Vacation all I ever wanted (4/1)

[savvyfan.livejournal.com]

Title: Vacation all I ever wanted (4/1)
Rating: PG (this chapter; future chapters will get smutty)
Characters: Milan Lucic; David Krejci; Shawn Thornton; Andrew Ference; Chuck Kobasew; mention of Vladimir Sobotka 
Time: July 2008
Summary: Ference invites some of his Bruins teammates to his lakeside house for a little R&R.  
Disclaimer: A work of absolute fiction.

July had barely begun and already David Krejci was restless.  He worked out religiously, spending hours in the weight room, trying to build up his endurance and strength for the rigors of the NHL season. He ran and skated. He spent time with family and old friends.  But the training, despite being shared with a couple of his former teammates, was boring. His family was getting on his nerves. He felt like a caged tiger, pacing the ancient and charming but all-too-familiar streets of Sternberk between home and the gym. Even the familiar walls of his family's house were beginning to shrink.  Krejci finally realized that he was homesick for the bustle of Boston. He wanted cannoli and clam chowder. He wanted to walk in the North End. He wanted to hear that funny Boston accent that made some words so difficult to understand. Above all, he wanted to be with his teammates, to hear Sturmie's German inflections and Savvy's constant chattering, to see Looch's warm smile, to feel Zee's strong arms holding him close.  So when the email from Andrew Ference arrived, inviting him to spend a few summer days at his lakeside house in Alberta, Krejci couldn't type yes and when and hit reply fast enough. It wasn't Boston, but Andy said several of the Bruins would be there. David could hardly wait.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Milan Lucic spent a good part of his off-season trying to absorb the lessons of the season. He normally wasn't a reflective sort, but this had been the most amazing year of his life, and he wanted to think about it.  He knew it had been a little bit of luck and a whole lot of hard work that got him onto the Bruins roster, and not sent back to Juniors, so he gave silent thanks to the coaching staff for not giving up on him, and to his teammates for showing him how to make the most of his ability. Shawn Thornton had shared his expertise on fighting in the NHL. P.J. Axelsson worked with him on his checking, and Marco Sturm had helped him with his scoring touch. And above all, Cam Neely had worked tirelessly to emphasize how he could use his massive body to its best effect, throwing his weight around in the corners with intent. He learned how to line up the ridiculously elusive NHL forwards, how to keep his eyes open for impossibly quick passes, how to read his teammates. Sometimes he had felt as though his head would explode with all the knowledge he was trying to stuff inside. He learned other things, too. He tried to emulate guys like Aaron Ward and Tim Thomas when they talked to the media, friendly and accomodating but guarded. He tried to be a solid citizen on road trips, a good representative of his team, always thanking everyone in sight and trying to be as polite as possible. And he saw, through the course of the season, watching the interaction of his teammates, that particular friendships were as common in the NHL as they were in Juniors. Savard and Sturm. Sobotka and Krejci. Alberts and Wideman. Shared pasts, geography, interests, chemistry - for whatever reason, some guys seemed practically inseparable. All well and good, as long as it didn't disrupt overall team unity, and on the Bruins, it never did. Lucic figured Zdeno Chara had something to do with that. Milan also thought there was a real good reason why Sobotka and Krejci appeared inseparable, and he thought it was much more than simple geography and a shared language. He wondered if Chara knew about this. He wondered if maybe he was imagining things, but as the season wore on, he became more and more certain that the two Czech rookies were much more than friends. The way they talked, the way they looked at each other... there was something else there. Lucic was intrigued. In a year filled with new, sometimes overwhelming experiences, he found himself drawn to his two fellow rookies; he liked watching the contrast as they leaned close to whisper to each other - Krejci's dark hair vs. Sobotka's blond locks. He noticed that David's hand sometimes brushed Vladdie's cheek, and Vladimir would turn pink and smile.  They're gay, Milan thought. Or at the very least, they're gay for each other.  And that was cool. Lucic hadn't come to Boston on a turnip truck. Being from Vancouver had its advanages for an NHL rookie, chief among them some worldliness. Milan had a couple of gay friends back home. He wasn't interested himself, but he didn't think it was something to freak out over.  Check that - he wasn't interested, until he saw David and Vladdie. Then he started to wonder. But he kept that to himself.  Only on the last day of the season, when he couldn't resist tweaking Shawn Thornton. Who would have thought Shawn would be the naive one? Just as long as Thorny didn't end up being nasty about it, and Milan didn't think that was going to happen. Shawn had a good heart. He'd come around.  Milan was having a great time at home in Vancouver. He'd been playing hockey for such a long stretch, from his final year in Juniors, winning the Memorial Cup, practically right into rookie camp and training camp and into the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Bruins. He was ready for a break. But after several weeks of home cooking and the easy familiarity of the city, he was getting restless again. A few days on a quiet Alberta lake sounded perfect.  And when Andy told him Krejci was going to be there, it sounded even better. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chuck Kobasew met Shawn Thornton at the airport, his always slightly worried expression smoothed by a smile when he saw his teammate coming down the concourse.  "Congrats on the new contract," Thornton said as they waited for his bag to hit the luggage belt. Kobasew shrugged. "Wanted to stay in Boston. It's like home."  "It sure is," Shawn agreed, snaring his equipment bag and following Chuck outside.  "Glad to see you didn't forget your stuff," Kobasew said with a rare grin. "There's a rink not far from Andy's place; they have a workout facility too. A bit primitive but not terrible." "Your place nearby?" "About 10 miles up the road. I'll pick you guys up in the morning and we can go work out together." The ride was fairly quiet; Chuck wasn't much of a talker, and Shawn was tired from crossing several time zones. "Anyone else here?" he asked at last. "Looch and Krejci," Kobasew replied.  "Krejci?" Thornton was suddenly uneasy. "Yeah, why?" Chuck looked at him, curious.  "Um, nothing," Shawn said. "Long way to come." "I think he was lonely," Kobasew said. "He seems really happy to be here. It must be kinda strange to come over here at such a young age, play in Juniors the way he did, try to learn a new language, new everything. Tougher than it was for us. I think he's turning into a North American. Easier than trying to live between two worlds, wouldn't you think?" Shawn was surprised, partly because he'd never thought of it that way, and partly because he hadn't known Chuckie to string so many sentences together at the same time. "You may be right," he said. "It would be hard." Kobasew turned the SUV down a dirt road. After a good 15 minutes of bouncing, they arrived at a break in the woods and a wide expanse of blue lake. A large wooden house was surrounded by green grass and strategically placed shade trees, with a smaller cottage off to one side. Shawn was impressed.  Krista Ference met them at the back door. "Shawn!" she cried, giving Thornton a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Chuckie, see you tomorrow." Kobasew smiled, dropped Shawn's bag inside the door, and departed.  "How was the flight? Do you want to rest?" she asked, as Shawn gazed out the huge front windows at the lake. "Actually, that water looks really nice right about now," he answered. She laughed. "Feel free. Your room is at the top of the stairs. Andy's outside in the hammock."  Thornton trotted up the stairs, quickly changed into a bathing suit, and hustled outside. He saw Ference under a couple of trees, frowning at a laptop, and went over to say hi. "Hey!" Andy called cheerfully, holding his hand up to shake Shawn's. "Sorry, I'm too comfortable to get up," he grinned. "Looch and Krech are over there," he nodded at a long dock; the two young forwards were sitting near the end, both holding fishing poles. "Mark Twain and Huck Finn," he said. "All they need is straw hats and coveralls."  Shawn smiled. "That water looks good," he said. Andy grinned. "It's plenty deep enough to dive off the end of the dock," he said. Thornton didn't need to be told twice; he turned and sprinted for the dock. His feet thundered on the wood as he headed for the edge; Lucic and Krejci looked up at the sound, reflexively ducking as Shawn sailed into the air and hit the water with a tremendous splash.  "Oh, MAN, that feels good!" he cried as his head broke back up through the surface of the water.  "You scared the fish, you goober!" Lucic shouted, dropping his pole and leaping into the water beside Thornton. He grabbed his teammate and hugged him, shoving him underwater in the process. Above, Krejci just laughed and shook his head. "You're crazy, Milan," he said. "Aw, David, the water's great!" Milan shouted. He hauled himself back up on the dock and shook like a dog, soaking Krejci in the process, while Thornton swam off his jet lag in the cool, sweet water. He turned on his back, looking up at the clear sky, listening to Lucic and Krejci shout good-naturedly at each other, and thought Andy was right. This was just what he needed.  [To be continued....]