Maybe Someday

Just when Ellen thought she knew Sidney Crosby inside and out, he would find a way to surprise her. She had thought that when the season started she would have drastically less time with her best friend turned boyfriend (for a second time). Hell, she’d even prepared for it. She’d researched things to do and things to see in and around Pittsburgh. She’d bought a few new books, eager to dive into them. She even had bought herself a city transportation pass, good for an unlimited number of rides for the coming year. While she knew she would eventually get to all the of the things she had planned for her immediate future in Pittsburgh, she wouldn’t get them done as quickly as anticipated.

Of course, Sidney would still leave her by herself when he went to practices, on road trips, and other team related things, but the notoriously focused hockey player had reserved time every day for Ellen, and when it was okay, she’d tag along to appearances, interviews, and signings, watching from the sidelines as her boyfriend interacted with the media (something he wasn't necessarily fond of) and his fans (something he loved).

For Ellen, she was seeing Sidney in a whole new light. Her first and last taste of Sidney Crosby, the celebrity, had been when they were teenagers and he was a kid phenom all across Canada, well before he had been drafted. What she thought had been hysteria then was nothing compared to what Ellen witnessed as soon as they entered Pittsburgh. He was famous, he was a hero, and he was a god to the people of Pittsburgh, and he accepted the role as gracefully as anyone could.

“Are you ready?” he asked, kneeling in front of her as he pulled the laces of her skates tightly. Ellen smiled and nodded her head, her blue eyes lighting up in excitement. “I don’t just mean to skate again, but to have everyone know, officially, that you’re my girlfriend.”

She sighed lightly, “I know it’ll mean more crap talked about me, but I can’t seem to bring myself to care.” Sidney grinned, offering her his hand after he had stood up on his own skates, towering above Ellen even more than usual. Gripping his hand, she stood up on wobbly legs, her eyes going wide. “I don’t think I remember how to skate,” she told him.

“You’re a liar,” he laughed. “I’m sure you’re rusty, but the way me and you skated around together… there is no way you forgot. You might even be better than Superstar, over here,” he told her, pulling her ‘Crosby’ jersey down over her head and over her body, marking her as his.

Max Talbot narrowed his eyes at his teammate and captain, giving the younger man a shove for good measure as he too, made his way out to the ice, no girl on his arm. Since Ellen had moved to Pittsburgh, she’d quickly fallen in the charity world with the other girlfriends and wives of the Penguins, organizing events and dinners. She found the work incredibly fun, something to do, and one of the most rewarding things she’d ever done. That day, she assumed, was going to be no different.

As the festivities started, the girlfriends and wives moved to the side of the ice, keeping out of the way of their significant others and the children for the event, some moving off of the ice completely and taking a safe seat on the player benches. Ellen had stayed on the ice, immediately linking her arm with Jordan’s girlfriend, helping the girl find her ice legs.

“I am going to break my ass,” the brunette grimaced, her eyes wide as Ellen dragged her around the ice.

The Canadian laughed, letting go of Emily’s arm, watching the small girl immediately skate to the glass, her hand resting on it for balance. Ellen held a finger up as she heard Kris Letang announce their would be some races. Grinning widely, the blond skated toward her boyfriend, laughing at the serious look of concentration on his face as if he was about to school everyone at the charity event.

First up were the kids. The players, families, and wives and girlfriends who had stayed on the ice cheered as the children raced up the ice, touching the glass opposite of them before turning around and coming back to the finish line, which technically, were Max Talbot’s outstretched arms.

Ellen glanced at Sidney who stood in front of her on the starting line (again, Max Talbot’s arms), laughing at the serious look that again graced his features. “Sid…”

“We’re going to win, Ellen,” he told her, as he glanced at his teammates and their significant others who felt up to a race. “No one knows how good you really are at skating. We’ve got this in the bag.”

She laughed, nodding her head as Max yelled “go!” and the Penguins took off, doing two laps around the ice before they would slap their girlfriends’ hands, starting their two laps. In the middle of the ice, the families and the kids stood, cheering for who they wanted to win, the cheers for Sid drowning out most of the others.

As he came around the ice again, his arm outstretched for Ellen, she stretched hers out, too, trying to avoid the other players that came flying toward her. Kris Letang was first to tag his girlfriend, who started to skate around the rink. Ellen grinned as she felt Sid’s fingers come in contact with hers, not waiting another second before she kicked it into high gear and moved her legs with all she had, the days and nights she had spent on the ice with Sidney coming back to her as she sped past the three other girlfriends who had been tagged first.

Sidney hollered at her, his laugh echoing around Mellon Arena as Ellen quickly skated around the rink, knowing everyone’s eyes were on her. She laughed lightly, hearing the families and kids starting to cheer her name as she rounded around once, whipping past Sid and his teammates, leaving everyone rather shocked at how fast she really was.

Emily yelled out to her as the blond skated past the player bench were she too, had taken a seat, but the words fell on deaf ears. Ellen rounded the last corner, Sidney’s grinning face coming into her view as he stood just behind Max, who still stood with his arms outstretched. Slowing up only slightly, Ellen launched herself past Max and into Sidney’s arms as the couple was declared the winners.

“That’s my girl,” he laughed, as they fell onto the ice, the other girlfriends and wives stopping their racing, having only finished just over a lap. “You weren’t even rusty!” He yelled, his breathing heavy as he stayed lying on the cool ice, Ellen next to him, breathing just as heavy. The cheers of the families brought them out of their daze, and they quickly jumped from the ice as the kids skated toward them, their little arms wrapping around their bodies.

“Where the… heck did you learn how to do that?” Jordan Staal censored himself, his blue eyes wide as his girlfriend slowly made her way from the bench and over to Ellen.

“I was a figure skater growing up,” Ellen told them, watching as everyone’s eyes went wide. “Me and Sid would skate twenty four, seven together, practicing our respective sports.”

“You are a beast,” Emily laughed, finally catching up to the rest of the group, her hands gripping onto Jordan’s arm.

Ellen shrugged, laughing as Sid wrapped an arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek quickly before turning and heading back toward the kids. Ellen grinned and skated to Emily, grabbing her arm and skating off of the ice with her as the Penguins played around with the kids again, the families either joining or watching on.

“What made you stop figure skating?” Emily asked as they walked toward the locker room, both ready to change back into their regular shoes.

Ellen shrugged, “I got tired of competing, honestly. It was never my passion. I was just fulfilling my duty as a Canadian girl.” Ellen frowned, “Though, I always loved being on the ice, but after me and Sid lost touch, and I decided to move to Paris… I never set foot on the ice.”

“Until today?” she asked, pulling her skates and socks off, slipping back into her flats.

“Until today,” Ellen sighed, smiling widely, sitting down next to Emily and taking her own skates off. “It felt good.” As Ellen slipped into her boots, her cell phone went off in her purse, sitting in Sidney’s locker. Quickly grabbing it, she smiled when she saw her sister’s name flash on the screen. “I’ll meet you back out there, Em. It’s my sister.”

Emily nodded and left the locker room, heading back toward the ice as Ellen left and headed toward the exit, smiling at the security guard as she connected the call.

“Kelcey,” Ellen smiled, glad to hear from her twin sister, but as she heard her name being called from behind her and she turned to find out where it had been coming from, her smile faded. “I’m going to have to call you back, Kelcey,” she sighed. “I’ll explain later; I promise,” she urged, knowing her sister would understand. Her twin on the other end of the line sighed, but quickly agreed, knowing her sister had to have a good reason to ignore her call after they hadn’t talked in nearly two weeks.

Sticking her phone into her pocket, Ellen glanced at the security guard, wrapping her jersey-clad arms around her body, realizing how chilly it was for the first time that she’d stepped outside. The tall, dark blond-haired man walked toward her, his hands deep inside the pockets of his track jacket, a deep frown on his handsome face.

“I thought you might be here,” he barely whispered, his thick French accented words meeting her ears.

“Pierre,” Ellen sighed, her blue eyes filled with worry as she looked into his sad, usually vibrant green ones. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m here to get you back, mon amour,” he told her, a hopeful look on his face as he locked his eyes on hers.