I walked into the Mellon and spit to one side. Why Geno had insisted I come to visit him was beyond me. Silly sometimes, that one. Little brother’s best friend, what could I do? But why Alex loved to hang out with him so much was far outside the realm of my mind’s grasp. The Pittsburgh Penguins. There was nothing about them I liked…. Save Geno… maybe.
Quietly I rounded a corner, hockey bag in one hand and stick in the other. I nearly fell over when I ran straight into Sidney Crosby and Geno talking with Eric Godard.
“Fata! You came!” Geno squeal, jumping me and giving me a huge kiss. He made me miss Moscow. Sid looked me over and found no apparent threat so he lightened up. Eric was just as welcoming as Geno and wrapped me up in a huge hug.
“You must be Ovechkin’s older sister. Mischa right?” he asked, giving me a really tight squeeze. I smiled a little. A warm welcome of a Capital’s little sister was, all things; blood line included, considered, a wonderful thing.
“Yep, that’s me.” I said, accent coming out again. I’d been spending too much time with Alex again. You’d think after almost eight years here it would’ve gone away but I guess it was residual.
“It’s nice to meet you, finally.” Eric said with a smile He seemed really happy to see me. It was…. Mildly surprising.
“Is to be staying with me tonight, fata?” Geno asked, happily taking my hand and pulling me towards the locker room. I sighed. I hadn’t planned on staying after Alex went home.
“I guess so. It’ll be…. Fun.” I said thoughtfully. From the corner of my eye I saw Eric look a little far off and a bit hazy. I thought nothing of it, really.
“So how did you get to be dating?” Jordan asked, arms around Geno and I’s shoulders. I couldn’t help but laugh. I loved Geno as a brother. And I was four years his senior.
“We aren’t dating.” I corrected, “He’s my Malky sweets but we aren’t dating.” I messed up his hair and his little giggle flooded the room. Jordan let go of me and smile, walking away and allowing Geno and I to talk for a while.
“So is Ovie… okay?” Geno asked, smiling at me as we laced our skates. I glared up at Eric with a frown. He’d broken my brother’s….. whole fucking body. And just after he’d become Captain too. Fingers, ribs, ankle, nose. He’d be down at least 10 weeks with everything. I’d not had a problem with Eric before he’d disabled my brother. Now there was bad blood.
“He’s on bed rest and uppity as ever. I made him some of moman’s borscht yesterday.” I began, watching his eyes get wide. Sergei turned to me and beamed.
“Borscht! Borscht! And poroschtgies?” he asked. I nodded, smiling as wide as he was. Good Russian food was hard to find and even harder to find was a Russian to fully enjoy it.
“Can I be having some?!” Geno squealed.
“Me too?!” Sergei asked, pleading.
“Uhmm…” I said thoughtfully. Geno made a puppy face and I couldn’t say no. It was the same one my brother had made yesterday to get me to make it in the first place. “Sure.” he kissed me quickly and I saw Sidney smile and Eric frown.
“Can… coming they be?” Geno asked, looking at Sidney, Jordan, Max and Eric. I thought for a minute. Semyon, Alex, Semin and Backy might not like having them for dinner but I thought it’d be fun.
“I suppose so.” I answered finally, jumping up when he tried to give me another kiss, “But only if you win.”
“You are on!” Sergei shouted before Gneo had a chance.
“What position does Mischy play?” Geno called to me from the runway. I’d already jumped on and I was taking laps. It was just then that I felt completely inadequate. I’d started out as our top goalie until the goaltending coach and I had It out. Then I’d been D until the same thing happened. The coach had decided then that I was too much of a fighter to do much.
“Uhmm… fourth line enforcer….” I trailed off, looking back at them. They were all in shock. Eric especially. They hopped on and took laps with me.
“You, the older sister of Alex Ovechkin, the girl who supposedly taught him everything he knows, plays on the fourth line? What the hell is the world coming to?” Jordan asked, looking at me as he turned around to skate backwards. I sighed.
“Well I get into fights so easily. Alex and I don’t exactly have controllable tempers. But I’ve always been pretty defensive so having me enforcing was just natural… I guess.” I explained, trying really hard to make myself feel better. I scored goals all the time… when I wasn’t in the penalty box or kicked out of game. I’d been in some pretty tough scraps lately, the newest of which had freshly gashed my cheek. I flippe dmy hair off of it and saw Sidney cringe.
“That looks like it hurts.” he said, gesturing at it.
“Not too much.” Eric and I said in unison. He was really starting to annoy me a bit but I said nothing.
“You and Eric’ll get along great. Both of you like to beat people up for a living.” Max chortled, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes and skated on.
“So, Fata Mischa, how is to be beating you so am getting my borscht?” Geno questioned, raising an eyebrow. I smiled and skated to the front of the net.
“Get that puck past me before I get a goal.” I replied, smirk widening when he thought he would get it right past me.
“Come on Geno! I want borscht for dinner!” Sergei cheered from the side of the line as Geno came up with the puck. He skated quick, side to side; but that was an easy trick. I’d taught it to Ovie years ago. I skated a little to my right and poked the puck away, taking it up ice. He was quick but not quick enough to catch me. I spun out of a check and made a goal. He was in awe. Sergei was unhappy.
“I’ll try.” he said, taking the puck from me. He skated up and took a hard slap shot from the line. It hit me right in the wrist. I couldn’t hold the stick up. It fell to the ice and I fell to my knees. Tears stung my eyes in the cold. It wasn’t broken but that hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Are you sure you’re the enforcer?” Jordan asked, looking down at me. I reached up with my right hand and punched him in his hamstring. He was on the ice right next to me.
“Are you sure you should run your mouth?” I asked, a little agitated. Eric laughed and came over to me, offering me a hand and some ice.
“Here.” he said, putting it in my hand. I had to admit he was a sweet kid. And I can’t exactly say trading his hand for the ice didn’t make me sad. I put the ice on it and in a few minutes it was much better. Sergei and Geno were very sad…. To say the least. I smiled and kissed Geno’s head towards the end of their practice. Today was optional and just team organized so it wasn’t very structured.
“You can have Borscht with me tonight, sweetie.” I said, watching his frown turn to a bright smile. Sergei threw his gloves up in the air and screamed. Even Eric and Sid were smiling. Max and Jordan had cut out on me so it was just the four of them. As we were walking out in the cold I wrapped my scarf around my neck and pulled out my phone. I dialed Alex’s number without looking.
“Hello?” he asked through his pain and accent. I grimaced. I was used to getting hit hard but Alex was a star. I felt so bad for him.
“Kaviiieee can you tell Backy to open the door for me? I’m bringing company.” I said, looking around at the four bright smiles surrounding me.
“Suree. Who is coming?” he asked, seeming to be a little happier when I mentioned company. Everyone piled into my Range Rover since they’d come with Jordan.
“Geno,” I began and I heard him getting happier, “Sergei,” Even happier, “Eric and Sidney.” the last part he’d kill me for. He respected the fact that it was my house they were staying in instead of the hotel and they were very happy with being there so they wouldn’t complain. They knew perfectly well that I wouldn’t let them come back if they did. I was boarding the whole team.
“Okay. Will tell Backstrom to open door for you. Goodbye, Mischy. Love you.” he said, sounding melancholy. He’d get better with some dinner in him.
“Love you too, Kaviee.” and I hung up, turning over the engine.
“Kaviee?” Eric asked, confused. I laughed.
“Oh when we were little we had a kitten named Kaviee and Alex loved her sooo much. So when she died a few years ago I started calling him Kaviee because he insisted that no one loved him.” I explained, watching them all laugh a little. I drove quickly and mostly quietly, with the exception of some Russian conversations between Geno and I in the front, to my house in Sewickley. I pulled up in front of it and saw Backy at the door, leaning on the frame. He was such a card sometimes. He was like another brother. The whole team was. I loved the Caps.
“Borscht now, fata?” Geno asked, pleading with me. Sergei laughed and made a puppy face. I smiled.
“Give me a few minutes to go make it. Geez.” I said, hopping out of the car. We walked up the drive and to the front door where Backy picked me up and spun me around, giving me a huge kiss. I noticed that Eric got tense. Something was funny about him. They way he walked and talked and held me u p and the way his eyes glittered when he smiled….. And what the fuck was I thinking? A Pens player. No. No. Sighing it off I walked in to find Alex exactly where I’d left him.
He was stranded on the couch next to a Phnemonia stricken Mike Greena and an insomnia ridden Semyon Varlamov. Semin was pacing aimlessly in front of the large play board that hung on one of my walls and Alex was switching channels every eight seconds. Same old.
“Geno!” Alex said animatedly, flipping his messy hair out of his eyes, “Sergei!”
“Hey Ovie. How is your foot to be doing?” Geno asked, going over to shake Alex’s hand and give him a hug. Sergei sat down between Semyon and Mike while Sid stood, pretty tensely in the corner on the sidelines. Finally Backy acknowledge him. Slinging his arm around Sidney’s shoulders he said,
“Look who it tis. Mr. Hockey himself. Why Ovie we should feel obliged to be awestruck. It’s not like we don’t see goals like his everyday.” I laughed inside but I knew it was a jerk move. While having Sidney Crosby in my house wasn’t exactly pleasant, for more reasons than just my namesake, he was still a decent man.
“Hey, lay off or no poroshtgies for you.” I threatened, sitting my stuff down. Backy frowned but turned to Sid, looking him over.
“You play well,” he complimented, shaking Sid’s hand, “I don’t admire you or aspire to be you, but you play well.”
“Almost as well as me when I am able to walk.” Alex commented, coughing and almost falling off the couch in pain. He glared up at Eric and I felt a hint of hatred, a vague shadow of the earlier simmering rage I’d felt when I’d thought about my little brother being beaten to a pulp.
I let them all get settled and headed for the kitchen to make dinner. Dinner for 10 wasn’t exactly my specialty but I’d make due. Halfway through singing a Russian lullaby I felt eyes on the back of my head. Turning I watched Eric quickly looking away but being unable to hide himself behind the panels of the door. I smiled and, in a much too much Alex like way, I walked over and pulled him into the kitchen. His face was a little pink and he looked a little estranged and out of place.
“Uhm…” he said nervously, watching me sit down some dough in front of him.
“Well if you’re going to stare at least help me, would you?” I asked, smiling at him. He returned it and helped, starting to warm up to my crazy accent and odd way of speaking. By the time dinner came around we were talking and joking like old friends.
He picked me up off the ground and laughed, twirling me around and sitting me down randomly when I began tormenting him.
“You’re a mean little Russian girl.” he teased, wrinkling up his nose at me. I laughed and picked up the plates so I could se the table.
“Uhhh huh. From Mr. Godzilla, this comes.” I said, sitting down everything on the table and making sure it was all looking nice.
“Uh huh whatever. You can’t hate forever, Troll.” he told me.
“I’ll always hate the Pens. Nothing will ever change my mind that I hate them. Nothing.” I told him, finishing up with the table. He came in behind me and I felt his arms around my waist. He pulled me back into his chest and hugged me. I felt a shiver go up in my spine. I was suppose to hate this man but somehow this didn’t feel wrong like it should’ve. I was suppose to believe that this man was the scum of the earth and that his team wouldn’t get anywhere but being right there made me think maybe I should think otherwise.
“Well I’m not the one torment people now am I, Mischy?” he half whispered. I stood there for a minute, tempted to stay there all night. I might’ve if I hadn’t have heard Ovie coming. I pulled away just in time to avoid letting him see us.
“Is time for dinner now, Mischa?” Geno asked, peaking around the corner with Sergei and Ovie. They were helping him get to the table. I smiled and nodded. Everyone filed in and found a seat. I went back in the kitchen, watching Eric’s eyes following me the whole way. I leaned hard on the counter. What was going on? I felt okay with the enemy. I felt okay being in someone’s arms. I felt okay with Eric.
I shook it off and picked up the borscht, bringing it into the other room. I saw Geno, Ovie and Sergei perk up. Geno and Ovie had had my borscht before and they knew that it was some of the best since Moscow but Sergei was a first timer. So was everyone else in fact. They all took their fill and began to eat while I went back in the kitchen and got the poroschtgies. I brought them out a few minutes later to find that almost all the borscht was gone and Geno, Sergei and Alex looked as happy as I’d ever seen them. Sergei jumped up from his chair and hugged me, giving me a kiss on each cheek.
“IT WAS BEST BORSCHT I HAVE EVER HAD!” he squealed, sitting back down with a huge smile. Backy patted his stomach with a grin.
“It was the only borscht I’ve ever had. But not the last.” I smiled with that. I usually didn’t get a chance to cook. Maybe now I would. I smiled when Eric gave me a shimmering smirk as I sat the poroschtgies down. Everyone took a few and ate them, enjoying the odd variety of cheese and potatoes. I made a few special for Alex, Geno and Sergei; all of which were filled with strawberry jam. They were ecstatic. Conversations buzzed through the air like nothing I’d ever heard. Finally, it came time for Sergei and Sidney to leave and they departed after a happy goodbye. Even the team seemed happy to see Sidney now.
I watched them walk out and saw Geno and Alex discussing plays. Semyon and Mike had gone up to their rooms and Semin was downstairs with Backy. Eric and I were alone again.
“Hey, I can’t thank you enough for letting me come and eat dinner with you. It was really good.” he complimented, following me into the kitchen with a pile full of dirty dishes. I smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say to a man who I was warming up too more quickly than I would’ve liked. He sat down across from the sink and leaned on the counter, watching me start washing the dishes. Finally he spoke up. “Hey… I was wondering….. Would you like to go out for coffee sometime? I mean I know you’re probably busy with Alex and the Caps and everything but since you live so close I was just-” he started.
“I’d like that, I think.” I replied, not bothering to look up. I could hear his face twisting up in a smirk. And when he left that night I could still see him in my head. I sat down next to Alex around eleven and sighed, enjoying the couch.
“You like him, do you not, Misch?” he asked, looking over at me slowly. Those piercing blue eyes that were usually used to make women faun all over him were now being used to pierce my brain for thoughts. Any change in heart rate or emotion. He was so damned good at reading me.
“Who?” I asked, picking up the remote and flipping to Versus so I could see the Dallas game vs. the Rangers. He smirked.
“You do.” I was so fucked. How was it that he knew things I didn’t even know. “You know Semin will be mad at you…” he began. I felt confusion.
“What?” I asked, looking over at him. He sighed. Semin and I had been having a strange love thing for a couple years but it had never turned into anything.
“He will be mad you are not choosing him. And I can not say I am happy. You picking the guy who beat me up is not nice way to make me feel at home while I’m injured.” he complained, beginning to sound mean. I sighed.
“It’s a date for coffee. Calm down.” I told him. He took in a deep breath and I prepared for a lecture but was pleasantly surprised when he just leaned over and kissed my head.
“We’ll see.” and with that much he lay to the other side and fell asleep.
A few weeks had passed and Eric and I had been out a few times for coffee or drinks and he’d come over for dinner a few more times. Alex and Semin had stayed with me for a duration of five weeks now and they weren’t exactly happy with the fact that Eric and I were sparking a friendship. And on just such a day I was getting ready to go to a party, and I never thought I’d say it, for the Penguins, Semin and Alex decided to tag along.
“So what is this for?” Semin asked from the back seat of my Range Rover as I drove slowly along towards the arena.
“Uhm… I think it’s someone’s birthday. But I’m not sure.” I told him. Truthfully I didn’t know what it was for. I just knew that Eric had invited me and I’d enjoy going.
“Well will be interesting with us there for sure.” Alex said, clearly feeling a lot better. Most of his ribs had healed now and his nose was healing nicely too. We pulled in a few minutes later and I parked in a spot next to Eric’s firebird.
“Is…. A nice car.” Alex said looking it over. I smiled and thought about the many times he’d driven me around in it just for fun. It was a very nice car.
“Mischa!” Geno called from the front doors of the arena, running up towards us. He hugged me and gave me a kiss. Semin was half growling in his throat. He needed to calm down. Geno and Alex began conversing and we headed inside. I saw a bunch of people I knew now to be the whole Pens organization, wives and girlfriends and team.
And even in the crowd I still knew exactly where I’d find him. Towards the ice near the seats down the runway all alone. He liked to go out there to think, I’d found. I walked away from Semin and left him standing alone, which didn’t make him very happy but I didn’t care.
“Hey.” I said, walking up beside him, “Why are you out here?”
“Oh well I can’t stand the birthday madness in there. Everyone telling you you’re a year older is pretty unpleasant after you get past twenty five.” he replied, looking down at me with a half smile. I hadn’t known it was his birthday.
“Happy Birthday, Godsy.” I said, smiling at him. He gave me a polite smile and a hug before turning and walking back with me to the party. It gave way for a bunch of conversations and games until finally mostly everyone had gone. It was only the team now and it was getting interesting. Most everyone was drunk and if they weren’t they were at least half off their rockers. We sat around in the lounge playing games until Jordan threw in a brilliant idea.
“I think we should play birthday truth or dare.” he said, with a huge grin. I looked around and felt a sudden static. I guess that’s what we were doing then.
“I am up for this.” Alex said. All hope of getting away with nothing was lost. Jordan started.
“Semin, truth or dare.” he asked, semi-glaring over at Semin. He laughed and took a dare. Jordan told him to go and lick the blade of Sid’s skates and of course, he did. We were disgusted.
“Who wants to ask next?” Jordan asked hyperly. I was really starting to see why they called him speed.
“I will.” Alex volunteered. I knew I was done when his eyes locked on mine. I sighed and looked at him, hoping it wouldn’t be anything terrible. He knew I’d pick dare but he asked anyway. “Mischy, truth or dare.”
“Dare, Kayviee.” I answered, closing my eyes and praying to God he wouldn’t be my brother for once in my life. It was useless.
“I dare you to go out onto the rink and make out with Eric.” he said with a devious smirk. I looked at Eric, who was red faced like me, and we both rose from our place. Eric took my hand on the way out and I heard a chorus of wolf calls from the other room as we headed down the runway. We stepped out of the view of the rest of the team and it got a little quieter. Eric turned to me and kissed my forehead.
“Eric we don’t have to do anyth-” I started before he pressed his lips down on mine. I lost every rational thought in my mind. And apparently along with that went every rational thing about being on different teams. I kissed him back. By the time he pulled away I’d felt so many new emotions I was in sensory shock. He smiled and pulled me closer to him by my waist. I was so hazy. He’d changed the way I’d look at the flutter in my chest for the rest of my life in a few seconds flat. Maybe minutes. Who was counting?
“Did I change your opinion?” he whispered, leaning his forehead on mine with his eyes half closed. I felt confusion wash over me suddenly and push away the happy butterflies in my stomach.
“Opinion on what?” I asked, feeling like I’d walked into a foreign conversation.
“Hating the Pens.” he told me, brushing his lips against mine. I smiled and nodded a little. His lips fell onto mine again. I felt everything I’d never felt before in that one little kiss. When he pulled back this time I saw Ovie and Semin peaking around the corner at us but I could’ve cared less. “You are beautiful, Mischa.” and another deep kiss.
“I really always liked the Pens…” I mumbled between kisses. He chuckled and pulled away just a bit.
“Stay around long enough and I’ll change your opinion on everything.” he told me. We kissed again and I felt the flutter in my heart going crazy. My pulse was racing, my stomach was turning and I could hear Semin screaming in his head. I felt love and craziness and everything wonderful. And in that one minute I realized that I’d stay around forever.
