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knightsofsliverandgoldstory · 10 months

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Marc-André Fleury/ F! OC

Summery: A story where a world famous goaltender with a heart and soul of gold becomes a knight in shining silver for a female hockey player in the NHL who is trying to balance being a single mother and athlete after just being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights. Can Marc-André Fleury show Barlow Kane he can be the father her daughter never had, help her make a home and a life in Nevada and be the love of her life she never thought she would find?

Warnings: swearing, hockey related lingo. I think that's it

Word count: just over 2.6k (sorry this is more of a filler chapter that had some writers block problems. 5 will be better I promise)

Game day.

First game of the pre-season and the city was buzzing. Hockey was back in the desert and the fans couldn't wait to see the same faces back on the ice, along with the new ones that would be joining them. Barlow could feel the static in the air, the buzz of the excitement. The game was at seven that night, and it was noon when she looked at the clock. She knew she needed to get her pregame nap in and something to eat before she left for the rink. Katie Had already taken Harper for the day, so Barlow could get ready in peace without having to wrangle a toddler on her first day. Going through her pre game rituals, Barlow made a pot of spaghetti, fruit salad and some butter bread. After eating the hearty meal she cleaned everything up and went upstairs to her room to take her pre game nap. Setting her alarm on her phone to make sure she gets up on time, she shut her black out blinds and turned off the lights, laying down for her hour and half nap. Once her head hit the pillow she was out like a light.

Beep!

The sound of her alarm screaming in her ear sent Barlow flying out of bed. She ran a hand through her hair and down her face. She knew she had to get dressed for the game. Going to the bathroom she did her business before washing her hands and grabbing her makeup bag. She pulled out her waterproof and smudge proof black mascara and eyeliner and did a simple makeup, just enough to make her eyes pop, but not enough to make it nasty while playing. Once she did that she French braided her hair down her back, making it tight so it didn't fall out. Once she tied it off she went to get dressed. Putting on a dark cherry pants suit with an off white shirt with a small v neck to it under the jacket. Black ankle heeled boots graced her feet. She tied the black satin belt around the jacket to keep it shut and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked sharp and clean, perfect for her walk into the arena and later for interviews. The suit made her look skinnier than she was and it made her legs go on for miles. She smiled before grabbing her Ray-Ban sunglasses and throwing them on her head before making her way downstairs. She grabbed her car keys and made her way down to her car. She slipped into the driver's seat and started up her SUV, pulling out of the driveway. She pulled down her sunglasses and threw on some music from her pre game music playlist. Some songs from Imagine Dragons and The Score started to blare through her speakers, getting her in the game mood. She stopped at the Starbucks along the way and got a coffee to help her keep going late into the night before getting back on the road.

Pulling into the players parking lot at the rink she shut off her car and grabbed her bag, coffee and keys as she got out of the car. Her boot heels clocked on the pavement, her head held high as she walked down the sidewalk to the arena doors. Fans could be heard cheering and chanting. She lived for moments like this. Taking a deep breath she walked into the rink, a few cameras flashing as she made her walk down the tunnels to the locker room. Keeping a straight face she let the media team get their pregame pictures of her, along with the others who entered the rink. Once she got to the locker room Barlow took a deep breath and let her nervousness sink to her feet. She flashed the boys a smile as she made her way over to her cubby. Running her fingers over the smooth gold colored silk jersey, staring at her name on the back with a smile. She had loved her old team, the memories she had made there, but this was a fresh start for her and Harper. This was the beginning of something new. Now she was going to throw herself wholeheartedly into it.

Grabbing her Under Armor leggings and shirt that she wore under her padding she walked off to the dressing room / shower they had installed just for her. Shutting the door behind her she slipped off her pantsuit and folded it up neatly to put back on after the game. Slipping on her leggings she tied off the built in drawstrings at the top to make them extra secure. She then pulled on her skintight long sleeve that went under her padding to keep it from rubbing her skin raw. Once that was on she went back out to the main locker room to put on her padding and equipment. Slipping on her leg paddings first she strapped them down before grabbing her chest paddings. Slipping the heavy padding over her head she snapped the buckles in place. It had a bit more padding than normal on the front, but other than that it looked like any normal hockey padding. Then she grabbed her arm padding and slipped them on as well. Pulling her socks on next she tapped them down around her knees and calves, making sure they were nice and tight. Then slipping on her hockey pants she tied them off at the waist. Next she grabbed her skates and pulled them on, lacing them up tight before pulling her socks down over the tongues and backs. Once all this was done Barlow turned around and took the silky gold jersey off its hanger and held it in her hands for a moment. Looking down at her name and number one last time before slipping it over her head, letting it fall smoothly over her padding. Barlow knew it was different, and it was always pointed out to her, but she never warmed up before she got dressed. She wanted to be in full or almost full gear before warming with stretches to get the stiffness out of her gear and feel for any discomforts that could hinder her play.

She got onto the floor and went into the splits, grabbing her covered skate blade with her hands and leaning forward to stretch out her back and hamstrings. She held this for about a minute before switching to the other side. Barlow was half way through her stretch when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Looking up, Barlow saw the brown watchful eyes of Marc-André staring at her as he started to lay out his gear.

"Can I help you, Flower? She asked in French to the goalie. She watched as a smile crept across his face and he pulled off his baseball hat to run a hand through his hair.

"Not at all." He simply answered. Barlow gave him a small side eye with a smile before going back to her stretches. After warming up a bit she stood up and did a few jumps, then turned at the hips to loosen up a bit more. After making sure she felt warmed up and her gear felt good she grabbed her sticks and made sure they were taped up right and the right length. As Barlow went about getting ready she turned to face Flower while fixing the tap on one of her sticks.

"Are we still on for tomorrow's lunch?" She continued speaking in French. For the past 2 Tuesdays Barlow, Harper and Marc-André had gone back to the small restaurant to have a meal together to just relax. It had been super nice and each time they hung out outside of the rink, Barlow felt her heart opening up a bit more each time. Flower's soft laugh, his smile, the way he held her hand softly in his during the drive, or how he would kiss her cheek when he dropped them off. Watching him with Harper, how gentle and sweet he was with the toddler made her heart soar.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it. I love my time with my girls." Marc-André answered as he started to strap on his padding. He wasn't looking at Barlow when he spoke but if he had he would have seen the deer in the headlights look on her face. Her stick slipped from her hand and landed on Max's arm with a thud. The forward yelped as the stick hit him and Barlow jumped at the sound.

"Oh Max, I'm so sorry!" She squeaked as she picked up her stick. Max shook his head with a smile before going back to his gear. Barlow grabbed her stick and slowly looked back up at Marc-André, who now had the same look on his face she did after realizing what he had said. His mouth opened and closed a few times before his face turned bright red and he ducked his head. Barlow quickly grabbed the rest of her gear and walked out of the locker room and went to the tunnels. Her heart was racing and her mind felt like jello. Did he really just call her and Harper his girls? Taking a deep breath she shook her head and tried to clear her mind. She couldn't let it keep her focus off the game tonight. She had to remain calm and collected.

Meanwhile Flower was sitting in the locker room still red faced and wide eyed. He couldn't believe he said that. Sure he felt it but he hadn't planned on saying something like that yet to her. He didn't want to scare Barlow off. Max watched as the blonde had raced out of the room and the star goalie sat there in shellshock.

"What happened? What did I miss?" Max asked. He looked over at Marc-André after Bralow raced out of the locker room door. Flower waved his hand, trying to dismiss the whole thing but Max wasn't about to let it drop. "Come on Flower. What was said between you two that made her look like a doe in the headlights?" With a heavy sigh Flower looked up at the forward.

"I called Harper and her 'My Girls.'" Flower told him softly. He blushed, the dark red spreading across his cheeks as he looked back down at his skate laces. Max smiled softly and shook his head, before getting up and walking over to the goaltender. Placing a hand on his shoulder Max spoke up.

"Marc, just tell her how you feel. She was just taken but surprised and embarrassed about dropping her stuff. After the game, talk to her. Tell her. You both deserve to be happy."

"But what if she doesn't feel the same?"

"Trust me. That girl is as gone as you are. I promise she feels the same." Max said, "Trust me on this." With a final pat on the shoulder he went back to his cubby to finish getting ready. Flower thought over what Max said and realized he was right. If he didn't take the chance he may never get them to truly be his girls. Pulling the rest of his gear with a smile on his face, he finished getting ready. Barlow was still out in the tunnel warming up when he led the rest of the team out to head down to the ice to warm up. Walking up to her, Marc-André tapped her leg pad with his stick to get her attention.

Barlow looked up at Marc-André after he tapped her leg and felt a blush creep across her face. His words still rang through her mind.

"Can we talk after the game? There is something I need to tell you." He whispered as he leaned closer to her, so only she could hear his question. Barlow nodded her head. After Flower called them his girls, she knew they needed to lay it out on the table, and she needed to open her heart up again. The goaltender smiled and tapped her leg again before going to the front of the line to lead out the team. Barlow stayed back a bit, going to the middle of the line as they filed their way out down the tunnel to the ice. The roar of the crowd grew louder and louder the closer they walked to the ice, the pounding of the music over the speakers filling her body. She felt her body and mind come alive at the sounds and her instincts took over.

Stepping into the ice she pushed off and gilded behind Erik as she did a few warm up laps. Once her legs felt good she started doing some stick work with a puck, doing all kinds of crazy and weird things to get her mind going. Barlows visor was tinted a slight blue to where you could still see her eyes, but it was darker and the blue kept the glare off the ice. After having a concussion a few years back she switched to the tinted visor to help reduce the glare so she could focus better. She continued to warm up, passing the puck around with Mark and Max. They talked and joked around lighty, taking turns making shots at the net now and again, though Flower would stop them with ease. Barlow didn't like to show off before the game started, so that younger players couldn't pick up on her play style off the bat, and she could surprise them.

"Are you ready for Desert Hockey?" Asked Max as he skated up next to her well she pushed around the puck lightly. She smiled up at the forward and nodded her head. She was happy to be back on the ice, with the roar of the crowd. Tonight they played against the Arizona Coyotes for the start of the preseason. She loved the shine of the gold and glitter that seemed to be everywhere. She always admired it when she used to play against Vegas, but now to be a part of the shine was something special.

Looking up and behind Flower's net, she saw Katie with Harper in an alternate Vegas Jersey, her number on the sleeves and back with "Mommy" over the number. A huge smile broke out across her face as she began to skate over to the glass. She tapped Flower on the pads with her stick as she skated by, nodding her head towards the glass. She bummed into the glass, making Harper laugh as she waved to her mother.

"HI BABY!" Barlow yelled over the noise and through the glass to her daughter. Placing a gloved hand on the glass she waited for Harper to place hers on the glass on the other side. She loved watching her daughter smile and laugh, her eyes wide as she watched all the lights and skaters on the ice. She felt someone skate up beside her and saw Marc out of the corner of her eye. He tapped on the glass with his stick, making Harper laugh. He laughed as well, a happy sound filling the space between them. He had a puck in his glove, and he tossed it over the glass for Harper to catch. She squealed with joy as she held the puck in her hands. Barlow smiled at Marc before waving to Harper one last time before going back to warmups.

"Thank you, she really loved that." She told Flower as they skated back away from the glass. He smiled brightly, his cheeks a rosey color from the cold air.

"Anytime for her."

Those three words were all that were needed to make the smile on Barlow's face brighter. The horn sounded, telling the players warmups were over. Taking her time to get to the line, making sure she fell back into the middle of the lineup, she went down the tunnel with the guys to the locker room to await the start of lineup. Hockey season started now.