Here To Stay

I'll admit, it was rough at first. I couldn't skate a couple feet without landing painfully on my ass. Jon laughed every time too... Still, he helped me up each time, but after about the fifteenth fall, I begged him to stay by me and make sure I didn't fall again. I had sustained enough bruises for one day! It took probably around forty-five minutes for me to be somewhat comfortable skating, away from the boards and without the help of Jon.

Jon was in the middle of the ice as I made my way around the perimeter of the rink. "Hey." I turned and clumsily stopped, staring at him. "Come here," he said with a smile. I carefully skated over, shaking a bit as I went.

"What's up?" I asked. I didn't stop fast enough and I accidentally bumped into him. He chuckled and lightly put me back on my own two feet.

"You having fun?" he asked. I nodded and did a goofy turn on the ice. "We're going to skate backwards now, okay?"

I shrugged. "Fine. Is it hard?"

"Not that hard... you'll get the hang of it..." he sighed, skating a circle around me.

Within a second, Jon's hands were on my hips. "Whoa! Handsy there." I laughed. Jon shook his head and smirked down at me as he pushed me backwards. He was saying something to me about how my skates should be moving in a certain direction, but I wasn't paying attention; I was just staring at him. His eyes to be exact. They were happy for once. When I tripped over myself, Jon figured it out.

"Bennett, are you listening to a word I'm saying?" he questioned, helping me regain my balance. I smiled and just gave him a hug. Jon laughed and kissed the top of my head. "I guess not..."

I mumbled into his chest, "I missed you...."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Jon poked my stomach, grinning.

I shook my head as I backed away. "Shut up. You heard me."

"Yeah, I mean... I guess I missed you two." he confirmed as he picked up his stick. "It's not the same without you..."

I smirked and snatched the stick from his hands. "Better not be!" I laughed. Awkwardly, I gripped the hockey stick and skated over to the blue line where a handful of pucks were lined up. I wound up and smacked the first puck I saw as hard as I could. Jon cackled in response, and he had every right to. First off, I had to take two swings because the first time, I had completely missed the puck. Secondly, when I did hit the puck, it hardly made it to the goalie crease. Thirdly, It was going wide, so even if it did make it the length of the ice, it would have missed anyways.

"Need some help?" he asked, coming up from behind me. I groaned at my misfortune as Jon repositioned my hands on the stick. "You need to change your grip." He slid them to different spots, letting his fingers linger over mine. "And if you're taking a slapshot, you need to stand differently, wind up, and follow through."

It felt a whole lot less awkward when Jon told me how to shoot... especially with his body pressed up against mine. I coughed and tightened my grip a little bit. "Yeah.. I think I got it." Jon backed up and allowed me some space.

"Alright, Gretzky, go ahead." he teased. I raised the stick, ready to take my shot when he stopped me. I felt a pressure pulling the stick away from me. "Wait... I have a proposition..." he laughed, spinning in front of me. I rolled my eyes. "Now wait, here me out-"

I shook my head and leaned on the stick. "What now, Jon? I don't know if I can afford anymore of your bets, Captain!"

He smirked and explained, "Listen, I bet you can't make a goal on your first shot..." I nodded and sighed. "So, if I win, then..." Jon wrapped his arms around my waist and whispered, "you, my jersey, nothing else, in my room."

I shook my head and playfully pushed him away, even if I was feeling weak in the knees. "You're still stuck on that? Whatever, if I win... you can't buy me anything for Christmas. Not a single thing."

"Ugh, you're killin' me Smalls." he chuckled as he skated to the side of the goal. "Deal. From this point on, I won't buy you any presents! Take your shot Bennett... but you have to be a couple feet behind the blue line!"

I growled as I clumsily skated backward to the spot, dragging the puck with me. I stopped, raised the stick back, and whacked at the round puck as hard as I could, closing my eyes, praying for the best. When I blinked my eyes open, I caught a glimpse of the puck sluggishly slide towards the goal. It passed Jon and just barely made it past the goal post.

Jon shook his head an laughed, snatching the puck from the net and skating toward me. "Alright, you won this one... I still think you should come home in my jersey."

I stuck my tongue out. "In you're dreams, Toews." I bounced up and down excitedly a few times before I realized that I was still in skates and I was still on the ice and I was still not comfortable. As my skates hit the ice the fourth or fifth time, I lost my balance on my right foot, wobbled my left foot to try and compensate, and was soon flailing around like a maniac.

"Ellie?" he called across the ice as he came closer. I reached forward for him, hoping he could catch me, but he was a bit too far. I fell forward, crashing to my hands and knees and accidentally bumping my head before just collapsing on the ice. "Elle, you okay?"

Jon was next to me in a second, helping me sit up. I rubbed my throbbing head and surveyed my surroundings. I checked my wrists and my knees: everything in working order. I looked to Jon who was smiling and shaking his head. "I lose a bet, we get in a fight. I win a bet, I hurt myself. Let's not make any more wagers for a while..." I giggled.

"I guess I have to keep a closer eye on y-" he started. "Oh, Chief..." I stared at him quizzically. Jon Leaned forward and pressed his thumb to a small patch of forehead right above one of my eyebrows. Surprisingly, I winced in pain at the pressure. Why did that hurt...? "Sorry..." He drew his thumb away and showed it to me. The red liquid dangled in a blob from his finger, threatening to fall at any moment.

I gasped and flung my hand to my head. I took it away to see that I was indeed bleeding. "You have got to be kidding me!"

Jon helped me stand up and reassured me, "It's not that bad, I promise. Besides, a couple stitches will fix it right up..."

I kept my hand on my forehead and nearly choked at his words. I repeated, "You have got to be kidding me! Stitches?! I-I can't get stitches!"

He chuckled as he lead me off of the ice and sat me down on the player's bench. "Trust me, bud, it's not that bad." Jon disappeared into the tunnel for a minute and returned with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. "Here..." Jon cautiously placed the pack over my cut. I flinched even before he touched it, but the ice cold sensation surprised me in a pleasant way; it was better than the stinging I had originally endured. "Better?"

I nodded and sighed. "Much... I am such a clutz..." And a wimp...

"You're not that bad... Come on, let's get you to the hospital." My heart practically burst through my chest at the mention of the word hospital. Jon took my hand and placed it over the pack, then took my other hand and lead me through the United Center to the parking lot. "It shouldn't take too long..."

I whined, "No! I don't want to... it's going to hurt...."

"Quit being a baby! You'll be fine." he chuckled as he cruised out of the parking lot.

I looked at Jon with the eye that wasn't being blocked by my arm. "Shut up! I'm still nervous..."

Jon smirked but left me alone for the rest of the drive there. When we finally made it, Jon and I sat in the nearly empty lobby for a couple minutes. Thankfully, it was a short wait, but in that time, I was having a mental breakdown.

"Jon, what if they can't stitch it up fast enough and they make it a huge gash! Or... what if EW what if I scar?!" I hissed, feeling my free hand shaking at the thoughts running through my head.

Jon gave me a peck on the cheek and gripped my shaking hand in his. "Relax... you'll be fine... besides, it could be worse." I gave him a dramatic and skeptical look. "Did you see Taylor Hall's accident last year during practice skate?"

I whimpered, "I felt so bad!" Jon gave me a look and I laughed. "Okay, you're right... it could be worse."

"Yes, and I'll be right here, okay?" Jon gave my hand a squeeze and I stopped shaking; my heart stopped pounding; my mind stopped racing.

I opened my mouth to express a thanks when a nurse came over to us. "Hello..." she looked at her clipboard for a moment, "Ms. Bennett and- Mr. Toews?" She butchered his last name, but for some reason, Jon's face lit up and he didn't correct her, so I didn't either. I nodded and smiled. "Come back here please."

Jon and I followed the nurse into a small room set away from the lobby. The nurse ran a few simple tests: checking my blood pressure, my heartbeat, my height and weight, and other things. Eventually, the nurse removed the melted ice pack from my head and examined the cut quietly. She placed the pack back on the wound and sighed. "What did you do? Fall into a pit of glass shards?"

I shook my head and groaned, "I was ice skating and I fell..." Jon grinned a little at the mention of the event. "Am I going to need stitches?

The nurse shrugged. "Possibly... we'll have to get a doctor to look you over before the decision is made, but it's definitely plausible. Follow me please." The nurse lead us into another room that looked more like a typical doctors' office. She left the two of us alone inside as we waited for the doctor.

The ten minutes we spent waiting for the doctor were filled with Jon making obnoxious noises to keep me awake; he was worried I might have had a concussion. I was confident that I was fine, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Come on... got to stay awake Chief..." Jon hummed in my ear, trying to keep my attention. I groaned and blinked my eyes open. "Please? For me...?"

I glared at him. "My head hurts and I want to go to bed-"

"Which is exactly why you can't sleep..." he chuckled quietly, tickling under my chin. I giggled and squirmed away from him. "The doctor should be in soon... then you'll get looked over and you can go home."

I shook my head and let it rest on his shoulder. "I sure hope you're right...."

Just then, there was a knock on the door before it swung open. "Ms. Bennett..." the doctor sighed as she looked down at her clipboard. The nurse followed her in and took the clipboard from her hands. "I'm Dr. Pearl. You had a nasty- a... a nasty-" I glanced up, opening my eyes to see her staring, mouth wide open, at me-NO not me, Jon. "J-Jonathan Toews?" she sputtered, immediately standing up straight and fixing her hair. "What are you doing here?"

I didn't have to look at him to know he was smiling, I could hear it in his voice. "Uh... I-I'm here with my girlfriend... she's hurt..." Jon coughed and tugged me closer to him.

The doctor looked down at me and scrunched her nose a little bit at the sight of me. "Right... of course. What happened?"

"I fell... and hit my head." I stated blandly, and groggily.

Jon hopped off of the bed and backed away from the doctor and I. The doctor scooted closer to me and brushed my hair away from the cut. I held it back for her as she examined my head. "How long ago did you fall?"

She lightly poked the gash, causing me to let out a quiet whimper. "Ahh... a little over an hour ago...."

"Did you pass out?" she asked. I shook my head as she let go of my head and turned to the nurse and the clipboard. She scribbled a few notes onto the paper, staring up every few minutes to make sure Jon was still in the room. She sat down in a rolling chair and spun over to me. "Okay, follow my finger back and forth without turning your head."

I did as I was told, even though it was becoming difficult to keep my eyelids from drooping. She nodded and dropped her hand to her pocket and brought out a flashlight. She turned it on and shined it at both of my eyes for a minute before turning it off. "How was the light? Did it hurt at all?"

I shrugged. "Not bad... Like a normal light..."

"Are you in pain, other than your cut?" she questioned in a more monotone way.

I shook my head. "Uh... I mean, I have a headache... but other than that, I'm fine..."

"You remember your name?"

"Elizabeth Teagan Bennett."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three and a half."

"Where do you live?"

"Chicago...." I sighed, slouching a little bit, letting my eyes rest as they shut.

I listened as Dr. Pearl clicked her pen and scribbled something down on her clipboard. "Well... I don't think you have a concussion..." I peaked out of one eye and looked to Jon, throwing him a triumphant smile. "We're going to do a CT scan just to make sure. But... I'm afraid you will need stitches to patch up that cut."

I grumbled and caught Jon's smile as I closed my eyes. "Do they hurt?" I asked in a whiney tone.

"A little... do you think you'll be able to return to get them taken out?" she wondered as she handed the clipboard to the nurse. I shrugged, unsure."Alright, well, we'll have to get you some absorbable stitches then... We'll put them in tonight, and they should dissolve within ten to fifteen days Okay?"

I opened my eyes and nodded, locking eyes with her. I glanced at Jon who gave me a reassuring smile. "Yeah... I'm ready."

"Okay, it should take about twenty minutes, by the looks of it, and then you can go home." she concluded with a smile. I nodded and sighed with a frown. I started shaking again at the thought of getting the stitches, but I didn't want Jon to see, so I bit my tongue until I calmed down.

In the end, it wasn't that bad. I stayed still for the CT scan, or as still as I could. My heart was pounding because I was praying I didn't have a concussion. Thankfully, I didn't. And the stitches were okay too... Sure, it hurt, but Jon was holding my hand, as if I was a child, and I wasn't afraid to squeeze it as hard as I could. It took about twenty minutes and before I knew it, I looked like Frankenstein. Jon was nice enough to sign a shirt for the fan-doctor before taking me home.

"You did a great job, Chief..." he encouraged as he pecked me on the cheek before pulling out of the parking lot. I felt like a little kid more than an adult.

I shook my head. "That sucked..." I had actually been fighting tears throughout the experience, and miraculously, none of them fell from my eyes. I'll be honest, I'm a baby and I have absolutely no tolerance for pain. "I'm never skating again..."

Jon frowned as he came to a red light. "It wasn't that bad..." he sighed. I looked over to see him pouting and glaring at the same time. It was the strangest expression I had ever seen; it looked like he was upset, but he was frustrated... either that or concentrating very hard on something.

"I just... it really hurt! And now, I look hideous..." I grumbled, flipping down the overhead mirror and examining the awful stitches displayed blatantly on my forehead. Jon snickered as I glared at the mirror and I hissed, "What?!" I strategically placed a couple strands of hair over it to conceal it as best as I could.

Jon drove through the intersection and made a couple turns down the dark-lit city streets. "You're gorgeous with or without stitches Elle... anyone who can't see that is an idiot and should be committed. Besides, when it heals, maybe it'll scar."

I slammed the mirror shut and gawked at him. "Are you kidding me? How is that a good thing?"

"Scars are sexy." Jon answered matter-of-factly, serious face making an appearance yet again. I rolled my eyes and gazed out the window, praying that I would wake up from the horrible nightmare soon enough. However, after his statement, I had to admit, deep down, I hoped that it would scar.

Unfortunately, the nightmare wasn't over. Jon was kind enough to walk me to my apartment and make sure I got in safely. He was going to stay with me for a bit before leaving, but when we walked inside, we met an earth shattering act. I kid you not. Jon and I had opened the door to find several clothes scattered about the floor and couch in the living room. Some of the clothes were female, but some were clearly male. Jon and I fell silent as we looked at the lanyard, equipped with keys looking strikingly similar to those belonging to Kaner's SUV.

We exchanged looks for a moment before Jon picked them up off of the floor. Jon moved like he was going to say something when we heard muffled conversation coming from Logan's room. The two of us flung our head in that direction and listened carefully. About a second later there was a giggle, a moan, and a grunt, resembling two people that Jon and I knew very well.

My mouth dropped, ready to scream in horror, but I was too shocked to say anything. Jon took this as a cue to get out of there as fast as possible. He grabbed my hand, lead me out of the apartment, and put me back in his car. We were silent the whole ride down the elevator, and even when we got into the car we were quiet.

Jon looked like he was going to be sick, but thankfully, when he opened his mouth, only words came out. "SO!-Do you have work tomorrow?Youcanstayatmyplacetonight..." he rambled anxiously. I nodded wordlessly, staring at the car parked in front of us. He didn't look at me as he pulled out of the parking garage. "It's really not a big deal... I mean we didn't see anything-"

"But we heard things! And now I'm picturing it!!! Ew..." I groaned, rubbing my eyes furiously. "Really?! I mean, they couldn't warn us?! I live there too, ya know!" Jon nodded quickly. "Like-and she didn't even tell me anything or-No! I don't want to know..."

He shook his head. "We're dropping this subject." he growled a little too loudly. "Never happened." I nodded in agreement. "Anyways... when we get to my house, you can borrow some pajamas, you'll lie down, and I'll get you some ibuprofen for your headache... sound good?"

I nodded and pouted at him. "Can we have hot chocolate?" Jon chuckled and answered me with a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

We did just that. Jon and I made hot chocolate, he got some ibuprofen, and we placed all this on the bedside table in Jon's room. Then, it was time for some pajamas. Jon was having no trouble finding me something to wear... I was just having problems agreeing with anything he picked.

Jon tossed out a wifebeater from his closet which was thin and partially see through. "How about that?"

I picked it up, threw it at him, and laughed. "How about a shirt where you can't see my boobs and some pants to go along with it?"

He rolled his eyes and put the shirt back. "Come on, Bennett, work with me here! Uhm... this?" Jon grabbed a cut up shirt which came to my bellybutton. "Not see through!"

"Right... but where's the rest of it?" I joked, balling it up in my hands. "Next!" I called as I chucked the shirt-ball at his head. "And please tell me you didn't actually wear that."

He caught it right before it hit him, unfolded it, and hung it back up. "Fine.... fine! So picky!"

I scoffed and flopped on his bed. "How do you even have that stuff? I've never seen you wear a wifebeater or a half of a shirt."

Jon shook his head as he disappeared into his closet. "I sometimes wear wifebeaters under my gear clothes when I work out... and the shirt... Kaner got pissed at me, and he was drunk, so he cut it short the night before I was going to wear it somewhere-" Jon grunted and there was a thump.

"You okay?" I called.

He chuckled and heaved a sigh. "Great, I found what you're wearing." Jon came out of the closet with an old Toews blackhawks jersey. He flung it overtop of my stomach and leaned over me as he stood by the bed. "Put it on."

I sat up on my elbows and stared at the shirt. "Alright... where are the shorts-" I began. Jon furrowed his eyebrows and grinned. I slapped him in the chest. "Joooon! Seriously."

Jon promptly sat on top of me. "Just wear it." He ruffled my hair in the process.

"First of all, I gave you this idea so I reserve the right to when it can happen. Secondly, you didn't win the bet!" I argued, attempting to shove his large and heavy body off of mine.

He chortled. "Please? For me?"

I glared at him. "Just the jersey?" He nodded with a smirk. "Nothing else?" He shook his head. "Fine... but you're officially in debt to me."

Jon leapt off of me and thrust the jersey into my face. "Yeah, sure, whatever!"

I glared at Jon as I walked into the bathroom to change. I felt extremely vulnerable in only the jersey, but I was too tired to really argue with Jon, and I think he knew that. I peaked out of the bathroom when I was done, door cracked open just a bit. Jon was lounging on his bed in boxer-briefs that hugged him nicely. His arms were stretched lazily over his head and he held the remote to his tv in one hand as he flipped through the channels.

He looked up when he heard the door creak under my force. I hid behind it a little more when he saw me. Jon patted the comforter beside him with a friendly smile. I sprinted across the room, hopped over Jon and his side of the bed, and slipped underneath the blanket within five seconds. "There, all done." I laughed, tugging the covers tightly to my body.

Jon tugged at the blanket. "Elle, quit being a wuss and let me see!" I laughed and squirmed away. "Don't make me do it!" He threatened.

I shook my head. "I'm not giving in willingly!" Jon grabbed my hands and pinned them up above my head. I rolled my eyes. "Why do I even try?"

Jon shook his head and chuckled, "I don't really know at this point." He slowly pulled the comforter down to my legs. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" He gazed down at me for a moment, looking me over a few times. "You're so beautiful..."

I rolled my eyes and squirmed under his grip. "Yeah yeah, and you're handsome as ever- you're just saying that cause it's your jersey... Now let me go."

He smirked. "Elle..." Jon moved his hand on my leg and began roaming a little too far up my thigh.

At first, I didn't mind, normally I would have encouraged him, but all I could think of was Logan and Patrick in the same position we were... in my apartment... I kicked my leg at him and whined, "Jon! Seriously!" I hit him in the ribs and he stumbled a little bit. It wasn't that hard, but it was enough.

"I'm only teasing." He gave me a peck with an evil grin before lying down next to me.

I snagged my hot chocolate off of the table before snuggling up next to him. "Next time don't start what you can't finish. You cave too easily." I mocked.

"You just told me to let you go!" he argued. I raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean you wanted to...?" I winked and took a sip of my drink before turning my attention to the tv. Eh, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Best leave him wondering and maintain some mystery, right? "Oh, you're cruel, Bennett, very cruel." I laughed heartily as I stuck my finger in the foam of the drink. I took a dab of it and put it on his nose. Jon turned to me, glaring with foam on his nose and I burst into a laughing fit. "Oh yeah, really funny, huh? You think you're so hilarious, eh?"

Jon took a glob of foam and spread it on my cheek. I gasped at the sticky goop on my face. "You didn't!"

"I did, and I regret nothing." he confirmed, crossing his arms over his chest. I scowled at him and he didn't even flinch. "Elle, I've gone up against full grown men double your size.... you're going to have to do better than that." I looked down at my cup and back at him and shot him a glare. "You wouldn't dare..."

I giggled, "Try me." I moved to tilt the cup over Jon but he was up before I had the chance to spill it. He sprinted off the bed and out of the room in a second. I jogged swiftly behind, hoping to quickly get my revenge. Jon was not in the living room, and I didn't dare go into Kaner's room, for fear of what I would find. I glanced at the empty kitchen and ventured in, hoping I could get some more ammo.

I was disheartened to find a sneaky Jon spring up from behind the counter, holding a canister of whip cream like it was a gun, and pointing it at me. I froze, hands up, as if caught in the act of something illegal. "That's right, back up, Bennett."

I shook my head and sighed, "Jon, can't we talk about this?"

"Put down the chocolate." I reluctantly placed the hot chocolate down on the counter. "Now back away slowly."

I scoffed as I did what I was told. "I'm not a criminal, Captain. Don't do anything you're going to regret."

"Oh, trust me, I won't regret it Chief..." he chuckled darkly as he closed the distance between us.

I pleaded, "Jon, seriously, I'll do anything, just put the whip cream down!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" I rolled my eyes. "That's what I thought." And with that, he sprayed whip cream all over me and the jersey. I held my arms up in defense, but I had nowhere to go; I couldn't bring my sticky self onto Jon's nice carpet. I mean, he probably wouldn't care, just pay someone to clean it later, but I would have felt bad.

"Not fair! Not fair!" I whined as I slid through the kitchen and hid behind the table. Whip cream was stuck all along the jersey and over the bottom half of my face. "I hate you so much...." I groaned as he stopped his spraying.

Jon chuckled and put the can down with a clang. "Don't start what you can't finish. I always win." He walked away from the counter, towards the table.

I stood up and stared at him with a smile. "You know, you're right... You win... Come here, let me give you a celebratory hug..." I laughed. Jon's face dropped as soon as I said that. He sputtered as he backed into the corner of the kitchen. I closed him in and pushed myself against him, giving him a gross, sticky hug. When I backed out of it, Jon was awestruck and completely white with whip cream.

"Y-You did not just do that....There's no way-" he began, looking himself up and down. Jon's face was now looking more like an ice cream sundae than a person. "Are you happy now?" I laughed as I looked him up and down. "Really? Was that necessary?" I giggled and nodded, unable to hold back my giddiness at his new look. Jon looked angry at first, but the harder I laughed, the softer he became. I slid to the floor as my laughter filled the room. Eventually, he gave in and chortled too, joining me on the ground and drawing me in for a hug. "One day, I will get you back..."

I shook my head, swiped a glob of cream from his chest, and smeared it on his forehead. "Never."

He pulled away and looked me up and down. "You know, I think I like you better covered in whip cream. We should have just skipped right to this."

I nodded and laughed. "Yeah, you too. Sorry about your jersey..." I sighed, glancing down at it. It was undoubtedly ruined.

He shrugged and leaned forward. "It was old anyways. Not a big deal." Jon leaned down and sucked some whip cream off of my neck, making me shiver. "Looks better now than it ever did."

I shook my head. "Yeah right." I backed away from him. "We should probably get cleaned up."

Jon and I showered together. Nothing really happened, we just helped to clean each other off. I finally got to wear some normal pajamas consisting of gigantic basketball shorts and a tee shirt. I cuddled up next to Jon afterwards, and we watched the sports highlights of the night; we also got to see my segment which Jon recorded.

"You did a good job." he complimented as he twirled a piece of my hair. I mumbled something incoherently in response, falling asleep to the boring sound of my own voice on the television. "You awake?" I waved a hand at him. "Tired?" I responded by snuggling into Jon's chest and the warm shirt that covered it. Jon put down the piece of hair he was playing with and let his hand rest on my shoulder.

"Don't stop..." I yawned, grabbing his hand and sluggishly placing it on my head again.

Jon chuckled, shaking, and momentarily waking me up. "This is not what I thought we would be doing when you'd say that." I slapped him lightly and closed my eyes again. Jon continued playing with my hair as he flipped through the channels to find the recap of another game.

It suddenly got loud as the sports channel replayed a fight from earlier in the evening. I couldn't help but sneak a peak as a Pheonix Cyotes player threw a couple good punches at a San Jose Sharks player. The two of them fought for probably ten seconds before the Sharks player fell to the ground, face covered in blood. Jon sighed as the highlight ended.

"Don't fight..." I ordered. Jon smirked and shook his head. "Promise me."

"No." I sat up and stared at him, expecting a smile or a hint of one, but was greeted with his poker face.

"Stop it with the serious face..." I hissed. "And why not?

Jon chuckled darkly, "This is the only face I have, and because things happen... Is this just because of that one guy who was bleeding a second ago?"

"Well I never really thought about it until just now. Please don't-"

He smirked. "I've fought twice in my career... neither of them very good... I'm not itching to drop the gloves anytime soon, trust me. I promise I won't go looking for one."

I sighed and returned to my previous position. "That's fair..."

We were quiet for a while until Jon asked, "So... you don't like the serious face?"

I laughed, eyes drooping closed. "It's just very intimidating, that's all."

"That's kind of the point, chief..." he sighed, picking up another piece of my hair.

Bored, but not tired enough to go to sleep, I lifted Jon's shirt, slipped my hand under it, and rubbed his abs, drawing little circles over his stomach. He squirmed at first and giggled, yes giggled. Jon and I laid there like that, NBC Sports Network quietly playing in the background, until I fell asleep about twenty minutes later.

I awoke to find the bed surprisingly empty. I patted around and could not seem to find Jon. I sat up, hair stuck to my face, and searched the room to no avail. Once I gained my bearings, I heard a muffled argument in the other room. I stood up, feeling a head rush, as I groggily reached for the door to the living room.

I walked outside to see Jon and Patrick glaring at each other, mid screaming match. When they heard the door squeak close, they snapped their heads to me. It took me a second to register that Kaner was standing in the living room, clothes and hair disheveled.

They fell silent as I looked from Jon to Kaner. Remembering what happened, I became overcome with anger, so much so, that I was imagining ways that I could beat him up; I was taller than him, not stronger, but I could definitely use my height to help. "I-will-kill-you!" I screamed. I leapt over the couch and charged at Kaner.

"Whoa, there, Elle. Calm down..." Jon grabbed my arms and pulled me back, keeping me just inches away from Pat who didn't even flinch.

Pat looked at me with an upset expression. "Ellie... what happened to your head?"

"Shut up! When were you going to tell me about you and Logan!?" I growled.

Kaner rolled his eyes. "Why, so you could bite my head off, like you're about to do now?"

I tugged free of Jon's grip, but he still kept me close. "This is different. I walked into my apartment to hear... things..."

Pat chuckled as a blush rose in my face. "We're big boys and girls now, Elizabeth. Just say it: sex."

"Fine, you guys were having sex, but seriously? When I was coming home? You know how awkward that is?! And-oh god, what is Nick going to say?" I gasped.

Kaner smirked as he picked up his bag and walked into his room. "Nick's not going to say anything because Nick isn't going to know." he called.

I looked to Jon who was frowning down at me. I stomped into Kaner's room. "Look, if you hurt her-."

"Elizabeth, you and Logan are like an extra pair of sisters to me-"

I mumbled, "Yeah, sisters you apparently like to fuck."

"One of them at least..." I gaped at him. Ouch. Offended much.. I mean, not that I wanted Pat-I mean he's... yeah there's no way I can explain myself in this one.. "Kidding." he added. I glared at him and he glared at me as he began to put his clothes away. "I love you both. And why is it my fault? There were two people in the bed, ya know. How do you know she didn't seduce me?"

"Did she?" I asked skeptically. Pat blushed. HE blushed. HIM! That could only mean one thing... "She did! She got YOU in bed!" I doubled over, laughing. The King got played by the Queen.

Kaner shook his head as he put his bag in his closet. "Regardless, remember how you yelled at me for getting into your sex life?" I nodded. "Well, I'm sorry, and I now know how it feels. We had sex, big deal, it doesn't mean anything. Leave it to Logan and I to figure it out..."

I sat on his bed. "You're missing the point...You guys had sex and you should have figured out that I was going to come home to find you two... that's just inappropriate..."

"Well, you could have joined us." he teased as he sat on the bed next to me. I slapped him hard across the face. Pat gripped his jaw and looked down. "Right... sorry."

I shook my head. "I'm telling her you said that... Anyways, that was so uncomfortable..."

"Right, well, next time, I'll make sure that you're not home." he laughed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Next time?"

Pat shrugged. "I mean, if there is a next time..."

I shook my head and looked away. I caught Jon staring at me out of the corner of my eye. I didn't realize he was standing in the doorway until I turned away. Kaner nudged me playfully. "So seriously, what happened here?" Pat reached up and touched my stitches. I flinched and pushed him away. "Jeez, what did you do? Fall off a cliff?"

I gave Jon an angry look before glancing away. "I was trying to teach her how to skate... she fell when we were messing around."

Kaner glared at me. "I taught you to skate, like years ago!" he reminded me.

I searched back in my memory and remembered. I vaguely recalled Kaner taking me to the rink during public skate; we stayed there throughout the whole session until public skate ended. He picked me up whenever I fell. He was taller than me then, if you can imagine. I think he even brought me back for public skate every chance he got until I was skating almost as good as him. "Oh, yeah... when I was like ten... well, I don't think I ever skated again after I was like thirteen..."

"Well, don't go picking up any sloppy habits from this clown!" Kaner joked, gesturing at Jon.

Jon rolled his eyes. "I can skate circles around your sorry ass."

"In what universe?" he scoffed, falling backwards on this bed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need some rest, pretty tired." I glared at him and wound up to hit him. "It wasn't meant to be an innuendo! I swear!" I hit him anyways before standing up.

I pointed at him threateningly. "Treat her right."

"Or I'll look like you?" he teased, tracing a line down his forehead, sticking his tongue out and grinning like a fool.

I growled. "Worse.... and you know what worse is." I strode from the room as Jon closed the door behind us. When we retreated back to Jon's room, I asked him, "What were you two arguing about before I walked in?"

Jon sighed. "Same thing you guys were arguing about... I told him we were in the apartment and that he needed to apologize and be more careful about that stuff...."

"Good, so we're on the same wavelength...." I sighed. Jon nodded. I looked at the digital clock in his room and sighed. "I should probably go home and... deal with Logan..."

Jon pouted, leaned forward, and wrapped his arms around me tightly. "Or... you could stay here for the rest of the day, we could take another shower together, and then nap?" Dude... this kid... You wouldn't believe a giant hockey player could be as adorable as a five year old but it's possible.

I laughed giving him a peck on the head. "First off, don't you have practice later? Secondly, I'm afraid where that shower might lead. Thirdly, it's not like I want to go be Momma Bennett to Logan, but obviously when I let her move in, I didn't outline the rules about sleeping with a guy when your roommate is in the next room."

"I do have practice, I know where it will lead, and you're not a mom." Jon backed out of the hug and lounged back on his bed. "I'll see you later?"

I shrugged. "Maybe... we'll see. I think I have to do some interviews today, so you might see me at the rink." Jon nodded and watched as I stood up. I picked up my purse and readjusted my clothes. I looked up to see him staring at me. "What?"

"You're beautiful." he stated.

I rolled my eyes and gave him what was supposed to be a kiss on the cheek; Jon spontaneously spun around so that his lips crashed to mine, catching me completely off guard. I giggled and backed out of it. "Why do you always say that?"

"Because it's true, and you should know that..." he explained. I smirked and tucked a hair behind my ear. "And I mean beautiful inside and out... I meant to tell you that."

I nodded. "Well... it's safe to say that you've rubbed off on me.. in a weird way."

"Yeah, you've rubbed off too a little..." I couldn't help but smile. I was curious to find out how he had changed, but I had other business to tend to. "You think we can go Christmas shopping? I mean, it is only a week and a half away, and I have absolutely nothing...."

I laughed, "Yeah, sure, as long as you remember you can't buy me anything." I stuck my tongue out at him as I leaned over the bed.

Jon gawked at me and then smirked, picking up a pillow from his bed. "Get out, Chief." He chucked the pillow at my head, but I caught it and threw it right back at him before leaving.

I walked into the apartment to see Logan sitting on the couch, her legs crossed, one hand in her lap, and the other by her face, providing the perfect angle for nail-biting. She stood up and opened her mouth when I raised a hand to stop her. She immediately sat back down as I dropped my stuff on the floor and sat down in the seat across from her.

"Ellie, I know-" she began.

I shook my head. "Just... no! Like... it was so awkward and-"

"What happened to your head? And, I know! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you guys-" Logan sputtered.

I whined, "Logan, like... of all times.... please... PLEASE give me warning next time!"

"It's not like I knew it was going to happen.... and I didn't know you were coming home so soon! And, seriously what happened?" she pushed.

I sighed, "I fell... and I was told you seduced Kaner in the first place! Don't even act innocent!"

She blushed and looked down. "Yeah... well... I didn't know if it was going to work... and I'm really really REALLY sorry... I mean, you welcomed me in when I was jobless and you helped me get back on my feet and... this is not the way to repay you... From one best friend to another, I guarantee that this will not happen again."

I smiled a small smile. "You can't guarantee that... but if you know in advance... just give me a heads up so I don't walk in on you guys or anything like that...." Logan nodded and smiled back. "So... you got HIM in bed?"

She rubbed her neck awkwardly and laughed nervously. "Uh... yeah... well, I don't know, I thought about it, and I do like him, and... we won't get hurt because, we both know it's just sex, and... yeah. I'd rather not go into the details."

I cackled. "You, Logan, professor of fucking, refuse to divulge the details?" Logan shook her head. "Alright... fine. You think you're going to keep this thing going?"

She shrugged. "Maybe... I mean, it was pretty fun. I don't know, we'll see...." I nodded and glanced around the room. Logan reached forward to touch my stitches. "So, how did you fall? Or did Jon hit you or something, because I'll kill him-"

I slapped her hands away. "People have to stop touching it! Jon would never hit me. We were ice skating after we made up and we were just messing around on the ice and I fell... it doesn't help that I forgot how to skate."

"Aww... so did you guys go to the ER and everything?" I nodded. "Sounds exciting for a rekindling of the flame." I rolled my eyes. "Did you guys do it?"

I frowned. "No, we didn't. Is that so wrong?" I laughed.

"Well... it's more fun to make up when you actually have some make up sex...."

I glared at her. "Yeah, well it's not easy to have make up sex when you keep picturing your two best friends fucking in your apartment."

Logan suddenly fell silent and had trouble keeping eye contact.