Blue Eyes Don't Lie

So take a look at me now
Well, there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me, just the memory of your face
Just take a look at me now, cos there's just an empty space

~ Phil Collins
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Since they had no morning skate, some of the Pittsburgh Penguins' players decided on going out for a run instead. Even if you weren't alone, it was a good way to clean out your head and do some thinking. Though, this was not the case of a small group of players, consisting of Jordan Staal, Max Talbot, Marc-André Fleury and Pascal Dupuis. They were on their way back after running for about thirty minutes and they were now walking at a slow pace.

It had started out with only Jordan and Flower, but they were joined by Max and Duper along the way. As they were passing by the kindergarten where Duper had dropped off his kids earlier that morning, Jordan was telling them all about the latest victim of the 'Staal charm'.

"So, you're telling us that no woman can resist the so called 'Staal charm'?" Max concluded when Jordan was done.

"Yep," he answered and took a swing from his water bottle. It was a unusually warm and sunny day for early October, and some teachers had taken a kindergarten class outside. About twenty kids were playing in the sandbox, the jungle gym or running around within the fence surrounding the school yard.

"Anyone?" Flower jumped into the conversation and shared a look with Max at the blond's nod. Increasing his speed to be able to get in front of Jordan, Max then stopped walking, the others with him.

"How about we make a little bet, ma chere? If you can get a girl of our-" he motioned to himself, Marc and Pascal, "- choice to fall in love with you by... the winter classic's game, I will..." Max waved around with his hands, trying to come up with something.

Once again Flower decided to jump in. "He'll streak."

"What?" All three other voices asked at the same time. The goalie didn't mind them and only continued. "He'll streak on the ice at an open practise when there's a crowd. Which means that Dan and the other's will bust his balls."

Duper was shaking his head at the suggestion and Max looked slightly uneasy while Jordan thought the suggestion over.

"Deal." Jordan held his hand out to Max who took it.

"Don't you wanna think about this? You don't even know who the girl is." He laughed but was already looking around for a suitable woman that had an IQ higher than her dress size. Then he walks a couple of steps away from Jordan, taking Flower and Duper with him. They whisper amongst eachother while Jordan watches them with an amused grin on his face.

Max's eyes are still searching for someone to let Jordan loose on, until his eyes fall on the blonde with Kody Dupuis by her side and his sister in her arms on the school yard. Nudging the other two, he points over at her.

"Hey, what about her? Do you know her, Duper?"

Looking over and seeing who Talbo is talking about, Pascal nods. "Yeah, she's one of Kody and Zoe's kindergarten teachers. Her name's Hayden."

"She single?"

"I don't know. She's not wearing a ring at least."

"Perfect."
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Hayden would be blind if she hadn't seen the four hockey players just outside the school and she would be lying if she said that she wasn't wondering what they were doing there. Hoisting Zoe higher up in her arms, Hayden watched as Fleury, Talbot and Dupuis re-joined Jordan Staal who was standing off on the side. She saw them discuss something all of them wearing a smile or a grin on their face and when they looked towards her, she raised an eyebrow.

Bending down with Zoe still in her arms, Hayden put an arm around Kody who looked up at her. "Hey, Kody? Do you see who's over there?" She pointed towards the small cluster of players outside the fence.

"Daddy!"

When his eyes found his father, Kody cried out and started running towards the fence. Hayden had known ever since she started working at the school that the kids took care of the time they could spend with their father. Of course she already knew this, being a hockey fan, and didn't mind it those times when Dupuis had time over and dropped by for a surprise visit during the day.

She followed Kody to the fence but at a much slower pace. When Hayden reached them, she found the boy in his father's arms at the other end of the fence and he was animately talking to Flower, Max and Jordan.

"Ah, ma cherie," Max grinned and took Zoe out of her arms. The two year old giggled happily and Hayden smiled. It must be nice to have so many people who care about you. While Duper was holding his son and Max and Flower were entertaining Zoe, Jordan turned to Hayden with a dazzling grin.

"I'm Jordan Staal," he introduced himself and held out his hand. Hayden swept her green eyes over him before grabbing his huge offered hand.

"I know. My name's Hayden Mallory."

Unlike lots of other girls, Hayden's grip on his hand was firm and she didn't have any fake nails to be careful of. Upon releasing eachother's hands, she looked over her shoulder at her colleague before facing him again.

"So... You a hockey fan?" Jordan asks after clearing his throat. During the short moment that Hayden turned her attention over her shoulder, he took the chance to really look at her. In flat soled shoes she was around a foot shorter than him with blonde hair, all natural, her eyes a moss green color framed by dark lashes. When Hayden turned back to him, he'd quickly pretended that he hadn't been watching her.

"Yeah, quite the big one. I went to my first live game at five years old with my grandfather."

Jordan seem to ponder something for a minute before opening his mouth again. "You wanna go to the game tomorrow?"
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Hayden returned to the school building later on with the Dupuis children and the promise of two tickets waiting for her at Will-Call, leaving behind a grinning Jordan. Turning to his teammates he says: "You just wait and see, boys. Just wait and see."