Rating: PG
Original Date of Completion: September 2003
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I really wish I did. This is all fiction, conjured in the confines of my demented little mind. That means it's fake, so please don't sue me.
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June, 1995
In a room full of excited chatter, two young men sat nervously by, staring at the draft board of the National Hockey League. Neither was aware of even the mere existence of the other, as one could expect. There couldn't be two more different souls in the world. The man with dark hair, known to the world as Marc Denis, was Canadian; he was quiet, well-mannered, and painfully shy. The lighter haired man, Brent Johnson, was American; he was outgoing, mal-tempered, with an air of petulance that rarely left him. When this day had started, they'd shared only one tiny similarity; both were goaltenders, with hopes of going high in the draft, to a great team. Only Marc would realize that dream, going 25th overall to the Colorado Avalanche. Brent meanwhile had to wait for 104 more names to be called before he heard his own. But he too went to the Colorado Avalanche, as a fifth round selection, 129th overall. It was that which first introduced the two men to each other.
Excitement had bubbled over in Marc; his shyness had faded completely, a friendly chattiness taking its place. Brent however felt nothing but bitter disappointment, and resentment of Marc’s position. The first conversation the two ever shared was less than memorable, and less than enjoyable for both. When they walked away from each other that day, both had asked themselves "What the hell is his problem?" That question would go unanswered for seven years. But even when the answer finally came, seven years of life had changed it.
From that draft, as expected, both would head down very different paths. Marc would eventually win the back-up position in Colorado, playing behind his childhood hero Patrick Roy. Soon after, Brent found himself traded to the St. Louis Blues, where he played only one year in back-up of Roman Turek, before winning himself the starting position. Brent flourished in St. Louis, while Marc struggled mightily for the Avalanche, before an eventual trade to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Their paths intersected few times through the years; as it had always been, both men walked along a path completely opposite of the other’s. But seven years from that fateful draft, the separate paths they’d always walked along would meet at the same fork; for three days, and a home/home series between their teams.
Little did they know that when those three days were up, their lives would be forever changed. It was something fate had planned for seven years. The paths the two walked had always been designed to come together, and merge into one. But in seven years of life, the paths that led them there had cracked, and pot holes formed to hinder their journey. Seven years prior, neither would’ve bothered walking the rocky road. But as the years had passed, each man had dealt with more than a few bumps along the way. Every piece of imperfection in their path had helped each man evolve into the men they became.
When their journeys began, neither would’ve needed a thing that the other could provide, the opposition of their personalties kept them clearly separated in every facet of life. Seven years of evolution, however, had changed all of that, and brought them unknowingly close together.
For seven years, fate had coveted cards dictating the future of each man. But in only three days, cards held for seven years would be revealed, and for two unsuspecting young men, a destiny.
© 2003 Triple X
Read On: ONE: Do I Really Wanna Trust This Feeling?
