Kilthalia
“Darling?”
“Hmm?”
“I know you wanted to wait before having kids and all…and I love you with all my heart, sweetie…but…”
“But? But what? You’re not having second thoughts about being with me, are you?”
“No, it’s just that…you know how I’ve been sick since our wedding?”
“Yeah.”
“I figured out why…”
The newlywed husband thought, and cocked an eyebrow when an idea came to mind. “You’re…you’re pregnant??”
She nodded her head. “Don’t be mad, darling, it’s not like I can help it,”
“I know, I know.” He hugged her lovingly and comfortingly. She hugged back. “How long has it been so far?”
“A month,”
“Eight more to go, huh?”
“Yeah,” she lowered her head.
He husband lilted her face up, with a finger, to see tears in her eyes. He had a feeling that she felt she was too young to have a child. Not even he was ready to settle down that much, but regardless, the time was drawing nearer. He might as well get all his ambitions done in those short 8 months.
With a kiss to his wife’s face and the dawning of his fedora, he set out on his motorcycle to do his job and think about what she said. As he sped through the streets of St. Canard, he got more and more mad at the fact that he was still young enough to elude the cops and to dodge bullets, but with this edition to his life coming, his fun was to be cut short and his need for risks dissolved. Gritting his teeth he turned tightly around a corner and headed into oncoming traffic on the one-way road just to be daring and mean. All the cars coming at him swerved to avoid the duck playing chicken. Now coming out to a main road he ignored the red traffic light and weaved through the closing gaps between the vehicles. There was a Pit bull in a 4x4 flatbed cursing at the violator. The husband, soon to be father, took out a shotgun and blew out the passenger side window and the driver with one bullet and increased his speed.
Finally stopping at the most popular jewelry store in the city, the caped crusader got off and took his shotgun with him. “Alright! This is a stickup!! Give me all your valuables and I might spare your pathetic, useless lives!”
With a sneer on his face, he went around and collected all the precious gems, and everyone’s valuable belongings and turned to leave. The people in the robbed store let out a sigh. Then the fedora wearing duck peered back in. “Oh, and here’s a gift for being sooo cooperative,” he tossed in a bomb with a shortening fuse. The citizen’s eyes widened as they watched it fizzle and hear their robber laugh and zoom away.
“Darling! You’re back! Have a good day?”
All the husband did was grumble angrily and stomp up-stares. The wife withdrew and watched him go with wide, sad eyes.
Later that night when they were getting ready for bed, her husband still hadn’t really calmed down at all. Must have been that double cappuccino he had at lunch. She had settled herself under the covers and watched him just stare at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t bothered to get ready for bed yet.
“Drake? Negs? Are you ok, dear?”
He remained silent for a long time. Then finally he growled, “I’m going out.” As he turned to go, he looked back at her in her nightgown. He remembers when he got it for her and then thought about the present. “Why the hell are you wearing that, anyway?!” he said, rather irritated.
“I, I thought you like to see me wear it,”
“Huh, not now,” With a negligent flip of his cape, he left, silently. Then the door slammed shut. She began to cry. It was her first night without him by her side.
“I wish I knew what he felt, then maybe I’d be able to make him happier,”
The next morning eventually came around to showing up and the newlywed wife was making breakfast for her love. Maybe he cooled down by now, she thought. She was wrong. He stormed in like a hurricane, pushed past her, nearly knocking her down. He violently sat and wolfed down his breakfast. His wife barely sat down when he finished, toppled his chair and went up stares.
She cleaned up his mess and went in search of him to see if she could talk to him and make him feel better. She spotted him in their room and went to talk to him. “Negs? Is there anything wrong? Can I do anything to help?”
Negaduck whipped around with a glare in his eye. She backed up to the wall as he walked, evilly, toward her. When he was within a hair’s distance to her he grabbed her jaw with one hand. “You know what’s wrong?? DO YOU have ANY IDEA what’s WRONG??!!!!”
“N, n, no,”
“I wanted a beautiful, faithful wife to show off, but then you had to go and RUIN that for me by getting pregnant!!!!!!! Now your perfect form is ruined and I can’t show you off any more!!!”
“B, b, but darling,”
“SHUT UP!!!! I DON’T want to hear it!!!!!!!!!!!”
“eep,”
Negaduck smacks his wife really hard across her face. She lands on the floor and he grabs her up by her hair and stands her up. “What the hell’s the matter with you?!!! Doing this to me, RUINING MY dreams!!!”
“It takes two to tango!” she growled, angrily at him.
“Shut UP!!” he punches her and again she lands on the floor. All of a sudden, in a terrifying kind voice, Negaduck says, “Are you putting this blame on me??”
“YES!!!”
He kicks her.
She continues, “You’re just as guilty as I am!” That over did it. He whipped out his shotgun and pointed it at her. It was cocked and ready to fire. Barrel to beak she looked at him with terrified and betrayed eyes. How could the one she loves do this to her??! She trusted him!! She lowered her eyes and waited for it. She felt his evil ora envelope the room, it tingled her skin like scolding hot water. Humbled by his act of aggression and pure hatred for all life, she looked back up him and aimed the gun for her heart.
“What in hell do you think you’re doing!?”
“You might as well break my heart twice. Once is too painful to deal with,” she said with the faint sound of sobs in her voice. She couldn’t see his face, but she guessed he was shocked with what she said because the gun gave a little twitch.
The next thing she knew the barrel of the gun was on the floor and he pulled her to her feet by her bicep. In a quiet, annoyed tone, he said into her ear, “Ok, if you want it that way, fine! Just don’t expect to see me!” He jerked her arm away and stormed out, leaving her to cry the rest of her day away.
She was all alone. She had left her family and friends for this hell called St. Canard and the “happy life of marriage”. There was no one for her to talk to, no one to comfort her, no one to help her. She secluded herself in her house and always kept the doors and windows locked. Only god knows what might happen when or if he returns.
She’d run away and live in another city if she didn’t feel as if she was close to drowning. She felt swamped, even though she was out of work on maternity leave and did nothing all day. Her day always felt crammed packed full of things she had to do, but never did. This, that, the next thing…and her baby on the way. She was young and it was all too much for her to deal with alone. But alone she was. And alone was the way she’d stay, afraid to venture out, afraid of crossing paths with Negaduck. How ironic.
Months later, she was happier, having gotten over her loss of love, she was tending house and there came a bang at the door. It startled her and she whipped around to see what it was. All of a sudden, that door opened and there leaning in the doorway was Negaduck, bleeding. He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t look mad. He looked like he was in pain. He collapsed.
The last thing he remembered was being in a terrible gang fight over the South Side, which clearly was his territory! But he got beaten down… Now?? He was in his bed…at home. He swallowed hard, then heard the faint sound of music from another room. He looked at his wrist, but forgot they’d stolen his Rolex, and found his cuts cleaned up. He sat up, then got out of bed, and ventured out into the rest of the residence.
There she was. Michelle. She was busy cleaning. She looked thinner than he remembered! Why was that?
He stealthily walked down the hall and at the last second she spotted him. She stopped what she was doing and turned all her attention on him.
“Are you ok now?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah. Why?” he said with more of a snap than intended.
She looked at the floor. “No reason,” she said even quieter.
“So, what’s wrong with you?” he snapped.
She snapped her head toward him, puzzled and shocked. He explained, “You’re thinner,”
She cocked her head just enough to seem to be looking in the room she was working in. “Well, one is a very good reason. Other than that, I have no idea why I look thinner.”
“And what might that one reason be?” he said with growing impatient. She seemed as if she’d rather not say, but tried to think of something. He walked closer and peered into the room and saw a larger than normal egg in a crib wrapped in a heating blanket. He felt as if his jaw wanted to drop, but it didn’t. It only went a little slack. He felt her gaze fall upon him as he stared at the egg. He lowered his eyes a little and looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw her big brown eyes staring right back at him. He looked back at the egg and then abruptly turned to get dressed. He felt her presence say dismay, but he kept on walking.
Later that day Negaduck ventured to the other side of the house in search for that little missing link. Making sure she wasn’t around, he peered into the room, but found it empty of life. The floor gave a squeak.
“Negs, we’re down-stares if you want to join us!” came his wife’s voice. Apparently, the squeaky floor gave away his position. Damn.
Scowling, he made his way down-stares and found the two of them watching TV, the egg on her lap, wrapped in a baby blanket.
Before he made his appearance in the lower deck, he saw what drivel she was watching. Animal Kingdom??!! What the… He shook his head incredulously. Channel 63 Encounter; Jeffrey Corvin was an idiot, as well as that Steven Irving. What idiot would handle deadly animals fer a living? He stomped down the stares and stopped at the bottom, arms crossed, and scowling.
“Hi.” she said with a questioning voice. He hated it, but was glad she was back to her old tough self. That fact of her being meaner than when he left her made him loosen up a notch. He sat in the nearest armchair and slouched.
As she watched her show, he stared at the paintings across the room. Rough seas. The surface of the moon. A jumping Marlin out of the sea. The house was theirs and he could tell she loved it with the pristine condition she kept it in. Maybe he’d keep her as a housemaid. But all he could think of when he glared at that egg was, “Is that really mine?” It seemed too unnatural for the two of them to have an egg of that size! It was easily twice the size of his own when he was a hatchling!!
He gave a snort as a pathetic attempt at a single chuckle. He bet it was a pain and a half to lay that egg. He hoped she was in terrible pain when she laid it. He loved hearing the screams of other people. It was like music, knowing he had that power over people.
Her show was over and she got up and carried the egg with her. He followed her with his eyes as she walked up-stares until he saw her no more. He quickly sighed and after another second of slouching he violently got up and stomped up the stares.
When he got to the top floor she was exiting the baby’s room. She stopped with the harsh glare he gave her. All he did was motion her to follow with the use of his pointer finger. Silently, he went to their bedroom and she followed behind. After she reached the doorway she stopped and waited. “What do you want?” she snapped.
He picked up a tiny vase you coulda gotten at a flea market and chucked it at her. Surprisingly, she caught it, then put it down on the other side of the door. “If you treat my stuff that way, I’m going to throw you out!”
“You wouldn’t dare!!”
“Wanna bet!!!?”
He snatched up another breakable and threw it at her. Once again, she caught it and laid it with the other in the zone of safety. “THAT’S IT!! You’re OUTTA here!!” she yelled at him.
His eyes snapped wider as he saw the same look he gave when he was mad, in her face!!
She snatched him up by a sleeve and dragged him out of their room. He stopped her by hooking his arm around the doorway from the bedroom to the hallway. She snatched up the other arm as well and shoved him down the hall, toward their baby’s room and then she shoved him down the stares before they reached that far room. He hit the bottom at an odd angle and cut his lower lip, which promptly began to bleed. As he angrily made his way back up the stares, she gave a kick to his head, having the upper hand on a higher altitude. He went head first into the dining-room table.
Enough was enough. She had made it to the bottom of the flight of stares and he secretly pulled out a blade from a pocket. He quickly got up and lunged at her. They fell against the stares and he had the blade near her throat.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing treating me like this!!?”
“Ditto,” she growled, angrily. She bashed her head against his and he got up to put his free hand to his head.
Quicker than he could recover, she grabbed him and rushed him over to the front door, slammed him against it. She then took his weapon wielding hand and pinned it to his back. He had no choice but to give the knife up. He pushed off the door and sent her to the floor. As she attempted to get up, he pinned her to the floor and he angrily slapped her face.
In retaliation, she tried to punch him, but he caught her fist and sent the same action to her.
She gave up the struggle as did he. He got up and wiped his bloody lip on a sleeve then turned to leave. He forgot his keys. She didn’t need to be told. She grabbed them up from the table and threw them at him, cutting a shallow groove into his bill.
In retaliation from that he took one of her damned precious vases and threw it to the floor. She caught it just in time. He left.
Wow, that was a good fight. I hadn’t gotten a struggle like that…ever!!, Negaduck thought as he cleaned up his lip, a bandage already around the bump on his head. He was still pretty mad, but excited that he got resistance like that. That’s why he married her! That’s what life is living for! He realized he was in a good mood. How ironic!! She is him! It’s a fact! Not only are they both not from Darkwing’s “NormalVerse”, but she’s not even from the “NegaVerse”! She’s from an offshoot of the “NegaVerse” and is actually him as a girl! Little frail of heart most times, but boy can she put up a fight!!
He donned his hat and decided to go talk to her.
He snuck in through the kitchen door and closed and locked it as it was before. He listened and he could hear her talking to their egg upstairs in the baby’s room. He stealthily crept up stares and as soon as he peered in the doorway, she spotted him and gasped.
“Darling,” he said, smiling, as he went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I love you,” And he kissed her.
She pushed him away. “What’s the matter with you, you creep!?”
“Honey…I…”
“I don’t want to see you ever again!!”
“You don’t mean that,” he said in a soft tone.
“Yes I do!! You’ll just turn around and hurt me again and again till either of us dies!!”
*sigh* “I’m sorry,”
“No! You’re not!!”
“But, yes, I am! I love you!”
“Did you ‘love’ me not more than two hours ago?”
“I got carried away, darling.”
“Don’t you even try to bullshit me, Negaduck! I know better!!”
He had tried. He was being nice. She just couldn’t accept that. he got mad. “Well FINE!! You don’t want me around ever again!? Fine!!”
“FINE!”
“FINE!” He slapped her. She slapped back. Once again they got into a physical fight. He was aggressive, as any young man could be. She was just trying to survive, as any female could.
She had gotten into fights before; with her brother, in school. Fighting with her supposed husband was new and terrible in her mind. All she wanted was love, not a new challenge.
Michelle took the fight out into the hall and they toppled down the stairs. She landed on the bottom, upon her back, him on top of her, his hands around her neck. She coughed then threw him off.
She knew he knew Quack-fu, but in the heat of anger, he never used it. It was only during a “controlled” battle, when he knew where he was at all times, where you knew where your foot went and not in a drainpipe. They were at home, being angry at one another; fighting style was not an issue.
She had watched him fight as well and even learned a few things about him. If you tried attacking him right out and he knew it, he’d practice the arts. If you were defending yourself, he’d just try and fight dirty. And she knew almost nothing on those oriental arts; she couldn’t trigger his defensive mode. And she never tried.
During this battle, she was in a terrible loosing streak. She had used up most of her energy and anger energy in the last battle and the crying done afterwards. She was tired and was getting slower. Her adrenaline was already maxed out and almost nil, now. When Michelle knew she would be beat with a few hard hits she gave up. She just laid there where she landed from his attack. Eventually he realized this and lightened up as well.
It so turned out that he was still standing and she was on the floor, cowering, both out of breath and breathing heavily.
As a last retort, Negaduck grabbed her up by her hair and yelled, “Why can’t you accept what feeble apology I can give!?” And with that he, violently, let her go and left.
He was wearing an older suit, which had survived many years of evil use. He just hoped he looked good, otherwise. He went to rob the new jewelry store in town and see what they had.
As he was looting the store his hand brushed a pocket and he felt something inside, which did not belong… He took out an oval dome shaped piece of amber… Michelle, he thought. It, to this day, reminds him of her.
He didn’t know how long he was standing there, mesmerized by the stone, just looking at it. Somehow a cop snuck in and was at gunpoint. Without a thought or even remorse, Negaduck drew his Colt and fired, killing the officer with barely a glance. He put his weapon away and went over to the store clerk and leaned back on the glass display case, holding the rock for him to see. “Tell me,” Negaduck began. “What do you think of this?”
“W, well…umm…I, it’s amber…”
“Yes,” he said with a cool, calm voice, still mesmerized by it.
“I, it’s a mighty b, big piece,”
“Yes,” he said with the same tone. The clerk ran out of things to say. Negaduck turned more toward him. “Do you know the significance to this stone?”
“N, n, no. W, what?”
“It reminds me of someone. Someone I see all too often.” He paused. “Someone you would…do anything for,” He paused again, thinking. He looked directly into the clerks brown eyes. “Do you know what that is like?” he snapped.
Quivering, the clerk quickly shook his head.
“It’s rather pathetic, if you ask me. ‘So weak if you feel that way about anyone or anything. People should save their own skins and no one else’s.”
“The…uh…nature of people is to f, find a companion,”
Negaduck thought about that. “Everyone?”
The clerk nodded his head.
“Not me! Definitely not me. Right!?”
“E, especially you, er, people like you,” the clerk quickly corrected himself.
“Why is that?”
“You d, do what you do t, to get at, attention.”
“Really? I rob you for attention?”
“W, we’re talking, a, aren’t we?”
“Yes, I suppose we are. But not for long,” He drew his Colt and aimed it at the clerk whom gulped nervously. Negaduck cocked the hammer, reading it to fire. “Now tell me,” he intimidated the taller clerk. “Do you think villains can love people? Remember! There’s no wrong answer!” he taunted as he held the gun closer to the clerk.
“Er, uh, I, I, I s, suppose so… Y, yeah,”
“And why do you think that?”
“T, to get more a attention. T, to get more positive attention…t, to your ego,”
“So you’re saying I LOVE for my EGO?!!”
“Y, yes…N, no…er…kinda…”
“What do you mean! Really?!”
“Y, you may not love for h, her, but for yourself!”
“Oh,” he growled as he withdrew the gun a little, in thought. “I can understand that!” he said to himself. “Well, thank you for your help…and for your valuables!” He tipped his hat and left.
“Y, you’re k, keeping me a, alive??”
Negaduck looked over his shoulder, his bag of loot upon the other. “Oh, you’d rather I kill you?”
“N, No,”
“Ok, just checking,” He continued to leave. Just before he exited the doorway he called to the clerk, “You keep at those books, y’ hear?! Maybe one day you’ll become a great criminal psychologist!” And away he went.
He needed to think, but sitting still made him anxious, so he took the train to where ever. He just sat and sat, thinking. The car, most likely remained empty once people saw who was sitting there. He didn’t care. He was just thinking, perhaps even daydreaming. He was holding the gold-framed amber, running his finger over the dome and watched how to glittered in the light, any light, all light. He hoped Morgana didn’t cast a spell on it. All he saw in the stone was Michelle’s hair, her shimmering golden brown hair.
The train stopped and let on a gang of punks, their music blasting from the boom box. Negaduck looked up and they spotted each other. The gang sat on the other side of the car, further to the unoccupied end. They were talking loudly and Negaduck had to admit he rather welcomed the noise.
“Hey Negs! Can you do this?!” One punk asked and demonstrated his expertise with his chain. Negs watched, then after the punk was through and the gang cheered him on, Negs got up and walked over. He put the stone away in a pocket and drew his Colt.
Much like in a western movie he skillfully played that little game. The gang’s reaction was that of their pal being out done. Negaduck couldn’t help but grin. He was good. He knew he was good. And now they knew he was good.
Another punk got up and showed off his moves. Negaduck studied the man in action with his blade. “Oh please! I do that playing darts! But have you ever tried this?” Negs put his Colt away and took out his shotgun. He thought he was lucky to have been in the service for a few years and learned their trade with weapons. He even used some of it in this routine. The gang was impressed, just as they should be!
Then all hell broke loose. His wedding band fell from the chain he kept it on, around his neck. *Tink* it hit the floor of the train car and rolled toward the doorway. He didn’t remember of he gasped or not, all he could tell was the expression on his face was something like if his child was falling off a building.
Just before in reached the door there came a knife that went through the hole in the ring and penetrated the floor, keeping the ring there. “Well, well, well. What have we here?” said the owner of the knife. The punk drew his knife from the floor, the ring still around it as he held it up for all to see. It was the black onyx and diamond band Negs got on his wedding day. He slapped the punk’s hand so the ring jumped up, off the knife and was caught by its owner. The gang was taken back, in shock.
Negaduck explained, “It’s just some cheap junk I got from the dime store. I’m going to rip off a dealer with it,”
They accepted his lie in understanding. He felt like shit, saying that about his own wedding band. He can’t remember the last time he felt like that; like he felt like crying from such a false lie.
He got of at the next stop and looked around, not knowing where he was. He took the gold chain and looked at the broken link, shook his head and put it in a pocket.
“Catona??!” he thought with a scowl, as if he’d heard that city name before… Ja Tarra. “Oh crap.” Apparently he’d gone further than he thought!! He looked at the map for the train and saw that his next stop after this one would have been Palmyra! “Hoo boy, that’s a ways away!” St. Canard was now hundreds of miles away!! The next train to St. Canard was coming tomorrow at 8am! He’d have to make himself at home without knowing a thing about this city of…ulp…cats. Negaduck stated walking.
Even though unsure and somewhat frightened, Negaduck walked down the street, hoping people would recognize and fear him. Sure as hellfire they recognized him, but instead of locking themselves in, the walked out and whispered to one another. It was if he was a ghost in this part of the world.
It was October and the weatherman said it’d be chilly in St. Canard. It was well below that temperature already, there in Catona. Well, he was north of his city. No wonder they needed fur up here. There was already snow on the streets from days’ past.
Negaduck held his arms close and his cape drooped forward to help insolate heat. A shiver ran though him. Then he blinked and there was one little snowflake upon his orange bill. It melted quickly, like his love for his wife. More and more came and the next thing her knew, he was walking in a snowy city with night on the close approach. Kids came outside to play.
Even in the noise of joy, Negaduck realized that…no birds were singing! In fact, he’d not recall ever seeing anything but planes flying overhead!! It was creepy at best. Seagulls were always in St. Canard, but not even a crow was here!! Nor a pigeon!! He started to hate Catona.
Some little boys found Negaduck walking and before he knew it, they were throwing ice and slush balls at him. And boy did it hurt!! Just to get away from the little monsters he started to run. They chased after him, unfortunately, coming upon yet another group of kids. This group tackled him and too much after that he just remembers the struggle. He feels the fanged teeth of a cat around his arm…
He woke up and it was well into dusk… he continued on his way for some shelter.
Someone’s large hand came upon his shoulder. He whipped around and looked up to see a button shirt. He looked up to see a familiar yellow faced male cat. He didn’t mean to, but Negaduck swallowed hard.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the infamous Negaduck. My daughter’s told me much about you!”
His daughter?! Who…Negaduck studied the face… No, who was he!? The voice… The accent… Ja Tarra!! “Your daughter?”
“Yes! She lives in St. Canard where you’re from!”
“Ah, yes. Her.” Negaduck sniffled from the cold. “Quite a tough one, isn’t she?” From under his cape, he felt the scar where Ja Tarra slashed him with her claws. He flinched in pain from his arm.
“Oh, let’s see,” The tall, beefy cat carefully took the shorter duck’s arm and saw the blood stained yellow sleeve. “Ah. The neighborhood kids are really too rough with new comers! Please, won’t you come in?”
“You’re kidding me, aren’t you?”
“Not at all, Negaduck! It’s too cold out here for a southerner! Come!” he put a hand around the shoulders of the duck and escorted him inside the urban house.
“Mary K! We’ve got a visitor!!” he called throughout the house. Negaduck looked around and for the first time saw where Ja Tarra had grown up. It was fancy!! He’d love to furnish a castle like the way this place was!
An older woman’s voice called down from up the stares, “Fransys! Not another one!!”
“But dear! He came with near nothing and it’s too cold for him out there!”
“I’ve told you before! You can’t keep doing this in Catona! Sure in your home town you could, but here is insane!!” She reached the bottom step and looked to see Negaduck glaring at her. She jumped up a stare and gulped.
“Mary K, this is Negaduck! Our daughter’s friend!”
“Er, I must protest...” Negaduck tried to correct him. He was cut off by Fransys, “He’s hurt too, Mary K! The neighborhood boys were too rough with him!”
“Well, we can at least give him a wrap, but send him elsewhere!” She headed back up-stares.
Fransys bent down to whisper in the duck’s ear, “She’s just nervous. You know how city gals are!”
“So where are you from?!”
“I’m a country cat! I’m from Farmsdale!” Fransys said proudly.
“Where?!” Negaduck said under his breath as Fransys went to the bathroom cabinet to fetch medical supplies. Just as he walked out with them and headed for the kitchen table, the front door opened and in walked a young boy cat. His clothing was covered in snow and his boots of slush.
Fransys said to the boy, “Oh Henry! Have fun out there?”
“You bet, Dad! We go to beat up a bird too!! Er…” Henry just spotted Negaduck, recognizing him.
“Yes, Henry?” his father said firmly, knowing quite well that his own son aided in hurting his older daughter’s friend.
“Er… I’m sorry, duck,”
“That’s better. Now take off your jacket and boots before your mother sees you and has a fit!”
“Yes, Sir,” The youngster does as his father instructs and Negaduck watches intently as his cohort’s girlfriend’s little brother; about 10, kicks off his winter gear. How can this clearly college graduate’ little brother be a decade behind her??!!
“Negaduck,” Fransys snapped the duck in deep thought back to earth. “Come, let’s take care of that arm of yours!”
Negaduck follows the six-foot tall cat to the kitchen where the lighting is better for this procedure. As it proceeds, Negaduck doesn’t even realize that he’s being talked to. “…And just so you don’t go out there looking like a war veteran, how about you use the washer down in the basement?”
“Huh?”
“Oh, fell asleep already?”
“No, just…”
“Oh, it’s alright. Maybe I can even sneak you in down there, huh? I’d get you a portable heater and you can have the cot we store down there.”
“You’re too kind.”
“I know, but would you honestly think of messing with someone as big as me?” Fransys let out a laugh from the depths and the small duck was taken back that he could find two, two mind you, nice people within one year!! When the yellow cat was finished, Negaduck looked over his arm and Fransys led him to the basement. “Sure it’s colder down here, but I got supplies to keep you happy. I got my old tent to help keep in the heat too!”
“You don’t have to! I’ve dealt with worse!”
“Oh yeah!” he said wondrously. “You messed with Henry! I forgot!” Once again he let out a booming laugh. It was kinda creepy how this father of a villainess was so…happy. It seemed that nothing could ruin his perpetual good mood. Just the opposite was with Negaduck; a perpetual BAD mood!
Fransys set up the tent, the cot, got a thick wool blanket and a sheet, a fluffy pillow and the heater and set it all up. “There are the washer and dryer, you can do your thing once I’m outta here, k? Laundry day isn’t until Friday.”
“Er…This is dry clean..”
“Oh, well, there’s the kit; the wife likes to be prepared, y’ know?” he turned to leave. He reached the stares and added, “Good night, Negaduck!” and away he went.
A quiet response, “Good night,” and the duck was left in the dark with but one light bulb on. He shook his head and went about the task of removing his cape, jacket, and sweater and wrapped himself in the sheet. It was damned cold down there! He folded up his cape nice and neat and put it in the corner of the tent, then went to take care of the bloodstain on his clothes.
Hours later, clearly near midnight, if not one or two in the morning, Negaduck folded his jacket and sweater, then snuggled down to the, now, warm tent. He laid his tired head on the soft pillow and bundled himself up in the blankets he was given for the night. The light was off and darkness enveloped him, as did sleep.
That night his dreams were haunted of an egg and a familiar voice, Michelle. It wasn’t a nightmare as he’s had. In all truth, he never so recently slept so soundly. He felt as if he was in heaven; his surroundings soft and snuggly; so comfortable!
Negaduck woke when he heard her scream. He wasn’t as fast as he would normally be; a slow process of making his eyelids lift. She dropped the laundry basket and ran up the stares screaming. After laying back down, too tired to care, he realized that her screaming wasn’t that of fright as it was of anger. “FRANSYS!!! I told you he HAD to go!!!”
The husband fought back pathetically, “Aw, but dear! I couldn’t throw him back out there in the snow!”
“I DON’T CARE!!! I’LL THROW HIM OUT!! NOW!!”
“Mary Kate! Won’t you reconsider?”
“NO!!!”
Negaduck heard her stomping back down to where he was. As much as he didn’t want to move, he got up and got dressed before she reached the basement.
As soon as Mary Kate reached the tent door, Negaduck walked out, coolly. “No need to, I’ll throw myself out!”
“Well thank heavens!!”
Negaduck walked up the stares where Fransys was waiting. “Sorry, Negaduck,”
“Laundry’s not until Friday, huh?”
“Sorry, I forgot the day!”
“No prob.” As Negaduck was about to go to the front door, Fransys held up an old winter coat that was just the right size for the duck. “Please, Negs, take this and don’t freeze to death!”
“Er…” The jacket was shoved into the duck’s arms. “Thanks,”
“It was my other son’s from way back when! Elle will flip when she sees it on you!”
“Elle?”
“My daughter, right?”
“Yeah…right,”
“And how is my little ray of sunshine?”
“Er…” Negaduck thought about what to B.S. “She has a boyfriend,”
“REALLY???!!!”
“Y-eah,”
“Caloo, collay! What a happy day! Are you him?”
“Nope. I’m married with a kid on the way!”
“Aw! Congratulations!! I bet she’s one lucky gal!” Fransys opened the door for the duck.
Negaduck walked out with the jacket on. Under his breath, before the door closed behind him, he said, “I wish it was true,”
When he got home he found his wife sitting at a table, crying. “Michelle? What’s the matter?” he asked, curiously as he slowly walked up to her.
She looked up at him with tearstained cheeks and watery eyes. He walked right up to her and found her hugging him in a heartbeat. He wrapped his arms around her in a consoling manner. “Now, now, what’ the matter?”
His inquiry was answered as the crying of a newborn was heard from the baby’s room. She let go and sat back down and he went up to explore.
He craned his neck in the doorway to see a red headed baby duck in the crib, replacing the egg that had been there. Where was the egg? He looked closer and found the baby the right size for an egg that large. Negaduck sighed as he placed his hands on the banister of the wooden crib. He gazed down at the baby and thought about where in the world he would get his red hair from. Surely not from his father…unless…he wasn’t…
Negaduck looked over his shoulder at his wife in the doorway.
“He hatched while you were away,” She walked to the crib and her husband followed her movement, continuing to look at her.
“Where is the red hair from? Is he really mine?” he accused.
She started to tear up again. “I took him for a blood test and he is yours, but, I don’t know why he doesn’t look a thing like you!”
He thought about that. “He is mine,” he asked in more of a question than a statement.”
“Yes,” To the baby Michelle said, “Poor Lucifer,”
“WHAT??! Lucifer??!!” he quickly looked back from Michelle to the baby.
“Yes, I named him Lucifer Rachester,”
Negaduck gazed down at the baby and associated the name with it. A smile grew on the evil duck’s face. “Lucifer? You named him after the devil?”
“No, I named him with a name that I think is neat,”
He shook his head, dazed. “Hoo,” A pause. “I love you, Michelle.”
“Aw, I love you too, dear,” she said as she went in for a warm hug. Even though Negaduck didn’t want to give one back, he still held her for her benefit.
She was asleep. Well duh! No wonder! It was 2:30 in the morning! Negaduck sighed with a growl and continued to stare at his computer as the colored shapes scrolled down the screen onto the pile already there. Game Over. He laid back, clasping his hands behind his head. He watched another minute go by on the digital clock. Then there came the ever-increasing cries of Lucifer in the other room. Michelle had been over working herself with this kid from hell. Negaduck got up and walked to his wife’s room.
He silently walked to her, as he always does and gently shook her shoulder. “Lucifer’s crying Michelle,”
She moaned in her sleep and less than half consciously mumbled, “What time is it?”
“2:30,”
In the same voice and state of mind she answered, “Just warm up a bottle and feed him, will you dear?” She easily and quickly drifted back to sleep as a feather floating to the floor.
Negaduck looked incredulously to no one then slowly turned to go. Lucifer’s cries were persistent and Negaduck cursed to himself, “Damned dame’s so lazy, ‘can’t feed the damn kid herself,”
He took the pre-made bottle from the fridge and chucked it into the microwave, slammed the door and punched some buttons. The only reason he was doing this is because, one, when she’s in a state like that she’s long gone and two, he wanted to go to bed.
Beep beep beep beep. The microwave sounded as it stopped. He threw the door open, and just because he’s too used to stealing candy from a baby, literally, he tested it himself.
“It’s bitter as anything! How can she feed the kid this?!” He shrugged it off and took it up stares to Lucifer and shoved it in the kids mouth. “There kid, shut up.”
Lucifer took it hungrily and enjoyed his past midnight meal. Negaduck stomped to his room and noisily changed into his PJ’s. He was about to get into bed when Lucifer started crying again. “What the hell is it with this kid?!!” he complained. Negs stomped down the hall and into the baby’s room to find the bottle sucked dry and the little worm making a fit. “What?! What do you want?! Michelle says you can only have one! I can’t give you any more!!”
Negaduck then thought back to when he was around that age. His mother did everything. His father thought not a thing about him and never cared if he got fed or not. But Negs could remember that after him mother fed him she’d hold him and comfortingly pat him. “Er, anything to shut you up, kid!” The demonous duck hefted up the baby and held him to a shoulder and pat him as his own mother used to do oh so many years ago. Lucifer let out a burp. Negs stopped, stunned. Proceeding to hold the baby before him, he looked Lucifer in the eye and said, suspiciously, “Who taught you how to belch already?!”
Lucifer just gave his father baby gurgles. “Eh, get to sleep you.” He put Lucifer down in his crib and covered him up. He shook his head as he proceeded to bed and thought about the night’s activities.
He was just about to fall asleep when the cries of his redheaded son came to his ears. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??!! TORTURE FOR MY LIFE??!!!” He screeched as he threw his blankets off and stomped to Lucifer’s room. Michelle had heard her husband’s complaints and woke up with a scowl. But being that that was the way he always was, she figured that he’d handle whatever it was, so she went back to sleep and covered off whatever blanket he threw off her.
In the baby’s room, the father stomped to the kid and scowled down at him. “What is it now!!!?” he said, punctuating every syllable. Then an odder came to the father duck’s nose. “Oh you didn’t,” he growled. Lucifer gave him a cry of discomfort as he gnawed on his own hand. “I can’t deal with your shenanigans!” And with that he stomped back to his wife’s room and made sure he woke her.
“What?” she tiredly asked.
With a sneer, Negaduck said, “Your kid needs a change.”
“He’s as much yours as he is mine! YOU go deal with it!” She plopped back down into bed. Frustrated and increasingly getting angry, Negs yanked Michelle from the covers and hauled her to the baby’s room. “Now, you do it!!”
“Coward.”
“WHAT??!!! I am NO coward!!”
“Really? Prove it!! Change his diaper!”
“I…” he paused, then almost inaudibly said something.
“What’s that, oh powerful lord of the NegaVerse?”
through his teeth he growled, “I said I don’t know how!”
“Well, I’ll help you along, ok?”
“Whatever. Just so I can get some damned sleep around here!!”
The next morning the parents convened in the kitchen for breakfast.
“Michelle, why is the baby’s milk so sour??!”
“You…tried some?”
“Yeah, what of it?!” he snapped.
She began to giggle and then laugh.
“WHAT??!! What’s SO funny??!!”
She calmed herself enough to get out, “Lucifer’s a little newly hatched, Negs! I feed him breast milk!”
“Oh…crap.” He swallowed hard, and retaining any dignity left over, he left for the garage as Michelle laughed her head off.
He’d been working in the garage for hours, tuning and cleaning The Trouble Maker when Michelle and Lucifer walked in. “How’s it going, Negs?”
“Er, fine. It’s a little dirty, but I’ve seen worse,”
“Aw,”
He looked up to see them looking at him. “WHAT??!”
“What?”
“You two look like you’re looking at me as if it were a Kodak moment!!”
“Well, you are cute when you’re hard at work at a machine!”
“Oh yer kidding me!!” he said disgusted. “ ‘CUTE’??!!!”
“Oops! Sorry. I meant drop dead gorgeous all covered in motor grease.”
He glared at her and continued working. “Dames,” is all he muttered as she went back inside.
Michelle came back a little later, alone. She just stood there watching like a fawning hawk as he worked. He noticed too. “WHAT??!!”
“What?!”
“You got that look again!!”
“So what’s the matter with my look? I’m merely looking at you,”
“And distracting me with your presence!!”
“I can distract you another way,” She winked at him and giggled.
“Oh please,” he muttered.
“Oh yes, I think I will,” And with that she got down on her knees with him and snuggled up to him. “I like my men shirtless and covered in dirt. Makes them look manly and tough!”
“I have to be tough to be Public Enemy Number two!!” Then he thought about it. “Oh, so you like tough men? Is that it?”
“I like ‘em just like you.” She kissed the side of his beak, seductively.
“Oh,” he growled deeply. “Well if that’s the way it’s gotta be,” He tackled her to the cement floor of the garage. “So, you like it on the cold cement floor?”
“Oh Negsie,” she laughed.
“I can’t imagine how I keep forgetting why I love you,”
“Is it that easy?”
“All too easy. But when you’re like this I feel this way,”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” Then he thought back to the clerk that seemed like he studied psychology back in college. “Yes I do,”
“Oh?”
“You just give me what I need. When you don’t, I hate you.”
“Well that’s a bad reason!” She scowled. He cocked his head to one side to listen to her explanation. “You might as well have treated me like a hooker out on the streets if that’s the case!!”
“What? But Michelle!”
Too late. She got up and slammed the door to the house shut. He pounded his fist on the floor.
He tried to get back to work, but when one bolt refused to budge, his wrench broke and cut him. He threw the piece that remained in his hand then decided that he was mad and kicked his motorcycle. Now infuriated, without even cleaning up, left the garage to his monster tuck and left the neighborhood.
That night he spent his time at the bar. A girl was sitting next to him and tried to convince him to go up stares. Reluctantly, stewing in his own self-pity, he followed as she pulled him up the stares and into her room.
“Say, hypothetically, what if a married man merely shared the same bed with another woman, not messing around, but just sleeping. Would you consider that adultery?”
“No, that’s, like, nothing!”
“No, really. Would it be adultery?”
“Er…I don’t know. Go to confession and find out!”
“Ok,”
“Wh, where are you going?!”
“I’m sorry Courtney, it just doesn’t feel right being here,”
“Aw come on! You know you wanna! Why don’t you be the real Negaduck!”
“I am being the real Negaduck!” and with that he left.
“Honey?” He peered in the dark room and saw her sleeping in their bed.
“Negs? Geez, what time is it?”
“Only 11.”
“Where’d you go?”
“Out. To get some advice,”
“ ’bout what?”
“…Nothing dear,” He went to lay next to his wife.
“You changed. You went to your hideout?”
“Yeah, fer a little bit,” He snuggled close to her and felt that this was right. It always felt right. Maybe he was too used to her being around. No. No, that was no way to think about Michelle. It was a privilege to be tolerated by her.
As they snuggled under the covers he thought about everything; everything that happened since they met. And even about what happened that day. His mouth certainly got him into trouble…as did his temper. Maybe he should think about the consequences on his actions before he does anything. That would be difficult for him, but at this rate, that would have to be his next move.
Negaduck hadn’t seen the Fearsome Four in a long time. Not for about a year! He then decided that tomorrow he would test a theory. Had he really changed? He didn’t think so, but then again, new behaviors were coming forth, changing Negaduck into someone else. Seeing the four would clarify this theory. They knew the original Negaduck. Would they recognize this new one?
“B, Boss! Yer back!”
“I certainly hope so…” Negaduck said doubtingly.
The four looked at each other wary of their boss.
“Wh…what??!!”
“Boss, you feeling alright?”
Bushroot places his hand on Negs’s brow to see if he had a temperature. His weakness in criticism usually proved he was sick. The demonous duck merely took the leafy had off and let it drop. “I’m fine you knobs. I’m just testing a theory.”
“Yeah? What of?”
“you can tell me that later. Let’s try a heist.”
“YEA!”
During the bank robbery, the four did their job and Negs kinda just stood there, leaning against the column, staring at the marble floor. His attention wandered to the far wall where there were portraits. It was then that he thought about getting one of him done, and one of him and his family. A nice big oil painting like those would be nice…
“Boss? Hello!?”
“Come back to us Negaduck!”
“Hmm? What!?”
“We’re done…”
“You ok?”
“I’m FINE!!” a pause and Negs could feel his cheeks flushing red. He gave a snort, snatched up a bag of money and led the gang out.
“Gee, Boss, are you ok? You’ve been so quiet since we left the hideout,”
“I’m fine, veggie head!! A bit disoriented, maybe, but I’m fine.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why are you disoriented? You never went out on a heist like this, let alone let us see you like this,”
Negaduck grimaced and turned away. He closed his eyes to clear his head, but all he saw was his family… “Do you four think I’ve changed?”
“yes.”
“Definitely.”
“Frighteningly, yes.
“clearly you have,”
Negaduck sighed and looked at them over his shoulder. “For the better?”
“Yep!”
“You bet!”
“You’re easy to talk to!”
“you seem to be more human,”
Negaduck sighed heavily. “I thought so.” He felt a tear of fright come to his eye; scared of what he will become, of what he left behind. All this confusion and emotion over a woman… pathetic. Negs shook his head in dismay when Bushroot walked up. “Hey, boss, believe me when I say that it really is all for the better! Sure this all started when Ms. Right walked into your life, but imagine how empty your life was before her! Well…it was for me, in any case,” he finished in a sad regretful manner.
an unsure pause. Bushroot continued when Negaduck said nothing. “Uh, and look at Megavolt! Gee! I’ve never seen him so with it! Uh…Ja Tarra, y’ know… she…helps… is this helping any? Boss?”
“No, yer right. I just thought of something…familiar.”
“Like?”
Negaduck turned to look up at the plant duck. “Parenting.”
“Oh! Gee, yea,”
“I mean, here I am, clueless as to raising my son, and yet…I can remember what my own mother did to take care of me,”
“wow… Negaduck…”
Negs waved off the idea and went to stand before the window. He thought about how much he missed and loved his mother, and how she took care of him when no one else would… And now it was his turn. It was Negaduck’s turn to treat his own son as his mother did to him those…31 years ago…exactly. Negaduck chuckled at the thought that he and his son were both born 18 days apart with a 31-year gap.
“Boss?”
“What’s so funny?”
“Me.” he answered.
The four looked at each other, clueless. “My son and I were born in the same month…” he turned to look at them. “He’s named after the devil…as was MY father.”
The four gasped. Negaduck continued, “And then there’s me. The embodiment of evil; Negaduck. Too much of a coincidence, isn’t it?”