part 11

She woke the next morning to the sound of his laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.
"Well." he said still laughing. "look!"

She pushed herself up on her elbows. She was taking up more than her fair share of the bed, she was still in just her jeans; with one sock on the other lost somewhere in the bed sheets. Her shirt was still laying on the floor beside the bed. She looked up at him who was in only his boxers.

"Woah!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah." he laughed. "way to be a blanket hog."
"Sorry. "
"Well, I'd rather have you be a blanket hog than be a grouchy bitch in the morning." he said with a joking grin.
"You could've woke me up , you know."
"and interrupt your snoring? Hell no."
"I don't snore."
"How would you know when you're sleeping?"
"Whatever Nicklas." she barked pulling the blankets over her head rolling in a ball.
"Get up!"he said pulling them back down. "we've got practice to get to."
"At 7 o'clock?!"
"Umm sweetheart, it's almost 11."
"damn." she responded sitting up straight.
"Move it!"

She jumped up wrapping her arms around his neck, matching her lips with his.

"I could get used to waking up to that" he said when she finally pulled away. " well you know without the morning breath."
"Shut up" she said running to the bathroom with her hand over her mouth.

She brushed her teeth and changed. He was already dressed and ready waiting by the front door.

"Alright pushy let's go."
" 'bout time."

They walked to his car with his arm around her waist. They were the last ones to the practice center. Everyone was already on the ice warming up.

"Well hello!" Mike Green said sliding up against the boards.
"Didn't think I'd let you have all the fun without me did you?" she said shooting him a crooked grin.
"No way!" Alexander Semin said in his hardly audible Russian accent. "I no not think you would come"
" I thought this would be a good time to show off." she said smiling at his horrible but adorable English.
"Don't hurt her" Nicklas warned them both.
"I no think of it" Alexander responded holding his hands up palm first.
"Why would we do that?" Green asked trying to hide a grin.
"Because I remember quite well my first practice here. Pretty sure I still have those scars thank you Sasha."

Green and Semin looked at each other a slow mischievous grin forming on both their faces.

"Alright boys" Brooklyn said sporting the same grin. "Let's go."

She wasn't half way to center ice before Ovechkin slid into her pulling her into a tight bear style hug.

"GAH! A.O.! I. Can't. Breathe!" she gasped.
"Good!" he said laughing as he twisted her in the air.
"Break it up! Ovie stop trying to crush her." Nicklas said stepping in to pull her out of his grip.

He let her down slowly onto the ice. She gave him a quick playful punch and took off. She found Green towards the far end of the ice shooting goals with Brooks Laich on Olie Kolzig. She snorted with a rebound hit Laich smack in the shin.

"Ouch damn!" he screamed. "Something funny Canada?"
"Well first of all" she said still laughing. "It's Finland, and you do know you're supposed to move."
"Ah" he said rubbing his shin. "This is gonna be a fun practice. Hey Backs, Ovie, Sem, were starting a pickup game. Who wants her?
"Ohhh!" Alexander said excited. "Me!"
"I meant on a team."
"Oh" he said disappointed, looking down at the ice as Nicklas gave him a look.
"How bout this" Ovechkin added in. " Me, her, and Sasha play you, Greeny, and Backs."
"Alright" Laich said acceptably. "Pick your goalie."
"Kolzig!" Brooklyn shouted before anyone else could take him.
"Woop!" Kolzig shouted back.
"Johnson, you're ours." Green said.
"All right wonder-boy you're on." she said high-fiving Alexander and A.O.

They took their positions on the ice. She took the first face off from Laich and let him win. Or so she says. Laich passed straight to Green and slapped in straight to Kolzig's opened glove.

"You're not supposed to aim for his glove, my dear." She said as sassy as she could.
"Keep it up Canada!"

She showed her stuff on the second face off. Laich did a double take as she flew by him laughing as she passed it to Ovechkin, Ovechkin passing it to Semin, Semin back to her again. She jumped back on her skates as Nicklas met her around the back of the net. She was surprised by the soft moan that escaped her lips as he slammed her softly into the boards.

"I don't like to lose." He laughed in to her ear.
"Yeah?" she laughed back. "Then next time...hit me harder."

With that said she slid out from him, and easily stuffed the puck in past Johnson. She beamed as the Alexes squished her in between their hug.

"Nice!" Laich threw at her. " If you weren't a girl I'd slam you into the boards right now."
"What an excuse." she shot back popping her head out from A.O.'s massive arm. "I've been slammed into the boards my entire life.
"I bet you have." Green said with a sly grin.
"Hey now! Dirty."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm just kidding. You're a good girl. Nicky is lucky. Be sure to stick around."
"I was planning on it." she said smiling at Nicklas.
"Well." Kolzig broke in. "I hate to break this yuck feast up, but Carson has a doctors appointment I need to take him to. Brooklyn, love you kid!"

She made a nerdy heart with her gloved hands. Green high fived her, Laich tapped her thigh with his stick, Ovechkin slapped her butt with his stick and Semin full out grabbed it. Nicklas rolled his eyes.

"I'm used to it" She said noticing the look he was still giving Alexander.
"I'm not" he said smiling at her.
"Aww my baby is so protective." she said in a baby voice before kissing him on the cheek.
"That's my job. Eww was that your stomach? It sounded like a mountain lion!"