Chelsea- Lol...I'll take that as a complement. ^_^ I tried to keep Charlie from committing man-slaughter on the spot. Especially with reporters and police everywhere. They would of thought HE killed her. Anyway, you'll find out here what happens to Charlie...well, sorta. It's really more in the next one. But oh well. Same thing. I'm glad I got their personalities. And thanks again Chels. And just for the record, I'm wicked happy for ya girl! Lol...

Lelu- Yeah, it just kind of came to me. It isn't that I dislike Mrs. Conway, it's just necessary for the plot. I'm glad you liked it. ^_^

Skeet11- Thanks! ^_^ Yes, as much as I hate cliffies, they are so fun to write! Lol...

Liz- Yeah, that was really sad...I miss Ladeanna...thank you though.

Joshrox116- Don't worry, things will get better...well, sorta...lol. Depends on how ya look at it, really...^_^ Okay, so it's still not a day at the beach for Charlie but that's okay...^_^

Schiz- Wow, evil, huh? *grins* I get a Angst Princess crown! *looks puzzled* That's good, right? Heh...I've never really tried at angst before so I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. I'm just relieved it's Angst Princess Crown worthy! ^_^

Disclaimer- I still do not own the Mighty Ducks...Disney does...but I just bought "The Skulls" DVD and an Evanescence CD "Fallen" so life it still good. Not perfect, but still good just the same.

-Chapter 8-

Gordon Bombay sat on his coach eating his dinner and watching the news. He was just starting on his spaghetti when a newsflash came up. He wasn't in Minnesota so whatever it was apparently must have been important.

"A woman was murdered this afternoon on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota at 2:04 p.m. when she was shot by a mysterious individual in a black limousine. She was identified as Casey Conway." The reporter said solemnly as images of Casey's body on the sidewalk and Charlie going into hysteria flooded onto the screen.

Bombay nearly spit his drink out all over the place.

Casey was DEAD?!

Who would take care of Charlie?

Was Charlie okay?!

His mind clouded as he saw them talking to Charlie and the Ducks. It then cut again to Charlie holding his mother and sobbing. Bombay couldn't believe it. How was it possible?

He immediately grabbed the phone to call Charlie. It rang and rang but no one picked up. He tried the other Ducks but their parents said they were out with Charlie. It seemed to be all over. Everyone was trying to find the killer.

No one was succeeding.

He decided it right then, he was going back...Charlie needed him. No job could keep him away from that boy now.

~~~*~~~

It was the next morning and everyone was back in Charlie, Guy, and Banks's dorm. Charlie was sitting, wrapped up in covers on his bed. They had the news playing softly in the background when it came on.

They saw themselves on the TV. It was when Charlie first saw his mom. The reporter talked and talked about the situation while sad, morbid, and depressing images flashed across the screen.

It then flipped to an interview they had with the reporter.

Charlie just glared at the screen and turned it off with the remote. There was no way he was watching that again. It had been hard enough the first time.

Guy and Adam just sat back on their beds, still in shock as well. Julie was sitting next to Charlie again and Russ was sitting on his other side.

Averman and Goldburg sat silently in chairs by the TV. They didn't know what to say. Averman had known Mrs. Conway since he was five. Charlie had been in his kindergarten class and they used to try to play hockey with glue bottles and big sticks from recess in the middle of class. It didn't work but it was a nice effort. Goldburg had moved from Philadelphia when he was eight and had been dragged into the team when he was in a class with Connie and Guy. The team had needed a goalie so they had recruited him for the job. They used to hang out at Charlie's a lot. Guy's too because he and Charlie lived close.

Dwayne watched Charlie stare off into space. The guy was really out of it. He couldn't imagine the pain Charlie must have been feeling...Dwayne didn't know what it was like to lose a parent but he could imagine it must be horrible.

Luis just sat quietly too. He still couldn't believe he had just seen a dead person...his friend's mother at that. It gave him the creeps. He wondered what was going to happen to Charlie. Charlie had lived with his mom all his life, whom would he live with now?

Portman and Fulton were still glaring at the screen. They couldn't believe someone could be so inconsiderate. Maybe Charlie didn't WANT his mother's death posted everywhere. Maybe he didn't WANT it on the news. It just didn't seem right.

Fulton was seething. He felt like he had let Charlie down when he saw the story plastered everywhere in town. He felt like he should be protecting Charlie from it all. He thought of Charlie as a kind of younger brother, despite the fact that they were about the same age. Charlie wasn't always the most stable guy and had been through a lot lately. Why did the reporters have to make a big story out of it? It was someone's personal life they were parading around with!

Kenny sat without a word. He didn't know what to say. The air was thick with tension and sadness. It was choking him. He could hardly look at Charlie. The teenage boy didn't know what to say. There was an awkward silence that no one knew how to break.

Connie still clung to Guy. She couldn't stand it. She remembered all the times they spent at Charlie's and when she first found out what Mrs. Conway had gone through before they moved to Minneapolis away from Charlie's dad. She had been very small then but it still scared her. She had always felt sorry for Casey Conway because she had to raise a kid on her own. Connie had both her parents and they were pretty happy. She could only imagine how Charlie must have felt with his mother dead and his psycho dad after him.

Guy sat on his bed, looking at where the images had been on the screen. Guy had grown up with Charlie and Mrs. Conway had always been such a nice lady. To the kids who had been in District Five, she was like a second mother.

Adam also didn't know how to comfort Charlie. It must have been horrible to see his mother lying in front of him, dead. And to know it happened while he was playing street hockey with his friends. Adam had gone over to Charlie's many times and Mrs. Conway had always allowed them to goof off. She also invited him to stay for dinner all the time. She didn't even get TOO mad when he had tried to throw spoiled applesauce at Charlie...but then it missed and hit his wall.

Wait, applesauce could spoil?

Adam shook his head to look at Charlie. The poor guy hadn't said a word to anyone since the day before when it happened. He had been silent and just stared blankly forward. It depressed Adam to see his best friend like this.

Banks just shook his head slowly and looked at the time. It was time for them to go to school. They had all tried to go to sleep but no one could. The burning image of Mrs. Conway's bloody body prevented any rest. So everyone had somehow ended up in Charlie's dorm to comfort him. The silence had been deafening so they had turned on the TV, though no one watched it. Then when Charlie turned it off again, the uncomfortable silence returned.

"I hate to break the silence, but it's time to go to school." Adam said quietly, barely above a whisper. Everyone was afraid to talk normally or make any sudden movements.

Charlie just nodded, his face still blank. The only facial expression he had shown all day had been anger...and that was directed at the TV. He seemed to still be in shock.

He stood up and gathered up his things and walked out the door. They had all changed into new clothes before coming, not sure if they would make it back in time to change and go to school.

Once Charlie left the room, everyone looked at each other with the same look.

Sympathy.

"He looks so...sad." Julie said, biting her lip to stop crying. She had cried more than Charlie and she didn't know why. Charlie had stopped crying after awhile, then he just sat there with a blank look. It was freaking them out a bit.

"I know. It's really sad." Connie said. She had cried a lot too but she seemed to feel a little better. But that didn't mean she let her death-grip on Guy loose.

They all just nodded.

"What are we going to do?" Adam asked, worry etched all over his face.

"I don't know. A funeral maybe?" Goldburg suggested.

Instead of the usual retort they would've given saying something like "No duh!", they just nodded in affirmation.

"I still can't believe someone would just SHOOT Charlie's mom. I mean, why would someone do something like that! Why her?" Fulton ranted, upset as well. It didn't make sense to him.

"I don't know. That's a good question. Who WOULD go after Mrs. Conway?" Portman said, glaring and sitting back on a bed.

"Charlie's dad maybe?" Averman said with question.

"He seems like a stalker, but not a murderer. Besides, why would he kill Mrs. Conway? He has no reason too." Connie said back. She couldn't imagine a man killing his own wife. It sickened her.

"True, but you never know..." Averman said, totally serious for one of the first times in his life.

They all pondered this before they noticed they were going to be late and Charlie was going to school by himself.

They ran out of the room to see he wasn't waiting there for them. He had gone on without them.

Exchanging looks, they all ran in the direction he would've gone. He wasn't stable and they were worried he might flip out on someone if they mentioned his mom's death. It HAD been on the news after all.

They found him walking solemnly down to class. Someone was walking up to him with a sympathetic face. They quickened their walk to catch up with him.

They saw the girl was Charlie's old girlfriend Linda.

"Hey Charlie, I heard about your mom. I'm so sorry." She said sadly as she fell in step with him.

He just quickened his pace slightly, hoping she would get the hint. He dropped his head slightly so his face was shadowed a little but still said nothing.

Linda looked at him with confusion. She didn't know why he hadn't said anything back. Sure he wasn't thrilled when they broke up but she figured he would at least acknowledge her sympathy.

People were whispering a little as Charlie pulled out away from Linda and got to his locker. He switched out his books in silence and walked on to his first class.

That was when the Ducks jumped in. They didn't say anything because they knew nothing they said could possibly help him at the time. Anything they said would never even process in his brain. His mind was solely on his mother's death and who could have caused it.

Throughout the day teachers didn't call on him or give him a hard time. Somehow everyone knew about the death and didn't want to make it worse. If he raised his hand to leave, they let him go, no questions asked.

By the end of school, Charlie had refrained from saying a single word and it was really scaring the other Ducks. At lunch he sat silently and at practice he lost the blank look but still said nothing. Orion was worried too so he held Charlie after practice to talk. Charlie agreed. He felt slightly closer to Orion after having the talk about his dad and Charlie had still heard nothing from Coach Bombay. He was pretty mad at him for not calling back...

The other Ducks got the hint and left so they could talk in peace. They figured maybe, just MAYBE Orion could cure Charlie of his mute spell.

Orion sat Charlie down on a bench to talk. He hadn't been expecting something like this to happen...especially not to one of his players. Not that anyone ever expects a random death to happen.

"Charlie. I-I-" Orion started, not knowing exactly what he was going to say.

Charlie just looked up at him. "Why did they kill her?" he asked, as if he hadn't even heard him.

Orion looked shocked. He didn't expect it to be so blunt. But when he saw Charlie's eyes glass over a little as he said it, he found himself stuttering for an answer. Oh, how he wished he knew the answer.

"I...I don't know Charlie." Was the answer Orion came up with.

Charlie looked down his lap as if he got that answer every time. He knew he would get it again, but a part of him couldn't help but hope someone would know. He couldn't comprehend why someone would kill his mom. She was a waitress at a diner. Not exactly a job that gets you enemies.

"I'm sorry I can't give you the answer you want. But the only person who knows the answer to that is the person who arranged it. I'm really sorry Charlie." Orion said.

Charlie just nodded and stared again. Then completely out of the blue, Charlie leaned over and pulled his coach into a hug and cried.

To be blunt, the sudden movement surprised Orion. But it didn't take long for him to return the hug. He had never seen the boy this vulnerable. Not even when he was upset about his dad. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do.

So he just tried to comfort Charlie in any way he could. He couldn't comprehend what Charlie was going through. He hadn't lost any parents in his life, especially when he was fourteen. But he had almost lost his daughter. And that was enough to know Charlie must be heartbroken. And if Bombay wouldn't be there for him, he would.

About ten minutes later, Charlie pulled away with one last sniff. "I'm sorry. I just had an impulse." Charlie apologized as he looked away.

"No need to apologize, Charlie." Orion said.

"No, I shoulda...shoulda..." he said, not really sure what he was saying, his mind was jumbled up. He had gone so long without saying anything and ignoring anyone, he had been trying to hold it in. Sure he had cried when he first saw his mother but he felt like he shouldn't cry. His mother wouldn't want him to cry. Besides, he was fourteen...he was sure he should be strong. Then why did he feel so broken?

While Charlie was thinking this over, a man in a crisp black suit walked up to them with some papers.

"Are you Mr. Conway?" the man asked Orion.

"No, I'm Coach Orion." He replied, confused. "But this is Charlie Conway." He added, pointing to Charlie.

The man then turned his attention from Orion to Charlie.

"Charlie Conway?" he asked Charlie to verify.

Charlie nodded, confused. He hoped it was someone who would tell him who did that to his mom.

"You have a court date tomorrow. Your father is requesting full custody at the death of your mother." He said in an emotionless voice, proving it was just another one of his jobs.

Charlie was confused. Why did they come to him personally and not mail? And how did they FIND him?

"TOMORROW?! Thanks for the warning." Charlie said, shocked that they had made a court date and told him the day before. What if he had plans?!

"I don't make the dates, I just deliver the message. Now as I was saying, your father wants custody of you." the man said, ignoring Charlie's tone.

"O...kay...but why?" Charlie said, the confusion evident in his quivering voice.

"He was next in line for guardianship when your mother died. No other person was left for an option. She didn't seem to think she would be dieing anytime soon." He answered.

Charlie's mind swarmed with anger. His dad...he did NOT want to be with his dad. And the way this man casually spoke of his mother's death made his blood boil.

Charlie abruptly stood up to give the man a piece of his mind but the man in a suit began speaking again before Charlie had the chance.

"We expect to see you in court at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning." The man said. "Good day." He said as he left.

Charlie began shaking with anger.

"The NERVE of that guy." Charlie finally got out.

"I know...what's this about your father getting custody? Didn't he-?" Orion began before Charlie cut him off with a nod.

"There is NO way I'm living with HIM!" Charlie said as he stormed off to the door.

Before he was fully out, he turned to the older man. "Thanks Coach! I needed that. The talk, I mean." He called, the first smile of the day appearing on his worn and tired face. None of them had gotten sleep the night before.

Orion smiled back. "Anytime Charlie. Anytime."

Charlie gave him a crisp nod before leaving. He had to tell the Ducks about this. It was OUTRAGOUS!