AN: *Author does happy dance* Yeah under a week, this is so cool; I haven't ah this kind of inspiration in weeks. I think my muses are happy, for once in my life. Okay I have a dedication to make here this chapter goes out to special friends of mine that read this, and have inspired me more than a lot of people. So Tyrkara, Petrock and Shabadak, though I have yet to give her the link, *giggles*

Disclaimer: None of the ducks or duck merchandise are mine, they all belong to Disney, though the doctor and Harper (who won't play a big part) are mine in personality, but if you wanna use them go ahead, I'd be honoured. No profit is being made, and if you sue me all you get is a few schoolbooks and small change. Lol

Now here is chapter five,

Luv y'all Angel.

Chapter Five

Strong Bonds

Hey there J,

I didn't think I would ever be writing in you again. I hate the fact that I am. But at least I still have you to write in. I had thought that I would have to wait until I saw Jess or Charlie to get you back, but it seems Jesse took some initiative and brought you back to me. I'm scared J, I don't know how people are going to react, or how they were going to treat me. I know they will all know by the end of today, and I have to go back there soon, I cant cope with all of this, I need realise, but the there are only two ways for me to do that, and I doubt I will be allowed near anything sharp for along time. Maybe I can talk my mother into letting me go to the ice-rink. I really hopes she lets me go cause I need it, I need to forget about everything and the only time that happened is when I hit the ice. Well let's go see what I can come up with hey. Thanks J, this has been a much-needed talk. Till next time, A.

I unlocked my door, actually shocked that I still had a key, I hadn't even though about it until now as last night I was in such a rotten mood. I walked downstairs to find my mother reading the morning paper at the kitchen table. Well this was gonna be interesting, I thought as I spoke,

"Hey mom," She jumped, and I suppressed a laugh, "can I go to the ice-rink please? I wanna skate."

"Adam, I don't think it's the best idea for you to be going to the ice-rink at the moment, you need to relax and regain your strength," she told me, looking a little lost. She had never said no to me before I think she was finding it hard. I had heard the slight hesitation in her voice and I new I could break her.

"Please mom, I need to skate, I need to think." I gave her my patented 'do- it-or-I'll-hate-you' look, I had this down to a tee and I new she could never say no to it, cause she new better than most that I had a temper and wasn't afraid to use it. I hate to show emotions yes, but anger is the only one I have no problem with. If someone pissed me off they would always know about it. [1]

"Oh okay fine, but I'm taking you," I new that this was the only way I was going so I had no complaints with her coming. I ran upstairs and to my bathroom, I hit the shower, and washed as quickly as I could. When I was finished I grabbed a towel and dried off, I then looked down at my wrested at the bandages that had been put on before I left the hospital last night. My mother had new ones and I would have to get some to change these ones as they were now soaking, but I'd change them in the car. I grabbed my skates, my stick, and my hockey kit. I then started toward the door, raring to go. I stopped short. Hold on a mo, Charlie and Jess, should have all this. That's when I saw the note sitting on top of my desk, writing on the envelope in Jesse's trademark scrawl, that only a few could actually read, was my name. I looked at the letter and decide that I would read it later.

I raced down the stairs and saw my mom waiting for me in the lounge.

"Mom, I need new bandages please," I was cool as ice when I said this, but I saw her flinch. I new for a fact that my mother was meant to be at work, but she had taken off the two days I would be home. So she could watch me herself and not leave me with Rosie, our housekeeper, like she usually did, and does. She gave me the car keys and told me she would be out in a few minutes, as she went upstairs to fetch the bandages, and I went out to her car, a Jeep Wrangler. I got in the front seat after dumping my stuff in the back, and I waited. She arrived not even two minutes later and got in the car, she gave me the bandages and took the keys. She started the car and backed out of the driveway. As we started on the way to the rink I took off my bandages. I admired my handy work I hadn't had a chance to see the cut as they had always been in bandages. They were ... I don't know how to explain it, cool? comforting? I didn't care the one on my right wrist was thin and travelled right across my wrist even curving abit to around the wrists, it was the one I'd done first and as thus was the better one of the two. The one on my left was more of an angle; it travelled slightly across the wrists curve and ended just after the tear in the vein. They were stitched up, and a bit itchy but I like that, cause it reminded me that they were there. I saw my mother glance across and look at them, then look away in seeming disgust. I laughed inwardly; this was actually funny to watch. I loved this feeling. I was finally getting back at them for everything I had endured over the years.

I bandaged my right then my left wrist and then turned and looked out of the window, oh yeah, we're almost there, the old ice-rink I hadn't been here since just before I started at Eden Hall, as when I started there I could always go skate at their rink, and as I live there most of the year, there is really no reason for me to visit the old rink. When we arrived I jumped out the car and grabbed my gear. I ran into the rink and to the changing rooms. Once in there I changed as quickly as I could. I quickly grabbed my stuff and headed out to the ice. The rink was deserted, my mother was staying in the car, from what I could see, I hadn't bothered to ask her. I opened the door to the Ice, and stepped on. I felt better almost instantaneously. I started to skate, and slowly, relax, I was going as fast as I could, speeding around the rink as fast as I could, loving the feel of the cool wind from the rink and my speed flowing past me.

I was lost to the world, and to myself all I wanted to do was skate for eternity, I didn't care about anything at the moment, it was just me and the ice and I was alive for the first time in days, weeks even. I started to slow down when I became aware of a presence in the duck's bench, as I'd started to call it after the Peewee championship game. I slowed down and pulled to a stop just in front of the bench.

I didn't even have to look at the person to know who it was, "Hey coach" I said only then looking up at him and into his eyes.

"Hey Adam, how you doing?" He asked never breaking eye contact.

"Okay," I lied and looked down, he new I was lying, he new me the best next to Jess and Charlie.

He came up next to me and pulled me into a hug. I stiffened. After awhile I finally let myself collapse into his arms, and let tears that had been threatening to fall since yesterday morning fall, he was one of 4 people who had ever seen me cry and the only one of those four people who I didn't mind crying in front of.

"Hey, hey, hey, he said to me, what's up, why are you so distressed, I got a phone call from Charlie the other night and he was in a state. It took me nearly a full half an hour to get any sense out of him, and then once he had finally told me what happened he kind of seized up and told me I needed to come back. So hear I am, and I'm yours for the day, I told your mother I'd bring you home tonight. So come and sit with me here and let's talk, cause I think that you need to be reminded of a little conversation we had a few years ago." Hey said this all calmly, and lead me to the benches.

Now was the time I new, the time to tell him everything from what had happened after our conversation at the Junior Goodwill Games till now [1as well]. This was gonna be a really long day.

*************

When all the Duck had arrived at the assembly hall we all found seats in the auditorium. I was on the end of the aisle next to Jesse, I had on my White Duck Jersey, as it was a comfort to me, while Jesse had on his normal Green Duck Jersey, the jerseys Adam had given us, just they were our own and not his. Jesse had transferred to Eden Hall just after the Hockey Season last year, he had been sent to a boarding school in Missouri, and had hated it. His parents had wanted him to try that school before he came to Eden Hall. Our hockey team now had one extra player and the Dean was talking about kicking out one of us, he just didn't know that we knew, but in the end Jesse came through and saved the day. He's an excellent Basketball player and as he made the team for that they decided that they would leave everyone in on their scholarships, and seeing as next year we would all probably be playing JV, he could have the best moved up to Varsity to take the place of one of the seniors that left. We were all cool with this as this meant that all the Duck would now be united again after a long time of being apart.

The last bell has just rung and all the stragglers are running into the hall and finding their places, God this is gonna be a long day. The dean has just gotten up and has moved to the podium. He looks very grave, now I KNOW this assembly is about Adam, and I don't know if I can deal with this.

"Attention, Attention please." He calls and everyone quietens down, eager to find out about y they are missing 1st period. "This weekend we nearly lost a very prominent student of Eden Hall." The hall went deadly quiet. "Adam Banks is missing today, and it is with great sadness that I tell you it is because he tried to take his own life." The gasp was unavoidable, but it still got to me, these people new nothing yet as the whispers started I could here them already judging Adam for this and it was killing me. As the dean called for quiet and continued his little speech, I could here the odd comment or judgement, and after about five minutes I couldn't take it anymore. I jumped up, and ran out of the auditorium at full tilt, I needed to let off steam and I could only think of one place to do it. I was in such a hurry that I didn't see the look that passed between the Dean and Coach Orion, or see the Coach get up to follow me, all I could do was run and that was all I did.

*************

The Deans voice was just a hum in the background for me; I was going over the event of this weekend in my head, and not quite believe everything that had happened so quickly. I felt more than saw Charlie get up and run from the auditorium, and was going to follow him until I saw Coach going after him, I decided to let them be, Charlie and the coach had become really close toward the end of the hockey season and even more close after it, so I new he was in good hands.

I could feel the eyes of the people around me on my back, and could hear the whispers and accusations that were being flung around. I hated this about people. That they felt they had a right to judge others. I really felt sorry for anyone who said anything within hearing range of any of the ducks, classes or not I new all of the duck were on the defensive and it wasn't a good idea to talk about a duck, we all loved each other and had been through so much together that anything you said about one duck, you said about them all, and as everyone new it was never a good idea to piss off Dean and Fulton, cause they didn't care about anything but pride and their friend and families, so god help anyone that messed with or talked about Adam in the next few weeks cause they would be on the receiving end of the Bash brothers, somewhere I have had the joy of never having been.

When the Dean had finally finished his talk which I had completely missed, and dismissed us back to second lesson, I was amazed to find that I couldn't even remember what I had now, I didn't want to be here right now I had too much on my mind but I new that if I wasn't here it would just ad more fuel to the fire that was the Eden Hall Rumour tree, and that was all the Ducks need. I slowly collected all my thing and looked up to see all the ducks waiting for me this was all the proof I needed that we would sort out, cause this is just the meaning of the saying 'Ducks Fly Together', we did and we would always be there for each other, even if we had problems of our own. We slowly walked to class, we all walked together, in a kind of guard and people left us alone, parting so as not to disturb us. We stopped at everyone's class to drop them off, and show people we were united and not to mess with even one of us. My class was the last one we stopped at, it was History, and I had it with Dean, Julie, Guy and Adam, but we were one short today, and it showed in the seat that was vacant next to me, looking at that seat, it hit me just how hard today was actually going to be.
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AN/ Wooooooooooohoooooooooooo it's up in under a week and it is 2 503 words, go me!! Hehehe, hope you guys enjoyed that cause I loved writing it. Tell me what you think in a fantabulose review please. Constructive Criticism welcome, but flames will be used to roast my Easter eggs.

[1] Is it just me or has anyone else ever noticed that the only time you ever see emotion in Adam is when he is angry with someone or something, or when he is with Coach Bombay.

Review Responses:

AntiIRONY: well here it is, and I hop you liked it, I have no problem with slash but I'm not gonna turn this story into one, I have a plan for this and I promise it does not involve very much romance, and sure as heck not between Jess, Charlie and Adam. Hehehe

preciousbabyblue: thanks, got this out as quickly as I could, hope you enjoyed it

singo1 : Hehehe so was I, hope this was as good for you as the last few chapters. Lol

Vinnies-Angel: ohohoh look I hurried!!! It worked woooooooooohooooooooooooooooo. Hope that was good for you, and I'm so glad to have had a review from you, they are always good to read, I hope I can write the next one this quick to, Luv angel