And I Thought I Loved You Then

Autumn paced the hallway outside of the dressing room, cell phone to her ear as she checked the flooded inbox of her work extension. One hand to her forehead and irritation gnawing at her as one after one, she listened to, then promptly erased, messages left by various members of the media. Who'd all heard about the altercation at the restaurant the day before and who'd all gotten her name and phone numbers -she assumed by the plural use of the latter word that the phone at home had been ringing off the hook since she'd been gone- and who now wanted a scoop on her 'obvious relationship with Sidney Crosby'. And who, by their own admission, had been given all her information by her jilted lunch time companion. In between checking the messages, she was making mental notes on different ways to kill David and dispose of his body.

While she'd expected news of her relationship with Pittsburgh's prodigal son to be public knowledge in the coming days and she'd mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of attention and the curiosity, she hadn't expected the onslaught to happen so damn soon. And she'd never dreamed in a million years that David would stoop so low as to sick every damn reporter -print, radio and television alike- on her the second he saw the opportunity. Obviously she'd given him way too much credit. He wasn't capable of taking rejection very well and was behaving like a immature, jilted lover. A player who'd been played at his own game and couldn't take the blow to his ego.

Never mind hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, she thought, as she finally got the end of the last message and erased it. This douche bag is worse than any woman. And while she had no idea exactly how to deal with the media -what was appropriate behaviour around them? what could she say? what couldn't she say? did Sidney even want her saying anything at all or would he do all the talking?- she knew how to put David in his goddamn place. Even if he did leak news of her bitchy attitude and her potty mouth to the press and the general public afterwards. She dialled the number for his in hospital office first. Instead of leaving a message when his answering service kicked in, she tried his cell phone. Again no answer; just his pompous message of greeting on his voice mail. Her last resort was his pager. And there was a ruthless smile on her face when she punched her cell number followed by the numbers 911 and then waited for the call she knew would come back in record time.

She'd barely counted down from sixty seconds when the shrill ring of her phone echoed down the long corridor, and waiting for four rings to pass, she finally pressed talk and put the phone to her ear.

"Hel..."

"Did you come to your senses already?" David cut her off. "Decided you really did need a man instead of a little boy?"

"Actually, that little boy, as you so eloquently put it, is more man than you could ever hope and pray to be."

"Please Autumn...." he gave a derisive snort. "The only thing you're liking in this whole situation is the size of his..." there was a slight pause. "...bank account."

"I think you've got the size part right but it's not the bank account that has me sticking around. I'm very particular in area. I mean, if I have to whip out a magnifying glass to find it, it's just not worth my time. Which would be why I never slept with you. It does nothing for me to think that the hardest part is actually finding your pathetic excuse of...manhood."

"You are a nasty little bitch," David hissed.

"Oh I'm sorry....did I hurt it's feelings?" she asked, as the dressing room doors swung open and two players, now in street clothes, wandered out with their heavy equipment bags slung over their shoulders and bundles of sticks in her hands. She returned their polite smiles, then watched as they headed down the hall, whispering to each other and occasionally glancing back at her.

"What the hell do you want Autumn?" David's angry voice captured her attention. "If you just called to be your usual crazy little c..."

"Listen to me you piece of shit," she lowered her voice and turned her back towards the dressing room as more players began filing out of the locker room. "I know it was you that called the press and gave them my name and ALL of my numbers..."

"And your address," he added. "And the name of Ryan's school."

"You had no goddamn right to bring my son into this. My son is the only innocent one in this shitty mess that you've created. And you never, ever should have told these people everything about me."

"They were going to find out sooner or later," he reasoned calmly. "I mean, they are going to see you out and about with your boy toy, Autumn. Unless he's planning on keeping you under lock and key so you don't embarrass him. You have the tendency to do that, you know."

"I think you're forgetting about all the dirt I have on you asshole," she hissed. "All the things that you told me in confidence. About all the times you've skipped out on child support even though you make three times as much as I do. Or about that little scandalous moment you had with that seventeen year old babysitter your first ex wife has for your kids. I'm sure she'd love to her about that. Oh! And how about you write prescriptions in fake names and then go and get one of your little bitches to fill them for you. The hospital would love to know that you're into the Oxycontin. That you've got a problem with the hillbilly heroin."

"You wouldn't even..."

"I wouldn't what? Tell everyone all about it? Don't tempt me you little shit! If you try pulling any crap with me when it comes to the press or you even try to fuck up this relationship for me, I won't think twice about airing all of your dirty laundry. Don't fuck with me buddy!"

"I hate you," David ground out.

"Don't hate the player, hate the game," Autumn retorted, and pressing end on her phone to disconnect the call, was startled to find her hands shaking as she attempted to tuck the cell back into her purse. "Little bastard..." she muttered, and raked a hand through her hair. "Teach you to fuck with me you sonofa..." she turned, her words cut off and the air nearly knocked out of her as she collided face first into someone's broad, strong chest. Someone that smelled damn good, and who, as she pulled away, was wearing what appeared to be an insanely expensive black pin stripe suit, a baby blue dress shirt and no tie.

"I'm sorry," she quickly apologized and stepping back, looked up at who'd she smacked into her. "I wasn't...." her eyes widened and she was rendered nearly speechless. "Oh my God...." she breathed. "Mario....Mario Lemieux!"

He gave a friendly, warm smile and offered his hand. "You must be Autumn," he said.

"Uh-huh..." she managed and reaching out, found her tiny hand completely swallowed by his much larger, stronger one.

"Sidney's told me all about you," Mario said, then gestured to the gentleman beside him. Clad as well in a well tailored suit and tie, highly polished shoes and wire framed glasses. "This is Tom McMillan, my vice president of communications."

"Nice to meet you," Autumn finally managed to gather her composure, and she shook the hand that Tom offered to her.

"This is Autumn Winters," Mario told the man beside him. "She works at the children’s hospital here at UPMC."

"I think we actually spoke on the phone," Tom said. "Your boss had called the club about a player coming to visit the kids and she got referred to me. I believe it was you I talked to when we first arranged for Jordan Staal to come by. What brings you here?"

"Autumn's Sidney's girlfriend," Mario answered quickly, beaming like a proud father whose son had scored a date with the hottest girl in school.

Tom's eyes widened slightly as he nodded slowly.

"Speak of the devil," Mario gave a nod in greeting to his star player, and 'adoptive' son as he stepped out of the dressing room. "How'd practice go?" he asked.

"Good..." Sid replied, pushing his equipment bag further up onto his shoulder, then switching his bundle of sticks to his right hand so he could lay his left on the small of Autumn's bag. "Everyone looks strong and ready to go for tomorrow night."

"We were fortunate enough to bump into your lovely girlfriend," Tom spoke out. "And I used bumped into as a literal term for Mario."

"She have a fan girl moment?" Sid asked, rubbing Autumn's back softly as she immediately blushed at the teasing. "She's a bit of a number 66 fan girl."

"Just a little bit of a moment," Mario confirmed, giving a chuckle and holding the thumb and forefinger of his left hand an inch apart.

"Do you think maybe I could get an autograph?" Autumn asked, as she rummaged through her purse looking for something, anything to sign. "My son would just die if I came home with it. He sleeps with that hockey card you gave Sidney to give to him."

"Son?" Tom asked, curious eyes flicking between Sid, Autumn and Mario.

"Ryan," Mario replied. "He's....seven? Am I right?"

Autumn nodded. "Seven going on seventeen most days."

"I feel for you," Mario laughed. "I have a a couple teenagers at home and I know what kind of drama they bring into the house. So to have one that's acting like a teenager..."

"He'll be the death of me," she declared. "So could you?" she offered a scrap piece of paper. "It's all I have and...."

"How about I do something even better," he told her. "How about you and Ryan come over to our house on Sunday. You can come early in the afternoon and you can meet my wife Nathalie and the brood. All the kids could have some fun together and you could stay for dinner. Sid's told them all about you and they're dying to meet you."

Sid blushed; his secret revealed. "I couldn't help it," he said to Autumn when she looked at him. "I had to tell someone. So I told..."

"Everyone at home," Mario finished. "We'd love to have you. It's not every day he brings a girl around. You'd actually be the first since he's been here."

"Jesus...." Sid gave a heavy sigh. "Are you done yet?"

"You're lucky I don't tell her some of the more embarrassing things," Mario teased. "I'm sure she'd just love to hear about some of the things you've pulled since you've been staying with us."

"God..." Sid grumbled.

"Actually, I'd love to hear about some of those things," Autumn chirped. "His parents wouldn't have happened to send down pictures of him as a kid, would they? You know, ones of him in the bathtub as a little boy or picking his nose or something like that?"

"Sorry," Mario chuckled. "But I could call them and ask them to email me some. So that's a yes? On the invitation?"

"I'd love to come," she confirmed. "And Ryan....Ryan will probably have a little fan boy moment just so you know. And he's a little...what's the word? He thinks he's a gangsta. A miniature 50 Cent."

"He'll get along great with my son Austin. He's eleven. He's into all of that stuff. Say around....one o'clock? One thirty? Sound good?"

"Sounds great," she said.

"We'll let the two of you get on your way," Mario told her, and offered his hand once more. "Pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise," Autumn shook his hand, then Tom's, gracing them both with brilliant smiles.

"Remember about delivering those tickets on Monday Sid," Tom said. "Good luck tomorrow night."

"Thanks," he responded, then waited for the two men to walk away before sliding his hand from Autumn's back to her hip and pulling her into him and pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Way to embarrass me!" she elbowed him in the side playfully. He looked, and smelled to die for. Soap and water mixed with a slight touch of men’s cologne, clad in a pair of well worn, faded jeans, flip flops and a white golf shirt that showed off a slight tan he’d retained from his summer home.

"Me!" he laughed. "You're the one asking to see naked pictures of me in the tub as a kid. And then finding out I'm an anti-social tool when it comes to girls."

"First off, I've already seen you naked and trust me, I've got nothing to laugh at or complain about," she said, giggling as he yanked her face first into him. "Second of all, you aren't an anti-social tool when it comes to girls. I mean, you somehow managed to land me, right?"

"Somehow," he agreed, then leaning down, covered her lips with his in a long, slow kiss that left them both breathless. "What do you say we get out of here?" he suggested, as his hand graced over her ass.

She smiled up at him. "I'd say that's the best idea I've heard all day."