A/N: Welcome back ladies and...well, I actually assumed you were all chicks. Well anyway. I'm sort of leaning towards O.C. for a second romance, unless anyone really despises him that's probably where this is heading...then possibly into a triangle...or maybe not. I don't know how everyone would feel about a Rizzo/Nikki/? triangle. If anyone really has strong feelings about that let me know, otherwise I'm gonna say no.

Nikki entered the house to find her parents sitting at the kitchen table, her father was staring intently at a piece of paper and her mother was...accounting, or something along those lines she was sure.

"Hi mom, dad," she started.

"Oh, honey you're filthy," Patti began. "What where you doing?" Nikki shrugged.

"Nothing much," she assured. "Do we have food yet? I'm starved."

"Yes, I went shopping today," Patti started as Nikki sat down with a glass of milk.

"So how we doing dad?" she inquired. He seemed not to have heard her, and went on with studying his sheet of paper.

"Come on Rizzo, why can't you find the net?" He mumbled to himself, setting down the paper in frustration. "I don't want to cut this kid, he's done everything I've asked."

"You can't cut Rizzo!" Nikki protested anxiously. Herb looked at her in confusion.

"Since when has little miss anti-hockey been so concerned about who makes the team?" He asked.

"He deserves to be on the team," she insisted. "We both know it, you told me he was going to be the captain. I mean, if you cut him, who's going to be the captain?"

"Someone else I guess," he answered.

"But if you didn't chose them in the first place then they weren't good enough," she reminded him.

"Any one of these boys is good enough," Herb corrected her.

"Then why didn't we have twenty co-captains in the first place—second place—first place?"

"Because it doesn't work that way," he told her.

"Than make it work that way!" She yelled. "You've changed every other rule American Hockey has ever had. Why not this? Because he stood out; the boys can rally behind him, because he's kind, and he's hopeful, and he's a leader, and because he puts up with you and your bullshit. That's why you were going to make him the captain in the first place. He stands out, and not because he's the only Italian on this Irish monopolized team. In your heart you knew that, and if you're going to do this right daddy," her tone softened as she realized she had been screaming in the middle of the night. "Daddy, you just follow your heart, and you'll know what's best...for the team."

"Or for you?" he asked knowingly.

The next game the boys played was against Harvard, who they basically shut down. Nikki knew her father was really happy about it, the boys were really happy about it, and she was proud of the way they were finally coming together. Jimmy's dad showed up, and they were off talking as the rest of the team boarded the bus.

"How we doing Jimmy?" Nikki started slipping an arm around his waist as he came back to the bus.

"Good," he answered strongly. "Real good."

"Alright," she started giving him a play pat on the rear end as he boarded the bus.

"Did you just smack my ass?" He looked back at her.

"Hockey players don't do that?" She asked in confusion.

"Not to my knowledge," he answered.

"Opps, sorry, I take it back," she defended. He shook his head and got to his seat. She turned to find her father giving her a Coach Look. "I didn't know!" She insisted throwing up her arms in defeat.

First thing at their next practice Nikki was helping the boys stretch out while Coach Brooks and Craig were talking off to the side.

"Switch," she called going to stretch out her other leg.

"Rizzo's making diner tonight, boys," one of the boys started, she wasn't sure who. "You know there's gonna be some meatballs." Laughter.

"You boys keep eating them I'll keep making them," Rizzo put in. More laughter.

"I think you guys are insane to eat that stuff," Bah added. "No offence Rizzo." And again, came more laughter.

"I'd invite you over my place," Nikki put in. "But I'd be too afraid my mom would have to break out the shot gun, or something drastic like that. I can see her now: 'Get out of my house', coming after you with a butcher's knife or something, turning into a scene out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie." Laughter again.

"Is there a gas leak around here or something, because apparently we're all high right now," Wells put in.

"Hey Timmy!" Coach Patrick called. Another hockey player came out on the ice. All the boys looked on with suspicion and distaste.

"Hey who is that?" Rizzo asked.

"Timmy Harrer," Bah answered. "Plays for the Gophers."

"How prestigious is a gopher I mean honestly, can't we have a better state animal?" Nikki started.

"There having a big year," he continued.

"Did you know he was coming," a few of the boys were asking.

"No," other boys were answering.

"Hey Nikki, did you know he was coming," Mac asked. Nikki shook her head.

"No," she insisted. "No my dad didn't say anything about this."

Nikki was in the lockers with the boys that afternoon, as they were packing up their things.

"See you, boys," Timmy started out, the first to leave. Nikki stuck her tongue out at him as he left.

"This is ridiculous," Mike Ramsey started.

"Don't worry about it Rammer," Rizzo started. "It'll be alright, right O.C."

"Herb's not gonna do a damn thing boys," O.C. assured with a cocky grin on his face. "He's just messing with our minds."

"You so sure about that, Jack?" Nikki asked uneasily, setting herself down next to Rizzo and leaning over on him.

"Yea," He nodded confidently. "I do."

"Well we all know Herb made the Olympic team back in '60," Jimmy put it.

"So?" Jack asked.

"So a week before the games Coach Riley calls him into his office and sends him home," Jimmy continued.

"What's your point?" Jack pressed.

"A week later Herb's sitting on his couch with his old man watching his team go on to win the gold medal," Jimmy went on. "Come that close and get nothing, he'll do whatever it takes. I guess that's my point."

Nikki entered the room, were her father was heating up something to eat for them, and found him talking on the phone, as her mother came down stairs.

"I understand that Walter," he said in frustration then hung up a moment later.

"What's the matter?" Nikki inquired.

"Nothing," her father shot back.

"When you say nothing like that it is not nothing," Nikki protested. "I mean nothing is definitely something. No such thing as nothing."

"There's talk Carter may boycott the Moscow games next summer," he answered sitting down to eat.

"So if we don't go there, they might not come here," Nikki answered.

"Right," he answered.

"Don't do thing to yourself, Herb, there are things you can control, and things you can't," Patti added.

"No milk," he started going into the ice box.

"You'll still have everything you want here in Minnesota," Patti assured him.

"Don't tell me what I'll have Patti," Herb shot. "You don't know this enough to tell me that."

"I understand you being upset when I say you work too hard teaching a simple game," Patti shot back angrily. "But don't ever criticize me for caring about you." With that she just walked away.

The boys were running plays at practice the next morning. Nikki watched Rizzo with the puck, and grimaced as he missed the goal completely.

"Come on, Rizzo!" her father yelled, exasperated.

"I know Coach, I know," Rizzo defended.

"You know, then why did you do it," Herb yelled. "Again? You better start putting the puck into the net, Rizzo, or you're not going anywhere. And don't think I won't do it."

Mike came back to the bench, crest fallen. Nikki gave him a pat on the arm.

"Chin up," she urged. "I want to see those beautiful brown eyes." And the smile came back as he gave her a hug.

At the next game, against the NHL All Stars, Nikki sat next to Rizzo on the bench practically the whole game; she thought he played once, while her father leaned over speaking encouraging words to Timmy Harrer, who the rest of the team had grown to despise. She wasn't even sure who won the game in the end. She hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to that.

Twisted up inside, sad but true

Going out of my mind, thanks to you

What were you thinking when you smiled your sweet smile?

You must've known that it would rock my world.

I got a feeling you got something that I've got to have

I've got it bad, and baby that's a good thing

Falling in love that's a good thing

Can't get enough of your good thing

That's a good thing.

She was thinking about everything but that. Like what would happen if her father sent Rizzo home? She realized the only Rizzo she knew played hockey, is that all he did, or did he have another job. If he was cut from the team, would they stay in touch? Or did he have a girlfriend back in Winthrop, Massachusetts. Would he have expected her to get her dad to keep him on the team...and then she decided...they needed to talk.

Then she started to ponder how she could approach him, and went through every possible greeting from "Hey, sweetie, you got a minute?" to "Look you son of a bitch, I've got something to say, so shut up and listen." And it was at that point that she decided she really aught to stop pondering.

After the game Rizzo was the last one left in the locker room, as Nikki was quite confident he would be as she slipped into the room. After all, she had picked up more about these twenty-odd boys than anyone else.

Dangerous, yea, that's you

And the two of us, oh, what we could do.

What were you thinking when you smiled your sweet smile?

You must've known that it would rock my world.

I got a feeling you got something that I've got to have

I've got it bad and baby, that's a good thing

Falling in love that's a good thing

Can't get enough of your good thing

That's a good thing.

"Hey...Rizzo," she started, catching his attention as he packed up his things. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," he answered in the most generous warm way, as she sat next to him.

"I don't think, we can just ignore what my dad is doing right now," she said.

"We as in you and me?" he asked.

"No," she started. "We—as in the team and myself. This isn't fair to any one of you, and you know that, I know that, so how can you not know that. You boys have been busting your asses for Herb for how long, and he's repaying you by bringing in outsiders." She stopped looking a little weird. "Did that sound as stupid out loud as I think it did?" He nodded.

"It sounded pretty stupid," he admitted.

"But anyway, I just need you to know, It's not right," she continued. "I know this is all very repetitive at this point, but someone needs to stand up to him, and I know the boys won't do it without you. This team needs you, and you need to prove that to Herb."

"They don't need me," he corrected her. "They've got Timmy Harrer."

"Don't say that," she started heatedly. "That's not even what I meant. Timmy Harrer can play, we know that, he made that point very evident some time ago, but he can't hold this team together, he doesn't have a tenth of your spirit, your desire. That's what the team needs, that's what I need right now, and I love you, and I'm scared." She took a deep breath to keep from crying. "I'm so scared of not being with you. I don't know what I'd do without you; you're the last thing I can hold onto. I can't think about anything else sometimes, and I'm just scared."

"Hey," he began pulling her into an encouraging hug. "You don't ever have to worry about that, okay." He kissed her forehead gently. "We're going to be okay, no more worries." Nikki closed her eyes trying her hardest to tuck away every smell and every sensation there was in being held safe in the arms of Mike Eruzione. Her favorite place in the world.

Out of breath, loosing sleep

Girl you put your spell on me

I see your fire, feel it burn

I'm past the point of no return.

What were you thinking when you smiled your sweet smile?

You must've known that it would rock my world.

I got a feeling you got something that I've got to have

I've got it bad, and baby that's a good thing

Falling in love that's a good thing

Can't get enough of your good thing

That's a good thing.1

There was a loud bang as the door hit the wall, as some of the boys stormed in.

"Rizzo!" Came the penetrating sound of the voice of Robbie McClanahan. "We need to...wow, are we interrupting something?" Nikki and Rizzo looked over to where Mark Johnson, O.C., and Mac had stopped dead after bursting into the room.

"No," Nikki assured them confidently. "We were just talking."

"Herb," Coach Patrick started, climbing onto the bus. "Some of the boys want to have a word." They waited in a small huddle as Herb came down off the bus.

"This better take about two seconds," he warned.

"This is crazy, Herb," O.C. started. "Bringing him in this late."

"We've got parents buying tickets, getting rooms," Mac started. "It makes it hard knowing what to tell them."

"And with one of us going home as it is," O.C. added.

"I guess I don't have to ask where you stand on this," Herb started, looking to where his daughter was holding hands with Mike. "Do I Rizzo?" Nikki squeezed his hand encouragingly, trying not to look at her father, for fear of saying something stupid.

"You want me to say I'm scared of getting cut," Rizzo began. "I'm scared of getting cut, we all are."

"We just want it to be fair, Herb," O.C. put in.

"Don't even try to talk to be about fair," Herb protested. "He was right there in Colorado."

"That was six months ago," Rizzo protested.

"You don't think he's been playing for the last six moths?" Herb asked.

"Not with us," he protested.

"Like hell, there is," Herb shot. "All I know is that kid can flat out play."

"What? And we can't," Mac interjected.

"He's got a smooth stick, soft hands," Herb started. "Great vision on the ice. And let me tell what else he's got; he's got the attitude I want on and off the ice , so somebody better tell me why I shouldn't give him a hell of a look."

"Because we're a family," Mark Johnson finally spoke up.

"What?" Herb gave him a look of confusion.

"We're a family," Mark insisted.

"One hell of a family you've got here," Herb shot back.

"Well this is the family you made us," Nikki retorted. "And if you don't like it, then...tough!"

"And this is the family you want to go to Lake Placid with?" Coach Brooks asked.

"Absolutely," O.C. put in.

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Mac agreed.

"Timmy Harrer can help us boys," herb started. "And I'm gonna send him home. We've got one more to get down to twenty. You understand?" They nodded, and Herb got back on the bus.

"Alright," they all sighed in relief, going back to the bus.

1 Brandon Hart lyrics, Good Thing