Long Time No See

Leslie finished putting on her makeup and looked at herself in the mirror, letting out a sigh. She was so nervous. Tonight was the first team charity event she was attending; it was a banquet and the guys were putting off skits and such to raise money for cancer research.

Sure, she had met the team, but that turned out to be the easy part.

Tonight she would be meeting the wives and girlfriends, and it may seem odd, but their approval was almost more important to her than the teams'. The wives had probably seen many new girlfriends before, and the girlfriends that were there now were long-term. She was the new girl, and if she didn't fit in with them... let's just say it would be awkward for future charity events.

Leslie heard a knock on the door and let out a quiet, "Come in." The door opened behind her and she saw Jon's face light up when his eyes landed on her. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her neck, leaning down and giving her a quick kiss.

"You look beautiful, babe. Ready to go?"

***
The night turned out incredibly well.

At least, when it came to the girls.

"They adore you," Jon whispered during a break from the skits. He gave Leslie a quick kiss before heading backstage again.

Leslie smiled and turned back to the table, where Patrick Sharp's wife, Abby, and Niklas Hjmarlsson's girlfriend, Mara, were sitting. She smiled at them and they continued their previous conversation. She was listening to Abby tell a story about when Adam Burish was still on the team, half paying attention the the skit, when a chair was pulled out beside her. Patrick Kane grinned at her and slung his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, you."

Leslie raised her eyebrows at Abby and Mara and they simply shrugged, turning towards each other for a conversation. She sighed and stared at the table, feeling uncomfortable but remembering Patrick Sharp's words.

He's harmless.

"How are you doing this wonderful night? You look hot. Did you see my skit?"

Leslie turned to him and found him grinning.

"Um, thanks. And I did."

He leaned forward so that his face was mere inches from Leslie's.

"What did you think?"

She didn't know what to do with him so close. She was about to respond when she heard someone clear their throat behind them. She pulled away and met Jon's cold stare.

"Patrick, you're up for the next skit." His voice was flat.

Patrick stood up and winked at Leslie before walking towards the stage. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as Jon walked away without giving her a chance to speak.

***
Jonathan walked ahead of her into their apartment and Leslie closed the door behind her. Jon headed into the bedroom and Leslie stood by the door, slowly taking off her jacket. She finally made her way into the bedroom and found Jon taking his suit off. His eyes met hers for a brief moment, and they were cold.

"I don't understand what I did to make you so mad at me," Leslie whispered. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and Jonathan's face turned into an expression of pain. He turned to face her and sighed, running his hand over his face.

"I saw you with Kane, and I-"

"Good to know you trust me," Leslie said quietly as she realized what he meant. She sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"I do trust you." Jonathan reached out and wiped her tears with his thumb. "Look, Kane can be very persuasive when he wants to be. He's good with the girls, who knows why." Jon explained, cracking a slight smile. Leslie didn't smile back.

"I think I've proven how much I lo-" she paused, blushing, and Jon's expression softened. "How much I care about you," she finished.

"I know..." Jon replied quietly. "Seriously, it's not you. Kane is just very manipulative. Very," he repeated.

"You underestimate yourself," Leslie replied. "Trust me, he's no you, Jonathan Toews..." Leslie searched Jonathan's eyes and he smiled down at her. "Give yourself some credit," she said as she finally smiled back.

"You're amazing," Jon replied, then kissed her. "And I -" he looked at her as if he was going to say something, but changed his mind. "I care about you too," he finished.

***
Leslie sat in the locker room, waiting for the guys to come back from practice. She was excited - today was hers and Jons' four month anniversary. stood up, smiling, as the guys walked in from practice. A few of the guys made loud noises and Sharp wrapped Kane in a choke-hold. She knew Jon had talked to Patrick, and Patrick had promised to back off.

Leslie shook her head, laughing at the two of them, and turned back to the door to see Jonathan walking through it. He had his helmet in his hands, and she took it from him, placing it on the bench behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she smiled as he pulled her closer before kissing her quickly. The guys cheered and Leslie rolled her eyes.

"Hi," Jon whispered into her ear. Leslie felt her face get hot as his breath tickled her neck. He let her go and started to take off his hockey uniform. She sat down next to him, wrinkling her nose at the smell. "Sorry. You know how it is." He gave her a sideways smile and she nodded, telling her brain to shut up. He didn't forget.

"Yeah, it's gross," she replied. Some of the guys laughed at her comment, and she laughed half-heartedly with them before turning back to Jon. "I'm gonna go. I'll wait for you outside?" she questioned.

Jon nodded, but as Leslie made her way to the door, his voice stopped her. "Actually... you should head home. I forgot I have a meeting with the GM, then I have some press stuff to do... and then the guys wanted to go out to celebrate our win last night..." his voice trailed off.

"Oh, okay. So when will you be home?" Leslie asked, crossing her arms. Out with the guys? Really?

"Not until really late." She looked at him in shock, and tried to figure out his expression. He looked completely serious, and she nodded angrily before storming out of the room.

***
As soon as she got home, Leslie threw her stuff down and sat down on the couch, frustrated. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned on the TV. After a half hour of watching Cake Boss, Leslie cleaned up around the apartment for a good three hours before making supper for herself. She found herself glancing at the door or the phone every so often. Around 9:00, she decided to grab a shower then head to bed. No point waiting up for him... And she didn't really want to talk to him anyway. She sat in bed for a few moments, staring at the ceiling.

She finally stood up and was about to turn off the light when she heard the front door open. She leaned on the door frame with her arms crossed, watching as Jonathan walked quietly towards her, looking at the floor. She cleared her throat and his head snapped up.

"Hey, I didn't think you'd still be awake," he said with a soft smile. His smile quickly faded as she didn't show any sign of a smile. He looked at her, concerned.

"I thought you were joking. But you really forgot," she sighed unhappily.

"Forgot what?" Jon asked. Leslie glanced up at his face. He was completely serious.

Leslie glared at him before turning on her heel and storming into the bedroom. She heard footsteps a few moments later and watched as a confused looking Jonathan walked through the door, scratching his head. He slowly made his way over to the bed and sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Leslie..." he ran his fingers through his short hair. "I really don't know."

Leslie rolled her eyes and turned away from him. After a moment, she felt him lie down next to her. "Are you gonna tell me?"

Leslie rolled back over to face him. "How long have we been together, Jon?"

His eyes widened and he rubbed his jaw. "I'm so sorry," he said softly. "It's been so crazy with hockey in full swing..." he paused. "I really don't see the big deal with these monthly things. 6 months, a year, yeah those are big deals. But does every month matter when I'm spending every day with you? You know how much I care about you."

Leslie thought about it. "I see your point with the every month thing. And I'm sorry I freaked. But Jonny..." she sighed as he looked down at her and waited for her to go on. "That's the thing. I don't know how much you care." Her voice got quieter with every word. "You haven't told me how much you cared," she finished, hoping he would get her hint. She finally looked up into his eyes. They searched hers, trying to figure out what she meant. When he didn't
say anything, Leslie felt her heart race with frustration.

"I love you!" she exclaimed. "I love you, Jonathan Toews. And I'm scared to death because I don't know if you feel the same. Those stupid eyes of yours are so hard to read and you refuse to say it out loud so how am I supposed to kno-" she was interrupted by Jon's lips on hers. The kiss was full of emotion, and as he pulled away, his eyes searched hers. He reached up and ran his knuckles across her cheek.

"I love you so much, Leslie. I do. I'm an idiot, I just didn't know when the right time was to tell you, and..." he paused. "I love you." He kissed her lips, then moved down to her neck. When he made his way back up, he paused on her lips, before whispering against them, "I love you."

***
The next morning, Leslie sat up and stretched. She was about to get up when she felt two strong arms wrap around her middle. Jonathan kissed her shoulder, all the way up her neck, and back down to her shoulder.

"Hi," she giggled. She tried to get up again but Jonathan's arms held her down. "Jonny," she protested, but he kept a firm grip, pulling her back so that she was in between his legs, leaning against his chest. Jonathan was leaning against the headboard, his arms still firmly wrapped around Leslie's stomach. He kissed the top of her head and said quietly, "I love you."

She turned around and caught his lips with her own. "You don't know how good that is to hear."