"We're up against Dallas on Christmas Eve, our long time rivals." Alex grumbled, tossing a football in the air and catching it. "With Jalen out for his shoulder right now, this game can go one of two ways. And I have a not-so-good feeling it'll be the second one."
    "You just need to keep your head up, uncle Alex...! I believe you can take them down..." Jin smiled, writing some things down for History. His uncle chuckled on the other end, setting his ball next to him on the couch.
    "You're right, mi hijo. We've beaten them once, we can do it again. How's everyone back in Beigoma?"
    "Everyone is good... Mama got promoted at the daycare and dad has been helping her around the house after Serenity was born..."
    "That's good to hear! You're trying to help too, right?"
    "Of course, uncle Alex..."
    "Good boy."

Jin tapped his foot happily at the praise, looking toward the living room when he heard the door open.
    "Jin, Hartz, I'm home!" Night smiled, closing the door and shaking the snow from her hair.
    "Hi mama...!" Jin smiled, waving as she stepped into the kitchen.
    "Hola hermana~ ¿Portarse bien?" Alex teased on the other line, Night rolling her eyes as she kissed her son's head.
    "Alejandro, encantada de verte en contacto." She smirked, hearing the noise of disapproval come from her brother.
    "That's unfair, you know how much I hate hearing my full name."
    "Yeah yeah, whatever. Dallas this weekend, huh? That must be exciting."
    "I wish I could be home with y'all instead. But, duty calls, ya know?" Alex looked at the time. "I need to get going though. Practice starts in thirty."
    "Well, we'll be rooting for you at mamá's. Love you, hermano."
    "Love you, uncle Alex...!"
    "Love you both, bye."

The call finished up and Jin sighed, looking at his phone.
    "I wish he would be there for Christmas..." The teen sighed, closing his book. Night ruffled his hair.
    "He wishes he could be here too, but we'll be rooting for him. Maybe he'll be back by Christmas Day." She smiled, kissing her son's forehead.
    "Yeah, you're right..."

~~~

Stepping off the plane in Dallas, the Philadelphia Eagles boarded their buses that would be taking them to AT&T Stadium. It was the day before the big game so it was a practice day to shake off the jet lag. Alex scrolled through his phone, glancing out the window in his seat. Dallas did look really cool, he had to admit, snapping a couple pictures and sending them off to his nephew.
    'Wish you were here with me, mi hijo' He wrote, smiling slightly to himself.
    "Who ya texting, brother?" Jason asked, poking his head over the seat. Alex looked up and showed the Center his screen, his smile stuck.
    "Sending pictures to my nephew. He loves scenery." He told him, feeling his phone buzz in his hand and looking at it.
    "Your nephew is that kid we met after the Detroit game, right? The one with your sister?"
    "Yeah that's him. He loved coming out to the game and meeting the team."
    "He sure was star struck meeting us." Jason chuckled, tapping the seat with his hand. Alex laughed with him and nodded, leaning into his seat with a breath.
    "Any kid is star struck meeting famous players. Hell, I would've been the same way."
    "Who said you weren't?"
    "Hey shut up." The two men laughed as the bus pulled up to the stadium, the Wide Receiver stretching his arms out with a sigh.

The team made it off the bus and grabbed their gear, making their way inside to gear up for practice. Alex joked around with a couple of the players as they walked where they needed to go.
    "No, I'm telling you, as long as we keep our heads straight during the game, we can still win." He said, adjusting his bag against his shoulder. The others agreed, throwing suggestions and their opinions out in the air. Alex shuffled his shoulders and shivered slightly, looking around when he felt eyes staring at him. Where? He wasn't sure...
    "What are you looking for?" Another Wide Receiver asked, nudging the man slightly. Red eyes looked back to his teammate, Alex shrugging.
    "Beats the hell outta me, brother. Probably just my nerves playing tricks on me, I thought someone was staring at me." He laughed, walking through the door to the locker room.
    "No one else would be here besides the Cowboys players. You think they're checking out the competition?"
    "Wouldn't that be funny." The players laughed, picking out lockers to have their equipment in.

~~~

Wandering through the stadium, Alex whistled to himself as he explored, passing some time before kickoff. He had yet to get into his gear but had time before, checking his phone for just a second before running into someone.
    "Ah, shit, sorry about that-" Alex started politely, all before looking up and immediately losing all composure. There, standing smugly in front of him, was Vincent. His sister's abusive ex.
    "Well I'll be damned, it's the idiotic gringo. I didn't know you were out of jail." Vincent smiled, green eyes piercing into red. Alex growled and stepped back, glaring daggers.
    "What the hell are you doing here? I didn't know they let assholes behind the scenes here."
    "Aw, where's the love? After all, we were teammates. Brothers, even."
    "Get to the point, asshole..."
    "Well, if you must know, I have a game today."

A game today? No...

Alex narrowed his eyes, hand tightening into his shirt. His old teammate, an age-old enemy, was now playing against him.
    "No. No way you got drafted to Dallas. You shouldn't have been able to after what you did to Night..." He growled, doing everything he could to stop him from punching the younger player.
    "Oh, but I can, Alex. Unlike you, I went to college and showed my potential. Unlike you, I actually went to the Draft and got drafted fair and square. Dallas saw my potential and look at where I am now, a starting Tight End for 'America's Team'." Vincent grinned, a sharp look in his eyes. Oh how badly Alex wanted to smash his stupid face in... "Well, I should head out, I have to gear up for our game. See you on the field,  Alexander..."
    "Don't call me that..." The Wide Receiver hissed, brushing past him with a shoulder check to walk away.

The raven-haired Mexican was pissed, storming into the locker room where some other team members were and punching a locker.
    "Woah, hey! What are you doing?" Another Wide Receiver asked in surprise, standing off to the side with the others.
    "Leave me alone..." Alex growled, opening his locker and pulling out his gear.
    "Alex, brother, talk to us. What's going on?"
    "I said, leave me alone! ¡No quiero hablar de ello!" The slam of the locker door had the player shut his mouth, turning away.

Suiting up for the game led to more questions to arise, players and coaches getting everything ready for kickoff. They stood in the tunnel and waited for their cue, Alex fidgeting with his facemask as he waited.
    "Alex, what's going on with you?" Jason asked, nudging his shoulder slightly. He could tell he was upset about something, and he needs to get to the bottom of it.  Alex looked at him through his helmet, red eyes troubled.
    "Jason, I don't want to talk about it..." He mumbled, looking away. The Center frowned, tightening his gloves.
    "Look, others are worried about you. It's very hard to rattle you. Did something happen in your family?"

Alex sighed and looked back to him, defeated. He looked side to side and back to his buddy, stepping forward.
    "The only thing that happened in my family that shook me like this was when I was in college. My sister started dating one of my teammates and fell in love, and I thought she was happy. Bro, he abused her after I left highschool... I found out and lost it, beating the shit out of him in the locker room." Alex explained, gritting his teeth remembering the pain in his sister's eyes. "I went to jail for protecting my sister, giving up college and my football career. I just ran into the bastard that beat her, and he's our rival."
    "That's really fucked up. And he plays for Dallas? That's even worse." Jason shook his head, patting his teammate's shoulder. "What's the bastard's name?"
    "Vincent Russo, a goddamn Tight End."
    "I've heard about that kid. He was a first round draft pick because of his talent. He beat your sister?"
    "Doesn't look like he would do such a thing, right? That's how he gets them. Lures them in with his charm and trapping them before flipping a fucking switch."
    "Well, now we have another reason to kick their ass. So let's get out there and give them hell!"
    "Yeah, let's do it!" The two cheered and high-fived, the team being introduced before running out of the tunnel.

~~~

The Philadelphia Eagles did, in fact, put up a fight against Dallas, but unfortunately lost. Though just barely, it still hurt, all because of the rivalry the two teams had. Jin watched the zeros strike the clock, throwing a couch pillow to the floor angrily.
    "What was that game...?! That was stupid...!" He exclaimed, Night shaking her head with a laugh.
    "You've been hanging around your uncle way too much." She smiled, rocking a nursing Serenity in her arms. The TV panned over the two teams shaking hands, grey eyes catching sight of an all-too-familiar guy, her heart stopping upon realization. Hartz looked at her in slight concern, nudging her gently.
    "Baby? What's wrong?" He asked, looking at the screen. Night frowned and shook her head, looking down at her daughter.
    "Nothing, it's nothing. He doesn't matter anymore." She mumbled. Jin looked at the TV and saw his uncle, smiling slightly and holding his jersey.
    "That's okay, we're top of the division... Right mama...?"
    "Right baby boy. Hey, how about we call uncle Alex in a bit."
    "Yeah...!"

Night and Hartz looked at each other with the same look, the young father leaning in and kissing her head.
    "Don't worry honey, he can't get to you anymore..." He smiled, pressing one to her cheek for extra assurance. Night smiled softly and rocked Serenity, a soft blush to her cheeks.
    "You know exactly what to do when I'm upset..."
    "I'm your husband, I'm supposed to."

NightBear15 signing off...