Right so I'm officially out of my mind. There are some inconsistencies in this chapter, but I'm sort-of setting up for a possible sequel, if anyone wants a sequel that is. Any way I had this bazaar dream the other night. The Miracle guys were on this Survivor type show and it was just crazy. I shot up in bed yelling: "I've got to write." So this is pretty stupid...

Now this is new and improved, because I was examining my plot for the sequel the other day...and it was horrible. Thank God for winter break, the sequel is up and coming.

11

Nikki was in the locker room with the boys as they were discussing what to do that night.

"You want to get some food," O.C. asked. Buzz, across the room, nodded at him.

"Nikki, you and Rizzo coming with us?" He asked.

"Where are you going?" she inquired watching Wells shove a sock in Dave Christian's face out of the corner of her eye.

"How about Mario's?" O.C. asked above the bustling in the lockers. "Mario's?"

"Naw," she started. "I had some bad seafood last night; it's not sitting well with me. I need to get something a little less greasy."

"You want to invite that friend Lola of yours?" O.C. asked, pleaded.

"For you Jack, anything," she answered light-heartedly, leaning over into Rizzo, a quite typical posture for them now. It was quite hard not to notice they were always next to each other, touching one another: holding hands, having their arms around each other, she's lean into him if they were just standing around.

It wasn't hard to tell they were fond of one another, but what was hard to notice, was the way Coach Patrick slipped into the room, and went up to Ralph but the whole world stopped when those feared words were spoken:

"Coxie, Coach wants to have a word with you."

Mike looked over, compassion written all over his face as Ralph smiled and got up. Nikki watched him go with a knot tied in her stomach, and when the door shut she buried her face in Rizzo's arm.

"What's wrong?" He asked sensitively, brushing her hair back, although he still hadn't recovered from what had just happened. Her heart sunk lower in her chest as she croaked out an answer.

"I'm glad it wasn't you." He pulled her into a tight hug, and started in a voice ridden with guilt:

"Yea, so was I."

We all make sacrifices, even if we don't realize it at the time, but what most people don't understand is when you sacrifice something, you don't give it up, you pass it on for the greater good of everything. What's really important is knowing what to sacrifice, what to give up and what to hold onto.

Now the team still had many more sacrifices to make, some they would make consciously, others, not, but right now all any one knew was that they were going to face the Soviet Hockey team for the first time at Madison Square Gardens. This was the first game where there would be full media coverage. The first real big thing they were up against.

Within the first few moments of the game Nikki found herself already on the edge of her seat. The Soviets were relentless, scoring there first goal after Jack lost sight of the back door and from there things went steadily down hill for team United States, losing the game 4 to 1.

Lola came rushing down the stadium stairs after Nicolette once the majority of the crowds had dispersed.

"Oh my God is he okay," she started frantically. Nikki shook her head.

"We don't know," she admitted uneasily.

"Can I get back to see him," Lola began hopefully. "Please? Please?" Nikki looked around cautiously.

"Yea, come on," she urged quietly, taking her back to the locker room where O.C. was stretched out on the doctor's table with his leg propped up on a bag of ice.

"I need to go catch up to my dad," Nikki started. "I'll be back in a minute." Lola went over and touched his arm gently. He forced himself up on his elbows to look at her with tears in his eyes.

Lola took one look at him and put her arms around him without a word. Jack was trying to get as close to her as he could without moving his leg. He gave her a kiss on the cheek; she gave him a peck on the lips.

"When'd you get here?" He asked, breaking the tender moment.

"I missed you a lot," she admitted in a wavering voice, as she kissed his cheek. "I missed not watching at practice, and going out for dinner with you and the guys, I missed it a lot."

"I missed it too," he replied and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

Jimmy was chasing after Nikki and her father know.

"You know what I don't understand," he started angrily. "I don't understand you, and your drills and your stupid sayings, and those stupid psychology tests you had everyone take."

"Everyone?" her father shot back. Nikki looked between them in wonder debating whether she should start up the stairs with her father.

"You want me to take your test," Jimmy returned. "I'll take your test."

"I want to see that kid in the net who wouldn't take the test," Herb retorted. Jimmy looked at her and she shrugged in agitation.

"You think I understand him?" she asked. "I don't understand him."

Rizzo sat in his hotel room in his pajamas sometime before midnight, watching the news. He was on his own after O.C. had to be taken to the hospital. Lola had gone with him. It was kind of cute, what they had, and cute wasn't usually O.C.'s style, especially with women.

He was in the middle of making hot chocolate when there was a nock on the door. He got up to answer it and found Nikki standing there biting her nail with tear streaks coming down her face, and puffy red eyes.

Hey little girl is your daddy home

Did he go and leave you all alone

I got a bad desire

I'm on fire

"Hey, what's wrong sweetie?" He began, as she buried her face in his chest.

"My dad and I got in a fight," she explained in agitation, as he pulled her in and sat her down on the sofa. "Another fight."

"Uh oh," he started nervously. "Do I want to hear the end of this story?"

"No," she assured him. "No, not about you. About me, we were fighting about me."

"Do you want to talk?" he asked. She shook her head. "How about some hot cocoa? The good stuff, no 'just add hot water' crap here." She smiled.

"I'd like that," she admitted, smiling as her handed her a cup. "Do you think I'm smart?"

"Of course, I do," Rizzo answered. "I think you're brilliant and insightful, and the most intelligent person I know."

"Apparently my dad doesn't agree with you," she answered solemnly, sipping her cocoa. "You see, we started talking about what I'm going to do after the games, where I'll be applying to college. He wants me to go to a junior college, a community college, or the U. I want to go to a prestigious college, as far from home as I can get. My dad doesn't seem to think I'm competent enough."

"You're dad wants to keep you close," Rizzo assured her. "If you were my daughter I would too."

"Don't listen to that," Rizzo insisted. "We've already agreed that your dad's a few shy of a full deck." She smiled and snuggled up against them, comfortably, closing her eyes. He brushed her hair back gently, setting his chin on her head.

Tell me now baby is he good to you

Can he do to you the things that I do, all night

I can take you higher

I'm on fire

"So you're absolutely alright," he asked in gently concern.

"Absolutely alright," she promised, in a fatigued voice.

"Do you want me to walk you back to your room?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I don't want to go back," she started. "Do you think I could just crash right here on the couch."

"No," he started up. She looked up at him in surprise. "No," he finished. "Go in. Take the bed."

"No you've got practice at 4:30 in the morning, you need to go get some sleep," she insisted.

"Well," he continued. "We could share the bed, if that's okay with you?" Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Mike Eruzione," she began. "There is a thin line between sweet and predatory and you are dancing on it."

"Who's dancing," he defended. "It's a decent sized bed, it's not like we have to be on top of one another." She glared. "Wait that didn't come out right."

"Oh?" she mused.

"Not that I wouldn't mind, being on top of you—no, that's not what I meant—" He defended franticly with odd hand gestures. "I just meant...I'm twisting everything I'm saying."

"Why don't you stop before you hurt yourself," she suggested. "I'm just going to go get settled in."

"Right," he breathed. "I'm just going to clean up." He grabbed the two empty cups of cocoa, and went over into the kitchen, to put them in the sink.

He came back into the bedroom to find Nikki sitting on the bed in his Mickey Mouse shirt, which was about three sized to big on her. He took one look at that and just laughed.

"What are you doing in that thing?" he questioned.

"Getting ready to go to sleep," she answered with a clever smile.

"If you need clothes you could have gotten something clean," he told her.

"I like this shirt," she insisted. "It's soft. It smells like you."

"It smells like sweaty hockey player," he continued.

"Well I like it," she said, as she tucked herself under the sheets, that had the consistency of paper, and he soon followed suit.

"I hate hotel beds," he admitted throwing the comforter to the foot of the bed, before lying down beside her.

"It's not so bad," she assured him, putting a hand on his back. "I'm just thinking of how comfortable I am with you, rather than how uncomfortable I am in this bed."

"I love you," he started, rolling over to face her and give her a kiss on the cheek. She rubbed her nose against his.

"Eskimo kisses," she started sleepily. He smiled at her and she laughed happily, giving him a light kiss on the lips. He was more than happy to kiss her right back. She definitely loved kissing him. Every time he kissed her it was like their first kiss all over again. A rush of new feelings, a happy place in her mind, the rest of the world just went away.

Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull

And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my soul

At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet

And a freight train running through the middle of my head

You can cool my desire

I'm on fire (1)

1 Bruce Springsteen lyrics, I'm on Fire