In Your Eyes

James sat bouncing one knee right next to Ali, who was still chewing her lip. They sat together on the love seat directly across from the couch, where both Peter and Deborah were sitting.

Peter looked from his wife back to his son and his wife. "So....what's this about?" He chuckled a little. "James, the last time you had that look on your face, it was right before you got caught with a girl in your car when you were 16."

Ali looked over at James with a smirk.

He kept his attention on his parents. "Ali and I have something to tell you."

"Oh Jesus." Deborah placed a hand to her heart.

Ali and James frowned in unison. "Are you okay, Deb?" she asked.

"Yes...." She started fanning herself. "Go on..."

The couple looked at one another briefly.

"Do you wanna start?" James whispered.

"Do you?" Ali whispered in return. "Just go. Go."

Peter watched from the couch while his wife continued fanning herself.

James smiled at his parents. This is it. He inhaled and exhaled hard. "So...a couple weeks ago, Ali and I...we found out something pretty big and we wanted to tell you now that you're both here..."

Just say it, James Ali thought nervously. Say it. She felt his hand slide over her knee.

"--Oh Jesus." Deborah started to fan herself more quickly.

James laughed. "Mom..."

"No, no - James. I'm fine. Go ahead."

Peter made an apologetic face at the both of them. "Go on."

Ali slid her hand over James' hand on her knee. "After a few months and a lot of discussion, James and I decided that we'd--"

"--she's pregnant" he blurted out.

Ali looked at him, mouth open. "James!" she said with a laugh.

"I KNEW it" Deborah exclaimed happily. "Oh Peter - I KNEW IT."

Peter sat there, stunned and silent. He stared at his son like he'd never seen him before. Deborah was already plowing past the coffee table separating her from James and Ali, and began hugging them and shrieking happily. James hugged his mom, feeling the clamminess of his hands as he wiped them on his jeans. When he looked at his father, he had to laugh. "You alright, Dad?"

"Are you sure about this?" Peter asked.

"We took the test" James said. "And the other one. The blood test. Took both of 'em."

Peter sat totally stunned. "And you two planned this?" His eyes went from James to Ali, who stood tightly next to his wife whose arm was draped over her shoulders. "How far along are you?"

"I think 6 weeks? Maybe?" Ali looked at Deborah and smiled when she felt her arm squeeze around her.

"Wow." Peter looked down at his hands. "My kid is having a kid..."

James came over and gave him a good-natured slap on the shoulder. "Guess that makes you a grandpa now, eh?"

"Oh God." Peter rubbed his head. "I'm too young for this..."

Deborah took Ali's face in her hands, examining her daughter-in-law in a whole new light. "Oh hunny....hunny, I am so excited for the both of you! And James?..." She made a sad face, but there was nothing but glitter dancing in her light-colored eyes. "My baby" she said, a hand reaching up to his face. "I love you so much."

James tried to play down the amount of emotion he felt in that moment. He rolled his eyes passively, but the expression of delight and flattery were fixtures on his face that he couldn't hide. When he looked at his mother, the only thing he could think of was how he wanted to raise this kid the way she raised him. He wanted to be there for Ali like his dad had been for her. He wanted this kid worse than he would've ever guessed, and he hoped that his mom and dad knew this. This wasn't just another James Neal mistake he made out of a lack of judgement or thought...this was, for what it was worth, the real deal.

When he and Deborah hugged, the tears that had been welling in Ali's eyes finally became too heavy for her to hold back. They dripped onto her cheeks, and she didn't bother wiping them. She met James' eyes as he held his mom in his arms. His smile was so genuine, so real in that moment...it was enough to bring gallons of water to Ali's eyes. This wastheir moment. It was something she never guessed she'd be doing, and certainly not this quickly, but somehow...it all seemed right.

Only the feeling of Peter's hug brought her attention away from her husband and his mom. "Congratulations, Allison" he said softly. "If there's anyone out there who will raise my future grandchild right - it's you."

Tears streamed down Ali's face and onto Peter's shoulder, and she felt like a giant weight had finally been lifted off her shoulders. "That means the world to me, Peter. Thank you."

"Thank you." He looked at her with his friendly smile and cool eyes just a hint similar to his son's. "I can't wait to meet the little guy."

"Or girl" James said proudly, his arm draping over his mom's shoulder. "What do you think it'll be? Don't chicks have a sixth sense for this kind of thing?"

Deborah laughed. "Oh it's too soon to tell that, James!"

"I don't know...." Ali placed her hands on her stomach and smiled. "I think my little Neal's going to be a boy. I just have this feeling."

They all looked at her in that moment, but Ali only looked at James. She shrugged. "Or it'll be a girl. What do I know."

James laughed softly, but his eyes never left Ali. I'm so in love with this girl, it hurts.

* * *

Sidney waited downstairs for Piper and his parents. He heard a lot of talking and laughing, but didn't see a lot of action. Glancing down at his watch, he saw it was getting closer and closer to the time when he told the cameras to be at the steakhouse.

"You guys ready up there?" He glanced up the stairway, hoping he'd see three bodies appear.

"Just a second, Sidney - Piper's showing us something!" his mother called.

Showing them something? That certainly peaked his interest. He shoved his hands in his pockets and exhaled long and slow, similar to how Piper taught him. This brought a small amount of relief to his tense body, and a smile to his rigid face. He'd been holding all his stress from this night in his neck and jaw, so he opened and closed it just to give it a stretch. He also continually tried to rub the back of his neck, squeezing and pressing in ways he'd come to do almost any time he had a head/neck pain now.

Piper has changed me for the better in so many ways Sid thought to himself. Even this simple statement brought him more relief to his firmly fixed jaw than any pressing or rubbing had done.

There was movement and more female laughter coming from upstairs, but finally Sidney heard footsteps coming towards the stairway. He even heard his father laughing, even though it had been a quick but hearty laugh.

She's somehow even relaxed the most difficult Crosby to relax.

Coming down the stairs first was his mother, who was followed next by his father...with Piper coming last. The second Sid set eyes on her, his heart nearly stopped beating.

With her hand lightly sliding down the rail of the stairs, her wavy hair done up tightly in a bun with her side bangs pinned back, Piper looked over and smiled at him.

She was wearing a white suit.

What the fuck, Sid thought, trying to crack a tense smile.

"Hi handsome." Piper's voice was as cheerful as ever. Her nude colored heels clicked on the hardwood floor as she approached him and their fingers laced together.

Sid had to force himself to breath. "You look....gorgeous."

"Is this too much?" she asked, looking down at the white blazer she left unbuttoned that matched the sleek white pants hugging her from the waist down. She paired it with a gray boatneck top which was visible beneath the blazer.

The killer stilettos she wore now made her eye level with him, and Sid lost himself in the sea green color of her eyes. The hint of peace in her lipgloss shimmered just enough to draw his eyes down, needing and wanting a taste of her lips more than he might be able to handle.

When she leaned into him, he felt her breath against his ear, warm and inviting. "I wanted to do something special for tonight...hopefully this counts."

"It's perfect" he said with a smile. And while that was true, when Sid looked at her, and all he could see was the version of her from his dreams. The two, hideous dreams he'd had where Piper was dressed in white while Mario was dressed in red. Being as superstitious as he was, Sid had had to try, and try hard, to overcome any belief he'd placed in those dreams. With Piper standing next to him wearing a white suit similar to the one he'd seen in his dreams......it took everything in him to ignore the coincidence.

It's only that. A coincidence. Your superstitions don't rule you.

"Ready?" Trina handed her husband his jacket. "I'm in love with this restaurant he's taking us too, Piper. Have you tried it?"

"No, actually....but there's a first time for everything, right?" She glanced at Sid standing beside her and leaned in to give his cheek a kiss. "Right, baby?"

"You couldn't be more right." He leaned in and kissed her, giving in to his need to feel her lips on his. It was an innocent kiss; the kind that screamed of comfort between two people who've come to know one another and has become a reflex. It was the kind of kiss Sid had been dying to give Piper in front of his parents, now that he knew just how big a moment this was to have all four of them standing there in harmony with each other.

On the other side of the kiss, Piper had been waiting for this moment all night: the moment where she knew Sid had given in to all his trepidations and trusted that whatever fears he had of introducing his mother and father were nothing but just that....fears. She'd done everything she could to be as casual and polite as possible, using every charm she had to make sure his parents were proud that she and Sidney were together.

Whatever she was doing...it was working. Troy had been more bark than bite, and Trina was an absolute delight. Piper wondered, too, if maybe a part of Sid's worries had been shared by Trina as well - and the more the night progressed, the more Piper watched her and her son relax. It was a delight for her eyes to witness.

Even at dinner, after the four of them were seated in their private dinning area, Piper watched a sort of relaxation transformation come over Sidney like she'd never known. As they four of them chatted together and Troy called for a third bottle of wine, Piper felt Sid's hand slide over one of her thighs, immediately warming the skin beneath it.

"Did I mention I love you?" he whispered.

Piper looked down bashfully. "Crosby..."

"Hmm?" The fullness of his hazel eyes focused solely on her, as if she was the only one in the room. It was reminiscent of the way he looked at a puck: he knew how to handle her better than anyone, his hands more skilled on her than anyone's, his legs more powerful than anyone's as they moved together. She was putty in his hands; much softer than a puck, but still under his spell.

Piper glanced over and saw Trina and Troy talking about something, so she turned her attention fully back to Sid. His hand was caressing her thigh slowly, making it harder for her to control herself in front of four cameras surrounding them. "One too many glasses of wine?" Her whisper was followed by a soft giggle. "I know that look anywhere."

"Oh do you?" Sid's sideways grin grew larger. "Since when?"

"Since our very first kiss" Piper replied. "Or have you forgotten?"

He laughed. "How could I forget a life changing moment like that?"

Piper felt tingly all over. It wasn't just his hand or his smile or his eyes that did it, it was the honesty in his tone of voice. "Can I tell you something?" She didn't wait for an answer, because they'd been asking one another this since day one as well. "I think this is the first time I've seen you truly relax all night."

Sid nodded. He glanced around at the guys he knew well standing behind the tripods loaded with cameras and mics. He observed his mother and father's state of being as well; their body language speaking loudly that they were enjoying themselves. Maybe the wine had some play in it, but Sidney knew better. He was intoxicated by his love of Piper, his parents, his situation...the whole thing.

He looked at her, tenderness in his stare. "Remind me later tonight to tell you about a dream I had."

"Uh oh." She smirked. "Is it naughty?"

Sid reached for his glass with a sassy shake of his head. "Not even close."

"Boorrriing."

"Not even close to boring, either." He took a drink of the wine while keeping his eyes on Piper. The half-smirk, half-smile she wore never faded.

"You're such a tease."

"Pretty much."

Piper took her wine glass and sipped, mulling over what Sid might tell her later. Next to her, Troy and Trina both laughed at whatever they'd been discussing, and it made her smile.

"So what were you showing them earlier?" Sid asked, pulling her attention back.

"When?"

"Before we came here."

"Oh!" Piper laughed when it occurred to her what he was talking about. "Oh I was just showing your mother my quilt."

He smiled. "The one that used to be on your bed?"

"Mmm hmm." She took another drink of the wine, feeling its warmth spread south through her throat to her stomach. "They loved it. Did I ever tell you my mom made that?"

Sid cocked his head. "No. I didn't know that."

Piper smiled wide. "She did. She's great at sewing."

"Who knew April was so talented" he said with a knowing grin. "Well…besides me, anyway."

"You, huh. You know everything, don't you?"

Sid leaned in close and nodded. "I know a few things--"

"--Ahem."

They looked over to see Troy and Trina smiling at them. Troy's smile, to everyone's surprise, was large enough to take up most of his face. The hard lines were all but gone, and the strictness of his stare had all but evaporated.

"You two really are in love" he said.

Sid and Piper looked at one another. "Yeah."

Troy raised his glass. "It deserves a toast."

Piper's eyebrows rose. She saw Sid's do the same, and they both lifted their glasses high, along with Trina. She was gazing at her son with a knowledge that he shared with her: that this was a big moment for all of them, more than Piper may have known.

As Troy made a simple toast to his and Piper's happiness and the long road ahead in the hockey season upon them, Sid noticed the cameras that had been at a distance most of the night move in closer. Instead of focusing on that, he focused on Piper, on his parents and his dad's major move to toast to them as a couple.

That dream was nothing more than a dream he thought happily. It appears that I CAN have both hockey and love.

Troy finished the toast, and the four of them drank to happiness and luck in the coming months. When they finished, Sid and Piper kissed….and the cameras caught it all.

* * *

That night, long after Trina and Troy fell asleep in the guest bedroom down the hall, Piper and Sid lay awake together. They lay on their backs, Sid's right hand clasped in Piper's left hand, their fingers lazily entwined. He felt as though he was still buzzing from the entire day's events, his wine buzz not included in that factor.

"So what was this dream you wanted to tell me about?" Piper's voice was soft and sensual, mimicking what Sid considered her 'yoga voice'.

"You'll probably think I'm stupid or weird for telling you this, but after tonight, I feel like I have to tell." He turned his head and looked at her. "So keep any judgements to yourself."

Piper shook her head and smiled. "Whateverrrr….just tell me." She watched as Sid turned on his side, propping one hand up to support his head. Her eyes fell to his broad chest, the cut of his muscles, the bicep that bulged just from propping up his head. It was a pleasant distraction, but she did her damnedest to pay attention to Sid's story and not his bodily perfection.

"I had this dream twice, believe it or not" he began. "One time over the summer, then again a month or so ago. You were in it."

She smiled. "Good start to this dream" she joked.

"It wasn't all good, though" Sid said, eyes lowering to the soft rise of Piper's breasts beneath her camisole. They traveled up her bare neck and up to the gentle features of her face as she gave him her full attention. "The reason why I wanted to tell you about this tonight is because you were actually dressed in a white suit in my dream, similar to the one you surprised me with wearing tonight."

"Really?" Her face changed just slightly. "That's….weird."

"Just a coincidence." Sid said this to convince her as much as he had to convince himself. "Mario was there too. We were at the arena, and I was on the ice in full uniform while you two sat together, watching me."

Piper saw Sidney's eyes darken when they looked at her again. "What were we doing there?"

Sid shrugged one shoulder. "Not sure, really. Not even now. You were the only ones there in the stands, and Mario had a bright red suit on. You were happy, he was angry. I tried to talk to you, but neither of you spoke." Except Mario did eventually, he thought, but he left that detail out. "I think I was worried about losing you."

"Losing me?" When Piper heard this, she turned on her side to face him, a hand caressing the side of his face. "You know you won't lose me, Sid."

"I know that now" he said seriously. "I didn't then. Before all this." It felt silly to talk about, but it also felt freeing to tell her about this. The way she looked at him then, with all the care and concern in her eyes, Sid knew he'd feel better talking about this finally. "I think it was a sign of some sort…if you believe in that sort of thing."

"Dreams are powerful" Piper replied. "Truly. I believe they are windows into parts of our soul we aren't always brave enough to approach in the waking life."

Sid smiled. "That sounds so deep."

"I'm a deep kind of gal" she answered with a smirk. "So what was this window looking in on for you?"

He considered this for a moment. "I think it was on all my fears of having everything I've ever wanted." His eyes settled on hers. "Love and hockey."

Piper smiled. "I could've told you that and saved you some trouble."

"I bet" he said with a laugh. "I always have to do things the hard way."

"You do love a good challenge."

Sid smiled. "I think now….maybe it was just a random dream after all. Maybe not a window, but a door."

"A door." She nodded, feeling proud of that answer. "I like that."

"Me too." He leaned in and kissed her, and this time it wasn't the innocent, comfortable kind of kiss he'd given her earlier that night. "It opened…and I got you."

Piper exhaled happily, especially when she felt Sidney's petal-soft lips on hers. His strength in the kiss was a contrast to the pillowy lips that moved with hers, showing her exactly how he felt without any words at all.

"You won't lose me, Sid" she whispered.

He kissed her again. "I know that now." He ran his fingers through a strand of her hair, realizing just how wrong his dreams had been and how silly his fears had been. "Thank you."

"For what?" Piper watched the love return to his gaze when he looked at her.

"For showing me what it's like to really live."

* * *

Across town, Ali and James lay awake in bed as well. James lay on his back, his arm cradling Ali against his chest as his hand played with her hair. Outside the cold November wind blew, rattling the bare limbs of adjacent trees, scraping against the side of the house. They lay silently together, listening to the sounds outside as their minds replayed the day's excitement. They hadn't spoken much since they climbed into bed because of this, but James was content with running his fingers through Ali's long hair, the strands like silk sliding through his hands. He was addicted to the sensation, feeling her breath on his chest, her hair in his hands, and having the knowledge that she was all his.

Despite the comfort and serenity of the moment, James was feeling guilty. He felt guilty all day and all evening because in the back of his mind, he knew he'd told Steven about Ali's pregnancy when he promised he wouldn't tell anyone before they told his parents today.

Next to him, Ali lay thinking the very same thing. She felt bad she'd had a weak moment in an emotional whirlwind of hormones the night Piper visited her. She wondered if maybe she should just tell James. Surely he would know Piper could be trusted, and wouldn't tell Sid or anyone until she was told she could.

"Babe?" She shifted her eyes upwards from his chest to his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"Please don't be mad at me…."

James stopped playing with her hair. "What? What's wrong?" He watched as Ali sat up a little and face him.

"I did something bad."

A smirk played over his face. "Something bad, eh. That could be anything."

His joke relaxed her a little. "Shut up, I'm being serious."

"Okay, tell me." James folded his hands together and rested them on his bare stomach, showing he was in full listening mode.

"Um….okay, well….." Ali chewed her lip. "Remember when we said we wouldn't tell anyone about the pregnancy until we told our parents?"

James' heart flew into his throat. "Yes?"

"Well….I kinda told---"

"--ME TOO."

Ali blinked. "Huh?"

"I told Stamkos." James winced. "I'm sorry."

Ali laughed. "Really? Because I told Piper!"

"What!?!?"

James and Ali stared at one another.

"We both told!?" they said simultaneously.

Ali fell back against the pillows and laughed at the same time James began to crack up.

"We both told!" he repeated, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he looked at her.

They began to absorb the information silently, but then Ali's mouth dropped open. "Wait - you told STAMKOS?"

"At least he's in Florida and isn't sleeping with the enemy across the town!" James refuted.

Ali laughed. "Sid isn't the enemy! BESIDES - Piper would never tell him! You know that."

"Uh huh. Surrreee."

"She wouldn't!" Ali punched him in the shoulder. "Unlike Steven, who probably told half his team."

"Stammer's better than that - he's such a chick when it comes to stuff like this" James chirped. "He got all soft and thoughtful when I told him."

"Awwwww. Really?" Ali made a happy face. "That's so cute! You two should really date sometime---"

"--Hey!" James tapped his finger on her nose. "Save it."

They both started to laugh again, thinking about how ridiculous of a moment it was they were currently sharing. James' eyes were still very joyous looking, and Ali felt nothing but relief that they'd both admitted they were too excited to hold it in.

"So you're not mad at me?" James asked her, his hand returning to her dark hair.

"No." She scratched at the short beard about his mouth, tickling him enough that he scrunched his nose. "You're not mad at me?"

"You're carrying our child in that sexy body of yours" James replied. He pulled her face gently towards his so he could kiss her. "How could I be mad?"

Ali smiled. "I love you."

"Ditto, babe."

"I'm totally texting Stammer tomorrow."

James laughed. "Too late - I already texted him after we told my parents." He continued laughing when he saw the look of shock on Ali's face. "Still not mad at me?"

Ali pushed him away from her playfully. "You two are such bros."

"I told my sister too."

She gasped. "James!"

"What!?!?" He cupped her face and drug her mouth to his once more, winning her over with his kisses. "C'mon, I know you told Brittany and Becky." He lifted one of his eyebrows. "Am I riiiiiight?"

Ali didn't want to admit it, but he was dead on. "That doesn't matter---"

"--Ah ha!"

She silenced his glee with her mouth this time, slipping her tongue past his lips to brush against his. James was still laughing softly against her as they kissed, which caused Ali to laugh all over again.

* * *

Notes