Ice Dreams
folder
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
27
Views:
9,231
Reviews:
49
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Romance › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
27
Views:
9,231
Reviews:
49
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Disclaimer: Characters in this story are my creation, as is the city of Bannen,(as far as I know, Canada doesn’t have a city named Bannen in it), and the hockey team is fictional as well. California doesn’t have a team named the Demon Dogs, that is my creation. The characters in this story are not based on any specific person, so any similarities are purely coincidental. I do not own any rights to the Stanley Cup, and I don’t make any money off my stories.
---------------
I tried to keep the hockey facts as truthful as possible, so please excuse any slip-ups. While this is a story based on a sports team, it’s not my intention to focus completely on it, but instead on the romantic story. I also don’t bash hockey players in real life, as I’ve met a few and they are lovely people. It just works in my story for now. I was inspired from the recent playoff games, when this plot bunny jumped into my head. Please enjoy.
Warnings: angst, lemon, oral, death, fluff, language, m/f
** Asterisks indicate thoughts
-----------------
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Denise had everything planned for the children’s hospital social, including what kind of decorations would be put up as well as the order the players would enter. It had to be done right in order to keep the excitement up. As with any hockey team, the city had their five or six favourite players, and she couldn’t have them enter one right after the other. Although the whole team had a lot of love from their fans, there were a few particular players that stood out whenever the Bannen Warriors were mentioned. Tom Welding had to be the number one. Not only was he the captain, he embodied the heart and soul of the team and also catered to his fans by constantly involving himself in community activities. Whenever there was a fundraiser for the hospital or for children’s functions, he would be there. Not only because he had children of his own, but he seemed to have a genuine love of all children.
The teenagers and adults liked him for the way he played the game. He was a born leader, on and off the ice. He had the physical play that fans craved to see on the ice, and he was known for dropping the gloves every once in a while to have it out with an opponent. The crowd in the arena loved to watch the game, but sometimes they loved to cheer on an on-ice fight even more. Tom Welding was the guy who did it all, and because he was so popular, Denise thought it would be best for him to be introduced first.
In between Tom, she’d have a few players come in who were not as well-known to the fanbase, but integral parts of the team. They would be the ‘everything players’- the guys the coach put on the ice because he was confident they could handle every aspect of the game and do a good job. The fan favourites tended to be the good-looking guys, the guys that made the biggest impact on the ice or in the community, or the toughest players. Everyone liked tough.
Because of that, Neil would come in soon after the captain. Neil Hamilton was a fan favourite not because of his looks (he must have had his nose broken at least once), but because of his grit on ice. He was the type of player who made his presence known when it was his shift. Usually, with the not so aggressive players you’d be yelling at them to hit the skater with the puck, but not so in Neil’s case. He would have slammed the opposing team’s player into the boards before you even noticed the poor guy had the puck.
Francis Osler was the franchise’s star goalie. He had been traded to the Bannen Warriors a few years ago in what was considered the best deal at the time. He was a truly confident player, a man who was stellar between the pipes and rarely cost his team a game. His teammates liked him because he was someone they didn’t have to worry about. Often, the defenceman will try to do the goalie’s job, but not in this case. Everyone knew how competent he was and would never second-guess his abilities.
Colin Burkins was slowly starting to become a fan favourite. The problem with him before was that he was not comfortable being in goal against a lot of the teams in the NHL. The crowd can tell when a goalie is uneasy being in net, and your teammates even more so. While there was no worry about whether Francis could do his job, the defensemen in front of Colin would often try to do his job and sometimes they would get in Colin’s way. That rattled his confidence even more. Lately though, he had been making major changes to his game and it wasn’t going unnoticed. The thing with hockey fans is that if you do a good job, they love you – if you crash and burn, they want you traded. Because Colin was now becoming a good goalie, the trade rumours had ceased and now everyone in the city was waiting to see his potential. Denise found it appropriate to categorize him in the favourite players column. If he wasn’t overly popular before the playoffs started, she really believed he would be by the time they were finished.
Jordan Michaels had to be up in the same realm as Tom Welding. He had been playing for the Bannen Warriors since he was drafted. The man had spirit, drive, and determination. There was a reason why he was alternate captain. He possessed the same leadership abilities as Tom, and there were strong rumours that he would take over as captain once Tom retired. He was also good-natured and easy going, someone everyone could get along with. On the ice he was a man of steel, and a puck rarely reached the goalie while he was playing defense. Denise knew he had to be introduced near the top of the list.
Eli Hanks would follow close after him. As the second alternate captain, his responsibilities were very similar to Jordan’s. He was a tough player, with a stony exterior. The only time she had seen him warm up was when his wife showed up after practice one day. At least Denise was able to see that Eli was capable of emotions. The fans loved him because he was very reliable on the ice. He was more of a gritty player than Jordan, he liked to fight a lot, but he never started things out of the blue. If he saw that a thug of a player was coming for one of his smaller teammates, he would defend his own until the end.
Graham Kelly would definitely be on the list of favourites. Usually the list of favourites also happened to be the highest paid players, because the coach did not want to see them walk to another team when trade deadlines came around. If Denise had to look at it strictly from a fan’s point of view, she could see why he was so popular within the city. He was a very good player – up to Tom’s calibre. If you gave him the puck, more often than not he’d find the back of the goalie’s net. On ice, Graham exhibited strong leadership skills, which had a lot of people wondering if he would be captain of the team some day, providing he stuck around long enough. He was confident with his plays, and while he didn’t get into a lot of fights (he definitely didn’t have the fighting reputation), he would drop his gloves if need be and go at it. He was a big guy, and in hockey size is important. Denise would have to guess that the shortest player on the Bannen Warriors stood six feet tall.
Looking over her list once more, she placed it in her folder, satisfied. When the players first come in, it’s such a huge commotion. She wanted the children to be as excited as possible when the day finally came. Bob had warned her that the Bannen Warriors usually planned something mischievous to do at the hospital social, and she was curious as to what it would be this year. Supposedly they already knew what they were going to do, but Graham wasn’t telling her a single thing. She would just have to wait and see what they had up their sleeves.
--------------------
Graham had stayed at the rink later than usual, intent on practicing his shots. Colin had wanted to stay at practice longer as well, so they worked together on their game. It was really hard to get a key player like Graham to stay overtime, so Colin was thankful that he had this chance to practice some blocking. Now that he was starting to see improvement in his game, he was becoming even more inspired. Having Graham trying to score on him would do so much for his game, considering Graham was in the top ten players in the NHL.
Colin reached out just in time to catch a puck aimed at the top left corner of the net. Graham Kelly was an unpredictable shooter – you never knew where he was aiming his shots. Colin had to be thankful for fast reflexes, considering Graham was hardly giving him a break at all. Shot after shot was fired, both players breaking a sweat from the one on one. Colin didn’t allow himself to feel bad for letting in some of Graham’s shots, he just tried to keep his focus on the new pucks flying towards him. Each shot was faster than the last, and the ones that hit his mask nearly set Colin’s brain rattling. If he had to guess, he would say Graham had gained some muscle in his arms over the past few weeks. He didn’t remember his shots being so fast or hard last time they had practiced
together.
“What do you say Colin, time to call it a night?” Graham finally asked. It had been a long practice, even without tacking extra shooting time on the end. Christmas is the time where a lot of teams enter a slump, and the Bannen Warriors were determined to not let it happen to them. If that meant extra practice, Graham would be there.
“Yeah, this is a good time to stop. My shoulders are starting to ache.” Colin admitted, pulling off his mask. His blonde hair was soaked with sweat, and he longed to take a shower. Graham flashed him his trademark grin.
“That’s why, my friend, you have a lovely lady to help you work out the knots in your shoulders and back.” Colin thought about Jenny and nearly blushed. He hated that he was so sensitive around her. It clashed with his on ice personality. It was strange how a woman could do that to him.
“I have a woman, problem is whenever she gets to close I feel like running for the hills.” Colin muttered as they skated off the rink together. Graham laughed.
“Well, that happens. Sometimes when something is so new you don’t quite know how to handle the feelings. The best thing that you can do is stand your ground and just allow yourself to experience everything.”
Colin was reluctant to disclose his real source of discomfort. For someone to be male, twenty-five and a virgin was nearly unheard of. They might think he’s soft (in a number of ways) and a complete freak. He wanted to lose it, but circumstances were harsh when he was a teenager. His parents hadn’t wanted him to go into hockey – they saw lawyer, businessman. They sent him to a private school where he hadn’t fit in at all. The girls that had been there didn’t interest him, or if one did catch his eye, she’d be clingy even though he hadn’t promised anything. To sleep with one of them was to give his life away, and he didn’t need a girl to hang on to every part of him.
That’s why he liked Jenny. She was an independent woman – she walked to her own beat, and wasn’t the least bit afraid to tell people where to stick it. She obviously wasn’t a virgin – by the way she was advancing on him he could tell that she had experience. He was embarrassed to tell her he didn’t have any. It was a terrifying thing. He wanted to please her but he didn’t want to mess anything up either. His lack of knowledge in that area led to his shyness, which he hated. Everything else in his life he was confident about, but not that.
Graham startled him out of his thoughts by grasping his shoulder firmly. Colin looked his friend in the eye, glad to see the supportive gaze.
“Don’t worry about whatever you’re thinking about. You know what Tom says to us, ‘just go for it’. Follow that for once. Don’t be a perfectionist, don’t let those thoughts consume you. Whatever is on your mind, you can conquer that.” Graham said, giving him a slight nod before leaving for the dressing room. Colin thought about his advice, ‘you can conquer that’. He could too. He had to stop worrying about the whatifs. He would approach Jenny. He wasn’t sure if he would admit that he was a virgin, but there was no use putting off the inevitable. She wanted him, and he definitely wanted her. Why was he even giving this a second thought?
--------------------
A/N: You know, I keep apologizing for all the waiting, but I do mean it! I fully plan on finishing this work, and the fact that you all still read it and review it really drives me on. Don't worry, there will be more action soon, so please be patient with me. Thanks so much, and please review!! :)
--------------------
---------------
I tried to keep the hockey facts as truthful as possible, so please excuse any slip-ups. While this is a story based on a sports team, it’s not my intention to focus completely on it, but instead on the romantic story. I also don’t bash hockey players in real life, as I’ve met a few and they are lovely people. It just works in my story for now. I was inspired from the recent playoff games, when this plot bunny jumped into my head. Please enjoy.
Warnings: angst, lemon, oral, death, fluff, language, m/f
** Asterisks indicate thoughts
-----------------
Denise had everything planned for the children’s hospital social, including what kind of decorations would be put up as well as the order the players would enter. It had to be done right in order to keep the excitement up. As with any hockey team, the city had their five or six favourite players, and she couldn’t have them enter one right after the other. Although the whole team had a lot of love from their fans, there were a few particular players that stood out whenever the Bannen Warriors were mentioned. Tom Welding had to be the number one. Not only was he the captain, he embodied the heart and soul of the team and also catered to his fans by constantly involving himself in community activities. Whenever there was a fundraiser for the hospital or for children’s functions, he would be there. Not only because he had children of his own, but he seemed to have a genuine love of all children.
The teenagers and adults liked him for the way he played the game. He was a born leader, on and off the ice. He had the physical play that fans craved to see on the ice, and he was known for dropping the gloves every once in a while to have it out with an opponent. The crowd in the arena loved to watch the game, but sometimes they loved to cheer on an on-ice fight even more. Tom Welding was the guy who did it all, and because he was so popular, Denise thought it would be best for him to be introduced first.
In between Tom, she’d have a few players come in who were not as well-known to the fanbase, but integral parts of the team. They would be the ‘everything players’- the guys the coach put on the ice because he was confident they could handle every aspect of the game and do a good job. The fan favourites tended to be the good-looking guys, the guys that made the biggest impact on the ice or in the community, or the toughest players. Everyone liked tough.
Because of that, Neil would come in soon after the captain. Neil Hamilton was a fan favourite not because of his looks (he must have had his nose broken at least once), but because of his grit on ice. He was the type of player who made his presence known when it was his shift. Usually, with the not so aggressive players you’d be yelling at them to hit the skater with the puck, but not so in Neil’s case. He would have slammed the opposing team’s player into the boards before you even noticed the poor guy had the puck.
Francis Osler was the franchise’s star goalie. He had been traded to the Bannen Warriors a few years ago in what was considered the best deal at the time. He was a truly confident player, a man who was stellar between the pipes and rarely cost his team a game. His teammates liked him because he was someone they didn’t have to worry about. Often, the defenceman will try to do the goalie’s job, but not in this case. Everyone knew how competent he was and would never second-guess his abilities.
Colin Burkins was slowly starting to become a fan favourite. The problem with him before was that he was not comfortable being in goal against a lot of the teams in the NHL. The crowd can tell when a goalie is uneasy being in net, and your teammates even more so. While there was no worry about whether Francis could do his job, the defensemen in front of Colin would often try to do his job and sometimes they would get in Colin’s way. That rattled his confidence even more. Lately though, he had been making major changes to his game and it wasn’t going unnoticed. The thing with hockey fans is that if you do a good job, they love you – if you crash and burn, they want you traded. Because Colin was now becoming a good goalie, the trade rumours had ceased and now everyone in the city was waiting to see his potential. Denise found it appropriate to categorize him in the favourite players column. If he wasn’t overly popular before the playoffs started, she really believed he would be by the time they were finished.
Jordan Michaels had to be up in the same realm as Tom Welding. He had been playing for the Bannen Warriors since he was drafted. The man had spirit, drive, and determination. There was a reason why he was alternate captain. He possessed the same leadership abilities as Tom, and there were strong rumours that he would take over as captain once Tom retired. He was also good-natured and easy going, someone everyone could get along with. On the ice he was a man of steel, and a puck rarely reached the goalie while he was playing defense. Denise knew he had to be introduced near the top of the list.
Eli Hanks would follow close after him. As the second alternate captain, his responsibilities were very similar to Jordan’s. He was a tough player, with a stony exterior. The only time she had seen him warm up was when his wife showed up after practice one day. At least Denise was able to see that Eli was capable of emotions. The fans loved him because he was very reliable on the ice. He was more of a gritty player than Jordan, he liked to fight a lot, but he never started things out of the blue. If he saw that a thug of a player was coming for one of his smaller teammates, he would defend his own until the end.
Graham Kelly would definitely be on the list of favourites. Usually the list of favourites also happened to be the highest paid players, because the coach did not want to see them walk to another team when trade deadlines came around. If Denise had to look at it strictly from a fan’s point of view, she could see why he was so popular within the city. He was a very good player – up to Tom’s calibre. If you gave him the puck, more often than not he’d find the back of the goalie’s net. On ice, Graham exhibited strong leadership skills, which had a lot of people wondering if he would be captain of the team some day, providing he stuck around long enough. He was confident with his plays, and while he didn’t get into a lot of fights (he definitely didn’t have the fighting reputation), he would drop his gloves if need be and go at it. He was a big guy, and in hockey size is important. Denise would have to guess that the shortest player on the Bannen Warriors stood six feet tall.
Looking over her list once more, she placed it in her folder, satisfied. When the players first come in, it’s such a huge commotion. She wanted the children to be as excited as possible when the day finally came. Bob had warned her that the Bannen Warriors usually planned something mischievous to do at the hospital social, and she was curious as to what it would be this year. Supposedly they already knew what they were going to do, but Graham wasn’t telling her a single thing. She would just have to wait and see what they had up their sleeves.
--------------------
Graham had stayed at the rink later than usual, intent on practicing his shots. Colin had wanted to stay at practice longer as well, so they worked together on their game. It was really hard to get a key player like Graham to stay overtime, so Colin was thankful that he had this chance to practice some blocking. Now that he was starting to see improvement in his game, he was becoming even more inspired. Having Graham trying to score on him would do so much for his game, considering Graham was in the top ten players in the NHL.
Colin reached out just in time to catch a puck aimed at the top left corner of the net. Graham Kelly was an unpredictable shooter – you never knew where he was aiming his shots. Colin had to be thankful for fast reflexes, considering Graham was hardly giving him a break at all. Shot after shot was fired, both players breaking a sweat from the one on one. Colin didn’t allow himself to feel bad for letting in some of Graham’s shots, he just tried to keep his focus on the new pucks flying towards him. Each shot was faster than the last, and the ones that hit his mask nearly set Colin’s brain rattling. If he had to guess, he would say Graham had gained some muscle in his arms over the past few weeks. He didn’t remember his shots being so fast or hard last time they had practiced
together.
“What do you say Colin, time to call it a night?” Graham finally asked. It had been a long practice, even without tacking extra shooting time on the end. Christmas is the time where a lot of teams enter a slump, and the Bannen Warriors were determined to not let it happen to them. If that meant extra practice, Graham would be there.
“Yeah, this is a good time to stop. My shoulders are starting to ache.” Colin admitted, pulling off his mask. His blonde hair was soaked with sweat, and he longed to take a shower. Graham flashed him his trademark grin.
“That’s why, my friend, you have a lovely lady to help you work out the knots in your shoulders and back.” Colin thought about Jenny and nearly blushed. He hated that he was so sensitive around her. It clashed with his on ice personality. It was strange how a woman could do that to him.
“I have a woman, problem is whenever she gets to close I feel like running for the hills.” Colin muttered as they skated off the rink together. Graham laughed.
“Well, that happens. Sometimes when something is so new you don’t quite know how to handle the feelings. The best thing that you can do is stand your ground and just allow yourself to experience everything.”
Colin was reluctant to disclose his real source of discomfort. For someone to be male, twenty-five and a virgin was nearly unheard of. They might think he’s soft (in a number of ways) and a complete freak. He wanted to lose it, but circumstances were harsh when he was a teenager. His parents hadn’t wanted him to go into hockey – they saw lawyer, businessman. They sent him to a private school where he hadn’t fit in at all. The girls that had been there didn’t interest him, or if one did catch his eye, she’d be clingy even though he hadn’t promised anything. To sleep with one of them was to give his life away, and he didn’t need a girl to hang on to every part of him.
That’s why he liked Jenny. She was an independent woman – she walked to her own beat, and wasn’t the least bit afraid to tell people where to stick it. She obviously wasn’t a virgin – by the way she was advancing on him he could tell that she had experience. He was embarrassed to tell her he didn’t have any. It was a terrifying thing. He wanted to please her but he didn’t want to mess anything up either. His lack of knowledge in that area led to his shyness, which he hated. Everything else in his life he was confident about, but not that.
Graham startled him out of his thoughts by grasping his shoulder firmly. Colin looked his friend in the eye, glad to see the supportive gaze.
“Don’t worry about whatever you’re thinking about. You know what Tom says to us, ‘just go for it’. Follow that for once. Don’t be a perfectionist, don’t let those thoughts consume you. Whatever is on your mind, you can conquer that.” Graham said, giving him a slight nod before leaving for the dressing room. Colin thought about his advice, ‘you can conquer that’. He could too. He had to stop worrying about the whatifs. He would approach Jenny. He wasn’t sure if he would admit that he was a virgin, but there was no use putting off the inevitable. She wanted him, and he definitely wanted her. Why was he even giving this a second thought?
--------------------
A/N: You know, I keep apologizing for all the waiting, but I do mean it! I fully plan on finishing this work, and the fact that you all still read it and review it really drives me on. Don't worry, there will be more action soon, so please be patient with me. Thanks so much, and please review!! :)
--------------------