#first up

But there is someone that does have to get up early this morning. Someone who has not been doing a great job of hiding her nerves about another year, about doing everything right for her teammates. Emily has been tossing and turning all night, though Kelley will never tell her, because then Emily will just spend the morning unnecessarily apologizing for ruining Kelley’s sleep. 

Kelley slips out of the bed quietly so that Emily can sleep just a little bit longer. Pregame pancakes have been Emily’s go-to as long as Kelley has known her, so she pulls out the skillet and the bunch of bananas she bought at the market yesterday. The smell wafting through their home seems to have woken Emily, who comes padding out of the bedroom with rumpled hair and a barely-there soft smile. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kelley grins, handing Emily a cup of coffee and earning a grumble in return as she sits down at the kitchen island. Kelley slides a plate in front of Emily a few minutes later, piled high with fluffy pancakes and an extra side of fruit. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Emily asks, but she’s staring at her breakfast. 

“Should I give you two some privacy?” Kelley laughs as she cleans up. 

“Well, we don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Emily says through a mouthful of food, “but it’s probably for the best.”

Later on, Kelley convinces Emily to let her drive them to the stadium, for old times sake, promising to find ways to entertain herself in the hours before the game starts. Emily agrees, but maintains complete control of the music, testing out her locker room playlist that she was asked to curate by some of her younger teammates. 

When Kelley drops her off at the entrance, she comes around to the passenger side, hugging Emily tightly and wishing her good luck. 

“You’re gonna kill it, baby,” she says, “I can’t wait to cheer you on.”

“It’s gonna be different this time,” Emily says softly, “lots of changes.”

And in so many ways, Emily is wrong. She’s fierce on the field, tackling away opponents and defending her goal with all her might, the same way she always has. 

But in one big way, she is right, things are different this season. The biggest change though, is one not many might notice right away. Kelley insisted on Emily keeping her last name, at least professionally, after they got married, so the name on the jersey isn’t different, but the number has changed.  

During the offseason, Gotham approached Kelley about retiring her number, the number she wore for the old Sky Blue at the start of her career and the one she finished her career in, under a new Gotham crest, but she declined. Instead, as the team walks out onto the field for their first game of the season, Emily has a new number on her back.