Who is Julie McDuck?!

Father's Day!

(Even though Father's Day is already behind us, I thought I'd do a special chapter recognizing all the fathers and father figures in this DuckTales universe, but mainly Josh, Donald, and Scrooge! This whole chapter will be in Josh's POV! Hope you enjoy!)

(Josh's POV)

Loud crying rang in my ears. I groaned, pushing my pillow around my ears to try and block out the noise, but it was hopeless. I got out of bed with a sigh and walked towards my sister's bedroom, creaking open the door to find a half-awake Julie, rocking Jake in her arms, trying to calm him down with little success.

Kylee was wide awake on her little mattress, doing her best to comfort her brother by petting his head. Julie's eyes turned to me.

"Nightmares?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Doctor said he's teething," she replied, bouncing the duckling in her arms. I ran a hand through my hair; made sense, Jake was around ten months. Poor thing was probably in a lot of pain.

I scooped my son up and put a hand on Julie's head. "How about you get some sleep? I'll take care of him."

My sister looked at me with concern in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Look, sis, I'm their father; they're my responsibility," I rationalized. "Plus, you've been taking care of them for the past two months before I came back. It's time to let me take responsibility again."

Julie just nodded and passed out on her bed. I pulled the covers over her and walked out of her room with my little daughter close behind. I trekked down the stairs to the living room, all with Jake crying and screaming in my ear. I rubbed his back, but that only seemed to make it worse.

I facepalmed with a sigh. I was their father; I should be able to take care of my kids...

Was I just like him? A failure of a parent who walked out on his family with no intention of ever coming back?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone coming down the stairs...along with the sound of a very familiar cane clacking against the wood with each step.

"Lad, it's three in the mornin', what're ya doin' up?" Uncle Scrooge asked, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"Hey, wasn't my idea to wake up at this godforsaken hour; Jake's teething," I grumbled, bringing my son to the crook of my arm so Uncle Scrooge could see him.

Uncle Scrooge chuckled tiredly as he took a seat on the couch next to me. "Ae remember when yer sister went through the same thing. Kept me up from dusk til dawn," he reminisced, running his fingers through Jake's hair.

I ran a hand through my bangs. "I just...I don't know if I'm cut out to be a dad. Every time I look in the mirror, I just see him. Someone that I can't help being related to."

Uncle Scrooge put a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, lad. Ye're nothin' like Nathan."

I sighed, looking down. "That's...not who I'm talking about."

"Oh," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

That's when we both realized it was silent. I looked down to see my son snuggled against my chest, sucking his thumb and fast asleep. Kylee was leaning against my side, sleeping soundly and hugging my arm.

Uncle Scrooge smiled softly. "Ye know, Ae didn't feel like I was cut out to be a father, either. Then Donald and Della came along, then Julie, and now the boys and these two rascals," he admitted. "The thing is...as a father, yew don't have to be perfect. Yew can still make mistakes and learn from them. And, at the end of the day, yer kids love you and you love them."

"I...never thought about it that way," I replied, turning my gaze to my kids. "I grew up thinking that one mistake was all it would take to split a family apart. Dad left us, and then Mom married Nathan...but then I met Diane and Julie, and then you guys. And I realized...I'd spent so much of my life looking at the negative side of things....but I didn't see how they could change for the better."

I tucked a lock of Kylee's hair back. "I want what's best for them, but...Diane's not here. They deserve a mother."

Uncle Scrooge winked. "How can you be sure that they don't already have one?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. Well, I'd better get these two back to bed. 'Night, Uncle Scrooge and...thank you."

"Anytime, lad. Goodnight."

I walked back up the stairs back to Julie's room, making sure not to wake her up. I tucked Jake in first, tussling his hair a little and kissing his forehead.

"Buenas noches, mijo," I whispered before tucking in Kylee, pulling the covers up to her chin and giving her a peck on the forehead as well. "Buenas noches, cariño," I whispered to her.

Before I left, I heard a soft rustling and turned around. Kylee sat up in her bed and gave me a sleepy smile.

"Buenas noches papi. Te amo," she whispered.

I grinned. "Yo también os quiero, mis estrellitas," I replied before closing the door.

Translations:

Buenas noches: good night

Mijo: my son

Cariño: sweetheart/sweetie

Papi: Daddy

Te amo: I love you

Yo también os quiero, mis estrellitas: I love you, too, my little stars.