Sidney's POV

Well last night certainly did not work out the way I'd planned! I had to beg Cindy in the ticket office to go through all the season ticket subscriptions just to see if by some fluke Rebekah was a holder. I was excited and relieved when I found out she was. Maybe something was finally going to go right! I had to promise Cindy that I would show up at one of her kid's hockey practises and give them all something autographed before she would even give me Rebekah's address and phone number.

"I could get fired for giving out this information Sidney."
"Not if no one knows. It will be our little secret."
"Yeah, and if you use this information and this girl freaks out, it will be my ass on the line not yours!"
"I promise, I will only use the info for good and not evil! I won't let anything happen. Please Cindy, this is really important to me," I said giving her the best puppy dog eyes I cold muster.
"I swear Crosby, if anything bad happens..."

The puppy dog eyes work every time!


I thought I was being quite imaginative in persuing Rebekah. Getting Nate to surprise her and escort her back to a private lounge. I had outdone myself. I have never done anything so bold to impress a girl. How did it go so wrong? She was not impressed at all, in fact it almost seemed like she was pissed off. I noticed she seemed to soften a little when Jake gave me that big ol' hug. Another kid! This girl was full of surprises! He was such a cute kid, and very polite. Obviously she is raising him right. I can't believe that I am interested in a girl with not one but two kids. I f dad knew there were 2 he'd prbably have a stroke! He thought one was too much baggage. I know he's right in the fact that I really don't have time for any kind of relationship right now but damn! When I held her in my arms it was all I could do to stay on my feet! No girl has ever made me weak in the knees! I felt her let go and relax a little too, so why did she turn me down? There is such a strong connection between us, I don't get it. I can sense that there is a story there and I need to get ot the bottom of it. Rebekah is special. I have a feeling underneath the tough exterior I'm going to find something wonderful. She is definately going to be a challenge. It's a good thing I love a challenge. As they say, anything worth having is worth working for! I'm definately going to have to turn up the old Crosby charm. Regular tactics are not going to break this girl. Think Crosby. You have got to come up with something good. Flowers. I'll send her flowers. What girl doesn't like to get flowers?

Chapter 9

I could not sleep. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling. What had happened tonight? How had Sidney found out that I held those season tickets? Why did he send someone for me? More questions just kept popping into my head. None of this made sense. Did Sidney Crosby actually ask me to have coffee with him? The more I though about the events that had transpired this evening the more confused I became. I think the biggest confusion of all was how Sidney made me feel. He made me angry. He made me nervous (and I don't get nervous). He made me feel sad. Sad for the immense pressure that was on this poor kid's shoulders and the media scrutiny that surrounded him every day. He could never have a normal life. But most of all, he lit a fire inside me that had been extinguished the first time Jeff ever laid his hands on me. That is what scared the hell out of me. I thought back to the moment Sid pulled me into his arms. In that instant I felt...safe. Like nothing in the outside world could ever hurt me. And his soft lips brushing against my cheek had almost made me explode inside. How could this be happening to me? He was a kid. He was a kid that in such a brief time was able to make me forget the horific reality that was my past, even if it was only for a moment. A past so painful I had completely shut down and built a wall around my heart. I had not had feelings like this for...well, ever. I made up my mind that I just could not think about Sidney this way. The truth is that he is still just a kid and I am far from it. Nothing good could come out of decieving myself into thinking otherwise.
Before I knew it, the sun had come up and I had yet to sleep. Thank god I was off today. I got Alex and Jake off to school and decided to go back home and try to get a few hours sleep. I hadn't been home for more than 5 minutes when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see the biggest bouquet of yellow roses that I had ever seen!
"Rebekah Jones?"
"Yes, that's me."
"These are for you," the delivery man said as he handed me the rather large and heavy vase. "Have a nice day!"
"Thank you."
I set the vase down on the kitchen counter grabbed the card.
"Thank you for sharing some of your time with me. You are like a ray of sunshine. Hope these brighten your day! I'll be in touch soon. -Sidney

Chapter 8

"Uhhh...hello," Sidney said after an awkward silence.
"Hello again," I said.
"I was umm...I was expecting you to be..."
"To be what, Sidney? Impressed? Well I'm not."
"No. I was expecting you to be alone. Who might this little guy be?"
"This is my son."
"Son! I remember Alex being alot bigger than that."
"That's because this is not Alex. This is my younger son Jake. Jake come here please. Jake this is Sidney Crosby."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Jake," Sid said.
"Nice to meet you too," Jake said politely. "Mom, can I watch the rest of the highlights please?"
"Sure sweet pea."
Sid had poked his head out the door for a minute before returning.
"Wow. He was totally unimpressed there," Sid chuckled.
"Do you honestly believe that everyone just can't wait to meet the great Sidney Crosby?"
"No, not at all. It's just...refreshing."
"Well good. I hate to tell you Crosby, but contrary to popular belief, you are not the centre of everyone's universe," I said only half jokingly.
"I know! You have made that painfully clear!" he said laughing. "Jake sure is a chip off the old block. You don't have any other kids that are going to pop up somewhere and take me down a notch do you?"
"'Fraid not. That's it. I just have the 2 boys."

Just then, Nate came back into the room with a jersey in his hands. Sid pulled a sharpie out of his suit jacket and signed it for Jake. Sid went over to the couch where Jake had made himself at home and sat down beside him.
"Hey buddy, I signed one of these for your brother, so here's one for you too."
"Wow, thanks!" and before I knew it Jake threw his arms around Sid's neck and gave him a great big hug. The kid does not have a shy bone in his body (unlike his mother).
"No problem, anytime."
"Thank you Sidney, but you really didn't have to do that."
"Yes I did. You have to be fair," he said smiling at me.
I was looking into those gorgeous brown eyes, lost in my own little world, when Nate's voice snapped me back into reality.
"Sorry to interupt Mr. Crosby, but your father is looking for you."
"Thanks Nate. I'll be right there, just keep him in the lounge." He turned to me with a slight look of disappointment in those beautiful eyes. "I have to get going, but you fascinate me. I've only met ou twice and each time you have surprised me. I'd really like to get to know you better."
Out of nowhere my mouth spoke before I had a chance to stop myself.
"Why did you ask me to come back here? And how did Nate know where to find me?"
A devilish grin spread across Sidney's face. "I do have a few connections around here ya know. If you agree to have coffee with me, I would gladly tell you the story."
Oh shit! Did Sidney Crosby just ask me out? Get a hold of your self girl. Stay calm.
"I'm uhh...flattered, really I am, but I don't think that would be a very good idea. I'm very busy and you're very busy..."
"You realize that I don't take no for an answer."
"So I hear. I'm afraid this time you'll have to. I need to get Jake home to bed and you need to meet your dad. Thank you so much for everything, it was really great of you to take time to talk to us. Congratulatons on the shootout, it was amazing!"
I extended my arm to shake his hand. He grasped my hand firmly and said "I think we are a little beyond handshakes don't you?"
Before I could say anything Sidney was pulling me into the most incredible hug I ever had the pleasure of experiencing. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply making sure to savour every last bit of his scent. He was far to tall for my arms to reach his neck so I wrapped my arms around his waist and let my hands rest on his back. OH MY GOD!!! I could feel every muscle in his back tense and then relax. SHIT! Get a hold of yourself Bekah! I started to pull away and he stopped me. He bent down and whispered in my ear, "I told you I don't take no for an answer. Maybe not now, but soon," and as he began to let me pull away, he placed the softest kiss on my cheek.
I was a puddle! He smiled as he made his way towards the door.
"We'll talk soon. Sweet dreams."
The sound of Jake's voice brought me back to reality.
"Mom, can we go home, I'm tired."
"Yeah...sure."
"What's up with you mom? You look...i dunno. Weird."
"Hmmm? I'm fine. Let's get you home to bed sweet pea."
Nate escorted us out of the building and to the parking lot, where mine was practically the only car left.
"I hope you had a nice night Miss Jones," Nate said with a bit of a coy smile. "Have a safe drive home."
"Thanks Nate. And please, call me Bekah."

Chapter 7

I decided that from now on I would not wait until the games were over before I left...just in case! I thought I caught him scanning the section a few times in the warm up or during the anthem. Probably just my imagination. My early exits were working out quite nicely until...
November 10, 2005
Montreal was in town. Normally not a big deal, but today it was. It was the first time Sid would play the team he grew up idolizing. Even I felt a little excited for him. The crowd went insane when Sid scored the Pens first goal and the kid was overjoyed! I felt myself tear up a little. The game was a nail biter. By the end of regulation they were tied. Great...overtime! We go to a shoot out. Recchi missed. So did Perrezhogin. It all came down to Sid. He had the chance to win the game. As Sid came over the boards and took his place above centre ice, the entire arena fell to a deafening quiet. We were all on our feet and I was holding Jake in my arms (it was his turn to come with me). I held my breath as Sid faked his shot, gathered the puck back on his stick and lifted the sweetest backhander over Jose Theodore. We won, or rather Sid won! The crowd erupted! The jumbotron showed a replay and then Sid's dad's reaction from his seat. I thought about how great it was for Sidney to have his dad there to witness this moment and celebrate with him. That was something that David had always been deprived of. The whole crowd was so excited it took forever for them to start filing out. A few minutes later when the crowd finally started to leave, an usher came down to our row stopped me as Jake and I were about to make our way up the stairs.
"Excuse me Mame. Are you Miss Rebekah Jones?"
"Umm...yes I am," I replied a little bit panicked. Had something happened with Alex? Lily was at home with him.
"Your presence has been requested in the player's lounge. I am here to escort you there."
"I'm sorry, there must be some mistake. I can't go back there, I have to get my son home."
"I assure you Miss Jones, there is no mistake. You are Rebekah Jones, holder of the season tickets for section 32, row 2, seats 1 and 2. And I have been instructed to not take no for an answer."
"Instructed by whom?"
"Mr. Crosby. And I'm afraid if I go back there without you, I could get fired."
"Did he say that?"
"Well, no. But he is Sidney Crosby. I don't want to make him angry. Please just follow me Miss Jones."

I reluctantly followed the very nice young man through a series of hallways and tunnels until we eventually came to a small room that had a couch, a few folding chairs and a very large tv mounted in one corner. I started to feel a little uneasy. This was not the same lounge I had waited in with Sidney's family before.

"Excuse me...Nate. This is not the lounge that the family and friends usually wait in, there is no one else here."
"No, this is a room that no one usually uses, more private. I assure you this is where I was asked to bring you. Mr. Crosby said he would be about half an hour and to make you comfortable."
"Half an hour! You can go tell Mr. Crosby that he is crazy if he thinks I am going to wait around in this little dungeon for him. Go on, go tell him."
"But, Miss Jones...he will be in the middle of interviews. I can't interrupt him," Nate said almost pleading with me.
"Well you can deliver that message or one that tells him I have left."
Nate paused for a moment. "Please, just wait here until I get back."
"OK, but it had better not take you half an hour!"

I sat on the couch with Jake who was watching the post game show on the tv waiting for Nate to come back. I could feel how red my face must have been. I was furious! Who the hell did Sidney think he was assuming I had nothing better to do than wait around for him? I was still shaking my head when Nate came back.

"He said 5 minutes. Just give him 5 minutes."
"Fine. 5 minutes. But if he's not here then you will be escorting me out of here."
"Yes mame. I'll be just outside the door if you need anything."
"Thank you Nate."

Sure enough, in 5 minutes flat Sidney was walking into the room. He was just about to say something but then stopped dead in his tracks. The was a confused look of shock an his face.

Sidney's thoughts

I can't believe she was here! She was here and I found her in the crowd. It was a long shot I know, but I had to keep checking. I just can't stop thinking about her. How can get in touch with her? I'm not even sure I remember what her last name is...something with a J. Jackson? Jones? SHIT! I have a memory like a fucking sponge and I can't remember Rebekah's last name. I sure in the hell can't ask my dad. OK, don't panic Crosby. You're a resourceful kid. Just think. Maybe she'll be at the next game. Who knows. One thing is for damn sure. I am not going to let this girl just slip right through my fingers. She was obviously brought into my life for some reason and I need to find out why. Why am I the lucky bastard that found her? Lucky? I don't even know her. The only thing I know is she has a son named Alex and loves Mario. She could be a pshyco! Or she could be...the one! Slow down cowboy! One step at a time! You haven't even had a real conversation with her. You can't even remeber her last name! Relax. If it's meant to be it'll happen.

I woke up at 3 am out of a dead sleep. "Jones! Her last name is Jones!"

Chapter 6

I tried to get into the dull, daily routine that was my life. Take the kids to school, go to work, pick the kids up at the neighbour's after work, make dinner and then drop! It was the same day in and day out amd it was exhausting. The only difference in routine were game nights. I would never miss them. I would take Lily with me most of the time, sometimes other friends or co-workers. At first, after every game was over Sidney would always skate around my end of the ice. He tried not to look obvious, but you could tell he was looking for someone. It was the fourth home game when he actually spotted me. He glanced by me and then did a double take. When our eyes met, he was so shocked he nearly hit the boards, but never broke our eye contact. When he regained his composure, he gave me that goofy little grin of his and winked at me. I felt my cheeks getting flushed. What the hell was that? I don't get embarrassed that easily. I smiled back then grabbed Lily's hand and got the hell outof there!

"Oh my god Bekah! Sidney Crosby just smiled and winked at you!"
I did not reply. I was lost in my own thoughts. He didn't wait around at the end of the games looking for me did he? Of course not. The guy has better things to do. But it was always in front of my section, the section his dad had found me in. 'You're and idiot,' I thought to myself. 'Sidney Crosby is an 18 year old kid, not to mention one of the most amazing professional athletes on the planet, he is certainly not hanging around looking for someone like you after the games.'

Lily rambled on non stop about "the wink" all the way home. Thank god it wasn't a very long drive.
"You should try and get in contact with him," she said matter of factly.
"For Christ sake Lily," I finally said. "We have been over and over this! Sidney Crosby does not have a thing for me and I do not have a thing for him. I'm sure the smile was just a courtesy thing. Not to mention all the reasons why I would not or could not ever have a relationship with Sidney fucking Crosby, so can we please drop this subject? If you so much as say his name in any context that does not involve the game of hockey itself, I swear I will never take you to another game, understood?"
"Oookaaaayyyy! Jeez Bek, for someone with no feelings for the kid, it sure is a touchy subject! Alright, I'll stop pushing. But Bek, in all seriousness, whether it's Sidney Crosby or some random guy you meet at the grocery store, you really need to think about getting out there and dating again. It's been 6 years already. Don't you think it's time?"
"NO."
"Come on Bek..."
"This is not up for debate Lil. You know how I feel about the subject. Alex and Jake are the only men I need in my life, end of discussion."

Sidney's POV

"Dad, that was the girl from training camp wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"How the hell did you find her again?"
"I didn't really. She was sitting in the same row as us. I didn't even spot her until you scored your goal and everyone was celebrating. I looked up and there she was. Even she had tears in her eyes."
"Really?"And how did you get her to come back to the locker room with you?"
"I didn't, your mother did. Once I found out Alex was her son, I told your mom to stop at nothing to get her back there."
"Why?"
"To prove my point. Girls...any girl would be too much of a distraction for you. And this girl...Sid, she has a kid! One that is not that much younger than you! That would be a complete DISASTER! The media would eat that up! You are already under immense scrutiny. To add an older, MUCH older girlfriend with a kid into the mix your rookie season would be a huge mistake. You have worked far too hard to achieve your dreams to blow it on some girl that you clearly know nothing about."
"OK! I get it dad! God, I just said there was something about her, not that I wanted to marry her! You're going a bit ballistic don't ya think?"
"Sidney, I'm just doing what needs to be done to protect you."
"Well, I don't think you'll need to protect me from her, that's for sure. I don't think she is interested. Besides, I highly doubt that I'll see her again."
"Let's hope not."

Wow! I haven't seen my dad that worked up over something for a long time. I know he's looking out for me but Jesus Christ. Did he have to be so harsh? I have never kept anything from my dad, but this is something we can clearly not have a rational discussion about. I will be keeping any thoughts of Rebekah or any other girl for that matter to myself.

Back at Mario's, I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned forever. She was sooooo beautiful! Not all made up slutty 'beautiful' either. Rebekah was naturally beautiful. Not too tall, not too short. She wasn't so skinny it was disgusting either. She looked healthy. Curves in all the right places! Her smile melted my heart the first time she smiled at me. She had the most amazing eyes I have ever seen. Most importantly, I don't think she gave a rat's ass about who I was. When she said she was happy for me, I think she genuinely was. Her voice was so soft and tender and her words so meaningful... SNAP OUT OF IT CROSBY! Dad's right. Maybe she is too old for you. I know my philosophy is age is just a number,but there has to be a limit right? I wonder how old she really is? Then there is the matter of her son. Great kid, but with all the pressure I'm under... You are a professional. No time for relationships right now anyway. I have to get this girl out of my head. But how? I never felt a connection like this before. Don't worry kid, you'll probably never see her again anyway.

Chapter 5 - Reality Check

I had to listen to Alex all the way home. The kid was on cloud 9. When we were finally home, Alex ran into the house straight to Lily (who had been babysitting Jake) and told her what happened. Lily looked at me in total disbelief. I told her I'd explain after I got Alex in bed. I went in to give Jake a kiss and then tucked Alex in. He was still wearing his jersey. I returned to the livingroom and flopped on the couch.

"What the hell?" Lily said.
I just shook my head in partial disbelief myself.
"Oh now is not the time to be your secretive self," said Lily.
"I don't really know what to say Lil. I'm having a hard time believing it happened."

I started to tell her about my emotions overcoming me when I saw Mario.

"Screw Lemiex! What was Sidney like?"
"Nice."
"Nice? Nice? That's all I get?"
"What do you want Lil?
"Iwant to live vicariously through you. I want to hear how fucking sexy Sidney Crosby was in person. I want every detail right down to what he smelled like."
I sighed. "Well... he is much better looking than I thought he would be. He still looks VERY young though. He's tall, probably 6 or 7 inches taller than me. He was wearing a dark suit with a light blue shirt and blue tie. The blue REALLY made his eyes sparkle. Blue and brown are complimentary colours you know. And he smelled fantastic! He has a very strong, confident handshake. But it was those eyes that..." my thought trailed off.
"Helloooooo? Earth to Bekah? Did he remember who you were?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I think so. The look on his face was priceless when his dad told him I was Alex's mother! I thought hel was going to fall over."
"You have got to be the luckiest bitch on the planet! So truth time. You're hot for him aren't you?"
"Lily, we have been over this before. He is just 18! Even if I were hot for him that is bordering on illegal! Technically, he can't even go into a bar yet! And even if we were going to have this great love story like you have so obviously dreamed up, I'm sure it all came crashing down when he found out I was somebody's mother. And that's just Alex, he doesn't even know about Jake yet. Listen to me. You've got me talking like this whole nightmare is real. Like I know the guy personally. Sidney Crosby is nothing to me. He's just some guy who signed an autograph for my kid."
"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England. You keep telling yourself that Sidney is nothing to you, maybe you'll even start to believe it. You have to open up sometime Bek. It's late, I should go. I'll see you at work tommorrow."
"Thanks for watching Jake. She you in the morning."

My mind was racing as I lay in bed trying to go to sleep. Was I imagining things or was there really some sort of connection between me and Sidney? It certainly felt like it. What I had failed to tell Lily was the electricity that ran through my body when Sid and I shook hands. And my god! Those eyes. I felt like my legs were turning into puddles when I looked into those gorgeous eyes. NO! STOP IT! You need a reality check girl! I was not prepared to have these feelings I was having. And why the hell was an 18 year old kid affecting me like this? You have rules and standards for a reason Bekah. I was still pretty emotionally wrecked from my marriage to and divorce from Jeff. Those years had been hell. I promised myself that I would not ever put myself in a situation like that again. The best way to make sure of that was to not date, and I haven't. I was doing just fine too...until now.