Cinematic Confessions

Corey had gotten the approval of Autumn's father after taking him into the arena and showing him around the locker room and the ice. Alan may have been the biggest Wings fan and as such hated the Hawks, but any hockey fan was going to enjoy going into an NHL arena, and that was how Corey had won him over. Alan had made sure to tell him that he still wasn't going to be a Blackhawks fan, but he warmed up over Corey, who was actually sad to see the older man leave to go back to Canada.

Autumn had told Corey that she had never seen her dad like one of her boyfriends so much, and she was pleasantly surprised that Alan and Corey had gotten along so well. She had been worried about it, hence why she never told Corey about her dad's hatred of the Blackhawks.

Corey had a smile on his face as he walked into the radio station with Brent and Patrick Sharp, getting ready to do an interview. Brianna worked there in the mornings, and her boss knew she had an in with the Hawks, so he had given her a new segment, where once a week, she would interview at least one of the members of the team. Today, she was going to surprise her listening audience by giving them three of the stars of the team.

"You look like you got some action last night," Patrick noted, pointing to Corey.

"Actually, I didn't," he replied, thinking back to the night before. He had gone with Autumn to drop her dad off at the airport, and then he had gone back to her place. Knowing he had to wake up early to go to the radio station, Corey had gone back to his apartment after they had finished watching a movie at Autumn's.

"Then what's the grin for?" Brent wondered. "Because that looks like a 'I just got laid real good' grin," he told him. "And, I would know that grin," he added, just as Brianna walked up to them. He turned to see if his wife had heard him, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she didn't. Brent had a foul mouth when he was around the guys, and if Brianna could listen to his side of the conversations, he knew he'd be in for a lecture from her, something he really didn't want, especially from a pregnant woman.

"How was meeting Autumn's dad?" Brianna asked Corey when she saw him, not even saying hi to the others who were standing next to him.

Brent turned his head to look at Corey. "You met the dad?" he asked, the first time he was hearing about this. "How does Bri know about this when I don't?" he questioned.

"Because Autumn told me," Brianna said simply, keeping her attention on Corey. "So how'd it go?"

"Better than I thought when I first met him," he said with a chuckle, remember the reaction Alan had had when he had first opened the door and Corey was standing there. "He hates the Blackhawks," he told them.

"Who the hell hates the Hawks?" Brent exclaimed.

"A diehard Wings fan," Corey replied, shaking his head. "Let's just say he was not happy when he first saw me and realized I play for the team he despises. But, he seemed to warm up as the weekend went on," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Good," Brianna smiled. "I'm glad to hear that! Now let's get you guys ready for the show, shall we?" she asked. It was six in the morning, and she was wide awake and cheerful. Corey wondered if she would still be like that in a couple of months when she had her new baby there waking her up every two hours throughout the night.

Everyone got in place next to Brianna and her co-host, Paul, getting ready to answer some questions. Corey had heard a little bit about Paul and how forward he was with everything. Sometimes it put Brianna on edge, and she hoped that maybe one day she would have her own show instead of being the sidekick to the morning show of Paul, but that day hadn't arrived yet. Paul liked to take credit for ideas that weren't his, like getting the Hawks on the show weekly. Anyone that knew anything about Paul and Brianna knew the reason the team did the show was all for Brianna, but Paul liked to think he was pulling them in.

"Good morning everyone!" Paul began the segment. "We've got not one, not two, but three members of the Chicago Blackhawks with us this morning!" he exclaimed excitedly, and Corey glanced over at his teammates, wondering if Paul was already annoying them like he was Corey. "We've got sharp shooter Patrick Sharp, the solid goaltender that is on fire lately, Corey Crawford, and the man that got into our very own Brianna's pants and got her pregnant, Mr. Brent Seabrook."

Brent immediately shot daggers at Paul. The only reason he and the other two guys were there this morning was because of Brianna, and he really didn't like the way he was talking about her right now. Paul didn't seem to notice-or he didn't care-as he continued talking. "We'll get to a few of our caller's questions here in a minute, but let me start by saying what a streak you guys are on right now! Winning seven of your last eight games. What do you think is different now that's got you guys winning?"

"I definitely think we just started blending together and working together in sync," Patrick answered him.

"Is it easier to play when you're on a win streak like this? Or does it put more pressure on you to win?" Brianna asked.

"I think it's easier," Corey answered. "Everyone is looser in the locker room and out on the ice. You're having fun, at least that's how it is for me," he said.

Brent nodded his head. "Yeah, I'd agree with Crow. Everyone is definitely a lot looser, and you're not focusing on losses. We know that we're on a pretty good streak right now, and you don't want to change anything, so you just keep playing like you have been. It was the same way last year when we won the Cup. It's great to be a Hawk."

They continued answering questions from fans for a little while before Paul took over once again. "So you guys are on the road a lot. Tell me what it's like for your significant others. Brent, you're probably looking to get away from this one with her crazy hormones," he said, jerking his finger at Brianna while laughing extremely hard into the microphone.

"Actually," Brent began, a little bit of an attitude in his voice. He'd met Paul a few times before. The first time he met him when Brianna started working there and they had a company holiday party, Brent immediately disliked him. Then, Brianna would tell him stories about Paul, and his dislike grew even more. Now that he was being interviewed by him, he wanted to deck the man. Brent wondered if he knew just how annoying he was. "I miss my wife on the road. The one thing I'm always worried about is that she's going to give birth and I'll be gone," he admitted.

"I think that's something we all kind of think about," Patrick interrupted. "That we're going to miss something big in the lives of our family. But, my wife understands it. My daughters are still too young to know what's going on, but hopefully they'll understand as well."

"I think getting into the relationship, you know distance is going to be a part of it," Brianna shrugged her shoulders. That was true for her. She knew when she and Brent finally started going out that hockey was a big part of his life, and she was ready to live with that.

"You, Corey, are the only one here not married," Paul stated, and Corey nodded his head, wondering where Paul was going with this. "But, you're in a relationship, correct?"

"Yeah, I am…" Corey replied.

"What's that like? Do you pick your girlfriend based on who's going to be okay with you travelling? Or do you just see if she'll accept it down the road? I mean, I guess if she wants to date a Blackhawks player, she has to know you'll be on the road and there's all sorts of tempting girls out there," he said.

Corey set his jaw. He hated what Paul was implying. "This is actually the first time in my playing career that I've been in a relationship during the season," he admitted. Immediately he regretted it, knowing Paul was going to delve deeper into it now that he had offered the information up.

Paul's eyebrows shot up. "Oh? Well then I guess this season really is a test to you, isn't it?" he asked him.

Brianna could tell Corey was trying to remain calm, knowing he was on the radio, so she cut in, trying to cut the tension. "You guys play the Flyers tomorrow night. How are you preparing for the game?" she asked, trying to move past personal questions.

"Same way we do every game," Patrick answered. "We go into practice and work hard every day. We're ready for them. We're feeling good right now," he said.

They talked for a few more minutes before Paul wrapped the segment up. As music played, Brianna walked the three men out. "I'm really sorry about that!" she apologized to them. "He's usually not that bad, and if I thought he was going to try to say that you're tempted to cheat, I never would have let you come on here!" she said, putting her hand on Corey's arm before turning around to her husband. "And, thank you for not blowing up on him," she told Brent, knowing that if someone pissed him off, he was liable to tell them exactly what he was thinking.

"That fucking bastard…" Brent muttered under his breath.

"I've got to get back in there," Brianna said, pointing her thumb in the direction of the studio. "But, I'll see you tonight," she said, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss Brent. "Thank you guys, and again, I'm sorry!" she apologized one last time.

"He's a prick," Patrick said simply.

"How does he still have a job?" Corey asked.

"Because Bri keeps him afloat," Brent spoke honestly. He may be biased, but it was the truth. If it wasn't for his wife, Paul Karn would not have a job at the radio station.



Autumn had listened to the interview on the radio this morning while she was getting ready for work, and one line in particular had caught her attention, and she hadn't been able to think about anything since then. This is actually the first time in my playing career that I've been in a relationship during the season. Autumn wasn't sure why she was so fixated on that point, but she was.

Maybe it was because for the first time she realized that he really did have temptation on the road, and he'd never had someone tying him down back at home. Or maybe it was because she was shocked to learn that she was the first person he'd been with during the season. She wondered why he'd never been in a relationship during the season before.

She wanted to ask him about it. She had all evening since he had taken her out to dinner, but she really didn't think she should bring it up in public. Corey had noticed that something was off with her, but she continued to tell him that everything was fine and said it was probably her pregnancy hormones going out of control that made her a little bit off tonight. Corey wasn't buying it.

They had gone back to his place to watch a movie they had gotten at a Redbox on their way home. Autumn hadn't sat down on the couch yet, but instead she was walking around his living room, looking at some pictures he had sitting on a shelf. "Okay, Autumn, tell me what's going on?" Corey said, walking up behind her.

She spun around to look at him. "What's going on? Nothing's going on," she claimed.

Corey shook his head. "I like to think I know you a little bit better than that after being with you for this long," he told her. "You've been off all night. Why won't you just tell me what's going on?" he asked her. He had her back up against the bookcase so she couldn't go anywhere.

She dropped her head, looking at the ground. "I heard your interview this morning," she mumbled.

"Okay…and?" he asked her, unsure what that had to do with anything.

"I'm the first relationship you've had during the season?" she asked him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess we like to have secrets come out throughout our relationship," he chuckled, thinking back to all the surprises and secrets that had been revealed in the past several months they had been dating. Autumn looked up at him, a frown on her face, and he could tell this was really bothering her. "I don't think it's that big of a deal," he admitted. "I just haven't been in a serious relationship during the season."

"Do you think I'm affecting your season?" she asked, looking up at him.

Corey furrowed his eyebrows at her. "Is that a serious question? Autumn, we're having a phenomenal season. Do you honestly think you're affecting my season in any negative way?" he questioned.

She shook her head. "I don't know why I thought it was a big deal," she told him. "I really do think this pregnancy is messing with my head," she told him. "We just haven't talked about past relationships before."

Corey cocked his head to one side. "Is that something you really want to talk about?"

"I'm guessing I don't want to know how many people you've slept with, do I?" she spoke.

"You really want to talk about this?" he asked again. He knew this could only lead to problems, but if she wanted to talk about it, then he wouldn't deny her. Though, he would prefer to not give her a number to how many girls he'd been with in the past.

She nodded her head, though there was a voice in there screaming Don't go there! She sat down on the couch, crossing her legs. "We can start with me, if you want."

"Okay," Corey said slowly as he sat down next to her, turning his torso so he was facing her, with his arm on the back of the couch. He didn't want to have this conversation. He'd rather this be a couple of secrets that they never confessed.

"Six," she stated, and Corey just sat there, not saying anything. "That's my number," she added, unsure if he knew what that meant or not. "That's how many men I've been with."

Recognition filled his eyes, but he still didn’t say anything. Six. She'd been with six men, and she was twenty-eight. He didn't even know if he could give her an accurate number of how many women he'd been with. He could tell her he'd been in three serious relationships, but the number of women he'd slept with he wasn't exactly sure of. He didn't count them, especially all the one night stands he'd had. To say hockey players got ass was an understatement. Just like Paul had inferred in the interview that morning, Corey had tempting women throwing themselves at him all over the place. And, early on in his career, he had given in to some of them. He had grown up since then and he hadn't been with a random groupie in a long time, but he wasn't sure how Autumn was going to feel about his past.

Autumn could tell he didn't want to talk about this, and she decided to give the man a break. "I'm guessing it's more than six," she said with a chuckle, and Corey nodded his head. "I don't need to know the number," she suddenly said, and Corey looked over at her, wondering why she changed her mind all of a sudden. "It's not going to change anything," she added.

"I can promise you that it's been a while since I've been with anyone, and it's been even longer since I've been in a relationship. You wondered why I hadn't been in a relationship during the season. Well, I guess I just hadn't found a person that could understand my schedule, my priorities. Until you," he told her, reaching over and grabbing her hand.

"But when you met me, you didn't even want me to know that you played hockey," she remembered.

It was confession time for Corey. He may have gotten away with not telling her how many women he'd been with, but he was still going to have to reveal a secret to her. "I've got to be honest with you," he began, and she slowly moved her head to look into his eyes. "When I first met you, I didn't think it was going to turn into a relationship."

A knowing smile spread across Autumn's face as she poked him in the chest. "You just wanted a one night stand with me!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Corey shrugged. "I thought you were going to be like everyone else. I didn't know I wanted a relationship during the season," he admitted.

Autumn started laughing. "I bet that day you didn't expect to be in a relationship in the middle of the season with a pregnant woman, did you?" she asked him.

Corey shook his head. "I can definitely tell you that thought never crossed my mind," he agreed with her. "You know half the time I forget you're pregnant," he told her.

"Well you won't be able to for very long," she said, putting her hands on her stomach. "This thing is growing every day!"

"Have you thought about how it's going to be when you give the baby to Katherine and Cade?" Corey asked. Autumn looked over at him, not really knowing what he was asking. "I mean, you'll have been carrying him or her for nine months. Do you think it'll be hard to give it up?"

"No," Autumn said immediately. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind. "This baby is Cade and Katherine's. And, I'm happy I get to help them out. I'm going to have this special relationship with him or her, and I'm going to be the best aunt ever-don't tell Bri that I said that," she said with a wink. "But, I'm really excited for them to have their baby," she smiled.

Corey reached around and pulled Autumn in close to her, kissing her temple. "You're a really good person, you know that?" he asked her.

"So I've been told," she laughed as he kissed her on the lips. She pulled away a few moments later. "Can we put the movie in now? I've been really wanting to see this!" she said, and now it was Corey's turn to laugh. Only Autumn would stop making out so she could watch a movie.