Weapons of War

Riley had been sitting on the back deck for over an hour, she had gone out there after putting Noah to bed in an attempt to call Christina but she hadn't yet been able to do it. Shea would be home within the next hour, they had, earlier that day, talked at length about the Christina thing. Shea had only two demands out of it all; that the meeting took place at their home and that he was there.

So that was why Riley was sitting on the back deck with Shea's schedule and the little post it note with Christina's cell phone number in one hand and the phone in her other. Finally, before she could convince herself otherwise she punched in the number and hit talk and brought the phone to her ear.

She waited, breath held, as it rang and when she thought no one would answer her nerves lessened, and then the line clicked and an unmistakable voice answered, "Riley?"

She hesitated to answer, part of her wanted to just hang up, but eventually she cleared her throat and said, "Yeah."

"It's good to hear from you."

Riley wasn't interested in small talk or the exchange of pleasantries, she went right for the point and told Christina, "Shea and I talked, and we've decided that we would like for you to meet Noah."

"Oh I'm so glad you decided." She could have rolled her eyes. She didn't want small talk.

"However, we want to do it at our place in Nashville, and it has to be when Shea is home. So please let me know a time frame so I can see if it works for us." Riley told her, ignoring any kind of niceties they could be making.

They stayed on the phone for only a few minutes, working out the details, and with a promise of Christina forwarding her flight information for her visit one month from now Riley hung up the phone and went back inside. She put the phone back in the holster and then she filled a plate with food, knowing Shea would be hungry and probably a little annoyed. He hated the earlier Sunday games and after their embarrassing loss to the Red Wings Riley knew he would probably be coming home to eat and sleep.

She knew his routine. A win meant he would come home and probably be very handsy in a good way, an average loss he would come home and though his mind would be running the game recap he would spend time with his family. But a loss like tonight Riley was sure she wouldn't get more than a sentence out of him, that he would come home, eat in silence and go upstairs and he would be asleep before she even made her way to bed. That's how it always had been. Shea was a creature of habit in so many ways, but even more so in his mannerisms and moods. Riley knew them like the back of her hand. It was hard not to. Not knowing Shea's moods and reactions after over a decade together would be like not being able to move through your house in the dark after living there for a decade.

She put the plate in the microwave, and she wrote a note on a post it and stuck it on the microwave door just in case she wouldn't be out of the shower when he got home. She never really knew how long the media would keep him after below or above average games. Sometimes they kept him for an hour, sometimes it was only a few minutes.

So she went about her night, turning the water as warm as she could handle it in the shower before she stripped out of her clothes and got inside it. She took her time washing her long hair, and she even contemplated getting it cut, maybe just a few inches. She washed her body twice, mostly to kill time and because the last thing she wanted was to get out of the warm shower, and finally, when she couldn't handle being in there any longer she turned the water off, wrung her hair out and stepped out of the shower, drying off and wrapping a towel around herself.

She brushed her hair, braiding it quickly before she brushed her teeth and then she left the bathroom. Riley nearly jumped out of her skin to find Shea sitting on the end of the bed, he was still in his dress clothes, head in his hands.

He looked up when he heard the door open, his hair was sticking up from his hands pulling at the ends moments before and he looked both tired and pissed off. After staring at each other for a few seconds Shea got up and crossed the room and to Riley's surprise he placed both hands on the sides of her neck and kissed her, he kissed her in a way that he hadn't kissed her in months. He kissed her like he meant it, he kissed her like he needed to; like he couldn't go another minute without kissing her. He kissed her so desperately she felt it right to her core.

When he pulled back he told her, "Tell me you love me."

"Shea-"

"Tell me you love me." He told her firmly, looking her in the eye as he spoke.

"I love you." She told him, her voice soft and gentle.

Again, his voice firm and almost demanding, he told her, "Tell me that I'm the only one you'll ever want."

She could have asked him what was going on, she could have ruined whatever moment they were having with questions but she didn't. She looked up at him and told him, "You know you are."

He kissed her again, and Riley slipped her arms underneath his and around his sides, gripping his back and shoulder blades. Had it not been for her hands on his back and his arms around her waist, she was sure she would have fallen backwards from the force of his kiss. She was surprised by whatever it was that was going on with him tonight, but as his grip tightened around her she smiled gently against his lips which made Shea kiss her even deeper. Before she knew it his hands left her neck, and she could feel them brushing against her chest as he undid the buttons to his dress shirt and shoved it, along with his suit jacket, onto the floor in one piece. Riley ran her hands up his chest, her palms pushing against his skin as she dragged them up to his shoulders and she wrapped her hands around his shoulders and then one arm wrapped as best as it could around his neck.

She could feel him fiddling with his belt, and distantly she could hear the zipper on his dress pants but Riley was more focused on the feeling of his hot skin underneath her hands and his mouth on hers. She could feel every ounce of desperation in his kiss, every single tiny drop of desire in him. She knew he needed this, she knew that as much as she needed him to not stop kissing her Shea needed to feel her this way, he needed to feel her needing him.

So when his hand slipped between them and pulled on the knot she tied in the towel Riley let it fall to the floor at her feet. She let out a tiny squeak when he leaned down, grabbed the backs of her thighs, just below her butt, and lifted her up off the ground and instantly she wound her legs around his back, crossing her calves behind him and her arms wound around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair at the back of his head. She pulled herself as tightly against him as she could as he continued to kiss her, and he stood where they were for longer than she expected. One hand stayed on her thigh, the other splayed out across her lower back, and as she felt the muscles in his shoulders and arms Riley was once again reminded that he was all muscle.

Finally he walked toward the bed, and he placed her on her back gently on the mattress, and he wasted no time climbing on top of her, using his hand to spread her knees so that he could rest comfortably between them as he crashed his lips against hers again. He pushed his hips against her and Riley dug her nails into him, leaving little crescent shaped nicks in his upper back that made Shea stop kissing her only long enough to shove his boxer briefs down his legs and kick them onto the floor before he turned back to her and kissed her again, grabbing her hands in his and holding them against the mattress, above her head, his fingers tangled tightly with hers. They both needed this, they both needed each other.

- - -

The next day things had been business as it usually was on a game day. Shea had been at the arena all morning, and he had his pre game nap and his usual meal, while Riley kept Noah as quiet as she could for him. That was until he popped his head into Noah's room, where Riley and Noah were sitting on the floor building a house with building blocks big enough for Noah to be inside.

Riley turned to Shea when he walked into the room and she smiled gently, and Shea laughed when Noah stuck his whole head through the 'window' of the house and exclaimed, "Daddy!"

Riley watched Shea pat the outside of the house and tell Noah, "There's no door. How am I supposed to come in?"

Noah giggled from inside his block house, "You can't fit! It's Noah size!"

"Well then I guess I'll have to huff," Shea let out a loud breath, "And puff," Again another big breath as he grabbed the sides of the house and he started shaking the blocks as he said, "And blow the whole place down."

Noah giggled and shrieked as Shea lifted the house up and off of him, and then he set the block house down beside Noah and grabbed him, hauling him over to his lap where he tickled him until the two year old was out of breath. As soon as he let up on his grip Noah pulled himself out of Shea's grasp and ran behind Riley. He hid behind her, poking his head out from behind her arm to look at Shea as he told Riley, "Daddy blew my house down!"

"He did?" Riley asked him and then she and Noah looked at each other and she said, "How rude."

"Get him!" Noah exclaimed and Shea raised his eyebrow and watched them in amusement.

Riley asked him, "Me? Why me?"

"Because you're mama!" He exclaimed.

"But you're supposed to protect mama!" Riley reminded him.

Noah seemed to contemplate her words for a moment before he sent her that mischievous smile of his and he got close to her and whispered in her ear, "We get him together."

Riley's eyes met Shea's and she smiled as she asked Noah, "You think so?"

He nodded, "Ya."

So she picked Noah up and launched him as carefully as she could at Shea, who caught him easily and Noah clung to his chest as Riley shuffled over to Shea's side and she held onto his hands behind his back while Noah climbed all over him. Shea couldn't help but laugh and give the most dramatic performance of falling over onto his side with Noah attached to him and Riley sat cross legged and watched the two of them with a smile on her face.

After a few more minutes of playing Shea glanced at his watch and announced, "Kelly should be here soon."

Riley raised her eyebrow and Noah exclaimed, "Uncle Craig?"

"So close." Shea told Riley, and she laughed. 'Uncle Craig' was still a work in progress but it had gone from 'keg' to 'kaig'. He turned to Noah and explained, "Nope, uncle Craig has to play tonight. Kelly is gonna come hang out with you."

"Where mama go?" Noah asked, and Shea chuckled. He was getting so inquisitive lately, it was like twenty questions every time Shea or Riley said something lately.

"Yeah, where am I going?" Riley asked him curiously.

"The game." He informed her and again she cocked a brow. He told her, "Kelly's gonna babysit, and you're gonna come to the game. You haven't been to one all year, and I'd like you at one."

"Kelly is gonna skip a hockey game to babysit a two year old?" Riley asked him, she was sure she had misheard him the first time.

Shea nodded and he got up, grabbing one of her hands in one of his and he used his other hand to grab Noah's and he pulled them both up into a standing position. He made a point to lift Noah's feet up off the ground momentarily which got another giggle from the boy before he lead them out of the bedroom. Riley and Shea stood at the top of the stairs and watched Noah slide down step by step on his butt, before they followed him downstairs.

- - -

Several hours later Riley was pulling into the driveway after the game. She had opted to meet Shea at home, knowing he would be a long time in the locker room after that game. She was sure he wouldn't be home until closer to midnight. He would probably sit in the locker room until someone from the arena staff asked him to go home so that they could also go home.

So she parked the car in the garage and came into the house through the garage door, and she found Kelly sitting in the living room watching game highlights. She turned her head over her shoulder, held her index finger to her lips and said quietly, "He wouldn't go down in his room so I caved and let him sleep out here. He wanted to wait up for you guys but I said no way."

Riley smiled gently as she quietly put her bag on the counter above the dishwasher and made her way into the living room. She sat down beside Noah, who was laying with his head on a pillow in Kelly's lap and Riley reached out and brushed his brown hair off of his forehead. The motion caused him to stir and eventually he woke up and sat up, rubbing his eyes before he turned to Riley and immediately curled up in her lap.

As he did that he said, "Mama."

"Hmm?"

"I love aunt Kelly!" He told her and Kelly grinned at her when Riley raised her eyebrow.

"Aunt Kelly? Really?" Riley asked him making Kelly roll her eyes.

He nodded his head, "She come over all the time now."

They both chuckled and Riley told him, "I think it's time to get you to bed, and aunt Kelly has to go home to uncle Craig."

So they said goodbye and thank you to Kelly on their way to the door and then Riley carried Noah upstairs to his bedroom. She tucked him in and then she went to get herself ready for bed. She was pulling all of the decorative pillows off of the bed when she heard the door open and close, she could hear Shea talking to Dug as he came up the stairs and she turned to the door of the bedroom as he walked inside.

He sighed and told her, before she could say anything, "I played like shit, don't try to convince my otherwise right now."

So she didn't speak, she turned back to the bed and continued getting it ready for bed. She wasn't going to argue with him over that, he did play like shit, she could even go as far as saying that was the worst she had ever seen him play in his career but she didn't say anything.

Her silence was unnerving for him so he asked her, "You're really not gonna even try to convince my otherwise?"

She stopped what she was doing and turned to him, saying, "You asked me not to, and at the risk of being the worlds worst hockey wife, yes, you had a shitty game, and I thought we had a rule not to blatantly lie to each other?"

He sighed, "Yeah, sorry."

She nodded her head slowly and then she told him, "Take off your clothes."

He raised his eyebrow at her words and a lazy smirk formed on his lips and he asked her, "Oh yeah?"

She rolled her eyes but motioned with her hand for him to hurry up and so he unbuttoned his dress shirt and laid it across the back of the chair by the window, along with his pants and then Riley instructed, "On your stomach on the bed."

He followed her instructions, he let out a dramatic 'oomph' when she sat on his butt so she swatted his back before she covered her hands in lotion from her nightstand and began pushing the bottoms of her palms into his skin. As she worked the muscles in his back Shea laid on his stomach, eyes closed and the only thing that told her that he was still awake was the little groans or content sighs that he would let out every so often.

As she moved away from his shoulders and upper back and onto his lower back Riley asked him, "Feel any better?"

He nodded his head against the pillow and he told her, "Thanks."

As she pushed her hands gently into his skin she told him, "Anytime."

After a few seconds of silence Shea asked her curiously, "What do you think, boy or girl?"

For a moment Riley glanced down at her stomach and then she told him, "I think it's a boy."

"Me too."

She told him, "I have a doctors appointment next Tuesday, do you want to know this time what it is?"

He turned to look at her, "Tuesday? You couldn't have booked when I was home?"

"I didn't think it was a huge deal, you've been to two." She admitted and he shot her a look that made her sigh.

"Can you change it to Wednesday? So I can be there." He asked her and he forced her to get off of him when he went to roll onto his back.

As he sat up and looked at her Riley told him, "You really care about one appointment that badly?"

He nodded, "Of course I do. Riley I already miss so much, and I know that I'm gonna miss so much more of our kids lives, I want to be there for things I can. Please change the appointment. I want to be there."

She sighed, "Okay, I'll call in the morning."

"Thank you." He leaned forward and kissed her and then he pulled away, grinned and made her laugh as he asked, "Now, can you finish that massage? I'm sore all over."

"From what? You barely did anything all night." She joked, smirking when his brow quirked.

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and fell against her, and once she was on her back underneath her he pouted told her, "You're mean to me."

"You'll survive."