THE DOMINO EFFECT.

ALL WEEK people had been tweeting, texting and calling Dylan to tell her how happy they were with what she had said in her interview. Tyler Seguin, Brandon Prust and Jack Eichel were just a few. Though the one person, who had Dylan star stuck was, none other than Alex Ovechkin.

When she had received the text from the unknown number, she really didn't believe it was him. Even more so when he asked to meet for lunch. However, she went anyways, and couldn't believe her eyes as the Capitals captain sauntered into the small restaurant, a crooked smile on his face as he made eye contact with Dylan.

He pulled the chair out and plopped down, a huge grin on his face as the two stars stared at each other. "Hello!" He finally said after a moment of taking the girl in.

Dylan's mouth hung open slightly, her eyes widened as she realized he was talking to her. "H-hey."

Normally Dylan was cool, collected and confident. However with Alex-fucking-Ovechkin sitting right in front of her, noting her presence, she found herself left speechless. Alex seemed to pick up on this as he picked up a menu and started flipping through it aimlessly. "No need to be nervous. If anyone should be nervous, it's me." He offered another smile, this time Dylan taking it. His Russian accent was thick, but he spoke good English and his words were spoken with a certain respect.

"I was so glad to hear you were in Washington," Alex continued, taking a sip of his water.

"Yeah, I grew up here, this will always be my home. I love Toronto but there's just something about Washington."

Alex nodded, opening his mouth to say something but clamping it shut when a waiter walked up. "Yeah, can I get the biggest burger you got? Thanks." Alex nodded, taking another sip of water, not noticing the confused looks the waiter and Dylan were giving him. Apparently someones hungry.

When Alex didn't give them a second glance, Dylan craned her neck to look up at the waiter. He had light brown hair and a scruffy, sad attempt at a beard. His eyes were bright and gleaming as he looked between the two. "I'll just get some... chicken strips and french fries, yeah. Oh and make the fries extra crispy. Please." The waiter jotted the order down and just as he was about to take off, Alex spoke up.

"Oh and add some honey mustard on the side of fries, please. I can't eat them by themselves." Alex gave the man a grin and a curt nod as he looked down at the young girl. "What?" He asked when the man was out of earshot.

Dylan snorted, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Nothing," she mumbled, grabbing her water for the first time and taking a sip.

The two made small talk, talking about their offseason antics and what the busy hockey world is like. Alex seemed genuinely interested in Dylan's life, as was she in his. However as Alex asked Dylan about her life, he seemed distant, like he was really thinking about something else.

The Capitals captain was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike up conversation about the Olympics, but he didn't want to push. He wanted to get to know the girl first, to know what kind of person she is, and if she's the type of person to stick with something.

As the waiter brought their food, and walked away muttering "your interview was amazing, by the way" to Dylan, Alex found the words pouring out of his mouth as soon as the man was gone.

"The interview was amazing. Honestly, thats really why I wanted to meet up with you today. I got excited when I heard what you said. The whole dressing room was talking about you. Though, most of them decided they weren't going to do anything... bunch of scared assholes."

Laughter erupted from the two as they picked at their food, easily getting along. "Thank you... Honestly I was pissed off when I found out you were the only one who really voiced their opinion. Everyone else was all upset, yeah, but you told everyone what we're all thinking. So I thought I'd do the same."

Alex nodded approvingly, happy that someones not afraid to speak their mind. "I like you... You're fiery and honest. I don't think I'd even have the guts to direct all that at Mr. Bettman. But props to you."

Dylan's cheeks reddened from his praise. Swirling her straw in her drink, she smiled slightly, "thank you, Alex."

"No problem, Dyl. So I was thinking, how'd you like to work together? You know, be a little team and change the NHL's mind?"

Dylan grinned widely at the idea of working as a team with Alex Ovechkin. Though she frowned almost immediately. " I'd love that, I really would. But the two of us, we won't change Bettman's mind. We'd need more-"

"You took the words right out of my mouth. I have Crosby's number, I know someone who has Mcdavid's number—"

Dylan interrupted, even though she loved the idea. "— And what? They're just going to drop everything, fly out here and we're all going to become one huge super team? I love the idea of everyone joining together, trust me. But it's so unrealistic."

Alex nodded, knowing that she was right. Taking a deep breath, he processed what he should say next. He wasn't giving up on this plan. "I know— but we could do this. I know a friend who has a huge mansion on the outskirts of the city. That could be like our headquarters. Everyone can stay their. C'mon, let's at least try. It's not like we don't have the money." The Russian chuckled at the last part, though he was completely serious.

It was silent for a moment, Dylan was thinking hard about this. With the look Alex was giving her, she found it hard to deny him. She sighed, caving in. "If you can get people on board, I will help, yes. Why not?"

Alex was relieved, he smiled and nodded his head, "thank you, thank you so much. We couldn't do this without you."

The dark haired girl was still uneasy, "are you sure you can get some players to go against their boss? Not all people are as crazy as you Russians," she teased, though was completely serious.

"Yes, I know people. And Andre will help, yeah. You know Andre, right? Burakovsky?"

Dylan chuckled, "I may have heard of him, yeah. He's... a good... hockey player." She admitted, choosing her words carefully. It was no secret the Swede is hot.

"Yeah, well he was the one who got me your number. He's also..." Alex trailed off, pulling out his phone and scrolling through it for a moment. "— He's also a great cook, and can be a very—" He paused again, twisting his face as he looked at his phone. "— And can be a very good... cuddle buddy?" He said it in a tone that told Dylan he was told what to say. Alex spoke unenthusiastically, using a dry tone.

Dylan raised her eyebrows, holding back her laughter. Alex glanced up, "yeah... Um, he thinks your hot." Alex clicked his phone off and set it on the table, looking at the girl in front of him. "And yes, I told him he could help us, so you better get used to him."

Dylan shrugged, nodding her head, "I could use a cuddle buddy."

[authors note]
i hope you enjoyed
this ! alex's plan will
be introduced more
in the next couple of
chapters! i love you
all so much!