Reunited

It had been a month since Sidney and the Pittsburgh Penguins had blown a 3-1 lead against the Rangers, and it still stung. Sidney had worked hard all season and having Shea on his arm was a plus, a plus that he thought would help him get a Stanley Cup. But they walked away with their heads down, upset and not knowing what the 2014-2015 season would bring.

Shea had been with Sidney since the beginning of the season. More than six months, and the hardest six months she’d conquered in a long while. With Sidney travelling all the time it was hard for her to really learn about him, and the person he had become in the four years they hadn’t seen each other, but he was willing. And despite rumors that he was incredibly crazy during the season regarding his personal life, he proved Shea wrong. He would constantly bring home flowers and make sure she made the right choice in giving up the job in London, for the job in Pittsburgh. In all honesty Shea loved her job, and coming home to Sidney, when he was home, made her love it even more. Her students loved the guidance she gave and everyone had taken to her kindly.

Shea would be in the stands at every home game, sometimes in the WAG box and other times in the teams section near the glass. She had brought Kelsey to a few games when she came to visit. Her brothers had come once or twice and God knows her sister was there almost every week to "make sure the team did't forget her." It was different, or at least Sidney was different regarding the way he was after losses and during training, that what Shea was used to. Normally just a few compliments would get Sidney to let go of a loss when they were teenagers but now it takes much more. Some silence, depending on the team, otherwise some sex and a few runs together, along with the compliments that Sidney had loved so much were the things that it took. And didn't mind giving them, at least not the sex.

Trina and Troy had been down a few times. Each time they secretly thank God that Shea is still standing in the hurricane they call Sidney Crosby and the National Hockey League. They would sit with Shea at games and smile to themselves when she would cheer loudly, drawing a few wondering eyes, but cheers that made Trina and Troy proud to call her their almost daughter-in-law, or at least they hoped.

Sidney had been thinking about it for quite some time. In all honesty he had been thinking about it since Shea had moved to Pittsburgh, more than six months ago. He had gotten his Great-Grandmothers ring from Trina, who raved for ten minutes about how excited she was, only to yell for another ten minutes when Sidney said he probably wouldn't be proposing to Shea for a while. Then Taylor was added into the conversation, on Trina's side since she had always wanted a sister. But the absolute worst was when Troy was brought up to date and he actually smiled and told Sidney to propose. Needless to say Sidney was very rattled, and honestly was close to going upstairs and proposing to Shea while she was taking her shower, just to make his father proud.

But here they were back in Cole Harbour, visiting both of their parents and friends, and standing on the ice where Sidney had started to really skate, and where he had met Shea.

"We met here," Sidney says as he walks to the center of the ice.

Shea was confused why Sidney would take her here, especially onto the ice, "That we did, it seems like ages ago though." At that point Shea had caught up to Sidney, standing and looking out at the bleachers.

"I was standing here, during a face off, and you were sitting there," Sidney points to a seat in the bleachers and Shea smiles at the fond memory. "We were like fourteen or fifteen and the only thing I thought about was hockey, and then I looked up for a second to ask the ref a question and I saw you. Your hair was shorter," Sidney reaches out and touches Shea's hair, "and I could barely see your freckles then, but they became my favorite part about you. I remember no longer standing over the puck, or even thinking about the puck, I was just looking at you. This girl that I had gone to school with and met her parents on multiple occasions, but here you were in the flesh. As perfect as always, and there was only thought in my head, can you guess what it was?"

Shea chuckles, "Her hair is red?"

Sidney doesn't looked fazed, smiling slightly but then saying, "I'm going to marry her."

Shea gasps, not a loud one, more of a hitch in the throat and for a moment she doesn't know if she is imagining Sidney getting down one knee or not, but when she grabs one of her hands in her other she realizes that this is not a dream, and oddly enough it is very familiar.

"The second time I'm doing this which is wrong because it means that I gave up the first time and I let you give the ring back, but I don't think the first time was right for us. I've spent more than four years of my life with you and Shea, nothing, not even the being drafted to the NHL and raising a Stanley Cup above my head, could beat that. You are the very best of me and I want to wake up next to you everyday and come home to you every night, unless I have games," Shea chuckles, "But nonetheless, I don't want to experience life without you, ever again, and I want to see my last name on your back at games when you wear my jerseys and be able to smile and say to myself that's the love of my life's last name. So Shea, my beautiful Shea, will you marry me?"

Shea was thankful that she hadn't worn makeup for this little outing because Sidney was blurry in her eyes from the tears, but nonetheless she said, "I don't want anything else."

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Sidney was sitting at the head of the dinner table in the parents dining room. Next to him was Shea and all around was both their families, the most important people in their lives. Shea and Sidney had gone home, the ring on Shea's left hand ring finger and immediately had been whisked away by their parents and siblings to hear the details. Shea, of course, was still crying, so Sidney told the story, leaving out what he had said to Shea to get her to marry him, leaving those memories for themselves, and one day their kids.

And Sidney was looking out at all the people that were important in his life, minus his teammates and Mario, and he was smiling, as they were discussing wedding details and memories of Shea and Sidney from when they first started dating. Sidney looks to his left and sees Shea, smiling slightly but still going over the fact that she's marrying the love of her life, and when she looks back at Sidney she's smiling, ear to ear, too. A smile that he'll get to see everyday for the rest of his life.

Notes

I honestly don't know if people are still reading this but I thought I would finish it out because it deserved closure. I don't know if I'm going to give Shea and Sidney a sequel but you guys are happy to make your own. Whether or not they truly get married and have a happily ever after is up to you, but if you wanted to know in my mind they do and they have like a billion kids because a billion Sidney Crosby's would be solid. Anyways, thanks for sticking with me on the story.

xoxxo