A/N. ::hands out baseball bats:: Yeah, I know. It's been a while. Feel free to have a good whack. I know I deserve it for leaving you all like that.

I'm gonna do a summary of the last chapter, just so you don't have to go flicking back to remind yourselves what happened half a year ago. ::grimaces::

Charlie wants to leave the Ducks. Reily won't let him and blackmails him to stay, telling him that if he leaves he has the authority to chuck out the other Ducks because of a clause in their scholarships. Charlie went to Bombay and asked for his help and Bombay, the last time we saw him, promised to try and find something on the new Coach soon. Charlie, not being able to take anymore, decided to get himself chucked out by pulling a load of pranks, the last one being a website - with Adam's help. Reily got very angry about said website and that was where I left you all.

I want to thank Beaner, Banksiesbabe, canadian-hockey-girl, Shanks, Chelsea (Love you, hun and I am so gonna sit my ass down and read the rest of Shattered Glass one of these days), anne918, Queen of the Cake-eaters, ashcake, Ice Cube, Sloane Miette, Angel Spirit, HockeyLuvva, legolasishot, Sade for all your lovely reviews.

Biggest thanks go to Chelsea, HockeyLuvva and Cube. You guys all get an extra baseball bat. Well… actually… Cube gets five extra… ::grins::

Enjoy. And I sincerely hope it was worth the wait.

Charlie swiftly and silently turned the handle of the door and slid into the dormitory room he shared with Adam. Without turning the light on, he moved quietly over to his bed and began stripping off his soiled clothes.

"How did it go?"

The disembodied voice in the darkness made Charlie start, his nerves already stretched to breaking point, before relaxing again when his tired brain realised who it was.

He grinned toothily into the gloom. "Perfect." He sank down onto the bed and began pulling off his old trainers. "You been waiting up all night to ask me that?"

"I was worried. I thought… well…" Adam trailed off.

"What?"

"Well, when you didn't come back for so long… I thought maybe Reily had… got you…" Adam muttered, sounded slightly embarrassed.

Charlie ran a hand through his curly hair, tugging slightly at a tangle, preoccupied. "'Got me'?" he snorted quietly to himself. "Nah… not yet anyway…"

He breathed in deeply, then pulled back the covers of his bed and slipped in gratefully. He threw his head back onto the pillow and stared up at the dark expanse of the ceiling.

There was a moment's silence. Before –

"One of them bit me, though."

Adam chuckled. "Only you, Charlie. Is that even possible?"

Charlie frowned slightly and rubbed his injured hand lightly with a finger, putting a little bit of pressure on it and wincing. "You can bet your ass it is, Banks. They're vicious, I'm telling you!"

"Whatever, Spazway." Adam's voice held barely concealed laughter.

"I'm gonna get a bruise!" Charlie replied, indignantly.

Adam shook his head, smiling. "You can show me this 'injury' in the morning." He turned over and snuggled further down into his covers. "Night."

"I'll do that, Cake eater." Charlie shifted slightly, adrenaline still a little too high to sleep. "Vicious creatures," he muttered to himself, again poking at his hand. A slow smile dawned on his face. "All the nicer for the Coach, I suppose."

And with that last happy thought, he let his own eyes droop shut.

"…and so Goebbels actually had a club foot and Hitler wore glasses but, due to propaganda, and the Nazi view on imperfection, these faults were covered up. Propaganda was also used to enforce the Nazis' racial views: Aryans being risen to a high status…"

Charlie had long since switched off. It was too early in the morning to be discussing the Nazi Foreign Policy, however excited about the subject Mrs Grangewood seemed to be. His head propped up by his hand, his unfocused gaze was fixed outside the window, watching the rain come down dully. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open: his illicit activities last night, coupled with the warmth of the classroom, making him drowsy.

"…Jews of course were subjugated to much hate, as were many other ethnic minorities. The Nazis did everything to encourage the anti-Semitic views of the German citizens…"

The door behind Charlie opened softly and Mrs Grangewood's voice trailed off.

"Yes?" she inquired politely.

Charlie was still watching the rain; watching as rivulets of water ran down the window pane, watching as the grass danced under the downpour, becoming immersed in the wet outside world. It was strangely calming.

His reverie was broken when a voice intruded on his thoughts.

"The Dean wants to see Charles Conway."

He froze. He didn't need to turn around to see who was speaking. He could recognise that calm, chilling voice anywhere. The time he had been waiting, dreading and hoping for, had finally arrived.

He ignored the horrified glance Russ threw at him from across the classroom and the not-so-inconspicuous nudge in the ribs from Portman. Instead, he just glanced up at his history teacher, waiting for her consent. She nodded and, with a strangely leaden feeling in his stomach, he pushed back his chair and stood up.

He turned around and looked at the figure of the coach standing in the doorway, staring at him intently with icy blue eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he scooped up his bag from the floor and moved towards the door. His heart thudded slowly in his chest and he smiled grimly: never is a condemned man calmer than the night before he goes to the gallows.

He walked straight past his coach, into the corridor and, without hesitating, started off in the direction of the Dean's office. He heard the door shut behind him and then the heavy, unhurried footsteps of the blond man began following him, catching up.

Eden Hall during class time was strangely deserted and quiet, and there was certainly no conversation between them. They ghosted through the halls, the Coach, though he was behind, setting the pace: Charlie hurrying to keep ahead of the man, blood roaring in his ears.

When they reached the main corridor, Charlie made to turn left, to the Dean's office, but a heavy hand on his shoulder stopped him and propelled him right instead. Charlie didn't argue, knowing that this was solely between his Coach and himself, and understanding that, if his plan was to succeed, the Dean could have no part in these particular negotiations.

He wasn't particularly surprised when Reily led him out of the main building, across the campus, to the ice rink, though his heart did start thumping uncomfortably harder in his chest. He wondered, distractedly, if his Coach had been to his office yet this morning. Charlie hadn't planned on going anywhere near the icehouse today, for good reason, but he took in a shuddering breath and didn't stop walking. Reily would hardly allow him to escape now, anyway.

Into the building and down the rather gloomy passageway running adjacent to the ice rink, stopping at the doorway to the Coach's office, Reily smiled grimly and took the key from around his neck and slotted it into the lock. He glanced at the boy next to him, met his eyes and held them for a moment, before pushing open the door…

And found himself face to face with a duck.

The duck in question was sitting quite calmly on the man's desk, having made some sort of nest with the man's paperwork. It tilted its head on one side, regarding Reily through unblinking eyes, then slowly stood, opened its wings and began flapping.

That woke the other two ducks which had made themselves quite comfortable under the desk. They waddled out, saw the intruder, and began flapping as well; the three sets of wings causing quite a commotion in the small office space.

Reily had frozen on the spot at the sight of the birds and the mess of his room, then turned swiftly and focused his fiery eyes on the boy behind him, hands clenching into fists at his side. Charlie backed up a step or two, away from his Coach's fury, but his face remained impassive.

"Kick me out the team, and this all stops," he said quietly, giving the ultimatum he had thought so much about.

The man's eyes were glittering with anger, his nostrils flaring slightly as he drew in huge, ragged breaths, and he moved forward, roughly grabbed Charlie by the scruff of the neck and hauled him into the office. Throwing the boy against the far wall, Reily grabbed the duck on the table, ignoring its struggles and enraged quacking, and, with a loud crack, snapped its neck over his knee, smiling at the gasp of shock from Charlie. He threw the lifeless feathery form out of the open door, then turned to the other two birds and literally kicked them out, ignoring their indignant hissing and continued flapping. He then moved to the door, shut it calmly and locked it, then turned back to the boy.

Charlie hadn't moved from the wall he had been flung against. His eyes were wide and his face pale, not quite believing that the man had just killed the duck with his bare hands and with so little remorse. He shut his eyes and swallowed painfully, feeling responsible for the premature and undignified death of the bird. That hadn't been the plan when he had brought the ducks in here. That hadn't been the plan at all…

Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked up at the large man, new hateful respect showing in his eyes, fear making him feel dizzy and sick. The Coach looked him up and down, smiled tightly, then moved towards him. Charlie swallowed again, flicking his eyes to the right and left, looking desperately for an escape and finding none, so ended up just pressing himself further into the wall, a muscle jumping in his jaw as he clenched his teeth together in fear, not knowing what the man would do.

Reily stopped moving when he was near enough for Charlie to feel his hot breath on his cheek.

"Trying to manipulate me now, are we, Conway?" he asked, softly. "Trying to get yourself chucked out the team?"

He paused and smiled maliciously, reaching out a large hand and wrapping it slowly around the boy's throat, much as he had done to the duck, enjoying feeling the tremors that ran through the other's smaller body at his touch, and very aware of the quickened pulse of the boy's jugular against his thumb.

"Your games won't ever work as long as I'm in charge, Conway. You're mine and you will learn, once and for all, that you have no choice but to obey me."

That said, he slowly increased the pressure on Charlie's neck, squeezing tighter and tighter with his hand until muscles stood out on his forearm. Charlie gasped and tried desperately to push the other man off him, struggling violently in his grip, frantically trying to bring air into his deprived lungs.

"Do you understand?" Reily's voice was dark and demanding.

Charlie glared up at the man towering above him, hatred flowing freely through his veins, panic and pride battling in his mind. Surely the Coach wouldn't kill him? He was nasty but he wasn't homicidal. The school wouldn't have employed someone with murderous qualities. Would they? It wasn't right… they wouldn't have… it wasn't possible…

"I said, do you understand me?" the other man growled, eyes alight with fury at the boy's continued defiance. His hand squeezed a little bit tighter.

Charlie gasped as his throat was restricted even more, dark spots beginning to dance in front of his eyes, and finally nodded. "I understand you," he rasped, eyes locked with his Coach's.

"Good."

The man released him and, without his support, Charlie slid down onto the floor and slumped against the wall, bringing his knees up to his chest in a pathetic parody of protection, gulping in air to his oxygen-starved lungs.

The Coach smiled grimly and moved away from him, leaning back against his desk and regarding the boy's trembling figure. He didn't let himself feel victorious though. Not yet. He had thought he had defeated Conway last time and had been proven very wrong . He wasn't going to take any chances this time. He would have to make doubly sure.

"You're pathetic, Conway, you know that? Absolutely fucking pathetic. You know how I knew it was you who was pulling all those stunts?" He paused, as if waiting for a reply, but Charlie didn't even raise his head. "Because I knew only you could be such a little kid. You disgust me, Conway. You're lucky you piss me off enough that I won't let you ever leave the team. Hell knows your game isn't much to go by and you'd never get in anywhere else. You're a failure; a stupid little boy who thinks he's clever. Try growing up and being a man for once."

Charlie put his head onto his knees and curled his arms around himself, failing to prevent the hot tears from running slowly down his face. He was tired and hurting and feeling more lonely than he had ever done in his life, and the man's spiteful words were hitting him hard. He shuddered, a sob wracking his body.

Reily watched in malicious delight as the boy crumbled in front of him. "Look at you. You cry baby. Can't take the truth, can you? And you wondered why Bombay and Orion were so eager to leave you. You wondered why your mother remarried…"

Charlie slowly raised his head, not able to allow the man such a personal attack. "Fuck you," he whispered.

Reily pushed up off the table, deliberately, and moved towards him again, eyes flashing. Crouching down by the boy, he stared into his tear-streaked face for a moment, then grabbed him by the collar and hauled him back up, pinning him against the wall.

"Never," he spat, his face contorted in anger, "speak to me like that again."

And he raised his right hand, balled it into a fist, and smashed it into the boy's face.

Charlie's head jerked back and hit the wall with a dull thud, the boy emitting a strangled cry of pain and surprise. He had to concentrate very hard to not succumb to the blackness that lingered at the edge of his vision, his cheek throbbing from the blow, his head resounding from the shockwaves of impact.

The Coach regarded him critically for a moment, then smiled coldly. "Defiance is a hard game, Conway. Especially when you're playing against me."

He pulled back and grasped a hold of Charlie's face with one hand and jerked it upwards, forcing him to look directly into the man's face, earning himself another small cry of pain from the boy at the sudden movement.

"Remember that. I will win. Always."

Charlie wouldn't meet his eyes, defeated.

Reily felt a triumphant shiver run through him and, satisfied with a job well done, he dragged the boy's unresisting body to the door, unlocked it, then moved out into the corridor, locking the office after him.

He held Charlie close to him for a moment and growled deeply, "Don't even think of mentioning this to anyone. There's nowhere you could hide from me if you did. I would find you."

He pushed Charlie against the corridor wall and calmly walked away, not glancing back once.

Charlie slowly slid down the wall, eyes screwed tight against the onset of tears, and collapsed on the floor, curling up on the rough carpet, his cheek against the ground, trembling.

He lay like that for a while, desperately trying to get his emotions under control, desperately trying to stop the salt water that was flowing steadily down his cheeks, hating and fearing the Coach with every fibre of his aching body.

When the sobs that shook him had gradually receded, he slowly opened his eyes… and found himself face to face with the dead duck, its head hanging at an odd angle, its feathers ruffled and its eyes glazed and slightly bulging.

Charlie turned and retched emptily, the noise echoing down the empty corridor. There was no one to help him. No one. He continued retching, unable to stop. Not wanting to stop. For the first time, he felt he would rather just die than keep on living. It would be so much easier.

The dead bird watched him impassively with its staring eyes. A dead duck and a Duck that wanted to be dead. What a pair.

A/N Ok. Here's the deal. I've sort of lost interest in this fandom. I don't come on anywhere near as much as I used to and that is why I took so long in updating this damn story. However, I am prepared to go on with it if people want me to. At the moment, you guys are my only inspiration for writing this and, believe me, I need as much as I can get.

If there is interest, I'll probably be updating much quicker due to the lovely long holidays I am now on.

Review me if you think I deserve it. ::crawls back into cave::