Drakes

STRANGE MOMENTS

"My name isn't Negaduck, it's Drake McFeathers."

Silence filled the courtroom as Darkwing beheld Negaduck in horror. They had the same first name! Not only did they look the same, but they had the same name! He could have easily been mistaken for Negaduck, any time, and had his cover blown!

The judge pounded his mallet to signal recess so that the lawyers and awe gaped crowd could recompose themselves. Negaduck just sighed as he was hauled away in manacles and Darkwing watched him in sorrow. Nobody had cared that this super villain had just given away his real name, revealed himself to the world and the only person who seemed to notice was Darkwing, and Gosalyn, who looked as wide eyed as him. It would have been so easy to mistake Negaduck as her adopted father Drake Mallard. The last name was the only saving grace between them. The only saving grace.

Yet there was something in the way they had interacted in the court that had caused Darkwing's heart to beat very fast. He had visited Negaduck in prison, brought information and news from the outside, and newspapers. But they were enemies! Why was he being so forgiving?

Why all of a sudden do I care about Negaduck?

The answer came back to Darkwing and he staggered under the enormity of it.

Because, Darkwing thought to himself. Nobody else will...I have Gosalyn, and Launchpad, and all my friends and good neighbours. But Negaduck has no one. No wonder he's a criminal. No family or friends here to be with him. Nobody to support him or give him comfort. I'd be pretty bitter too if I was in his position. The Negaverse must have been an escape, a place where people spoke his language and understood his particular needs; to be seen, heard and adored.

For a brief moment, Darkwing suddenly felt the same loneliness in his own chest that Negaduck must have felt in the court. It was a bitter reality and it burned a hole in his stomach. He swore things would change, from there on, or his name wasn't Darkwing Duck!

-seperator-

Two days later, the recess ended. Darkwing sat outside the courtroom on a bench, and stared off into space listening to his preteen daughter talk about books and boys and nonsense; none of the stuff he was used to hearing from Gosalyn, waiting for the bailiff to come out and announce that court would soon be in session.

Gosalyn must be nervous, he thought. She so rarely ever speaks about boys...

"Better get going, Gosalyn, don't want to be late..."

"But daaad!" She whined. "I haven't finished my CooCoo Cola!"

"Now!" he said, then gave her a firm look.

She sighed, stubborn pre-teen that she was, then finally capped her drink and sauntered into the courtroom, a smug Darking following after her.

"Why did you tell the police your secret identity anyways, I could have been at school right now instead of appearing with you..."

"Hey hey hey!!!!" Darkwing griped. "You're a witness, and you couldn't appear in court without a parent or guardian present; me, which would pose problems since I need to be there as Darkwing as well as your father. Besides, Negaduck deserves a second chance too, you know."

He hadn't wanted to reveal his secret identity, but it was painfully inevitable, as the trial had continued over the weeks, that it couldn't be avoided. The little girl who had always been around Darkwing had been a news break at once, and the fact that her father claimed to be Darkwing confirmed their suspicions, as well as his identity with the police. It had all been for good really. But for whose good? Now every criminal in the city might figure out who he was. Why was this so important to him?

"All rise, the honourable Justly Bear presiding."

The bear in question came in sat down and nodded.

"Will all remain standing until the jury has been seated."

Everyone waited. The furry judge was massaging his temples absently. As one of the jury members whispered in his ear.

"I know that," he whispered suddenly. "Don't you think I haven't taken that into account, go sit down!"

A few people in the audience gasped, and the jury member hurriedly rushed back to her seat. Justly Bear paused.

"Will Drake McFeathers, AKA Negaduck, please rise...."

Negaduck did so, and stared curiously at the grumpy judge, who was still massaging his temples.

Oh no, Darkwing thought. Here it comes...

"I have worried over this matter for months now, each new appeal case straining my sanity," Justly began. "I'm not so sure I should trust my judgement, or you Drake "Negaduck" McFeathers, but I do trust Darkwing Duck. He has saved this city more than once from people like you and me who believe to much in the system of black in white, good and evil. Once again he has reminded me of those variable shades of gray. And this is my decision."

He paused.

"Negaduck, I could not over look your crimes, however, you've suffered quite a bit from your stay is murderers row, which you did not deserve, so I decree that your sentence be cut down to one month in the state penitentiary, two weeks in a low security penitentiary should you prove a good inmate and one month, live-in probation..." He paused again. "With Darkwing Duck as your probation officer and landlord."

The court room all gasped. Darkwing looked at the judge questioningly.

"You already applied in advance many years ago to take part in the prisoner rehabilitation program, as Drake Mallard, so I assume its not outside my sphere of logic for you to carry on with those duties. You'll be sworn in three days before the probationary term begins," the judge continued. "At a small hearing, here before me. You wanted him out of prison, so you will be in charge of him. This court is now adjourned."

The judge left, and Darkwing turned to look at Negaduck, who was smiling in irony.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave..."

The bailiff pulled him out of the room, before Darkwing could hear the rest of what he knew Negaduck was going to say.

One month probation? He thought. With me? As probation officer? In my house??? Paying me rent....Hmmmmm.....

Gosalyn tugged his sleeve urgently.

"Come on, let's get going, before I have to talk to those reporters again!"

Darkwing smiled and followed Gosalyn. He had got what he wanted; leniency. He couldn't have expected any less.

-seperator-

One and a half months later Darkwing Duck was fiddling with his costume in front of the mirror.

"Are my feathers straight, did I starch my cape? That'll be a two hour drive at LEAST you know...."

"Yah yah we know dad," Gosalyn said. "I'm gonna be late! Honker's gonna walk me to school!"

Darkwing handed her the paper bag lunch he had in his hand, ignoring what she had just said, and fiddled with his hat.

"Does this make me look goofy?"

Launchpad sighed, coming out of his bedroom.

"Geez whiz, DW, you look fine! Now get outta here before Patty comes..."

Darkwing looked at his uncharacteristically uptight sidekick with a frown.

"Wow, LP, you must really like her!"

Launchpad bumped him away from the mirror and adjusted his flight cap.

"I'm taking her out to breakfast, she'll be here any minute, and it won't be good for her seeing you after that, uh, vampire disaster, heh heh."

It had been awful. Not only had Morgana left Darkwing for the vampire, but the whole time they were in Transylvania on that mission the vampire had been constantly chasing after him and LP, and not to bite their necks, though that might have been involved in his dirty plot. Finally, Morgana had lost her temper and magically threw the three of them, naked, into Patty's house. Much to their embarrassment; she hadn't known they were there until she entered the room, making it seem like the three of them had been...well.

"Why did Morgana have to involve me in that? I'm not ducky, I like Patty. Geez..."

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm not ducky either, Launchpad!" Darkwing bellowed, bumping him away from the mirror to take his place there once again.

"Sure you're not, DW! I seen the way you looked at that vampire, not to mention old Negaduck...heh heh."

Darkwing blushed and growled.

"That, was, uuuuuuuhhhhhhhh...tasteful admiration, yeah, and, and, and none of your beeswax!"

"DAD! Gosalyn said from the door, missing much of the conversation, "COME ON!"

"Can't you walk over to Honker's place! He lives next door!"

"Dad, the girl doesn't pick the guy up at his house, not in grade eight, you have to drive me to Krispy Kreme, Honker's gonna meet me there! That way he can buy me ice cream!"

Darkwing growled, cursing teenage politics, and rushed to the door, just as Patty was coming up the walk.

"Hurry!" Launchpad said. "I don't want her to see us in the same place!"

Darkwing stopped when he said that, which happened to be right at the time Patty was passing him. Patty was pretty. She had long blond hair in cute curls and green eyes.

"Uh, Darkwing! How are you?"

Darkwing remembered what Launchpad had said two minutes ago, and thought he'd give his nervous sidekick a lesson in equality. He raised his arm, let his limp go limp and daintily put a hand on her fidgety shoulder.

"Oh just wonderful, darling," He said in a stereotypically gay manner. "Really, what did you do to your hair? It's simply fabulous!"

He sashayed down the walk towards the car, Gosalyn giggling in the front seat, a nervous Launchpad in the background making hasty excuses to Patty.

"Ta ta, LP, I really must be off!"

DW twirled with a flourish and sat down in the front seat.

"Good kiddo?" he asked his teenage daughter in his normal voice.

"That was priceless," Gosalyn replied.

-seperator-

Silence. Two Drakes stared at each other across and empty parking lot. Two Drakes, and a cop. The cop handed Darkwing all the necessary papers and went inside.

"So, here we are," Darkwing said.

"Yep," was Negaduck's reply.

Silence.

"Well, then, better get you home, I have a souffle to get started...."

Negaduck didn't move.

"I know who you are you know. I've known for a long time."

Darkwing blanched.

"Beg pardon?"

"You're Drake Mallard."

Darkwing blushed.

"I'm not exactly trying to hide that from you now."

"You owe me something..." Negaduck continued. "For having not told the police who you were ages ago, for not telling them who you were to get myself out of jail sentences I've gone through after you put me in jail...You owe me..."

"What?" Darkwing said. "What do you want? My first born child???"

Negaduck snickered.

"Just a promise that you'll pay me back when I ask for it..."

"Okay okay, I promise..." and he turned. "Just get in the damn car."

Mentally, Negaduck laughed.

Good, now I can pay him back without his realizing I'm doing so. He'll be too busy trying to avoid paying me back to notice...

After Negaduck had seated himself comfortably with his feet on the dashboard, Darkwing got in and drove to the nearest mall.

"Keep a watch out while I change my disguise in the back seat."

"Kinda pointless eh?" Negaduck said as Darkwing clambered into the back. "You told the police right?"

"Yeah, but it hasn't really spread around yet and I still have a chance to blow this over," Darkwing said. "Besides, the reporters will notice my costume and try to follow me. Keep your eyes peeled, I don't want somebody peeking where the sun don't shine."

Negaduck was tempted to peak himself, wondering if he and Darkwing were really "completely" identical. He kept his eyes averted, noting Darkwing's tail moving around in the rear-view mirror. He chuckled as "Drake Mallard" climbed into the seat next to him.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Will you do the same for me?"

Without waiting for an answer, Negaduck clambered into the backseat.

"I feel like a teenager changing for the prom," Darkwing laughed.

"Or a hoochie gettin' some booze.." Negs replied.

They both guffawed and "Drake McFeathers" finally climbed into the seat next to him.

Negaduck had been right, They could have been twins, except for Negaducks' dark green eyes as opposed to Darkwing's royal blue. Both sets of eyes appeared black to the average person, but Darkwing and Negaduck were seasoned night owls and professional undercover artists. They both had excellent vision and so the distinction was plain as day to them. So to the average person, they were twins, but to themselves.

Then there was the scar on Negaduck's left eye, from the first time they had fought one another. Now, here he was, sitting in Darkwing's car, on the way home. It was almost funny.

Almost.

"When we get back, you're going shopping," Darkwing instructed. "Those clothes do NOT suit you! After all, you could easily be mistaken for me, and we're both much too handsome for rags!"

"If you say so," Negaduck intoned.

-seperator-

Gosalyn Mallard walked the halls of her school resignedly. The usual cat-calls and intonations of "Bye, Gosalyn, have a great weekend" filled her ears. Always, as before, Honker had walked her home, resolved to protect her. But he was silent. The young duck was beginning to fill his shirt a little more each day, and not retaining the Herb Muddlefoot looks that Tank was more cursed with. His body had resigned itself to a more pleasant shape, his baby-fat dissipating and being replaced by lean arms and legs. The glasses were still there. He would be attractive when he finished puberty, a little short, but attractive.

But why is he silent all the time! Gosalyn thought morosely.

The silence had perplexed her. She was used to his mumbling apologies and his explanations of space and nature, but this silence that had started in grade seven was deafening. He was almost too silent.

And his brother's cat-calls were grinding on her nerves. She wanted to play hockey, and shoot the puck around on her roller blades. But she was barely ever picked for sports anymore, said she was just a girl, and Tank was usually the one picking.

"What do they want me to do!" She said exasperatedly on the way home. "Cut my boobs off?"

Honker hadn't said anything, but blushed with embarrassment and had walked her home as silently as he had for nearly two years.

Later, after getting an ice pop from the fridge, she sat in her inflatable pool in the backyard, sunning herself and begging for summer break, which hailed the new swimming pool her dad had promised and for which they had been saving money for months now.

"Mmmmm, summer..." she stood up, letting the water cascade down her feathers, uncaring for the two peeping toms in the tree-house next door who were watching her every move. She knew they were there, and didn't care.

Let them stare, she thought resignedly. My dad'll bop 'em if they TRY anything!

-seperator-

Tank Muddlefoot peered through his field glasses like a wolf stalking its prey.

"Oh man, lookit THAT! She must've grew a cup-size!"

Obviously an exaggeration.

"I don't know Tank," Honker said, embarrassed beyond belief. "It isn't right staring at Gosalyn like this, she's my FRIEND!"

"Sure she is, Honk-man, thats why you walk her to school every week, and buy her ice cream from your allowance. Oh! She's stretching! Take a look, Honk, and tell me thats not great!"

He shoved his brother against the field glasses. Honker's own glasses flew up in the air and landed on the other end of them, Honker gasped as Tank pressed him a little closer to the magnified image.

He had never seen Gosalyn like that before. Basking like an angel in the shallow waters, every part of her completely outlined by the purest of liquids, she was Empress of her own back yard. He felt a tightness in his throat, and something akin to tightness down below.

"Wow Honk!" Tank laughed. "Lookit you Romeo!!!!"

But Honker wasn't listening to his brother's monologue, he was too enraptured by the beauteous creature he had never known his best friend was.

Enraptured. Gosalyn was beautiful. A tom-boy, but that just added to her dominant female qualities. She was too mature for her age, and was like a seraphic deity, just munching on her popsicle, the red juices flowing down her neckline, past her shapening chest to her navel and the secret waters below...

"TANK MUDDLEFOOT! GET YOUR EYES OFF OF MY DAUGHTER!"

Darkwing looked up at the tree house, standing at the back gate where he had just entered with the grocery bags, Negaduck following close behind carrying his suitcase. Tank Muddlefoot was already shooting a bee-line towards the house, but the thing that surprised him the most was Honker Muddlefoot, who had dropped the glasses on the lawn and was running for the safety of the Muddlefoot's garage. The boy's face was flushed crimson, and he wasn't even daring to look back, frightened like a school boy.

Tank's teaching Honker some bad habits... Darkwing thought. LP's always been able to talk to Honker on a duck to duckling basis. I'll ask him to have a chat with the lad.

Darkwing looked at his daughter, who sat sunning herself in the little inflatable pool which he had decided was to small for her any more.

"Gosalyn get some clothes on! It's no wonder the neighbours are staring, that little bathing suit is too small for you!"

"Well DAD! If somebody had gotten me that one piece in the mall I liked so much I wouldn't be in this predicament. I don't have any other suits!"

Darkwing added a mental note to buy a scuba diving suit for her to his list of mental notes for the day and turned back to his charge.

"Here, let me take that," he said, grabbing Negaduck's bag.

"Oh, such a perfect gentleman..." Negaduck said with a smile. "Really, I'm flattered..."

Darkwing growled and Negaduck followed him behind, playfully tweaking a feather from his tail.

"OUCH! Watch it Negs or I'll not be responsible for my actions!"

Darkwing deposited the groceries on the table, and Gosalyn, who had wrapped a towel around her waist, preceded to fill the cupboards with their contents.

"Hey alright! More fudgesicles, those are the best!"

Darkwing smiled, having previously regretted the purchase because Negaduck had playfully said, "You going to eat those in bed?" But Gosalyn's delight overshadowed any embarrassment on his part.

Negaduck stood silently by the door, waiting for the groceries to be put away, then followed Darkwing to the living room

Launchpad sat with Patty on the couch, watching Pelican's Island.

"Oh hello Drake, er, who's your guest?" Patty said nervously.

Darkwing stopped, and Negaduck bumped into his back. Darkwing held tightly to his suitcase.

"Errrr, uh...a boarder, yah, he's staying with us for the summer..."

Patty's eyebrows raised curiously and Negaduck leaned in closer against Darkwing's back to whisper so that everyone could hear, "You might be able to persuade me to stay longer if you share your fudgesicle with me..."

Darkwing blushed, bright crimson, and moved forward suddenly, sending Negaduck falling to the floor.

"Oh you," he said in reply, and went upstairs. Not ducky, not ducky, I am NOT ducky!!

Negaduck picked himself up off the floor and smiled at Patty and Launchpad, who were both staring wide-eyed, too embarrassed to breath. Negaduck laughed.

"He's just playing hard-to-get..." he explained and went to follow Darkwing upstairs.

-seperator-

Darkwing was deeply intent on his recipe book. Having burnt the souffle the day before he didn't want to mess up dinner this time. He was not quite sure what to make and it was almost five o'clock. Suddenly, he heard a heart-wrenching scream, Gosalyn, coming from upstairs.

"Oh no, Gosalyn!" He shouted and ran upstairs.

Negaduck was there first, his guest-room being closest to the bathroom. They rushed into the bathroom, both struggling to open the bathroom door. Gosalyn stood there, hand pointed at the toilet in terror.

"Some blood sucking alien from the sewers bit me! There's blood everywhere, look!"

Darkwing looked into the offending porceline bowl and groaned, covering his mouth with his hand. Negaduck, realizing, started laughing his head off. He pounded the wall with his fist and gasped for air.

"What's so funny?" Gosalyn cried. "I'm mortally wounded!"

This sent Negaduck into another fit and he shook his head.

"You'r dad, had, b-better, ex-p-plain this one..." and he went back to his room, guffawing all over again.

"Insensitive oaf," Darkwing cursed, then stopped when he realized that Gosalyn was slumped on the floor, crying her heart out.

"Oh, no no no honey, it's alright, you're not going to die, but, uh, well, uh, ummm..."

He struggled for the right word. How to tell his daughter about menstruation was beyond him. The fact that she was experiencing this later than most of her peers made it all the more confusing to him, he had just assumed that she would learn about it in school, or that she had already begun the darn thing.

Some school, if they don't even cover the basic fundamentals of growing up! What to do...

"Umm...This is something that you should talk about to another woman about. Since Patty's back in Duckburg for the weekend, why don't we go next door and Binky can explain it to you, hmm?"

"I guess," Gosalyn whimpered. "But I figured you'd be driving 200 miles per hour to get me to a hospital."

"It's nothing, believe me honey, Binky will explain..." It sounded absurd to him, but right now, he did not want the odious task of explaining this to her, especially considering what her reaction to his never telling her might be.

-seperator-

Binky Muddlefoot was shuffling through stacks of papers on the coffee table in her living room when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" she said cheerfully, not caring that nobody but her was in the house.

She opened the door with a smile on her face, only to be greeted by a tear stained Gosalyn and a very embarrassed looking Drake Mallard.

"Oh dear, what happened?"

"Er, I um, uh er, uh..." Drake groaned. He grabbed Binky's hand, placed Gosalyns hand in hers and coughed. "Um, you tell her whats wrong, I can't!" and then ran back to his safe, wholesome house, sobbing for his life.

"Oh my my my my my, whatever is the matter?"

Gosalyn sobbed, "I'm bleeding to death and Neggy laughed and Dad doesn't want me anymore!"

Binky gasped. She wasn't sure who "Neggy" was but she was pretty sure why Gosalyn was crying.

"Bleeding you say, where? Can you show me?"

Gosalyn's blushing face confirmed her suspicions.

"Oh my my my my my, this will never do! Now you march right in here young lady and we'll sort this all out, okay dear?"

Gosalyn nodded and sniffled. What did it matter? Her life was hell anyways.

A very long explanation and a quick trip to the bathroom later and Gosalyn found herself thinking "why me" as she sipped on a warm cup of tea in Binky's living room. She groaned as Binky babbled on.

"....and of course your father would be uncomfortable about explaining such things so don't you be angry at him for sending you to me, and don't you worry dear, its a natural part of life, nature has blessed us both with the ability to create children, why Tank was just the sweetest bundle of joy when he came, and did I ever tell you..."

Gosalyn zoned out her chatter and picked up a pamphlet off the table. She read the title. 'Flowers and Flora' All the flyers, all of them, had this title.

"Hey, Mrs. Muddlefoot, what are these for?"

Binky twittered in her own little way.

"Those pamphlets," she giggled coyly. "Why, they're for the flower boutique I just started a week ago, didn't I tell your father about my grand opening sale?"

"To death," Gosalyn laughed. "But you never told us it was a flower shop, plants are wicked cool."

Binky twittered embarrassedly and picked up a flyer.

"Any customers yet?" Gosalyn asked.

"Um, not really, you see, I have no help in the shop, the boys won't help, too girly for them, and Herb only grows the flowers, hasn't the time to sell them what with taking the boys out on these Father/Son outings. I haven't been able to hire anyone yet, there's not much money for it..."

"Why don't you hire me Mrs. Muddlefoot? Dad's been pressing for me to get an after school job..."

"Why, that's a great idea!!!!! I'd get much more work done that way, uh, but, you realize I cannot pay you much, no money yet..."

Gosalyn smiled.

"That's okay Mrs. Muddlefoot, I don't think dad'll mind me working for less if its for you, and with the right advertising, you'll be rolling in the big bucks in no time."

Binky Muddlefoot smiled and nodded.

"I would be happy to have you work for me Gosalyn.." she paused. "But please, call me 'Binky'."

Gosalyn smiled.

"Okay..." she laughed. "Binky."


---Yeah, Gosalyn is a bit of a late bloomer in this story, I realize that now. So what? It fits my plot, so there!