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Disclaimer - I do not own the Ducks. Don't you wish you could though? Your own little Quack Attack right there in your closet? Sorry…back to the point. I don't own them…just borrowing!

Italics indicate character thought.

Guy watched as Beau walked towards him. He was struck by how different she looked from the Beau he had met back when he had been twenty. Man, he thought. Almost eight years ago.

She was wearing a pale green, brown, and white strapless shirt that flowed over her growing belly and there was a cute thick green ribbon circling it above the huge bump. In dark brown capri pants and bare feet he couldn't help but think she was the cutest pregnant woman he had ever seen.

She walked slowly, both hands braced on her back. She had never been a really small built girl, but he still couldn't imagine how she was carrying all of that weight.

Her hair was pulled back in a massive brown pony-tail and it was swinging back and forth. She walked right up to him and stood with her shins against his knees. Breathing heavily she lifted her sunglasses off of her nose and set them on top of her head, staring down at him.

"I just waddled my way over here to talk to you. Shove over, Germaine."

Laughing, he obliged, moving to the side of the bench and holding out a hand as she slowly dropped herself down, huffing out a breath. When she was finally settled she turned in his direction, laying a hand on his knee.

"So what's up with you, Guy?" He looked at her as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "Oh please. If I have to keep looking at your sad face I'm going to pop these babies out now from the stress." She pinched his kneecap. "Spill it."

Letting his own sunglasses hide his eyes he looked towards the garden. "Same thing it's been for weeks now. Connie." He said her name with such finality that Beau couldn't help but feel sick inside. She thought back to the day in her bedroom, packing, when Guy had told her that he knew Connie was the one.

She dropped her voice and looked up at the sky. "Do you still love her?"

Guy finally looked at her. "I feel like I'm broken inside. I became the man that I am today because of my life with Connie. Without that, I don't even know who I am." He dropped his head. "Of course I still love her. I don't know how not to."

Beau nodded and thought about it for a minute. "I know you're devastated, Guy. But do you think it's possible that you're also very scared of being alone? You've never been with anyone but Connie."

He shook his head, having already thought about that a million times himself. "It's not that. You know that feeling when you realized that even though you and Charlie had been apart for two years you still had to be with him? The feeling that told you he was the one?"

She smiled. Yes, she remembered. She still felt it almost everyday.

Guy took her smile for an answer. "That's how it is with Connie. The sad part is there is nothing I can do to fix it - just wait. But waiting makes it feel like she forgets me more each day. Who knows if she even thinks about me anymore?"

Beau thought about the phone conversation that Charlie had had with Connie the previous weekend. They had run into each other, playing in the same town, and seeing her sunken eyes and her exhausted expression, he had felt compelled to call her a week later.

Connie had said that she felt like she needed her room to fly. And she felt that not only had she been unwilling to give up her hockey for Guy, but that Guy was unwilling to give up his teaching for her. Why none of this had been said between the two of them, Beau didn't know, but she had promised Charlie that she would not be caught in the middle. He didn't think it was their place to pass comments between the former couple and she half-heartedly agreed. But Connie was missing Guy, that was for sure. She patted his leg.

"I can say with almost certainty that she still thinks about you."

He smiled at her. "Yeah?"

Before she could answer Beau's eyes widened and she laughed out loud, her face lighting up. She grabbed Guy's hand with both of hers and shoved his palm against the side of her stomach closest to him. "Feel this!"

Guy jerked his hand back, his voice a little hysterical. "Charlie said no touching!" Charlie had in fact threatened the life of anyone who touched his wife's very pregnant stomach. He had been determined that nothing would ruin her special day.

Beau rolled her eyes. "The no touching is for crazy check-out ladies at the grocery store, not my best-friend." She motioned for him to hurry. "Really, feel this." She pointed at the spot where she had put his hand before and Guy tentatively laid his hand there, looking across the yard to make sure that Charlie was not running at him with some sort of weapon.

"Oh wow." Beneath his palm he felt a tiny little bump. Beau laid her hand over his, smiling. She applied a great deal of pressure and he was actually able to make out the shape of a miniscule little foot. He looked up at his friend, thinking her to be a goddess for creating such an amazing thing.

She was grinning, her eyes shining. "That's not even the best part." She grabbed his other hand and pulled him to reach across her growing stomach. When she placed his hand flat against the opposite side from the already kicking foot, he immediately felt the pressure of another. Beau smiled brilliantly at him. "They're both kicking at the same time. It's the first time they've done that."

Guy didn't have words. Seeing Beau so happy and feeling the miracle of life right there under his fingertips had him speechless. But he did know that Charlie should feel it. He looked across the lawn and laughed a little when he saw Charlie standing spread-eagle, hands on his hips and glaring in his direction. Pulling his hand away, he motioned for Charlie to join them. "Conway! Get over here."

Beau laughed out loud as Charlie came running over, looking frantic.

"What is it?" He looked from Beau to Guy and back again, confused as to why they were both grinning like maniacs. "Are you okay?"

Guy laughed and scooted backwards, making room for Charlie. "You're kids are already practicing their enforcer skills!"

Beau reached up and grabbed both of his hands, yanking him down to her level. He opened his mouth to speak as she planted his palms on either side of her stomach. "Beau, I really don't think…" And then he felt it. Two tiny little feet kicking in two tiny little directions. It knocked the breath clean out of him. "Wow."

"Moreau! Hustle!" Connie's coach was screaming from the place where he was perched on a stool. She still thought it was weird that he lugged the thing out on the ice and stuck it in the corner for every practice, but to each his own, right? She tried to hustle, digging in with her blades and chasing down the puck. Just across the blue line she somehow managed to trip over her own feet and went sliding into the boards sideways.

The wind knocked out of her, Connie lay on her back, briefly registering that the move was very Luis Mendoza and smiled despite the bells ringing in her head. She had knocked the wind out of her lungs.

Finally able to breath, Connie rose to first her hands and knees and then wobbled up to stand on her skates. The action of the practice scrimmage had stopped around her and everyone was staring. Great.

She slowly looked towards her coach, knowing where this was all going to end up. He had his arms crossed across his chest and his head was tilted back, staring at the ceiling. His leg was bouncing rapidly and he was talking to himself. Cursing, probably, Connie thought. His two assistants were standing behind him, both looking at her in confusion.

Finally Coach Dierickx dropped his head and leveled his gaze on her. He reached out a hand and crooked his finger, indicating that she should approach him. Sighing heavily, Connie made her way across the ice, pulling her helmet off as she went. Her hair was matted to her forehead and she was breathing heavily. The worst part was that she knew exactly what he was going to say and she had absolutely no answer for him.

"Moreau." He said her name like an accusation and it had her stomach clenching. Looking over his shoulders he mumbled something to Coaches Scarpino and Collier and they took off, rounding up the team for a set of drills. Turning his attention back to what had been his star player, he crossed his arms again. "Tell me what is going on with you."

She started speaking immediately, her mouth running several yards ahead of her brain, much like it had always done. "Well, I've had this twinge in my throat for a few days and I think I might have been running a fever. As for the tripping just now, I'm not sure what happened there, but I can have my skates checked. Maybe the blade…"

He was staring at her, one eyebrow raised, his lips pursed. Just staring at her. Connie drew silent and sighed. He looked at her sternly.

"Connie, you are one of my best players. For the past two weeks you have sucked with a capital S. Sorry to be so blunt but we both know it is the truth. You are distracted and pre-occupied." He looked at her in the eyes, his voice stern. "I'll ask you again. Tell me what is going on with you."

Connie tapped her stick on the ice before her and finally let it rest, her hands clasped across the top. This man had given her her big chance straight out of Eden Hall. He deserved an answer. Looking past him at her reflection in the glass she bit her lip before beginning. "I don't know, Coach. I thought I had everything under control. I decided to eliminate some of my distractions. Make hockey my only priority." She chanced a glance in his direction and he was looking at her skeptically.

"You sure don't play like someone who is without disruption."

She nodded. "I know."

Thinking about it for a long moment, Coach Dierickx looked at his watch and then across the ice at the other players as they filed off of the rink. "Connie, human beings weren't set up to have only one passion in their lives. You are good at hockey." He nodded at her. "Exceptional, actually, but that certainly doesn't mean that you can't also be a good friend or a good wife or a good mother. Hell, it doesn't even mean that you won't be an exceptional coach or something completely different. I would bet good money that you have other talents. I suggest you think about what it is that is distracting you so much and get it the hell back." He got up and began to head towards his office, the damn stool under his arm. "That is, of course, if you want to remain my starting center."

Hey kiddo,

I could ask you this in person, but we both know how brainless I've been lately with this schedule and I didn't want to forget. Somebody who shall remain nameless (ahem, Devin!) has a sixteenth birthday coming up in a few days. Be thinking about what you want to do, huh?

See you tomorrow. Love,

Dad

Devin smiled and dropped the note in the trash. His dad was completely scatter-brained of late, that was for sure, but it was very cool that he had remembered his upcoming birthday and wanted to do something that day.

As he lugged everything to his room, though, his thoughts were already back on Jacinda and the way that she had laughed at his extremely lame jokes over pizza. She was absolutely beyond cool. Heymaybe I could take a few people to an Anaheim game for my birthday. He yanked off his shirt and bent to search the floor for one that smelled just a little less. I wonder if Jacinda would come.

Phone calls that jolt you awake in the middle of the night are very very rarely concerning anything good. That was the thought that had Beau's heart pounding when the phone across their bedroom started shrilling at three in the morning a few days after her baby shower.

She was on her side, uncomfortable as she usually was at night, and she was nudging Charlie. He could sleep through the ending of the world and she briefly thought that he was going to sleep much better than she once there were two crying babies just down the hall. When he didn't wake immediately she put her freezing cold feet on the back of his bare thigh, just below his boxers.

His sat up in a hurry and jerked around to glare at her. "Jesus, woman! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" But already his face was softening, his eyes bleary and his curly hair disheveled.

The phone had since stopped ringing and Beau rolled her eyes. "Cold feet on your legs are not going to give you a heart attack." She lifted her head a little. "The phone was ringing and I couldn't drag my massive weight off of the bed fast enough."

Charlie patted her pillow, indicating that she should lie back down, and then looked at the clock, still squinting across the room. "The phone was ringing at three-o-five am? That's weird. Wrong number maybe?" Heart finally slowing down, Charlie eased his head back onto the pillow and turned on his side to face Beau in the dark. "You feeling okay? You seem awful wide awake."

She grimaced and reached out a hand to smooth the wrinkles in his brow. "I'm okay. I think they've started practicing full body checks in there at night though. I swear they are doing it just to see how long they can keep me awake."

"Are own little bash brothers…or sisters." He let out a low chuckle and rubbed a protective hand over his wife's belly. Charlie jumped when the phone began ringing again. He rolled his eyes, flipped over, and swung his legs out to land squarely on the hardwood floor. "Awful persistent for a wrong number."

Beau felt the unease rising again in her stomach, and it wasn't two babies kicking causing it this time. Instinctively she knew that something was wrong and struggled to sit up just as Charlie was picking the phone up off of its cradle. After all, phone calls that jolt you awake in the middle of the night are very very rarely concerning anything good.

Roxxy: thanks for reviewing. I'll tell Connie to watch out!

antiIrony: As usual you flatter me and make me feel so good about myself. And then I feel bad about myself for being such a glutton for flattery! Hahah. Thanks for the imagery compliment. I can't write it if I can't see it myself!

Duckys: Twins indeed. I'm taking name suggestions!

Casnyl21: Thanks!

AdoptedThug: Lots of presents! Yay! Thanks as usual.

Aradia-Rising: I like writing Devin a bit older. I can totally picture him. I'm not sure yet if Jacinda is girlfriend material, but we'll see.

Hockey-girl90: yay! You liked it!

Duckfluff: I'm glad you like everything. Name suggestions are more than welcome for the babies, because I definitely don't have them yet. Sigh. As for Charlie, I think that warrants a double sigh. He is perfect. I just love him! Haha

Johnny: Thanks for being such a faithful reader and reviewer!