The Love and Treachery of Scrooge McDuck!

Making A Family Man!

1902

The day was warm and the city was bustling below his window. He only hoped that was a good sign for business. He made his way downstairs and looked over the plans for his newest investment. The Money Bin. Its construction had been completed. All but a few minor details. The dedication was the next day. It had been meant to serve as a distraction, but his mind still wondered to ____ and whether not he would see her tomorrow.

He made his rounds through the marble lined floors to the vault. He couldn't chance some sticky fingered employee telling him everything was in order, so he took inventory personally, checking everything twice. The place was a mess. Crates dotted the room; sacks of money covered every square inch of the ground; and a stack of odds and ends stood in the corner. The only organized bit were the small safes for the high rollers, who paid extra for their coins or jewels to sit on a shelf. He counted everything and attempted to tidy up as he went. Not that it matter-it was all being moved tomorrow, anyway. Seventeen diamond mine crates, check. Several priceless artifacts, check. His entire network in gold and sliver, check. He finished up around lunchtime and started making second rounds.

He almost didn't notice the strange dressed las in the back of the room. Her outfit resembles that of ____'s when she wasn't in period dress. He couldn't see anything but the back of her head, but he was drawn to the back of the lobby. The teller stood quickly, and he called her name.

"____?"

"Mr. McDuck!" The employee he had long since forgotten the name of said and attempted to intercept them. "This is Mrs. Gander. She just opened a sizable account for her husband."

Mrs. Gander? Husband? Scrooge's brain short-circuited. He knew, well assumed, she was married in the future, but this was a very unexpected slap in the face. He always hoped, well at least the thought had crossed his mind, that it was to him.

The man interrupted his thoughts. "Why don't you give her a tour?"

"Of course." Scrooge forced a smile and offered ____ his arm. She took it and he noticed she wasn't wearing a ring. Now he was super confused. "So Mrs. Gander?"

"Ms.," she corrected. "But don't tell your friend that. He was adamant that I needed a husband to open an account."

He opened the door to his office, still confused. She had used the name of a man she wasn't married to when she could've just ask to speak with him? Maybe she didn't know him that well yet, but still.

"You could've asked for me." He wanted to know how close she was to this other man.

"Oh yes. Pull a Karen and ask to speak to the manager. They wouldn't have told me you were out." She rolled her eyes.

He didn't know what that meant, but he assumed it was her nice way of saying she didn't want to tell him to bugger off. He focused on the half of the sentence he understood.

"I would've come when I knew it was you," he told her.

"My hero," she cooed.

He crossed the floor and plopped into his seat.

"So if you're not married to this Gander person, you're clearly close enough to use his last name." It wasn't a question, but she got his gist.

"Basically family," she smiled.

Family. She was always talking about family. Nieces, nephews, and kids. Her life in the future sounded so domestic, and he never thought that kind of life would suit him. Maybe because it didn't. Maybe it was her life with Gander. He crumpled part of the plans to the Bin. It was junk now anyway. She gave him a look of concern and walked across the room. She propped on the desk next to him.