A/N Happy National Toasted Marshmallow Day! Damn it, now I totally want smores. hehe Not related, it's also National Frankenstein Day and International Day of the Disappeared, which hopefully are not related, but you never know. Weird ones today, my friends. It's also only two weeks until football officially kicks off, so YAY!

I must apologize for failing to issue a tissue warning last week! I totally meant to (and I'm doing it today as well, so TISSUES MAY BE NEEDED) but I blame my arm pain and lack of sleep for forgetting. I'm happy to say my arm is fully recovered, so no excuses today. Thanks for all the well-wishes and suggestions there. You guys would have enjoyed my daily, sometimes hourly, texts and phone calls telling my parents and some friends that I could touch my face and eat with a fork and such. It was like being a little kid again, wanting every achievement celebrated, but it really felt like an accomplishment at the time. I don't know what I did to myself, but I damn well don't want to do it again.

My Bucs were back to being craptastic again, so not much to say about them. Let's talk Fantasy! I got an A+ grade on one of my drafts, and I've gotten nothing below a B in any of them, so I'm psyched. Then again, the league I do that autodrafts for everyone picked up Jordy and Foster, both injured, and I got an A- in that draft (thanks , for not updating player injuries) so there's not much to be said for grades and predictors. hehe Still. Fun new team names this week Thin Line Btw Luck and Hate (for the hate league, thought that was perfect) and Blue Bells Are My Forte. It's a shame I didn't get Montee Ball for that league, but you get the drift. hehe I have another draft tonight, so wish me luck!

I think you'll be happy to hear that the epilogue next week flew past 12,000 words. And I could have written more, but I'll save that for outtakes. haha And I've already written one of those, so we're not saying goodbye yet. I'm thrilled that so many of you don't want to see them go. Definitely the ultimate compliment :)

I've been asked if there's anything next and the answer, of course, is yes. I'll be taking a little break and trying to pre-write it, because it's a short story and Bella based (yes, E will be there) but I have to see what format it wants to take. And also I've been writing for a year straight and could use a little break! I read an actual book yesterday for the first time in a long time. Felt great. But I'm not going away! There are still several stories in my head just dying to get out.

Alright, enough yammering. I'll let you get to the first unofficial epi. There's a bit of a time jump. You'll know how far when you get a little into it. Enjoy, remember the maybe tissues, and I'll see you next week. Have a great one!

Getting Blitzed Chapter 51

Today was fucking huge. I blew out a breath as I jogged out onto the field while the crowd cheered their asses off as loud as they could. They knew how big it was. This was the most important game yet. Yes, we'd been to the playoffs last year and even won our first game, only to flame out in Seattle a week later. Not this year, though. This year, they were going to have to come to my house. Provided we won today. And we had to, for more than one reason.

"Have you seen her yet?" Sammy asked, jogging over to me as I stood and took it all in.

The crowd was still loud. They knew what this meant. And of course we were playing Dallas. They'd like nothing better than to knock us out of the number-one seed. Plus they were contending for a wild-card spot. They needed this just as much as we did. Too bad they'd be leaving with a loss if I had anything to say about it. And I did.

"Not yet."

I knew where they were sitting, of course. But I was waiting. I had a plan, and I wanted the first time I saw her to be when I scored the first touchdown. This was a big day for more than just me. It was her first game since-

"Are we doing this, or what? Are you ready, bitches?" Colin whacked the back of my pads.

"I'm ready. Give me time, and I'll get it done."

"We got this," Sammy assured him.

"Are you completely focused on the game?" I asked, because I didn't know how he could be. Emily was due to deliver their first child any moment now. She was already past her due date.

"Emily assures me she won't go into labor today." He rolled his eyes. "My mom is with her and promised she'd get her to the hospital if need be. She's just gotta hold out for a few more hours. I need this bye week, though, man. Just in case my baby girl keeps up with her mother's stubborn streak."

Yeah, Sammy was having a daughter of his own. We'd repeated our shopping spree when he'd found out the sex of the baby, going to the same store and buying a lot of the same shit we'd gotten for Dani. Hey, what was good for one was good for the other. Reed Girl had said we could give them some of Dani's hand-me-downs, but we'd wanted to repeat the experience. It was our thing now.

"I don't know how you're even functioning right now. Remember what a wreck I was?" Colin asked, throwing back his head and laughing.

He had been. He'd gotten the call right at the end of the first season of Danny's Dream camp, and he'd taken off like someone lit his ass on fire. His son, Christopher, had come along a few hours of labor later.

Yeah, there'd been a bit of a baby boom among friends and family in the last couple of years. Em and Blondie had had a set of twins two months ago. Twin girls, thank you very much. I was pretty sure my brother was already losing some of his hair from freaking out over that one. He tried to blame it on the stress of coaching, but I knew better. He'd been promoted to linebackers coach at FSU and was doing really well.

Shorty and Jasper didn't have any kids yet, but they were talking about it. He wanted to get done with grad school first, but Shorty was getting anxious. I couldn't blame her. There were a lot of cute babies floating around these days.

None cuter than my Dani, though. Eighteen months old, and she was fucking gorgeous. Mom and Reed Girl had been right about her eyes. They'd changed over a little after she turned one. They were my exact shade of green now. She was walking and talking, just so fucking smart thanks to Reed Girl and Dottie reading to her, talking to her, teaching her shit. She had her mother's mind, for sure, and my mouth. Her first word had been daddy. As it should be. Her second had been fuck, as it shouldn't be. The hell I'd caught for that hadn't been pretty. It was a damn good thing my mom was a thousand miles away, that's all I'm saying.

My fear that my parents were going to move up north had been tempered some when Em and Blondie announced that she was expecting. Now Mom had grandchildren within driving distance, so I figured we were pretty safe. Though she'd made some noises about summer homes and winter homes. It was only a matter of time until she lived down the street, at least part-time. I was trying to resign myself to the idea. At least we'd have another babysitting option, not that we didn't have a ton already.

"Are you ladies going to sit around and chat all day or maybe go clinch a bye week?" Paul asked, coming up and sneering at us.

"We're ready. Just letting off some steam," I assured him.

"Sure." He shifted his feet. "So, have you talked to Bella?"

I laughed. Asshole. There he was, lecturing us, and he was just as bad as we were. Worse, because he didn't have his woman…yet.

"Leah is sitting with her."

He grinned. "Great! Maybe you could throw me one today?"

I snickered. "I'll see what I can do."

Paul was head over heels for the principal at one of the schools where we were running our music program. Reed Girl had invited her to our Christmas party a couple of weeks ago, and Paul had lost his damn mind over her. Leah was pretty much the one woman who seemed to be resistant to his charms so far. He was working his ass off to try to get her to go out with him. Reed Girl and I both had a feeling Leah wasn't as immune to him as she liked to pretend, but it didn't hurt to make him work for it. He needed a challenge.

"Sucker." Brady chortled.

"Like you can talk?" Paul demanded, smacking his arm.

That was true. Brady had been dating Sarah for the past few months. He'd met her at the animal-adoption event that we'd sponsored to kick off the season. A bunch of us had gone to sign autographs, take pictures, and meet adoptees. We'd brought Rainbow with us, and I was pretty sure she'd been responsible for several extra cat adoptions. She was just that cool. Sarah was one of the volunteers. They'd been together since they'd bonded over a lab that Brady had fallen for, with a little nudge from my Reed Girl. My single teammates had fallen like flies. The days of clubs and football groupies were over. Now it was all rings and babies. It was crazy, but it kind of rocked.

"Fuck off. At least I got myself a girl," Brady taunted.

"I'm working on it," Paul muttered.

Was he sulking? Yeah, he totally was.

"It's the ones who are a challenge who are worth it." I smiled, remembering Reed Girl in the locker room, then dicking me around with the music store phone number, giving me shit in the library… Good fucking times.

"Bella didn't make it easy on me at first." Of course, it hadn't taken long before I wore her down. Or so I thought. In reality she'd been playing me as easily as one of her musical instruments. Thank God for it.

"See? She's just making me work for it. It's worth it," Paul said, flipping Brady off.

"It's just nice to see the supposed ladies' man struggling to get the girl," Sammy told him, putting a comforting arm around his shoulder. "We'll help you out, man."

Paul jerked his body away. "Fuck off. I don't need your help. I don't need anybody's help."

I raised an eyebrow at that.

"Okay, maybe Bella's, but she helped all the rest of you fuckers, too."

That was my girl. "She did. We'll expect some nice gifts from you assholes over the years, to thank us for your eternal happiness."

"I got something for you." Brady cupped his package, making everyone crack up.

"Excuse me."

We all turned at the sound of Coach's voice. It wasn't happy, despite the polite words.

"If you're done having your little book-club meeting, we have a game to play. It's kind of an important one, last I checked. Or would you rather get your knitting needles and make a pretty quilt for the dog house you'll find your fucking asses in if we lose this fucking game?" His voice got louder and louder with each and every word. It was actually quite impressive.

"We're ready, Coach," Sammy assured him.

"No, I don't think you are. You're too busy running your mouths instead of your legs. Everybody give me a stadium lap, now!"

Well, fuck. This was a first. But even I didn't argue. We jogged around the field while the majority of our team laughed at our sorry asses. The Cowboys didn't know what to make of it, though Dez had fun jeering at us as we ran by. Fucker. I was going to make damn sure that Sammy had a better day than he did. He'd get more receptions and touchdowns if it killed me. Dez hated being outshined in a big game.

"You'd better catch everything I throw at you. We're going to burn that motherfucker," I told him.

"Count on it." Sammy fist-bumped me and ran over to his position coach after we'd completed our lap.

I waited as Coach came up to me. "Did you get it out of your system?" he asked.

"Talking to my teammates? I didn't know it was against the law."

He snorted. "Fuck, Cullen. I don't care if you girls want to gab all game long so long as we're winning. That's not what I was talking about."

What in the hell was he talking about then? "What? I don't have anything in my system."

"Nerves, Cullen. You're nervous, which is something I'm not used to seeing from you when it comes to football."

Oh, that. "It's an important game. I'm not nervous, exactly…"

"You're not exactly calm, either. Just play like you've been playing all year long. You really found your stride, Cullen. Win a few more games, and people around here might forget the name Manning."

I snorted. "Not until I win two, but I hear you. I just want to play well because-"

"I know why," he said, interrupting before I could finish. "But winning or losing won't change anything there. You're still doing something awesome today. Losing wouldn't take that away."

Before I could smile, he continued on. "But winning would make it even sweeter. And I wouldn't have to kick your ass, which would be tough on my old body, but I'd do it. Have some pity on your coach, though. I don't want to have to hurt you before the playoffs."

I had to laugh. "I'd tell you to bring it, but you probably would. So, instead, I'll do the ass kicking, on the field. That work for you?"

He smirked. "More than. Now get over with Palmer and go over your reads. I want to start hot. We're not taking the pedal off the metal for the next sixty minutes. You hear me?"

"I hear you. Let's kick some Cowgirl ass."

"Do it." He slapped me on the back and then headed off to yell at the defense. Coach wasn't happy unless he was yelling at someone, I was fairly sure. I was going to give him reason to smile today, though.

Xoxoxoxox

We won the toss and elected to go on defense, even though that wasn't my preference. And I'd had to grit my teeth as Dallas drove the field and capped the drive with a touchdown to Dez. I could see the fucker's grin all the way from my side of the field. I'd be wiping that shit off soon enough.

They kicked, and we got a return to our own twenty-seven. I called everyone into the huddle and looked each one in the eye.

"We settle for nothing less than a touchdown. Jennings, be ready for the check on every passing play. Hit your block and release as fast as you can. We're going up-tempo the whole way. Ready?"

I got nods all around.

"Break!"

I stepped behind my line and barked out my cadence. I saw Quinn twitching on the d-line, so I added an extra word to my usual call. He jumped. I laughed as he got called for offsides, and we got a free five yards. That'd teach him to try to jump my snap count.

I had him back on his heels after that, so I called for a quick pass to Sammy in the slot. He caught it and scampered for an extra seven yards after the catch, taking us to the forty-five. I handed off to Jennings on the next play, for a gain of four. We were right near midfield.

The next play was a quick snap to Paul over on the right hash. He caught it and scampered ahead another eight yards for a first down.

The corner was cheating up, either anticipating the run or going for a blitz. I changed the play to another quick out, this time to Sammy, getting rid of the ball just as Quinn barreled through the line and drove me to the ground. It fucking hurt, but the cheers let me know that I'd made the right call.

When I popped up, I saw we were at the twenty-three. Nice. Nearly to the red zone. It was an efficient drive thus far. I handed the ball off to Jennings for a pick-up of two. Claiborne batted my pass into the end zone for Sammy away at the last second, making it third and eight. No way we were settling for a field goal here. No fucking way.

I called a huddle so we could talk over the next play.

"I want you and you to plant yourselves just beyond the first-down marker once you're out of your break." I pointed to Paul and Sammy. "Whoever is the most open is getting the damn ball. Catch it, or I'll kick your ass." I turned to Brady and Colin. "Quinn is getting too fucking close to me on every damn play. Do what you have to do to keep him off my ass."

"On it," they both promised.

Sammy smirked as he took his position on the left side. Good. He was ready.

I took my position, and I swear I saw Quinn licking his chops. Fuck that noise. He wasn't taking me down on this play or any other if I had my say about it.

"Blue forty-two, blue forty-two, set, hut, hike!" I spat out my orders, and the ball hit my hands. I dropped back three steps, looking forward as Jennings cut through the line. He was my safety valve. Hawkins was all over Paul's ass, and Sammy had a small window on Claiborne. I let the ball fly and watched as he caught it, tapped both feet down, and fell out of bounds.

"First down!" the announcer called over the loudspeaker, not that I needed his help to know that. Sammy had positioned himself perfectly. We were first and goal, just shy of the nine-yard line.

We had time to huddle again since the play clock had stopped when Sammy went out of bounds. "Sammy, fade to the corner of the end zone. If it's open, it's coming your way. Daryl, you're the hot read over the middle. Paul, run the slant from the two. Everyone else block. Go!" I shouted, and everybody lined up as the ref set the ball.

I called for the ball, my eyes on the defense as it hit my hands. I backed up five steps. Sammy was blanketed in the corner. Any throw there would be picked or incomplete. Paul looked open, but the safety was trying to bait me. I saw it clearly. So, I checked down to Daryl. He went down at the two yard line with a good tackle from Cooper.

The safe play here would be to attempt to run it in with Jennings, but the line was stacked and a part of me was feeling selfish. I really wanted to be the one to get the first touchdown, today of all days. And at this end of the field. I'd done my best to keep my focus on the game, to not look for her, for them, but it was tough, especially because they were right there in the front row. She'd chosen the seats. I wanted to score for her.

"Boot right," I told the team as we gathered to run the next play.

Sammy laughed. "Love it! Let's do this!"

I called out my cadence, got the ball, and everybody crashed into the line, looking Jennings all the way, since I pulled out an excellent fake handoff. He sold it, hunching over and plowing into the line. I didn't have time to admire it, though. I tucked the ball under my arm and rolled right. Claiborne was the only man close to me, but he whiffed on the tackle as I ran into the end the zone.

I vaguely heard the roar of the crowd as I continued running up to the wall. I whipped off my helmet and grinned up at my girls. All of my girls. My wife was there, cheering, clapping, and hugging Leah. Reed Girl was wearing my jersey under her big parka, of course. One couldn't even tell that she was carrying our son.

Yes, the first boy grandchild was officially on the way, confirmed by the doctor just two days ago. My mom was already going nuts buying boy shit. Now that she had all her girl grandbabies, she was totally ready to spoil the only boy. For now. There'd be more if I had anything to say about it.

I shifted my attention to Reed Girl's right, smiling at the sight of my daughter clapping along with everyone else. She didn't quite know what was going on, but she knew the signal for touchdown. I held my hands up, and she mimicked me, giving me her cute-as-hell baby grin. She said something, but I couldn't begin to hear her over the crowd. Likely it was "daddy," since she was reaching for me.

I blew her a little kiss and shifted my attention to the one who held her. Chelsea. It was the first game she'd attended since her brother died. I'd offered the family tickets every week, but they just hadn't been ready to come without Danny. I couldn't blame them. Chelsea probably would have come with Reed Girl, but she'd wanted her parents to be there with her. I totally got it.

But they were all here today, cheering and smiling, wearing the orange bands for the Leukemia Society that I'd arranged to have given away to every single fan in the stadium. There was something bigger coming at halftime.

Reed Girl took Dani back from Chelsea, since my daughter was starting to get a little pissed about the fact that I wasn't taking her. Her gorgeous little face was scrunching up in temper. Yeah, she kind of took after me on that front as well. I motioned my wife to bring her forward, propped myself up on the wall, and gave her nose a little peck.

"Sorry, princess! Daddy will hold you later."

I shifted my attention to Chelsea, who was smiling. Her blond hair curled down past her shoulders now. She was shooting up, growing like a damn weed. Eleven years old but knocking on the door to being a teenager. Uncool. It reminded me all too much of how quickly Dani was going to grow up.

"For you," I said, holding out the ball to her.

She took it and hugged it to herself. "Thanks, Edward! You scored for me."

"For both of you." I pointed up at the sky and saw her eyes get a little teary as she nodded.

I knew it was time to get back to the sidelines, to go over the next series, but I wanted to bask in the moment just a little bit. Steve and Joyce were smiling, seemingly having a good time. Good. I wanted them to find the fun, along with the good, in the game again.

"See you at halftime!" I called, waving as I headed back to the sidelines.

They knew part of what was coming but not all. I couldn't wait to surprise them. I knew they'd probably cry. Fuck, I might. But it was totally worth it. First, we had a game to win. We'd damn well be leading at halftime. I was determined.

Xoxoxoxoxo

We were up twenty-one to thirteen at the half. Damn right we were. Dez had one of his mini-meltdowns on the sideline as the clock ticked down. I ignored that bullshit as I shook hands with several representatives from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

"We can't thank you enough for what you're doing to help spread awareness and bring in help to our charity," George Winters, the head of the charity, said as he shook my hand.

I didn't know what to say when someone said stuff like that to me, so I just smiled. "We're very happy to."

"We are." Reed Girl slipped her hand into mine.

Dani immediately reached for me, chanting "Dada," over and over until I took her in my arms.

"Daddy's sweaty and gross, baby."

But of course Dani didn't care. She put her hands on my face and started babbling. I caught the words "ball" and "tuhdown" and "Telsea," which was how she said Chelsea.

"Well, you're just having all the fun, aren't you?" And because my kid was fucking irresistible, I gave her a smacking kiss on her cheek, making her screech with laughter.

"Dada tiss! Dada tiss!"

"All my kisses are for you and your mom, baby."

I gave Reed Girl one for good measure. "Hi."

She laughed. "Hi, Champ. Lookin' good out there."

I smirked at her. "That was a given."

"Don't make me smack your butt in front of all these people," she murmured, that look in her eye. I fucking loved her pregnancy hormones.

"We both know if you get your hands in that area, you won't be able to settle for just a smack, Reed Girl," I whispered back.

She let out a little moan. "Time and place, Cullen."

"You started it, baby." What? She totally had. She had that look on her face that said she wanted to jump me, regardless of the fact that there was a stadium full of people around.

"And I'll finish it, after you win," she promised with a smile.

"Edward!" Little arms wrapping around my waist jerked me out of sexy thoughts.

"Hey, Chels! You ready to do this?"

"Yes!"

"And now, ladies and gentleman, if you could direct your attention to midfield for a special presentation," came over the loud speaker.

We walked out to the center of the field with the reps from the LLS Society. Joyce, Steve, and Chelsea stood on my right, Reed Girl on my left, and Dani was attached to my hip.

"Our quarterback, Edward Cullen, has something to say."

The announcer handed me the mike. Dani immediately reached for it, but I laughed and held it away from her. "Not a toy, princess," I murmured before bringing it to my face.

"First, I just have to thank you all for coming and supporting the team today. The atmosphere has been incredible, and we're totally feeding off it. So keep it coming!"

The crowd roared at my order.

"Every single one of you received orange bracelets today, just like the one I wear that a very special friend gave to me a couple of years ago." I took a deep breath. Reed Girl squeezed my waist. "His name was Danny Prentice, and he had leukemia. He fought really hard, but he lost the battle two years ago today."

It was amazing to me that this game fell on this day. Fate, I guess.

"Before he died, he asked me to make him a couple of promises. One was that I help look after his family." I smiled over at them and swallowed the lump in my throat. "I like to think I've done that one."

"You have!" Chelsea shouted, loud enough for the mike to pick it up and send it through the stadium.

I laughed. "That's good, then." I ruffled her hair. "The other was that I'd win the Super Bowl for him."

The crowd roared again at that announcement.

"I'm working on that one." I smirked at the laughter and cheering I could hear.

"The other wasn't what he asked of me, but what I asked of myself. I wanted to keep his name alive. So, my wife and I named our daughter after him, because we think Danny was a great kid and want her to aspire to be like him."

"Dani!" my daughter shouted, right into the mike, before she tried to chew on it. Reed Girl reached for her, but she started yelling "no!" so I shook my head and continued on.

"That's right, baby. That's your name. It's a great one." I had to focus back on what I wanted to say. "Also, we started a foundation called Danny's Dream, a football camp open to all children, and did other fundraisers over the past couple of years. The community's response has been nothing short of phenomenal."

I gestured to the men and women who represented the charity. "And today, I'm proud to say that Danny's Dream is presenting the Leukemia and Lymphoma society with a check for ten million dollars." Some from fundraising and sponsors, some from Reed Girl and me, but all of it for them. I was thrilled to be giving them this money.

Alec handed over the giant check to George Winters as the crowd applauded. He took the mike from me.

"Thank you, Edward. We're floored by what you've done to raise awareness for our charity, and we're honored that you chose us for this gift and support."

As we'd agreed earlier, he turned to Joyce, Steve, and Chelsea. "We're using this money to set up scholarships for children who have suffered from this disease and for their families to help with medical bills, school expenses, and anything else that comes along. We're going to call it the Daniel Prentice Scholarship. As Edward promised, Danny's name is going to live on."

Joyce and Chelsea both cried and threw their arms around me. Steve cleared his throat several times before leaning into the mike.

"Thank you. We're so honored. Danny would be so proud. This is truly wonderful."

The crowd cheered in support as we all shook hands and hugged.

"Thank you, Edward. Truly. What a fantastic surprise," Joyce said, kissing my cheek.

"Yes. He would be beside himself if he were here."

"Dani!" my daughter shouted again, making everyone laugh through their tears.

"I think he is, in his own way," Reed Girl said, kissing Dani's head before meeting my lips with hers. "I'm so proud of the man you are."

I laughed and kissed her back. "I think I have you to thank for that."

"Nah. It was always there. I just helped you bring it out sooner."

"Tisses!" Dani demanded her own kiss, so of course I complied. I couldn't say no to her. It was going to be a big problem when she got older.

"Edward!"

I passed Dani over to Reed Girl and knelt down so Chelsea could throw her arms around me. "That was really cool. Now everyone will know Danny."

I hugged her back. "They all should. He was an awesome guy."

"Yeah." She stepped back, and I wiped her tears away. "One day I'm gonna help keep his name alive, too."

I had no doubt that she would. "I'm counting on it, Chels. You're going to run this foundation for me when you get done with school, aren't you?"

Her eyes got really wide. "I am? I mean, I am! Yes! Mom, I got a job!"

We all laughed at her enthusiasm. "If only everyone felt that way about work. Very cool, Chels. You'll be great at that."

"I will. You'll see."

"None of us doubt that, kiddo." I ruffled her hair and then stood up. "I hate to give out money and run, but I've got to get ready for the second half."

Coach was probably having an aneurism. He'd signed off on this, but he damn well expected me to get back in time to talk to my coaches and plan the second half.

"Yes! You have to keep your other promise to my brother!" Chelsea patted my arm. "What's that thing they say, Dad?"

Steve laughed. "Super Bowl or bust?"

"That's it! Super Bowl or bust, Edward."

I had to laugh myself. "Well, then, I'd better get that done. Can't let Danny down."

"You wouldn't," Chelsea said. Her confidence in me made me feel like I'd already won the damn thing.

"I won't," I promised again.

Three and a half more games. Piece of cake.