Status: I'll try and post as much as I can (:
O Captain, My Captain.
Chapter Five
The final buzzer sounded signaling the end of regulation and the Penguins were able to hold off the Kings despite L.A.'s failed attempt at a 6 on 5 power play opportunity. They pulled their goalie with 30 seconds left in the third when they thought they could find a window of opportunity to score but the Pens managed to hang on and win 2-1.
Sidney also looked like he was well on his way to a hat trick, scoring twice in the second period off of two power play goals. All the guys were playing well, everyone alert and aware of where the puck was at all times. They looked like they were finally syncing up to each others rhythms again but Sidney was on a totally different level, his leadership abilities kicking into overdrive. Aubrey took note of this and couldn't help wondering if he was playing any differently because he knew she'd be watching intently.
Throughout the entire game they made cutesy gestures towards one another. Every time she peeked a glance down the bench, he always seemed to already be looking her way. Every time she felt those stunning green eyes looking her way, her heart felt like it was about to explode right out of her chest from all the happiness. At one point when she was working out the kinks in Nisky's arm, Sidney came up behind her and cupped her ass with his strong hand and gave it a little squeeze. Half the bench had to have seen because the guys were giving her suggestive looks all night. Even Coach Bylsma raised an eyebrow and smirked after he saw Sidney's little love tap. Much to Aubrey's surprise, she kind of liked Sidney's forwardness. It was like he was subtly marking his territory letting everyone else on the team know who he was interested in. It was very un-Sidney Crosby like. Where was the 26 year-old, multi-million dollar man who's concentration and focus could never be shattered?
Once the horn sounded and fans started to pile out of the arena, Aubrey and the rest of the team made their way back into the locker room only to be greeted by the press. No matter how many times she'd done it before, she still never felt comfortable around all the hustle and bustle of reporter's trying to get information to use for their stories that were deadlined for the next day. One wrong move and she could be trampled by a group of photographers trying to get a snapshot of one of the stars of the game to use as their headliner in the sports section of their affiliated papers. Tonight, and like most nights, they flocked to Sidney. He was the game, having scored both the Penguins goals.
"How close were you to scoring a hat trick tonight?" one reporter asked.
"What's your game plan as you head to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Saturday?" another asked.
Sidney sat there patiently, flushed face and sweaty hair going in all different directions, answering all of their questions graciously. No matter how many times Aubrey had watched him do interviews, it still amazed her to see how composed he was and see his maturity seep through. Sure he was 26 and that might not be considered "young" but there were much older guys in the league that took a different approach to interviews. Sidney could've been asked one of the hardest questions in the world and he would've taken it in stride and given the perfect answer. He was that good.
Soon after the press had left and interviews were over, several of the guys used this time slot as an opportunity to hit the showers and discuss plans for the evening. It was pretty common that after every game, most of the team would head out to local bars and let their hair down, taking a break from their job and just enjoy life with their teammates. While some of them bantered back and forth about where they should go, Chris Kunitz took a moment to pull Aubrey aside and question her about the happenings between she and Sidney during the game.
"Soooooo," he smirked and looked her up and down.
"What?" Aubrey jokingly tapped his shoulder. "Kuni, you're making me nervous!"
"Sorry, sorry, it's just I couldn't help but notice..."
"Notice what?" she questioned.
"Nothing, nothing. It's none of my business," he smirked again. He knew this was killing her.
"Christopher Kunitz, tell me!" she playfully smacked his shoulder again.
"It's just you and the captain...were getting a little frisky during the third period. That's all," he had a devilish look in his eyes.
"Oh yeah...that," she blushed and began to play with her ponytail. It was a nervous trait she picked up when she was younger that she couldn't seem to shake.
"It's not a bad thing by any means! It was just surprising...and a little dirty," he commented playfully.
"Dirty! How was it dirty!?" Aubrey retorted.
"What's dirty?" Sidney smiled, coming up next to Chris and Aubrey. He placed his hand on the small of her back and began to gently rub up and down.
It was all too much for her to handle, his forwardness. It may have been a slight gesture for some but this was a colossal step for him. It was like he was putting his business out in the open, not caring who knew or saw. The most private man in all of Pittsburgh was finally starting to open up a little to the idea of letting his hockey family see a glimpse into his personal life. It gave Aubrey butterflies just thinking about it. Was she the cause of his change in behavior?
"I think you know exactly what we're talking about, Cap," Chris smiled up at Sidney.
"Kuni, I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Sidney joked with his teammate. Both Chris and Aubrey couldn't tell if he was serious or if he was just being a smart-ass about it.
They each gave the captain a blank stare.
"Oh you mean that ass grab?" Sidney caught on to their confusion, laughing. "You guys saw that?"
"I think everyone in section 101 saw that!" Chris replied.
"Yeah and I definitely know what's her face saw it," Aubrey said, referring to Shelby who focused all of her attention on Sidney and Aubrey during the game.
"Was it that obvious?" Sidney asked, semi-serious, completely ignoring Aubrey's comment about Shelby. He was done with her after all.
"YES!" both Chris and Aubrey said in unison.
"Well damn, Aubs. I didn't mean to make it so noticeable," Sidney kicked at the ground.
'There he goes calling me Aubs again' Aubrey thought to herself. Again, she couldn't handle this new, open side to Sidney.
"No worries, Mr. Crosby," Aubrey tapped him on the arm. "I kind of enjoyed it."
Sidney leaned into her ear as not to let the other guys in the locker room hear what he was about to say.
"It was just a small preview of what's to come," he whispered in her ear. Chris could see her eyes light up and she bit her lip.
"Really?" Aubrey said now turning to face Sidney.
"I mean if you're game for that kind of thing," he said shyly.
"Oh. I'm game," she raised her eyebrows. Her own forwardness was starting to surprise herself.
"I don't even wanna know," Chris said before turning to walk away. "You two have fun with whatever you're 'game' for. And use protection! We don't need any little Crosby's running around here making the rest of us look like underachievers."
Aubrey couldn't help but blush at the thought of her and Sidney with kids. They would be absolutely adorable. Sidney would be the overly-involved, PTA father teaching them all about the essence of a strong work ethic and how anything in life was possible if you just believe in yourself. And Aubrey would just sit there and be the laid back parent, letting her kids know that it was okay to suck at something sometimes. 'We haven't even hung out yet, why am I already thinking about our future kids?' Aubrey thought to herself.
Sidney had now been facing her and had been burning a whole in the side of her face with those piercing green eyes for about a minute when she finally caught on and noticed.
"Stop that!" she playfully smacked his arm.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Sorry for what?"
"I don't know. You're just so pretty...I couldn't help myself."
"You're sweet," Aubrey grinned.
"Cap, you comin out tonight? We're going to Loni's. Should be a banger," James Neal came up behind Sidney and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Sorry, Nealer. I think I'm gonna have to sit this one out," Sidney turned to face his teammate.
Nealer looked at Sidney then to Aubrey then back to Sidney who was still gently running the small of her back before he finally pieced two and two together. "Oh I see. Good for you man! Proud of ya!"
Aubrey smiled uncomfortably as Nealer made his way over to where Paul Martin and Geno Malkin were standing, coats in hand ready to tear up the bar scene.
"Sorry about that," Sidney apologized for his teammate.
"It's not a big deal," Aubrey said. "I mean he was gonna find out eventually."
"True, true," Sidney reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So...ya ready to get out of here?"
"Absolutely," Aubrey beamed.
She didn't have a clue what they were doing or where they were going but as long as she was with him, what could possibly go wrong?
Sidney also looked like he was well on his way to a hat trick, scoring twice in the second period off of two power play goals. All the guys were playing well, everyone alert and aware of where the puck was at all times. They looked like they were finally syncing up to each others rhythms again but Sidney was on a totally different level, his leadership abilities kicking into overdrive. Aubrey took note of this and couldn't help wondering if he was playing any differently because he knew she'd be watching intently.
Throughout the entire game they made cutesy gestures towards one another. Every time she peeked a glance down the bench, he always seemed to already be looking her way. Every time she felt those stunning green eyes looking her way, her heart felt like it was about to explode right out of her chest from all the happiness. At one point when she was working out the kinks in Nisky's arm, Sidney came up behind her and cupped her ass with his strong hand and gave it a little squeeze. Half the bench had to have seen because the guys were giving her suggestive looks all night. Even Coach Bylsma raised an eyebrow and smirked after he saw Sidney's little love tap. Much to Aubrey's surprise, she kind of liked Sidney's forwardness. It was like he was subtly marking his territory letting everyone else on the team know who he was interested in. It was very un-Sidney Crosby like. Where was the 26 year-old, multi-million dollar man who's concentration and focus could never be shattered?
Once the horn sounded and fans started to pile out of the arena, Aubrey and the rest of the team made their way back into the locker room only to be greeted by the press. No matter how many times she'd done it before, she still never felt comfortable around all the hustle and bustle of reporter's trying to get information to use for their stories that were deadlined for the next day. One wrong move and she could be trampled by a group of photographers trying to get a snapshot of one of the stars of the game to use as their headliner in the sports section of their affiliated papers. Tonight, and like most nights, they flocked to Sidney. He was the game, having scored both the Penguins goals.
"How close were you to scoring a hat trick tonight?" one reporter asked.
"What's your game plan as you head to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Saturday?" another asked.
Sidney sat there patiently, flushed face and sweaty hair going in all different directions, answering all of their questions graciously. No matter how many times Aubrey had watched him do interviews, it still amazed her to see how composed he was and see his maturity seep through. Sure he was 26 and that might not be considered "young" but there were much older guys in the league that took a different approach to interviews. Sidney could've been asked one of the hardest questions in the world and he would've taken it in stride and given the perfect answer. He was that good.
Soon after the press had left and interviews were over, several of the guys used this time slot as an opportunity to hit the showers and discuss plans for the evening. It was pretty common that after every game, most of the team would head out to local bars and let their hair down, taking a break from their job and just enjoy life with their teammates. While some of them bantered back and forth about where they should go, Chris Kunitz took a moment to pull Aubrey aside and question her about the happenings between she and Sidney during the game.
"Soooooo," he smirked and looked her up and down.
"What?" Aubrey jokingly tapped his shoulder. "Kuni, you're making me nervous!"
"Sorry, sorry, it's just I couldn't help but notice..."
"Notice what?" she questioned.
"Nothing, nothing. It's none of my business," he smirked again. He knew this was killing her.
"Christopher Kunitz, tell me!" she playfully smacked his shoulder again.
"It's just you and the captain...were getting a little frisky during the third period. That's all," he had a devilish look in his eyes.
"Oh yeah...that," she blushed and began to play with her ponytail. It was a nervous trait she picked up when she was younger that she couldn't seem to shake.
"It's not a bad thing by any means! It was just surprising...and a little dirty," he commented playfully.
"Dirty! How was it dirty!?" Aubrey retorted.
"What's dirty?" Sidney smiled, coming up next to Chris and Aubrey. He placed his hand on the small of her back and began to gently rub up and down.
It was all too much for her to handle, his forwardness. It may have been a slight gesture for some but this was a colossal step for him. It was like he was putting his business out in the open, not caring who knew or saw. The most private man in all of Pittsburgh was finally starting to open up a little to the idea of letting his hockey family see a glimpse into his personal life. It gave Aubrey butterflies just thinking about it. Was she the cause of his change in behavior?
"I think you know exactly what we're talking about, Cap," Chris smiled up at Sidney.
"Kuni, I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Sidney joked with his teammate. Both Chris and Aubrey couldn't tell if he was serious or if he was just being a smart-ass about it.
They each gave the captain a blank stare.
"Oh you mean that ass grab?" Sidney caught on to their confusion, laughing. "You guys saw that?"
"I think everyone in section 101 saw that!" Chris replied.
"Yeah and I definitely know what's her face saw it," Aubrey said, referring to Shelby who focused all of her attention on Sidney and Aubrey during the game.
"Was it that obvious?" Sidney asked, semi-serious, completely ignoring Aubrey's comment about Shelby. He was done with her after all.
"YES!" both Chris and Aubrey said in unison.
"Well damn, Aubs. I didn't mean to make it so noticeable," Sidney kicked at the ground.
'There he goes calling me Aubs again' Aubrey thought to herself. Again, she couldn't handle this new, open side to Sidney.
"No worries, Mr. Crosby," Aubrey tapped him on the arm. "I kind of enjoyed it."
Sidney leaned into her ear as not to let the other guys in the locker room hear what he was about to say.
"It was just a small preview of what's to come," he whispered in her ear. Chris could see her eyes light up and she bit her lip.
"Really?" Aubrey said now turning to face Sidney.
"I mean if you're game for that kind of thing," he said shyly.
"Oh. I'm game," she raised her eyebrows. Her own forwardness was starting to surprise herself.
"I don't even wanna know," Chris said before turning to walk away. "You two have fun with whatever you're 'game' for. And use protection! We don't need any little Crosby's running around here making the rest of us look like underachievers."
Aubrey couldn't help but blush at the thought of her and Sidney with kids. They would be absolutely adorable. Sidney would be the overly-involved, PTA father teaching them all about the essence of a strong work ethic and how anything in life was possible if you just believe in yourself. And Aubrey would just sit there and be the laid back parent, letting her kids know that it was okay to suck at something sometimes. 'We haven't even hung out yet, why am I already thinking about our future kids?' Aubrey thought to herself.
Sidney had now been facing her and had been burning a whole in the side of her face with those piercing green eyes for about a minute when she finally caught on and noticed.
"Stop that!" she playfully smacked his arm.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Sorry for what?"
"I don't know. You're just so pretty...I couldn't help myself."
"You're sweet," Aubrey grinned.
"Cap, you comin out tonight? We're going to Loni's. Should be a banger," James Neal came up behind Sidney and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Sorry, Nealer. I think I'm gonna have to sit this one out," Sidney turned to face his teammate.
Nealer looked at Sidney then to Aubrey then back to Sidney who was still gently running the small of her back before he finally pieced two and two together. "Oh I see. Good for you man! Proud of ya!"
Aubrey smiled uncomfortably as Nealer made his way over to where Paul Martin and Geno Malkin were standing, coats in hand ready to tear up the bar scene.
"Sorry about that," Sidney apologized for his teammate.
"It's not a big deal," Aubrey said. "I mean he was gonna find out eventually."
"True, true," Sidney reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So...ya ready to get out of here?"
"Absolutely," Aubrey beamed.
She didn't have a clue what they were doing or where they were going but as long as she was with him, what could possibly go wrong?