Summary:

Not sure if I'm continuing this. It's an AU where Gosalyn and Webby grow up at the same orphanage...Doofus Drake will probably be a villain.

Lemme know what you think.

Notes:

This is based off a dream I had, where Webby was at an orphanage and trying to impress Mrs. Beakley so she could get adopted.

Eleven-year-old Webbigail Vanderquack crouched in the shadows and watched the competition. The orphanage had constructed an impromptu stage in the cafeteria and Webby waited in the wings for her chance to impress the big wigs at SHUSH. SHUSH recruited children at this orphanage and then trained them to be future spies. The ones that survived training, that was. Webby didn't know what befell those who failed and she had a feeling she didn't want to find out.

Anxious, she wrung her hands, glad no one was there to witness her nerves. The others waited behind the curtain too, though they had given her a wide berth. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, her best friend, was on stage and was the only one who might have cared that Webby was antsy. The other children thought there was something unnatural about and Webby and kept their distance. They were hidden behind the food supplies and whispered frantically; she ignored them.

Rumor had it that Agent 22, the legendary spy, was here and looking for fresh talent. She hadn't taken on any proteges since the program started ten years ago and Webby had targeted her as the one to impress. She had been practicing and training in secret for months for this moment. She wasn't naive, however. She knew that the others had been doing so as well. Her chances were slim, but she would take what she could get.

She was next and her heart was in her mouth. Shoving aside all doubt, she primed herself emotionally and physically. Excitement was allowed, but fear could not be permitted to take root. Fear would destroy her.

"Webbigail Vanderquack!" the headmistress called and Webby started. She had been expecting her name and yet, hearing it still surprised her. Glancing around, she looked to see whether anyone might be wishing her good luck. No one materialized.

Shoulders back, she walked onto the stage just as Gosalyn was leaving. Gosalyn flipped her the thumbs' up sign and grinned. Webby smiled back. She couldn't muster a grin; her nerves were too raw. As she glanced over the audience, she saw Darkwing Duck and then, her heart in her throat, she spotted Agent 22. Her partner in crime, Scrooge McDuck, was beside her and watching intently. This was serious, then. Well, more serious than she had previously given it credit for.

Her opponent for this match was someone SHUSH had sponsored. She didn't know who it was ahead of time, which prevented cheating but also meant she was going into this blind. Stretching, she spied her opponent and she stifled a groan. It was Doofus Drake. That meant she'd either have to throw the match or risk offending the powerful Drake family. Either way, she lost. That must be why Mr. McDuck was here. He could pay off the Drake family if they chose one of the orphans to smooth their ruffled feathers.

Doofus produced an electrified whip and Webby gasped, rolling away before it connected. The whip gave him a superior reach, not to mention he wouldn't have to exert himself as much as she did to avoid it. Either SHUSH was skewing the odds in their favor or Doofus hadn't run this by them before ascending to the stage. The reason didn't matter right now. She wasn't sure how high the voltage on the whip was and she didn't fancy finding out.

Staring at him, she assessed the situation. The crowd was shouting something and she tuned them out. At the moment, they were nothing but a distraction. She had to anticipate where Doofus and the whip would be and then move ahead of it. Fortunately, he wasn't very fast. He didn't need to be. That whip more than compensated for his lack of speed and dexterity.

Webby ducked, rolled, and swept his feet out from under him. The whip bounced and then locked around her wrist. Depressing a button, Doofus electrocuted her and she cried out, punching him in the face despite the energy coursing through her. She tugged, attempting to free her wrist, but it was stuck tight. Her heart pounded but she wasn't sure whether it was because of the whip or the terror of losing.

She yanked the whip and him closer and ignored the pain to deliver a roundhouse kick that prompted him to lose his grip on her wrist and the whip. The two went flying and Webby panted, falling to her knees. She smelt burnt ozone and her wrist was lacerated, the skin cracked and bleeding. When the pain from that hit, she'd be sorry. Right now, adrenaline blocked out most of it. It wouldn't last, though.

Doofus pushed himself to his feet and before Webby could attempt to do the same, Gosalyn dashed in. Doofus was recovering his whip when Gosalyn punched him in the face and then kicked his feet out from under him. Webby stood, shaky, uncertain her legs would support her. If she was electrocuted again, she was through.

"Enough!" Agent 22 cried, pulling Webby's and Gosalyn's attention away from Doofus temporarily. "That is quite enough!"

Doofus rolled around like a turtle on its back before righting himself. His expression was livid and he rounded on the girls. Gosalyn stood protectively in front of Webby, whose legs again collapsed beneath her. Her chest was tight and pain exploded through her. Doofus had recovered his whip to boot.

Agent 22 jumped onto the stage and glowered at Doofus Drake. Tangling with fellow children was one thing, but he had no desire to infuriate one of the greatest SHUSH spies ever. Casting Gosalyn and Webby dark looks promising further pain later, he limped off the stage. Gosalyn tried to scoop Webby up and ended up getting dragged down by her.

"Are you all right, dear?" Agent 22 asked Webby, who thought she might have bitten her tongue. Blood flooded her mouth.

"She'd be better if SHUSH hadn't sicced that jerk on her," Gosalyn grumbled.

"I wanted to see a competition, not an unfair match," 22 replied. She surveyed Webby and shook her head. Webby could feel her hopes crumbling into ash. Despite what she'd done, it wasn't good enough. She'd needed Gosalyn to steady her and rescue her in the end, which meant she wasn't SHUSH material. That had to be what that headshake meant.

"Does this mean I'm disqualified?" Webby asked, her voice trembling.

"You can't hold this against her," Gosalyn argued. "It's not her fault. She didn't know that her opponent would be a jackass."

"Gosalyn Waddlemeyer!" the headmistress scolded and Gosalyn pretended to look abashed, but Webby knew from experience that her best friend was only feigning contrition.

"I'm not holding this against her," 22 reassured them.

Stymied, the headmistress ordered Webby and Gosalyn out of the room while the try-outs continued. Gosalyn fumed, arms folded across her chest and Webby was torn between anguish over her wrist and the dread feeling that she'd practiced and toiled for nothing. Gosalyn's eyes narrowed and she tugged Webby by her good wrist toward the infimary so that she could bandage her injuries. Webby cast one last glance over at the cafeteria and then sighed, reluctantly letting Gosalyn patch her up.

"It wasn't fair," Gosalyn grumbled. "They could've given you warning before they sicced that jerk on you."

"It was supposed to stimulate a real world FOWL versus SHUSH fight," Webby argued. "I wouldn't have had forewarning with that."

"You would've had the case file. You would've known what kind of weapons your enemy had. They sent you in completely blind and then punished you for getting hurt. That's not fair. That's total bullcrap."

Webby smiled, grateful both for her friend's indignation on her behalf and her soothing ministrations. The medication was a balm, but it didn't eradicate her fear that she'd lost out without even having a fair go of it. She and Gosalyn brooded; it looked like the rest of the orphanage had forgotten about them. No one came to investigate their whereabouts for a half hour and then an hour.

"I wanted Darkwing Duck to notice me," Gosalyn said quietly to break the silence. "Who was it for you?"

"Agent 22," Webby said, just as softly.

"Guess we threw away our shots, huh?"

"I guess so."

"Hey, if they didn't want us, then screw them, right?" Gosalyn said and draped an arm about Webby's shoulders. "We don't need them. We have each other."

While she appreciated the solidarity, she didn't know if that was enough. She'd hated being on her own, even if Gosalyn was her honorary sister. The other kids wouldn't fraternize with them and for the most part, Webby could let that go. For the most part. But she wanted to be liked so badly that it hurt to be rejected. Gosalyn, by contrast, didn't seem to care.

To her surprise, the next person to walk through the infirmary's doorway wasn't their headmistress but Darkwing Duck. Behind him were Agent 22, Scrooge McDuck, and a lanky man with red hair, aircraft goggles, and flight pants. Baffled, she cocked her head at them. Gosalyn squeezed her shoulder.

"I wondered where you were holing up," Scrooge McDuck said. "How are you feeling, lass?"

"I'm okay," Webby said, uncertain whether they wanted the truth.

"You don't have to worry about Doofus Drake anymore," Mr. McDuck continued, leaning on his cane. "We took care of him. And now we're going to take care of you two. We've already signed the paperwork. All you need to do is pack your things and come with us."

"Really?" Gosalyn burst out. "You mean it? This isn't some sort of trick?"

"No trick," Darkwing Duck promised and Gosalyn beamed. Webby resisted the temptation to rub her sore wrist.

"Really?" Webby said, looking at 22 and Mr. McDuck.

"Aye, lass," Scrooge promised her.

"We'll see each other, won't we?" Gosalyn said, glancing at Webby.

"You couldn't keep me away," Webby promised.

"Why do I have the feeling that we've bitten off more than we can chew?" Darkwing Duck said, but his reciprocating smile was just as wide as Gosalyn's.

"You may have," 22 said stiffly. "But I know what I'm doing."

"And I don't?" Darkwing countered.

"You never do," she said haughtily.