Blood, Sweat and Tears Part 23

The weeks winding down to the to pre-season were numbered to less than two. Already, the first signs of the quickly approaching year were made with the scheduling of interviews with local and national sports reporters. With the way that the Pittsburg Wolverines had ended their season the year before by not even reaching the playoffs, most 'experts' were predicting them to be out of contention again this coming season.

Zechs and his team, however, saw things differently.

Just in their practices, they were performing better than they ever had going into the pre-season. Thanks largely in part to Duo's dedication, his teammates were pushing themselves to limits they didn't think that they had in them. While not every area of the team was perfect, things were looking up for the possibility of moving on past the regular season for the first time in years.

After a long practice, Heero and Duo returned to the Yuy household drained and looking forward to the night out at Murray's with their friends. Quatre was the first to greet the football players with a firm nod to his braided client, "Randall Nemeth from the National Sports Network just called to schedule an interview with you. And I have to get back to three others that are looking for the same."

With a soft sigh, the running back commented, "And so it starts."

Quatre wiggled a raised finger before his friend's face and warned, "Now I want you on your best behavior. I know you hate interviews and how those reporters look to stir things up, but remember your promise to change your attitude for me this season."

"Yea, yea, yea," Duo replied, rolling his violet eyes and waving his hand nonchalantly. "I'll be good for those slimy bastards."

Heero just chuckled deeply and shook his head in amusement. Silently, he was grateful that he wasn't the one to have to sit and endure the probing questions. Lady Une was just passing by when she announced to her charge, "Heero, there are four interviews scheduled for you later this week. I marked them on the calendar in the kitchen."

Lowering his head as she disappeared, the quarterback hissed, "Damn it." 'So much for being in the clear for once,' he thought to himself. Duo snickered and patted his back in support. Well, misery certainly did love company.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Better you two than me!" Wufei laughed as he lowered his glass of soda. "Luckily, I'm not exciting enough to have those vultures wanting to sit and talk with me too often. And I am perfectly happy with that."

Across from the Chinese receiver, Duo snorted, "Thanks for rubbing it in, asshole." Everyone at his table snickered and chuckled deeply as Wufei winked to him with a smug smirk. The conversation continued on around the topic.

Meanwhile, the television panel above the bar, along with every set stationed throughout the room, was playing the same sport network that the patrons followed religiously. Recaps of the earlier soccer games wound down as the sports newscaster's mug-shot reappeared to announced, "In preparation for the football season around the corner, we have some exclusive interviews with some of the athletes and coaches that will have all eyes on them through the season.

"We start with our first interview now with head coach Treize Khushrenada and his new running back, Alex Denton, of the San Diego Cougars."

His mouth still around the nozzle of his root beer bottle, Duo looked up to the screen along with his friends at the announcement. Several people at the bar called for the volume to be turned up, their attention fully captured.

A near hush fell over the room when Treize appeared on the screen. Off camera, the interviewer's voice asked, "So how is it that you manage to keep your team in contention for a championship year after year? That's quite the accomplishment."

Treize smirked and shrugged, "Thank you. I honestly think that simply having a winning mentality makes all the difference in this business. There is no room for doubt on my team and I have been working with my father-in-law to weed out the trouble and I believe that we have the right mix of young men that will carry go all the way to the top. The addition of Alex, here to the team is the last piece of the puzzle."

At the mention of the blonde running back, the camera pulled back to show the young man sitting beside his coach with a smug look on his face. The voice of the interviewer actually sounded shocked as chuckled deeply, "As opposed to having Duo Maxwell? He has the best standings of any running back in the league."

Alex's eyes narrowed and his face began to redden. "Maxwell's ride at the top is about to come to an end," he stated. "I've been training with the best and have been improving every day to improve myself. It's about time someone proved how overrated he is. He can't even catch."

Wide-eyed and frozen, the lot at the round table watched and listened in shock. Duo's skin paled as Relena reached to place her hand on his in a supportive squeeze. "He... he can't catch!?" the interviewer sputtered.

"That's correct," Treize nodded firmly. "I had been studying Maxwell's performances and realized that not once in his whole career had he attempted to catch a toss. Whenever the suggestion came up from my coaching staff, he fervently denied such a play be called. I challenge you to go back through every second of footage and prove me wrong." It seemed as though everyone in Murray's was glued to the televisions with slack jaws.

Once more, the announced pitched in, "And yet your cousin, Dorothy Catalonia, signed him onto the Wolverines as her first move as the new owner of the franchise. While it is only a one-year contract, she offered five million dollars to play. Do you think that she is in a little over her head to be spending such an amount without looking at every angle?"

All around, heated glares were turning to the table where Heero and the others were joined. For the quiet and peaceful part of town that they were in, most people just left the football players alone to their privacy. That was all changing now. Sweat forming on his brow, the braided running back swayed in his seat and muttered, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

Waving his hand, Treize answered, "Well now, I'm not criticizing my dear cousin entirely. Maxwell does have the most impressive standings, as you mentioned. I just think that she is still too young and green for this business to know everything when it comes to making a winning team."

His oily smile grew as he commented, "In the end, it is really up to the citizens of Pittsburg to decide if what she is doing with her funds is the right decision or not. After all, they're the ones who need a win more than anyone to help their economy."

The screen image changed back to the head anchor's mug-shot once more as he broadcasted, "You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen. Tune in tomorrow when we talk with head coach..." Duo lost the rest of the words as he turned to his friends with a look of panic. More and more people were staring him down heatedly.

Gripping his housemate's arm, Heero suggested, "Let's get the hell out of here." Not needing to be told twice, the group quickly rose to their feet and headed to the door together with Duo pushed safely in the center of their mold to keep those angry eyes off of him.

Numb from head to toe, the running back allowed his friends to herd him through the bar and outside.

Once the warm night air hit them, the group all but darted for their cars. As they peeled out of the parking lot, a few drunken men ran out screaming and swearing while throwing beer bottles at their retreating vehicles. Stopping only for stop signs and lights, the three cars pulled into the parking lot at the Yuy household and piled into the residence breathless.

Lady Une rushed out to meet them with a worried, "I was just watching the news and was about to call and check on you. Is everyone all right?" She focused specifically on Duo, who still looked quite ill, violet eyes just staring off. Biting her lip, she gently told Heero, "Get him to sit down. I'll make some tea for everyone." That said, she rushed off for the kitchen.

Gently resting his hand on the small of his teammate's back, Heero urged him into the living room and got him to sit at one of the sofas. Trowa and Quatre turned the flat-screen television on to a quiet volume. Scanning the sports networks, they looked for any further coverage of the interview, or any word of fallback regarding it.

Wufei was pacing back and forth with a very irate look on his face, hissing, "I don't know what the hell got into Alex to start acting like this. He was never one to take shots at another player, even if they were on another team."

Relena frowned deeply as she sat at Duo's free side to rub his back gently. "His being traded must have hit him harder than we thought it did," she commented. Looking over to the still running back, she reassured gently, "Don't take anything that they said to heart, Duo. No one can even come close to your stats on the field, even without catching."

Shaking his braided head, Duo finally seemed to be coming out of his trance. "I could care less what anyone thinks of me," he stated while turning to meet the cheerleader's gaze. "It's what they said about Dorothy that has me upset. She's going to be taking a lot of heat over this and she doesn't deserve it."

At his other side, Heero shook his own head, "No. She doesn't." Rubbing his face with his hands, the quarterback sighed deeply, "This is a great way to get started just before pre-season."

"It's Treize's style," the running back gritted. "I should have known that he would be looking for something on me to throw in my face as well as Dorothy's." Straightening, he looked to his housemate and said, "We have to get a hold of her and let her know what's going on."

A smile tugging his lips, Trowa looked over his shoulder and said, "I think that she already does." All eyes turned to the screen as he turned the volume up.

Dressed in a skirt-bottomed blazer attire, Dorothy appeared on the screen of one of the local networks with dozens of camera flashes lighting her as she approached a pedestal in the center of the room.

Bowing her head when she reached the microphone, the team owner smiled, "Thank you, everyone, for coming here on such short notice. I've been expecting this low blow from my cousin for some time now, and wish to explain myself to the citizens of Pittsburgh regarding my decision."

With a deep breath, Dorothy pronounced, "I was well aware of Duo Maxwell's inability to catch before signing him, as no good owner signs on a new player without looking at everything they do and do not have to offer."

Instantly, voices of reporters behind the video camera were asking why she agreed to the trade if she knew. Waving off the rush of questions, the young woman answered with a question of her own. "What football player out there is without flaw? Name me one," she challenged.

A heavy silence fell on the room with the exception of the cameras that continued to flash on the Wolverine's owner. Pleased with that, she nodded firmly, "Exactly. No athlete, no coach and no owner comes without their own challenges. The fact, however, remains in the numbers and Duo Maxwell's beat out any other running back's standings."

Her features saddening a bit, Dorothy said quietly, "I love this city and I love the people in it. And there are many suffering from the unstable economy here. To have a chance at a championship would mean so much to this town, drawing in the kind of revenue that spectators would bring in. While it would not be the only answer to our problems, it would be a wonderful start in the right direction.

"And even if we do not reach that goal, Maxwell has already proven his weight in gold. I have received many reports from Zechs and the coaching staff to how his own drive has pushed the rest of the team to performing their own bests. Whatever happens, this will be, by far, the best season the Wolverines have seen in years."

Tilting her head, Dorothy smirked, "And so, to my dear cousin Treize and Alex, we'll simply have to see who the better men, or man and woman are." She bowed her head to the reporters and told them, "Thank you, everyone and good evening." Quickly turning, she left the podium to the shouts of further questions from the press.

Quatre snickered and shook his head as he turned the television off. Sagging in relief on the couch, Duo chuckled deeply, "Damn, I love that woman." Heero, Trowa and Wufei nodded their heads in agreement with amusement on their faces.

*   *   *   *   *   *

The following morning, Dorothy entered the locker room as the team was getting ready for the day of training. Everyone paused what they were doing to watch as she headed right for Duo and Heero while asking, "Are the two of you still working on the catching issue?"

Blinking their wide eyes at the sudden interrogation, the running back and quarterback nodded.

Satisfied with that, Dorothy nodded firmly, "Good." Her eyes narrowing, she growled deeply, "I want you to rub Treize's face in the mud so badly that he'll be embarrassed to show his face for the remainder of the season. No one attacks my team the way that he did."

Wide smiles spread all around. Raising his arm to salute, Duo winked, "You got it, doll. Trust me, no one wants that to happen more than I do." At the endearment, Heero and the rest of the team gaped in disbelief.

Brushing down the hem of her green, silk blouse, the team owner smirked with a sincere, "I know."

Sharply turning on her heels, she addressed the remainder of the team, "Treize and Alex drew first blood. I would sincerely hope, for the good of this team and the faith that the city is putting in us, that you'll be ready to answer with your actions come the regular season. I don't want anyone saying that there was a single person that did not give everything they had on the field, with or without a championship in the end."

Faces gripped in determination, the football players shouted as one, "Yes, ma'am!"

With a deep sigh, Dorothy smiled, "Thank you. I'm very proud of you all already." As she headed out, every eye followed once more. Those who had yet to witness the team owner in action sat in stunned silence as they looked to one another in awe. Very slowly, the team went back to what they had been doing.

The coaching staff entered the room. Wheeling up behind the trio, Darren smiled to his friends as they cheered and eagerly welcomed him with handshakes and embraces. The last to greet the wide receiver as the others ran out for the field, Duo bent at the waist and shook his hand firmly. "Good to have you back, man," he grinned.

"It's good to be back," Darren sighed deeply. Clearing his throat, he said quietly, "I never got to thank you for watching out for me on the field. The doctors said that if you hadn't been there to calm me down, I would have gone into shock from the pain and the cold of being in that rain all day."

His smile warming, the running back patted his shoulder and shrugged nonchalantly, "I didn't do anything that any one of the others wouldn't have done." He wiggled his eyebrows while adding with a smirk, "I was just faster at reaching you."

Chuckling deeply, the short-haired brunette replied, "Well, at any rate, I thank you." Quickly sobering he tilted his head a bit. "Actually, I was wondering if you were all right with the idea of me stick around to watch you work with Yuy on your catching.

"Maybe I could give you some pointers, as someone who catches the ball as their job. I know that Wufei is busy with his own training and well..." He gestured to his wheelchair, smirking, "I'm obviously not going anywhere for a while."

Duo's eyes widened. "Really!?" he exclaimed. "You would do that for me!?"

More than excited at the idea of this new challenge as another way to help his team, Darren nodded, "What are teammates for, right?" He offered his right hand and asked, "So what do you say?"

Tightly gripping the hand in a firm shake, the running back replied, "I say we'll see you at Yuy's place after practice, then!"

Bending at the waist, he tightly hugged the wide receiver with a rushed, "Thank you." Darren patted his teammate's back as he laughed.

"Better get onto the field," the new coach suggested when the embrace ended. Gripping his wheels, he spun his chair and headed for the door. With a dramatic, 'yes sir,' and a salute, Duo followed close behind.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Dorothy was just about to shut down for the night when her telephone rang. Picking up the receiver, she answered, "Dorothy Catalonia."

"M-Miss Catalonia! You're never going to believe this!" the voice of her secretary shrieked over the line.

The team owner sat back down in her leather chair with a deep frown and replied worriedly, "Grace? What is it?" Preparing herself for whatever the news was, nothing could have prepared her for what came next.

Grace cried, "I just heard from the box office. The entire regular season games at this stadium just sold out! Sold out!!! That hasn't happened in decades!"

With a sharp gasp, Dorothy breathed, "Sold out." Smirking, she chuckled quietly, "Well, they do say that no press is bad press."

*   *   *   *   *   *

Treize sipped his brandy and looked out to the skyline of San Diego from his office. In the background, the television was displaying another recap of Dorothy's press conference from the night before.

A dark smirk tugged his lips as he growled, "Well, cousin, the war is officially on."

TBC...

 

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