Sheer Gorgeousness

They had won the game, standing to the national anthem after winning the gold medal. Maddie stood proud in the stands, watching Rizzo wave them onto the podium. She slowly walked down the steps and stood outside the arena doors, looking out at the emptying parking lot. She smiled as a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders. She looked and found Jack, Robbie, Mark, Mike, Rizzo and Jimmy. Alex was seen making out with Buzz not twenty feet away and Maddie smiled. Her last day, everyone's last day. The next day everyone was being shipped home.

"I really should outlaw any McClanahan to date a hockey player." Robbie joked.

"Yeah well, what you going to do?" Maddie shrugged.

"I would stop playing if I had too." Jack whispered to Maddie who let out a giggle.

"Brother in view." Robbie announced.

"Doesn't look like they care." Rammer joked.

"She does it because she knows it bugs you." Mark stated.

"Yes." Jimmy added.

"I could have told you that one." Rizzo stated and Rammer nodded.

"She turned our tough guy into a…"

"Lovesick puppy?" Mark joked.

"Watch it." Jack glared.

"I take it back."

Maddie stared at the group of guys wondering when they would ever get to play together again. Where was she going to work in Charlestown? Would it work?

"You coming Madds?" Robbie asked. She had tuned them out.

"Where?"

"To the bar." Mark replied.

"Um…yeah sure." Maddie shrugged.

"Hey, you okay?" Ramsey asked.

"Fine. Did I ever say congrats?" Maddie turned happy.

"No." Jimmy smiled.

"Congratulations." Maddie smiled.

"Thanks." Rizzo said.

Maddie smiled as they headed to the bar downtown. It was packed with people yelling for their teams, mostly the U.S.A. Maddie walked, hand in hand with Jack and beside Robbie. Behind them, walked Alex and Buzz, trying to catch up and Maddie purposely walked slower for them to catch up. They wandered past a store selling U.S.A. stuff and Alex looked over to Maddie and laughed.

"Wonder how much I could sell Robbie for?" Maddie joked.

"Two for the price of one." Alex laughed.

"Buy one get the other half off." Maddie added and the two girls walked along in hysterical laughter.

Many strange looks were given, most of them from the guys they were with, but the girls didn't care, they kept walking, laughing louder with every step. When they walked by a store playing music, they danced, not very well, but they danced, still laughing. Eventually they couldn't breathe and stopped laughing but when they stopped, they started again.

"Hey, you're going to pass out from lack of air." Rizzo stated.

"But at least it won't read 'killed by family member'." Alex laughed harder and Maddie paused for a minute. She smiled but didn't laugh. "Hey, you stopped."

"Yes I did, aren't you a quick one." She laughed again.

"God." Robbie whined.

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"Last time they were like this was last year and they almost passed out from laughing so much. We had to separate them, one on one room, one in a different room."

"I remember that." Alex stated, calming down.

"I was stuck with your little brother." Maddie added.

"But we could still hear you." Robbie said. "Were you talking to each other through your minds?"

"No, we just get each other." Alex shrugged. "Kind of like you and Johnny."

"Where's Johnny?" Maddie asked, it was an inside joke and they laughed again.

"Jannie's packing." Rizzo smirked.

"I should do that too." Maddie wrinkled her nose. "I'll do it later."

"I can't wait to get home." Mark blurted. "I want to see my family."

"And your girlfriend." Jimmy teased.

"At least he has one." Maddie retorted. "Where's yours?"

"In Europe."

"Doing what?" Maddie asked.

"Screwing some French guy." Alex blurted out. "I mean, watching the game, uh…"

Robbie looked at Alex and laughed, Ramsey laughed then Jack, Mark and Rizzo joined too, leaving only Jimmy and Alex to not laughing but Buzz chuckling. Maddie slapped her cousin on the shoulder and walked away, leaving her a few feet behind her group, for the second time that day.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

Maddie sat on her bed, throwing clothes into her suitcase without folding them. She had a pile in the middle of the bag and when Robbie walked in, he dumped them out and started folding. Maddie watched as he folded, Alex left to hang with Buzz, careful not to disturb his concentration.

"Hey Madds, I've been meaning to talk to you about the whole moving thing. Alex gave me an offer on the apartment, do we really need the couch?" Robbie asked.

"No, she can have it all but my clothes." Maddie replied.

"Do you have an idea of what you're going to do, work wise?"

"Go to University and go from there." Maddie answered simply. "You?"

"Get back into hockey."

"Rep?" Maddie asked.

"Whatever I can get."

"Do you ever miss them, mom and dad?" Maddie asked.

"All the time Madds, all the time."

"Is it okay to miss them?"

"Yeah, I know they did some mean things but you can still miss them." Robbie explained.

"You know, if something ever happened to you, I'd miss you the most."

"Same to you." He smiled and continued folding. He picked up the mini skirt and laughed. "Keeping it huh?"

"I'll probably give it to Alex."

"Nah, you should keep it, Jack liked it."

"When's Alex moving in?" Maddie asked.

"Two weeks, unless we can't do that but I told her we'd try that means we have to pack up, give the landlord our last rent check and leave all within two weeks, I think we can it." Robbie joked.

"I could do that in a day, half my stuff is right here." Maddie laughed.

Robbie smiled and Maddie took the folded clothes and put the in her suitcase, it looked a lot better and it would be easier to close. A half an hour later, they were done and Robbie wasn't quite ready to go. He led Maddie back to his room to help him pack; he had gear and stuff too. She wandered into the room, Alex was there with Buzz, Johnson was there, Ramsey, being Jack's other defensemen, Pav and Bah, Buzz's line and Rizzo.

"Party!" Alex shouted.

"Don't you have a plane to catch?" Maddie joked.

"Not for a while, four hours, but you get to go tomorrow morning, early."

Maddie picked up a loose puck from Robbie's hockey bag and pretended to throw it at her. Mark stood up and grabbed it from her hand, waving it in front of her face. She didn't attempt right away but when he stopped waving for a minute to ask Robbie what was wrong, she clutched the puck in her hand and whipped it across the room as it slipped out of her hand. It barely missed Buzz and landed with a thud in Robbie's pillow. Alex covered her mouth in disbelief and Maddie stood in the middle of the room, trying not to laugh. Rizzo let out a chuckle, Jack burst into laughter and then whole room followed suit. It was silenced when Coach Brooks walked into the room a few feet and handed out rings. Maddie glanced at the puck on the pillow and back to the coach. She dove for the puck and sat on the pillow, smiling triumphantly. When Herb walked out of the room, she held it up and Buzz knocked her hand, making the puck just barely miss her toes. She let out a squeal and smacked him on the arm.

"Wow, this is a room full of mature people isn't it?" Pav joked.

Maddie grabbed Robbie's stick and waved it in his face, almost hitting a few others. Alex grabbed the stick and threw it on the floor, landing with a lighter thud than the puck.

"We really should not trash the room." Bah suggested.

"Yeah." Rizzo added.

"We're not trashing, we're making it look like a hockey player has lived here for a few weeks, duh." Alex retorted.

"You say what we're all thinking don't you?" Maddie asked.

"That's what I'm good for."

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

"Only an hour and you're gone." Maddie stated three hours later, everyone was packed, still in Robbie and Jack's room but minus Pav, Bah and Rizzo.

"Then I get your apartment." Alex nodded.

Maddie nodded and rubbed her shoulder, trying to scratch it. Alex scratched it for her, noticing a scar about one and a half inches long. She admired it then asked Maddie what it was from.

"When we were seven, you pushed me into the bush in your backyard, turned my white shirt red." Maddie explained.

"I'm sorry."

"We were seven."

"Yeah, I should get going, plane leaves in less than an hour, I'll miss you."

"Goodbyes are the hardest part." Maddie smiled.

"Would you rather not know a person and never miss them or have them as a friend and miss them to death?" Buzz asked.

"I'll pick b." Alex smiled. "You coming?"

"Yeah, Buzzy?" Maddie asked.

"Only if Robbie goes."

"Well then, Jack, Mark, Rammer?" Robbie smiled.

They all nodded.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

Maddie stood, embracing her cousin just before she had to board the plane. She let go and then it was Buzz's turn. They kissed and hugged and Maddie almost cried. Everyone else at the airport hugged her goodbye and she blew kisses jokingly as she headed toward the gate. Maddie smiled as she tucked herself under Jack's arm.

"Tomorrow, that'll be you two." Robbie stated, looking at Maddie and Jack.

"Man, but they're engaged, imagine how much harder it'll be." Johnson stated and received a chuckle from Maddie, just barely audible.

XxxxxxXxxxxxX

Six o'clock the next morning, Herb wandered around the rooms with Doc and Craig, saying goodbye and congratulating the team on the gold, and hoping to see them again someday, maybe at tryouts for the nest Olympic games. Maddie set her bag outside her door, waiting for Robbie to come and get her, telling her that they had to go. He walked won the hall, waving at everyone who looked up to see him. He grabbed her bag and carried it to his door, setting it down beside his suitcases. Walking into his room for the last time, Maddie followed, he sat on the bed and looked across at Jack.

"It's over." Robbie said, no emotion in his voice.

"Yeah, I mean talking about it was different, now it's really here, no more team, no more hockey with the team." Jack stated as Maddie smiled.

"No more me." Maddie whispered.

"But think man, if I never hit you with that check in '76 and then never showed up for tryouts, we wouldn't be future brother-in-laws." Robbie joked.

"Or moving to my town." Jack added.

"Or falling in love." Maddie wanted to say it in her head but she blurted it out loud for everyone in the room to hear. "Was that out loud?"

"Yes." Robbie answered. "But I already knew that."

"Well, my flight leaves soon, see you in a week or two." Jack stated.

"Definitely." Maddie replied as he stood up and pushed his bags out into the hall. He walked back in, grabbed his coat and Maddie looked at him.

"I'll be right back." Robbie excused himself.

Robbie crept out of the room and wandered around the halls. Maddie, alone with Jack, held back tears. This was her family, Mark had said so himself, and everyone agreed with him. She extended her arms and the two embraced and Maddie dreaded the fact that she had to let go but when the time came she did it with no tears yet, just watery eyes.

"It's only two weeks at the most." Jack reminded her.

"I know but it's too long." Maddie whined.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll miss you."

"Me too, you got my number?"

"Robbie gave it to me, I'll call you tonight."

"Love you."

Maddie looked up at him, she didn't want it to be over, great friends, great fun, and spending it all with Robbie, it was the best time of her life so far.

"I love you too."

Maddie kissed him and then she left, thinking about the next few weeks when he wasn't going to be around. The weeks she hated the most, only Robbie would be there, he was a comfort but he was always there with her, it was his apartment too. She grabbed her coat off the top of her suitcase and pulled out her keys. She fiddled with her car key, remembering what it felt like to drive. She zipped them into her pocket and walked out the doors with Robbie, never to see the dorms again.