Life's Full of Little Surprises

hockey-girl90- Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the idea. Feel free to read on and review at will!

mickEmousina- Thank you for the complements. I couldn't wait to get started either. I'm not sure if this will have a Julie/Portman twist on it, but that would certainly make things interesting. HMMM?

CandieBabie30- I'm glad you like, READ ON!

PrincessH- I enjoy Tammy/Fulton as well, I always thought there was a little something going on between the two in the first movie. Actually, I've read some of your stories and I think that they are really good. Glad you like. You really want to find out who she falls for, then keep reading!

ZELINIA- YEA... I've piqued interest! I figured the background info would be helpful, that way I wouldn't have to explain every character when they arrive on the scene. Please enjoy.

pipsqweek91- First off, I'm glad you're interested. Secondly I sure hope you are speaking figuratively when you say the suspense is killing you, because I think you dieing would be a bad thing. Read on, my good reviewer.

(-------)

Dani had lugged her bag full of figure skating attire and skates to her room on the second floor her house. Her coach, Eric Orion, had told the team that he planned to have them come to Minnesota for the school year, not just the Olympics. He had decided this so that the skaters who were still in school, herself and Tammy Duncan (along with Tammy's brother, Tommy, who helped the team out all the time, and would be coming along), wouldn't have to switch gears with school. He planned for them to have a tutor, so that they could have school when he found a time that school and practice wouldn't clash. Dani sighed, her little brother Caleb would be livid. He was attached to her more then anyone else in their family, and had been upset enough when she told him that she had to go to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the Olympic Games. Her twin brother Dean, however, would be ecstatic. They were very close and he would be going to Minnesota for school at Eden Hall Academy.

She got off of her bed and went down stairs to dinner. Her parents were at either head of the table, two year old Felix was sitting next to her mom, per usual, next to him was 18 year old Alec and his girlfriend Camilla, Dean and Caleb were sitting opposite them, so she sat next to her mother. "How was practice?" Her dad asked from the opposite end of the table.

"Different." She replied vaguely, looking at the peas on her plate instead of the people around the table.

"How so?" Alec asked.

'Leave it to the moron to make me break the news here.' She looked around at everyone, they were looking at her waiting for an answer. "Well, Coach told us that he was making plans for the team to stay in Minneapolis for the school year, so our studies don't get interrupted. Minus Gia, of course, considering she's 28."

Everyone was silent. Well, almost everyone. Caleb had yelled out 'WHAT' at the top of his lungs once this information had penetrated his brain, and Dean yelled out 'YES, you'll be in Minnesota so I can introduce you to the guys!' Caleb punched Dean in the shoulder and Dean slapped Caleb in the back of the head.

"He never mentioned anything to the parents." Her mom spoke up, finally.

"Well, his brother has some connections to some place in Minnesota, I'm not sure where, and he was going to get us a tutor so that he could make sure practice and school aren't compromised." She placed her dark brown hair, identical to Dean's but longer, behind one of her ears, "He just made the decision, so he'll be calling any minute now." Ironicly, the phone rang.

Her mother got up to pick up the phone and her father said, "I knew I liked that man. Got his priorities on straight, he does."

"Dad, when did you turn into Yoda?" She asked and everyone snorted into what they were eating at the time. Her mother walked into the room, confirmed it was Dani's coach, and inquired as to what was so funny. "I asked dad when he turned into Yoda." Her mother shot her a questioning look, "He as talking like Yoda again." Comprehension dawned on her mothers face and they started eating again. The rest of the night consisted of talk about the University of Illinios (Camilla's first year, Alec's second), Dean's normal ramble about the Ducks (mostly the most recent hi jinx of Fulton Reed, which had been communicated via telephone and IMing), and Felix adding adorableness, and annoyance, by repeating 'quack, quack' ten million times.

(--------)

After dinner Dani was sitting in the living room, reading 'Holes' by Louis Sachar for the hundred millionth time, Dean was listening to System Of A Down on his portable CD player, bobbing hid head back and forth to the beat, and Alec and Camilla were comparing their schedules, trying to find out how many times they would see each other on campus between classes.

"Dani? Dean? Could you move some of those boxes from the basement to the attic?" Dani looked up from her book at her mother.

"Why don't we just convert the attic into a room instead of the basement?" She had never understood her parents logic, but this situation took the cake, icing and all.

"It doesn't have the A/C or heating up there, besides the basement already has carpeting. Now will you do what I asked." Dani sighed and put down her book, "Thank you."

Dani looked over at Dean, who was still bobbing back and forth with his eyes closed. She picked up the pillow she had been propped up against and threw it at him. He took the ear phones off of his ear and asked, "What Freak?" He wasn't angry, he called her 'freak' all the time.

"Mom asked us to move boxes from the basement to the attic, Numbnuts." He put down his CD Player and the twins walked to the basement and looked around. It had been full of boxes before, "They moved all the small ones, oh joy." Dani commented sarcastically, Dean snickered.

"Come on Freak, we'd better get some of this done." Dean walked over to one of the larger boxes and tried to lift it, but it was to no avail, despite the strength he had acquired with help from hockey.

"Need some help, Loser?"

"Would be nice." He said, straightening up. 'Loser' was what she called him all the time. Together they picked up the box and carefully winded their way though the house.

(-------)

Half of the remaining boxes had been moved to the attic. Dani and Dean plopped on the couch, both with muscles screaming. "Thank you." They looked up to see their mother smiling sweetly at them.

"Mom, I was at practice all day, why must you torture me so?" Dani asked, messaging her wrist, which had gone to sleep. Dean muttered something about 'I second that'. "You're the big, tough hockey player." Dani joked, Dean told her to shut up.

"I do it because I love you. Your Coach called, he said that he had fixed up all the plans, and that he wants you to leave a month before school starts up there, August 28th. So you'll go down July 25th."

"Sure Mom, whatever you say." She did the calculations, "That's in a month. Dean are you coming with me?"

"Sure, I'll get to see the guys early." He mumbled putting a pillow on Dani's lap and placing his head on it. He did this all the time, so Dani didn't mind.

"Us." Dean opened his eyes to look at his mother, "I'm coming with. Your dad is taking care of Caleb and Felix while I go to Minnesota with the team, a parental chaperone kind of thing." Dani gave a look as if to say we-need-a-parental-chaperone! "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you."

"What about The Rink?"

"Jeannette will be taking care of it, I've already called her." Jeannette D'Argonto was their mother's best friend and business partner, together they co-owned a ice rink/skate park called 'The Rink: Simple and to the Point', The Rink for short.

"Whatever." Dani looked down at Dean, "Loser, get off me. I'm going to bed."

(------)

For the past month Caleb had been trying to get Dani to stay in Chicago, every time she told him no and he ran off crying. Dani hated doing this, but she had no other choice short of backing out of the Olympics, and in no way was she doing that.

The whole family had accompanied Dean, Dani, and their mother to the airport. They hugged everyone good-bye and boarded the plane. Dani got a seat next to the window, Dean was in the middle, and their mom got the aisle. Gia, Tammy, and Tommy were on the same flight, sitting right in front of them. Their coach had taken a red-eye that morning, so he could see his brother and niece before they had to practice.

(---------)

The girls had chattered through the whole trip. Dean and Tommy got so sick of it after a while, that when passengers could get up and walk, Tommy switched his window seat for Dani's. This only made matters better because they weren't stuck between the three, but the chattering only went up. Mostly it was things about the Olympics and Minneapolis, Tammy had lived there before, so she told them what to expect. The plane landed and Tommy and Dean actually called out 'hallelujah' and hastened off to get away.

Tammy and Tommy had relatives in Minneapolis, so they took a cab to their house. Gia was staying at the hotel that Dani, Dean, and their mother was staying at so they went there together.

After they arrived Gia went to The Mall of America for some customary arrival shopping, Dean grabbed his cell phone and ran out of the room to call the team, mainly Fulton, and Dani, who couldn't take a day of not skating, looked up the address of the nearest rink and caught a bus.

(-------)

Dani ran passed Dean outside the hotel and waved him good-bye. He waved back and dialed Fulton's number. "Hello." Answered a female voice.

"Hello Mrs. Reed, you sound as lovely as ever." He replied trying to sound suave and debonair.

"Hi Dean," the voice of Mrs. Reed said back in voice that said 'should have seen this coming' "FULTON!" Dean heard 'what' in the background, it sounded groggy, as if just woken up. "PHONE!"

Their was chatter and the phone being handed over, "Who are you and how dare you disturb my sleep." said the groggy voice. A long yawn followed and Dean relished in his success.

"Dude, your still asleep. Not on my watch. We got stuff to do and hell to wreak."

"One problem, Portman. You're in Chicago, I'm in Minnesota." Fulton replied, still groggy.

"Actually I arrived in this morning." He said with a smile.

"Arrived in? As in Minneapolis? As in a little over month after you LEFT? What is going on?" He was now alert and confused.

"It's complected, but I'll explain later. What are you doing today?" He was hoping to see the others as well.

"I was going to meet up with some of the guys, Adam's dad got tickets to a NorthStars game in a week." He yawned, "Do you want to surprise them about your early return?"

"Dude, you read my mind." He grinned and laughed a little, thinking of the looks on everyone's faces when they saw him again.

(------)

While Dean went to Fulton's house, Dani skated for hours. She finally got a call from her mother telling her not to skate all day long, so she decided to meet up with Gia and Tammy at the Mall of America. Little did she know what she would encounter in the bus ride.

"Seriously though, you do need a girlfriend cake-eater." Jesse Hall joked as he and his brother, Terry, looked around over their seat.

"He's right Banksie." Charlie Conway added from beside him in a singsong voice. "We all have one, now it's your turn."

Adam Banks looked over at his friends and punched Charlie in the shoulder, "I don't need a girlfriend, so would you guys just can it?" He asked running his hand through his dark hair.

"What about Julie?"Charlie added as an afterthought, thinking about Julie Gaffney, a good friend of theirs.

"NO! I'm not interested in Julie like that. Besides if you forgot, oh moronic one, she's with Scooter." He clapped his hands on his forehead, these guys were never going to let up.

"Poor cake-eater. Scared of a girlfriend." Terry Hall teased. Adam sighed, he was never going to win this argument. Sure, the others did have girlfriends, most of the Ducks had girlfriends, Connie and Guy were dating, and Julie was seeing Scooter; but did that mean he had to have a girlfriend, of course it didn't.

"Guys, I'm not scared of having a girlfriend. So leave me alone, or I'll rip up your tickets to the NorthStars game." The others looked gave mock looks of despair. He decided to change the subject as soon as possible, "When are we meeting the guys anyw..." He cut off his sentence and looked forward, completely mesmerized.

"Earth to cake-eater." Jesse said, waving his head in front of Adam's face, "Man, wake up." He was now snapping his fingers by Adam's ears. Finally the boys turned to look in the direction of Adam's gaze. Jesse gave a whistle and Terry let out a 'wow'. A girl (I wonder who?) had just entered the bus with a book in one of her hands and a bag over her shoulder. She had dark brown hair that was tucked behind her ears. She was chewing and blowing gum, not like a cow, but making chewing gum rather attractive (if that is possible).

Adam lowered his gaze as she looked at them. The other were staring at her, she made it clear that she didn't like that as she whisper 'chauvinist pigs' as she passed them. She sat three rows behind them on the opposite side of the bus and started reading.

"Come on cake-eater, start a conversation with her." Jesse whispered looking back, urging Adam on. "You never know what it leads to." He had his hand on Adam's shoulder and was looking at him with a strange look in his eyes.

"No." He replied stubbornly, removing Jesse's hand from his shoulder and looking somewhat harassed.

"Why not?" Terry asked.

"Well first of all, I don't even know her."

The others groaned, "That's the point, stupid. Talk to her and get to know her." Charlie said as though talking to a two year old about Advanced Chemistry, "This is my stop, I'll see you guys later." He shot Adam another look and stalked off of the bus.

Terry and Jesse took up the job of trying to convince Adam to talk to the girl, until their stop. They, too, stalked off after giving him a final look of annoyance. He was so glad they were off the bus, that he didn't notice the girl had moved to the seat behind him, until he looked around to see who was on. 'Oh, come on Banks. Just say hi'.

He turned and looked at the book she was reading, it was called 'The Inferno' and was about Hell, 'What cheery reading' he thought. "Hi, I'm Adam. I'd like to apologize for..." He had finally gotten the nerve to say something, but she cut him off with out putting her book down.

"For your friends being chauvinist pigs who set humanity back about 1000 years?" She had a nice voice, even if it was dripping with annoyance, Adam laughed and agreed. "Well then, thanks." She lowered the book and looked at him, which wasn't really all that hard, he was kind of cute.

"Like I said, I'm Adam." He held out his hand for her to shake. She took it .

"Danielle." She said as she released his hand and looked out the window. "This is my stop, maybe I'll see you around." She grabbed her stuff and walked off the bus and to the Mall of America.

As the bus moved forward he was thinking about what had just happened 'Maybe this whole girlfriend thing wouldn't be so bad after all'. All his thoughts were on the fact that Jesse, Terry, and Charlie would do nothing but badger him about Danielle. If he told them he talked to her, they would press him for more information. If he told them the opposite, then they would be on his case forever 'Why does life have to be so confusing?' He asked himself as got off the bus to walk to his house.