The Icy Lens

Abby let out a yawn as she stared at her macbook, editing the last bit of photos from the NHL Awards in Adobe Lightroom. The last 48 hours were absolutely intense. Between the flight to Vegas, the time change, and the stress of the NHL awards she was exhausted. And to make matters worse as soon as she landed in Pittsburgh she was literally just running to the parking lot to swap luggage from her car before catching her next flight to Thunder Bay to meet James. It would be the first time she'd seen him in almost two weeks since he had been training with Gary Roberts and visiting family. While her schedule was still just as chaotic as it was last year, this time things were different -- she had someone that she really missed when she was away.

"Abby no more work, you need sleep," Malkin said while sitting down next to her on the plane. "Actually I just finished now actually, I'm copying the photos for the office to upload now," she said, "Do you want to see them?" He nodded, so she turned the screen in his direction and flicked through the photos she selected for the team. "You got my good side," he said while placing a plastic glass on her table and peering at the screen. "Of coarse I did, I am a professional you know," she teased. "What's this?" she asked looking at the plastic glass. "Last of the champagne, Celebrate, I say so!" As she lifted the glass she said, "OK, I guess I can't turn down a drink from the trophy winner huh?"

She sipped the champagne as he asked, "You going to Staalsy's?" She nodded and said, "Yeah I am since I don't have to cover the Draft." As he started to laugh she said, "What's so funny Geno?" He grinned as he said, "You need to go, Lazy hot mess without you. He wear Hawaii shirt with purple plaid to wedding." Abby nearly spit out her drink, but somehow managed to compose herself. He was never going to live down that outfit was he?

"Oh No, he's not allowed to wear that. I'll make sure of it. Lord knows I don't want poor heather to be embarrassed on her wedding day." They talked a bit more about Jordan's wedding before Geno asked about Matt. He had signed his deal earlier in the week, which was a relief to both of them. "I saw him before he left to go back home, he's going to work with some doctors on getting his shoulder back." Geno nodded and said, "Good, I hope he gets better." She finished her drink and set the empty glass down just as she let out a tiny yawn. "Well sleepy head needs sleep. Goodnight Lazy's girl." Abby smiled and told Geno goodnight, then leaned up against the window of the plane with a pillow behind her head.

--

Abby walked across the tarmac looking exhausted and disheveled. She had been wearing the same clothes for nearly 18 hours now, and the only thing on her mind was a comfy bed and a hot shower. She hadn't gotten much sleep on either flight, maybe two or three hours max. As she walked into the private airport with her luggage she saw a smiling face waiting for her. "Hey, I've missed you," James said while greeting her with a hug and kiss, "How was Vegas?" As he took her luggage she wrapped her arm around his and leaned in as they walked towards the car. "I missed you too," she said, "Vegas was Exhausting. I think I've been up for nearly 24 hours now, maybe more." As he loaded up her luggage he said, "Well then, let's get you back to the hotel."

On the ride over she talked about what happened in Vegas, and before she knew it they were at their hotel. The very first thing Abby did was flop over and literally collapsed on the king sized bed. "Ugh. Jet lag blows," she muttered while closing her eyes, "I don't know if I should be eating breakfast or If I should fall asleep." She felt James crawl onto the bed on top of her and place his lips on hers. "It is around 1pm here, so technically it's after lunch," he said as he gently brushed her hair away from her face, "But I know what will make you feel better. I'll go start filling the Jacuzzi tub." Her eyes flickered open and said, "Wait, There is a Jacuzzi tub?" He grinned and said, "Abby of coarse there is, it's a VIP hotel room. Give me a few minutes then you can join me."

He walked away and moments later she could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. She forced herself out of bed, and walked into the bathroom to find him already inside the tub. Abby smiled and ran her hand in the hot water, which was at the perfect temperature. She quickly undressed and then got into the tub with him. As she leaned back into his body, he started up the jets. Abby let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "This was a great idea James," she said while closing her eyes and beginning to finally de-stress. She felt him shift his body, and he leaned in to kiss her neck for a few moments before he gently pushed her to sit up. She was surprised, but then soon realized what he was planning as he began to massage her shoulders, neck, and back. "Oh god, this is perfect," she said with a slight moan. "Good, because you need to relax," he said while continue to apply just the right amount of pressure to her stiff muscles, "I can't have my date tomorrow looking jet lagged and stressed."

When he stopped massaging her, she shifted in the tub so that she could face him. With her body sitting on top of his, She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the lips. She missed how strong they were, and how good they made her feel. She continued to make out with him, feeling his hands grabbing her hips firmly. As she pulled her lips back she leaned in and whispered into his ear, I really missed you." James took one of his hands and ran it through her wet hair as he said, "I can tell." As he pulled her body even closer to his James said, "Don't worry, I'll make up the past two weeks to you, you won't be disappointed." She smiled and said, "The only thing disappointing is that the water is getting cold already." His blue eyes looked into hers as he said, "Well Let's fix that than." He grabbed a hold of her body tightly and stood up in the tub, causing her to let out a giggle. "What are you doing," she asked as he stepped out of the tub. "Moving to the shower to warm you up," he grinned as he carried her over.

He set her down in the shower and immediately turned on the hot water. Before she had a chance to say or do anything, he had her pinned up against the shower tile wall. He began to shower her with more kisses as the hot water came down from above. A moan escaped her mouth as he ran his hands all over her body; she could barely think straight as a wave of pleasure began to spread. "Don't stop," she said, barely able to speak. "I wasn't planning on it," he whispered into her ear as he lifted up her small body again, and slid inside her. All she could do was exhale, wrap her legs around him, and grip her fingers into his shoulders. She was literally breathless, unable to do anything but give into him.

--

Jordan and Heather looked so happy together during the wedding; they both had an ethereal glow to their faces. She had a smile on her lips the entire time, and even shed a tear or two during the ceremony. As her and James walked to the reception, Abby began to ramble on about how beautiful their wedding was. Once she finished she noticed a smirk on James's face as he said, "Should I be taking notes?" Abby scrunched up her face and lightly punched him in the arm. "Oh no, don’t you get any ideas Mister! We haven't even moved in together yet!" She heard a voice behind her say, "I don't know, she seems to be bitten by the bridal bug." She turned around and said "Christopher Kunitz you are so cruising for a bruising!"

"Come on Abby, You can admit it," Sid teased, "Every girl dreams about wearing a wedding dress right? Even you." Abby pouted and said, "Not you too. Steve, back me up here. I was just talking about how great the ceremony was!" He laughed and said, "Absolutely she was just talking, while thinking about her own wedding. Nealer, you should be taking notes."

“I bet Staalsy could hook you up with a good jeweler,” Dustin joked. James finally broke in and said, “All right boys, that’s enough. We’ve been dating for only a few months. No rings or Bells yet. We can revisit this conversation in a year or so.”

Once dinner was over and the dancing began, Abby and James made their way to the bar. Now that they were clear of all his teammates, James leaned in and whispered, “Sorry about earlier, you know how those guys are.” She ordered a glass of wine and smiled, “It’s fine, just like I said, don’t get any ideas yet.” He nodded and grabbed a beer and her glass of wine and said, “Don’t worry, I wasn’t thinking about rings. Just getting you back to the hotel later.” She smiled and let out a tiny laugh, “Now that is acceptable.”

"There you two are." Abby turned around and smiled brightly before she jumped into Jordan and gave him a hug. "Someone's happy to see me," he laughed, "Neal are you not giving her enough attention at home?" She pulled away and said, "Oh he is, I just miss seeing you all." His smile started to fade a little as he said, "Hey, can I talk to Neal for a few minutes?" She looked at James confused, but said sure and decided to leave them alone.

She walked outside the reception hall and onto the porch outside, taking in the fresh air. Canada was so beautiful, and she never got to see much of it beyond hotel rooms and the occasional dinner out. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around to see Jordan standing there. “You better not be giving James jeweler tips,” she said jokingly to him with a smile. “Oh no I was just warning him about how stressful weddings are,” he said back with a smirk, "You know since he's next on the list to get hitched." Abby glared at him and said, "Jerk. But I'm gonna let it slide since it is your wedding day."

But then she saw his smile fading, and she instantly knew something was wrong. “Abby I wanted to tell everyone myself so,” he began, “I found out an hour ago that I was traded to Carolina.” Her face went blank for a moment; did he just say he was traded? “But wait, I thought you were still working on a deal,” she stuttered out. “I love it in Pittsburgh, you know that,” he said, “But family comes first to me. And frankly I wasn’t ready to sign a ten year deal where I would be stuck on the third line."

"Sherp could have sent me anywhere," he explained, "But chose to trade me to the only other team I would want to play for." Abby’s eyes welled up as she said, “Well at least you get to play with Eric…but Jordan…I have to say that this sucks.”

She knew hockey was a business, but she never expected this move to occur, let alone on his wedding day. In her eyes he was more than just a hockey player, he was a good friend. Jordan was one of the first people she connected with on the team, and they had so many good times together. The nights going out to eat on the road, the beer pong tournaments, and catching drinks at the bar after games.

"Hey, Don't you dare cry," He said as he patted her on the head, "Don't worry Abby, I'll still see you guys. It's not goodbye you know." She frowned and said, “I know, but it’s going to be so, weird.” He pulled her into a hug and said, “I know, it’s going to be strange for all of us, especially me.” Jordan smirked while saying, "Look at it this way, at Least I'm not a Flyer or Cap."

The comment finally made Abby laugh for a moment, and he did make a very valid point. Things could be worse. As he stepped away slowly he said, “I’m sorry but I’ve got to go tell the other guys what’s going on, but like I said, Don’t worry I’m going to keep in touch with you all.” He smiled at her and said, “Now don’t frown Abs, You’ve got to get back there and make Nealer look good.” She nodded and forced a smile on her face for her sake and said, “Ok, Well I’ll see you on the dance floor later. Right?” He nodded and they split up going different directions inside.

She immediately made her way to the bar and switched from wine to a Captain and Coke. “Switching to the hard stuff now,” James asked from behind. “Yeah, Well can you blame me?” He moved in close to her, setting his beer on the bar. “I can tell you’re upset, we all are,” he whispered into her ear, “But for his sake we need to just smile and help him enjoy tonight. This is his wedding day, the trade talk can happen tomorrow.” She nodded and said, “I know, it just sucks.” She tried not to frown as she said, “If that ever happened to you or matt I don’t know…” He instantly leaned into her, kissing her on the lips to stop her from talking. As he pulled away slowly he whispered back, “Don’t think about that Abby.”

"But it's hard not to," she said before taking another sip form her glass. "Well then think of something else," he said with a smile, "Like how you still owe me a dance." She cracked a small smile and said, "I owe you a dance?" He nodded and set his empty beer down and said, "Yeah so the boys will stop harassing me." She finished the last of her drink and said, "And that would be different from any other day because?" He took her hand and called her a smart ass before pulling her out onto the dance floor as "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz started to play.

She laughed and said, "But I really don't want to dance yet." He grinned and said, "you have no choice in the matter." He took her arm and spun her around once before pulling her into him. She began to laugh as he moved to the music and started to sing along slightly out of tune. He stopped singing along and said, "Now that was what I was looking for, a smile. Now keep it there or else I'll start singing again." She kissed him on the lips softly and said, “Please don’t. I’ll smile, I Promise.”

--

As the wedding reception ended, Abby ended up being the one who drove back to the hotel. While she could hold her whiskey, James on the other hand seemed to be a bit worse for wear. They got into the hotel room, and Abby giggled as James stumbled over to the bed. She crawled onto the bed after removing her heels. "My Head," he muttered, "Now I remember why I don't do shots."

Abby leaned in and loosened his tie she joked, "All right mister party rock, you need to get undressed." With his eyes closed and a grin on his face he said, "I won't stop you from taking it all off." She laughed knowing full well that he would have made that comment if he was sober. "I guess I can help you." She unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it off to the side, and eventually did the same thing with the rest of his clothes. "Here drink this, I'll be back in a few minutes," she said handing him a bottle of water before going to get changed herself.

She slipped into a silk chemise and turned off the lights before crawling into bed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drink so much." She laughed and said, "It's ok. After all the boys would have harassed you if you didn't match them shot for shot." She kissed him on the lips and said, "You can tuck me into bed drunk some other time to make up for it."

He lazily flopped his arms around her and said, "You know you're like, the perfect girl right? You're low maintenance don't want expensive things, and you love hockey. And you don't yell at me for partying to hard too." Abby smiled and said, "I wouldn't say I'm perfect." He laid his head back on the pillow and said, "Yeah you are, you just won't admit it because your a girl. Trust me, I think you really are perfect."

Abby felt far from perfect, but she agreed that when they were together everything was perfect even in their crazy world. "I think you should go to bed so you can rest before a hangover sets in." she said in an attempt to get him to go to sleep. "Not until you kiss me goodnight, because if I move my head, I think I'll throw up." Abby held in her laughter and instead moved in to give him one last kiss goodnight. "OK, now go to sleep," she said while pulling the covers up to her shoulders. "I love you perfect Abby," he said while letting out a yawn. "I love you to, perfect James." she whispered back as he fell asleep.