Here To Stay

As we walked in, the guys froze and looked at us with smiles, ready to talk about the evening. However, they were surprised to see us fall to our knees and bow repeatedly, chanting, "We are not worthy! We are not worthy!" The chants were soon accompanied by the royal dubbing of King Wright, Kane, and Toews as we tapped their shoulders with one of their hockey sticks we snagged on our way in. They got a kick out of this and called us to our feet. "Seriously, way to win a hockey game!" Logan ran to each of them and gave high-fives.

I shook my head and looked to Pat who was grinning like a maniac. "Say it." I giggled as I walked over to him.

He thought about it for a moment and then smiled at me even wider. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. Here we go... "No, how about you tell me. I'd like to hear it from you instead." he chortled evilly. I hate you still. Guess you're back to normal.

"You were right, you scored a goal. You're awesome. I was wrong. Yay..." I laughed, unenthusiastically putting my hands in the air.

Pat leaned forward and unlaced his skates. "Could have been better... but, I was constantly thinking of your taunting, and I had to prove you wrong." he joked.

"Right, but didn't it feel good to get that goal after so long?" I wondered sitting down next to him. Pat smiled and nodded in response. I patted him on the back and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Pat chuckled and focused back on his gear.

I got up and walked over to Nick and gave him two pecks on either cheek. "And you! Dude... I love you even more than I already did, and that's hard to compete with. I mean, you gave us another shot to win it! I was freaking out." I gave Nick a tight squeeze and he hugged me back.

"Thanks. I still can't believe it." he chuckled as he inched out of the hug.

Finally, I got up and walked over to Jon. He was leaning forward, looking at his feet, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked up as I came toward him. Jon immediately began smiling and he sat back, waiting for his reward. "Hey..." he sighed as I walked over.

I sat next to him as Logan rambled her mouth off to Nick about her evening and Pat got up to go to the showers. "Hey... so, what did I tell you?" I asked, grinning, giving him a little nudge with my shoulder.

"Right... yeah... you definitely helped me out there." he commented. I didn't look at him, but I continued listening. "Thanks... I don't think I could have kept calm out there tonight if it wasn't for you..."

I turned to him and countered, "Actually, it was all you. I didn't keep the team together, I didn't skate my heart out, and I didn't take the shot. You did. It was you." Jonathan blushed. His cheeks went pink! I opened my mouth to make fun of him, so ready with an arsenal of nick-names.

Before I could say anything. Jon leaned over and gave me a peck on the cheek and it completely stunned me. Whatever I was thinking of before flew from my head just then. All that was left was the stinging on my cheek where Jon's lips had been and a current that repeatedly ran its way up and down my poor spinal cord.

"I really appreciate it." he almost whispered in my ear.

Trying to lighten the mood, I turned to him and jibed, "Hey, I was supposed to give you the kiss, game-winner."

Jon shrugged and smiled at me. "Well, as game-winner, I think I should get the perk to kiss whoever I want." Meaning you want to kiss me?

"Yeah, well..." I couldn't think of anything to say. I was still shocked by the kiss.

And then it hit me. Jonathan knew about my crush on him. He knew from the beginning. The way he grinned at me made me wonder, is he toying with me because he can? Is this a joke? He's messing with me.

Jon brought me back to Earth and asked, "So, you hungry for dinner tonight?"

Maybe it was nothing. I was about to do the same thing, right? But I mean I had already done it to the other guys for a thank you... Still, it's different, right? "Yeah, I'm starving." I sighed, leaning back as much as I could in my suit. "I could eat a cow." I laughed as my stomach rumbled in annoyance.

"I see that." he chuckled as he slipped off his shirt. Slow motion. His abs sluggishly came into view; he couldn't have taken it off any slower. Grrr. Don't tempt me. "I might be a little late.. have some things to take care of here... But, we'll see about that cow, eh?" he chuckled, giving me a light tap on the shoulder before sauntering away towards the shower.

Once he was out of the room, Nick and Logan fell silent and just stared at me. I was suppressing a scream as best as I could, but they knew me better. "Ellie... you okay?" Logan asked with a smirk. My eyes fell on the doorway that Jon had exited through only moments before. I didn't hear her at first, and Nick chuckled to himself, catching my attention.

"What?" I asked, looking to them. They both smiled, that same Wright family smile: teasing and captivating. "Oh, shut up." I grumbled as I walked out.

"See you at dinner!" Nick called after me.

I don't really remember driving home, but I remember walking in. I stormed into my room, mad, but not completely sure why. I stripped out of my clothes and changed into a nice dress and a jacket, more comfortable than a suit. Once I was changed, I flopped on the couch and waited to be told where I was headed. This left me time to think.

I came to the conclusion that Jonathan Toews was in fact NOT playing with my feelings. He was being flirty, like most people are. I, however, was taking things too far and overcomplicating the situation at hand. It was a peck on the cheek, nothing more. I did the same thing to Nick and Pat and I had no feelings for them, at least not in the romantic sense, even if they were attractive. Jon was the same. No doubt about it.

As I contemplated this, there was a knock at the door. "Hey, open up!" I hopped from the couch and went to the door to see Nick waiting patiently behind it. I opened it and smirked at him. "Let's go!"

"Hold on! I have to grab my keys and my wallet and my purse. I-" I rambled as I slipped into my heels.

Nick shook his head and walked in, picking up my purse on the counter and putting it into my hand. "I'll drive, just take your purse and lets go!" he encouraged excitedly. I locked the door and followed Nick out to his big SUV. Logan was sitting in the back seat.

"Why are we all carpooling?" I asked.

"In case Nick gets drunk... or any of the other guys for that matter." Logan piped up as I buckled in.

We cruised down the street for a couple of minutes in silence before we stopped at a red light. Nick looked over and pinched my cheek like a grandma. "Someone likes Jonny." he sang.

I slapped him away. "Are you five?"

"Yes." Logan answered from the back. "Did you just die today, in the locker room?" I blushed and looked down at my purse, rifling through it for something to take my attention away from them. "Knew it."

"Shove it." I mocked, looking out the window. Before anyone else could add in a snarky comment, I changed the subject, desperate for safety from the humiliation. "So, where are we going?"

Nick looked up and pointed to a big restaurant with a name I couldn't pronounce or read. "It has tons of types of food. You'll find something you like." he sighed as he pulled into the lot. Once parked, Pat and Jon pulled up next to us in Jon's Escalade.

"Hey guys," Pat called as he hopped down from the truck. "Ready?" Logan shrugged and yawned. Kaner took advantage of her tiredness and draped an arm over her shoulder. She was too exhausted from a long day of stress to fight back, but to be honest, I was surprised Pat did it in the first place.

I shook my head at this and hooked one of my arms through Nicks' arm which was in his pocket. I did the same to Jon. The two of them put me in a sandwich, tall-short-tall. They chuckled as we entered the restaurant. The lady at the podium recognized the guys and immediately led us to a table of a couple hockey players.

We all took our seats. Pat next to Logan who was next to Nick who was next to me who was next to... Jon. The night was fun. I wasn't very hungry, so I just ate a salad and a roll of bread. So much for that cow. The guys all talked about the game from earlier. Certain people got recognition, all three of my boys, including a couple others. It was the topic of the night.

As the evening progressed, each guy consumed a couple drinks. However, Nick and Kaner drank a little excessively. By the end, when everyone was leaving, Nick and Pat were giggling like school girls as we guided them out of the restaurant. Lightweights.

"We have to get them home..." Logan groaned, Nick leaning on her as she lead him out of the establishment.

I looked up and down the area and made sure that no cars were driving around the parking lot as Jon took hold of Kaner. "How did they get so drunk?" I asked.

"I'm dot-nunk!" Kaner slurred as he passed me, wagging a finger in my face. He stank of beer. "I'm fine, missy!"

"No... we're pretty wasted." Nick cackled. Thankfully, Nick was a level-headed drunk, if there ever was one.

Logan looked at her watch and groaned. "Alright, I'll drive Nick home and just crash at his place. It's kind of late."

"T-thanks, sis..." Nick belched and laughed again. "Good plan... you're so... you're so-so smart Logan."

She shook her head as he staggered next to her. "Thanks..." she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No, I mean- y-you really... make me proud... t-to have a sister like y-you." he huffed and coughed.

"I know, Nick. Don't get all mushy on me." she insisted as she unlocked his car. "Now, get in." I rushed over and helped him into the car. As soon as he hit the seat, he passed out.

Logan closed the door and then looked to me and Jon, ignoring Kaner. "So, you coming home with me or Jon? I don't think it's smart for any of us to drive for too long. We've all had a little something to drink." she stated.

Jon looked to me, waiting for an answer, obviously willing to have me as a house guest. I opened my mouth to answer when Kaner nearly screamed, "You-you don't get to tell people... what to do!"

"Kaner, quiet." I hissed, trying to calm him down.

Pat ripped free of Jon's grasp and wagged a finger at Logan. "Log-log... whoever the fuck you are- you d-don't get to boss people... around just 'cause you're p-pretty!" he argued. Pretty?

"Pat, calm down!" Jon pulled him back away from Logan. "You need to relax."

"Pretty? You really are drunk." Logan scoffed, smirking. "Apparently I wasn't much in comparison to those two girls you made out with at the bar? Do you even remember their names?"

He practically ignored the question completely, or maybe he didn't hear her. Kaner shook his head and slapped Jon on the chest. He gestured at Logan. "Isn't she beautiful? They both are... we need-we need to take them out somewhere- come on!" He started off towards the exit of the parking lot, leading the way to God-knows-where.

"Oh no, you don't!" I laughed, seizing one of his arms. "We've been out enough tonight." Jon grabbed the other. "Come on, let's go home."

Logan frowned. "You guys think you got him? You need any help?"

"And so nice! Jon-Jonny- Jakey Jingle Schmidt! We-we're such lucky guys to have these..." Pat paused to belch and fell silent, still yanking at his human restraints.

Jon looked to me and gave me a pleading look. He mouthed the word 'help' and frowned like a puppy. Alright, I give. "Yeah, we got him," I told Logan. She nodded and hopped into Nick's car.

Upon her departure, Kaner hollered, "Bye-bye Logan! I love you! I love you!" I slung one of his arms over my shoulder and yanked him up straight.

Jon did the same and we went to his car. "Alright, Lover-boy. Come on, time to go home."

It took us a good ten minutes to get Kaner into the car. He wouldn't actually step up into the car at first because he missed Logan. He actually whined like a baby and I thought he was going to cry. Then, he didn't want to wear his seatbelt, telling us superheroes like him didn't need seatbelts. Eventually, we got him to sit still for a minute until we got into the car ourselves. He grew silent and took a nap as we drove to the apartment.

"Thanks again... it's not easy dealing with him sometimes." Jon confessed as he pulled into his parking lot.

I shrugged and smiled. "No problem, you're the one that's going to be making room for me anyways." I joked.

Jon nodded. "True... but it's worth it." he responded, not looking at me. What's worth it? Having someone assist you with your drunk friend or having ME help you with your drunk friend... and stay the night?

"The world is spinning!" Kaner screeched as the car stopped. He flung his hands onto our headrests and heaved nervously behind us.

I laughed, "The world is not spinning, Kaner. You're head is. The car just stopped."

"Come on, bud." Jon grumbled in a gruff voice as he walked out to Kaner's car door and invited him outside. I helped him hop down, and together, we brought Kaner up to the apartment.

Once inside, Jon placed Kaner on his bed, lying him on his side. "I have to go get some supplies, like water and a bucket and some aspirin. Wait here and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid?" he asked. I nodded and gave a small smirk as he left into the other room.

Pat, with his eyes closed and his arms sprawled out, immediately started giggling when Jon left. "What?" He waved me over. I leaned down and put my ear to his lips.

"My plan.. it worked." he whispered.

"What plan?" I asked, humoring him.

He cupped his hands around my ear. "To get you and Jonny-cakes alone." Kaner snickered evilly to himself. "I knew... I knew you'd help him if I was-like really really real drunk."

"Kaner!" I hissed, moving to hit him. He flinched, and I figured the mad hangover would be punishment enough, so I withdrew my hand from the equation. "You can't do that!"

Kaner took two strands of my hair and started playing with them in front of my face as he chuckled, "But I did... Besides, you know you want to sleep with him." Kaner stared at me as my cheeks flared. "I knew it!" Pat opened his mouth, probably to sing about how I wanted to have sex with Jon, but I stopped him.

"Pat, please, stop. I'm begging you." I pleaded.

Just then, Jon walked in with water, a towel, aspirin, and a bucket. He put the bucket by the bed, put the towel, water, and aspirin on the bedside table, and then prepped Kaner. "If you have to puke, throw up into the bucket. Sleep on your side. Water and aspirin in the morning, right?"

"Yeah, yeah... let me sleep, dick." Pat growled, closing his eyes and punching Jon in the stomach. Jon rolled his eyes and ushered me out of the room quickly.

As he quietly closed it behind him, he sighed, "Sorry about that..."

I shook my head. "It's fine... Nothing I'm not used to."

"Right..." He looked down at his feet awkwardly. "So, I can get you some clothes to change into, if you would rather sleep in something other than the dress."

I shrugged and smiled. "Sure, works for me." I sat in the living room and waited while Jon went into his room. Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygod. He returned with sweatpants and a Toews tee-shirt. "Nice shirt." I teased as I took the clothes.

"Yeah, it's yours now. Better wear it to the next game, right?" he asked with a smirk, shoving his hands in his pocket.

I nodded as I walked into his bathroom. "Of course!" I laughed as I started to change. Once done, I came out to find Jon changed in sweatpants and no shirt. I could definitely get used to this. He was plopping a pillow onto the couch and laying a blanket down. "What do you think you're doing?"

Jon rolled his eyes, anticipating the argument that was about to ensue. "Don't even start."

"You're not sleeping on the couch." I laughed, snatching a pillow from the cushions.

"It's the polite thing to do." he commented, trying to yank the pillow away. I slapped it at him instead. He gaped at my attack, I did too. "That's it, Bennett." he threatened, grinning evilly. I gripped my pillow and sprinted away.

"I didn't mean it!" I laughed. The only room I knew was his bedroom, ironically, so I hid there. Jon followed and smacked me playfully with his pillow. I held mine up in defense and tried to hit him back, but he overpowered me. Eventually, the pillow did nothing to help me, so I ditched it and ran back out into the living room, laughing. "I didn't mean it!" I repeated.

He followed and picked me up around the waist. Jon dropped me onto the couch. I inched away to the corner of the couch, and he hopped onto the couch as well. Instinctively, I shoved his shoulders and tried to push him onto his back Unfortunately, he gripped my wrists and pushed me back until he was on top of me. "What was that about beating me in a fight?"

"I'm just tired that's all." I giggled, thrashing about, desperately grasping for freedom.

Jon took one hand away from my wrists and used it to pinch my sides. I yelped at the tickle. He did it again and again. "I don't think I heard you right."

"I take it back." I giggled, defeated. "You-win." I gasped, heaving a couple breaths.

Jon nodded and chuckled, "Thank you." Slowly, he got up from me and sat next to me on the couch. "Now, go to my room, and I'll see you in the morning."

I yanked the blanket away and ran into his room, throwing it onto the bed. "You sleep here. You've had a long day." Jon crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll sleep here too, if it makes you feel any better. I mean, if you don't mind that is." I added awkwardly.

He thought about it for a moment and shrugged, skipping toward the bed. "Fair enough." He hopped in on one side and I did the same on the other. "I'm just warning you ahead of time, I steal the covers."

"And I'm warning you, I kick in my sleep." I laughed as I laid down.

As soon as we hit the bed, we fell silent. Awkward. We both just stared at the ceiling. Trying to cut the silence, I snuggled under the covers and got comfortable. Jon did the same on his side of the bed. As he did, his arm grazed mine and I jumped, still tense. "Oh-Sorry." he huffed as he fell still.

I didn't respond at first. It again became extremely uncomfortable. After about a minute of silence, I burst out laughing, rolling back and forth on the bed. The whole situation was hilarious if you really thought about it. Jon flinched at the loud sound of my voice. He stared at me curiously as he turned on his side. I couldn't even stop to tell him why I was laughing, but soon, he joined in and was chuckling like a fool too.

After a minute or so, we calmed down. I was still giggling a little bit when Jon turned to face me. "Thank you." he said quietly. So quietly, in fact, I almost didn't hear him.

"What?" I asked as I finally relaxed.

Jon repeated, a little louder, "Thank you."

"Jon, I've dealt with Pat tons of times. Besides, it's what friends do for each other." I insisted as I lounged on my back, looking up at the white ceiling.

He shook his head. "No, not that. I mean, thanks for that too, but I was talking about the game tonight." I turned my head and expressed a puzzled look, waiting for clarification. "I don't know... like, you gave me confidence... It was refreshing because... I don't know, I haven't had someone believe in me in a while..."

"What do you mean?" The words came out before I could stop them. Too personal! Don't go there. Too late. He sighed and fell onto his back. "I'm sorry, you don't have to-"

"No, its okay, I trust you." he insisted. Whoa. Big words for a guy I've been friends with for a couple weeks. I turned onto my side to listen to his story. "I promise, this is the last time I talk about her." Her. I'm beginning to hate her. And I don't even know her."Diane never wanted to hear about hockey. I started acting distant to her because I thought, she should be the one who listens if I'm stressed over anything." I growled unintentionally. Jon jerked his head towards me. "What was that?"

I coughed. "Uh, sorry. I just- continue." At this point, I didn't want to hear about Diane. I'm tired and I'm in a bed with JON TOEWS and somehow, she comes up into conversation... again. Too bad it's my fault for asking. Karma's a bitch.

"Right... well, I don't know, it just was hard to be around her, even through the good times." Jon deflated like a balloon, finally getting the words off his chest.

I nodded. "Well... if you ever want to talk, I'm here." I said with a small smile.

"Bet you didn't think you would be in this situation, eh?" Jon questioned after a long silent pause.

I giggled. "Definitely not. This isn't my idea of pillow talk either." Whoops. I shouldn't have had that beer. I laughed again at my own flirting and Jon did so too, thankfully okay with the comment.

"Sorry to disappoint, but I think Nick will kill me if he finds out that I slept in the same room as you, let alone the same bed. Oh, and with my shirt off." he chortled to himself.

Wait what? "Why?" I wondered. Nick didn't...

"Well, when you first started hanging around all the guys, Nick gave an announcement, saying that if any of us touched you, he would personally kill us in ways... I'd rather not mention." Nick did.

"I want to kill him." I whined, covering my face with my hands.

Jon teased, "Well, when Logan came to town, he went off ten times worse, threatening us with torture first if we even thought about her."

"I will kill him." I moaned again removing my hands from my face. "I will actually kill him."

Jon laughed and shrugged, sitting up. "It's really not a big deal. He's just protective. He loves you girls."

I sat up too, furious now. "I'm a grown woman! He cannot dictate my life. Especially not my love life." I argued.

"Honestly, I think if you liked one of the guys and you started going out with this guy, he'd be okay with it as long as he made you happy... and as long as it's not Kaner." he added with a smirk.

I punched him in the shoulder. "He's not that bad..." Just then, we heard a loud snore echo throughout the apartment. Our heads darted towards Pat's room. "I stand corrected." We laughed for a minute before we both gave a huge yawn. "I'm beat..." I huffed.

"Me too... Time for bed?" he asked. I nodded and we both fell back onto the bed. "Night, Chief."

"Good night, Captain." I yawned as I flipped over onto my side.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I sat up, bed hair mashed upright, and stood from the bed. I walked outside into the living room to see Jon sitting on the couch, watching the game from last night with a coffee in his hands. "Morning." he chuckled as he turned to see me. I waved a hand as I went to the kitchen to make myself some coffee. "Elle," Jon called. I turned to see him holding a cup towards me. "Already taken care of."

I breathed a sigh and picked up the coffee, plopping down on the other side of the couch. "Thanks. What time did you wake up."

"Eight-ish." He answered, sipping his coffee and handing me the remote. "Nice hair." He joked, ruffling the matted mop on my head.

I looked at the time on the digital clock. 11:00 AM. Obviously I'm an early riser. "Oh..." I took the remote and flipped through the channels. I found a hockey re-play of a game between the Oilers and the Flyers the night before and left it on. "Where's Kaner?"

As if on cue, Pat strolled through the door of his room and leaned against the frame. Jon and I both screamed "Morning Kaner!" Eye-lids drooping, hair a mess, and body sagging, he shook awake and growled, "Keep it down... headache." He staggered out of the room and into the kitchen to get some coffee. He returned and sat on the chair in the living room.

"Maybe you shouldn't drink so much." I spat, sipping my coffee. I love Kaner, but it annoys me when he drinks because sometimes, okay most of the time, he goes overboard.

Pat glared at me and sipped his coffee before rubbing his pounding head. "Maybe you shouldn't be so obnoxious."

"Oh, clever come back. You know, that obnoxious girl dragged you in last night." Jon argued as he stood up to walk into the kitchen.

Kaner smirked. "I know..." He mouthed the words did you guys do it? to me. I shook my head vigorously and nearly screamed "No!"

"Oh come on!" Kaner moaned, leaning back in his chair.

From the kitchen, Jon questioned, "What?"

"Oilers scored." I lied, praying Pat would drop the topic.

He hissed, "I saw you go two go into his room!"

"You were spying on me?" I whispered back, glaring at him. I checked over my shoulder once or twice to make sure Jon was still busy.

Pat shrugged. "You're telling me you didn't sleep with him?"

"I slept next to him." I corrected, sticking my tongue out at him.

Jon called, "Alright, I'm making pancakes. Who wants some?"

"Me!" I laughed like a kid.

Pat whispered, "Oh yeah, you want some alright..."

"Pat!" I wound up to hit him, but he flinched and whimpered. I retracted my hand, yet again. Remember: Karma's a bitch.

"I'll have some too." Pat chuckled as he sipped his coffee.

"I hate you." I growled, focusing on the game.

Kaner moved to the couch. "You love me... and you love him too."

"Pat, knock it off." I mumbled, turning up the volume on the television.

He placed his coffee on the table and turned to face me. "Tell me you don't like him, and I'll stop. I'll never mention it again." I rolled my eyes, but didn't answer... because I couldn't lie.. and he knew that. "Exactly. And you'll never do anything about it if I don't egg you on. You know you won't."

"Oh really? I suggested that we sleep in the same bed." I countered triumphantly. That is something that I would NEVER in a million years do to someone I didn't know that well. I guess you could say the trust went both ways in our relationship.

Pat nearly choked on his own breath. "Wow... I'm impressed. Still, nothing happened right?" I shook my head and he just patted me on the head. "You have much to learn little kimosabe."

Jon drove me back to my apartment after our brunch and I took a nap when I got home, not having to work until later. The rest of the week was hectic. I was in and out of the United Center and the station all day, every day. I soon became more popular on Channel 8. I got more fans, and people were recognizing me whenever I went out. Dean was an awesome co-anchorman. I got along with him, and he made the job easier. Max was happy because I was putting my heart into my work each time the camera focused on my face. I did pre- and post-game coverage soon. I continued the interviews, but only for certain games, because Max wanted me to stay on the screen more.

Weeks passed, and I not only was at the United Center, but also at Soldier Stadium to interview Chicago's football players. However, as I interviewed players for hockey, basketball, and football, Max noticed that my questions were more interesting and generally good whenever I interviewed hockey players, most likely because I knew them and I liked hockey best. Eventually, Max made me Channel 8's 'Hawk-ey Girl'. There wasn't much behind the title, except that I got more time to focus on the Hawks rather than the Bears and the Bulls.

In other news, Pat continued to bug me about Jon, but he was considerably nicer to Logan. I told Logan about the evening at Jon's and she nearly slapped me, she was so shocked. She thought I should have done something more, like Kaner, but I hid her idea away in the back of my mind. Nick, however, will never know about the evening, because of what Jon told me. I told Logan about Nick's protectiveness, and we both gave him a couple punches to let him know we did not approve.

Finally, Jon had been calling me repeatedly, home or away, to talk. It was adorable, but a lot of the times, he wanted to talk about Diane. He even said he missed her one night. One step forward, three steps back. I stayed friendly though, listened to his problems and gave him advice. However, the weeks passed, and it was time for his Halloween party, and I was thoroughly annoyed with him. For once, I was not looking forward to seeing him. Never thought I'd say that...

"Ready?" Logan called from her room. I walked in to see her in a Little Red Riding hood outfit: short dress, red silky hood, basket, and pigtails to compliment it all. "Nice." I laughed.

"Where's your costume?" she asked, nearly dropping her basket as her arms fell to her sides.

I shook my head and leaned on her door frame. "I'm not going."

"You are too." she growled, standing up in protest.

"I am not." I huffed, leaving her room. Her loud footsteps followed behind me. "Logan!"

"Talk to me." She yanked my elbow and the two of us sat on the bed in my room.

I shrugged. "I don't want to see Jon right now." Logan gasped at the thought. "I'm serious... all he ever talks about now is Diane... I'm sick of it."

"Then don't talk to him and hang out with me. Or tell him that it bugs you. Don't just not show up though." she scolded, squeezing my arm. "Besides, you don't want to be rude and skip a party you rsvp-ed to, right?"

I frowned. "Fine, but I don't have a costume."

"Sure you do." Logan got up and walked into my room. She pulled out a brown dress that I never wear and threw it onto the bed. She then went into her room and found a pretty necklace with stones on it and put it next to it. Logan grabbed some boots from my closet with fur at the top, found a thin brown headband, and put it all on the bed. "You're going to be a Blackhawk."

I changed into the makeshift outfit in no time. It looked like a Native American-type outfit, but it was missing something. Before I could voice my opinion, Logan tore the bottom hem so that the dress cut across my legs diagonally. She did the same to one arm of the dress, making it one shoulder strap. Then, she took my dark hair and braided a piece of it, letting it fall next to the rest of my hair. Finally, she gooped me up in makeup, natural colors, that complemented my eyes.

"There. Now, we're going." she laughed, going to grab her basket. I followed and grabbed a light brown purse before exiting the apartment. Logan... the only girl that can persuade me to do anything when my heart is set against it.

Twenty minutes later, we parked around the corner and walked over to the crowded apartment. The music could faintly be heard as we rode the elevator to the top. When we got there, there was no doubt where the music was coming from. Logan knocked and Pat answered with a sly smile. He gave us a wolf whistle and gestured for us to come in, fully dressed in a baseball player's uniform. "Come in, ladies."

"Thanks, where's your bat?" Logan teased, giving him a hug. Why are they not ripping each other's head off right now?

He joked back, "Left it at your grandma's house before she got eaten." I approached him after Logan entered. "Don't you look cute, Ellie." He closed the door and then gave me a hug. "Jon's by the snack table." he whispered. "He also has a thing for Native American's."

"Too bad I didn't come for him." I hissed back, pulling out of the hug.

He and I walked into the living room, next to one another. "Oh, really? Then why did you come?"

"Logan made me..." I sighed, picking up a cup beer from the counter by the kitchen. He shot me a skeptical look and rolled his eyes. "I'm being serious, I didn't want to come."

I scanned the party for familiar faces. A couple people were dancing in the middle of the living room like the silly people they were. Jon was across the room, talking to Nick. Nick was a sailor and Jon was a prince. Logan was crossing the makeshift dance floor to get to them. I saw Stalberg and Keith sitting on a couple bar stools by the wall. Stalberg was Mario and Keith was Luigi. How fitting.

There was a couple girls, some I recognized as girlfriends of the players, talking by the television. One was in a short dress resembling the mad hatter, her friend had on an Alice in Wonderland dress, and the third one had on a dress like the Queen of Hearts. Hjalmarsson was talking to a girl, he was wearing a Native American costume too. He turned to see me and smiled, giving me a head nod.

"Why didn't you want to come?" Pat stepped in front of my line of vision and stopped my people watching activities.

"I didn't want to see Jon." I breathed quietly and sipped my beer.

He gasped. "Wait, what? Why not?"

"All he's been able to talk about recently was Diane... and I can't take it anymore. I need a break." I sighed.

Kaner frowned. "He's been really sad lately."

I hung my head and grumbled, "I know, but I can't continue to pretend-"

I was cut off by a booming voice from behind me. "Hey! It's Channel 8's Hawk-ey Girl!" I turned to see a fireman walking over to me. It was Bryan Bickell behind the helmet. "I'm a huge fan." he teased as he joined us.

Pat introduced us formally. "Bryan, this is Ellie... but obviously you already know that... Ellie, this is Bryan Bickell... my obnoxious teammate."

I extended my hand only to have Bryan take it and kiss it. I nearly exploded. So adorable. I hate men for torturing females like this. "Nice to meet you." he called over the blaring music. "I've heard so much about you." Bryan stood up and leaned against the counter next to me. I gave Pat a look and he shook his head, denying mentioning me. "Oh, no, not from Kaner." Bryan nodded over at Jon who was eying the three of us suspiciously. "From your boy, Jon, over there.

"Really?" I coughed on my beer. Pat wore a smug grin on his face. "Shut up, Pat," I grumbled as I sipped my beer.

Bryan nodded and sipped his drink. "Oh yeah, he doesn't shut up about you sometimes. When we practice, he just brings you up casually a lot.. to me at least, when he's not critiquing my every effort. So I figured, this was the time to meet you, see what's so special."

"Well, she's a pretty great girl." Pat complimented with a smirk. There was another knock at the door and Pat looked up. "I'll talk to you guys in a bit. I have to get that. Have fun though!"

Bryan and I nodded and waved as he left. "So...you and Jon... you a thing?"

"Not that I know of..." I scoffed, chugging some of my beer, pissed at the thought of him. I hadn't realized it, but I was glaring at him from across the room.

"Aww.. I thought you guys would be cute." he commented.

I shrugged and turned to Bryan. "Me too... he's been through a lot with his ex though, you know?" Did I just say that to a stranger? Am I allowed to say that?

"Right.. right..." Bryan agreed.

I opened my mouth to say something only to feel a firm tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Stalberg Mario waiting for a hug. I gave him a tight squeeze and tugged his hat down over his eyes. "Nice outfit, Mario."

"I try... looking good Hawk-ey," he teased, tugging at my braid.

I slapped his hand away and stuck my tongue out at him. "It was a last minute thing." I slurped the very last of my beer and set the cup down on the counter, ready for a second.

"Yeah, well, once you heard I was coming, you just couldn't resist." he joked, poking my stomach.

I squealed and hit his chest playfully. "Yeah right. Obviously I came to see Bryan." I laughed, snuggling up next to Bryan. He played along and put an arm around me.

"Yeah, buzz off mustachio, go save another princess." he lightly poked Mario.

Viktor feigned pain. "Ouch... you guys are rude. I thought we had something, Ellie."

"I'm sorry, I just have a thing for Firefighters." I ribbed, gripping onto Bryan. I hate drinking... it makes me act funny... every fucking time. At least I have fun.

"Well then, we're through!" he growled, storming away.

I poked Bryan in the stomach and thanked him. "That was fun."

"Gotta love the guy, though." he chuckled, taking his arm off of my shoulder.

The music grew louder and In The Dark by Dev came on. I nearly screamed, it being my favorite song. I grabbed Bryan's hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. "Dance with me." I commanded. Bryan smiled and obliged. The two of us wiggled around one another. Nothing too inappropriate, just messing around. For example, I vogued for a little bit and he did the robot. When the song ended, we both got off the homemade dance floor. "Thanks." I laughed as I got another drink.

"Not a problem. Hey, do you mind if I get a pic with you?" he asked.

I nearly spit out my beer. "M-me?" I gagged. "Why?" Shouldn't I be asking that?

"Well, when you become a famous newswoman, I'll be able to say I knew her way back when..." he chuckled, taking out a camera. He stood next to me and snapped a pic.

I shook my head. "You took a picture... with me..." What is my life?

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how many fans you have in Chicago." Bryan slipped the camera back into his pocket.

I smirked and nodded towards the food. "Well, I'm kinda hungry, I'm going to grab something to eat.. I'll catch up with you a little later?"

"Sure, save another dance for me though." he insisted with a wink as he turned to mingle with some other guests.

I smiled and nodded. The snack table had pretzels, boneless buffalo wings, chips, candy, and mozzarella sticks. I snagged a little bit of everything onto a plate and started munching away, starving. Just as I took a bite of a pretzel, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to see Prince Toews standing in front of me. I waved and smiled as genuinely as I could.

"Hey, Hawk-ey." he chuckled, tapping my boots with his shoes. "Nice costume."

I shrugged and rolled my eyes. "Is everyone going to call me Hawk-ey now?"

He nodded and laughed. "Yeah, basically. Better get used to it."

"Greeeaaat." I groaned, popping a chip into my mouth.

Jon leaned against the wall and just stared at me. "So, were you ever going to come over and say hi?" he questioned.

"I was working my way over... But isn't the prince supposed to rescue the princess, not the other way around, Prince Toews?" I joked, nibbling on a boneless buffalo wing.

He smirked and shook his head. "True, they forgot to teach us that in prince school. You having fun? I see you've met Bryan." Jon nodded over to the firefighter talking to another girl.

"Yeah, he's a fun guy." I nodded and sipped some soda nonchalantly.

"You like him?" There was a little too much emphasis on like...

Uh... "What?" I asked, not sure if I heard him correctly.

Jon shook his head and looked down, embarrassed. "Nothing..."

"No, what did you say?" I repeated, putting my plate down with too much force. I was about to be extremely pissed off... why, I couldn't exactly tell you.

He frowned and shrugged. "Nothing, really, it's no big deal."

"Well, why do you care if I like him?" I pressed, crossing my arms over my chest defensively.

Jon looked down at me, unhappy as well. I don't know exactly why I was so angry, maybe because I thought he shouldn't have a say in who I was attracted to considering he had been playing with me for a month. He was obviously also angry about something. None of it really made any sense. Again, I blame the alcohol.

"I-I don't... I just, think you can do better." he lied. Jon would never down-size his teammates. He joked about them, but he thought highly of every single one of them deep down, even Kaner.

I growled, "Better like who?" He didn't say anything in response to that, he just glared at me. So now you're mad at me for flirting with someone? And you're lying about it. Great. "If you have something to say, then say it! Otherwise butt out. You have no right to-"

Before I could continue arguing, Jon slid his hand to the small of my back and brought me close to him. He bent down and gave me a long kiss on the lips. His mouth crashed onto mine like waves onto the beach. My eyes closed and I sighed, enjoying my fantasy.

"Ow-Ow!" Kaner called. Somebody else whistled. The rest ooh-ed. Shit... this is real?

Jon backed up, still holding me close. Somehow, my hands had ended up on his chest, and I could feel his heart pounding out as hard as it could. He looked down at me to see my reaction. I opened my eyes and gasped at being released. I locked eyes with him, wanting to believe that he was truly interested in me. Something told me he was just doing it to shut me up. Something else told me he was doing it to get over Diane. One small teeny tiny part told me it was him... just being him...

I felt awkward and uncomfortable as everyone's eyes fell upon us. People were laughing and cheering as if it was a movie moment type kiss. I blushed and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It was at this point that I noticed I was shaking a little. I'm sure Jon noticed considering he was still holding me... "What the f-" I started.

"Alright, nothing to see here, folks!" Pat boomed, excitedly, waving everyone's attention away.

I turned and glared at him, assuming it was his fault that this happened. When in doubt, blame Kaner. It usually works out in the end. He probably persuaded Jon into the whole thing. I broke free of Jon's grasp and shoved Pat angrily. He whipped around and stared at me like I was insane. "Great party, jackass." I mumbled under my breath as I trotted into the hallway.