A/N: I've done some edited to the story. Nothing major, but I did rework the end of Chapter 11. I think it makes a little more sense. Just a heads up.

It took a lot of convincing on Mara's part, but finally Kelsey and Nora came around to the idea of a girls' night out on the town. It had been a really good time, but then they stopped at O'Malley's.

"What the hell are they doing here?" Mara groaned. It didn't take the trio long to spot a couple of familiar faces in the crowd. "I figured they'd be at Sally's if they went out. Unless of course…"

Kelsey cowered under Mara's gaze. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"Look, we haven't been spotted yet so let's get some drinks at the bar. We'll form a plan of attack," Nora suggested.

Mara liked this tactic. She wasn't quite ready to face all the boys at once. When drinks were in hand, the girls lingered by the bar. Three pairs of eyes roamed the room, taking stock of which boys had come out, where they were, and what they were doing. A few of them were on the dance floor. Others were at the other bar across the room. It took them longer to spot the table where a handful more were camped out.

"Don't look now, Mara, but someone's taking advantage of your absence."

Following Nora's gaze, Mara wasn't all that surprised to find the girl who had made it her mission in life to leech onto Silky at every available opportunity, Jeanine. Silky had his arm resting on the back of chair that Jeanine was sitting in, and the vulture looked absolutely smitten. For a fleeting moment, Mara pictured herself walking across the room and dumping her drink over the top of the girl's head, but then it passed and Mara just stared, watching their interaction with narrowed eyes.

"That's nothing new. She's been working on him for months."

"Shall we go over and break up the party?" Nora asked with a sly grin.

"I'm not ready just yet, but you go." Mara tossed a look at Kelsey but realized she disappeared. A quick scan of the room found Kelsey wrapped around Bah on the dance floor. With Nora weaving her way toward the table of hockey players, Mara was left standing alone. She did not have much time to process being alone because all of the sudden someone held up a shot glass in front of her face.

"You look like you could use this."

"What's in it?" Mara asked, taking the tiny glass and peering down at the liquid with uncertainty.

"It's just tequila. I actually bought it for someone else but then I saw you standing here all pathetic-like, so I figured you needed it more."

"Gee thanks, Jack. You sure know how to make a girl feel special!" Mara eyed the liquor skeptically, knowing the contents would be of the cheap variety. Without thinking about it further, she tilted her head back and downed the liquid, pulling a face as it burned her throat.

"That's a girl," Jack said with a wry grin. "Now, come on – I can't just leave you here."

Mara grinned appreciatively and followed Jack across the room to where Christian, Jimmy, and Suter were standing with a group of simpering girls. She was immediately greeted by multiple unfriendly once-overs by the girls while saying hello to the boys. Jack was quickly reclaimed by the girl who likely should have received the shot. She sneered at Mara outright. It took every ounce of will power in her not to roll her eyes and walk away, but Mara wasn't about to let them think they had the upper hand. Instead, she smiled sweetly.

"I don't think we've ever met," she said, looking Jack's girl square in the eye. "I've seen you around though – at games, I think. I'm Mara."

The girl considered Mara for a moment and then replied, rather reluctantly. "I'm Karen – that's Julie and Colleen."

"We go to as many games as we can," Julie added matter-of-factly.

It was not news to Mara. These girls practically had the word 'vulture' stamped across their foreheads. They were part of the convergence that waited outside the rink after games. In fact, Mara was almost certain that Jeanine was a part of their flock. It would explain the disdain radiating from their every look. But Mara continued to smile, ignoring the looks of amusement from the boys.

"It's nice to meet all of you." She paused to see if they would take the conversation any further. When it didn't seem likely, she eyed both Julie and Colleen, not sure which one she would offend the most, and asked, "Can I steal Davey for a dance?"

Colleen pressed her lips together. It was very clear that she did mind, but silently shook her head, no. Mara flashed a smile and then pulled Christian onto the dance floor, relieved to be away from the tension.

"You're good," Christian said simply. He looked impressed by something.

"What do you mean?"

"How'd you know I wanted out of there?"

"I didn't." Mara laughed. "I knew if I asked Jack that Karen girl would probably try to rip my hair out. I don't know Jimmy or Suter all that well, so you were the winner."

"Lucky me," he replied with a grin. 'You seem pretty scrappy. I bet you'd take that girl in a fight."

Smiling, Mara said, "So, no interest in Colleen, eh?"

Christian shook his head. "Do you remember Cindy – from the club a few weeks ago?"

"Is she the one that broke Jack's heart?"

"Yeah," Christian said with a chuckle. "We've been seeing each other since that night, as much as we can."

Mara was just about to offer a positive reply when Verchota moved beside them with his dance partner.

"So you're moving in on Davey now, Mara?"

Her expression grew dark. "What the hell do you think?"

"I think you're going to ruin this team."

Mara's jaw dropped. It felt like someone punched her in the chest.

Even Christian looked stunned by the comment, but spoke up in her defense. "Leave her alone, Philly. We were just dancing. No harm in that."

Verchota replied, but Mara didn't hear it. She was too focused on his last comment. Is that really what people thought? Suddenly the room felt very hot. If she didn't get fresh air immediately, she was afraid she would pass out. Turning away from the two bickering hockey players, Mara pushed through the crowd.

Throwing herself outside, the cold air hit her like a brick wall, but it cleared her mind instantly. She still felt a little dizzy from the surge of emotion. The phrase "ruin this team" ran through her head. Feeling a sudden rush in her stomach, Mara leaned over a nearby garbage can just in time to be sick.

"Are you okay?"

Mara did not need to look up. She knew that voice. He was always around at the worse possible moment. It was becoming a trend. At least now she felt a little better and could deal with him accordingly.

"No, I'm not," she snapped, straightening up. "I have too much to drink and Philly just…"

The words caught in her throat. Rob was the last person she wanted to talk to about Verchota. He stared at her in anticipation of his teammate's latest antics. "What did he do?"

"Forget it. It's not important." Mara paused and studied Rob for a moment while she determined what to say next. His eyebrows were knit together with obvious concern after witnessing her vomit. He watched her intently as she made up her mind to just ask him point blank. "Have you ever had feelings for me as more than a friend?"

Rob looked momentarily baffled by such a direct question, but quickly pulled himself together to answer a simple, "Yes."

"When?"

"I don't know – off and on for the last four years."

"And now?"

"We're friends, aren't we?" He seemed frustrated by the questions. "Why are you asking?"

"Good. Friends is great!" she replied, relieved. "I think other people are too invested in our relationship. It makes me crazy. I keep wondering if there is something I'm missing – you know?"

"I think I do," Rob said with a nod. "So, what did Philly do now?"

Mara heaved a sigh. 'He was teasing me about dancing with Davey and then took it too far – said I would ruin the team."

"That's harsh even for Phil," Rob replied, shaking his head.

"The only thing I can figure, knowing him, it's probably about some stupid bet he made," Mara said with a laugh and then added sarcastically, "When will Rob and Mara finally hook up?"

"Yeah, too bad for him, that already happened," Rob said with a grin.

Mara nodded, suddenly forced to remember the night she spent with Rob almost two years ago. It was something they rarely spoke about, so it surprised her that he brought it up now. The little trip down memory lane was cut short as Nora stepped out on the street and charged toward them. She was clearly on a mission.

"Damn it, Mara! I've been looking all over for you." Nora paused to assess the situation. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all," Rob replied quickly.

"We were just agreeing on our mutual status as friends," Mara added, glad to be done with that conversation. "No big deal."

Nora looked amused, but then remembered why she had been searching for Mara. "So, you're going to want to go inside and straighten out your boyfriend. He is absolutely trashed – and if you don't intervene, he will probably end up taking that Jeanine skank home with him."

"Are you serious?"

"They are looking awfully cozy on the dance floor, Mar. I went looking for you and ran into Davey. He told me you were out here."

"I'll kill him if that happens," Rob said with a dark expression.

"I don't need your help, Robbie," Mara explained. "I can take care of this on my own."