Another Angle
Chapter 1: Not Quite All There
Story Notes: Part of the series The Story of the Mighty Ducks.
Summary: A few of the Ducks tag along to Sweden. They all try to solve the troubles they made for themselves after the events, which took place during ‘Marriage Daze’
Rating: PG-13.
Warning: Just harmless stuff. Maybe not... I’ll get back to you on that...
Timeline: Sequel to ‘Marriage Daze’, summer of 1998.
(Un) Important babbling-notes from Cimmy: I was actually not planning on finishing this story anytime soon, but thanks to a reader (Britney) I got some inspiration, so here it goes... These first couple of chapters was written some time ago, I hope it all makes sense... By the way, thank you Britney, without you I never would’ve gotten this ready within the nearest future... (Did that make sense?)
Disclaimer: Disney owns The Mighty Ducks, Roy MacGregor owns the characters from the Screech Owls-books, and I own my beloved Swedes.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“Guy, could you please save the throwing-up bit until we got off the plane?” Charlie begged.
Guy made a face at him. “I never said I was feeling sick. I’m just really sick of this plane. I suffer from carsickness, so you could just imagine how bad it is to be on a plane. Besides, I’m tired of listening to you complaining.”
“Should I complain?” Charlie asked. “Free vacation, no more playing house with my psycho assistant captain and no school for almost three months. What do I have to complain about?”
Connie leaned over from the seat in front of them. “For a guy that doesn’t have a lot to complain about, you’re making a whole lot of sounds,” she smiled. “Complaining sounds, if you didn’t get what I meant.”
“I got it,” Charlie muttered. “I’m just being realistic. All good things are followed by pain and suffering. Hockey equals practice. Winning equals worrying about winning again. New skates equal blisters. Fun equals... no fun. You get it.”
“Not everything about life should be compared with hockey equipment and practices,” Connie pointed out. “If you continue like this, we’re forced to put you on a clinic against hockey obsessing.”
“Like the twelve-step program?” Adam asked, snickering.
“Nah, it’s called the twelve-skate program,” Connie joked. “But in Charlie’s case maybe it would be for the best to increase the steps with another eighty-four steps or so. Co-incidentally making it the same number of steps as your jersey number says.”
“Are ya done?” Charlie growled. “I like being ridiculed, but there’s a limit to everything. I’m just saying that this free trip could result in something bad. Free stuff is never really free, as we learnt in the trailer park where I grew up.”
Connie laughed. “You live on the same street as us! And I don’t remember it being THAT poor. Guy?”
“Nope, I don’t remember a trailer park across the street from me. Just your house and Connie’s bedroom window.”
“Seriously, your house is on the wrong side from mine. There’s not a chance in hell you could’ve seen me through the window of my room,” Connie said, rolling her eyes.”
“From Charlie’s room I could,” Guy replied. “But maybe I shouldn’t tell you about it, you seem to get worked up about stuff like that.”
Connie slapped Charlie’s arm. “Charlie! How could you’ve let him do that?”
Charlie just shrugged. “I needed friends, and Guy was over at my place a lot more after he realized that it had a great view. Like I noticed anyway, I was busy trying to do my homework. I actually had an ambition to learn when I was younger.”
The others just stared at him. “It was a long time ago, okay? And for the record, Connie, I never looked at you through my window. I at least want some credit for that!”
“Are we there yet?” Guy whimpered. “I hate this plane. Why couldn’t we have taken a boat or something?”
“Ever heard of Titanic?” Charlie asked.
“There’s no icebergs here,” Connie reminded.
“That’s because we’re up in the air, flying,” Adam said. “Icebergs are usually found on the ground, close to the colder parts of the sea. Or so I’ve heard. The chance’s is bigger that we’ll get run over by a car on the way from the airport then the chance of crashing is.”
“You really know how to lighten people up,” Connie muttered. “Aren’t you gonna explain to us what to do if our seats catch fire?”
“No, that I’ll save for our trip back home again,” Adam smiled.
Guy moaned loudly and sank deeper into his chair. Connie gazed at him. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I’d totally forgotten that we’re going back by plane too!” he complained. “I knew I should’ve stayed home. I knew it!”
The others decided to shut him up by throwing their pillows at him.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“So here we are,” Connie cheered and jumped over Adam’s bag. “This doesn’t look too bad. No ice, no snow, no meatballs as far as the eye can see. And I think we all should applause Guy for not throwing up at all.”
Adam quickly got out of the way when Guy went over to Connie and grabbed her by the waist.
“An easy way to get rid of them with,” Charlie said and watched as Guy carried Connie over to the stairs.
“I think we should leave them here,” Jesse muttered and pushed himself between Adam and Charlie. “Tell me again why we’re here?”
“Because Fred was kind enough to buy us flight tickets. And the trip is free. And it’s good to travel the world to see things, other then the local Pizza Hut,” Portman explained. “I for once am really glad I decided to come. Free stuff, c’mon Jess!”
Charlie rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag. “Well, your enthusiasm is not shared by any of us. By me.”
“That’s because you expect us to have an awful time,” Adam pointed out. “It’s the first summer we spend without our parents. Couldn’t you please be a bit more up-beat?”
“Free tickets, woo-hoo,” Charlie muttered. “Don’t come crying if we die or something.”
“At least we’ve landed,” Adam said. “I’d like to point out that it wasn’t too bad.”
Charlie shrugged and began walking over towards the stairs Connie and Guy had disappeared to. He didn’t know why he didn’t feel more excited by this trip. Maybe it was those seventeen hours on the plane that had gotten his mood to an all time low point.
“Good afternoon Mr. Conway, did you have lovely trip? Lots of bugs I assume,” someone said close to his ear. Charlie felt his heart jump. There could only be one person who felt the need of ranting like that.
“Hi Cecilia. So, you survived first class?”
“Yep,” Cecilia answered. “It was horrible, but I managed to bare with it. Guess what? They have really good food back there.”
Charlie wrinkled his nose. “Well, you’d die first if we would crash.”
“What’s up with you? You’re not still sour because everybody couldn’t tag along? At least Fred’s in denial about it.”
“What’s he got to be in denial about?” Charlie asked.
“Well, since he and Luis aren’t exactly best pals, he’s trying to act like it doesn’t bug him that I told Luis to come with us on this trip.”
“Yes, and he’s one of the few who accepted the invite. Am I the only one concerned about this teams spirit when it comes to stuff like this?” Charlie went on. “Do you know how many players there are on the team?”
“Twenty-four.”
“And do you know how many actually took time to go on this trip? Huh?”
“Uhm, fifteen?”
“Nine! Nine! Do you know how many percent of the team that is?”
“No...” Cecilia said, confused.
“Me neither, that’s why I got a B- in Math!” Charlie exclaimed. “Nine players, not counting you and your little gathering of foreigners.”
“You mean un-foreigners. This is home field for us. Or home ice, since we’re hockey-players...”
Charlie watched as she left to catch up with Fred. “I’m sure there’s a better word in the English language then ‘un-foreigners’,” he shouted.
“If I only had an example,” he muttered and followed Adam and Jesse down the stairs.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
~*~*~