Author’s notes: Well my friends, this is the end of ‘The other Olympic Experience’. All nice things must come to an end. I absolutely adore this song from the Shrek soundtrack, "You belong to me," by Jason Wade of Lifehouse. Also, I decided to put fic me back in here, and I’m involved in the cutest plan ever!

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Calgary game was on Saturday March 23, and I am going to move the Vancouver game on the 25^th, so the Sunday is free. You’ll see why. ^_~ Peace out!

* * *

I settled into my seat on the plane, sitting beside Tommy and Eric again, and sighed contentedly. Tommy raised an eyebrow. "I’ll take that as a confirmation that everything went well with Joe?"

"Yeah, everything went along great," I confirmed, sighing again. "I didn’t expect everything to go that well."

Tommy smiled. "See? You never know what could happen if you didn’t tell him. You could be sitting on this plane moping around because you screwed up big time."

I shoved him jokingly. "I am not used this new mouth of yours, Tommy." I stretched out and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "But you’re right." I looked out the window, to see Denver becoming smaller and smaller.

My mind drifted away to Salt Lake City, and the Olympics. They say the Olympics can change your life, and it sure as hell changed mine…in more ways than one. I thought I had my work cut out for me on the ice, but off ice was just as chaotic. I wondered idly how if Joe had some kind of knack for scaring the bejesus out of me. He probably did.

"I think we lost him," Eric joked, poking me. I opened one eye and jabbed him back with my finger. "Ow, okay maybe not."

"I can hear you, ya know," I pointed out. "I may look like I’m asleep, but I can hear every word you say, Brewer!"

Tommy laughed. "Do you have super-sensitive hearing that perks up when you’re asleep? That’s a real talent you have there. You could be in the Guinness book of world records or something."

"Aw, shut up," I commanded half-heartedly, waving my hand in his face. Tommy batted my hand away and turned to Eric. "Don’t you say a word, Salo. Remember, I can hear you," I told him in a creepy voice.

"I’ll remember that," Tommy laughed.

I shook my head and looked out the window again. "I wonder how Joe’s doing…"

** Joe **

I must have been standing at this window for hours. I stayed and watched the Charter plane that Ryan was on even though he didn’t know it. We had a game against Philadelphia tomorrow, but I couldn’t focus on them. The best thing that could have ever happened to me just did, and I wanted to hang onto that for a little while longer before that game.

Rob, who had been looking for me clapped his hands down on my shoulders, causing me to yell and jump five feet into the air. "Ha, gotcha," he laughed, as I spun around and glared at him. "Have you been standing here since Ryan left?"

I looked at him sheepishly. "Yeah, I have."

"Aw, isn’t that cute?" he gushed, pinching my cheek. I batted his hand away in annoyance. "I’m just kiddin’ ya, Joe. I think it’s great you’ve got someone. Even though they play for the Oilers and live in another country. But still, it’s great." I just nodded and looked out at all the other planes.

"You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?" I asked quietly.

Rob looked hurt. "Joe, I wouldn’t do that. I swore on my grandmother’s grave that I wouldn’t tell a soul about you and Ryan. Hell, why do you think I volunteered to come over here and get you?"

"Because you’re a suck-up to Hartley?" I suggested, dodging Rob’s left swing.

"I am going to get you for that," Rob muttered, his face set in a scowl. "Come on, let’s get back. We’re going to be leaving for our road trip to Philly and Nashville. Then we can watch you think about nothing but mullet boy."

"Hey, I can think of other things other than Ryan," I protested. "I’m not some 13 year-old-fan girl, Rob."

Rob grinned. "Ya could have fooled me, Joey." It was my turn to swing a punch at him, and this time, mine landed. "Ow…how come you don’t get into fights more often, Joey? You’ve got some right punch."

"I save that punch for those who deserve it," I replied, grinning. "Let’s get back, shall we? After all, dear Hartley’s waiting." Rob muttered something, but grabbed my head in a headlock and gave me a noogie.

"This is no way to treat your captain!" I exclaimed, trying to get out of the headlock. Finally, he let me go, and I ran my fingers over my neck. "Jeez, are you trying to kill your Captain?"

"What do you think?" Rob joked, clapping me on the back.

"You know what I think," I muttered.

I guess the fans finally got what they wanted. Tom Poti is gone from Edmonton, but the thing that shocked most of them, and us, was that Rem Murray went with him too to New York. What we got was Mike York. It would be his first game as an Edmonton Oiler when we played the Calgary flames in the battle royal of Alberta.

It had been a week since we left Colorado, which; in my mind was 7 days, 4 hours, 16 minutes, and 37 seconds…38…39… Boyd was right when he said I have it bad. I haven’t told anyone about my new relationship with the Colorado Captain; and I was planning on to either. I kept Tommy’s secret pretty well, and I hadn’t even gone near Janne and Jussi. But there was just this feeling eating away at me to tell someone.

We were all eating breakfast at the usual spot, and I spotted Eric’s girlfriend, Sasha, or as we know called her repeatedly, ‘Flash’, with her feet up on the table, changing the film of her camera. "You know it’s bad manners to put your feet up on the table," I said, gathering her attention.

"Bite me, Mullet Boy," was her retort, as she continued to fix the film. I sat down in the seat across from her, and lifted up her legs, dropping them on the floor. "Okay, one: Ow. Two: What do you want?"

I shuffled uneasily, causing Sasha to raise an eyebrow. "Um, you’ve worked with Colorado before, right?"

"Yes," Sasha replied slowly, trying to figure out where I was going with this. "If you’re going to ask how you can crack the defence, I’m pretty sure you figured it out on the 16^th, when you kicked their asses."

I laughed, but shook my head. "Um, is there somewhere private we can talk?"

Sasha stuffed her camera in its case and nodded, standing up. "Sure, come with me." I nodded, and followed her out of the hotel and to a spot that was tucked in behind the building. "What’s up, Smytty?"

"This is going to sound a little weird…" I began.

Sasha held up a hand. "Smytty, if you only knew the things I know, you wouldn’t be saying that. Just tell me; I promise not to judge."

"Oh yeah? What about me having a relationship with Joe Sakic that started after the Germany game at the Olympics? How’s that for you?" I blurted, and her eyes widened a little. "It wasn’t supposed to come out like that…"

She scratched the back of her head and exhaled sharply. "That’s a little bit of a bombshell…we need to sit down for this one, don’t we?" I nodded and followed her to the small patio that was to our left. "Okay, run that one by me again?"

I took a deep breath and proceeded to tell her everything that happened, from the Germany game, to what happened with Steve and Boyd, and finally to what happened after our game in Colorado. "Was that slow enough for you?" I asked.

"Oh shut up," she commanded, punching me in the arm. Sasha looked thoughtful as she processed the information I had just thrown at her. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I needed to tell someone," I confessed. "None of the other guys would understand. I mean, Tommy and Eric know, but Tommy’s going to be too busy with our goaltending situation to help me, and Eric, well, he’s got his hands full with you." I dodged her next blow, and continued. "Plus, Tommy told me how much you helped him with his Jochen crush, and so I figured I could ask you for advice too."

"But you and Joe don’t seem to be in any trouble," Sasha pointed out.

"Not relationship trouble," I countered. "Because, if you haven’t noticed, he plays for Colorado in the USA, and I play for Edmonton up here in Canada. That’s going to be more than a little taxing on a relationship. Especially between two hockey players."

"What do you need my help for?" Sasha asked, running a hand through her dark hair.

I looked down at the ground, then back at her. "I want to go to Colorado and surprise Joe after this game. We play Vancouver on Monday, so I just wanted to go over there with you since you’re going there for a story on Patrick Roy."

"Do you know what you’re proposing?" Sasha asked. "After you play Calgary in what has got to be a battle royal, you want to jump on a charter with me to Colorado and then back in the same day to jump on another plane to Vancouver? That’s going to kill you!"

She had a point, but I was determined to pull this off. I don’t think I could wait for the playoffs, where we were probably going to face either Detroit or Colorado. "I know what I’m suggesting, and I still want to do it. I can handle it. Plus the rest is going to be good for my ankle, if that’s what you’re worried about. Please, just let me come with you."

Sasha looked conflicted, and stayed silent for a good while before answering. She looked at me, and nodded. "Fine, you can come with me, but you’ve got to get some good rest after this Calgary game because I’ll be leaving early in the morning to catch the guys skating before their game against Detroit. And besides, I’m not the to stand between love."

I was ecstatic, and I showed it when I jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Sasha! This means a lot!"

"I can tell," she managed. "Do you mind easing up your death-grip a little, Ryan? I don’t think I can breathe."

"Whoops, sorry," I apologised, letting her go.

She grinned at me. "You better be. Come on; let’s get back with the rest of the team. You’ve got some conditioning to do before Jerome and his boys come a knocking for company in their misery of missing the playoffs."

Quickly, I got changed out of my pyjamas and into my casual clothes, and Sasha told me to dress a little preppy and not like I had been living out of my car for three months because we were in a rush. I had cleared my plans with Craig, who had at first the same attitude towards my trip as Sasha, but I explained to him what I had to do, and surprisingly, he didn’t have a problem with it, just so long as I knew what I was putting myself through. I grabbed my spiffy Oilers backpack and dashed out of my apartment to where Sasha was waiting for me with her blue Honda Civic.

"I’m ready, I’m ready," I panted, throwing my stuff into the back.

Sasha smiled. "I can see that. But you forgot to put on your pants."

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed, looking down. She was joking, as I soon realised, since I was wearing shiny blue jeans and thick black prep boots. "I hate you. Taking advantage of my early morning state is just pure evil."

"You don’t hate me," Sasha said sweetly, as we both got into the car. "Besides, I just wanted to see if you were awake."

"Gee, thanks," I muttered, leaning back in my seat. Soon, (well it was soon since I had fallen asleep) we reached the airport just in time for boarding. Sasha and I hurried through customs and got to our flight in time, and we settled down in our seats. "I hope this goes well."

Sasha put a hand on my shoulder. "Don’t worry Ryan. I’m sure it’s going to go fine. Just leave everything to me and my good friend Rob Blake. Everything’s going to turn out just fine. Joe’s going to be so surprised to see you."

"Thanks again," I said, taking a much-needed deep breath and stared out the window. "I can see why Tommy values your advice so much."

"What can I say? I seem to have this connection to my Oiler boys," Sasha said, grinning.

Sasha and I yawned collectively, and stretched as we went in search of the exit in the Denver International Airport. "Is it always this bright in Denver?" I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes as Sasha pulled on my arm through the crowd of people.

"When it’s 1:00 p.m., yeah, I’d say so," Sasha confirmed, yawning again. "Come on, the rental place is somewhere near here." I followed her blindly, well; actually, I was being pulled, so I just walked sleepily while Sasha held onto my arm. "Come on, sleepy head. I’ve found the rental car Terry got for me."

"(Yawn) But I don’t want to," I complained, as Sasha forced me into a PT cruiser. In this attempt to get me to sit down, my head collided with the top of the car. "Ow! This is the cruellest way to wake someone up."

"You did that on your own," Sasha said, as I shut the door and she got in the driver’s side. "It was your clumsiness that got you that hit on the head in the first place." I muttered something as we set off to the Pepsi centre. "Are you awake yet?"

"No…" I murmured.

"How about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"(Poke) how about now?"

"Ow! That’s my eye! Now I’m awake!"

Sasha grinned. "Good to know. Don’t want you to be groggy and stuff when you go and surprise Joe. It wouldn’t be good."

I rubbed my eye and glared at her. "You’re awfully childish, you know."

The photographer grinned sheepishly. "It’s from getting up early. I’m weirdly hyper when I get up early and had little sleep. But I’m calming down now. Ah, here we are." She stopped the car in the parking lot and got out. "Come on, Ryan." Slowly I got my butt out of my seat and followed Sasha into the Pepsi centre, where Rob greeted her. "Robbie! Nice to see you again."

"Same to you," Rob grinned, then saw me, and his eyes widened. "Ryan? What are you doing here? Have you seen Joe?"

Sasha hushed him. "That’s what he’s here for. Ryan wanted to come and surprise Joe before your game against Detroit. Where is he?"

"In the dressing room with the other guys, but they’re going on the ice for the pre-game skate," Rob replied quietly. "How are you planning on doing this?"

I yawned again, now fully awake. "I have my cell, and I’m going to call Sasha’s. She’s going to give the phone to Joe, and we’re going to talk for a bit. Then I’m going to enter the dressing room quietly and be right behind him. He’ll ask me if I’m still there when he hears silence, then I’ll speak up from right behind him, surprising him."

Rob grinned. "Sounds like a plan. Come with me, Sasha, and Ryan, you stay back here." I nodded, and Sasha followed Rob into the dressing room. I stayed behind the door, with the cell phone in my hand.

Inside, I could hear Sasha talking to Joe. "How’s Ryan?" Joe asked, after Rob explained that Sasha knew about the two of us.

"He’s—" Sasha was cut off by her cell ringing. "Hello?"

"Hey darling," I joked, and she laughed. "Aw, who am I kidding? Can I talk to my real darling?"

Sasha giggled. "Yeah, of course." I peered into the crack in the door, and saw her turn to Joe, and give him her cell. "Your darling wants to talk to you."

Joe’s voice was crisp and clear as he spoke into the phone. "Ryan?"

"Hey," I greeted. "How are you doing?"

"Better now that I’m talking to you," Joe admitted, and I laughed. "What?"

"That sounds so unbelievably corny," I explained. "Um, good luck against Detroit tonight. We kicked Calgary’s ass last night."

Joe laughed. "That’s good to hear. Did you take Jerome Iginla out? It would leave me some room to take over the scoring lead."

"But Joe, first you would have to get scoring again for that to happen," I said innocently.

"Now that was just low," Joe said, sounding hurt. I peered into the dressing room, seeing that Joe’s back was to the door.

‘Does the door creak?’ I mouthed to them. Rob and Sasha shook their heads, and I quietly slipped into the dressing room.

"Ryan? Are you there?" Joe asked. He could not have asked a more perfect question.

"Yeah," I said aloud, and he jumped, whirling around to see me. "Surprise."

Joe ran up to me and gave me a tight hug and a passionate kiss. "Did you two know about this?" He asked Rob and Sasha. They nodded, smiling.

"I had to see you again," I confessed. "And to wish you luck against Detroit."

"This is the best surprise I’ve ever gotten," Joe said, kissing my forehead. "Don’t you have a game tomorrow?"

I waved it off. "I’ve been through this with two different people already. I just wanted to tell you that no matter what, and no matter where we are, I’ll always be yours. And by the looks of things, if we continue to win the rest of our games, we’re going to be meeting in the playoffs." There was a small flash, which I concluded was Sasha’s camera, but I let it slip.

"Always a good thing," Joe agreed, as Sasha and Rob slipped out of the dressing room to give us some privacy. "And you’re right. No matter where we are, I’ll always belong to you. How long are you going to be staying here?"

I thought about it. "I’m here with Sasha, and she’s here for a story on Patty Roy, so I don’t know. But I’ll be here for part of your game but then I got to jet back to Edmonton so I can jump another charter to Vancouver."

Joe’s eyes widened. "You’re putting yourself through all of that for me? Ryan—"

I put a finger to his lips. "I know full well what I’m putting myself through, but you’re more important to me than that." I kissed him on the lips, and grinned.

"What’s so funny?" Joe asked amused.

"They say the Olympics change your life forever," I began, smiling. "They’ve sure as hell changed mine…and for the better."

Author’s notes: Well, there we go. That’s the end, and I hope you liked this chapter. It’s one of my favourites.

Special thanks go out to Almighty Chrissy for letting me use the "Beautiful Child" idea and helping me out when I had no idea what I was doing, and to The Hockey Stick of Love, MariaOrange88, PecaFan, baseballhockeywriter, waterlily, Megan, Valerie, Neo, and Marti Thatcher for sticking with me, this one’s for you!