AN: This is a companion piece to my MDAOA AU. Read it or not, but it tells what happens to the Ducks at their ten year reunion. Enjoy!
Ten years…ten years…
She sighed and tried to banish the chant of 'ten years' that was running through her mind. Despite their promises to the contrary and attempts to stay in touch, the '03 Eden Hall Varsity Ducks had split up and lost touch. Even best friends Charlie Conway and Adam Banks went their separate ways and lost contact for a while.
Maurae Grabeklis, known as Rae to her college friends and Ro to her former teammates, was at a loss to explain just how much that had traumatized her the first few years of college, and again during grad school, where she'd attended Cambridge on an international writing scholarship. She wasn't even sure why she'd sent in an R.S.V.P. for the ten year reunion that was going on inside the very hotel she was standing in front of. So many things had changed…
She had changed. More than physically, which, in itself, was extreme. She'd mentally grown apart from her former teammates and friends. She missed them still, sure, but it wasn't painful like it used to be. Slightly nostalgic, maybe, and a little bit amused. She was a successful author now, and she hadn't been on the ice in over five years. Sometimes she regretted giving up hockey and skating, but she was happy where she was, doing what she was doing.
Sighing, she picked up the overnight bag she had brought from her new home in Edina, where she'd always dreamed of living, and smiled at the doorman who'd been watching her, waiting for her to make up her mind. He smiled back and opened the door for her, letting her into the light and warmth of the hotel's lobby.
It was chaos the second she entered. Noise assailed her ears, light and color, her eyes. She bit her lip and started to make her slow way across the tiled expanse, mindful of all the faces peering at hers, trying to deem whether she was in any way familiar. Most decided she wasn't and dismissed her; she'd changed dramatically in appearance, and she knew she'd have to wear her nametag all weekend if she wanted people to recognize her at all. She walked to the front desk, and waited behind two men who were chatting amiably. Taking the available chance, she looked around, gauging everyone. Very few people present were not there for the reunion, and she could identify them readily: they were all older than forty.
"Ma'am?" The polite voice made her turn and smile. The concierge was waiting patiently for her. She stepped up to the desk. "Are you here for the reunion?"
"How'd you guess?" she asked playfully. He smiled, appreciating her flirt.
"What other reason would a beautiful lady like yourself be doing here on this of all weekends?" he flirted right back. She laughed.
"Reservation for Sullivan," she said. "Rae Sullivan." It was the name she used as an author; she'd always planned on using her grandmother's maiden name, but she'd always thought she'd do it as a doctor. The man smiled and pulled out a key card.
"Room 313. Enjoy your stay, Ms. Sullivan."
"Miss, and thank you." He handed her a map, which she accepted, and turned to try and find the stairs. She detested elevators.
She managed to work her way through the crowd and had her hand on the doorknob of the staircase. "Can I take your bag, ma'am?" She turned.
"No, thank you. I'm fine." The bellhop looked slightly disappointed, but she shoved through the door and he was soon left behind. Climbing three flights easily, she was grateful to discover that the third floor was so much quieter than the first. She quickly found 313 and unlocked it.
Closing the door behind her and leaning on it, she sighed in relief and flipped on a light switch. Her mouth dropped open and she crossed to the table, kicking off her shoes, and pulled the card off a bouquet of sweet pea and lilies.
Try and have fun this weekend, all right?
She grinned at her older brother's handwriting. He was always telling her she needed to get out more. Well, here she was, getting out. And lucky for her, she'd determined to be cheerful and enjoy herself the whole weekend.
Changing quickly from her jeans into a long skirt, she pulled her shoes back on, pocketed her keys, and decided to ride the elevator down to the first floor, crossing her fingers that the mob would be a little more organized.
No such luck, unfortunately. She stepped from the elevator into a madhouse, barely refraining from covering her ears against the noise. Fortunately, though, some genius of the planning committee had hung directional signs. Following them, she came through the crush of people to the reception desk. "Name?" asked the person sitting behind it in a bored voice. This one was far too young to have been in her class, so she smiled.
"Grabeklis, Maurae," she said. He checked his list and nodded, crossing her name off and handing her a nametag.
"Put this on and go on into the ballroom. The official ceremonies will start in two hours; food and drink are inside, and you can mingle with the others who have checked in so far." Again, he was bored, so she only thanked him, clutching the nametag in her hand and entering the room.
With a small smirk, she decided to have a bit of fun with her old classmates and tucked the tag into a pocket. Then she glided over to the bar. "What can I get you?"
"A ginger ale, please," she said politely, looking around at the surprisingly full ballroom. The tender handed it over with a flirtatious smile, one she returned before she took a sip. "Thank you." He nodded and moved on to serve another customer.
She took hers to a small table and sat, still looking around to see if she could possibly recognize anyone. "Is this seat taken?" someone asked after she'd been sitting ten or so minutes. She looked up.
"No, by all means," she replied, gesturing with her free hand. She read his nametag and gaped. "Guy?"
He wrinkled his forehead as he looked at her, trying to recognize her. "Have we…I mean, do I know you?"
"You used to," she said, eyes twinkling with amusement. "You've certainly changed." She pulled her nametag out of her pocket and flashed it at him. His forehead smoothed out and he grinned at her, watching her shove it back into hiding.
"Avoiding someone?"
"Only those people I don't want to remember," she admitted. "Thought I'd have some fun with old friends." He grinned the old, familiar grin she remembered. "Now there's the Guy Germaine I remember. How have you been?"
"Good," he said, sipping his own drink. "Good. I've gone into construction, if you can believe it. Started my own company not five years ago. It's doing well. I just wish I could say as much about my love life."
"Problematic?"
"I haven't had a single relationship that lasted longer than three months since Connie and I last broke up the year after graduation." She winced in sympathy for him. "But how about you? I don't see a wedding ring, or an engagement ring. You still single?"
"That I am," she replied with an inward wince. This was not something she wanted to discuss. She knew that she'd found the man she wanted to marry. Found him and lost him. No one was ever able to measure up to him. "Don't really have time for a relationship."
"What is it you do? Did you actually make it to doctor? Am I to call you Doctor Grabeklis now?" he teased. She laughed.
"No. I ended up becoming an author. Doctor just wasn't in my future, I guess."
"What do you write?"
"Everything," she chuckled. "Children's books, young adult, science fiction/fantasy… I refuse to do nonfiction, and I never was all that into mystery or horror."
"Anything I might've heard of?" She shrugged.
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"Any bestsellers yet?" His eyes twinkled.
Her face flushed. "One or two," she muttered.
"One or two?"
"Or five."
"Five?" he exclaimed. "You have been busy!" Then he laughed. "Though I can't see as how I'm actually surprised. You were always writing something in high school. Congratulations."
"Thanks."
"How's Adam doing? Or Charlie?"
"Haven't heard from them since…since my first year of grad school."
"Really? I mean, I just thought, you know…since you three were so close in school…"
"Yeah," she said softly. "That's actually one of the reasons I decided to come this weekend. See how everybody's doing."
"Julie and Russ are getting married in June." He smiled at the look on her face. "Hey, I got the invitation in the mail this morning. You've probably got one too, if you look when you get home."
"You're probably right," she said, relaxing. That would be nice, going to a wedding for two of her oldest friends.
"I'm gonna go mingle a bit more. See you around?"
"I'll be here all weekend," she replied, smiling. "It's good to see you again Guy."
"You too, Ro. Just out of curiosity, where do you live?"
"Where I always swore I would," she replied, smiling conspiratorially. He nodded and left, taking his drink with him. She picked up her own. She had no doubt he would tell everyone who asked who she was, which would put a damper on her game a bit, but she didn't really care. She was starting to feel homesick for a time ten years ago, when she knew who her friends were and she knew that they'd always be together. How quickly your ideals can be shattered.
flashback
"I got in! I got in!" Adam shouted, flinging open the door without knocking. It took only a minute for him to register that his best friend wasn't exactly attired for a visit. Maurae sat on her bed wearing shorts and her bra, sewing a rip in her shirt. She was frozen in place like a deer in headlights. At the same time, both faces flooded with color. True, they'd seen each other more naked before, but this was different, for some reason.
Slowly, she pulled a blanket around her shoulders. "You were saying?" she asked calmly, face still burning.
"I got in, Ro! The letter just came from Berkley! I've been accepted on a full-ride!"
"Hockey?" she managed through her sudden dismay. He shook his head regretfully.
"No, but they have an amazing Olympic training rink just down the street. I'll be on the ice more often than not, so it's no big deal. Aren't you excited? I am…Mom and Dad are taking us out for dinner tonight to celebrate." He continued to go on in this vein for a few minutes until he realized that she wasn't cheering with him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Congratulations. We both got into the schools we wanted." It took him only a few seconds.
"You mean…Princeton? But that…that's great!"
"It's three thousand miles from you, though," she said quietly.
"Don't worry about it. We'll see each other during holidays and summer vacations. Come on, do you honestly think a thing like distance will keep us apart? It didn't before, not when you were in Colorado for summers or eighth grade. This won't be any different."
She nodded, feeling much better. She grinned. "You're right. Sorry I was such a downer."
"No big. Come on and finish that shirt later. We're going out to dinner." She grinned and shooed him out so she could change.
end flashback
He'd been right, at first. Three years later, however, they were no longer visiting each other on holidays and during summers. Adam had his friends, even tried out a couple of girlfriends, though none of them lasted. Maurae made some friends, joined a few clubs, and had a single boyfriend that lasted a whole six months. They hadn't spoken in most of that time.
She took a large swallow of her soda and sighed softly. There was a rewind button on VCRs, DVD players, Discmans and Walkmans. Why didn't life itself have a rewind button?
"Hi. You aren't wearing a nametag. I'm going to hazard a guess and say you're someone's wife?" She looked up into laughing gray eyes she remembered better than her own name sometimes. She held up her blank left hand. "Well, that cuts the fiancée theory as well. Girlfriend, then?"
"Maybe I just don't want to broadcast my identity," she said. "No, I'm not someone's girlfriend."
"Single, then. In that case, I'll introduce myself."
"No need. I know who you are." He seemed slightly surprised. "Good to see you, Captain Duck." He sat, stunned.
"I know that tone. Ro?"
"Got it in one. Congratulations."
"But…this is great! We didn't expect to see you here! Wait until I tell Adam! He'll die!"
"Please don't. I want to tell him myself. But first I want to talk to you. It's been…what? Five years?"
"Longer. But who's counting. You look fantastic."
"You don't look half bad yourself, you know. No wedding ring, though."
"Nah," he said, grinning his old, boyish grin. No one's smiles had really changed much. "Not married. Too much trouble…besides, hockey takes up too much of my time."
"Teaching or playing?"
"Both," he said. "My cousin's youngest is playing in peewees, on the old D-5 team. So I'm coaching that and playing in the minors. How about you?"
"Unfortunately, no hockey for me. I quit about…five years ago. Started writing."
"An author. Impressive. Any bestsellers?"
"Guy asked me the same question," she said, smiling.
"You've seen Guy? He didn't say anything…"
"I thought he would. Oh well. Looks like he's helping me play my game."
"So, bestsellers or not?"
"A few."
"How many is a few, Ro?"
"Five," she replied. His eyes rounded.
"Congratulations are in order for you too, it seems. That's incredible. Oh, hey, I see Fulton. We're having a Ducks-only party in my room after the orientation tonight. Come on up, if you want. Room 296."
"I'll see about it," she said. He squeezed her hand and got up to go say hello to the former Bash Brother.
"Well, cousin, it's good to see you," Shayne said, sitting down in Charlie's vacated seat.
"You too." Maurae raised an eye at Shayne's slightly bulging stomach. "That wasn't there the last time I saw you," she teased. Shayne blushed and looked off to the side. "Good job, Mrs. Reed."
Shayne grinned and looked back at her. "So, I noticed no nametag. Trying to fool people?"
"No, just trying to keep them guessing. Charlie and Guy have been by so far, but neither one of them is telling anyone else."
"You have your fun now, but everyone will find out eventually. This room is filling up fast."
"Oh, I know I'll meet everyone I want to and more besides. But it's fun, having people talk at me, trying to figure out just who I am."
"I'm not going to sit long. Fulton's determined to find Dean before he comes in. I'll tell him you're here."
"Good. Only…don't tell Dean." Shayne shook her head at Maurae, but grinned. Squeezing her cousin's shoulder, she walked back over to take her husband's hand. Even after eight years of marriage, the couple were still very much in love.
The evening progressed further, but Maurae remained alone at her table. The Ducks were reuniting at a table two behind hers. By nine, all of them were there but her. She turned in her chair so she could watch and listen without appearing to.
Now the game would really begin.
"We're all here," Connie said happily, hugging Julie.
"All of us but Ro," Julie corrected.
"Where is she?" Russ asked. "I'd have thought she'd be here by now." Fulton, Shayne, Charlie and Guy traded looks and fought to keep straight faces. In her chair, Maurae bit her lip to keep from smiling and giving herself away.
"She isn't coming," said a defeated voice. "I asked. No room reservation for anyone of her name. The guy checking people at the door wouldn't tell me if she was here either." Adam sighed and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. "I wanted to see her…"
"We all did, Banksie," Guy managed. Charlie snorted into his hand, pretending it was a sneeze.
"What's wrong with you two?" Dean asked, glancing at his fellow Bash Brother and Shayne, both trying hard not to burst out laughing.
Maurae coughed loudly to hide her laughter and stood up, carefully facing away from them. She picked up her drink and started to walk away. "Is that…? You're kidding me! I thought you weren't coming!" exclaimed a voice she ought to have recognized. "Rae?"
"Josh!" she exclaimed, finally recognizing the owner of the voice.
"Rae Sullivan, huh? I forgot for a minute who you were. Of course you'd be here." She grinned and clasped hands with her publisher and former classmate, Josh Conners. He was also the former announcer for the high school hockey games.
"Josh, I didn't think you'd be here either. I thought you were in New York this weekend?"
"Cancelled. Couldn't make a deadline. This is better, though." She nodded.
"Look, I've got to go and reveal myself to former memories. See you next month?"
"As usual." She nodded and took a deep breath as he walked away. Daring a peek at the team gathering, she saw that none of them had noticed her conversation with Conners. They were listening to Dean and Fulton argue about something, with an occasional barb added by Shayne.
Easy enough was the sneaking up on Adam. She set her drink down on a table and stood on her toes to place her hands over his eyes. "Guess," she ordered. His hands closed around her wrists and he tried to pry her hands away, but she held on for a minute. He turned and his eyes bore no recognition. For a moment, she was stunned at how much he had changed.
"Obviously you recognize me. I'm sorry, I don't quite recall…" No one else was paying attention to them, fortunately. Maurae cleared her throat and opened her mouth to say something. Then she closed it.
Finally, "Surprise," she whispered.
"No…" He held her at arm's length for a moment, staring hard at her face. "You…"
"I guess I don't look much the same, do I?" For an answer, he yanked her towards him and crushed her to his chest. She sighed happily and wrapped her arms around his waist. Nothing more needed to be said.
"Yo, Banksie, I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend? She looks like a girl to me," Luis suddenly spoke up. Adam reluctantly released her and she smiled. "Holy Chihuahua! I thought you said she wasn't coming!"
"She has a name, Mendoza," Maurae replied for herself. "And no, it wasn't on the hotel's guest registry. I used a different name."
"Your author name?" Guy asked.
"Rae Sullivan, at your service," she said, sweeping a bow.
"The Rae Sullivan? You're kidding me! That's you?" Guy exclaimed. "I had no idea! Why didn't you say something?"
"I've never been one to brag. You know that." He smiled, knowing that very same thing. "Look, much as I'd love to continue extolling my virtues, we can't. I need to talk to Adam for a few minutes. Can you bear to part with him for that long?" She didn't really wait for their answer, grabbing his arm and hauling him away.
"She's bossy," she heard Dean comment as they left.
"He's right. This is a new side of you that we've never seen before," Adam commented, allowing himself to be towed.
"You've seen it before," she retorted. "You just never recognized it for what it was." She shoved him down on a couch in the little side nook area and propped her hands on her hips. "You lied to me," she began softly.
"I…what?"
"You lied to me. You said we'd always be best friends. You said we'd never let a little thing like distance come between us."
"Ro, that was ten years ago. People grow and change." He was surprised at the words coming out of his mouth.
"I can't believe you, of all people, are saying this. You!" She glared at him. "I guess I kind of expected it from the others…but not from my best friend. Not from the boy whom I've loved like a brother since the day I met him. Not from the boy whom I saved from suicide in high school, or the boy who told me he'd always love me, no matter what happened."
"What makes you think I'm that boy anymore?" he snapped, standing up. "I hurt too, all right! I felt abandoned, same as you. And I do love you. I didn't lie about that." Her next argument blew away.
"You…you do?"
"I always have. I meant what I said when I told you I'd always love you. I've loved you since you ratted on me about my wrist in California." He put a hand on her cheek. "I never could see anyone but you in all the girls I kissed," he whispered.
"You've never kissed me," she replied dumbly, which made him laugh.
"That's what you think. You don't remember it. You were delirious with fever at the time, but I have kissed you. And I've wanted to since." She knew she looked like a fish, the way her mouth was opening and closing, but she couldn't seem to muster a coherent response.
Dedication: To all those who never gave up on Adam. And the answer to why good relationships are based on friendships first! This story is for all those people who really, REALLY wanted Maurae and Adam to admit their feelings for each other. I do listen to my reviewers! wink