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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Magical Mystery Ride chapter twenty five

Previous Chapter- Chapter Twenty Four- Aftershocks- https://starshine-hockey-girl.tumblr.com/post/680844369144741888/aftershocks-magical-mystery-ride-chapter-twenty

Wednesday- December 19th- Tyler’s house

Teddy stood in Tyler’s kitchen and added flour into the wet ingredients into a large bowl. She used a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together. "Pretty One?" he called as he walked into the house, "I have food." Tyler walked into the kitchen with a pizza in one hand and a bouquet of roses in the other.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Sweet One, are those for me?" she asked as he set the items down. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him. "What is the occasion?" she asked as she tilted her head as his mouth found the nape of her neck.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," he chuckled. He examined the island. “What are you doing, Pretty One?” he asked.

“Awww, Sweet One- I am not sure that’s true, but I appreciate the flowers. Love you to the moon and back” she replied, “To answer the question, I am making snickerdoodles to take to Lex tomorrow.” She turned her head to kiss his bearded cheek. “Mmmm, I will have to reward you properly later. Can you put them in the vase for me? I want to get the cookies into the oven before Lex’s game starts.”

Tyler rolled his eyes and reached into the cabinet for a vase. He teased, “A lesser boyfriend might get jealous that you insist on watching another team for the sole purpose of watching another man. And making him cookies too? That's the next level.”

“It’s a good thing that my boyfriend is a superior man then,” she teased back as she began to roll the cookies into balls. “Also, I am making enough for you too, Sweet One. I would never leave you out.” Tyler sat at the kitchen island and watched Teddy in "her element'. The first batch went into the oven a few minutes before the puck dropped.

Teddy sat next to Tyler and looked at him taking a swig of beer. "Shit," she said, "I left my drink." She walked back into the kitchen. She stared for a moment before finally settling on a mixed drink, "Hey Sweet One, I am going to stay over tonight. Is that okay?"

"Is Tipsy Teddy staying too?" he laughed, “You never have to ask if it’s okay for you to stay the night. You are always welcome in my bed.”

"Absolutely," she said as she heard the game and returned with her glass. Her head popped as she heard the commentary from the announcers.

Now we have gloves coming off and it is Oleksiak and Wilson. And Oleksiak down and Wilson will skate around and eventually go to the box. Somebody better grab onto Oleksiak there. He was popped by Tom Wilson and is going to need some help getting to the dressing room. The first time Tom Wilson sees the Pittsburgh Penguins since that hit back in the playoffs last year. Isn’t on the ice for more than ten seconds. And he took offense to a big hit earlier in the sequence. Good on Wilson for not continuing after he KOs Oleksiak right there. That was all a by-product of a big hit earlier in the sequence.

The glass fell out of Teddy's hand and shattered on the floor. "Lex?" Teddy's voice sounded small and unsure. Tyler tore his eyes from the TV and saw the look of horror on her face. She took a step and her bare foot landed on a jagged piece of glass. She winced and Tyler leapt over the couch to pick her up. He swiftly carried her to the kitchen island. Teddy's eyes focused on the TV at the replay of the fight. The camera focused on Sidney Crosby in a shouting match with Alex Ovechkin. She smiled without thinking, "Thanks, Sid."

Tyler pulled the glass out her foot and applied pressure to her foot. "Hold it there," he said. She placed her hand on the cloth, craned her head and watched Lex walk down to the tunnel. Tyler turned his head, picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "You don't need to see anymore." he said softly. Teddy protested and Tyler silenced her with a kiss. "Pretty One, you will only work yourself into a lather," he said calmly, "We need to get your cut bandaged first."

Teddy watched him work efficiently. He cleaned the wound and then bandaged it neatly as she zoned out. The image of Lex's blank stare on the bench played on a loop in her mind. Tears started to fall, "How bad do you think he's hurt? Will he have to go to the hospital?" she asked quietly.

Tyler looked up and wiped her tears. "Hey, Big Rig will be okay. They are checking him for a concussion right now. Then they will check to make sure nothing is broken on his face."

"How long will it take to find out?" she questioned.

"Definitively? A couple of hours? It will be after the game," he answered, "Let's put on a movie. You text Big Rig and I will text Crosby. One of them will let us know."

Teddy reluctantly agreed and sent the text to Lex asking him to contact her. Then Tyler carried her back to the couch. "Princess Bride?," he asked but already knew the answer. The buzzer from the oven went off. Tyler took the cookies out of the oven and put them on the counter to cool. “We can deal with the cookies later,” he said as he climbed over the couch with a warm snickerdoodle in his hand. She smiled and leaned her body into his. After a few minutes she drifted off to sleep. Tyler reached for his phone and sent two quick texts. One to Lex asking him to call Teddy as soon as possible. One was to Crosby asking for an update.

Tyler gently shook Teddy and her eyes slowly opened. "Your phone is ringing," he explained.

She bolted upright and lunged for it. She answered without looking at the screen

Teddy: Are you okay? Lex, are you okay?

Sidney Crosby: Teddy- it’s not Lex.

Teddy looked at the phone and saw “Anonymous”

Teddy: Who is this?

Sidney: It’s Sidney Crosby. Seggy asked me to call you to update you on Big Rig. You know it seems like deja vu. Didn’t we have a conversation last December about Big Rig?

Sidney laughed and Teddy was silent.

Sidney: I am sorry, Teddy. That was a bad attempt at a joke.

Teddy: Oh no, I am sorry. I am just a little emotional.

Sidney: I understand. I don’t have a lot of information, but they are fairly certain that he has a concussion. The severity of the concussion is undetermined right now, but they should have some more information tomorrow. He will fly back with the team tonight and they will do more tests in the morning.

Teddy: Have you spoken to him? Is he okay?

Sidney: You know him better than I do. He seemed to be managing.

Teddy: I was going to fly in Friday morning to see him for his birthday. I was hoping that I could surprise him at practice that day. Can I still do that?

Sidney: That’s Friday. He should be here then, but not practicing. Shouldn’t be a problem for you to see him. I will make the arrangements to get you in.

Teddy: Ummm, Sid? How will he get home tonight? Should he drive?

Sidney: I will make sure to get him home tonight safely. Don’t worry Teddy. It looked worse than it is.

Teddy: You don’t know me, Sid. Worry is my middle name. Thank you for calling me though. I am sorry for the things I said to you in March.

Sidney: I deserved the words, Teddy. No thanks necessary.

Teddy looked over to see Tyler staring at her, "Go ahead and make the call."

"What call?" Teddy questioned.

"The call to your Dad to move up the jet," he replied calmly. Teddy crawled across the couch to Tyler and sat facing him. He looked at her and then looked down. “Pretty One, why wait until Friday morning . You are not going to be able to focus on anything else until you lay eyes on him. Go ahead and fly out early so you can see him. That’s all I am saying,” he answered quietly.

“Is it really all that you want to say?” she asked quietly, “It seems like you want to say something else.”

“There may be a twinge of jealousy in there. I don’t want it there to be, but it’s there,” he admitted.

“Jealousy of what?” she asked as she grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“I am afraid that you are more concerned about him than me. It’s silly,” he confessed.

“Feelings are not silly, Sweet One,” she stared at him until he lifted his head and met her eyes. “This is my first experience with someone that I care about getting injured so maybe I am not handling it well. I don’t know. It was a tough thing to watch, but that doesn’t mean that I care more about Lex getting injured than if you were injured. If that had been you, I don’t think you could peel me off the floor. I wouldn’t be able to wait until the next day to get to you.”

Teddy felt the tears form in her eyes. “I don’t want to imagine if that was you. The thought alone makes my heart race, but I would have immediately picked up the phone and gotten to you by the end of the game. Nothing could keep me from you” The tears slowly released and rolled down her face.

“Shhhh,” Tyler whispered, “Don’t think about it. I am sorry that I got jealous.”

“No, I understand what you are feeling,” she kissed his cheek, “You are my number one priority. Got it?”

“Got it. Now make the call so we can go to bed,” he squeezed her tight.

Teddy’s phone rang and she looked down to see Lex’s face.

Teddy: Hey Lex

Lex: I can’t talk long. The plane is about to take off. Sid said that he spoke to you.

Teddy: He did.

Lex: So you saw the fight?

Teddy: Yes, I did.

Lex: I am okay, Bliss. Don’t worry about me.

Teddy: Have you met me? Did that punch knock all memory of me out of your brain? I worry about you on a normal day. Watching you unable to skate to the bench? That was a sucker punch to the gut. Not worrying about my best friend isn’t an option.

Lex: Try not to worry?

Teddy: I will try. Do you have food at your apartment?

Lex: Bliss…..

Teddy: Answer the question

Lex: No, I don’t have food. I was going to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I’ll figure it out somehow.

Teddy looked over at Tyler with a pained look on her face. He whispered “I know. You need to go now. I will call your dad.”

Teddy: Okay well, I will talk to you tomorrow and we’ll figure out the grocery thing, okay?

Lex: Bliss, please don’t worry too much about me

Teddy: I will try. Love you Lex.

Lex: Love you too.

Teddy put her phone down and went to find Tyler who was finishing his phone call with Robert. He turned to her, “You leave at 4:30 to arrive at 7 AM. There will be a car waiting to take you to Big Rig’s apartment. They will have breakfast for you to take to him.” She ran to him and jumped into his arms. “Woah, Pretty One,” he laughed.

She showered him with kisses, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Thank you for what?” he asked.

“Taking one look at my face and knowing what I needed to do. Then you made it happen,” she began to laugh but then got serious. He shook her gently to lighten the mood. She rested her head on his shoulder. “Sweet One….” she began before her voice cracked. He squeezed her tight, “How did I get so lucky? How did I get so lucky that you fell in love with me?”

“Nope, I am the lucky one,” he insisted “You do what you need to do and then come back to me, okay?” He started to carry her up the stairs. “I can think of one way you can reassure me before you leave,” he laughed.

“Oh really? What is that?” she inquired.

“Help me get lucky with that hot Teddy. I love her so much,” he kissed her softly.

“Not as much as she loves you,” she replied.

THE NEXT MORNING- LEX’S APARTMENT

Lex lifted his head off of the pillow and set it back down. He could see the sun beginning to rise through his curtains. He did a quick assessment of his body. Nothing hurt below the shoulders other than his right hand, which was bruised. He brought it up to gingerly touch the cut below his left eye. All things considered he had come relatively unscathed from the fight the night before. Well, except for that pesky concussion. Lex silently cursed to himself. It was his first concussion in the NHL, but he knew enough that the diagnosis would require him to jump through multiple hoops to get back on the ice. Now was not the time that he wanted to be away from the team and potentially drop down on the roster.

Lex was lost in these thoughts when he heard the knock on the door. He looked at his phone for the time. It was seven thirty AM. Crosby had instructed that he would be by at 8:15 to drive him to the rink. The knocking persisted and he got up. “Coming,” he called as he padded barefoot through the living room to the door. He opened the door to find not a NHL captain standing there, but a fiery redhead. “Bliss?” he choked out in surprise, “What are you doing here?” She didn’t speak immediately and he rubbed his eyes quickly to make sure that he was , in fact, awake. The sharp pain when he rubbed over his cut was proof that he was awake after all.

Her face pinched up ever so slightly at the sight of his facial injuries, but she quickly masked it with a smile. “Lex!” she called as she lifted the paper bag containing breakfast, “Are you hungry? I didn’t realize that when Tyler arranged the breakfast to be in the car when I landed that it would be quite this much food. I mean Tyler really didn’t pick out the food. It was probably Mary. Do you remember her? She is Daddio’s assistant. Tyler probably did tell her to do breakfast, but didn’t do the details. All though he is remarkably good at details.” She rambled as Lex studied her. He tried to identify what he was feeling in the moment but he couldn’t put a label on it.

“Bliss, come inside,” he interrupted her free form rant.

She stopped midthought and blinked at him, “Yes, yes, yes- I should come in now.” She stepped in quickly. She surveyed his apartment quickly. It seemed to be in relative order considering Lex was a bachelor who traveled frequently. Lex quickly took the large bag of food from her. “Hey,” she protested and playfully swatted his arm.

“I am not an invalid, Bliss,” he said quickly.

She watched him set the bag down and turned to look at Lex, “I know that you are not an invalid, but neither am I." She pushed him off to the side. "Did you eat anything when you came back from Washington?"

"No," he replied as she started setting out food. His stomach growled and he reached for the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich. She smiled as he unwrapped and started eating.

“So you have an appetite. That’s good news I suppose,” she teased.

“What? I am a growing boy,” he laughed, “So why are you here, Bliss. Not that I am complaining, but why are you here?”

She stepped closer and examined his face slowly, “I had to see for myself. I had to make sure that you were okay.”

“You didn’t have to fly to Pittsburgh to do that, Bliss,” he looked down as he ate, “You didn’t have to come all this way because I got in a stupid fight.”

“I actually was planning on coming anyway,” she said as she put her egg souffle on the plate along with the fruit. Lex’s head snapped up in question. “My best friend’s birthday is tomorrow. I didn’t get to celebrate with him last year. I wasn’t going to miss it this year,” she explained.”

Lex looked at her as she sat at the bar and began eating. He nudged her and smiled, “You were going to surprise me? What if I had a girl here when you showed up?”

Teddy looked at him and blinked, “Do you have a girl here Lex?”

“Not now,” he laughed, “I was a little tired last night.” They both laughed. The laughter was a little forced on both sides. Suddenly tears filled Teddy’s eyes and she looked away. “Bliss, it was a joke. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Furiously, she wiped the tears and refused to turn back to face him. “Bliss, talk to me.”

She took a few ragged breaths and then inhaled deeply. “Get it together. Don’t be a baby,” her anxiety mocked, “Gah, you don’t think Lex has better things to do than walk on eggshells around you?” A wave of sadness washed over her and she began to wonder if coming to see him was a good idea after all. “I’m sorry, Lex,” she finally whispered, “I just remembered last night and the image flashed in my head. I am sorry.” He placed a hand on her back and she felt the warmth.

“Bliss, what’s going on in your head?” he asked gently.

She forced a smile and turned back to face him, “Nothing. I am fine. Everything’s fine.”

“Bullshit,” he smiled back.

“Touche,” she replied, “Okay it’s not fine, but it will be okay…. eventually.”

“Okay,” he said softly, “You know that you can talk to me, right?”

“Of course,” she smiled tightly, “What time do you have to be at the rink? I promised Crosby that I would drive you.”

“What?” he laughed, “I can drive, Bliss.”

“Take it up with your captain, Lex,” she laughed.

UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex

Geno skated up to Sidney toward the end of practice, “Who is redhead by ice? I’ve seen her before.”

Sidney looked over toward Geno and replied, “Oh, that’s Teddy. She’s Big Rig’s uhhhhh, friend.”

Geno looked again, “Girlfriend? I saw him with a different girl last week at Christmas party.”

Sidney shook his head as the buzzer went off and started for the locker room. “Not girlfriend- friend friend. I don’t know. I think it’s complicated.”

Teddy walked from the rink back into the locker room area after practice. She didn’t quite know what to do while she waited for Lex to be done with his examination and meetings with front office staff. She also couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a mistake to come to Pittsburgh. She dug out her phone and sent a text to Tyler.

“Hey Teddy,” Sidney called as he came out of the locker room. She looked up from her phone. “I see that you made it here safely,” he joked, “You didn’t even need me to sneak you in.” Teddy swallowed hard and didn’t say anything. “My jokes must be getting lost in translation,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry. I am just stressed about Lex and the concussion,” she answered.

Sidney stood by her and leaned against the wall, “I wouldn’t worry too much about it. I don’t think it’s that severe. He should be back on the ice in a week or so.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?” she asked quietly.

“Depends on your perspective I suppose. It will be a good thing for Big Rig and the team. Probably not so good for you,” Sidney explained, “When I had my concussions, it was really hard for the people around me.”

“You had more than one concussion?” Teddy replied.

“Too many concussions. I missed a season because of one,” he answered casually.

“I am sorry to hear that, Sid,” she sighed. They sat silently for a few minutes. Teddy was vaguely aware that this was probably out of his normal routine, but didn’t question it. “Since you have had concussions, what can I do to help Lex?” she questioned.

“Nothing,” he answered quickly, “That’s the thing about concussions. It takes time for the body to heal. It may take days,weeks or months. He is going to get frustrated. Just be there to listen. That’s all you can do.”

“So I don’t guess I needed to fly here to do that,” she laughed.

“Maybe not, but I know that it means a lot that you did,” Sidney said seriously. “Good, supportive friends are hard to find and I know that he appreciates you.”

Lex stepped out of the examining room and walked towards Teddy and Sidney. They looked up and said “Good News?” Then they laughed at each other.

“Yeah, it’s mild. It should take me about a week to get through the protocol and get back.” Lex said softly.

Sidney smiled broadly, “Best news all morning- right, Teddy?”

Teddy nodded enthusiastically, “The best news!”

Sidney stood up, “I am going to leave. Teddy, will you be at the game?"

Teddy looked to Lex who shrugged, “I’ll let you know.”

THAT NIGHT - PPG area

Teddy and Lex sat quietly in the press box. He was even more quiet than normal. Teddy tried to chalk it up to his concussion, but her gut told that it wasn't the case. At the end of the second period, Teddy went to the press lounge to grab snacks. She came back with an arm load of food and placed it down in front of Lex. He gave her a side eye and turned back to the game. “Ummmm, thanks Teddy for bringing me food,” she said to herself.

“I didn’t ask you to bring me food, Bliss,” he said without turning around.

“Have you eaten dinner?” she asked, “You need to eat something.”

“You know that I haven’t eaten dinner,” he sighed, “You have been with me all day.”

Teddy studied his profile and decided to let the comment go unresponded. She checked her phone and smiled. Tyler had scored in the second period. Lex looked at her and shook his head, “What did Tyler do? Score?” Her eyebrows creased together and she inhaled deeply. It was the second snide comment of the evening.

She looked up at him as coolly as possible. “As a matter of fact, he did.” She sent a quick congratulations text and returned her attention to the game. They sat in silence until the end of the third period.

Internally, Lex was beating himself up for the snide remarks. He knew that they had been hurtful and Teddy was doing her best to mask the pain. He tried to pinpoint this emotion that was raging through his body. It was not any ONE thing- anger, sadness, annoyance, and regret rolled into a big mess. He examined her from the corner of his eye. She sat stoically, pretending to care about a game that he knew she had no interest in the outcome. He knew that her interest rested solely on him and he was doing everything he could to make her feel unwelcomed.

The truth is that he didn’t know what to do with her. When she came to visit in September, things were different- at least they were in his mind. First Penny was there and her presence acted as a buffer. He would be lying if he denied that some very unfriendly thoughts had floated across his mind while she was there. The memories of their time together kept popping up and quite frankly, it took considerable effort to keep something else from popping up as well. Secondly, although he was supportive of her being with Tyler, it was still BRAND NEW and he wasn’t entirely sure it would last. He chalked it up to Tyler’s past rather than an indication that his feelings about Teddy were decidedly complicated.

After she returned to Dallas, the friendship became easy. The support for her relationship was natural because she wasn’t right in front of him. She still looked as good as the first time he saw her. In fact, she looked better. She behaved the same way as before and it was warm and comforting. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed her presence in a non-sexual way. The reality was although her words and actions were primarily the same, she was not available to him. At least she wasn’t available to him in the way that he needed her to be. She was like a piece of forbidden fruit served up on a goddamn silver platter and he was pissed off about it. Now rationally, he could see that none of it was her fault. She was being her natural self with no intent to cross boundaries. “Let’s be honest here,” he told himself, “I am not even sure she is aware that there is a boundary or should be a boundary when we have NEVER had boundaries in the past.”

He groaned to himself. What was he going to do about tomorrow night? He had a date for the team birthday dinner. He had a very hot date that he had spent quite a lot of time texting/chatting with over the past couple of weeks. He wasn’t sure if it was a love connection but it had potential. Then Bliss had come and surprised him and now the plan was in jeopardy. He was wrapped up in his own thoughts when she felt her hand on his arm. He looked up at her and she had an unreadable expression on her face.

“The game is over. Pens won,” she said softly.

“Oh,” he said in disbelief.

“Do you need to go downstairs to see people before we leave?” she asked.

“Yeah, I should make an appearance,” he answered.

Together they made their way to the bottom of the arena. Lex was greeted by words of support from fans, reporters and arena personnel as they walked. “You’ll get him next time,” was a popular theme. Teddy waited outside the locker room as Lex went inside for the post-game talk. When he walked back out afterwards, he was followed by his teammates. Reluctantly he introduced Teddy to his team. She could feel his reticence and it wounded her. “Is he embarrassed by me?” she considered. She was in utter confusion by his demeanor and actions.

“Teddy!!” Crosby called jovially as he exited with Malkin and Letang. Lex made the brief introductions.

“You are friend from Dallas?” Malkin asked, “In town for visit?”

Teddy smiled at Geno’s friendly demeanor. She was happy that someone didn’t seem annoyed by her presence. “Yes, Lex, ummm, Jamie is one of my best friends. We became buddies last year, right Lex'' she turned to him and asked.

“Who is Lex?” Letang questioned.

“Sorry, Lex is my nickname for him. I forget that you all know him by Jamie and have to correct myself,” she explained.

“You came in for his birthday? Are you coming to the dinner tomorrow night?” Letang asked.

Teddy looked up at Lex who looked pained. “I am not sure if I am invited but I would love to come,” she answered. “That is- if you trust me to not spill Penguin secrets to the Stars when I get back home.” Letang and Malkin’s eyebrows went up in surprise. She continued, “Ummmm, my boyfriend is Tyler Seguin so ummmm…..” She realized that it was a- a bad joke and b-they had no idea of the complicated past that she and Lex had shared. It hit her that her presence was confusing from anyone looking in from the outside. She looked to Lex for reassurance and found none. “Lex?” she asked softly, “Do you want me to come tomorrow night?”

Lex stared at her for a moment and decided that this was the moment of truth. It was time to rip the band-aid off. “No, I don’t,” he said, “I don’t want you to come tomorrow night.” Teddy felt her knees starting to buckle as she processed his words. “I have a date and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come,” he said plainly.

“A date?” she thought to herself, “A date? He hasn’t mentioned anyone. She had specifically asked him last week if he had been seeing anyone and he had told her no. Now he has a date for a team birthday dinner? That didn’t seem to be a casual thing.” She looked up at him and forced a smile. “Oh, you didn’t tell me that you had plans. You didn’t tell me that you had a date,” she said with more snark than she intended in her tone, “You should have told me.”

Lex looked stunned but her snarky tone angered him more. “I know, Bliss- I should have told you, but I didn’t have a chance. You swooped into today like some perverted version of a mother/girlfriend. You are NEITHER to me by the way. I didn’t ask you to come. I don’t need you to baby me and smother me. Did you just assume that I wouldn’t have plans on my goddamn birthday? That I would be sitting at home reminiscing about you? My world doesn't revolve around you, Bliss. It never will.”

“I know that your world doesn’t revolve around me,” Teddy stammered, “You could have told me. All you had to do was tell me.”

“Tell you when,” he asked, “You have been smothering me all DAMN DAY.”

Sidney and Geno exchanged a look then looked at Teddy who stared blankly at Lex.

“Hey Big Rig, let’s take a moment to cool down,” Sidney said softly.

“No- it’s okay, Sid,” Teddy said softly, “I behaved selfishly. I should have asked and not assumed that he would want to spend his birthday with his best friend. I know that if I had the option of spending my birthday with my best friend, I would take it in a heartbeat. I should have asked if he needed someone to assist him after the concussion. I know that I needed help after mine- just like you did.” She paced back and forth. “If I something happened to me, I stupidly thought you would be there if I needed help. I guess that was my mistake.” She stopped and looked him in the eye, “Maybe that’s the lesson I need to learn, right Lex? You were never as emotionally invested in me as I was with you. I thought you were my best friend. I guess it turns out that I was just the friend that you liked to fuck. Now that has gone away, I serve no purpose in your life.”

Sidney stepped towards Teddy, “Teddy….”

Teddy inhaled deeply, “Sid, can you take Lex back to his apartment or arrange for an Uber? I am going to my hotel now.”

Lex looked up in surprise as she continued, “Yeah, I bet you thought I planned on sleeping at your place, huh? Like some love sick fool?” She crossed her arms and leveled her gaze at Lex. “For the record, I am not upset that you have birthday plans. I am happy for you. I am happy that you have friends that will celebrate with you. I am happy that you have a date and I hope that she is worthy of you,” she stopped as her voice cracked, “That is all i have ever wanted for you Lex- your happiness. Clearly being friends with me no longer brings that to you. So goodbye and happy birthday.” She turned to walk away and turned around again, “but I call bullshit on you not being able to tell me. You had plenty of time to make snide little remarks all day damn so you had plenty of time to tell me the truth. Now why you chose not to- well, that’s on you to figure out. I am done being your emotional punching bag. Have a good birthday. You don’t have to worry about me smothering you ever again.”

Lex watched her walk away in silence as she wiped tears from her face. He felt the weight of Geno's stare. "G, it's complicated," he sighed.

Geno shook his head, "No, it’s not complicated. You were asshole to your friend. Shame on you, Big Rig, shame on you.”

2 AM-Friday, December 21st- Pittsburgh Fairmont Hotel

Teddy stared at the clock in her hotel room as if staring would make time pass by quicker or somehow magically put her to sleep. She replayed the conversation with Lex over and over in her mind. Her heart hurt and she could think of no logical reason for it. The sense of disappointment washed over her and she resented herself for feeling it. Lex had humiliated her in front of his teammates with his words and actions. She contemplated what she wanted and what to do next. This much was clear- she didn’t want to be in Pittsburgh and she wanted Tyler.

She sat up, got her phone and began texting. Her first text was to the pilots to ask for the quickest departure they could make. Then she arranged a courier to pick up Lex’s birthday gift from the hotel to his apartment. It was too late to cancel her other surprises.

Eight hours later- Dallas

Teddy climbed down the stairs of the jet onto the tarmac at Dallas Love Field airport. She got into her waiting SUV and stared out into the distance as her luggage was placed into the back. She checked the time. Tyler would be on the ice for practice.

Without thinking, she drove on auto-pilot to the rink. She kept her composure, nodded and waved to the Stars social media team and stood beside the boards. Her eyes searched the sea of black practice jerseys for him as they skated up and down the ice in a drill. She finally found him in a line standing next to Benn. Since their fight in November, an uncomfortable truce had been formed between the two former friends. They were civil and professional on the ice but did not speak beyond what was necessary off the ice. It was Benn who noticed her first. He tapped Tyler on the shoulder and pointed to Teddy. Tyler looked up and they made eye contact and Teddy froze. Tyler’s mind raced, "What day was it?" Teddy wasn’t supposed to be home until tomorrow. Something was wrong and he could see it in her eyes. Tyler mouthed the words, “Are you okay?” She shook her head no. Benn leaned over “Go, I’ll cover for you.”

Tyler skated over to the door nearest to her as quickly as he could. He opened it and stepped out, “Teddy? What’s wrong?” She ran into his arms and he lifted her up. “What’s wrong, Teddy?” he asked again, “Did Big Rig do something?”

She tucked her face into his neck and began to sob. “It was a mistake. I should have never gone, Sweet One. I should have never gone to see him. It was horrible.” He set her down, took off his gloves and wiped her tears. She waved off his hands and pressed her face into his chest. The tears flowed fast and hard. “I am an idiot, Tyler. I thought we were friends. I thought we were friends but we are not. You were right all that time. You were right that he was just using me to get laid. He never cared about me. He was never my friend,” she choked out in between sobs.

Tyler listened to her words and struggled to make sense of it all. He guided her to the bench and they sat down. “Tell me,” he instructed, “Tell me what exactly happened. You are not making sense.” Teddy looked around suddenly and realized that practice was still going. She turned to Tyler who stopped her, “Chubbs said that he would cover for me. They can do without me. You are more important.” She nodded and began to describe the events of the past twenty four hours. Tyler’s hands reached out for her hands and he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs to comfort her.

When she finished, she looked up into his eyes, “See, I am an idiot. You were right. You were right all along.’

Tyler blinked slowly. He thought to himself, “If there was ever a time I wanted to put an end to this friendship between the two of them, this is the moment. I could squash it right now.” However, he looked at her and knew that he couldn’t do it. Not only would it break her heart, it would be the wrong thing to do. Big Rig may have fucked up, but he was a good friend to Teddy. He was a friend that Teddy needed in her life. He took a big gulp and said, “No, I was wrong then and I would be wrong if I made that claim now. Big Rig is your friend. Ask anybody and they will tell you the truth. Is it complicated? Yes, it is. Did you have a really messy and hurtful moment? Yes, you did. That happens with good friends.”

Teddy looked up in surprise and he continued. “Look, Big Rig and you have never been traditional friends. It has always been messy and complicated. I think that you, him- hell even me- underestimated how difficult it was going to be when you fell in love with other people. Things have changed, Teddy. Now your relationship has to change.”

“But it did change. It changed, Tyler,” she interjected.

“How? Just because you stopped having sex?” he countered, “It doesn’t matter if you having sex if you drop everything to go see him when he gets hurt. That’s a girlfriend move- not a friend move.”

“But I didn’t mean for it to be a girlfriend move,” she insisted, “I am your girlfriend. I have never been his girlfriend. I don’t want to be his girlfriend.”

“I know that, Teddy,” he said softly, “I am secure in our relationship. I am secure in what your intentions are, but your actions send a message that you are not intending to send.”

“So what do I do?” she asked.

“Take a step back, spend some time apart and break that messy emotional connection,” he replied.

“But I don’t want to lose my friend,” she sighed.

“You won’t lose him. It will just be different,” he pulled her into a hug, “I promise you that you won’t lose your friend. I won’t let it happen on my watch.”

“Are you sure that he is my friend?” she asked timidly, “Are you sure it wasn’t just about the sex?

“What? Do I think that he hung out with you, built a friendship with you just because of the sex? No, I do not,” he said with authority. “First you are underestimating how amazing you are. Also, don’t take this the wrong way,” he smiled, “but he could have gotten laid with far less complications with someone other than you.” She frowned. Tyler kissed her softly, “Believe me, Pretty One. Being friends with you, being in any sort of relationship with you is worth dealing with your complications. You are worth everything.It wasn’t just the sex, Pretty One. He was and is friends with you." He kissed her again with more passion. "I need to go back to work," he whispered, "Wait for me, okay?"

She shook her head no, "Can I just meet you at your house? I need a good snuggle from the boys." Teddy stopped and turned around. "Sweet One," she called, "Did you say that Benn covered for you? Why?"

"Not Sure," Tyler admitted, "I guess he saw your face and knew that you were upset."

Teddy glanced over at the captain who was completing a drill, "And he knew where I had been? He knew I was in Pittsburgh?"

"He probably overheard me talking about it," he answered.

Teddy smiled, "Can you tell him thanks from me? I appreciate it."

Tyler smiled, "Sure."

Lex's apartment- Pittsburgh

Lex arrived from his first official day in the concussion protocol at the rink. It consisted of further testing and a light aerobic workout. He was replying to numerous birthday messages and contemplated what to eat for lunch. He looked over and saw the remaining pastries from the breakfast Teddy had brought yesterday. He sighed deeply and checked his phone again. There was no text or call from Teddy. He did receive a text from Johns questioning why Teddy had arrived at the rink in tears. "Fuck," he thought to himself, "Now Seggy knows. He will be lighting up my phone soon."

He was lost in his thoughts when the doorbell rang. His head popped up in surprise. A courier stood with a large gift bag in his hand. "Are you Jamie Oleksiak?" The courier asked.

"That's me," he said as the courier handed him the bag. He signed the receipt and took the bag inside. Instinctively he knew it was from her, but it still surprised him. He pulled out the large containers of snickerdoodles and English toffee with a grin. Homemade goodies made with love were the Baxter women love language Gently he opened the card and read it- "Lex, Happy Birthday! I am so excited that I get to spend the day with you today. Here are some sweets for the sweetest man I know (with the exception of Tyler). Thank you for being the best friend a girl could ask for. You make me feel so strong and brave. I love you to pieces. Friends Forever, Bliss"

He stared at the card and felt the ache in his heart. Obviously the card had been written prior to their fight last night. He was sure that the message would be decidedly different today. Nothing about his behavior yesterday had been sweet and anything that resembled what a best friend would do. His thoughts were disrupted again by a knock on the door. He groaned as he opened it and took the bag- a delivery of BBQ ribs and fixings with a card "I know that you are having steak later so I guess it is a Meaty Madness moment. Happy Birthday to the growing boy!" He read it again. "How did she know we are going to a steakhouse?" He asked himself. He pulled out his phone while he unpacked his ribs.

At the restaurant Lex stood with his date, Emma, waiting in the lobby when the group came into the restaurant. Sid approached the host and spoke softly, "Reservation under the name Baxter". The table was located in an intimate private room decorated with balloons and a birthday banner. Emma, the tall blonde, sat next to Lex at the center of the table. Sid sat across from him. Geno and Anna were to his left. Kris and Catherine were to his right. The evening went by quickly and was filled with laughter. Emma fit in with Catherine and Anna well.

When the evening wound down, the server approached Sidney. He asked, "Mr. Crosby, is all of the bill going on Ms. Baxter's card?" Sidney nodded yes as Lex's head popped up.

"Ms. Baxter?" Lex asked, "as in Teddy? Why would it go on her card?"

Geno scoffed, "Who you think planned dinner?" Lex looked shocked and then embarrassed. She planned an elaborate dinner and he told her not to come.

Emma asked, "Teddy is the friend you were telling me about?"

Lex answered, "Yes, that's her."

Emma.said, "She planned your dinner but left this morning. Why?"

Lex said quietly, "I am not sure. She didn't say anything before she left." Emma's eyebrows raised while Geno and Sidney exchanged a look. They both knew exactly why Teddy left. They witnessed Lex specifically not inviting her and her heartbreak. However, neither were inclined to spread the information to Lex's date.

Later that night after he left Emma's apartment, he texted Teddy one more time.

December 31st- Bishop’s house

Teddy stood in the kitchen door and stared at Katie's back. The blonde wore a backless mini dress covered in gold sequins. She was making a drink for herself. Tyler walked up behind Teddy and rested his chin on her bare shoulder. "Go talk to her," he encouraged, "It is not her fault he was an asshole." He kissed her neck, "Seriously, talk to your friend. Don't let him take that from you," he advised, “You should hang to your friends if you can.”

“Does that apply to you too?” she countered.

He shook his head up and down, “Touche”

Teddy stepped into the kitchen. She walked up behind the blonder and nudged her with her elbow. Katie turned her head and her eyes widened in surprise. Teddy laughed, "Ummmm, ma'am- did you have to wear that dress? Us mere mortals can't compete."

"Mere mortals? Teddy, you are a sex goddess and you know it," she teased back.

"You think so?" Teddy laughed again as she looked at the short dress she wore on a whim.

"Ask Tyler," she answered in a sing-song voice, "Isn't that right, Seggy?"

Tyler looked studiously at the floor and tried to blend into the background. Finally he answered, "Yep, she is a fucking goddess." Then he walked away to let them speak in private.

Teddy looked at KT and shook her head before she threw herself into her arms, "I missed you girlie,"

"I missed you too," Katie sighed.

Teddy stepped back, "New rule- we don't let stupid boys come between us again."

"No more stupid boys will tear us apart again," Katie agreed. They into an instant rhythm of talking and spent the next hour catching up on the past month. Katie's mouth dropped open, "No that fucker DID NOT!" Teddy shrugged her shoulders. "Have you talked to him since then?" Katie asked.

Teddy shook her head no. She looked up when she felt the tears fill her eyes. "I miss him," she sighed.

"Who sent the last text?" Katie asked.

"He sent a birthday text today," Teddy replied.

Katie pulled her into a hug, "It's a good sign. Let's face it. Men are idiots. You know that- I mean, look at Jam. They are idiots and they don't know how to make it better."

Teddy raised an eyebrow, "Any idiot in particular wants to make things better?"

"You know who," Katie replied with a smile.

Teddy looked back at Tyler who tried to blend into the wall. He had been unable to resist the temptation to listen in on the conversation. He raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. Teddy turned, walked to him, grabbed his shirt and pulled him into a kiss, "I am onto your peacemaking ways. You are not fooling me."

"It is the start of the new year. Do you want to go into it with all of the bullshit from this year?" He asked.

"Not all of it was bad," she said sincerely as she looked into his soft eyes, “In fact, the last three months have been wonderful.”

"Yes, the best part of my life happened this year despite me being an idiot," he replied as he kissed her, "Walk into the year with a clean slate."

"Will I get rewarded if I do?" she teased. He nodded and smiled.

She walked away. Teddy saw him standing on the patio, leaning against the railing staring at the stars. She walked up and stood next to him. The captain glanced at her and then stared straight ahead. An amenable silence stood between them for a couple of minutes before Teddy spoke. "Did Tyler tell you thank you from me for covering for him at practice last week?” she asked. He nodded in affirmation. "Good, I did appreciate it. You could have said something snarky but you didn't, " she said quietly, "I was thankful ."

He turned and raised an eyebrow, "Nothing snarky to say. Of course you would go check on your friend." He smiled and leaned forward, "I saw the hit. It was nasty and unnecessary. He's coming into town this week. I could punish him for it."

Teddy's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh really?" She studied his face to see if he was joking and/or teasing her. She found instead a look of compassion and concern. Teddy thought for a moment. Part of her wanted to say yes but she hesitated. "Question- is that a friend request or a girlfriend request?" she asked with sincerity. He tilted his head in confusion. "If Tyler had been knocked out, then as his girlfriend, I could make the request for punishment, right? But Katie, as his friend, could not. So it's girlfriend request and not a friend request." Benn nodded his head in understanding. "Lex can and will fight his own battles. He would be upset if I made a girlfriend request so thank you, but no thank you."

"Just wanted to make a peace offering," he sighed.

“Oh, I know that the offer was made with good intentions,” she soothed. Again Teddy studied his face. She was again struck by the resemblance between Benn and Chaz, but she looked into eyes and saw gentleness. It was a gentleness that she never saw in Chaz. She smiled, "Did I ever tell you that you look just like my ex, Chaz?" He shook his head no. "He wasn't a nice guy by any stretch of the imagination. He abused me in all the different ways," she explained, "It occurs to me that I may not have given you a fair shot when I met you." He furrowed his brow. She continued, "It is also possible that you might have picked up that vibe and formed some opinions about me that weren't true." He didn't respond. "That doesn't excuse what you did and said," she commented, "but I am willing to try again."

"What like a truce?" he asked.

"No, like a new beginning without the bullshit," she said.

He reached out his hand, "Hey, I'm Jamie. I hear my buddy, Tyler, is crazy in love with you."

"Hey, I am Teddy. I hear that my friend, Katie, is crazy in love with you." She smiled.

"Nice to meet you," he smiled, "Think you might put in a good word for me tonight. I am hoping to get lucky tonight."

"With who- Tyler or Katie?" She laughed as they walked back into the house.

"Oh- you're funny!" He laughed, "The one with the pretty face.”

"That doesn't really narrow it down, dude," she smiled. Katie and Tyler stood and watched in amazement as former enemies walked in together with big smiles on their faces. Teddy walked over and kissed Tyler’s cheek. "Hey, I met your captain, Jamie. He is a new friend for a new year." He raised his eyebrows as she continued, "Now I have to go get my old friend back. Be back in a few minutes." She walked back into the backyard, pulled out her phone as Tyler watched from the window.

Lex: Bliss?

Teddy: Is now an okay time? Are you busy?

Lex: I have time to talk to you. Let me get somewhere quiet.

He walked outside of the party

Lex: Happy Birthday Bliss

Teddy: Thanks.

Lex: I am glad you called. I missed you so much.

Teddy: What did you miss?

Lex: I missed my friend- the one that organized a birthday surprise for me. The surprise I didn't deserve. I was an asshole, Bliss, and I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?

Teddy: Why? Why were you so mean?

Lex: I was confused, Bliss. I had a lot of feelings and I didn't not handle them well. I took it out on you when it wasn't your fault.

Teddy: We're messy, Lex. We have always been messy and complicated. There is a reason that we have rules. What are they?

Lex: No jealousy, honest communication, respect each other boundaries- physical and emotional

Teddy: Right- I didn't respect your boundaries and came in acting like before we became just friends. I will respect the boundaries of our friendship from now on.

Lex: I wasn't honest. I will be honest from now on

Teddy: New year, New start as JUST FRIENDS

Lex: BEST FRIENDS

Teddy: I need to go Lex. Tyler is waiting for me.

Lex: Yeah, my date is waiting for me too.

Teddy: One day you’ll tell me about her?

Lex: Yes, tomorrow I will tell you about her. I really like her.

Teddy: Really? That makes me happy, Lex. Talk to you tomorrow.

Lex: Happy New Year Bestie

Teddy: Happy New Year Bestie

Teddy walked back into the house and found Tyler talking with Radalov. She stood behind him and wrapped her arms and his waist. Her cheek rested against his shoulder blade. "Sweet One, can you come with me?"

"Pretty One, it is almost midnight. Where are we going?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," she teased as she guided him to the bathroom at the end of the hall. "Do you remember this hallway? We ran into each other on that first day?" she asked. Tyler smirked and shook his head up and down. She pulled into the bathroom, shut the down behind him and locked the door behind. With a grin, she hopped onto the counter. "Want to know a secret?" she whispered, "You turned me on that day."

He stepped to her and spread her legs with his body. "You turned me on that day," he smiled as he pushed her dress up her thighs, "I should have made a move then."

Teddy shook her head, "I am glad that you didn't. I am glad we were just friends first. I am glad that it wasn't messy and confusing." She kissed his cheek.

"Me too. I would have fucked it up, Pretty One. I would have fucked it up so badly," he ran his fingers through her hair, "Are we going to do what I think we are going to do in here?"

"What do you want to do in here?" she teased.

"I think you know," he teased as he kissed her neck.

"The answer is yes, but I have to say something to you first" she moaned as he nibbled on her neck. "You have to stop so I can say what I need to say," she pleaded.

He groaned and stopped, "What do you need to say, Pretty One?"

Teddy took a deep breath, "In the spirit of leaving the bullshit in the past and starting the new year with a clean slate, I want to apologize to you."

He tilted his head, "Apologize for what?"

"I want to apologize that I behaved inappropriately when Lex got hurt. I want to apologize that my actions may have caused any confusion about where my heart belongs," she said softly. "My heart belongs to you- to you and you alone. You are the one I want when I am happy and you are the one I want when I am sad. You are the one I want, period- end of story."

Tyler placed his hand on her cheek and smiled, "Thank you for telling me. I don't think an apology was necessary."

Teddy bit her lip, "I can't wait to start this new year with you. It's going to be the best year of my life."

"Really? How so?" He asked.

"I get to spend it with you,” she kissed him softly, “I get to love you and be loved by you. Nothing could be better than that.”

“Oh yeah,” he whispered, “Nothing can be better than that.” He reached up to pull her panties down and discovered none. “Pretty One, have you gone commando all night?” he questioned. She nodded yes as his fingers began to explore. “You were planning to seduce me all along?” he joked as unbuttoned his pants and slid them down.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she gasped as he thrust into her.

They heard the party crowd begin the countdown to the new year. “Shit, we are going to miss it,” he panted.

“I am not missing anything, Sweet One,” she moaned as she rocked her hips, “I am exactly where I want to be, starting the new year in the best way possible. Can you think of a better way to start the new year?”

“Better than this? Nothing is better than this,” he smiled as he kissed her again, “Fucking you into the new year.” The chants of “Happy New Year” erupted below.

“Happy New Year, Pretty One. I love you,” he panted as he fucked her.

“Happy New Year, Sweet One. I love you,” she panted in return.

#magical mystery ride #tyler seguin fic #tyler seguin imagines #tyler seguin fanfic #nhl fic #hwncloud #hwn cloud #nhl imagine #nhl fiction #nhl fanfiction #dallas stars imagines #dallas stars imagine #going to get like 10 notes

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