Finding Home Pt. 04

"Alex, you're my brother -- you're family. I love you, and would do anything for you and Jess and now, the baby."

"Thank you, brother. I told Sara how fortunate I feel, as an orphan, to be in this family. She and I are both very blessed."

"Well, we're blessed to have you in the family. Christopher was telling me how much pressure he felt, as a lowly architect, to marry into a family with men who win awards like you and I have."

"What did you say to him, Andrew Davidovich?" asked a smiling Alex.

"I told him all we needed him to do was to take care of Ellen. If he handled that, we'd think the world of him."

Alex nodded his approval.

"I also told him I'd shoot him in the head if he hurt her," Andy smiled.

Alex laughed uproariously.

Jessica tapped Alex on the knee, he flipped his channel, talked briefly to his wife, and then came back to the channel he shared with Andy.

"Jessica thinks we ought to talk with Cooper. He is doing OK, but struggling a bit talking to she and Sara. Jess thinks he is nervous flying."

Andy motioned to Cooper to switch to Channel 5, and the three began to talk hockey. Jess mouthed "thank you" to Andy, and tenderly held her husband's hand. Sara did likewise with Andy.

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"Droobie, this place is fantastic. I know you said it was like the Gryffindor Common Room, but man! This is amazing," said Jessica. "If I'd know what kind of juice the Judge has here, I might have looked harder at Colton."

The flight took about 30 minutes, and Andy had taken Cooper and his luggage back to campus. Alex had invited him to join their rink time at 7:30 PM, and Cooper had enthusiastically agreed. Andy dropped a load of luggage off, and returned to the cabin to get Sara. Alex and Jess had settled in, and asked to see their room. They piled into Andy's truck, and made their way to campus.

"So, Sara, maybe Jessica knows this, but I have not heard how you and Andrew were introduced. I presume he walked into the room and said (doing his best Andy impression) 'Hi, I'm Andy DeGroat. I'm a big deal.'"

The four were sitting on the sectional, and all laughed at Alex's humor. Sara began to blush at the question.

"Well, actually Andy was in the shower when we met," she said sheepishly.

"Wait," interjected Jessica. "I have not heard this. Please continue, Sara." As she said this, Andy's older sister sat back into the sectional with an air of interest and superiority that Andy had known his whole life. He both loved, and hated, this side of his sibling.

"When he got here, Eden and I were both still in bed on the mezzanine, dead asleep. Andy had driven in that morning, and had already had a meeting with Eden's mom, who is the provost here. He didn't want to wake us up by moving his stuff in, so he thought he'd grab a shower and change to bring his stuff in," Sara explained.

"Let me guess," said Jessica. "He was wearing his 'uniform' and didn't want to get it sweaty and dirty? You're such a diva, Droobie. Force Recon sniper, my ass."

"What you do with your ass is between you and your husband, big sister," retorted Andy.

A sharp rebuke from Alex -- in Russian - brought an end to the good-natured, but heated, sibling bickering.

"Well, Eden and I wake up suddenly, aware that the shower is running. We hop up, and head to the showers. Eden is mad as hell -- 'cause her mom just kind of sprung Andy on us. She wanted to kick somebody's ass. We both changed our tune once we saw Andy in the shower, however."

"So, what, you pulled the shower curtain open?" asked Alex.

"No -- here come with me, it's easier to show you," said Sara getting up. They walked past the warming kitchen, and the two restrooms, and headed into the door that said 'showers.'

"Andy was in the first stall, and Eden and I burst in here. She was, as I said, pretty riled up."

"OK, Droobie," said Jessica -- now quite amused and pleased with herself. "Please go stand in the first shower stall. We need to recreate the scene."

With an embarrassed blush on his face, he did as his sister asked.

"Now, Alex -- my love -- please tell me if you can see past the zipper on Drew's shorts? I mean from this angle -- well, wait. Sara dear, exactly where were you standing?"

Sara took a few steps forward, "We were right here."

"OK, now we're getting somewhere. So Droobie was there, butt-naked in the shower and the two of you storm in." She turned to Sara, "Am I right in supposing that you saw Drew in his altogether?"

"Just for a second, but it was one of the best seconds of my life," she smiled. "He put his hands over himself and moved towards the half-wall. But yes, we saw Drew in all his glory. Needless to say, we were both hooked right there and then."

"And, Sara dear, what were you and Eden wearing?" Jess continued to cross examine the witness.

"Tank tops and boy shorts. That's what we usually sleep in," she confessed.

"So, two beautiful young women burst in on my poor baby brother rather scantily clad?" she continued the examination.

"Absolutely. I'm so glad we did," said Sara, beaming.

Jessica and Alex stood there, quite comfortable in the awkward silence. Andy spoke first.

"OK, so it's time to eat -- especially if we're skating at 7:30 PM. Is the Dining Commons OK with everyone? I mean, we do have chef here."

Jessica and Sara's look of enjoyment at Andy's discomfort changed immediately. Jessica shared a fleeting glance with her husband.

"Brother, I'm not sure the Dining Commons is our best bet. I know none of us would see you have a repeat of the last time you were there," said Alex kindly.

"Thank you, Alex. But really, I can't eat out the whole time I'm here. Besides, I've got three of my favorite people in the whole world with me. And -- Alex, I know you'll want to see a statue of Jessica when she was 8 years old," quipped Andy.

"I have never actually seen the memorial in person," admitted Alex. "And, while I have seen pictures of your parents, I have never seen their statues. I am curious to see these things, I must admit."

"Jess? What say you, big sister."

"Andrew David -- dammit, we can do this, but if you feel yourself getting overwhelmed you tell us -- like yesterday, 'cause we're getting the hell out of there. You can actually eat out the whole time you're here, if it comes to that. Do we have a deal?"

"We do."

"Sara?"

"Baby, you know how we do us. I can't say no if you think you need to try this again. But, I'm with Jessica. If you think it's getting bad, please say something."

"I will. It's a beautiful evening, I vote we walk."

As they left the Commons, Jessica came up next to Sara.

"Do you mind walking with Alex? Grandma tells me you're his protector, and I don't want to overstep -- but it's been a long time since I've seen the statues. I think I'd like to walk with Drew if it's OK with you?"

Sara leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

"Of course, it's OK. The ladies in Andy's life got to stick together to keep his fine ass from himself from time to time."

Sara took Alex's arm, and Andy walked with his sister.

As they got near the memorial, Andy and Jessica both tensed up. The statues of their parents were a bit rough, but both weathered this first test fine. The statue of the whole family brought the first comments from Alex and Sara.

"My love," said Alex in Russian. "You were a beautiful girl. I can only pray our children look like their mother."

Jessica dropped Andy's arm and went to hug her husband.

"Andy, I've walked past this my whole time here, and never noticed how cute that little boy was. You guys were a beautiful family."

"Thank you," said Andy.

"You OK, Droobie?" asked an emotional Jessica.

"Sica, I'm actually fine. You're the pregnant one. How are you, big sister?"

"Hungry. Let's go inside, please."

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Dinner was good, and unremarkable until Cooper approached their table. Some of the other guys from the hockey team were there, and they wanted to know if they could get some pictures with Alex. The Fedorov's were used to this particular' request, and graciously agreed. Andy played photographer, as Alex posed with each player, and then the team as a whole.

Cooper came up to Andy as he was being handed various phones and taking pictures.

"Andy, do you think it would be cool if some of the guys came tonight and watched you guys skate? I didn't tell them that Alex had invited me, but I don't want to be a dick either and leave them hanging, you know?"

"Put your contact number in my phone. I'll talk with Alex and shoot you a text as soon as I know. Will that work?"

"Dude, that would kick ass!" he paused. "I mean, yes -- that would be great."

Andy smiled at his response.

"Andy?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"So, I was telling some of the guys about, you know, this weekend -- that we're all going to be extended family and stuff. Well, one of the guys doesn't believe that's Sara Jones-Easley. He said she looked too happy and pretty to be Sara, and besides, she and Eden were lesbians."

Andy turned to look at him.

"Please tell your teammate he's a shithead. And -- that you refused to give me his name because you knew I would kick his dumb ass."

"Well, I did that," he grinned. "But you need to know, Sara really does look different. She glows now, man. If Eden looks like that too, every dude on this campus is gonna want to get with her," stated Cooper.

"Cooper, the first lesson in trying to win a woman like Sara or Eden is that you don't 'get with them.' You talk to them, and listen to them. You treat them with respect, and not like some sort of real-life porn actress who wants in your pants. Figure that shit out, and you'll be surprised how easy the rest is. Seriously, think about your brother, and my sister. You knew what people thought about him, right?"

"Yeah," he said darkly. "It really upset my mom. My dad just wanted him to kick somebody's ass and show them differently. But I knew then, that's not really Christopher."

"And now, he's engaged to a beautiful woman who's smart as hell and loves him to death. How do you think that happened? Because Christopher was trying to 'tap that?' Look man, you're a fellow Groton alum, and family, to boot; I'll have your back -- but some of this stuff is just basic manners and common sense. You gotta have the stones to do what you know you ought to do. It's just that simple."

"Well, I always thought Christopher had figured something out. Man, I never had a friend like Ellen! And just between us, your sister is freaking hot! My brother is a lucky dude."

"Yes and no. Your brother is a good man who treated a good woman like a woman ought to be treated. I'm telling you Cooper, it's not that hard."

Sara walked over to the two men. She smiled at Cooper, and hugged Andy.

"Baby, we need to go. You and Alex need to get ready to skate, and there's about to be some be-atch, mean girl drama that I need to walk away from." She turned to Cooper.

"Cooper, funny seeing you here," she quipped.

"Hey Sara," he said meekly. "Hey, not for nothing, but some of the guys have noticed how happy you look. I'm glad for the two of you."

"Thank you, Cooper. That's very nice of you to say."

"So, Andy, you'll text me."

"ASAP my man. We're family now, Cooper. That means we look out for one another."

"Yeah. Christopher told me you were always like that with him. I guess I've never had that really, either."

"Well, you have it now Cooper," said Sara. "It's pretty awesome, and really easy to get used to. I absolutely love it."

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As the quartet walked back to The Commons, Andy relayed Cooper's request. The two talked through options, and the girls walked and talked in hushed tones. An occasional giggle came from their direction, and then an outright laugh.

"Brother, one of the things I love most about your sister is her laugh," said Alex. "I love her for many reasons, but her laugh may be the thing I love the most. She is -- delightful."

"She is. Ellen sent me a voice recording of Jess laughing when I was wounded. I listened to that over and over. Her laugh helped me when I was in a really dark place."

"Have you told her this? Brother, it would bring her great joy to know this! You must tell her, or please, allow me to do so?" said Alex excitedly.

"Please be my guest. Now, what do you think about tonight? If we tell him to just bring the defenseman, and they could participate, but not talk, that would probably be manageable. Cooper can lay down the law ahead of time, or I'll play the heavy. They don't need to see you as anything other than a guy they would like to be. Does that sound OK?"

"It does. Thank you -- both for your skating with me and helping me to negotiate these things. Usually, Jessica helps me in this way."

"Well, then you're used to much better help than I can offer. My sister is amazing," agreed Andy.

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Once they got back to the Commons, and gathered their gear, Andy and Alex headed for Andy's truck. Angry female voices hailed them as they left.

"Hello, Mr. DeGroat? And just where is your fine ass going without Jessica and I?" snapped Sara.

He paused and looked at Alex, who had an equally angry Jessica to deal with. He shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I guess we figured that you and Jess would want to stay here and hang out. It has been a long day, and some of the Colton team will be there. We were just trying to spare you an hour and a half of abject boredom."

"Oh, so watching one of the best defensemen in the NHL skate would be boring? Not to mention your fine ass? For being as fine and lovely as you are, you are pretty stupid some time," Sara retorted. She had her hands on her hips, but the smirk on her face let Andy know this was not a serious infraction -- but he also knew enough to tread lightly.

"Sara. Jessica. Would the two of you like to come to the rink with us? It may be awkward with the Colton guys, and the fact that everybody there will skate rings around me, but we'd love to have you come along."

"Thanks, Droobie. We would love to come. Sara needs one of your sweatshirts. Do you have a non-violent hoodie she could borrow? You know, something without 'Snipers: Reach Out and Touch Someone?'" she smiled sarcastically as she asked this.

Andy went back inside and found her an old USMC hoodie. His last name was clearly visible on the back. She had changed back into her 'Colton uniform', but this time with sneakers instead of her Birks. She also had a Colton stocking hat. She kissed him when he handed her the hoodie, "Thank you, baby. We need to hurry, or you'll make Alex late."

She smiled at him over her shoulder as she walked to the truck, and wiggled her ass seductively, just for added measure.

_________________________________________________________

The hour and a half skate went far better than Andy expected. Right off the bat, Alex had surprised him with a Caps practice jersey that had 'DeGroat' and '51' on the back. Then, the drills Alex did to rehab his foot also served to clean up Andy's rusty skating skills. Finally, he felt the difference the 20 pounds he'd gained in the Corps in a positive way. Once he found his edge, he was flying in a way he had not as a high school athlete.

Occasionally, he would glance at the upper row of the stands and look at Sara and Jessica. The two sat, talking animatedly the entire time. Occasionally, he would catch Sara's eye, and she would smile and wave at him -- but as an athlete, she knew how to do it discreetly. Some of the player's girlfriends had come to watch, and slowly a few of them made their way up to Jessica and Sara. Andy watched with great interest as Sara -- the new, 'happy Sara' -- talked with her classmates, and introduced Jessica. Above all, he continued to marvel that such a beautiful creature would want to come to watch him skate. He understood the allure of watching Alex. That guy flew across the ice. He turned, and moved -- forward, backward, changing directions constantly -- with a practiced ease.

The final drill of the night was an odd-man rush drill. Three skaters would carry the puck into the zone against two defensemen. The Colton team went with their defensive pairings, which left Andy with Alex. The two communicated in Russian, and operated seamlessly. It was a glimpse for Andy into the life he had left behind when he joined the Corps. He was both elated at the chance to skate with Alex as his defensive partner, and a bit sad at an opportunity lost. Alex, realizing his power as an athlete, finished the night by having the eight Colton defensemen skate with him at different times, with Cooper as his final partner. After a cool-down period, Alex thanked the guys for skating with them, and gave a few coaching tips. He then invited them to join him again tomorrow night, pending their coaches' approval.

Andy and Alex were the last to skate off the ice, and Andy was surprised to see a few of the girlfriends waiting to talk with them. They flirted, as hockey girlfriends, and both Andy and Alex humored them without being outright rude to them. The message received, the girls left to find their boyfriends, who had by now changed out of their gear.

Andy and Alex sat on the first row of the bleachers and changed out of their skates, and took their pads off. One of the Colton players had turned the rink lights off, so only secondary lighting remained. Looking around to make sure that only Jessica and Sara were the only ones around, the two removed their cups and pants and threw on shorts. Alex threw on his Caps hat, and the two walked towards Sara and Jessica. Jessica addressed them both in Russian.

"So how long have you two hooligans been talking in Russian?" she asked.

"I learned when I knew you were engaged to Alex," explained Andy, also in Russian. "He would Face Time me when I was in hospital, and help me with my vocabulary. The grammar was difficult, but once the vocabulary came along it got easier."

"So, when we banter back and forth in Russian, you understand what we're saying?"

"For the most part. My Russian is passable, but not as good as yours," he smiled.

"OK, not to feel like the dumb girlfriend, but what are you talking about?" interjected Sara in English.

"Well, your smart-ass boyfriend, and my smart-ass husband talk to each other in Russian. I thought it was only Alex and I who did that -- but I learned tonight as I heard them on the ice -that they both speak Russian. Neither of them saw fit to let me in on their little secret," said Jessica coldly.

"OK. Why is that a big deal?" asked Sara.

Turning to Sara, Jessica explained, "Do you remember when we first met you? I said to Alex -- in Russian -- that he needed to put his tongue back in his mouth. He then told me -- also in Russian -- that I ought to be worried about Drew's tongue, not his. I know now that Drew understood all that we were saying, and I am absolutely mortified," she said.

Sara giggled. Alex and Andy laughed -- and finally, Jessica laughed as well.

"My love, I need to tell you something -- actually your brother should be the one to tell you."

"OK Droobie, out with it. What else have you done in your sneaking Boris ways?" she asked him.

"Alex and I were talking about how much we love your laugh, Jess. I told him that Ellen sent me an audio file of you laughing, and that when I would get really down after I was wounded, I would listen to that -- just you laughing -- over and over. Your laugh got me through some dark days, 'Sica."

"Thank you, Droobie. That is very sweet. You're still on my shit list, but what you just said, and talking with Sara for an hour and a half has gotten you time off for good behavior. But you!" as she turned to Alex, and spoke to him in Russian, "You are the love of my life and the father of our child. You are absolutely forgiven."