Author's Note: I only intended for this to be a two parter but I love the interaction / friendship between these two

Gordon Bombay switched between constantly checking his watch and pacing in front of a makeshift office inside the Richfield Ice Arena.

He could hear the familiar whistle blast, followed by a clattering of skates, as a group of preteen hockey players made their way off the ice to the locker room.

Ted Orion was nowhere to be seen. The lady over the telephone had assured Bombay earlier during the day that he would be working.

Bombay was about to leave when he spotted Ted Orion going into the boiler room at the end of the corridor. Hustling down the hallway, Bombay stopped at the door where Orion had entered.

'C'mon Bombay,' he told himself. "Just like you practised.

Sucking in a deep breath, Bombay raised his hand and knocked loudly on the door to ensure that Orion could hear him above the noise of the boiler.

There was a moment of silence before the door swung open, revealing Orion holding what looked like a wrench in one hand.

Orion took one look at Bombay, said 'No' in the most blunt way possible and slammed the door in Bombay's face.

Bombay had anticipated that Orion would not react well to seeing him after their last meeting. He was not wrong. Orion was not pleased to see him. At all.

Remembering the ducks and how Orion was the only person Bombay trusted them with, he opened the door against his better judgment and said, "Ted, we need to talk."

Upon seeing Bombay, Orion frowned and said, "We have nothing to talk about, Bombay."

Bombay had prepared a whole speech to win Orion over, but he lost the words. Orion was still angry at him. Even if it was a few years ago, the betrayal was still fresh.

Bombay needed to change the subject—fast. He contemplated asking how his daughter was doing but decided against it.

"How's work going?" Bombay asked. "Never pictured you as a rink maintenance manager back in high school.

"Fine," Orion said abruptly. "Now leave."

Orion wasn't having any of it. He wanted Bombay gone. He was only a reminder of what he had lost.

Bombay ignored Orion's request for him to leave. Instead, he asked, "Do you miss it?"

Orion gritted his teeth. He wanted Bombay to leave but knew he had to restrain himself. Since winning the gold medal at the Junior Goodwill Games, Bombay had become quite the celebrity in Minnesota hockey circles.

As on cue, Mr. Smith, the arena manager, poked his head into the room. "Ted, could you check on the boys' locker room? It looks like there's a .."

Mr. Smith stopped mid-sentence. "Gordon Bombay!" Mr. Smith exclaimed before extending a hand to Bombay. "What brings you to Richfield? "

"I was just catching up with my old friend Ted here," Bombay said before hastily adding, "If that's not an issue, of course."

"Not at all," Mr. Smith smiled." I'll have someone else check in on that mess in the locker room. Say, why don't you show Mr. Bombay around? Make him feel welcome."

Orion forced a fake smile at the suggestion. The last thing Orion wanted was for his boss to find out that he had asked Bombay to leave.

"Follow me," Orion said, motioning for Bombay to follow him.

Bombay said goodbye to Mr. Smith and then followed Orion throughout the building.

As soon as Orion was out of earshot of his boss, he muttered, "Let's get this over with."

"Ted, stop," Bombay said.

Ted stopped in his tracks and turned to Bombay.

"What do you want, Bombay? You come in here after all these years? To do what? Gloat?" Orion said in an accusatory tone.

"No," Bombay said quietly. "I'm not like that anymore."

"Right..." Orion said, not believing him. "Minnesota Miracle Man and all that crap. You know, I don't believe a word the papers say. "

"Honestly, I wouldn't blame you," Bombay sighed. "Not after what I did to you. I'm sorry, Ted. I really am."

Orion was stunned. Bombay sounded almost remorseful. Neither one of them knowing what to say.

It wasn't until the same group of preteens Bombay had seen earlier came out of the locker room that the silence broke. About five of the kids boisterously passed the two of them, carrying on like kids do.

"I'm going to miss that," Bombay said, almost to himself.

Orion was curious. "Miss what?" Orion asked, trying to understand what Bombay was referring to.

"Coaching the Ducks," Bombay said bluntly. "It's why I came to see you today."

Orion was confused. Bombay and the ducks were synonymous. The ducks were Bombay's team. "I heard a rumour that the Eden Hall Academy wanted to take on the ducks. I don't know how true that is, of course."

"Do you miss it? Hockey?"

"Sometimes." Orion thought for a moment. "Yes."

"Ever thought of going back?" Bombay asked, genuinely curious.

"No. My life is here."

Bombay understood. Some things are more important than winning. Bombay knew that firsthand.

"Have you thought about coaching?" Bombay asked.

"You want me to take over coaching the ducks?" Orion asked, astonished.

Bombay nodded. "Yes."

Orion thought for a moment. "I can't make a living coaching, what, bantam?"

"I spoke to Dean Buckley this morning, "Bombay said. " The rumour you heard was true. They're offering the ducks full scholarships to Eden Hall. "

Orion went quiet. Eden Hall was among the country's most prestigious high school hockey programs. As an alumnus, Orion knew this firsthand. The salary and, more importantly, the benefits would far exceed what he was getting now.

All Orion's savings from playing in the NHL had been eaten up by paying for his daughter's medical care. It was an opportunity to still be in the game he loved and be able to support his family comfortably.

But Orion was skeptical. This offer was coming from Bombay. Bombay had to have an ulterior motive. "What's the catch?"

Bombay sighed, "There is no catch. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'm asking you to anyway."

Orion completated Bombay's offer. He could see no downside to the offer and absolutely no upside for Bombay to mislead him. Bombay was handing his old job to him with no strings attached.

"This isn't a yes, but I'll need one thing," Orion said.

"Name it," Bombay said.

"Do you got their tapes?"

True to his word, Bombay dropped the ducks' tapes off to Orion that afternoon.

After watching the tapes in their entirety, Orion contacted Bombay and said that while it still wasn't a 'yes,' he wanted to talk.

Bombay, coffee in hand, met Orion at the rink at five am.

"Still an early riser," Bombay said, stepping into Orion's office.

Much to Bombay's surprise, Ted Orion was not there. In his place was a little girl sitting in her wheelchair, reading a book.

"Hi there," Bombay smiled."Whatca reading there?"

"A book," the little girl said, not looking up.

Bombay laughed."I see that. What's in about?"

"Hockey," she replied, still engrossed in the book.

"I see. Do you like hockey?" Bombay asked.

"Yeah."

Before Bombay had the opportunity to continue, Orion came back. "Kalie," he said. "Can you go into the back while I talk to ?"

"Sure thing, Daddy," Kalie replied, wheeling herself into the back room.

Once she was gone, Orion sat opposite Bombay and said, "I watched their tapes."

Bombay was confused. "And?"

"It seems that somehow, over all these years, you managed to not teach them defence," Orion started.

Bombay grimaced. He knew Orion was telling the truth.

"And you're wasting Gaffney," Orion continued.

"I was on a hot streak with Goldberg," Bombay said defensively.

Orion thought for a moment. "If, and I mean if, I take this on, I'll need a few things from you."

"Name it," Bombay said. He was willing to do almost anything to get Orion this job.

"I want full control. I make all decisions regarding the team," Orion stated. "All roster decisions are mine."

"Done. What else?"

"I'll need you to talk to Dean Buckly and get me a better signing bonus," Orion said.

"I'll see what I can do," Bombay said. He wasn't sure what he could do, but at this point, he'd pay Orion's signing bonus out of his pocket.

"Anything else?" Bombay said. Surely, there couldn't be anything else.

Orion paused for effect. "I'll need you to take a step back. From the team. Entirely."

Bombay was confused. " I understand. You have complete control. Roster decisions. Lineups. Icetime."

"I can't have the team go to you every time there's a problem," Orion explained. "It's time to cut the cord."

Bombay felt his heart stop. "What?" he asked in disbelief.

Bombay was prepared to hand over the coaching reins entirely. But he was not ready to suddenly not be there for them if they needed him.

Bombay was indignant. "You can't be serious."

"Those are my terms," Orion stated candidly. "Take it or leave it. "

Orion's abruptness took Bombay aback. Inside, he knew Orion was the best person for the ducks, but he couldn't completely cut himself off from his team. It would break him.

"I can't do that," Bombay said. He paused and cleared his throat as it felt tight ."The team ... they're my family."

Bombay's voice was full of emotion. Orion had never heard Bombay talk like this, even after his Dad died. Bombay always portrayed himself as a strong, secure individual. Orion had never seen Bombay show his vulnerable side. The was no question about it. Bombay had a soft spot for the ducks. It was obvious to Orion that they were more than just a team to Bombay—much more.

"Then why leave?" Orion asked. "If these kids mean so much to you, why go?"

"Because if I don't take this opportunity, I'll always be left wondering 'what if,'" Bombay explained. "And I can't do that. I'm afraid I'll resent them if I do. And I cannot do that. Can't."

Orion felt a wave of sympathy rush over him. A few years back, he had faced the same choice. Despite reports from The Hockey News and other publications, he still had it in him to play pro.

Sensing what Bombay was going to ask him, Orion simply stated, "I've never regretted it. Not for a moment."

Bombay quietly reflected on what Orion had said. He didn't feel an ounce of resentment for his daughter.

Bombay decided to change the topic. "I bought over the most up-to-date roster information," Bombay said, handing Orion a piece of paper.

"What's this? Orion asked, scanning the piece of paper Bombay handed him.

"Weight, height, position, number and age. Although these are approximates," Bombay said with a small laugh. "They keep growing. I remember when I was bigger than all of them. Not anymore."

Orion didn't say anything. He had watched all the tapes Bombay provided. He had their stats. Goals, assists, saves. But Orion was around hockey enough to know that stats only tell part of the story.

"Tell me about the kids," Orion said.

Bombay leaned back in the chair. "Firstly, there's Guy. He's currently going through something with Moreau. I never really kept track of their relationship. Not my business, but when they're on, he's one of the best players on the team. But when they're not, he loses his focus."

Orion nodded in confusion. He was hoping for something more substantial from Bombay. "What about Averman?"

"He's always been attached at the hip with Goldberg. He's maturing, though. He's not getting into as much trouble as he did when he was younger. I remember, the summer after Peewees, he and Goldberg got it in their heads that it was a good idea to. ..." Bombay trailed off when he saw that Orion wasn't impressed.

"Julie The Cat?" Orion asked Bombay.

Bombay understood what Orion was asking. Orion wanted to know what everyone was like on the ice. But to Bombay, how the team was off the ice was just as important as on the ice.

"She's good. Fast glove. But she's only been in a handful of games," Bombay said.

Orion asked about each of the players individually, what they were good at and what they needed to work on. Bombay gave his honest assessment: Goldberg needed to take training seriously, Fulton needed to work on his skating, and Moreau and Wu, being the smallest players on the ice, needed to learn how to protect themselves.

It wasn't until Orion got to Conway and Banks that Bombay went quiet. "Banks is probably too good for JV," Bombay confessed. "But the ducks are good for him. Keep him grounded."

Orion had watched Banks' tapes and agreed. He probably belonged on varsity. "And Conway?"

Bombay exhaled deeply. "Charlie is ...Charlie."

Orion noticed a change in Bombay's voice. Softer. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Bombay thought for a moment. He had never had to vocalize his feelings out loud about Charlie before.

"He's the reason I'm even here and not rotting in some gutter somewhere," Bombay confessed. "When I was a lawyer, I was every one of those things you and every other client accused me of. Cold, calculating and callous. But when I met Charlie and the Ducks after being sentenced to community service for drinking and driving, everything changed. They brought me back from the edge, eventually making me part of their little family. It was the best thing that happened to me. Years later, I found that cop who pulled me over, and I thanked him for doing it."

Orion quietly listened as Bombay explained all that he, Charlie and the ducks had been through that first year. It was a lot. Orion knew he shouldn't ask as it was personal, but he asked anyway. "What's this kid to you anyway?"

Bombay stopped and picked his words carefully. Deep down, he knew that Charlie was more of a son to him than just a player, but he couldn't bring himself to utter that, especially when he had not told Charlie himself how he felt.

"He's the real Minnesota Miracle Man."

Bombay's statement hung in the air. Neither one of them said a word. Nothing else needed to be said.

But that statement was enough for Orion. This wasn't a trap like it was years ago when the tables were turned. This time, he held all the cards.

Orion had nothing to lose, and Bombay had everything to lose. These kids had changed Bombay for the better, and Bombay had promised him that if he gave them a chance, they'd work miracles in his life, too.

Orion was tired of being angry at Bombay, the insurance company, and, most of all, himself for not being more careful. If he could forgive Bombay for what happened years ago, he could begin to forgive himself, too.

"Yes. I'll take the job."