Moving as soundlessly as he could, Tyler prowled down the hallway towards the nursery, following the sound of Nicki's soft, singsong voice. He wasn't supposed to be home for another hour, and upon entering the house, he knew exactly where she would be and what she would be doing. She was amazing, to say the least. But catching her in moments where she thought no one was watching was what he lived for. To see the side of her that only came out when she thought she was alone made him feel like he knew her almost as well as she knew herself. Most of the time he would find her singing; she was always singing. On a few occasions, he'd walked in on her dancing around the kitchen with Marshall, or bawling over the Notebook. Sometimes, he felt like she was a girl straight out of a romantic comedy.

Since finding out about the babies, a new light had been shining inside of her. She was as lively as the day they got married, and as passionate as the night they first made love. She was back to the helpless, klutzy, vivacious girl he'd fallen in love with so long ago, and he made sure to let her know he'd noticed. The sorrow that had been so prominent in their house since the miscarriage had been lifted, and replaced with feelings that belong in a home. Coming home to her never ceased to be the best part of his day. Whether she was waiting for him with dinner ready or passed out on the couch, seeing her, in the house they shared, always put a smile on his face.

He tiptoed over the creaky floor in front of the bathroom before the nursery, hoping that Nicki wouldn't be any the wiser to his presence. A peek through the doorway showed that she was turned with her back to him, singing quietly as she scanned the room around her. A finger rested on her chin, giving tell to the deep, thorough thinking taking place inside of that pretty head of hers. She was wearing nothing but a long Bruins shirt, with his name and number on the back. With their name on the back. His skin stretched back into a wide smile at the thought of it. There were plenty of days where he fell into routine, where their lives were normal and he didn't put any kind of thought into it. But there were certainly days, like today, when Tyler woke up and analyzed everything around him.

That woman he woke up next to, with her disheveled hair being the only thing covering her skin, was his wife. On days such as today, wife was more than just a title. It was a word that meant she was for him, and not for anybody else. Until the day they died. She was the woman who would give him children, who would carry them while they grew and continue to do so long after they were born. His perplexing thoughts didn't end there, however. He read into the way she kissed him before he left for training, how she slipped a lunch big enough for three people into his hockey bag, and the smack on the ass he received as he turned to leave. He memorized the way her face looked; filled with sadness to know that he was leaving her alone yet another day, but the tiny sparkle in her eye told him she already couldn't wait for his return.

To say he was in disbelief of how his life turned out would be a dramatic understatement. As if playing in the NHL wasn't enough, he'd been blessed enough to have the single most incredible girl he'd ever met not only fall in love with him, but vow to stay with him through anything. Every day, she proved herself more and more.

The smile that had forced its way to his face was now hurting the muscles in his cheeks, but he simply couldn't stop it from happening. There were few times in his life that he could remember feeling so happy. With each hour that passed, he grew more confident that Nicki was right. She was going to have those babies if it was the last thing she ever did. The worry of history repeating was slowly beginning to fade. They needed this. Hell, they deserved this. And it was going to happen.

The singing grew a bit louder, and Tyler recognized the song instantly. It was the song they had their first dance to, the song she sang to him when nightmares kept him up through the latest hours of the day. That song would forever hold a special place in his heart, and a knot formed in his stomach whenever he heard it. Creeping through the doorway, he continued to watch her as she worked away, putting the finishing touches on the elegant paint job. Unbeknownst to him, she had an amazing skill for painting. Not for painting rooms, but for painting pictures, too. She'd taken it upon herself to cover an entire wall with a mural, which he hadn't really seen until now.
The walls in the room were a rich lavender, since she wanted to be both original and gender neutral. Tyler tried to tell her that purple was more of a girl's color, but she exploded in his face, claiming that they were babies and they wouldn't know the difference. He laughed silently to himself at the memory, and how hysterical it was when she attempted to get mad. Even with her hormones raging and her back aching, she still couldn't be mean. She could yell all she wanted, and it normally ended in one of two ways. With her in tears, or giggling uncontrollably at how ridiculous she was being. Focusing his attention back to the mural that she was working so diligently on, he was astounded. It was a swirling blend of trees and birds, all in different hues of purple, grey, and white.

As he inched closer, he realized that the reason why she hadn't noted his hulking presence was because she had her headphones in. Between singing along to whatever song was playing and taking her brush to the wall in front of her, she had no reason to suspect that someone else was in the room with her. Knowing he would scare her half to death if he touched her, Tyler backed off and waited for her to turn around and see him on her own.

He waited for what felt like hours, not that he minded. Watching her work so peacefully as she sang all of her favorite songs in the deep, gorgeous voice she had was the best thing he'd seen in days. Leaning back against one of the cribs, he let out a soft sigh. Six months was far too long to wait for that room to be filled. At this point, Tyler welcomed the all night crying and diapers that stunk up the entire house with wide open arms. Nearly every night he dreamt of finally holding his child, a luxury that he once may not have appreciated fully. When he thought of it, he always saw a beautiful baby girl. One who shared her mother's eyes, and shared her softness and warmth. It was a warmth he had never known before, and probably would never know from anyone else in his whole life. Nicki was one in seven billion. He was sure of it. There was not another person like her on the entire planet. But maybe, if they were lucky, their daughter would be half the woman her mother was.

A muffled shriek caught his attention and snapped him from his daydream. He chuckled at Nicki's frightened expression, which quickly turned to delight.

"Ty!" she screamed, ripping the buds from her ears, "You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing home?"

Her laughter echoed his as he pulled her into his arms and placed a kiss in her messy hair.

"I tweaked my hamstring, got sent home for the day," he explained, inhaling the sweet smell of her shampoo.

"Shit, are you okay?" she asked, backing away from him.

When she did, they both heard the crinkling.

"What's in your hands, love?"

Tyler continued to grin at her, waiting for her to investigate herself. She did just that and spun around in his arms, pressing her warm back against his tired chest.

"Flowers?! Baby!" she squealed, spinning around again.

It seemed that they both had the same idea, because without another word they were in pursuit of each other's lips. It was unclear who had kissed who, and it didn't matter much. In seconds Tyler was completely, hopelessly lost in her. His hands gripped her sides, which were becoming noticeably thicker. In all honesty, he was counting down the moments until she would start to show, until the tiniest bump showed up on her otherwise flat stomach. He remembered the way it felt last time, seeing for the very first time the evidence of his baby growing inside of her.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?" she inquired, placing a tingling kiss on his cheek.

"I have a rough idea, yeah," he answered, still grinning like an idiot.

“Hey,” she said, tilting her head. “How long were you standing there?”

“Way longer than you would have liked me to.”

He watched her cheeks as they mimicked the color of the setting sun outside the bay window in front of him. Tyler bent over to kiss each one, and he could feel the heat radiating from her rushing blood.

“How come you don’t sing like that in front of me?” he asked, rubbing his thumb against her rosy flesh.

“I just did, didn’t I?”

Tyler rolled his eyes, waiting for her to give him a real answer. She gave in and looked down at her feet.

“I dunno,”

“What if I told you I loved it when you sang, and asked you to do it more often? You’ll do it when I’m half asleep,” he reminded her, “What’s the difference?”

She shrugged and her eyes traveled back to his face. “I guess I could do it more.”

“That’s my girl,” he exclaimed, pulling her into another hug. “So is this what you did all day?

“Pretty much, yeah. Skyped with Lisa for a bit. They can’t wait to come up here.”

“Is this gonna be ready in time?” Tyler asked, glancing around the nearly finished room.

“Definitely,” she said enthusiastically, gesturing towards the mural. “Once that’s done, there’s a few last things and that’s it. I have a whole week.”

“You’re incredible,” he murmured, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you did this all by yourself.”

“Aw, thanks Ty! Painting and decorating was no problem. But I’m a tad concerned about taking care of two babies.”

Tyler stared at her, trying to read her. As excited as she’d been the past few weeks, she kept dropping small hints about how worried she was, how she thought two babies might be too much to handle. He understood, what with him being gone every few days for most of the year. It wasn’t like she had ever done anything like it before, although she did have plenty of friends with experience in the matter who were more than happy to help. Had it not been for them, he guessed she would probably be in a stage three breakdown by this point.

“It’s going to be fine,” he assured her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “You’ve always said that it would come naturally to you. Don’t start doubting yourself now babe.”

She nodded, and gave him the faintest of smiles. “You’re right. I’m sorry Ty, I guess I’m just overthinking it.”

“Yes you are. You’re gonna be great,” he said, as convincingly as he could.

Nicki made a grab for his arms, giving him chills as her hands moved up and down his tender, overused biceps.

“And if I suck, at least they’ll have the most handsome, amazing man in the world as their father,” she recited playfully.

“You didn’t tell me George Clooney was the father. That’s kinda gross, he’s old,” he teased, going along with the game she’d started. “I’m not upset though. The man is handsome.”

“Tyler!” she squealed, smacking him on the chest and making him flinch. “Oh, what’s wrong?”

He shook it off and walked slowly around the room, trying to flex the muscles that had stiffened just from standing in the same place for too long.

“Really sore,” he mumbled.

“Well why didn’t you say so? Go lay down in our room, I’ll be right there,” she ordered. “Unless you want to eat first?”

Thinking it over, his need to eat trumped his desire to no longer be agonizingly sore.

“Food sounds nice.”

She smiled and nodded. “Okay, what – “

Nicki was interrupted by his phone ringing in his pocket. He couldn’t think of anyone important who might be calling, but decided to check anyways. Tyler always figured one of these days, he would miss a call from his mother about someone being in the hospital or dying, and she would never forgive him for it. When he looked at the name that popped up on his screen, his heart dropped. It was Dave. His agent.

He hesitated before answering, well aware that Dave never called unless something serious was going on. Silently praying that no bad media had spread about him or, God forbid, about Nicki, he answered the phone.

“Hello?”

She cocked her head and mouthed Who is it?

Not wanting to worry her, he waved her off, signaling that he would talk to her after. Nicki glared at him through squinted eyes before taking a seat on the rocking chair they’d bought the day before. She despised waiting to find out what was going on, probably because of how nervous she got when unexpected things occurred.

“Tyler, how ya doing kid?”

“I’m not horrible, yourself?”

So far, Tyler hadn’t the slightest clue as to why his agent would be calling him. Normally, he came right out with things.

“Not so great, actually. I just landed in Boston.”

“You’re here?” he asked, suddenly even more confused. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be in England right now?”

“I should be, but here I am, stepping out into the suffocating humidity of America’s finest city. Listen Tyler, I don’t know how to put this…”

“Am I in some kind of trouble?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Dave said cautiously. “I’m about to meet with Peter.”

“Chiarelli? Dave, you’re freaking me out here. What’s going on?”

He glanced at Nicki, who was chewing fervently on her nails with her eyebrows furrowed low. She looked as nervous as he was, possibly even more. He was beginning to feel bad for her, he couldn’t imagine what it must have sounded like only hearing one end of the conversation.

“Kid, they’re trying to get rid of you.”

Tyler nearly laughed. “What? You’re just fucking with me, right?”

“I’m not joking, bud. They’re trying to get a draft pick out of you.”

Finally, it dawned on him that Dave wasn’t kidding, not in the slightest. His stomach started doing flips and his heartbeat picked up. He tried to ignore the shaking that had started in his hands.

“How… why?” he whispered, unable to raise his voice any more than that.

Nicki’s face went ashen in front of him. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any words to console her.

“That’s what I’m going to find out. I have to go, but hang by the phone, okay? I might need you to come in here.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“And for God’s sake Tyler, stay away from the media. Don’t even turn on the TV. You only believe what you hear from me, alright?”

Before he could answer, the line had already disconnected. Nicki was out of the chair, approaching him slowly. The expression on her face told him that he looked as sick as he felt.

“Baby, what is it?” she asked timidly.

He ignored her question, momentarily becoming dizzy. “I have to sit down.”

She inched closer to him, placing one hand on his stomach and the other on his back. Instantly, it steadied him.

“Can you make it downstairs?”

Tyler nodded and began to walk out of the room, but allowed her to keep holding on to him. Even if he didn’t need the physical support of her holding him up, her touch provided a solace that could keep him going. They made it down the stairs and into the living room with minimal difficulty. Once he was on the couch, the dizziness subsided.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Nicki asked again, placing a hand on the side of his face. “Was that your agent Dave?”

“Yeah, it was.”

“Well what the hell did he say to get you so bugged out? It’s not like you could get traded or anything.”

His head hung low; he couldn’t even look at her. If this happened, she would be even more devastated than him.

“That’s exactly what’s happening,” he muttered. “They’re trying to trade me for a draft pick tomorrow.”`

The pure, absolute horror on her face depleted any self-confidence he had left. In that moment, the only thing he could think of was that he’d let her down. His one real job was to perform well enough for his team to want him, so that he could have a steady income and assurance that they would be able to stay where they were.

“Tyler… no.”

Her voice had broken him. He could do nothing but watch as her eyes brimmed with the tears he couldn’t get out himself.

“Tyler, no,” she repeated, clearly at a loss for words.

He knew it was just as much a surprise to her as it was to him. Except he’d already moved twice in his short life, and knew the moment that he got drafted that he might be forced to pack up again at any moment. As the years passed, however, he grew more and more confident that the Bruins were a team he could ride out his career with. Not once had he ever felt the need to have that conversation with Nicki, warning her not to get too comfortable anywhere. It hadn’t seemed necessary.

Unsure of what else to do, Tyler held out his arms. Nicki stared at him, with tears free falling down her face. She knew what it meant when he opened his arms that way, and he assumed that shock was keeping her where she stood in front of him.

“Come here, babe,” he said, his voice much raspier than normal.

Hesitantly, she did as he said and climbed carefully onto his lap. Eventually she curled up in a ball, allowing him to wrap his arms all the way around her.

“Tyler, this is our home. You’ve been here forever… how could they just rip that away from us?” she sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder. “We just got settled here. We were supposed to stay here. This is our home… my dream house…” For a moment, her voice trailed off, whatever she said had become lost in her wails. “Why can’t anything ever go right?!”

He wished that he could answer her, that he could say something to make things better. But he couldn’t. She had said the words that had been on his mind since the moment he got the call. Just when things were going good and looking up, something disastrous had to happen. There was no escaping it; it seemed their lives were destined to be one letdown after another. With the wound of losing their first child still fresh, the idea of having to leave the place they’d called home for so long was unbearable.

For a moment, her crying ceased. Tyler lowered his head so that he could see her face, and what he saw there made him want to look away.

“But… they just signed you! How is this even possible?”

“I wish I could tell you,” he murmured. “It’s all about the money. If they found some way to make a bigger profit off of somebody else, they’ll find a way to get rid of me.”

“I’m going down there,” she threatened, pushing herself out of his lap.

“To do what? Tell them they can’t do it?”

“To do something! I can’t just sit here and wait for them to ruin our fucking lives!” she screamed, her face turning red with anger.

In all the time he’d known her, Tyler had never seen her so enraged. He leaned back into the couch, without the slightest clue to what he should be doing. Dave would probably kill him if he did anything besides wait for his call, and even if there was something they could do, it would only make his situation worse.

“Babe, you gotta – “

“Tyler don’t you dare tell me to calm down,” she hissed. He retreated without another word, imagining that he was finally about to feel the wrath of a wronged pregnant woman. “You can’t possibly be okay with this! For fuck’s sake, you’re the alternate fucking captain! Who are they gonna get rid of next, Patrice? Who the fuck needs a captain anyways? When we can just get some eighteen year old who will spend two years in Providence before he’s ready to take your place? Because that makes plenty of sense. Oh, sure, he’s in the peak of his career? Time to fucking trade his ass, no point in keeping him here when he’s only scoring thirty five fucking goals every fucking season!”

Her screams echoed off of the walls and through the house, beckoning Marshall into the room to see what the fuss was about. Neither of them had ever heard her this way, and Tyler guessed Marshall probably thought someone was being murdered.

“How are you not furious right now?!” she asked, still shouting at the top of her lungs as she paced back and forth in front of him. “This is the most inconceivable load of bull shit…”

In his pocket, Tyler’s phone began to ring again. Nicki kept ranting, apparently she was uncaring whether or not anyone listened to her.

“Dave,” he said, anticipating bad news.

“Please tell me that’s the TV and not your wife in the background.”

“I could,” he sighed, “But I’d be lying.”

“Shit. Kid I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this. You of all people don’t deserve this. After everything you’ve been through the last year...”

He stayed silent, not sure what to say in response to Dave’s sympathy. It was true, after the horrible times they’d endured only months ago, it seemed so wrong that something of this magnitude could be happening to them now. But he wasn’t playing the victim, that wouldn’t get him anywhere and would only make him guilty.

“Listen, I think it would be good for you to come in,” he continued, “You can hear for yourself what’s going on.”

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut, as if somehow doing that could squeeze away the anxiety that was tugging at every nerve in his body.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Dave, is there anything I can say to make them change their minds?”

After a long pause, he finally answered.

“I don’t think so, kid. I’ll see you soon.”

His phone fell to the couch underneath him. When he looked up, he realized that Nicki was nowhere in sight. He couldn’t even remember when her shouting had stopped, and certainly hadn’t seen her leave the room. Another glance around told him that Marshall was gone as well, making him think she’d taken him for a walk to clear her head. But it wasn’t like her to leave him alone at a time like this. Normally, she stuck to his side like she would die if she took even one step away from him. Then again, this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

Tyler rose from the couch, becoming more worried by the second as the house remained quiet. If Nicki was still in the house, he guessed she was most likely curled up in a corner somewhere, crying. A scratching against the door in the kitchen drew his attention and he went to investigate. Upon opening the door, he understood why the house had been so quiet.

Nicki had taken her raving outside, and was doing circles in the middle of the yard while talking on the phone, with Marshall right behind her. Tyler approached her with hesitation, not wanting to frighten her in such a volatile state. She caught a glimpse of him and quickly hung up the phone.

“Nicki…”

She stared at him.

“Who was that on the phone?”

The guilty expression on her face confirmed his fears. He let out a long, frustrated sigh and covered his eyes with his hand.

“Please tell me that wasn’t my mother.”

Her eyebrows raised and she shrugged. The last thing he wanted to do was yell at his upset, pregnant wife, but he had no idea what else to do.

“Well, what did she say? What did you say?”

“I told her what was going on,” she mumbled, looking down at Marshall, who had sprawled himself out across her feet.

“And?”

“She’s sending the girls out here.”

“For Christ’s sake Nicki.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do Ty?!” she said, her voice raising in volume with each word. She threw her arms in the air, giving tell to her frustration. “We’re about to have our already fucking unstable lives uprooted. Did you just expect me to take this news well?! I’ve lived here my entire life! It’s the only thing I know. My family is here, Tyler. Everything is here. And don’t even get me fucking started on what I think of that organization right now…”

“Babe, don’t go there,” he warned. “If you say something and the wrong person hears, that could ruin any chance I have of staying.”

“So what do you want me to do?” she asked, sounding nothing short of exasperated. “What do you want me to do Ty? Hm? Pretend like none of this is happening? Pretend like it’s all going to be okay? We both know that it’s not. Because that’s the way life works. I’ve been fooling myself for way too long, thinking that maybe I was done being shit on by life. You know what I’ve been telling myself? For the last five fucking years? That you saved me. From all of the bullshit I had to deal with my entire life. I thought, hey, as long as I have him, everything is going to be fine. But you know what I just realized?”

If she was waiting for some kind of response, she was going to be disappointed. Tyler was utterly
speechless.

“I realized that you didn’t save me at all. I just dragged you into hell with me and made you deal with all of it too, so that I wouldn’t have to be alone. I guarantee, had you never met me, none of this would be happening to you right now.”

“Nicki, stop,” he said, his own voice raising now. “You can’t possibly blame yourself for this. You want someone to blame? Blame me. Blame me for starting a career in a league where this happens every day. Blame me for not warning you that something like this could happen.”

“Tyler that’s ridiculous.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “I’m being ridiculous? Have you heard yourself?”
She opened her mouth to speak. Instead of letting her say whatever she had prepared, he walked briskly towards her and gripped her face in a single hand, catching her off guard.

“Listen, I have to go.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“No, you’re not,” he said, watching her face contort in ways that genuinely frightened him. “You are staying here and letting me deal with my own issues. I can’t have you exploding like this.”

“I won’t,” she murmured.

“You will, babe. Look at you. If you saw Peter, you’d rip his head off with your bare hands, before they even make a decision.” Before she could defend herself further, he pressed his lips to hers, with much more force than he’d originally intended. “You need to promise me something.”

She whispered a response, one that was too quiet for him to hear.

“Nicki, I’m serious. I’m not leaving this yard until you give me your word that no matter what happens, we’re going to be okay. I don’t care if I get sent to fucking Calgary,” he paused, and felt her cringe, “You promise me that we’ll make it work. I can’t do this without you.”

With glossy eyes, she stared up at him. He couldn’t figure out if it was better to leave her sad or pissed, but when tears started to fill the brims of her eyes, it made the thought of leaving her alone heartbreaking. He would have to find a way to get her angry again before he left. Tyler would have rather come back to broken Chinaware and ripped up pillows than a sad, tear stained face.

With a slight nod of her head she whispered, “I promise.”

“Okay,” he whispered back, unsure of what his next move would be.

When nothing came to mind, he lowered his head and placed his lips on hers again. This time, he was softer, less urgent. Tears transferred from her face to his, causing the guilt that had been pushing its way through his resolve to eat away at him. Nicki deserved nothing but the life she wanted; the life she wanted there, in Boston. She might have been ready for the long road trips and spans of time apart, but he hadn’t given her enough warning about this.

Tyler brushed her hair back and left a lingering kiss on her forehead.

“I’m sorry I have to leave, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She answered him with a blank stare, making him feel nauseous.

“Come back inside,” he begged, grabbing her hand.

Nicki let him pull her, but she felt like dead weight. He hadn’t expected her to react well, although he certainly hadn’t been expecting her to blow up the way she did. Something told him that this was only the beginning, that this had set off something inside of her that had been dormant for a long time.

After getting her back inside, Tyler grabbed his keys from the kitchen counter and attempted to prepare himself for whatever he was about to hear. When he walked through the living room, he found Nicki standing in front of the TV, switching channels frantically. He grabbed the remote from her hand and tossed it onto the couch behind them.

“No TV,” he said firmly. “If the media catches wind of this, it’s going to be a disaster. You only listen to what I tell you, okay?”

“So what the fuck am I gonna do? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs?”

“Why don’t you work on the twins’ room?”

The mention of their babies seemed to calm her down. Tyler got the feeling she momentarily forgot that they were inside of her, as she most likely wouldn’t have risked popping a blood vessel had she remembered.Her flushed face became sad again. She was beginning to scare him. He didn’t even know she had it in her to be so moody, and she was proving to be quite the storm.

“How am I supposed to do anything right now Ty?”

He wished that he could bring her with him, and on any other occasion, she probably would have helped his case. But this was his battle, one he needed to fight himself, without dragging his personable wife into it. Besides, she wasn’t exactly personable at the moment, anyhow.

“Honestly, I don’t know,” he admitted, brushing the back of his hand along her silky face. “Just try to keep yourself busy. Maybe bake something? You love to bake.”

“That doesn’t sound horrible,” she mumbled, staring down at her feet. “You do realize I’m going to be having a panic attack the entire time you’re gone.”

Tyler pursed his lips and pulled her to his chest. Strangely, even with all of the thoughts and emotions running rampant throughout his head, the only thing he could concentrate on was making sure that she was okay. His hand gripped the back of her head, forcing her closer to him. She complied, settling into him the way only she could do.

“How long will you be gone?” she asked, her voice muffled by his chest.

“I don’t know. I’ll text you if I can.”

“This is going to be so fun,” she muttered sarcastically.

“Hey,” he said, leaning away from her and cupping her face in his hands. “I’m going to do everything I can to change their minds. And if I can’t, I’ll just let my pissed off, pregnant wife loose on them. Make them sorry they ever even considered it.”

As Nicki laughed, a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Damn right.”

He moved to kiss away her tear, and she let him. The taste of saline in his mouth had grown exceedingly familiar the past year. After tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, he decided that it was time to go. He couldn’t put it off forever, as hard as it was going to be to leave Nicki standing in the middle of the foyer, all alone, when he knew she was just as scared as he was.
When he turned to walk away, she grabbed his wrist.

“Tyler, how worried should I be?”

Her question hit him like a ton of bricks. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth yet, either. Not until he knew for certain.

“I’m not sure, babe. Just try to hang in there, okay? And keep your phone close, I’ll call as soon as I find out anything.”

Tyler turned his back again, unable to look her in the face. As he’d learned the last hour, he liked her much better angry than sad. She didn’t deserve any more sadness.

Nicki followed him into the foyer, and they both stopped in front of the door. It felt like all of the other times he’d had to leave her, for road trips or all day training camp. Except it felt one hundred times worse. Knowing that his time in the home he loved was limited, knowing that this may very well be his last trip to the Garden as a Bruin killed him. It was like taking a punch to the heart. And Nicki’s worried, gloomy face hurt just as badly.

He grabbed her face again, forcing his eyes onto hers. He wanted to tell her that it would be okay, that he would fix it the way he always fixed things. But he would only be lying to her, and to himself. He wanted to believe more than anything that he could sway the decision, that he could show his value and make them change their minds. Unfortunately, he’d been in the business long enough to know that that was never how it went.

“I love you,” were the only words he could muster.

She tried to smile, and got the corners of her mouth to turn up ever so slightly. Now, more than ever, Tyler needed to see her real smile, dimples and all. That smile always told him that things were alright. That she was happy, and in turn, that they were happy. It would have been ludicrous to think he might have gotten that smile out of her then.

“I love you too, baby,” she said, her voice hoarse from the screaming and the crying. “You know I’ll stick by you through anything.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He pulled her to his lips, leaving one last, long kiss. Depending on how things went that night, it could be days before either of them felt like kissing again. And he wanted to have a good one to reminisce about if they had to suffer through whatever miserable things life had to offer.

After brushing away another fallen tear, Tyler attempted a smile and left. He dared not look back through the still open door, as he would surely run back and never leave. If he could just remind himself that she wasn’t alone, that she had two other people, as miniscule as they might have been, to keep her company. Strangely, it was no consolation. They couldn’t rub her back, they couldn’t offer soothing words nor loving arms.

The ride into Boston proved to be the longest of his entire life. Halfway there, he’d received another call from Dave asking where he was. He couldn’t exactly tell him that he’d been too shattered to leave his wife and that it took him a good half an hour to walk out the front door, so he used the traffic as an excuse. Dave most likely knew that there was not even the smallest bit of traffic on the roads that night. If he did, he chose not to say anything.

Walking through the player’s entrance, Tyler was hit with a rush of emotion. He remembered his very first time there, terrified and thrilled at the same time, anticipating the start of his career, of his dream. He remembered meeting the team for the first time, and how kind and welcoming they’d all been. And he remembered his first game, being fully dressed in his brand new uniform and feeling as though he was on top of the world. Eight years had passed since then, and with every one, he grew more in love with this place, and this city. It had become more of a home to him than Toronto ever was, and he’d established a family there unlike any one he’d ever experienced. The thought of having to leave all of it behind was suffocating him.

He walked as slowly as his legs would allow to the conference room that Dave instructed him to be in. All he wanted to do was turn around, to run away and never look back, as if it would all just go away if he ignored it. When he reached to open the door, he saw his own hand shaking worse than Nicki’s ever had. That was when he noticed the thunderous thudding in his chest and the beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. Suddenly, he wished he had brought Nicki with him.

Upon opening the door, he was faced with three people he had known for nearly a decade. The same three people who had been exuberant about drafting him to their team were now the three people trying to give him away. Dave shot a glance his way, and the expression on his face worried him much more than the uncomfortable atmosphere in the room.

“Seguin, take a seat.”

Tyler did as Peter instructed, feeling a growing resentment for the man. Maybe he would live up to his offer. As the minutes passed, he realized he would love nothing more than to see Nicki verbally rip him to shreds. Apparently, she [i]did[/i] have a mean side. And it was vicious.
He stared blankly, first at Peter, then at Jeremy, then Cam. Each of them seemed to have trouble looking him in the eye. After clearing his throat, Peter jumped right into things.

“Listen, this hasn’t been easy for any of us,” he started, making it clear that this was not some last minute decision as he’d hoped it was. “We’ve got offers from Tampa and Calgary. With the cap dropping next season, it’s going to be hard to ignore. They’re willing to give up a lot more than you’re worth. You understand it’s a business, and we have to do what’s best for the organization…”

As he droned on, Tyler’s blood began to boil. He regretted not taking a notepad, to write down all of the terrible things he was saying in the nicest way possible. The man had a knack for turning something insulting into something acceptable, but Tyler never bought it. Words were words, it didn’t matter how you said them or what context you tried to place them in. What’s best for the organization is keeping the leading goal scorer.

“But why me?” he asked, interrupting the macabre speech. “Why not Ferry? Or Thorty? We all get paid the same.”

Tense glances were exchanged between the three men sitting in front of him, and he began to realize what was going on.

“They’re already gone,” Cam mumbled.

Tyler sat back, in disbelief. The team that had stuck together through everything, that had won them two championships, and nearly a third, was being torn apart. And they were starting with the leaders.

“I can’t fucking believe this,” he said under a breath.

“I’m going to have to ask for your discrepancy, Seguin. If the media asks – “

Unable to sit still any longer, he pushed himself out of his chair.

“Don’t worry. If the media asks I’ll just tell them that we came to a mutual agreement,” he spat, just getting started. “I’ll tell them that I started to get tired of my home, that I didn’t want to play for the team I love anymore. They don’t need me, and I don’t need them. And God forbid that my children are born in a city like Boston. No, let’s go to Calgary instead. That’s the perfect place to go if you want another shot at the cup, right? I hear they have a great organization. Yeah, eight years of hard work and dedication don’t mean anything. I want a fresh start, somewhere where no one knows my name. I can’t tell you how much I hate knowing that half of a city loves me. And forget the pride. Who would be proud to play for a team like the Bruins. Not me, that’s for sure.”

His sarcasm was dully noted, and Cam shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

“You said, your children?” he asked timidly, earning bothered glances from the two men on either side of him.

“Oh, did I forget to mention? My wife, who can’t get pregnant? By some miracle, she is. And guess what? We’re having twins. We were going to tell everyone on the Fourth, invite all of you over for a party. Was gonna be a great time. But looks like I might be house hunting then, so we’ll have to cancel.”

Somehow, he seemed to have earned the sympathy of everyone in the room.

“You didn’t tell me that, Tyler,” Dave said, astonished.

“She wanted to surprise everyone,” he muttered.

Thinking of Nicki sparked a whole new round of fears and anxieties. He would do anything to avoid breaking this news to her. She was going to be absolutely devastated. It couldn’t be somewhere close, like Pittsburgh. No. Can’t get much further away than Calgary or Tampa Bay.

“Kid, I’m sorry,” Jeremy said.

“So this is it,” Tyler stated, waiting for confirmation before he stormed out of the building and never looked back.

“I’m afraid so.”

“We’ll be in touch,” said Cam, as if it were some kind of condolence.

Giving his head a firm shake of disgust, he turned his back to the people that had made him who he was. The people who had guided him and believed in him and supported him, even as an eighteen year old kid.

“Tyler!” Dave called after him, his heavy footsteps sprinting down the hallway behind him. “Tyler, I’m so sorry. There wasn’t anything either of us could do.”

“Yeah,” he scoffed, picking up his speed. “I noticed.”

After a moment of hesitation, Dave asked, “Nicki. She’s really pregnant again?”

He nodded his head, pushing through the doors to exit the building that had become his home away from home, possibly for the last time. The thought of being there as a visitor, on the ice that had been his for so long, made his eyes sting.

“It’s not a sure thing. We don’t know if she’s going to make it all the way through.”

“Fuck, that must be killing you. How did you find the strength to put yourselves through that?”

“I think it was more weakness than strength,” he admitted. “If I don’t have hope, I have nothing. We need these babies, Dave. Now more than ever.”

Dave’s remorse radiated right through him; the man truly felt for him.

“I wish there was something I could have done. I don’t want to see you leave just as much as you don’t want to go.”

Tyler shook him off and continued his fast paced strides to his car. Before opening the door, he turned to Dave, who had come up right behind him.

“Want me to come over kid? Wait with you for the news? I get it if you want to be alone with your wife, just say the word.”

He mulled it over, and realized it wasn’t such a bad idea.

“You know what? That sounds fine. To be honest, I’m a little afraid to be alone with her right now.”

A mild chuckle came from his heavyset agent, almost making Tyler find the situation humorous. Had his life not been in jeopardy of being ripped apart at the seams, he would have found Nicki’s recently adopted psychosis to be hysterical. Even when she was pissed to the high heavens, something about her was still adorable. Her flushed, fleshy cheeks and the way her voice cracked when she became too loud killed him, he wanted nothing more than to laugh and to hold her. But she was upset over something large and serious, and it was no laughing matter.

“She that bad?” he asked, sounding a bit worried. “She always seems like such a sweetheart.”

Tyler exhaled a long breath, trying to find the right way to describe what she was like.

“She is. Before tonight, I’ve never really seen her mad. I’m guessing the fact that her hormones are raging isn’t helping, either. Her doctor warned us about the effects stress could have on her and the babies. Told us to avoid moving and fighting at all costs.”

“Yeah,” Dave said, nodding. “When Denise was pregnant, they told us the same thing. Better hope no one dies. When my mother-in-law passed, forget it. I thought she was going to stab me in my sleep. Shit sets them off when they’re pregnant. I never got it, never will.”

A hand rose to the back of Tyler’s neck subconsciously, rubbing his skin in worry.

“I don’t know how to handle her. I feel like if I say one wrong thing, she’ll turn on me.”

“How about this? Why don’t I come over, maybe act as a middle man. I mean I know her well enough to think she wouldn’t go off on you for no reason, but when you mess with a mother and her kids, ain’t no telling what might happen. Think about it Tyler. This is where she grew up. You got two kids on the way, chances are she planned on raising them here. Right now her plan is being sabotaged, and she’s probably got no idea what to do about it.”

“Jesus Dave,” he chuckled, “You sound like her frigging therapist right now. You really have this all figured out huh?”

Tyler received a firm pat on the shoulder and a proud nod.

“That’s what twenty-two years of marriage gets ya. You aren’t even a year in yet, kid. You got a hell of a lot to learn.” He paused to glance around the near empty parking lot that surrounded them. “Let’s head back to your place, no sense in making her wait any longer.”

“You’re right,” he said, sighing. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You got it, kid.”

The drive home felt like only half the time of the drive in. The dread he felt deep in his gut simply wouldn’t cease, no matter how many times he told himself that it was okay. When he pulled into his long driveway, the first thing he saw was Candace’s white Mercedes, gleaming in the glare of his headlights. At least Nicki had some company while she waited. Who knew, maybe she wouldn’t be nearly as much of a disaster as he expected her to be.

Dave pulled in shortly after him, and Tyler waited for him to catch up before he walked up to the
front door, opening it hesitantly. He had never felt such anxiety over stepping into his own home. Normally, he was filled with relief and comfort. But knowing that their time there may be limited, in the house they’d grown to love, ate away at him.

“Babe?” he called timidly from the foyer. When no response came, he called out his sister’s names.

“In the kitchen!” Candace said, her voice made soft by the distance between them.

He nodded to Dave, giving him the okay to follow. Confusion flooded through him as he was faced with his kitchen, covered in white powder, which he suspected to be flour. The aroma of freshly baked cake wafted through the room. Tyler hadn’t the slightest clue as to how anyone might have baked a cake, since it seemed their entire stockpile of flower was covering every surface of the spacious kitchen. Cassidy was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. Candace stood uneasily behind the island, hovering over a pan of cupcakes.

“Did a bomb go off in here?” he asked, eyeing the disastrous mess.

After a glance over her shoulder, Candace whispered, “Nicki got a little upset.”

“I think ‘a little’ is an understatement, Candace. What the hell happened?”

“I feel like I should be asking you that. Tyler, what is going on?!”

“Where’s Nicki?”

She rolled her eyes at him and stuck a hand on her hip, clearly growing impatient.

“In the den. I don’t know what she’s like right now. Please, Ty, just tell us what happened. This came out of nowhere.”

“Dave can explain,” he said as he walked briskly past her and towards the den.

Tyler attempted to walk quietly, in case by some miracle she had managed to fall asleep. It was getting late, and on a normal night they would already have been in bed. Peeking through the doorway, he saw that she was very much awake. Nicki was curled up in the corner of their dark brown leather loveseat, with Marshall sprawled across her lap. The moment Tyler entered, she looked up at him with sad, bloodshot eyes.

He knew that the way he was standing alone gave away what had happened at the Garden. She made it obvious that she understood when she nodded her head slowly and tears ran silently down her face. Inching closer to her, he realized that he had absolutely no idea what to say to her, nor how to handle the situation. He was still in shock, and hadn’t processed everything that was going on. All he was sure of was that he had to make sure she was okay, to protect her at all costs. So far that night, he hadn’t been doing a very good job.

“Can I sit?”

Nicki gave him another nod and he sat next to her, lifting a deadweight Marshall and slipping underneath his backside. A deep groan slipped from him, almost coaxing a laugh from both of them. The smallest hint of a smile lingered on Nicki’s face, giving him the strength he needed to tell her the truth, straight and simple.

“It doesn’t look good,” he murmured, looking down at his sleeping dog. It was going to take a lot of courage for him to look her in the eyes as he broke the newest string of heartbreaking news to
her.

“I figured it wouldn’t.”

“Babe, I am so sorry,” he whispered, glancing up at her for just a moment.

To his surprise, she caught his gaze, making it impossible to look away. He didn’t want to see the pain behind her eyes, he didn’t want to look at her gleaming, wet face. But he had to.

“I let you down,” he continued, petting the top of Marshall’s head. “Maybe if I had just worked
harder – “

“Tyler,” she snapped, turning her body to face him. “Don’t you say that. I watched you all season. I’ve never seen you work so hard for anything. Look at all of the things you sacrificed to be where you are, all of the things you did for that team. I understand that this is a business, Ty, I do. But I am baffled that they could turn their backs on you like this. I don’t even want to hear the reason they gave you, because God knows I’m seconds away from jumping in your car and going to each of their houses and doing horrible things to them in their sleep. You probably think I’m insane and, hell, maybe I am. But I will take my last breath before I sit back and let these people fuck with my husband, and put my family on the line. I don’t care if there’s nothing we can do. I’m not going down without a fight. And if you don’t tell them that, I will.”

Not for the first time that day, she had left him speechless. There was nothing he could possibly say in response. A part of him wanted to tell her to cool down, that being so worked up would only make things worse, and possibly put the babies in danger. Yet, a larger part of him wanted to let her do whatever it was she needed to do. She had set off something deep within him, and although he couldn’t figure out what it was, it was powerful as anything. Her need, her instinct, to protect what was hers, overwhelmed him. He’d always known it was his duty to keep her safe, to provide for her and make sure she had everything she needed. Her role, however, had never crossed his mind. Nicki was willing to do anything to keep her family intact, no matter how small it was. After spending her whole life wishing for one, it was not something she was about to give up.
Someone calling his name broke him out of his thoughts, and it took a second time for him to figure out that it was Candace. Before he could answer, she edged into the room, wearing a warm smile on her face.

“You have visitors, Ty.”