Unknown - driven

Lunch had turned into dinner, dinner had turned into drinks, and before Hodge quite knew what was happening, she found herself standing in front of Mac, Haley at her side. Her only consolation was that Mac looked as stunned as she knew she did. The expression on his face as he willingly handed over perk after perk would have been laughable if Hodge hadn?t been feeling exactly the same.

She came away with more than she?d ever thought possible, along with a very nice signing bonus tucked comfortably in her wallet. Part of that bonus was going to send her parents on the trip of their dreams. They would fight it, she knew, but stubbornness was an inherited trait, and she had inherited it in spades.

As the plane taxied to the runway and began to pick up speed, she stared at the ground rushing beneath her. It was the perfect axiom for her life.

Dylan used the hem of her jersey to wipe the sweat from her face. The sun shone brightly down on the court, causing heat to rise up from the clay in wavy, visible lines. Siegfried lay on his belly in the cool grass, head on his paws, eyes darting from the ball lying on center court to Dylan, whining.

?Hush,? Dylan said fondly as she walked over to the stone bench and lifted a warming bottle of spring water to her lips. Her cell phone rang just as she began to drink. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she traded bottle for phone and held it up to her ear. ?Lambert.?

?We?re even.?

Dylan chuckled.

?I?m serious, Dylan. Everything I ever owed you is now officially paid back. Understand??

Dylan laughed louder as she reached out for the water bottle and took a healthy sip.

?Hello??

?I?m here, Mac.?

?Yes, well, just remember?.?

?We?re even. I?ll remember.?

?Hmmph.?

?Oh come on, Mac! You put the job of finding an agent in my hands. Who?d you think I was gonna pick, huh??

?Certainly not the Bride of Satan!!?

?Oh, please. She?s not that bad.?

?Oh yeah? I?m lucky she didn?t take the shirt off my back while she was at it!?

Dylan grinned. ?She doesn?t swing that way, Mac. Not even for a stud such as yourself.?

?Ha. Ha. That woman should be outlawed.?

?Is the contract signed??

?Well, yes, but?.?

?Then everything worked out the way it was supposed to.?

?For you, maybe. When Johnson gets wind of this, I?ll be lucky to get a job digging ditches.?

?Who says he has to get wind of anything? As far as I can tell, the last time he looked at a player?s contract, Moses had just brought the tablets down from the mount.?

?Yeah, well if your mouthy little friend has anything to say about it?.?

?Come on, Mac, you know better than that. Haley might be hell on wheels, but she?s not a braggart. She?s not gonna tell anyone anything about that contract. And I don?t think Catherine will either.?

?I agree with you there. She was about as flummoxed by Ms. Hot Shot New York Lawyer as I was.?

?Well there ya go then. Maybe next time, you?ll stick to doing your own job instead of foisting it off on me, hmm??

?Hmmmph.?

Dylan laughed. ?Bye, Mac. I?ll see you in the office tomorrow.?

Ending the call, she tossed the phone back on the bench and finished off her water. Siegfried, still as a statue, whined again. Dylan rolled her eyes.

?Oh, alright. Fetch!?

With a happy bark, Siegfried jumped to his feet and ran after the ball. His huge mouth opened wide, and Dylan watched as sharp teeth, made to tear and rend, dimpled the ball?s tough skin.

?Pop it and you?re a throw rug.?

Siegfried whined, looking at her with sad eyes. After a moment, he pushed the ball toward her, barking.

Dylan stuck a foot out and hefted the ball high into the air. Siegfried barked again and leapt up, using his nose to bat the ball back to her. Taking the pass, Dylan put up a sweet, easy shot from the top of the key, smirking as it went through without touching the rim. ?Nothin? but net.?

Siegfried scrabbled after the ball, leaving claw scrapes in the brick colored clay. A fast learner, he nosed the ball back to her, then leapt in the air, his teeth snapping as she kicked it to him. The ball went off in an errant direction, but Dylan roped it in easily and, spinning, got off a shot whose arc was perfection itself. The ball swished through the net, and Siegfried happily tore after it.

They played like that for some minutes until the dog?s tongue lolled out and his muscled sides heaved with the strength of his panting. Still, he whined and shot her a pathetic look as she tucked the ball under her arm and gathered up her things from the bench.

?That?s enough for now, buddy. Maybe later after it?s dark, alright??

A happy bark was her answer, and, laughing, she walked up the short, partially wooded hill of her grounds and entered the house through the back door. She chuckled again as Siegfried rushed past her, darted into the laundry room and was soon enthusiastically drinking from the toilet.

?Men.?

Cat put the last box in the bed of her truck, a sturdy old Chevy S-10 that she?d owned since High School. Turning, she found everyone standing on the porch staring at her with wide, sad eyes. She smiled and shook her head as she jogged back over.

?I?m not leaving forever guys, come on don?t look at me like that.?

Her brothers all tried to give varying degrees of smiles. They weren?t as sincere as they could have been. ?Now come on, I promise as soon as rookie camp is over and I have some free time I?ll either come back or bring you boys up. So just be good, okay??

They nodded and then gathered around her for a hug, which she was lost in, completely covered by their warm, familiar and beloved bodies. When her brothers backed off her dad stepped forward.

?I?m so proud of you Cat. You?ve worked hard to get here. You deserve it.?

?I couldn?t have gotten here without you. I couldn?t have gotten here without my family. I love you.?

?Love you too sweetheart.? He hugged her, holding her close and kissed the top of her head. ?You be good.?

?I will Dad.?

Once her father released her, Cat turned to see her mother standing alone on the porch, her eyes brimming with tears. She walked slowly over and stepped up onto the porch, grasping her mother?s hands and holding them gently. ?Now Mom, don?t do that because if you do I will.?

?Can?t help it Cat.? She wrapped her arms around her daughter. ?My first born, the apple of my eye. I guess I couldn?t keep you from growing up, no matter how much I tried.?

?We tend to do that, Mom.?

?I know.? Sighing, she pulled her daughter?s hands up to her chest. ?I still don?t know if this is the life I would have chosen for you, Catherine. Filled with so much uncertainty.?

?Mom??

?But?I realize that you?ve grown up to be a fine woman, Cat. And any path you choose will be the right one for you. I?ll worry, but that?s what mothers are supposed to do, because no matter how old you get, you?ll always be my baby, and I love you.?

?I love you too.?

?Now you get down there and show those Badgers how things are done.?

Cat chuckled and wiped her eyes. ?I?ll do my best.?

?And you better tell that Dylan Lambert to watch after you. She may be taller than this house, young woman, but my wooden spoon is still faster than lightning and will tan her behind for her if she doesn?t.?

Cat broke into laughter at the mental image and pulled her mother close, hugging her tightly. ?I love you, Mom.?

?I love you too. Now go, before I lock you in your room and never let you out.?

Cat backed off and walked backward to her truck, waving the entire way. She got in and started the truck and backed out of the driveway. As she pulled out and drove down the road, she looked in her rearview mirror to see her brothers had run into the road, yelling and waving. She gave the horn a blast and drove toward her future.