In Your Eyes

"So he's a litte spaz, but he means well."

Sid nodded, gazing out the passenger seat of Piper's Jetta. "Aren't most little brothers?" He glanced over to see her smiling.

"You were never a little brother, so who would you know?"

"My sister tells me big brothers are just as 'spaz', or whatever you said" Sid replied with a smirk. "Honest."

Piper turned onto a new road where the lush green banks alongside were partially covered in tiny magenta flowers used as ground cover between where the grass became rocky. Rocks and sizable boulders were as common along the coast of Maine as lobsters and fog, but the residents did their best to tidy it up with flowers and ground covers that masked the roughness.

"So you mean to tell me Taylor had issues growing up with a protective big brother around?" The ends of her ponytail shifted over her shoulder when she looked at him. "Or were you that brother?"

"THAT brother?" Sid laughed. "What is that!?"

"The annoying one always playing pranks and pulling hair and telling on her."

"Do I look like the type to do that?" He looked at her, eyes shimmering. "Do I?"

Piper kept her eyes on the road, but the corner of her mouth lifted. "Maybe." The sea green of her eyes glanced his way again. "Maybe the hair-pulling part."

"Don't associate my hair-pulling now with anything I did earlier in life….WHICH I didn't do."

"Sidney Crosby - always the innocent" she said with a teasing tone. She reached across the console and squeezed his knee. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul…It'll be our secret."

Her hand left his knee, but Sid's eyes never left her. Piper's smile was as bright as her banter with him, and he debated if it was humanly possible to be powerless to someone based simply on their smile.

They drove for a only a short distance more and before approaching the house Piper called Home as a child. It was as Sidney imagined: very similar to Piper's, and yet, unique in its own special way. It was decorated with charming antiques; tastefully done and not over the top. Ocean hues colored the small front porch and the exterior of the house, with a wind chime handing from the corner eave of the deck. It was shaped as a half-moon, half-sun face that was smiling, with little stones and copper tubes hanging from clear line.

"Ready?"

Sid nodded. "More than you know." And that was the truth.

They exited the car together, Sid placing a hand on the small of Piper's back as she took the lead up the steps. He wasn't nervous, yet he found himself double-checking his appearance and his posture as Piper knocked on the door. She exchanged a glance with him, and they both smiled.

When the door opened, an attractive woman appeared, her eyes wide and her mouth open in a happy gasp. Eyes the shade of the green grass that were just a hair darker than Piper's looked between her daughter and Sidney. He smiled, starting to feel the nerves settle in now.

"Holy shit, it IS him" April said, opening the door.

"Mom!"

"Oh babe, cut the surprise" she said, ushering them in. She took Sid in for a hug before he could even extend a hand to try shaking hers. "It is so, so, so nice to meet you, Sidney." She held him out as if he were her own son. "My, my - Piper was right. Even more handsome than the tv cameras show."

Next to them, Piper sighed.

Sid cracked a smile. "Thanks, Mrs. Lake. The pleasure's all mine, trust me."

"April" she insisted. "And I'll try and keep my weirdness at bay for my daughter's sake - but I am just so glad to finally meet the man who's made my daughter smile more than she has in ages."

"It's something I hope to keep doing and doing often" Sid replied.

This earned him another blissful sigh from April. She looked at her daughter, who had both embarrassment, pride, and appreciate mixed within her smart stare. "So." Her hands went to her hips. "I believe you're here to surprise someone other than me, right?"

Piper clapped. "Yes! Is he here?"

"Just got back from playing next door."

"Let me go get him" Piper said, touching her mom's arm lightly. "Be right back."

She trotted off down the hall, leaving April and Sid alone for a brief time. April couldn't admiring what a fine young man Sidney Crosby was up close, and Sid - who was floored by the similarities between Piper and April - was just trying to take all the newness in. He loved the coziness of the house, he found April fresh and attractive. Her features, not all unlike her daughter's, gave her a sense of youth where Sid found it difficult to try and guess her age.

Noise coming from the hallway pulled both their attentions from one another to where the commotion was coming from. Sid saw the back of Piper walking down the hall, keeping the view blocked from her brother.

"When I turn around, you'll see the surprise, okay bud?"

"Hurry! Hurry! I wanna see!" Bailey pleaded.

Piper took a few more steps backwards. "Here we go. Ready?" She glanced over her shoulder to see Sid nod at her. With one large step, Piper moved sideways, revealing Bailey's surprise to him.

The young boy gasped.

Standing next to him, hands clasped in front of her, Piper met the excited look of Sidney as he bent at the knee to be eye level with Bailey.

"So you must be Piper's awesome little brother I've been hearing about?"

Bailey's eyes were as wide as they could go and never blinked. Not once. He slowly looked up at his sister, and Piper gave him a reassuring nod. "He came here to see you. Better say hi."

April, who stood off to the side silently, was cupping her hands over her mouth to shield the smile that was growing by the second.

Bailey turned his head and looked at Sidney………..

…….and then of all things - started to cry.

Piper and Sid looked at one another. Frantically, Piper bent to hug her brother, who was now wailing against her chest. "Bails! What's wrong, kiddo? Why are you crying?"

Sidney was laughing, albeit as quietly as he could. He wanted to tell Piper this happened more often than she knew and that she didn't have to look as scared or as mortified as she did right now.

"I am so sorry" she whispered, holding her brother.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S HERE" Bailey cried. His blue eyes looked up from Piper's now-damp shoulder as he sniffled. "Is it really you?"

Sid ruffled his hair. "It's really me!"

"Sidney CROSBY!" Bailey began to cry against, this time even harder than before.

Piper was shaking her head, looking at both her mom and Sidney. "I….I don't know….I didn't think--"

"It's okay, babe - this happens a lot, really" Sid said, squeezing her shoulder gently. "It's fine."

April came over and hugged her child, then turned him to face Sidney, who was even more patient than she would have ever guessed. "Babe, don't cry! Piper's friends with him and she thought you two might want to meet!"

"I'm just….just….so happy" the boy said, wiping at his nose. "You're SO GOOD at hockey!"

Sidney laughed out loud at this, then stood. "Can I get a hug for that? Because I think you're super cool."

Piper saw her brother's eyes immediately stop watering as they stared up at her. "Did he say he thinks I'm cool?"

She nodded. "You heard him right."

Bailey looked at Sidney. "I think you're cool, too!"

"High five, then?" Sid held up his hand, and Bailey slapped it with a happy grin. They fell into a brief hug, and Sid was as ecstatic as Bailey was. "Right on!" He met the caring gaze of Piper's and she smiled at him.

"You hungry, Bailey? How about us three go out and grab something to eat?"

The boy wiped his eyes. "Can he come?"

Sid and Piper looked at one another and laughed. "Of course he can come. He came all the way here to meet you, we might as well keep him around for a while and hang out together, huh?"

"Can we talk about hockey?" Bailey asked Sidney.

He gripped the back of Bailey's neck and gave him a little squeeze. "We can talk about hockey, or anything you want to - you can tell me anything and everything you want."

"YES!" He grabbed Piper's hand and lead her towards the door. "Come on, let's go!"

Piper shrugged back at her mom and Sidney, who was following behind. "Guess we better go, Mom! Talk later?"

April waved as the three piled out onto the porch, led energetically by her young son. "Have fun, kids!"

*

Piper spread out an old quilt she kept in the trunk of her car just for occasions like this. She shook the blanket, straightening it out over the grass near the water. Sid held the food while Bailey held the drinks, and once Piper had their sitting area arranged, the boys took their seats and began handing out their items.

The sun was just beginning to set in the late evening sky. It was well past dinner time for Bailey, and really - for Sid and Piper too, considering - but they munched on deep fried halibut and french fries which they split between the three of them.

Bailey told Sid all about his summer soccer games, and Sid told him all about his summer training. Bailey watched with admiration growing in his young eyes, and Piper tried to imprint this image into her brain so she would never forget it. The boy looked at Sid like an idol already, and Sidney took it as naturally as if Bailey was his own sibling. They laughed and joked and ate and shared ketchup like they'd known one another longer than for just an hour.

Every now and then, Sid would glance over at Piper and give her a smile that told her he was actually enjoying the time with her and Bailey. While she said very little and only chimed in when Bailey wanted her to, Sid didn't seem to mind. He carried a conversation with a young kid as well as any adult she'd ever seen.

When Bailey asked about hockey, Sid seemed to light up even moreso than before. It appeared to Piper that, in some small way, he was still a little boy at heart who just loved the sport. She wondered if that fact alone had anything to do with his talent for entertaining and engaging a young kid as well as he was.

"How would you like to play hockey together some time?" Sid asked the boy.

Bailey stopped chewing his french fry. "Really?"

Sid nodded as he sipped some of his water from a paper cup. "Sure. Why not? You sound like you know your stuff."

Piper saw Bailey's cheeks go bright red. "You up for that?"

"But it's not cold out?"

"Doesn't have to be" Sid replied. "I could set up a net and get us two sticks and a ball pretty easily."

Now Piper was the one who looked at him with awe. "Really, Sid?"

He nodded. "Surely there's a sports store around here?"

She laughed. "No, but for real…" To her surprise, Sid was staring at her completely serious. "Wow, you are for real."

Sidney nudged Bailey. "Whaddya say?"

"I SAY YES." He pulled on the sleeve of Piper's hood. "Can we, Piper? PLEASE?"

She looked between the two boys - both gazing at her with hope in their contrasting eyes. Despite their age difference, it made her laugh at how similar they looked when it came to the prospect of playing a little street hockey that night.

"Hey, it's fine by me--"

Bailey jumped off the quilt, hands raised. "YES! Let's go now! Can we?"

"Yeah Piper, can we?" Sid winked at her, shoving another french fry in his mouth.

How could she deny the man? There was no way she'd let her brother down, and there was no way she wasn't going to let Sid have his fun. "Sure - why not? Let's do it!"

Sid and Bailey high-fived again, and Piper felt a jolt of excitement in the way the evening was shaping up to be.

Once they finished their light dinner, they headed to the only sporting goods store in Bar Harbor. Luckily for them, they had all the equipment they needed: two sticks, a ball, and enough netting to construct a make-shift net.

Piper followed the two boys around, watching with growing respect for Sidney. He led the boy around and together they gathered all they needed, laughing and talking together as they did so. Sid would often give Piper a quick kiss on the cheek or a pat on her low back or her ass as they went about the store, further proving he was enjoying his time with Bailey. It made her want him even more than she already did. Somewhere, down in her ovaries, her hormones were telling her this was a really, really huge moment. She'd decode the hormonal response later, but for now - she simply stood back and watched as her boyfriend and her brother bonded.

When they got back to the house, Sid was already in construction mode. Piper realized that he had clearly done this before; he whipped through making a reasonably sized net that he and Bailey could shoot in to together, and it didn't look half bad either.

Oh the porch, April sat drinking decaf coffee and rocking on the whitewashed swing. She waved back when Bailey waved at her.

When they were ready, Sid handed Bailey the second of two sticks, which made Piper laugh. "You look silly with that thing" she told Sid.

"What?" He twirled the short hockey stick around in his hands. "Something wrong with my small stick?"

The way he phrased it made her smirk. "It's not like you to carry a small stick, baby."

"So I've heard." His smile had the smallest hint of naughtiness in it. He turned back to Bailey as he patted the ball around on the asphalt driveway. "Ready, kid?"

"Ready!!"

Piper went up onto the porch to sit beside her mom as the two boys played together. Sid gave instruction where he could, but mostly just provided Bailey with someone he could hit back to.

On the swing, April looked over at her daughter. She studied the far-off look on her face, which made her extremely happy. "He really is something, isn't he?"

"He really is."

Sid tapped the ball towards Bailey, purposely going easy to give him some advantage. Bailey took the ball and ran with it, heading towards the net. Sid tried to block, but gave Bailey enough room to get past him. The play ended in a happy cry between both of them.

Piper smiled. "I wasn't expecting this to happen, that's for sure." She looked over at her mother. "Who would have guessed?"

"Not me. Not from a big hockey star like him."

Bailey shouted something and laughed, his young voice filling the air just as Sid's deeper voice congratulated him.

"I really like him, Mom."

"I know you do, Piper." She sipped her coffee, gently pushing them along on the swing. "And so do I. He isn't……well, he isn't like they say, ya know?"

Piper kind of knew. She knew based on what others had told her, and what Sid told her. Most of it she really hadn't experienced yet.

What she saw down in the driveway, though - it was more than she would have ever guessed or could have ever wanted. She was most impressed with his genuine desire to play with Bailey and to have fun with him. It was unlike anything she'd ever really seen before.

"He asked me to go to Pittsburgh" Piper said, shoving her hands under her thighs as she gazed out. "I am going to go."

April's face looked surprised. "Not forever?"

"No, no…just for a week or something. To see his first couple of pre-season games."

"Ahhhh." April nodded, taking another drink. She watched her son run circles around Sidney as he pretended to not know where the ball was. "What happens then?" she asked.

Piper shrugged. "I don't know. I'm taking this a little at a time."

"When your father gets home, I'm sure this will come up again."

"I know, I know."

"Will you have an answer then?" April asked.

"Probably not. It doesn't matter who asks, the answer remains the same."

April knew that would be her answer, and she didn't think it was a bad one by any stretch. Her father was a planner, and her daughter wasn't. Both had their positives and negatives - which both would learn on their own.

If Piper liked Sidney as much as April could tell just from the way she looked at him, she hoped Piper would spend a little more time debating going to Pittsburgh for longer than a week at a time.

"When does Dad get home, anyways?"

"Probably another couple hours or so."

Piper thought her and Sid would be gone before then. Whatever her father would say or do or think, it wouldn't happen tonight, although she knew it would occur at some other time. She wouldn't be lucky enough to get off that easy. Eventually, Tim would have to meet Sid, and then the questions would come. He wouldn't let his only daughter go into the hands of a hockey stud without the questions he asked every other boyfriend she'd ever had.

But that was for another time. Another 45 minutes passed before Bailey finally began to show signs he was slowing down. Sid, of course, showed none. The sun was almost fully below the horizon, but with partly cloudy skies, plenty of light remained that they could've kept going if they wanted. Fortunately for Sid, Bailey ran out of steam right about this time.

"You all pooped out, kiddo?" Piper yelled out to the driveway.

Sid wrapped an arm around his small shoulders, hugging him as they trudged towards the deck. "You've got a hockey star in the making, ladies."

April smiled, pulling her tired son into her arms. "Looks like you two could be on the same team someday." She winked at Sid while petting Bailey's sweaty, mussed-up hair.

"Thank you, Piper, this was the best surprise ever" Bailey said with a tired smile. "I love you."

Piper felt all warm and fuzzy inside. "Thank you, Bailey. Best brother ever, right?"

He smiled. "Right!"

Sidney watched their interaction with a subtle smile. Best girlfriend ever, he thought.

*

Piper was sitting bed against a pile of pillows when Sid emerged from the restroom after his second shower of the day. He saw her on her laptop, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she answered work-related emails. He pulled the towel from his waist and used it to rub across his hair, shaking some of the excess water from it. Piper looked up and admired the sight for a minute before going back to her emails.

Sid wrapped the towel back around his waist and sat on the edge of the bed. "Whatchya speed-typing?"

"Work stuff." She paused and looked at him. "Although if you took that towel off again, I may never do work stuff ever again."

He reached up and smoothed back her hair. "We wouldn't want that, now would we?"

Piper took his hand in hers, clasping lightly. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"You and Bailey today" she began, then hesitated. "You were so great with him. You were great with Dani today too. And you were the best with me - all in one day…."

Sid felt high at her compliments. "It was nothing - Bailey's a great kid and Dani's a riot."

"But it means a lot to me, Sid."

He hoped it did. "I know. But it's easy when you care about a person as much as I care about you."

Piper was happy to hear that. She moved her thumb softly over the skin of his hand as she sorted through her thoughts. Her eyes drifted down the flawlessly etched shoulders to the muscles of his arms and down the V of his torso before the white towel concealed the rest of him. In a way, she felt unworthy of his affection, and yet….she wanted more. Shecraved it, and the craving was getting stronger with every new way Sidney showed this affection towards her.

"I care about you too….a lot" Piper said quietly. Her eyes looked up into his. "It makes me want to stay in Pittsburgh longer than just a week."

Sid felt his heart leap at the sound. "Would you?!? Really?"

"Really" she answered with a nod. "I'd consider it, yes. IF I'm invited to."

With his hands on her neck, Sid was both smiling and laughing. "Of course you're invited baby! OF COURSE. I don't even know what to say---"

"---Don't say anything" Piper replied. "Just kiss me."

That was something Sid could definitely do, and without hesitation. His lips connected with hers, and his mouth opened when hers did. It was a deep kiss; slow and passionate, without any need other than to communicate with the other just how much they cared for one another. Sid let his hand slide down her cheek to her throat to the straps of her camisole she was wearing to bed. He tugged gently, smiling into their kiss.

"You are not going to go for a third round today are you?" Piper asked with a grin.

"No, no" Sid replied. "Just wondering why you have so many clothes on in bed."

She moved her laptop from the bed, then lifted the lavender cami over her head. Sid looked down at her pert breasts, the perfect soft nipples that were starting to stiffen from the air of the room. Everything about her made him want her. "You are absolutely gorgeous."

Piper leaned over and pressed her lips to his. "Well then drop the towel and come to bed, baby. Keep me warm under here."

* * *

Sid had a dream that night. Rare as it was that he remembered any of his dreams, he couldn't shake this one even if he tried.

He was skating on the ice at the Consol Energy Center. He was alone, save for two bodies in the stands: Piper Lake, and Mario Lemieux.

They were dressed oddly: Piper dressed in all white, and Mario was dressed in all red. Their outfits were unmistakable, as they were uniform in color, covering every part of their body. Mario wore a three piece, bright red suit, complete with red shirt, red pants, red vest: everything was red. His expression was firm and blank as he watched Sid.

Piper wore her normal smile, which was as friendly as ever. She wore a starch white blazer, a white blouse beneath, and pleated white pants. Her hair was pulled back tightly into a bun. Despite her happy expression, there was something ominous about her and Mario sitting together.

No matter where he skated on the ice, Sid saw the white and red figures sitting completely still, as if they weren't breathing. Piper's gaze was happy, Mario's gaze was stern. Neither moved. Sid tried to wave his stick at them, but their eyes simply followed him, their expressions never changing and their bodies never moving to acknowledge him.

The cut of the ice beneath his skates was the only sound. That familiar, comforting skiff of ice carried him along as he skated circles, always avoiding center ice where the only puck sat. He avoided touching it with his skate: something told him if he did, the figures in the stands might do something. If he didn't touch the puck, he was safe.

In his sleep, Sid shifted uneasily. Piper slept soundly next to him, her face as peaceful as ever, oblivious to the motion Sid was making next to her.

He circled back around towards the rows where Mario and Piper sat. He called for Piper, but her eyes were the only part of her that moved to acknowledge him. Her smile remained strong and confident, but there was an unsettling creepiness to the smile.

He called for Mario, hoping maybe he would say something. Skating backwards, Sid watched as Mario's gaze turned even more sour, yet his face wouldn't move. The red of his suit seemed to enhance the anger in his eyes, which bore into Sidney to the point he had to skate away from them. When he passed center ice, he didn't touch the puck.

Skating aimlessly, he followed his feet, letting his muscle memory carry him over the ice and around the rink he called home. It was the arena where he was Captain. It was the location of his beginning, his middle, and eventually….his end.

His mentor and friend stared at him angrily.
His girlfriend watched with elation.

Their eyes freaked him out, and he avoided looking at him now. He focused more on the puck, wishing his stick would reach out and take it, but for some reason - the stick felt heavy in his hand. It felt attached to the fingers of his gloves, unable to free himself from it, and yet…unable to do anything but skate.

Sid skated towards the end of the rink where Piper and Mario sat; their expressions never changing. With a sharp stop, he stood still before him and stared back. Their eyes centered on him, and his on them.

"What do you want from me?" he asked them, his voice echoing through the empty arena.

They didn't answer.

He felt frustration building within him, not understand why they wouldn't talk to him.

"I don't know what to do, okay?" he cried. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

Nothing.

Silence hung in the chilled air, and Piper and Mario continued to stare at him.

Sid felt his breathing increase, the stick in his hand feeling as heavy as steel.

"I WANT BOTH." His eyes were watering from the anger. Piper and Mario sat still, and Sid swung his stick at the ice with a loud crash. "Dammit, SAY SOMETHING!"

"You can't."

He stopped breathing. It was Mario's voice. "I what?"

"You can't have both" he said, and when he smiled: the glass that surrounded the ice shattered into a million pieces that flew in his direction.

Sid woke with a start. He sat up in bed, his chest heaving. In the dim light of the bedroom, he reached beside him, feeling for Piper to see if she was still there. Thankfully, she was.

It was only a dream.

He leaned over his legs, his hands going to his face. In doing so, he discovered how sweaty his forehead was.

It was only a dream.

It didn't feel like a dream. It was creepy as fuck, and Sid was unnerved by it. He ran a hand through his hair, grabbing a fistful as he remembered what Mario had said in the dream.

It was only a dream. Go back to bed.

He couldn't at first. He swung his legs around and stood up from the bed, feeling slightly dizzy. Walking to the bathroom, his feet felt like lead and his head spun. Standing over Piper's toilet, one hand pressed against the wall behind it, Sid relieved himself of the only pressure he could, and that was the need to urinate. He spent those thirty seconds getting his mind together, and by the time he walked back to bed, he felt a little better.

Sliding under the bedsheets, Sid pressed himself against the back of Piper so there was no space between them. He felt the warmth of her body against his chilled skin and he smelled the fruity scent of her shampoo as he rested his head next to hers. She subconsciously cuddled back into his arms, which he wrapped tightly about her. Just touching her made Sid feel better. Her body against his grounded him, bringing him back to the reality of his life and wiping away the dream that had left him frightened.

In time, Sid fell back to sleep and was dreamless the rest of the night.

* * *

Notes