The Ice Life

"Why exactly do you have a Hummer again? We're in a state of crisis with gas prices and you have a car that drinks fuel like it's a hardcore alcoholic!"

Mallory rolled her eyes from the drivers seat and leaned her left arm on the door, steering the Big Black Beast, as she called it, towards the Consol Energy Center after she and Caitlin had driven out to get energy drinks and coffee for the crew. Why wasn't she interviewing Lucic like she should have been? Well, after Mallory had almost gotten her hands around Milan's neck, being held back by half of the camera crew, Sam and Kim, all while Milan laughed at the entire thing, the power went out unexpectedly, leaving the entire arena in darkness for over an hour. This also resulted in the game starting later than expected.

"You know how I'm one of those people that likes violence and shit exploding from like, grenades and guns and stuff?" Mallory glanced over at Caitlin who was sitting in the passengers seat holding on to the bags of drinks. She nodded her head. "Yes, I recall you saying that and then recently trying to strangle a Boston player."

"Good. Then you know these things were built for war, so that means when I run someone over this tank will only allow us to feel a little bump in the road." Mallory smirked at the disgruntled sigh Caitlin let out, pulling her car into the parking lot of the arena.

"I honestly don't know why I'm friends with all of you-"

"I make everything crazy and interesting, remember?" Mallory shoved the keys into the back pocket of her jeans after she jumped out of the car and stood next to Caitlin, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Don't remind me. One day we're going to end up in jail and you're going to have your arms extended through the bars of our cell into the other cell attempting to strangle whoever got us in there," She placed a finger to her chin, still holding the bags with the other hand. "Which would most likely be some of the Pens."

"Yeah, those nutcases don't know when to shutup-"

"Wow, you fit right in." Mallory sent a glare towards Caitlin as she chuckled and walked towards the arena doors, opening one and walking through, Mallory behind her. Both girls walked to the runway where the crew were still standing; the arena still shrouded in total darkness, minus the light illuminating the runway from the camera.

"You bitches finally got my coffee. Took you long enough." Sam smirked and walked forward, snatching a bag from Caitlin and rummaging through it. Mallory rolled her eyes and stood next to Milan who was still standing with the group for his interview. "You're lucky you didn't want a Monster or something. I would have chucked it straight at your head and laughed when you were knocked out cold."

Sam glared and Milan snorted, Mallory smiling on the count she had managed to make someone laugh with the comment. Sam shrugged and threw the other bag at Mallory, watching as she barely caught it. "That would a be a waste of a drink for you. You're the one who drinks the stuff like it's liquid crack."

Caitlin shot her a look that told her to shutup as Milan and some of the camera crew laughed, Mallory glaring and then whipping her head in Milan's direction. "Why are you still standing here? You should be in the locker room with your team!"

Mallory could faintly see Milan look over at her and shrug. "Why would I want to be in there? You guys are more fun, and," Milan threw an arm out and grabbed Mallory around the shoulders, smashing her into his side and making her drop the bag full of Monster. "There's a better view out here."

Sam snorted and walked over towards the crew member holding the camera, tapping the light. "Want us to turn this out and look the other way so you guys can-"

"Samantha, I swear!" Mallory glared at her and ripped herself out of Milan's grasp, punching him in shoulder pad. "Let go of me, Lucic!"

He threw his hands up in mock surrender and laughed quietly at the sportscaster, crossing his arms again as Mallory looked around and raised an eyebrow. "There was no second wind of dirty comments. Where the hell is Kim?"

Sam shrugged as she sipped her coffee. "Dunno. Said she had something to take care of before the game."

"She's been gone since you guys left to get drinks." One of the technical crew chimed in and Mallory looked at him, sighing. She bent down and grabbed the bag she had dropped and reached in, only to have another arm reach in and swiftly grab one of the cans. She gasped and turned to Milan, seeing him opening the can and chugging half of the contents.

"Oh, hell no you did not just drink one of my Monster's!" Mallory shook the bag for emphasis and Milan looked at her, shrugging and then bringing the can back to his mouth.

"Okay, I've had enough! You're going to be a dead Bruin!" Mallory shoved the bag into Caitlin's arms and lunged at Milan, only to have him stick a hand out and push her back.

"Woah there, short stuff!" Mallory stopped immediately and swiped his hand away, scrunching her eyebrows at him. "In no way am I short for female standards-"

"You're shorter than I am, so technically that allows me to call you short stuff-"

"You're a goddam beast of a man-"

"Alright, everybody calm down." Caitlin threw her hands up, annoyed at the outbursts from everyone. Mallory huffed and turned her back to the Bruin, crossing her arms and glaring at the floor. During the entire scenario in which Mallory had actually been called short for once, Sam had spewed coffee from her nose and was now attempting to wipe up the mess while she laughed uncontrollably.

"What are you dumbasses doing? Sounds like a circus is standing here outside in the hallway. You guys are so goddam loud." Kim walked up to the group and stood next to Mallory, crossing her arms and making a face at Sam who was covered in coffee. "You're supposed to aim for your mouth, Sam."

Sam looked up at her and attempted a glare, her laughing not allowing the expression. "I know, Kimberly!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?!" Kim threw her arms up in frustration, ready to attack the small girl when Caitlin intervened, pushing Kim back. She sighed and then looked at Kim. "Where have you been?"

Kim calmed herself and then smirked, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "Just talking with the techs that monitor the jumbo tron, "She looked over at Mallory. "You'll be thanking me later."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Mallory eyed her friend and Kim shrugged, looking up to the ceiling as the lights turned back on. She laughed and then began walking back down the runway, waving a hand at Mallory. "Don't worry about it right now. Just get ready for the interview."

Mallory stared after her and Caitlin shook her head. "This can't be good."

~**~

"You ready to kick some ass today?"

Sam stood on her tiptoes to look over the glass at Kris, seeing him turn his head to look at the blonde. He smirked and tapped his helmet. "You know it."

"I have a question, though," Sam and Kris looked over to where Brent Johnson was sitting and pointing towards the runway where Mallory and the camera crew were standing. "Why is she interviewing a Boston player? Shouldn't she be interviewing one of us?"

Sam shrugged and Kris scrunched his eyebrows, nodding. "Yeah, really. And who is that? I can't make out the number or the face."

"Milan Lucic." Sam answered simply for him and Kris's face scrunched up. "He's a bit of an obnoxious one."

Sam laughed and nodded at the defenseman. "You know, they're exactly alike, though."

"Actually, she and Nealer could be a perfect match. He sometimes thinks he's God's gift to the world." Kris shot a smirk down the Bench at James Neal, watching him turn to him and glare, gnawing on his mouthguard. "I haven't been here long enough for you to make assumptions, Letang."

"Uh huh." Kris smiled smugly as James rolled his eyes, turning completely to look down at the three. "Why are you talking about me anyways?"

"No reason. Just thought you and the new sportscaster would be a match made in heaven because you both have big ego's." James scrunched his eyebrows and took his mouthguard out of his mouth. "You mean one of the one's talking to us earlier?"

Kris nodded. "Yeah, the one that told Crosby off-"

"She did not tell me off!" Sid popped his head into view behind some of his teammates and glared at Kris, earning light chuckles from the bench full of players.

"Ah, I know who you're talking about now," James smiled and Sam laughed, watching as he shoved his mouthguard back in his mouth. "She has a mouth on her. That's kind of attractive."

"I'll tell her you said that." Sam smirked at him and he shook his head, turning back around to look back out on the ice.

"When's the interview supposed to start? The game's in a few." Kris looked back at Sam and she shrugged, looking up at the jumbo tron and seeing it change to an image of Mallory standing next to Milan, microphone in hand. Sam smirked as he lights dimmed and the announcer directed everyone's attention to the jumbo tron. "Right on time."

"Hello Pens fans. We've got a change of pace here today as I have Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic here with me today," She turned her attention to Milan who was smirking down at her. "So, what exactly makes you think you and your team will defeat the Pens here today?"

She raised the microphone towards Milan and he shrugged. "We've got enough offense to keep the scoring chances up and our D will have enough momentum to stop Crosby and the Pens' surging offense."

Boo's rained down from the arena's sold out crowd, Sam laughing as Mallory could be seen holding back a chuckle. Milan seemed unaffected as he waited for Mallory to continue. "It looks like you've got some critics that disagree."

Unknowingly to Mallory and Milan, Kim was secretly talking to the tech crew in charge of the jumbo tron again, giving them the signal to go on with her evil plan. "Hit it, guys!"

Mallory raised the microphone back up so Milan could speak, but before he could the jumbo tron's border changed. Sam guffawed at the screen as the Pens bench broke out in various laughs, the Bruins bench doing the same. The arena's crowd broke out into yells and whistles, Mallory scrunching her eyebrows and Looking at Milan as he looked down at her. "Was that that funny?"

Milan cocked an eyebrow at her and shrugged, Sam back behind the bench about to break out into a laughing fit. "She is going to kill Kim!"

One of the cameramen pointed up at the jumbo tron and both Mallory and Milan looked at him with confused expressions, both turning simultaneously towards the screen. Their shocked faces mirrored the screen where some people's worst nightmare was plastered in bright neon colors around the border: The Kiss Cam.

"I'm going to kill her." Mallory didn't lower the microphone from her mouth as she spoke, the sentence floating through the arena as Sam finally lost it, falling into a laughing fit. Some of the men in the arena could be heard screaming at the two, yelling various things along the lines of "lay one on her!".

Kim laughed evilly from the tech booth as Caitlin sat in one of the press boxes, slamming her head softly off of the desk repeatedly and mumbling, "She's actually going to kill her" under her breath. The Bruins bench was howling in laughter as their teammate stared up at the screen.

"Lay one on her, Looch! Don't be a pussy!" David Krejci screamed at him from the bench, the rest of the bench following suit and wolf-whistling at him.

Mallory regained her composure and raised the microphone back to her mouth. "It seems there's a practical jokester in our group. I'll find you-"

Her sentence was cut short as Milan smirked and reached his arms out, grabbing her and pulling her toward him. He attached his lips to hers and the arena erupted into cheers, jeers, and whistles.

"Oh my god, he actually did it!" Sam laughed as she high-fived Kris over the glass, fist-bumping with Brent Johnson afterwards. Caitlin sat up in the booth, shocked at what she was seeing. Mallory and Milan remained wrapped up in themselves for a few moments more, Mallory having slung the arm holding the microphone over his shoulders.

"Someone get those two a room!" Pascal Dupuis and Max Talbot shot up from their seats, leaning over the boards and whistling.

The two pulled apart after a few more seconds and immediately separated, looking in opposite directions as Mallory continued to stammer into her microphone. "It seems as though our interview has concluded. Thanks, fans!"

Mallory waved at the camera as it shut off, leaving them both standing there awkwardly with the camera crew; noise still at a very high level in the arena.

"Very nice, Mallory." Paul Steigerwald smiled at her, attempting to hold back the oncoming laughs. She looked at him and glared, placing her hands on her hips. "It's soooo funny, Steigy!"

He couldn't hold it anymore and burst into laughter, creating a domino effect with the rest of the crew as they walked back down the runway to put away their equipment.

Mallory and Milan stood in silence for a few seconds before she turned to look at him, seeing him staring down at her with his mouth slightly agape. "You know there's still a game to play."

Milan snapped out of his shock and nodded at her. "Yeah."

He began walking away from her as she played with the microphone, turning slightly to glance at her. "That was nice."

Mallory looked up and saw him shoot her a genuine smile for the first time since they had met before he walked out of view down the runway, her heart fluttering violently in her chest.

She stared after him and then sighed. "Welcome to your new job."

~**~

"Holy shit! I can't believe what went down earlier!" Sam came bounding into the commentator's booth where Mallory and Kim were sitting, Caitlin walking in behind her.

Mallory laughed and then looked at Kim, punching her in the arm. "Yeah, thanks to you I've been completely embarrassed in front of the Consol."

Kim shrugged and waved her off. "You got your prince charming, so I don't know what you're bitching about."

Sam's eyes went wide and she ran over to Mallory, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them repeatedly. "What does that mean?! Are you guys banging?!"

"Sam!" Caitlin threw her arms up and scolded the blonde, seeing her back away from Mallory and raise her arms. "What?"

Caitlin sighed and then turned to both Kim and Mallory. "What happened exactly?"

"Digits." Mallory flashed a piece of paper at the two girls standing in front of her and Sam squealed, ripping the paper from Mallory's grasp and scanning over it, placing it to her chest and looking off into the distance. "Ohhhhhh, love."

Mallory cocked an eyebrow at Sam and stood up, poking her in the forehead. "We lost her."

Kim shook her head and laughed, leaning back in her swivel chair. "You know, speaking of all this lovey-dovey crap, I saw you and Kris are becoming close."

Sam snapped out of her trance and looked at Kim, shoving the paper back into Mallory's hand. "What are you scheming?"

"Just thought I'd get you two together like I got Mr and Mrs Ego together." Mallory sent a glare towards Kim. "My ego is not blown out of proportion!"

"Not yet." Kim smirked as Mallory and Kim began their argument over ego sizes as Caitlin looked at Sam, crossing her arms.

"Something tells me she's going to do it, too."