It was still dark when Caroline felt Sid crawl out of bed and began to rummage through his dresser drawers for clothes to change into. She watched as he pulled a black t-shirt over his head and down his bare back. Burrowing in the softness of the bed, she wanted nothing more than to fall back asleep, but at the same time she wanted to say goodbye to his family.

"Hey" she said groggily, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her body unhappy with the decision she had made.

Sidney turned to look at her. "Hey," he said back. "Go back to sleep, I'll be home in an hour or so." He leaned over her and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"No," she said softly, "I want to say goodbye to your family," and before he could argue, Caroline was pulling back the covers and climbing out of bed. She was clad in only a t-shirt and despite the early hour, he watched appreciatively as she trudged towards the bathroom, bare from the waist down. She emerged a few minutes later and pulled on a pair of yoga pants and began searching through her overnight bag for a sweater or sweatshirt to cover up. She felt self-conscious enough with Sid's parents knowing she spent the night, she didn't need to add it by showing up half naked in his t-shirt.

"I think you might be showing off some wrist there," Sid said jovially she modestly adjusted the sweatshirt she had packed for the cool evenings out on Sid's patio. Caroline just made a face and trailed after him as he strode out of the bedroom.

Her face flushed as she recalled the night before when they had returned from the celebration. Neither had really talked about Sid's speech on the drive back to Sewickley. Caroline rambled on about the WAGs while Sid listened quietly. They had been quite stealthy getting into the house and up to Sidney's bedroom, once they had made it safely, Sid had pulled her into his arms and set to work continuing the events in the Range Rover. Caroline had immediately arched into him, baring her neck for his kisses. As he set to work with his mouth on her skin and his hand on her breast, Caroline felt herself quickly turning into putty, but still aware that his family were sleeping not far away.

"Sid," Caroline whispered into the dark, as his fingers quickly unzipped the back of her dress and brushed it off her shoulders and onto the floor. He stepped back and let out a low whistle at the skimpy lace bra and panty set that she had been talked into on a recent trip to the mall with Sara. Caroline felt the flush burn her skin and the way he looked at her made her heart race. "Sid," she repeated and he looked up and into her gaze. "I was thinking," she whispered tentatively. She cleared her throat as he began to unbutton his shirt. "If you wanted to...um." She didn't know how to put this. "If you wanted to...maybe be a little more adventurous. Tonight. I would want to do that. I mean, for you. Because it's your special night. We can...if you want." She sounded more unsure than she wanted to. She really wasn't scared or nervous…she just didn't know how to ask for things and not be embarrassed. She did want to "spice things up" and she trusted him to stay in her comfort zone. He stared at her, surprised by her suggestion. Then he smiled a predatory smile and his hands stopped.

"Undress me," he whispered and Caroline smiled, her fingers at the buttons in no time. His hands stilled hers, "slowly," he instructed, his voice hoarse. Caroline nodded and bit her lip as her fingers were delicate on the buttons moving them deliberately through the holes and exposing more and more skin as her journey moved forward. She watched as his broad, muscular chest heaved with anticipation and when she finally reached the final button she felt like she could breathe again. Caroline slipped the fabric off his shoulders and pressed her lips to the skin over his heartbeat. She trailed her lips all over his chest, feeling the muscle flex under her lips and the unevenness of his breathing begin again. Caroline worked at his belt and then his pants. He didn't move an inch as she slid the garment down his legs and he helped her out by stepping out of the pool of fabric. Finally she was left with only his black boxer briefs that held the impressive bulge that was growing by the second. Kneeling down before him, she could have sworn she heard him swallow. Hooking her fingers underneath the band she pulled down the cotton fabric and watched as his penis bobbed in the dark, ready for her.

Caroline looked up and saw his staring down at her, his face frozen in a look of desire and pain. In the darkness she could see the sheen of sweat coating his face and his hair was damp around his temple.

"Take me in your mouth," he said his voice barely a whisper. She grinned up at him, her hands clutching the back of his thighs and did just as he asked.

Sid swallowed back the cry of release and could barely keep his eyes open to watch her consume all of him. It was so erotic watching her that he felt his cock immediately begin to harden at the sight. But if this night was truly for him, there were a few things he wanted to do. He hauled Caroline up and into his arms. She smiled brilliantly at him and before she could speak, his mouth was on hers. He took complete charge and without breaking the kiss, lifted her and carried her to the bed. Sidney deposited Caroline onto the bed as she lay there, her big brown eyes staring up at him, so trusting, so full of love and desire.

"On your stomach," he instructed and she didn't miss a beat. Shifting herself, Caroline rolled over onto her belly and waited. It seemed like forever until she felt him straddle the back of her knees and his fingers move up and down her spine. For such an innocent touch, she felt herself drown in arousal. His fingers came to the back of her bra and unhooked it easily. Gently he pulled the lace from her body and held the delicate material in his hand. Slowly he guided her arms from the crisscrossed position in front of her, to the wood slates of his head board. He hovered above her, his mouth on her neck as his fingers ghosted over hers and guided her fingers to grasp the iron bars. Then he deftly wrapped the material around her wrists, securing her to the bed.

Caroline stiffened as felt a flurry of butterflies and anticipation dance in her belly.

This was new.

"Care…" his unspoken question hung in the air between them as his hands stilled and his fingers gently stroked the top of her hand.

"I'm ok," she replied turning and giving him a reassuring smile.

He returned the smile and continued when he felt her relax.

Once he was satisfied that Caroline was secure, Sid ran his hands down her arms, relishing in the soft skin. His hands cupped her bare breasts, his thumbs teasing her nipples. All the sensations seems amplified with her hands secured. He lay behind her, one hand caressing her breasts, as his mouth pressed hot kisses to her shoulders and down her back. She could feel his erection on the back of her thighs as he slowly rubbed himself over her. She never thought she would, but she kind of liked him being in control, not being able to touch him as his hands ran over her body. To be quite honest, she could have wiggled her wrists just a little and the fabric would have fallen away easily, but she liked the idea that she couldn't get free. It was a little kinky but with him it was ok…it was more than ok.

"It feels so good," she spoke into the quiet, her arms extended. She could feel him smile into her skin. Then she felt him move and place his hands high on her thigh then on her ass. He massaged the flesh and his mouth all of a sudden was at her ear.

"It's about to get a lot better." he whispered hotly. In an instant his hands pulled down the lace underwear, lifted her hips and his mouth was all over her moisten flesh. Caroline nearly swooned. His arm curled around her and brought her up and closer to his mouth careful not to put strain on her arms. His fingers gripped her waist as his tongue and lips devoured her. Caroline gripped the head board and dropped her head, biting into her pillow, trying to quiet the sounds of immense pleasure that he was drawing out of her at this moment. She knew she should feel more self-conscious, him behind her, seeing all of her in the most exposed way possible...but she just couldn't. He didn't seem to mind, in fact he seemed pretty into it, so she just let go. The angle brought out a catalog of new sensations and the frenzied pace at which his mouth moved had her unable to keep a single thought in her head. Suddenly she felt the familiar feelings overtake her as the orgasm hit her. Caroline felt his mouth leave her and pull her to her knees into him. Sid knelt behind her, pounding into her steadily as he held her by the hips, her body still riding the wave clenched around him. She couldn't think, only feel, as he slid in and out of her. It seemed like forever as orgasm upon orgasm washed over her. Finally she felt his movements become erratic and soon the familiar rush of heat poured up and into her. His hands worked quickly at her hands, freeing her and Caroline could no longer hold herself up, her knees gave way and she collapsed onto the bed with Sid right behind her. He pulled her instantly to him and wrapped his arms around her.

"You ok?" he asked his eyes on hers, his cheeks flushed

Caroline nodded, her arms a little sore but otherwise feeling pretty great, "That," she said, her breath labored, "was amazing."

Sid buried his face into her hair as he drew her into him. "Yeah," he laughed, "it was."

The Crosby's were in the kitchen, fussing around checking and double checking boarding passes and luggage when Sidney and Caroline came down the stairs. There was lots of hugs and goodbyes. Troy and Trina would be back in a few days, but Taylor, wouldn't return until after the school year, provided the Penguins made it to the finals.

"So I'll see you soon," Caroline said, giving Taylor a final hug, the affection she held for the teen grown from their week together.

After holding Sid tight to her for a long minute, Trina released him and stretched out her arms to Caroline. "Bye sweetie," Trina trilled drawing the young woman into her arms, "we love you."

Caroline was startled and felt the emotion bubble up, "Love you too," she said quietly, her eyes darting over to Sid's, who seemed equally surprised by Trina's declaration. Before she could think too much about it, Troy pulled her in for an awkward half hug, "Take care of our boy," he said gruffly and Caroline smiled wide.

"I will," she promised.

After triple checking that they had everything, the Crosby's were out the door. Sid leaned in and gave Caroline a quick peck on the lips. "I'll be back soon, go back to bed."

Caroline nodded but already had a different plan up her sleeve.

An hour later she was elbow deep in hollandaise sauce, as she whisked away at the decadent sauce. She flipped the Canadian bacon and checked to make sure the water for the eggs was at a rolling boil. She had the whole thing planned. No practice today, the team would start the playoffs on Tuesday and she went back to school tomorrow. Today would be their last day before the insanity began. The special brunch of eggs benedict and fresh fruit was almost ready and Caroline realized that he should be home any minute. Putting the finishing touches on the plates she sat down, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

Thirty minutes passed. Where was he? She checked her phone...nothing. She wondered if she should call him. Maybe something had happened at the airport and there was a delay. She didn't want to be a stalker girlfriend so she waited.

Another half hour went by, the eggs were beyond cold and the hollandaise a gloppy mess. Caroline didn't care how she seemed, he should have been back by now. She grabbed her phone and dialed his number. He answered on the third ring.

"Hey," he said easily.

"Are you ok?" she asked frantic.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Where are you? You've been gone for hours." Now that she knew he was okay, she was mad.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just over at Mario's. He called to go over some stuff, so I thought I'd stop by. I lost track of time. I figured you were asleep, it's only...9."

Caroline didn't know how to react. "I made breakfast," she said lamely.

"Oh shit. Care, I'm sorry. I figured you went back to bed. I didn't know. I'm just finishing up here, I'll be home in 20 minutes."

She could tell he felt badly and she couldn't fault him for thinking she was asleep. It was early. She'd just gotten carried away with the idea of spending as much of the day together as possible.

"No," she said softly. "No, you do what you need to. It's okay. I'll see you in a little while."

"Are you sure?" he asked tentatively.

The feeling of disappointment lay heavy in her stomach. "Yeah, totally," she said with fake enthusiasm.

"You're awesome. Love you."

And before she could echo the sentiment he had ended the call.

She took a shower. She made his bed. Threw away the uneaten breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen. She checked her email and watched some television. She called her mom, balanced her checkbook.

She checked the time, 1:25. She had thought maybe they could have lunch. But that looked like a lost cause too. All of a sudden, she heard the front door open.

Caroline busied herself at the kitchen table, pretending to look very interested in something on her iPad.

"Hey," he said casually, striding into the room.

Putting on a wide smile, she greeted him. 'Hey yourself," she said lifting her lips for his when he came over and ducked his head to her. As his lips brushed across hers, she decided to forget about the morning and start new.

"Can I make you lunch?" she asked looking up into his friendly face.

An apologetic look crossed his face, "I already ate. Nathalie made chicken salad."

Caroline ignored her stomach, its rumbling scolded her for waiting for him.

"Oh, that's good," she said dumbly.

"Sorry, she insisted."

Caroline persevered. "No problem. Do you want to go for a walk, a hike or something?" she asked, the feeling of cabin fever rushing through her veins.

The look of apology came back.

"I can't, I'm just here for a few minutes. Dan called a last minute practice. They want us to go over tape. I wanted to check in with you then grab my stuff. Heading back to the condo tonight."

Caroline's fairy tale had just expired. The day she had looked forward was not to be. She was afraid that if they left this house that all the problems would come back again. The escape, the playing house. For now it was over.

"Oh, ok."

"Care, c'mon..."

She felt irritated, but wouldn't let it show. She had to prove herself.

"No, its fine, I mean, this is it. This is playoff season. I'm ok, I promise. I need to get home and get ready for the week anyway. I have a ton to do." She could see the doubt in his eyes but refused to falter. "I'll just grab my stuff and see you...Tuesday?"

He looked surprised. "Is that ok? I'm sorry, we just have so much to get ready. You can come over, after the game. Stay at my place."

Caroline had to swallow back the misery. She had hoped he would insist on seeing her tonight. And tomorrow. And every day that he was in town. She wanted to change her mind. Tell him to come over tonight. See him tomorrow. Wish him luck before the big game.

But right now was her time to take a step back. Let him do his thing.

"Sounds great," she said shakily. He gave a weak smile and pressed his lips to her nose.

"You're the best."

And then he was gone.

"No Camile, I said minus 23 not plus." Caroline sighed heavily and pinched the space between her eyes.

The girl stood at the board and stared wide eyed at her teacher. Miss Reid was always so nice, but this week she had yelled a lot at the class, losing her temper constantly. The small girl with braided pigtails looked down at her shoes, her bottom lip began to tremble and Caroline felt awful.

It was Wednesday and so far it had been a tough week. Caroline knew she was being short tempered with her students. She thought she was prepared for what the playoffs would bring, but she was only one game in and already on edge.

By game time on Tuesday she had only talked to Sid twice, once on Sunday just before she went to bed, then again on Tuesday to wish him good luck. Although she wondered if the second time really counted as she had gotten his voice mail and left him a message.

She had met up with the rest of the WAGs Tuesday evening at the Consol. She was wearing her Crosby jersey and had an overnight bag packed for his place that evening. It was the first time in forever that she had gone two days without seeing him when he was only a few miles away. The energy in the CONSOL was electric, no pun intended, the noise deafening and crowd was a sea of black, yellow and blues. As she took her seat, Caroline could feel the crowd's anticipation. The first round was against the New York Islanders. They were a physical team, but they were the eighth seed and the Penguins had beat them easily throughout the season. From the moment the puck dropped, you could tell the Islanders were playing like they had nothing to lose. They out skated and out played the Penguins in the first 20 minutes of hockey, leaving the score at intermission 2-0, Islanders. The crowd was getting antsy and the players were playing dirty. Caroline had seen her fair share of fights during the season, but this was different. These scrums were dirty, underhanded and intense. Sid had been pushed around way more than she was comfortable with. It was hard to watch and she felt an overwhelming pride when he pushed back.

It was eight minutes into the 2nd period when it happened. Sid had the puck and was on a breakaway heading straight for the Islanders goalie. Pascal Dupuis was to his right, wide open. Just as Sid pushed the puck to his teammate he was met with the shoulder of a huge Islander defenseman...a goon Sid had once explained to her. It took only a second, but it felt much longer. The goon's shoulder connected with Sid's and Sid went down hard. In that long second the crowd went completely silent, as Sidney lay motionless on the ice. Caroline froze. Teammates stood over Sid, as he crawled onto all fours and just stayed there for a moment. Looking frantically at Veronique she didn't know what to say or what to do. All color drained from her face and she felt like she was going to throw up. Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok. She chanted in her head. The trainers rushed the ice and with assistance Sid was up and being led off the ice. The crowd applauded in respect for their captain, but all Caroline could hear was a whooshing in her head.

Then she took off.

She faintly heard Veronique in the background saying something, but she couldn't hear her. All she could hear was the sound of a tornado running through her head. She ran up the steps and through the tunnel out to the main drag of the arena. There were a few people milling about, but otherwise it was pretty quiet as everyone was in their seats watching the close contest. Caroline ran down the concourse and to the stairs. Please be ok, please be ok, please be ok. She made turn after turn until she was standing at the door that said personal only. She fished around in her back pockets looking for her tag that would grant her access, but she realized she had left it in her purse, at her seat.

The attendant at the door was someone she had never seen before and she wondered how she would explain this.

"I need to get in there," she said her breathing labored from her run.

"Do you have a pass?" the attendant asked in a bored tone.

"Um, I do but not with me."

The attendant didn't look surprised.

"Can't let you in without a pass," he said looking at her like she belonged on the bottom of his shoe.

Caroline could feel the tears coming. She needed to know he was okay. She had to get in there.

"Please, it's an emergency," she begged.

The attendant remained unfazed. "No pass, no entry."

Then she uttered the words she swore she would never say, no matter what.

"Do you know who I am?" and even though she tried not to, she knew she sounded haughty. But she didn't care. All she knew is that she had to get past this door.

The attendant didn't miss a beat, "Should I?" he asked with a mix of amusement and irritation.

"Caroline!"

She heard a voice behind her and turned to see Cameron Spencer walking towards her. She wore a form fitting black jersey with jeans that looked painted on. Her blond hair bounced as she walked towards Caroline. Despite everything, Caroline had never been so grateful to see the blonde.

"I have to get in there," she said and to her great embarrassment she began to cry.

"Oh, erm," Caroline heard the attendant clear his throat. "Oh Miss Reid, I'm sorry. I didn't recognize you."

Caroline turned back to the man in the black polo shirt and gave a watery smile. "I need to get in there," she said repeated weakly.

Cameron flashed her credentials and with a buzz the two women were ushered into the long corridor leading to the hidden part of the CONSOL that few fans ever got to see.

"They won't let you in the trainer's room," Cameron said hesitantly, unsure what to do with this crying mess of a person.

"I have to see if he's ok," Caroline choked out.

"He's going to be fine. He left the ice on his own. Finley only got his shoulder." Cameron said stiffly. Consoling others didn't seem to be her thing.

"Can you go check? They will let you in. Please just make sure he's alright."

Cameron nodded stiffly, then awkwardly put her hand on Caroline's arm. "I'll will be back soon." Caroline fell into a nearby chair and sat there for 45 minutes until Cameron returned.

In the end, he was alright. Deep muscle bruise they called it. He didn't return to the game, but the trainers seemed to think in a few days he would be cleared to play. The Penguins never recovered from the loss of their captain and they fell to the Islanders 4-1.

They had numbed him up by the time she got to see him. He looked tense and his face was serious as the trainer explained his regime for the next few days. It could have been a lot worse they said, but he would be able to play Thursday. She lingered in the doorway, feeling out of place. When he caught sight of her, he gestured for her to come in. She stood awkwardly, afraid to touch him.

"It's ok," he said. "Right now, I can't feel a thing," and he gave her a small smile.

That night he had to stay late getting some rehab on the shoulder. Caroline went to his place, hoping to see him before sleep drew her in. She heard him enter around midnight and jumped up from the couch where she had been waiting.

He looked tired and upset.

"Hey," he said looking up at her.

"Hi, how are you? Are you in pain? What can I do? Can I get you something? Anything?"

He put a hand up to stop her. "I'm exhausted." he said shortly.

"Ok," Caroline said quickly. "Let's get you to bed."

She helped him to the bed and drew back the covers. Carefully she helped him out of his pants and with great care peeled his t-shirt off.

"We lost," he said dejectedly and winced as Caroline delicately pulled his arm out of his shirt.

"I know. I'm sorry, you will win on Thursday," she said forcing a reassuring smile.

He looked at her skeptical, like he wanted to say something. But instead he closed his mouth and looked away.

They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Anything you need, you tell me." she said suddenly. "I can get a sub for tomorrow, if you need help..."

"No," he cut her off. "I mean, I'll be ok. Rick is picking me up in the morning for rehab. I should be fine. Just sore for a few days."

She lay there that evening, careful not to touch him for fear that the meds would soon wear off and she might cause him discomfort. He seemed on edge and she couldn't blame him. He couldn't get injured. Not now, not after everything.

She didn't sleep well. The medication put Sid to sleep pretty much instantly, but Caroline was too stressed out to sleep. She lay in bed for hours, reliving the moment he got hit and his still body on the ice. When sleep finally came it was restless and in the morning she left before he woke.

On the other hand, work was going well, despite her cranky attitude with the children, she had found out that Monday morning that the committee voting on the grant approval would be submitting their decision on Friday. Pete had come into her classroom with the Pittsburgh Post and Gazette in hand.

"You keep getting more and more famous," he had joked, holding up the sports section that showed a photo of Sid lifting Caroline into his arms. She had blushed furiously and Pete had been relentless in his teasing. Then he shared the news. There were over 1000 schools that had applied for the grant. During the break they had whittled it down to twenty. Garfield Elementary was among the shortened list. By Friday they would know. This would change everything. Funding, opportunities. This little school in the bad part of town would be known for something great, something positive.

Between Sid, the lack of sleep and the anticipation for the grant, Caroline was a mess on Wednesday. And sadly her students were getting the brunt of it. She stayed over to catch up on some organizing, then met her coworkers for happy hour. She could use a little loosening up, as she had to be at Sidney's at eight for this "interview" with Sid and Cameron. Caroline had no idea what Cameron was going to ask, but whatever it was, Caroline was sure it would make her uncomfortable. She only had two drinks and listened to Dahlia's long tale of her spring break in Orlando. At a quarter to eight, she said goodbye to her friends and made the drive to Sid's condo. It was then she realized she didn't have her phone. She thought for a minute and then pictured the device on top of the turtle tank, she had set it there after she had taken a few pictures of Sidney for the classroom pet contest the Trib was hosting for area schools. She had gotten distracted by some argument by the sensory table and had left the phone. No matter, she was nearly there. Coming up to his door, she knocked and waited. There was no answer, trying the door handle she found the door unlocked and made her way into the condo. At the end of the hall stood the camera guy from the brunch. He was fiddling with the camera that sat perched on a tripod. A mass of photography equipment was behind him, but no Sid or Cameron. The camera guy didn't notice her arrival until she had made it halfway down the hall. Just as she started to say hello, she noticed Sidney's bedroom door ajar and a light coming from it. Changing course she approached the door and heard a guttural moan that sounded just like Sid.

"Right there, yeah that's it," she heard his voice low and Caroline felt her heart stop.

Pushing the door open she froze at the sight. Sid sat perched on the edge of his bed, shirtless. Cameron knelt behind him, her skirt hiked up high and across her thigh with her hair loose and falling over his bare shoulders. Her fingers were working at the muscles in his shoulders, pushing and pulling at the pale skin and her eyes were closed. Sid's head leaned forward his hands on his jean clad thighs.

"Uh, hi," she said, alerting the pair of her presence. She tried to stay calm. There was an explanation for this. There had to be.

She expected them to look uncomfortable or embarrassed. What she didn't expect was a very aggravated Sidney looking up at her and behind him a smug Cameron.

He jumped from the bed, his head lolling around shaking out the massage and came towards her. "Where have you been?"

Caroline was caught off guard as she watched him come closer, irritation written all over his face.

"What are you talking about and what are you doing? Where," her eyes shifted away, "Is your shirt?"

Sid faltered for a minute. "Cameron used to be licensed masseuse. She was helping me with my shoulder, while we were waiting for you."

Caroline felt sick, but Sidney continued.

"Your over an hour late...I've been calling you." he pressed.

"No I'm not..." Caroline was thoroughly confused. "Eight" she said.

"Seven," he bit out, clearly annoyed by this.

"No, eight." she caught sight of Cameron still perched on the bed, an innocent look on her face.

"Cameron said eight," she said lamely, looking at Sid with a mix of confusion and hurt.

"No, sweetie, seven" Cameron piped up.

Caroline distinctly remembered Cameron changing it to eight. Didn't she? Caroline was so tired she couldn't replay the moment in her mind like she needed.

"It's alright," he sighed. "Let's just get this over with. I need to be in bed early."

Caroline felt awful, first she sees her boyfriend with another woman's hands all over him and now he was upset with her for being late again. He hated how she was late for everything. She knew that. But it hadn't been her fault. Not this time. And how had they ended up in his room? And how did he think this was ok? She had a right to be mad, but right now he seem too irritated to defend himself.

He walked over to the closet and pulled out a black button down shirt. He quickly buttoned his shirt while Caroline just stared there frozen in her spot and Cameron peeled herself off the bed and smoothed out her skirt.

Then it happened so fast, Caroline nearly missed it. Cameron looked right at her and winked.

And Caroline knew, for Cameron, it was game on.

***Author's note: It's going to be a bumpy ride. I have pretty much given up on the accuracies of playoff games and dates, so you will all just have to suspend disbelief. This chapter is all over the place, but I'm hoping to convey that things are moving quickly and its going to hard for all parties involved to keep up. Cameron's true colors are about to be shown. I struggled with that beginning scene, I wanted it to be hot and risqué but not over the line. I like to think Caroline has a bit of a wild streak in her but she's still...well Caroline. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review! I can't believe this season is almost over already!***