The Beginning to the End

"We're sad that we didn't spend much time with our friends from Sunrise, but we're moving onto Tampa where we are meeting with a mystery person Trevor van Knotsenburg has promised will show us what Tampa is all about."

"Sounds like a bribe to me." Ricki added.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. We need to get ready for this meeting so we will talk to you later. Be great!"

Trevor from the Public Relations Department had called them to help make their stay a little bit nicer. The girls didn't know who they were meeting but dressed to impress, "Trevor said we should get to the restaurant at 11:00." Bobbi said noticing the 10:30 on the side table.

The girls were staying with one of Ricki's aunt's during their stay in Tampa who happened to be out of town for the holiday. They were able to get to Tampa and relax before they needed to clean up for their meeting. They weren't sure who they would be meeting but if it was someone with the Lightning office, they had to be professional.

What they weren't expecting when they got to the simple restaurant was to see their names written on a piece of paper in multiple colors and held by a small child, "Are you Ricki and Bobbi?" The little girl asked as they approached the hostess stand.

"Yes we are. And who are you?"

"I'm Victoria Lecavalier."

Ricki and Bobbi exchanged looks, "Lecavalier? Isn't that..."

"Did you find them Victoria?" Looking up from the sundressed girl, coming towards them was none other than the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning himself, Vincent Lecavalier.

"Yup. They're here!"

"It's nice to meet you both." Vincent said, holding out his hand for the girls to shake.

"Did Trevor send you?" Ricki asked as Vincent and his daughter led them to a table where a beautiful woman sat, a small baby in her arms.

"He mentioned that you two were coming to the game tonight and I thought a proper meeting would be nice. That and my wife is a fan." He explained, putting a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder.

"What you two are doing is just amazing and I just had to meet you. I'm Caroline, by the way. You already met Victoria and this is Gabriel."

"It's nice to meet all of you. And thank you for meeting with us. We weren't expecting this. And with a game tonight..." Bobbi told them, she and Ricki taking a seat across from the parents, Victoria on the end to Bobbi's right.

"It's not a problem," Vincent said, offering a smile, "So how's the trip going so far?"

Ricki and Bobbi spent the rest of their lunch talking about their trip; the players, the arenas, the towns. Vincent added a few of his own stories, talking about his favorite spots to visit and the guys he has made friends with over his years in the NHL. It was nice for Vincent and his family to sit down with the girls and talk to them about Tampa and the team.

The girls thanked the Lecavalier's for their time and looked forward to seeing them that night at the game.

"Did it feel like they were trying to sell the team to us?" Bobbi asked as they drove back to Ricki's aunt's place.

"It did. If the other boys heard about this, there would be even more trouble. First Nashville creates a promo, now Tampa Bay is selling us the team like they were selling us a house."

"We'll defiantly have to blog about this."

Tweet from Bobbi Hull:
Thanks to @VLecavalier4 and his family for lunch! Tampa's looking pretty sweet! Can't wait for the @TBLightning game tonight with @RickiMartin7 #RickiBobbiRoadTrip

Tweet from Vincent Lecavalier:
@BobbiHull9 @RickiMartin7 It was great to meet you. Make sure you cheer for the @TBLightning #greatteam See you there!!

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

When it came time for actually meeting with Trevor, the girls had already fallen for the Florida city. After the lunch meeting, they strolled around the town to see what was around and planned for the next couple of days.

At the Tampa Bay Times Forum, Trevor gave the travelers the exclusive tour making sure to show the girls the best things the Lightning Organization could offer them, "It's a great place to be. I can't tell you a time where I don't wake up in the morning and not want to go to work. Everyone's great, the guys are great, and the organization is amazing."

"It is something." Ricki commented with a smile.

"Well that's the tour. I know you've met Vincent. I'm sure he'll introduce you to the rest of the guys. Plus I'm sure you're friends from the Canes would like to see you." Trevor handed them passes and bid them goodbye.

"Shall we stop by the Canes first?"

"Sure, it's been awhile since I made Skinner blush." Ricki agreed.

They had recognized some of the Canes staff and was able to see some of the guys, Jeff Skinner included, "Jeff!! We've missed you so much!" They squealed seeing the young hockey player walk up to them with Eric and Cam.

Instantly his cheeks burned red, "Hi guys." He mumbled.

"Don't be shy! We won't bite hard!" Bobbi said as she hugged Jeff tightly.

"Hug him any tighter and it'll be rape." Eric teased.

"He's of age." Bobbi retorted throwing a wink at the 19 year old.

"It's great to see you guys again. How've things been?" Cam asked. Ricki and Bobbi filled them in on their journey and by the time they finished, both groups had to change for the game.

"If we don't see you after the game, have a safe trip. And call us sometime. And try not to fall for any other cities. You two are destined to be with us." Eric told them, hugging the girls goodbye.

"Bye Jeff!" They cooed as Jeff hugged them shyly.

---

The game ended with a win by Tampa, 5-2. Though the girls felt bad their friends had lost, they were glad Vincent and his team did well, especially Steven Stamkos who racked up a hat trick.

”What a game folks! A Hat Trick and a win for the Lightning. We’re sorry that our friends in Carolina didn’t get the W but it was great to see them before the game.” Bobbi said into the Flip.

"Okay viewers, due to the fact that it is New Year’s Eve, we weren't able to get in the locker room." Ricki informed.

"Apparently the guys wanted to party."

"Buttt Vincent invited us along to party with he and the team. So we're headed over there now."[/font=comic-sans] Bobbi explained into the Flip. The girls were already dressed to go and promised the viewer’s they'd try and talk to some of the players. Vincent had already offered, excited to be a part of the famous interview session.

The club wasn't far from the hotel. Ricki sent Vincent text that they were there so he could bring them to the VIP section.

As they waited, Ricki's phone got a call from Sidney, "Where's the update?" He asked on speaker phone.

"Aww Sid, no date for New Years?"

"I would have but she's not here."

"Mom couldn't make it?" Bobbi teased.

"Not this year," he joked, "I figured you would have updated the locker room interviews. It's funny when you stump other guys. Makes me feel good about myself."

"Making sure we don't touch someone else's ass too?"

"Noo. So what are your plans for the holiday?"

"Just heading to a party. Gotta find someone to kiss for the New Year." Ricki answered.

"You could come back to Pittsburgh. I can name a team of guys that would want to help out with that."

"Pittsburgh would set us off course."

"Eh, it was worth a shot."

"Well Siddipoo, we gotta go. We're supposed to meet some friends."

"Promise you'll be careful?"

"Yes mother." The girls said.

Just as they hung up, a classy dressed man walked towards the girls. He was dressed in a sleek suit, "Sweet baby Jesus, now that's a sight." Bobbi said just as the man approached them.

"Wait, isn't that..."

"Ricki and Bobbi, nice to meet you."

"When did James Bond come to Tampa Bay?" Ricki joked.

"Vincent said something about two hot ladies waiting out front. Thought I’d check it out." Adam Hall said.

"Slow night?" Bobbi teased. Adam rolled his eyes then offered his arms and led them to the VIP section the team was in.

"There you are. I was starting to get worried." Vincent greeted the girls, kissing their cheeks.

"Well you sent this lovely gentleman to keep us safe."

"Actually, we were taking bets if he’d bring you back or kidnap you." Martin St. Louis commented.

"Pay up St. Louis." Steven Stamkos claimed coming up out of the dark and holding his hand out for the $10.00 Martin owed him.

"Wow guys, thanks."

Ricki patted Adams shoulder, "If it makes you feel better, you can buy me a drink." He smiled and took Ricki to the bar.

The clocked clicked down till closer to midnight. The girls hung with the team the whole time, chatting about all different types of things, "You guys mind if we do our little interview segment now?" Ricki asked. All agreed enthusiastically.

[font=comic sans]"Hello everyone and Happy New Year’s Eve!" Ricki started.

"And what better place than to spend it then in Tampa Bay with none other than the Tampa Bay Lightning."

"They so graciously invited us on this special day to party with them and celebrate the New Year."

"We wish we could spend it with all of our friends but we hope that all of you have a great time and are safe."

"Now because these guys are so awesome, they've agreed to do a special New Year’s interview. So let's start with the captain of the team, Vincent Lecavalier. Alright Vincent, is there anything you'd like to say before the year comes to a close?" Ricki asked.

"Just wish I could be with my family back home and that I miss them and can't wait to see them again."

"Aww how cute! So any New Year’s Resolutions?"

"I want to get more goals then Stammer."

"That's gonna be quite the challenge but you can do it. Thanks again for inviting us and showing us around Tampa, Vincent. Good luck with the rest of your season." Ricki flipped the camera to show Bobbi and Steven.

"How could we not interview the one, the only, Steven Stamkos? How are ya, Steven? And Congrats on the hat trick. It was great to watch."

"Well it was fun to get." He said with a giant smile.

"Excited for the new year?" He nodded, "Got any big plans for it?"

"Wanna bring the Cup to Tampa."

"Very nice. And you're also going to the All-Star Games. You must be looking forward to that."

"I am. It's always a great time and you can see all the guys you've become friends with from other teams and don't have to worry about someone checking you."

"Defiantly."

"You gonna watch?" He asked Bobbi.

"Wouldn't miss it. We wish we could actually be there but we'll be in between Arizona and California. But we will be watching on TV and you can count on us doing a segment on it."

"I can't wait to see it." Ricki handed the camera to the nearest player so they could close out their segment.

"Looks like the time is ticking down to midnight so that'll put our interview to a stop but we'll keep rolling until midnight."

"We just want to wish everyone a happy New Year. As great as this year had started out for us, we're ready to move on and see what 2012 has waiting for us."

"To our families, we wish we could be with you guys celebrating and we can't thank you for all your support as we do this road trip. It's been amazing and we can't wait to see all of you again."

"To all of our friends that we've made on this adventure, you guys have been great and we can't imagine meeting better people then all of you. You've defiantly impacted our final decision. Have a great New Year and if we don't see you before the trip is over, we miss you and hope you have a great rest of the season. Be great!!!"

"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

Before they could hug each other, the girls were swept off their feet and brought into a kiss by a couple of Lightning players; Ricki with Adam, Bobbi with Teddy Purcell.

The Flip camera was pointed at the girls as they shared kisses with the boys, some on the cheeks for the married men, and full on kiss with those good looking bachelors.

The New Year went off with a bang and the girls enjoyed every minute with their new friends from the south. They drank till the place went dry and were driven safely back to Ricki's aunts place.

When they awoke the next afternoon, they tended to their headaches and sore stomachs with an extremely light breakfast consisting of water and Advil.

"Did we video tape what happened last night ‘cuz I'm drawing a blank." Bobbi asked. Ricki got up and grabbed the Flip, going back numerous videos to when they were in the middle of the count down.

Their mouths slowly opened as they watched video after video of what happened that night; the kisses on New Year’s, the heavy drinking, the shots after shots of whatever the boys were handing them, the dancing on the tables, "Sweet Jesus this is not going on the website. Our moms will kill us." Ricki said.

"Agreed."

After hearing a beep coming from Ricki’s purse, the girls grabbed their phones and found several text messages and voicemails from many people.

"Hey Ricki, it's me, Jon. Hope you're having a good night. I wish I could spend it with you but I know you're on your trip and all. Happy New Year Ricki and I can't wait to see you again."

" ‘Since you can't be here for New Year’s you get this lovely picture of your favorite boys.’ That's from Max and the Flyers." Bobbi told Ricki, showing her friend the picture they so graciously sent; Max, Claude, Scott, Brayden, and Ben all with kissy lips pointed at the camera. "A kiss to ring in the New Year."

The rest of their messages consisted of the same meaning. And boy, did the girls wish they could be with each one of them.

---

The girls edited their videos and uploaded them to the website. Instantly, viewers were commenting on them. Their Twitter accounts blew up from the fans that tweeted and their friends that wished them a happy new year.

"Good evening everyone, hope you had a great day. We were recovering for most of it.” Bobbi told their viewers.

"But it was defiantly worth it."

"For sure. Well our time in Tampa is coming to a close. But before we move on, we're going down to Orlando and taking a small break from hockey to visit our favorite mouse in the world."

"Of course we'll still video tape and tweet so keep the comments and tweets coming. We love hearing from you guys. Maybe you can tell us how you spent your holiday."

"We'll talk to you all later. And remember...Be Great!!!"

Tweet from Bobbi Hull:
Making a few stops before heading to Dallas with @RickiMartin7 #RickiandBobbiRoadTrip #happiestplaceonearth

Tweet from Ricki Martin:
Thanks to all our new Tampa friends. It's been real. Time to continue the adventure @BobbiHull9 #RickiandBobbiRoadTrip