DISCLAIMER: I do not own Mighty Ducks and their characters! Blah, blah, blah.
I would personally like to thank Cat61 for pointing out my Migrator/Aerowing mix-up in the first chapter. Thank you, Cat61!
Mighty Ducks: PA
Chapter: Kidnapped? Damn.
It's been a full week since Roxanne had started working for Phil and the Mighty Ducks… and she was exhausted. She was so tired; she decided to stay in on this beautiful Friday night instead of going to a raging party with Sarah.
Roxanne was lounging on her old, olive couch with a glass of merlot in one hand. She sprawled out on the cushions in her oversized red-plaid pajama pants and white 'wife-beater' shirt. Her single braided, wet hair indicated that she just got out of the shower as the scent of clean raspberries lingered from her form.
She took this quiet moment to observe her shared home… the small kitchenette was attached to the living room which she was currently occupying. At one end of the gigantic room, the wall was entirely made of red brick while the rest was a boring shade of slate. The two girls attempted to give the room life by adding random framed movie posters from the 80's such as Aliens, Back to the Future, E.T., and The Princess Bride amongst various others. Their tables (coffee, side and dining) were all mix-matched hand-me downs. Their basic tall bookshelves contained various, old college books and hand selected DVDs of their choice… along with Roxanne's decorative weapons such as daggers and Sais.
The TV that Roxanne sat across was actually a giant computer monitor that was attached to Sarah's little pink laptop. The main DVD menu for Clueless was on the screen, waiting to be played.
"Roxy!" Sarah called from their bathroom down the hall (which also led to their separate rooms). "Are you sure you don't want to go out? You could celebrate your job's first week survival!"
"Yes," Roxanne called back. She sank further into the plushy couch and sipped her cheap red wine. "I'm sure I don't want to go out. My way of celebrating the 'first week survival' is to do absolutely nothing."
The brunette sighed contently as a soft, cool breeze drifted inside from the open sliding door that led to the balcony.
Too bad we're in the city, she thought to herself. It would be a perfect night for a bonfire.
"OK," Sarah hid behind the corner of the hallway as she peeked out at her roommate/best friend. "Tell me what you honestly think…."
Sarah stepped out and revealed a very short turquoise dress with a very low front. She put her hair up in a high ponytail and had the 'teased bump' on her scalp… which always reminded Roxanne of the Coneheads. Sarah stood tall with her nude-tone stilettos.
"What are you aiming for?" Roxanne asked with a monotone.
"A girl that looks like she'll put out, but won't," Sarah answered simply.
"Achieved."
"You think?" Sarah smiled hopefully.
"I do," Roxanne took a sip of her wine. "I know you are going through your 'revenge on men' thing, but please tell me you are bringing one decent male to watch out for you."
Knock, knock.
"I'm not that stupid," Sarah waved her roommate's worries away as she went to open the door. "I'm bringing Scott!"
She opened the door to reveal their close, gay friend Scott.
"Hello, gorgeous!" Scott gushed as he entered their home and hugged the blonde. "You look great! You are really going to get to them tonight!"
Scott was in his late twenties and was incredibly handsome. He was every woman's, er, man's dream. Tall, tan, had blonde luxurious hair, buff and was a bouncer at Anaheim's most hoppin' club. Whenever his lady-friends wanted to go out, he would be right by their side to make sure they weren't messed with. Tonight, he sported fitted designer jeans and very complimenting black button-up shirt.
"Hey, On-the-Rox!" he greeted happily as Sarah went to grab her matching purse from her room.
'On-the-Rox' was obviously Roxanne's cursed nickname... she earned that title from a no-tell night in college.
"Hey, Scott," she smiled as she raised her glass before taking another sip while remaining in her seat. "How goes it?"
"It goes," he sighed. "Work has been crazy lately! Every night, it's been packed for some odd reason! I'm so thankful I have tonight off…."
"I'm thankful too, that would mean I would have to watch Sarah mind-screw every male that comes across her."
Sarah has a vendetta toward most males… especially at parties. From what Roxanne understood, in the past, she was played countless times. Even when sober, Sarah would meet a sweet guy and he would break her heart shortly after sex. Roxanne felt bad for her and understood her anger toward the male race… but she found it a bit extreme for Sarah to go and purposely play a man. She called it 'ego-damaging.' Roxanne, of course, tried to convince her to stop before she got hurt… but when Sarah has a mission, she has a mission. Roxanne wished she would realize not all men are pigs….
"Don't worry," Scott smiled reassuringly. "I'll watch her."
"Appreciated!" Roxanne smiled as she raised her glass to him as a thank you.
"OK!" Sarah came out as she scuttled toward the door. "We better get going before we're late!"
"Bye!" they both yelled as they exited the apartment.
"Bye," Roxanne smiled softly as she listened to Sarah locking the bolt on their door.
"Sir!" Chameleon ran into Dragonaus's control room. Wraith and Siege were with their leader, plotting against the ducks. "I found out who the girl is!"
"Oh," Siege rolled his eyes that were too small for his big head. "You finally did something useful, eh?"
"For your information," Chameleon crossed his arms as stared up at the beast that stood before him. "I am very useful."
"ENOUGH!" Dragonaus roared as smoke steamed out of his nostrils. "Who is she?"
"She's the Mighty Ducks' personal assistant," the little guy informed proudly.
"What?" Wraith raised his brow in question. "They have a personal assistant?"
"Why don't we have one of those?" Siege kicked the ground with a disgruntle pout.
"Silence!" Dragonaus barked before he turned back to Chameleon. "What's her name and do we know where she lives?"
"Her name is Roxanne, sir. And I know exactly where she lives…."
Evil cackles!
Drake One's alarm blared through the Mighty Ducks' headquarters. Everyone stopped what they were doing as they sprinted toward the warning system.
"What is it, Tanya?" Mallory asked.
"Drake One has spotted teleportation energy in downtown Anaheim," Tanya answered.
"In two different locations," Wildwing added as he eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That means we have to split up. Nosedive, Tanya and I will take the West, the rest of you take the East side of town."
"Got it!" Mallory nodded as her, Duke and Grin exited.
"I wonder why those goons are in different areas of the city," Mallory pondered as she and others rode their Duckcycles to where the energy was located.
"Our team is not as strong when we are not together," Grin stated wisely.
"Obviously they're doing this on purpose," Duke added. "I guess we'll find out soon enough, the radar is saying it's just five blocks away!"
The ending credits of Clueless played as our PA slept soundly on the couch. The one glass of merlot pushed Roxanne's exhaustion into a deep, peaceful slumber. She was curled up on one end of the sofa, dreaming of work… kind of.
Roxanne was walking through the headquarters' halls while carrying a heavy laundry basket filled with Wildwing's clothes. She walked up to his room and knocked on his metallic door with her foot.
"Hey, Wildwing?" she called. "Your laundry is done!"
SWISH.
There stood the captain in his armor, looking down at the brunette.
"Do you want me to put these away?" she asked bashfully as he just stared at her through his emotionless mask.
"No," he answered simply as didn't move a muscle.
"Oh, OK. I guess I can set this down some-" Wildwing grabbed the basket and tossed it to the side. "Where… Sir, are you OK?"
"I'm great," he chirped as he stepped closer to her.
"Really?" she nervously shuffled when the duck was nose to beak with her. "Because you seem… off."
"I'm doing fantastic," he assured huskily as he placed his hands on her hips.
"Oh, well," Roxanne blushed insanely as he pulled her close. "That's, uh…"
"It's what?" he asked lowly as the tip of his beak brushed her lower lip.
"Should we be doing this?" she asked shakily. "I mean… you're my boss and I wouldn't want to start problems for your team and, a-and-"
The duck interrupted as he cupped her jaw line and placed his thumb on her lips to hush her.
"Please, just…" he said he leaned in. "BREATHE!"
With that, he shoved her roughly away.
CLANK!
Roxanne shot up as a mysterious noise awoke her from her odd dream… or was it the push that woke her up? Her heart fluttered with slight fright as she noticed the power was completely out and she was sitting in the semi-dark. The yellow lights from the streets peered through her still open sliding door. The night apparently grew colder as a chilly breeze swept across her flesh.
She shivered as she tried to rub away the goose bumps. She eyed the room as paranoia shot up her spine… for some reason, she was afraid. She quivered as she noticed the smell of old ashes in the air. The scent was so potent; it turned her stomach ever so slightly… it reminded her of an old ash tray full of musky cigerettes.
"H-hello? Sarah? Scott?" she whispered as she got up from the couch. Silence answered her as she continued to stare at the empty living room/kitchen. She closed her eyes and breathed in to settle her nerves. "I'm going crazy…."
"Are you now?" a creepy, elderly voice asked.
Her eyes snapped open and met with two hallow orbs… that were attached to a floating, cloaked, creepy-as-fuck dragon-like creature. She jumped back stiffly as the lanky beast levitated closer to her.
"Hello, Roxanne," he evilly smiled.
"How," she stepped back, but he only maneuvered toward her. "How? Who? What's going on? What do you want?"
"You, my dear."
"H-huh? AH!" she yelped as she stepped into her coffee table that caused her to fall back onto it. Because of the flimsy legs of the old piece of furniture, the thing collapsed from underneath her. "Oof!"
"My, you're a clumsy one, aren't you?" the cloaked figure grinned as he held out his staff that sported a duck skull. Roxanne stared wide-eyed at the skull as she realized this guy was an enemy of the Mighty Ducks.
"What do you want from me?" she whimpered hoarsely as the creature hovered over her.
"Dragonaus wants you, my dear," he answered as he reached out for her.
She screamed bloody murder as she instinctively kicked the creep in the stomach. This action caused him to wheeze as she rolled out from under him. She scrambled to her feet as she headed toward the door, but she didn't get far as she felt a big mass hit her back. The impact made her fly across the room and crash into her dining table.
Craaaack snap!
"AH!" she wailed as she clutched onto her left wrist that throbbed in pain.
"You're going to pay for that!" he growled as he stalked toward her and grabbed onto her ridiculously long braid. She tried to slap, smack, punch, anything! But every time she moved her arm, severe agony shot through her body like electricity. She felt slight relief when she cradled her injured limb with her other arm.
"LET GO!" she cried as she struggled against his grip… which was surprisingly strong for his boney fingers. "HELP!"
CRASH!
Figures crashed through the front door as more light peered in. All she could see were three silhouettes; one female, one massive male and one average height.
"Hey!" the average height figure yelled. "That's no way to treat a lady, Wraith!"
"Oh?" Wraith narrowed his beady eyes at his enemies. "Well, why don't you come get her from me, you pesky birds!"
Birds? It clicked for Roxanne. The ducks!
"GUYS!" she called but 'Wraith' yanked her braid harshly to shut her up. "Ah!"
"Roxanne?" Mallory stepped forward as she aimed her puck-launcher at Wraith.
"Let her go," Grin growled. "She has nothing to do with our war."
"Well," Wraith smiled wickedly as he activated his teleportation device. "She does now."
FLASH!
"Roxanne!" Duke ran up to the two but it was too late… Wraith teleported out of there with their new friend.
"What do we do?" Mallory asked worriedly.
"We need to tell Wildwing," Duke answered as he ran out the door, the others followed.
Wildwing, Nosedive and Tanya stepped out of the abandoned warehouse.
"Why would they just show up and not do anything?" Tanya asked aloud.
"I'm not sure," Wildwing pondered. "But whatever it is, it's not good."
"Wing," Duke's voice called through their communicator. "Do you hear me?"
"Yeah," Wildwing paused to talk to his comrade. "We're here. We got nothing from those creeps. What about you? Did anything happen?"
"Uh," Duke laughed nervously. "Yeah… you could say that."
"Well," Nosedive pushed impatiently. "C'mon, spit it out. What is it?"
"They got her, Wing," Duke said grimly.
"Who's got who?" Wildwing asked carefully.
"Dragonaus… they have Roxanne."
Roxanne whimpered as she stared down at the molten pit below her. The rope scratched and dug into her flesh as she felt her hands tingled from the lack of circulation. They bounded her entire torso with itchy rope. Her entire left arm pulsed in pain while the rest of her body ached. Her bare feet dangled above the hot, swirling liquid of burning-death as tears streaked down her face. She was just hanging there… unable to do anything. If she untied herself, she would plummet to her death. She was better off staying where she was and hopefully stall her tragic fate.
The creatures left her there… they've been gone for about an hour. Were they trying to roast her alive?
"Well, well, well," a deep, intimidating voice snaked into the air. "Roxanne, is it?"
She didn't respond as an enormous red beast walked into the torture chamber. She just watched him with caution and teary shock.
"You're probably wondering why you are here," he casually started in as he examined his claws as if he was bored. She never responded as he continued. "My sources tell me that you are the personal assistant for those annoying, meddling ducks." He spat out the last part as if the word 'duck' gave him a disgusting taste in his mouth.
Now, Roxanne has always been considered as a very lenient person. But she was also loyal to a fault. Roxanne tried to bite her tongue and control her oncoming word vomit… but it was too late.
"Yes, I am their personal assistant. What's the problem, sir?" her response dripped with distain and sarcasm as she glared down at the appalled demon.
"Don't you get smart with me, human!" he snarled as his eyes began to illuminate red with anger.
"Well, you did ask."
"I don't think you are in the position to be mouthing off!"
"I don't think you know you are going to get your ass kicked!"
"You little…" his eyes narrowed into loathing slits, but then he relaxed and grinned evilly. "You think they're going to rescue you, don't you? Well, even if they come for you… they'll be too late."
He turned and yelled down the hall, "SEIGE! CHAMELEON!"
Two other monsters that she saw earlier entered the room.
"Yes, sir!" They saluted.
"We're going out… Let's see how long our new little friend here can hold her breath since she can't hold her tongue."
Congratulations to me, she deadpanned in her mind. I'm obviously going to drown.
So predictable, she groaned as she was literally being carried into the shark exhibit of California's Aquarium of the Pacific. Fabulous.
Roxanne grimaced as Siege adjusted her on his shoulder roughly. Her left arm was killing her! She just knew she broke it back at the apartment. How am I supposed to work with a broken arm! Crapcrapcrapcrap!
"Mrmmph!" she cried as Siege yet again adjusted her. She would call for help, but the vengeful reptiles gagged her with duct tape and an old rag that tasted like expired dish soap. The repulsive flavor made her gag… pun not intended.
"This is where Drake One is sensing those lizards?" Mallory asked aloud as they pulled up to the aquarium in the Migrator (AN: yes, the LAND vehicle that I have mistaken for the Aerowing!).
"Yep," Tanya confirmed as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "This is the place!"
"I sense Roxanne is in more danger than we expected," Grin added as they rushed out of the Migrator.
"I hear ya, Grin," Wildwing agreed as they dashed to the entrance. "I have a bad feeling about this."
Duke wasted no time as he knelt before the main door and quickly began to pick the lock.
"Uh," Nosedive brows rose as he read a gigantic poster. "Welcome our summer guest, Jaws the Shark. He wants you for dinner."
"That's bothersome," Grin commented as he stood next to his best friend.
"You're telling me!" Nosedive crossed his arms. "What kind of ad agency encourages exhibits to feed their customers to sharks?"
"That's not the bothersome part, little bro," Wildwing stated as he too read the sign. "Duke, we need to hurry!"
"Got it!" Duke smiled victoriously as the lock clicked and he opened the door. The team wasted no time as they made haste into the building.
"Wildwing," Mallory ran alongside their captain who led the way. "Where are we going?"
"To the Jaws exhibit," he answered as he picked up the pace.
"How do you know that is where they are?" Duke panted as they kept up.
"Let's say my animal instinct is kicking in right now," Wildwing hinted as they ran past an old movie poster of Jaws. He all of sudden slowed to a halt as they were approaching Jaw's exhibit's entrance. He signaled the others to be quiet and have their puck launchers ready.
"OK," Dragonaus exasperated as he rubbed his temples in annoyance. "Last chance. Tell me everything about the ducks or you will be shark bait. For example, their weaknesses."
"Like," Chameleon listed off out loud. "Gluten allergies, fear of spiders, bad knee…. Anything!"
"Chameleon," Siege grumbled. "Shut up."
Roxanne huffed defiantly and rolled her eyes as she was once again hanging in midair… but this time, over a big pool with a very big shark swimming in it. They tied the long rope, which she was connected to, to one of the beams on the ceiling. She cringed at the heavy weight they linked to her ankles. Her feet erupted in unpleasant pin-needle tingling sensations. Big Red, she liked to call him, kept her mouth gagged so she wouldn't mouth off.
"Are you sure?" Siege sang as he readied his hatchet that he was going to throw to cut her lifeline.
"Mmmrrph, mmmrph!" She glared as tears streaked down her face. She held her chin high; it was her way of telling them to 'F off.' She was scared, sure… but she'd rather die than betray anybody.
"If you say so," Chameleon giggled mischievously.
Dragonaus smirked as held up his wrist laser and fired as Roxanne's leg. Her muffled scream echoed as the zap grazed through the side of her pajama pants and flesh, leaving a wicked gash. The exposed wound instantly oozed fresh blood that traveled down her leg and trickled into the water below, tempting one of the ocean's famous predators.
"I think our little pet is hungry," Dragonaus smirked as he watched the shark swim in circles with excitement. "Siege, dispose of this useless human."
"Sure thing, boss!" the obedient saurian cackled as he chucked the hatchet at the rope … but a random puck shot out of nowhere and threw the hatchet off course.
"To be expected," Dragonaus wasn't fazed as he turned around to greet the ducks, whom pointed their puck launchers at him. "You came to watch her die? How sweet."
Roxanne smiled underneath the duct tape as her hopes sky rocketed. Phew! For a moment there, I really thought I was going to die.
"Dragonaus," Wildwing growled venomously. "Let her go."
"Such poor choice of words," the evil dragon laughed as he turned as zapped the rope, causing it to break. Dragonaus teleported immediately as pucks were fired in his direction… he was gone before they could hit him.
Roxanne's screamed through her gag as she plummeted down into the shark tank.
"ROXANNE!" Wildwing called as he and the others witnessed her being plunged into Jaw's waters. He wasted no time as he ran to retrieve her quickly, but an enormous life saver was thrown at him. The impact caused him to fall on his back.
Siege boasted in laughter as Chameleon golf clapped. The other ducks fired at the two remaining saurians, but they too also flashed away before contact was made.
Roxanne screamed underwater as the salt water stung her open wounds and eyes. Her bones stiffened from the bitter cold while her toes grew numb. Her lungs were already burning since she didn't have time to take in a breath before plunging into the murky waters. She heard herself hit the bottom of the tank as the weight collided with the concrete ground. She struggled desperately as she ignored the tremendous aches, pain and stinging. She tried closing her eyes, but the action made everything worse since her orbs were already exposed to the salt.
When she opened her eyes again, her heart froze as she watched 'Jaws' trucking toward her. The great predator opened his massive mouth and revealed his rows of razor sharp teeth as he neared the defenseless female. Roxanne stiffened as she braced herself for her horrible oncoming death. But the shark was thrown off as gigantic figure dove into the water and tackled the underwater beast.
Roxanne watched wide-eyed as Grin held the shark in a constricting hold with his massive arms. The battle before her began to blur as her head became painfully dizzy. She felt as if her skull was going to pop off if she didn't take a breath. Against her will, her lungs inhaled the treacherous waters and she began to suffocate. She suddenly became overly calm and sedated as she watched the world fade around her.
Roxanne stood alone in the black abyss. She looked down to find herself dry and wearing a lavender sundress that hugged all the right curves of her body. She looked back up and found herself now in a peaceful meadow. The long grass reached her hips and the tips tickled her knuckles. The sun was bright and happy as it floated in the middle of the sky… it was clearly noon.
"Roxanne," a woman's voice danced in the breeze.
Roxanne jumped and turned around to see a blonde woman several feet away from her. Her long golden hair twirled and licked the air as the wind whispered hushed poetry. Her bright white sundress reflected the sun's rays, giving her a gentle glow. Her soft, green eyes stared at the young woman before her as her lips curved into a tender smile.
"Mom?" Roxanne choked out as she dared to take a step forward.
After Roxanne blacking out, Wildwing dove into the waters and spotted his distressed friend. He quickly swam to her and grabbed her shoulders to shake her into consciousness. He began to panic when he received no response. His heart rate quicken as he observed her eerily still, emotionless face. Her eyes were closed while her loose braid floated around her shoulders. He immediately fired his puck launcher at the rope below her feet, breaking off the attachment of the fatal weight. When she was freed, he pulled her up to the surface with him.
He took in air as they reached surface. He wasted no time as he pulled her to the side of the tank where the others waited.
"Quickly!" Wildwing urgently ordered as he held up their unconscious friend. "Get her out of the water and untie her!"
As they followed his orders, Wildwing pulled himself out of the waters and saw Grin swimming to the shore safely. When Grin joined his crew, Roxanne was completely unbounded and de-gagged... but she was not waking up.
Tanya checked her vitals and her face paled.
"S-she's not breathing!" she exclaimed. "And s-she has no pulse!"
"Move!" Wildwing climbed over and straddled the girl who was on her back. He put his beak to her lips and breathed into her mouth. Then he pulled away, placed his hands over her chest and pumped in hopes of jumpstarting her heart.
"One, two, three," he counted with every push. His friends watched helplessly as he performed CPR. Give her air, one-two-three; give her air, one-two-three….
"C'mon!" Wildwing shouted in frustrated as he pushed harder. "Breathe!"
"Wing," Duke put his hand on his leader's shoulder. "I don't think…."
"No!" Wildwing ignored his comrade as he gave the girl beneath him more air. He became more frantic as she still wasn't responding. "C'mon! Dammit, Roxanne! Wake up!" He cringed when he felt her ribs cracked from underneath his palms, but he kept going. He gave her more desperate air, willing to give his last breath if he could.
"Please!" he choked out as he pushed one last time with all of his might. "Just… BREATHE!"
"W-what?" Roxanne looked around as the sky darkened and the winds picked up. She looked back at her mother and saw her fading away. She reached out and cried, "Mom! Come back!"
"It's not your time, my dear," her mother informed gently as she misted away into the air. "Not your time."
Wheeze, choke, cough!
Roxanne felt the weight on top of her disappear as she was rolled gently to her side. Her eyes watered as her throat burned as she vomited everything out of her lungs and stomach. Her body racked in biggest coughing fit and pain she had ever experienced. Everything hurt… her insides, her chest, her limbs, her head… everything.
Mom….
The ducks sighed in relief when their leader brought their new friend back to life. Everybody but Wildwing stood back to give the young woman space. He was still kneeling beside her as began to rub her back in soothing comfort as she continue to throw up on the ground. Her coughing-up came to a halt as she just laid there shivering. Since she was already drenched, they couldn't see the silent tears that speckled the floor beneath her.
"Roxanne," Wildwing said calmly, as if scared she would spontaneously die if he startled her. He placed his hand gently on her arm as leaned closer. "Are you OK?"
Roxanne coughed a couple more times as she laid her forehead on the cold concrete before answering. She wasn't sure what she should say… yes, no, why am I here?
"I'll let you know in a moment," she rasped out. "I'm kinda hurting."
"Where do you hurt?" Tanya stepped over and knelt beside her.
"Everywhere," Roxanne deadpanned before letting the dream world pull her in for a good rest and temporary escape. Within seconds, she passed out from exhaustion.
"Wildwing," Mallory placed her hand on the leader's shoulder. "We should probably get her to the hospital."
Roxanne's eyes fluttered open to the steady sound of beeping. The first thing she saw was a unmoving, stale white ceiling fan. She crinkled her nose as the potent smell of bleach and medication invaded her senses.
"Ugh," she moaned as she sat up, or at least tried to. She winced as she felt her ribs scream in protest. "What the…?"
"Oh," a sweet, female voice chirped from the side. "You're awake!"
Roxanne turned her head to see a petite, little redheaded nurse dressed in pink scrubs… that was all she could make out because the room started to spin when she attempted to move.
"Yeah," Roxanne groaned as she grasped her head… but the instead of flesh, her forehead made contact with something rock hard. She grimaced as she pulled her left hand into view to find her wrist in a bright white cast. Her sight slowly began to focus as she noticed writing scribbled on the forearm part of her brace.
"Nosedive was here," she read with confusion, but then chuckled softly as she put down her broken wrist.
"Yeah," the nurse giggled. "Nosedive Flashblade wrote that… even though his older brother was very much against it."
"It's fine," Roxanne smiled weakly as she waved it off.
"You are very lucky, you know," the nurse stated softly as she helped Roxanne sit up a little bit. "You should be dead, but the Mighty Ducks saved you. I hear Grin tackled a shark while Wildwing pulled you out of the water! That must've been quite the Friday night for you."
"It was… different," Roxanne chuckled as her Friday night description was the same as her first day on the job.
"They should be back any minute now," the nurse rambled as she checked the young woman's vitals. "They went to get something to eat. Before they return, let me make sure your head is OK. What's your name?"
"Roxanne Moore."
"Good. How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
"Where do you live? You look more like a twenty-year old, by the way."
"Thanks? Downtown Anaheim."
"What do you do for a living?"
"The Mighty Ducks personal assistant… at least I still hope so."
"For the last time," Wildwing's voice startled the two women as he and the others entered the room. He chuckled lowly when he heard Roxanne's heart jump on the monitor. "You're not going anywhere unless you quit. Do you quit?"
"Nope!" Roxanne giggled as she leaned back comfortably.
"Even after last night?" Duke smiled as he walked to the other side of her bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You are a trooper, Miss. Moore!"
"I try."
"Even if you did quit, we're not letting you out of our sight," Wildwing added as he crossed his arms.
"Uh," Roxanne raised a brow. "I have to go home sometime."
"Oh," Nosedive smirked as he sat at the foot of her bed. "That's not a problem."
"What do you mean?" Roxanne asked curiously. "Am I getting a tracker thing or something?"
"That too," Tanya nodded.
"What do you mean, 'that too?'" Roxanne furrowed her brows.
"You're moving in with us, sweetheart," Duke informed brightly.
"W-what?" Roxanne sat up abruptly but regretted the action immediately. "Owww…."
"Ma'am," the nurse rushed over and touched the patient's shoulder. "You shouldn't move like that!"
"I noticed," Roxanne grunted. "You guys don't have to do that. I have an apartment… and a roommate! Where is she going to go? She can't afford to live on her own!"
"Already taken care of," Wildwing stated in his 'this is final' voice. "We met Sarah after she reported you missing last night. We decided that if you move in, she should too. We already called the companies that take care of your utilities and paid your last set of bills. As for your lease, that has been taken cared of as well… it's been prepaid for the rest of the year. Your roommate and your friend Scott are currently packing everything and we're moving things over later today."
Roxanne looked down nervously and became flustered. "Why are you guys doing this? There really was no need to go through all of that…."
"Because," Wildwing stepped closer. Even though his posture was strong, his voice was weak with remembrance of the previous evening. "You're safer with us. I don't want a repeat of last night."
Roxanne's chest tightened as she felt like she was being suffocated. I'm grateful that they care, but why I am feeling so… trapped?
"Roxanne," Duke added softly to calm her down… he noticed her heart rate going up on the monitor. "If it wasn't for Wing, you would have stayed dead."
"Dead?" Roxanne looked up at the one-eyed duck with an indefinable emotion.
"You don't remember?" Mallory brows rose in surprise.
"Kind of," Roxanne lied. She fully remembered dying… it was strangely peaceful seeing her mother in the meadow. But she was told it wasn't her time to die… and she wished she could have argued and convinced the familiar ghost that she was ready to move on. The feeling of being dead was both eerie and content… it didn't matter what she left behind. When she was in that meadow, she wasn't thinking or worried about anybody. It was just her… even though her mother was right there; it was just Roxanne that owned that afterlife.
Granted, Roxanne wasn't about to commit suicide or anything… but something lingered inside of her… she felt she was missing out on something special. This mysterious feeling has been tugging the back of her mind since she was brought back to life.
"It's OK," Nosedive interrupted her train of thought and smiled brightly as everyone was oblivious to Roxanne's true emotions. "Big bro made sure you didn't die. He is officially the mastah at CPR."
"Oh!" the nurse that everybody seemed to have forgotten jumped up and ran over to the room's phone. "I forgot to mention, you have a message!"
"From who?" Roxanne tilted her head.
The nurse didn't answer as she pressed 'play' on the answering machine and walked out of the room to give them privacy.
"ROXY!" a group of very peppy, teenage girls' voices rang in the air from the device.
"Oh my God," Roxanne laughed as she plopped her head back against her pillow.
"ROXY! Roxy! What the Hell?" a single girl's voice cried in excitement. "Why can't I have Friday nights like you?"
"Who are they?" Mallory rose an eyebrow, not sure how to respond to massive verbal energy.
"My sisters," Roxanne giggled as she continued to listen to the message. "Brace yourselves."
"What do you mean by that?" another voice questioned appalled. "She was kidnapped and tortured and almost killed! What kind of a night is that?"
"A bad night… up until getting mouth to mouth from a sexy alien duck."
Wildwing didn't move a muscle but thanked Drake for having this mask on.
"Kiss me," the same voice sang (admittedly well). "K-kiss me! Infect me with your love and fill me with your poison! Take me, t-take me! Wanna be your victim! Waiting for abduction!"
"Oh my lord."
"What? I never thought a duck could be hot until they came along."
"How about you go outside and hug a Canadian goose? And poof, you have duck boyfriend."
"Ack! No way! You ever got near those geese? They're mean! Always throwing a hissy fit!"
"What's odd is that you are not bothered by my statement about dating a bird…."
"Guys, we are still on the phone… and we're being recorded." A voice deadpanned.
"Pffft, who cares. Who besides Roxanne is going to listen to this?"
"Uh, possibly her bosses… also known as the Mighty Ducks that you are oogling over."
"Let them hear," the voice said strongly and without shame. "Let them hear."
"You know you made the news, right?" another voice asked Roxanne in attempt to change the subject. "Apparently security sucks at this aquarium, but they have fantastic surveillance cameras. The whole aqua evening is available in HD."
"Never mind the news, what about this job?" a female voice gushed. "You work for the Mighty Ducks? How come you did not tell us?"
"Don't you still love us?" a voice asked in exaggerated hurt.
"Oh please," a voice butted in. "That's not the case. She probably didn't say anything because our dear sister here might run across the country and rape one of the ducks."
"I would totally molest Nosedive," the voice chirped.
"Poor bastard doesn't know what's coming."
"Guys!" the main voice interrupted. "We're calling to check up on Roxy! She's probably in pain and is in need of cheering up!"
"If this conversation doesn't cheer her up," another deadpanned. "Then we need to get her a therapist."
"I don't know," the voice responded unsure. "This seems it could embarrass her more than cheer her up."
"Oh," the voice rebuttal loudly. "It will be both."
"Poor bitch doesn't know what's coming…."
"OK!" the main voice pulled away from the conversation at hand. "Well, I better hang up the phone before anything embarrassing is said… well, er… anything more embarrassing is said."
"We love you!" the others sang.
"Call us, woman!"
BEEP. END OF MESSAGE.
"What just happened?" Nosedive asked aloud. "And should I file a restraining order?"
"It's OK," Roxanne reassured in a chuckle. "She's all talk. She won't do anything."
"Those girls are your sisters?" Wildwing asked curiously. "How many…?"
"Four," Roxanne answered with a giggle. "They're quadruplets."
"WOW!" everyone chorused.
"I know," Roxanne raised her hands in understanding. "It's insanity."
"Now I know where you get your patience from," Duke chuckled. "Your mother!"
"Actually…" Roxanne tried to correct.
"Imagine giving birth to four babies in day!" Tanya said incredulously.
"I don't think I want to," Mallory grumbled as she shook her head.
"I don't think we need to," Nosedive responded on the males' behalf.
"Oh," Mallory glared at the youngest Flashblade. "Don't think you boys' are free to go… if us ladies are going to suffer, you going to suffer tenfold!"
"What?" Nosedive started to argue.
"Let that one go," Grin placed his hand on Nosedive's shoulder. "The more your resist, the worse it will be."
Wildwing coughed at the uncomfortable conversation in the room.
"OK, then," the leader started to change the subject. "Why don't we head out and start moving the girls' stuff."
"We'll pick you up tomorrow, sweetheart," Duke said to Roxanne with a smile as he got up to leave.
"And don't sweat about living with us!" Nosedive smiled as he jumped up with excitement. "It will be a blast!"
"You guys go ahead," Wildwing told the others. "I'll meet you outside."
Everyone except for their leader walked out.
"Roxanne," Wildwing sat on the edge of her bed and pulled something out of his pocket. "I want you to wear this." He clipped at watch-like device onto her wrist gently. "It's a communicator. You know, in case you need anything or you are in trouble."
When he fully attached the device onto her delicate wrist, he looked at her face. He frowned as she looked down at her new communicator with a blank, unexplainable emotion. He wasn't sure what to make of it...
"Roxanne," Wildwing's voice pulled her back to reality as she looked up at him. "Are you OK?"
"Oh," Roxanne smiled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, of course I am!"
"Roxanne," Wildwing voice lowered in warning. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Roxanne shook her head as she looked away but then sighed. "Well, I guess, I'm just getting use to all of this… kind of sudden, you know?"
"Yeah," he agreed as he placed his hand comfortingly onto hers. "But it will be OK. I promise."
"You're right…. I guess I just need to time to adjust." She blushed at the settle contact on his gloved hand on hers.
"Are you feeling OK?" Wildwing asked suddenly. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"
"Huh?" she looked up baffled and blushed even more when he examined her face.
"Your heart rate," he pointed at the monitor next to them. "It went up a bit."
"Oh," she looked down shyly. "I'm fine. Just overwhelmed is all."
"You sure?"
Roxanne thought real hard for a moment… was she truly OK? Ever since she saw her mother… she was just as beautiful before she died. Her sisters would have – then it clicked.
Her sisters. That's why she had to stay… she had to stay strong for her four sisters. If she died, who knows what would happen to them. And the one responsible for keeping her alive was sitting right in front of her.
"Wildwing," Roxanne looked up with a true, grateful smile. "Thank you."
"For what?" he was caught off guard. "For living with us? It's no big deal…."
"No, I mean, that too. But I want thank you for last night," she looked away bashfully as the captain looked at her with confusion. "For, you know, saving me."
"Oh," he waved that off. "Don't mention it."
"No," she closed her eyes at the thought of her sisters being alone and hurt. "It should be mentioned."
"It's fine," he chuckled trying to lighten the mood… mostly for his sake.
"Seriously," she looked up with a soft smile. "Thank you, Wildwing."
Wildwing studied her face for a moment and sighed with a soft smile.
"You're welcome, Roxanne," he paused and stood up. "Well, I better get going. You have the communicator if you need anything."
"Wildwing," something popped into Roxanne's mind. "What happened to the shark after Grin tackled it?"
"Oh," he laughed as he started to walk away. "Like animals, fish really like him."