#pittsburgh penguins fic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

spine-buster · 2 years

Text

To Sail Beyond the Sunset ft. Sidney Crosby | Prologue

A/N: Aaaaaand here we go again! Thank you so much for the positive feedback on my Nate story; I hope you enjoy this one just as much! Let me know what you think!

TW: slight mentions of body issues/unrealistic body expectations; unhealthy eating habits.

Everyone always said that ballet came as naturally to June Brooks as hockey did to Sidney Crosby, but both knew people were wrong. Sure, a natural gift was part of it, as was talent, but Sidney and June knew it took a lot more than that. It took ambition. Perseverance. Knowing when to push yourself. Using your strengths and challenging your weaknesses so they weren’t weaknesses anymore.

Most of all, it took each other.

Sidney Crosby never forgot the day that June Brooks moved into a basement apartment down the street from his house. He was four at the time, and it was probably one of his earliest memories. He remembered riding his bike on the sidewalk as his mom walked behind him, and having to stop because a girl was drawing on the sidewalk with a big box of chalk. She looked up at him as he came to a screeching halt.

1991.

“Who are you?” June asked the boy staring down at her from his bike. He had similar colour hair and gaps in between his teeth just like her.

“I’m Sidney,” he answered, looking between the chalk flower and the girl. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Juniper, but you can call me June.”

Sidney looked at the raised bungalow – one that looked similar to his house – and back at the girl again. “Is this your house?”

“No. Me and my mommy live in the basement,” she said.

“I shoot hockey pucks in my basement,” Sidney said, confused. “You live in the basement?”

June nodded her head. “What are pucks?”

“Siiiidneeeyyy!” he heard his mom call out from behind them. He looked behind him to see her waving him down. From the shadows on the sidewalk, he could see June waving back at her. “Sid, who’s your friend?”

From that point onwards, Sidney and June became inseparable. Inseparable. Wherever one went, the other wasn’t too far behind. They were in the same kindergarten class. They were in the same lunch group. They played together at recess. They’d be at the same activity stations in their kindergarten room – painting, reading, toys – and always sat beside each other during circle time. Sidney would glare at other kids who took June’s spot until they moved. Sid helped June navigate how to use scissors. June helped Sidney learn how to hold a pencil properly. June taught Sid how to print forward-facing Ss when spelling his name. Sid taught June how to print lower-case Es.

Their teachers noticed. Their parents noticed. Well, every parent noticed. “There go Sid and June,” they’d say to each other as Sidney and June would hold hands for safety (at the behest of their teacher – every kindergartener had the buddy system, and of course June and Sid were buddies) as they exited the school doors until they saw Trina waiting to pick them up.

One day, Sidney thought it would be a great idea to invite June over on the weekend so they could play hockey. He thought she’d love it. She could shoot pucks into his dryer, just like he did. He could teach her how to hold a stick and everything. They could do it for hours.

1991.

“My mom will even make us grilled cheese sandwiches!” Sidney offered, trying to entice her to say yes.

“I can’t,” June was sad she had to say no. She loved grilled cheese sandwiches. “I have ballet.”

Sidney had to clue what ballet was. His entire life was hockey, and he couldn’t fathom anybody doing anything else. “What’s that?”

“It’s dancing,” June explained. “We wear pink and put our hair in a bun and we dance to music! One day we’ll be able to dance on our tippy-toes.”

It sounded a lot less fun than hockey, but if June liked it, Sidney knew there must be something to it. But it still wasn’t hockey.

The pair got older and moved on to senior kindergarten. They were still inseparable. Trina would still come pick them up after school and they’d still eat grilled cheese sandwiches together. Sidney saw more of Miss Hockley, June’s mom. She scared him a little bit. She wasn’t as nice as his mom. She didn’t give a lot of hugs, not like his mom. Miss Hockley’s eyes looked a lot meaner than his mom’s. And she was always telling June what she couldn’t do because of ballet. You can’t play hockey with Sidney. You can’t go skating with Sidney. You can’t go watch hockey at Sidney’s house because you have to practice your dance. You can’t keep eating all those grilled cheese sandwiches. Nobody wants a fat ballerina.

***

Sidney Crosby touched down at Halifax International Airport after his latest playoff loss to the New York Islanders. He was pissed off. It was the New York fucking Islanders, for heaven’s sake. Besides, it didn’t matter that he had three Stanley Cups; he was still hungry, still wanted to win at every opportunity. When he didn’t accomplish that, it upset him. Most people would say that he’d won everything there was to win, and they were right – but that didn’t matter. He wanted to win more, to do it all over again, win three more Cups, a Conn Smythe, and two more Olympic golds. Hell, he probably still had another Golden Goal in him.

Right?

Regardless of how he felt internally about being ousted in the playoffs much earlier than he liked, being back in Halifax brought him a type of solace only Halifax could bring. The city, the people – he loved everything about it. And regardless of how long he’d lived abroad for, Halifax was, and would always be considered, home.

He checked through customs, with the officer spending a bit too long looking over his passport when he realized yes, this is the real Sidney Patrick Crosby standing there trying to get back into his home country. The firearms question at least cracked him up this time: “Do you have any firearms with you, Mr. Crosby, besides that backhand?” It was good to be home.

Sidney drove straight to his house on Shubenacadie Grand Lake first, mostly to drop off his suitcases. But then, he got right back in his car and drove back into the city, purposely missing the highway exit for Cole Harbour so he could go right into Halifax. He took out the fob he knew was in his glove compartment and pressed the button to open the garage door. He parked in his usual spot. He used the fob again to gain access to the building, and rode the elevator all the way to the top floor.

He knocked the only pattern he ever used. He didn’t have to wait long for the door to open.

When he saw June on the other side, she had a shocked look on her face, like she wasn’t expecting him home so early. She was wearing a black hoodie and her trusted Lululemon leggings, her big, obnoxiously furry slippers on her feet. “Sid!” she screamed out.

“Hey Junebug,” he smiled, the sound of her voice so happy and surprised like music to his ears.

“You’re home early,” she commented as she reached around his shoulders for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let go anytime soon. She’d only been able to make it out to see him twice this year, when she usually came so much more. But her work had gotten busier – many more promising students. She’d had to stay back.

“You know me. I can’t stay out of Halifax for too long,” he said.

Sidney didn’t even need to ask to come in. June had stepped back a few steps while they were hugging to bring him into the apartment, and he’d closed the door with his foot. When they finally released their hug, he noticed that June was still smiling ear to ear. “When did you get back?”

“Just now, actually. I just dropped off my suitcases at the house and then came over here.”

“You want some hot chocolate?”

“It’s May, Junebug.”

“Has that ever stopped you before?” she quipped, making her way towards her kitchen. “I’ll even make it with milk. Or how about grilled cheese?”

Sidney couldn’t help but smile. “I’d rather have grilled cheese than hot chocolate.”

June didn’t say another word. She opened her fridge and grabbed the bread, butter, and cheese before putting everything on the counter and getting a frying pan out of a drawer. Sidney walked towards the giant windows that looked out over Peace and Friendship Park, the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, and the Halifax harbourfront. He noticed that an old episode of Hell’s Kitchen was playing on TV. Soon, he heard the sizzle of butter to hot pan, and the unmistakable smell of grilled cheese filling the room.

He walked over to the kitchen, standing beside June. “Smells delicious, as always.”

June smiled too. “Still not as good as Trina’s, though,” she winked playfully.

Sidney smiled his infamous smile, feeling overwhelmed with warmth.

He was home.

183 notes · View notes

blueskrugs · 2 years

Text

closure | Sidney Crosby

happy (belated) birthday sid, sorry your present is an angsty fic.

I started this one a year and a half ago, picked it back up a few weeks ago to try and get it done by 8/7, wrote 2000 words, decided to change half of it, went to summer camp for a week, got writer’s block for one last scene, and now we’re here. finally.

length: 4.5k words

It’s been a long time And seeing the shape of your name Still spells out pain

Margaret Thomas didn’t hate Sidney Crosby. No, that required too much energy. Margaret would just rather not think about him, which was easier said than done. He was no longer “Sid the Kid,” but he was still a force to be reckoned with on the ice. Sometimes he seemed inescapable—there were commercials featuring him running on ESPN, and it seemed like at least once a week he pulled off some ridiculous feat that only Sidney Crosby could do that was in all the highlight reels for days. It wasn’t for lack of trying on her part, though; Margaret didn’t watch much hockey these days, and her ties with the hockey world had been severed as abruptly as their relationship. Margaret hadn’t quite moved on, but she was okay again.

Margaret wondered sometimes who knew all of the details of their breakup all those years ago. Her relationship with Sid had been as quiet as Sid could keep it, but she had been there for the Cups, for the gold medals. Those memories, those pictures, would go down in history alongside his name, engraved in silver and gold. It had been a cute story once, the boy who saved the Penguins falls in love with a girl from Pittsburgh, settles down and sticks around. That’s how it was supposed to go, at least.

Margaret is surprised when she gets a letter in the mail, mixed in amongst junk and bills. Who sends letters anymore? The return address is unfamiliar, but the careful, spidery handwriting spelling out her name and the little “SPC” in the corner is as familiar as her own.

Of course Sid would send a letter, after all these years, after cutting off all contact after the break-up, stubbornly old-fashioned person that he was. She was annoyed that that thought was still laced with fondness underneath the bitterness. Margaret wondered, too, how he’d gotten her address; Margaret had moved since the breakup, and she didn’t keep in contact with anyone on the team or their wives enough to warrant ever sending a Christmas card.

Margaret carefully slides her finger under the flap of the envelope and pulls out the letter inside. It, too, was handwritten, because of course it was. Margaret takes a deep breath and begins to read.

I’m sure you’re surprised to be hearing from me after all these years. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought about reaching out, but I didn’t think you’d ever want to hear from me. I’ve even started writing this a few times, but I could never get the words right.

Margaret scoffs, more than a little bitter. She wonders what was so important to finally make him reach out after all these years. She briefly thinks of crumpling up the letter and tossing it in the trash, but her curiosity got the better of her. Margaret keeps reading.

I wanted to say that I’m sorry for the way things ended between us. It wasn’t fair to you. I wish I could’ve done it differently, or not done it at all, but there’s no way to change the past, is there? I didn’t realize it at the time, but I probably really hurt you. I should’ve apologized a long time ago.

Sid’s words were uncovering a hurt Margaret thought she’d buried deep long ago. He was right, though, there was no changing the past. She brushes away a tear before it can land on the sheet of paper in her hand. There was more to the letter.

I’ll be playing in my 1250th game soon. They’re treating it like a big milestone. Jen’s been talking about rounding up some people for interviews or something. I saw your name on a list and wanted to give you a head’s up before she called.

Margaret remembered the videos from Sid’s 1000th game. No one had reached out to her to make a video for Sid that time. She doesn’t know what she would’ve said, anyway.

I don’t know what she’ll ask you to do, but I want you to know that you’re not obligated to do anything. You certainly don’t owe me anything.

He had that right. He hadn’t even offered Margaret a proper explanation for why he ended a years-long relationship, or a proper goodbye.

It happened the day of Sid’s Cup party in 2017. Sid pulled Margaret aside as the party was wrapping up, nothing more than a few drunken stragglers and friends and family sticking around to clean up. Sid looked nervous as she followed him into a quiet room.

“What’s up?” Margaret asked.

Sid didn’t make any move to sit and neither did Margaret. He ran a hand through his hair.

“I think this needs to stop,” he said. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“What?” Margaret asked. Drunk on summer sun and champagne, she wasn't following.

“I-” Sid looked uncertain for a moment. “I think we need to break up.”

“What?” she said again. Margaret didn’t know what she was expecting when Sid asked her to come with him, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“I want to break up,” Sid said firmly. “I need some space.”

Margaret had lied. She knew exactly what she’d been expecting. A ring, a future and a life together. They’d talked about it, even. Margaret felt like Sid had punched her in the gut. She almost wished he had, actually. That would hurt less than this.

“I don’t understand, Sid,” Margaret said. She thought they were happy. She thought Sid loved her. She had been wrong about both, apparently.

“I’m sorry,” was all Sid said as he brushed past Margaret and went back outside. She faintly heard a cheer go up as he reemerged. Margaret slipped upstairs. Despite all the people milling around, Sid still valued his privacy, and he didn’t have anyone staying in any of the guest bedrooms. It was easy to move her things into one down the hall while the party wrapped up outside.

Margaret flew out from Halifax the next morning. Her things were cleaned out of Sid’s house and into a new apartment of her own before Sid was back in Pittsburgh for training camp in September. She deleted his phone number in October. She never saw him again. It was probably for the best that way.

Margaret’s hands shake. Frustrated, she throws the piece of paper, but it simply flutters to the ground at her feet. She isn’t sure who she’s more upset with—Sid, for still holding a piece of her heart, or herself, for still allowing Sid to break her heart after all these years. Margaret steps over the paper and wanders into her kitchen. She pulls open the fridge and stares aimlessly into it for a long moment. On the floor behind her, Sid’s letter sits, only half read, taunting her. Margaret slams the fridge shut. The rattling of the things on the door is only satisfying for a moment.

She walks back over and picks up the letter again. She slides to the floor to read the last few lines.

I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s too much to ask that you could forgive me one day, but I do hope that we can talk about it sometime. But I guess you don’t really owe me that either.

There was no closing, no autograph signature either, just “Sid” scrawled in messy cursive at the bottom of the page.

Margaret crumples up the letter and throws it again. It lands somewhere behind her couch. It, too, doesn’t feel as satisfying as she’d like.

Margaret carefully puts it out of her mind. Or tries to, at least. The letter stays crumpled on the floor of her living room, but it doesn’t matter because it feels like she's committed Sid’s careful words to memory, echoing in her head when her guard was down.

Margaret’s phone rings a week after the letter arrives. It’s a Pittsburgh area code, a number she doesn’t have saved to her contacts, and she answers it warily.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Maggie, this is Jen with the Penguins communications department, do you remember me?”

Of course Margaret remembers Jen. Jen was solely responsible for keeping the team from making fools of themselves most of the time.

“Of course,” Margaret tells her. She knows why Jen is calling.

“Well, I’m sure you know that Sid’s coming up on a new milestone soon, and we’ve been tracking down some friends from over the years for some more videos like we had for his 1000th game, and maybe to get some stories about Sid when he was younger,” Jen says, as businesslike as ever. She doesn’t mention the fact that Margaret had been left off the list of friends for Sid’s 1000th game, and neither does she.

“Yeah, uh, Sid gave me a heads up that you might be calling,” Margaret says without thinking.

Jen pauses. “I didn’t realize you two were still in touch.”

“Something like that,” she says wryly.

Jen continues. “We’d love to have you come out to PPG one day soon to get some footage, whenever it works for you.”

Margaret hesitates. Even with Sid’s heads up, she somehow wasn't prepared to be asked for an in-person interview. She had thought Jen would just have her record something in her apartment and send it back to Jen. It would give Margaret unlimited takes to cuss out her ex in the privacy of her own home before she could string together enough warm and complimentary words. Driving down to PPG came with the risk of running into Sid, and Margaret wasn't sure there was ever enough time to prepare herself for that.

“Can I think about it? It’s been a long time,” Margaret hears herself say.

She hears Jen’s sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line, but when she speaks again, she sounds unbothered. “Sure! I’ll leave you be for now, but get back to me in a few days, alright?” Margaret wonders briefly what Sid told Jen about their breakup. He had to have some explanation, some warning, for her, in case she’d taken the “crazy jilted ex” route and exposed him on social media or something. Lucky for him, that had never been Margaret’s style.

In the end, Margaret agrees. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find it in herself to feel so much contempt for Sid to not do this small thing. She wished she could. She hated that she couldn’t make herself hate him.

Margaret drove downtown to PPG Paints Arena on a Saturday afternoon. Jen had assured her that the players would be cleared out after film review and an optional skate, and that she had no risk of running into anyone. Margaret wanted to avoid Sid most of all, but she wasn’t sure she could handle having to make small talk with Tanger or Geno, or meeting some young player who didn’t even know who she was, after she and Sid had carefully erased each other from their histories.

Jen meets Margaret at the door and quickly ushers her into a small, dimly lit room. It isn’t crowded, just a couple of cameras, a camera operator, and Margaret and Jen. Jen shuts the door behind her and takes a seat across from Margaret. She spares a second to be thankful that she was staying, a familiar face. Brighter flights flick on, and Jen smiles as Margaret blinks a few times to adjust.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been around, how have you been?” Jen asks.

Margaret isn’t sure if the cameras are rolling yet. She forces a smile. “Things have been good,” she says. It’s not a lie. Things were better before she found herself back in the story of Sid’s life.

“We’ll start easy,” Jen says. “What’s a story about Sid most people don’t know? You two were so close when he was younger.”

That’s also definitely not a lie. Margaret had tried to prepare herself for anything Jen might ask her, but Margaret still takes a moment to answer, wracking her memory for something to say.

Margaret and Sid had met in a bar, just before the 2009-2010 season started. That wasn’t a cute or wholesome story to tell. Margaret takes a deep breath.

“There was this time I dragged Sid to the animal shelter because I wanted a dog.”

“Maggie, I don’t need a dog,” Sid is saying, gamely allowing himself to be dragged towards the doors of Humane Animal Rescue.

Maggie stops and turns to face Sid, hands on her hips. “Yeah, yeah, you’ve still got Sam back home, I know. But I want a dog, so we’re here.”

She pulls open the door and lets Sid walk ahead of her inside. He nervously touches the brim of his hat and looks around. A smiling volunteer makes her way over to them.

“Hey guys, what can I help you with today?” she asks.

Maggie smiles back at her and takes Sid’s hand. “I’ve been thinking about adopting a dog,” she says.

“Perfect, we have plenty of those, hopefully one will be your perfect new friend,” the volunteer says, already turning and heading towards the kennels. She asks Maggie questions as they walk—what exactly she’s looking for, what her apartment is like, if she has any other pets— and Maggie is suddenly overwhelmed. Sid trails a few steps behind, only half listening. Maggie can hear the barking dogs before the volunteer even opens the door to their part of the shelter.

Maggie glances over her shoulder at Sid. “You sure you don’t want to adopt one, too?” she teases, noticing Sid’s soft smile, always a sucker for a cute face. “I’m sure we could find you a good match.” Sid just shakes his head at her.

The next hour is a blur of meeting dogs and Maggie trying not to fall in love with all of them. Sid ends up on the floor with her, happily cuddling and playing with each new dog that’s brought out to Maggie. In the end, she falls for a sweet Pit mix named Biscuit. Even Sid seems enthralled by her when she licks his face.

Maggie’s got Biscuit on a leash, and she’s following the volunteer back to the front desk to fill out all the paperwork for adoption when Sid stops short. Maggie stops, too. Sid’s standing next to a glass door labeled Kitten Room, watching a little boy play with a kitten. The little boy notices Sid watching and looks up. Margaret can tell the moment he recognizes Sid as Sidney Crosby by the way his face splits into a grin. He carefully sets the kitten down and runs to open the door.

“Do you wanna play with the kitties, too?” Maggie hears him ask. Sid glances at her. Biscuit, eager to make a new friend, whines and tugs on her leash. The kitten the boy had been playing with is attempting to make an escape.

Sid scoops the kitten up and edges carefully into the Kitten Room. “Of course, bud,” Maggie hears him say. To Maggie, he adds, “I’ll catch up with you, yeah?” The door shuts behind him before she can answer.

By the time Maggie’s finished with the pages and pages of adoption paperwork, Sid still hasn’t caught back up with her. She and Biscuit make their way back towards the Kitten Room to find him. He’s sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the little boy, and there’s a kitten climbing on his shoulder, trying to eat his hat, another one curled up in his hands. Maggie stands next to the glass door and watches them, a smile on her face. Next to her, Biscuit wags her tail at them. The little boy notices them and waves. Sid carefully hands the kitten in his hands to the little boy and disentangles the claws of the other one from his hat.

He’s grinning as he makes his way back to Maggie, easy and relaxed. He drapes his arm across her shoulders for a moment when comes through the door, and Maggie leans into his side.

“Have fun making some new friends?” she asks.

“He asked me if I could score a goal for him tomorrow night,” Sid says, laughing a little.

“Y’know, a cat would probably be a better pet for you, with all the travel and stuff,” Maggie says.

Sid digs his elbow into her ribs, but he kisses Maggie quickly against the car before opening the back door for Biscuit.

Margaret’s eyes were wet when she finished telling her story. She twists around in her seat to dry them before facing Jen again. It’s not even a sad story. She’d almost forgotten the memory altogether. It’s been a few years since Biscuit had passed now, but that sweet little dog had been Margaret’s anchor during the aftermath of their breakup. She should look into adopting another dog, Margaret thinks absently. Jen seems unfazed by, but not unsympathetic to, Margaret’s crying.

“And what do you want to say to Sid?” she asked.

Margaret had thought about this part, too. She remembered someone saying that Nathan MacKinnon’s message for Sid’s 100th game was too personal to show on the broadcast. She’d considered saying something vindictive, something petty. Her relationship with Sid had always been personal, and a part of Margaret wanted this last message to be just between them, too. But she worried that Jen would just scrap the footage if she said anything too cruel.

So Margaret settled for sincere, or as sincere as she could muster.

“Hi, Sid,” she starts awkwardly. “It was such a privilege to be by your side over the years, to be able to watch you grow into an amazing leader. To be there for the Olympics and for the Cups…it’s not something anyone is going to forget. I know it wasn’t easy to get this far, but you did it and you’re still going. I’m proud of you, Sid,” Margaret says. She takes a deep breath.

There is silence in the room when Margaret finishes speaking. She clears her throat. “Right, is that all, then?” she asks, already standing up. The small room they were in suddenly feels claustrophobic, and Margaret needs out.

Jen stands with her. “It’s perfect, thanks so much for coming in. I’m sure it wasn’t easy…” she says. Margaret wonders, again, how many details of their breakup Jen actually knows.

Margaret was already opening the door and rushing back into the hallway. She didn’t stop to check if the hallway was clear first, which is how she bumps straight into someone walking down the hall.

“Oof,” she hears, from a voice that was once as familiar as her own. A hand reaches out to steady her elbow. Sid hasn’t seen Margaret’s face yet.

“No, it’s okay, it was my fault,” she says, carefully not looking up at Sid. She pulls her purse strap back up and tries to edge around Sid before he recognizes her.

“Maggie?” Sid asks

Margaret freezes. Sid’s still gripping her elbow tightly. “Margaret,” she says.

“What?” “It’s Margaret. No one really calls me Maggie any more,” she tells him. Sid’s grip tightens even more for a moment before he drops his hand back to his side.

Margaret stops peering down the hall behind him and chances a look at his face. Sid’s jaw is tight, and he’s looking at Margaret like he can’t believe he’s actually seeing her. A member of team staff walks past behind Sid— Tags, Margaret is pretty sure— and pats Sid on the back as he goes past. Sid startles a little.

Sid takes Margaret’s arm again, and she lets herself be led into an empty room a few steps down the hall. Sid pushes the door mostly shut behind them.

“I didn’t think you’d actually come out,” Sid admits.

“I was told there wouldn’t be any players here,” Margaret counters. Sid winces, and it’s satisfying to see, briefly.

“Maggie,” Sid starts, but he doesn’t finish his sentence. He’s still staring at Margaret like he doesn’t believe she’s real.

“Stop calling me that,” Margaret says. She’s drained after sitting in front of that camera for Sid, and she doesn’t have the patience, suddenly, for whatever Sid’s about to say next. “Look, I should just go,” she says. “I should’ve never even come in the first place.” She finally wrenches her arm free from Sid’s grip.

Sid blinks at Margaret, confused. “I just thought-” he says, but, again, he doesn’t finish his sentence. “Well, uh, thanks, I guess,” Sid says, taking a step back. “It means a lot, I know it’s been a while.”

“Yeah,” Margaret says. “Yeah, well, I guess now we can go back to pretending the other of us doesn’t exist.” She moves to brush past Sid and out the door.

“Wait,” Sid says. He reaches to grab Margaret again, but thinks better of it. He shuts the door all the way. “What do you mean?”

“What do you think I mean? You made it very clear you didn’t want anything to do with me when you broke up with me. We went our separate ways, and I did my best to forget I was ever in love with you,” Margaret says. She makes a move to push past Sid again, but Sid stops her with an arm around her waist. Margaret spins back to face Sid, now boxed in against the closed door.

“Everything was happening so fast, I didn’t know what to do,” Sid tries, talking fast like he can keep Margaret from leaving by sheer force of will.

“So fast? Sid, we’d been together for almost seven years, when all of a sudden you broke up with me instead of giving me a ring!”

“Exactly! You wanted a ring, and I wasn’t ready for that,” Sid argues. “It was just-”

“Just so overwhelming you couldn’t even talk about it? Fuck, all I got was a ‘I want to breakup,’ and then we never spoke again.” Margaret didn’t think she had it in her to be angry about this after so many years, but Sid standing so close to her was bringing out all sorts of emotions. Fury, longing, heartbreak.

Sid makes a frustrated noise. “You’re the one who cut me out of your life!”

Margaret feels like she could scream. “You broke up with me, what the hell else was I supposed to do?” she says, trying to keep her voice level. She isn’t sure if she’s going to scream or break down crying.

“I just needed space! I needed time to figure out where we were headed,” Sid says.

Margaret opens her mouth to respond, but before she can, Sid’s mouth is on hers, kissing her fiercely. She lets herself melt into it for a second—the way Sid’s lips slide against hers, once so familiar, her back pressed against the door, Sid’s hands on her body, one clutching her hip and the other resting on her cheek—before she comes to her senses and pushes Sid away. Sid goes, breathing raggedly and looking stunned.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Margaret asks. Her hand is on the doorknob.

“I- I don’t know,” Sid says honestly. “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m sorry.”

Margaret should leave. She knows she should leave. She can’t help but ask, “Which part?”

Sid makes a face at her. Margaret hates the fondness she feels for that damn nose scrunch. “All of it. Everything. I’m sorry,” he says again.

They’re both quiet for a long time. There’s footsteps down the hall. “I should go,” Margaret finally says.

This time, Sid doesn’t stop her. Margaret pulls the door open and steps back into the hall. She looks back over her shoulder. Sid hasn’t moved.

“Goodbye, Sid,” she says softly.

She doesn’t pass anyone else as she makes her way back to her car. She drives home in silence. She doesn’t ever hear from Sid again. It’s probably for the best that way.

A few weeks later, Margaret gets a text from Jen. The game’s tonight, it reads. Margaret still hasn’t decided if she’s going to watch the game or not. She hasn’t seen a Penguins game since they won the Cup in 2017, hasn’t watched one on TV in even longer.

She turns on her TV.

1250 games isn’t nearly as big of a milestone as 1000 games was, but they’ll still be showing some of the pre-recorded clips throughout the game, mixed in with highlights of Sid over the years, or so Potash is saying when Margaret finds the right channel. There’s no pregame ceremony, just Sid blushing when the PA acknowledges the milestone before puck drop. It’s easy to fall back into the rhythm of watching hockey, though Margaret has to keep the roster pulled up on her phone to keep track of who’s who. The team is very different than she remembers, only a handful of players left who’d remember her.

They play Margaret’s video clip just before the end of the second period. The words underneath her name simply describe her as “friend of Sid’s” which is a bit of a stretch. “Sid’s ex-girlfriend” would certainly have been funnier. She mutes the TV; she already knows what she said, doesn’t need to hear it again. They’ve interspersed the clip with pictures of Margaret and Sid, some she’d even forgotten existed— Margaret and Biscuit and Sid with his dog Sam one summer, one a teammate had taken of them in a rare moment of PDA with Sid’s hips pressing Margaret into a wall in a hall at PPG, Margaret’s arms wound tightly around his neck, and the last one is one from Sid’s day with the Cup in 2017. She remembers that picture being taken, poking fun at Sid’s sunburn to get him to give the camera a real smile. The memory is bittersweet now. Margaret wonders which poor intern had to dig those up, or if Sid had offered them up himself.

“I’m proud of you,” on-screen Margaret is saying.

Margaret clicks the TV off. She stands up, stretches. Sid’s letter hasn’t moved from its place of honor on the floor behind the couch. Margaret fishes it out before heading into the kitchen. She smooths it out on the counter. The words are familiar, imprinted on Margaret’s memory. She rereads it anyway, then again. She misses Sid fiercely, all of a sudden, something in her chest aching at the thought. She stares at the letter without really seeing it, Sid’s thin, careful handwriting blurring together until the letters are indistinguishable.

With a sigh, Margaret crumples the letter back up and throws it in the trash.

She pours a glass of red wine and starts over on putting Sidney Crosby out of her mind forever.

#cait writes things #sidney crosby fic #sidney crosby imagine #pittsburgh penguins fic #pittsburgh penguins imagine #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #hockey fic #hockey imagine

228 notes · View notes

starshine-hockey-girl · 2 years

Text

Crosby Crew Part Three

The third and final chapter

Author's Note- Big day for the crew- Callie's game day finally arrives and hijinks ensue

Sera felt Sidney wrap his warm body around hers and place his large hands on her bump. She wiggled back into him and hummed softly. "Mr. Crosby," she murmured, "What time is it?"

He nipped at her ear and replied, "Callie's not awake. She probably won't wake up for at least forty five minutes. Seraphina, I can think of a lot of things we can do in forty five minutes." He feathered her neck with kisses as he pressed into her.

"I think those things are how I ended up with this huge baby bump," she teased.

"There has never been a more beautiful bump in history," he moaned in her ear

Suddenly the door flung wide open. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," Callie shrieked as she ran into the room. "Do you know what today is?" She questioned as if he somehow forgot. Sidney groaned and adjusted himself so that evidence of his arousal was concealed. "Daddy, do you not remember? Why were you hugging Mommy from behind?"

Sera laughed out loud and rocked herself to get out of bed. Sidney groaned again and mumbled, "Traitor," at his wife's abandonment of him in bed. Sera made her way to the bathroom for yet another trip to pee. He raised up on his elbows and stared at Callie. She had clearly been up for a while because she was fully dressed. "Remind me what today is. I seem to have forgotten," he teased his baby girl.

“Did you really forget?” she said with wonder.

“Calllie, Callie, Callie- I know what today is-Saturday which means it is DONUT day!” he said loudly, “Is there anything else going on?”

She crossed her arms and stomped her feet. "It's not funny," she screamed, "it's not funny, Daddy." He got out of bed and scooped her into his arms. She tried to squirm away. “No thank you, Daddy,” she whined, “I don’t like it when you tease me.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and put her back on the ground.

He squatted in front of her and spoke softly, “I am sorry, Callie. It was rude of Daddy to not acknowledge that this is a big day for you. Thank you for using your words to share your feelings.” Callie stomped her foot again and pouted. She turned away from him before turning back to him. He held open his arms and she threw herself into them. “I know that this game day for you. It’s your first one and it’s a big deal,” he whispered, “Daddy will always know the big days for you. Are you still feeling nervous?”

“A little,” she whispered.

“Okay, thanks for telling me. I think that you are going to do great today,” he whispered back, “Go brush your hair and teeth. I wasn’t kidding about the donuts.”

“Yes, Sir,” she ran back to her room and scrambled to get dressed.

Sidney walked into the bathroom and wrapped his arms around Sera while she brushed her teeth. “So close yet so far,” he teased as he kissed her neck. She leaned back against him as he reached down and lifted her bump lightly, relieving the pressure on her back. A soft moan came from her mouth. “Better?” he whispered as she nodded. She shook her head yes. “You are amazing, Seraphina. I don’t tell you enough,” he whispered in her ear, “I am taking Callie to get donuts. You need a break before all hell breaks loose later.”

“Mmmm, you are not so bad yourself, Sidney.” she hummed, “When do they arrive?”

“They will be here at about ten,” he answered, “I have Callie this morning. Please get some rest, Seraphina.”

“Thank you, Sidney,” she smiled, “Maybe we can sneak away before the game?”

His eyebrows raised, “You think?”

She nodded her head, “I think it can be arranged.”

Sidney raised his fists in victory and yelled, “Callie, let’s go!”

Callie sat at the kitchen table, nibbling the frosting off of her pink donut, while she colored in her coloring book. Sidney watched with mild bemusement as she stuck her tongue out as she focused on completing the intricate gown of Belle. Callie had made an executive decision to change the color of Belle’s gown from yellow to purple because “I like purple better Daddy.” Sera reclined on the couch reading her novel and mentally counting the kicks inside of her bump. Her son was fully awake and on a kicking binge.

Sidney’s phone lit up with an incoming Facetime call from Geno. “Hey G,” he said before fully looking at the phone. Nikita Malkin’s face appeared on the screen. “Oh sorry, hey Nikita, what’s up?”

Nikita coughed into his elbow then stared into the screen. Sidney could hear Geno tell Nikita, “Ask to speak to Callie.” Then he walked up behind Nikita and waved to Sidney, “He still learn manners.”

Nikita spoke loudly, “I like to speak to Callie.”

Sidney smiled before Callie snatched the phone from his hand and walked out of the room. Sidney called, “Callie, where are you going?”

“I need privacy, Daddy,” she called back as she sat on the stairs to talk to her friend.

Callie smiled brightly, “Hi Nikita! Are you going to come to my game today?”

Nikita shook his head no, “I have fever. Papa say I not allowed to come.”

Callie’s face dropped, “Really?”

Nikita frowned as well, “I want to come, but I am sick.”

Callie sighed, “Okay. Is that why you called?”

Nikita smiled, “I want to tell you good luck for game.”

Callie smiled back, “Thank you. I really wish you were going to be there.”

Nikita, “Me too. I come next game and you come to my game.”

Callie’s head popped up when she heard a loud knock on the front door. She looked at her father who suppressed a smile, then to her mother remained concentrated on her book. “Daddy, there is someone at the door,” Callie said with concern.

“Huh,” he said, “Well, let’s go answer the door, Callie Girl”

Callie stared into the phone, “I have to go Nikita. Someone one is at the door.”

Nikita answered, “Okay. Papa will talk to you later.”

Sidney grabbed the phone and hung up the Facetime before Callie had time to process Nikita’s last words. She grabbed her father’s hand and walked to the door. She spied the familiar shape of her grandfather through the frosted sidelights. “Poppa Troy! Poppa Troy!!” she screamed as raced to the door.

“Callie, Poppa Troy is in Cole Harbour. Why would he be here?” Sidney smiled as she pulled the door open to reveal her beloved grandparents.

“Nana Trina!! Nana Trina!!!” she screamed as she ran into her grandmother’s waiting arms. She wrapped her arms around Trina’s neck and squeezed tight. “I missed you Nana. I missed you so much,” she repeated as felt the warm embrace. Sidney stook back and watched the scene unfold. His mother’s eyes were closed and an expression of pure bliss spread across her face as she embraced her only grandchild. Callie lifted her head and looked at her father, “Is this my surprise Daddy? Is this my surprise?” Sidney nodded his head and saw Sera from the corner of his eye. Sera held her phone up to capture photos and videos of the reunion.

Troy cleared his throat, “Enough Nana- come see your Poppa!” Trina reluctantly put Callie down. The petite brunette propelled herself into her grandfather’s arms. “Did we surprise you, Callie Girl?” She nestled her face into her grandfather’s neck as he carried her into the house. “We would not miss the debut of the newest hockey star in the family,” he joked as he set her down.

“Poppa- have you had breakfast? Daddy bought me donuts. Do you want a donut?” she said excitedly as she tugged his hand. “We have chocolate ones and ol fashions. We also have cruella donuts but those are for Mommy only. Those are her FAVORITES. Which one do you want?” she babbled. Troy looked at Sera who shrugged her shoulders and snagged a french crueller donut. Troy selected a chocolate glazed donut and sat at the kitchen table. Callie resumed her position at the coloring book. Troy took notice that Callie only ate the top of her donut where the chocolate frosting rested. Callie protested, “Poppa, it’s the best part. The other part is yucky.”

Sera and Sidney surveyed the scene and saw the trio thoroughly engrossed in coloring and chatting. Sidney stretched his arms, “Hey guys, Callie woke us up really early this morning for some unknown reason.” He smiled at her. “Sera and I are going to go up and take a shower since we didn’t get one earlier. Are you guys good here?” Callie nodded and waved her dad off as Trina and Troy exchanged a knowing look. Sidney grabbed Sera’s hand and guided her up the steps. He whispered into her ear, “That worked like a charm, Seraphina.”

“Don’t get cocky, Crosby,” she said as she began to strip, “And lock the door.”

TWO HOURS LATER

Sera walked slowly down the stairs. After her “shower” with Sidney, she had taken a quick nap in the main bedroom. Callie sat on the couch with the iPad in her hands. She was having an animated conversation with Aunt Tay via video chat. “Aunt Tay,” Callie said loudly, “Did Daddy tell you that I can skate faster than the BOYS on my team?” When Taylor laughed and responded no, Callie continued, “Yeah, I was going slower but Daddy said I can go as fast as I can and those boys need to keep up with me.”

Taylor laughed, “Yes, they do need to keep up with you.”

Callie got quiet, “Aunt Tay?”

“Yes, Callie Girl,” she responded.

“Girls can be as good as boys in sports, right? Daddy said so, but is that true?” the curly haired cutie asked.

“Daddy is right. Girls can be as good or better than boys in anything they want to do,” Taylor replied matter of factly. Sera sat next to Callie on the couch and waved to Taylor. “Did someone tell you that you can’t?” Taylor asked.

“Yes, Xander on my team,” Callie answered, “Daddy says that must be scared of me.”

Sera leaned over and mouthed, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Taylor nodded her head, “That’s just silly, Callie Girl. Boys can be so silly.”

Sidney called from the kitchen, “Lunch is ready. Come and get it.”

“Aunt Tay, I have to go eat lunch now,” Callie stated. She turned to her mother, “Will you FaceTime her from the game so she can see me?” Sera nodded yes.

“I can’t wait to see you. I am sorry that I couldn’t come to this game, but I will come soon. Okay?” Taylor smiled, “Have a great game. I am so proud of you.”

Callie waved bye and shut down the call. She walked into the kitchen and observed the spread of grilled chicken and vegetables that her father had prepared for the group. She looked around the room. “Daddy, where is my lunch?”

Her father raised his eyebrows, “Callie, here it is.”

“No, I can’t have that for lunch. It’s not right,” she replied.

“Why is it not right?” he inquired. Sera watched as the two volleyed back and forth.

“It’s game day. I have to eat pasta for lunch. Duh,” she answered emphatically. Trina, Troy and Sera all suppressed giggles.

“One- watch your tone,” Sidney chided, “Two- that’s Daddy’s rule-not yours.”

“It’s my rule too. It’s my rule too,” Callied yelled, “It’s my game day rule!”

Sera intervened, “Okay, okay, okay- I will make you some plain pasta to eat with your chicken and vegetables. Next time we will remember that you have pasta on game days.”

Sidney sighed and made eye contact with Sera. She walked up to him and pointed a finger in his chest, “You can’t be mad at her for wanting to follow your rules that you make known to the entire household.” She turned and walked to the pantry, “Calliope- apologize to your father for your tone of voice. That was rude.”

Callie looked down, “I am sorry Daddy for being rude.”

Sidney hugged her, “Thank you, Callie Girl. I forgive you.”

Callie looked up, “Are you sorry for making the wrong lunch?

Sidney smirked, “Yes, I am sorry for making the wrong lunch. Let me guess- you will need a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before the game, right?”

Callie nodded, “You have to make it just like yours.”

Sidney patted on her bottom, “Go eat your lunch and we’ll make it together. Deal?”

“Deal!” she screamed as she took her spot at the kitchen table.

Sera threw the car keys at Sidney as he stood at the counter. “What are these for?” he asked.

“We don’t have the right peanut butter and jelly,” she replied.

“Yes, we do,” he said as he went to the pantry. He looked at the peanut butter and it was not the correct brand. “Maybe she won’t notice the difference,” he whispered to Sera. She crossed her arms and stared at Sidney. “Shit, Karma is a bitch right now,” he groaned.

“Daddy- you said a grown up word. You are not supposed to say grown up words around me,” Callie reprimanded.

Sidney walked to the door leading to the garage. “Anything else we need while I am there?”

“We are low on pickles. Can you get me some for the game?” Sera batted her eyelashes at Sidney.

He walked over and kissed her gently, “Anything you want, Seraphina.:

Callie groaned, “Ewwww, grown-up kissing- gross!”

Sera laughed, “Callie- one day you will like it.”

Sidney shook his finger at Callie, “but not until you are MUCH older- much, much older”

Sidney parked the SUV in the parking lot of the ice rink. He looked back at Callie in her car seat. “Callie, do you want me to let you walk in with just your mom and grandparents. I can come in after that,” he asked quietly. Sera looked at Sidney and then turned to look at Callie with a quizzed look on her face.

“No, I want to walk in with you, Daddy.” she replied brightly.

“Alright, in we go! The Crosby Crew is here!” he proclaimed.

Callie unbuckled herself and went to the back of the vehicle. Sidney handed her stick and bag. Callie placed the bag over shoulder then took the stick. She nodded to Sidney who nodded back, "Let's go Daddy." She led the family through the parking lot before dropping the stick and bag right in front of the entrance. "Yaya! Poppa A!" She screamed as she rushed to Sera's parents, Sophia and Alexander. "You came! You came!" she exclaimed before turning to the rest of the family, "Nana and Poppa Troy are here too. Everyone but Aunt Tay. I have everyone I love here." Hugs and greetings were exchanged before they walked into the rink.

Sidney pulled his hat down over his face in an attempt to blend into the crowd. Callie walked up next to him and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back and gave her a smile. She led them to a spot on the bench and proceeded to open her bag. "Look Yaya and Nana, I can do it by myself," she said with pride. Sidney stood and watched from a distance. There were occasional glances in his direction,but everyone kept a respectful distance. Callie methodically put on her gear right side first, just like her dad.

Sera stood next to Sidney and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I am not sure I am ready for this," she sighed.

He bent down and kissed the top of her head, "Me either."

Callie paused when she got to the jersey and looked at her mother. "Do your best, Callie Girl," Sera reassured her daughter, "I will help if you need it." Callie pulled it over her head and it down over her chest guard.

She beamed with pride, "I did it. I did it all by myself." She stood up and did a little twirl, "Look Poppa Troy, I have gear just like Daddy." The family collectively cheered her success. "Daddy, are you so so proud of me?" she asked.

Sidney looked at his daughter. The pride radiated from her face. She did another twirl and his heart leapt. His baby girl was l wearing a game jersey with the same number emblazoned with the name Crosby. It was almost too much to take in. He squatted and held out his arms, "I am always so, so proud of you, but especially today.

She embraced him tightly, "Daddy, are those happy or sad tears?"

"Happy tears- very happy tears," he said as he kissed her cheek. "It's time to go into the locker room. Say bye to everyone and get going." She went down the like and gave her grandparents a hug and kiss. They whispered words of encouragement in her ear. When she reached her dad, he asked softly, "Callie Girl, from where do you want me to watch you play?" Callie looked around the rink and pointed to the top row of the bleachers. Sidney swallowed hard, nodded and said, "That's where I will be. If you get nervous, look up there. I will be there cheering for you."

Callie made her way to her mother. Sidney moved close. Sera said, "Okay, this is where you leave me so let's do the thing here before you go in the locker room, okay?" Callie nodded her head. "Callie Crosby, what are you going to do today?" Sera smiled as she stated into her daughter's bright eyes.

The small brunette smiled, “Listen the first time, do my best and have fun!”

"Love you Callie Girl," her parents said in unison. She nodded and walked into the locker room.

Sidney looked up to see his parents watching him with tears in their eyes. "What? Why are you crying? he asked. Trina shook her head and smiled. "Mom, why are you crying?

"You are really a hockey dad now. Life has certainly come full circle," she smiled, "Buckle up, dear. You are in for a ride."

Sidney cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Just wait until she is actually playing," she responded, "You'll see."

Sidney turned at the sound of yelling coming from the locker room. He turned to see Coach Sam leading the team to the ice. Each player had their toughest "game face" on. Sidney craned his head to see Callie walking at the end of the line. She held her stick in her right hand as she walked. Sera stood behind him taking photos and uttered, "holy shit". Sidney blinked and watched his daughter walk by him. "She walks exactly like you, Babe," she commented, "She is a little girl version of you." She passed them with a curt nod before taking the ice.

Coach Sam gathered them in s group to give them directions for warm-up. Xander stood behind Callie and mocked, "Oh look who has her daddy here? Why is he hiding way up there? Does he not want anyone to know that you're his kid because you are so bad?" They looked up at Sidney before Xander continued, "He here to watch me score?"

Callie turned around, looked at her father who was watching her intently from the tip row then faced Xander. "Of course he is here because he loves me and he is proud of me. He is standing up there because I asked him," Callie mouthed back. She turned and looked at her dad again. She shook her head and skated towards the boards, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Sidney saw and heard her and sprinted down the steps. Callie pointed to.the door and Sidney met here there.

"Callie, are you okay?" He asked when they met at the door.

"I changed my mind, Daddy. I want you to stand down here so I can see you and hear you. Will you do that?" She spoke softly.

"Absolutely, Callie Girl," he said emphatically, "Did Xander say something to you?"

"Yes, but I told him he was wrong. You ARE proud of me. Wait until he sees how good I am," she smiled, "I gotta go back."

Sidney watched her skate to the end of the line to complete the drill. She took off from her spot and drilled the puck into the back of the net. Xander and Coach Sam's jaws drop. Sidney yelled, "That's it, Callie Girl. Stay focused." She looked at him and smiled. "Listen the first time, do your best and have fun!" He yelled as the warm up period came to an end.

Coach Sam gathered everyone at the bench, "Okay, I want Callie at center, Xander on left and Tyler on right for the faceoff. Remember puck control and do not pass in the house. Make smart moves with the puck."

Callie nodded and skated toward the faceoff circle. She circled back to speak to Xander and Tyler. "If I win, I am going to get it to you Xander. Pass it to Tyler and let him take it up," she instructed. She turned around and didn't wait for a response from either boy.

Sidney watched with bemusement as she took control of the face-off. She lined up and Sidney held his breath. The puck dropped and she won the face off easily. "Go Callie Girl!" Sidney's voice echoed through the stands. The puck landed on the stick of Xander who decided to take the puck up the ice. He promptly lost control of the puck and it was picked up by one of the Little Flyers players who skated it onto the Little Penguins offensive zone. Callie's eyes narrowed on the puck and she started chasing after the player. She used her stick to lift the other player's stick and steal the puck.

Callie looked down at her stick, confirmed the puck was under the control and started skating through the neutral zone. Sidney ran the length of the ice with her. He shouted, "Skate, skate, skate!" On the bench, Coach Sam's mouth dropped as evaded the center before zapping around the left defenseman. She shot the puck and it went between the legs of the goalie who struggled to get into position. The puck crossed over the goal line and into the net.

Callie stared in disbelief. "Was it really in the net? Did she really score?" She thought to herself until the goal horn sounded and she heard the cheers. She looked over to the boards to see her father jumping up and down, screaming, "That's my girl!! Go Callie! That's MY girl!" Her face lights up with pride.

Xander and Tyler crowded around her and they skated to the bench. Her coach patted her head as she sat on the bench. Xander looked up at the observation area of the rink. The sound of the glass being pounded reverberated through the rink. Callie looked up to see her father's teammates hitting the glass and screaming. Sidney watched Callie's eyes, heard the noise and located the source. The team chanted, "Callie, Callie, Callie!" Her smile got even bigger as she gave a small wave. Callie then looked across the ice to sew her mother wiping tears from her eyes as she hugged Trina and then her mother.

Coach Sam bent down and whispered in her ear, "You have been holding out on me, Callie Crosby." She looked back at him timidly, "I am not angry, but I want you to show me what you can do." She nodded her head in understanding.

On her next shift, she again stole the puck but this time shouted to Xander to get to the net. She fed it to him and he scored easily. Again, her family erupted in cheers and the banging on the glass thundered throughout the rink. Callie skated to Xander and shouted, "Good job!" Sidney watched and clapped. She turned, nodded to him and went back to the bench.

Between the periods, Sera walked up and down the length of the ice, her hands placed low on her back. Sidney glanced at her, saw her mother approach and turned back to his dad. "Callie is really good, Sid," his father boasted as he patted him on the back. "You have done a good job getting her ready, " he added.

Sidney smiled slowly, "I didn't do anything much except to tell her to do her best and have fun." His father raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I am not lying Dad," Sidney protested. "I have been to one practice. Her discipline is from her mother. That talent is natural. It's not me coaching."

Troy let a low whistle,"Son, I hate to say it, but she might be better than you one day "

Sidney laughed,"I hope so. I hope she is better than me in whatever she decides to do. I just want to be along for the ride."

The buzzer sounded and the game resumed. The opposing coach seemed to make his game play "swarm the Crosby kid". Callie kept her cool and focused on puck control. When lanes shut down to her, she passed to teammates who were open. During the second intermission, Sidney stood behind Sera and held her belly. "So what have you been chatting about with your mom?" He casually asked as he kissed her shoulders. Sera leaned back momentarily before suddenly she grabbed his hand. "Seraphina?" he questioned. She released his hand and stood back up. "Seraphina, was that a contraction?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, a little one. Don't worry. It didn't last long," she answered quietly. They exchanged a look. "Focus on Callie and her game, babe. I will let you know if they get more intense."

Sera banged on the boards and gave Callie a thumbs up before the third period started. Sidney stood, entirely focused on his daughter. He marveled at her focus and cheered as she scored her second goal. The score stood at 5 to one. Callie had two goals and two assists. His heartstrings were pulled even more as he watched her cheer and encourage her teammates. The game ended with Callie scoring a goal five seconds left in the game.

When Callie exited the ice after the handshake line, the first person she sought was her father. "Daddy, I did it," she proudly screamed.

Sidney hugged her, "Did what, Callie Girl?"

She beamed, "I listened, did my best but most important- had FUN! Can we do it again? I want to do it again."

Sidney laughed, "Yes, you can do it again next week."

"I have to go now. Coach wants to talk to us in the locker room," she exclaimed. She ran off and Sidney looked for Sera.

He found her standing next to the stands, hand on her belly, breathing in and out. "Another one? he asked. She nodded. "How far apart?" He asked.

"Twelve minutes," she said, "We are good."

When Callie emerged from the locker room, she was greeted her family's cheers. Her mother grabbed her hand and said, "There are some people who want to see you," as she led Callie to the elevator. The family squeezed in and made the trek. When the doors opened, the entire Penguins team stood clapping for her. She ran and gave each of them a hug before her Uncle Geno scooped her up to put on top of the high top table. There was a babble of conversation as they led her through a thorough debrief of the game. Callie was careful to talk only of the team's accomplishments, not her own. "Xander made some great passes to me," she said diplomatically. Geno and Sid exchanged a look, but LeTang laughed out loud. Callie scrunched her face in confusion, "Uncle Kris, did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, Callie Girl," he laughed, "You sound just like your daddy."

"Really?" she asked. She considered that to be high praise.

"You can give classes in post-game media," joked Gruentzel.

Callie looked at her father and held out her arms. He walked to her and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Daddy, can we go get to the pizza place now? Everyone is going." Sidney took her subtle hint that she was getting uncomfortable with the attention.

"Okay, we have to get the MVP to her victory party," he laughed. "Say bye to the guys." He put her down and she gave each a hug and kiss on the cheek. She thanked all of the for coming to the game.

Geno slapped Sidney on the back, "Sid, you did good."

Sidney laughed, "I don't know why everyone wants to give me credit. Sera did it all. Hell, I didn't even get the pregame meal right."

Callie chimed in, "Uncle Geno, he didn't make me pasta. Can you believe that?"

The entire team turned and looked at him in shock.

"Rookie mistake," Sidney laughed, "I made a damn rookie hockey dad mistake." Callie laughed. "I know, I know," he continued, "I used a grown up word. No need to correct me."

Sidney looked over and Sera grasping her belly. He looked at his watch. It had been ten minutes since the last one. "Come on, Callie Girl," he said softly, "It is time to party."

There was mass chaos at the pizza place. Fifteen five year olds devoured their pizza before running amok in the game area. Callie and Lilyanna had conned her grandparents out of money to play skee ball. Xander and Tyler played the next lane and it quickly became a game of boys against the girls. Sera and Sidney sat at the table and kept track of contractions while the grandparents tried to wrangle children.

"That was eight Seraphina," he whispered as he kissed her temple.

"I can hold out a little longer," she replied, "I want to let Callie have her day."

Sidney left her to speak to his parents, "Just a heads up, it looks like your grandson may make his arrival soon. Sera is having contractions." Trina's face lit up. "It's still early, but just to give you a heads up." Sera was having a similar conversation with her parents with an identical reaction.

Callie came running from the game room with her arms full of tickets. "Mommy, look at how many we won. We got more than the boys. Help me count them," she screamed. Sera raised an eyebrow. Callie added, "Please, Mommy I need help." Sera pushed herself up to stand and felt her panties and leggings get soaked. She looked up and Callie laughed, "Mommy peed herself. Mommy peed herself." Sidney glanced up to see Sera frozen, unsure what to do.

He came running, "Is that what I think it is?" She nodded as stared at the puddle beneath her. Her eyes met his and he yelled, "Mom! We have to go now."

Callie looked at her parents and asked, "Mommy didn't pee herself?"

Sera walked to Callie, "No, I didn't." She paused as another contraction started. She grabbed onto Sidney for support. Callie's face scrunched up as she watched her mother breathe though the contraction. A minute later, "Callie, your brother has decided that he wants to come meet you. It is time for Mommy and Daddy to go to the hospital."

Callie teared up as Sidney went to get the car. "Mommy, does it hurt?" she asked quietly.

Sera started to gather her things. "Callie, hold my hand and walk Mommy to the car," she answered brightly. The grandparents scrambled to follow. Sidney pulled up to the front of the restaurant. "Okay, Callie," she spoke softly, "Be a good girl for your Nana and Poppa. I need you to be a good helper and show your grandparents what to do. Be sure to unpack your gear so that it dries. Can you do that?"

Callie squirmed and started to cry, "Mommy, I don't want Daddy to take you the hospital. I want Daddy to take me home. I don't want the baby to come yet." She began to sob, "I want my Daddy. I want my Daddy. I want my Daddy!"

Sera looked to Sidney who was coming around the car. He bent down, "Callie, breathe, breathe, breathe." He grabbed her hands, "Mommy needs me now so I need you to be brave. Can you be brave for me?" She nodded her head. "Good girl, Callie Girl," he kissed the top head, "Soon you are going to be a big sister. Go home and get ready." He wiped her tears that streamed down her face. "Now say bye to your mother," he instructed.

Sera bent down and held out her arms, "Come here baby," Callie clung to her mother who whispered in her ear, "I love you so much. Don't worry about me." Sera kissed her cheeks as Trina placed her hands on Callie's shoulders. "You are my first baby and you will ALWAYS be my baby."

Callie squeezed her mother tight. She pushed away and stood tall. "Bye-bye Mommy," She turned to cling to her grandmother’s leg as her parents drove away.

SEVEN HOURS LATER

Sera held her son on her bare chest and gazed into his face. Sidney stood next to her and kissed the top of her head. The whirlwind of postbirth activity had died down and they enjoyed the solitude. Sera's thumb caressed the tiny face slowly and she looked up at her husband. They shared a look before staring at the resting baby. Sidney finally spoke. "You ready to share him with the family?" He asked.

They first called Sophia and Alexander then started a facetime call with his parents. They excitedly told them the news before Sidney asked his dad to wake up Callie. Trina continued to ooohhh and aaahhh over the baby before the sleepy girl came down the stairs with her grandfather.

"Daddy?" She asked as she looked at the phone. Sidney smiled before he turned the phone to Sera. "The baby is here! He is here!" Callie screamed. Sera adjusted her son so that he faced the camera. "He is so little!" she squealed with delight.

Sidney spoke, "Callie, that's your brother- Cole Patrick. He is so excited to meet his big sister. Aren't you Cole?" Sera smiled and waved at Callie.

"Mommy, are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"I am okay. I will be sore for a while, but I am okay," she answered.

Sidney turned the phone back to his face. "Callie, go back to sleep. You can meet him later. I will bring you to the hospital." Callie yawned and nodded. "Callie Girl," he said softly, "Daddy loves you. Daddy loves you so so much."

"I love you too Daddy," she yawned, "I will see you later."

THE NEXT MORNING

Sidney opened the door to Callie’s room and stood for a moment. Her brown curls were splayed over her pillow as she clutched her stuffed penguin. His eyes filled with tears as he watched her sleep. “What a difference in twenty hour hours,” he thought to himself as he remembered Callie bursting into his room the day before. He walked over and sat on her bed. She was sleeping later than normal. According to his parents, it had taken a long time for her to settle back down after seeing her brother via facetime for the first time. He rubbed her back and she began to stir. “Mommy?” she asked with her eyes still shut.

“No, it’s Daddy,” Sidney answered softly, “Mommy is still at the hospital with Cole.”

Callie bolted upright and rubbed her eyes, ‘Is he really here Daddy? Is my brother really here?” She threw off her covers and climbed into Sidney’s lap. “Did you tell him about me? Does he know that he has a sister?”

“Well, he is still a little young to understand,” he wrapped his arms around her tiny body and squeezed. “I did tell him about you. I told him that you were going to be the best big sister ever.” She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “Do you want to go see him now? Mommy sent me to get you. She misses you and wants to see you.”

“Mommy wants to see me?” she asked softly, “She didn’t forget about me?”

“Callie!” Sidney exclaimed, “Of course she didn’t forget about you. You are her baby girl. You are her Callie Girl. Mommy and Daddy will never forget about you.” He lifted her chin, “Have you been worried about that?”

She nodded her head, “A little. It’s silly.”

He stared into her eyes, “It’s not silly. It’s not silly at all.” She looked down and sighed. “I am a big brother, Callie. I was older than you are now, but I was still worried when Aunt Tay was born. I was afraid that Nana and Poppa Troy would forget about me.” His fingers played with her curls, “Lots of things will change for you, Callie, but one thing will never change. Mommy and I will love you the same and nothing changes that.”

“Promise?” she asked.

“Promise on everything that I have, Callie” he replied.

“Even your cup rings?” she asked.

“Even my cup rings,” he laughed.

Pittsburgh Hospital

Callie held onto Sidney’s hand as the family rode the elevator. Sidney squeezed her hand and she looked up at him. She had insisted on wearing her most beautiful dress and had her Nana put bows in her hair. When Sidney questioned her, she answered, “I have to look nice for my baby brother. I am a big sister now.” Sidney nodded in response as if that was the most logical statement he had ever heard.

When they stepped off the elevator, Sidney could sense the anxiety building in Callie. “Callie Girl, talk to me. What are you thinking?” he asked.

“I have never been in hospital, Daddy?” she said tentatively as they approached the waiting room.

“Technically, you have, Callie Girl. You were born at this very hospital. After you were were born, I came out to this waiting room to let Nana, Yaya and Poppa Troy and Poppa A know that you were here,” he explained.

“I was here when I was a baby,” she pondered.

“Yes, it was one of the two best days Daddy ever had,” he declared, “Yesterday was the the other one.”

The families took a seat. Sera had insisted that no one meet Cole until Callie had the opportunity. Together Callie and Sidney walked to the room. Callie carried a stuffed penguin identical to the one she had on her bed.

Sidney popped his head in the door. “Seraphina?” he asked gently, “You have visitors. Are you ready?”

Sera placed Cole on her lap, adjusted her nursing gown and said, “Come in.”

Sidney knelt down, “Remember Mommy is sore so no jumping on her, okay? Soft, gentle touches only, got it?

Callie walked in the door, saw her mother and ran to the bed. The Penguin was dropped on the floor and Callie started climbing onto the bed. Sidney quickly moved Cole as Callie burrowed herself next to her mother. “Mommy, I missed you. I missed you so much,” she cried as she wrapped her arms around Sera’s neck. They snuggled together for a few minutes as Sidney held Cole, bouncing him up and down. Callie radiated in the presence of her mother and Sera kissed the top of her head.

“Ready to meet Cole?” Sera asked softly. Callie nodded her head. “Okay, put your arms out like this and Daddy will put him in your arms,” she explained. Sidney looked at his girls and grimaced.

The nurse in the room spoke up, “Give you me your phone, Dad. I will take some pictures and videos of the family.”

Sidney sighed in relief and mentally added a note to see if she wanted some game tickets. He walked over and gently placed Cole into his sister’s waiting arms. Callie’s eyes were transfixed onto her baby brother. Once she held in her arms, she smiled. “Hi Cole- I am Callie,” she cooed at him, “I am your big sister.” Sera and Sidney’s eyes filled with tears as they watched speak to her baby brother. “We are going to have such big adventures together, Cole,” she continued, “I am going to show you the whole wide world.”

Suddenly Cole started crying and Callie’s eyes widened. “Callie, it’s okay. He is just probably hungry,” Sere said calmly. She took Cole from Callie’s arms and adjusted herself. Callie looked in amazement as Cole latched onto Sera’s breast and began feeding. He quickly quieted and ate.

Callie looked back and forth between her mother and father in question. Sera explained, “Remember in your Big Sister class, they talked about how babies can get their food from either the chest or a bottle? Cole gets his food from mommy’s breast. I have milk for him.”

The little girl’s faced scrunched up, “That’s weird.”

Sidney laughed, “It’s the way it works, Callie. You will find out if you choose to have a baby one day.”

Callie gasped, “I can’t have a baby before I get married!”

Sidney and Sera laughed. “Ummmm this took a right turn,” Sidney continued, “Yes, ideally you would be married before having a baby but it’s not required. You might not even decide to have a baby OR get married.”

“I am too getting married. I have already been asked,” she answered emphatically. Her parents looked at each other in surprise.

“Who has asked you to get married?” Sidney questioned.

“Nikita,” she replied. “When we are grown-ups, we are going to get married.”

Sera stared at Sidney, “Have Geno and you been arranging a marriage while you are on the road?”

“Nooooo!” Sidney exclaimed although the idea didn’t sound bad to him. Sidney shrugged his shoulders, “I got…. I got nothing. Seraphina, want to take this one?”

Sera kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Those are pretty big decisions to make. Let’s not make them at five, okay?” she soothed.

Callie shrugged her shoulders, “I can make big decisions. Nikita is my big decision.”

Sera shrugged her shoulders, “Well, okay then,” in a desire to let the entire conversation drop.

Suddenly Callie remembered the stuffed penguin she dropped. “Daddy, can you get the Penguin for me?”

He handed her the Penguin. She smiled up at him. “Cole, this is your penguin. It will keep you safe just like my penguin,” she said softly, “Uncle Geno got me my penguin so I got you one too so that we match.”

“Okay Dad,” the nurse instructed from the corner of the room, “Get into the picture.”

Sidney leaned over the bed and wrapped his arm around Sera. He laughed and said, “Okay 1-2-3- Crosby Crew!” The nurse took several pictures and videos of the family. Sidney got up and looked at his phone. He showed the photo to Sera before he stared at it.

“This is it,” he thought to himself, “My family is whole. The Crosby Crew is complete.”

#sidney crosby imagine #sidney crosby fic #sidney crosby fanfiction #pittsburgh penguins fic #pittsburgh penguins imagine #nhl imagine #nhl fiction #nhl fics #the crosby crew #hockey rpf #nhl rpf #hwncloud #hwn cloud

97 notes · View notes

chanelfunnell · 1 year

Text

anons, Tazer's old Chrustmas dweaters were uhly, his recent one is rude design His gf has nice sweater.

the design produced by Seth Jones, Jake McCabe were quite good. Nothing beats fun by Kaner.

b) it is the same woman reacting about Crosby as an anon, Anna or this blog who wrote to Crosby Interesting but id claim that Crosby Interesting is this blog and all mentiined above. For sure Crosby Interesting is also Toews Kane Interesting. if not Marti Snow also Canada is not other fictional persona anb an acount of all above..you never know whos in Mickey mouse costume behind pc screen

c) yes it is still stopen from one blog and not reblogged but presented as their own post and find

#sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins fic #crosby interesting #nhl #jake mccabe #jobathantoews #patrick kane #christmas jumper #christmas sweater #marti snow

0 notes

samgirard · 3 months

Text

└ team mackinnon drafts "sidney crosby" for their first pick | asg 2024: 2.1.24

#nathan mackinnon #sidney crosby #cale makar #colorado avalanche #pittsburgh penguins #tate mcrae #nhl all star game 2024 #nhledit #mine #cue the crosby deaging fic

295 notes · View notes

simmyfrobby · 5 months

Text

Battle Cries – The Amazing Devil

(x, x, x, x)

for @rimouskis based on this fic 💙

#baby sidgeno is like catnip to me #fic rec #hockey poetry posts #sorta kinda #pittsburgh penguins #sidney crosby #evgeni malkin

262 notes · View notes

holy-puckslibrary · 1 month

Text

just a lil firefighter!sid fluff for y'all :)

gif from @ehghtysevenarchive + per this ask and others

Surely, the chief of Canada's oldest fire department has more important things to do on a crisp morning, the last one preceding a fresh week, than this. He most definitely does. And, yes, Chief Crosby is known for his pragmatic approach to, well, everything.

But neither carries weight here—not when she calls.

Leaky faucet, dead car battery, unreachable spider... It doesn't matter. One ring, and he's rushing home. He can't pin-point when the pattern began, likely sometime shortly between the day you moved into town and his first off-day, but it's a routine he's come to enjoy despite the extra strain on both his schedule and his body; Sidney never thought sharing a property line could be so tedious or time-consuming.

He knows he shouldn't enjoy the distraction as much as he does. You aren't together, Sidney doesn't ever allow his imagination wander that far, but he can't help it. He can't help but help. He rarely turns down anyone in need, which has done wonders for his reputation within the community, but with you... With you, it's different, and embarrassingly so.

He doesn't have the words to explain it. Not that he needs to, it's written plainly across his face.

There's a reason you're regular fixtures in the town's gossip column.

When he arrives on scene—not ten minutes after his F-Series crawled down the gravel drive—Sidney shakes his head and laughs. Collecting his cell and his radio, he slips out of the truck, watching as you fret like a mother hen.

Still in your slippers, you're stood at the base of a decently-sized red spruce wedged between his yard and yours, your crumpled face angled up into the yellow-green needles. You're the very picture of worry, wringing your trembling hands and muttering to yourself.

A stray kitten caught in a tree, that's what's got you in a such a state.

"Well, this is a new one," he bellows in lieu of a greeting, slamming the door shut as his boots hit the ground.

Briefly, your glassy eyes dart in his direction. You're midway through your customary apology when he arrives at your side and quiets you, just as he always does.

"They're more than capable of holding down the fort for however long it takes to rescue our new friend, okay?"

"I know, but what if—"

"But nothing," Sidney huffs, and he dares to take you by the shoulders. And, externally, he ignores the way you shiver under his palms. "If I didn't think it was safe for me to step out for a couple of minutes, I wouldn't. You believe me, right?"

You nod, bottom lip pinched between your teeth.

"Good. Now, how 'bout you keep an ear on this," Sidney sets the clunky satellite radio in your hand, "—and I'll grab the ladder from the shed?"

He doesn't really need your help monitoring the channel, but he knows you'll feel better if you feel like you're doing something. Like him, you find comfort in your utility.

In less than a minute, Sidney re-emerges, rounding the corner with a ladder in hand. You're in the same spot, now fidgeting with the radio, anxiously dumping it from one palm to the other and back again. He follows your gaze to line up the simple equipment necessary for the rescue operation.

Sidney's heart swells as you quietly step forward to spot him.

Lucky for everyone, the ball of orange fur is on the branch nearest to the ground. Sidney needs only to step up onto the first wrung to safetly coax the frightened creature into his waiting hands, he's back on the ground not long after.

He gives the kitten a gentle parting scratch under the chin, then transfers the purring fluff to you. The soft bundle takes to you immediately, nuzzling into your chest like that's where it wanted to be all along.

"I think he likes you," Sidney observes with a cheek-numbing grin.

Your lips are tipped up at the end and there's fan of happiness rooting itself around your eyes. Your mouth opens to reply, but before the words come—

"Well, would you look at this?"

Across the quiet street and a few houses to the left sits an audience of two. Both of which are now cooing as loudly as two ladies in their sixties can manage. Coffee cups in one hand and their cellphones propped up in the other, they fawn over the two of you as if it's live theater.

Sidney curses their sons, who he'd completed the explorer program with as teens, for enabling this technological torture.

"Smile, you two! Oh, Denise is just going to eat this up," one of them, a spitfire in a 4'11 frame by the name of Mrs. Bouchard, exclaims to her co-conspirator, Ms. Johnston.

Then, to no one's surprise and Sid's chagrin, they giddily type out their respective messages to the local paper's equally-nosy editor-in-chief.

"Looks like we're front-page news again," you hum bashfully.

The tabby mewls in your arms. You curl into the little bundle of fur, lips landing between its delicate ears.

Sid studies you in his periphery as he slips in and out of heady contemplation, ultimately deciding he doesn't mind as much as he once did. "That we are..."

—

eek! wait, why do i luv them already 🥹

as always, i would really appreciate if you reblogged my work, left a comment or dropped by my inbox w some feedback :) fandom runs on engagement, and so do writers!! thx a mil in advance!

READ MORE OF THEM HERE!

179 notes · View notes

cyarskj52 · 2 months

Text

he’s such a dweeb! “we’re just going to do some shots of you looking cool. looking tough.” “you know what i don’t even know if i want to see it now.”

#sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #Sidney Crosby #mike sullivan #po joseph #evgeni malkin #sidney crosby smut #sidney crosby fic #sidney crosby x you #sidney crosby imagine #sidney crosby x reader #kris letang

154 notes · View notes

jackhues · 5 months

Text

3 + 1 - sidney crosby

notes: i hope you guys like this, first fic for 'it's the most wonderful time of the year', had lots of fun making this!!

likes are good, reblogs are better <3

part of naqia's end of the year celly!

gif not mine

i. (1994)

you'd known sidney your entire life. one of the first memories you had with him was fighting him for the last hockey stick in the store.

well, it wasn't the last hockey stick. but it was the last one of all the types you used to play. it just so happened to be the only one sidney used.

after a game of rock, paper, scissors (you won), sidney got mad and demanded a best of three. maybe it was the defiant look in his eyes at only seven years old, but you decided he could have the stick.

"are you sure?" he asked, now looking hesitant about taking the stick.

you nodded, "i'm sure. they'll get one of the sticks i use in a few days. you can have this one. i'll just steal my brother's stick until then."

sidney grinned, "thanks, y/n."

you smiled back at him, feeling the start of a friendship. you'd lived near him your entire life, but you'd only begun talking to him because of hockey.

"just don't forget to send me a card when you go to one of your tourneys," you told him.

you and sidney laughed over that, before heading back home with your parents. it was after this day that you began to say hi to each other in the halls of school, that you decided to pair up for projects, that you became friends.

over the two months it took until christmas morning, you forgot about what you'd told him. but sidney didn't forget his promise.

and it was on december twenty fifth, that you received a post card in the mail from some place in quebec. a seven year old sidney had tried his best to make the letters look pretty, writing on the side, 'merry christmas, and thanks for the hockey stick, y/n. it helped me win!'

you peered in the envelope, finding a picture of sidney hoisting his giant hockey trophy. you smiled at that.

even though he was so far away, it felt like you were celebrating christmas together.

ii. (2004)

'sidney patrick crosby, you have got to be kidding me! you have a huge hotel, you're in finland, and you've got some of the best people with you. and yet, you're saying you wished you were here playing pond with the rest of us? you're crazy. anyways, make sure you score a goal or something, and have lots of fun! honestly, not scoring is fine if you have fun. good luck at the world juniors! i'll be cheering you on from back home :))'

you signed off the letter, sealing it and placing it to the side to deliver later.

at seventeen years old, sidney had become the only under-18 player at this year's world junior tournament for team canada. it was a thing to celebrate, but sidney was upset he would be missing the town's annual christmas pond hockey game.

you and him had played together on the same team for the last nine years, winning every time. this was the first time he wouldn't be here to help your team defend the title.

but that was okay, you thought as you packed up your christmas gear and made your way to the pond.

because sidney was going to play on your t.v. tomorrow, at the national level. it was his first time playing for canada, and you knew he was excited for that.

he just wasn't a fan of missing the small things.

it was why he'd began sending you letters and post cards as he moved around for tournaments and hockey games. they were cute souvenirs, and you didn't mind sending him a letter back.

you just wished he could've been here to celebrate christmas with the rest of you.

iii. (2009 - pretend ft was invented a year earlier)

"merry christmas, love."

you smiled, "merry christmas sid."

sidney adjusted his phone, fixing the facetime so you could see him better. you laughed as he struggled for a minute, finally getting a proper angle.

"don't move!" you said. "there, perfect. now your entire face is on my screen."

he laughed as he shook his head to himself.

the two of you had been friends for thirteen years before he worked up the courage to ask you out. and for the last two years of your relationship had been amazing. there were ups, like seeing him win the stanley cup, and there were downs, like seeing him take some uncalled for hits.

but you were happy. and so was sid.

the two of you had planned to celebrate christmas together in pittsburgh, until a family emergency had you coming back to nova scotia last minute.

everything turned out fine, but it was just too late to get a ticket back to pittsburgh.

even so, you and sid had found a way to work around that.

the two of you spent most of the day on the phone with each other, talking and laughing together. it wasn't what either of you had planned, but you made it enjoyable.

it was a great christmas.

iv. (2012)

"sidney, will you get down here already?"

"i'm coming, i'm coming," he called from upstairs.

you sighed, waiting for your husband to get up and get downstairs. christmas morning was the one morning you were happy to get out of bed, but it was also the one morning sid wanted to sleep in.

sam, sidney's dog, came down the stairs, curling around by the christmas tree as he waited for sid with you.

a few minutes passed before sidney made his way downstairs, eyes half closed but a sleepy smile plastered on his face to greet you.

"good morning, love," he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "merry christmas."

"merry christmas," you smiled, pressed a kiss to his jaw. "we eating breakfast first or presents first?"

"mmm, breakfast," sid decided.

"i knew you were going to say that," you laughed, pulling him along to the kitchen.

you'd already prepared breakfast before he came down. some eggs, sausage and bread. it was a good way to pass the time as you waited for sid to get downstairs.

the two of you took your seats, laughing as you ate breakfast and discussed how far you'd gone in life together.

"you almost tripped on the ice," he reminded you.

"no one told me i had to go out on the ice after you guys won," you argued. "i was so excited over you guys winning the stanley cup, i didn't even notice i was being ushered to the ice until i took my first step."

sid laughed as the two of you slowly made your way to the living room.

"here, open my present first," he said, rummaging under the tree to pull out a long, rectangular box.

the two of you had started the tradition of opening all of your sentimental gifts before the other cute ones. and even though you wanted to go first this year, you supposed it was alright if sid got this one.

you unwrapped the box, pulling out a familiar hockey stick. one that you'd given sidney eighteen years ago.

"oh my god," you muttered, tears building up in your eyes.

"i found it in my parent's garage last summer," he shrugged a little. "i remembered how badly you wanted it. and even though it's too small now, i thought you'd like the memory."

"i love it," you grinned, wiping the corners of your eyes. "it's absolutely perfect. i'm putting this up next to that picture of you holding up the trophy."

sid laughed at your response, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"you can do whatever you like with it."

you put the stick to the side, your hands slightly shaky as you grabbed another, much smaller, box. "here. now open my present."

sid took the box from your hands, unwrapping it and opening it. he stared at the contents of the box, unable to form a sentence as he looked between the box and you.

"you -- this -- seriously?" his eyes shined as he stared at you.

you nodded, feeling the tears build up yourself. "we're having a baby."

sid laughed, pulling you in for a hug. "oh my god, this is amazing. a baby, you and me."

the two of you held each other that day, celebrating christmas together.

365 notes · View notes

ilyasorokinn · 1 year

Text

(day four) not so alone , sidney crosby

note, this fic is part of my christmas series called taylor's very merry christmas series. check out this masterlist for the rest of the series. pair, sidney crosby x reader summary, y/n and sid are staying in pittsburgh for christmas this year, with their families coming out to visit instead. y/n heard through the grapevine that some of the guys weren’t going home, so she decided to welcome them over so they weren’t so alone. warnings, baby + kids (baby rakell & little geno) word count, 853 words

(gif not mine)

"I got everything on the list, but is there anything else you need?" Sidney asked. Before practice, you had given him a list of things you needed for your big Christmas dinner.

"Well, we need dog food, but I can pick that up tomorrow." You looked over at your two dogs.

"No, I got it." You could hear the cart being pushed down the aisle from the other line, "Anything else?"

"Well, there is one thing." You held your breath.

"What is it?"

"I heard about a couple of the guys weren't going home, so I was wondering..." You paused, "I thought we could invite them over to our house."

"Invite them over?" He repeated.

"Yeah," You smiled, "No one should be alone on Christmas, Sid."

He let out a laugh, "Yeah, of course we can.”

You smiled, "All right, you finish shopping, then come home, and we can talk about how we're gonna do this."

"All right, I'll speedrun the rest of your list."

"Thank you. See you soon."

"See you soon."

Sidney got home and you discussed your new dinner plan and how you were gonna get another long table now that you had even more guests.

Before it was just gonna be your parents plus your sister, his parents and Geno plus Anna and Nikita, but after, you calculated that it was

While you were in charge of the menu, Sidney was in charge of cleaning, getting the house ready, and inviting his teammates over.

So, after practice, while everyone was getting ready to leave, that’s when he thought it was the best time to do it.

“All right, one more thing before you all go.” He announced, gathering everyone’s attention, “Mrs. Crosby heard some of you weren’t going home for Christmas this year, so if you don’t have anywhere to go, our home is open for you.”

They all nodded, appreciative looks on their faces as they all went back to what they were doing. After they all finished up, a few guys approached him.

He looked at the 4 guys in front of him, Jarry, Rakell, Kapanen, and Joseph, and smiled. Before they could even open their mouths, “Be there at 4.” They all nodded and were on their way.

On Christmas, you and Sidney were rushing around the house. Sweeping, vacuuming, and making sure everything was in tip-top shape.

Your parents were also in town, so they were helping out where they could. The first to arrive were the Malkins, and they arrived with a very nice bottle of wine. The moment Nikita stepped into your house, he was running off to play with your dogs.

Geno brought the dish they brought into the kitchen, and while Sidney followed him, you and Anna made your way into the living room with glasses of wine already in hand.

Not long after the Malkin’s arrived was when everyone else started arriving too. Tristan and his fiancé arrived with a nice bottle of wine.

Then Kappy and PO Joseph came together, looking dapper as ever. You opened the door, holding one of your dog's collars so they wouldn't run out the door.

You smiled at them, and smiled even brighter when you noticed the bouquet of flowers in Pierre's hands, "Glad you guys could make it." You gave them each a brief hug as you were handed the flowers.

"Thank you for inviting us."

Lastly to arrive were the Rakell’s, which you didn’t fault for being late due to the baby, who was now fast asleep in your arms.

You all congregated around the table and began talking amongst each other, enjoying the food prepared.

Due to the sleeping child in your arms, you couldn't really cut or eat any of your food, so Sidney did the work for you. He cut up the turkey into smaller pieces and spoon-fed food to you.

"I just wanted to thank everyone for coming." You announced looking around the table, "I know it was last minute, but I really do believe that no one should be alone on Christmas, so thank you." You smiled at everyone as you bounced the sleeping baby in your arms.

"Thank you." Emmeli, Rickard's wife smiled, "Thank you for welcoming us into your home. It means more to us than we can say." You smiled happily before taking your seat again, leaning into Sidney’s arms.

After everyone had gone home with heaps of leftovers and everyone staying over at your home had retreated into their rooms for the night, you and Sidney spent some time cleaning up the easy stuff, pushing all the harder stuff for the next morning.

“So, I saw how you were with Daisy,” He started, shooting you a smirk.

“Don’t start.” You shook your head, “You were the exact same way. You were giving her goo-goo eyes and playing peek-a-boo all night.”

“I’m not denying it.” He raised his hands in surrender.

“I’m perfectly happy where we are right now.”

“All right, but what wasn’t a no,”

“No, it wasn’t.” You shook your head as you set some plates by the sink to deal with the next morning.

my taglist: @kolsmikaelson @ashleymarine @laurenairay @kidlnthedark @bowen-power @nhlrbs @lam-ila @puckinrightschicagoo @stars-canucks @iwantahockeyhimbo @2manytabsopen @owenpowersglasses @calermakar08 @hamilton160 @pierrelucduboiis @thescooby-gang @huggybearmylove43 @sammysworldddd @corneliaskates @mista-svech @paintlavillered @fallinallincurls @samanthasgone @hockeyboysarehot @maximoff-xmen @nicoleloveshockey @thedukes-56-5 @hockeyunits @puckmetwice @bxdbxtxh15 @pensfan5871 @sidcrosbyspuck @consflame @kaydenissleepy @Yagetintoitseventieswhore @MichelleKirby30 @jamieeboulos @Coffeeandteaandflowers @bibella8swan @cuttergauth @boqvistsbabe @sophia-bordeleau @madison-nhl

add yourself to my taglist!

(this taglist is my regular taglist, my non-special occasion masterlist. if you want to be tagged in all my writing, feel free to add yourself!)

428 notes · View notes

spine-buster · 1 year

Text

To Sail Beyond the Sunset ft. Sidney Crosby | Chapter 5

gif credit @/rinkrats

A/N: 6000 words of...well...

Every time June put on a pair of pointe shoes, she felt like she was putting on a piece of second skin. They were as much a part of her as her nose, eyes, and hands. Every ballerina had a very specific way of moulding their pointe shoes to fit their feet, and June was no different; she could do it with her eyes closed, one arm tied behind her back – all the old adages were true for her. From the satin, the elastic, the ribbon, the toe pads and Second Skin, to knowing exactly where to sew the elastic to support her ankle, how long to cut the ribbon, where to bend and pop the shank, and how many times she needed to band the toe box against the wall or floor or even with her own heel so it softened and wouldn’t make noise on stage. She was perfectionist with it, but it was like second nature to her. She’d prepared thousands upon thousands of pointe shoes during her career. She didn’t think she’d ever forget how to do it. She could be a hundred years old suffering from dementia, and if someone handed her a pair of pointe shoes, she’d know exactly how to make them fit her feet.

When she was one of the principal dancers at the National Ballet of Canada, she’d been filmed for a video on their YouTube channel for this exact routine and it went viral, tallying something like 20 million views to date. Everybody apparently wanted to know how the best ballet dancer in Canada – and one of the best in the entire world – prepared her pointe shoes. Ballet already fascinated people, she thought, and pointe shoes were about 90% of that fascination. How could someone balance their entire weight on their toes? And not just balance – how could someone dance on their toes? Spin on their toes? Jump and land on their toes? For three hours? June made it look easy. She made it look effortless, like she was floating on stage at any given moment. “Magical” was often the adjective used.

Going back up en pointe again, after years of not doing so, was something June never thought she’d experience. She thought she’d be dancing well into her thirties. But the best laid plans… The first time she went back up en pointe, it was rougher than she wanted it to be. It was harder than she wanted it to be. With all the dancing and practice she’d done since she could walk, she thought it would be much easier. But no. Her body had betrayed her in a way she never thought she’d be betrayed. It failed her on one thing she’d gotten so much recognition for in the past; it failed her on the one thing that had made her famous. She knew she had to have patience with herself, but it was still frustrating. For years her body had been contorted and hyperextended and abused to look a certain way on stage and now it couldn’t even do the thing she wanted. She’d had more blisters than the entire popular of Halifax, more shin splints than she could shake a stick at, muscle strains, dancer’s heel, Achilles tendonitis, snapping hip syndrome, patellofemoral pain syndrome, and even osteoarthritis. She found a lot of anger in herself before she realized that she’d already given so much to ballet that she didn’t need to give anymore.

For all that her mom did when she was growing up, June really did love ballet. It brought her a solace not much else could bring. When she danced, she felt free, like she could do anything and be anything. And when she was performing on stage, she could become someone else. She didn’t always have to be Juniper Brooks, who grew up working class in a basement apartment in a suburb of Halifax with a pseudo-psychopath of a stage mom. She could become Odile, or Odette, or Sleeping Beauty, or Giselle – she could be anybody else but herself, and that helped her, in its own way, realize who she was a person with and without ballet. Ballet was truly one of the things she loved most in life which was why, when she couldn’t dance anymore, she decided to teach. It had given her so much, so she wanted to give back.

Ballet for June was hockey for Sidney. They’d both had their fair share of joys and pains associated with hockey and ballet while in Cole Harbour. For June it was her mother and jealous girls in her classes; for Sidney it was other boys (especially the older boys) with intent to injure him, and parents. Imagine. Grown-ass adults being jealous of a kid. If June could have, she would have told off every single one of them to their face. Because she knew she couldn’t do that without developing a reputation, sometimes, she’d scream and cheer for Sid so loud in the stands to drown out the parents’ jeers. They’d look at her like she was crazy, but she knew she was doing the right thing. Some of them would even look disappointed, as if they were sad Sidney wouldn’t be able to hear them call him names or tell their kids to get him. The funniest thing about the situation was that when Sidney won his Stanley Cups and brought them back to Cole Harbour, she’d see them waiting in the parade route or autograph line with their grandchildren.

Such was life.

***

Katja Simmons was one of June’s best friends, the person she was closest with besides Sidney, of course. They met at boarding school, having been roommates for their last two years, making the company together straight out of school. While June was promoted to principal dancer, Katja became a first soloist, and was still dancing with the company. Their positions meant that they usually got to dance together on stage – which is how June liked it. She liked having someone on stage with her that she could trust.

“Have you proposed to Sidney yet?” Katja suddenly asked over the phone. Their pair had been talking for over an hour and a half at this point, and the question really came out of nowhere.

“What?!” June shrieked. “Katja, what the hell?”

“Oh come ooooonnnnn, June,” Katja pressed. “He’s been back home for a while now. Have you proposed marriage?”

“Katja—”

“—Be his wife—”

“—Katja—”

“—Because you know you want to.”

“Katja!” June shrieked again. “Where is this coming from?”

“You know how much I love love,” Katja said as if that explained everything, and honestly, it kind of did. Katja had gotten married last summer to her long-time boyfriend, Niko, after almost ten years together. June was her maid of honour. She brought Sidney as her date. “And I’ll just never forget how he looked at you when he saw you for the first time after Swan Lake. Or how you two would write letters to each other literally every single day throughout high school. We can all see how in love you guys are. I just—I can’t believe you can’t see it, June! Or don’t.”

“Katja, I’ve told you – it’s so much more complicated than that,” June said. “He’s my best friend.”

“But that’s the way it’s supposed to be! Look at me and Niko. You wouldn’t want to marry someone you’re not friends with, right?”

“Of course not,” June agreed. “But it’s different. It’s…it’s…”

“It’s what?”

June took a deep breath. “Sidney is the most important relationship in my life – that I’ve ever had in my life. Between my mom being the way she was and Sidney just always being there for me – being this constant presence in my life even when we moved so far away from home and each other – Katja, I wouldn’t want to ruin anything. I can’t ruin anything. If I don’t have Sidney, I have nothing. Ballet can be taken away from me, but Sid can't.”

Katja was quiet momentarily, taking in June’s words. “Do you want my honest opinion?”

“Of course.”

“You’re not going to ruin anything because you can’t ruin what you and Sid have. It’s beyond that point. I don’t think your worry should be if you’re going to ruin anything – you shouldn’t have any worries at all. I think that you and Sid should have a talk about your future together, because you guys have been in love with one another your whole lives. You’re it for each other. It’s like When Harry Met Sally – remember what Harry says at the end? When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. You two need to realize it. Once you do, the rest of your life is going to start.”

***

“Have a good night, Chloe,” June smiled as she propped open her studio door to let out her remaining student. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sid’s SUV inconspicuously parked in the corner of the lot. She was expecting him, so it wasn’t much of a surprise, but she wondered if anybody else in the parking lot coming to pick up their kids did.

“Goodnight, Miss June! See you tomorrow!” Chloe waved off as she rushed to her parents’ car, throwing her bag into her brother’s face in the backseat before getting in herself.

June waved at the entire family as they drove off and watched them turn onto the street. It was only then that Sidney turned off his car. She watched as he got out and made his way towards her, a smile on his face. “Hey Junebug.”

“Hey. Come in,” she said, keeping the door open until he walked through, locking it behind him so nobody could pop in. They walked through the small lobby and into the dance studio – the only space they really felt any privacy, despite the door being locked.

They sat down in a corner of the room, knees touching since they were sitting so close. Personal space was a thing of the very, very distant past for them. “You’ve got a big smile on your face,” Sid commented.

“I’m happy to see you,” she said, trying not to hear Katja’s words from their phone conversation lull around in her mind. “Plus, some of the girls got their acceptances.”

“Really?”

“Claire, Malika, and Isabella are going to NBC,” she informed him. “And Zoë was accepted to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.”

“Wow!” Sidney exclaimed, genuinely shocked at the news. “That’s incredible!”

“I know. They’re over the moon. I’m over the moon for them,” June couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Big difference from how I found out. And much different reactions, too.”

“God, yeah. I still remember that day,” Sidney said. “It’s still so clear to me – that look on your face as we met on the sidewalk. And you telling me everything afterwards. You were so upset, Junebug.”

“Could you blame me?” she asked.

Sidney shook his head. “Not at all.”

2002

“Do it again.”

June inhaled deeply. Her feet were killing her. Her knees were killing her. Her arms were killing her. The second she had gotten home from practice, her mom had demanded they practice everything in class again, since June fell out of one of her landings once. “Mom—”

“—Don’t mom me—”

“—Please, I’m exhausted,” she tried.

“Exhausted? You were the one who chose to fall out of your landing during the routine. Now do it again.”

The routine in question was Odette’s variation from Act 2 of Swan Lake. Most girls in her class still had trouble with staying en pointe during specific turns or for more than a minute of choreography. June was perfecting two-and-a-half minute character role variations. She and the other girls weren’t even on the same planet. But it still wasn’t good enough for her mom. “Mom, I’m beg—”

“Do it again, Juniper!” she snapped.

June held in the tears, the fatigue, the outright exhaustion, the everything, and assumed position. Her mother hit the play button on the boombox and the classical music began. If she was going to get out of this and satisfy her mother, she needed to execute every move with absolute perfection – her mother wouldn’t settle for anything less. So she did – every arm motion, every turn, every movement of her body was done with such precision that June almost shocked herself, considering the time of day and the fact that she’d already been in a four-hour class. She hit the last pose perfectly, and the music stopped. She waited for her mom’s reaction, scared of the outcome.

“Much better,” she said. “It should be like that all the time. Now go shower and get ready to eat.”

June didn’t have to be told twice. She left abruptly and ran into her room to take off her pointe shoes and leotard. She didn’t allow herself to cry until she got into the shower, and even then, wiped her tears away furiously. Her entire body ached at how much pressure and stress it had been under that day, and she felt she could barely raise her arms anymore to wash her hair. After she dried herself off, brushed her wet hair, and changed into some new clothes, she went back out into the main living area. Her mom had already put out her plate to eat: a small filet of salmon, steamed broccoli, and some cherry tomatoes. To anyone else, like Sidney, the portion size would probably be a snack; for her, it was dinner. Even a glass of lemon water was already made for her. When June sat down, she noticed her mom eating the same thing, but double the portion. They ate in silence.

June retreated to her bedroom after dinner to finish homework from the weekend and prepare what she needed for the upcoming school week at Astral Drive Junior High. It would have been the time that she called Sidney, too, but he was at a hockey tournament this week and June knew he and his family were probably driving home right now (and that he was probably doing his homework in the car). She’d have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him.

June wasn’t expecting a knock at her door from her mom. Usually, after dinner, her mom left her alone. After today especially, she didn’t think her mom would bother her. But alas, she was wrong. June wished she didn’t have to see her face until tomorrow morning. She took a deep breath. “Come in.”

Her mom opened the door and stood in the doorway, watching June at her desk with a binder open. “That last performance you did – it should be like that every time, Juniper.”

June stayed silent for a few moments. “I know. My arms were hurting rea—”

“—That’s the lazy girl’s excuse,” her mom dismissed her. “I push and I push and I push because you’re lazy and you can do better. If you’re not pushed, you fall behind. And then what good are you, hmm?”

By this point in June’s life, she’d heard those words a million times. But it didn’t sting any less. She fought to hold back her tears. “I out-danced everybody in cla—”

“—You danced like a lazy, selfish, stupid girl,” her mom interrupted again, not letting her get a word in. “I was embarrassed for you. Every penny I make goes to your dancing and you weren’t even fucking trying. You better start acting and dancing like a ballerina or else some other girl is going to steal it from right under you before you go.”

June furrowed her brows. “Before I go where?”

All of a sudden, her mom’s face had switched from agitation and anger to one of almost pride and smugness. “The Dying Swan,” she began, referring to a piece June had practiced meticulously and had performed at a local recital a few weeks ago. “A trainer from the National Ballet School was in the audience that day. Yulia called her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means the National Ballet School has recruited you. You’re going to boarding school in Toronto.”

June’s heart stopped beating before it fell into the pit of her stomach. While she should have been happy about the opportunity to go to the best ballet training and high school in Canada, she couldn’t feel happy. At all. Instead, she felt blind-sided. The thought of leaving home, of leaving everything she knew, was scary. And the thought of leaving one person in particular – Sidney – made her sick to her stomach. There was no way she would go through with it. She couldn’t – not while Sidney was still in Cole Harbour and she was being shipped off to boarding school in a city she’d never even been to. She didn’t think she was mentally strong enough, and she wished her mom could see that – that it would probably do more harm than good. “No,” June shook her head.

“What did you just say?”

“No. I’m not going.”

Her mom’s eyebrows raised. “Who the fuck do you think you are, Juniper Brooks?”

“I’m not going and you can’t make me,” June tried to remain strong. “I’ll stay in classes with Yulia.”

“To hell you will,” her mom was harsh. “You’re going to Toronto and that’s final. All the paperwork is done. Your dorm room’s even been assigned. You don’t have a choice in this, Juniper.”

“No!!!” she screamed, and every emotion, every tear that she was bottling up inside came out with it. She shot up from her chair, and that’s when her mother turned her back and began walking away from her. “I’m not going! I’m not!” she followed her out.

“This was all done for you!” her mother screamed back. “All for you! And look how ungrateful you are!”

“Mom, please,” June pleaded with her. “Please don’t make me go. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll train more. I’ll put in more hours. But please don’t make me go there all alone.”

“Empty promises from a lazy girl,” her mom shot back. “Hopefully the school teaches you hard work. And dignity. God knows you need it as you stand there begging.”

“Mom,” her voice was full with tears now as they streamed down her face. She didn’t know what she could say to make her mom change her mind. She knew the tears wouldn’t help – if anything, it would make it worse. “Mom, please. Please. I can’t go.”

“You will go, Juniper.”

“Mommy—mommy p-please,” she wailed. June thought of only one thing: she got down on her knees, even though they hurt more than anything, right up against her mom. Her mom whipped around to see June putting her hands in prayer position, looking up at her with red eyes. “P-P-Please mom. You can’t separate me and S-Sid. I can’t g-go to T-T-Toronto. I c-c-can’t leave him. I can’t leave him. He’s my b-best friend. I can’t be that far away from him. I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever you want. But I can’t leave Sidney. I can’t—I can’t be alone without him s-s-so far away—”

All of a sudden, there was another smug look on her mother’s face, but this time, it was mixed with amusement. Sick, twisted amusement. “Well well well,” she said, concealing her smile, crossing her arms against her chest. “I guess Sidney hasn’t told you yet?”

June froze in position. “Told me what?”

“Sidney’s leaving too. He’s going to a hockey boarding school,” her mom revealed. “In Minnesota.”

The words were like a nuclear bomb to June. She kept frozen in her position as the words sunk in. Sidney’s leaving to a hockey boarding school in Minnesota. Of course June knew about the possibility because Sid told her, but it seemed like such a long shot because it was a private school, and neither of their families had that kind of money. If there had been a change, Sidney would have told her about it. Right? She understood she wasn’t a Crosby, but she may as well have been one, and she would be the first person to know…right? Right? “You’re lying,” she found herself saying, tears still streaming down her face. “You’re lying and you know it.”

“I’m not a liar like you,” her mom spat back.

“I—you—that’s a lie. That’s a lie. You’re j-j-just saying that so you can ship me off to b-boarding school and never see me again,” June cried. “You’re lying b-because you hate me.”

“I’m not lying. You can ask Sidney tomorrow.”

“Sidney would never do that to me.”

“He already has.”

June felt like she was going to throw up. Both outcomes were horrible. If her mom was lying, then she was just a nasty liar; but if she was telling the truth…well, the truth was worse. The truth was much worse. “I hate you!” June wailed. “I hate you I hate you I hate you!!!” she wailed over and over again.

“I’ll live,” her mom dismissed her. “You’re going to that school if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming, Juniper Brooks.”

June got up from her knees. With all the emotion she had left in her, she screamed one more time. “I hate you!!!” With that, June ran back into her room sobbing, collapsing onto her bed as she cried and cried and cried.

Her mom didn’t come knock on her door for the rest of the night. Even when June’s sobs were so loud, they could be heard through the walls.

***

The next day, as Sidney waited for June on the sidewalk so they could walk to school together, he saw her approaching from the distance. He’d missed talking to her last night. Their usual Sunday night phone call usually had June reminding him of all their homework they did and that he had to bring to class for their teachers. But as she got closer, Sidney could see she wasn’t happy, and when she got even closer, he noticed her eyes were red. That could only mean one thing. “Were you cr—”

“—Are you going to boarding school in Minnesota?” she demanded.

Sid’s jaw dropped. He couldn’t find the words. “I—I—”

“No bullshit,” she swore. They hardly ever swore, even alone together. “Are you going to a hockey boarding school in Minnesota or not?”

“It…it literally just happened, Junebug,” he said, admitting it. “How—how did you know?”

“When did it happen?”

“We got the call Saturday at the tournament. They called my coach because he has a cell phone. How did you know?” he asked again.

“My mom told me.”

“How’d she find out? God, word must travel fast. One of the guys must have told someone back here and—”

“So you’re going?” she asked, her voice shaky.

Sidney paused. “Junebug, I—my parents and I had a really long talk about it. Like, really long. And we all think it’s best that I go, at least for a year, and see what it’s all about, and so I can get away from all the…noise over here. I was going to tell you, Junebug, I swear.”

June broke out into a fit of tears. They were streaming down her face like Niagara Falls. At least in Sidney’s situation, he and his parents talked about it. They thought about the pros and cons and made the decision as a family. As opposed to her situation, of course, of just being told of being shipped off somewhere with no choice. “My mom told me last night,” she managed to say through tears. “She told me because—because I was crying about…about…”

“About what?”

June tried to wipe away some of her tears. “My mom is sending me to boarding school in Toronto. For ballet,” she revealed. “She told me last night. I told her that I couldn’t—I couldn’t leave you. That’s when she told me about Minnesota.”

Sidney couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You’re going to Toronto? For ballet?”

“Against my will,” she said. More tears rushed down her face. “I want to be with you, Sid. I can’t leave you. I can’t go there on my own without you. I can’t—I can’t…” she couldn’t speak anymore, the sobs overcoming her.

Sidney hated seeing her cry, even though it happened every so often. It was one of the worst things in the world to him. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly as she cried on his shoulder. The sound of her sobs shook him to his core, because instead of annoyance or just general sadness, there was fear in them. “It’s going to be okay, Junebug,” he said, rubbing her back.

“No it’s not.”

“I’ll make sure it is.”

When June thought about it, when she really thought about it, it was the moment she fell in love with Sidney. She remembered clinging on to him for dear life, as if he was about to float away to Minnesota if she let go. She wasn’t ready for anything that was coming her way that late spring or summer, but she knew she would have been a lot worse off if Sidney didn’t help her through it. She remembered being so scared. She remembered hardly being able to sleep the week before they both left. She remembered them saying goodbye to each other and her bawling her eyes out in the taxi, crying so hard she threw up. Sidney had promised her that everything was going to be okay, and she believed him, but the fear kept creeping up.

“Hey Sid?” she asked after a few moments of silence, her voice soft.

“Hmm?”

“Remember when you told me it was going to be okay?” she asked. “It all was okay in the end, wasn’t it?”

“Of course it was,” he nodded. “I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you.”

June couldn’t help but smile slightly. “As if you had the power to do anything. We were teenagers.”

Sidney shrugged. “I would have found a way,” he said. “I still wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

They looked each other in the eyes just then, letting the words hang in the air for an immeasurable amount of time. Sidney meant the words he said, and June knew it; he wouldn’t say them if he didn’t. Over thirty years of friendship, and he still felt that way. Through all the tears he had to hug away, the classes and competitions where she was worked to the bone, the cruel gossip from others, the unfair rules, the tiny meal portions, the feelings of loneliness – he would use all the power and influence he had in the world to make sure nothing would happen to her. Over thirty years of friendship, and she felt the same way about him. Through all the bullying he encountered, the taunts and jeers and slashes and hits, the news articles written about him as a kid proclaiming him to be everything from a local hero to a pissy show-off, the girls in their class who would grab his hands and twirl around and yell “I’m going to marry Sidney Crosby! He’s going to be a millionaire!” when they were twelve, thirteen, fourteen years old – she would never let anything happen to him.

June got up suddenly, all in one go. Sidney stayed firmly planted on the ground, looking up at her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get my pointe shoes.”

Sidney tried to remain calm, but he felt a nervous tightening in his chest. He nodded his head and watched her walk out of the room. While she was gone, he moved so he was sitting up against the wall of mirrors, underneath the barre. When June came back in, she was wearing ballet tights with a low back camisole leotard and a black pancake tutu. She had a new pair of pointe shoes in one hand, and her pointe shoe kit in the other. She sat back down across from him, without a word, leaving some space between them to have everything in front of her.

Sidney watched. He watched as June meticulously prepared her pointe shoes, as she’d done thousands upon thousands of times before, as he’d watched her do when they were teens. She was like a surgeon performing a quadruple bypass; the precision in everything that she did to prepare them was so detailed and thorough, it was probably only rivalled by his own pre-game rituals and superstitions. Hearing the familiar pop of the shank or watching as the needle and thread broke through the delicate satin – it was all part of a process he was so familiar with, and respected so very much, because it meant that June could do what she loved.

Only when she was done did either of them speak. “I’m going to stretch and warm up,” June informed him, pushing her phone that she left on the floor towards him with the pointe of her shoe. “When I’m done, I’ll tell you what song to play. My phone is connected to the speakers.”

“You got it, Junebug,” he said, watching again as she went over to a space at the barre and began stretching, hoisting her leg up and rising and falling, just as she’d learned so many years ago. She even went to get a roller. When she was done, Sidney was attentive to her every desire.

“There’s a mash-up song in my music – it’s not in my Spotify – it’s called Odette/Odile variations,” she said. “And turn the volume all the way up.” Sidney didn’t recognize the name, but scrolled through anyway, until he found it. He made sure the volume was on the highest setting before tapping on the song and putting her phone down beside him.

The second that the music began, Sidney knew exactly what kind of dance he would be seeing. June had performed every principal role in every major ballet in her day, but Swan Lake was her favourite, and being Odile/Odette was her favourite role, more than Giselle, or Sleeping Beauty, or Juliet, or any of the others. He thought she would choose an easier piece – he didn’t know why he thought that – but no. June was going for the big guns: the two solo variations where the ballerina really got to shine, showing off her immaculate technical skill and sophisticated character work.

Sidney watched in awe. It was like she hadn’t even stopped dancing. Her arms were fluid, her legs were straight, and she went up en pointe as if it was the easiest thing in the world. She executed every move flawlessly. Even her facial expressions were just as he remembered them when he would visit her in Toronto and buy tickets front row, centre stage to see her perform. The muscles in her legs, arms, and back were still strong and definite, carrying her gracefully around the room as she performed every pirouette, every attitude, grand jeté, sissonne, arabesque, double cabriole, brisé, and entrechat six with grace, elegance, strength, and determination. When the music for Odette’s variation ended, and she transitioned into Odile’s, Sidney knew exactly what he was going to get. Though she transitioned to embody Odile instead of Odette, her movements were just as precise, and there was something different about the way her body moved to take on the character. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen in anybody else, and June executed it so flawlessly. She did every time, and just because this was an audience of one, it didn’t matter.

Then the French horn and trumpets began. The symbols clashed. The infamous song blared through the speakers. June took a few moments to herself, when the danseur would traditionally dance, and then it was on. Back in the centre, arms extended, aaaaand…

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen…

Sidney could feel the tears well in his eyes as he watched her.

Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. Twenty-six. Twenty-seven. Twenty-eight. Twenty-nine. Thirty…

Sidney’s heart stopped beating as he watched her complete the set. She did it. She fucking did it.

Thirty-one. Thirty-two.

She landed her ending pose perfectly – and she wasn’t even done. She had to end the pas de deux, and she did so in a flurry of piqués and chaînés that saw her whip herself around the room like a tornado. After more pirouettes, entrechat six, looking down and extending her hand to an invincible danseur, the music hit its last note and June flapped her arm out like a wing.

Then, silence.

Sidney and June let everything June had just done speak for itself and stand on its own. The first time Sidney had seen June do this, he had cried – and he wasn’t afraid to admit it. The crowd had erupted in a raucous applause at her completion of the 32 fouettés and at the end of the pas de deux, and he had gotten swept up in the moment. Now, alone in a ballet studio in Halifax where she’d just done the same thing, there was silence. It wasn’t until June forced her body out of the pose, and made eye contact with Sidney, was any other noise heard.

A sob.

June let out a sob she didn’t know she was holding in and practically collapsed into Sidney, who quickly outstretched his arms to catch her. He held her as they sat on the floor and she cried in his arms. They didn’t say a word to each other. Everything was being said in what they were doing – holding on to each other for dear life. It was only until June stopped crying that she pulled away to look into Sidney’s eyes.

And when she did, she knew that look. She knew that look because it was the same one she gave him, that she never gave to anyone else. Not even to her ex-fiancé. “You love me,” she said. She didn’t ask, because by the look in his eyes, she knew.

Sidney nodded. “And you love me,” he said, a statement and not a question, too.

June nodded. “All this time.”

“I think we’ve been in love with each other for thirty-one years and didn’t realize it sooner,” he said.

In movies, there is usually a grand declaration of love; running through an airport, or flash mobs, or a long speech with exquisite words. This wasn’t that. Sidney and June’s declaration of love was not grand, and it was not ostentatious. They weren’t chasing the other through an airport or organizing a flash mob atop the Halifax Citadel. This, instead, was simple: two people, after thirty years, sitting on a floor in a ballet studio in Halifax, finally admitting they loved one another.

124 notes · View notes

starshine-hockey-girl · 2 years

Text

The Crosby Crew- Part Two

Author’s Note- It originally started as a little blurb that grew into a story about Sidney Crosby as a hockey dad to his adorable daughter Callie.

Part Two- Callie has her last practice before her first game

Word Count-6K

Part One- https://starshine-hockey-girl.tumblr.com/post/661790024969420801/authors-note-just-a-small-little-blurb-that-came

@fallinallincurls @pattiemac1 @princessphilly @penstxgal1968

Crosby House- Sewickley, PA

"Callie!" Sidney called from the bottom of the stairs, "You need to be downstairs, dressed for practice, in five minutes." He stood and waited for a response before calling again, "Callie girl, please answer or acknowledge me." Sera walked past Sidney into the kitchen. "Your daughter isn't listening, Seraphina," he teased.

"I guarantee that she is upstairs playing Minecraft," she replied with an eyebrow raised. Sidney stared at her, thought about responding, and thought better of it. Playing Minecraft started as a way to connect with Callie while he was on the road. He hadn't anticipated the hold it would take in Callie's life. Now it was next to impossible to get her to focus on anything else.

He called again, "Calliope Alexandria Crosby, you now have four minutes to get downstairs."

The petite brunette appeared at the top of the stairs holding her hockey bag, "I am coming, Daddy." She lumbered down the stairs towards her father. He smiled as she passed him. Together they walked into the kitchen. Sera stood at the kitchen island packing the snack bag for Callie's pre-practice and post-practice snacks. "Mama, are you coming with us?"

Sera looked down at her large baby bump and swollen feet. "Callie, I need to rest up. Daddy will send me lots of pictures." Callie pouted slightly, dropped her bag and kicked at it. Sera and Sidney shared a look and did a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to determine who would deal with the action. Sidney’s paper covered her rock and she stuck her tongue out at him. “Callie, I understand that you are disappointed that I am not going but you are not going to even notice that I am not there at all. You’ll be focused on your coach," she said as bent down to Callie's eye level. She stood up straight again and smiled, "If I remember right, I believe your father agreed to a stop for ice cream if you work hard at practice. Isn’t that right, Daddy?” He nodded in agreement with a smirk. There had been no such agreement but he wasn’t about to argue with his wife who was due to give birth to his son within the next two weeks. “In the meantime, please pick up your bag and carry it properly. Until you play in the NHL, you need to manage your own equipment. Please and thank you.”

Callie gathered her bag and walked to the door. Sidney walked over to his wife and kissed her, “Get some rest, Seraphina. Your ankles look swollen. You need to put them up.” She looked down and shook her head in disbelief. “What flavor?” he called from the door.

“What do you mean?” Sera asked sweetly.

“What flavor of ice cream do you want, Sera?” he laughed, “I am not foolish enough to come back to this house empty handed.”

“You decide. You know what I like,” she smiled, glad that he picked up on the hint.

In the car, Sidney buckled Callie into her booster seat then got in the front seat. He started the short drive to the rink. “So Callie, are you excited for your last practice before the big game?” Callie stared out the window and didn’t respond. “Callie Girl, what’s up with you?” he teased. She took a deep breath and nodded yes. Sidney was unsatisfied with her response but decided not to pursue it any further.

They drove in silence until he pulled into the rink parking lot. She stood stoically by the trunk while he retrieved her bag and stick from the trunk. She picked them up and put the bag straps over her shoulder, grabbed her father’s hand and began walking into the rink. She kept her head down and ignored the looks and whispers that accompanied going anywhere with her father. When they got through the double doors separating the rink from the lobby, Callie dropped her father’s hand and started running to the aluminum stands on the far side of the rink. “Lilyanna!” she called as she saw her friend who sat on the bench while her mother dressed her. Lilyanna stood up and ran to Callie. They embraced with joyful hugs. Callie looked back at her father, “Come on Daddy, we have to get dressed.” Callie’s face beamed as she sat next to her friend. Sidney knelt down with a nod to the mom beside him and unzipped the bag.

The mom looked over and smiled, “Don’t let Callie fool you. Sera makes her do her gear herself with the exception of the sock tape.” Sidney’s head popped up in surprise.

Callie’s eyes got wide. “Trying to fool Daddy, eh?” Sidney laughed. “Go ahead and show me how you do it,” he stated as he stood up to watch. She looked down at the bag and sighed. She was tempted to tell Lilyanna’s mom to mind her own business, but knew that would be met with a strong reaction from her father. She started with her shin pads and began dressing. Once she got her hockey socks on, she taped the bottom and looked at Sidney. He bent down and tore the tape. He handed it back to Callie, “Good job so far. Keep going.” She smiled and quickly worked to finish getting dressed. “So Mom makes you do this yourself?” he asked.

Callie nodded as she struggled with her jersey. She said as she tangled her limbs up in it, “Sometimes she has to help with this part.” Sidney straightened out the jersey and looked around at the other parents dressing their kids. He made a mental note to have a conversation with Sera later. Callie stood and put her helmet on. The gate opened and the coach whistled for the team to get on the ice. Callie looked at the ice and back at her father, “You have to do the thing, Daddy.”

“What thing?” he asked.

“You’re not doing it right, Daddy,” she whined.

“What am I not doing?” he asked, confused.

“You have to say ‘Okay Callie Crosby- what do we do on the ice?’ Then I say ‘Listen the first time, do my best and have fun’ and then you say ‘Love you Callie Girl’” she instructed, “You have to do it before I go on the ice. Hurry Daddy, I’ll be late!”

“Callie Crosby- what do we do on the ice?” he said with a smile.

“Listen the first time, do my best, and have fun,” she responded.

“Love you Callie Girl,” he yelled as she sprinted to the door.

There was a gaggle of kids trying to squeeze through the door. Callie and Xander tried to squeeze in at the same time. He knocked Callie over in the process and skated off to put his water bottle on the bench ledge. She skated over and gave him a death glare before she placed her water bottle on the ledge. Sidney crossed his arms and watched as they warmed up. When the coach blew the whistle, Callie took a knee in front of him and focused on his words. Xader and the rest of the boys traded funny faces and laughs while the Coach spoke. When he finished his explanation, the tiny players lined up to start. Xander stood behind Callie, "Hey Callie.”

She turned to him with an exasperated sigh, “What Xander?”

“What are we supposed to do on this drill?” he asked.

“Weren’t you paying attention?” she quizzed.

“Some of us aren’t goody-goodies like you, Callie,” he laughed.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You think that you are so special because you always pay attention and never have any fun.” Xander laughed. “No wonder only Lilyanna likes you.”

Callie looked over at her father who was watching from the boards, “My dad told me to listen, so I did.” She sighed, “I have fun.”

“No, you don’t, Callie,” Xander answered back as they moved forward in line, “Are you going to tell me or what?”

Sidney noticed her quick glance at him and then watched her conversation with Xander. Callie quietly told Xander the instructions to the drill. Sidney’s eyebrows furrowed as Xander gave Callie a light shove and skipped in front of her to do the drill. Callie watched Xander complete the drill proudly, although clumsily. She glanced over and looked at her father.

“Callie- Go!” Coach Sam yelled when she hesitated. She started and tried to remember the steps of the drill that she had just explained to Xander.

“Think, Callie,” she said to herself as she went through the motions, “Think”

Xander laughed as she got back into, “I knew you couldn’t do it. Sidney Crosby may be your dad, but you will never be as good as me at hockey. You are just a girl, Callie. Girls aren’t as good at hockey.”

Callie blinked and processed what he said. That was the exact opposite of everything her parents had told her. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. “Let’s go Callie,” Sidney called from the edge of the rink. He flashed a smile when she looked over nervously. She nodded her head and completed the drill again. She moved methodically and cautiously through the remainder of the drills. Sidney noticed that she didn’t laugh with the others and rarely smiled. Callie was one of the last ones off the ice when Sidney held up his finger to her. “Callie, stay there for a minute. Daddy is going to talk to Coach Sam.Give me just a second,” he said cheerfully.

“Daddy, did I do something wrong?” she cried.

“Oh no Callie Girl, Daddy just has a couple of questions because it’s my first practice,” he assured her, “Here is your snack. Why don’t you go eat it on the bench?” He pulled the coach off to the side to address his concerns. “Hey Sam, we met at the first skate class a while back,” he started as he watched Callie skate to the bench.

“Yeah, yeah- I remember, Mr. Crosby,” the coach replied.

“This is the first practice I have been able to attend. Was today pretty typical for Callie?” Sidney asked.

Coach Sam glanced at Callie before speaking, “Today was pretty typical for Callie. She is a hard worker and always listens to the instructions. She is pretty much a coach’s dream.”

“Why do I sense that there is more that you are not telling me?” Sidney asked.

The coach paused, “I don't know how to say this. When Callie first started, she had such a sparkle in her eyes. With each session, it gets less and less and I can’t figure out why. I know that the boys give her some grief, but she has never complained to me. It’s a shame because I think she could be really good if she wanted to be.”

Sidney nodded and thanked the coach for his time. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the game,” Sidney said as he turned around to return to Callie. She had finished her snack and set her water bottle down on the ledge. She picked her stick, looked around to see her father with his back turned to her. She nodded her head and took off down the ice. Sidney turned to see Callie flying down the ice. He did a double take before opening the door to walk onto the ice. She came to a quick stop when she heard her father enter the rink. She took a deep breath and skated slowly to where Sidney stood. “Callie?” he asked softly.

She looked up at him with fearful eyes, “Yes, Daddy?”

“Is that how fast you can really skate?” he squatted down to her eye level.

“Yes, Sir,” she answered. Her voice trembled slightly.

“Show me again,” he commanded gently, “Blue to blue line- as fast as you can go.”

She skated slowly to the blue line, looked over her shoulder and started when he said, “Go!” She took off the ice with a quick start that was replaced by long, effortless strides and a quick hop stop at the blue line. She turned around with her eyes focused on the opposing blue line and skated as fast as she could past her father before she circled around. Her head lifted up and she searched his face for a reaction.

A wide smile spread across his face. “Daddy, was that good?” she questioned.

“You were so fast- really fast- but your technique was perfect. Where did you learn that?” he beamed.

“I watched you Daddy. That’s how you skate,” she answered.

Sidney felt his heart race, “You watched me?”

Callie laughed, “Daddy, don’t be silly.”

“How am I being silly?” he asked.

“Everyone knows that you are the best skater, ever. Even Uncle Geno says so,” she laughed, “Momma and I watch all of your games.That’s how I learned where to put my feet and legs. I started watching you after I started my lessons.”

“Show me what else you can do, Callie,” he smiled.

“You’re not mad at me?” she asked.

“Why would I be mad at you, Callie Girl?” he replied.

“Because I haven’t been doing my best. That’s one of the rules, right? To do my best,” she said quietly.

“I’m not mad, Callie,” he assured, “Show me what your best looks like. Get a puck and show me what you can do.” Callie took a puck and skated down the ice with ease, shooting the puck in the back of the net. She looked back with a smile. Sidney pulled out his phone and hit the button to facetime Sera. “Look at this, Seraphina. Look at what our daughter can do,” Sidney gasped as he held his phone up to capture Callie’s moves.

“Holy shit,” Sera uttered.

“Holy shit is right,” Sidney answered.

Sewickley Confectionery

Callie swung her legs as she waited for her father to return with their ice cream. She smiled as he returned with double scoops of bubble gum ice cream covered in sprinkles and handed it to her. He placed his single scoop of cookies and cream in front of him as he sat down. "Don't tell your mom that you got two scoops," he whispered. She giggled and nodded in agreement. "So tell me about practice," he asked gently.

Callie gulped and looked down.

"Callie Girl, you can tell me the truth," he prodded. She poked at her ice cream with the pink plastic spoon. "Okay, do you want me to tell you what I think?" he asked. She looked up and nodded yes. "To me, it doesn't look like you are having fun- at least not during practice," he began. She squirmed in her seat. "If you don't want to play hockey, you can quit. If you don't love it and aren't having fun, you can stop," he continued, "You don't have to play hockey because I do it." Callie's eyes filled with tears. Sidney patted her hand, "It's okay, Callie Girl. I would rather you find what makes you happy."

She burst into tears, "Please Daddy, please don't make me quit. I'll do better." Sidney tilted his head and grimaced."I don't want to quit. I want to play!" she exclaimed, “I love it. I love it when I go down the ice with the puck on my stick. I love going fast and I love having my friends.”

"Then why do you look so sad during practice," he declared, "Explain to me why you are one speed during practice and an entirely different speed when you think no one is watching you."

"I get nervous when people are watching me," she replied. "I get nervous and scared and I can't think straight."

"Why are you nervous Callie Girl?"

"It might make you mad or sad," she answered.

"If the truth makes me mad or sad, then that's my emotion to handle. I am a grown up and I can manage my emotions. You are not responsible for them”, Sidney countered, "You are only responsible for telling me the truth.”

"I get nervous because people look at me funny when you are around, especially when I am skating," she sighed. "They expect me to be as good as you and I am not."

Sidney sighed, "Has anyone said that to you? Has anyone said 'Callie, you have to be as good as your dad'?"

Callie looked down, "No, daddy."

"So is that what people expect or is it what you think people expect?" he asked.

"I guess me," she answered.

"Let me tell you," he explained, "I don't expect that at all. Callie, you have been skating for less than a year. You can't possibly be as good as me- yet." Callie's ears perked up at the word yet. "You can be as good as you are willing to work to be, Callie," he went on to say. "The fact is that you are really good now. If you skated in practice the way you skated after practice, you would be the best one on the team."

Callie smiled, "You think so Daddy? You think I am good?"

"I don't think so. I know you are good," he laughed. "Why aren't you having fun at practice? What else is going on?"

“It’s different when I am by myself,” she blurted out.

“What’s different?” he asked,

“When I am by myself, I can go as fast as I can. I can go faster and faster with each lap,” she explained, “At practice, if I skate my best, then none one of the others can keep up.”

“Why is that a bad thing?” he asked. Callie put down her spoon in the bowl and pushed it forward. “Tell me why, Callie.”

“They’ll…. They’ll tease me even more,” Callie whispered, “They will be more mean to me and they’ll like me even less.”

"What?" Sidney said in surprise, "How are they being mean to you?" Inwardly, he raged. Someone being mean to his precious baby, even if it was a child, lit a fire in his belly that felt oddly familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. Again, Callie hesitated. "Callie Girl, I can't help you if you don't tell me. I want to help you."

"I get sad when the boys are mean to me," she said quietly.

"Xander said that I am a goody-goody because I listen to Coach Sam instead of joking around. He said that I think I am better than him because I pay attention and no one except Lilyanna likes me," she whispered, “He said the only reason that Coach Sam likes me is because you are my dad.”

“Coach Sam likes you because of you,” Sidney insisted, “He told me so earlier. He said that you are a hard worker and listen to instructions. That’s what you are supposed to do. It’s what I have to do when I am at practice too. Do you think that you are better than anyone else on the team? Do you think anyone should treat you differently because of who I am?”

Callie shook her head no vigorously, “No Daddy! I just want to be treated the same as everyone else.”

“Then Xander is mostly wrong,” Sidney confided.

“Just mostly?” she asked.

“You can do both Callie,” he looked her in the eye. “You can pay attention and listen to the coach AND have fun. It is okay to laugh and joke around. It doesn’t have to be completely serious. Remember what you do on the ice?”

“Listen the first time, do my best and have fun!” she squealed.

“Yes, you are listening great. We just need to work on the other two,” he smiled, “Maybe Uncle Geno can show you how to have fun during practice. He is always being silly at practice but he still listens and does his best.”

"Anything else?" He asked.

"He said that I will never be as good as him even if you are my dad," she continued. "He said that I can't be as good as him because I am a girl," she cried. "Is that true? Is it true that boys are better than girls?", she questioned.

Sidney pursed his lips. He expected that she would experience some teasing because of him, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon. His mind raced as she looked to him for a response. He looked at her sweet face and felt an overwhelming need to protect her from the world. She needed to be protected from the world that would tell her that she was less than because she is a girl.

"Daddy?" she asked, "Is it true?"

"No," he said firmly, "It is not true. It is not true at all." Her eyes widened. "Aunt Tay is good at hockey and she's a girl," he started. "Remember when I took you to see Team Canada versus Team USA play? The women's teams were just as good or better than the men, right?" He added. "Boys who say that girls can't be as good as them are scared. They are scared that they are not as good as they want to be so they try to make you doubt yourself."

"Before I continue, I have a question. Is that why you are skating slower in practice?" He asked, "Are you slowing because of Xander and the boys? Why? Why would you do that, Callie?"

"I just want them to like me," she whined.

"Let me tell you something, Callie Girl. Not everyone is going to like you. There are a hundred different reasons why someone might not like you. None of them matter, particularly if they don't like you for being you," Sidney stared into her eyes. "Your job in this world is not to make people like you. Your job in this world is to be the best Callie possible, love others and take care of them, and do everything in your power to make the world a better place. If someone doesn't like you while you are doing those things, well, that is their problem-not yours”, he stated boldly.

She blinked and looked into his eyes. "Promise me Callie- promise me that you will never make yourself less than the best Callie in order to make anyone, especially a boy, like or accept you. You have a talent and you should use it," he declared.

"But if I skate the way I know I can, they won't be able to keep up," Callie interjected.

"Then they need to learn to skate faster or pass the puck to you," he stated matter of factly. Callie stared at him, then he started to laugh. He shrugged his shoulders, "It's the truth." They shared a laugh and took a bite of their ice cream.

"Excuse me, Sid," a voice interrupted their laughter. "Could I trouble you for a picture?" the older gentleman added. Sidney glanced at the man, but noticed the smile fall from Callie’s face. She looked down and sighed.

"Actually, I am in the middle of a conversation with my daughter," he replied. She looked up in surprise. "I'll be glad to take a picture when we are finished though," he added.

"Of course," the man readily agreed, "I will just be waiting outside."

Sidney turned back to Callie to find her with head down. She said softly, “It’s okay, Daddy. You can go ahead and take the picture. I know that’s more important than me.”

His head tilted and he reached over to grab her hand, “Callie, look at me. Look at me right now.” She lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears. “There is nothing more important than your brother, your mother or you. There is nothing more important to me than my family- period- end of story.” Tears spilled out of her eyes and he moved swiftly from his seat and crouched in front of her. “I am sorry, Callie. I know that you didn’t sign up to have a dad that gets interrupted on ice cream dates.”

“I don’t like it, Daddy,” she cried, “People interrupt us. They stare at us when we are in the store.”

“Is that the reason you were upset that I took you to practice today? You knew people would stare if I was there?” he asked gently.

She nodded her head yes.

“I can’t change the fact that people know me, Callie. I can’t keep them from staring, but I will do a better job at keeping it from you. I will do a better job making sure that you know that you are more important,” he promised. He pulled her into a tight hug. “Callie Girl, I love you so much. There isn’t anyone I love more than you. Well, I love your mom the same and I will love your brother as much too.” Callie smiled at the thought of her baby brother who would be arriving soon. He pressed his lips together before he asked, “Do you want me to stay home from the game tomorrow? Would you rather me not be there?”

“No, I want you to be there,” she gasped. She bit her lip and continued, “Ummm, maybe you can not stand right next to the boards? Then everyone won’t be staring at you?”

“If that’s what you want, Callie Girl,” he answered.

“Yes, that is what I want,” she replied.

“You got it,” he smiled. “Ready to go?” he asked, “I have a plan before we get home. We are going to get your mother a surprise”

“Sure,” she exclaimed. There was nothing Callie loved more than surprising her mother.

They walked outside of the shop after selecting a pint of ice cream to take back to Sera. The older gentleman sat eating his ice cream. “Wait here, Callie. I won’t be long,” he said as he crossed over to the gentleman. They chatted for a few moments before he pulled out his phone to take a selfie with Sidney.

“I can take the picture!” Callie shouted and ran over, “Do you have an iPhone? My mom has an iPhone so I know how to use it.”

“You sure, Callie?” Sidney questioned.

“Yes Daddy,” she assured him, “It will be a better picture. You don’t know how to take selfies.”

Sidney rolled his eyes and posed for the picture. The older gentleman thanked Sidney for the picture. He paused before walking away, “You have yourself a jewel of a daughter. You should be proud.”

“I am,” Sidney beamed, “She’s my pride and joy. Have a good night.”

“Go Pens,” the man called back.

“Go Pens,” Callie screamed back with a big smile.

Crosby House

Callie giggled as she and Sidney walked into the house. She brought in two bouquets of flowers and set one on the counter. She held the second bouquet of flowers behind her back and peeked around the corner of the kitchen. Sidney put the salted caramel ice cream in the freezer. "Shhh, Daddy- Mama is asleep,” Callie whispered loudly. Sidney came up behind his daughter and peeked into the living room. Sera slept peacefully on the couch with her feet up on the pillows.

“Let’s go wake her up,” Sidney said quietly, “Be sweet.”

Callie ran into the room and squealed with delight, “Mama, Mama, Mama.”

Sera opened one eye to look at her daughter, “Callie, how long have you been home? I must have dozed off.” She sat up slowly, using the back of the couch for leverage.

Callie shoved the bouquet of hot pink roses into Sera’s hands, “This is for you, Mama! It’s a surprise. Do you like them? I picked them out all by myself.”

Sera smiled and took the flowers and smelled them. “Oh, I love them, Callie Girl,” she said happily, “What’s the occasion?”

“Daddy says that you don’t need a casion or reason to bring flowers. You can do it just because you love a person. Isn’t that right, Daddy?” she looked to her father for assurance.

“That’s right, Callie Girl,” he answered.

“Daddy bought me flowers too. They are just like yours,” Called giggled. “Daddy said when I grow up and get married, then my spouse should bring me flowers all the time,” Callie exclaimed, “I don’t want to get married though. Boys are stinky and yucky.”

Sera raised an eyebrow and looked at Sidney, “Spouse?”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Trying not to be heteronormative and be more inclusive.”

Sera held out her hand and he assisted her off the couch, “So you have been listening to my rants. Good job!” She turned to her daughter, “Yes, boys can be stinky and yucky, but generally they grow out of that stage. One day you might fall in love and want to get married. You may never want to get married at all. Who knows?”

“But if I don’t get married, who will buy my flowers?” Callie questioned.

“You can buy your own flowers,” Sera teased, “I have a feeling that your Daddy might be still buying you flowers. He is sweet that way.” Sera took the flowers and went into the kitchen to find a vase.

“Come on Callie- it’s time to start the bedtime routine,” Sidney instructed.

“But I am not tired,” Callie whined.

“We’ll see how you feel after you get dressed in your pajamas. That sugar high is going to end soon,” he said firmly, “Don’t forget to brush and floss your teeth. I will be checking so don’t try to skip it.”

“Yes, Sir,” she answered as she ran up the stairs.

Sidney walked into the kitchen. Sera stood at the kitchen island and arranged the flowers in separate vases. “Your ice cream is in the freezer,” he said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled, “Thanks- I am going to eat it after the gremlin goes to bed. How was practice? Any issues?”

Sidney walked over and kissed her temple, “Practice was eye-opening.”

“Oh? How so?”, Sera answered.

“Apparently Callie can get dressed by herself or should I say is made to get dressed by herself by her mother,” Sidney said flatly.

“Excuse me?”, Sera said incredulously.

“You heard me,” Sidney answered, “None of the other parents were making their kids do it by themselves. You’re too hard on her Seraphina.”

“No, don’t call me Seraphina and imply that I am a bad mother in one breath, Sidney,” she interjected. Sera took a deep breath. Sidney blinked and braced himself for her response.

“First, I called your mother to discuss the gear. I wanted to be sure that I was letting her progress naturally. You were younger than Callie when you started putting on your own gear and carrying your own gear,” Sera stated defensively. "Your mother confirmed it," she added.

“Also, I am hard on her because one of us has to be. I get it- you love being good cop because you have to spend so much time away from her. I understand and I don’t fight you on it, but you then can’t fault me for being bad cop,” she sighed, “People are going to make a lot of assumptions based on the name on the back of her jersey. They are going to presume that she is getting special treatment. They will presume that she is a diva.” She paused, walked over to Sidney and rested her head on his chest. “Look, she is going to be treated differently because you are her father. We can’t change that. However, we can do our best to treat her as normally as possible. You were raised to be a hard worker and down to earth. We have to do the same for Callie as much we both want to baby her and protect her. Besides, it’s not the real reason I started her doing it.”

Sidney wrapped his arms around Sera’s ever expanding belly, “What’s the real reason?”

She looked down at her belly, “At some point, I needed her to learn because I couldn't physically bend down to do it anymore. Also soon, I will be managing an infant and all his gear. I can’t manage his gear and her gear by myself. You are gone too much and I will be doing a lot of it on my own. Callie will have to pick up the slack.”

“Sorry I made assumptions. I just can’t get used to Callie being a big girl,” he whispered in her ear, “You’re a great mom, Seraphina. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

“You know, maybe you brought flowers because you knew that you were going to open your mouth and have the stupid come out tonight,” Sera laughed. “Ice cream and foot rubs can buy your forgiveness. What else was eye-opening?”

“Besides the fact that she can skate better than any kid I have ever seen?” Sidney scoffed.

“What’s that about?” Sera asked.

“Apparently, the boys on the team have been teasing Callie. She has been going at half-speed to keep from being teased,” he said with a sigh.

“Tell me more,” she said as he scooped ice cream into a bowl for her. They settled onto the couch. He explained the observations he made at the practice and his conversation with Callie at the ice cream shop.

Sera’s eyes filled with tears, “They were teasing her and she didn’t tell us?”

“Seems like it,” he answered, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Not really,” she replied, “Now I do feel like a bad mom for not picking up on the signs.”

“I wouldn’t beat yourself up, Seraphina,” he grabbed her feet and put them on his lap as she ate her ice cream.

“They really said she couldn’t play as well because she is a girl?” she spit out, “I hate people sometimes, you know. Is it wrong to hate a five year old?”

“Yes, it is wrong to hate people in general, but especially children,” he corrected her.

“Whatever- some of us weren’t raised in the idyllic world of Cole Harbour,” she kicked at him playfully with her foot.

“I forgot you were raised on the mean streets of Sewickley,” Sidney laughed.

Callie called down from the top of the stairs, “Daddy, I am ready for bed.”

“I’ll meet you down here once I have her down for the night,” he said as he headed upstairs, “I need to tell you the rest.”

In her bedroom, Sidney tucked Callie into bed for the night. She yawned and asked for a snuggle. She scooted over and Sidney sat on the bed. He rubbed her back slowly and turned on her nightlight and sound machine. “Daddy?” she asked quietly.

“Yes, Callie Girl?” he answered.

“Do you get nervous before games? Like the night before?” she spoke softly.

“It depends. If it is a big game like you have tomorrow, then yes,” he said, “Are you feeling nervous?” She didn’t answer right away. “Callie, if you are having thoughts and feelings that are upsetting you, you should tell your mom or me. We can help you sort them out.”

“Okay,” she murmured.

“If you had told us that the boys were teasing you, we could have helped you much earlier,” he soothed, “You could have had a lot more fun.”

“I’m sorry Daddy,” she said.

“That wasn’t a correction, Callie Girl,” he added, “I just wanted to remind you that you can come talk to us about anything. Anytime that you are upset or worried, tell us and we will help you.”

“I’m nervous about tomorrow,” she admitted.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” he coached, “You are going to do great. I have faith in you. What are you going to do on the ice tomorrow?”

“Listen the first time, do my best, and have fun?” she questioned.

“And what’s the most important one?” he asked.

“Do my best?” she guessed.

“Close, but it’s to have fun. Callie, I want you to have the best time skating with your friends. If you are having fun, then doing your best will come easily,” he answered, “Now let’s get some sleep so you are full of energy for tomorrow. There may be a surprise for you tomorrow morning.”

“Tell me what the surprise is Daddy,” she giggled.

“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” he said as he got up to turn off the lights.

“Hey Callie Girl?” he turned back to her.

“Yes Daddy?” she answered.

“Who are the luckiest Mama and Daddy ever?” he questioned.

“You and Mama,” she answered.

“Why are we the luckiest?” he questioned again.

“Because you get to be MY Mama and Daddy!” she giggled.

“That’s right and that makes us the luckiest ever,” he affirmed. “Good night Callie Girl. We love to the moon and back.

“Good night Daddy,” she replied, “I love you to the moon and back.”

109 notes · View notes