"I have a really big surprise for you this afternoon but only if you take your nap" I tell a pouting Lizzy.

I don't want to tell her what it is or else she'll never sleep but if she doesn't have her nap she'll be little miss crusty pants all afternoon and evening.

"You pomise" she asks me.

"I promise."

She considers this for a few moments and then replies "ok."

It takes all of my will not to laugh as she shuffles to the bedroom like she's going off to war. What a little trooper.

I tuck her in and then grab my phone when I'm back in the living room.

'I got her down for her nap'

'That's good, is she excited?' Sid texts back.

'I didn't tell her where we're going. She'd be over excited.'

'Ah, I get it'

'Are you at Consol?'

'Just got here. Remember, the car will be there at noon,'

'I remember Sid. This is going to be so much fun'

'Yay, I'm really looking forward to seeing Lizzy'

'Well she's going to be thrilled to see her Sidwee'

'Hahahaha cute, ok, I gotta go'

'Good game'

'Ttyl'

I lay back on the sofa and mentally go through my wardrobe. If we're seen with Sid then I need to make sure I dress the right way. Tessa loaned me a really cute jacket and said to wear it with my jeans and tee shirt. She even gave me jewelry that would look good. I hate that I have to borrow these things but I won't spend money recklessly on clothes when every month I just manage to pay all the bills. Ok, I'll wear it all just as she said.

Since Lizzy's down, I'm able to have a shower and curl my hair. Sid's only seen it this way once and he loved it. This is new: I'm dressing for a guy. I'm surprised that I like it.

When I'm ready, I look through the bags I put together. I have the one for the rink of stuff we might need including Lizzy's Sid jersey. There is also the bigger one for the sleepover at Sid's. After we decided to do this, I started worrying again. It didn't seem right that I should have my daughter sleep over at my boyfriend's place while I'm in the same bed as him. Tess said I was cute and not to worry about it. She has four great kids so I guess she should know.

Everything seems ready to go. My watch tells me that it's time to wake up Lizzy. When I slip into our bedroom, I notice that she's waking up on her own. She offers me a sleepy smile.

"Hi sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?"

"Mmm" is all she says while she stretches.

"It's almost time to go. Let's get you dressed."

It takes a little effort to actually get her out of bed but we do it and get ready with no time to spare. We're in front of the building right on time. The same driver who picked us up last time is there.

"Hello Cat. Hi Lizzy. Ready for a drive?"

I can see on Lizzy's face that she remembers where we went the last time we were picked up. I try not to give anything away on my face. Lizzy frowns and gets into the car. The man takes my bags and I put Lizzy in the car seat. Dora is on the TV so Lizzy gets lost in that while we drive. We turn the corner and I can see the Consol sign.

"Lizzy, here's your surprise."

She looks at me and then where I'm pointing. It's a good thing that she's strapped in or else I think she would be jumping out of the car.

"Sidwee, Sidwee, Sidwee!" She says and then continues to sing it.

Like last time, we pull into a side entrance and under the building. We're met by Jen again.

"She opens the door and says "hi Cat. Hi Lizzy. Are you ready for the game?"

I unbuckle Lizzy and she tries to bolt. I grab her before she can topple out of the car and onto the pavement.

"Siddddddwwwweeeee!" She cries out.

"We'll see Sidney sweetheart don't worry. We'll see him."

Lizzy pouts but doesn't melt down, thank God. I try to take our bags but Jen says "don't worry about these. Sid asked that they be put in his car."

I grab the one I need for the game, take Lizzy's hand and follow Jen. We go through a series of hallways and doors again. I could never find my own way back.

"Sidwee!" Lizzy shouts and points to his picture on the wall.

"Did I hear someone call my name?"

Both Lizzy and I turn to see Sid standing there in his warm up gear. Lizzy breaks away from me and runs to Sid. He scoops her up in has arms, twirls her and then holds her close. I watch as his eyes close and he turns his face into her little neck. It's so sweet that I feel tears come to my eyes. It looks like he missed her as much as she missed him.

"How's my princess?" Sid whispers to Lizzy and I can hear the emotion in his voice.

Lizzy leans back and holds each of Sid's cheeks in her small hands.

"I missed you Sidwee."

She puckers her lips and Sid kisses them.

"I missed you too princess. Are you going to watch me play?"

"Yeeeeessssss!" She replies and wraps her arms around his neck again.

Sid smiles at me over Lizzy's shoulder. I smile back.

"We need to leave Sidney alone to get ready for the game" I tell Lizzy.

"Noooo" she says and hugs him tighter.

"Princess, you need to leave now but I'll see you right after the game. We're going to go for dinner. Do you want to have spaghetti?"

"Pasghetti?"

"Yes princess, spaghetti. So you need to go with mommy now and be a good girl then I'll see you later. Ok?"

"Pomise?"

"Yes princess, I promise."

I watch Lizzy pucker her lips again so Sid kisses her lips and puts her down. He holds Lizzy's hand and walks to me.

"Hi" he says and leans down to kiss me.

"Hi" I smile up at him.

"Hey Sid" I hear behind him. It's the guy that they call Duper. What's his name? Oh yeah, it's Pascal.

Sid turns around and gestures for Pascal to come over. I also see a woman beside him with a toddler in her arms who looks to be Lizzy's age.

"Cat, Lizzy, this is Pascal, his wife Carole-Lyn and their youngest Lola."

Lizzy gets a little shy and hugs to Sid's side. It's great that she's so comfortable and trusting of Sid.

The adults all great each other and I meet Lola who is just as shy as Lizzy.

"Cat" Pascal begins. "Carole-Lyn is here with our kids. She'll show you to the family room where you can watch the game and there are toys for the kids too."

Now I look to Sid. Today was going to be a step into the next phase of our relationship where we bring Lizzy in too. It looks like we aren't stepping but leaping in with both feet and becoming part of the 'family.'

"It will be great for you guys" Sid says. He leans down, kisses my cheek and whispers "Carole-Lyn will help you out. Don't worry about anything."

I look into his eyes as he straightens. He looks so reassuring.

"Sounds great" I tell him and earn a grin.

The boys leave to finish their warm up and I follow Carole-Lyn down another hall. When we're in an elevator, she puts Lola down and Lizzy sees that Lola has a Dora shirt on. The two of them become fast friends.

When we enter the family suite Lola and Lizzy take off.

"They'll be ok" Carole-Lyn tells me. "Lola knows her way around and they can't get out of the room alone."

I look around and there are lots of kids having fun. It is a very happy scene with lots of toys, video games, and mini sticks. There are also adults and all women of course. They are tall, thin, most are blond and all are gorgeous. They are wearing very high heels; some are in skirts and some in pants. As a group, they look like models waiting for casting.

I don't know how I'm feeling. It's overwhelming and intimidating. They look like gazelles lounging at the pond looking beautiful and sipping Chardonnay. How did I get here? What am I doing here? My instinct is to grab Lizzy and run; but, I wouldn't and couldn't do that to Sid. We're in a relationship now and I guess this is part of it.

I decide to take some advice that I once heard. 'Fake it until you make it.' With a deep breath, I lift my head and push my shoulders back then walk toward the gazelles.

I pretty brunette with a baby in her arms stands and approaches me.

"Hi, you must be Cat" she says in a French accent.

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Vero and this is Stella" she holds up the baby.

As if on cue, Stella opens her eyes and looks right at me.

"She's gorgeous" I tell Vero.

As she nuzzles the baby, Vero replies "thank you. She's the love of my life. Oh, so is Marc-Andre. He's my husband; the goalie. You have a child too?"

"Yes, she's three years old and the love of my life." I look around to see where she is and then point. "There she is."

"Oh, she's such a pretty little thing."

I can't help the grin that spreads over my face at the compliment. Lizzy is a pretty little girl.

"Thank you" I tell her.

Vero and Carole-Lyn guide me over to the other girls. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am as good as any of these women. Sid is the leader of this team and he chose me knowing that I'd be in this situation. He must believe in me.

"Girls?" Vero says to everyone and all eyes go to us.

"Hi everyone" Vero continues. "This is Cat and her daughter Lizzy is playing with Lola over there. This is her first time joining us so be nice to her."

The women chuckle but in a cute way and not mean at all. They seem to be inviting me to join them. In fact, one of them gestures for me to sit beside her. I take another deep breath, smile and join her on the sofa.

"Hi Cat, welcome. I'm Maureen, my husband is Chris one of Sid's wingers. Our kids are Zach, who's playing video games, and Payton who is now playing with Lola and Lizzy."

"It's nice to meet you Maureen."

"Don't let all of this confusion overwhelm you Cat. It's always this crazy and it's easier if you just go with it."

She seems so friendly and authentic. It does help me calm down.

"You're right Maureen" I answer her. "It is overwhelming but seems like a lot of fun too."

I look at the kids and see that they're all enjoying each other in the controlled chaos.

"It gets really going when the game starts. When the guys score then the room erupts and it's even noisier in here than in the stands."

"Wow, it gets noisier? I wouldn't think that's possible."

We both chuckle and turn to the group. Some of the women are talking about a new spa that opened in Southside. Two of them have tried it and are giving all of the details of their full days on treatment. How do they find a full day to spend at the spa? Don't any of these women have jobs or need to take care of their kids? I notice that Maureen, Vero and Carole-Lyn don't participate in the conversation. It's really only the fake blonds with fake boobs girls who are going on about what they want in a spa. Interesting.

"So Cat, you're the one who finally trapped our Sid, huh?"

I turn to the woman who has the most fake hair and boobs. I go with my nicer instinct to answer her.

"If you are asking if I'm dating Sid, then yes I am."

I hear a smothered chuckle beside me and see that it's Carole-Lyn. The plastic girl smirks and goes back to talking to the other plastic girls.

"Mommy, Sidwee, Sidwee, Sidwee" Lizzy calls as she pulls at my arm. I look down at her and she's pointing at the screen where they're showing footage of Sid. She's so cute. That's when I remember the jersey I brought so I get it out for her. She tries to put it on, she's on a dressing herself kick these days, but I have to help her when it gets stuck on her head. When it's on, Lizzy looks down at the logo on her chest and shouts "pengun!"

We all chuckle now so she claps her hands and continues to shout "penguns, penguns, penguns!"

Lola joins her and they're both jumping up and down shouting "penguns." I guess it's hard for all three year olds to put the 'i' in penguins. The guys come out on the ice and the whole room starts cheering.

The afternoon goes by quickly. I stay with the girls I know and like for most of it. Occasionally, one of the moms has to break up a fight. We take our turns jumping into the fray and thankfully there aren't many. Shortly into the third period, Lizzy climbs onto my lap yawning and it takes her no time to fall asleep.

"She's fallen asleep?" Vero asks me.

"Yes, there's been a lot of excitement for one afternoon. We're going to dinner after the game so a little nap is a good thing. What are you doing after the game?"

"Marc was the back up tonight so he'll work out after the game."

"They work out after a game?"

"Yeah they do sometimes. It depends on how much they played and how hard the game was for what they do afterward."

Hmm, I never would have thought so.

"Aren't they tired after a game?"

"It depends on how much they play but it's part of what they do."

A huge cheer goes up and the end of game buzzer sounds. The Pens win the game! Lizzy is still sleeping; when this girl is asleep she doesn't wake up easily.

"She's still sleeping?" Vero asks.

"Yeah, she's always been like this; hard to wake up."

Vero chuckles and starts gathering up Stella's things. I look around and watch the various moms pulling together their kids and things together. It's like organized chaos. Of course the gazelles are still sitting around drinking their wine and looking bored. It is surreal. I feel like I'm in some kind of very weird movie where everyone knows what's going on but me. I expect to see Alice or the Mad Hatter walk through the door any minute.

"Bye Cat. You and Lizzy must come over for a play date" Carole-Lyn tells me.

"Of course, thank you" I reply.

Vero waves too and they leave with some of the other moms and children.

"So, where are you going now Cat? Taking the bus home?" One of the gazelles asks.

I know that I have a couple of choices. One would satisfy me greatly and has me cutting her down her down like a spindly twig and with a huge saw. I swallow it back and decide to behave as Sidney Crosby's girlfriend should.

"I'll be meeting Sid" I say and try to leave it vague.

She's about to reply and most likely in a snarky way when I hear "Cat?"

I turn around and see Jennifer at the door. I smile when seeing her; very gratefully.

"Hi Jen. Let me grab our things."

I smile at the gazelles and say "nice to meet you all."

Jen helps me grab my things since I have Lizzy still in my arms and we leave the room.

"I hope this isn't too presumptuous of me Cat but you handled yourself very well back there. Sometimes this can seem like high school with the girlfriends trying to be queen bee. Don't let them get to you Cat. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll be fine. If you need help, or even a friend, please know that you can trust me."

I thank her and make a mental note to ask Sid if I really can trust her. I don't think that I should trust anyone unless Sid tells me that it's ok. I may not know much but I do know that and a lot about mean girls. Hopefully I can trust Jen because it would be nice to have a friend in this world.

Jen leads us into the player's lounge where we've waited before. I sit down with Lizzy and she stays asleep the whole time. People come and go with most stopping by to introduce themselves and say hi. I guess it's out there that I'm Sid's girlfriend and everyone wants to get a look at me. Many seem quite genuine and all are curious. Lizzy still sleeps through it all. She had a lot of excitement this afternoon but I'll have to wake her soon so she sleeps tonight.

"There's my girls" Sid says behind me.

"Good game" I tell him.

Sid leans down and kisses me then notices that Lizzy is sleeping.

"She had a very full afternoon cheering for you" I tell him.

"Want me to carry her?"

"Yeah, she needs to wake up anyway."

Sid takes Lizzy from my arms and I follow him out of the room. Lizzy starts to stir.

"Hey there princess."

"Sidwee, we won" she says.

I love how she says "we won" to Sid. It's so cute.

"Yes my princess, we won" Sid says on a chuckle.

"Yay" she says sleepily.

"We're going to have spaghetti for dinner sweetie."

"Pasghetti" she replies with more interest.

"Yes" Sid says. "Pasghetti."

We get to Sid's car and I see that he has a car seat in the back. My heart melts a little. I watch Sid open the back door and put Lizzy in the seat. He looks at the straps and then frowns so I step in to help him. He insists that I show him how to do it so that he can do it by himself if he needs to; hmm.

We drive away from Consol while Lizzy is singing about her 'pasghetti.'

We drive pass a group of fans in jerseys hanging around. Sid drives right by them and I can tell that people are surprised.

"Are they always waiting for you?" I ask Sid.

"Yeah."

"Do you usually stop?"

"Usually."

"So why didn't you stop. You could have; it would have been ok."

He pauses and, after a few moments, says "they would be right beside the car Cat."

I don't get it; what does that matter? What's wrong with them being beside the car? Oh.

"They would see me and maybe Lizzy" I say.

"Yeah, you know that it's only because I don't want you guys to be in the press, right?"

I take his hand. "I know that Sid. We're going to have to do it at some point but definitely not today."

"I completely agree. We'll figure it out."

"Sidwee!"

"Yes princess."

"I want pasghetti Sidwee!"

"We'll be there soon princess."

He chuckles when Lizzy begins to sing about eating spaghetti. We're definitely going to have a good night.