41

Mr. Whitacre understood when I explained to him what the situation was, and he sent another reporter to cover the game that night.

“I don’t want you to worry about work when you have Sidney to worry about.” He smiled. That night I paced around the box. Evgeni scored within the first 5 minutes of the first period, but one of the Habs (I was too nervous to know who it was) rallied back with a goal of his own. The second period dragged on, goalless, and by the time the third period was underway, Sidney was looking restless. He kept glancing at the scoreboard, and with 10 minutes left to go the Canadiens scored again. Sidney frowned, and when he got on the ice he immediately stuffed the puck in the net. The game was tied 2-2, and I was starting to get even more anxious. Mario and some of the others in the box tried to get me to calm down, but we all knew that Sidney would score again if the game demanded it. Overtime. There were a few close calls, but nobody scored. Price was good…too good. When the shootout rolled around, I clenched the railing of the box so tightly my knuckles were paper white. The first two shooters for the Penguins scored, and the first of the Canadiens scored as well. Sidney was up third, and if he scored the game would be clinched. If he didn’t score then he gave the Habs a chance to win it. He looked up at the box as he took to the ice. I knew he was looking for me. He gathered some speed, picked up the puck, and raced towards the net. I knew he was going to score.

“Sid, no!” I screamed, but I was drowned out by the roar of the crowd as the red light lit up and the goal horn blared. Mario cursed, and I felt my knees turn to jello. Everyone in the crowd was celebrating, but the team left Sidney standing in front of the goal alone.

“Where are you going?” He cried, but he knew full well where I was going.

The locker room was quiet when I stormed in. The press had been told in advance that no players would be taking interviews tonight. Sidney turned as I slammed open the door and ran over to give me a hug, a smile spreading across his face. I wound up my arm and slapped him as hard as I could. He gaped at me as an angry red mark spread across his cheek.

“Are you fucking insane?!” I cried.

“What-?!” He started.

“Don’t you what me! You have a death threat on you and you still scored? Not only is that the stupidest  thing you could do, but it shows that you don’t trust your teammates either!” I screamed. I was so terrified for him that I was getting hysterical. He paled, except for where I had slapped him. One of the guys let out a low whistle, and another coughed awkwardly.

“Alice…I’ll meet you outside.” Sidney said coldly. I stormed from the locker room without another sound and as I got to the car my phone began to ring. I glanced backward and saw Sidney walking behind me.

“What?” I snarled, picking up the phone.

“I told you not to let him score again.” The man said before hanging up.

“Sid look out!” I screamed. The crack of a gun filled the parking lot and Sidney immediately collapsed to the ground. I ran over to him, and he was groaning and clutching his shoulder.

“Shit! What the hell?!” He said through clenched teeth. Blood pooled out, staining his white shirt red and dripping between his fingers. My heart raced and I looked around for who had shot him. I saw the shadow of a person running away, but I didn’t care. I immediately shoved my hand in his back pocket and pulled out his handkerchief. I checked to make sure it was clean and put it on his shoulder. He grunted as I pushed it into the wound.

“I told you, did I? You’re lucky he was a bad shot!” I said.

“Ow! Why are you doing that?” He asked weakly.

“You always apply direct pressure to a wound. Stop moving and relax.” I said quietly.

“Alice, what happened?!” Evgeni cried, running out of the building.

“Sid got shot. Call an ambulance!” I said. Evgeni let out a stream of Russian curses and whipped out his cell phone.

At the hospital Sidney was taken care of quickly. They cleaned the wound, stitched him up, and sent him on his way.

“I’m surprised that was that easy.” Sidney said in the car. I clenched the steering wheel tightly and sighed.

“You are the biggest idiot in the world.” I said.

“Where are we going?” Sidney asked.

“Your house.” I said.

“We’re not staying at your apartment?” He asked. Oh he is so drugged up right now.

“We’re not. I am.” I said.

“You’re gonna leave me by myself when I’m like this?” He asked, motioning towards the arm that was in a sling. The bullet had avoided bone, but it was just a precaution. I sighed.

“I guess not.” I muttered.

“Good.” He smiled before looking out the window. When we got to his house he flounced to the front door and patted his pockets.

“I can’t find my keys.” He frowned.

“I have them.” I sighed, pulling them out of my purse. I sent him to go change his blood stained shirt, but he called me up a few seconds later.

“I can’t do it with the sling on.” He said. I felt my irritation surge, but when I saw his helpless face I smiled slightly. Yup, definitely drugged up. I unbuttoned his shirt, careful to avoid bumping the large wad of gauze over the bullet wound. He stared at me for a minute before pulling me into him with his good arm.

“It’s still Valentines Day.” He said.

“Yeah I know.” I said.

“So…I’m gonna make out with you now.” He smirked before kissing me. I rolled my eyes and kissed him back.

Even after just being shot, Sidney was an amazing kisser. I placed my hand on his chest and his left hand wound through my hair. It wasn't the first time we'd made out by far, but it was probably at the top of my list. I blame the drugs. After a while Sidney broke away and stared at me lovingly.
"I love you." He muttered before yawning.
"I love you too...but you really should go to bed." I said.
"Only if you'll sleep in here with me." He smirked. I rolled my eyes again and turned to his dresser. After taking a pair of basketball shorts and a teeshirt out, I slipped into the bathroom and got changed. When I walked back into the bedroom, Sidney was struggling with his pajama pants.
"Oh my God you're helpless." I laughed, fixing his pants for him.
"I just got shot, and I'm probably as high as a kite right now, don't make fun of me!" He pouted.
"Shut up and get in that bed." I chuckled, pointing to the large bed.

40

The following night the team was in good spirits. Marc had called each and every team member threatening in various ways the torture they would go through if they lost the game. I was sitting in the team box for once because Sidney had insisted that I sit there. I grudgingly accepted, and had to dress more nicely than my usual game day jeans and jersey. It was the 3^rd period, and the team was up 4-2. Sidney had racked up two of the goals for the Penguins when my phone began to ring. I checked it and saw that it was an unknown number. I slipped out of the box and answered the call.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hello Alice. I’ve been watching you for quite some time.” A man said on the other end. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Never mind who this is…I want you to pass along a little message for me.” The man said. His voice made me shudder slightly. It was dark and gravely, like the bad guys in a horror film.

“What message?” I managed to croak.

“Tell your darling little Sidney that he better not score more than once at the next game.” He said simply.

“What happens if he does?” I squeaked.

“I will kill him.” The man said.

“Please tell me this is some sort of sick prank.” I said.

“No. If he scores more than once Sunday, I will make sure that he dies. You have some sway over him, so I figured you would be the best messenger for me.” The man said.

“Y-you’re sick!” I cried.

“No, I’m not sick. Just make sure Sidney knows. Goodbye Alice.” The man said before hanging up. I ran into the box, and Mario jumped up as soon as he saw me.

“Alice, what’s wrong?” He asked.

As I told Mario what had happened he grew pale.

“This is very bad.” He said quietly.

“You’re telling me!” I said, rubbing my arms. The game was almost over, and Sidney was racing towards the goal on a breakaway. Hats flew as he popped the puck into the net, but for once in my life I didn’t celebrate.

“We’ll have to inform the police, and we’ll have to talk to Sidney. I’ll bring him up here, and you can speak with police in the mean time.” Mario said before pulling out his own phone.

“Are you serious?” Sidney asked. Mario and I both nodded grimly.

“We can’t scratch you, you’re the captain and with Marc hurt we really need you to be there. Just…just don’t score more than one goal.” Mario said quietly.

“There’s no way, this guy is obviously off his rocker. I’m not going to let someone scare me into submission!” Sidney cried. I grabbed his hands and he looked at me.

“Sidney…please…just…just don’t do it. Please.” I squeaked. His eyes were mixed, determination and confusion turned them a muddled swampy brown.

“Alice...I…I can’t promise that I won’t, but unless I absolutely have to, I won’t.” Sidney said after a while. I felt my heart thump, knowing full well that if it came down to it, Sidney would score that second goal.

“Sidney are you insane? You have someone threatening your life and you’re still willing to score a second goal?” Mario asked.

“Like I said, I won’t let a nut job scare me into submission.” Sidney said before walking out of the box. I collapsed into a chair and put my head in my hands. Mario placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll make sure that he doesn’t have to score that second goal. I’ll talk to the boys. They’ll get the job done.” Mario said before walking out of the box. I swear this week is just one nightmare after another.

The next day I woke up and found roses on my end table. I bolted upright and checked my phone. It was February 14^th.

“Shit!” I hissed, dashing out of the bedroom. Sidney wasn’t in the apartment, which made me raise an eyebrow. There was a note on the table, and I unfolded it.

Alice,

                Went to the morning skate, I’ll be back around 3. I love you.

                Sidney

I let out a sigh of relief and checked the clock. It was 9:30 AM. I dressed quickly, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and hurried out to the mall.

“What the hell am I going to get Sid?” I muttered, looking around. I eventually found myself in front of a small photo shop. I slowly pulled my camera out of my purse, and turned it on. It was teeming with pictures of Sidney and I, from our first date on the beach, to the proposal (I had discovered later that some of the guys had stolen my camera memory card so they could take pictures for me). I smiled at each and every picture. One of my favorites was from right after Christmas. I was sitting in a pile of snow with the touque Sidney had given me for Christmas on, and Sidney had his arms wrapped around me and was smiling broadly. His head was perched on mine, and we both looked incredibly happy. I walked into the shop, bought a large black photo book, and printed all of the pictures. I found a beautifully simple silver picture frame, and bought that as well.

When I got home I took a piece of paper out from my printer.

                Sidney,

                                Every picture in this book is part of our story. I love every single memory you’ve given me, whether it was captured on film or not. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you.

                Alice

I set the paper aside and put every single picture I had printed into the album. When I was finally done, I had filled 250 of the 500 sleeves in the book. Is that weird that with all these pictures, only half of the book is full? I then turned the the pile of doubles I had printed and leaved through them before taking the picture of us on that snowy December day right before his injury and put it in the frame. I wrapped both items carefully before tucking the remaining pictures into a shoebox and hiding all of the objects in my bedroom. I checked the clock. 12:49. I bit my lip and then decided to start making Sidney's usual pre-game meal of chicken and pasta. Oh, I hope he doesn't get mad...he usually makes it himself. By the time I was finished cooking it was already 2. Another hour to go, and I was feeling restless. It was the first Valentines Day in a long time that I had felt nervous, so I fiddled with the ring on my finger to reassure me. I glanced at my outfit and immediately ran into my bedroom. I leafed through my closet quickly before deciding on a pair of skinny jeans, a cute, long sleeved black and gold Penguins shirt, and my black knit Uggs. I artfully curled my hair so that it looked natural, and as I was applying my last touches of gray eyeshadow the door opened.
"Alice?" I heard Sidney asked. I ran out and hugged him tightly.
"Hey! Happy Valentines Day!" I chirped before kissing him lightly. He grinned and kissed me back before picking up a small red bag from the hallway.  
"Did you like the roses?" He asked.
"Yeah! Where did you hide them?!" I asked.
"In Marc's closet...I figured you wouldn't be going in there." He laughed before scooping me up over his shoulder and tossing me onto the couch.
"Sid!" I laughed.
"Why does it smell so good in here?" He asked.
"I made dinner." I smiled.
"Chicken and pasta from the smell of it...my pre-game meal..." He said quietly. I swallowed nervously, but my nerves were calmed as he broke into a wide grin.
"So...wanna open your gift?" I asked.
"No. You open yours first." He demanded, dropping the bag into my lap. I found a gift card to Barnes and Noble, hell yeah!, a box of chocolates, and a long, black, velvet box.
"More jewelry? Sidney Patrick Crosby, you spoil me!" I sighed.
"Just open it!" He ordered. I stuck my tongue out and opened the box. Inside was a bracelet with a gorgeous silver heart. A red maple leaf made of what looked like rubies adorned one side, while I love you was carved on the other. I smiled and put the bracelet on the same wrist as the Penguins bracelet, and Sidney grinned even more widely.
"You like it?" He asked.
"Yeah! Its cute. Now I'll never forget that my heart belongs to Canada." I smiled.
"You mean a Canadian. I won't share you!" Sidney said before kissing my forehead.
"Fine then. Be greedy!" I teased before standing up and running to my room. Sidney waited on the couch and tore open the gifts quickly. He smiled when he opened the picture frame.
"I love this picture." He said, holding it up.
"Me too." I smiled. He opened the photo album next, and when he read the note his face flushed. Slowly he thumbed through each page of the album, and when he got to the end he looked up at me again.
"It's only half full..." He said.
"I know." I shrugged.
"Well, we're just going to have to fill it, aren't we?" He smiled, pulling out his camera. I stuck my tongue out at him and he took the picture, laughing.
"I love you Sidney." I said, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled with his mouth open wide, as cheesy as cheesy could get, and took another picture.
"I love you too Alice." He smiled before kissing me back.

39

"Sid...babe, wake up." Alice said, rocking me gently. I groaned and my back cracked as I sat up straight. I had fallen asleep on the couch, and my eyes felt like sandpaper.
"What's up?" I mumbled, running a hand through my tangled hair.
"I just got a call from Max. He went to go see Marc this afternoon." Alice said quietly. I felt my heart skip a beat and I took a deep, shuddering breath.
"And?" I asked.
"He's been asking for you. He said a visit from his 'petit chou chou' would make him feel a hell of a lot better." Alice smiled.
"Wait, he called me his 'petit chou chou'?" I asked.
"Yep." She said, her smile widening.
"Then he can't be brain damaged...shit, what am I doing?! I'll jump in the shower and then we can go see him. It's only...4 o'clock. Visiting hours are until 8, right?" I asked, leaping off of the couch.
"Yeah. He got moved from the ICU this morning, so 8 would be correct." Alice said. The shower helped my aching back feel a bit better, and I relaxed slightly as I scrubbed myself clean. Once I got out of the shower I slipped on my dirty clothes and walked into Alice's room. Ordinarily wearing my grungy yesterday clothes would bother me, but I didn't give a damn right now. Alice was on her bed, brushing her hair idly. I crawled up behind her and kissed her exposed neck lightly.
"Are you wearing your nasty ass clothes from yesterday?" She asked, turning to look at me.
"What do you want me to wear?" I asked. She chuckled and opened her closet before tossing a black Penguins tee at me.
"Hey, isn't this mine?" I asked, holding it up.
"Yeah. I kind of stole it a while ago." She said, smiling wryly.
"Figures." I smirked before peeling off my shirt and slipping the black tee over my head.
"Alright, I can't do much about the pants..." She said. I thought about it for a minute before walking into Marc's room. I rummaged through his drawers and eventually pulled out a pair of black sweatpants.
"Did you seriously steal Marc's sweatpants?" Alice laughed.
"Well there is no way his jeans would fit me." I said.
"True, your ass would destroy them." She smirked.
"HE'S TALLER THAN ME TOO YOU KNOW! DON'T MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT MY ASS, GOD!" I cried, faking anger. She laughed and then kissed my cheek.
"Let's go visit him. I think just knowing that he's okay makes you feel better." She smiled.
"You've got that right." I sighed.
__________________________________________________________________________________

"MON PETIT CHOU CHOU!" Marc cried as we walked into the room. He still looked as shitty as he did the night before, but his eyes were a little less swollen.
"Flower! Mon amour!" Sidney said, running over to the bed and hugging Marc as best he could.
"You came to see me! I was afraid you wouldn't!" Marc said. Sidney rolled his eyes.
"What makes you think you could keep me away?" Sidney asked.
"I don't know, I was afraid that my ugly face was keeping you away." Marc smiled, revealing a missing tooth.
"Marc-Andre Fleury, you will always be beautiful in my eyes." Sidney said. I began to crack up.
"You guys...have the most obscene bromance ever. Where is Geno when you need him?" I chuckled.
"Yeah, where is my DLR?" Marc asked.
"DLR?" I asked.
"Dear little Russian." They said in unison.
"You guys are weirdos." I said, shaking my head.
"We know." Sidney grinned.
"That's why you love us!" Marc chimed in.

Sidney was in a much better mood when we returned to the apartment. He immediately flounced into the kitchen and grabbed some food, which was a good sign. At least Marc is healthy...now Sidney can relax. 
"Alice, you know I wouldn't have gone to see him if it weren't for you, right?" Sidney asked.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I wouldn't have had the courage. I was so afraid to see him...but when I finally did I realized that even though he's banged up, he's still him and he's gonna be okay." Sidney said happily.
"I told you." I said.
"I know, and that's exactly why I said it." Sidney grinned before pulling me towards him. He rested his hands on my hips and stared at me lovingly.
"What?" I asked.
"Do you want kids?" He asked. I felt the color drain from my face.
"What?" I asked.
"When we're married...do you want kids? I was just thinking of how awesome it would be to have our kids call Marc Uncle Flower...I mean, I don't have a brother." Sidney smiled. I felt my eyes widen in surprise.
"Um...I guess...I mean, we're not even married yet...we haven't even picked a date...and you...I..." I sputtered.
"Too soon?" He asked, his smile fading slightly.
"It's not too soon...I was just caught off guard. I mean, you were depressed like 8 hours ago and now you want kids. It's just surprising..." I said quietly.
"Yeah, I figured. You know I love you though, right?" He asked.
"Yes. I love you too." I said, kissing him on the cheek.

38

Sidney slept well into the afternoon the next day. The team had a day off luckily, so I insisted that Sidney stay with me. Unlike Sidney, I didn't sleep off things that made me upset, so I woke up around 5 AM. At 6 I got a call from Mr. Whitacre.
"Alice, please tell me this report is a joke." He said quietly.
"It's not...I wouldn't joke about something this serious Mr. Whitacre." I sighed.
"I...I'm very sorry. I know he's a personal friend of yours." He said.
"Thank you." I said quietly before hanging up. For the next few hours I paced the eerily empty apartment, stopping every so often to check on Sidney. He slept fitfully, tossing and turning. His face was scrunched up as if he was having a nightmare, and I allowed tears to flow freely as I watched him sleep. Marc and Evgeni were his best friends, and he couldn't stand to see anyone hurt. Around 11:30 I forced myself to make pancakes, hoping that Sidney would eat them. When he woke up around 2, he had trouble choking them down.
"I don't want to eat." He croaked, staring down at the plate in front of him. A surge of sadness tugged at my stomach, but I forced myself to remain strong and looked him in the eyes. Oh my God...his eyes. His eyes were still bloodshot; it was obvious that he had been crying in his sleep. The usually bright hazel was muddled with something dark and frightening.
"Sidney...you have to eat." I said. He simply stared at me.
"But I'm not hungry." He muttered.
"Sidney, Marc is alive so stop acting like he died, and eat. Please. As horrible as it sounds, you need to stop thinking about it before you get any more upset." I said, probably a little more harshly than originally intended. He cringed slightly before taking a bite. He was only able to eat 3, but 3 was better than none. Once he stopped eating I grabbed his hands and pulled him over to the couch. He moved with no emotion, like a robot. I suppressed a shudder and made him sit down.
"Alice..." He said quietly.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"You said I need to stop thinking about it for a while, right?" He asked. His voice was raw with tears, but they weren't flowing yet.
"Yes." I said. My voice was beginning to catch in my throat. It was unbearable to see him so upset.
"Distract me." He croaked. I felt my stomach hit the floor, but for once it wasn't a good feeling. I slid onto the couch next to him and kissed him, putting as much love into the kiss as I possibly could. I struggled to stem my own tears as I felt his hit my face, hot and wet. His lips trembled as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. He pulled me into his chest, placed his head on my shoulder, and began to sob. I lost it, no longer able to fight my own tears. I cradled him in my arms and let him cry, crying silently myself.

We sat like that for hours, even after Sidney wasn't able to cry any more. It was scary to see him cry. He was always so strong, but now he couldn't control himself.
"Alice, can I have a drink?" He asked.
"Yeah, what do you want?" I asked.
"Water...please." He croaked, rubbing his eyes. He looked so lost, and extremely afraid. Once I handed him a glass of water he guzzled it and I cupped his face in my hands.
"Why do I feel like there is something you're not telling me?" I asked quietly.
"Because there is." He said.
"What?" I asked.
"The...the last time I had a friend get in a car accident...they said he was gonna live...but three days later he died...I...I can't have that happen again Alice. I just can't." Sidney choked out. I immediately hugged him as tightly as I could.
"Sid...he's going to be okay. I promise." I said, beginning to rock him once more.
"I hope so." Sidney muttered, hugging me back. This is the worst feeling I've ever had...please God, let him be okay...Sidney needs him to be okay...and so do I.

37

The next few days were chaotic, with calls, emails, and letters flooding my office. Of course, I had written the only "official" Crosby engagement report, but people were starting to harass me just as much as they harassed him. One night after work I crossed off another box on my calendar and let out a curse. February 10th. Shit! Valentines Day is in four days! What the hell am I going to get Sidney?!
"Hey." I heard Sidney say, tapping the edge of my cubicle doorway.
"Sid! What are you doing here?" I cried happily, shoving my chair away from my desk. He collected me in his arms and kissed my hair lightly.
"I wanted to pick you up." He muttered, burying his face in my hair. There was something strange in his voice. I froze immediately.
"Sid...is something wrong?" I asked. He sniffed quietly.
"There's...there's been an accident." He choked out.
"What? Sid, what happened?!" I asked, looking up. His eyes were bloodshot, and I knew immediately that he had been crying. Tear tracks ran down his cheeks.
"I-i-it's Flowers. H-he was driving home from p-practice...and...someone was drunk and ran the red light..." Sidney croaked, beginning to tremble. I hugged him tightly.
"Is he okay?" I asked, a dark feeling blooming in my chest.
"T-th-they don't know if he's gonna make it. He lost a lot of blood...and they don't have enough of his type." Sidney whimpered.
"What blood type is he?" I asked.
"I have no idea..." Sidney croaked. I grabbed my purse off of my desk and pulled out my keys.
"Babe, let's go." I said, grabbing his hand.
"Where are we going?" Sidney asked.
"The hospital. Get out your phone and tell the entire team to meet us there." I said quickly, whisking him out of the office.
"What's that gonna do?" Sidney asked.
"There's gotta be at least one guy on the team with the same blood type. We aren't going to let Marc die. I promise." I said.
__________________________________________________________________________________

Sidney wasn't the only one who was crying. When I spoke with the doctor and told him why we were all there, we were all quickly taken to a small lab within the hospital. They took small samples of all of our blood and within twenty minutes they had whisked several of the team members, Sidney, and I, into another room. They took blood from all of us, gave us water, juice, and crackers, and then left quickly.
"What just happened?" Sidney asked, slightly pale from blood loss.
"We just gave Marc our blood. They'll test it for STDs or whatever, and then if it's clean he'll get what he needs." I explained.
"H-how did you know to do that?" He asked.
"You can give someone your kidneys, your bone marrow...your anything almost." I said quietly. When we returned to the waiting room, Sidney pulled me onto his lap and rested his head on my shoulder. I stroked his hair until he dozed off. I eventually fell asleep myself, and it wasn't until one of the doctors came in that most of us remained asleep.
"Are you all here for Mr. Fleury?" The doctor asked. I bolted up and nodded.
"Yes, we're here for Marc. Any news?" I asked.
"He's going to live, but he's in for the long haul. If you hadn't all given blood, he probably wouldn't be alive right now." The doctor said grimly. Several of us let out happy cheers.
"Sid, wake up!" I said, shoving Sidney roughly. He started and looked at me groggily.
"What's going on?" He asked, his words slurred.
"Flowers is gonna be okay!" I smiled. He smiled widely and pulled me back into his lap, kissing me. I smiled and kissed his forehead gently.

"Miss Parker?" A nurse asked, tapping me on the shoulder gently. I groaned and cracked my back. Hospital waiting room chairs were not ideal for sleeping.
"Yes?" I yawned.
"Mr. Fleury is awake...he's been asking for you. We're having a bit of a communication problem with him right now." She said quietly.
"Oh...okay." I said, standing. I looked at Sidney, who was sleeping fitfully, and followed her down a series of long hallways. I had to bite back a wave of nausea as I walked into the room and saw Marc laying on a bed. His face was torn up, with stitches streaking large sections of it. He was donning several casts, he had a breathing mask on, and IV tubes ran all over him. Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Alice." He said quietly. His eyes could hardly open, they were badly bruised.
"Marc...ca va?" I asked, walking to the side of his bed.
"Mal...tres mal. Je me suis blesse." He croaked. I felt a tear roll down my face.
"Vous serez d'accord...Je vous promets." I said before turning to the nurse.
"What did he say?" She asked quietly.
"He said that he's bad and that he hurts." I said.
"Does he want medication?" She asked.
"You didn't give him anything?!" I hissed angrily.
"Yes, we did. Does he need more?" She asked, correcting herself.
"Voulez-vous tout médicament contre la douleur?" I asked him. He nodded stiffly.
"Oui. Si vous plait." He mumbled.
"He wants it." I said to her. She immediately left the room.
"Où est Sidney?" He asked.
"Sidney dort dans la salle d'attente." I said.
"Okay. Merci pour votre aide. Allez dormir en peu." He mumbled.
"Okay...a bientot." I said before gently kissing his battered cheek and walking out. I curled up in the hallway and let my body quake with silent sobs for a long time before I walked back out into the waiting room. Several of the guys swarmed me.
"How is he?" Max asked.
"Bad...he looks like he's been to hell and back." I croaked.
"Why did he want to see you?" Comrie asked, almost angry.
"Because he can't speak English right now." I mumbled.
"What did he say?" Sidney asked.
"That he was in pain, wanted some meds, and then he asked where you were, and then told me to get some sleep." I said.
"He always thinks of other people first." Sidney said sadly before hugging me tightly. I started shaking, and Sidney hugged me even more tightly.

36

When I woke up, it wasn't to the scream of an alarm clock. I yawned and stretched luxuriously, my left hand landing squarely on Sidney's chest.
"Good morning sleepy head." He smiled, taking my hand and kissing it.
"Good morning." I smiled before rolling over and kissing him. He smiled and pulled me on top of him. I broke away and simply rested my head on his bare chest. His heart rumbled happily and the rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took almost lulled me back to sleep.
"No going to sleep again!" He said, lifting his head to look at me. I pouted.
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because you have to stay awake. I dreamed about you, but I want the real thing now." He said. I blushed.
"You dreamed about me?" I asked.
"Yeah...I do a lot actually." He said matter-of-factly.
"That's kind of cute." I smiled.
"You're kind of cute." He smiled back.
"Sidney you're not trying to get any, are you?" I laughed.
"No, I'm being genuinely nice right now. I promise." He said before pulling me up and sitting up. I snuggled into his lap and placed my arms around his shoulders.
"Good, because I'm too sleepy to be sexy." I said before nuzzling his neck. That and he's going to have to work for it if he wants it. I smiled evilly into his neck and he sighed happily.
"So...breakfast?" He asked.
"What about it?" I asked.
"Are we having it?" He laughed.
"I guess." I sighed.

"These are the best damn pancakes I've ever had. I swear." He said before wolfing down another one.
"I guess that's why Marc makes me make them all the time." I smiled, taking a bite of my own pancake.
"YOU MADE FLOWERS BREAKFAST BEFORE ME!?" Sidney wailed.
"I live with him..." I said slowly, raising my eyebrows.
"...We're going to have to fix that." Sidney said.
"What?" I said.
"You can't live with Marc when you're my fiancee. I won't allow it!" Sidney said, putting a snobby spin on his voice. I chuckled.
"Well, try telling Marc to find another room mate. I just signed an agreement to live there for a year. I can't exactly bail on him now. Besides, they say you're not supposed to live with your significant other until you're married." I said. Sidney raised his eyebrows.
"Where'd you hear that?" He asked.
"Some study. Apparently people who live together before they're married get divorced more often." I sighed.
"That sucks." He frowned.
"Totally." I agreed.
"Well then, let's not do that." He said before taking another bite of pancake.
________________________________________________________________________________

I went numb when there was a knock on Sidney's front door. He had said that there would be some people here to meet me today, but at first it didn't register. When it finally did register, I knew. The time had come for me to meet Trina and Troy Crosby.
"Hi." I said, opening the door meekly. I was immediately pulled into a tight hug by his mother.
"It is so nice to finally meet you Alice! Sidney has told us so much about you and we couldn't wait to meet you!" She beamed.
"Thanks, it's nice to meet you too!" I said, smiling. Sidney's father, Troy, simply shook my hand but the smile on his face reflected the same enthusiasm.
"Finally got a nice young woman to help you out, huh Sid?" He asked, turning to his son.
"I don't know about helping me out, but yeah." Sidney laughed.
"Alice, would you be a dear and help me with the bags?" Trina asked. I nodded and walked outside to where there was a black SUV parked in the driveway behind Sidney's 'Stang and my Saturn.
"So...if Sid's told you anything bad, it's lies. I promise." I said, trying to relax.
"Trust me, he's said nothing bad. You're just as pretty as he described though! His sister wanted to come, but with school we couldn't let her." Trina explained.
"Yeah, he told me about her. I want to meet her one day." I said with a light smile. Sidney was extremely proud of his little sister.
"You will, I'm sure. She's determined to get down here for a game." Trina laughed, hauling a suitcase out of the trunk. I grabbed the other suitcase and she shut the trunk.
"Oh, I believe it." I smiled.

35

The locker room was never as loud as it was when I walked back in. Okay, scratch that. The only time it was louder was when we won the Stanley Cup though.
"DAMMIT YEAH SID!" Evgeni cried, flinging his arms around me. Everyone followed suit, hugging me, slapping me on the back, rubbing my head, and causing a ruckus. Alice had returned to her seat so that I could "concentrate on the game". Like I'm going to be able to concentrate right now. Honestly, I don't even care if we win or lose tonight. I'm the happiest man on earth. I hurriedly wiped a happy tear off of my cheek and cleared my throat.
"Alright guys, let's get our asses in gear and win this game!" I said over the riot that was taking place around me.
"Let's get it done!" I heard one of the guys yell.

We rallied until the last second of the game. I scored the goal that tied the game with 23 seconds to go in regulation. For some reason, my game was better than it had been before the second intermission. Overtime went scoreless, with Flowers and Marty both tearing up the crease like the machines that they were. It was a shootout now, and I felt the usual jitters as I took center ice to shoot...for the second time (both goalies were on their A game tonight, so this shootout was taking FOREVER). The crowd booed as usual, and I was sure that Alice was joining in, with that adorably mischievous smile that she got when she teased me. Thinking of Alice made my heart surge. Holy shit, we're going to get married one day! Dammit Sid, pay attention to the game! The ref blew his whistle and I skated to get the puck. It hit my stick, and I took off, rocketing towards Marty. His sharp blue eyes followed my every movement, and he didn't skate out to confront me. He was way too good, knowing full well what I was planning on doing. I pulled the puck so that it was on the back of my stick, snapped it back to the front, and flipped it up. It rocketed off the post with a clang, and dropped behind Marty. He immediately snow-angeled, but it wasn't enough. The red light lit up behind him. I heard the guys on the bench yelling, and I was immediately bum rushed. Damn, did we really win this one? I guess so. I wonder if Alice is happy or pissed off. As the guys got off of me, and hand reached out to help me up. I took it without second thought, and then started as I realized that the sleeve was red.
"Congrats on the engagement Sidney." Marty said, smiling at me. I felt my face burst into a huge grin.
"Thanks Marty." I said.
"I'm glad she's got good taste in hockey players." He chuckled.
"What?...Oh! The jersey! Yeah, she's fiercely devoted to the Devils. You know that." I laughed.
"Yeah, well I can't be caught fraternizing with the enemy...I'll text you later." Marty said before skating off. He's such a great guy. I'm really going to miss playing for Team Canada with him. OH HELL. CANADA. MY PARENTS.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Sidney ignored every reporter in the locker room, which was unusual, and made a beeline straight for me. He scooped me up into his arms and kissed me. It was such a loving kiss that I blushed, feeling his smile against my lips.
"So you need to meet my parents." He whispered into my ear as he put me down and hugged me.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Isn't it kind of weird that we're engaged now and I've never met them?" I asked.
"Not necessarily. We live in Pittsburgh, they live in Canada. Kind of far, yeah?" Sidney said.
"True." I smiled. Reporters were barking questions at us, and shoving all kinds of things into our faces.
"I'm sorry, but I will not be taking any questions tonight." Sidney said, holding up his hands before whisking me off down the hallway. A few reporters stared at us, completely dumbfounded. I shrugged, wrapped my arm around his waist, and let the biggest smile I've ever had spread across my face.

"So Mom, I've got some good news. You heard already, eh? No, no. I talked to Dad about it a few weeks ago. He sent me grandma's ring and everything. Yes...yeah, that's fine. Yeah. I have room. Mmhmm. No, I don't think that'll be a problem. Alright. Love you too. 'Bye." Sidney said before hanging up the phone.
"Your mom is excited, isn't she?" I asked.
"You have no idea." Sidney laughed.
"Did I hear you say that this was your grandma's ring?" I asked, staring at the ring on my finger. It was simple, and yet it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a thin silver band with a round diamond about as big as a pencil eraser. Sidney blushed.
"Yeah...she gave it to my dad with the intention that I would give it to the woman I loved. It's really special to me." Sidney said, running his hand through his hair. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him for a very long time. I poured all of my love into the kiss, and for once it didn't turn into a make out session.
"I love you." I whispered. He kissed the tip of my nose.
"I love you too." He smiled. His phone went off though, and he frowned.
"Who is it?" I asked.
"It's Marc...hello? Yeah, thanks man. No, I don't think so. Uh huh. Yeah. Oh shut up. Yeah, you know I will. Alright. Alright. 'Bye." He said.
"What was that about?" I asked.
"He wants to know if you're going home tonight or not. I kind of decided that you're not." Sidney smirked.
"Woah, woah. Why don't I get to decide?" I asked, smiling a bit.
"Because we have a date to go on. Duh." He laughed before opening the car door for me.
"Oh jeeze...because that proposal wasn't romantic enough?" I asked.
"I don't know...but we are going out to celebrate." Sidney smiled before closing the door behind me. This is amazing.

34

"Hey babe, we're here." Sidney muttered, nudging me slightly. I yawned and opened my eyes, stretching out in the airplane seat as the plane slowed to a stop on the runway.

"So did you have fun at my parents' house?" I asked as I pushed open the door to my apartment. Marc had texted me, telling me that he was out with Comrie, and so the apartment was empty.
"Loads, actually. Your parents, once they got over the whole Penguins complex, were really chill. You gotta meet my folks soon." Sidney said. I nodded.
"I definitely do. I need to thank them for having sex." I laughed.
"Ew...moving on." Sidney said, picking up my bag and walking into my bedroom with it.
__________________________________________________________________________________

The next few weeks were uneventful, both at home and at work. Annabeth stopped by for a visit, and Sidney was over as usual, but it was relatively quiet. Sidney recovered more quickly than anticipated, so five weeks after the initial accident, he resumed skating. I kind of missed having him around all the time, but that spark in his eye was worth a little bit of pining.
"So my first game back is in Newark." Sidney smirked after practice one night. I stared at him for a minute.
"What? Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded, and held up a single black ticket with a red NJ Devils logo on it. A smile spread across my face.
"I'm going to be so torn between rooting for you and rooting for them." I admitted.
"I know...but I'll be happy that you're there and I'm back either way." He said before skating away.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?!" I cried. He opened the door leading to the visitors bench and picked something up before skating back over. He placed a large black bag in my lap.
"My skates?" I asked, opening the bag.
"Put them on. I want to skate with you." He said. I immediately tore off my boots, and shoved the skates on. I laced them up almost as quickly as Sidney could lace up his skates, and leapt over the boards. The team had cleared off the ice a few minutes ago, so the fans had dissipated as well, and we were alone. Sidney took my hands in his and skated backwards as I skated towards him. His gloves made his hands ten times bigger, but it didn't bother me at all. We skated for at least an hour before the coach came out and told Sidney to get off the ice and get some rest.
"He's just mad because his wife can't skate." He muttered as we got off the ice.
___________________________________________________________________________________

My bag was almost entirely packed for the trip to Newark when I opened my closet the following week. My hand immediately went for the red Brodeur jersey, but I found myself hesitating to grab it for the first time ever.
"Babe, wear your Marty jersey..." Sidney said, lounging on my bed.
"What? I thought you'd want me to..." I started.
"Just wear it. Trust me." He laughed. I rolled my eyes and pulled the jersey off of its hanger, folding it carefully as always before placing it in my bag.

The next night I sat in my seat as usual, surrounded by a sea of red. The game was exciting, with New Jersey and Pittsburgh both rocketing off goals within the first few minutes. The score stood 4-3 in favor of New Jersey when there were 3 minutes left in the second period. A security guard tapped me on the shoulder and I turned, raising my eyebrows.
"Are you Alice Parker?" He asked. I nodded.
"Come with me please." He said. I followed him into the hallway.
"Is there something wrong sir?" I asked. He shook his head and used a keycard to open a door to his left.
"No, just follow me." He smiled. I followed him down a set of stairs, and he soon led me to a section of the Prudential Center I had never been before.
"Where the heck are we?" I asked as we went through another set of doors and walked down a wide hall.
"We're going to the locker room." He said finally.
"What? Why?" I asked.
"That's all I can tell you. My lips are sealed." He smirked. We walked into the now buzzing Devils locker room, and Kovy waved to me as the guard ushered me down the tunnel towards the ice.
"Serious, what the hell is going on?" I asked as I heard the announcer ask for the crowd's attention on center ice.
"This is where you go onto the ice." He laughed, pushing me out towards the ice. I saw Sidney standing at the center faceoff circle, and I froze. He was holding a single red rose. I numbly walked onto the ice, and the crowd started to cheer.
"Hey there." He said as I slid over to him.
"Sid, what the hell is going on?" I asked as he handed me the rose.
"Alice...we've been together almost seven months now." He said quietly. I could barely hear him even though the crowd was dead silent.
"I...I know." I said.
"Y...you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me...and so...I was wondering...will you marry me?" He asked, suddenly dropping to one knee and revealing a beautiful ring in his gloved hand. I felt my jaw drop.
"Sid, are you being serious right now?" I asked. Tears sprung up in my eyes.
"I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life." He said. I reached out with a shaking hand, and he placed the ring on my finger. I immediately flung myself at him, knocking him onto his back and kissing him roughly. The crowd erupted into cheers, and Penguins fans and Devils fans began to hug and high five each other. As we stood up, Sidney picked me up, threw me over his shoulder, and skated over to his bench. He sat me on the edge of the boards, bent over, picked up a jersey that had been hidden under the bench, and pulled it over my head. I raised my eyebrows in confusion, and stuffed my arms into the sleeves.
"What the heck?" I asked.
"It's a Devils jersey with my name and number on it..." He blushed as the crowd began to scream again.
"I love you." I laughed before kissing him again. Is this real life?

33

Sidney shifted uncomfortably in his seat at dinner. My dad was giving him the death stare, and didn't stop until I kicked him under the table.
"What?!" He cried. I simply glared at him. Sidney licked his lips and stared at his plate.
"Um...Mr. Parker...is there something I've done wrong?" Sidney asked quietly. My mom and I sighed at the same time.
"...You're Sidney Crosby." My dad said sternly.
"Yeah...Alice introduced me earlier." Sidney said, still staring at his vegetables.
"She introduced you as Sidney, not Sidney Crosby." My dad said, his voice still flat.
"Sir, do you have a problem with who I am?" Sidney asked, a spark suddenly flaring in his eyes.
"Yes, and no. I don't have a problem with you at this current moment, but I do have a bit of a grudge against you." My father said.
"Dad I thought you promised to not do this." I said. My dad and Sidney both stared at me for a minute.
"Do what?" Sidney asked. I let out an agitated growl.
"My dad is a Flyers fan. A very hardcore Flyers fan. My mom too, although she's less of a psycho than my dad." I snarled before standing up, tossing my plate in the sink a little too roughly, and storming upstairs. I heard my mom stand up and begin to clear the broken dish out of the sink, and my dad sighed.
"I'm sorry..." He muttered.
"It's fine." Sidney laughed.
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah. I'm kind of used to it, and I guess if Alice didn't warn you, you were surprised." Sidney chuckled. I flopped into my bed and screamed into the pillow. I didn't move when the door opened, but I let a slight smile form as I felt Sidney's hand run up my back.
"Alice your dad feels bad...go talk to him." Sidney whispered into my ear.
"I don't want to." I muttered into the pillow.
"Alice...put on your big girl panties and go talk to him." Sidney said.
"Yes master." I growled before sitting up. Sidney had a wide smile on his face, and he kissed the tip of my nose.
"Don't get pissy with me! If anything, I'm the victim here." Sidney said. Oh, I'll make you a victim alright.

32

I walked into the kitchen a little while later. Sidney had gotten a bad migrane, and decided to take a nap, so I figured it would be nice to catch up with my parents. I blanched when I walked into the room and saw my mom wearing her Danny Briere shirt.
"What's with the face?" She asked, looking at me.
"It's probably the shirt Anne...you know how she is with the hockey thing." My dad said, not glancing up from the newspaper he was reading at the table.
"Alice, really? Are you still going to make faces at me whenever I wear a Flyers shirt? You're twenty three!" My mom laughed.
"You mean you guys didn't recognize Sidney?" I asked.
"Sidney? Why would we recognize..." My mom started. My dad suddenly tossed the newspaper onto the kitchen table.
"Alice...why am I reading an article about Sidney Crosby having a broken arm...when there is a Sidney upstairs, from Pittsburgh, with a cast on the same arm that was broken on Crosby?" My dad asked. I swallowed roughly.
"Well...uh...you see, the funny thing is that..." I started stuttering.
"YOU'RE DATING A PENGUIN!?" He cried. I cringe-smiled, and nodded.
"Alice Catherine Parker I cannot believe you! First you betray us by becoming a Devils fan, and now this?!" My mom yelled.
"Are you guys really that mad about it?!" I asked, running my hands through my hair.
"Mad, no. Disappointed and disgusted that I have to house the enemy...yes." My dad laughed.
"Oh come on Dad...the enemy?" I asked.
"Yes! The enemy! You of all people, little miss puck-head, should know how Flyers fans feel about Crosby! What are the neighbors going to think?!" My dad said.
"Do you want us to leave?" I asked, my temper flaring just a bit.
"No...you know your father is joking with you." My mom said warily.
"I'm not kidding! A Penguin? Of all the teams in the NHL, you had to date a guy on the Penguins." My dad sighed before putting the newspaper on the paper rack.
"Dad, he's such a sweet guy...and I love him. You're just going to have to deal with it." I sighed before walking back upstairs. I sighed and curled up next to Sidney, who was still sleeping. I traced my finger along his strong jaw, and stared at his face. Sometimes he was soft...young looking...but other times, especially when he was angry or serious, he looked more like a man than some of the other guys on his team. When he was asleep I could see the stress of being injured was causing him. Slight shadows ringed his eyes, and his hands twitched every few seconds, as if he was shooting a hockey puck.

A light knock sounded on the door a few minutes later, and my mom cracked it.
"Alice, I talked to your father. He's promised to behave, as long as you and Sidney do the same. That means no trash talking this time around." She whispered.
"Thank you." I sighed, glancing once more at the sleeping Sidney. A faint smile danced across his lips and he rolled over. My mom closed the door again and I leaned over, lightly kissing his cheek, before wrapping my arm around him and dozing off myself. Please, let him stick to his promise.

31

"Alice!" My mom cried, running and hugging me tightly as Sidney and I walked out of the airport terminal.
"Hey mom!" I smiled, hugging her back. She was only a little bit taller than me, and her short brown hair was highlighted nicely as usual, and gently brushed her thin face.
"Hey hun!" My dad said, pulling me into a hug as soon as my mom let go. I hugged him as well. He was tall, with black hair that was streaked with gray, and smiling brown eyes.
"Mom...Dad...This is Sidney. Sidney, these are my parents." I said, pulling Sidney over to us.
"Mr. and Mrs. Parker...it's nice to meet you." He said, holding out his good hand. My dad shook his hand firmly, and my mom shook it as well.
"Please, call me Anne." My mom said.
"Jefferey." My father said.

"Your parents are really nice." Sidney said that night, unpacking his suitcase and putting his clothes in the white dresser drawer.
"Thanks." I said, placing my own clothes into the drawer next to the one he was putting his clothes in.
"So this was your room huh?" Sidney asked, glancing around.
"Yeah...well, what's left of it anyway." I laughed. The walls were lime green, with black stars making a border along the top of the room.
"It's nice...I'm not surprised about the glitter by the way." Sidney laughed, examining the paint more closely.
"Hey, I was seventeen. Besides, girls like glitter!" I said. Sidney laughed and placed his hands on my hips. He kissed me, and pushed me back into the bed. My knees buckled as they hit the mattress and I found myself sitting. For the first time in days, he allowed his tongue to slide between our lips. I grinned as I twined my hands through his hair. Wow, I've seen him every day for the past week and it feels like its been months since we made out. I missed this. He pressed himself against me, and as I breathed in, I drowned in his scent. It was sexy and sweet, and something that no cologne could recreate (I had tried spraying his on my sweatshirt once, but it wasn't the same). He let a moan escape his throat, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. He pushed me further back until I was sprawled beneath him on the bed. He held himself up on his good arm, and the fingers of his broken hand found their way into my hair. Suddenly he broke away and stared me in the eyes.
"I love you." He said hoarsely.
"I love you too." I said.
"No, you don't get it. I mean, I love you love you. Everything is right when it's just us...when I'm with you everything seems to fix itself. This is the first time in days I haven't been pissed off about my arm, or miserable because Marc comes home all happy from practice and I can't go...Alice, you're everything to me. I don't need hockey as long as I have you, and it's taken this to make me realize it." He said. His voice was husky, but his eyes were so happy that I felt myself crying. I pulled him down and hugged him. For once in my life, words failed me.
"Sid...I love you too." I whispered into his ear.

30

"Seriously? Six weeks?!" He roared. I cringed as his voice filled the hallway. He stormed out of the doctor's office and immediately hugged me as tightly as he could without hurting me. He buried his face in my hair and let out a frustrated, yet quiet, scream.
"Sid, calm down." I said, holding his face in between my hands. He stared at me, his eyes a mingled mess of anger and sadness.
"I can't believe this. Its always something new. Last season it was the concussion, and now it's a concussion AND a broken arm? Does God hate me?" He sighed, hanging his head. I lifted his chin.
"No, God doesn't hate you. Hockey is a dangerous sport and everyone gets injured every once in a while. You'll be back in no time, and other than your arm, you can stay in shape so it won't be too bad." I said. He sighed again before wrapping his good arm around my waist.
"I guess you're right. Maybe we can hang out more now that I won't have practice." He said.
"I still have work!" I laughed.
"Boo, work sucks." He chuckled.

At work, my articles were becoming more and more popular. Readers constantly sent me letters asking for new pieces on the Penguins. Mr. Whitacre was incredibly pleased, especially because our ratings had gone up significantly. I was dubbed the official "hockey corespondent" of the paper, and my article on Sidney's injury made the front page.
"It's nice to have such personal articles. I mean, we really get to see the people behind the players." Mr. Whitacre said a few days later.
"Trust me, they're a lot more interesting than my interviews show." I chuckled.
"I bet. So how is Sidney coping with the injury?" He asked. I sipped my coffee and picked up the papers out of my mailbox.
"Oh, he's living. He's miserable, but he's living." I said with a slight laugh.
"I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for him to be all cooped up." Mr. Whitacre smiled sympathetically.
"Yeah. He's driving everyone nuts when they're around." I smirked.

"Let's go somewhere exciting this weekend!" Sidney said after dinner. I raised my eyebrows.
"Where are we going to go?" I asked.
"I dunno...how about where you grew up? I haven't gotten to meet your parents yet, and I really want to see Jersey. It'll be a short trip. You can take off Friday, and we can come home Sunday afternoon!" He said. For the first time that week I saw something more genuine than boredom and misery on his face.
"I...I guess. I'll have to call my parents and see if we can stay with them though, and I'll have to make sure Mr. Whitacre is okay with me taking off." I said.
"Sweet!" Sidney said before kissing me on the cheek. I hope he's ready to meet some hard core Flyers fans....

29

It was December 29th. The Penguins were playing the Montreal Canadiens. I had gotten a front row seat (Sidney knew I preferred sitting in the crowd). Sidney was set up for a goal, which, if he made it, would be his third of the night. The puck was passed to him. P.K. Subban flew down the ice, and the look on his face showed that he was determined to help his goalie out. Sidney brought his stick back. Subban prepared to make the check. Sidney fired off the shot. Subban slammed into Sid. As the puck found twine, Sidney's body found the boards. The red light lit up, the horn sounded, and the crowd erupted, hats soaring onto the ice. However, the crowd grew silent just as quickly as they heard the referee blow his whistle. He pointed to Subban.
"Five minute major, game misconduct, boarding." Were the only words I needed to hear to know that something was wrong. I stood up so that I could get a better angle, and saw Sidney laying crumpled on the ice. His face was pale, his eyes were shut, and he wasn't moving.
"Sid..." I muttered, worry flooding my chest. Some of the coaching staff ran onto the ice. A coach felt his neck for a pulse, motioned something, and then paramedics ran onto the ice, carrying a back board.
"Sidney!" I cried, tears welling in my eyes. The paramedics quickly strapped him to the board, but as they carried him off of the ice, his gloved hand twitched in my direction...a feeble attempt at a wave to let me know he was alive. Hot tears spilled onto my cheeks and I gathered my things. Across the ice, every member of the Penguins looked grim. I did the only thing I could think to do, and ran. I didn't stop running until I reached my car, which was in the player's lot. A guard ran up to me, and before I could say anything he told me where they were taking Sidney. I peeled out of the parking lot, not caring if I was following the speed limit or not.

When I arrived in the emergency room I was faced with stony faced nurses who wouldn't tell me anything about Sidney, but told me that I could wait if I felt like it. I paced back and forth for what felt like hours, silently praying that Sidney was going to be okay, when Evgeni and Marc ran it. Mario, the GM, was close on their heels.
"Where is he?" Evgeni asked me. His face was wracked with worry.
"I don't know! They won't tell me anything!" I said, tears filling my eyes once again. Marc reached out and pulled me into a tight hug as my entire body began to shake.
"Shhh...il est fort...tout va bien." He whispered, rocking me from side to side. Mario, whom I had never spoken to before, looked at me, Marc, and Evgeni, and then grabbed a nurse. They argued quietly for a good five minutes before she walked away and a doctor approached us. Mario and the doctor talked briefly before Mario turned and walked over to us.
"The doctor says that Sidney was knocked unconscious by the check because his head crashed into the boards. Sidney regained consciousness shortly after he was taken in the ambulance, and the doctor said that he is showing minor concussion symptoms. That's relatively good, considering the blow to the head he took last year. Now, the bad news is that his arm was fractured. Other than that, there are no serious injuries. The doctor also informs me that while Sidney was still disoriented he kept asking for Alice. I take it that you're her." He said, turning to me as he said the last part.
"Yes." I said quietly. His eyes were full of concern, but the kind of worry that a father would show for a son.
"Come with me." He said quietly before walking down the hallway that the nurse had disappeared down earlier. I followed him in an almost sleep-like stupor. The smell of cleaning products mixed with the smells of injury and illness made my head reel, and my heart raced as we turned down another hallway. Mario stopped in front of a door, 174 E, and motioned for me to enter the room. I walked in and almost let out a whimper. Sidney lay on the bed, his skin almost as pale of my own, and his right arm enclosed in a heavy black and white cast. IVs ran through his other arm. I walked over to the side of the bed, pulled a chair over, and slipped my hand into his. His skin was cool, and if it weren't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, I would have thought he was dead. Tears found their way onto my cheek once again, and Sidney's hand suddenly tightened around mine.
"Sid?" I said quietly. His eyes fluttered open.
"Hey there..." He muttered.
"Hey." I smiled weakly. He let go of my hand, reached up, and wiped the tears from my cheeks.
"Why are you crying?" He asked. He was very groggy.
"I was scared." I squeaked.
"Did we win?" He asked.
"Yes." I said, although I didn't know if I was telling the truth or not.
"What happened?" He asked.
"You scored a hat trick, and then P.K. Subban hit you." I said. He nodded, smiled slightly, and squeezed my hand.
"At least I got the trick." He smiled before falling back asleep.

28

"CHRISTMAS! CHRISTMAS! GET UP, GET UP, GET UP!" Alice cried, jumping onto my bed. I jolted awake and smiled.
"Hey...could I have a present before I get up?" I asked.
"That depends on what you want." She said.
"I want you to cuddle with me for at least ten minutes." I said, blushing furiously, but she obliged, crawled under the covers, and snuggled into my chest.
"Hey Sid?" She asked.
"Yeah?"
"This is the happiest Christmas I've ever had with a boyfriend." She smiled.
"I've never had a girlfriend on Christmas before." I admitted before kissing her gently.

"Sid where the heck did you get these ornaments? They're awesome!" I asked, gently turning each ornament. There was an ornament for every single NHL team, gleaming bronze and silver maple leaves, glimmering snowflakes, a pair of hockey skates, and ornate blue and gold birds, among other things. White lights twinkled against the boughs of the tree as well.
"My family sends me an ornament every year, and they have a matching one on their tree." Sidney explained, laying a finger on a particularly large golden maple leaf.
"That's really cool." I smiled.
"They gave me this one before the Olympics...it's the only gold one on the tree." He muttered with a grin.
"How'd they know to get you the gold?" I asked.
"They believed in me." He smiled. I bent down and picked up the large box I had brought for him, which was wrapped in green and silver wrapping paper. He raised his eyebrows but picked up a large red box from beneath the tree.
"You first!" I said, shoving the box at him. He placed the box he was holding on the coffee table, took the box from me, sat on the couch, and patted the gray cushion next to him. I flounced onto the couch and smiled excitedly at him. He tore the paper off of the box and tossed the box lid aside quickly. Definitely Sid the Kid. He pulled out a stack of CDs that I had tied together with a ribbon first.
"CDs?" He asked.
"You need some different music Sid...your playlist is a little outdated." I laughed.
"How do you-?!" He started.
"I looked through your iPod." I smirked. He untied the ribbon and began to glance through the CDs.
"Eminem...Usher...Kesha?" He asked, holding up the CD.
"For cardio? I don't know...she's just fun to listen to." I said, shrugging. He put the CDs aside and took out the next gift, a copy of Dragon Age 2.
"Oh sweet! I really wanted this too!" He said happily. I nodded and motioned for him to continue through the box.
"Okay, no offense...but these are the ugliest socks I've ever seen!" Sidney said, pulling a hideous pair of red and green Christmas socks from the box. I began to laugh.
"It's a family tradition for me...we always buy each other really ugly socks as a joke. I figured you'd appreciate that." I giggled. He shook his head and smiled as well before pulling out a nice gray sweatshirt with a fleecy hood.
"I will be stealing that by the way." I said as he zipped it up.
"If you want it, why did you give it to me?" He laughed.
"Because it wouldn't be as fun if it wasn't yours...and it wouldn't smell like you. Duh." I said.
"Okay, your turn!" He said, placing the large box onto my lap. I tore at the red paper, and tossed the box lid onto the floor, realizing that I was a hypocrite when it came to Christmas. I pulled a gorgeous green and silver toque out of the box and smiled.
"Sid this is the most bangin' hat I've ever seen!" I said, pulling it on immediately.
"I figured it would look nice because your hair is red." He said, staring at me.
"...that and you have a huge toque fetish." I laughed before reaching into the box again. My hands found a small, velvety box next. Oh God, jewelry? Again? He spoils me. I opened the box and saw a locket hanging on a delicate chain. The locket was a silver heart with rubies around the edges of it. I rested my finger on it and felt my jaw drop slightly.
"Sid, this is beautiful!" I said. He smiled.
"I was hoping you'd like it. Turn it over." He said. I turned the locket over and engraved on the back were the words Simply meant to be. I blushed furiously.
"How did you know that the Nightmare Before Christmas was my favorite movie?" I asked.
"Marc told me. He said that you had a Jack Skellington pillow in your room, and I noticed the little Zero stuffie when I slept over last time." Sidney shrugged. I took the locket out of the box and put it on immediately before reaching into the larger box and pulling out a single CD.
"We both did CDs?" I asked.
"I know it's cheesy as hell, but that's a mixed CD." Sidney said, turning bright red. I smiled, kissed his nose, and then pulled the last object out of the box. It was a Penguins jersey.
"You didn't..." I said slowly, turning it around. The sleeves fell away from the back as the jersey unfolded, and revealed the number 87 on the back.
"It might be egotistical, but I don't want you wearing anyone's number but mine. You're my girl, and I want everyone to know it." He said, sitting up a little straighter.
"What about my Brodeur jersey?" I asked. He sighed.
"That's the only exception, and it's only when the Devils are in town...or we're in Newark. Other than that, you're mine." He smiled before moving over and kissing me roughly.
"I knew I should have taken this hat off." I smirked before wrapping my hands in his hair and kissing him back.

28

"Hey there! Merry Christmas!" Sidney said, hugging me tightly.
"Merry Christmas!" I smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
"Joyeux Noel!" Marc cried, carrying the bags of gifts we had brought into the house. Sidney had wound garlands around the railings of the foyer steps, and a large wreath hung from his front door. I looked to my left and the dining room was decorated beautifully. The large dining room table was topped with a crimson table cloth, white porcelain dishes, and a large cream colored pillar candle with a small wreath around the bottom of it.
"Merci beaucoup mon petit chou chou!" Sidney cried, flinging his arms around Marc and kissing both his cheeks.

Once everyone arrived and settled down, Sidney had us all sit in the dining room.
"I'll help you in the kitchen." I said, walking towards the kitchen, but Sidney ushered me back to my seat.
"Geno's helping me. Just relax and talk to everyone." He said before disappearing into the kitchen.
"So that's where Geno went, huh?" Max chuckled.
"You know those two and their cooking!" Kris said.

My jaw dropped when Sidney and Evgeni brought in the food. Every dish looked and smelled perfect. The turkey was just gold enough, the potatoes were fluffy and white, and everything else just made my mouth water.
"Holy crap guys, you can cook!" I laughed.
"I'm full of surprises." Sidney smirked.
___________________________________________________________________________________

"So you're staying here tonight, huh?" Annabeth asked as she scrubbed a dish.
"Yeah. What, did Sid tell you?" I asked, drying the dishes she piled next to the sink.
"No, but he told Max. Apparently he's got a surprise or two for you." She smiled.
"Are you and Max getting along well?" I asked, placing the dry dishes in the cabinet.
"He's great...absolutely great. I mean, we always got along well, even before all of this happened, but now he treats me like a goddess. He puts his all into making our relationship work, and I do the same. I've never been happier." She smiled. She was such a lighthearted young woman, mature for her age...I was only 5 years older than her, but in some ways I felt that she was the older one.
"That's great! Sidney said you're doing really well in school too, so you must feel great." I smiled.
"Yeah, I do feel great. I haven't gotten any of the normal pregnant problems either, so I'm on top of the world." She gushed. I glanced at her stomach, which was just starting to show a bump.

"They get along really well." Max smiled, leaning against the wall. We couldn't hear much other than the clatter of dishes and the occasional twinkle of laughter, but the smiles on Alice and Annabeth's faces conveyed enough. The others were sitting in the living room talking, laughing, and just having a good time. Marc was stoking the fire. This is a picture perfect Christmas. I turned to Max again, who was now staring at Annabeth. There was such a look of love on his face that I had to do a double take.
"We sure as hell did all of this backwards Sid." Max muttered.
"What do you mean?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows.
"Well...we got pregnant, and then realized that we loved each other. Why do you think I fought so hard the day you found out? I'd honestly kill anyone who tried to separate us..." Max said. I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder.
"Just treat her right...I forgive you for what happened before, but if you hurt her now...well things will happen." I said.
"I definitely will...so what about Alice? I mean, you say you love her...but do you mean it?" He asked. I felt some color creep into my cheeks as I nodded.
"More than anything...I'm going to marry her if she'll have me. I mean, not now, but someday." I said.
"Good. You two are so good for each other. I'd stretch and say perfect, but no couple is perfect. She definitely has made you more relaxed, especially in public." Max said before sneaking off into the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around Annabeth, who was just starting to show, and kissed her on the cheek. They're perfect...aren't they?

27

The next night I found myself watching the game on TV, suffering from a terrible stomach virus. In between bouts of puking all over, I took notes. I promised Mr. Whitacre a good article, regardless of whether I went or not, and he had accepted due to the fact that I currently had connections to the Penguins. Sidney had texted me before the game telling me to go to sleep, but I knew that I had to get the article in or face the wrath of Penguins fans across the city. The Pens lost 4-3 against Boston, and after the game Sidney immediately called me.
"Hey babe." I said.
"Hey..." He said. He was bummed, and I knew it.
"Don't be too bummed...it was close." I said.
"Our defense was crap." He sighed.
"Yeah, but you'll get it next time." I said.
"I guess...so I kind of wanted to talk to you about something..." He said. Oh no, here we go....
"What's up?" I asked.
"What are we doing for Christmas?" He asked. I blanched, but it was more to blame on the horrible stomach crap I just got.
"I...uh...I'm not sure. What do you want to do?" I asked.
"I was thinking that we could have a nice dinner at my place Christmas Eve with Annabeth, Maxie, Geno, and Flowers, and you could stay overnight. Then we could spend Christmas morning at my place, and then you can go see your family or whatever." Sidney said. Wow, he's really been planning this, hasn't he?
"That sounds great, but I'm not going to see my family this year." I sighed.
"What? Why not?" He asked, shock creeping into his voice.
"They're going to see my sister, who is in China." I said.
___________________________________________________________________________________

"Marc what am I gonna get Sidney?" I whined, laying on the couch with my face buried in the pillow.
"I don't know, but whatever it is...make sure it's nothing cooler than what you got me." He smirked. I rolled over and stared at him.
"What makes you think I got you something?" I asked.
"The box in your room labeled 'Flowers'." He laughed.
"Why were you in my room?" I asked.
"I saw the boxes, duh!" He said.
"Jerk." I muttered.
"It's cool that you got everyone presents though." He said.
"I didn't get everyone presents." I said.
"I meant me, Max, Geno, Cookie, and Annabeth." He said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh...well I couldn't not get them something." I laughed.
___________________________________________________________________________________

I smoothed out the front of my dress and walked out into the hall nervously. Marc whistled at me and I blushed.
"Is it too much?" I asked, turning to examine the back of the dress. It was a knee length black dress with a plunging neckline and a red silk bow around the waist.
"No, it's just right for Christmas dinner. It's classy." Marc said, grabbing my hand and spinning me around. I swear sometimes his nickname suits him too well.
"Okay, well let's get rolling then." I said, grabbing my coat off of the couch.

26

"Uhn, I like it like that, she workin' that back, I don' know how to act. Slow motion for me, slow motion for me, slow motion for me." Sidney sang, rocking back and forth on the balance ball in his garage.
"Please tell me you're joking." I laughed, leaning against the door way. He let out a yell, and toppled to the ground.
"What the hell?!" He cried, slapping the radio to his right off.
"Nice singing there babe. I came to see how Annabeth was doing, but she's not here, so I figured I'd come find you." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Annabeth moved out yesterday." Sidney said, picking himself off of the floor.
"How come nobody told me?!" I cried.
"I don't know, just didn't think of it I guess. Maxie has been really good to her, so she decided it was time to move in." Sidney explained. I nodded.
"I'm glad they're getting along well." I said.
"Well, they really liked each other before all of this, and Max is very serious about this whole dad business, so they're making it work." Sid said, picking up the balance ball and stowing it in a closet.
"So why don't you park in the garage and work out in the basement?" I asked, glancing around. There was a treadmill, a bike, various sets of weights, and some other random exercise equipment filling the garage.
"Because my basement is party central, duh." Sidney laughed, pulling open the fridge and taking out a bottle of water.
"Party central? You haven't had a single party here since we started dating and it's been almost 5 months." I said, shaking my head.
"Well Annabeth has been here for a while, and I didn't want to have a party with her around." Sidney shrugged, wiping his face off with a towel. I could tell that he had been working out for a while; his hair was plastered to his head with sweat.
"That makes sense." I said, taking the towel from him.
"Hey!" He said, grabbing for it. I dodged and stuck out my tongue.
"Go shower, you smell. I'll plan something fun while you shower." I said. He glared at me.
"I do not smell." He said.
"Just do it!" I barked. He rolled his eyes and sauntered off into the house. I snapped the towel against his butt.
"I'm going, I'm going!" He sighed, picking up the pace.

By the time Sidney came downstairs again, I had put on my hat, coat, gloves, and boots, and had piled his stuff next to the door.
"So where are we going?" He asked. I smirked.
"You'll see!" I said before running out the door and into the snow. I immediately dove into the fluffy white stuff, laughing like a little kid. He tugged on his boots and walked outside, slipping on his coat as he did so.
"Why are you rolling around in the snow?" He asked.
"Why aren't you?!" I asked, tossing a snowball at him. He quickly dodged it, made his own, and tossed it at me. It caught me in the chest and I flopped backwards, making a "BLEHH" noise as I went down.
"Got ch'a!" He laughed, running and flopping into the snow next to me.
"No fair, you're Canadian!" I cried, slamming a handful of snow into his face.
"Ahhh!" He cried, immediately wiping off his face. His cheeks were flushed bright red, as well as the tip of his nose, and snowflakes clung to his eyelashes.
"Got ch'a!" I teased, mimicking his voice. He stood up, bent over, and threw me over his shoulder. I screamed and began to flail.
"Put me down Sid! Where are you taking me?!" I cried as he started walking around the house. He dumped me in the snow after opening the gate to his back yard.
"I figured this would be better in a more...private area." He growled before tackling me into a snowbank and kissing me roughly. I felt my eyebrows perk up in surprise. Damn, he's usually not this sexy. He pinned me to the ground, the kiss getting heavier by the second. My gloved hands made their way to the back of his neck, and our coats swished slightly as he picked me up and put me in his lap.
"Damn Sid, what's gotten into you?" I asked as we finally broke apart. His eyes were burning.
"I never told you that I love girls in snow gear, did I? I guess it's a Canadian thing." He said gruffly before kissing me again.

Some how, we made our way from the backyard to his living room, but as I shedded my coat and snow pants he grabbed my hands.
"Don't take off the hat." He ordered. I raised my eyebrows.
"I love toques. They're hot." He said. I laughed and he tossed me onto his couch before crouching over me and kissing me again. I grinned against his lips as he let me peel off his shirt. Damn, that chest! His hands made their way up my shirt, and I eventually found myself topless as well. His skin was warm against mine, and it felt so right. His hands wandered up and down my torso, and as things started to get a little more interesting he froze.
"Alice...if I stop now, are you going to be mad at me?" He asked suddenly. My head was fuzzy, but I shook it.
"No...but can I ask why?"
"I am thoroughly enjoying this...but if it gets much further I'm going to wind up having sex with you...and I...I just..." He started saying, his cheeks flushing in embarassment.
"You're not ready?...I'm not either. Quite honestly, even if I was ready, I wouldn't. I was brought up with the no sex before marriage thing, and it just...the reasoning behind it makes sense for me." I explained before kissing his forehead gently. He smiled in relief.
"So you're not the only one?" He asked. I shook my head and found my shirt.
"Can you leave your shirt off?" I asked as he reached down to pick up his black tee.
"What? Why?" He asked.
"Because you have the sexiest chest ever!" I laughed, pushing him over and kissing him gently.