was the best decision for her. Surely he would have heard about the demise of his boss, and would be willing to take Celeste in.

A smile appeared on Celeste's face as her hands slid out of her pockets and looked up, her expression falling as she noticed she had headed down a dead-end alley. With a frustrated sigh, she rolled her eyes and spun back around on her heels to retrace her steps. She suddenly let out a sharp gasp as she bumped into a large figure looming over her. "Hey! What don't you watch where I'm..??"

Her words trailed off as she craned her neck back in order to look up at the brutish thug standing before her, smiling down at her with a crooked and menacing grin. Celeste let out a sheepish laugh as she gave a dainty wave, then quickly turned, sprinting in the opposite direction. She only got a few steps before another thug, a weasel and smaller than the other, grabbed her roughly by her arm and yanked her back.

"Not so fast, precious..!" he hissed in a sour voice, pulling her towards him. She let out a short yelp as the force of his grip sent pain up her arm, it tightening the more she struggled.

"Let me go! Or you'll be sorry!!" Celeste threatened with her eyes narrowed. She balled a fist and swung it forward, but missed her target. Her captor grabbed her other arm as it passed by his face and pulled it firmly behind her back, both her hands now being held.

"Oh, your threats have us all shaking..!" he mocked, laughing in a high-pitched tone. She gulped as her eyes darted from side to side. All together, there were now four assassins gathered around her in a tight circle, one holding her firmly in place.

"Now, this can be easy, or it can be rough..." the weasel snickered as he pulled out a large knife with his free hand, thrusting out in front of her eyes to make sure she saw its gleaming blade before sliding it under her neck, "We prefer it rough, but since we're running this show, we're going to give you the choice."

Celeste had by now begun shaking, her eyes wide as they shifted from the knife being held under her neck to each of the thugs standing around, watching in eager anticipation, malicious smiles on their faces. She couldn't bear looking at them anymore and just shut her eyes. It was no use. If she tried to fight back, it would be a very short fight that would end with her throat being slit.

The snide snickering stung her ears again as she heard the leader holding her call to his comrades. "Alright boys, who wants to be...HEY!!"

At the startled yelp, Celeste snapped her eyes open just in time to see a caped figure plummet down from one of the buildings making up the alley's walls. Although concealed in the shadows, it hit its target, kicking one of the thugs right in the head and knocking him to the ground in an unconscious heap.

"Hey! It's Darkwing Duck!!" the weasel snarled as the fedora wearing shadow turned towards him. With a gulp, the short assassin barked at the other two thugs, one being the large brute and the other a medium-sized muscle packed lug. "Get him, you morons!"

The two swiftly nodded in reply and leaped at their target into the darkness. Celeste watched eagerly with wide eyes, hoping that, like every other time, Darkwing would come out successful. Only now she was still being held at knifepoint, and wondered if he would be able to save her from that fate.

That darkness of the alley concealed them from being able to make out any specific details. The only sign they had of what was transpiring were the constant yelps, grunts, and smacking sounds as punches were thrown left and right. The weasel suddenly gasped and he ducked as the muscle-head thug flew over his head and hit the brick wall with a sickening crunch behind him. With a groan, he slid to the ground, now out cold. There was one final smacking sound from the shadows, followed by the largest of the group of four scurrying down the alley in tears, whimpering and disappearing around the corner out onto the street.

"Dolts..!" the weasel seethed after him, then turned back to the darkened part of the alley where Celeste's attempted savior was beginning to step closer to them. The assassin's eyes went wide with a momentary fear, still holding Celeste firmly, who was making sure not to make any sudden movements that would jeopardize her situation. He suddenly snarled loudly, narrowing his eyes and thrusting the knife in his hand forward at the target with a loud shout.

Celeste let out a yelp for his sake, not wanting to see the knife make contact, but wanting to know if it had. Fortunately, the shadow stepped to the side at the last moment, letting the knife embed itself in the brick wall of the alley. The weasel let out a gasp in both shock and fear, seeing as how he missed. A pair of angry eyes glared out at him from the darkness as the figure reached out and pulled the knife from the spot it had stopped.

"Uhh..eheh..." the weasel laughed sheepishly, then gripped Celeste even tighter in a chokehold, causing her to gasp loudly. "Come any closer Darkwing, and I'll break her neck!"

The shadow ceased to move forward, but his eyes stared out at the two in a calculating manner. Then, in a swift movement, he snapped his hand forward, the knife tearing through the air at them before either could have a chance to blink. Celeste closed her eyes as the knife came at them, but when she didn't feel anymore pain after a moment, she opened one eye curiously. She looked out at the person still consumed by the darkness, confused until she felt something drip onto her head. Panning her eyes upward, the saw the frozen, wide-eyed expression of the weasel with the knife lodged into his forehead.

Celeste's eyes went wide as she shrugged the now limp body off of her, stepping back as it fell to the ground in a heap. She took a few deep breaths to regain herself, placing a hand on her forehead and sighing with relief. A wide, grateful smile came across her face as she turned around to where Darkwing, who hadn't yet moved, stood in the darkness of the alley,

"Wow Darkwing! That..." Celeste began, then took another deep breath happily. "That was some save! I owe ya one..."

She stood, still smiling and awaiting a reply, but when she got none after a few seconds, her smile slowly fell, noticing that he has still not made any movement towards her. She suddenly began to feel very nervous. Darkwing never acted as mysterious as this. Cautiously she backed up a step until a low chuckle broke the silence.

"I can't believe it..." the deep familiar voice growled in amusement. "Surely you can't confuse this dashing debonair with THAT caped clown..."

Celeste froze dead her tracks. Her eyes went wide as saucers as her bottom jaw hung open. She couldn't find herself able to move in the slightest as she just stared forward in absolute shock. Her words came out in an amazed stutter as she shook her head in disbelief. "D-D-Dad???"

The black masked mallard stepped out from the shadows, his arms folded behind his back and the sly, trademark grin on his face. "Yeah kiddo...It's me..." Negaduck replied with a wink and held out his arms.

As soon as he opened his arms, she darted forward, throwing herself into him and nearly knocking them both into the ground. Instead of speaking in words, she just sobbed in happiness, tightly gripping the black cape on his shoulders and burying her face against his neck. She let the tears flow freely now as he held her in his arms. Negaduck let out a soft laugh and patted her on the back, rocking her gently in the darkness.

"Hey hey hey...Take it easy, Cel..." he said softly. "I made a promise to my daughter, and I wasn't bound to break it..."

"Daddy...!" she whispered joyously through her sobs, then finally managed to lift her head, looking up at him with an expression of pure happiness. "I knew you wouldn't break your promise...But they said you were dead..?"

Negaduck laughed maniacally. "Those so-called doctors need to learn the difference between someone who's 'playing dead' and someone who is REALLY dead..." he began to explain, but when Celeste gave him a perplexed look, he continued. "It was difficult to pull off, but I managed to make them believe I croaked. And as soon as they made it official and no one was looking, I made my escape."

"So...that's why they said on the news that they were trying to find out where the body was 'moved' to..?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, trying to understand. He nodded with smug grin, and she just laughed before hugging him again around the neck. "Clever idea...And your aim isn't bad, either," she added, pointing over at the fallen weasel with the knife in the center of his head.

He laughed in satisfaction. "Well, I was on my way to the police station to scope the place out, looking to find out where they had taken you. But that's when I spotted you heading down the street...Which brings me to this: Just what are you doing out here at this time of night??"

"Well, I uhh..." Celeste began, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "I actually made my own 'escape' earlier, from the orphanage...I couldn't stay there, it had too many bad memories. So I just walked through the city, trying to decide where I could stay besides there."

Negaduck stared at her before nodding slowly. "Well, you have a place to stay tonight...Come on, kiddo. Let's go home..." he said with a smile. She beamed in reply and let go of him from around his neck, following in step behind him as they left the alley.

************

"Dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" Negaduck replied as he stood up from Celeste's bedside after tucking her in. She was looking up at him with hopeful eyes as she pulled the blankets up around her chin.

"Will you stay with me tonight? In here..?" she asked hesitantly, shivering slightly. "I'm just...afraid to be alone, is all. After what happened tonight and...well, you know."

Negaduck paused before a smile appeared on his bill, followed by a nod. "You got it, Cel..." he answered as reached behind her head and fluffed the pillow for her. "I'm not going anywhere tonight, and I'll be right here. So you go to sleep, alright?"

Celeste nodded wearily with a yawn, her eyes slowly beginning to give in to the drowsiness consuming her. "I think tonight will be the first night in days I'll be able to sleep without nightmares..." she muttered, her eyes finally closing as she asked before drifting off. "Will you always be there for me...No matter what happens to you...?"

His eyes softened as he tucked the blankets around her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll ALWAYS be there for you, Celeste...No matter what happens to me. I promise you that. And you're always going to be MY daughter...No one's going to take that from me..."

"I love you, Dad..." Celeste whispered before she gave in, the sleep taking over her body as her head rested against the pillow. Her softly breathing body slowly rose with each breath, the smile on her face giving her an aura of innocence and security.

"I love you, too, Celeste..." Negaduck whispered back, the smile still present on his bill as he got down on his knees beside her bed. He looked at her once more before leaning forward, folding his arms on the bed and resting his head atop them. His eyes slowly closed behind his black mask, himself drifting off into a listless sleep.

"So sionara, try tomorrow,
nice to know ya.

My baby's traveled back to
the arms of her rightful owner.

And suddenly it seems like my
shoulder blades have just shifted.

It's like the greatest gift you can get,
the weight has been lifted.

Now it don't feel like the world's on my shoulders,
everyone's leaning on me.

Cause my baby knows that her Daddy's a soldier,
nothing can take her from me..."

________________________________________________________________________

Blood Thicker Than Water is © Rachel Faraday with assistance from Shelley Inks, ©2003. Negaduck and
Darkwing Duck are © Disney. Celeste, Darcy, and Laszlo are © Shelley Inks, and other characters are copyrighted
by the writers. Closing lyrics © Eminem. Please do not copy or alter this story in any way or use without permission.