Chapter 32: You Can't Always Go Home Again.

Love. That was a concept I hadn’t grown to know in my life. The only love I had every had, had been from my father. But that was long gone now. As I sat in my spot in the gold encrusted room and listened to the accented words of a wise-man speaking of love, and it’s hardships, it dawned on me that someone was trying to make me feel love again.

I looked up and saw him walking towards me. His attention focussed completely on me, and soon enough matching my smile with his own. He found his way in front of me, and pulled out him hand, waiting for me to take it. I looked around taking in our surroundings , not quite believing I was here, and slipped my hand in his as he moved me to the dance floor.

“You look amazing...” he said huskily pulling me in closer to him, fitting perfectly. I felt my face heat up, and heard my mind asking itself again if I was really here, the answer leaving me baffled every time.

His strong hands found my face and guided it to his as we shared a kiss. As he depend the kiss and I felt how safe it was to be in his arms, I couldn’t take it anymore. If this was love, then I had been missing out.
“Sid...” I began, almost pleading him before we were interrupted by matt cooke and his very own beautiful wife. They passed, smiling at each other, naturally flowing through the room.

“Wanna get out of here” Sid asked me. I nodded immediately and he led me out to the shinny silver car. “Your place or mine?” he asked sitting his seatbelt around his body.

I picked at my nails nervously, not really wanting to answer that. Had he not even seen what kind of jail hell I had been living in. I was shocked, but more confused. Why would he want to be there.
“You really want to go back to that?”

His eyes flicked over to my face quickly then he went back to focussing on the road. He said ‘sure’ shrugging cooly, and looking back at my face again, but this time full of a different emotion. Love?

“Why not? I haven’t met your family yet. And I want to take you home this summer to meet mine” he said like it was perfectly obvious that I would be inaugurated into the family this summer.
“What?” he laughed quickly looking back at my face which was now distracted my happy thoughts of meeting a real family.

“You...” I began, I could barely formulate this sentence in my head. Even Megan was petrified of my family. “Want to meet my family?”

He shrugged easily with an “Of course” and soon enough we were climbing the front steps on the house, his hand holding onto mine protectively.
I just wanted to get this all over with, and the without me being able to prepare sidney for what to come, the door swung open wide to reveal my every worst fear.

“Harley, You’re Late! The laundry’s not done and farrah and Sofia need their chemistry homework. It’s due tomorrow!” I felt Sidney slightly tense and step forward at her commands. Fiona relaxed immediately, “Why Mr.Crosby, what are you doing here? It’s such a pleasure to see you again”

I pulled a little on Sidney to get him to walk away, but my week attempts were nothing compared to his natural strength. “Well... Mrs. Scott, you’re beautiful daughter did me the pleasure of accompanying me to a friend’s wedding this evening. I asked to meet her family”

“She is not my daughter” fiona seethed from her clenched jaw. Her words would have hurt... Only if she didn’t already tell me that every day. However, this was just embarrassing. Here he was, Sidney Crosby with the whole world loving on him... And me. Harley Marie Scott, and no one to claim her.

Sid said something briefly that I couldn’t register and soon he was marching me down the stairs towards the car. “C’mon Har, I’ll take you home” he soothed in my ear. He was about the pull open the door when everything hit me. If I left, I couldn’t go back.
“I can’t go, Sid... I have... Well you heard what I have to do.” he didn’t say anything right away and I turned hoping he wouldn’t have the chance.

I felt a strong but soft grasp on my arm, pulling me back into his warm body. “I can’t let you go back there, Har.” he whispered. “No way.. I can’t let you stay somewhere that you’re treated like that.” I covered my need to sib with a sigh as I looked up into his compassionate eyes, that so badly wanted to save me.

“There my family, Sid... They’re the only thing I have left.” I looked back at the house trying to hide the tear that was now finding it’s way down my face. He wiped it away and looked at me with serious eyes.

“Don’t Care” he shrugged. “Family doesn’t treat you like that. C’mon... If we’re lucky the kids with all be asleep.” I laughed more out of acute desperation than genuine comfort and found myself pulling away from one horrible, abuse, pathetic life and arriving at one that was lined with what one would like to be ideal perfection.

Sid pulled me to his side as we crept our way quietly through the house. I smiled as I noticed little pictures full of smiled everywhere in the house. We came to a door and I was led inside.

“Give me a second, and I’ll grab you some clothes” he said disappearing into a huge closet. He came back holding a little, neatly folded pile and placed it in my hands with a kiss before pointing me in the direction of the bathroom.

I pulled of the long dress and placed it on the hook in the bathroom. I hadn’t been wearing a bra due to the cut of the dress and was left washing my face clean of the heavy makeup in my black lace thong. I pulled on the large white t-shirt and then slid the bobby pins from my hair and let it fall into my face.

Sid smiled at me from the dresser where he was taking his watch off, I walked over and slid my hands around his waist and he kissed my forehead. “What side do you sleep on?” I asked not wanting to be a burden. “The left” he smiled as I dragged him my the arm to the bed.

We laid together for a while, listening to each other breathing before the wear and tare of the day took over me, and caused me to melt into his soft sheets and sleep.

----

I woke to the sound of birds and the smell of scrambled eggs. I stretched before realizing I was in need of food, and pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a sweat shirt that sidney had laying around.

I walked quietly towards the hushed tone of chatting and peered around the corner to see who must have been natalie and Mario having a what looked like serious conversation with Sidney.

He caught my presence when rounded the corner to the kitchen and smiled. He rushed over to me and placed his hand on the small of my back leading my resisting body towards the two adults.

“Natalie, Mario... This is my girlfriend... Harley Scott.”