Toronto, Canada

Eastern Conference, Hotel X

Ovechkin steps forward toward us. I bravely stand before Pitty, blocking them from getting to him. I'm not sure why I'm doing this, maybe I feel deep down like I owe him for saving me from his teammates.

"It would be our luck that we'd run into a Flyer and Lightning Bolt..." TJ Oshie snarls. "Get out of our way!"

"You get out of OUR way," I snap back.

"Gourde, there is no way you and skinny snakebitten McGee there can take all of us on. You might as well just do as WE say," Tom Wilson remarks, lifting his head up arrogantly. "In other words MOVE!"

I hold my ground, glimpsing Pitty looking nervous and a little freaked out. He was fine and brave with his teammates, but I guess he knows them, unlike the Caps. And we are talking about TJ Oshie, Tom Wilson, Alex Ovechkin and Braden Holtby here...not like it's a bunch of little weaklings...

"He said to MOVE," Kuznetsov snaps, his eyes burning with hatred.

I stomp my foot on the ground and narrow my eyes to thin slits. I'm getting a little pissed that no one is showing hospitality here (other than Tyler Pitlick, who's with me right now). "I'll move when you all grow a pair and learn to be nice and respectful. Last I checked, YOU don't own this hotel!"

"You're right, they don't!" a new voice exclaims.

As the Caps all spin around to see the source of the voice, I catch sight of a pale skinned man with copper-colored hair that is brushed upward and to the side. This man has small seafoam-green eyes along with light freckles that are sprinkled across his sharply pointed nose. He is also wearing a black polo with a familiar logo.

Pitty gasps.

The man folds his arms and looks at the Caps with a curious look. "What's going on here...?"

The Caps, upon seeing him, begin to panic. Like I mean ALL six of them.

It's Oshie who speaks, nervously stammering out, "Hey, Carter Hart, uh, yeah, we were just leaving."

Ovechkin gestures to the others and they begin to fast walk away from Carter, keeping their distance as they walk around him.

They are soon leaving Oshie behind as he continues to stumble over his words, the confidence and arrogance gone from him. "...Bumped into these two lovely people...and now we're..." He trails off and bolts off after his friends. "WAIT FOR ME!!"

He scurries off and joins them all, fear flooding off of him.

"That's what I thought! You come back from the deficit with the Isles and I'll make your life HELL!" Carter shouts after them.

I blink, stunned and slowly turn to look at Pitty, who is back to his normal, unfrightened self. He is brushing himself off and wearing a smile once more. "What the hell was that? Who are you?"

The newcomer runs a hand through his hair and comes up to us. "You two okay?" He looks genuinely concerned about us BOTH.

I've grown to not want to trust anyone else that isn't a Lightning player in this hellish hotel, but I've found at least two welcoming non-Tampa Bay Lightning players, who might be potential friends.

Pitty nods. "Carter Hart lives in the minds of Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins!" He smiles largely and holds his head up high.

"I see..." I say, looking into Carter's eyes. "So you're the infamous Carter Hart, goalie of the Philadelphia Flyers?"

Carter bows slightly. "Guilty as charged. As for what just happened, it's a goalie terror thing and I'm very sorry about those rude Capitals. We're all supposed to be friendly and welcoming here. I mean, it's not like we're battling one another on the ice...but I guess some can't see past the ice rivalries."

"Tis a pity," Pitty says, shaking his head.

Carter nods and bites his lip. "Only Pitty and I know the difference."

"And Patrice Bergeron," Pitty pipes up. "He helped me out when I had a Bruin run-in a few days ago!"

"Right," Carter remarks, patting him on the shoulder. "Sadly, I haven't mastered getting into the minds of Boston Bruins yet..."

I laugh at that.

"So, where were you when Giroux decided to gang up with Radko, TK and Vora in the lobby?" Pitty suddenly asks. "I had to muster my courage and stand up to them, because they were picking on this guy."

"This guy?" I spin to him. "Yanni Gourde is the name. And they weren't picking on me...I just walked in--"

"You were helplessly bear-hugged by Radko..." Pitty remarks.

Carter looks at him with all the sympathy in the world that he can muster. "I was dealing with Bruins who think they can come in and mess with our stuff. I know Marchand and Krug stoke my bag. So I went up and tornadoed their room."

Pitty chuckles and faces me as he says, "Rule number one, Yanni: Don't fuck with Carter Hart."

Carter smiles. "Come on, let's get you back to your floor."

I don't need babysitting or a guide back to my floor! But, right now, I don't know why, I just feel like I want to hang out more with this Carter Hart guy. So I follow after him with Pitty too and we head back into the lobby area.