ToonZ - The Gift of Christmas chp 17

Bugs had wanted to ask where they were headed, but Pluto only barked and pushed him out of the office to give pursuit to the others. Mickey had become jovial in such a short period of time that it was a shock to the rabbit; he continued to wonder if he had missed something until he had gotten into the mouse’s car, alongside the children and the Sevilles.

Mickey only giggled as he turned the car on and stepped on the gas.

And it wasn’t until they had gotten into the next neighbourhood did he begin to remotely answer his friend’s questions.

The children stared out over the valley of houses and ocean in awe, accompanied by the chipmunks. “Ooh, what part of town is this?” Theodore wondered as he squeezed in between Alvin and Ashton. “It’s so pretty!”

“This is part of the Calisota Toon Town District, Theodore,” Simon replied as-a-matter-of-factly, nose in a book—he was not as excited to be there as the others were. “The area where most of South California’s Toon population, from main casts to background casts, live and often work. Established sometime in the early 60s. Many humans live here as well, and it’s been said to be the brightest part of California to live. The sun’s rays shine brightest upon happiness.”

“Very poetic, Shakespeare,” Alvin grumbled. “Would you mind specifying in terms of what part of Toon Town are we in?”

“We’re in the city of Duckburg, to be precise. The busiest part of the Toon Town industry. Most of the Disney Studios’ TV background characters live here under a certain reign of Life Source protection.”

While Alvin rolled his eyes, Susie pulled herself away from the window and looked at her father and Bugs at the front of the little yellow car. “Daddy, what are we doing in Duckburg?” She wondered as Mickey looked at her through the rear view mirror.

Bugs sat up straight and looked at the mouse with a suspicious frown. “I’m wonderin’ the same thing,” he said.

Mickey only smiled at him before looking at his daughter. “We’re going to get a loan,” he replied while turning down another street. “I know a businessman here who would be willing to lend us a bit of money for our project.”

“Who the hey would be willing to lend us that much cash, Cheesehead?” Bugs argued.

“You know him.”

“The last time I was in Duckboirg, it was before I moved outside of L.A. Who do I know?”

Mickey only smiled at him before turning the car again.

Ashton hardly paid attention to what the grownups were discussing. It was the first time he got to visit Duckburg, and already it was difficult to contain his excitement. He pointed at a large building near the center of town while looking at Andrew. “Is that the Disney Archives Building?” he wondered.

Andrew only laughed. “Humans would only wish that the Archives was as fortified as that steel box,” he said. “That’s the Duckburg Money Bin. The largest bin in the world, and the Headquarters of the most successful Toon-run industry in the world. The man who runs that place is the only Toon alive to be able to boss a human around. Pretty neat, huh?”

Ashton stared at the mouse in awe at this explanation, but before he could even guess, Mickey let out a whistle and Pluto barked of excitement. “Kids, get back in your seats; we need to look our best down this boulevard, you know that.” Turning down the next street as everyone sat down, he added, “Next Stop, Golden Lanes Estates.”

“Wait, what?” Bugs recoiled, finally recognizing the name. “Where are we—!”

Timmy let out a loud gasp as they headed up a hill and looked at his father with bright eyes. “Are we going to McDuck Mansion, Pa?” he cried out.

“McDuck??” Bugs exclaimed, eyes wide in horror. Without even waiting for a response, Bugs shook his head and frowned at Mickey. “Have you lost your mind?!”

“Actually, I think I found it,” Mickey joked.

“You wanna go borrow money from him?!”

“I’m not headed to Mouseton.”

“Do you have a screw loose in that head of yours?”

“Bugs, you’re overreact—!”

Bugs leaned towards Mickey, causing the mouse to shudder when he yelled: “We can’t go borrow money from SCROOGE MCDUCK!”

This time, even the Sevilles looked up in shock. “Whoa, what now?” Alvin said as a smile spread over his lips. “You mean we’re going to see THE biggest money-making tycoon in Toon History? The richest Duck in the World? THE Scrooge McDuck of McDuck Enterprises?”

“The one and only,” Mickey replied.

Alvin squealed and clapped his hands, making Theodore giggle. “Omygosh, I think I just had a heart attack!” he squeaked. “He’s the richest Toon to ever live, and I heard he makes all his money himself!”

Mickey chuckled. “Well, that’s partially true,” he replied. “Uncle Scrooge does make about 99.9% of his income himself, but because he’s also an official Disney Toon, he gets paid by the Studio for his work there. His Life Source is a little different than ours, as he’s the only one who’s made an independent one from his own hands. His Source is his Work you could say, though I can’t reveal more than that, so—!”

“That’s why we’re not going to ask him for any cash,” Bugs snapped, making Mickey lean away again. “Not only would we be taking a huge chunk out of his…” He lowered his voice here: “… Source,” he said so that only Mickey could hear him. He spoke at the previous volume afterwards: “… But being the tightwad that he is, do you honestly believe he’ll fork over that much mullah, Cheesehead?”

“Bugs, relax,” Mickey reassured him. “True, he is stingy, but he’s not heartless. You and I know that better than anyone.”

“I dunno, all dem decades of him whackin’ me over the head with that dang cane of his—!”

“You deserved that. You like being smart around him. He already tolerates you enough as it is, so sometimes you need a whack to get back in place. He’s the oldest living Toon around, so he deserves a lot more respect than either of us do.” Mickey slowed the vehicle down in front of a grey brick wall and some gold painted steel gates with the name McDuck written over the front. “But aside from that, Uncle Scrooge has been our biggest supporter aside from Minnie.”

“That still doesn’t give us a good reason to take his cash,” Bugs complained. “His temper scares me sometimes, and I respect him enough not to mooch off of the hard woik he’s gone through.”

Mickey sighed as he rolled down his window. “Bugs, Uncle Scrooge is a lot more generous around Christmas. It’s his favorite time of year. I promise you, we won’t have any issues.” As the rabbit whimpered and the children in the back whispered with excitement, Mickey leaned out the window and pressed a button on the security pad. “Duckworth, is Uncle Scrooge in?” the mouse called out. “It’s Mickey.”

There was buzzing over the speaker before someone with an English accent responded: “Good day, Mister Mouse, Sir,” the butler replied. “And yes, Mister McDuck is in today. Someone at the money bin this morning forgot to go through the vacuum showers therefore carried cat scent into the building, but thankfully it was caught before he arrived. The studios have shut the building down for the day so that he could do work from home with the triplets.”

“I almost forgot he got cat allergies in the early nineties,” Mickey muttered. “Can ya let him know that Bugs Bunny and I are here? We—!”

“YOU,” Bugs corrected him.

Mickey rolled his eyes before continuing. “We are here to speak business with him,” he finished.

There was a momentary pause over the speaker. “Of course, Sir,” Duckworth replied. “I shall open the gates for you now.”

Mickey pulled himself back into the vehicle and loosened his sweater collar before looking at the children through the rear view mirror. As the gates opened to give him passage, he said, “Be on your best behavior; I know this is the first time you kids get to go into the mansion, but that does not give you any good reason to horse around. Uncle Scrooge has a lot of priceless artifacts in there, and since he wants to keep them that way, do not touch anything.” He turned around here and frowned at Timmy. “That is a double warning to you, Timothy,” he said. “You mind your manners and don’t touch everything ya see unless he says so. Capiche?”

“Why am I always gettin’ a double warning?” The six year old said innocently with a shrug. When his father only raised an eyebrow, the boy traced an X over his chest. “Cross my heart, Pa. Not a thing will be touched.”

Mickey looked at Bugs. “Does Ash—!”

“He’s as obedient as Dudley is, so no, he doesn’t need any warnings,” Bugs mumbled stubbornly. He noticed Ashton tilt his head in curiosity when the rabbit mentioned Donald’s son, but Bugs was too preoccupied with the matter at hand to even grin at how sharp his son’s mind was.

Mickey drove the car into the yard once the gates had opened all the way. The driveway was not as long as the Mouse family’s was, but once they had cleared the few trees that shielded the front of the estates, the children, as well as the Seville Brothers, all let out shouts of awe upon seeing the vastness of the quadzillionaire’s yard. Land stretched for what seemed to be miles, with woods surrounding the mansion. A helicopter landing patch sat to the left of the yard, rimmed in a circle of small lights and decorated with a large dollar sign, the Scotsman’s icon.

But the most eyepopping sight, at least for Bugs, had always been McDuck Mansion. Scrooge had a fancy for European architect—no surprise, considering he was born and raised in Scotland—and his 75-room house had been built in English-style. White walls with grey-blue shingles on the roof, this was the only house in South California that came with heaters and even a fireplace, things that were needed scarcely in that part of the country, even during winter. While it was not as power-outstanding as North-American mansions were, its gentler yet sophisticated look reflected its master’s personality: proud, bold and sturdy.

Mickey parked the car at the front of the house before giving everyone the permission to step out of the vehicle. Andrew opened one door to the backseat while Alvin opened the other and leaped out over Simon, nearly knocking his glasses to the ground. Theodore and Timmy leaped out behind him before Simon could finally follow.

“Oh boy, oh boy!” Alvin exclaimed as Ashton, Susie and Pluto came out the other side of Mickey’s car. “This is a dream!” He stood in the middle of the driveway and spread out his arms before turning in a circle. “We are standing in the yard of the world’s most successful businessman, who just so happens to be a Toon.” He looked at Simon and Theodore as his brothers walked up to him. He smiled from ear to ear. “I like a man who loves money, and no one loves it more than Scrooge McDuck! Even if he is a Disney Toon, he’s the kind of guy all businessman should be like. My idol!”

“Oh yes,” Simon replied sarcastically while rolling his eyes. “This world is dire for more stingy multi-billionaires, and you are the perfect candidate.”

Mickey chuckled upon hearing their conversation and beckoned them to follow, just as Bugs closed the door to his side of the car. “Uncle Scrooge is stingy, but he’s mellowed over the decades,” he said as the others followed him around the garage to the front door. “He has many reasons for being the way he is, many I am not at liberty of discussing with you, but his change of heart and return to his ideals he gives credit to his nephews: Donald, Huey, Dewey and Louie.”

Theodore giggled as they came to a stop before the front door. “He sounds like a teddy bear, not a grumpy old rich man,” he said.

Mickey smiled at him before looking up at Bugs. “Would you like to knock this time?” he asked.

Bugs wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms before looking elsewhere. “Your plan, you knock,” he said. “I want outa this mess until it’s been confoimed that we’ve got the funding we need.”

“Suit yourself, Long Ears.” With that, Mickey knocked against the door, careful not to knock over the hanging wreath.

The children could hardly contain their excitement while silence went by. It became even more difficult when they heard noise within the mansion, and Timmy let a squeak slip when the doorknob turned. The little mouse bounced in place until his father reached over and set his hand down over the boy’s head.

The door opened with hardly a sound, and the face of a young female duck came into view. Golden locks fell over her shoulders and sky blue eyes looked at the two famous Toons standing before her. A smile reached her lips. “Hello, Mister Mouse,” she said. “And Mister Bunny. Happy Holidays.”

Mickey nodded his head in reply while Bugs flashed a polite grin. “Good morning, Webby,” the mouse replied. “Hope housekeeping hasn’t been too much this December. I hear the entire Duck family was over wrapping gifts last weekend.”

“Oh, yeah; full house, heh. Crazy loud. But boys will be boys, I suppose.”

“At least Daisy is good company. Is your uncle in?”

Before Webby could reply, a voice from within the house interrupted her. “No need to answer the door, Webby Darlin’. Ah’ll get it,” a man with a heavy Scottish burr said. “Ah know who it is. Go back to your business, Lassie.” As Webby politely stepped out of the way and disappeared indoors, the door was pulled open further in order to reveal the master of the mansion.

Ashton gasped quietly before tugging on Bugs’ scarf weekly, as though to indicate that he was once again standing beside himself. Scrooge McDuck was exactly as he had heard the Quadzillionaire to be described to him, and he looked even better than the photographs the boy had seen in newspapers and magazines at the library.

He was a tall and well-dressed duck, with snow white feathers and nicely combed grey hair and sideburns. His posture read power and confidence, something Ashton knew the famed Toon had plenty of. He wore a red frock coat with dark red sleeves that were bordered in gold stitching, and the spats on his feet were a matching dark red with gold buckles. The belt buckle that held his coat closed was decorated in the famed dollar sign he had claimed as his trademark. The top hat he wore upon his head was the most beautiful top hat Ashton had ever laid eyes on—if not the only one he had ever seen that was so well kept. So well kept, in fact, that he could see the textures on its surface.

Ashton bit his lip in order to keep from smiling too awkwardly.

Scrooge looked from Bugs to Mickey before cocking an eyebrow and smiling. “A very odd time to be seein’ you, of all people, on me doorstep, Mickey Mouse,” he said while adjusting the pince-nez glasses on his bill. “Ah thought the studios and… em, personal heartaches kept you busy this time of year.”

Mickey cleared his throat while placing his hands behind his back and teetering on his feet. “Yes, well that particular day has not arrived yet, and ever since the Festivities we celebrated at the Park on the 5th I’ve been fairly low on big projects to complete aside from making sure the humans stay in line,” he explained. “Oswald’s been taking care of things for the time being… I actually had a favor to ask of you, Sir, if you have the time.”

“Apparently, or else ye wouldnae be here.” Scrooge looked at Bugs next and nodded his head politely to welcome him, just as Bugs did the same.

“I hope we weren’t interrupting anything.”

“Actually, Huey, Dewey and Louie were only just finishin’ work with me when Duckworth said you arrived,” Scrooge replied while pointing over his shoulder. “We were docking the last of the employees’ paychecks before Christmas so—!”

Before he could finish, Alvin shoved his way by his brothers and the other Toons before coming to a stop a few steps before the duck. Scrooge stopped in his words and recoiled upon his arrival, and his hazel eyes looked at the rodent with confusion.

Alvin bared his teeth in a wide smile. “I am a huge fan, Mister McDuck,” he said, making the children giggle while Bugs and Simon slapped their foreheads.

Scrooge raised his eyebrows and then hastily looked back and forth before his eyes rested upon the chipmunk again. “Uh… a fan of what?” he asked with a wry smile. “Ah’m not an actor like Mickey, here, nor did Ah think other Toons read me comics.”

“But you’re the most successful businessman in the world, someone who knows how to make and treat money.” Alvin struck a pose and held up a fist. “You’re the toughest Toon around! And why shouldn’t you be, with three cubic acres of cash just down the hill?” Before Scrooge could speak again, Alvin added, while spreading out his arms, “You are an inspiration! I wanna be rich just like you one day!”

Scrooge continued to stare blankly at Alvin until he finally cleared his throat and looked at Mickey. He pointed at the boy. “What is he doin’ here?” he asked. “Ah thought the Seville brothers were not on good terms with our company.”

Alvin squealed, making Mickey, Scrooge and Bugs recoil. “Ohmigosh, he knows about us!” he said. “Si, he knows who we are!”

Scrooge frowned in confusion at him before looking at Mickey for an explanation again. Alvin opened his mouth to speak but Pluto grabbed him from the scruff of his sweater and pulled him aside. Mickey chuckled nervously. “Well, he’s part of the reason why we’re here, Uncle Scrooge,” the mouse muttered. “I’m sure Donald’s told you by now about the disastrous um… project, heh…”

At these words, Scrooge raised an eyebrow again and crossed his arms. “Nooo, of course not,” he grumbled, sarcastically. “It’s not like he didn’t inherit his momma’s blabber.”

Mickey tried forcing up another laugh before his smile faded away and his cheeks turned red.

“Ah don’t know what got it through your mind that that idea would work,” Scrooge added, this time with a soft frown. He shook a finger at Bugs and Mickey, and they both lowered their heads in shame. “Ye shoulda seen the signs the last time, Boys; your teams are not ready to cooperate yet. Ah’ve told you that ye should not force them together.”

“Yes, we uh… we’ve come to that conclusion already,” Mickey replied. “So Bugs and I decided to have ourselves in the video, along with our children and Pluto.” He held his hand out towards the Seville Brothers. “The music will be done and sung by The Chipmunks.”

Scrooge looked at the triplets again, waited for Simon and Theodore to wave nervously before looking at the mouse again. “Uh-huh,” he said. “So hao does that have anything to do with why you’re on me property?”

Mickey placed his hands together and cleared his throat. “Well, we needed a loan,” he said, to which Bugs winced. “Disney and WB refuse to let us pour anymore than 600 dollars extra into the project now, and we’ve run into a few brick walls. I know it’s a lot to ask, especially from you, but you know that I wouldn’t ask this of you unless I had no choice, Uncle Scrooge; we need to borrow some money from you so—!”

“BUUUT, if it’s too much to ask, we’ll just be on our way,” Bugs interrupted, all the while pushing up against Mickey and placing a hand over the mouse’s mouth. He smiled nervously at the duck in the doorway, who was now looking on in surprise, and then began to push Mickey back towards the car. “I ain’t one to rob a Toon of his Source, so we’ll just be headin’ out, now. Sorry to bug ya, Mister McDuck—!”

“Whoa, whoa, stop!” Scrooge exclaimed, all the while reaching out and grabbing Bugs’ arm. He waited for both Bugs and Mickey to look at him before smiling at the hare and chuckling. “If ye run off like that every time ya make a business deal, Laddie, you’ll never learn of the profit.”

Bugs blinked a few times, before Mickey shoved the rabbit’s hand off of his mouth and glared at him.

“Ah never said Ah wouldnae lend you money, did Ah?”

Andrew and Susie gasped and grinned. Bugs straightened out while frowning in confusion. “But… huh?” he said. “But what about your Source?”

“Bugs, Ah could spend 6 million dollars today and Ah would still be the world’s richest duck,” Scrooge replied with a wave of his hand. “Though, if the loan you’re askin’ for is that big, Ah will decline; Ah’m not that generous…”

“But—!”

Scrooge raised his other hand and stopped Bugs from continuing. He gave the rabbit another smile. “Christmas is a special time of year for me; holds a very special place in me heart,” he said, setting his hand over his chest. “Though Ah’m in no mood to get emotional, nor do Ah ever want to, Ah’m not cold-hearted. Especially around this time of year.”

Bugs twiddled his thumbs before looking at Mickey. The mouse smiled in reply and winked.

“So without goin’ into any long-winded explanation as to why Christmas is important, Ah shall cut to the chase,” the duck concluded while holding his hand out to Bugs. With a clever wink, he said, “Ah’d be more than happy to endorse yours and Mickey’s project, Bugs.”

Bugs, who had reached out to grab Scrooge’s hand, stopped shortly before grabbing it and looked on in bewilderment. Even Mickey stared at the quadzillionaire in shock. “You’ll what?” the rabbit squeaked.

“Consider it a Christmas gift,” Scrooge clarified. “Or at least part of whatever you need. You and Mickey can pay me back that whenever you get the chance. Ah’ve seen the things you two have overcome in the past decades, and Ah continue to support your friendship, despite the foolish things Ah’ve often warned you of.” When all Bugs did was widen his eyes, Scrooge raised an eyebrow and his smile diminished. “Sooo, are ye gonna take the deal or not? Because Ah can always change me mind.”

Bugs shook some sense into his head before finally, he sprouted a smile. When he heard Mickey laugh excitedly, he grabbed Scrooge’s hand and shook it firmly. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Mister McDuck,” he said, as the others cheered and clapped.

Scrooge nodded his head in reply before pulling himself away and stepping aside to give them room. “Then why don’t we talk of the details of your endorsement over a cup of tea and some Scottish cookies? Webby just made a fresh batch for me this mornin’.”

“I like cookies!” Theodore exclaimed before walking into the house. Simon followed, all the while smiling politely at the duck and nodding his head.

*****