TITLE: Once a Hawk...Always a Duck

AUTHOR: Erin E. Peters

CHARACTERS: All the Duck kids from D1, and Bombay - McGill, Larson, Fanger, and Coach Reilly from the Hawks. Mr. Banks, and of course everyone's favorite little cake-eater.

RELATIONSHIPS: No romantic relationships because they're eleven or twelve for Pete's sake. Hints of a budding friendship between Adam and Fulton, and Adam and Charlie.

RATING: K - Content is suitable for all ages.

SUMMARY: Adam's POV. The preteen boy finds out he has to switch to another peewee hockey team. This piece describes his feelings on the matter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Mighty Ducks, or any part of it. I only own my own story scenarios.

NOTES: This is a two-shot. The first part is Adam's thoughts during the scene where they meet at the Hawks game to discuss the redistricting issue, and the second part is his thoughts during the scene where he is introduced to the Ducks in the locker room.

**The bold text is actual dialogue from the movie.


ONE


I had just finished another warm-up drill with my team, and was half-interestedly listening to our second line right wing Ethan Fanger blab on about his most recent 'girl of the week'. Man, that kid goes through girls like I go through Kleenexes, I quipped to myself, stifling a small giggle.

All the sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a strange man with big glasses followed by – the District Five coach? – make their way into our arena and over to our bench. They met Coach Reilly, and the three men started exchanging words.

Sorry, Ethan. I thought – focusing my attention on our bench as I aimlessly skated around.

Just then I heard Coach's booming voice. "Banks, over here." I quickly skated over to the 'powwow', my interest growing. Something was definitely happening.

"Is there a problem, Coach Reilly?" Yep, I thought to myself, watching my dad open the glass and make his way onto the bench, definitely a problem. I was all too confused. I just wanted to get the game started and win it.

"Are you this boy's father? 450 North Hennepin Avenue, is that your address?" The man with the glasses asked Dad. I could see our front line forward Jake McGill and star defenseman Casey Larson out of the corner of my eye, looking at us.

My dad agreed, and I had an unexplainable feeling that something here was about to go very, very wrong.

"Well, then, I'm afraid there's no mistake. This boy is playing for the wrong team." There it was. I felt my stomach drop. What do you mean wrong team, weirdo?

"What?!" I gasped incredulously. This was not real.

"According to league rules, Adam Banks should be playing for District Five." I rolled my eyes. District Five was stupid, they were poor. I couldn't go play real hockey with them.

At least that explains whatever his name is. I thought, blinking.

"My son is a Hawk, not a Duck." My dad spoke. I winced at District Five's new team name, having read something about that in the paper a few days ago.

"Is this your doing, Gordon?" Coach asked. And now I have a name for the guy screwing me over, I thought begrudgingly.

"I'll expect to see him at our next game."

Man, this guy is a total idiot! Leave me alone! I screamed in my head.

Then, turning to me, he continued, "We'll have a uniform waiting for you."

I wanted to laugh so hard.

"No way!" I yelled. That's it, I thought, totally a nightmare.

My dad's expression got stern. I could tell by this time I was most likely not playing this game. Whether Dad and I would stay and watch it? That I didn't know. All I knew was I probably wasn't a Hawk anymore. "Man, this blows." I muttered under my breath.

"My son would rather not play then play for your team." Dad shouted. I looked up, eyes wide in disbelief. Dad doesn't actually think I'll give up hockey, does he?

After that, I mentally checked myself out of the conversation. Gordon was saying something to Coach Reilly, but I wasn't hearing it. I sure wasn't believing this big jerk was gonna be my new coach.

All I knew, as the glasses man showed Dad and I a map moments later, was that I was screwed. So screwed.


TWO


Dad and I had stayed to watch the game, as I figured we would. We took his usual spot behind the Hawk bench. He used to like that spot when I was playing so that he could yell 'inspiration' at me while I was on a break in play. Inspiration my butt, I thought. More like idle threats. But, I wouldn't ever say anything to him about the fact that I just wanted him to shut up most of the time.

"Dad?" I asked as the first intermission drew to a close, and period 2 got underway. "You don't actually expect me to just quit? Because of what that bozo Gordon or whatever did?"

My dad looked out onto the ice, as if an answer would form out of nowhere. "We're not talking about this now, Adam." I just slumped on the bleachers. Stupid Distric-I mean Ducks coach. I thought, feeling pretty defeated.

Each time the Hawks would score a goal, they would all jump up and scream out. The players on the ice would all embrace in a congratulatory huddle. I should be out there, I thought wistfully. It wasn't helping matters that every time Jake and Casey were on the bench, they would turn around and stare at me quizzically. It's not like I could really answer them, being separated from the bench by layers of plexi-glass. All I could do was just look at them, and the rest of my old team, with chagrin.

I slipped into a trance, everyone around me but myself immersed in hockey action.

I found myself thinking about what it would be like to be out there with the Ducks. I didn't even like thinking about it, but I was being forced to. It sucked. Really sucked – majorly sucked.

The kids on the team were all a bunch of hapless losers. They were all horrible at hockey. They sort of knew it too, which was actually pretty hilarious. That first game of the season was so embarrassing for them, I thought, suppressing a chuckle.

No, come to think of it actually, there are a couple good kids on the team.

The first I thought was somewhat good was a dark-skinned kid with a big mouth named Jesse. I remembered a moment in the first game, when I had scored a goal first thing off the faceoff. I had knocked Jesse's helmet off – that's one – and he had tried to come at me. I could tell that the kid was not feeling me one bit, but I didn't care. He was a little punk. A spunky, punky, punk who undoubtedly could skate, but nonetheless, a punk. Now I was gonna have to play with him. Ugh. I winced internally.

The second I thought was somewhat good was the one who they called the team captain. A shy, caring, moral boy named Charlie. I don't know what it was about him, but he was the only one of the group that I actually cared about (just a little bit). He was the only one I kind of felt bad for when Jake, Casey and I would go out 'duck hunting', as they had started to call it.

Playing with Charlie won't be that bad, I thought, suddenly softening up a bit at the whole idea. I could finally help him up when he fell down, like I had wanted to do immediately after I had checked him into the boards a couple times because he was one of the 'others'. I just wanted to please Reilly and my dad.

I also thought that, in an alternate universe, Charlie and I may actually be friends.

I smiled to myself at the thought of possibly making friends with Charlie. I knew that the guys on the Hawks, including Jake and Casey, had always tolerated and put up with me because I was a good hockey player, a good anchor to center the team on, and I added to the 'thug life' of Jake and Casey's whenever they went out looking for trouble. But my sad truth was that I didn't have anyone I could call a real, true 'friend'.

I didn't know what Dad was gonna say about it. I knew that he was probably going to make a big scene about it, being an attorney himself and having the 'law by his side'. Whenever he didn't think something was fair he'd throw on his glasses, go in his study and read his law books, trying to find a way around it.

I sat in the Hawk arena next to Dad, who was jovially cheering as the third period came to a close and the Hawks closed the game out in another shutout. The other team looked about as bad as Distric-the Ducks had after our season premiere game. I made a mental note to myself to start calling them by their actual name, instead of some number. They were my new team, after all.

After letting my new reality sink in for a bit, as I sat there in the chill of the ice rink, I was actually warming up to the idea of going and playing on the 'other side of the lake'. It was going to be a different experience – that was for sure. I was also sure, with how mercilessly I tortured the kids with Jake and Casey in the past, that I wouldn't be given the warmest of welcomes. I was a bit nervous about leaving 'cake eater country' and playing for a team I thought sucked.

But, I was starting to think that maybe everything happens for a reason.