Bringing the Devil Out of Me

I paced back and forth in the foyer, taking deep breaths and checking my watch over and over again. I had to leave in 20 minutes, but I felt like I should get to the stadium early. Alice had told me that she would meet me at the stadium, which was weird, because we usually drove together. She’s probably driving Marc though. After five minutes passed, I grabbed my keys and bag and headed out the door.

I stood in front of my closet, and the three jerseys hanging there taunted me. It was a sandwich, the two red Devils jerseys hanging on either end of the black Penguins jersey. The Penguins had secured the second seed, since the Devils had caught up to them in the back end of the season. Marc limped into my room and hugged me from behind. Over the past few months he had become like my brother, and he chuckled.
« Vous rencontrez des difficultés? » He asked. I nodded.
« Oui, Je ne sais pas lequel je devrais porter. » I sighed. Marc chuckled.
« Qui ne vous aime plus ? » He asked before walking out of the room. I stared at his back, and I knew he had a devilish grin plastered to his face.
« Marc, ce n’est pas juste ! Vous savez que l’amour Sidney ! » I wailed as he hobbled back into his room.
« Je sais, c’est pourquoi je l’ai dit ! » Marc called.

I leaned against the wall, waiting for Alice to romp down the hallway in her usual manner. I heard Marc hobbling down the hall (his brace squeaked a little) and stood up straight. He quickly came into view, but Alice wasn’t behind him.
“Where’s Alice?” I asked.
“No ‘hey Marc, how’s it going?’ I see. Alice is sitting in the parking lot having a battle of conscience. She brought all three of her jerseys, and she’s trying to decide which one she should wear.
“Why did she even bring the Devils jerseys? It’s not like we’re playing them…we’re playing Philadelphia.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, but her team is still in the playoffs. If she wears that Penguins jersey, she’s committing to rooting for us for the entire playoffs.” Marc said. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my cell phone.
“Alice, wear the Penguins jersey. If we play New Jersey, I’ll forgive you for switching colors.” I said as soon as she picked up.
“Is that okay?” She asked. She sounded so confused.
“Alice…it’s okay to have two teams. Think of it as rooting for your friends instead of another team!” I said. I heard her chuckle, and gave Marc a thumbs up.
“Alright…I’ll be there in a few seconds.” She said before hanging up.
“You two are so perfect for each other…too perfect, I think.” Marc smiled.
“Hey, I’m sure you’ll find a girl soon enough.” I said. Max and Annabeth came walking down the hallway, and I couldn’t help but gape. Plump didn’t do her justice. Well duh Sidney, she’s like…six months pregnant. Her entire face was glowing with a happy excitement, and I hugged her as best as I could with her big tummy in the way.
“They, looking a little chubby, eh?” I asked, patting her stomach.
“Sid, you’re a jerk. You ready?” Annabeth asked. I glanced at Max, and then at Marc, and they exchanged a look.
“I guess.” I sighed, running my hand through my hair.
“I know how you get before big games…just try and relax okay? You’re going to do amazingly.” Annabeth said. Her voice was full of confidence, and I felt myself calm down slightly, just like when we were little kids back in Canada.
“Annabeth!” I heard Alice cry happily as she flounced down the hallway. I felt my chest swell with pride when I saw her in my jersey. Yeah, it was a bit egotistical, but I wanted everyone to know she was all mine. The locket I had given her hung from its delicate silver chain around her neck, and I knew she was wearing the bracelets as well. I felt my heart flutter as I saw she was wearing the engagement ring I had given her as well. Even though we had gotten engaged a month ago, I still didn’t believe it unless I saw the ring on her finger. She hugged Annabeth happily, and then turned to me. I grinned half heartedly and she hugged me tightly.
“Sidney, don’t you dare look nervous. You’re going to do fine.” She whispered.
“I wish I felt the same way.” I croaked. My pre game jitters were at an all time high, and Alice looked at me for a minute before taking my hand.
“Come with me.” She said, dragging me down the hallway.

I grunted in surprise as Alice led me into a small maintenance closet, and flung me against the back wall. She shut the door quickly, and then grabbed my tie. My eyes widened. Holy hell, what is going on here? I’ve never seen that look on her face before. She pulled me down and kissed me so roughly it was almost violent. I quickly kissed her back, and our tongues collided. She tugged at my tie, and eventually got it off. She started to unbutton my shirt, and as her hands fluttered to my bare shoulders, my phone rang. I growled irritably, but pulled it out anyway.
One New Message: Marc
Dude, I know you’re probably getting some right now, but the guys are looking for you. Get down here and get dressed for the game you crazy s.o.b. Love ya! ~Flowers

I sighed and stared at Alice for a second before picking up my tie, kissing her one last time, and slipping out of the closet. I buttoned my shirt back up and started to retie my tie as I walked into the locker room. I was immediately greeted by all kinds of wolf whistling and howls, and I felt my face burn.
“Get it Sidney!” Comrie called from his stall. I simply raised my middle finger in salute to the entire locker room and got dressed for the game. As we were lined up waiting to dash onto the ice, I realized something. For the first time in my life, I was completely calm before the game. I grinned widely, and ran onto the ice without a second thought.

“Alice you’re a miracle worker!” Marc cried as he hobbled into the box. I raised my eyebrows.
“Why?” I asked.
“Sid was actually calm for once. It really helps when he’s calm…the rest of the guys just seem to fall into place…maybe you should have sex before every game.” Marc said, muttering the last part into my ear as Trina and Troy stood up to say hello. A young girl, who was practically a female version of Sidney, jumped up as well. I glared at him.
“We didn’t have sex…we just made out a little bit. We haven’t had sex once, fyi.” I growled before walking over to greet Sid’s family. Taylor was a riot, and she screamed every time something good or bad happened. She definitely brought more life into the box, that’s for sure. Some of the other players’ kids loved her, and by the end of the game she had a lot of babysitter potential. We both ran from the box to the locker room, hoping to catch Sidney before the tirade of reporters flooded the locker room. In the past few months, I had discovered that I could just as easily get interviews with all of the guys on the phone, and my interviews were still the best that Pittsburgh could offer. In a way, I was very pleased with myself. My reporting career had taken off flying, and people depended on me for their Penguins news. It was a good feeling, and something that I had wanted for a very long time. Sidney grabbed me and Taylor, and kissed us both on the cheek.
“My favorite girls!” He grinned, wrapping an arm around each of our shoulders.

Sidney remained calm for the rest of the Philadelphia series, and the Penguins moved on to round 2, taking the series 4 games to 2. The next team on their list was the Washington Capitals, and I knew that Sidney was going to be extremely hard to deal with.
“God damn it, where did I put that tape?” He growled, tearing through his box of DVDs. He made sure to get every game he played on tape, and watched the games constantly. He was still sweaty from his workout, and I bit back a sigh, picking the DVD he was looking for up off of the kitchen table.
“Here it is. You left it on the table babe.” I said. He looked up and I could see the frantic look in his eyes.
“Thanks.” He said, snatching the disk from my hand. He popped it in the DVD player, and immediately started mumbling to himself, his eyes following himself on the screen. I walked over and paused the DVD, and he opened his mouth furiously. I simply kissed him gently before sitting beside him on the couch. I ran my hands up and down his back, rubbing it gently. I massaged his shoulders, and after a few minutes he relaxed. I kissed his neck, and his jaw, and then wrapped my arms around his neck. I leaned my head against his and kissed the side of his face.
“Sidney calm down.” I whispered. He took a deep breath, and sighed.
“I’m trying.” He mumbled, leaning back into me. I was sandwiched (comfortably) between him and the couch. We sat there for a long time, and I chuckled quietly to myself when I heard Sidney start to snore. I slipped out from behind him, and laid him down gently on the couch. I covered him with a thin blanket, and then headed into the kitchen to make dinner for the both of us.