Author's Note: greetings, my fellow MD travelers! So I've decided that I loved my Adam's Odyssey trilogy so much that I'd turn it into a tetralogy! I was intrigued by the idea of the Ducks, those eternal underdogs, actually being in a position of superiority, with all the problems that come with being on top. This takes place during their junior year at Eden Hall (1998-1999), and it relies on the world that I have built in Us Against the World, Summer of '97, and Breaking Up the Flock.

So be sure to read those stories, if you haven't already; I'll know if you skipped ahead :p

Anyway, happy reading – and as always, feedback (positive, negative...but hopefully not neutral) is greatly appreciated!

-Matt

Chapter One: Meet the Press

Josh Woodward shifted in the bleachers at Eden Hall Arena. The wiry, immaculately-dressed junior with blond hair was on assignment for the school newspaper, the Eden Hall Gazette, and was due to interview the new captains of the Varsity and JV hockey teams.

No wonder the crowd spends so much time on its feet, he mused, shifting yet again on the rock-hard bench. With its leather upholstery and thick padding, his announcer's chair was considerably more comfortable. He briefly considered heading upstairs to the booth and conducting his interviews there, but decided against it.

They'll only stand me up if they don't see me.

Even at the tender age of sixteen, his journalistic instincts were already keen.

He took another look at his notes. It simply would not do to look at his notebook for questions, so he took care to memorize them ahead of time. That was when he sensed a presence. He smelled it before he saw it.

"Ah, Mr. Woodward," Stacy Andersen greeted her sports reporter. "How goes it?"

Josh turned to see his editor-in-chief approach.

Short, brown-eyed, bespectacled, and with a bit of a muffin top, Stacy Andersen was not the tall, trim Nordic beauty that people expected her to be; so she overcompensated with gallons of strong perfume. Now a senior, she had achieved her social standing through the only path that was available to a girl like her: the school newspaper.

As Editor-in-Chief of the Gazette, the reputations of Eden Hall's students were mere playthings to her. As result, there was never any shortage of obsequious boys willing to date her, nor of party invitations from the Beautiful People.

"Stacy," Josh nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Stacy beamed. "I just wanted to pass this along; it's a set of questions for your interview with the hockey captains."

I've already got the questions. Mind your own damn business, Josh thought.

"Let's have a look-see," he wisely said instead.

He took the outstretched sheet of pink index paper and looked it over.

Who are you dating? If you're single, what qualities do you look for a in a girl? Coach Bombay has left you guys before, do you really think he's in it for the long haul? Do you really think he's willing to play second-fiddle to Coach Orion?

These and other questions were needlessly personal and had nothing to do with hockey – though Josh figured that the Bombay questions were at least relevant, if in poor taste.

"Thanks, Stacy," he nodded, sliding the paper into his pocket. "These should really grab our readers' attention."

"That they should," Stacy agreed. "And Josh – take care not to lose your tape. I'm gonna need you to turn it in with your write-up. It would really be a shame if I lost such a great reporter because he kept losing his tapes."

Josh nodded again. His editor did not need to make the threat to his job so explicit, but he took it in stride. Stacy was determined to have her intrusive questions asked, and if Josh failed to ask them, his insubordination would be caught on tape. Though they risked alienating Josh from the captains whose teams he had to cover, he trusted his ability to soften these pointed questions.

"You'll get your tape," he assured Stacy.

"Splendid!"

Upon hearing the heavy door from the locker rooms open, she got to her feet.

"That'll be the guys," she reasoned. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Best foot forward, Josh!"

"Yep, yep, yep."

Stacy departed, leaving a pungent scent in her wake. Tough she had left, her smell remained. It was as though she had within her power the ability to be in multiple places at the same time.

Just keep your head down and get through this year with that bovine bitch, Joshy-boy. Then, the Gazette will be all yours.

Four hockey players emerged from the tunnel and looked up into the stands.

"Up here, fellas!" Josh beckoned them to join him.

"Whew, that's some cologne you've got on, Josh!" Charlie Conway waved a hand in front of his nose. "What is that, Victoria's Secret?"

"Heh, witty as always, Charlie," Josh grinned, switching his tape recorder on. "Have a seat, guys. Make yourselves comfortable."

Charlie took a seat on the bench in front of Josh, and the other three surrounded the hockey reporter. In addition to Charlie, captain of the Varsity team, Adam Banks and Fulton Reed served as alternate captains on Varsity. Les Averman, the lone Duck still on JV, was chosen by Gordon Bombay to lead the youthful squad, and had been delegated the responsibility for choosing any alternates.

"First of all, congratulations on being named captains," Josh offered. "So, Charlie, let's start with you. What did you see in Adam and Fulton that led you to appoint them as alternates?"

"Well, making Fulton an alternate was actually Banksie's idea," Charlie revealed. "But I agreed to it right away. Fulton's been the emotional anchor of the Ducks since the beginning. He was even the first one to embrace the name 'Duck' when Bombay presented it to us way back when.

"And as far as Adam goes, he's our best player…well, maybe our second best. There's no denying that his gallant, handsome captain is da bomb."

Josh made a note of Adam's eyeroll. It was exactly the sort of gossipy little detail that his editor would appreciate.

"Talent doesn't always equal leadership, though," Josh pointed out. "You're sure that Adam has it?"

"Yes," Charlie answered flatly.

When he refused to dignify that question with a long answer, his friends all laughed.

"Care to elaborate?" Josh asked.

"No."

More laughter at Josh's expense. Now he was actually tempted to ask some of Stacy's barbs.

"I wanna get Fulton's take on this as well, but Adam, let's start with you," Josh began. "Charlie walked out on his team as a freshman, then he got demoted to the second line during his sophomore year. Do you really trust him to lead you guys going forward?"

"Why, you son of a…" Charlie got to his feet, prompting the others to rise, and for Fulton to restrain him.

"Next question," Adam declared. "And don't be a dick about it, or we walk."

"My apologies, guys," Josh offered, motioning for the players to resume their seats, which they did. "Les, let's talk about JV…"

For the next several minutes, Josh proceeded to lob softball after softball at Les Averman, who batted them away quite easily. No, he wasn't upset about being left on JV; yes, he was proud to be leading the freshman squad; no, he didn't doubt the 'Duckness' of the newbies; etc. Josh then got into the meat of the hockey material, peppering the guys with questions about Eden Hall's archrival the Blake School, and asking Varsity how confident it was that it would return to the playoffs after last year's dismal season.

Boilerplate questions that yielded boilerplate answers.

"Now, please bear with me, fellas – but you'll appreciate that a large portion of your fan base is female…"

"Oh, boy," Fulton winced.

"…so please, indulge them," Josh continued. "Let's talk about your dating situations."

"Happily attached to Linda Tompkins," Charlie declared.

"In a relationship with Julie Gaffney," Adam added.

"Uh, single, actually," Fulton revealed.

"Really?" Josh asked. "And what is Fulton Reed looking for in a woman?"

The lumbering Varsity defenseman shrugged. With his powerful build, black, shoulder-length hair, and intimidatingly quiet demeanor, Fulton Reed gave every impression of a tough, manly man. He, along with Dean Portman, was a formidable Bash Brother, after all.

"I don't really know," he confessed. "I guess I'll just know the right one when I see her."

"That's cool," Josh nodded, before turning to Averman. "Les?"

Averman's own sexuality was an uncomfortable secret that only he, Greg Goldberg, and a handful of last year's Varsity squad knew about. With the graduation of Zach Henderson and his goons, that left only Goldberg. And that secret had, in effect, cost Averman his friendship with his longtime teammate.

Averman was deep enough in the closet to find Christmas presents, and he intended to keep it that way.

"I'm single," he breezily declared. "And any girl who digs a goofy guy with glasses is welcome to gimme a call."

"Great," Josh nodded. "Let's turn to the coaching situation…"

The four captains fielded questions about Gordon Bombay's history and his future, expressing confidence that he would indeed be around for the long haul, and who, along with Ted Orion, would restore the hockey program to its full glory.

"Thanks so much, guys!" Josh smiled genially. "And good luck this season – quack, quack!"

"Heh, quack, indeed. Quack, indeed," Charlie nodded before departing with his co-captains.

Josh shook his head in frustration as he switched off his tape recorder. He had precious few juicy tidbits, and though he had found tactful ways to ask tactless questions, they yielded no bombshells.

But he knew that wouldn't stop his editor from creating them.

Julie Gaffney let out a loud yawn as she stretched in the front passenger seat of Adam's Range Rover. Adam gave his girlfriend a quick glance from the driver's seat and couldn't help but smile. But then, he had done quite a bit of smiling as of late. A weekend with Julie all to himself at his family's cabin on the lake was hard not to smile about.

"Am I gonna have to carry you to bed when we get there?" He teased.

"Could you not think about getting me in bed, just for one second?" She teased back.

"Only with great difficulty."

"Perv," she smacked his arm with a laugh.

"Hey – easy there," he admonished. "I'm driving. And I'll love you even if you're comatose, but I'd rather not be in a wheelchair when I visit you at the hospital."

She knew that he was only kidding, but she cringed anyway.

"God, you're morbid, Adam."

"Sorry," he offered. "I inherited my dad's sense of humor."

"You mean Philip actually has one?"

"Heh, incredibly, yes," Adam nodded. "It's darker than the bottom of a well, but it's there."

"Well, let's just hope that you didn't inherit his hairline as well."

"Hey!"

"Sorry," Julie smiled sweetly. "You know how much I love your mane. And I'm pretty sure that the baldness gene is carried by mothers, not fathers."

Adam tried to pout, but Julie's smile made that impossible. So he surrendered to the smile that she was making him feel.

"Give me your hand," she ordered him.

Her boyfriend was very much a two-handed driver, but he acquiesced, keeping his left on the steering wheel while offering her his right.

She took his mitt into her silky hands, gave his knuckles a kiss, then brought it to rest on her thigh. He perked right up upon feeling her firm, velvety leg – still bronzed by the summer sun. Instinctively, he wanted a hand to cover the growing evidence of his attraction; but he needed one to steer, and the other was sandwiched between Julie's hand and thigh.

He could feel a blush coming on, and Julie giggled at that.

He's just way too cute.

"Tell me about the cabin."

"The cabin? Oh, right – the cabin…"

She loved getting him flustered. It made her feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

"Well, it's a cabin," Adam explained. "And it's made of wood. And it's by a lake."

"Fascinating," Julie giggled. "Tell me more."

"Well, it's got one of those singing fishes in the living room…"

"Of course."

"…and there's a deck in the backyard. Then the lake. Oh, and there's a dock on the lake."

"Your powers of setting could give my mom a run for her money," Julie chortled. "Oh, that reminds me – I wanna leave a copy of her book at the cabin; y'know, to leave my mark. Think your parents will notice?"

"Doubt it," Adam shrugged. "I'm pretty sure my dad hasn't read an actual book since college. Just legal briefs. And Mother, heh, Mother doesn't really do lake cabins. Too rustic for her."

"So we won't be disturbed."

"That, we will not be. Dad's in New York, and Mother wouldn't go to the cabin even if you paid her."

"Good," Julie squeezed his hand.

"And of course, no Ducks, either," Adam pointed out.

With the arrival of junior year, the Ducks had taken to the road – literally. Eden Hall allowed juniors and seniors to park on campus, and the ability to get out and explore the world ensured that their time spent on school grounds would be greatly reduced – an irony, given the fact that the Ducks were set to become the big men (and women) on campus. The last of the remaining Varsity bullies had graduated that June, and that left the Ducks at the top of the social heap.

"Oh, there's the lake," Adam observed. "It won't be long now."

Averman heard a knock at his door, and got up from his desk.

"Ah, Linda," he greeted his visitor. "How goes it?"

"Fine, Les," Linda Tompkins nodded shortly. "Is Charlie in there?"

"I sure am."

The Varsity captain had been laying recumbent on his dorm bed, watching TV, and got up to greet his girlfriend with a peck on the cheek.

"I can leave if you guys want the place to yourselves," Averman offered.

"Oh, that's quite alright, Les," Linda replied. "This is a business visit, not a romantic one."

"Ah," Charlie acknowledged. "Well, have a seat, then."

Linda did a quick scan of her tidy surroundings before taking a seat at Charlie's desk. First Guy Germaine, then Adam Banks, and now Les Averman, Charlie had gone through three roommates in as many years. No doubt it behooved him as captain to spread his wings and develop close relationships with as many of his fellow Ducks as possible; but Linda could not deny that Charlie was something of an acquired taste.

Still, this looks like a good roommate match, she thought. At least Les is neat.

"So, what's up?" Charlie asked.

"This," Linda reached into her backpack and retrieved a stack of documents held together by a paperclip. "My source at the Gazette leaked me a copy of their next edition. It's very bad."

"Oh?"

Charlie took the documents and examined them with some concern. Linda was running for Student Council President and could ill-afford bad publicity. Given that she belonged to no clique and lacked the seniority advantage of her opponents, any negative stories in the Gazette about Linda or her friends on the Ducks – regardless of their veracity – risked torpedoing her candidacy.

Charlie did not have to look far to discover the offending article.

CONSPIRACY IN THE MAKING? The headline ominously asked.

Adam Banks Puts Pal in Position to Help Push Charlie Conway Out, read the subheading.

The article went on to explain how Adam Banks had gotten Fulton Reed to be named an alternate captain for the Varsity team. It went on to claim that Adam had used this appointment to position himself for a takeover of the team. The article then gave a brief history of Charlie's trials and tribulations at Eden Hall, the implication being that he was a dead man walking.

Furious, he crumbled the papers into a ball.

"That little punk, Josh. Well, he just lost his access to the Varsity team. That's for damn sure. Averman, I trust that the little pipsqueak won't have any dealings with JV, either?"

"No way, man," Averman nodded. "No sense in doing interviews for him if he's only gonna write shit about us."

"In the meantime," Linda spoke up, "We're gonna have to do something about Adam."

Charlie looked at her incredulously.

"Linda, this article is nothing but lies and innuendo. Adam's not about to launch some kinda coup against me."

"Probably not," Linda agreed. "But we need to get him on message. He needs to know about this bomb before it goes off. Controlled detonation, that's the name of the game."

"Right," Charlie nodded. "I better give him a call."

After unpacking and transferring the groceries from the cooler to the refrigerator, Julie and Adam made their way to the cabin's lakeside backyard. Though the trees that ringed the lake were mostly green, a bit of autumnal amber was creeping into the scenery, and the burning bushes around the cabin were beginning to show hints of scarlet.

"Wow, what a great spot!" Julie enthused.

"Yeah," Adam nodded. "I like it even better in the winter. You can skate for miles across this lake. Much quieter and more open than the arena."

Julie shuddered at that.

"I could never skate over a lake. I'd be way too scared about the ice cracking, and then going under."

Adam shrugged.

"You can't live life without taking risks."

Julie smiled at her boyfriend's casual bravado.

"Say, could you do my back?" She asked, sliding out of her T-shirt and revealing a skimpy white bikini top that looked a size too small.

Adam squeezed the tube of sun tan lotion that he had been holding, causing a stream of white goop to go flying in ecstasy.

"Huh-huh, sure."

Heh, Mr. Tough Guy, indeed.

After sliding out of her denim cutoffs, Julie placed a beach towel across the grass and went prone before undoing her bikini strings – leaving a bare, lightly bronzed back for Adam's care and attention.

Right, here we go, he thought, rubbing a dollop of lotion into his hands before crouching down and getting to work.

Julie's lips pressed into a smile as she felt the familiar combination of strength and gentleness that was Adam Banks. It went without saying that she expected the lotion to be massaged into her skin, and he readily obliged, allowing her to direct him to her points of tension, while he did his best to provide relief.

"Mmmm, Adam."

"That better?"

"God, yes!"

His grin betrayed a hint of brashness as he hunched closer to her. He continued to caress her shoulders as he brought his face down to the side of hers. Adam had hardly even gotten into position when Julie seized him by the back of his head and stole a hungry kiss.

For a split second, he feared she would devour him, but as he returned her intensity, she quivered and submitted – allowing him to flip her onto her back as his thick, greedy lips worked their way down her neck and toward her chest.

She had forgotten all about her undone straps, until he brushed away her top and began to nuzzle. That was when she pushed him away.

His intense sapphire eyes betrayed a flick of anger before giving way to contrition.

"Sorry, Julie," he said softly.

Rather than accept his apology, Julie grasped the bottom of Adam's T-shirt and lifted it over his head – exposing his taut chest and hockey-ripped abs.

"You're forgiven," she offered coquettishly.

And with that, she pinned him to the towel and got to work on his own chest. He appeared to have gotten even taller and stronger over the summer, and she intended to savor him. The pair of teenage lovers forgot themselves completely – not that they needed to worry about prying eyes. The cabin was surrounded by dense foliage, and the few boats on the water that day were miles away.

Once the pair was spent, they cooled off in the glistening sapphire waters of Lake Belle Taine before heading indoors. The interior of the Banks Family's cabin was spacious, but somewhat spartan – well short of their richly-furnished mansion in Edina.

No wonder Charlotte doesn't 'do' lake cabins, Julie thought of Adam's queenly mother.

But the cabin was plenty comfortable for the girl from Bangor, and best of all, it had a surprisingly well-appointed bookcase.

Perfect, Julie tucked her mother's tome into the center shelf, the name GAFFNEY plain for all to see.

"Adam, what are you gonna cook for me?" She called from the living room.

"We are gonna make a pizza. Together," he answered from the kitchen.

"That doesn't sound so complicated," Julie replied, moving to join him.

"It isn't, but I'm gonna use the grill to cook it."

Julie cocked an eyebrow.

"Now this I gotta see."

Far from heating a frozen pizza in the oven, Adam was going to make one from scratch. He had already prepared and frozen the dough before heading north. Now it was just a matter of browning the dough, then adding the sauce, cheese, and toppings.

"Watch, and learn."

Julie watched as Adam dumped a pile of charcoal into a kettle grill, doused it with lighter fluid, and lit a match.

"Fee-fi-fo-fum," he intoned, pouring even more lighter fluid onto the coals and creating a massive, terrifying flame.

"Adam!" Julie scolded him.

"Heh, we've gotta work on your trust issues," he chortled.

Eventually, the flame settled down, and Adam got to work. It didn't take long to turn the cold, white dough into warm, brown goodness; and once the dough was cooked, he led Julie back into the kitchen.

"Phase Two: Toppings," he announced.

Their pizza took its shape as the young couple applied sauce, cheese, and an assortment of toppings before Adam handed Julie the massive pizza paddle.

"Care to do the honors?"

Julie nodded and took the paddle while Adam got the door. She slid the pizza onto the grate and left it to cook. When it was done, Julie scooped it onto the paddle and carried it back inside while Adam retrieved a bottle of merlot that he had surreptitiously smuggled out of his parents' wine cellar – opening it with the cork screw on his trusty, ever-present Swiss Army knife.

The young couple was enjoying a candlelit dinner when Adam heard his cellphone go off in the bedroom.

Go. Away.

It eventually went through its complete cycle, only to start ringing again.

"Shouldn't you get that?" Julie asked.

"Right," Adam grunted as he stood up.

He lumbered across the cedar planks of the cabin, somewhat buzzed from the wine, and approached his spiffy new MicroTac 8200 with every intention of chucking it into the lake. But he restrained himself long enough to answer it.

"Uh, hello?"

"Ah, Banksie!" Came Charlie's voice on the other end.

Adam grunted again.

"We have a problem, Adam."

"Yeah, no shit, Conway!"

"I've been trying to get ahold of you all day."

"Yeah, well you shoulda tried the lake."

"You're at the lake?" Charlie asked. "Are you gonna be there all weekend? I could drive up there…"

"Charlie, if you drive up here, I swear to God it'll be the last thing that you ever do. Now, what. Do. You. Want?"

"Linda got hold of the next issue of the Gazette," Charlie announced. "It's leading with a story about you plotting with Fulton to push me out as captain…"

Adam let out a loud sigh. Although the wine made him better equipped to deal with Charlie's dumb drama, he simply was not in the mood.

"Good night, Charlie."

He took care to turn the power off on his phone before tossing it back onto the dresser.

"Charlie being dramatic?" Julie asked as Adam returned to the kitchen.

"And I thought I had a reprieve this year. I figured that Averman would be the one stuck holding Conway's hand."

Julie stood up and closed the distance, draping her arms around Adam's neck.

"Forget about all that," she admonished with a kiss. "It's time for bed, anyway."

Back at Eden Hall, Charlie slammed the telephone receiver into its cradle on his desk.

"I can't believe Banks actually hung up on me."

Averman looked over to see a smoldering Charlie Conway.

"Really?" He asked. "Charlie, Adam is spending a weekend at the lake. With Julie. I never thought I'd be the one to have to explain the birds-and-the-bees to you, but…"

"Averman, this is serious!"

"Sorry."

"Do you think I should drive up there?"

Averman got to his feet and walked over to his roommate, then gently placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"Charlie, there's much about this world that I don't understand, but one thing that I do understand? If you go and see Adam at the lake this weekend, Adam will go and see to it that you're laying at the bottom of it…with an anchor tied around your waist."

"Damn, Averman."

"Heh, I only say that because I love you," Averman explained with a playful pat. "Now relax, enjoy your weekend, and don't worry about Monday. Nobody reads that disgusting rag, anyway."

Charlie let out a sigh.

"Whatever you say, man."