Chapter Text
As the plane glided down from the clouds for a seamless landing on the McDuck property, all was quiet inside. Most of the travelers had been asleep for hours, worn out by the multiple cross-continent flights, to say nothing of the emotional events in between. Settled between Scrooge and Magica, the children were nestled beneath a thick purple blanket that bore the face of a masked duck, clad in a dramatic cape and wide-brimmed hat. Magica was curled up nearby, resting her head on Poe’s shoulder. Clutched tightly in one hand was the plastic water bottle that served as temporary housing for the moonflowers she’d plucked from the Forest of Lost Souls. Her peaceful expression brought a smile to her brother’s face.
It still felt so surreal, in the most wonderful way, to be sitting here with his sister and niece. To know that when they awoke, he would be able to speak with them, live with them instead of just pretending and wishing. It was nothing short of a dream come true.
Maybe that was why he was so afraid to close his eyes and let himself rest.
He knew it was ridiculous. Sleep was impossible in the Shadow Realm and by extension, so was dreaming. The chances of him waking up to find himself back in that empty black void were nil, yet he couldn’t quiet the fearful voice in the back of his mind, the one insisting that if he shut his eyes for longer than a blink, the world as he knew it would simply cease to exist, nothing more than a beautiful, cruel dream.
Poe’s attention wandered to the cockpit and the pilot descending from it. Della, he remembered, her name was Della Duck. She started toward the sleeping Scrooge, only to catch his gaze and pause. When she turned to look at him, the first thing Poe noticed was how bright and alert her expression was. It was as if the grueling flight had rejuvenated rather than drained her.
“Hey. Everything good?”
“Aren’t you tired?”
Poe barely stopped himself from wincing as soon as the words left his mouth. Circe, his social skills hadn’t deteriorated that badly while he was in the Shadow Realm, had they?
For her part, Della didn’t seem put off by the blunt question.
“Nah. I once spent three weeks locked in a staring contest with my reflection.” She said this very casually, as if it were a normal thing for people to go through. “Compared to that, flying to England and back with no sleep is really no big deal.”
Poe blinked, slightly taken aback.
“Oh. I see.”
The information he’d gleaned about her through shadowing Magica and Lena came rushing back to him. Della was Scrooge McDuck’s niece, the one who’d spent over a decade stranded on the moon without contact with another living soul. This time, Poe did wince. Compared to that desolate reality, his ordeal in the Shadow Realm almost seemed bearable. At least he’d been able to see his family, never having to agonize over if they were safe, if they were even still alive.
Della gave him a look, as if she could guess what he’d been thinking about.
“It’s not an angst contest. We both lost a lot of time we can’t get back, so we have to make up for it.”
Poe found it strangely comforting how matter-of-fact she was. Still…
“Quite right. You make it sound so easy.” He paused, hope seeping through despite himself. “Is it?”
“Yeah… no.” Della’s beak twisted into a wry, self-deprecating smile. “It took some trial and error – a lot, actually – but I’m getting there.”
She looked at him more sincerely.
“You’ll get there, too. Just don’t expect it to happen overnight and don’t try to force anything.” Her blue eyes turned serious. “And definitely don’t try to celebrate all the holidays at once.”
“That’s… oddly specific.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me on that one.”
“I think I will.” Poe stole a quick glance at his small family, just beginning to stir back to wakefulness. “Thank you, Della.”
She shrugged as if it were no big deal and offered him a grin, bright and encouraging. He returned it before he even realized what he was doing.
***
The trip through the Black Swamp was an uneventful one. Magica had wanted to fly at first, but Poe talked her into walking, wanting to absorb as much of his surroundings as possible. It almost felt like being a child exploring a strange new land. He breathed in the crisp autumn air, scented by wildflowers and dew, and listened to the first chirps of melodic birdsong. The rising sun was painting the sky in shades of pink and purple, blue and gold. It was surely the most beautiful morning Poe had ever seen and, sentimental nonsense or not, it felt as though the world itself was welcoming him back.
Lena kept darting ahead of her aunt and uncle, only to be forced to wait impatiently for them to catch up. Her childlike excitement brought a smile to Magica’s face, one that faltered when she saw the amusement on Poe’s.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” he said lightly. “Just thinking back to all those times you told me you hated children, that’s all.”
Magica huffed, giving him a look of indignant, half-hearted petulance.
“Well, Lena’s different, obviously. She’s my child, not some whinging brat.”
Poe just chuckled. He couldn’t deny that there was some truth in Magica’s words. Their niece was special and not just by virtue of being a De Spell.
“Hurry it up, you guys,” the girl in question called to them. “We’re almost home!”
Home. What a wonderful word.
They were soon stepping over the threshold to the tree house that bore Magica’s face. Poe couldn’t help but roll his eyes affectionately at the sight, just as he had when the house was first brought into existence. Some things never changed.
“Well, here we are.” Magica set her satchel and the water bottle holding the moonflowers down gently on a table before spreading her arms, indicating the modest living room. “I know it’s not what we used to have, but –”
“It’s wonderful,” Poe was quick to reassure her, smiling as he glanced around the room.
Certainly anything outside of the Shadow Realm would’ve been wonderful, even Lena’s little room beneath that crumbling amphitheater, but he truly liked this home Magica had created. It may not have had the grandeur and majesty of their old family castle, but it was warm and cozy, radiating an aura of familiarity.
“It reminds me of Granny’s cottage.”
Curiosity sparked in Lena’s eyes while a small, sorrowful shadow flitted across Magica’s face.
“Does it? I – I hadn’t noticed.” Her beaming smile soon returned, perhaps with a more desperate edge than before. “Do you want to see your room? We can show you now, if you’d like.”
Poe barely had time to nod in confirmation before she was taking his hand and leading him up the narrow staircase, Lena following close behind.
“I hope you like it,” Magica remarked, pushing open the door at the end of the hall. “I tried to get it as close to your old space as I could.”
Poe stepped inside and took in his surroundings. There was a four-poster bed, a wardrobe, and a tall bookcase waiting to be filled, all made from a rich, dark wood. An oval-shaped window stared out into the towering cypress trees, letting as much sunlight as it could filter inside. Nice and clean and comfortable.
“It’s perfect.” Beaming, Poe turned to give Magica a hug. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Magica sounded pleased with herself. “If you want to rest for a while –”
She paused and suddenly pulled away, her golden eyes brightening.
“Oh, I can’t believe I almost forgot!”
Before Poe could question his sister, she pressed her fingertips hard into the smooth purple gemstone of her staff, flexing as if trying to pull it apart. At once, the staff began to glow and shrink, transforming for the first time in decades into two identical amulets. Magica slipped one around her neck and held the other out to him expectantly.
“Here you are. I’m sure you’ve been missing this.”
It was clearly supposed to be a gift, but as Poe stared at his amulet, he felt more like he’d been presented with a viper, poised to strike and eager to taste blood.
“That’s all right, Magica,” he said hastily. “You should keep it. You’ve had it for this long, after all.”
She looked utterly bewildered – and perhaps a little hurt – by his refusal.
“What? No, don’t be silly, Poe. I’ve kept it safe all this time just for you. It’s yours. It’s always been yours.”
“No, I can’t –”
“Of course you can.” Magica grabbed her brother’s hand and tried to press the amulet into it. “Here, just take it –”
“Magica, stop!”
Poe hadn’t meant to snap at her, he really hadn’t, but the feeling of cold metal against his palm had given him such a jolt of panic that he lost control of his normally considerable patience.
Magica recoiled from the sharp words as if she’d been struck. Standing between the twins, Lena’s eyes had gone wide with worry.
Poe could feel his heart sink.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have –”
“Is it because of me?” Magica suddenly seemed so small, so unlike herself. “I know I let it come between us once before, but I – there’s no reason to…”
How could things be going so wrong in such a hurry?
“No, no, not at all,” Poe rushed to reassure his twin, needing her to understand that she wasn’t being rejected. “It’s not because of you at all, so please don’t blame yourself. It’s just that I – well, I’d prefer to spend some more time readjusting to the world outside of the Shadow Realm before delving back into magic, that’s all.”
The hurt on Magica’s face faded, replaced with relief and no small amount of confusion. That was to be expected – his sister always had trouble trying to understand why someone wouldn’t want more power.
For his part, Poe was, for once, unsure of what to tell her. He scarcely knew how to put into words the creeping dread he felt when he looked at the amulet that had once been synonymous with strength and authority, a symbol of all that was possible for him. The fear that as soon as he accepted it, all his newfound morality and desire to change would evaporate like mist and he’d go right back to being the power-mad sorcerer who’d lost everything.
There was the smallest gleam in Lena’s eyes and Poe knew that even if Magica didn’t understand, she did.
“Okay.” She looked between her aunt and uncle calmly. “So how about we table this for now and see how we’re feeling in a couple months. Seem fair?”
To Poe’s relief, Magica nodded in (perhaps reluctant) agreement before rejoining their amulets into a staff once more.
“Thank you, both of you.” He gave Magica’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m grateful, truly.”
She was quiet for a moment before giving him a wry smirk.
“Just don’t come crying to me when it’s your turn to clean up after dinner and you haven’t got any magic to help you.”
With this playful jab, Poe knew his decision had been accepted. He returned her smirk gamely.
“Not only won’t you hear a single complaint from me, sister dear, but I bet I can do a more thorough job without magic than you can with it.”
"Ha! I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Lena rolled her eyes in exasperation, even as a fond smile played across her face.
***
Poe’s first day back in the real world ticked by without fanfare. The three De Spells had breakfast together, and though eggs and toast were a far cry from the lavish feasts he and Magica had once indulged in, it was the first morsel of food he’d had in a century, and it was absolutely delicious. He cleaned his plate as quickly as he could while still trying to retain the etiquette he’d been brought up with.
Afterwards, Magica and Lena took him into the swamp, showing him every nook and cranny they could of this part of their home. Poe had seen it all before, as little more than a ghost wandering beside them, but he was happy to take it all in now that the world wasn’t consumed by never-ending darkness. He found that the moody ambiance possessed its own sort of beauty, one he was sure he’d enjoy being surrounded by.
Plans were made for tomorrow, the next day, the next week – visits to the Duckburg Public Library, to a bookstore Lena had learned about through Violet, even to a movie theater (Lena was particularly adamant about that last one). None of it would’ve warranted more than a passing mention in most people’s recap of their day, but after only being able to live vicariously through his family for so long, any time truly spent with them now was precious to Poe. The more he had of it, the easier it became to crush his waning fears beneath his heel. Far from a cruel dream, this reality was as solid and stable as the cypress trees growing all around him. It would be here when he closed his eyes that night and when he opened them again the next morning, ready to make up for all the time he’d lost, just as Della had said.
By now, the sun was beginning its descent. A discussion about dinner had started, though Magica seemed far more interested in the still-closed moonflowers than the possibility of food. Tempted though he was to keep quiet about it, Poe couldn’t bring himself to ignore her furrowed brow for long.
“What’s troubling you?”
“Hmm? Oh… it’s nothing. It can wait.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Poe remarked, though he wished it would.
“It’s just that I promised Gladstone I’d return that album as soon as I could. And the living flowers need a better home than that water bottle.” Magica gave him an uncertain look. “If you’d rather stay here –”
“I’d be happy to go with you,” Poe forced himself to say, pleased that it sounded so sincere. “What about you, Lena?”
“Sure,” the duckling said with deliberate innocence. “I’m down to visit your boyfriend if that’s what you want to do, Aunt Magica.”
Magica gave her a withering look (one Lena was completely unaffected by) before turning back to Poe.
“You really wouldn’t mind?”
The obvious delight in his twin’s voice was almost enough to make him put aside all his misgivings about this impending meeting. He put on a smile for her sake.
“Of course not. Why would I?”
So it came to be that he found himself walking down a pleasant suburban street a few paces behind Magica and Lena, his thoughts turning brooding as the Gander house came into view.
Poe’s feelings about Gladstone were, in a word, mixed. On one hand, the gander’s moonflower had furnished his reunion with his family, and for that he would always be profoundly grateful. On the other hand, Gladstone was clearly harboring an interest in Magica that went beyond mere friendship, which he was significantly less grateful for. To say nothing of the fact that his sister reciprocated this interest, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it quite yet. He’d spent enough time watching her pine like a lovesick schoolgirl to be certain of that.
“Aunt Magica’s never had a relationship like this before, has she?”
Poe looked over to find that while Magica had picked up her pace, Lena had lagged behind to walk beside him, an expectant look on her face.
“No,” he admitted. “Neither of us have. Most people wouldn’t give us the time of day when we were young and by the time we took command… well, even if they hadn’t been terrified of us, by then, we’d decided that we simply didn’t need anyone else. We were all we had and all we needed.”
“I figured.” Lena nodded. “So how do you actually feel about this?”
Poe stopped on the sidewalk a few feet from the house, considering the question. He didn’t deny, something in his psyche prickled at the knowledge that he alone was no longer companionship enough for his sister, that she would turn to an outsider instead. Yet he knew it wasn’t jealousy that fueled him, not when Magica had spent a century searching tirelessly for him. His position in her life was more than secure, regardless of how many other people entered it.
It was the ease with which Gladstone had wriggled his way into Magica’s discerning heart that most provoked his suspicions. This smooth-talking dandy who Fortuna had chosen to favor above all others, so accustomed to getting anything and everything he could ever want. What if that was all his sister was to him in the end? Just another pretty little trinket handed to him by chance, easily tossed aside when something brighter and shinier came along?
He watched Magica hide the moonflowers beneath her cloak before knocking on the front door.
“I don’t want her to get hurt.”
Lena nodded again, her dark eyes thoughtful and knowing.
“I get that.” She paused for a moment. “You know, Gladstone’s definitely not as cool as he thinks he is, but he’s not a bad guy either. He’s always been super nice to us, even when he really didn’t have to be. When there was nothing in it for him. I think he just likes having us around.”
Poe looked back to the front porch. Gladstone had the flower-patterned album tucked beneath one arm and was holding the moonflowers in the water bottle. He was too far away to hear their conversation properly, but the warmth in the gander’s expression when he looked at Magica – not the rare, enchanted flowers she’d given him, but Magica herself – said more than enough.
After a moment, Magica turned and gestured for him and Lena to come closer. There was a sparkle in her eyes, one Poe had never seen before. As they approached, Gladstone put on a winning smile.
“Hey, Storm Cloud. And you must be the famous Poe De Spell. I’ve heard a lot about you from Sha – Magica here. All good things, don’t worry.”
He stepped forward, holding out his hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Poe glanced at the outstretched hand before turning his attention back to the man himself. Underneath Gladstone’s charming smile, he could glean the faintest hints of worry, maybe even uncertainty. At the same time, there was something in his eyes that told Poe his words weren’t just empty sentiment. It wasn’t unlike the warmth he’d seen the gander display toward Magica just minutes ago. The warmth that Magica clearly returned.
Poe decided in that moment that if Gladstone Gander was going to be a fixture in this new life he’d been given, he wouldn’t complain unless given an ironclad reason to. Even if he didn’t necessarily understand the particulars, this man made his sister happy, and he wouldn’t be the one to shatter that happiness.
He reached out to shake Gladstone’s hand.
“Likewise.”