One by one, the players rose to their feet, inspired by the words of this rookie, their Captain, who had led them this far, and was willing to lead them to the end, however ignoble that end might be. Even Chane managed to muster a smile and, walking over, clapped Cat on the back. “If ya ever decide to run for President,” she said, “call me. I?ll vote for ya.”

Chuckling, Cat turned to her teammates. “C?mon, guys. Let?s get out there and, well, just?get out there.”

It was a group of subdued, but proud Badgers who left the locker room for the court, chins held high, even if their hearts weren?t.

“It?s a pretty quiet crowd here in Bayou Arena, Ted, since the players have come back on the court. Especially since the Badgers seem short a player and two coaches.”

“You?re right, Lori. Dobbins was really hurting during the first half, and from what I?m hearing, the team physician has nixed her reentry into the game tonight.”

“Bad news indeed, Ted. And since the Lightning coach, Merla Gibson, just crossed the court to the official?s table a few minutes ago, I?m guessing that a forfeit is in the cards for tonight.”

“And that?s just too bad, Lori. The Badgers really were showing some spunk out there tonight, despite all their injuries, and it would have been good to see them play it through to the end.”

“Sometimes, these things just can?t be helped, Ted.”

“Unfortunately, you?re right about that, Lori. The officials are gathering around the mic now. Let?s listen in to their announcement.”

“I?m telling you, I?m launching a formal protest!” shouted Merla Gibson, the first-year coach of the Lightning. “This is completely unprecedented! Completely!!”

“I?m not trying to stop you, Ma?am. You can file a protest any time you want,” the head official replied, “but she?s on the roster. Has been since the beginning of the season. I checked it out myself. Everything?s in order.”

“I will not stand for this!!” Gibson screamed, getting in the official?s face in the best baseball manager tradition. If there had been any dirt on the waxed floorboards, she would have kicked it over his shoes. “It?s a travesty!! This cannot be allowed!”

“Ms. Gibson,” the referee said, easing his way into the about-to-be fracas, “I don?t want to have to give you a technical here. Please just go back to the bench.”

“Technical!?!” the coach all but screeched, turning to the ref with her hands raised, “you want to give me a technical?!? I?ll show you—.”

“That?s enough, Merla,” said Josh Sellers, the assistant coach, grabbing his boss by one upraised arm and tugging. “Let?s just go back to the bench, alright?”

“Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me!!”

“What the hell is going on over there?” Chaney asked, watching as the red-faced coach in front of the official?s table almost knocked her assistant?s block off.

“Beats me,” Cat replied, eyes skipping from the officials to the coaches and back like an avid spectator at a particularly exciting tennis match. “I?d think us forfeiting would be a good thing for her.”

“Ya think?” Chaney asked, voice oozing sarcasm.

“Maybe she didn?t wanna win this way,” Anya observed from her spot next to Cat. “Maybe she wanted to show her fans how bad she was by stomping the crap outta us.”

“Pretty damn childish if that?s what her beef is,” Cat replied, flicking her gaze to Anya, and freezing. “Oh my God,” she breathed.

“What?” Anya asked, looking down at herself. “I got a bug on me or something?”

“Holy fucking shit!!” Chaney whooped, pumping both fists in the air. “Yes!!!”

“What?! C?mon you guys! What?s going on??”

Cat was grinning so widely, the lanky forward thought her face was going to split clear in half, and she thought she caught the shine of tears in the brilliant green eyes of her team captain. Following the direction of those eyes, she half turned, and found herself frozen to the court as if she?d suddenly sprouted roots. “Holy cow,” she whispered, blinking, then rubbing her eyes to make sure that what she thought she was seeing was really what she was, in fact, seeing.

Briskly walking through the tunnel that separated the court from the locker rooms was Diana Caulley, and behind her, striding loose-limbed and easy, was Dylan, in uniform down to her trademark black high-tops.

Badger fans, of which there were more than a few, after a moment of stone silence, began to cheer wildly, rising to their feet, pointing, and then clapping for all they were worth. Fans of the home team, confused, followed the direction of the pointing fingers, then looked at one another in stunned disbelief. Several, who would always see Dylan as “their” Goddess, began to cheer, not caring what the sudden presence of the game?s greatest player said for the chances of their own team. Like a wildfire, the cheers began to spread until, with the exception of a few scattered ?boos? and one red-faced and raving coach, the entire arena was filled to the rafters with chants of “God-dess! God-dess! God-dess! God-dess!”

Dylan, her game face set firmly in place, ignored the cheers from fans and players alike and came to join the rest of her team, staring straight ahead at Caulley, who had assumed head coaching duties. The other players took Dylan?s lead and faced their coach, though they weren?t quite able to suppress the wild excitement that lit their eyes as if from within.

“Ok, you guys, listen up,” Caulley began, rubbing her hands on her once-pressed and now drenched shirt. “This isn?t the way we planned this game to go, and I think you know that. At least, I hope you do.”

The players nodded.

“From the beginning of the season, we?ve, I hope, tried to prove that the Badgers are a team. We stand, or fall, as a team. Now you guys, as a team, have taken us all the way to the semi-finals, somewhere no one ever thought we could be. There?s a lot to be proud of in that. There?s no shame in losing, not like this, not when you?ve done your best.” She takes in a deep breath. “So, as a team, we need to make a decision. Dylan is a legal player. She?s been on our roster since she was hired, as a player-coach.” She held up a hand to still the cheering players. “But what I need to know from you guys, honestly and without fear of anything hard feelings, is?do you want her to play in this game.”

“You crazy, right?” Chane asked. “Why the fuck would we turn something like this down! It?s a fucking gift, man!”

“Everyone might not think so, Shaniqua. What you?ve done this entire year has been done without a superstar, and that?s a damn good message to send to the fans out there, especially the younger ones who think that unless they?ve got a Dylan Lambert or a Michael Jordon, they might not even bother playing. You showed them what you could do without that kind of help. By god, ladies, you did it! And if we didn?t get hit with these damn injuries, I?m sure you?d be doing it still!” She shrugged. “But?people talk. You know they do. And if we put Dylan in the game, they?re going to be claiming all sorts of things that will effect you as a team.” She tossed a look to Chaney. “Sometimes, gifts come at a price higher than we might be willing to play, and you have to think about that.”

“Fuck the fans. Fuck the newspapers. Fuck ESPN. Fuck the league. I came here to win, Coach, and that?s what I wanna do. Cap?n D here is our coach. Without her we wouldn?t have gotten near as far as we?ve gotten, and everybody knows that. We need her help, like we always have, and I?m not gonna let some stupid fear or pride stand in the way of that. No way, man. No fucking way.”

“Your opinion has been noted, Shaniqua. Anyone else have anything to add? Remember, nothing bad?s going to happen against you if you feel better just going this alone. I swear it.”

The rest of the teammates looked at one another for a long moment of silence. Then Cat stepped forward, took Dylan?s hand, and placed her own atop it. With giddy grins, one by one, the rest of the team put their hands in. “Badgers?.Badgers?.Badgers?BADGERS?.BADGERS!!!!”

“Any last words of wisdom, Coach?” Chaney asked Dylan as they broke their mini huddle.

The game face was still on. “Let?s get it done.”

“Yeah!!!”

“Well, it seems like I?m at a rare loss for words, here, Lori.”

“You said it, or rather didn?t say it, Ted. As you can hear all around us, the arena is still buzzing over the unexpected addition of Dylan Lambert to the Badgers? playing ranks. To say I, myself, am surprised at this turn of events would be putting it mildly, Ted. It really doesn?t seem like Lambert?s style.”

“Well, the Badgers? owner, Horace Johnson has, shall we say, been known to push his product memorably. Perhaps this is one of those times.”

On cue, one of the main TV cameras panned to the sky-box where Johnson was sitting. The owner rivaled the coach of the Lightning in facial redness and looked very much like another ?coronary event? was very near in his future.

“Well, I suppose we can cross that theory off the list, Lori. Johnson doesn?t seem any happier over this particular turn of events than his counterpart on the Lightning.”

“Be that as it may, Ted, the players from both teams have taken the court, so I suppose the reaction to this controversial move will have to wait until after the game.”

“Sounds good to me, Lori. The head referee has just handed the ball to Lambert as the possession arrows were pointing the Badgers? way when the half ended. On the court with her for the Badgers are Hodges, Chaney, Anya, and Cooper. The Lightning are countering with Race and Blevins at guard, Toomey at center, and Holloway and Gathers at forward.

“Toomey steps up to guard Lambert and the whistle blows, starting the second half of this semi-final game.

“Lambert waits as her team sets up, then dishes off to Chaney, who is immediately trapped by Holloway and Gathers. She sees an opening and bounce passes to Hodges, who dribbles past half court and sets up the play. The Lightning look to be starting off in a man on man despite the backcourt trap. Blevins steps up to guard Hodges, who does a nice crossover dribble around the pick set for her by Anya, then passes off to Chaney. Chaney dribbles once, looking for an open shot, but she?s well guarded by Gathers in a real height mismatch.

“Lambert streaks into the paint and receives the pass from Chaney, then turns and puts up an eight footer that?oooh, Toomey got a piece of that one. There?s a story the rookie will be able to tell her grandkids, Lori!”

“True, Ted. Gathers got the rebound and passed it off to Race who?s dribbling past half court. Quick pass to Toomey who?yipes! Lambert got all of that one! Toomey?s gonna have to check her face for lines, I think. That ball came back at her at the speed of light!”

“Chaney grabs the ball and starts off downcourt, then passes off to Hodges on a three on two fast break with Lambert streaking down the center of the court. Her knee doesn?t look to be bothering her in the least right now.

“Hodges dishes to Chaney, who tips it back to Hodges who rifles a no-look bounce pass to her left, directly to Lambert who goes up for the layup, and scores! Very nicely executed fast break.”

“Blevins takes the ball behind the endline and waits for her players. She?s guarded by Lambert, which looks like something out of David and Goliath. The rest of the Lightning players are being well guarded as the ref counts off the seconds. Blevins thows up a desperation pass, oh?Lambert tips it right into the hands of Hodges, who turns and rifles a pass to Chaney just outside the three point line. Chaney looks, shoots, and scores!! Beautiful shot.”

“Great display of teamwork too, Ted. And in just?one minute and ten seconds, the Badgers have managed to take a fifteen point deficit down to ten.”

“With Dylan Lambert a part of all five of the Badgers? points, Lori. If she?s rusty, she?s surely not showing it to this crowd here tonight.”

“I?ll have to agree there, Ted. The Badgers look really pumped, but then again, who wouldn?t, with the Goddess on their side?”

“Not me, that?s for sure.”

The censor shot a glare at the announcer, who returned him a lewd grin and a waggle of his eyebrows.

“The Lightning are past mid-court. Toomey sets up a screen on Lambert, and Blevins passes a quick one to Holloway who fakes a shot and passes back to Blevins. The Badgers are set up in a two-three trap zone, now they switch to a box and one, with Hodges out guarding Blevins, who is a distinct three point threat, with four threes already this game. Blevins passes the ball to Gathers, who dishes it to Race, who tries a shot from behind three point range and misses completely.