NHL Imagines

Dallas Stars #24: Jordie Benn

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You sat bolt upright in you and Jordie's bed, causing him to stir in his sleep.

"Jordie." You lightly touched his shoulder and he moaned. You shook him a little bit harder. "Baby, wake up. There's a storm..."

"Why are you still afraid of storms?" Jordie groaned, sitting up and placing an arm around your shoulders. He brought you into his side and rubbed your arm, trying to soothe you.

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's—" You were cut off by the sound of feet slapping against the hardwood floor. The bedroom door swung open and you caught a glimpse of light brown hair before you were attacked by your child.

"Vance, baby, are you okay?" You asked, holding you and Jordie's 4 year old son at an arm's length. There was a wet trail of tears down his cheeks and he reached out for you.

"Mamma, I'm scared." You let him wrap his arms around your neck and gave Jordie a pointed look, to which he just rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Vance, did you forget about me?" Jordie teased, rubbing Vance's back and smiling at him.

"Daddy!" He cried, releasing you and crawling over to where Jordie was sitting. He crawled into his lap and continued to stare out of the window. The three of you could see the trees bending from the vigorous winds of the storm and the rain battered the window.

"When do you think it'll stop?" Vance asked, his bottom lip quivering like he was going to cry again. Jordie wrapped Vance up in his blanket and held him.

"I don't know, buddy. What's got you so scared?" He asked.

"It's the noise." Vance whimpered. Jordie looked at you and chuckled a bit.

"You know your mamma is scared of storms, too?" Jordie asked, trying to distract Vance.

"Really?" Vance asked, his eyes wide and waiting for a story.

"Yeah, in fact, I met her when it was storming outside just like it is now!"

"What happened?"

"Well..."

***

"Excuse me, miss?" You turned around to see who was talking to you. He was tall, brunette, and had a baby face underneath all of his facial hair.

"Yes?"

"What are you doing here, alone?" He asked, a little more timid than his initial greeting. You turned back to the window you were staring out of.

"Just waiting for the storm to die down." You said, not looking at him or waiting for a final reply.

"Ok, then, I'll wait with you." He said. You heard a chair scrape along the floor and you turned to find that the man was sitting down, smiling at you defiantly.

"What's your name?" You asked.

"Jordie."

"Listen, Jordie. You can go, I'll be fine here. Plus, I can't leave you here." You jingled the keys in your hand. "I have to lock up. I didn't even realize you were in here."

"Had to use the bathroom. And, I'm not leaving until you leave. Dallas at night in the rain isn't necessarily the safest place for a young lady." Jordie retorted. You rolled your eyes and motioned for him to get up.

"Then, let's go."

Jordie gave you a questioning look and got up, pushing his chair in and following you out into the storm. You tugged your hood over your head and glanced at Jordie before turning around to lock the door to your Starbucks.

"Well, good night."

"I'm walking with you."

"It's ranining buckets."

"Where do you live?"

"Weren't you the one just cautioning me against Dallas at night? Shouldn't I be worried about strange men, offering to walk me home?" You shouted above the rain, raising your eyebrows at him. At that moment, thunder erupted in the sky and caused both of you to jump.

Jordie looked surprised that you had ended up in his arms, but he still smiled.

"C'mon I don't live far from here. You can stay with me until it's safe enough to go home." Jordie kept you close and the two of you walked against the wind to his apartment building, two short blocks from your Starbucks.

***

You smiled at the memory of falling asleep in Jordie's arms on his couch that night and smelling like wet coffee in the morning.

"So you protected mamma from the storm?" Vance asked.

"I did." Jordie nodded.

"And you'll protect me?"

"I'll protect both of you." Jordie put one of his arms around you again. "Because I love you both so much." He kissed the top of Vance's head and then you on your forehead.