A/N: I own nothing related to the Mighty Ducks film trilogy, but any new characters cropping up are all mine. In this fic, the Ducks are all grown up and have moved on with their lives. But they have kept in touch and, when one Duck needs help, the rest all rally round ...
Bear with me over the first few chapters as we catch up with the main Ducks who will be making an appearance and see how their lives have changed - following that, this may be a bit darker than my usual stuff. I wanted to try something a wee bit different ... And on that note, I'd really appreciate any feedback - good or bad, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks!


Road Trippin'

ONE.

If she had looked up, she would have seen the face watching her at the window, but she was too focused on simply getting one foot past the other. The walk from her car had never seemed quite so long. Nor had the ride in the elevator, though she made the journey from ground floor to penthouse at least half a dozen times every day.

Just when she thought she would never make it to the sanctity of her home, the door was opening before she could even look for her key and strong hands were gently pulling her inside. Her bag was taken from her, as was her jacket, and she found herself guided to the couch, sinking gladly into the plush cushions and accepting the glass of wine that was pushed into her hand.

"I saw the news, babe, how you doing?" came the low query, obvious concern in the tone.

"All part of the job." she shrugged, after a pause – like she usually did. And he knew better to push the issue.

Used to seeing his girlfriend come home after a hard day and knowing the impact some of the things she saw as part of her job as a news reporter could have on her, Fulton Reed had grown adept at handling such situations. Just one of the many things she loved about him. As an enforcer, he was one of the toughest guys in the NHL but, off the ice, that transformed into a protective caring streak admired by his closest friends and girlfriend alike.

Sitting down beside her, he simply waited – if she wanted to talk to him about it, she would. In her own time. And if she didn't want to talk, well that was okay too.

"It's not fair, Fult." she whispered, shaking her head slightly as she stared into space, her glass of wine idling in her hand. He reached out, his hand coming to rest on her knee lightly, rubbing gently. Just listening. Letting her get it out. "Five years old. What are you supposed to say, huh? He had a good innings? You've got your memories? Five years old – just a baby!"

Taking her glass from her when the contents threatened to spill over and setting it down on the coffee table, Fulton held out his arms to her, relieved when she tearfully accepted his embrace and cuddled into his chest. As soon as he had spotted her on television, having drawn the short straw of interviewing the grief-stricken parents of the child killed by a teenage joyrider, he had known it would hit her hard. And the harder she found dealing with such a story, the harder she was on herself – telling herself she wasn't cut out for the job.

Much as he longed to be able to make it all better, he knew there was nothing he could say. All he could do was be there for her, hold her until she could push the day's events to the back of her mind. And, pressing soft kisses into her hair, that was exactly what he did.

"Sorry, babe." she whispered finally, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Don't be daft – you've got nothing to be sorry for." Fulton said with a little frown.

"We were supposed to be going out tonight, but I …I dunno that I'm up to it …"

"We can do that any time, Cait. Tonight, we get a nice night in, just you and me."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asked.

"Of course not, baby – now, how about I go run a nice hot bath for my girl?"

"You may just win the best-boyfriend-in-the-world title, do you know that?" Caitlin said, managing a soft smile for him.

Fulton grinned at that, kissing her temple before getting up. "As long as you're the prize."

And so, just ten minutes later, Caitlin found herself soaking away the stresses of the day with a long hot bubble bath. And with the bonus of a certain hockey player for company. She couldn't help relaxing as she leaned back against Fulton's muscular chest, closing her eyes in contentment as she felt his lips on her bare shoulder.

"Feeling better?" he murmured, drawing a little nod from her. "Good – you've been working too hard lately, Cait. You need a break."

For once, to his surprise, his workaholic girlfriend simply agreed. "Maybe I do need a break." she sighed, "It's been crazy in the office …"

"And you know things are bad when even you can see it." Fulton teased. "But maybe it's perfect timing – I had a call from Banksie today."

"Adam?" Caitlin said, having long since grown acquainted with her boyfriend's friends. "How is he?"

"He's good, I think – got some new business venture in the pipeline."

"Good for him." she smiled, "He gave up a lot to start working for his dad, so I'm glad it's working out for him."

"Yeah, I still can't work out why he gave up hockey – he was the best of all of us – but at least it hasn't backfired on him." Fulton agreed. "Anyway, he's moving again apparently."

"Quite the little nomad these days, our Adam - where's he headed this time?"

"Nevada – his dad's invested in some rundown hotel he thinks he could make a bomb with, fleecing gamblers on route to Las Vegas. He's put Adam in charge of getting the place up and running again …"

"Cool – what's that got to do with us though?"

"Well, Bankie's heading out there to suss the place out and he thought we might like to tag along. The hotel's been empty for a while and there aren't any staff, but it's fine to stay in and it's not far from Vegas, so it could be fun. And to be honest, I think he'd just appreciate the company."

"It's gonna be hard for me to get time off work …" Caitlin mused, "But … I'll ask. It sounds fun – who else is invited?"

"All the Ducks, plus any significant others by the sounds of it – not everyone can get away though. Portman's up for it, Julie, Guy, Connie, Charlie …"

"It'd be so good to catch up with them, especially the girls." she smiled. Just a short time after she had started dating Fulton, his female childhood team-mates had gotten down to the job of interrogating her at every available opportunity – making sure she was good enough for their friend. And luckily, she had passed their tests with flying colours, being quickly adopted into their little group.

"So you're really up for this?" her boyfriend asked hopefully, running large soapy hands over her soft skin.

"Yeah." she nodded, "I'll ask tomorrow about the chance of any time off and, if the boss agrees, you can count me in."

"Excellent. We could drive down there – any excuse for a roadtrip." Fulton smiled, "But in the meantime, you look like you could do with an early night, babe … How does Chinese food and then bed sound?"

"Bliss." Caitlin sighed, "What would I do without you to look after me?"

"Run your own baths and watch less hockey?" he suggested, making her laugh as he clambered out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist. "I'll call Adam – he wanted to know as soon as possible, but I'll just tell him we'll let him know for definite tomorrow."


to be continued ...