A/N: Uh...surprise. I am SO sorry this took years and years. I promised to update in 2017. My bad. Anyway, here's the final part to this fic I began in 2014. Who else is excited about the new series? Boy, do I have a lot of thoughts.

Disclaimer: Still don't own The Mighty Ducks.


It had been twenty minutes after the last round of shots during a game of pool when Les Averman spoke, "Ya know, I'm glad we decided to do an early dinner before coming here. I've really learned a lot tonight and the night's still young!" He grinned putting his arm around Adam.

Adam Banks groaned. "It's really not a big deal. Let's please move on."

Jesse smirked and looked at which of his friends were standing close. "Hey Connie, did you know Averman slept with Kacey?"

"My Kacey? NO WAY!" The brunette shrieked and pulled out her phone to text her friend. She didn't even know they hung out together. Alone. "Aves, why!"

Averman frowned, "Okay, okay, I get it."

Peter, Goldberg, Jesse and Adam laughed as Averman mumbled something about some things are private. The older couple were still holding each other close as they swayed on the small dance floor completely oblivious to the other people in the bar.

Over at the bar, Dean Portman pulled a stool up alongside Julie. "So, Cat how are you?"

Julie took a sip of her drink. "We're not going to do this, okay?"

"I just wanted to catch up." He shrugged and she rolled her eyes in response.

"Yeah that explains the fire emojis on my instagram stories these last few weeks." In her head, she made a ooooh sound knowing she got him there. Julie had expected some sort of contact before the reunion from him. Whenever she got the notification from Instagram saying that Dean replied to her story she'd get the urge to throw her phone on the ground and run it over. Julie had successfully controlled herself and her phone was, in fact, in one piece.

"Don't look that hot then." Portman grumbled, not liking being called out like that. "C'mon, don't ruin it babe."

Julie didn't want to smile but she did. Dean had been the original fuckboy and had caused her to feel every emotion. Many times at once. However, due to the Ducks she couldn't hate him. She never would. So, they remained friends. There was a time or two in college when they were both in Minnesota that Julie slipped and fell back into him…into the routine they had when they were sixteen. He was her Dean…But now she refused to fall back into who they were. They needed to close that chapter. Besides, they'd never even been on a real date! Julie was working on officially moving on, anyway.

Somewhere in the bar a phone went off blasting a Poison song. "Oh hey guys! That was Kenny! He said they just landed and will be headed this way soon. Probably'll be forty-five minutes or so."

"How great! Every single Duck in one place!" Charlie was grinning from ear to ear. "Soon!"

"I think I need a drink."

"Well good thing we're in a bar." Russ Tyler gestured around. "A little nervous there, Fult?

Fulton ran his fingers through his hair. "Fuck, I am a mess."

"Come on, let's take a shot. Hey who all wants a shot?" Russ guided his friend to the bar, then turned around. "You know what never mind. What am I thinking? Randy, how about a round of vodka shots?"

The bartender nodded and got to work on pouring the shots.

"Thank you Bombay for tonight!" Peter Mark said almost to himself, but Charlie heard him and grinned. "Yeah, it's a good thing old man Hunt owed Coach a favor so we don't have to pay."

Gordon Bombay had remained a part of the Ducks life. The kids he met when he was at a crossroads in his life not only changed his life, but saved it.

Terry glanced at the time on his phone before he spoke. "It kinda sucks Coach couldn't come out tonight. Dinner was fun with him there."

Guy shrugged. "He said he'd be okay doing lunch tomorrow with everyone. It'll be nice to have Tammy, Dwayne, Ken and Coach with us all together."

"What are we toasting too?" Goldberg asked after everyone got handed their shots. "And please don't say to the Ducks." They had done that five times already in the night. Goldberg figured it was overkill.

"Bombay!" Guy said.

"Guy and Connie?" Julie suggested. Charlie forced a smile.

"Okay enough of this." Fulton took the shot. Everyone looked at him. "What? I couldn't wait for everyone to agree. Who wants tequila?"

Most of the group dispersed after taking their shot to head over to the pool tables and dart boards to start new games.

"So…do you want to talk about it?" Fulton looked up and saw that Banksie had sat next to him at the bar.

"Have you ever felt like you can't help but self sabotage yourself?" Fulton Reed sipped on his Sprite and tequila. "I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't be freaking out right now. Okay, I know I shouldn't be. There's just unfinished business, ya know? Ughhh. I should just leave it right?"

Adam had never seen Fulton like this and they'd known each other since childhood. "If there's one thing that I know it's that it's always a good thing to be open and honest about your feelings. Just talk to Tammy. I mean really talk to her. I mean, look at Connie and Charlie."

To be fair, it wasn't like Fulton spent his time pining for Tammy or wondering what she was doing. He dated other girls but Tammy was always in the back of his mind. That made things awkward. Maybe they needed to clear the air. Again. "It's just that we tried really hard to be friends and there was just too much hurt there. I think. I feel guilty."

"I only know the basics of the relationship but maybe you should try to talk to Connie about it before Tammy gets here. She'll probably have better insight."

"Connie said she loves the both of us and wouldn't get involved. I just feel like we're letting history repeat itself. I know she was going to miss the reunion because of me." Fulton shrugged. "Not to sound narcissistic."

"Okay, so talk to Tammy or don't and continue to be miserable. But, hey, what do I know? My love life has never been great." He said as he glanced at Julie who was laughing with Portman and Goldberg.

Adam felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He made a face when he read the text he received from Connie. Stop it with the puppy dog eyes. Go talk to her! Adam glanced at the OG female Duck in the blue and white neon lights. Connie gave him a knowing look before turning back to her conversation with Guy and Jesse. Someone who didn't know her would say she looked angelic in the neon light, but Banks knew that as sweet as she was most of the time there was, in fact, a reason her nickname growing up was 'The Velvet Hammer'.

He felt like he was a damn kid again seeing Julie for the first time. Suddenly he felt like Fulton and also needed a drink.

"The Wild, huh?" Julie smiled at him through her blonde bangs that she forgot to get trimmed before the reunion. "You and Guy will be great."

"I know, I was surprised they wanted me too." Adam knew he was lucky. He'd been told while still in high school the Minnesota Wild had their eyes on him. His parents wanted him to get drafted right after high school but he wanted, no, needed to go to college. For himself. He'd only told a few people that they had practically offered him everything he ever dreamed of. His whole life was hockey. In high school he scored a hockey scholarship, not that he needed it, which led him to UofM but at the time he questioned if he even wanted hockey to be his future. He figured if he still enjoyed it in college then he would go for it. "Having Guy will be like having a piece of the Ducks there."

There had been a ton of buzz around Adam towards the second half of college. During his last season, the scouts returned to him. That time he said yes and found out his friend was also drafted by the same team.

"I'm not. You've always been amazing."

He chose to ignore the compliment because if he dwelled on it he'd blush and fumble his words.

"I just think it's funny the Ducks want Charlie."

"Truly the perfect team for him." They laughed. "Once a duck, always a duck."

"I miss it you know? I don't regret not pursuing hockey more, but man, I miss the rush I'd get. Playing hockey back in Maine made me sad without the Ducks." Julie admitted. Julie played on her college's women's hockey team her freshman year before she made the difficult decision to step back from the sport. Her coach begged her not to, but Julie's heart wasn't in it without her friends.

"As soon as you're back, I'm sure the guys will be wanting to set up a weekly game!"

Julie laughed, and he realized he really fucking missed the sound. "I don't even want to think about how hard it's going to be to move my things back here. I'm lucky that Kacey needed a roommate."

She wished she could tell her younger self that things would work out when she stopped playing hockey on the college level. Julie thought back to her junior year.


When Julie decided not to pursue hockey further she needed to pivot from hockey to something else so she chose communication broadcasting. Someone recognized her name in the communications program as a former player, and suggested her to a producer of the college's sports television network for an internship. The network's plan was to nourish her passion of hockey and give her the tools to replace an anchor who was wanting to retire in two years. Julie mostly had to make coffee runs for the first year but she didn't complain. During her junior year one day while she replaced the printer paper she overheard a reporter talk about a story he was just handed that featured a young hockey star out of the University of Minnesota who had a lot of buzz around him.

Julie bit her lip. "Out of curiosity, who is the player?"

Logan Gilbert, the reporter in question, glanced at the 20 year old. "Adam Banks, ever heard of him?"

"Well…actually…" Julie told him her connection to him. Childhood friends. Hockey teammates. In multiple group chats together with different combinations of Ducks.

Logan raised an eyebrow at his producer who had just walked into the room. "Why don't you write up a profile on him? Do you think you can talk to him and ask a few questions for this piece on Friday?

Blake Davis, the producer, walked over so that he was standing beside Julie. "It will be just three minutes long and should be simple enough. If you say yes you will be the one sharing about your friend on the network."

Julie was sure her jaw had hit the floor. She looked at Logan. "You want me to take your story?"

"Let's see what you got, kid." Logan was burnt out on these short profiles the network requested he do. This would have been the tenth that month. He was pretty pleased he was able to pass the story off to the girl with his producer's approval.

The next day Julie sat cross legged on the living room floor of her apartment with her phone sitting in front of her next to a pad of paper and a pen.

"Whew, okay. Here we go!" She said aloud even though she was home alone.

She dialed the number for Adam Banks and put her phone on speaker. He answered on the third ring. "Julie! Hey! How are you?"

"Hiya Adam! You won't believe this." The last time that they had talked had been a few months back after a group chat with a few of the Ducks had made it known about Adam and Connie's time together. They had both laughed it off. Julie didn't think anyone would ever get the whole story about why Adam and Connie had sex. They were such an odd pairing. Julie made a joke in the group chat that at least they knew now Adam wasn't going to join a monastery and then texted him separately asking if he was okay. She knew he was a bit sensitive.

"You've decided to dye your hair blue and get a nose ring." It was more of a statement than a question and she had to laugh. Years prior she had stated how badass it would be to have blue hair as a hockey player. She never mentioned the nose ring, though. Julie wondered if he thought she should get her nose pierced.

"I think that will have to wait. No, actually I have a neat opportunity and I need your help." Julie knew Adam didn't like too much attention on himself but she hoped he'd be open to answering her questions. Besides, he was states away and their friends would never watch her profile on him. Well, probably not.

"You've got my attention."

"The network I intern at picked up on the fact that you're one of the most sought after hockey players for the NHL. When they found out I knew you, personally, they asked if I could pick your brain for a piece that I will be reporting on."

"I'm known in Maine? Oh wow." Julie didn't hear him say anything else and she thought she lost him and then he said, "Okay, shoot."

She asked him five questions and wrote down his answers. She knew exactly what she wanted to say for the profile about Adam from his own words along with the reports from his games at UofM. Julie was finishing writing a thought she had that she wanted to expand on later when Adam asked if she was ever coming back to Minnesota for good because they missed her. She sighed.

"It's just hard." Julie admitted. "When I came back for college it was because I missed my family. I missed home. So, now that I'm back and have been for the past few years why do I miss Minnesota so much? As if that's home. When I go and visit everyone it's so difficult to say goodbye. I cried on the plane last time I returned back here."

"Transfer, Julie." Adam said without even skipping a beat. "Come to Minnesota."

She tapped her pen on her leg and sighed. "It's not like I'm miserable and I do like my program here. However, I have definitely looked into different jobs in Minnesota and even Chicago."

"Chicago?" There was a certain level of implication and she knew it.

"Larger market." Julie didn't want to have that conversation with Banksie. A doodle of a hockey puck she drew earlier with a teeth stared at her on the paper as if it knew she wan't being totally honest.

"So that's what you want to do? Be a sports anchor?"

"It looks like it." She said. "When you become drafted Connie will write about it for a magazine or newspaper and I'll report about it on the news."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"You've already got a few teams eying you, Adam. C'mon, don't be modest." The front door opened as the blonde's roommate walked in. "Hey, I've gotta go but thank you for letting me bug you! Let's talk soon."

When Friday night rolled around he managed to find the newscast online so he could watch. Adam could tell she tried to keep it professional but he noticed a small smile, a real one, that never left her face the whole time.

Adam sent her a text after he watched her. You were great.

It was later in the night before he received a response. Thanks! I hope I did you justice. My producer and the anchor who gave me the piece liked it. So there's that.

After that night they started to talk more than they had before. They texted during the day. They talked on the phone every night. They'd discuss their classes, the latest Ducks drama, NHL news, and how they were dealing with the stress of college and life.

Julie had an early day the next day so she did not go out to watch night three of the Stanley Cup finals. Watching hockey at home instead of a bar or in the arena itself felt so weird to her. At least she wasn't alone and had her roommate Carly Taylor to listen to her curse at the television. Julie met Carly during freshman orientation and they connected instantly. Carly reminded her of her old friend Fulton Reed.

Carly noticed Julie had looked at her phone twenty times in the past five minutes. "So who is your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." Julie said not paying too much attention to her roommate. The New York Rangers were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning and the game was too close at the moment.

"The guy you talk to all day every day? Ring any bells?" Carly let a laugh slip.

"Oh you mean, Adam?" On the screen, the goalie for the Lightning blocked a puck. "Not my boyfriend and besides he's in Minnesota."

"Have the two of you ever dated? You spend a lot of time on the phone with him for something not to be up with you two." Carly watched her friend go to grab her phone out of habit and then immediately draw back her hand when she realized what she was doing. "I come home from work at 11 and I can hear you talking to him! It's been three months."

Julie finally turned to look at Carly, as the buzzer went off on the television signaling the end of the game. Tampa Bay won.

"Well, shit." Julie would be lying if she said she never thought about what it would be like to date the Adam Banks. In high school, she and Connie would be bombarded by other girls who would ask what it was like to be so close to Adam (and the other guys too but Julie had noticed it was Adam that would get the most attention). She was embarrassed to admit that she was so wrapped up in her 'relationship' with Dean she never tried to be more than friends with Adam. He was always sweet to her. He'd always been a stereotypical nice, kinda quiet, and super considerate of your feelings type of guy. She'd have called bullshit and sworn it was all a put on if she hadn't known him since they were twelve.

Eden Hall's former star goalie typed out a text in faster than her brain could register what she was doing.

I think I like Adam.

You'd make the cutest couple! Julie stared at the reply from Connie Moreau. She let out a scream.

"Jeeze, it's not that serious." Carly deadpanned.

"Carly, he's almost two thousand miles away. How is that suppose to work?" Julie prided herself on being realistic and straightforward. If she pursued a relationship with Adam they would be all in. Especially with Adam Banks. He deserved a full time girlfriend. They couldn't possibly date with states between them.

"Phone sex?" Carly offered.

"Ughhhhhhhh!"


"I can help you move in." Adam offered. "I have a few weeks before my life will be nothing but hockey, again. If you need me, I can even go to Maine and help you pack."

Julie smiled. It had been over a year since Julie realized she liked Adam. Those feelings didn't go away. "Oh, that would be so great! Thank you." She stood up and began to pull Adam guiding him to the side door.

"Ohhhhh. Goin' to the alley." Averman was the first to notice the two head to the alley. Charlie, Connie, and Jesse followed their friends outside.

Outside just a foot between them Julie looked him in the eyes. "Hi."

"Hi." Adam glanced at the dumpster and saw Charlie's shoe. He's really not good at sneaking around. He grinned. "Why'd you want to talk out here?"

"Too many ears." She also looked at the dumpster. "Hey Connie! I know you're there."

The two young adults who were not currently hiding behind a dumpster in the alley alongside Hunt's Bar could hear muffled sounds. They laughed but knew they had just been there not long ago.

"Adam Banks, I want to take you out on a date."

"Oh really? Because I want to take you on a date."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Sounds like a date."

Crouching behind the dumpster that just a few hours ago her friends had hidden behind Connie stated, "So this is what it's like to eavesdrop."

"Julie better treat Banksie right."

"Oh, hush. He's a grown man." Jesse rolled his eyes at his old friend. "Besides Connie already defiled Adam."

"SHUT UP!"

"I'm going to be sick."

The five Ducks walked back into the bar just a few minutes before Dwayne, Ken and Tammy to walk through the front door. Charlie's eyes lit up seeing every Duck in the same room. "Finally!"

"Lord am I happy to see y'all!" Dwayne Robertson hugged Russ followed by Luis Mendoza. "What a damn day."

"You can say that again." Tammy waved at her brother who looked drunk to her. "How much have you had to drink?"

Tommy shrugged. "You're all here and that's all that matters."

"Yo, Randy! How about another round?" Jesse then started a conversation with Kenny Wu.

Fulton ran his fingers through his hair as he walked over to his ex girlfriend. All eyes in the bar shifted to them even the bartender watched the interaction. "Tammy can we talk? In private?"

The dancer nodded. She was starving and could use a strong drink but they might as well get it out of the way.

"Try outside in the 'talking alley'." Averman grinned.

Tammy frowned. "'Talking alley'? Do I even want to know?"

"No."

As soon as the two turned to walk out, the rest of the Ducks looked at each other. Fulton stopped and said "No one follow us!"

A collective groan was heard.

Once they were alone Fulton said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything. I should have respected your wishes and never flown to see him." Fulton leaned against the brick wall. He motioned between them. "This awkwardness is my fault."

Tammy blinked. "Is Mercury in retrograde?"

"Hell, Tammy you know I don't know what that means." She went through an astrology phase freshman year and as much as she tried to get him to understand constellations and planets it was like she was speaking a different language.

"It's just the issues at the airport and now this." Fulton stared at her. "Okay, look. Thank you for apologizing but it's not just you that caused this. I should have known there was so much pain we couldn't get past and not tried to force an us."

"I am so tired, of the back and forth. I don't want us to be uncomfortable with each other forever. I just want us to be friends again."

"Me too, Fult." She checked the time on her phone. "Let's just have fun tonight with everyone."

"Okay." Fulton was getting ready to open the door to walk back into the bar but then stopped. "Hey Tammy, are you happy with your life? In Nashville?"

"I am."

"Good."

Towards the end of the night Averman studied all of his friends. Peter, Karp, Terry, and Goldberg were sitting at a table playing quarters. Dwayne, Russ, Portman, and Jesse were standing in front of a dart board but no one was actually playing. Charlie, Luis, Terry and Tommy were playing an uneventful game of pool. Only Luis had managed to hit a single ball. Fulton and Tammy were deep in conversation. Guy and Connie were wrapped up in each other on the dance floor swaying reminiscent of the couple from earlier in the night. Adam and Julie sat at the bar laughing with each other.

"Are we just going to ignore how incestuous the Ducks are?"

"Yep."

"Yes."

"Averman! But yeah."