Chapter 6: Play Ball

Will somehow managed to find Kelly a jersey.

She had to work Friday night, so they made plans for her to sleep at his place when she got done her shift, allowing them to take off for the game whenever she got up on Saturday. She didn't need a key to slip in through the kitchen door because Will never bothered to lock his door.

Just in case.

He was snoring in his chair when she got there, and he roused enough to mumble her name when she kissed him on his cheek to let him know it was her. He knew. She left him in front of the TV with the volume turned down, but apparently Will checked in with her early the next morning, because Kelly woke to find her new shirt laid out over Will's empty side of the bed.

Will grinned wide when she came down the stairs wearing the hunter green and white lettered Spartan team jersey layered over a black turtleneck.

"Whadya think?" she asked with a matching grin. She held her arms out and spun around in a circle. "I have enough room to wear my sweatshirt underneath so it won't be covered up!"

"I think you'll be the cutest fan on the field," he told her, catching her against him while her back was turned and nuzzling her hair out of his way to kiss her neck. Kelly wrapped her arms around his over her waist, basking in his lighthearted affection.

His buoyant mood continued through the morning. He whistled as he made his own special cheesy mushroom and pepper omelet and toast for Kelly's brunch while she read the newspaper, and they traded football stats, both college and professional. They hit the road for the trip to the stadium in Kelly's Jeep, and Will didn't mind having to stop on the outskirts of Ann Arbor to gas up because the low fuel light indicator was dinging.

"Sorry about that," she said with a sheepish smile. "I was gonna do it on the way home from work last night, but I was lazy."

"No, you were tired," he corrected her, squeezing her knee. "Don't worry about it." He walked out of the gas station after he paid with a brown paper bag and one hand behind his back.

"Do we have snacks and drinks for the road?" Kelly asked, laughing at his excited head nod.

"'Course! Plus a pretty flower for the prettiest nurse I know," he said, holding out a single rosebud, the vibrant red of a movie star's lipstick. He ducked his head when Kelly thanked him with a kiss on his cheek, but his grin stayed in place throughout the rest of their ride, through suffocating traffic and a wrong turn that cost them fifteen minutes of wandering foreign city streets before they hit on the right road by accident.

They were funneled into the rest of the traffic headed to the game, and Will heeded the parking directions, drinking from the bottle of cola nestled between his legs while Kelly found the local radio station broadcasting the game.

"Guess our hitchin' post is out in the back forty today," Will said, shifting the Jeep into park and rolling up the windows before he shut it off. He was on guard, as usual, glancing back and forth between the mirrors, but there was a smile dancing around his mouth instead of his usual frown. He stretched his arm out to brace his hand on the headrest behind Kelly as he watched her checking through her bag to make sure she had her camera and hand warmers for her pockets. The day was overcast with a sixty percent chance of showers predicted and mercifully light to no wind. Kelly bought two disposable rain slickers packaged in neat yellow squares after hearing the forecast earlier in the week. They were stashed alongside the tissues and wet wipes.

She was as prepared as she could be.

"That works. I'm gonna need the exercise after all the sitting and hot dog eating I'm gonna do," Kelly told him, rubbing her hands together.

"I'll buy you as many hot dogs as you want," Will said, pushing her hair behind her ear and drawing her closer by the back of her neck.

"I hope you got deep pockets," Kelly said, bussing his nose with hers.

Will growled and nipped her bottom lip, inviting her to him, and Kelly slipped her arms underneath his denim jacket and around his middle. He kissed her hard and unapologetically right there in the parking lot with hordes of people streaming by them.

"We should probably get going," Kelly whispered, her hands doing the opposite and wandering over his firm chest and invitingly yielding stomach.

"Probably," he mumbled, his face buried in her neck where he was nibbling at her skin and inhaling her scent, sweet musk and roses, like the tightly wound bud he gave her. His hand was doing its own exploring underneath her layers, and when he squeezed her breast in his palm and tweaked her nipple between his index and middle fingers, Kelly mewled. She went to brace his hips and give his ass a return squeeze, then yelped when her knuckles jammed into cold steel.

"What was…" she started to say as she lifted one side of his unbuttoned jacket to see what was in his waistband. She knew he wore a tool belt while he was working, but never saw him carrying a tape measure clipped to his belt or a hammer in the loop on the side of his leg, and she couldn't fathom why he'd be toting tools to a football game. She was unprepared for what she found.

"Will!" she squeaked, her eyes widening. "Is that a gun?"

Will froze and cleared his throat before he replied, his voice catching on the single word. "Yeah."

"What are you doing with a gun?" Kelly hissed, dropping the side of his jacket to cover up the flat black stare of the weapon coming from his hip, the hip she held a little over twenty-four hours ago as he made love to her, made her come with his thickness and the curve made to fit her body.

"I need it," he said, dropping his hand from her breast to her waist, but not letting her go entirely.

"You need it? For what?"

"For protection," he answered evenly, his eyes caressing her cheek, the bow of her mouth. "For protecting you. Us," he added, meeting her stunned expression with unflinching authority.

Kelly closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, Will. That explains it. That explains everything, why you've been more relaxed, happier, for the last week." She opened her eyes to meet his. "Doesn't it."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I don't know what to think about that," she said, looking out the window at the bodies milling past them while they sat stationary.

"I wantcha to feel safe with me, Kelly. I wantcha to know I'll never give anybody the chance to hurt you, to hurt me, ever again. I didn't choose this war, but I can choose how to fight it, and this is how I'm gonna do it. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," Kelly murmured, twining her arms around his neck and holding him, cheek to cheek. He went from rigid to searching for her tenderness, wrapping his arms tightly around her, enclosing her with his devotion.

"It's all legal and licensed and everythin'. I didn't get it from a guy, I bought it at a gun shop and took shooting lessons," he said in a rush of words and emotion.

Kelly laughed despite herself. "You didn't use your guy this time."

"Un unh, the whole shebang's on the up and up, I swear."

"I get it, I do. But I'm still not sure I'm comfortable with the whole idea. I've seen the havoc a bullet can wreak, and that can't be taken back. Once it's done, it's done-"

"I don't give a crap," he snapped, "and I won't hesitate. There is no choice between them or us. None." Will released her and stepped out of the Jeep in one fluid motion, then slammed the door closed behind him. He faced the towering wall of the stadium, his thumb hovering over the keypad, waiting for Kelly to get out so he could lock the vehicle.

There was the jaw set she knew so well, the profile she committed to memory when he didn't know she was adoring him. A tide of love swept over her, constricting her heart and making her head dizzy with its totality.

"I know." Kelly climbed out, hiked the leather strap of her bag over her shoulder, and met Will in front of the Jeep. He pocketed the keys, and held his hand out to her, his eyes scanning the parking lot. She took his hand without a word, gripping him tighter when he swept his thumb over hers, and followed him without reservation into the teeming grandstand.

Kelly disregarded her instinct to drop her eyes to the concrete floor when they walked through the security gates, and instead nodded a hello to the officer. He returned her nod and Will's respectful "Thank you, sir," with a quick nod of his own, waving them through to join the ticket line.

It was like Will said, everything was legal. They weren't violating any laws. Her thumb passed over the raised ridge of the scar on his knuckle he would carry for the rest of his life, a constant reminder of the night he almost died trying to protect his son.

They weren't the criminals. Will was right, and that he had the resolve to take matters into his own hands, instead of living in fear and worry, was the ultimate sign of his commitment to her welfare.

The gun was his tangible love for her.

How could she hold that against him?

Kelly moved closer to his side, grasping his forearm with her other hand, as they joined in on the search for lettered and numbered bleacher seats with the rest of the crowd. Their seats proved to be in a choice spot, halfway up the grandstand and midfield. Will kept hold of Kelly's hand while they settled themselves in their fold down chairs and spread her palm over his thigh, his hand over hers. He whistled to the concessions seller and held up two fingers.

"You wanna beer with that?" Will asked, handing Kelly her fully loaded dog.

"Yes, please," Kelly nodded eagerly, the smell of the bean chili and tangy mustard and pungent onions making her go "Mmm!" The beer was cold and had just the right amount of foam, and they enjoyed their first round of stadium snacks as they watched the pregame preparations out on the field and the building excitement of the other fans around them.

Kelly thanked Will, and the corner of his mouth lifted a fraction when she kissed him on the cheek, but his expression remained flinty.

"I'm all done chewin' you out, you know," she told him, trying to get a good shot of the field lined up with her camera without sloshing her half empty beer out of its clear plastic cup.

Will took her cup from her and held it while she took her pictures. "Mm hmm," he replied. His knee ceased its bouncing, but he still wouldn't look at her.

"Want me to stay grumpy so we can have hot makeup sex later?" she asked nonchalantly, letting her camera hang by its strap over the front of her jersey and reaching for her beer.

"I'll have sex with you whether you're grumpy or not, and it'll be hot just the same," he deadpanned, not letting go of her cup until she smiled at him. He nodded once, but the lines between his eyebrows remained in place, and there was no trace of a smile. "Next time maybe I better mention stuff like that to ya."

"Maybe," Kelly said, smoothing over his sideburn with the pad of her thumb until his shoulders relaxed. "We're in this together now, Will. Don't forget that. Please?"

Will caught her hand and rubbed the backs of her fingers over his lips. "I won't. You're my pretty lady. I won't ever forget that."

A cheer erupted from the crowd as the PA system announced the start of the game and the players took to the field. Will and Kelly were standing up in time for the National Anthem, after getting caught up in a pre-game show of their own that left Kelly's lips swollen and Will holding the magazine sized program in front of the bulge in his blue jeans.

Kelly tried not to giggle as he gingerly sat back down.

"Glad you think that's funny," he muttered.

Soon, they were both engrossed in the furor of the match. The Spartans won the coin toss and opted to decline the kick to ensure their first play at the beginning of the third quarter when it could be most critical for a win. It was a sound decision, but most likely unneeded. The home team was on fire though the visitors fought valiantly, and Kelly forgot about taking pictures as she and Will leaped from their seats with the rest of the Michigan State fans. The Spartans were ahead by a field goal when halftime arrived.

"This is an incredible game!" Kelly said. She and Will once again joined in the throng of spectators to step down to the pavilion so Kelly could use the restroom and they could hunt up some more food. Will waited outside the ladies room, chatting with other husbands and boyfriends and fathers, until Kelly reappeared, smiling and refreshed.

"All better?"

"Much!"

They were standing in the middle of the food concession area, debating whether to order nachos or cheese fries, when Will suddenly inhaled sharply through his nose and positioned his hand on his hip, moving in front of Kelly by one step.

Kelly's heart rose to her throat. She slipped her hand under his jacket to rest over his wrist, and peered over his shoulder, trying to spot what had set Will off without being obvious about it.

"Will?" she whispered.

"It's him."

Kelly closed her eyes, afraid to look, and afraid to look away. She took a deep breath and clutched the strap of her bag to keep her fingers from trembling, then opened her eyes, concentrating on the slow pulse of the artery in Will's neck.

"Where?"

"Coming down the stairs," Will said, his voice tight and low.

Kelly let go of Will and pretended to search for something in her bag while she peeked to her right at the wide set of stairs that moved foot traffic in and out of the stadium itself. As far as Kelly could tell, it was the only set of stairs. It was the same set of stairs they had descended, and the same set of stairs they would have to ascend to get back to their seats.

She saw his white hair first. His curls were a striking feature, closely cropped and severe, not loose and silky like Will's sandy brown curls, and Kelly understood why his hair was such an easy feature for Will to recall. He was an imposing man, tall, his mouth a menacing slash and his eyes black.

His eyes made the hair stand up on Kelly's arms, even though she was snug in her sweatshirt and not looking directly at him.

"Sonofabitch."

Will stiffened, and Kelly turned her head.

The man with the dead eyes had come to a halt on the landing. He was staring down his nose directly at them. He rocked back on his heels, his mouth twisting into a cruel smirk.

"I see you, too, you bastard," Will seethed under his breath. He spread his legs and pushed back the side of his jacket to reveal the pistol, hooking his thumb over the edge of his pocket.

Kelly forgot how to breathe as Will's fingers ticed, and the man's dead eyes slitted like a dangerous predator.

Time and space became suspended. The rushing sound in Kelly's ears had reached a crescendo when the tension was shattered by an overzealous fan bumping the white haired man's shoulder as he rushed up the steps, his little cup of blooming onion sauce tipping and splattering over both their pairs of shoes. The man snarled at the innocent passerby, shoving him away, and the fan scampered off, apologizing profusely.

Will seized the chance to make a move while their stalker was occupied. He spun around, grasping Kelly tightly to him by her waist.

"What do we do?" she breathed, keeping pace with Will's purposeful strides.

"We gotta stay in the building," he said in her ear, casting a quick glance over his shoulder. "There's safety in numbers, and he won't try to pull somethin' in this crowd. It'd start a stampede for sure, and he wouldn't wanna risk getting caught up in that. If we try to leave now, he may catch us in the parking lot where there's fewer people. We gotta stay the rest of the game, and blend in with the crowd as much as possible on the way out."

Kelly nodded and gritted her teeth to control the chattering. She studied their surroundings, wracking her brain to add a useful idea to Will's plan. "Here," she directed him, pulling him behind her into a vendor's booth. It was a shallow stall pedaling the usual game wares, including pendants, team apparel, and beer steins. "Sunglasses?" she suggested, holding up a pair for each of them.

"Yeah, we'll save those for outside. They'd be too obvious in here," Will agreed. "Here we go," he said, picking up two ball caps. He hurriedly paid the attendant and handed Kelly a hat, and she gave him a pair of sunglasses, which he stowed away in his chest pocket for the time being. "Make sure ya put your hair up in that for me, okay?" Will told her, adjusting his cap low on his forehead, so it hid the upper half of his face. His curls popped out riotously in the back, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Kelly did as he instructed her, winding her hair in a knot and covering everything up with the leaf green hat. She blended in perfectly with the rest of the forest of Spartan supporters.

Will nodded, satisfied, but his lips were pressed in a grim line as he studied the crowd walking by from under the bill of his hat. Kelly followed his lead and pretended to check out the rest of the booth's offerings, glancing furtively around them.

"The coast seems clear?"

Will grunted. He gave it another minute, then took Kelly by the hand and joined in with the traffic surging back into the stands in the last minute rush to get back to their seats before play resumed. Their quest for more food was forgotten as they clumped up the steps, but Kelly didn't complain. Her appetite disappeared as soon as she saw the man with the dead eyes. She hoped his image wouldn't haunt her dreams that night.

Although Will was clearing hurdles left and right to be with Kelly, they were still separated when they slept. Maybe his newfound confidence inspired by his new acquisition would give him the conviction he needed to give up his armchair assignment in the living room. Kelly wouldn't say anything to him about it, but she would be ecstatic if tonight was the night he chose to stay with her in the bedroom.

That man scared her. Kelly wished she could whisk Will away to another town, another state, never mind up one floor. Maybe she should start carrying a firearm as well, that man scared her that much.

She loved Will that much.

"You okay, pretty lady?" he asked her, his voice hoarse, when they had settled themselves back into their assigned seats.

"I'm okay," she assured him with a firm nod. She had all the strength he required of her, to be his.

Will kept his arm around her for the duration of the game. They hadn't lost all their excitement for the showdown to victory playing out before them, but they remained alert. The clock had ticked down to the ten minute mark in the last quarter when the skies decided to open up in a sudden downpour. Kelly raced to retrieve their ponchos out of her bag, and they figured out how to pull on the unwieldy squares of plastic before they were totally soaked.

"Now we really blend into the crowd," Kelly quipped, poking Will in the ribs with her elbow. "We look like a bunch of ducks with green bills," she giggled.

Will squinted at her through the raindrops leaking down the hood of his poncho and over the end of his ball cap. "What a buncha dummies, sittin' out in the damn rain, hunh?" he groused, his lips trying not to curve in a smile.

Kelly stole a quick kiss, and was reassured by his warm mouth. "This dummy wouldn't want to be anywhere else but with you, dummy."

"I know it's only been a couple months, but I think I really like you," Will murmured, brushing off the droplets of water clinging to her eyelashes with gentle fingers.

"I think I really like you, too, Will."