October 2013

Patrick slid the glass door open, stepping onto the balcony. He looked up and saw a brunette girl staring at him. He jumped a bit. She let out a huff with a smile on her face before she looked back out at the view. She was sitting on the railing with her hands holding onto the railing and her feet wrapped in the bars. She had a red, wool sweater on. Her hair was half-up, half-down with the up part braided.

"Uh, mind if I join you?" He asked. She shook her head. He climbed up beside her, sitting the same way she was. "I didn't see you inside?"

"I was hiding." She looked at him. "Serena." She extended one of her hands. He grabbed her hand and went to say who he was. "Patrick Kane, I know who you are." She rolled her eyes.

He chuckled a bit as they're hands separated. "Are you a fan?" She nodded at the question. "Not a fanatic, huh?"

She shook her head. "Oh, no, I am."

"Wow, normally big fans freak out when they see me." He said, in disbelief.

"I probably would have if I wouldn't drop to my death if I made the wrong move." She glanced down.

Patrick did too. He sighed, looking back at her. "I needed to get out of there, get some fresh air." His eyes drifted to the view of the city.

"I hear ya." She replied while staring off into the distance. "That, and I came to think about how much I hate my life." She shrugged.

"I know how that is." He agreed. She scoffed. He looked at her. "I'm serious!"

"Okay, Two-Time-Stanley-Cup-Winner-Olympic-Medalist." She laughed.

He shook his head. "That's all great accomplishments, but I'm still not the happiest with my life." He stated, looking down.

Serena looked at him. She could tell he meant what he had just said, and it broke her heart. "My sister keeps throwing parties for her stupid boyfriend and your stupid team and she doesn't understand that I can't handle that many people." She began to rant, looking away.

"Ah, you're Rachel's anti-social sister she always complains about." He mocked.

Serena growled. "I'm not anti-social!" She yelled. "I have social anxiety so large groups of people don't make me feel good, and this confrontation right now is stressing me out, and I just embarrassed myself in front of Patrick Kane."

She swung around, climbing off the railing. She walked away from Patrick, covering her face. He frowned as she walked away from him. He climbed down and walked towards her.

He put an arm around her. "Hey, there's no reason to be embarrassed." He comforted her.

She stepped away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laid my life problems on you when you don't really care. Now you're required to act concerned. Sorry." She rambled on.

"I'm not required to do anything. I sincerely care about your anxiety." He sighed. "I'm really sorry that Rachel keeps doing this to you. It isn't fair."

"It isn't and I should really say something, but I'm too scared to." She let out a breath as she walked over to the railing. She stood with her hands on it, looking out at the city. He walked up beside her and leaned on the railing with his elbows. "God, my life sucks." Serena laughed.

"Mine too." Patrick spaced out while watching the sky. She looked at him while he fell silent. He swallowed hard. "Have you ever thought about ending it?" He whispered.

She leaned back, staring at him in shock. She couldn't believe he had said that. Patrick Kane, of all people, had thoughts of, ending his life. He noticed Serena's reaction and turned to face her.

"Sorry, if I hit a ner,"

She wrapped her arms around his neck. It cut off his apology. He slowly placed his hands on her waist. She pulled away and he saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Please, don't ever think like that, Patrick." She begged.

"I,"

"I know you have a lot going on and I know it can stress you out. I also know I don't understand what you're going through, being in the spotlight, people not understanding that you aren't perfect, but I promise you, it'll get better." She sobbed.

He stared into her eyes before he broke down. She wrapped her arms around his head as he cried into her shoulder. She massaged his head with her finger tips. He pulled away. Serena frowned at his face.

"I'm so sorry." He blubbered.

She shook her head, grabbing his face. "Sometimes, you just need a friend." She grinned at him.

December 2013

"Hello?" Patrick answered while he locked his apartment door.

"Pat?" She breathed out.

He was shocked at the voice he heard at the other end. "Serena?" He muttered.

"Yeah, hi. I'm sorry to both,"

"No, Ser, it's fine. I'm just surprised." He cut her off.

She sighed. "I know, I haven't talked to you in a while. I'm really sorry." He could hear the sob in her voice. "I've just been really bad lately."

He was worried. "What's up, Ser?" He asked.

She swallowed hard. She didn't know how to word what she was about to say. "Remember what I said to you, the first night we met? When you," She stopped herself.

He was confused. "Yeah, what about it?" He waited for her to answer. She was silent. He heard sniffling. "You're crying." He groaned. He hated knowing she was upset. "Want me to come over?"

"No! No, no!" She begged. "Can you just tell me what I said?"

He thought back. "Well, first you hugged me." He chuckled. "Then you asked me to never think like that, then I went to say something, but you cut me o,"

"Pat, please." She plead.

"You said that you know I have a lot going on and it probably freaked me out and you didn't entirely understand what was going on with my life, but you promised it would get better." He repeated. "And then I broke down and you told me that sometimes you just need a friend."

Patrick listened while Serena cried. He was going to her house, regardless of what she said. She was there when he needed a friend, now it was his turn to be there for her. He listened as she cried while he made his way to his car.

"I'm sorry." She whined. "I'm just,"

"It's okay. You need a friend, and I'm here." He said, climbing into his car.

She exhaled. "I'm going for a nap. Thanks for being there, Pat." She hung up before he had the chance to reply.

He placed his phone down and began his drive to Serena's. She was only a five minute drive away. He parked on the street then walked into the building. He travelled to the fourth floor. He walked down the hall to the very last room.421

Patrick knocked. The door swung open instantly. It revealed a disheveled Rachel. "Hey."

"Did she invite you over?" She asked him, walking away from the open door.

He walked into the apartment and closed the door behind him. "No. She called me and sounded really upset so I came to check on her." He explained.

Rachel dropped on the couch. "She won't talk to me so good luck!" She sighed, holding her head.

He made his way through the apartment to Serena's room. He knocked. "Ser?" He called.

The door opened quickly. A red eyed Serena stood in front of him. She frowned at him while more tears poured out. He wrapped his arms around her and backed her into her room. He kicked the door shut, just holding her.

She let out a sniff, pulling away. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's fine." He argued. "What's wrong?"

She sat on the edge of her bed. "I don't know!" She threw her hands up. He sat beside her. "I'm just fucked up and I'm sick of ruining the lives of everyone around me!"

Patrick squeezed her thigh. "You haven't ruined anyone's lives, Ser." He reassured her. "You saved mine." Her eyes bore into his. She just frowned. He put an arm around her, pulling her into him. "I know you get stressed out and sad really easily. I know you have a million thoughts running through your head at all times. I just need you to remember that there's so many people who care about you, Serena." She scoffed. He glared at her. "Seriously. Rachel's stressed out about you out there and I skipped practice to come see you."

Her eyes shot up to his. "Patrick!" She whacked his chest.

"It was optional, relax." He chuckled. She glared at him while smiling. "That's what I like to see!" He cheered. She smiled again. "I love ya, kid." He kissed the side of her head.

"Thanks, Pat." She cooed while hugging him.

Four days passed and Patrick didn't hear a word from Serena. He also didn't hear of Rachel being crazy so he assumed Serena was fine. The Hawks were playing Blues on home ice. The 7-2 win against Colorado was still pumping through the team. Sadly, they fell to the Blues, 6-5, in a shoot out. Patrick was disappointed in himself, which was nothing new.

Serena watched Pat walk out of the change room on his phone. He had his suit on. She couldn't help but grin. "So, was that three point game for me?" She called.

His head shot up. He saw her grinning and walked right over to her. "No, just the wide shot in the shoot out was." He sighed.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up. You're like a hockey prodigy." She growled.

He laughed before he pulled her into a hug. He rocked the too. "I'm kinda shocked to see you here." He stated, pulling away.

"Well, you came to cheer me up so I thought I'd come cheer you on." She shrugged. He stared at her intensely. She felt her cheeks going red. "What?"

He never realized the shade her eyes were. They were blue, but almost grey. Her lips were the perfect size and shade of pink. Her cheeks were defined, but not the the point where she looked unhealthy. She was, in a word, stunning.

Patrick's smile spread across his face. "Can I try something new?" He asked.

She stared at him in confusion. "I guess." She answered, unsure if she should be agreeing to it.

His eyes lit up. "It's totally cool if it freaks you out and you never want me to do it again." He stated.

"What are you going to so that's going t,"

And like that, he grabbed her face and pressed his lips to hers. She kissed back, her hands holding onto his wrists. He pulled away but they both continued to hold onto each other.

"That was alright." She made a face, moving her hands from his wrists. His jaw dropped along with his hands. "But you should try something more like this."

She grabbed his face, kissing him hard. She made her kiss deeper than his. He kissed back with just as much force. His hands grabbed onto her waist and pulled her into him. They separate for a break. He kept his forehead to hers.

"I'm glad we met back in October." Patrick mumbled.

Serena nodded. "Me too." She whispered before they kissed again.

A roar of 'eh's came from behind Patrick. The two separated, laughing as their foreheads stayed together. Patrick turned and Serena looked over his shoulder. At least half the team was standing outside of the dressing room, giving Pat a slow clap.

"'Bout time!" Jon yelled. "Never seen Kaner so hung up on a girl."

Patrick rolled his eyes, turning back to Serena. He saw the smirk on her face. "Hung up on me, huh?"

He shushed her before kissing her once more. "Thank you for being my friend when I need one, Ser." He said. He was staring straight into her eyes.

"I'll always be there when you need someone, Patty."

Notes

Jumper - Third Eye Blind