Chapter One: It all started with a look


Looking back, Gordon and Casey should have known better. They were both adults in their early thirties and should have had the common sense to be vigilant in their use of birth control. But common sense and good judgement were something they both lacked.

Casey was still in her early thirties and although it was over fourteen years since she had Charlie, she was still well within childbearing age. For some inexplicit reason, she completely forgot about this and became careless despite still being a single mother.

Bombay? Brilliant Lawyer. Inspiring Coach. Clueless about women.

It was a recipe for disaster


It all started at the end of the JV/Varsity game. By some miracle, the JV Ducks managed to beat the reigning state champs by a score of one to nothing. It had been a hard fought game. Although Bombay was no longer behind the bench, he was very much a large reason behind their win.

Bombay, who had single handily saved the Ducks' scholarships and was instrumental in having Portman and Charlie return to the team, decided against celebrating with the team on the ice and later in the locker room. It was time for Coach Orion, and the newly minted captain Charlie to have the spotlight.

After congratulating her son on his big win and telling him to go have fun, Casey decided to head home as it was likely that Charlie wouldn't be home until much later. She didn't mind. He had earned it.

It was then that Casey first spotted Bombay standing alone at the end of the corridor. Even though it had been years since they broke up, there remained a cordiality between the two of them. It had been awkward at first with Bombay still coaching her son but they remained civil if not amicable for Charlie's sake. Over time they became friends despite their past relationship.

"Hey you," Casey smiled.

Bombay was not expecting Casey to say hi. He didn't jump but it was clear to Casey that he wasn't expecting her to say hello.

"Hey."

Casey touched Bombay's arm and felt goosebumps crawl up her skin. It should have been a sign to run far in the other direction but she decided to ignore it.

"Thank you," Casey said. "For everything."

"It was nothing," Gordon replied. "Really."

Casey, for the first time in years, took a good look at Bombay. Years had passed since they last dated but she still maintained that Bombay was the most attractive man she had dated. Not much had changed. Even though he no longer played hockey, Bombay managed to maintain his trim figure and Casey could see herself getting lost in his blue eyes.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Casey said.

"Charlie?"

"Yes Charlie," Casey replied with a coy look on her face. "You are amazing with him."

Casey looked at Bombay with lust in her eyes. As physically attracted to Bombay as she was, she was equally attracted, if not more attracted, to the man Bombay was.

Her son Charlie had come to view Bombay as a father figure when they had first started dating. When they had broken up, Casey assumed that although Charlie would be upset at first, they would eventually drift apart. Instead, the exact opposite happened. Charlie became more attached to Bombay. So much so that it started to cause a strain in her marriage with Charlie preferring to spend time at the Hans' skate shop rather than at home.

"When I said I'll always be there for him, I meant it," Bombay replied.

He was going to say more but stopped when he saw that look in Casey's eyes. He recognized the look but never from Casey. Even when they were dating, it was normally him who had to initiate the more physical aspect of their relationship. Casey leaned in close to him so that they were almost touching. Casey bit her lip and gave him a sultry look before pulling Bombay close to her and kissing him passionately.

It was at that moment that Bombay had forgotten how to breathe. Or how to move. Or even think. It was as if time froze with just the two of them standing there sharing a kiss. It wasn't until a loud crashing sound came from the other end of the corridor that they separated. Some of the varsity players were leaving the locker room after their disappointing loss. When they saw Bombay, they glared hard but said nothing.

Casey was the first one to recover. "I guess you won't be invited to the alumni Christmas gala after all," she smirked.

Bombay didn't respond to Casey's remark. He used to go to the gala all the time when he worked as a lawyer. It was a great opportunity to network and bring business into the firm. Since he quit being a lawyer, he stopped attending altogether. Bombay still had to attend gala's for the Jr. GoodWill Games but he found himself enjoying them less and less. He hated how stuffy they were and most of the time would prefer to be almost anywhere else.

Bombay snapped back to reality. He gently put his hand on the small of Casey's back and looked around for a place they could talk in private. It was after school hours so all the classrooms would be locked. And while the cafeteria and gym would be open, it was likely that they would not be alone.

"Come with me."

Gordon, with his arm now around Casey, ushered her down one hall, down another and then down a flight of stairs. Bombay had hoped that they still didn't lock the door. They didn't lock it when he attended Eden Hall and he was taking a chance that they still left it unlocked during the hockey season.

Bombay first try to open it and while the knob turned, the door wouldn't open. Bombay tried again to no avail. He put his shoulder into it but the door wouldn't budge.

"Maybe you should.." Casey started to suggest before Bombay cut her off.

"Not now," Bombay said through his gritted teeth. He could not understand why he couldn't get this door open. "Alright, lets's go to your car."

Bombay turned to leave but Casey didn't follow. Instead, she tried to open the door and it swung open with ease.

Bombay hung his head in exasperation. "Are you tell me…?"

Casey shrugged. "I tried to tell you."

Bombay stepped in after Casey and closed the door behind him. Before he had a chance to speak, Casey started wandering around the room. "What is this place?" she asked. "I've been in the maintenance room at my high school but we never had a room like this."

"It's the room where they keep all the equipment for the refrigeration system," Gordon Bombay said. "For the arena. It helps keep the ice cold when it's still warm outside. They first put it in when I went here."

"I always wondered how they kept the ice from melting. How does it work?" Casey asked.

"Underneath the ice, there are pipes embedded into the concrete and there is refrigerant in them which cools the brine water." Casey was trying her hardest to avoid the proverbial elephant in the room but Bombay wasn't having any of it. "I don't want to talk about that. "

"I kissed you. So what? It's not like it's the first time we've done that," Casey said.

Bombay shook his head. "You know a kiss isn't just a kiss. Not between us. And you know exactly why."

Casey huffed. "You don't think I know that?" she charged back.

Casey had a point. When they had dated, it was Casey that was concerned about the possible repercussions of her dating Bombay. Charlie had been hurt before and she didn't want to risk that happening again if he got too attached to Bombay. Charlie was older now but one could argue that he became more, not less, attached to Bombay over the years.

Bombay furrowed his brow. "They why?"

"I thought it was a good idea at the time," Casey said.

Bombay was perplexed. Casey, one of the prettiest women in Minneapolis and mother to his surrogate son, decided to kiss him fully knowing that he lived in California when the reason they stopped dating in the first place was that he was always gone and never kept in touch. While Bombay had been on a few dates since their breakup, he had yet to be in a serious relationship. He had tried with Miss. McKay but the spark just wasn't there.

"And what and when exactly were you planning on telling Charlie?" Bombay asked.

"I wasn't planning on telling him anything," Casey admitted.

"What?" Bombay was astounded. "You wanted to start dating, even with me living in California, even though we don't have a good track record with long-distance relationships and keep it from your son?"

"Who said anything about dating?" Casey retorted.

Now Bombay was really confused. He knew Casey separated from her ex-husband over a year ago and he had no knowledge of anyone else in her life. Charlie would have told him if she was in a serious relationship.

"Now I'm really confused," Bombay said. "You kiss me but you don't want to date."

"That's right counsellor," Casey replied. She looked at Bombay. He still wasn't understanding what she was getting at. "You're right. A kiss isn't a kiss between us. But what if it could be?"

"What are you proposing?" Bombay asked. "Are you proposing what I think you're proposing?"

"I am." Casey stepped closed to Bombay and boldly placed her left hand on his waist. "It's not the worst idea in the world."

With that, Casey pulled Bombay into another passionate kiss. "What do you say?"

Bombay didn't have to say anything. The lust in her eyes matched his own. Bombay smiled mischievously and locked the door behind him.


"Can you help me with the zipper?" Casey asked.

Casey was struggling to zip up the back of her dress as both she and Bombay hastily got dressed after their third round of sex that evening. Her body hummed in the afterglow and it wasn't until Bombay's pager started going off that they decided to call it quits even though both of them could have gone for a few more rounds.

"Sure." Bombay gently did up the zipper and handed Casey her boots. "It's more fun to undress you though."

Casey laugh. "Thanks, I guess."

As they had both finished dressing, there was an awkward silence between the both of them. The sex was great. Much better than it was when they were dating. Casey chalked it up to not having to worry about things like rules and expectations. They had sex and they could just go back to their normal lives right after.

When Casey thought about her relationship with Bombay, she concluded that they were old friends. Unofficial co-parents. And now, friends with benefits. It seems too good to be true. They couldn't possibly make this work, could they?

"So….." Casey started. She didn't know how to approach Bombay with this. "Want to do this again sometime?"

Bombay looked up from tying his shoes. "I thought you said you were not interested in a relationship?"

"I'm not." Casey thought for a moment. "But this was nice. Being able to scratch an itch without having to deal with the awkward first dates."

"I'm flying back to California tomorrow," Bombay pointed out.

"So?" Casey said. "You'll probably be back for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Maybe a few more times from what Charlie tells me."

"Yeah."

Bombay admitted that Casey was right. He was miserable in California. Sure, the warm weather was nice and he loved his job but also he had to come to realize that it wasn't home. He had signed a two-year contract with the Jr. Goodwill games but he was starting to doubt that he would make it to end of the two years. It pained him to be away for the ducks for weeks and months on end. When he had come back for Hans' funeral, he was anguished at the sight of Charlie and the ducks. The separation had taken a toll on everyone involved. He decided then and there that he would make more of an effort to come back and visit. For both their sakes.

"So what do you say?" Casey asked. "We can still see other people. If neither one of us is seeing anyone at the time , we can just call each other and…"

"Scratch an itch?" Bombay offered.

"Exactly. No awkward first dates. No worrying about doing or saying the right things. No waiting by the phone waiting for a call." Casey saw Bombay wince at the last comment. The last one stung a bit but it was the truth. "Just two adults choosing to enjoy themselves without having to worry about the complications of a relationship. What do you say?"

"I'd say 'I'm in' but what if one of us wants to start a serious relationship with someone else?"

"Then we stop. Simple as that. Although I doubt I'll ever want to be in a relationship ever again after my last one," Casey admitted.

"That bad?"

"Yeah." Casey thought for a moment. She hesitated. "And we don't tell anyone anything. I don't want this getting back to Charlie."

"Agreed." Bombay paused. "What now?"

"We go our separate ways. You go back to California and I go home where Charlie is probably wondering where I am."

Bombay looked alarmed. Panicked almost. "This won't change anything be me and Charlie, right?"

"Not at all," Casey reassured him. "I'll just tell him I had car troubles or something. It's not far from the truth."

"I'll give you a ride home," Bombay offered.

"Absolutely not," Casey insisted. "I don't want him to even think anything is going on between us."

"Right." Gordon open the door and motioned for Casey to go ahead of him. "Ladies first."

Casey rolled her eyes as she stepped past Bombay. Right before she was about to leave, Casey turned to Bombay with a glint in her eye and said, "Next time will be more fun. I'll bring the whipped topping."


Over the next couple of weeks and months, Bombay, true to his word had made a greater effort to visit more often. He managed to make it home even more often than he had first hoped. First, he came made it back for Thanksgiving followed by Christmas. That was planned. What wasn't planned was when he managed to do a stopover for Veteran's Day in Minnesota for a day before carrying on to New York for a meeting with Governor Pataki to review the venues for the upcoming 1998 Goodwill Games.

Each time he was in Minnesota, Bombay would always make sure to spend time with the ducks whether it was watching their games from the stands or taking the whole team out for pizza. More covertly, Bombay would also meet up with Casey at his hotel anytime he was in Minnesota. In fact, after Christmas during the winter break, Bombay rented a cabin up north near Duluth for a weekend.

At first, both of them were careful to use some sort of protection. Over time, they became more lazy and careless when it came to using some sort of birth control. Bombay would forget to bring condoms or Casey would forget her pill. But as luck would have it, each time the test would come back negative. Until it didn't.

Bombay had made plans to go camping with the ducks for the Memorial Day weekend but it rained all weekend. Instead, they decided to go to the movies and watch the newest Star Wars movie. He had made plans with Casey afterwards but unlike most other times, she sounded distant and far away on the phone. Normally they would exchange sexy banter on the phone or at the very least, toss the odd innuendo towards each other. Casey did say she would be over in about an hour or so.

Bombay shrugged it off as her having a bad week. So it wasn't any surprise that she showed up. Normally, Casey would make a point to make their time together both fun and sexy. To the point of showing up to his hotel room in nothing but her trench coat. But this time, she just stood there. Drenched and looking absolutely miserable.

"Let me help you," Bombay offered.

Instead of fighting him, Casey turned around and let Bombay help her out of her coat. Casey was one of the most independent women Bombay knew. He couldn't believe she was letting him help her. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Want a coffee? Tea?" Bombay asked.

Casey shook her head no. When Bombay saw her shake her head no, he motioned for her to sit down on the bed and he sat down beside her.

"What is it Cas? Are you not feeling well? We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

When Bombay saw she wasn't saying anything, he immediately jumped to the conclusion that despite what she told him about not wanting to get into another serious relationship, she had found someone else. Deep down, Bombay had hoped that maybe over time Casey would start to develop feelings for him again. It wasn't any of his business but he had to ask. "Did you find someone?"

This time Casey answered him. "No. It's not that."

Bombay was puzzled. If she wasn't sick and she wasn't in a relationship, then what else could it be? "What is it then?"

Casey opened her purse and pulled out a small plastic bag with a pregnancy test inside. She looked over at Bombay and sucked in a whimper.

"I'm pregnant," Casey sobbed.


Author's Comment: I rated this T because I don't think it is quite at R. Everything else is K to T going forward. This is gong to be Casey/Gordon fic but it might be a bit