Disclaimer - I do not own anything even remotely related to The Mighty Ducks. I only wish I had thought of them first…

Italics indicate character thought.

Adam was a pretty quite guy when it came right down to it, but this was just ridiculous. Cars could be fixed, people could not. Had Jason the Jerk even asked Kimball if she was okay? No. He was too busy screaming, veins sticking out, at his hapless assistant.

"I'm sorry, what?" Jason was staring at Adam wide-eyed. He wasn't a big hockey fan, but he knew who Adam Banks was. Hell, who in Anaheim didn't? The Ducks savior, they called him. Whatever…he was probably just another dumb jock.

Smiling amicably, Adam jingled the change in his pocket. "I said that's enough."

Jason shook his head, glaring first at Adam and then back at Kimball. "Um, okay. Well, Mr. Banks…"

"Adam, please." Adam was still smiling, and Kimball looked at him like he was mad. Was he standing up for her or was he making friends with her boss?

The reporter looked confused and faltered a little. "Okay…Adam. I appreciate your concern, but this is between me and my assistant." He said the word with so much disgust that it had Kimball's cheeks burning bright red.

This is the ultimate in humiliation.

Adam nodded, his voice still calm. "Well, that might be true," he looked over at the red-head, giving her a look which clearly meant 'play along.' "But it's not, as I was the one who drove into the back of your car as she was parking it." He shrugged, knowing in his head how reminiscent of Charlie and Fulton it was. "I'm terribly sorry and would be happy to pay for the damage, but you're going to have to stop yelling at this nice young woman first."

They room watched as Adam took what had been a moment for Jason to embarrass and cut someone down and turned it into a situation where the man just looked like an ass. An ass he was, but Jason was not an idiot, and saw the situation for what it was. His jaw clenched and his neck vibrated with the barely controlled anger. After a long moment, he looked to Kimball, his eyes ice.

"Is that true Miss McGillicuddy?"

Kimball looked to Adam, still not believing that this was happening. Adam smiled assuredly, closing his eyes and nodding once. She turned her attention back to Jason, her confidence growing and nodded herself. "It's true."

Deflated, Jason turned to Adam. "Well then…" he cleared his throat.

Adam smiled, settling back onto his stool. "Indeed." He pulled out his wallet and produced a small card. "Here's my agent's number. Get your car appraised and I'll write you a check." He nodded at a camera man, completely in charge of the situation. "Let's get this interview done. I think we've all had enough drama for the day." He looked around the room, hands raised. "Right, folks?" Several people nodded and someone in the back even clapped quietly, which got Jason's head swiveling angrily in their direction. Adam leaned forward as the reporter sat across from him, his voice cutting like broken glass, his pleasant demeanor gone. He spoke softly, close to the man's ear. "I'm doing this interview because I was already committed to it. But know that I will never ever speak to you again. Nor will my teammates, if I have anything to say about it. Tell your director to send someone else the next time. It isn't right to talk to a woman like that. It isn't right to talk to anyone like that." He sat back, smiling again, leaving the man shocked. "So, shall we?"

Beau was an extroverted person, that she knew. She drew her energy from being around her friends and her family – even from people she was meeting for the first time. But every once in a while she really enjoyed just being out on her own. No fans, no boys hitting her periodically and then shrugging, no parents, and most definitely no agents or their assistants. That was why, at the end of her book tour, she was taking a week to explore the in's and out's of several cities in Spain all on her own.

She looked up at the sky, letting the hot sun wash over her skin, and breathed a contented sigh. It was nearly lunch time and the only people she had spoken to had been shop owners and they had communicated through her broken Spanish. The silence was glorious and she was, she knew, reveling in it. But not being with her family didn't mean that she wasn't thinking of them. Beau loved shopping for gifts.

She was in Toledo and had just finished a tour of a world renowned sword smith's shop. She was wandering through the little stores on the street, excited about finding presents for her parents and Charlie. Charlie, of course, got a massive sword which she knew would look foreboding hanging on a wall in his apartment. Her mother would get pearls from Mallorca, the last stop on her trip, and her father a sword similar to Charlie's. She knew of the perfect place for it in their basement. Her favorite purchase so far, though, was a stunning hand painted ceramic plate from Sevilla for Nora Kellerman, Devin's mother. She adored ceramics and Beau really hoped that Nora would love it as much as the one she had bought herself.

She had already paid for the gifts for Charlie and her dad and was one foot out of the door when she saw something in the display window and gasped. She rushed back inside. She looked at the shop keeper. "Perdone. ¿Cuánto hace el casco en el costo de ventana?" Despite her excitement, Beau still found the time to be pleased with herself for the use of her Spanish. The owner smiled.

"Es ciento cincuenta dólares Americanos, Senorita."

Beau grinned. She hadn't been sure she would find something to get Devin, who she would be seeing for his birthday not too long after she returned home, but this was perfect. He was currently obsessed, his mother told her, with the Lord of the Rings movies. She had bought him the books, unsure if he was ready to tackle them, but this would be the perfect accompaniment. It was a beautiful recreation of the helmets that the knights of Rohan wore in the movies. She could just see Devin wearing it the following Halloween, being the absolute envy of his friends. She had to have it. She beckoned the clerk to wrap it up for her.

"¡Yo lo tomaré!"

"Mr. Banks!"

Adam was on his way back to the locker room when Kimball came flying down the hall. He turned and she skidded to a stop, quite gracefully for someone wearing stiletto heels, Adam thought. She was breathless and her cheeks were flushed. He held up a hand. "Breath. And call me Adam."

She returned the smile and he felt a soft tug in his stomach. Interesting. She made a show of taking a big breath. "Adam. I'm sorry; I had no idea who you were. I feel like an idiot."

He waved the statement off, mildly annoyed. "Just because I'm an athlete doesn't make me any different than anyone else."

Kimball nodded. Well here's a different kind of guy than I usually run into…literally. "Fair enough. I just don't get that a lot in my line of work."

Adam pointed down the hall, indicating that he needed to keep moving and she fell into step beside him as he sauntered slowly. "And what is your line of work, exactly? Getting yelled at by jerks like that?"

She smiled, a little sadly he thought. "Production assistant/copy writer/wannabe on-air talent, to be exact. But working with Jason the job description pretty much says 'getting yelled at by an ass-face.'"

"Ass-face. Is that a technical term in your profession?"

"Most definitely." They stopped outside of the locker room and Adam ignored one of his teammates as he passed by, wiggling his eyebrows at Kimball. She also ignored the gesture, but felt her face heat under the scrutiny. God, he must think all I do is blush. "Look, Adam. I just wanted to say thank you for that." She handed him a small piece of paper. "Call me when you get the estimate from Jason and I'll write you a check to cover it. You saved my job, you know that right?"

Adam couldn't help it. In a rare moment of silliness, he grinned broadly, giving a little salute. He dropped his voice to a deep bravado. "All in a day's work, ma'am." Smiling naturally again he shot her a little wave and backed through the door, eyes on her all the way.

Beau was flying over the ocean, her thoughts stuck on the opening chapter of her newest book. Her parents kept telling her to slow down, that there was no hurry. She was sure they were worried she was on a one way track to Burnoutsville. But since starting the books, she felt compelled to keep telling the story. These characters - her friends - had taken up permanent residence in her mind and they pretty much told her when and what she would write. She was nervous about book six and bringing in the new Team USA characters, simply because she didn't know them as well as the others.

As Beau was hunched over her laptop, her eyes aching from the hours of bright monitor light, Charlie was receiving a phone call. Nora Kellerman had passed away, finally giving in to her long battle with cancer.

"Oh God." Beau checked her messages as soon as she turned her phone on upon reaching JFK airport for her lay over. Stopping where she was in the middle of the walkway, she stared straight ahead, listening to Guy's wary voice.

"Devin's doing okay. You know his mother doesn't have any family around here, or really any friends anymore, but Devin was at school and the counselor came and got me and he's been with us since." He sighed. Guy was such a sensitive soul and even though he was still only getting to know Devin, he already felt the boy's pain as if he had known him for years. "His father is on his way, but Devin wanted me to call you."

A man ran into Beau's shoulder, glaring at her as he hurried past and she moved slowly to a chair and sank into it, continuing to listen to Guy.

"Mr. Kellerman asked me to tell you that there wouldn't be a funeral. She didn't want one. But he said if you were able to come into town he thought that would be great. He's worried that Devin is going to need a woman to talk to. So…I guess just give me a call when you get the message. Charlie said you were flying, but that you'd be in New York soon. Travel safe, Beau."

In a daze, Beau hung up the phone and stared down at it. On the surface she was sad, deeply so, for the loss of a friend. True, they had only just begun to know each other, but she had felt a kindred spirit in Nora. But what was truly tugging at her heart was the loss of a boy's mother. She thought about Charlie and what his situation had caused him, and it broke her heart to know that Devin would no longer relate his hockey stories to Nora as she truly listened. You couldn't replace that.

She flipped her phone open again, dialing Charlie's number and cursing when she got the voicemail. Looking at her watch, she realized that he was in practice and schooled herself not to be angry with him.

She hurried through the hallways, feeling numb, and finally found a ticketing agent. Explaining the situation in a monotone voice, she requested that her final stop be transferred to Minneapolis. Twenty excruciating minutes later, she was hurrying towards her gate, trying to catch a plane in its final boarding. Just as she was nearing the right wing of the airport, her phone went off. She flipped it open.

"Hello?"

It was Charlie, his voice filled with regret. "Beau, God. I'm sorry I missed your call earlier. I had the assistant coach holding it and he accidentally turned the ringer off. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

She smiled, appreciating that he had known how much she would want to hear his voice. "I am. Sad, obviously. More for Devin than myself. Nora was so sick these last few weeks…" She trailed off, not wanting to say it. Charlie did for her.

"It was time."

She nodded. "Yes it was. But I changed my flight and am on my way there now, running to the plane actually." Nearing the gate at a jog she pulled her ticket out of her back pocket. "Can you call Guy for me and have him tell Devin I'll be there soon? I'll catch a cab from the airport."

"Can do."

Beau was trying to hurry and was getting ready to say good-bye when Charlie stopped her. "Beau…I know it's been a rough couple of months with Cole and now this. There's too much tragedy in your life. Are you really okay?"

She smiled, loving him as much or even more than ever. "I think we're only given what we can handle, Charlie. Or if we're given more, than we're given the tools to combat that. That's why I have you."

Beau truly believed what she had said, and the answer was enough to satisfy Charlie. "I'll call Guy. I love you."

A/N: I know that there's been a lot of sick people angst lately, but it had to be done. Sadly, it seems like that is how it is in true life. When it rains it pours!

Johnny: Hope you like the new Adam stuff. You got me in the mood to write him!

Hockey-girl90: Well thank you again, then! I bet your story is much better than you think. Let me read it! Maybe some brainstorming would help the writer's block. Who's it about? I'm dying to know!

Joank: Thanks about Adam. I felt the need to write more of him, but I'm just getting the hang of it. Let me know what you think. I feel like I don't have a handle on him like I do with Charlie. As for Rent…here's a little tidbit you may or may not know. They are currently filming the movie version. And if you have the soundtrack to the musical, you'll know the song where they are at Life Support group and this guy named Steve is singing about how "I find some of what you teach suspect, because I'm used to relying on intellect…because reason says I should have died, three years ago." Wellllll…Aaron Lohr (Dean Portman in the MD movies) is playing Steve! How exciting. November 11, 2005 release date!

Duckfluff: I always appreciate the input. Thanks. As for Adam and Kimball, I'm still thinking them out, but I think we'll see more of them in my sequel story. I'll probably just stick to introducing her in this one.