Summary: A tale of our favorite Ducks and where their lives take them, beginning Senior Year at Eden Hall. Focuses on Adam, Charlie, Julie, Dean, Connie, Guy…and more to come!

Disclaimer: The Mighty Ducks and all its characters belong to Disney. I do not own any of it!

Flying Together

By Rebecca

Chapter 9: Break

            And Charlie was right. It was a long week. Adam pretty much got fed up with the world and skipped out on more practices in five days than he had in five years. Orion would've kicked him off the team had he not been the best center they'd ever had. Charlie tried to cheer him up to no avail as did some of the other ducks, without really knowing what was going on.

            At the same time, Julie grew increasingly confused as to what happened to her best friend. She suspected it had something to do with Portman. No one had ever really liked the guy. But she had no idea how much.

            "He's probably upset because of what happened with Erica. I mean, for it to not work out again." Connie was saying in their room the night before they went home.

            "I don't think so. He never really liked her. I don't think he'd be that depressed about things being…pretty much they way they've always been between the two of them."

            "Why don't you just talk to him. You're his best friend, everyone knows that."

            "Don't you think I've tried? He keeps avoiding me. I don't know how to get through. It's like he's mad at me…ever since I got together with Portman."

            Connie looked down and cleared her throat.

            "No one really likes that do they?" she asked, joining her on the bed.

            She looked back up, "I guess no one really understands it. I mean come on Jules, it was a pretty fast rebound. And with Portman! You guys…hate each other."

            Julie sighed, "I know. It happened so fast. I mean, one second I was out there alone, and the next he was hugging me. I didn't know what to do…or what I was doing."

            Connie put her arm around her and gave her a squeeze, "Hey you were vulnerable and hurting. We can't be mad you for that and we can't be mad at Portman for coming through in the end. Who knew he had a soft spot huh?" Julie shrugged, "Besides, I really think you're blowing this out of proportion. I think everyone's too busy getting ready for break to give it much thought you know?"

            Julie nodded, "Everyone but Adam."

            "Oh do we have to go through this again? I'm not telling her!" Adam kept walking down the hall, books in hand. It was like deja vu. Only a week later Charlie was still at his heels, begging him to say something to Julie about how he really felt.

            "It was a mistake. This whole thing is a mistake," he tagged along. "You gotta tell her what she really saw. You two belong together."

            "No. It's too late for that ok? She's with…Portman," he shuddered, "And she's happy. This whole thing with Scooter and Dean, and me actually thinking that I had a chance…it's giving me a headache man. Would you let it go?"

            Charlie sighed. Adam was giving up far too easily, but he couldn't exactly blame him. Truth be told, he had never actually talked to Julie about how she felt and sending Adam in with a dramatic declaration of love could very well end him up worse than he already was. But it was breaking his heart.

            Charlie and Adam had not always been close friends. In fact, there was a time when Adam was the outcast. Traded against his will from the Duck's own rival team. But it hadn't taken Charlie long to realize that Adam just wanted to play hockey, and if there was one thing they had in common, it was that. The first few years of high school, each of them lived at home, but eventually all the ducks matriculated toward dorm life. Banks and Conway were perfect roommates. They knew everything about each other…including when to back off.

            Portman slammed his locker shut after practice and collapsed onto the bench. In all his 18 years, he'd never had this many emotions conflicting and mixing inside his head. The only way he knew how to deal with it was to do some serious skating and bashing and he'd certainly done that today. In fact the only player he didn't get to knock into the boards during scrimmage was Banks. He was acting strange for some reason. Orion was sure pissed at him. He hadn't even shown up.

            But that really wasn't his problem anyway. Here he was, one day from going home to Chicago for two weeks, something he'd looked forward to all semester and now he didn't want to leave. He would never be able to explain how Julie ended up in his arms that night, or how he'd convinced her to stay and talk inside the rink until 5 in the morning…or how she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder after that. No, he'd never be able to figure out how it'd happened…or why it felt so right. Dean had been a ladies man since he was 8 years old. He'd never stopped hittin' on the girls or feeding them his best lines. But Julie was different, better than that. He'd never felt like this before and it scared him. He'd even gone to the mall the other day, the mall! Dean Portman at the mall, to try and find her a Christmas present. Half of him was disgusted that he was turning out so mushy…the other half, had never felt better. And now…she was going back to Maine for three weeks.

            "God Con, I just can't wait to get outta here," Julie cried throwing her clothes in a suitcase as "Jingle Bell Rock" played softly in the background. "I mean, this place is just wearing me down, I can't keep up anymore."

            Connie nodded, "I know exactly what you mean." She stopped there, having never told Julie about how she actually felt about Guy and his new girlfriend. She'd feigned excitement for the team's sake and for her own sanity. But deep down, she was crumbling apart, and all this with a boyfriend waiting by the phone. She felt terrible.

            "And the sad part is," Julie was still talking, "I should be happy right? I have a really sweet guy, found in the most unlikely of people, who is not cheating on me. My hockey skills have never been better. I aced all my finals-"

            "Banks still won't talk to you?"

            Julie sighed, "Oh we've talked all right. 'How are you?' 'Fine' 'What's up?' 'Nice weather huh?' It's pathetic."

            Connie sat up and took a deep breath. "Jules," she hesitated, "Maybe the guy likes you."

            Julie shot her a look, "Yeah right."

            "No, I mean think about it. He stopped hanging out with you when you got together with Portman."

            But Julie shook her head, "Yeah, and the three years before that I'd been dating Scooter. Why should Portman be any different? Besides…I'm sure he's too preoccupied with Erica to care."

            Connie rolled her eyes, "You know, for a cat, you sure can't see anything. For the last time, Adam has never liked Erica. He told you himself that it didn't work out."

            "Looked like it was working out to me," she mumbled. "Look I don't really want to talk about this anymore. I don't know what his problem is but you can be dead certain that he's not jealous of Dean Portman…I just miss my best friend."

            Connie nodded as she thought of Guy. So do I.

            So the lines had been drawn, and rifts had divided. The ducks that flew together, were now all flying home. Home to their families for Christmas…and away from each other. Charlie watched as the school disappeared from sight as he and his mom drove back to Minneapolis, praying that somehow when he returned, he'd be able to put the flying V back into formation.

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You guys are the best readers ever. Thanks for the support and stay tuned…my computer will be going to college this Thursday. I'll be joining it on Monday. So don't give up if I disappear for a while. This story's got a loooooong way to go ;)