hey everyone! here is chapter 16. read and review for us, ok?

to the reviewers: thanks for reviewing our story!

-Kristine and Cimmy

disclaimer: The Ducks, as well as Disney World and everything in it, belong to the Walt Disney Company. Fred and Cecilia, the two lovebirds who seem to have forgotten that when you're in love you don't peck the other person's eyes out, belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Anna, Sammie, Matt, Chris, and Anthony, none of whom will think twice about killing a Duck if one of their own is harmed, belong to NYgoldfish54.

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Chapter 16: In The Process
By NYgoldfish54

Lex's POV

"Tell me about this kid Anthony," Fred says to me as he watches Anthony and Cee walk away to look for some ice cream.

"Tell you what?" I ask him. "Got any three's, Portman?"

"Nope, go fish," Portman says to me.

"What's he like? Will he take advantage of her?" Fred says.

"Of course not. He's sweet, Anthony…and if she told him to stop anything he was doing, he would," I say as I hand Portman my Jack of Clubs.

"What would he be doing to her!?" Fred asks, jumping up, and throwing his cards down.

"Relax, Fred, relax," I say, looking at his cards and throwing out my pairs with Portman yelling 'Cheater! Cheater!' from my other side. "I meant if he was tickling her or something…unlike you, who won't stop tickling me, even if I'm turning purple from lack of oxygen…HAHAHA! I'm out Portman! You lose!"

"Dammit you!" Portman yells, picks me up, and drops me back onto the sand as though I were a stick and not a person.

"Ouch! Don't do that! Monkey face!" I holler at him.

"Why would he be touching her?" Fred asks me, still staring off to behind the buildings where Anthony and Cee had disappeared.

"I don't know…maybe they're friends? You know, like how you and I are?" I say sarcastically. Fred's beginning to annoy me. Maybe I should go find Jeff…that is, if he's not using all the condoms in the box with Julie.

"Yeah, but I know you. Anthony doesn't know her."

"She obviously doesn't care," I say. "Listen Fred, you have been spending a ton of time with me on this trip. I like it. I like you. But you should probably spend some time with her. Don't expect her to sit around all friendless and depressed just because you're not there. She's cool, she'll make friends, and if you're going to be with me, and don't want her to be jealous, then don't be jealous when she hangs out with other people…did that make any sense?"

"Why would he touch her?" Fred asks again. He doesn't seem able to get past this one, and if he asks me that again, I'm going to slap him.

"I don't know. Maybe she's got ice cream on her face or something. Anthony's sweet, Fred, don't worry about it. Anthony's intentions are usually good…" I say. "Wait, where'd Portman go?" I ask as I look around.

"How do you know his intentions are good? How do you know he's sweet?" Fred asks me, anger in his voice.

"Because I grew up with Anthony. He's sweet. He held my hand when I had my appendix out. I went out with him for a while. He never touched me if I didn't want him to. His intentions are good. Trust me," I say as calmly as I can. I've known Anthony for years…and I did go out with him for a while. He was good. He was sweet. He won't hurt Cecilia, he won't take advantage of her. I know he won't.

"He could be holding her hand?" Fred asks, his face pale.

"STOP IT FRED! YOU'RE BEING PARANOID!" I scream at him from two feet away. He looks completely shocked. Half the people on the beach and most of the Ducks are looking at us. I see Jeff look up from Julie and I see Matt turn around, both watching me. I know they're making sure I'm not being raped or something. They're good to me like that. When I look back at Fred, he's still got the same stunned expression. I lower my voice, and say, "Trust me, Fred. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well…no," he admits.

"Come on," I say, grabbing his hand, "Let's go see if we can find Luis, Averman, and Kenny. They have the beach ball."

He smiles at me. "Maybe you're right," he says.

"Of course I am," I say. "Now let's go."

***

Averman's POV

Fred and Lex came to join of game of beach volleyball not long after Portman did. Lex is decent, she's on our team with me, Goldberg, Luis, and Kenny. Fred's ok too, he's on the other side with Portman, Matt, Adam, and Anna. I wonder what Fred and Lex are thinking. It must be nice to be in love with someone…if that's what they're in. I wonder what it's like.

The game goes on back and forth for a while, and we take a break. Anna gets up to head toward Jeff and Julie, who were both lying and laughing on the beach about twenty yards away. I follow her.

Yesterday, I was making her laugh and I really liked her. She was sweet, smart, and funny. I don't know if she's putting an act on to charm us, but it's worked with me. I adore her.

She sits down, grabs Jeff's water, and drinks from it.

"Hey Anna?" Jeff says in mockingly sweet voice.

"Yes, Jeff, dear?" she says in the same mockingly sweet voice back at him.

"Get your own," Jeff says, grabbing it out of her hands.

"Oh, if you're thirsty go swap spit with Julie," Anna says to him. Julie blushes and Jeff smacks Anna on the back of the head. She laughs and falls over on to Jeff. He starts to tickle her.

I decide to make my presence known and clear my throat.

"Oh! Hi, Averman!" Jeff exclaims. Anna grins and pushes Jeff off of her.

"Hi!" she says, standing up and throwing herself around me in a hug.

"Umm…yeah, I just saw you two seconds ago," I say, but I hug her back anyway. "Want to go for a walk?" I ask.

"Sure," she says, "Jeff do you mind if…?"

But what Jeff may have minded I never found out. He was kissing Julie, and waving at us to go away.

"Yeah, I really don't want to get in between those two," she says, grinning and we start strolling along the beach.

"So how are you enjoying the trip so far?" she asks me.

"I love it! I'm having so much fun! I got to go on the Dumbo ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, all the rides I've dreamed of since I was a kid!" I say, probably sounding more excited than I should have.

"Glad you're having fun. We originally weren't going to bring you all, but Lex and Jeff insisted on it. They said you guys were a ton of laughs. I'm glad you came," she says grinning.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask her.

"Knock ya socks off," she says, sounding like the typical New Yorker with they 'ya' instead of 'your.'

"Well, Lex and Fred," I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Don't talk to me about Fred. I don't like the way he treats his girlfriend. I don't like the way Lex is gonna fall for him, even if she says she won't. Trust me, she will. She may not admit it, but she will, and it'll kill her," she says very fast, without a trace of a smile. When she talks quickly, she's got that accent. It's not hard to understand, but it's so stereotypically New York.

"Actually, I was going to ask if you thought they were in love, but I guess you sort of answered my question," I say, grinning.

"I didn't say that…but I don't think they're in love. It's too quick. I think it's more the case of cheap, animal-like lust," she says smiling, and it's my turn to laugh.

"Could it be love?" I ask.

"It might turn into it, so who knows? Lex is going back to school with you guys next year. It might…but I don't see it right now. I just don't. I grew up with Lex. Her family isn't fantastic, and they're closer to dysfunctional than not. Only her brother Robbie is coming down for the show, nobody else. Her father beats her, and while she loves her brothers and sisters, there are only six people outside her family- who isn't her father- that she really loves: me, Sammie, Chris, Matt, Anthony, and Jeff."

We walk along for a little while. "Have you ever been in love?" she asks me.

"Nope," I tell her. "Love's too confusing. Hell, Luis was so confused after he and his cheerleader girlfriend broke up that he thought he was in love with Goldberg." Anna laughed at that for a good five minutes. When she finished, I asked her the same question.

"Have I ever been in love…have I ever been in love…" she mumbles, and it sounds like she's searching in the back of her head for an answer. "No," she says finally. "I thought I was once, but I wasn't."

"You thought you were in love once? With who?"

"Anthony."

"Damn, that boy gets around. Cecilia and Lex and you and who else?"

"Anthony doesn't get around. Not really. He's sweet, that's all. He took me out after my date stood me up on Valentine's Day. It took me a good three weeks before I realized I was confusing a great friendship with a great love."

"Wise, very wise," I say. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love?"

"Maybe, one day. Do you think you'll ever fall in love?" she asks.

I think for a moment, and look at her. All of a sudden, confusion isn't an issue. Anna is smart and funny. She's focused on something in her life- the band she's part of. Her dark brown hair is wavy now, from drying without being blow-dried. Her eyes are clear blue, and match the ocean. Her cheeks are slightly red from the sun. She is wearing a sort of yellow bikini, with a matching one of those beach skirt things. Her sandals are yellow and her bellybutton ring, a rhinestone flower, is glimmering in the sun. She is absolutely beautiful.

"Earth to Averman," she says, smiling up at me. "Do you think you'll ever fall in love?"

"I think I'm in the process."

"Really?" she says, genuinely surprised. "With who?"

"With you," I tell her.

She grins a bit, and looks toward the ocean. When she looks back at me, I kiss her. I'm relieved to find that she's kissing me back.