October 20th, 2016

Three games into the season and the Tampa Bay Lightning are 3-0, pushing to make things 4-0 against the Colorado Avalanche. Everything is quiet and going well and Vladdy has not needed to activate Yzerchuk so far. The Lightning are all getting ready for the game against the Avalanche, pumped and ready, but...there's one small problem...

"THERE'S NO COOKIES!!" Nikita Kucherov's loud whine booms out from the room where the players all eat.

Nikita is standing before an empty silver platter, where there'd once been a pile of delicious home-made cookies from Mrs. Palat. A tear trickles down his cheek, before he sniffles and then launches into a full on crying session.

"Kuch, don't cry!" Tyler Johnson exclaims, rushing over to him. "PALLY!!"

Ondrej Palat darts into the room and rushes over, throwing his arms around his friend. "Kuch, what's wrong?"

"There-no-cookies..." Nikita chokes out between sobs.

Ondrej looks at the silver platter now and sighs. "Did you eat them all?"

Nikita shakes his head and wipes his eyes. "Was like that, when got here. So excited, then pull back the lid and see...this...no cookies."

Ondrej looks up and glances around the room, before his eyes land on Ryan Callahan, who is eating a cookie and sitting with Alex Galchenyuk. He lets go of Nikita and facepalms. "I know who ate the cookies, Kuch...go say hi to Cally."

"Cally, they're onto you, you shouldn't have ate Kuch's cookies!" Galchenyuk whispers, trying to stifle his laughter.

"Eh, whatever. I'm just doing as told, Chucky," Ryan retorts.

Nikita looks toward Ryan and frowns. "Cally take cookies." He then stomps over to the veteran forward.

"Look Kuch, before you say anything, I'm only helping you out. Too many cookies are not good for little baby Russian," Ryan says, stuffing the remainder of the cookie into his mouth and then patting Nikita on the stomach. "Ease up bud and tell Vladdy to go easy on the cheese too. I can't keep helping you both out now. Ohhh, my stomach!"

Nikita's mouth drops open in shock and he spins back to Ondrej and TJ, who share a look with one another.

Ryan gets up and races out of the room, clutching his stomach. "Too much cheese. Too many cookies. Oww!"

Nikita looks where Ryan was at and questions, "I was bad with eating?" He then looks at Ondrej and TJ, who just shrug at him.

TJ mumbles, "Apparently, Cally is much worse than both Kuch and Vladdy combined."

Suddenly, a rather loud scream is heard from another area in question: the refrigerator. Ondrej, TJ and Nikita all look in the direction.

The Czech player says, "I'll go check on whoever that is. Although, I kinda know who it is and this might not be good." He then runs off and reaches the room with the refrigerator, steps inside and sees a mess. "What is going on here?"

The person pokes their head out from looking through the refrigerator, and says, "Someone ate all of my cheese!"

Ondrej sighs, "Vladdy, Cally ate your cheese."

Vladislav Namestnikov (or Vladdy) looks at Ondrej with tears in his eyes. "Why would he do that? He knows..."

"Who knows? But it's time to get ready for the game against the Avalanche." The Czech player looks around at the mess. "After I help you clean this up."

They clean up Vladdy's mess in record time, and both make it back to the locker room, just in time for Ryan to walk back into the room. He looks much better and is smirking. Nikita and Vladdy run up to him and confront him.

"You ate all my pre-game cheese!" Vladdy snaps.

"You eated all of my cookies!" Nikita whines.

"Stammer told me to!" Ryan snaps back.

Vladdy and Nikita whirl around to find Steven Stamkos standing between TJ and Ondrej with his arms folded across his chest. "Stammer? Why?"

"Look, the cheese-eating and the cookie-eating is getting out of hand. Also, neither of you have produced on the ice yet. Once you start scoring, THEN you can be rewarded and have the cookies and cheese."

"Then you can have your mom," Jonathan Drouin remarks as he slyly walks by with a grin on his face.

"Not the time Jo. And, you can't say "your mom" jokes until you score!" Steven remarks. "And if you don't listen, I'll stick you on a line with Boyle!"

"I had one awful game, Stammer," Jo complains.

"Ewww, Jo, quit breaking wind, boy!" Brian Boyle remarks with a tease.

Jo rolls his eyes. "Not Boyle..."

"Anyway, I'm disappointed in you, Vladdy, and you, Pally and you, Jo and especially you, Kuch," Steven remarks.

"What'd I do?" Ondrej questions. "I scored a goal last game, you're welcome! And I fed you passes..."

"Not good enough...also those turnovers and you're upsetting fans by not stopping!" Steven snaps.

"Who said that?" Ondrej asks, frowning.

"Evelyna," Steven says. "She's highly disappointed with you four (mainly just Jo from the last game though). What's going on guys?"

"Evelyna? You mean my number one fan who wants to do video production?" Vladdy rubs his head.

"Yes, her. I think we all owe her one tonight! Also, has anyone seen Brayden?" Steven says.

"Pointer's showing Kade, you know his imaginary friend - not his brother - around Amalie with Papa Stralsy and Galchenyuk, the ex-Hab!" Alex Killorn remarks as he shoves an elbow pad up his arm.

"Okay, good, just making sure. We can't have anyone going anywhere alone, unless it's Boyle, Paqy, Heddy, Shoe, Nesty, Coby, Garry, JT and myself. And you know why that's the case." Steven says.

Just then Anton Stralman, Alex Galchenyuk and Brayden Point re-enter the locker room in smiles. They find everyone gathered talking and Ryan takes the opportunity to slip away from Vladdy and Nikita.

The Bolts then all finish getting ready and then head out into the tunnel.

"Almost game time, Yzerchuk," Vladdy whispers to his hockey stick. "I probably won't need you, but you never know." He then hugs his hockey stick close to him. "I love you so much, Yzerchuk."

Nikita whimpers a few times.

"Kuch, what's wrong?" Ondrej questions.

"I feel so tired..." Nikita trails off and begins to sway back and forth before he collapses to the ground.

"KUCH!" Ondrej exclaims.

TJ panics and yells out, "Someone grab Kuch's 'Emergency Cookie Kit' now!"

Victor Hedman races off and returns quickly with a small black box. He opens it up and TJ takes two cookies from inside and places one of them under Nikita's nose, which instantly makes the Russian perk up and take them, stuffing them into his mouth.

"Yum-yum, cookies." Nikita smiles as he finishes them off.

Victor returns the box to it's place, while Ondrej and TJ help Nikita back to his feet.

"Ahhh, much better. Now I alive and happy!" Nikita exclaims. "Cookies, magical."

Steven sighs and shakes his head. "Alright, sorry Cally, you're officially off of eating Kuch's cookies. He can have them, cause I guess he really does NEED them..." He looks around, seeing Vladdy hugging Yzerchuk, Jo cracking 'your mom' jokes at JT, who is on his phone and then finally Brayden, who is talking to "Kade", his imaginary friend. He sighs again. "This is going to be a long season." 

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divergent_spn61 helped me with this chapter