Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Ducks.

The phone ringing at three a.m. jolted Charlie awake. Connie groaned from next to him before burying her head beneath her pillow. Charlie blindly reached for his phone then pulled it from it's charging dock. He stared at it through blurry eeyes, barely making out that it was Adam. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and crossed the room in four strides. He closed the door behind him and answered the phone on the third ring.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"I can talk to you and do paperwork at the same time," Adam promised.

"You know that I start my sub teaching job tomorrow, right?"

"Shit, I forgot," he said with a sigh.

"It's not like you to call in the middle of the night. What's bothering you?"

"So much that I don't know where to begin. Karp got brought in tonight, he got into a fight at some bar and the other guy was taken to the hospital. He didn't like that I was the one brought in to question him."

"He never did like you."

"I've been labeled 'Officer Cakeeater'. A whole cell block chanted that for a good five minutes before I was able to get them settled down. The Fucker loved every minute of it," Adam said with a growl.

"What else is wrong?"

"Julie and Portman made things official. She called me the other day and we talked about it."

"Dean's not a bad guy. Everybody thought that he was better suited for her when we were younger, remember?"

"Yeah, it still pisses me off," he said bitterly.

"It shouldn't. You had twelve amazing years with Jules and you have two kids together. She must have liked you a little to stay with you for that long," he teased.

"I guess you're right," Adam answered gruffly.

They talked for another ten minutes before Charlie went back to bed. Connie was sitting up in bed.

"Twenty minutes? It must have been an important call," she wondered out loud.

"Adam needed his best friend," he said as he climbed back into bed.

"What's going on?"

"He had a problem at work that he wanted to vent about. Julie and Portman are together and I didn't make things better by reminding him that Portman had a thing for Julie before he started dating her."

"Good job Spazway," she said patting him on the back.

He fell back against the pillows with a grunt. He felt bad for Adam, he wished that they didn't live nearly a thousand miles apart. Leaving Adam to his own devices when he needed him the most hadn't been easy. Adam had always had a support system to lean on, now that he was the one taking care of his mom virtually on his own he felt like he was floundering. Charlie and Adam talked daily and Charlie felt relief knowing that as bad as it was, things were getting better for Adam. He was going to his therapist regularly and the medication he was on was working.

XXXX

Julie stood at the gate with Nathan on her hip. She tried to eplain to Peyton that she was going to New York for work but she didn't think the message had registered. Peyton was giving her the silent treatment. Sara sat with her by the bank of windows. Julie held Nate to her, kissing his pudgy cheek. He gurbled in response and she smiled at him.

Her flight was called and she handed Nathan off to Sara and knelt in front of Peyton. Peyton's tear filled eyes met hers and Julie sighed. If this was how it was going to be everytime she went away on business than Peyton had another thing coming.

"I need you to help Sara and Fulton with your brother," she said calmly.

"She's never any trouble," Sara interjected.

"It's different this time. Come on Peyt, I don't want to leave with you made at me," Julie pleaded.

Peyton gave her mother a sad look before wiping her eyes. Julie reached out to her and Peyton stood to wrap her arms around her mom. Julie held her tight, heaving a silent sigh of relief. She hadn't planned on Peyton to react the way she did; she'd plan something special for just the two of them when she got back. She pulled away when the final boarding call was announced.

"Thank you for keeping them."

"You're welcome. Don't worry about a thing," Sara said with a smile.

Julie grabbed her bag and headed towards the gate. She didn't look back. Once on the plane she settled into her seat. She didn't see the next two weeks as a vacation. She was going to New York then California to negotiate a deal with two of the biggest companies in the world. She was also coming up with a marketing campaign for Connie's summer and fall lines. She was grateful for the chance to prove herself. If these contacts fell through it would be all on her but she had confidence in herself.

XXXX

Julie had only been in New York for a couple of hours but Connie and Charlie had already made her feel at home. Charlie was grading papers while Connie worked on a sketch in the living room. Julie sat with Connie contenet to just sit with her best friend.

"What do you think?" Connie asked, holding out the tablet for Julie to look at.

It was a thick strapped, bodice hugging, white and cream colored dress with a gauzy, billowy skirt that fell to the models knees. It was simple, yet feminine.

"It's pretty," Julie said with a small smile.

"I'm thinking of making a few wedding dresses for my summer line."

"Well, if I ever get married again I'll take one."

"Yours would be one of a kind," Connie promised.

"Even better."

"How have you been? I haven't talked to you since I saw you last."

"I'm okay, things are pretty crazy at work, they alway are. Adam and I aren't seeing eye to eye right now, but what else is new? He thinks that Dean's going to take his place, which is crazy," Julie said with a frustrated sigh.

"I can see where he's coming from. When my dad got remarried my stepmom changed. She was nice and friendly while they were dating but once they got married she turned into a freaking drill sergent. That's why I never went over there. Portman's had a couple of stepdad's and he probably has a few stories of his own."

"I wouldn't know. My parents have been married for nearly forty years."

"That long?" Connie asked, suprised.

"My oldest brother Cory is thirty-eight, Margarette is thirty-four and Jason is thirty." Julie said with a nod.

"Can you imagine being married that long?" Connie marvelled.

"It hasn't always been easy. I left home to go to Eden Hall the same year my sister got married. Less than two months after she got married married my parents drove me to Minnesota. Jason stayed close to home for college then moved back in with them until he got married last year," Julie explained.

"Can you see yourself marrying Portman?"

"I don't know, everything is still new," she answered with a shaky laugh.

"I think that he'd make a great stepdad. And if you act soon enough, you can still have more kids."

"It's too soon to be thinking about that. We've only been on a handful of dates; two technically since we started dating."

"Tell me what you think of him," Connie implored.

"He's nice, understanding and patient. Not exactly three words that I would have used to describe him ten years ago."

"He grew up, people change," Connie said, encouraging her to keep going.

"He's sweet and funny. Peyton and Nate are starting to grow attatched to him."

"Kids are great judges of character."

"As much as he's changed, I still see him the way he was when went to school together."

"I've always thought that he was cute," Connie said with a coy smile.

"I heard that," Charlie called from the dining room a few feet away.

"I love you," Connie called over her shoulder.

"You too," Charlie said looking up briefly from the paper he was grading.

Never in a million years would Julie have thought that Connie and Charlie would end up together. It went to show that opposites sometimes really did attract.

AN: Sorry this is so short. Sometimes it's best to keep things short and sweet. Let me know what you guys think.