Chapter 14

Eliza's POV:

Over the next few weeks, I busied myself with getting ready for the benefit dinner the Pens were hosting for the CPP over the holidays. The holidays in general were my absolute favorite time of the year so even though the Pens were in a bit of a slump and that made Sidney unbearable to be around, even his bad mood couldn't bring me down. With aproximately 2 weeks until Christmas, I was starting to literally hear bells jingling everywhere just from my own excitement and wishful thinking.

"Hi Mom" I said answering the phone ringing on my desk and feeling extra cheerful even though it was her calling me.

"Hi hon!" She answered in her usual breezy tone. Why shouldn't she be breezy? Last I had heard she was off in Europe somewhere while my Dad was shacking it up with his former secretary. They had the kind of strange relationship you think you only hear about in b-grade dramas. Yes, I literally did have the type of parents that were completely happy to live thousands of miles away from each other and have their affairs away from prying eyes. I only wish I was kidding.

"Did you need something?" I asked wondering why she was even bothering. It was two weeks until Christmas meaning another two weeks until I got the obligatory holiday phone call from both of them.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'll be staying here through the holidays and returning after the new year to spend some time in Pittsburgh." This was unexpected considering I thought she would be over in Europe with her latest mogul until at least Summer. However it wasn't surprising to hear that I would be alone for Christmas again this year.

"Um, okay Mom. Just call me and we'll spend some time together." Would we really spend time together though? It would most likely just end up as a dinner party where I awkwardly converse with whatever guy my Mom has deemed suitable for me.

We talked for a few more minutes and she told me some more about the resort she was staying at until I lied and told her that I had to go. Years of not having a proper relationship with my parents had at least taught me how to quickly evade conversations. A knock sounded at my office door pulling me out of my familial musings and back into the real world.

"Why are you frowning? All of the players from other teams that you requested for the benefit RSVP'd" Mario said smiling kindly at me from his position in the doorway.

"Nothing, just thinking." It didn't feel right to talk to him about my parents and their shitty parenting when at one point Mario and Nathalie had actually been friends with them. I would never understand the how or why of their friendship but it hadn't all been bad- it had allowed me to meet the Lemieuxs who as far as I was concerned, had been the better set of parents to me.

"Well stop frowning because the benefit is going to be a success."
"I'll stop" I said mustering up a smile at him. It was hard not to smile at him in that moment just because of how hard he was trying to cheer me up.

"Good, what time should Nathalie and I be there on Friday night? We thought we would swing by early and give you a hand."

"Thanks, well if it starts at 7 would you mind coming around 6?"

"Just as long as that's the time you plan on going too."

I nodded trying to pretend like I wasn't lying. I would have to be event around 4pm to make sure that everything was perfect. My control freak tendencies weren't going to let me have it any other way. Still the thought of Nathalie and Mario arriving early just for me was touching and wiped away the bitter taste I still had in my mouth after talking to my Mom. I thanked him and he gave me another smile before taking a seat in the office to talk hockey with me.


I spent the rest of the week working and finalizing everything for the event that Friday night.

"So are you excited?" Vero asked me on the phone while I walked briskly up and down the grocery aisles. Throughout my planning for the event, I had completely forgotten to buy groceries for my house and had absolutely nothing but stale cornflakes to eat for dinner. Delicious!

"I'm excited but also excited for it to be over already. I'm exhausted" I said making her laugh on the other line. I got so nervous about the benefit at night that even when I tried to go to sleep, I would end up laying there for hours thinking over plans again before conking out around 3 and getting up at 6 to start the whole cycle over again.

"Well, at least you'll get to wear a great dress and look totally hot." Shit. A dress.

"Oh yeah, totally" I lied for what seemed like the millionth time that week. Suddenly I was panicking about what I was going to wear and the fact that I had neglected myself not only food wise but now I had even forgotten that I had to clothe myself on Friday night.

"You totally forgot to buy yourself something to wear, didn't you" she said sounding suspicious of my overly excited tone.

"If I say yes, you can't judge me" I admitted holding the phone away from my ear while she started to yell in french.

"Calm down. I'll finish grocery shopping and go get a dress tonight." That would work. It was only 7:30 so I still had about an hour and a half before the mall started to close.

I finished my speed shopping and drove like a maniac to the mall in full on panic mode. I loved shopping but I loved shopping when I had time. Since I was giving a speech at the benefit and would be in front of the microphone for part of the evening, I had  to at least look decent. I wasn't sure that I was capable of managing 'hot' like Vero or Eliza, but I could try to look prettier than normal.

I ran into Banana Republic knowing that there would be a lot of safe choices in there for me to choose from. They always had great cocktail dresses which would be the perfect combination of sophisticated but also conservative. I was the coordinator of a kid's charity, I couldn't look like a slut.

"Try this one" the saleswoman said smiling and handing over a plum, strapless cocktail dress. I took it to the dressing room and grimaced when I noticed that I had worn the least sexy underwear that I own that day. Somehow mirrors in dressing rooms always make you look bigger than you want to look. Needless to say, the grandma underwear I was sporting looked exceptionally terrible.

"I knew it would look good with your skin tone" the sales woman commented when I popped out to ask for her opinion. I examined myself in the mirror not hating it but feeling a little self-conscious in it.

"You don't think it makes me look too..curvy?" I asked skeptically. I would at least need a small sweater or something given the way this dress was pushing my boobs together.

"No, it hugs you in all of the right places and I'm not even just saying that. Do you have a hot date or something?" she asked grinning in that way women do.

"No" I laughed. "It's a work thing." I sighed realizing that even though it was a work thing, there was no one there to impress with my cleavage in this dress. I hadn't remembered to properly feed myself or buy a dress for this even this week. When was I going to remember to get myself a date?

"Oh, well I still think it looks great. If there is anyone to impress, you're going to knock em' dead." My mind drifted to Sidney and I sighed knowing that he was probably going to bring Christine with him who would undoubtedly blow me out of the water with whatever she wore.

Still, I had to focus on the present and I did really like the color of the dress. I had the saleswoman show me to the sweaters so I could find something to cover me up a bit listening to the saleswoman cluck at me and tell me over and over again how I shouldn't be hiding my body away. Yeah, okay. 

Now that I had something to wear, I went home to try to go to sleep and possibly get a full 8 hours for the first time that week.

Sidney's POV:

"Siiiiiddd. Fix your tie." I moved my own fumbling hands letting Christine finish knotting the tie for me. We were getting ready for the CPP holiday benefit tonight and I felt like my mind was off in 30 directions. To make things worse, I knew for sure that I wanted to break things off with Christine but hadn't found the right time to do it and she was coming with me as my date to the event tonight. She had been on my case for two weeks about us moving in together and she was getting progressively more angry at me for not making a decision or giving her my opinion on it. A normal girl would take the hint and realize that it is never going to happen between us but this was beyond Christine. When I had met her I never would have guessed that she was actually just this stupid.

"How do I look?" She asked emerging from the bathroom. She was wearing a purple-y excuse for a dress and I was reminded why I had stayed with her all of this time. She was hot and I was bored. The combination was disasterous and had put me in my current awkward position.

"Ready to go?" I asked standing up and ignoring her question. She already knew that she looked good so why did she need me feed her compliments? She wasn't one of those girls that genuinely wanted to know how she looked, she just wanted more compliments that proved what she already knew.

Luckily for me she let it go and grasped my arm tightly as we walked out to the car to drive over to where the beneifit was being held. I wasn't looking forward to an evening of schmoozing when I would rather be vegging out but this was Emma's night and she had been beating herself into the ground working on it for months. I was there to schmooze for her and hopefully make her relax.

The ride over was long with maximum traffic because  it was Friday night. I had promised Emma that I would be there early for her to start with the media side of the event but because it was already 6:30 and we still had a couple of blocks to drive, it looked like I was going to be on the late side rather than the early side. Great.

I walked in not really caring whether or not Christine was following me and pushed impatiently on the elevator buttons. People were already starting to arrive and Christine turned and planted a kiss on me near the cameras before darting off to where Vero and Marc were standing and giving their coats to the coat check. I caught Vero's eye and she winked at me signalling that she would distract Christine for me for awhile. I mouthed 'thank you' to her knowing that she didn't like Christine but someone had to babysit her. Spotting a journalist I was familiar with from the Post-Gazette, I went over to begin doing what I was there for, talking up the event and how much it contributes back to children in Pittsburgh and hopefully soon, other cities as well. I still hadn't spotted Emma yet though I swore I saw a head of dark red hair weaving in and out of the crowds. Hair like hers wasn't too common and I found myself anxiously hoping to get a glimpse of her. At her first event for the program, she had gotten so nervous that she had forgotten to feed herself the whole night and was teetering on the path to drunk thanks to Jordan and Kris trying to help her relax by supplying her with liquor the whole time. I almost laughed in the middle of talking to a reporter just remembering the look on her face when she realized she wasn't sober at her own charity event. She had made me run out and by her a hamburger at a McDonald's close by so that she could scarf down the carbs and soak up the alcohol in her stomach.

"It's not funny, Crosby." I watched her lips twitch in a half-smile as she took another bite of her hamburger in a corner of the hallway.

"I can't believe you let them 'relax' you" I said using air quotes. "I had always pegged you as a smart girl."

She covered her mouth trying to keep her food inside while she burst out laughing at the ridiculous situation she was in. As soon as she was finished and had chugged some more water, I grabbed both of her hands and pulled her up from her position on the floor.
"Come on, let's go back in."

"Man, have you seen Emma?" Staalsy knocked my shoulder slightly and pulled me out of my daze.

"No, I've been looking for her though" I stated trying to see over the crowds of people all standing near the bar and hors d'oeuvres area.

"God, you've got to see her. She has this dress thing on." I frowned wondering what the hell he was talking about as he gestured to himself. More specifically, his chest.

"What?" I asked almost afraid to know what he was talking about.

"Oh christ. What's she doing over there with Ovechkin? You know how he feels about redheads" He sighed taking another champagne flute off a passing waiter's tray.

Knowing she was probably in eyesight now I turned and got a glimpse of the back of her standing in a dark purple dress- a very form-fitting dress.  More importantly, I saw Ovechkin grinning down at her with a look on his face and one hand resting snugly on her lower back near the swell of her ass. It was the kind of look every guy makes when he feels like he's just been given the keys to a candy store-turned porn shop.

"She looks hot, right?" Jordan commented next to me making me want to punch him.

Damn it.

Emma's POV:

"So, we go have drink now, yes?" Alex asked for the fifth time since we met an hour earlier. I wasn't exactly sure why I now had one of the top forwards in the NHL following me around but seeing that he had been extremely cooperative with the press and seemed interested in helping my program, I didn't want to be creeped out by his very forward advances. Eliza raised her eyebrow from where she was standing with Vero and Christine giving me a "what the hell?" look.

"I like your dress" Alex commented smiling and placing his hand even lower down my back. I was grateful that I had chosen a dress that didn't expose my back too much, else he would be feeling a whole lot of my skin right now instead of just fabric. As soon as Nathalie had arrived that evening, she had made me take off my sweater and wear the dress as is. I still felt a little self-conscious in it given the reaction it was getting but the height from my heels gave me confidence and the long thickness of my hair was able to provide some coverage if I placed it right. I hadn't over done it with my make up and had opted to set my hair in rollers that afternoon while I ran around putting the finishing touches on the dinner tables. Now I was really wishing that Alex would leave me alone for a minute so that I could run to the bathroom and check on my makeup and hair. I had no idea what I looked like anymore and was starting to sweat in strange places just from being so nervous. Speaking of nervous, I was starting to get anxious about what Sidney was doing. He had promised that he would turn on the charm for this event and get me some publicity. I didn't want to make him my work horse on a Friday night but he was the best weapon I had right now. He was also a big calming force for me when I was nervous during these benefits and whether I was truly ready to admit it to myself or not, I needed him here with me.

He had kept me sane so many times and I was disappointed that I had yet to see him and that he had most likely been running late. By now it was beyond crowded in the ballroom and I felt like I had already talked to a million people even though we hadn't started the dinner yet.
"Would you excuse me for a minute?" I asked deciding to just be rude and break away from Alex. I didn't want to hear anymore about whatever he was telling me about Russia. I just wanted to pee and check on my makeup.

I broke away promising to finish the drink with him later and made a bee-line to the bathroom.

"Hey! There you are!" Eliza said grabbing my arm and tugging me into the bathroom with her. At least we were heading into the same place, I really had to pee now.

"Why were you with Ovechkin?" She asked all but spitting his name out. All of the time she had spent with Max over the last few years must have really gotten to her. "He was all over you! I mean honestly, doesn't he know any better? This is for charity" she spat out throwing her hands up in disgust.

"He's not that bad" I asserted. "I'm fine with him paying attention to me and my chest if it gets him to work with the program. Like it or not, he would draw a lot of attention to the program and then maybe we could make this more widespread in the league." She grunted by the sink and I took that as an agreement of understanding.

"Now, do I look presentable again?" I asked smoothing down my hair. Luckily, it was still curling softly in big ringlets and I adjusted the little gold clip holding part of it back from my face. I smoothed my dress in making sure everything was in place cleavage wise and turned to face her.

"You look gorgeous. That's what has me worried about all of the attention Ovechkin's been paying you."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but believe me. After awhile he'll get over his interest in me and leave me alone. Besides, I'll be busy working and he'll take the hint."

Because she was rolling her eyes at me again and mumbling, I turned on my heels feeling more prepared to get back on the merry go round of the night. I spotted Ovechkin over by the bar with a few other players and sighed feeling relieved that that part of the night was probably over.

I turned with the intent of going in the opposite direction and instead turned face first into a solid wall of chest. I jumped back with the intent of apologizing profusely and stopped when I realized that it was Sidney who I had collided with.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a slight smile on his face. His hands were wrapped firmly around my back from where he had stopped me from falling on my butt. Previously where Alex's touch had been slightly annoying and nothing more than a warm hand on fabric, Sidney's hands felt like they had seared through the dress to my core.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks" I said taking a careful step back from him. The sight of him in a suit did funny things to my stomach and those hands.  I had to put some space between us. "Wait, what's up with your tie?" He looked gorgeous but he had obviously done the tie himself. It was completely off center and too short.

"Huh?" He asked breaking his stare. "What's wrong with my tie?" he asked holding the ends up. The front was about an inch shorter than the back and he looked  plain silly.
I motioned for him to follow me and we slipped back out into the hallway I had vacated from the bathroom only a few minutes earlier.

"I thought you knew how to knot a tie" I laughed stepping up to him to undo the tie and readjust it. We were alone in the hallway and I took a minute to breathe in the simplicity of the moment. It was going to be the most quiet part of my evening and I wanted to enjoy it for a second, even if that did mean torturing myself by putting myself in close proximity with him.

I was almost finished when Sidney cleared his throat, shifting and throwing the knot of slightly. "You look really nice" he started settling his hands on my hips. The feeling of his large hands resting lightly on my hips made my mind trip and screw up the tie again. I looked up about to apologize for making his tie worse when I caught the intense look on his face as he stared down at me. In my heels, he wasn't that much taller than me and I found myself at eye-level with his lips before I quickly looked back up into his eyes not wanting to get caught staring.

"It's a new dress" I blurted out not sure what to say in this position with him. Why was he still holding me? I hadn't been held like this in so long that the feeling of his hands now gripping me firmly was making my body short-circuit and my pulse pound out of my neck. I felt myself being pulled closer to him and my chest scrape the material of his suit lightly.

"Emma? They're looking for you to-" I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Nathalie's voice in the hallway. "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She asked us now smiling innocently at the two of us and the 2 foot space I had put between Sidney and I. I felt like a little kid who had just gotten with their hand in the cookie jar. 

"I'm gonna go" I announced making my escape.

What the hell was that?

Sid's POV:

As soon as she pointed out how badly knotted my tie was, I should have known that this was not going to end well for me. Great, I've been doing interviews and looking like this thanks to Christine. She led me out into the hallway where I expected she would give me the chance to fix it but instead walked right up to me and began to un-tie it herself. This was problematic because it felt like she was undressing me and not just being a good friend and fixing the tie for me. I stared at her forehead and tried not to look down the length of her. Now I understand what Jordan was gesturing too. She looked so innocently sexy in her dress that I hoped she couldn't feel my pulse beating wildly against her hands as they brushed my neck.

She had done something to her hair to make it extra bouncy and it floated around her shoulders and the swell of her breasts making the lines of her dress look like even more of a temptation. I put my hands on her waist not entirely sure if I wanted her to stay and continue to torture me or go. What were we doing? It seemed like we had always had some sort of unspoken agreement between us that had kept us at a safe distance from each other before. Now I doubted either of us felt safe.

I was going to pay for it later but I pulled her slightly closer watching her eyes widen under my stare. I noticed them flicker back and forth between my eyes and my lips as she probably wondered what the hell I was doing.

"Emma? They're looking for you to-" Nathalie walked out into the hallway and spotted us before Emma could jump away quickly enough. She looked guiltily at me before turning all of her attention over to Nathalie who was grinning ear to ear.
I watched the back of Emma walk briskly away and melt into the crowd. Whatever had just happened had been...different.

"Sidney, you're staring" Nathalie smiled patting my cheek like any Mom would do.

Yeah, I guess I was. Something told me she was definitely worth staring after.



AN: Don't hate me! I have gotten a lot of comments about things not happening quickly enough between them but my hands literally will not let me rush anything. So please just be patient with me, it WILL happen soon, I promise. I'm not trying to torture all of you, I just really want everything to fall into place in this story the right way. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter :D I've been agonizing about it in between doing real work all weekend.

Chapter 13

Sid's POV:

Come on, pick up the phone, pick up the phone. I hated waiting for her to find her phone all of the time in her giant, messy purse. I hated that damn purse of hers but it was also so typically her to carry so much around with her that it made me smile.

"Hello?" I heard her pick up finally sounding winded and confused.

"What are you doing right now?" I asked not bothering to tell her who it was. Over the past two years, we had worked out a system: short conversations on the phone, long conversations in person. It was so much easier to be friends with a girl that also hated talking on the phone.

"Hiking" she replied. "What are you doing?"

"Can you hike down to my house in the next hour? I'll order you food" I knew I could get her to quit her hike if I offered her something to eat.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure how far away I am from my starting point. Can I call you when I'm back at my car?" I felt myself get nervous at the idea of her lost in the woods somewhere. For whatever reason she actually liked to get lost in the woods and it never seemed to stress her out. And remarkably, she always found her way back.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine Dad" she laughed when I didn't say anything and hung up promising to call me back later. A half hour later she called me back letting me know that she was on her way.
"Just ignore the fact that I look like a mess!" she said before hanging up on me. She never looked like a mess but she was gone before I could point that out. Even when her hair was windblown from being outside and she didn't have any makeup on, she still managed to completely unnerve me with how beautiful she was.

And lately, me noticing how beautiful she actually was, was starting to become a problem. A big problem. I had always known that she was uniquely gorgeous but as we slid into the routine of becoming friends, it was easier to assume the role of platonic guy friend knowing that she wasn't interested in anything else.
Emma was part of the reason that Christine wanted us to move in together even though we had only been seeing each other off and on for a few months. She didn't understand why it was okay for Emma to crash here occasionally and not her. She didn't understand that it was Emma holding me back from making anything permanent with anyone else. I didn't really know what to do about this either.

Emma's POV:

I pulled into Sidney's long, secluded driveway and pulled my car into the garage door he had left open for me. After quickly pulling my long hair into a more secure ponytail, I climbed out and walked into the house shutting the doors behind me as I went along. Sidney was a private and pretty conservative guy and his house reflected that quiet, shy part about him. It wasn't too big because he claimed that it was stupid for a single guy to have an enormous house but really I knew it was because all of the open space would make him feel lonely. It was part of the reason that he had stayed with the Lemieuxs for so long- he liked having the family setting around him.

"I'm in here" he called out hearing my footsteps. I smiled watching him unearth cartons of Italian food from a big, paper delivery bag at the kitchen counter. He was probably giving me the fattening stuff while he stuck to his intense hockey season diet.

"You still haven't painted anything, have you?" I asked frowning and examining his still very bare, and very white kitchen. White spaces made me feel like I was in an insane asylum. It was somehow just wrong for so pretty a house to remain undecorated.

"Hi, nice to see you too" he joked handing me a plate.

"But seriously Sidney. Maybe you should let Christine move in just so someone will decorate this place." I meant it as a joke but he obviously didn't take it that way as he stiffened and kept his eyes down.

"I was joking" I offered trying to get one of his famous smiles out of him.

He finally obliged me and looked me over with an amused look on his face. "Nice outfit" he grinned handing me a plate. I blushed looking down at my ancient yoga pants that were starting to get a little too tight for my liking and my old Pens t-shirt and tanktop. My red hair had gotten a little wavy from being outside and was fighting the hair band I had confined it too.

"Hey, I warned you buddy" I said waving my fork at him. I had long since given up trying to impress Sidney Crosby with my appearance. I had never been flashy or pretty enough to garner attention from him before and being friends with him hadn't changed that. Now in my mid-20's and hopelessly single, I had pretty much stopped caring about what I looked like except for when I went to work. I loved my job and couldn't look like a slob while I was out working with press and the team on Penguins charity work. How would it look if I was out trying to raise money for homeless people when I looked like a homeless person?

"So, are you going to talk about last night or did you just feel the need to feed me?" I asked watching as he settled next to me on one of the stools. I switched positions sitting sideways on the stool so that I could face him while we ate.

"I don't know. Christine wants us to move in together but I'm not sure that I want that."

"So she wants to move in here?" I felt like correcting him and tried not to let the anger creep into my voice. I was by no means an expert on love and relationships but why was he always so blind to the types of girls that he dated? Christine just wants to have someone pay her rent for her and latching onto Sidney would have its advantages. He shrugged noncommitally and twirled more pasta around on his fork.  He only did that stupid shrugging thing when he knew that I wanted to say something to him but he wasn't going to like it so he tried to play it off. Yes, we did know each other well.

"I don't think we're ready but she keeps pushing the subject and throwing the "l" word at me. How am I supposed to respond to that?" He actually looked stressed out about this and waited for my response.

"Well, do you love her?" I asked praying that he wouldn't say yes. What would I say in response to that? Congratulations?

"No" he said staring at the counter in front of him. "I'm not sure why she keeps saying it though. There are only so many times I can change the subject after that."
I was now inexplicably just angry at him for not being the Sidney I knew he could be. Why couldn't he just decide if Christine was what he wanted or not? Why couldn't he do the right thing and realize that she was using him? Times like this reminded me of what had prompted me to really take a step back and look at him a few years ago when he originally blew off the Children's Partnership Program. Was he so used to people telling him what to do that he couldn't think for himself anymore? Our legs were touching casually as we ate and suddenly I couldn't handle the contact anymore.

"Where are you going?" he asked holding my knee down with his hand.

"Well you don't even want to really talk about this so I was going to go watch your TV" I admitted watching his lips quirk up in amusement at me.

"I want to talk to you about it, I just don't know what to do about it either. What do you think of her, and be honest?"

There it was, the question that I had effectively evaded thus far in the few short months that they had been dating.

"Did you get any garlic bread? This place has great garlic bread." I rummaged around in the takeout bag thankful that I had something to do with my hands. I could feel his caramel gaze on me as he analyzed my movements.

"You don't like her" he deadpanned staring me down. What was I supposed to do? Then again, I always criticized him for not saying what he was really feeling and there I was not telling him the truth.

"Truthfully, not really. But then again, your opinion of her is what ultimately matters." I wasn't going to add that I secretly thought of her as one of Satan's earthlings. He shrugged again muttering an "I know" and we both turned back to finishing our meals.

Later as we sat in front of the TV trying to find something good to watch, Sidney reached over to yank the notebook I was writing event ideas in out of my hands.

"You don't ever stop working, do you?" he asked looking over my notes while I struggled against him to take it back.

"You're one to talk" I said playfully referring to his fanaticism about the Pens and hockey in general.

"I like this idea" he said pointing to a charity dinner idea I was jotting down notes about. As the lead player representative for the CPP, Sidney was acutely tuned into all of the work that went into setting up events and media outlets for it. What had started out as my pet project two years ago had grown into one of the most successful programs that the Pens were involved with. The success of it had turned me into a minor workaholic but it was worth it in the end after every event to see the smiles on the kids faces after meeting and spending time with hockey heroes. The success of my job in many ways covered up my complete of success in my personal life.

"Really?" He nodded yes leaning down to look at the notes that he had returned over my shoulder. Ironically, planning events was what had prompted us hanging out more frequently in the first place. As maid of honor and best man to Vero and Marc-Andre's wedding more than a year ago, the two of us were almost forced together in a way and that was when we had really started to spend time alone together. From there we just clicked and both found that we were happy to converse with each other or just sit quietly and keep each other company. They say that two lonely souls inevitably find each other and this was true of Sidney and I.

"Yeah, just don't make us wear those ties you did last time" he said rolling his eyes. The last dinner I planned in order to raise money in Pittsburgh for the program, I followed the Skates and Plates setup where the guys served everyone dinner. But no one was amused when I showed them the ties they had to wear, especially Sidney who hates to wear anything that is remotely flashy or Max Talbot-esque (who of course loved the ties).

"It was just a tie with some penguins on it" I said defending the ties, that to this day, I still found adorable.

"They were penguins holding little serving platters" he said staring at me like he didnt understand why I didn't see that they were tacky. I grumbled out a "fine" just to get him off my case about the ties and stretched my legs out onto the coffee table in front of us. Sidney's feet were already stretched out and I stared at how different they looked side by side. He was so dependable in every way and not just because he was all gorgeous muscle. He was the kind of guy someone could lean on. Even his feet looked dependable to me. They were big and usually bruised from being in skates most hours of the day and mine looked incredibly pale next to his and dainty. I never felt like a dainty girl. Christine was dainty, I was not. Remembering Christine, I suddenly felt like it was wrong for me to be curled up on the couch next to Sidney. I didn't usually shy away from physical contact with people, I liked affection, but Sidney, and physical contact with him was enough to make me bend my own rules. Everytime I thought I was beyond the intense physical and emotional attraction I felt with him, something simple and ordinary like us sitting next to each other companionably on his couch made me relapse.

He stretched and his thigh bumped mine and settled snugly against me making me feel like someone had just prodded me with a hot iron.

"I should go" I stated putting my notebook away in my purse on the floor.

"What? Why? You've only been here for an hour" he said looking confused.

"I need to shower, do some things around my house" I lied trying to sound as if I led a very important life outside of work. Which I didn't.

"Uh, okay" he said standing up with me. Unfortunately I hadn't moved away far enough and so now we were both standing close together in the awkward space between the couch and the coffee table.

"Is something wrong? You're jumpy all of the sudden" he said putting his hands on my shoulders. I stared at his hands like they were alien objects probing me and looked up at him reassuring him that I was fine. God, if we were a couple, or if he was remotely attracted to me in that way, that would have been the moment where two people kiss and say goodnight.

Sidney insisted on walking me to the garage and opened everything up for me. I waited until the garage door was closed again and he could no longer see me to faceplant on my steering wheel and berate myself for acting like such a fool on so ordinary an evening.

Chapter 12

Okay, so for the purpose of this story heading in the right direction, from now on, everything will be taking place years into the future. In the last chapter, Sidney and Emma were finally getting to be friends and they've stayed friends...until now.

Emma's POV:

I groaned watching the puck slide right under Sidney's nose for the umpteenth time that night. Even from my seats up in the owner's box, I could see Geno's confused facial expression and Sidney's mouth moving furiously in anger. For whatever reason the Pens were actually letting the Flyer's get to them tonight and I didn't understand it. It was the Flyers for god's sake. They were practically the designated goons of the NHL and since winning the Stanley Cup two years ago, the Pens were, well they definitely weren't like the Flyers.

We were better than that. Hell, usually Sidney was better than this.

"What is wrong with that boy?" Nathalie said gripping my hand tightly. I shrugged and shook my head knowing that there could only be one thing that got under Sidney's skin enough to distract him from a game lately.

Christine.

I watched another miserable period of the Pens getting their asses collectively handed to them before the game was over racking up another loss for the season.

"I take it he'll want to talk to you" Mario said passing me on his way out of the box to go down and talk to the boys.

"He may not want to talk to anyone" I said honestly. After witnessing how Sidney handled losses up close and personal for the past two years, I knew the routine by now. He literally shut down for hours after a loss and barely spoke. It was a miracle that he was able to even drive himself home sometimes and me being the good friend that I am, occasionally handled that for him.

"You coming?" Mario asked  pausing to look back at me. I followed him out and we silently made the descent to the locker room using the private elevators. Part of me was afraid to even go down there. I hated seeing the guys that I knew and loved so much looking so miserable and pissed off after nights like this.

Instead of going in, I opted to wait outside in the hallway and lean back to close my eyes for awhile. After a long day at work, it was hard to stay at the Mellon for more than 16 hours a day. I was in and out of a dozing state when I felt  someone trying to pull me to my feet.

"Emma. Em?" I willed my eyes to open and saw Sid standing very seriously in front of me. "Come on, I'll drive you. You haven't been here all day, have you?" He said this in his very serious, concerned voice that usually I laughed at but was currently just too tired to argue and let him practically drag me out of the arena and through the players parking lot. No more fans were lingering around meaning that it was really late. Pens fans were pretty devoted about seeing the guys leave most of the time.

"What time is it?" I asked fumbling around for my phone.

"After 1. I can't believe no one woke you up in the hallway" he said shaking his head. I didn't mention that I had been waiting for him. I guess it was pretty obvious by now.

"Just stay with me tonight, okay? I don't want you driving this late and I'll drive you to your place in the morning."

I yawned and hopped into the car to settle myself in the passenger seat almost falling back asleep again.

"Wait, I can't. I have to be here early tomorrow to finalize plans for the CPP banquet next week." I sat up straighter willing my eyes to open and stay focused. I had to drive home tonight and make sure I looked presentable in the morning for my meeting.

"I don't trust you driving" Sidney stated starting the car up. I rolled my eyes about how protective he could be about certain things.

"Drive me to my car? Please?" I tried to give him the best, sad and helpless look that I could and he caved giving me another penetrating stare as if he was trying to discern whether I really could drive or not but driving over to where I normally parked my car.

"Are you okay?" I asked pausing outside of car window. I had to stand on my tippy toes a little bit to meet his eyelevel in his ridiculously big Range Rover but I wanted to make sure that he was okay.

"Yeah" he said sighing and rubbing one hand over his face.
"Did something happen earlier or was it just an off night for the entire team?" I knew that it probably had something to do with his witchy, awful girlfriend of 4 months but I decided to keep my mouth shut. He had met her over the summer back in Nova Scotia and I had disliked her immediately when he made me go out to lunch with them to meet her. Since Sidney and I had become closer, I had gotten to know the sides of him that were never available to me before when he ignored that I existed and I pretended that I wasn't infatuated with him. Now that he was a real, constant force in my life, it was easier for me to really care about him and his well-being. Sometimes, this included worrying about his personal life or lack of one.

The Pens had won the Stanley Cup both in the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 seasons but were experiencing their first major slump this season. When Sidney had first told me that he was seeing someone, I thought that maybe it would be good for him to have a distraction. Afterall, he was 24 years old. It was normal for people to start to think about maybe settling down, thinking about the future, etc.

That was all well and fine unless the person he was distracting himself with was Christine. Secretly I thought of her as the Viper in my head. After a couple of drinks and bitching with the girls, I let this slip while we were out at the bar the other night and now Vero and Eliza referred to her as that also. No one really liked her except for a few rookies on the team that didn't know any better than when to spot a deranged puck bunny and run. Although, apparently Sidney had never learned to spot these either.

"Christine wants to move in with me" Sidney stated quietly like he was hoping I wouldn't hear him. Wasn't it a little soon for them to be moving in together? Besides, Sidney didn't seem very excited about this but Christine was so scary he probably didn't know what to do with himself. Idiot.

Instead of yelling at him like I wanted to, I tried to keep my face completely passive so that we wouldn't get into an argument right now. It was the middle of the night and I had a big day tomorrow at the office. I couldn't deal with Sidney drama right now.

"Can we talk tomorrow? You guys are off for the night, right?" He nodded and I told him I would text him tomorrow.

"Let me know how the meeting goes. Did all of the players from the other teams confirm?" I nodded and he grinned slightly, excited for me.

"Bye Sidney" I said backing away from his car and turning to unlock mine.

"Drive safe" he said sternly to me one last time before waiting until I was in my car with the doors locked and driving away.

Chapter 11

Sorry, I didn't check this for typos or spelling mistakes. I'm tired and just wanted to update :D

Emma's POV:

After he yelled at me to get in the car on the highway, I scolded my body for having such a traitorous response to the sound of his gruff, angry voice. It was how I imagined his voice to be on the ice and even though I didn't want to be in this position with him, it was hot.

I had felt so pathetic earlier when I was forced to dial the one number in my phone I had never even bothered with. Vero had given it to me just in case him and I had to talk wedding stuff and since sticking it in my phone, I hadn't thought about it. Honestly, were we ever going to have a need to call each other? I didn't think so but I listened to Vero anyway and kept my mouth shut about it. Then today after taking a nice couple of hours for myself to go hike, my car decides to shut down on the highway and none of my so-called friends answer their phones to come save me.

"Are you sure we have to go to the mall?" Sidney interrupted my daydreaming to ask me again about the mall. After he had picked me up, he had completely stunned me by asking if I would help him find a birthday present for his little sister. After he had rescued me from potential doom with my car, there was no way that I could say no and not come off like a big bitch. Plus, I loved to shop and buy people presents. How much of a hardship could this really be?

"Why are you so afraid of the mall, Crosby?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him in speculation. I know he's a guy but a mall isn't THAT bad.
"I don't hate malls or anything, it's just I can't go in them." Even though his eyes were on the road I could see the small lines of stress fill in on his face and it dawned on me. Of course he has to avoid malls because then he'll have to deal with fans.
I felt bad for him but it was a little too late for him to be thinking about himself. We were already here at the mall.
"When is her birthday? You could always online shop instead if you don't want to go in." He looked over at me sheepishly once we were parked.
"Her birthday was two weeks ago."
I could feel my eyebrows touching my hairline now in disbelief. The gift was that late.
"You are such a guy." I knew that this would get him riled up enough to get his ass out of the car.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked frowning slightly. It was working.
"You just expect that she'll be okay with a late gift and now you won't even make the effort to make it a good gift." I could see that he was starting to feel guilty like I had planned. "That's just a very typically male thing to do." I shrugged my shoulders for effect and he looked at me again before rolling his eyes and taking the keys out of ignition and opening his door.

Success!
"Let's go" he said shutting his door and walking around back to wait for me. He had pulled on a baseball cap and was trying to angle it low enough so that he could go unrecognized. How anyone would miss him, even in a hat, was beyond me. He kind of stood out.
"You know, we can always get you a fake mustache or something to wear" I suggested trying to lighten the mood. "Or maybe just a really long beard. Like ZZ Top long." He looked at me a second before bursting out laughing and making me feel like I had won a shiny gold medal. He had the most gut splitting laugh that when he actually did relax enough to laugh, it never failed to make me smile in return.

"I might take you up on that offer" he said still smiling at me. Oddly enough, after that, we fell into an easy conversation as we walked along trying to find a store that his sister might like. I was so distracted by the feeling of having a normal conversation with him that I didn't notice his hand was still on my back as we walked along.

"What about this store?" I asked stopping in front of a Forever 21. Teenage girls loved these kinds of stores and I remembered shopping in the store when I was still in college while my friends and I looked for clubbing outfits. Yes, we were that lame once.
"Sure, whatever" Sidney said frowning at the half-naked mannequins in the store's display. I laughed at his disapproving expression and nudged his shoulder.
"Don't worry, we won't make your sister look like a slut. How old is she again?"
"Uh, she's 16 now" He was still eyeing the halter tops cautiously making me grin again. I walked around looking at different outfits while Sidney trailed close behind me.
"Wait, what's the driving age in Nova Scotia?" I asked starting to get wind of an idea.
"16 actually. Why?"
"Just follow me" I said grinning and leaving the store. We reached the store I was looking for while Sidney looked at me like I was crazy.
"What is this store?" he asked as I walked in heading directly to the trinkets counter.
"It's 'Things Remembered.' This is what you should get her" I said pointing to different gold and silver keychain charms. A keychain from her big brother would be the perfect combination of sweet and thoughtful, especially since every teenager practically counted down the days until they could drive.
"You can have it engraved with a special message and it's something she'll always have with her that's a part of you." 
"You really think she'll like a keychain?" he asked still looking skeptical.
"Definitely. Plus, you can always say that the gift was late because it was being engraved" I said giving him the perfect out for why his gift would be arriving late.
"Okay, I'm trusting your female opinion" he said hunching over the counter to pick one out. "Which one do you like? I kind of like the star one right there." He pointed to three silver stars all hanging on the same chain. The last star was the largest and was where he could have something engraved. It wasn't too girly but was still feminine and I liked it.
"That one's pretty. Do you know what you would want written on it?"
His eyebrows bunched together in thought and I could tell that he was nervous about making this gift good.

"Okay" I said trying my hardest not to laugh at him. He was so...perplexed. "Tell me something about her."

"Well, she's really into hockey. And boys." he frowned again and this time I did laugh out loud. I had never seen this protective brother side of him before.
"Okay, well why don't we go with something simple. Like 'Happy Sweet 16, love Sidney.'" The saleswoman who had been watching us closely stepped closer to inform us that she approved of our choice. "On the middle star you could have her number engraved too. That would be a nice detail."

"That's a really good idea" Sidney agreed looking relieved. He filled out the order form while the saleswoman chattered away complimenting the purchase. He had it rush ordered meaning that he could pick it up in two days and have it sent out right away.

"Ready to go?" I asked as he put his wallet away. I was starving and was ready to get home so that I could park myself in front of the refrigerator for awhile.

"Yeah, come on, I'll take you home. Will someone be able to take you to your car later?" he asked as we left the mall. I nodded even though I wasn't quite sure. Eventually Eliza or Vero would call me back and I'd guilt them into taking me to where my car was being looked at.

"Maybe your parents could take you or something" he suggested keeping his eyes on the road. I couldn't help the unladylike snort that burst from me at the idea of my parents doing something like that for me.

"Yeah, sure" was all that I said. What they would actually do was buy me a new car instead of taking the 'trouble' to take me to the car place. They were hopelessly useless like that. Besides, I wasn't sure, but I had heard from Nathalie that they were out of town and didn't bother to fill me in on details like that.

"They're probably busy" I added when we fell into an uncomfortable silence. Talking about my family always managed to put me in a bad mood. Because he looked like he wanted to question me, I quickly changed the subject to the topic of the Pens game tomorrow and that either worked, or he just decided to drop the subject allowing us to talk more freely on the way back to my place.

"Thanks again for the rescue" I said unbuckling my seatbelt in the driveway. I was so proud of myself for actually having a good time with him this afternoon and for the fact that it seemed like we could genuinely be friends now. I hadn't felt awkward with him once all afternoon, definitely a big feat for us.

"I think you rescued me too with the gift thing" he said giving me one of his goofy, big smiles. We sat there smiling for another second before I hopped out making sure I hadn't left anything in his car. "Good luck tomorrow" I added giving him one last smile.

"Thanks, see you later?" he questioned. I nodded waving as he backed out of my driveway and onto the street. He honked one last time before disappearing down the block and out of sight. After letting myself in and humming slightly, I dug around in my purse for my phone so I could call and check on my car.

6 missed calls. 5 new voicemail.

I selected play and balanced the phone between my cheek and shoulder while I dug around in the refrigerator to make myself a sandwich. 3 out of the 5 messages were from Eliza demanding that I call her back because she was worried about me and why I called so many times. The other 2 were from other friends also wondering the same thing. I texted everyone back to let them know that I was alive and safe. Eliza immediately offered to drive me to the car shop later on to get my car without me even having to ask.

With that taken care of, I settled down in front of the TV still feeling the effects of my good mood lingering from before. Maybe Sidney and I could end up being friends anyway.

Chapter 10

Does anyone else think that writing Sidney's POV is ridiculously hard? I've been trying so hard to get inside what I think his head would be like and I freaking can't. So here is the product of me smacking my head against my laptop multiple times and worrying my friends around me.

Sid's POV:

I skated forward feeling all of the muscles in my legs rhythmically bunch together then release with each stride I took. Suicides were a bitch but were sometimes necessary, especially towards the end of a season when any extra sprinting could potentially give you an edge during a game. I wanted to win again more than anything and if I had to 50 more suicides, then I would. I could practically feel the cup beneath my hands again if I thought about it enough.

"Okay guys, off the ice" Coach called letting us all slow down. I took a few more slow laps around the rink to let my body decompress and watched almost everyone else leave the ice. We had the rest of the day to get ready and pack before we were off again to D.C. tonight to play the Capitals the next day. I had declined interviews completely today not wanting to deal with the 'Crosby vs. Ovechkin' thing they were always making up. Sometimes, it was annoying to be the NHL's pawn with the mainstream media.

What I really needed to do instead was get my sister a birthday present (an already belated one) before my Mom flew down from Canada to kill me. Yes it was playoff season and Taylor would never mention it to me but my Mom had been on my back about making a fuss over her birthday all week and there was no way that I could put it off any longer.

If it were really up to me, I would just wait and throw her a party once the season was over but for now, sending her a late gift was going to have to do. Now I just had to figure out what it is that she would want. It was getting harder and harder to shop for my teenage sister the older she got and the more clueless became when it comes to buying gifts for girls. Young or old, it's still difficult as hell. Nathalie had been less than helpful by not giving me any suggestions at all, no matter how much I begged. Then Lauren, who is close in age to Taylor, suggested I just give her a gift card to her favorite store. It was my last minute emergency option but I definitely felt like I could do a little bit better than a gift card.

I got off of the ice to go take a shower and try to think of anyone that I could ask for shopping advice from. Then suddenly it dawned on me. Who was the best female shopper that I knew? Eliza. She would be the perfect person to ask because it seemed like she was always buying something new.

After showering and throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt, I left my gear out for the equipment team to pack up for the flight tonight and walked out into the hall to call Eliza and see if she could give me some pointers. Ironically, almost as soon as the phone was in my hand it began to buzz, only this time with a number I didn't recognize. Typically with numbers that aren't already programmed in my phone, I hit ignore immediately in case it's someone crazy who's gotten a hold of my number. I've already had to change my number a few times after mistakenly answering these unknown calls in previous seasons. For some reason this time I answered noting that it wasn't a Pittsburgh area code and that would at least save me from a stalker from this city hopefully.


"Hello?" I prayed that it wasn't someone calling to harass me on the other line.

"Sidney?" The voice was female, and a little throaty. Definitely a female voice that I recognized. Wait a minute, Emma?

"Emma?" I questioned hardly believing that she would actually call me. Why was she calling me? Her voice sounded kind of faint now. Like there was a lot of background noise and I think I vaguely heard the sound of a truck honking.

"I'm stuck!" she said yelling now over the background noise. Where the hell was she?

"Are you okay?" I asked getting a little concerned now. It was weird for her to be calling me and now even weirder that she was babbling to me and I could only hear about half of it.

"Okay, slow down. What happened again?" Something about her car. I was pretty sure I heard that part right.

"I'm on the highway and no one else was answering their phone." Something about her throaty voice was always convincing me to do things that I didn't want to do lately. It was this weird combination of sexy and innocent and if I listened to it for too long, I started to get a little too distracted. Women never distract me.

"So you're car is broken down?" She answered yes telling me more details that were broken up before I told her that I was leaving to find her. This was definitely going to screw with my plans for free time today but what was I supposed to do? Leave her there? We were still uneasy around each other but I had known her for what seemed like forever. There was no way that I could just not help her out. I'd also have a whole group of angry women to respond to if they found out that I had left her on a highway somewhere.


After driving for about 20 minutes, I finally spotted her little red convertible that was about the most impractical car on earth for Pittsburgh's mix of seasonally shitty weather conditions. That kind of car belonged in Florida, not Southwestern PA but it wasn't my place to mention this to her. She wouldn't last a second in Canada during the winter.

"Thank you so much" she blurted out coming around to my window as soon as I had pulled off. Another truck honked as it flew by scaring her and causing her to practically plaster herself against my car door in fear. My window was down so that I could talk to her making the situation awkward.

"What the hell are you doing? Get off that side of the road!" Didn't she have any common sense? She could get sideswiped easily by another car if she didn't move soon. She ran around the front of my SUV again and I unlocked the doors so that she could hop in safely where I was half-tempted to tie her down to the front seat just to keep her in place.

"Okay, so what happened again?"
"Well I was just driving along and then all of the sudden my car makes this big banging noise and starts to shake. Then I start to get freaked out because I saw this special on car fires so I pulled over and a bunch of smoke came out of the front thingy."

I was still confused by her car fires detour that I didn't notice that her car was indeed still smoking. Instead of questioning her more, I turned the car off to go investigate it myself. By 'front thingy' she meant the hood of the car and what I guessed was the transmission. I didn't know a whole lot about cars either but from the amount of smoke still spewing out of the car, this obviously wasn't good.

"What do you think is wrong with it?" She asked coming over to shand by me. This was one of the first times that I could remember where we were completely at ease with each other. There was usually some sort of tension between us lately and before that, neither of us had paid attention to each other. Maybe that was why her telling me that she didn't like me a few weeks ago had thrown me off so much. How could she dislike someone when we weren't even friends? Yes, we knew things about each other but we didn't know each other.

Even with the smoke puffing out into both of our faces, it struck me just how pretty she actually was. She wasn't flashy or bold like the other women that I knew and she didn't tend to stand out in crowds, even with her hair. But still, there were parts of her that were just interesting. Like her eyes. She wasn't even wearing makeup and her eyelashes still looked like she had that black stuff on. It was suddenly very important that I know for sure what color her eyes were.

"I'm going to call a tow truck" she stated backing off and waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air. I nodded watching her walk away from the smoke and pull out her phone. She was wearing workout clothes and had a leaf stuck to the back of her leg making me wonder what she had been up to all morning. After another minute or so she turned around and walked back towards me.

"A tow truck's about 10 minutes away. I can get a lift with him if I need to. I know you guys are playing tonight." She trailed off and we were awkward again with her looking down at her running shoes and me staring at her.

"No, I'll give you a lift. I was out doing errands anyway. Besides, me letting you go off with a tow truck driver sounds like the beginning of a bad horror movie. I can't have that on my conscience." I was rewarded with a smile and a laugh even though it was a corny joke.  The sound of her happy and laughing relaxed me a little bit and I turned the radio up t while we drove. It was now early afternoon and so far I was totally screwed on my present seeking expedition.

"I'm sorry again for asking you to come get me. I just couldn't get a hold of anyone else and didn't know who else was even around." She turned slightly to face me in the car looking just as apologetic as she had in the club a few weeks ago. I started to say that it was okay because the reaction was automatic. It seemed like we were always saying sorry to each other but then I realized that maybe she could help me out. Anyone would be better than leaving me to shop for a gift by myself.

"Actually, would you mind doing me a favor? I really need to get my sister a birthday present and I'm terrible at getting her anything that isn't hocky-related."

I hoped that she would just agree and go along with it because I was starting to get nervous about buying Taylor a gift on time.

"Sure!" Emma said smiling for the second time that day in my presence. "Just head to the Monroeville Mall."
The mall? "I've got some time to kill and I do need to pay you back for rescuing me off the highway."

"Wait, the mall? Couldn't we just go somewhere else?" I hated shopping malls and especially couldn't deal with ones that didn't have some sort of a sports store in them.

"Well yeah. If you want to get her anything good, you need to go to a mall." I protested a little bit more hoping that she wouldn't make me go into the mall.

"Just take the next right, Sidney" she said laughing at me.

Great.

Chapter 9

Short and not totally proofed, but I really wanted to update this story. Sidney and Emma are going slow and walking around in circles for a reason so just be patient. Also, the next chapter will hopefully give more insight into what he's thinking because I plan to write it all from his perspective. So enjoy :D

Emma's POV:

I parked my car behind Sidney's garage door and stepped out. Surprisingly, Sidney was there waiting for me to walk me in.

"Here, I can take your coat" Sidney said helping me out of my tan trench coat. He has always had manners thanks to his parent's upbringing but it still surprised me to feel his strong hands on my shoulders as he helped me out of my coat and hung it up in a small closet in the foyer.

I barely had time to process the fact that I was close enough to see the gold in his eyes when I heard shouts of "Sid!" and footsteps pounding down the hallway.

Austin Lemieux, possibly the cutest kid I had ever met and my favorite honorary cousin, ran into the room with the intention of attaching himself to Sidney and instead detoured to me once he saw me standing in the hallway.

"Em! Are you here for dinner with Sid?" He said this all while giving me a hug and I was happy that he hadn't grown out of this loveable stage yet. Pretty soon he'd be like all teenagers not wanting to touch anyone or seem less manly.

"Hey buddy. Yep, I'm here to give your Mom something and maybe stay for dinner." I gave him another squeeze and ruffled his smooth hair. He was going to be a heartbreaker one day, that was for sure.

"Mom's in the kitchen with Alexa and Lauren" Austin said already tugging me down the hall. I briefly waved to Mario as we passed his study but he was on the phone talking to someone and gave me a quick smile.

"Emma! What are you doing here?" Nathalie asked giving me a hug and telling Austin to go wash his hands. She looked between Sidney and I with raised eyebrows and I tried to ignore the little smirk on her face.

"I came by to drop off the soup container you gave me. It's been in my car for more than a week."

"Well then you have to stay for dinner, I made a pot roast and there's tons of it." I agreed and she quickly put me to work instructing me to where the gravy ingredients were while I chatted with the girls. Sidney had ducked out and disappeared, probably to go talk hockey with Mario. Our conversations were still so limited that it didn't surprise me that he didn't stick around- he wasn't exactly good with girl talk, especially with me around.

Things had definitely been friendlier between us, today at the dress shop had been testament to that, but he still didn't seem comfortable around me and I was starting to just not care anymore. This was at least a step up from me feeling sad about it like I used to. I was getting better in that respect and maybe, finally, getting over my absurd crush on him.

"So where were you two?" Lauren asked eyeing me curiously.

"Vero, Marc-Andre's fianceé, had me trying on bridesmaid dresses and I guess she made Sidney tag along for a male opinion. I'm not exactly sure that he wanted to be there but that's where we've been all afternoon."

"Good. It's about time he noticed you looking hot." Lauren said rolling her eyes and leaving me dumbfounded. Did everyone around here know that I had been harboring a crush on him? I couldn't stop the blush that pooled on my cheeks and it was worse when both Sidney and Mario walked into the room immediately after.

Nathalie gave Lauren a look and squeezed my shoulder supportively. "Go have a seat at the table, I'll finish this. There's extra dessert in it for you if you sit by Austin and convince him to eat all of his vegetables."

Nathalie made amazing desserts and that was all of the motivation I needed to wrangle everyone to the dinner table, Austin already talking my ear off about hockey. With 8 of us sitting at the table, it was a little cramped with me sitting down at the end around all of the kids and Sidney, Mario and Nathalie sitting at the top of the table. It was probably for the better that Sidney was so far away, engrossed in conversation with Mario but still, did he really dislike me that much or was I reading too much into this? I didn't have too much time to dwell on it as I was filled in on everyone's recent games, love lives and high school gossip.

Story of my life: banned to the kid's part of the table.

"Sidney, are you feeling alright? You're staring off into space." I looked down at the other end of the table to see Nathalie feeling Sidney's forehead as if he were sick.

"I'm fine" he said actually blushing. His eyes quickly met mine before shifting away again while everyone stared at him. He couldn't get sick in the middle of the season. As a hockey family, the Lemieuxs more than anyone else understood this and it was definitely cause for concern.

The rest of the dinner Sidney kept his eyes trained either on Mario or his plate and I wondered why all of the sudden he was even more reserved than usual. I offered to do the dishes and after shooing Nathalie away, was happily left alone in the kitchen by myself to scrub and load the dishwasher. Because I had never had this type of family environment, I loved doing chores like this simply because it let me pretend that I had some sort of normalcy and stability growing up. There was also something just so completely relaxing about doing the dishes after a meal that any time that I was over, I was more than happy to do them and received very little complaints from anyone else.

"I can't believe you actually like doing the dishes."

I almost dropped the plate that I had been holding back into the sink at the sound of Sidney behind me.

"Easy, I didn't mean to scare you" he said taking the dish out of my hands. He grinned at me slightly before loading up the silverware into the dishwasher beside me.

"How can you tell that I like doing the dishes?" I was curious considering I didn't think he knew anything that I liked.

"You're always so eager to do it. And you take a long time doing it, like you want to keep on doing it." He leaned around me to grab more plates to load in the dishwasher and I had to force myself not to lean away. Everytime he leaned around me I was almost close enough to bury my face in his chest if I let myself. "We wait longer to have dessert when you do the dishes." He gave me a real smile this time and I almost dropped a plate again in surprise. Was he teasing me?

"So is that why you're here now? To move the process along?" Why else would he be in here voluntarily helping me in the kitchen?

"Partly. I also wanted to tell you that Mario and I have talked to a few guys on other teams and they're willing to come out and attend the benefit for the CPP. If that goes well, then maybe they'd be interested in working with the program. It could be more of an NHL thing instead of just a Penguins program. You might help more kids in other areas that way. Either way, it's the press that you need."

I couldn't help the smile that bloomed over my face at what he had just told me. This would give me the press that I needed to really get the program going in Pittsburgh and now, possibly in other cities.

I was so shocked and excited at the same time that he asked me if I was okay. He probably thought that I was going to be mad at him again for some reason.

"Thanks, Sidney. That was really nice of you." If he had been anyone else, I would have hugged him, that's how happy I was. But because it was Sidney, something held me back thinking that he would definitely not be receptive to the notion of me hugging him tightly in appreciation and thanks. It would be the equivalent of a reporter hugging him after an interview. Definitely weird.

"I appreciate you taking the time to do stuff like this for the program."

He returned my smile and we finished loading up the dishes in a new comfortable silence.

"Emma, will you stay and watch a movie with me?" Austin skidded into the kitchen again and I wondered if he ever walked in this house. It seemed like he flew everywhere.

"Just as long as it's not any of the Mighty Ducks movies" I stated watching his face fall. He always wanted to watch those movies and I could quote all of them now thanks to him.

"Hey, don't look at me bud" Sidney said smiling at the pleading look Austin had turned on for him. "You've made me watch those a million times too."

"You both suck" Austin said giving up and shaking his head as if the whole world had crashed down on his tiny shoulders.

"I'll still stay and watch a movie with you, I just think we should broaden your horizons" I said ruffling his hair. He pulled a face at me and finally agreed to sit down and watch the Capitals play their final series game against the Kings. If the Caps won tonight, they would advance over the Kings in the playoffs and most likely end up playing the Penguins. Obviously, it was sort of a big game.

I was a little bit surprised that Sidney stayed with Austin and I to watch the game. Both the girls and Nathalie and Mario were watching something else in another room and I half-expected Sidney to go up to his room and watch the game alone analyzing or whatever he did while he watched games. Needless to say, when he settled in next to me on the couch, I had to practically force myself to keep my head focused on the game and not gape at him instead.

I smiled everytime Austin asked for my opinion on a player or a ref's call wishing that I had actually grown up with a sibling like this. He was so earnest in his curiosity to know everything about the game that it was hard not to love a kid like that. I noticed how often he looked over to Sidney too and how patient Sidney was in giving him attention.

Austin soaked up the attention from him and towards the end of the 2nd period had tired himself out so much that he was falling asleep on my arm. The room was dark except for the TV on and I settled back against the couch, content to finish the game and then wake Austin up and send him to bed.

Ovechkin was all over the place and even though I was sitting next to Sidney, it was hard not to be excited about some of the plays that he had instrumented in the game.

"He totally should have passed that" I muttered to myself watching one of the King's defenseman easily steal the puck away from him.

"I didn't realize you knew so much about hockey" Sidney commented looking at me through the glow on the TV.

"Uh, I go to almost every home game" I said keeping my eyes on the TV. It was hard to look at him after yet another reminder that he had never paid attention to me prior to me yelling that I disliked him.

"Where do you usually sit?" He asked after a few more minutes of silence. I held my breath watching Ovechkin pop the puck into the net again after faking the goalie out. He skated around waving to the cheering crowd who were now throwing hats at him, congratulating him on his hat trick.


"I sit up in the owner's box with Vero, Eliza and everyone else" I said finally taking my eyes off of the TV to answer his question. He was close enough again that if I was brave enough, I could lean slightly into his side. I used to fantasize about what just sittiing with him quietly would be like. I knew that he could be the type of guy a girl could lean both physically and mentally on if he let himself think about something other than hockey for 5 minutes.

Which obviously because it's me we're talking about, is highly doubtful.

"Oh" was all he said blinking at me and looking embarrassed. Good.

I really needed to find a new Penguins player to devote so much of my cheering energy towards. The game was over relatively quickly after Ovechkin had basically wiped the ice with the Kings. Sidney had attempted conversation for the last few minutes and I gave him vague answers sensing that he was only trying to make up for the fact that he was embarrassed about not knowing that I was a huge Penguins fan. I bounced so quickly back and forth between liking him and being disgusted with him that by the end of the night, my brain felt like it was going to explode. This has to just be a physical reaction to him. It's those damn brown eyes.

There was no way that someone could just remain in a perpetual state of infatuation with one man who you coincidentally despise at the same time.

Sidney woke Austin up and got him moving upstairs while I turned off the elaborate TV system and fixed the pillows back to the way they were before I left the basement giving Sidney a quick goodbye. I knew that he had followed me upstairs but I concentrated on giving everyone else hugs and kisses goodbye.

And after that, I was gone with plans to pick up more ice cream before settling into bed at home.

If that didn't just scream 'hot Friday night' I don't know what else did.