Guy Germaine and Connie Moreau walked together along a quiet street in Minneapolis. They had just finished having lunch together, and Guy was planning on taking her to a secluded area on the river.

As they strolled hand in hand, Guy's thoughts began drifting away from the present, and toward the past. He'd been with her for years, and he couldn't figure out why he was reflecting on their history now of all times. 'Well, I'm thinking about it, regardless of why I am.'

He guessed their relationship began when they first started when they were seven. She had been skating on the pond about half a mile from his house. Guy had chosen to go to the pond as well, and found that she had been there for a few minutes before he'd shown up. Feeling characteristically shy, Guy had been contemplating walking back home and coming back later until she turned, saw him, and waved at him. She hadn't known him or anything, she, just waved. After that, Guy had started to feel more comfortable. He descended the small snow bank, promptly tripping over a slightly protruding rock. He refused to lift his face, as he was sure the girl would laugh at him. When he didn't her laughter, he chanced a look up. The girl was standing next to him, holding out a hand.

"Hi, I'm Connie. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." He took her hand and she helped him up.

"So what's your name?"

"Uh, I'm Guy. Guy Germaine."

She smiled shyly at him. "So, would you like to skate with me?"

Guy looked up into her face. He was only seven, but he knew as well as anyone that girls had cooties. But Connie looked pretty and didn't seem mean at all. "Uh, sure. Let's skate together."

A few years later, they started playing peewee hockey for the district's hockey team. Neither one would deny it: they, and the rest of the team, really sucked. But they did have fun, to an extent, and Guy was really happy for the time he got to spend with Connie. It was around that time that Guy started to see her in a different light.

Then Gordon Bombay came and their relationship moved even farther. At first, everyone hated him, and so complaining about the new coach gave Guy an extra excuse to talk with Connie. And when he really started coaching them, practices became more frequent, allowing the two to spend even more time together. Slowly, they began to draw very close together. They'd already been best friends, but their relationship had changed. On the day that they first played the Cardinals, when Guy scored the game-tying goal, he looked over at Connie, who had set him up with the assist, and winked at her. She had given him the same shy smile she'd given him on the day he met. She also blushed, deeply; fortunately for her, no one else saw her do so.

It was at that point that they both knew that they really had feelings to each other. Of course, they were eleven, so they weren't about to announce it to the world. Or the team. Or…anyone. Sure they sat together at practices and walked home together, but they were friends, at least in the eyes of everyone else. It was to be expected.

However, when they made the playoffs, they found it much harder to conceal their relationship. When they went to the Met Center for practice and a North Stars game, they really started to break down in their concealment efforts. Bombay called a "fun" practice and Guy had invited Connie to skate with him, like when they had first met. But this time, the couple ended up holding hands (although Connie didn't really think it counted as "holding hands" due to the fact that they both had their gloves on). Only when they neared Peter, Tommy, and Karp did they let go of each other and (sort of) separate. Fortunately for Guy, during the game itself, everyone was too busy watching the game to pay attention to their teammates. Guy took the opportunity to reach over and take her hand. Or rather, he clumsily grasped at her hand, covering it with both of hers. 'In retrospect, it probably wasn't the smoothest move ever.' Fortunately, Connie glanced at him and smiled. Guy's heart rate, which should have slowed after surviving this uninvited contact, sped up at the close attention Connie was giving him. Sure they'd been somewhat alone together, but never anything like this! They discreetly continued to hold hands throughout the game, and left without anyone talking to them about what had happened.

Then came the playoffs. Surprisingly, the Ducks were able to blaze through the first two games against the Hornets and the Cardinals. Of course, the new kid Adam Banks was the leading scorer. However, Guy Germaine was right on his tail in second place (ok, Adam led Guy five goals to two). After each goal, Guy looked over at Connie like he had after his first goal, acknowledging that he'd scored for her. Afterwards, Connie would scold him for threatening the privacy of their relationship, but he knew she thought what he did was sweet.

Finally, the Ducks found themselves playing the Hawks for the state championship. In the end Guy didn't score, in that game, he was the leading scorer for the Ducks once time expired due to Adam's absence. Connie asked Bombay if Guy could take the penalty shot, and although the rest of the team saw it as a good strategic decision, the couple knew the spirit in which the nomination was made. 'Fortunately, Coach picked Charlie. There was no way I could have pulled out that triple deke. Hell, I would've been so nervous I probably wouldn't have hit the net. But I loved Connie for that.'

As Charlie skated out to center ice, we started chanting his name, but silence soon fell as the ref's whistle rang out. Guy was almost paralyzed as he watched Charlie move with the puck. As Charlie neared the slot, Guy felt something grasp his arm. He looked down to see Connie clamped onto his arm. They both knew that if Charlie scored, the team formerly known as District 5 would have done the impossible.

Finally, the puck bounced off the right crossbar and hit the back of the net. The Ducks didn't even wait for the ref's whistle or the red light. They swept from the bench and crashed onto Charlie in the neutral zone. For several moments, all anyone could do, Connie and Guy included, was skate over to Charlie, scream something that was probably congratulatory at his face, pound him on the back, or hug him.

But it didn't take long for the couple to remember each other. Unfortunately, family and friends had started pouring onto the ice, adding a few seconds the time it took the two to find each other. Connie was trying to move past Jesse when Guy reached from behind her and touched her shoulder. Without making any conscious decision to do so, Guy Germaine and Connie Moreau pulled themselves together, resulting in a beautiful first kiss.

Guy had often thought back on that kiss. It definitely wasn't their most elegant (they hadn't been sure what to do and ended up pulling each other closer until the ice made them lose their balance and they broke apart). Neither was it their most passionate. However, of all the kisses he'd shared (and would share) with Connie, Guy knew that their first would always be the most memorable. 'But I guess that's to be expected, right?'

Connie's voice brought Guy back to the present. "Oh, Guy, this is beautiful!" Looking around, Guy realized he'd subconsciously led Connie to where he'd planned on taking her anyway. He'd chosen this spot because it was a part of town where she didn't come a lot. He had gambled on the fact that she hadn't been here before, and was right. "I've never seen the river like this before!"

The couple leaned side by side against the railing above the water. Without glancing over to gauge her reaction, Guy asked, "So, you like it."

"Of course I do." A moment later, she said, "Guy, on the way here, you looked like you were remembering something. Care to tell me?"

A grin spilled across Guy's face. "I seem to remember our first peewee championship game and the celebration that ensued at its conclusion."

Connie gave the shy smile that Guy had first noticed her so many years ago. "I think I remember too. Are you suggesting at something?"

He shrugged. "Here's a hypothetical scenario. You're a member of the worst Division II peewee hockey team in the state. All of a sudden, a new coach shows up because he's been sentenced to community service. After a while, the formerly indifferent and occasionally hostile coach starts to warm up to the team. The team gets a sponsorship, real equipment, and starts to win, making the playoffs as the lowest seed. After blazing through the first two games, your team comes from behind to win the championship. Oh, by the way, your first boyfriend is on the team with you. What do you do?"

Connie's grin turned wicked. "I think I know. Let me show you."

Guy's grin mirrored his girlfriend's. "No, let me. I started it last time anyway"

For the first time in the whole conversation, the couple completely turned toward each other. Guy brought his hands down, taking Connie's left hand, then her right. Having learned from his first time, Guy did not pull Connie to him. Rather, he slowly brought his head down to hers. As Connie brought her head up, Guy could feel her warm breath all but taste her delicate lips on his.

Suddenly they heard the unmistakable quack of a duck call. 'Dammit!' The couple broke apart, turning to see Charlie, Jesse, and Averman standing nearby wearing skates and pads. Averman spread his arms and called, "The Quack Attack is back, Jack."

Suddenly, Connie lost all interest in the impending kiss. Looking up at her boyfriend, she said, "Come on, let's go!" She raced off to join the others, but Guy remained in his place.

After the cries of "Come on!" subsided, Guy glared at the boys in mock annoyance.

He held up his index finger and his thumb, complaining, "I was this close!" Eventually, he went off with the others. He and Connie skated behind the others as they neared a construction site.

Connie grinned playfully at Guy. "You look so disappointed. Maybe I should do something about that." Guy looked at her incredulously. "But I won't." She laughed. "At least not until we find out what's up with Coach Bombay."

Guy laughed with her. "You're on, Moreau." As they skated off toward Goldberg's Delicatessen, Guy realized that he and Connie owed Bombay a huge favor. Ah well, I guess I can talk about repayment once we see him. I can deal. Besides, it's Coach Bombay. It's not like he's gonna make me play in an international tournament or something.