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Donald was just arrived from his last job; he was fired up… again. How would he explain that to his uncle? Donald sighed, it was hard for him to keep a job, but it was harder since Della's kids, his nephews were kidnapped ten years ago.
In fact, Donald felt guilty about that. Then years ago, during the war against Magica De Spell, he was supposed to take care of the three kids, but when he saw his twin sister in danger, he couldn't stop himself, he had to help her. So, he ran to save Della leaving the three kids alone, and it was in during this time when the three of them disappeared. Donald never forgave himself for that. It was his fault! Because he left the kids alone, they were kidnapped, taken from his family, maybe forever.
Uncle Scrooge and Della, never blamed him, if it wasn't for Donald, Della would probably die, he saved her life, he saved the kids from be orphans, but the sailor dressed duck didn't saw it in the same way that his uncle and his twin. He had a mission, he had to protect his nephews and he failed doing it. He was good for nothing, he proved that once and again, and again, and again… why was even possible that uncle Scrooge let him still live with them?
Donald sighed again and opened the door. Just cross the threshold, Donald saw his uncle standing there, with a surprised look in his face, something happened while he wasn't at home?
"Nephew! Ye're back earlier than expected, why is that?" asked Scrooge with surprised and maybe a little scared voice. Donald raised an eyebrow, completely surprised for his uncle reaction, it looked like if he didn't wanted Donald to be at home. Why was that?
Well he could find out about it later, right now he decided to answer his uncle question saying:
"I… I've been fired up… again"
Scrooge looked at him sympathetically and then sighing, he asked:
"Because of your anger?"
Donald smiled a little and with sad voice, he asked:
"What else could be?"
Uncle laughed a little, but suddenly he stopped and looking over his shoulder and then to Donald again, he said to the younger duck:
"Donald… something happened while ye're out, just… be prepared nephew"
Those words made the sailor dressed duck feel a little of fear, what was his uncle talking about?
Donald swallowed and after taking a deep breath, he asked to richest duck in the world:
"What's going on uncle Scrooge?"
His uncle looked over his shoulder once again and then looking at him one last time, he just answered:
"Ask to your sister, I've other things to do"
Just after say that, uncle Scrooge stormed out of the view. Donald was surprised because in a less than a second he disappeared from sight. Donald turned around and found the older duck up the stairs. Finding him there, he called him:
"Wait! Uncle Scrooge"
Before Donald could get an answer from his uncle, his twin sister showed up with a giant smile in her beak. Just after of see him, she shouted with joyful voice:
"Donnie? Oh, you're back! I've an awesome new to for you"
"Really? and what new is it?" more intrigued than before, the lack of words of his uncle and the enthusiasm of Della made him want to know what was going on immediately.
Della approached to him and taking him by the shoulders, she said with loud voice:
"They're back!"
Donald opened his eyes in surprise. Who was Della talking about?
"What? Who's back?" he asked with confused voice.
Della's eyes shined, it was obvious that she was plenty of joy, and Donald was about to find out why:
"My kids Donald! You're nephews!" screamed Della completely excited.
Donald couldn't believe what he just heard. Completely confused, he asked:
"W-what?"
"It's true Donald! Are them!" repeated Della.
Donald sighed, he knew that something similar happened before. Della really wanted so badly to recover her lost sons, and there was people that knowing this, used this intel in their profit, presenting triplet kids and making them pretending that they were his sister lost children. Donald was absolutely sure that this was like the other times that this happened. For this reason, the sailor dressed duck said to his twin:
"Della… you know that this isn't the first time that this happens, you know that others pretended to be them… even Ma Beagle dressed some of her kids as ducklings, to make us believe they were your kids"
"This time is different!" assured Della still with a joyful smile.
Donald raised an eyebrow again and with suspicious voice, he asked:
"Why?"
"I'm sure that they are them" answered Della.
Donald closed his eyes. Della seemed to be blind with everything that could be related with her children. Actually, the sailor dressed duck hated to be the voice of reason in those cases, but someone had to talk with the pilot duck and make her enter in reason. This was why after cleaning his throat, Donald said to his twin:
"You were sure before and then it turned to be that you were wrong, why it's different this time?!"
"Mother instinct!" answered Della sounding a little angry. This answer only made Donald start to be angry too, how could his twin dare to scream to him like this, he was just trying to help her, to avoid her another depression after discover that someone tried to trick them again.
Narrowing his eyes, Donald asked then with angry voice too:
"Oh really?!"
Della faced him bravely and then she answered:
"Of course! I know what I'm talking about!"
"Let me doubt it!" replied Donald with his face turning read. The two twins were face to face, looking each other angrily. Suddenly a new voice joined to the twins dialogue:
"You know? You two are very loud"
Donald turned to the origin of the new voice and he was surprised when he saw a duckling dressed in blue with his hands on his hips. Blinking a few times, Donald asked to the new duck:
"What? Who are you?"
The duckling pointed to himself and answered sounding a little annoyed:
"I'm Dewey, one of your nephews apparently"
Donald opened his eyes in completely surprise, and before he could stop himself, he said:
"What? It's impossible!"
"Impossible? You don't seem happy to see us uncle Donald" said a new voice. Just after that, another duckling appeared walking to the hall, this duckling was wearing a green hooded jacket and he had his hands in his pockets.
Donald waited a few seconds, expecting for a third duck to appear, but when this didn't happened, with confused voice, the sailor dressed duck asked:
"Just two?"
After say this question, a new and unheard voice since then, joined the dialogue too, saying:
"As long as I know triplet means be three, and as you can see, we are three"
The last duckling appeared. This one had his arms crossed over his chest, he seemed to be wearing a red shirt, but what truly caught Donald's attention was that this duckling was wearing a leather jacket.
The same leather jacket that covered the three boys the night that they disappeared. Could that mean…? Was it-?
"Is…? Is it possible? Can it really be you?" asked Donald with trembling voice, Donald realized that he couldn't move. From all the impostors that came to the mansion claiming to be the lost triplets, those three really seemed to be real triplets, and one of them was wearing the same jacket that disappeared with them, could it be a coincidence or there was a chance that they truly were his missing nephews? Now, it couldn't be, it had to be a plan of someone who was trying to get his uncle money, there was no other explanation-
"You seem to don't have eyes on your face, right Louie?" said the blue dressed duckling that presented himself as Dewey, he had a confident smile in his beak, the same smile that Della put when she was sure about something.
This duckling turned his head to the one dressed in green, Louie as he called him, who actually was leaning against the living room door frame. This duckling nodded, his eyes a little closed remembered Donald to one of the portraits of the McDuck castle. This little duck was putting the same face.
Looking at the duck dressed in blue-er Dewey, this little kid, Louie, answered to him:
"I totally agree with you, dear Dewey"
Donald hear the third duckling sigh and then the boy said:
"Well, maybe he don't believe that we're the lost triplets, like Scrooge, it can also be possible that at some point they lose the faith that we could someday come back"
"You think so, Huey?" asked Dewey looking to him.
So, the last one is called Huey… those were the names wrote on every blanket that also covered the kids the night that they disappeared: Huey, in a red blanket; Dewey, in a blue one; and Louie in a green one. If those kids weren't the real triplets, Donald had to admit the they made a really good job pretending to be them, dressing with the same colors of the blankets and even naming each other like them, they matched the names and colors of the blankets. Really clever if it was just a plan.
Suddenly Huey pointed at him specifically cutting the adult duck from his inner thoughts. The duckling dressed in red looked at the other ducklings and then he said:
"Just look at them"
Louie looked at him too and after close his eyes, he sighed and said with tired voice:
"Well, you probably are right Huey, maybe they don't even love us"
From the corner of the eye, Donald could see how his twin sister eyes were instantly opened in fear, and as faster as she could, she knelt in front of the three boys and said:
"What?! No, no, no, no, don't care about what your uncles can say, I know you're my kids, and I promise that I'll give to you all what I couldn't give in the last ten years, we'll be a very happy family, you'll see, right Donald?"
"… Oh! Right, yeah, well, I guess…" answered Donald.
The sailor dressed duck was really confused and he didn't thought in what he was answering, he just was watching the three kids that claimed to be the lost triplets, the truly looked very similar to each other, and as he realized sooner, he could see similar traits between the kids and other family members. Dewey looked very similar to Della, Donald could see in Louie some gestures that reminded him to… Gladstone. And about the one called Huey… Donald couldn't say why, but this kid reminded him a little to his cousin Fethry. Was it possible? Could they truly be the lost triplets? Was that the reason why uncle Scrooge avoid to talk with him?
Maybe uncle Scrooge was suspicious about those kids, but he couldn't be absolutely sure that they actually weren't his lost nephews, maybe he wanted to have Donald meet the kids on his own and without having any prejudge from the Scottish duck and after meeting them, they could have a talk, just the two of them about how possible it was that those were really their boys.
Donald wanted to believe really hard that those three ducklings were his nephews, but… what if they weren't? Donald wouldn't be able to overcome a blow like that, no before accept them as his nephews, he'd to find convincing and irrefutable evidence that they were the kids the lose ten years ago. Only after having those evidences, he'd dare to open his heart to them.
But until this would happen, Donald decided to be at a security distance from those kinds. Only time would say if those kids were telling the truth or not…
On the bottom of his heart, and despite not wanting to recognize it openly, Donald truly hoped that those three ducklings would really be his sister's lost kids.