Later that night, Celeste's head peered out of the janitor's closet in the
main hall of the orphanage. Taking a quick glance around, she found no one
in sight and snuck over to the window. Looking over her shoulder once more,
she placed her hands on the sliding window and thrust it upwards with a
grunt.
It was just beginning to get dark out, and everyone was in the mess hall for dinner. Except for Celeste. The orphanage just brought back bad memories, and she couldn't take being cooped up like a prisoner any longer. Heaving herself upwards, she climbed onto the sill, squinted into the darkness outside for any bystanders, then leaped to the ground just a few feet below. She landed on her feet, and kept her eyes open in alertness as she crept across the basketball courts and over to the chain-link fence.
Celeste bent down on one knee near the corner of the fence and wrapped her fingers around the metal. She planted her feet firmly on the ground for leverage before tugging back with all her strength. Her teeth were clenched as the chain-link slowly began to roll up out of place to create a small crawlspace. When she had a hole just big enough for her to fit through, she released her breath that she had been holding and sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Checking the area one more time for any wandering eyes, she narrowed her eyes in determination and dove through the hole.
She winced as some of the wire tore through her shirt and left scratches on her back, but with a final pull, she managed to free herself, and stood up on the opposite side of the fence. With a triumphant grin, she sprinted away from the orphanage and into the deeper parts of St. Canard.
The sound of the empty can clanking against the sidewalk echoed through the empty streets as Celeste kicked it repeatedly out of sheer boredom. She took a quick glance down at her watch, which read 11:15 p.m. It had been hours since she ran away from the orphanage with one problem: she had no idea where she was going.
But wherever it was she would end up, it was certainly better than being held at the orphanage. Thoughts flowed through her mind of places she might be able to take a temporary residence at. She continued to kick the now dented can as she started listing off names in her mind. Her friend Keleen? No, probably not. She hadn't heard from Keleen in quite some time and didn't even know if she was still in St. Canard, with her father being a member of FOWL's High Command. Megavolt or Bushroot, members of the Fearsome Five that Negaduck had banded together years ago? Those two were certainly an option, but then she considered Quackerjack, another member of the Five. She had always gotten along with him, and she liked being around him more than the other supervillains of the Fearsome Five.
While being so consumed in deciding who she would want to go to that she didn't notice the dark figure watching her from the rooftops of the buildings lining the streets, nor the fact that she had turned into a long alley. After a moment of contemplating her options, she decided that going to Quackerjack was the best decision for her. Surely he would have heard about the demise of his boss, and would be willing to take Celeste in.
A smile appeared on Celeste's face as her hands slid out of her pockets and looked up, her expression falling as she noticed she had headed down a dead- end alley. With a frustrated sigh, she rolled her eyes and spun back around on her heels to retrace her steps. She suddenly let out a sharp gasp as she bumped into a large figure looming over her. "Hey! What don't you watch where I'm..??"
Her words trailed off as she craned her neck back in order to look up at the brutish thug standing before her, smiling down at her with a crooked and menacing grin. Celeste let out a sheepish laugh as she gave a dainty wave, then quickly turned, sprinting in the opposite direction. She only got a few steps before another thug, a weasel and smaller than the other, grabbed her roughly by her arm and yanked her back.
"Not so fast, precious..!" he hissed in a sour voice, pulling her towards him. She let out a short yelp as the force of his grip sent pain up her arm, it tightening the more she struggled.
"Let me go! Or you'll be sorry!!" Celeste threatened with her eyes narrowed. She balled a fist and swung it forward, but missed her target. Her captor grabbed her other arm as it passed by his face and pulled it firmly behind her back, both her hands now being held.
"Oh, your threats have us all shaking..!" he mocked, laughing in a high- pitched tone. She gulped as her eyes darted from side to side. All together, there were now four assassins gathered around her in a tight circle, one holding her firmly in place.
"Now, this can be easy, or it can be rough..." the weasel snickered as he pulled out a large knife with his free hand, thrusting out in front of her eyes to make sure she saw its gleaming blade before sliding it under her neck, "We prefer it rough, but since we're running this show, we're going to give you the choice."
Celeste had by now begun shaking, her eyes wide as they shifted from the knife being held under her neck to each of the thugs standing around, watching in eager anticipation, malicious smiles on their faces. She couldn't bear looking at them anymore and just shut her eyes. It was no use. If she tried to fight back, it would be a very short fight that would end with her throat being slit.
The snide snickering stung her ears again as she heard the leader holding her call to his comrades. "Alright boys, who wants to be...HEY!!"
At the startled yelp, Celeste snapped her eyes open just in time to see a caped figure plummet down from one of the buildings making up the alley's walls. Although concealed in the shadows, it hit its target, kicking one of the thugs right in the head and knocking him to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Hey! It's Darkwing Duck!!" the weasel snarled as the fedora wearing shadow turned towards him. With a gulp, the short assassin barked at the other two thugs, one being the large brute and the other a medium-sized muscle packed lug. "Get him, you morons!"
The two swiftly nodded in reply and leaped at their target into the darkness. Celeste watched eagerly with wide eyes, hoping that, like every other time, Darkwing would come out successful. Only now she was still being held at knifepoint, and wondered if he would be able to save her from that fate.
That darkness of the alley concealed them from being able to make out any specific details. The only sign they had of what was transpiring were the constant yelps, grunts, and smacking sounds as punches were thrown left and right. The weasel suddenly gasped and he ducked as the muscle-head thug flew over his head and hit the brick wall with a sickening crunch behind him. With a groan, he slid to the ground, now out cold. There was one final smacking sound from the shadows, followed by the largest of the group of four scurrying down the alley in tears, whimpering and disappearing around the corner out onto the street.
"Dolts..!" the weasel seethed after him, then turned back to the darkened part of the alley where Celeste's attempted savior was beginning to step closer to them. The assassin's eyes went wide with a momentary fear, still holding Celeste firmly, who was making sure not to make any sudden movements that would jeopardize her situation. He suddenly snarled loudly, narrowing his eyes and thrusting the knife in his hand forward at the target with a loud shout.
Celeste let out a yelp for his sake, not wanting to see the knife make contact, but wanting to know if it had. Fortunately, the shadow stepped to the side at the last moment, letting the knife embed itself in the brick wall of the alley. The weasel let out a gasp in both shock and fear, seeing as how he missed. A pair of angry eyes glared out at him from the darkness as the figure reached out and pulled the knife from the spot it had stopped.
"Uhh..eheh..." the weasel laughed sheepishly, then gripped Celeste even tighter in a chokehold, causing her to gasp loudly. "Come any closer Darkwing, and I'll break her neck!"
The shadow ceased to move forward, but his eyes stared out at the two in a calculating manner. Then, in a swift movement, he snapped his hand forward, the knife tearing through the air at them before either could have a chance to blink. Celeste closed her eyes as the knife came at them, but when she didn't feel anymore pain after a moment, she opened one eye curiously. She looked out at the person still consumed by the darkness, confused until she felt something drip onto her head. Panning her eyes upward, the saw the frozen, wide-eyed expression of the weasel with the knife lodged into his forehead.
Celeste's eyes went wide as she shrugged the now limp body off of her, stepping back as it fell to the ground in a heap. She took a few deep breaths to regain herself, placing a hand on her forehead and sighing with relief. A wide, grateful smile came across her face as she turned around to where Darkwing, who hadn't yet moved, stood in the darkness of the alley,
"Wow Darkwing! That..." Celeste began, then took another deep breath happily. "That was some save! I owe ya one..."
She stood, still smiling and awaiting a reply, but when she got none after a few seconds, her smile slowly fell, noticing that he has still not made any movement towards her. She suddenly began to feel very nervous. Darkwing never acted as mysterious as this. Cautiously she backed up a step until a low chuckle broke the silence.
"I can't believe it..." the deep familiar voice growled in amusement. "Surely you can't confuse this dashing debonair with THAT caped clown..."
Celeste froze dead her tracks. Her eyes went wide as saucers as her bottom jaw hung open. She couldn't find herself able to move in the slightest as she just stared forward in absolute shock. Her words came out in an amazed stutter as she shook her head in disbelief. "D-D-Dad???"
The black masked mallard stepped out from the shadows, his arms folded behind his back and the sly, trademark grin on his face. "Yeah kiddo...It's me..." Negaduck replied with a wink and held out his arms.
As soon as he opened his arms, she darted forward, throwing herself into him and nearly knocking them both into the ground. Instead of speaking in words, she just sobbed in happiness, tightly gripping the black cape on his shoulders and burying her face against his neck. She let the tears flow freely now as he held her in his arms. Negaduck let out a soft laugh and patted her on the back, rocking her gently in the darkness.
"Hey hey hey...Take it easy, Cel..." he said softly. "I made a promise to my daughter, and I wasn't bound to break it..."
"Daddy...!" she whispered joyously through her sobs, then finally managed to lift her head, looking up at him with an expression of pure happiness. "I knew you wouldn't break your promise...But they said you were dead..?"
Negaduck laughed maniacally. "Those so-called doctors need to learn the difference between someone who's 'playing dead' and someone who is REALLY dead..." he began to explain, but when Celeste gave him a perplexed look, he continued. "It was difficult to pull off, but I managed to make them believe I croaked. And as soon as they made it official and no one was looking, I made my escape."
"So...that's why they said on the news that they were trying to find out where the body was 'moved' to..?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, trying to understand. He nodded with smug grin, and she just laughed before hugging him again around the neck. "Clever idea...And your aim isn't bad, either," she added, pointing over at the fallen weasel with the knife in the center of his head.
He laughed in satisfaction. "Well, I was on my way to the police station to scope the place out, looking to find out where they had taken you. But that's when I spotted you heading down the street...Which brings me to this: Just what are you doing out here at this time of night??"
"Well, I uhh..." Celeste began, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "I actually made my own 'escape' earlier, from the orphanage...I couldn't stay there, it had too many bad memories. So I just walked through the city, trying to decide where I could stay besides there."
Negaduck stared at her before nodding slowly. "Well, you have a place to stay tonight...Come on, kiddo. Let's go home..." he said with a smile. She beamed in reply and let go of him from around his neck, following in step behind him as they left the alley.
************
"Dad?"
"Yeah, kiddo?" Negaduck replied as he stood up from Celeste's bedside after tucking her in. She was looking up at him with hopeful eyes as she pulled the blankets up around her chin.
"Will you stay with me tonight? In here..?" she asked hesitantly, shivering slightly. "I'm just...afraid to be alone, is all. After what happened tonight and...well, you know."
Negaduck paused before a smile appeared on his bill, followed by a nod. "You got it, Cel..." he answered as reached behind her head and fluffed the pillow for her. "I'm not going anywhere tonight, and I'll be right here. So you go to sleep, alright?"
Celeste nodded wearily with a yawn, her eyes slowly beginning to give in to the drowsiness consuming her. "I think tonight will be the first night in days I'll be able to sleep without nightmares..." she muttered, her eyes finally closing as she asked before drifting off. "Will you always be there for me...No matter what happens to you...?"
His eyes softened as he tucked the blankets around her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll ALWAYS be there for you, Celeste...No matter what happens to me. I promise you that. And you're always going to be MY daughter...No one's going to take that from me..."
"I love you, Dad..." Celeste whispered before she gave in, the sleep taking over her body as her head rested against the pillow. Her softly breathing body slowly rose with each breath, the smile on her face giving her an aura of innocence and security.
"I love you, too, Celeste..." Negaduck whispered back, the smile still present on his bill as he got down on his knees beside her bed. He looked at her once more before leaning forward, folding his arms on the bed and resting his head atop them. His eyes slowly closed behind his black mask, himself drifting off into a listless sleep.
"So sianara, try tomorrow, nice to know ya. My baby's traveled back to the arms of her rightful owner. And suddenly it seems like my shoulder blades have just shifted. It's like the greatest gift you can get, the weight has been lifted.
Now it don't feel like the world's on my shoulders, everyone's leaning on me. Cause my baby knows that her Daddy's a soldier, nothing can take her from me..." ________________________________________________________________________ Blood Thicker Than Water is ÓRachel Faraday with assistance from Shelley Inks, 2003. Negaduck and Darkwing Duck are ÓDisney. Celeste, Darcy, and Laszlo are ÓShelley Inks, and other characters are copyrighted by the writers. Closing lyrics ÓEminem. Please do not copy or alter this story in any way, or use without permission.
It was just beginning to get dark out, and everyone was in the mess hall for dinner. Except for Celeste. The orphanage just brought back bad memories, and she couldn't take being cooped up like a prisoner any longer. Heaving herself upwards, she climbed onto the sill, squinted into the darkness outside for any bystanders, then leaped to the ground just a few feet below. She landed on her feet, and kept her eyes open in alertness as she crept across the basketball courts and over to the chain-link fence.
Celeste bent down on one knee near the corner of the fence and wrapped her fingers around the metal. She planted her feet firmly on the ground for leverage before tugging back with all her strength. Her teeth were clenched as the chain-link slowly began to roll up out of place to create a small crawlspace. When she had a hole just big enough for her to fit through, she released her breath that she had been holding and sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Checking the area one more time for any wandering eyes, she narrowed her eyes in determination and dove through the hole.
She winced as some of the wire tore through her shirt and left scratches on her back, but with a final pull, she managed to free herself, and stood up on the opposite side of the fence. With a triumphant grin, she sprinted away from the orphanage and into the deeper parts of St. Canard.
The sound of the empty can clanking against the sidewalk echoed through the empty streets as Celeste kicked it repeatedly out of sheer boredom. She took a quick glance down at her watch, which read 11:15 p.m. It had been hours since she ran away from the orphanage with one problem: she had no idea where she was going.
But wherever it was she would end up, it was certainly better than being held at the orphanage. Thoughts flowed through her mind of places she might be able to take a temporary residence at. She continued to kick the now dented can as she started listing off names in her mind. Her friend Keleen? No, probably not. She hadn't heard from Keleen in quite some time and didn't even know if she was still in St. Canard, with her father being a member of FOWL's High Command. Megavolt or Bushroot, members of the Fearsome Five that Negaduck had banded together years ago? Those two were certainly an option, but then she considered Quackerjack, another member of the Five. She had always gotten along with him, and she liked being around him more than the other supervillains of the Fearsome Five.
While being so consumed in deciding who she would want to go to that she didn't notice the dark figure watching her from the rooftops of the buildings lining the streets, nor the fact that she had turned into a long alley. After a moment of contemplating her options, she decided that going to Quackerjack was the best decision for her. Surely he would have heard about the demise of his boss, and would be willing to take Celeste in.
A smile appeared on Celeste's face as her hands slid out of her pockets and looked up, her expression falling as she noticed she had headed down a dead- end alley. With a frustrated sigh, she rolled her eyes and spun back around on her heels to retrace her steps. She suddenly let out a sharp gasp as she bumped into a large figure looming over her. "Hey! What don't you watch where I'm..??"
Her words trailed off as she craned her neck back in order to look up at the brutish thug standing before her, smiling down at her with a crooked and menacing grin. Celeste let out a sheepish laugh as she gave a dainty wave, then quickly turned, sprinting in the opposite direction. She only got a few steps before another thug, a weasel and smaller than the other, grabbed her roughly by her arm and yanked her back.
"Not so fast, precious..!" he hissed in a sour voice, pulling her towards him. She let out a short yelp as the force of his grip sent pain up her arm, it tightening the more she struggled.
"Let me go! Or you'll be sorry!!" Celeste threatened with her eyes narrowed. She balled a fist and swung it forward, but missed her target. Her captor grabbed her other arm as it passed by his face and pulled it firmly behind her back, both her hands now being held.
"Oh, your threats have us all shaking..!" he mocked, laughing in a high- pitched tone. She gulped as her eyes darted from side to side. All together, there were now four assassins gathered around her in a tight circle, one holding her firmly in place.
"Now, this can be easy, or it can be rough..." the weasel snickered as he pulled out a large knife with his free hand, thrusting out in front of her eyes to make sure she saw its gleaming blade before sliding it under her neck, "We prefer it rough, but since we're running this show, we're going to give you the choice."
Celeste had by now begun shaking, her eyes wide as they shifted from the knife being held under her neck to each of the thugs standing around, watching in eager anticipation, malicious smiles on their faces. She couldn't bear looking at them anymore and just shut her eyes. It was no use. If she tried to fight back, it would be a very short fight that would end with her throat being slit.
The snide snickering stung her ears again as she heard the leader holding her call to his comrades. "Alright boys, who wants to be...HEY!!"
At the startled yelp, Celeste snapped her eyes open just in time to see a caped figure plummet down from one of the buildings making up the alley's walls. Although concealed in the shadows, it hit its target, kicking one of the thugs right in the head and knocking him to the ground in an unconscious heap.
"Hey! It's Darkwing Duck!!" the weasel snarled as the fedora wearing shadow turned towards him. With a gulp, the short assassin barked at the other two thugs, one being the large brute and the other a medium-sized muscle packed lug. "Get him, you morons!"
The two swiftly nodded in reply and leaped at their target into the darkness. Celeste watched eagerly with wide eyes, hoping that, like every other time, Darkwing would come out successful. Only now she was still being held at knifepoint, and wondered if he would be able to save her from that fate.
That darkness of the alley concealed them from being able to make out any specific details. The only sign they had of what was transpiring were the constant yelps, grunts, and smacking sounds as punches were thrown left and right. The weasel suddenly gasped and he ducked as the muscle-head thug flew over his head and hit the brick wall with a sickening crunch behind him. With a groan, he slid to the ground, now out cold. There was one final smacking sound from the shadows, followed by the largest of the group of four scurrying down the alley in tears, whimpering and disappearing around the corner out onto the street.
"Dolts..!" the weasel seethed after him, then turned back to the darkened part of the alley where Celeste's attempted savior was beginning to step closer to them. The assassin's eyes went wide with a momentary fear, still holding Celeste firmly, who was making sure not to make any sudden movements that would jeopardize her situation. He suddenly snarled loudly, narrowing his eyes and thrusting the knife in his hand forward at the target with a loud shout.
Celeste let out a yelp for his sake, not wanting to see the knife make contact, but wanting to know if it had. Fortunately, the shadow stepped to the side at the last moment, letting the knife embed itself in the brick wall of the alley. The weasel let out a gasp in both shock and fear, seeing as how he missed. A pair of angry eyes glared out at him from the darkness as the figure reached out and pulled the knife from the spot it had stopped.
"Uhh..eheh..." the weasel laughed sheepishly, then gripped Celeste even tighter in a chokehold, causing her to gasp loudly. "Come any closer Darkwing, and I'll break her neck!"
The shadow ceased to move forward, but his eyes stared out at the two in a calculating manner. Then, in a swift movement, he snapped his hand forward, the knife tearing through the air at them before either could have a chance to blink. Celeste closed her eyes as the knife came at them, but when she didn't feel anymore pain after a moment, she opened one eye curiously. She looked out at the person still consumed by the darkness, confused until she felt something drip onto her head. Panning her eyes upward, the saw the frozen, wide-eyed expression of the weasel with the knife lodged into his forehead.
Celeste's eyes went wide as she shrugged the now limp body off of her, stepping back as it fell to the ground in a heap. She took a few deep breaths to regain herself, placing a hand on her forehead and sighing with relief. A wide, grateful smile came across her face as she turned around to where Darkwing, who hadn't yet moved, stood in the darkness of the alley,
"Wow Darkwing! That..." Celeste began, then took another deep breath happily. "That was some save! I owe ya one..."
She stood, still smiling and awaiting a reply, but when she got none after a few seconds, her smile slowly fell, noticing that he has still not made any movement towards her. She suddenly began to feel very nervous. Darkwing never acted as mysterious as this. Cautiously she backed up a step until a low chuckle broke the silence.
"I can't believe it..." the deep familiar voice growled in amusement. "Surely you can't confuse this dashing debonair with THAT caped clown..."
Celeste froze dead her tracks. Her eyes went wide as saucers as her bottom jaw hung open. She couldn't find herself able to move in the slightest as she just stared forward in absolute shock. Her words came out in an amazed stutter as she shook her head in disbelief. "D-D-Dad???"
The black masked mallard stepped out from the shadows, his arms folded behind his back and the sly, trademark grin on his face. "Yeah kiddo...It's me..." Negaduck replied with a wink and held out his arms.
As soon as he opened his arms, she darted forward, throwing herself into him and nearly knocking them both into the ground. Instead of speaking in words, she just sobbed in happiness, tightly gripping the black cape on his shoulders and burying her face against his neck. She let the tears flow freely now as he held her in his arms. Negaduck let out a soft laugh and patted her on the back, rocking her gently in the darkness.
"Hey hey hey...Take it easy, Cel..." he said softly. "I made a promise to my daughter, and I wasn't bound to break it..."
"Daddy...!" she whispered joyously through her sobs, then finally managed to lift her head, looking up at him with an expression of pure happiness. "I knew you wouldn't break your promise...But they said you were dead..?"
Negaduck laughed maniacally. "Those so-called doctors need to learn the difference between someone who's 'playing dead' and someone who is REALLY dead..." he began to explain, but when Celeste gave him a perplexed look, he continued. "It was difficult to pull off, but I managed to make them believe I croaked. And as soon as they made it official and no one was looking, I made my escape."
"So...that's why they said on the news that they were trying to find out where the body was 'moved' to..?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, trying to understand. He nodded with smug grin, and she just laughed before hugging him again around the neck. "Clever idea...And your aim isn't bad, either," she added, pointing over at the fallen weasel with the knife in the center of his head.
He laughed in satisfaction. "Well, I was on my way to the police station to scope the place out, looking to find out where they had taken you. But that's when I spotted you heading down the street...Which brings me to this: Just what are you doing out here at this time of night??"
"Well, I uhh..." Celeste began, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. "I actually made my own 'escape' earlier, from the orphanage...I couldn't stay there, it had too many bad memories. So I just walked through the city, trying to decide where I could stay besides there."
Negaduck stared at her before nodding slowly. "Well, you have a place to stay tonight...Come on, kiddo. Let's go home..." he said with a smile. She beamed in reply and let go of him from around his neck, following in step behind him as they left the alley.
************
"Dad?"
"Yeah, kiddo?" Negaduck replied as he stood up from Celeste's bedside after tucking her in. She was looking up at him with hopeful eyes as she pulled the blankets up around her chin.
"Will you stay with me tonight? In here..?" she asked hesitantly, shivering slightly. "I'm just...afraid to be alone, is all. After what happened tonight and...well, you know."
Negaduck paused before a smile appeared on his bill, followed by a nod. "You got it, Cel..." he answered as reached behind her head and fluffed the pillow for her. "I'm not going anywhere tonight, and I'll be right here. So you go to sleep, alright?"
Celeste nodded wearily with a yawn, her eyes slowly beginning to give in to the drowsiness consuming her. "I think tonight will be the first night in days I'll be able to sleep without nightmares..." she muttered, her eyes finally closing as she asked before drifting off. "Will you always be there for me...No matter what happens to you...?"
His eyes softened as he tucked the blankets around her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll ALWAYS be there for you, Celeste...No matter what happens to me. I promise you that. And you're always going to be MY daughter...No one's going to take that from me..."
"I love you, Dad..." Celeste whispered before she gave in, the sleep taking over her body as her head rested against the pillow. Her softly breathing body slowly rose with each breath, the smile on her face giving her an aura of innocence and security.
"I love you, too, Celeste..." Negaduck whispered back, the smile still present on his bill as he got down on his knees beside her bed. He looked at her once more before leaning forward, folding his arms on the bed and resting his head atop them. His eyes slowly closed behind his black mask, himself drifting off into a listless sleep.
"So sianara, try tomorrow, nice to know ya. My baby's traveled back to the arms of her rightful owner. And suddenly it seems like my shoulder blades have just shifted. It's like the greatest gift you can get, the weight has been lifted.
Now it don't feel like the world's on my shoulders, everyone's leaning on me. Cause my baby knows that her Daddy's a soldier, nothing can take her from me..." ________________________________________________________________________ Blood Thicker Than Water is ÓRachel Faraday with assistance from Shelley Inks, 2003. Negaduck and Darkwing Duck are ÓDisney. Celeste, Darcy, and Laszlo are ÓShelley Inks, and other characters are copyrighted by the writers. Closing lyrics ÓEminem. Please do not copy or alter this story in any way, or use without permission.