Ch 10: Hockey Night in Canada

"Yawn…"

"Get lucky last night with some gooood fan fiction?" Kellan smirked, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

"Whatever, Kellan – why don't you get your mind out of the gutter?" I mumbled at him. I was on my fifth cappuccino and I didn't think I'd make it through the day… why did he have to raze me now?

"Oh, someone is a little testy" again with the eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I wasn't up late reading suggestive Fan Fiction last night, Kellan" I shot him a look, "Unlike some people, I can find my satisfaction with a warm body, instead of a cold computer!"

"So, who is the lucky lady?" He teased back.

I wasn't going to win this argument. I was just too tired to out-think him today, as sad as that was. I sighed deeply, "I was just up late – no extra-curricular activities to speak of. Just leave me alone."

"Sure, man – but pull yourself together. Tonight is going to ROCK!" He said. If I was Edward, I would have probably heard the accompanying thought, 'and we don't need you to ruin it by being all grumpy and tired…'

"I'll try to find a moment to rest before tonight so I won't ruin your fun." I promised.

He broke into a wide smile, "Great!"

I survived the morning and joined the rest for lunch. Another huge yawn

"Wow, that is quite the impressive yawn," Kristen pointed out at lunch, "You've been pretty tired all morning. I thought we were over the 'reading fan fiction until the wee hours of the morning' thing."

"Funny, Kellan said something similar…" I replied without humour. All I really wanted to do was find a corner to curl up in.

The rest of the cast took their cue from my tone – and left me alone, going back to their meal. There was very little said and I guessed that I had ruined the mood for everyone. I supposed I really should try to be in better spirits, but I honestly didn't care right then.

I reached for my glass, then set it back down. I wasn't thirsty. I looked down at the plate of food before me. I wasn't hungry. I was just chasing the food around my plate, trying to find some way to comfortably rest my head on my hand.

BANG!!!

What? I thought a moment before the pain hit, and the anger flared up. Who hit me? Kellan? Jackson?

I picked my head up from the table to look at seven pairs of eyes staring back at me, each one a mixture of concern and amusement. I had fallen asleep and hit my head on the table – HARD. It throbbed. I lifted a hand to my head to assess the damage, and felt wetness – ouch that hurt. I pulled my hand away instantly to see a flash of red on my finger.

"Oh blasted – Chris is going to be pissed" I exclaimed.

The laughter, only barely held at bay, burst forth as water from a broken dam. I rolled my eyes, only bringing on more choruses of laughter. I sighed. I'd better go get this checked out…

"Of all the stupid…" Chris was upset. The hit on the head was minor, but the cut and the bump would take some make up and a bit of creative positioning to work around. "You're a professional, Rob – what were you thinking?"

"Ummm" I had mentioned that I had been up late the previous night and that I'd fallen asleep. I didn't mention what I had been doing and he didn't ask. I suppose he had been around long enough that he knew he didn't want to know. I frowned when I considered the possibilities he might consider.

"Forget it – get some sleep!"

"I very much regret this. It won't happen again."

"Well, it isn't a huge deal, just a nuisance… It looks like it should be barely noticeable by Monday."

"Thanks" I headed off to make up to see what they could do.

Fortunately, I was done a bit early. I headed back to my room to lie down before the game. I set the alarm to wake me in two hours, giving me time to put on some appropriate attire for sitting in a cold rink… I dozed off.

In what felt like two seconds, I was awake. Was it time already? I could have slept all night. Well, on with it. Get your spirits up, you've got a hockey game to be cheerful for.

Kellan, Jackson and Peter showed up at my door just thirty minutes later. I had jumped in the shower, hoping that would wake me up, dressed in jeans, with a dress shirt and a sweater… I figured it wouldn't be really cold, but I didn't want to get a chill. I shoved a hat on and followed them down to the lobby.

Kellan had arranged for a car to drive us – well, actually it was a Hummer Limo. Emmett would be proud, I thought sarcastically, This isn't conspicuous at all.

"This game is going to be AWESOME!" Kellan said excitedly as we made our way down to our seats… "Canucks have had a better season, but the Rangers just got Sean Avery back. He's my kind of player!"

"Ya, but can any of them get past Luongo – he's hot right now." Peter pointed out.

"The entire team is on fire. And the Western Division is just so strong this year – I don't think Rangers have a chance." Jackson argued. "Besides, they killed them back in November."

I had no idea what to say….

"Wanna make a bet?" Kellan challenged.

"Sure – let's make this friendly – fifty on Canucks." Jackson accepted

Peter and I looked at each other. This was just a little too close to… fiction.

I found hockey was better then I had expected. For a sport where the players protected themselves from head to toe in gear, it was actually a very brutal sport. Perhaps, because everyone is so protected, it becomes more brutal. I hadn't considered that previously. I might actually be able to get into this.

The game was fast paced and interesting. The Rangers were clearly out classed. Even my uneducated eyes could tell that. But it stayed reasonably close for most of the game, keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Speaking of which, our seats were great. It was exciting to watch the line changes up close and personal and the interactions on the bench – the coaches encouraging the guys, yelling at some of them when they did something stupid.

It wasn't until part way through the third period that the game started to seem out of hand. Canucks were up by 4 goals. The crowd was sated from a recent win streak. There were cheers, but the energy level wasn't as high as it had been when the score was close. I sat back enjoying the camaraderie of friends, the shared pleasure of a clear win, and the slight buzz from a few glasses of Canadian beer on an empty stomach.

As I sat back my seat, I suddenly heard someone talk to me, directly.

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead, Rob, soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what it is easy."

What was that voice? It was familiar, and yet completely out of context. I looked around.

The rink had became dark. I could see no one around me. I was alone.

"Only you can do this, Rob"

Dumbledore? Why was he here at the hockey game?

"He's nothing but a spoiled brat. He is undisciplined, lazy…"

"No, Snape – I can do this. I can!"

"Of course you can, you have more then enough control"

"What do I do, Carlisle?"

"Find the will… Choose… Find the will."

"I'll do it, I'll do the story!"

I stood up, full of purpose and determination… I would do the story! I would find the will!

I was suddenly aware that I was back at GM Place. Kellan, Jackson and Peter were staring at me… along with a large number of fans in our section and a few of the Rangers in the bench five rows ahead of us.

"Ummm" I quickly sat back down.

Kellan was smirking.

I clearly needed to get more sleep… or therapy.