Tales of the Tournaments

2019 Women's World Cup, Allianz Riviera, Nice, France  

Round of 16Norway vs. Australia 1-1 a.e.t., 4-1 penalties)  

It was a disaster. Sam Kerr had missed her shot. Worse, Alanna knew it was all her fault. Red carded.  

Fuck.  

Red carded in the final minutes of extra time, during the intended tiebreaking period, before it went to penalty kicks in the end.  

Alanna Kennedy curled tighter into herself, wrapping her arms around her knees. They couldn't even make it to the quarterfinals. 

 Eliminated.  

Because of her.  

Having one of her little Joeys forced out of her sight was about the only thing that could rattle Sam Kerr. Alanna swallowed, knowing that Sam would be interviewed, knowing that was the only thing keeping her Captain - her Mummy - away from her.  

"Hey."  

Alanna didn't look up as the smaller girl curled into her side.  

"Lanna, you okay?"  

"No," Alanna said incredulously as Ellie stroked her hair.  

"It's gonna be all okay," Ellie said softly, surely.  

Alanna groaned. "How can it possibly be all okay, Ellie Madison Carpenter, have you lost your mind? We're going home. Nothing can fix that."  

Ellie squeezed Alanna tighter. "Because," she said, "all that's gonna happen is Mummy's going to smack you, and probably like with the slipper, so it'll be awfullest, but it won't kill you." 

 Alanna sighed, dropping a kiss on Ellie's blonde hair. "Thanks very much for that, little." 

Ellie's prediction was accurate, and Alanna had to endure a blistering scolding and slippering from a thoroughly disappointed Kerr, which meant she definitely wasn't sitting easily on the plane home from France. 

 Australia. It was a long trip, and a long way to be carrying that shame. Therefore, it thoroughly surprised Alanna when Sam invited her and Ellie on a camping trip, just the three of them.  

"Can we bring Lindsey?" Ellie asked hopefully, and Sam smiled slightly, unable to deny the teen anything.  

"Okay," she agreed. "Four of us, then. But that's all."  

So Lindsey Michelle Horan became part of their little excursion - though, of course, she had to finish out the World Cup with her team first. That was fine. It gave Sam time to plan their journey out properly.

Alanna and especially Ellie stayed glued to the news over the next few days, watching the Americans press through the round of sixteen, the quarterfinals, the semifinals....  

Ellie's jaw dropped. Lindsey? Was gonna face the Netherlands? But, but the Orange Lionesses were really good, one of the best European teams there were. And they'd even beaten Sweden! Who were the Americans' biggest rivals! 

"I dunno if Lindsey can do it, Lanna," Ellie said worriedly, chewing her lip as they curled up on Sam's couch to watch.  

"There is no 'I' in team, Ellie Madison Carpenter," Alanna chided. "You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"  

But the sea of orange there in Lyon, chanting and singing in Dutch, looked like a home game for the Lionesses. The Dutch seemed supremely comfortable on the French field. For the first half of the final, there was no score. Keeper Alyssa Naeher was holding the Lionesses out of the Americans' net, and the Dutch keeper was doing just as spectacular a job at keeping the Americans away. The defense was strong on both sides. Impenetrable.  

Halftime came and went, and the second half kicked off. Still no score. But then, an hour into the match, Stefanie van der Gragt was shown the yellow card. A penalty kick was awarded to the USWNT, and Megan Rapinoe stepped up to take it. Ellie and Alanna held their breath. 

Goal.  

The Dutch keeper was shocked. She hadn't been able to keep out Megan Rapinoe. But Ellie was on her feet cheering, because Megan scored which meant Lindsey scored which meant her friend was happy and that made Ellie happy.  

Alanna laughed. Ellie's cheerfulness was contagious. But the Netherlands' confidence was shaken. It wasn't even ten minutes before Rose Lavelle planted a second goal in the net. 2-0. 

 The Dutch fans were silenced, shocked. They hadn't expected this. There were still twenty minutes left, though. Plenty of time for the Orange Lionesses to recover, to equalize, to win. The orange-garbed crowds tried to encourage them. 

It wasn't enough. Both sides fought with renewed energy, kicking, blocking, shooting...but no score. The goal tally didn't rise again.  

In the end, the referee's whistle ended it on a 2-0 victory and a World Cup trophy for the Americans.  

Alanna and Ellie were overjoyed for their friends.  

Sam smiled to herself, watching her Joeys enjoy the victory. "Next time, that'll be us with the trophy," she said to herself. But for now, that was almost as good, and a win in Lyon meant Lindsey would be with them soon. 

***

Southern Cross Ranch, outside Sydney, Australia 

"We're doing what now?" Lindsey raised her eyebrows at Ellie, who grinned.  

"I told you we were going camping, Linds," she said.  

"You said camping, not ranching." Lindsey sucked on her lower lip, looking out at the rolling hills and what had to be at least a hundred sheep grazing the pasture ahead of them. In a nearby pasture were cattle, and further along there were horses. "Kerr's family owns this place?" 

 "Yeah," Ellie nodded. "Isn't it brilliant? They’re her cousins, I think, and they're staying up at the ranch house. We're invited obviously, but mostly we want to try and get the experience." The teen grinned at Lindsey. "Don't tell me you've never slept under the stars." 

 Lindsey snorted. "My grandparents owned a ranch in Colorado. I've done the whole cowgirl thing. Have you?"  

"Not so much, but it sounds like fun to try, doesn't it, 'Lanna?"  

Alanna Kennedy leaned on the fence rail a short distance away, watching a pair of Australian shepherds weaving through the flock. The grey and white dogs seemed to be running on instinct, not needing direction to split the sheep up. "Should be exciting. Are we just camping out, or are Mu--Sam's family going to make us work?"  

Sam snorted, coming up behind them. "We're here to relax. The only people they make work here are the hired hands and the clients." 

 
"The...excuse me, what?" Lindsey looked at Sam, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean, clients?"  

Sam shrugged. "Clients. Patients is another word, I suppose. You know, the whole 'addicted to whatever, get away from it all' setup."  

Lindsey gave Sam a wary look. "Drug addiction?" 

 "Drugs, alcohol, sometimes just workaholics. Anything and everything. They swear the program works more or less the same regardless. I haven't inquired into it much, not least because they've threatened to book me in if being the Matildas' finest ever dares go to my head." 

 Ellie and Alanna laughed.  

"Well, we wouldn't want that," Alanna said, hugging Sam. "But it wouldn't. You know better. We know that." 

Lindsey turned that thought over in her mind a little bit. She wasn't addicted to anything that she could think of, so this place wasn't a threat, but if Kerr's cousins were anything like Kerr herself, Lindsey wondered what they'd make of her. She'd probably be expected to meet them at some point, since they were, at least nominally, the four girls' hosts. Eventually, tired of watching the herds, Sam led the other three down the path and toward the stables. They could all ride at least passably well - Lindsey and Sam might as well have been born to the saddle, while the younger Matildas were a little less practiced but could still hold their seat. 

 They took five horses, one each to ride and a fifth for their packs and headed down the trail to an established campsite. Not that there was any Wi-Fi, electricity, or mobile accessibility, but there was at least running water, even if it was cold, and a camp stove and firepit for cooking. 

 "No internet?" Ellie grumbled. "Mummy, what are we going to do when it gets boring?"  

"Ellie, don't you whine at me," Sam said firmly, and Ellie shut up. 

Alanna pulled Ellie close and patted her back, and Sam smiled reassuringly. "It's alright, Joey," she said soothingly. "There will be plenty of fun things to do even without internet. You'll see." Ellie nodded warily.  

They set up camp together. Two tents; Sam shared with Alanna, and Lindsey with Ellie. "Though we'll only need those if it rains, really," Sam commented. "Or if we want a quiet place away from the rest for a bit."  

"Or for if we're stuck in time out," Ellie muttered.  

"Want to demonstrate?" Sam raised an eyebrow.  

"No, Mummy," Ellie said promptly. "I wasn't trying to be rude, promise."  

"Alright." Sam nodded. "You know how to cook on a camp stove, Horan?"  

Lindsey nodded, feeling mildly amused that Sam thought she wouldn't, and between the two of them they had a good start on dinner. Ellie and Alanna were sent to ensure the horses were fed properly and check the perimeter.  

"And be careful," Sam added, getting twin dutiful nods from her girls. They knew better than Lindsey what wildlife might lurk in the area. 

By the time the last of the camp setup was ready, Sam and Lindsey had got dinner together. The four sat down to a meal of crusty bread toasted over the fire, mugs of tea, and bowls of a hearty, filling stew.  

It had been summer in France, but it was most definitely winter in Australia, and while the weather was clear enough to sleep outside, warm food, sleeping bags and thick blankets would be necessary. When they settled down to sleep under the stars, Sam pointed out the constellations for her girls, many of which Lindsey hadn't seen before, not clearly enough to pay attention. Libra. Scorpius. Virgo. Sagittarius. And, zodiac signs aside, there was Crux, the Southern Cross, which appeared most prominently on the flags of Australia and New Zealand, as well as other countries in the Southern Hemisphere.  

"Beautiful," Sam murmured. Lindsey was inclined to agree. Under strange stars she might be, but they seemed friendlier now they had been introduced. She snuggled into her blankets, falling asleep between Sam and Ellie, with Alanna on Sam's other side. 

The next morning, after a breakfast of bacon, eggs, and beans on toast, the girls showered and dressed. The cold water was shocking enough to wake them fully.  

"A ride will warm us up," Lindsey said, looking hopefully at Sam. "Please, Kerr?"  

"Alright. But you stay close to the stream and don't try anything stupid," Sam said firmly. "Alanna, you're with me." 

 "Yes Mummy," Alanna said dutifully.  

Ellie, grinning, scrambled into her horse's saddle as Lindsey followed, and the two of them rode out together. "Come on, Linds, I want to see what's over that rise. We're still following the stream," Ellie said, pointing. 

 "Alright." Lindsey cast the hill a wary look, but she kept to Ellie's side, making sure the younger girl didn't get into any trouble. 

Lindsey and Ellie rode to the top of the ridge, looking out over the rolling hills of golden grass, lit by the sun. "Everything the light touches is our kingdom," Ellie intoned, getting a laugh from Lindsey, whose gaze was caught by the treeline.  

"But what about that shadowy place?" she asked the younger girl, eyes alight with excitement - and mischief.  

"Well I'm betting it's not an elephant graveyard," Ellie 'broke character' to say, and at Lindsey's snort she smirked. "I've got no idea. The stream runs down to it, so we wouldn't be disobeying Mummy, not really...." 

 "Race you," Lindsey said promptly, and gently nudged her horse into a trot, then a canter down the other side of the hill.  

Ellie gulped and hurried to catch up. At least, I hope it's not disobeying Mummy, she thought nervously. 

Their horses exploded through the brush, sending birds and small animals scattering. Lindsey and Ellie reached the bank of the stream as it wended through the scraggly trees together, panting and delirious with exhilaration. They grinned at each other.  

"I win," they said at the same time and then laughed harder. Suddenly Lindsey broke off.  

"El?" she whispered, dismounting. Ellie did the same, and the horses moved off to drink at the stream as things settled.  

"What is it?"  

"It's too quiet. Other than us, I mean."  

"We're out in the middle of nowhere, Linds," Ellie tried to sound like she wasn't unnerved by Lindsey's observation. "Course it's quiet, it's just us here." 

 "No birds - I know we scared a few, but they ought to have settled by now. Everything's stopped dead, like we're being watched." Lindsey fidgeted.  

Ellie pressed close to Lindsey. They ducked behind a tree, then froze, wide-eyed, as something, someone,grabbed them by the backs of their necks.  

"You mind me now, cowgirls, unless you're looking to have a little hitch in your giddy-up." The new voice hissed in their ears.  

"Let us go or I'm telling!" Ellie yelped, while Lindsey was white-faced with fear.  

"Who are you and what do you want?" Lindsey demanded. 

"Who I am is unimportant. Who you are and what you are doing here is," the woman's rough voice growled. "What did Kerr say about going off alone?"  

"What do you know about Kerr and what she said?" Lindsey demanded, yelping as a firm hand swatted the seat of her jeans.  

Wait, what? Where had that come from? Lindsey squirmed, trying harder to get away to no avail.  

"I ask the questions, little girl. Why are you alone out here?"  

"Lemme go or I'm telling Mummy!" Ellie demanded. "Let us go, you're mean!"  

"I'm not letting you go, naughty brat. Catch the horses." This was evidently addressed to someone else, presumably the one who had swatted Lindsey, and the girls' skin prickled as they realized they had at least two captors. No, three, for as they heard the second woman whistling softly to their mounts, a third stepped up behind them, passing ropes around their wrists behind their backs.  

They knew the first woman, the only one who had spoken, hadn't done it because she still had a firm grip on them. 

"Let us go," Ellie whimpered. "We were only riding, and we stayed on the stream like Mummy said."  

"But you strayed away from the campsite. Kerr doesn't know where you are, does she? Anything could happen to you out here, Ellie Madison Carpenter." Ellie's face paled. 

 "And you, Lindsey Michelle Horan." Lindsey renewed her struggles, trying to wrench her bound hands apart as one of their other captors spoke.  

So far, all they could tell was that they were all women by the voices. 

"Now, you're going to come with us like good little girls." This was the second woman, returning with the horses, and there was something odd about her voice. She sounded...American? She also sounded familiar. "Come on then, half-pints." The roughness in the second woman's voice had evaporated, and through the haze of fear Lindsey recalled her name. "Stanton!"  

"Shhh." Nikki Stanton tugged Lindsey into her arms, followed by Ellie a moment later. The frightened teen buried her head in Nikki's shoulder.  

"N-Nikki what're you doing with them they're awful," Ellie babbled.  

"Are you going to be a good girl and walk with me without running away?" Nikki asked calmly. Ellie nodded frantically.  

"And you, Lindsey?"  

"Yes, ma'am," Lindsey whispered. 

"Then I think we can dispense with the bandit nonsense. Don't you, de Vanna?" 

 Lisa de Vanna laughed, dropping the fearsome growl that had disguised her voice to start with. "Oh, but these naughty brats deserved it."

"C-Captain?" Ellie squealed as Lisa unbound their hands. 

 "Easy, El," Lisa murmured. "Alright, little one, that's enough." 

 Lindsey turned to stare as Clare Polkinghorne appeared at Lisa's left shoulder.  

Ellie's former Australian captains tugged the girls into their arms, Clare patting Lindsey's hair as Ellie whimpered.  

"Shhh. Come along now, your Mummy's worried for you, darling." Lisa stroked Ellie's hair. "As she well ought to be, since you ran off." She paused significantly. "Again." 

Ellie and Lindsey allowed the two Australians and their American teammate to lead them back in disgrace, any trace of the excitement they'd felt on their ride completely evaporated.  

Alanna and Sam met them just outside the campsite, looking somewhat frazzled, and Sam pulled Ellie into her arms at once.  

"I can't leave you two alone for a minute, can I? What happened?"  

"We got captured by bandits 'cept they wasn't really bandits it was Nikki and the Captains and they were mean and they smacked Linds and--" Ellie babbled.  

"Shhh," Nikki murmured, giving Sam a reassuring kiss before turning to Ellie to soothe her. "It's alright, sweetheart, you're just lucky real bandits don't make it this far onto the grounds. But the Kerrs have us rounding up their strays." 

 Oh. "You mean...the clients?" Lindsey guessed, as Ellie was still babbling incoherently in Sam's embrace. "Do they...run away?" 

 "Sometimes. It helps to deter them," Clare said. "And we needed something to do in the off season." 

"Alright, honey, alright, little Joey," Alanna said, taking Ellie for herself and hugging her. "Sissy's got you, it's okay." She petted Ellie's hair until the younger girl calmed down. "I thought you two knew better than to run off in a strange place."  

"We thought it'd be alright cause of we were still by the stream," Ellie protested.  

"The stream goes a long way, and you don't know the lay of the land," Lisa chided. "You know better than to run off in strange places, Ellie. I thought you and Sam had this discussion."  

"To be fair, I think that was less the running off and more about the drugs," Alanna muttered. 

 "It was both," Sam said quietly as the nineteen-year-old squirmed at the reminder of the Rio misadventure. 

Lindsey's shoulders slumped. "It was my idea," she said. "I was showing off for Ellie. I wanted to race her."  

"Alright, Horan," Nikki said. "You just volunteered to go first."  

Lindsey's stomach dropped. "Who's going to...." A silent exchange passed between Sam, Lisa, Clare, and Nikki as Ellie and Lindsey pressed close to Alanna. 

"Ellie, you go with Sam. Lindsey, Nikki," Lisa decided. "Go where?" Lindsey asked, looking around the campsite, which was unhelpfully empty of any chairs, sofas, or stools, not to mention doors. Just the tent flaps for privacy. The only raised seats in camp were the log benches around the fire pit, and the only soft things to sit on were the bedrolls, flat on the ground. 

In the end, the blankets from the bedrolls were spread over the split logs to provide a somewhat soft surface, and Lindsey found herself stretched over Nikki's lap, Ellie's gracing Sam's, facing away from the firepit. Unceremoniously bared and upturned over their chosen disciplinarians' knees like naughty children, the two clung tightly to the blankets' edges as firm hands smacked down on their bare flesh, leaving them squealing and kicking after a dozen swats. It didn't help that they knew Lisa, Clare, and Alanna were still there, even if Alanna, at least, wouldn't judge them for crying. 

After the twelfth spank, Sam and Nikki paused. The thirteenth spank landed with the crack of leather soles on pink bottoms. Lindsey and Ellie's squeals and kicking grew more frantic as the well worn plimsolls reddened their bottoms. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Sam put her plimsoll down, but Nikki continued. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-three. Twenty-four. Twenty-five. The extra half dozen reddened Lindsey's sit spots, and she sobbed into her arm. Ellie was sobbing, too, and the girls were scooped up, held tightly by Sam and Nikki, and comforted. 

"Alright now, half-pints, it's okay, just don't you go running off again, hmm? And Lindsey, you're especially old enough to know not to encourage El to be naughty."  

"She's perfectly capable of being naughty on her own," Sam remarked dryly. "But please, Joey, try not to do naughty things, alright? Mummy doesn't love having to slipper you, baby girl." "Y-yes, Mummy. I'll be good," Ellie wept. "I promise, Nikki. I'm sorry," Lindsey whispered, trembling. "Sorry, Sam, Alanna." Lindsey and Ellie grimaced as their shorts and trousers were pulled back up, but they accepted warm hugs and forgiveness from the older women. "There now, little cowgirls, stay close to your herd from now on," Lisa murmured. "We've got strays enough to see to without finding Sam's, too." "Yes, ma'am," Lindsey and Ellie said sheepishly. "Then all's forgiven," Lisa promised. "Enjoy the rest of your campout, little ones. All's well."