Chapter Summary:

Dewey reflects on the day everything had changed for him when he was eight years old. The day he moved into the mansion, the day he met Webby and everyone else at McDuck Manor, and most importantly, the day his own parents had perished...

It wasn't a pleasant memory but it was one he couldn't forget.

Dewey remembers the first day he moved into the mansion. It was an unforgettable day. But it wasn't really because he got to move in with his rich uncle or because he met Webby…it was actually because it was the day his parents died. So yeah. It was pretty sad in hindsight…

Before that day, he and his parents always lived in a really nice house. They would never really visit Uncle Scrooge's mansion because they never needed to. Scrooge was always happy to visit Dewey and his parents at their own house. Ah…back when Scrooge wasn't always cooped up in the mansion.

Though Dewey always remembered begging his parents to show him the manor, he never thought that he would be living in it now. He always dreamed it would be so much fun. Mansions were big and mysterious, so he could explore a lot of it..! He also knew that Scrooge and his parents all went on super cool adventures, so they probably kept a whole bunch of souvenirs at McDuck Manor..!

So…that's most of the reasons why he always wanted to go to the mansion. However, they never really visited it, much to his disappointment.

Speaking of his parents…

Dewey always recalled that his parents were as adventurous as Scrooge used to be. His dad was called Greyson McDuck. He was very much like Dewey, always outgoing and eager to try new things. His dad was the type of guy to act before he spoke, which is probably why Dewey's like that too.

His mom was called Daphne McDuck. Dewey's sure that she was more of a planner than his dad. Yeah, she was definitely way more organized, kind of like Scrooge. She was still outgoing and sociable, though. She was great…

They were both great. His mom, dad, and Scrooge would always leave Dewey with a babysitter while they were out on adventures. Dewey always wanted to come, but they never let him. It was fine. He knew he could join them when he was older, so he waited patiently.

So, he always stayed back at home with his babysitter. But when his parents came home, Dewey would always repeatedly ask them what they did until they told him everything.

The two of them didn't need much persuading though. They would always tell him stories of their adventures every single day. And they've told him some pretty insane things too! Like, one time they met a group of vampires! Oh, and when they almost fell in a pit full of the undead..! And the time they almost died!

…

Yeah, the stories got spooky sometimes. And sometimes they didn't really make for the best bedtime stories, but they were still Dewey's favorite part of the day…

He would always be looking forward to when his parents got home just so that they could sit down with him and tell him about their exciting adventure of the day. Every single time they did, Dewey's dreams of joining became stronger. They would tell him the story, then tuck him into bed. Then Dewey would fall asleep, dreaming of his own crazy adventure while he slumbered.

All he could do was dream, but no one stopped him or said he couldn't. It was kind of different nowadays…he wasn't sure why that had to be, though.

He thought maybe it was because Uncle Scrooge was the one taking care of him now. Scrooge was pretty grounded in reality nowadays. It seemed like he did not have time for dreams and he was just pushing his mentality onto Dewey.

But then Dewey realized something didn't add up. Yes, Scrooge was like that. However, he wasn't always so…boring. He used to have goals and dreams! He used to be way more ambitious! Why else would Dewey have looked up to him? Why else would he have gone on those adventures in the first place?

So yeah, Scrooge was probably the only thing stopping Dewey right now…but that's only because his uncle changed…

Dewey thought about this a lot. He always wondered when that happened. He wondered exactly when Scrooge's whole demeanor changed. And after some thinking, he thinks he might know.

Coincidentally, it was the same day Dewey moved into the mansion.

…

It wasn't too long ago, maybe a few years ago. Dewey was about eight-years-old. He was in his family's old house, playing with a fake sword while his babysitter sat on the couch and played on her phone.

It was okay, Dewey was very easily entertained. And he was doing a good job at entertaining himself too! He swung the fake sword around, making swooshing noises with his mouth. He was pretending to fight a big and scary monster in a cold, scary dungeon.

"Whoosh! Take that! And that!" he cried at the ferocious imaginary monster.

His babysitter –who he had mentally given the name "Ms. Babysitter" – looked up every now and then from her phone to make sure he hadn't accidentally hurt himself. Something he did way too many times before. Dewey wasn't… he wasn't the safest child. So she always had to glance at him every once in a while to make sure he hadn't done anything reckless.

Likewise, Dewey always glanced at the clock on a nearby wall every so often, waiting. Today was no different. As he looked up at the clock, he saw it. It was only a few minutes before his parents would get back home.

It wasn't that he didn't like his babysitter, no. He just wanted to hear his mom and dad's story of the day, that's all!

This was a normal day for him. Dreaming every day for the day he'd become an adventurer with no one telling him otherwise, waiting for his parents to come home and tell him everything about their day. This…this was Dewey's life.

DING DONG

Dewey and Ms. Babysitter looked up at the sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Must be your parents," she said, sitting up from the couch. She looked at the clock on the wall. "A little early, though, huh..?"

Dewey didn't seem bothered by this. He didn't see anything wrong with that. The earlier they were, the earlier he could see what kind of cool thing they got today!

As the older person walked away to answer the door, Dewey put down his sword and sat down on the couch, waiting patiently like a good child.

A few seconds passed by. However, instead of Ms. Babysitter coming back with his parents following her…instead of hearing his dad's usual greeting…instead of any of his parents being present…

…It was his Uncle Scrooge.

"Oh! Hi, Uncle Scrooge!" Dewey greeted happily when he saw the old man. He wasn't expecting to see him here at this time. He looked around. He could only see Scrooge and Ms. Babysitter, but still no parents. "Where's mom and dad?"

Scrooge had a small and sad frown on his face as he and the babysitter shared a grave look with each other. Dewey didn't know what was going through their heads, though. He looked at the two of them, confused.

The Scottish duck picked Dewey up and sat on the couch, sitting Dewey on his lap. "Dewey, there's something you need to know…"

"Hm?"

"Your parents…are gone."

"Where did they go?" Dewey asked innocently, looking around again. Scrooge looked at him sadly and sighed.

"Listen...we were off exploring in some ruins. And there was an accident…"

"A-An accident?"

"Yes…" It sounded like Scrooge was have some trouble explaining it to him. It also sounded like he was having trouble talking about it at all. "There was a trap that we didn't see coming…"

"Were mom and dad okay?" Dewey asked, concerned. "Are they hurt?"

"Dewey…" his babysitter spoke up, looking concerned and sorry. His uncle probably told her already, but Dewey was still in the dark. He didn't like being in the dark.

Scrooge took a deep breath and stayed silent for a few seconds. He struggled to find the words to say it, but sure enough, after a while, he got it out.

"Your parents are dead, Dewey…"

"…"

There was a very long moment of silence. For a moment, all of Dewey's thoughts seemed to suddenly come to a halt. His mind was blank. His stomach dropped. It took a while for Scrooge's words to process in Dewey's mind.

Your parents are dead, Dewey…

…

"…No, they're not…" The young boy said very quietly.

"What?"

"They're not dead," Dewey insisted, refusing to fall for Scrooge's prank. "They were here earlier today..!"

"Lad…they perished on the mission. I know, it was very sudden but…" Scrooge tried to explain. However, Dewey wasn't having any of it.

"Stop joking with me, Uncle Scrooge, i-it's not very funny..!" Tears welled up in Dewey's eyes, even though he knew Scrooge wasn't telling the truth. It was probably because he didn't like the thought of that actually happening, that's all.

"I'm not joking, sonny…"

Dewey wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn't want Scrooge thinking that he was falling for the prank. That would be stupid.

Because he knew…he KNEW it was just a joke. Any moment, his mom and dad would walk through the door like "Surprise! He was just kidding!"

Dewey got off of Scrooge's lap and ran past his babysitter, heading to the front door, determined to catch his parents and show them that he wasn't as gullible as they thought.

"Dewey..!" Scrooge and Ms. Babysitter exclaimed in unison, following close behind him. They struggled to keep up with the quick child as he sped to the front door.

Opening the door, Dewey ran outside in the front yard. "Mom? Dad?"

He looked around. However…the porch was empty. The front yard was empty. Heck, even the streets were quiet. Regardless, neither his mom nor dad were present.

…They were probably hiding though, right..? Yeah..! They always played hide and seek with him! Granted, he was usually the hider, but whatever..!

"Guuuys, stop hiding..!" He called out, checking around the yard for them. He looked under every potted plant, every item on the yard. They were tall, so it probably wouldn't be easy for them to hide, so this should be easy.

..But if that was the case, why couldn't Dewey find them?

"Mooom..! Come out..! I know it's just a prank..!" He continued calling out, trying not to get steadily more worried. "Daaaad?"

Scrooge and the babysitter watched him search, both looking incredibly sad and pitiful. Ms. Babysitter looked heartbroken at what she was witnessing. Dewey didn't pay any attention to them, though. He didn't even understand why they looked so sad in the first place. They had no reason to be.

But he still couldn't find his parents…

"Dewford," Scrooge spoke up, getting Dewey's attention. Dewey looked up at him, frowning.

"W-Where are they hiding..?"

"They aren't hiding, lad…" The old duck sighed and went over to the small duck. He kneeled down and looked at him. Scrooge looked like he was trying not to cry. "Your mother and father are gone, Dewey. Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be, okay..?"

Dewey stared in his uncle's eyes for a while. He tried to find any kind of hint that he was lying. He tried to find some sort of evidence that this was all just a mean joke…

But he found nothing.

"They're really..?"

"Yes…"

"They're never coming back..?"

"…Yes."

Dewey has always been a happy child with a happy life. He's never felt true grief before. Of course, he's cried in the past, but all for petty reasons.

So when he felt his world crashed down on him…

When he was forced to accept the truth…

…It wasn't a great feeling…

All Dewey remembers from that moment was him finally feeling that awful, sinking feeling of despair. He remembers crying, even if he didn't want to. The tears just poured out uncontrollably, but he couldn't stop it. He remembers hugging his uncle tight with the intention of never letting go, probably afraid that Scrooge would disappear too if he did.

He remembers Scrooge picking him up and saying something to the babysitter. Dewey didn't hear what. He was still too busy wailing and sobbing to notice or to care.

What was going on?! What happened to his parents?! Why aren't they here with him?! What's happening?!

He recalls Scrooge carrying him to the car and putting Dewey in the backseat. Scrooge sat in the seat next to him and closed the door.

"Back to the mansion, please, Launchpad."

"…You got it, Mr. McD," the guy driving the car said. Dewey's vision was too blurred by his tears. He leaned against his uncle and closed his eyes, trying to stop himself from crying anymore.

As he felt the car's engine rev, Dewey felt more exhausted. He felt tired for some reason as if crying had consumed a lot of his energy. Tears still streamed down his face, but he had stopped sobbing after a few minutes of driving. He felt himself get more tired and sleepy, completely worn out. It didn't help that the whole car was extremely silent, either.

Dewey slowly, but surely felt his consciousness slipping away from the real world.

He had hoped it was all a bad dream. He hoped to sleep, then wake up to his normal life again. His parents would be there to comfort him and tell him that his nightmare hadn't been real. He would be happy and forget about all of this by breakfast.

That was the plan, anyway. So with that, Dewey let himself drift to sleep, hoping for the best.

Hope. That was all Dewey ever needed. But for some reason, it decided not to work this time.

When the young boy had opened his eyes after his short nap, he found that, unlike his wishes, he was still in Uncle Scrooge's car, with Scrooge next to him. He wasn't in bed, he wasn't at home.

That hadn't been a dream.

The second thing he noticed was that the car seemed to have stopped. Dewey looked outside the window to see where they were. There, behind the vehicle, was a large gate. A fancy gate. It wasn't his home.

"Come on, lad…" He heard Scrooge say quietly as he felt his seatbelt release its hold on him. Scrooge held Dewey's hand and led him out of the car. Once outside, Dewey could see the full view of the mansion now.

He could see the mountain of stairs that led up to it, seeming like they could go on forever. He could see a few peacocks too. Rich people just bought them because they looked pretty, he supposed.

All of this was supposed to amaze him. He was supposed to be in awe, already bounding up the steps, making his way up to the manor he so desperately wanted to visit.

However, he felt no excitement. It wasn't his home, so it didn't matter. He just wanted to go back to the house, somewhere he was familiar with.

"Why are we here..?" Dewey quietly asked as Scrooge led him up the steps. Are Mom and Dad here? No? Then what?

"You…You'll be living here from now on…" The old duck responded, continuing his way up. "I'm going to be taking care of you now, alright?"

"…"

Dewey wasn't sure how to respond, in all honesty. The only thing that went through his mind when he heard that was that his parents wouldn't- couldn't be the ones to take care of him anymore. That's the only reason he's staying with his uncle.

…

"…Okay…" the child said in what sounded like a defeated whisper. He felt too tired to cry anymore. There was an aching feeling his chest, but he tried to ignore it. It didn't stop him from staring at the ground the whole time, though, as they got to the front of the mansion.

He briefly raised his head and looked around at the large manor. He had hoped that seeing it up close would help distract him from the sadness he felt, but to his disappointment, it did nothing.

Mostly because this wasn't how he saw himself when he imagined visiting this place for the first time.

Scrooge led him through the front doors and together, they stepped inside the foyer. As opposed to the cold concrete outside, the inside was carpeted and warm. There was a fireplace, a bunch of paintings, a few weird things Dewey didn't recognize, and more. He guessed those items were from adventures…

So he was right. They always brought souvenirs back here, to the mansion…

…What item would they have brought back today if mom and dad had survived..?

Dewey closed his eyes, that sad feeling eating at his insides again. It didn't matter, did it? He wouldn't care if they hadn't brought back a souvenir back to him, as long as they themselves had come back…he would have been perfectly fine with that.

"Beakley…" he heard his uncle's voice again. Dewey opened his eyes slightly. He could see a large woman in front of them. He couldn't see her expression, as he immediately went back to looking back at the floor. He didn't want to look at anyone right now.

"Welcome back…" she said in her very British accent. Scrooge had gently let go of Dewey's hand, in which Dewey almost instinctively grabbed it again. Almost.

"Show my nephew his new room…please. I need to make some phone calls…"

"Alright."

Dewey felt Scrooge's presence leave the room. Now, he was left with the large woman in the foyer. He continued to look down, too…sad to say or do anything.

In his peripheral vision, he saw the woman kneel down in front of him. Dewey inclined his head slightly and finally looked up at her. She wore framed glasses and she wore her grey hair up in a bun. She seemed very strong, but she also seemed old. There was a certain "motherly" vibe about her, but he couldn't really pin it down to one specific part about her.

Though, she wasn't his mom.

"Hello. I am…Mrs. Beakley," she introduced herself, holding out her hand. "…Your uncle's housekeeper."

"I'm Dewey…" Dewey responded though he didn't seem in much of a mood to talk. Still, he shook Mrs. Beakley's hand politely. He might be sad, but that doesn't mean he should be rude.

"Follow me. I'll show you to your new room here at the mansion," Mrs. Beakley softly said, standing up. Dewey silently nodded, not really caring too much.

She led the way, slowing her pace to make sure that he was indeed following her. Dewey allowed himself to look around as they traveled down the long halls as if that would help cheer him up. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to be cheered up, though.

"In here is your room," Beakley said, coming to a stop in front of a door. She opened the door and stepped to the side, allowing Dewey to enter the room first.

As he did, he took note of how it looked. It was bigger than his last room. However, it was awfully plain. None of his toys were sprinkled across the floor, the bed was neat and tidy without a splash of blue, and the walls were blank without anything on it.

He should have expected it, of course. However, he was just reminded that it was not his old bedroom. That's when he realized- if he was going to be living here now, he wasn't going back to his old house, was he?

Of course, he wasn't...

"All my stuff's back at home…" he quietly said, without realizing it. Maybe that was a good enough reason for him to go back. I mean, he can't just leave everything. Beakley looked at him.

"Don't worry. Your uncle will ensure that all of your belongings will be brought here," she assured him.

…Well, there goes that plan.

"Okay…"

Dewey sighed and went over to the bed. He climbed on and sat down. He decided already that he didn't like it as much. However, he didn't complain. Right now, he just wanted to be alone.

Thoughts swirled in his mind as he tried to decide what to do now. What would he do? He didn't think he'd be in this position. He didn't think he'd be in a situation where he'd move in with his uncle only because his parents weren't around to care for him anymore.

Because they were gone.

They were dead.

…Dead.

He could never speak to the both of them again. They will never be there to tell him stories, they will never be there to comfort him or play with him, they will not be there if he ever needed them…not anymore.

The thought of that caused the aching feeling in his heart again. It was painful…but not like a boo-boo kind of painful or stomachache kind of painful. It was like…a feeling that hurt him from the inside.

It made him feel tempted to cry again.

Dewey tried to blink back any tears that wanted to form. He didn't want to cry in front of a stranger- or rather, someone he just met. That would be…embarrassing.

"…Can…Can I be alone for a bit..?" he asked, hoping she would leave before he started bawling again.

"…Of course," He heard Beakley close the door as she left, relieved that she had not insisted on staying or anything.

Good…

Now alone, Dewey waited a few seconds before he let himself collapse in a mess of tears. He wrapped his arms around his knees and tucked his head into them, choking back sobs.

He thought that he would have stopped crying by now. But no, he was still going. Is this how it feels to have someone you love die? Just an endless feeling of sadness? Still, even though he was crying uncontrollably, it did help him feel better…in a way.

There was no other way he could express what he was feeling right now. So he allowed himself to do this, just this once.

What was he going to do without his parents, though..? How different was his life going to be now..? Without them…without them, he doesn't know if he can do anything.

Yes, Uncle Scrooge is cool. But he's not mom and dad. They were special, they were his go-to when he needed comforting. They were his family.

Now…they're not even here.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dewey heard the door creak open. Perhaps it was Mrs. Beakley again. Maybe it was his uncle. Regardless, he kept his face buried in his knees, determined to stay in that position forever.

"…Hello?"

The voice he heard was unfamiliar. It was a girl's voice. She sounded young, maybe the same age as him.

…He didn't know there was another kid at the mansion.

Dewey lifted his head slightly to look at the new kid. The young girl stared back at him, her eyes curious. The most notable feature was the pink bow that sat atop her head, along with the small doll she held in her hands. Additionally, it seemed that she WAS his age.

The girl was looking at him with some concern, he noticed.

"…W-Who're you?" Dewey cautiously asked, his voice shaky.

"I'm Webby Vanderquack!" she introduced herself gleefully, although it wasn't a very cheerful moment for him, so he doesn't know why she's so happy.

"Why are you here?" It was a very blunt question, but Dewey didn't really care too much.

Webby didn't seem to be fazed, though. "Oh..! My granny's the housekeeper. She said you were coming today..! She told me to go check on you."

"…Ah."

That was all he had to say. Yeah, he was surprised that there was a random girl here, but he was too upset to give it any thought. He wasn't in the mood for talking, either.

Dewey nestled his head in his arms again and looked to the side, away from Webby. If she was going to be there, fine. He just wants it to be quiet for now. The other kid seemed to be a little restless in the awkward silence, though.

"So…" she spoke up after a while. "You're Mr. McDuck's nephew, right? Dewey McDuck?"

"Yep."

"That's cool. I-I've always kinda read a lot about your family, so I always wanted to meet you..!" her tone was lighthearted, but there was an air of awkwardness to it. Perhaps it's because Dewey didn't seem to be holding the conversation at all.

He felt bad about it, but maybe she would get the hint that he wanted to be alone now. He wiped away his tears, even though he knew that she had already seen them.

"Nice to meet you then…" he replied, still looking away.

"U-Um…so, I heard you're gonna be staying here from now on," Webby stuttered, sensing the atmosphere. She sensed it, but it didn't stop her from talking more. "It's really nice here..! This place might seem really big but you'll get used to it..!"

"Mhm…"

"M-Maybe I can show you around sometime..!" Webby offered. She was really persistent in talking to him. Admittedly, Dewey was a little…annoyed.

"Cool," he replied in a monotone voice, with a hint of stern finality. Webby fell silent afterward, catching the hint finally. Dewey felt a little bit of relief at this, though he felt a little bit guilty too.

Listen, he likes talking to people. He likes making new friends. Now was just…not the time. Maybe he should tell her that. But...whatever.

In the silence, Dewey held in any temptation to sob again. So instead, he just sat frozen in the same position, unable to look Webby in the eye, unable to say or do anything. He seemed to stay that way forever and he had no intention of moving.

However, after a while, he heard something that he wasn't expecting.

"…I'm sorry about your mom and dad."

Dewey's gaze shot up as he looked at her in surprise. Webby looked at him with a sorrowful frown, her cheery demeanor dropping immediately.

"I-I…met them a few times before. I'm really sorry that they…" She shut her mouth and looked down. "…I was just trying to cheer you up."

Dewey stared at her, not sure how to respond. He didn't even think she knew why he was upset. He thought she was just ignoring the fact he was crying. But no…

"Y-You knew them..?"

"Well, kind of, yeah…" Webby shrugged, twirling her hair in her fingers. "They were always really nice and – ah..!"

Her words were interrupted when Dewey suddenly lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Webby looked at him in surprise, but then she felt him start crying into her shoulder. She returned the hug and pat him on the back, still a little taken aback by the sudden movement.

Dewey didn't really care, though. He didn't realize it at first but he just really needed to hug someone. His uncle wasn't here, and obviously, his parents weren't either. There was no one else but this random kid in his room. It was good enough, though.

He didn't know he found comfort in hugs, but now that he thinks about it, his mom's hugs always calmed him down when he was upset. That explained a lot…

The two children stayed like that for a while. It seemed to last for ages, at least to them. Slowly but surely, Dewey calmed down, his sobs dying down as well. Webby didn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment for him. When he had calmed down completely, the young boy spoke up again.

"Thanks…" Dewey sniffled, finally pulling away. He wiped his eyes. "S-Sorry about that…"

"No, it's okay..!" Webby assured him. Her left shoulder was soaked with tears now, but that was fine. "Are you okay now..?"

Dewey gave her a small nod and a small smile. Webby smiled back, glad he was feeling better.

"I'm still sad about mom and dad…but I feel better now," he fiddled with the bedsheets, sighing. "Sorry I wasn't being very nice earlier."

"It's okay, I get it," she replied, waving it off. "I know you're going through a lot now. I mean…even Mr. McDuck is really affected by this."

Dewey frowned. "It's just…this all happened today. It was really quick. Before I was home with my babysitter waiting for mom and dad to come home…now I'm here at my uncle's mansion…without them."

He continued talking, but he didn't know why. It just made him feel better. And it felt better than crying more. Besides, he thinks he's run out of tears. "I-I can't believe they're just…gone. Just like that..! I wasn't there, I didn't see it. I thought Uncle Scrooge was lying to me..."

Webby just nodded, listening to him.

"I-I never really knew anyone who died…so…to hear that mom and dad did is just…" Dewey shuddered. "…And it was earlier today too. It's just…it doesn't feel real."

"Mm, well, that's okay to feel like that," Webby replied, though Dewey wasn't sure if she even knew how he felt. She gave him a small smile, regardless. "I think that's normal for most people. But you'll feel better later, I think!"

"Really..?"

"Mhm..!" she nodded, seeming sure of herself. "And Mr. McDuck will too..! Hopefully."

Dewey hoped so as well. He hoped that he wouldn't have to feel like this forever, because he didn't like it one bit. It wasn't a nice feeling, but it seemed like the aching feeling in his chest had disappeared a little bit. It was still kind of there, but it felt ten times lighter.

"Thanks, Webby," he thanked, grateful that he had someone to talk to. "Today's been…the worst…but at least I made a new friend, right?"

He said that chuckling, but Webby seemed shocked and surprised at his statement for some unknown reason. She stared at him in surprise.

"…We're friends?" she asked him, bewildered. Dewey looked at her weirdly. A big grin stretched across her face. "Really?!"

"Uh, yeah-?" For a split second, the boy got alarmed at how excited she got. He wasn't really expecting that sort of reaction to something so simple. "I-I mean, you did help me feel better, so yeah..!"

Webby excitedly squealed and bounced in place, even though she was sitting down. She then stopped and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I've just, uh…never really had a friend. A proper friend, I mean. The only other people I get to talk to is Granny, Mr. McDuck, and Launchpad…and sometimes the mailman."

"You don't go outside?"

"Well, yeah, I do. But I'm not allowed to go outside the gates! Granny's a bit overprotective, haha," she giggled, although she didn't seem all too happy about it. "But that's okay. Maybe when I'm older, she'll let me go."

"That doesn't sound fun, though!" Dewey retorted, not understanding how she could be so okay with that. He can't imagine not going outside and meeting new people. He'd probably die of boredom. Poor Webby. "You need to go out and make friends..!"

Webby shrugged. "I can't really change Granny's mind, though…"

"Well, then, I'll help you!" Dewey offered. "I'll help you convince your grandma to let you go out into the city one day!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I was the best at convincing my parents into letting me do whatever!" Dewey said, brightly. He faltered a little bit after he had mentioned his parents again, but he tried to shake it off. "Besides…you helped me feel better about mom and dad. So I'll help you too!"

He held out his hand in front of her, waiting for her response. Webby looked down at his hand, then at his face. After a while, she grinned and took Dewey's hand in her own, shaking it.

"Okay, then!"

Actually, now that Dewey looks back on it, it took a while for him to fulfill his promise to Webby. Like…it took a few years. Turns out Beakley was not an easily convinced person. Or maybe Dewey's persuading skills could've used a bit of work, but whatever! He got there eventually! Now Webby's attending school, meeting new people, and she really seems to love it.

So he'd say he fulfilled his promise quite well.

Though he had managed to convince Beakley to let Webby out after a while, it was taking him a lot longer to convince Uncle Scrooge to let him go on adventures.

You'd think he would've achieved that by now, but nope. After that day, it seemed Scrooge wanted nothing more to do with adventuring. It made sense, to be honest. Considering Dewey's parents had perished on an adventure, it made sense that Scrooge wanted to stay away from that for a while.

Actually, for a bit, Dewey hadn't wanted to partake in them anymore as well. However, it took him only a year or two to get over his fears. Now, he was up and ready to journey out into the world at any second…as soon as his uncle agreed.

Dewey thought that Scrooge would have gotten over his fears as well around the same time as he did, but the boy wasn't quite sure where Scrooge stood with adventures anymore. He has been very distant lately. Webby says it's because the trillionaire actually is going on some wacky journey all of those times he is absent. Dewey likes to believe that's the case because assuming Scrooge disappears to do work would be boring. Way too boring.

Besides, he doesn't want to believe that his uncle had retired from adventuring for good. That couldn't be the case. Sure, after that day, he hadn't really seen Scrooge depart on a journey…at all. However, he barely sees the old duck anyway, so what does Dewey know? He could be fighting some monsters or uncovering secret treasures while Dewey's at school for all he knows.

Scrooge has to still be an adventurer.

And one day, he'll take Dewey with him. He'll make sure of it. It'll only take a bit more persuading, but it'll happen one day.

They'll venture out into the world and Dewey will prove to him why he's fit for the job. Greyson and Daphne McDuck had been two of the most ambitious people the young boy had ever known. He knows that he is just like them and he knows that he is just as ambitious.

And he's determined to not end up the same way as they did.

He'll make Scrooge proud.

He'll make them proud, too.

Hey, hey! This is still going on, haha. I'm hoping to get more chapters of this AU out soon because I really want to expand on the Unrelated!AU that I made..! This chapter was more of a backstory, telling the story of when Dewey first got to the mansion. It's a little bit of a bummer, but I felt it was important. I'll probably write another chapter focusing solely on Greyson and Daphne when they were alive to give them more depth too!

I'll still be working on my other fics, don't worry. I just wanted to write more oneshots for the Unrelated!AU because frankly, I have a lot of ideas that I wanna showcase ;w;

Hope you liked this chapter, though! More to come soon! Bye!