Fading Pasts

Maddie sat with Alex in the room until she fell asleep. Maddie tried to sleep but by eleven, most players still up, she walked out of them room with her teddy bear swinging from her hand. She couldn't keep her thoughts strait; did Robbie know? She knocked on the door she knew all too well and leapt at Robbie when he answered the door. Robbie looked at her when they pulled apart.

"What the heck was that?" Jack asked.

"I didn't want him to grow up without me." She replied.

"I'm already grown up, what's this really about?" Robbie asked as she sat beside Jack on the bed, Robbie in front of her, standing.

"You know how Katie's only what, seventeen?"

"Yeah, is something wrong with her?"

"Alex was talking to her earlier and found out that she's going to be an aunt."

"Who, Alex or the other girl?" Jack asked.

"Alex, should've known, Katie was always one for messing around." Robbie shook his head.

"Last time I saw her she was like eleven, well, sixteen but I hardly saw her." Maddie complained.

XxxxxXxxxxX

After consoling Maddie about growing up, Robbie and Jack kicked her out of the room and went to sleep but Robbie was thinking too now. Maddie always made him think about stuff whether she knew it or not. She had a way of getting to him without even really doing anything.

He eventually shut his eyes and prepared for the game the next few days. They were closer and closer to the gold each game they played, eventually they would win, or so Robbie thought. They did go on to win all of their games so far, coming from behind in them all.

Robbie woke up to the sound of silence. He glanced over to the other side of the room and saw Jack, still sleeping, on his bed, half hanging off the edge. Robbie ignored him and skipped his daily shower for the time. He got dressed and wandered down to Maddie's room and found it slightly ajar.

"Madds?" He called in.

"Yeah?" She yelled back, slightly tired.

"What's going on?"

"Helping Alex pack while she says goodbye to Buzzy." Maddie answered and Rob walked in.

"She's going home?" Rob asked.

"Not until after the Olympics, but that's not far and she's not really saying goodbye, just explaining I guess."

"He should be sad." Rob mumbled.

"Are you packing yet?" Maddie asked.

"No, I guess I just don't want it to be over."

"Me neither, this is the best. Now we have to go back to our apartment up the street from O'Reilley's and live like we used to except you'll be famous."

"Hey, I was thinking, I saved up a few bucks, if we could find a small, affordable house, would you move in with me for a while?"

"Sure."

"I was thinking that neighbourhood…you know the one, the one up in Charlestown…" Robbie smiled.

"Yeah okay." Maddie replied, not thinking. "WAIT, seriously?"

"Yeah." Robbie smiled.

Maddie leapt at her brother and almost knocked him over. If it wasn't for the wall, she would have. Robbie nodded his head out the door and Maddie whipped down the halls to his room, whipping the door open and jumping up and down on Robbie's bed for a minute before composing herself. She hopped off the bed and stepped over to the still sleeping Jack.

"Morning." She smiled and he rolled over to look at her.

"What?"

"Time to get up!" She was cheerful.

"You're awake this morning." He remarked.

"Well my emotions are high, Alex leaving, me moving…"

"Moving?" He had caught the last word. "Where too?"

"Me, I'm moving to…shoot what's it called. Something like Charlieton…"

"Charlestown?"

"That's it."

"Hey, that's my hometown."

"No kidding." She smiled wide.

"But how?"

"Robbie saved up I guess and just now he asked me if he could find a affordable house if I'd live with him, then he mentioned Charlestown."

"Great brother you've got you know that right?"

"Well, I know a lot of things and that may just be one of them."

XxxxxXxxxxX

Maddie wandered around the dorm hall as everyone sat in silence, awaiting the Soviet game on the next day. Alex disappeared a while ago, she hadn't heard from her since the morning but she wasn't worried because Alex ran up behind her and yelled her name.

"Holy." Maddie retorted as she backed away a bit.

"Guess what." Alex grinned.

"Uh, Robbie jumped out the window?"

"No, Rizzo and Jimmy have a balcony." Alex stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah come on."

Alex darted down the hall quite a ways and stopped, dead in her tracks at the room in which she was talking about. She knocked once and walked in, heading strait for the balcony.

"You guys never told me you had a balcony." Maddie remarked.

"You never asked." Rizzo replied with a smile.

"Actually, we didn't know it was a big deal." Jimmy stated.

"All this time I could've been standing out there looking over the city at night and you didn't tell me?" Maddie questioned.

"Yeah."

"Good choice, I would've been your new roommate." Maddie joked. "So, what's new?"

"Hey, there's a party at one of the bars downtown tonight, did O.C. mention it to you?" Jimmy asked.

"I was unaware of any party." Maddie raised her eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, well, it's at that place across from the record store, most of us will be there, if you wanted to come and have a drink and stuff." Rizzo explained.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be seeing you around." Maddie smiled deviously as she left Alex on the balcony and walked out of there and towards Robbie and Jack's room.

Knocking, although she probably didn't have to, she waited for Robbie to answer the door. He moved out of the way and Maddie leaned against the door, looked from Robbie to Jack and back to Robbie. Robbie gave her a look of confusion and she spoke.

"You going to that party downtown?"

"Party?" Jack asked.

"Rizzo said something about it, you going?" Maddie asked again.

"Yeah." He shrugged. "You?"

"No." She answered. "Kidding, of course, party!"

"Am I not invited?" Robbie broke in.

"Yes, you coming?" Maddie asked with an attitude.

"Fine." He replied sarcastically.

"Well then, see you later." Maddie smiled.

XxxxxXxxxxX

Alex and Maddie wandered down the strip, looking for a good place to shop in. Alex walked into a store with short skirts and dresses that bore all too much. She grabbed a few off the racks and wandered to the back of the store to try them on. Maddie looked around, cringing at some of the stuff in there but when Alex walked out in one of the dresses, Maddie lit up. She was pretty in the crimson dress that went down to her knees with no straps. Alex grinned at Maddie's expression and then threw it on the counter.

Alex looked around with Maddie and continued to find nothing Maddie liked. Alex disappeared around the corner of the store and reappeared holding a navy blue dress. She handed it too a skeptical Maddie but she tried it on nonetheless.

Maddie walked out of the cubicle and Alex smiled at her. She pointed to a mirror and Maddie walked around the rack and looked. She grabbed a nearby, brown corduroy skirt and a blue t-shirt. She wandered back into the cubicle then back out with her chosen outfit which made her look absolutely gorgeous. Alex threw it on the counter with her and offered Maddie a late Christmas present. After an argument, Alex distracted her while she paid for the clothes and handed Maddie the bag.

By the time the two girls arrived back at the dorms, most of the players had already left for the party. Maddie threw on her new outfit and ran out of the dorms with Alex close behind. The two girls ran all the way to the bar across from the record store and froze due to the shortness in skirt and dress. They found guys they knew easily, they were all at a bunch of tables close to each other and Alex quickly eyed Buzz. Maddie walked over and sat beside her brother and near Jack.

"You're aware it's minus fifty right?" Robbie joked.

"Yes." Maddie replied nervously. "But see Alex said that…she said that, god I feel like a slut in these clothes." She cringed.

"Why don't you ask O.C.'s opinion on that?" Mark joked.

"Why don't you?" Maddie retorted.

"Okay." Johnson turned to O.C. and tapped his shoulder. He motioned for Maddie to stand up and she stood up, holding the skirt down. "What do you think man?"

Maddie glared at the whole set of guys looking at her. She slowly let go of the skirt and crossed her arms, starting to laugh a bit. She spun around and posed, laughing the whole time but with a whole lot of eyes on her. There were even a few whistles and howls from the other side of the bar. Maddie looked at O.C. and shrugged jokingly.

"So?" Mark urged his answer.

"Do you like?" Silk added.

"It all depends." He started.

"On what?" Maddie asked.

"Is this a one time only thing?"

Maddie shrugged. She tilted her head and smiled. Slowly she uncrossed her arms and sat back down beside Robbie but Jack moved over.

"I really should get rid of her soon." Robbie joked. "She's being a bad influence."

"Okay I admitted I felt skanky, and I still do but hey, it's not like I look bad." Maddie joked.

"Not to me." Jack remarked.

"You just want it off." Maddie teased.

"You guys make me sick." Robbie voiced as he got up and wandered towards the bar.

"So, when you moving, right away or what?"

"I don't know, I'm hoping as soon as possible but only god knows how long that'll be, crap then I have to find another damn job, no problems there, I mean with my experience and all. Yeah, it's really more complicated than it looks."

"Then why don't you move in with me and Mac can do whatever he wants? My family isn't rich but we aren't exactly poor either."

"Wait a second, you're saying you have money? Lots of it?"

"Basically. Plus my mom being divorced, she won everything, house, cars, money, everything except my father."

"Your parents are divorced?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, I was seven, fifteen years ago, haven't really seen or heard from my dad, think he got remarried or something and mom met someone else. He's a nice guy."

"Why am I just now learning this?" Maddie asked. "Have you ever tried to mention this and I just wasn't paying attention or is this the first time?"

"First time. I don't really like my past, I mean I hate my dad, my mom's my best friend next to these guys." He waved his hand around the bar. "And the only reason I got into hockey was because I heard from my neighbourhood comrade that it was great anger management. It really works." Jack explained.

"I hit Robbie." Maddie stated.

"I did too." He laughed.

"Then started dating his sister, not bad." Maddie smiled.

"You want to go back and talk some more?"

"Yes." Maddie smiled and pulled on her coat.

They walked out of the bar, Maddie forgetting the cold outside and freezing the whole way back. At least she had her coat. Jack took her hand and she leaned into him.

"To think, it's all over by next week." Jack remarked.

"And I never see any of the others again, except maybe Buzz but only 'cause of Alex, and Johnson, Rizzo, Ramsey and of course you."

"And Mac." Jack laughed.

"Well you never know." Maddie replied.

"But if I never saw you again, I'd have to play more and more hockey just to get my mind off you and eventually I'd die of overworking myself because no matter how hard I try I can never get you off my mind."

"You're so sweet."

"Then there are those times I wish I didn't grow up without a father." Jack laughed.

"At least you had someone, all I had was Robbie. My mom and dad didn't really want us around, then one year they just kicked us out. Of course I took the car, but they didn't even care, it was a pretty cruddy car until, get this, Alex fixed it up." Maddie smiled at the mental picture of Alex fixing her car. "So we moved to the apartment and so far it's been good, not a happy ever after ending but it's getting there."

"Yeah, it always is when you can share it with the one you love."

"I'm really going to miss this place. Best family I've ever known." Maddie held back tears successfully.

"Yeah, family." Jack mumbled and they continued in silence the remainder or the walk.