The family had moved everything to the front of the plane, allowing themselves to exist towards the back without tipping. Launchpad stayed in the cockpit so someone could reach the buttons if something bad were to happen. They gathered around a single crate, the journal page in the middle. Dewey breathed heavily, waiting.

Gladdy sideglanced at Fethry, frowning. "Are you sure you should-"

"They deserve to know." Fethry stared at the page, not giving Gladdy a second thought.

Louie rubbed his arm, his gaze fixated on the ground. Huey watched his brothers nervously. Webby fiddled with her hair awkwardly, Bradford's hand on her shoulder.

Fethry sighed, preparing himself. "So, you want to know what happened to your mom. The thing is, I don't exactly have the whole story..." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Your name is on the paper," Dewey said, not bothering to look up at his cousin.

"Yes, I know my name is on the paper. I know why my name is on the paper, and I can see how this makes me look like a horrible person, and I probably am, buuuuut I'm not." The boys eyed Fethry suspiciously. He shook his head. "Let's just get to the story.

"Five years ago, your mom came to me. We had a rocky relationship then. We saw each other, but we hadn't actually hung out for years before that. I didn't know much of her personal life, and I didn't even know you boys existed. I was also an idiot, which explains half the stuff I'm about to tell you."

Five years ago...

Fethry set up a shield, which he had found on a random armor stand around the house, on the top of the stairway. His hands held it in place as he scanned the area for Bradford. Coast clear. Fethry grinned, climbing on the railing. He used his hand against the wall to support himself while he got balanced. "This is gonna look so cool." He pushed off the wall, launching himself forward. A rush of air drove past him as he slid down the stairs. He wobbled a bit, knocking the shield off place. He tumbled off the railing, rolling down the stairs the rest of the way. He landed in front of a certain vulture, in pain.

"Fethry, what are you doing?" Bradford asked, exasperation in his tone. He helped Fethry to his feet.

"Well, I was trying to go down the stairs with a skateboard, but I don't own a skateboard, nor do I know how to skate, but I thought it'd look really cool, so I-"

"You are so immature." Bradford shook his head, walking away. "Do you know any other adults that do that?"

"No."

"And do you know why?"

"Because they're boring?"

"Because they have lives."

Fethry watched after Bradford, an offended expression on his face. "I have a life! Just yesterday, you gave me a long list of things I had to do, so my life sounds pretty packed."

Bradford turned and gave Fethry a dry look. "That was last week, and you still haven't done any of those things."

"Nuh-uh, I fed the cat." Fethry put his hands on his hips, proudly.

Bradford eyed him curiously. "We don't have a cat."

"Oh. Well... I fed a cat that was meowing outside the door the other day." Fethry's face lit up with an idea. "Bradford, can we get a cat? Oooh, or even cooler, a tiger!"

Bradford left the room, done with the conversation. "No."

Fethry was about to protest when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" He skipped over to the front door and pulled it open. He smiled at the familiar face. "Della! Hi!"

She smiled at him nervously, giving a curt wave. "Hey."

"What's up?"

She folded her hands. "Can't I come over just to talk?"

He stepped out of the doorway, allowing her in. He shut it behind her. "I mean, you can, but you don't." Fethry cupped his hands around his mouth. "Bradford! We have company! Can you get us some Pep?"

Della's gaze moved around the mansion, her figure somewhat timid at the size of it all. "Wow. This place hasn't changed much since we lived here."

"I dunno, I like to think I've added my own spice to the place." He waved his hands over the scene, nudging her with his elbow. "Would you like a pep? I guess Bradford never got them. It's like I've got to do everything myself around here."

She shrugged. "Sure."

He led her to the kitchen, where he picked out two cans for them. They sat at the kitchen island, drinking their sodas. Fethry watched his cousin, unable to shake a certain solemness about her. He wondered what she was thinking. Taking a sip, she set her drink on the counter. Her gaze lingered on it, beak frowning. She let out a sad sigh, pushing her hair back.

"Something wrong?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

She looked up, shaken out of her thoughts. "Uh, oh yeah, I just..." She let out a breath, leaning her elbows forward. "I don't know. I feel... guilty."

"Della?" He listed his head at her, setting his drink down. "What did you do?"

She straightened, getting up from her spot. "It- It's too much exposition. I shouldn't've bothered you."

"Wait." His chair squeaked as he went after her He moved in front of his cousin, giving her a reassuring smile. "Just keep it vague. You can talk to me."

She stared into his eyes, contemplating. Finally, she gave in. She moved back towards the island. "Fine. I... I've been struggling to keep up with stuff, and in the process, I've sort of pushed my... responsibilities on Donald." She fiddled with her soda can, but she didn't drink any. "Last night I went to talk to him, and..." She sighed, her hair draping forward. "I don't know what I'm doing."

Fethry thought a moment before opening his mouth. "Well, I don't see anything to be guilty about."

"What?"

"What's family for if not dumping all your problems on them and letting them deal with it. Just ask my butler, he loves doing all my stuff for me." He smiled, trying to perk her up.

She squinted at him. "Fethry, you're a freeloader."

"Why do you think I'm living in Scrooge's old mansion?" He gestured around them, now siting on the island.

"You're a horrible person to go to for advice." She started to rise from her seat.

"If it were up to me, I'd just run away from it all." He leaned back on his arms, daydreaming.

She rolled her eyes. "Fethry, you don't have any responsibilities to run away from."

He stood on the counter, spreading his arms. "I'll have you know I have a very hard life."

"Yes, I couldn't imagine my butler not getting me soda." She crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"Exactly." He hesitated. "Wait, you were making fun of me." Fethry shook his head, waving his hands. "Whatever, anyways, the point is, things are bound to turn around for you eventually. All you need is patience."

"I've been patient for five years. I was hoping something would've turned around for me by now." Her frown hung to the right, her eyes sad. "Maybe I should just run away."

Fethry hopped off the counter, landing in font of her. She took a few steps back for space. "Hey, I said 'if it were up to me.' But it's not. You can't just get up and walk away." He put a finger to his chin, thoughtfully. "Though, you could go on a vacation. It's like running away without the commitment."

She chuckled lightly, moving to leave the kitchen. "Like I have money for that. If I actually did run away, at least I could get a job or something. It sounded like a fun idea though."

He walked along side her, moving out the kitchen and to the rest of the house. "I could pay, and I'll come with. It sounds like you could use a break."

Sliding her hands into her seater sleeves, she stared off. "I don't know..."

He watched her hesitantly, thinking. "You know what? Who says it's not up to me? Let's do it. Let's run away and start fresh in a whole new city."

"Fethry, if you couldn't convince me to go on a vacation, what makes you think you can convince me to move to another place?" She squinted at him, probably contemplating whether she should've gone to Gladstone instead. "Look, you and I live completely different lives. You might be able to just get up and go, but I can't."

Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a reassuring look. "Why not? Sounds to me like the only thing keeping you here in Duckburg are those responsibilities you mentioned, but you said Donald was taking care of it." He puffed up his chest confidently. "My motto for life? If you don't want your responsibilities, don't have them. Boom, problem solved."

Her eyes moved back and forth, weighing the choice. "This is a bad idea..." She finally gave in, sighing. "Alright, let's do it." More to herself than Fethry, she said, "It'll be fun. Right?"

"Totally."

...

Fethry slapped the car door shut, a proud smile of his face. "We're all ready to go!"

Della looked uncertain at the car behind him. They stood in the mansion driveway, the sun sinking below the bay. The suitcases in the back of the car were jumbled up, like a puzzle where someone forced the pieces to fit. "Your packing skills have much to be desired."

"Eh, I'm sure I'll get good at it eventually." He waved her comment off, then dusted his hands together. "Everything's set. A handful of money in the glovebox, snacks in the front, full tank of gas, and our stuff is packed. Now all we need is a good night's rest, then we'll leave in the morning." He marched up to the front of the house, his cousin following behind.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." She shook her head.

"I know, right? I totally thought Bradford would've-"

"Fethry." The vulture stood in their path, eyeing Fethry down. "What are you doing?"

"Bradford, what's up?" Fethry tried to sound innocent, but his smile immediately gave him away.

"You're like a seven year old kid. You say you're gonna run away, and then you'll just walk around the block. Once you get bored, you'll come right back. It'll come and go and nothing will ever be significant about the time you 'ran away', except in the future and for laughs, we talk about that time you 'ran away.'" Bradford raised an eyebrow at the two. "So just don't."

Fethry crossed his arms, pursing his beak in a pouty manner. "No, I'm gonna run away for real. You can't tell me what to do."

"A seven year old would say that too."

Della watched them awkwardly as they went back and forth. Fethry, like a whiny kid, and Bradford like an overbearing father. If only Fethry knew how blessed he was. Running bored of watching them argue, she pat her pockets. "Hey, Fethry, I think I left my phone in the car. Could I borrow the keys?"

He passed them to her. "Sure, just give them back when you're done." She nodded and left.

...

Fethry woke up to the sound of banging on his front door. He let out a yawn, getting up from his bed and walking downstairs. Morning sun peaked in through the windows. Bradford had already answered the door by the time Fethry reached the foyer.

"Fethry!" Donald was there. He sounded urgent. He shoved past Bradford into the house, meeting Fethry halfway.

The red clad duck let out a wider yawn. "It's too early... What's up, D?"

"Have you seen Della?

"Yeah, she was just over here yesterday. She..." Fethry hesitated, mulling over the previous night. They had packed everything up, Bradford was yelling at him, Della borrowed the keys, and... He didn't remember seeing her after that. Maybe he had just assumed she had gone home or something. "Huh. Actually, I don't know where she went. Why? Is something wrong?"

Donald began pacing. "Well, the other day she came to see me. I wanted to bug her again, so I tried calling. She didn't pick up. Then I found this note." Donald pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket.

But Fethry ignored him. He moved to the front door, opening it to get a view of the driveway. The car was gone. All that was left was Fethry's luggage, and a box. "She took the car!" Fethry and Donald moved to investigate. On the box was Della's stuff, a note resting on top. Fethry took it, scanning it over.

Dear Fethry, I can't take this anymore. By the time you're reading this, I'll already be gone. I'm leaving my things to the three most wonderful boys in my life. I'm sorry for the lies, but you've already seen me for the last time. Don't call. I've already got something set up at the Spear. Goodbye.

-Della

Fethry immediately ignored the don't call part. Whipping out his phone, he quickly dialed her number.

"This is Della Duck, leave a message."

"Fethry?" Donald narrowed his eyes at his cousin, confused.

Fethry raised his hands defensively, forcing a smile. Just to reassure himself. "I'm sure she'll be back."

...

"She never came back." Fethry sighed, avoiding eye contact with he rest of his family. "I explaining what I just told you to Donald, he was... upset to say the least. And that's what I know."

The boys had tears in their eyes. Dewey glared angrily at the floor. "No. That can't be it. You convinced our mom to abandon us, and then what?" The boy looked up, tears coming harder now. "That doesn't explain why she left us ten years ago. That doesn't explain why she never came back. How she met Louie. Or why she never made it to Selene's Spear! There has to be more!"

Fethry flinched at Dewey's shouts. "I said I didn't know everything. I didn't mean to push her away."

"But you did."

"I would've never told her to run away if I knew she had kids."

"You shouldn't've told her to go in the first place!" Dewey clenched his fists, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Dewey," came Louie's soft voice. He hesitated before taking a deep breath. "I guess I should tell you guys my piece now." That earned a glare from the three other kids. "What?"

"You could've just told us, when, I don't know, we first asked!" Huey threw his hands up dramatically.

"I had my reasons." Louie gave up, with the roll of his eyes, and started. "It must've been the day before she went to go see Fethry, because it was around that same time. She came at night, after we were all asleep. I woke up to the knocking on the trailer door. Uncle Donald answered it, but he went outside to talk to her. Out of curiosity, I snuck out. I think they had an argument or something, so he left for a drive."

Louie rubbed his beak, still snot nosed and teary eyed, if not more now. "When she saw me she was stunned. She'd never met her own kids before, though I still don't understand why she gave us to Donald in the first place if she left for good when we were five. I asked her who she was, and she told me she was our mom. I guess I hadn't really questioned our lack of a mother until then. I asked her why she wasn't there for us, but she didn't explain. She seemed... sad. She said..." Louie's gaze was unfocused, eyes watery. He hiccuped, then scrunched his beak.

"She said she had to go. But she promised she would comeback for us eventually. She didn't say when, but she said soon. She left, and I went back inside. And so I waited, but she never came. And eventually I got tired." Louie's tone shifted into anger. "Of course, now I know she never intended to come back. She left the moment she got the opportunity. Figures."

Dewey watched him, guilt surfacing for pressing his brother so hard. Everyone looked like they wanted to say something, but no one did. It was the blue triplet that broke the silence. "But I still don't understand." All eyes turned on him. "All we have are bits and fragments in the middle. What drove her to go? What happened to her?"

Leaning back, Fethry sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry, kid. If anyone did know, it would be..." He clicked his tongue, thinking it over before his eyes landed on the duck, or rather gander next to him. "Gladdy? Any clue? She was always close to you."

The green clad duck suddenly got very nervous. He folded his hands, eyes moving up, down, side, anywhere but on someone. "Uh, well- I kind of- but- I mean, not anything worth mentioning- Or, uh- No...?" That answer wasn't too confident. Everyone stared at him in confusion.

Dewey wondered if Gladdy knew more than the handpicked answers he'd given to him when they'd first met. The boy stepped forward. "Gladdy, please, if you know something... I still have one more question left. You promised me three and I used two. So here's my third one. What do you actually know about her?"

Gladdy frowned at the him a moment before giving in. "Alright... I knew you'd figure it out when you started asking me. I just kind of hoped you wouldn't. Where to start..." He rubbed his hands together, organizing himself. "Let's start with the meaning of the note. She left everything to the three most wonderful boys in her life, Donald, Fethry, and me. To Donald, she left you three. To Fethry, she left her things. And to me, her secrets. After she took Fethry's car, she stopped by my place before entirely running off. She told me her plan to just go and start over, and I told her she was crazy. Unlike Fethry, I did know about you guys."

"Wow, so she really told everyone but me." Fethry rolled his eyes.

"It's not so much she excluded you, as she just told the people she trusted, her brother and me." Fethry still looked peeved. Gladdy shook himself. "Anyways, I knew she already felt a lot of guilt towards leaving you guys originally. When she met your dad, she was so excited and twitterpated with love that they eloped pretty quickly. So she was heartbroken when he left her just before she would tell him about you three. She told Donald she needed a break, just for a few days, and he agreed to watch you guys until she was ready. A few days turned into a week turned into a month turned into- Uh, well you can see where this goes. But she always promised herself she would get you guys eventually.

"The night she left for good, she told me she was tired of the burden hanging over her. After five years of trying to figure herself out, telling herself that she would come back for you, I guess she finally realized that it was unlikely she'd ever be ready. I tried to convince her she didn't need to be ready, but I guess she was just... scared. Della told me about her plan to stay at Selene's motel- we had met the gods of Olympus on one of our adventures as kids- and there she would have a fresh start. She wouldn't listen to anything I said, so the best I could do was hope she'd come back and wish her safe travels. She made me promise not tell anyone why she went, and usually when I promise something, I mean it. I guess not this time..." He shook himself. "So she left."

The boys looked to Gladdy with eager, wet eyes. "And?"

"Well, um, as some of you may not know-" Gladdy sideglanced at Fethry. "-I put trackers in Della, Fethry, and Donald-"

"Wait, what?" Fethry squinted at his cousin.

"Yeah, after the thousand time someone got lost on an expedition with Scrooge, it got exhausting trying to find everyone. Anyways, I used that to keep an eye on Della, but one day her tracker stopped moving. In fact, it disappeared entirely. I thought that was very suspicious, so I went to go investigate. And..." Gladdy started to get choked up. He turned from the triplets' watch and rubbed his beak. "There was an accident. They never found the body. I'm sorry, boys."

The plane was silent, the only noise a few sniffles and uncomfortable shifting. Awkwardness permeated the space. No one knew what now.

"Cool. So Fethry's the reason our mom is gone." Dewey rubbed his arm, stern gaze on the crate in front of them.

"What? No, I-"

"So you didn't convince her to go?" Louie raised an angry eyebrow.

"Which eventually led to her death?" Huey's last word was harsh, hitting everyone.

"Yes, okay, I did do those things, but I wouldn't have done that if I knew what was really going on. Gladdy tried to talk her out of it, and she still went, so she already wanted to before I said anything!" Fethry put his hands on his chest, trying to defend himself.

"You were just upset you couldn't go with her," Dewey said bitterly.

Fethry stomped his foot, getting frustrated. The plane shifted a little, but no one noticed. "Even if I didn't convince her to go, she still wasn't part of your lives."

"Yeah, but then she wouldn't be permanently gone from our lives!" Dewey clenched his fists. The plane tilted forward.

"I know we're all upset, but just take a minute to breathe and think about what you'll say next." Bradford stepped up, looking around at everyone. "We don't want to do anything we might regret."

"Like convince a mother of three that running away was good idea," Webby mumbled.

"Stay out of it. You're not family!" Fethry didn't even bother to look at her. She was taken back by his harsh tone. The young girl fought back tears.

"Fethry!" Bradford snapped. "Watch it. You will not talk to her like that." He narrowed his eyes Fethry.

"You won't talk to me like that! Any of you!"

At this point everyone was shouting at everyone, trying to be louder so they would be heard. The plane began rocking, sliding ever slightly forward. It sped up with the growing weight.

"Uh, guys?" Launchpad's voice came over the radio. They ignored him, still in their heated arguments. "Guys!"

Everyone quieted. "What!" Fethry rolled his eyes at interrupted.

"We are falling!"

The massive weighted cargo plane tipped adjacent, sliding off its spot on the mountain. And down, down it went. Launchpad pulled up on the steering, trying to lessen the crash anyway he could. It slowed a bit, but still impacted against another rock pillar. And both the plane and the family fell apart.

...

Marching into the house, Dewey slammed the front door shut, his brothers with him. Louie had pulled his hoodie on, hands tucked in his pockets. Huey clutched his toaster tight to his chest, a saddened frown on his beak. Dewey's hair was in his eye line, but he didn't care enough to try to push it out of the way. It would just fall back down anyway.

In their dismay, no one noticed the distinct smell of smoke until Louie pointed it out. "Is something burning?"

And that's when the smoke alarms kicked in. Mitzy waltzed out of the kitchen holding a cake that could easily be mistaken for a black rock. "Surprise! Welcome home!" She gave them a bright smile, holding out the dish.

Huey stuck out his tongue, eyeing it strangely. "What is that?"

"A cake!" She stared down at it before frowning. "My baking skills have much to be desired. Anyways, I made it to celebrate you guys coming home!" She forced a smile, all the while the very blatantly annoying alarm going. "I wasn't expecting you guys back so soon, so I thought I had time to practice." Her gaze swept over them, reading their expressions. She loosened her grin. "Is something wrong? Where's Fethry?"

"I rather not talk about it." Dewey shoved past her, making his way to the stairs. Huey and Louie exchanged a look. Mitzy watched after him, her depressing cake as sad as Dewey. He called to his brothers over the alarm, "Come on guys, let's go."

"Go? Go where?" Huey tilted his head, starting up the steps.

"Anywhere but here."

...

Fethry ran a hand through his hair, stepping into his office. Setting his hands against the top, he leaned over and let out a huff. He focused on his breathing, trying not to think. With one hand, he rubbed his face tiredly.

"Fethry." Bradford's voice. Fethry was running tired of hearing it today. He could sense the old bird standing in the doorway, but he didn't feel like turning around to acknowledge him. "If you don't mind, I'm using the vacation days I have saved up with Webby. We'll be back once you're done acing like an entitled child." There it was, the insult slapped at the end of every statement.

"Fine. Just go." Fethry heard them shuffle off. Once they were gone, he sighed. He moved to sit in the chair at his desk. He fiddled with a paperclip, hoping to distract himself.

A knock drew his attention. Gladdy gave him a nervous smile the door way, only his head poking him. The smiled declined a he spoke. "Hey Feths, um, I don't have an excuse to go, but I just thought you should know I'm going to let you have a moment to breathe. I mean, if that's fine with you-"

"Sure. It's not like you played any part of this mess too." Fethry scrunched his beak in annoyance.

"Fethry-"

"You never thought to tell anyone? Do you know how many times I wondered what happened to her? How many times I tried to reach her?" Fethry looked up, tears tugging at his eyes.

"I..." Gladdy stared at him, his figure sinking. "I'm sorry." He turned and walked off.

Fethry sat alone in nothing but guilt and frustration. Fethry fell forward on his desk, resting his head on his hand. "You really messed up this time, Fethry," he mumbled to himself.

"Hey boss?" Launchpad, who had a phone held to his ear, hung up and slipped it in his pocket. "This is totally unrelated to your family stuff, but can I step out for the week? I've been called to St. Canard for a thing, and I-"

"Alright, I get it! Everyone's leaving!" Fethry burst. Launchpad flinched. Fethry waved him off. "Just get out of here already."

Launchpad left with a small nod and a thanks.

And now, Fethry Duck truly was alone.

End of episode 10! I'm getting excited, this might be a fic that I actually finish AND enjoy by the end of it! How weird is that? Thanks for reading and all the support you guys!