Nose Dive blew a bubble right in his face.
"Suck it Phil. Suck it long, and suck it hard." Phil wiped the bubble gum off of his face with a sigh. Why did they have to get so touchy?
"Now come on, it's a dinner party! You know, party? You LIKE parties!"
Nose Dive frowned, "I guess...but why do we have to stay at the hotel this thing is at too?"
"It's a publicity thing. You're going to endorse the hotel so they want you to stay there too."
"Nothin‘ doin." Nose Dive said, pouting. Phil thought for a moment.
"They have room service." he said slyly. Nose Dive perked up.
"Room service?"
"Yes...and massages."
"Massages?" Phil nodded. Nose Dive jumped up.
"When do we leave?!" he asked eagerly.
Phil walked down the hallway with a smile on his face.
"Well, that wasn't too hard." he murmured to himself. He was expecting Nose Dive to put up a bit more resistance. The rest of the team already knew about the dance and dinner party, and one of the conditions of their going was that Phil would have to be the one to convince Nose Dive. All in all it had been one of his easiest battles. Phil checked his watch. It was 2:30 already. He quickly walked to Wild Wing's room and rapped on the door sharply.
"Hey Wing! Get the guys and tell them to start getting ready...we wanna leave at 5:30."
"Sure Phil, I'm on it." Wing called back through the door. Phil straightened his tie and continued to walk down the hallway. He'd better start getting ready too.
"Get me the paint, would you?"
"Of course. Would you like 'white' or 'more white'?" Mara turned around and smiled at Duke.
"Suprise me." Duke handed her a bucket. Mara sighed and knocked it open. "I think the fumes are starting to get to me...I'm seeing pink elephants."
"Oh no, that's not the paint, I just slipped something into your Coke." Duke said from across the room.
Mara nodded, "Oh okay, for a minute I was worried." Without turning around, they both began to laugh. Duke gazed at her face for another minute before turning back to the wall he was painting. The empty, unfinished room at the end of the hall had been bothering everyone for a while now. The ducks had been planning on converting it to a big hang out room...things had been getting crowded in the rec room. What with the hockey season and Dragaunus there hadn't been much time to do anything with it. But now that the hockey season was over, Wild Wing had been nagging people about finishing it up. In order to save the whole team the headache, Duke and Mara had volunteered to paint it. They'd been in there for just about two hours now, but the time passed relatively quickly; It didn't feel like work when they were together. They'd always been good friends, much to the dismay of the rest of the team...it was beginning to look like they'd never admit that they were in love. Duke backed away from the wall and jerked the paintbrush with a flick of his wrist. Small white spots splattered across the wall.
"Getting creative, are we?" Mara said, slightly amused.
"I like this way better." Duke responded. Without one word Mara picked up a paint can and heaved it against the wall. All of the paint splattered against the wall.
"Not too shabby." Mara said with a smile. Duke laughed.
"I'm glad you've found a creative outlet...you're SO immature." he said.
"Me?" Mara said, pretending to take offense, "You started it."
"Did not!" Duke said.
"Did too."
"Did not."
"Did too." By now they were face to face.
"Oh yeah?" Duke said. "Well take this!" he quickly painted her beak. Mara shrieked. She now had a large white streak on her beak. Duke laughed hysterically. Glaring at him, Mara picked up her paintbrush and smacked him in the face with it. Pretty soon they had a full-fledged war going on. After about ten minutes Duke and Mara were both covered in paint. Mara sat on the ground, looking at her overalls.
"Think we should go to the party like this?" They both began to laugh again. Duke reached a hand down and helped Mara up.
"Well?" he asked, "What now?"
Mara shrugged, "I suppose we could throw ourselves against the walls until the whole room is white."
"Frankly, I'd rather be purple." Duke said glumly, looking down at himself. Mara giggled. "Oh sure...laugh. Go ahead, you can laugh, hell, you look good in white." Mara blushed, very glad that her face was covered in paint so he couldn't tell. Duke smiled, "Embarassed?"
Suprised, Mara looked at him, "How'd you see me blush?"
"Looks like I missed a spot." Duke said, bringing a hand to her face. They both laughed a little. When the laughter ended, there was a long pause. Mara and Duke stared at each other for a few minutes.
Gradually, Duke slid his arms around her waist. Mara leaned into him, putting her arms around his neck.
They kissed, slowly. Duke and Mara stayed locked in each others arms for minutes, still kissing. Suddenly, the door opened and Mara and Duke quickly separated. Wild Wing, Mallory and Phil walked in. Phil looked at them both for a moment, confused. Mara looked like she was in total shock. Her cheeks were slighty red, and her eyes looked almost glazed over, but she had a strange little smile on her face. Duke looked very much like he was in the same state. His mouth hung open and he looked at Wild Wing as if he'd never seen him before. Wing and Mallory didn't seem to notice their strange behavior.
"Man, look at you two." Wild Wing said with a laugh. "Had a paint war huh? Well I hate to interrupt, but it's time to get ready for the party and it looks like you could both use showers so you'd better get started."
Duke looked at him blankly, "huh?"
"I guess the paint fumes got to you. Come on Duke, let's go." Wild Wing took him by the shoulder and pulled him out of the room. Mallory took Mara by the hand.
"Mara, you'd better hurry up. I wanna know what you think of my dress."
Mara nodded slowly, "Okay." she said dreamily, letting Mallory lead her out. Phil stayed in the room and looked after them; something was going on here...
After an hour or so, Phil wandered into Duke's room. Nose Dive stood in the first room, playing with a tie.
"Damn tie...I hate ties. I hate tying ties. I hate having to tie..." Phil grabbed the tie, still sitting around his neck and ties it defty with two strokes. "Damn. Thanks Phil."
"Sure Kid. You seen Duke?"
"Not recently. I just kinda walked in. Maybe he's in there." Dive said, nudging his head toward the second room.
Puzzled, Phil asked, "What exactly are you doing in his room if he's not around?"
"I dunno, I do it all the time. I like his room." He looked at his watch. "Only got a half hour...I'd better get going. Later Phil." Dive walked out. Phil shook his head and walked through the doorway to the adjoining room. Sure enough, there was Duke sitting on his bed, staring into space.
"Well, at least he's managed to take a shower." Phil murmured, looking at him. His shirt was unbuttoned and his vest, tie, and coat had been tossed carelessly on the ground. Duke gave no indication that he was planning on finishing getting ready anytime soon.
"Duke?" Duke stirred and looked up at him.
"Oh, hey Phil." Duke looked around. "Uh...sorry. I guess I'm supposed to be getting ready, aren't I?" He stood up and buttoned his shirt.
"You okay, Duke?" Phil asked cautiously. Duke looked at him blankly.
"Sure." He picked up his vest and put it on.
"You positive? Cause you look kinda...I dunno...dopey. I noticed it earlier too. You're not sick or anything?"
"Huh?" Duke asked dimly.
"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Phil retorted. He shook his head. "That's it. Sit down. You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's up with you." Duke frowned, slightly agitated.
"I told you. Nothing. Drop it." He quickly picked up his tie and examined it for a moment. That's when Phil noticed his hands were shaking. He was shaking all over. At first Phil thought he must have some kind of fever, but after a few minutes observation he realized that Duke was panicky. Phil had never seen him look like such a nervous wreck. Duke tried to tie his tie four times before giving up and throwing it back on the ground in sheer frustration. Phil picked it up and put a hand on Duke shoulder.
"Just calm down and tell me what's going on. Why are you so tense?"
"I'm not." Duke snapped as Phil tied his tie for him. Phil sighed, stepping away from him.
"Well, alright. I mean, I can't force you to tell me so-"
"I kissed her." Duke blurted out. Phil did a double take.
"I'm sorry, you what?"
"I kissed her, I KISSED her!!!" he yelled frantically, sitting back down on the bed.
"Who?" asked Phil.
"Who else?!" Duke said, exasperated. He took a deep breath. "I kissed Mara." Phil stared at him in disbelief.
"Congratulations!" Phil said with a smile, "It's about time!"
"What should I do?" Duke asked desparately.
"What do you mean what should you do?" Asked Phil, confused.
"What do you mean what do I mean?!" Duke wailed. "I grabbed her and kissed her. What if she never wants to speak to me again? What if she finds out I love her? What if-" Phil cut him off.
"Calm down Duke. You've got nothing to worry about, she likes you too."
"How do YOU know that?" Duke moaned, becoming more and more anxious by the minute. "I can't believe I messed things up like this. She'll never come near me again!"
"Relax!" Phil said with a laugh, "Just listen for a minute, okay?" Duke took a deep breath and nodded. "Now why do you think she'll never speak to you again? Just shut up and let me talk!" he added in quickly, seeing Duke ready to explode into another nervous fit. "You just kissed her, that's all...no big deal."
"You don't just grab people and kiss them Phil, it's wrong...kissing is a mutual kind of thing, ya know?"
"Yes, I know. Tell me Duke, what exactly happened?"
"I...I dunno, I put my arms around her...and..."
"And what did Mara do?"
"She put her arms around my neck." Duke said slowly.
"And then?"
"I kissed her." Duke continued.
"Did she pull away?"
"Well no..."
"Did she try and stop you at all?"
"No..." Duke said, his eyes lighting up, "she kissed me back." He smiled slightly, almost hopefully for one moment, but then the glimmer was gone. "It was probably nothing...I mean, she couldn't possibly-"
"Love you?" Phil shook his head, "Come on, Duke, what are you afraid of?"
"Losing her." Duke said softly.
Mallory knocked on Mara's door.
"Hey Mara." she called out. Mallory heard someone sniffle from behind the door. "Mara?" she called out slowly.
"Come in." a voice said softly. Mallory walked in quickly, just in time to see Mara swipe a tissue from her eyes. Mara smiled at her brightly. "Hello." Mara said quickly, walking into the other room. Mallory followed her closely.
"Mara? Are you okay?"
"Of course I am." Mara responded, her voice wavering. Mallory took Mara's hand and pulled her to a stop.
"Oh no you're not, Sweetheart, you've been crying." Mallory put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on now Mara, you can tell me, what's wrong?" Mara held her breath for a moment. Should she tell her?
"Well I..." she sighed. No, Mallory wouldn't understand. "My hair won't cooperate." she murmured finally. Mallory stared at her for a moment.
"Your hair...?" With that, Mallory began to laugh. "Is that all? Oh Mara, you had me worried for a minute! I mean, you never cry so I thought it was...your hair? Come on now, it's nothing. You shouldn't be crying over something stupid like that. Here, I'll help you fix it if you like." Mara nodded weakly. As Mara sat down in front of the mirror she looked down at her brush. She hated to lie to Mallory; and she especially hated letting Mallory think she could get upset over something as trivial as her hair, but still, it was better that Mallory didn't know. She'd only tell the others.
After ten minutes or so, Mallory put down the brush.
"There. You look simply wonderful." Mara observed herself in the mirror briefly. Mallory had twisted her hair up into a bun.
"I don't know how to thank you Mallory." Mara said softly.
"Don't mention it. I figure I owe you at least that much for listening to my boy problems all the time." Mallory said with a laugh. "Well, it's getting late...I'd better get back to my room and grab my things. And don't you worry about your hair anymore, you look great!" Mallory walked to the door and turned back around to Mara one last time. "Duke probably won't be able to keep his eyes off you." she said with a wink. The door slid closed behind Mallory. Mara immeadiately began to sob uncontrollably.
She walked over her hammock and collapsed into it, clutching her pillow for comfort, still weeping. Of course, Mallory hadn't meant to upset her, she had no clue. But still, it hurt an awful lot to think that she'd lost him. There was no denying it now, Duke couldn't possibly fail to realize that she loved him. So that was it. Her friendship with him was over. This was what Mara had been afraid of all along: Duke would eventually find out about her affection for him and, naturally, distance himself from her. And now it had finally happened. He'd never speak to her again, she just knew it. Mara couldn't really blame him; after all, it'd be too weird, being friends with someone he knew had feelings for him.
Mara wiped her eyes.
"God I feel stupid." she muttered. She hadn't cried since her teacher Lanna had died, and here she was now weeping like a baby because her crush wasn't going to be friends with her anymore. "I'm being ridiculous." she said, walking to her mirror. Mara took two deep breaths and swore not to cry again all night.
About an hour later, all four male ducks were gathered around the ballroom staircase of the Anahiem Regal Hilton, along with two dozen reporters, awaiting the entrance of the ladies. Grin tugged on his tie.
"I sense some serious bad karma from that sushi over there."
Wild Wing nodded, eyeing the open food bar warily, "So do I Grin, so do I."
"Man, I'm fuckin' bored!" Nose Dive wailed. "Why's this taking so long?"
"Peace." Grin said, "The girls must spiritually prepare themselves before facing the hoard of reporters that awaits them."
"In other words, it takes time to apply makeup." Wild Wing explained, "The reporters just love setting this sort of ceremonial bullshit up. Don't worry, it'll be over soon and then we can get to the important stuff."
"Like what, dancing?" Dive asked. Wild Wing rolled his eyes.
"No Stupid, the food!"
"Shiiiit!" Amber whined.
"Come on, we can't keep this up much longer!" Mallory moaned, pacing back and forth.
Tanya grunted, "Almost done." She finished applying the super glue to Amber's heel and proceeded to stick it back on her shoe. "How the hell did you manage to rip the heel of your sandal anyway?"
"I tripped." Amber said meekly.
"This is a basic woman's skill Amber, it's not that hard to walk in high heels!"
"I don't like heights!" Amber wailed.
"Heights? What do you mean? Even WITH high heels you're still short!"
Mallory pulled Amber to her feet, "There's no time, we gotta go!"
Phil stirred his drink gently, looking over the reporters.
"'The Anaheim Bugle', 'New York Times', 'People', 'Vanity Fair', 'The California Star'..." he whistled in awe. This was quite a media blitz, even bigger than usual. Alien ducks drew a crowd, but hockey playing, crime fighting alien ducks dressed up for a charity ball? Now that was a sight to behold. Phil quickly shot a worried glance at Duke. They certainly couldn't have picked worse timing to decide to bring their relationship to a head. But then again, they probably didn't have much concious say in the matter.
A hushed silence pervaded the hall as the doors at the top of the staircase opened. The four ladies walked out in a line, Mallory in the lead and Amber bringing up the rear. As they walked down the staircase hundreds of camera lights flashed. The effect was wonderful; the girls all looked simply stunning. That is, until Amber fell flat on her face. The other girls moved out of the way and tried to help her up, but with little success. She tumbled all the way down the staircase and right into the arms of a waiting coat check boy. Amber looked up at him, frazzled, amidst the laughter and applause of the entire audience.
"Oh...Hello."
"Hello Miss VanDrake. Here, allow me." and with that he helped her up and dusted her dress off for her.
"Thank you so much." she murmured, "Talk about embarrassment."
"Actually," the coat check boy responded quietly, "I think they all thought that was supposed to happen." Amber looked at him quizzically. "You know, a staged gag? Why do you think they're clapping?" And indeed they were all still clapping. Amber graciously took a bow and was met with thunderous applause.
"Well whaddaya know?" she said with a smile. "Look, I can't thank you enough, uh..." she peered at his name tag, "...Bryan."
"Don't mention it Ma'am." he said with a bow, "Have a nice evening." Amber watched as he walked away.
"What a nice human."
Mara looked down at Amber for a moment. She knew her sister wasn't hurt. As clumsy as the poor girl was, she was built to manage these sorts of knocks. Besides, even when she fell it struck Mara how very pretty she looked...particularily when that nice young human waiter was helping her up. Mara's thoughts quickly shifted from Amber to Duke. She scanned the room, searching for him. Mara found him standing right at the foot of the staircase, by the banister, staring up at her. Fighting back tears, Mara gazed back at him, wishing she knew what he was thinking.
"Oh God, she's beautiful." Duke whispered, taking a step up the staircase towards Mara. Phil quickly restrained him.
"Oh no you don't." He pulled Duke back down the staircase. "Come on Duke, I think we need a little air." And with that, Phil dragged Duke out onto the balcony. Duke went without complaint. After looking around to make certain no reporters were watching, he stepped out on the balcony with Duke. "Alright, you just stay here, got that? I don't want the reporters getting to you when you're like this, you understand?" Duke looked at him blankly. Rolling his eyes, Phil sighed, "Yeah, that's what I thought. Stay here, Duke." And with that, Phil walked back into the ballroom, looking around.
Biting her lip, Amber watched Nose Dive from across the room...with Tina...He'd been making out with her for the past five minutes now. Not only was it rude and obnoxious of him to play these childish games right in front of the media, but it was also starting to make her insanely jealous. Of course, she couldn't say anything, hell, he didn't even know how she really felt since they only began tolerating each others presences for about six months, but still, Amber recognized that someone had to stop him from making a fool of himself. She took a step purposefully in his direction only to hear a loud crack. As Amber's heel broke off, she momentarily thought about how humiliating this was going to be. Fortunately, she had a timely rescue.
"Hello again." she said, standing up.
"If this continues much longer Miss Van Drake, I'll start thinking you're doing it on purpose." the handsome coat boy said with a smile. Amber stared at him for a moment. What was that familiar quality she heard in his voice? Could he possibly be flirting with her? Amber smiled. He was cute after all, and she'd never been with a human. Besides, Nose Dive obviously wasn't taking any notice of her, so why not give it a try?
"Now would I do a thing like that?" she said innocently. Bryan picked up her heel and took Amber's arm.
"I suppose you want this fixed?"
"That would be nice."
"Well then Miss Van Drake, just follow me." Amber happily let him lead her away, clomping along behind him with her one heel still intact.
Phil wandered over to the bar and sat beside Nose Dive, who sat dejected in the corner.
"Hey Dive, where's Tina?"
Nose Dive sighed, "She found some producer who promised to make her a star so she decided she didn't need me any more."
"Oh Dive, I'm so sorry...but I can't say I'm suprised. Here, want me to buy you a drink?"
"Oh don't worry about me" Nose Dive said smugly, "If fame is what she wanted then she got it. She's the first human ever to be publicly dumped by a duck."
Phil laughed, "I like your style my boy! The offer's still open...care for a drink?"
"As a matter of fact Phil, I'll take you up on that offer." Nose Dive said, perking up. Phil handed him a five dollar bill.
"Here you go Kid, don't spend it all in one place." he said quickly, finally spotting the very girl he'd been looking for all evening. "Excuse me for a moment." And with that, Phil walked off towards Grin and Tanya.
"Admit it, I turn you on, don't I?"
"Don't be stupid, Grin." Tanya snorted, "Of course you turn me on!"
Grin nodded, "I knew it. Not that I blame you. I am devastatingly sexy. Isn't that right Mara?" They both looked back at Mara, who stared quietly at the floor.
"Mara?" Tanya asked.
Mara looked up, "What?"
"You've been acting funny all night." Grin said, "What's going on?" Phil came to her rescue.
"Hello everybody." he said jovially, "Enjoying yourselves?" Tanya and Grin nodded.
"Why Phil, it's a simply wonderful party."
Phil nodded, "I'm glad you're having a good time Tanya. By the way you two, I think Nose Dive said he wanted to talk to you...I'm not sure about what."
"Oh." Grin said, "Well, why don't we head on over there and find out?"
"Good idea Grinny." Tanya said, taking his hand. Phil watched as they walked off in Nose Dive's direction. When they were gone, he took Mara's hand.
"Come on, Sweetheart." he said gently, "You look like you could use some air."
Mara followed him, puzzled, "Air? No, I don't wanna go outside."
"Trust me, it'll be good for you. You'll thank me later." With that, he opened the balcony door and pushed her outside. He quickly closed the door and walked off. Rubbing the back of her neck, Mara let out a deep sigh. Oh well, inside, outside...it didn't make much of a difference anyway.
"Mara?" Mara went numb, hearing a familiar voice behind her. She turned about slowly.
"Duke..."
Amber sat on a counter in the coat room as Bryan drove nails into the bottom of her shoe. "How'd you manage to break the other heel too? That must have been hard, Miss." Amber shook her head and laughed.
"Please, call me Amber."
"As you wish, Amber." He smiled plesantly at her. "May I have the honor of asking you something?"
"Shoot."
"It's about the fling with you and Wild Wing." Amber's beak dropped open.
"What???"
"You know, did it hurt? Or did it rock your world so much that you wanted more?" Bryan smirked. Amber hopped off of the table and headed toward the exit. "Hey, hold it, you know I'm teasing. Besides, where can you get to without your shoes?" Amber turned back to him and couldn't help but grin.
"You're trouble, did you know that?"
"And you're hotter than hell, did you know that?" Amber took a step toward him.
"What's it like to kiss a human?"
"Why don't you find out?" Bryan put an arm around Amber's back and pulled her close to him as he leaned down to kiss her. Amber pulled back with a smile. "You like that?" Amber nodded her head. "Good..." Bryan put out a sign on the door that read, "Coffee Break". Amber looked at it confused.
"What's that for-" Amber was silenced as he rushed down again, kissing her. "Bryan! I just met you," she coughed as he pulled her on the floor, kissing her neck.
"I've been a fan of you for so long, come on, it wont hurt you."
"But they could come out here-" Bryan nodded his head understandingly. He helped her to her feet and walked her to a door. "Bryan, this is a storage closet."
"With a lock, my dear. With a lock." Amber's eyes got wide hearing a click. "Don't worry hun, you're gonna make me in ecstasy for a long, long time."
Mallory quickly knocked back a shot of vodka.
"And that makes 5. I think I win." Wild Wing nodded. And with that, he promptly passed out. Mallory smiled as Wild Wing's head hit the table.
"Another day, another dollar." she said with a grin.
"You sure you're okay Babes?" Nose Dive asked Mallory cautiously, poking his brother with a straw.
"Never better, Dive." Mallory said. She got up only to trip and fall flat on her face. Grin hoisted her up by the back of her dress. "Now who put the ground up here?" Mallory asked, flailing her arms. She looked up at Grin. "Put me down, Tanya, I'm just fine!"
"Well, that's insulting." Grin muttered, putting her back on a bar stool.
"We're gonna have to get these two back upstairs before the reporters smell out the alcohol on them." Nose Dive said, throwing Mallory over his shoulder. Grin nodded, taking Wild Wing. Together, they quickly slipped out of the ballroom.
Duke and Mara stared at each other in total silence. After about a minute, Duke took a nervous step towards her.
"Mara, I..."
"That kiss." Mara murmured sadly. Duke nodded.
"I know. I'm so sorry, I just-I don't know what came over me." After a moment, he continued, "Well, I mean, we have been on this planet on long time." Duke said slowly.
"And we were in a poorly ventilated room for over two hours inhaling paint fumes." Mara added in.
"So...this hasn't messed anything up...like our friendship?"
"Why should it?" Mara said weakly, "we've always been very good friends and it's not like...like...it's not like it meant anything." She closed her eyes to stop them from tearing, without success. Mara turned her back to Duke as she began to sob. Duke watched her cry for a moment, wondering why on Earth Mara should be unhappy. Then, suddenly, it dawned on him...Duke almost couldn't believe it. Slowly, he put his hands on her shoulders and turned Mara around to face him.
"I'm such an idiot." she whispered, "I promised myself I wouldn't cry." Duke smiled at her gently, wiping a tear from her cheek as he wrapped his other arm around her back.
"Angel, you don't need to cry." he said softly, bringing his beak to hers, "I love you." Mara stared at him in amazement.
"Please, Duke, don't tease me." she murmured, pulling away from him. Mara walked to the other side of the balcony. Duke followed her.
"Tease you?" He shook his head, "You know me better than that Mara, would I tease you about something like this?"
Leaning over the railing, Mara shook her head in disbelief, "You couldn't possibly..." Duke stood behind her and stroked her arm.
"Love you?" Duke asked quietly. He nuzzled her neck very gently, envelopping her in his arms. "Who could help it?" Mara turned to face Duke. She brought a hand to his face and studied his eyes for a moment before pressing her lips against his in a kiss. Duke kissed back, allowing himself to be pushed into the balcony railing. They kissed over and over again, wrapped in each other's arms.
"I love you." Mara whispered with a smile. Duke smiled back sweetly and leaned in to feel her kiss again.
Phil wiped his forehead with his sleeve. He might as well be considered a babysitter instead of a manager... At least Mallory and Wild wing had gotten upstairs safely. They picked the perfect time to do it too...the party was coming to a close so no one noticed their sudden disappearance. Of course, Phil had a very bad feeling that reporters would be sneaking around the hotel all night, trying to catch a glimpse of some of the ducks in their rooms. And knowing the ducks, there'd probably be something to see. Well, he always had Duke and Mara to rely on to help him keep the peace. Of course they probably wouldn't be of much use to him tonight.
"Poor kids." Phil muttered to himself. They really deserved each other, but fate didn't seem to want to let Duke and Mara be together. He'd lay good money down that even after all of the crazy things that had happened to them tonight they'd still come out of it with no clue that they loved each other. Phil looked out at the balcony and dropped his glass.
"Of course, I could be wrong..." he murmured in amazement, staring at them.
"Bryan, please, I really don't feel so comfortable," Amber said as Bryan pushed her against the wall. "You know, maybe if we like go out to a movie or something, you know or spend time being penpals we could get to know each other-"
"Shhh," he said to her, stroking her neck. "I wont hurt you."
"That's not my point, I-"
"Amber, I know everything about you! I've read up on you so let's skip the talk and get to doing what we really want to do," Amber closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, trying to avoid his kiss.
"If you care, you'll let me feel comfortable," she stated.
"No, I'll never have you again. I'll have you now." Amber looked toward the locked door and made a lunge for it; Bryan grabbed her mid leap and pulled her dress. Amber closed her eyes hearing the rip; it took her a long time to pick out that dress, it had been pretty expensive. But now Amber was almost certain she was going to have a lot worse than a ruined dress...
"Did you hear something?" Tanya asked Grin as he and Nose Dive returned to the lobby after taking Mallory and Wild Wing upstairs.
"No, why?"
"I dunno, I thought I like ya know, heard something. Like a bang." Tanya said shrugging her shoulders.
"Probably nothing, but I could show you a 'bang'." Grin replied. Nose Dive rolled his eyes.
"God, Grin, you are so fucking disgusting!"
"Hey, at least I've got a beautiful duck to put all my affection on... and at least I'm not a virgin."
"Oh blow me!" Nose Dive said, flipping Grin off.
"Oh, I forgot, you've never done third either," Grin laughed.
"Aw Grinny, leave him alone. We have better things to do than harass Dive," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at Grin. He put an arm around her shoulder.
"Right, right, before the reporters follow us. Hey Dive, mind finding out what checkout time tommorrow is for us?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem." Nose Dive said, glad to be rid of Grin's teasing. He hated being teased about his sex life considering how nervous he got. Making out was no big deal as long as you had nice breath and a pretty smile, second was fun but more severe, anything else besides that scared him. He sighed, it was a comfort to know that Duke was in the same position. As he took a step toward the main office he heard a noise. A thud, just like Tanya had described. He backtracked slightly, figuring out where it had come from when he heard the muffled scream in the coatroom. Without thinking, Nose Dive jumped over the counter and pulled on the door; it was locked. He looked both ways before kicking the door off it's hinges.
"What the hell is going on?!" he shrieked seeing the coat boy without pants on... and Amber in a tattered dress that exposed Amber's chest and barely covered the rest of her body. Bruises were already begining to show all over her body. "What the fuck did you do to her?!" he screamed pointing at Bryan.
"Back the fuck out of here," Bryan cursed turning back to Amber. "We were in the middle of something."
Amber stepped backwards away from Bryan.
"Please, leave me be," she wimpered as he took hold of her shoulder. Nose Dive tapped Bryan on the back. When Bryan turned around, Nose Dive punched him in the face. Bryan, grabbed Nose Dive by the shoulders and slammed him in the wall. Nose Dive kicked and punched back fiercely; it was Amber at stake. Nose Dive turned his head to the side in attempt to avoid a punch but a crash happened instead. Bryan lay crumpled on the ground and Amber looked pale, staring at the remains of a vase she had thrown.
"Oh my God," she whispered. Nose Dive looked at Amber with concern, trying hard to look only at her eyes.
"Are you alright?" Amber nodded her head slowly. "Want me to get Mara for you?" Amber nodded her head again, this time tears were streaming down her cheeks. Nose Dive took off his tuxedo jacket and handed it to Amber. "Put this on... we'll get you to your room, I'll get Mara up to you, and I'll notify the police."
Phil pulled off his tie and wiped his brow with it. It had been hard work getting Duke and Mara all the way into the elevator without anyone noticing them. Phil frowned, glancing over at them. For once Duke and Mara weren't being very helpful...if Phil hadn't stood between them all they way across the dance floor, someone would've gotten a perfect shot for the front page the following morning. He couldn't really blame them though, a year's a long time to wait for someone. Now that they'd safely reached the elevator where no one could watch them, Mara and Duke went right back to making out. Mara didn't even look up when her comm beeped.
"I don't suppose you're going to answer that, are you?" Phil asked. Neither duck made any visible sign that they'd heard him. "Yeah, I didn't think so." he said with a chuckle. Phil very gently pulled Mara's hand away from Duke and took the comm off her wrist.
"Hello there, this is Phil Pomfeather, Mighty Duck. What can I do for you?"
"Phil? It's Nose Dive...what are you doing with Mara's comm?" Phil looked over at Mara and Duke again. By now Duke's tie and jacket had come off. The elevator doors opened up. "She's...she's a little preoccupied right now." Phil said, pushing them out of elevator as he scooped up Duke's jacket and tie.
"Well, get her un-occupied...I've got a big problem."
"Easier said than done," Phil muttered, leading them down the hall, "Why? What's going on?" There was a long pause on the other end of the comm. "Nose Dive? What's wrong?"
"It's Amber." he said finally, his voice growing dark, "I found her in the coat room with that boy who helped her up..."
"And?" Phil asked, hoping this wasn't leading up to what he thought it was.
"And let's just say she needs her sister right now...and a change of clothes." Phil shook his head.
"Oh god, not now. Everything was going so well. Okay Dive, she'll be there soon."
"Send her to Amber's room." He turned off the comm and looked at Duke and Mara who had now gone into Duke's room. Phil walked in and closed the door behind him. Taking Mara by the shoulders Phil pulled her away from Duke.
"Sorry Honey, we need to talk." he said, pushing her into a nearby chair. Mara looked up at him, dazed.
"Oh, hi Phil. When did you get here?"
"I really hate to do this to you Mara, but we've got a situation." Mara's face lost a little color as she regained her composure.
"A...a situation?" she asked. By now Duke seemed to be taking notice too.
"What kind of situation?" he asked.
"Amber...and that coat check boy? Well, things may have gotten a little farther than Amber had intended." Mara stood quickly, now completely back to normal.
"How much farther?" Mara questioned, taking her comm from Phil.
Phil swallowed, "Well, she...she wants to see you, and she needs a change of clothes."
"Oh God..." Mara murmured.
Duke took her hand, "Want me to come?" he asked gravely. Mara shook her head.
"No...I'd better go alone." she smiled at him softly, "But thank you." Mara kissed him on the cheek before leaving. She quickly stopped at her room to get Amber something to wear before proceeding to Amber's. Mara tapped on the door quietly before entering. Amber's room was very dark and she could barely make out Amber's sillouette against the darkness. "Amber? Honey?" Amber's silouette moved slightly but she didn't answer. "What happened?"
"It wasn't my fault." Amber whispered. Mara walked to the silouette as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Amber's back was faced to her and the remains of her dress hung torn. Mara saw huge welts, bruises and cuts all over her back, neck, and arms.
"What did he do to you?" Mara asked hoarsely. Amber shook her head defeatedly.
"I wasn't strong enough to get out so he had his way with me."
"Did you scream?"
"Of course I did... and the more I screamed the harder he hit me. Unfortunately the walls were so thick and the music in the next room was so loud that it took awhile for them to find me."
"What happened to the man?" Mara asked, sitting down next to her half sister. Amber turned her head to look at Mara; her cheek bones were bruised and there was blood across the top of her beak.
"I think I killed him." The two girls were silent for several minutes. "Nose Dive broke the door down, he must have heard me somehow, and he punched the man. Bryan started to attack Nose Dive and I... I saw a vase on the counter and smashed it over Bryan's head. He collapsed and I just stared before Nose Dive took me here and called the police... they'll take me into questioning soon." Mara shook her head.
"Don't get like this, Amber...you couldn't have killed him with a vase. They undoubtedly want you to identify him, find out if you want to press charges, and..." Mara gently wiped the blood away from her beak, "And to let the police doctor look at you." Amber stepped away from her sister.
"Perhaps... you have clothes?" Amber took the pile that was next to Mara and stood up. She wobbled slightly and then proceeded to limp to the bathroom. When she returned, Amber was wearing a pair of Mara's faded blue jeans, which were falling off of Amber's hips, and a loose sweater.
"I'm sorry they're so loose." Mara murmured apologetically, "I told you it'd be a good idea to bring a change of clothes. Do... do you want me to do anything?" she asked, unsure of herself.
"No. I'll go to the police by myself. Well, and with Nose Dive as a witness..." Nose Dive peered in the room.
"Amber, it's time to go. Mara gonna come with you?"
"No... she'll stay." Amber limped to Nose Dive and looked back at Mara. "If reporters ask where I am, please make an excuse for me." Mara walked to the door and watched them walk into the elevator together.
Nose Dive slowed his walk down so that Amber could keep up with him as they got out of the elevator. Flashes of light from cameras began to flick uncontrollably. Klegghorn strode toward them from the front lobby.
"Are you alright?" He asked Amber concerned, casting a look at the jeans that were falling off. Amber looked at the ground, allowing Nose Dive and Klegghorn to pull her into his police car.
Mara looked up as she heard a knock on the door. Sighing, she leaned her head back on the pillow she was clutching. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. With a yawn, she curled herself up into a ball on her bed. After going to Amber's room she'd gone back to her room, taken a long bath and changed into her pajamas. Her red plaid flannel pants and grey tank top were the most comfortable pajamas she owned...and Mara really felt like she needed some comfort now. She closed her eyes, praying that Amber would be okay.
"Angel, can you hear me?" A gentle, familiar voice called Mara back to conciousness. She yawned and smiled, looking up at Duke.
"I must've dropped off..." she murmured, "How'd you get in here? I thought I locked the-" she paused. "I can't believe I actually asked that...I must be losing it." Duke smiled down at her warmly.
"I outta apologize for bein' nosy, really...I was a little worried about you; 'specially when you didn't answer the door so I went to go check up on Amber and, upon finding her gone, I came back to see you." Duke ran his fingers through her hair. "And I saw you all curled up, clutching your little pillow; you looked so cute that I couldn't bring myself to wake you for a few minutes." Mara could feel her face going flush with a mixture of embarassment and pure joy.
"What made you change your mind?" she finally asked, very softly. Duke's smile faded a little.
"You were having a nightmare...I heard you crying Amber's name." Mara sat up.
"Yes...I can't really remember what was going on. I think someone was killing her."
"Or raping her?" Duke asked gently. Mara nodded gently. "How is she?"
"Pretty beaten up, and very morbid. Thought she'd killed the guy. I'm worried about her...and about Nose Dive."
Duke nodded, "I'll bet he's pretty upset. Amber does have a tendency to use guys for her rebound, and considering how much Dive likes her he wouldn't put up much of a fight."
"I dunno why she called for me...she didn't seem to want me there at all."
"Amber's in shock. Don't underestimate yourself, I'm sure she was glad to have you there. Your sister loves you very much." Mara looked over at Duke.
"I feel so guilty." she murmured.
"Angel, don't...it's not your fault this happened. We all can't be watching each other every moment."
Mara shook her head slowly, "No, that's not why. I mean, my sister's in pain right now, and I sympathize with her and want to be there for her. I should be totally focused on her, but at the same time I...I just can't keep my mind off of you. Know what I thought, when she said she didn't want me to come to the police station with her? I thought 'Good, I can stay with Duke' instead of, 'No, I want to be there with Amber and help her through this'."
"Mara...Amber can understand that you have your own life to lead. It's perfectly healthy to put your needs before hers. Actually, it's about time you started being a little more self-involved." Duke put a hand to her face, "I know Amber's been hurt, and you wanna help her, and it's natural to feel a little guilty, but it's important to take care of yourself too...understand?" Mara nodded slowly, visibly relaxing.
"I suppose it'd be fruitless to argue with you." she said with a charming smile.
"Good girl, you're learning." Mara slid her arms over his broad shoulders and around his neck.
"Well then, do you know what I need right now?" she asked in a low, melodious voice.
"I think I can guess." Duke murmured, positively captivated. Mara slipped into Duke's lap, giving him a long, deep kiss. Putting a hand on her waist, Duke returned the kiss using his other hand to rub Mara's back. After a moment Duke's shirt had come off at Mara's insistence and his kisses had moved to her neck. Slowly, Duke lifted her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. They layed back in bed together, wrapped up in each other's arms.
Wild Wing held his head as he looked at his clock: 3 AM. He knew that he was foolish for drinking so much but he figured that it wouldn't be too horrible since there was no hockey practice the next day. Yawning, he rolled onto his other side and grasped the pillow next to him to hold onto. It would have been such a wonderful night to have Mallory in his arms but it was too late now.
It had been a night like this that he had lost it to Amber. The ducks had flown into New York so they could play against the Rangers. It was a chilly night and Wild Wing had just taken off his shirt, getting ready to take a shower when Amber knocked on his door. She turned to leave but Wild Wing insisted that she stayed and, as he kissed her, he guided her to the hot tub. It had been a night he could never forget, a night that he felt the best in his life, but the next morning he felt empty and guilty as he saw Amber curled up naked by his side. He didn't love her, and he didn't feel like the responsible leader that he was supposed to be. He ignored this pain and continued for three weeks having his way with every pleasure, but the empty feeling kept growing. Amber's eyes seemed to warm up only to him, her life seemed to revolve around him, she seemed to obsess only about him... as if those were her duties. The breakup had been hard for them; Amber's anoerexia turned for the worse and he would spend his free time trying to find Canard.
"Maybe I shouldn't have been leader, Canard." he muttered.
To be continued.
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Email: alias_bones@angelfire.com
