Xena awoke with a groan on the red-eye flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta. She peeled her face off the airplane window and rolled her neck a few times before she opened her eyes and peered around the darkened cabin. The middle seat beside her was empty, that was the best the federation had been offering them two players per rows of three seats. It wasn't chartered flight, but it was an improvement. But Xena wasn't thinking of any of that when she laid eyes on Gabrielle in the aisle seat and jumped.

"Where you there before?" Xena questioned at her confused.

Gabrielle smiled and lightly laughed. "No," she reassured her. "They sat me beside Varia, so I switched with Eve."

Xena nodded as she sleepily laid back in her seat. "You'd think they'd stop seating us alphabetically."

"Would you prefer by position?" Gabrielle joked.

"Nah," Xena said shaking her head at the young right back. "You think I want to be watching my cousin and Varia be kissing all over each other in their row? I'd prefer picking. Then I can end up sittin' by you without breaking any FAA rules."

Gabrielle laughed but the plane hit some unexpected turbulence. She called out as she tightly clenched both of the armrests. There was a loud ding throughout the cabin and the seat-belt sign turned on. The captain made an announcement.

"Oh fuck," Gabrielle uttered under the breath.

Xena was jolted out of her sleepy stupor as whatever it was inside her that Gabrielle pinged to live lite up like a fire. "Aye, aye," Xena called slowly as she undid her seatbelt.

"No, don't!" Gabrielle called at her.

Xena moved as quickly as possible to the middle seat and clasped that seatbelt around her waist. Gabrielle seemed to calm slightly at hearing the click. Xena placed her right arm around the younger player's tense shoulders and her left hand over Gabrielle's, which was white-knuckling the armrest.

"You got any tricks that make ya less nervous about this?" Xena asked with a casual, caring tone that Gabrielle had not been expecting.

Gabrielle shook her head. "Not really," she answered as she moved her hand on top of Xena's and squeezed it tightly. "It is just, I mean I knew this would be coming. National team, we travel all over. But the longest I am used to is the four hours from Houston to Stanford."

"I hate long flights," Xena added with a shrug.

"Your wife lives in China," Gabrielle shot back. "That is pretty long."

Xena awkwardly laughed. "Ex-wife," she corrected.

"Yeah whatever, Xena," Gabrielle answered amid anxious breaths.

Xena painfully scoffed. "Damn, kid," she shot back. "Seems you've been spending a fuck ton of time with the defense."

Her loose blonde hair swayed around her shoulders as she shook her head. "It's not just that. That first day of camp you told me you'd just gotten back from China. And I didn't mean to eavesdrop or gossip but in was in the air."

"Hmm," Xena expelled while patting her shoulder. "So, turbulence is like a truth serum for you then?"

Gabrielle gave a relaxed laugh but then the plane felt like it dropped several feet and she tightened her grip around Xena's hand. She looked over at the veteran player, who had her crystal blue eyes trained on her and her eyebrows raised in amusement.

"I have trouble lying when I am this nervous, so I tend to just say whatever I am actually feeling or thinking," Gabrielle admitted.

Xena pressed her lips together and nodded. "Good to know, Gabrielle. Can't wait until we get to fly to France together in a few months."

Gabrielle turned and groaned at her.

They landed in Atlanta two days before their CONCACAF qualifier against Haiti. The winner would go onto the final to face the winner of the Canada-Mexico game. From what Gabrielle had been told by her teammates, the coaching staff, and Lila and Joxer, for what it was worth, Canada was the only real threat of the tournament. So, Haiti was the last dry run and Athena was running them through a rigorous training session at one of Atlanta United's training facilities.

"Damn," Ephiny breathed heavily as she and the rest of the team reached the touchline after the seventh field length sprint Athena had made them run through.

The Georgia heat was getting to everyone, especially Amirace and Satrina, who were doing them in their full keeper gear, and Xena, Eve, Varia, and Tara, who were doing them with balls at their feet but not expected to fall behind their teammates.

"She's taking it seriously this time," Ephiny shot at Xena as she crossed the line and stopped beside her.

Xena shrugged. "Tying with Canada over the summer was a fucking disgrace. Sure, they got those superstar triplets but nothin' else."

"Triplets?" Tara asked breathing heavily.

"Dude?" Amirace called.

"Did you never pay attention?" Yukurt questioned.

Tara huffed at her. "I grew up on a military base in Riyadh. There wasn't a lot of Canadian women's soccer. Sorry."

"Diana, Leah, and Meg," Gabrielle answered the other younger players.

Xena nodded. "Leah and Meg are tough as shit center backs."

"And Diana is one of the best strikers any of you will ever play against," Ephiny added.

Athena strode up to them seriously. "Do not be intimidated by Canada. Especially not now. I know they do not seem like much of a threat, but Haiti is our next opponent and we should never underestimate our opponents."

"Yes, sir," Amirace told her with a fake salute.

Athena glared at her. "Another sprint and back for you, Amirace."

"Fuck," she breathed out harshly. "Yes, coach," she answered as she took off.

"Succeed together, fail together," Xena called at group of tired players on the touchline as she sprinted onto the field after Amirace.

"Uhhh, fuck," Varia groaned annoyed as she ran after them with the rest of the team behind her.

"Welcome to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia where we are expecting a record crowd for World Cup qualifier. I am Ialous, joined by two-time World Cup champion and former national team player, Melosa. Almost 42,000 fans in attendance this evening. Any thoughts on that, Melosa?"

"It clearly says a lot about this city and it's dedication to soccer, but it also says a lot about women's soccer's popularity throughout the country. There is not a women's team in this state, but you bring Xena, Ephiny, Minya, and newcomers like Varia, Eve, Gabrielle and you get more than 40,000 people!" Melosa called excitedly. "Woo in my day, 40,000? Maybe a final but a qualifier?! It is impressive and exciting. Thank you, Atlanta."

"Well said," Ialous nodded. "We will be back and ready for action after these messages."

The eleven starters were huddled near the center line just before the game started. Though Varia or Amirace usually entered the center of the huddle of the team's hype person, Xena had held them both back.

"Alright, kids," Xena told her teammates as they all held their arms around each other in a huddle. "I know Athena has been serious as shit lately. I ain't sure if she is worried about her job or something, but we are going to put that aside for now. There is no goddamn reason to doubt this team. I ain't sayin' you take it easy or shrug off Haiti as a team that has never beat us before. Any group of players we face fucking matter. And this group plus or minus Gabrielle/Terries," Xena paused to allow the laugh from multiple players, "has not lost in 29 games. Let's not blow the fucking 30th for Athena or be forced to face Canada coming off a loss. Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Ephiny called.

The team then broke into a repeated chant of "One nation, one team."

Xena felt slightly uncomfortable about it. It had been one of Aphrodite's decisions decided after the team had stopped their usual "U.S.A." chant since it had started to take on a different political meaning. They had switched it to "equal pay" but the federation had quickly shut that down as well. Aphrodite and Xena had gotten the team to agree to the hypocritical slogan of the U.S. federation that basically got across the same message that "equal pay" had but it was using their own words against them.

"Oh, the U.S. is wasting no time!" Ialous called. "Quick push forward by the front line. Ball is with newcomer Gabrielle. She passes to Ephniy, who pushes up and launches it forward to Varia. She closes in on goal. Doesn't seem to have the angle, but chips into the box. Xena is there. Jumps for it! Connects! Goal U.S. in the 2' minute!"

Xena ran at Varia and they jumped and slammed against each other in the air, but then quickly and professionally returned to their positions.

The rest of the game went as well as the first two minutes. Xena scored two more times, once during the run of play and another off a corner. Chipala and Eve both scored in the second half. Amirace made a miraculous penalty kick safe to maintain her shutout and keep the score 5-0.

Since the U.S.-Haiti game had been the outcome everyone had been projecting, the team tried to keep their celebration to a minimum when the referee blew the final whistle. Once Xena finished shaking all the Haitian players and the referees' hands she made an effort to go up to Tara and then Gabrielle, who were still both in single digital caps.

"You did good, Gabrielle," Xena told the young right back.

The blonde shook her head. "I feel like I didn't' contribute that much."

Xena shrugged her shoulders. "Uh, maybe not. But you didn't fuck up," she told her as she held the locker room door open for her. "That's a plus."

Gabrielle laughed and turned to face her as she entered the locker room. "Oh, were you expecting me to fuck up, Xena?"

Xena pressed her lips together and nodded. "I walked into that."

Gabrielle smiled and nodded as she reached her locker, which wasn't all that close to Xena's. They meddled into the general conversation that was filling the locker room as the players debriefed the game, complimented each other, and headed to the showers. Ephiny, Paulina, and Minya made plans to head to a nearby dance club and opened the invitation to anyone that was interested.

"You ridin' the bench against Canada if you don't go to that?" Xena joked at Gabrielle as they walked out of the locker rooms onto the street outside the stadium.

Gabrielle shrugged. "Hopefully not, I'm not really sure if I'm up for it. How about you, Xena?" Gabrielle asked, but the veteran forward took a bit too long to respond. Gabrielle followed her eyes to a Chinese woman Gabrielle felt she could never compete with, standing beside a clearly rented car with a young boy wearing an oversized U.S. Soccer t-shirt.

"Lao Ma?!" Xena blurted shocked, but her tone instantly switched to excitement. "How far did ya travel to surprise me like this?"

"Grandma's!" Ming Tien shouted eagerly as he ran toward her.

Xena bent down to scope him into her arms. "Hey, bud," she said as she hugged him. "Grandma's?! What is that? 100 hours?"

"Yes," he answered with a serious nod into Xena's shoulder.

"Hello, Xena," Lao Ma said as she approached her.

"Hey," Xena replied over Ming Tien's shoulder as he continued to tightly hug her.

"Uh, see ya later, Xena," Gabrielle awkwardly called as she walked away from them toward the team hotel.

"Yeah," Xena blurted looking quickly, her face blushing deep red as she was still making eye contact with Lao Ma. She quickly turned her head. "See ya tomorrow, Gabrielle."

When Xena peered back to her ex-wife she was peering down the street at the young right back. She seemed to silently assess her before turning her attention to Xena. "So, that is Gabrielle?" Lao Ma asked.

Xena scoffed as she set Ming Tien down. "Yeah, that's her."

Ming Tien instantly reached up for her hand. "Please don't leave."

Xena anxiously peered over at Lao Ma. "We have booked a room at the same hotel. Please," she said as she pointed at the rental car. "Let us give you a ride."

Xena shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

She let Ming Tien grab her hand her drag her toward the car, but she peered down the dimly light street and watched Gabrielle walk out of sight.