Life's Full of Little Surprises
Disclaimer: I own absolutely none of the 'Mighty Duck' characters or the rights to the "Mighty Duck" franchise, that honor belongs to Disney. So I would appreciate that I wouldn't get sued over something I don't own.
Summary: Dani's life couldn't be going better. She has finally made it to the Olympics, doing the sport she loves the most. But... after arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota things change. First she is constantly badgered by her brother, then she falls for one of his friends, and, of course, there is always a stalker!
(----------)
mdgirl18- Yup, they finally got together. Well, in a sense they did, because this is just the first date. I happy that you're happy that they finally got past the first stage of their relationship. The part with Goldberg was actually a dream I had after I watched the second movie at a friend of mine's house. I didn't know were the dream really came from, but I thought that it would be funny in the story.
Thank you to PrincessH, Lilmonkey1507, and BrokenAngel1753.
(-------)
Saturday. The day Dani had been waiting for had dropped down to the hour that she was waiting for. Her mind, while still on Adam and his ungodly perfect kissing, was also fixed on her skating. If it wasn't, then she was completely screwed, because messing up was not an option at the moment. She stopped when her watch beeped a four and skated over to the boards, catching a Gatorade that Tammy threw in her direction.
Tammy smiled and took a drink, "So, what are we going to do tonight? Go to the Mall of America, eat hot dogs, and ride the roller coasters until we puke?" She asked as she recapped the bottle. (Remind anyone of anything?)
"Maybe for you, babe." Dani replied, "I've got a date tonight." Tammy's eyed narrowed in question. Gia skated up to them and grabbed a third Gatorade, "I'll see you after, though."
"See us after what?" Gia asked. She looked from Dani to Tammy, going back and forth for several moments. "Did I miss something?"
"Yup." Dani said, "I have a date tonight."
"With who?" Gia and Tammy asked simultaneously. It was clear that they were hoping she said Adam.
Dani laughed, she loved keeping information these two. She lifted both hands in the air, "Tell them..." She mumbled, dipping her left hand like a scale, "Don't tell them." She mumbled again, dipping her right in the same manner. "Tell them, don't. Tell them, don't." Gia, who could get quickly irritated if she wanted to, grabbed a hold to Dani's left wrist and pushed it down, "Well, fine! Be like that." Dani replied in mock pain and tears, "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes!" Gia retorted.
"You sure?"
"DANI!" Tammy screamed.
"Okay, okay." Dani said, "Last Monday, I asked Adam out." Dani held her ears as Tammy and Gia squealed; damn they were loud. "Now I hope that I can hear him tonight."
"Dani?" Tammy asked as Dani pulled her hands away from her ears. Looking passed Tammy and Gia, their coach and Tommy were watching them with a lot of interest, more then likely because of the squealing "Details. Now!"
"Like what?" Dani asked innocently. She just didn't want to give too many details, but she knew what they would ask.
"Oh, I don't know." Gia said, feigning wonder, "Like... when on Monday did you ask him out? Where are you going? What are you going to be doing? Are you going to be a good girl, or let it all hang out?" Dani snorted out of her nose and slapped her hand to her forehead. Gia would be the first to ask her that. In fact, she had before.
"After hockey practice..." Dani began.
"Wasn't he, like, all hot and sweaty and stuff?" Tammy asked.
"Sweaty, yes." Dani replied, "Hot, in more then one connotation of the word and very." Gia choked slightly on her Gatorade and Tammy giggled. "But that isn't the point, so don't interrupt me if you want any more details then you currently have." Silence, "Thank you. On Wednesday he told me about this restaurant in St. Paul called Tanpopo, he thought I would like it."
"I think I've heard of that." Tammy said, "Is it remotely close to Mickey's?" Dani shrugged, "I think mom took a couple of business colleagues there." Dani noticed that Tammy's voice went deep and angry when she mentioned her mother. Dani raised her eyebrow in question, "No, Dani. I haven't talked to Fulton since our date went down the tube. He probably doesn't want to talk to me anyways."
"Are you kidding me?" Dani asked, exasperated, "The boy is crazy about you! He's like 'Oh-my-God-I-love-you-and-I-want-to-marry-and-grow-old-with-you-and-have-great-kids-with-your-nose-and-your-hair-and-your-face-and-my-last-name'. He's probably out buying the his-and-hers towels right now!"
"You got that from Anger Management and How to Lose a Guy In 10 Days." Tammy moaned.
"Well, yeah, I did. But it fits." Dani sighed, Tammy was a sweet girl, but man was she ever stubborn. "Tammy, trust me on this, he likes you. I mean he really, really likes you." Dani looked back over to her coach, "Oh, Becky and older Coach Orion." Gia and Tammy laughed. Ted Orion was really touchy about his age, so whenever they reminded him he was three years older then he brother, his jaw would twitch. It was rather funny. "Hello all." Dani said as she stopped next to her coach.
"Hi Dani." Becky replied. "Gia, Tammy." They both waved. They liked Becky well enough, but Dani was much more adapted to having a bunch of ten-year-olds around. Becky looked passed them, into the stands, "Who's that?" The four on the ice turned around.
"Joey!" Dani, Tammy, and Gia called out. Their coach was about to faint, while his brother and niece identically cocked their heads in question. Joey was a thin women of average height, with pale skin and bright blond hair that was liberally streaked with red. She, as always, was carrying a pair of skates over her shoulder. Dani tapped her coach's shoulder and handed him a CD that she had made the night before.
"Your welcome." She said, but when he took the CD he wasn't sure if she had meant what she had said because she made him the CD with the songs he needed to practice with Joey, or if she was reminding him that she was Cupid, "That was for the CD coach." Dani replied. She sighed and shook her head.
"Are you a mind reader or something?" He asked.
"Oh, yes." Dani said sarcastically, "I know all, I see all." She skated over to the center of the ice and did a triple axle the rest of the way, greeting Joey with a smile as she put on her skates.
"Eric?"
"What Ted?"
"She looks 25."
"Looks can be deceiving."
"You're 42."
"And you're 45."
"Um, Uncle Eric?" Becky asked, hoping to stop the impending argument, "What's her name?"
"Josephine Cartier."
"Josephine Cartier? I know that name, she's a pairs skater and she's retiring after this year. Her partner's an idiot." Eric nodded, "Isn't she 30?"
"Yes." He replied, monotonously.
"12..." Ted nearly shouted, but he got control over himself as he watched his brother skate over to a women 12 years his junior and kiss her lightly on the lips. "I need so much therapy."
(-------)
"Hey stranger." A voice said, making Adam jump out of his seat in the bus stop. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
"Well, you are scary." Adam joked. As he stood up and kissed Dani gently on the cheek, "Are you ready?" Dani smiled and nodded but she was thinking something along the lines of 'Am I ready? I've been ready since our little encounter on the bus!' "Good, I really like you'll like this place. Just because you're so open minded."
"If you really want to take a girl out who you think is open minded, take her to get Ethiopian food." Dani replied, smiling.
"I'll remember that." He said, "But, why Ethiopian food?"
"You eat it with your hands and a hunk of bread, no silverware." Adam smiled. Dani could tell that he was wondering what any other girl would have done if he said that they were going to a Japanese restaurant, and on the second date they were going to get Ethiopian. 'Wait a minute...Second date? Getting a little ahead of yourself there, Dani.'
Dani's thoughts left her no time to watch were she and Adam were going, so when they got to Tanpopo, Dani was a little surprised that they were already there. "So," Dani said as the waitress took them to a table, "how did you find out about this place?"
"My mom told me about it. She and her friends come here from time to time." Dani looked up at Adam while she held her menu diagonally on the edge of the table, "Only in passing. She started raving about it three months ago."
"Oh." Dani said in relief. She really didn't want Mrs. Banks to know that she and Adam were out on a date. Not unless things got more serious between them, "Does this mean that we have the chance of running into your mother on our first date?"
A siren went off in Adam's head. Had she just implied that she wanted to go out again? Or was he just being paranoid? "Um, no. Mom and her friends only go out on Fridays, unless it's business related or one of Dad's dinner meetings. And then, they go to an obscenely expensive place that normal people choose not to go to so that they can pay the rent or buy dinner for the night after."
"Are you saying that your parents are not normal?" Dani asked. Adam nodded, causing Dani to snort out a laugh. "Sounds like something I would say." Adam laughed in return as Dani looked down at her menu again, "What the hell is this stuff?"
"I have no idea, but mom recommend the Beef or Chicken Soba or Udon." Dani nodded, "I just have to trust her, I guess." Dani smiled and looked out the windows that they were sitting a few tables away from. The blood drained from her face. "Dani?"
She just sat low in her seat with her hands cupped on either side of her face, "What the fuck, no! What are they doing here? Just pass the door and don't come in." Adam looked over to the window and saw a couple walking passed. The guy had dark brown hair, a stubbly beard, and he was tall and skinny and gangly. The girl had blond hair, but the three inches from the root was dark brown, she was wearing little more then a bra and and boy shorts, and she was chomping like a cow on a large amount of gum. "Cheap Slut. Fucking Bastard."
"Dani, who are they?"
Dani sighed and placed her head in her hands, "That is my ex-boyfriend, Wilson. The skank-eteer is his current girlfriend, Maria. I swear they are trying to make me go loco. Why are they always in town?"
"Dani, if you want to go, I'll understand." Adam responded, moving to stand up.
"Adam Banks, sit your ass down right now!" Adam happily complied. He knew that Wilson and Maria were subjects not to be touched on, but he was happy that Dani still wanted to be on their date. The waitress came over and asked them if they were ready to order, "Yes, I'll have the Beef Soba, please."
"Chicken Udon, thanks."
(For anyone who wants to know, Tanpopo is a real place, those foods are on the menu, and they are very good. I recommend them for anyone visiting St. Paul!)
(--------)
After what turned out to be a very good meal, Dani and Adam left with time to spare without anyone worrying about them, so they just walked and talked. "So, what is Chicago like?" Adam asked, "I've never been."
"That depends which part of Chicago you're talking about." Dani replied sadly. Adam stopped and looked at her, confused, "My family used to live in this really crappy apartment in Chicago's South Side. My parents wouldn't let Alec leave the house unless he was going to school or hockey practice, and even then he had to go with one of them. But we moved when Dean and I were five, so everything worked out. Mostly."
"Mostly?" Adam asked.
"Alec, Dean and I had a friend named Dominique Benny, who lived two doors down from us." Dani said, unsure of why she was talking about this particular subject. She figured it was because Adam was easy to talk to, "Well, he was fine one day. That night there was a shooting while he was running errands for his grandmother, who took care of him. We heard the cops telling Ma'am Benny that Dom had been killed."
"Ma'am?"
Dani laughed, "Everyone called her that. I just figured it was her name, so I have no objections. Dom would have been 21 last July 25th, the day I came here."
"He was Jamie's age." Adam replied unconsciously, wondering what his life would have been like if Jamie had been killed at such a young age.
Dani snapped out of her stroll down memory lane, "So, lets talk about something else, because I'm sure that a my past is not all that interesting." Adam smiled, noticing that she was not wanting to continue this conversation. She sighed heavily.
"You okay?" Adam asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just craving something salty, sweet, crunchy, and chewy all at the same time." Dani rolled her eyes, "And I just sounded like a freaking Taco Bell commercial."
Adam laughed, she could make a joke out of anything. He reached into his jacket pocket and felt a wrapper with something in it. He pulled it out and it happened to be a package of Take 5's. "Here. You have one, I'll take the other. I'm sure it meets all of your requirements."
"Thanks Adam." Dani replied as she watched Adam open the package carefully and hold it out for her to take one of the candies. He pulled out his and before he had a chance to eat his, Dani spoke, "Cheers." Adam got the joke and pretended to clink his with hers. Dani bit into the candy and smiled contently, "Yum, chocolate and pretzels. The greatest combination since pretzels and mustard."
"Do you like pretzels?" Adam asked sarcastically, knowing the clear answer.
"What was your first clue, sweetie?" Dani retorted. She was joking, but Adam was having a hard time getting passed being called 'sweetie'. "Are you okay?" Dani asked.
"Yeah I'm fine." Adam replied as he watched a lone raindrop fall onto Dani's face. She smiled and looked up as the rain started to fall harder. Man she was beautiful. "Dani, should we go?"
"No! I love the rain." She called over the splashes falling around them. She pulled off her light jacket and threw it onto a bench that she was standing next to, and started to run around in the rain. Odd girl. Beautiful, but odd. Although it just made her more intriguing to Adam, she made him think. That was what he wanted in a girl. "Come on, Adam. You aren't scared of the rain, are you?"
"No." Adam replied, "I just don't..."
"Oh, stop being a baby. Get over here." Adam opened his mouth to protest, but Dani didn't let him, "I still think that you are scared." She had a devious smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. Adam didn't attempt to object, he just ran after her.
Dani laughed as she back away. Finally, she turned and ran as he tried to catch her. Eventually Adam caught Dani's wrist gently and spun her around. This caused both of them to fall in the patch of mud that they were standing on, they were covered. "Oh look what you've done!" Dani said snottily, "Now I have to get my hair and nails done again." Adam laughed as he realized that she was joking. Thank God!
"I'm sure you'll survive." Adam taunted back. Dani smiled as Adam moved closer, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked in genuine concern. She shook her head no and he smiled in relief. Without much thought, Adam placed his hand on the side of Dani's face and pushed her hair out of her face and behind her ears.
"Thanks." Dani replied to his gesture as she tenderly held onto his wrist and pulled his hand away from her face. Adam scooted closer to her, pulling his arm away from her, and ran his hand down her arms.
What Adam didn't know was the affect he was having on Dani. She was getting goosebumps from his touch, not the rain, and she wanted nothing more then for him to kiss her again. Her muscles didn't want to work and she didn't stand for the sheer fact that her legs didn't remember how. Adam was perfection, with his hair sticking to his face, and his body covered in rain. His jacket was getting soaked and it soon covered him not much better then a white tee-shirt would have, not that any complaining was happening anywhere.
Adam finally stopped running his hand over her arm and rested his hand on her neck. He pulled her closer to him then she was and kissed her. Dani complied to what he was doing as she placed her hand on the back of his head and moaned as he deepened the kiss. The rain only heightened the experience, changing the taste of their mouths, to differ them from the last three kisses they had experienced together.
They pulled away when the sound of church bells ripped them from their fantasy. Adam smiled and placed another tiny kiss just on the tips of Dani's lips. He stood and helped her off of the ground, "I think we should get going. Knowing my parents, they have already freaked out about where I am and have called the cops."
"Yeah, maybe." Dani replied. They walked hand and hand to the bus stop at which they had met and went off in their separate directions, but not before one last little kiss.
When Dani got back to Eden Hall, she was soaking wet, muddy, and extremely happy. She walked into the her dorm building and slowly walked up the stairs from the kitchen to the upper levels that housed her and her fellow figure skaters... and Tommy. Poor, poor Tommy. Dani walked into her room and kept the light off so that Tammy and Gia could sleep. That didn't work out to well.
"Freaking A, son of a bitch!" Dani fumed as she tried to stop the immense pain in her leg that had collided with Tammy's dresser. "Ow!" The light flicked on, momentarily blinding Dani.
"What the biscuits and gravy happened to you?" Gia's voice asked. That was Gia, biscuits and gravy. Don't ask why, because no one will ever know, "Dani?"
"Did someone enjoy tonight?" Tammy asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.
"Actually, yes, I did." Dani replied. "I had a wonderful dinner, went on a nice walk, and rolled around in the rain and mud with an amazingly sweet and gorgeous guy." Tammy raised her eyebrows, "I know, you want to do it with Fulton, but while you dream about that, I need to take a shower." Tammy laughed and pulled a pillow our from under her and aimed, before remembering that Dani was sopping wet and covered in mud.
"How was it?"
Dani bit her lip and smiled, "The greatest day of my life." She admitted before she pulled out her pajamas and walked into the bathroom. What neither Adam nor Dani knew was that they both had the same thought. 'The greatest day of my life. Absolutely amazing.'