The small space heater buzzed insistently above the humming of the display lights glaring throughout the jewelry store. Outside, the sky was a bleak gray and a minute amount of snow was tumbling gracefully from the sky in sweeping spirals like tiny pearls from the heavens.

"Ariana, dear?" a soft, elderly voice called from the back of the store.

The young blonde duck turned from the window, her daydreams scattering as she remembered she was at work. Ariana smiled as the widowed canine hobbled to the front, her cane plunking softly on the tawny carpet.

"Yes, Mrs. Pennyfeather?" she replied softly.

The old woman stopped, panting, and smiled at her. "Be a dear and watch the store for me, won't you? I'll be gone only a couple of hours or so. Munchkin is sick again and the veterinarian doesn't like latecomers!"

Ariana returned the woman's smile and nodded. Mrs. Pennyfeather's cat Munchkin was always sick with something. And "a couple of hours" usually meant the rest of the day. She didn't mind, however. It was a privileged, she felt, to be working at all. Most of the employers had turned her away because of her last name. But now that she was working for the Saint Canard Jeweler's, everything had seemed to fall into place. For once in her life, she was content.

The entrance bell clanged through her mind and she jolted out of her thoughts once again. It had been Mrs. Pennyfeather leaving. Sighing, Ariana watched the old canine track her weary feet through the freshly fallen snow, leaving behind a trail of blackened footprints in the sea of white. Moments later, her employer's car puttered from the parking lot, spat a thick cloud of smog in goodbye, and disappeared down the paved street.

Ariana was alone to tend the store yet again.

A snooty, well-dressed business walked aimlessly down the cold street with a newspaper up to his face. He walked quickly, the early winter chill beginning to take its effect. Suddenly, a snowball came ripping through the air, making direct contact with the side of his head.

With a look of shock, the man shook the spattered snow from his face and looked around angrily for the source of the snowball. He froze when he found him, but not from the slightly chilling air, but from the sight of Negaduck leaning up against a light pole, packing down a handful of snow for another shot with an evil grin on his face.

"Did ya like that? Well, here's another one for ya!" Negaduck called as he took position to hurl the snowball at him. The man immediately threw his hands up in the air and took off down the street, yelling and whimpering along the way.

Negaduck chuckled sinisterly, then blindly threw the snowball at the side of one of St. Canard's buildings. As much as he'd hate to admit it, he was bored out of his mind. With the now-approaching winter, it limited his crimes down to a minimum, not to mention Darkwing Duck hated snow so it was always a challenge to get him to 'come out and play'.

It wasn't long before he himself began walking down the back alleys of the city to avoid being seen. Not many sane people would be out in this weather anyways. Negaduck stopped at the back of one of the familiar buildings, then crept around to the front for a better look.

'Strange...' he thought to himself as he peered around the corner to the front. This particular building had been empty for months, maybe even years, but now lights were on, and people were going in and out. Negaduck then panned his eyes upward to the bright, lit sign that read 'St. Canard Jewelers: Now Open'.

"So...a new jeweler in town, eh?" he said to himself as he rubbed his hands together, a devious glint in his eye, "Well what kind of criminal would I be without making a proper introduction and welcome..?" he finished as he took a rather large revolver from his jacket and laughed evilly to himself.

"Thank you for coming, Madame. Have a wonderful day," said Ariana cheerfully from behind the glass counter as she handed a fur-adorned woman a small white sack with "Saint Canard Jewelers" scrawled in red on the side of it.

The jingle of the bell as the woman exited signaled that the store was finally empty. It had been nearly three hours since Mrs. Pennyfeather had left, and the store had been busy non-stop. Until now. The cash register was nearly overflowing with money, and Ariana had to gingerly place her slender fingers on top of the mountain of ones so that they would not crinkle when she shut the drawer.

When the familiar click of the drawer catching on its lock met her ears, so did the chime of the bell as someone entered the jewelers yet again.

With a deep breath, Ariana straightened herself upright, smoothed her skirt, and smiled a small, but warm smile at the newcomer.

"Hello," she said, a soft undercurrent flowing beneath her clear, musical voice. "May I help you?"

The duck who had just entered was rather unusually dressed. He was only slightly shorter than she, but the blood red fedora encircling his head made him appear taller somehow. His yellow double-breasted suit shown menacingly under the fluorescent lights. His black cape swirled about him; the deep red hue underlying it seemed like a trail of blood forever at his back.

Halloween had been nearly a month ago.

Negaduck looked slightly confused at first. This woman hadn't screamed, fretted, or begged for her life at the sight of him. 'Must be new in town...' he thought to himself, then swiftly put on his sinister grin, strolling up to the counter. He was unaware that a witnessing citizen had seen him enter the store and was quickly dialing the police.

"Well yes...maybe you can," Negaduck replied smoothly, leaning one elbow on the front counter, "You see, I was just strolling by and was trying to think of which diamond enterprise in this city to take over next. And I think you can help me out with that by..." he paused as he pulled the revolver out of his jacket and pointing right between Ariana's gray eyes, "...being the good, cooperative little girl and gather up all the goods, then putting them into that sack..!" he seethed, pointing to an empty bag in the corner behind the counter.

"And you will do what I say, my dear...WITHOUT giving the cops an invitation to join us...unless you want an extra serving of iron in your diet..." Negaduck finished with a maniacal laugh.

Ariana's smile had faltered uneasily at the mention of "taking over," but it was completely erased from her face at the sight of the revolver. Her eyes widened in fear, and she inhaled sharply, backing away slightly. She bumped against the counter behind her, staring at the gun in terror. It was not an unfamiliar sight to her.

Her breath stuck in her throat as she mechanically made her way over to the sack, her eyes not wavering from the gun. Just as she reached down to grab it, her hand shaking, a voice thundered through the store and she jumped back up with a small yelp. The voice was almost identical to Negaduck's but was a tenor rather than a base.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night!"

A cloud of blue smoke rose in voluminous plumes from on top of the opposite counter. The faceless voice boomed across the store once again.

"I am the diamond on the ring of justice!"

Ariana shrank away from the smoke and plastered herself against the wall, fearing it was another criminal. She glanced at the yellow one then to the purple one now emerging from the smog with a flourish of his dark purple cape.

"I am Darkwing Duck!"

The duck who'd suddenly appeared looked EXACTLY like the criminal. Ariana's eyes widened even more, her blood quickening its already radical pace.

With a triumphant smirk, Darkwing looked over at the frightened employee. "No need to fear this felon, ma'am! I'll be taking him downtown where he can't bother you anymore!"

Rolling his eyes upward with an aggravated sigh, Negaduck glared at Darkwing with his gun still pointed at Ariana.

"Must you always introduce yourself?? We already know you're the dork that rants in the night!" he hissed. His head suddenly perked up at the sound of sirens quickly approaching the scene. The already successful grin on Darkwing's face already began to signal defeat for the criminal. Knowing that he was about to get caught unless he did something drastic.

Negaduck decided to let his criminal instinct take over as the flashing red and blue lights came into sight. In a swift movement, he leapt over the counter, roughly grabbed Ariana around her neck, and pointed the gun to her head.

"Alright doofus! Outside, NOW! Unless of course, you wanna see this beauty's brains splattered about the store...because you know that I won't clean it up..." he threatened with narrowed, hateful eyes.

Ariana froze as Negaduck's gun was suddenly at her temple. A startled whimper escaped her throat as his arm roughly seized her neck, nearly choking her.

Darkwing's smile immediately fell from his smug face at the sight of Ariana's terrified, pleading gray eyes.

"Easy there, Negs..." he raised his arms slightly and made a motion down with them. "Just let her go...put the gun away...then you can enjoy a nice long rest in the penitentiary..."

The squealing of tires signaled the arrival of the cops. Darkwing jerked his head toward the window, not wanting to be blamed for the crime, but not wanting to leave the hostage with Negaduck.

"Easy?? Hmm...no, I think I want this to be like a living hell!" Negaduck roared back, jerking Ariana once violently for emphasis.

"Now unless you wanna explain to those 'authorities' out there why Darkwing Duck just stood by and did nothing while Public Enemy #1 blew this poor girl's head off, I suggest you make your exit as dramatic as your entrance..." he spat sarcastically. Negaduck then moved himself out from behind the counter, dragging Ariana with him, gun still pointed to her head.

A stifled cry arose from the hostage as he jerked her toward the back door. She didn't want to fight him...she knew the power of a gun.

Darkwing cringed and edged backwards, telling himself that he would find Negaduck again one way or another...

"You win THIS time, Negaduck! But I'll hunt you down and make sure you get what's coming to you!" He raised the corners of his cape and vanished in a cloud of blue smoke. As it dissipated, a loud voice yelled from outside.

"All right, Negaduck! We know that you're in there! Come out with your hands up!"

But Negaduck was already making a break for it with his hostage.

Negaduck let out a scoff at the police's demand, "Yeah, right..." he answered mainly to himself, then grinned evilly an Ariana still in his grasp, "Alright girly, cooperate, keep quiet, and this doesn't have to get too violent..." he hissed the warning.

Making his way to the back of the store with Ariana in toll, he opened up the back door. He froze in his tracks when he saw several police cars already in position, blocking his escape.

"Eheh...whoops! Wrong door!" Negaduck said with a shrug and a grin, quickly closing the door again and barricading it before the cops could have a chance to make their move.

Giving the store a quick look, he spotted an opened door on the other side with a staircase that led to the top floor of the building.

"Come on..!" he growled, dragging his hostage with him towards the stairs, quickly running up the flights to the top floor. The stairs ended at another door, which Negaduck swiftly kicked open with his foot. He shoved Ariana into the room, then proceeded to prevent the door from opening by placing random large objects in front of it.

Ariana stumbled forward and fell to the floor with the force of his shove. While he blockaded the door, she curled up into a ball on the floor watched him silently with wide, fear-filled eyes.

The room appeared to be fairly large, nearly as big as the main store downstairs, but was virtually empty aside from a few pieces of old furniture and building supplies. Dusting off his hands, Negaduck then dashed over to one of the pair of windows facing out to the front of the store. He gazed down at the scene below, where cops were busily running back and forth, trying to keep civilians clear of the area.

"Suddenly, I'm not bored anymore..." Negaduck said with a grin, then let out an evil maniacal laughter that seemed to echo through the air. The mad laugh caused everyone on the street to look up to the window, receiving a wave from a content looking Negaduck.

"Hey boys! Looking for me??"

His insane, triumphant laughter rippled through her to her very soul and shook it with such a fear she had never known before. He was mad. While he called out of the window, she backed into one of the dusty, cobweb-filled corners and stayed huddled there, afraid of what he might do should she even dare to breath too loudly.

"Negaduck! Release whatever hostages you have and give yourself up!" one of the officers shouted up to him through a megaphone.

"Uhh...okay! I'll be right down!" Negaduck shouted in reply, then quickly aimed his gun at the people below, firing a few shots that narrowly missed a cop and a citizen and hit the pavement harmlessly, "That wasn't an accident! And neither will the next one that goes into this girl's head!" he warned, motioning behind him.

The girl flinched as each shot was fired from his gun. She kept her gaze on the floor. The wooden boards before her wavered into an ocean of brown and gray as tears began to spill from her eyes. Was he going to kill her? Lord knows how many times she had escaped that in her life. But she had no one to help her now. No family, no friends. She sniffled slightly but quickly dashed the tears from her cheeks when she heard his creaking footfalls approaching. The flow of tears persisted, however, and she rose her gaze slightly to look at him.

"Alright alright Negaduck! Just don't do anything drastic yet!" the officer nearly begged, "Just...tell us what it is that you want!"

Negaduck brought the end of his gun up to his bill, appearing to be deep in thought, "Hmm...I'll have to think about that for a while..." he finally answered, "But until I decide, you best not try any funny business, or this little pretty up here will make quite an impressive piece of abstract artwork on the walls..." he growled with a smile, then disappeared from the window back inside.

Such a cold face. Uncaring, unkind, and unmerciful. His eyes glared down at her menacingly and a twisted, gleeful smile was on his face. She stared into those cold blue eyes, their icy depths striking her heart. Involuntarily, she shivered and pulled her knees closer to her chest, but did not break her gaze from the criminal.

His eyes held hers for a few moments and he bared his teeth almost impatiently at her scrutiny. Something about his eyes forced her to keep staring no matter how terrified she was of him. Beyond the hardness there was an intense sadness. A hopelessness. As if tragedy and hardship had struck his life so many times that he shut out the pain. Had kept it hidden within himself even as the black mask was hiding his face. Ariana could not look away until he readjusted his grip on the revolver in his hand.

"Aww...is the poor little girl frightened of little ol' me??" Negaduck asked in a mocking concerned tone with a short look of pity crossing his face as he leaned towards her. The mournful look quickly disappeared as he laughed again, then held the revolver up to him, opening and closing the case, taking aim at the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Don't worry doll-face. If I do decide to kill ya, it won't be for a while..." he sneered as he pulled the trigger, releasing three consecutive shots that pierced the wall, "Just have to hold out the suspense for all those pathetic saps down there, ya know?" he snickered at the thought.

Negaduck leaned up against the wall and proceeded to reload the gun, "So...what's you're name?" he asked, not looking up from his task.

"...A-Ariana..." she mumbled inaudibly, her hopeless gaze on the floor and her head tilted toward her knees. Her skirt was damp where the tears still dropped from her cheeks.

"Alright 'Ariana'...Just wanted to have a name to give the morgue..." Negaduck said wickedly, giving her a smile that was so fake that it was evil.

"Negaduck! We order you to give yourself up, or we'll send in Darkwing Duck!" an officer from outside suddenly shouted the warning. At first, the only response was the distinct snickering, followed by Negaduck's form appearing in the window.

"So?? Go ahead and call that purple buffoon up!" he taunted snidely, "That clown is probably too busy ironing his capes anyways! Besides, you send Darkwing Duck in, and the girl DIES!!"

Withdrawing from the window and laughing to himself, Negaduck turned back to Ariana, grinning in delight at the sight of her cowering before him.

"So, you're new in town, eh?" he asked, pointing the gun in her direction, but with his finger off of the trigger.

She stared at the revolver pointed nonchalantly at her. He may not have has his trigger finger ready, but the mere sight of it aiming at her was enough to freeze her blood. She nodded slightly, wide-eyed and stolid against the moldy, rotten walls.

"I thought so..." Negaduck growled in response to her nod, "It seemed a bit strange when I walked in down there and you didn't so much as flinch at my presence, so I figured you didn't know who I was..."

She glanced at his smug face when he lowered the gun slightly to polish it. Her heart sank even lower. Why couldn't he just kill her? Or let her go? Something! She wanted to be anywhere but there with that gun in front of her.

He trailed off with a scoff and began to polish the gun with the end of his sleeve, then laughed slightly, "Not the 'welcome' you were expecting now, was it??"

At his question, her eyes filled with a fresh flow of tears and she turned her head with a pained look. "No..." she replied softly and rested her cheek on her knees, looking away from him.

Negaduck raised an eyebrow at Ariana, with his arms folded across his chest, "You don't say much, do you..?" he asked after a moment of eerie silence. He then slowly strolled over to Ariana, placed the barrel of the gun just under her chin, then raised her head upwards so that she met his cold glance.

"Well, how would feel if I blow that pretty beak of yours off of your face? Don't think you'd be saying much then, either..." he said with a cruel laugh, then removed the gun from her face and walked back over to the window.

"Can't see why anyone would want to move here...This city is going to be under my rule soon enough, so you made a big mistake leaving wherever it is you're from to come here..." he spat with an insulting tone.

"Stop calling me pretty..." she demanded softly, not looking at him. "And maybe it was a mistake to move here, but I'd rather be killed by you now than face what I escaped from..." she trailed off, realizing how much she'd said and that she'd just responded harshly to a hardened criminal...with a gun. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly, trembling with fear, and waited for his rebuke.

A look of mocking fright came across Negaduck's face as he backed up a few steps, holding his hands out in front of him for emphasis.

"Whoa...! The little girl finally speaks up! And with a bit of an attitude, I see..." Negaduck said lowly, his eyes slowly narrowing, "Take my advice, sister...DON'T push me..."

He then turned away once again towards the window, placing his hands on the sill.

"And what could you possible have escaped from that can be more terrifying that me??" he asked her smugly, wondering if she'd actually answer him.

Her eyes opened a crack, then she relaxed her tense muscles when she saw he was not going to attack her.

She sat in silence for a few moments, wondering whether she should tell him or not. What did she have to lose? Nothing. With a long, deep breath, Ariana answered him truthfully.

"My father."

His hard, cold stare remained on his face, but something inside Negaduck seemed to twinge a bit. Not letting his hard exterior betray him, he turned back towards Ariana with his glare still present.

"Oh really?? Not exactly 'Daddy's Little Angel' huh? What did ya do, get an A- in physics?" he asked snidely, rolling his eyes upward and shaking his

A look of confusion crossed Ariana's face. Why did he want to know about what had happened to her? Wouldn't he rather just shoot her and be done with it? What did it matter what she was here for?

"I-I...he was forcing me to become something I didn't want to be...and when I stood up to him he excommunicated me from the family...so I came here because this is where my sister lives..." she stopped short, not wanting to tell him more should he decide to go after her sister in the future. She also didn't want her true identity to be out in the open. He'd shoot her for sure.

Negaduck suddenly started snickering as he took a seat on an old soapbox against the wall, "Yeah? Well that whole 'family values' thing stinks anyways. I'm telling you right now that you'd be much better off on your own!" he said, pointing at Ariana accusingly. After a pause that last for a few minutes, he spoke up again.

The moments of silence made Ariana's stomach tighten with uneasiness. What was he going to do now?

His question startled her a little as it broke the silence, but her frown deepened at his implication. How dare he judge her?

"Soo...what did you do to make ol' Dad angry? I'm just curious because there may be some bad in ya after all!" Negaduck pointed out with a grin.

His crack about family values struck a chord within Ariana. She frowned at him slightly. "It isn't funny..."

"If you must know, I did not want to carry on the family occupation. Or its values..." she trailed off, looking at the floor as memories flooded her mind. "It was the first time I had ever spoken against him..." Her voice had softened considerably with an anguish that seemed unearthly.

Negaduck leaned against the wall as he picked at his nails. Although he seemed anything but interested, he kept his ears opened to Ariana's words, not looking directly at her.

"Uh huh...and then what?" he asked, then noticed her questioning gaze she was staring at him with, "What? I just figure if you're going to have any last words, they might as well be worth something, don't you...?" he trailed off.

Ariana raised an eyebrow. Why was he suddenly so interested in knowing about her? Last words weren't exactly the best excuse for a criminal to pry into his hostage's past.

"Nothing I could say would be worth anything. Last words or not," she mumbled, laying her chin atop her knees and readjusting her grip around her calves. She shut her eyes again, her throat constricting. Flashes of old pain seared through her body and she nearly gasped out loud.

He didn't say anything in response, just kept his cold scowl upon her. This hostage was certainly not like any other he had taken before; usually he scared the life out of them and had them begging for their lives. But not this one.

Negaduck opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by another commotion beginning to take place outside once again. Among the voices, one familiar feminine voice stuck out over the others.

"Negaduck! You lousy creep! Let Ariana go!"

As Morgana McCawber's voice rang through his ears, Negaduck sighed impatiently, got to his feet, and trudged over to the window.

The hostage's eyes perked up. Morgana! How did she know what had happened? Ariana rolled her eyes at such a stupid question.

"You?? What are you doing here?! I do not believe invitations were sent out to the witch-folk!" he shouted back down to her. Morgana merely shoved his insult aside and glared up at the criminal.

"I came here to save my sister from the likes of you..!" she hissed back in reply. Negaduck's eyes went wide as the thought struck him. Her sister? He snapped his head back in Ariana's direction and stared at her with an immense anger.

"You're related to that witch down there??" Negaduck practically roared in her face, and didn't wait for her to reply, "Then that means you...!" his words trailed off into a loud growl as he realized his hostage possessed super-natural powers.

"Why didn't I see it before??" he shouted at himself, then angrily stormed over to the wall beside the window and began striking his head against it continuously.

Suddenly she scrambled back further against the wall at his angry outburst. Rather than affirm the truth, she just stared at him in fear. In an attempt to get further away from his hate-filled glare, she clutched the wall behind her and rose to her feet, putting a little more space between them.

"One more time, let Ariana go!" Morgana's voice suddenly arose from outside again, causing Negaduck stop his self-inflicting beatings and glare out at her once again.

"Oh yeah?? Or what?!"

"Negaduck...so help me, I'll..!" Morgana seethed as she began to move her hands in a circular motion around one another, beginning to cast a spell.

"Ah ah ah! I don't think so!" Negaduck interrupted her, "Use any of that hocus pocus crap, and she dies! So unless you want a literal half-sister, I suggest you put the magic away!" he warned, then disappeared back inside.

"You're one of those magic-wielding maniacs, too??" Negaduck asked Ariana in accusation, pointing a finger at her, "Ohhh how could I have been so stupid?!" he cursed at himself, pulling his fedora down over his head in aggravation and humility.

Suddenly stopping in his wallow of self-pity, he turned back to Ariana. But he no longer had his hateful glance; it had been replaced by a look of extreme confusion.

Until he started banging his head on the wall. For a moment she looked bewildered. What was he doing that for? Her foot stepped out tentatively toward him and she nearly reached out to him with pity on her face until he swiveled around again, pointing an accusing finger at her before giving her a confused look.

"But I don't get it..." he said quietly, "If you had magic the whole time, then WHY didn't you use it?? You could have easily teleported outta here, or knocked me out, or... turned me into something unnatural..." he finished with a shudder at the thought.

She sprang back against the wall again, as if he had just lashed out at her. Her eyes darted from him to the floor.

"...I gave it up..." she replied quietly.

Looking at her with a confused, stupid look, Negaduck threw his arms up in the air.

"Yeah but WHY?! You could have easily foiled my evil scheme! Or still can, for that matter!" he shouted in misbelieve, then pulled out his gun once more and held it up in the air for emphasis.

"I could shoot you dead this very second, and you mean to tell me that you wouldn't use magic to save your life?? Well that's stupid..!" he said, beginning to pace back and forth with a wave of thoughts flowing through his mind.

Ariana's spirit flared within her at his last comment. She longed to scream at him, to pour out the anger welling up inside of her. But that was not her nature.

"My father forced it on me. I grew to hate it. I just...I...gave it up," she ended lamely, staring wide-eyed at the gun again.

Negaduck raised an eyebrow at Ariana when he finally realized that she was telling the truth...and was serious.

"Is that so...?" he growled lowly, then slowly replaced the gun in his jacket, "Well, you're a brave one, I'll give you that...I think you're the first person in nearly tens years who hasn't begged for their life within the first five minutes..." Negaduck said, somewhat quietly as he moved back to sit on the box against the wall once again.

"I'm not brave," she said softly, shaking her head a little.

Awkward silence filled the room again. She wondered why he'd put the gun away and ceased to threaten her with it. The belief that there was good in everyone had persisted with Ariana since the day of her birth, and as she looked at him slumped against the wall, some sense of pity washed over her. He seemed in such a deep, melancholy reverie all of a sudden. Was it something she had said? An unexplained guilt made its presence known inside of her heart. What was wrong with her? She was a HOSTAGE! He could kill her at any moment! ...Then why hadn't he...? He was just waiting to get what he wants! Whatever that was...

"Why are you doing this?" she asked softly, her back still pressed firmly against the wall.

Negaduck didn't respond at first, making it seem as if he hadn't heard her. His head then slowly lifted back up and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Aside from that, his face was completely unreadable of any emotion.

"This is just what I do. Its what I've spent most of my life doing to get by in the world and I seem to be doing just fine... and I'm not about to stop now..." he seethed out the last sentence in a low, menacing growl, "And besides, I like doing it, so might as well spend your life doing something that you enjoy and that makes you happy..."

Fear filled the pit of her stomach again. That sounded so familiar...so like her father to enjoy inflicting pain and suffering on others.

Nodding slowly, she moved her gaze toward the open window. It had started to snow again. This time, however, the flakes were falling in furious twisters. A cascading sheet of white. The wind whipped over the sill suddenly and wrapped its icy embrace around Ariana's body. She inhaled sharply and hugged herself, shivering violently.

Somewhere inside, a part of her wished he would pull the gun back out and just shoot her.

"Why don't you kill me?" she asked suddenly, tightening her grip on her arms as another winter blast curled through her golden hair and wound down her spine.

He just stared at her. Did she just ask what he thought he had heard? It was a question that he thought nobody would ever ask him, and hoped that they wouldn't. Normally his victim was too frightened to even ask, but his girl was not. It was almost as if she was begging him to shoot her. Negaduck finally sighed before he answered her.

"Well, don't give up your hopes on that so soon, but..." he sighed and turned his head away from her, "I usually try to avoid harming you women...Sure, I'll take them hostage or point guns at them all the time, but pulling the trigger is a last resort for me...But that has nothing to do with what's going on right now!" he quickly retaliated as he turned his head back to look at her, then turned away again, looking strangely tense for some odd reason.

Her back found itself plastered against the wall again. On the outside, she trembled with the chill invading the room. On the inside, she trembled with fright, anguish, and a sense of longing that had always pulsed within the core of her being.

Suddenly she felt very hopeless and very helpless. Before she even realized what she was doing, she began to weep softly and sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest and covering her face with her hands.

After being lost in his own thoughts for a few long moments, it was suddenly interrupted by a sound he hated to hear. Slowly turning back around, he eyed Ariana huddled in the corner. She had begun to sob quietly.

Negaduck sighed and rolled his eyes upwards. This was certainly not what he expected, and was not turning out they way he had hoped it would. He finally turned himself all of the way around and began to slowly advance in Ariana's direction.

Stopping inches from her, he glared down at her sobbing figure on the floor below him, then slowly reached into his jacket...

"Ohhh here...I can't stand to see a girl cry..." Negaduck growled softly as he handed Ariana a tissue, then retreated back to the opposite side of the room. "And you might as well relax, I don't think we're going anywhere for a while..."

Ariana lifted her head, her eyes widening at the sight of Negaduck handing her a tissue. She stared at it for a few moments before taking it, sniffling.

"Th-thank you..." she whispered, then dried her eyes. Bewildered, she watched him walk away from her. He was an enigma, this one. A paradox. He appeared to be one thing...and yet...those eyes...and now...

She crinkled up the tissue and placed it in the pocket of her skirt.

The snowfall had turned into a blizzard. Ariana wondered if the police or her sister were still outside.

At least an hour had passed since either of the two in the room had said a word to the other and the sky outside was beginning to quickly darken into night. Ariana had drifted off to sleep shortly after her short period of sobbing, and Negaduck was fighting to stay awake himself. How much longer were the cops going to stay out there?? Obviously, until he made some sort of drastic move, and he would have to wait and time that out.

His head began to slowly fall forward until he jerked himself upright again. He suddenly brought his hand up and swiftly smacked himself across the face to prevent him from coming any closer to falling asleep. Staying awake was required, or else he would risk losing his hostage and putting himself in the perfect position for the cops to move in and take him.

Negaduck's mind seemed to wander away from the current situation and he reached into the pocket of his yellow jacket, pulling out a small, old photograph of two ducks: one being a child sitting on the lap of a beautiful blonde woman. Negaduck stared at it for a long moment, a smile slowly creeping across his bill. Before he knew it, his head slumped forward and was fast asleep.

With a sudden jerk, Ariana was awake. Sweat poured down her face, and she was breathing heavily. That same dream again.

Momentarily confused, she looked about her with a furrowed brow until her eyes fell on Negaduck. She gasped slightly, the sight of him frightening her for a split second until she remembered all that had happened.

Relieved to see that he was asleep, she exhaled and let her tensed body relax. Her eyes roamed over the room and fell upon the window. It was dark outside, but the snow was still falling. How long had she been asleep? And why hadn't he done something cruel to her while she had slept?

Now was her chance. As quietly as she could, she crept to her feet and jiggled the handle on the door. Locked. Rats.

She turned to face the room again. Negaduck was slumped just to the side of the opened window. Were the police still outside?

Trying not to make the rotten boards squeak too much, she tread softly across the room and was just about to peer over the sill when Negaduck snorted softly.

She jumped with fright, a yelp catching in her throat. Her heart thudded in her chest, and the only other sounds were Negaduck's breathing and the howling wind. Minutes passed and Ariana was satisfied that he had not awakened.

As she turned toward the window again, something caught the corner of her eye. It was a photograph Negaduck held gently in his right hand. Curiosity overcame her and she gingerly slid the picture from his grasp.

A beautiful woman with shining blonde hair smiled sweetly back at her with a grinning baby clutched in her lap. Ariana smiled at the looks of pure happiness on both ducks' faces.

The baby's face suddenly stood out. It looked like...but...yes...those eyes...only...so full of joy then...

She turned the card over slowly and read the neatly curved, delicate handwriting on the back. Abby and Drake, 19--

The ink had washed away on the last numbers of the date and Ariana couldn't make them out.

Drake...?

She studied the picture some more, wondering what could have changed this man so.

A movement caught her eye. With a gasp, she tossed the photo back on his lap and fled to the corner as he stirred.

"You ready to give up yet, Negaduck??" the megaphone from outside suddenly ripped through the air. The sudden blast of sound caused Negaduck to jerk himself violently awake, unaware of the window sill above him. With a 'thunk!', his head came into forceful contact with the edge of the sill.

"D'OW!!" he yelped, taking a second to rub the pain from his head until his eyes went wide with shock, "Blast! I fell asleep...! Where's...??" he looked around frantically, expecting to find his hostage gone. A deep sigh of relief cut through the cold air as he spotted Ariana, still in the corner.

"Good...I was expecting that you would have escaped..." Negaduck said to her as he began to get to his feet, until the picture in his lap caught his eye. Forgetting momentarily that he had been looking at it, he quickly picked it up to put it back into his jacket, then paused. Hadn't he fallen asleep with the picture in his hand? And it had been face-down when he drifted off.

Negaduck's puzzled expression turned to Ariana, who seemed to move from the position on the floor that she had been sitting in earlier. He looked right into her eyes. If there was one skill he had to use against others, it was being able to read them by their expressions. Although she seemed completely innocent, he could see right through her.

"What did you think you were doing...?" he growled in a dangerously low tone, turning his body so he was now facing her head-on. Ariana shrank further into the corner, terror filling her face.

"I-I...I didn't mean...it was...I'm sorry..." she trailed off with a gulp. Her throat ran dry as she stared into his enflamed eyes.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know..." Negaduck seethed. "It's dangerous to go snooping around in someone else's business..."

With that said, he held his hand up high at his side in a balled fist, an intense and fiery anger burning in his eyes.

Her eyes opened wide at the raised fist, then she turned away, squeezing her eyes shut, and raised an arm in an attempt to shield herself from the oncoming blow. The single light bulb in the room illuminated her wrist, the rest of her remained in the soft shadowy depths of the corner. A ring of gray-purple marred the smooth, white feathers of her wrist where he'd grabbed her earlier in his haste to get upstairs. In reaction to seeing this, he glanced under her raised arm and glimpsed another, larger bruise just under her collarbone where he'd grasped her against him and pointed the gun at her head.

He stared down at Ariana, who was now squeezing her eyes shut as she waited to feel the striking pain of his hand to come down on her...but it never came.

The rage in Negaduck's eyes suddenly disappeared and his fist slowly lowered. He looked at the picture again that was still in his other hand with soft eyes, then back at Ariana.

A sad sigh broke the silence as Negaduck put his guard down and stormed back over to his side of the wall with a grunt of frustration. He slumped down onto the floor, looked down, and put his hand to his head, remaining strangely silent.

Upon hearing his retreating footsteps, Ariana lifted her head slightly, her arm still raised a bit. She noticed him over in the corner, an intense grief etched onto his face. Why had he not struck her? Why was he suddenly so sad? Pity and confusion crossed her brow and she watched him quietly from her haven in the corner.

Minutes passed. Negaduck remained stolid as a statue. Ariana began to feel the melancholy emanating from him begin to seep into her. A feeling she could not explain possessed her, and she shakily rose to her feet. Maybe...maybe if she just talked to him...poor man...it seemed there was more to him that he let on.

Tentatively she crept toward him, her feet barely gracing the wooden boards. When she was a few good feet from him, should he turn violent, she lowered herself to the floor again and watched him with her searching gaze.

It was many moments before she gathered the courage to finally speak up. "I lost my mother too," she said gently, hoping that maybe she could pry from him whatever was haunting him and then maybe he would let her go.

At first, there was no response. Then Negaduck slowly lowered his hand from his face and looked down at her. What was Ariana assuming?? That he, the almighty Negaduck, was letting his emotions get the better of him?? The thought angered him, but he was more enraged at himself for putting his guard down long enough for it to effect his ego. But he wasn't going to give it up yet.

"What makes you think that's what is bothering me..?? I'm the feared Negaduck, and nothing is going to stop me from bringing pain and suffering to this city..!" he retaliated, trying to regain his defiant composure. He was about to say more until he realized that he had just given himself away by admitting to Ariana's assumption.

The concerned look Ariana was giving him explained it all. She looked up at him with her gray eyes, a sense of being able to understand present on her face. Apparently, he could not fool her, either.

Negaduck sighed again then turned his head back towards the floor.

"Oh who am I kidding..?" he muttered softly in defeat, letting his act go, "Even this 'heartless, vile, blood-thirsty' criminal has some issues..."

Moments passed as the two sat in silence, both experiencing similar painful memories of their own. Negaduck rested his elbows on his knees and placed his cheeks in the palms of his hands, then shifted his eyes in Ariana's direction. She looked so sad, miserable, and alone. It would have probably made him feel better if it was him who had caused her current state of emotion, but Negaduck knew he wasn't the one who put Ariana into her depressed state of mind.

"So....what? Mom couldn't use her 'magical powers' to protect herself or something?" Negaduck finally spoke up, asking the question in a low voice, but in all seriousness.

Instantly Ariana's eyes closed tightly, and she stifled a sob. Her hands balled up into little fists, and she fought back the flood of tears persisting in her eyes. "No...she would never use her powers against them..." she replied quietly, not realizing he didn't know who 'they' were. "...But they...they didn't understand that...they..." she broke off and fell silent for a few moments, the memory taunting her mind.

With great difficulty, she willed herself to take a deep breath and calm herself. She needed to say this. To get it out. It was an old pain, but had haunted her for many a year. "They staked her," she said somberly, her eyes opening a crack to look upon the floor. Two tears escaped her lids and ran slowly down her face unheeded. "I was seven," she whispered distantly, the pain resurfacing with an all too agonizing force. Her heart felt as if someone had wrenched it from her all over again.

He fell into a state of shock. Did she actually just tell him all of that? The traumatizing past that had tortured her since she was seven? It wasn't everyone who'd share something like that with the city's most wanted felon.

And yet, a strange emotion stirred inside of Negaduck. Though he desperately wanted to defy it, there was a spark of something he had never felt for anyone...pity. And a of understanding. He knew what it was like to have lost perhaps the most precious person in his life, and thought that it would never happen to anyone else but himself. Now he was finally proven wrong.

There was an eerie silence that only last for a few seconds, but what seemed liked minutes. It was proven when Negaduck finally spoke up.

"I see..." he said in a quiet voice, "And...I take it that's why you gave up following her ways..?"

Sniffling, she looked up at him. What was that tone in his voice? Certainly not what she had been expecting...and yet, there were those eyes again. Only he wasn't hiding anything this time. They were unmasked, full of understanding, and somehow she felt comforted. Who was this man? Who was he really? And why was she telling him all this? It wasn't just the gun hidden within his jacket anymore.

She shook her head in response. "It was she who inspired me to see normals in a different light. I was too young to understand then, but after..." she sighed and tried again, taking another deep breath. "Father wanted revenge. I wanted them to understand. He wanted to kill them. I wanted to talk to them. But I didn't want to go against my own father. I loved him too much. I couldn't bear the disappointment in his eyes."

Her eyes traveled away from Negaduck's and fell on the picture resting in his hand. "What happened to her?" she asked gently before raising her gaze to his fathomless blue eyes again.

It took a second before it registered into his head just who Ariana was talking about. Negaduck looked at her questionably, then followed her gaze to the picture he held in his hand.

"Oh...well..." he began, then paused momentarily, taking in a deep breath before he continued, "...she died a long time ago. Unfortunately, I was also in my youth of seven years old when it happened, so I was left behind to be on my own..."

Negaduck's expression remained firm, keeping any stray emotions from surfacing. But he was confused as to why someone he was threatening not ten minutes ago would be concerned over his past. Was Ariana planning something? Some sort of witch's trick to save her life? He wasn't sure, but from what he had seen and heard from her so far, it seemed highly unlikely.

His past life was something he had never revealed to ANYONE in his entire life, and he wasn't sure if it was going to make him feel better about it after spilling it to someone. Or maybe he was just afraid to? If there was one thing that Negaduck feared, it was someone showing any sort of emotion towards him, which was something he was not used to dealing with. Negaduck then waved his hand, as if waving the situation away.

"But that was way back then, it doesn't matter now..."

His answer evoked some emotion inside of Ariana that she did not quite understand. He had had his mother taken away from him too. Maybe he had grown up as alone as she...

Suddenly she knew. She felt a strong connection to him somehow, and she wanted to know just what had made him the way he was. And she wanted to help him...even if he threatened her.

"Don't say that..." she replied softly, a look of concern filling her delicate features. How could he just wave away his mother's death like that? Either he was extremely cold-hearted or he was just trying to cover the overwhelming pain surfacing within him. She decided to take the risk of guessing it was the latter. "How did she...pass on?"

Negaduck lifted his head back up to look straight into Ariana's eyes, as if testing her to see if she was up to something, or serious.

"Why do you want to know..?!" he asked in a quiet, growling, disbelieving voice, then scoffed, "After all, I AM the rotten, infamous scoundrel Negaduck. Not to mention I nearly killed you several times tonight...So if this is some kind of game you have planned, you can give up right now..!" he finished as he quickly turned away from her.

Ariana suddenly looked scared and leaned backward a little as if she'd been struck. She didn't answer him, but remained silent, looking very hurt. What had she expected? Maybe she had been wrong about him... She turned her head away from him and neither one of them would face each other for a few drawn out moments.

Negaduck was busy cursing at himself for damaging his ego, that he didn't hear the police roar over the loudspeaker from outside right away.

"Okay Negaduck, this our final offer! Either you give up and let the girl go, or we're coming in after you at full breach! You've got five minutes to make up your mind, but hopefully you won't need all that time..!"

A loud growl escaped Negaduck's throat. So this was it...he could either let Ariana go and get hauled off to prison, or kill her now and probably end up dead himself. It doesn't seem like it should be a difficult choice. His face showed strain as we rubbed his temples, trying to decide what it was he was going to do.

Ariana's head jerked up at the loudspeaker. Well...at least the police had not abandoned her. Snow drifted through the window in heavy sheets, leaving a steadily growing pile on the floor. She shivered violently again, her teeth chattering slightly, then stared at Negaduck with those large, forlorn gray eyes of hers. Whatever he chose, it could not be worse than what she had already gone through.

Clouded thoughts whirled throughout his mind, considering the consequences either of his decisions could result in. Usually it was simple: kill or brutally inure the hostage, take the loot, and go. But...there was something about Ariana that was different from all the others. She was young, but had already experienced how cruel the world could be. And there was one more thing that he just couldn't put his finger on.

Negaduck looked at her inconspicuously out of the corner of his eye, then saw what it was...Ariana looked so sad, beaten, and alone. She reminded him of someone...of himself. For he also knew how hard it was to survive a tortuous, devastating life.

A murderous glare came across his face suddenly, his eyes narrowing to top off his devilish appearance. He then got to his feet, and stormed over to the window to scowl down at the crowd below.

"You want her?? Well then, you're just going to have to come up here and get her! But I can't guarantee you that she will be in one piece when you find her..!" Negaduck seethed down at them before removing himself from the window.

He turned back to Ariana, his wicked glance still clear on his face. As he slowly advanced towards her, he reached into the inside of his jacket and once more removed the revolver. His thumb came up and pulled the hammer back until the 'click' was heard. Without saying a word, he slowly lifted the gun up to eye level while baring his teeth, aiming for the center of Ariana's head.

Her eyes grew wider as he stormed toward her with purpose. A glimpse of the gun told her of the inevitable. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and heard the click of the hammer locking into place. Raising her head with a set, ready jaw she waited for him to pull the trigger, facing death with a resolute face. She had been ready to die since that fateful day as a seven-year-old anyway. Who would miss a nobody like her? Only a single tear trickled down her expressionless face, but she did not wipe it away.

Before either of them knew what was happening, Negaduck's aim suddenly shifted to the ceiling. Three gunshots pierced the air, shooting through the old, boarded roof, leaving three small holes behind.

The loud explosion of the gunshots could be heard outside, and were quickly followed by an uproar of gasps and cries. Morgana, still standing at the front of the crowd, brought her hand up to her bill, her eyes wide with terror. She tried to cry out, but the scream was caught in her throat and she desperately tried to keep herself standing as the shock seeped through her.

"Alright men, stand by! We're going in on my order!" the lead officer demanded, addressing the shock troops who had arrived on the scene.

Three times Ariana jumped with a small gasp as the gun was fired. Had he shot her yet? Why wasn't there any pain? She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe he was just playing around with her so she wouldn't know when he would do it.

Back inside, Negaduck stood firm, holding his smoking revolver in his hand. Quickly pocketing the gun, he moved over to the door they had come in from earlier and began to form a pile out of the useless junk in the room, remaining silent the whole time. Once everything he could find was gathered outside the door, he moved back over to Ariana, taking her firmly but not roughly, by her arm and pulled her to her feet.

Again she inhaled sharply when she felt his hand clamp softly around her upper arm and pull her up. Slowly she opened her eyes and a look of confusion spread across her face as he led her across the room.

"Come on..!" Negaduck hissed as he led her to the corner on the far side of the room, "I suggest you sit down here until those bozos down there come to get you..." he growled, making it sound more like an order rather than a suggestion. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a small grenade and held it up for emphasis, announcing what he was planning to do.

"B-but...what about you...?" she asked, not sure why she was so worried about him. He had been about to blow off her head! And yet...that didn't matter to her. She looked into his eyes, a pleading look, and stood in the corner as she was told.

Negaduck suddenly let out a mischievous laugh as he shook his head.

"Me? Bah! I haven't been terrorizing this city all these years to get stopped now..." he growled, a grin of satisfaction appearing for a split second before disappearing again, "Now get down on the floor, away from the smoke..."

There was another pause as Negaduck looked down at Ariana again, his expression unreadable. Breaking the motionless silence, he reached behind himself, removed his cape from his shoulders, and tossed it at her.

"Use that...cover yourself with it to block out some of the heat and smoke..." he instructed. Negaduck turned to head back towards the window, paused, then turned back around one final time. There was still a single tear still present on her cheek that seemed to bother him.

"Don't worry...they're coming to save ya..." Negaduck informed as he gave her his menacing grin. In a quick motion, he reached down and swiftly wiped the tear from her face. He hastily turned and dashed over to the opened window.

Ariana shrank away slightly at the touch of his hand upon her cheek. Bewildered, she watched him leave, then touched the cheek he had wiped the tear from lightly.

Before jumping up into the window frame, he pulled the pin out of the grenade still in his hand, then hurled it into the door. Within seconds, a small explosion erupted from the door, quickly engulfing the outside of the door into flames.

A LOUD explosion forced a cry of alarm from her and she threw the cape over her as debris and shards of wood scattered throughout the room with deadly force. A rather large piece flew straight through the cape and would have pierced her chest had its edges not caught on the loose threads of the tear.

Once convinced his plan was going accordingly, Negaduck quickly jumped up onto the sill, spotted a ladder to the left, then hopped out, grabbing a hold of the ladder's bars in his hands.

The crowd below all gasped, pointing up at the figure that has just emerged from the building that was quickly being covered in smoke.

"There he is! Fire!!" the officer shouted as he and several others fired shot after shot after the criminal, none of them hitting their target, "Alright men! Go in!"

Abruptly there was gunfire from outside. She hoped Negaduck would be all right...

Voices wafted up to her upon the cold, merciless fury of the winter air. All at once, the loud thumping of many feet met her ears and she knew the firemen were on their way up.

Ariana's lungs filled with smoke and she coughed horribly. The rip in the cape prevented it from being much of a shield anymore. Just as the firemen entered the building, she collapsed onto her side and blacked out.

There's no one in the building...!" one of the fireman reported through the speaker installed in his firesuit. The group of firefighters were preparing to exit the room until one of them spotted something stirring in the corner. Squinting to see through the thick smoke, one of them could make out the form of a girl with soiled blonde hair collapsing onto her side.

"Wait a minute! I think...we found her! She's alive!" he shouted, motioning for one of the other firefighters to help him ease Ariana gently off of the ground into his arms, wrapping the cape tighter around her to block out the burning heat, then hastily rushed her out of the building...

Morgana rushed to her sister's side as they were loading her into the ambulance. She climbed aboard the back of the vehicle after the stretcher and stayed by Ariana's side.

"How bad is it..??" she asked one of the doctor's frantically.

"She's going to be fine...There's no serious injuries. The worse she has is a couple of nasty bruises and a cough from the smoke. We're going to keep her overnight in the hospital just to be sure..." one of the nurses responded as the ambulance rolled away from the burning building whose flames were rapidly being put out.

Darkwing took a careful step back before hurtling himself full force across the gap between rooftops. His webbed feet slid on the cement edge, and he lost his footing. Had it not been for his swift hands catching the edge, he would have fallen to the busy intersection below. With a sigh of relief, Darkwing pulled himself up onto the roof only to bump into someone.

"Oof!" he wheezed as he stumbled backward and fell on his rump. Frowning, he rose and brushed himself off before looking at who had run into him. His jaw fell open. "Negaduck!"

"Ack!" Negaduck yelped, also stumbling backwards before falling on his own rear. Shaking his head to clear the dizziness from his mind, he scowled at Darkwing, crossing his arms in front of him.

"Oh so NOW you show up, huh??" he asked in an annoyed tone, shakily getting to his feet, "You know, its not too late. I think you can still get back to the scene back there before the news crew packs their van up..." he insulted, knowing how big the crimefighter's ego was.

Darkwing mirrored Negaduck's' scowl. "Ha, ha," he retorted, his voice devoid of enthusiasm. "What did you do with the girl, Negaduck? Was she too much for you to handle? Or have you killed her...? I'm surprised a bloodthirsty villain like you would stoop so low as to kill a young woman!"

Negaduck stood frozen, staring at his adversary. Darkwing had called him worse things before, but he had never been accused of a crime so heinous in his own opinion that he didn't commit. It seemed to strike something inside of him that felt like anger, rage...and even a slight hint of pain.

His expression suddenly turned to a cold glare as he moved closer to Darkwing, stopping inches from him and spoke in a low voice.

"If you're so smart...then why don't you go back there and find out for yourself..." he hissed, and was cut off by an ambulance's siren speeding down the street.

The two ducks both turned their heads to the side in the direction of the sirens, watching the ambulance roll down the city street. As it passed, they caught a glimpse through the vehicle's back window of a female duck in a red dress and a large black hairstyle. On a stretcher beside her laid a younger, blonde duck who was unconscious at the moment.

When Darkwing had turned back to face his counterpart, Negaduck had already disappeared from the scene.

Two days passed. Ariana had been let out of the hospital and Morgana was satisfied enough that she allowed her sister out of the house unescorted. She shivered in the chilly afternoon breeze, trudging gingerly over the icy sidewalks and watching her breath emerge from her beak in silvery puffs.

With a sigh, she turned the corner and headed toward the Saint Canard National Bank. Why is everything in this town named after itself? She asked curiously to herself before pushing open the glass door and going inside.

A blast of warm air from the bank's heater met her within and she stopped momentarily to enjoy the feel of her skin warming up. She did not own a coat. Morgana would have been upset had she known Ariana had left the house without one. She was such a nag sometimes.

Ariana shivered again, rubbed her arms, then stepped into the line to wait for a teller, her silken dress billowing listlessly around her ankles.

The long lines of the usual afternoon rush barely moved an inch in five minutes. Citizens standing restlessly in line sighed fidgeted impatiently. That is, until a cloud of red smoke suddenly appeared in the corner and began to expand, illuminating the caped figure.

"I am the fiendish terror that flaps in the night! I am the scratch on the CD of justice...!" the familiar, evil voice roared from the smoke, then the figure stepped out, revealing the menacing grin, "I...am Negaduck! And I've come to pay my due respects to the hard-working citizens of the St. Canard National Bank..." he said smoothly, strolling over to the nearest teller.

The citizens in the bank began backing up towards the nearest wall and away from the criminal who they know was capable of anything. Negaduck propped one elbow up on the teller's counter, grinning casually at the shaking young man.

"Alright pal, you know the drill. Empty out the front safes nice and quickly, and no one will get hurt...much..." he finished with an evil laugh. The teller nodded and proceeded to quickly empty the safes behind the counter.

Minutes later, Negaduck had his large sack filled with cash slung over his shoulder and a handgun in his other hand, beginning to move towards the door for his exit.

"Once again, I thank you citizens for being so generous..." he snickered, taking a bow, "I will be leaving now, and if ANYONE makes the stupid decision to call the cops..."

Before he could finish, the blaring of the bank's burglar alarm rang throughout the building. A scowling, aggravated expression came across Negaduck's face as he shifted his eyes from side to side at each of the tellers.

"I don't know which one of you pulled that, but rest assured, I'll make sure you all get credit for it...later...!" he snarled, knowing that he has better make his getaway quickly before the authorities arrived within minutes.

As he moved towards the door, Negaduck jerked to a stop as something familiar caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. His head slowly turned to the left, scanning the crowd with his eyes. And then, he saw her. Ariana was standing in the back of the crowd.

Negaduck's eyes were locked on her, and she seemed to be staring right back at him. And he couldn't move. The sack in his one hand dropped to the floor, and he let his guard down, still frozen in a confused state of mind.

Her eyes bore into his, their souls brushing each other. Her face emanated disappointment, fear, shock, and compassion all at the same time.

At least she knew he was all right. Maybe he would just turn and leave and never think about her again. Maybe. Since her trip to the hospital, he had been in her thoughts almost constantly. His eyes had never left her, and yet here she was facing them again. Had she touched him in the way he had touched her? Maybe she was just imagining the connection, but gazing into those piercing, melancholy eyes erased all thoughts from her mind. Except a spark of something Ariana had never experienced with anyone outside of her family. Her heart leapt into her throat and she tried to swallow.

The people in the bank stood in stunned and fretting silence, trying to deduce the current situation. One minute, the feared felon was waving a gun in someone's face, and the next, it looked as if some unknown force had sucked the life out of him.

It didn't last for more than a minute until a commotion behind the tellers' booth rose up, causing everyone but the two ducks to look in the direction the noise was coming from. A woman's shrill scream suddenly tore through the air as one of the bank's employees pulled out a small pistol from underneath the desk, taking aim at the source of the chaos.

The sound of the gun being fired didn't even make its way through Negaduck's ears. He didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. A loud gasp escaped his bill as a heavy, but sharp pain in his back seemed to knock him back into reality. The bullet had ripped through his cape and embedded itself just below his left shoulder blade.

Negaduck's face seemed to be frozen shocked, wide-eyed expression as he stood motionless. His eyes scanned the dozens of surprised faces looking upon him. The ability to hold himself up suddenly disappeared as he collapsed to his knees, placing one hand on the ground for some support and bringing the other up to his chest.

No one witnessing the scene moved, being too much in shock at what was unfolding before them. The once proud and feared criminal was finally defeated, and with his downfall, the city would receive some relief from his terror. Sirens could be heard in the distance, getting louder as they approached.

It took a few moments for Ariana to register just what had happened. Negaduck's eyes released her as a frozen look of horror crept into his face. The sound of the gunshot echoed in her ears and her heart skipped a beat.

"NO!" she screamed before she even realized it. Frantically she squirmed her way through the stunned crowd. No one moved a muscle save her. A man tried to hold her back, but she wrenched away from him and stumbled to Negaduck's fallen form.

Oh please, oh please, oh please..., she pleaded silently.

She reached out to touch him, hesitating only momentarily before helping him lie down on the floor. Gently she held him up with one of her slender arms and placed a frail hand atop his heaving chest. Blood was filling his lungs, but he was still able to talk.

There was a soft moan followed by another loud gasp as Negaduck's upper body was lifted partially off of the floor in Ariana's arms. His eyes were squeezed shut as the nearly unbearable pain surged through him with each motion.

The crowds inside finally began to disperse outside and into the streets, leaving the two inside for the city's authorities to deal with. Once they had disappeared, it became an eerie silence, aside from Negaduck's heaving breathes.

He finally managed to pull his eyes opened, and fought to keep them open so that he could look up to see the one person who had stayed at his side. If he were able to change his expression without the immense pain, he would have held a look of shock on his face.

"Ari...Ariana...?" he finally managed to whisper, looking up at her. He lifted one hand to place over his burning chest, unaware that Ariana's hand was already present and rested his over hers. "What...what are you still doing here..? Get out before they get here..!" Negaduck tried to shout the order at her, but only resulted in a loud whisper followed by a yelp, his face twisting in agony.

She glanced down at his hand upon hers. Compared with his, hers was tiny as a doll's hand, and it was nearly covered completely. A warm wetness trickled down her other arm, but she refused to look, knowing his blood was spilling onto it.

"I'm not leaving," she whispered gently. "I won't leave. I have to get you out of here."

She looked toward the bank exit to see numerous squad cars pulling up in the street. She did not know where the other doors in the bank led to. Rather than take the time to find out, she gently removed her hand from under his, raised an arm, and whispered something softly under her breath. Her hand began glowing a silvery gray and sparkled brightly. Suddenly a large ovular circle appeared not to far from them, cutting through the air and crackling with silver electricity. It was a portal.

Tenderly, Ariana pulled him to his feet and guided him toward the shining gateway. All at once, his knees gave way and he fell forward with a grunt of pain. She caught him against her, feeling a bit awkward with him so close. Knowing her arms would not be able to carry him, she slowly slung one of his arms around her shoulders, grasped his other side softly, and helped him shuffle through the portal just as the police burst into the bank and found no one present.

His eyes were closed tight, and he relied on Ariana to lead him to wherever it was they were going. With each step they took, the sharp pain seemed to hit Negaduck like a wave.

Every few steps, he let out a moan or a grunt. Thoughts and questions flooded his mind. How could he have been so stupid? Why did he let his guard down? Was this finally the end? And perhaps the most perplexing question of all: Why was Ariana doing this? For HIM??

Negaduck's head fell forward as he desperately tried to hold onto consciousness. His eyes were barely opened as tiny slits as he slowly shifted his gaze to the side.

"Where...where are we going..?" he managed to ask softly, his voice seeming to grow more distant every time he spoke.

"Where you'll be safe," she replied softly, looking down at him with tenderness. Their voices seemed to echo in the silvery void until finally the other end revealed itself and they emerged from the portal.

A small, cozy, inviting room opened up before them. Dark colors embraced them from all corners as she guided Negaduck through the room and eased him onto a large, extremely soft bed. Had Negaduck been downstairs he would have recognized the place as McCawber Manor. She had brought him into her bedroom.

The blood had filled his lungs considerably now, and when he tried to voice the questions running through his mind, all he could do was cough terribly. He turned his head to the side as he did so, blood spattering from his bill and staining the intricately embroidered bedspread.

"I'm...I'm not going to make it..." Negaduck trailed off as another gasp followed by choking noises took over his words. His breathing had become nothing more than a light wheezing, it becoming more and more difficult to take in air with each passing second.

"Sssshhh..." Ariana murmured soothingly, her gray eyes filled with a faraway look of pain and sadness. They gave Negaduck the feeling of some impending doom, and he assumed it was because his death was nigh. "It's all right..." she whispered lightly with her soft voice. "This may hurt at first...but it will ease the pain. I promise."

Her words faded off, causing him to barely hear the last two words. Before he could respond, Negaduck's eyes slowly began to roll up into his head. He could feel himself drifting away as the darkness consumed him. The last he saw was was Ariana's soft gaze peering down at him.

That said, she slowly slid her hand beneath his back right over the wound, then pressed her other hand firmly against his chest, over his heart.

"Perius sum neum hatsumar te similitudo uto tarei!" she chanted eerily, her eyes flooding with a bright gray light and her hair flying about her, making her look ethereal. Suddenly her hands began to glow silver again, only with a fiercer intensity than before.

Before he knew what was happening, the overwhelming pain he had been experiencing was suddenly sucked out of through the places Ariana had positioned her hands. His lungs emptied and he could breathe normally. He let out a loud gasp as the he sucked the air in. The wound in his back no longer throbbed. In fact, it felt as if nothing had pierced it at all. He was alive again. Full of energy and strength. His eyes fluttered open and he looked around him a bit before resting his gaze on Ariana.

Her skin had dulled to a pale gray, the light of her magic fading from her hands and eyes. She looked very tired. The bright hues of her small, healthy body drained away from her, down her arms, and seeped into his body. A cry of sheer pain arose from her throat and her face contorted with agony. She had traded her health for his pain. Her grip faltered on Negaduck and she wavered unsteadily. Her eyes met his for a moment and, she smiled at him until the dim light of her magic disappeared...taking with it the spark of life in her eyes.

She fell forward on top of him. Negaduck yelped, expecting to feel the immense pain, but it never surfaced. Desperately attempting to figure out why he was still breathing, he held up his hands to examine them. The pain on his chest was suddenly lifted, now replaced with strength. But how?

Negaduck's gazed slowly shifted down to his lap, where Ariana was now laying motionless. Ariana's normally bright and glowing features were now dim, her gray eyes closed. Then he understood. His eyes slowly softened as he sat up to a sitting position, lifting Ariana's head up. Did it really happen? Had someone just sacrificed her own life for his, even though nearly murdered her several times? Negaduck was confused on how it all occurred, but then he remembered that she possessed mystical powers. And she broke her own oath that declared she would never use them.

Frozen, Negaduck stared down at her...his savior. No one had ever done anything so selfless for him, and it felt as something struck him in the heart. Only this time, it wasn't a bullet. He lowered his head, still gently holding her with an extreme guilt on his shoulders, until he felt her stir very slightly. Opening his eyes, he glanced down at Ariana, whose eyes were barely being held open. She was still alive, but it wouldn't last long. And there was something clawing at the back of his mind that he needed to know.

"Why did you do that..?" Negaduck finally managed to ask, his voice seeming to hold confusion, anger, and even pity. He wasn't even sure of she was able to answer him, but it was something he needed to know.

She smiled weakly at him with a distant look, as if she were in a dream. "Because..." she murmured tenderly, barely able to form the words. "...We are the same, you and She gasped suddenly, her back arching with pain and her eyes threatening to roll backward into their sockets. She willed herself to take in one last deep breath. "I...don't know why, but I...I care about you...very much...Please...stay with me..." she faded as her lungs ran out of air. Her hand wavered slightly as if searching for something.

His face softened, as if every ounce of bitter hatred and anger was suddenly drained from him. It was something he thought he'd never hear from anyone else in his life. But looking down into her eyes, Negaduck knew she was right. That was why he couldn't kill Ariana the other night, something inside was keeping him from doing so. And now he knew.

Ariana's time was almost up, and her last request struck him with a force he had never felt before. He saw her small hand slowly lifting itself up, paused, then reached out, taking it firmly in his own hand. It was so cold compared to his...

"I'll stay..." Negaduck consented quietly, looking down at her with a foreign sense of sorrow. It was entirely possible that he had sound someone in the world who could show emotion for him, and now she was leaving.

She felt as if she were floating. Half-way between sleeping and waking. Her heart was faltering...slowing...fading... Dimly she felt his hand close upon hers and a wave of comfort and emotions she had never known flooded through her. Her hand tightened on his slightly, her eyes staring into his with grateful tenderness. Seeing the look he was giving her, she didn't want to die. All at once, a feeling of resistance welled up within her. Not yet...not now...she wanted to stay...with him...

With tremendous effort, Ariana squeezed her eyes shut and forced air into her collapsing lungs. Her grip strengthened on Negaduck's hand, and she pulled power from this new surge of feelings. Slowly and steadily, Ariana's breathing returned to normal and her pulse quickened. But the pain she had transferred from Negaduck persisted throughout her body, punishing her for using her powers. Her hand trembled in his grasp. Faintly she was aware that his arms were holding her close to him, and a very slight hue of pink rose to her cheeks. She still looked deathly pale, but she opened her gray eyes to look at him as if to make sure what she'd thought she'd seen there really existed. Did he care about her too...? Or was this some cruel joke?

Not even aware of the actions he was taking, Negaduck held onto Ariana, squeezing her hand as a symbol of support. Why was he doing this? Why was he showing any sort of emotion, aside from hate, towards someone else?

Deciding that he would wait until later to answer those questions, he put his focus back on Ariana, wondering if she was going to pull through. Negaduck wasn't sure of what to do, since he was NEVER trying to save someone's life.

"Come on..." Negaduck finally urged in a loud whisper, "If you were brave enough to face me, you can pull through this..!" he finished, giving her hand a short squeeze. A split second later, he barely managed to force a small smile that he looked down on her with.

Now she was confused. She suddenly felt very awkward in his arms. After all, she barely knew him. It was she who had bared her soul before him. She tried to sit up, but whimpered with pain about halfway and collapsed backward. The pain shot through every limb, striking her where she least expected it. Even breathing hurt, though she seemed to be able to do that just fine.

She tried again, and at the same time tried to get out of his embrace. Had she been wrong...?

"You okay..?" Negaduck asked in a barely audible voice. She was breathing again, and was barely able to move, signaling that she was going to pull through.

When she tried to lift herself up on her own and failed, he gently placed a hand on her back and slowly eased her up into a sitting position. Once she was sitting up on her own, Negaduck then looked down at his hands, realizing what it was that he was doing, and how completely out of character he was being. And it was still confusing him to the point of insanity.

Finally breaking from his spaced state of mind, he slowly got to his feet and moved over to the small opened window on the opposite side of the room. Negaduck placed his hands on the sill and gazed out with a strained expression, trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle as to why he was acting like this.

"What am I doing..??" he quietly asked himself, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

She coughed suddenly and sniffled, feeling slightly better with him not so close to her. Why had he been holding her like that? He looked like he...but before he had...

She felt so drained. So tired. So...something she couldn't explain, but it pained her deeply. She looked at him gazing out of her bedroom window for a few moments before gingerly pulling back the covers and sliding under them. She inhaled sharply as each movement sent another violent ripple of pain tearing through her. What was he thinking, this criminal she had just saved? Was he plotting a new heist? Did he even care that she had given him her life? The thought of being with him had sustained her, given her strength to fight death's cold shadow...only now she was unsure. There so many things she wanted to know...to ask. But that temper of his...and he could have a gun... She was just too tired. With a heavy, weary sigh, Ariana closed her eyes and began to drift into a light slumber.

The soft, wheezing breathes suddenly interrupted the silence. Negaduck perked his head up and noise, then turned his head to find that Ariana was the source. She looked as if she was sleeping peacefully.

This was it. It was the perfect opportunity for him to make his getaway. Perhaps by quietly climbing out the window and jumping safely to the ground not far below. Lifting one foot up to the windowsill, he paused before getting all of the way through and turned back to Ariana.

She had asked him to stay with her. for what reason, he didn't know. Ariana was alright now, and would be fine after she got some rest. But he told her that he would stay, and even though his life was about stealing, hurting, cheating, and breaking promises, he was not about to run out on what he said.

With a heavy sigh, Negaduck retreated back inside the room and closed the window behind him, deciding firmly that he would leave as soon as she was awake. But he didn't know how long that would be, and collapsed into a small armchair against the wall.

Hours passed before Negaduck let out a loud, lazy yawn. Aside from the occasional moan and slight tossing and turnings, Ariana hadn't moved from her slumber.

He was about to let his eyes close again, but kept them open as he curiously scanned the room for the first time. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary: a dresser, closet, bed...and there were framed pictures hanging on the wall and sitting on the dresser and nightstand.

Curiosity overtook Negaduck as he got up out of the chair and traveled throughout the room, analyzing the pictures as he passed by them. The first one he passed was of Ariana, which appeared to be taken not long ago. She was standing next to a rather joyous looking man and in front of a sign that said 'Congrats Webminster Students'. But Ariana did not look as proud as the man, who Negaduck deduced was her father.

He scanned the other photographs fairly quickly. There was one of her alongside her sister, another of her as a small child, playing by herself. Then, he stopped by one standing upright on the dresser and picked it up.

Negaduck stared down at the picture which was of a family of four. There were two adults and two young children, the one with the blonde hair and big, gray eyes obviously stood out as Ariana. Only in this photograph, she actually seemed happy, unlike all the others. But then he remembered her story she had told him earlier, and noticed the woman standing behind the two girls. She looked like a cross between Ariana and Morgana, having the large, black hairstyle but Ariana's soft features.

But of course...this was taken before her life had taken such a tragic turn. Negaduck's eyes softened, sympathizing with the memory since no one was there to witness his behavior.

A loud creak from the bedsprings jarred Negaduck from his pensive state-of-mind. Ariana was tossing again. Shrugging, he set the frame back in its place and turned to look the rest of the room over until he heard her move again. This time, a soft gasp escaped her lips.

Again she turned fiercely beneath the covers. Suddenly she stopped moving, her arms pinned to her sides as if some unseen force were holding them down.

"Please..." she whispered in a frightened tone. "I didn't mean...it wasn't...please, no!"

A desperate, terrified look crossed her moments-before peaceful face. Her breath heaved in short, scared gasps and her head turned from side to side in a panic as if searching for someone, even though her eyes were still closed.

"Please don't do this!" she cried, her voice wavering. "I didn't mean any harm! Please! Please, no! NO!"

She struggled against the force binding her arms beside her. All at once, one arm jerked behind her, then the other followed. She struggled as if someone had tied her wrists together.

"Please! Please!" she shouted shrilly, tears beginning to stream from her closed eyes. "NO!" she screamed in horror, her face contorting with fear.

Standing in a stunned silence, Negaduck watched as Ariana was being tortured in her sleep. It was obvious she was having a nightmare, but he wasn't sure what it was about. But he could clearly see the pain it was causing her, with her eyes squeezed shut and the tears and sweat beginning to pour down her face.

Knowing that he couldn't just stand by and let her cry out, he finally moved over to the bed with quick footsteps, reaching out and attempted to grab her arms. But with her being in a panic, it was more difficult than anticipated.

Negaduck finally managed to take a firm hold on her upper arms to cease her frantic actions. Not knowing the proper way to wake somebody up in this situation, he suddenly shouted out to her.

"Hey! Ariana! Come on, wake up!!" he yelled, giving her a few shakes to pull her out of her torturing slumber.

One particularly rough, violent shake snapped Ariana's eyes open and she gasped for air. She looked around her frantically as if not recognizing where she was. When her gaze fell on Negaduck she cried out softly and jerked back before remembering who he was, where she was, and what was going on. He was still gripping her arms. She glanced down at his hands, then at him, her breath heaving and sweat mingling with tears all over her face. Their eyes locked for a few moments as she tried to get her breathing pattern back to normal. She was still wide-eyed and looked a little fearful as she stared into his eyes. She bit her lower lip, looking so innocent and so terrified.

Pools of tears began forming in her eyes and she looked down at her mangled bed sheets. Whatever pain had haunted her dream had not left her.

Negaduck followed her gaze down to where his hands were still holding her. As if he was touching something that was burning hot, he immediately pulled his hands back and looked away.

"I uhh...just wanted to make sure that you were...alright, when you woke up..." he admitted, silently yelling at himself for letting his ego fly out the window, but it was too late now.

"I'll..uhh...just be going now..." Negaduck said as he eyed the door and began to slowly move towards it.

She glanced up from her sheets, a look of pained urgency on her face as the hot tears streaked down her face anew. Her beak opened, but no words emerged.

She wanted...what did she want? Whatever it was, it didn't look as if he was going to give it to her. Disappointment and hurt crossed over her face and her eyes fell to the floor as she nodded slowly. It wasn't as if she hadn't been abandoned to her pain before. If he wanted to leave...so be it.

"I'd have thought you would have left hours ago..." she murmured sadly, more to herself than to him.

He reached out to take a hold of the doorknob, but paused when he head Ariana voice her assumption. Of course she would think that of him, who wouldn't? But the point was, he didn't leave, and stayed with her. After a few seconds, he turned back around and leaned against the closed door, staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"Well, I thought about it, and I almost did..." Negaduck replied, then shifted his gaze to the left as if he had just found something interesting on the wall, "But I know what it's like to be left alone in a time when you just don't want to be..."

She nodded again silently, sniffling.

Well isn't that what you're doing to me now? she thought miserably.

Awaiting the sound of his exit, she watched the carpet with a look of grief and sorrow frozen on her face as pieces of her dream floated back through her mind's eye.

Negaduck stared at her, narrowing his eyes to analyze what she was thinking. Ariana looked so pained, not on the outside, but on the inside. So was he really going to just leave her? It would have been a lot easier for any other person, but she had just saved his life, nearly losing her own to do so.

He looked down at the ground, debating which way to go. One side was telling him to go on his way, back out into the city, and commit his usual crimes. But the other was telling him that the least he could do, as far as gratitude went, was to stay with her until someone else came home to take care of her.

In attempt to keep himself in character and not appear as if he was beginning to go soft, he continued to talk to her in curiosity.

"So...what was that..?" Negaduck finally asked, referring to her hellish dream, "You were screaming louder than most of the people I point a gun at..."

She cringed, not lifting her gaze. Why did he care? Why wasn't he leaving? Everyone else she'd cared for had, save her sister.

"Why?" she asked quietly. She didn't want to open herself up for more hurt than he was already causing her.

He shrugged in response, trying to seem uninterested. If she felt like telling him, then he'd learn something. If not, so be it. It was her decision.

"Just curious..." Negaduck admitted, strolling back over to the chair he was sitting in earlier and plopped down, "I'm not exactly in a hurry to get back out there and get chased by the cops again, I need some time to...regain my tactics..." he lied, hoping she would buy it.

She nodded again, her face unreadable. "It was...nothing." she replied decidedly. If he was so uninterested, why did she need to tell him?

She began to feel a little anger seep into the pain in her heart. She had just saved his life, and he didn't bother to thank her. She'd just told him that she cared about him, but he didn't seem to care. And now she needed someone to just understand and to hold her, but all he could do was sit there apathetically. Why did she even bother?

"Please..." she whispered, her voice broken with anger and sorrow. "Just..."

Negaduck nodded before she had to finish. He knew what she was thinking, and him still being there wasn't helping any. Without saying a word, he slowly got to his feet and moved towards the window to make another one of his usual, boring dramatic exits.

He pushed the sliding glass up, then hopped onto the sill, taking a quick glance downward to examine his landing. Before taking his leap out into the approaching night, something seemed to slap him from inside, and he knew what it was.

"Hey..." Negaduck called back to Ariana quietly, turning only his head back in her direction, "..thanks...for saving my life back there..." he finished, keeping it short. He never was never good at showing gratitude, and he knew that if he was ever going to show it to anyone, it was going to be difficult.

With that said, he turned away again, sighed, then prepared to leave.

"You're welcome," she called back softly, looking after him wistfully. Well...at least he had thanked her. That should be enough, right?

And yet...she still felt a part of her heart ripped out. Oh, why had she let herself believe in him? Why did she make herself see something in him that obviously wasn't there?

Slowly, she turned her back to him and pulled her legs up to her chest, then rested her chin on her knees and sighed softly.

The soft sigh caused Negaduck to pause in the window, his cape billowing in front of him and the wind threatening to sweep his fedora from his head. He looked behind himself back inside and saw Ariana curled up on the bed, hugging herself as if trying to keep some sort of fear from harming her.

It was an image all-too-familiar to him. Because as Negaduck stared, he slowly began to see himself in her position. Images from his own tragic past began to flash in his mind: the sight of his father striking his mother continuously, the look of pure evil in his father's eyes as he advanced on him. And then himself...tied to a chair, bruised, broken, and alone. His life ended that night, and the painful memories were determined to break him in.

Negaduck stood there, frozen; he couldn't move from his position in the window. His body slowly began to tremble, but it wasn't caused from the cold wind blowing outside. A sense of dizziness began to slowly creep across him, threatening to throw off his balance.

The cold wind from the opened window curled through the room and wound around the forlorn girl. She shivered suddenly, then felt that someone was watching her. Turning slightly, she spotted Negaduck wavering on the sill of the small window, his eyes glazed over with a look of painful torment. He was very pale. Before she could resist it, her heart went out to him again. With a sniffle, she wiped the glistening tear trails from her face and made her way over to him.

He stared blankly at nothing. A few feet from him, she stopped and studied him. Just what was he thinking about? And why hadn't he left yet? He looked as if he were about to faint.

Making a decision against her better judgment, Ariana took his arm and led him away from the window, the blank look of pain still on his face. She then closed the window with a loud thud and opened her closet to remove a large emerald-colored comforter from it. The comforter had a gold emblem sewn into the corner of it with the acronym WADA.

Gently, she unfolded the large blanket and draped it about his shoulders. Then she led him out of her room and into a vast, dark hallway. From there she steered him into a gigantic, gothic-sculptured living room where a bonfire was blazing in a large fireplace. She guided him to a padded recliner, helped him into it, and murmured softly.

When he felt her gently take his arm, Negaduck flinched. He was never used to people showing any kind of soft emotion towards him and probably never would get used to it. But her touch snapped him back into reality for a few seconds. Ariana began to lead him away to somewhere unknown, but he didn't resist; he was still lost in his painful thoughts.

Ariana draped the blanket over him, which helped calmed his shivering. But he was still visibly shaking as she lead him down the hallway, not fighting against her actions and looking down at the ground the entire time. Negaduck knew that he had finally been defeated...by himself. And now Ariana was witnessing it.

"I'll be right back..."

She walked around the chair and disappeared from his view.

He barely heard her as he sat in the chair, wrapped tightly in the blanket with his eyes closed. When he opened them, she had disappeared. Negaduck stared deeply into the fire before him, his eyes focusing on the fierce, angry flames...familiar flames that he had seen before in someone's eyes...

The heat and rage from the fire suddenly caused him to sharply turn his head away. He stared down at the floor until Ariana would arrive back. What could she possibly think of him now? First he had tried to kill her only to end up letting her go, running into her later, nearly get killed, and then have her saving him. And now this?

Negaduck was surprised that she hadn't turned him into the authorities yet. Besides, she said that she would be right back, maybe she wouldn't return alone. But somehow, he highly doubted the possibility; she was someone who was different from anybody else.

It was another ten minutes before the young blonde woman returned, looking radiant. The color had returned to her soft, pleasant face, and the hint of a warm smile was playing about the corners of her mouth.

Gingerly, she placed a steaming mug in his hands and backed away a couple of steps. Surprised to find the cup didn't burn his bare hands, he glanced into it and gave her a questioning look.

"I-it's called Serenity...Morgana used to make it for me w-when I..." she trailed off, the smile that had been trying to force its way through fell into a tight line of pain. She tried again. "It's very good."

When he finally tipped the mug to his lips, a warm liquid spilled gently down his throat. It tasted of honey, vanilla, peppermint, and something he couldn't quite place, all of which changed intermittently in his mouth. He could feel it rush through him, calming his nerves, stealing the coldness out of his body and mind. Lastly, it seemed to wrap around his very soul and snatch the memories from his mind's eye, taking the pain that had seared his heart from him and leaving him feeling strong, peaceful, and strangely euphoric.

Ariana clasped her hands in front of her uneasily, shifting her gaze from Negaduck to the floor at random intervals. "A-are you...feeling better?" she asked softly.

After a few seconds, Negaduck slowly nodded in reply, still looking down at the ground. He had finally managed to stop trembling, but he was still disturbed on the inside.

"Y...Yeah..." he answered quietly, then paused for a moment, "Again...thanks...It's not everyone who would do this for me..." he finished, almost sadly.

She had done it again. Ariana was making generous and caring motions towards him. Negaduck let out a short sigh and shifted in the blanket, actually beginning to feel remorseful at the thought of her wasting her feelings on him. What had he done to deserve what she was doing for him? Threaten her, nearly beat her, set the building she was in on fire?

It was still something he didn't understand, but then remembered her answer when she was seconds away from death: "We are the same, you and I. I don't know why, but I care about you...very much..."

Remembering that scene, Negaduck knew she was right. He knew the pain she was suffering through from her past. And she just admitted something no one else had in his life... she cared for him.

Negaduck shivered once more. He suddenly felt like the biggest louse on the planet, which surprisingly didn't set well with him. Someone has just shown him feelings, and what did he do? Not much aside from a 'thanks'. Wrapping the blanket tighter around him, he suddenly just wanted to disappear.

Concern fell into her face. Tentatively, she stepped forward and kneeled beside him, laying a hand on his wrist and trying to look him in the eyes.

"What's wrong...?" she questioned with that gentle undertone flowing gracefully from her delicate bill.

Her question hung in the air for a few moments, and she glanced at her hand upon his wrist. She did not normally touch anyone else unless it was informal or it was necessary. That uneasy feeling crept into the pit of her stomach, and she lifted her hand slightly as if to pull it away.

Feeling her hand on his, he looked down at it, but didn't react to pull away. Instead, he gave it a quick glance, then turned away again.

"Just an old complaint from the past that likes to give me a hard time every chance it gets..." Negaduck replied. His voice was now completely void of all the usual snide, arrogant, and dangerous tones, causing him to be nearly unrecognizable. And the fiery life in his eyes had faded.

"But...it's of no importance now. It was a long time ago..." Negaduck said, attempting to wave it away.

Her hand fled his wrist, and she gave up trying to see into his eyes.

"Sometimes it helps...to talk about it...and it is important..." she replied gently, wondering if she was even being any help at all.

He paused. Should he tell her? Would she actually listen, or just use it to get on his good side to prevent him from coming after her again later? Negaduck had never revealed his past to anyone before, and it had been slowly eating away at him for nearly twenty-five years.

Maybe Ariana was right. Perhaps if he let it all out, it would finally leave him alone. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began his story.

"I wasn't always like this...the cold-hearted criminal the city has come to know me as. I had a normal life once..." Negaduck stopped, taking a second to take another breath, "My mother was murdered in front of my very eyes when I was a child...by my own father. He...was slowly becoming corrupted by life, and it wasn't long before it took over him..."

He trailed off, slowly opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling, the memory bringing an immense expression of pain to his face.

"One night, his anger finally consumed him, and he snapped. It started out with the usual senseless arguing while I hid behind the stairs; until he pulled out a knife. That was when I, being the stupid kid I was, decided to interfere. I got in the way to try and save her...but that didn't last long. He struck me over the head with a two-by-four, knocking me out. And when I woke up..."

Negaduck's voice still remained firm, but it was apparent he was fighting to continue with the difficult section of the memory.

"...I found myself tied to a chair, barely able to move, and helpless. And I was forced to watch him beat my mother to death, feeling each blow he struck her with. Then the last thing I remembered was him quickly advancing in my direction, coming to finish me off, before I fell unconscious again..." His eyes closed again, trying to block out the pain he was feeling.

"It was nearly two days before someone found me, barely still alive. Unfortunately, they saved me, but couldn't save her...And I was abandoned in an orphanage for the next 10 years of my life, asking myself, 'Why me? What did I do to deserve this? How could the world be so cruel...?'"

A look of anger slowly began to appear across his face, "But he got away...and no one has seen or heard from him since. But I promised myself I would get even with him someday, and avenge her..."

With a sigh, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, looking down, "I was seven when I lost my faith in life..."

Silently she scrutinized him with her gray eyes, a look of shock creeping into her face. He had been the same age as her...he knew...he knew what it was to feel so alone...so hopeless. The only thing was, he had turned down a different road than she. Faith was something she had always tried to maintain, in life, in people, and in her own dreams. But this man had lost his, and it nearly broke her heart to see him this way. To see anyone this way.

A few moments longer she sat silently beside the recliner, just imagining what it must have been like. Her own past seemed like nothing compared to the pain he must have gone through. And it was still haunting him after all these years even as her own terrible memories haunted her dreams.

All fear vanished from her. Slowly she leaned on the armrest and pulled herself to her feet. Then she stood over him, wanting so badly to erase that look of pure agony on his face that she knew only too well. Her heart ached suddenly, and she began to cry as she moved in front of him, leaned down, and pulled him into a gentle embrace.

At the feeling of her embrace, Negaduck's eyes suddenly shot open and he jumped slightly in surprise, completely not expecting this action from her.

"What...what are you doing..?" he asked in a nervous, bewildered tone. No one had ever shown him any sort of affection before. But now, there was suddenly someone there.

Negaduck shifted his eyes to the side, still in Ariana's embrace and a perplexed expression clear on his face. Strangely, he wasn't angry, but just confused.

"I...I'm sorry..." she whispered, pulling away and looking hurt. "I only meant..." Suddenly she wished she hadn't made such an action without thinking it through.

She had done it again. Opened her heart only to have it shoved back in her face. Her eyes darted to the floor and she wiped her eyes self-consciously. Maybe he didn't want anyone to understand...

Negaduck frowned. She wasn't trying to humiliate him, she was listening to him in all seriousness. And was offering him comfort. Something that has been absent from his life since that awful night.

"No, it's...okay, it's not your fault. I've never told anyone about my past before. It's just..." he hesitated, hoping he would be able to chose his words wisely, "..I'm just not used to being touched, concerned for, cared for...I guess it just intimidates me..."

"Intimidates you?" she echoed, confused. Her hands clasped nervously in front of her again, but she raised her eyes to look at him.

"Yeah...I've been deprived of it for most of my life. So whenever I come close to facing it, I guess..." Negaduck again paused, debating whether or not to finish, "I just fear it..." he admitted very quietly. He turned his head away from her, feeling uneasy about just admitting what he did.

"I'm just so used to the life I'm living now, and content with it, that I don't want it to change. I've been a cold, cruel, lone criminal for so long, and that's how I'm going to stay..."

"But why...?" she asked, her brow furrowed. Why on earth would anyone WANT to live that way?

"Because...it's all I know how to be, and I can't change that. This is how I get by in the world...by having people fear and cower before me, and by inflicting pain and suffering on others..." Negaduck answered slowly, "I'd fail at doing anything else. This is what I'm meant to do, and this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life..."

"Don't say that...you're not a failure...your past doesn't have as complete a control over you as you may think. You're not your father."

She took a step closer to him and kneeled in front of him rather than beside him and looked into his eyes. "I know what it is...to fear emotion...You just want to shut everyone away...be alone...so no one can hurt you anymore..." she trailed off, trying to keep her voice steady but failing miserably. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she looked away from his eyes.

Negaduck nodded, understanding what Ariana was saying. It was true, the reason he avoided being close to anyone was because he didn't want to risk losing someone again, and have to go through the pain all over again.

"Well, I knew the first time I pulled a gun on someone that it was hopeless for me..." he said, straightening himself up, "At least you still have Morgana with you..." Negaduck finished, rolling his eyes at the thought of Ariana's sister.

Ariana scoffed lightly. "Morgana...? She doesn't understand. She tries to, but..." she stopped, shaking her head slightly. She looked up at him again, a glimmer of hope behind her gray eyes. "It's never hopeless...as long as there is someone to care..." She faltered and fell silent, expecting some retort to follow. Her tears glinted in the firelight, giving her irises the appearance of an approaching thunderstorm. They didn't appear just gray anymore. A vast array of blues, grays, green, and blacks illuminated themselves underneath the spring of tears that had washed over her eyes, and the blaze sparked flashes of orange and yellow across the liquid, looking like lightening streaking across her cloudy eyes.

He slowly lifted his head up and looked at her. And he could see that Ariana wasn't like the rest of the world, she had already done so much for him. She didn't have to do it, but she did...

And what was he doing for her? Just sitting here in her room, taking up space and time? Being useless? Normally he could care less how he treated other people, because it was a cruel fact that everyone hated him. But not with this girl...

Hesitating slightly, Negaduck slowly reached out and wiped away a few of the stray tears riding down Ariana's face with the side of his hand. He managed to force a slight smile before pulling himself back again.

After a moment of silence, he spoke up softly.

"Errr...Sorry I tried to kill you..." Negaduck said in an awkward, remorseful tone at the random moment, that would have almost made the situation funny. He had never apologized to anyone before, so it made it all the more difficult to put into words.

She closed her eyes at his touch, then giggled suddenly at his abrupt apology. Her smile broke through the serious concern and pain that had been painted on her features. It was a wide smile. Genuine, warm, pleasant, and friendly. Having just enough of curve to crinkle the corners of her eyes, but not enough that it masked the grief and pain behind them.

"It's all right..." she said, her soft laughter dying.

"No...it's not, " Negaduck replied, then turned back to face her again, "When I decided to take on the life of crime, I made a vow. I told myself that whenever I aimed my gun, I should consider not what I was killing, but what I was letting live..."

He then grinned at Ariana in a mischievously, but non-threatening way, "That's why I couldn't pull the trigger on you. You gave me something I've lacked for too long... understanding. And believe it or not, I'm grateful for that..."

A blush rose to her soft cheeks, and her eyes dipped slightly before she grinned back at him.

"You're very welcome..." she replied, then perked up. "Let me get that." From his hand she gently took the emptied mug and rose to her feet. "Would you like anything to eat? Anything at all...?" Her eyes danced down at him eagerly.

Negaduck smiled slightly in response and shook his head, "Naahh...I think I'll be alright," he said, then slowly eased himself to his feet and took a quick glance out the window. The darkened sky signaled the time of day.

"It IS getting late though, I uhh...should probably get going..." he said softly, hoping that Ariana wouldn't take the motion the wrong way, thinking that he was just going to walk out on her.

"Oh..." Ariana's eyes dropped to the floor in disappointment. "Okay...just a moment," she added, then walked out of the room with the mug only to reappear moments later with a large thermos in her hands. Slowly she held it out to him with a shy smile. "I...I put the rest of that tea in...should you get cold later on..."

He nodded as he slowly reached out and took the thermos from her, "Thanks...I guess it WOULD be a tragedy to freeze my tail feathers off, wouldn't it?" Negaduck asked, giving her a quick wink.

As she lead him through the large house to the front door, he stopped momentarily in the doorframe.

"I'm sure you'll see me around the city...From now on, I'm going to have to watch what I'm shooting, just in case..." Negaduck informed, smiling devilishly. He then turned, opened up the door, and slowly walked out.

A week passed.

Ariana had neither seen nor heard from Negaduck, although she thought of him often. He confused her. Was an enigma to her. But the question still lingered on her mind...she had confessed that she cared for him...did he return that feeling...? Was she anything to him...? Why did he plague her mind so? Maybe she should forget about him as he seemed to have forgotten her. Then again...it had only been a week.

For the upteenth time that day, Ariana sighed heavily. The mid-afternoon sun beat down on her bare shoulders, but the icy chill of winter clung to her back and neck. The snow had melted into a slushy swamp beneath her bare feet, and she enjoyed the feel of it sliding between her toes. Morgana would be worried. She hadn't even left a note.

Ariana shrugged away the thought, wanting to enjoy her time alone before she would have to trudge back home. Walks always soothed her. But today...the wind did not have its usual tender caress for her heart to receive, and her mind would not free itself. Listlessly, she sat on one of the park benches scattered throughout the open path, careful to scrape away the icy puddles before she did so. Her thoughts willowed about her, wrapping her within herself and imprisoning her from the outside world.

A footstep crunched through some icy shafts still remaining from the previous snowfall. She did not stir.

Another crunch.

And another.

She remained still, leaning with her elbows on her knees and lost within her mind's eye.

An arm wheeled out and snapped around her neck.

A cry of alarm broke the still, dead winter air. The flash of a knife flickered briefly before her eyes, but soon disappeared from her view. The blade suddenly bit at her throat.

"Give me your money. All of it," growled a low, fierce voice in her ear.

She did not struggle. A frozen look of fear appeared on her face, and she trembled immensely.

"I...I don't have any," she replied, her voice wavering as the knife was roughly shoved further into her flesh.

"Oh? A pity. I'll just have to settle for this then!" As fast as a snake's tongue flickers from its jaws, his hand grasped the large amulet around her neck and yanked it from her.

She gasped and whirled, the hand holding her now cradling her mother's necklace within its greedy clutches.

"Now don't you go doing anything stupid like running to the authorities..." he threatened, his voice steadily becoming more menacing. The dagger flashed in his hand again, and Ariana looked from it to her necklace to his face. He wasn't even wearing a mask.

It was her most prized possession. The only keepsake she had to remember her mother by. An intense anger welled up within her and she narrowed her eyes.

"Ooohh, is the little girl mad at me? You wanna come along too?" he grinned, grabbing her wrist.

She yelped in pain, the anger in her eyes suddenly replaced with terror.

"Not so fast, Mack!" an angry, growling voice shouted from behind the two. At first, no one was in sight, until Negaduck stepped out from behind the corner of a building. There was an angry glare clearly present on his face as he advanced towards them.

"You should know better than to come around this part of town...the other thugs may beat you up..." Negaduck insulted, snickering slightly at his own cruel joke, "But I see that you have found my most recent victim that I've been chasing around for the past week. So...I am willing to forgive you...this time..." he growled at the mugger, then turned his evil glance on Ariana, "Now...hand 'er over!"

Ariana's eyes widened at Negaduck's comment and the cruel sneer spread across his face. So...all that she had done...

Her head tilted to the ground, her ears waiting to hear tell of what her fate was to be.

"You want her?" the thug replied condescendingly. "Come and get her!" Roughly he jerked Ariana closer to him and wrenched her arms behind her back, securing both her dainty wrists in the grip of one of his large, muscular hands. With the other hand he brandished his weapon threateningly at Negaduck.

"Gladly..." Negaduck replied in a low growl, cracking his knuckles loudly. Keeping his eyes narrowed at the large thug, he crept a few steps to the side, as if he was going to attack him from the left. But at a completely random second, Negaduck ran in the other direction, coming around to the thug's side.

"You're no match for me, ya big buffoon!" Negaduck seethed as he scampered up the mugger's back, placing himself on his amazingly broad shoulders. Taking a firm hold, Negaduck quickly managed to wrap one arm around his opponent's neck and began to pull his arm back towards him, limiting the amount of air he was taking in. And with the thug holding Ariana, it made him unable to retort.

"Alright, now you listen up!" Negaduck hissed in his ear as he pulled out his own handgun with his free hand, "Either you do as I say and hand over the knife, or..." the gun was suddenly pressed against the side of the mugger's head, clicking back the hammer, "Or I could paint the city's streets with the color of your insides...it's your choice...!"

Violently, the burly brute shoved Ariana to the pavement with amazing force. She cried out in surprise and pain as she hit the cement, barely having time to extend her arms and catch most of the impact on her tiny hands.

"Hey...!" the mugger snarled. "Get offa me!" The violent jerk of his arm as he'd pushed Ariana away had caused Negaduck to falter slightly on his shoulders and his gun to move from its target.

The thug's hand now free, he reached up and grabbed Negaduck by the bill as quickly as a flash of lightning and threw him into a nearby wall.

"That's it!" he shouted, then lumbered toward Ariana. "You're more trouble than you're worth!"

Before she had a chance to escape, he snatched her wrist again, pulled her toward him, and plunged the dagger into her chest.

"No witnesses this way, anyway," he sneered into Ariana's terror, pain, and shock-filled eyes.

Ariana's back arched with pain as the dagger sunk into her. She gasped sharply and jerked her head back, her eyes opening wide to meet the sky.

Quickly he withdrew the knife and headed toward Negaduck to finish the job.

His victim collapsed to the ground like a rag doll, blood pooling beneath her and spilling down the sidewalk in a myriad of red streams.

Negaduck's eyes went wide with shock as he witnessed her fall limply to the ground. He stood frozen, unable to move his eyes from the sight.

"No..." he whispered loudly, not even noticing the thug quickly advancing on him with his weapon drawn. This couldn't be happening to him. The one person who actually showed him any sort of compassion was now the one dying in front of him. And if he didn't do something quick, he was going to be next.

As the mugger came closer, Negaduck's eyes suddenly flamed alive with his bitter hatred once again. He then turned the threatening gaze on his attacker, tensing himself up.

"You...!" he hissed loudly, suddenly throwing himself forward, striking the thug in his middle, and knocking them both to the floor. Even though he was nearly three times smaller than the mugger, he was feisty, and not about to give up.

"DAAHH!!" Negaduck suddenly yelped as he felt a sharp pain at the top of his right shoulder. The thug's knife had come in contact with him, but he retorted by swinging his fist into his attacker's face, blinding him momentarily.

The struggle continued for several moments until it ended with a loud gunshot. Both figures laid in a heap on top of each other, making it impossible to tell who the final victim was. A few seconds passed until Negaduck slowly and shakily got to his feet, shaking his head to clear his thoughts and vision.

Once Negaduck had regained his bearing, he remembered. Ariana. Looking around, he spotted her still sprawled out on the street's pavement, and was rapidly beginning to be surrounded by a pool of her own blood. As he staggered over to her lifeless-looking body, he grunted once from the wound in his shoulder, then slid down to his knees beside her. He gently eased one hand under her neck and slowly lifted her head up off of the ground.

"Ariana..?" he called to her softly. Negaduck looked down at where the mugger had stabbed her, and flinched at the sight. It was deep, but he couldn't tell if it was bad enough to cause her not to pull through.

She whimpered slightly as he moved her head. Slowly, her eyes opened half-way and gazed up at him with wonder and sadness.

"You...stayed...?" she breathed shallowly.

Her body shuddered beneath her blood-stained dress, and she gasped in pain as she tried to breathe. Her back arched again and her fists balled up as the pain roared through her body like a freight train. When it passed, she slumped back down on the pavement limply, her eyes quickly losing their brilliant luster.

"But...why...? Oh!" she cried softly, noticing the blood rapidly staining the right shoulder of his yellow suit.

Grimacing with pain, she lifted her arm and touched the place where he'd been stabbed, an intense look of worry and concern masking the agony of her own wound.

"Of course I stayed," he responded, his eyes holding a flicker of something that was never seen before...pity, and sympathy, "You stayed for me...I wasn't going to leave you behind. I said I was gonna stay, and I'm gonna stay..."

When she reached up for his shoulder, he had a feeling of what she was thinking, and slowly reached up, taking her hand in his and bringing it down. Negaduck looked down at her and tried to force a smile.

"You're going to be okay, ya hear me??" he reassured her, looking down into her eyes, "I'm going to make sure of that..."

She only nodded slightly and let her head wander to the side. Blankly, her gaze fell upon the distant sidewalk across the street, but she did not see it.

Why fight it? She had before, but what had it gained her? Maybe now she could end the pain and the torment and the loneliness she'd experienced all her life. Her faith in life was slowly pulsing away from her in a river of blood.

She decided to let go. Her body trembled slightly, then went flaccid in his arms.

He felt her body beginning to relax and saw that her eyes were beginning to slowly close permanently. There wasn't much left for Negaduck to do, and he looked down at her sadly.

"Don't let go..." he urged strongly, kneeling down beside her and squeezing her hand in his own, "You're not done here yet. I need you..." he trailed off softly, gently touching Ariana's cheek that was cold to the touch.

A breath wheezed through her throat, barely filling her lungs, but her eyes remained on whatever invisible form she was studying.

"Me?" she whispered, her lips barely moving. "You don't need me...no one does." The air gushed to and from her mouth as another bought of agony overtook her. As tightly as she could she squeezed the hand holding hers, her soft, elegant face twisted into a writhing maze of torture.

"At first, I didn't think so either...but now..." Negaduck admitted, closing his eyes, "You proved to me that I wasn't the only one out there who was alone. And now, if you leave, I will be..."

He choked on his last words. Never had he felt so emotional towards anybody, and it was hard for Negaduck to speak his words.

"Don't leave me behind..." he practically begged her, repeating a well-known time from his past.

The hand that had been clenching his suddenly went lax.

Minutes passed as her life ebbed away in his arms.

A movement. Very slight. She had turned her head. She looked so tired. So weak. So helpless. And so pleading.

"Why did you do that...?" she murmured, an edge of anguish attached to her words. "I thought you..." She had been going to say 'I thought you didn't care about me,' but couldn't bring herself to finish for fear that he would affirm the statement.

"I knew what you thought..." Negaduck interrupted before she was even able to finish, "That's why I came back.."

He couldn't stand by any longer. If Negaduck didn't do something soon, she wasn't going to last. Not to mention the cold winter air harshly beating on them.

Taking a quick glance in all directions and seeing no one in sight, Negaduck eased his arms underneath Ariana's frail body. As gently as he could, he slowly lifted her up in his arms and began to move towards the outside of the city.

"Just hang on...You're not going anywhere if I can help it..." he growled to her. His hideout wasn't far. It was a fact that Negaduck was frequently injured during his crimes and run-ins with Darkwing Duck. If he could take care of himself in that sense, then just maybe he could help Ariana.

To prevent being seen and to save time, he carried her through the city's back alleyways until they arrived at an old, abandoned office building. Kicking his foot forward, Negaduck knocked down the front door of the building and proceeded inside and up the stairs. Moments later, he walked into an old office room that still had a desk, filing cabinet, and a small couch sitting against the wall. He moved across the room and gently set Ariana down on the soft leather, then examined her wound, flinching at the deepness of it. The knife had punctured her between her upper chest and shoulder, coming too close to be able to tell how fatal it was.

"Alright...Hang on a second..." Negaduck sighed as he went over to the desk and began rummaging through the drawers and paperwork.

She didn't answer him, but watched him through dim, half-lidded eyes as he searched for something. A look of calm spread over her face, and she looked as if she were no longer in pain.

Her eyes began to glaze over as she looked upon Negaduck but didn't see him. The rise and fall of her chest became less and less visible until it appeared to have ceased all together.

She lay very still. Her serene expression remained in Negaduck's direction, but did not follow him as he moved around the room.

Blood rolled from her body and gathered beneath her, staining the leather of the couch. Her pulse inched laboriously through her as her heart began to tire, its lifeforce drained from it. It slowed...ebbed...faded...

Hearing one last, weak gasp from her direction, Negaduck perked his head up and a worried expression quickly appear across his face. Ariana was quickly fading away. He quickly grabbed some supplies from the desk and rushed back over to her side.

"No no no no...! Just a little longer..!" he urged as he took a clean cloth and held it up to her wound. Negaduck flinched uneasily, hoping that she wouldn't take it the wrong way when he pressed down on the wound. After hesitating for a second, he pushed the thought aside and pressed down firmly to stop the constant blood flow.

As he fussed over her wound, she lay quietly and stared at him with her weary gray eyes. When he pressed down on the injury, her face tightened a little at the pain, and her eyes closed.

As he held pressure with one hand, he began unraveling a long bandage with his other free hand. Removing the now blood-drenched cloth, he carefully cleaned around the wound, shifting his eyes to look at Ariana's face frequently. Once most of the blood had been cleaned, Negaduck picked up the bandage and stood up to wrap it around Ariana's chest.

"Uhh...'scuse me..." he warned as he reached underneath her, then began to wrap the bandage around her upper chest, covering the wound. After taping it in place, Negaduck breathed out a long sigh and collapsed onto the floor, wiping the sweat from his brow and staring up at Ariana hopefully.

Once the bandage had been securely wrapped around her upper body, she lay still for what seemed like hours to Negaduck, who stayed diligently by her side. In reality, only minutes had passed before she stirred slightly. A whimpered escaped her throat and her face fell into discomfort, but the only movement was her hand groping gently for something. When she didn't find it, she clamped her grip on the couch cushion instead and began to cry softly.

Negaduck ran his hands down his face, appearing like a nervous wreck. When he heard Ariana's soft moan, he sighed with relief, knowing that she'll most likely pull through. Looking up at her from his place on the floor, his eyes actually held a glint of sorrow.

"You're going to be fine...You're certainly stronger than I am..." Negaduck whispered as he reached a hand up and brushed back a few stray strands of hair from her face.

Tears fell from her closed eyes as he brushed back her hair. She sobbed silently, clinging to the couch as if she'd fall off of it at any moment.

"Daddy...?" she whispered agonizingly through her tears. She appeared conscious, but did not sound so.

A concerned look fell onto Negaduck's face at her mumbled words. Looking behind himself, then around the rest of the room, he realized that she was delirious.

"He's not here, Ariana. Its just me..." he informed her softly, slowly getting to his feet. Grabbing the blanket hanging over the back of the couch, he unfolded it, then draped it over Ariana's shivering body.

"Daddy..." she murmured softly, her voice sounding childish. "Daddy, it's so cold...it hurts so badly...Daddy, please..." Her pleading words faded, and she drifted into a fitful sleep.

He shook his head as he turned and walked away from Ariana, leaving her in her sleep. Hopefully she'd feel better when she woke up.

Negaduck strolled slowly over to the chair that was sitting behind the desk and sat down. Putting a hand up to his chin, he kept a careful watch on Ariana while thinking at the same time. Did he know what he was doing? And why he was doing it?

Of course he did. Negaduck couldn't lie to himself...he cared for her; probably more than anything else. Actually, he realized she was the only person or object he showed true feelings for. And there was no denying it. Finally accepting it, a faint smile made its way across Negaduck's bill as his eyes slowly closed behind his mask, drifting off into a gentle sleep himself.

For the first time in a long while, Ariana awoke from a dreamless sleep. True, she had not slept soundly, the dull ache persistently throbbing in her chest, but she felt rested nonetheless.

Curious, her eyes wandered around the room. Where was she? The last thing she remembered seeing was Negaduck's face as she lay on the cement. That was when her eyes fell on the duck himself. He was sleeping at a desk not far from her, snoring softly. She smiled softly at the sight of him. True to his word, he had made sure she would be okay. He had saved her life. A warm, heady rush of euphoria flooded through her body. He had been the first person besides her sister to show any genuine concern for her well-being. Gingerly she lifted herself from the blood-stained couch and winced at the sharp needles of pain shooting through her upper body. Perhaps she wasn't as strong as she'd first imagined when she woke up.

Catching her balance on the armrest, she began walking about the small office, her eyes flitting about her curiously. There wasn't much to speak of. A few empty crates here and there, bullet casings, broken boards, dilapidated furniture, a file cabinet, and his desk.

Her gaze lingered on his sleeping form for a few seconds before something caught her eye. Dried blood creeping over his shoulder. Then she remembered.

Worry washed over her, but at the same time she felt extremely grateful. He had saved her, that much was obvious, but he had not bothered to heal himself. She hoped she would be well enough soon that she could return the favor. To attempt it now would be suicide. Besides, she did not want to wake him.

Instead, she made her way toward the desk, then sat in one of the wooden chairs facing it, and watched him until he stirred.

After what may have seemed like hours, the silence was interrupted but a soft moan as Negaduck slowly began to wake. He lifted his head up off of the desk, cringing at the headache he was feeling now. Stretching out his arms above him, he let out a lazy yawn before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It took a few seconds for his vision to clear, and to notice Ariana now sitting directly in front of him. Negaduck jumped slightly in alarm, forgetting momentarily what had transpired earlier, but relaxed when it came back to him.

"Well, looks as if someone is feeling better..." he said lazily with a slight smile.

She didn't answer him. Rather, she looked at him with pity, gratitude, and a twinge of confusion.

"Thank you..." she said softly, fingering the top part of the bandage. "No one has ever...except Morgana, but...never...how are you feeling?" she ended lamely, angry at herself for sounding like such an idiot.

Negaduck looked over at her with confusion, at first not knowing what she was talking about. Following her gaze up to his shoulder, he saw what she was referring to and merely shrugged as if it were nothing.

"Oh, that..? Believe me, I've had worse...Getting shot in the back stands out as one of those times..." he pointed out, followed by a slight laugh, "It's just a small price to pay, I guess..."

She stared at him silently for a few moments, his words hanging in the air.

Then she rose and gathered the medical supplies he'd strewn on the floor.

"It's all my fault," she said with shame in her voice.

Slowly she returned to the desk and moved to his side, looking somewhat uneasy, but a determination flickered in her eyes nonetheless.

With careful and gentle fingers, she pulled his cape out of the way and prodded the gash on the back of his shoulder. At the sight of it, she winced, tears beginning to haze her vision. One hand flew to her beak.

"I'm so sorry..." she whispered.

She pulled back from the wound, remorse apparent on her young, innocent face.

Then a rosy pink surfaced on her cheeks and she glanced from him, to his shoulder, to the floor.

The pain from the wound being touched caused Negaduck to wince slightly, "It wasn't your fault...I should have gotten there sooner..." he responded as she pulled away, "Besides, it's only a flesh wound."

"I...you'll have to...your jacket is..." she muttered nervously, though she was still determined to show him the same kindness he had shown her in dressing her wound.

He looked up at her in question, then realized what she was addressing to. After taking a second to consider, Negaduck stood up out of the chair and began to unbutton his yellow jacket. It wasn't worth just letting it go and risk getting an infection. Slipping out of the jacket, he flinched accompanied by a short hiss of pain as he pulled his damaged arm out of the sleeve. Once freed of his jacket, Negaduck proceeded to reach down to the bottom of his red turtleneck and slowly pulled it upward and over his head, then tossed it onto the chair along with the jacket. He was now left standing in his trademark black and white skull & crossbones boxers, with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

Ariana blushed furiously, averting her eyes shyly, and took up the antiseptic and cloth.

Gingerly, she wiped the wound and the surrounding area clean. "If I hadn't...you'd be..." she sniffled, the cloth in her hands barely brushing his feathers. For each time he flinched at her touch, a tear rolled from her eyes and landed on his right foot.

"If it weren’t for you, I would have died back at that bank and be lying in a morgue..." Negaduck finished for her as he lifted his arms so she could wrap the bandage around his back.

As softly and carefully as she could, she gave the gash one last wipe before unraveling the bandage and proceeding to wrap it around him, feeling awkward at having to reach around his back because her arms were too small to wrap all the way around him. All the while she chided herself for being so stupid, so careless, and so foolish, causing even more tears to spill down her face.

Once the bandage had been secured around his chest and shoulder, she backed away with her head down.

Once Ariana had finished and stepped back, he shifted his shoulder a couple of times, testing out the durability. Satisfied, he turned to smile at Ariana, but saw that her face was turned down towards the floor. Negaduck frowned at the sight; it almost seemed as if she was sorry that he had helped her.

Slowly and cautiously, he approached her until he was inches away. Negaduck then reached out and gently took a hold of her bottom bill and lifted her face to look into his eyes.

"You've already done so much for me..." he said softly in his low, growly voice, "More than I think I deserve. For that, I don't think I can voice enough gratitude. So...I'm going to do my best to look out for you...You're the only thing in my pathetic life that matters to me, and I'm not going to allow myself to stand by and risk having that taken away from me again. I know that my promises aren't worth listening to, but this one I'm bound to stand by..."

She stared at him. What had he just said? Her eyes gazed into his searchingly as if to determine whether he was serious or not. Finding truth there, something sparked behind Ariana's eyes. More tears began to pour down the already glistening trails. An elated smile broke through her remorseful expression; true, unrestricted joy glowed from her and before she even thought to be self-conscious, she threw her arms around Negaduck, sobbing.

"Thank you...oh, thank you..." she cried softly.

Nearly falling backwards from Ariana's sudden action, Negaduck looked down at her smiling, happy expression, which promptly put a grin across his own bill. He slowly lifted his up his arms and placed them around her back, accepting her embrace.

A loud sigh suddenly broke through the air as Negaduck breathed out, still holding her in his arms. It had been so long since he had felt someone's gentle touch, and it felt good, and comforting, to have her there for him. Finally, he was no longer alone. Negaduck had always thought it would be impossible to come across someone who would be able to understand him for who he was. But now, he was proven wrong.

After a few moments of savoring the comfort, he finally loosened his hold on her. Negaduck looked into her joyous face, then reached up to wipe her tears of happiness from her face.

She leaned her cheek into his hand, closing her eyes, the joy not fading from her face.

She looked up at him tenderly, her eyes sparkling brightly. Many times in her life she had been lied to, deceived, used. But he was genuine. She didn't know how she knew, but she was sure of it...and it brought much peace to her torn heart. Finally someone who wouldn't abandon her. Who cared what became of her. Someone whom she could trust and care for and...

Her mind would not let her think the last word, though she knew that she felt it for him.

"I promise that I will never leave you. No matter what you may do or what people may say. I..." she trailed off, not even being able to voice the words her mind tried to prevent her from thinking.

Negaduck's smile got wider at her words, being able to believe everything that she was saying. It was when she trailed off without finishing that he tilted his head to the side, eyeing her curiously.

"Yes..?" he asked, waiting for her to finish.

"I..." Again, the words caught in her throat. She swallowed dryly and tried again. "I...I..." A dark red hue rose rapidly to her cheeks and she avoided his eyes with a shy smile on her face.

Her gaze flickered toward his face for a few flustered moments until she murmured softly. "...I love you..."

He was barely able to keep his bottom jaw from falling, or even keep his balance. Did he just hear her right? Did Ariana just say the most cherished three words on the planet to Negaduck?

It was true that Negaduck hated everything and everyone that was good, honest, and loving. But Ariana was now his only exception, and was taken completely by surprise by what she had just said.

"You...you what..?" he asked in a shocked whisper, making sure he had heard her words right.

Ariana's eyes widened with a kind of surprised horror. He...didn't want her love...? He looked sick to his stomach.

The euphoria that had pummeled her system suddenly took a dive, and her heart sank. Her eyes filled with disappointment and hurt, and she muttered almost regretfully as she looked upon those blue eyes again. "...I love you..."

"You...you love me..?" Negaduck repeated in a whispered tone of shock. He nearly stumbled backwards from the emotional wave that had just hit him, but instead, turned his head towards the ground to the side, "No one has ever said that to me..."

When he looked back up again, Ariana was looking straight into his eyes with her own sad, remorseful, apologetic gray irises. Analyzing what she was feeling at the moment, he shook his head in response.

"Oh no Ariana, it's not that..." Negaduck pointed out, knowing what she was thinking due to his response to the situation, "I DO care for you very much, more than all the loot in the world. It's just that..." he paused, trying to decide how to explain his thoughts, "I haven't been loved in 25 years, and have also never returned those feelings to anyone else in that time. And I surely thought that I would never experience it again...until now, when you came along...You restored that to me. And the...love that I feel for you is a...love that I can show to no one else. Anyone can come along and steal a part of someone's heart, especially from a vulnerable criminal. But takes a certain someone to actually BE that heart that has been missing for so long..."

She nodded slowly, still studying his eyes. With increasing intensity she blushed again and a small smile crept across her bill as a thought struck her.

"I have a brother," she whispered up at him. Then before Negaduck could ask who this brother was, she pulled him into another embrace and rested her head on his shoulder.

Even though he was still standing in only his boxer shorts, a warm feeling swept across Negaduck as she held him close to her. Ariana had just accepted him as family. HIM... who had nearly beaten, threatened, and killed her. But he had replaced that bitter hatred with a slight sense of honest and trust, just enough for her.

"And...it looks as if I now have a little sister..." he replied back as he held her close with one hand and placing the other on her head. A sudden, involuntary sniffle escaped from Negaduck's direction as he blinked a few times, a for-once gentle smile apparent on his face.

Her smile broadened and she nestled against him gently before lifting her head beneath his hand and nuzzling him tenderly under the place where his beak met his feathered cheek. "I love you, Negaduck," she murmured again, just so she could hear him reply with the words she had heard from so few people in her lifetime who actually meant them.

Negaduck paused before looking at her again. She suddenly seemed so full of life, joy, and happiness...something that he hated seeing on a regular daily basis. But not now.

"And...I...I love you, Ariana..." he finally managed to speak the words. It was difficult for Negaduck to say the three words he had loathed and feared for so long, but once he said them, the smile crept back across his face again. His eyes softened behind the usually threatening black mask, showing, for the first time in a long while, truth.

She glanced out the window and noticed the time of day. "Oh!" she cried, pulling away quickly. "I...I have to go..." she said slowly, a sadness in her voice. "Morgana will worry..." she fell silent, then looked back at him and blushed yet again, realizing he was still in his boxers.

He also glanced out the window at her comment to see the sun beginning to set behind the city, then nodded in agreement.

"Right....I'll drive you home. I don't want you trying to walk all of the way back in your condition..." Negaduck then realized her rapidly blushing face and remembered he was still in his shorts, "That is, after I get into something a bit more proper...That WOULD be scary if I went out like this..." he said as the embarrassed expression came made itself noticeable.

Walking over to a small closet on the far wall, he opened it to reveal and while wardrobe of the trademark yellow suit with the black cape and red turtleneck and fedora. He reached out and snatched one off of its hanger, then disappeared into a small bathroom that was connected to the office. Moments later, he emerged now clad in his threatening attire, adjusting various parts of the yellow jacket.

"You ready?" Negaduck asked her.

"Boy, I hope so..." she replied softly, though not exactly in reply to his question.

Taking a deep breath, she flashed a small smile at Negaduck before following him to where he'd parked the Troublemaker.

Around the back of the building sat Negaduck's motorcycle, awaiting to be put to use again. He strolled over to it, then hopped into the seat, edging his way towards the front. Since the bike was more streamline, it did not have a sidecar, so the two of them would have to fit onto the same seat.

"Alright, hop on..!" Negaduck instructed, motioning his head towards the seat behind him, "And you're gonna want to hang onto something..."

She glanced nervously at the small seat. It was fine to be that close to him when she was hugging him, but...

That awkward rock plummeted to the bottom of her stomach and she shakily slid onto the back of the seat, which curved in such a way as to made her slide forward uncontrollably against him. She blushed furiously, not looking at him, and placed her hands on the sides of the seat upon which she was riding side-saddle.

Turning his head around, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, trying to stifle a laugh, "You'll last about two seconds like that..! Just...hold onto me so you won't get knocked off..."

With that said, he started revving the engine, preparing to bring them tearing out into the street.

"T-to you?" she replied uneasily, her voice lost in the engine's throaty growl. When he didn't answer, she had no choice but to gently place her arms around his middle and hold on.

He jumped slightly at her touch around his waist, then pushed it aside as gassed the bike, sending them zooming out into the street. The engine's roaring was loud, and Negaduck's caped billowed out behind him as he steered down the city's back alleys towards McCawber Manor, attempting to keep their presence as unnoticeable as possible.

Just as the sun set, the motorcycle came to a screeching halt in front of the large, semi-creepy appearing house with the metal gate in the front. Negaduck ceased the engine's loud roaring, taking precaution as if someone may see them.

"Well, here you are..."

Immediately, Ariana withdrew her arms when the bike had ceased to move. The awkward feeling didn't diminish until she had gotten off the bike and stood beside Negaduck.

"Thank you...for everything..." she said softly.

Negaduck grinned and opened his bill to reply, but was suddenly cut off by the sound of the front door opening accompanied by the familiar, frantic voice.

"Ariana?? Where have you been?? you never called or checked in..!" Morgana fretted as she ran to the edge of the stairs, only noticing her sister, "But who's that..?"

Morgana squinted her eyes and leaned forward to see who was standing beside Ariana. Her expression then went into shock as her bottom jaw fell at the sight of the criminal.

"Negaduck?!" Morgana practically shrieked with surprise, but more anger. Her eyes narrowed into a cold glare as she stormed down the stairs and across the lawn towards the two of them.

"Ariana! Get away from that mastermind criminal monster!!" she barked the order to her sister as he swiftly lifted her index finger, pointing it at Negaduck. It was then that Negaduck suddenly felt his arms get pulled behind his back involuntarily as if he were being handcuffed by an invisible force.

"Hey! What the...??" Negaduck stammered as he was suddenly not able to move. Morgana slowly lifted her hand with her finger still pointing at him, lifting him several feet off of the ground.

"You won't be threatening anyone else for a long time, Negaduck!" Morgana seethed, holding her prisoner in place. She then turned her head back to the house and called out, "Dark, come out here! I've found Ariana! And I've got a little something for you, too..!"

Darkwing Duck's head popped out of the door curiously. "Oh?" he replied before sauntering down the steps.

The hero recognized the familiar red, black, and yellow motorcycle before he realized just who it was Morgana had "captured." His pace quickened and his expression darkened as he drew near.

"Negaduck..." he hissed, narrowing his eyes at the supervillain.

Ariana rushed toward her sister and grabbed the wrist that was performing the magic on Negaduck.

"No!" she cried in protest. "Please, don't hurt him! He...he saved me..."

"Ariana, stand aside! Let Dark and I..." Morgana started to protest as Ariana stepped in front of her, then paused and looked down at her questioningly in response to what she had just said, "He did what..?"

Negaduck grunted as he attempted to squirm himself free from the spell that was holding him firmly in place. He arched his neck downwards and gave Morgana an icy cold glare, and at the sight of this, Morgana shook her head furiously, keeping her finger pointed at him.

"I don't believe him..." she hissed, returning the bitter expression. She had never trusted Negaduck since the time he had put on act to make her believe he was in love with her. It turned out that he was only using her to get her to join him in crime, so he could use her powers for his own benefits.

"Ariana, don't you see?? This cold-hearted criminal is just trying to use you! I don't know what exactly he did to you, but I've seen this act before..." Morgana explained, narrowing her eyes, "He's just trying to develop trust from you. And when he does, he's going to turn around and stab you in the back...!"

It was then that Morgana noticed the bandage around Ariana's chest with the small bloodstain visible. Her eyes went wide, then glared back up at Negaduck once more.

"That does it, Negaduck! You're ancient history..." she growled, cracking her knuckles loudly and wriggling her fingers, preparing herself to create a spell.

Negaduck looked down at the three ducks below him. He still help his look of hatred upon Morgana, her words stabbing him in the chest like a knife. Then he shifted his gaze towards Ariana, his expression changing to an expression of sorrow. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and waited to be pummeled by Morgana's wrath.

Darkwing crossed his arms with a wry smile, anxious to see what Morgana would do to Negaduck.

Ariana looked from Darkwing, to her sister, and then at Negaduck and glimpsed the expression he had turned on her. It tore at the core of her being.

At the exact moment Morgana released her spell, Ariana deftly threw herself in front of Negaduck and took on the full force of the spell. The momentum of the blast caused her small, frail form to be thrown into Negaduck, and sent them both toppling over the motorcycle.

"WHOA!!" Negaduck yelped as he was suddenly thrown backwards with Ariana on top of him. There was a loud 'thump!" as the two hit the ground behind the motorcycle, with Negaduck on the bottom to cushion Ariana's fall.

"Ariana!!" Morgana shrieked as her eyes went wide. Immediately she ran over to where the two had fallen to the ground, looking down at them both. Negaduck stirred with a grunt, but Ariana remained frightfully still.

Darkwing's eyes went wide as the target changed from villain to girl. Quickly he stumbled to the Troublemaker and peered over its edge to see what the spell had done to Ariana.

"Ow..." Negaduck moaned softly as he propped himself up with one hand. Looking down, he saw Ariana sprawled out across his chest, and his face suddenly took on a worried expression.

"Ariana..?" he whispered as he gently lifted her head in his hands. Receiving only a slight gasp in response, Negaduck shook his head and turned his glance on Morgana, filled with a fiery rage, "What did you do..??"

Morgana's eyes narrowed at Negaduck's words, "How DARE you accuse me of this! If it weren't for you...!"

"Oh do shut up!" Negaduck interrupted her, "You were in such a rush to toast my tail feathers that you weren't thinking, am I right??"

She opened her beak to reply, but instead frowned, knowing that he was right. Morgana slowly got down on her knees beside her sister and looked at her pained face sadly, "Oh Ariana...I'm so sorry..."

Negaduck glanced at Morgana angrily out of the corner of his eye, then slowly reached down and took a hold of Ariana's hand in his, holding it tightly.

Ariana did not open her eyes, but gave another small gasp and squeezed Negaduck's hand suddenly.

"Please..." she murmured softly. "Morgana...it's not your fault...please...don't hurt him...I...I l-lo..." her words faded and her head fell back limply against Negaduck, her entire body sagging lifelessly.

Darkwing hurried around the bike and put a hand on Morgana's shoulder, staring at Ariana. "What's happening to her?"

"It...it was a spell used to drain all of one's energy and life force. Although it appears to happen slowly, it will be in full effect within minutes..." Morgana replied, wringing her hands together nervously, "There's...only one way to eliminate the spell..."

The two twin ducks looked up at Morgana hopefully, waiting for her to finish. The hesitation in her voice signaled that it wasn't going to be easy.

"Someone has to be willing to sacrifice their strength to get her jump started again. The risk involved is that if too much is drained from the host, he or she will be put into limbo and....not make it though..." Morgana trailed off, receiving the horrified expressions from both ducks, "I would willingly do it myself, but I have to perform the spell..."

Negaduck remained silent, not wanting to accept what Morgana had just said. He looked down at Ariana's small, lifeless body, still grasping her hand tightly in his. Her grip was slowly beginning to loosen, and he sighed, closing his eyes.

"I'll do it..." Negaduck spoke up quietly. Morgana turned her head around in shock, staring right at him in disbelief. At first, she thought it was Darkwing who had said it, their voices being so similar.

"What did you say..?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as if he was playing some sort of cruel joke.

"You heard me! Let me do it!" Negaduck snapped in reply.

Darkwing's jaw hung open. Negaduck was going to risk his life for someone else?! There HAD to be a catch...

"You? Pah! And what's in it for YOU? Think she's gonna reward you handsomely?"

Abruptly, Ariana sighed softly, and her chest did not rise anymore. Her hand fell open in Negaduck's grip, completely flaccid.

A violent scowl appeared on Negaduck's face at Darkwing's remark. It was when Ariana suddenly went limp in his arms that it turned to panic once more.

"Yes! I'M going to do it! Now hurry up!" Negaduck shouted loudly and impatiently. When neither Darkwing nor Morgana moved, his eyes filled with rage, "DO IT NOW!!"

Morgana took in a deep breath and poised her hands in the air. She still didn't trust Negaduck in the slightest, and was very tempted to push this spell to the fullest, saving her sister and ridding the city of this louse. But she had heard what Ariana had asked before she fell into her unconscious state: not to hurt him. why, she did not know. If she did, Ariana would probably never speak to her again.

"Just hold still..." Morgana instructed him bitterly, keeping her eyes narrowed at him as she began to chant, "Anum et niana shani inia seera uhn..."

Negaduck looked down at his hand that was grasping Ariana's as it began to glow in a white light. There was suddenly a rush of pain making its way from his hand throughout the rest of his body, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut and hiss in pain. He could feel the spell beginning to transfer his strength into Ariana.

Morgana closed her eyes as well, concentrating on completing her spell, "Et ineeda soria yen harmana sonatra leedao...!"

The intensity of the spell boosted the intensity of the pain as well. Negaduck squeezed Ariana's hand tightly, baring his teeth help endure the pain, hoping that it would be over with soon.

"Yanni jeana ti seehoma fa interal disula!" Morgana finished the spell, bringing her hands down and causing the glow surrounding two the duck to disappear. She lifted one hand to wipe the sweat away from her forehead, then looked down at Negaduck and Ariana.

Once the spell was ended, Negaduck's hand immediately released Ariana's, leaving him in a frozen stance the last a few seconds before he fell forward, his head coming to a rest in Ariana's lap.

Darkwing looked upon the scene intently, fascinated at how the spell was working. Negaduck slumped forward. Darkwing wondered if the villain was dead.

Minutes passed. VERY long minutes. "...Did it work...?" he asked Morgana, his hand still upon her shoulder.

"I...I hope so..." Morgana responded as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her. She glanced down hopefully at Ariana and Negaduck, both still unconscious. She could see that Negaduck was still breathing, but Ariana...

Suddenly, a small gasp escaped Ariana's delicate bill as her chest slowly began to rise once again. It was very shallow, but it was still there.

Morgana sighed with relief, suddenly grasping Darkwing's hand that was on her shoulder in happiness, "It worked..!" she whispered loudly, a triumphant smile quickly appearing on her face.

"Ya did great, Morg," said Darkwing, smiling at her 'handiwork.'

Ariana remained still for a few moments more before her eyes flickered open and she groggily began to rise. "What...what happened...?" she asked softly, wincing at the sudden headache pounding through her head. Her eyes looked about her through half-lidded eyes until her gaze fell upon the form of Negaduck lying in her lap.

At Darkwing's smile, Morgana promptly reached down and wrapped her arms around him in a soft embrace. When Ariana began to stir, she turned back to see her sitting up, "Ariana...?? Are you okay?"

An agony not seen on her face by Morgana since their mother's death appeared on Ariana's gentle face. "Oh no...is...is he...?" She sighed with relief when his chest rose as he inhaled. Gently, she turned him over so that he was face up on the ground and cradled his head against her.

When Ariana asked the question that seemed to bring back the harsh pain that Morgana had not seen in years, she sighed and shook her head, "No...she should be well when he wakes...." then added under her breath so only she and Darkwing could hear, "At least well enough to throw him into the slammer..."

Morgana then smiled warmly back at Ariana, "But YOU'RE feeling better now, right? You're all that matters right now."

Ariana nodded meekly at her sister, not bothering to voice the fact that she didn't care whether she was feeling all right or not. All she wanted was for Negaduck to awaken. Tenderly she stroked his cheek and softly sang under her breath so Morgana and Darkwing could not hear.

A single tear fell from her bent head, landed on Negaduck's eye, and rolled down the side of his face, making it appear as if he had shed the tear.

As the tear hit his face, Negaduck flinched slightly, feeling it run down the side of his face. The lyrics she sang in her soft voice flowed through his mind, even though he was hearing them subconsciously.

A soft groan escaped his throat as he shifted slightly, squeezing his eyes shut tightly before slowly opening them. His eyes searched in front of himself, to the left, the right, then shifted upwards, catching Ariana's worried expression. Seeing that she was now conscious, he smiled.

"Hey...you're awake...!" Negaduck whispered loudly, his eyes now gone soft.

"You're awake!" she cried softly at the exact moment he whispered it loudly to her.

She smiled slightly, then stroked his cheek with his head still resting in her lap and cradled on one arm. "You...you didn't have to do that..." she said softly to him. "But... thank you...how are you feeling?"

He shifted slightly, testing to see what physical condition he was in, "I'll be fine...Just feel a bit weak. But I'm a soldier, I'll survive..." Negaduck reassured her.

"Good, then that means we can take you straight to jail and not have to stop by the hospital on the way!" Morgana suddenly spoke up from behind them, her arms folded across her chest and glaring down at Negaduck.

She then turned to Darkwing, was still standing at her side, "He shouldn't give you any problems. You can take him straight downtown without a fight..."

Negaduck closed his eyes. So this was the gratitude he was to receive for saving her sister's life? But he couldn't blame Morgana. He had done a lot of rotten, unforgivable things to her, and hated her on top of all that. So this was not something he didn't expect from her.

"Downtown?" Darkwing repeated, then promptly received a Look from Morgana. "Oh, heh, heh, you mean the prison, well..."

"He's not going," interrupted Ariana firmly, wrapping her arms around him as if to shield him from their grasp.

"Oh, he's going all right!" declared Darkwing firmly as he approached and kneeled beside Ariana and Negs. The caped crimefighter slipped Ariana a wink and proceeded to pull Negs to his feet with her help. "I'll make sure the warden gives you a long stint THIS time, Negaduck!" he added harshly, glancing at Morgana to see if she was buying it.

"See that you do..." Morgana said, flashing Darkwing a look as if saying that he'd better do what he said, "And I don't want you out late tonight, Ariana. I don't think I'm worrying about you as much as I should be..."

Negaduck was looking back and forth from Darkwing, to Morgana, and to Ariana. Then he sighed, giving in. He knew that he was no match for Darkwing in his condition, and remained silent as he waited for Darkwing to haul him off to prison once again.

Ariana turned her head away from Morgana and rolled her eyes, but nodded as she gently helped Darkwing place Negaduck into the Ratcatcher's sidecar.

Tenderly, Ariana ran a hand down the side of Negaduck's face and looked into his eyes. "Everything's going to be all right," she said reassuringly, then glanced at Darkwing as he climbed on the Ratcatcher. She leaned closer to his face so that she was just inches away. "Please remember that I hold you very dearly in my heart..."

She lifted her bill and kissed his forehead.

Negaduck nodded at her words as he took a hold of her hand that was touching the side of his face.

"I believe you..." he answered as he held her hand up to his face, giving it a soft kiss, "I'm...I'm sure I'll see you again soon. I'm going to be thinking about you every day...You showed me that there IS something for me to live for now. So until I make it out of the slammer, this is just 'see you later'..."

At this, Ariana turned worried eyes at Darkwing again.

The hero winked at her again and gave her a barely visible shake of his head.

She relaxed a little and looked back at Negaduck with her small, shy smile. "Goodbye..." she said softly, moving away from the Ratcatcher slowly.

When she was far enough out of the way, Darkwing revved up the motorcycle, gave Morgana a wave, and sped down the street with Negaduck in the sidecar.

Negaduck watched the streets passed by him blankly. It was a route he knew all too well. Direct to the Saint Canard Penitentiary...or was until Darkwing swerved sharply onto a different street, the Ratcatcher's tires protesting with outlandish squeals. The bike accelerated dangerously fast. Dangerous enough even to make Negaduck's stomach clench worriedly.

Again Darkwing careened around a corner, the Ratcatcher nearly tipping over on the side Negaduck was on. The masked mallard appeared to be unaffected by his insane driving and kept his hard, glaring gaze on the road ahead through the plastic shield of his helmet..

"Hey hero! Is your head on backwards, or did you just not noticed that you missed the turn..?" Negaduck asked with a confused look on his face. He doubted that Darkwing would accidentally forget his way to the prison, considering that he makes a trip to it nearly every day. So he had to know just what the crimefighter was up to.

Darkwing didn't answer his rhetorical question. Rather, he just turned his head toward the criminal, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"BAIL OUT!!!" he yelled authoritatively as he sped toward a brick wall directly ahead of them.

"Whoa!!" Negaduck yelped as he caught sight of the brick wall quickly closing distance between them. Placing his hands firmly on the edge of the sidecar, he lifted himself to a standing position on the bike's metal, then jumped from the speeding vehicle, placing a hand on his head to hold his fedora in place.

His feet hit the pavement and he slid several feet before crashing into a bench, bringing him to a stop. Quickly regaining his balance, Negaduck turned his head around to witness Darkwing's handiwork.

The Ratcatcher's brakes shrieked shrilly through the night air, and the tires undulated side to side before slamming head on into the brick wall. The front barrier smashed backward on top of Darkwing, who was jerked violently forward. He would have been flung into the wall had it not been for the bent metal frame.

He slumped backward with a loud grunt and moan, then glanced back at Negaduck and removed his helmet slowly.

Shaking his head violently to rid himself of the dizziness, Negaduck glanced over at Darkwing who was emerging from the rubble that used to be the Ratcatcher. He let out a loud sigh, rolling his eyes upward.

"Darkwing, you dolt..." Negaduck hissed as he slowly moved over to the Ratcatcher, grabbing Darkwing by his cape and giving him a hard tug, pulling him from the ruins, "Just what do you think you were doing?? You can't honestly expect me to believe that you didn't see that wall and didn't think to hit the brakes..!"

Darkwing flinched slightly at the pain in his ribs, but yanked himself away from Negaduck's grasp. "Don't think I'm just going to turn my back while you get away..." he hissed, narrowing his eyes, but emphasizing the last few words.

Negaduck raised an eyebrow.

"You grabbed the wheel, remember?" Darkwing announced carefully. " Left me to die...in the wreckage." He motioned toward the Ratcatcher and looked at Negs expectantly.

"Just get outta here!" he yelled, throwing his arms up exasperatedly before cringing and bringing them back down to his sides with a groan of pain.

"What are you talking about..??" Negaduck raged in response, but then Darkwing's intention struck him as if he actually had hit the brick wall. He feel silent, the question of why Darkwing was just going to let him go.

"Why are you doing this..?" Negaduck suddenly asked quietly, a suspicious look still apparent on his face.

"I'm not doing it for you," he replied, crossing his arms. "I'm doing it for her...so I suppose I'll go easy on you just this once for saving her life...Why did you DO that, anyway? That's so...so...not villainous!"

Negaduck paused, looking at Darkwing with a lifeless expression on his face. He hadn't really thought about WHY he did all that he did for Ariana. But now he was going to be forced to explain why.

"Because..." he began, and paused for a few second before continuing, "She is the first to understand who I am, and why I'm like this. And...she accepted me that way. We have a lot of things in common...A painful past, being alone for most of our lives...We share the same pain..."

It was then that he noticed the perplexed, flabbergasted look that Darkwing was giving him. His expression caused Negaduck to laugh slightly.

"I know...it sounds impossible and even frightening coming from me, but...she saved my life..." Negaduck said softly, the memory of him lying on the floor back at the bank in Ariana's arms, "No one's ever done that for me before...But DON'T get used to seeing this sort of behavior from me! Come tomorrow, I'll be right back out there robbing banks and terrorizing the citizens!"

"Well you'd just better watch yourself, or Morgana will have your head! ...and quite possibly mine..." Darkwing replied, his arms still crossed. He wasn't sure what to make of Negaduck's confession. Was the criminal really telling the truth? It seemed highly unlikely, and yet so was the idea of Negaduck risking his life to save anyone.

"Now get outta here before I change my mind!" he declared, turning his back on Negaduck, but looking over his shoulder slightly.

"Right..." Negaduck replied, deciding he'd better make his leave before Darkwing in fact DID change his mind. It was not an opportunity he was about to pass up.

He quickly darted over to a nearby building that was lined with a fire escape ladder, taking a firm hold of two prongs and lifting himself off of the ground. Negaduck climbed only a few steps before he stopped, slowly turning his head around to face Darkwing once more to see if he was actually letting him get away.

"Hey, Dipwing..." Negaduck called down to him, and waiting until he was facing him before he finished, "I owe ya one..."

With that said and a slight nod, he turned his head back upwards and proceeded to climb the ladder, his black cape flowing behind him.

Darkwing waved off Negaduck's comment, then turned and headed toward the Audubon Bay Bridge. "I already regret it anyway..." he muttered, bathed in moonlight.

The gigantic lunar eye stared unfalteringly upon the figures still outside in the chill night air. A breeze wafted softly past Darkwing, undulated gently over the face of Negaduck, and whisped through Ariana McCawber's golden hair as she stood upon the balcony of her room, thinking of the new and better times ahead. She was loved.

"I'd Give My Life For You", Miss Saigon Lyrics © Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schonberg