========================================================================= Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 22:06:54 -0500 Reply-To: Jill Marie Spetoskey Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: Jill Marie Spetoskey Subject: A Canuck by Any Other Name (1/?) This is a sequel to "One Goal" and to Crosscheck in D-Minor", both available on the ftp site. Timeframe is the summer of 1995 or between seasons three and four. The usual-not my characters (Richie, etc.) not my universe, I'm just taking things for a joyride for a little while. A Canuck by Any Other Name c. 1996 by Jill Spetoskey 1987-Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario The two boys sat quietly talking in the dark hotel room, cans of hoarded soda in their hands. It was half an hour past lights out, and Coach Berenson would chew them out if they were caught up this late, but they were too tired to sleep. Kyle shivered in a thinning t-shirt. Even though he and Scott had turned the heater as far up as it would go, it was just not enough to compensate for the twenty below weather outside. "....so we're going to go out and show those jerks that it doesn't matter how much money you have, you've still got to want to win. Daddy can't buy that for them no matter how much they beg." "And because of it, Scott, we're going to be better than they are and go farther than they do because we want it more. They'll be left with a couple old trophies and a job at the bank while we're still playing." "Yeah, first this tournament, and then juniors, and then the Olympics. Then, we get drafted in the first round by the Leafs and win the Stanley Cup. Do you know what we're going to be, Kyle? We're going to go down in the record books with Howe and Orr. We're going to be immortal." The two quietly clicked together the soda cans together in a toast. 1995-approach to Seacouver International Airport "....and please return all seats to an upright position as we begin out decent into the greater Seacouver area." Kyle woke as the plane crew began it's landing litany. It was going to be good to see Scott and Andrea Demeny again. His friendship with Scott had started when an eight year-old Kyle had been assigned to yet another foster home in an unfamiliar corner of Toronto. Hockey had become the only constant in his life even then. When he'd reported for the first practice with his nth generation skates, he'd quickly found a soulmate in Scott, who also loved the game even if it was with equiptment so frayed it was hardly useable. They'd played with each other on a half a dozen teams and played against each other on half a dozen more, but had always remained close friends and had been best man at each other's weddings. Kyle had always been a very good player, but Scott had always been better, a natural. He'd made the Olympic team when Kyle hadn't made it past the first cut and had come back from the Olympics with a silver medal and a speedskating girlfriend named Andrea Ross. Kyle knew that there were a lot people who were jealous of Scott's success, but they just didn't know how hard Scott worked to get where he was. Kyle just wished they could wind up on the same team one day. Once the puck was dropped, he honestly didn't notice or care who he was playing against, but he still felt a bad about giving Scott a twenty-stitch cut the last time the Canucks and Lightning had played. As the plane landed and taxied to the gate, Kyle stretched as best he could in his seat. The flight from Tampa had been smooth but long, and his muscles had stiffened from sitting down so much. The flight attendant announced that they could leave the plane, and Kyle quickly retrieved his equipment bag before they could help him with it. With a minimum of fuss, he made his way to the baggage carousel. "Kyle!" A tall blond figure in jeans and a blue buttondown shirt waved toward him. "Scotty, it's good to see you." He gave the man a brief hug, and turned to the tall woman in a Seahawks sweater and leggings next to him. "Andrea, you too. I hope you're managing to keep him in line while he's around to bug you." He hugged her as well, noticing softness where there was normally only taut muscle. "Do I offer congradulations to the happy couple?" "Yes you can. We didn't say anything before because I wasn't sure, but it's definite now." Andrea beamed. "Well then way to go Mommy and Daddy." "Thanks Kyle." Scott said. "I think your luggage is coming up now." The black conveyor belt had begun to swirl. To his surprise, Kyle's suitcase was one of the first out of the plane. "One more to go. If you want to take something, take the suitcase. I paid first class fare so that no one else had to touch my hockey stuff." "Sure Kyle." Scott understood his superstitions well enough. "Okay, I think this is the other one." Kyle threaded his way back into the luggage feeding frenzy and snared a second stickered case. "Firearms, Kyle? I know it can be violent in the States, but now you're bringing guns up here?" "Actually it's swords, and the airline made me check them as weapons. I've taken up fencing in the past few months, and there's a dojo up here that has guest priviledges with the place I work out at back in Tampa." And an immortal friend of his was now managing the place. He tried to change the topic and put that part of his life out of his mind for a little while as well. "So when's the happy due date for you two?" "Sometime around the beginning of December. After that, I've still got time to get back in shape for the next Olympics if that's what I want to do. If I decide to retire after the little guy comes, then that's okay too." They started to make their way through the terminal to Scott's car. "And the guys on the team are already taking bets on whether or not he's going to be born with skates on." "I wouldn't be surprised if he were." The three shared a smile and a laugh. "I take it you already know it's going to be a boy?" "Yeah, Andrea and I just couldn't wait when we started seeing the obstitrician. It's going to be Steven Kyle Demeny." Kyle paused for a moment to let the name sink in. "Wow, that's a great name." "We just hope he turns out as well as you have. Have you and Amy started thinking of the patter of little feet yet?" "We've talked a little, but it's just such a big responsibility that we don't feel we're ready yet." "I kinda feel that way too, but sometimes you just have to go out and do something. One thing I am going to guarantee is that I'm going to be there for little Stevie. I'm not going to pull the same Christmas card a year thing my so-called father did. Here we go." Scott unlocked the back of a green Explorer and helped Kyle hoist his bags into the vehicle. Kyle felt it then; the tingle he had come to associate with the presence of another immortal. He looked around, scanning short term parking but he couldn't see whoever he had felt. "Earth to Kyle. You getting jet lag on us, pal?" Scott broke his concentration. "I am a little tired, I guess, but I just thought I saw someone I knew. Onward with the starship, Scottie." The threesome traveled to the airport, Scott and Andrea filling him in on a slew of gossip. After a moderately long trip, they pulled into the Demeny's driveway. "Nice place, Andrea." he said, eyeing the oversized saltbox trimmed in blue siding. "Obviously, Scott didn't pick out the house. It is much too high class for his tastes." She laughed as they pulled the truck into the garage. "Thanks, Kyle. We both know that if he was picking out a place, he'd be explaining how he didn't think it was really, really necessary to have something like windows or something." "But why do you need windows?" Scott asked as he unlocked the door. "You can plug in a lamp and get the same effect, so what's the point?" Scott and Kyle carried his things up to the guest room while Andrea went to the den to check the answering machine. "Kyle, you've got a fax from Joe Larsen down here. Anything I should worry about?" "No, Andrea, it's just my agent. We've been fussing about some contract stuff. The men made their way down the stairs and into the den. "What did he send me? I left your number in case he had something important to tell me, but I didn't expect anything so soon." Kyle started to rifle through the fax paper. "Damn, they're being pricks about the medical thing. Ever since the heart problem I had, the Lightning have been really sensitive about allowing me to do anything that might lead to Amy sueing them." "But you aren't allowed to talk to him until after we get you some dinner. Andrea and I are going to show you the town and you're going to have fun if we have to hurt you in the process. Besides, you are always calmer with a full stomach." Scott led the way back to the garage, and Kyle followed him and Andrea, for the moment trying to forget paragraph eighteen of the proposed contract under which he would agree to not participate in boxing, sword fighting, or the martial arts while he played in the NHL. End part one