Casey's Valentine

"Thank God Casey gave you a pity fuck, LeBlanc, maybe now you'll start putting up some points again," Rory replied as he pulled on his practice jersey and stood to inspect his beard in the mirror.

"If we get you laid, will you start doing the same? Maybe we can get you a few hookers tonight?" came Jason's retort as he gave O'Brian a little punch in the arm.

"It couldn't hurt to try," Kellan roared. "You could probably write it off as a business expense, LeBlanc."

"Oh fuck off," Rory replied with a smirk as he made his way out of the locker room onto the ice. "See you out there."

Quaid was already dressed but patiently waited for Jason to finish lacing up his skates.

"It's good to see you out of your funk, LeBlanc," he commented casually, but Jason could hear the sincerity in his tone. "We can't afford for you to be sitting in the sin bin anymore."

"Thanks, Kellan," Jason offered with a nod. He sat quietly for a moment and figured there was no harm in asking him the next question. "So what would you do for a girl that hates Valentine's Day?"

"Casey hates the big V-Day?" Kellan asked for clarification.

"No, Rory's mom does," Jason replied with an eye roll. "Yes, Casey hates it. I nearly had to beg her to let me do something for her tomorrow."

They both stood up and started clomping their way out of the locker room and down to the ice. "Well, you can't go wrong with flowers," Kellan mused.

Jason rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, because the roses worked so well the first time I sent them to her."

"Well, fuck if I know, LeBlanc. I've been single for the last four years. I'm hardly the guy you want to ask. Ask Rory."

"Because I'm sure that his advice would be very helpful," Jason murmured in a low tone as they gathered around the equipment and picked up their sticks. They both watched a few of the guys doing laps around the rink to warm-up. Jason was almost hesitant to tell Kellan the final piece of his Valentine's Day puzzle. "I told her we'd win tomorrow."

"Well then, let's get our asses on the ice," Kellan replied as he knocked Jason's helmet and hopped over the wall and into the rink.

Practice went well, raising their confidence about going up against such a strong team the next evening. It didn't do much about raising Jason's confidence about what he was going to do for Casey the next day. He had been dwelling on their upcoming night together since he had left her apartment that morning and was nowhere near any kind of plan. Whatever it was, it had to be special. Something to try to erase her painful memory of Valentine's past.

Casey was working that night, so Jason was on his own for the first time in days. For lack of anything better to do, he just drove his Jeep around the city, praying that some idea would come to him. Nothing did.

So he just kept driving, listening to Django Reinhardt as he went. Jason passed restaurant after restaurant and almost immediately dismissed each for one reason or another. Too crowded, too hoity toity, not enough privacy. Movie theaters, bowling, mini-golf, nothing seemed to fit. He gave up and headed towards downtown to surprise Casey before he went home. She had insisted on not seeing him again until after the game, not wanting to distract him. Jason didn't think she would protest a quick hello, though.

Jason was stopped at a red light about a mile from his destination when he saw it. A slow smile spread across his face as a plan started to form. He pulled out his cell phone and started making calls as he turned around and made his way back to his apartment. Maybe he would listen to Kellan's advice after all. Now they just had to win.

-----

Casey walked into the Wunderbar at five, ready to relieve Mac so he could take his wife out for Valentine's Day. Every time she thought about the word, butterflies would inevitably settle in her stomach.

"Damn Jason," she thought. Casey was loathe to admit it, but she found herself almost looking forward to their night together, wondering what he was up to. Still, she was scared.

When he called that morning after the team's morning skate, Jason refused to give her any hint or indication of what was to come. He only asked what her work schedule was and made plans to meet her at the bar after the game, nothing else. She was barely able to blurt out a "good luck tonight" before he hung up.

Casey stripped off her coat and scarf as always and let out a low whistle when she saw Mac standing behind the bar in a suit. "Looking good, boss," she said with a smile.

Mac's cheeks flushed at her complement. "Thanks, Case. Happy Valen..."

"Don't you fucking dare!" Casey warned. She tried to keep a stern look on her face but failed. "Treat the old lady nice tonight, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else," Mac replied with a smile. "The spare key is on the desk for you to lock up." Casey watched as he pulled on his wool coat and hat and then stopped to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Take care of her, okay?"

Casey rolled her eyes at Mac's concern. He loved his bar and hated to be away from it often. "You know the bar's in good hands, boss. Go enjoy yourself." Mac gave her one more nod before walking out the door.

She barely had time to stuff her coat in the office and double check for the key when the door to the bar opened. Tips should be good tonight, Casey mused. They would be busy with such a big game being played.

Casey stepped out of the office, ready to start serving the first of the regulars that she was sure had turned up. She was completely unprepared for the sight that greeted her instead. No one was in the bar. There was only a vase of tulips, sitting unattended on the bar. Casey swallowed hard, waiting for the inevitable sick to make its way up her throat. It didn't.

The card was peeking out, begging her to take and read it. She hesitated a moment before snatching it out of the holder and reading it. Third time's the charm? it read. For your dazzling smile, it continued and then was followed by a little #4.

Casey smiled to herself and then hurried to stow the flowers in the office. She would never hear the end of it if the guys caught wind of her being excited by flowers. The door opened again, and this time Casey was greeted with a couple of her regular customers.

She had just started getting into her usual groove of serving drinks and chatting with the guys when the door opened to reveal another stranger.

"Casey?" the delivery man asked. She merely nodded in response and he deposited the vase at the end of the bar, then left. It was a single delicate orchid, complete with another card.

For being so insatiable, it read, ending with another little #4. Casey blushed at the memories of their last weekend, setting off a round of laughter from the guys.

"Oh shut up," she said with a glare before depositing the lone flower in the office again.

A few more of the regulars poured in, and Casey turned on the pre-game. She couldn't stop her pulse from quickening when the camera zoomed in on Jason warming up on the ice, her favorite wicked grin on his face as he talked to O'Brian who was stretching next to him.

"Casey?" a female voice piped up from the door. This time the delivery woman held a vase full of lilies.

"Right here!" one of the guys answered for her, taking the vase from the woman's arms and passing it over to Casey behind the bar.

"Oh dear God," she murmured as she took the flowers back into the office. Of course, there was a card. For your loving embrace, followed by the #4 again.

Casey joined the guys back at the bar, hoping that everything would be back to normal now that the game was about to start. No such luck.

Every fifteen or twenty minutes, a new delivery man or woman would show up with another floral arrangement, complete with card after card. Mac's office was overflowing with flowers by the end of the first period. They started to spill over into the booths that lined the walls. And they just kept coming.

For your beautiful eyes, for your quick wit, for your love of the game, for your dirty fucking mouth, for your heart-stopping kisses. Every card made Casey's heart drop into her stomach, made her fall for Jason a little more. Every new delivery brought whistles and smartass comments from the guys, but Casey didn't care. And every time the camera panned on Jason, skating around the ice, a little cheer would resound through the bar at 'Casey's man.'

"He's got it bad, Case," one of the regulars piped up near the end of the game as a dozen red roses showed up. Casey nodded absently, focusing instead on the final card she held in her hand. Because I'm in love with you.

Her throat went dry and her pulse pounded. She started to shake and there was a faint hum in her ears. How was all of this possible? How had Jason managed to so thoroughly break through her walls, her trust issues, in all of two weeks? She felt like she barely knew him, but Jason also made her feel whole again. There was no fear left in her, and the realization seemed to take the breath out of her.

She was in love. The truth of the statement flooded through her, a warm flush that seemed to radiate straight from her heart.

Casey's head shot up as the horn signaling the end of the game cut through her thoughts. The Avs had won, 3-1. Jason was named second star of the game with two assists. Casey couldn't help the smile on her face as the camera zoomed in on him as he waved to the cheering crowd, his cheeks still flushed from the exertion of the game.

The regulars finished their drinks and filed out one-by-one until the bar was completely empty. Casey washed the dirty glasses, wiped down the surfaces that weren't blocked by flowers. What was she going to do with all of them? What was Mac going to say tomorrow? The thought made her laugh as the phone in the corner rang.

"Wunderbar, this is Casey," she almost sang into the receiver.

"What's the place looking like?" Mac's voice came through.

"Empty, boss, everyone left after the game. What are you doing calling here when you're supposed to be wining and dining your wife?"

Mac chuckled. "I am, she's just in the bathroom. Close up, Case, no sense in you being stuck there on Valen ..." he cut himself off lest he suffer Casey's wrath. He cleared his throat. "No sense in you being stuck there with no customers."

"You got it, Mac. See you tomorrow," Casey finished as she hung up.

She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't excited by the prospect of being able to leave with Jason earlier than they had discussed. He was supposed to come to the bar after the game, but if she was closing early she needed to let him know. Casey picked the phone back up to give him a ring, but it just went to voice mail.

"Um, Jason, it's me," she almost stuttered out. Why was she so nervous? "Mac asked me to close up early, so I am. I'm heading home in a little bit, so I guess call my cell when you're done over there to figure out where I am?" Casey had to bite her tongue to keep from saying 'And I love you too'. "Congrats on the game," she finished lamely and hung up.

Casey went about her usual business to close the bar, crunching numbers from the register, re-stocking the bar, mopping the floor. Half an hour passed, and still her phone didn't ring. Certainly the coach's post-mortem was done by now? She knew the interviews were over.

Despite her realizations from earlier, Casey started to worry. Maybe she wasn't going to see Jason tonight after all. She stalled closing as long as she could, but still her phone didn't ring. A disappointed sigh escaped her lips as she put on her coat and picked up the spare key to lock up.

When she first turned away from the bar after locking the door, she didn't see the man in a suit standing in front of her. Casey was too worried about not seeing Jason to notice.

"Casey Taylor?" the man asked.

She looked up and finally saw the man, half expecting him to hold another bouquet of flowers after hearing her name asked like that so often that evening. The man's arms were empty, but he was standing in front of a limo.

"Uh, yeah, that's me," she somehow managed to croak out in surprise.

"Mr. LeBlanc would like me to take you to him." He must have sensed Casey's hesitation, because his face broke out into a smile. "Mr. LeBlanc said that if you seemed unsure, to tell you to trust him, and that it's worth it."

Casey flushed. Maybe Jason knew her better than she thought.

"Okay, uh, thank you," she stuttered out when the man opened the door to the limo for her.

The smell hit her before the sight did. Casey's jaw dropped. The entire back of the limo was filled with more roses. She actually had to pause for a moment to find a place to sit. Did Jason own a flower shop that she didn't know about?

Casey was grateful that the driver left the partition down, suddenly nervous. They chatted a bit; his name was Dave and was an Avalanche fan as well. He was at the game that evening, part of his payment for picking Casey up so late. Talking to him about the game calmed her a bit, but he refused to tell her where they were going.

The drive was mercifully short, and Dave opened the door for her. Casey's jaw dropped again. It seemed to be doing that a lot today. They were at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

"Mr. LeBlanc is waiting for you in Marnie's Pavilion. Do you know where that is?" Casey could only nod her head mutely. "Then this is where I leave you. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Taylor."

Casey's heart seemed to be making a concerted effort to leap out of her chest. She had dressed in only a sweater and jeans, not having expected Jason to do anything like this for her. Her heart pounded harder, suddenly feeling underdressed.

The gardens were lit up beautifully as she made her way through them, pausing occasionally to inspect an interesting flower or plant. Casey always loved coming here. She tried to recall all the late-night conversations she and Jason had shared, wondering if she had ever talked about the gardens. If she didn't, then Jason was a genius.

Casey made her way to the pavilion and stopped breathing for a moment when she stepped inside. The waterfall and orchids were there as always. But then every available surface was covered in candle after candle and Frank Sinatra was crooning from hidden speakers somewhere. Jason was nowhere to be seen, so Casey walked slowly around the courtyard, taking it all in. It was just surreal.

"Hi, beautiful."

Casey jumped and spun around, tensing for a moment. Then she saw Jason's easy smile and felt her body relax a little, though her heart raced even faster than she thought possible. She wanted to run and jump into his arms but held back for some reason.

"Did you like the flowers?" Jason asked with an innocent look.

Casey nearly snorted with laughter. "I don't know if there were enough."

He chuckled along with her, shaking his head. "I'll remember that next year."

Jason crossed the divide between them in just a few steps, taking Casey into his arms as she sighed.

"Next year?" she nearly squeaked as Casey found her face so close to his.

"Mmhmm," Jason hummed before pulling her in for a gentle, slow kiss. Everything else faded into the background for Casey; by the time he pulled away, the room was spinning. "You hungry, Case?"

"Um, what?" Casey was still off kilter from the kiss.

Jason chuckled. "Come on," he coaxed, pulling her by her arm around a bend in the pavilion to a little corner, tucked away from the rest of the room.

Really, she should stop being stunned at this point, but Casey found her mouth open in surprise again. There was a little table, lit by more candles. That wasn't the shocker.

Somehow, Jason had managed to set up a crawfish boil, the one thing she missed the most about home. Ruby red crawfish were piled on the newspaper lined table, complete with sausage, corn-on-the-cob, and potatoes. She could still see the steam coming off the food. Casey wracked her brain again. Had they talked about this before?

"Jason, this is too much," she nearly whispered, wiping her eyes as the tears came. "How did you know?"

Jason pulled her into his arms again, stroking her hair as she cried. "Forte's wife is from Louisiana. I called her, and she told me it was the best way to surprise a Southern girl."

Casey clung to him, the lump in her throat dissolving as she nearly sobbed. "I love you, I love you, I love you." She pulled his head down to hers and shoved her tongue into his mouth; the kiss was salty from her tears. "Are we alone?" she asked throatily.

"Um, yes?"

Casey nearly clawed the shirt off of Jason's body, desperate for all of him.

"The food will get cold, Case," he reasoned before Casey's hands found his belt and he groaned.

"Fuck it," she whispered, pulling him down onto the stone floor with her in less than a second.

-----

It was a year later, and they were sitting back in Marnie's Pavilion. Casey was finally showing Jason the real way to eat a crawfish.

"I am not sucking the head," Jason qualified.

Casey laughed as she put down the head and went to work breaking apart the tail. "That's what she said." Jason gave her an easy smile, which she returned. "Fine, but you don't know what you're missing."

The last year had been a rollercoaster, filled with the ups and downs of any couple's lives. They dealt with the pressure of Jason's job and away games. They had bitter fights and fantastic make-up sex. Casey moved into Jason's apartment in July and the two talked easily about their future together. They somehow managed to visit both of their families in the three days Jason had off for Christmas. All of Casey's old trust issues never resurfaced; Jason never gave her a reason to doubt him. Each wondered how they got so lucky to have the other.

"Paper towels?" she asked once her fingers were coated in the innards of the crawfish.

"Shit, I didn't think of that," Jason replied with an apologetic smile. "Maybe check the bathrooms?"

Casey rolled her eyes and went to grab a handful for the both of them, returning to the table a minute later. She immediately spotted the little box on the suddenly cleared table and sucked in a breath. "What is that?"

Jason gave her a sly smile. "Don't worry, Case, it's not a ring."

She sat down and tentatively reached over, a little disappointed by his words. She opened the box to find a delicate silver necklace, complete with a small diamond in the shape of a teardrop at the end. Casey reached a finger out to touch it, unable to help herself.

"Oh Jason, thank you. It's beautiful, but you know me, I have nothing to wear that goes with diamonds." She looked up to meet his eyes across the table but he wasn't there.

He was on the floor next to her on one knee. She immediately started to cry.

"Casey Taylor, you are everything to me, and I love you." Jason paused to take a deep breath before pulling another jewelry box from his pocket. "Marry me," he breathed as he opened the box to reveal a ring.

Casey sobbed as Jason slid the teardrop ring onto her finger before pulling her into his arms. "Yes, yes, yes," she purred, punctuating each word with a kiss before pulling back to look into Jason's always devastating blue eyes.

"I guess you have something to match the necklace then," Jason commented casually with a big smile on his face.

"I guess so, Mr. LeBlanc," she replied, returning his easy grin.

Jason pulled her off the chair and on top of him on the floor, drawing her into his to play with her hair. Casey let out a contented sigh. "Happy Valentine's Day," he murmured into her shoulder, waiting for the inevitable.

Casey barked out a short laugh and sat upright, playfully smacking him in the shoulder while she straddled Jason's thighs.