Who is Julie McDuck?!

Daddy Issues

(This whole chapter is in Scrooge's point of view. Enjoy!)

I fell to the floor when Julie punched Nathan and stood up to see my great-niece, red in the face and still seething with anger.

The veins on the inside of her arms and a strand of her hair was glowing purple. But that didn't surprise me as much as what she'd just said.

"Get away from my dad."

Flashback to 12 years ago

The limo pulled up to the elementary school, and I opened the side door and waited for the bell to ring, keeping an eye out for Julie. Launchpad, sitting in the driver's seat, decided to make conversation.

"Think the kid had a good first day of school?" he asked, leaning on the wheel.

"I'm sure the lass is fine, McQuack," I replied. "It's her first day of preschool, not climbing Mount Neverrest."

I finally spotted Julie rushing towards me, her two small pigtails flying in the wind and her teacher trying to catch up with her. I bent down and she wrapped her arms around me.

The teacher finally came up, panting with her hands on her knees. "Hi Mr. McDuck," she coughed out. "Are you here to pick up Julie?"

"Yes, and you might want to get used to the running," I joked, shaking her hand. "I have to chase the lass around the manor just to get her ready for bed."

The teacher laughed a bit, but then her face turned serious. "Sir, could I talk to you in private for a moment?"

I felt my heart sink. "What happened? Did the lass get in a fight?"

Relief flooded over me when she shook her head. "No, not exactly. I was walking up to Julie and...I heard her referring to you as her father."

"W-what?" was what I managed to spit out. 

"Of course, I tried to tell her that, biologically, you're her uncle, but...she just seemed confused. Granted, the other kids were talking about their parents; she might have just felt left out. But I do feel obliged to ask you to...help her understand the difference between you and her biological father."

Originally, I felt shocked when the teacher told me this. Shocked and a little proud, because it seemed that Julie considered me her father. But now, seeing as how the teacher viewed it as a problem...I was a little irritated.

Okay, that was an understatement. I was enraged. 

I managed to swallow that anger and said to the teacher, "I'll talk to her about it."

"Mind you, I have no problem if Julie views you as a paternal figure; I just...don't want to confuse the other children."

"Good day," was all I could say as I strapped Julie into her carseat and Launchpad drove off to the manor. 

I looked over at Julie, who was swinging her little legs and staring out the window. I knew I had to talk to her, but...I didn't know how to go about it.

"Lass?"

Julie turned to me. "Yes, Unca?"

"Um, how was yer first day?"

A smile broke out on her beak. "Good! But the teacher got mad at me when Ae called you Daddy."

I felt all the air in my lungs evaporate. "She did what?"

Julie looked down in shame. "She put me in time-out, Unca." She turned her head to look at me, big tears in her eyes. "What'd Ae do wrong?"

The heartbreaking look in Julie's eyes said it all.

She'd gotten in trouble, and she'd done nothing wrong.

Launchpad crashed the limo, signaling our arrival at the mansion. I sighed, unstrapped Julie from her carseat, and picked her up.

Julie began to squirm in my arms. "Put me down! I'm not a baby! I'ma big girl!"

I smirked as I pinched her cheek. "Aye, but you'll always be my wee bairn."

"Unca!" she whined, pushing my hand away as a light blush tinted her cheeks. 

I rang the doorbell and Duckworth answered the door. "Welcome home, Mr. McDuck." He turned to Julie. "And young Miss McDuck."

She waved widely. "Hi, Duckworth!"

Donald was in the living room on the couch when we walked in. "Hey, Uncle Scrooge," he said. Julie jumped from my arms and hugged Donald's leg. "Hi, Donal'!" she chirped, looking up at her cousin.

My nephew smiled. Even after four years, Julie had been consistent with calling him "Donal'". Donald didn't seem to mind though. If anything, he liked it. 

I cleared my throat. "Um, lass? How about you and I go to your room? I want to talk to you."

A bit of fear crossed her eyes, as if she knew what I was talking about. Nonetheless, she let go of her cousin's leg and took hold of my hand as we walked upstairs. I noticed her hand was shaking a little as we reached her room.

The room itself had changed a lot in four years. The once white walls were now painted a soft lilac and the crib had been replaced by a small bed with purple sheets. A small toy chest was in the corner along with a wooden bookcase. 

I flicked on the overhead lights and sat down on Julie's bed. The small duckling just stood there in the doorway, a terrified look on her face. She traced the wooden floor with her little webbed foot.

And the last words I expected her to say came out of her mouth.

"I'ma sorry, Unca."

Taken aback a bit, I patted the mattress with my hand, motioning her to come sit by me. She climbed up on the bed and laid her head against me.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Julie, I'm not mad at yew. Yew know that, right?"

She looked up at me, clearly surprised.

"Ye're...ye're not?!" she sniffed.

I smiled. The lass had picked up a bit of a Scottish accent from me over the past four years.

"No, Julie, I'm not. Well, not at you, anyways," I replied. "I just wanted to let you know...yew know Ae'm not yer dad, right?"

Julie looked down at her feet. "Yeah, I know. But...yer like a daddy. Isn't that what matters?"

She rubbed her arm. "And yer the closest thing to a daddy I have."

If my heart hadn't already broken, it sure was now. "Lass, is that why yew called me your dad today at school?"

"Well, all o' the other kids were talking about their mommies and daddies in school, an' I said that you were an adventurer and a businessman. Then the other kids said, 'Isn't that guy your uncle? Where are your real parents?'"

Tears dripped from her eyes. "Then Ae said 'He is my real Daddy!' And that's when the teacher heard me and got mad."

I took out my handkerchief. "Ack, lass, it's okay. Yew didnae do anything wrong," I soothed her, wiping away her tears. I made a mental note to talk to her teacher before I realized Julie was yawning and leaning against my arm.

I smiled softly and carded my fingers through her hair, something I knew always made her sleepy. "Is it time for bed?" I asked, glancing at the clock. Sure enough, it was almost 9. I looked down at Julie, who gazed up at me with sleepy eyes and suddenly hugged me around my waist.

"Ae don't care what anyone else says," she murmured. "You'll always be my Daddy."

Her eyes slowly closed and soon she was sleeping peacefully with her head against my chest. I undid her pigtails, letting her short hair come down to her shoulders and laid her down on her bed. 

I didn't even notice the tears welling up in my eyes as I parted Julie's bangs to see her face.

"And ye'll always be my daughter."