I Can't Do It Alone

Tia looked on at the team getting their pictures taken, smiling at how uncomfortable everyone looked, all smashed together in a small space. She looked over at Brooklyn and Jocelyn, telling them that she was going to run to the restroom while the guys were taking pictures, and they nodded at her as she stood up.

She walked into the restroom, quickly doing her thing, before walking out of the stall and washing her hands. She looked in the mirror, fixing her hair and makeup and then smoothed out her dress, taking one last look in the mirror before walking out the door.

She navigated her way through the crowd when she felt a hand grab on to her upper arm, jerking her around. Tia spun around to see a slightly familiar looking face staring at her, though she couldn’t figure out who exactly it was.

“Yes?” she asked the person, trying to get him to release her arm.

“Come with me,” he stated, pulling her through the crowd. Tia tried to stop him, but he was much too strong for her to just slip out of his grip. She saw Sergei Gonchar look at her questioningly, but she simply gave him a small smile, not wanting to cause too much alarm. She had no idea what was going on, but she had a feeling that something bad would happen if she caused a scene.

The man pulled her outside, and Tia instantly began shivering from the cold air hitting her bare arms. He continued dragging her until he pulled her around to the side of the building in what appeared to be an alleyway. “What are you doing?” she asked him, as he pushed her against the brick building.

“You don’t know who I am?” the man questioned.

“You look familiar, but no, I don’t know who you are,” Tia told him, her heart rate increasing, as she began getting worried. She looked around to see if she could see anyone, but there was no one in sight.

“You are even more gorgeous up close, Tia,” the man told her. “I don’t know what you see in Letang, but I’m going to make sure you see what you’re missing with me,” he told her, his hand gliding up her thigh, attempting to go under her dress.

Tia instantly smacked his hand away, trying to get away from him, but he simply held her against the wall tighter. “I have something for you,” the man said, pulling a piece of red fabric out of his jacket pocket. Tia’s eyes widened as he unfolded it, revealing red, lacy lingerie, and she suddenly realized that she was face-to-face with her stalker. She tried to keep her breathing steady, but she wasn’t doing a good job.

“Please, let me go,” she begged.

“Not until you fulfill every single one of my fantasies, starting with this one,” the man stated, fingering the lingerie.

“I don’t even know who you are!” Tia practically yelled.

“You don’t know who I am?” the man asked, and Tia shook her head. “Of course you don’t! All you care about are those damn hockey players. First, Crosby, and now Letang. You never see the other people on the bench!” he cried.

“Who the hell are you?” Tia asked out of curiosity and also trying to prolong the inevitable. She was still holding onto some hope that someone would come and look for her.

“I’m Marcus,” he answered, and Tia still had no idea who he was. “I’m behind the bench every single night,” he continued, and Tia shook her head, not knowing who he was. “I’m the damn assistant equipment manager!” he yelled, and Tia’s eyes finally filled with recognition.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked him, her voice quivering.

“God, Tia, don’t you get it? You are the most beautiful person I’ve ever met in my entire life, and I just want you to be mine.”

“Why couldn’t you have just told me that instead of stalking me and dragging me out here?” Tia questioned.

“I was trying to be romantic at first,” Marcus admitted. “And, by the time I was ready to reveal myself, you had already gone and started dating Letang for some unknown reason. I don’t know what you see in him. I could be so much better. You just have to give me a chance,” he told her, his head moving closer so his lips were a mere inch away from hers.

“I’m with Kris,” Tia said, shaking her head. “But, I’m sure there’s a girl out there for you,” she tried.

“No!” Marcus yelled. “You’re the girl for me! And, I’m going to get you to see it,” he said, kissing her forcefully as Tia thrashed her head back and forth, trying to get him off of her.

He finally moved his head backwards, and he looked down at Tia. “Listen, Tia, I love you, and I don’t want to hurt you. But, if you don’t cooperate right now, I am not afraid to use force against you,” he told her.

“Get away from me,” Tia said, trying to shove him off of her to no avail. She opened her mouth to try to scream, but Marcus instantly silenced her with a kiss, shoving his tongue in her mouth. As she continued to try to push him off of her, he finally grasped both of her hands in one of his, lifting them up over her head and holding them there.

His other hand travelled under her dress, along her thighs and under her underwear. Tia began crying out, but all that came out was a muffled sound since Marcus’s mouth was still on hers. Tears stung her eyes as she realized no one was around to save her. As Marcus pulled her underwear down to get better access for himself, Tia saw a couple of people out of the corner of her eye. She yelled out once more, hoping they could hear her muffled cries, and she was thankful when she saw them look over in her direction.

They immediately ran towards them, and as one of the men pulled Marcus off of her, the other one wrapped her in his arms. She squirmed, trying to get free until she looked up into the face of Sid. She instantly relaxed, as she turned her head to see who the other person was who was currently shoving Marcus against the side of the building.

“Kris!” Tia exclaimed when she realized who it was. He turned around, giving Marcus just enough time to get out of Kris’s reach, and he began running as fast as he could down the alleyway towards the street.

“Stop him!” Kris screamed, and out of nowhere, Tia watched as Max came and tackled him. She saw Brooklyn and Jocelyn come into sight, with Jocelyn on the phone, calling who Tia assumed was the cops.

Kris turned back around to Tia, who was still shivering, and he took her out of Sid’s arms and pulled her close to his chest. He could see the tears streaming down her face, and he was trying to figure out what to do.

Sid ran to help Max, picking Marcus up off the ground and holding him against the wall. “Marcus?” he questioned, finally recognizing the man. “You’re the one that’s been fucking stalking Tia?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Max asked, brushing the dirt off of his suit, where he had tackled Marcus to the ground. Marcus remained silent, trying to get out of Sid’s grasp.

Brooklyn and Jocelyn ran down the alleyway towards Tia, engulfing her and Kris into a hug. “Tia, are you okay?” Brooklyn asked her. “I mean, of course you’re not okay. But, physically, are you okay?” she clarified.

Tia slowly nodded her head, the tears still falling down her cheeks. She could hear the faint sounds of sirens, and she knew the police were coming after Marcus. She tightened her grasp around Kris’s waist, waiting for the police car to arrive.