Reunited

"So Sid you gonna have some people over to christen your new house?"

"No Neal."

"Oh come on Sidney. You bought a new house, you must do dirty things to it during it's first summer and I know lots of people who would love to help."

Sidney could hear shouts in the background during his conversation with Neal, most of the guys just agreed with James. He had stayed back in Pittsburgh for the summer to work out with a new trainer and some of the guys he normally hangs out with in Whitby during the summer were gonna join him.

Every guy Sidney had talked to during the summer had all said what James said, "Throw a huge party, become even more of a hero to your town!" or he got "We need a break from training and your new house is that break." Sidney was very close to giving in, it would be fun and since he was trying to do the whole "let loose and have fun" thing he thought what harm could it do. But then he thought of a bunch of horny professional, good looking hockey players corrupting his town and he couldn't say yes, and he couldn't risk the chance of one of them meeting Shea, that was where he drew the line.

"So are you gonna make twenty guys happy, I'm sure Cole Harbour's got some decent girls and better than average liquor, so whadda ya say?"

Sidney couldn't quite tell his mouth not to speak, "Sure." He could hear the cheers in the background and some chirps about meeting his parents and ex-girlfriends, little did they know Sidney was never going to let that happen.

"You won't regret this Sid. We'll see this weekend, and the liquor is on me," Sidney could the clapping and yelling get louder before Neal added,"only Sidney's liquor is on me, but sorry boys."

Sidney was already regretting saying yes.

It was after he hung up with James and his buddies that he started to realize that once kids left Cole Harbour for college they didn't often come back, so the only girls Sidney could provide his friends were either high schoolers, who were all too comfortable with giving up their bodies to hockey players. Or girls who actually sold their bodies for a living, but it wasn't like there were strip clubs or prostitutes hanging around Cole Harbour on the daily. Sidney was about to call Neal back and tell him he no pieces in his town when he remembered Shea, she must have some friends from college who like hockey.

And that way, Sidney thought, I can keep her around me the whole party, and not show her to any of the guys.

Sidney nodded his head to himself before grabbing his keys, hat, and heading out the door, towards Shea, where he often found himself always heading towards.

--------

Shea was sitting on her front porch, reading a new book and listening to the sound of her brothers arguing over some video game inside the house. Cole Harbour looked particularly pretty that night, the sun was just starting to set and although it probably looked prettier from that back of the house, but Shea was comfortable where she was, and wasn't about to subject herself to her parents questions about where she had been for all of yesterday.

It had been a day since Sidney had sort of taught her how to skate. The ride home they talked about everything they could talk about in ten minutes. From college, to the Stanley Cup, and Sidney's teammates. Shea had just asked Sid how he had proposed to Brooke when they pulled up to her house. She said that he was saved by the bell, but not off the hook, and then promptly got out of the car. She could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head, she didn't even know why she had asked him, but it had been on her mind all night. Shea was almost tempted to walk to Sidney's house, but she hadn't been to his new house and wasn't about to seem desperate and call him. After all, it was just a story.

She had thought that if she didn't ask about it he would think she's still pining over him and doesn't want him to marry her, but then again she wouldn't be the only one. More people had come up to Shea after meeting Brooke and had talked about how it should be Shea with the ring on her finger, little did they know.

Shea laughed to herself.

"You always laugh at nothing in particular?"

The voice had startled her, but not because she was surprised somebody was standing near the swinging bench she was sitting on, but she was more confused that she had just been thinking about Sidney and now there he was walking towards Shea, and sitting just inches from her.

"Do you always just show up randomly at peoples houses?"

"Okay okay touché," Sidney held up his hands, admitting surrender. Shea chuckled.

"Can I help you with anything in particular, Mr. Crosby?" Shea said closing her book and looking at Sidney. He looked comfortable, as if he could sit on that bench for years and years. This had always been their little spot. They would do homework, Sidney would read hockey memoirs to Shea, and they would just talk. A rocking swing, on Shea's front porch was where everything important to Shea in her relationship with Sidney had happened, and now with both of them sitting there again, four years later, Shea was feeling way too nostalgic.

"Lets say hypothetically I taught you how to skate--"

"But you didn't."

"Yeah I know, but lets say I did okay?" Shea nodded her head, "Wouldn't that mean you owe me a favor in return?"

Shea chuckled, "Hypothetically, yes." Sidney nodded his head, choosing his next words carefully. He didn't want it to come off like he wanted Shea at the party, more than he wanted his friends, but he also didn't want it to come off like he only cared about getting girls and getting drunk.

"So some of my buddies are coming into town to "christen" my new house," Shea nodded her, not knowing where this was going, "and since everybody who goes to college doesn't normally come back home to Cole Harbour in the summer, we would kind of be stuck with high school girls."

It all came to light.

"So you want me to invite some of my friends from college to Canada for the weekend, to lets say pleasure, your friends. That's what you're asking me, correct?"

Sidney looked sheepish, he know Shea would get a kick out of him asking this request from her, but it was either that, high schoolers, or call Brooke and tell her to fly back to Canada and bring her annoying friends. And since all of his buddies hated Brooke, more than his parents hated Brooke, he opted the last option would not end well. And since the second option would end up with all the guys in jail, he knew the best option was Shea.

He was half expecting Shea to be upset that he would ask her for friends to bang and leave, for his friends, of course. He was going to clear the skeptics of him needing one of Shea's friends, when she bursted out laughing.

And didn't stop.

"I can't….. believe….. you came…. and asked… me… for… fuck buddies…. for your… buddies."

Sidney couldn't understand any of what she was saying. Between every sentence she was laughing but he didn't mind, he actually loved it. It gave him a chance to look at Shea and enjoy the laugh he loved so much. But eventually she stopped laughing, and looked at Sidney expectantly.

"I want you to ask me the question, you're really trying to ask me."

Sidney grunted. Shea loved to watch him writhe in pain, "Shea, I need you to invite your friends to Cole Harbour for the weekend, just so my friends will have people to sleep with."

Shea looked satisfied, she also looked like she was going to start laughing again, but she held it in this time.

"Sidney Crosby, I would absolutely love to invite my friends here, just to sleep with your friends," Shea said sarcastically, but she actually meant it, she understood, God knows how many times she wanted to ask him for hot hockey playing men just so she could throw one hell of a party, "but I must warn that I have to tell them professional hockey players will be there, otherwise they don't think they'll get anything from it." Sidney nodded his head, understanding, he knew the only way girls would fly from California, and wherever else they were from, would be to bribe them. And most girls loved the "there are going to be hot, professional, rich, and very intoxicated hockey players there" bribe.

"So you think they would come this weekend?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't, but most of them will need a lot of alcohol to loosen up to the point of just getting with anybody, us girls do have dignities, despite what you horny boys think, but then again most of them will drop their panties for rich, attractive men, and it seems your friends fit the bill."

Sidney shook his head before getting up to go buy lots and lots of liquor, most of it would be for him just to be able to get through this weekend, "Thanks Shea." She half smiled, and half laughed at what Sidney was thanking her for, and nodded her head

The weather had dropped from the time Sidney had come over to the time he started to leave, so Shea got up as well, wrapping the blanket she had on her legs around her body. She heard the clunking of Sidney walking down her porch steps onto her driveway.

"Oh and Shea, do me a favor and stay in your house this weekend," Shea looked at Sidney questioningly, "I don't need anybody else realizing what I left behind."

Notes