Status: In Progress

The Beginning to the End

Blues

Image



Ricki rested her head against the passenger window. The long hours from Minnesota to St. Louis had her just wanting to sleep in her own bed.

The music playing from the radio lulled her to sleep, her thoughts were the only thing keeping her conscious. They were only so many teams in and had so many more to go. There are some many more people to meet, places to go, and decisions to make. It was hard enough with the eleven teams they went to, each one with its own reason to make her stay.

"You should try and sleep. With this weather, we'll be a while before we make it to the hotel." Bobbi said. The snow had picked up in this December and it was making the trip even longer than desired.

"I'm trying, just have a lot on my mind." Bobbi could understand because she was thinking about the exact same stuff.

"Do we have anything planned for St. Louis?"

"Not really," Ricki answered, "We aren't here very long. I figured we could just walk around and find something."

Bobbi settled into her drivers seat, feeling a little better that she might be able to sleep in for once. But looking back on their track record...most likely not.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I have never felt so relaxed before in my life!" Ricki praised. She and Bobbi made sure to turn their phones off before they feel asleep.

"It was smart to turn the phones off, I got like, ten messages from ten different people. And my Twitter blew up." Bobbi commented as she went through her messages.

Patrick Kane, Kris Letang, Niklas Backstrom, Brad Marchand, Nick Palmieri, Derek Brassard, Mike Commodore, Josh Bailey, Michael Del Zotto, and Max Talbot...Jesus guys!

"Did a shit load of hockey players text you?" Ricki asked, the same thing happening to her. Bobbi nodded and quickly answered each text.

"You want to get something to eat?"

"I could go for some brunch...I love brunch." Ricki rubbed her stomach happy to finally have brunch instead of an early breakfast. The girls got dressed and headed out in search of someplace to eat.

Like in Detroit, there were several people that approached them. Ricki and Bobbi weren't use to this new found fame that they received after the news of their trip went viral. It had started as a blog for their families and friends and it turned into something much bigger.

After getting their check, the girls took their time walking around St. Louis, taking in the sites the city had to offer. Unlike the times in the other cities, the Blues were away in Nashville for a game tonight and would return for tomorrows home game, so there were no chances of running into the boys.

[font= comic-sans]"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. We apologize for the lack of updates but today was a resting day for us." Ricki said into the Flip camera.

"But tonight we are headed to a casino in town. Fingers crossed we win big bucks!"

"We did take a lot of pictures of the city and those will be uploaded mostly likely tomorrow."

"We'll keep you all updated of our adventure!"

"Be great!"
They said together, signing off. The girls were dressed nicely for a night at the casino. After they would head to a couple different clubs.

Each place they went, the girls were hit on. Some were nice, others...not so much. But Ricki and Bobbi didn't let it ruin their fun. They had done well in the casino and used their earnings to help pay for their drinks.

They were actually surprised that a handful of people recognized them from their blog. Being a casino full of older people, it was different, but the people explained that they were Blues fans and heard about it from other players Tweets.

The girls took several pictures with the 'fans' and promised to post them on their website. For them, meeting 'fans' felt nice. Here are these strangers that know about these girls and support them. A few even told them they should work for the Blues, "We'll keep it in mind." They'd reply.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day of the game, Randy Girsh, the Community Relations Coordinator, led the girls around the arena, giving them a tour of the entire building along with talking about the CR field for the Blues, "Thank you so much for showing us around." Ricki said.

"It was my pleasure. You two are creating quite a name for yourselves. It's amazing what you're doing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. You've got your passes so you're free to roam the place. It was nice meeting you two." Rick waved and let the girls find someplace to change.

The girls were on their way back from dropping their things off in the car when in front of them was a giant, blue polar bear, "Oh my god you're Ricki and Bobbi!" A voice from inside the bear costume said.

"It talks!" Ricki and Bobbi exclaimed, knowing the number one rule of being a mascot is not to talk. The Polar Bear took off the head to reveal a young man already sweating from the temperatures inside the costume.

"I can't believe you're here! This is amazing!" He said, walking closer to the girls and shaking their hands with his big, blue paw, "This is crazy, I follow you guys on Twitter and on your webpage. I feel like an idiot for not realizing this was your next stop! Oh I'm Jamie!"

"It's nice to meet you , Jamie."

"I need to ask a favor. This may be a long shot but I'm sure we can pull some strings if you're up to it."

"Sure anything." Bobbi said.

"So I usually do something during the intermissions and I was wondering if you two would do something with me."

"What would we do?"

"We could do a live stream and we'll put it on the jumbo tron. It'll be awesome!"

"Can you really do that?" Bobbi asked, both girls getting excited over this.

"We can try." He led them to Peter Saguto, the Video Coordinator, who agreed with Jamie's idea. So, at the second intermission, the girls will go down with their Flip and have a live stream onto their website and the jumbo tron.

The girls visited their friends from Columbus, telling them to keep an eye open for their intermission video. They even Tweeted to keep the fans updated,

Tweet from Bobbi

Tune into our website tonight! @RickiMartin7 and I will be streaming live at the Blues v. Jackets intermission! #epic #stagefright

Tweet from Martin

@RickiMartin7 @BobbiHull9 A live stream? You didn't do that when you were here!! #unfair #ithoughtyoulovedus #silenttreatment

Tweet from Ricki

@mattymarts17 stop your complaining. You love us!! #denial #cantlivewithoutus #weloveyou @BobbiHull9

Tweet from Martin

@RickiMartin7 @BobbiHull9 .......you're right. I can't hate you two #toocute #comebacktome

The game started out with Columbus scoring but the Blues put two on the board soon after, closing the first period at 2-1. During the second intermission, the girls recorded Louie's awesome performance for the website later.

The second period had Columbus scoring twice, taking the lead 3-2. A fight between Roman Polak and Dane Byers broke out, keeping the game interesting.

Towards the last couple minutes in the second period, Ricki and Bobbi made their way down to where Jamie told them to be, "You're here, you ready?" He asked. Both girls nodded and pulled out their Flip to get it ready. A technical guy came over and hooked the camera up to something but it would allow them to walk out onto the ice, "Okay, I'm gonna go out there and the announcer guy will introduce you. That's when you can come out. Make sure the camera is on." Jamie informed them. The period came to a close and the players skated off the ice.

The lights went dim and Jamie, er, Louie ran out onto the ice, music playing as he danced around. Then the announcer came on, "Louie says he's got two new friends here today. Ladies and gentlemen, straight off their road trip around the NHL, Ricki Martin and Bobbi Hull!" Bobbi turned on the Flip, it pointing at them.

"Hello everyone!! It's so nice to see you all! Ricki started.

"I can't believe we're doing a live stream video right now here at the Scottrade Center!" Ricki and Bobbi made their way over to Louie at center ice. Bobbi panned the camera on all the fans who cheered and applauded them.

"I see we've got some fans in the audience. We just want to thank all of you for following us along this journey. We've met some really great people every where we went and the support people have given us has been beyond amazing." Ricki practically yelled into the camera.

"We also want to thank the Blues for letting us do this awesome experience, we never thought about live streaming before and this is just fantastic."

"We want to make a shout out to our families. They've supported us through this whole thing and we miss you guys! Then there's all our new friends we've made along the way. It was awesome meeting all of you and good luck with the rest of your seasons."

"And for those we haven't seen yet, get ready 'cuz we're coming."
Bobbi said.

"Alright, we're gonna get going because we want more hockey. Thanks again, stayed tuned, and...BE GREAT!" As they yelled their goodbye, numerous voices from the crowd yelled it as well, a fan base growing for the two travelers here at St. Louis.

Ricki and Bobbi headed off the ice so the Zamboni's could get the ice ready for the third period. When the girls were back in their seats, a variety of people approached them asking for pictures and autographs. Some even had their face tee shirts, knowing they would be at the game and hoping they'd find the girls.

By the third, the Blues had swept up the lead, only allowing Columbus to get one goal, and a fight between another pair of players. Safe to say, the Blues won. The girls apologized to their Columbus friends and started to make their way out of the arena when a couple of female voices calling them. Ricki and Bobbi turned to see a couple girls in high heeled boots running toward them, "Rick! Bobbi! Wait up!"

Both girls were nicely dressed in tight jeans and flowly tops, their boots adding inches to their already tall frames. Defiantly not what Ricki and Bobbi would wear to a hockey game, but then again, everyone had their own sense of style. They both had blonde hair, one more natural then the others dyed coloring, and though their make-up was obvious, it accented their features, not covered them up, "I'm so glad we found you before you left." The lighter blonde said once she and her friend stopped in front of Ricki and Bobbi. "We are huge fans and we knew you were coming today and we were hoping to meet you. My name's Lauren and this is my friend Jayne."

"Ricki, Bobbi." Bobbi pointed out, feeling the need to introduce themselves. The new girls smiled.

"Are you two going to interview the players?" Jayne asked.

"Oh um, we would but we don't know them." Ricki said.

"Usually we meet them before hand and then talk to them but in this case, we never got the chance." Bobbi added.

"We can get you to the locker room. We really want you to do your famous interviews and meet the team. I know some of the guys follow you." Lauren told them. The girls shrugged and said, "Why not?" and followed their fans to the locker room.

Several more pretty blondes and brunettes flocked Rick and Bobbi when they were spotted in the Blues family lounge, "Can we get a picture with you ladies?" Lauren asked, the others nodding and pulling out their phones and cameras for pictures.

Before the the girls could pose, a door opened to reveal several suit-cladded gentlemen walking into the room and to their significant others, "Teeg, babe, come take a picture for me!" Lauren said. Ricki and Bobbi's jaws dropped when the winger followed orders and took her camera.

"TJ Oshie is in the room and you want to take our picture?" Bobbi asked, not all of this wrapping around her brain.

"I've got enough pictures of that mug to last me a life time. Thank you Google." Lauren joked, standing between Ricki and Bobbi who smiled for the camera even if they were still confused.

"She hasn't stopped talking about you since she found out your next stop was St. Louis." TJ said, handing the camera back to, who the girls guessed, his girlfriend.

"I was just excited! What you're doing is like, on the bucket list of every hockey fan! And it's all for a job and fun! I wish I could do something like that." Lauren said, curling into TJ's side.

"Well, maybe you can help us out." Ricki suggested.

"Really?" Lauren asked, clasping her hands together as she bounced on her toes.

"Yeah, why don't you interview the guys with us. That is, if the guys don't mind--"

"They don't! Oh I'm so excited now!" Ricki pulled out the Flip and turned it towards her and Bobbi first.

"Hey everyone, it's us again here in the family lounge of the Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, after an awesome win over the Blue Jackets. Sorry to our Columbus friends, if you're watching." Ricki started.

"We have a special guest helping us out with the interviews this time. Lauren," Lauren joined the two girls in the shot, smiling a perfect white grin, "Lauren is a fan of ours and she's going to help interview the guys. She's going to ask the guys some really goofy questions and hopefully they'll be able to answer them. Are you ready Lauren?" She nodded, "So who's our first victim?"

"Let's do TJ first." The winger smiled, his cheeks turning red for being the first victim. "What question should I ask?"

"Anything you want." TJ had this nervous look on his face as his girlfriend thought about what to ask.

"Okay Teeg, is there ever a day when mattresses aren't on sale?"

"Oo good one!"
Bobbi complimented.

"I have no idea. I've never noticed." TJ answered, shaking his head.

"Oh well, it was a good try. Anyone else want to interview?" Ricki asked the others standing around. Numerous hands belonging to girlfriends and wives shot in the air, volunteering themselves and their significant other.

Bobbi turned the camera on Jayne and her boyfriend Alex Pietrangelo who was just as shy on camera as TJ had acted, "I'm not sure what to ask." Jayne said. Ricki leaned in and whispered something in her ear, "Okay Alex, if a bunch of cats jump on top of each other, is it still called a dog pile?"

"Yeah? I guess. A cat pile doesn't make sense."

"That's a decent answer."

"Do you two ever know the actual answers to these questions?"
Brian Elliot asked.

"Nope, that's why we're asking," Bobbi and Ricki came to each other's side, the camera out in front of them, "Well everyone, that's all we've got for tonight. It's been a blast being with the Blues and we want to thank them for putting up with us. We need to get going now so good night everyone and be great!" Bobbi closed the camera and slid it into her bag.

"We can't say thank you enough for letting us do this." Ricki started but the guys and their girls waved her off.

"It's always nice to meet new people." Lauren told her.

"Well, we need to get going. It was nice seeing you guys. Good luck with the rest of the season."

"Hey, how long are you two in town for?" Brian asked.

"Until Tuesday, then we're off to Nashville."

"Maybe we can all meet up someplace for dinner. We want to get to know you to ladies." He suggested.

"Sure, we'd love too." Ricki and Bobbi exchanged numbers with several of the players and girlfriends, with promises to see each other again.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at the hotel, the girls had relaxed into a good movie they found on TV. Around midnight, Ricki's phone rang, "Who is calling you this late? Booty call?" Bobbi joked. Ricki flipped her the bird as she reached for her phone of the bedside table. She climbed out of bed, grabbed a key card, and walked out the door, "Hello?"

"I didn't think you'd pick up."

"You know me, I'm not much of a sleeper. What can I do for you Toe-ez?" Jon groaned.

"Are you still calling me that?"

"Forever and always."

"I expect this from Sharpie but you...I thought you were better than that."

"Is there something you need?"

"I uh, just wanted to talk...to you." Ricki bit her lip as she sunk down to the floor beside the room door, "How-how've you been?"

"Pretty good. You?"

"Honestly...I kinda miss you."

"Aww I kinda miss you too." She teased, and even though she could hear the sincerity in Jon's voice, he did chuckle at the joke.

"Have you been having fun? Meeting new people?"

"Yeah Jon, it's been fun."

"Are you meeting guys from other teams?" Ricki's brow furrowed.

"Yeah I am. What are you getting at?"

"Nothing...nothing, I just...I don't know."

"What's going on Jon?" Jon let out a long sigh. Ricki could imagine him running a hand through his hair and down his face.

"Is Bobbi going through the same thing?" He asked just above a whisper. At first Ricki wasn't sure where the conversation was going. But Jon's questioning about other guys and having "fun" had her only believe that this was more than just a simple question.

"Yeah...she is. We both are."

"Is it hard?"

"Yeah Jon, it is. It's making this decision much harder."

"And I'm only making it worse?"

"No Jon it's just...I don't know how to explain it."

"It's okay, I understand. I should...get going."

"I'm sorry Jon."

"I am too."

Ricki stayed in the hallway for a couple more minutes before heading back into the room. She never realized what this was doing to someone like Jon. Had she led too many people on? That was never her intention, but somehow it happened.

"You need to stop. Don't you have practice in the morning? I'm going to call Sidney!" Bobbi giggled into her cell phone, "Do not doubt me! I'm sure he'll love to hear about it." Ricki raised an eyebrow as she starred at her friend. "Talk to you later. Sweet dreams Kris."

"What was that about?" Bobbi grinned as she played with her phone.

"Nothing. You?"

"Nothing."

Both girls went to bed that night thinking the exact same thing. They had similar problems they never considered they would have going into this road trip. The chances of meeting the guys, let alone having some form of relationship with them, was beyond unexpected. This frightened them. They had so many more places to go, was it going to happen again? When? Where? With who?

They didn't want to hurt anyone. They never meant too. They never thought that this would play a factor on the decisions they will have to make.

When morning came around, Ricki and Bobbi slept in, neither one getting out of bed until well into the day.

They did meet with the Blues group for dinner and had a good time, meeting new people and sharing stories.

Though their time in St. Louis was not like other places, it certainly wasn't crossed off the list. With so many more stops, no place was crossed off the list just yet. Who knows what the future may hold?
♠ ♠ ♠
Sorry it's been a while! Been busy with other things. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I apologize to any Blues fans if it wasn't that great.

Thanks for reading, commenting, and subscribing! If you like this story, tell your friends!