Disclaimer: I do not own The Mighty Ducks.
When had the role of parent and child gotten reversed? Adam thought back to the last time his mom had left the house without having a doctor's appointment without him. His brothers helped out when they could and their wives took turns staying with Audra when he worked but he was doing mostly everything himself. If she got worse he would have to take time off from work until he found someone to take care of her.
The kids played quietly in the living room while Adam made dinner. Audra was in the living room as well but Adam knew better than to expect her to look after the kids. The last time he had checked on them the kids were building something with Nathan's Lincoln Logs and his mom was knitting.
"No Baxter, don't hit that little girl!" Audra said sharply.
Adam was in the living room within seconds. Nathan had another Lincoln Log ready to throw at Peyton who was shielding her face with her hands. Adam took the toy from the baby then picked him up.
"Don't terrorize your sister Buddy," he said with a sigh.
"I think it's time the girl went home Jim," Audra said before clicking her tongue in dissaproval.
"Who's Jim, Dad?"
"Jim is Pop's real name. Why don't you go wash up for dinner?"
Adam carried Nathan to the kitchen where he placed the baby in his high chair. He went to the cabinet by the refrigerator and grabbed his mom's medication. He shook one of the pills out of the bottle before grabbing a glass from the drying rack by the sink. He filled the glass with water then carried it into the living room. He held the pill out to his mom who hook her head stubbornly.
"Mom, you need to take it or you'll get worse. I don't like what happens if you don't take your meds any more than you do."
"I'm not your mother Jim Banks so don't call me that," she answered bitterly, her lips forming a hard line.
"I'm not dad Mom, I'm Adam. Please take this," he pleaded.
"No," she said stubbornly.
"Daddy, I'm done," Peyton said from the arch of the living room.
"That's good baby, go on into the kitchen. I'll be right there."
He waited until Peyton was out of sight before getting his mom's special medication from the top of the hall closet. He readied the syringe before tying a band just above Audra's elbow. She started to fight him when she saw the needle. He held her down with one arm, using his other hand to tap her elbow to draw up a vein. He inserted the needle in her arm and pressed the top of the syringe to release the medicine.
Audra cried out in shock when Adam finally let go of her. He didn't like being the bad guy but sometimes it was the only way that he could get her to do what he needed. He shoved his hands through his hair with a heavy sigh then put the bag of medicine and needles back where they belonged.
He took a few calming breaths before going into the kitchen. Peyton was sitting at the table waiting patiently. Adam made her a plate then heated up some baby food for Nathan.
"Where's Noni?" Peyton asked in between bites of food.
"She's sleeping."
They ate dinner quietly and once they finished Peyton helped Adam clean the kitchen and he got Nathan ready for bed after settling Peyton down with a movie. He checked on his mom and she was sleeping peacfully where he had left her. He covered her with the afghan from the back of the couch then left her alone once more. He didn't know how much more he could take.
XXXX
After working non-stop for nearly a month Julie was looking forward to having a weekend with nothing to do. Her boss had been so impressed by the work that she'd done on the Dasani campaign that she'd recieved a raise. She was well on her way to getting a promotion. She was due for a little R and R.
She had so much that she wanted to that she didn't what to do first. She knew that she should get the cleaning out of the way so that the rest of the weekend could be free to do whatever she pleased.
She was moping the kitchen when her phone rang. She slid across the counter so that she wouldn't have to mess up the floor.
"Hello?"
"Hey," Sara answered back.
"What's up?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me and Fulton tonight."
"Wouldn't I be the third wheel?"
"No, since a few other people are coming," Sara said sarcastically.
"Who else is coming?"
"Guy and his new girlfriend and Portman."
"What time should I be there?"
"Is seven okay?"
"That'll work."
"Great, because it's not every night that I can talk Guy into going out to dinner at a restaurant that he doesn't own," Sara said with a light laugh.
Julie finished moping the kitchen then went to get ready. By the time she was ready to go it was almost six-thirty. Sara had texted her to tell her where they were going and Julie promised that she would meet them there.
She got to the restaurant ten minutes early so she decided to wait by the desk for everyone else. Portman showed up a few minutes later and she was glad because she was tired of people staring at her just because she was alone. He sat down next to her and they talked quietly until Julie's phone vibrated. Portman's phone rang before she could retrieve her phone from her purse.
Can't make it tonight. Maybe some other time?-Guy
"I'll let her know," Portman said before ending his call.
"Guy can't make it."
"Fulton's sick, he was fine when I talked to him earlier," he said with a shake of his head.
Their friends had set them up on a date without them knowing it.
"I'll go see if I can get us a table," he said before walking to the podium manned by a waitress.
He came back a minute later and let her know that someone had made a reservation in his name that morning.
"You think that we can manage to go out on a date without them?" he asked.
"We wouldn't want to waste a perfectly good night," she asid as she stood to follow the hostess through the restaurant.
Julie decided right then that Fulton, Sara, and Guy were her saviors. They had broken the ice that she and Portman had been skating on for the past several weeks. They had flirted to the point of exhaustion and if she was honest with herself she was days away from asking Portman out, they had saved her a lot of stress. She was going to thank them when she saw them again.
The night passed by too quickly for Portman's liking. He stood at Julie's car where they had left it at the restaurant when they decided to go to the movies and then for a walk. They were both stalling to draw out their time together.
"Do you want to come to my house?" Julie asked from underneath her lashes.
"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to pressure her.
"I'm sure. Just don't expect anything to happen. I am still a married woman after all," she said ruefully.
"I'll be on my best behavior," he said putting two fingers over his heart with a lopsided grin.
"Uh huh, I'll believe that when I see it," she chided.
He opened her door for her and she started the car and let it warm up while waiting for him to get to his car. He followed her to the house and once there she poured herself a glass of wine and grabbed him a beer. They sat on the couch with the radio turned down low as they talked. They got quiet as Berlin's Take My Breath Away came on.
"Is this still your favorite song?" he questioned.
She nodded; smiling wistfully as she remembered a night long ago. Portman didn't let his quard down very often but with the help of some Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill he and Julie had gotten more candid than she would have liked during a snow storm their senior year.
He stood then held out a hand for her to take. She slipped her hand into his and let him pull her to him. They crossed the room so that they had more room before she wrapped her arms around his neck. They swayed to the music not breaking eye contact. At least this time they were fully clothed. Clorthes or not she could feel heat radiating off of him.
"This is the best make out song ever," he stated.
"Maybe it is, but you're not going to charm me with your smooth talk," she said with a coy smile.
He chuckled with a shake of his head. They had said the same thing at eighteen. He liked to think that he had more of a chance with her now than he had then. She'd been with Adam then and the three bottles of cheap wine they had consumed had loosened her tongue and made her forget her troubles for one night.
She smiled wistfully, thankful for a second chance to rebuild their friendship. She never would have guessed six months ago that they would be together like this. They had both had their hearts broken and she was still picking up the pieces while he felt that he was ready to move on. He would wait patiently for her but he wouldn't let her get away like he had last time.
XXXX
After spending more time on the internet filling out job applications than he would have liked Charlie finally heard back from a temp agency that was looking for someone. Most of the work would be sporadic for a while but it would have to do until he heard back from the schools that he had sent his resume to.
Charlie walked into the building that he would be working at for the next few weeks. He took in his surroundings as he stepped off the elevator. The offices were small and the center of the room was lined with three rows of six cubicals. There was a desk off to the side with a plaque that read information.
He sat in one of the chairs next to the information desk and waited for the person to come back. After a few minutes a short middle aged woman came up to him.
"Are you Charlie Conway?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Gertrude Lowenstein, you can come with me," she said as she led they way through the midlde row of cubicals.
She showed him how to use the computer and explained the entry data system to him before letting him work on his own. The people didn't acknowledge him as he got started. So far so good.
XXXX
Julie let Peyton unlock and open the door since she had her hands full with Nathan, her briefcase, his diaper bag and Peyton's overnight bag. Once inside she set the bags and her briefcase down just inside the door and pulled the mail from between her teeth.
She placed Nate on the floor in the living room and he crawled towards the play area where Peyton was already playing. She was looking through the mail when she saw something from her lawyer. It was a thick manilla envelope. She opened the prongs then slid her nail underneath the flap and pulled it open.
Inside were two copies of hers and Adams divorce agreement for her to sign. Once they were signed and she had dropped them off she would officially be single for the first time in twelve years. She slid the papers back into the envelope with a heavy sigh.
After having Portman spend the weekend with her she had felt like nothing could bring her down. At least now she could move on with her life without feeling guilty or worrying about hurting Adam.
XXXX
With only a few days until Thanksgiving Sara had decided to host Thanksgiving dinner. All of the Ducks who still lived in Minnesota were coming and Julie had offered to help cook dinner. On Thursday Julie got to Fulton and Sara's early and Fulton's mom offered to watch Peyton and Nathan for her.
Julie found Sara going over a to-do list at the island when she walked into the kitchen. Sara raked a hand through her hair nervously.
"I may have bitten off more than I can chew," she said in concern.
"I'm here to help. Give me a job and I'll get started."
"Start looking through the phone book and find a catering company that's available. No amount of money is too much," she said exhailing loudly.
"What about all the food you bought?"
"I'm sure that I can find a soup kitchen to donate it to."
"Hand me the list," Julie said holding out her hand.
Julie looked over the list, her eyes widening at the idea of Sara wanting so much to be done.
"Mayb we can get some extra help."
"How?"
"I'll ask Fulton to watch the kids so his mom can help. When are your parents getting here?"
"Not until noon."
"Call and ask your mom to come early."
"I don't think she'll mind."
Julie got the turkey out of the sink and got it ready to into the oven. Once that was done she prepped the vegetables and stuffing while Sara peeled potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Fulton's mom cleaned the dining room and had set the table by the time Sara's mom Elizabeth got there twenty minutes later.
Fulton's mom, Nadia and Elizabeth worked on the stuffing and roasted vegetables while Julie took care of the poatoes and desert, luckily it was only a few frozen pies and cranberry sauce. That left Sara with the turkey and sweet potato casserole.
People started arriving as they were finishing with dinner. Julie, Nadia, and Elizabeth brought the food into the dining room while Sara greeted everyone as they came in. Portman passed Nadia in the hall as she was carrying the turkey into the dining room.
"Let me take that for you," he said once he set down the bottle of wine that he had brought.
"Thanks, Dean," Nadia said with a pleased smile.
Once the turkey was on the table he took the wine into the kitchen. He nearly collided with Julie who was carrying the green bean casserole that Sara had made at the last minute.
"Hey," she said with a breathless laugh.
"You need me to take that?"
"I've got it, thanks though," she said before brushing past him.
Five minutes later everyone was sitting down to dinner. Elizabeth suggested that everyone say one thing that they were thankful for. They even let the kids say something even though they were sitting at a different table. When it was Peyton's turn she stood up.
"I'm thankful that my daddy is helping my Noni to get better," she said quietly.
"That's very good sweetheart," Nadia praised.
It wasn't long before it was Julie's turn.
"I'm thankful for my friends and family," she said with a grateful smile.
Sarah, who sat next to Julie took Julie's closest hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze. The last person to go had come with Guy. Nadia suggested that she tell everyone her name first since not everyone knew her.
"My name is Sky, and I'm thankful that Sara and Fulton didn't mind having an uninvited guest come today," she said with a nervous laugh.
There was an audible sqeak from the opposite end of the table and Julie, Portman, and Sara looked at Averman in confusion.
"Take it easy, Eugene; I'm not the girl I was fifteen years ago," Sky said with a sigh and an eye roll.
Sara said grace then the food was passed around. Portman and Julie's fingers brushed as he handed her the bowl of mashed potatoes. Their eyes met briefly and she smiled quickly before taking the bowl from him. They had done a lot of talking the previous weekend and they both agreed that it would be best to wait until her divorce was finalized before deciding if they should take their friendship to the next level. Did she want to date him? A part of her would always wonder what might have been if they didn't at least try. When she thought back on her teenage years she had always known that there was something between them that couldn't be explained.