Status: Two Shot! Finshed!
The Silver Anniversary
2036
He huffed off the ice following Alex and John. He shakes the sweat out of his hair. He sees her, long brown hair held off her face with a headband, the natural wave bursting out in the humidity of the locker room, no matter how hard she had fought it earlier. She rolls her eyes as he groans dropping to the bench at his cubby. Alex moans as he removes his jersey, and she rolls her eyes.
"You are too old for this," she says looking at them. All three of them grumble as Braden saunters back in. "Every single one of you."
"Lys, I'm almost five years younger then them!" John groans.
"You are all retired ice hockey players in your late forties or early fifties," Alyssa says squatting down and undoing Braden's ties. "You're all too old for this. For God's sake, its two of you have kids playing in the game tomorrow!'
"Thank you," Braden says. Mike grabs Lys by the waist and kisses her neck.
"You stink," she says glaring at him. He lowers his lips to hers again and she kisses him gently.
"Do you remember?" he murmurs. She turns to him and rolls her eyes, looking much more like the 28 year old he married rather than the 50 year old that sat on his lap. They had just done the practice for the Penguins/Capitals Alumni game, the 25th anniversary of the 2011 game, replaying on Heinz Field.
"I wasn't at this one," she says looking him in the eyes. "I was at my parents house, with Lil and Victoria and the fam."
"Which one were you at?" John asks, coming from the shower.
"RFK," she says, "When it was the Devils."
Alex nods. The current team wanders in, wearing jeans and jackets. Jacob wanders over seeing his parents laughing and joking with the men who he called uncle for his entire life, it was moments like this that the awe of being a second generation Washington Capital came to light.
"We have to share," he says scrunching up his nose smiling at his parents.
"Yea yea yea, whine about it now," Mike says giving him a shove. "When are you on ice?"
"Practice in an hour or so whenever you old guys manage to wheel yourselves off the ice."
Nicky grabs him and gives him a nuggie.
"Come on young one," Nicky says, as Jake struggles away from him. Max laughs and leans against the wall as he watches his dad and uncles goof off with Jake, as Jake drags him into the fold, as he watches his mother's sister rolls her eyes at them, as his Aunt Lys moving out of the fray as to not get dragged in. Jake gets away and walks to his mom standing behind her as if she was protecting him.
"How's your wrist?" Lys asks and turns around reaching out for the one that was wrapped.
"Mom," Jake whines. John and Braden laugh as they walk towards the showers where the old men have all retired to, John ruffling Max's hair.
"Funny how you fall right back to 12 when you're hurt," she says grabbing for his wrist.
He sighs and holds his wrist out. She pokes and prods at it, for a second before dropping it before returning to Mike's side.
"What did we learn from this?" she says, staring pointedly at Mike, Max & Jake, before turning to Alex and Nicky.
"Don't drop your gloves when the puck is still in play," Jake, Max, Mike, Alex and Nicky all chorus together, as the elder generation moves to the showers.
"Jacob Matthew," she says quietly. "Don't do anything that's going to change this. You're living your dream, don't cut things short because you want to play in this game."
"I love you, Mom," he says in the 'stop bugging me in that kind of way'.
She laughs, and steps to Jake kissing him gently on the cheek, making him look at her in the eyes, and then turning to Max and hugging him.
"I'm going to find your sisters and brother," she says to Jake. "Don't let them do anything too stupid. You too Maximillian."
They nod and Lys kisses him on the cheek and ruffles his hair, as she walks away. Mike and the older guys walk out of the showers and come back to where the young ones are sitting.
"You guys getting ready?" Nicky asks, seeing the rest of the team changing.
"Yea," Max says rolling his neck and moving to his bag. Jake turns to Mike who is in their shared stall, pulling on his shoes.
"Where did Mom go?"
"To find the rest, only after bugging me about my wrist."
"Your mother is nuts," Mike says.
"Your wife is crazy," Jake says back laughing. "What did you do in practice that made her come in?"
"Crosby was there, making noise."
"Great," Jake says. "I'm getting the brunt of this aren't I?"
Mike and Alex sigh. "You share with Max," Alex says.
"Oh yea," Jake says. "Except the fact that for some reason, my cousin who doesn't have the same amount of anything because his father came in after the Ovechkin/Crosby thing started."
"So did I!" Mike says.
"Not far enough," Max grumbles, Jake and Mike roll their eyes. Mike stands up grabbing his coat.
"I'm going to find her," Mike says. "Play good."
"Thanks Dad," he says.
John and Mike walk out as the trainer calls for Jake. Mike walks out and sees Lys standing with her sister Mariah, and the rest of the kids. He watches for a moment as their kids, move around one another, Jake's twin Maggie, and their other two, Zack and Sadie along with their cousins Emily and Hannah. They were laughing and joking as they stood around waiting for he and John.
"This is it."
"What?"
"This is the life that we wanted," Mike says. He was moving towards the girls and the kids. He walks up behind Lys, dropping a kiss to her neck, while John grabs Mariah's waist.
"Dinner?" Lys asks turning her face to his. She nods.
The next day they see the hit and quietly make their way to the locker room.
As they walked down to the locker room all Mike could think about was how odd to be on the other side, and if this was how Lys had felt for the years while he played. All the times he had been hurt on the ice. The alumni game had been a blast the day before, playing not only with his former team mates but with Laughlin and other older Caps made it fun if not a slow, goofy game. They were standing outside the locker room as the trainer poked his head out nodding them inside, and they walked into an empty locker room.
"Where are they?" Mike asked rubbing his face.
Lys rolled her eyes, having much more practice at the waiting game then he had. "On their way off the ice," she says not looking up from her book. "Maybe in the x-ray room."
He looks at her, and smiles shanking his head as he sits next to her. Neither of them looked their 50 years, which was all the reporters had said before the game, exclaiming how Lys and Mike and Mariah and John barely looked old enough to not be playing themselves, never mind old enough to have two of the players on the team. He studies her, her long hair wavy in a pony tail off her face as she read her book, used to waiting for hockey players. Their 22 year old son, their oldest baby by 6 whole minutes was skating early warm ups on Heinz Field 25 years to the day after his dad had done the same. Mike hadn't even known Lys then, it was exactly a year later that they met, and another year before the wedding, and two weeks before Christmas his 6th year with the Caps their oldest two came around. He was always amazed at how much had changed so quickly back then, how the right woman had him go from womanizer to husband and father in less than 36 months.
He watches her as the kids, because when its your own and your friends children that's what they'll always be, come back in, Jake the last one through the door. She stands up and moves out of Jake's cube. Jake rolls his eyes and kisses his mother on the cheek as he looks at the two of them.
"Stop."
"Jacob, move your wrist."
"Mom."
"Don't make her do the do Mighty Ducks test," Mike says.
Lys pouts at him. "You went down, you didn't get up. It’s the prerogative of either me or your non-existent girlfriend to trail you in here."
"Why's dad here?"
"I know you know how big the freak out would be if I wasn't?"
"Good point."
"You guys getting out there?" he asks, then looking at his mother's shoes, the heeled boots not being so warm. "Not so much I see."
"I get to sit in a box. After all the years of frostbitten ass I deserve it."
"That you do dear," Mike says adjusting his glasses and rolling his eyes.
"You're okay?" she says moving between the near mirror images. The only difference was the eye color, Jake having inherited his mothers bright blue eyes. His sister Maggie with her father's brown eyes. "Are you okay?" his mother asks pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"Mom," he groans. "I'm fine."
Mike just laughs. He sees the life he has, the family, the happiness all of it. He realizes how much had changed in the time. Though he had thought of it many times before, when their kids were born, their wedding day, the day Jake was drafted, Maggie's college graduation, Zack and Emma getting into college, all of them were times he was proud, and here with everyone in the same place, with their friends and family. He thinks of the moment earlier when they brought out the 2011 team, having a picture of them with their families, with Max and Jake. That's when he knew that nothing could get any better.
"You are too old for this," she says looking at them. All three of them grumble as Braden saunters back in. "Every single one of you."
"Lys, I'm almost five years younger then them!" John groans.
"You are all retired ice hockey players in your late forties or early fifties," Alyssa says squatting down and undoing Braden's ties. "You're all too old for this. For God's sake, its two of you have kids playing in the game tomorrow!'
"Thank you," Braden says. Mike grabs Lys by the waist and kisses her neck.
"You stink," she says glaring at him. He lowers his lips to hers again and she kisses him gently.
"Do you remember?" he murmurs. She turns to him and rolls her eyes, looking much more like the 28 year old he married rather than the 50 year old that sat on his lap. They had just done the practice for the Penguins/Capitals Alumni game, the 25th anniversary of the 2011 game, replaying on Heinz Field.
"I wasn't at this one," she says looking him in the eyes. "I was at my parents house, with Lil and Victoria and the fam."
"Which one were you at?" John asks, coming from the shower.
"RFK," she says, "When it was the Devils."
Alex nods. The current team wanders in, wearing jeans and jackets. Jacob wanders over seeing his parents laughing and joking with the men who he called uncle for his entire life, it was moments like this that the awe of being a second generation Washington Capital came to light.
"We have to share," he says scrunching up his nose smiling at his parents.
"Yea yea yea, whine about it now," Mike says giving him a shove. "When are you on ice?"
"Practice in an hour or so whenever you old guys manage to wheel yourselves off the ice."
Nicky grabs him and gives him a nuggie.
"Come on young one," Nicky says, as Jake struggles away from him. Max laughs and leans against the wall as he watches his dad and uncles goof off with Jake, as Jake drags him into the fold, as he watches his mother's sister rolls her eyes at them, as his Aunt Lys moving out of the fray as to not get dragged in. Jake gets away and walks to his mom standing behind her as if she was protecting him.
"How's your wrist?" Lys asks and turns around reaching out for the one that was wrapped.
"Mom," Jake whines. John and Braden laugh as they walk towards the showers where the old men have all retired to, John ruffling Max's hair.
"Funny how you fall right back to 12 when you're hurt," she says grabbing for his wrist.
He sighs and holds his wrist out. She pokes and prods at it, for a second before dropping it before returning to Mike's side.
"What did we learn from this?" she says, staring pointedly at Mike, Max & Jake, before turning to Alex and Nicky.
"Don't drop your gloves when the puck is still in play," Jake, Max, Mike, Alex and Nicky all chorus together, as the elder generation moves to the showers.
"Jacob Matthew," she says quietly. "Don't do anything that's going to change this. You're living your dream, don't cut things short because you want to play in this game."
"I love you, Mom," he says in the 'stop bugging me in that kind of way'.
She laughs, and steps to Jake kissing him gently on the cheek, making him look at her in the eyes, and then turning to Max and hugging him.
"I'm going to find your sisters and brother," she says to Jake. "Don't let them do anything too stupid. You too Maximillian."
They nod and Lys kisses him on the cheek and ruffles his hair, as she walks away. Mike and the older guys walk out of the showers and come back to where the young ones are sitting.
"You guys getting ready?" Nicky asks, seeing the rest of the team changing.
"Yea," Max says rolling his neck and moving to his bag. Jake turns to Mike who is in their shared stall, pulling on his shoes.
"Where did Mom go?"
"To find the rest, only after bugging me about my wrist."
"Your mother is nuts," Mike says.
"Your wife is crazy," Jake says back laughing. "What did you do in practice that made her come in?"
"Crosby was there, making noise."
"Great," Jake says. "I'm getting the brunt of this aren't I?"
Mike and Alex sigh. "You share with Max," Alex says.
"Oh yea," Jake says. "Except the fact that for some reason, my cousin who doesn't have the same amount of anything because his father came in after the Ovechkin/Crosby thing started."
"So did I!" Mike says.
"Not far enough," Max grumbles, Jake and Mike roll their eyes. Mike stands up grabbing his coat.
"I'm going to find her," Mike says. "Play good."
"Thanks Dad," he says.
John and Mike walk out as the trainer calls for Jake. Mike walks out and sees Lys standing with her sister Mariah, and the rest of the kids. He watches for a moment as their kids, move around one another, Jake's twin Maggie, and their other two, Zack and Sadie along with their cousins Emily and Hannah. They were laughing and joking as they stood around waiting for he and John.
"This is it."
"What?"
"This is the life that we wanted," Mike says. He was moving towards the girls and the kids. He walks up behind Lys, dropping a kiss to her neck, while John grabs Mariah's waist.
"Dinner?" Lys asks turning her face to his. She nods.
The next day they see the hit and quietly make their way to the locker room.
As they walked down to the locker room all Mike could think about was how odd to be on the other side, and if this was how Lys had felt for the years while he played. All the times he had been hurt on the ice. The alumni game had been a blast the day before, playing not only with his former team mates but with Laughlin and other older Caps made it fun if not a slow, goofy game. They were standing outside the locker room as the trainer poked his head out nodding them inside, and they walked into an empty locker room.
"Where are they?" Mike asked rubbing his face.
Lys rolled her eyes, having much more practice at the waiting game then he had. "On their way off the ice," she says not looking up from her book. "Maybe in the x-ray room."
He looks at her, and smiles shanking his head as he sits next to her. Neither of them looked their 50 years, which was all the reporters had said before the game, exclaiming how Lys and Mike and Mariah and John barely looked old enough to not be playing themselves, never mind old enough to have two of the players on the team. He studies her, her long hair wavy in a pony tail off her face as she read her book, used to waiting for hockey players. Their 22 year old son, their oldest baby by 6 whole minutes was skating early warm ups on Heinz Field 25 years to the day after his dad had done the same. Mike hadn't even known Lys then, it was exactly a year later that they met, and another year before the wedding, and two weeks before Christmas his 6th year with the Caps their oldest two came around. He was always amazed at how much had changed so quickly back then, how the right woman had him go from womanizer to husband and father in less than 36 months.
He watches her as the kids, because when its your own and your friends children that's what they'll always be, come back in, Jake the last one through the door. She stands up and moves out of Jake's cube. Jake rolls his eyes and kisses his mother on the cheek as he looks at the two of them.
"Stop."
"Jacob, move your wrist."
"Mom."
"Don't make her do the do Mighty Ducks test," Mike says.
Lys pouts at him. "You went down, you didn't get up. It’s the prerogative of either me or your non-existent girlfriend to trail you in here."
"Why's dad here?"
"I know you know how big the freak out would be if I wasn't?"
"Good point."
"You guys getting out there?" he asks, then looking at his mother's shoes, the heeled boots not being so warm. "Not so much I see."
"I get to sit in a box. After all the years of frostbitten ass I deserve it."
"That you do dear," Mike says adjusting his glasses and rolling his eyes.
"You're okay?" she says moving between the near mirror images. The only difference was the eye color, Jake having inherited his mothers bright blue eyes. His sister Maggie with her father's brown eyes. "Are you okay?" his mother asks pushing his hair out of his eyes.
"Mom," he groans. "I'm fine."
Mike just laughs. He sees the life he has, the family, the happiness all of it. He realizes how much had changed in the time. Though he had thought of it many times before, when their kids were born, their wedding day, the day Jake was drafted, Maggie's college graduation, Zack and Emma getting into college, all of them were times he was proud, and here with everyone in the same place, with their friends and family. He thinks of the moment earlier when they brought out the 2011 team, having a picture of them with their families, with Max and Jake. That's when he knew that nothing could get any better.