AU where Ted Orion senses Casey Conway's new boyfriend might not have the purest intentions with his Ducks captain. Post-D3.

A Father's Instincts

Ted Orion knew something wasn't right when Casey Conway's newest boyfriend came to one of their wildcard games.

Maybe it was from having worked with kids for the past two years.

Maybe it was because he was a dad, having a nine-year-old daughter and a baby boy.

Or maybe it was his overprotectiveness as a father, the aftermath of the car accident that left his daughter in a wheelchair, making him paranoid over the littlest things.

After they won their first playoff game against the Hornets, Ted watched as the kids' families piled onto the ice to celebrate the win with the Ducks. Casey Conway was positively beaming hard as she embraced her son. And her new boyfriend, Kyle, looked eager to be there. That wasn't so odd; according to Bombay, Charlie's previous stepdad often acted like it was a chore to spend time with him. So, for Casey's boyfriend to take an interest in the kid's extracurricular activities, Ted imagined how refreshing that must've been for the boy.

But what struck Ted was how Kyle seemed to linger a little too much near Charlie. He watched after that win as Kyle wound an arm around the boy's waist and ran his fingers through his sweat-matted curls, how he'd hold on a little longer than what Ted would consider usual. And he didn't fail to notice how Charlie would try to pull away slightly, only for Kyle to hold on a little tighter, in a way that seemed constricting.

At first, he brushed aside his worries. Maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe there was nothing wrong.

But his doubts lingered.

He watched as it happened again at their second playoff game.

The same exact thing happened. But after the players filed off the bus so that they could go home with their families after the away game, Ted noticed Kyle was there without Casey. Granted, it had been an away game to Bemidji, which was in Beltrami County, and according to Charlie, his mother couldn't make it because she was working an all-day shift and she also didn't feel comfortable driving such a far distance outside of Hennepin County.

Fine.

At least Kyle was there for both of them, so Charlie had someone there to support him.

There was nothing inherently wrong with that. But what made Ted uneasy was seeing Kyle be seemingly more invasive than the first time he'd witnessed them. Kyle was giving Charlie a massage, something that Ted knew wasn't necessary at all – Charlie hadn't pulled any muscles during the game. Sure, he took a couple of checks to the boards, but other than that, the kid wouldn't be so sore that he'd need a massage. Not to mention, Charlie's face held an uncomfortable smile as Kyle rubbed and patted his shoulders. And when they went to the car, Kyle kept his arm around Charlie, rubbing a hand up and down his arm, going all the way down and up again. And although Charlie didn't pull away or seem to say he didn't like it, Ted saw how stiff the boy looked.

When Charlie revealed that he wanted to move into the dorms, so far along in the second semester, in the middle of February, Ted's instincts returned. The boy ended up moving into Russ's dorm, which meant Russ's previous roommate, Dwayne, had to move in with Ken. Dorming for Charlie wasn't necessary. He lived in Minneapolis. Eden Hall was in Edina, well within his distance to walk to school or take the bus every day. So, why was he looking to move into the dorms?

He confided his concerns to Bella one night after they got Lucy and Teddy to bed.

"What's on your mind?" she asked him gently, her long, red hair softly brushing along her shoulders as he turned to glance at him.

Ted sighed. He knew nothing got past Bella. She could always read him like a book. "I'm just worried about one of my players," he admitted. "Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"It's Charlie. There's something about his mother's boyfriend that doesn't feel right to me."

"How so?"

"Just . . . I notice the guy seems to be too close to him after our games. After our away game in Bemidji, he was touching Charlie's shoulders, giving him a massage. I know my players. I know when they need something for sore muscles. It wasn't the case there. And when he led Charlie to the car, he kept patting his shoulders and rubbing his arm, and Charlie seemed uncomfortable with it. And Charlie just moved into the dorms abruptly. It's not necessary for him to dorm, not when Eden Hall is in Edina and the kid lives in Minneapolis."

Bella nodded, taking his hand. "Maybe there's nothing to worry about, honey. Maybe you're just overthinking it."

"But I don't have a good feeling about this, Belles. I just don't. I can't ignore it." Ted closed his eyes, but he just as quickly opened them. Too many disturbing images flashed through his mind, ones that he'd rather not conjure up, but he couldn't help thinking the worst was happening.

"Well, if it doesn't sit right with you, maybe you should talk to Charlie about it."

Ted decided he'd take Bella's advice.

After practice on Wednesday afternoon, Ted watched as his players filed off the ice to go and shower. But before Charlie could join the others in the locker room, Ted barred him from leaving by grabbing his arm, his hand wrapping around the boy's bicep.

"Conway," he said, "can you step into my office? I wanna talk to you for a sec."

Charlie nodded. It was then that Ted saw the grip he had on the boy's arm was making Charlie uncomfortable for some reason, and although Charlie wasn't saying anything, Ted pulled his hand away; he watched as the boy's shoulders started to relax as Ted gestured for the boy to follow him into his office. Once they were in his office, he gestured for Charlie to sit down and take off his skates, and the boy obliged.

Ted sighed as he pulled up his office chair and sat across from the boy, leaning his elbows on his legs as he looked at the boy closely, noticing the kid seemed tense just being alone with him. Granted, their relationship as a coach and player improved after Charlie decided he wanted to play two-way hockey and asked to rejoin the team. But they were the furthest thing from what Charlie and Bombay were, which was a father-son dynamic. Ted recalled how Bombay told him that Charlie had given him a life and made him start caring about something other than himself, how Charlie had made Bombay a more selfless person.

Still, there was some small part of Ted that yearned for that kind of trust from Charlie. Not that he wanted to overstep and have what Bombay had with the kid. But Ted wanted Charlie to know that he had his best interests at heart, that this whole time of teaching him two-way hockey, he was preparing him for real life and adulthood, for life beyond high school.

Sighing, Ted said, "What's going on?"

Charlie's back went ramrod straight, the signs of defensiveness there. "Nothing."

"Why did you move into the dorms?" Ted asked softly. "You live in the county, close enough to here. It's not necessary for you to dorm."

"I just . . . I wanted my space," Charlie said, and Ted could hear the palpable discomfort in the boy's tone when the mention of his living on campus was made. That told him there was more going on, because it made no sense. Bombay told him of how Casey Conway raised Charlie as a single mom, that for years, it had just been the two of them, and they were practically inseparable. For Charlie to "want space" from his mother, the thought didn't sit right with Ted at all, knowing that Charlie was starting to isolate himself from the people who loved him. And if he wasn't mistaken, Charlie was distancing himself a little more from the other Ducks – he stayed more to himself, which wasn't like him; he was normally the more outgoing, sociable out of everyone on the team.

"I thought you and your mom were as close as could be."

"Kyle moved in." Charlie seemed to notice his mistake in saying that; his face went white as his eyes widened.

"That quickly, huh?"

"When Mom falls for a guy, she falls hard. It was that way when she and Coach were dating."

Ted ignored the burn he felt at Charlie calling Bombay "Coach." Of course, he knew Charlie held Bombay in high regard and that certain habits were hard to break. But it didn't sting any less knowing Charlie still didn't see him the way he saw Gordon. But he heard in the boy's voice that he was wary of his mom falling so quickly for guys, guys that weren't Bombay – if it were Bombay, Ted suspected Charlie would be more than thrilled to have Gordon move in.

Ted sighed. "Yeah, it's fast. I'll give you that. But is there anything going on with him? Anything you feel someone else should know about?"

Charlie froze up at that, and Ted could've sworn the boy looked like he'd be sick. "Um . . . What do you mean?"

"Like . . . I don't know, has he done anything that makes you feel uncomfortable at all?"

Charlie relented slightly. "Um, well, he is kinda weird. And I've been trying to distance myself a bit. But it's nothing to worry about. He's just . . . I don't know, he's very . . . touchy-feely, I guess? The opposite of other guys Mom's dated in the past."

"I saw him with you after our away game," Ted said, leaning closer to look the boy over. He noticed some shadowing under Charlie's eyes, how the color kept draining from his face as he fidgeted uncomfortably. "Were you really sore after the game? Because if you hurt your shoulder during that game, you should've brought it to my attention and I would've looked at it."

"Well, no but, he offered, and . . ."

"No, no, no," Ted said, cutting Charlie off gently before reaching over and leaning a hand on the boy's knee, only for Charlie to flinch away and curl his legs under him as if someone had electrocuted him. Ted drew his hand away instantly, sensing Charlie didn't want to be touched, and his stomach tightened with an anxiousness he hadn't felt since the car wreck that left his daughter permanently injured. "A forty-something-year-old man doesn't touch his girlfriend's son like that," he continued, his voice stern. "If it were only once or twice, if you truly needed it, that's one thing. But it seems a bit excessive to me. It may not be anything. But I do not think him constantly having his hands on you like that is appropriate."

Ted watched as Charlie's eyes went glassy and red, pooling with unshed tears. Ted reached behind him for the box of tissues he kept on his desk and handed one to Charlie, who hastily pressed it against his eyes to try and keep the tears from spilling.

"Charlie, if he is doing anything that you don't like, you've gotta speak up and say something. Because frankly, I'm worried."

He watched as the tears spilled over onto Charlie's cheeks, and the boy wrapped his arms around himself tightly. If Ted thought Charlie looked like he was about to be sick before, now he really looked ill. His face took on a greenish tint, and his arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach, as if he were trying to hold his insides together and prevent himself from losing his lunch. The tears ran down the boy's face as he looked down at his lap in shame.

"I'm calling Bombay," Ted decided, getting up to go over to his office phone, only to be cut off by Charlie's strangled cry of, "No! Don't! Please!" He whipped around and saw the boy looking at him desperately, blue eyes wide with terror.

"Charlie, someone else needs to know. You've gotta tell someone you trust. And if you're not gonna tell me, then you've got to tell Bombay. Because whatever you're hiding, it clearly makes you uncomfortable and it could put you in danger if you don't do something about it."

"But Mom's happy with him. After she divorced John . . . I – I could never do that to her!"

"It doesn't matter. She's your mother; she should be protecting you. And if this man is a danger to you, you know she'd never stand for that."

"But . . ."

"Your safety is more important," Ted said, surprised by the heated anger in his voice. He toned it down for Charlie's sake, seeing the boy was scared out of his mind. "I'm telling you this as a dad, Conway. If someone so much as touched my daughter or son the way your mom's boyfriend touched you after our away game, I'd have something to say about it. And it seems to me that Kyle is trying to paint a rosy picture for your mother as he hides another side of himself, the side he doesn't want her seeing because he knows if she knows, she'd leave."

He watched as the boy shrunk back against the sofa, more tears rolling down his face as he started shaking. Sighing, Ted walked back over and sat next to him, leaning a hand on the boy's shoulder, only for Charlie to flinch hard as he whimpered, shaking his head desperately.

"So, what's going on? What is it?" Ted whispered. "Is it bad? Is he hurting you at all?"

Charlie just looked back at him fearfully, the color draining even more from his face, and Ted could've sworn the boy was about to pass out. Ted squeezed his shoulder lightly, hoping it would give the boy some courage to say anything.

Finally, Charlie spoke, his voice tight as his cheeks burned with shame. "Yeah."

Ted nodded gently, never once removing his hand from the boy's shoulder. He rubbed back and forth softly. "What did he do to you?"

Charlie's entire face was turning red as he whispered, "He . . . um . . . Saturday morning, he left something in my room."

"What was it?" Ted pressed.

"It . . ." Charlie's voice shook as he struggled to articulate himself. "It was a photo of him. In the picture, Kyle was . . . he didn't have any clothes on and he . . . he was touching himself! On . . . On the back of it, there was a note, he said he wanted me to know when he'd done that, he'd been thinking of me." As soon as he said that, Charlie bolted up from his seat and raced toward the wastebasket near Ted's desk, and he promptly got sick, vomiting violently.

Ted felt his blood go cold as he listened to Charlie throwing up in the trash can. Still, he got up from the couch and knelt beside the boy as Charlie's knees gave out from under him while he continued getting sick. Hesitantly, Ted reached over and leaned a gentle hand on the boy's back, rubbing back and forth until Charlie finally stopped throwing up, but he was still shaking and panting hard; his breath wheezed as he wiped his mouth, his hand trembling badly.

Ted felt his own eyes burn as he watched the boy break apart. He, too, felt the helplessness settle in. Never before had he encountered anything like this. Of course, when he first started coaching at Eden Hall, he'd gone through extensive training on issues with teenagers, like child abuse and drugs and alcohol. But he didn't think once that he'd confront a situation like this, much less with somebody who was his team's captain. He could never imagine anything like this happening to Lucy or Teddy. But then again, he and his wife weren't divorced; he could never, ever picture himself abandoning his children like Charlie's biological father had, leaving his wife susceptible to dating scum like Casey's boyfriend. He felt a mixture of things: angry, sad, confused . . . part of him just couldn't understand this at all.

He sighed, watching as Charlie's breathing grew more hysterical by the minute. He knew what needed to be done; they needed to tell the boy's mother, and this needed to be reported. But they wouldn't make any progress if Charlie didn't calm down.

"Take it easy, Charlie," Ted whispered. "Take some deep breaths. Come on. In through your nose, out through your mouth, son."

Charlie nodded, gasping as he tried taking some steady breaths, and Ted gently pulled the boy closer to him, carefully winding his arms around Charlie, who didn't hesitate to throw his arms around him as he sobbed. Ted felt the tears hitting his neck as he rubbed Charlie's back gently.

"Shhh," Ted whispered. "It'll be okay. I've got you, kid. I've got you."

After Charlie finally calmed down, Ted convinced him that it would be best if they called Bombay and let him know what was going on. Charlie had protested, claiming it would look really bad if his mom's ex-boyfriend was around when they told her about what Kyle had done. But Ted also knew Charlie needed to tell another adult he trusted. And that was Bombay.

"Charlie, he needs to know. He said to call him if you ever need him for anything. I wouldn't make you do this if I didn't care what happens to you."

Charlie finally relented. He'd sat on the sofa while Ted called Bombay up in California, putting the phone on speaker. When Bombay picked up on the other end, Ted recounted the story Charlie had told him almost an hour earlier. Ted did most of the talking; Charlie was too busy crying, ashamed that he could've potentially fallen victim to something much worse.

Gordon wasted no time, deciding he'd get the next available flight to Minneapolis, claiming he wanted to be there when they talked to Casey about what had been going on. After they finished the phone conversation, Ted told Charlie to go and have a shower, suggesting he treat Charlie to dinner at Twin City Slice before he dropped the boy back off at the dorms. He'd wanted to ensure the boy ate something heavy in carbs – he looked a bit thin. And he'd figured he'd have the best luck getting Charlie to eat by ordering him pizza; the boy could finish off a whole pie by himself.

The next morning, Ted got Charlie out of class, and they met up with Bombay at Mickey's Dining Car so that they could sit down with Casey for breakfast. Ted made sure they sat in a booth toward the back of the restaurant, not wanting them to draw any attention to themselves. And Charlie had practically run into Gordon's arms, tackling his former Peewee coach in a fierce hug. Ted was surprised, to say the least. He'd thought for sure that Charlie would be averted to any kind of touch, particularly from men, given the screwed-up stuff Kyle had been doing. But Charlie still trusted Gordon above everyone else. At least that part of him hadn't been tainted.

Telling the kid's mother was the hardest part. Upon hearing what Kyle had done, Casey Conway broke down and sobbed, devastated and embarrassed that she hadn't caught onto Kyle's perverted behavior, that he'd preyed on her son, and that she hadn't recognized any of the abnormalities in him, that she'd allowed him to manipulate her into thinking what he was doing was nothing more than innocent in wanting to spend time with her son, which had been the very thing she'd always dreamt of, a man genuinely wanting to be a father to her son. And the way she looked at Bombay when they revealed to her what Kyle had done, it was almost as though she realized she'd had that at one point, that Bombay loved Charlie like a son and had nothing but the purest intentions.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Casey demanded, her blue eyes red. Gordon reached across the table, grabbed her hand, and squeezed gently.

"Because I knew you were happy with him," Charlie said, his voice cracking. "John dumped us. And I didn't want to be the reason another of your relationships got screwed up."

"He did this to you, Charlie." Bombay looked angry, though Ted knew the anger was directed at Kyle, not Charlie. "He was very wrong to do any of that. And John leaving, that's on him, not you. And . . ." His voice trailed off; he clearly wanted to tell Charlie it hadn't been his fault that Bombay and Casey hadn't worked out, he seemed to want to say even more than that, that he wanted another chance with Casey. But Ted also knew that the work Bombay did now was very taxing and demanding, that he wouldn't have time to invest in Casey and give her the kind of devotion she deserved, but the very least that he wanted to do was be there for Charlie.

Charlie seemed to understand what Bombay was saying, the tears pooling in his eyes as Bombay wound an arm around him, the boy's head resting on his collarbone. Casey wiped her eyes, but it was useless; more tears just kept falling down her face as Ted reached over, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"You didn't fail him, Casey," he said firmly. "You're a great mother. It's not your fault that Kyle fooled you guys like this."

"But why didn't I see it?" she asked brokenly.

"You saw what you wanted to see," Ted said, keeping every ounce of judgment out of his voice. The last thing that Casey Conway needed right now was a lecture, especially since Charlie didn't hold her responsible for what had happened; after all, it had been Charlie who hadn't wanted to say anything because he wanted to protect her, he wanted her to be happy; Ted had a feeling Charlie would've taken years of that abuse if it meant his mother being happy. "I can tell you're a lot like your son; you always try to see the best in everyone. And that's not a bad thing. But we're lucky we caught this and we're stopping this now before it gets worse."

"He's right. Don't be so hard on yourself, Case," Gordon whispered, keeping Charlie as close to him as possible. "I think it's best we go to the police about this. Charlie," he said, turning his gaze to the boy leaning against his shoulder, "do you still have the photo Kyle gave you?"

Charlie nodded numbly.

"We'll need that for evidence," Gordon whispered. "Once the cops see that, this will all be taken care of."

The interview process at the police station was something out of a movie.

Charlie sat in the interview room with Ted, Gordon, and Casey, recounting to the cops everything Kyle had been doing: offering him "massages," rubbing his arms while offering him food and beverages, and it finally culminating in Kyle leaving behind the naked picture on Charlie's bedside table. Charlie showed the officers the photo, which had the note on the back of it, and when he saw it, Gordon looked like he'd throw up as the tears filled his eyes. Even Ted wasn't prepared for what he was seeing, the image of Kyle completely exposed, touching himself, a pleasured smile on his face. It was enough to make him sick, too. But Casey was the most affected; she actually had to leave the room, an officer escorting her out. Ted could only imagine she was in the women's bathroom throwing up.

"I . . . I'm not into that," Charlie told the police, his eyes wet. "I swear. I have a girlfriend. I . . . my best friend Adam and I, we read Playboy, we're into girls, and sure we checked out porn once or twice, but the normal stuff, you know?" His entire face was red as he looked down in embarrassment, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as his eyes closed.

"Charlie, listen to me," one of the officers, Bryers, said, his voice firm and level, not an ounce of judgment detectable as Charlie reluctantly looked up, his eyes glassy with tears. "What he did means nothing, okay? It doesn't mean anything."

The other officer, Hernandez, said, "Aside from the massages and the rubbing, did he touch you anywhere else?"

"No!" Charlie nearly yelled, his cheeks flaring red in humiliation. "No, it never went beyond the massages! I swear to God!"

"Calm down, son," Officer Bryers whispered, handing Charlie a tissue as he noticed the tears spilling over. "It's all right. And aside from this photo, were there others?"

"I don't know." Charlie shook his head. "Please, I just wanna go home."

"I wouldn't recommend it right now," Officer Hernandez said. "I'd suggest you stay in your dorm or with somebody you trust until we complete the investigation. I'd also recommend your mom find a relative she could stay with, because if she cannot handle being in the apartment with Kyle, it could compromise everything. We want to do a thorough search and see if there's any other evidence. Aside from your dorm, do you have anywhere else you can stay?"

"He can come stay with me," Ted offered instantly, not even thinking about it for a second. "I have a spare bedroom and a fold-out sofa. I live with my wife, son, and daughter; he and Casey will be safe there."

Charlie turned to look at him, and the surprise on his face was something Ted would never be able to erase from his memory. He knew, in the beginning, he'd been tough on Charlie, but that was because he wanted to see Charlie really work hard and earn everything, and he wouldn't have pushed Charlie as hard as he did if he knew the boy couldn't do it; he wasn't about breaking and destroying anybody, he was about building them up and ensuring they gained confidence, that whatever they did well already, they could do so much better than their best.

Still, he had a heart; he recalled how Charlie, at one point, thought he was nothing more than a drill sergeant bully who couldn't hack it at the pros. But he would do just about anything to make sure the boy was safe; if his children were in Charlie's position, he'd do anything it took to protect them. And by extension, the Ducks were slowly becoming part of his family. They'd gone with him to the hospital when his wife gave birth to Teddy Jr., and he saw how they all cooed at the sight of his baby boy, and that meant more than words could pronounce. And his priority was making sure Charlie knew his home was his, that he could stay there as long as he needed to until Kyle was arrested.

Charlie finally nodded; he was crying so hard, he couldn't speak, and Ted allowed the boy to launch himself forward into his arms.

The entire investigation seemed to go on for a month, even though it only lasted a few days. Ted allowed Charlie to have the bed in the guest room, knowing the boy would want his privacy. When they finally got the news that Kyle had been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography and that the officers found evidence that he was a pedophile, relief flooded them knowing there was enough evidence to sentence Kyle without a trial – he'd get a plea deal, so at least Charlie wouldn't have to testify – and that Kyle would need to register as a sex offender. The moment Charlie heard the good news, hugs went all around, and his mother couldn't have apologized enough for having not noticed anything.

It was after dinner that night in the Orion house that Ted sat with Casey, who was still crying tears of relief, but also shame.

"I just . . . I can't believe I'd been dating him, that he could've done something to my child." Casey's voice was as fragile as broken glass, and she kept looking down in embarrassment. "I guess I just can never make good choices when it comes to men, huh?"

"You know Gordon would take you back in a heartbeat," Ted said quietly. "He loves your son unconditionally, the way a father should love a son. But if you want some advice, Casey, here's what I suggest: Stop looking for some guy's approval, and learn to love yourself. Because you'll never find the right person if you don't take the time to see what you are worth. You're a damn good mother. Never doubt that for a second."

Despite the tears flowing from her eyes, Casey managed the weakest smile at Ted. "Thank you."

After the investigation concluded and Kyle Peck was behind bars and ordered to be put on the registry, there came more tough decisions. There was the matter of Charlie needing to tell his friends what had happened. At first, Charlie protested, panicked and angry, claiming that would be the worst idea ever, that nothing had been done to him, and that it simply wasn't necessary.

But Ted knew the boy was hurting, and that if he had more love and support in his life, it would only help. Although Kyle never got the chance to take anything further than inappropriate touching and gifting the naked picture, there was no denying the damage he inflicted upon Charlie, who was starting to lag in practice and didn't seem as focused on the ice as he usually was. Ted approached him one day after one of their practices about telling the Ducks, only to be met with backlash.

"No!" Charlie yelled angrily. "I'm not saying anything! It's not needed! They don't need to be burdened by my stupid problems! Besides, it's not like Kyle raped me or anything. So, why should I tell them?"

"They're noticing something is wrong, Conway," Ted said sternly. "They're not stupid. They see you're not yourself. And while Kyle may not have done anything more, he could've come damn close if we hadn't done anything to stop him. And besides, holding it all inside and keeping this secret from them is only taking a bigger toll on you; it's only causing you more stress and anxiety. Why pass up the chance to have more support in your life? And Linda deserves to know, too; she's worried, just as worried as they are."

At that, the boy reluctantly relented, but not before saying, "Will you and Bombay be there when I do it?"

"You don't even have to ask."

It was after their practice that took place before their final playoff game. Charlie had asked Linda to come by and watch the practice, and after it was over, Ted and Gordon gathered them all up and had everyone take a knee. The whole time, Charlie's nerves were frayed even more, and when Ted announced to the team that Charlie had something he needed to tell them, all of the color drained from the boy's face, which triggered Linda to grab his hand, a worried expression crossing her soft face as Charlie recounted to the team everything that had been happening since Kyle moved into he and his mom's apartment in January: the inappropriate touching, the unsolicited massages, and finally, Kyle giving Charlie the outright pornographic photo that one morning.

The whole time, Charlie's gaze remained glued to the ice underneath him, his entire face red in embarrassment at needing to even say this to the Ducks. In fact, he seemed surprised when Connie, who'd started crying, moved over and threw her arms around him, and Adam and Russ looked at him with nothing but sympathy. Even Portman was rendered speechless, as were Averman and Goldberg, who couldn't seem to find words. Fulton, on the other hand, looked infuriated on Charlie's behalf, and Dwayne, Julie, Guy, and Ken just looked confused. Even Linda looked worried, tears staining her eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Adam asked, his blue eyes wide and tear-stained.

"Yeah, man, none of what he did is on you. He's the sick perv; he would've done this to anyone, it's not just you," piped up Russ.

"Where the fuck is the guy?" Portman demanded, sharing a look with Fulton. "I'll kick his ass!"

"He's in prison and is on the registry," Gordon informed them, much to the relief of everyone in the room. "He'll serve ten years and won't be allowed anywhere near children again."

"Good!" Julie said fiercely, her eyes tear-filled as she shared angry glances with Russ, Adam, and Portman.

"But are you okay?" Connie demanded, removing her arms from around Charlie and allowing Adam to move and throw his arm around his friend's shoulders.

Charlie looked too overwhelmed to speak as his other friends added in their words of support. Finally, he said, "I'm getting there."

"I'm just glad he didn't do anything else," Linda whispered, squeezing his hand.

"Me too."

It was much later, after Ted dismissed them from practice, that he heard the knock at his office door. Glancing up, he saw Charlie standing there, hair soaking wet from his shower in the locker room and an easy smile on his face, one that took little effort.

"Hey, Coach?"

"Yeah, Conway?"

Charlie's smile widened a little more. "Thank you. For everything."

Ted smiled back at him. "You're welcome." He was glad that he'd followed his gut as not just as a coach, but also as a dad.