Anna

There is so much to do. The first on ice practice is today and it will be the player's first official availability to the media. So why am I in the stands watching practice when I should be focusing on the first interview Geno will give? I know exactly why I'm watching practice and he's currently moving down the ice at lightning speed. How can Sid have so much power and yet skate so fluidly, almost gracefully? No one can catch up to him when he's in full speed although they try. He even leaves Kris Letang in the dust and he's the best defenseman on the team.

"I love watching the first practice" I hear beside me.

I turn and immediately stand up when I see who it is.

"Mr. Lemieux, it's so nice to see you" I tell him.

"Please sit back down Anna. May I join you?"

I sit as he's requested and gesture to the seat next to me. We both turn our attention to the ice after he sits down.

"The first skate is always fascinating to me" he begins. "There's a mix of fun and excitement from returning players who know they have a spot on the team. Of course the young guys, or those on a tryout, attempt to look as loose as the others but there is always intensity about them because there is so much uncertain."

"I've never understood the phrase 'organized chaos' until I sat down here" I tell him. "The ice is crowded with players and coaches, and they should be bumping into each other, but everyone seems to know exactly what to do and where to go. Organized chaos."

Mario chuckles and replies "that's a great way to describe it. How are you doing Anna? I understand that you'll be working closely with Geno this year."

I briefly wonder how he knows. Is he keeping track of me to give my dad updates? Am I getting my own player this year because Mario told Jen to do it? It is odd that an intern works this closely with a star player.

I make sure my voice is steady, with none of the uncertainty I actually feel, when I say "yes I am. It is a wonderful opportunity and I'm so grateful that Jen has faith in me."

"It's well placed, I'm sure" he says cryptically.

"That's very kind of you Mr. Lemieux, thank you." I look at my watch and realize I've been here for thirty minutes, crap. "I'm sorry but I really need to head back to the office. It was nice to see you sir."

"Anna, please call me Mario" he says and stands to let me past him. "See you later."

I smile and try not to rush down the aisle and to the ramp. I have a few things to do before Geno comes off the ice and the media are let in.

"Is that how you get everything you want?" I hear the snide comment behind me and know that it's Meagan. "Are you blowing him or just getting preferred treatment because your daddy and Mario of buddies?"

I take a deep breath and compose myself before I turn to her.

"Meagan, neither are true and you know that. If you'll excuse me, I have a few things to do before the first scrum."

I don't wait for her response. Instead I walk as quickly as I can without rushing to the elevator. Thankfully, she doesn't follow me.

It kills me to swallow back my anger but there is nothing to be gained by antagonizing her further. She is going to make stuff up and lash out regardless of what I say or do so I might as well take the high road. The last thing my family needs is for something I say in anger to get into the press.

In the elevator I give into a moment and slump against the wall. Why couldn't I have just one thing that is mine where I don't have to worry about everything I do or everything I say? I guess it's only going to get worse if dad decides to run for president. He's never ruled it out and I know my mother wants that for him. Since we arrived in the Governor's mansion, I swear that she's dreamed of being the First Lady and dad's next step up the political ladder.

The PR area is buzzing as everyone gets ready for the first media scrum. I gather my things and walk to Jen's office where she asked us to meet her before the scrum begins. There are a couple of people there already and the rest follow me in. Meagan is the last one to join and she sneers at me before smiling at Jen.

Jen begins "ok team, it's the first media scrum of the new season. You all know your assignments. We talked about it a few times but it will still be surprising if you've never seen a scrum before. The reporters tend to be quiet when the players are answering questions since so many of them are taking their own video or audio to post on line. It will still feel like a swarm of bees has taken over the locker room. There will be lots of buzz. Don't let it rattle you. Everyone is ready for this so just remember that, ok?"

We all nod and agree.

"Ok then" Jen says gathering her own portfolio and phone. "Let's go!"

I feel the butterflies in my stomach grow as we enter the elevator to get to ice level. We all cram in and are uncharacteristically quiet. Maybe I'm not the only one who is nervous.

As we exit the elevator, Jen says "we're going to go into the locker room as the guys come off the ice. When they're ready, I'll go get the reporters and you should stand near your player." She stops and looks at us. "One last thing to know if you've never been around hockey players. In baseball and basketball locker rooms, you smell sweat and definitely know that you're around pro athletes. A hockey locker room is very different. The smell will be overwhelming and is definitely disgusting. It is more than body odor. The equipment becomes sweaty and gross and it only gets worse as the season goes on. I'd love to say you get used to it but you don't. You just learn to ignore it."

We all chuckle, and the hockey players in the group nod in agreement, and then we're ready to go.

When Jen opens the door to the locker room, I immediately know what she's talking about. The smell hits me in waves as I walk into the room. There is a bin in the middle of the room where the guys are tossing their jerseys. They are all in different stages of undress. Some are taking off their gear and some are taking off skates. I can't believe that I never thought about this before. I'm going to be in a room with men potentially half dressed. Surely they don't get completely undressed here. Secretly, I wouldn't mind seeing hot athletes in very little but it wouldn't be good if my parents heard about it.

As if drawn by a magnet, my eyes find Sid. He's taken off his jersey and helmet and is currently unstrapping his equipment. His hair is soaked with sweat and has gone curly. He has pink in his cheeks either from exertion or the cold of the ice.

"Anna!" I hear Geno call me and turn my attention to him. "You're going to save me, no?"

I smile as I walk to him. He is also a sweaty mess and adorable.

"No one told me that I have to save you" I tell him with mock concern.

"You funny" he says and takes off the remaining gear from his arms.

"Ok gentlemen, two minute warning" Jen yells to the room and walks out the door.

"Geno" I begin. "Last minute reminder: you're excited about the new coaches and the new plays. It's going to be a great year and you are really happy to be skating with the team again. Ok?"

"Yes" he replies with his slight lisp.

In a moment of weakness, and maybe self-doubt, I ask "too much? Am I driving you crazy?"

"No, it good" he tells me and smiles.

We can't continue our conversation because the doors open the room quickly fills. I step back and let the reporters surround him. Here goes nothing.

The first question is thrown out and Geno answers it easily. Then there is a second and third question. He handles it well using some of the phrases I gave him. The pride I feel is unexpected. He's actually using what I gave him to answer question of the press and they like it. Wow.

It's about six questions in when there is a potential issue. A reporter asks a question and Geno looks confused. It must be one of the words that he doesn't understand and I have no idea what to do. I can't jump in because that will embarrass Geno and I'm supposed to not be seen or heard. Will Geno remember what I told him to say if he doesn't understand a question? He looks nervous now. Did I do a good enough job preparing him?

"Would you repeat the question please?" Geno asks.

He remembered! Thank God. As predicted, when the reporter repeats the question, he also expands and rephrases it slightly giving Geno the opportunity to understand the meaning. Geno answers it easily now.

I check my watch and say "two more questions."

The reporters follow my direction and they leave Geno's side after the two more questions. Geno looks at me when he's alone and raises his eyebrows silently asking me how he did. I give him a huge smile and, on a whim, wink. He gives me a big laugh and begins taking off the rest of his clothes. Uncomfortable with him undressing in front of me, and even more when I notice that the rest of the guys are too, I turn to leave quickly and bump directly into Sid.

"Whoa" he says and grabs my arms to steady me.

"Oh, sorry" I tell him.

"No problem. How did it go?" he asks me.

"I think it went well. Geno and the reporters seem happy so I guess it was good."

"That's great" he replies.

We stand there looking at each other for a few moments. I'm very aware of how close we're standing and the slight pressure of Sid's fingers on each of my arms. He's very sweaty and, if I have to admit it, he's kind of smelly too; but, it's very easy to overlook. A sweaty Sidney is a gorgeous Sidney.

The moment is over as quickly as it began and he steps back and releases me simultaneously.

I leave the locker room and walk down the hall to the big meeting room. Jen asked us to meet her there when the scrum was over. The other interns are already there since their scrums lasted less time than Geno and Sid's. I'm saved from any snide remarks by Jen following me shortly after.

"Ok everyone. How did that go?" she asks us.

We're all quiet for a few moments but then Steve, one of the huge Pen's fans, begins.

"It was awesome. Just, awesome."

Steve's enthusiasm has everyone chuckling and then others jump in with their assessment.

"I think it went well too" Jen says. "There a few adjustments we need to make but they're very minor. We'll talk about them tomorrow morning before practice. Now, everyone has their assignments for the event tomorrow night. We have a lot of our key financial sponsors at the event and it needs to go flawlessly. Does anyone have questions about what you need to do today?" She pauses and then continues "ok, let's go."

I hang back hoping for a few moments with Jen to talk about the scrum. I'm glad to see that she hangs back too.

"What did you think? How did it go?" Jen asks me before I can ask her thoughts.

"I think it went well" I begin. "Geno had one question that he didn't understand but he used the trick of asking for a repeat and that did it for him."

"That's good. It looked like you had everything under control and you ended on time perfectly."

"Thank you. When I met earlier with him, Geno said that he wants to do something with his foundation here in Pittsburgh. I thought he could partner with the Pens Foundation or the Lemieux Foundation for an event. This would get him involved but not overwhelm him and his foundation with starting something from scratch."

"That's a great idea Anna."

I can't help the pride I feel at Jen's compliment.

"What do I do next to help him?" I ask.

I'm disappointed when she says "let me talk to the directors of both foundations and see if there is an opportunity to match Geno with one of their events."

I smile and say "thank you" even though I want to ask why I couldn't do it myself.

Jen gathers her things and my phone rings so we say goodbye and I answer it. It's Lauren.

"Hi L" I say.

"Hi A" she replies. I can hear the smile in her voice. "How did the first scrum go?"

It's just like her to remember that I had my first media scrum today.

"It went well. Geno was great and I think he felt really good about it. How are you doing? You've got a game tonight, right?"

"Yeah we do. Don't brush it off A. If Geno felt good about it than you prepared him well."

"It did go really well" I reply.

We talk about her upcoming game some more and the big event tomorrow night. A little bit later, she has to get to class so we say goodbye.

The hall is empty when I enter it. The guys have either left or are working out. I'm told that there are always a couple of players who don't come to camp in their best shape and have to continue working out during camp.

I see no one as I wait for the elevator to take me back up to the offices. Thankfully I don't have to wait long. Just as the doors are about to close completely, I hear someone yell "hold the elevator please."

On instinct, I reach for the open button and manage to catch it in time. I look up to find myself face to face with Sid. He looks good, fresh from the shower and smelling of soap and what must be uniquely him. Why is the sense of smell so powerful in bringing back memories? And just like that, my mind starts to wander but is brought back by Sid.

"Hey Anna, thanks for holding the door" Sid says.

I force myself to smile and focus on him to keep my mind in the moment.

"You're welcome" I reply.

Before either of us can say more, the elevator lurches, stops and the lights go off.

Sidney

I grab for the wall as the elevator lurches and everything goes dark. It takes only a few seconds for the emergency light to come on and we're bathed in an eerie yellow light.

Anna is grabbing at the wall too but otherwise doesn't look disturbed by what is happening. She looks at me and simply lifts her eyebrows.

"I didn't do it" I joke with her.

She smiles and then chuckles. The low, almost sultry sound is a very unexpected from her and hot as hell.

"I didn't think you did" she tells me. "But, now that you mention it, this happened after you stepped into the elevator."

I can't help laughing too.

We both take out our phones and try calling someone.

"I don't have a signal" she tells me.

"I think I do" I reply and call Dana, our equipment manager.

"Hey Sid, you still here?" Dana asks when he answers his phone.

"Yeah, I'm stuck in the elevator. What's going on?" I ask.

"Seems like the whole building is having a power outage. We're on back-up generator for the essential systems.

"I guess elevators aren't essential huh?"

"Guess not Sid. Everything ok? Other than being stuck in an elevator of course."

"Yeah. Can you let Jen know that her intern, Anna, is here with me?"

"Sure Sid. I'll let you know when I find out what's going on."

"Ok, thanks."

I turn to Anna after disconnecting with Dana.

"The whole building is out but they don't know why. Dana, the equipment manager, said he'd let me know when they know more."

"Ok."

For a brief moment, I see unease or fear cross over her face. Is she afraid of elevators or enclosed spaces? Maybe she doesn't like being stuck in here with me.

"I guess we're going to be here a while. Might as well get comfortable" I say and slide to sit down on the floor. Anna looks at me, the floor and then her phone. I hear a soft sigh as she slides down the wall at the opposite side of the elevator. It's slightly awkward since her skirt is tight but she manages to do it gracefully. Is everything this girl does perfect? Even in an elevator, trapped, she is still composed and calm. Maybe I didn't really see that fear on her face earlier.

"Do you think that essential systems include the ice?" she asks me.

I look at her and she looks like she's seriously asking me. I'm thinking of how to answer the question – I mean they would take care of people before the ice right? – when I see her lips twitch slightly. The longer I stare at her, the more she has trouble maintaining her calm until she finally gives up and starts laughing.

It's infectious and I join her. As she laughs, the calm and composed demeanor slips and I feel like I'm seeing the real Anna and she's beautiful. Her bright green eyes grow even brighter and crinkle at the corner. For the first time, I notice that she has a small dimple in her right cheek.

"At least practice is over and most of the guys are gone" I tell her.

"Did you have meetings upstairs?" she asks me.

"Yeah, some sponsorship thing I think. Jen wants to give me an update for the event tomorrow. There are a few people that I need to meet specifically."

"Oh, I guess that happens often to you" she says and must notice that I look confused. "That people want to speak with the Pen's captain and best player in the world" she explains.

She says it so simply, so straightforwardly, that she isn't trying to pry information out of me or get me to say negative things. It seems like she isn't asking me a question at all but rather making a statement. She gets it. I don't know how this girl, who I've known for less than two days, actually understands the stress that I'm under and the demands on my time. Then I remember my conversation with Mario.

"I would imagine that you've experienced that yourself" I tell her. Now she looks confused so I continue "as a governor's daughter. People must want to talk to you because of who you are."

"It's usually the opposite" she says softly.

It's almost too soft to hear. She glances up at me and seems surprised by her own words. Quickly, the calm and composed face is in place again.

"How did you know that I'm the governor's daughter?" she asks me.

Shit. Mario doesn't want her to know that he asked me to look out for her.

"I probably heard it from someone" I tell her quickly. "You are, right?"

"Yes" she replies softly and looks down at her hands.

I feel like I've said something wrong but I really don't know what. Maybe she doesn't like being reminded of her family connections. I know that Mario wouldn't hire her because of that but maybe others don't and assume nepotism. I need to change the subject.

"Have you graduated or is this internship part of your program?" I ask her.

Changing the subject works because she smiles at me.

"I have my undergraduate degree and will do my master's degree next" she tells me.

"So this is part of your masters?"

"Yes it is. Most students in the program will do a semester long internship. I wanted to do it with a sports team so I'm taking the year."

"Why a sports team?" I ask her, truly interested in her. I started asking questions to be polite but she lights up when she talks about her schooling and I love her smile with that dimple.

"I couldn't do politics for obvious reasons" she begins and I nod understanding.

It would probably be some kind of conflict with her father.

"That makes sense" I reply.

"I also wanted something that wasn't just a nine-to-five job. If I want to learn than I need to be immersed in it. That led me to think of sports. I was too late for baseball season and football isn't as busy as I'd like. The NHL plays eighty-two games. That's a lot of practices and games before you even get to the playoffs. I also figured that if I chose a Pennsylvania team than there's no issue for my father. So here I am."

That is the most I've heard her speak and it's fascinating to watch. She talks with her hands when she's excited and she clearly enjoys being here.

"That's great. You'll definitely get a lot of experience here. Jen obviously has faith in you since she assigned you to Geno."

"She's incredible Sid. I mean, I have learned so much already and the season hasn't even started. Jen is really smart and very nice. It's more than I even thought it would be and I was very excited to get the internship."

She grins at me and it transforms her again. Anna goes from 'buttoned up, professional' to 'young, excited girl' as she talks about how much she is enjoying herself.

"What about the other interns?" I ask.

"It's a great team" she tells me.

Hmm, I know a non-answer when I hear one. I've given enough that I can recognize them easily. I really want to ask her about it and learn more but we only just met and I don't want to be inappropriate or upset her.

"How was your first day of camp?" she asks me.

"It's always great to be back with the guys. The summer seems to go by really fast when you're a kid and out of school. When you're a hockey player, you enjoy the summer but it's mostly spent counting down the days until training camp."

"I didn't realize there were so many meetings involved in camp. I thought you would mostly have on ice and off ice workouts. The amount of meetings and video you watch is staggering. Sometimes it seems like you guys are in school."

"Sometimes it feels that way too" I tell her.

"You played hockey as a kid, right? I mean minor league I guess they call it."

"Yeah, it's called juniors."

"So you were away from home as a kid?"

"I moved out when I was sixteen to play hockey in Quebec."

"Wow, that's really young. Isn't it?"

"I guess but I went away to school when I was fifteen so I was used to being away from home."

"Why did you go to the school for only one year? Why go at all?"

Suddenly, I want to tell her everything. I want to tell her about how the parents used to taunt me and the other kids bully me because I was so good. I want to tell her how my parents sued the Minor Hockey Council to allow me to play midget before I was old enough and lost the suit. I'm surprised that I want to tell her everything and anything. I'm too used to being circumspect with people outside of my friends and family to give in to that feeling.

"I wasn't able to play hockey in the league with the older kids so my parents sent me to Shattucks for a year until I was old enough to go into the minors."

That was close to the truth at least. I didn't lie but I didn't really tell her everything either.

My phone rings and I answer it.

"Hi Sid" it's Dana.

"Hey Dana, did you find out what happened?"

"Yeah, it's actually the power is out in this whole part of the city. There was a flood at one of the generator centres and it knocked out the power. Are you guys ok?"

"We're good Dana. Well, we'd be better if we weren't trapped in an elevator but otherwise we're doing ok."

I glance at Anna and she smiles and nods.

"Good" Dana says. "I don't know when the power will be back on but they're working on turning on the additional generators to at least get people out of elevators and out of the nook and crannies of the building."

"Thanks Dana."

I hang up and tell Anna what Dana said.

"So when do they think they'll get us out of here?" she asks.

"He didn't have a time but they aren't waiting for the city to fix the issue. We have additional generators that we can use for a short period of time without impacting the essential areas."

"You sound like you've been through something like this before."

"No, I just know how to make it sound like I know what I'm saying" I say on a chuckle.

"That's either a really good thing or a really dangerous thing."

"Why dangerous?"

"Well, if you can make people believe anything you say then you wield a great deal of power."

"Good point" I reply slightly disturbed by her comment. I would never deliberately mislead anyone or lie to anyone. I've perfected the non-answer answer so that I don't have to do it.

Anna must sense my mood change because she jokes "you most only use this power for good Sidney Patrick Crosby."

I chuckle as she'd hoped and I'm also intrigued. How does she know my middle name? Why do I like it when she uses my full name rather than nickname 'Sid?'