"Come on Hawks!" Emma shouted happily. She eagerly stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth, causing all of us to giggle.

"Jesus Christ Emma, slow down, eh?" Abby laughed, taking a sip of her wine. It was the fourth last game until the end of the season, and the Hawks were playing the Red Wings. It didn't matter how they fared in the game; they had already won their spot in the playoffs. Right now, they battled with the LA Kings who were as of last night, just one point ahead of them in the Western Conference. With a win tonight, they would regain first place in the conference, and guaranteed home ice advantage.

Sarah, Emma, Sydney, Kelly, Gabrielle, Abby and I all sat in our respective jerseys, cheering on our team. Gabrielle had arrived earlier that week, just as Jon's parents had departed to head back home, the other two children waiting at home for them.

At first, she was a little quiet, and very unsure of herself. But after a heart to heart conversation, we managed to get her talking and feeling at home.




"Welcome home, Gabrielle" Addison smiled to her niece. Gabrielle stood awkwardly hanging her head low. The drive to the house had been a long awkward drive, not a single word being uttered the whole drive. Gabrielle felt intrusive, and unsure she was wanted in the house.

Her parents were idiots; she wasn't afraid to admit that to anyone. Her dad was a drug dealer, her mom secretly cheating on him with every guy in town. Gabby kept her silence, for fear of what discipline awaited her. She sought out her Aunt Addison and Uncle Jon for a taste of normal family life. She was a diehard Hawks fan, having a number 19 jersey and watching every game she could manage.

She spoke to Addison occasionally on the phone, their conversations brief yet left Gabrielle feeling loved; something her parents were definitely not good at or known for. She would miss her siblings, but moving in with her Aunt and Uncle was much more favourable than, what she had always considered as, her grand parents.

"Ryder!" The sound of the motherly voice broke her from her thoughts. A toddler came running towards her Aunt at full speed, stopping only to be hugged by his mother. Gabrielle smiled, feeling even worse about her situation; her parents never hugged her; Ryder was already lucky, in her eyes.

"Meet your cousins, Ryder, and Aveyah" Jon came into view, holding a giggling Aveyah in his arms.

"Hi" Ryder giggled, sticking out his hand from his mother's grasp. Gabrielle smiled, taking his hand gently in hers and giving it a firm shake. The smile couldn't been taken off his face; he was one happy kid.
"Mommy she's pretty" Ryder turned to his mother and whispered just loud enough for Gabrielle to hear. She blushed at his words, immediately feeling a little less tense.

"I know she is, sweetheart. This is Gabrielle" Addison's smile was contagious. Gabrielle nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. Setting Ryder down, he immediately walked up to Gabrielle and hugged her legs. "I think he likes you" her Aunt chuckled, making her way into the living room.

The further she walked into the house, the more amazed she was. The house was huge; pictures of family and friends scattered every where she seemed to look. The TV that hung over the fireplace caused her jaw to drop slightly; it would be perfect for watching the hockey games.

"Hungry?" Jon asked, walking slowly towards her. She had heard about his accident, and felt honoured to be standing in his presence while he was walking. She shook her head no, anxious to find out where she would be staying.

"Do you want to bring your stuff to your room?" Addison asked, as if reading her mind. Gabrielle nodded eagerly, picking up the small suitcase she had brought with her. Her parents didn't have much money, so she didn't have much. She walked slowly up the stairs, taking in the size of the massive house as she went. "In here, I hope it's okay" Addison looked nervous when she opened the door to show her niece her new room.

Gabrielle's jaw dropped when she stepped inside. She felt herself get a little tears eyed the more she looked. There was a double bed, a gorgeous pink comforter and six pillows covering the top. She had a desk, a laptop set up presumably for her homework. She had a small chair in the corner, a bookshelf full of books, and a lap for reading. In her closet, she noticed a few new outfits, just her size. She turned to her Aunt, at a complete loss for words. Nobody had cared enough about her to do anything like this; ever.

"Do you like it? I wasn't sure if you'd-" Gabrielle cut her Aunt off with a big hug, which was returned without a second thought.

"Aunt Addie it's perfect" Gabrielle finally pulled away, wiping at her tears.

"I'm glad you like it" Addison sighed with relief, putting her hand over her heart. She had worked tirelessly since finding out her niece was coming to stay with her. She spoke to her on occasion over the phone, but wasn't sure how she would be in person; she never really spent too much time with her.

"Nobody has done anything so nice for me... Ever" Gabrielle trailed off, taking a seat on her bed. Addison frowned, taking a seat next to her niece. She slung an arm around her, pulling her in close.

"I'm sorry about my brother..." Addison found herself apologizing.

"It's not your fault" Gabrielle interrupted her immediately. "Can I tell you something?"

Addison looked at Gabrielle curiously, nodding for her to continue.

"I've never felt so loved" she looked up at Addison and smiled brightly. "You have no idea what it means to me that you and uncle Jon took me in" she added thoughtfully.

"Of course Gabrielle, we love you" Addison felt intense anger towards her brother In that moment.

"I love you guys too" she hugged her Aunt tightly. "Oh, and you can call me Gabby"



"Awh, what a stupid call!" Gabby yelled out in frustration.

"You got that right" Sydney rolled her eyes, reaching over to growing belly to grab her water.

"Congratulations, by the way" Gabby pointed to Sydney's growing figure. Sydney smiled, rubbing her belly as she often did.

"Thanks Gabby; in a few months I'll be the proud mother of two bundles of joy" Sydney beamed.

"Did you find out the sex?" Gabby asked curiously, taking some of the popcorn into her hand. Sydney was taking a sip of her water, so she shook her head no.

"Corey wasn't home when I could have first found out... So I decided to wait for the moment" Sydney grinned. "And besides, your Aunt over here has baby stuff for both genders, I'm all set" she giggled, and we all laughed with her. I was happy the girls were taking a quick liking to Gabby; it made her feel more at home, it was easy to tell.

"Oh shit" Abby murmured, her eyes focused heavily on the TV screen. After Kane had gotten the original penalty for hooking (which was questionable at best), Seabrook was off for interference, leaving the Wings with a two man advantage for over a minute.

"This is where they need Uncle Jon" Gabby spoke, her eyes intently focused as Patrick Sharp got ready to take the draw. The team was in Detroit, and so was Jon. Since his walking had significantly improved, Emma said it was okay for him to travel with the team, provided the medical staff kept their eyes on him closely. He was more than thrilled he was able to travel with them. For me, it meant he was one step closer to making his great return.

"He's making great progress, you know" Emma piped up, not taking her eyes off the screen. The Hawks had managed to throw the puck down the ice, killing off thirty seconds with ease. The Wings cycled the puck in the zone, the seconds of the two man advantage ticking down. We cheered in our seats when the first penalty was killed off, Kane returning to the ice.

On a great turnover, Keith got the puck to Kaner, who was shot down the ice on a clear cut breakaway. He made it look incredibly easy, as he often did, shooting the puck top glove side, right past the Wings net minder. We all leaped up in our seats, sending high fives around the room. The Hawks were now 2-1, with five minutes remaining in the final frame.

"Fuck yeah!" Emma shouted, fist pumping. "It turns me on when he scores" she whispered just loud enough for all of us to hear. Gabby wrinkled her nose, whilst the rest of us laughed. Their first date had gone spectacular, according to Emma. He was a real gentleman, paying for the meal, holding the doors for her, giving her his jacket when it got cold... the whole nine yards. I still felt a little jealously in the pit of my stomach, but tried to pass it off as nothing; it was simply weird seeing Patrick date someone again.

"You two are something else" Sarah laughed, rolling her eyes. Emma shrugged, blushing a little. "But before all that started, Emma is right, Addie. If he keeps up progress like he's been doing, he might actually make it to training camp" Emma nodded in agreement.

"I don't understand it; it's probably a medical mystery to me, honestly" Emma piped up, finally tearing her gaze from the TV as it went to a commercial break. "He's got walking down pat. When he gets back, we'll work on some basic work outs, before he's allowed to begin conditioning"

"That comeback might happen sooner than you think" Kelly laughed, holding up her wine.

"And this game is ours!" Emma shouted, the final seconds of the period ticking down. The Wings had the open cage, and despite the extra attacker, they weren't able to solve Crawford, whose playing kept getting better and better.

"Thanks for having us over" Kelly yawned, checking the time. It was a little after nine, but it felt so much later. I had put Ryder and Aveyah to bed during the second intermission, and felt my body go numb with exhaustion. Like we did when I first started dating him, I would wait up after each away game to hear from him, even for just a brief conversation.

"Anytime" I smiled, stretching and stifling a yawn.

By the time all the girls left, Gabby and I cleaned up a little and I settled into bed, it was almost eleven. Just as I snuggled into bed, my phone rang, Jon's ID lighting up. I found myself smiling, feeling like a giddy school girl.

"Hey babe" I greeted happily.

"Hey Addie" Jon greeted. Even though I couldn't see him, I could see the smile on his face. "Were you guys watching the game?"

"Yeah, I had the girls over, it was a good game!" I exclaimed, Happy the Hawks had surpassed the Kings to take first place in the Western Conference. "Did you enjoy being with the team?" I asked afterwords.

"Yeah, Pat and I are rooming together" he stated with excitement. I found myself smiling uncontrollably, happy he was able to get back to a little bit of normalcy in his otherwise hectic life. "But we're going out to celebrate the win, call you later?" He asked a little hesitantly.

"Have fun and be safe, I love you"

"Love you too"

Notes

Jon is travelling with the team! :)

thank you to all who read, comment, vote and subscribe. I love you all!! :)