i wanna know me like you do

Summary: Goldie visits Duckburg after a long, long absence.

Word count: 4710

Warnings: None

1949; Duckburg

On her trip from China to Iran to France to Canada to Calisota, Goldie had plenty of time to catch up on some of the things she’d missed.

First big thing: there’d been another World War. Alright. That one thing contained a lot of little pieces of information and she spent a nine-hour flight just trying to learn as much as she could about it. It certainly explained all the fear and anxiety from the Chinese civilians she’d interacted with.

Second big thing: the planes she’d been a passenger on were much nicer than they used to be. Felt safer and more comfortable. So some significant technological advancements had happened. Goldie wondered if Scrooge had anything to do with any of that.

She’d looked him up when she got to France, happy to browse the French newspapers since it was a language she’d been familiar with since her childhood. She found an article about Scrooge investing in some German airship that crashed and killed a bunch of people. She found articles about how Scrooge, as of 1947, was the second-richest man in the world. How did they determine something like that? It seemed like it’d be a hard number to come up with out of the blue.

But still, she was happy for him. That was what he wanted, after all.

It was frustrating to hear about how well he was doing, though. Goldie didn’t want him to be a miserable sack of pathetic nothingness, but she had hoped her being out of his life for such a long time would at least have thrown him off his game. She didn’t see anything from the mid- to late-1930s that indicated he’d had a meltdown of any sort, so...she supposed he didn’t care all that much.

Privately, she hoped he’d hid it well.

---

Goldie wandered through Duckburg with a hollow feeling in her chest. The whole town looked so different than the last time she’d been there. There were new stores and shops everywhere, so many cars, so many more people. But Scrooge’s mansion on top of the hill and his giant money bin looked exactly the same.

It reminded her that Scrooge wasn’t someone who liked to change. He’d be the same old Scrooge she’d known for fifty years.

She paused in her stroll as the number fifty repeated in her head.

Fifty years was a long time. She’d known Scrooge for more than half her life.

Goldie turned and looked in a nearby window, seeing how long her hair had gotten. Her bangs had grown out completely and it made her feel weird to see a hairstyle she hadn’t sported since she was a teenager.

As she glanced down at her torn and ratty clothes, Goldie figured she should at least make herself presentable. It wasn’t like she was trapped anymore. She could go shopping and eat nice food and get a haircut before barging back into Scrooge’s life. From all the reading material she found, it didn’t seem like he had a wife or anything, but that didn’t mean he was alone. She wanted to show him the same face he’d fallen for so many years ago.

It was hard to put off seeing him any longer, but Goldie figured an extra hour or two wouldn’t make much of a difference.

---

Scrooge McDuck was old and tired.

At the tender age of eighty-two, he’d been all around the world, collected hundreds of treasures and artifacts, he’d traveled to dozens of different dimensions and made friends and enemies in each and every one of them. He’d climbed mountains and found sunken ships. He routinely fought off evil witches who appeared out of nowhere and he regularly dealt with a gigantic family of criminals who were trying to steal his fortune.

Since he started out as a poor foreign boy trying to make it in America on his own, Scrooge definitely considered himself a success story.

That being said, despite all his riches and businesses - he fixed his family’s ancestral castle and he had his own butler! - Scrooge felt like he was missing something.

He knew what it was. He knew who it was. But she’d died over a decade ago and Scrooge hadn’t even considered the possibility of moving on. He’d known since the 1910’s that no one would ever make him feel the same way that Goldie did.

Scrooge sighed and walked over to his desk, pulling out a thin, white envelope with his name scribbled across the front. Thinking about Goldie always made him want to reread her letter. It was hard, but when he’d first received it he spent months thinking about it every…single…day.

“Mr. McDuck? Here’s your mail.”

“Just put it on the pile,” Scrooge scowled and waved a dismissive hand at his butler. “All a bunch of bills ‘n charities beggin’ for my money!”

“Actually, sir…” Quackmore said hesitantly. “There’s something new today.”

“And what’s that?”

“...a handwritten letter from Miss O’Gilt.”

Scrooge’s head whipped around and he stared at the envelope in his butler’s hands. After a few seconds of hesitation and anxiety, he forewent all his paperwork and grabbed it, gripping the edge of the envelope roughly.

Quackmore didn’t say anything as Scrooge held the envelope up to the light of the window, trying to see through it. It was obviously just a piece of paper inside. But a piece of paper could still contain a lie or a con. There was no way to say one way or another without opening it up.

“...would you like me to leave, sir?” Quackmore asked.

Scrooge sighed and held the envelope in both hands. “I got a letter from Goldie once before. Only once.”

Quackmore didn’t respond, assuming Scrooge wasn’t interested in a two-way conversation.

“I didnae read it. Didnae even look at it. I just assumed her words would be cruel and awful so I threw it in the snow and never looked back.” Scrooge ran his thumb over his name, the ink smearing a little bit. “I cannae do that again. But...what could she possibly be writin’ me about?”

His butler frowned and felt the urge to comfort Scrooge, though he quickly ignored that urge and straightened his back again. “There’s only one way to find out, sir.”

“Right. Of course,” Scrooge mumbled. He glanced at the address the letter came from and frowned. “Mongolia? She’s...still there? After two years?” His brain started overthinking and Scrooge wondered if her ‘contact’ from their Gobi Desert adventure was more than just a ‘contact’. Maybe she got married and moved there and this letter was just her way of breaking the news!

Quackmore shifted his feet awkwardly as he watched his boss having a brief mental breakdown. “Um...sir?”

Scrooge shook his head and looked up. “Yes?”

“...the letter?”

“O-oh. Right, yes.” He was visibly nervous as he tore the edge of the envelope. He knew he was thinking too hard. Was Goldie the type of person to settle down? No, of course not. And if she was, then...why would she always be popping into Scrooge’s life? He didn’t really think he was her dirty little secret. If anything, she was his!

Scrooge pulled the letter out of its envelope and frowned at himself. No, she wasn’t his secret. He genuinely loved her and if she really loved him and wanted him to, then he would parade her around the world for everyone to see. But she didn’t, so he wouldn’t.

He unfolded the paper and felt his heart jump at the date in the corner. The letter was written two years ago. She wasn’t still in Mongolia, then. So why did it only send now?

Not wanting to lose to his anxieties, Scrooge finally started to read Goldie’s words. The letter wasn’t long, but it said a lot. A lot more than he ever imagined getting from her.

Quackmore desperately wanted to know what the letter said, but continued to stand there because Scrooge hadn’t dismissed him properly and he knew from Goldie-related experiences that his boss might need a drink or to go for a drive immediately after. She had a hold on him that Quackmore did not understand, but he was never one for romance. Still, he was curious. And his curiosity only grew when Scrooge started to laugh.

“...Mr. McDuck?” Quackmore asked.

Scrooge had covered his eyes with one hand and started laughing while he put the letter down on his desk. His laugh sounded hollow and pained, and as he pulled his hand away Quackmore could see his boss was crying.

Unable to stop himself, Quackmore grabbed the letter and scanned it quickly before Scrooge could take it away from him.

“Oh...Mr. McDuck, I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, putting the letter back down. “Are you, um...do you need anything?”

Scrooge’s shoulders were shaking and he was staring up at the ceiling, unable to stop himself from crying and unable to get up from his chair. He felt like he was going to pass out. “Of course Goldie manages to break me again!”

Quackmore frowned.

“Even from the afterlife, she just…” Scrooge leaned forward and grabbed the letter again. “...she just completely...she always knows how to ruin me.”

Listening to his boss was making him feel anxious, so Quackmore finally decided to leave the room. “I’ll go get you something to drink.”

Scrooge didn’t respond and just read Goldie’s words over and over again. He couldn’t stop. Every curve and angle in her handwriting was captivating and he never wanted to look away. He wished so much that he could’ve seen her one last time.

Scrooge -

If you’re getting this, I’m probably dead. I can’t really explain how or why because I don’t know yet. But I’m about to do something a bit stupid and dangerous, so I thought I should write a little something for you just in case I never come back.

I hope you know that I love you. I really do. Despite everything, I always enjoy waking up next to you and listening to you talk in your sleep. I miss you when we’re not together. And we aren’t together often, so...I miss you a lot.

This is turning into a lot of sappy bullshit. I guess potentially being on death’s door will do that to a person. I don’t know. Maybe I won’t be dead, maybe I’ll just be lost. But don’t waste your time trying to find me. I know you've got better things to do with your time.

Alright, this is getting long. I was supposed to keep it short and sweet, but thinking about saying goodbye to you is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I guess I should've known, you've been the biggest part of my life and I wouldn't be who I am without you.

XOXO

GG

For days, Scrooge had thought the letter was a trap.

He didn't understand what the trap could be or where Goldie was or why she'd sent him a letter that was so...emotional and heartbreaking, but he didn't want to believe that Goldie could be dead. She'd survived so much and the idea of her just throwing it away to chase some dangerous scheme was a bit too much for him.

For over a year, Scrooge assumed Goldie was still alive and would come back any day. She'd sent the letter to goad him, and when he didn't respond she would have to come get him herself.

After all that time with no response, Scrooge finally took a trip back to Dawson. Her properties were still there and he knew she spent a decent amount of time in town. But the Blackjack employees were no help. They hadn't seen her in years.

Years.

It was at that point, in 1936, that Scrooge had finally started to accept the reality. Goldie O'Gilt was most likely dead. She was dead and...she loved him. Actually, genuinely loved him. Why did he have to learn both things at the exact same time? Was there anything in the world more cruel than that?

There was still a little part of him that was holding onto the ‘most likely’ and all the (many) questionable parts of Goldie’s letter, so for two more years Scrooge checked in on her hotel every other month just to see if they’d heard anything. Each time they had not. And eventually the woman at the front desk said she’d checked the other hotels, and Goldie hadn’t been at any of them, either.

Scrooge faltered at the concept of other hotels. Then he thought back to his and Goldie’s conversations over the years and realized he’d thought she was exaggerating her own success or lying to get into fancy parties. But when he looked into it, it seemed that...Goldie did own a few hotels. All around the world. And they were nice. He had a brief moment of frustration when he realized he could’ve been staying in her hotels, probably for free, when he was on business trips in those cities.

He sighed and laid his head down on his desk.

By 1938, Scrooge had given up. Goldie was dead somewhere in Mongolia, which was foreign and empty and vast and they’d never be able to find her, and he would never see her again.

Scrooge was sad. More than that, he was depressed. He had a lot of regrets when it came to Goldie and he’d never had someone so close to him die before. There were so many unanswered questions and things unsaid and he needed to talk to her again! But he couldn’t. And when Quackmore mentioned needing a day off to go to his brother’s funeral, Scrooge was hit with an idea that would get him back on his feet.

He needed to give Goldie a funeral.

He didn’t know anyone else that knew her (not the way he knew her, at least). And if he was being honest, he just wanted this to be between them. A quick flight up to Dawson, a visit to the old cabin, a glass of whiskey and a few goodbyes. That’s all he needed.

When that was done, Scrooge did his best to focus and get Goldie off his mind. For years, he didn’t think about love or romance. When his sisters visited or he visited his parents and they all harassed him about a wife and kids, he brushed them off like they were fools. He didn’t need any of that.

So in the far off year of 1949, when the doorbell rang one Saturday afternoon while Scrooge was in the kitchen with some guests, he absolutely could never have guessed who would be on the other side.

---

The man who answered the door was the same butler from last time. Goldie thought he looked a lot older, but she supposed that was because...he was. Still young, though, maybe forty? He definitely wasn’t old. Not like Scrooge. And not like her.

She was glad she’d stopped for new clothes and a haircut before coming over, though, because the butler’s face was absolutely hilarious.

“M-Miss...O’...Gilt?!”

Goldie crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out her hip. The mid-length skirt she’d picked out was flowing nicely in the breeze and definitely gave her more of an entrance. “That’s me. Is Scrooge here?”

“He’s...I don’t, um…” Quackmore looked concerned and confused, looking at Goldie, then back into the manor, then back to Goldie again. “I need to...just, uh…pardon me, but…” He suddenly reached out and poked Goldie in the shoulder, then recoiled his arm as she glared. “My apologies. Please give me a minute.”

He shut the door in her face and Goldie pouted. Rude. She politely came to the door and rang the bell and he just shut her out?

She leaned to the left to try and look in the window, seeing a silhouette that was definitely probably Scrooge and the silhouette of his butler. There was some conversation happening, but she couldn’t hear a word of it. Then Goldie saw another silhouette and wondered who that could be. Scrooge’s new girlfriend? Maybe. Seemed unlikely. But it would explain the door in her face.

The silhouettes seemed to freeze for a moment, then the shadow she recognized as Scrooge ran out towards the front door. In only a second, the front door was open again and she was face-to-face with the man of the house.

He didn’t look much older. Maybe he’d found another fountain of youth or something. But seeing his face again did make her heart skip a beat. Several beats. It was beating so fast that she couldn’t hear it anymore. Her arms dropped to her sides and she felt suddenly very nervous. Especially since he hadn’t said a single word since he laid his eyes on her.

Scrooge’s face was unreadable. Over the years she’d figured him out and gotten used to all his little quirks and expressions. But at that moment, Goldie didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t know what was going on in his head. Was he mad? Had he thought she was dead? Had he...read her letter?

“...Goldie,” Scrooge said finally. He stepped forward and put a hand against her cheek, cradling her face. “Is it really you?”

She sunk into his hand, her heart jumping into her throat as she realized how long it’d been for him since they were last together. “Who else would it be?”

He breathed out a short laugh and stepped even closer, bringing their foreheads together. “Goldie girl…” Scrooge’s other hand came up and cupped her other cheek.

Being held by him made Goldie feel safer than she had in years.

“I thought...I...where were you? It’s been so long.”

“I was away,” she mumbled, trying to ignore the warm feeling spreading throughout her chest and failing miserably. “Not on my own terms. But...now I’m back.”

“You are,” he answered, his eyes sparkling. “And you look even younger than the last time I saw you.”

“The power of a good haircut,” Goldie laughed. She moved her hands to his shoulders while he continued to hold her face. “So are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Scrooge smiled brightly, but he had the beginnings of tears in his eyes. “First, I, um...we should talk about your, uh...your letter-”

“Mmm, no,” she said quickly, cutting him off. “You should forget about that and kiss me and invite me inside.”

With a sigh - a happy sigh, Goldie noticed - Scrooge obliged and pulled her beak to his for their first kiss in a long, long time. For her...she’d waited longer. But the longing in his kiss was contagious and Goldie felt herself yearning for him as if she’d felt all sixteen years pass. She’d missed him so much in such a short amount of time...if his feelings were anywhere close to hers, then he must’ve been miserable.

If being the key word. But he certainly didn’t not miss her.

“SCROOGE! Where’d you go?!”

Goldie and Scrooge separated at the sound of a woman’s voice from inside the manor. Scrooge looked annoyed at the interruption and Goldie felt a boatload of questions piling up in her head.

“Did you really just kiss me when you have another woman here?” Goldie asked judgmentally, though she hadn’t moved her arms from around his neck. Or moved her body so it wasn’t pressed against his.

“Another wo...oh, no, God, no,” Scrooge said, starting out confused and transforming into outright disgust. “No, they’re not-”

“Matilda, go get him! It’s his turn!”

“SCROOOOOGE! Monopoly isn’t goin’ to play itself, ye-”

Scrooge and Goldie froze in their spot, staring at the loud woman who’d just made her way into the foyer. She had a flower in her hair. Goldie could’ve sworn she’d seen her before.

The woman cupped her hands around her beak and screamed, “HORTENSE! You might want to come oooouut here!”

Scrooge groaned and finally let go of Goldie, hiding his head in his hands. His face was bright red and Goldie finally realized what was going on.

“Ah...these are your sisters, aren’t they?”

Scrooge nodded just as the second woman entered the room, her feathers curled up all around her face. The two of them had several features similar to Scrooge’s - Goldie could definitely see the family resemblance. Plus, well. The accents.

They both looked very young. Goldie knew they’d been around since before the Gold Rush, so she was extremely curious about that. The one with the flower in her hair could’ve been as young as twenty-five, and the curly-haired one looked even younger than that. If they weren’t his sisters, Goldie might’ve been feeling a bit insecure about her age at that moment.

She thought about the hair dye that was applied to her head just a few hours earlier. Maybe she was a bit insecure either way.

“Matilda, do my eyes deceive me?” asked the curly-haired sister. “Is that our brother...with a girl?”

“Oh, Hortense, it’s true!” Matilda answered in a dramatic pose. “Our big brother is finally growin’ up! You wouldnae believe the amount of kissin’ I just walked into!”

“Kissin’?! Surely you couldnae mean our dear sweet brother would kiss someone without marryin’ her first!” Hortense added with a laugh. “After what he said about me and Quackmore, I assumed he would propose before even holdin’ her hand!”

The two girls continued their little show for a minute while Goldie turned her focus back to Scrooge. He looked absolutely mortified. As much as Goldie wanted to milk this for all it was worth and go share embarrassing stories with the pair of them, she also really just wanted to spend some alone time with Scrooge. It’d been a very long time since she’d had intimate contact with another person. Had it been as long for him? She wasn’t going to ask.

“Scrooge.”

“Hrmmm. Yes?” Scrooge grumbled quietly.

Goldie grabbed him by the lapels of his sportcoat and pulled him closer. “Tell your sisters to give us one hour of privacy, alright? Just an hour.”

The smile reappeared on his face and Scrooge ignored his sisters as they started whooping when he wrapped his arms around Goldie again. “Goldie girl, an hour won’t be enough time with you.”

“We’ll make it count,” Goldie said, giving him a brief peck on his beak.

Scrooge’s sisters started oooohing at that and Scrooge’s face quickly turned from joy to anger. Goldie found it very charming. She’d never seen him with his family before, so this felt like...a new step for them. Something different.

---

---

“So...where were you?”

Goldie sighed from her spot laying against Scrooge’s shoulder. She just wanted to keep playing with the feathers on his chest, not talking about all the stupid shit she went through. “Away.”

Scrooge had his arm around her and he pulled her closer. “Goldie…”

“I went through an interdimensional portal and couldn’t find my way out again, alright?” Goldie answered quickly. “I traveled through two dozen different worlds, some of them terrifying and deadly, and then finally made it back here. And I guess I missed a lot because our world is very different than it was before.”

He blinked at her rapidly, trying to soak in all that information. “You were...I...are you...alright?”

“Really?”

“Okay, yes, I know you’re alright. But...well. I’m glad you’re here, then.” Scrooge started running his fingers through her hair. “Sixteen years is a long time.”

“Well…” Goldie started, still debating whether or not she wanted to share every little detail with him. “For me, actually...it hasn’t even been two years. Or at least it didn’t feel like any longer than that.”

“Oh?” Scrooge raised his eyebrows, thinking about that. “Some kind of time travel? Or did time work differently over there?”

“No idea.”

Scrooge paused for a moment and then slowly turned his body so he was next to Goldie and completely facing her. “So you missed me this much after only two years? I guess...you really do love me.”

Goldie’s eyes widened and her cheeks turned pink - though there was a bit of nervousness in his voice, Scrooge knew he had the upper hand at that particular moment. He wanted to bring up that letter and she wasn’t going to let them just move past it without addressing the gigantic elephant in the room. Love. Love.

She stupidly used that stupid word in her stupid letter ‘cause she stupid thought she was going to stupid die. Stupid! It wasn’t like he’d ever said as much to her. She assumed because of her hair in his box, but it wasn’t necessarily true. Was he going to mock her for having feelings? Goldie wondered if she should just brush it off and pretend being unsure of her own survival made her feel things that weren’t there. She didn’t really love him, she just wanted to feel something strong before her untimely demise!

Scrooge placed his hand against her cheek again and Goldie’s eyes were drawn to his. He looked so sincere and his cheeks were also quite red and she could tell he wanted to talk about it. He wanted to talk about them and their feelings and…

...and Goldie wasn’t sure. She just...she didn’t know where that would lead. Or if she wanted to go wherever that was. But there was no benefit to arguing about it, no joy in starting a fight. She still wanted to be there with him in that moment. So…

“...and what if I do?”

The shyness in Goldie’s voice combined with her inability to keep eye contact was keeping a big smile on Scrooge’s face. He thought, for sure, that she would deny everything and move on without addressing the letter. He absolutely did not want to do that. But instead she asked him exactly the right question.

“Then...I’d probably say I love you, too,” Scrooge said quietly as he brought his beak closer to hers.

Goldie closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying not to get too ahead of herself. He was feeling a lot of feelings after thinking she was dead for over a decade. A few decades ago she would’ve convinced herself that his feelings were a lie, but now she knew better. He definitely did love her. But...he might’ve been overselling it a little. Just because of how excited he was.

Well...for once, she didn’t mind. Maybe she could enjoy being loved, just that once.

Their beaks crashed together in another kiss.

“Kathmandu?”

“Mhmm,” Scrooge said with a nod. “I have it on good word that King Malla’s gold is hidden there. And it’s a lot of gold.”

“Huh.” Goldie was cuddled against his side and picking at the feathers on her fingertips. It sounded like it could be a fun trip and a good way to get them back into the swing of things. But… “Are you in a hurry?”

Scrooge raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...can it wait a month or two? I want to go check on some...investments. And some people that I haven’t seen in almost two decades.”

He didn’t answer for a few seconds and then breathed out a happy sigh. “You came here first?”

Goldie blushed and shoved her elbow into his side. “We’ve already established that I missed you, sourdough, time to move on.”

Scrooge rolled his eyes and kissed her on the top of her head. “Yes, yes. How long do ye need?”

“Give me three months to get my life back in order. Then...meet in New Delhi?”

“Sounds perfect,” Scrooge mumbled, leaning in for another kiss.

Goldie kissed him back and then smirked. “But for now...I’m very curious to meet your other houseguests.”

Scrooge frowned. “I dinnae think you need to talk to them.”

“Oh, but I do.”

“They’re very annoyin’, you willnae like ‘em.”

“But you’re annoying and I still like you.”

“Annoy-?! Now that’s the pot callin’ the kettle black!”

“Are you trying to say something, Scroogey?”

REAL HISTORY FACTS:
- Okay so Goldie actually would not have been able to get out of China by plane in 1949 BUT sometimes I must embellish. So China to Iran to France to Canada she went.

DUCK FRANCHISE REFERENCES:
- The 1950s is when the original duck comics took place. I guess that's not really a reference it's just a fun fact. Now they just take place whenever they want so that they can have cell phones and laptops but also Scrooge's riches started in the Klondike gold rush. It doesn't matter lol
- In Don Rosa's comics, when Scrooge gets Goldie's letter (that contains her feelings and hopes for their relationship), he thinks it's a rejection letter. So he throws it into the snow and never reads it. Then they don't see each other again for 50 years. Fun!
- I don't think my characterization of Quackmore is all that accurate, but his writing is kind of all over the place in the comics. It's hard to get a consistent read on him.
- Matilda and Hortense love to tease Scrooge about Goldie. That's only canon from one panel but it just feels right lol