Nine.

Rae's POV

Tonight is the annual charity event that Brooks Orpik's wife puts on at the bowling alley. I'm in a nasty bowling tshrt, naming me as Sidney's, but otherwise the night isn't half bad. This is one of the rare event during the season that Sidney actually has a good time with, and it shows. He's beaming at the kids that are bowling on the same lane as him, and it makes me realize what a good dad he will be when I finally get pregnant.

 

I stick to the shadows, talking when called upon, because tonight is about the kids, not me. If I'm being honest, I don't mind that in the least.

 

I head over to get a drink, where I find Olli Maatta doing the same. We talk briefly, and I have to admit; the kid's funny. He has me laughing in no time. It's also at that moment that I can feel someone starring at me. I look around the room and find Sidney's eyes locked in on mine. He excuses himself, as it's not his turn to bowl, and heads over to us. Olli nods hello before heading back to his own game.

 

"Hey," I say, offering him my water. He takes a big drink before sighing.

 

"I'm sorry," he replies. "That made me more jealous than it should have." I can still see the jealousy in his eyes, and not that I'd ever try to make him jealous on purpose, but everyone likes feeling important.

 

"He's just a kid, Sidney."

 

"I was just a 'kid' once too." I find his statement a little bit offensive, but I know what he means.

 

"I don't think I treated you like a kid though," I reply. Because he's standing facing away from the crowd of the room, I pull at his belt and give him one of my most innocent smiles. He growls, staring me directing in the eyes, making it clear to me what will happen when we get home, before taking another drink and heading back to his game,

 

Yes, a little bit of jealousy isn't bad at all.

 

Sid's POV

I sit on the couch dumbfounded, allowing her to steal the bowl of popcorn back from me. "I cannot  believe that just happened," I admonish while the credits start to play. "He was the only honorable one out of all of them, and they just chop his head off? I hate the Lannisters."  She giggles, and even though it's a sound I love, I can't get the frown off of my face as I turn to face her

"When you play the Game of Thrones, you either win, or you die," she shrugs, shoveling another scoop of popcorn into her mouth.

"How can you be eating right now," I half shout, taking her legs that are draped over mine and pinning them down with my outside arm, tickling her midsection while she squirms. When I finally stop, she's still halfway underneath me. I don't move; I like her in this position. "That little bitch of a King killed Ned."

"I know," she laughs again, making her breasts rise and fall, and I can't help but notice. "If you would have read the books first, this wouldn't be such a shock to you."

"Why would I want to read a book like that?" I ask, moving back to my normal upright position, needing to put some space between us. Trying to behave and gain her trust as a friend is hard. "The Lannisters have zero redeeming qualities and they are in control of everything."

"Sometimes, it's about watching people on their journey to developing redeeming qualities."

"Excellent," I scoff, "I can't wait to start season two."

Rae's POV

"You'll watch season two," I smile, getting up off the couch and tossing the remaining popcorn in the trash before rinsing out the bowl and putting it in the dishwasher. "You'll have to see if the Stark's get revenge."

"Do the Stark's get revenge?"

"I'm not going to tell you," I laugh, walking around the room divider and changing into work clothes, which happen to consist of penguins gear; it's game day after all. As I walk back toward the living room he's tossing the blanket we were using, that is now folded, over the back of the couch before picking up our cups and dumping them out in the sink. I smile before continuing into the room.

"When are you going to let me get you tickets to a Penguins game?" he asks. I think about telling him that I can't afford to go, but know that that isn't a an option I will ever choose. He'd want to help, of course. But the reality of it is that I work every game day that doesn't interfere with school because with the café being so close to the arena, the tips are amazing.

"When you read a book of mine," I counter, going over toward the coat rack and grabbing my hat and putting it on before turning back to him.

"Deal."

"Yeah?" I ask while he walks toward the door, nodding his head. I pull my boots on, put my gloves on, and then he helps me into my coat. After I'm all set, I reach into my purse and pull out my kindle, handing it over to him. "Any book on here." He takes it into his hands, just starring at it.

"Can I at least take the pink cover off of it?"

I nod my head yes, laughing to myself  before heading out the door, Sidney following closely. We're half way down the stairs before he speaks up.

"I wish you'd let me drive you for once, it is snowing after all."

Sidney's POV

"Yeah, baby girl, let him drive you," the guy lumbering up the steps interjects. I look over at Rae, and she's smiling. He continues up the stairs and then gives her a kiss on the cheek.

"Sidney, this is Derek. I'd introduce you to him, but he already knows exactly who you are," she smiles. We shake hands and exchange pleasantries, but I'm seething. I can only pray the whole thing is almost over as we continue down the stairs.

"If you want to stop by after work Rae, I'll have supper done at 7," Derek calls down to us.

"Alright, I'll bring pie from the café for desert," she replies.

We continue down the stairs to the front door and she reaches up and hugs me goodbye before stepping out into the snow and heading to work. As I'm walking to my car all I can help but think is 'What do I do now?'

Rae's POV

After getting off of work, I head over to Derek's apartment, which is exactly beside mine. As planned, he has supper ready, so all I have to do is take a seat and watch what is left of the second period of the Penguins game. It doesn't take long for me to pick up on the vibes that Sid is putting off. He's normally scrappy, but tonight it seems like he's just asking for trouble.

"Girlfriend, he's sexy when he's all broody," Derek states, staring at me and waiting for my response. He's waiting for me to argue otherwise, but I can't.

"I know," is all I can muster while nodding my head.

"Are you not going to tell me about that big booty of his then?" he continues.

"Derek!" I laugh, reaching over to slap his arm.

"What!" he chuckles. "I saw it straining against those jeans he had on today. All muscle?" I put my hands up to my face, covering my eyes. My best friend can embarrass me in two seconds flat. "Don't tell me you don't know, or I will kick you out of this apartment right now. How many times have I seen him coming from your apartment, and you haven't gotten any yet?"

"I mean I did, but it was only once, and it was a couple of months ago," I confess. I look over and see him shaking his head. "What?" I ask. "He couldn't be more 'off-limits'. He lives with my boss."

"That didn't stop you the first time," he smirks before thankfully letting the subject rest.

The third period isn't going well and the Penguins are loosing 5-1, so after I finish eating I head back to my apartment, shower, and then immediately get into bed.

I'm woken up to the sound of fists pounding on my door. I reach for my glasses, glance at the clock at see that it's almost midnight before I hear the second set of pounding.

I get out of bed, making my way over to the door and looking to see who it is before opening it.

"Sidney?" I ask while swinging the door open, immediately blinding by the lights flooding in from the hallway. He pushes in past me before heading over to the couch, where he starts pacing instead of sitting down.

I close the door and turn around, finding his eyes locked on me. It's after he looks me up and down that I realize I'm in just an over sized t-shirt. My hands immediately go toward it's edge and pull at the length a little, which makes him apologize.

"I'm sorry, I should have called first," he says while running his fingers through his still damp hair. "I'm just so jealous I can't think straight."

"Jealous of what?" I ask, closing the gap between us by about half.

"How'd your dinner date go?" he scoffs, starting to pace again. "I've wanted to take you out for months."

"Sidney," I laugh, walking over toward him and straightening his tie, because it's terribly crooked. "Derek is gay."

"Gay?"

"Ohhh yeahhhh," I answer with a smile, sitting down on the couch. Sidney follows my move and sits down next to me, and I have to admit that I like the way his hand feels on my bare knee. He stares down at his shoes for a good ten seconds before finally looking at me. I reach up and push his hair out of his face, and I let my hand linger there; it's the first mistake of many on my part, because when he leans down to kiss me, I don't push him away. In fact, I find my self reaching for the tie of his I had just straightened and pull him down toward me, opening my legs so he fits perfectly on top of me.

I hook my legs around his back, pulling him closer to me, and he deepens the kiss just like I hoped he might. His hands move from my hair, to my chest, and then down further, where his fingers rub me over my panties.

I groan , closing my eyes as my hips betray me and push against his hand. He then stops kissing me and instead stares down at me. His hand stops and my eyes pop open, only to find him pushing my panties aside, and I think yes, I like this much better, until he stops just as soon as he started. He kisses my neck, making me push up against him again.

"If you intend on making me stop tonight, this is where I draw the line," he groans, pushing his erection against my tender folds. "Or I won't be able to stop."

I think about what he's telling me before kissing him lightly and then pushing him into a sitting position again. I sit there for a moment myself, both of us seemingly gasping for breath before getting up and walking toward my bed. I get halfway there before taking my shirt off and tossing it over the couch for him to see. It doesn't take long for him to get the point and chase me toward my bed.

Eight.

Rae's POV

I look up from the book I'm reading as I hear him bounding down the stairs with his suitcases. He heads to the door, places his bags on the ground, and then makes his way toward me.

"Hawks, Predators, Sharks, Ducks, Capitals, right?" I call over my shoulder, trying to recall the schedule for the 10 day road trip he's about to leave for.

"Yep," he responds while flopping down on the couch next to me. He picks up my hand that was previously resting on my knee, gently rubbing his fingers over mine. "I wish you were making the trip with us. I miss having you there," he adds while squeezing my hand and making me look him in the eyes.

"I know," I whisper while scooting over closer to him. He raises his arm, giving me the perfect nook to fall in to. "Ten days is a long time. I'm going to miss you," I pout. He laughs, causing my whole body to shake. He pulls my face up to his, catching my lips in a short kiss.

"I'll call you like I always do," he adds while running his fingers through my hair. "And we'll Skype." I nod my head, knowing it's true. We talk daily. "What do you have going on this week?"

"I have a few rounds to make at the Children's Hospital. I told them I'd bring them new books by this week. I'm also helping out a couple of days at the animal shelter." I look up at Sid and he's beaming.

"That's my girl," he says while kissing the top of my forehead. I automatically retract and scoot over until I'm leaning on the armrest of the couch instead of him. Of course this excites him. It makes me a proper dutiful WAG. And being the wife of the captain of the team, my amount of charity work does not go unnoticed. I love going and visiting the kids, talking about books. But why can't it be enough that it is merely something I like to do, not that I'm doing it to make him look good? "I think I'm going to enroll in some classes next semester," I add nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah?" he asks, perking up. 'This is why I love him,' I think to myself. He's not anything like me, but yet he always gets excited about trivial things that I love that mean nothing to him. Somehow, we made our two worlds mesh. Well, almost.

"Nothing in particular," I respond, trying to be vague. "Probably just some literature classes." Now, this is what concerns me; how casually I lie to my husband.

Sid's POV

"I think it's a great idea," I respond. And I do, honestly. I know she needs something to fill her time when I'm out of town, but I also find it alarming. All of our fighting stems back to pretty much one thing; her job. Or her old job at least, the one she quit for me a little over two years ago, which leaves me questioning why now? "I've got to head out, babe, or I'll be late."

"Play safe," she almost whispers, her eyes full of concern.

I nod my head. It's the same 'good luck' comment I get before every home game and before I fly out for an away game ever since I had that last concussion.

"Are you okay?" I ask. I don't need to reference anything, she knows I'm talking about how I found he earlier this morning. She simply nods her head in response. I leave her alone, because I know that she'll talk to me about it when she's ready. I didn't even know she had started applying for jobs again.

"Don't let Kane try any of his tricks. And watch Dillon, don't skate with your head down around him. No comment about the Capitals," she adds while scrunching up her nose.

"You got it," I respond, pulling her into another kiss, this one lasting longer as she finally melts into my touch. There might be a million thoughts running through her head that she's not telling me, but this is how I know we'll be okay. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she sighs.

Sid's POV

I've got a jump to my step that everyone can notice, and it's not the normal one that I get after every practice. I'm getting ready in a hurry, trying to avoid the media as much as possible so that I can get out of here, which everyone also notices.

"What's with you, kid?" Billy G asks while sitting down next to me. "Not going to skate 2,000 extra sprints after practice today?" he continues with a smirk.

"I'm ready to lace back up if you are," I respond, nodding my head down to my skates, which makes him chuckle

"Nah, these old legs don't have that in them anymore. Got plans or something?"

"I don't know yet," I smile. And it's true. I know that I could walk down to Larry's office and she might not be at her makeshift desk. She actually hasn't been around quite a bit here recently, which has me concerned. It has been 6 days since she's stormed out of my bedroom, not bothering to respond to my question. And I let her go; now more than ever I'm realizing how dumb of  decision that was. "I guess I need to go find out," I add before pulling my hoodie on over my tshirt and pulling a hat down low on my head.

I head off to the heart of the arena where the offices are located. I hear deep voices and the mention of her name and I know that I'm in luck. I knock slightly to announce my arrival only to find Mario and Larry close to the door, as if they were on their way out; they aren't really who I'm interested in looking at though as my eyes fall on her.

"Hey, Sid," Mario greets, both of the men turning and facing me, giving me a proper hello. I smile, stealing a glance at her again only to find her pointing vigorously toward the door and lipping the words 'get out'. The look on my face causes the two men to become curious, both turning around to look at Rae, who is smoothly tucking her hair behind her ears, not flapping her arms like a bird anymore.

"Hello, Sidney," she adds by way of good manners.

"Got a problem?" Larry asks, catching me off guard.

"Oh, no," I shrug nonchalantly. A couple of seconds follow my response and I know all three sets of eyes trained on me are wondering why I've meandered down to the offices. "I just thought I'd invite Rae to tonight's game," I add, because it seems like a good cover up. I've heard her slight accent, the way she pronounce the all-telling long 'O' sound in her words; She's Canadian.  What Canadian doesn't like hockey? "I've never seen her around at any of the home games and thought she might like to come.."

"How thoughtful of you, Sidney," Mario smiles. "Rae? What do you say, join us in the box tonight?"

"That's a steep offer to decline," she smiles, and I think she has agreed, which is a nice place to start with what I'm about to propose. "I'm more of a Canuck than a Penguin," she admits. "I'm sure the game would be excellent, but I'm scheduled to work tonight."

"A Canuck in the heart of the land of the Penguins, who would have guessed," Mario laughs, shaking his head in dismissal before he and Larry both head for the door. "Maybe next time, Rae," he calls over his shoulder before they both leave us alone.

We both sit there, starring at each other for a handful of seconds, waiting until both men have moved further out of distance.

"What time do you work?" I ask, breaking the silence. She continues to look at me before shaking her head and gathering her jacket and other belongings.

"You can't do this, Sidney," she responds in her "business" voice.

"I have some free time this afternoon, I wondered if you wanted to catch a movie or something," I counter. "And you can call me 'Sid' you know, everyone else does."

"I normally call general acquaintances by their given name," she jokes.

"After our last visit, I'd say we are more than acquaintances," I respond, watching the way her cheeks blush. Good.

"So you want me to come to the game, you want to watch a movie, or you want to talk about the other night, which is it?" There are the claws I had anticipated.

"We don't have to talk about the other night," I offer, partially because I know picking that objective will get me no where fast. She doesn't even want to be around me, why would she want to discuss something serious? "And you can pick your own venue, arena or movie theater?" I smile.

Rae's POV

His smile makes me falter, if only for a second. His presence reminds me of the other night, how could it not? I've had visions of him running through my thoughts for days now. I know that I should decline, it's what any smart woman would do in this situation. On the other hand, it's just a movie. As friends. That seems appropriate enough.

He continues to stare at me as I have my internal debate and I can't help but notice how cute he is; he's wearing jeans and a hoodie with a hat pulled down low over his curly brown hair, still wet from his post practice shower. It would be completely unruly, as it's obvious he didn't brush it, if not for the hat.

"I wasn't lying, you know," I state while shifting from one foot to the other under his watchful gaze. "My shift starts at seven."

"I need to be at the arena by 5, so that's not a problem," he responds casually, stepping closer to me and taking my jacket out of my hands before hold it up for me and helping me into it. It's a simple gesture, but it catches me off guard. Do men even do that anymore?

"I just need to stop by my apartment to change my clothes first," I reply while gesturing down to my work clothes. He nods his head, the look on his face beaming of success. I find myself smiling before shaking my head and walking past him toward the door.

"Did you drive here?" he calls behind me and I shake my head no in response. "How did you get here then?"

"I walked," I respond, not thinking anything of it until I see the look on his face. "What?"

"You walked?" he asks seeming mystified by the idea. I nod my head yes again. "In those shoes?" he asks incredulously while giving me the once over. I chuckle to myself.

"Yes, in these shoes."

"You can ride with me then," he states simply while locking his hand in mine and dragging me toward the players parking lot. I look down at where his hand connects while mine and smile while telling myself I'm not quite sure if I like being told what to do or not.

Sid's POV

She directs me toward her apartment, which is conveniently almost exactly in between the arena and the college campus. I pull my SUV up to the curb, throw it in park, and cut the engine.

"You can come up if you'd like," she offers before opening her door. I nod my head yes, because I'd like that very much.

She pushes through the front door, ignores the elevator and leads me to the stairs where she proceeds to climb 4 levels to the top, then makes her way all the way down the hallway to the last door before getting her key out and opening the door.

She ushers me inside a small studio apartment before closing the door and shimmying, as that's the only way it can be described, out of her coat and puts it on the coat hanger to her left. As she makes her way over to her bedroom area I look around the room, instantly drawn to the huge window that takes up the entire wall opposite of where her bed is. I'm mesmerized; it's a beautiful view of downtown Pittsburgh.

"I know it's small, but it's so close to campus and the view is amazing."

I turn around, responding to her voice, only to find her in various parts of undress; she's still got her tank top on from the outfit she wore to work, but her high heels are gone and the pair of jeans she has on are still unbuttoned. She laughs, I'm sure at the look on my face,  before raising her hand and gesturing for me to turn around. I laugh to myself as well before turning around and making my way toward the couch and sitting down.

"Do you know what movie you want to see?" she asks while plopping down on the couch next to me, dressed in jeans, a shirt, a zip up hoodie, and a pair of toms. She's also put her hair up into a pony tail so that it's out of her face; all but a few loose strands. And of course she's wearing the pair of glasses that are always present on the bridge of her nose.

"I honestly don't even know what's showing," I admit while shrugging my shoulders. It wasn't about the movie anyways, it was about spending time with her. She chuckles before responding.

"I guess that means it's my pick," she grins while standing up, which really doesn't increase her height all that much. I look her up and down before laughing a little. She can't be taller than 5'1".  

"What?" She questions.

"Nothing," I add before shaking my head. "I didn't realize how small you were without high heels."

She scrunches her nose before bating at my hand and heading toward the door.

Seven.

Sid's POV

I wake up and stretch; you know, the kind of stretch that feels like heaven after a really hard work out, or in this case a nice romp in the sheets, which brings a smile to my face. I stretch my arm across the bed, hoping to tangle my hand through her hair, but instead I find the sheets cold. I open my eyes to confirm that the bed is empty before letting out a sigh and staggering up to find a pair of pants. This woman sure knows how to deflate a man's ego.

I paddle down the hallway towards the kitchen in hopes that I'll find her perched on a bar stool reading, but of course I don't. That only means she could be two other places; downstairs in the "workout" room or in the library. I cock my head to the side, but when I hear silence from the stairs I know she isn't running off some excess steam so I turn left and head down the hallway.

I walk around the corner slowly, and find exactly what I thought I might. She's sitting in the big over sized chair at the desk, but instead of facing toward the desk she's turned around looking at the bookshelf. This might seem ordinary, except the fact that it's not the bookcase that holds a slew of classic novels. It's the bookcase that holds her old school books.

I continue to stand there and watch her, and eventually she bends forward and picks up a book. I hear her chuckle to herself before she hurls it into the table at the end of the room, a lamp shattering to the floor. And then she takes another book, and does the same. And another. And another.

She slowly starts to sit back down before sobbing to herself.

"Rae?" I ask softly so she knows I'm there. She jumps a little and I know I've startled her, but she looks at me and an easy smile forms on her face. She continues to cry and can only shrug her shoulders while I make my way to her. "What's wrong?"

She points to the computer screen and starts sobbing even more. When I glance at the screen I see another denied work application.

I wake up to a body stirring beside me. I briefly note that it's dark outside before glancing over and seeing Rae. Her eyes are wide and questioning. She glances at me, the sheets, and then down at herself to confirm she has no clothes on.

"Fuck," she murmurs before sliding out of bed and reaching for the closest article of clothing she can find, which happens to be one of my button up shirts. "Ohhhhh fuck," she continues whiling starring at me. She looks like a deer in headlights, and I know that she doesn't remember all of the details from earlier, but she's quickly piecing them together.

"Rae," I begin.

"No... no, no no. Don't speak," she interrupts me. I start to open my mouth, but she cuts me off. "No, don't start," before adding "fuck" again quietly. She takes a deep breath to compose herself and then looks at me. "I need to go," she says before quickly searching the room for her dress, panties, and high heels. She's got them all bundled up in her arms before I can even slide out of the bed. As I do, panic crosses onto her face again as she realizes that I'm naked.

"No," she states firmly. "Stay there," she adds, as if I'll stay like an obedient dog would.

"Rae," I start again, walking towards her very slowly, trying my best not to startle her. "What is wrong?"

"What is wrong?!" she yell whispers. She thinks about answering her own question before just shaking her head. "Fuck," she mumbles again while shaking her head. "I need to go."

"No," I interject. "Not like this," I add. She looks at me, contemplating what I've just said, and I see a moment of hesitation, which is exactly what I need. "Just calm down for a second, okay?" She cocks her head to the side and moves her hand from the door knob. "Can I have my shirt back?

She smirks at me and I smile in return. She pulls my shirt over her head and throws it at my face, which would have successfully covered her naked body from my greedy eyes, except I have excellent reflexes and I catch it before it hits my face. My smile broadens as she shimmies back into her dress.

"Stop looking at me," she murmurs through a small smile while sliding her underwear on underneath her dress.

"You weren't so shy about thirty minutes ago."

She avoids my gaze and walks back over to my bed and sits down. "I'm going to loose my internship," she says while finally looking up at me and then gives a small shrug of her shoulders.

Rae's POV

"No, you aren't," he tells me confidently. I almost want to believe him. "Because we don't have to tell anyone," he adds while pulling on a pair of sweats.

"You make it sound so simple."

"It is," he counters. His crazy statement grabs my attention. "I have had to share a lot while growing up. Everyone always wants an "insider's view" into my life. But they don't need to know everything about me, and nobody needs to know about this," be adds while moving his finger back and forth, indicating the two of us.

"This?" I reply, copying his motions. "Sid, this can never happen again."

"You're right," he replies. "It should have never have happened like this to begin with."

It's like a knife to the upper abdomen.

I understand everything he's saying, because I know it's one hundred percent true, but I can't help but feel deflated at his comment. I look up at his gold-flecked eyes only to find him smiling back at me.

"Which is why you are going to let me take you out on a proper date."

Six.

AND... my computer is broke, which is the reason for the lack of updates. Sorry guys. :/

Rae's POV

I allow him to sweep me up off my feet, carrying me up the stairs and to our bedroom. He's taking the steps two at a time and the eagerness in his kisses has me giggling like a school girl as he sets me down and reaches for the hem of my shirt. I stop him, but only because I've missed those bee stung lips of his. I pull his face down towards mine, lightly kissing his lips before tugging him back toward the bed. I sit back on the bed, scooting back in the mass amounts of pillows that plague it while he just stands there in the dark, smirking down at me. When I finally slide back until I can't any farther, I pull my shirt over my shoulders and toss it at his feet, watching as his smirk grows wider as he recognizes the game we use to always play. He follows suit, taking his shirt off slowly, giving me a chance to gaze over his toned upper body. His eyes land on my breasts, and since it's his turn to decide which article of clothing is to be removed he lightly nods his head, and I know what he wants. I slowly reach around to the back clasp on my bra and remove it, one arm at a time before it slides down and I fling it over his shoulders. He licks his lips as I unbutton my jeans, shimmying out of them in my opportunity to get his pants off. As I'm still wiggling out of mine I laugh as his hit the floor and he joins me on the bed.

He kisses me lightly and in this moment, all my insecurities waste away. He trails his kisses down my neck, and I take the opportunity to apologize. "I'm sorry," I spat out. He pauses for a moment, and his slight hesitation scares me.

"For?" he prods before running his hand down from my neck all the way to where my panties lie, sliding his hand down under them and finding the little nub that automatically makes a whimper escape my mouth.

"I know I get a little senile when all those crazy teeny boppers flaunt around."

His hand stops, his head raising before he plants a passionate kiss on my lips and then tips my head up until I'm staring deep into the depths of his mocha colored eyes. "I look at all those girls, but I only see you." And just like that.. he has my hook, line, and sinker.

Sid's POV

Tonight in the Penguins formal Christmas Party and Mario's house and that makes me happy for two reasons; One, with the first half of my first season under my belt, I need a break from all of the drama and two, Rae will be there tonight.

Since our last meeting, things have dwindled down. I've given her the space she said is only appropriate and stayed content with eye contact from across the room. The tension is killing me; I don't like the distant stares. All it does is flaunt in front of me what I can't have.

And I don't mean that in a bad way toward Rae; she never once has done anything to make herself stand out in my eyes. I guess I'm just drawn to her, and that's my fault. But it's not exactly something that can be helped either. Since the first day I saw her, I've been far too aware of her. What is the most frustrating is I know she's semi-aware of me too; she just has steel defences that she won't seem to let me break down. I keep telling myself all I need is two minutes of her guard being dropped to finally get her to realize that this isn't going away anytime soon.

And maybe my confidence has me coming off a tad bit presumptuous, but giving up hope on her is not easily done.

I look at myself in the mirror, straightening my tie one last time before heading to the other side of the house that the party is being hosted in. Yes, other side of the house. Mario's house is HUGE, which I kind of like. It's big enough that my room is on it's one side of the house, but confined enough that I can find someone to be around if I get lonely.

As I round the corner of the hallway my eyes automatically lock onto her as she's making her way in the front door. She's smiling brightly as she's handing her coat over, giving me a good chance to appreciate the dress she's wearing. It's black with a modest neck line, but when she turns around to talk to Amy, another younger office girl, and I get a glimpse of how low her dress dips in the back, leaving her creamy white shoulders bare, I almost hyperventilate. She turns around, scanning the room to see who all is here when her eyes lock on mine. She gives me a small wave before adverting her glare around the room.

I mingle the rest of the night, completely unable to keep my eyes off of her while I talk to the "important" people that have been invited tonight. It's times like these that I wish I could just be a normal hockey player. I look around at the other table set up for tonight and can't help but be jealous. All of my teammates are sitting together having a good time, close to the table that Rae is at I might add, while I'm sitting over here being professional and watching my every word. What I'd give to be able to be just a normal guy...

As the night goes on, I see Rae excuse herself from the table, getting up and walking down a hallway and disappearing from the rest of the group. I know this is my only chance, so I get up and excuse myself too, walking off toward my part of the house. I stumble down the hallways, looking to try and find that room she could have went in to. I'm almost to my room and am about to panic as I know I'm running out of options to find her as I walk part Mario's study, and find her in there looking at the books on his bookshelf.

"Party too much for you?" I ask, startling her as she drops the book she was looking at. "Sorry," I chuckle while still standing in the door frame.

"Oh, no" she starts while smiling. "I was looking for a bathroom and ran across this. I hope Mario doesn't mind, but he has so many books," she continues in admiration before turning around and looking at the bookshelf that takes up that whole side of the wall. "I never imagined," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Never imagined what? That hockey players can actually be intellectual?"

"I didn't mean it like that," she replies with wide eyes, looking sorry for offending me. I give her a small smile to let her know it's okay, and then we both just sort of stand there looking at each other. "Look at you, looking all debonair," she comments with a sexy smile while gesturing to my tux.

"It's does nothing to compare to the way you look tonight," I respond while walking into the room, getting closer to her but not close enough to startle her. I look her up and down, and I know she knows the thoughts I have going through my mind.

"Sid," she mumbles as I walk closer to her. A stray piece of hair hangs down in her face, and I hesitate before reaching out and tucking it behind her ear, surprised when her hand leans into my touches. Her eyes fall closed before looking up into mine, desire clear in her eyes.

So I do it, I lean forward and I kiss her. Her immediate response is timid, like she's afraid to get caught with her hand in the cookie jar again, but after a few seconds her lips start to press back against mine hungrily, egging me on and making me subconsciously push her backwards until she's backed up against the bookshelf. My tongue reaches out and traces her lips, asking for acceptance, and as soon as her mouth parts I know I'm going to have a hard time stopping from here.

I move my kisses from her lips down her neck and relish in the little catlike mews she makes in response, and love it even more when she takes my hand in hers and guides it towards her breast. I cup them in my hands, the fact that she's not wearing a bra making me instantly hard. I lightly tweak her nipples, and then moan I get in response makes me nip at her neck, knowing I probably left a mark. She runs her hand down my chest, all the way down until she's got a firm grip on me through my pants, and that's when I stop and pull my head away from her, looking at her to make sure this is okay. She pulls my lips back down to hers, giving me more approval that I needed.

"Bedroom," she commands in between kisses, running her hands through my hair and pulling on the curls that pool around my neck to make me pull my head back and look at her. "Now."

I oblige, picking her up and carrying her around the corner and up the stairs to my room, plowing through the door and dropping her on the bed before turning around and shutting the door and locking it, just in case. I turn around, only to find she's already beginning to slip out of her dress, and the site of her perky breasts uncovered for my greedy eyes makes me pause in my tracks.

"Pants off," she purrs while stepping out of her dress, leaving her in a black lace thong and high heels. Once again, I find myself listening to her commands, making me now realize why guys fall for older women. I quickly discard my jacket, tie and kick off my shoes before working on my pants as I walk over toward the bed, where she's already laying down.

I lay down beside her, kissing her and playing with her breasts while she kicks her shoes off as well before once again taking my hand in hers and guiding it down her stomach and below her underwear, and after that I need no guidance. I find the little nub that automatically makes her stiffen, automatically makes her groan and automatically makes her start pulling at my boxers. I bat her hand away before sticking one finger inside of her, and then two just to make sure she's ready and then sliding her panties off, my boxers following.

She quickly reaches up for me, pulling me down on top of her, eagerly pressing her hips my direction as I slide into her heated center. She stifles a small, content sigh and I stop and look down at her, her green eyes telling me everything I want them to before I make my first tentative thrust.

'I've got her,' I think to myself with a smile.

Five.

Sid's POV

On the car ride back to our house, you could cut the tension with a knife. I got a glimpse of the real Rae for about 5 minutes in the parking lot, and ever since then she's been self conscious and doubting herself. She sat quietly, toying with her wedding ring under the table that is her 'give' that she's upset, while other customers looked over at us. Of course, you have the ones that gawk, but I've gotten use to that. What I don't understand is how she hasn't adjusted to all of this with me. She met me right when I got into the league and I just would have thought that by now, she would have transformed under the pressure like I think I have. I try to remind myself that I had hype to live up to before I met her though, so I keep reminding myself of that difference. It does nothing to calm my nerves though as I notice that my grip on the steering wheel has my knuckles turning white.

After pulling the car into the garage, we both slip out of the car in silence. I take a deep breath, knowing that my pissy attitude won't help get through to her anymore. I extend my hand to her, and she grabs onto it almost like she'd fall down if she didn't have it for support. And this is what I don't understand.. does she not know that I love her?

For two weeks after we kissed, I had not seen a glimpse of Rae. But fortunately for today, she wouldn't be able to avoid me. Because she had been handling her internship so well she had been given some more freedom; and that today entailed watching over media sessions today. Normally, I just try to give the reporters what they want to hear so I can get out of there as soon as possible, but today I find myself dragging it out, making sure that I'm the last one in the room. I have to talk to her. That's all there is to it.

As everyone else shimmies out of the room, I find her shifting in the corner, watching over the reporters around me, making sure that they don't cross any lines, but I know that she's uncomfortable with the fact that after they all leave we will be the only ones in the room.

I don't think their timing could be any more perfect as the rest of the reporters leave the room one by one, leaving me and her alone. After the lats one exits the door, she gives me a faint smile before heading for the door herself.

"Am I that bad of a kisser?" I shout out to her while starting to untie make skates, knowing this is the best chance I'll get for alone time with her. She turns around, obviously surprised at my statement by the look on her face so I give her a big grin to let her know I'm kidding. She relaxes a little bit but doesn't take a step farther into the room.

"You could use some work," she jokes back, flashing me a glimpse of her bright smile. "I'm guessing you want to talk about it?" she asks, biting on her lip and making me wonder if that's a nervous habit of hers.

"Come on," I reply with a nod of my head, indicating she can come sit in the stall next to me. She walks over to me in those heels that make her legs look miles long and sits down but doesn't say a word more. I stand up, continuing taking off my gear until her eyes finally meet mine and it puts a smile on my face.

"Sid," she starts out while shaking her head, "as your lawyer, this can't happen," she continues while waving her hand in between the two of us to indicate 'us'.

"But that's the glory in all of this, you aren't actually my lawyer because you aren't actually a lawyer yet, you're still finishing law school," I use as my rebuttal.

"Same difference," she replies with a shrug of her shoulders before reaching up and pressing her glasses up further on her nose. "Surely you see the millions of reasons this can't happen."

Her words make my response match her previous one as I shrug my shoulders and take my jersey and shoulder pads off, relishing in the fact that I can feel her eyes on me.

"And this has to stop too," she growls while gesturing to my shirtless body before blushing and turning her head away. "This is my career you're toying with."

"I'm not trying to toy with anything," I shrug but she doesn't seem so convinced. "It just seems like under all these business suits and proper etiquette you're real down to earth." Her nose scrunches up in response.

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress, Crosby," she states while standing up, giving me a good chance to give her a once over which makes her blush once again.

"I never said there was," I chuckle as she starts to head towards the door. "You don't even want to be my friend, Rae?" I add, making her turn on her heels and stare at me.

"I don't know that that's possible," she says evenly.

"Why?" I prompt.

"Because I'll always want more," she concludes before giving me a once over for a change and making me blush before leaving.

As soon as we close the door behind us I press her up against it, bringing her lips down to mine. She timidly kisses me back, pulling back after a couple of seconds to look me in the eyes.

"Am I that bad of a kisser?" I smirk.

"You could use some work," she giggles before jumping up into my arms and wrapping her legs around me as I head toward our bedroom.

Four.

Well jmard, looks like it's just me and you. :) At least someone is reading though, right? Idk, this story... it has me interested in writing again. It doesn't seemed forced for the first time in a LONG time.

Rae's POV

I trudge upstairs and jump into the shower, rinsing off quickly, knowing I don't have a lot of time. As I'm turning off the water I hear the bathroom door open and then close, and I know that Sid's waiting on me. I reach for my towel, wrapping my hair up into it before stepping out of the shower. I see him standing there, arms crossed against his chest as he leans on the counter. He gives me the once over, looking me up and down before approaching me, almost like he has to. He unwraps my hair, making it fall down around my shoulders before taking the towel and starting to dry me off. He gets all the way down to my toes before he brings the towel back up before draping it over my shoulders and then uses the edges of the towel to bring me to him.

I collide with his body, but don't have a chance of falling; his strong arms are more than enough support for me. He looks down at me quizzically and it's at this point that I almost ask him to say whatever is on my mind, but I don't have the chance to before he lightly presses his lips to mine.

"Let's have a good day," he whispers against my lips while leaning down and giving my butt an aggressively firm grab, making me squeal in return.

"I'm more concerned with having a good night," I purr suggestively, toying with him for a moment before strutting out of the bathroom to go put clothes on.

Whenever I get into my closet and start grabbing clothes is when the anxiety comes over me. There is just something about sitting next to him, trying to be the doting wife that sets off the feeling of nausea. And do not mistake me, it has nothing to do with sitting next to him, I love him and prefer to spend most of my time with him. It's the fact that we're being watched, that we're the center of attention that gets to me.

And yes, this is definitely something I took into consideration when I married him, and I know it's something that I'm always going to have to deal with. Even after he's retired, his face is still going to be well know. And I've tried so hard to try and adjust, to try and sit next to him and smile, but it is so much harder than anyone could imagine; especially knowing they all want him and maybe even have dreams about him at nothing while loathing my form.

Quickly slipping on my shoes I run a brush through my hair before applying light make up and head downstairs to find Sid waiting.

Before I know it, we're pulling up next to Jordan's escalade. I start to get out of the car and it's no sooner than when Sid gets out of his side, cap pulled low and glasses on, that the first teenage girl has spotted him and is squealing from across the road. Sid comes around the car, grabbing my hand in his and pulls me close.

"Just like it's you a me," he whispers, telling me to ignore anyone else we see today before tipping my chin up and giving me the lightest peck on the lips, all that is normally allowed in public, but still making my heart beat double time, just like it always has.

"I'm heading home, just run this down and have him sign it and go ahead and file it," Larry calls as he heads out of the door.

I sigh, suddenly wondering if I work for Sidney Crosby or the Pittsburgh Penguins. As I gather the paperwork I can't help but feel sorry for him. He's got contracts to sign here, events to attend there; the poor guy definitely couldn't have time for himself. I should know, because I would say that at least 15% of his time is spend with me signing his life away for whatever "precaution" his agent is trying to take for him. And I understand it, I do; he's worth a lot of money. But never in my life did I think that it would mean that EVERY part of his life had to be documented. Hell, I'm surprised they don't document his input and output levels at the rate he's going.

And since he's spent quite a bit of time with me worrying about all his legal problems, I've gotten to know him a little bit, but not on a personal level of course. And I don't mean to sound aggravated; if anyone should be pissed about doing so much paperwork it should be him. He never signed up for this, and on the other hand this is my job, BUT he is quite a bit to handle.

And I suppose the only reason I should be aggravated is because I'm more aware of him than I should be of any client or person I work with. But there is just something about him, about the way he carries himself that has me running in the other direction. I try to keep things strictly professional, but I find my mind wandering sometimes. And when I mean aware of him, I mean physically aware. It seems almost humanly impossible to me that an 18 year old can possess the body of a Greek God, but the more times I see him the more often I'm found finding comparisons between the two.

I head on down to the training room, knowing I'll find him there. He's always there so much longer than anyone else that it doesn't surprise me at all to find him the only one in there, slaving away on a bike. He sees me approaching and smirks to himself before climbing off. 'Crap, does he know I appreciate his efforts?' I think to myself.

"Hey Sid, just have a couple more papers for you to sign," I say while entering the room. He nods his head in understanding before taking his shirt off and wiping the sweat off his forehead with it. While he's taking it off I get a good chance to look over his sculpted abdomen and I know I shouldn't stare any longer, so instead I head over to the closest table and turn my back toward him. "Last ones of the day, I promise," I call over my shoulder, trying to get my focus where it needs to be.

"What are they for?" he asks, catching me off guard. Most of the time, players just sign on the dotted line as told; after all, we are here to advise them. But even more than him going out of his way to ask, he seems genuinely curious. I turn around, only to find his broad chest right in front of my face, making me stagger backwards from his proximity. I try to shake it off, but his closeness has me all kinds of flustered. I take a deep breath, trying to get my wits about me.

"This one is for your new commercial," I start while pointing to the document on the left, trying not to enjoy the way his body is almost hovering over mine. Surely he doesn't know what he's doing to me? "And this one is for Dick's Sporting Goods, just assuring them that you will be there on the 11th to sign some autographs in the store."

"What, do people not take someone for their word anymore?" he chuckles before flashing me his 100 watt of a smile and then picking up the pen to sign.

"No, I'm afraid not," I reply, trying to fill the silence between us.

"You would think they could trust a "Good ol' Canadian Boy," he returns, his face turning up in disgust at the nickname he had been coined with a long time ago. I gather the papers, pinning them to my side before turning around again and almost wondering if he'd moved even closer to me. All I know is that at this distance, I can't help but look at those luscious, bubble gum pink lips of his.

And then, things start to take on a dream like state. The next thing I know, he's bending down towards me and tentatively pressing his lips to mine. I can hear my brain screaming back somewhere in my level of consciousness that this is wrong, that we can't be doing this, but at the same time it's as if his lips are coated with crack and I'm the biggest drug addict there is and I just can't get enough. I press my lips harder against his, increasing the electric current flowing from him to me. He moves closer to me, pressing me back against the table until we hear the opening of doors and both scurry away from one another. I catch my breath quickly before trying to get my shit together as Mario walks through the door.

"Sid, there you are," he greets while lumbering toward us. "Austin's game starts in an hour. Good morning, Rae," he adds while tipping his head down toward me.

"Good morning yourself, Mario," I return while starting toward the door. "Thanks for signing these, Sid," I continue while gesturing to the papers before turning on my heels and almost sprinting toward the door. What the HELL was that?

I remember the very first time Sid made my heart flutter, and as his big bear paw of a hand grasps mine tightly as we walk toward the restaurant I think to myself that I feel the same way now even after 3 years of marriage and as I look up at him and smile, I can only hope that that never changes.

Three.

Sorry for the wait. There is no apology big enough to make up for a year of no posts. :|

Sid's POV

Tuesday finally comes, and I'm thrilled to get back home after two good, solid wins. Sometimes I wish things were like they use to be with Rae getting to come along to all the road games, but naturally that had to come to an end. She was given an ultimatum; keeping her internship, or me. I was of course overjoyed when she picked me.

Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if she ever resented me for it. Don't get me wrong, I love Rae and I know that she loves me, but when I first met her she was going places. At the age of 22 she had gotten an internship in the Penguins legal department, of course bringing her to me. Never again in my life do I ever think I will thank a cop as much as I do for that day.

I could hear Pat mumbling underneath his breath as I followed him through the doors to legal, who I know wouldn't be impressed either. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have been driving quite so fast, but I had my reasons. One thing was certain though, I was NEVER going to admit to driving so fast because even though I'd been in town for months I still got lost and because of that I was running late. I'm conjuring the biggest lie I can think of when I finally spot my eyes on her.

She's standing behind Larry, the normal guy I deal with for things like this, with her notebook clutched close to her chest with a pen in her hand, ready to take notes at any given minute. She's absolutely breath-taking. She's wearing a tight high waisted pencil skirt that leaves nothing to my imagination with a loose green blouse that is tucked in with a jacket over it. I look down and she's got the tallest high heels I think I've ever seen before and my mouth automatically goes dry. After taking inventory I look back up at her pretty face framed with glasses; at how her luscious brown hair is gently pulled back from her face. It's then that I notice her electric green eyes, focusing on me. That's when I realize I've totally just checked her out up and down, and everyone in the room has noticed. I clear my throat, hoping that my face doesn't turn red.

"We have a little bit of a problem," Pat says, starring directly at me while talking to Larry. "It seems there has been a little bit of a miscommunication."

"Don't give that line of bullshit to me, Pat," Larry laughs. "What has the boy done now?"

GREAT! Not only does he call me boy in that condescending tone, but he makes it sound like I'm just such an issue. I can almost feel my checks want to flame red again. Pat cuts the crap and answers him.

"He was going 85 mph in a 70 speed limit. He got pulled over and got a ticket. I need it to disappear. It's not going to look good if 'The Boy Wonder' has a need for speed. What part of that says good ol' canadian boy?" Pat asks. When nobody replies he answers himeself, "nothing."

"Well Pat, I'm actually headed out to lunch. But this is something that Rae should be able to handle," Larry sighs nonchalantly while gesturing to the goddess behind him. "She's my new intern, and she needs all the practice she can get."

A few more comments are made bewteen Pat and Larry but I can't focus on them, I'm too busy looking at her again. She has a mousy look about her, and I like it. Before I know it the two men are walking out of the door and Rae is sitting down in the big chair at the desk.

"Take a seat if you'd like, Mr. Crosby," she says while placing the sweetest smile on her face.

"You can call me Sidney or Sid if you want," I reply with a smile. "Mr. Crosby is my dad." And suddenly I'm mortified again. I literally want to kick myself as the number one rule of talking to older girls flashes into my mind; never talk about your parents.

"Alright, Sidney," she says with a chuckle before looking down at the ticket the police officer issued me. "85 in a 70, huh? Why so fast?"

"I was in a bit of a hurry," I mumble. "I was running late."

"Oversleep?" she questions, which is yes, the most logical answer. It actually sounds plausible.

"Not exactly," I answer. And suddenly I'm pissed at myself, because it was a good lie and I ruined it for myself all because I can't seem to make myself lie to her. She seems too pure for that, almost like she'd be able to decipher any lie I told her anyways. "I got lost," I continue, feeling as if I need to explain myself. She looks up at me so I go on. "I've only been in town a couple of months and I'm still getting use to things I guess," I add on, adverting my gaze to the floor.

"I know. Congratulations on going first in the draft," she replies with a genuine smile. "Now, about this ticket," she continues, looking back at the evidence of my speeding issue while her brow creases in concentration.

I can only think to myself, 'Oh man, I'm in trouble.'

I slide out of my car, grabbing the single flower I bought for her before returning home and head into the house.

"Rae?" I call out after dropping my bag by the door. When she doesn't answer I know she's got to be downstairs. I jog down the stairs, taking two at a time. When I finally reach the bottom I see her jogging on the treadmill, ear phones in place while watching Ellen.

I walk up behind her, turning the treadmill off and relishing when I see her eyes light up.

"You're home," she squeaks while taking her head phones out and jumping into my arms. I hug her, holding her close and taking in the sent of her apple scented hair. She pulls back and gives me a kiss and I feel that tingle deep in my chest every time her lips touch mine.

"For my lady," I offer in a gentlemanly tone while holding up the flower to her.

"Oh Sidney," she gushes, taking it from me and jumping back into my arms. "I've missed you," she says while pressing her lips to mine again. "I haven't had anyone to snuggle with at night," she pouts, running her arms down and over my biceps. I flex for good measure and I can see the desire seeping into her eyes. As much as I'd love nothing more than to drag her upstairs and have my way with her, I also know that we'd be late. She kisses me again before planting a line of kisses down my neck while her hands slip into the front pockets of my jeans, hungrily pulling me closer.

"Babe," I start while she continues her assault on my neck. "We'll be late if you keep this up," I growl.

"Late where?" she asks, looking up at me with those glasses on with a mischievous look on her face, automatically making my dick get hard.

"We're going out with the guys for lunch, remember?" Automatically I feel her stiffen in my arms; she didn't remember.

"Oh," she replies, obviously disappointed. "Okay, let me go get changed." She starts to walk away from me but I pull her back in for another kiss.

"Are you okay?" I question, knowing what she'll say.

"Of course," she replies with a forced smile. "I don't care if we spend the afternoon with the guys."

She says she doesn't care, but her eyes tell a different story.