{PRESENT DAY}

Layken sighed and looked around the Pittsburgh International Airport baggage terminal. Someone was supposed to meet her here at the baggage claim. She wasn't sure who, but someone was definitely supposed to meet her here and take her to her new place. She still couldn't believe she was leaving her beloved Dallas and Dallas Stars and was now working for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

'What in the fuck was she doing here? She didn't belong here working for the Penguins.' she thought to herself.

But unfortunately or maybe fortunately for her she had been offered a job as one of the head girls of the Penguins 'Ice Crew'. They had been losing girls the last couple of years, although all of the teams had been losing more and more girls. Either girls were retiring or had moved on, some were starting families, some where just getting bored with it. Even her best friend Katie had retired, at the end of last season because she had meet a guy at the end of last summer and they had got married just a few weeks ago.

Now it just seemed as if the organizations were hiring younger girls that were..... Well for the better term 'sluts' and didn't really give much regard to the contracts stating they couldn't get involved with players. Infact one of the new girls from last year had just gotten fired from being a Dallas Ice Girl after a three days of being there and hitting on a married player.

Layken though she had learned her lesson. She had literally moped around for weeks on end and had felt like a fool for falling for James. Luckily no one had found out about there little indiscretion. Well no one besides Katie, she had finally broke down and told her friend. After Katie kept badgering her about who 'Tall, Dark, and Handsome' had been that she had left the club with. Plus her friend was getting tired of all her fake smiles and crappy mood. So she had broke down and told her all about her and James.

Though she did have to be honest with herself she had handle the whole James Neal thing childishly. All last season she had avoided him like the plague, the few times that Pittsburgh went to Dallas. Each time she could feel him burning holes into her as he stared at her, but she simply went along and did her job like she was supposed to. She made sure to avoid the entrance and exit where the visiting team went on and off the ice. She had also made sure she was out of the arena before the visiting team left or stayed hidden until they left.

But now..... Now she was going to have to 'Suck it up and pull up her big girl panties'. Since she was now back in the same town James was and working for the team he was on. She would keep her distance from him and only speak with him if needed. But she was not going to go out of her way to talk or be nice to him. She was also not going to show James Neal how heartbroken he had left her.

"Hey your Layken right?" an over friendly voice asked her.

"W-what? Oh yeah I'm Layken," she replied, shaking her head and looking down at the girl.

Layken had never consider herself overly short or extremely tall. She had always considered herself to be about average height, standing at five feet six inches tall. But this girl that was standing in front of her asking if she was Layken, well she was a freaking midget, compared to her. The girl standing in front of her was bouncing on the balls of feet, and had her white blond hair pulled into a high pony tail. Layken honestly considered asking this girl 'if that was her natural color?' but decided against it. Knowing that may come off rude and she needed some friends in a new city. But the girls head honestly came up to Layken's shoulders.

"Well I'm Kalli and this big lug over here is Sid," Kalli said with a big smile, while nudging Sidney Crosby in the hip with her elbow.

"Hi I'm Sid," Sid introduced himself, holding out his hand.

She couldn't help chuckle at how much of a midget Kalli looked next to Sidney. This girl seriously couldn't have been taller than five foot two or five foot three.

"It's nice to you Kalli. Uhhhhh yeah I kinda knew who you were, I'm mean it's hard not to know who Sidney Crosby is. But it's nice to meet you," she replied with a smile, shaking Sidney's hand.

"You can just call me Sid. None of this Sidney business," he replied. "But anyways your probably wondering why I'm here, right?"

"Uhhhh yeah pretty much," she laughed.

"He's are muscle man for the day. So he's going to take care of your luggage," Kalli replied quickly, still bouncing.

"Oh well I don't have that much actually. I brought what I needed and my friend was going to send the rest if I stick around," she replied, with a small frown.

"Oh your not planning on staying?" Kalli asked, her face falling.

"Yeah aren't you staying?" Sid asked, looking confused and than looked over at Kalli.

"Huh? What are you two talking about? I mean I still have to try-out for the tam and everything. Is there something I don't know?" Layken asked, putting her hands on her hips.

If there was one thing that Layken disliked the most was being out of the loop. She liked knowing things and liked being included. But she didn't like being in the dark about things.

"Huh, which suitcases are yours?" Sid asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and shooting a look towards Kalli.

"Those ones," she replied with narrowed eyes, pointing over at the two suitcases sitting on the ground.

She watched as Sid hurriedly walked over to her suitcases and picked them up. She turned her attention back to Kalli with her hands back on her hips. She raised an eyebrow at the young girl waiting on an explationation.

"Well?" she asked impatiently, now tapping her foot.

"Uh well you see..... Ummmmm you were offered a job on the ice crew, right?" Kalli asked nervously.

"Yes," she replied, not understanding. She knew she was here to try out for the team, but that didn't mean she would make it. Sid and Kalli were acting as if she were for sure getting a position on the team.

"Well the head girl from last year, well she's pregnant. So we're missing a leader. I guess our organization is really impressed with you. Not just your dancing skills, but also your leadership skills. I guess our old leader called and talked with your old leaders and everyone came to the decision to make you our leader. So yeah the job is yours," Kalli responded.

"Oh," she responded dumbfounded.

"Yeah so basically the organization has set you up with an apartment. You know as a welcome to Pittsburgh type deal. I guess they figured you probably didn't have time to look for a place or have anyone to stay with. It's going to be fully furnished, the furniture is being moved in today. I have to say I'm slightly jealous. The place is gorgeous," Kalli said, nodding for Sid to come on as we started walking.

"Oh ok," Layken replied, following Sid and Kalli out of the airport.

Layken still couldn't believe what was happening. She was being told now she wasn't going to have to try-out. That the position was being given to her. It wasn't that she was ungrateful for the opprunity, but she wasn't sure if Pittsburgh was somewhere she wanted to be. But she was happy to know that she at least had a job of sorts.

They all got into a mid-sized SUV type thing that she could only assume belonged to Sid. She couldn't see Kalli driving a vehicle this size with her tiny self.

"So I take it your the welcoming team?" she asked Sid, once they all got in the vehicle and he started driving.

"Yup," he replied.

They all went silent after that. Layken sat in the back and looked out the window as Sid drove to wherever her new apartment was going to be. She took in everything that was going to be her new home of sorts. Trying to see if remember where things were so she wouldn't always have to ask someone for directions or help finding a grocery store. She was suddenly starting to miss the comforts of home or Dallas, well Dallas had been home for the past six years.

They finally pulled up in front of a tall building twenty minutes later. She looked up at the building through the window. This was not where she could be living, right? The place looked like it was rather expensive. She looked up front and found both Sid and Kalli looking back at her.

"Uh is this it?" she asked.

"Yup," Kalli replied cheerfully.

"Uh not to sound ungrateful, but I don't think I can afford a place like this." she said, still looking at both of them.

"Don't worry about it. You've got the hook up for right now," Sid responded, with a smile and getting out.

Kalli and Layken followed getting out after Sid. He grabbed her two suitcases out of the back and started heading into the building. The girls following behind him. They walked through the lobby and headed towards an elevator. All of them getting in it, Sid pushed the button for the fifth floor.

"So this is a being done a little differently. Usually people from the fan club are getting apartments ready for the guys or cleaning our houses for us for the new season. Or getting us what we need. But us guys decided to help out this time. I think the guys are bringing the furniture in your place. If you don't like how it is well you can fix it, or ask us for help moving it." Sid said, as the elevator stopped on the fifth floor.

Layken and Kalli both followed Sid down the hallway towards her new apartment. Sid stopped in front of a door.

"Well here you go," he said, turning towards her.

She stepped in front of him and slowly opened the door. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop open as she opened the door and stepped inside. The place was huge from what she could see from where she was standing. Walking in a little farther in she looked over on the left hand side and saw a large kitchen. Standing in the doorway she saw it opened out into the large living room. She walked through the kitchen into the living room. One of the walls had very large windows that went up to the ceiling. Than the other walls were a nice neutral color, with white trim.

She roamed around the apartment pretty much in awe of the place. There was a bathroom in the hallway and a large linen closet. There was also a washer and dryer closet in the hallway, which already had a washer and dryer in it. There was a room that was like half a bedroom, which she figured she could make into an office once she got settled. She walked towards what would be her bedroom and once again was meet by a wall of windows and the opposite walls the same neutral color, as out in the living room.

Walking farther into her room, she headed into what she assumed would be the bathroom. Of course it was and it was huge. It had a huge jacuzzi style tub and a separate standing shower. She was about to turn around when she heard the sound of footsteps in her room. She smelt him before she saw him and froze mid-turn. He still wore the same kind of cologne he did back in Dallas. She turned all the way around with narrowed eyes. To be meet by a smirking James Neal who's smirk turned into a shocked face when he saw her.

"You," she hissed, with narrowed eyes.