Of Dreams and Miracles
By Misha

Disclaimer and Rating in Prologue.

A.N- Another new chapter that wasn't in my original draft. I decided I might as well have Gloria meet all the boys, not just Jack. It's brief though, since it was either going to be short or like 10 pages. I also added in another cute Jack/Elizabeth scene, because the story could always more of those, right? Well, that's all for now, enjoy!

Part Forty-Six: Nana and the Boys

The XII Winter Olympics, Day Eleven

The guys won their last round-robin game, this one against West Germany. They'd have a couple days before the big game. The one against the Soviets.

None of them wanted to think about that, even though by this point the media was going crazy and so was the entire country.

Hockey fever had taken over.

Herb was still keeping the press away from the boys, because he knew it would be bad for their concentration.

Elizabeth and the boys agreed with decision. This was too important for any of them to get distracted.

After practice, Elizabeth decided that the boys needed to get their mind off of everything, so she arranged for them all to have lunch with Gloria.

Her grandmother had attended all the games and had been introduced to a few of the players, but this would be the first time she'd meet all of them together.

"So we get to meet your grandmother." Rizzo said with a grin, as they all made it to the restaurant.

Elizabeth smiled. "Yeah, you guys like her."

"She's an interesting lady." Jack said with a grin.

Gloria was already waiting, along with Kathleen, who had also been invited to join them, when Elizabeth and the boys arrived.

Gloria stood up and studied all the boys. "Robert, you look well." She said, acknowledging Mac with a smile.

"I'm doing good Mrs. Hastings." Rob replied.

Gloria nodded and moved on. Her eyes rested on Rizzo. "Elizabeth, who's this young man?"

"This is Mike Eurizione, we call him Rizzo." Elizabeth introduced.

"Ah, yes, the team captain." Gloria said with a nod. "You look like a nice young man."

"Thank you ma'am." Rizzo answered.

Gloria nodded and continued to look over the boys, eventually being introduced to them all.

After she was done, Gloria nodded. "Well sit down and let's eat." She announced. "After all, I bet that you're all starving. Hockey's a demanding game."

Then she looked at Rizzo and smiled. "And you, young man, get to sit beside me and tell me all about yourself."
---

"I like your friends." Gloria told her after lunch, when the boys had gone back to the Olympic Village. "That one fellow in particularly, Rizzo, seemed very nice."

"Yeah, Rizzo's great." Elizabeth said with a smile. "Dad's been especially hard on him and he's taken it without complaint."

Gloria snorted. "Why does it not surprise me that man is hard on those poor boys."

"Nana, he does what he thinks he has to." Elizabeth said quietly. "Dad's methods are a little harsh, but they work."

"He puts to much importance on a stupid game, Elizabeth." Gloria told her, sounding just like Patti for a moment. "He's fuelling all his disappointment about something that happened twenty years ago into something that might never happen now and I just worry that he's putting too pressure on you all."

"You actually sound like you understand Dad." Elizabeth said quietly.

Gloria shot her a look. "Of course, I understand him, he was my son-in-law after all. Elizabeth, I might not have ever liked him, but I've always understood him."

Elizabeth smiled at her grandmother's comment. "He's worked hard for this." She said quietly. "We all have and you know, if we beat the Soviets--if we managed to win this, then I think it'll be worth it for all of us."

Gloria shook her head. "You are his daughter, there's no denying that."

Elizabeth smiled and kissed her grandmother's cheek. "Thanks Nana, that's quite the compliment."
---

"So your grandmother has a fan." Jack told her when she met up with him later. "Rizzo thinks she's great."

"She liked him too." Elizabeth said with a smile. "I thought for a moment there that she was going to suggest that I break up with you and start dating him, that's how good an impression he made."

Jack made a face. "Hey, I'm pretty a nice guy, too."

"I know." Elizabeth said with a smile. "And don't worry, you're definitely my choice."

"That's good, because you're mine too." Jack said, leaning it to give her a quick kiss.

"Nana, she understands my father pretty well, actually." Elizabeth said after a minute. "More than I thought."

"They don't get along, right?" Jack asked.

"No." Elizabeth said quietly. "They never have, from what I understand. They try to spend as little time together as possible--before Papa died, he always acted as mediator. After that Nana moved to New York and I'd always go visit her there and once a year, usually around Christmas, she'd come to Minnesota and stay with my Uncle Brian and I'd see her then."

"Well, it's good that you still have a relationship with her." Jack said quietly.

"My father never even considered keeping me away from her." Elizabeth told him. "He and I we don't talk about my birth mother very often, but he's always believed I should know grandparents."

"Well, I like your grandmother." Jack told her. "She's an interesting lady."

"Yeah, she is." Elizabeth agreed fondly. "And she likes you--mainly because she has high hopes that you'll get me out of Minnesota. In fact, she mentioned the possibility of me moving to Boston before you did."

"Really?" Jack asked, intrigued. "So does that mean I have an ally?"

"Well, I haven't told her that you asked me, but probably." Elizabeth told her. "Nana not a huge fan of Minnesota."

Jack grinned. "See, I knew I liked your grandmother."
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