Goodnight, Beautiful.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay staying by yourself?” Kris reluctantly handed his keys over to Bristol who stood in the cold patiently. Her toes were frozen and her nose was about to fall off.

Although Kris knew full well she was more than capable than taking care of herself, there was always a worried felling which bit at the pit of his stomach each time he left his female roommate alone.

As Bristol let the car keys dangle in her fingers, Kris could see the way she was looking at his baby. Her mind was clearly wondering how fast she could get it up to on the highway. With nothing to do over the weekend, Bristol had decided on heading into Jersey and shop around at a small boutique she had found on the internet.

Adjusting her bag, Bristol rolled her eyes at Kris and was none too flattered by his caring manner. Much to her surprise, Daniel came up from behind and scared the poor girl half to death when he draped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“At least Dan has some confidence in me.” Bristol found her body immediately warmed by the heat Daniel was giving off. She tried telling herself to ignore the sexy scent of his Old Spice soap. “Maybe I should just move in with him.”

“I think you should move in, too.” Daniel said it in a playful tone and fortunately for him, neither Bristol nor Kris caught on to the fact he was being slightly serious.

Kris shook his head. “This is going to be a long road trip.”

“You’re going to be gone for less than two days.” Bristol looked over her shoulder and was disappointed to find it was Jeff Carter who had come out of the arena and into the player’s lot. With Bristol not having a car yet, Kris didn’t want to leave her in an alien city with no mode of transportation. Although there were the city buses, she wasn’t quite sure about their routes. He would be hitching a ride with Jeff to the airport and Bristol would be picking him up when they flew back in.

“The thought of leaving you alone at the house for two days unsupervised scares me.” Kris ran a hand through his damp hair and smoothed his tie out. “No parties.”

“But if you do, no boys in your room past eleven.” Daniel pulled his hat over his head after the cold wind began to nip at his ears.

Having enough of their bull shit, Bristol wrapped her arms around Daniel’s neck giving him a tight hug goodbye.

He was stunned for a second, not to sure how to react but finally his common sense kicked in and he wrapped his arms her. Thinking for sure it was only him; he felt a warm tingle in the pit of his stomach. Just the thought of that feeling made him want to beat his own ass. Daniel Carcillo was no pussy and he never fell for any girl, unless it was into her bed.

“Goodnight, I am going home and going to bed.” Moving to on to Kris, Bristol hugged him goodnight but, when the two exchanged a friendly kiss it now seemed Daniel was jealous of Kris for two reasons.

The Championship ring which sat comfortably in a safety deposit box and the kisses Bristol placed nonchalantly on his lips.

Gripping the keys tightly in her right hand, Bristol trekked over to Kris’s car and slid into the driver’s seat with a sly smile on her face. She had learned how to drive in the aggressive streets of downtown Chicago and the thought of his car being in her possession scared the hell out of Kris.

“She is quite the handful, isn’t she?” Daniel shook his head and watched with Kris as Bristol drove off.

Steeger held his breath and watched Bristol as she pulled safely into traffic with his most prized possession. “Oh, you have no idea.”

---

Once the team dinner in Ottawa had just about ended and all that there was left to do was sit and let their meals digest, Kris squirmed uncomfortably in his chair as he checked his phone. To him it felt like ten hours had gone by since he last lit the screen, but really it had only been ten minutes.

Tossing his linen napkin on the table, Kris looked around wondering if it was the right time to excuse himself. With most of the guys busy in their own conversations, he stood up without a word and headed outside. When the cold Canadian wind hit his body, Kris quickly regretted the fact he had forgotten his jacket inside the restaurant. It had to have been no warmer than 32 degrees and his teeth were chattering so hard he thought they might shatter.

Holding his Blackberry in his left hand, he used his thumb to scroll through his contact list. Pressing the call button when he came across the name he was looking for, Kris placed it to his ear. The line rang one, twice and three times before it cut into her voicemail.

“Hey, it’s Bristol, I’m not here right now…”

Ending the call, Kris shoved the phone back into his pocket. He wasn’t quite ready to head back inside. It would take a minute or two for his nerves to settle before than could happen. Kris hadn’t heard from his roommate in nearly twenty-four hours and the thoughts that raced through his mind were ripping his insides to shreds. There was a reason Kris had asked Bristol if she wanted to move out to Philly with him and he was scared beyond all belief that the reason had jumped on a plane and headed out to the City of Brotherly Love.

“You feeling okay?”

Kris jumped slightly at the sound of another male voice and he turned around to see who had followed him out. It was Dan.

“Yeah,” Kris tried his best to reassure his teammate. “Just came out here to call Bristol and make sure everything’s going alright.”

Dan handed Kris his jacket before shoving his hands into his own pockets. “Did you get a hold of her?”

Kris shook his head. “Nope. Haven’t heard from her since last night.”

“I’m sure everything’s cool. We were texting back and forth this morning and she said she was spending the day unpacking and shopping. Apparently her stuff arrived today.”

The fact Bristol had given Daniel her number shocked him. She was a protective girl and rarely gave her number out to any male. Even if he was one of Kris’s teammates; she didn’t like growing close to people.

It was time Kris could finally take a deep breath. He was now sure she had left her phone at the bottom of her bag and forgot to check it while she was out shopping. He never understood why she paid for a cell phone if she rarely used it. Bristol was the kind of girl who didn’t like the idea of instant communication. She always said she loved her childhood days without the cell phone where she could go out for hours and not have anyone bother her. That motto was probably the reason why she ended up in some the situations she often found herself in.

“She’s probably at home relaxing then.” Kris checked his phone one more time, hoping she had texted him back. With no such luck, he cleared the screen of a few fallen snow flakes as the guys began to walk out the restaurant.

“What do ‘ya say he head out and try to find a strip club, Steeger?” Carter pulled his hat over his blonde head and approached his new found friend.

“I say we head back to the hotel and keep our mind on tomorrow’s game.” Peter Laviolette placed a hand on each of the young player’s backs.

Kris felt his heart nearly stop in chest as he looked over at Jeff, then back to his coach. “The hotel sounds good with me.”

---

Bristol stood back and examined her work. She was proud of the colors she had picked and the fact she had finished painting in the little time she had was amazing. When armed with a paintbrush and roller, Bristol was deadly and could knock out a room in little less than an hour and a half.

Her muscles were sore from moving furniture and the rest of it would be delivered in a week, so at least then Kris could help her. The walls had been painted a crisp white, freshening up them up, getting rid of the faded paint which had been there before. Accents of black popped giving it a sophisticated look. She had purchased a new black slipcover for the sofa and four new white pillows sat comfortably on the arms.

It had taken her no time at all to clean up, leaving Bristol with only 30 minutes to shower before heading out to pick Kris up from the airport. She had watched the game the pervious night at a bar down the street. Rearranging the front room meant she had to unplug the television and disconnect the cable box and home stereo system. She had not the slightest clue as to how to put it all together. It was a sure job for Kris.

Flipping the light on in the bathroom, Bristol admired her work in there as well. With a light blue paint job and new towels and shower curtain, it no longer resembled the bathroom of a single, young guy.

Pushing the curtain back, Bristol turned on the water and stripped from her paint splattered clothes. Stepping under the spray, Bristol was amazed as to how much better her muscles felt and relaxed. She made it quick by keeping it simple; just washing her hair and body before stepping out. The mirror hadn’t even had a chance to fog up.

With a towel wrapped loosely around her body, Bristol crossed the hall to her room and didn’t bother closing the door. She was the only one home after all. Once her hair was towel dried, she tossed some gel in it and let it air dry. Her skin was lathered in a thick body butter before she raided her closet for something warm to wear; comfortable jeans and a tee with a plain zip-up sweatshirt. There was no need to dress up; Bristol was only picking Kris up from the airport. The rest of her night would consist of Chinese takeout and new movie On Demand.

Slipping her feet into a pair of Converse tennis shoes, Bristol grabbed her bag, jacket and scarf before heading out to face the sub-Artic conditions.

Bristol pulled up to the curb of the airport with a few minutes to spare and before she could even take her seatbelt off, Kris walked out the automatic doors with his overnight bag slung over his shoulder. He looked tired, with bags under his eyes and a blank expression on his face.

Opening the door to his car and getting in, Kris was thankful for the fact Bristol hadn’t totaled it. She had the heater blasting and he welcomed the shot of warm air which hit his face.

“How was Ottawa?” Bristol asked, pulling away from the curb to follow the flow of traffic.

Kris yawned while leaning back in the seat. It was a nice change to have someone drive him home. “It was okay. Would have been a lot better had we won.”

She couldn’t disagree with him. “You scored a goal at least.”

“Yes, I did.” Kris removed his shades and tossed them into the center consul as Bristol merged onto the highway. It was rush-hour traffic which meant it would take them a little longer to get home. “Which reminds me, some of the guys want us to meet them at a bar in South Jersey for a round of drinks. Just to unwind and get ready for Tuesday.”

“What time?” Feeling there was no need to talk over the music she turned off the radio.

“About eight. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.” Bristol nodded, all while trying to keep her urge to yell at the asshole that cut her off under control.

They arrived home a little after seven, with just enough time for Kris to shower and eat something before they headed out again. Bristol changed her top and kept waiting for Kris to say something about the paint job she had done. After a half hour she gave up and took him for a typical man when all he said was “Cool,” after she asked.

Taking back full control of his car, Kris drove the twenty minutes to the bar in Jersey. From the outside the place looked nice, and the inside didn’t disappoint.

Jeff, Mike, Daniel, James and Claude mingled around the bar. Fans of both genders flocked, wanting to buy them all drinks and neither guy objected when the offers came around. Bristol began to unbutton her jacket as she walked through, the place was packed and the amount of body heat radiating almost it uncomfortable. She wished she had worn something lighter than a black sweater.

When the two were spotted, Jeff immediately called out for Bristol and Kris, pulling them closer to the bar. She ignored all the dirty looks she was receiving from some women as she was pulled into hugs. Dan handed her a small glass and she gave him a skeptical look when she smelled its contents.

Tequila.

“Just one,” he pleaded. “For me?”

Bristol reluctantly agreed before throwing the shot back. She wished she had a chaser. After ordering an Absolute Vanilla and Coke, Bristol was able to kick a chick out of the bar stool next to Dan and she took a seat.

“Did you watch the game last night?” He asked.

Bristol nodded and took a sip of her drink. “Yeah, it’s a shame you weren’t able to play through the whole thing.”

He smiled mischievously. Dan had been issued a game misconduct and a double major penalty after a fight that had taken place at center ice. “I spend more time in the sin-bin then I do on the ice. Sometimes I like it in there; allows me time to collect my thoughts.”

Bristol rolled her eyes. The fact she was sitting at the bar having a drink with Daniel Carcillo seemed almost unreal to Bristol. She remembered booing against him and his team so much last year that her voice had gone horse after game two in Chicago. He was one of the most hated players in the NHL and while on the ice Bristol could see why, but as they sat and casually talked, she realized that—as with most guys—his personality on the ice was far from the goon he played while on.

It was clear that both adults were feeling some butterflies in their stomachs, but once the alcohol hit the bloodstreams, they both loosened up and took advantage of their good time. His sense of humor had her laughing in seconds and Bristol was finally able to ask him why the hell he hadn’t replaced his missing teeth yet.

“Your girlfriend must hate it. Most girls don’t find the missing teeth look attractive.” Bristol stirred her drink with the little black straw.

Daniel’s eyes shifted. “No girlfriend for me at the moment.”

“Really?” Bristol was genuinely surprised. “Most girls gravitate towards bad boys.”

“I was dating this girl who I met while I was in Pittsburgh and when I went to Phoenix she came to, but, when the offer came in from Philly and I took it, she refused to move out here with me. She went back to Pitt and we tried that whole, long-distance thing while I was here in Philly, but it didn’t work out.”

Bristol felt for him, and it surprised her to see him actually express emotion. She had always taken him as a guy who always upheld a tough exterior and interior.

“I’m sorry.” Bristol brought her glass to her lips to finish off what was left. Her eyes traveled over to Kris, who seemed to be getting comfortable with a blonde. He always had a weakness for blondes.

“Don’t be. She was a crazy bitch and a terrible fuck.” When the words left Dan’s mouth, Bristol felt the alcohol almost come out her nose. She coughed and set the glass down to keep from choking. Dan noticed the look of surprise on her face and lifted a finger to get the bartenders attention. “Let’s get a round of car bombs.”