Stay With Me

"Seriously, Sid? Seriously?" Jordan scolded a little later as he and Sid stood outside the Lemieux house talking. Ellie was inside with Vero, probably having a breakdown.

"What, Jordan? What do you want from me?" Sid sighed.

"A fucking explanation! Of all the people you could have secretly been dating for a year and then get engaged to it was Tess? I gave you relationship advice!" Jordan yelled. He didn't care that he was making a scene, he was mad.

"I didn't know that I owed you anything, Jordan. You weren't with her," Sidney began. Jordan was livid. If he could, he probably would've hit Sidney.

"She almost destroyed Ellie and I!" Jordan stated.

"You had a part in that," Sidney muttered, shrugging and looking at his feet.

"Fuck you, Crosby." Jordan spat, glaring at his Captain.

"She's not the person you think is," Sidney stated, somehow staying calm. "She's changed."

"Has she?" Jordan asked, faking interest. "That's nice. I'm sure my fiancé will love to hear how much Tess has changed as they sit together watching our games!"

"She has changed! She really turned her life around after you and Ellie got back together," Sidney defended. He wouldn't let anyone, not even his friends, speak badly of Tess any longer.

"Ellie was supposed to be your friend," Jordan stated.

"Ellie is my friend!" Sidney replied, tossing his hands up in frustration.

"You didn't at least want to tell her about this?" Jordan asked.

"This is my life and my relationship, I don't owe anyone anything. Not even my best friend," Sidney stated. He was fed up with Jordan's accusations of him being a bad friend to Ellie. Sidney adored Ellie and would do anything for her, but he wouldn't give up the person he loved just because Ellie and her had a bad history.

"Jordan, I get why you're upset. I do, but it's not you who has to spend your life with her. You have a beautiful, smart, funny, talented woman up there who loves you and who you get all to yourself," Sidney stated. "I don't have to spend my life with her the way that you do. I can see her when I want, talk to her if I want and unless I make the plans myself there are only a few times when I have to be in the same room as Ellie. Since she's my best friend I will make those plans, but when it comes to you and Tess- don't."

"Speaking of, I'm going to find my fiancé and we're leaving. See you tomorrow," Sidney nodded and walked inside the house again.

Jordan was angry. He was angry at the situation and he was angry about how he was handling it. He didn't mean to get so angry with Sidney, but he did. The engagement was just sprung on and with Tess? How did this happen?

....

"Sidney and Tess? How did this happen?" Ellie asked, pacing the guest room in the Lemieux house. She was crossed between being furious, upset and a bit relieved.

She was furious because Sidney hadn't said anything to her about being with anyone, especially Tess. She was upset because now she'd have to spend time with Tess after doing so well at avoiding her. She was relieved because Tess was with someone. Given it put her closer to Jordan, but Ellie knew that Sidney wouldn't let her out of his sight. At least she hoped he wouldn't.

"I can tell you," Came a familiar female voice. Ellie's heart began to race even quicker and she feared she might have a heart attack.

"Tess, honey, I don't think this is a good time." Vero stated, getting up to be a barrier between the two women.

"No, let her talk." Ellie stated, surprised at her own words.

Tess was also surprised at Ellie's words. She nodded and moved into the room, watching Ellie the whole time.

"After you and Jordan got back together I realized that I needed to make a few changes in my life. I wasn't living my life the way I thought was right anymore. Watching you and Jordan made me realize that I needed to change," Tess began."So I started up at college to go through for communications and being a receptionist. I mean it's not the most glamourous of turn arounds, but it's a start."

Tess looked at Ellie to gauge her reaction. Ellie still looked angry, but was listening intently. She wanted to know what Tess had done to get Sid, she wanted to know what Sid saw in her.

"I hadn't seen Sidney for a good three or four months after you and Jordan got back together," Tess continued. "I had been by myself for a while, occasionally going and seeing Max in Philadelphia. One day I got invited to my friend Maria's engagement party. When I got there I ran into Sid. Sid knew Maria's fiancé, Mike, so he was invited. We just got talking and catching up and realized that we had more in common than we thought."

"Did you tell him not to tell me?" Ellie asked, her arms crossed.

"No! It was his choice not to tell anyone," Tess replied. "Ellie, you have to know that I didn't want him to keep a secret. Then we got engaged before we went back to Cole Harbour and it's just been crazy ever since."

"Hun," Came Sidney's voice. All three women looked at him. "Let's go, okay?"

"Gladly," Tess nodded, the tension suffocating her. She smiled weakly at Vero and Ellie as she walked towards Sidney.

"Bye, girls." Sidney nodded, putting a hand on Tess' lower back and leading her back downstairs.

"You okay?" Sidney asked once they got to the car and they began to drive home.

"Yeah," Tess nodded. "I can't say I'm really surprised at the reaction of Ellie. How was Jordan?"

"A fucking dick," Sidney sighed. "He was just mean about it all. He got really defensive."

"Well we did spring this on them," Tess replied. "I did think my face was going to melt when Ellie was staring at me after you said we were engaged."

"I thought she was going to have a heart attack," Sidney nodded.

"I thought Jordan might crush his beer bottle with just his hand," Tess smirked softly. Sidney laughed and nodded.

"I don't care what they say, Tess. I love you and you're a good person," Sidney assured his fiancé. He took her left hand and brought it to his lips, placing a small kiss to the back of it.

"I love you, too." Tess smiled softly. She was so happy.

In a somewhat less affectionate car drove Jordan and Ellie. Ellie didn't know how to feel. She was still torn between being upset, angry and relieved. Jordan was nothing but angry. Not because Sidney was with Tess, but because he never told them. If Sidney should have told anyone Jordan felt that Sidney should have told Ellie.

"Please, slow down. The last time we were going this fast we got in an accident," Ellie stated, touching Jordan's tense arm.

Jordan flinched at her touch and at the memory of the accident, immediately letting his foot off the gas a little.

"Sorry," He mumbled, taking a quick glance at her.

"Don't be angry with Sid," Ellie sighed. "We have no right to be angry with him."

"Of all the people in Pittsburgh he ended up with Tess?" Jordan stated. "It's just fucked up. I just wish he had told you."

"Jordan, I think maybe we should give her another chance." Ellie stated softly.

"Are you out of your mind?" Jordan asked, pulling into their driveway. "Baby, you do know what happened between her and I, right? You and I almost didn't make it."

"I know, but she seems like she's got it together. She makes Sid happy," Ellie shrugged.

Jordan scoffed, shaking his head and got out of the car. There was no way in hell he was giving her another chance. He had given Tess Stewart a million chances and the last time he gave her a chance he almost lost the love of his life because of his stupid actions.

"That's the last thing I expected to hear from you," Jordan stated when he felt Ellie put her hands on him. "You almost punched her in the face tonight. I was afraid I was going to have to remove your hands from her neck."

"I'm tired of hating her," Ellie sighed, following him inside the house. "I'm sick and tired of hating her. It's exhausting."

"I think it's been a long day and we both need to go to bed," Jordan sighed, kicking off his shoes. "We can figure out this whole situation in the morning."

Ellie was pretty sure that her mind wouldn't change, but she humoured him. She took his hand and led him upstairs to their bedroom. Jordan took off his shirt and then his shorts then crawled into bed and onto his fiancé.

"I love you," He muttered, laying his heavy head down on her chest.

"I love you, too." Ellie replied, running her hands through his head.

Ellie found it funny that their roles had reversed. She was willing to give Tess a chance, by some freakish act of God, and Jordan was against it. Ellie wondered if Jordan was right and if she should stay away from the situation or if she should try out her idea and give Tess a chance. Maybe Sidney was right. Maybe Tess had changed.