The Mighty Ducks and all related characters are the property of Walt Disney Corporations. No copyright infringement is intended. No Real Plot. Character Development. You Have Been Warned. ‘Brotherhood’ is a direct sequel to ‘Meditations.’ This takes place very shortly after the first season finale. Should there ever be a second season (wish really *really* hard) none of this will fit into continuity, but who cares? Brotherhood Duke L’Orange was anything but blind. It hadn’t been that obvious, at first, that something was wrong with Nosedive, but as time passed and they all got to know each other better he had begun to suspect. And now, several months after their arrival on Earth, having reached a point that he would like to believe was friendship, or at least camaraderie, it had seemed obvious. The outgoing, sociable young man had become argumentative, surly and withdrawn. Wildwing had noticed too; more than once Duke had caught the concerned glances their team leader gave his younger brother. The others hadn’t noticed, he didn’t think. Tanya was a little oblivious at times and Mallory just wasn’t the type of person to notice this sort of thing. Grin... Who could ever tell what Grin was thinking? But it remained. Something was wrong. Wildwing hadn’t had any luck talking to him, he’d admitted as much when Duke finally confronted him. And so they’d decided to try something different. Which was why Duke was here. It was late evening, the sky dark almost to blackness, the autumn wind comfortably cool on his face. He could see Nosedive on the other side of the roof. He shook his head slightly. The kid had to be stupid to try climbing all the way up here, and then down again in such darkness. Or maybe he just knew what he was doing. It was a concept Duke hadn’t considered until he’d actually met Nosedive. Canard’s opinion of the boy had been less than favorable. Oh, he’d never said the kid was stupid or incompetent - just careless and impulsive - but it had been clear he hadn’t thought much of his friend’s brother. Duke was a little embarrassed to admit that he’d based his judgement of Nosedive almost completely on what Canard had told him, without ever giving the young man a chance to prove what he was capable of. But in the last two months he’d seen enough to get an idea of what the kid was all about, and he’d had to admit he was wrong. Inexperienced, untrained, and yes, a little impulsive, he certainly was. But Duke could see that there was a hell of a lot of potential beneath that pain-in-the-neck exterior. Dive was getting up, probably heading down to the ground. Duke took a step forward, half so Dive wouldn’t think he’d been spying on him, and half because he was afraid the boy would kill himself climbing down in the dark. “Hey, Nosedive.” He didn’t exactly freeze, *per se,* but he stood straight and watched Duke warily from behind the bangs of his blond hair. “Duke.” Everything; his stance, his expression, his tone of voice; said ‘Go away and leave me alone.’ But one doesn’t become one of the most notorious jewel thieves on an entire planet - even if it wasn’t necessarily *this* planet - without knowing how to pry a little where you weren’t wanted. Duke continued forward until he stood at the edge of the roof, beside Nosedive. “Great view,” he said. “Anaheim’s really very beautiful when you can’t see most of it.” That earned him a vague smile. “Right. What’s the deal, Duke?” “Deal?” “Why are you here?” Duke shrugged. “People get on my nerves sometimes. I can’t count the number of times I’ve come up here since we’ve come to Earth. You can think up here.” “Thinking isn’t always a good thing,” Dive said so softly Duke almost didn’t hear him. “Depends on what you’re thinking about,” Duke said calmly. He sat at the edge of the roof, just as Dive had been earlier. “Care to join me? I don’t think you want to go back inside right now anyway.” “Why not?” “Phil’s trying to talk Wildwing into another publicity stunt,” Duke replied wearily. “Something about laser beams. I didn’t stick around to hear the rest.” Duke couldn’t see Dive’s reaction, but his younger teammate joined him a moment later. ‘One hurdle jumped,’ Duke thought. Nosedive couldn’t be as opposed to company as he seemed if he’d joined Duke with so little resistance. Getting him to actually *talk* would be another thing altogether, however. “I was talking to your brother,” Duke said off handedly. “Yeah.” Duke forced himself not to sigh. “We were talking about Canard. He’s still taking it pretty hard, huh?” “Yeah.” This time Dive’s voice held no sarcasm, no hidden hostility, just concern, and a kind of fond exasperation. “There was nothing he could do, but he’ll beat himself up for the rest of his life.” “You don’t seem to think we’ll find him,” Duke observed. “Come on, Duke. It took the Saurians thousands of years to get out of there. Canard is one person. Although,” he added wryly, “if pure stubbornness counts for anything, between Wild and Canard, this whole thing will be dealt with by the end of the month.” “You’re one to talk,” Duke snorted. “I would have thought ‘stubborn’ was your middle name.” “Maybe.” Duke shifted uncomfortably. No acting was required. He *really* didn’t want to say this. “Listen, kid, I’ve got a bit of a confession to make.” Nosedive glanced sideways at him. “What is it?” “I was wrong about you, kid. I underestimated you. I wanted to apologize.” “For what?” “I just said,” Duke said. “That’s nothing to apologize for,” Dive said flatly. “Dive, I mean it. I was wrong.” Nosedive shrugged disparagingly. “There’s not much to underestimate.” “Hey,” Duke objected. “What do you mean?” “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” “Too late. What do you mean, there isn’t much to underestimate?” “I’m just... in a weird mood, okay?” He offered a reassuring smile. Duke wasn’t buying it. Nosedive’s slip, unintentional as it may have been, revealed a lot about what was going on in the boy’s mind. It also made a hell of a lot of sense, all things considered. “He said you remind him of him.” Dive gave him a funny look for a second, probably trying to figure out what that incongruous statement had to do with anything. “Come again?” “Wildwing. He said you remind him of Canard.” Dive tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh. “I’m flattered.” “No, you’re not.” Duke grinned. “I don’t blame you, personally. But look at it this way: It’s like telling Wildwing he reminds you of Thrash.” “But he doesn’t,” Dive pointed out. “That’s *why* I like Thrash and Mook. They’re nothing like you guy- Wildwing.” “You mean they’re nothing like us?” Duke asked. “Truth be told, I kind of figured it was something like that. Who wants friends who remind them of their big brother? And,” he added with a slight smile, “a bunch of strangers who have a habit of ordering you around.” Nosedive didn’t say anything for the longest time; just looking out over the city. “It’s not like that,” he finally said. “Really? Because that’s how I see it and I’m not the one on the receiving end.” “Well, it’s been a few months,” Dive said, “and we’re not exactly strangers anymore. And as far as ordering me around goes... Mallory’s right. This is a war, even if most of the planet doesn’t know it. And I’m the lowest ranking member of the team.” “That doesn’t bother you?” “What’re my options, Duke?” “I don't think he meant it as an insult.” Dive sighed and glared at the night sky. “Are you going to keep jumping around from topic to topic with no warning?” “Probably.” “Who didn’t mean what? Are you talking about Wildwing again?” “Who else?” Duke asked rhetorically. “As a matter of fact, I *know* he didn’t mean it as an insult. I asked him how he figured that - because, frankly, I didn’t see it - and he said a bunch of stuff which there is no way in *hell* I am going to repeat because I know what brothers are like and I am not going to get in the middle of something between you two, at least not any more so than I am already, but what it all boiled down to is there’s a lot you two had in common.” Dive tilted his head to the side, a look of mock concentration on his face. “Well, let’s see… We’re both male… we’re from the same planet… I know!” Dive gave Duke a wicked grin. “We both know Wildwing!” Duke laughed. “There was a little more to it than that, I think.” Flashing lights in the distance caught his attention for a moment as a police car sped along the road a few blocks away. “Something about stubbornness-“ “He’s one to talk.” “-and being easy to talk to-” “*Me?* And *Canard?*” “-and loyalty.” “So he got one out of three.” “Sounds to me like he was dead on all three.” “Are you saying I’m stubborn?” “What do you think?” Nosedive smiled slightly and met Duke’s gaze. “Yeah, I am. But if you *ever* tell Wildwing, or God forbid, *Mallory*, that I said that, I *will* kill you.” “Fear not, young friend,” Duke replied. “They shall never hear the words from my lips.” “What’s the deal, Duke?” “You already asked me that,” Duke pointed out. Dive nodded. “I know. I was hoping you were ready to tell me.” “You know about the Brotherhood of the Sword right?” “A little,” Dive shrugged. “Just whatever you’ve mentioned.” “It’s an old society, kid. We’re talking thousands of years of history here. It was originally organized a few centuries before the time of Drake Ducaine. No one remembers *why* anymore, maybe for the same reason it’s still around - someone wanted it to be. “It’s rather democratic, but there’s a definite caste system. The better you are, the more and more difficult heists you pull and how often you avoid getting caught all contribute to your rank. The highest members were the Council members. They were usually too old to be pulling heists, or they had taken some sort of retirement. I was in the upper second caste,” he admitted, pride tingeing his voice. “Just below the Council members themselves. “The Council pretty much runs everything. They make the decisions, they make the rules. If someone breaks the rules, they deal with the punishment. It’s kind of complicated in some ways: what rules can be broken and by whom and under what circumstances and when the punishments can be disregarded. Duels and revenge pacts have their own set of rules that are even harder to understand. I’ve never been in one of those - not officially, anyway-” he added, gesturing toward his eyepatch, “so I’m not too strong on the procedure there.” He smirked slightly at the look on Dive’s face. “Wonder why I’m telling you all this?” “Frankly, yeah. I thought the Brotherhood of the Sword was this big deal, hush-hush type of thing.” “Usually, yeah. But there are extenuating circumstances when the secrecy pact can be broken.” “Like what?” “Like when you’re choosing an apprentice.” Dive eyed him warily. “Come again?” “It’s an important part of being in the Brotherhood,” Duke said. “Every member of the upper three castes must, at one point in their careers, take an apprentice to whom they pass on all their knowledge and skills. It’s a time-honored tradition that no self-respecting thief would dare break.” Dive stared at him. “And you’re telling me this…” Duke shrugged. “What do you say?” “Duke, man, there is no way in hell I know anything about any of this. I mean,” Dive ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face, “the grand total of what I know about the Brotherhood is what you just told me. And the whole thief thing - come *on*, Duke, I don’t know that stuff. Stars, I can barely hold my own in a fight!” “That’s not true and you know it,” Duke countered. “Remember Praetorius? You pulled our collective fat out of the fire then, despite having a couple hundred robots after you and having to take out a giant…” Duke struggled with the words for a moment, “lobster- chicken... thing on your own. If you hadn’t gotten there when you did, we would have been nothing but leftovers for Praetorius’ pet genetic disaster.” “I had help,” Dive said flatly. “The humans-” “Yeah, yeah, they dealt with the robots. *After* you freed them. And you still took out the *thing* on your own. I’ve seen you take out Dragaunus’ hunter drones and I know you’ve fought Chameleon and won. Probably held your own against Siege too. And fighting isn’t everything, anyway,” Duke continued. “You’re smart, even if you don’t always act like it. You learned to fly the Aerowing in ten minutes, then flew through a dimensional gateway to another dimension. I’ve seen you fooling around with Drake One when you think no one’s around and it’s obvious you know enough about what you’re doing to suit your purposes. You know mechanics because you’re always helping Tanya fix the Aerowing and the Migrator. Shall I continue?” “No,” Dive said wryly. “Heaven forbid I get a swelled head.” ‘I think that’s the last thing we need to worry about,’ Duke thought sadly. “And if fighting *is* what you’re worried about, you’ve definitely got potential. Considering that you and Wild had never fought a day in your lives when you joined the rebellion, you’ve both learned pretty quickly. You’ve got the skill, it shows in your hockey game-” “You’re comparing hockey to fighting?” Dive asked incredulously. “Don’t let Grin hear you.” Duke grinned but continued. “And you’ve got what counts the most: Determination. Loyalty. Dedication. Enthusiasm. With that, anyone can do anything. And with that, I think I can train you. If,” he added, “you’re willing.” “Stars,” Dive said softly. He was staring out at the city again, ignoring Duke for all practical purposes for a long moment. “Why me, Duke? ‘Cause there’s no one else?” “Give yourself some credit, kid. Everything I just said was true. If we got home tomorrow I’d still want to train you. And as for that ‘no one else’ crap, there’s Grin and Wildwing. Granted, I doubt either of them would go for it, but there’s nothing that says women can’t join so there’s Mallory and Tanya. And for all her bluster, I bet Mallory would stand on her head for the opportunity to learn half of what I could tell her.” “So why didn’t you ask her?” Dive demanded. “Do you honestly think Mallory and I could put up with each other for the amount of time it would take to do this? We’d be at each other’s throats inside of a week. I guarantee it.” Duke rolled his eyes. “On the other hand, you are someone I can deal with. Do you get this, kid? I like you. You’re a good person. And that is as much why I want to do this as anything else.” He watched his younger teammate carefully. He had to find someway of getting it across to Nosedive that he was serious, that he meant every word he said. The last half hour had proven his suspicions that Dive had a remarkably low opinion of himself, despite his self-assured demeanor. It was unjustified, the kid had proven himself from the start, but he didn’t see it that way. Maybe, just maybe, Duke could kill two birds with one stone. Help Dive get past this, and fulfill his obligation to take an apprentice. That wasn’t his soul reason for choosing Dive though. Admittedly, the kid *was* the only one around who he could ask - no way Wildwing would go for it, and he sincerely doubted that Grin would want to learn to be a thief. And while women were allowed in the Brotherhood, it wasn’t encouraged. Besides, he wasn’t kidding when he said he and Mallory would be at each other’s throats from day one - but there was no pressure to take an apprentice just yet, he was still fairly early in his own career. Most wouldn’t take an apprentice until they’d been in the Brotherhood for twenty years or so, and only those who reached the upper levels of the society. And they could get back to Puckworld at any time. But there was another reason, beyond pulling Nosedive out of his shell and giving the boy some confidence in himself. Duke hadn’t been kidding when he said he liked the kid. Nosedive was one of the most honest, outgoing, easy to know people Duke had ever met, despite being twelve years Duke’s junior. If you bothered to put in the effort to get past the front he put up you’d find a friendship well worth any effort it took to form. And if one didn’t mind putting up with the occasional slang, comic books and Saturday morning cartoons. But then, Tanya and Grin watched those too. Stars help him, if anyone ever mentioned Bernie the Bear again he’d go insane... Assuming he *was* a bear... ‘Oh, no, it’s catching.’ Duke shook his head. That combined with the fact that things with Nosedive *had* to be bad if Wildwing had asked Duke’s help, well, it had all made a perfect sort of sense. If Dive would just agree to it... When Duke turned his attention back to his teammate he found himself on the recieving end of a scrutinizing gaze that seemed to have taken in every thought he’d had. He blinked, unused to being caught off guard like that. It was a full three seconds before he noticed the anticipatory grin beneath that piercing gaze. “You know,” Dive said calmly, “that just might be fun.” Duke found himself returning the grin. He just knew that he was going to love this. *** End