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.
A/N: Man, I've had this ready for two days but the site wouldn't let me post! Sorry for the delay!
Guy was good with kids, he knew that, but that didn't prepare him for sitting in a classroom with his newest hockey team member, trying to figure out what to say to an almost fourteen year old who had just lost his mother. He had opened his mouth several times, looking towards Devin Kellerman in the corner, his head down, staring out the window, but nothing ever seemed like the right thing to say. Nothing even sounded adequate.
He felt worse, Guy assumed, because he knew Beau would know just the right thing to say. He was serving as a very pore substitute for a boy's father and friend.
He continued to watch the steady rise and fall of Devin's back, forcefully reminded of the time when he had sat in this very school, daydreaming out the same windows during class. It had been a middle school then, rather than a high school and some days he had been lamenting a fight with Connie, or a bad move in a hockey game. But most days it had been his mother and his family and wondering how on earth he had ended up related to them. At least I had a mother, he thought to himself bitterly.
He opened his mouth to offer Devin a snack or a glass of water, but before he could say anything, Beau was flying through the door of his classroom, her hair windblown and her cheeks rosy. She gave him a grateful look and touched the place over her heart briefly, mouthing the words 'Hey Guy' as she kept moving past him and towards Devin, who seemed to look smaller with every passing moment - there would be time for their hugs later. And then her attention was focused where it was needed.
"Devin." She said his name simply, her hand still over her heart. The boy was a teenager, a high-school jock – regardless of how recent – and Guy hadn't expected to see him react to Beau in the way that he did.
He sat up rigidly, his head jerking around to focus on her. His aqua eyes seemed vacant and more dull than usual and it took a moment for recognition to set it. When it did, his bottom lip trembled slightly, and his eyes became glassy as they filled with tears. Beau dropped to her knees next to the desk where he sat. "Oh, kiddo." She wrapped her arms around him and he wept softly against her shoulder, his fingers digging into her back. After a moment like that, Devin pulled away, wiping his tears with the back of his hand and then running his wet hand through his jet black hair.
"I knew she was getting worse, but I feel like someone punched me in the gut, you know?" He looked at her, pleading, needing someone to understand. But she didn't…couldn't.
Shaking her sadly she covered his hand with her own. "I know how lost I felt when my brother died, but no…I can't even imagine what it's like to lose your mother. Especially when she was someone as special as your mom."
He smiled at that. "She was, wasn't she?"
"Yes she was." The deep voice from the doorway drew both of their attention. Beau swiveled on the balls of her feet, still crouched on the floor, and smiled grimly when her eyes landed on Archie Kellerman.
"Dad!" With no pretense of being strong, Devin came flying out of his seat and raced across the room. Archie opened his arms, embracing his son, his face ashen and tired. As they clung to each other, he looked across at Beau.
"Beau, thank you so much for being here."
She nodded, standing and moving as if to leave the room. She felt like she was intruding on a very personal moment. When she edged through the door, it took everything in her to hold back the tears. Walking down the hallway she looked for Guy, needing a hug from a friend.
"Tell me you are going to call her, Banks." Charlie was sitting in a hotel room nursing a sore knee and wishing he was in his own apartment. Beau had insisted that he not miss practice or games by coming to Minneapolis. There was no funeral to attend, and she was doing okay. But he still didn't like being hundreds of miles away. Talking to Banks, though, was most definitely cheering him up. "Don't be your typical wussy self, dude."
On the other end of the line Adam made a rude sound. "Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence there. You're a true friend, Charlie."
"You're lucky to have me," he agreed.
Adam sighed. "Yeah, lucky like a heart attack." Thinking about it for a minute, he shook his head. "I don't know if I should call her. I mean, the whole knight in shining armor thing doesn't really work for me, does it? If she did go out with me it would probably just be because she felt obligated after I saved her with her boss."
"The Jerk."
"Right, the Jerk."
Furrowing his brow, Charlie gave the situation some real thought. After Julie, Adam had not been what one would call a real ladies-man. "I don't know, Adam. I mean if the knight in shining armor works for anyone, I would think it would be you. You've got that whole genuine thing going. Plus," he grinned devilishly. "When was the last time you went on a real date? Like, a real date. Not a friend of a friend deal."
In a hotel room of his own, Adam flipped through silent television channels, glaring and wishing that he could throw his remote at Charlie. "A while."
"A long while?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters."
Adam let out a little growl, sending Charlie into a fit of laughter. "It's been a pretty long while, Spazway."
Charlie feigned hurt. "Is it really time that we result to name calling?"
"I think so."
Now he was matter-of-fact. "Fair enough. Anyway," he winced as he adjusted his icepack and the pillow that was supporting his leg. He really wished Beau was there so that he could whine and she could pretend to care, and then she could take care of him. Shaking his head he brought himself back to the conversation with his friend. "Anyway, if it's been that long, I think it doesn't matter at all if she goes out with you because she feels obligated. You can just charm her with that patented cake-eater etiquette…"
Adam cut him off. "Charlie, not picking your nose or farting in front of a girl is not 'cake-eater etiquette,' it's just common courtesy."
"Hey." Charlie snorted. "I managed to snag and keep Beau didn't I?"
Adam's voice was dry. "It boggles the mind."
Wincing again, Charlie looked at a bottle of pain pills on the night table and decided it was definitely time to pop two and hit the sack. "Ask the girl out Adam. Charm her. Wow her. And then try not to scare her off."
Adam rolled his eyes, but hearing the pain in his friend's voice, decided to drop it. "Maybe I will. Thanks for all the oh-so-wonderful advice."
"Anytime." Charlie smiled. "Night, Banksie."
"Night." Before Charlie could hang up Adam stopped him. "Take your pills, Conway."
"Yes, mother."
A week later and Beau had put off another signing event to stay and watch as Nora's things were packed and shipped to storage for Devin and his father to go through later. She was sitting in the back yard with Devin, going through his books trying to figure out what to take on the plane with his dad and what to send with the rest of his things that would arrive in California a week later.
Over the past few days Beau had watched his mood go from despondent to acceptance. It would be a long time though, before the big hole behind his eyes was filled. They had been spending the time together under the pretense of sorting belongings, but Beau knew something else was stuck on the boys mind. He had looked troubled for hours.
Sighing, Devin tossed another book across the patio and into a shipping box. "None of these are interesting enough for a long plane ride." He read the back of a sci-fi book his best-friend had given him and then crinkled his nose, sending it through the air to land on top of the other. "Jeremiah has good taste in books but that one looks like a dud with a capital D."
Bea had turned in her seat and pulled a large package out from below. "Head's up." She tossed it at him and grinned with Devin caught it deftly, huffing out a breath at the weight. He looked at her, his eyes widening in question. "It's supposed to be for your birthday, but I thought you could use it on the plane. I'll mail the rest next week for the actual big one-four."
Smiling a little, Devin tore the paper off quickly, grinning wildly when he saw the contents. "Oh man!" He looked up, eyes shining. "The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Awesome!" He hopped up off the lawn chair he was sitting on and gave Beau a quick hug. "This is totally perfect for the airplane."
"I figured it would keep you occupied for, well, a whole lot of hours." As she watched him look at the pictures on the cover, Beau noticed slight frown lines curve the corner of Devin's mouth. His forehead was wrinkled and even with the hair falling in front of his eyes, she could see the trouble there. "What is it, kid?"
He looked up, but then let his eyes dart away to the woods behind his house. "This is going to ruin everything with hockey, isn't it?"
At first she didn't understand, but then Beau shook her head. "No way. You think we'd let that happen? I know you'll miss your team, but you're a cool kid. You'll fit in wherever you go."
Now it was Devin who shook his head vigorously. "No. I mean yeah, I'll miss my friends – especially, Jere. But I'm talking about hockey." He looked at her, a hint of fear behind his words. "Coach Germaine was supposed to help me get better and my school here has scouts come all the time. What am I going to do in California?"
His voice rose a bit on the last word and Beau recognized the signs of someone trying to hold back desperation. She smiled, dropping a hand onto his shoulder. "Devin, hockey is important enough to you that you will make it happen wherever you go. Coach Germaine has already given you the tools to improve your play to where it needs to be. The rest is up to you to do with practice." When he only looked at her she flashed a smile. "Plus, your Coach has been on the phone over the past two days to an acquaintance of his in the California High School Hockey Association. The school in your dad's district has a team. They aren't great, but they certainly aren't completely off the radar. You'll be fine." He brightened a bit at that, making her smile. She winked. "Plus, you know you can always call Charlie and me for anything you need. And our friend Adam Banks…" He interrupted her, eyes wide.
"The Adam Banks?" Even though he had met him, there was wonder in his voice.
Beau rolled her eyes. "Yes, the Adam Banks. If everyone keeps calling him that, it's going to go to his head." She laughed. "Anyway, he lives in Anaheim obviously and I know we can always give him a call for you."
Awe had replaced sadness, even if only for a moment, and it warmed Beau's heart to see it. "How on earth did I end up with a famous writer and two professional hockey players for friends?"
She boxed his ear and grinned. "Just lucky I guess."
Cc: Well, to answer your question, I come up with the chapter titles AFTER I write the chapter. I think in the beginning I did it the other way around, but it became easier to do it this way. And I know I've said it a million times, but I'm glad you love this story and keep reviewing! I also believe the "only are given what we can take line."
Hockey-girl90: Well, I think that you are wrong and that I would neither laugh my head off or think you were stupid. I already edit for another girl and it's a blast! I'm sure I would enjoy yours as well. Let me know if you ever change your mind. And no, I didn't think your last review was mad. And even if it was, it would have been helpful. Thanks!
AdoptedThug: Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! How exciting to have a new reviewer. I'm glad you stumbled upon Beau and Charlie. Impressive to start reading after 61 chapters. You're a trooper!
JoanK: Sorry for the confusion. Aaron Lohr wasn't on the soundtrack. He's in the MOVIE. So he'll be on the movie soundtrack I assume. Exciting stuff. As for Devin's mom, I somehow didn't note the passage of time like I had wanted to. It's been a year now, so he's just started high school, etc. Shame on me!
antiIrony: Thanks! And ditto on the mom thing. Yikes.
Johnny: I'm SO glad you like the Adam stuff. I'm still kinda getting in the swing of it and am not sure how I feel about it. I feel much more comfortable writing he and Charlie bantering than I do writing him with a girl. Sheesh.
xO00Germaine00Ox: Hi! Thanks so much for reading this MASSIVE story. I'm SO touched that you started reading and stuck with all 61 one chapters! You rock! As for your story, I'll totally review, so I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!