Author's Note:This took a long time to write. I was originally going to have Tracey miscarry but decided against it. Also, no one, and I mean no one, ends up looking good after everything is said and done. Not Bombay. Not Tracey. Not even Charlie or Orion. The only person who comes out unscathed is Hans. Normally, these chapters are longer, but I wanted to get this one out.

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Bombay had been searching for Tracey for weeks. Tracey had left Ducksworth, Savor and Gross. She was not at the University of Minnesota. It was like she vanished.

Casey had been distant lately—cold, almost like she was keeping him at arm's length. She hadn't returned his calls and barely acknowledged him when they did speak.

Bombay couldn't focus on that now. Casey would have to wait. Tracey consumed his thoughts—and the child growing inside of her. The guilt gnawed at him. She was carrying his child- it was something he couldn't walk away from. Especially after seeing how much it had affected Charlie - growing up without a father. Bombay had also grown up without a father, but that was different. His father hadn't had a choice.

Old habits were hard to break. Bombay knew that better than anyone. As much as he tried to stay away from the drinking, the pressure of trying to make the NHL, the uncertainty regarding Tracey, Casey's sudden indifference—everything in his life kept spiralling out of control. He'd learned long ago that alcohol helped numb everything, even if it only worked for a short time. The Ducks weren't around to keep him grounded anymore. Without them, Charlie and Casey, the world seemed darker.

Bombay stepped into the dimly lit bar in Minneapolis, the air thick with the smell of beer and the haze of cigarette smoke. The people at the bar didn't even notice him. Sure, he'd been inThe Hockey Newsas one of the "Top Ten Prospects to Watch," but that didn't matter here. He was just another face among the crowd.

Bombay lingered by the entrance for a moment before finding an empty booth and waiving over the bartender.

Bombay knew he should've stayed sober, but he needed the escape. Jack Daniels had always been there for him. The burn of the whiskey down his throat felt like a familiar friend. Other people, Ted Orion included, occasionally had the odd drink. Or two. 'Why should I be any different?' Bombay would reason with himself.

Bombay's eyes drifted across the room as the amber liquid swirled in his glass, and that was when he finally saw her. With a glass of liquor, Tracey talked with a young college-aged man. She was captivating - always had been. She wore a black dress that clung to her body. Her trim figure was on full display. But there she sat—no bump. Nothing.

Inside, Bombay fumed. The math was simple—thirty-nine weeks since their last time together. That's how long it had been since they'd shared a bed. The realization hithim hard. All those months of guilt, of worrying about what to tell Casey—all of it had been for nothing. The life he'd imagined had been a lie.

Bombay pushed through the haze of cigarette smoke, carrying his drink in one hand and his jacket in another. Tracey looked up and smiled when she saw him.

"Look who finally decided to show up."

Bombay slammed his drink down on the table. He could feel the blood rising in his face. "You lied to me."

She didn't flinch. "About what?"

"You told me you were pregnant."

She shrugged as if it was nothing. "Yeah, I guess I did."

The young man who was with her stood up to defend her, but Bombay grabbed his collar and pulled his face next to his.

"Leave," he growled at the younger man. Bombay's grip tightened just enough to send a clear message. Although he was shorter, after working out with kids half his age, Bombay's body became more muscular and toned by the day. "BeforeI do something you'll regret."

The younger man yanked his collar free, but it was something in Bombay's voice that made him think twice about fighting back. He backed off without another word, disappearing into the crowd.

"Why?" Bomabay demanded.

Tracey swirled her drink before taking a sip. "I thought you were finally growing up. You were starting to look like you might be the kind of guy I'd one day settle down with. I thought if you thought I was pregnant, you'd leave that charity case and her brat son and act like a real man."

"So you thought lying about a baby would make me stay?" he asked angrily.

Tracey shrugged, unfazed. "I thought it might make you leave her."

'Of course.' Bombay thought. Of course, this had all been about Casey.

"And it worked, didn't it? You are here, after all."

"I didn't break it off with her,"Bombay said.

Tracey's eyes glimmered. "So you've been keeping secrets. That's interesting."

"You don't get to do this. You don't get to screw with my life just because you think you can manipulate me into being with you."

Tracey was completely unfazed by Bombay's comment. "Manipulation's a strong word, don't you think?"

Bombay snapped. "Bitch."

"And yet, you never told her,"Tracey reminded him.

"You're only with her because she's safe. And because you want to play daddy with her kid. Don't act like you're some sort of saint. I know you've started drinking again. Maybe Casey should know that, too."

Tracey knew she should stop. Maybe it was the fact that she knew Bombay wasn't was that she couldn't help was just the liquid courage. Whatever it was, it was cruel.

"You think you're the hero in all this? But you know what I see? A man so desperate to fix himself, trying to play dad to a kid who isn't even you thinkadopting himwillmake everything okay?You're just trying to fill a hole that's been there since your own father walked out."

Bombay's blood boiled. "Fuck you."

"You're just trying to weasel your way into someone else's family because you'll never have one of your own. You're just playing house with someone else's kid because you'll never know what it's like to be loved by a real family. You're a failure, Bombay. That's all you'll ever be,"Tracey retorted.

It took all of Bombay to not respond. In that moment, he hated Tracey. "Go fuck yourself."

"You're no better. At least I'm honest about who I am. You're hiding behind some perfect family fantasy of yours. I read the court documents. That little brat's real father gave him up like he was nothing. And what?Youthink you can just step in and pretend you're his dad?Youthink if you do this, you won't feel so broken? The great 'Minnesota Miracle Man'—what a joke."

His voice turned to a snarl. "At least I'm trying to be there for him. At least I didn't walk out. You want to talk about failures? Take a look in the mirror. You don't get to ruin my life just because yours fell apart."

Tracey leaned back, the smirk returning. "Whatever you need to tell yourself, Bombay. "

"I'm done."

Bombay threw some cash on the bar as he stormed out.

As he was leaving, he saw Jade sitting at the far end of the bar. For a brief moment, their eyes locked. But Bombay didn't stop. Hecouldn't. Not now.