?Is that so.?

?Yeah,? Brown replied, laughing weakly. ?Honest.?

Dylan stepped fully into the meager light cast by the locker room, causing Brown to shrink back in fear. ?A liar and a bully. Nice. I?m sure some team is gonna consider themselves real lucky to get such a prize.?

?But??

?Get outta here, Brown. Now.?

As Keisha scampered away, Dylan looked Hodge carefully over. ?You alright??

?Yes,? Hodge replied. ?Just wasn?t meant to be my lucky day, I guess.?

The corner of Dylan?s mouth turned up. ?Oh, I don?t know about that. You managed to set a record in the shoot around, won all your three-on-three games, and talked me into breaking the rules and letting that little thug stay on. All in all, not a bad showing.?

Hodge laughed, then stopped abruptly, one hand going to her head while the other covered her chest. ?Ow.?

Dylan looked down at her, concerned. ?Are you sure you?re alright??

?Yeah. The trainer looked me over. I?m just a little bruised. I think I?ll live, though.?

?Alright. Are you headed back to the hotel??

?Yes.?

?I?ll walk you to your car then. C?mon.?

Dylan shortened her strides so that her smaller companion could keep up with her as they walked through the gym and into the chilly Minneapolis night. Hodge stumbled as they stepped from the sidewalk onto the paved parking lot, but quickly righted herself. Her head spun from the effort.

?Dizzy??

Hodge nodded. ?Just a little, when I tripped. It?s okay now, though.?

?Let?s not take any chances. I?ll drive you back to the hotel, alright??

?No, no,? Hodge demurred. ?I?m fine. Really.?

?And I?m driving you to the hotel. You can get a ride back with one of the players in the morning.?

Hodge really couldn?t do anything at that point but give in. ?Ok,? she said simply, allowing Dylan to lead her to the rental parked close by.

The ride to the hotel was made in silence. Dylan, by nature, wasn?t much of a conversationalist. And Hodge, who was, found that the close presence of the woman she idolized managed to wither away every single thought in her head.

Unable to speak, Hodge contented herself with catching glimpses of Dylan?s chiseled profile as the car moved in and out of bars of light created by the passing streetlamps. Hodge had always thought her incredibly beautiful?who wouldn?t??but in person this was even more true. Dylan had a charisma that cameras captured well, but cameras couldn?t hold a candle to seeing her in real life. She had a physical presence that went far beyond her unusual height or her looks. It rolled off of her in waves, and Hodge was quite happy to be caught in the undertow.

Dylan was quite aware of the scrutiny. It had been a part of her life for so many years, she all but forgot what it was like not to be seen as if from under a microscope?s lens. She?d learned very early that to have any type of privacy at all, she would have to hide within the glass bubble of her own popularity. It was a lesson she learned well.

The hotel came quickly into view, and Dylan found a parking space very near the front. Shutting down the engine, she exited the rental and popped the trunk, withdrawing Hodge?s duffle and handing it to her. Together, the two women walked into the nearly empty lobby.

The doors to the elevators opened as if by magic, and they entered, pressing the buttons for their respective floors. When the doors opened on five, Hodge turned to Dylan. ?Well, this is where I get off. Thanks?for helping me out back there. And for making sure I was alright.?

Dylan smiled at the slight blush that colored Hodge?s cheeks. ?You?re welcome.?

?Well?I guess I?ll see you tomorrow then.?

?You will. Be sure to ice yourself down, or those bruises will get worse.?

?Don?t worry. I will.? There was an awkward pause. ?Well?goodnight, Coach Lambert.?

?Goodnight, Catherine. Sleep well.?

Dylan walked into her room to see Mac lounging in her living area, in his skivvies, his feet propped up on the table and a bottle of beer in his hand. The television was tuned to a decades old pro game on ESPN Classic, and the door that connected their adjoining suites was wide open.

He saluted her with his beer as she passed.

?How nice of you to make yourself at home, Mac.?

Mac chuckled. ?Reception?s better in here.?

Snorting at the lie, Dylan removed her coat and draped it over the ottoman before stepping into the bathroom to change.

?Everything alright with the kid??

?She?s twenty two, Mac. Hardly a ?kid?.?

?You know what I mean. Is she alright??

?She?s fine,? Dylan replied, walking back into the room in her bra and briefs, causing Mac to choke on his beer.

?Jesus, D! You wanna warn a guy before you do that! You trying to give me a heart attack or something??

Dylan rolled her eyes. ?You?ve seen me in a whole lot less than this.?

?Yeah, but at least I was prepared for it! God!?

Walking over to her suitcase, she pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of black sweatpants. ?Better??

Mac looks up at the long, lean, muscled form outlined by the snug clothing. ?Not much,? he choked, earning him a swat to the arm.

Dylan eased herself down on the couch next to Mac, propped her feet up, and caged a swig of his beer before handing the bottle back. ?Now, television reception aside, why are you darkening my doorstep at this late hour??

Mac shrugged. ?Just wanted to see how the ki?I mean Ms. Hodges was doing.?

?Couple bruises, a knot on the head, but otherwise, alright. Our little thug was sniffing around again.?

?Oooh,? Mac replied, wincing in sympathy. ?Did you call the janitors in to hose off the blood spot you turned her into??

?Nah. She figured it was in her own best interests to take a hike.?

Mac snickered. ?Knew there was a brain in there somewhere. I?m glad to know Hodges is ok.?

Dylan grinned. ?Growing on you, is she??

?She?s alright,? Mac allowed. Putting his beer on the table, he shifted to face her, his expression suddenly serious. ?What are you going to do about Johnson??

?I?ll deal with him. In my own way.?

?But what about Hodges? I mean, I get the impression that she?s not exactly in the closet. How?s she going to take to this??

?I?m going to have a talk with her before draft day. Every team?s contracts have the same morality clause. Hers won?t be any different. We?ll deal with it then.?

?I know you will.?

They settled into a comfortable silence, then, and watched television until they were both yawning. Mac took himself off to his own room, and Dylan slid beneath the covers, asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow.

It was a week later, and Hodge was curled up in her blankets, feeling warm and safe and very relaxed. She could smell bacon and eggs and fresh coffee, and her stomach growled, reminding her how good it was to be home.

She opened her eyes to find the familiar surroundings of her own bedroom, or at least what had been her bedroom before she moved away to college. Now it was the haven of her oldest brother, who had easily given it up to her for the few weeks she?d be staying. The bedroom she?d remembered had morphed into that of a typical teenage boy, a little messy, and strewn with posters of the latest rock stars and bikini clad sex kittens. But it was still home, and that was all that mattered.

Outside, she could hear the boisterous shouts of her brothers as they pursued their favorite Saturday morning pastime?basketball.

Rolling out of bed, she moved to the window and lifted it, sticking her head out to confirm that there was a mean game of Horse going on below her. ?Morning guys.?

?Hey Kitty Cat!? Her father stopped in mid shot to greet her.

She smiled; the only person on the planet who could get away with that nickname was her dad.

Her bothers all joined in yelling at her, encouraging her to come down and play ball with them.

?In a little bit. I need coffee.?

?You shouldn?t drink coffee, big sister, it?ll stunt your growth.? her oldest brother, Michael called up as he stole the ball from his father.

?Don?t give up your day job, Mike,? was her droll reply as she closed the window and turned to grab her clothes.

Once dressed, she headed downstairs to the kitchen, drawn on by the savory scents of her mother?s cooking. As soon as she entered the room, her mother pressed a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

?Good morning sweetheart.?

?Morning Mom.?

?Did you sleep well?? the older woman asked as she went back to preparing breakfast for her troop.

?Like a rock,? she replied, taking a long sip of coffee. ?Mm. This is good.?

She slid into her seat at the table, and immediately noticed the morning paper, which was opened to the employment page. Her mother had obviously been hard at work. Various teaching jobs were circled in bright red ink. With a silent sigh, she shook her head and put her cup down on the table, deciding to ignore the blatant hint until she?d woken up more.

Hodge?s mother frowned as she placed a plate of bacon and eggs before her daughter, noticing the ignored paper. Turning, she made her way back to the stove. ?I ran into Mrs. Culpepper today at the beauty parlor,? she mentioned in an offhand voice.

Hodge winced, then dug into her food. ?How?s she doing??

?As well as can be expected, given her age.?

?Mom! She?s hardly ancient.?

?No, but she?s getting close to retirement age. She?s going to need a good, dependable teacher to take her place when she leaves.?