Disclaimer: I don’t own The Mighty Ducks. If I did, I’d be jumping around for joy. But sadly, all I own is this story. ^_^ I may jump around just for that, lol. Please don’t plagiarize or sue me. Thanks, enjoy! P.S.- Disney owns the Mighty Ducks!!

Because I love you. That had been Duke’s answer when Tanya had questioned why he would spontaneously ask her out on a date. He’d shrugged afterwards as if to say Why else would I ask?

Amazingly, she found she couldn’t stop smiling as she dug through her clothes for something to wear. She’d said yes…of course. Now she was going out for a night on the town with Duke L’Orange. Tanya was utterly stunned that he’d asked her. They weren’t exactly the likeliest couple. Mallory and even Lucretia DeCoy seemed more like Duke’s type than she did. But he’d passed both by (more or less) and pursued her instead. Wow.

Ugh, do I wanna go semi-casual or should I just stick with--ya know--formal? she asked herself before the full-length mirror as she placed outfit after outfit in front of herself. Hmm…he DID ask me out even though my wardrobe isn’t exactly the most ‘feminine’ out there. Maybe just this once I could go for something a little more…girlish.

Tanya thought for a moment about what she knew about Duke, it should help her pick out the perfect dressy outfit to wear. Lemme see, he’s into chivalry, dueling, flirting (she laughed at this thought), and all that medieval stuff.

Digging through her things she found an outfit that Phil had once begged her to wear for a photo shoot. He had attempted to sell her some line like ‘The fantasy look is coming back now!’

Well…at least it wasn’t a dress. More like tight black spandex pants and a piece of lavender transparent material to wrap around the waist. She had a short lavender top with short cut sleeves that ended below her elbows that she could wear with it. Sighing she decided that this was the perfect outfit to wear for Duke…and he’d doggone well better appreciate it.

Donning her outlandish ensemble Tanya checked herself in the mirror. Well, I guess those leather boots Mallory made me buy are finally gonna come in handy. I really don’t look THAT bad in this. She exhaled heavily, I just hope Duke agrees.

******

In his room Duke was busily getting ready for the date as well. He’d finally gotten up the nerve to ask Tanya out and now he felt like he was about to face off against an entire armed police force. Alright L’Orange! a voice in his head was shouting, We know you’re in love so come out with your heart pounding!

Shaking his head Duke went back to fiddling with his coat’s collar. It was long and black with gray lining. He wore it open so that his burgundy sweatshirt could be seen. To finish off the look he had on a pair of short black boots and matching black slacks. Yep, he was styling. Just hope Tanya thinks so.

Gulping he walked to her room, he’d never felt this nervous in his entire life! Trying to look as casual as possible he knocked on the door and waited for Tanya to answer.

The door slid open and Duke’s jaw dropped. “Tanya?! Is that you Angel?”

Tanya tried not to blush but failed, “Yeah…well, I just wanted to try a different look for tonight.”

Regaining his composure (and rolling his tongue back into his beak) he tried to speak in a more suave and debonair tone. “It suits you sweetheart. Brings out your eyes.”

“Really?” Tanya had almost missed her cue since she’d been looking Duke’s outfit over. That duck would look handsome no matter what he wore!

“Yeah…” Duke got lost in those sparkling diamond eyes every time he looked into them. Tanya was--to say the least--entrancing.

Before things could get awkward Tanya decided to repay the compliment, “You look dressed to kill in that…um…well…you know what I mean.”

Duke smiled, “Thanks kid. Ready to paint the town red?”

Taking his arm she laughed, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

******

They took a Duck Cycle out to the more nocturnal part of Anaheim. Duke wanted to give Tanya a taste of his world. Show her exactly what he meant by ‘Out.’ every time he answered a teammate’s question about where he’d been all night.

First stop, a back alley club. Not the sort where you’d see XXX listed above. Nope, surprisingly this was a classy joint with some pretty classy characters. Mob leaders (like Duke), pros of the thieving trade (also Duke), and the occasional ‘businessman’.

“Well it’s not the Ritz Carlton but it’s still pretty sophisticated.” Tanya murmured as she casually skimmed the room while she and Duke were waiting for their drinks. She’d made herself very clear on the point that she didn’t want ANYTHING alcoholic.

“Yes ma’am,” Duke had replied with a sly grin. For his sake, he better not have gotten her anything to make her tipsy. She’d see to it that he paid dearly the next morning if he did.

After their drinks arrived Duke decided to strike up a conversation. “So Tanya, how’d ya spend your Friday nights back on Puckworld?”

“Working mostly,” Tanya admitted, “I’ve always been kind of a night owl but when I got knocked back to the third shift at the lab I didn’t have time to socialize that much. To tell ya the truth, this is the first date I’ve been on since high school.”

Duke seemed shocked to hear this, “You? No way, you’re puttin’ me on.”

Now it was Tanya’s turn to give Duke a sly grin, “We can’t all be party animals ya know?”

“Party animal?” Duke laughed nervously, “Me? Naw, you’re thinkin’ of Nosedive there. Sure, I’ve been on a few dates,” Tanya coughed, “okay okay, a lot. But ya gotta understand, those girls are just out for what a guy’s got. They don’t give two cents for his personality, his values, nothin’.”

Nodding Tanya glanced around the room, every time she spotted a lady like DeCoy hanging off a man she always seemed more interested in who was noticing her. Those girls were just in it for a quick thrill. Nothing special. Nothing like what Tanya was certain she and Duke could have…love.

“So I guess you spent most of your Friday nights learning what sort of girls your trade would attract, unless ya had a heist or something?” she didn’t carry a sarcastic tone as she spoke, she was genuinely interested.

“Sadly,” Duke admitted, he really didn’t have much to say about his old girlfriends, other than that they were self absorbed and ditzy. And he didn’t really feel that talking about that would make him more appealing to Tanya. He was relieved when their drinks arrived.

“Nothing alcoholic right?” Tanya asked before she would take a sip of her drink.

“Right,” Duke chuckled. He was being serious, it was just funny to watch Tanya give him suspicious glances. Nothing wrong with keeping his girl guessing, right? ‘His girl,’ man that sounded nice. And right. He drank from his glass and gradually entertained thoughts of what he and Tanya’s relationship could lead to. Mrs. Tanya L’Orange, yeah…that has a nice ring to it. Add in a half a dozen kids or so, a cozy little place on the edge of the city…

His daydreaming was interrupted when he noticed the room spinning. Tanya was resting her head against the back of her hand. It didn’t seem like she was feeling so hot either.

“Duke,” she muttered woozily, “how often do ya come here?”

“Two or three times a week usually,” he answered, beginning to slur his speech, “when we’re not off saving the world.”

“And ya know the bar tenders pretty well?” sweat was starting to trickle off the feathers around her headband now.

“I’m pretty sure,” he saw what she was getting at, “Oh, ya think these drinks have been-”

“DRUGGED you pathetic organics!” a maniacal voice shouted from across the room.

“It’s Dr. Droid!” Tanya exclaimed and hit the floor when she tried to stand up.

Duke too attempted to shift into his battle gear but as soon as he put weight on his legs he fell beak first next to Tanya. It was all the two avians could do to lift themselves upwards.

Evil laughter followed as Droid took the opportunity to brag about his ingenious plan, “Now I’ve got you right where I want you! If I can’t wipe out you pests all at once, I’ll eliminate you in pairs. Thankfully I was here earlier and able to slip a special concoction into my brother machine.” Droid gestured towards the ice machine. “Now you’re going to take a little nap and when you wake up…well, mm-hmm, there’ll be an even greater nightmare in store for you.”

“Fight it Tanya,” Duke whispered, he was already starting to drift off.

Dé ja vu, Tanya thought (“The Most Dangerous Duck Hunt” Wildwing told Tanya and Duke a similar thing when they were succumbing to knockout gas). “Too late, I’m exhaus--ex--yawn--really tired.”

Droid smiled down at the two unconscious ducks, things couldn’t have gone any better. Now he would finally triumph. He proceeded to drag the ducks out of the bar and towards his hideout.

******

Blinking Duke slowly opened his eyes and waited for the blurry vision to subside. “Now that’s what a call a night on the town.” he moaned.

Tanya was waking up too and noticed they were lying on a grate inside a large metal cylinder. Just what the heck is Droid up to anyway? she wondered.

“Alright ducks! This is your wake up call!” Dr. Droid shouted down at them from the top of the cylinder. “So sorry for the poor hospitality but perhaps I can make amends.” he chuckled darkly and pulled a lever down. “Care for a little pâté?”

A buzzing sound filled the cylinder as the grated floor began moving. Duke and Tanya backed up as the middle of the cylinder opened and a huge fan spun beneath. In just a few seconds, they’d run out of grate and become a sliced and diced duck salad.

“Ya know this isn’t exactly the sort of originality I’d expect from him?” Tanya said aside to Duke.

“My brother machine will now eliminate one third of my duck problem,” Droid announced, “and then---I’ll take care of the rest.”

“So much for a romantic first date huh?” Duke smiled to Tanya.

She smiled back and took his hand, “They say danger adds a little excitement to romance.”

Duke leaned his face over and nuzzled his beak beneath Tanya’s chin, “Ya got that spare explosive puck handy?” he was referring to the one Tanya always carried on her in a secret pocket on the inside of her belt.

“Yep,” she answered, Duke grinned and slid his hand around her waist.

Droid watched the disgusting display of affection between the two hockey loving waterfowl and turned to escape a wave of nausea he felt coming. Big mistake.

Firing his grappling hook from his saber Duke latched onto a metal beam overhead and managed to pull both himself and Tanya up just before the rest of the grate slid away.

When Droid went back to check on his captives he found a fan blade free of bloodstains and no trace of those feathered vermin in sight.

“Hey up here gear face!” Duke called from the beams.

Droid looked up and cursed him, “You wretched waste of feathers! I’m not beaten yet!”

“Oh yes you are!” Tanya shouted as she fired a blast from her Omni tool (which she had retrieved while Duke distracted Droid).

Droid was knocked off balance and fell backwards into the cylinder with the fan still spinning at full speed. Grating metal, muffled screams, and a massive explosion followed.

“TANYA!!” Duke called from the rubble. The whole building had been brought down when Droid’s death machine exploded. Thus he and Tanya got separated when it blew. He was now searching frantically for her. “Tanya?! Where are ya?” He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to her. Why, if it wasn’t for him she’d be safe back at the Pond right now. Probably working on some high tech invention that would help the team defeat Dragonaus.

“Duke?” a faint cry came.

“TANYA?!” Duke rushed to the pile of cement and machinery where the voice called out.

After pushing several pieces of metal and cement out of the way he found Tanya sooty and injured beneath a large beam.

“Just hold on Tanya,” Duke said reassuringly, “I’ll get ya out sweetheart.”

“Aw it’s just a few broken ribs and maybe a hairline fracture on my femur.” Tanya joked, “No need to hurry.”

Duke smiled, she was so brave sometimes. Braver than him. He admired that--no wait--he loved that. “I’ll have ya back at the infirmary in no time angel.”

Tanya smiled, she loved it when Duke called her angel. It was a compliment that sounded so sincere and loving…especially when it came from him. “I can honestly say this is the most exciting date I’ve ever been on. We should do this again sometime.”

Duke’s face lit up as he pushed the beam away, “Really?” YES! She’s still interested!

As he leaned down to pick her up she brought her beak to his and kissed him warmly. It just felt right, her…him…together. As they gradually parted they found themselves gazing into each others’ eyes. After over a year of battling on Earth it became clear to the both of them what they’d been missing. The love they could’ve been sharing. And the precious time together that they’d make up for now. Duke carried Tanya out to the street and noticed that they surprisingly weren’t far from where the bar was located. Duke would’ve gone ahead and hailed a cab but Tanya insisted on taking the Duck Cycle home.

“Why?”

“Fine, I just thought you might like it better,” she sighed in fake frustration, “you and me flying down the streets, taking the long way back, my arms wrapped around you, the wind in our faces…”

“And you think I’m the hopeless romantic?” Duke laughed.

Tanya chuckled too, that must’ve been the longest sentence she’d said in a good while without stuttering through it. Then again, she felt more comfortable around Duke than any other person in the universe. “So what d’ya say?”

“Well my lady,” Duke laughed, “I say your chariot awaits.”

******

Tanya woke up back in her room at the Pond. The room was dark and she felt the warmth of blankets around her. With the date still fresh in her memory she suddenly feared that she’d dreamed it all. But, it had been so real! Much realer than her other dreams…(we won’t get into those ^_~ ).

Just as she was about to roll over and go back to sleep she felt warm air blow against her cheek. She tried to sit up but firm hands gently forced her back down. “Not yet angel. You’re still pretty weak from the pounding ya took.”

Tanya’s eyes widened, that voice! “Duke?”

“Yeah?”

She couldn’t believe it! He was actually lying right there next to her!

“Have you been here with me all night?” she asked.

“Ever since we finished treating ya in the infirmary.” he answered tenderly stroking her hair. “The Med-A-Com results say that ya should be just fine…after your ribs mend and you’ll need to stay off that leg for a few weeks.”

“Is that all?” Tanya smirked. “Psh, what a relief! I was afraid I might’ve actually gotten hurt!”

Duke chuckled and started caressing Tanya’s cheek, “Hey now, I was worried about you. I even put off a rematch of chess with Grin so I could stay here and look after ya all night.”

“I don’t believe it.” Tanya stated.

“Honest,” he insisted, “ya can ask the others, I’ve been right here since ya dozed off.”

“No,” Tanya laughed, “I mean I can’t believe you lost a game of chess to Grin!”

Duke started laughing too, “Hey! If you’ll recall, ya happened to be in the same room teasing me during the whole game!”

“When’d I ever tease you?” Tanya tried to sound appalled.

“Oh like you HAD to work on that long range scanner right next to me while I was trying to execute my strategy?” Duke grinned, “How was I supposed to beat him with you prancing around me in that jumpsuit of yours the whole time? Watching my every move and looking over my shoulder?”

Tanya thought her sides would split, “You think I was the one gunning for attention? You were the one coughing up a lung so I’d watch every move ya played!” What a male! “And you know I couldn’t have used my lab because of Nosedive’s little stink bomb prank…which reminds me, just how’d you wind up with that stench on your clothes if you were in the Rec Room the whole time like you said you were??”

Busted. “Hey now don’t go changing the subject on me here…”

Shaking her head Tanya realized they’d both been making passes at each other over the last year. Intentionally or not…they were in deep. Only now, she didn’t mind the thought of falling for him as much. The competition she’d thought she had before proved to be frivolous to Duke. And Duke himself--well--he was obviously as wrapped up in her as she was in him. And their date…their date was anything but short of her expectations.

“What time is it?” she asked.

Duke glanced over his shoulder at her digital clock, “About 4 in the mornin’ sweetheart. Want me to go?”

Wrapping her arms around him tightly she shook her head, “I was thinking maybe you could stay…just for tonight.”

Pulling the covers over them Duke laid back on the pillow with his girl, “Ya know, the others might get suspicious with us spending the night together.”

“Does that bother you?” she smirked.

Beaks inches away he whispered a soft reply that melted her heart, “Not at all angel.” And their newfound bond was sealed---with a kiss.

Love is strange, it’s found in unexpected places. Often when we least expect to find it. But when we do…as Tanya and Duke learned…it’s so staggering that we NEVER wanna let go.

And they didn’t let go…ever.

________________________________________________________________________

*Hi everyone! My first Mighty Ducks short story ever…posted, lol. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Thanks for reading and please review! ^_^ *

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