The snow was blinding, blowing against the building as it fell and creating a thick curtain of white preventing Adam's eyes from scanning the parking lot. Where was she? He couldn't have been on that plane for more than 5 minutes. Was that long enough for her to disappear again? Disappear with him, Adam's stomach knotted with worry, what if that man on the plane was right? What if his gut feeling had been right? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he left her here, alone and scared. Was he just feeling guilty for leaving her the first time and it was clouding his ability to see the differences between right and wrong? He knew he hadn't imaged her behavior. He hoped he wasn't losing his mind, he needed to focus on finding her as quickly as possible and getting the answers he needed.

The dorms was cold and vacant, all the doors shut and locked. It was Valentine's Day weekend, 18 year old Adam Banks reasoned, holding unto the flowers in his hand tighter as he walked down the hall towards her door. His chest was tight and beating fast with anticipation. How was he supposed to tell her his news, especially this weekend? How was he going to break her heart when all he had been planning to do this weekend was spend every waking minute with the most beautiful girl in the world, enjoying being her boyfriend. Scratch that, every minute both sleeping and awake with the most beautiful girl in the world, showing how much they loved each other. He'd been planning since Christmas, like most of the guys, what he would have planned for this weekend. A calm collected weekend at his parents summer cabin up north, just the two of them and the roaring fire to keep them warm. It was the perfect little romantic getaway for two, that was until he received the letter he had casually tucked between the folds of his chemistry textbook the day earlier. How can they make him choose, it just wasn't right or fair! His mental argument was interrupted as the last member of the team remaining at the dorms exited his room. Fulton Reed fumbled with his keys to the dorm room he was now sharing with Portman, dropping the small objects to the ground before cursing and picking them up again to lock the door. Adam could tell he was nervous as he fumbled with the small lock before turning towards him.

"Hey, Fulton...You off to get the princess?" Adam questioned, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Hah, Ha, very funny.. You know if Tammy heard you talking about her that way she'd kick your ass." Fulton remarking, placing his keys into his jacket pocket and bring a dozen red roses up into view.

"Expensive, planning on a big weekend?"Adam questioned raising his eyebrows in jest.

"Kind of.. We're going up to that ski resort, even though half the team is already up there.." He sighed heavy in defeat. "I just wanted a weekend with just the two of us." He sighed.

"Hey, at least you'll have Charlie and Guy to hang with while Connie, Linda, and Tammy go to the spa.." Adam joked. Fulton slumped his shoulders. Boy, Adam did not wish to be him at that point. It's kind of ironic that half the team planned to take their girlfriends to this one ski lodge for the Valentine's weekend and everyone was so tight lipped about their plan that no one knew until yesterday that they'd be spending the weekend at the same place.

"Yeah..." He grumbled again heading in the direction of the exit without looking in Adam's direction again. Adam stood in that spot staring down the hall to the last door on the right for a few more minutes, how was he supposed to go in there? Sure, he loved her and he was pretty sure she loved him too but how was he suppose to break the news? The start of Fulton's motorcycle outside brought him back to reality and he shook the thought away, heading for her door, a determination in his step to not be detoured from his objective. He stepped in front of the door and stared at the message board that hung from outside, a small way for Julie and Connie to communicate when they weren't able to see each other in person. The latest note read,

"Gone for the weekend, See you Monday! Hugs, Connie." Adam smiled to himself, Julie hadn't written back yet, which was a sign she was still packing inside the room. He tapped lightly on the solid wood door frame and stepped back to wait. The room was quiet for a moment before there were light footsteps and the handle turned to let him in.

"Jules?" He questioned as he pushed the door open further to see the long-haired beauty standing at the mirror brushing her still wet hair.

"You're early...I thought you said six..." She mumbled, catching his eye through the mirror. Adam glanced at her clock and back at his watch, same time, 15 minutes early. Oh well, it was better not to wait to tell her, he supposed with a sigh.

"I know, I just need to talk to you about something, Jules." He said, a grumble in his voice. Her body tensed a little and she set her hairbrush down on the oak dresser with a click, turning to look at him. Adam never got upset so this had to be big, she silently thought, trying to catch his eye.

"What's going on?" She asked, coming to stand in front of him. Adam sighed, sitting down on the end of her bed. "We're still going, right?" She asked, a look of worry on her face, wondering if he was breaking up with her. Why she did not know but onlythat seemed to be worthy of the look that was on his face.

"I hope so..." He whispered quietly, wondering if they would still be together after this conversation. Would they stay together until the end of the year and then split or just call it quits now and wish each other the best. He ran a hand through his hair still not bringing himself to say it.

"So what's going on?" She asked again, this time sitting next to him and taking his hand in hers. He watched silently as she traced circles in his palm with her index finger in a calming fashion.

"Jules, I got a letter from the New Jersey Devils yesterday. Their scout was out a few weeks ago to take a look at me during the game. They want me to play for them. Like a salary and everything and i can still go to school." He looked up at her face for a reaction and at first it seemed like she was trying to take it all in. Just as fast as he had thought she would start screaming at him and crying that they meant more than hockey, she was in his arms screaming with glee.

"New Jersey! Adam, that's so great!" Her voice was filled with excitement. He smiled a little and wrapped his arms around her, taking in her sweet scent. "When do you have to be there? In the fall for the new season?" She was asking a million questions at once, backing her head up to look at his face and get the full story.

"No,...I have to be there by July 1st." He said looking down at his hands. Julie's face changed from a smile to a slight half smile. She wouldn't let that change her happiness for him, she would never hold him back.

"Okay, So you're going to go right?" She smiled again with questioning eyes, only hoping for the best for him.

"I don't want to go unless you go with me.." His voice was solemn, his eyes turned down. The light left her face slightly, the possibility of going with him seemed like a dream but something she hadn't planned on.

"Adam, I'm already enrolled for the fall semester at Minnesota U. Everyone's going... I can't just apply to a school in NY now, I mean. They're probably already full." She really did want to go but it seemed like a hopeless cause to try to look for schools now. Sure with her grades she's definately get in but the semester was only a few short months away. His eyes glanced down, "Everyone but you.. Adam, look we'll be fine. Nothing's going to change, I'll still be me when you get back." She smiled warmly at him. Was it possible to have a long distance relationship with her, was it possible that they could still love each other after all this was over? He hoped so as the lump in his throat began to subside and he tried to smile. He'd been dreading this moment for the past two days but maybe they would be alright. He wrapped his arms around her securely and pulled her close to hug her to him.

"You worry too much, cake-eater." She giggled into his chest. "Besides how could I possible love anyone as much as I love you." She smiled, her eyes looking up at him from her spot in his arms. He almost didn't catch the last bit but his heart skipped a beat at her admission. She knew she was threading in unknown territory by saying she loved him so her eyes cast down before he moved his finger to lift her chin. She'd said it, she'd said she loved him even if it was in a joking manner. He let his eyes respond to her in a tender moment then stood quickly to avoid a response,

"So you ready, let's get out of here." He said pulling her towards the door. He'd never been go at expressing his feelings. His Father was not one to show emotion so to say that Adam was emotionally crippled would be an understatement. Julie knew this and understood, playfully poking his side.

"Adam! I need to get my bag.." She laughed pulling back on him and reaching for the duffle bag that sat on her bed. She quickly slug it over her shoulder and turned off the lights to darken the room for the night before closing the door behind her.

A soft, cold snowflakes landing on Adam's eye lid reminded him, he was standing alone in the cold of the airport parking lot without her anywhere in sight. Where would he even start, he tried to reason. He had no idea where she lived or who to ask. he'd been gone for so long, it was hard to tell if the Ducks would even want to talk to him. The last day he'd left he hadn't really been nice to any of them, slamming doors and ignoring goodbyes. He was alone in this.

He felt the ground shake a little as his would-be plane to New York took off over his head and in its quake, the snow that had been falling peacefully from the sky came crashing down on him. Adam quickly covered his eyes and turned his head down towards the ground to avoid the gust. That's when he saw it, if he hadn't have looked down he never would have. A small object tucked in the front pocket of his carry on, cover by a little snow, at his feet. He couldn't mistake the small leather wallet if he tried. Reaching for it, he prayed that it was hers and not someone else's that had been mixed up with his stuff in his rush to get off the plane. Flipping open the heavy flap that secured it shut, he breathed a sigh of relief, there staring back at him was her face, the bright black lettering of her address placed next to it on his Minnesota issued ID. Adam was never one to be a believer in signs but maybe he should start, he thought as his hand flew up in the air to hail a taxi making its way through the heavy snow. He backed up to avoid being splashed by its tires and quickly opened the door to get in and out of the cold.

The ride home from the airport had been slow and silent. Julie stared out the window, thoughts of Adam still remaining in her memory as she wondered what her life might have become if she had stayed with him. A small sting in her arm caused her to move her hand to the spot, unconsciously, her hand rubbing at it mindlessly as she watched the landscape pass by her closed window. It was hell to get those bags to the car but she'd never complain. Greg didn't like complainers, he would always come home from work yelling about complainers at his job and then suddenly it became her fault. Everything was her fault bur maybe she deserved it in the end for not being a better wife and understanding his reasons for her failures. His hand reached out causing her to jump and turn to look at him. It covered her own and rested on her arm in the spot that hurt the most.

"You know, I'm sorry about that. it's just if things were done right the first time we wouldn't have so many problems." He reasoned, rubbing gently against her hand. She tried to smile for him, it usually helped in calming his mood. She really didn't want to fight tonight, the airport had been emotionally draining for her as it was and she almost wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a year. He returned her smile, bring his hand back to the steering wheel and turning his eyes back to the road in front of them. He always apologized and things would be better for a few hours, sometimes it was days but not lately. He worked so hard at his job, it must be stressful, so why not allow him to vent to her, even if she was left with the injuries for days after. She tried not to think of such things about her husband, Greg would never intentionally take it out on her, he loved her, he really did, he just expressed it differently than anyone else. He loved her, she was sure of it, no matter what anyone else thought. Glancing over at him again, a smile formed on his lips and she tried to smile back but her thoughts were drifting elsewhere, he could be the sweetest person in the world sometimes but he could also be the one man she feared the most. The snow broke a little and their house came into view. It was a good sized house with large windows and a balcony that sat up on a hill to give it the best view in the county. Julie had to admit, when it came to material goods, she was not left wanting but it always come at a price. Greg pulled the car into the garage, closing the door with the car remote hooked to the visor and stepped out into the cold air. Julie reached to her side to grab her purse, grabbing the sack and pulling it to her lap. it felt strangely light so she glanced inside to see her wallet missing. She internally groaned and hoped she hadn't been pick pocketed at the airport. She reached down next to her and felt the cool leather seat instead of the small cream colored wallet. Searching the floor and around the seat, the wallet was nowhere in sight, what had she done with it? She mused before Greg's voice cut into her thought.

"Julie?" His questioning voice caused her to look up from her search,

"Coming!" She called back quickly, forgetting about the possession, she'd come back out later to look for it, rather than cause him to become angry with her. Stepping out of the car, he was at her side, staring down at her with his dark eyes. A cold chill enveloped her body and she shook involuntarily at his gaze, trying to let a playful smile play on her lips to give her a sense of submission. Was he mad already? She asked herself.

"What's going on?" He asked suspiciously, looking to the car behind her and down at her purse as it hung from her shoulder. She adjusted the strap nervously.

"Nothing, just had to grab my purse." She turned quickly to avoid his piercing gaze to retrieve his bags from the trunk before he would ask any other questions.

"Is everything alright with you?" His eyes were intense when they met hers over the silver car roof. He knew, the hot feeling of fear entered her chest without warning, he knew somehow she had been with Adam. But how, no one was there. Okay, she silently told herself, just stay calm and he'll back off, he feeds off your weakness.

"Yes, I'm just tired from the drive." She assured, coming to place her hand on his arm. His eyes softened a small amount, just enough to allow her to let out the breathe she had been holding in her burning lungs. He nodded, satisfied with her answer beforebheading into the house through the garage door. Julie watching him go before closing her eyes to let herself relax and breathe in a deep breath. She had to watch her reactions or she'd let her secret out quickly. Closing the trunk with a click, her thoughts drifted elsewhere once again. Maybe if he was still in a good mood later, she'd ask him if they could order out instead of her cooking dinner. On most nights she wouldn't even think to ask but he seemed just as tired as she was tonight from his trip. Maybe he'd be lineate,. If not she'd probably have a black eye tomorrow. Grabbing his bags from the ground she slowly moved them into the house, keeping her right arm at her side the whole time.

Had it really been this long since Adam had been back to Minnesota that he couldn't find his way around. It had been tough enough to find a car rental business that was still open with the weather, not to mention that the only car they had left was a small Volkswagen beetle that was totally overpriced and reminded him of his first car, the one he had taken Julie to the prom in. The snow was still coming down thick but his mind was set on finding Julie and at least making sure she was alright. The small car hummed with the pressure Adam was putting on the gas and it slowly crept up the hill towards the top. He hoped it wouldn't stall out and roll back down, he hadn't had very much driving activities in the past couple years, being driven around most of the time, so if the car went backwards his confidence was pretty slim in controlling it. The sun was setting just over the hill and Adam sighed, it was going to be a long night and there was no way he was going to find her in the dark when he couldn't even see three feet in front of him. Besides it would look too suspicious for him to show up at her house in the middle of the night, even if her husband wasn't doing what he thought. Weighing his options he finally decided to find a hotel and use his laptop to find a route to her address. The thought entered his mind to call the other Ducks and see if they could help him out but he's only had Fulton and Charlie's numbers and he hadn't talked to either of them since his first year in New York. The remote possibility of either of them knowing how to get to Julie's house was very slim, if anyone would know Connie would, so maybe he'd try to find her number. A small road side motel was coming up on his left and he decided to just stop there for the night, the weather was suppose to break in the morning and he'd hopefully have a better idea of how to find Julie by then.

The soft murmur of the television on in the living room was a relaxing reminder that Greg was full from the take out they had ordered and was silently now enjoying a football game on ESPN. Julie had just finished putting the dishes away and cleaning up the take-out left-over items when her missing wallet entered her mind. The leather satchel lay on the counter in the kitchen by she knew the inside contents were empty. She surveying the closed entrance to the garage, should she risk going to look for it now or wait until he went to sleep? No, he'd probably want her to go to sleep at the same time so he knew where she was and he'd take the car for work the next day, if she wanted to get it, it would have to be now. A soft sigh of frustration that his team was losing let Julie know he was completely into the game. She quickly hung the drying towel she'd clutched in her hands on the rack and grabbed the car keys from the hook, moving towards the door. Hopefully he wouldn't even notice she was gone if she made it quick. The lock for the door clicked in her hands and she froze waiting to see if he would say anything. When no sound came from the other room she pressed the door open just enough for her to slip though, leaving the door open a bit to watch for Greg. The car was cold as she leaned against it to find the right key to unlock the driver's side door and creep inside. The search was slow, Julie being meticulous in not making any noise but the object was nowhere in sight. Could she have left it at the airport? She'd had it when she left Adam at the coffee shop, so somewhere between then and when she got in the car. It was possible for her to replace her cards but to take care of it without Greg finding out, Julie sighed in defeat. Stepping back out to the cold night air of the garage, she closed the door and locked it again, turning to return to the house when she ran into a wall, causing her to step back. The black dress shirt and black dress slacks sent a cold shiver down her shipe and she moved her eyes slowly up his torso. First following the button up to his neck opening, then his tightened jaw line, to which she cringed and finally to his piercing dark eyes, staring back at her. She was in big trouble.

So the motel wasn't the Ritz but Adam had been in worse in his days, he thought typing away at his laptop . The dim light from the night stand shined unto his screen and he closed it slowly, admitting he was never going to get a map to such a remote location it the wilderness. He didn't even know where he was really, just what the card on the night stand said. You think with the amount of people that had fawned over him when he checked in that someone would be willing to help him but no, they were all tight lipped or just didn't really know. Looking at his half drunken can of Pepsi on the table, he stared at his small Verizon wireless flip-phone. Did he even have any accurate numbers anymore? He decided that it was his best bet and flipped the small device open to search for a number. Beth, Brittany, Carmen, Charlie, his red line highlighted the name and Adam took a breath. He hadn't talked to any of them in forever, how would they take him calling them out of the blue. Would they want to help or just blow him off like he had them for the past 5 years. He shook his head and closed the phone, he could do this without them. He knew he could, but would he risk the safety of Julie on his pigheaded selfish ego, throwing all that to the side, he opened his phone again and pressed the button before he could second guess himself. The phone rang twice before Adam could bring himself to lift it to his ear. The third ring sounded and his mind screamed reasons to hang up, maybe this wasn't the right number, maybe he wasn't home anyway, maybe he didn't want to be bothered. Before he could hang up, a female voice came on the line.

"Hello?" He cleared his throat with a soft groan and gathered his courage,

"Yes, is Charlie there?" The line was silent and his self-doubts came flooding back.

"Who can I say is calling?" She asked sweetly; a little too sweet if you asked him for a complete stranger.

"Adam...Adam Banks..." He bite at his lip to wait for the response. Would he take the call? There was no reason for him not to, the line was silent again before a cough on the other end signaled the phone had been passed to a male voice.

"Hello?" His voice hadn't changed and Adam sighed a little in relief,

"Charlie, it's Adam. I need your help."