Love on the brain (Part 17)
The chapter is also up on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576201/chapters/46098070
Three days later it’s finally game day and the whole team is hyped as can be, blasting loud music in the locker room. They know this is more than a friendly. The matches against Canada are always about bragging rights and there is no way this game is going to be friendly. When the referee blows the whistle the game starts at a fast and aggressive pace. The players don’t recoil for one second and the tackles are getting more and more brutal every passing minute. After about 20 minutes into the game, Kelley has already been fouled at least 7 times and took most of the rather harsh hits very patiently. However, Alex notices her attitude starting to shift when she attempts to make a run past Tobin just in front of the 18-yard box to overlap her and both of her legs are pulled away from behind.
“What the fuck?” Kelley exclaims, who immediately jumps to her feet hot-temperedly and starts a discussion with the ref. Alex’s breath hitches and she jogs towards the discussion with an irritated look on her face. When she arrives, she opens her mouth meaning to complain heavily, but is stopped by Kelley’s hand on her chest, pushing her backwards as she walks away herself. Alex frowns at Kelley uneasily.
“It’s okay.” Kelley reassures her calmly and Alex is quite surprised at how well Kelley is containing herself after seeing the look on her face when she jumped up. When Alex looks past Kelley, she sees the referee showing a yellow card to Fleming and motioning for a freekick. That’s when she nods at Kelley and turns around, positioning herself in the 6-yard box. Pinoe sends a perfect ball in for Alex to head and it ends up in the top left corner, putting them up 1-0 in the 22nd minute. At halftime they are leading 2-1, but the team is absolutely aggravated and frustrated by the dirty fouls the Canadians are committing. Especially, Chapman seems to be particularly frustrated with defending Alex and tries to foul her whenever she can. They also seem to take a liking in pushing Kelley and JJ over, whenever they try to build up from the back and Kelley’s tranquility is long gone. The mind-games continue in the second half, when Chapman pushes her elbow into Alex’s ribcage on a corner for the US and tries to slow down the game by fighting over a throw-in with Kelley. At this point Kelley is already shooting daggers at her, hearing Alex’s voice in her head over and over again.
“Don’t let them provoke you, that’s what they want.” she said to her in the locker room. Apparently, they really try hard to provoke Kelley and at one point it’s the final straw. Chapman comes absolutely too late into a challenge, kicking Alex’s legs away and shoving her down brutally and hostile. It’s clear to see that she’s not even trying to hit the ball one bit.
“HEY! REF!!” Kelley screams, making her way towards the scene quickly, the referee on the opposite side of the pitch.
“Referee that’s a red!!” the coaching staff yells, while the whole bench is jumping to their feet, yelling loudly as well.
“REF!! That was the hundredth time!” Crystal screams.
“What the hell?!” Tobin exclaims.
Alex miraculously hasn’t been injured in the process and instead stands up, walking in her direction furiously.
“Are you fucking insane?!” Alex yells at her.
“Fuck off, Morgan.” Chapman exclaims as she takes a step towards Alex, giving her a push.
Kelley immediately sprints towards Chapman, pushing herself in between Alex and the Canadian. Kelley puffs her chest out and the way she shields Alex it seems as if she’s a lot taller than she actually is.
“DON’T-” Kelley first yells and then remembers where she is so she tries to stay calm.
“-touch her.” Kelley spits intimidatingly, saying the words slowly and clearly, looking into Chapman’s eyes menacingly. Chapman takes a step towards Kelley, pushing her forehead against Kelley’s hot-headedly.
“Kel.” Alex tries nervously, tugging at Kelley’s arm, but Kelley just looks at the Canadian fearlessly, staring her down, not moving one inch.
“What are you gonna do about it, O’Hara?” Chapman provokes with an evil smile, her tone arrogant.
“I’m going to fucking kill you if you dare to shove her one more time.” Kelley threatens, walking forward and forcing Chapman to take a few steps backwards in the process, who suddenly looks intimidated. Kelley really uses every bit of willpower in her body to try to stay calm, however Chapman doesn’t seem as if she is trying at all. She puts her hands against Kelley’s chest, shoving her hard, thinking it’s the only way out. Kelley on the other hand doesn’t back down. She’s standing in front of Alex immovable as a mountain. She holds out her arms, challenging Chapman to shove her.
“Yeah, come on. Push me again.” Kelley provokes with a chuckle, hitting her hands against her own chest. Chapman gets absolutely furious, her face turning bright red, letting Kelley get to her. She starts shoving Kelley repeatedly, blind with rage. The whole rumble since the initial foul happens so fast and the crowd is so loud that Kelley doesn’t even hear the referee aggressively blowing her whistle repeatedly, making a full sprint over the field.
“Try pushing harder, Chapman.” Kelley laughs, making the Canadian’s blood boil. What happens next makes everyone in the stadium hold their breath for a millisecond.
“Look out!” Alex barley gets out and the referee is not fast enough when Chapman swings her fist towards Kelley’s head. However, what no one expected is Kelley dodging the swing and catching Chapman off-balance by pushing her to the ground. Chapman jumps up, charging for Kelley, but the referee puts her hands between both players who try to go at it again.
“Back down, immediately!” the ref instructs.
“Come at me O’Hara, try defending your pathetic girlfriend.”
Meanwhile, both teams have gathered around the fight. Everybody is arguing, yelling, negotiating and pulling each other in opposing directions. JJ, Becky and Alex all try to hold Kelley back at this point, who is trying to make her way around them, while Megan, Tobin, Lindsey and Crystal walk towards the referee, starting to complain loudly. At the sidelines both coaches are arguing and yelling at the 3rd official, while the coaching staff is trying to hold the subs back from storming the field. The Canadians try holding Chapman back as well, who’s still provoking Kelley. There is total chaos on the pitch and in the whole stadium.
“Enough, Kel. Come on, be smart, walk away from it.” Becky warns strictly and Kelley starts turning around to do so when Chapman raises her voice again.
“Next time I’m going for your girlfriend’s left foot, O’Hara.” Chapman provokes, her teammates shoving her away, while the referee immediately shows Chapman the red card, making the crowd erupt in loud cheers. Kelley spins on her heel and goes absolutely berserk. She tries escaping her teammates grips, who are holding her back with all their power.
“You fucking bi-“ Kelley yells, but Alex covers her mouth with her hand. Luckily, the referee is in a full-on argument with Megan, Crystal and Tobin who demanded the red card furiously.
“Kelley, calm down! Hey guys, help us here.” JJ yells.
Lindsey, as well as Rose and Abby jog towards them, helping to keep Kelley away, who is full of adrenaline.
Becky and JJ shove Kelley away at the same time, creating a bit of space between them and Kelley. When Kelley takes a step forward again, Alex steps in her way.
But Kelley just looks past Alex, now also blind with rage. Alex takes Kelley’s face in her hands, forcing her to look at her.
“Hey!!! Look me in the eyes and calm down!” Alex yells. Kelley’s eyes lock with Alex’s and she immediately breaks out of her tunnel vision, nodding at Alex.
“Turn around and walk away. Right. Now.” Alex commands and so Kelley does, followed by Crystal, Megan and Tobin, who Alex and Becky pulled away from the referee, who was just moments away from carding them as well. Kelley walks towards the sideline, grabbing a water bottle while Alex, Becky and Sinclair talk to the referee. Alex is absolutely livid while vehemently discussing the whole incident with the referee. Meanwhile, the team and the staff gather around Kelley to check if she’s hurt. Kelley doesn’t speak a word, knowing she is too angry right now. After a lot of complaining Chapman is forced off the field by the 3rd official and the referee gestures for Kelley to come to her. Kelley avoids eye-contact with anyone, already expecting the worst.
“Miss O’Hara, I have to be clear here, I don’t condone this kind of behavior, neither from Miss Chapman nor from you.” the referee says strictly.
“I absolutely understand, but I saw my teammate being threatened and I was simply defending her.” Kelley answers respectfully, but still a little bit defensive due to not being able to calm down. The referee eyes her closely, searching for any sign of a lie. Kelley looks back at her stoically. The referee takes a deep breath and makes her decision.
“Look, you’re fortunate I count the shoving as self-defense. I don’t want to see or hear anything from you for the rest of the game. If I spot the slightest act of aggression you are out. Understood?” the ref says strictly. Kelley nods and starts running to her position while the referee shows her a yellow card, causing loud bows from the crowd.
"This is a very dark yellow, O'Hara." the ref underlines.
“It’s okay, Kel! Full concentration and clever defending.” Jill calls from the sideline, trying to build up Kelley’s confidence again.
“Don’t worry, you got this.” Becky encourages her, patting her back as she jogs past her. She gets a back pat from Abby and Rose on her way back to her position as well.
“Go, Kel!” Crystal yells from the other side of the field, clapping her hands. The rest of the game is still a hard-fought battle, but Kelley defends clever enough to avoid a red card. They’re up 3-1 thanks to a goal by Megan in the 80th minute and when the referee blows the final whistle Kelley is relieved, but nevertheless still angry. She walks across the field to shake everybody’s hand, earning encouragements by her teammates as well as a few apologies or evil eyes from the Canadians. However, when Kelley sees Jill coming her way at a steady pace, she lowers her head, looking to the ground in fear and a bit of embarrassment. Jill puts one arm on Kelley’s back, grabbing her by the neck and patting her shoulder with the other while changing their course. She pulls her away from the other players to walk in the direction of the player’s tunnel.
“Kel, why do you let your head hang like that?”
“That was so stupid.” Kelley growls, shaking her head.
“It was. You shouldn’t have shoved her and most of all you should have walked away without hesitation when the ref arrived. You’re very lucky the referee saw your intentions and as your coach I need to tell you that.”
Kelley nods at what Jill is telling her.
“But I also know that you were defending yourself at that point. And to be quite frank I was rather impressed by your amount of self-control throughout the game. I bet younger Kelley would have gotten the red card for sure and I think most of your teammates were on the brink of it as well while yelling at the referee. As for Chapman, that was a clear red from the moment she tackled Alex.”
“That’s the point, she tackled Alex, not me.”
“It’s okay to protect your teammates if they get pushed around, as long as you don’t do what Chapman did or repeat your mistakes.”
“She isn’t just my teammate though.” Kelley grumbles.
“Oh Kelley come on, now you’re just searching for a reason to be mad at yourself. I think I know you pretty well by now. You would have helped any teammate in that situation. We are a team, we care about each other, we help each other. We need somebody who brings that fire to the team, it makes the team passionate and brings us together.”
“Maybe, but still. I should have been smarter.”
“Do you regret what you did?” Jill asks knowingly.
Kelley looks at Jill, considering her answer, but stays with the truth.
“That’s what I thought.” Jill laughs, causing Kelley to chuckle as well.
“Of course, be smarter, learn from it, but what’s done cannot be undone. I don’t want you to think you’re undeserving of playing for us because of this.” Jill insists, eyeing Kelley closely. Kelley looks up at her surprised, feeling caught red-handed.
“Thanks Jill.” Kelley smiles tightly, feeling massively relieved.
“I told you, it’s okay. Now go cool off in the shower, I know you’re still fuming.” Jill says, letting go of Kelley’s neck and shoving her lightly past the line of media, who are yelling her name loudly, trying to get a statement. Kelley starts walking to the locker room, throwing her shin guards against her locker. Since she isn’t really in the mood to talk, she quickly heads for the shower, knowing her teammates will fill up the pleasant silence with loud chatting soon. When she reenters the locker room, her body feels a whole lot better, but her mind doesn’t seem to catch a break. Her gaze wanders to Alex’s locker, however she’s not there, her belongings still untouched. Kelley stops in the doorway, scanning the room. Everybody is there, except for her fiancée. She is pulled out of her thoughts when she hears her name.
“Kel? Are you okay?” Mal asks carefully.
“You’re blocking the way.” Mal smiles unsure, gesturing to the door. Only now does Kelley really look at Mal, who is standing in front of her in a towel, her bottle of shampoo in hand, a line already forming behind her.
“O’Hara are you sure Chapman didn’t hit your head?” Sonnett jokes.
Kelley steps aside quickly, looking at the ground.
“It’s about damn time, some people are trying to shower here.” Crystal chuckles, as they all walk past Kelley. Julie is the last to walk past her and Kelley stops her by her arm.
“JJ, have you seen Alex?”
“Press conference.” Julie smiles empathically.
“She’ll be okay, she’s a pro.” Julie squeezes Kelley’s shoulder, before disappearing behind the door.
On her way to her locker, Dawn holds out a bottle with her post match drink. Kelley grabs the bottle and forcefully throws it against her locker.
“Fuck!” she exclaims, causing the few people who are still in the locker room to go dead silent and look at her worriedly. Kelley bangs her fists against the locker and lets herself flop down, crossing her arms irately. She then jumps up, quickly putting on her clothes and charges for the door.
“Hey, Kelley, where are you going?” Dawn calls after her, but gets no response. Kelley jogs down the hallway, following the signage until she stands behind Jill, who is leaning against a doorframe, watching the press conference closely.
Jill turns around, looking at Kelley perplexed.
“Kelley, what are you doing here?”
“Jill, I want you to get her out of there, right now.” Kelley says impatiently.
“Alex, what can you tell us about the general mood of the game?” a reporter asks.
“Well…it was an intense game. Canada is always a tough opponent and they did a good job at defending our attack, but ultimately we managed to put the ball in the back of the net.”
“What can you say regarding the attitude of the players on both teams? There clearly was some tension.”
“Uhm, just like I said, Canada is one of our oldest rivalries. The games are always about glory and that naturally shapes the game.”
Kelley looks at Jill intensely.
“Kel, somebody has to do this.”
“Yeah and that’s me, not her.”
“But Miss Morgan, you clearly were involved in an incident with Canada’s number 2 Allysha Chapman, which ended in a fight between Kelley O’Hara and Chapman. How did it come to that and had your personal relationship with Miss O’Hara something to do with the fight?”
Kelley looks at Alex concerned, making a mental note to demolish that reporter. She then gazes at Jill demandingly. Alex feels her heart starting to beat faster, the color draining from her face. She pauses, taking her time to think about an appropriate answer. That’s when Jill nods at Kelley.
“Pull her out.” Jill instructs Aaron, their spokesman, who acts immediately.
“Okay, thank you ladies and gentlemen. Alex won’t be available for further questions.”
A roar goes through the press room and Alex looks at Aaron confused.
“Instead you’ll be able to talk to Kelley O’Hara about the incident.” he proceeds and Alex’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. When she is urged to leave the room, Kelley walks past her and Alex throws her a look saying: “Are you out of your mind?”, but Kelley looks away quickly.
“What the hell is she doing?” Alex whisper yells, when she stops next to Jill.
“She is setting things straight and to be quite frank, she’s also saving your ass.” Jill chuckles.
“Kelley, why did you interfere when Allysha Chapman tackled Alex?”
“The atmosphere of the game was boiling over at that moment and I was in close proximity to the situation.”
“Is it true that Chapman threatened you or Alex?”
“Both Chapman and I may not have behaved appropriately, however there was no malicious intention on my side, it was self-defense. Regarding Miss Chapman, you’ll have to ask her, I can only speak on my behalf.”
“Why didn’t you just wait until the referee arrived?”
“To my knowledge the referee was on the other side of the field at the time of the incident and I saw a necessity in stepping in before somebody got hurt.”
“Is the fight between you and Miss Chapman based on personal matters?”
“Absolutely not. As Alex said before, the Canada games are always very competitive and situations like those happen in the heat of the moment.”
“Kelley you probably could have gotten a red card, would that have influenced the dynamics of the game?”
“Yeah, probably.” Kelley shrugs.
“What are the consequences for the team regarding a send off?”
“That we play with 10 from then on.” Kelley answers with an irritated chuckle, causing the other journalist to laugh loudly. Alex senses Kelley starting to get impatient about the senseless questions and closes her eyes, afraid Kelley will make things worse. However, Kelley seems to realize that she probably should elaborate and give a proper answer.
“Look, we are talking about what-if’s here. Those are all speculations. What I know is that I didn’t get a red. But if you really insist, I think this team is very experienced and they would have dealt with it professionally. We have each other’s backs and I know I would give my all if one of my teammates was sent off. That’s the game. If the referee makes her decision that’s what it is and you take it and you move on. However, in this case the referee decided against it and saw that I was simply protecting a teammate of mine. As for the shove, that was pretty unnecessary and I’m aware of that, that’s what I got my yellow card for.”
“But Miss O’Hara, isn’t it true that you and Miss Morgan are involved with each other off the field?” the same journalist asks, who had already asked Alex the same obtrusive question.
“What the hell is this, a cross-examination?! Aaron, we have to stop that!” Alex exclaims appalled and Aaron turns on his microphone to help Kelley. However, Alex sees something flicker in Kelley’s eyes and she watches as Kelley’s demeanor changes completely. She stares at the man steely-eyed, radiating a fierce and ruthless attitude, outstaring the man, who looks away insecurely, before starting to answer the question.
“Yes, I think it’s common knowledge that we are in a relationship.” Kelley answers indifferently, with an edge to her voice.
“So, does your relationship with Miss Morgan affect your game and specifically did that affect the incident on the field toni-”
“What’s your name?” Kelley interrupts the reporter.
“Oh, shit.” Alex whispers to herself.
“Eh…I-I’m M-Mason Newman.” the reporter replies with a stutter.
“Are you in a relationship?”
“Does your relationship affect your ability to ask me questions tonight?”
“Ehm, why does that matter? That’s quite personal.” he answers shakily.
“Yeah, exactly. Yet, you’re asking me the same question.” Kelley reasons calmly, totally in control of the situation. The reporter looks at Kelley speechlessly, white as a sheet, not able to even bring out one word.
“Well, Mr. Newman, I know what you want me to say, but let me break it down for you one more time, so there’s no miscommunication.”
She pulls up the sleeves of her shirt and Alex watches her fascinated.
“Again, I stepped in because a teammate of mine was in a precarious situation. That’s what we do on this team. That’s what makes us a team. Our bond on and off the field fosters our success and our performance on the field. We all care about each other deeply and that is what makes us strong. So no, I can’t see why MY particular relationship with Alex would play a role in that and yes, at the same time it is the only reason I stepped in. With that being said, I would have stepped in for any of those 22 women and I would do it again.” Kelley says eloquently. She then leans back in her chair and looks at Aaron.
“Any further questions?” Aaron asks through the microphone, however there is silence in the room, Kelley’s answer having muzzled the reporters.
“Alright, if that isn’t the case, we’ll end the conference with Kelley here.”
“Thank you for your time.” Kelley smiles charmingly, before standing up to leave the room. A typical smile Kelley wears when she absolutely smashed something. It seems charming, but Alex knows it’s triumphant, defiant and a whole lot of cocky.
“Alex, you still have to give an interview since you’re named player of the match. Follow me.” Aaron urges, rushing Alex to another room.
“Smashed it out of the park, Kelley.” Jill high fives Kelley.
Kelley nods absentmindedly, watching Alex disappear down the hallway.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the press conference with Jill Ellis is starting in 3 minutes.” another member of the press team announces through a microphone.
“Talk to you later, Kel.”
Kelley doesn’t bother to answer and trots down the hallway, making her way back to the locker room, where she immediately is called by the physiotherapists for some post game treatment. She lays down on the treatment table, closes her eyes and puts her headphones on, tuning out her surroundings. Meanwhile, Alex makes her way through the hallways, doing interview after interview. She’s pretty glad that no one seems to dare to talk about the fight again, since Kelley shut them all up at the press conference. Her mood is continuing to switch between being really mad at Kelley and being very proud of her for taking responsibility as well as defending her. It’s a struggle she seems to face more often than she would like these days, but who is she kidding, that’s just Kelley and how is she supposed to be mad at that. Alex’s thoughts are interrupted by a familiar voice, she can’t really match to a person.
Alex turns around only to be met with none other than Allysha Chapman. Alex considers for a split second to just walk away, but she ultimately decides against it. Instead she stops and looks at her judgingly, crossing her arms. Chapman who first looked determined, now seems to be a little intimidated and lets out a breath to calm herself.
“Look Morgan, I’m sorry. That was totally over the top and just dumb. I never would mean to seriously harm you. I was just so frustrated by the game and it really brought out the worst in me. I hope you can forgive me.”
Alex looks at her closely, seeing only pure intentions and pulls herself together.
“I understand that. It was an intense game and I know Kelley provoked you, which wasn’t okay at all. You know, I’m not one for holding grudges, that was never my thing. I don’t know about Kelley, but as for me, we are good.”
Chapman smiles at Alex, meaning to say something but Alex is talking again before she has the chance.
“Still, there is one thing I want you to know and I hope you understand me loud and clear when I say that if I see you come at my fiancée like that again, you’re dead. And Chapman, I ensure you, if you didn’t like Kelley getting mad at you, then you don’t want to see me.” Alex clarifies, her icy blue eyes boring right into her soul.
Chapman looks at Alex a little bit surprised and wide eyed. If Alex wouldn’t have watched her so closely, she would have missed Chapmans small gasp for air without question, but Alex takes note of it and therefore is sure her message came across. Chapman nods quickly.
“Yeah, won’t happen again.” she mumbles intimidated.
“Good. Truce?” Alex replies with a smile on her face, holding out her hand.
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When the team announces that it’s time to leave the stadium, Kelley is the first to quietly jump up to make her way to the bus. However, she is stopped by Allie holding onto her arm. Kelley turns around short-tempered, looking at Allie’s hand on her arm warningly.
Instead of answering Kelley just looks at Allie numbly and frees herself from her grip, walking out of the room. When she arrives at the bus, she sits down in her designated spot and once again closes her eyes, leaning against the window. When the other players enter the bus, they know better than to talk to her, her body posture clearly showing she is not in the mood for a conversation. Alex, Pinoe, Carli, Jill and the press team are the last to arrive. Alex enters the bus and stops at her typical spot next to Allie, remaining standing, looking at Allie questioningly, who is also still standing and looking at Alex worriedly.
“She hasn’t talked to anyone since the incident on the field, except for when she asked JJ where you were and the staff told me she had an outburst in the locker room.” Allie informs Alex quietly so no one can hear.
Alex cranes her head, trying to find Kelley in her typical spot. She sighs deeply when she’s able to see a very miserable looking Kelley. Her body tense, forehead creased, jaw clenched and her eyes straining to stay closed.
“I tried talking to her, but she didn’t respond.”
“Thanks, Al.” Alex says softly, giving her a tight-lipped smile and squeezes her shoulder.
Alex places her bag on the seat next to Allie and makes her way to Kelley’s row. She sits down in the spot next to Kelley and watches her face closely. Alex then lays her head on Kelley’s shoulder and reaches for her hand. She intertwines them and starts stroking the back of her hand. Alex looks up at Kelley, waiting for any kind of reaction and she doesn’t have to wait long. Kelley lays her head on top of Alex’s gently without opening her eyes. Alex lets out a breath of relief and kisses Kelley’s shoulder softly, before laying her head on her shoulder again, closing her eyes as well. A few seconds later, Alex feels a tender kiss being pressed to her head, followed by the weight of Kelley’s head on her head again, mimicking Alex’s action. That’s how they remain for the rest of the drive.
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The team exits the bus and immediately is scurried to the dining room. Amidst the chaos that is caused due to the players and staff all rushing into the hotel, Alex’s step falters when she realizes that Kelley, who was right behind her has disappeared. Thinking that she may have passed her, she walks into the dining room where she puts her bag down in her usual spot. She turns around and searches her, but she’s nowhere to be found.
“Has somebody seen Kel?” Alex asks into the round.
“Hmm, no maybe she went to the bathroom.” Adrianna shrugs.
“Come on you clinger, she’ll be back, let’s get some food.” Allie says trying to cheer Alex up.
Alex gives Allie a meaningful look, silently telling her not to play it down.
“I know Al, but maybe she really only went to the bathroom.” Allie comforts her.
With a sigh Alex follows Allie to the buffet. When Alex returns to the table with her plate and Kelley still isn’t there her impatience rises, but she starts to eat nevertheless, thinking she may just overreact. After a while her leg bounces up and down and she stares at the door every two seconds. Eventually, someone elbows her in the ribs. Alex turns to look at Allie.
“Jesus, would you calm down? Go search her then.” Allie says meaningfully.
Alex is up on her feet immediately and exits the room. Alex considers looking in their room, but decides against it and heads directly to the gym. She hears loud noises when she comes closer and it doesn’t surprise her to see Kelley angrily doing weight training at a fast pace while her music is blasting loudly. Alex presses the mute button on the control which is laying by the door, leaving the room silent apart from Kelley’s heavy pants and the noise of the weights clinking together slightly. Alex approaches Kelley, who is doing bench presses and halts in front of the bench. However, she still doesn’t stop.
“Kel, stop.” Alex says laying her hand on her stomach gently. Kelley sets the weights down and sits up, looking at the ground and brushing her hands through her face.
“Are you mad?” she asks with a small voice and then looks up at Alex like a kicked puppy.
“No. I’m not.” Alex shakes her head.
“Would that make you feel better?”
Kelley looks down again, “At least then I wouldn’t have to be so angry at myself.”
“Babe.” Alex says softly, pushing her hand through Kelley’s hair, who remains silent.
“You can’t always punish yourself with silence or a workout. Talk to me instead.” Alex tries gently. There is a long pause before Kelley speaks again.
“I couldn’t.” Kelley exhales, pushing the top of her head against Alex’s stomach.
Alex senses that Kelley isn’t talking about punishing herself, but about what happened on the field before.
“It’s okay.” Alex says softly, her hand stroking Kelley’s neck.
“I can’t just stand and watch, Alex.” Kelley says, her right hand turning into a fist, lightly hitting the bench.
“I know you are and I know you just wanted to protect me, but you wanted her to lose control and that’s not okay. That was dangerous, Kel.”
Kelley’s head whips up and she looks at Alex seriously.
“Alex, she had no intention of even coming anywhere near the ball. She wanted to hurt you.” she makes her case.
“Yeah and that was nasty, as well as her going for you. Still, you shouldn’t have provoked her.”
“Of course I shouldn’t have, but she was being a bitch and I won’t let her touch you or talk to you like that.”
“And I love how you care for me, but Kel just put yourself in her shoes. You intimidated her and she didn’t know what to do next. I think it was poor judgement.”
“Well, she should be intimidated and if intimidating her gets my point across then that’s what it’s going to be. At least she is not going to touch you as long as I am on this planet. I’ll talk to some people tomorrow.”
“Don’t…she won’t be a problem anymore.”
Kelley eyes Alex suspiciously, “Why are you so sure of that?”
“Do you seriously think I’m letting her off the hook after she swung at you?? Mhm-mhm, you’re not the only one who doesn’t like when somebody is trying to offend their fiancée, O’Hara.” Alex says disapprovingly.
“What did you do??” Kelley asks astonished.
“Not much. I just had a little chat with her and I think she understood me loud and clear.”
Kelley whistles at Alex, “Damn, baby. Poor Chapman is crying herself to sleep tonight.”
“She has no reason to. We called a truce.”
“Wow, a truce?” Kelley asks unconvinced.
“Yes, and you’ll abide by that too, right?” Alex rather demands than asks.
“If it brings you joy.” Kelley grumbles.
“Thanks, tiger.” Alex winks, with a kissy face.
“Alex, I really tried to stay calm though.” Kelley says quietly, who feels that it is important to get this off her chest.
“I know you did babe and I think everyone struggled to stay calm in that game. So, don’t think I didn’t appreciate you helping me, I was just worried about you.” Alex says gently, stroking Kelley’s cheek, who gives her a soft smile.
“However, don’t even get me started on the press conference.” Alex sighs, letting her hand fall.
Kelley looks at Alex with a pained expression.
“You shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
“Kel, that’s not the point. YOU shouldn’t have been there in the first place. What the hell were you thinking?!”
“If it wouldn’t have been for me, they wouldn’t have asked those questions. That was my fault and I’m not letting you pay for that. Especially if some douche is asking those stupid questions.”
“Just one more reason to be mad at you.” Alex rolls her eyes and Kelley looks at her defeatedly.
“Every damn time I want to be mad at you, you do those crazy attractive, intelligent, cute things and that just makes everything worse.” Alex grumbles annoyed and a light smile is born on Kelley’s face.
“Aw babe, I’m sorry.” Kelley grins, standing up and starting to kiss Alex’s jaw.
“No, I’m not accepting that.” Alex responds, while Kelley peppers light kisses along her jawline.
“You’re literally the worst person to be mad at.” she rambles on. Kelley goes for her ear, kissing her earlobe.
“Don’t think I’m giving in to those awesome kisses.” Alex breathes heavily, clearly distracted by Kelley pressing kisses to the corner of her mouth.
Alex pulls away, looking at Kelley warningly, “If you think I’m falling for that, you’re wro-“
“-ng” Alex mutters against Kelley’s lips, who just goes straight for a kiss.
“Oh, sorry I interrupted you, did you want me to stop?” Kelley smirks, pulling away.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Alex says, pulling Kelley in by her shirt, continuing the kiss.
“I swear you couldn’t live a day without kissing me.” Kelley smirks in between kisses.
“Of course, I could!” Alex protests, pulling away completely.
“Challenge accepted!” Alex frowns.
“What? Babe, that wasn’t a challenge.” Kelley says confused.
“Oh, now you backpedal?” Alex grins triumphantly.
“Not everything is a competition, Miss Morgan.” Kelley shakes her head with a chuckle.
“Okay, try it then, but let’s make it a real challenge for you.”
“I’m allowed to initiate a kiss whenever I want, but if it is initiated by you, you lose.”
“You’re so gonna lose, babe.” Kelley chuckles.
“No I’m not, want to know why?”
“Because I’m Alex Morgan.” Alex says cockily and Kelley locks at her skeptically.
“Nothing is never nothing!”
“I just think you’re going to lose.”
“Because you’re Alex Morgan.”
“What’s that’s supposed to mean?”
“A very reliable source told me that Alex Morgan has one weakness.”
“And that would be what?”
“Her irresistible fiancée, duuuh.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
They stare at each other intensely, silence lingering.
“Doesn’t start till tomorrow, right?”
“Perfect.” Alex breathes before kissing Kelley flamingly. She pushes Kelley backwards, her back hitting the wall hard, causing a loud thud.
“Shit, I’m sorry! Are you okay?” Alex asks worried.
“I’m okay. So much anger today.” Kelley teases with a grin.
“Sorry.” Alex mumbles quietly. Kelley takes hold of Alex’s chin, making her look at her, their gazes connecting.
“I like it.” Kelley winks, pressing a swift kiss to her lips, causing Alex to smile at her.
“How did you even find me in the first place?” Kelley asks astonished.
“Babe, I know you better than I know myself and torturing yourself with a workout after something bad happened, even after you played a 90-minute game, is the most Kelley thing ever.”
Kelley lays her arm around Alex, starting to walk out of the gym, “Yeah, that might be true. Wanna know what’s the most Alex thing?”
