happilyeverbeginning | if i couldn't be strong / would you still love me the same (scrooge x magica)

Scrooge sat at his desk and read through documents to sign. A tedious job, since he read every clause, no matter how small, conscientiously beforehand. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Sometimes it was just annoying to be the manager of such a huge company. But who wanted to remain the richest man in the world. Had to make sacrifices. Nevertheless, variety would do well...

He had hardly thought the thought through when a voice very familiar to him suddenly called his name. With one leap he jumped from the chair and faced the witch. No matter how unexpected her appearance here in his home was, inside he was almost 24/7 prepared for one of her attacks.

Even if she seemed strange to him today. The expression on her face was different, but he couldn't arrange it with the best will in the world. Actually the question was superfluous, but decency had to be:

"Magica de Spell...what do you want here witch?

Magica stood there, broom in hand, quiet at first. She needed his help... it was so hard getting the words to come out of her mouth. A small part of her said she didn't it, she'd find another way... but the rest of her knew it was already too late.

She shut her eyes tightly, as if that would make it any better.

"Relax, I'm not here for your time! I'm... I..."

She ground her teeth - she hated to do this! And when she finally said it, it was barely above a whisper.

"I... I... I need... your help."

Of course she wanted his... Wait, what did she say? He stared at the witch in disbelief for a moment.

Then he burst out laughing. "But yes, of course, my help..." His eyes became cold.

"I'm honestly disappointed that you think I'm falling for that trick. You should know me better! He grabbed the garlic loaded rifle that was always ready.

"It's a pity, I could have used some distraction today. But that you come along with such a cheap scam... get out of my house, witch, on the spot, before I help!"

Magica winced, as if the words physically hurt her. Then again, this wasn't surprising. Of course he wasn't going to believe her - would she, in his shoes?

"I know how it sounds!" She snapped, still unwilling to look at him. "And believe me, if I had any choice, I wouldn't be here!"

But she didn't. Now she forced her eyes open.

"... This isn't about me. This is about Ratface... he's sick. He's caught a magical illness that I can't control, or cure. I don't have the funds to get him the aide he needs... I've used everything to try and get your dime, so I don't even have a dollar to my name!"

Edited 2018-12-21 20:08 (UTC)

Something was definitely different today. Magica was certainly not a good person but the fact that she went to such a low level was simply pathetic. If possible his gaze became even colder.

"I don't know why you're suddenly interested in my money, so far you were pretty much the only person who didn't care..."

When you listened carefully, you noticed the slight undertone of regret in his voice.

"But trying to soften me up with a story like that is pathetic even for you. If you care about your raven, you shouldn't make up such stories. As a witch you should know that this is a bad omen!"

The shotgun was pointed at her. "I hate to repeat myself: OUT!"

Damn - this was getting worse by the second! Magica could already smell the garlic coming from the gun, and it was making her gag. A full-blown shot at this angle, and she'd be sick for ages! Just the smell alone was enough to make her take a step back on sheer instinct.

Fighting off nausea, she clutched her chest, she tried one last time. What did she have to lose? "I'm serious! I can't cure him by myself! The cure is in a remote location, and I don't have the resources to go there on my own! No other witch or warlock will help me!" Which was probably her own fault, given how often she'd backstab others, but this was hardly the time to discuss that.

"Please, Scrooge! You're my only hope!"

Scrooge just shook his head disappointed. The more she stuck to this ridiculous story, the more certain he was that it was a trick. It just didn't look like her.

Quick as a snake he approached her and grabbed her by the collar. He had never made a difference in how he treated women and men. He could hardly suppress his grudge, with his teeth bitten together he growled at her: "That's enough now, that's really the stupidest thing you've ever tried, and that's saying a lot. Do yourself a favor and get out of here. Next time hopefully you have a better plan."

It overtook him himself what disappointment he felt. This woman usually made sure that he had to bring up all his strength and his mind to stand up to her and now she begged him for money? That was not the Magica he...knew...

Magica winced - for a good moment she thought he was going to strike her. She knew by now he wasn't afraid to get physical with her, and in turn she could give as good as she got.

But she didn't raise her hands in defense - she hadn't even brought any wands. If he wanted to hurt her, there was nothing stopping him. But right now, his words were hurting her the most - she hung her head in defeat, her voice unusually hollow.

"... You really won't do it, will you." She'd given this everything she could, and nothing was working. "Nothing I say will convince you. It's... useless."

Damn it, if she stayed any longer, he'd end faling into her trap. She really looked like she was desperate. But no, NO she was a witch. She didn't feel anything at all.

The thought put a stab in his heart without him knowing why. Donald and the rest of his family had really managed to make him soft. For a long moment he looked at her, beaten, with her head hanging. His hand twitched as if he wanted to touch her. Her face, her voice...

But he got a grip on himself in time. She was a good actress, he had to give her that. Somehow this fact compensated for this otherwise rather stale attempt. He remained hard. "Totally right. As useless as Brigittas approximation attempts. Go!"

Please, he added in thought. He could no longer bear to see her like that. Scrooge, you will not become soft. You are not the richest man in the world because you fall for such a show...

Her eyes felt hot - No! Damn it all to hell, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry!

She swiftly turned her head, pushing him away with one hand. "Fine." Then, harder, "Fine." She headed back to the open window, her hand on the window frame, holding her broom out. "I hope you're happy..." She hissed, bitter. "You've made sure the only person I ever cared about will die!"

No, it wasn't his fault, and he still wouldn't believe her. But she wanted him to hurt in some way, to pay for his refusal. Without another word, she jumped out the window, flying away on her broomstick.

He knew it was just a trick. He KNEW it, but still... Her words hit him. Made him feel bad. Damn. Never before had a meeting of them ended like this. No matter how humiliating her defeat had been. It had never left him with a bad feeling, as he knew the stubborn witch would come again. Just as proud as the first day.

And he loved this characteristic of her. There had never been a bitter epilogue like this. Did the possibility of Ratface really...?

But no, if it were so bad for him, the magician community would help one of their people. Even if she had made herself somewhat unpopular. Surely...

Scrooge sat down again to his work and tried to forget the meeting. The next time she showed up he would treat her a little less rudely than usual, he took it upon himself.

There was just one problem with that train of thought - Magica didn't show up again the next day.

Or the next. Or the next.

Soon, it became several days, without a trace of the witch. No one in the family reported her in town, and there was nothing suspicious happening around the money bin. The days continued to come, and even the men assigned to watch over the witch's shack at Mount Vesuvius reported that there was no unusual activity. According to them, Magica wasn't leaving her house for anything - nor were there any sounds of bubbling potions or evil cackling.

She just wasn't coming.

Several nights in a row Scrooge had hardly slept. His mind simply did not want to give rest. His thoughts constantly revolved around the witch and why she didn't show up. When had she ever left him alone for so long? Never. Even a day was a long absence for her, but almost a week?

His family began to worry about him. He didn't notice it himself, but he spoke of hardly anything but Magica. Every little thing reminded him of her. Mrs Quackfaster swept out the office, and immediately he had her picture in his head of how she had flown away dejected...

Moreover, he was unproductive, the absence of her disturbances was more disturbing than anything else. It had no purpose anymore. He had to fly to Naples to check on her. What if something had happened to her? If she lay helpless in her hut?

He didn't even have to try to convince himself that he didn't care. He would even help people like John or Flintheart in this case and Magica was...something special...

A tiny voice in his head added, "What if it wasn't a trick?" All the good talk from his family didn't help. He sat down in a special plane, with which he could land like with a helicopter in the smallest space and was on the way to Vesuvius.

"I am coming Magica..." he caught himself thinking.

As reported, the house on Vesuvius was quiet. No magical guards, no eerie sounds to indicate whatever was going onside. Because, truth be told, there wasn't much going on inside.

Magica sat on her knees, despondent, tears rolling down her cheeks. Ratface lay in his little bed, unable to do much but writhe in agony, his body flush with fever. Magica had tried everything in her power to help, no matter the sacrifice, but it hadn't worked. Now, it was only a matter of days before Ratface would be gone forever.

Her head was low, her fingers clutching her dress. It wasn't fair...!

It did not reassure him that the hut seemed abandoned at first sight. No smoke from the chimney, not a sound came out of the small building. So much discretion was simply not the Magica he knew. He landed the plane a little away from the cabin and sneaked up on it. The door was not locked, without knocking he opened it and entered.

Both had never bothered to knock when they "visited" each other, it had already gone into his blood to enter her home as if it were his own. Inside he could finally hear a noise, but what he heard laced his heart. Was that a sob? From Magica? Quietly he entered the next room, which was her bedroom. What he saw there made his worst fears come true.

She had not lied...he was a scumbag...Careful not to scare her, he came closer. All the louder he could hear her desperate sobbing, could see Ratface twisting in agony.

"Magica..." He whispered, his voice faltered. He felt terrible.

Magica was too lost in her own grief to hear the door open, or the slow approach of footsteps - but she definitely heard that voice.

She gasped, and then quickly rose to her feet, too furious to even think of wiping her face clean. "You!" She hissed, her anger and sadness colliding. "What are you doing here?! Did you come here to enjoy my misery!"

He had no right to be here, after he denied her the only thing she ever asked him! "Get out!"

Scrooge was hanging his head. No wonder she thought so of him now. But how could he have known it wasn't one of her tricks? On the other hand he slowly realized that he had been silly and stubborn. From the beginning her show seemed strange and unfamiliar to him. Because it was none, because she had shown him a brief glimpse of her true self and he was too stubborn to see it.

She looked completely desperate, with red eyes and tears streaming over her face. He had to swallow before he could speak.

"I'm here because you didn't come back...Usually after a failed attempt you're all the more persistent. I...I was worried." He looked past her to Ratface, then back into her face. "I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you. I should have known better..."

Desperately he drove his hand over his face. He hardly dared to speak any further. "Is...is it already...too late?"

Worried? Worried about what? Magica grunted in her throat, turning away. What right did he have to be here? As if she was just some toy he could play with, and now that it had been taken away, only now did he care!

She kept her back to him, holding herself, her eyes resting on Ratface. Watching him in pain... "...I don't know. It's amazing he's lasted this long... he's always been a fighter." She hesitated, then reached out to gently stroke her pet's face. "He never gave up on me, no matter what I put him through."

She never even looked at him. This time he had really screwed up. His eyes became almost tender as he saw Magica taking care of Ratface. Again a new side to her was discovered, one he liked. She was loving.

Determined he took a step towards her and carefully put his hand on her shoulder. "If I make a mistake, I admit it. You came because you needed my help and I only mistrusted you although you proved to me often enough that I can trust you. Please, if there is anything else we can do..."

Now he also carefully stroked the raven's delicate plumage. He turned his head towards him with sad eyes until he let it sink again exhausted. "...He really is your family, isn't he?" He held Magica by the shoulders and moved her to look him in the eyes. "I was an idiot but I'm here now! I will help you! What can we do?"

When he looked at her like that he felt a certain relief, of course it was terrible that Ratface was doing so badly. When one of his nephews...he didn't want to think about it at all. But, he had come here worried that something was wrong with Magica and felt how happy that she was safe. He scolded himself, fool.

Magica jerked when she felt his touch, tempted to slap him, to scream at him, to demand he leave so she could never see him again. But she simply lacked the energy to do so. It all seemed so pointless now... until he spoke.

Her eyes widened - was he serious? Was he actually going to help her this time? Unlike Scrooge, she never thought it could be a trick - simply because there was nothing he could gain from lying to her now. "The cure is in a remote location deep beneath the equator. I don't have any supplies or any way to get there... Not even my broom can survive those extreme dangers. Are you really going to help me get there...?"

Without really thinking about it, he touched her cheek. "I will not let your friend die if I can prevent it. I'm sure Gyro will come up with something!"

Contrary to the serious situation he laughed. "That sounds like a real adventure." A cunning glow could now be seen in his eyes. "And before you feel bad about it, I'm sure we'll come up with a way how you can pay back this favor if we succeed..."

Now his eyes became soft again and his voice calming. "And we WILL succeed Magica, when we did something together, we always achieved what we wanted!

He was serious - he really was going to help her. Tears welled up in her eyes again, but not due to her agony. Relief flooded through her so hard she lost control - without thinking, she launched herself at Scrooge, holding him tight.

"Thank the gods!" She wept, burying her face in his shoulder. "Thank you... you don't know how much this means to me..."

... It took her a minute to realize what she was doing.

Her entire face went apple red, and she quickly pulled back, embarrassed. "... A-hem. I'm... grateful. That's all."

He was surprised. How much must she have suffered that this proud woman threw herself into his arms with gratitude? His guilty conscience of having rejected her before became more and more intense.

Carefully he put his arms around her, you could never know when the witch suddenly changed her mind. But for a moment they remained tightly wrapped in the hut while the time stood still. Of course she detached herself from him again at some point.

Smiling he looked into her red face while she stammered an explanation. Was it possible? Was this woman really... cute? Again he put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, that's all right. I'm really sorry that you and Ratface had to suffer longer than necessary. Let's go, let's save him."

On the outside he seemed very calm, but on the inside he couldn't forget the feeling of her lying in his arms. He would have loved to draw her back to him immediately. But time was short and she would not be very thrilled.

He must not forget that Magica was only concerned with Ratface. Who helped her was completely unimportant.

Magica cleared her throat, trying to pretend she hadn't thrown herself at him like some foolish little girl. "R-right, let's get going!" She didn't even think of packing any luggage, her mind now spinning.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, and gently scooped Ratface into her arms. "Easy now..." She murmured to the bird, as sweetly as any mother to their child. "Let's go right now."

With a warm smile he watched Magica say goodbye to Ratface. She could be so loving if only she wanted. Before he sank into daydreams again he pulled himself together.

"Our first stop, Gyro Gearloose, we should take your broom, it's significantly faster than my plane. After that...where exactly is it going? How is it actually possible that you can't reach the place with your broom?"

He asked now skeptically. Not that there was anything that could have stopped him. He had promised to help Magica. Scrooge McDuck always kept his word. You could rely on that!

"That's just the problem..." Magica began to explain, picking up her broom that rested near the doorway. "Where we're going, no witch or warlock has ever been. In fact, it's forbidden for us to ever go there."

After a beat of hesitation...

"... We're going to Hades, the underworld. There are all sorts of anti-magic traps there, to prevent anyone like me from entering. I'm entirely powerless there, let alone unable to get in by myself."

For a moment he stared at the witch as if she had grown a second head.
"You mean the legends about the existence of Hades are true? There is an underworld? I thought the depths of Pluto that you get to here on Vesuvius would have been everything.

It was hard for him to suppress his excitement and not jump around like a little boy. His joy was inappropriate considering the reason why they wanted to enter this area. But still, Hades! His eyes flashed adventurously. He jumped on the broom behind Magica and put his arms around her hip to hold on.

"Sorry, I know I shouldn't be happy. So much depends on what we are going to do and it seems almost impossible to do." His voice sounded far from desperate with these words. "I think we are the only people on this planet who have a chance. But, even if I repeat myself, together we have still mastered everything. Don't be afraid!"

Somewhat embarrassed, he let her go again. The draught while flying cooled his heated cheeks.

"Of course you mere mortals wouldn't think it's real." Despite the situation at hand, Magica couldn't help but be petty and snotty, especially when it came to enemy number one. "That's what you're supposed to thing. Otherwise everyone would head in, trying to get their loved ones back from the dead or some other silly nonsense."

With a click of her heels, the broom began to lift, and she shifted her weight, one hand steadying the broom, the other keeping Ratface close to her chest. "Now hang on! I'm putting all my energy into this flight, so it's going be fast!"

And she was not kidding - without any further warning, the broom jolted out of the house and away from the mount.

Strangely, the idea to reawaken a deceased had not come to him at all. He was only attracted by the adventure. Besides, the time came for everyone. It was against nature to interfere in this run. Fortunately, most of the important people had remained with him. With the more than rapid flight he moved a little closer to Magica in order not to fall from the broom. She flew like the devil himself.

A small voice whispered that the woman before him belonged to these important people...Good that witches couldn't read someones mind without further ado.

After a relatively short stop at Gyro's, who simply didn't want to believe what they had in mind and secretly expressed doubts about his companion, he agreed to help anyway. After all, a life depended on it, and if it was "only" the life of a raven. Hesitantly, Magica left her beloved friend with the inventor. He and Little Bulb would take care of him. A journey that almost went into the taterus was not the right one in his condition.

Scrooge took her by the hand and led her to the vehicle that Gyro gave them. Fast, functional and of course hardly tested. But Scrooge trusted the man. And really, in no time they had arrived in Greece. Magicas broom could hardly have kept up, even if it worked.

Magica had promised Ratface she'd return with the cure, and even fondly kissed his head, no doubt startling everyone in the room. But the broom's magic had taken its toll on her, and she laid in the car as if she'd run a triathlon. From here on out, she'd just be an "ordinary" woman - no magic, no potions, no spells, nothing. It was frustrating, but at least she wasn't in this alone.

Arriving in Greece, Magica was quick to move - she wanted to get to that cure ASAP. "The entrance to Hades is hidden deep within the woods. To ordinary mortals, they'd walk by it and never notice. So we have to be on our guard - the real entrance is disguised!"

Somewhat worried, he would look at Magica once in a while. She seemed to be more and more exhausted the closer they came to Greece. Of course, she wasn't used to being without her magic. But he was sure she would master it. After all, he had never possessed magic himself and so reluctantly he admitted it, Magica was not unlike him when it came to willpower and stamina.

With alert eyes he looked around the forest, but Magica was probably right. A mortal simply couldn't see anything that seemed extraordinary. Suddenly Magica held him tight as he was about to pass a gap between two trees. He looked astonished at her, were they there? Or better, at the entrance?

Magica tensed up - while she couldn't use magic, it still ran in her veins, and she could detect when something was amiss. Wordlessly, she put her hand between the gap, and then yanked her hand as if it had been burnt.

"It must be here." She declared, giving Scrooge a nod of approval. "We have to find the endless river within Hades. That water will cure Ratface."

Now he became a little bit nervous at the thought which empire they would enter soon. "You mean we need water from the Styx? Do we have to cross the river? As far as the legends go, it only works with an obulus under your tongue...I don't know what it looks like with you, but I don't have any ancient Greek money with me right now..." He deadpaned.

He got the feeling that maybe they had left a bit unprepared. It also didn't help that you could see Magica's insecurity, her eyes full of concern for her friend and definitely a trace of fear. He did it after her and stretched a hand between the gap...he felt nothing at all.

So he couldn't do anything on his own. For a moment he stared, lost in thought, at the entrance, invisible to him. To hell with legends. If there was a river and a ferryman, then they were real, and you could outsmart what was real. "What are we waiting for then? Confidently he smiled at Magica and offered her his hand.

"Oh please. I know you'd be sicker than Ratface at the thought of ever giving away any money." Magica deadpanned right back, able to give as good as she got. They knew each other well, after all. With a shake of her head, she became serious again. "Besides, going on the ferry is a one-way trip. We need to distract him..."

And then, casually, as she entered the gap between the trees, "Or just steal the boat."

At the end of the day, Magica was a criminal, so of course that thought easily came to her.

She ignored his offered hand, insulted him (even though she wasn't wrong, as he had to admit) and finally stepped alone through the entrance while she suggested becoming criminal. No wonder she had made enemies in the Mage World, sometimes she lacked some finesse.

Sighing, he stepped behind her through the trees...to continue standing in the forest. Great, he not only couldn't feel the magic, it simply didn't accept him either. In fact, this was a great cover from mortals. Somewhat bewildered, he turned to the passage. Would she notice that he was missing?

Magica did, and she could fathom a guess what happened. "Ugh, why do they have to make everything so complicated?" (Probably to keep you out, Magica!) With that, she took a step back from the passage, back to the mortal world.

"Scrooge, can you hear me?"

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