Today was a new day for Roosevelt. Shaking off the last night's encounter, she had spent her early morning stretching and preparing for her practice with Betty. Her beach volleyball uniform was hidden under a pair of jean shorts and a grey slouchy jumper.

Her Ray Bans were currently protecting her eyes as she drove to the small, quiet park. For a simple practice, she had a lot to unload. The drive was quiet as she as reserving her energy for practice. She'd already placed her KT tape on her shoulder and upper back as well as her knee.

Pulling up to the park, she glanced about: no one was around just how they liked it. Grinning she fired a text off to Christian to let him know what her intentions were for the day.

Roosevelt: Morning/Afternoon. Just arriving to practice. If my time telling skills are working, you just finished BP and now you're getting ready for the game? Kick ass, take names...and don't hold yourself responsible for every loss.

She didn't expect him to readily reply. Making her way to the beach court, she set up the cooler and Bluetooth speaker. As she swapped her Ray Bans for her wrap around Oakley's, the chatter of teenage boys reached her ears. Betty had brought a whole team? Turning, she spotted her tall, lean blonde teammate approaching with a gaggle of boys following her.

"My brother's high school boys' volleyball team. Apparently, they need practice too." The blonde offered as she began to do the same gear change. The boys moved to one side and began warming up. However, one decided to chill in the shade. While she wasn't good at social media or posting, Roosevelt did excel on going live from time to time which usually led to hundreds of new follows. Tossing her phone to the teenager, she directed with a grin, "When we settle, go on my Instagram and go live. But stay out of my messages."

"Yes, ma'am." The blonde teenager replied with a serious face. Stripping down to their uniforms, the girls warmed up, and the blonde boy started Rosie's Spotify.

As the game began, the two Olympians were a little stiff, but the six opposing boys seemed to already struggle. Meanwhile, the blonde had taken her Insta Live and was verbally answering what he could. The teen was so overwhelmed that he failed to notice that ESPN SportsCenter had started viewing the live video.

The game became more intense, and the spikes more profound. Both women got back into rhythm as the game was about halfway done. Phillips set her up a beauty, and Olson's vast vertical and strong arm sent an unreturnable spike. Both women whooped with energy.

Meanwhile in Chicago....

Christian had yet to check his phone; he'd probably wait til after the game to reply to anything Roosevelt sent him. They had discussed it before, and both agreed that they wouldn't be crazy over text return times. As he changed into his official uniform, he briefly noticed that ESPN was carrying some sort of beach volleyball game. Cain let out a low whistle, "She's everywhere, huh?"

Christian moved to get a better look at the video, which looked to be live. Gulping down how attractive she looked in her Team USA uniform, his eyes appraised her teammate and then the opposing side. A bunch of teenage boys. It was easy to spot the siblings-Betty and her younger brother. Her playing against teenagers didn't bother him in the slightest. What did was the vast amount of tape covering her right shoulder and left knee. The players watched her wind-up a spike that looked like it'd hurt if one managed to make contact. The caption below the video: Olympic Duo Back At It: 2020 Run?

The closed caption quickly read from one commentator, "There's speculation around the duo; both wanting a break but clearly they haven't lost any rhythm."

"No, in fact, Olson looks relaxed, which is a rarity."

Christian grinned; he'd loosened her up before he left the Bay. "I take back my old statement. You totally did her." Cain murmured into Yelich's ear. Groaning at his friend and teammate, he followed him out to the field for final tosses and game start.

"Let her go for now, aight? She's practicing and you're playing."

"Done and done."

The game did not go as Christian had hoped. He had struck out twice, and only Ryan had produced runs. He was annoyed with himself. The next three games went like that. A slump. Just like his communication with Roosevelt. He had only managed to send:

Christian♥️: Hey, I'm in a baseball funk. I'm going to take a break from the phone. (Please know it's not you and no, I'm not tired of you.)

And her reply had been painful:

Roosevelt: No problem. Your job comes first to texting or whatever. Take care of yourself and hit me back when you've got your groove back.

To Christian, she had been so understanding that it caused red flags to go up. Was she already backing out of what they had? Did she think he was? It had been a couple of days. He sat in hotel room in Pittsburgh trying to figure out how to talk to her again.

"Just FaceTime her." Shaw recommended as he left their room. Nodding, and checking the time difference, it was 2pm in Pittsburgh, which meant she should still be home and not near the boys in green.

The familiar dinging of FaceTime echoed in the room. His heart was racing: would she answer?

The screen immediately changed to show a smiling Roosevelt in her front room. Her hair was down in waves and light makeup lined her eyes.

"There he is." She greeted with a large smile. He scratched the back of his neck to relieve nerves. Laughing at him, she pressed, "You nervous?"

"Well, yeah, I blew you off for a couple days."

"To get your swing back, right?" He noted that she was wearing some sort of blue jersey and white cami combo, but he couldn't tell what exactly the jersey was for.

"Yeah. That's hopefully what will happen tonight." He returned with a small smile and then continued, "Honestly, I think I missed you, and I didn't know how to deal."

"Oh really? Well, I missed you too. It's been crazy. Back to back series. Those pesky Cubs are visiting."

"Ah, yeah. They're the worst, or least it felt like it the other night."

"I caught all your games-sure it had to be on my phone via bleacher report-but I was rooting for you."

"Aww, I'm touched. I caught your practice video on ESPN. You've got quite the vertical."

"Need some pointers?" She teased with another smile. Her phone dipped for a moment, and he caught a sight that made this distance all the more difficult. She was wearing his jersey, and damn it, it looked really good on her. It wasn't going to be enough. He made a quick mental note: send her one of his actual jerseys. She caught his line of sight.

"Amazon has next day shipping." She chirped with a bigger smile.

"You're cute. Now, I'm going to have to get one of your uniforms." Her face screwed up into a puzzle, but she quickly recovered, "No way. That show is for my eyes only."

"I'm just entertainment to you?" Feigning hurt, he dramatically covered his eyes. This conversation was going so much better than he had anticipated. "Oh, I wanted to give you a heads up that I was asked to be in the ESPN Body Issue Magazine..."

Cocking her head, a mischievous look worked its way onto her tan face, "You're posing near nude, aren't you?"

"That...doesn't, uh, bother you?"

"Why? Is it going to bother you when I pose for Sports Illustrated again? It's in our job description. As long as we're open about it, and the touching is minimal..." He growled at that. No dude was touching her.

"No one's touching me and certainly not you. We can agree on that stipulation?"

"Sure. It'll just be me and Betty."

"Sounds good. It'll just be me and my baseball bat and glove."

"Sounds yummy. You'll have to do a recreation for me when I see you next." Christian could only laugh. Her flirt game was strong, and his was subpar at best.

"I'll do my best." He winced at the reply. 'So lame.'

"Look, since we're being upfront, you're gonna see a news headline--"

Bleacher Report: Olson/Phillips Declare for Tokyo Games

"That practice felt that good, huh?" He teased.

"Yeah, and it gives me an excuse to leave the Bay if needed. Right now, I have a half a mind to. Mattie and I still aren't speaking. Chappy's been our go between." Christian could hear the hurt in her voice. He also discovered her "flaw": she was a runner. If something was too hurtful, she'd throw herself the opposite way. Volleyball was her escape mechanism. A part of him wondered if that was why she was so dismissive about her accomplishments in the sport.

"That's a yikes. I'm sorry. How can I help?"

"Prove him wrong." She muttered with a small, fleeting frown. "Honestly? Nothing. He needs to get over it."

"Listen here, I'm not going anywhere. By November, it's going to be you and me."

"I'll have work outs..."

"Which is fine because you're going to staying with me in SoCal where you can practice and have me to yourself. "

"Are you asking me to move in with you?"

"Yeah...I guess I am. Too soon?"

"By then? I don't think so." She replied with a small smile. They continued to chat until both had to leave for BP.

"Bye babe." He stated as he moved to wave. She waved back, blew a kiss, and returned, "Bye Handsome. Good luck. Love you."

And she was gone. Organically, Roosevelt had uttered words that he was still too cautious to say, but hearing her say it? It sent him to cloud nine. Warmth and confidence flooded him.

With Roosevelt

She'd hung up and instantly felt like a dumb schoolgirl. Saying "love you" this early caused worry to flood her being. Had she overstepped? Roosevelt shook off her doubt and headed to the ballpark. The Cubs were in town, and she hoped her boys could fair better than the Brewers had.

As she moved about the dugout, she spotted the Skipper waving her over. "BP again, but no battling."

"Aye, Aye, Skipper." She agreed as the other staff set it up. It wasn't hard to throw for the lineup, but little did she know that ESPN had arrived to capture the whole affair. As she threw for Marcus, he motioned his head for her to look on her back right.

She felt like a deer caught in the headlights. Who had set that up without her permission?

" Roosevelt! Hey!" Allison Williams called as she and her crew approached.

"Oh hey." She muttered as she resumed throwing for Semien who was soon replaced by her grumpy, brooding brother.

Allison noticed the athlete's discomfort.

"Roosevelt, you and your teammate have declared your 2020 Olympic run, and yet here you are throwing BP for a professional baseball team..."

"Yes, I can do both. Lots of physical conditioning can happen while baseball season is taking place. On off days, Betty and I will be meeting up to go over plays, etc. I don't plan on abandoning my brother or the rest of the team."

"Wow. That's sounds like quite a schedule. I take it to mean no time for a love interest."

This was something they hadn't discussed; she silently cursing whoever had set this up.

"I-" she murmured as she threw a pitch.

"She's with Christian Yelich." Her brother spat as he sent her pitch into the bleachers.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about him. Ignore him." Roosevelt tried playing it off. Christian was a private person, and this was not how this was supposed to go down.

Allison smiled widely at the siblings, "Well now. It seems to be a disagreement amongst the Olsons."

Matt marched up to the two ladies, slapped a hand over Roosevelt's mouth, and shared with an evil grin, "Christian and her are together. End of story."

Allison beamed, "My, my what a power couple, huh? .........And cut"

The cameras had stopped recording. In fact, the cameraman allowed the camera to droop down and face the dirt. Taking advantage of the undocumented moment, Roosevelt shoved her brother aside, hissed at him, "You're the absolute worst," and stormed off the field. She had to get ahold of Christian. A media storm was coming, and it's all because her little brother is a douchebag. Snatching her phone up, she dialed his number, and she hoped that he'd answer. By her estimation, he was either at BP or in the clubhouse.

Unfortunately, someone else answered.

"This is Christian's phone. Ryan Braun speaking." His tone was light and clearly amused that he was talking to her.

"Hello Ryan Braun, this is Roosevelt Olson of the Oakland Athletics. I need to speak with Christian immediately." She tried to play it cool.

"Oh? Why might that be?" Again, so smug.

"He needs to know that Matt Olson is the biggest douchebag of the year." She spat.

"Ah, I see. Please hold." Now, he's serious?

A few moments passed, but her patience was rewarded with a breathless Christian, "Hey, what's up? Ryan said your brother is a douchebag?"

Her entire body was shaking by now, and her voice sounded panicked and angry, "Surprise ESPN interview as I was conducting BP." She took a deep breath and nearly growled, "Matt, out of spite, outed us."

Her ears were met with dead silence. This is when he'd leave her, and she didn't blame him. No one needs this kind of drama when the post season was in one's sight.

"I wanted to wait a little longer, but it is what it is. Now, all those other players will keep their eyes to themselves. Do me a favor, put my BP t-shirt on that I know is in your gym bag and get back out there." Roosevelt was absolutely taken aback. He had told her the exact opposite of what she'd assumed.

"You're serious."

"Hell ya. He's trying to mess with you; hit him right back." 'So, he too, is in the petty business.' She thought with a smile.

"You're the best."

"No, you." He teased and then added, "Look babe, I got to get ready for the game. Show 'em who's boss. Love you."

Click.

He had said it back to her. Grinning, she quickly ran to her bag, changed into his BP t-shirt, snagged a jacket to put on later, and headed back out.

"You alright?" Bob Melvin had watched the whole scene and felt bad for the woman.

"I'm good. BP still on?"

"Go ahead. I see you're making a statement; be sure the jacket is on by game time."

A brief nod was her reply. Taking over for Aldrete, she resumed throwing. Canha was up and noted her change of clothes, "You leaving or something?"

Throwing him a nice pitch, she replied, "Nah, just making Mattie more mad." The redheaded ball player simply nodded and continued to bat. The older Olson caught the younger's attention and sent a triumphant smirk his way causing the younger to roll his eyes.

ESPN was still on the field, getting various b roll shots, and that's when the camera landed back on her.

"Zoom in on her shirt's name." Allison commanded the cameraman. The camera perfectly picked up 'Yelich' sprawled across her back.

"We have enough for Sports Center and beyond."

Roosevelt knew they were there, and so did Christian. It was time to embrace the relationship. Chapman was last. He gave her a raised eyebrow look, chuckled, and began swinging. It wasn't long before the game came and went. The A's suffered the same fate as the Brewers had: a loss.

Keeping her A's starter jacket buttoned up, Roosevelt made her rounds with the various players. All seemed to be fine and somewhat standoffish. The normal buzz and camaraderie had vanished. She supposed that word had spread, and now, her boys were mad.

Khris Davis pulled he aside and murmured, "Hey, it'll be alright. They're more jealous than anything else, especially the young guys. Give 'em some time. And congrats, Yeli's a good dude."

"Thanks Khris."

"Anytime, Doc."

Sighing in defeat, she headed out and away from the coliseum. Parking her truck in its usual spot, she'd decided to go to a bar that was a block's walk from her place. After the day she had, she needed a drink. Taking a seat at the bar, she quietly ordered a Manhattan and settled into the room. Not many were out on a Monday, thankfully. As she sipped her drink, her eyes caught the Brewers logo flash on the TV. From what she could tell, Christian had gotten his groove back, and the Brewers had beaten the Pirates.

Roosevelt: Way to get your groove back.♥️

She didn't expect an immediate response as his game went longer. The Manhattan was good, and it was doing its job-helping her unwind.

Until, the next story hit, and she was back to being tense. It was the story on them. While she admitted that her throws looked good, Roosevelt did not like the serious facial expression she had on camera. The headline was positive though: Yelich+Olson = Unstoppable Sports Force?

The clip with her and her brother, luckily, looked more comical than angry. Allison had kept her tantrum out and the package ended with a video and zooming in of her wearing his shirt but then it switched to him playing in Pittsburgh then it paused for a live post game interview. They did a brief recap of him owning PNC Park, which caused her to grin. God, he made it look effortless.

Reporter: "So the word on the street is that you're a taken man."

He looked so tired yet handsome. His hair was a mess from him running his hands through it. 'I wanna run my hands through it.' She mentally whined.

"Yeah; I'm off the market.". He confirmed with a small smile.

"How did this all come about?"

"We met at the series between us and Oakland. When she made the first pitch, I was done for."

"I think I can speak for the majority of men in the US; you weren't the only one." The male reporter oddly commented back. She watched her man shift uncomfortably at the insinuation, but instead of dignifying the point, he commented, "Yeah, but I'm not all men in America. Sorry guys, Olson's off the market. Love you, baby." He flashed a grin at the camera and headed toward the clubhouse.

"Love you too," she muttered into her drink.

"Everything okay, ma'am?" The female bartender questioned as she pushed a glass of water over to the tired looking woman.

"Yeah. Just over it all."

"I feel that. Wanna talk about it?"

Roosevelt snorted and jerked her head up to SportsCenter running her and Yelich's story again. The bartender took it in, and SportsCenter had added a montage of the couple's athletic prowess to the story. There were flashes of his home runs and diving catches while her film consisted of Worlds and Rio.

"Well, I can say this. He's totally into you, and you guys are a hot couple."

Roosevelt chuckled at the redheaded woman, "I'm into him. I'm torn. I want to be with him, but I committed to working with the Athletics."

"Long distance can be hard, but it seems like you two can make it work."

"Thanks." Roosevelt finished her drink, paid, and headed back home. It was a cool night, and it made her disposition even more relaxed. As she entered, she spotted Chapman sitting on her couch with SportsCenter playing on mute.

"What's with the surprise visits?" She questioned as she took off her starter jacket revealing her previous outfit.

"I came to apologize and bring a peace offering." His hand held up an A's store bag.

"I was never mad at you, Matt."

"I know, but I miss our friendship. I don't think Christian will be upset that we have pregame races, etc. Truth is, I miss you. The past couple of games...have been awkward." Gently grabbing the bag, she peeked in and a stunned look crossed her face. It was a custom A's jersey, #22. The last name was obscured from view.

"Go on. I got permission." He encouraged while holding up his phone showing someone on FaceTime, but Roosevelt couldn't see the face properly. Gingerly, she lifted the jersey out of the bag, turning it over, her jaw dropped.

"No way."

"You like it?" Two male voices asked simultaneously. Her mind readily split the two-Matt and Christian.

'Future Mrs Yelich'

Stunned. Her eyes looked up to her best friend and then her man. Both seemed to be waiting.

"I love it." She whispered as her tanned hand touched the newly stitched lettering.

"Now, you're in dress code." Matt muttered with a smirk. She pulled Matt into a hug. It was a hug of relief rather than the previous night's pained one. It was brief, but it was enough to communicate her thanks.

"Thanks Matt."

"Anytime. Now, I think Mr MVP wants to talk to you. I'm gonna go use the restroom." Chapman handed the phone off and retreated to the restroom.

Christian grinned at her, "You good, babe?"

She could see that he was on the team bus with his earbuds in.

"I'm just surprised. You two work fast."

"He texted me during the game-to get my perspective and input. I'm not trying to pressure you into any further commitment."

"Yes, he is!" Lorenzo Cain muttered beside him.

"Well, either way, I wouldn't be averse to the notion."

Christian coughed at the two. Clearly startled by her nonchalance yet eagerness to be with him.

"Duly noted. If anyone asks, send 'em my way. Also, you, me, and little Olson need to have a talk."

"Aye, aye, captain." She confirmed with a serious face. Her brother was in for it.

"I can't hear you." Christian crooned in his best Mr Krabs impression.

"Aye aye captain!" she returned louder with a giant smile.

"Ooh-" he began only to be interrupted by someone shouting, "No more SpongeBob SquarePants, damn millennials."

The duo cracked up at the comment. Roosevelt had to admit, seeing him at ease with everything was a change of pace, and his personality was really shining through.

"I saw that you got your groove back." Nodding, he ran his free hand through his hair, his Rolex from Hawaii flashed as the light hit it. "That I did. Not to be sappy, but I think knowing that we weren't hiding helped tremendously. I was relaxed."

"Makes sense. Now, I need to figure out how to relax."

Smirking at her, he gave her a mischievous look. "You looked relaxed at that volleyball practice..."

Shaking her head with an embarrassed look, "Shhh! You don't need to share everything with everyone."

"We're adults in an adult relationship. Sex isn't taboo. Plus, according to that reporter, all the men in America want to do you."

Turning beet red, Roosevelt bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say, but nothing came to her mind.

"He's just a lucky asshole." Chapman interjected as he reentered the room. Yelich laughed at the third baseman, "Ruined your plans?"

Roosevelt stiffened, and there it was. Christian worrying about Matt's intentions.

"Nah, she's like a sister to me. I'm pretty sure we're twins and were separated at birth. You've got nothing to worry about." Chapman easily replied with a shake of the head.

Christian nodded, "Alright, I'm gonna give Cain a break from constant talking. Have fun. Bye Matt, Bye Babe."

Matt waved, and Roosevelt blew a kiss. Once the call ended, Matt turned to her, "I know we have to work tomorrow, but can we please get light drunk and play some Mario Kart or Smash Bros?"

"I owe you a fun night. Let's do it." She returned as she got up to grab them something to drink.

Later....

"You really like the jersey?" Matt questioned with a grin. He had his Snap Chat camera rolling, but she had no idea. This video was intended to show the other all-star that he had nothing to worry about. Matt had sensed the Brewer's hesitancy toward their friendship, and Chapman wanted to clear the air.

"Oh my God, you have no idea." She lamented as she switched them from Mario Kart to Smash Bros.

"You like him that much?" Matt prompted. He made sure to get her full outfit on display-volleyball shorts and her blue Yelich shirt.

Roosevelt, in her drunken state, turned completely serious but slurred to her best friend, "Matt, he fucking completes me, and he is the best in bed...and the shower..."

"Whoa, way too much information tonight." He ended the Snap and sent it off to Christian.

In Pittsburgh...

Christian found himself hanging out with his teammates in the bar of the hotel. Each had their own drink and were discussing various topics, ranging from post season hopes to family to the latest gossip.

"So..." Ryan joked as he nudged Christian. "Spill." The slugger glanced about; all his teammates were waiting for him to explain what was going on. He check his phone and saw that he had a Snap from Matt Chapman.

"Chapman snapped you?" Travis asked from his other side, clearly snooping at Christian's phone screen.

"I guess? I'll look later." He shrugged it off.

"Not a chance. Open it." Ryan commanded with a grin. The other players nodded and sounded their agreement.

Sighing, he opened the app and clicked the video message,

"You really like the jersey?" Matt could be heard from the audio, clearly he was filming. The camera was fixed on a clearly intoxicated Roosevelt who had changed into short shorts and had kept his shirt on.

"Oh my God, you have no idea." She relayed while changing the game to Smash Bros. He didn't know she played. That would could be something they do together remotely.

"You like him that much?" All the guys could tell he was baiting her, but she clearly wasn't in on it.

Whipping around, she turned serious and shared in a slurred manner, "Matt, he completes me, and he is the best in bed...and the shower..."

Christian's jaw dropped, and his teammates all cheered him on.

"Whoa, way too information for tonight..." The snap ended. He looked up from his phone, and all his teammates looked amused.

"Reverse question: how is she in bed?" One of the closers questioned with a laugh.

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." He retorted then downed his beer and signaled the bartender for another.

"C'mon man." Someone else prodded.

"Fine. You guys say anything, you're dead." He paused to take a long gulp of beer before continuing, "Honestly, probably the best I've ever had. She's so flexible and her legs..." Halting himself, those moments we're between then. Bashfully, he finished, "I'm lucky."

"Amen." A chorus returned.