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.