The Final Goal

The days following the Penguins loss in Montreal flew by and soon it was Friday. The Pens had won 3-1 on Thursday against the Flames but the happiness the players had after the game didn't carry on into the following morning. Skylar had spent every possible minute with Fleury, needing all the time she could get with him.

Looking down at the plane ticket in her hands, Skylar closed her eyes, letting a lone tear slowly streak down her face. Arms wrapped around her waist and she suddenly felt a warm hand pushing her face up to meet a soft pair of lips. Opening her eyes as she turned her head away, she avoided Fleury's gaze, instead staring out the window and watching the other planes take off into the sky.

"Skylar." She reluctantly met Fleury's eyes, trapped in his tight embrace.
"I don't want to leave," Skylar said, struggling to hold back her emotions as her voice shook.
"You have to go," Fleury said, softly running a hand through her hair.
Skylar didn't say anything so he continued, "I'll be here when you get back. I promise I'll wait for you". Skylar clutched his shirt, not wanting to pull away.

Suddenly she heard her plane getting called for boarding and she sighed, knowing her time with Fleury was up. Stepping away from the tight embrace, she looked towards her gate and saw people walking on the plane.

"Goodbye Fleury," she said, giving him a soft kiss.
"I'll call you every night," he replied, eyes swimming with tears that wouldn't fall. Skylar turned and made her way to the plane without turning back. As she walked she felt a pair of brown eyes, watching her as she left him.

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Glancing at the clock on her phone, Skylar almost jumped with joy. She was finally heading home after spending the past year in Washington. The whole experience was worth it, but spending time away from Patric after just getting reacquainted with him was difficult. Leaving Fleury was also a difficult choice, but Skylar believed it was the right one.

When Skylar had arrived in Washington, she went to an apartment that she would share with the other art students. The apartment was a lot like a dorm for college, but since Skylar had never experienced the college life, it was all very new to her. She quickly made friends with her roommate, Kat, and they spent a lot of time working on projects together. One of their projects was even displayed in a small art museum down the street.

At first, Skylar and Fleury had talked every night she was away. Skylar stayed up late and almost missed a few morning lessons because of it. They talked for hours and Skylar was glad he still made time for her. It was close to the 9th month when Fleury's calls almost stopped. Skylar had assumed he was getting busy with hockey as it was September, so she didn't bother calling on a daily basis. Skylar wanted to watch the hockey games but since she lived so far away, she didn't have the right channel. Fleury had texted multiple times since he couldn't call, so she wasn't at all upset. The past week was different, however. Fleury hadn't called or texted, and Skylar was becoming antsy. She knew she was leaving in a week so she tried focusing on the day, praying it would come soon.

Looking out the window, Skylar stretched in her seat and smiled. She was finally home. Once the plane came to a complete stop, Skylar and the other passengers were able to get up and leave. She grabbed her carry on and left the plane, following the tired passengers in front of her. Skylar wanted to surprise everyone so she didn't tell anyone that she was coming home today. As she waited for her suitcase, Skylar called a taxi, hoping one was available. Retrieving the rest of her luggage, Skylar made her way out of the airport and searched for the taxi. The car pulled to a stop right in front of her and the man was kind enough to help her lift her luggage into the backseat. Soon she was in the car, watching as the Pittsburgh scenery flashed by beyond the car window.

The car pulled to a halt right outside Patric's house and Skylar thanked the driver, handing him some cash from her wallet. Walking up to the front door, she used her key to get in since she assumed Patric was out. Walking in, however, she saw she was wrong. Patric was sitting on the couch watching a show on TV. He jumped up from the couch and ran over to her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!" he asked incredulously. Skylar smirked.

"I wanted it to be a surprise! How are you? How's Fleury?"

At the mention of Fleury's name, Patric turned his head and avoided Skylar's eyes. "What? What's wrong?" she asked, sensing there was a problem.

"He was injured around December 14. He got a concussion," Patric said. "Didn't he tell you?" Skylar shook her head, "No I guess he didn't want to worry me".

"He did tell you that Downie is gone now right?"

Skylar nodded, "Yeah he got traded right?" Just saying that he was out of their lives made her feel better. Grant it, he wasn't completely out of their lives since he was still in the NHL but it was a lot better than before. She never believed she could have felt right around him after everything that happened between them.

"Yeah we got some new players too. You're going to have to meet them all," Patric said, making Skylar groan. She didn't want to have to go through that routine again. How boring.

"When can I see Fleury?" She asked, needing to make sure he's okay. Concussions are serious injuries and shouldn't be taken lightly. It's amazing how many people get them nowadays. When Skylar was younger, she hit her head once when she fell off her neighbors hammock and now that she thinks about it, she realizes she probably got a concussion from the hard fall.

"We can go to his house in a bit. We have a game tonight but he should be home. You should take your luggage back up to your room before we go," Patric said, gesturing to the suitcase and carry on at her feet.

Skylar sighed, but grabbed the bags and carried them up the stairs. Laying her suitcase on her bed, she unzipped it and dumped the contents. Figuring she would go through the mess later, she left everything on her bed. Looking at her phone she saw it was already 12:00pm. It was a Thursday so Fleury should be home, even if the Penguins are playing. Skylar walked back down the stairs and stopped at the door."It's already December 31 so why isn't he playing?" Skylar asked, worried the concussion was bad.

"He's fine, Skylar. I promise he's doing a lot better."

Seeing she remained unconvinced, Patric sighed. "Come on let's go. I'll prove it to you," he said and ushered her out the door and into his car. On the way to Fleury's house, Skylar prayed he was alright.