Take Me Anywhere

It was the day of the gold medal game, and it would be Mia's very first Olympic hockey experience. She sat with Alice and Jordan higher up with the other athletes, overlooking a sea of Canadian flags. Ever since that night at the park, Mia and Sidney had both been on Cloud Nine. Any time that Sid had free of practice was spent with her.

Sometimes they would just lay together on the hotel bed and talk, or they would watch movies together and steal playful glances at one another, or they would sit on the floor with Mia resting her back against Sidney's chest with her guitar in hand as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

They were inseparable.

The anticipation bubbled up in Mia's chest as the players started filing onto the ice. She subconsciously bit her lip and Alice gave her hand a slight squeeze.

"He'll do great. Stop worrying."

Mia just smiled and focused her attention on the game. She inhaled shakily, almost afraid to watch.

The first period flashed by her with Canada scoring their first goal against the Americans. Jonathan Toews couldn't have had a broader smile on his face as his teammates came over to pat him on the helmet and hug him tightly. The crowd erupted in cheers, and Mia could feel the ground shaking beneath her.

The second period started off well, but ended in a bit of a panic. Perry had scored another one for Canada, but then the American player, Ryan Kesler, shot the puck at Roberto Luongo and it deflected off his pads into the net. The crowd booed when the Americans scored, save for the American spectators, and Mia looked over at her sister with worry.

"Don't be so uptight," Alice frowned. "They can keep this lead. It's alright."

"There's still one period left," Jordan commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Americans tie up this game and it heads into overtime."

Mia tensed and looked down at the ice, searching desperately for the number 87. Sidney had gotten a few breakaways during the game, but got caught up by the hockey sticks of the opposing players as he went to shoot. He was frustrated, and Mia could see it. She hoped he'd be able to relax enough to help his team during the final twenty minutes.

What ensued in the third period was a blood bath.

The Americans came on with full force. The Canadian men had turned into a team that wanted to win into a team that simply didn't want to lose. That was their downfall. With twenty four seconds left in the final period of the gold medal game, Zach Parise scored on Luongo, sending the game into a sudden-death extra period.

"I have to get down there," Mia muttered, making her way down to the locker room. She pushed her way past the security guards, showing them her all-access pass before heading to where the Canadian men were congregating. Their head coach, Mike Babcock, was telling them the strategies they would need to win the game. Once he had finished, the boys had enough time to mentally prepare themselves for overtime.

Sidney was sitting by his spot on the bench, his helmet and gloves off, staring at the floor with his hands together. He almost didn't notice Mia until she knelt in front of him and placed her hands atop his.

"Hey."

He looked up into her eyes. "What are you doing down here?"

"Making sure you're ready to play these last extra minutes," she answered. "You'll be great out there. I know you will."

He smiled and shook his head. "I'm off today. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Nothing's wrong, you're just nervous," she answered. "Pretend like it's any other game. You'll be great, I know you will."

He pursed his lips and squeezed Mia's hands gently. "I don't want to lose this."

She smiled and gently pressed her lips against his for a few seconds. "You won't," she told him. "Now, go get 'em, tiger."

The extra period started and Mia found her way back to the seats she had next to Alice and Jordan. Everyone in the stadium was up on their feet, cheering for the Canadians, hoping and praying that it would be them who would take home the gold medal.

Seven minutes in, Sidney had the puck, but was hit by one of the opposing players. He passed the puck over to Jarome Iginla, who tried to turn it towards the net where Sidney was standing. He shouted Iggy's name and pounded his stick against the ice to grab his attention. Iginla passed the puck to Sidney and he shot almost without looking. The puck flew through the American goalie Ryan Miller's legs and into the back corner of the net.

The buzzer went off and the entire country erupted in cheers. The streets that had once been silent were now full of people, celebrating and waving their Canadian flags in the air. Mia screamed for the team until her throat was sore, tearing up as she saw Sidney ripping out his mouth guard and tossing his gloves and stick into the air, being tackled by his teammates.

He had done it. Sidney Crosby had won Canada's fourteenth Olympic gold medal.

* * * * *

Back at the hotel, the closing ceremonies were on television. Alice and Jordan wanted to go, but Mia opted to stay back with Sidney as he took a shower and relaxed. He flopped down on the bed and laid next to her as he twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers.

"So, what's it like?" Mia asked with a huge smile on her face.

"What's what like?" Sidney teased, grinning back at her.

Laughing lightly, she scooted closer to him and fiddled with the blue ribbon of the gold medal that dangled from his neck. "All of it. The game, the goal...everything."

"It was perfect," he concluded. "Completely indescribable." He sat up, and Mia did as well. Pulling the medal off from around his neck, he took it and placed it around hers. "There," he said, blushing slightly. "Everything I've ever wanted, right before my eyes."

Mia let out a small giggle before taking the gold medal off and placing it on the bedside table. She moved closer to Sidney and placed a kiss on his lips, pushing him down against the bed. Their lips never parted as his hands trailed along the side of her body and felt cool to the touch as they grazed her bare skin.

She pulled away momentarily to tug the shirt off from his torso. Rolling over, he did the same with hers. Soon, they were almost completely naked underneath the sheets, bodies pressed together in anticipation.

"Are you sure about this?" Sidney asked as she laid beneath him, placing a hand on her cheek. "I don't want you to do anything you're not ready for."

She kissed him softly and rested her forehead against his. "I love you, Sidney," she whispered with a smile. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

* * * * *

"What's going to happen to us when you have to go back to Pittsburgh and I have to go back on tour?" Mia asked, resting her head between the crook if Sidney's neck and his bare shoulder.

"I don't know," he admitted, holding her close. "But we'll make it work somehow."

Mia believed him with all her heart. She laid there with him for what seemed like hours, taking in every detail about him so that she wouldn't forget a single thing while she was on the road. She knew that it would be tough, but then again, she knew that she belonged with Sidney. Laying next to him, she could feel their hearts beating as one. He was all that she ever needed, and more than she deserved.

"It won't be goodbye, though," he finally spoke up. "It won't be goodbye when we go our separate ways at the airport. Never goodbye. When I think of goodbyes, I think of endings. And I don't want this to end."

"It won't," Mia promised, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I'll be back before you know it."