Beneath the Ice Ch. 01

"Thank you for the cookies."

She paused in the hall and looked up at him. "I am sorry about this morning. Like I said, it's going to take some time to get Zoe on board with the quiet."

Alexei sighed and rubbed his neck, leaning with his other hand on his doorjamb, looming over Charlotte. "I don't expect you to be silent. She is a child."

Charlotte nodded, nibbling on that perfect bottom lip. Perfect lip, perfect freckles.

Fucking hell. He was into her.

"All the same, I'm trying."

"I know." He tilted his head and let his hand fall back to his side. "I don't need cookies every time you make noise."

Her aquamarine eyes skipped over his shoulders and down his torso before she met his gaze again. "Um. Well, okay. We'll make oatmeal raisin next time. They're somewhat healthy."

He made a face. "Raisins are evil."

A light laugh escaped her, surprising her, and she lifted her fingers to her mouth, pulling his eyes there as well.

"Duly noted." She waved and moved off. "Good night, Alexei."

"Good night, Charlotte."

He stayed in his open doorway for a minute, listening to the stairwell door bang shut and then a minute later, he backed into his apartment when her heard her enter hers overhead. Then he followed her steps into her bedroom, over his, and thought again about her perfect freckles, wondering if she had them anywhere else on her skin.

─────

A week later, Charlotte found out who Alexei really was.

"I'm Alexei."

He introduced himself to Zoe and Charlotte so nonchalantly, as if he were a normal neighbor and not an international superstar with a World Hockey gold medal and a Stanley Cup title.

"That's Alexei?" Sarah stared at Charlotte's phone screen, her chocolate-brown eyes wide with shock. "Your Alexei?"

Charlotte flushed at the way she phrased it but shrugged. "So it would seem."

She'd discovered his true identity by accident. Or rather, it had been Zoe. They'd been caught up with a new chocolate chip and nut loaf recipe in the kitchen, but the television had been on, the afternoon children's movie turning into a Chicago Blackhawks game at the dinner hour.

"Zoe recognized him when the hockey announcers started talking about the game last night."

"She did?" Sarah smiled and handed the phone back. "That's funny."

"It is." Sort of. Alexei had knocked on their door one more time before apparently leaving on his road trip. The afternoon after she'd taken him the snickerdoodles, Zoe had been in rare form, driving Charlotte right up to her wits end. And Alexei's apparently. He'd knocked on the door, gruff and grumpy as he had been the first two times.

Zoe, in a sulk at her side, had stared at him while Charlotte stammered out a fresh apology. Alexei had rubbed his eyes and asked them to keep it down. It had been all Charlotte could do to rein in her own temper. She'd told him—the night before!— that she was trying and that it wouldn't be instant. If he was going to come knocking every time they made a peep, maybe she should think about giving up her apartment. She was as stressed over his possible confrontations as she was over Zoe causing them.

So clearly, his face had been fresh in Zoe's mind when the game had played a couple days later. The hockey team was in Calgary for a game, then would travel on to Vancouver before returning to Chicago the following week.

"She said, 'Mom, it's the grumpy man'." Charlotte mimicked her daughter's voice so well that Sarah giggled in response. "I thought she was talking about some commercial, but sure enough, there he was."

Alexei Novikov. Leading scorer last season for the Chicago Blackhawks. Stanley Cup winner from his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Currently having a great start to the season with two goals and five points already, in less than ten games.

The front doorbell rang and the women exchanged one more look before heading up to the front end. It was nearing the end of their shifts for the day but no one else was on the clock yet.

Sarah went to see to the new arrivals, two women, and Charlotte double checked the stock levels on a few more items. She headed back and forth between the front end and the stockroom, finishing up her shift with nothing exciting to interrupt the day.

Zoe was quiet for a change when Charlotte picked her up from daycare. At first, it made Charlotte worry that something had happened in daycare but as soon as they got home, her little girl fired up the energy.

Well, Charlotte thought, at least Alexei isn't home for another couple of days. Knowing what he did for a living, and knowing the obvious days when he wouldn't be home would help her anxiety over the situation a bit, no doubt.

─────

Alexei didn't want to storm up to Charlotte and Zoe's apartment the same day he'd arrived home. He really didn't. But he knew the exact minute they got home from wherever they'd been for the day.

He'd spent the past week going back and forth on whether or not he felt like a total ass for how he'd handled their last encounter. Every time he remembered the snickerdoodles, he was an ass. Then he remembered how the last two games on the road trip had gone and his right thigh started to ache again. That shot he'd blocked hadn't been light. It had affected his sleep ever since, which was why he was so annoyed now. Or so he told himself.

It had nothing at all to do with the fact that he was wondering how they were doing. Of course it didn't. He wasn't their friend, perfect freckles or not.

There was a series of bumps from overhead, ending in a louder bang that startled him from the book he was trying to read.

"Really?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe they assumed he was gone, still gone, since he hadn't complained for eight days now. Though why that should make a difference he didn't know.

Another bang, and he set the book down, crossing to his front door. He didn't want to be the bad guy but seriously. This was getting old.

As he approached their door a minute later, before he raised his hand to knock, he heard Charlotte's voice. It was loud, though not quite a shout. There was a response from Zoe, definitely on the whiny side.

Rolling his head on his neck, Alexei knocked twice, short raps.

Silence for several heartbeats, then something spoken low and sharp from Charlotte —at least he thought it was Charlotte— followed by footsteps to the door.

"Hi." Charlotte frowned at him but her lips turned up at the corners, as if she was trying to smile. "I knew it would be you."

He wasn't sure what to say to that. Lifting one hand, he rubbed his fingers through his hair, absently noting that he should get a haircut. "I'm sorry."

Her frown evened out and she shifted on her feet. "Well. That's a first. Sorry that we're disturbing you?"

"I don't know." Alexei wasn't sure anymore. All he knew was she looked so unhappy and stressed that he couldn't bring himself to berate her. He blew out a breath and dropped his hand. "I'll go."

"Wait. I'm sorry, Alexei." She took a half a step out of her doorway and glanced over her shoulder. "I had a terrible sleep last night and I'm afraid I'm not being a very attentive mom today. Zoe is letting me know. Loudly. So, yeah. I'm sorry."

Alexei let his eyes roam over her face and realized she did look pale. She also sported some dark circles under her eyes and even her freckles looked lighter. "Don't worry about Zoe then. Make noise. It's fine."

She bit her lip on an aborted laugh. "You can't mean that."

"Maybe." He shrugged one shoulder. "I maybe shouldn't be so sensitive."

"Right. You are a tough athlete after all."

He started to nod but at her words, he froze. "Athlete?"

She looked down, clenching her hands together. "Yeah. Zoe recognized you on TV the other night."

"Oh." Well. It wasn't like he'd set out to hide it from her. He didn't walk around with a sandwich board proclaiming his identity either. "Yes. Which game?"

"Um, Pittsburgh?" She squinted as she tried to recall. "Yeah. It was Tuesday night."

"Right. That was a good game at least."

"Well, Zoe enjoyed it, I think, but she didn't make it to the end."

Alexei nodded. "Sure. She goes to bed early?"

"I try to get her down around eight every night." Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled. "Maybe I'll try for earlier tonight, just for you."

"No, for you." He circled a finger in front of her face. "You need sleep."

Her cheeks colored, just a touch. "Gee, thanks, Alexei."

"No, I didn't mean—" He narrowed his eyes when she smirked. "You're teasing me."

"Sure am."

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence stretching out. At last, she shifted on her feet, one of her hands going to the edge of her door, as if to brace herself.

"Look, I am sorry, Alexei. I've put Zoe on a time out for a bit, and then I was going to suggest a Disney princess movie marathon. That usually gets her to settle down for an hour or two."

"It's okay." And there he went, knowing for damn sure he was an ass for piling on to Charlotte's worries. She was a single mom, for crying out loud.

"You're kind, but we'll be better from now on." She backed up, swinging the door closed. "Have a nice evening, Alexei."

He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but couldn't come up with a single word. The door closed with a click, followed by the heavier thunk of her deadbolt a second later. He stared at the numbers on her door for a second longer before heading upstairs.

─────

Over the next two weeks, Alexei had no reason to go knock on Charlotte and Zoe's door. He was torn over the relief of having his relatively quiet apartment back, and disappointment that he had no excuse to go upstairs.

An opportunity was presented as he walked into the building one afternoon following practice, a few days after Halloween. He was checking his mail in the main lobby when the front door opened and in swept two familiar redheads.

"Grumpy!" Zoe cried and bounced up to his side. "You don't knock in forever!"

"Zoe!" Charlotte followed, her cheeks flushed and hair coming loose from her ponytail.

Alexei stared down at Zoe as the child skidded to a stop on the tile floor about eight inches from his hip. "Do you want me to come to the door?"

Zoe shrugged, shifting from foot-to-foot. "Yes! I can go like this!" And she stomped her feet, her mouth open as she added some sound effects. "And then you go, knock-knock! It's like a game."

Charlotte stopped behind her daughter, lifting mortified eyes to Alexei's. "I'm so sorry. Just ignore her. Sweetie, say sorry to Mr. Alexei."

"Why?" Zoe's lower lip jutted out.

"You called him a name." Charlotte bent close to speak in a low tone to her daughter, though they all knew he could hear every word. "That's not nice."

"I didn't." Zoe pointed up at Alexei, who stood with his mail in one hand and his other on the key still sticking out of the aluminum mailbox door. "He's grumpy."

"She's not wrong," Alexei said, his tone mild, and not at all offended. He rarely smiled and he could readily admit it, never mind the nature of their interactions to this point.

"Oh my God, don't encourage her," Charlotte hissed at him as she straightened and pressed Zoe's head to her thigh. "She doesn't need to be going around giving people accurate nicknames."

Now there was a thought. There were a few interesting characters in their building and the idea of Zoe labeling them as he'd been labeled did make him smile at last.

Charlotte blinked as he shut the mailbox and extracted his key, still smiling. He blinked in return and tipped his head one way. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She nodded and reached for her own mailbox, quickly flipping it open, then closed, nothing inside. "Come on, Zoe. Let's get upstairs and see if we have enough to make those garbage cookies."

"Yay!" Zoe pelted across the lobby for the elevator. She jumped and pounded the 'up' button, even though she was tall enough to reach without the added physicality.

No wonder she made such a ruckus in their apartment. How did Charlotte keep up with the little imp? Another glance at Charlotte told him that maybe she didn't. Her face was as pale as it had been the last time they saw each other, if not more so. Her gait was slow as well and her eyes didn't seem as bright as normal. Perhaps she was having trouble sleeping?

Shoving the thoughts aside, Alexei scratched his eyebrow and walked with Charlotte towards Zoe and the elevator. ""Um. Garbage cookies? You don't actually cook garbage?"

Charlotte smiled and shook her head. "No. That's just what they're called. The recipe is all stuff that you usually have leftovers of in your pantry or fridge. Some things can be substituted for others, or quantities adjusted."

"This is good?"

"They're sooo good!" Zoe clasped her hands under her chin, tilting her little freckled face up towards him as they boarded the elevator. She turned and immediately smacked the number four for their floor.

Alexei kept his attention on the little girl. "Why?"

"Because my mom makes them good." Zoe glanced at her mom and grabbed Charlotte's hand. "She makes everything! Eggs, and cake, and cookies, and fish sticks."

"Really?" Alexei nodded. "Moms are good with food."

Zoe nodded, as if it were an unassailable truth.

Charlotte's gaze bounced up and down between Alexei and her daughter, her aquamarine eyes wide.

"Are garbage cookies your favorite?" Alexei asked.

"Yes!" Zoe grinned and jerked her mom's hand as the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.

They all filed off.

"They are?"

"Yes. And I love chocolate smacks." Zoe hopped up and down, swinging Charlotte's hand as they walked. "And ginger snaps. Oh, and oatmeal."

"And snickerdoodles?"

Charlotte shot him a look that he returned with a mild one of his own.

"Yes!" Zoe reached out and grabbed his hand, though her smaller one couldn't to much except clasp three of his fingers. "They're yummy and Mommy lets me make them. All alone."

"Does she?" Alexei lifted an eyebrow at Charlotte.

Charlotte wasn't looking at him though. She was staring at the way Zoe was clasping Alexei's hand.

Uh-oh. Was he crossing a line? Shit. He hadn't meant to overstep. He was only the grumpy downstairs neighbor after all. He'd just been sucked into Zoe's orbit, like a wandering meteor. The girl was a force unto herself, no doubt.

"I make all the cookies." Zoe skipped a step and wiggled both hands she held.

"I thought your mom made them?"

"Well, she helps."

"Ah. I see."

"Well, here we are." Charlotte announced, drawing her keys out and sliding one into their lock. "Thanks for the walk, Alexei."

"No, Mom, he needs to see the garbage cookies." Zoe marched into the apartment, Alexei's fingers in her death grip.

Alexei turned wide eyes to equally surprised ones in Charlotte's face, but bent slightly at the waist to follow the imp inside. She dropped his hand at last and fell to the floor to yank her shoes off, tossing them to one side.

"Zoe—" Charlotte stood in the open doorway, her eyes still wide. "I'm sure Mr. Alexei has more important things to do than make cookies with us."

Alexei should nod right now and leave, let the tiny family get back to their own lives. But something kept him rooted to the spot. Quite possibly the little hand that grabbed his three fingers again. The child had a remarkably strong grip.

"No." Zoe tilted a stubborn chin up at her mother. "He stays."

Jesus. It was like a hostage negotiation. The little imp had a spine of steel.

Letting out a breath, Alexei scratched his chin. "I can stay for a little bit."

"See?" Zoe threw herself at Alexei's legs, hugging them tight before scampering away again.

"I'm so sorry, Alexei." Charlotte moved to his side, closing the door. Her voice was pitched low, so Zoe wouldn't overhear. "I can sneak you out. Don't worry, she'll forget all about you in minutes. I'll add extra chocolate chips to the cookies or something."

Alexei huffed a laugh and shrugged. "I don't mind. Besides, this way, we're all noisy together and no one is being disturbed downstairs."

Charlotte chewed on her lip for a second before she sighed. "Are you sure? The noise in here might change your mind."

"Then I can leave. Win-win for me."

"So be it." Charlotte turned and put her jacket and purse on the hooks hanging from the outside of the front hall closet door. "Well, let's get started."

Apparently, making cookies consisted mostly of Zoe jumping up and down off the chair she dragged to the kitchen counter to stand next to Charlotte. She'd get excited about being allowed to add sugar or flour, and then want to show Alexei her favorite toy or book or ponytail elastic.

Once the cookies were in the oven, Alexei and Charlotte watched as Zoe jumped down again, almost upsetting the chair she'd been on. Alexei caught it in one hand and righted it under the little kitchen table, looking up to see Charlotte holding her palms to her cheeks.

"She's—" Alexei searched for the right word. "Energetic."

Charlotte let out a laugh and nodded. "That's a very good word for it."

"Have you considered putting her in sports? Or dance?" Alexei watched Zoe whirl around the apartment, some unrecognizable doll in her hand.

Charlotte dropped her hands, her lips pressing together in a thin line. "They're all too expensive for me right now."

Alexei nodded. Right. That should have been obvious to him. It wasn't like he'd always had the bank account balance he did now.

"Are they done, Mommy?" Zoe raced back into the kitchen, throwing herself at Charlotte's legs.

Charlotte smiled at her daughter, running a hand over Zoe's wild red hair. "No, sweetie. You know it takes longer than that."

Zoe blew out a breath and turned to Alexei. "Want to play?"

Alexei covered his smile with one hand. "Actually, I should probably go." He'd clearly stuck his foot in his mouth a few too many times already and he'd sensed all along that Charlotte was out of sorts with him being there. "I had fun though."

Zoe grinned and clutched his legs, tilting her head back so she could rest her chin on his thigh. "You'll knock soon?"

"Sure." On impulse, he reached down and patted her head. "Thanks for having me over."

"Yeah!" She jerked back and held her little hand up in a fist.

Alexei hesitated before bumping his own fist against hers. She grinned and hurried around his legs to resume her flight training with the same toy from before.

Charlotte walked him to the door and he turned to face her as he stepped out into the hall.

"I'm sorry if I was intruding."

She shook her head, her cheeks a little flushed but she managed a small smile for him. "You weren't. It was nice to have her energy focused on someone else for a change."

Alexei frowned. "You do too much on your own."

Her smile vanished. "I don't have much choice on that."

"No babysitters? Friends or family? Where is her father?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Alexei knew he'd gone too far.

Charlotte's entire body stiffened and she gave him a proper glare. "That's none of your business. Good-bye."

Without another word, without even giving him a chance to apologize, the door all but slammed in his face. Alexei lifted his hand, ready to knock at once, but dropped it.

Damn. He'd messed that up and then some.