Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks.
Charlie was not one of those people that thought things through. It wasn't how he did things. If the mood ever struck him to drive to New Mexico, he would do it. Right now, he had the sudden urge to fly to New York. Technically, he should be at school and yet he was swerving through traffic on his way to the airport. He still didn't know where Connie lived. He could have asked Guy, but that would have opened up a round of questioning that he didn't want to deal with. He would look her up when he got to New York.
He woken up that morning with the realization that he needed to be with Connie. He would do whatever he had to make her see that he was willing to take a chance if she was. He took the turnoff for the expressway, glad that there were very few cars; he would be able to actually speed up a little and make the flight that he had booked on time.
Half an hour later he was waiting for his flight to be called. His phone had rung three times in the past five minutes. It had been his mom, Guy, then finally Jesse. He turned his phone off, not wanting to deal with them right now. They would just try to talk him out of going. He had called the school to let them know that he would be gone for the rest of the week and they had said that it wouldn't be a problem. He was an adult; he could do whatever he wanted.
On the plane he shut out everyone else by grading papers and listening to his iPod. Two hours later he was landing in New York. He donned his sunglasses as he stepped out of the airport. He hadn't planned on their being a line of people a mile long waiting for taxies. He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Connie's number.
"Hey, shouldn't you be at school?" she asked in greeting.
"I took a few days off. Can I ask you something without you asking me a bunch of questions?"
"That depends," she said with a light laugh.
"I need your address, your home address. Let's say that I wanted to send you something but I didn't want to send it to the office," he explained.
"Are you sending me flowers?" she asked in a teasing manner.
"Maybe," he said slowly.
She laughed before rattling off her address.
"I have to go, I'm in the middle of prepping for a show tonight, but I expect the concierge at my building to have flowers for me when I get home from you," she said sternly.
Charlie took off on foot through the parking lot. He would have better luck trying to find a cab away from the hustle and bustle of the airport. Fifteen minutes later he had a cab and was headed towards uptown Manhattan. Outside Connie's building the doorman nodded politely as he opened the door for him. Inside, there was a man checking his mail and a woman behind the counter.
The woman looked up, her eyes a mask of confusion.
"Can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you could help me. I have a friend who lives in this building, but they have no idea that I am here. Would it be possible for you to let me in their apartment?"
"We aren't permitted to let anyone in without the tenant's notification."
"Couldn't you make an exception, just this once?"
"No," The woman said sternly.
"Please? I promise you that I'll have them give you permission as soon as I can get in touch with them."
"Call them now then," The woman challenged.
"They don't know that I am in town," Charlie explained with a sigh.
"Then I am sorry, I cannot help you," she said in dismissal.
Charlie shook his head in dismay as he headed back out of the building. He was pulling his phone out of his jacket when the door to the building opened once more. There was a hand on his shoulder, causing him to stop.
"Excuse me? Who were you looking for?" The man from the building asked.
"I'm not looking for anyone. I am looking to surprise a friend," Charlie answered with a shake of his head.
"Maybe I can be of help?" The man asked; his British accent dominant.
"If you know where I can find Connie Moreau that would be great."
"I know exactly where she is, I'm headed to see her now."
"Would you be able to get me in?"
"Sure," The man said with a nod.
"What's your name?"
"Robert," he said, holding out his hand.
"Well Robert, you are a life saver. Thank you," Charlie said pumping his hand heartily.
"You're welcome…" Robert said letting the sentence trail off.
"Charlie, my name is Charlie."
"Connie's mentioned you," he said, giving Charlie a once over.
"What is that look supposed to mean?"
"Connie was right."
"She was right about what?"
"Everything," he said vaguely.
Charlie let the subject drop with a shake of his head. If Connie had been talking about him that must mean that she was thinking about him. He held back a smug smile as he followed Robert up Park Avenue.
"How much farther is it?"
"It's another couple of blocks. Sorry, this is the only exercise I can handle. I hate the gym and I think that exercise equipment was invented by Satan," Robert responded with a shrug.
"What about skating?"
"Do I look like a Z Boy weaving through the crowd on a skateboard?"
"I meant ice skating. Connie didn't tell you that she used to play hockey?"
"She mentioned it. She also said something about it helping with my balance."
"You're a model, who has no sense of balance?"
"Yes," Robert said darkly.
Robert crossed the street without warning and Charlie scrambled to follow him.
"You're quick on your feet Charlie Conway," Robert praised.
"Where exactly are you from?"
"Devonshire England, why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering."
"Here we are," he said, stopping in front of a brick building with cage wire over the windows.
"Here? Are you sure?"
"This is the address that Connie texted me," he said pulling the door open.
Charlie stopped at the door, not sure how Connie would react. He had never doubted himself until now. What if she freaked and told him that she never wanted to see him again? Robert walked back out, shaking his head in dismay.
"I may be gay, but even I know a desperate woman when I see one. She'll want to you here."
They made their way to the elevator in silence. Robert held Charlie's hand in a vice like, almost crushing grip. He closed the elevator grate with one hand. Charlie was able to pull his hand out of Robert's grasp as the elevator crawled at a snail's pace to the third floor.
The elevator came to a shrieking halt and Robert pulled the grate open once more. They stepped out to find workers setting up chairs, carpenters working on the runway and another group of people setting up a booth for what Charlie wasn't sure. People passed them in a blur, acknowledging them as they passed.
"Let's see if we can find the boss," Robert said as he headed towards the curtain behind the stage.
"I'll stay here," Charlie said cautiously.
"Fine, I'll just bring her to you," he called over his shoulder.
Charlie exhaled loudly, wondering if Robert needed a lesson in manners to go along with his attitude adjustment. Were all models as blunt as he was? Connie came out from behind the curtain, her eyes wide as she walked down the runway. Her hair was a mess and she had a push pin band on her wrist with pins sticking out of it. She walked down the stairs to Charlie slowly, almost as if she were treading water. Charlie smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"When you said that you had something to send to my apartment I never thought it would be you. This is such a surprise," she said with a breathless, shocked laugh.
"You know me, I'm full of surprises," he said with a nervous smile.
"I'm surprised that I had forgotten that. Come to the back?" she asked hopefully.
"Sure."
She took one of his hands in hers, linking their fingers loosely. They were generally ignored by the people they passed and when Connie steered them through a throng of people backstage towards a door marked storage no one batted an eyelash.
"Karen, cover for me," Connie said as she pulled the door open.
Charlie was able to shut the door behind him before she pushed him against a metal shelving unit. Her hands pushed his jacket away from his waist, pulling his shirt out of his pants. He crushed his lips to hers in a needy kiss. She pulled away quickly, creating a few inches of space between them.
"This is crazy right?" she asked breathlessly.
"I have to say that I haven't made out in a closet since I attempted to make out with Tammy Duncan when we were twelve."
She gave him an amused look before rolling her eyes. He shrugged his shoulders innocently, glad that Fulton had never found out. They may have been friends and the incident might have happened before Fulton developed feelings for Tammy but Fulton still would have been hurt by the information when they were younger.
"How far did you get?" Connie asked, running her fingers through his hair.
"That is for me and Tammy to know and for you to never find out," he said with a mock stern look.
"How about I guess? Let's see, did you get this far?" she asked before placing her lips to his neck, kissing him lightly.
"No," he said huskily.
"Hmm, did you try this?" she asked, lifting one of her legs to wrap it around his waist.
"Definitely not," he said his voice thick with lust.
"This?" she asked before unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt to press her hands to his chest.
Charlie shook his head, his usually clear eyes darkening before her eyes. One of his hands went to her waist to help keep her stable while the other bunched her shirt, pulling it over her head with ease. His skin singed where her hands had been for the fleeting second that she took her hands away so that she could pull her shirt off the rest of the way. Her hands pushed off his jacket and shirt at the same time.
She unwound her leg from around his waist to unzip the side zipper of her skirt and toe her pumps off. Charlie shed his pants, not before pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He flipped it open pulling a silver wrapper. He set the condom on the shelf beside him as he toed off his shoes.
"You carry a condom around in your wallet?" Connie asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Your ex-boyfriend put it there not long after I moved in with him. I don't think he planned that I would be using it on you," Charlie said with a chuckle.
Connie giggled as she closed the distance between them once more. He reached behind her to unclasp her bra then she wrapped her arms around his neck. He looked down at her lovingly, taking her in. He was amazed that she was so accepting. She had understood without question what he wanted. It amazed him even more that she wanted it too.
He reached down to push his boxers down his hips with one hand, his others pushing her underwear down. She shimmed hers down her legs while he kicked his boxers off the rest of the way.
"How quiet can you be?" he asked.
"We don't need to worry about anyone hearing us, even though they all know what we're doing."
"How do you know? Am I not the first guy you've brought back here?"
"The models use this room for a whole slew of things. Sex is one of them."
"Does it bother you that they all know what they're doing?"
"We're both grownups Charlie. You can say the word sex and no, it doesn't bother me that they will know," she said with a coy smile.
Charlie shook his head with a devilish smile. Connie reached for the condom, tearing the package open.
"I really hate to say this, but we need to speed this up. My show starts in an hour," she said in explanation.
She rolled the condom down his erection when he didn't answer her. Charlie picked her up off the ground and carried her to a desk in the corner. Once she was on the desk she spread her legs open far enough for him to settle between them. He gently slid into her, finding that she would need to be stretched slightly.
"I'm a big girl, just push," she said with an impatient groan.
He gave one forceful shove and she whimpered lightly, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. Even if she had asked him to do it, he still didn't like hurting her. He gave her a minute to get used to him before pushing against her once more. She moaned, letting him know that the pain was over and that she was enjoying herself. He rested his hands on the desk on either side of her before leaning down to kiss her. Her hands rested on his shoulders, digging her nails into his shoulder blades.
He groaned, loving the feeling of being inside her. They hadn't defined what was going on between them yet and here they were already sleeping together. He was going about the situation all wrong but he didn't care. If she decided that she wanted to wait a while before they slept together again than he would just have to live with it.
Connie pulled away from him to lean against the wall breathless. He pumped in and out of her relentlessly, wanting his emotions to come across in his love making. She smiled, letting him know that she understood. Her breath hitched seconds before her walls constricted around him. He fell against her his hands against the wall to support him as his seed spilled into the condom two powerful thrusts later. She placed kisses along his jaw, cheek and finally his lips as her fingers threaded into his sweat slicked hair.
"I have to get back to work," she said with remorse.
He pulled away from her to gather her clothes. Once he handed them to her he pulled off the condom, looking for a place to throw it away.
"From what I hear, the guys stash their used condoms in the top right hand drawer," she offered.
"You sure know a lot about this place for someone who's never been in here," he teased.
"Hey, models have no shame, okay?" she said with a laugh, smacking his butt playfully.
He laughed lightly as he dressed. She sat on the desk, taking him in. She was glad that he had taken the first step and made the trek to see her. She thought that she would have to break down and make up another excuse to go and see him again. He still didn't know that she had lied about being homesick or that Guy had been in on her last trip to Minnesota. She would eventually tell him that she had felt something for him the night that she had talked to him at the reunion and had been agonizing over what to do ever since.
He led the way out of the room and followed her to the bank of lighted mirrors where the models were getting their hair and makeup done. She rifled through her bag until she found her keys then handed them to Charlie.
"You cannot stay here, you'll just be a distraction and I need my head as clear as I can get it. I should be home by seven, and you had better be ready for round two," she said the last sentence just loud enough for him to hear.
He grinned, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"There's just one thing. I need you to call and give the guy with the stick up his ass permission for me to be there."
"I'll take care of Ronald," she promised.
Charlie made his way back down the catwalk only to be stopped by Robert. Robert grinned evilly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Charlie grinned back as he passed him. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad after all.
XXXX
Julie had been meaning to catch Fulton and Sara up on what was happening. Fulton asked about the kids and Adam every time he called. She had been keeping her time spent with Portman from him because she knew how he would react. He had tried doggedly to get them together while they were school to no avail. He would start up again as soon as he found out that she and Portman had been spending time together.
Sara had caught her off when she had called yesterday. She had never had them over without having the kids or Adam around as a buffer. She wouldn't have the kids to use as a bargaining chip if they tried to pressure her for answers, which she knew that they would do. They were more menacing than the FBI when it came to getting information out of people.
She picked up a case of Fulton's favorite beer then stopped to get Chinese food from Sara's favorite restaurant before heading home. They would be there soon and she wanted to have the beer chilled, ready and waiting. She tidied up the house from where the kids had left a mess that morning before Adam had come to get them. She'd had him get them a day early because she would be spending the next week buried deep in work. He was taking the week off from work and taking the kids to St. Paul to see his dad.
Half an hour after she had gotten home Fulton opened the door, calling out her name. She answered back from the kitchen, pouring him a frosty mug of beer. He took it, giving her a smile of gratitude.
"Where's Sara?"
"She's in the living room. Where are the kids?" he asked before taking a long pull from his mug.
"They're in St. Paul for a week. Adam took them to see his dad. He hasn't seen Nate yet."
Fulton nodded, setting the glass down. Sara came into the room, walking to Julie with a smile. She pulled Julie in for a hug, squeezing her tightly.
"What have you been up to? I haven't talked to you in weeks," she asked, pushing her auburn hair out of her eyes.
"Not a lot. I've been working like crazy."
"Is that so? You haven't had any down time? Maybe you went to the movies?" Fulton pressed.
"How did you find out?"
"There's this thing called Twitter, and Portman knows how to use it," he said with a devilish grin.
"You went out with Portman?" Sara asked with wide eyes.
"Technically no, I ran into him at the movies. He invited me to have dinner at his apartment," Julie said in defense.
"You can date whoever you want. I don't see why you didn't tell me," Fulton said with a shrug.
"I'd rather not go through the Spanish Inquisition," Julie grumbled.
"So have you seen him since?" Sara asked.
"We went out to dinner last week. You know what, why don't I call him? I shouldn't be the only put under a hot light," she said reaching for her phone.
"I already thought of that. He's working tonight," Fulton said with a shake of his head.
Julie growled in frustration as she readied the food for the oven and stovetop. It figures that she would be all alone in this.
"So what is going on with you two?" Sara asked.
"That's between them."
"That has never stopped you before. You grilled Adam for an entire day when you found out that we were together," Julie said with furrowed eyebrows.
"This is different. This is Portman, I know him just as well as you do. I have nothing to say to him that I can't say to you."
"That figures," she mumbled, sliding a baking sheet of egg rolls into the oven.
"Fulton, go in the other room," Sara said abruptly.
"Why?" he asked with a grunt.
"Because Jules and I need to talk," she countered.
"Female stuff, I'm out of here," he said, grabbing his beer before heading out of the room.
Sara waited for the kitchen door to swing close before coming to lean against the counter a few feet from Julie.
"I should have known that he would have no problems with this. Portman doesn't even know that Fulton was on his page that night. He was having a private conversation with his cousin and I told Fulton that it was a bad idea to be snooping like that. Are you two taking this slow?"
"Snail's pace," Julie confirmed with a nod.
"Good. I know that you don't want him to get hurt any more than you want to. He's such a good guy."
"I know."
"Have the two of you talked about her?"
Julie knew exactly who she was referring to. She nodded, her lips forming a tight line. Portman had been forthcoming about how he was feeling about the situation and told her that he hadn't seen anyone since. She was just as scared as he was.
"He's doing so much better than he was a year ago. But you, you still have a while to go before you'll be ready to move on," Sara observed.
"Don't you think that I know that? I am trying to rebuild my friendship with Portman. I have no intention of dating him," Julie said with a scoff.
What she had said wasn't exactly true; but she wasn't about to tell Sara or even Fulton that. Portman wasn't the person that he was ten years ago. They had been changed so much; she had become jaded, while he was unabashedly debonair. She hadn't been prepared for that.
Sara watched Julie as she grabbed plates from the cabinet next to the refrigerator. She didn't believe Julie, but until she was proved wrong she would leave the situation alone and hope that she and Portman didn't ruin what was left of their tattered friendship.
XXXX
Connie unlocked the apartment hearing nothing. There wasn't as much as a creak of the floorboards to let her know that Charlie was there. The loft was awash with candle light making her smile. He must have light every candle she owned. She made her way to the kitchen to see Charlie hunched over the counter, the light sounds of a knife chopping something was the only sound.
"Hey," she said, breaking the silence.
"Hey. You're early," he said over his shoulder.
"I rescheduled all of my interviews for next week."
"Isn't that unprofessional?" he asked in confusion.
"No. It just means that I am in high demand. If they really want to talk to me then they'll wait."
"I bought a bottle of wine, make yourself a glass. Dinner should be ready in half an hour."
"I didn't know that you could cook."
"You don't live with Guy without learning a few things. It's only spaghetti," he said impishly.
"Spaghetti or not, I haven't had someone cook for me since I moved here," she said as she hopped onto the counter next to him.
He looked up with a pleased smile and she leaned down to brush her lips to his.
"So how did the show go?"
"Good. Everyone asked about you. Half of the girls were very happy to find out that we weren't together," she teased.
"What about the other half?"
"They like girls, but they did say that you were very cute," she reassured him
"Were you surprised that I showed up?"
"Very. I'm glad you did."
"I am too," he agreed.
"I hate to sound ungrateful, but why did you come up?"
"I had to see you. I wanted you to know that I can't spend one more day without you knowing how I feel," he said with a sigh.
"This is not the Charlie Conway that I am used to, but I like him," she said sounding pleased.
"I've only felt this way about one other person Cons and that blew up in my face. We're going to have to go slow, like tortoise slow," he said, setting the knife he was using in the sink.
"I know," she said with a nod.
"So what do you think? Do we have a chance?"
"I'd like to try if you want to. I haven't been able to get you off of my mind for the past month and a half," she admitted.
"Really now?" he asked with a lopsided grin.
"You know how to work your way into a girl's heart, don't you?" she murmured.
"I try," he said with a shrug.
"Who knew that Charlie 'Spazway' Conway could be charming?" she said with an excited giggle.
"It boggles the mind," he said with an exaggerated eye roll.
He put the vegetables that he had chopped into the spaghetti sauce before standing in front of her. She leaned in, kissing him with everything that she had. For once she wasn't going to think about the bad things that could happen. She was going to jump and think of the repercussions later. His fingers threaded in her hair, pulling gently. She sighed against his lips before opening her mouth to him. His tongue massaged hers gently, making her forget everything around her. If she wasn't careful she was going to grow attached and wouldn't be able to let him leave when it came time.
He pulled away, brushing her away from her face. He gave her a look that let her know that he knew what she was thinking. She sighed, pushing the thought from her mind. She would worry about her world crashing down on her when the time came.