Not a Bad Thing

Madelyn held Carter in her tiny arms as they slipped down the slide. Their faces were lit up, infectious laughter filling the small park. Isla couldn’t help but grin herself as she snapped photos of the two precious tots. Abby, about to burst as the Sharp’s second child was due any day, and Dayna sat off to the side, chatting about that night’s game and how Madelyn would be starting preschool soon. Isla scooped Carter up into her arms, bouncing him on her hip as she followed Madelyn towards the swings.

“I want to hold him!”

“But there’s a baby swing-”

“Puh-lease, Auntie Isla?” Her eyes widened and her bottom lip jutted out, trembling slightly - something she surely learned from her father. Isla sighed, settling Carter in the toddler’s lap, insuring she had a tight grip before she stepped back.

“Now, hold on super tight, okay?” She got the swing started before grabbing the camera from around her neck, capturing a few shots of them in mid-air, Madelyn’s bright blonde hair blowing wild in the wind. Isla loved her job with the team. Nothing thrilled her more than to be down by the ice, capturing the boys at their very best. But some of her favorite photos she’d ever taken were of their families - the WAGs and their children.

Abby, Dayna, Kelly-Rae, and the others had welcomed her with open arms, though she wasn’t technically one of them. She’d bonded with the whole team right away, but there was something about Jon that immediately drew her to him, and him to her, like two halves of a magnet. They couldn’t have been more different. Isla was always so bubbly and vivacious while Jon was more serious and laid back. They balanced each other out, in that respect. The perfect duo.

However, both insisted that things between them were strictly platonic, no matter what anyone else said.

“Patrick and I were talking the other day,” Abby spoke, startling Isla who was knelt in the grass, taking shots of Madelyn in the sandbox. Dayna had toted Carter off for a feeding, leaving the two blondes to chat. “We’d love it if you would take the baby’s first photos.” The better half of the Sharp’s rubbed her swollen belly affectionately, giving Isla a smile.

“Really?” Isla beamed, “I’d love to!” Unable to contain her happiness, she threw her arms around Abby, making the older girl laugh. “Oh, I have so many plans! We can get some cute hats! We’ll even do some shots with Madelyn, you and Sharpy, too!” She squeezed Abby tighter, until the pregnant woman informed her that she might lose control of her bladder if hugged too tightly.

They broke apart, laughing and Abby tucked a stray strand of hair behind Isla’s ear, while she fixed Abby’s smudged mascara. There were times when she missed home, missed her parents and Oliver, but the guys and their families had become her family, too. Especially the Sharps. Despite the fact that they really weren’t all that much older than she was, they’d become like her surrogate parents in Chicago.

“If we’re gonna grab dinner before heading down to United, we better go.”

“I actually promised Jon I’d come down post practice,” Isla informed her, helping to scoop Madelyn out of the sand so Abby wouldn’t have to bend over. “I thought I might take some candids in the locker room - just for fun and to celebrate the start of a new season.”

“Okay.” The pregnant mother smiled at her, situating Madelyn on her hip.

“Don’t look at me like that, Abs.”

“Like what? You’re so defensive.”

Isla laughed, fiddling with the buttons on her Nikon as they crossed to where Dayna was waiting for them. “You know exactly what I’m referring to.” She tossed the camera into it’s bag, shutting the passenger door to her Civic, giving her a pointed look though her lips still held a smile.

“Are we talking about Jisla again?” Dayna piped up, causing Isla to arch a brow.

“Jisla?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged, “Jon, Isla - Jisla.”

Her blue eyes went wide, her cheeks heating quickly. “Oh my God. I’m walking away now.” The sound of laughter followed her until she was seated behind the wheel. They waved goodbye, walking to their respective cars. Once she was sure they were busy buckling in the kids, she let her head drop to the steering wheel and scoffed, “Jisla?” She looked at herself in the flip down mirror, her pretty face screwed up in embarrassment.

It briefly entered her mind that she was nowhere near the caliber of girl Jon was used to. She was short and plain and had no real “assets” to speak of. Jon was used to models, something she was decidedly not. Then it hit her, she was actually giving thought to the idea of her and Jon as something more than what they were and she growled. She’d let Abby and Dayna get into her head. She had more important things to focus on: tonight’s game.

Throwing the car into reverse, she headed for the United Center where she breezed past the already waiting fans and hoards of media. Security knew her by now, but she flashed her ID out of habit, making Ralph chuckle as he waved to her. It wasn’t until she was approaching the locker room that she got sidetracked, a vibration in her back pocket alerting her to a text. Her eyes moved off her path for merely a second before she collided with another person.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” Isla looked up at the pretty redhead, feeling two cold hands steady her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!” She giggled, relieved the taller girl wasn’t angry with her. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She seemed distracted as she moved around Isla, continuing down the hall, but Isla shrugged it off, finally punching the passcode into her phone, the text from Dayna lighting up the screen.

You know we were only teasing, right?

She quickly typed a reply, assuring her that she was all right, and not to worry about it. Slipping the phone into her satchel, she pushed her glasses up a little, covering her eyes with one hand. “Incoming! Cover up what you don’t want seen!” She called as she entered the locker room, hearing a chorus of laughter from her favorite boys. Adjusting her glasses back on her nose, she opened her eyes and grinned at them. “Evening, gentlemen!”

Immediately, her attention was being tugged in about five different directions. Saad wanted to tell her about the “sick shot” he’d made during practice. Bickell was insisting she come round to his place so Amanda, his new bride, could show her the wedding and honeymoon photos. Brent wanted to know how Carter’s park outing went. It was complete and utter chaos, but a chaos she loved, a chaos she thrived on. These were her boys.

Then, there was him. The steady rock in this sea of unending crazy. He was sitting in his stall, taping the end of his stick, his brow furrowed in concentration. His bottom lip was caught between his teeth and she kicked the toe of his skate, making his eyes snap up to meet hers. “Hey, when did you get here?” She shook her head with a soft chuckle. Typical Jon - head in the game and the game alone. “Did you have fun with the ladies?”

“I did! Got some great shots of Madelyn and Carter.” She patted her camera bag with a grin. “She’s all warmed up and ready to capture some Blackhawks magic.”

Jon laughed, watching as she discarded her things, taking only that precious piece of equipment she carted everywhere, and began snapping away. She was trying for candids, but once the guys noticed her, they started mugging for the camera, making her pout and stomp her foot, promising not a single shot would be taken until they went back to preparing for their game and ignored her presence. They all laughed at her, trying so desperately to be demanding and stern. Duncan even reached out, ruffling her hair.

“Rein it in, blondie. We’ll be good,” he assured her, smirking at the glare he received. “Kaner, where the fuck did you go?”

“To get that journalist’s number.”

The whole team exchanged amused looks. “So, where is it, hot shot?”

Patrick rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks flushing a little. “I, uh, I didn’t get it.” Laughter erupted around the locker room and Patrick threw a nearby glove at Duncan, before the famous Kane smile took up his whole face, the one Isla could never resist capturing on film. “She’ll be back and it will happen. Mark my words.” The flash caught his attention and he brightened when he saw her, smothering her in a hug. “Hey! I was hoping you’d be here tonight!”

“I’m at every game, Kaner.”

“Still, tonight’s gonna be a good one. I can feel it!” He pressed a sloppy kiss to her forehead. She grimaced, wiping it off with the back of her hand before smiling at him.

“Like you could ‘feel’ you were gonna get that journalist’s number?”

Once again, the locker room roared with laughter. Patrick grumbled, stomping back to his stall, but his spot was quickly taken up by Jon. “Good one, kid.” He kissed the top of her head, clutching her tiny body close to his. If only either of them noticed the entire team smirking at them or the blush creeping up Isla’s slender neck. Just friends, indeed.