Within the moments that passed, those who were sent to retrieve
certain items to help, had returned. Jasmine and Marina managed to get Mckayla into some dry clothes. Tyler and
Jason were each holding a couple blankets, which they handed to William and he laid them over Mckayla. She wasn't shaking
as much anymore, only when a chill ran through her body. Her lips and skin returned to their normal color and she was
even starting to come around to talking, now.
Marina picked up a mug of hot chocolate and handed it to Mckayla.
"Here you go. Someone told me you like marshmallows in your chocolate, so I hope they were right."
Mckayla nodded slowly as she took the mug. "Th- thank
you," she replied before taking a sip.
"You feeling any better?" William asked her with a smile.
Mckayla looked up at him and returned the smile. "Yes,
thank you," she spoke slowly. Then she looked around the room at each induvidual. "All of you," she spoke to them,
"thank you, for helping me." There were various nods and comments as everyone acknowledged her appreciation.
Brandon approached his sister slowly. "I called Mom and
Dad," he told her. "They should be here any minute." No sooner than he finished his sentence, his parents walked
in.
Jess and Byron had spent the whole day skiing and were just
about finished when they recieved the phone call from Brandon. Once he told them what had happened to Mckayla, they
made it a point to rush back to the ski lodge. As soon as the couple entered the building, they noticed Brandon.
"Brandon, where's your sister?!" Jess exclaimed.
"Right here," he pointed to the couch.
Mckayla leaned back and peeked around the couch to see her
parents. "Hi Mom, Dad," she said meekly.
"Mckayla!" they both shouted, glad to see her alive, as they
ran over to her.
"You're alright!" Jess said as she hugged her daughter.
"I'm fine, Mom," Mckayla replied, feeling a bit annoyed.
"You had us scared to death," her mother told her.
"We were worried we were going to lose you," her father, Byron,
added.
"But I'm alright now," Mckayla explained, trying to comfort
them. She looked past her parents at Marina and William. "They pulled me out of the water and saved me," she told
Jess and Byron as she pointed towards the second team of ducks.
Jess looked over her shoulder and saw who her daughter was
pointing at. "Ducks?!"
"No, we're pidgeons," Crash remarked sarcastically, under his
breath. Vanessa, who was standing beside Crash, heard him and elbowed him in the stomache.
Meanwhile, the original Mighty Ducks were staring closely at
Jess and Byron. They all couldn't help but think that the couple looked familiar.
"Now where have we seen them before?" Duke questioned the others.
They all shrugged and shook their heads, yet, they knew what Duke meant. They could all sense it.
Both Byron and Jess stood up and turned around to face the
new strangers. Jess extended a hand towards them and thanked them for saving her daughter. William was the first
to step forward and shake hands with the girl's mother. Soon, his teammates followed suit and even shook hands with
Byron too.
As everyone was shaking hands, the sound of somebody clearing
their throat could be heard from out of the corner of the room. Jess stopped and looked up towards the source of the
sound.
"You know, we helped too, kinda, a little," Nosedive snipped
lightly.
Jess stared at him carefully. "Nosedive?!"
He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Yeah, that's me."
Then, Jess scanned around him and noticed the other Mighty
Ducks. "Oh my gosh!" she exlaimed as she recognized all of them. "Wildwing! Mallory! Duke! Grin!
Tanya! You're all here! I mean, you're back!" They all stared back at her, strangely.
"And you are-?" Duke questioned, gesturing with his hand.
Jess frowned, feeling a bit disappointed. "You don't
remember?"
At last, Wildwing stepped forward. "I'm sorry, we have
to apologize. We've all seen your face before, but your name seems to have escaped us at the moment."
Jess smiled and shook her head. "Guys, it's me!" she
gestured to herself with her hands. "Jess!"
The Mighty Ducks looked surprised to see her as they immediately
remembered who she was now. All at once, they broke out into conversation.
"Well, whaddya know!" Duke exclaimed.
"Talk about the irony," added Tanya.
"Yeah, we were just talking about you, earlier," Mallory told
Jess. They all stood in place for a moment, staring at each other. Then Nosedive spoke up, after becoming impatient.
"Well, what are we all waiting for?!" he complained as he tried
to round up Jess and his teammates. "Come on, group hug."
The younger ducks and humans watched in confusion, not knowing
what to say or how to react. They just stood, silently watching the friendly reunion.
At last, Mckayla spoke up, keeping her voice just low enough
for her companions to hear. "Did I miss something here?"
"Girl, you're not the only one," Crash commented after her.
"Yeah, I think the rest of us are just as lost as you are,"
Jasmine added, as she walked up to the back of the couch and leaned on it.
Mckayla looked up at her friend as Jasmine spoke, then
she turned her gaze back towards her parents and the group of ducks they were talking to. She had never met them before,
but they did look familiar. But were had she seen them before? In magazines, she decided, hockey magazines, and
hockey trading cards. Then, it donned on her.
"Hey, wait a minute," she started.
Brandon turned his attention to her. "What?"
"Aren't they the Mighty Ducks?!"
William glanced over at her with a smile. "You betcha!"
Brandon raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
His sister stared at him with an air of arrogance, but also
with the willingness to help him remember. "You know, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim?" She tried to provoke his memory,
but Brandon just continued to stare at her blankly. Mckayla rolled her eyes, becoming frustrated. "They hockey
team!" she added, at last, when she realized he still didn't know.
Apparently, those last three words triggered something in Brandon's
mind, because the expression on his face slowly began to change. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he finally
remembered who the Ducks were. "Get out!" he managed to blurt out.
"No, she's right," Marina spoke up with a smile. And
so, she gladly explained to them a bit about the Mighty Ducks. As she pointed out each of the original players, she
also pointed out and introduced their children; Crash being Nosedive's son; Drew was the son of Duke; Vanessa was Tanya's
daughter and Marina and William were Wildwing's kids. "And then there's Cameron Thunderbeak," Marina told them, pointing
to the afformentioned duck. Cam just silently nodded in acknowledgement. "His father is Canard Thunderbeak," Marina
continued. "I don't know if you're familiar with him or not."
Mckayla shook her hand. "Eh, a little," she told Marina.
Marina looked at her and gave her a friendly smile. "That's
alright. I'm sure, in time, you'll get to know all of us." Mckayla returned the smile, feeling a bit uneasy, but
still grateful.
As the night came to an end, everyone slowly retired to their
rooms. Before they did, a decision was made, (once everyone was sure that Mckayla was going to be alright) to leave
for Anaheim in a couple days. Jess and the original Ducks were anxious to return to the Pond, not only to see how things
were holding up there, but also to show their children a piece of their history. Yes, it would be good to go back and
visit. Maybe, for just a moment in time, it would be like old times, only, without the lizard troubles.
The End
....or is it???
Disclaimer: All original MD characters are owned and copyrighted by Disney. All others
belong to me.
