Title: Unnecessary Roughness (11/11)

Author: Romantique

Email:

Classification: Eric/Tami Pairing.

Rating: M for suggestive, non-explicit adult themes.

Summary: After accepting the District's offer of Head Coach of the East Dillon Lions, the new contract continues to test Coach Taylor's patience and his pride.

Disclaimer: Friday Night Lights fan fiction occurs at the end of Season 3 and is a Prequel to Season 4 which has yet to air.

Legal: These characters do not belong to me. I'm just a fan and have not made a dime. Please email me to obtain permission to post.

Over the next two weeks of the summer, Eric's life was filled with a maxed out schedule of driving classes, private lessons, football practices, school and fundraising meetings, as well as the continued maintenance of the new football field. Medical insurance and proof of insurance paperwork had to be submitted for all players and staff, as well as District and State eligibility paperwork for the season. It was a busy time of the year before the start of the school year, made more difficult by record shattering Texas summer heat, but progress was being made on all fronts.

Saracen and Riggins continued to help with the quarterback and receiver training. The Backov brothers were coming along very nicely. Over the summer, Eric and the East Dillon coaching staff filled the roster of the players vacated by his "zero absence from practice policy" rule using select Junior Varsity players and by doing a little recruiting of new students. Eric even bumped into Dillon High when recruiting new residents choosing where to live. Everything seemed to boil down to Eric's proven coaching reputation against the unproven promise of young J.D. McCoy.

Eric was dog tired most of the time, but he was satisfied he was giving this effort 200 percent just as he required his players to give. Things were relatively quiet on the Jesus Coronado front. Eric wasn't certain whether or not that was a good omen or not. His relationship with Buddy continued to be different than the past years or so; it had become rather cool.

Life was very different at East Dillon, but things were okay. Eric's life went on.

Department of Public Safety

Motor Vehicle Department

August 1st

9 a.m.

On this particular Saturday morning, Eric and Tami picked up Zach and Mia and took them to the Texas Department of Public Safety for their big day. First, both students took and passed their written exams and were waiting to take the behind the wheel portion of the test. During the summer, Zach and Mia had become friends. Eric and Tami thought Zack was a very good influence on the troubled girl, and they were very supportive of their friendship.

Earlier in the week, Eric made a stop at his insurance agent's office to obtain proof for the DPS that the two students had been added to their auto policy for the past 5 weeks. Between the extra gasoline, insurance, and Eric's and Tami's time, this project had become more expensive than Eric anticipated. Yet, it turned out to be a worthy one.

When the driving examiner was ready, Mia went first. About 20 minutes later, she returned from the test with a huge grin on her face.

"I got it! I did it!" she squealed. "I just have to go stand in that line and get my picture taken."

Now, it was Zach's turn. He left with the examiner as the Taylors waited. Soon, he too returned with a similar smile on his face.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Zach," Tami exclaimed. "And you, too, Mia!"

Zach then joined Mia in the photograph line. Waiting for them near the building exit, Tami put her arm around her husband's waist and leaned in close. "Well, we did it, Coach Taylor."

Eric put his arm around Tami's shoulder and said, "Yes, we did, Principal Taylor. And thanks to you, I have me a quarterback." He leaned close to her ear and spoke in a low voice. "To show my thanks and appreciation, I would like to take you out to dinner Saturday night to some place real nice; some place with a dress code. I'll put on a suit and you could wear a pretty dress. We could celebrate all the extra time you and I are goin' to have now that this commitment is done," he hugged her tight.

"Are you volunteering to wear a suit … in the summer?" Tami teased him.

"Yes, I am," he smiled a come-hither smile.

Tami had a look of real surprise on her face. "Hmmmmm. I'd love to go out with you," she said and kissed her husband. They continued to display their affection for one another at the DPS while waiting for the students to return with the prize, their temporary student driver licenses.

Venezia's Ristorante Italiano

Saturday evening

August 8th

7:30 p.m.

Soft music and the mouth-watering aromas of fresh garlic, basil, and oregano sautéing in olive oil with onions, mushrooms, and peppers meandered with the soft lighting, fresh flowers, and candle light at the five-star restaurant. The combined effect created an ambiance of quiet elegance. Seated in the intimacy of a darkened, tall, rounded corner booth, Mr. and Mrs. Eric Taylor were celebrating with a night on the town. Tami wore her most alluring, midnight blue cocktail dress while Eric wore his dark suit, white dress shirt, and a tie that coordinated well with his wife's beautiful dress.

As a gift to her parents, Julie scheduled a Saturday night off from Appleby's to baby sit her sister so that her Dad could take her Mom out for a leisurely, European style dinner and some dancing. They would follow their evening with a rare night away from home at a romantic bed and breakfast Eric recently won at an East Dillon Lions fundraiser auction.

Tami had spent that morning preparing for her date. She had some waxing done, as well as her nails, fingers and toes. Her afternoon was spent on her hair and make up. She looked and smelled beautiful. Her husband spent quite a bit of time scrubbing dirt from under his nails after spending the morning working on the football field renovation with the team. After practice, he went to the barber to get a hair cut and a close shave with a straight edge razor. He was so handsome.

Sun-kissed from a summer of sun, their tanned skin illuminated by candlelight, the Taylors made an absolutely stunning couple. Their evening wear perfectly skimmed their incredibly fit frames.

Eric ordered a bottle of a Sonoma Valley Cabernet and an appetizer of Mozzarella Caprese with some rustic bread. Tami loved it when Eric took command of the wine list. With his arm around her, she snuggled in close.

Sipping from her glass of wine she gazed into his eyes. In turn, he couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful wife. The candlelight flickered into his sparkling hazel eyes which looked especially green tonight. Tami loved the way her husband looked at her. After all these years, their love for one another continued to deepen.

Softly, she said, "I'm so proud of the way you've embraced your work over at East Dillon, Honey. It's good, meaningful work. In the short time you've been there, you're already changing lives the way you do. I'm in absolute awe of you."

Eric loved the way she looked at him, too. Reflecting his love with the candle light, back into her ardent blue eyes, he answered. "You do it, too, change lives. I see you do it all the time." He leaned his head closer towards her so that they were cheek to cheek. "You know what? I couldn't have gotten both of those needy students licensed without your help. And East Dillon wouldn't have a quarterback for the next season, hopefully two, who might actually help us put some wins on the scoreboard." He brought his hand up to her beautiful face and cupped it. "Helpin' me without hesitation, when you have no more time than me, knowin' what to do when it started to go south … was a wonderful gift I'll never forget."

He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. She tasted of the currant flavors of the Cabernet. "I appreciate you, Babe."

"I know you do, Hon," Tami cooed. "That's why I offered to help." Her eyes glistened from the candlelight and her lips from their dewy kiss.

Eric looked down into his glass of wine as he picked it up and swirled the dark red liquid around and around. "The poverty over at East Dillon is like none I've ever seen. Dillon High has some poor families, but at East Dillon, it's the norm for a family to be on food stamps, illegally here from Mexico, unemployed, illiterate. There're drugs being passed at school, right there on the premises … No security, no budget. It's grim."

He took a sip of his wine and then, spoke in a very low voice. "It's rumored Meth may have found its way into my team."

Eric thought that since she understood the student driving situation, perhaps she would understand about this, too.

"Honey, if you know something," she said very gingerly, "you know you're required to report it." She sensed he may be struggling with a repeated theme for her husband: doing what's right vs. doing what is good for the team.

Not wanting to be involved in the whole Coronado thing in the first place, he most certainly didn't want his wife to know he went to the Sheriff. He didn't feel good about what he had done. He knew what could happen to a snitch; the fewer who knew about his conversation with Sheriff Clark the better. He would tell her everything except what he told Sheriff Clark. To protect himself and his family, he had decided he would have to take this one to his grave.

Eric gave her a pleading look. "I want my wife here with me, not a District employee. Tami, I don't know anything. You can't talk about this to anyone, okay?"

Tami bit her bottom lip because she knew her husband's instincts were almost always right on the money. She thought for a beat and then, slowly shook her head to show she understood his dilemma and answered, "Okay."

"Besides, this speculation has been around the school a lot longer than I have," Eric continued to justify his hesitancy to get involved. "It's rumored to be organized, bigger than me, and it's not like I have anyone at the District I trust. I won't risk my family's security or safety to whistle blow when I don't know any more than any other teacher or administrator. Hell, I know less than most of them." He used his hands to try and explain his position.

"Look," he said in earnest. "I didn't tell you this expectin' you to come up with a solution tonight. I told you so you know what I'm up against over there." He took another sip of his wine. "This is not the kind of stuff I like to bring up in our home with Julie around."

Tami nodded her head. "I understand, Hon," Tami could feel the weight on her husband's shoulders. He was right; there was nothing they could do about it tonight. "Hey," she grabbed his hand in both of hers and gave it a squeeze, "tonight's supposed to be a celebration."

"I know. I'm sorry." He looked up, tightened his lips, and forced a smile.

Eric brought her hands up to his lips and kissed them. "It's just that I don't take this celebration for these small victories lightly." Then, he squeezed her hands in return.

Caressing hands, cocooned in the candlelit booth of the intimate, romantic Italian sanctuary, their eyes remained locked onto one another. Tonight, they were alone, just the two of them, as the stark reality Eric shared began to further settle in. Just as the day he took his wife to visit East Dillon's field for the first time, they each once again felt the heavy foreboding of things to come.

fin-