CONTENT WARNING!!!
This chapter contains sexual content that may not be advisa.......
You know what. You're all adults. If you want to read this it's up to you. I requested to have my sister Stacey write a sex scene for this chapter. It's later on and it's NOT 'pig sex'. It's quite tactful by written sex scene standards. It's fine if you don't want to read it, but you'll have a hard time if you chose not to. You have to do some skimming to figure out where it ends but I assure you it's not that bad to read. Thanks.
Chapter Seven: It’s a Great Day For Hockey
And we went out to lunch and so began months of humorous fun and games with the boys. I spent most of my off time between helping the Pens and Pre-season planning with the Pirates with Jordan, Max, Marc and Sidney; occasionally finding time to get on ice and play some hockey. I continued to coach my kids, of course, and I’d joined the wives and girlfriends in making a few more charities happen.
January marked the start of the beginning of the end of our season and after an absolutely amazing New Years party, the whole team was worn out and drunk for our game with the Bruins. We lost that game and went on through the month with a total of 8 losses and 5 wins. We were doing pretty well for ourselves.
Sidney and I continued to thrive with our relationship on into February and every minute we spent apart was spent thinking of each other. Late in February I had to head to Pirates’ training camp in Florida to take care of some lose ends and assist in training. The Pens were still pushing hard though, seven wins and five losses.
March brought the strongest playoff push I’ve ever seen and with Sidney and Geno both on scoring streaks along with Max and TK, we were sure to be in the playoffs this year. Gonch was brought back from injury, as was Philippe Boucher, both of whom helped us dramatically. 12 victories and 1 loss in March marked the beginning of our strongest march ever. I was called for phone interviews on FSN many times and I made sure to make my feelings about the team known and my role in the future as Assistant Goaltending Coach understood.
Sidney called me everyday I was gone and after two months at training camp, he was growing weary of having me away from Pittsburgh. Jordan, Max and Marc began to have the same feelings and I was getting frequent texts from them as I was on the field with Tyler and the rest of the Pirates. My other home team believed it quite remarkable that they were so funny and strange but I just believed it remarkable that they missed me that much.
I watched as Marc flourished in goal and I got a call from Alyssa and Johnny telling me that he had made a few visits to help them out with their goaltending since I’d been away. I thanked him profusely as March faded to April and he continued to look out for my team. Sidney and Mario made a few visits with him and Jordan, Max and Eric sacrificed some of their off time to help out too. I was so happy that they decided to get involved.
April came too quickly and I discovered that the last game of the Pens regular season fell on the sixth game of the regular season for the Pirates. Sidney and the team flew to Montreal for their game with the Canadiens while I was stuck in Cincinnati for our game with the Reds. The Pens took their last game, 3-1 and came home victorious and ready to take on the post season. Meanwhile I was on a road trip in Cincinnati for a few days until Monday the Fourteenth. I finally made it home and Sidney couldn’t have been happier to see me.
Our first playoff battle was against our hated cross state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. And, though I was supposed to be on the road with the Pirates, they had given me time off until the end of hockey season so that I could be with my other team. They were so understanding. The series was easily taken and we moved to the next round. Washington Capitals city.
It was now the beginning of May and my birthday was fast approaching. I’d be 21 this year. Exciting enough. Let alone the fact that this could be the season the Pens won the cup. I basked in the glory that was our team until we trailed to the Caps 2-0. We came back and tied at 3 for a tense match up with Ovechkin that ended in our victory.
May 18th came and we took to attacking Jordan’s brother Eric’s team. The Hurricanes didn’t seem like too much of a threat and with my full attention on the Pens, we were succeeding in winning so far, though it was two series. It took sixteen games to win the cup. Not eight.
I headed to the arena the 18th expecting nothing short of a Penguins’ victory. I smiled as I entered the buzzing locker room to find everyone in a great mood. The air in this room was so electric you could’ve almost been electrocuted by breathing. I walked passed everyone silently and slipped into my newly appointed office just behind the room. It was small and cozy and I’d really taken a liking to it.
Arms found their way around my waist as I sat down my bag and I leaned back into a heavily padded chest. I knew from the mixture of Axe, Old Spice and shampoo exactly who it was, though his touch gave him away immediately.
“Hey babe.” Sidney whispered, though we were the only ones in my office. I smiled and placed my hands on his. He was still just enjoying the fact that I was home again, even though I’d been here for around a month now.
“Hey.” I answered, closing my eyes as Sidney bent down and kissed my cheek.
“How’re you feeling about tonight’s game, sweetie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. I glanced over at him and shot a disbelieving look to his eyes.
“You’re crazy if you don’t think I’m confident.” I answered. He chuckled that Sidney Crosby laugh and I felt myself melt to the floor. He always knew how to make me get butterflies.
“Well I’m glad you’re as hopeful for us as I am.” he told me quietly, perking up as he heard his name being called by our new interim head coach, Dan Bylsma. He had really helped us make a full turn around and assisted us in getting to these playoffs. Sidney’s face fell in puppy dog sadness as he released me from his hold and I turned around to him. “Looks like I have to go play that stupid hockey game again.”
“Looks like.” I whispered, our faces only inches apart now. An evil smirk turned up on his lips and his eyes glittered. “Go get em, superstar.”
“For you, anything.” he replied under his breath, lips finally meeting mine. Fire filled my body and I smiled into his lips as he pulled away reluctantly at the second call of his name.
“Love you.” I said as he walked out to the locker room.
“Love you more!” he called from where I knew Dan was standing with the team. I heard a mixture of wolf calls and taunting as I shut my door and readied my papers.
A few minutes later, after I knew the team was being introduced, I headed out to the bench with Dan and Gilles, giving them the papers they needed from me. I took my usual seat at the end of the bench with Mathieu Garon and we chatted quietly for a few minutes before the game began.
The game started slow, nothing really happening for a while. The scores kicked in towards the middle of the game and what followed afterwards. Soon it was 3-2 and I felt the happiness wash over me as the clock ticked down. Dan and Gilles had already collected their things but I just sat, tense, as if this were the game I was playing in. Finally, the buzzer sounded and the Pens skated off, victorious. I smiled to myself as I followed them off with Dan and Gilles in tow.
I barely made it to the locker room before Sidney was upon me. He picked me up by the waist and held me high over him, happily twirling me around. I smiled into his lips as he sat me down and gave me what I knew to be the after game kiss. It was the best one yet. Probably because this was the best game we’d played yet. He broke it off and hugged me tightly to his chest.
“Amazing game, Sid.” I said as he released me from his death grip. His eyes were light and happy and it was immediately then that I knew tonight was going to bring a party.
“Amazing goaltending assistance.” he complimented, lightly kissing me again. I felt my face turn red as Jordan called over.
“My God! Get a room!!” Jordan’s voice was light and happy. I peaked around Sidney and raised an eyebrow at him. Since I’d started dating Sidney I’d become extraordinarily close to everyone on the team. They accepted me generally as one of their own and protected me as though I were part of their family. But with that acceptance also came the usual torment that comes with being a part of any family.
“Oh shut your trap, Jordy! You and Katie are sickening!” I teased, smirk turning up on my face as Jordan stuck his tongue out at me.
“We do have a room.” he said proudly after a moments hesitation. I looked at Sidney and we both turned our gazed to Jordan, shocked that he’d let that out. We both must have looked pretty comical because half the locker room cracked up.
“Why would you…… We don’t need to…… EWWWWHHHH!” I said in partial unison with Sidney.
“You two are perfect.” Marc said, shaking his head as he undid his skates. Sidney didn’t say anything to me as he looked down into my eyes, he just kissed me one more time before heading to his stall to get changed and take on post-game interviews. He was on post-game panel tonight and I knew that it would be at least an hour before he could leave. I didn’t care, though. I’d waited up after every interview, every autograph signing, every fan girl mobbing and in return he’d waited for me after my interviews, though they certainly came less frequently than his.
Sliding into my office I found the game puck and a post-it note. Glancing over it as I passed to get my bag, I saw Sidney’s handwriting scrawled across the paper messily. ‘Good job, coach. (; The Pens love you. Pittsburgh loves you. But I love you mostest. ♥ -Sid’ I smiled at him. What a dork.
I sat down at my desk in my comfy swiveling chair and pulled out the remaining paper work I had to do. I needed to adjust some lines and fix up some paper work I’d failed to complete earlier. I heard some sort of commotion in the locker room but I thought nothing of it as I filled out paper after paper. Just as I neared the end, almost twenty minutes later, a knock sounded on my door.
“Come in.” I called cheerily, not looking up from my work. I heard a few awkward steps before someone sat down in the chair directly in front of me.
“Uh.. Great game tonight, huh?” Geno said through broken English. He was getting better, I’ll admit, but he still had a long way to go. We’d made fast friends after he’d realized that I spoke Russian fluently. Since that time he’d invited me to come with him to his interviews so that if he forgot I word I was there to help out. No one ever found out, though, since Geno had extraordinary lip reading skills. I would hide out in the back of the room within his view and he would go on fluidly. I put down my pen and smiled up at him.
“Wonderful game tonight, Geno. That was some good work out there. Nice hustle.” I said, voice complimentary. He smiled his crooked Russian smile at me and nodded his head.
“Ah, mom made me some borsch last night. Is lucky I guess.” he said, nodding his head childishly. We laughed together for a minute as I turned my attention back to my work.
“This borsch is becoming world famous. I have to try some one of these days.” I told him. He laughed a hearty laugh and sat up in his chair.
“I think mom would make some. She love cooking.” he answered easily, “Maybe tomorrow for birthday.”
“For your birthday. And that’d be awesome.” I corrected him. Glancing up I saw him nod in recognition of his mistake and lip the sentence to himself, learning. He’d always been extremely willing to learn and get better with his words. He was trying hard.
“I have to go now. Get home for sleep. Tonight’s game was…. Very tiring.” he said, yawning for what seemed to be emphasis, though I knew it wasn’t.
“Goodnight, Geno.” I said easily as he headed out, waving over his shoulder.
“Goodnight.” he called back through the now relative silence of the locker room. The door to my office hung open and I heard the buzzing of the water in the showers hitting the tiles.
Finally, around ten minutes after Geno left, my paper work was all finished up and I’d even gotten a little ahead on next game. I wasn’t planning on working on my birthday. It was one day a year that I took a little vacation and did, for the most part, nothing at all. I looked up and jumped as I saw Max, Marc and Jordan standing in silence in my doorway.
“Hey, guys.” I said lightly as they laughed a little at my jumpyness, “Whatcha need?”
“Nothing. We just wanted to see our little sissyyy.” Max joked, walking into my office. He sat down in the chair Geno had been in and Jordan plopped down on his lap. I laughed in unison with Marc and he came around the desk and looked over Max and Jordan for a minute.
“You know, if someone saw how you two act together they might think some….. Things.” I joked, raising an eyebrow as I thought about whether or not to take a picture of them. Max gave me a wily smile as Jordan wrapped his arms around him.
“I may be a man whore with women, but Jordan’s the only man for me.” Max answered. I laughed as Jordan scrambled to get out of his lap and he stood, frightened, behind me.
“I’m scareddd. Hold me?” he asked, slyly glancing down at me.
“Jordy, now we’ve been over this. I love you but not that much.” I told him, patting his face. It fell and he gave me the puppy eyes but I shook my head no.
“Wow, Golden Boy’s really had an adverse effect on you. You can resist Jordan Staal. He must have you wrapped around his finger.” Max said, rolling his eyes. I subconsciously ran my fingers over the necklace I hadn’t taken off since Christmas. Sidney’s necklace.
“I still think I have a chance!” Jordan said, voice deep and heroic. I laughed as he kissed my cheek and dashed away childishly, hiding behind Marc.
“Five months ago, maybe. But not now. Give it up, Jordan.” Marc said through his accent, glancing over his shoulder. Jordan gave him a glare and folded his arms.
“Kill joy.” Jordan said, frowning angrily at Marc.
“Speaking of Sidney. He told me to take you home. He won’t get out of here until really late….” Marc trailed off as I raised an eyebrow. We’d gone through this a million times before too. “But you’re not going to let me, are you?”
“Nope.” I answered, shaking my head. Marc smiled, glancing at Max and Jordan. They all got up and converged on me. I raised an eyebrow in confusion as they reached for me. And then I was in the air, Max and Marc carrying me out of the office with Jordan trailing behind him. “Seriously?” I asked, laughing.
“No. Not really. We just like touching you.” Max joked, putting me down. I ruffled his hair as Jordan handed me my things. “You need to get out of that office. You’re gonna go crazy.”
“You guys are the ones that are completely out of your minds.” I told them. They nodded in acceptance.
“We know, but you love us.” Jordan pointed out.
“Do I?” I asked sarcastically, looking away towards the ceiling. When I looked back at them, they all made the puppy face and I couldn’t help it. “Yeah I do.”
“We love you too!” Jordan said, jumping on me. I tumbled backwards onto the floor and we lay there, laughing hysterically before Max and Marc helped us up.
“Jordy, you have to realize that I’m not as strong as you think. I can’t hold you up when you run at me like that.” I said, dusting myself off. He chuckled to himself.
“Ahh, that’s alright. You can be weak. We’ll still love you.” Jordan told me, winking in my direction. I laughed as Max nudged him angrily and they hugged and made nice.
“Oh wow.” I said under my breath as they walked me to the lounge outside of where Sidney was at the post-game press interview.
“Well, we’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Marc said as I sat my bag down in a chair outside the doors to the other room.
“Yepp.” I answered, turning around to face them. They were all smiles as they came, one by one for their hugs.
“Goodnight, bijou.” Max said, kissing both my cheeks before giving me a hug.
“Night, Maxy.” I answered as Marc stepped up next.
“Tell Sid I tried?” Marc asked, squeezing me close.
“Definitely.” I replied, letting go of him as he kissed my cheek. He backed up and Jordan ran at me again, stopping short and hugging me lightly.
“Byeeeeee honeyy!” Jordan said with a gay accent. I giggled a little as he backed away and they waved over their shoulders, walking out through the doors that lead to the lobby.
I fell back into the comfy lounge chair that had become my friend for so many post-game interviews and closed my eyes, opening them only once a few minutes later to check the time. It was 10:18. I sighed and closed my eyes again, curling up in the chair with my hoodie; well Sidney’s hoodie. And I must’ve passed out for a while because I woke up a little while later to the soothing sounds of a familiar voice.
“Sweetheart, wake up. Come on babe, time to go.” Sidney’s voice broke through the dark haze of sleep and I opened my eyes slowly to find his beautiful chocolate eyes looking me over. They caught mine and he smiled crookedly, gaining a smile in return.
“Mmm… sorry…. I guess I fell asleep…” I whispered, rubbing my eyes tiredly. He chuckled to himself.
“I thought I told Marc to take you home.” he said, raising an eyebrow in a wily manner. I glanced over and his gaze softened.
“He tried.” I told him.
“And failed, I see.” Sid said, standing up and pulling me with him. His fingers laced with mine as I picked up my bag. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me, smiling down gently. “But I’m glad you waited up.”
“You always are.” I said all knowingly, meeting his gentle gaze. He laid a soft kiss on my lips before backing away a little bit and glancing around in false paranoia.
“Did anyone see that?” he asked, smile turning up in the corners of his mouth. I raised an eyebrow as we started to walk out.
“A little jumpy aren’t we, Sid?” I returned his questioning, pushing open the door to the lobby lightly. He nodded and looked around.
“Big brother’s watching. Always watching.” He said uneasily, winking over at me.
“OH MY GOD! THOSE LITTLE BASTARDS!” I hissed sarcastically, “Stupid brothers.”
He couldn’t contain his laughter and he broke down, voice echoing through the now somewhat empty lobby. A few reporters were left from the press conference but they left us alone for the most part, only a couple brave souls approaching us. Even then, they just had some compliments for Sidney on his performance and they left us be. Five months ago this would’ve been a media frenzy, catching us walking out of the Mellon together after a game. Catching us going anywhere caused an uproar. And hand in hand? Please. The media had had a field day when our dating finally came out to the world. But since then, everyone had settled and save for the occasional picture or question in an interview about our relationship, most had just accepted us. I’d been scrutinized for a while about my stateliness and effectiveness with the team but after a bit that, too, died down. Thank God.
As we left the Mellon we found a few people still lazing around outside as they cleaned up their things by the big screen, which broadcasted all of the Pens games to the thousands of fans who usually gathered on the lawn to watch. Glancing over at Sid, he smiled back at me and we headed over to where a woman stood with her husband and daughter cleaning up what looked to have been an exciting day’s party. Sidney never let go of my hand and he pulled me along beside him as he walked up behind the woman, who had her back to us the whole time as her husband took his daughter across the lawn to retrieve something that was sure to be their possession.
“Need some help?” Sid’s voice was velvet and it cut through the air smoothly, causing the woman’s back to straighten immediately. She stood still for a minute before turning around, eyes almost falling out of her head.
“SIDNEY CROSBY?!? Oh my word! Paul! Madeline! Come here!” she called over excitedly, taking Sidney’s offered hand and shaking it easily, as though she thought she would break him. I smiled as she offered her hand to me and I took it without a second thought, smiling at her. She was still in shock. Her husband and daughter returned, who I now knew to be Paul and Madeline. I wasn’t paying too close attention to Paul as he shook Sid’s hand, but I picked up keenly on the pale, sickly and fragile looking Madeline who stared up at Sidney as if she’d just realized a life long dream. Her eyes sparkled through what seemed to be a constant felt pain that filled the deep running creases in her face. I offered her my hand and she blindly took it, only glancing over to see me once before her eyes returned to Sidney. But only for another moment. They found mine and she smiled.
“I’ve seen you on tv. You’re the Assistant Goaltending Coach. Bernadette….?” she questioned, voice full of what seemed to be limitless intelligence. I smiled at her and nodded. She couldn’t have been more than 9 or 10 but already she seemed to possess a very extensive vocabulary and knowledge that I could clearly see in her eyes.
“Bernie’s fine.” I told her easily, gaining a smile. She nodded as Sidney belt down to shake her hand. She had to have been at least half his height and she was a tiny little thing. I could’ve touched my fingers together if I had my hands around her waist.
“Hi, Madeline.” Sidney said easily, gaining an admiring stare from Madeline.
“Maddie.” She answered firmly with confidence that Sidney himself even seemed a little surprised by.
“Maddie.” he repeated. She smiled and nodded her head in achievement as Paul shook my hand.
“How’d the game look from out here tonight?” I asked as Paul shook my hand vigorously before letting go so his wife could do the same.
“Spectacular.” Paul answered, “How’d it look from where you were, Jess?” he asked, turning to his wife. She smiled and gave a thumbs up.
“I didn’t see much of the game. Too busy looking at Monsieur Fleury.” She whispered to me, louder than she probably should’ve. Winking while her husband rolled his eyes she laughed with me and Sid.
“Marc? He’s not that special.” Sid said, rolling his eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him and poke him in the chest challengingly.
“I beg to differ, Sidney.” I said slyly. He smiled at me and the family stopped for a minute, waiting. “He’s pretty beastly.”
“Ohhh yeahhh. Him and his truck and goalie stick. Soooo special.” Sid said, rolling his eyes. Paul nodded his head and laughed with Sid as I looked over at Jess. She was laughing too. I stuck my tongue out at Sidney and wrinkled my nose.
“You’re just mad cause you’re not good enough to be like a goalie, Sid!” I spat sarcastically. He smiled and turned to me, raising an eyebrow. I knew then that I was in trouble. The wily look on his face gave him away. He didn’t care that we were with people. He was going to go and be the sickeningly sweet gentleman he always was and he was going to make me feel weak in the knees for the millionth time in five months.
“No I’m not. Because obviously I’m good enough to get with a goalie.” he answered smoothly, kissing me quickly. I smiled and admitted defeat to the sounds of Jess and Paul ‘awehh’ ing in unison with their daughter’s disgusted ‘ewwwwh’.
“You two really are something else, you know.” Paul said, laughing. “I always thought it was just the way everyone made you seem but you’re both characters.”
“We try.” Sid and I answered in unison. The laughter slowed and the comfort of the relaxing jokes filled the air and relieved it of tension.
“So,” Sid started, looking around at the mass of stuff that was laying around the area where we stood, “Do you need any help?”
“You were serious?” Jess asked, a little shocked. Sid nodded.
“Why not? Where’ve I got to be?” he asked easily. She smiled as Paul took Madeline, who had suddenly began coughing, away to their car to get what seemed to be some medication.
“Thank you so much, Sidney. You as well, Bernie.” Jess said through her slurring Canadian accent.
“You’re welcome.” I answered as we helped her clean some of the things up off the ground. I could hear Madeline coughing still from a few yards away and I looked over concernedly, gaining the attention of Jess and Sidney.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, looking over at Jess. Her eyes fell and she sighed a heavy sigh, making my heart fall through my chest.
“She has lung cancer and a bad heart. Severe nerve damage and some nutrient storing problems…” Jess answered quietly. I stopped what I was doing for a second and I felt a twinge of pain in my heart. She was so young. Too young for all that.
“Is she.. Gonna live?” Sidney asked, obviously feeling the same as I was. We helped Jess put the rest of her things away and she stopped, wiping away a tear.
“Her chances are slim. She just had a heart transplant a few months ago but her body’s rejecting the new heart. And the cancer in her lungs is seemingly inoperable…. We’re still praying for the best.” she answered, trying to retain her composure. I watched Sidney wipe his eyes as he patted her on the back.
“If there’s anything I can do….” he trailed off, leaving the end up for interpretation. She understood, though, and a faint smile crossed her face.
“Just play hockey.” she answered easily. Sidney looked at me and then back to her in confusion and she laughed a little under her breath before continuing. “All she ever wants to do is watch you play hockey. That’s all she did in the hospital before surgery. That’s all she ever does. It’s her life. It keeps her strong, keeps her from losing hope in the world. If she was strong enough she’d probably play. But with our bills and things we can’t afford skating lessons or tickets to games so we come here every game day and watch you play hockey. Just keep playing and she’ll be happy.” Jess finished, smiling at us now. Paul returned and shot Jess a concerned look as he glanced towards their car where Madeline was now laying in the back seat.
I shot Sidney a glance and his eyes seemed to confirm what I was thinking. Smiling at him I kissed his cheek and dashed away towards my car, leaving Jess and Paul in confusion. I opened the door and pulled open my glove box, sliding out three season tickets that I’d had from before I’d joined the Pens team. They were the best seats I could get and they were center ice off the glass. Shutting the door, I ran back to them. Paul and Jess stood, still confused with Sidney, who was now beaming. He took a ticket and wrote something down on it before handing it to Paul.
“These are for you.” he said easily. Jess glanced over and she shook her head.
“You don’t have to do this…” she started, “We didn’t do anything to deserve it.”
“You didn’t have to.” I answered. They both nearly tackled us and after a round of goodbyes and never ending thank you’s they headed off to where Madeline lay, still coughing profusely. I turned to Sidney when they’d gone and I met his worried eyes with ones of sadness. We turned and left the parking lot in silence, making the decision to go to the Lemieux’s tonight. We hadn’t stayed the night together since before I’d left for Pirates training camp and Sidney had been begging me to stay over for weeks. Mario and Nathalie had given us the okay on it since the kids loved us and Sidney had his own part of the house.
We made it to the Lemieux’s house in no time flat in Sidney’s Range Rover. He parked and we sat in the car together for a moment, thoughtful. I got out first and Sidney followed me, taking my hand as we walked into the house quietly. It was almost eleven and we knew that Lauren, Stephanie, Austin and Alexa would all be in bed. Sidney pushed the door closed behind him quietly sliding off his shoes as I did the same.
“Hi kids.” Nat whispered, walking over to us and giving us each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, Nat.” Sidney said, voice deep with thoughts.
“We wondered when you two would be home. Sorry for the late interview, Sidney.” Mario apologized, shooting a glance at Sid. He nodded and smiled understandingly.
“It’s alright. It happens.” Sid answered, yawning uncontrollably. Nat laughed.
“Sounds like they really tired you out.” Nat commented happily, turning away and walking towards the other room, “Get some sleep, Sidney. Goodnight.” she called over her shoulder, disappearing into their bedroom.
“I’ll see you guys later. Don’t forget your interview tomorrow, Sid. Night.” Mario said, offering me a hug and a friendly pat on the head for Sid as he walked away, following Nat. As soon as they were in their room, Sidney pulled me towards his end of the house, pushing open the door that lead to it easily. I walked in and took in the strong scent of his part of the house. It was intoxicating.
I heard Sidney shut the door as I fell down on his couch, suddenly feeling the tiredness of the day. Sidney sat down beside me and wrapped his arm around me, pulling me into his chest. I listened to his heartbeat for a minute and I could hear Jess’s voice in my head. ‘She’s rejecting the new heart…’ and suddenly I felt a tear fall down my face.
A few more fell before Sidney noticed and he wiped them away, kissing my head soothingly. “What’s wrong with you, Honey?” he asked, voice full of sleepy concern.
“Why do horrible things happen to the greatest people?” I asked, taking a breath and attempting to steady my voice.
“I don’t know.” he answered after a moment of consideration. “But I do know that great things happen to great people, too.” I was silent for a minute and he continued, “Look at me, for example. I didn’t plan on coming to the NHL, I didn’t plan on being one of the best, I didn’t plan on living with Mario Lemieux, and I certainly didn’t plan on this.”
“This…?” I asked, glancing up at him. His eyes saw through to my soul and he kissed away one last tear that fell down my cheek.
“I didn’t expect to have you here with me. Great things happen to great people.” he said, smiling at me. I laughed a little and kissed his nose.
“I love you, Sidney.” I told him, laying my head down on his chest again. He chuckled a little and pulled me in tighter to him.
“I love you too, Bernadette.” he said, accent in his words. A smiled crept onto my lips and I sat with him in silence for a while until he yawned and forced a contagious yawn on me.
“Ready for bed?” I asked through another yawn. He nodded and stood up, heading for his bedroom. I went into the bathroom and dug through my bag. I didn’t just use it for work anymore. I’d learned to pack extra clothes. I never knew what was going to happen with this team. Searching around for a minute, I finally slid into the pajamas that Kris had bought me for Christmas.
A few minutes later after brushing my teeth and hair and removing all my makeup, I came out of the bathroom to find Sidney half asleep on the couch in his shorts. My eyes traced over him easily. No matter how many times I’d seen him in his shorts with no shirt it was still a pleasant sight to behold. I tiptoed over to him and ran my fingers gently over his chest, causing his eyes to open halfway.
He was still in a sleepy haze as his hands took mine but he woke up a little as his eyes opened the whole way, taking in the sight of my pajamas for the first time. He’d seen them when he’d gotten back from Canada after his trip in December but he’d never seen me in them. He’d honestly never had time. I’d been busy with baseball and helping Gilles and he’d been on road trips. And even when we had some time together we’d never slept over at each other’s house before. It was a night of firsts it seemed. He smiled as his eyes finished their once over and he pulled me down into his lap. I fell sideways and his left arm held me up so he could look at me.
“You look amazing, baby girl.” he commented, burying his face in my neck childishly. I smiled as he kissed my shoulder lightly before backing up and looking at me.
“You’re not half bad yourself, Crosby.” I said, winking at him. He laughed and kissed me once.
“You’re definitely sexier than I am.” he replied as I laid my head down on him.
“Not according to every girl in Pittsburgh.” I told him.
“Well I think you’re the sexiest of them all.” he answered firmly, suddenly picking me up in his arms. I fidgeted a little as he carried me off towards his room but he just laughed. “I’m not going to drop you.”
“You better not.” I said sarcastically as he sat me down on the bed. He turned and looked down at me, inches away from my face.
“Would I lie to you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow tantalizingly. I shook my head no and he smiled, satisfied at his small victory. Walking around the bed, he fell down beside me. I crawled under the sheets slowly and immediately felt Sidney’s arm snake it’s way over my waist, fingertips tracing an invisible pattern on my stomach. I cuddled up into his chest and he accepted me warmly, holding me close to him.
Just as I was fading to sleep Sidney’s voice brought me back. “Goodnight, Mon Sherrie.” And I tried to answer him but I was already gone. Fast asleep.
><><><><>The Next Morning><><><><
“Bernadette, Réveillez-vous, ma fille douce.” Sidney’s voice broke through my head like music and my eyes fluttered open halfway, still dazed, to find him smiling at me. “Bonne fete. Bonne fete. Bonne fete mon chéri. Bonne fete.” He sung quietly, kissing me between every phrase. And as much as I enjoyed the feeling of his lips on mine it was doing nothing to wake me up any more. I opened my eyes the whole way and took in the tiredness of his shimmering brown eyes.
“You woke me up to sing me happy birthday…..?” I asked, smiling faintly through sleep. He nodded and kissed me one more time.
“I wanted to be the first.” he answered. I closed my eyes and sighed.
“And you couldn’t have waited until I woke up later…?” I continued, feeling Sidney’s hand on mine. He intertwined our fingers slowly and I could almost hear the crooked smile on his face.
“I couldn’t have done that. You weren’t born at twelve. You were born at eight oh seven A.M. and that’s when I sang to you.” he whispered gently. It wasn’t until that minute that I realized the irony of that number. 8:07. So close to Sid‘s it wasn‘t even funny. “But you can sleep now, chéri. I love you.” and his voice faded away to soft snores beside me as I, too, went back to sleep.
A few hours later I woke up to silence and an empty bed beside me. I laid there for a minute and glanced around, listening for any movement. Finally, I slid out of bed and tiredly rubbed my eyes, waking up a little more. I got up and left the bedroom, walking into the living room quietly. Again I found silence and nothingness. Sighing I walked over to the kitchen to find a post it note stuck to the wall.
‘Bonjour, Sherrie! I hope you got some good sleep. Your present’s at the end of this trail.’ I stopped reading for a minute, laughing to myself. A wild goose chase? Wow. Fun. And then I kept reading, ‘Nat’s got the next post it. Good luck trying to get it from her. (; I love you sweetheart. See you tonight. -Sid’
“Tonight?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. All I’d wanted today was just to spend time with him. I’d missed him so much when I was in Florida and now he was sending me on a post-it note hunt. Wonderful. I sat quietly with a cup of coffee that he’d left for me before getting a shower and throwing on a white spaghetti strap tank top that had some black paint splatters on it and acid wash jeans.
I headed out the door from Sidney’s part of the house and immediately I was tackled by three very excitable young children. Steph, Austin and Alexa got off me after a minute of killing me to death with a hug and Lauren came forward to give me a lighter hug.
“Happy birthday, Bernie!” They said in unison.
“Thanks guys.” I answered, smiling with them.
“Go get it, Austin!” Lauren said, urging him on. He turned and ran back down the hall as I was left with three very happy looking girls.
“It’s nice to see you back again.” Steph commented happily.
“It’s nice to be back. I missed Pittsburgh.” I said, smiling at her. Alexa wrinkled her nose and I knew then that something sarcastic was going to come out of her mouth. For a twelve year old, she sure knew exactly how to get a laugh out of you.
“Don’t give us that crap! You missed Siddy!” she said, earning a hearty laugh from Steph, Lauren and I.
“I did miss Sidney. I missed him a lot.” I started, getting a puppy dog face out of Austin, who was coming back down the hall with a box. I laughed a little bit, “Don’t worry, Austin. I missed you too. But shhh. Don’t tell Sid.” I told him, winking in his direction. His face turned a little pink but I took no mind to it. He handed me the box but as I was about to open it he stopped me.
“No no! You can’t open it yet. You have to wait until you get the note from mom!” Alexa said, taking my hand and pulling me with her down the hall. I raised an eyebrow. Another instruction, perhaps?
“Mom! Bernie’s up!” Steph yelled through the house, which for the most part seemed to be empty. I heard movement in the kitchen and Alexa held the box as Austin and Lauren led me to Nathalie.
“Joyeux Anniversaire!” Nat said excitedly, hugging me tightly.
“Thanks, Nat.” I said as she released me, “So, crazy post-it note hunt, huh? How many people are in on this little charade?”
“Ohh you’ll see.” she answered in a wily voice, turning and taking something off the counter. “Here you go.”
I took the note and read it silently to myself as Nat looked on, talking to Lauren and Stephanie about something unknown to me. I wasn’t really listening though, I was busy trying to decipher the chicken scratch on the paper. It wasn’t Sidney’s. ‘Alright, honey. Time for the next part. Don’t open the box, just bring it to your house. Thanks- Jordy Staal’ I rolled my eyes. Jordan was in on this too. Who was next?
“Greaaat. Looks like I’m leaving to my house.” I told Nat, rolling my eyes. She handed me a plate and smiled.
“Not before breakfast your not.” she told me firmly. I returned her warm smile and sat down beside Lauren at the table. She slid something to me on the table and as she moved her hands I saw a small box. She and I had made close friends since I’d been dating Sidney and we frequented the mall and other places together. I attended all her various games, as well as the other kids’ hockey games, and we’d been best friends for a while now.
“What’s all this then?” I asked, running my fingertips over the box’s bow. I saw Austin’s face contort in shock.
“LAUREN! YOU SAID WE WEREN’T GONNA BUY HER ANYTHING!!” he shouted, a little angry now.
“That was mean, sis.” Steph said, rolling her eyes and looking away from a smiling Lauren.
“I had to. Come on now, it’s her 21st birthday. You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t get her anything, Austin.” Lauren defended, glancing over at me, “Well. Open it!” she urged.
Taking the box in my hands I slid off the top and stopped short. What lay inside was a silver bracelet. It was etched with something I couldn’t see in the glare of the light so I picked it up gently and looked it over. Finally, as I shifted it in my fingers I caught a glimpse of numbers. 11-10-66-18-87. Lauren, Stephanie, Austin, Alexa and Sidney’s numbers were etched skillfully into the side of the bracelet. On the other side there was a place that said ‘We love you! You’re always going to be one of us!! -The Lemieux’s’ I smiled and looked over at Lauren, who was already returning my happiness. I hugged her and she laughed with me for a minute.
“Thanks, Lauren. This is…. Really something special.” I told her, sliding the bracelet onto my wrist.
“You’re welcome.” she answered, “Happy birthday!”
“And we’re serious when we say you’re part of the family. You’re always welcome here.” Nat added, almost bringing a tear to my eye with her sincerity. Alexa and Stephanie dashed away from the table as we began to eat but I paid them no real mind, focusing on trying to figure out what the next step in my little post-it hunt would be. They returned in a few minutes and handing me a small box. I raised an eyebrow as Austin ran away to his room to get something and I pulled the box open slowly.
What lay inside was a framed picture, which looked to be painted or drawn, of Sidney, myself and the Lemieux’s when we’d been in Montreal for the All-star game. It was skillfully done, and rightfully so. Alexa had always been the artist and I knew that Stephanie had assisted her with the framework. It was etched and made to be extraordinarily beautiful.
“Aweehh. This is amazing! Thank you both!” I said as they both converged on me for a hug.
“You’re very,” Stephanie started.
“Welcome!” Alexa finished easily. I smiled as they sat down and we enjoyed some more of our breakfast. We were almost done when Austin burst out of his room with something behind his back. He stopped a few inches away from me, smiling a devious smile that reminded me of Sidney in a way.
“Now this is from my Dad and I…” he started, suddenly interrupted by Stephanie.
“No fair! You got help from Dad!” she objected, folding her arms. I patted her back and she relaxed a little, waiting, as I was, for Austin to finish.
“And we weren’t exactly sure what you’d like but we tried really hard.” he finished, handing me a bag with some rainbow colored tissue paper sticking out the top. I pulled it out gently and took out an envelope. It was written in Mario’s hand. I raised an eyebrow as I read it.
‘Sorry I can’t be there to see you open this. I had to take Sidney…… well you’ll see. I really hope you like this. Austin and I have been working on this for months. Enjoy your birthday. I’ll see you later. Love, Mario’
Sitting the note down I pulled out the present. My eyes must’ve lit up because Austin smiled and glanced around in a victorious manner, taking in the looks on his sister’s faces. What I held in my hands was a hand drawn picture signed on one side by Arukawa, the artist of one of my favorite anime shows, Full Metal Alchemist. It was attached to a small letter that read ‘Have a great one. Enjoy the show. Love your life. It’ll turn out great. Arukawa-sensei’ I sat it down and almost killed Austin. I hugged him tightly and kissed him on the cheek, causing the family to awe and him to turn red.
“It’s great! I love it! Thank you!” I said happily, kissing him one more time. He backed up and nodded, now a little embarrassed. We finished up breakfast quietly and I helped Nat clean up before I slid on my shoes after a round of goodbyes, heading out to my car. I was a little confused as to how it had gotten there, since I’d left with Sidney last night, but I didn’t really think about it too much. I put the Lemieux’s presents in the passenger’s side of my Lambo and turned over the engine, pulling out of the driveway and heading for my house. It wasn’t a far drive, only around ten minutes and I pulled in next to Jordan’s car.
I got out of my Lambo and locked it up, walking up the drive and to the door. It was pulled open and Jordan jumped out the door, landing on me full force. I smiled as he hugged me and kissed my cheek.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HONEY!” he screamed, picking me up and hugging me tighter.
“Thanks….. Jordy.” I said between breaths as he put me down. He pulled me into my house and I saw a happy looking Max and Orpik sitting on my couch. Gonch walked in from the kitchen with a box and I rolled my eyes. “Great. More presents.”
“Oh, you didn’t think we’d let you get away from presents on your birthday, did you, bijou?” Max asked, walking over to me and kissing each of my cheeks. “Bonne fete!”
“I think just seeing us is enough for her.” Brooks joked, standing up to greet me. Gonch laughed.
“Well you’ll enjoy this more than us, I think.” Sergei told me, handing me the box. I heard Max and Jordan’s feet shuffle into the other room as Brooks offered me a seat next to him. I took it and looked at the small odd shaped box. I opened it and smiled. What lay inside was a limited edition Castlevania game that had just come out.
“You guys are awesome.” I said, looking back and forth between the both of them, giving them each a hug.
“We know.” Brooks said triumphantly, hugging me. Gonch gave me a hug and ruffled my hair a little.
“It’s not hard for us to be awesome.” he told me, smiling.
“Very true.” I answered thoughtfully as Max and Jordan came in, hands behind their backs.
“Close your eyes, missy!” Jordan told me, smiling wide. I did so but I peaked a little so Brooks covered my eyes for me.
“Alright, you can look now.” Max instructed. I felt Brooks’ hands move and I opened my eyes to find the boys holding six roses each. The bent down to me and each kissed one of my cheeks, handing me the roses as they backed away. I couldn’t help but smile and laugh a little.
“You guys are great.” I said through happiness. I got up and went into the kitchen, putting the roses in a vase that had already been sat out. Immediately a large pink post-it caught my attention and I pulled it off the counter, recognizing Marc’s handwriting.
‘Hey! Happy birthday. You’re finally twenty one. That’s awesome. Come over to my house after you finish up with Max, Jordy, Sarge and Brooks. -Marc Andre’ Taking the note into the living room with me, I found the boys fighting over the remote.
“So I take it you guys pretty much made yourselves at home?” I asked rhetorically, taking the remote from Jordan and Brooks’ hands. They all nodded childishly as I turned on the tv and flipped it to FSN.
“Yepp!” Jordan said, folding his arms and sinking back into the couch.
“Well, don’t make a mess then. I have to go see Marc.” I told them, glancing down at the note one more time. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“Mkayy.” Sergei said, offering me a thumbs up. I kissed each of their cheeks and left to the sounds of their childish fighting again. Since we’d all become close, my house was their house and I often left them there. It wasn’t like I couldn’t trust them. I turned out of my driveway and walked up the street. Marc only lived a few houses up the road and it was an easy walk to his house.
I finally found time enough to think about today. 21 years. I’d been alive for 21 years. It didn’t seem so long but looking back on everything that I’d done in my life it seemed that long. But where had those years between college and now gone? It seemed like a blur. Nothing at all. And my memories from childhood flooded back and faded into college and all the hockey games and then I found myself meeting Sidney and then came the flurry of memories that had been made in the last five months. Wonderful, amazing memories.
I turned into Marc’s driveway and immediately the door opened and he, Chris, Petr, Pascal and Scudsy poured out and jump tackled me.
“Happy birthday!!!” They screamed in unison. I laughed with them as they each gave me a hug. It was curious, then, as they all moved and Marc handed me a post it note. I didn’t read it. I didn’t have time. Petr and Scudsy dragged me down the drive and into the house. As I entered a wall of cold air hit me in the face and I heard the familiar sounds of one of my favorite movies. ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ was playing on Marc’s tv and it was only in the menu stage.
“You guys are watching and you didn’t invite me?!” I asked, laughing as Marc pushed me towards the couch.
“Actually we did. We waited until you got here to watch it.” Chris said, smiling at me. I hugged him and he picked me up off the floor, sitting me down on the couch. Petr took the spot to my right and Marc fell down to my left with Pascal and Chris on either side of them and Scudsy fell to the floor in front of Petr. I leaned over on Marc and he laughed.
“Tired already?” he asked through his famous accent. I nodded into his chest.
“So far today I’ve had to deal with Brooks, Gonch, Jordy, Max, Lauren, Steph, Austin, Alexa, Nat and now you guys. I’m going to be exhausted by the end of the night.” I said as Petr hit the play button on the movie.
“Oh I wouldn’t doubt that too much.” Chris said through a half laugh. Pascal and Petr laughed in unison and I retch across Marc and smacked Chris in the back of the head.
“OooooO touchy. How was your night last night?” he asked, smiling a wily smile at me.
“Wow. Don’t you men communicate at all?” I asked sarcastically, winking at him. All of them stopped what they were doing and shot me a surprised glace. I shook my head no and they all relaxed. If they seriously thought I was going to tell them about my sex life with Sid, or rather lack there of, they were mistaken. It wasn’t like we both hadn’t thought about it but making time with both our schedules was a task for a super hero. And quite frankly Sidney and I were no super heroes.
We sat in silence for the duration of the movie and I found that Marc was quite comfortable as a pillow. I fell asleep for a few minutes but I woke up when I heard Clarice screaming in the movie. I jumped and Marc got a short laugh out of it. Pascal made popcorn halfway through and we munched as we watched. Petr and Chris got a decent laugh out of Marc hiding his eyes from the sight of the man who dressed…. Well like a woman hooker of some sort.
About an hour later I fell asleep again and towards the very end of the movie Marc woke me up gently.
“Bernadette. Wake up, mademoiselle.” Marc said quietly. My eyes fluttered open to find Petr, Pascal, Scudsy and Chris each holding a box. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and yawned a little, waking up.
“More presents?” I questioned rhetorically. They smiled and nodded as Chris handed me his present. I looked it over for a minute with a raised eyebrow before opening it to find a hardback copy of ‘Angels & Demons’ inside. He smiled as I gave him a large hug before taking my seat next to Marc again. Scudsy handed me his present next and I opened it without commentary. Inside the box, which was wrapped in silver paper, sat a tshirt, folded upside down to prevent me from seeing the front. I picked it up and immediately saw a shirt I’d never laid eyes on before. It was white with a black skull on either sleeve and a very intricate and ghetto Penguins logo. I smiled up at him and he hugged me happily.
“You’re awesome, Scudsy!” I said excitedly, sitting the box down next to Chris’.
“Oh yeah. I know.” he said, nodded and looking around to everyone else. They all rolled their eyes as Petr handed me his box. It was small but sort of heavy and I opened it to find a studded belt. The studs in it were vegas gold and black and they were arranged in a way that had black letters in the gold background. It read ‘Let’s Go Pens! : ]’ I laughed.
“How long did it take you to do this?” I asked, looking over the back and noticing that the studs had been moved. He smiled and held out his hands. They were covered in small nicks and cuts and I could tell that he’d hurt himself trying to do it. I stood up and hugged him tightly. “You’re a sweetie.”
“Ah…. I know.” he said, face a little pink. I ruffled his hair and sat back down, being handed Pascal’s present next. Just as I was about to open it, he stopped me.
“This might not be as amazing or sweet or awesome as their presents but its hard competing with them. They all had Marc’s help.” Pascal raised a fluffy eyebrow and I smiled.
“I’m sure it’ll be awesome…” I assured him, taking the paper off of the present. It revealed an Avenged Sevenfold album’s back. I knew the album well, I’d had it since its release a long time ago. I raised an eyebrow as I turned it over and then I saw what was special about it. The signatures of the band adorned the cover page and I felt my heart almost stop. It was almost as great as when I’d met Mario at the Mellon. I practically jumped Pascal and he held me up laughing with me.
“So I take it that you like the present?” he asked.
“Yes!!” I squealed as he let me down.
“Thank you all! I love you guys!” I thanked them all and Scudsy, Pascal, Petr and Chris converged on me to give me a hug. Marc slipped out around them and came back with a familiar post-it note.
“This is my present for now.” he said, handing it to me. I raised an eyebrow and looked it over. It was in some scratched that looked familiar. Russian.
‘Happy birthday. Come to my house when done at Marc’s. I have surprise for you. -Geno Malkin’ I smiled. Geno too, huh? This was turning into a team affair. Somehow I knew it was the whole time. It just seemed logical. None of them would’ve failed to celebrate with me. I sighed and looked up at Marc, who was smiling at me.
“I have to go see Geno.” I told him. He nodded and hugged me, kissing my cheek.
“Have fun, bijou.” he said happily. I gave him a helpless faze and smiled at him, turned and bidding everyone else goodbye. They hugged me and I left a while later, heading back to my house and putting my presents beside me in the passenger’s side.
I drove away from my house and headed down the road. It was a good twenty minute drive to his house but I got there to see a few familiar cars in the driveway. I saw Geno’s Porsche and Godsy’s Thunderbird sitting side by side and there was a space for me in between them. Oh goody. Geno and Godsy. It was my lucky day.
I got out of the car slowly and checked my watch. It was now around 4 and I wondered how long this charade could go on. I knocked on the door and it was opened by Geno’s mother, Natalia. I heard his father calling something out in Russian and she escorted me in, kissing both of my cheeks.
“Happy…… birthday?” she asked happily, kissing my cheeks again. I nodded and she smiled, happy that she gotten it right. Finally, she let me out of her grasp but it was a futile hope that I would free for long. Geno’s father, Vladamir, stepped forward and kissed my cheeks, hugging me happily. He hummed happy birthday in Russian and I smiled at him. Thanking them both they hurried off to another room and from the smell of the air they were cooking dinner. That was a relief. I was starving and it smelled so wonderful.
I took off my shoes and headed down the hallway to Geno’s room. I’d been here many times since I’d met him and I knew were everything in his house was. He was really quite the character and even thought his English wasn’t great and he avoided interviews like the plague he was an amazing person. We’d cooked together and goofed around on off days, going to movies or whatever we felt like doing. I loved watching him progress and he’d had me help him practice a few times, putting me in net and taking shots on me. Even in his basement we’d practiced. It was a great time.
I sighed as I pushed open his door. Inside the room sat Geno, Godsy, Feds, TK and Billy. None of them saw me walking in as they were too busy playing Grand Theft Auto on Geno’s xbox360. I stood there and watched as Geno beat Eric at the game and Eric fell back onto the carpet, defeated. His eyes opened and he glanced up at me.
“Hey!!” he said, jumping up and hugging me. He kissed my cheeks and sat me down, smiling at me. “Happy birthday!!”
“Thanks, Godsy.” I said as TK, Feds and Billy attacked me next. They all gave me a warm hug before backing up and allowing the next to come up to me. Finally, it was Geno’s turn and he picked me up off the ground, giving me a short kiss on the lips as a hello. If anyone else had done it I probably would’ve beaten them up but Geno was Russian and he didn’t know much better so I left him be.
“Happy birthday. You are… having good day?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me as everyone else settled in for another game of GTA.
“I’m having a great day, thanks.” I told him, earning that Evgeni Malkin smile. He pulled me over to a bean bag chair that sat beside the bed and I took a seat beside him, watching the other guys playing GTA.
“So, how’d the morning treat you?” TK asked, looking back over his shoulder as Billy and Godsy faced each other in the game.
“It’s been………. Interesting.” I told him thoughtfully. He smiled at me and laughed,
“Any time someone has to deal with visiting Jordan and Max first thing in the morning has to be interesting.” he said with a wry smile.
“Very true.” I breathed. Geno nudged me in the side and pointed to where Godsy sat, sneaking dangerous sideways glances at me. Everyday since day one when I’d met him everyone had always told me that he liked me. He’d taken to always hanging out with me when he got a chance and texting me when he was bored. And even though he’d dated people while I was with Sidney he still always gave off the air that he wanted me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Eric, but Sidney was mine and I didn’t want anyone else. Whoever would want anyone else when they had such a sweetheart was out of their mind.
“Yes, Godsy?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He looked away quickly and laid back on the floor, giving me a glance that was as innocent as a puppy dog‘s face.
“Nothingg.” he answered, smiling childishly up at me before sitting up and watching the game continue.
“He….really like you.” Geno whispered to me. I nodded.
“Yeah. I know.” Was all I could say.
Geno’s smirk grew, “Sid might not like that.” We laughed together for a few minutes as the games continued and then Billy switched them out, flipping on Rock Band. Geno took up guitar and TK had drums. Billy and Godsy alternated vocals and that left me on bass. Everyone else was on Hard while I chose to go to expert. They gave me crazy glances as I played with expertise that they probably didn’t understand. But then again, they all knew that I had played rock band avidly when I was with the Pirates.
Finally, around an hour later at five, Natalia burst into the door with a tray of food. Borsch. Yum. She handed a small bowel to me and one to Geno but the others declined it, fearing what it was.
“You guys are crazy!!” I told them, digging into the borsch immediately. I hadn’t had it since I was with Alex Ovechkin in Washington last year
“I don’t think we’re the crazy ones.” TK said, twitching as he watched Geno and I enjoying our meal; or rather it was a snack. It was just a very small bowl of borsch and I found myself as disappointed as Geno was when I finished.
“You are all very…. Uh…. Crazy.” Geno said, taking his bowl and mine out of his room.
“How can you eat that stuff! You don’t know what’s in it!” Godsy exclaimed as Billy nodded his head quickly in agreement.
“Oh my God, though. It’s amazing! I thought it was nasty the first time I saw it but Alex made me eat it and..” I was interrupted by Billy.
“Alex?” he questioned, “I didn’t know Gologoski rolled that way.”
“No no no! Ovechkin. Not Gologoski.” I corrected him. Immediately I received a heavy glare from them. They weren’t exactly huge fans of Ovie, or his team.
“Ovechkin?” Eric asked, voice menacing. I nodded slowly and he sighed, “I’m disappointed in you.”
“He’s Ovie. He’s a pretty nice guy when you’re not playing hockey against him.” I said defensively. Godsy backed down and shrunk away, nodding in agreement. He knew he wasn’t going to win that fight.
“Whatever floats your boat.” TK said incriminatingly as I heard Geno say something in Russian. It was quick and I couldn’t catch it quickly enough to understand him. But whatever he said seemed to have triggered something because immediately Godsy was behind me, covering my eyes. TK and Billy were on either side of me and Feds was singing happy birthday to me in mixed English.
A few seconds later I heard three people enter the room and I knew that one had to have been Geno. I assumed the other two were his parents until I heard their voices.
“Bernadette! Happy birthday!” Boucher’s voice was easily recognizable. I smiled as another voice continued on.
“Twenty one years. You’re so old now.” Miro said quietly.
“And we thought that….. By now you needed a…… friend.” Geno said thoughtfully, meticulously planning his every word before he spoke. I couldn’t help but feel a bit confused as Geno’s calloused hands found mine. My hands were pushed together and someone sat something fluffy down in my palms. Godsy moved and I opened my eyes.
Glancing around at all of them they smiled as I found that what I held in my hands was a kitten. It wasn’t just any kitten, though, it was a Russian blue. Expensive, rare, beautiful and intelligent. With a little polka dot ribbon wrapped around its neck, the kitten stared up at me with beautiful crystalline ice blue eyes. It was just old enough to be away from its mother and be held and I couldn’t help but awe at how cute it was. Not three seconds later it mewed at me and licked my hand, curling up in my palm.
“Awwwwwww! It’s so cutee!! I love you guys!” I said, petting the kitten gently. Geno smiled.
“We didn’t know what to do…. So…. We umm….” he trailed off, unable to find the correct English words. Luckily enough for him, Billy and TK were there to save him from embarrassment.
“We decided that we should give you something to keep you company.” TK started, smiling at me as I continued to stare down in awe at the kitten. I patted it gently as Billy kept going.
“It’s a little girl and we thought that you’d enjoy having a little friend for your trips without us. See this way you’d have a piece of the team with you all the time.” Billy finished, smile widening as the kitten stood up dizzily and walked up my arm, sitting down on my shoulder and nuzzling its face in my hair.
“I think she likes you.” Feds commented happily, watching the kitten licking my cheek. I fidgeted a little as her little tongue tickled my cheek and they all got a hearty laugh as I wrinkled my nose at the odd sensation.
“I think so too.” I answered between laughs. We all sat around enjoying the kitten’s company for a while before it fell asleep on my shoulder.
“What’re you gonna name her?” TK asked, looking over at the kitten and running a finger lightly over it’s head. I looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully before smiling and glancing over at Geno, who was waiting, as everyone else was, for me to say something.
“I think I’m gonna name her Mischa.” I said after a moment of short deliberation. Geno smiled a wide grin and patted the kittens head.
“Hallo meu frumos, Mischa.” Geno said in mixed Russian. The cat’s head perked up and she stared at him, eventually mewing and trying to talk to him. She seemed to understand.
“Mischa, eşti tu talking la spre eu?” I asked. Immediately that cat meowed and hopped off my shoulder and into my lap. “Tell pe ei.” and again she meowed. Geno and I laughed at the confusion of most everyone else.
“What? Please. English.” Eric begged. I nodded and managed to stop laughing as Miro left the room for a minute.
“Geno said hello my beautiful Mischa. And I asked her if she was talking to me. Then I told her to tell you about it.” I said, scratching the tiny cat behind its ear. Eric smiled.
“Smart little kitty.” he commented, “We better hope that cat doesn’t turn out to be as devious as all the other Russians I know or we’re screwed.” he joked.
“She’s a sweetheart. She’d never do anything like that!” I defended sarcastically as the cat settled into my lap again. Eric rolled his eyes and nodded his head jokingly as Miro returned with a blue post-it.
“I believe we were to give this to you.” he said, handing it to me. I took it from him easily, careful not to move too much as I read it.
‘You’re nearing the end now, friend. Come meet us at the Mellon. Can’t wait to tackle you! Oh, leave the kitty at home (; -Cookie Monster’
I sighed and looked down at the kitten sadly. “Well, Mischa, looks like I’m leaving you at home for now.”
“Have fun with Matt.” TK said, rolling his eyes. “Call us before you die.”
“Deal.” I answered through a laugh at the sarcastic look on his face. I got hugs from everyone including an extra long warm hug from Eric before Geno walked me out to the other room where Natalia and Vladamir sat on the couch watching tv. They were cuddled together and though I couldn’t hear what they were whispering to each other I knew that it was surely something sweet. I smiled at them as Geno got me and the kitten to the door.
“You will…. See me later then?” he asked, holding the kitten for me as I put my shoes back on. I smiled at him and nodded.
“Of course! I can’t very well stay away from you, Geno.” I told him, gaining that Russian smile. He kissed each of my cheeks and my lips once before I could leave and as I waved goodbye to his parents I could almost hear everyone in the hallway watching us.
I got into my car with Mischa in my lap and she settled in easily. I was half tempted to bring her with me but Matt had told me not to so I drove back to my house and walked up the drive quietly. I could still hear the tv so I knew that Jordan, Max, Brooks and Gonch were still there. I opened the door to find that they were there in addition to Marc, Petr, Pascal, Chris and Scudsy. They’d all made themselves comfortable in various positions in my living room and I walked in to be greeted by a round of hellos.
“Awwwweeee!! Look at the kitten!!!” Max cooed as I walked across the room to them. Everyone reached out to touch her but I stopped them.
“She’s tired so don’t start bothering her. I have to leave her here and go see Matt. Will you guys watch her for me?” I asked, giving Max and puppy face.
“Yeah, we’ll watch her.” Marc said, letting the cat walk into his palm. She took to him immediately and gladly licked any one of them that offered her their hand.
“What’s this cutie’s name?” Jordan asked, coddling the cat now. I sighed and found myself a little amazed. It was shocking how a little kitten could reduce a group of rough and tough hockey players to a bunch of soft hearted awestruck little boys in a matter of seconds.
“Her name is Mischa.” I said easily, smiling as they all gave me a sideways look.
“Mischa?” Petr asked as the kitten changed hands and Gonch took the cat into his palm. “What does that mean?”
“Small, brave, who is like God.” Gonch and I said in unison, offering each other a small smile afterwards.
“Russian. Figures.” Scudsy said, rolling his eyes. We all got a decent laugh out of it as I walked back towards the door.
“Whatever. I have to go. I’ll talk to you guys later.” I said, opening the front door and waiting until they replied before shutting it and going back down the drive. It was now around 6 and I was about ready to just stop with the witch hunt and go to sleep. I was so tired.
I disregarded it and drove to the Mellon in silence, only the sounds of Anthrax’s ’Return of the Killer A’s’ to break the monotony. I sighed as the song turned to ‘I’m the Man’ and it filled up the car with the pleasant sounds of rap metal. I reached the Mellon in a few minutes from my house and parked the car with ease next to Matt’s. Glancing around I saw Mark Eaton, Hal Gill, and Kris Letang’s cars. I found myself almost praying that this was the last leg of this craziness. I was a little tired of chasing the trail, though I knew it was all in good fun.
I smiled as I walked into the quieted arena and headed for the locker room, as a note on the front door had directed me there. I pushed open the door and saw Craig, Matt, Mark, Hal, Kris, and Mathieu all sitting around in wait. Matt looked up and as soon as he saw me he jumped over and hugged me tightly.
“Happy birthday!” he exclaimed in unison with everyone else.
I giggled a little, “Thanks.”
“Are you ready to go ice skating?” Matt asked, backing up and pulling a pair of skates seemingly out of nothing.
“Actually, that’s the last thing I’m ready for. But okay.” I agreed, earning a nice laugh from the rest of them. Kris stuck his tongue out at me.
“You’re funny. C’mon!” Kris said heroically, pointing towards the ice.
“Calm yourself down, Tanger, she has to put on her skates.” Hal told him, smiling at me. I gave him a grateful look as Craig, Mark, Mat and Matt all headed out to the ice.
“We’ll meet you out there.” Hal said as he and Kris headed out. I sighed to myself and slid on my skates, lacing them up easily and tying them up tight.
I walked out a few minutes later to find everyone doing laps in the dimmed arena. Kris pulled me on and I almost fell. He stabilized me, laughing the whole time.
“Well you’re sure not used to skating anymore, huh?” he asked, spinning me around and letting me go. I was just lucky that Matt was behind me or I would’ve fallen on my ass.
“Come on, Bernie! You’re better than this!” he said giving me a gentle push towards Craig. I laughed as he caught me. It was pretty fun not having to do anything. But as Craig skated away I began to take a lap, slowly at first but with gaining speed. Eventually I was able to catch up with them and we played a few rounds of tag and such before a race ensued.
I got so lost in the game that I didn’t notice at all when Hal came over to me after my race with Mark and Mat and tried to hand me something. Finally I took notice as he stuck the post it note to my head. I gave it a cross eyed look, earning a hearty laugh from everyone before we all erupted in hysterics as Cookie fell back on his ass trying to skate over to us.
“Wow, Matt, just wow.” I said, laughing as he got up and dusted off his pants.
“Oh shush. You couldn’t skate when you came out. I’m aloud to fall once and a while.” he defended as I tugged the post it lightly off my forehead and read it. It was written in handwriting that made me nostalgic for this morning at the Lemieux’s. Sidney’s.
‘Sweetheart, I love you! I miss you so much! That sounds dorky after just a day away but it’s how I feel. This is the last post it. Open the box.-Sid’
I stood, stunned, looking on as everyone else laughed a the comical look of shock on my face.
“All I had to do was open the box? Jessssuuussss!” I said, hugging them all hurriedly before skating off ice.
“We’ll talk to you later then! Byyeee!” Kris and Matt yelled in unison.
I took off my skates and left them in a random stall as I ran back to my car. I’d left all my presents, save for Mischa, in the car and I searched around for the quite large box I’d gotten from the kids this morning. I found it and pulled it into my lap. Opening it quickly I found a beautiful, breathtaking black dress laying under a small note. It was written in Sidney’s hand as well.
‘I lied. This is the last post it. Put this on and come back to the Lemieux’s. Mario will take you where you need to go, ma fille douce. -Sidney Patrick Crosby.’ And it was with that signature that I knew he was telling the truth. He only ever signed his whole name on notes if it was the end. No more notes. This was the last one. All I had to do was go to my second home and put on this, well, breathtaking dress, and then let Mario take me wherever it was I was suppose to be.
I smiled and quickly drove to the Lemieux’s, being greeted at the door by Nat and Mario, who left me to myself as I walked to Sidney’s part of the house and went in, heading to the bathroom immediately. My bags were still there and I found my makeup. I fixed my messy hair and put on some eyeliner and lip gloss before I began the difficult task of putting on the dress. I pulled it out of the box and looked it over. It was simple, elegant, beautiful. Sidney had amazing taste.
The neckline was low but not too low and it was about an inch above my knees. It wasn’t dangerously and uncomfortably tight but it was form fitting and showed off my curves. And the small straps made my life easy by hiding my bra. No invisa-straps needed today. I smiled as I looked myself over and adjusted everything, tugging the zipper in the back up easily and making sure that it looked good. I had to admit, this was the nicest I’d looked on my birthday for a very long time.
I sighed as I walked out of the bathroom to find Lauren, Steph, Alexa and Nat all waiting patiently by the door. They all stopped and cooed over me, making some girlish happy noises at me.
“You look beautiful!” Nat said, almost in tears. I hugged her and rubbed her back lightly.
“Awweee thanks, Nat.” I said easily. Lauren and Steph were immediately on me and hugging me too but Alexa stayed back for a minute, patient. As they broke off of me, Alexa stepped forward.
“I think you look better than Lauren did at her last dance.” She said sarcastically. I laughed at the look of happiness on her face and gave her a short hug before heading with them to the door that lead to their part of the house. We walked to the living room where Mario stood waiting. He smiled and looked me over, giving me an approving look.
“I’m so ready to go wherever it is that I need to be.” I told him as we walked out the door.
“Patience is a virtue.” he said lightly as we got into his car. I smiled over at him and relaxed into the seats. It was only then that it hit me. It was 7:30. End of the day. Tonight. I was going to get my time with Sidney. Finally. Mario’s voice distracted me as he drove me towards a part of Pittsburgh I wasn’t exactly familiar with. “So, how was your day? Did your birthday turn out to be everything you wanted it to be so far?”
“Yeah. It was amazing so far.” I answered, staring out the window into the now dimming light of the day and into the glimmering lights of Pittsburgh. It was such a beautiful place.
“What’d you get?” he asked curiously, turning down a gravel road. This was a place I’d definitely never been to before.
“I got some flowers, a great book, some clothes, an amazing picture from Steph and Alexa and you and Austin’s present and then Lauren’s bracelet.” I started, glancing down at the silver bracelet I’d been wearing since this morning. “And I got the cutest little kitten.”
“That sounds like a great day to me.” he said, glancing over at me as he turned down a winding road.
“And it’s sure to get better.” I said excitedly, smiling out the window. We made a few more turns before I saw what looked to be where we were headed. And from the sounds of Mario putting on the break I knew for sure that it was. There were a few lights around but not many and I could see that we were driving to what looked to be an empty parking lot. He stopped on gravel and I raised an eyebrow. Surely I hadn’t gotten dressed like this to be here.
“Go on. This is your present, not mine.” Mario urged, patting my arm and kissing my cheek, “Have fun.”
“Thanks, Mario.” I said, smiling as I got out of his car and he pulled away.
He stopped as I looked over to him, a bit confused, and he pointed towards where a bunch of trees sat. I could see a clearing but it wasn’t exactly too obvious from where I stood. I nodded and walked toward it, padding softly through green grass and fading daylight. A light wind blew through the trees and I took solace in it, smiling and closing my eyes for a minute. And, in my moment of peace, someone reached out and touched me. I jumped and tried to spin around to see who was behind me but strong arms kept me in place.
“Sweetheart.” Sidney’s smooth voice whispered in my ear. I relaxed into his hands and closed my eyes, lost in listening to his voice. “I missed you today.”
“I missed you too.” I said easily as he pulled me close back into him.
“I’ve been one step ahead of you all day long and I can’t tell you how hard it was to not stop and wait for you.” he said, voice sounding almost needy and pleading, though he wasn’t asking for anything, “But I had to keep going because this is for you.”
“This…?” I asked, eyes still closed. I opened them a little as Sidney came around in front of me. His lips caught mine in a soft, sweet kiss and when I opened my eyes from that I saw that he was dressed to kill in a suit that he’d only ever worn on my request with a tie that I’d bought him one year for Christmas. Black suit with small silvery grey pinstripes and a blue tie. He looked wonderful.
“I couldn’t easily let your birthday go on without a celebration. I invited the guys to help me keep you busy today while I set everything up. You deserve so much. I just wanted to give it all to you. I’d give you the world if I could.” he told me, eyes finding mine and holding my attention. I smiled to myself and gazed up at him.
“You are the sweetest thing, Sidney.” I whispered under my breath. He smiled that devious crooked smile at me and gave me another kiss.
“You haven’t even seen your present yet, ma fille douce.” he started, smile widening, “Close your eyes and hold on.”
I listened to his instructions without question and his fingers laced with mine as he pulled me slowly through what I knew was a field. It was getting darker and I could tell from the coldness of the air that it was going to be a cold night. Finally, we stopped moving and Sidney kissed my hand. “Open your eyes, birthday girl.”
And as my eyes fluttered open I saw a sight that was truly something to behold. There was a single table in the middle of the field, shrouded in a brilliant white table cloth. A single candle sat in the middle and two plates of spaghetti that were sitting in wait for us. I turned to Sidney and threw my arms around his neck. He was such a sweetheart. He didn’t have to do any of this and he knew that, but he’d done it anyway.
“Sidney Patrick Crosby, you are amazing.” I told him as he gazed down at me questioningly, wondering if this was good enough. He smiled and laid his forehead on mine, closing his eyes halfway and giving me a look that send chills up my spine.
“Mademoiselle, you are the amazing one here. Come on, ma douce, this is your birthday present. Enjoy it.” he said, voice barely above a whisper. I felt a faint smile turn up on my lips and he met my happiness with one more kiss before he pulled me away to the table. He pulled out my chair for me and I sat down easily, watching as he lit the candle that sat on the table. In the fading darkness it was the only thing keeping us visible to one another. And we ate together, as we had many a time before, in relative silence, sneaking glances at each other in the candle light once and a while. Finally, as we both finished up, I wiped my face gently with a napkin and smiled over at him.
“This is delicious.” I complimented, leaning forward on my elbows tiredly.
“I’m glad you like it,” he started, a devious smile passing over his face, “I spent three hours getting it right.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprised. Sidney was definitely not known for his cooking. He’d never cooked for me before, saying that he was more likely to burn everything in the kitchen than make something correctly. Nathalie and Mario, along with the kids, all agreed that he shouldn’t be aloud near a kitchen, let alone left with things and told to cook. But this was amazing. I couldn’t see what they meant.
“You made this?” I asked, looking down at the finished plates of spaghetti that sat between us. It had been probably the most wonderful meal I’d ever eaten, save for my grandmother’s famous cake.
“Well, not by myself,” he admitted sort of defeated, “Nat helped me with the sauce but I tried my best.”
I slid my hand under his, “You did a great job.” and that earned me a pleasant smile from him.
“Thanks, babe.” he said quietly, wrapping his hand around mine, “So was your birthday great?”
I looked up towards the sky thoughtfully, thinking back on everything I’d done today. There only seemed to be one thing missing that I could think of. My family. And I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic as I thought back to the small parties I’d had as a kid at my grandmother’s house in Calgary with my whole family gathered together. My brothers throwing fits over cake and my parents joking with my aunts and uncles. It had always been a great time. I missed that. I missed home. But Pittsburgh was my home now, so thinking back on today, it had been the best it could be.
“It was wonderful.” I answered him finally, shaking off all the old memories. I knew that he could see the memories playing in my eyes like a movie but he didn’t say anything about it.
“Did you get everything you wanted?” he continued, paying no mind to the hazy look I knew was in my eyes.
“All I really wanted was to spend time with you and I got that so yes, I got everything I wanted.” I answered, smiling at him.
“Well, care to share me for a little while?” he asked, standing and pulling me up with him.
“Do I have to?” I pleaded, eyes searching his as I gave him the puppy face. He nodded slowly and pulled me off towards what I recognized to be the parking lot from which I’d come in.
“Well you don’t have to but I’m pretty sure that they’d be happy if you did.” Sidney answered, voice quiet and tantalizing. I found myself quite confused as he kept walking, slowing down as we reached the parking lot. I felt my feet touch gravel and then I saw a group of people standing a few feet away. I couldn’t see them clearly through the dark as we were too far away but as we stepped forward I saw at least one familiar face coming forward.
“YATESY!” I squealed happily, letting go of Sidney’s hand and jumping into the waiting arms of my best friend, Tyler Yates, who I had thought was with the Pirates in New York for their game against the Mets.
“Hi baby cakes!” Tyler said excitedly, twirling me around while he hugged me. Tyler had taken me under his wing when I’d joined the Pirates and we’d been very close friends ever since. I’d enjoyed seeing him when I’d been following the Pirates but the time away to be with the Pens was hard, especially considering I was so used to being with him for so long during the season.
“What’re you doing here?” I asked as he sat me down. He smiled and kissed my cheek, hugging me again.
“I couldn’t miss your birthday! Coach gave me time off to come back and see you. I have to leave later tonight but I wanted to at least wish you a happy birthday. Texting and calling have never been my forte.” he joked, earning a bright smile from me. Tyler, while he was an avid texter, hated phone calls and refused to text or call for someone’s birthday, instead preferring to visit the person instead.
“Aweeee. Thanks yatesy.” I said easily, kissing his cheek. He smiled and blushed a little before pulling away as Sidney’s arms slipped around my waist, head resting on my shoulder.
“Still care to share me for a while?” he whispered in my ear. I smiled and blushed, looking down towards the ground as he pulled me into his chest. It earned me a girlish coo from someone standing next to Tyler.
“Wow, Sid, you’re really taking great care of her.” My dad’s thundering voice rang out.
“And I was seriously looking forward to beating him up.” Riley said, smirking from beside Dad.
“Calm yourself, Riley. Keep your hormones in check. Geez. Killing my friends.” Colby told him, ruffling his hair. My mom giggled to herself at the boys and I felt my spirits lift. My family.
I twisted around in Sidney’s arms and without pause I kissed him, not needing words to thank him. He smiled into my lips as everyone behind us awed. Sidney broke it first and I laid my head down on his chest and he hugged me warmly.
“You are the best boyfriend ever.” I said into his chest. He put his arms around my waist and chuckled under his breath.
“I don’t know about that, but I am the luckiest.” he whispered, “Come on, don’t let your family not get some love. They’re the ones that came out here for me.”
I hugged him tighter before letting go and turning around to greet my family. My brothers came forward first and lifted me up off the ground together, squeezing me half to death. I kissed them both before greeting my dad and mom, who were both exceedingly happy to see me in such high spirits.
“How long are you all in for?” I asked as our hello’s finished.
“I’m here for about an hour.” Tyler said sadly.
“We’re all in for the duration of the finals.” Mom answered as Dad nodded his head in agreement with her. I smiled and hugged them again.
“It’s going to be a great run with you guys here.” I said happily, turning around confusedly to Riley, “But Riles, aren’t you suppose to be with the Sharks?”
He sighed a heavy sigh and it was then that I knew the answer. See, during NHL season I tried to keep up with everyone’s team but it was difficult when you had two pro teams to keep up with. I usually had a hard enough time keeping up with the Pens and the Thrashers, let alone trying to keep up with teams like Montreal and San Jose. “We got knocked out by Anaheim, first round.” he said. I frowned and hugged him.
“Awwww it’s okay. I’m sorry for you Riles.” I said under my breath.
He laughed, “I’m not. Now it just means I get to chill here and watch wonder boy over there play some hockey. Not to mention make sure he’s taking care of my sissy.”
“You really don’t have to worry about it, Riley. I’m not going to do anything to hurt her.” Sidney said, casually slipping his hands into his pockets.
“I dunno about you, Crosby.” Colby joked, nudging him to one side. They laughed together for a minute and Tyler had a minute to talk to me as Sid joked around with my family.
“I have to leave, doll.” he said sadly, frowning a little.
“Aww…. I’ll miss you, Tyler! Tell the whole team I said hello. Call me later.” I told him as he hugged me tightly.
“Done and done. I’ll see you after the finals. Loooovveeee!” he joked, smiling at me. We laughed and he got into his car, shutting the door and waving goodbye.
“Bye Yatesy! Loooooovvvvvvveeeee!” I called after him, getting a visible laugh as he drove away. I was left then with my family and Sidney and it felt like a great birthday. I walked back to them and was greeted by Sidney’s hand taking my own. I watched as Colby yawned and infected the crowd, each one of us almost yawning in unison. I suddenly felt the tiredness of the day washing over me and Sidney made the suggestion that everyone wanted to hear.
“How about we call it a night and hang out tomorrow.” Sid said, glancing around at a wary bunch of jet lagged people. Everyone nodded and headed off to their cars. And as I got into Sidney’s Range Rover I had the urge to ask an obvious question.
“Are you all staying at my house then?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at them. Colby yelled over a yes before he and Riley drove away with Mom and Dad, leaving Sidney and I alone again. I smiled as his hand found my knee. He wasn’t diving or looking to get anywhere, he was safe. Innocent. Wonderful. I glanced over at him and earned myself a precious smile from his bee stung lips.
“You want to go home…?” he asked, turning over the engine. I listened to it pur like a kitten for a minute before answering.
“I still didn’t get enough time with you, honestly. It’s not very often you have time for me.” I said tiredly, looking at his reflection in my window. He knew I was right. Between interviews, games, practicing, promotions, autograph signings and doing everything else there wasn’t much time for breathing let alone free time to spend with other people for fun.
“My house then.” he said softly, pulling out of the parking lot and heading for home. It was a short ride and I found myself almost falling asleep as we took the long road to the Lemieux’s. The road twisted and turned and I tried to distract myself with reading signs and counting cars but signs were few and cars were fewer.
We made it to the Lemieux’s in a few minutes and I found myself more tired than I had been in most of my life. Sidney was out of the car and over to my door before I ever had time to think about moving. He opened the door for me and I hopped out tiredly, half falling into his arms.
“That tired?” his voice was light and joking as he pulled me towards the door that lead straight into his part of the house. Most of the time we just went through the Lemieux’s front door but tonight was different. He wanted time with me to himself so hiding from the kids was crucial.
“I’ll wake up.” I assured, pushing open the door quietly. I walked into his house and immediately felt at home, as I always did. Something about knowing that I was here just made me feel like nothing could happen to me. It was great.
“I hope so. I wanted to talk to you without having you fall asleep on me.” He joked, closing the door and taking off his shoes. “But I think maybe I’ll get out of this suit first.”
“Aweee but you look so handsome!” I fought back, giving him a pleading look. He smiled sideways at me and fell down on the couch, patting the spot next to him.
“If I have to stay dressed then so do you, missy.” he said firmly, almost demanding. I gave into his pleading glances and sat down next to him, being immediately engulfed by his arm. He pulled me close and just sat there for a few long minutes, not needing to say anything at all. And then suddenly a thought came to me but then it slipped away. Sidney seemed to know somehow and he spoke. “So, I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a while…” he trailed off. I found myself a little confused but I chose to make a joke of it.
“No I did not make out with Eric Godard, Geno Malkin didn’t kiss me and Tyler Yates didn’t slow dance with me last year at the Christmas party. Cover all the bases?” I asked sarcastically, glancing up at him. He laughed heartily and kissed my head.
“Actually I wasn’t concerned about any of that. I was wondering if you’d like to meet some people after playoff season’s over.” he started, laughter slowing, “But should I be worried about these guys taking my woman?”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, trust me. And who might these people be?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow as the sparkle in his eyes grew to devious proportions.
“My parents.” he said simply. I found myself a little surprised but not much. He’d already introduced me to one of his best friends from when he’d played in Rimouski and some of his buddies from Minnesota. And suddenly I felt a little surprised that I hadn’t met his parents already. Then again, every time they’d been in for a game I’d either been behind the scenes with Gilles or away with the Pirates.
“I’d love to meet the parents of Sid the Kid Crosby.” I told him, smiling as he rolled his eyes.
“That nickname will haunt me forever.” he complained, sinking back into the couch. I laughed at him. Such a card.
“What, got a problem with your nicknames, Siddyyy?” I taunted, earning a disgruntled sigh from him. We laughed together for a minute and I leaned up and gave him a kiss.
“I wouldn’t if I got kisses from such a beautiful woman everytime someone said them.” he joked, winking slyly in my direction. We laughed again before stopping and listening to silence for a few more minutes. “So, any worries about the ‘rents?” he asked, finally serious again.
“Not really. A little concerned that your little sister won’t like me but other than that.” I admitted feebly, a little embarrassed. I knew I shouldn’t be because Sidney always seemed to understand how I was feeling, but I couldn’t help it.
“Don’t worry, babe. She’ll love you. I know she will.” he assured me, pulling me close and letting me go. I smiled to myself and cuddled up in his chest.
“Alright, superstar. Anything else you want to talk to me about?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow as I glanced up at him.
“Hmmmmm……… nothing that can’t wait until we get out of these clothes….” he joked, winking at me. I giggled a little as he continued, “Nah. I have a whole day off tomorrow. We can talk then.”
“Seriously, or are you just getting my hopes up?” I asked, standing and taking off my heels, which had been killing me for at least an hour.
“Serious as a groin injury.” he said, crossing his heart with his right hand and putting his left hand up in scouts honor. I smiled, satisfied with his explanation as I walked into the other room.
“How’s your knee, anyway, honey?” I called from the bathroom, taking off my make up.
“It’s better. Still kinda hurts. Jordan’s brother’s got a hell of a hit on him.” he answered back. Eric’s hit on Sid had had me really worried for a while. Sid was limping for a day afterwards but with a little training from Chuck he seemed to be fine. I hoped he was. The Finals were no place to be hurting yourself indefinitely.
“Eric is pretty beastly.” I answered quietly, listening to the sounds of Sidney’s footsteps coming closer to the bathroom door. I fidgeted a bit with the zipper on my dress, disregarding the fact that he was standing right beside the doorway, only hidden by the wall.
“Yeah, I’ll give him that much.” Sidney said, admitting defeat. I listened to him chuckle to himself as I continuously tried to get the zipper down. Finally I had to admit my own personal defeat and I peaked my head around the corner, inches away from Sid’s face.
“Give me a hand here?” I asked, tugging the zipper up so that he could see it. A smiled crossed his face and he nodded as I turned around. He pulled it down to the middle of my back quickly and kissed my shoulder lightly. I felt a sudden tension in the air as his arms found their way around my hips.
“I’ll give you two if you give me a kiss.” he offered, voice rough. I smiled and turned around to him, placing the softest kiss I’d ever given on his lips. He took to me warmly and as I pulled away a pleased sigh escaped him.
“I didn’t know we were bargaining.” I said easily, eyes catching his. There was a sudden fire burning there as he came closer to me. It was surprising but somehow comforting.
“We’re not.” he answered, pressing his lips to mine again, rougher and more careless this time. I found myself a little surprised but then again not. It wasn’t like I was going to object. As he let up we were both breathless and I was backed against the wall outside the bathroom. “I want you.” he said, words holding a heaviness I’d never heard in his voice before.
“I know.” I answered as he kissed me again, violence in this kiss like no other before it. It was pleasant without being gentle and it was seriously driving me crazy. This was a side of Sidney I’d never seen outside of a hockey rink and personally I loved it. It was like some sort of wall had been lifted and there were no barriers preventing this side of him from coming out.
“I want to be with you.” He whispered through heavy breathing as he launched his own personal attack on my collarbone. I sighed in happiness as he trailed kisses up my neck, finding a place that I’d neglected to notice before. He stopped there and mulled it over, sucking and biting it for a minute before moving on. I knew he felt me tense up against him as he kept going back to it and his lips twisted in triumph as he backed away, stopping just as I started to enjoy it too much.
I found that my fingers were now intertwined in his hair and my breathing was shallow as full breaths were hard to come by. He leaned his forehead on mine and kissed me three times, pulling away quickly after each, teasing me. Finally, he’d kissed me one too many times and I pulled him forward just as he was backing away. His lips were crashed down onto mine, our bodies now fit snuggly together. As he backed away from this kiss, his fiery eyes looked into my soul, searching for answers to questions he was obviously asking himself.
“I need to be with you.” he said, stressing the heaviness of his words through the huskiness of his voice. I caught my breath but didn’t say anything to him as I shifted against the wall and brushed his groin with my leg. He took in a sharp breath and gasped in pleasure but the movement wasn’t just for his enjoyment, it was also enough that I could see just how badly he needed me. I leaned up and kissed his neck, listening quietly as his suit’s jacket fell to the floor.
As I pulled away from him he lifted me up off the floor, kissing me roughly. My dress slid up and I wrapped my legs around his mid section, trying to prevent myself from falling. His arms slid around my waist and he held me to him as he continued kissing me over and over again. Finally he pulled me away from the wall and walked carefully into his bedroom, never stopping the rough passionate kisses. As he sat me down on the bed his tongue ran over my lip and I let him in, laying back on the sheets.
We stopped for a minute to catch our breath and he pulled off his tie, discarding it to the floor. He kissed my neck again, softer this time as he found my sweet spot once more. I let him go, trying my best to control my breathing when he did something that particularly made me feel butterflies. I ran my hands over his still covered chest lightly, finally finding what I was looking for in the form of buttons that ran to the bottom of his shirt. As I started to undo them blindly I felt him smile into my neck as he kept going. He was clearly hoping that I would do that for him eventually so that he wouldn’t have to stop and personally I didn’t have a problem helping him out. I got to the bottom of his shirt and he smiled, wriggling around until it fell to the floor as he breathlessly continued to kiss my neck and shoulders.
While he was distracted I let my hands wander, searching out the small scars that covered his chest from all the things he’d done in life, hockey being one of the biggest contributors. My fingertips traced invisible patterns on his chest for a few minutes before he stopped kissing my neck and gazed down at me greedily. He backed away, hair covering his eyes and scruffy face showing in the dim light that came in from the living room. I felt him come closer to me and his breath tickled my neck as he spoke in a whisper.
“Will you be mine?” he said gently, kissing my shoulder gently. The fire had dimmed for a moment and he seemed almost unsure of himself. We’d never gone this far before. It was in that moment of clarity that I found my own personal doubts. I’d only been with one man before. Marc Staal. I was inexperienced comparative with Sidney. He practically had girls throwing themselves at him naked every single day. Not to mention that people would kill to just have him shake their hand, let alone be with them.
I felt a sudden nervousness but then a quiet calm. Sidney was mine. I’d always wanted him. I knew that I wanted to be with him now. Who was I kidding, I wanted to be with him all the time. And it was in that moment that Sidney caught my eyes, searching them for that unsure feeling that he knew I was having now. I made my decision immediately as I stared up into his chocolate brown eyes and I kissed his chest.
“Only if you’re mine.” I answered quietly. He smiled and kissed me gently, not breaking it until all the worries were gone from his mind. And then the fire returned, burning twice as hot now as it had been moments before. He kissed a trail from my neck to my shoulder and back to my lips as I fell to letting my hands roam free. After a few minutes of torment from Sidney I decided to play his game. I ran my hands down his chest, as I had been for a while, but this time I stopped at the top of his belt, running my fingertips along the waistband of his pants.
He stopped immediately and tensed, breathing becoming more heavy than it had been. I knew that I’d done nothing wrong, though, when he crushed his lips to mine and proceeded to kiss me passionately for a few long moments, the longest and most enjoyable of my life. I continued on with my teasing until finally he took off his belt and let it fall to the floor. I smiled into his lips and undid the button on his pants, pushing them down as best I could while Sid’s attack on my lips continued. He paused for a moment and I heard his pants slip off the satin sheets and onto the floor along with the heap of clothes that was now gathered there.
Left only in his shorts now he began the steady task of getting me out of my dress. Pulling me up off the bed he let his hands caress my sides, molding them to my curves. His eyes found mine and he kissed me lightly, smiling into my lips. He pulled away and leaned his forehead on mine, eyes soft and caring.
“I love you.” He whispered, voice barely audible. His hands traced up my back and found the zipper and he tugged it a little bit, not pulling it down but asking for permission. I closed my eyes halfway, staring up at him sexily and he caught my drift, pulling the zipper down as far as it would go. His fingers let go of it and the dress slid off me easily, falling to the floor. His eyes nearly fell out of his head as they traced my curves, finally visible to him for the first time since we’d started dating. For the first time ever. The only thing hiding any part of me from him now was my bra and underwear, both of which were black and sort of lacey. My trip to Aerie when I’d been in Florida had paid off. His hands ran over my curves again and sent new waves of shivers up my spine; the same ones that were surely effecting him right now too. His calloused hands reached my hips and stopped, pulling me close to him. Our bodies were barely touching but the feeling of his bare skin on mine made electricity run through me as I looked up under my bangs at him. I kissed his chest, never breaking eye contact with him before saying something. I could tell he was hanging on every word.
“I love you, Sidney.” I started, kissing him again, “But go easy on me…… second time’s a charm.”
His eyes traced me over caringly and he kissed my lips softly. “Only once…?” he asked, voice completely understanding. “I don’t see why….. You’re beautiful………… breathtaking…… sexy.” he finished, kissing my forehead gently, the fire that had been burning dimming for a minute.
“I wanted to be with the right guy……..” I said, voice growing weaker as he kissed my neck to keep himself busy. I knew he was having a hard time not taking me right there that very second. “I wanted it to be special…… so consider yourself a lucky man to see this body. Only one other before you has.” I finished, barely able to breath through the emotions he was making me feel. He backed up and his fingertips traced an imaginary pattern up and down my sides, making me shiver.
“And I hope no one else ever does…..” he trailed off from a barely audible whisper. I heard him but I couldn’t process it, too distracted by his excitement brushing my leg. I knew that he couldn’t take much more of this and quite frankly neither could I. Taking matters into my own hands I slid my arms around his neck, shooting him a lustful gaze before I kissed his collarbone, trailing a series of short kisses up his neck to his lips. As I pulled away from a long gentle kiss he pulled me back in for a rougher more passionate one. With each move he made we moved back towards the bed again, eventually making it. I laid back and he followed my every move, hands roaming over me unhindered.
Moments later he tugged at my bra with his teeth after a series of kisses trailing down my collarbone and shoulder. I lifted up and kissed him, allowing him time enough to undo the clasp. I slid it off and it fell to the floor. He took a moment and traced me over, eyes soft and glued to my body. Kissing me again his voice was more shallow.
“I need you.” he said through a husky voice, “I need you. Now.” he repeated more needy and pleading now. He roughly kissing me and ran his hands over the top of my underwear. His eyes searched mine for a minute in uncertainty, making sure that I was ready for this. He was close enough to me that his hair was meshed with mine and I nodded gently earning a kiss from him. I heard his boxers fall to the floor first and then I felt my underwear follow them. I was completely vulnerable to him now. He came closer to me and kissed my neck one more time. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“I know, Sid.” I told him, running my hands through his hair. He smiled and steadied himself on the bed, glancing up to me to make sure this is what I wanted. I closed my eyes and waited, feeling his lips brush against my sternum before he shifted and fell inside me. I felt a short wave of pain go up my back but I knew from the first time that it would fade. Sid stayed still for a few minutes, making absolutely certain that I was ready before he moved.
He found a steady pace eventually and his lips teased me, trailing patterns up my neck to my jaw line but stopping before he got to my lips. His breathing grew shallower with mine in time and I pulled him close to me, listening to the rapid pounding of his heart through his chest. He kissed me roughly, pulling away to catch his breath a few seconds in.
I was nearing the edge now and I knew he was too. I kept him close to me and silenced the noises we were both making when one of us shifted. And just when I thought it was as great as it could be Sidney moved and brushed a place inside me that I’d never seen before. I gasped and tightened my grasp on the sheets next to me, losing my breath. He stopped, obviously thinking that he’d done something wrong but I shock my head no.
“D-don’t stop, Sid……………..” I pleaded, gazing up into his eyes. He smiled under his hair and kissed my neck.
“Anything you say, baby girl.” he answered huskily, kissing me again as he found his pace once more. He continuously hit the same spot and I couldn’t seem to catch my breath between movements. My breathing quickened with timing to his. Finally, I took my revenge for him tormenting me and ran my hands up over his chest, causing him to groan in pleasure. I let my hands wander, eventually letting them run through his hair. I pulled it a little and he took in a breath, sighing it out heavily as he kept going.
“Don’t tease me……..” he begged, kissing my shoulder. I let out a pleased sigh as he bit my neck lightly, kissing it a few times. His pace quickened and I took in a breath in unison with him, mumblings of pleasure and bliss escaping both our lips. He silenced me as he continued to hit the spot inside me and sighed to himself as he broke our kiss, keeping pace.
A few minutes later he kissed my neck and ran his hands over my body, stopping them on my hips. “Ohhhh my God babe…….” His voice was shaking and full of pleasure as he quickened pace and then slowed, savoring every movement. I found myself almost over the edge and the next time he quickened his pace I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. He kissed me and I felt the shivers flying up my spine along with waves and waves of pleasure. Finally, a moment later as the feelings renewed again he made a final noise in bliss and I glanced up to see his hair sticking to his face, eyes closed in happiness. He slowed and fell down beside me, both of us still filled with waves of pleasure and intensity.
As the heat faded out of our bodies, Sidney slid back on the bed, pulling me with him. I cuddled up to him and listened as his breathing evened out. Finally, as the feeling of being able to breath normally came back I kissed his chest.
“I love you.” I said easily, feeling his arm tighten around me. I glanced up and looked into his eyes, which were staring at the ceiling thoughtfully and I watched his bee stung lips twist into a smile.
“I love you too, beautiful.” he replied, turning and shifting to look at me. Leaning his forehead on mine he kissed me once, gently now. “So, did the second time live up to the first?” he asked wryly, raising an eyebrow at me. I laughed to myself and ran my fingertips over his chest, girlishly avoiding his question for a minute. I glanced up finally and smiled to myself.
“If this was a contest you’d win.” I answered, watching his lips turn up in a smile. He kissed me again and laughed to himself, eyes thoughtful again. After a moment of watching the haze in his eyes, I raised an eyebrow curiously. “What’re you thinking about, Sid?” I whispered quietly.
“How many people are going to find out about this…..” he whispered in reply, glancing down at me as I shot him a death glare. He took my hand and laced our fingers, smiling a little. “I wasn’t going to tell anyone, baby doll. Nathalie does my laundry.”
I laughed a little to myself and kissed his nose, “It doesn’t matter if they know,” I started, watching his eyes light up. He’d been worried about it, I could tell. “And maybe, just this once, I’ll do your laundry. You’re a dead man if my brothers find out…” I finished, trailing off as he chuckled, voice resonating through his chest.
“They can kill me now. I’ve gotten everything I’ve always wanted. A wonderful girlfriend. The best night of my life with the one girl I’ve fallen for the hardest. Captaincy of a great team. I could go on forever.” he said softly, voice not coming above a whisper. I smiled and gained a smile in return before I kissed him once.
“Go on forever then. But think of it this way, if they kill you now, another night like this would never be possible.” I answered him, glancing away. He smiled and nodded a little.
“I guess you’re right.” he started before he finally caught what I’d said. He raised an eyebrow in a wily manner and kissed my lips lightly, pulling just far enough so that he could talk. “So you admit that nights like this will happen again?”
I smirked, “Only if you promise me one thing.”
“You know I’d agree to anything no matter what.” he laughed, “Not just because of what’s at steak but just because I care.”
“Promise me something, though Sidney. Humor me.” I said, looking over into his eyes softly. The look I gave him made him melt and he nodded easily, watching my every move.
“Alright, I’ll humor you. I promise…..” he started, allowing me time to fill in the blank.
“That you’ll stay in my room the next time we go away for a game. I’m sick of diverting attention trying to get to you, Sid.” I joked causing him to roll with laughter.
“Alright, done. I promise to stay with you.” he finished, kissing me lightly before yawning a little. “I thought you were gonna ask me for the moon or permission to make out with Geno or something like that.” he joked.
I rolled my eyes, “Oh honey, if I wanted that I wouldn’t be asking you.” I told him sarcastically, earning a wily look from him. He kissed me roughly, smiling into my lips and letting a hint of the earlier passion flow into me.
“Really now? You’d give me up for Malkin, eh?” he asked, raising an eyebrow deviously. I smiled and shook my head no. “I didn’t think so.”
“Love you too much for that.” I told him, yawning and getting a kiss on the nose from Sidney.
“Love you too!” he said excitedly, pushing down the sheets and pulling them up over us. The smooth feeling of the satin was a comfort on my still heated skin as Sidney pulled me into him. I cuddled up into his chest and sighed.
“Night, Sidney.” I whispered tiredly, half asleep already.
“Goodnight, ma fille douce. Happy birthday.” And with that we both faded to sleep.
><><><><The Next Day><><><>
I woke up in the warmth of Sidney’s arms the next morning and tried my best not to move around too much and wake him. He looked exhausted. And he wasn’t snoring. A tell all sign that he was more tired than he lead on. Typical Sidney. He’d run himself into the ground if there wasn’t someone around to tell him to take a nap once and a while. Luckily Nathalie and I made sure he didn’t and we were there almost everyday to ensure that he would make it to the next week. Between dealing with fans and practices, games, interviews and charities, I was honestly surprised that he had any life left in him to do everything else he did. He was always busy with something that involved hockey and if not that then kids. Always giving this one. One of these days I hoped he’d realize that he could take a break once an a while.
I sighed heavily and yawned, cuddling closer to Sidney’s bare chest and closing my eyes. He moved a little bit but didn’t wake and I smiled, knowing that I should let him sleep for as long as he needed. I knew for fact that he had a interview today but I glanced over to the clock that sat on his window sill and saw that it wasn’t for another three hours. Precious time that he could be sleeping. I silently lay in his arms, enjoying the fact that I was there. I’d really missed this when I’d been in Florida. We’d slept in the same bed almost everyday for weeks and then I’d spent two months away. It’d been hard. I’d missed him.
And as I lay there quietly and contemplated the many thoughts that had been floating through my mind in the last few weeks but gone unnoticed, Sidney stirred and his arms tightened around me. I didn’t think anything of it and I got comfortable again, not looking up at him as I continued to think.
“God you’re beautiful.” Sidney’s voice was almost foreign in the absolute stillness and calm of the bedroom. I looked up and met with his admiring gaze and a small secretive smile that turned up the corner of his lips.
“That’s what you keep telling me.” I said softly, feeling his arms pulling me closer to his chest.
“And I’m not going to stop until you believe me.” he whispered, closing his eyes as he kissed my forehead. I smiled sheepishly and kissed his chest.
“You’re going to be telling me for a long time coming.” I told him, smiling as he laughed lightly.
“Bernie, you’re so oblivious,” he started, eyes catching mine in a sleepy stare, “But I love you.”
“I love you too.” I answered him, earning a light kiss before he pulled away and yawned. “Go back to sleep, Sidney. You need it.”
“No no. I want to stay awake and…” he yawned again, “and talk to you.”
“I’m not leaving for a while, honey. You need the rest. Go back to sleep.” I told him firmly, staring into his eyes. Finally I saw him give up and he sighed, kissing my lips.
“Only if you stay here with me.” he said quietly, almost pleading.
“You drive a hard bargain, Sid, but I’ll stay with you as long as you let me.” I assured him. He smiled and pulled me close.
“You’re going to be here forever.” he whispered lovingly, holding me gently to him.
“Fine with me.” I said, listening as his breathing evened out again and soft snores filled the room. They were pleasant and I listened to them, dozing in and out of sleep for what had to have been two hours.
I woke up again and my eyes fluttered open to the still soothing sounds of Sidney sleeping. Glancing over to the clock that sat on the window sill for the second time today I saw that it was around two now. Sidney had an interview in about an hour. But looking at him now I felt a little sorry that I had to wake him. But it had to be done.
“Sidney. Sid, honey, wake up.” I whispered, shaking him a little bit. I watched as he stirred and opened his eyes. He looked so innocent and frail when he was sleeping, even if he was a strong hockey player.
“Hmmm? I’m awake.” he answered, half asleep as he rubbed his eye with one hand. A smile crossed his face and he touched noses with me giving me a long soft kiss before sitting his head back down on the pillow.
“Mmmm nice wake up call.” I said, staring over into his warm chocolate brown eyes. He looked at me softly for a while, lacing our fingers and letting a blanket of silence fill the room before he spoke again.
“Bernie,” he whispered, kissing my hand and looking into my eyes. I knew my face had turned pink but I nodded a little, waiting for him to continue. “You’re perfect.”
“Far from it.” I answered, smiling as he rolled his eyes.
“You’re in denial.” he told me, pulling me close, “Love you.”
“Love you too.” I replied as he pulled away and rolled over to see the clock. A disgruntled whine came from him and he childishly looked back at me unhappily.
“I have an interview today. I totally forgot about it. I’m sorry, baby girl. I know I promised that you could have me all to yourself today but I………” he started apologetically before I reached over and stopped him with one finger to his lips.
“I knew you had an interview today. I woke you up so you could get ready.” I told him, gaining a thankful smile, “I’m fine with sharing you, Sidney. We’ll get time together on off season and whenever we can in between. But it‘s not likely that anyone will leave you alone in the meantime so I‘ll just have to play nice with the other little children and put on a happy face.”
He rolled back towards me and hugged me tightly, nuzzling his face in my neck and placing a gentle kiss on my sweet spot. “You are the best.”
“Thanks. Now go get dressed and get some coffee so you don’t sound like death warmed over for your interview.” I told him as he pulled away, kissing my lips one more time before rolling out of bed lazily and heading for the bathroom.
I got up a few minutes later when I heard the water in the shower come on and I threw on a pair of Sid’s shorts and a loose t-shirt before walking through Sid’s house in search of my bag. I jumped three feet off the ground when Sidney’s voice came from just outside the bathroom, though I could still hear the water running.
“You’re bag’s in here, babe.” he said. I turned around to see him standing, dripping wet, with his head poked out from the bathroom. I smiled and walked over to him, giving him a kiss on the lips and tasting the chlorine from the shower. Picking up my bag I headed out of the room as Sid got back into the shower. I lazed around for a few minutes until Sid was done and then I went into the bathroom as he came out, now semi-dry, as he dried his hair with a towel.
A bit later I hopped out of the shower and got dressed in my acid-wash jeans and a white Mindless Self Indulgence shirt. After I fixed my hair and makeup and brushed my teeth I went into the other room to see Sidney, already dressed in his dark jeans and a dark blue shirt on the couch. His head was tipped back and he didn’t see me come in so I walked quietly over and sat down on his lap.
“You know Bernzie, if you keep that up we’re not going to get out of this house for weeks.” He joked, slipping his arms around my stomach and pulling me closer. I smiled and listened to the steady beating of his heart for a minute, almost lost in the sureness of the sound.
“We have to get out of this house. Otherwise my brother’s will kill you and I’ll never get another chance to spend time with you again. No more long nights alone…” I trailed off as he looked over to me.
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” he said, picking me up off his lap and sitting me down as he pulled me towards the door. I let go of his hand and headed back into the bedroom, earning a raised eyebrow from him. “I thought you said we should leave. Going back in there isn’t going to make me want to leave here anytime soon.”
“I have to do your laundry.” I answered, gathering the satin sheets together and folding them neatly before putting them in my bag. He chuckled to himself as I walked back to him and took his hand again.
“I’ll learn how to do my laundry so this doesn’t happen again.” he assured me as we walked out the back door to his house. We got into Sid’s Range Rover and he started the car, pulling out and heading for my house. “So, how are you going to get around your brother’s long enough to wash those?” he asked, turning down the street that lead straight to my house.
“Oh shit…..” I trailed off sarcastically, making him laugh.
“I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” he told him, pulling into my driveway.
“I’m glad you have faith in me, Siddy.” I said, kissing his lips as soon as the car stopped. He smiled as I pulled away.
“Mmmm you make me like my nicknames more and more everyday.” his voice was soft and smooth. I winked at him as we got out of the car and headed up the driveway to the door. I knew it was open so I let myself in, finding the smell of lunch looming in the air.
“Ayyyye!” Riley called happily from his place on the couch. He held a plate of mom’s chicken and mashed potatoes. They looked amazing and smelled almost as good.
“Hi Riles.” I said as I took off my shoes and sat them next to the door, being pulled into the house by Sidney.
“Took you two long enough to get here.” Colby said as he entered the room from the kitchen. He was holding a plate of food in one hand and Mischa in the other. When she saw me, Mischa jumped out of his hand and padded dizzily across the floor, climbing up my pants and shirt to my chest. She mewed loudly and licked my cheek as she crawled into her favorite place on my shoulder.
“That cat is crazy.” Dad said as he walked in with Mom and two more plates of food. Mischa seemed to take offense and she meowed loud enough for him to hear. I laughed and patted her head, scratching her behind the ears before picking her up off my shoulder, to her dismay, as I walked away.
“Mischa, Făcut tu şofer meu frate nebun?” I asked in my best Russian accent. Mischa just licked my hand as I fell down in the loveseat that sat next to the couch. Sidney took the place beside me and put his arm around my shoulders, glancing down at the cat, who seemed just as interested in him as he was in her.
“Who’s this?” he asked, offering his hand to the kitten. She walked, head in the air, onto his palm and licked his wrist, much to his surprise.
“This is Mischa. Some of the guys gave her to me. She’s really quite smart.” I told him as she took a seat in his hand and looked up at him, tail swishing from side to side like a wall clock. He glanced down at her and put her up to his face, looking her in the eye. She lunged forward at him and I thought she was going to attack but she stopped short and sniffed his nose, licking it afterwards before jumping down off his hand and into my lap again.
“Smart? She acts like a little kid.” Riley commented from the couch.
“What’d she do while I was gone?” I asked, glancing up at my family. Dad laughed and turned to Colby.
“You wanna field that one, son?” he asked, having a hard time not crying from laughter.
“Oh ha ha. The cat slept on my chest last night because she smelled Jax on me and then when I didn’t get up for my alarm she bit me.” Colby said, holding out his hand to show tiny teeth marks across his palm. I giggled a little and patted Mischa’s head, feeling her purring.
“I think that deserves a treat. Trec.de la will tu asemănător un that?” I asked, looking down at the kitten, who’s eyes shot open as she jumped into my hands. I kissed Sidney’s cheek quickly before standing up and walking into the kitchen. There were two plates sitting on the counter full of food, obviously for Sidney and I. I smiled to myself as I sat the kitten down on the bar stool, hearing footsteps coming into the room. I glanced over to see Riley standing in the doorway.
“Your hair’s still wet.” he commented as he watched me reach into the cabinet and pull down a small glass bowl.
“Yeah?” I asked, wondering where he was going with this. I poured some milk into the bowl and sat it down on the counter top of the bar, putting Mischa down next to it. She sniffed at it for a minute before diving head on into drinking it.
“Sidney’s hair is still damp. You have dark circles under your eyes and your phone wasn’t on this morning at ten and twelve when we called you. You two just got up. That means you were really tired. Which means either the present was that good or you two had a little too much fun last night.” he finished deductively, almost sounding bitter.
“We got up late, so?” I asked, not glancing up from the kitten, who was still eagerly lapping up milk from the dish.
“So I’m concerned.” he said, walking over and standing next to me, “I remember how this went with Marc.”
I felt my heart stop for a minute as I remembered how things had ended in New York. It hadn’t gone good in the least. “But this is different, Riles. Sidney’s not Marc.”
“I know that but this could still turn out like…..” he started before I shot him a glare that told him quite easily to shut up.
“This could turn out wonderfully. Sidney is an amazing person. He gets along great with our family, he’s always there for me and he’s not about to just up and piss me off for no good reason. He’s not Marc and he will never be that way. And Marc wasn’t even that bad, it was Sean.” I reminded him, angrily turning away towards Mischa. The kitten stared up at me with those big beautiful blue eyes and I felt my anger dissipate as I took in her innocence. Riley sighed heavily and I felt his arm around my shoulders.
“I’m not saying that he’s like Marc and that he’s going to hurt you but I don’t want you in over your head, sis. I don’t want to….. never mind. It doesn’t matter. We’re suppose to be happy and stuff. We’re all together and we’re having fun, right? C’mon, let’s go.” he said, pulling me off towards the living room. Mischa jumped up from her bowl and onto my hand as he pulled me.
“We’re we going?” I asked, confused as he got me into the other room where Sidney was standing up talking to Colby and my parents.
“We,” Riley started, gesturing to our family, “Are going to a movie. And I’m fairly sure he has an interview to go to.”
“Yeah….. I should be going.” Sidney said, looking down at his watch. His face was a melancholy of emotions as he glanced up at me. Apologetic eyes told me that he really was truly sorry for having anything to do today but I already knew.
“It was wonderful seeing you again, Sidney.” Mom said as Sid took his leave towards the door.
“It was great seeing you all again, too. Except you, Colby. I hate seeing you.” Sid joked, glancing back over to where Colby sat on the couch, sticking his tongue out in our direction. I followed after giving Mischa to her and leaned up against the couch as he put his shoes on slowly. He really was feeling bad for having to leave. Glancing up at me as he slid on his other shoe, he smiled faintly and mouthed ‘I’ll make it up to you.’ I smiled to myself at what seemed to be nothing to everyone else as he stood up. His arms found their way around me in a hug and as he broke away he leaned down and gave me a soft kiss. It didn’t last long but it was lingering and the feeling of it lasted much longer than the kiss actually did.
“Bye all.” he said as I opened the door and let him out, closing it as I watched him walk down the drive. There was a sudden silence as I bit my lip and tasted the chlorine from Sidney’s shower on it.
“C’mon all! I’m going crazy here!” Colby said, jumping up off the couch and being immediately joined in his rush towards the door by Riley, who looked just as hungry.
“Calm yourselves, boys! We’re going to a movie not blowing up a foreign country!” Dad told them through a chuckle as he stood up and offered a hand to my mother.
“Awwwww you ruined the surprise.” Riley said, slipping on his shoes and winking at me as Mom slapped him lightly in the back.
“Oh stop it, Riley James.” she scolded, putting her shoes on. Mischa followed us and jumped up to the back of the loveseat, looking up at me playfully. I frowned sadly and bent down to her level, touching noses with her.
“We’re coming back, Mischa. I’ll bring you a treat. I promise.” I told her. She meowed and jumped down onto the couch’s pillow, curling up and licking herself. We walked out and I followed Riley out last, closing the door slowly as Mischa had already gone to sleep. Today was already turning out to be a crazy day.
