The Greatness You Are

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING (except Grace and the occasional outside character).

Author's Note: This chapter is the bar scene from the movie. Grace gets to meet more of the guys, especially the ones from Boston. Getting to know the other boys will come in the next chapter. Keep the reviews coming!

Thanks so much to all of my reviewers!
Steph: Thanks so much for your review! I thought it was about time Rammer finally got a story written about him. For my purposes the legal drinking age in my story is 21. I know it didn't change until later, but at the time I began writing that part in my story and it was just easier to keep it that way rather to go back and fix the whole thing. Thanks for reviewing!
Killerkeanegirl: Thanks for reviewing! It's great to get so many positive reviews! I'm debating whether or not to post my story on the board. What do you think?
Meadow567: Yeah, I guess I wrote Rammer as being kind of possessive in that way. I definitely agree that it will certainly be difficult for the other guys to get closer to Grace since their already so close. Don't worry, I won't make him too jealous. ;-) Thanks for the review!
B: Haha we'll see about Rammer and Grace…Thanks for all the great comments on my story, keep 'em coming!
Prettypinkcheer5: Haha be patient. It's coming…maybe. Lol we'll see. I'm glad you like the idea of Rammer and Gracie together. I hope you'll like the parts I wrote with the Boston boys! It's really fun to write their parts. Thanks for reviewing!
Darkdestiney2000: I love your story, I hope you update soon! I'm really glad you like the flashbacks. I wish I had friends like Rammer, Buzzy, and Mac too, they're awesome. Thanks for the great review!

I'll take life as it comes, because
I live for the nights I can't remember,
With the friends I'll never forget. 1

The bar was dirty and busy as usual, men bustling in and out of it at all times of the night, sometimes with women attached to their hip, and sometimes too drunk to deviate the difference between night and day. This was one of Grace's favorite places in the world, as undignified and unnatural as it sounded. Her and her boys had had so many fun times at that bar, and she actually considered it special to her, it being their number two hang out spot, second only to Robbie's basement, and occasionally their UM dorm rooms, which were all adjacent to each other.

Her and Rammer had started hanging out there with the hockey team, around their senior year of high school and their traditional celebrations at the bar had followed them up until their freshman year of college, which happened to be the previous year. The bar tenders didn't really care who was coming or going or if you were underage and ID's weren't even considered an issue as long as you were a university student. Plus, they gave discounts to all UM athletes on already cheap booze and a large assortment of shots.

Grace looked up at the neon-lighted sign that hung on the front of the scruffy building. One of the letters was unlit and completely smashed, and had been like that since the first time Grace, Rammer, and the rest of the team had attended the bar. It was actually their fault that it was like that in the first place…

--

She knew she should have stopped a while ago, but with the buzz surrounding her, and the alcohol constantly sending waves of good feelings over her, she couldn't help herself to not take another, and another, and another. Grace had arrived at the bar hours ago with the Minnesota hockey team and now a scant few were left, namely her, Buzzy, Robbie, Rammer, and a couple other boys she didn't know lulling around the area. She had been telling a story, too drunk to get any of it right when Rammer had gently picked her up from her seat and stood her up, a sure sign that everyone else was ready to go.

As Grace started up, she tripped, and was caught by a strong pair of hands belonging to Rammer before she could make contact with the hard surface of the bar floor. She was stumbling around the place, asking for another drink as she was quickly steered from their table and over to the door. Rammer's hands rested on her waist, ready in case she lurched forward towards the hard ground like she had seconds earlier.

Stepping outside, Grace received the most violent urge to throw up, and that she did in the bushes outside of the bar. Buzzy walked over to his car and opened the door to the passenger's seat, offering to take her home. Out of the group, he was the only sober one and so he had been given the task of getting them all home safely. Robbie got in on the other side of the car, sitting in the back seat, assuming that Rammer would be over momentarily to take his place next to him in the car.

On the other side of the parking lot, were Grace and Rammer, him with a half empty beer bottle in his hands, still drinking, and her trying to keep her balance enough to make it to the car. After an excruciating ten minutes and plenty of help from Buzzy, the pair finally made it into the car with their surroundings still spinning around them.

At last, the four were safe and secure within the confines of Buzzy's car and he began backing out of the parking lot ready to get home and go to sleep.

"So Gracie, you going home, or back to the dorms with us?" Buzzy wasn't quite sure where to take her, since Herb would be pissed if she came home drunk, but then again he would also be pretty mad if she didn't go back at all. Buzzy thought the situation over, not sure what she would want, or even convinced that she would be able to decide judging by the alcohol-polluted state she was currently in.

"Buzzzzzyy I, I, I-- wanna go to Ssssscottsss roooooom." Buzzy grimaced at how much she was slurring, and also at her decision to go to then-boyfriend Scott's dorm room. Not the most respectable of people, Grace had met him earlier that year and they had been dating for a couple of months. None of the boys had really approved of him. He was a football player at the U and could be found at a party any night of the week. Not exactly good boyfriend material in their opinions, but Grace adored him and so their relationship commenced.

Without warning, Rammer in a drunken rage threw the car door open and stormed out violently. Turning around and looking into the back seat, Buzzy gave Robbie a quizzical look and all Robbie was able to respond with was a confused expression while Grace chuckled, unaware of the present state of affairs. Buzzy stopped the car and opened the door, marching straight over to Rammer who was stumbling around the parking lot, seemingly heading back into the bar.

Hearing another commotion coming from the car, Buzzy turned just in time to see Grace and Robbie attempting to get out of the car, tripping all over each other in the process. Robbie, only more sober than Grace by a scant few drinks, was laughing hysterically at their predicament while Grace wearily staggered over to where he and Rammer had stopped momentarily. Buzzy decided to try and intervene before things got out of hand. He had a few theories on why Rammer had stormed out of the car so suddenly and he resolved to briefly test the waters. Too bad Grace got to him first.

Running up to him giggling, Grace's approach was to tug his arm away from the bar, leading him back in the direction where they had previously stopped. Rammer shook his arm away from hers' and so the confrontation began.

"Rammer-er-er, what'ssss wrong?" Buzzy assumed Grace didn't realize how loud she was due to the alcohol, but she was slurring terribly, and even a drunken Robbie knew that. He had fallen out of the car with Grace and was lying on the cool pavement of the parking lot. Buzzy had just taken sight of this so he had left Grace and Rammer alone for a minute to help him back to his feet. Probably not the smartest thing to do.

"What's wrong!" He looked at Grace in disbelief. "I can't believe you would go to Scott's house right now! You're completely drunk." Rammer was clearly angry at her obvious lack of judgment at the present time, still Grace pressed onward.

"You can't tellllss meee how to live my life Michaelllll Ramssssseyy." Grace looked him defiantly in the face. She would never back down from a fight, in that sense she was just like Rammer. The boys on his hockey teams were even respectful towards her for that matter. When it came to holding her own against Rammer, Grace was certainly master of her domain.

"C'mon Gracie you're smarter than that. He could take advantage of you." Rammer's tone held a dangerous edge to it; nonetheless a hint of pleading was vaguely present in his last statement.

Suddenly, a look of sheer dejection appeared on Grace's lovely face her eyes growing big with wonder and she looked utterly petrified of him. This caused Rammer to wince at his harsh tone, but he needed to stay firm enough and not back down. That was the saddest he had ever seen her. The one time he had ever really gotten irate with her and yelled. And it had truly broken his heart to do that. Taking a tentative glace up at her best friend Grace softly made her reply, sniffling from the tears which were threatening to leak out and run down her face.

"But, but Rammer. I love him."

Jealously coursed through Rammer's body, making him fleetingly sober, if only for a minute. His throat tightened at her words and it felt like he had just been punched in the gut. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. He was too angry. He didn't even know at what. He just went with his instincts, and he found himself throwing his half-emptied beer bottle at the bar, not caring where it hit or giving it a particular target.

It happened to be that Rammer's beer bottle hit the now unlit letter on the façade of the bar. Following the assault on the bar, the two continued their argument, which left Grace hysterical, Rammer angry and grumpy, and complete silence between the two for weeks afterwards. After the incident Grace found herself heeding Rammer's drunken advice despite her complaints from earlier and chose to sleep in Buzzy's room instead of at Scott's.

Rammer was always there to look out for her, even if his advice was sometimes unwelcome. They had argued many times before, but this had marked the first which had ended in complete chaos and disaster. Rammer had finally given in and apologized, both of their defenses crumbling shortly afterward, driving them away from any arguments since.

--

Grace frowned, ok so what if her first memory from their bar wasn't so great. But for all the bad times she had there, there were plenty of good times to fill its spot, reminding her why she loved to go to that particular bar, their bar. Scott was now out of the picture, but that didn't matter anymore because her best friends were not.

Suddenly, a large body pushing her out of the way broke her from her thoughts and as she turned to see what had just stormed out of the bar and pushed past her. In the darkness, the only thing she could make out was that the person was a male with blonde hair and he seemed angry, but at the same time completely sober as he was able to walk straight and keep his balance. Shrugging it off, Grace stepped forward and pushed her way into the bar feeling more than ready for a few rounds of drinks.

Not-so-cautiously stepping over the "threshold" into the bar, there was a dingy aroma floating around in the air. Looking around, Grace located the table of Minnesotan boys, but just as she was about to make her way over to their table, she spotted some other hockey players off to the side that caught her eye as well. Sitting on a bar stool and ordering her first drink of the night, Grace surveyed the other table, noticing that most of the guys sitting there were the Boston players from the team. Interesting, she thought as she casually sipped at her beer, while debating whether or not to go over and introduce herself to them.

Finally, curiosity getting the better of her, Grace tossed a couple of singles on the counter for her drink and hopped off her bar stool making her way over to the "Boston" table. She hadn't yet been spotted by any of the Minnesotan players, and glancing over at their table saw them heavily engrossed in what she assumed was their psychology tests. Putting on a friendly smile and closing the gap that lay between her and the Boston boys, Grace confidently strolled up to the three boys ready for a meet-and-greet.

Looking over one of the boy's shoulders Grace could see that they were all intently immersed into their psychology tests, much like the guys at the Minnesotan table. From watching the players' taped games she picked out the only boy she recognized in the Boston setting and chose to tap him on the shoulder lightly to get his attention. Turning around, the player was met with a vibrant pair of blue eyes, a mess of golden hair, and a smile that seemed to be lighting up the whole room.

He looked at her as if she were a goddess, his eyes her looking up and down indiscreetly and finally resting on her seemingly mile long legs while she just stared right back at him. When Grace noticed he wasn't going to say anything as he just continued staring, she decided to cut right to the chase and introduce herself first.

"Hi I'm Grace. Grace Klein." At this point, all of the boys' heads looked up to see her standing in front of them waiting for some introductions. Grace bit her lip waiting in anticipation for a response from any of the boys in front of her. Her eyes were shining brightly. This girl just exuded mischief. Finally, as if waking up, the boy she had originally tapped on the shoulder, Dave Silk began to introduce himself.

"Hi. Dave Silk. Silky." He grinned up at her and stood up to shake her hand. Letting go of his hand, Grace looked towards the other boys expectantly as they each got up in turn and introduced themselves as well.

"Mike Eruzione, but everyone calls me Rizzo."

"Ralph Cox…or Coxie."

"Mind if I sit with you guys?" Grace smiled as the boys all nodded their approval and sat down next to Rizzo and across from Dave as Dave began pouring her a glass of beer. The other players watched her with interest and she took this time to note their appearances. Ralph, or Coxie had a mustache gracing his face, which made him look like Mario or Luigi. He had a very flirtatious expression on at the moment and was grinning from ear to ear, looking extremely pleased with himself. Rizzo, another player at the table had a big chest and a friendly sort of disposition, which just made Grace want to smile. He looked incredibly nice and caring, making her think of a teddy bear as he leaned over his test, eyes squinting in genuine focus.

Finally, her eyes centering on Dave, Grace studied his face as he finished pouring her a beer. He had sharp features and was boyishly handsome all over. Grace immediately liked him and he seemed like a nice enough guy, even if he was from Boston.

Silk looked over at Grace. "So you're from around here then?"

"Yeah. Well, originally from New York. I moved in with my uncle and his family about three years ago." When she said she was from New York, Grace held contempt in her voice, so Silk decided not to press further with the subject, although he soon found he wouldn't have even had the chance, even if he had decided to take it, as Grace quickly asked another question. "How 'bout you, you're from Boston right?"

"Born and raised." He said the statement with pride and looked directly at her, searching her face for a visible response. Without giving him one, she turned her attention away from Dave, looking at the other boys at the table.

"What about you guys; where are you from?" She looked sincerely interested in each one of the boys as they gave their answers and she watched them with a sense of wonder.

"Boston." Rizzo said his home town with a touch of satisfaction, just as Silky had before him.

"New Hampshire…I'm neutral, I swear!" After stating the last part, the whole table began laughing.

Handing Grace her drink, Dave attempted to strike up another conversation with the attractive girl now sitting at their table. "So, um why were you at the rink today?" Grace looked up, a little startled that he remembered her from her earlier appearance that afternoon. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about her emergence into the hockey rink while at the Olympic center, but hurried to cover up her embarrassment.

"Well, my uncle. Herb Brooks." She said his name with an emphasis, looking for recognition on the young hockey player's face, when she saw it, she continued. "Yeah and um, I'm the team manager." Grace looked at him, waiting for him to say something in ridicule. She had always been met with harshness from the players Herb coached after they found out a girl would have a place on their hockey team at all. When none came, Grace looked straight up into Silky's face and saw him smiling widely. A confused look came over her features as she looked at him skeptically.

Silky opened his mouth to speak but Coxie beat him to it as he put his two-cents in on the subject. "You mean we're gonna get to spend a whole nine months with an incredibly beautiful girl at our side?" Grace was startled when he began talking to her, unaware that the other guys from the table were even listening to her talking to Dave.

Dave threw Coxie a harsh look, upset that he hadn't been able to shower the girl with lovely compliments first. Grace quickly recovered from her doubt and threw a flattering remark back, of her own.

"And I'll get to spend nine months with three gorgeous men from the north east?" All of the boys blushed at her comment and at once turned their heads back to their tests. After taking a moment to recover, Silky turned back to Grace asking another question.

"So, you live in Minnesota…Why are over here flirting with the enemy." Dave was by far the most flirtatious out of the group, although Coxie was definitely not too far behind. Rolling her eyes in jest, Grace looked directly back at him as she spoke.

"It's my job. I have to do it. I was forced." She tried to give them a disgusted look and keep a straight face as she said it and Silky gave her a pouty look which changed her answer to something more truthful. "Actually, because I wanted to get to know some good-looking Boston boys."

Coxie threw her a hurt look while clearing his throat loudly and she once again changed her response. "Good-looking players." She corrected herself and Coxie reached over throwing his arms around her, hugging her and grinning over Grace's shoulder at Silky who was giving him a disgruntled look in return.

Looking around the table, Grace noticed an empty spot. "So what about your boy O'Callahan. He's from Boston, right?"

Silky gave a light snort and Rizzo tried his hand at explaining the situation. "Yeah, well OC, he left earlier…"

"Oh, I think I saw him. Angry, blonde?" Grace thought back to earlier when she came in the bar. Now she was almost certain the man she had run into was the Jack O'Callahan they were discussing.

"That's him." Silky glanced over at Grace and around the table wondering if she had noticed the put-off mood OC had been in.

As if on cue, Grace asked, "What was he so pissed about?" A chorus of '76 rang up from around the table. Grace looked at each one of the players in disbelief.

"What? '76? That was like three years ago. You can't possibly tell me he's still mad about that?" The players at the table nodded their heads as Grace continued to hold a befuddled look on her face. Dave didn't like long, awkward silences, or tension and this was soon becoming one of those moments.

Looking at Grace, Silky put a small grin on his face and asked her, "Wanna feel my stick?" He added the last part over eagerly and winked suggestively as Grace and the other boys laughed at his comment and the hidden innuendo it implied. He then included, "No really, do you wanna feel my stick.", while holding up his hockey stick that had been carelessly tossed into his bag, him giving no explanation of why it was there in the first place. Grace, when distracted from the subject of '76, completely forgot about the topic all together, instead consumed by Silky's good-humored joke.

His comment began another round of laughs among the group, no one turning to see three more players approach the table.

--

Turning around, she could see Rammer and Buzzy approaching. Mark Johnson was trailing loosely behind them, over to where Grace was sitting at the Boston table. As Rammer came up behind Grace, he wrapped his arms protectively around her shoulders and gave her a slight peck on the cheek, garnering glares from a couple of the boys already sitting at the table. Buzzy immediately went up to Rizzo, sitting down next to him and Silky, striking up a conversation.

"Oh hey, do you guys mind if we sit with you?" Buzzy looked around the table, and when he was not met with any disapproval, he motioned for Mark and Rammer to sit down as well. The seven all crowded around the small table, cramming into the booth and Grace jumping onto Rammer's lap allowing both of them a place to sit. Silky looked incredulously at both Rammer and Grace.

"So…how long have you guys been dating?" All of the boys turned their attention to Dave who was staring straight at the pair waiting for their response. Rammer met his face with a frustrated glance and Grace had a confused look on her face that was completely washed away a moment later. Laughing lightly at Silky's mistake, she took her turn to answer the question.

"Me and Rammer? Never! We're just friends." Grace looked around the table, seeing all the boys giving her disbelieving looks. Rolling her eyes, Grace looked down at her drink, sloshing it around a few times before downing it entirely. Sensing her discomfort, and feeling a little guilty for bringing up the subject in the first place, Silk moved onto something entirely different.

"So, how 'bout them North Stars…"

--

And so it went, the Boston players associating with a select few of Minnesota's finest for a good portion of the night. Grace was the spark that brought the two groups together, if only for a short time. In the meager amount of time, the boys who didn't already know her, came to appreciate and love Grace. In one night, a divided team came together, pulled together by one person. If only for a short while.

For the rest of the night, Grace moved from table-to-table getting to know the guys better. By the end of the evening, most of the boys were once again split up, leaving a large gap between the Minnesota and Boston tables. This is going to take a lot of work, Grace thought to herself, letting it go for a moment, and making her way carefully from one group to the other.

--

At the end of the night, Grace was surprisingly sober, but was still offered more than enough rides home to get her back safely. Taking Silky up on his offer, he helped her into the passenger seat of his car, letting her fall soundly asleep both from fatigue and alcohol consumption on his shoulder during their short ride back to the dorms. Upon, their arrival, Silky went to the passenger side door, after gently letting Grace's head rest on the back of the seat, now void from his shoulder.

Opening the door, he picked Grace, who was now peacefully sleeping, up into his arms, her head lulling into his neck, her breathing leaving a tingling sensation all over where it had reached. Carrying her up to her dorm room, which was adjacent to Rammer's; her hair spread out along his shoulders tickling his neck. Fishing out her keys from her back pocket, Silky quietly opened the door allowing him enough room to walk through without waking up the sleeping girl in his arms. Laying her easily onto the bed, he heard the door open again, and saw a shadowy figure making its way toward him.

Emerging from the shadows was Rammer, who stepped directly in front of Silky, towards Grace mumbling a short, "I got it from here.", and completely taking control. Silky was elbowed out of the way and Rammer gently picked Grace up once again and pulling up her covers, then tenderly setting her down in the confines of her warm bed. He looked expectantly toward Silky who took one last look at Grace and left the room.

As Silk left, he could still smell her scent on his shirt. It was intoxicating, and had him going wild. It seemed to be everywhere. Closing the door behind him, he took one last glance back over his shoulder before going back to his room only to be met with an agitated sleep.

After Dave had left, Rammer affectionately kissed Grace on the forehead and he too left the room, only he stopped at the couch, grabbing a blanket and making himself comfortable on the cushy material. That's where he would be for the rest of the night. He never liked Grace to wake up alone and not know what had happened the previous night after passing out or falling asleep. Letting sleep finally take him, Rammer's head was filled with images of a sleeping Grace, leading him into a restless slumber, and only being completely consumed with tiredness when dawn spread its wings over the horizon.

1. Shock 'N Y'all by Toby Keith

A/N: Well I hope you all liked that chapter! I'll probably have the next one up by next week. I'm also probably going to start the romance piece in the next few chapters. Should it be Rammer or someone else? Remember, more of the Minnesotan boys next time! Tell me what you think! Thanks for all the great reviews guys!