Louie knew he should've been happier. But then why wasn't he? He had everything he could ever want. He was living in a mansion with the richest duck in the world for crying out loud. And his mother who he thought he had lost forever was back. That should have made him happier than anyone could ever be.

But he wasn't. The sad, cold truth of it was that he wasn't. And the worst part was that he didn't understand why. He subconsciously avoided Della as much as he could. Sometimes he would catch himself doing it and sometimes he wouldn't.

One night, he had a nightmare. It was the same one he had had ever since he was young. There he would be, in a glass case. The kind magicians use for their tricks. Water would rise up in the tank. He'd scream for help, but no one would come. He would bang on the glass, but still, no one would save him. Not a soul could hear his cries. As the water would reach his waistline, he would find he had his arms tied behind his back.

Tears streamed down his face like rivers. He would die there, alone. He would die, never having accomplished anything other than being able to con a few bucks out of someone.

And then when hope felt lost. A figure would appear before him, outside the glass. The water was now up to his chin. He called out you the figure. They had the key to the glass prison. They vainly fingered the key. Louie continued to cry, but the figure would stand there. They could have very easily helped him. Saved him from drowning to death. But they just stand there. Stand there and watch him die.

Louie shot up out of bed. He was used to the dream by now, but this time it had caused him to cry. This was the first time the figure had a distinguishable face. And that face was Della's.

Louie snuck out of the mansion. He stealthily crossed the wooden plank to board the house boat. Whenever he had a nightmare, he went to Donald. He was already down in the stomach of the boat when remembered Donald's cruise. He wouldn't be back for several weeks. He turned disappointed and moved back towards the stairs.

He was stopped by a voice. "Louie, what are you doing awake?" He turned to see Della, sitting at the dining room table with a cup of something. "I, I was just," he began. He sighed. Not her. "Back in bed, mister," she said. He was glad to have the opportunity to leave, but his inner smart alec said, "What are you doing awake?" He internally winced. Why would he start a conversation with her on purpose?

She stared down at her drink. She shoved it away quickly after seeing her reflection. "Nothing, hon," she forced a tired smile. She studied him a minute. "Louie, are you okay?" she asked, after realizing he was upset. "Yeah, I'm fine.' He brushed off her comment. He turned to walk back up the stairs.

She got up from her seat and stopped him. "Is something bugging you sweetie?" she pried. He nodded, just wanting to go back to bed. She knelt down to his level and sat a hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything, I'm your mother." Louie pulled away from her. To her surprise he said, "Are you really?" She stopped. "I am! I love you boys with all my heart!" she pleaded. He shook his head.

"If you did, you wouldn't have left us!" he said. Della gasped. She looked down at the ground and then back at him. "It was a dumb mistake I made years ago. Why can't you forgive me?" "Because you're not sorry," Louie said. Her eyes began to water, and her temper began to rise. "How dare you say that! I worked night and day to get back to you boys!"

Louie's eyes were starting to water now. "You're only sorry for yourself! You're sorry that you missed our first steps, that you couldn't take us on all the adventures. But you're not sorry that your mistake almost broke our family apart. We almost left uncle Scrooge forever when they finally told us what happened to you!" She moved to pet his head feathers but he stepped back, not letting her touch him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You wouldn't leave Scrooge! You've known him your whole life," she said.

He shook his head while saying, "No, we didn't. Because you were lost, Donald blamed Scrooge for your disappearance. We didn't meet him until, like, last year! We didn't even know we were related to him." He clenched his fists. She watched the floorboards, ashamed. "They wouldn't tell us what happened to you, so Dewey risked life and limb to find out. And you think you can show up here and think everything is perfect?" His voice began to crack. "Louie, look, I know everything's not perfect. I know I don't know how to be a mother! I know I messed up, getting on that rocket, but I want to start over. I want you to give me another chance." Della bit her bottom beak.

She looked him in the eyes. "I am sorry." He still didn't believe her. "It's not just me you need to apologize to. When we were living in this boat, Huey skipped meals, Dewey almost ran away, and I- I- I," His words got caught underneath all his tears. She waited for him to speak. "I waited for you! Everyday I held out, thinking, today might be the day she comes back. And now that you're here, I don't know what to think," he said. Della sighed and they were quiet.

She sat on the ground in front of him. "Do you want to know the real reason I was awake?" she broke the silence. "I- I had a nightmare." Her words caught his attention. "I've had it every night since I got back. I'm there on the moon. You boys are there too. But I can't touch you. There's some invisible barrier keeping me from reaching you. And there's the mite, the one I used to fight on the moon. The mite is on your side of the barrier. But it's not as friendly as it was on the moon. It's coming for you, but you don't see it. I try to warn you by shouting. But you don't hear me. Until it's too late. And I wasn't there for you when you needed me," she told.

Louie was crying now. She put a hand on his cheek and wiped away the tears. "Louie, I really am sorry. Can you ever forgive? I never meant to leave you boys, or make you miss out on a childhood with uncle Scrooge, or make you live poorly on a falling apart boat at the marina. And I want you to know that I do love you," she hesitated a minute. Then she smiled. "I love you to the moon and back."

Louie ran into a hug with her and sobbed into her shirt. She stroked the back of his head while humming her lullaby. And soon, the two of them fell asleep.