James threw his stick at his stall. Everyone else was as pissed as he was because no one wanted to fall to the Bruins, and no one wanted to do it as badly as they were. It was second intermission and it was 5 to 1, Boston. As a group they were playing like shit, and James was no exception. Geno had some incredible passes, but he wasn't able to do anything with them. His shot was off, which was pissing him off in addition to everything else.

Bylsma entered the locker room and what little talking that had been going on now stopped. He looked around the room, clearly upset with his team's performance. James hung his head to avoid the look on his face as he sized everyone up.

"So I likely don't need to say much here" he began. "We're losing face offs, we're losing opportunities on power plays, and we're in the box too much."

James happened to look up at that moment, meeting the intense stare of his coach. He knew Bylsma was talking to him; he had four fouls already, more than any game so far this year. He wasn't the only one upset with this.

"Sid, I need you on the face offs" Dan continued.

Sid nodded, his head also hung, hand in his sweaty curls.

"Geno, good job on getting open and getting your line some chances."

I get it, Coach. James grabbed his Gatorade and shot some of the blue liquid into his mouth. Anything to distract him from meeting the eyes of Bylsma.

"Flower can't do this all himself, guys." Dan looked at the group once more. "You're leaving him out there to dry, and it doesn't seem like any of you care."

Again, James hung his head. I have to do better. I don't want Flower to have to pick up the slack, especially not mine.

"Neal."

James looked up.

"Just keep shooting, but stay out of the box please. You're better on the ice than off."

He nodded. Loud and clear, Coach.

Dan slapped the papers in hand and turned, leaving the team alone with their thoughts. Geno was stripping off some of his padding, staring at James.

"You okay, Nealsy?"

"No, G."

"You get goal." He sat down, sweat dripping from his head and neck as he reached for a bottle. "I keep passing, you score."

James was at least thankful that someone had faith in him, because he was losing was little he had in himself. Standing up, he removed his jersey up over his head, causing his sweaty hair to stand up. He walked into the bathroom and ran a handful of water through his hair, feeling the cold zap him back into the present. Looking into the mirror, his reflection was the same as it always was: wet, flushed, and red on his forehead from his helmet. He shook his head again, angry and unable to care about much else beyond that one emotion. With one more splash, he dampened his hair and felt more water run down his neck and drip beneath his padding and compression top. It felt good, if only briefly.

The red digital clock on the corner wall counted down to the final few minutes before they had to be back on the ice. One by one the players redressed, grabbed their helmets and sticks, then headed into the runway. There wasn't a whole lot of the usual messing around or talking this time. Everyone was focused; if they couldn't win this game, they at least wanted to put more goals on the board so they wouldn't be embarrassed on their own ice.

As the final period progressed, James found himself increasingly frustrated as the minutes ticked by. He took every shot he could, but nothing found the back of the cage. Nothing. He was starting to lose his fucking patience, and he knew it. Whenever he came in contact with one of Boston's players, he checked them at every chance.

The rest of the team was losing it as well. They were at least able to up their defense and keep the puck away from Fleury, but tempers were flaring on both sides. Every pause in the game resulted in a scrum of some sort.

With six minutes to go, the Pens were able to put another goal on the board. Kunitz came through with a top shelfer and gave the fans something to cheer about finally. The goal didn't come with its consequences, though. The Bruins top line spilled onto the ice, matching up against James' line. Geno gave him a perfect centerig pass, and James was in position in front of the net to simply tap in, but two Bruins slammed into him. All three fell to the ground. James just so happened to fall into Rask, who shoved him off with the butt end of his large stick.

When James was able to stand up finally, both Lucic and Chara went after him, thinking he'd purposely slammed into Rask. Geno got into it in defense of James, but James had had enough. He shoved Lucic hard in the shoulders. He shoved him one more time for good measure, knocking him in the throat that time. Pretty soon, every Pen on the line was involved in the scrum, including two refs, but James didn't care.

"Fucking pussy" he yelled at Lucic. He towered over him by several inches, and he got in his face to emphasize it.

"Oh yeah, talk tough now that your girlfriend's here to defend you" Lucic yelled back angrily.

James tossed his gloves and punched Lucic right in the jaw, just as he was turning to skate to the bench. James felt someone behind him try to pull him away, but he was far too hot to let up now. When Lucic was able to square up, he threw another punch at the little bastard, laughing as Lucic tried to throw one in return but missed. To add to it, Lucic lost his balance and fell backwards.

"Graceful, you ugly fuck" James taunted, laughing arrogantly. "Stand up! Come on, I want one."

"Fuck you, Neal."

He laughed. "But a bitch like me deserves something, don't I?"

A ref, in addition to Chara, were both telling Lucic to get back, but James kept on them. Letang skated up and pulled James back, but he threw his shoulder and knocked Letang's grip off of him. Lucic was touching his nose, looking for blood and mumbling something. James was fairly amused by the entire thing.

"Piece of shit and piece of shit team" Lucic yelled back as he was led to his bench.

James continued to laugh. "Yeah alright, asshole."

"Neal - you're out!" a ref yelled nearby. "You're done!"

James picked up his gloves and unsnapped his helmet strap. He didn't care if he was being sent back to the locker rooms. He wasn't scoring, so what good was he anyways?

The rest of the Pens were tapping their sticks against the boards for him while the crowd was going nuts. James heard none of it. He gladly took leave of the ice and headed down the tunnel to the locker room. Someone patted him on the back as he passed by. He didn't bother acknowledging whoever it was.

Once inside the locker room he threw his gloves and his stick. It landed with a smack against the bench near his stall and slid to the floor. He removed his jersey and then his padding, throwing those at his stall as well. He sat down, hands sliding over his face until the landed in his hair, gripping hard.

FUCK Boston.

* * *

Ali watched the entire thing from the couch. Her face was bent with worry and surprise, both emotions battling for the top spot. She was surprised James lost his cool like he did and was even more surprised he was thrown out of the last few minutes of the game. At the same time, she was worried for him. She had no idea what it meant to get thrown out of a game; she didn't know how fighting really worked in the NHL other than they enjoyed it and the refs let them have at it. This had been a different type of fight though.

She watched James walk down the tunnel until he was no longer visible. On the opposite side, Lucic did the same and headed back to his own locker room. Ali sat back, exhausted just from watching it. It hadn't been the easiest game to watch, and seeing James leave the game made her heart ache for him. If she had to guess, she'd bet her next paycheck he was beating himself up at that very moment.

Her phone rang, startling out of her thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Holy shit, he got thrown out!"

Ali figured she'd hear from Brittany. "I know. I don't know what to think."

"He knocked Lucic on his ass!" she said, laughing. "Greatest thing I've ever seen! Did you see how he just flopped back like that?"

She continued to laugh and Ali had to smile. James definitely had the upper hand in the fight, and he proved it by sending Lucic to the ground. She just wasn't exactly used to seeing him so angry like that.

"I bet he's going to be fired up when he gets home later" Brittany added. "What will you do?"

"Nothing, probably just leave him alone" Ali answered. "Although when he's angry after a game, he sometimes likes to fuck."

Brittany whistled. "That's hot, Ali."

She had a feeling even an angry James wouldn't be up for much other than sleep. On the screen, Bob Erry was narrating as they showed the fight again. Two punches and James sent Lucic hard to the ice. Ali would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed.

"Well good luck when he gets home!"

"Thanks, Britt."

"Call me tomorrow."

"Will do!"

Ali stared at the screen as they replayed the fight one more time, showing Bylsma and those on the bench's reactions this time. Everyone but Byslma seemed pleased with the results. Ali wondered when James would get home, if it would be later or sooner than usual. Not that it mattered much; she was going to stay awake for him, just incase he wanted or needed her.

She waited in the living room for an hour, and then decided to take it upstairs. She continued to watch tv until she heard the garage door finally open about a half hour later. First came the door that led into the kitchen, which James didn't slam. Second came his steps that took the stairs much slower than Ali expected.

When he appeared in the room, his face gave the impression that he cooled down a bit. Despite this, James looked somewhat bedraggled; his tie was askew, his hair was still a little sweaty, or at least wet from the shower, Ali couldn't tell. His eyebrows were pinched together, even as he came into the bedroom.

"You see it?" he asked pointedly.

"Yeah." Ali gave him a sympathetic smile. "Do you want to--"

"No."

With this, he disappeared into the bathroom and shut the door. Ali continued watching tv in bed, hearing the shower turn on. Fifteen minutes later, James appeared in the bedroom, a towel wrapped about his waist. He came over to the edge of the bed and sat down heavily, not saying anything.

Ali flipped the covers aside and crawled over. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, leaning her head against his bare skin. James leaned into her embrace.

"Tonight sucked."

"I know, babe."

They sat together like this for a few minutes, James feeling his anger drain slowly away beneath Ali's touch. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to analyze, he didn't want anyone's opinions. It was a tough loss, and it didn't happen with grace. He just hated losing, and he hated losing to them.

Behind, Ali drug her nails lightly along his neck, feeling the muscles relax. She knew James liked it when she did this, so if it was all she could do, she gladly would. She moved them slowly to the base of his hairline, scratching gently before dragging them back down to the indent between his shoulder blades.

"I love that" he uttered.

Ali kept going, barely touching him but keeping her fingers moving. James sighed beneath her touch, willing to sit there and let her continue forever. It was making him a little sleepy, so he regretfully moved out of Ali's arms and went back into the bathroom. He replaced the towel with shorts while Ali waited on the bed. She was facing the tv and playing with her toes with her knees curled under her when he came back out. Seeing her all tucked under herself in such a cute way made James smile.

"First smile of the night" he stated.

Ali looked over. "Yeah?"

He pointed. "I don't know what kind of position that is, but it's adorable." He sat down next to her and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you." He scooted back onto the bed until his head pushed into the pillows. "The world needs more of you and more weird sitting positions."

She giggled, joining him near the pillows. "Thank you. I think."

James lifted an arm so Ali would snuggle close. He was thankful for a distraction like her. She was soft, and smelled good, and smiled all the time, and her laugh made him happy. It was everything that the game wasn't.

He sighed, feeling weariness settle over him. The hot water from the shower now made his stressed body feel comfortable and cozy beneath the sheets. He shifted his eyes down to see Ali, but her eyes were closed as she lay against his chest.

"Hey."

She looked up at him. "Hmm?"

"I'm excited to go to your hometown."

"Well that's out of left field..."

"Happy things" James replied, hugging her closer. "I'm done with what went on tonight."

Ali was impressed. Normally James had an explosion of sorts, be it an outburst, a slamming of doors, an orgasm, or just a request to be alone.

"I'm excited too" she said. "My dad's even getting a haircut, supposedly."

James chuckled. "For me?" His hand went immediately to her head, holding her tight. "I'm flattered."

"Don't be...I think my mom is using it as an excuse for him to finally go get one." She looked up and met the alluring color of James' eyes. "Apparently it's been an ongoing argument in the house."

"So the young Diserelli woman doesn't want her man to cut his hair ever, while the older Diserelli woman begs her man to get one."

Ali saw his smile grow above her, his hand stroking her head.

"Seems legit to me."

She laughed. "Don't get any ideas, either."

"About cutting mine?" James looked incredulous. "I'll shave....." A look of fear came over Ali and he laughed. "....maybe...."

"Ugh, please don't!"

Just this silly little conversation made James feel almost 99% better than he had all day. He felt Ali's hand pat him on the chest lightly.

"I'm glad you're feeling better."
He smiled. "Me too, babe. Me too."

* * *

A few days later, James and Ali made plans to meet in town near the arena for lunch. Ali was on her way back from an early shift at work, and James just finished up an all-morning practice. Ali got to the deli first, so she chose a table on a quieter section of the busy deli. Though the location was small and mainly a to-go type of lunch stop, the couple came to appreciate it for it's neighborhood feel. Whenever they had a hankering for the giant subs the place was known for, they grabbed the chance to go.

Ali spotted James the second he stepped inside. There was no mistaking his presence no matter where he went. From his tall, athletic build to the chestnut colored stubble that framed his strong mouth; Ali could spot him in a crowd of a thousand people.

Hat pulled low, James found his way back to where Ali sat, two drinks already in place. He bent and gave her a kiss before taking a seat across from her. He immediately flipped his hat around, pieces of his dark hair sticking out around his ears. This gave Ali a better view of the happiness in his eyes.

"Hey."

"Heyyy" Ali repeated. She nodded at his sweatshirt. "Nice one."

He looked down as if he had no idea what she was referring to. "What? This old thing?"

Ali laughed. "It's Genos."

"Is it?"

"Please don't tell me he's wearing yours."

James had that grin that let Ali knew he was completely faking his naivety. "I have no idea how this got here?"

Ali reached across the table and grabbed at the sleeve of his hoodie, which made James laugh and pull his hand away.

"Don't ruin the threads, babe!"

"Ohh pfttt." She rolled her eyes. "Threads."

James straightened the hoodie. A small white "71" adorned a spot on the left shoulder of the black hoodie. Across the center of the hoodie was the Penguins logo. Other than the "71", it could have been any other hoodie in James' collection. Ali thought it was precious how the two interacted with one another, and not just on the ice.

"So how was your day?" James took a sip of the Coke that Ali ordered him. In one gulp, half his glass was empty.

"Busy as fuck. John and I couldn't figure out what everyone was doing on a damn Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh."

James readjusted his hat, wiping back his hair before replacing it on his head. "Well you're all done, so no more worrying about that." He smiled. "Have any plans for this afternoon?"

"Wedding stuff, I guess." Her and James' eyes met and they both smiled.

"Caaaan I be let in on it?" he asked cautiously. "Please?"

"What do you want to know?" Ali laughed a little. "James, you know you can be in on as much as you want. In fact, I WANT you in on most of it."

"So what's the topic today, then? Hit me."

Ali saw him lean forward over the table, looking confident and interested. "Well. You may think this is dumb or whatever, but.....picking out colors and flowers."

"Sweet! I'm great with colors!"

He's so eager, he looks like a ten year old kid at Christmas. Ali smiled. "I wanted to double check with you, since you'll have to somehow have it involved in your tux..."

"WAIT." James held his hands up. "Don't tell me! Can I guess?"

She laughed. "Sure. Hopefully it'll be easy."

"Purple."

"Yes!"

"No shit." James sat back, pleased with his guess but more pleased that Ali had chosen that color. "Babe..."

"I like the color too, and you know it."

"What about yellow? You love yellow?"

Ali shrugged. "Yellow doesn't look good on everyone. Plus, people might think I chose it because of the Penguins."

"Good point, there." James took another drink, draining the rest of the liquid in the glass. "So I'll have purple in the tux?"

"Your guys will...I think."

"Make it dark purple, and we have a deal."

James raised one of his sharp eyebrows at Ali, and she smiled. "Dark purple it is."

Before James had arrived, Ali put their order in so they wouldn't have to wait long once he got there. It worked out perfectly, as their number was called not long after they finished discussing tuxes and suits and where to get fitted. They continued talking as they ate, but gradually the conversation shifted.

"Talked to Mike this morning," James said, mouth half full. "Guess he's got a girlfriend."

Ali's eyes widened. "No he does not."

James dug in the pocket of his jeans. He took a bite of his sandwich and proceeded to call up the text that Mike had sent him with the pic of his new girl. He handed the phone to Ali and watched as her face lit up.

"Whoa."

"Whoa?"

Ali looked up from the phone. "She's gorgeous."

James moved his head back and forth. "Ehhh..."

"You don't think so?"

"I mean....she's okay..."

"You can say if she is, babe, I won't mind." She handed him back the phone. He took another look then put it back in his pocket.

"Well, I know her, so it doesn't really count. She's a Whitby girl."

Ali took a bite of her sandwich, chewing over that line as she chewed her food. James picked up on her silence right away.

"No, I didn't date her."

Ali took another bite.

"And I never had a thing for her."

She nodded, smiling.

"I DID know her sister once, but it was just a passing thing."

"You gonna keep going, or....?"

"Well I don't think this chick is 'gorgeous'. Her nose is all funky."

Ali laughed. "And what, prey tell, is a funky nose?"

James simply pushed down on the end of his nose, which caused Ali to laugh again. Even he cracked a smile. "It's mean, I know, but did you see it?"

She didn't want to admit it, because it was kind of true. But this chick had a lot of other redeeming physical qualities...some which she was positive Mike was willing to overlook her nose for.

"Well good for him, then" Ali replied. "Funky nose or not."

James leaned over the table that separated them, giving Ali a kiss that was both sweet and tender. "You have a perfect nose, by the way." He kissed her one more time. "And perfect lips."

And your perfect boyish charm Ali wanted to say, but her mouth was occupied. She let his lips lead her in a third, even longer kiss. She was left smiling.

"Did I mention you have a perfect smile?"

"James."

He pushed down on his nose and Ali giggled.

* * *

Notes

A few notes!

1) Sorry for the late updates: I'm visiting my parents for the next few days and a bonus??? Another Pens game on Monday! (And James isn't injured this time so I actually get to watch him play! YAY.) So just bear with me as I try and get as much writing done in between being smothered by my 'rents, haha

2) I randomly chose Boston for this chapter, and it is merely a coincidence they are playing the Bruins tonight :) Didn't do it on purpose! hee hee

3) Love you guys :-) That is all!