At Last

Stella pulled Jordie's sweatshirt around her tighter from her place on the bench as she watched Jordie and Jamie skate around with Alex. They were involved in setting the rules for a race around the rink and she smiled as she watched them.

When she and Jordie had met Jamie at the practice rink that morning, Alex had tumbled out of her car talking a mile a minute about everything he and Jamie had done. His hair was sticking up everywhere and his shirt was on backwards.

"Jesus, Chubbs," Jordie started. "Don't you know how to take care of someone other than yourself? Come on Alex, I'll brush your hair and you can say hi to everyone."

Jamie smiled sheepishly at Stella as Jordie walked away with Alex. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Jamie. Jordie is just giving you a hard time. Was he good for you?"

"Great. We had ice cream when we got back and then we went to bed; he fell asleep watching a movie. I made pancakes for breakfast."

"Thanks for taking him."

"Is everything okay with you guys?"

"Me and Jordie?" Jamie nodded. "We're good. I told him about Jason the day after the trade so he already knew. Didn't he tell you?"

"He told me to fuck off and mind my business. I wasn't even sure if he knew until I saw him last night with you."

"He told me he told you."

"Jordie wants to protect you. I get it now. I'm really sorry, Stella."

"You don't have to apologize, Jamie. He's your brother."

"You know, we're more or less family. It's okay to tell me I'm an asshole and not be nice to me."

She laughed. "Well, since we're basically family then," she grinned devilishly before turning serious. "You're an asshole, Jamie Benn. You never gave me a chance after you found out about Alex. I didn't expect you to accept it without question but you never bothered to talk to me. That hurt but for Jordie I'd put up with it, because you're his brother, his family. I hoped maybe you'd come around eventually, just not the way it did. Your words hurt but they weren't going to stop what was happening between Jordie and I."

"Don't ever just put up with me again, Stella. Push me, badger me, do whatever you need to do to make me realize when I'm being an asshole."

"If you want to know my intentions with your brother, next time just ask."

"Deal," he smiled as they shook hands. "But I already know you only have good intentions."

"Glad to hear it."

"Am I allowed to ask what happened between you and Jason?"

"You can," she said as they started towards the building. "Jason and I dated two weeks, got married, and six weeks later he wanted out. I found out I was pregnant about three weeks after that. He left town and I raised Alex with help from my family while I finished college."

"How old were you?"

"Twenty one. He was twenty."

"Wow. So he didn't know about Alex?"

"I couldn't face him when I found out so I sent him a letter to tell him. He didn't respond so that was all the answer I needed."

"Man, I'm sorry Stella. I didn't know. You must hate me."

"I don't. You're Jordie's brother, and I love him so I'm stuck with you too."

"Whatever I can do, you let me know, ok? Even if it's just babysitting Alex. I'm here."

"Is that what you Benn brothers do, be there for people? Because Jordie told me he'd be there, no matter what."

"Family creed," Jamie winked. She giggled and he held the door open for her. They found Jordie and Alex and they parted ways, Alex and Stella watching practice from the stands.

After, they waited on Jordie and he took them into the locker room, lacing up Alex's skates. Stella followed the two brothers and Alex out to the bench, which brought her back to the moment as the three lined up for their race.

"Hey."

Stella turned at Jason's voice behind her. "Hi."

"Can I?" He gestured beside her. She nodded and he took a seat, careful to leave several inches between them. "This is weird."

"You think?"

"I'm sorry about the way things happened, Stella. I was young and stupid. I was shitty to you and you were always better than that to me."

"Are you still with her?"

"Yes."

Jamie came to a stop in front of them. "You good?" He asked Stella.

"I'm good," she smiled. "Go head off your brother." He nodded and shot a look in Jason's direction before skating off.

"How long have you and Jordie been dating?"

"Since August."

"He's protective of you. And Alex."

Stella smiled out at him and he and Alex waved. She waved back. "He is but that's just Jordie."

"Why didn't you tell me about Alex? I would've been there for him. I know I was a jerk but to keep him from me was bullshit."

"To keep him from you? Jason, I wrote you a letter and you signed for it. Maybe I should have called you and tried to talk face to face but you broke my heart and I didn't want to see you; I hope you can understand that but I still told you I was pregnant, that I could forgive what happened to be a family, and sent an ultrasound picture. You didn't reply so I moved on. You made your choice when it came to Alex."

"What letter? I never got a letter."

"Two days before you signed our divorce papers, I sent a letter certified mail and you signed for it. I have my copy of the receipt."

"Stella, I swear to god I never got that letter. I didn't sign for it."

"Who else would have signed your name?"

"I don't know but it wasn't me." He paused, trying to think back six years earlier. "Did you say two days before I signed the divorce papers?"

She nodded. "Yes, two days before."

"I got back into Worcester in the afternoon the day before I signed those. We played in Hershey or some shit two days before. I wasn't in town."

She eyed him suspiciously and he pulled his phone out, going to google to find the schedule from that season. "Here," he said, thrusting his phone at her. "At Hershey."

Stella felt her heart thud in her chest. "If you didn't get the letter, then who did? And does it really change anything? You have your life, and I have mine."

"But yours includes my son."

"My son, not yours. Your name is on nothing. You have no claim to him."

"He's my son Stella and I have a right to know him."

"You don't unless I say you do."

"Look at him out there. You and I both know which side of his family that comes from."

"Yeah, Jordie," she retorted. "Because he's the one that's been working with him."

"And now he doesn't need Jordie because he's got me."

Stella shot to her feet. "You will never be anything to him," she told him hotly.

"You kept him from me," Jason said as he rose to his feet. "You owe me a lifetime of memories."

"I don't owe you anything."

"Stels," Jordie said, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "Let's go. I think we've worn Alex out anyway."

Jamie and Alex skated up and Jamie led him past them and down the short tunnel back into the locker room. "Stay the fuck away from them, Demers. I'm warning you," Jordie threatened.

"You can't stop me. I'll get a lawyer and a court order and you'll have to let me see him. Or we can work this out amongst ourselves. I'd rather we figure it out ourselves so we can keep the media out of it as much as possible."

Jordie stepped onto the bench and put his arm around Stella. "Leave them alone," he warned him again before leading Stella away. He followed them anyway.

"Stella, we need to talk about this, like adults. Please. Let me take you to lunch or something."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Jordie thundered.

"Jordie," she began softly. Jason getting a lawyer and taking her to court was just inviting the press to eat up the most salacious bit of gossip to hit Dallas sports since Tony Romo dated Jessica Simpson. She didn't want that for Alex. She wanted to keep him safe and as far out of the public eye as possible. She hated it but if what Jason said was true, that he never knew, then she owed him at least a chance.

"Jason's right," she conceded. "We need to figure this out and it has to be between us. It's not fair to keep Alex from knowing his father and I don't want the press to know. If we handle this ourselves we can control who knows what and not have it blow up into some scandal that affects the team."

"But!"

"I know what you're going to say, Jordie, and I don't like it either but it's what I have to do to protect Alex. Can you take him and Jason and I can talk over lunch and work something out?"

"Stels," he sighed.

"Mommy!" Alex screamed as he ran out of the locker room, Jamie close on his heels. "Chubbs says we can go get pizza! Can we go get pizza?"

"How about me, you, and Chubbs go get pizza?" Jordie said, squatting down to be eye level with Alex.

"Yeah!!" He cheered, throwing himself at Jordie. Jordie stood with a smile with Alex in his arms.

"I'll meet you back at your place?" He asked Stella.

She nodded her agreement and she turned to Alex, ruffling his hair before kissing his cheek. "Be good for Jordie and Jamie, ok? I have some things to take care of at work and then I'll be home."

"Ok mommy! Come on Jordie!"

Jordie leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will." He glared at Jason again before setting off. Jamie hugged her quickly.

"I'll try to keep Jordie calm."

"I know you will. I guess I'll see you at my house too."

"I'll probably have him drop me off first but maybe." He turned to Jason and straightened to his full height and stared at him for a long minute before speaking. "Whatever she says goes. She's his mom, she raised him. Don't push her or you'll have to deal with Jordie and me."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Jaime surged forward and grabbed him by the collar. "Don't roll your eyes at me," he snapped. "I'm not your captain right now. Stella is Jordie's girlfriend and she's a part of my family. You don't automatically get rights; you earn them. So if you want to get to know that little boy, earn it, by respecting her and what she wants." He let go of him and stepped back. "Call Jordie if you need to. I'll let him kick his ass."

With that, he strode away and Stella looked at Jason with a sweet smile. "Alex and I are a package, and we come with the Benn brothers. You either deal with it, or you don't. Your choice."