In Your Eyes

Even as Sid and Piper were on their plane to Toronto, Ali was helping James get food ready inside their kitchen. The day was perfect for the beginning of what they hoped would be an epic weekend: it was hot yes, but it had the usual humidity that was normally present in late summer. Throw in a light breeze, and conditions were prime for a day and night outside and on the lake.

James hauled a giant tub of ice out onto the deck, then rolled one of the two kegs he'd gotten for the weekend. He filled the tub with various other drinks, including bottles of liquor and mixers. By the time he was done, it looked like a full bottle service would be taking place that night. In a way, it probably would.

Ali was inside marinating steaks and patting together meat for hamburgers. This was the way they'd begun the summer once they were back from Italy, and now it was the way they'd essentially end it. While she should have been excited to have everyone together in one place, complete with the prospect of having multiple hours ahead of her on the water, her mind was bogged down by the weight of James' statement about having a baby. For the past few days since he brought it up, it had remained on her mind. She debated with herself, picturing herself as a mother. It was definitely something she wanted....but sooner than later? She wasn't sure.

On the flip side, James hadn't mentioned it again. He was as happy-go-lucky as ever, especially knowing today was coming and he'd be surrounded by all the things he loved: friends, booze, water, and his new lake house. The distractions were enough to keep the topic out of their lives for the time being.

....except the more Ali thought about having a child with him, the more excited she got. It still did not replace the amount of hesitation and doubt that clouded her mind when she tried to picture herself as a mom at this stage of her life.

....but she was thinking about it.

"All set!" James closed the sliding glass door that led out to the patio.

Ali continued to pat small rounds of ground beef into hamburger patties. "Think we have enough liquor?"

James cocked his head to the side and smirked. "For you? Never. For us? Hell yeah."

"Hey!" Ali pretended she was going to throw beef at James, but he only laughed. She watched him as he took a seat at one of the bar stools at the counter, which faced her as she worked on dinner. He was dressed in his official summer attire, which consisted of board shorts and nothing more. A backwards Pens hat and dark sunglasses that were perched on the hat made up the rest of the look.

Needless to say, Ali had plenty to look at as he sat directly across from her.

"Pattin' those pretty good, eh?"

She smirked at him. "Soft hands. Soft patties."

"Looks good though." With his hand, he scooted a plastic container of condiments and toppings that Ali had already cut up towards him. He inspected the contents with immense pleasure. "Fuck, this looks good too. Did you make this?"

"You doubting my salsa-making skills, Nealer?"

"Never! Not once."

They smiled at one another.

James went to stick his finger in the container to taste and Ali had to slap his hand away. "My God, James! At least get a spoon."

He sighed. "Nevermind then." He started to tap one of his legs while he checked the clock. He was clearly antsy to get the weekend started. "When does Sid's plane land, again?"

"I think Piper said 4:30?"

"Good. By the time they drive here, Stammer and the others will be here." His ocean eyes moved in the direction of Ali. "That means we need to start getting our drink on."

She laughed as she continued forming the patties. "How can I slap meat and drink at the same time, babe?"

"I'll help you!"

James ran out to the deck where the majority of the liquor was. In one short minute, he was back with a mixed drink. Ali saw one of his long arms reach from behind and around her shoulder. "Here, I'll help you."

"James!" She was laughing hard enough to almost slosh the drink. "This is ridiculous!"

"DRINK!"

Ali tried to continue her hamburger-making as James tilted the red plastic cup to her mouth. She almost snorted the drink through her nose because of how silly the entire scenario was. James was chuckling as well, but did his best to hold the cup still as she drink.

"Good?"

"Yes!" Ali said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Here - let me." James bent his head to kiss her, tasting the fruity drink he'd made for her on her lips. "Mmm...tastes good to me."

"Again" she said, and James kissed her once more. "Thank you."

"Tonight's gonna be a good night, isn't it?"

Ali slapped the last patty down onto the last piece of wax paper. "Your damn right it will be. And when are the first of your crew coming?"

James held up a finger, his eyes moving sideways as he listened. "I think they might have just arrived." Without another word he went over to the glass doors and peered outside. He quickly flung open one of the doors and waved. "Fashionably early, Tavares!??"

She heard another voice outside in the driveway and decided it was officially time to relax. The rest of the prep work would have to wait - there was a party to be had, and she was ready to have at it.

*

Once John arrived, it wasn't long after that that the rest of the guys showed up. Within an hour and a half, everyone was there...save for Piper and Sid. But Piper called Ali not long before saying they were on their way, so now it was her excitement that was building.

She popped the top of her second Corona and kicked back with James and the guys. Since she and James had made a small fire pit down by the water, that's where the majority of the action was. James was in and out of the house, grabbing drinks for everyone, showing everyone around and giving them a tour. Ali stayed outside, chatting with Steven and Heather Staal, Jordan's wife. She kept checking her watch, wishing and wanting Sid's car to show up so she could finally get to hang out with her old friend again.

Finally, after fifteen minutes, a black sedan with tinted windows rolled up the driveway and parked near the rest of the vehicles. Someone in the car beeped several times quickly, which made Ali and the others turn their heads. When she stood up, she saw a tall, dirty blonde beauty jump out of the driver's side of the sedan, waving her arm.

Ali squealed. "PIPER!" She handed her bottle of beer to Steven and then took off at a jog towards the car.

"Hey hey! We made it!" Piper said, arms open for a hug. All fell into her, and the two girls hugged as if they hadn't seen one another for a decade.

"You drove?" Ali asked, looking at the car.

"Yeah, why not?" Piper had a wide grin on her face. "This one over here knows his way around, but I wanted to get my bearings."

Sidney stepped out of the passenger side and slid his sunglasses up to his hat. He smiled immediately upon seeing Ali. "Hey you."

Ali trotted around to the opposite side, taking Sid in for a giant hug. "How's it going, Sid?" She squeezed both his biceps as she pulled away. "No really....how's it going?" She tried to motion towards Piper silently.

"Really good" he said under his breath, matching her whispered tone. "Really fucking good."

She was about to respond to that and the smirk that accompanied his answer when a huge roar of voices came from behind them. James and a few others emerged onto the patio, waving and hollering for them.

Sid met Ali's gaze. "I'm being summoned."

"And you must answer the call" she replied. "Catch up later?"

"You know we will." Sid gave her a wink. "Hey, Piper?"

"Yeeeess?"

"I'll grab the bags in a second, okay?"

She nodded, watching as Sid went off towards the group of guys walking down towards the fire pit. This gave her and Ali a chance to be alone and finally speak. It was the first time Piper had gotten to see Ali "normally", without a wedding dress on and not at a wedding...Just plain ol' Ali, the way she always remembered her: long dark hair, equally dark and expressive brown eyes, and tan legs Piper had always been envious of. She was dressed down in a summery yellow tank top and coral pink shorts with matching flip flops on her feet. A knot of white elastic bands sticking out the back of her tank top near her neck showed she had a bikini on underneath. Really - the only thing different Piper noticed about Ali was the giant ring on her finger.

"Oh my god, I cannot tell you how excited I was to see you again" Ali said, pulling Piper in close. "Not to mention I've been dying to see you and Sid together. This is so intense. I can't, Piper. I just can't."

She laughed, ruffling a hand through her wavy shoulder length hair. "I know, it is pretty crazy right?" She glanced off to the side where Sid was being swarmed by his friends; James' voice still the loudest of them all. Piper took a moment to really look at James now that he wasn't in a tuxedo. He was even taller than she remembered, and she had no idea he had a full sleeve tattoo. It was completely visible, since James was rolling shirtless with low-slung shorts on and a backwards hat.

"Jesus, Ali."

"What?" Her eyes were as alive as ever. "This is a normal greeting between all these guys. They're like fucking monkeys at a zoo."

"No, no - I mean your man!" Piper nearly had to push her jaw back into place. "You didn't tell me had a full sleeve."

Ali started to bite her lip. "Pretty hot, isn't it?" She shifted her eyes to the side to see Piper also biting her lip and nodding fervently.

"Yeeeaah, I would say that's the word."

"Sid doesn't have any tattoos....you gonna make him get one now?" she teased.

Piper gave her a smirk. "The only marks I want on that man's body are from my nails and my teeth."

Ali's eyebrows shot towards the sky. "Holy shit! You're not fucking around, are you?"

"Noooopppee." Piper felt strangely powerful at that moment; like she'd won a rare prize and the news was spreading. Ali knew it, everyone there knew it...or would know it soon enough. She was no longer fearful of letting it out just how into Sid she really was.

"Well, before you get any hornier and I lose you for the night - let's go" Ali said. "I want to show you around and then introduce you to everyone."

The two girls sidestepped all the guys huddled around the fire pit by the dock while James showed them his newest water toys they'd be using that evening. Once Piper and Ali were in the cabin, Piper received the full tour. She looked at the newly built home with adoration. Though it was a smaller, one story cabin, it was still big enough for a newlywed couple to seem dwarfed inside it.

It was also evident how proud Ali was with the place, and her excitement was quickly spreading to Piper. She found herself asking more questions than she thought she would; asking about James, about their new life together, about how the cabin came about, and so on. The one question she wanted to ask but didn't was soon answered.

"And this is where you and your boy will be staaayyyiiing" Ali said playfully, her hand towards an opened door to one of the guest rooms. "I reserved it just for you two. Everyone else will be spread around, since we only have one fully furnished guest room."

"But what's this one over here?" Piper pointed to an empty room towards the back of the house. "Empty?"

"For now. We don't know what to do with it."

Piper grabbed her arm. "You should make it a sex room."

"A what!?" Ali started to laugh. "Listen hun - with James, every room's a sex room."

"Ooooooo - tell me more" Piper said with some sass. "Because oh MY, do I have things to tell you--"

"--Allison!?!"

"Yeah!?" Ali shouted back.

"Where is she?" The voice was coming closer, and then James was standing in the hallway. "What the hell, Piper? Avoiding me?" His boyish smile let her know he was already in the mood for teasing her.

"What the hell yourself, James" she said with a smirk.

The pair hugged, and James lifted her up and swung her around in his arms. The short turquoise sundress Piper wore fluttered about the ends as he spun her. "Thanks for making the trip." He put her down gently. "I know how much this meant to Ali."

The girls looked at one another, and then Ali leaned into James. "Thanks, babe."

"I saw you drove" James replied, a smirk still painted across his face. "Crosby drive too much like an old woman for ya?"

There was a soft smack as Ali slapped James in the stomach. "Behave!"

"Ohhh come on, you know how Sid drives, right?"

Piper was actually agreeing with James - of the times she'd ridden anywhere with Sid, he'd always been so cautious. A rule follower, a speed limit obeyer. Now she was doing whatever she could to not give that away, even though she wanted to laugh. "I wanted to try my hand at Ontario, now that I've driven Nova Scotia."

"And you'll be driving either a boat or a jet ski later, if I have anything to do with it" James said. "Now please come outside so I can give Crosby shit with you present."

Piper laughed. "Alright, lead the way, Nealer."

Just as Ali's had earlier, James' eyebrows rose. "Ohhhhh!! Listen to this! Nicknames and all, eh?"

"Gotta represent." Piper nudged him in the side where there was nothing but lean muscle. His body was much different than Sid's, but no less desirable. Where Sid was compact and thick, James was tall and lean and strong. Where Sid was dark and shaven and damn near flawless, James wore the same stubble he wore at his wedding, his face very softly freckled from the summer sun, and those bright eyes were a hard trait to ignore. Even Piper let her gaze linger as she and Ali followed James back outside.

The three of them headed down the yard to join the small gathering by the water. The minute Piper and Sid's gazes met, they both smiled at one another.

"Hey guys - this is my old roommate from college, Piper Lake" Ali told them. "She's basically bad ass."

There was some laughter and many hellos and names exchanged as Piper became integrated into the group. She made her way over to where Sid stood and reached for his hand, but in that same moment, he slid his hands into his pockets. Feeling somewhat awkward, Piper played it off with a smile and folded her arms over her chest.

"So you two were roommates?" John asked. He looked towards James with a twinkle in his eye. "Pillow fights, Nealer."

Ali made a noise in her throat. "Oh come on, Tavares."

"Isn't that was American girls do at university?"

"College" Ali corrected him jokingly, "And no - it's not even close."

"And you came with Sid?" Steven asked Piper.

She noticed his shockingly blue eyes first, then noticed that they seemed genuinely interested and yet...still seemed to be a bit of underlying intent in the question.

"Yeah, we did." She felt her smile growing in anticipation of being introduced for the first time as his girlfriend.

"So how do you two know one another?"

"She's a friend of mine" Sid replied casually.

Piper's head turned so fast she thought her neck would snap. She stared at Sid, shocked by his phrasing, but he never once looked at her.

Across from them, Ali searched both their gazes in sudden confusion.

Steven just nodded. "Oh.... Cool."

Piper felt her breathing start to increase as the anger boiled in her blood. Sid still wouldn't look at her, and was soon pulled into a conversation with Jeff Skinner. And just like that - the moment came and went, as if it didn't mean a thing to Sid at all; as if she wasn't even there.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward Ali, who had been looking right at her. There was sympathy in her brown eyes, and it made Piper sick. She knew then that Ali had noticed it too; in fact, it seemed that her and Ali were the only ones who noticed how Sid had answered the question.

And it hurt.
Stung, in fact.

James came over and threw an arm over one of Piper's shoulders. "Whaddya say we get you in the water?"

"Yes please. Just take me anywhere" she replied, going willingly as James led her to the dock.

* * *

Nothing more was said, but Piper didn't forget. Even as she was distracted by several shirtless, dripping wet hockey players and lake water as far as her eyes could see, she still felt the sting of Sidney's introduction...or lack thereof. Even though Sid had passed on the first of many trips James wanted to make on the boat that evening, Piper was actually glad for it. She needed to collect herself and her thoughts about this before she hung around him again.

I don't want to embarrass him or anything she thought angrily. Don't want to ever show he might like something other than hockey.

She immersed herself in the moment, which usually came easy to her. Once on the boat and they pulled away from the shore, it got even easier.

The boat itself was impressive. It was a classic cabin cruiser model, mostly white with a giant blue stripe down the side and around the back. It had a small back deck, but also had a lengthy front deck bordered by a silver railing with a plush area to lay down. Plush white cushions lined the back dock, which also had a wood panel platform that led into the water.

There was a small private galley as well, and this is where Piper went to change into her bikini. In that time, Ali had also come down, asking if she wanted to talk about what happened back at the cabin. Piper lied and told her no. In all actuality, she wanted to brush it off. Maybe she was blowing it up more in her head than it needed to be.

"I'm falling for you, Piper."

Exhaling hard, she tried not to think about those words of Sidney's. Those words had come from the same gorgeous mouth and the same lovable man not two days earlier....and yet....

"She's a friend of mine."

A friend.

"What the fuck." Anger blossomed insider her all over again. She fanned her face and tried to practice her breathing, but nothing worked. She was just plain hurt. Nothing would help, except maybe for a nice distraction, which there was plenty of back up on the deck.

When she resurfaced, all heads in attendance turned her direction. The attention made her feel good.

"Whew! Looking good, Piper." James tossed the compliment at her just as he tossed her a beer.

"Thank you." She held up the can. "For both things." With a snap, the can opened and a small amount of frothy fizz spilled onto her hand. She licked the cold beer up and thanked the universe for alcohol.

Ali came out from inside the covered portion of the boat. Her curves were hugged by a starch white bikini that showed off all her assets. Silver reflector aviators sat on her nose. Because of the breeze that spread itself across the waters of Lake Ontario, her long hair floated and fluffed into her face until James brought the boat to a rest.

Piper watched as he and two of the other guys....she thought one was Jordan, or was maybe John...along with the one with the blue eyes who'd asked how she and Sid knew one another, jumped into the water. It was sick how insanely fit all these guys were.

Ali came over and sat next to her as they watched the guys swimming and splashing around like kids. She propped her feet up on the cushioned seating across from her, leaning her head back to catch the sun directly on her face.

"I love it here. I may never leave."

Piper smiled. "I said the same thing in Nova Scotia." Luckily, it came out sounding more cheerful than she expected.

Glancing over, Ali studied her friend's face. She wasn't wearing sunglasses, so her expression was easy to read. The only thing Ali saw on Piper's face was frustration. Since she asked once already, she didn't want to ask again, but the line Sid gave back at the cabin was a line she'd heard time and time again in her past. It was a line that a girl dreaded hearing.

She bit her tongue however, and remained quiet on that topic.

"So when did you guys get a boat?" Piper asked, changing the subject slightly.

"James had this one for a while, but he did some work on it recently...spruced it up a little..."

Piper nodded. "Damn nice boat."

"I'll say." Ali stretched out even further, her legs crossed at the ankle as she relaxed.

James swam over, hopping up on the side ledge enough to support himself on his elbows. "Busy?"

"Getting a tan" Ali joked. "What's up, babe."

"Grab me a bevvie, would you?"

Ali stood and went over to the cooler they had on the other side of the boat. Piper sipped from the can she was close to finishing, watching James' eyes as he followed Ali when she walked away. It made Piper smile. James had the slightest, tiniest little smile on his face. Whether he knew he did or not, Piper couldn't help but adore it from where she sat.

"Thank you" James said as Ali handed him a can. She bent to kiss him, and then he swam off back to where the others were floating on Styrofoam noodles.

Piper drained her beer. "You two are seriously in love." When Ali didn't immediately respond, she glanced over to make sure she heard her. She must have, since Ali was smiling... but she remained quiet. "Uh oh, is something up I don't know about?"

"No." Ali slid her aviators over her forehead and sighed. "But….you have to swear not to say anything with what I'm aouut to tell you..."

"I won't, you know that." Piper turned towards her friend, concern filling her mind.

"Okay well....James and I were about to have sex the other night--"

"--Oh Jesus, he couldn't get it up, could he?"

Ali busted out laughing. "NO, that's NOT where I was going with that! And trust me, that's not a problem James has, or likely ever will have..."

"Ew, okay, Ali. TMI."

"ANYWAY" she said with a grin. "We were about to have sex and out of the blue, James tells me he's been thinking about us maybe having a baby."

Piper's lips parted slightly. "Really!?!? Shit... What did you say?"

"I said it wasn't the time or the place to be talking about something that big."

Ali nervously played with a strand of her hair, not saying anything more. Piper could tell she wanted to, though. Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short when Steven swam over towards them. He clung to the aluminum steps that led from the water back up to the dock. "You two aren't staying dry this whole time, are you?"

"Nooooo" Ali replied, taking a sip of her beer. "But I AM gonna take my time getting in."

"How about you, Piper?"

The grin he gave her was willing her to join him in the water. The look in his eyes spoke essentially of the same.

Ali ended up nudging her. "Go. Distract yourself. I get to do this all the time now, so I'm gonna chill for a bit."

"Talk later, though?" she asked, and Ali nodded. "Good."

After that, Piper decided to go for it.The water looked fine and the men looked even better. Besides, if her and Sid were "friends", what did it hurt if she flirted a little?

She handed Ali her beer and didn't even bother stepping down into the water. With one flying leap, Piper jumped from off the side of the boat straight into the water, splashing every guy who was floating nearby.

*

Sid watched as James pulled his boat up to the dock. He and some of the others went over to help pull him in, waiting as the sloshing water subsided and James killed the motor. He and John were able to tie him up, but he was mostly there to see Piper. He was cursing himself the minute they rolled away earlier, wishing he would've gone than stay behind.

"Heeyy!" Ali waved as she came outside the cabin where she and James had been standing. "Missed a good time, losers!"

He and John laughed, watching as Stamkos and Skinner hopped off the boat onto the dock. Sid reached a hand up to help Ali down, and then reached for Piper's….but she waved his offer off with her hand.

"How was your first spin on Lake Ontario?" he asked, watching her long legs as she helped herself down.

"Amazing."

"Get to swim? I see your hair is damp--"

Piper walked past without looking at him. Sid followed with his eyes, standing in confusion as he watched Piper walk off towards the others. He looked to Ali, who was still standing there and helping James grab the now-empty coolers.

"Hey." Sid tapped Ali in the shoulder. "Is she okay?"

"Piper?" Ali chuckled. "You may want to go ask her that yourself."

He looked back towards the fire pit, which was now burning strong as the evening wore on. She was sitting in one of the chairs closest to Steven, her body turned inward as she spoke closely with him. At one point, Piper touched Steven's knee, laughing at something he said.

Sid felt a flare of jealousy inside his chest.

As he walked over, Piper never bothered to look at him, not even as he came and stood next to her and Steven. It took Stamkos to look up to halt their conversation.

"Grab a chair, dude! And are your hands really empty of drinks?" He clicked his tongue. "Tisk risk, Crosby."

Sid's eyes focused on Piper, who was looking at Steven…not him.

"Only one of your hands is empty" she said, taking one of his large hands into her own. "I have an idea of what you could fill it with, and it's not another beer."

Steven's handsome smile grew. "Yeah? What's that, hun?"

"Are you fucking serious?"

Piper and Steven looked up at him. Only Piper was smiling.

"What the hell, Piper?" He felt nothing but confusion by what he was seeing. "Did I fucking do something to you? Or what?"

She stood up, green eyes flaring with anger. "What, Crosby? I can't flirt? I mean, since we're just friends and all, I figure I might as well have some fun while I'm here."

Sid nearly reeled in disgust. It took him a second, but he knew then just what the change was that had come over her. His disgust transferred from Piper's flirting to himself and the words he said earlier and how they'd hurt her. Even though he meant to introduce her the way he did…he didn't intend to hurt her. "Piper, listen---"

"--Save it, okay?" She held a hand out to him, her lips pursing tight.

Behind them, Ali and James were drawing closer as they carried their coolers. When they heard Piper's voice rising, both stopped dead in their tracks.

"Can't we talk about this?" Sid asked quietly. He clasped Piper's arm, holding gently. "I can explain. I honestly didn't--"

"Hey Sid?" Ali came forward, leaving her cooler on the ground. "I'll take over, okay? I think she needs a girl right now, not a guy." She placed a hand on Piper's back, turning her away from the argument.

As Piper turned at the command of Ali, her watery eyes stayed locked on Sid. His expression had changed from stern to apologetic, but there was still that stubborn resolution on his face.

He meant what he said.

A sob caught in her throat, and she took Ali's hand in hers.

He didn't say he wanted to apologize. He said he wanted to explain...because he meant what he said.

She did everything in her power not to cry, but she wasn't sure she for how long. She held onto Ali's hand tightly, willing herself not to allow a single tear to fall until the two of them made it into the cabin.

* * *

Notes

I got a little heated just writing this part. I don't know about you guys, but I've had "that line" dropped on me before in the past….and it is NOT fun. Grrrr.