A/N: and so the story continues to march on, inching ever closer to the end. I really appreciate the comments I've gotten, they make me smile like an idiot.
The blades of his skates flew across the ice, no friction to stop Danny from sailing across the rink. He went hard, getting his cardio rate up high, the blood pumping through his limbs, deep fast breaths whooshing in and out of his lungs. Coming up on the puck dropped randomly on the ice, he turned abruptly, the broad side of his skates grating against the ice, a fine powder flying out from beneath him.
He swung his stick, a graceful arc coming down against the black disk with more force that precision. It flew across the ice, missing the goal by several feet. It bounced off the boards as Danny stood still, panting.
This wasn't helping. He'd been pushing his body to the limit for the past two hours, grateful for the empty rink, hoping that the pain in his muscles would distract him from the sick feeling in his stomach.
He grunted in frustration, rushing toward the opposite end of the rink, going as fast as he possibly could, the air whooshing past him cooling his sweat drenched skin. He wasn't wearing his pads, unnecessary really, there would be no impact today. It reminded him of when he was a kid, going up to the frozen lake in the middle of winter, just skating, racing with
Ben. He'd always won, his longer legs powered by bigger muscles would propel him along the ice like a rocket.
He'd caught Riley once, twirling dreamily on the ice, imitating some figure skating poses she'd seen on tv, her eyes closed as she threw her hands up in the air. He'd been transfixed, seeing her differently. The aggressive athlete he'd seen bowl through opponents in field hockey was gone, the fiercely competitive look on her face as she pushed them aside replaced by a dreamy expression. He'd once suggested she try out for the roller derby team that practiced down the street from the ice rink, but now it seemed absurd.
But as he'd watched her make slow circles out on the ice, unaware that she was being watched, he'd realized that maybe she didn't always want to be seen as one of the boys.
He approached her slowly, the sound of his skates on the ice pulling her out of her reverie. "Riley?"
She stopped her half hearted twirls abruptly, nearly losing her balance, horrified embarrassment written all over her face. "Danny!"
Glowing, the flush on her cheeks both from embarrassment and her exertions, she avoided eye contact with him.
"What are you doing?"
She turned, skating back toward the edge of the lake. "N-nothing… just skating…" She was basically running away from him.
"Riley. It was… nice."
"Shut up…" She was instantly defensive, used to her friends giving her a hard time about feminine pursuits. When Danny didn't continue to poke at her about it, she glanced back at him, shyly. "Really? I mean, I'm just fooling around." She sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be that dainty and graceful."
He reached out and grabbed one of her glove clad hands, spinning her in a quick circle. "You don't have to wonder."
She laughed, a little insecurity still clinging to her. "Sure, Rigantor is the most graceful of all the goalkeepers on the field hockey team." Her voice waivered slightly as the hurtful nickname tumbled from her lips.
Eager to change the subject, Danny came up behind her quickly, hooking his hands under her arms, lifting her up off the ice as he skated, his speed increasing as she let out a surprised yelp. "Danny, put me down, you're gonna drop me."
He just skated faster, zipping across the ice. She started to giggle, enjoying the feel of the cold air whipping across her face. She threw her arms outward and enjoyed the ride. They reached the edge of the lake, and he dug his skates in, a quick turn he was used to doing in the hockey rink.
He hadn't considered the shift in his center of gravity, and they tumbled together into the snow bank, Danny getting a face full of the powdery substance. Riley gasped with laughter, tears streaming down her face as she tried to catch her breath.
He rolled over, collapsing into robust laughter himself. Scooting down the bank, she rose to her feet again, reaching back to help Danny up. They slowly skated back across the lake, Riley stopping just before she reached the edge.
She turned back to Danny, hesitant to leave. He looked at her curiously. "Thanks, Danny."
She didn't have to elaborate, her meaning clear in the grateful expression on her face. He nodded, suddenly feeling a little self conscious, and unfamiliar fluttering in his chest. "Any time."
He was lost in the memory, rocketing toward the boards at break neck speed. The tip of his skate caught in an unexpected pit in the ice, throwing him forward against the wall. It knocked the breath out of him, and he lay wheezing on the ice, the cold seeping through the layers of clothing.
"What are you doing? Trying to be the team's new goon or something? I have news for you son, you're too pretty to be an enforcer, and I paid way too much for those nice straight teeth."
He opened his eyes slowly, hoping the voice grating on his ears was an auditory hallucination. No such luck. The blonde head bobbing over the short wall separating the ice from the benches dashed all hopes of hallucination. "Mom."
"Danny Wheeler, drag your ass up off that ice and explain to me what exactly you're doing."
Reluctantly he got his feet back underneath him, gliding across the short distance to the wall. "I'm skating, rebuilding my endurance, slapping a puck around."
"Danny." There it was, that tone no one but his mother seemed capable of adopting. She wouldn't let him feign ignorance. "I'm so happy to be the last person to know you were flying halfway around the world to come home. Also, apparently the last person to see you upon your arrival back in New York."
Suddenly the frustration kept at bay by his exertions broke free. "And I'm so happy to be the last person to know my brother is engaged to the girl I love. Thanks for that, mom." He pushed past her, stomping toward one of the benches.
She followed close behind, settling beside him as he angrily untied his skates. "Danny, it just happened. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. You know how your brother is, diving head first into crazy situations, then flailing around trying to get out of them. I'm sure this is a mistake."
Danny shook his head, laughing bitterly. "Oh, really, well you may want to tell Ben that, since he went to get a marriage license today, and hopes to be married by the end of the week." He jerked the skate off and tossed it aside, turning to work on the second one.
Bonnie nodded, scooting closer to her son. She placed her hand gently on his back, rubbing comforting circles. "I know sweetie, he called me, which is how I knew you were here. But still, it's Ben. "
He finally tugged off the second skate. Resting his elbows on his knees, he dropped his head down in his hands. "I've asked the team manager about being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. They expressed interest back when-"
Bonnie interrupted him. "Danny, no you can't run away again. You need-"
Heaving a huge sigh he raised his head. Her words stopped abruptly at the pleading look on her son's face. "Mom, I can't do this. I thought I could. I just missed everyone so much. I thought I could just put up with it until I finally got over it, but I can't. I dream about her, dream about things that can never happen, and it's not fair to Ben either, because I wouldn't hesitate to do the things I dream about for one second if it seemed like she wanted it too."
"Have you said any of this to her?"
"She knows mom."
"But have you said it?"
He was silent for a minute. "I kissed her, mom, and she kissed me back."
"What! That little-"
Danny ignored her outburst and continued. "And I thought for a minute that things could change, that this impossible situation could somehow work out, but Ben knocked on the door, and neither of us said anything. She still wants to marry him. I can't watch their life together happen. I have to leave."
Bonnie sat in silence, the gears in her head spinning wildly. As much as her boys drove her insane, when they hurt she hurt. It was a mother thing, something metaphysical tied you to your children. It was a bond that sometimes surprised her with its intensity.
This particular situation was something she'd been dreading for years, watching Danny moon over his best friend while she simultaneously mooned over Ben. She didn't want to blame Riley for this awkward triangle of infatuation, but really, from the outside looking in it sure seemed like the girl was trying to have her cake and eat it too.
Here she was, sitting beside her utterly heartbroken giant of a son, wanting nothing more than to pick him up, and cradle him to her chest like she'd done so many times when he was little, and all she could do was bite back all the acidic remarks sitting on the tip of her tongue.
The pain she felt for her boys made her irrational, more so than usual, and yet she was fully aware that it wasn't exactly Riley's fault that Danny was smitten, and Ben was… well, she honestly wasn't sure what Ben was. He certainly believed he was in love with the petite blonde siren, but it didn't look like the kind of feeling that would survive being dashed upon the rocks of life.
She knew what it was like to marry the wrong person, to labor under a naive notion of love. If she could go back and change it… well she wouldn't, not now. Danny and Ben were the result, and she wouldn't give them up for anything, but she couldn't wish the heartache she'd experienced on anyone.
She leaned her head on Danny's shoulder, a plan beginning to percolate in her brain. "You can leave, sure, but you have to tell her exactly how you feel, or you'll always wonder."
It should buy her some time, time desperately needed to assess the situation further. She wouldn't have to do things this way if Ben wasn't in such a damn hurry to finalize everything. If he pushed a courthouse wedding as soon as possible, things might get beyond repair in less than forty-eight hours.
Danny nodded at her suggestion, a resigned sigh slipping out into the empty air. "I'll do that, and if… if I have to, I'll stay for the wedding… for Ben, but that's it."