His mother was sitting at the kitchen table with a man he didn't recognize. It took only a few seconds to figure out he was a doctor. He had that look. Superiority mixed with curiosity. As if by being a medical professional, his ego kept him from getting only a little star struck by a celebrity. Although, Sid still had trouble accepting that label. Put him in the middle of South Carolina and nobody gave him a second glance.

"Honey," his mom said, coming to her feet. He felt Caroline withdraw and move to the side, as his mother pulled him into a hug. Considering he'd seen her only last night, she seemed overly happy to see him. That should have been his first warning.

He put his arm around his mother, his palm covering her back in a half hug, his gaze still on the silver haired man in the shirt and tie fiddling with some folders.

Trina pulled back and her gaze went to Caroline, her eyes surprised, but her face forming a small smile.

"Hello, Caroline."

Caroline just nodded.

"Mr. Crosby," the doctor now stood and walked towards him, extending out his hand.

Sid took it.

"Dr. Becker, it's a pleasure. My son is a big fan."

Sid smiled warily, "Please call me Sid."

The doctor's smile seemed forced but he continued, "Well Sid, I'm sure your doctors gave you some indication of why I'm here, but I was hoping we could do some tests here to further diagnose."

Diagnose what, he thought?

The doctor must have sensed his confusion, because he tried his best to give a conciliatory look.

"There are some issues that need to be addressed, the hospital staff and your family," Dr. Becker gestured to Caroline and his parents.

Sid glanced at them, his mother gave a watery smile, while his dad showed no emotion. Caroline, had her gaze fixed to the floor.

He turned back to the doctor who hadn't stopped talking, "...a series of tests, here in the comfort of your home. Why don't we go into your study?"

He'd thought by discharged everything was ok. Or at least ok enough to go home. There were some symptoms he was exhibiting and he knew some of the staff from the team was going to stop by later to discuss protocol. He was going to go through the whole process again. A familiar feeling he wished to god he didn't have to feel again. But this doctor, the tone of the room. It was like he was missing something. But when he tried to think about it, everything was jumbled up.

Troy spoke and broke Sid from his trance.

"Son, Dr. Becker is among the best. He's going to help us," his father's voice was strangely gentle.

Sid looked at Caroline.

"Can my wife come with me?" he asked. Caroline's gaze shot from the floor, up to his, surprise written all over her face.

There was something else though. She looked almost...guilty.

"For the first session I'd like it to be just us." Dr. Becker replied smoothly. "But in future sessions, sure, she'd be welcome to join us."

Sid was dazed by all this and suddenly felt very tired. But obediently he turned towards the direction of the room off the kitchen and gestured for the doctor to follow.

"Thank you," Trina's voice was quiet as she turned to Caroline. "We just want to help him get better and I know you can help."

Caroline stared at the wall behind Trina. The wall of schedules. Where she and Sid had crafted their system, their blueprint for making this crazy life work. Now it was just his schedule. Her color coding system was gone. A messy scrawl covered the calendar. Bits of notes and torn paper scattered haphazardly across the cork board.

She stared at that wall.

"He doesn't remember," she said hollowly.

Caroline then looked at Trina's sorrowful face. "I don't understand it." She replayed outside's exchange through her mind. She was at a loss for words. The way he'd acted. Touched her, looked at her. All the hurt, the betrayal, the angry words, they didn't exist in his world. And it was like they were clean again. Pure. And it was a feeling she ached for. A feeling that she'd known would never come. She was so sure he'd never look at her the same way after he'd found out. That night last Christmas. It had all ended. And she'd known then that he was done. Done with her. And to be honest, she had been done too. It was just too hard. And now here she was in this house and he had looked at her, like he'd looked at her before. And it wasn't real. Because the doctor would fix him. She hadn't triggered anything. Whatever Trina had hoped Caroline could do, hadn't happened. Outside there was no remembering. It was instead this strange alternate universe.

"I'm sorry Caroline." Trina said softly. "I didn't want to hurt you. I just want him to be ok. And I hoped you could help."

"But if I had helped. If this had work, or does end up working, what do I get? Him hating me all over again? This family going back to not wanting anything to do with me?"

"I thought you could maybe work it out," her mother in law replied. "If he'd remembered you would be here and you could talk."

Troy made a noise that Caroline couldn't decipher but knew was unkind. Did she want to work things out? To pretend the last year hadn't happened? To feel that shine of his love illuminated on her again?

God she wanted that. So badly. But this was her reality. And even something as off the wall as amnes...memory loss wasn't going to change that.

"I don't see how that is going to work." Caroline said sadly.

"He's miserable." Trina's voice was barely a whisper.

"Trina," Troy said warningly.

Trina looked at her husband defiantly, "Well he is. And you know it. We all know it. He isn't the same anymore. And I'm not talking what's going on here. He's not himself. He hasn't been in a long time and she needs to know that."

Trina's words echoed in her head. If he was miserable, he did a pretty good job of hiding it. After she'd left, everything changed for him. He broke out of his slump. He went on a scoring run. He won the Stanley Cup. She'd seen that look on his face.

Pure joy.

Miserable, she scoffed to herself.

Yeah right. He had no idea what miserable wa-

The sound of shouting broke her from her thoughts. In an instant, the door to the study was wrenched open and out came Sid, full steam ahead. His face was contorted in fury as he charged towards her.

Oh god. Her stomach dropped.

He remembered.

He remembered.

"Aunt Patty brings the pumpkin pie that I have to have two slices of or she'll be insulted. And Aunt Peggy's apple pie is the one to stay away from." He said with a confident grin. "I spent the whole flight home studying."

Caroline returned the grin, "I'm impressed."

It was Thanksgiving morning and the two were in Sid's Range Rover heading west towards Steubenville. The newlyweds would be spending American Thanksgiving with Caroline's family and extended family. And while nearly all of them had been at the wedding, Sid hadn't gotten much time to get to know them properly.

Also the visit was exciting for him, as it was his first time to Caroline's childhood home and he was eager to see where she'd grown up.

The car was packed with rolls and wine and Caroline was grilling Sid on family facts as they traveled across the 22 highway.

"Relax," Sid said, reaching over to intertwine his fingers with Caroline's, although he had to unravel them from each other as she sat fidgeting and wringing her hands in her obvious stress.

When successful, he gave her hand a squeeze in support.

"I'm not nervous," she said quickly. Then cast a look at the skepticism on Sid's face.

"Ok, a little anxious maybe," she conceded. "I just want things to go well."

"They will," he gave her a toothy smile that put her at ease.

It was overcast and cold, but the interior of the car was warm, light music playing in the background. Her husband looked handsome as always. The collared shirt unbuttoned at his neck, his jeans dark and pressed. His hair was a little long, his face clean shaven and flushed with amusement.

"It's only for the day and plus, I'm kind of good at this type of stuff." He boasted.

Boastful or not, it was true. He was really good with families. He balanced the right amount of interest and conversation. Sure there were situations where he felt awkward and mostly counted on the boisterous conversations of friends or teammates to carry the social interactions, but this kind of stuff he could do. Plus he was happy to see Caroline's family.

They were his family now too.

In less than 45 minutes they were there.

Mr. and Mrs. Reid came out to greet them. Hugs all around, as they ushered he and Caroline into the large two story yellow house with a large porch.

Once inside, it was a bevy of excitement. Aunts and Uncles, cousins, neighbors, the house was filled with the warm scents of fall and a tv in the corner tuned to football.

Everyone embraced him warmly, genuinely pleased to see him. They asked about the drive and commented on how well they looked. Some mentioned how much they enjoyed coming to Nova Scotia for the wedding and they asked what he wanted to drink. No one seemed star struck or even tongue tied by his presence. It wasn't a cocky thought. It was a realistic one. But instead they treated him quite normally. They swarmed his wife too. Asking her questions a mile a minute about how she was doing. Caroline smiled warmly and answered with brief but meaningful responses. It didn't take long for her to be swept into the kitchen and Sid was left in the living room with a circle of men, now settling into their seats and turning their attention to the game.

"Sid, sit son." Mr. Reid gestured to the seat beside him.

Sid obediently sat and quickly his attention turned to the game as well.

During a commercial break he looked around the living room. The walls were lined with bookcases. A mixture of books, framed photographs and odds and ends filled the shelves. His eye caught photos of Caroline throughout her growing up. There was a photo of her as a young girl. Her eyes cast down on a giant slice of watermelon she held in her hands, the sun casting a glow behind her. There was a family portrait where she was twelve or thirteen, wearing a jean jumper with her hair big and curly surrounding her small features. Her grin full of metal, her eyes bright with that look she still had and that he loved so much.

"Sid, see if there are more chips," Mr. Reid said holding up the bowl, his eyes glued to the screen.

Clearly there was no ego in this house.

Dutifully Sid took the bowl and wandered towards the kitchen.

Mrs. Reid was busy at the counter, while the other women sat at the kitchen table talking animatedly. At first he didn't see Caroline. But then over on the other side of the kitchen he saw her talking to a woman who looked to be the same age. In her arms was an infant that she was balancing from arm to arm. Then he watched as the woman transferred the baby into Caroline's arms. He watched as she bit her lip in a mix of worry and concentration. Her arms moved into a cradling position and soon that look of worry turned into something else.

Pure joy.

Her face softened and her smile widened as she held the bundled child carefully.

It was an image that threw him and punched him in the gut.

Everything about their relationship had been expedited. Dating, commitment, marriage. But children, he'd figured that was way down the road. Not until he was at least 30 he'd always told himself. His life was too insane to bring a child into the world. Especially because he wanted to be involved as much as possible. That was hard when you spent as much time on the road as he did. He saw how some of the guys did it. How they made it work. Always it was because of their wives and how good they were at managing family with a husband living a nomadic life two thirds of the year. They were amazing women and he had no doubt Caroline would be just as amazing. Still he hadn't thought about kids, but watching her now, there was a pang. An ache. A feeling so strange and yet so comforting that it made him stop. Stop and watch.

Her. And see the family they would have. The one they would create together.

"How are you doing dear?"

Caroline's mother broke Sid from his epiphany/stupor.

Her looked away from his wife to his mother-in-law. She smiled at him kindly, just as she always did. Her eyes flickered to the bowl sitting in his hands.

"Do you need more snacks?" she asked.

Sid still working to clear his mind nodded silently, then found his voice.

"Yeah, sorry, are there any more chips?"

Mrs. Reid took the bowl from his hands and started to refill it. Sid felt an arm come around his waist and look over to see Caroline looking up at him with curiosity.

"How are you doing?" she asked, the tinge of tentativeness noticeable.

"Good," he replied, "You?"

She smiled, "Good. Lots to catch up on." Caroline looked over her shoulder, "My old neighbor stopped by, she just had a baby over the summer, so everyone is going gaga over it." She tried to sound nonchalant, but he noticed a pink blush stain her neck.

They'd only been married a few months, the subject of kids hadn't come up. The conversation of kids would be had, he wondered if now it would come sooner than he thought.

Turns out it came even sooner than that. Because not even an hour later when they'd all sat down to dinner, after the endless passing of bowls and platters, after Sid looked down at his impressive and coloring mound of Thanksgiving favorites and was all set to dig in, Aunt Patty spoke up. Or was it Aunt Peggy?

"So you two, when will you be starting a family? I know my sister is dying to become a grandmother and Caroline, you're not getting any younger."

Sid nearly choked on his green bean casserole. Caroline looked mortified.

She glanced at Sid, then at her aunt, "I'm only 27."

"That's the perfect age to start a family." Aunt Patty/Peggy persisted.

"Pat," Caroline's mother spoke up and the table had become uncomfortably quiet. "Leave them alone, they will make that decision when they are ready."

Aunt Patty looked affronted. "I don't think its a strange question to ask."

Sidney smiled at Aunt Patty, "Well, you'll be the first to know when it happens."

Caroline stifled a laugh, while Aunt Patty gave a curious look, not sure if he was joking or not.

"Pat," Mr. Reid interjected, "Aren't you going down to Orlando for New Years, to see cousin Ruth?"

And with that the conversation switched over to Aunt Patty's trip and the table noise grew with new conversations picking up.

Sid and Caroline were saved and Sid had never been so grateful to his father-in-law.

He looked over to Caroline, her face was tomato red. Sid reached under the table and ran his hand up and down her thigh. Caroline looked at him gratefully, her hand covering his, holding in gently. It lasted only a few moments, but it seemed to settle them both down.

The snow started just as dessert was the large bay window in the living room, they watched as the flakes came down big and beautifully. But then it got heavier and heavier. By the end of dessert, Mr. Reid had the television tuned to the Weather Channel and the forecast of 2-4 inches, turned to 8-10. The roads were slick the weatherman reported and people were urged to stay off the roads unless it was an emergency.

It was then decided Sid and Caroline would spend the night and drive home in the morning. At first, he felt put out by this, but then realized they'd be spending the night in Caroline's childhood room and the pervy part of him got a little bit excited.

Her bedroom was like a time capsule. Posters on the wall, a frilly pink bedspread on the size double bed. Certificates and ribbons wallpapered a corner of her room where the desk was. Sid looked around, while Caroline went to fetch towels and extra toothbrushes. There were posters of horses and pop stars. A number of trophies sat on a bookshelf, along with pictures of Caroline and who Sid assumed to be a young Philip, stood arm in arm. They wore bowling shirts that read the Ohio Valley Strikers.

It was like a Caroline museum and he was intrigued.

"You know," Caroline's voice interjected his perusal. "You're the first boy I've ever had in my room, well except for Philip," she said teasingly.

Her turned around and watched her put down the towel and toiletries. She looked amused and bashful at the same time.

Sid walked towards her, a predatory look in his eye.

"Good, because otherwise I would be very jealous."

"Well, I mean between the bowling trophies and horse posters, I don't understand why a guy wouldn't be interested, but luckily for you, no reason to be jealous whatsoever."

Sid drew her into his arms and pulled his wife flush to him. "You do realize how turned on this whole scenario makes me?"

Caroline flushed as he pressed his hips into her, "Unfortunately, I don't have any cheerleading uniform to put on for you. All I've got is an old bowling shirt," she giggled, snuggling into his embrace.

"I could make that work," he replied, his mouth moving to the warm soft skin of her neck.

Caroline just laughed, "Yeah not going to happen, that thing is way too small."

"Even better." He mumbled against her skin.

Caroline shuddered, pressing herself into him.

Her head lifted, her mouth seeking his.

Their kiss was tender and light. Her lips moving against his, her mouth opening and her tongue reaching out to taste him. He reciprocated, eager to taste her as well.

She tasted of chai tea and pumpkin pie.

After a few moments she pulled away.

"Sid, lock the door," her voice a little bit breathless.

He did as he was told and when he turned around, she'd arranged herself on her bed.

She gave him that look, that take me now look, and he didn't waste any time.

They pawed at each other. Clothes discarded, bodies pressing against one another.

Both were quiet but determined and when he'd finally slid into her, the heels of her feet pressed powerfully at the back of his thighs, drawing him deeper into her.

They found their rhythm, she clung to him as he rocked into her.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear as his fingers sought the hot heat of folds. His thumb pressing against her clitoris.

He felt her swallow a shout as he worked his hips and fingers until she came apart in his arms. Clutching him, Caroline shattered beneath him and a moment later he followed.

"I love you too," he breathed, his lips pressing against her sweaty temple.

After a moment of regulating their breathing, they shimmied under the covers of her bed and turned off the bedside light.

Caroline laid her head against the hard planes of his chest, her legs tangling into his.

They didn't say anything for a while.

Finally she spoke, "In the spirit of the holiday, I should thank you for dealing with my family. My aunt has no filter."

"She doesn't hold back, that's for sure," he said lightly.

Caroline rearranged herself, pulling herself onto her side, facing him.

She stared at him, her eyes big and brown, her gaze unwavering.

"I guess we haven't really had 'the talk'."

Sid pressed his forehead against hers. "Caroline," he said seriously. "I know what sex is."

She laughed and swatted at him, "Not that talk, dummy. You know what I mean."

"I do," he replied, his thumb rubbing across her cheek.

"It's a big deal. And there are still things I want to do. Time I want just for us. I don't know if it's selfish, but I like it as just you and me. At least for now. And with hockey...I know everyone finds a way to make it work, but…" she trailed off.

"I'm in no rush. When it's time, we'll know," he replied.

She smiled, "Exactly."

His eyes flickered over her face, "You'll make a great mom, Care."

Her eyes got bright as color washed onto her face.

"And you'll make an amazing father, Sid." Caroline leaned in and brushed her lips against his.

Sid deepened the kiss then pulled away, "So we can agree we are both pretty awesome people, eh?"

The burst of laughter fell from her lips, "Yes, I suppose we can."

"Good, now that we are in agreement, how about finding that bowling shirt?"

***Author's note: Life is crazy, since I last updated I have gotten a new job and been dealing with the stress of my sick cat. It's not an excuse but an explanation. I've been in and out of vet offices for the past two months and I'm afraid I will have to put her to sleep this week. That stress, along with the new job has put me in a state of anxiety and I've struggled with my writing. This story is never out of my mind and I hope that as life settles down again and I reach some peace with my pet, I can refocus myself. Thank you for reading. You all keep me motivated, even though I am moving like molasses with this story. Will try to do better! Go Pens!***