We Are Here and Now

"Relax," Sid whispered as he came up behind his girlfriend. CiCi had been a ball of nerves all day, and now as her premiere show was winding down, Sid could tell she was just as nervous as ever.

"I'm trying, but I can't help to think something bad is going to happen," CiCi said without turning around. She watched as guests flittered between displays. It was the first chance she got to be alone and just take in the entire event, and she was grateful for the private moment with Sidney. She leaned back against his sturdy frame as he wrapped a protective arm around her waist.

"Your paintings are selling you know," he said as he brushed his lips against her shoulder. "You were worried they wouldn't."

"Our parents buying two each doesn't count. Or you buying the one, jerk."

"I'm just trying to support a local, struggling artist."

"I'm buying a new coffee pot with that money. The one in the house sucks."

"It works just fine."

"It doesn't brew strong coffee. I think it's broken."

"It's brand new."

"It sucks. I want a coffee pot with a name I can pronounce. Mr. Coffee will do just fine." She could feel Sidney shaking with silent laughter.

"You're too much."

"I'm a struggling artist, the money I have will only afford me a pot that is under 30 bucks. Not your high end, mispronounced brewing system."

"Ci," Sid turned her around to face him.

"What?"

"You need to calm down babe. Want to sneak off somewhere and I can get you to calm down?" He asked as he leaned down to her ear. He nipped at her lobe eliciting a soft moan from her lips. She opened her eyes and noticed a set of eyes on their intimate moment. And the person approaching, about to end the quiet time with her boyfriend.

"Not now. Maybe later." She stood up straight and watched as the woman moved closer in order to speak.

"Miss Barsi! Would it be alright to take your photo with Sidney?" She was a reporter and photographer for the Post Gazette. She looked at Sid, who had stepped back from CiCi when they heard the young woman approach.

"Please, tonight is all about my extremely talented girlfriend." Sidney didn't want the paper to turn this event on how he was there when they should be showcasing CiCi's art.

"Oh, I know sir! Would it be possible to quote you on that though?" She was scribbling furiously on a little notepad.

"Sure," Sid shrugged. The reporter looked up after a moment and smiled at the pair standing in front of her.

"Anything else?" Sid asked.

"The picture?" She asked with a smile.

"Oh! Right. Come over here Sid." CiCi wrapped her arm around Sid's waist and felt him do the same.

"Alright, just lovely you two! Smile!" And Sid actually smiled. CiCi glanced at him and couldn't help but relax against him a little. She could see the pride on his face as he smiled broadly for the camera. He rarely did so for any other event she felt. He always put up a shield that the media couldn't seem to crack.

"Miss Barsi?" The reporter called as she adjusted her camera.

"Oh, sorry!" She turned her focus on the camera and beamed next to her doting boyfriend.

"Perfect! Thanks you two. You make one good looking couple!" The reporter said as she walked away.

"Well that was painless," CiCi said as she looked up at Sidney. He had a concerned look on his face, however, and he wasn't trying to hide it from CiCi. "What's wrong?"

"The detectives are here." Sidney pointed towards the front of the building where Detective Griffin stood with his partner, Greg McKenzie, speaking quietly with Troy and Joseph. Sidney gripped CiCi's hand in his and led her through the unknowing crowd of guests towards their fathers.

"Detective," Sidney greeted and outstretched his hand for a shake. Troy and Joseph stepped back to let their children in on the conversation.

"Mr. Crosby, Miss Barsi. We are sorry to intrude on your night," Griffin started.

"It's fine. What can you tell us?" CiCi said.

"Well, we searched his house and vehicle, miss, but found nothing. He was very cooperative with us. We searched his phone records and there is nothing showing that he texted you those messages."

"WHAT?" Sidney yelled, causing CiCi to jump and those standing close by take notice of the conversation. "Sorry," he said softly, "But she had evidence on her phone."

"I realize that sir. We did some digging and found that his phone has been hijacked."

"What does that mean?" Sid asked.

"It means that an outside source tapped into his phone, and not only has been harassing him and stole his identity, the source also got his contacts."

"But the texts were coming from him!" Sid interjected.

"There are ways to make it look like a text you receive is from someone else. For instance I could text you, Sidney, but having Cesira's information stored in my phone, I can make it appear as though she is texting you."

"This is fucked up," Sid said shaking his head. CiCi remained quiet throughout the entire exchange, and only leaned on Sidney more as she absorbed the information from the detective.

"We have reason to suspect that the person responsible for this could potentially be someone that both you and Mr. Harris interact with on a daily basis. Possibly another colleague or, and this may be surprising, a student. But we want you to know that because of this, we have no warrant for a restraining order."

"So you mean to tell me that this man we suspected to be threatening my fiancé isn't the right person after all? And that the person who is at fault is still out there and you have no idea who it is?"

"Mr. Crosby, sir, we are working on finding out who it may be. We don't have all the resources locally and needed to call upon other area departments for help. We will catch this person."

"Sid, it's fine. They are updating us. They didn't want to leave us out of the loop. They are doing everything they can," Trina stepped in to calm her son down. CiCi noticed her own mother close by now.

"I just don't like knowing that there is some creep out there wanting to hurt CiCi!"

"We are all in the same position son. We don't want anything to happen to her or anyone else for that matter." Just then a call come through their radios and the detectives excused themselves informing the pair that they would be in touch. CiCi watched their retreating forms as Sid was fuming next to her. She didn't hear what their parents were discussing with him, she just knew that there was still someone out there threatening to hurt her.

"Did he say fiancé?" Julia stage whispered from behind CiCi. Her three friends had migrated towards the small scene when they heard Sidney yell and remained behind the small family as the commotion died down.

"Did we miss something?" Caroline asked. They watched CiCi shake her head from side to side and turn to face them.

"Just that some psycho wants to molest me via text and the cops don't know who it is."

"But?"

"We aren't engaged. He said that to emphasize how we aren't just some silly relationship."

"Please, at 27 I wouldn't view any relationship as silly," Maria said and stretched her arms out towards her friend, "I give the best hugs. Don't deny it."

CiCi cracked a smile and fell into her friend's embrace while Julia and Caroline joined in. "You girls are the best. I'm sorry I've been so moody."

"You're fine. I think there is someone who wants in on this hug fest though," Maria said when she noticed Sidney watching the group of girls. "Get that booty in here Sid!"

Sid couldn't help but shake is head and bite back a laugh. He refrained from jumping in as Maria had encouraged, choosing, instead, to watch as CiCi's friends comforted her. Many of the guests had left by this point, and the only people remaining were CiCi's friends, the Crosby's, and CiCi's parents.

"You alright?" Tom asked Sidney. He and Derrick were standing close enough to get his attention, but they were both still in awe of having Sidney around their group still. So they stayed back enough until Sidney was comfortable with them, and he appreciated their tentativeness. Sidney came close to the other guys and gave an appreciative smile.

"Yeah."

"Mo filled me in on the details. This is crazy," Derrick explained.

"It is." Sid moved closer to chat with the guys.

"Is there anything we can do? I mean this isn't the most ideal thing to be happening right now for either of you," Derrick said.

Sid considered this, and without hesitation asked, "When I'm on road trips I don't want Ci to be alone. She is going to her parents' house Wednesday, but for future ones, you know?"

"Absolutely, she is welcome to come stay with us." Tom nodded in agreement with Derrick's statement.

"I don't know what she is going to want to do about her job. Yesterday in the midst of this I talked her into quitting. But I was pissed thinking we knew the person sending these threats."

"I'm resigning tomorrow!" CiCi piped in. She and the girls had been eavesdropping the entire time.

"Babe, you don't have to." The three guys turned and put their focus on the girls.

"I'm not going back there. I don't want to put myself in a position where this freak could attack me. And we don't even know who that is now." CiCi emphasized this by continually shaking her head at Sid.

"I don't want you to feel like you should because of what I said to you last night," Sid explained.

"What did you say to her last night?" Diane asked as the parents joined in to their conversation with their friends.

"Sid, even if you didn't, I'd still be ready to leave after all of this."

"Which you were willing to blow off yesterday afternoon," Maria piped in.

"I know! I didn't want to believe that this is bigger than a few texts."

"Well now you do," Julia said.

"Yeah." She was watching Sidney as she said this. "You're okay with me quitting?"

"I'll support any decision you make, you know that."

"Mom, dad?"

"You didn't go to college to just settle on teaching anyways. It helped you to get here, but it's not your calling." Joseph winked at his daughter, letting her know that he supported her.

"I didn't think so either. But what are you going to do for money?" Diane asked, concern evident on her features.

"I've got plenty saved right now and if I can actually promote my art then in the end, money won't always be an issue." CiCi looked over at Sid as if to tell him to keep his mouth shut.

"I'll be helping if need be too Diane. But your daughter is stubborn about asking for help."

"But if you guys are getting married then there shouldn't be an issue."

"You just said you weren't getting married!"

"We aren't engaged. He hasn't asked me."

"Yeah, but you two are so serious. It's only a matter of time," Caroline said which set off the entire group into uproarious conversation. All about potential weddings, and babies and making CiCi furious.

"Stop!" She shouted over the commotion, shocking everyone into silence. "We're not engaged, we aren't getting married! I'd rather get through tonight and find the asshole harassing me. So let's just stop talking about weddings!"

She stormed off towards the office where the gallery manager was preparing to close, grabbed her shoulder bag and proceeded out the door.

*****
"I have no idea," Sid kept saying when their family or the girls would ask what CiCi's reaction was all about. "Just, go on to the restaurant, guys. If we make it there, we make it there. Don't wait to order for us. I have an idea as to where Ci went."

Sidney walked away without looking back with his only concern being to find CiCi and talk. He hadn't expected her to react the way she had to the conversation about marriage. He himself wasn't piping in, but that was because he was watching with concern on his face as his girlfriend went from worried about leaving her job to almost scared over the thought of being married.

His suspicions led him to the steps of her old gallery, where she sat staring at her feet hunched over her knees. She didn't move when he got closer and called her name, and it wasn't until she could see his shoes in front of hers that she did.

"Doors are locked and I don't have a key anymore." Sid studied the front of the building that he knew she absolutely loved, and left in order to pursue her own art career.

"Babe, what happened back there?" Sid asked after a very pregnant pause.

"I don't know, I freaked out when everyone was talking about how wonderful it would be if we got married."

"I gathered that. Why though? I thought that is what you want?"

"It is, but..." She trailed off.

"But what?"

"Don't take this the wrong way."

"I'll try not to."

"If I quit my job and we get married then I feel like I am going to be settling."

"Settling? I would like to think I am a pretty damn good catch."

"That's not what I mean. And you know it. I mean, I quit yet another job. I have no career pursuits, I'll be bumming off of you and following you around."

"Not literally following me around."

"Sidney, stop!"

"What? I thought you wanted to get married Ci. Now you sound as if that won't make you happy."

"Do you want to get married?" She asked.

"I want to do whatever will make you happy."

CiCi shook her head and turned away, "That's a no."

Sid sighed, exasperated, "What do you want me to say? Yes, I want to marry you! You know I do. I'll marry you right now if I could!"

"You getting worked up isn't helping me grasp the idea of losing control of my future and letting you take the reigns." She placed her head back on her knees and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Why? Because I have money? It will let you figure out what you want to do. It will let you travel with me. It will let you be a mother to our future children when I am traveling with the team. I want to do these things with you. I want all of that. And I thought you did too."

"So did I."

"So now you aren't so sure?" Sid asked, scared to hear the answer.

"Let's go home Sid. I'm tired and I need our parents to help me pack up my stuff tomorrow."

"Babe, you didn't answer me."

"I'm sure I want to go home and take everything one day at a time."

"But you can't see us married with a family all of a sudden?"

"I want to put this mess behind us with the phone shit." She pulled her phone out, stood and handed it over for Sid to see.

"When did you get these ones?"

"During the show. Ten new ones, and all telling me I made a huge mistake going to the police."

"This is out of control." Sid read through the texts again, wondering if CiCi's own phone was safe now. He made a mental note to call the police station to report the texts before he left for morning skate tomorrow.

CiCi sat back down on the steps and sighed. "It was so much simpler before."

"Before what? Before us?"

"Before I had to become an adult." She paused, gathered her thoughts and decided that now was as good a time as any, "I am beginning to think something and I don't want you to get upset."

"What?" Sid ask quietly.

"That I am being targeted because I am Sidney Crosby's girlfriend."

"I'm not that famous."

"Babe, you don't even know. I've trolled the Internet. I've seen how psychotic girls can be about you."

"Yeah, online. And didn't you promise me two years ago that you wouldn't search me on the interwebs?" She ignored his attempt at amusing her and continued.

"People have the power to destroy others through the Internet and now through others' phones."

"Ci, if for one second I ever felt that you weren't safe being with me then I wouldn't have pursued you."

"I just see why you were so closed off and gave me a fake name back when. It was easier when you were Patrick."

"I was Patrick to you for about five hours."

"I had no idea who you were."

"You didn't know who I was for the first four months of our relationship, but you knew I was a professional athlete."

"Sid, please."

"Why are you scared Cesira? Huh? It's not like I'm being trolled by photographers. It's not like I live a life so scandalous that it's going to make national headlines. I'm with you because I'm am so completely in love with you and I can't imagine living this life without you. Hell, I don't want to remember my life before you."

"Your life was pretty amazing before me."

"Professionally, yeah. But I didn't have a person until you."

CiCi was finding it difficult to remember why she freaked out and left Space or why she would even consider that the texts were because of Sidney. Aside from his declaration at the NHL awards the previous year, they maintained a very low key relationship. And while there were young girls obsessed with his good looks, never did she see anything negative about her or their relationship. She was chalking all of this up to being stressed and hormonal and feeling sorry for herself. She patted the step next to her for Sidney to sit down and when he did he sat flush against her side.

"You know you just made me unbelievably mad." Sid nudged CiCi with his shoulder.

"I know. I'm sorry." Her head fell against him and he could smell the fruity scent of her shampoo.

"I thought you were trying to break up." He hated that thought, they tried being separated before. It did not work out so well.

"I know."

"Were you?"

"No. I'm an emotional roller coaster right now." She bit back tears as she said this. She didn't want him to be mad. But she knew he had reasons to be. She had been acting crazy for weeks now.

Sidney threw his arm around her, "Well, I'm not mad anymore."

"Thanks."

"I have something for you."

CiC sat up when he went digging around in his jeans pocket.

"What do you have there?" Her heart was racing. She knew this was it.

"It's something I've been wanting to give you since last summer, but timing was never right. But now I feel like the timing is exactly right."

"Sid," CiCi whined fighting back the urge to laugh, and scream and cry all at the same time. But it wasn't a ring box and then she felt slightly disappointed.

"Open it," he urged when he handed her the long, thin box. Inside was a silver chain and a small charm shaped like a paint palette and brush. He studied her face as she looked at the dainty piece of jewelry. "You don't like it. I saved it for tonight on purpose."

"No! I...I love it. It's beautiful. Thank you," she smiled and lifted the necklace from the box. "Put it on me?"

He agreed and turned to sit behind her, and as he finished clasping the necklace around her neck, he leaned down, kissed right behind her ear and whispered, "You honestly think I was going to propose like this? Right after a disagreement? Give me some credit Barsi."

And she groaned and fell against his chest, feeling his laughter rush through her. "Are you hungry?" She asked.

"Just for you. In nothing but that necklace," he mumbled against her hair.

She shifted to stand, studied him from his spot on the top step and said, "Then take me home."

Notes

I could have finished this story, I kept wanting to write! Hope this will satisfy all you lovely readers!