Chapter 34: We Give Thanks

So… what's for dinner tonight `cuz?"

Mel looked up from the table in the dining room. It was Saturday night and instead of going out with some of the girls or getting to talk to Sid she was grading papers… again… Maybe I shouldn't give them so much work. With all of the planning that she and Erin had been doing, it was amazing that she could even remember her name.

"Mel, you okay?"

"What? Oh yeah, I'm good. Are you enjoying your new living space and life as a Pittsburgher?"

Victoria, Tori as Mel had always called her, had come back to the states after graduating from a top chef school in Japan. She had been Mel's favorite cousin since she could talk. Growing up as an only child, cousins were more like siblings for her and Tori, only two years older, was like the sister she'd never had.

When she's received the call last month from her roaming cousin Mel had jumped at the chance to spend some time with her. Then one thing had led to another and since the middle of October Tori had been calling the third bedroom home. She was speaking native Pittsburghese and got along with all of the guys. Hell, they'd seen the purple hair and been intrigued from the get go. Mel smiled.

Now it was the weekend before Thanksgiving and Tori had decided that, if it was alright with Mel and Lexie, she was going to take up a permanent residence here. They had introduced her to hockey and she'd fallen hook, line and sinker. She'd fallen for one of the guys too, much to Mel's surprise.

It always seemed like Tori would marry into the military. She'd been raised an Army brat and her parents had always believed that she would find a career soldier and settle down with a couple babies of her own. Shacking up with a married man, that would probably give her aunt a heart attack.

"How's Brent?"

"Don't start Melany…"

"I'm not judging you. He's a great guy. But--"

"But nothing. I realize he's married. But not for long. And he was in the process of getting a divorce before I even showed up."

"What if you're like his rebound or something though? I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm not thinking that far ahead Mel. I'm enjoying what we have now. He's such a nice man. And he's going through something that he never thought he would. And he likes me, crazy colored hair, tattoos and all. I need you to just be happy for me. I'm falling for him regardless, but I think that we have something. Just… be there for me, okay?"

She came over and stood beside Mel, who could do nothing but pull her into the circle of her arms.

"Always," she whispered to Tori. "Besides, if he hurts you, I'll bust his damn knee cap… of have Sid get him traded to Edmonton!"

The two of them were laughing when the doorbell rang. Tori headed into the kitchen to mix up some drinks and Mel started cleaning up the table. Lexie yelled as she came jogging down the stairs that she'd grab the door.

Tonight it was their night to host a group of WAGs for a game day get-together. And it was also a special night for a certain wife. Kelsey was bringing the baby over for the first time. Jackson was the spitting image of Tyler's baby pictures, much to Kelsey's grief. He'd been born at the end of October.

She'd gone into labor before the Montreal game and TK had been the antsiest person on the ice… EVER. Kelsey had threatened to hurt him if he missed the game. `It's the beginning stages you tard. He's not going to come out before the end of the game! Go play!' With a huge lead going into the third, Disco had quietly ushered a very nervous father-to-be out of the arena.

A group of the girls had waited at the hospital and the guys were all at Geno's. Bylsma had said no morning practice, but to be at the airport by 3p.m. the next day. Little Jackson was born at 3:13a.m. And had been the center of attention ever since.

"Mel, come get this giant paperweight out of his car seat! I want to nose around the house! Someone give me a tour!!"

Finishing up her tidying, Mel slid the final set of ungraded papers into the `to-be-graded' bin before getting over to the new mom and taking the squirmy little angel out.

"Dear god he's so frickin' cute! This is what Tyler looked like as a baby?? What the hell happened to him?!"

Kelsey burst into a fit of giggles before handing over the diaper bag. She took a bottle out and shoved it in Mel's hands.

"He likes rocking chairs. If you have one, sit down and rock while he eats. He'll love you forever!"

"Pfft! He's going to love me regardless! Go search the house til your heart's content. We'll be in the living room getting to know one another."

Tori started showing Kels around and for the next twenty minutes there was a constant stream of people coming into the house, going in and out of the living room, grabbing drinks and stuff. Mel sat there feeding little Jack and smiling. This is what she'd wanted. A nice place to call home, a place that people would enjoy coming to.

Before the puck dropped they were making plans for an early Thanksgiving dinner on Tuesday since the boys would be in New York for the actual holiday. Everyone had one thing to bring and the ladies agreed to all meet at the house nice and early to get everything cooked that couldn't be made the night before.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"What do you think Max? Wednesday a good day to come back?"

Sid heard the trainer ask the question and then heard Max's triumphant yell echo throughout the bowels of Atlanta's arena. They had just beaten the Thrashers and were getting ready to hop a plane to Florida. He sent Mel a text response to her dinner plans.

That sounds like a perfect idea. I'll see who all can make it.
p.s. Tell Tori to bake a cake.

Why a cake?

`The Superstar' is returning to the ice Wednesday night.

Ahhh! Give him a kiss from me!

Sid chuckled at her last response and went in search of his friend. He found him doing some weird ass happy dance in the showers.

"Max! Mel says congrats and told me to kiss you! Seeing you now… I'm definitely not doing that. I'll let her kiss you Tuesday."

"Tuesday? What happens Tuesday?"

"Mel wants to have a Thanksgiving dinner. An American Thanksgiving dinner."

"Is she cooking?"

Sid nodded.

"I'll be there at 10a.m.!"

"It's a dinner dude. That means afternoon/evening."

"But if I'm there early, I'll get to taste test!"

Sid laughed as he turned and went back to the locker room to finish changing into his suit. They boarded the plane and were in Florida in no time at all. He dropped his bag on the floor and before he could change he was flopping backward onto the bed and dialing Mel's number. A very sleepy voice answered the phone.

"Sorry, wrong number. I don't need calls from a 900-number."

"Wouldn't you be the one calling them actually?"

"Oh yeah… shut up. I was sleeping, I can't think straight. Are you at the hotel?"

"Yep, just fell onto the bed. I miss you."

"I miss you too" He heard the smile in her voice. "Are you coming over here after you guys get back, or are you going straight to Mario's?

"Mario's. We get in late Monday night and I don't want to make you crabby for your students on Tuesday. The last thing they need before their holiday break is a crabby Miss Huston," he chuckled.

He heard her laugh echo his and grabbed one of the pillows, curling himself around it and imagining her here with him. Fucking road trips. They suck.They talked for a few more minutes and then he promised to call when they left for home after the game.

The next day, after a relaxed morning skate, he went out with Flower and Tanger. They were walking down a boardwalk-like row of shops and just enjoying the nice weather when he spotted a jewelry store among the dozens of cheap souvenir shops.

"Hey guys, let's go in there." They both shrugged and followed him in. He was perusing the many stands when he saw the perfect gift.

It was a pearl necklace. But it wasn't the normal white, cultured pearls. These ones were black. Not midnight black, but a purplish, shiny darkened color. The case was filled with different pieces dealing with these `black' pearls and Sid was reminded of Mel's favorite Johnny Depp movies, the one where he was a pirate.

She had that ship tattoo on her side and said it was based off of the Black Pearl. This would be great for her. And the little pearls looked like another necklace she had from her mom. He was pretty much rubbing his hands together when a sales lady with bright red hair sidled up in front of him. Holy Ginger! Oh god, I sound like Mel!

"See something you like sugar?"

"I want that one," he said while pointing to the necklace.

"Ah, very nice. Is this for a special lady?"

"It is."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want one of the other ones though? These aren't cultured; they're not as big or anything."

"No, no. Trust me ma'am. It's the perfect choice. Can you even gift wrap it? I'll be less tempted to give it to her now if it looks like a Christmas present!"

The woman smiled and nodded her head as she took the piece of jewelry out of the case and over to the checkout counter. Marc came over and laughed when he saw it.

"That is so her mon ami."

"I know. She's going to love it."

"She must be a one of a kind woman to like the color and design," the lady said as she rang up the total. Sid didn't even look, he just handed her his card.

"You have no idea madam. Thank god there is only one of her!"

Sid laughed along with the boys and they bid the lady adieu before heading back to the hotel. He spent some time looking up differences in cars. He didn't need a new one. He liked his car. But he was thinking that Mel should be driving something other than the little car she currently had. Who drives a Ford escort in Pittsburgh, in winter? She would fight him tooth and nail about him buying her a new car but… He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Monday morning came quickly and he was packing up his bag and getting ready to run to Geno's room and talk about the Acadia that he'd gotten Erin when his phone buzzed.

John's in town! We're going to watch the game together and they'll be here for dinner. I'm forcing him and Jess to stay at the house! Hotel shmotel*

He typed a quick response, checked his room once more and then grabbed his bag and stopped across the hall to Geno's. They discussed cars there and on the way to the arena. Duper and Max were adding their input, Max mainly making sure there would be room for some in-car fun when necessary. In that case, a Ranger Rover would be fine. He smiled to himself at the thought.

"Sid, I need talk to you about important thing," Geno said softly as they were in the hallway later that night. They were both taping their sticks before the game. "I want ask… you be in wedding? Be one of guys with me?"

"A groomsman? Of course man! I'd be honored!"

"Good. No, great! I go text Erin, let her know that you walk down aisle with Mel!"

Sid's mind flashed to a vision of the two of them smiling and walking down the aisle. But it was her in the white dress. They were holding hands and laughing. He shook his head.

"That would be an honor really."

"Good. We talk on plane more. After game, yes?"

"Sure sure, on the plane."

Geno walked away to let his fiancée know the plan but Sid didn't really notice. He couldn't really tell you much of what happened that night. They went to overtime, won the game and were on the plane before he really checked back in mentally.

When they hit the ground Sid flipped open his phone and dialed Mel's number but it just went straight to voicemail. He tried twice more while they were getting to the parking lot. When he started his car and still had no answer he tossed his phone to the passenger seat in disgust and threw the car into drive before speeding out of the lot and heading to her house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Mel, c'mon… open the door. We need to talk."

Walking over to the bedroom door Mel placed her head on the wood. She clutched a picture in her hands. The two of them were smiling, their heads pressed together. It had been a spur of the moment photo. She ran her thumb over John's face.

He'd surprised her with a visit. She was still in college and he was on leave. They were going to the movies with some of her friends and the snow had started falling down. She'd taken out her camera and pulled him close before tilting the camera herself and snapping a quick photo. It was the perfect… `couple in love' photo even though nothing had ever come of it.

Now he was standing outside her door, telling her something that damn near broke her heart.

"Please Melany! I don't want to leave with us like this!"

"I don't understand why Johnny! Why now?! Why not a year ago? Hell, why not even six months ago???? I was more prepared for it then… I would've had to adjust, but… Now it's just completely out of left field and I just can't handle it right now…"

"You.. you can't… you can't handle it… Are you ducking kidding me?! How do you think I feel, or Jess for that matter! How do you think she reacted? She'd been crying ever since I told her we were coming up here!"

"Where did she go? She's still here right? She didn't leave did she?"

"No, she didn't leave me. I mean, she's not here right now. But that's because Tori took her out to try and get her to eat something. We've been having a rough couple of days. It's a lot to process at the moment. But I had to come and see you… tell you… in person. You deserve that. Now please, say something…"

"What do you expect me to say??You can't drop a bomb like that and think that I could form an appropriate response so quickly…"

"It's not like I could call you or anything. Didn't seem like something this big should be said over the phone! Can you imagine… Hey Mel listen, I love you and all an--"

"WHAT?!"

She heard the bellow and brought her hand to the doorknob. Sid was probably glaring daggers at John but Mel couldn't make herself open the door.

"What do you mean you love her? Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"Listen man… it's not what you think."

Mel heard Sid literally growl and in her mind she saw the reaction in the Wild game at Halloween. When his emotions blew over… She threw open the door and rushed out between the two men who were sizing one another up.

"Baby, it honestly isn't what you think. John didn't come here to cause problems… He… He…"

The words stuck in her throat and the tears that she'd thought were out of her system came rushing back. As they poured down her cheeks she saw the confused and horrified look on Sid's face. She wanted to tell him but even the thought of it still made her break down. There were two hands on her shoulders, one from each guy.

"Please, tell me how to help you."

Mel looked up at Sid. Saw him look between her and John a couple times. His forehead was furrowed and she knew that he was trying to make sense of everything but was coming up short. She swallowed a couple deep breaths but still couldn't form the words. Nodding at John she listened as he spoke the shocking words once more.

"I'm going overseas. Again. I leave on Friday."

"Oh god… I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you… I shouldn't have freaked out… I just… I'm sorry."

Mel watched the sad smile cross Johnny's face.

"It's better than the last time. I had just come home on leave. I was so excited to be home and I surprised this one here with a visit. They called me in the middle of the night. We had just gotten home from that country bar near campus and were deciding on what to do, stay up and veg out like the old times, or go to bed. I had three hours to repack and get to the airport."

Remembering that night brought a smile to Mel's face. She ran back to her room and grabbed the photo she'd been holding before. He'd packed his duffel and been ready in five minutes. She'd let him walk out of the residence hall but then ran after him, calling his name. He'd dropped his bag and caught her in mid-air.

What was it I'd said… `Come back whole or I'll kill you.' He'd thrown his head back and laughed before leaning down and kissing her. Then he'd drove off, leaving her standing in a USMC tee, and old pair of boxers that she'd sewn closed and her teal cowboy boots.

"You know, that was when I realized that I loved you, but I wasn't in love with you." She took one more big breath and showed Sid the picture, telling him the story. "Alrighty gents, I'm done freaking out I think. Let's go downstairs and wait for the others to get back. I'll make us a drink."

Entering the kitchen she sat the boys at the one side bar and pulled out the goods to make some homemade hot chocolate. She was just finishing up when she heard the door and Tori and Jess came into the room. Mel gave a tentative smile and grabbed two more mugs. Jess looked between the three of them.

"So, World War III? Peace treaty?"

" Well, `Switzerland' showed up and we found a neutral ground to lay the foundations for peace," John said as he pointed at Sid. They all smiled.

He pulled his wife into his lap, soothing her much like a small child, running his hand over her back in a circular motion, his lips pressed to her hair. Sid came up behind her and slid his hand in hers.

"Do you mind if I crash her tonight? I'll be a really comfortable pillow for you to hold on to."

"I would love that actually. Tori called the school secretary's cell when I first had my meltdown. Told them a family emergency came up. They weren't too worried about finding someone since we're all just having them watch movies or have parties."

"Good, we'll sleep in and relax."

"Well, you sleep in. I'll be up to start dinner. There's a lot of stuff to do tomorrow."

"Then let's head up to bed and I'll help you fall asleep," he whispered in her ear.

"Sounds perfect," she replied. Then she turned to her friends. "Just turn out the main lights before you head up to bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Good god that's a crap ton of food!"

Sid stood in the doorway with Brooks and just nodded in agreement. It was amazing that all of this food had been prepared today. So much for sleeping in. Tori had come in and jumped in bed with them this morning at like 7a.m. it was worth it though.

And he'd tried to help out a million times. Every time he went near a knife or something though, it was taken out of his hand and he was shoved toward the living room again. `Let us women do this. Go relax.' So he'd grabbed some beers and made his way to where a couple of the guys were already seated. Those who had come over early with the ladies.

He told Brooks to go find Amanda and to tell everyone it was almost time to eat. Taking the stairs two at a time he turned into Mel's bedroom. She had gone up to change and that's where he found her now, standing in front of the floor-length mirror, finishing her make-up.

"You look stunning."

"I'm just in jeans," she replied with a smile.

"People can look stunning in jean. Especially snug jeans like that."

Melany turned and he folded her into his arms. He could feel her tremble slightly and he wished he could say the perfect thing to make her happy for good.

"I love you."

Turning her face up to his, Sid saw her eyes shining with tears. But the smile on her face was genuine when she whispered the words to him and pressed her lips to his. He whispered `be strong' and took her hand, leading her back downstairs to where everyone was waiting for them.

Sid pulled her seat out and took his place next to hers. He'd laughed when she said she wanted a circular or oval table. But this was nice. You could talk to everyone easier. And the size of the thing. When she'd mentioned a table big enough to sit sixteen people he'd thought she was insane. But with hockey players, they took up a little more space. There were thirteen people tonight and with all of the food it was kind of surprising that they could all fit.

He stood and raised his glass in a toast.

"Melany asked me to give a toast before we ate tonight. So I just wanted to thank everyone for coming over tonight. And to the ladies, if this tastes as good as it all looks then we're going to be in food comas by the end of this meal."

There were a few chuckles and fist pounding before he continued.

"I realize that most of us here are Canadian and that we've celebrated our Thanksgiving already. But I have something that I really want to give thanks for and pray for tonight. The military."

Taking Mel's hand in his, he glanced to his right and nodded at John who was holding her other hand.

"I would like us to remember those men and women overseas, and those who have found out recently that they are to be deployed. They make extreme sacrifices and sometimes I think we forget about how hard it must be on them, and their friends and family, to leave and go fight. Good luck, and come back safely John. And thank you."

There was a new round of fist pounding and glasses clinking together. John stood up and cleared his throat.

"I just wanted to say my own thank you. A short one, just to let you all know how nice it's been to just be accepted into this close knit group. You're like my unit only… nicer! I'm glad that Mel has found herself this great set of friends. And when I come home there better be another Cup! It'll be summer and I expect a photo with it! Now, no more serious talk. Let's eat some food!"

With a cheer of agreement they started passing the different plates and bowls around the table. There were a few times when the dishes would run low and someone would make a run to the kitchen to replenish it, or to grab more drinks. Jordan had the table in a tizzy when he asked if there could be team dinners like this once a week.

"You all keep playing well and we'll think about it," Tori said with a laugh.

"So if we suck then we don't get fed?"

"No, if you start sucking real bad you'll start getting pep talks again." There was a chorus of groans and Mel just smiled and air high-fived Erin.

After dinner Sid found himself on dish duty with Tanger and John. They had a pretty good system actually. One to clean the plates, one to rinse and one to place in the dishwasher. They were almost finished when there was a scream. They took off running and found Mel jumping up and down beside Erin.

"What's wrong??"

Erin put her hands on Mel's shoulders to stop her from bouncing and pasted a smile on her face.

"We… were… discussing the wedding… You know, tell her the flowers I've chosen and such. I mean, it's like three weeks away so…"

"Three wee… WHAT?? How do you plan on getting dressed and a place and all of the other things that you need for a wedding???"

Sid stared at them stupidly as the two of them laughed. Erin punched him playfully.

"Silly, silly man. Everything is planned but the seating arrangements. Now… go away. We were in the middle of something."

Sid took off in the direction he'd last seen Geno. He found him talking with Brooks. They were both laughing and Geno was making hand motions by his stomach.

"Geno!! Why didn't you tell me? Not that I'd have been mad or anything, but don't you think that you should've told me what was happening? Erin just told me!"

"Erin tell you?? But she say no tell lots of people. They get wrong idea. I only find out today."

"Today?? How could she not tell you until tod… are we talking about the same thing?"

"I not think so. What you talk about?"

"You're wedding next month! What else would you be thinking about?"

"I… um… Nothing."

"Liar. What, is Erin pregnant or something?" Sid laughed at his own statement. He just wanted to tease the guy. But Geno wasn't laughing. He had a panicked look his face. "Holy shit… she's pregnant!"

"Shhhh, no one really supposed to know! It big surprise! Can you believe… Sid, you not know how happy I feel…"

He took one look at the big guy and was instantly jealous. Geno had just found out that the woman he loved was going to have his baby. He couldn't understand exactly how he felt, but he knew that if it was Mel… he wouldn't be able to keep quiet. And that explains why Geno was talking to Brooks. Brooks would be one of the few guys on the team who would mess up and tell everyone else.

"So no one is supposed to know?"

"She think that everyone think she get pregnant on purpose."

"That's stupid. We all know how you feel about her, and how she feels about you!"

"Exactly," Brooks said. "I've been trying to tell him that no one but brain dead puck bunnies would say that. And Erin never lets anything they say bother her."

He and Brooks spent the next ten minutes talking Geno into asking Erin for permission to just tell the team. Everyone would want to know something like this, and she had obviously told Mel. That explained the scream earlier. It was time for dessert when they had him convinced that he should announce it at the table.

Everyone was sitting and getting ready to dig into their pie when Sid noticed Geno and Erin talking with their heads together. She mouthed `are you sure' and Geno just smiled. She smiled back and nodded. Geno stood up and pulled Erin up as well.

"We have news to tell. You know that we have wedding next month. But there more news. We having a baby," he shouted as he placed one hand on Erin's stomach. The guys all cheered like they had in June and there were a chorus of screams from the girls in attendance. Glasses were lifted in celebration and Mel ran into the kitchen open a bottle of champagne and grab some ginger ale for Erin.

"I was afraid you guys would think badly of me, or something," Erin said when Max asked why she had seemed reluctant to spill the good news.

"That's crazy! Now, come here and let me talk to my future godson," Max chuckled.

There was an instant fight about who was worth and unworthy of being godparents to the unborn child and Sid found himself sitting back in his chair laughing at the comical conversation. Mel was sitting beside him, her hand in his. They looked at one another and Sid saw the envy in her eyes, along with the happiness she felt for her friend. I'll ask her after the wedding. I'll take the ring with me to the reception and ask her to marry me.

*****************************

p.s. I know there's a new character ladies, and i didn't explain her a lot. But I'm thinking she'll have her own mini story after this is complete!! It's in the works now, and with ten chapters left in this one, I hope to have it finished by then! Along with some other little surprises for you all!!

Chapter 33:The Beginning of the End of an Era

Sorry guys, I've been trying to get this out. But I've been subbing almost every day and it's fries my brain! LOL!! Thanks for stickin' with me*

“… going 1-4-1 in the preseason you’ve gotta wonder how the Defending Stanley Cup Champions are …”

Sid smacked his alarm clock, he didn’t need to hear anymore. The season hadn’t even officially started yet and they were already doubting the ability of his team. I’d like to see some of them do any better. Not that he was pleased with the way the preseason had gone either, but c’mon.

Preseason didn’t count. At least that’s what Mel kept telling him whenever he started to get into a funk. Sid cracked open one eye and stared at the woman sprawled all over his chest. How she ever got up on time for school he had no idea, because she slept through his alarm whenever she came over for afternoon naps.

Then again, he always slept through her joining him. It was weird since they hadn’t done this very much. But she fit his schedule in with hers and for the past few weeks they’d been in sync with naps and such. Sid brought up a hand, stroking it lovingly over her cheek and smiling as she curled into him more, her body completely plastered to his.

“Time to wake up sunshine. We have a hockey game to prepare for.” He watched her eyes flutter open and then close again. She mumbled something unintelligible and burrowed her head into his arm. He chuckled and pulled himself up, sitting against the headboard.

“Melany, wake up, opening night. Gotta get ready.”

Instead of waking though she used his lap as her new pillow and Sid immediately tensed up. No, no. Not good. No sex on game day. I’ve broken the rule before but… opening night. Stick to rituals. But he looked down and saw her face on his thigh and watched as he started to tent his shorts. Fuck.

“Someone doesn’t seem to want to get out of bed just yet,” he heard her murmur as she brought a hand up and, with just one finger, traced the length of his rapidly growing length. Sid groaned. I could break the rules once… again…

Sid was saved by the ring of her phone. The chorus of ‘Sleeping Sickness’ rang out as her phone tried to vibrate its way off the night stand. Only she would use that song as someone’s tone. At least it wasn’t his ringer. He listened as she answered to see if he could gauge from her greeting who it was.

“Allo bel ami!”

“Why are you calling someone handsome?”

“No, it’s just Sid. He’s playing the part of jealous boyfriend right now. If only he knew the truth about us,” she giggled into the phone. “No! I’m not going to tell him that!”

“Tell me what??”

“I think he’s getting angry. Are you sure you wanna make him angry before the game?”

“Give me the phone!”

“Uh-oh. He wants the phone now. Maybe I should hang up quickly and delete my call list!”

“Melany… who are you talking to?!”

Sid could hear someone talking but couldn’t make out the voice, or the words. She was smiling and laughing at whatever was said. He was about to move from his comfortable position in bed when she crawled over the mattress and plopped down on his lap, straddling him. Boing! Damn. Hissing through his teeth as she moved against him a time or two, Sid grabbed her hips to stop any future movements.

“Would you like to talk to my friend now Sid?” Mel had an innocent smile on her face as she handed him her cell. He started to ask who the hell was calling when she leaned down and traced her tongue from the collar of his Reebok shirt, up his neck, nibbling on his ear.

“Wh-who is this??”

“Mon ami, you should no’ be so jealous so easily. It’s not like I could whisk her away!”

Sid heard the laughter in Max’s voice and wanted to laugh as well, but his girlfriend was grinding on him at the moment and any witty retorts that he could’ve said emptied out of his head with the rest of his brain.

“Fuuuu… Max, we gotta hang up now…”

“Just remember Sid, no sex on game day. You made the rule. Unless you’re going to give us all a break, you should remove yourself from your bed now. I will see you at the arena.”Click

“Babe… Mel… shit… I-I can’t… rule… please…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Anything other than please and she would’ve tortured him more. But when he said please… she had to give in. She’d taken a half day at the school so that she could be here for his pregame nap and everything. It wouldn’t be possible all the time, but tonight was special.

“Okay Sid, because you said please.”

Rolling off of him, Mel wondered if it would be in bad taste to get herself off while he was in the shower to relieve the tension she was feeling at the moment. It wasn’t that she wanted to make him break his rules, but he was hard, she was horny, it made sense. She could do all the work and that way he still had energy.

“I’m going to go grab a quick shower. Will you start my pasta?”

She nodded yes and Sid leaned over to kiss her, his lips brushing hers and one hand blazing a trail down her body to cup her already tormented sex. She moaned and her hips lifted on their own, wanting whatever it was he was willing to give her. One more brush of his lips and he was off the bed and practically sprinting into the bathroom.

“Asshole!”

She heard his laughter and walked slowly to the bathroom door, whipping her shirt over her head in the process. Pushing the door open she saw him glance up, his eyes widening at her standing there in a pair of his shorts and a lacy black bra.

“You said pasta, right?”

As she asked the question she nonchalantly leaned against the door frame, arching her back as the cool frame hit her back. She let out an honest gasp before she got used to it and she noticed his fingers clench into fists. He just nodded. She wandered away, letting him drink in his fill as she dropped the shorts in order to change into her game outfit.

Mel smirked, hoping he was now as tortured as she was. The worst part was that they wouldn’t have any free time tonight, not since the guys were leaving on the plane for the Islanders game tomorrow. She turned to get her clothes from her overnight bag and bumped into Sid’s chest.

He was standing there behind her, his breath coming in short gasps as he reached out one hand, tracing the outline of her nipple through her bra. Her body betrayed her and the skin tightened in awareness, making her grit her teeth as his thumb ran over the hardened tip.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he whispered as he leaned down, his fingers running inside the band of her panties. Mel’s breath caught in her throat.

“A-a deal? What kind of deal?”

“I will… take the edge off for you, but you have to promise me two things.”

“But… you said no sex before a game.”

“No sex for me. You aren’t playing in a home opener tonight. You can get off.” He said the last part with a smirk. “What do you say?”

“What is it that you want?”

“First thing, you have to promise to give me what I want, before I tell you what it is. If you agree to the first stipulation then I’ll tell you what I want from you. But I won’t tell you until I go to the locker room to get dressed for the game.”

She thought about it, contemplating what he might want from her. He was humming the Jeopardy theme song and Mel watched his eyes. He was smiling at her, but his eyes were flashing desire. It would probably be sexual.

But if he was waiting until almost game time, it wasn’t something she’d have to do until they returned from New York. The humming stopped and he looked at her. One eyebrow was cocked and he was still rubbing his thumb in circles over her nipple.

“Okay,” Mel whispered and Sid smiled before he crushed his lips to hers. They stood there, in the middle of the room, pressed close together as his lips moved over hers, his tongue sweeping in between her lips quickly. She loved when he got all macho and ‘take control’ with her. Then he pushed her back until her legs hit the bed. But he didn’t push her onto it.

His hands moved down her ribs, gently caressing her skin as he wound them around her, running back up her spine and unfastening her bra with ease. Bringing his hands up he slid the straps off her shoulders and tossed the lacy contraption over his head before bending over to take one of the hardened nipples between his lips.

“Oh geez,” Mel groaned out as her fingers tunneled through his short hair. He’d cut it back to the ‘season’ look a week ago and she found herself missing the wicked curls that she’d gotten so used to over the summer. Definitely not as easy to drag his head in directions now. She squeaked as his teeth sunk into her flesh, tugging the tip as his lips suckled her quickly heated body.

Mel found herself pulling his hair to drag his mouth back to hers for another searing kiss. She knew he would do as he said, but she just wanted to feel his lips on hers for another minute. It was amazing to feel all that emotion rolling off one person. He was sweet and caring yet rough and take-charge and her panties were ruined by the time he lifted his mouth.

“Now, onto the fun stuff,” he breathed against her lips and then he was on his knees in front of her, his fingers peeling off her underwear and pulling them to the ground as he leaned in and lightly licked her center.

“Siddddnnneey.”

“Yes love?”

Bracing her hands on his shoulders she tried not to dig her nails too deep into him as he flicked his tongue out again. His fingers moved down into the mix, holding her open for his pleasure… or hers… she couldn’t’ really figure out the right answer at the moment. Sid looked up at her and winked before pulling her clit into his mouth.

“Fucking hell Crosby!”

All he did in response was chuckle and sucked, her previously trembling body all but collapsing as sparks of pleasure shot behind her eyes. He wasn’t wasting time, wasn’t teasing or torturing. No, he was trying to flat out kill her.

“Sid, baby… I can’t… I can’t keep standing like this. I feel like I’m going to pass out and I haven’t… even… Oh fuck…”

Mel tumbled backward onto the mattress, thinking that this would help since she didn’t need to be on her feet now. Instead, she just moaned as he spread her legs and set about fulfilling his half of this unknown deal. Working his tongue furiously, she wondered what on earth he was spelling out so quickly. Damn him and that Alphabet Game! He had entirely too much fun using his tongue to do his A, B, Cs or spell things out.

“Yes, don’t stop! But what are,” gasp, jerk, “What are you spelling?”

Sid pulled back long enough to grumble ‘mine’ and then he dove back in. She focused on the movements, reciting each letter over and over in her head as he licked away. She decided that he must not want to give her any chance to breathe as he slipped two fingers inside her while he tongued her flesh.

“Come for me,” he growled and Mel felt her body tense up as he played her like a violin, her scream of ecstasy like a bow sliding over the strings in the final measures of a composition. His tongue swirled around as she came down from the delicious high and her body jerked as the rough pad of his tongue now raked the overly-sensitized area.

“Remember, we have a deal,” Sid said as he pulled her into a sitting position. He leaned up to give her one more kiss and then he stood and spun around to go back to the shower. This better be good. Then, on shaky legs she smiled and changed, heading downstairs to help Nathalie finish up the pregame meal, but not before popping into the bathroom to flush the toilet and listen to a grown man squeal like a small child.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sid pulled into the driveway, down into the arena where he always parked and sighed. It was 4:06pm and he was late. At least this time he didn’t almost run over anyone. He smiled as he remembered the day, only six months ago, when he had first laid eyes on the woman who would be wearing his jersey tonight.

Okay, there would be tons of women wearing his number, but only one of them would be in the freshly washed Game 7 jersey that he was wearing when the time ticked down and they won the Cup. Unable to stop himself, Sid dialed her number and listened to the breathy greeting and the other female voices in the background.

“Hi again gorgeous. You know, if you don’t give me enough time, I won’t get ready and I’ll be late and you’ll have to punish me.”

“I think I’ll keep you on the phone for the next few hours then,” he chuckled.

“What’s wrong Sid? Nervous?”

“No, just… I was being sentimental and mushy. I was a few minutes late and found myself recalling the day we met, unofficially.”

“Did I ever tell you that I was completely lost in how sexy you looked to even realize you were yelling at me in the beginning?”

“No. Did I ever tell you that I was staring at your ass as you walked up to meet Erin?”

“Why do you think my hips were sashaying so much?”

“Tease.”

Sid heard her laugh and heard the girls making gagging noises and chattering on about whatever it is that women talk about while they’re getting ready. He was walking into the locker room when Max came running out, Tanger hot on his heels, whipped cream or shaving cream all over his face.

“What’s all that racket?”

“What do you think?”

“Go play captain then. We’ll be down to give you good luck wishes and kisses before the ceremony starts! Love you!”

“Love you. Bye.”

Flipping the phone shut he went into captain mode and barked out orders. First to find out what on earth was going on, then what needed to be done to corral the two Frenchies, and then he went to find Flower. Sid found his friend sitting in the locker room, in the corner, half in his gear already.

“Little early to be puttin’ on the pads, eh Flower?”

“Non. I need to get used to them all over again.”

“You look like you’re going to puke.”

“I don’ know what to do about this…”

Marc lifted his left hand, the one that now had a gold band around the ring finger. Sid smiled, remembering how they’d tricked him that day. It was a good thing he loved Marc and Max like brothers.

“What do you mean?”

“Do I leave it on? Take it off and leave it in here? Put it on my necklace? I don’t know! I don’t like change Sid…”

“Listen, it’s no big deal.” Sid turned, his eyes scanning the room until he found who he was looking for. “Johnny! Hey, come ‘ere!” Brent Johnson, the new back-up goalie, strode over to stand in front of them.

“Gentlemen?”

“What do you do with your wedding ring?”

Sid was looking at Flower and didn’t notice the sort of pained look that flashed across the man’s face. He didn’t notice until that moment that Johnny wasn’t wearing a ring. He wasn’t playing tonight, and he wasn’t in his uniform yet… shouldn’t he still be wearing it? No matter, we need answers, cuz we need Marc in the zone. Sid looked up at Brent expectantly.

“Oh, my ring… I always to… take it off before the game and place it in a small velvet bag that my wife had made for me. Then it goes in my stall, right next to my cell. It’s the last thing off before a game, and the first thing on after one.”

“See, no worries. We’ll get you a bag an--”

“What if Vero has a bag for me?! I should wait. But if she doesn’t… then what?”

Glancing around the room, Sid found Max in the corner talking with Jordan and caught his gaze, beckoning him over. A couple seconds later, he was promising to find out what to do as he dialed his girlfriend yet again.

“Wow, you must really miss me!”

“Are you still at Flower’s?”

“Yeah, we were just getti--”

“I need to talk to Vero.”

“Okay. Let me get her.” There were a couple yells and he heard shuffling and then V was on the line.

“Allo Sid, what can I do for you?”

“Do you have a small bag, maybe one that used to have a necklace in it that Marc gave you? Or something special like that?”

“Oui, I have a ton of them. Why?”

“I need you to do me a HUGE favor. Your husband is going to have a mental breakdown if we don’t figure out what he can do with his wedding ring. So look through the bags, pick out your favorite, and bring it with you to the arena. Okay?”

“Okay Sid. Do you need to talk to Mel again?”

“No, tell her I’ll see her as soon as you guys get here.”

Flipping his phone shut, Sid walked back over to talk to his teammate.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“What was the weird phone call about Sid? And why did V come out the room with a million little bags?!” Mel was standing in the locker room beside Sid, watching as Vero sat on Marc’s lap, the two of them going over bags that she had spread out on her lap.

“Flower was about to have a mental breakdown. ‘Johnny-On-The-Spot’ over there came up with a fast solution.”

Sliding her gaze to where one of the new members of the team. Brent Johnson. She had yet to meet his wife, which was odd because everyone’s family was supposed to be here tonight. She’d just met Rupper’s wife and kids, who were really freakin’ cute! And Jay’s little girl, can you say precious! But ‘Johnny’ as the guys seemed to be calling him, he didn’t seem to care that his wife didn’t make it to opening night.

“Sid,” she whispered.

“What,” he asked in an overly dramatic whisper. She punched him and then shook her hand when she hit nothing but shoulder pad. He chuckled and brought her fingers to his lips. “You wanted something?”

“Where is Brent’s wife? I thought he was married…”

“You know, it’s strange. When I called him over to help with Flower, he seemed reluctant to talk about it. And he’s not wearing a ring.”

“Maybe he already took it off. And perhaps she can’t be here tonight. They still have to finalize things in D.C., don’t they?”

She watched Sid nod and decided it wasn’t something she needed to worry about. All of the guys were getting antsy and she could feel the excitement in the air. Pulling him down closer to her level since he was too tall in his skates, Mel pressed what she meant to be a quick kiss on his lips. Then he growled and damn near shoved his tongue down her throat.

Mel closed her eyes, forgetting that there were entirely too many people in the room right now. She didn’t think about how they were probably the center of attention. Didn’t care that she had to stand on the tips of her toes so that she could kiss him. And she certainly didn’t care when he brought his hands under her ass and lifted her up, helping her wrap her legs around him.

She didn’t care about any of that. Until she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Forcing her mouth away from Sid’s, she turned her head and saw Mario and Disco standing there, trying to hide the amused smiles on their faces.

She cleared her throat and Sid let her legs fall, sliding down to the floor so she could stand on her own. Mel turned away from everyone and grabbed the jersey Sid had for her to wear. He hadn’t told her how significant it was yet, but it was an away jersey, so she figured it was from the Final. Taking a deep breath she turned back around and the room exploded with cat calls, whistles and a round of applause.

“Oh you all suck!”

Then she pulled Sid’s jersey until he was face to face with her and she whispered ‘I love you’ and pressed one more chaste kiss to his lips. The guys were making kissy noises and Max was facing away from her, wrapping his own arms around himself to make it look like he was making out with someone.

Laughing, she started to leave with the rest of the family members and significant others. Erin and Geno were having a heart-to-heart in the corner and Mel wondered if everyone knew it was her birthday. Well, I can fix that right quick.

“Happy Birthday Erin!! See you upstairs!”

Mel continued out of the room amidst a chorus of professional athletes singing Happy Birthday to one very angry looking redhead. If looks could kill, or at least injure, Mel knew she’d be in the hospital right now. Especially since Geno seemed to be the loudest and very off-key. Giggling, Mel started the trek up to the family section when she heard Sid yell.

“Wait! You didn’t get to hear my end of the deal from earlier!”

“And here I thought I’d get away without you realizing,” she chuckled. Sid stopped in front of her, his helmet on, even though they still had like forty-five minutes before the ceremony started. He was staring down at her.

“Remember, you promised.”

“I know, I know. And I’m guessing it’s something perverted. So… what do I have to do when you get home from New York tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow? We’ll plan something else for tomorrow. This is for tonight,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Tonight?? You guys are leaving on a plane right after the game! How in the wor-”

“You just better be down here after the game ends. I’ll have everything covered. Deal?”

“Deal,” she said rather reluctantly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“And please, welcome back, your captain, number 87, Siiidddnneeyyy Crooooosssbbyyyyy!!”

Hearing the cheers that were only rivaled by the ones for Max, MAF and Geno, Sid took a deep breath and stepped onto the ice, skating over to stand by Geno, who promptly put a glove up for a fist bump. They smiled and laughed as they were told to come down to stand by the Cup.

This was it. This was the moment. He wondered if Mel was smiling or crying. It amazed him that the woman cried over things like this.

Yes, he was damn proud that he’d helped to win the Cup and bring it back to Pittsburgh. But she was getting teary-eyed last night just talking about the ceremony and how it was going to be, seeing the banner lifted in the arena. He smiled at the way he’d wiped the tears from her eyes, and brought a blossoming smile to her lips before they fell asleep.

“What you think about Sid?”

Turning to Geno, he just shrugged his shoulders and looked up to the section where Mel was seated. She refused to be cooped up in one of the boxes tonight.

“Erin with her. Amanda too. They cause big ruckus when we score tonight, okay?”

“Okay Geno, we’ll score goals for them tonight. I like that idea.”

“Da. And we get win for Erin birthday. Or she give me heck in locker room!”

Sid and a couple of the guys laughed and nodded as 17,000+ fans started chanting ‘Let’s Go Pens!’ as loud as they could. When they were all there, surrounding the banner, Sid overheard Steiggy’s voice.

“Okay! Let’s raise the roof, as we raise the banner!”

As the material came out, inch by inch, it hit Sid. They were the defending Stanley Cup Champions. They were the best team from last season. They had to watch their backs every single game. And we’ll start with tonight. That was when he realized that if he didn’t start blinking or something, he was going to cry.

The men gathered around with him, watching the raising banner, had been a part of something special. There were the newcomers as well, but they’d fit in. Ray seemed to have a keen eye at grabbing people who would help in the future.

After everything had been finished, and the red carpet rolled back up, the guys took their spots either on the bench or on the line for the anthem. Jimerson rocked out the Star-Spangled Banner and the lights came on for the start of the first period.

The first five minutes were brutal, the itch to get the first goal, the need to get a win for the crowd, the drive to stay focused and play hard. Then, as the guys were swooping into the zone, Drury held one of them up and the crowd was cheering as the man in white went to the box.

“Okay boys, first power play of the new season. First power play of the game. First chance to make it count. I don’t care if it’s pretty, I don’t care if it’s dirty, but let’s show them why you’re the Champs!”

They tried, they did. And Sid came back to the bench for relief angry with himself that he hadn’t scored a goal. They still had over half of the PP left though, plenty of time to go back out there. After a whistle for play to stop, Disco tapped his shoulder and he, Geno and Kuni went back out to try again.

Flying down the ice with Gonch and Goose, Sid took the puck into the zone. He made a drop down pass to Geno and went down low. Glancing back, he saw the Russians pass it back and forth. Then Geno shot the puck to Goose, who passed it to Gonch. Goose moved down the half wall and Geno came to the point. With a sure hand, Gonch passed the puck to Geno and he let go with a wicked shot.

The crowd stood, cheering madly. Lundqvist laid on the ice, being dramatic. Sid moved quickly to Geno’s side, the others joining in a group hug before all five of them went down the bench for fist bumps.

Godsy let the gloves fly and went rounds with Brashear after that. Sid smiled internally. It wasn’t that he liked to fight, but he was having Eric teach him a few things. Sometimes you just need to be able to throw some punches. Fucking Drury scored and the insults started flowing freely.

There were guys talking trash all over the place and Sid found himself letting it roll of his shoulders until, of all people, Marc Staal crunched him into the boards and made a dirty comment about Mel. Seeing red, Sid turned and whacked with his stick. The ref’s arm came up and, glaring at the Staal not on his team, Sid skated over to the penalty box. Should’ve known he’d try something like that.

Luckily they killed the penalty and held the Rangers at bay for the final minute of the period. In the locker room Sid checked his phone, seeing a message from Mel that made him smile.

Whatever the fucking ginger said was about me, wasn’t it? I’ll kick his soulless ass after you guys win this game. Don’t worry about it babe, I got your back*

“Staalsy, you’re brother’s going to die.”

“I’m sure he didn--”

“You don’t make derogatory remarks about Melany.” His tone was final. Sid watched Jordan’s face. His eyes narrowed and he nodded.

“You’re right. That’s low. I’ll take care of it.”

The second period started to fly by. A few good hits here and there and then Sid found the puck on his stick. He went soaring into the zone and saw Marc in his way. He slid the puck to Billy and went full force into the Staal brother not on his team. Marc went down hard, Billy passed the puck to Tanger, Tanger shot it to Sid and he buried it behind Henrik.

After the celebration he was skating by Marc.

“Call me any names you want Marc. Take me out of the game with a hit. But don’t, and I mean don’t, repeat what you said earlier. You know her, and that was low.” Still catching his breath from the hit, Marc nodded and Sid went to the bench.

TK scored a minute later and the guys went into the locker room feeling confident that they could keep it up and win this. Sid was laughing with the others when they lined up to take the ice for the third period. Geno was behind him.

“We almost finished Sid. We both score. Now we win it for them.”

“I’m with you one hundred percent buddy.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mel stood with the final few seconds left. New York had pulled the goalie and they were in desperation mode, trying to get the tying goal to send it to OT. IT never happened though and she found herself jumping up and down and cheering madly as the guys all skated to Flower to bump heads.

She made her way down to the locker room in record time despite a amount of people. Some recognized the three of them and lifted hands up for high-fives as they traveled in the opposite direction of the usual flow. Okay, maybe the suite or the family section wouldn’t be such a bad idea next game.

Waiting in the lounge with everyone else, Mel talked with V and Erin while the guys spoke to the media and got cleaned up for their trip to New York. Erin was trying to insist that the fireworks that were going off right now were for her birthday, and not because of the game/ceremony.

Even Mario was playing along with it. He would say yes, they were for her birthday, and when she turned he would shake his head no and wink. Mel was laughing when the door whooshed open and Geno came bounding through it. He ran over and picked up Erin, spinning her around. When she finally hit the ground again, she was smiling from ear to ear.

“Happy Birthday. You good luck, I score for you. We win game for you. Is best birthday ever, yes?”

“Yes! And the fireworks were the icing on the cake!”

“Fireworks? Cake? We no have cake… But I show you fireworks!”

With that said Geno grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway promising not to be late at the airport. Mel burst out laughing, because Erin never, ever did things like that. Good for her, a very happy birthday it will be. Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Sid approaching her until his arm snaked around her waist and his lips were pressing against her ear.

“Time to go fulfill your end of the deal babe.”

“Well, don’t take me that way,” Mel said, pointing in the direction Erin and Geno had ran.

“Oh, and why is that?”

“Geno’s making Erin see fireworks…”

“But to see them they’d need to go out… side… OH!”

“See, I knew under that helmet you still had a fully functional brain!”

“Ha, you’re funny. Let’s go. I’ll give you your own show.”

Mel felt a shiver run down her back as his fingers laced with hers and they walked, almost ran, to his car. When they reached the vehicle, Sid pressed her back against it, slanting his mouth over hers as his fingers traced the waistband of her jeans. Another shiver wracked her body as Mel wove her fingers through his hair.

“Sid… you don’t… no time… airport… gotta go to New York.” In-between kisses Mel plead her case. Sid just growled against her lips and pressed his body against hers, pushing her completely against the door to the car.

“We aren’t leaving until I’ve had you. You were all I could picture during the game. I saw you on the bench, in the penalty box, on top of the net. Hell, I was in the shower and I pictured you under the spray! I think Max was getting the wrong idea because I almost couldn’t ‘keep myself down,’ so to speak.”

She believed him. She could feel his hardness through his dress pants.

“Is anyone else going to come this way?”

“No, I may or may not have told everyone to be gone by the time we were out of the locker room. It’s just you and me. So, now it’s time to pay up.”

Pulling her away from the car, Sid opened the hatch and practically pushed her inside. He’d put down his back seats and now it was more like a flat floor. Plenty of room. He crawled in behind her, laying his body over hers as he brushed wet kisses from her ear down her jaw line.

“Mmmm, Sid… shut that…”

Mel watched his eyes flare as he lifted himself up long enough to fish his keys out. He hit the button on the fob and the hatch started to shut, putting them alone in a vehicle with tinted windows.

Wasting no time, which was good since they barely had any, Sid had her jersey and the t-shirt under it off in seconds. He placed heated kisses over her exposed flesh as his fingers came around the back of her bra to unhook it. Three pops and the cups fell away.

Mel moaned as Sid bent his head, his teeth taking hold of one breast, sucking the rapidly hardening tip as his fingers toyed with the other. She had herself propped up, her hands sort of behind her, and she gasped as Sid’s free hand wove down, under her jeans.

As he mauled the upper half of her body, Sid’s hand worked furiously to free the lower half. She knew he would have trouble though, because these pants were practically painted on. She’d been about to tell him when he tore himself away and, in a very gruff voice, commanded her to kneel with her hands on the front seat’s headrests.

She moaned as he finally unsnapped the denim and peeled it down over her hips. With her legs now bound by her jeans she had no way to escape as his fingers started to play. Mel blushed as Sid pushed two fingers inside of her. She was soaking wet and he made sure to comment on the fact.

“God, you’re so wet for me. I need you Melany. I need you badly.”

As he continued to toy with her, Mel could feel the pressure building within her body. She wanted him inside her when it burst though. Attempting to tell him that while he curled his fingers inside her and brushed against her sweet spot was extremely difficult though.

He must have understood though because he stopped his torment long enough to help her pulled her pants off the rest of the way. Sid wasted no time in undoing his trousers. With them open and his cock free from his briefs, he pulled on her leg, motioning for her to straddle him.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take those off fir—Oh fuck!”

The question died and her breath came out quickly as Sid slid his head inside and pulled her body down on top of him.

“Ride me,” he told her.

Mel swiveled her hips and rose up slightly before crashing back down, loving how he filled her. She bounced up and down, her hands clenching at the sweet friction caused by their movements. Fuck, I’m going to ruin his suit jacket. Then everyone will know… everyone’s going to know what we did. He’s going to smell like sex on the plane ride.

“Grab the ‘Oh Shit’ handles babe.”

Reaching on both sides of the car, she grabbed hold of the handles and held on as Sid started lifting his hips to meet her plunging and Mel was certain she saw stars as he pounded away.

The car had to be rocking like crazy and she found herself uncaring as one thumb ran over her clit and the breath held in her lungs came out in a drawn out moan. Her thighs were burning, her calf was cramping up and she could feel her body starting to tense up with her impending orgasm.

“Sid… close… so close baby. Oh god you’re amazing!”

Looking down at him, Mel felt her walls tighten around his cock and as Sid pressed his thumb over her button once more she came. The stars she had seen before burst into a shimmer of white light. It felt as though she had been a bottle of champagne and he’d just popped her open.

There were noises coming from somewhere and she finally realized they were coming from her mouth. She watched him grit his teeth as he tried to stave off his own release. Letting go of the handles she fell forward, her head falling beside his.

“Come on baby. Come for me. Let me feel it Sidney.”

She heard him grunt and felt his hands tighten on her hips. As his fingers dug into her sides she listened to his labored breathing. Tilting her head she licked the racing pulse at his neck before biting him gently. Mel felt the muscle tick and then he yelled out her name as he held her down, impaled on all of him, and pumped his release as deep within her as he could.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Are you okay?”

He whispered the words as his fingers tunneled in her hair. Tilting her head back he saw the smile on her face. Sid smiled back before tucking her to him and rolling them over. Mel brought her legs up around his hips and he wanted nothing more than to stay like that forever.

“We need to go, don’t we?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m sorry sweetheart.”

“Don’t be. I’m not,” she chuckled.

Sid pulled himself off of her slowly, savoring the feeling as he slid out of her inch by inch. He grabbed the container of wipes that he always had in the back of his car. I knew these would come in handy some day! Using one to clean himself off, he tucked his junk back into his pants before running the cloth gently over one very sensitive area.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m going to be sore in the morning,” Mel responded with a smile. “I’m going to take a nice, long bubble bath when I wake up.”

“We need to get to the airport,” he said with a sad smile. “I wish you were coming with me.”

“I do to. This is kind of new for us. Last season I was able to go to most of the away games. I’ll cheer really loud while we’re all watching the game, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Sid helped her get dressed again and they straightened up his back seat before heading out of the arena. There were no fans to stop and sign for, which only made him realize how long they really had been . Hopefully he wouldn’t get in any trouble.

The drive to the airport was quiet, and he saw Melany smile as he took her hand in his before getting off the highway and getting to the parking lot. Everyone was in a group talking when they pulled into a spot. He kissed her knuckles and they let go of one another to get out of the vehicle.

Max was the first one to speak up as the two of them walked over to join the rest of the group.

“It’s about time. I was starting to think you got lost!”

“Have you heard from Geno yet? I tried calling him on the way over but got no answer.”

“If he was doing anything like what Sid just did, he probably can’t form full sentences yet… in English or Russian!” Everyone laughed at Duper’s comment and Sid smiled at the blush that crept up Mel’s cheeks. They were still smiling about it when the little white car came zipping into the lot.

Geno parked beside him and the two popped out of the vehicle. Geno had the biggest, goofiest smile on his face. Erin was smiling too and as they got close to the group she ran to Mel. Sid jerked as Erin literally pulled her from his side. He looked at them with curiosity as Erin started speaking.

“Hey, you remember how well we plan things? Bistro stuff at the church, parties for after hockey games, things like that?”

“Yeah, I love doing that it’s fun! Why?”

“We have a new mission.”

“What’s that,” Sid heard Mel ask.

Erin released her and stepped back into Geno’s arms. The two of them looked around at everyone and then Geno brought Erin’s hand up. Her left hand. Her left hand that had a shiny new diamond on it.

“Because Geno asked me to marry him!”