A/N: Here's another chapter for you guys who were so patient waiting for the last one. I was going to skip ahead more in the story in the chapter I had planned to write but I thought I could add some twists. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, I really do read them and take them all into account when I write! And don't get too mad at me for the end of this chapter…;)

"Please come with me, Charlotte. I don't want you here by yourself if you're going to keep this up." Sid's voice sounded exhausted. Exhausted from trying to deal with me for the past 4 days. And I couldn't blame him; I was being extremely difficult about everything and just didn't know what to do with myself.

"And do what? Sit in a hotel room all alone? I can mope here, thanks."

I got off his bed from beside his suitcase as he packed, and went to the bathroom. I really did have to pee, but I just didn't want to hear him lecture me any more about failure and success and blah blah blah. I didn't have to be rude to him about it, considering he was a saint for putting up with me, but everything had always worked out for him somehow, and here I was. Denied from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, in a long distance relationship half the time, and stuck in a city I still don't even know. The long distance relationship was something I could handle, don't get me wrong. I had done it before and it wasn't the distance that made things difficult, but the loneliness that came with being away from my family and not having friends here. Or anywhere anymore really.

"Charlotte," Sid said quietly as he knocked on the door twice.

"What?"

"Atleast come to New York. Then you can go home for a little while if you need to."

My heart sank a little. I really needed to go home and get my head on straight. I needed to talk to my family about what I should do and a break from being lonely when Sidney was gone, because even though I had Lindsey, she was also a fulltime grad student. I didn't want to leave Sid so I guess going as far as New York on this next road trip wouldn't kill me, and it would be easy to get home from there.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"I'll come."

I opened the door and crashed my body into his, needing to feel his arms around me. He kissed my forehead and held me close to him. He was the only thing I knew I wanted right now, and I couldn't figure out what the hell I needed to do with my life aside from be with Sid. That was definite.

"Let's get your butt packed then, we need to be at the airport in a few hours."

I took a separate plane from the team but met Sid at our hotel in New York City that night. We would have two nights here together before he took off for Toronto Friday and then to Philly for their game Saturday. The first night we had reservations at a restaurant called Maialino by Gramercy Park and got dressed up for our private dining venture. The city was cold for the first of December but the night was clear and we had a driver take us through the city so we could do some sightseeing without actually having to battle the brisk air and possibly unwanted attention. Dinner was nice too, and our conversation wasn't geared towards the horrible past few days I had had which was a good change of pace. Sid had an interview and cover shoot for a spread in Sports Illustrated tomorrow before the game so we mostly talked about that. But I could tell something had been on his mind during that conversation, and he finally spilled it.

"How do you feel about going public with our relationship?" He asked, timidly – like he was afraid I would say no.

"Aren't we already pretty public?" I asked, sort of confused about what he was asking.

"I mean, I always get asked that question…and I never answer it. But people speculate and there are rumors flying about us and maybe we should just confirm it – put it out there." This was definitely something he had never done before, and I could tell he didn't know if it was the right thing to do. But I honestly didn't see a problem with it, especially since if he was asking then he didn't expect anything to happen to our relationship between now and when the magazine is published, and neither did I.

"I think it's fine, if you're okay with it. People see us out sometimes anyway, now we wouldn't really have to worry about what to say. It's not like Sports Illustrated is a tabloid or anything, and the whole article wouldn't revolve around it. So I don't see any harm in it."

He liked my argument and we wrapped up dinner, ready to get back to the hotel and just enjoy each other's company. The king size bed looked way too welcoming but I made a point to kick my heels off and head to the bathroom to wash off my make up before changing into some more comfortable clothes. I returned to the room to find Sid in just his briefs, lying on top of the duvet with his iPhone in hand. I stripped down and stole a Penguins shirt out of his bag, and curled up next to him after pulling it on.

"Hey." His voice was soft and melted like butter in my ears.

"Hey," I echoed, looking up into his brown eyes.

"You're beautiful," he said, pulling me flush against his warm body.

I smiled and kissed his smooth cheek, thankful I had a guy like him to tell me that every day. His lips caught mine and suddenly I forgot about the rejection letter and the hell the past few days had been and immersed myself completely in the situation. He had a gravitational pull and I couldn't avoid it, even if I had been in the worst mood.

He shifted so his body hovered over mine, and deepened each kiss as our lips met. I craved his touch and his hand rubbing my hip and side was electric.

"I love you," I said, breaking away from his lips for a moment.

He looked down at me, his eyes loving and focused entirely on me.

"I love you too," he said.

"No, like I really love you. I mean it. I'm sorry I've been such a bear lately, you don't deserve to have to be around me when I'm like that." All of a sudden I was very apologetic. He was always too good to me. He was such a sweet person without a bad bone in his body (well, off the ice…) and I honestly didn't deserve to be with him.

"Stop talking," he whispered, and I felt his smile on my lips before I could say another word.

He slid the shirt I had stolen from him up and over my head, revealing my bare torso, and started kissing my body slowly from the crease of my jawbone and my neck to the dip in my collarbone, across my chest to each nipple and then down the midline of my stomach. And then he tugged at my thong and slid it down my slender legs. I pulled him close to me and kissed him with every ounce of love I had in me for him, and pulled down his briefs. He knew I wouldn't be able to tug them off myself so he added them to the other strewn about clothes on the floor.

He positioned himself between my legs and slid into me without a word. I think we had come to a mutual agreement that we would only have to feel each other and that would be enough tonight. I rocked my body with his, planting my feet on the bed so I could move my hips with each thrust Sid gave. The rippling muscles of his back fit in my palms and I grabbed and clawed at them slowly as we moved, and he buried his face into my neck, kissing and exhaling his soft groans into it.

Making love instead of fucking was a good change of pace – not that we ever fucked lovelessly or didn't care about one another's needs – but it was reassuring that we were supposed to be together and truly wanted each other in every sense of the word. He wasn't a replacement or a rebound. I was supposed to be here with him right now and this just solidified that notion.

We stayed in this position but just quickened the pace, and after a little while longer, we both reached our climax, and fell asleep tangled in the soft hotel sheets, floating to sleep on a cloud of ecstasy.

The next day was a little hectic. Sid had morning skate so we woke up with the sun and got room service before he had to leave. I busied myself by talking to my dad, and let him know my plan for coming home. I'd be on my way to Boston tomorrow and would stay for about a week, returning to Pittsburgh for their match against the Bruins next Thursday. He thought it was a good idea for me to get my head on straight and reset. Being home for just one or two days wasn't enough and I needed to be around my family. My brother, who had luckily survived our eventful night last Friday and made it home Saturday night, had a few games that I wanted to go to next week and I needed to make things right with Allison.

Sid wanted me to meet him at Madison Square Garden for the Sports Illustrated shoot, so I had a car pick me up around 11. SI had originally wanted to do the shoot in Pittsburgh on home ice and in the Pens dressing room but schedule conflicts on both ends had forced the shoot to take place in New York, which wasn't such a bad compromise.

When I got there, a woman named Claire met me at the door with an access pass and I followed her through the building to the visiting dressing room. Sid's interview was just about to start, and he sat in his gear overtop some Under Armour but wasn't wearing a jersey. A very well dressed man sat next to him with a tape recorder, and they both stood up when I entered the room.

I smiled at Sid, who introduced me to the interviewer. The man said his name was Brian and extended his hand, which I shook before I took a seat next to Claire on the bench in front of Fleury's cubby to watch the interview unfold. Brian had a weird air about him – I couldn't quite place it but his perfect smile seemed like it should be crooked. But Brian mostly asked Sid about the team's success this season so far. After the past few games, they had attained the second spot in the Eastern Conference, but still fell short to the Bruins, who they would be facing again shortly in Pittsburgh. Sid never once attributed his own success to his finely tune skills. It was all about his team, his lineys, and his goal tenders. Brian actually mentioned how Sid was the most selfless captain he had ever interviewed, and Sid just shrugged, explaining he couldn't face another team on the ice alone and pull off a win.

Some more questions about tonight's game and Sid's pregame rituals were asked, and then finally the bomb was dropped.

"So I see this beautiful lady sitting next to us, and it's known that you're extremely guarded about your private life, but I have to ask…" Brian flashed an almost apologetic smile to Sid and I laughed quietly to myself as the guy thought he was going to crack the code or something with Sid. It was pretty obvious who I was, and he was just fishing for gossip.

"Yeah, that's my girlfriend. She's great, really great." Sid's confession actually shocked the reporter. Sid? Talking about his personal life? Unheard of. But Brian took it and ran with it.

"Does your relationship affect your game…I mean your success at all?" Brian dug deeper.

"Uh yeah, I think so. I play well when I'm in a good mood and she makes me pretty happy."

"I can count the number of times you've dropped the gloves on one hand, fewer for your opponent actually, and rumors have flown surrounding this…was that tussle you had with Tyler Seguin the last time you played Boston related to this relationship in any way? It's no secret what went on with Charlotte and Tyler. Is it going to affect your match against them this week?"

Oh. Wasn't expecting that one – neither of us were, judging by the quick look Sid gave me. He was sorry, and so was I. I was honestly just offended that this guy bothered to even feed into the rumors but I guess it was his job and I couldn't lose my temper. This was important for Sid, and while it might not have been a good question to ask, it was done.

"Fights on the ice usually steam from how the game is being played. Boston is a physical team and it was a physical game…and we were expecting that. There's a level of preparedness that the team needs to meet for games like these and while we may have mentally been ready, I personally couldn't predict a fight between Seguin and me. We just had a disagreement on the ice and that was that. I guess when we play them next week we'll just have to stay on our toes."

Sid was able to deflect the question while still answering it, which was a relief. They had a disagreement on the ice because of me… and Sid had most definitely provoked it, but he worded his answer the way anyone would expect Sid to address a situation like that. I didn't want Tyler involved in this interview at all, nor was I expecting him to be involved, and beating around the bush like Sid had was probably the best and Brian got the hint that he shouldn't have gone there.

"We're glad the hit wasn't as serious as it looked then, considering your absence from a few games."

"Same. I haven't seen any footage of the hit but I sure felt it. And the time off was just precautionary – another bad blow to the head could put me out permanently so we didn't want to take any chances and put me in the game if I could be showing concussion-like symptoms again."

"Well said, I'm glad the air is cleared about a few things then."

This Brian guy was slimy, and after a few closing questions, the interview was done. The unexpected turn it had taken was a little disheartening but no truth was really bent – it just wasn't very appropriate for a big time magazine interview.

People descended upon Sid as soon as Brian left. Hair and makeup people getting him camera ready for the shoot, the photographer trying to discuss his view for the images he wanted to capture. Sid was very quiet through it all, answering questions simply. I just hung out, not really sure what to do with myself, but they had apparently constructed a makeshift set out on the ice and on the bench while Sid was in his interview.

While everyone shifted gears, I went out into the stands and made a comfortable spot for myself. The set was definitely thrown together, but I'm sure there were certain restrictions about lighting and what sort of equipment they could use so they wouldn't damage the playing surface irreparably before the game tonight.

After about a thousand frames had been shot of Sid on the ice and leaning in various ways against the boards and on the bench, all with jersey-on and jersey-off poses, the shoot was finally over.

The Rangers game was possibly more intense than the Flyer's game. The first two and a half periods were physical and scoreless, then with ten minutes left in the third, the Penguins scored, and the Rangers echoed it within less than a minute, tying the game 1-1. At the two-minute mark, everyone was certain the game was going to go into overtime with the way both teams were playing. No progress was really being made on either side and the clock bled out until Sid's line was sent to the ice in the last 20 seconds. A play was set up when the Penguins got possession of the puck and after some passing, Dupuis fed the puck to Sid and he got a quick shot on the goal as they approached the Ranger's net.

And it went in.

The team was ecstatic, and with this win, the Penguins became tied for first place with the Bruins point-wise. I knew Sid would have a lot of press to deal with after the game so I decided to meet him back at the hotel to congratulate him the best way I knew how.

Suddenly I was back in Boston. It snuck up on us and it was hard to leave Sidney for a week but we both had things to take care of. My dad met me at the airport on his lunch break in his BMW and drove me back home to Wellesley with him.

We pulled up to our familiar home that I missed exponentially, but a dark car sat in our driveway. Are you fucking kidding me?

"You didn't tell me Tyler was here," I grumbled, wishing I could move his Maserati out into the middle of traffic with my eyes.

"I uh.. I wasn't expecting him to be here actually. Braedon's home so I'm sure that's why he's here."

I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, hauling my suitcase out of my dad's trunk. He tried to take it for me and wheel it into the house but I protested and was adamant that I do it myself. I knew Tyler and Braedon saw a lot of each other, and I couldn't stop them from being brothers more than anything, but it irked me that Braedon knew I was coming home and still let my ex over. I assumed by the absence of my mom's car that she and Allison probably went out before he came back from the city for the weekend, and didn't feel the need to mention my ETA to him.

I walked inside with my dad, who insisted he come inside to make sure no drama went down, and didn't need to walk two steps before I saw Tyler, his friend Freddy and my little brother making lunch in the kitchen – music blasting, food everywhere, a couple beers on the counter. It took them a second to see me, not having heard the door open.

"Everything okay in here, boys?" My dad's deep voice boomed through the house, interrupting their bro session.

"Shit," Braedon muttered, and turned off the kitchen stereo.

I just took my suitcase and lugged it up the stairs, shaking my head as I started walking.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't realize you were coming home this early," Braedon apologized, as he ran to the foot of the grand staircase.

"Don't worry about it," I said curtly, and hiked up the rest of the stairs to my room.

I could hear my dad's voice from my bed as I laid there, trying to think of what to do. I figured hiding out up here would be the best and least stressful plan of action. But my dad didn't stay long and the loud music sounded through the house in no time.

After a while, I heard a knock on my door. It was locked, so no one could get in, and I didn't feel like responding. But there was a knock again. I hadn't noticed the music stop downstairs which surprised me but I finally decided to get up and open it.

"Ty, I-"

I didn't have time to say more than two words before his lips were on mine – and the worst part was that I didn't even think twice before kissing him back. My hands cupped his scruffy face and he pushed me further into the room, closing the door behind him. I ripped the black t-shirt he was wearing over his head and he unzipped the dress I was wearing and had it down to my ankles in seconds. I reached for his belt as I stepped out of the dress, kicking off the heels I hadn't thought to take off, and had him naked before me as he unhooked my bra and slid off my panties.

"Fuck, I've missed you," he panted, pulling his lips away from mine, and crashed his hips into me, forcing the backs of my knees against the bed.

We laid down, his sculpted frame on top of my comparatively tiny one, and explored each other's mouths with our tongues, revisiting our familiar bodies. He was much more aggressive than Sid in bed, that was for sure, but he wasn't very rough. Just eager. I rolled him over onto his back and straddled his hips, holding his stiff erection in my hand, stroking it as I sucked on his neck and kissed his chest. I grabbed a condom and slid it down his length, which was actually more impressive than Sidney's.

I lowered myself down on just the tip of his penis. He groaned, as I teased him, lifting my hips up and down just enough to only envelop the throbbing head of his dick inside me. He was losing it, begging me to fuck him before he couldn't take it anymore.

"Fuck me," he growled, demandingly. And I did. I planted my lips on his as I slowly took him completely inside me, and rode his dick as he moaned, his hands on my hips as my body moved up and down. It felt impossibly good – and I leaned back, bracing myself on his thighs, and fucked him that way so his dick would hit my g-spot. But when I had enough of that, I leaned forward and kissed him fully, taking his bottom lip between my teeth and quickening the pace.

"Yeah… yeah… oh god.." He was practically whimpering, the pleasure building up inside him to the point where he was going to go off the edge. "Charlotte… Charlotte…"

"Charlotte… Charlotte?" All of a sudden the voice coming from his mouth was my mother's, and I opened my eyes to see her standing over me as I laid on my bed, still in my dress and heels I wore traveling.

"Charlotte, are you alright?" She looked concerned and I sat up quickly, my heart pounding.

"Uh yeah, sorry I guess I just fell asleep…"

"Okay, well we're having dinner in a half hour. Tyler's still here so please just behave." My mom was out of my room in seconds after that.

My mind was swirling. I checked my phone and saw that I had two texts from Sid. And the time… I was asleep for hours. But the dream was still fresh in my mind and my stomach churned at the thought of what had happened – my mind had thought was acceptable to basically recreate that night on New Years but in the setting of my own bedroom. But what did that even mean? I had honestly never had a sex dream before, and now this…with Tyler?

Shit.