Disclaimer: I don't own the Mighty Ducks, Disney does. I do own any OCs

A/N: Hey guys, please R&R and let me know what you think. Tell me if it's boring, hard to read, etc. I need all the help I can get!

"Conway, where is that damned Portman? He's 45 minutes late!"

"Coach, I don't know. I saw him 5 minutes before training started, and he said that he was just heading back to his dorm to grab his skates. Something must have come up since then, coz he was definitely coming Coach."

"Well, next time you see him, you let him know that he's gonna have to answer to me at the next practice, and he'll be lucky not to get benched!"

"Coach, he probably just got a detention or something! You can't bench him!"

"Conway, a detention doesn't make it any better!"

Orion was pissed off. It wasn't like any of his Ducks to miss practice, except for Portman that is. Portman was always in and out of detention, missing practices regularly for some reason or another. If he wasn't such a good player, or such a great guy, Orion would have had no trouble kicking off the team. However, the way he was feeling right now, booting him off the team would have come very easily!

Charlie could see the coach's anger when their training session ended, and decided to do something about it.

"Hey Jules, seen that no good boyfriend of yours anywhere? Orion is so mad, I thought he was gonna blow a gasket! I mean, missing two practices in one week is a bit much, even for Portman!"

"Sorry Charlie, I haven't seen Dean since lunch. You've seen him more than I have since then!"

"Yeah, I though as much, but I just wanted to make sure. Maybe I should run by his dorm before heading home, make sure he's OK?"

"Charlie, I'm sure he's fine, and it's nothing more than a detention. You need to stress less."

"Even so, I think I'm gonna warn him about Orion. I wouldn't wanna be there the next time he sees Portman! I'll catch ya later Julie."

"Bye Charlie."

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Maybe I am just being a worry-wart? Charlie thought to himself as he paused outside Portman's door. Oh well, here goes nothing! Charlie knocked on the door, and waited for Portman to answer. However, it wasn't Portman who opened the door.

"Hi, I'm looking for Portman, is he here?" Charlie told the petite girl who answered the door. She bore a striking resemblance to Dean, with the same brown hair, brown eyes, and similar facial features. Maybe she's his sister thought Charlie. Does Portman even have a sister?

"Portman? Oh, you mean Dean! Sorry – blonde moment! I tend to have them a lot. My friends always say that my blonde highlights are my real hair colour trying to shine through! And now I'm rambling!"

"Nah, you're not rambling, I think its cute…I mean, er, um, what I meant to say was, er…"

"Out with it Conway, what did you mean?" Portman had joined the conversation, and he was by no means amused. "Trying to chat up my cousin, huh? Is that why you're here?"

"Dude, chill, I'm here coz you missed practice. Again. And Orion is pissed off. I just wanted to warn you before he found you first, that's all."

"Ah, shit, I forgot about practice. Bernadette, I'll be back in five minutes, I promise, gotta go see the coach."

"That's cool, I'll just keep chatting to this guy until you get back." Dean didn't look too pleased by that suggestion, but he didn't have time to do anything about it. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Charlie Conway, a friend of Portman. He said you were cousin?"

"Yeah, I'm Bernadette, Dean's cousin from Australia."

"Aha, that explains the accent! So, what made you trade in Down Under for lil' ole USA?"

"You're the one with the accent, not me! I'm here on exchange. Back home, I've finished high school, but I was younger than everyone else in my year level, so I was allowed to come over and spend some time in an American high school."

"Let me get this straight – you've finished school, and you chose to come back for more? Wow, that's different!"

"I just wanted to take a some time off before going to university, that's all. You know, see something different, escape the small country town."

"So, what made you choose this preppy institution?"

"I didn't, it's where I was assigned. Actually, I'm sorta glad because I'll have Dean around to look out for me."

"Yeah, Portman is definitely the protective type. So how does this thing work – the exchange I mean?"

"Well, someone from this school wanted to experience life in a small town Aussie school, and I wanted to experience the American lifestyle, so we traded. I've taken her spot as a Senior, and she's joined my old school. I think her name was Linda."

"Ah, Linda."

"Oh, you know her?"

"She was my girlfriend during our freshman and sophomore years. Dumped me right at the start of Junior year, coz I spent too much time playing hockey, or so she said."

"Oh, are you on Dean's team?"

"Yeah, I'm the captain of the Varsity. Actually, I've been the Ducks' captain ever since the pee-wees."

"I'm sorry, the what? Don't mind me, I'm just a little dumb about these things."

"I don't think you're dumb. You shouldn't say things like that. Anyway, back in middle school, about half of today's varsity team were on this team called District-5 – we didn't even have a proper name, and boy were we shit! Anyway, one day, this guy, Gordon Bombay, got sent to do community service – coaching District 5. To cut a long story short, he turned us into the Ducks, made us the best team, and we won the championships, stealing the Hawks' chief scorer in the process – Banksie. Bombay went to play in the minors, but he injured himself and came back home. Next thing I knew, the best players from the Ducks along with others from around the country, including Portman, were selected to play as Team USA in the Goodwill games. We won that, and were awarded full athletic scholarships to Eden Hall. The rest is history, I guess. And now we're seniors, in our final year."

"Wow, so you guys have been together for a while then." By that stage, Bernadette and Charlie had moved from the doorway, and were sitting on Portman's bed in the dorm he shared with Fulton. It was there that Portman found them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Spazway? Trying to make a move on my cousin?"

"Portman, chill, we were just talking! How'd it go with Orion?" But Charlie's attempt to distract Portman didn't work this time. He could see the fire in Portman's eyes, so, fearing for his safety, he left.

"Uh, see ya around Bernadette…Portman, the gang is meeting at Mickey's," shouted out Charlie as he practically ran out the door.

Oh shit, I'm in trouble now. Why did I have to be nice to Portman's cousin? Now he's gonna hate me because he thinks that I think she's hot or something…not that she isn't. Where'd that come from – shut up brain, I don't need this right now! The last thing I need is Portman breathing down my neck! I need to just forget about her, and what better way than with one of Mickey's shakes. Oh, who am I kidding, I'm screwed!

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So yeah, please R&R!