A Brothers Hand to Hold. A Disney Christmas Story

OCTOBER - 1928
"Don't touch that!" The rabbit whines and snatches the toy away from the younger mouse, both with black fur and looking surprisingly  similar only that the mouse has rounded ears and the rabbit's ears are long. Their black eyes, that catch their chestnut glint in the fluorescent light, are locked into a battle of power and dominance, but the baby mouse, who is much smaller than the rabbit, blinks furiously. His bottom lip trembles and he whimpers. The rabbit's ear's fold back as he mouse lifts up his head and starts wailing loud, all he wanted to do was see it, to be like the rabbit. Footsteps can be heard coming towards the direction of the living room, the rabbit jumps, his huge eyes even wider as he looks at the wailing young mouse. His eyes go back to the soldier action figure in his tight grip, and then looks at the mouse again. He hops over as he runs, quickly trying to get the little one to stop crying by showing him he can have the town.
"Sh! SHHH! You can play with it, you can play with it!" The rabbit tries to goad him, and holds out the toy, shoving it into the smaller boy's face, but that only agitates him more and he wails harder.
"WAHHHH!!! DA-DA!" The little mouse is too young for any words, he barely knows what is going on around him. Why? Because he's still an idea, just a baby, a thought, but there. He's just a baby, not fully developed, not fully known or able to change anything in the world - unlike his older brother. "DA-DA!"
The door creaks open and both heads turn, one scared and the other sniffling, towards the thick, black-haired man with shining brown eyes and a stern look on his face. His orbs examine the situation and sighs, he walks over to the little mouse, as big as a four-month-old child, and lifts him up into his arms. He cradles him as he eyes the rabbit with a cross stare, "Oswald..."
"B-But-" Oswald points accusingly at his accomplice, brow furrowing, "HE was touching my stuff!"
The man smirks and shakes his head, "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, you're too much. That's why they love you, and soon, they might love Mortimer too."
"But, he's a baby, Poppa!"
"Not for long, Ozzie." The man smirks and sits down, rocking the little mouse back and forth, him calming down and eyes dropping at the affection and warmth coming to him. "He will grow, and he is your baby brother, you'll have to teach him about the world. About things I won't be able to."
"Baby...brother?" Oswald's eyes grow wide and he looks at tiny Mortimer with new interest, the thoughts go through his head, that this little mouse could grow to look up to him, to ask him for help. A new feeling comes to Oswald as he walks closer to his Poppa, and hops onto his lap next to Mortimer. The mouse looks at him curiously, folding his ears back as if the rabbit is going to yell at him again. Oswald looks down at the action figure and tenderly holds it out to Mortimer, who stares at it as if Oswald just offered him all the gold in the world.
Mortimer reaches out a small, furry hand and his tiny fingers clutch the toy and he holds it tight to the front of his jumper, and locks eyes with Oswald again, a new emotion gleaming in them. Respect, love, admiration. "O-Osa?"
Oswald's face beams and he reaches out and pats Mortimer's head, imitating the same as his Poppa does to himself. He beams up at his Poppa, who chuckles and holds both of his creations - his sons - close, as if he never wants to let them go.

NOVEMBER - 1928
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit sits on the table's edge, swinging his shoed feet over the edge, he's facing his Poppa, his ears sticking up and swinging about, adding a good foot to his 12" off of he ground from toes to head. He's growing each and every day, that's what his Poppa told him. And he's happy about it. He was distracted with thinking about how to teach Mortimer how to catch a baseball, he'll even let him use his favorite mitt, and smiles. They just played Knights of the Round Table, where Oswald was Mortimer's, who was king, right hand knight, fighting off everything from dragons to evil sorcerers. They had to stop when Oswald had to go to work with their Poppa and the men who are always dressed up in silly suits and with cement-gelled hair, but Oswald isn't allowed to talk like that around them, it apparently is silly but not nice. Oswald would have to teach Mortimer that when they get back home.
Oswald turns to look at his Poppa, to ask what time they are going to leave, and suddenly his whimsical look vanishes. Poppa's usually warm, chocolate eyes are dark and have pain in them, he turns to look at the suited men, their hands on the table with stern looks on their chubby faces. An uneasy feeling settles itself into Oswald's stomach, he finally tunes back into the conversation.
The man is asking his Poppa, "Do you have anything to say against it? It says it right here in the contract." The man's steely eyes land on Oswald like he's a scrap of meat. "He's ours."
"No," Poppa's voice isn't kind and gentle, it's cold and angry, forceful and protective. "You can't do this to me - to him!"
"It says it right here, Walt. Right above where you signed your name."
"I. Won't. Hand. Him. Over." Walt pulls Oswald into his lap, holding him tight in a strong hug. Oswald looks up at his dad, his cheeks growing red and his words forced through clenched teeth, and presses into his dress shirt. "You. Can't."
"But, it's business."
"He is NOT business, he's Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, my creation, my so-"
Walt stops as two larger men flank the evil, rat-resembling men, their arms crossed and the spindly one who is threatening Walt right across from him gives him a yellow-toothed smile. It's twisted and narly, it makes Oswald whimper and hide his face in his shirt. "P-Poppa?"
"Give me the Rabbit, he is technically ours." The publisher chides, holding out his arms for Oswald, the rabbit trembles as his Poppa abruptly shoots up out of his chair, holding Oswald tighter. "You keep him, and it's against the law. I could put you in jail under copyright complications."
"What do you think this is?! This is thievery! It's inhumane! It's God awful!"
Oswald starts crying, sobbing into the fabric of his father's shirt. He can smell his cologne, the smell he's grown so used to and fond of. He doesn't want to leave him, he can't leave Mortimer all alone in this world to fend for himself. It's not fair, this world is pinning itself against him, and he has no chance of ever seeing his little brother, or his Poppa or his wife, ever again. He wails as he is ripped out of his Poppa's hands and brought out of the room. He thrashes and cries, blubbering and fighting for release, to run back into Walt's arms.
"Oswald! I will always love you!" Walt's voice screams from the other room, it sounds so pained, so heartbroken. Oswald cries harder as he is placed in a different room and left there all alone, he curls into a ball and silently weeps, his heart cracking deeply into two halves. He thinks of his Poppa, and his little brother Mortimer, and suddenly the organ attacked flares in anger and promise. He vows that one day, he will see little Mortimer again, and that he will be there for him when he finally finds him.
"I-I promise, Mortimer…"

NEW YORK - LOS ANGELES TRAIN - NOVEMBER 18th, 1928

Walt hangs his head, his arms splayed on his knees as the train car rattles on the iron of the rails. The pale gold sunlight comes through and burns into the fabric of the clothes he has on, but he doesn't care, he feels like giving up on anything, and every bit of pain he feels, he deserves. His wife, Lillian Disney, stares at him pitifully, the little mouse he recently gave life to through his mind sitting on her lap, holding the action figure Oswald gave him not long ago. His ears fold back, he doesn't really understand what is going on, but it doesn't feel right all the same. Mrs. Disney reaches out and gently starts rubbing his back. "Walt…"
"I've lost him, Lilly," Walt rubs his forehead and then covers his face with both hands. "I've lost him, I couldn't protect him. What am I going to tell the boys back at home? We can't…He's gone."
Lillian's usually bright eyes are dulled with pain for the loss of the little rabbit, and for the condition his husband is left in after the battle. "Just because Oswald is gone doesn't mean that he isn't a Disney still, I will always believe him as such. But, you don't need to give up hope yet, you're Walt Disney, you've always done great with that imagination of yours…"
Walt looks up at his wife's face, and she smiles reassuringly at him, and he tries to smile back, "You always know how to cheer me up, Lilly…" Then, his eyes wander and land on the little mouse he's been calling Mortimer for the few weeks he's been around in Walt's mind, the ideas suddenly forming in his head for him, a Prince, a Pauper, a steamboat driver, and the little mouse smiles, twitching his nose as if he can read Walt's thoughts. As if he can feel himself developing more as a well-rounded character. Walt sits up straight and reaches out, tenderly taking the mouse and setting him in his lap. He gingerly stares at him and smiles, "Mortimer Mouse…"
"Mortimer?!" Lilly scoffs and Walt looks at her, flabbergasted at the outburst, "I'd rather call him Mickey."
"Mickey…" Walt licks his lips in thought, and looks at the mouse, who smiles at him again, "Mickey Mouse…"

WALT DISNEY WAS LATER QUOTED: "…So I was all alone and had nothing. Mrs. Disney and I were coming back from New York on the train and I had to have something I could tell them [referring to his team in Los Angeles]. I've…lost Oswald so, I had this mouse in the back of my sad because a mouse is a sort of sympathetic character in spite of the fact that everybody's frightened of a mouse, including myself."

"Remember, it all started with a mouse…"
THE PRESENT
Mickey's walnut-colored eyes flutter open, the full moon looming just outside his window, it's silvery light pooling into his and his wife, Minnie Mouse's, room. He sits up in bed and stares in a daze out the window, his black, furry legs dangling over the side of the mattress. His dream had been a wild one, with him so young he could barely comprehend what was going on around him, but he definitely remembers Walt, his creator - his father, being there, smiling at him. And there was someone else, someone smaller and younger, with long black ears and looked uncannily like himself. The famous mouse tries to put a name to the face of the…rabbit, it definitely was a rabbit, but just can't. That causes aggravation to buzz in his throat and a pang of guilt to go through his throbbing heart. Why should he feel guilty, though? What if it was just a person that his dream state had created for the fun of it?
But, it can't be, because Mickey has been having that very same dream every other night for almost a month now. And each time he thinks he's closer to knowing who the rabbit is, it slips even further out of his grasp, through his fingers like water. That really frustrates him, he rubs his forehead, an anxious habit he inherited from his father.
"…Mickey…?"
Mickey turns his head to see that his shuffling about has caused his wife to wake up, her eyes wide and shimmer with worry. "Sorry to wake ya, Minnie."
"It's alright," She adjusts herself and sits up in bed, turning on the lamp on the nightstand with a click before turning to him again. "Are you alright?"
Mickey looks at her, and then glances out the window, "I had that dream again, Minnie. And I still can't remember his name. It bothers me quiet a bunch, that I can't remember his name. I feel like I really should, like there's something knocking in the back of my mind, but I don't have the key to let it in…"
Minnie scooches closer to Mickey and wraps her arms around him to try and comfort him. She kisses his cheek and states in a soft, low voice, "Well, if Walt was in the dream, maybe he knew him, too. In that case, it can't be all that bad to remember…"
"And terrible to forget him until now." Mickey states glumly and kisses his wife on her forehead before smiling weakly. "We've got to get back to sleep, it's Christmas Eve tomorrow, very busy the next couple of days."
Minnie stares at his face, thoroughly examining it. She's worried about him, he's really putting all of his guilt into this one person who he thinks he should really know, but he also needs his sleep. She nods slightly and forces a smile to her own face. "Alright, good night, honey."
She leans over and turns off the light with another echoing click. They crawl back under the covers and Minnie hears Mickey's breathing even slowly into a rhythmic snore, but now she can't really sleep, thinking hard about her husband's dream herself before finally drifting off to dreamland.
~
The birds chirp adoringly a few hours later, Minnie Mouse is working in the kitchen on breakfast, and Pluto is sleepily slurping food out of the bowl on the tiled floor with his name on it, respectively. She hears Mickey's shoes dragging across the floor and turns to see her husband sitting in his chair and drinking down the cup of orange juice on the table Minnie leaves for him every morning. She smiles and bounces over, her heels clicking on the floor and kisses the cheek closest to her and hugs him sideways. "Good morning."
"Same to you." Mickey smiles, but soon seems to close in on himself, staring out into space, the sky is covered by thick, cotton-looking clouds that are sprinkling the world outside with nature's powdered sugar - snow. It looks like it's going to be a white Christmas. His eyes are fixed outside, but Minnie can tell it isn't because of the snow.
"Mickey, are you still thinking about him?" She asks gently, closing the dishwasher and pressing the button for it to start. She is done with her work around the house for the morning, all she needs to do next is adjust the presents swollen under the tree in the den for their close friends and family.
"He just won't stop coming into my mind; when I close my eyes, there he is in the darkness, that smile, that brotherly smile…"
Minnie stops cold, and turns towards Mickey in curiosity, "Brotherly…? Mickey, did Walt ever make you a brother?"
Mickey, instead of rubbing his forehead this time, scratches the back of his head, his eyes narrowed in concentration. He slowly, after sometime, shakes his head and closes his orbs, pain visible on his face, "I…I don't know, I can't remember…"
He looks at the face of the clock and stands up, "I gotta get to the store before Donald starts thinking he gets to run the place for the day." He turns to Minnie and kisses her goodbye, pats Pluto on the head and is off out the kitchen door. "See you later, Minnie. I love you."
Minnie watches the door swish shut, her heart heavy from seeing her love like this. "…I love you too." She whispers to herself before a look of determination replaces everything else on her face, she looks at Pluto and the two lock eyes. "It's time for some investigating, Pluto!"
She hurries towards the office of the house, leaving Pluto with a confused look on his face, "Woof…?"
~
Minnie's been searching everything she can around the house, for anything that could come across as help, her eyes hurt from the fine print of files in the cabinets and some old manilla folders that come from when Walt was still around. Minnie goes limp in the stiff, uncomfortable chair that she's been in for the past couple of hours, her back really  aching from the thing. She rubs her temples and thinks, but she can't come up with any other place or person to ask for information about the past. If only Walt was here to tell her, to explain what had happened all those years ago.
Suddenly, Minnie springs into an upright sitting position, the pieces clicking together in her brain. She's been searching up MICKEY'S past, when it should have been WALT'S; if he was related to Mickey in any which way, than this character must have been one of Walt's firsts, and he must have been important…but then how was he forgotten…?
Minnie pushes all of the files she just rifled through to the side and pulls up Mickey's laptop to on the desk before her. She opens it and impatiently waits for it to awaken. When it finally does, she looks down at Pluto, who is sleeping on an open book. "Pluto, I think I'm onto something!"
The dog yawns, opening his droopy eyes. He flutters them at Minnie, giving her a dazed smile before his head dropping back onto his paws. Minnie's white-gloved fingers fly across the keyboard as she goes into the search engine and types in, "Walt Disney's Early Characters."
Minnie watches as the search engine does all of the work she attempted for about three hours be completed in 1.67 seconds. She blinks and then across through the websites given, murmuring what the descriptions say to herself. "Wikipedia…you can't use that. It's illogical and people make up things…Ub Iwerks…" Minnie remembers Walt's right hand man who helped develop the whole cartoon crew and smiles at the memories and continues to scroll. "Hm…wdwfacts.com…seems legitimate enough." Minnie smiles to herself and moves the little mouse next to the laptop, which is ironically designed to look like Mickey, to make the cursor land onto the shortcut and clicks. She starts reading the article, accompanied by a picture of Pete and Mickey from 'Steamboat Willie.'
"Hm…'The Alice Comedies.'" Minnie reads aloud, she remembers hearing things about the show of a real girl in a cartoon world, but the memories come and go fast, for the show was only talked about, she never saw it. Besides, that is no use to her, Alice isn't a rabbit nor a boy. Minnie scrolls down and reads something about Pete, and gasps. Could PETE be Mickey's older brother…? Her heart flutters and her stomach clenches in anxiety at the thought. Mickey's got such a big and kind heart, especially for family, and Pete would take serious advantage over that. Minnie starts the paragraph over and reads slowly and carefully, "Pete was known as a villain in The Alice Comedies and pitted against Walt and Iwerks' Second Major, 'Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.'"
Minnie's heart stops, her blood roars in her ears. Rabbit. He's a rabbit, just like the person in her husband's dreams. She goes back to the search engine and, with shaky hands and clumsily fingers, slowly types in the name into the box and clicks ENTER.
After a half an hour on one website about Oswald, Minnie is dabbing her eyes with a tissue. Oswald wasn't a lucky rabbit in the year of 1928, the year that Mickey was brought to face the world, Walt and Iwerks lost rights to him in New York to the moneymen. Minnie's heart wretches at the thought of  two brothers being ripped away like that, Mickey must have just been a baby - a though at the time. That's why he can't really remember, but Oswald was successful under Walt's wing before that, how could the world just forget him.
Well, if there are websites out there, probably not the whole world forgot…
Minnie gets that look of determination in her eyes again as she reads the name of the company who took Oswald from Walt. She slams her hands on the desk as she get up, startling Pluto enough for him to jerk away and knock into a tower of books beside him, causing them to tumble on top of him. His head pokes out of the pile, a dizzy and disoriented look in his eyes.
Minnie picks up the phone and dials the number of her closest friend in the whole world, "Daisy? Get your good coat, we're going to New York." She listens to the voice on the line and smiles more, "To give Mickey a Christmas he'll never forget."
~
"Be careful with the tree, guys!" Mickey calls out as Chip and Dale climb up its limbs with tinsel and lines of popcorn and going around the tree, they're being helped by Goofy's own son, Max, who is putting the large glass ornaments on the tree. "We can't afford for it to fall again!" It's true, the tree is about twenty feet tall and could cause an avalanche of pine needles and broken decorations. They've been working on these for hours, but Mickey doesn't feel time slip away, he walks around with a blank expression, and zones in and out of conversations as he goes about talking to customers, cast and crew.
Goofy zooms over clumsily on his rollerblades, in his waiter's uniform, towards Donald. Donald doesn't see him coming, "DONALD!"
The white duck turns around slowly, knowing that tone in Goofy's voice all too well as something that could be horribly horrible for himself, and what do you know, he is right. The two long-time companions collide, the clipboard Donald was holding, chock-full of papers, goes flying in the air. The papers flutter down like large globs of snow, the kind that is falling from the pale grey clouds in the sky outside.
Goofy sits up and looks around, his pupils rolling around in his huge eyes before returning back to their normal positions. He shakes his head, and then looks around for Donald, and the orbs go wide. "Donald? Donald?" Goofy scratches his head as he thinks, "Garsh, where could he have…?"
"I'm UNDERNEATH you, you big BALOOKA!" Donald squawks and Goofy looks down to see he's sitting on Donald's back. He gets up, and Donald brushes himself off and fixes the ruffled feathers on his head. "What do you want?!"
"Well, um, have you seen Mickey?"
"Of COURSE! He is running around this whole place to get it ready, like the rest of us!" Donald hisses, picking up his papers hastily, wishing he could find the actual clipboard to smack Goofy upside the head with for getting his feathers all ruffled for nothing more than a stupid question.
"No, I mean…look at how sad he is…"
Donald stops and blinks, he hadn't noticed it before because he was so busy, but now he can clearly see what Goofy is talking about - Mickey has a sort of aloofness in his eyes today, along with a hollowed and tired expression. "Oh, now that you mention it…"
A buzzing goes off from Donald's coat pocket, and he pulls out his phone to see that his wife, Daisy Duck, is calling him. He presses SEND and holds the device up to his ear, "Hello, where ARE you, Daisy? It sounds like this is long distance, or you're in a tunnel-"
"Sh, Donald, honey," Daisy's voice shushes him instantly, and Goofy tilts his head in to listen in, curious. Donald gives him a look, but doesn't shoo him off, and just listens to the words, since his wife sounds like it's urgent. "Minnie and I are in the Lincoln Tunnel, on our way to an old Lantz and Laemmle building."
Both guys look at each other, Goofy's eyes wide and Donald's squinting in disgust, he then speaks, "Why are you going to THOSE guys' place?!" He spats at the thought of the men who stabbed Walt in the back, but they don't know the extent of what they did to him, what he made the moneymen do, like Minnie and recently Daisy discovered and now will have forever burned into their minds.
"Sh, honey, listen!" Daisy hisses and Donald immediately shuts up again. "Have you noticed Mickey lately, how tired and sad he looks."
"Garsh, you noticed it too?" Goofy blurts a bit too loudly and both Daisy and Donald shush him. "Sorry…"
"Well, we figured out why. Minnie and I are going to go and find his brother and bring him back for Christmas." Daisy explains, "Keep him distracted, don't let him go home, bring him to our house, Donald. We'll see you guys tomorrow at the House for the Christmas party."
"Mickey has a bro-"
"SH! Remember, it's a SECRET!"
"A-Alright, Daisy." Donald gulps and looks at Goofy, who nods, "We'll do it. You guys better get this done, or else I'd have done this for nothing."
"Thanks, Donald, I love you!"
"Aw, I love you too." Donald smiles and then sees the doe eyes Goofy gives him and scowls in return. "We'll do it."
"Bye."
"Bye." Donald hangs up the phone and stares at Donald again before looking in Mickey's direction. His back is facing them. The duck then looks at the taller dog, "How are we gonna pull this off?"
~
Minnie snuggles deeper into her thick, red and white spotted polka dot coat. Her heels click on the pavement as she hurries down the traffic-induced sidewalk, clutching onto Daisy's hand with her left, and her right holding the address for the building that Lantz used when Walt was trying to get more ideas for Oswald that fateful day.
"If this is the actual Oswald we're talking about," Daisy states lowly as they hurry through the obnoxious crowds of businessmen and citizens push and pull their ways through the cord, many holding bulky bags from stores, obviously waiting until the last minute to get shopping done, "Then Mickey is a very lucky mouse. What if that's part of his name?"
"What?"
"Mickey the Lucky Mouse."
"Don't be silly, Daisy…" Minnie trails off as she thinks about it, it could be true, after all. Anything could change for Mickey after they find Oswald, for better or for worse. Hopefully for the better more so. She stops at an intersection, holding onto Daisy's hand as if it were her lifeline. What if she comes across nothing, and Mickey's dreams still persist? What if she finds out that Oswald is lost to the world forever, thus causing Mickey to fall into a deeper trance. Maybe to never be like himself ever again.
Minnie couldn't let that happen, ever. Which is why this is still a secret.
"We need to hail a cab." Minnie calls back to Daisy, who is just behind her but the uproar of the crowds is at a very large intensity. Daisy, who has experience in the big city, sticks her index and middle fingers of her left hand in her mouth and whistles so loud someone in China might be able to hear it, and a taxi zooms up to the curb right in front of them. Minnie opens the door and smiles at Daisy as she goes in first, then Minnie climbs in, and takes a deep breath before stating.
"The old Lantz and Larmmle building at this address." Minnie hands him the slip of paper.  
~
Mickey sighs as he sits down, dragging his finger around the rim of his cup o' Joe. It's his fifth that day, but no matter how much caffeine he gets into his system, he feels drained; physically, mentally and emotionally. All that is on his mind, as he goes through the motions of being at the House with a fake but seemingly sincere smile on his face, is the rabbit. The rabbit who treated him like a prized little brother, a loved little brother….
His heart aches as he looks at the time on his smart phone, it's getting late. Everyone should be home with their families now, he knows Donald should be with Huey, Dewey and Louie, and Max and Goofy have their kids. Pluto must be all alone at the house with Minnie, and Mickey just wants to be with them, with his family, even if it for some reason doesn't feel whole.
He stands up and calls out, "Alright, guys, we're closing up shop. Have a great Christmas Eve night and a great Christmas morning. I hope you all can make it to the Christmas Party tomorrow, and bring your families!"
They all cheer and say goodnight to Mickey before starting to file out. As each group leaves and the employee line flows into a tiny trickle of a couple of stragglers, Mickey feels every last bit of his energy to keep a facade of normalcy leave him. He pulls the front keys out of his pockets and says goodnight to the MC before shutting off all of the lights. He goes through the front door and turns to lock it.
"Mickey!" As he turns the lock, making his successful place of business secure, Mickey's satillite-like ears twitch at the familiar squawk of one of his best friends, the one and only Donald Duck. Mickey turns his head to see Donald and Goofy, his other best friend, running up at him. Goofy, of course, slips on some black ice on the concrete. Arms flailing, he crashes into Donald, who also starts to go sliding and skidding,
Right towards Mickey.
Mickey, stuffing his keys back into his pocket, gasps and shakes his hands in front of him, eyes growing wide. "W-Wai-Wait! OMPHF!" Both the dog and the duck crash into their shorter mouse friend, in a jumble of the Three Mousketeers. Mickey sits up and shakes his head, staring at his two friends, Donald is rubbing his temples and Goofy's head lolling around his neck as he regains full consciousness from the whack on the head, it never takes long for Goofy to recover to something like that.
"H-Hey, Donald." Mickey shakes his head again, snow and ice sticking into his fur, it chills him to the bone. "Goofy. What is it?"
"Huey, Dewey and Louie are spending the night, I wanted to know if you would make it an all guys night and come over. Goofy and Max are coming too-"
"We are-OW!" Donald bonks Goofy on the head before he can screw it up and then, as the taller cartoon man blinks, remembering the plan and nods. "Y-Yeah! Max! Go home and grab their gifts-wait-can you drive? Oh, yeah, hy-yuck! Grab your pajamas, too!"
Mickey blinks and looks at Donald with an odd, raised-eyebrow expression, "Uh, Donald, I don't know-"
"I-I insist! Please!"
"Um…alright…I should tell Minnie-"
"She-She and Daisy are doing a girls night thing, yeah! So, let's just get Pluto and your stuff and be on our way to my house."
Mickey blinks, confused, but to tired to question it further. He smiles at Donald, feeling better from his unusual hospitality, "Thanks, Donald."
~
"This is the place." Minnie states as she pays the taxi man and thanks him with a small smile. She shuts the door and he zooms off, not even appreciating her kindness, Minnie already misses Disney Town, and she misses Mickey. She frowns and shakes her head, you're doing this for him, she thinks to herself. For your love.
"Jeez, it's what I'd expect…but if Oswald is still here…" Daisy states out loud, tilting her head towards Minnie as she speaks, but her heavily done eyes not leaving the old, dilapidating brown bricked building with a rusted fire escape along the side, leading to a door with the lights on. Daisy walked up the front stoop and knocked on the door, but Minnie's eyes are on the lit window of the door above. Daisy looks into the dark, dusty and cracked window after wiping it. She shakes her head, "No one is living in there…."
"What about this way?" Minnie points at the lit door and the light outside the fire escape. "Come on."
"Minnie, we're wearing heels and-and that doesn't stop you…" Daisy sighs and hurriedly climbs up the stairs after her, their shoes causing echoes of metal against the wood of their heels to rattle loudly, globs of snow making it a bit slippery and the iron railing cold to the touch. Minnie gets up to the door and knocks on it, the quiet neighborhood pretty much making everything echo loudly.
They wait for a minute or two, and Daisy shivers, pressing into Minnie's side, "Brr…Minnie we should go find a place to spend the night if we don't make the ride back-"
"Wait, Daisy," Minnie watches the blurred figure of a person come from behind the window and unlocks the door. It cracks open a bit and slowly opens more as Minnie's heart thumps louder and louder. She's so sure that both Daisy and the person behind the door are able to see it. She pulls her coat tighter around herself and blinks a few times as the person comes into full view.
A black-furred cat, the same height as Minnie, in a pale pink frilly skirt and matching sweater and a hat with a pink, four-petaled flower sticking out of it. She is holding two young bunnies with her black fur, in each hand. Cartoons can be heard coming through the air, along with the voices of other children, about a school-yard full more, it seems like.
"Can I help you?" Her voice is soft, and her smile is warm and kind.
Daisy and Minnie share a glance, and then Minnie speaks up, a bit confused but is drawn in by her smile, "Hello, my name is Minnie, Minnie Mouse. This is my friend-"
"Wait, Minnie….Mouse…?!" The cat gasps and smiles, "Please, come in, come in! And you, you must be Daisy Duck!"
Minnie walks into the small apartment, dumbstruck that she is known by this woman. Then it dawns on her, a lot of people she doesn't know know her because of her work, she doesn't really pay much attention to it, like her own husband, so when she's acknowledge it startles her. Daisy, on the other hand, always eats that stuff up. "Oh, thank you, darling."
But after that, both stop dead, all they see are little rabbit children, like the ones in the woman's arms. A little one runs blindly into Minnie's legs and falls back onto his behind, and starts crying. Minnie immediately picks the little tyke up and cradles him, "Sh…sh…" She looks at the little rabbit and it dawns on her, he looks exactly the way Mickey described him. Minnie tries to piece was she gathered online about Oswald, she looks at the cat again and her eyes widen. "Is you name…Ortensia..?"
Ortensia smiles and nods, "Yes! I'm so surprised you know my name, and thank you for picking up Tyler."
"I love children, don't worry." Minnie's mind starts swimming, "Ortensia, is your husband….?" She can't finish, but Ortensia smiles more.
"Are you going to say, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit…?"
~
Mickey sits awkwardly on Donald's couch in the den of his and Daisy's house, in his pajamas with Pluto sitting next to him; a cup of hot chocolate getting cold and tasteless in his hands. Pluto sniffs the Santa Claus mug in Mickey's hand, makes a disgusted noise, and then lies his head back down, going back to his bone. The television is on, but Mickey isn't watching it. Uncle Scrooge McDuck is screaming about some sort of story to his young nephews, but like them Mickey isn't listening. Goofy and Donald are talking about something in the kitchen, and Max is texting someone on his phone, most likely his girlfriend. Maybe his girlfriend should never know about the Buzz Lightyear pajamas Max is wearing right now, Mickey muses lightly to himself, but the small comfort of the funny disappears quickly and he's back to thinking about the rabbit again.
"Uncle Mickey, are you alright?" Max asks curiously, plugging his phone into the charger. "You seem…off…sorry for being so blunt but-"
"It's alright, Max." Mickey smiles weakly at him and puts the mug on the coffee table. "Max, I keep thinking I am forgetting someone, someone really important…I've never felt it so strong, but ever since my birthday…"
"Oh, well, you've got us." Max states and smiles, actually not reaching for his phone when it buzzes again. He must really mean it, and Mickey is thankful for it. He realizes that even with the rabbit hanging onto his heart and making it heavy, he still is always surrounded by people who care about him.
Goofy comes back into the room, holding up a VCR cassette tape, "Hy-yuck! Golly, I found an old tape of us on a train! We should watch!"
Mickey smiles as Donald comes in too, his two closest friends, who are always there for him in his time of need. "That's a great idea, Goofy-Gah! Donald don't drink that hot chocolate!"
"QUACCCKK!"
~
Minnie sips some of the tea as she sits on the couch with the recently met Rabbit children, only twenty or so of the four hundred and twenty of them. She listens to Ortensia tells the story of Oswald, and herself.
"…Oswald was a good rabbit, he was attached to Walt's side. He loved him." Ortensia comes back from a hall closet not to far from the kitchen with a shoebox full of framed photographs and some that are yellowed and fragile. Minnie takes them, she and Daisy look through them of the Rabbit with people they know and love. Iwerks and Disney himself with the rabbit, Lantz included in a few…but the last of them, framed and seeming to be recently shined, is a young rabbit and a smaller critter, they look very similar, except the smaller tyke has rounded ears…
Minnie's eyes swell with tears, she'd recognize that little small face of a mouse anywhere. She looks up at Ortensia, "Ortensia…there's a bigger reason we came to find Oswald, other than his connection to Walt."
Ortensia, cradling three other of her children, looks curiously at her house guests, "Oh?"
Daisy nods and looks at Minnie to speak, it was her idea to do this anyway. Minnie nods slightly and takes in a deep breath, trying to keep her tears back, and smiles, "This mouse, is my husband, Mickey-"
"Hello, I'm home!" A man's voice makes all heads in the whole apartment turn, Minnie and Daisy's jaws drop at the rabbit in a construction worker's uniform, his face looking so much like their beloved friend and leader. He smiles at his wife and is swamped by little rabbits before noticing the guests. He smiles warmly at them, "Oh, and who might you all be?"
~
The whole Duck house is howling with laughter at the toons on the television, of Mickey, Donald and Goofy going about their antics back in the good old days, even Mickey is laughing hysterically, genuinely. Even with the rabbit in his mind, he can't help but relish the past, to love his friends and family.
This is undoubtedly turning out a bit better.
~
"I'm Minnie, Minnie Mouse."
Oswald's eyes grow wide as he takes off his coat and cracks a grin as thirty or so little bunnies climb all over him like a jungle gym. "THE Minnie Mouse?! Wowzers! Ortensia, aren't we lucky?"
Daisy stands up next with her glamorous smile, "Daisy Duck, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rabbit."
"Please, call me Oswald!" Oswald grins more and shakes both of their hands, Ortensia comes over and kisses his cheek before hugging him. He takes the empty seat next to her and takes his hand. "So, what kind of honor do we have for having you two lovely ladies in our home?"
Minnie, so speechless by the very fact that she actually found him, forgets to answer for a moment, and then her faithful friend Daisy nudges her side. "O-Oh…Well, as being made by Walt ourselves, we wanted to know what happened to you."
Just like that, Oswald's face goes dark, a flash of a broken emotion going over eyes of the deep color Minnie knows well, only with the other creation of Walt. He rubs his coffee mug with his thumb and looks up at Minnie and Daisy, "…I was created around 1927, Walt had just finished with The Alice Comedies era, and needed something fresh. He and Iwerks, and Lantz…created me. I was Putrid, Peglegged, whatever you call him, his rival, I was the hero." Oswald smiles a bit and looks up from the ceramic mug again. "As my time was going well, Walt came up with another idea, Mortimer was a little mouse. I remember this one, ridiculous fight…" He laughs a bit, both hands on the mug as Minnie and Daisy exchange a glance, but politely continue to listen. "Over my soldier action figure. That day, I became his big brother…." Oswald's face gets this pained look to it, "November, 1928, I was at work with Walt, here, in this building…and they took me away from him."
Oswald's voice has gone small, the whole apartment, even his children seemed to have felt his emotions shift. Oswald rubs his forehead; like Mickey, Minnie thinks to herself as she holds the picture of the two of them.
Ortensia reaches out and rubs her husband's back in comfort. "Sh…It's alright, Oz…"
Oswald takes her hand and holds it in both of his, staring at it, "I…I was left here…forgotten…but, that day, I promised to see Mortimer again, to see my little brother…"
Daisy nudges Minnie again and leans in to whisper, "What was Mickey's first name…?"
Minnie blinks and looks up at Oswald, "Oswald…I think I just found a way for both of our families' Christmases to be amazing…"
Oswald's left eyebrow raises, "Oh? How so?"
Minnie adjusts herself in the chair, holding out the picture of the small rabbit and mouse, "First off, his name isn't Mortimer anymore…"

CHRISTMAS DAY
The snow stopped early in the morning, caking everything in white as soft as nugget or the whipped cream on top of some warm and frothy hot cocoa. A real white Christmas; and even with the caking of snow everywhere, Santa still managed to get to the Duck household and bring their gifts. Mickey watched with a smile as Max, Huey, Dewey and Louie opened up their gifts and loved what they got. But, right now is a different story.
Mickey goes around with a paranoid and anxious feeling tormenting his stomach. His wife hasn't been contactable and his night, after the raucous goings-on, was full of dreams about that rabbit again. This time there was a fight with an action figure involved, and Walt held the two of them, and the rabbit called him 'little brother.'
That's all he can, and really has to, remember of the dream. Every time he would wake up, the dream would just start over from that very moment. If he ever really had a brother, a brother that loved him this much, how could he ever forgive Mickey for forgetting about him? If he really exists, Mickey thinks in his head, glumly as he sits down at a round table in the House of Mouse, staring blankly at his smart phone's blank screen, waiting for a text, call, or anything from his wife. He's really worried, and apparently Donald can't get in touch with Daisy either. When Mickey insisted that they go out and look for them, Donald surprisingly refused and told Mickey not to worry, that nothing bad is going to happen. Mickey can beg to differ, but didn't want Donald or Goofy, or anyone else hear about his grief.
"Unca Mickey!" Huey runs over, a tall dog man, much like Goofy or Max, in a telegrammer's uniform that looks like a mix between a doorman and a bellboy. " Unca Mickey, telegram for ya!"
"Thanks, Huey." Mickey forces a smile at the boy before he salutes and runs off again, Mickey faces the young man as he sits and motions for him to go on with the telegram. The young man fishes in the pocket of his red and gold overcoat and pulls out a small folded piece of paper. Disney Town is probably the last place on earth that uses telegrams rather than for special occasions, it's just an old tradition that no one really wants to give up. Clutch onto as much of the past as you can, Mickey grimly reminds himself of his dreams as he thinks this.
The boy unfolds the yellow paper, scans the text and then reads it aloud in his low voice, "Minnie Mouse sends you a few words, 'Meet us in the foyer…at 4…'" The young man looks at his watch after pulling up the sleeve of his left arm. He looks at Mickey again, "Which is right now!"
Mickey jumps out of his seat and notices Goofy and Donald staring at him with almost knowing looks. But, he quickly dismisses it and hurries for the back door, uncaring if they follow him to the front. There is his wife with a wistful and seemingly misty-eyed, she opens her arms as Mickey runs over and hugs her, lifting her up off of her feet and spinning her around. He's never been so happy to see her before, besides their first date, the day he proposed, their wedding day…pretty much every day he's ever been with her…it just feels different after being so anxious about where she's been.
"Merry Christmas, Minnie." Mickey smiles and kisses her lightly, he kept her gift in his pocket to give her when he saw her. He thought that he was going to see her that morning, but now it didn't matter. She's here, that's all that matters. He pulls the small box out and opens it, pulling out a silver necklace with a heart charm on it. Minnie gasps as Mickey puts it around her neck and kisses her cheek, "I love you."
"I love you too, Mickey…" Minnie smiles, holding both of his hands, "And I have a special present for you today as well."
Mickey's eyebrows raise in curiosity and surprise, what could she have gotten him to make him so happy. Out of the corner of his eye he notices Daisy standing next to Donald and Goofy, and Goofy holding the videocamera he just got this, while he's still on his rollerblades. He blinks, confused at what they're all staring at, and why Goofy has to record what is going on. He looks down at Minnie, who is pulling something out of her purse. She pulls it out fully; Mickey realizes that it's a picture frame, and Minnie holds it out to him. Mickey takes it, and as soon as he looks at the picture his eyes widen. He almost drops the frame in shock but grips onto it as if it's his lifeline. There he is at a little mouse he recognizes as himself, but the other toddler, he can't believe it. It's, him. It's the rabbit, finally not just in his dreams and behind his eyelids, but an actual picture that he can touch in his hands. He gasps and looks up at Minnie.
"Minnie, how did you…Where did you…?"
"Mickey, that's not your only gift." Minnie looks like she's about to cry as she goes to the front door and opens it just enough to poke her head through. Mickey stays where he is, craning his neck to try to see who she is talking to. He turns towards Daisy, Donald and Goofy holding up his hands in confusion. Donald winks, Daisy fans her face as tears threaten to ruin her makeup, and Goofy chuckles as he starts to record. Mickey turns back to the door, which Minnie is opening fully now.
"Come in," She goads and a female feline in a pink outfit walks in, smiling at Minnie and then when she faces Mickey her smile gets wider.
Mickey blinks, utterly confused, "Erm, can I help you, ma'am?"
The cat smiles shyly, but with a warm undertone, "I'm Ortensia, Mickey. But, I'm not the reason your wife went all the way to New York. It was for my husband."
Another person walks through the door as Ortensia says this, and Mickey's line of vision shifts to him. Mickey's heart stops dead as he locks eyes with the rabbit, whose ears twitch in surprise. The two just stand there, dumbstruck at one another standing in the same room. Gears turn in Mickey's head, it's the same rabbit, only bigger. The ears, the eyes…It's him. The brother he supposedly had in his dreams, the rabbit in the picture with him, now more than just an image altogether. But, now an actual person, standing before him.
The rabbit takes off his winter hat, and clutches it in both hands as he looks at Mickey, his ears drooping down in acknowledgement and his thoughts awakening. He opens his mouth, just barely, and then closes it again. Then, he finally forces his voice out, "M-Mortimer…"
That did it, that was Mickey's first name, before Lilly changed it when he was really growing in Walt's mind, and as a character himself. Only someone around at that time, or who Mickey's told, would know….It dawns on him, and Mickey blurts it out before he can stop himself, "O-Osa?"
The rabbit smiles wider than anyone Mickey has ever seen, drops his hat and runs at the mouse. Mickey doesn't hesitate and runs at him too, they both embrace one another tightly, as if they're afraid that letting go will cause them to be lost in the void of space and time again. Mickey feels hot, globbing tears drop from his eyes as he is basically crushed in the arms of his older brother. HIS older brother, who he tries to squeeze back with just as much force.
The rabbit pulls back and holds Mickey by the shoulders, examining him with a proud smile, "Look at you…Look at you, my God, you've gotten so big, Mortimer…"
"Um…Gosh," Mickey sniffles and smiles, "No one's called me Mortimer in a long while, Lilly renamed me Mickey."
"Mickey…" Oswald smiles more and laughs, "I think that's going to take some getting used to, but I like it! My brother, the famous Mickey Mouse!"
Mickey laughs, staring at his older brother, still in shock that it's actually him, "And I guess your name isn't Osa?"
It's the rabbit's turn to laugh, "No, it's Oswald, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. But, just call me Oswald, Mickey."
"Oswald…" Mickey tries to remember Walt bringing up that name once in a while, and he does, but whenever he asked about it, Walt grew tired and shut down instantly. "Oswald…You're my big brother…"
Oswald and Mickey hug again, only this time with more meaning. After sometime, Mickey is sure he hears Minnie say, "Merry Christmas, Honey."
Mickey lets go of Oswald and turns to his wife, his eyes wide. He runs over and hugs her all over again, kissing her before he asks, "How did you…"
"Your wife is quite a detective." Daisy answers, stepping forward, "She looked up everything yesterday morning and got on Oswald's trail, she was so determined to make this the best Christmas ever for you, Mickey. I didn't think we'd do it, but your wife was right on the money. And that's not all…"
"What else could possibly make this day any better?" Mickey doesn't let go of Minnie, she would never be able to fathom how much this means to him. Then again, maybe she already knows.
"Well," Minnie smiles and looks at Ortensia and Oswald over Mickey's shoulder, Mickey turns to look at them, too. "I got them a good deal on a house on our street, they're moving into Disney Town."
Mickey's jaw drops as Ortensia laughs and nods, "Yes, me, Oswald and all of our kids."
Mickey's eyes bug out at the last words, "I have more nieces and nephews, golly! Oswald, how many kids?"
Oswald beams with pride and wraps an arm around Ortensia's shoulders, "Four hundred and twenty."
Mickey's voice catches in his throat in shock, four hundred and twenty…? "W-Wow! When do I get to meet them?!"
"You can come over whenever you want, Mickey." Oswald smiles warmly, holding Ortensia to his side as he looks at his brother, "You're family, family sticks together."
"Oswald…" Mickey feels his heart go heavy and he walks over, rubbing the back of his head, feeling awfully guilty. "I'm so sorry that I…"
"I'm going to stop you right there." Oswald holds up a hand and smiles reassuringly at Mickey, "I know that the past didn't treat me so well…but it's all changing now, right now. And I'm so happy."
Mickey smiles, holding back tears, " Me too, Oswald."
~
"Thanks for everything again, Minnie, Mickey." Oswald smiles and hugs his brother as Mickey opens the door. After the Christmas party at the House, Mickey and Minnie came over the Rabbit residence to meet the rest of the family, and the children took to their mouse uncle very happily - all four hundred and twenty of them. Ortensia is right next to him, and hugs him sideways as he wraps an arm around her. "Really, this is exactly how it should be."
Mickey smiles and nods as he takes Minnie's hand, "Exactly how it should be." He repeats, "I'll see you tomorrow? We could use another hand at the House, and what's better than family?"
"Nothing." Oswald jokes, cracking a grin and they all laugh together.
"Well, goodnight."
"Night, Minnie!"
"Night, Ortensia!"
Mr. and Mrs. Mouse walk down the pathway away from the house and start to make their way down the sidewalk to the yellow house they call home.
"Mickey, wait!" Mickey stops and turns, seeing his brother bound after him. Oswald suddenly hugs him tight, putting something in his hand as he does. He holds Mickey's fist now holding the thing shut with his own hand, the other on his shoulder. He looks Mickey evenly in the eyes with a small smile, "I guess I never broke my promise, you came out better than I ever dreamed for you."
Mickey blinks and looks at his fist as Oswald pats his shoulder once, and then walks back to his house. He opens his fist as he walks towards his house, hearing his brother shut the door behind him. Mickey stops at the sight of the object, glinting in the fluorescent light, and then turns back to the door. He looks down and smiles.
It's the soldier action figure.



MERRY CHRISTMAS!