Summary: Things are unusually quiet in Anaheim and the Ducks are enjoying minute of it. One of the Ducks, on the other hand, feels that something is missing in her life. What is it!?!?!? Find out......BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Might as well say it. I don't....I..don't...*sniff*...I DON'T OWN THE MIGHTY DUCKS!!!!!!!!! There!!!!! Ya happy!!!!!!!
Warning: One teeny racial joke, but no harm intended. If anyone is offended, I apologize. ^_^ Oh, and some innuendo......
ANGST ANGST ANGST! Wonderful angst!
Chapter 1
Missing Piece
It had been pleasantly quiet at the Pond in Anaheim, the home of California's pride and joy, The Might Ducks. Their beloved manager, Phil Palmfeather, left on account of a family emergency across the country. The Ducks never delighted in the pain of others, but two full weeks without profitable appearances or promotions was nice.
In fact, the past month was unusually uneventful. Tanya hadn't detected any fluctuations of energy concerning Dragaunus or his goons. Besides petty robberies and an elephant n' car accident ( .0 ) they noticed upon passing by, life was suspiciously, but desirably, peaceful.
And that meant ultimate boredom for one young duck and trouble for another....
"NOSEDIVE!!!!! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!"
Unfortunately for the Pond's inhabitants, these idle threats had become the norm. Throughout the corridors below, loud raps and taps of footsteps echoed along with feral cries and bursts of laughter. Today Mallory was in pursuit over a "destroyed" puck launcher. Nosedive ran as best he could without tumbling in tremendous guffaws. Finally, after racing through five corridors, Nosedive charged into the medbay and hid behind Wildwing for refuge. Mallory ran at the tail end and was abruptly stopped by the leader, his bandaged hand held up in front of her.
"Woah! Woah! Who cooked your goose!?" Then, in exasperation, he asked expectantly, "What did he do, now?"
Mallory's hair bristled slightly and she revealed four puck launchers crudely glued together with super glue and gum at the barrels. "Look what he did to my puck launchers! They're ruined!" She brandished the odd-looking weapon at Nosedive, narrowly missing Wildwing's face. "I've had it up to here with your childish pranks!"
"Yeah, as if your '365 Ways to Annoy the Heck Outta Somebody' calendar wasn't enough to satisfy ya," Duke chimed in upon entering the medbay, curious, but not surprised, of the routine commotion.
"Can you blame me?" the young duck protested. "I mean, it's not like we're gonna use them. It's been dullsville for a month and I am bored out of my MIND!"
Wildwing patted the insanely hyperventilating Nosedive on the back. "Easy. Breathe, baby bro! You know you're not supposed to vandalize any weapon and you should know better than to mess with Mallory's! Are you nuts, man!?"
Nosedive grabbed the four-tonged object out of Mallory's death grip and, with and exaggerated grin, said, "Yeah, but see? It's still a weapon! Look!"
He reared back and tossed it far across the room. It curved and returned in his direction. He jumped and caught it, though with a few stumbles backwards.
"Hey, watch the medical knickknacks!" Tanya said, pulling a metal stand out of the teen's path.
"It also doubles as a fun filled boomerang! Hours of wholesome, family fun!"
"That is, if you can avoid the racial slurs while playing with it in the park," Duke said dryly, through a smirk.
The others laughed as Dive inquisitively examined his toy, then chuckled with them. All were smiling except for Mallory, who suddenly looked glumly and left quickly. Duke noticed her brush by with nary a glance.
"Was it something I --" Before he could finish she'd already turned the corner.
No one seem to regard her absence, so he saw it fit that he should go and see what was troubling her. It wasn't like her to change into a dispirited mood in a second. He exited the room and followed her.
Duke trailed the young female duck outside the Pond, finding her leaning against a streetlight. It wasn't so much the destination he found strange, but the wistful, relaxed expression she wore on her face. She appeared so distant as if she were a thousand miles away in her own dream world.
Slowly, he approached her so as not to startle her. She looked oddly reserved and solitary. The slightest touch might have put her in shock, if she wasn't already.
"Yes, Duke," Mallory spoke in a sweet monotone.
Duke rubbed the nape of his neck in chagrin and said, "Look, ah, I'm sorry if I offended you with the 'swastika' joke. It was pretty stupid..."
"No, it wasn't that," she said, again in the melancholy tone.
"Then what?" Duke watched as she cocked her head delicately to the side.
"Have you ever felt," she mused, " that something was missing?"
"Like Dragaunus trying to blow up Anaheim or sumptin'?" he suggested, confused by her sudden intakes of introspectivity.
"No, no...something important. It's rather silly, actually..." Her cheeks flushed and she slid a lock of brilliantly red hair from her pensive face. She gazed silently across the clear street.
Duke followed her gaze and spotted a mother holding the hand of her bouncy toddler. He was holding in his other hand a brand new lollipop and he giggled beside his mother. Duke saw a soft smile spread upon Mallory. He raised an eyebrow.
"You ain't aiming at going from military to maternal, are ya? Planning on hatchin' an egg or somethin'?"
Mallory jerked around and retorted, "No! Of course not! I can't stand kids, anyway. They're too much of a bother."
"All right, alright." Duke said, chuckling. "I believe you. 'Course, if you ever changed your mind, a-heh," he smoothed back his long tuft of hair with charisma, " I'm the guy to come too! The guys sure are fun to make!"
"Like you'd know!" she scoffed.
"...okay, now that was a low blow," Duke uttered. He playfully jabbed her in the shoulder. She returned the gesture.
"You want take out or home cooking?", he asked her, though by home cooking, he actually meant t.v. dinners. None of them could cook or stand Grin's "tofu delight".
Mallory shrugged. " You boys will most likely vote for pizza, so why not? I'll be in soon."
Duke paused before leaving, and looked back at the young female, so different from her straight, rigid self.
Was she truly serious? Was she longing for a child?
Mallory, sensing his stare, turned with a slim tilt of her head and waved him off smiling.
Duke smiled back, satisfied with her settled state of mind, and went back in the Pond.
But her mind was far from settled. In fact, she was directly in the middle of her emotional spectrum. One part, the dominant military side of herself was strongly against the illegal maternal longing. The other side, this foreign, new part of her, slowly crept upon her and became more prominent, more undeniable everyday. She'd never felt this feeling before, this clashing of two completely opposite sides. For once in her life, she wasn't sure of who she was. The confident, determined, certain, army girl that Mallory had grown to be was fading fast. She could no longer dismiss this feeling or uncertainty and loving gentleness for something and it was...driving her nuts!!!
"Mallory, you silly, stupid featherbrain!" she scolded herself. "What are you thinking? You are not a mother, you'll never be one!! You're a Mighty Duck!!"
She sighed with reluctant realization. "But, I am... a woman..."
The image of giggling children in the park was deeply imprinted upon her memory.
Uh oh...uh oh....! What will happen next!? Why is it so quiet now? What are Dragaunus and his punks doing!? Taking a vacation? Sick leave? Riding the Tower of Terror at Disney World!!? Will Phil's family die? For good? Why is Wildwing's hand bandaged up? Why is Duke making stupid comments!?
Oh, and what is Mallory feeling.
Find out in the next chapter....