you've gotta stop holding me the way you do

Summary: Scrooge and Goldie meet up by chance in Morocco.

Word count: 4123

Warnings: None

1964; Casablanca

They both needed a little break from each other.

Goldie, in particular, didn’t feel like romance for a while, still feeling the sting of what she learned back in Maputo. It stung especially because she’d never really wanted it and never really thought she’d have it, but as soon as she briefly considered it as a real possibility? It was gone.

And she wouldn’t be telling Scrooge. There was no reason he needed to know. It wasn’t his business.

Especially considering his recent…activities.

Goldie watched TV. She read the news. She skimmed through magazines about celebrity gossip. And she could see photo after photo of Scrooge McDuck - newly the richest duck in the world! - galavanting around to soirees and galas with a different woman on his arm each time. It was infuriating. She wanted to stomp over to Duckburg and strangle him for dangling his promiscuity in front of her, but she knew she had no right. They weren’t dating. They hadn’t seen each other in over four years! If she really wanted him back, she could easily just swallow her pride and go to him and kiss him and they’d be right back in the same old boat. He’d drop every other woman to be with her again and she knew that.

But she just…wanted him to come after her. Which would never happen, of course. Not with how they’d left things.

Goldie tossed the magazine she was reading onto the floor, annoyed at the snapshot from some new museum opening in Wigeonton D.C. Scrooge had a blonde woman on his arm - which felt like some kind of personal insult - and the woman was at least fifty years younger than him. Which wasn’t really young, since he was nearing one hundred, but it still made her mad.

Goldie knew she often looked that much younger than him thanks to all the youthful magic she used, but she wasn’t actually. Unlike the woman on Scrooge’s arm, who was just a kid compared to them. A fifty-year-old kid.

She glared at the magazine again and sighed. There was a small comfort (a large comfort, actually) in the fact that Scrooge had not once appeared in a photo with the same woman twice. For all she knew, those all could’ve just been business arrangements or partnerships. She had no reason to assume he was dating them or sleeping with them or doing anything else with them.

But, well. She assumed it anyway. Hard to stop herself.

Goldie kept thinking back to before their last big romp together. And before their mutual I-love-yours. And before she disappeared. How things were fun and crazy and complicated, but…consistent. She missed it. She missed going on adventures with him and stealing from him and getting him all frustrated over nothing. It was the kind of stuff that made them Scrooge and Goldie and she wanted to experience it again. More than that, she wanted that to be their thing again.

She decided, in the middle of August 1964, that she wanted to try bringing them back to the basics. To see if the old spark of rivalry was still there. They’d spent a while as partners and even longer as on-and-off lovers, but rivals was first. It was fun. It was easy. There was no real emotional commitment.

All she needed to do was find an opportunity. And what better opportunity than the one staring right at her - from the same magazine that was talking about Scrooge, the page next to his was talking about a lost treasure ship off the coast of Morocco.

She knew instantaneously that Scrooge would be going after that. He was predictable, after all.

---

Scrooge hadn’t known what to expect when he got off the plane. He’d never been to Casablanca before - all he really knew was that there was a movie about it from years ago. It sounded like an interesting place but in all his years he’d never conducted business there.

So he could say with absolute certainty that, based on what he knew about Northwest Africa, he did not expect to spot a very familiar blonde ponytail in the market just off the port.

There was a small part of him that thought to let it be and stay silent, but another part that knew…if Goldie was around, they’d be crossing paths at one point or another. It’d be in his best interest to take some control of the situation.

“O’Gilt!” he yelled out.

Her head turned and Scrooge felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight of her face. It’d been quite a while since they last saw each other and despite his efforts to move on…there was no one like Goldie O’Gilt.

Her eyes widened briefly when she realized who had called out her name, but she quickly switched to the classic sultry look she liked to fluster him with. She gave him a small wave and walked over.

Scrooge adjusted his jacket while he waited for her to come closer, refusing to meet her halfway.

“Hey there, moneybags. Long time, no see.”

He pouted and looked her up and down, taking in her new outfit. She looked good. She always looked good. “What’re you doin’ in Casablanca, Goldie?”

“I think you know the answer to that already, hun,” Goldie answered, crossing her arms over her chest. “And it’s probably the same reason you’re here.”

“Ye cannae possibly think you’ll find the Madeira Ship before me!” he challenged, pointing a finger in her face. “So just go back to where ye came from!”

Goldie smacked his finger with one hand and shook her head. “You don’t have a claim on the treasure, you old windbag!”

He frowned, feeling a little hurt at the realization that this argument was giving him deja vu. He often got nostalgic for the past, but he preferred the way their relationship had been in the 1950’s.

Right after the Gold Rush? That was a confusing mess. He never, ever knew where they stood back then. And at that particular moment…he had no idea where they stood. He didn’t know how she felt about him. He barely understood how he felt about her.

But he didn’t like how they left things in Mozambeak. How could he? It’d been so much fun and then suddenly it wasn’t, with no explanation. When did Goldie ever explain herself, though?

(He had a guess as to what happened, though he really hoped she wasn’t responsible for the significant amount of money he’d noticed was missing just a few weeks later.)

Scrooge took a deep breath and looked at her face uncomfortably, trying to figure out if he was any better at reading her now than he was before. So far all signs were pointing to no. “Maybe we should just…go together.”

Goldie raised a curious eyebrow and stuck out her hip. “What’s that now?”

“Save money on rentin’ boats and equipment,” Scrooge explained, playing with his hands for emphasis. “If we’re goin’ to the same place at the same time…why not?”

She stared at him for a few seconds, looking suspicious of his suggestion. Not unhappy, just…suspicious. But finally she shrugged. “Yeah, alright. Makes sense.”

They started walking in the same direction and Scrooge couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “It’ll be easier to keep an eye on ye this way.”

The side-eye that Goldie gave him made him sure she’d heard, but he didn’t care. He had some questions to ask her about his missing money…there was a big part of him that just knew she had something to do with, even if he didn’t know how and didn’t want it to be true. When his money was gone, Goldie O’Gilt was often the cause.

---

Goldie was uncomfortable as they sailed off towards the last known location of the Madeira Ship.

She knew he was still upset at her over the way things ended four years ago, but he was the one who suggested they travel together. She didn’t push it onto him. So getting an invitation and then two questions about stolen money that she had absolutely nothing to do with (for once), and then being given the silent treatment and a cold shoulder? It wasn’t exactly her idea of a fun time.

Which was kind of funny, since he’d been so fun lately with all the different women he’d been seeing. Hilarious, in fact.

She wasn’t jealous. Genuinely she wasn’t, because she knew that all those one-night stands or whatever-they-weres meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. He was still mad at her for ditching him in his time of need and she understood the urge to get under someone’s skin when they pissed you off. In fact, she respected the game. He knew she’d see the photos and read the articles.

And they hadn’t seen each other in several years, so it was fine. Whatever, whatever. It didn’t matter.

But the silence was making her uncomfortable. How could he just sit there looking like a grump when they were together for the first time in four years? When he said they should travel together, she assumed they’d be pretending their last moment together didn’t happen and go back to having fun. Instead he was staring out at the ocean and picking at some of his feathers and sulking.

Goldie sighed and double-checked that everything on their small boat was in order before she tried scooting a bit closer to where Scrooge was sitting, though her presence just made him huff. She pouted and moved around so she was right in his line of sight - her hands placed on her hips.

“Why did you suggest we partner up if you don’t want me to be here?”

He didn’t look up at her. “I saved a lot of money by sharin' this boat with ye.”

She crossed her arms and sat down across from him. “We need to work together if we’re going to get every last jewel from this ship.”

Scrooge scoffed. “I dinnae need you to get all the treasure. Ye were just lucky we ran into each other and I was feelin’ generous.”

“Oh, is that what happened?” Goldie said sarcastically, starting to get a bit pissed at his attitude. They’d been on the water for over two hours and he was acting like a child.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened!” Scrooge hissed and then laid down on the floor of the boat. “Now leave me be. I want to get some shut-eye before we get there.”

Goldie sighed and glared at the water around them. They were still several hours from where the ship was last spotted, but obviously they couldn’t both take a nap at the same time and she’d get bored by herself. So she didn’t want him to go to sleep. But Scrooge was making it pretty clear that he wasn’t in the mood for her.

“How can you sleep when there’s treasure waiting for us?” Goldie said quietly, almost mumbling.

He simply rolled over and tried to ignore her.

Goldie didn’t find his attitude entertaining and crawled over to him. He didn’t react to her getting closer, so she continued to crawl until she had her hands placed on either side of his head and her knees were on either side of his hips. “This is no fun if you won’t even talk to me!”

Scrooge didn’t open his eyes, but he did respond with a scowl. “And it wasnae any fun when ye left me to deal with that monster on my own!”

Goldie sighed and laid down on her side next to his so her beak was barely an inch away from his. This time her closeness did make him open his eyes, and she smirked at the light blush that appeared on his cheeks. “Aw, c’mon, Scrooge. I knew you’d be fine. You are Scrooge McDuck, after all.”

He glared, but he didn’t turn his head away. “I wasnae fine. I spent weeks runnin’ from that thing and ye couldnae even be bothered to call.”

She stared into his eyes and was surprised to see how sincere his expression was. She’d honestly thought he was exaggerating his hurt, but it seemed he really thought their weekend together was a relationship upgrade that she rejected by staying behind. There was no way she could ever tell him why her mood had changed so suddenly.

With a surge of confidence, Goldie leaned her head forward and laid her beak on top of his. “How about you let me make it up to you, Scroogey, hm?”

The blush on his cheeks got deeper and he turned his gaze down to the floorboards under them. “You…ye know I’ve…I’m sure you know I’ve been able to find other company! Ye cannae just kiss me and expect me to f-fall back into your arms!”

Goldie wondered if he was going to bring up his extracurricular activities. “But a kiss from someone else is nothing like a kiss from me…” she mumbled, moving her beak so the tip was just barely grazing against his. “...isn’t that right?”

Scrooge laid there silently, focused entirely on their touching beaks and how much he wanted to kiss her harder and deeper and how he didn’t care how obvious he was about that fact. Obviously no other person could come close to Goldie O’Gilt - no kiss or touch or conversation would ever be as enticing as her’s.

Just as he was about to kiss her deeply, Scrooge’s eyes were drawn to the source of a shadow that seemed to suddenly appear. He sat up quickly and Goldie copied him, following his eyes to see the giant ship next to them.

Anyone with experience on the sea knew a pirate ship when they saw one.

“Oh, shit.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Scrooge mumbled. “Do ye have anythin’ on ye?”

“Nothing but supplies, moneybags!” Goldie grimaced and patted down all of her pockets just to be sure. “Should we try to charm them or just escape with our lives?”

He rolled his eyes. “Ye really think ye can charm a bunch of pirates?” Scrooge stood up and adjusted his hat, trying to figure out his next move.

“Venha a bordo ou seja destruido!” someone from the pirate ship yelled in a very familiar language.

“Oh, good,” Goldie said as she looked down at Scrooge. “I’m so glad I learned Portuguese when I did.”

“Aye, it sure has come in handy.” He glanced at her nervously. “What did he say? I didnae catch it.”

“That we should get on his ship or he’ll kill us.”

Scrooge didn’t get a chance to react before a rope ladder was thrown over the side of the pirate ship. The pirate was yelling at them to climb up and as much as he wanted to ignore him and keep sailing…he also didn’t want to lose the deposit on his rental when it got destroyed. So he’d follow along for the time being. “Here I thought pirates were a thing of the past.”

Goldie grabbed the rope and started to climb. “I’ve heard they’re mostly political now. Maybe this’ll be a ship filled with communists! That’d be your worst nightmare, huh?”

He growled and followed her. “Don’t even joke, ye she-devil!”

The climb took longer than expected - the pirate ship was very, very large. Even bigger once they were on it. Goldie climbed over the top and watched Scrooge struggle to catch up with her.

“Feeling old?” she whispered haughtily.

Scrooge glared and cracked his back. “Bah, I could still take every one of these pirates without breakin’ a sweat!”

Goldie elbowed him in the side and glared back. “Just because you barely understand them doesn’t mean they don’t understand you! Try to play it cool for once, alright?”

As they had this angry, whispered conversation, two pirates had swords right against the adventuring duck’s necks and neither even seemed to notice. The pirates looked confused, glancing at Scrooge and Goldie, then at each other, then back at their captain.

The captain frowned deeply at how not-intimidated his captives were and slammed his prosthetic leg onto the floor.

“Hey!”

Scrooge and Goldie stared at the man, surprised to hear him shout in English.

“You two…” The captain paused, trying to remember his words. “No more talk!”

“I told you he’d know English,” Goldie whispered.

“And I didnae argue with ye, I just said-”

Scrooge’s whispers were cut off by the sword in front of him suddenly getting closer to his little neck. He gulped and put his hands up in surrender. Despite being the oh-so-amazing Scrooge McDuck, Scrooge had not yet devised a plan to escape from his current predicament.

(Plus he had to save Goldie, too.)

On the positive side, it didn’t seem like the pirates recognized him as the richest duck in the world. If they just thought they were attacking regular old explorers, maybe they could get out without being kidnapped or enslaved or held for ransom or whatever.

Goldie started talking to the pirate captain in Portuguese and Scrooge realized he hadn’t thought about the language in so long that he couldn’t follow their conversation at all. He was supposed to be smarter than the smarties! Forgetting foreign vocabulary wasn’t appropriate for someone of his wealth and intelligence and traveling experience. He’d have to be better.

“What’s happenin’?” he said quietly to his partner.

Goldie turned her head and shushed him before turning back to the pirate captain. She shrugged and shook her head lightly before continuing, making Scrooge think she’d given some sort of apology for her partner’s behavior.

Though he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure about his translation, Scrooge still felt annoyed. He wasn't reacting badly, especially considering the situation they were in. He'd even say he was reacting more graciously than he should.

Her conversation continued and Scrooge felt his annoyance grow. Though they hadn't been together in quite a while, there was a part of him that knew Goldie was up to something bad. If not for the sword at his neck, he would've jumped overboard and left her to deal with this nonsense by herself.

There was a pause in Goldie's conversation where the pirate captain put a hand to his chin. Then a moment later he motioned to his crew to lower their swords, and they did exactly that. Scrooge felt himself calm down, wondering if his thoughts were too harsh just a moment earlier. Maybe Goldie wasn't doing anything wrong.

He could never be certain with her.

"Are we free to go?" he asked cautiously.

She didn't look at him or respond, but rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly before saying something else to the captain. Scrooge distinctly recognized the word "minute", but he didn't have enough context to get what was happening.

His confusion grew when the captain motioned to his crew again and all of them turned away from Scrooge and Goldie, leaving them unwatched and alone.

Scrooge frowned. He may have thought too soon when he considered the possibility that she didn't betray him. "Alright, O'Gilt, what's goin’ on -"

---

Goldie knew there were limits to her charm, and an entire ship full of pirates desperately hungry for gold or food or women or whatever was certainly at that limit. She was able to keep them complacent with some conversation, but that would only give her an extra five minutes or so.

Scrooge had been particularly unfriendly on their short journey together. Her attempts to calm him down with nostalgic chatter or light seduction had been met with angry growls and sarcastic quips.

It reminded her somewhat of how he acted when they were younger - but with less of his virginal nervousness. Before they'd ever said the word love, before she found her hair in his drawer, before he read her letter, before Mozambeak.

Well, she had been feeling nostalgic for those days and, based on his attitude, so was he. So it all worked out.

With nostalgia in mind, Goldie didn’t fight the urge to fall back into some old habits.

(And as much as Scrooge would complain, he was the duck who fell in love with those habits.)

Goldie didn't have more than a minute to formulate her plan of action, but once she did...she knew Scrooge would be pissy. If she had to guess, they probably wouldn't see each other for another few years with how mad he was going to be.

She thought about those consequences and thought about the consequences of not leaving and she made her decision.

"Are we free to go?" Scrooge asked, sounding more confused than ever.

Goldie was happy she'd spent so much time in Lisbon over the years as she made one last request to the pirate captain. He rolled his eyes, but accommodated her and all the pirates turned away.

Goldie turned to look at Scrooge just as he glared at her. "Alright, O'Gilt, what’s goin’ on-"

Rather than listen to his complaints and accusations (which were right on the money, as he often was), Goldie reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him in for a deep kiss.

Scrooge seemed to calm down instantly, melting into the kiss like it was the most pleasant feeling in the world. But as soon as Goldie pulled them apart, his eyebrows furrowed and he looked more suspicious than ever.

"Don’t be too mad, Scroogey," Goldie mumbled, giving him a little peck on his cheek.

Scrooge opened his eyes and glared. "Why’s that?"

She shrugged and breathed out a little laugh. "Because, uh…" Goldie turned around and caught a small bag that the pirate captain tossed her way.

Scrooge immediately recognized the familiar sound of coins. "Goldie!" he yelled, taking a step closer to her. Or, he would've taken a step closer if one of the pirates hadn't brought his sword back up to Scrooge's neck.

Goldie rushed towards the ladder and blew him a little kiss. "You'll be fine, sourdough! They just want to ransom you, is all!"

"Wait, what?!"

She was already climbing down when she looked up to make eye contact one more time. "I’ll make sure to get our deposit back on the rental!" she said humorously as she slid back down to the boat.

Scrooge clenched his fists and shook them around wildly. "You devious, back-stabbing-!!!"

Goldie glanced up at the ship, still able to hear her ex's shouts. And she could distinctly see the top of his hat as the pirates guided him to the brig.

She smirked, knowing from experience that Scrooge would be fine. Once they locked him in the brig, he would collect himself until they were closer to land, and then he'd sneakily take down the pirates one or two at a time until it was just him and the captain left.

Assuming the Madeira Ship was raided (and attacked, probably) by these Portuguese pirates, Goldie started making her way back to Morocco. That was probably a big reach, but she was also way too exhausted to keep treasure hunting. Maybe she could try looking again some other day.

By herself, though. Scrooge probably wouldn't trust her again for a very long time.

If he ever trusted her in the first place.

---

After escaping the pirates and getting back home, Scrooge was more confident than ever that Goldie had something to do with the million dollars of his that went missing in 1960. She may have denied it, but the way she treated him in Mozambeak and then in Morocco just lead him to believe she’d done something unforgivable and was so guilty about it she couldn’t stand being around him. It wasn’t that much of a stretch, after all she’d done to him in the past.

Despite this, he didn't call her. He didn't visit one of her hotels to confront her. There was no point, in his opinion. She'd just keep stealing from him and betraying him and he either had to stop seeing her or deal with it.

At that point in their relationship, Scrooge chose the former. He was almost one hundred years old. As much as he loved her...he didn't need her. And he didn’t need to keep getting his hopes up only to have them crushed. He needed to focus on things that would consistently make him happy. Which probably wasn’t the younger women he’d been going to parties with (all of which were using him to help promote their careers or businesses which he didn’t mind at all), but he’d find something to spend his time on and bring him joy.

Something unique, maybe. Something fun.

REAL HISTORY FACTS:
- I made up the specific sunken Madeira Ship but Madeira is a group of islands not far from Morocco. Sooo yeah Madeira Ship it makes sense
- Pirates WERE mostly political by the 60s. It's interesting to read about.

DUCK FRANCHISE REFERENCES:
- The missing money that Scrooge is talking about is the money that Duke Baloney stole from him in South Africa lol Idk if that's obvious but there you go, spoilers.