Of Dreams and Miracles
By Misha

Disclaimer and Notes in Prologue.

Part Two: Tension

All the way to the bar, Elizabeth scolded herself for the hour she had put into getting ready that night.

I didn't do it for Robbie, I just wanted to look good. She silently told herself as she walked into the bar.

As soon as she got there, she noticed that the players had split into two very separate groups. The Minnesota bunch and the Boston bunch, with those who weren't part of either group, divided pretty equally between the two tables.

Elizabeth stood there, debating which table to sit at.

She knew more people at the Minnesota table, of course, but she wasn't really sure she wanted Robbie's company. And while, she didn't see him sitting there yet, she knew he'd show up soon enough. After all, he was the one who had invited her.

Besides, her job was to bond with the team, the entire team, and she already knew the Minnesota guys and had formed friendships there. It made more sense to go sit with the Boston guys and get to know them.

So, she made her way towards their table.

"Mind if I sit here?" She asked, pulling out a chair even as she asked.

"Sure." One of the boys, she recognized him as Mike Eurizione, told her. "I'm Rizzo."

"I know." She replied. "Liz."

"Yeah, you're Herb's daughter." Dave Silk commented.

"That would be me." She agreed, smiling slightly.

"So what do you know about these?" Silk asked, motioning to the paper in front of him.

Elizabeth smiled. "Just that I had to do one too."

"Herb made his daughter take this test?" Silk asked in disbelief.

Elizabeth smiled and then shrugged. "It's just his way of seeing if you've got what it takes."

Silk made a face. "There are 300 damned questions, all multiple choice and none of them making any sense."

"It's just a test, Silky, you've taken one or two before." Rizzo told him, diligently writing down his own answers.

"Not to play hockey, I haven't." Silk muttered.

"Can you even read, Silky?" Jack O'Callahan, by far one of the best-looking young men Elizabeth had ever seen, teased.

Silk shot him a dirty look and Jack turned his attention to Elizabeth. "So what's a nice Minnesota girl doing sitting with a bunch of guys from Boston and not your boys from Minnesota?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Because, I already know them, I don't know you guys yet. So why not take this opportunity?"

"Sounds good to me." Ralph Cox, another guy at the table, answered.

"Want a drink?" Jack offered, motioning to the pitcher of beer.

"She doesn't drink beer." A voice from behind Elizabeth commented. "She's more of a rum and coke girl, huh Liz?"

Elizabeth looked behind her, unsurprised to see Robbie standing there. "I'll take a beer thanks." Elizabeth said to Jack, ignoring Robbie.

Robbie rolled his eyes and nodded at Rizzo. "Hey Rizzo." He said before making his way across the room.

"Mac." Rizzo acknowledged, even as Robbie was walking away, stopping to talk to people on his way over to the Minnesota table. Elizabeth noticed that Jack was glaring at Robbie's backside.

"Easy big guy." Rizzo urged in a calming voice, noting it as well.

"I don't know how you guys can stand be in the same room as that clown," Jack shot in agitation. "Let it go, it's over." Rizzo urged. "Let it go."

"What's going on?" Elizabeth asked and Ralph Cox voiced the same question a second later.

"O.C.'s got a little unfinished business over there," Dave Silk replied.

"Not for long I don't," Jack shot back.

"Hey. What did I tell you, man," Rizzo started; then mouthed: "Let it go."

"McClannahan," Cox stated. "You're not still going on about the '76 playoffs are you?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. She remembered that game. She remembered that entire year, after all Minnesota had won the championships. She remembered the celebration after it was all over too, but she wasn't going to go think about thatÖ

She looked at Jack surprise. He couldn't still be holding a grudge, could he? Not after three years...

"Come on O.C. that was like three years ago," Cox continued.

"Let me ask you something Coxie," O.C. started. "Why'd you want to play college hockey?"

"Isn't it obvious," Cox said, leering at Elizabeth. "For the girls."

She smirked at him. "Had much luck?"

He just laughed. "I'm serious, Coxie." Jack demanded. "Why'd you want to play college hockey?"

"Because I love to play hockey," Coxie answered. "I wanted to go the NHL, just like everybody does."

"Well I wanted to win a National Championship," Jack shot at him. "And that pansy over there cheap shots me; I get knocked out of the game. He steals the ring right off my finger. How would you feel?"

Elizabeth looked down at the table. She remembered that night all too well, remembered the hit in question and remembered how she cheered when Minnesota won. She hadn't felt bad for Jack O'Callahan then, she had just felt psyched.

But that was pretty natural, her father was the coach of the Minnesota team, besides, even then she'd had a special fondness for Robbie, so was likely to side with him when it came to something like that.

"Everyone was throwing cheap shots that night," Rizzo started up.

"You know it's funny that you say that Rizzo," Jack snapped. "Because I was just wondering whose side you were on."

"I'm on your side," Rizzo insisted.

"You know it really seems that way," Jack shot out sarcastically. "I'm not doing this now. I'm outta here."

"Where you going?" Rizzo called after him as he got up.

"To my room," Jack shot back. "Is that okay with you, Mother?"

"Jeez, no wonder the guy gets so many penalty minutes, right?" Ralph started trying to break the nervous tension.

Everyone was completely silent for a moment and then Elizabeth stood up.

"It was nice talking to you." She said, before crossing the room to the Minnesota table.

She had felt like a bit of an intruder at the Boston table, with her memories of '76 and her divided loyalties.

"Finally come to your senses, huh?" Robbie teased as she took the only available seat, which happened to be next to him.

She shot him a look. "Are you aware that you have an enemy over there?" She asked him.

He shrugged. "It was just a game, Liz."

"Try telling that to O'Callahan." Elizabeth said wryly.

Robbie just shrugged. "That's his problem, not mine."

"It could be all of our problems." Elizabeth said quietly. "You guys are a team now, remember?"

Robbie just shrugged and pushed a drink at her. "For you."

She took it, since the glass of beer she had accepted at the other table had never actually been poured thanks to O'Callahan's outburst and her exit from the table, and sipped it cautiously.

She smiled. Rum and coke. Robbie did know her well, didn't he? But then, that had never been their problemÖ
---

After a few hours, Elizabeth rose to go home. She'd actually had a pretty good time and she'd made a good start on her task, which was getting to know these players.

She'd divided her time equally between the Massachusetts and Minnesota tables, getting to know the players that she hadn't met before and catching up with the ones she did know, all the while trying to ignore Robbie and his innuendo.

She had spent a long time talking with Rizzo, in particular, and discovered that she really enjoyed his company. She found that to be true of most of the guys. She might not have to be their friend, but she was thinking that she was going to want to be.

"Going home Liz?" Robbie asked, seeing her rise.

"Yeah." She answered, clarifying her last thought. She wanted to be friends with some of the players, with others it just wasn't possible.

"I'll take you home." He offered.

"No thanks." She said, refusing the offer. "I can make it on my own."

She had to spend the next several months with Robbie, had to see him every day and socialize with him, but she didn't think she could be friends with him. Nor, did she want to spend more time with than was necessary.

"Liz, you should let one of us see you home." Rizzo protested.

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm a big girl. Besides, I drove here and I'm perfectly capable of driving home."

"Are you sure?" Rizzo asked.

She nodded. "I only had the one drink and that was a couple of hours ago, so I'm good."

"At least let me walk you to your car." Robbie offered.

Elizabeth shot him a look. "Mac, I'm tired and it's going to be a long few months, so please don't press me."

After a moment, he shrugged. "Whatever."

"I'll see you to you car." Rizzo said, filling in the sudden silence.

"You don't have to." Elizabeth told him.

"It's okay, I'm leaving anyway." He assured her.

Elizabeth just nodded and the two of them exited the bar. "Do I want to ask?"

Elizabeth smiled slightly, knowing what Rizzo was getting at.

"It's a long story." She told him. "And it's also ancient history."

Rizzo nodded, though he still looked really curiously. However, thankfully he didn't press the subject. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm just fine." Elizabeth told him and she was.

The only thing wrong was with her was her irritation at herself for letting Robbie get to her. Again. She had to stop letting that happen or she'd never survive until February.
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