For @beakleyappreciationweek: DAY 7 - FREE DAY: A Night Of Peace (AKA: back to my Perma-SHUSH AU)
Bentina was leaning back against her arm chair, looking at the little ones who played on the rug between her chair and the fireplace. Three wee things. Precious things.
Ludwig, hers and Scrooge's oldest at age 4, was singing to his sister's as well as any child that young can. Victoria, age 2, was listening, captivated by the song. Her twin, Angela, who was sucking on her fingers, didn't look impressed, but otherwise silent as she listened to Ludwig's song to be polite.
A soft chuckle and the feeling of a gentle kiss on her cheek made her smile, her eyes glancing to see Scrooge pulling back from her with a smile.
The couple watched in comfortable silence until the grandfather-clock struck 8pm. Bedtime. They got their children off to bed: the girls in their room lined with pinks and purples and various stuffed animals and toys (was that Ludwig's missing trainset that he didn't seem to miss too much and that Victoria had been so fascinated by?) spilling from the chest, with beds on opposite sides of the window on the center of the wall opposite the door. And Ludwig in his room, lined with blueprints with stars drawn on them and constellations drawn on them courtesy of Ludwig Von Drake, the Godfather of all three children.
"Today was good."
Bentina turned to Scrooge, smiling as she watched him pull the hat that matched his nightgown on. "It was indeed."
Scrooge smiled as he climbed into bed, kissing her as he laid down. "Sweet dreams, my love."
Bentina hummed at the feeling of the kiss before yawning as well. "Sweet dreams to you as well, my love."
And, with that, the bedside lights were turned off and one last kiss in the darkness was shared before they settled in for sleep as light raindrops began to hit the window and lulled them even faster to sleep.
I don't usually write and this is kinda short so hope you like it!
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It had been a pretty regular mission if someone asked Scrooge.Ā
Sure, he had somehow gotten captured this time (in hindsight, maybe all the times Bentina had stressed about NOT putting unknown things in his beak had a slight point. Not that he was going to admit it out loud, even less to her face, any time soon though), so most of the work had fallen into 22's shoulders with the extra task of rescuing him. But still, pretty subpar villains compared to the ones they usually dealt with, paired with pretty common goals and a poorly put-together plan made it so the events of the day were unremarkable at best, and he had almost completely forgotten about them by the time he settled reading in the hotel's shared bed, Beakley diligently finishing touching up the main points of her report before joining him with a book of her own.
Eventually he had been so engrossed in his book, detailing the mysteries that surrounded a certain artifact that had recently caught his eye, that he had lost all sense of the time.
Until a soft, steady, rhythmic sound he had never heard before pulled him out of his trance and made him scan his side of the room startled, book gripped hard in his hand in case he needed a weapon, taking for granted his partner would cover the other side.Ā
But it wasn't until he turned to check with her that he found the source of his alarm and his breath stopped for a moment.
Because Bentina "Agent 22" Beakley looked deceptively defenseless curled under the blankets next to him with her pale hair messily scattered all over the place and shining slightly under the soft combined glow of his night lamp and the crescent moon, long lost to a deep slumber for the first time since they had met all those years ago.
And there he sat, staring at her in bewilderment, trying to remember a single occasion he had seen her like this in their many shared travels.
No matter how tedious the mission had been, how grueling and challenging the fight had gotten nor how many injuries she received from it, Agent 22 had always been awake to see him fall asleep.
Moreover, while Scrooge prided himself on being an early bird, no matter how early he awoke, Bentina was already going about her daily routine, moving silently like a shadow around the room to avoid waking up her partner. He had tried waking up before his regular hour before for a change but somehow she seemed to anticipate when that would be and fix her sleeping schedule accordingly every single time.
Logically he knew she would sleep during the period in-between. After all, common sense was one of her strongest suits, she wasn't reckless enough to enter a battle sleep-deprived, especially not when so much was at stake in every single one of her missions. Plus, she had trusted Scrooge as far as to give him her real name years ago and their bond had only gotten stronger since then.
She simply had never allowed herself to lower her guard to that degree around him during his waking hours.
Of course, he could hardly blame her. After all, old habits die hard, especially if they're the ones keeping you alive.Ā
Until now.
A small whimper suddenly broke his line of thought, making his attention snap back to the spy next to him, who, in a more awake state, would have never been caught dead making that sound in front of anyone.
Whatever dreams plagued her mind surely weren't pleasant as she whimpered again, her breathing speeding up and her body getting more restless by the moment, until he instinctively put a hand on top of her head, stroking her hair gently with a comforting shush, like he would do ever so often for Hortense or Matilda when they were little kids.
And then he froze.
He expected her sharp senses to snap her awake gasping, her fighting response to kick in and her self-defense instincts to take over in order to subdue the perceived threat, and immediately braced himself for the heavy impact of a bruising hit that never came.
Instead, under his astonished eyes, Bentina sighed and her breathing evened out again, burying her face in the pillow and snuggling closer to his warmth, mumbling something incoherently.
He didn't know if she was fully aware of it yet. But whether on purpose or by chance, Bentina Beakley trusted him enough to allow herself to be vulnerable.Ā
And if, much to 22's confusion, his smile was a little bit too smug when the morning came and the sun rised, well, could you really blame him?
They kept contact. Him as an unofficial agent. As her trusted ally outside of the corruption that could plague a government agency. That she knew he wouldn't fall prey to, mainly because of his niece and nephew, made him the best ally she had. And his reputation for adventuring into dangerous areas for magical treasures made it easy to have him travel to other places under the guise of treasure.
He trusted her. Which should be hard to do, considering their jobs and his experience with others, but it wasn't. It was actually hard for him to NOT trust her, especially when she climbed the ranks of SHUSH to make it to the top of the agency as Director. He would, at times during early adventures after his joining of SHUSH, he'd swear on "a dear friend" to others he adventured with prior to taking care of Donald and Della and then the fallout of his family. So when she came to him for help, after invading FOWL (he found this out later, almost over a decade, but still he trusts her with the greatest thing in his life - his family), at his doorstep with a baby, he showed no hesitation in welcoming them in.
It was good. They were okay. Even all these years later, after those secrets came out, they still swore by each other and it was a messy, beautiful, highly dysfunctionally functional friendship that spanned decades and it was worth everything thet had gained and almost lost to keep one another apart of their lives.
Yes I'm aware I haven't finished day 3 and 4 but in my defense. Figuring out and drawing scars is fun.
Most of the scars Beakley got over the years probably faded during the ten years she spend in hiding but she just went and got new ones since the triplets arrived.
The big one in her arm is from Moonvasion (she really got shot with a gun that aimed at the right spot would desintegrate someone and she just changed shirt and called it a day.)
The one in the back is from when Heron electrocuted her to knock her out and reaches to cover a part of her collarbone too (which she probably wasn't thrilled to find after the fight was over), while the cut in her arm is from last adventure too.
She probably has a lot more in the front and a couple in her legs.
Day 5 for @beakleyappreciationweek: Legacy / Scars (a little of both)
Bentina sighed, having rewrapped the scars from their recent adventure. After that, she made her way to where everyone else was relaxing.
From her work at SHUSH? No question. Adventuring with Scrooge and his own? Oh please, child's play. Speaking of..
"Granny! Come look at the geyser!"
Beakley let Webby tug her along, smiling as the girl talked about how fun their vacation was, smiling at her. They were on vacation, to Big Rock Candy Mountain. It was perfect. Just a lazy time with the family as they recovered from their adventure.
Now? They could recover and focus on the family. On mending scars and wounds from FOWL and everything that happened because of them.
Short, non-descriptive thing for @beakleyappreciationweek .
(DAY 3) - Shelter
Had Bentina expected this bad of a storm? Possibly. Had she expected to get sick? She'd never tell. Had she expected to be covered in blankets with the children either sitting around her or helping Scrooge with getting her tea and soup? Launchpad finding a marathon of the original Darkwing Duck on television to try and lift her spirits? Duckworth not rubbing in her face that he told her so?
Honestly? No, she hadn't. But that was okay. Because her family was her shelter. Taking care of her for once. And that was okay. She supposed even she needed it every once in a while.
As fun as it wouldāve been to draw the flower power prompt I donāt have the energy rn, so maybe some other time - until then, take āShelterā for @beakleyappreciationweek day 3!
For @beakleyappreciationweek2021. 21st (DAY 2) - Enemies / Partners
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Partners. That was what her and Scrooge were. They had been through thick and thin, married, had a child- fell apart after their daughter and her husband died in an accident that Scrooge knew was a natural occurrence but Bentina was convinced wasn't. She was drowning in taking down FOWL, convinced they had something to do with it, that was another reason they fell apart.
Enemies. They were everywhere. there was nothing that could convince her otherwise. Close friends were just enemies that were one plot twist away from being villains.
But not him. He was never one of those. They were partners. A duo. Her being the control and him being the stubborn force of nature.
And now, several years later, she had come back to him. A baby in her arms. A little girl, who was on the way to being used by FOWL before she kidnapped rescued her.
A knock on the door in the middle of the warm but somehow it was cold night. The door opened, and she came face to face with Scrooge. Who had looked angry for a brief moment, before he welcomed them in with a melted smile.
"Scrooge, listen, about Webby-"
Scrooge held up a hand, Webby in his arms now as Bentina had been drinking some tea and having a plate of hot food, silencing her. "Ah do nae need ta kno' tha deta'ls. Jus' kno' tha Ah trus' ye. We're par'ners Benti." He moved that arm to her, his hand extended out to her.
She smiles at him, taking his hand. "Partners. Now and forever."
Smaller than what it could be Scroogeley Fic For @beakleyappreciationweek 2021 Day 1: Secrets and lies/Trust.
"I'm.. expecting." A truth, given to her best friend.
"You haven't told the father yet?" Scrooge's question, putting a hand on hers to show support.
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She shook her head. "No." She gripped his hand. "The name he gave me was fake and.." She let out a sad sigh. "I'm scared, Scrooge."
Scrooge, grips her hand tighter. "Don't worry." He smiles at her. "I'll help you, I'll be by your side. Whatever you need. I promise." He looked so sure, and upon seeing her hesitation, he pressed on. "Ye an' I ar' par'ners. We're in tha think an' thin ah lif' tahgether, regar'less ah wha' comes ah us."
She smiled back at him. "I'll take you up on that, when you aren't too busy adventuring. Thank you."
Within a few months, when she started to show, the questions really started.
"Oh, your pregnant?" The pure snobbishness of this agents voice made Bentina want to punch them. "And who is the father?"
Just when Bentina was about to say something that would have gotten her reprimanded-
"I am." That Scottish accent sounded like a chorus of angels, making Bentina turn to her friend with a smile.
"Oh.." the face the agent now had, one of shock and disbelief, was priceless. They walked away, leaving the two alone.
Bentina chuckled, looking at her partner as he walked tp stand beside her. "That was priceless." She smiled, "and you are a life saver."
Scrooge nodded. "Anathin' fer ye, Bentina. We're par'ners."
Bentina offered a hand to him. "Partners."
A lie they told those around them, but they knew that their partnership was more than enough.
The day arrived, and it was a mess. The egg came during a horrible storm, and it wasn't safe to leave SHUSH on that day. Why had she insisted on coming to the party? Oh, yes.. it was to celebrate making headway in being that much closer to taking down FOWL.
She was in the in-house medical wing now, having laid her egg which Scrooge held in his lap to keep it close to her. They were alone, the trained staff having shooed off everyone else.
"You don't have to take that maternity leave that Ludwig gave both of us." She assured him, speaking for the first time in minutes since the birth. The books she had read weren't kidding. It knocked her down and then some.
Scrooge had stayed quiet for a moment, cradling the egg like he had his sisters eggs so long ago, before looking at her, waiting for her to continue.
Bentina was confused. "Scrooge, you don't have to stay with me all the time and.." At his face, she paused.
"Do ye trus' me?" He looked from her to the egg.
Bentina nods at him. Was watching as he placed the egg in the makeshift bassinet before he got up and walked to her, standing in front of her.
"I'll ask again," Scrooge looked her in the eye. "Do ye trus' me?"
Bentina nods. "Yes." She answered even though she looked worried. "Scrooge, you're scaring me."
Scrooge silently took her hand in his. "Bentina.." he took a deep breath. "Will you trust me?"
Bentina tilted her head. "Yes.." She moved a hand to his forehead. "Are you alright? Should I call the doctor?"
Scrooge shook his head. "No. I.." sighs in resignation, reaching a hand into his pocket and holding it out in front of him.
Bentina looked at it, curious at to what it was, when her eyes widened when Scrooge opened his hand to reveal a ring. She looked up at his face. "What?"
Scrooge looked at her. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes." Came the answer without hesitation. They were partners. Life could throw what it wanted at them, and they were going to come out on top. Together.
Those secrets and lies, wouldn't be secrets and lies anymore. Because they trusted each other. And loved each other. And that was more than enough for them.
"Your mother... Was an artist. Your father was a librarian and by all accounts a very nice man."
"The sad truth is that... I was so caught up in my spy work that I missed everything important. I didn't even know I had a granddaughter until... until it was too late. And they were gone."
.
For @beakleyappreciationweek 2021 Day 1: Secrets and lies/Trust
At some point between the pilot and the last adventure Beakley had to have given to Webby the photo of her parents and honestly we were robbed of that moment.
I'd like to think that there's some part of truth in the story she told Webby.
Bentina Beakley flees the FOWL base with a child sheās not entirely prepared to take care of, but thereās one person she trusts to run to.
Scrooge McDuck.
Written for @beakleyappreciationweek & the Day 1 prompt ātrust.ā AO3 link in reblogs!
āāā
āWeāre here.ā
Bentina takes a deep breath, struggling to steady herself. She knows that outwardly it wonāt change a thing, sheās worked hard on concealing her emotions in her years with SHUSH. But if thereās one man in the world that could see through her, itās Scrooge McDuck, and sheās about to knock on his front door.
The mansion looms overhead, tall enough to conceal the moon above, making the world around her seem so much bigger than she is. The sky is dark, only the pale porch lights casting shadows into the night, and itās quiet enough that her footsteps almost echo as she gets out of the car. Itās not often Bentina Beakley feels vulnerable, but today is a day unlike any other.
Sheās got a little girl to protect.
The baby is just starting to wake from a long nap as sheās pulled from her seat, blinking at Bentina with sleepy eyes. Sheās bundled up in the softest cloth Bentina could find on short notice, and though itās no baby blanket, she still looks comfortable. Far more than she did in thatā¦ that test tube where Bentina had found her.
āThere you are, dear,ā she murmurs, studying the babyās face for any sign of discomfort. āYouāre alright.ā
The baby yawns, letting out a soft squeak, and her heart practically melts. How could those fiendish FOWL agents even think of using such a small, innocent thing as a weapon? She practically shudders at the thought, then shoves it away. She doesnāt have time for could-have-beens at the moment.
She turns toward the front steps, taking a deep breath. āWeāre going to be fine. Mr. McDuck will be willing to help.ā
The baby wonāt understand, of course, but it calms her to say it aloud. She doesnāt voice the fears sheās quieting as she approaches the steps, doesnāt acknowledge how scared she is of being turned away or arrested for kidnapping a child that sheās got no claim to.
Instead, she mentally rehearses the story sheās come up with to explain, leaving as much of the truth in it as she can. She looks down at the baby one more time, and smiles gently as she slips a soft ribbon over the little oneās head, tied with a pink bow. It makes her look even more adorable, simply gazing out at the world with innocent wonder.
She shifts the baby to one arm, reaching out with the other to knock on the door. And then, she waits.
It takes a long minute for anyone to navigate the mansion, and judging by the lack of cars in the driveway, Scrooge is here alone. Heāll have to put down whatever heās doing to come and greet her, and heāll likely grumble the whole way. She remembers nights in foreign hotels while on missions, and how every time he had to answer the door, heād complain about being interrupted. Theyāve been to more than a dozen countries together, and known each other for decades, but some things always stay the same.
Itās because of this that sheās not surprised to hear him muttering as he approaches the door, yanking it open with frustrated force. What does surprise her is how quickly his gaze softens, taking in the sight on his doorstep. Sheād expected to stumble over her words, however carefully she usually chooses them, not for him to gesture inside without so much as a single question.
Theyāve kept in close contactāhe knew she was headed to the FOWL base, was the only oneāso she supposes it makes sense. She hadnāt mentioned anything about a baby before, but here she is with one, and thousands of miles away from where she said sheād be right now. She realizes, as she steps inside the mansion, that it must be obvious her last mission for SHUSH has failed.
āIām sorry to disturb you at such a late hour,ā she begins, before heās even got the door closed. āI wasnāt sure where else to go, and I knew it would be safe here, so Iā¦.ā
āDinnae ye worry, Twenty-Two,ā he offers her a gentle smile, then gestures for her to follow. āYer always welcome here. Come on now, Iāve got a kettle on the stove already.ā
She trails behind him on the way to the kitchen, taking in the silence of the house. It seems they are indeed alone, the once-vibrant mansion now totally still. Itās haunting, and Bentina thinks to herself that something this big should be full of life. Instead it seems devoid of it.
When they reach the kitchen, there is indeed a kettle on the stove. Thereās a single cup on the counter beside it, and Scrooge is quick to pull another one out. She takes a seat at the small breakfast table while he hunts for jasmine tea, knowing she canāt stand his preferred nutmeg. Despite her unease with her surroundings, thereās a comfort to be found in the familiarity of their relationship.
āCan I ask about yer bairn?ā He questions, once heās set out the milk and sugar. āIf yer comfortable tellinā me, that is.ā
āOh, itāsāitās alright,ā she stumbles, already uncomfortable with lying to him. Especially about something this big.
The baby, as if acting on cue, shifts in her arms. She adjusts the way sheās holding the little one, beginning to rock her gently. āHer name is Webbigail, or Webby for short. My granddaughter. Iāmā¦ all she has.ā
āOh, Bentina,ā he shakes his head. āIām sorry.ā
āIā¦ thank you,ā she canāt quite think of anything else to say. He seems to have mistaken her anxiety for grief, and for once sheās grateful for years of training herself out of being expressive. Apparently she can still keep a few things from him.
The room falls silent for a moment, both of them thinking, but the kettle's whistle quickly brings that to an end. It briefly startles them both, and the baby whimpers at the sharp sound, so Bentina focuses on calming her while Scrooge prepares their cups.
The room settles back down as Scrooge brings her a steaming white teacup and saucer, then joins her with his own. He watches her move to cradle the baby with one arm, then take a sip. Itās just the way she likes it, of course, and the taste reminds her of so many late nights and early mornings with her partner. Of studying casefiles to prepare for missions and making jokes about villainsā outfits, of talking about nothing while eating dinner in foreign hotel rooms.
It reminds her of times when she felt loved.
āHow long do ye think yeāll be stayinā?ā Scrooge asks, pulling her from the reminiscence. āWe can set ye up in one of the bedrooms tonight, if yer thinkinā itāll be a while.ā
āI appreciate it. Iāmā¦ not quite sure,ā she admits, setting her cup on itās saucer. āEverything is different now.ā
āThatās alright. Yer safe now, anā Iām happy tā have ye here. Both of ye.ā He reaches out to put his hand over hers. āWe can worry about all that later. Fer now, all ye need tādo is take care of yerself anā look after yer wee one.ā
Bentina knows heās right. Sheās always had a tendency to think too much, and thatās just about the opposite of what little Webbigail needs right now. āOkay.ā
āDāye want a shower, or some rest? I can look after Webbigail fer a little while.ā
Itās only then that Bentina realizes how rundown she must look. Her outfit is rumpled, pulled from her suitcase last-minute, and she assumes her hair must be similarly frazzled. She barely slept an hour last night, and itās been a taxing few days. As hesitant as she is to let go of the little one at all, she knows she really does need it.
āThat sounds fantastic.ā
It doesnāt take long for her to find herself in one of the manorās many bedrooms, setting her bags down and getting ready for a shower. All too soon, everythingās ready, and she has to hand Webbigail off to Scrooge. And though she knows she shouldnāt be, sheās terrified to do so.
Sheās thought of dozens of reasons things might go wrong, from Webbigail getting hurt or worse to FOWL catching up to her and taking the little one back before she can stop them. But despite all of that, she knows itās Scrooge. Her partner in taking down Black Heron, her most trusted ally when it came to needing a SHUSH agent, and most importantly, her best friend.
So when he opens his arms, she carefully hands her precious bundle over. The baby settles down in his arms, and all his usual boldness and bravery seems to disappear, replaced simply by a tender, gentle gaze.
āHello, Webby darlinā,ā he whispers as his eyes meet hers for the very first time.
Bentina hardly dares to disturb this moment, quietly slipping off to shower and leaving them together. Itās far from any reaction she expected, but itās also far from unwelcome. Perhaps Webbigail simply has the power to befriend anyone she comes across.
She isnāt in the shower for more than a few minutes when she starts to hear singing. Sheās washing her hair at first, and canāt quite make out the lyrics. She identifies a few words of Scottish, but it isnāt until she turns the water off that she realizes itās a lullaby.
Once sheās dressed again, she heads back into the bedroom, finding Scrooge sitting on the end of the bed. He doesnāt seem to notice her, wrapped up in rocking Webbigail to sleep. His expression is one Bentinaās only seen him wear when heās around his niece and nephew, and she can hardly describe the feeling it carries.
Thereās a softness in his eyes, watching her fall asleep. A gentle smile as he sings, and though she canāt understand the words, Bentina knows thereās care behind them. As if he wants to soothe and protect Webbigail in the same way he would any of his sisterās kids, or the little ones that Dellaās expectingā¦ oh.
He loves her.
Scrooge let her in without a question, and she didnāt even have to explain. She still hasnāt told him half of what she was prepared to. But he cares about her and obviously fell in love with Webbigail already despite not knowing anything about her. Heāll help her take care of a baby she's not entirely prepared for, and give them both a place to live and belong.
For the first time in many, many years, Bentina Beakley is home.
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