Gabi pulled on the jersey she was wearing, a Staal jersey. Whit had given it to her when she got back from talking with Eric. She was afraid that it would send the wrong message to Eric, her wearing his jersey but she was hoping he’d remember their talk. She frowned as she put her hair up in a high ponytail. The only problem with everything was that she was still in love with Eric and nothing was going to change that. When she left that bathroom, she heard her phone start ringing. Gabi bit her lip and looked down at the caller-id and then decided not to answer it. It was Nathan again. He had called about six times in the last two hours. She was sure that he wanted to talk about what happened but there was no use talking about it. She wasn’t going to change her mind and he wasn’t going to be happy about that. It was better for the both of them that it ended where it did, because obviously they both wanted different things. Gabi sighed as Whit walked in from the bathroom, in a matching Eric Staal jersey.

“What are we all wearing the same jersey?” Gabi asked pulling on her jersey again.

Whitney smiled at her older sister, “Well, Linda and Henry thought it would be nice for Eric to know that we all support him.”

“Okay then,” Gabi said looking at herself in the mirror. “Still say I should wear a Ward jersey.”

Whit looked at Gabi with sad eyes, “Eric would be hurt the most by you not wearing his jersey and supporting him. He loves you.”

“Look Whit,” Gabi started with a sigh. “I will always love Eric, nothing will change that but I can’t just forget what happened, move on, and get back together with him. It just doesn’t work that way in real life. Too much has happened, too much has changed.”

Whit frowned, “If you still love him then the thing you need to make it work hasn’t changed. You love Eric and no one else will do.”

Before Gabi could reply her phone started ringing again. She sighed and walked out of the room to finally answer his call, “Nathan, I don’t want to talk.”

“We need too,” He said with a sigh.

Gabi took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip, “I don’t love you enough to marry you Nathan...”

“No,” Nathan said cutting her off from finishing her thought. “You don’t want to let go of the idea of Eric. You want him and I’m not him, that’s why you said no but Nikki, he doesn’t want you. You said that yourself. He broke up with you, left you, told you to move on and maybe that’s what you should do. You need to let go of him because maybe he was meant to lead you to me.”

She blinked away the tears that threatened to fall and took a calming breath, “Nate, you are a great guy but Eric’s it for me. I know that doesn’t make sense based on what I’ve told you but he’s the one I see myself marrying, having children and growing old with. He is my forever. I know you think that I’m it for you, but I’m not. I owe you a lot; you were there for me when I needed you. You taught me that even though I was broken, I could love someone again and you helped prove that I meant to be with Eric. I can’t marry you, I can’t be with you, I need to be with Eric like a fish needs to be in water, like a mammal needs air, or like a plant needs sunlight. I need him to survive; he’s my other half, the part that is missing from me. I would never be fully happy with you, I’m sorry.”

“You could be happy with me, you just have to let yourself,” Nathan said with determination. “I never wanted to let you go. He let you go.”

Gabi closed her eyes, “Nathan, I’m with Eric now. We are working on us. That’s why I haven’t answered. I didn’t want to have this conversation with you. You need to let me go and find your Eric.”

“You are my Eric,” He mumbled. “You just won’t let yourself be it.”

She took a deep breath and shook her head, “I’m not the one you’re meant to be with, Nate. You’ll see that one-day. I love you but I’m not in love with you. I’m truly sorry for everything. Have a great life, Nate, you deserve nothing but the best.”

Before he could answer, she hung up the phone and slid down the wall. How did she let this get so far? Why didn’t she end it with Nate before it got this far? She felt like a total bitch and she didn’t know what to do.

She felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to look up and wipe her tears, “Linda.”

“Are you alright honey?” Linda asked sitting down on the floor next to her.

Gabi rested her head on the top of her knees with a sigh, “I made a mess out of everything. While I was at Yale, I met a guy his name is Nathan. He made me smile and laugh and after what happened with Eric, I didn’t know if that was even possible anymore. I knew that I could never love him like I love Eric but I thought there was no harm in trying to love someone else, I thought Eric didn’t want me. About two weeks ago, he asked me to marry him, I couldn’t say yes because when he asked me, I tried to think of my future and I couldn’t see him in it. I saw Eric. I saw Eric and I getting married, having children and watching our grandchildren play each other in hockey on a rink in our backyard. So, I told him no. Obviously, he didn’t take that well, he knows about what happened. It was one of the first things I told him and he told me that I needed to let go of Eric because I’d never truly be happy until I did and that he could make me happy. I told him that it doesn’t matter if Eric wants me or not, I can’t see myself with anyone who isn’t Eric.”

“Oh Honey,” Linda said rubbing her back softly. “That first summer, after you two broke up, Eric was a mess. It was like part of him died when you didn’t come home. I’m not going to tell you about that summer because that’s Eric’s job, but Honey, there’s nothing more in this world that Eric wants more than he wants you back.”

Gabi looked at Linda with a questioning look, “Even the Cup?”

“If never winning the Cup meant having you for the rest of his life, he’d choose you,” Linda said with a smile. “He needs you, Honey, he just realized it a bit late.”

Gabi bit her bottom lip to stop a smile from spreading across her face, “I never stopped loving him. I don’t think I can.”

“And he never stopped loving you,” Linda said placing a kiss on her forehead. “Now, how about we get you cleaned up and head over to the arena to see our boy play in the Stanley Cup Finals.”

Gabi smiled and stood up, “You know I told him that I wouldn’t talk to him about fixing our relationship unless he won the Cup.”

“Then Eric will do everything in his power to lift that Cup up and get you back,” Linda said with a smile.
“And honestly, I’m glad you’re here. I know you might think, I hate you but Gabrielle, you and Whitney were always the daughters I never had and one day I know my boys will make both of you my daughters.”

Gabi blushed and looked away with a small smile, “I always wanted to be a Staal.”

“One day you will be,” Linda said kissing her cheek before turning to leave. “We leave in five, clean yourself up and meet us down stairs. Eric is going to be looking for you.”

Gabi nodded and waited for Linda to leave before taking damp washcloth and running it over her face wiping off her runny make-up and started clean. Once all of her make-up was off, she looked at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out what Eric saw. She sighed and started to reapply her make-up, all she knew was this was going to be a long series but most of all, Eric was going to bring the Cup home to Thunder Bay because they were meant to be and for them to be together, he had to win.