A/N. Hiya again. Just want to thank the two people who gave me my first reviews. It's only been a day since it's been up and I have reviews already! – I was shamefully excited. Hope y'all enjoy my next offering.

All the team, except Guy and Fulton, was assembled in Charlie and Adam's dorm room at 9:45, a quarter of an hour till curfew. Adam was lying on his bed, trying to focus on the sport magazine in his hands; Averman, Julie, Connie and Russ were lounged on the floor, watching TV, whilst Goldberg was eating all their popcorn, absentmindedly looking at his watch as the time passed; Dwayne, Ken and Luis were quietly talking in the corner, discussing that day's practice, Dwayne and Luis doing most of the talking whilst Ken nursed a colourful bruise he sported on his leg; Portman was sitting on Charlie's bed, cleaning his skates aggressively, angrily looking from his skates, to the clock on the wall, to the door, and then back to his skates again.

They all jumped when Guy opened the door. They looked at him hopefully but he shook his head and went and sat on the floor next to Connie. She smiled at him briefly and he squeezed her hand, before they both resumed pretending they were interested in what was on the TV.

It was 9:53 when the door banged open and Fulton strode in.

"Is he back yet?"

The Ducks shook their heads. Averman turned off the TV and Adam put the magazine down on his bedside table; they all looked at each other.

Portman chucked his skates on the floor and stood up, "Where the hell is he?"

"Well he's not out in the grounds, that's for damn sure. Me and Guy covered every centimeter of the campus, TWICE!" Fulton exclaimed, dropping down into the spot his fellow Bash Brother had just vacated.

"It's nearly 10, guys," Julie looked worriedly at the clock.

"He's been missing for nearly three hours now," Luis spoke quietly.

"Shit," Adam swore. "Are we sure we've checked everywhere? The cafeteria? The classrooms?"

The ducks nodded desolately.

"And even if we hadn't, Banksie, they'd all be locked by now. This place is dead by 9:30," Connie intoned.

"Maybe he's just playing a joke?" Goldberg suggested, hopefully.

"If he is then I'd…" Portman smashed his fist into wall.

"Don't be stupid, dude," Fulton said, quietly. "There's no way he'd be mucking around after he was so worried earlier on about missing practice – thinking about Coach's reaction, and all."

The Ducks all looked at each other, knowing that the Bash Brother's words were true. They all knew Charlie.

"That wasn't like him, no way would he just miss practice for jack all. Where was he this afternoon? Banks?" Luis looked over at fair boy, perched on his bed.

"Hey don't look at me. I asked but he gave me a load of BS about needing time by himself. There's no way he'd just piss off Reily like that: he's not stupid and he doesn't have a death wish!"

There was silence.

"Do you think the Coach…?" Averman left the sentence open, putting words to what they all were thinking.

"He wouldn't," Dwayne drawled in his Texan slang.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had," Ken stated unhappily.

"Come on, Ducks. Be serious! The Coach can't do anything like that however mad he is," Guy said, uncertainly.

Fulton stepped in, "And Charlie ain't no fluffy duckling. Like he'd allow the Coach to try anything with him."

"Then where the hell is he?" Portman asked again, frustratedly running one hand through his hair.

"It's five past, guys. We gotta go before the teachers come round. We don't want to get into any more trouble with Reily," Julie stood slowly and offered her hand to Connie, helping her up.

Some of the team looked like they were set on staying but Adam agreed, "Come on, guys. We can't do anything but wait around arguing anyway." He stood and opened the door.

"But when Captain Duck shows…" Portman started.

"I'll get the whole damn story out of him," Adam finished. "Swear."

Portman nodded and went to the door, pausing for his roommate, Fulton, to catch up, "You make sure you do, Banksie," he looked at the smaller boy, his posture slightly threatening.

Adam nodded and Portman exited, apparently satisfied.

All the others trailed out the door, muttering dispirited goodbyes to the Center Forward. Soon it was only Adam and Dwayne left. The Texan moved slowly to the door but stopped just before he crossed the threshold.

"Do you think Charlie'll be ok?" he asked softly.

Adam looked at him, "I hope so, Dwayne."

Dwayne nodded and moved out the door, slowly making his way down the corridor to his own dorm, shared with Ken. Adam's eyes followed him for a moment before he quietly shut the door and turned back to his own, empty, room, painfully aware of the absence of his best friend.

            Adam was dozing fitfully when he was awoken by someone clumsily trying to open the dorm door. He sat up silently in the dark and glanced at the illuminated dial of his watch: 12:23 am. He waited, wide-awake now.

            The door opened and Charlie stood hunched in the doorway, silhouetted by the dim light coming from the corridor. He walked unsteadily in, shut the door, dropped his skates by the bottom of his bed and sat down stiffly.

            "Spazway," Adam acknowledged him.

            Charlie jumped: Adam could see his vague outline in the dark, and he heard the bed creak. He expected something, an explanation, an apology, anything, but the other boy was silent.

            Adam could feel his anger beginning to surge inside of him, "You took your damn time. Where were you?" he demanded.

            When his captain still didn't reply he got up and walked the three steps to the other boy's bed, "Are you listening to me, Charlie? We were all really worried about you. Why won't you…?" he reached out, grabbed the boy's shoulder and gasped at the temperature of his skin through the thin jersey he was wearing.

            He got up and moved quickly to the main light switch and flicked it on. He moved in front of Charlie and squinted down at him, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the bright light. He swore quietly under his breath when his eyes took in the state the captain was in: he was shivering violently, his lips an odd shade of purple and his eyes were red rimmed with exhaustion.

            "What happened?" he asked, more softly this time but firmly, not giving Charlie the choice to refuse to answer. He picked up his duvet, still warm from his own body, and wrapped it around the shivering boy, before sitting down on his friend's bed.

            "Coach locked me in," Charlie's reply was quiet but surly, and Adam only just caught it over the chattering of his teeth.

            "Where? You mean – THE ICE RINK?" Adam's reply had too much force in it to be called a whisper.

            Charlie nodded, dully.

            "Why for Christ's sake?"

            "I think I made him mad," Charlie tried a small smile. "I wouldn't tell him why I'd missed practice."

            Adam looked at him, disbelief written across his shocked features. They sat there like that for a few moments before Adam swallowed and broke the heavy silence.

            "Where were you today? And don't give me the BS you tried earlier coz I know you and I know when you're telling me the truth."

            Charlie sighed unhappily and looked down at his lap, gathering the duvet more firmly around his freezing cold body, "I was meeting Bombay. I figured he might be able to give me some advice."

            "You saw him without telling us? We'd have all gone with you! Why didn't you tell me?" Adam was annoyed. Very.

            "Can you blame me?" Charlie whispered furiously, his emotion bringing a little colour back to his face. "Look what Reily did to me for not showing up for practice! Can you imagine what he would have done if we had all played hooky?" He was silent for a moment and when he turned back to Adam his voice was more calm, "I figured that he might believe some lame-assed excuse if it was only me who went. No way would he believe that the whole team missed practice to go for a walk or something." He paused again, "I'm sorry, I probably should've told you where I was going."

            Adam looked at him and immediately regretted his anger, "You had your reasons and they're decent, Charlie." He got up from his seat and moved to the bathroom, grabbed a towel and brought it back to his shivering captain. "You gotta get warm. I don't know what the Coach was thinking: you could've caught pneumonia. Go have a hot shower before you turn into an ice cube."

            Charlie smiled at him through clenched teeth, trying to repress his chattering teeth. Adam got up again and gave his friend space to strip off his cold things, his back to him as he changed.

            As he stood there admiring the beige wallpaper a thought crossed his mind, "Hey, Spazway?" Charlie grunted, "Did the Coach guess where you had gone?"

            Charlie wrapped the large towel around himself, grateful for its warmth, "I dunno," he said glumly, "but I'm screwed if he didn't and he finds out coz that means that this was just a punishment for bunking the practice. I'm decent," he muttered to Banks before moving into the bathroom and starting the shower. He waited for the water to run hot, testing the deluge with his hand.

            "What did Bombay say?"

            "He said if Reily was as bad as I said he was then it was undoubtable that he had a record of some kind. He promised to try and find out as much as he could about the guy to give us something solid to go to the Dean with. He's gonna contact me in a month or so."

            Adam nodded as his friend closed the bathroom door, wondering bitterly if Bombay could reach Charlie in hospital, as that was where it looked Reily was going to be sending him.

            He had to talk to the Ducks. They had won with the odds against them before but always as a team. There was no way that he was going to let Captain Duck take on their Coach by himself, as he knew he would try. The Ducks try together, fly together and die together – and they always would.

Longer than the first but hopefully it didn't drag. I probably won't be as speedy updating nxt time coz I did this when I got home from skool and still haven't done my homework at 11. Ah well I'll live – this is more exciting.

If you liked my story plz review so I can get all happy again – unless they're flames (plz don't be too harsh!).

Love y'all.