Disclaimer: We don't own the Ducks and probably never will because they belong to Disney. Nor do we owe the Air Force Academy, Bde Maka Ska Park and Lake area, Virginia, and Langley Air Force Base. However, Emaliar Malfoy does own Bella, Ollie, Seraphina, Alex, and Patrick "Paddy" Ridley. Bobcatwriter owns Annie, Mike, Travon, all the characters at Lakeshore Academy, Baby Hans, Paddy's family, The Lebrie Family, Reese, Mark, Judges Stone and Murray and a few of the other students and teachers from Eden Hall.

A/N: This is the sequel to the other Mighty Ducks story's: "The Way Things Are", "The Way Things Were" and "The Way Things Should Be". We recommend you read those three first. However, this can also be read as a stand-alone story. Please read and review.

Chapter 31

June 3rd, 1999

Bella's POV

We had been out of school for almost 2 weeks. Last week I was helping Paddy get his room set up for the summer the way that he wanted it. At least for the first couple of days after school let out. Paddy would have to meet me down at the guard gate to escort me onto the base. I would have to present some identification to get me onto the base. After about Wednesday last week I had to help Gunnar move out of Charlies house and into get this Guy's. I had asked Gunnar what had happened, and Gunnar said that there were some differences between him and Charlie. It was either Guy's or go home for good. He and I both knew that if Gunnar moved home, Adam would not be a happy camper, upon his return to Minnesota in 6 weeks. Gunnar and Adam were going to share a dorm room together next year. Yesterday was Paddy's brother Randall's graduation from the Air Force Academy. Randall was off to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. Paddy, his mother, and Father left for the Graduation on the 1st and came back early this morning. Paddy gave me a call at about noon, and he picked me up at Grandmas an hour later. We were walking around Bde Maka Ska Park and lake area, looking for a place to lay a picnic blanket down and enjoy a picnic lunch. We had just finished lunch when we were laying across the blanket, fully clothed.

"So, what was lifelike back in Virginia?" I asked.

"It was good, I guess I didn't really want to come here to be entirely honest, I considered homeschool for a bit," he said, smiling a little.

"Homeschool is a big no go, Dad, I mean, Phillip, no, god damn it," I started to say.

"What's wrong?" Paddy looked at me confused.

"I guess I don't know what to call the people that gave birth to me. Does that sound so stupid?" I asked.

"No of course not. I had a friend on the base at Langley who knew his birth mother and had adoptive parents, since he was five. He always referred to his adopted parents as his parents and his birth mom. Because it didn't matter who gave birth to him, it was his adopted parents who wanted him and raised him. Does that make sense?" Paddy asked as he rubbed my arm.

"Yeah, I think so. Gordon and Michele actually want me and are adopting me, so they deserved more respect than Phillip and Seraphina," I said.

"You got it," Paddy said as he bore his brown orbs into my eyes. How I loved him for doing that.

"So, what happened to that friend's parents, I mean his birth parents?" I asked while I sat up Indian style and picked some grass.

"His birth mom was a teenage mom; she made a sacrifice so that my friend could have a life. The birth dad was gone after finding out," Paddy said as he followed suit.

"Oh, how sad," I said.

"I know, I email him from time to time he's at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, right now. The lucky duck,' Paddy said, smiling sadly at me. Then he said, 'Go on you were saying?"

"My birth father, Phillip made our birth mother homeschool Adam and I whilst we were in third grade so that we could practice hockey more, needless to say he changed his mind after Seraphina… shit," I said.

"Hey what's wrong?" Paddy asked moving closer to me and brushing my hair behind my ear. I loved how he did that; it gave me goose pimples on my arms

"It's just this is all so much harder than it should be… our lives shouldn't be this twisted at 16, that's not how it's supposed to work, we're supposed to be able to live out the first 18 years of our lives not worrying about what tomorrow may bring. Whether the next few days of our lives will involve winning or losing. We should be allowed to be kids. Shouldn't we?" I asked looking into his brown orbs and picking some more grass.

"The way I see it we all have to try our best even at our age and if it all goes downhill then that's what's teaching us to deal with the future and I think that sometimes fate likes to throw a few select individuals a curve ball cause he thinks we need to learn how to deal with it. I don't know, really," he said.

"I've never looked at it as a positive before," I said.

"That's why I'm here, Issy," he said, punching me playfully. I laughed; he was the only one who ever called me that.

He moved slightly closer once more; "So, while I was in Colorado I have been thinking and I've changed my mind,' he said, 'I've tried, really tried and I think that I like you too," Paddy said.

And then he leaned in, capturing my lips, and closing the distance between us. After a few minutes I pulled back and saw something out of the corner of my eye. A green ducks jersey, with a number 96 on the back.

Shit.

June 6th, 1999

40 days until I saw Gunnar

Adam's POV

Gunnar's book had arrived last Friday on my last day of school at Lakeshore Academy. I was supposed to be going home this weekend. However, Coach and Michele had to make an emergency trip to Minneapolis to deal with the house. I was slightly disappointed that I wasn't going to get to come home this weekend but, in the end, it was okay with me because I would get to spend some more time getting myself better. I was getting stronger each day, I was working on my college application to the U when Ollie came up to me and said, "Adam you have a phone call."

"Who is it?" I asked.

"I don't know," Ollie said.

I grunted and quickly gathered up my stuff and went into the office to take that phone call, "Hello?" I asked.

"Hey Adam, it's Charlie, what's up man? How are you feeling?" Charlie asked.

"Good, What do you want?" I asked.

"What can't I call up my best friend and ask him how he is doing?" Charlie asked.

"Nope especially when said best friend hasn't called to check on me since he dumped my sister. Speaking of my sister, I'm interested to know why my supposedly best friend kicked my boyfriend out and hasn't forgiven him for something that he had no control over? You have been a big fat JERK!" I snapped.

"What? I haven't been a jerk to your sister and your boyfriend," Charlie said.

I laughed before I said, "Yeah you have. You broke up with my sister over a visit to Wisconsin. Which wasn't cool! Then you threw Gunnar out into the street just because you got caught in a lie to your mother and stepfather. Gunnar had no control over your lie, you deserved to get grounded for it."

Charlie scoffed before he said, "I want to talk to you about how I could get your sister back. I was an idiot forever letting her go. I love her."

"Oh, now you love her. Why should I help you get Bella back? I am proud of Bella for finding a guy like Paddy. I can't wait until I move home so I can meet him," I said.

"Do you know what the only thing I have had going for me has been that captaincy and Bella, so all at once it's all ripped away from me? What should I do then?" Charlie asked.

"You accept it and move on. Charlie you are not going to be Captain forever. I guarantee that you are not going to be a captain, playing for a college team immediately. Because you will not have proven yourself yet as a freshman. Coach Orion was right to take away your captain ship both times. You were a major jackass to everyone in the flock, except for Portman and Fulton because you know that they won't take any of you babyish BULLSHIT. Charlie GROW UP! Your sixteen not two. Then you make sure your head is on straight because from what I can tell you've been an absolute ass hole to all our flock.," I said.

"That is a lie, and you know it, I stood up for Bella on the whole Mark thing, and I have forgiven Gunnar, I threw him out because he ratted me out to my parents," Charlie said.

"That's a lie, I can read you better than that, either that or your just, plain petty. Which I'll admit I didn't really expect given your history as the kind nurturing captain of the greatest junior hockey team of the century, I really didn't," I said.

"Can't a guy have regrets," Charlie said, his voice cracking, I could tell his eyes were watering on the other end of the line, I could read him whether he admitted it or not.

"That depends on what you're regretting," I said. "It depends on the consequences as well."

"I shouldn't have broken up with Bella, and I should have stood up for her during the Mark thing, and I shouldn't have kicked Gunnar out, and I love Bella so much and now I'm never going to get her back because I saw her kissing Paddy the other day and… my life is shit," he was full on sobbing now.

"No, it's not! You have no idea what it's like to have a shit life! And I happen to know a thing or two about them! You were given a shot when you missed a goal, I was criticized every time I screwed up. You were allowed; to be a kid, I had to practice, practice, practice, practice, practice every day from dawn until dusk. If I got sick, I still had to practice. At least your mother, let you stay in bed and get well. You were loved by your mother; I was despised by my parents seen merely as a money maker. You were not disowned at 14 because you wanted to switch teams and go back to your friends. Stop acting like a baby because ducks don't fly together when their leader turns!"

"But I love her, I really love her," Charlie said.

"If you truly love her, you will act like a responsible 16-year-old instead of a 2-year-old child," I said and then I hung up. I could not take it anymore. I needed to hit pucks off the garbage can. I was so pissed at Charlie I could not see straight.

A/N: So, what do you think? Please leave a review! Thanks!