Chapter 435: Danny XLVI--Through Thick and Thin

Another game, another loss. At least to Dan, that's the way the veterans seemed to be taking this. Slumps were funny things and sometimes it just didn't seem very clear why they happened. For Dan that scared him, not knowing, wondering, and analyzing everything but as for the older guys, they shrugged at the cameras and stated so plainly that they would be out of it in no time. They had confidence, in the eventuality of their own talent rescuing them, and in Patty.

Oh yes, everyone had faith in Patty.

He sat quietly on the bench between shower and clothes, a towel draped over his thighs. National reporters from a couple of different countries, he didn't even see any he recognized from Denver, all of them surrounded Patrick as he gave his thoughts on the game and why he'd been yanked. Dan really didn't listen to the words, by now he knew Patty would be speaking with steely eyes and in an odd mix of evasion and delusion either blaming bad luck or a perfect shot for the goals he'd allowed. Of course, Patrick Roy didn't let the confidence in his persona to stay with just his teammates, he also believed whole heartedly himself.

God I should feel so guilty! He looked at Patrick, this man whose wife had fallen into his apartment, into his arms, into his bed. Of course Patrick could never know what had happened between him and Michele, and he would never know. So there he stood so confident and calm, assured that his talents would return to him, just as surely as he had the love of a woman at home. And Dan realized it, a dog, a spider, he'd snuck right into that home and for a brief spell of pleasure, he'd taken some of that security.

And I should feel guilt not only for Patrick but for Cecile as well, another one brimming with confidence and security, another strong face, and strong eyes. He should feel guity in Cecile's honor and despise himself.

But I don't. In fact, he couldn't help feeling just a wee bit smug and triumphant. Now there was something Patrick Roy the Great would never learn. Now the main thing remained, keeping Alex Tanguay appeased to avoid the most certain disasters that would happen should the secret be let out. All of that shouldn't be hard, besides, he liked Tangs a ton! But that wasn't to say he didn't miss Keaner.

Right now, at this time in his life, Dan knew this had to be so crucial and important to talk to someone who understood, who'd been there. Of course anyone would laugh at him. Dan knew that most everyone else were a lot younger at this point, they needed a talk with someone older and experienced but being kids themselves, the older ones were glad to oblige. Hell! He was a young man, and he felt so lost and embarrassed, and curious.

For one thing, he knew Keaner'd laugh at him; he'd josh him about turning down all those groupies and hookers before settling on the wife of one of the most important cogs on the team. But that didn't matter! He just wanted to have one more try with Michele, just another, just to prove that he wasn't a disappointment in bed. Being the worldliest man he'd ever met, he knew Keaner would have the best tips for him, he would tell him exactly what to do next time. Hell Danny had so much he wanted to discuss with him!

But as fate had it...

In the San Jose hotel now and Dan looked at Alex Tanguay who sprawled on the covers of one of the beds. Yeah, he couldn't really discuss anything with him on that subject without getting mailed back to Denver in little pieces. So the mission remained to make nice with Tangs until Sakic was satisfied enough to put the roommate arrangement back to right. And that would be another thing! Dan knew that Keane had to driving Joe up the wall, the stories coming from that experience had to be piling on the belly laughs.

"So we eating in or out, Tangs?" Dan asked stretching and yawning. Sleep sounded good but food sounded even better.

"I don't know," Alex snipped. "Why do I always have to pick?"

Oh great his blood sugar had already fallen too low. "Um, I don't think we've had a problem before."

"Because I've always picked before!"

Okay, Dan really wasn't sure how true that was, and even if, it still seemed like something a little too trivial to be harping over. Might as well just move things along. "Alright we're ordering a movie and eating in. Where's the movie guide, where's the menu?"

"Why would I know?"

Dan held up his arms, "Fine, fine, I'll look around."

The phone rang and Dan let Alex answer it, let someone else deal with cranky Tanguay.

"Hello?.. HELLO!" Alex sat bolt upright, his eyes wide, he smiled and looked so happy that Dan had a suspicion, just a suspicion. "Yeah! No I didn't see you... I'm sorry.... You did?... Aw they didn't let us... press conference... haha of course you would know how it feels... mmhmm... mhmmm... hahaha! No really?... Really?"

Oh lordy! Dan sat down on the bed, it could only be the famous Ms. Cruz herself. The muscles on his back twitched and shuddered remembering that look in Tom's eye, the feel of his skin and the smug look of what he thought had been his victory. Well, as long as she'd truly gotten rid of him...

When Alex hung up the phone, Danny couldn't think of a time when he'd seen him happier. Good! Maybe if he had a good woman of his own he'd start minding his own business. Dan smiled back, "Awesome Tangs, was that Penelope? Are you going to dinner with her or something?"

Tanguay rubbed his hands together, "She went to the game, Danny! I didn't see her but she went!"

Dan frowned. "Why didn't you get her some tickets?"

"Oof!" Alex exclaimed. "I should have! Maybe next time." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Anyway, she wants to have breakfast with me tomorrow. So at least I won't have to spend another morning with your face."

Dan grinned. "Aw you're already sick of me Tangs," he put his hand over his chest. "My heart's broke, broke I tells ya!" He feigned a swoon, landing on the bed and bouncing, his heart lifting as skipping. He felt so good inside now, stealing a little joy falling from Tanguay.

"I'll never miss you Danny!" Alex laughed, but all in good fun, Dan could feel it.

"But who will I have to fight crime with?" Dan asked as solemnly as he could, Alex's eyes widened and the moment didn't last long before they both busted into laughter. Wiping his eyes, Dan shook his head, "I'll buy dinner for tonight Alex, in celebration!"

"Mm sounds great," Alex grinned reaching onto the nightstand and grabbing the room service menu that he supposedly knew nothing about. “Alright now how about some spaghetti and meatballs!”

“So do you think Joe won’t mind if we break the joined at the hip rule tomorrow?” Dan asked, he burped and patted his fully tummy, watching as some mindless muscle bound action hero led some mindless breast enslaved actress through the hallways of a building on the verge of explosion, with seconds ticking away far too slowly to be believed.

“Well, why wouldn’t he?” Alex said and he licked the ice cream off his spoon, tossing it into the empty dish with a clatter. “But just to be safe, I suppose I should tell him, right?”

“Right,” Dan said.

“Okay,” Tanguay said and he jumped off the bed, “Come on Danny.”

On the television, the actor grabbed the actress around the waist, he held onto a long black cable which had appeared out of nowhere. They took the time to declare their everlasting love to each other and then they swung out of the window, just as the explosion ripped the building, blowing them into another building, sending them through the glass, unhurt, and they rolled across the floor, ending in a passionate kiss. Wow, now that was cinema goodness! “Come on?” Danny said, keeping one eye on the TV, “Why me?”

“Well we can’t break the rule right now can we?”

“Sensible,” Dan said and he belched when he rolled off the bed. Yeah he’d eaten too much. “Let’s go.”

As they turned into the hallway where Joe’s room was, Dan noticed that the door stood wide open. He frowned and exchanged looks with Alex. “That’s weird.”

“Say uncle!” They heard a guttural, deep, accented voice bark. “Say uncle! UNCLE I say!”

“Is that Joe?” Alex asked.

Danny frowned. “It sounds more like Keaner’s attitude.”

Brimming with curiosity now, they jogged down the hallway to the room and they could hear someone groaning, frustrated and the other voice. “Come on you know you wanna say it!”

“Never!”

“Come on!”

They entered the room and saw between the two beds, on the carpet, lay Mike Keane, on his face, florid and eyes pinched shut and sitting on him, Joe Sakic, flushed, grinning, and pinning Keaner’s arm behind him in an awkward position. “Uncle Keaner! UNCLE!” Really, Danny had never in his life thought he’d ever see Joe this, well demented in expression and unmerciful.

“Alright I give! Uncle! UNCLE!” Keaner cried.

“Now that’s what I wanna hear,” Joe grinned and he hopped off Keane, the color in his face fast leaving, his features smoothing back to the kindly, spinsterly old Captain they all knew and loved. When he saw Dan he smiled. “Hey there Noter, hey Tiger, what’re you kids up to?”

“Oof Joe!” Alex gasped. “You were beating up Keaner!”

“Bah!” Keaner barked and he swung his legs in the air as he sat up. “Only cause I let him, I’m not in the mood…”

“You want another one?” Joe said menacingly, holding his hands out as if they were claws.

“No sir!” Keane squeaked and he stood up, kept a good distance between him and Joe, put his hand over his tummy and cleared his throat. “Ahem. What are you kids up to?”

“Uh,” Danny said trying to remember, well anything. “Uh… uh right, Alex, tell ‘em about the big date.”

Mike smiled and so did Joe. “Date?” They both said.

Alex nodded. “Joe, Joe! Penelope Cruz called me back again, and she was at the game today and tomorrow she wants to go out to breakfast, it’s a real date cause she dumped Tom and now I can have her all to myself!”

“Hot DAWG,” Keaner grinned.

“Swell,” Sakic said with a kind smile and even gentler eyes. “Hey, Tiger that’s just great. So you gotta make a good impression tomorrow aye, so she’ll remember to come back for more aye? So get a good night’s sleep, take an early shower and go get her. Now if you guys will excuse us I gotta kick Mike’s butt again, close the door behind ya.”

“Uh… Joe you really don’t need to…” Keaner said helplessly and Dan could barely contain his laughter as they closed the door behind them.

“Well that was easy,” Alex said.

“I’ll say,” Danny agreed.

It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep and Dan couldn’t remember any dreams or any disturbances, he just woke up feeling content, and deeply rested. He yawned, he stretched and he kept his eyes closed. Alex was up, he could hear him moving around, stumbling to the bathroom. Morning light spilled into the room, Dan didn’t know what time Alex needed to meet Penelope but he probably wasn’t….

“DANNY I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

Danny’s eyes snapped wide open and he sat up, he opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of anything he could have done, and didn’t really understand it. In fact he felt a little afraid. What did he do?

When Tanguay ran out of the bathroom, Danny saw the reason for his rage and if it were a clearer situation, he would have laughed. As Alex stood there, seething, and red faced, Dan couldn’t take his eyes off Alex’s hair, because it was bright, brilliant shade of electric blue. “How could you?” Alex cried.

Dan shook his head. “Alex I didn’t…” And then he saw Alex’s expression was not fixated on his eyes, but somewhere higher. “Me too?” he put his fingers on the top of his head.

“You two,” Alex said.

Danny leaped off the bed and ran into the bathroom and looked at the mirror and he saw that his hair indeed was the exact same shade of blue, dazzling really. “Well hell,” he whispered. “Hell!” He couldn’t remember anyone bothering them last night, anyone. “Tangs my hair is blue!”

“I know!” Alex moaned and Danny ran out of the bathroom just to make sure. Yup Alex’s hair was blue, toilet bowl cleaner blue. Well….

“Maybe it’ll wash out?” Danny said weakly.

“Ah!” Alex moaned and he grabbed his hair. “What do I do, I’m supposed to have breakfast with Penelope in an hour!”

“Let me try to wash it…” Danny began but then someone knocked at the door. “No room service!” He yelled.

“We ain’t room service!” Someone barked back.

When Dan opened the door Mike Keane wasted no time in pointing and laughing, of course informing Dan exactly who the criminal who’d tampered with their hair was. Sakic also stood with Keaner, laughing although not as unhinged as his friend. Dan felt his cheeks burn. “Keaner you didn’t! How?” Of course he felt mad that he’d been on the business end of a prank, but also, intrigued and excited to know exactly how Keaner had pulled it off.

“Like candy from a baby!” Keane sputtered, laughing even harder. “It looks good on you Danny!”

“Nooooo!” Alex whined and he pushed Danny aside and he shook his fist at Keane. “You’re mean and Jooooe how could you let him?”

“Hell,” Mike grinned, “It was Joe’s idea.”

“Sorry kid,” Joe said, “The opportunity was there, had to take it. You look cute.”

“But I’m gonna be humiliated now right before my big breakfast date!” Alex cried. “It’s not fair couldn’t you have waited until afterwards?”

“What it won’t be so bad,” Sakic shrugged, “Danny’s as blue as you are, you won’t stand out so much, suck it up Tiger. It’ll wash out in a week or so.”

Danny was still burning with the how of the situation but he figured he could ask later because a more important matter rung in his brain. “Even if I am as blue as Tangs, eh what would that matter because Penelope won’t be seeing me anyway, right?”

Sakic raised his eyebrows. “Of course she’ll be seeing you too; I haven’t relieved you boys of your assignment. Tied at the hip you’ll die at the hip.”

Tangers cry of horror matched the surprise in Danny’s heart. “Woah wait!” Dan exclaimed. “You’re telling me I have to be on that date with them? What?”

“Exactly,” Sakic nodded. “I just thought I’d come down and tell you boys, just in case that wasn’t clear to you. Punishment is punishment, remember that, I’m not an easy guy when it comes to that.”

“But Joe it’s not fair!” Alex cried and Danny nodded, he felt that somehow this was a bad joke and in a minute or so, Joe would laugh, clap them on their shoulders and tell them to have a good morning and the dye would wash out in five minutes. Of course he said nothing.

“Orders are orders,” Sakic nodded, “Just think of Danny as… as a chaperone, it’ll be fun.” He smiled and turned to leave. Keaner winked before following him.

“Argh!” Alex moaned.

Oh great, Danny thought, just great.