i'd never ask you to forgive me

Summary: Goldie and Scrooge reunite after several years apart.

Word count: 4198

Warnings: None

January 1926; Miami, Florida

For the first year after her return to normal life, Goldie was struck with a very annoying thing the world had decided to introduce: prohibition.

Her saloon in Dawson and her hotels in Seattle and New Stork thrived on alcohol consumption. Fortunately, Canada gave up within two years, but her locations in America were struggling. By 1922, they’d been unable to serve alcohol to their guests for two years. Naturally, Goldie invested in some speakeasies near her hotels, but it wasn’t the same and the costs to bribe the police were steep. It was so much easier during the Gold Rush when law enforcement was cheaper to control.

With her businesses struggling, Goldie decided to diversify and spend some time focusing on treasure hunting and schmoozing with a more upscale crowd. Hanging out with rich people gave her the chance to treasure hunt on someone else’s dime, though she hated giving away a gem or ancient artifact that she’d worked so hard to get her hands on.

Spending time with rich people also gave Goldie an opportunity to learn what Scrooge was up to. Despite rarely being at these sorts of events, Scrooge McDuck always came up in conversation. He was already one of the richest men in the world - at least, for those people who made the entirety of their wealth public knowledge. Goldie chose not to do so and felt like her life was a lot easier because of that.

Scrooge McDuck owned a ridiculous number of businesses. He was involved in manufacturing, transportation, scientific innovation, technology, energy...and within his own city of Duckburg, which was (of course) thriving, he’d invested in the local hospitals and newspapers.

Despite all her knowledge of his many successes, Goldie hadn’t seen Scrooge for several years. She knew he’d escaped the ice back in 1919, but he’d never attempted to contact her. Which wasn’t unusual, but prior to their Golden Lagoon excursion, they’d been spending a decent bit of time together.

A small part of her thought about just going to Duckburg without any notice. Showing up at his home and throwing him for a loop.

But another part of her knew that’d be a bad idea. As much as she enjoyed getting under his skin and making him mad at her, being rejected from his home would feel...different. Worse.

Goldie went back and forth on these thoughts for a few years - adequately distracting herself with businesses and treasure hunting of her own - until one particular evening in January of 1926.

Goldie, being the owner of several hotels across the Americas (and coming soon: a new location in Lisbon!) had no choice but to attend the opening gala for the new Birdmore Hotel and Country Club down in Miami. It was supposed to be one of the biggest, fanciest destinations in the entire United States and Goldie knew she’d have to be there to see everything they had to offer.

It also helped that there was a rumor going around that they’d invited all the wealthiest people in the world to the gala. There would be celebrities and business owners and men of such substantial means that Goldie knew she’d feel a strong urge to pick their pockets just like she used to.

In anticipation of seeing a certain Scotsman at the event, Goldie went out and bought a new dress. She wasn’t a huge fan of the current styles in formal fashion, but she didn’t want to stand out too much just in case her sticky fingers got away from her. Despite that, she knew she’d have to spring for gold accents. It’d remind him of their roots.

Goldie drifted through the first hour of the gala with as much champagne as she could grab and plenty of idle chit-chat with any name she recognized that might be helpful for her hotels. But she couldn’t really focus on all of that when her mind kept wandering.

Was Scrooge actually going to show up? Just because he was invited didn’t mean he’d grace anyone with his presence. Everyone knew he tended to keep to himself. But maybe-

Her heart skipped a beat when she finally saw him.

Scrooge entering the room garnered a significant amount of attention - clearly he hadn’t made any public appearances in a while and some notable people wanted to shake his hand.

Goldie smirked as Scrooge dismissed them without a care. That was her Scroogey, alright.

She watched him walk across the room, right towards the champagne tower, and immediately set down her half-full glass so she could walk over there and pretend to casually run into him. Perfect plan, as usual.

He was still deciding which glass to take as she made her way to the table. Goldie quickly reached over and grabbed the exact one he was reaching for, happy that his first reaction was to turn and glare at her.

His glare quickly transformed into a stunned expression.

“Hey there, Scroogey.”

---

He’d been feeling old.

It wasn’t unreasonable, being that he was technically almost sixty. Scrooge spent several years trapped in ice, he’d started visiting other worlds which occasionally sent him back and forth in time, and he’d taken a page out of Goldie’s book and sipped some water from a fountain of youth he found in the Horn of Africa. But all that really did was extend his life. It didn’t actually make him feel younger in his head.

He felt changed by the experience in White Agony Plains. He’d realized during that time that he was capable of love and he was very much in love with Goldie, despite her not feeling the same way. Or maybe she did feel the same way, but she just didn’t think it was important. Either way, she’d made her priorities pretty clear.

When he returned home from that adventure, he was surprised to learn that his businesses were doing just fine without him. It seemed he’d gotten to the point in his moneymaking where everything took care of itself.

His businesses were like well-oiled machines. And that meant he wasn’t as necessary as he once was.

With that in mind, Scrooge dove into treasure hunting. Treasure hunting led to some of his greatest achievements and taught him more about the world than anything else ever could. Without treasure hunting, his parents would probably be dead, since it seemed the runes he’d collected to rebuild their castle had done something to extend their lives. His sisters, too, seemed just as young as the day he’d rebuilt it.

In 1919, Matilda and Hortense finally decided to come with him to Duckburg. It seemed that in the five years that he didn’t respond to any letters from them, they’d made up their minds. It was a nice distraction from how little he was needed at work, but they didn’t enjoy what he did and quickly went off on their own.

Matilda ran off to wherever she felt like going, deciding to roam the world with jazz musicians and flappers and other people that he didn’t understand. Hortense, on the other hand, almost immediately hit it off with some local named Quackmore. They spent a few months screaming at each other and then she brought him back to Scotland with her.

Scrooge had only gotten a few letters from them since then. It seemed that Quackmore enjoyed the castle and wanted to stay there for a while. Scrooge wondered if he’d stop aging, too.

And of course his parents had no interest in leaving Glasgow. Scrooge had invited them several dozen times - at least to visit, not to stay, but they weren’t interested. All they wanted was for him to come back home and visit them.

Which, to be fair, Scrooge had done a number of times. Being trapped in ice for five years tended to make a person homesick.

But when he was back in Duckburg, Scrooge was starting to feel dissatisfied. He loved his wealth and his money bin and how the businesses he’d created and technology he’d invested in were helping to shape the world...but he was still missing something.

Sometimes, when Scrooge was feeling particularly lonely, he’d open a box of keepsakes from his gold rush days and stare at them for hours. Just remembering old times.

Remembering Goldie.

It was frustrating. He didn’t want to spend his time thinking about her, especially not after she’d broken his heart so completely. She saw him - saw the love in his eyes and the tenderness in his hand - and still chose to walk away. But he’d tried moving on before to no avail. No other person made him feel the way that Goldie did.

So he just enjoyed the memories of their time together, not sure if or when he’d see her again. She always managed to creep back into his life whenever she wanted, but it’d been over five years without sight or sound of her. Scrooge started wondering at a certain point if she’d moved on to find a man she actually did love more than gold and treasure.

Those thoughts led Scrooge to the realization that he needed a social life. He didn’t need to pursue romance, but he needed to talk to more people than just business associates and employees. He needed to talk to people on his level, upstanding citizens of note, not celebrities but like-minded businessfolk who could keep up with him.

An extravagant gala representing a new hotel and country club down in Florida was exactly the kind of event Scrooge needed to get himself back out there. Maybe he’d meet other millionaire-slash-treasure-hunters that he could partner with in the future. Maybe he’d make friends with some royalty that could help him travel internationally more easily, or even expand his businesses into their territory. Maybe he’d…

“Hey there, Scroogey.”

...fall back into the same habits he always did.

“Goldie O’Gilt,” Scrooge said with a frown. Unable to help himself, he eyed her dress up and down. She looked absolutely fantastic in a black and gold gown that hugged every curve of her body. “What are you doin’ here?”

Goldie smiled and checked him out as well, clearly enjoying the tail-coated tuxedo he was sporting for the event. “This is a gala for a hotel, sourdough. That’s kind of my wheelhouse.”

He huffed and grabbed the champagne glass out of her hand, taking a big sip before she could take it back.

Goldie just continued to smile. It felt like old times, almost. She grabbed herself a new glass and stepped closer to him. “Haven’t seen you in a bit.”

Another long sip. “And whose fault is that?”

She didn’t seem surprised by his accusation and drank the rest of her glass before placing it on a tray nearby. Her cheeks were a little flushed, likely from all the free champagne she’d been enjoying, and it made her look even more enticing.

“You’re not still mad, are you? It’s been half a decade!”

Scrooge huffed and glared. Just because someone once said time heals all wounds didn’t mean it was true. “You left me for dead, you devilish dobber, how am I supposed to feel?”

Goldie shook her head and turned to look at the crowd dancing around them. Scrooge stared at her profile as she stayed silent. He wanted an answer and he knew she wasn’t going to give him one.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked.

Scrooge’s eyes widened, surprised by the question. “I...what?”

“Dance. With me?” Goldie held out her hand, acting like it was the most normal, casual question she could possibly ask him.

And maybe it was. Scrooge stared at her hand and realized, in that moment, that Goldie might not have intended to shatter his heart the way she did. She might not have even realized she did it. She didn’t seem impacted at all by their five years together. Did she really just not understand how he felt?

He put down his champagne glass and took her hand, letting Goldie guide him onto the dance floor. If she didn’t know, then it’d be better for both of them if he kept it to himself.

For the moment.

And so they swayed. Scrooge was reminded of dozens of times before when their bodies moved together in sync, and Goldie’s sultry expression wasn’t helping him gather his thoughts back to the present. He was so, so frustrated with her, but there was something about having her in his arms that made everything feel worth it.

She stepped to the side and Scrooge dipped her, almost instinctively, which distracted him from his thoughts. Loving Goldie O’Gilt wasn’t easy, but he was Scrooge McDuck. There was nothing he loved more than a challenge.

Goldie smiled at him as he brought her back up, her hands gently laying on his shoulders. She looked glamorous. She looked like she’d been doing more than fine over the past few years, and Scrooge hated himself for being mad about that.

“How old are you now, Scroogey?” she asked as they swayed across the dance floor.

Scrooge took a moment to think about that. “Almost sixty. And yet here you are, lookin’ not a day over forty.”

She laughed and brought one hand up to rest against his cheek. “I’d say you’re looking younger than you should, too. Where’d you go? Bahamas?”

“Bahamas?” Scrooge looked baffled, but continued to spin in time with the song. “No, I was in Africa...is there a fountain down on those islands?”

“Sure is,” Goldie said with a smirk. “It’s a great spot, too. Beautiful beaches, lovely people. Great place to cuddle up and watch the waves.”

They spun around and Scrooge furrowed his brow, trying to figure out why she said that. “...so you were cuddlin’ up with someone?”

She tilted her head and he blushed as he realized his fumble. “Or...it doesnae matter. It’s your business.”

Goldie smiled as the song started to end and she leaned forward, holding tightly onto his shoulders and gracing her beak against the side of Scrooge’s head so she could whisper to him. “No one else is worth cuddling.”

She backed off and wandered towards a table covered in food while Scrooge tried to fight the darkening blush across his cheeks. She could always get his heart racing with barely any effort. It was almost insane how easily they fell back into place and he wondered if he would come off as a complete idiot if they continued where they’d left off and he pretended she hadn’t completely shattered him. But as he watched her walk away...he really wanted to.

He followed her to see what food was available and decided to play his luck. Scrooge put an arm around Goldie’s waist and let his hand rest on her hip.

Goldie glanced at him for a moment, then grabbed a small plate with some strawberries on it. She turned back to Scrooge, letting his hand slide across her back to her other hip, and pressed a strawberry against the front of his beak.

Damn her, he thought as he accepted the fruit. Anytime he felt like his embarrassment was under control, she’d figure out something else to do that would make his face burn again. But, well...he did like strawberries.

“Scrooge McDuck? Is that you?”

Scrooge and Goldie both turned around to see a posh swan couple walking their way. They were covered in jewels and designer clothes and Scrooge immediately recognized them: Arthur Curtiss Swann and his wife Harriet. They owned several fine restaurants and Arthur’s family had invested heavily in the railroads across the United States.

In other words...they were wealthier than Scrooge.

He put on his fakest smile. “Arthur! Harriet, good to see both of ye,” Scrooge said as he shook Arthur’s hand.

“I’m surprised to see you here, McDuck!” Arthur said with a haughty expression. “You’ve never been one for these social events before.”

“I’m usually too busy,” Scrooge responded, trying to think of a way to get out of the conversation. As much as he knew networking was important for business, he just was not in the mood to deal with a man who was born into wealth.

“I see. Well, then I imagine your stunning companion is the reason you’ve graced this party with your presence,” Arthur continued as he tipped his hat at Goldie. Harriet gave her a nod.

Goldie was surprised to be included in the conversation at all, but certainly enjoyed the pink on Scrooge’s cheeks at the public acknowledgement of their relationship.

Scrooge cleared his throat. “Ah, yes, um...this is-”

“Dora Cintilante,” Goldie said and held out her hand for Arthur to kiss. “My, ah, inglês...not good. Bom te conhecer!”

"Lovely to meet you, Miss Cintilante."

Scrooge stared at her like she was an alien as Arthur stepped back. He didn’t know what con she was playing, but he wasn’t excited to find out.

As the Swanns talked amongst themselves for a moment, Scrooge leaned over to whisper angrily. “What the hell was that?”

“It’s called having fun,” Goldie whispered back. “You don’t like Portuguese?”

“It’s fine,” Scrooge grumbled, not interested in finding out when and why she learned the language.

Goldie glared at the side of his head and leaned over once more. “How’s your Portuguese, Scroogey?”

He elbowed her lightly in the arm. “I know it well enough, Dora. So dinnae try to embarrass me!”

Arthur and Harriet started talking to Scrooge again, and Goldie was happy she’d played herself the foreigner so she could tune them out without offending. She really wanted to steal from these rich, uppity, super-tall swans, but she was trying to be good. If she limited her thefts to treasure hunts and occasionally Scrooge, she’d never have to worry about the law and that was kind of ideal.

But that didn’t mean she had to be on her best behavior.

When there was a sizable pause in Scrooge’s conversation, she reached up one hand to his shoulder and tugged herself up to whisper in his ear again. This time she spoke only in Portuguese, and everything she said was positively, absolutely, excruciatingly dirty.

She whispered things she wanted to do to him. Things she wanted him to do to her. Places they’d do those things. When they would do those things. Anything she could think of.

And Scrooge’s face was getting so red, she could feel the heat radiating off of his feathers. He really shouldn’t have asked her not to embarrass him, because he knew her well enough to know that’d become her primary goal for the evening.

“Everything alright?”

Scrooge held back a growl and smiled at the Swanns. “Sorry, my...friend here needs me to escort her to the washroom. If you’ll excuse us,” Scrooge said with a tip of his hat.

The Swanns were unbothered and simply nodded, finally getting the food they’d come over for in the first place.

Meanwhile, Scrooge and Goldie were walking in the direction of the bathrooms while she continued to whisper inappropriate things to him. Scrooge didn’t plan to say a word in response until they were out of earshot of any other partygoers - they’d crossed the main hall, turned left down a long hallway, and then turned into another small corridor that seemed to be abandoned for the evening.

Finally they stopped, and Goldie had finished whispering her sweet nothings to him minutes earlier. She just stood next to him and waited for the explosion.

Scrooge’s face was red and she couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or anger. Probably both. Both would make the most sense. But if he wasn’t going to just yell at her or whatever, then she’d have to start the conversation.

“C’mon Scrooge, lighten up! I was just having-”

Her words were cut off by Scrooge kissing her roughly and shoving her against the nearest wall. Goldie wasn’t used to him being so physically dominant, and as much as she enjoyed running things, she enjoyed his lack of self-control even more.

Scrooge was grinding up against her as they made out and Goldie was absolutely loving it. She wondered if they would get caught and banned if they fucked right there in the hallway. It wasn’t like anyone was nearby or looking for them, so it sounded like a great idea to her.

After another minute of heated kissing and dry-humping, Scrooge pulled away enough to stare at her reddened face. He took a few deep breaths before kissing her again. “You’re incorrigible.”

Goldie peppered kisses all over his beak and started tugging at the buttons of his shirt. "What are you gonna do? Spank me?" she asked coyly, breathing out a little laugh.

Scrooge was squeezing her hips and reflexively starting to bunch up her dress. Her suggestion made him pause. She was making fun of him, but Scrooge wondered if there was more to it than that. He moved his head down to kiss and preen at her neck. "...maybe I will."

Though she probably hoped he didn't notice, Goldie suddenly sucked in a breath at his response. "Should we…" She paused, distracted by another kiss. "...get a room?"

"At these prices?" Scrooge growled. "I'd rather get caught."

Goldie laughed and suddenly hopped in the air to wrap her legs around him. Scrooge rested his hands under her ass to hold her up.

"Come on, Scroogey," Goldie mumbled, then she went back to her Portuguese dirty talk.

Scrooge growled and kissed her again.

---

---

The two ducks made their way back to the gala just twenty minutes later, both trying their best not to look disheveled. But they never actually found the bathrooms and had to rely on each other's eyes instead of a mirror.

"I cannae believe a fancy place like this doesnae have mirrors on every wall," Scrooge commented dryly as they seamlessly stepped back into the crowd.

"Maybe they're trying to make some statement about vanity," Goldie responded, though she was clearly much more interested in the food being brought out. "Looks like it's dinnertime, hon."

Scrooge walked behind her as they went to get food - real food this time, not just snacks and appetizers - and started to get frustrated with himself again. He was in love with her, yes, he had fully accepted that. Was it alright for him to just...spend time with her and have sex with her like before? He enjoyed being with her, but he had a niggling worry that it'd become some kind of self-punishment down the line when she inevitably betrayed him at every turn. He shouldn’t keep up this behavior if he knew it was going to hurt him.

Goldie turned to him and flashed her positively winning smile.

Scrooge sighed. She was definitely worth it.

Goldie had a plate of swordfish and roasted potatoes in her hand. She was excited to chow down, but since it seemed Scrooge was officially her date at this event, she decided to wait for him before taking her seat.

As he grabbed a plate for himself, she took a moment to think about things. Her night was going so much better than she'd expected. Scrooge didn't seem any madder at her than usual, she'd gotten to trick some rich people unnecessarily, and Scrooge had proven, once again, that he was smart and tough and sharp and always learning and improving. Always improving.

He'd looked so upset back in the ice that she'd been...worried. But it must've been like she thought - he was just touch-starved. It made sense. He wasn’t really heartbroken. So maybe he wouldn't be against treasure hunting with her again. She really didn't have as much fun on her own.

They sat down at the nearest table and started to eat. The food was delicious and none of the couples at the table were paying much attention to each other, everyone was focused solely on the food.

Until a man with a thick Australian accent started talking to his date in a quiet whisper. Goldie couldn't help but listen in and she knew that Scrooge was doing the same.

"...a vein of gold so large…"

"...gathering an expedition team…"

"...Ayers Rock…"

Goldie glanced over at Scrooge, who happened to look back at the exact same moment. They smiled at each other and Goldie knew exactly what that meant: they were going to Australia to find that gold before this man and his team did.

"I can leave for Alice Springs in two days," Scrooge mumbled in broken-but-comprehensible Portuguese. "Will you be ready?"

Goldie's heart fluttered at his invitation. She'd really overestimated his sadness if he was going to start giving her formal invitations. She smiled brightly and spoke back with a much better grasp of the language. "Where should I meet you? ...Duckburg?"

She'd still never been.

"No, no," Scrooge said with a shake of his head. "I have business up in Vancouver tomorrow. Meet me at Pearson Airpark?"

Goldie smiled and took another bite of her potatoes. She refused to be disappointed that they weren't flying out of his home town. "Sounds perfect."

REAL HISTORY FACTS:
- Everything I wrote about prohibition here is true lol Canada only enacted prohibition from 1918-1920, though on Prince Edward Island and Ontario they lasted longer. In comparison, the US had prohibition from 1920-1933.
- On January 15, 1926, the Biltmore Hotel/Country Club held a gigantic gala that was considered the social event of the year. Tons of rich and famous people were there.
- Bimini, Bahamas is a supposed fountain of youth location
- The Horn of Africa is another supposed fountain of youth location
- Arthur Curtiss James was a wealthy owner of mines and railroads thanks to his rich daddy and richer granddaddy! His wife was Harriet Eddy Parsons.
- Alice Springs Airport opened in 1921, mostly just for military stuff. It's the closest international airport to Uluru (which is the native name for Ayer's Rock)
- Pearson Field Airport was built in the early 1900s under the name Pearson Airpark. In Vancouver!

DUCK FRANCHISE REFERENCES:
- "Dora Cintilante" is Goldie's name in the Brazilian translations of the comics (not sure if they change her name for the shows or not). Dora means gold, Cintilante is, like, cintilating. It's cute. Goldie's name in Italian is Doretta Doremi - Doretta being like a cute nickname for gold and Do-Re-Mi like musical notes. I love that name lol