A/N: I wanna apologise right now for saying that I would be updating "soon." I, being the idiot I am, forgot to realise that I was going on holiday for two weeks a couple of days after I had posted that last chapter.
So this here chapter is in the form of an apology. It's one of the most boring to date and one of the shortest, so it's rather a pathetic apology, truth be told. But it was either this or combining it with the next chapter, making it horrendously long, and probably meaning you guys would have had to have waited another four of five days to have got the end product. Please feel free to hate me.
On a brighter note, I wanna say thank you for all the beautiful reviews I've received for this travesty of a fic. As is my whim, I will be replying to them down the bottom. It's one of my little quirks. Forgive me.
As is vaguely obvious by my update, I will be continuing this story. This is due to three things: my own damn stubbornness, the amount of interest I've received and a rebirth for my love of the Ducks. I had an epiphany and decided it may be a good idea to watch one of them again. I am such an idiot, I swear.
So enjoy. Hopefully.
"Charlie!"
Adam opened the door of their dorm room excitedly.
"Charlie! You'll never guess what just happened! Finally! We may actually be able to…" he trailed off when the figure lying face down on the bed didn't respond.
"Charlie?"
Still no reply.
Adam frowned and moved softly over to the bed, reached out a hand and touched his Captain on the shoulder tentatively. "Spazway?" he asked, worriedly.
The body underneath him stiffened under the light contact. "What?" came the muffled reply, the quiet words almost totally absorbed by the pillow.
"You okay?"
Charlie hesitated, then raised his head reluctantly, staring fixedly at the headboard, not turning to face Adam. "I'm fine, Cake eater. Just tired." He sighed heavily. "And I'd appreciate some space right now." He swallowed and closed his eyes. Adam didn't move though. "Please?" he finished, desperately.
Adam frowned at the boy's uncharacteristic words, and looked closely at the profile of the other's face, his frown deepening at what he saw: his captain was pale, much more so than normal; the eye he could see was bloodshot, and Adam could have sworn he was trembling. The worries he had suppressed since lunchtime flooded back and he sat down, hard, on his own bed and stared fixedly at his friend.
"How was the meeting with the Coach this morning? I heard about it from Russ." he said, quietly.
Charlie's head jerked up slightly at the unexpected question and he swallowed convulsively, his mind groping for an answer. "It was okay, I suppose," he mumbled. "Took me to the Dean. Asked me whether I knew anything about the pranks. Said I didn't…" he trailed off, wondering if it sounded as lame and as unrealistic to Adam as it did to him.
It obviously did.
"Really?" the other boy's voice dripped sarcasm and he raised his eyebrow disbelievingly. "Where were you at lunch then? Huh? You can't say that it took over two hours for you to tell the Dean that."
He had told one lie; he might as well continue. "I had to go and get the work I missed from Mrs Grangewood. I had lunch in the library."
There was no way that Charlie was going to tell Adam what had happened. No way that he was going to say that he had crawled back to his room after the Coach had left him and had sat in his bed all day, crying, too shocked and scared and ashamed to move. There was no way in hell.
"Really?" Adam said, again, even more sarcastic this time, as if the idea of Charlie doing extra work was about as likely as Reily volunteering to wear a tutu to raise money for unhappy children.
Anger flashed through Charlie's eyes. Why couldn't Banks just leave him alone? Why did he always have to pester?
"Yes, really, Cake eater," he spat, still not looking at the boy. "Now are you gonna tell me what you came in here to say so you can get lost, or what?"
Adam watched Charlie for a moment, unblinking, then: "Bombay phoned," he intoned.
Charlie took a moment to make sure he hadn't just heard wrongly. Then he slowly smiled, realisation of what this might mean dawning, hope beginning to swell in his chest. Excitedly, he sat up and turned to face the other boy.
"For real?! He phoned? What did he…"
But Adam wasn't listening. His eyes were riveted on the side of Charlie's face that had just been revealed to him.
The bruise was dark purple, a dull shadow gracing the captain's cheekbone, contrasting vividly with the rest of the boy's pale skin. Blood had been brought to the surface and had collected under Charlie's right eye, which was half-closed, swollen and puffy, giving his face an oddly contorted appearance. The delicate skin over his cheekbone had been broken, grazed slightly, bringing a reddish tinge to the enflamed site.
It looked awful. And there was no doubt in Adam's mind what had happened.
He stood and moved towards the younger boy, towering over him, eyes still affixed to his face, wide with horror. Charlie swallowed, realising what he had done, realising what Adam could see, and immediately turned to the side again, eyes fixed on his pillow, breath catching in his throat.
"Did he do that?" Adam asked, his voice flat and emotionless.
Charlie had never heard Banks sound like that before in all the time he had known him, and he never wanted to again. His heart pumped faster, adrenaline and despair flowing through his veins, knowing that Adam knew. The truth was stamped across his face for anyone to see. Nothing he could do would hide it.
"Do what?" he asked, weakly, stalling.
Adam stood directly in front of the curly haired boy, jaw clenched so hard it must have hurt, and reached out, gently placing his hands on either side of Charlie's head and turning him to face him. Slowly, eyes still wide, mesmerised by the violent mark, he traced it lightly with one finger, carefully observing how Charlie flinched when his feathery touch flickered over the broken skin. At his cheekbone, the most enflamed area, he pressed slightly harder, assessing the damage, but the other boy emitted a slight gasp of pain and protest and pushed him away.
"Did who do what?" Charlie asked again, his voice stronger, though tinged with the strained undertones of pain.
There was a silence, Adam eyes still taking in the injury.
"Reily. He hit you." It was a statement, not a question, softly delivered, shock resonating in Adam's voice.
Charlie looked up at the other boy and saw the sympathy reflected deeply in his blue eyes. He hated him for it. He didn't need anyone's pity, especially not Banks'. They weren't even proper friends anymore.
He stood up sharply, flinching at the pain in his gut from where Reily had hit him. "Don't be so dramatic, Banks. I just walked into a door, ok? You need to get your head checked. Just because a guy is an angry SOB doesn't mean he's gonna start beating up his students. You're being stupid."
Adam was taken aback by his captain's outburst. He stood still for a moment, then gathered his thoughts, frustration brewing slowly inside of him for the other boy's denial.
"A door?!" he asked, incredulously. "You say you got that," he gestured to Charlie's right cheek and eye, "from a door? Did this door have homicidal tendencies or something?"
"You're amusing, you know that, Cake eater?" he said, dryly, annoyed. "If I say it was a damn door then it was a damn door!" He pushed past him roughly. "Why can't you just get lost and leave me alone?"
Adam took a deep breath and tried to control his emotions. Turning, he reached out and grabbed a hold of Charlie's upper arm, holding firm when the other boy tried to wrench free.
"Why do you lie to me, Charlie?" he asked, quietly. "Why do you always do this? It's so obvious what's happened!" He paused. "Why the hell are you protecting that bastard?"
Charlie stilled, breathing heavily, then turned to face the blond boy. "Don't ever believe I would protect him," he said, softly, eyes burning in his bruised face.
"Then why do this?"
"It was a door, alright?" His voice was cracking under the strain.
"How original, Spazway," Adam spat. "You really excel yourself in making up these flawless excuses. Next time it'll be a penguin that's bitch slapped you, right?"
Charlie clenched his fists tightly at his side. "You're an asshole, Banks."
"I'm beginning to wonder the same about you."
The dark haired boy stared at him for a moment, eyes dark with fury, then twisted his arm viciously out of Adam's grip, striding angrily to the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I don't see that it's any of your business," he retorted, over his shoulder.
There was a pause. Then:
"Are you scared? Is that why?"
The question was quiet, serious, no hint of mockery in Adam's voice.
Charlie's hand froze on the doorhandle.
He shut his eyes tightly, pain shooting down the injured side of his face making him grimace, and seriously considered just turning around and telling his team mate everything. He didn't understand fully why he wasn't already.
But he didn't. He just took a deep breath and pushed open the door, making his way through it and down the corridor, leaving Adam standing still in the middle of their small dormroom, staring after him sadly.
Bombay watched from his parked Mercedes as the activity around Eden Hall slowed down to a crawl as the afternoon finished and the evening set in.
Cradling a polystyrene cup of coffee to his chest, he was reminiscing, remembering the good times he had had in the ancient brick establishment in front of him, as well as the bad.
It was strange how much school affected your younger years, he mused, taking a tentative sip at the scalding, dark liquid. A microcosm all of its own, no one aware of the bigger picture, everyone obsessed with preparing for the always ungraspable future. So much stress, so much pain, so much laughter and joy…
He was jerked out of his reverie by a slight tapping on the passenger window. He turned and leant across the seat, turning the door handle and pushing it open, smiling in greeting as Adam slid into the leather seat and shut the door after him. Receiving no smile in return, he frowned, worry flitting through his brain at the change in the boy he had only spoken to hours before. Then, Adam had been excited, happy, but there was no sign of either emotion in the boy's demeanour now.
"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned.
Adam sighed unhappily and turned to him, eyes angry. "It's Charlie."
Terror gripped Bombay for a moment. "What's happened?"
Adam clenched his fists in his lap, and didn't answer Bombay for a moment. Then, his voice deep with concealed emotion, he said, "He's hurt. Black eye. Told me he got hit by a door." He laughed harshly, then abruptedly stopped.
Bombay exhaled slowly, relief that Charlie hadn't been seriously hurt flooding his awareness. "You don't believe him?"
Adam shook his head, jerkily. "No way in hell did a door do that to him." He turned to the man next to him, eyes flashing angrily, speaking in deadly earnest. "It was Reily, Coach. I know it was. You have to believe me."
Bombay nodded consideringly, and sighed unhappily. "I have no doubt it was. That's why I'm here. I've found out some pretty interesting information on your coach."
Adam listened, wide eyed, as Bombay narrated to him his findings.
"Crap…" he muttered quietly to himself when the man was done. "Well that certainly explains a lot…"
Bombay rubbed the back of his neck, tiredly. "And it means I definitely have to find Charlie. Quickly. I don't want him around Reily any longer. He could get seriously hurt."
Adam nodded in understanding, hope and fear mingling in his chest. "I'll go try and find him. There aren't that many places he would want to be with his face in that state."
He pushed open the door, but, before he could leave, Bombay lightly grabbed a hold of his arm.
"Don't tell him anything of what I've told you, Adam. I want him to hear it from me, so he has no doubt that it's the truth. I'll try and get him to open up to me, try and get him to tell me what that man did to him."
Adam nodded again. "Sure thing, Coach."
Bombay leant back in his seat and looked at the blond boy, eyes intense with emotion.
"And, whatever you do, be careful with him, Adam. He's got to be hurting and scared. We have no idea to the extent of which Reily's actions have affected Charlie. He probably won't be too sure himself."
Adam swallowed, nodded, and left, shutting the door behind him.
Bombay leant back in his seat, worry etching itself into his mind, took up his coffee and took a long gulp of the still-steaming liquid, revelling in the burning sensation down his throat.
He would kill that bastard for hurting Charlie. He would kill him.
A/N: Bombay has returned with a vengeance! ::belated cheer:: That was especially for Sade who has been rooting for his return for a while now. Lol.
I want to tell you that I think I may enjoy writing the next chapter. And it's going to be angsty. Which is a good sign. Though I don't know how long it's going to be due to the fact that it was actually meant to be on the end of this one.
The piece de resistance is the chapter after it. And I know I'm going to enjoy that one. ::evil grin::
And then the chapter after that is the final one! Yay! ::dances::
Kristine: Thank you. It's been a long time. I'm glad you haven't forgotten this sorry excuse of a story. Lol.
Katie: ::blushes:: Thank you for all the wonderfulness in that review. I hope you weren't too disappointed with this chapter. ::winces::
BanksiesBabe: You've read my story more than once? ::crickets chirp:: ::tumbleweed blows across the expanse of :: Wow. I read it again. The first chapters are scary. Lol.
Chelsea: Hun, I'm going to write you an email. I wouldn't be able to do your review justice here and I don't have time if I wanna post this tonight. Thank you. It was as sweet and lovely as always. ::big hug::
Sade: I hope you forgive me on the "soon" bit of your review. Lol. Mind you, compared to the last six month wait, this was damn speedy. I myself was shocked when Reily killed the duck. I swear I don't actually control him. ::is rather worried::
Sarah: Thank you for the review. I am amazed that you actually read this whole thing in its entirety. Lol.
ShadowofMoonlight: I just love the fact that you were the only one to take me up on my offer to hit me with a baseball bat. Even though you then went and changed time. Lol. Thank you for that. I felt inspired. And I just wanna thank you loads for taking the extra effort to continue trying to review me when was being screwy. ::hugs::
Princess-sunshine: Well… To tell you the truth, I was a little bowled over by your review. Lol. And, as a result, I'm still rather speechless when it comes to answering it. Thank you very much. That is a huge compliment!
Nicole Westerhouse: It will finish. Sooner or later, it will end. ::sighs happily:: And, though I was absolutely thrilled by the fact that you read my other story, I've got to express my doubts on finishing that one as well. I thought I had a plot, and, as time progressed, I came to realise how crap that plot truly was. Please forgive me.
Smartass: I swear I thought this was a flame when I first saw it. Lol. I am extremely paranoid. Thank you for the lovely review though. I am exceptionally proud about my Charlie being "more developed" than other Charlies out there. ::big grin::
Poopy: Your review was certainly original. I believe I may have laughed out loud. Thanks for reading it.
To the all mysterious "me": I am going to take a profound leap of fate and declare thee "Kate". Though I am amazed that it is you. I thought you had disappeared into the black abyss of normality. Lol. Thank you for taking the time and effort to continue reviewing. was certainly screwed up when I posted my story. I am amazingly happy that you're still reading it. Express my condolences to your sister for being hit over the head. Lol.
Sloane Miette: I want to say a heart felt thank you for your review. It certainly made me stop and think exactly where I was going with this. And though this chapter may seem forced due to its absurd boringness, I want to tell you that it's not. I watched D3 again, a couple of nights ago, and I got shivers at the end. I had really forgotten that I loved the films that much. Thank you for your concern and your honesty, but I want to give you the joyful news that I will be dragging this story, kicking and screaming, all the way to the finishing post. ::grins:: ::starts training for heavy exertion::
Hockey Luvva: Thankyou, again, for the mulitple review, kick up the backside. I also want to thank you heartily for preventing the urge to whack me over the head. I do love you, I hope you realise. ::grins::
Claire: Thank you very much! I can't believe you managed to read the entire thing. Lol.
Red: Thank you. I think that's the first "intense" I've got. ::blushes a horrendous shade of magenta::