Author's notes: Er...okay, next part, everyone.
Disclaimer: Blah, blah blah...moving along now...
Chapter Two
Charlie sighed as he and his brother came closer to the old skate shop Hans had owned, his anger at McGill forgotten for the moment. The last time he had been in the old shop was the day he had graduated from Edan Hall. Jan, Hans brother, had passsed away while Charlie and what remained of the Ducks had been in the Minors.
So many memories here, He thought as he remember the last time he had spoken to Hans before he had passed away.
* * *
"You're mother's been calling. She's been looking for you." Hans said as Charlie entered the shop and sat on the couch.
"I'm here now." Charlie replied, and paused, listening to the radio as it continued to report on how the Edan Hall JV was doing. Hans slowly reached his hand over and switched it off, putting an uncomfortable silence over the room.
"It sounds like they need you." Hans said, watching the younger man with a knowing look. Charlie just snorted at this comment.
"They don't need me. What they need is a new coach." He told Hans, who gave him a look of disappoinment.
"You're not a little boy anymore, Charlie. Please stop acting this way."
Charlie sighed. "I just don't know what this guy wants from me." He said.
"He won't let you just skate by. He wants more," Hans told him, his voice cracking a bit. "He wants it because it is there inside of you. He needs you to lead."
With a look of disbelief, Charlie sat up. "How can he expect me to lead when he takes away my C? I was the Captain, Hans."
"It's only a letter, Charlie," Hans replied before leaning over, opening a draw, and tossing a bunch of C's onto the coffee table. "Here. I have hundreds!"
Charlie picked up a fist-full of the letters and held them up. "These are not the same. Don't make fun of me, Hans." He said, tossing them back onto the coffee table.
"He took away the C, Charlie, not what was under it," Hans told him, but Charlie just looked up to the ceiling, sighing again. Sitting up a bit, Hans continued, "Be with your friends, Charlie. You are the heart of the team," Charlie looked back over to Hans in slight disbelief and surprise. "Don't let that slip away."
Charlie then stood up, frustration and anger still apparent in his features as he jabbed his finger towards the radio. "They're the ones slipping away from me." He said, turning and began walking towards the exit, but paused when Hans made no reply.
"Are you okay, Hans?" He asked, concerned, but Hans looked up at him with a mischevious look in his eyes and lifted a finger. Charlie gave another half-laugh, half-snort as he shook his head.
"I gotta walk. I'll see you." He told Hans before walking out of the shop and into the cold.
* * *
And about a day after that, Hans had passed away. Charlie had always felt guilty that he hadn't been more concerned for his old friend's health. Now, years later, he knew he had been too full of frustration and anger to think clearly, but he still felt the slightest bit of guilt ever time he though about it.
Thanks to Bombay, Charlie had seen what the frustration and anger was doing to him and had returned to the team, who welcomed him back with open arms. Good old Bombay.
Right then, Charlie felt exactly how much he missed the others. They had been separated for more than five years and he was just realizing how much of a part of his life they all had been.
Goldburg and his complaining of how the others would let the other team get by them. Portman and his carefree nature. Ken and his figure skating abilities. Russ and his old knuckle puck and smart mouth. Dwayne and his roping his team mates. Luis and his problem with stopping.
And now since he was out of the leagues for a season, he was missing Guy and his charming self. Connie and her determination on the ice. Adam and his constant worry of what the crowd was thinking of his performance. Fulton and his uncontrollable slap shot. Julie and her quick glove. And Averman and his lame jokes.
They were all an important part of who he was. If he had never met them, Charlie was certain he wouldn't be who he was that day.
"Charlie?" John's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he realized that they were stadning in front of the old shop's back door. Looking down, he noticed that his little brother was staring into the window, which had a light shining through it.
Frowning in confusion, Charlie reached for the first door. After Jan had died, Charlie had thought the place had been closed permanently and no one would buy it. Obviously, he had been mistaken.
He slowly opened the outer door and then the inner door, slowly making his way in as he had many times before with his brother behind him. His eyes were greeted with the site of racks full of sharpened skates and a light in the memorial room. The room that had a wall full of newspaper and magazine clippings.
"Come on in, Charlie." He heard a familiar voice call. The young man grinned slightly and gestured for his brother to follow him into the shop. They walked into the memorial room and spotted a slightly short man, who was wearing a button-up shirt and blue jeans and was studying the pictures on the wall, which looked as if there had been quite a few additions to it.
It was Gordon Bombay, Charlie's old Peewee coach. The man who had also made a large impact on the young man's life. In the slightly dim light, Bombay looked slightly grim and maybe even morbid, but once he turned to the two brother's the smile on his face make it seem as if he had never been upset.
"Hey, Coach," Charlie greeted, walking foreward and giving the older man a hug.
"Hey, Charlie," His former coach replied before pulling away and looking over him. "Well, it's certainly been a long time. Wow, you have grown."
This made Charlie smile a bit. "Yeah, and I see you haven't," He said, receiving a laugh from Bombay at that. "So, what are you doing in here?"
Bombay shrugged and looked back to the wall. "Just looking over some memories." He answered, while Charlie picked a picture off the wall.
On it had a newspaper clipping that read: Former teammates meet in match.. There, under the headline, was a black and white picture of Connie, Guy, Averman, Adam, Julie, Fulton, Charlie, and Dwayne all grouped together with smiles on their faces. Dwayne was the only one in the picture with a different uniform as he was on the Dallas Star's team.
"That was a good match. Cowboy really made it difficult to take the puck away from him." Charlie commented, hanging the picture on the wall. Then, after noticing Bombay's grin, Charlie looked over to John and gestured for his brother to come over.
"John told me you were at the house earlier in the morning." Charlie said, raising a questioning brow at his old coach. Bombay gave the hockey player a slight look confusion, but then smiled a bit.
"Around nine I stopped by. You were still asleep. So, uh...I heard how you got that." He said, pointing vaguely at Charlie's shoulder. Charlie looked at it for a moment and shrugged with his left shoulder, which felt awkward.
"It was bound to happen. Riley was out to get me since I first step foot into Edan Hall." He told the coach before going to another picture and picking it off the wall. It was a news article about Charlie's 'accident.'
"This makes it look even worse than it felt." He said, before putting the picture back on the wall.
Bomaby nodded. "Picture's usually do that. Hey, John, do you want something to eat?"
John brightened, glad he wasn't being ignored and nodded eagerly. Bombay always had treats whenever he stopped by their house. Charlie just grinned and asked, "Can I have something too?"
"Aren't you a bit old for snacks?" Bombay asked as they all headed into the kitchen area, which was away from the rest of the store.
"Too old for snacks? Never. You can never be too old for snacks." Charlie answered, taking one last look at the memorial wall before leaving the room. His gaze fell on two pictures. The picture of the original Ducks when they were all in Peewees and the picture of the Ducks after winning the gold at the Jr. Goodwill Games.
The kids in those pictures were still a part of him. Even the ones he hadn't seen since Peewees. Peter, Karp, Tammy, Tommy, Terri, and Jessie, who he hadn't seen since the Goodwill Games...he could remember them all.
For the first time since his injury, he felt his heart sink as he realized that he was going to be kept of the ice, off of the one thing that had brought all of them together, for a whole season.
Author's notes: Well, that's another part. Hope you've all enjoyed. Oh, and I'm not entirely sure if I got everything right with that tlak he had with Hans. I thought I had watched the third movie enough to remember all the lines. Maybe I hadn't. Well, hoped you've enjoyed, more soon!
Disclaimer: Blah, blah blah...moving along now...
Charlie sighed as he and his brother came closer to the old skate shop Hans had owned, his anger at McGill forgotten for the moment. The last time he had been in the old shop was the day he had graduated from Edan Hall. Jan, Hans brother, had passsed away while Charlie and what remained of the Ducks had been in the Minors.
So many memories here, He thought as he remember the last time he had spoken to Hans before he had passed away.
* * *
"You're mother's been calling. She's been looking for you." Hans said as Charlie entered the shop and sat on the couch.
"I'm here now." Charlie replied, and paused, listening to the radio as it continued to report on how the Edan Hall JV was doing. Hans slowly reached his hand over and switched it off, putting an uncomfortable silence over the room.
"It sounds like they need you." Hans said, watching the younger man with a knowing look. Charlie just snorted at this comment.
"They don't need me. What they need is a new coach." He told Hans, who gave him a look of disappoinment.
"You're not a little boy anymore, Charlie. Please stop acting this way."
Charlie sighed. "I just don't know what this guy wants from me." He said.
"He won't let you just skate by. He wants more," Hans told him, his voice cracking a bit. "He wants it because it is there inside of you. He needs you to lead."
With a look of disbelief, Charlie sat up. "How can he expect me to lead when he takes away my C? I was the Captain, Hans."
"It's only a letter, Charlie," Hans replied before leaning over, opening a draw, and tossing a bunch of C's onto the coffee table. "Here. I have hundreds!"
Charlie picked up a fist-full of the letters and held them up. "These are not the same. Don't make fun of me, Hans." He said, tossing them back onto the coffee table.
"He took away the C, Charlie, not what was under it," Hans told him, but Charlie just looked up to the ceiling, sighing again. Sitting up a bit, Hans continued, "Be with your friends, Charlie. You are the heart of the team," Charlie looked back over to Hans in slight disbelief and surprise. "Don't let that slip away."
Charlie then stood up, frustration and anger still apparent in his features as he jabbed his finger towards the radio. "They're the ones slipping away from me." He said, turning and began walking towards the exit, but paused when Hans made no reply.
"Are you okay, Hans?" He asked, concerned, but Hans looked up at him with a mischevious look in his eyes and lifted a finger. Charlie gave another half-laugh, half-snort as he shook his head.
"I gotta walk. I'll see you." He told Hans before walking out of the shop and into the cold.
* * *
And about a day after that, Hans had passed away. Charlie had always felt guilty that he hadn't been more concerned for his old friend's health. Now, years later, he knew he had been too full of frustration and anger to think clearly, but he still felt the slightest bit of guilt ever time he though about it.
Thanks to Bombay, Charlie had seen what the frustration and anger was doing to him and had returned to the team, who welcomed him back with open arms. Good old Bombay.
Right then, Charlie felt exactly how much he missed the others. They had been separated for more than five years and he was just realizing how much of a part of his life they all had been.
Goldburg and his complaining of how the others would let the other team get by them. Portman and his carefree nature. Ken and his figure skating abilities. Russ and his old knuckle puck and smart mouth. Dwayne and his roping his team mates. Luis and his problem with stopping.
And now since he was out of the leagues for a season, he was missing Guy and his charming self. Connie and her determination on the ice. Adam and his constant worry of what the crowd was thinking of his performance. Fulton and his uncontrollable slap shot. Julie and her quick glove. And Averman and his lame jokes.
They were all an important part of who he was. If he had never met them, Charlie was certain he wouldn't be who he was that day.
"Charlie?" John's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he realized that they were stadning in front of the old shop's back door. Looking down, he noticed that his little brother was staring into the window, which had a light shining through it.
Frowning in confusion, Charlie reached for the first door. After Jan had died, Charlie had thought the place had been closed permanently and no one would buy it. Obviously, he had been mistaken.
He slowly opened the outer door and then the inner door, slowly making his way in as he had many times before with his brother behind him. His eyes were greeted with the site of racks full of sharpened skates and a light in the memorial room. The room that had a wall full of newspaper and magazine clippings.
"Come on in, Charlie." He heard a familiar voice call. The young man grinned slightly and gestured for his brother to follow him into the shop. They walked into the memorial room and spotted a slightly short man, who was wearing a button-up shirt and blue jeans and was studying the pictures on the wall, which looked as if there had been quite a few additions to it.
It was Gordon Bombay, Charlie's old Peewee coach. The man who had also made a large impact on the young man's life. In the slightly dim light, Bombay looked slightly grim and maybe even morbid, but once he turned to the two brother's the smile on his face make it seem as if he had never been upset.
"Hey, Coach," Charlie greeted, walking foreward and giving the older man a hug.
"Hey, Charlie," His former coach replied before pulling away and looking over him. "Well, it's certainly been a long time. Wow, you have grown."
This made Charlie smile a bit. "Yeah, and I see you haven't," He said, receiving a laugh from Bombay at that. "So, what are you doing in here?"
Bombay shrugged and looked back to the wall. "Just looking over some memories." He answered, while Charlie picked a picture off the wall.
On it had a newspaper clipping that read: Former teammates meet in match.. There, under the headline, was a black and white picture of Connie, Guy, Averman, Adam, Julie, Fulton, Charlie, and Dwayne all grouped together with smiles on their faces. Dwayne was the only one in the picture with a different uniform as he was on the Dallas Star's team.
"That was a good match. Cowboy really made it difficult to take the puck away from him." Charlie commented, hanging the picture on the wall. Then, after noticing Bombay's grin, Charlie looked over to John and gestured for his brother to come over.
"John told me you were at the house earlier in the morning." Charlie said, raising a questioning brow at his old coach. Bombay gave the hockey player a slight look confusion, but then smiled a bit.
"Around nine I stopped by. You were still asleep. So, uh...I heard how you got that." He said, pointing vaguely at Charlie's shoulder. Charlie looked at it for a moment and shrugged with his left shoulder, which felt awkward.
"It was bound to happen. Riley was out to get me since I first step foot into Edan Hall." He told the coach before going to another picture and picking it off the wall. It was a news article about Charlie's 'accident.'
"This makes it look even worse than it felt." He said, before putting the picture back on the wall.
Bomaby nodded. "Picture's usually do that. Hey, John, do you want something to eat?"
John brightened, glad he wasn't being ignored and nodded eagerly. Bombay always had treats whenever he stopped by their house. Charlie just grinned and asked, "Can I have something too?"
"Aren't you a bit old for snacks?" Bombay asked as they all headed into the kitchen area, which was away from the rest of the store.
"Too old for snacks? Never. You can never be too old for snacks." Charlie answered, taking one last look at the memorial wall before leaving the room. His gaze fell on two pictures. The picture of the original Ducks when they were all in Peewees and the picture of the Ducks after winning the gold at the Jr. Goodwill Games.
The kids in those pictures were still a part of him. Even the ones he hadn't seen since Peewees. Peter, Karp, Tammy, Tommy, Terri, and Jessie, who he hadn't seen since the Goodwill Games...he could remember them all.
For the first time since his injury, he felt his heart sink as he realized that he was going to be kept of the ice, off of the one thing that had brought all of them together, for a whole season.
Author's notes: Well, that's another part. Hope you've all enjoyed. Oh, and I'm not entirely sure if I got everything right with that tlak he had with Hans. I thought I had watched the third movie enough to remember all the lines. Maybe I hadn't. Well, hoped you've enjoyed, more soon!