This is just a short thing I thought of while listening to a song. Just some Casey sappiness at night, with April nearby.
Before it all happened, I'd thought that life was one big hockey game. Get into my fights, learn my lessons, and pay for my mistakes. Mistakes are so hard to live with when you lose it all in one big sweep. I lost my career in the big leagues, lost my girl, and lost my soul for a little while. I'd been dating this girl, Amber, unsteadily for a while, until my big failure at a big match. She'd gotten fed up of my inconsistency with her and my inability to focus on what she thought really mattered. But that's the past now.
After all the hospitalization, recovery and stuff, I quit on people for a while, hiding in the shadows of the real world until I was reasonably patched up physically and emotionally to venture out. I suppose I'd been out for so long, so tired of the losses, the failures and all that muck, that I'd decided to impersonate one of my favorite movie villains for the greater good, the more down-to-earth justice I could think of. I took care of the jerks that caused petty theft, violence and such ugliness that plagued my favorite home, NYC.
A man can only do so much, I eventually learned. I worked small at first, returning a purse here and there, teaching punks lessons in pain when they decided to walk on the wild side of the law. Police, pfft, they couldn't really do anything about all that goes on, mainly the big stuff, like heists. So I continued with my underworld excursions, living off the 'retirement' from the NHL and the side job at Ming's, a Chinese joint I waitered in. Mr. Ming gave me some pointers on life and how we couldn't control it all the time, and to just 'go with the flow'. He also admonished me many times upon discovery of my 'midnight marathons', before giving me a better work schedule. I like that guy, and I still see him every now, when I'm feeling lost.
And so went my life until that awkward night when I came upon this green freak who pulled some purse snatching punks' lesson from me, and then embarrassed me in front of those jabie-lowlifes who really needed that lesson! At first I thought that he might've been a new group causing the crime that had been increasing, but after we fought (and I kicked ass, mind you.) I followed him a little bit, learning about him, in case another run in was necessary. Turns out I was really wrong, and for once in this miserable city's life, found a group of people bent on providing the justice for the people that their own security forces couldn't give. It was a good feeling, made even greater by a new member.
April O'Neal.
She really was the babe I credited her to be, tough as nails and softer than silk when the need arose. She really brightened up my world, especially when we teamed up to fight all our battles together. It took a while, mostly because we're stubborn as hell, and didn't hit it off so well after the green machine's first big battle. Not too long after the end-game with the shred-head, we finally came around and, for lack of better terms, hooked up. And even after all this time together, she's still the best woman any man could ask for, and I love her to death. The guys do too, but more like brotherly love, and we're still going strong as best friends and co-conspirators for justice. I wonder what they're doing now? Right now I'm stroking a curled mane of chestnut hair, drowning in it, as April sleeps in the crook of my arm. I wonder what she's dreaming of.
I kiss her cheek, gently so not to disturb her 'beauty sleep', praying that this time I won't mess up the best thing I've ever been given by the big-guy upstairs' hand. The crazy nine-year-old is gone, hopefully replaced by the man that will fulfill her dreams.
A/N: Okay, Casey is OOC, but I am a sap. .;;