Five days later and a half hour into the road trip to Faribault Derek was regretting this trip. Kendall was smudging the inside of his windshield with her feet up against it and the truck reeked of gas station garbage that she had just bought for them off of the highway. She was blasting Taylor Swift’s 1989 album on repeat and yelling/screaming the lyrics rather then sing them. He shook his head at her. She smirked as she ran her fingers through the hair he had left. “Smile Derek we’re going to Faribault! The place where I fell in love with a goofy kid with a widow’s peak and a smile that makes my heart gooey.”

He shook his head again. “Feet down, this is a new truck you know? And I am smiling, on the inside. The traffic is insane.” He honked at the guy in front of them as he stopped short and almost gotten them into an accident. Kendall pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at him. “See this is why you need this weekend more then me. Your very uptight Stepan.” She ate another Twizzler while he gave her side eye. “You know we’re on a very tight regime and eating Twizzlers, M&M’s, Doritos, and Smartfood Popcorn is not part of that regime. We’re going to have log many hours in the gym after this heart attack inducing weekend.” She let out a laugh before she gave him the puppy dog eyes. “Please Derek don’t make me eat a salad this weekend. I can’t eat another salad. I just want to enjoy my Cool Ranch Doritos, my Twizzlers and my Popcorn.” He shook his head. “I can’t eat another salad with Kale either. Hand me the Doritos.” She grinned as she poured a handful of Doritos into his hand and he stuffed them into his mouth. She stared at him as he drove; in these quiet moments Kendall realized just how much she was thankful for him. “You know I can see you staring.” He kept looking straight as the traffic started breaking up. “I know you can.” She whispered as she intertwined his hand with hers as his other stayed on the wheel.

“We’ll be there in about twenty five minutes.” He told her as he started speeding up. “Twenty if you keep up this pace.” She muttered. She quickly put her seatbelt back on. “Hey Derek remember this gas station?” She asked as they drove past it. He glanced at it. “Twenty five minutes from Faribault. So that makes this the gas station where my old truck got stalled at.” He smirked thinking back to that day. They were coming home for Thanksgiving their senior year. He went to get gas and the truck completely stalled out and they were stuck at the gas station until Kendall’s dad came to pick them up, and the tow followed them back to Hastings to the Blue Bird garage. That was probably one of the first times they got into a fight. She wanted to kill him. “It was one of the first nights I remember looking up at you and just having a feeling we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.” She whispered faintly.

---

Kendall glared at Derek as he hit the steering wheel, a whole rant of curse words spilling out of his mouth. She knew they should have taken her car but he wanted to take the old truck from the 90’s that barely worked anymore. He was always so stubborn. It annoyed her. “It’s about to storm, and my father has to travel an hour now to pick us up.” She shouted at him. “I think I know that Brooks. But what do you want from me? We’re in this position now.” He seethed as he tried to turn the ignition on again. Nothing but weird ass sounds came sputtering out. “Guess who isn’t the smart guy now.” She opened the passenger and got out of the truck. He looked at her. “Where are you going?” He shouted at her from the truck. “Where do you think? My dad’s not getting here for probably another hour. I need food.”

He shook his head at her. “You and your food obsession.” The minute he said that he regretted it as she stopped in her tracks and turned to glare at him. “Are you calling me fat Derek?” He gulped as he got the Kendall Brooks stare down. “That’s not what I said.” He got out of the car and started walking towards her. “That is totally what you said. I am sorry I am an athlete and a girl who likes food. I love food. There you go. And you know what I am never going to be 115 pounds so if you want that. You should probably just go home with the tow truck.” She seethed at him.
It would start pouring right there and then. He could feel his jeans getting soaked. And he knew her leather-riding boots and lulus were going to get ruined. “Get back in the truck Kendall. You’re going to get sick.” She shook her head. “I don’t care Derek! I am going to go get my snacks. And then I am going to sit on the curb until my father gets here.” He laughed. “No your not. I won’t allow it.” She pushed him out of her way. “You are not my keeper Stepan. I do what I want.” He rolled his eyes at her. “Your acting ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I. Don’t. Care.” She stormed into the mini mart and he walked back to his car, kicking the door and getting back in. He eyed her in the store, grabbing as much as she can and glaring back at the truck. He grabbed his phone from his front pocket and texted his mom what the situation is. She should know something while their stuck. He saw her at the cash register, paying for the ridiculous amount of food she wouldn’t finish. Kendall walked out and sat on the curb in the pouring rain, her Patagonia rain jacket doing nothing against the Minnesota rain.

He rolled his eyes as he opened his door again, getting out and quickly throwing up the hood on his Shattuck hockey windbreaker. “Kendall Brooks get it in the truck now.” He yelled, as he got closer to the curb. She shook her head. “No!” He reached her, pulling her arm as she got to her feet. “I am not allowing you to act like a child.” She hesitated but gave in once it started lightning. They made the run to the truck and he quickly locked the doors and upped the heat once they were safely in. “I am still pissed at you. I just don’t want to get electrocuted.” She huffed as she broke open a bag of chips and delved in. “Sorry that I didn’t want you to get sick. I am such a horrible person.” He raised his voice. She rolled his eyes at him. “You are stubborn as sin.” He remarked as he reached for a chip but she slapped his hand. “And you’re a ridiculously stubborn bastard. I guess I get it from you.” She smirked at him. He smiled at her. “You’re a mess Kendall.” He whispered as he brushed away some wet hair sticking to her neck. “But I am your mess.” She whispered as she positioned herself so her head was leaning on his shoulder, her legs stretched out, touching the passenger seat window. “Damn right.” He kissed the top of her head, his arm wrapped around her waist.

---

“You were such a pain in my ass that night. I totally thought you were going to catch pneumonia and die on me outside the quickie mart.” He changed lanes, until he veered right and got off the exit. Faribault Minnesota. They were here. For the first time in what felt like forever.
Kendall stared out the window, watching the big beautiful houses, and quaint cottages past her as they drove more inland. She hugged her knees to her chest as Derek pulled into the hotel they were staying in for the weekend. It was the nicest one in Faribault, the one their parents stayed in when visiting. “I’ll be right back. I just want to check in and put our bags in the room.” He kissed her forehead, letting the car run in the parking spot. He opened the trunk, grabbed their two duffel bags and walked into the hotel.

Kendall took pics for they’re ex teammates on snapchat, and sent them with the geotag “Faribault Minnesota” She couldn’t wait to get to Shattuck and see if anything had changed. She especially wanted to break into Derek’s dorm and see if KB + DS was still carved into his bed frame.

---

Ten minutes later Derek came back into the car and they were on their way to Shattuck. He smirked when he pulled onto Shumway Avenue. “Whoa does it feel scarier to you?” Kendall asked him as “Shattuck-St Mary’s School” entranced, gates and all appeared in front of them.
“Actually for the first time it doesn’t seem so scary.” He whispered as he drove in. Memories of them here together flooded into his mind. He looked over at her, her window was down and she was peeking out of it, looking at the different buildings blur into the background.

---

He drove to the edge of campus, which housed the hockey rink, parked and got out. Kendall quickly walking behind him. He opened the door for her, and that Shattuck rink smell filled his nostrils. “It smells the same.” She said as she intertwined her hand with his. They walked down to the locker rooms, located down a long corridor peaking out from the ice. Kendall skipped in front of him to see if any new pictures were adding to the hallway on the “Legends of Shattuck.” Wall. Which separated the two locker rooms. “Holy fuck D come here!” She pulled him to the wall. He smirked when he saw a picture of him from the Olympics in Sochi on the wall. One of Kendall from the medal game was next to him.

His throat tightened, he felt tears coming on and he wanted to hide it from Kendall, he pulled his Rangers hat down low as he felt Kendall squeeze his hand. He looked at her, tears falling down her beautiful face. “Kends what’s wrong?” He pulled her to his chest, her hands wrapping around his waist. “I. Don’t. Know.” She pieced together in the middle of sobs. “I. Just...I just looked up to all those girls on the wall. And now I am one of those girls that some girl in that locker room is idolizing. And I am someone no one should idolize. I mean look at me look at what I put you through I am a horrible person. I shouldn’t be up there.”

He shook his head, kissing the top of hers. “You are someone they should look up to. Baby look at what you have accomplished. You have an Olympic medal, something I can’t say I have. You have worked so hard and earned everything that has come to you. And even idolizes mess up sometimes, we’re only human.” He let out a laugh. Him an idol? Yeah fucking right. These guys should look up to Suter, Parise, and Crosby, not him. “Being here is just, I didn’t think it would bring out these things.” She mumbled as she held onto his chest. “You’re the one that wanted to come here.” He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her and directed them into the guy’s locker room.

It was much nicer then when he was there, they had done construction and it looked more like an NHL locker room then ever before. He was kind of jealous that these kids got to play in here and go to school here with the new upgrades. “Does it bring back memories?” Kendall whispered as he found his old stall and sat down in it. “Hell yeah.” He replied. He closed his eyes and could faintly hear the boys blasting Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift and laughing at how ridiculous they sounded. He remembered fighting over tape with Emerson Etem, chirping David Toews and playing mini sticks with the boys on the carpet, making sure to never touch the logo. Those days seemed so far away, like they were in another lifetime. He looked up, and Kendall was gone. He pulled himself up and walked out of the locker room, not before touching the logo sitting on top of the door.

“Kends? Kendall?” He let out, not finding her in the Women’s locker room, he peeked out of the hallway, and saw her figure sitting on the bench. He walked down the hallway. “AND NOW YOUR SSM SABRES.” He yelled out, making fan noises as Kendall let out a laugh on the bench. He made his way to her, opening the bench door and closing it behind him, sitting down next to her. She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I remember telling you I loved you for one of the first times on this bench after a really bad game.” She whispered. He smiled. “You telling me you loved me made me think I won the lottery.” He wrapped his arm around her. “I love you, you idiot.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you Kendall Brooks.” They fell silent; it was just their breaths and the smell of the cold ice in front of them. “And I can’t wait to bring our kids to a game one day. In they’re little Shattuck jerseys, my number on the back. Because god damn it Kendall I am getting you down the aisle one day. Count on it.” He whispered into her ear.

Marriage. Their Marriage, they’re supposed Marriage. Her finger never felt right again after taking off the engagement ring. Like it was always supposed to be there. She could of have been getting married this summer, she could have been putting on the white dress, the veil, the sparkly heels, the gorgeous wedding band. She could of danced until she sweated through her gown she could of smiled until it hurt. She ruined them she ruined him. She was going to work hard everyday to make it up to him, she was going to make this relationship work if it killed her, she was going to be Kendall Stepan one day. “Promise me.” She whispered into his ear. He looked at her. “Promise you.”

It had been forty-five minutes into their weekend long trip and they had already cried, and felt worn out but she was going to make it the best weekend ever. “Come on Steps. We have some dorms to break into.”

Notes

Kendall and Derek are back to where there relationship started! Who knows what will happen this weekend?

Sorry guys for the long awaited update! I was so busy this summer, and school just started back up! I'll update weekly from now on.