Hi

How is everyone! I hope you're all well. I will be starting my new course at university tomorrow and I'm really excited about it.

Here is my next chapter, hopefully I'll have this one finished by the end of this year, so I can actually get the sequel to One and Only started. So many ideas for it!

TFG


Chapter Nine

As it had been before, Magda took the first step to begin to repair her relationship with Ella. After around four months of living underground, Magda finally asked Ella how her day was over dinner. Ella replied, trying to keep all the horror that she could out of her story. The two managed to go from there, though it was nowhere what it had once been.

When they talked it was very stiff and polite. They would talk over dinner about what they did that day, or what they saw, but they refused to talk about anything more substantial. Both were afraid to discuss what they were feeling, in case it ruined their already strained relationship.

It didn't help that Magda couldn't forgive Ella for how long that she had kept a secret from her, and her son. And she was also certain that Ella was still hiding something from her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Then there was the fact that she really didn't agree with either Ella or Cal going out on such dangerous missions. Magda felt that since she had lost Wildwing, Nosedive and Canard, not to mention her husband ten years ago and her best friend six years ago, she shouldn't be forced to have to indulge the pain of losing two other people that she cared about. And every time they left she thought that she was going to be left alone in the world.

Whereas Ella was just terrified that Magda would find out about the baby. She couldn't help but feel horrendously guilty that she hadn't told Magda about the baby yet. But every time that she sat down to tell her, she could still see the hurt and betrayal of her last lie in the older duck's eyes.

Though, at almost six months pregnant there wasn't much time left to tell Magda about the newest member of her family. The baby should be arriving in about three and half months.

It was lucky that Ella was so tall and fit, it meant that she hardly showed during the second trimester. But, as she was now in the the third trimester the baby would grow a lot. Ella had been afraid that the baby would not be as healthy as he should be, due to the lack of food and nutrients. But, during her last check the doctor had assured her that her baby was completely on track.

Thank the God and Goddess for Cal. The older drake had been giving her half of his rations since they were forced to hide in the Hub. And every time that they had been given extra he would instantly offer it to Ella, without a second thought. This allowed Ella to get all the required calories and nutrients that she needed to ensure the healthy growth of her child.

Several of the other ducks in the base had started to ask questions about why Cal was always giving Ella extra food. Or why he had gotten so protective of the young duck, as he wouldn't let anyone else out on patrols with her. He would even accompany her to the medical facility, that she was going to at least every week.

Many of the ducks had reached the conclusion that the two were sleeping together. It was a fairly easy conclusion to get to. After all, several adults being locked together underground, in a prolonged crisis situation, some were eventually going to get it on. In a life or death situation things like a thirty year age difference, or one of them being in a serious long term relationship didn't seem to matter.

It caused some tense moments at dinner when the rumour eventually made its way to Magda. Some of the nosier and braver gossips in the Hub asked Magda to confirm the rumour, as she bunked with both Cal and Ella. She was, understandable, upset that that rumour was going around the base. And when those two nosy ducks kept on pressing her for information, Magda yelled at them loudly, and demanded that they get back to work or they would be reported to Abacot or Baucane.

But, when she arrived back home for dinner, she saw that Ella and Cal were having a very in depth and private conversation. Magda also saw that Cal was gently stroking Ella's hand. As soon as the two ducks saw Magda they instantly stopped and moved away from each other, making Magda think that they must have been discussing something that they didn't want anyone else to hear.

"Maggie, when did you get here? I brought the rations over, so we can have a nice dinner together tonight. And, we got some extra fruit, one of the raiding parties managed to recover some citrus fruits. They were probably hearing for whatever Saurian scumbag is in charge of this area. But now they're ours! They're delicious and good for the body!" Cal said with a smile as he left his seat and retrieved the food from the bunker behind them.

"And, Ella's got more food than both of us, yet again," Magda said coldly as she took her seat across from the younger duck and fixed her with a cold stare.

"Well, we're both fully grown, old fogies, whereas she's still got a little bit to grow, don't want anyone to be undernourished," Cal explained, causing Ella's eyes to widen. She could hear the reference to the baby that Cal made and hoped that Magda hadn't.

"Of course," Magda replied, taking the plate from Cal.

Cal tried to get the two ducks at the table to talk to each other over the meal. Like he had been doing for the past four months. It was hard work, but they usually found something to talk about each meal. Tonight, however, Magda was only giving one word angry answers to every question asked. And it was causing Ella to retreat back into herself a little bit. Cal even explained their latest mission out, something that Magda was usually very vocal about protesting. But, instead of saying anything she just nodded and ate her food.

After dinner Ella escaped quickly back into her room and locked the door. While Magda and Cal stared at each other angrily across the table. Both had finished the food that they had been allotted and were now trying to work out what to say to each other.

Over the years the two had been through a lot, and had always been there to support each other. When Soarin, Magda's husband, had been killed, Cal was there every day to make sure that Magda was alright. And when Holly, Cal's wife, was diagnosed with cancer, Magda was there every day to help cook and clean for her. And when she died, Magda continued to be there every day to ease Cal's pain. They helped each other with their sons, each giving them a small piece of what they had lost. They coordinated and organised so that there was always someone available to be there, whether it was school pick ups and drop offs, parents nights, or games.

The two ducks often had arguments, but they were arguments based in years of trust and deep friendship. Neither could imagine life without the other, and over the years their friendship had deepened into something a little more. If something happened the first person that they would call to tell would be the other. And if something bad happened the other would be there to comfort them.

There had been a rumour around the ninth precinct that Cal and Magda had begun to date, since they were always together. Ella had even placed a bet with Canard and Wildwing on the day of Cal's congratulatory party, that Magda and Cal would get married before any of them. When she said that the other two drakes just laughed it off uncomfortably, but Ella was sure that there was something between Magda and Cal.

So, it was new ground for both Magda and Cal to be staring at each other as angrily as they were. They were two friends who could talk their way out of any problem they were having. Thinking that nothing could spoil the years of friendship that had built on.

"Okay, Magda, what the hell is wrong with you?" Cal asked bluntly after several minutes of tense silence.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you! How do you think Wildwing is going to feel when he finds out?" Magda replied angrily as she stood up from the table and threw her chair back.

This answer shocked Cal to his core. He just sat there looking like a fish out of water. He had no idea that Magda had figured out about the baby. Though, he really shouldn't have been surprised. She was a nurse with almost thirty years' worth of experience. But, he was surprised at how angry she seemed at finding out about the baby. Or that she would think Wildwing would be angry about it. Cal was doing everything in his power to help take care of Ella during this time and he would have thought that both Magda and Wildwing would have appreciated that.

"Well, I think Wildwing would be both happy and grateful. I'm doing everything I can for that girl," Cal said a little calmer and coming towards Magda.

"What? Why would you think that! How could you do that to him! He's going to be heartbroken when he finds out!" Magda exclaimed tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I know he would want to be the first one to hear the heartbeat or feel the kicking. And I know that he would have wanted Ella to stop going out on those missions sooner. But I think she needs to be doing something useful or else everything will drive her crazy. I really can't imagine what's she feeling at the moment. But she's holding it together really well," Cal said looking sadly towards the closed door.

"What are you talking about?" Magda asked after a few moments of confused contemplation.

"What are you talking about?" Cal parroted back, equally confused at the look on Magda's face.

"I'm talking about yours and Ella's affair," Magda replied simply, thinking that it was the simplest idea to explain everything that was going on.

"What! How could you, I can't believe, she's half my…!" Cal began to stutter out loudly. This was definitely not the answer that he was expecting. It was the most ridiculously thing that Magda could have said at that point.

It took a while for Cal to calm down. He began pacing and muttering things that Magda couldn't hear properly. When he calmed down enough he stopped in front of Magda and put his hands on her shoulders, so that she had to look directly at him. it was something that he did to the kids to make them understand just how serious what he was about to say was going to be.

"Listen to me, Magda. I am not sleeping with Ella. And, frankly, I'm insulted that you would think of that. Ella is half my age and completely in love with your son, who I've helped raise since he was a duckling. I would never, I repeat, never do anything that would hurt him," Cal said firmly, squeezing her hands tightly.

He watched as Magda heard and processed every word that he had said. Then she nodded slowly and began to cry. It was something that she had needed to do for a while, and Cal just brought her into his arms and allowed her to cry for a while.

The two ducks just stood in the centre of the room, hugging each other tightly. Even after Magda had finished crying. She was sometimes a little too tough, and would hold in her feelings for too long. Then she would explode at something and they would all come gushing out of her eyeballs. Cal had seen her do it several times and knew exactly what to do. Which was just hold her and wait until she was ready to talk again.

"I'm sorry, Cal. I should have known better. It's just that, there's this rumour going around, and the way those girls explained it to me, it made so much sense and would explain everything. I just, I didn't know what to think," Magda said, wiping away her tears and letting go of Cal.

"I heard that rumour. But you know what rumour mills are like, we both had them at our offices. They love that kind of juicy gossip and it's almost always bullshit. Hell, at one point, my office thought that me and Soarin were having an affair. Besides, I would never go for Ella, she's young enough to be my daughter! And that's how I see her. If I were to go for someone, I would go for someone, I don't know, a bit more mature," Cal said with a smile, trying hard not to look his best friend's widow and late wife's best friend up and down.

Since they had been thrown closer together due to the invasion, Cal had noticed some growing feelings for the duck in front of him. He had always thought that her white plumage was beautiful, but now he thought that it shined as brightly as fresh snow. And he had always thought that she was smart and brave, but now, seeing her work day after day with all the ducks that were brought through the base he couldn't help but admit that she was an unstoppable force. It was no wonder that Soarin had fallen for her so hard.

And sometimes, he would think that Magda's thought about him had changed as well. He had only just come to realised that there had been an underlying attraction between the two over the last few years. Maybe she had realised it too. Yet, it was definitely not the time to bring it up, as the world was ending and they all needed to focus on defeating the invaders.

With a deep sigh, Magda finally stood up. Her eyes lingered on Cal for a while, her hands lightly touching his strong arms that looked like they wanted to keep holding her. She smiled at her friend, looking a little longingly at her companion as she made her way back to her room.

Cal watched as Magda made her way back to her room, her hips swinging slightly. She always did have a great figure and Cal couldn't help but stare at her butt as she walked away. Then, she suddenly turned around with the confused look on her face again. Cal's eyes immediately shot up, hoping that she didn't realise that he had been staring at her butt again.

"There's just one thing I don't understand. What did you mean by hearing the heartbeat and feeling the kicking?" Magda asked quietly.

"I uh, I didn't mean, I didn't mean anything. It was just gibberish," Cal stuttered out quickly, not knowing where to put his hands as he spoke.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, right?" Magda said, crossing her arms and looking straight at Cal.

The drake began to stutter again as he tried to come up with a plausible excuse. All the while Magda continued to stare at Cal as he floundered hopelessly. The two stood like that for a while, focusing on each other until Ella came out of her room interrupting the staring match.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you two had gone to bed already. I'm just going for a shower," Ella said, trying desperately to cover her body, but especially her stomach. She then ran quickly past the two ducks and towards their shared bathroom.

Unfortunately, the cogs were already turning in Magda's mind. She looked at the nervous younger duck as she made her way quickly from her door to the bathroom. That was the least amount of clothes that Magda had seen Ella wear in a while. And, considering their rations were limited, she was shocked by the amount of weight that Ella had gained.

The girl had always been tall and slim, with a good figure. It was easy to see why her oldest son had become attracted to her in the first place. But her wonderful personality was why he was in love with her. And, when they had first arrived at the Hub, Ella had worn very form fitting clothes. Clothes that would make covert missions easier. Lex had explained to Magda that the jumpsuit that Ella wore was custom made by her brother and was very common for master thieves to wear. Yet, Ella had changed to a looser fitting, military issue flight-suit a few months ago.

That was when the lightbulb went off in Magda's head. Suddenly everything made sense. The change in wardrobe, the protectiveness of Cal, the multiple trips to the medical facility, the sense of secrecy. The extra food, the weight gain. The girl was pregnant.

Cal noticed the wheels turning in Magda's head and knew that the jig was finally up. He saw her eyes widen and her beak open wide to exclaim. He moved as quickly as he could to stop Magda from shouting loud enough to pull Ella out of the shower. Cal grabbed hold of Magda's beak, forcing it closed as he pushed Magda back into her own room.

Once the door was shut behind the two ducks, Cal let go of Magda's beak and prepared for the onslaught. Despite the justification, there was often no excuse for forcing someone's beak closed. Though, it seemed that the shock had robbed Magda of her power of speech. The two stood in the warmly decorated room for a few minutes, just looking at each other, before Magda finally managed to recover her ability to form words.

"She's pregnant? She's pregnant! How? When? How far is she?" Magda asked incredulously.

"Almost six months," Cal replied.

Magda's reaction was instantaneous and loud. She exclaimed in shock before she started pacing and asking questions to which she needed no answer. And even if she did expect answer, Cal couldn't understand most of the questions. She was speaking so fast and in such a high-pitched tone that he was sure that only a canis could understand her.

After a few minutes of pacing Magda finally ran out of steam. She collapsed on the bed next to Cal, who had sat down during her tirade. The drake put his arm around Magda's shoulder and began to massage them, hoping to calm her down some more. It was fairly common for either Magda or Cal to massage the other when they were stressed and it did help them to relax.

"Why? Why didn't she tell me?" Magda asked after another few minutes of silence.

"She didn't know how to. She was afraid of your reaction? I'm not entirely sure," Cal replied.

"But, why did she tell you and not me? I'm not horrible, and it's my grandchild! Or, why didn't Wildwing tell me?" Magda exclaimed desperately. She couldn't get her head around why the girl, who she had been living with for four months, had said nothing to her.

"He didn't know. She found she was pregnant a few days before the Saurians hit, and she didn't want to tell him over the phone. She wanted to do it in person. And she didn't tell me, I guessed. She came into the station to confess and turn herself in for stealing the Mallar Emerald. And she did it because she wanted her baby to have a better life than she had, even if it meant that she couldn't be part of it. She's gone through a lot and she's took it with incredible grace, Maggie. She really needs you now, but she's afraid that you're so angry that you're never going to forgive her. And I know, I know you really care about her too. Just, just try. I think she's scared to make the first move now, so you're gonna have to do it. For no other reason, then do it for your grandson," Cal said, ending with a smile.

"It's a boy?" Magda said, her eyes widening in joy.

"We're not sure. The baby keeps on being uncooperative, like Nosedive was. But Ella is sure that it's a boy," Cal explained.

The two old friends talked for a little longer before Cal said goodnight, leaving Magda alone with her thoughts. And those thoughts all consisted of her eldest son.

She had spoken to him the day that the Monitor Towers hit, and the day that the world ended. When she came to the end of her shift she called his cell phone to find her eldest son awake and across the city with her youngest. Both of the drakes were being tricked into working in their uncle's mechanic shop for the day while they waited for their bikes to be ready. He would then be going back to Bardon to work as a summer camp counsellor. It was the first year that Wildwing was going to be in Bardon for the summer as he had recently moved in with Ella. He had also planned to get a part time job to help pay their bills. He was always the responsible one.

They hadn't talked for very long. Just long enough for Magda to tell him that she was going to see Cal after her shift about something important. And for Wildwing to tell her that Ella was meant to arrive at their house sometime that afternoon, but Canard would be gone the whole day. He was meeting with her cousin's husband about becoming a pilot in the special forces.

She had then told Wildwing to make sure that all the dishes were cleaned before he left, as she didn't want ants again that summer. This had caused him to laugh but agree. They had then said goodbye and hung up. Both had said that they loved the other. And that was something that Magda had been thankful for every day, that she had said that she loved her son during what could have been the last conversation that she might have had with either one of them.

But now there was a chance that her family would continue. That her eldest son had sired a son before he was taken from them. She was still hopeful that her sons would be found, maybe by one of the scouting parties. But, the hope was dwindling each day that they went with no word about any of her boys.

Cal left her alone with her thoughts, after one last tight hug. When she finally fell asleep she dreamed of what her grandson would look like. Then she dreamed of what life would have been like if the Saurian hadn't destroyed everything. Her eldest would be in his final year of university at one of the top schools in the district.

He would probably be insisting that he and Ella get married, for the baby. While she would refuse to get married just because they were having a baby. He probably would have offered to cut back on his class load, so that he could help. That probably would have caused a huge argument with Ella demanding that he continue to study for everything that he had worked hard to achieve. Magda would have then taken time off work so that she could help both Ella and Wildwing prepare and continue with their studies. It would be hard, but they would make it through together.

The next morning Magda woke up before her alarm sounded. Yet, she felt content and well rested knowing that she was going to be a grandmother soon. She dressed quickly, deciding that she would take the day off from the medical facility to try and spend time with Ella. So far, she had not taken a day off from the facility, even though Baucane assured her one day off wouldn't hurt anyone.

Magda walked out of her room and was shocked to see Ella still sitting at the table. This was a strange occurrence as the younger duck was definitely a morning person and would often be out of the accommodation before Magda was awake. They would often not see each other all day as Ella would be training or out on missions or patrol, while Magda would be in the medical facility all day.

The older duck stood in her doorway for a few moments, observing the younger duck who had yet to notice her presence in the small communal room. It was rare for Magda to be able to observe Ella like this, as the younger duck was usually hyper-aware of her surroundings. But this morning, her attention was focused entirely on the book that she was reading. She was also absently stroking her stomach with a content look on her face.

Magda made her way quietly towards the table and sat down next to Ella. This caused Ella to startle somewhat and close the book, quickly hiding it out of Magda's sight. She then put her arms over her stomach and sat a little more forward, trying to hide her protruding stomach form Magda's gaze.

The two ducks looked at each other for a few moments, in complete silence. They hadn't had much to say to each other in the last few months and neither knew how to make the first move. But Magda began to soften, seeing only the young girl who her son was in love with and was carrying her grandchild.

Warm tears began pool in the corner of Magda's eyes. But she didn't let them fall. She took Ella's hand and began to stroke it softly while she continued to look at Ella. It was a sweet, tender moment on Magda's side, whereas Ella was completely confused at the sudden change in attitude. Then she realised what must have happened.

"Cal told you, didn't he?" Ella said with a sigh and a guilty look.

"He didn't mean to; we were both talking about different things and it slipped out. Can I, can I feel him?" Magda asked, sounding suddenly nervous. She looked up at Ella, hopeful, to see the younger girl nodding her head slightly.

Ella shrugged off the top half of the baggy, purple flight suit that she was wearing that morning, so that her belly was fully on show. She was very nervous about showing how big she had gotten to anyone, but Magda looked so happy to see the swollen abdomen. The older duck then placed her hands on two different places on the Ella's belly, using her years of nursing experience to guess where the baby was lying.

As soon as her hands were on Ella's stomach the baby began to kick, forcefully. The smile that broke across Magda's face was breathtakingly beautiful. She began to cry with joy, knowing that her son's child was alive and well. Magda began to exclaim her joy, talking to baby and causing him to kick more.

And while Magda was overjoyed, Ella sat in silence, feeling uncomfortable. She was not used to such contact. Her own mother had died when she was five years old, and her father was killed before she was even born. She used to cuddle into her brother a lot as a child, until she was incarcerated for grand larceny at the age of ten and imprisoned for seven years. During that time, she had refused any and all forms of contact with anyone. Though, once she was released Ella did manage to open up more to her boyfriend.

It had taken some time, but Ella felt like she could be herself around Wildwing. He had urged her to start studying again, and she knew that he was trying to help her get back in contact with her brother. She had never told him that she had already gotten in contact with him though, or that she was a former thief and had been in jail for seven years.

Magda, who was very in touch with other people's feelings, suddenly realised that Ella was feeling uncomfortable. She had known the girl for three years now and she had only ever seen her engage in physical contact with Wildwing. She sometimes initiated touch with Nosedive or Canard, but that was very rare. She instantly realised that she was making Ella uncomfortable and decided to change tactics.

"Tell me what your childhood was like?" Magda asked, taking hold of Ella's hand again.

"Really?" Ella asked, surprised in the change of direction.

"Yes, I want to understand. And, I'm sorry that I was so hard on you before. I should have listened and asked you this question months ago. You're a sweet, lovely girl and I never should have shut you out like that. I should have realised that there was probably a reason you kept all that from both me, and Wildwing," Magda said with a soft, apologetic smile.

Ella then began to explain how she was brought up. That her father was murdered before she was born, or even before he knew that his wife was pregnant again, mirroring her current situation slightly. She went on to explain that her mother had committed suicide after she had been diagnosed with an advance stage cancer. She explained to Magda how her brother had then raised her to be one of the greatest female master thieves on the planet. And that her brother had become the only person in her whole world who she could rely on.

And she had become the greatest at such a young age, yet she was always craving more from her life. She had wanted stability, and a home, and the chance to go to school like other children her own age. Her brother had always promised that eventually they would settle somewhere, and she would be able to have everything she wanted. He was sure that they would get that by entering the Brotherhood of the Blade, the most exclusive gang of thieves on the planet, that operated and was wanted in every district of the planet.

Ella explained to Magda about what life became once they finally entered the Brotherhood. About how disappointed and lonely she became. And then she told Magda about the botched heist of the Mallar Emerald.

The young duck had to take a moment before she could continue. She had only told Cal this story, and she had glossed over a lot of the details. Since he was a police officer he only needed to know the facts, but she couldn't separate the facts from her feelings this time. Not when she was explaining everything to Magda.

She could feel Magda's grip tightening on her left hand and rubbing gentle but firm circles with her thumb. She watched as the older duck pulled out a handkerchief and placed it into her free hand. Ella hadn't realised that she had started crying.

"You don't need to tell me everything today," Magda said softly from her place next to Ella.

"No, no I want to tell you, I owe you that much. I just, I just need to moment," Ella replied quickly.

After she had taken a moment to collect her thoughts, Ella continued with her story, finally telling Magda about her trial. That had killed Ella when she sat alone at the defence table and pleaded guilty to grand larceny. And when the judge had handed down that harsh, adult, sentence, she had known that her life was over.

The time in the juvenile detention centre was hard. She had tried to keep to herself, like she had promised to do, yet somehow some people got in. Like her cellmate, once she was transferred to the minimum security wing. Or the head guard, who had managed to get a public defender to argue her case.

When she was brought before the parole board and was given a release, Ella had not known what to do with herself. She told Magda that she had walked out of the prison, down the road, not knowing where to go or what to do with herself. It was only when a truck driver stopped and offered her a lift to Bardon that she decided on anything.

Once she had gotten to Bardon she had had to stay in homeless shelters while she looked for a job. That was a condition of her parole, and if she didn't find a job she might have had to go back to prison. She told Magda that her parole officer was very understanding and that she had tried to do everything she could for her youngest parolee. Though, that didn't always help and some nights Ella found herself sleeping rough in subway stations, or on park benches or in doorways. Luckily, it was still summer so that nights weren't as cold as they could have been.

Ella had been very lucky to find a sympathetic boss at the Scene, a coffee shop at the University of DuCaine that was located in Bardon. He had given her a job and an apartment to stay in, though it was a little bit of a fixer-upper. This meant that she had met her parole requirements and was able to get her tracking anklet off.

"And that's when you met Wildwing, right? He told me that he saw you across the park and it was love at first sight," Magda said with a nostalgic smile.

"It was love at first sight, but I sighted him long before he sighted me," Ella said with sneaky smile.

Now this confused Magda. The story that Wildwing told her was that he had spotted Ella across the park, which had caused him to get hit in the head by a hockey puck sent flying by his younger brother. He had then spotted Ella again at the Scene, where he had gone to warm up, and had humiliated himself by knocking over a table full of plates and cups.

Though, Wildwing had redeemed himself by saving Ella from some drunk students who couldn't understand the word 'no'. They had become friends after that, which had led to a three-year relationship. One that was going to led marriage, as Wildwing had taken Magda's grandmother's engagement band and had planned to propose that coming year.

"Well, you see, before I started working at the Scene, and while I was sleeping rough, I went to DuCaine applying for so many jobs. Including cleaning jobs. While I was coming out of the hockey rink, having been rejected, I got knocked over by some hockey players, and all my stuff went flying. I was scrambling to pick everything up, with those players laughing at me, when one of the players who wasn't laughing bent down and helped me. He was so sweet, and so kind. He said so many nice things to me. Since I had gotten released no one had tried to speak to me. All they saw was just another homeless person, but he saw me. It was one of the first acts of kindness that I had experienced in a long time. I'm sure that he's never put the two together, I kept my head down and didn't speak to him at all."

"When I started working at the Scene I kept on hoping he would come in, so I could talk to him, but when he did I got so nervous. Then he got nervous, and that made me more nervous. I didn't think we would ever actually talk, until that night when he saved me. I was scared that night, I thought those idiots were going to do something really stupid, and I couldn't do anything about it in case they put me back inside for being a danger to the public!"

"I always wondered about that. I mean, I've seen you destroy killer robots, I don't understand why you didn't stand up to those drunken idiots," Magda said with a small chuckle.

"Well, I was afraid that if I defended myself then they would call the police. It would be better to be a victim rather than be brought in and my life suddenly exposed," Ella explained, looking down at her hands.

"I guess that makes sense. Wildwing had such a hero complex, he always wanted to be like his father," Magda replied, smiling at her son's chivalry.

"You should be really proud of him. He's the sweetest, kindest, most decent drake I've ever met," Ella said with a warm smile.

"Thank you. But, there is still one thing I don't understand. If he made you so happy, and if you were so determined not to return to jail or that life, why did you?" Magda asked.

"I… I hate myself for saying this, considering how much I love him, but it just wasn't enough. I got bored. I had lived such an exciting life before, where I was constantly on guard and constantly tested that something so normal and so stable made me uncomfortable. I kept on thinking that something was going to go wrong at any moment. Or that I would be found out and he would leave me. So, when Duke found me, and persuaded me to join him, I did."

"I know I shouldn't have gone with him. He had changed so much, into something that wasn't my loving brother anymore. He had done so many horrible things, and I still went with him. But, when I sat in that car with him, after pulling the biggest heist on the planet, I knew I couldn't do it. I had to give my baby a better life than I had," explained, gently rubbing her stomach.

"I think you're very brave, Ella. And Wildwing would have never left you, he loves you. He would have supported you. And he would be over the moon to find out that you were pregnant," Magda said, placing her hand back on Ella's stomach, feeling the baby kick again.

"He is the greatest drake that I've ever met."

"He wanted to marry you. He was going to ask you to marry him."

The two ducks sat together in silence for a while. Just feeling the baby kick and imagining what life would have been like if the Saurians hadn't invaded.


Hi,

Please rate and review!

Palacegirl: thanks, yeah I did get really dark in this one, but it is a hostile invader trying to destroy another species and world to avenge ancestors long dead. I might not have gone dark enough! It was fun writing something so out of character for myself though, it's fun to push yourself.

TFG