Status: Uh....story kinda died. You can blame it on Bettman :P
While You Were Away
XLVI
"Didn't you miss traveling with us?" Darren asked and I shot a playful glare at him. I was currently squeezed in between him and Justin, with Jakub next to Darren. Hank, Pavel and Nik were seated in front of us and Jimmy and Val were seated comfortably in the front of the vehicle. We were all squeezed in a rental car on our way to the St. Pete Times Forum.
"I don't understand why Val is the one that gets to be comfortable while I'm forced to sit in between these giants," I said loudly. Darren and Justin laughed while I heard Jakub mumble a 'hey!'. "Quiet Jakub, you're the biggest one here!"
"Abby's bigger..." He said, giving me a look.
"Dude you're 6'3!"
"Abby, that's only two more inches.."
"And you weight more than me!"
"I didn't make you sit back there, you know!" Val said from the front, cutting everyone off as he turned around and laughing at the sight of me. "You said you wanted to sit by Abby."
"I didn't know these two were going to join in on the fun," I said sarcastically.
"Quit whining, we're almost there," Jimmy said. I looked out the window as we got off the cross town.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the arena. As soon as Hank, Nik and Pav were out the door, I hauled myself over the seat and jumped out the door. I heard Hank laugh as Jakub made his way out, struggling slightly with the seatbelt in front of him.
"You're very patient," He said as he got out and stood next to me. I grinned up at him as Jimmy took the SUV to the parking garage.
"So how was the practice earlier?" I asked as we all started walking inside.
"Pretty good."
"Amy!" I turned upon hearing the thick Russian accent call my name.
"Yeah Pasha?"
"You met Yzerman?"
"No..?"
"No?" I shook my head and he frowned slightly. "You were big fan though."
"Of course I was, I grew up watching him," I said with a laugh.
"You meet him," He said with a nod and I gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Pretty sure that means he's going to take you to meet him," Hank said, laughing at my expression.
"No, no, that's alright..." I trailed off.
"Yes, let's go," Pav said, separating from the group and waving me on. I gave Val a look and he just laughed, pushing me gently towards Pavel.
"Fine," I groaned, walking along with Pav as he lead the way. I heard my phone signal I had a text, so I reached for it quickly, hoping it was Emily. When I saw it was, I quickly fired off a response to her 'what's up?' text.
"That Emily?" I nodded and looked up to see Pavel was turning down a hallway. I followed him as I waited for a response to the text. "I say hi."
"I'll tell her," I said with a smile. Suddenly, my phone rang. "Hello?"
"HE'S TAKING YOU TO MEET YZERMAN?! STEVE FUCKING YZERMAN?! WHAT THE FUCK I WANT TO MEET HIM!!!" Emily screamed in my ear. I heard Pav chuckle, obviously hearing that it was Emily on the line.
"He says hi, by the way."
"He who?!"
"Pav..."
"...Tell him I say hi back. And that I want to meet Yzerman! What the hell, why couldn't he have have done that before? He's the reason we got into hockey in the first place!"
"I know Emily.. And he probably didn't do it before because you've never been in Florida with him," I explained slowly and heard Pavel let out a laugh. I looked at him to see he was grinning as he pushed the button on the wall for the elevator.
"I better meet him sooner rather than later... Oh shit I think I woke up Junior..."
"I'll call you later."
"You better.." The elevator slid open and I entered it with Pav. I watched as he pushed a button. The rest of the way we were quiet. I watched as Pavel found his way to what looked like an office. He held my arm as he walked inside.
"Stevie!" Pav said suddenly and my eyes widened as Steve Yzerman turned around, a confused look on his face that quickly morphed to a big smile.
"Pasha, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in awhile." He walked up and they hugged quickly.
"I'm good. This Amy." Pav gestured to me and I froze, not knowing what to do.
"You're married to Val, right?" He asked and I nodded stiffly.
"She big fan," Pav said and I felt myself blush as Steve looked back at me, his eyebrows raised.
"You're a fan?" He asked and I nodded.
"Y-yeah." I cleared my throat. "My sister and I grew up watching you play, you were our favorite...You influced us to get into hockey."
"Really?" He asked, seeming like he was genuinely interested.
"Yeah," I said with a chuckle. "We argued over who got your number when we got on our first team."
"Really?" He asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, we fought for a week or so about it."
"Who ended up getting it?" He asked and I laughed again.
"Some other kid on the team. We took too long," I explained and he let out a laugh.
"That's not cool, what number did you end up picking?"
"I ended up taking number 16 because I was a huge fan of the Russian Five," I said and he smiled.
"You liked Vladdy?" I nodded feverently. "What did your sister end up picking?"
"She picked 91. It was your number backwards because you were her favorite player and she liked the idea of the Russian Five thing."
"Ah, Fedorov. Very cool." His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocked, glancing at it before looking back at Pav and I. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. But it was great meeting you. Next time you come you should bring your sister."
"Nice meeting you too," I said with a grin. He shook my hand before answering his phone and walking away.
"See? Not so bad," Pavel said as we walked out of the room and made our way to the locker room.
"I think I'm in shock right now," I said and he let out a laugh.
"But you met him! That good!"
"Yes, very good. Thank you Pasha!" I said loudly, giving him a huge hug.
"Don't mention it."
-
"God, he just gets cuter and cuter," I cooed as Jimmy handed me his son.
"Well yeah, look at who his dad is," Jimmy said with a smug look on his face and I rolled my eyes at him, adjusting his sons shirt.
"There are way too many Juniors in my life...No one else better name their son after themselves..."
"If you and Val had a boy, would you name him after Val?" Todd asked, walking in the room and I raised my eyebrows.
"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," I said and caught Val shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.
"No?" Todd asked, looking over at him when I did.
"No. Not a fun name to deal with when you're not in Finland. You've heard what Emily calls me..." He trailed off and shook his head again at the nickname Emily had taken to calling him.
"And Carrie," I deadpanned, noticing Val roll his eyes at the name Carrie had called him once.
"Any ideas on a name you'd pick?"
"Not really. We've never really discussed it," Val said and I nodded, agreeing with him.
"Now whenever I tell Emily about this Junior, she's going to think I'm insane," I mumbled and Jimmy let out a loud laugh, causing Junior to look up and start smiling at him.
"I don't understand why Val is the one that gets to be comfortable while I'm forced to sit in between these giants," I said loudly. Darren and Justin laughed while I heard Jakub mumble a 'hey!'. "Quiet Jakub, you're the biggest one here!"
"Abby's bigger..." He said, giving me a look.
"Dude you're 6'3!"
"Abby, that's only two more inches.."
"And you weight more than me!"
"I didn't make you sit back there, you know!" Val said from the front, cutting everyone off as he turned around and laughing at the sight of me. "You said you wanted to sit by Abby."
"I didn't know these two were going to join in on the fun," I said sarcastically.
"Quit whining, we're almost there," Jimmy said. I looked out the window as we got off the cross town.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the arena. As soon as Hank, Nik and Pav were out the door, I hauled myself over the seat and jumped out the door. I heard Hank laugh as Jakub made his way out, struggling slightly with the seatbelt in front of him.
"You're very patient," He said as he got out and stood next to me. I grinned up at him as Jimmy took the SUV to the parking garage.
"So how was the practice earlier?" I asked as we all started walking inside.
"Pretty good."
"Amy!" I turned upon hearing the thick Russian accent call my name.
"Yeah Pasha?"
"You met Yzerman?"
"No..?"
"No?" I shook my head and he frowned slightly. "You were big fan though."
"Of course I was, I grew up watching him," I said with a laugh.
"You meet him," He said with a nod and I gave him a confused look.
"What do you mean?"
"Pretty sure that means he's going to take you to meet him," Hank said, laughing at my expression.
"No, no, that's alright..." I trailed off.
"Yes, let's go," Pav said, separating from the group and waving me on. I gave Val a look and he just laughed, pushing me gently towards Pavel.
"Fine," I groaned, walking along with Pav as he lead the way. I heard my phone signal I had a text, so I reached for it quickly, hoping it was Emily. When I saw it was, I quickly fired off a response to her 'what's up?' text.
"That Emily?" I nodded and looked up to see Pavel was turning down a hallway. I followed him as I waited for a response to the text. "I say hi."
"I'll tell her," I said with a smile. Suddenly, my phone rang. "Hello?"
"HE'S TAKING YOU TO MEET YZERMAN?! STEVE FUCKING YZERMAN?! WHAT THE FUCK I WANT TO MEET HIM!!!" Emily screamed in my ear. I heard Pav chuckle, obviously hearing that it was Emily on the line.
"He says hi, by the way."
"He who?!"
"Pav..."
"...Tell him I say hi back. And that I want to meet Yzerman! What the hell, why couldn't he have have done that before? He's the reason we got into hockey in the first place!"
"I know Emily.. And he probably didn't do it before because you've never been in Florida with him," I explained slowly and heard Pavel let out a laugh. I looked at him to see he was grinning as he pushed the button on the wall for the elevator.
"I better meet him sooner rather than later... Oh shit I think I woke up Junior..."
"I'll call you later."
"You better.." The elevator slid open and I entered it with Pav. I watched as he pushed a button. The rest of the way we were quiet. I watched as Pavel found his way to what looked like an office. He held my arm as he walked inside.
"Stevie!" Pav said suddenly and my eyes widened as Steve Yzerman turned around, a confused look on his face that quickly morphed to a big smile.
"Pasha, how are you doing? I haven't seen you in awhile." He walked up and they hugged quickly.
"I'm good. This Amy." Pav gestured to me and I froze, not knowing what to do.
"You're married to Val, right?" He asked and I nodded stiffly.
"She big fan," Pav said and I felt myself blush as Steve looked back at me, his eyebrows raised.
"You're a fan?" He asked and I nodded.
"Y-yeah." I cleared my throat. "My sister and I grew up watching you play, you were our favorite...You influced us to get into hockey."
"Really?" He asked, seeming like he was genuinely interested.
"Yeah," I said with a chuckle. "We argued over who got your number when we got on our first team."
"Really?" He asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, we fought for a week or so about it."
"Who ended up getting it?" He asked and I laughed again.
"Some other kid on the team. We took too long," I explained and he let out a laugh.
"That's not cool, what number did you end up picking?"
"I ended up taking number 16 because I was a huge fan of the Russian Five," I said and he smiled.
"You liked Vladdy?" I nodded feverently. "What did your sister end up picking?"
"She picked 91. It was your number backwards because you were her favorite player and she liked the idea of the Russian Five thing."
"Ah, Fedorov. Very cool." His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocked, glancing at it before looking back at Pav and I. "I'm sorry, I have to take this. But it was great meeting you. Next time you come you should bring your sister."
"Nice meeting you too," I said with a grin. He shook my hand before answering his phone and walking away.
"See? Not so bad," Pavel said as we walked out of the room and made our way to the locker room.
"I think I'm in shock right now," I said and he let out a laugh.
"But you met him! That good!"
"Yes, very good. Thank you Pasha!" I said loudly, giving him a huge hug.
"Don't mention it."
-
"God, he just gets cuter and cuter," I cooed as Jimmy handed me his son.
"Well yeah, look at who his dad is," Jimmy said with a smug look on his face and I rolled my eyes at him, adjusting his sons shirt.
"There are way too many Juniors in my life...No one else better name their son after themselves..."
"If you and Val had a boy, would you name him after Val?" Todd asked, walking in the room and I raised my eyebrows.
"I haven't really thought about it, to be honest," I said and caught Val shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.
"No?" Todd asked, looking over at him when I did.
"No. Not a fun name to deal with when you're not in Finland. You've heard what Emily calls me..." He trailed off and shook his head again at the nickname Emily had taken to calling him.
"And Carrie," I deadpanned, noticing Val roll his eyes at the name Carrie had called him once.
"Any ideas on a name you'd pick?"
"Not really. We've never really discussed it," Val said and I nodded, agreeing with him.
"Now whenever I tell Emily about this Junior, she's going to think I'm insane," I mumbled and Jimmy let out a loud laugh, causing Junior to look up and start smiling at him.