Xena and Lao Ma drove silently from the stadium to the hotel, which was not that far away. Ming Tien was sound asleep when they arrived. Xena carried him up to the elevator and up to Lao Ma's room, which was only a floor below where her assigned room with Ephiny was. She placed him into one of the beds and pulled the covers over him.
"Sleep tight, bud," she said softly down to him as she kissed him on the forehead. Like so many other times in recent years, she was worried it would be the last time she'd get a chance to.
She closed the bedroom door of the rather massive hotel room and went into the living room/kitchen area where Lao Ma was sitting at the counter-bar that was part of the kitchen. Her wine glass was already filled from the open bottle of red that was on the counter. Xena grabbed it and poured it into the empty wine glass Lao Ma had clearly placed before where she was supposed to sit.
"So, you visited my mom?" Xena questioned, with a slightly angry tone as she finished pouring her wine.
Lao Ma sighed. "It was not my intention, but he saw so many signs that said Lexington. Grandma Cyrene is in Lexington."
"Hmm," Xena replied with a nod as she sat down. "But why you even drivin' down to here? I know we talked about those youth academy in Bradenton, but he's still too young."
Lao Ma nodded seriously and then looked up at her ex-wife. "This trip was not only about him, Xena."
Xena met her eyes for a moment and then quickly turned away. "We can't trick ourselves into this again, Lao Ma. It wasn't any different when you were back in Chicago."
"It could have been, Xena. Maybe we just weren't trying hard enough," Lao Ma stated.
Xena shrugged. "Maybe I'm sick of trying. When…when it ended, I could barely remember a time when we weren't fighting."
"It was worse when we were attempting long-distance," Lao Ma replied softly.
Xena exhaled heavily and took a long sip of her wine. "There ain't no changing that," she pointed out feeling exasperated and worried that this was going to turn into a full-blown fight. "I have to be here. In the States, in the NWSL."
They were silent for a moment since Xena had simply pointed out an obvious fact of her contract with U.S. Soccer.
"But you don't," Xena stated. "You had a choice to leave and you took it."
Lao Ma looked up at her with a sad and serious expression.
"I get it," Xena told as she leaned forward on her bar stool to get closer to her. "You wanted to go play at home. But it's not the same for me. I can't just go play in China. You know that."
The Chinese superstar peered down into her wine for a moment and took a drink.
"Portland made me an offer," Lao Ma stated before looking up at her ex-wife.
"Portland? Fuck," Xena blurted in genuine excitement.
She shrugged humbly.
Xena smirked. "Ah, no doing that now. Also, shit. They got you and Canadian Diana up top? You're leaving us screwed in Chicago. Even Ephiny and Amarice are going to struggle against that."
Lao Ma laughed and smiled at Xena. "I haven't accepted."
Xena shook her head. "You should," she admitted. "Just don't make me a part of your decision. Please. You're famous enough that it doesn't matter where you play. Fans, other players, paychecks; they'll follow you. If he does start going to the academy in Brandenton, Portland is closer to Florida than China is. And I'd be here for him too, if you'd let me."
"Xena," Lao Ma breathed at her softly and seriously. She almost considered asking her if anything was going on between her and Terries' young replacement. Because she had seen the look on Xena's face as she watched her walk away. For a long time, Xena used to look at her like that and eventually she began noticing how she looked at others like that.
Xena's glass was almost empty and Lao Ma watched her shift her weight awkwardly like she was about to ask to leave.
"You know," Lao Ma called, hoping she was hiding the desperation in her voice. "The UEFA's qualifier is happening right now too. The Sweden-Denmark game is being replayed in a few minutes."
"Ohhh," Xena groaned. She peered at Lao Ma for a moment considering her offer. She was looking at her with a level of apprehension Xena had not seen in her in so long. "Okay, fine."
"Good," Lao Ma said with a nod as she refilled Xena's glass.
In another part of Atlanta, Gabrielle unsurely walked up to a dance club with a rather long line. Amarice had told her to tell the bouncer who she was, and she'd be let in instantly. Gabrielle really didn't want to since she would feel guilty about cutting the people in line and too awkward to use her suddenly gained stardom like that.
"Aw fuck," the blonde bouncer uttered as she spotted Gabrielle. "You can go on in," she told her. "Goalie said you'd be comin'."
"Thanks," Gabrielle told her awkwardly.
"Have fun," she added.
Gabrielle walked through the black lite hallway into an expansive room that seemed to have two dance floors and multiple bars from what she could see. She decided to head to one of the bars and get a drink before she searched for her teammates.
"Hey," someone called at her once she reached the bar. "You actually came," Varia as she squeezed around a few people to reach her.
"Yeah," Gabrielle answered with a shrug, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. She had thought this was a defense only event. Varia being there probably meant Eve was there and Gabrielle had really been hoping this whole excursion would be a distraction from Xena.
They got one of the bartenders' attention and had to shout their drink orders.
"$7 for each," she yelled back.
"Nah, put her's on my tab," the winger called back.
"Varia, right?"
"Yes, ma'am," Varia told her with a fake salute and a wink.
"You good," the bartender told them as she walked away.
"Thanks," Gabrielle told Varia as they weaved through the crowd away from the bar and to a large circular booth just off the dance floor.
"No worries," Vaira told with a smile as she dropped onto one side of the booth beside Eve.
"Bitch!" Amarice called from the center of the table. "You're finally here! What took you so long?"
Paulina scooted in to make room for Gabrielle at the end of the table.
Gabrielle laughed over the rim of her drink. "I just had to drop my stuff at the hotel."
"Ignore her," Ephiny called as she forcefully grabbed Amarice's chin in her head. "She is just an impatient child."
"Fuck off," Amarice laughed as she struggled away.
"We are a bit surprised to see you," Minya informed her as she leaned back against the booth and crossed her arms.
"Minya," Paulina called annoyed. "Will you lay off?"
Minya shrugged her shoulders and scoffed as if she was being accused of something. "She seems very prepared and studious. I thought she'd be at the hotel reviewing the Sweden game."
Everyone peered at the veteran player for a moment.
"What did you think I was going to say?" Minya asked with a cheeky expression. "Absolutely nobody saw her leaving the locker room with Xena."
Varia chocked on her beer while Amarice burst out in laughter but attempted to cover it.
"Oh, leave the poor girl alone," Ephiny called across the table at Minya.
Gabrielle felt her face flush with embarrassment as she peered over at Ephiny. Unfortunately, Eve was sitting beside her and Gabrielle accidently made eye-contact with Xena's cousin.
"Uh," Eve utterly awkwardly after giving Gabrielle a small, warm smile. "Lao Ma is in town with Ming Tien."
"Oh fuck," Amarice called thinking of how awkward the situation must be since she was teammates with the both of them when everything ended. She had finished her drink but thankfully, they were in an area that had table service and she was quickly able to fix that situation.
"I thought they were just going down to Orlando for the Canada game," Varia stated.
"Me too," Eve added, with a guilty look toward Gabrielle. "That's what Xena's mom said. So, apparently this was a surprise for everyone."
"Huh," Ephiny called. "Weird."
"Weird?" Paulina questioned. "That's all you have to say?"
"It's a Red Stars thing," Amarice informed her.
"Yeah," Ephiny said with a nod.
"God, you guys are so fucking strange," Varia stated.
"So, with the vibe I'm getting, I shouldn't go to the Red Stars?" Gabrielle jokingly asked hoping to break the tension she was feeling.
Varia laughed. "You think you have a chance of going to the Red Stars? You're coming to North Carolina."
"Shut up, Varia," Eve called at her girlfriend. "Just because you team wins every year doesn't mean they can always trade for the number one pick."
"What? You think the losers in Orlando are going to keep it this year?" Varia shot back.
"Yes," Eve stated. "If it's for Gabrielle? Yes, I think my Orlando losers might keep it this year."
Ephiny laughed and shook her head. "You are forgetting that if she does good enough and says where she wants to go it will happen. It could be fucking Houston for all we know."
"Hmm," Minya uttered. "Hadn't thought about Houston."
"Wait, what?" Gabrielle blurted.
"That's because nobody ever thinks about Houston," called Paulina, who played her first two seasons in the league there.
"You guys think I'm going to be the number one draft pick?" Gabrielle asked the table.
Everyone peered at her.
"You surprised by that?" Ephiny asked.
Gabrielle took a deep breath and shook her head. "I guess I just hadn't thought about it."
"With how you are playing now, girl, you could have options," Amarice told her. "You are probably going to get a senior team contract at the end of all this. You could take that, and they allocate you to where with some input from you. Or you could enter the draft and end up wherever with about the same to a little more input from you."
Gabrielle exhaled anxiously and leaned back against the booth as she tried to wrap her head around what they had all been saying.
"I know there are probably thousands of girls your age who feel this way," Minya leaned told her and said. "But there is much more to you being on this team than Xena."
Minya smirked and shielded her face with her hands as multiple of her teammates erupted at her at once.
