Evenings in St. Canard were always a mixed blessing, the small bustling metropolis looked its finest when enveloped in a blanket of darkness. The thousands of lights powering the city outlined the dark masses of towering concrete and transformed them into a dazzling work of art. But nighttimes in St. Canard also brought an element of danger, as it was a time when morally-impaired evil doers were drawn out from every dark proverbial crack in the ground.

It was early in the evening when the Ratcatcher paced slowly down the street. Tonight was not a patrol night for Darkwing Duck, and so there was no rush in the engine’s hum. In fact, the vehicle was moving at a sluggishly slow pace, as though the driver was taking his sweet time reaching his destination.

“Jeez dad! Could you driver any slower? We’re going to be late if you keep re-enacting your future as an old geezer!” whined the red-head sitting in the side-car. She drummed her fingers against the cold metal of the vehicle impatiently.

“Now would it really be a bad thing if we were late? Or, you know…if by some unfortunate turn of events we didn’t make it there at all?” the masked mallard kept his eyes on the road without blinking as he spoke.

“And would it really be a bad thing if Morgana zapped you into a Thanksgiving dinner for not showing up?” Gosalyn retorted. “She needs your support! This is a special night for her after all.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice, Gos. Morg has been talking about nothing else for the past month,” Darkwing rolled his eyes. He didn’t need his own daughter scolding him, but Gosalyn was right. Tonight was the one year anniversary of Morgana’s restaurant, “The Shadow Chateau”. Despite its short time in the food industry, Morgana’s “exotic” dining experience had become a new popular attraction in St. Canard, known for its one-of-a-kind recipes and décor. It only made sense that he, Darkwing Duck, the grand defender of justice and Morgana’s faithful boyfriend, be present for tonight’s festivities.

Now, if only he could stomach the food.

Cobra Cutlets, Adam’s Apple Pie, Bat Bisque, Frog Fingernails… every food item sounded more nauseating than the last. Darkwing had never been able to figure out why everyone else was raving about it. Give me good’ol mac and cheese any day of the week, he thought.

“Morgana was pretty lucky her restaurant didn’t bomb after that fiasco at the restaurant opening,” Gosalyn commented.

“Yeah, lucky for her maybe. I’m the one who ends up taste-testing all of her new recipes!” His insides churned at the very thought. Morgana seemed determined to find a recipe he would like and he couldn’t quite blame her… after all, cooking was one of her passions and she wanted to share it with someone she loved. For all his faults, Darkwing never had the heart to say no. It wasn’t the fear of being zapped by her temperamental spell finger that caused him to snarf down her dinners, either, although that too was a convincing factor. He truly didn’t like seeing her feelings get hurt.

“Besides,” he continued, “She managed to work it out with Mr. Mikey after explaining the situation to him and convincing him to come back for a second visit… well that, and he was guaranteed another free meal if he re-wrote her a good review” Darkwing stared straight ahead at the road. “And anyways it was NEGADUCK who sabotaged the restaurant with that slippery sinister squid!”

“Yeah, but Negaduck only showed up because of the Little Lost Bunnies, which you invited because you didn’t have faith in Morgana’s restaurant doing well on its own” added Gosalyn pointedly, which caused Darkwing to flinch. “The least you could do is help her out while she experiments with her cooking! ‘Sides, most of the stuff she makes tastes awesome. I can’t wait to try the Creamed Crocodile Claws again!”

Darkwing opened his mouth to reply but was distracted by a commotion in the distance. The sound of sirens could be heard wailing a few blocks away, accompanied with the trademark flashing red lights.

“Keen gear, a fire! Let’s go watch!” Gosalyn squeaked excitedly.

“As much as I’d love to use that as an excuse for missing out on an entrée of marinated slime worms, we really need to get to… the restaurant?!”

As the Ratcatcher rounded the corner both father and daughter were left speechless.

The dark gothic-style mansion, hidden behind its wrought-iron gates, was ablaze like kindling. Bright orange flames licked the sky like hungry snakes and devoured the building, bringing forth a thick black smoke that drowned out the light pollution normally glowing above the city. Firefighters were battling the sea of flames with little luck. Their attempts to hose down the blaze was failing as the strength of the searing embers illuminated the horrified faces of everyone gathered out front.

From among the crowd Darkwing was able to spot Morgana – her beehive hair made her easy to sight. Her expression was difficult to read; her eyes were dark and showed little expression by the light of the fire. Suddenly, she raised both her arms in the air, as though beckoning in an invisible tyrant. Darkwing knew from experience that she was casting a spell.

Sure enough, his suspicions were quickly confirmed as a sudden gust of wind picked up and whipped the grey fedora from his head. Lightning crackled above, and the once calm night air had become thick with a fervent energy that raised every feather on his body. Clouds gathered above the ignited restaurant, barely distinguishable from the black smoke. A loud roar of thunder beckoned and welcomed the storm, and it was shortly followed by a thick sheet of rain. What made the storm unusual –and quite convenient for all present – was how the sharp raindrops were concentrated exclusively above the restaurant and nowhere else. But even with the assistance of the wild torrent it was some time before the flames began to let up… and by then all that was left of the building was charred black debris. The Shadow Chateau was ruined.

Gosalyn was the first to speak in the moments following the last remnant of fire as it was extinguished. “Poor Morgana! After all that hard work she put into the restaurant!”

Darkwing felt a sharp pang of guilt due to his first thought being “at least I don’t have to eat the food”. But Gosalyn was right. Morgana had poured her heart into the Shadow Chateau and in just a few moments if had been taken away from her by a stroke of bad luck.

Darkwing spotted Launchpad a few feet away. Hopping off the Ratcatcher, he went to join his sidekick.

“Poor Morgana” he echoed Gosalyn’s sentiments, and clutched his goggles in both hands as though mourning a fallen friend. “An’ poor me! I was just about to try the Caterpillar Custard Sandwiches when the fire broke out. Looks like it’s Hamburger Hippo for me tonight.”

Darkwing rolled his eyes. Naturally Launchpad would mourn for his appetite. “Did everyone get out safely?” He surveyed the crowd; most of them were dressed in formal attire, and had obviously been dining inside when the blaze broke out.

“Yeah, I think everyone got out fine” Launchpad said with a frown. “It happened so fast, DW! One minute we’re all sampling Morgana’s newest appetizers, then the next there’s flames just hoppin’ around everywhere like they had lil legs. It looked like they were thinkin’ about what to do next.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, LP” snapped Darkwing. “Fire doesn’t have feet, and it certainly isn’t sentient! It doesn’t surprise me that it spread so quickly…I always knew those cobweb tablecloths she used were a bad idea!” He clammed up immediately as a familiar lithe shape approached.

Darkwing couldn’t help but stare. Morgana MaCawber was beautiful, even at the worst of times. And, well… tonight was worse than worse. Yet, his jaw couldn’t help but drop at the way her satin red dress hugged her thin hourglass figure, right down to her small delicate feet, hidden beneath the trailing cloth. Her jet black hair, bunched into its usual beehive, was more scraggly than usual, and Darkwing couldn’t help but wonder if her bed head was the work of her two bat familiars Eek and Squeak. Her hazel eyes were large and filled with sadness, and her bill twisted into a disappointed frown. Her hips swayed rhythmically until she came to a full stop in front of him.

“Oh Dark…” she choked.

“Hey, it’s going to be alright…” He took her hand gently but flinched when she suddenly pulled away, her expression switching to anger.

“Tell me, Darkwing, just how will it be all right?!” she shrieked, her voice cracking. “My business is ruined! All my labouring was for nothing!” Lightning crackled above her head and Darkwing shielded himself with his arms, preparing for an onslaught of the MaCawber variety, but it never came. When he opened his eyes again, he saw tears streaming down her beautiful white feathered cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Dark, I shouldn’t lash out at you like this. I know you’re just trying to be supportive but…”

“It’s okay, Morg,” he said firmly. “I know your restaurant meant the world to you, and I promise we’ll find a way to fix this.”

“Yeah Morgana!” chimed in Gosalyn who had weaseled her way into the conversation. “Couldn’t you just use magic to rebuild it or something?”

The sorceress sighed. “If only it were that easy Gosalyn… yes, I can use magic to aid me in rebuilding my business, but it takes a considerable amount of energy. And besides… I built the Shadow Chateau with my bare hands. No amount of magic can replace what I worked so hard to create. Just knowing it’s gone…” She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Look, Morg…” Darkwing wrapped an arm around her waist, and much to his relief she didn’t pull away this time. “You were paying insurance for the restaurant, right? You’ll get enough money to rebuild, and before you know it things’ll be under control.”

“We’ll even help you re-build it!” Gosalyn grinned. “Right, dad? Launchpad?”

“Count me in” Launchpad grinned. “You’ll have the place up and running again in no time flat!”

“That’s awfully sweet of you all,” Morgana sniffed. “But I wouldn’t put that sort of pressure on you. Dark is right however, I do have the restaurant insured… I suppose I can rebuild.”

“That’s the spirit.” Darkwing kissed her cheek. “Look… you’ve had a rough night. Let me drive you home?”

Morgana gave a slight nod in response and allowed Darkwing to guide her toward the Ratcatcher. With the excitement done and over with, the crowd around the demolished restaurant had begun to disperse.

“Launchpad, could you take Gos home?”

“Aw, why can’t I come too? I can help cheer up Morgana!”

“Sorry, kiddo, not this time” Darkwing smirked. He wanted some ‘alone time’ with his girlfriend.

“C’mon Gos. If we get home in time we can watch Pelican’s Island an’ order some pizza.” Launchpad nudged the duckling encouragingly and gave Darkwing a knowing wink. Apparently the pilot wasn’t as dense he appeared, Darkwing thought to himself.

“All right…” Gosalyn conceded, and followed Launchpad. “But only if I get to pick the toppings! Pineapple, Bacon, and Anchovies should not be allowed on the same slice of pizza… it should be illegal or somethin’.”

Sighing gratefully at his daughter’s weakness for pizza, he turned to his girlfriend, who was gazing at the blackened structure that had formerly been her pride and joy.

“Do you… need a few moments alone?”

Morgana shook her head. “No… let’s go.”

Darkwing had been unsure of whether Morgana wanted him to stick around or leave once they had reached her mansion. Thankfully she was grateful for his company. He didn’t think he could just go home and leave her in such a broken state. Morgana had wordlessly curled herself up on the sofa in the living room and the sight of her made Darkwing’s heart ache. It wasn’t very often he saw her depressed and it made him feel helpless. He had always admired Morgana’s strength and determination, though it terrified him at times too. There were no words he could think of to lighten the situation… at least none that wouldn’t get him scorched. So instead the caped crusader opted to wrap his arms around her and run his fingers through her soft black hair. She was wearing it down now, and he couldn’t help but think that she should wear it like that more often. It framed her face and draped over her shoulders elegantly.

“I can’t believe it happened on the one-year anniversary…” she mumbled, pressing her face into Darkwing’s purple coat.

“These things just… happen,” was all he could manage to say. He felt like a total idiot. Why couldn’t he think of something more profound, like some uplifting words of wisdom?

“Dark, will you stay the night?”

“Hu…huh? Ah… yeah! Sure!” he stuttered. He was more than happy to get close to Morgana, and her request was incredibly unexpected.

She laced her fingers around his and pressed herself against his body. “I know you never liked the restaurant…” she whispered in his ear.

“Now I never…” He began to protest, but she pressed a finger to his bill and her mouth curled into the slightest of smiles.

“…But you support me regardless, and you have always been here for me. I love you, Darkwing… Drake.”

“I love you too, Morgana.” He grinned sheepishly. Even saying it now, despite their lengthy time together, always made him feel giddy inside.

Without another word the two embraced one another.

“Arson?! Are you sure?”

A week had passed since the fire and Darkwing, as Drake Mallard, was on the phone in his living room trying his best to sop up the coffee he had spat all over the table.

“That’s what the police are saying…” Morgana’s voice on the other end of the line was filled with sorrow.

“But… why? How? Are you sure it wasn’t an accident?” he sputtered with disbelief.

“The young fellow investigating it told me the fire began in multiple areas outside of the Chateau… which makes it hard for it to be incidental. And it would explain why it happened on the night of the anniversary.” She sighed. “But they still don’t know what was used to start the fire, and there appears to be no leads on who might be responsible…”

Drake thrummed his fingers against the table. “Listen, Morg, if some felonious fire starting fiend is behind this situation, then I’ll see to it that they’re caught! Mark my words, they’ll be sorry once they run into Darkwing Duck!”

“No!” she yelled into the phone. “Er… I mean, no. Perhaps you should leave this to the police?” her voice was eerily sweet. “I mean… you have far more important mysteries to be solving, and arson isn’t really…”

There was something suspicious in Morgana’s tone that Darkwing couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Morg,” he started slowly. “I know that small-time hooligans normally aren’t my thing, but you’re important to me. If someone is targeting you for whatever reason, I want them caught. What if they try something else? What if you get hurt because I just let this go?”

There was a short silence on the other end of the phone. “Oh, Dark” she laughed weakly. “I am more than capable of caring for myself, you know that. And I’d much rather you dedicate your time to something more meaningful. So let the police handle this one… please? For me?” she cooed.

Drake could practically hear her eyelashes fluttering at him across the line. “Oh, all right” he sighed. “For you, Morg.”

“It’s just…” she started sadly.

“Just what?”

“…Nothing. Never mind. I have to go check on my brew, but we’ll talk soon, yes?”

“Of course, Morg. How about dinner at my place soon?”

“Sounds thrilling. I can bring something along with me. I’ve been wanting to try this new recipe for caterpillar casserole I read about in my Sorcerer’s Soup Monthly…”

“Greeeeeat.”

After saying their goodbyes, Drake hung up the phone and slumped back into the couch with a sigh.

“Keen gear!” Gosalyn poked her head around the corner of the doorway. “So where are you gunna look for clues first to find the arsonist?”

“Well I… wait a minute how did you—were you listening in on my private phonecalls? AGAIN? And what makes you think I’m going to find the arsonist? I promised Morg I wouldn’t!”

“That hasn’t stopped you before.” Gosalyn smiled innocently. “You’ll find an excuse, because you can’t ignore something like this”. She knew him too well.

“Okay… you got me.” He grinned. “I was already thinking about the scene of the crime.”

Gosalyn crossed her arms. “Who’d wanna burn down Morgana’s restaurant? It’s not like she was hurting anybody!”

“No, just their digestive systems,” Drake muttered. “But you’re right… whoever did it had to be pretty dastardly… someone mean, and conniving… and destructive.”

“Negaduck!” they both shouted unanimously.

“Of course!” Drake snapped his fingers. “Why didn’t I think of that before? He already tried to ruin the restaurant once before with his attack squid.”

“It would be just like him to ruin her one-year anniversary” Gosalyn scowled.

“Looks like we have ourselves a lead. I think I ought to pay ‘ol Negs a visit. And if he is behind this, then this is far bigger than some small-time arsonist. Only Darkwing Duck can defeat the likes of my dastardly, yet dashing, evil twin!”

“Cool beans! Does that mean I get to help out?” Gosalyn’s eyes were gleaming with anticipation.

“Fine” Drake sighed. “But only if you’re careful, and you stay hidden when I’m dealing with Negaduck.” He waggled a finger at her warningly.

“Wicked sweet! Can I wear my Quiverwing Quack disguise?”

“Not that I LIKE you posing as a hero… but I suppose it protects your identity from the public when you’re seen with Darkwing.” He clicked his tongue and stood up. “Let’s get dangerous.”

Morgana stared at the phone and sighed. She wanted Darkwing to trust her, and more than anything she wanted to be able to tell him everything about herself… including her past. But what would he think? What if he thought of her as being truly villainous? No… she had to deal with this herself. She was responsible for the mess she was in now, and she needed to deal with it on her own. Darkwing couldn’t get involved… it would risk too much.

She only hoped it wasn’t too late.

***

And thus begins the first chapter! Hopefully I’ll actually finish this fic ;)

Also, special credit goes out to Cheezey, my beta reader for chapter one. Thanks Cheez!

Keep your eyes peeled at vaporshi (dot) deviantart (dot) com for story-related artwork.