Nirvana

Harley unlocked the back door to the bar and stepped inside, her purse slung over her shoulder, keys and phone in one hand. She locked the door behind her and when she turned her eyes landed on a rectangular white box sitting on the second last step on the spiral stairs leading up to her apartment. She glanced around, before rolling her eyes at herself for expecting someone to be lurking in the corners. She picked the box up with her free hand and made her way up the stairs to her apartment.

When she set everything down on the island in the kitchen she was quick to look at the box, she pulled the top off and found a card laying on top of tissue paper. Unfolding it she found James' familiar writing inside. '6 is cool but 18 is better. I thought it was time to give your wardrobe an update.'

She set the card down and pulled off the tissue paper, smiling at the sight of 'Neal' and '18' on the back of a folded up gold jersey. Before she could do anything her phone rang, buzzing against the counter top, and she found Emma's name on the screen. When she picked it up Emma immediately said, "You better not be ditching me tomorrow."

"I'm not, but I still don't get why I'm going." Harley told her truthfully, making Emma sigh in relief. Emma had been helping plan a small charity event held by the players wives and girlfriends, and after having a last minute drop out in help decorating Harley had felt too bad to disagree.

"Because you're technically a wag. Deal with it."

Harley picked up the box with the jersey in and brought it into her room with her, putting it on her bed as she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She put Emma on speaker and as she removed her earrings stated, "Correction. I was a wag, and even then I didn't go to those things."

"James isn't Rich, Harley you need to remember that." She sighed and wiped all her makeup before looking at herself in the mirror. What did he even see in her? Harley shook her head at herself and forced herself not to sigh. Why should she care?

Pulling her hair back Harley said, "They're friends."

"He's also friends with Crosby. Doesn't mean anything." Emma told her, and Harley could see the practically pointed look Emma would be sending her if they were in the same room.

She washed her face quickly before she asked Emma, "Isn't your husband friends with him?"

She heard Emma scoff, "I unfortunately don't get to choose Shea's friends. But my point is, you like him, he likes you, I personally don't understand the big deal."

As she made her way back to the bedroom Harley looked at the box on her bed and told Emma, "He got me his jersey."

"Say what now?"

Harley couldn't help but laugh as she sat down at the end of the bed and picked up the jersey from its box. She looked at it again before saying into the phone, "I came home and there was a box by the stairs and when I opened it, it was his jersey and a card saying 18 is better than 6 and I need to update my wardrobe."

"Clearly he likes you. No idiot would give you a jersey knowing the personal connection you have to your Weber one."

"That's the thing Em…it's not just a jersey, it's his jersey." Harley said, not quite believing it herself until she had pulled it from the box and instantly all she could smell was James. Laundry detergent, citrus and cedar.

Emma was silent for a long time before telling Harley, "That deserves a big thank you. You should upgrade to hand cuffs."

Rolling her eyes Harley said, "Handcuffs aren't my style."

Curiously Emma asked, "Body paint?"

Harley laughed, ever since their conversation about his ties Emma had been trying to get Harley to spill on whatever other little secrets she was hiding from her. Harley told her, "Nope."

"Whip cream?" When she was met with silence Emma asked, "Chocolate sauce, body tape, banana flavored condoms?"

"No, no, and no. Goodnight Em." Harley said, she hug up with a laugh when Emma muttered goodnight. She looked down at the jersey again and couldn't help but think of what Emma said. 'That deserves a big thank you.'

Without letting herself think too much about it Harley yanked her shirt off, throwing it onto the floor, followed by her jeans. She pulled the jersey over her head and laid on her stomach, legs from the knee up, up in the air with her ankles hooked with each other. She took a picture over her shoulder, being sure to catch the name on the jersey, before sending it to James.

- - -

James was sitting on his bed in his hotel room, back against the headboard when his phone beeped. He glanced over at it and smiled upon seeing 'H' pop up. Harley had added her number, and James hadn't bothered asking why she only put her initial, although he could guess.

He picked up his phone and opened her message, at first all he saw was 'Wish you were here ;)'. After a few more seconds the picture popped up and he sucked in a breath of air. James wasn't sure he had ever seen his jersey look so good. She didn't show her face, he couldn't even see her hair, all he could see was the back of his jersey, the bottom barely covering her butt, and her legs. Those damn legs.

Viktor glanced over at him and asked, "What's with the smile?"

James turned to him, exited out of the picture and shrugged, "Nothing. Just reading a text."

"I'd say she's a lucky girl, but if she made you smile like that you're the lucky one." Viktor told him, making James nod slowly. When he didn't respond however Viktor looked back at James and warned, "Be careful with her. There's not at guy on this team that wouldn't try and kick your ass if you hurt her. I'm not sure there would be much of you left after Webs got ahold of you though."

"What are you talking about?" James tried to play dumb, knowing it was useless.

"I know you and Harley are doing…something. I'm not sure what exactly it is, I'm not even sure you guys know what it is, but she's been through enough and she deserves the moon and more." Viktor told him, and when James raised his eyebrow at his sudden words of wisdom Viktor explained, "Emma."

James let out a small laugh and then assured his teammate, "Already had this conversation with Shea. You don't have anything to worry about."

"You do." Viktor stated, changing the channel to a movie. When James didn't answer Viktor turned to find him watching him with a raised eyebrow so Viktor said, "Clunie."

"What's the deal with that anyway? She says it's nothing and they barely dated but the way you guys talk about it, it's like they may as well have been married. They weren't married right?" James was beginning to panic. He knew he didn't owe Rich anything when it came to Harley, except maybe the truth but that was a sore subject for her, but it didn't mean he wanted to make waves already.

"They weren't married. As for the rest of it, that my friend is something you should ask Harley." Viktor told him, changing the channel again.

James ignored his constant channel changing and looked back to his phone. He sent her a text back saying she wasn't allowed to take that off until he got home, and no less than a minute later he got a message back from Harley reading 'Wasn't planning on it.'

- - -

Harley grumbled to herself as incessant knocking woke her up from her sleep. She kicked her blanket off and got up, rubbing her face with her hands, and made her way slowly to the door. The knocking had stopped by the time she got to the door but she slid it open anyway. James stopped and turned, going no closer to the stairs upon hearing the door open and he made his way back to it finding Harley standing in the doorway in nothing but his jersey, with bed head and tired eyes.

"What are you staring at?" She asked him, running a hand through her hair.

James shook his head gently at himself and grinned, "I wasn't expecting you to actually be wearing that."

"Well it's comfy and it smells good." She told him honestly, turning away from him and wandering into the kitchen.

James closed the door and slid out of his shoes before he made his way into the apartment. Harley was in the kitchen, pulling things out of cupboards, and he took the time to walk around the living room. He hadn't really paid much attention to detail in here. Everything was clean, in fact every inch of the apartment was clean aside from her closet. The furniture was all dark, there was no TV which he found odd but didn't voice. He moved into the kitchen and let his eyes wander the front of the fridge which was covered in bills and pictures.

There were a few of her and Emma, and some of people he didn't recognize, but what struck him the most odd was that there were several of her and Shea and Rich. After seeing the picture of her and Shea at some event he asked curiously, "So you and Webs are pretty close huh?"

Harley turned around and followed his gaze to the picture before she nodded, "That was at some boring players wives charity thing. First and only one I went to."

"You never went to them?" He didn't have to say it, she knew he was fishing about her and Rich and she wasn't sure she really minded.

She shook her head and flipped a pancake before telling him, "Rich never asked and to be entirely honest I never cared to go. I'm not really the dress up and pretend to be lady like kind of girl you know."

"I've noticed. You're definitely not lady like." James said with a smirk, and Harley turned to him, spatula extended with narrow eyes.

"This is no secret. I own a bar, I swear like a trucker and I eat like a guy." She told him, turning back to the pancakes.

James wrapped both arms around her and said, "You're the total package."

Harley simply smiled and leaned back into him. She rested both her hands on his forearms and asked him, "How was your trip?"

James shrugged, he reached over and flipped another pancake before saying, "Long and tiring."

Harley filled both their plates with food before she turned and handed him one before joking, "Poor baby."

"You could be sympathetic." James said, making Harley laugh.

She hooked a finger into his belt loop and pulled him close to her, patted his cheek gently and told him, "If you're good I might give you a massage."

- - -

Lace and white.

That was all James could think about when Harley made him lay on his stomach in the middle of her bed. He decided that she was a cruel person when she came out of the bathroom in nothing but a tank top and lace underwear. She was sitting on his butt, and every time she pushed her small hands into the muscles of his back he groaned. He was tense and he knew it, he had been since he got to Nashville. When Harley pushed into a knot he let out an actual whimper and Harley couldn't help but smile and lean down enough to kiss his head before going back to working on it.

His phone rang from the nightstand, and without even looking up from the pillow he asked, "Who is it?"

"Paul." Harley told him. He didn't bother picking it up, letting it go to voice mail he let out another groan as Harley's hands moved to his lower back. They sat in silence until Harley couldn't help it and she said, "You never talk about it you know."

"About what?" James asked, turning his head so he could see her from his peripheral vision.

"Pittsburgh." She told him, watching as he closed his eyes as her hands stopped moving.

After a few seconds he asked, "You really wanna know?"

Harley shrugged and told him, "I just know that the Flyers thing was hard on Shea, and that you don't even talk about it all."

James grabbed onto her hips and held her up slightly as he rolled onto his back, before he let go of her and Harley laid down and slid into his side. He kept his eyes on the ceiling and he told her, "Pittsburgh was a big part of my life. I was there for four years, made a lot of good friends."

"Do you still talk to them?" Harley asked curiously.

James nodded and turned to look at her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear, "I talk to Paul and Geno lots. It's kind of hard to talk to them all, this whole trade came as a big shock and it took a long time to get used to it."

"What you mean?"

He looked away from her again, back to the ceiling, his hand ran up and down her arm as he explained, "It completely blindsided me. They didn't give me any warning. The first time I heard about it was when they called to tell me they traded me."

Harley stated quiet, she had no idea what to say and she didn't want to put her foot in her mouth. She rubbed his bicep with her hand and she rested her head on his chest. She didn't have to say anything, James knew he probably should have talked about it before, but he was never comfortable enough to do so. Still, now all he could think of was how he wouldn't want to share that part of his life with anyone other than Harley.

So he kept talking, "I was shocked. I alway thought that I'd be there for a long time. You know? I thought that was where I found a home, and then with no warning I'm moving again."

"I'm sorry." Harley told him gently, kissing his jaw softly.

"But Nashville hasn't been so bad after all." James said with a small smile.

Harley grinned up at him, "Oh really?"

Nodding James told her, "Yeah it's turned out to be a pleasant surprise."