*Jon*

Jon stood in the cold airport terminal waiting for his parents to get into the city. Every part of him was just anxious to get back home with Callie. Before today, he’d been gone from her on a road trip and she opted to stay home for the trip to get ready for the holiday. The time had been filled with numerous calls and skype sessions, prompting his entire team to label him as whipped. They had no idea.

The airport was busy with people milling around, trying to get last minutes flights, to pick up loved ones. He tugged his baseball hat down on his head to keep from being recognized and thought about the scene he’d left back at his apartment. Callie had been running around his kitchen, making sauces and sides, her hair had fallen into her eyes and she smelled like sweet pumpkin pie.

Jon was lost in his daydream when someone tapped on his shoulder. His mother smiled brightly up at him “Where were you, Jon?” she asked in a heavy French Canadian accent. His father stood next to her with a raised brow.

He felt his cheeks flush in a way only his mother could make him. “I was where I wanted to be.” Jon shrugged.

“Oh, so you don’t want to see us?” His father asked jokingly. “By the way, your brother, David, will be coming. He told you right?” Jon nodded, recounting the phone call from his brother a few days prior.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I just wish Callie was here right now.” Jon’s mother tipped her head at him as they made their way to his car.

“Why didn’t you bring her?”

“She’s been cooking up a storm all morning and wanted to look presentable.” He put air quotes around the last word. “I don’t know, Dad. I thought she looked amazing. Always does.” He smiled at his father, now in the backseat.

“Is she as serious as about you Jon?” His mother asked, ever so concerned. “Are you sure about her?”

“Yes. I have been for a bit now.” He answered honestly, trying not to fidget under his mother’s stare.

“What’s she like? Have you met her family?” she went on.

“Yes, I’ve met her family.” His jaw set at the thought of her parents. “She’s great, Mama. So smart, so beautiful. The team loves her, everyone loves her.” He turned into the garage of his building complex. When the engine stopped, he sat for a moment. “Callie is really nervous about meeting you guys. I know you’ll like her but,”

“Don’t worry, Jon.” His father cut him off. “I’ll keep your mother on a leash.” They all laughed as they made their way through the lobby to the elevator.

When Jon opened the door to his apartment, wonderful smells made his stomach growl. He rounded the corner, Callie was pulling a pie out of the oven. She looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine. Her dress was a light pink, long sleeved, stopped a little above her knees, and was covered in small lacey patterns. A long thin black belt wrapped around her waist. Her long hair was left alone, hiding her face from his eyes.

As soon as she put the pie down, he pulled her close to him for a kiss. She melted into him, arms wrapped around him. He could still smell the sweet spicy smell that seemed to permeate from her today. Callie pulled away first, when Jon could open his eyes, he saw her smiling up at him.

Jon laughed, a long white streak of powder trailed along her cheek. He lifted his hand to her face to brush it away. For a moment, it was just the two of them. A small cough came from somewhere in his kitchen. Not in the slightest embarrassed, he pulled only slightly away from Callie before pulling her straight to his side and facing his parents.

“Mama, Dad, this is Callie Bennett. Callie, these are my parents, Andrée and Bryan.” The three shook hands.

“It’s really great to meet you, Mr. Toews, Mrs. Toews.” Callie gave them a smile that almost had him weak at the knees.

“Oh, sweetie, you can call us Ana and Bryan.” His mother fussed at his girlfriend. She even went as far as to pull her away from him and hug her. Callie just returned the embrace. The moment his mother let go, he pulled her back into his side. Not yet willing to let go of her. Another cough came from behind him. David stood obviously ogling Callie.

“Who are you and what are you doing with a dork like Jon?” He asked. His family laughed, while Jon rolled his eyes.

“What can I say, I’m into dorks.” Callie tippy toed to kiss his cheek but in the end, Jon had to bend down a little. He could have sworn he heard his mother awe at them. “I’m Callie, by the way.” She reached her hand out to shake his but instead his brother pulled her fully fledged against him. That annoyed Jon, David was making faces at him and for a minute Callie returned the hug before having to pry herself out of his arms.

“I’m David.” His brother smiled brightly at her before walking around them to hug Bryan and give Andrée a kiss on the cheek. “And I hope you know that I will spend the entire night making fun of your boyfriend in hopes you’ll drop him to give me a chance.” His brother joked. Only half heartedly until he realized that his girlfriend had made the meal that had been set on the island counter.

“You wish.” Jon retorted. It was going to be a long night.

*Callie*

“He did what?” Callie laughed as Jon’s father told her the story about the first time Jon ever got sent to the penalty box.

“He did, he cried. The poor boy was so upset with himself.” Andrée chimed in. The whole group had been telling her stories of Jon’s youth. She’d laughed and smiled so much her cheeks hurt. “Boys, why don’t you go into the kitchen and clean up. Poor Callie here has been slaving away for days and you reaped the benefits.”

With a groan, the three men got up. Jon gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before following his brother and father into the kitchen. “You’re a lovely girl, Callie.” Andrée’s heavy French-Canadian accent seeped into every word she spoke. “You make Jon happy.”

“Jon makes me happy.”

“You are okay with him going away all the time? Only able to spare you so little of his attention. You do know his intentions are to win another cup?” The questions she asked didn’t seem mean or really anything other than curious. If anything, the older woman sounded concerned for her sake.

“I’m positive. I wouldn’t expect anything less. I care about him.” With that Jon’s mother’s eyes softened. “I really do.”

“And what about children.” Callie cringed a little unable to help it. Andrée just laughed. “Soon enough, dear, soon enough. Jon will want that soon enough.” The words were somewhat foreboding.

The rest of the night went smoothly, it wasn’t long before nearly all the Toews bid her goodbye. As she waited for Jon to come back from walking his family down to the parking garage, Callie couldn’t get the fact that Andrée thought her son wanted children so soon. Deep down, she didn’t know if it bothered her or excited her. Was she ready for a kid? For that commitment at all. She was just 23, Jon only two years older than her. Would he really want children?

Callie laughed at herself. Why was she thinking all this? They hadn’t even had sex yet. After tonight, that would change. Seeing Jon with his family, seeing how happy and genuine he was put the final nail in the coffin. With everything in her, she could honestly say she was in love with Jonathan Bryan Toews. So much that it actually hurt her.

“Why are you grinning like an idiot?” Jon’s voice behind her made her jump.

“Because I love you.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she had a chance to filter. They were both left there, staring at each other like fools over her words.

The next thing she knew, Jon had her over his shoulder and was definitely headed towards his bedroom. Callie giggled as she landed on his huge soft bed. No words were said and he leaned his body over hers. “Did you mean it?” Jon asked, the tip of his nose skimming her skin.

“I did.” The weight of his body on her was enough to make her want to give him anything. “I can’t believe I just blurted it out, but I do. I love you, Jon.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to be the only one who felt that way.”

Callie pushed him, it was off guard just enough so that she could flip on top of him. His deep brown eyes watcher her and she moved her hair from her face, his rough hands exploring skin that had been exposed because her dress had ridden up.

“Say it.” She murmured before kissing his forehead.

“Say what?” The devious smirk on his face gave it away.

“You know what I’m talking about.” Callie kissed the soft spot right on his jaw, she heard him growl a little. Nothing turned her on more.

“I’m not sure I do, Cal.” She pulled back to look into his eyes. No longer wanting to play that game, she needed to hear the words.

“Jon.” His name was just a whisper on his lips.

“I love you, Callie. So much.” Her lips crashed down onto his. “So much it hurts to breath.” Jon flipped her so that her body squirmed under his. His mouth gently sucked at the skin under her jaw bone.

As much as Callie was afraid of the immensity of her feelings for Jon, she couldn’t deny they weren’t there. She loved him to death. It scared her. Everything that was there relationship was wrong. They hadn’t known each other long, a month. They weren’t supposed to be feeling the way they did. But nothing, nothing, changed the fact that it was true.

*Jon*

Jon was nothing but smiles as he waited in the airport terminal with Callie. Two weeks since Thanksgiving had passed and he’d been so happy, he was afraid he would burst. Everything was working for him. His team was red hot on a winning streak, he’d played fantastic, and most notably, Callie was his, in every way possible.

It seemed like all the problems they’d had at the beginning of their relationship faded. Callie no longer worried about her parents, no longer stressed about fitting in with the other WAGs or being accepted by his teammates – which he thought was ridiculous anyways, because they obviously loved her, and the city had taken to her.

“Jon, I’m not kidding. If you don’t stop smiling, she’s going to know.” Callie murmured.

“Know what?”

“That you keep me at it like a bunny, you animal!” Jon just laughed at her. She had been so excited for her best friend to come into town and he was excited to meet the girl that help Callie get through her adolescent life. He owed her a thanks.

In a flash of a second, Callie flew out of his arms. He watched as she raced across the airport into the arms of a blonde girl about her height. The two were laughing a smiling. Jon’s heart melted as he heard his girlfriend’s laughter ring.

As they walked towards him, he took the moment to assess the girl that was Callie’s oldest and dearest friend. If there was anyone who was paler than himself or Callie it was this girl. Her skin was nearly translucent. Even from the distance, he could see bright blue eyes assess him. He tried not to squirm. If he was being honest with himself, he wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t nervous.

By the time the twosome made it to his side, Callie was bent over laughing so hard. Jon merely pulled her into his side. “Jon, this is Jenna. Jenna, this is Jon.” He offered her a hand, the tiny girl surprisingly had a strong grip.

“It’s good to finally meet you. You’d think Callie would shut up about you, but no, it’s a new story every time.” He glanced at Callie, who was fifty shades of red.

“I swear, Jenna, if it’s going to be make-fun-of-Cal weekend. I will ship your ass back to North Carolina.” Callie joked.

“Hey, just being honest here.” Both girls laughed. The weekend would be interesting.

***

“So, loverboy. I guess I should ask you what your intentions are. You’re not going to get her pregnant are you?” Jenna plopped down on a chair across from him. She’d been catching up and help Callie with dinner before being shooed out. Jon choked on his water.

“Ummm. Not at this immediate moment. No.”

Jenna raised an eyebrow. “So you will.” The look in her eye was joking, feral, and scary all at once.

“Uhhhh.” For once Jon didn’t have a diplomatic answer. “I don’t really know how to answer the question and keep my manhood.”

“It’s just best if you ignore her.” Callie yelled from the kitchen. “What the hell? I swear, I just bought salt. How can I make anything without salt?” Jon watched as she walked out of the kitchen, her hair sticking to her face, eyes furious. She was so damn adorable.

“Hey, don’t worry. I’ll go around the corner and get it.” Jon stood and kissed her on the forehead. She rewarded him with a knee weakening smile.

“Thank you.” She murmured against his chest as they hugged.

“I’ll go with you.” Jenna was out the door before Callie could open her mouth to protest.

“She’s harmless, Jon.”

“I’m not so sure of that, but I’m sure I can handle it.” He kissed her one more time and grabbed his coat as he followed Jenna out into the December chill.

They both rode down the elevator is relative silence. It wasn’t until they were out on the street that she spoke a word. “Do you really care about her?” For the first time since she’d arrived her voice was soft. Nearly a whisper against the Chicago wind.

“You have no idea.” It was the honest truth. It scared him thinking about how dependant and intertwined their lives had become in such a short time, but nothing in him wanted to change that.

“You know, I worry about her all the time. Alone in the big city. She doesn’t have much family to begin with.”

“She’s not alone anymore. Trust me, every time she’s out of my sight. I worry about her. I miss her. Jesus. I feel like a lunatic but I can’t help it.”

“Do you love her?” The question rang through his mind. There was no doubt that he loved her, nothing was truer.

“More than anything.” Jenna just nodded.

“You know, nothing is going to be easy with her. It never has been. I mean, you met her parents and Taylor. She can hide it as much as she wants, but she’s not over everything that happened to her when she was younger.”

“What was it like?”

Jenna took a deep breath. “As long as I’ve known her, it was like that for her parents. It was always pretty bad. It seemed like it was getting better with Taylor around for a while. You know, she was only thirteen when she met him.” Her blue eyes turned to ice. “He was so much older than her, he used her and broke her. It seemed like the world was crashing down around her, all at once. She used to come to school in tears, call me crying every night. It was a really dark time for her.”

“And then she dumped him?”

That seemed to catch her attention. Her expression was puzzled. “No, that’s not all that happened.” His stomach dropped there was more? What more could there be? “Look, Jon. I can tell she cares about you a lot, but what I know, what she’s going to tell you eventually. It’s… it’s dark and you’re going to have to accept her past and her choices. Don’t question her decision. It’ll just push her further away. That’s how she is now. She pushes people away the first opportunity, she feels like it’s easier than waiting around to be judged or hurt. You have to give her time or you’ll never stand a chance.”

The words sunk into him. What happened to her? What was Jenna talking about? It was obvious that Jenna wasn’t going to tell him. It had to be from Callie. She was hiding it from him. As much it hurt him, he knew he would have to give her time and when she was ready, he would be there.

“We can go back now.” Jenna spoke up, pulling Jon out of his thoughts.

“We didn’t even get salt yet.” She pulled the carton that held it out of her coat. Jon laughed.

“I needed to really talk to you. Callie would kill me if she knew what I was talking to you about.” They both laughed as she shrugged and handed him the salt.

The whole way back they talked about Callie, all her quirks, all the great things about her, everything he loved about her. Jon couldn’t wait to get back to Callie, even a few moments away and he missed her.

*Callie*

Today was Jenna’s last day in Chicago before heading back down south. The thought of her best friend leaving so soon left a black cloud over her. She didn’t want her to go, the past few days of bonding and catching up had been heaven.

“Cal.” Jenna’s voice halted all her thoughts. She noticed the waiter patiently looking at her.

“I’ll just have what she’s having.” The young man smiled at her and collected the menus. “I’m sorry. I just zoned out.” She told her friend.

“I’m going to miss you too.” For a minute they just smiled at each other. They’d been friends for so long that whenever they were together, they had the same thoughts. “So, Jon.” Of course, Jenna would approach the subject first. “Good guy.”

“Yeah, he’s really great.”

“Are you going to introduce him to your sister?”

“Yeah, we agreed we would head out during the all-star break. He’s excited, kinda.”

“I’m excited you’re giving him a chance.” Callie just glared at her friend. So what she was picky with her dating choices, it was her life. “You know, you’re going to have to tell him what really happened with Taylor.”

Panic ran through her veins. She should have known better than to think her friend wouldn’t find out that she hadn’t told Jon. “I mean, if you’re going to be serious with him. You’re going to have to. It was a big part of your life and now that Taylor knows where you live… I wouldn’t be surprised if he popped up more often. You wouldn’t want Jon to figure out from him.”

“I know. I’ll tell him. I just need time.” Jenna’s gaze went soft. She reached across the table to lay her hand over her own.

“Callie, it all happened years ago. When are you going to let go?” Tears that sat below the surface for years came sprung from her eyes. “You’re so much better. You’re so much better than what happened, Callie. I am so proud of you and as for Jon... Jon will accept it. He loves you and you love him.”

The words rang so true to Callie. She would have to find a way to tell him of her past soon because she loved him too much not to.