Authors Note: I want to give a big shout out to Ghostwriter and sphinx005 for their reviews. I appriciate it. Again I own nothing, sigh. Now to the story.
Adam Banks growled as he emerged from his private bathroom drying his hair, a towel wrapped around his waist. He searched the floor of his room looking for the phone attached to his private line, which was ringing, the cause of his aggravation. He squinted at the late July sun peaking through his window blinding him, make his search for the offending object. He seized it off the floor under the window and glanced at the caller id before answering, "what do you want Spazway?"
"Geez, cake-eater, what's with the less than friendly greeting? Did I catch you at a bad time?" Charlie asked amused at his friend's grumpiness, knowing well the cause.
Adam sighed, and ran his fingers through his wet hair, and plopped down on the edge of his bed. "I was just getting out of the shower. And you know perfectly well that I should be getting ready, not wasting time talking to you." Adam said pulling clothes out of his closet and laying them on the bed.
"Aww, sorry I interrupted you primping, wouldn't want you to look less than preppy on your date." Charlie said with a laugh while surveying his own room for a clean shirt to wear that evening. "Seriously, I just wanted to tell you that we are meeting at my place before heading down to the town festival, not the pond like planned."
"Okay, thanks for the heads up. Sorry I snapped… I just want tonight to go well, you know." Adam said to his friend while brushing his hair.
"I know, I know, tonight's the night you want to ask her to be your girl." Charlie said his voice serious. Adam and Elena had been hanging out together nearly every day with the ducks all summer, but they had also been going on dates rather frequently since a week after Adam had talked to Bombay. Ever since one terrible date at the movies, an afternoon in which Averman was working and decided to 'have a little fun' with the young couple, Adam had been defensive of his relationship, but determined to define it in some way by asking Elena to go steady. Charlie was happy for his friend, even if his terminology in defining the relationship sounded like something out a 50's move his mom loved.
"Yeah, look I gotta go so I can get dressed, no that is not an invitation for a joke Conway and then get over to coach's. I'll see you latter," Adam said hopefully heading his sarcastic friend off before he could get another sarcastic comment in.
"Right, wouldn't want you to give coach the wrong impression showing up naked, though Elena might enjoy it. I'll see you latter." Charlie rambled off and then hung up the phone before his friend could reply. Adam just shook his head and then tossed the phone back to the floor, then checked his watch and began to furiously get ready.
Gordon sat on his couch trying to read a book, but he had read the same paragraph three times. Haven given up he was mentally debating his options for dinner when Elena came down the oak steps that emptied out in front of the living room. She entered the room, regarded her father for a moment and then sat down next to him on the couch.
"So how do I look?" She asked checking the clock and noticing that she was ready fifteen minutes early.
Gordon surveyed his daughter. She was wearing a Kelly green sundress with spaghetti straps and a pair of green strappy sandals. She wore a wide silk headband that tied under her hair, which he noticed was unusually straight. It was simple, but attractive none the less. "Like a million bucks. So what are you and your gentleman suitor doing this evening?" He asked, shutting his book and tossing it on the coffee table.
"Gentleman suitor? What are we Victorian?" She asked ruffling his hair. "We're meeting Connie and Guy and the other ducks at the festival in town. It's supposed to be awesome. Charlie said he goes every year." She said her eyes lighting up. Adam had wanted to take her to dinner and then the festival just the two of them, but when Charlie had mentioned that all of the ducks were going she decided that they should make it a group outing.
"Sounds like a good time. Your mom used to love that thing when she was your age. Don't you think you should grab a jacket you will be cold with those little things you pretend are sleeves as soon as the sun sets."
"Nope, I don't need one. Adam will give me his jacket. Or better yet we can share." Elena said with a smile on her face, thinking about how sharing would mean snuggling in close to Adam. She laughed when she noticed the look on her fathers face.
"Now see, sometimes you forget that I am your father, not your fun loving uncle, and those are the sort of things you don't tell your overprotective father unless you want him beating your hormonally charged teenage boyfriend up." Gordon said wrapping one of his arms around her and pulling her in against his side, so that he could place a kiss on the top of her head. "So work on that will you, I would hate to have to hurt my star player, just because he can't keep his hands off my daughter." Gordon said, laughing when she poked him in the side.
"I'll keep that in mind, dad." She said smoothing her hair down. She had spent nearly an hour straightening her thick hair. "And he's not my boyfriend,…"
"I know I know, you two haven't defined your relationship." Gordon said rolling his eyes at his daughter, who loved to argue semantics. The doorbell rang before either could say another word, and Elena leapt off the couch running to the door. Gordon laughed at the green blur passed him.
Elena opened the door to find Adam standing on the porch wearing khaki shorts, the green Notre Dame hockey t-shirt she had given him for his thirteenth birthday and a white long sleeve button up shirt that had green vertical stripes. He had rolled the sleeves up to his elbow and had pushed a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. "You look great." He told her, and she blushed under his stare.
"Thanks, you look nice yourself. Come in for a second I just have to grab my bag," she said as she moved back into the living room, picking up the denim hobo bag that she had tossed on the coffee table.
"Hey coach." Adam said as he stood in the living room, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked at Gordon like he was crazy when he started laughing.
"You two coordinate, or was the green theme just a coincidence?" Gordon asked laughing again.
"Great minds think alike I guess. Hey Elena, change of plans we are meeting the group at Charlie's instead of the pond. So you might want to grab your skates." Adam said, realizing he had forgotten his own skates.
"Hey, I'll drive you two over there. I need to have a word with Casey anyway." Gordon offered, knowing that Elena would be less than thrilled about skating in her dress.
"Thanks, daddy. What do you want to talk to Casey about?" Elena asked eyeing her father suspiciously.
"Grown up stuff, so its none of your business. You kids ready?" He asked stressing the word kids, to prove his point. Elena rolled her eyes at him and took Adam's hand as she nodded in affirmation. The three piled into Gordon's SUV and were off to Charlie's apartment.
"Hey guys. Oh, good God. Did you two like coordinate? Look guys it's the perfect preppy couple." Averman said as he threw open the door the to the Conway's apartment to survey Adam and Elena standing next to one another. He was too distracted by the easy shot to mock the pair to notice Bombay standing behind them. Elena rolled her eyes at the jibe, already tired of hearing it.
"It was your brilliant ideas to go with these idiots, I would like you to remember that throughout the evening." Adam said as he took Elena's hand in his and walked into the crowded apartment.
"Shut up, Averman. I think they look nice." Connie said trying to be supportive, but her attempts were lost as the rest of the men in the room snickered at Averman's joke as they saw the pseudo matching couple.
"Let's roll guys. We have all afternoon to mock the cake-eaters, so let's do it while we are at the festival." Charlie said as he made his way to the door, then regarded Bombay who stood in the hallway unnoticed by most of the teenagers in the room. "Mom you've got a visitor. We're going I'll see you latter." Charlie called over his shoulder as an afterthought as he and the rest of the ducks trooped out of the room.
"Okay. Have fun honey." Casey said as she came from the kitchen into the living room, drying her hands on a towel. She jumped a little in surprise when she saw Gordon standing awkwardly with his hand shoved in his pockets looking almost as nervous as he had the night he came to apologize to her and Charlie for yelling at him for refusing to take a fall in peewees. She couldn't deny that her heart still skipped a beat when she saw him, he was an attractive man, something that time didn't seem to change. She self-consciously fixed her hair and looked at her wedding ring reminding herself that Mike would be home in a few hours and would be wanting dinner. He was a good man, her second husband, but old fashioned in his approach to the marriage. "Gordon, this is a surprise. What brings you by?" She asked her voice cheerful.
"Not much. I just wanted to talk to you about a few things. Is Mike here?" He asked suddenly aware that thought it was late in the afternoon, the man who worked a factory job, could be home already, making part of his discuss a hell of a lot more awkward.
She shot him a puzzled look before sitting down in the chair and motioning for him to sit on the near by couch. "No he'll be home around 5."
Gordon checked his watch. It was four o'clock, plenty of time. "Well I wanted to tell you that I won't be coaching at Eden Hall. I know Charlie isn't going to take it well, but I have been offered a position with the Jr. Goodwill games. I am going to be director of their junior hockey program world wide." He said grinning, it was great job and he was excited.
"Gordon, that is wonderful. This will be a great opportunity for you and for Elena. Don't worry about Charlie. If he has the ducks, he'll be fine. It will be an adjustment, but he'll make it through, Lord knows he's bounced back from all sorts of things over the years." She said looking at her hands.
"He's a great kid, Casey. You're right he has been through a lot, but it has made him the person he is, made him the good man he will be. You've done well with him." Gordon told her earnestly, as he placed his hand over hers. He waited until she looked at him again, offering him an appreciative smile before he spoke again, removing his hand from hers. "There is something else I wanted to talk to you about. Ummm… I am not really comfortable with this, so I am just going to get to the point. Charlie mentioned that Mike has been drinking more often, especially since the factory announced they were downsizing. And well its no secret Mike's always had a bit of a temper. Charlie is concerned that once he goes to school Mike will be abusive, and I've got to say based on what he has said I am a little worried myself. So I just wanted to make sure everything is okay?" Gordon said starting to squirm under Casey's gaze. He knew his words were incredibly insulting; most women don't take lightly to the implication that their husband is a batterer. He was waiting for her to explode at him.
Casey regarded him. She was aggravated that Charlie had talked to him and not her about his concerns. She also knew she should be furious at Gordon for insinuating that Mike was beating her, but she wasn't and she recognized the concern and courage it must have taken for him to come to her like this. She sighed and pushed her hair behind her ears, choosing her words carefully. "Gordon, it is sweet of you to be concerned and I appreciate it. Mike does have a bit of temper, but he really is all bark and no bite. As for the drinking, I am not crazy about that myself, but I truly believe he would never hurt me. He's a good man, and he loves me. So you don't have to worry about anything. I wish Charlie would have talked to me about this, and not bothered you." She said offering him an apologetic smile.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's not a bother, and believe it or not, I do still worry about you Casey. You're a good friend to me, I appreciate that, and you have given me a lot of help with Elena, I can never thank you for that." He had more to say but the phone rang. Casey excused herself to answer it. She was curt with the person on the other end of the phone and sounded disappointed when she hung up. She stood near the phone looking at him sadly. Gordon eyed her curiously.
"That was Mike, he's going to have dinner with a few of the guys from work at a bar down town. Would you like to stay for dinner? I've already started it and I know you don't have plans with Elena out with Adam. Please." She asked, honestly wanting some company for the evening.
"Sure. Just let me say one more thing about this thing with Mike and then we can forget it. Look I know you think Mike would never hurt you, and I trust your judgment, but things can change, people change. If he ever hurts you or Charlie, know I am here for you, as a lawyer and as a friend." Gordon said standing as well. He was surprised when she hugged him.
"Thanks Gordon, you are a good friend, you're a good man." She said still hugging him. Gordon wondered to himself, just how stable her marriage was. He was standing in the man's home, hugging his wife, about to eat his dinner, while he was slugging beers with the guys from work. Gordon decided either Mike was an idiot or their marriage was in trouble, or even worse, maybe both were true.
"Nice shot Banksie." Guy said impressed with Adam's aim. He, Connie, Adam and Elena were standing in front of a game booth at the festival. Adam was throwing baseballs at metal pins in attempt to knock them down in order to win a prize. The sun was setting, and they had all been there for a while. They had all eaten dinner together and wondered around for a while, eventually all going their separate ways in order to allow everyone to do what they wanted to. They were all planning on meeting up again to watch fireworks. Connie had insisted that Elena and Adam walk around with her and Guy for a while. Elena agreed, she and Adam had been on a double date with the other young couple and all had a great time.
"Yeah, maybe you should take up baseball instead of hockey." Connie said as she snuggled closer to Guy. The sun had gone down and it was cooling off. Elena looked over just in time to see them share a sweet kiss, and she was jealous. Adam was a great guy, but he felt self-conscious around the ducks, and was hesitant to kiss her in front of them. A fact that annoyed her and she had resolved would have to be worked on if they continued to see each other.
"I don't think so, hockey is my gift." He said with an overly arrogant smile. He took the stuffed animal the man handed him as his prize for winning the game. It was a stuffed duck and that amused him. He handed it to Elena and wrapped his arm around her. Guy laughed at Adam's, overly cocky statement.
"You're so modest cake-eater. Awww, now I have my own personal duck, thanks Adam." Elena said. She was surprised when his lips met hers in a short but wonderful kiss. She sighed with contentment, and then snuggled closer to him, her skin chilled from the soft breeze.
Connie and Guy were itching to make a comment but held back out of respect for their friends. They walked snuggled close together, and were whispering to themselves about the double meaning behind Elena's comment about owning her own duck, when they were pulled out of their moment by Elena's voice.
"What do we want to do now." She asked her voice showing her contentment.
"How about we elephant ears and sit over by that tree for a while?" Connie suggested. The boys went and got the treat while the girls spread a blanket that Connie had in her bag on the ground under the tree. When they returned Adam and Guy sat down and soon each of their respective dates were sitting between their legs, resting against each of them.
"I can't believe it is almost August." Adam stated as he pulled a piece of elephant ear off the plate and put it in his mouth.
"I know. It means school starts soon. I can't believe we are going to be in high school." Connie said as she handed Guy a piece of the desert.
"It'll be okay. We'll be good at this preppy school, it will be a great opportunity for us." Guy said reassuring Connie who was more worried about Eden Hall then high school in general.
"Guy's right. The place will be great with the ducks, I will have some friends for once. Besides, school isn't for another two weeks." Elena said with a broad smile as Adam tightened his arm around waist.
"Speaking of which, your birthday is coming up soon isn't it Elena? Sweet sixteen, any big plans?" Adam asked, knowing that she usually disliked a big fuss for her birthday.
"Elena, you didn't tell us your birthday is coming, we have to celebrate such a big thing." Connie said firmly, letting her friend know that there was no getting out of it.
"I know. I was thinking daddy and I would go a little thing for my birthday, and then once we are all back at school we can celebrate, the ducks and few of my friends from school. It just doesn't feel the same celebrating with out the out of state ducks. Besides Luis has already threatened me that if I party with out him there will be hell to pay." Elena said with a laugh, and it struck her then. She was happy, genuinely happy for the first time in ages.
"Okay, sounds good. Besides it gives us plenty of time to come up with presents for you." Guy said with a wink.
"No. You guys, seriously I don't want a huge fuss. I mean it." Elena said, but knew that she was wasting her breath.
"I don't think you are going to have much choice, El. But we should head over to the field, so we can meet the rest of the team for fire works." Adam said glancing at his watch. They all agreed and Connie and Elena went to throw away the trash from the elephant ears. Elena was positive she had seen Connie pull something out of her bag and throw it on the blanket Adam was rolling up, but she denied it when Elena asked. Adam was waiting with the blanket tucked under his arm, and took her hand. Connie and Guy walked a head of them.
"So you have a good time tonight Ms. Martinez?" Adam asked lightly swinging their intertwined hands.
"It's Ms. Martinez-Bombay. I had my name legally hyphenated last Christmas as a present for daddy. And yeah I had a great time Adam. I have been having a good time with you all summer." She said stopping him so she could place a quick kiss on his lips before they continued walking.
"I'm glad. Hey Guy, take this." Adam said tossing him the blanket, but keeping something tucked under his arm. The four had reached the field and Connie and Guy took the blanket and laid it out next to the blanket Charlie, Averman, Goldberg, and Fulton were sharing. "Elena come here a second, I wanted to ask you something." Elena looked at him with confusion but allowed herself to be pulled a few feet away from the ducks.
"Everything okay Banks?" She asked taking his hand again. He laughed a little at their shared nervousness and at the sheer ridiculousness at the pressure he was putting on himself.
"Everything is fine honey." He said catching her by surprise. His voice was lower, it was the voice he usually reserved for her and only when they were on the phone. "I wanted to just say I have been having a great time with you these last few months." He said taking his hand out of hers and then placing it on her cheek. She turned into his hand, enjoying the contact but surprised by the forwardness of the gesture. It was out of character for him to be this unreserved. "And I was wondering if you would, well be my girlfriend. You know like go steady, and all that jazz?" Adam asked feeling a little ridiculous.
"Yes, Adam I would love to."
"Yeah?" he asked, seeming a little shocked that she had agreed.
"Yeah. One condition though, when you get an Eden Hall letter jacket, keep it. I have one of my own." She said looking into his eyes and loving the broad smile, he was giving her.
"I can do that. But here I want you to have this. Wear it to our games so all the preppies know you are my girl" Adam said taking the bundle from under his arms. He shook it out and Elena smiled when he handed the jersey to her. It was his ducks jersey from the Jr. Goodwill games. She knew he had two, they all did, one to wear and one to frame, but for a man to whom hockey was so important it was a tremendous gift. She smiled at him and pulled it over her head, knowing it looked ridiculous with her dress not caring.
"I love you Adam." She said as she hugged him. She looked up when she heard the first firework explode above them.
"I love you too, Elena." He said before capturing her lips in a deep kiss. They finally pulled away when the heard the cheers and catcalls from the ducks, who had been watching the whole exchange. The two went to join their friends.
"Its about damn time cake-eater." Fulton said as he slapped him on the back. And that had started the teasing.
When Elena made it home that evening, after she and Adam had kissed good night, she found Gordon waiting up for her. He had taken one look at her wearing the 99 jersey, her disheveled hair, and messy lipstick and muttered something about how he should have made her change the day they had the pool party. She looked at him with a pondering face, but he just shook his head and spoke.
"So I take it Banks asked you to be his girl?" Gordon had finally asked her.
"Yeah, and I said yes. He even won me a stuffed duck." She said proudly holding the animal for his inspection. He laughed at the duck and the attachment she had already formed with it.
"Congratulations. Just a word to the wise, when you two are sucking face on the porch and I am in the living room on the couch I can see you through the window. Tell Adam that while I admire his technique I would appreciate it if he could keep his hands where I can see them, if he's going to be attacking my daughter on my porch. Well goodnight." Gordon said as he placed a kiss on her cheek and then laughing climbed the steps to his room. Elena blushed and then fell into the couch replaying the evening and that last wonderful kiss in her head.
AN- Well that's it for this chapter. Hit the review button and let me know what you think. Next chapter will start with the ducks at Eden Hall.