AN: Just in case you didn't read the title, this chapter's a sad one. Just thought I'd warn you.
Disclaimer: Still don't own them. I technically don't own the movies either. But I do have the second one saved in my favorites on youtube. Does that count?
Julie woke early the morning Fulton was supposed to leave. She tossed and turned trying to fall back to sleep before hearing someone in the hall. They knocked on her door before she threw the covers off of her. She sighed as she walked across the room. She opened the door and gave Fulton a frustrated tired look.
"I thought you might be up. Can I come in?" He asked giving her a sheepish grin.
"I guess. What are you doing up so early? You were on the phone until one with Tammy."
"Your dad woke me up when he left." He said walking into the room.
He sat at her desk looking around the room. He had spent a lot of time in this room since he had known Julie. She had always made sure that he and Portman came to see at least once during the summer since they had met. The room had changed over the years. The hockey posters had been replaced with pictures of places neither of them had ever been. Places Julie had said she wanted to see when she got older. She had filed the room with pictures of the Ducks. She even had a few of Terry. The kid hated having his picture taken. She had caught him off guard over Christmas a few years ago and taken a picture of him and Jesse. He still didn't know she had taken it.
Fulton saw a group of pictures on her nightstand that she hadn't packed away yet. He walked over to them and picked one of them up. It was a picture of her and Portman taken over Spring Break the year before. Julie was on his back with her head thrown back laughing while Portman looked over his shoulder at her with a grin on his face. Fulton had never seen the picture before. He figured Julie would want to take it to California so he put it in a box by her nightstand.
Julie had her back to him and didn't see him watching her. She was holding something close to her chest, but he couldn't see what it was. She looked up and sighed holding up a Metallica t-shirt. She gave him a week smile before throwing it in the laundry basket.
"Portman's?"
"You think it's mine?" She asked giving him a sarcastic smile.
"Good point." He said getting back to putting pictures in the box.
Things were quiet for a little while longer. The phone ringing broke the silence. Julie flopped on the bed to reach for the phone on the nightstand.
"Hello?"
"Hey beautiful."
"Hey." She said with a smile on her face.
"Fulton's in the room isn't he?"
"Yeah."
"I need to talk to him."
"You don't want to talk to me?" She said giving Fulton a weird look.
"I do. I just need to talk to him first."
"Okay." She said handing Fulton the phone.
Julie left the room knowing that whatever Portman had to tell Fulton had to be important. She went downstairs to make breakfast pushing the nagging feeling she had out of her mind.
XXXX
Connie stood at the gate to the schoolyard watching Charlie, Jesse and Averman play hockey. It was hard to believe that things would drastically change in less than a week. Charlie was leaving in five days to go to Canada. Connie still didn't understand why he refused to go to college before trying to start in the minors.
"Fulton's going. I've been talking about this for years. You know that. I have a chance to do this and I'm taking it." He had told her the other day.
"You're going to wish that you had gone if this doesn't work out."
"If it doesn't work out I'll go to college."
"Do you promise?"
"Would I lie to you?"
"You never have before."
She pushed the conversation out of her head as she felt something hit her leg. She looked down at her feet and saw Averman's shoe at her feet. Averman was wildly shaking his head and pointing at Jesse.
Connie walked over to them and handed him back his shoe. Charlie gave her a questioning look before she smiled at him reassuringly. She didn't know how to get through to him. Jesse and Adam were leaving at the end of the month to start college. Jesse couldn't even get through to Charlie. And if he couldn't, then no one could.
"I'm gonna take off you two. I need to talk to Connie." Charlie said sitting next to her to take off his skates.
'Maybe he's changed his mind after all.' Connie thought as they walked through the gate in silence. Charlie took her hand and they fell into a steady rhythm. They turned onto their street and Charlie stopped in front of his house.
"Do you want to come in? It would be easier that way." He said sounding unsure of himself.
"Sure." Connie said sounding nervous.
Charlie sat down on the couch puling Connie down to sit next to him. Connie had no idea what was going on, but she hoped she wouldn't end up crying. Things never ended well when she cried.
"Things won't be easy you know that right? I mean we're having issues already. The last thing I would want to do is hurt you." He said reaching out to pull her to him.
"Are you breaking up with me?" Connie asked flinching away from him.
"No, I'm not. Why would you think that?"
"I don't know. The way you're acting is freaking me out." She said with a sigh.
"Come here." He said pulling her to him.
Connie crawled into his lap as he ran his hands through her hair. He took in her scent wanting to remember her this way. She didn't let her guard down often. And it was usually around him or Julie. He had never heard of her letting it down for Guy. She had learned to a tough fighter and to never let anyone in after her dad left not long after they joined the Ducks. Her mom had remarried a few years ago; even now she still had trouble letting people in. Her muffled sobbing took Charlie off guard. She pulled away making herself stop crying before it got out of hand.
"If you tell anyone I cried I will break up with you."
"I'll keep that in mind." He said brushing her tears away.
XXXX
Julie stood at Fulton's gate waiting for his flight to be called. He had yet to tell her what Portman had talked to him about. It was starting to eat at her not knowing what was going on. Fulton had told her she would find out when Portman was ready for her to find out. And that if she bugged him again he would tell Connie that she had turned into a lovesick fool.
"You would not."
"Bet me."
"Fine, I'll leave you alone." She said crossing her arms over her chest.
"You sure you don't need me to fly out with you. You're gonna need somebody to help you with everything."
"Jason, Kenny, and Russ are helping me. I should be out there in a few days."
"Things will work out. You know that right?"
"Yeah. I'm just frustrated. He doesn't normally keep things from me."
"It'll be fine." He said bumping her shoulder with his.
Julie smiled up at him as his flight was called. She wrapped her arms around him preparing for what she knew was coming. He picked her up off the floor and brought her to his level. She buried her face in his neck stifling a laugh.
"Take care Catlady." He said looking her in the eye.
"You too Fulty." She said knowing he hated being called that.
He let it slide then put her down. She watched him walk away wondering when she would see him again. She would have to set some time aside over Christmas break to go to Minnesota. She would miss everybody too much if she didn't.
AN2: I wanted to put more in this chapter. But I realized it would be almost twenty pages if I kept going. So I split it into two. You'll find out what Dean told Fulton in the next chapter. I wanted to keep you guys hanging. I've got to keep you coming back somehow. In the meantime, hit that little purple button. Pretty please? I'll give you a cookie.