In Your Eyes

It was so quiet in Sid's house, he could hear a pin drop. Just walking in, he could tell there was no one around on the first level. The entire space about him felt as empty as any other September night, save for one thing: Piper was there.

Or was she?

After peeling off his black Pens windbreaker and removing his hat, Sid placed the items on the small bench sitting next to the front door. Assuming his hunch was right, he didn't bother checking the rooms downstairs for Piper, but simply headed up the stairway. When he reached the bedroom, Sid found Piper curled up on her side and fast asleep on his bed.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He could still feel the gel applied by the many attendants and makeup artists who went about fixing him up for the on-camera interviews. The interviews went on way longer than he expected or intended.

And I certainly didn't intend to leave her here like this.

A solid amount of frustration filled his stomach and chest. Leaving his sweats on, he lay down next to his sleeping girlfriend. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, but she was still wearing the clothes she had on when he last saw her. Sid knew she'd gone over to visit Ali earlier in the day, given the texts he received from her. He just didn't have time to respond to any of them.

I have to, though. I have to make time.

He sighed sadly.

Will I ever get this right?

Very lightly, Sid caressed Piper's soft cheek. Her face was so smooth and delicate; it was a welcomed touch after the sweaty gloves, rough stick, pebbled free weight handles and sticky tape he dealt with all day. "Baby...."

"Hmmm?"

"I'm home" Sid whispered. "Finally." He ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek again, waiting to see her stunning eyes. When they finally opened and came into focus, she smiled.

"Hi."

"Hi" he said in return. "I'm sorry--"

"--What time is it?" She sat up slowly, blinking in the low light of the bedroom.

Sid sat up with her. "Almost 9."

"9?"

"I know, I'm really sorry, Piper." He felt the guilt grabbing a hold of his heart and pulling it down into the pit of his stomach. "I honestly didn't think today would take as long as it did."

She rubbed her left eye with the palm of her hand. When a single ringlet fell loose from her ponytail, Sid lifted it away with his hand. "Don't worry about getting up. I'm coming to bed soon."

"Will it always be like this?"

Sidney frowned. "What will what be like?"

"Your schedule."

Her eyes appeared drowsy from sleep but also contained a hint of sadness in them. He picked up on this, which he wished he hadn't. It hurt him to see her liveliness dampened because of him. Not only that, Sid didn't know what to say. The answer to the question was difficult. It wouldn't always be like this, no….but it wouldn't be easy, either. It was what worried him all along.

"No" he answered finally. "Not always."

Piper fell into his arms, her head pressed against his chest. "Good."

Her body was warm and soft to the touch, and she smelled of the same familiar vanilla scent. He rested his head on hers, his hands slipping into her hair. "I'll do my very best, Piper" he said, hugging her tighter. "I promise."

*

Sid could hardly sleep that night, so when Piper finally awoke, it was more than a relief to him. He never let go of her; kissing her softly on the forehead as she came to. He wanted to be the first thing she saw when her eyes opened.

"Hi, baby" she said through a yawn.

"Hi." He pressed another kiss to her forehead. "Sleep okay?"

"Mmm hmm." Piper stretched her legs and slid in closer to him, feeling his strong body envelope her. It was enough to make her forget the night before. "Did you?"

"I've had better sleep, but it was great being next to you all night."

She glanced up and saw his boyish grin, the mop of loose curls, the flawless skin….it was a hell of a thing to wake up to. "Don't make me blush."

"You? Blush?"

"It's been known to happen."

"I know. I cause it every time."

He made a sassy-face at her and Piper giggled. "You're cute in the morning, Crosby."

She snuggled closer, her fingers lightly tracing along the curve of his pecs down to the ripple of abs. Sid didn't wince when Piper got to his ticklish spot, and she gave him a nod of approval.

They talked for a bit in bed; leaving the topic of his late evening to the previous day. Sid noticed that Piper seemed to wake up feeling very refreshed. It helped her to look more like her spritely self as opposed to the girl with fear in her eyes that he walked in on last night.

Piper went on to recount her evening with Ali, and Sid felt even more relieved. At least she wasn't waiting around for me all night, he thought. It made him happy she was able to spend more time with her friend. It also meant she at least got the message from Nealer than he would be later coming home than expected.

Maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought last night.

Sid pushed it out of his mind. He had exactly four hours before he had to be back at the arena, and he intended on using every moment of it in the best of ways.

"How about a shower?"

She smirked. "You mean…..me first, you second? Or…."

"No." Sid pressed his mouth against her temple. "Us together."

He kissed her, and Piper felt an electric current shoot down to her nethers. The way Sidney said it, with his voice all low and needful, and the way his kisses seemed to say more than his spoken words ever could - it was a recipe for success in so many ways.

"Come on." He slid out of bed first, offering a hand as Piper followed suit. He let her go first, following behind closely enough to press himself against her tiny back and the curve of her ass. She giggled when he did the honors of pulling her t-shirt up and over her head, revealing her bare breasts.

"Sidney!"

"Shhhh."

He nuzzled her neck and Piper felt him hook both thumbs about the band of her sleep pants, yanking them down her thighs until they were both stepping over them to enter his master bathroom. Every nerve ending was firing as he stood behind her, grinding against her. She could clearly feel the affect it was having on him as it pressed against her backside.

Sid pushed her gently with his hips until Piper was against the marble counter top of the double vanity. Their mouths parted for just a brief moment. "You run the water, I'll undress."

"I like that plan."

He watched her, hungry for every inch of skin he was staring at when Piper walked over to the walk-in shower. It was made of polished beige river stone and various champagne-colored square mosaics. A bench, also made of the tile mosaic tiles, jutted out from one of the walls. On the other side, three rectangular rain shower heads began to pour forth steamy water.

While Sid removed the only thing he was wearing, which was his sweatpants, he watched as Piper's hand curled around the side of stone wall. In her fingers dangled the pair of pink panties she'd been wearing.

He laughed. "Sexy."

She tossed them at him, then peeked around the corner. "Nothing left but you, baby." With a sense of excitement, Piper watched Sid walk towards her, his perfectly sculpted body a thing of pure beauty.

When he entered the shower, his arms were all she could feel. As they became tangled in one another and water poured over them, it was like Sid's muscles became even more defined. The droplets ran over every swell and curve, giving Piper's eyes a point to focus on as he pressed her against the wet wall of the shower. She felt the cold tiles, the gentle rises of the river stone, all pressing back against her skin while Sidney's kisses were as warm as the steamy water.

She was spun around partly as Sid took a sitting position on the small tiled bench. His boxy hips and wide thighs were waiting for her, and his hardening dick was calling her name.

With his hand, Sid waved her over. He didn't need to speak; his sly smile said it all.

Piper took one step forward, throwing her right leg around his waist, then followed with her left. She watched Sid lean his head back flat against the wall, his mouth ajar and his eyes closed as she began to grind against him. He wasn't inside her yet, but he would be soon - and Piper wanted to make sure he earned this round.

After all, if all she had was this morning, she wanted to leave Sid with something on his mind to bring him back later that night....hopefully earlier than before.

*

By the time Piper emerged from the shower, not long after Sid had, she got herself ready for the day. On her phone were two text messages: one from Ali asking about plans for the day, and one from Dani, asking about how her first night in Pittsburgh went.

Not as expected, but the wake-up call wasn't half bad, she thought with a smirk.

She blew her hair dry, dressed, and left her face makeup less. She figured the rosy glow from that morning's activities was enough to wear out for the day.

Bouncing happily downstairs, Piper already smelled it. She smelled the warm scent of batter, syrup, and butter....all things that proceeded to make her salivate. The man preparing the waffles, of course, made her salivate even moreso. Sid was already dressed and ready to head to the CEC, wearing his favorite knit Pens pants that accentuated every hefty curve of his lower body: from the massive ass she loved so much down to the meaty thighs and strong calves, covered up with tall white socks.

He wore a number 87 sweatshirt with a matching hat, which he had flipped backwards. Piper would've sighed unhappily because his hair was being shielded by the hat...but she couldn't play with it 24 hours a day. It was probably safer that he wore the hat.

"Hey gorgeous." Sid smiled over his shoulder as Piper came closer. "Almost done. I'm getting better at this."

"Take your time."

"Can't keep a hungry girl from her favorite meal."

Piper felt his soft lips against hers. The kiss could have been considered innocent compared to just an hour earlier. He went back to focusing on the waffles, pouring more batter into his high-tech waffle machine, which Piper noticed wasn't part of the lake house. It also looked fairly new. "Did you always have this?"

"The waffle maker?"

He tried to not smile, but his cheeks rose just enough that Piper caught him. "You DIDN'T! This is new?? For ME?"

Sid turned around, hands resting behind on the counter. "It's the least I could do. After all - I want this house to be as comfortable for you as it is for me. You're as much a part of it now.....at least in my opinion."

Piper couldn't believe what she was hearing but she rolled with it as if the sun had just come out from behind a sky of storm clouds. She very gently tugged on the drawstrings of his hoodie as she pressed herself against him. "Thank you."

"For what?" His crooked grin appeared, giving light to his face.

"For what you just said...for the waffles...for being you...for making up for coming home late..."

Sid lowered his gaze when she said it. It stung, but only slightly. Guess I didn't make it up to her enough. Will have to change that.

"Besides" Piper said quietly, pulling him from his thoughts. She looked up into Sid's caramel eyes and gave him the tiniest of smiles. "I can forgive a lot when you fuck me like you did earlier."

* * *

Later that morning, the Pens were on the ice for the third hour of practice. Half the team was dressed in white practice jerseys, the other half in black. They were preparing for their scrimmage game coming up: white team vs. black team, and the public was invited to attend. Of course, the loyal fans of Pittsburgh filled the stands enough to make the scrimmage look like a regular season game against any given opponent.

This was in Sidney's mind as he gave his all throughout the practice. Piper would be attending the game, and it would be her first live experience in the Consol Energy Center....and the first time she'd get to watch him play. It was more important than anything to him, and he wanted to make sure he was ready. Even though it was only against his teammates, he wanted to show off his skills for her and make her proud.

Overall, the team looked as fresh as ever. A few felt a little rusty in some areas, but it didn't take much for the team to get right back into it. Guys were focused but were also enjoying themselves. Most were just happy to be back at it, doing what they loved and doing it with the guys they called friends as well as teammates.

When the Pens' skate was nearly finished, James cruised on the ice in the direction where Sid and Geno were standing. They leaned against the team bench, green and orange water bottles in hand, laughing about something as he came up to them.

"Hey." James tapped Geno on the calf with his stick. "We heading from here straight over to the main facility?"

"Yeah, but no rush" Sid answered, squirting more water into his mouth. "Coach says we're not starting intervals until 1:30 anyways."

James wiped his visor with a Gatorade towel resting on the railing. "Great. Then another 3 hours of conditioning." He gave a quick laugh. "Probably shouldn't have drank so much damn beer this summer, eh?"

"Too fat, Lazy?" Geno chirped. "Too much sun?"

"Both."

"You worked all summer though" Sid replied. "Cabin construction and paining and all, right?"

James shrugged one of his padded shoulders. "Suppose so. At least I wasn't hanging around eating my mother's borscht for the past two months."

"Borscht light, not fat" Geno said, frowning. "Jealous."

James laughed. "Okay, okay G….Just kidding anyways."

Behind them, many of the others on the ice casually skated over to the tunnel leading towards the locker rooms. The plan was to undress from their gear, put a lot less layers on, and then make their way over to the facility to do more cardio tests. As hard as his legs and lungs were working, James was invigorated by it.

Sid, on the other hand, was feeling the intense shower sexfest he had in the shower earlier that morning. He felt a little run down, but pushed it aside. He wouldn't let his coaches or the team see any hint of the long morning he had, or that his body had had a workout already long before this one.

James was on to him the minute he'd walked into the locker room. If anyone knew a sex hangover, it was James. When Geno skated off towards the tunnel, James nudged Sid. "You alright? Dragging today?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, man. No worries." He nodded in the direction of the end of the rink. "Shall we?"

James pushed off in that direction, following Sid. A few other stragglers were still talking and shooting around for their cool down, but would eventually follow them back to the locker room as well.

Hobbling onto the rubber matting beyond the rink, James shuffled quickly forward. "So what time did you end up getting back last night?

"9 or so? Maybe?" Sid kept his eyes forward, head down.

"How did Piper take you getting home so late?" He saw Sid's dark eyes dart his way before going back to the floor as they walked.

"She was asleep upstairs by the time I got there, so there wasn't much to discuss, really." He didn't bother telling Nealer the look of hopeless fear in the green of her eyes. Sid hoped maybe they moved past it after how happy Piper woke up that morning.

Next to him, James was nodding. "Probably a good thing."

Sidney stopped walking. Sweat still ran down his forehead and between his eyes, one single curl sticking down from beneath his helmet. "Why do you say that?"

"Uhh, well I mean, I'm just trying to support you here--"

"--Oh, so because you got married, you're now the relationship counselor?"

James' face fell. "What?! No!" He watched Sid cross the final distance from the hall to the locker room. "Dude, I meant nothing by it, okay?"

Sid walked away, head still down, his broad back and the large '87' staring back at him. James felt utterly confused. With a disgusted groan, he followed his Captain to the locker room, refusing to give up.

"Can you stop being a stubborn ass for two seconds, Crosby?" He turned him around by the shoulder. Considering how strong and powerfully built Sid was, James knew there must have an ounce of desire in him to hear him out for having turned around so easily. "Will you listen?"

Sid dropped the butt of his stick to the ground. The tap it made was his nonverbal answer for James to go on.

"Okay, so look" James began, "Ali told me last night how worried Piper was. I guess she let her in on a few fears she has…ya know….chick stuff, bonding time...You know how old friends get when they're together. So Piper was confiding in Ali."

"Okay." Sid set his jaw ever so slightly.

"Okay, well…." James searched for his words. "If you're serious here, Sid, I think maybe your schedule--"

Sid sighed and shook his head. "I know my schedule, Neal. I know how busy my life is. I know how it's going to interfere with ever having a fucking girl I can keep around for a while."

Both men stopped talking as three others walked past them. One was Brandon Sutter, who tapped both James and Sid on their helmets before disappearing into the locker room with the others.

When the doors closed, James leaned in to Sid. "But it doesn't have to be that way. That's what I'm saying."

"How would you know if it's possible?" Sid questioned. "Sure, we play for the same team but you know my course is entirely different from everyone else's."

James looked down at his skates, realizing Sid wasn't getting it. Maybe he would eventually, but today it wasn't happening. He surrendered for the time being, giving him a final nod. "Alright, Sid. You can keep playing woe-is-me, or you can fucking suck it up and change a few things for this girl if you love her." He lifted his eyes to meet Sid's. "Or you can stay exactly the same, and accept that there just isn't room for someone right now. Whatever you do, don't lead her on." He gave him a sympathetic smile, then walked off towards the locker room.

Sid's eyes followed him, watching until the heavy door closed again.

"You can't have both."

The sound of Mario's ghostly voice ran through Sidney's mind, thickening his blood as he remembered his mentor and friend in his ominous suit of red.

* * *

"Fuck, that looks hot on you!"

Piper spun around, holding the edges of the dress. It billowed about her, and she felt breezy and pretty. "I don't even care if summer's almost over."

Ali leaned against the fitting room door. "Me either - that's on sale, and we have at LEAST a month until the real chill sets in, right?" She gave her friend a supportive smile.

"Right!"

"So is it a go?"

She glanced down, then turned and took a final look in the mirror. The reflection behind her showed Ali nodding rapidly.

"Do it, do it, doooooo it---"

"Okay! I'll buy it!" Piper said with a laugh. "Now go away while I change." When she closed the door, she carefully shimmied out of the dress and placed it back on its hanger. "So you want to grab lunch next?"

"Yeah, that'll work. Where do you want to eat?"

Piper slid her blue and white chevron maxi skirt up, tying the thin rope belt into a knot. She tried to think of what she was hungry for, but nothing really came screaming at her. "Anything healthy, I'll do."

Ali laughed. "Oh okay, that really narrows it."

She smiled to herself behind the door. "How about vegetarian?" She threw her flowy yellow tank on over her bra. "I'm not in the mood for anything heavy."

"Yeah, because you had some pretty heavy meat this morning already…."

Piper opened the door and stared right at Ali's large grin. "I won't deny it."

"HA!" Ali clapped. "You two are amazing. It's like Sid's a brand new man now that he's getting laid all the time now."

"Oh as IF he didn't get laid before" Piper replied. "That man knows what he's doing."

They exited the dressing area of the store, walking slowly up towards the checkout counter. Ali pulled at a sweater hanging on a rack, examining it. "Yeah, but you know - Sid's pretty selective with his hookups though. I mean…he's still a guy and chooses poorly at times just as much as the others do, but he's as good a guy as you're gonna get." She pulled the sweater from the rack and held it up against her chest. "Yay or nay?"

Piper studied it. "Nay."

"Good call." Ali placed the hanger back.

They checked out, purchasing the few items they collected while shopping around. With no real plans for the early part of the day, the girls agreed to just relax and do whatever. 'Whatever' eventually involved shopping and lunch before Ali had to go to one of her classes.

The ended up choosing a sushi restaurant a few blocks down from where they'd been shopping. They sat outside, their bags of new items and their purses pushed up against their chairs. With a spread of various rolls, sashimi, and a bowl of salted edamame, Piper and Ali took turns tasting everything.

"So I guess you weren't too mad then?" Ali asked her.

"About Sid coming back late?" Piper dipped a roll in her small dish of soy sauce. She gave the question a good amount of thought before answering. "I was…but I guess there's nothing he can do about it. Right?"

Ali chewed on a piece of raw salmon. "I guess" she said with a shrug. "It's one of those things that comes with the territory. I was lucky in the fact I worked a weird, part time job after college and could afford to spend some of James' downtime with him. I don't know what will happen once I'm full time and finished with school."

Everything about Ali's body language told Piper she wasn't the slightest bit worried about what her future held. Then again, she was married....so maybe it was easier by default. Piper wondered, if given the same opportunity, if she would have been as relaxed or as strong as her. She admired her for it.

"So you excited for the first game?" Ali looked up at her, eyes shining. "I know I am."

"It's only against one another though, right?"

"Yeah! But the best shit-talking comes from this game!"

Piper laughed. "Will we even hear it?" Something about Sid talking trash to his teammates on the ice gave her an excited blip below the waist.

"No, no, afterwards! When we go out?" Ali blinked, waiting for a reaction. "Like....to a bar for drinks?"

"You guys go out after games?"

Ali sat back in her chair and promptly lowered her chopsticks. "Girl."

"What!"

"Sid doesn't tell you anything, does he."

"I guess not." Piper was all smiles, but it was just her confusion talking. "Explain, please?"

As Ali filled her in on how a lot of the guys liked to go out for a beer after some of their winning games, Piper nodded and listened and absorbed what she could. It made her really, really excited, thinking about joining Sid after games, or coming up - the scrimmage game - and could have the opportunity to join him with the team he loved so much. She could meet some of the other guys, the guys she heard about up to now, but have not yet met.

"Well, whatever they do - I'm up for it." She sipped her water, mulling it over. "Really, really up for it."

"See! It'll be fun" Ali said. "I actually was afraid for a while....ya know, meeting up with all these huge guys when James and I were just starting to date. Even months after, I wasn't used to it." She took on a far away look, smiling as her eyes seemed to be seeing things Piper couldn't. "Ahhhh.....that was so much fun."

"You guys are really perfect for each other."

"Well thank you, my dear, but this isn't about me!" Ali poked her in the hand with the ends of her chopsticks. "Just think of how much fun these next few months are gonna be for you guys. This is the absolute best time. I'm even a little jealous of you."

"What! Stop with that!" Piper teased in return. "I just hope it turns out to be as fun as you say." She pushed at a piece of her sushi, wondering how many late nights Ali waited around for James or how many vacations she took with him where he introduced her first as 'a friend'.

He's worth it, right?

"Why the long face then?" Ali asked.

"No long face." Piper raised her gaze and matched it with a smile. "So tell me about you. Any more talk about babies?" The thought of Allison, her crazy, bubbly, fun-loving roomate of several years...having a baby? It still took her by surprise, no matter how many times she thought about it.

"Nah....not really. James is confusing me, but that's James for ya."

"How so?" Piper frowned. "He's not pressuring you is he?"

"Oh GOD no!" Ali's dark chestnut eyes looked alarmed. "No. He just told me in a passive way how he doesn't want to rush anything and that he felt bad for bringing it up."

Piper smiled. He's a good guy, James. "Well that's not so bad, is it?"

Ali lifted a corner of her mouth as if unsure of how to answer. "I guess." She looked up from her plate to meet the fresh face of Piper, who was smiling at her. "What?"

"You want one."

"A baby?"

"He planted a seed, alright. Maybe not his spermies, but he definitely planted a seed--"

"Piper Lake!"

"Well!?!?" She had to laugh. The look on Ali's face was priceless. "Look at you! Looking all sad and sappy over it."

"I'm not sad or sappy."

Stubborn Italian.

Ali set her face. "What? What are you thinking?"

"I think you should seriously consider your feelings." Piper stared at her, making sure Ali knew she was now being serious. "Honestly. It works in my practice, and I think it would work for you. Maybe you just need some time to meditate. I swear by it."

With a nod, Ali thought it over. "Maybe I do. Or maybe I don't."

"Maybe schmaybe."

"Well maybe you should bring your yoga practice here and end all our misery and start a clinic here I can attend!" Ali said, flipping her long hair on purpose to accentuate her phrasing. "Ya with me?"

Piper laughed. "Yeah....I'm with ya."

* * *

Notes

Important note to all my readers:

I'm going to be out of town for the next several days or so....but I will be trying to update as much as I can. If my updates seem slower than usual, please bear with me! I'll still be writing while I'm away, so will do my very best not to keep you all hanging. :)