***Author's note: Sorry for the delay. Went up to Ohio/Penn for family and vacation time. Attended my first Penguins game and true to my lifetime of bad luck sid got injured and the game I went to was the one that broke the streak. Ah well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, I feel like it's a transitional chapter and will get things moving. As always your reviews are to me like milkshakes are to sid. Ha.***

The first thing she felt when Caroline awoke was the heat. The body behind her was flush to hers, the warmth it emitted was something she hadn't felt in weeks. Sidney's feet were tangled in hers, the coarse hairs on his shins rubbed up against the tender skin on the back of her calves. His solid thighs curled into her, as the heaviness of his penis sat on the seam of her buttocks. HIs belly and chest flattened against her back and his left arm was a cage around her, his large hand resting on her stomach. His face buried in her hair and the only sound she could hear was the evenness of his breathing as sleep still claimed him. She didn't want to move an inch. Feeling him so close, so peaceful. The beat of his heart pressed into her shoulder blade and Caroline relished it. It was warm but not uncomfortably so. This was something she wanted to savor, to treasure. The sun hadn't rose yet. The years as a school teacher had trained her to wake at an early hour, even when it was vacation or a weekend. She guessed the time was 6:30. Sid had practice at 9 o'clock. Just before sleep claimed them last night he had set his alarm for 7:30. She had an hour. 60 minutes to bask in the feeling of him completely consuming her. Holding her so close, not a molecule of air between them. She lay there feeling everything as her mind drifted to the previous night. Sid had carried her to the bed and laid her down with such care. As she started to peel off the t-shirt he had lent her, his hands had stilled her. He seemed so intent on taking things slow. Painfully slow. She stared at him as his hands moved over her body, deliberate and calculating, like he was trying to figure out what formula had created her. It had sent a chill throughout Caroline. His fingers ghosted over her cheeks, her neck, her arms, his eyes following his fingers. His lips were parted and full, as if filled with unspoken words that he seemed hesitant to drop into the silence. He was so intense that she wondered if it wasn't for her body he was examining, would he even know she was there? His hands circled her waist, his thumbs pressing down into the bottom of her ribs. He rubbed methodically and although it was rather ticklish, Caroline found that she couldn't move a muscle. In an instant he had pushed the t-shirt up and over her head. Her shoulders lifted then fell back against pillows and she resumed her position now in only a simple pale blue bra. Her breasts heaved up and out of the cups as her breathing became more and more labored. Sid wasted no time burying his head into her chest and breathing her in. She held him close to her, understanding that, for them, these past few weeks had been brutal. That all the stubbornness and hard feelings, the uncertainty and fear of the future, none of it was worth being apart from one another. Their bodies couldn't fight what their minds and hearts tried so hard to do. His mouth was hot on her body, pressing heavy wet kisses across the swell of her breasts as his fingers worked at the clasp easily. Her bra was quickly gone, sometime later the sweatpants and her panties. Sidney touched her everywhere, slowly, carefully, reverently. Savoring the feelings, Caroline's hands began their own exploration. She was a lucky girl, having so much more body to work with. His skin was so smooth and warm, she felt his muscles flex beneath her palms, she traced the freckles on his skin, memorizing the map on his body of marks, some he had been born with and some that had become battle wounds from his lifetime on the ice. Quickly, easily, everything else fell away until all that existed was skin and mouths, limbs and lips, touches and gasps. Finally, Sids hands found hers, intertwining their fingers. His eyes bore down onto her, soft but bright.

"I'm sorry," the whisper falling from his lips.

She was taken aback. Not wanting to break the mood she leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. She didn't want him to say anything else. The sorries, the regrets, the decisions made whether good or bad, the resent, the fear, the uncertainties, they didn't matter, not now at least. She just wanted to feel him with her. For now that was more than enough.

And now as the hour ticked down until he woke and Caroline felt every part of him, meld into her, she realized she just couldn't tell him that she had been wrong then, that he was wrong now, that she did want to marry him, bring her life and his together in the most complete way. She couldn't tell him. She would have to show him.

The first thing he felt when Sidney awoke was the cold. His bedmate, his source of warmth was gone. For a split second he wondered if she had left. If yesterday, hadn't been enough of a fix to the tentative ground they had walked on for weeks. But as soon the thought struck him, it left him. She wouldn't leave like that. They had come too far for that. What helped also was the smell of bacon that was quickly filling into his room and the clock on the bedside table that read 7:30. There was no way Taylor was up at this hour cooking. With a grin he hopped out of bed and trotted to the bathroom.

A few minutes later he wandered into the kitchen and took in the sight. Caroline stood in front of the stove, her hair up in a messy bun, tendrils of hair escaped and tickled at the nape of her neck. The t-shirt of Sid's she had borrowed fell down to midthigh and covered the boxer shorts she must have stolen from his underwear drawer. The boxers had been a gag gift from the team last year, cartoon penguins with bandages wrapped around their heads looking dizzy. His eyes followed the curve of her thigh, down to the slope of her calf as her foot came up to scratch the calf with her big toe. She held a spatula in one hand and the sounds of humming and bacon sizzling filled the kitchen.

"Hey," he said easily making his way towards her.

Caroline started for a second, then turned around. If someone were to ever ask him to describe Caroline in one word at that moment, he would say sunshine. She glowed. Her eyes were a lit with delight upon seeing him, her grin showed off her bright smile and her flushed cheeks were the perfect indicator that seeing him first thing in the morning was something she definitely enjoyed.

"Hi," she said rather enthusiastically for such an early morning. Then her brow furrowed and the corners of her mouth turned down. "I wanted to surprise you, breakfast in bed, but the bacon was frozen, so it's taking a while."

He didn't know he even had bacon. He assumed it had been from a recent trip from his parents when his mother always seemed to overbuy on the groceries she and Troy would need for their visit.

"That's ok," he said grinning, his arms coming around her waist and pulling her back towards him. Instantly Caroline relaxed into him.

"You don't have any bread either, so I thought I would improvise with these tortillas I found…" she trailed off, feeling his lips trail down the column of her neck.

"Mmmhmm," he murmured absently.

"I wanted to make you a good breakfast before practice," she said distractedly as his hands gripped her hips and his tongue lapped at her neck.

"You're the perfect breakfast," he whispered as her turned her into his arms and captured her mouth with his. She didn't protest but instead opened her mouth and eagerly accepted his minty tongue. After a few moments the smell of burning bacon broke them of their trance. Caroline pulled away quickly and shoved the pan off the burner. All flustered she turned the knob to the off position and waved her hand to dissipate the smoke.

"Stay," he said over her shoulder.

"Huh?," she said absently, her arms waving unnecessarily.

"Caroline," Sid grabbed at her arm and turned her back to him. He pressed his forehead to hers and looked at her. "This week, stay here, with me. Please. Everything is going to change soon, I just want this time. Please."

His insistence was unnecessary and she gave him her answer in the form of a toe curling kiss.

"Oh my eyes!" A new voice came into the room and Caroline jumped from Sid as if he was the burning bacon.

Taylor came into the room dressed for the day and giggling. "Relax, I'm kidding."

Caroline mustered up an embarrassed smile, as Sid just grinned completely unaffected.

"So Sid," Taylor said picking up a banana, "1 pm, right? Opening day?"

Sidney stared at his sister his face blank until he put two and two together.

"Oh Tay," he started his face pained by what he was about to say.

Instantly Taylor's face fell. "It's not gonna happen?" she asked sadly.

Sid looked from Taylor to Caroline, who was figuring out the disappointment to come.

"I have this interview with SI after practice. Photo shoot and sit down, the whole nine yards. It's for the playoff issue. I can't get out of it..."

He didn't need to go any further, Taylor got it. She was used to this, him never available. It just never stopped hurting less.

"I got it," she said abruptly.

"I'm really sor-"

"I got it," Taylor interrupted, her face stony. "It's no big deal. I'll find something else to do..." she trailed off clearly bummed out by the change in plans.

"I'll go with you," Caroline spoke up.

Two pairs of Crosby eyes turned to look at her.

"Really?" Taylor asked, her face starting to thaw.

"Sure," Caroline said pleasantly, "I love baseball. My dad and brothers come into town at least once a year for us to catch a game. They're Indians fans but since its a different league, they root for the Pirates too. i have a Jones jersey and everything. I would like to go if you don't mind."

Sid stared for a moment, a slight wave of jealousy washed over him. She knew about the Pirates but not the Penguins. But the Penguins were so much better than...

"Awesome!" Taylor's exclamation broke Sid of his train of thought.

"I can't offer anything fancy..." Caroline trailed off. She doubted the owner's box would be available to just the two of them, not that it really appealed that much to her.

"I'll get you behind home plate," Sid spoke up. "I can join you guys for dinner, we can go to The Milkshake Factory after," he said referring to his sister's favorite place in the city.

Taylor beamed at Sid and over bacon burritos all was almost forgiven.

The rest of the week ended up pretty much the same way. The plans Taylor had in mind continued to change daily. It was always something that kept Sid from spending the much desired time with his sister and his girfriend. Interviews, extra workouts, prepping for the final game of the season. Whatever it was the same thing would happen, plans would be broken and each time it seemed to take a little bit longer for Taylor to get over it. For Caroline, Sid's loss was her gain. She got to spend a ton of time with Taylor during that week. A lifetime without a sister was fortified by the time the two spent together. The more time Caroline spent with Taylor the closer they got. Shopping, movies, going out for lunch, all of it created this perfect week for Caroline. She of course had an unfair advantage, while Taylor slept, Caroline got the much needed alone time with Sidney. They didn't talk much. By the time the two were together they had only one use for their mouths.

By Friday the week of disappointment for Taylor came to a head. Caroline could only marvel at how fast the time had gone. Tomorrow would the be last game of the season, a win for Pittsburgh would put them in first place not only in their division but also in the conference. Trina and Troy were flying in Saturday morning for the big game, then they would take their daughter back to Minnesota for her to finish out her junior year. Taylor and Sidney had finally gotten their afternoon together, one on one skating time at the Consol, a favor Sid seemed to be asking Manny for more than ever. Taylor's nationals were coming up and she wanted to sharpen her goalie skills and Sidney was the best competition anyone could ask for. Caroline had hung back, understanding the need for the siblings to get some bonding time in a week that had flown by. She instead was putting together a pretty impressive spaghetti dinner, using her Pop Pop's all day sauce recipe. She had just added in the meatballs when voices carried from the garage into the kitchen. Caroline wiped her hands as she watched Taylor burst into the room with Sid trailing after her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Sid said crossly. "I'm sorry."

Taylor kept on walking tears streaming down her face and right past Caroline without a glance.

"You're always sorry." she cried and rushed up the stairs to the solace of her guest room.

Sid threw his bag into a nearby chair and cursed loudly. Caroline wasn't sure what to say, she wondered if they even noticed she was in the room.

"Hey, everything ok?" Caroline asked in a gentle voice.

Sid realizing she was there looked at her, the frustration written all over his face.

"Yeah, no, ah I don't know. She's mad at me," he said waving a hand to the upstairs.

"What happened?" Caroline asked walking towards him and putting her hand on his forearm in a comforting gesture.

"We were supposed to do some drills together, do some shoot out work, but when I got to the Consol, well there were some things they needed me to go over in the front office. I mean, come on, tomorrow is the last game of the season. It's a big game. It means home ice and who we are going to be paired up with in the first round. I needed to be there to help figure out some plays. By the time I was done they had to close up the ice. I felt terrible, I didn't mean to lose track of time, but she had to cut me some slack. This is an important time for me."

He was clearly upset with Taylor's reaction, but Caroline couldn't help but see the young woman's side of the story. She had her Nationals next week, she had come all this way to spend the week with her brother and all she had gotten was cancelled plans.

Caroline knew she needed to tread carefully, but she had to be a voice for Taylor.

"She has her Nationals next week, I think she was hoping to get some practice in." Caroline said tentatively.

Sid heaved a heavy sigh. "I know that."

"Well, I think she just feels disappointed, she was hoping to have all this brother sister time and you have been really busy. This was important to her," Caroline protested.

Sidney rounded on her, "I said I know. Do you think I don't know that? That what I can give her isn't enough. That she is always disappointed. That I am constantly disappointing someone. I have obligations. She knows that. I give what I can, but it can't be everything. You of all people should know that." His voice was sharp and it cut right through Caroline. She refused to fall under these excuses once again. He wasn't a bad person, he didn't do these things out of spite or cruelty, but he did over extend himself. Make promises he just couldn't keep. Caroline wouldn't let this ruin what they had spent the last 24 hours trying to fix.

"I do know, believe me I know, but that doesn't change the fact that she is a seventeen year old girl who just wants to spend time with her brother and share in the one thing they love the most." The last part of her sentence hung in the air.

Sid was silent for a few moments, his body tense. He got so defensive whenever his time spent was questioned. She knew that if he could do all, be all for everyone, he would. There just wasn't enough time in the day.

Caroline straightened her spine, she chose not to go down this road, not now, not when the dinner she had spent hours on was about to be ruined. "Regardless," she said in her teacher voice, "This is your last night together. Let's not spend it arguing about things we can't control. Dinner will be done soon, then maybe you and Taylor can go over to the local rink and get your time in. Its no Consol I'm sure, but it's something and she will appreciate the effort, I know she will. Now if you could stir the meatballs and make sure they don't burn, I will go talk to Taylor." She gave him a hopeful smile and hoped she didn't sound too bossy. Sid just gaped at her, torn between a retort to keep the argument fueled and a thank you for figuring out a solution to the problem. Caroline didn't give him an opportunity to chose, instead she walked purposely past him. Out of nowhere an arm shot out and he pulled her into him. His head went right to her neck, "I'm sorry. You're pretty unbelievable." he mumbled into her neck, his lips lingering on her tender skin. She pulled back and smiled brilliantly.

"I know."

Caroline knocked at the guest door and waited for permission to come in. There was no answer.

"Taylor? It's me, Caroline. Can I come in?"

She waited, after a few seconds she finally heard a quiet "ok."

Entering the room she saw the girl sprawled out on the bed, her fingers flying away at the iPhone screen. Tear tracks lined her cheeks and she sniffled loudly. "I hate him."

Caroline walked to the bed, she might not have ever had a sister, but she definitely had more than one occasion when she was pretty sure she hated her brothers with every ounce of her being. "I know it feels like you do, but you don't." she replied diplomatically.

Taylor just sniffled. "Did you know he hasn't seen me on my birthday since I was six years old?" Caroline was silent. "I see him three or four times a year and even then its always a fight for his time. I should have known this week was too good to be true. He sounded so excited a few weeks ago, making all these plans and then poof, the week is over and nothing."
"Not nothing," Caroline interjected. "There was some pretty cool stuff that we did."

Taylor scoffed, "You don't understand."

Caroline didn't know a lot, but one thing she understood was the abbreviated time with Sid, it was something she would have to be willing to live with if she wanted to spend her life with him. Broken promises, cancelled plans, they would happen again and again. It was inevitable. But that didn't mean it wasn't all worth it. Caroline knew it had to be hard for Taylor to have a part-time brother, but he was a good brother. He loved her fiercely, he paid for her school, he tried to be what she needed him to be. If he failed once in a while it didn't make him a bad person, it just made him human.

"I know there is a lot of stuff I don't know or understand about you and Sid and I wish things could be different but I do know that he loves you a lot and he wants nothing more than to be and do all those things you want. I'm not saying you aren't allowed to be disappointed, you are, but I have to believe that he's a little disappointed too...that you don't get to spend a lot of time together, I mean." Caroline quickly corrected herself.

Taylor just stared at Caroline.

"I hate that you make sense," she mumbled looking out at the window, the darkness falling quickly. Then Taylor looked at Caroline with that same Crosby intensity that she had seen so many times in Sidney. "You're different...than the others."

Caroline blinked.

"No, not that there are others, I mean the ones before, not that there were a lot of them. I mean, you're just so different than anyone he had ever...liked."

Caroline blushed. She looked at her hands, it was so easy to say all the right things when she wasn't the topic at hand. When she got pulled into the equation, she became flustered and unsure.

"We're different" Caroline said quietly. "But it works...somehow."

"I know," Taylor said thoughtfully, "You're not like them, you're not like him, but you're right for him. I can tell. I've never had a sister, but if I did I would want her to be like you."

Caroline felt the waterworks begin and before she could help it, the tears fell.

"Me too." she replied and laughed when Taylor rolled her eyes and confessed that Sid had mentioned Caroline could be "a little emotional" at times.

The evening ended on a high note. Dinner was delicious and the Crosby siblings made it to the Sewickley ice rink for a key match up of brother against sister. That night as they laid in bed, Caroline rested her head on Sidney's stomach and stared up at the ceiling.

"Tell me something no one else knows," Caroline said absently, turning her head to look up at him. He seemed startled by her words and was thoughtful for a minute. "It's not what I love most," he said finally. Caroline looked confused. "Earlier," he clarified, "You said that hockey was what Taylor and I loved most. I don't know about her, but hockey isn't what I love the most. You know that, right?" He didn't say the words but she knew what he meant. She wondered if that qualified as an answer to her request. She wondered if people thought he wasn't capable of anything else...loving anything as much as he loved the game. She wondered if they banked on the hope that he didn't, that there would never be something, someone that took that focus away. He wanted it all, but if this week was any indicator it was nearly impossible and who paid that sacrifice? The team, his family, her?

The part that broke her heart was that they all did, but who paid it most of all was him.

"Ok," his voice interrupted her thoughts, "I can tell you are thinking way too much, I guess I am just going to have to show you," he said playfully as he dragged her up to him. Caroline let the deep thoughts fall away and allowed him to plead his case.

And he did.

Saturday came, Troy and Trina came into town and the Crosby family had its rare chance to be whole again. The Penguins won 4-2 against the Devils. The 2012-2013 season that had started so rocky had endured a slump, a superstition, a lucky charm and a love story and would now fight for a cup.