Part 20

"Yes. You start by letting me in."
"How about you reach up, grab the spare key from the door frame and let yourself in." she said rolling back into a ball laying the phone beside her.
"I can do that but-"

She didn't wait to hear what he was about argue about. She shut her phone and smashed her face into the pillow just as Alexander appeared in the door frame.

"Not nice to hang up Brooklyn." he said.
She couldn't stop the smile that his broken English made appear on her face. "You're lucky your English is so damn cute, I hate being woken up."
"What you do about it?" he said tilting his head in a tough guy kinda way.
"You don't have to act tough to make friends, Alexander." she shook her head, laughed and rolled out of bed. "I'm getting a shower."
"Was that an invitation?" he smiled.
"If you have a death wish, yes." she said looking over her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes and walked away.

"I'm eating you food." he called to her from the kitchen.
"Whatever." she called back before turning on the shower water. "Don't touch my Cheerios, I went out at midnight last night to get them!"

She sighed, shook her head, and shut the bathroom door behind her. The steam from the shower was already fogging up the mirror. She ran her hand slowly across the glass to reveal her reflection. Her eyes red from lack of sleep, her lips a little more red than normal. The bruise wasn't bad, starting to turn yellow, but still highly noticeable. She clenched her teeth and backed away from the mirror. She slid onto the floor once she felt the cold tiled wall behind her.

"Fuck you Brody." she said to no one. "That's the last time I let you ruin my life."

She pushed herself up, undressed, and stepped into the hot running water. She danced around under the water, she had no where to be, why not dance the time away. She wrapped her hair up in a towel, actually put make-up on for the first time in over a week. Put on a pair of American Eagle jeans with a white tank top. She did a quick messy French Braid, and met Alexander in the living room. He was lounged out in grey sweat pants and a red team Russia hoodie, one arm was behind his neck pillowing his head, the other resting on his stomach holding the remote.

"Gee make yourself at home." she said seriously, then smiled to show she was kidding.
"I would. But Nicky might kill me." he smiled and sat up to give her some room on the couch.
"What do you mean?" she asked a little confused.
"Nothing. Not important." he said turning the TV up a little louder.
"No." she said taking the remote, muting the TV. "Tell me."
"We're close. Right?"
"Of course Alexander. You're my favorite of the guys."
"I'm just-jealous, I guess."
"Of what?"
"Nicky."
"Oh." she said softly, looking at the floor.
"Yeah. I no help it. When I came here, I say only Russia girls, but everything it changes when I see you."
"Sometimes I lay in bed at night, when I can't sleep and think about why I feel so hard for Nicklas. Scandinavian girl falls for Scandinavian boy, how original right? Well don't get me wrong I love Nicklas more with each beat of my heart, but I want more excitement. He's so calm and down to earth. I want to be wild for a night, just let loose. Make regrets. Maybe with a Russian."
"Make regrets? Russian? Wild?" he smiled. "I can do that!"
"Oh shit. I forgot you were Russian." she smirked. "Bring it Russia."
"Oh you'll enjoy this." he said as he pressed her onto the couch.

Part 19

"So how long are you gone again?" she asked him as he lifted her from the kitchen chair, and rested her onto the counter so they were face to face.

"Well" he said before kissing the bridge of her nose. "We go to Detroit, then LA, to Colorado, then Tampa."
"And you're gone till..."
"Tuesday."
"Wonderful. What am I supposed to do. I'll starve!"
"No you won't" Nicklas cooed laughing.
"You ate all my damn Cheerios!" she laughed back, then tried to be serious.
"Sasha isn't going. Hang with him."
"He's not hurt. He's faking. Plus he'll kill me. He doesn't understand his hugs hurt my ribs."
"Well when I see him jumping rope I'll believe you."
"If he kills me, you stay away from my funeral. I'll haunt your ass for letting him babysit me."
"Oh Brooklyn." he laughed and pulled her into a hug. "He won't."
"You already told him to come over didn't you?" she said laughing and pushing him away.
"Maybe. I just-I don't know. I don't feel right with you being alone."
"Nicklas-"
"No. Just hang with him until I come home. It'll help me."
"Fine Nicklas." she said rolling her eyes. "You better score some goals for me. Hold the Russian fights please."
"Tee Hee."

He kissed her, then pulled away laughing.

"What?" she said tilting her head in confusion.
"I-I gotta pack." he said through his laughs.
"Oh good lord!" she sighed jumping off the counter, taking his hand, her car keys and walked out the door.

--------------------------------------

"Wheres your other bag?" Brooklyn called to him from the back of his closet.
"Umm in your trunk." he said parting the clothes to see her face.
"What am I looking for again?"
"Black practice jersey."
"Whats wrong with your red one? Orange one? Grey one?" she said holding up a finger for each color.
"Luck dear, luck"
"Can't you be like Crosby and just not let anyone touch your stick after its taped?" she said after he let the clothes go, covering her again.
"What is it with you and that boy?"
"Boy? He's older than you. and Nova Scotia duh. It infects you." she said parting a row of clothes throwing a black and grey long sleeved jersey out to him. "Anything else while I'm in here?"
"Nope. Done. and it only took 2 hours and -" he checked his phone. " 47 minutes."
"Yeah. Only."
"Oh you love me." He said grabbing her waist throwing her down on the pile of clothes covering his bed, then layed on top of her.
"Love? Is that what they call this feeling now a days?" she said her lips curling in to a smirk.
"Now I have a few-um rules for Mr. Semin-" he started.
"Nicklas-" she said stopping him "Don't and I have a hanger poking my spine."
"Oh! My bad" he laughed and pulled her up with him to her feet. "It's getting late."
"Do you need me to fold and pack these too?"
"No." he said dryly. "I think I can handle it."
"Don't cheat on me." she said stopping only for a quick kiss. "I know how those Tampa girls are."
----------------------------------------

Brooklyn woke the next morning to her phone vibrating non stop.

"Can I help you Alexander?" she said a slight annoyed tone in her voice.

part 18

She woke the next morning from the morning light shining through the open blinds. She reached up to feel her throbbing face, but found an ice pack instead. She sat up holding the now water bag in her hands. She groaned and flung her legs over the side of the bed and sulked out to her kitchen. She found Nicklas sitting on her counter shoving a bowl of cheerios down his throat.

"Morning beautiful." he said through a mouth full.

She didn't respond, just threw the icepack back into the freezer.


"Good morning Nicklas" he mocked to himself.
"Morning." she mumbled her lips pressed to his cheek.
"Did you put that on my face?"
"Yeah." he said shoveling another spoonful in his mouth. "You kept spazing and groaning when you rolled over on it."
"How does it look?"
"Remember how my eye looked?"
"Yeah. It's still kinda yellow."
"Well, it's almost that bad." he said then tipping his bowl to drink the left over milk.
"Are you serious?" she said, her eyes wide.
"Mmmhmm." he said still drinking the milk. "Almost."
"Mother Russia!" she screamed, running into her bathroom.


He followed a few moments later and found her sitting on her knees on the bathroom sink, her face pressed to the mirror. She had a shadow of purple running from the corner of her lip up the left side of her face that ran into her eyebrow. Her lip was cut, dark red surrounding the cut.

"It's not that bad." he said watching her.
"I look like I got hit by a bus." she said back to his reflection.
"No you don't." he argued back. "Now get down, you're sitting on the toothpaste."
"You know," she started as she turned around on her knees. "You're very insensitive today."
"I'm not insensitive. I just don't think you should be worrying about it. Like you said last night, it's nothing a little make-up and ice can't fix." he said rubbing her knee. "Stop staring at me like that."
"You're phone is ringing, Dr. Phil." she said with a smirk.

He left her there alone to moan at the mirror. He found his phone ringing on the living room table.

"Hey Sasha."
"Nicky. You call me?" Alexander Semin said in his broken English.
"Yeah. I gotta talk to you."
"Oh! Something wrong?"

He held his hand over the speaker part of his phone. "Brooklyn! I'll be right back!"

He walked out of her apartment towards the elevators. He didn't get on them, but paced the hallway instead.

"Okay so Brooklyn went home to see her parents yesterday while we were in New York, and her mental ex boyfriend...um."
"What Nicky?"
"He hit her." he finally said.
"No! Why? Is she hurt?"
"No, she's okay. She's worried about the bruises though. She thinks people will think it was me."
"No. You'd never hit her."
"I know, but she's worried."
"So, why you need me?"
"I know you're not going with us to Detroit since you hurt your ankle again, I was wondering if you'd stay with her, keep her company."
"Of course I will."
"Most of all, make sure her ex doesn't come back." he said through clenched teeth. "You can't know how bad I want to kick his ass right now!"
"Don't you hurt no one Nicky."
"I'm not promising anything, come over around noon. She should be up. If not call her until she answers."
"Okay. I be there."
"Thanks Sasha"
"No problem."

He hung up and quickly walked back into Brooklyn's apartment.

"Planning something?"
"No. It was my mom."
"Mmmm. Where's my Cheerios?"
"I don't know. But I know where the empty box is." he said holding back a smirk.
"You're lucky your cute." she said reaching for a box of frosted flakes.
"Oh yeah? Or what? You gonna beat me up?"
"Whats that? Was that a challenge?"
"Only if you think you can win."
"Don't test me."
"Bring it."

With that she jumped on him, her face in his, her legs wrapped around his hips.

"Is that all you've got, Canada." he said staring at her.
"Roar." she laughed at her horrible Dinosaur sound.

She kicked the back of his knee causing him to fall to the floor, she pinned his wrists down with her hands, and pressed his hips into the floor with hers. She pressed her lips to his neck as if she were going to bite him, vampire style.

"I win."
"You wish."

He lifted his hands as if there were nothing holding him down, and flipped her over so she was lying on her stomach. Her hands pinned down at her sides. He mocked her biting to the back of her shoulder.

"Scores tied at 1." he laughed.
"I can't move."
"Good means I win, you forfeit."
"To a Stubborn Swede." she laughed. "Never!"

Some how she managed to squirm out of his grasps and flip him on to his stomach. She got up and ran to the bedroom, him right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pinned her to the bed, and pressed a hard kiss to her lips.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she sighed when they finally parted lips.
"I might."
"I'd die this way, any day." she said pulling him by his shirt back to her.
"Watch your hands" he said into her mouth. "Unless you're going to finish the job.

She laughed, and pulled him down on top of her.

part 17

"What?" she asked not turning completely around. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Woah." he said sitting up."I was gonna joke about you being here 3 hours after me but now that you made a big deal about it."
"I didn't make a big deal." she said holding the bruise on her cheek.
"Okay then." he said his hands up in surrender as he walked to hug her. "I missed you."
"Yeah I missed you too." she said falling into his arms careful not to rest her hurt side on his chest.

She was glad the only source of light was the dim glow of the TV. After a few short moments of comfort, just standing there listening to his heartbeat, her breaths in sync with his. He reached up and pushed her falling bangs off her eyes. She winched back in pain.

"Woah Brooklyn." he said holding her at arms length away. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
"No." she lied.
"There's that lying again." he said flicking on the lights. "Oh my god. Brooklyn!"
"It's nothing!" she barked turning away towards her bedroom.
"The hell is isn't!" he said grabbing her wrist pulling her back to her. "What happened up there?"
"Nothing Nicklas. I-I tripped."
"Yeah and you're not dating a professional hockey player and I'm not dating the girl of my dreams. Tell me! Now Brooklyn!"
"Fine!" she said as she stomped to the couch, flopped down sitting cross legged looking towards the sliding glass door. Even though it was way to dark to see out of. She let out a long deep sigh.
"Well..?" Nicklas asked sitting down next to her.
"So remember that voice you heard when I was on the phone with you?" she asked turning to face him.
"Yeah."
"Well that was my ex best friend slash ex boyfriend, Brody Carson."
"He hit you!?!" He interrupted.
"Are you gonna let me tell you?!"
"Sorry." he said holding his hands up, in surrender, again.
"Anyway...I guess he saw my car in the driveway and he stopped by. We got to talking and this lead to that and he pushed me up against the wall, I hit him, he hit me back and I told him to leave."
"What were you talking about? Something that bad that made you hit him."
"Nothing important."
"Brooklyn. I want to know."
"When we were still in high school, we starting dating. I figured I've known him since I was 12 it would work out. I was wrong. Almost 3 years later he cheated on me. He told me he was staying home to watch his Nephew one Friday night. So I figured I'd go to a friends party she was having. I was having fun, just talking to new people, you know. Since I hadn't gotten out much when he was around. I went to get another drink and I saw her sitting up on the kitchen counter, with him in between her legs making out with her. I ripped him off her and he just laughed and said 'oh I guess I'm busted' anyway I dumped him. I guess it didn't help much that I had to see him everyday at practice." her voice trailed into a mumble.
"How does that lead to this." he said reaching for her face but dropping his hand to find hers.
"He brought you into it, and you had no place to be there. He called me easy and shoved me against the wall. I pushed him away but he wouldn't let me go. So I did the only thing I could do. I didn't think he'd ever hit me back. Guess I was wrong." she said dropping her head looking at her feet, not wanting to catch his eyes.
"That's why you left..." he whispered.
"Yeah. It was bad enough my mom came home to me bleeding, I know my dad would've hunted Brody down and killed him for touching me."
"Oh he's a lucky boy. If I was there...you don't even know how pissed I-" he said through his teeth.
"You know what the worst part is?" she said cutting him off.
"What could possibly be worse Brooklyn? You go home to spend time with your family, and your mental ex boyfriend hits you for moving on!"
"Nicklas! People will think you did this!" she said standing up violently. "No one but you knew I was going home! No one was there! No one will believe me that my ex did this!"
"Oh this could be a problem." he said his eyes wide. "But I'm not worried about that. I want to make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine. Nothing a day of ice and some make-up can't fix. I'm going to take a shower. I need sometime to think." she said as she walked toward her bathroom.
"Brooklyn." he said quietly.
"Yeah babe." she said turning around to face him.
"I love you." he said looking straight into her eyes, watching the smile form on her face.
"With all my heart." she responded back.

part 16

"Brody? Brody Carson?"

Brooklyn just nodded her head.

"Why baby?"
"He came over, I guess he saw my car or something? And he asked about Nicklas and he got mad, pretty much called me an easy whore, I punched him, and he hit me back." she whispered sliding her hand across her bleeding lips.
"Brooklyn! You just wait until I tell your-"
"No! Don't tell him. Don't tell anyone. I just- Can I have some ice please?"

She didn't answer the questions that her mother asked her. She didn't even lift her pounding head from the table. Her ice bag was dripping onto the white tiled floor. It had long since melted from the heat of the bruises that were forming on her cheek up into her eyebrow. What would she tell Nicklas? The first night she was away from him she goes and gets herself hit. She never thought he would hit her, Brody, the boy she claimed as almost a brother since she was 12 years old. He didn't even hit her when they played pick up games. Why did everything change all of a sudden. Was he jealous of Nicklas? He had no reason. He was the entire reason she had ended their 3 year relationship. And with some trashy excuse for a blond. She was surprised that girl could see through all the eyeliner she smeared on her manipulative blue eyes . Whatever, she was over it. Him-on the other hand, she couldn't say the same. She was half way to sleep, on her water bed pillow when she felt her back pocket vibrate the chair under her.

"Hello?"
"Hey babe" Nicklas said, his voice bringing a painful smile to her face.
"Gaa how was the game?"
"Okay. We made it to the shoot-out and since we can't win those to save our lives we lost."
"What was the final?" she said throwing her melted bag, basketball style into the trash bag.
"2-3. Not that bad."
"Beats a shut out."
"Brooklyn? Are you okay? You sound...different." he asked obviously concerned.
"yeah I'm okay. I'm heading home soon."
"Wait? You're not staying? You just got there."
"I just don't want to be here, that's all"
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yes."
"Brooklyn..."
"Nicklas. I'm getting ready to leave. I'll probably get home around the same time as you."
"Okay. Bye Babe."
"Bye."

"Brooklyn are you sure you don't want to stay?" her mother pleaded as she walked with her to Brooklyn car. "I mean...you haven't even seen your father yet? You know how he worries about you all the time."
"No mom." she said sliding into the drivers seat. "Don't even tell him I was here."
"Aw Brooklyn I love you" her mom said, reaching into the car to hug her, tears in her eyes.
"You too mom." With that she pulled back out of the driveway.

Down the long paved road spotted with amazing 3 story houses on each side. Their lights shining making them look as though they were smiling, happy, filled with loving families, as hers used to be. She couldn't help but still blame herself for the way her family had fallen apart. Everything had always been about her. Her hockey. Her school. Her. Her. Her. Her parents never had time for themselves. Maybe she was self centered.

It was a little after midnight when she pulled into her parking spot under the sheltered parking garage. Nicklas' silver BMW parked next to hers. The snow had stopped falling, the wind had fallen silent too. She walked as slow as possible into the lobby and to the elevator. She had no clue what to tell Nicklas. The truth would be a good place to start. She hoped he had fallen asleep waiting for her. She let out a heavy sigh as she slid her key into the lock. She could hear the living room TV, other than that nothing but silence. She quietly dropped her things on the kitchen floor, and smiled another painful smile at her Nicklas wrapped up on her couch under a dark green blanket. His right arm pillowing the back of his head, that hand wrapped in his curling blond hair. His left hand clutching his phone, as if he were waiting for an important call, his arm lying on his chest, raising and falling slowly with each deep breath he took. His feet placed over the top of the opposite arm of the chair. He was obviously too tall to be sleeping there. A soft delicate smile resting on his angelic face.

She let out another soft sigh and tiptoed across the room to him. She bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. She turned to her bedroom, debating if a shower would wake him.

"You know." Nicklas said with a long deep yawn. "You're a horrible liar."