Five Minutes For Fighting (Completed)

It was April 3rd and the Trade Deadline was winding down when the Rangers got sucker punched in the gut. The room was silent as Marian Gaborik took off all his gear for the last time ever. Tears were running down Caroline's face as she saw someone who poured his heart and soul to this team the last 5 years leave the locker room. "Why?" She said bursting into tears. "Caroline please." Marian said as he walked over to her, kneeing down so he could see her at eye sight better. "Come on don't do this." She tried to stay strong during the Brandon Dubinsky trade when Sather trading a part of her heart away, and now he was doing it again. "It's not fair, it's not fair." She said as she cried some more. Derek was not here anymore, Brandon was in Columbus and now Marian was about to hop onto a plane to join them. "It's all your fault." She said seething at Rick Nash. "You had to come here and ruin this team, this family." She said standing up. "I don't know what other locker rooms are like but ours, this room, this is a family. We go to each other's weddings, and child births, we sit in the hospital and we celebrate a new little Ranger, we go to parties, we spend our lives together. And during the summer we drive hours just to see each." She said through the tears. "And you hot shot had to come and request a trade and have the nerve to put our team on your little list." She was saying what the guys were too scared to say. "Did you ever figure out that maybe we didn't want you? Because apparently you don't know how to pass or score in a Rangers uniform. You should be the one going back to Columbus, not gabby." She walked out of the locker room feeling like everything was caving in. She took off her skates leaving them in the hallway.

She started walking out of the locker room and towards the escalator leading down into the lobby of MSG. "Miss Thomas is everything ok?" One of the Rangers locker room attendees saying. "Yeah fine." She brushed the tears away as she walked down the escalator in full gear, socks on her feet walking into 1 Penn Plaza and up to the Rangers offices. "Oh hi Caroline your dad is in a meeting." Brooke the Secratory said. "Good I am not looking for him." She went straight to Glen Sather's office, not even knocking and just opening the door. "WHY?" She asked slamming it behind her. "Caroline I am on the phone with the Blue Jackets, can we talk about this later?" Glen Sather said as Jeff Gordon the assistant GM excused himself. "WHY?" She asked again. "Hey I'll call you right back Jarmo." Glen saying as he motioned for her to take a seat hanging up. She sat down as tears rolled down her face.

"First of all did you hear that I included your USA Worlds friend John Moore in the deal, and Derrick Brassard and Derek Dorsett make our team young again. Which you said we needed more young players." He said with lack of emotion. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU TRADE GABBY WITHOUT WARNING. OUR GABBY." She said, anger steaming through her. "I know and I am sorry Marian was a cornerstone of this team..." "A CORNER STONE HE IS OUR SUPERSTAR. So he's having a bad year. Is Brad next? Are we trading Danny or Marc in the future? Is my brother out on his ass? Is my fiance getting traded? What about Hank? Or Mac, or Steps? Or Hags?" She said steaming. "Caroline, you know this is a business." He said looking at her. "THIS IS MY FAMILY, MY TEAM." She said brushing away tears. "WE HAVE A FUCKING GAME TONIGHT." She said as Ryane Clowe a new Ranger as of yesterday walked in. "Oh I thought we had a meeting." "Yes Ryane we did." He said staring at Caroline. "Yes Ryane you do, you have a meeting with the one guy who traded our 2012 team away from us, took the carpet right from under us. And is doing everything he can to rip apart our family. So have fun." She said getting up. "Oh and Glen next time you make a major trade a little warning would be nice." She said seething.

She walked out of his office and saw Uncle Mark exit his. "I was just about to see you. Your dad is on his way back from Hartford he's trying to make it back as soon as possible." Mark Messier said bringing her in for a hug. "It's gabby." She said crying as she soaked his suit. "I know, I know." She looked at herself, she didn't even realize she was still in full gear. "I have to go change." She said trying to keep it together. "Ok go change, then come back up. Me you and Adam will order Katz's have a nice lunch." She nodded. She walked out of the Rangers offices and back down to the lobby of MSG. Where Gabby leaned on the wall as he wiped away tears. "Aren't you supposed to be on a flight right now?" She said walking over to him. "I knew you were up there and I wanted to wait to say goodbye." She nodded walking into his arms. "You are such a good hockey player Caroline, you are such a good soul." He said in his thick comforting Slovakian accent. "Your my gabby." She said hugging him tighter. "This is not a goodbye, it's a see you later." He said releasing her, one of the Rangers handlers begging him to get on the road. "Don't be a stranger." She said looking at him. "The Blue Jackets aren't making playoffs, I will be back to see you guys play."She nodded. "With Artie and Dubi, how does that sound?" He said wiping the last of her tears away. "Sounds good." She said hugging him one last time as she saw him walk out of the MSG Main entrance, now he was just a regular fan.

"Hey you." Michael Del Zotto said as he came down the stairs. She didn't say anything she just went into his arms hugging his body. She couldn't cry anymore. She was out of tears. "Come on let's get you changed." He said slinging an arm around her body as he guided her up the stairs back to the locker room. The team was mentally drained as they were expecting three new teammates tonight. "Guys lets go have a team dinner at Seraphina's tonight. Around 4ish get here by 5. Okay? Let's just calm down and concentrate for the game and not worry about what is happening out there, just what's happening in this locker room." Captain Cally said as John Tortorella nodded alongside him. "Thomas." Ryan Callahan said as he stopped as Marc Staal and Dan Girardi stood back too. Since Dubi got traded Dan Girardi was taking his role on with her. "I am not leaving you, okay?" Cally said. "Neither am I." Marc Staal said. "You know I am not going anywhere." Dan Girardi said smirking. She laughed. "I love you guys." She said as they hugged. "Now let's go."

Tonight four new Rangers were going to play as the Rangers started to evolve, an era coming to another end. She didn't know who this team was anymore, and she didn't like it. She hated change. And it was hitting her hard.

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