The next day, Beau gets a visitor. He is having his typical breakfast of chocolate-y chocolate chip Eggo waffles with his cat, Spikey. Spikey though is eating what Beau is supposed to be eating for his diet: a salad.

The doorbell then rings: Ding-dong!

Beau drops his half-eaten waffle on his plate and makes a confused look. “Who would be at the door? I didn’t order pizza...unless I did, but I forgot…” He gasps with his eyes lighting up.
“Pizza!” He flies out from his seat and scrambles to the front door.

On the other side though is Brandon Sutter, one of Beau’s teammate.

“Brandon?!” Beau gawks at him. “You’re the pizza man now?”

Brandon shoots him an odd look. “Pizza man? Do I look like a pizza man to you?”

“Oh, well--”

“Whatever, don’t speak.” Brandon waves his hand in the air, signalling Beau to shut up. “There’s an optional morning skate today. You wanna come?”

Beau muffles something behind his closed mouth.

“Now you can speak.”

“Whew!” he breathes out. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to speak for the rest of my life!”

Brandon shakes his head, not looking amused at all. “So do you wanna go?”

“Go?”

“To the optional skate.”

“Optional skate...optional skate…”

“Yeah…”

Beau frowns, staring at the ground. He then looks back up at his teammate with uncertainty. “Uh, no…”

Brandon makes a skeptical look. “Why?”

“I-I have to go...weigh...my cat.” Beau turns around to find that Spikey is perched by his foot, looking up at him. “Come on, Spikey.” He leans down and scoops his cat into his arms. He then closes the door on Brandon.

Brandon stares at the wooden door with a frown. “That kid has problems.” He then turns around and strolls off the porch.

---

Later that night, the Penguins are in their locker room for tonight’s game. Beau is suited already, and correctly, ready for the game. He marches over to Olli’s stall, where Spikey is pawing at a helmet, attempting to put it on.

“Okay, Spikey,” Beau begins to say, “I’m gonna play a game, so be good!”

Wait, but I wanna play! Spikey thinks. But all that comes out are sadden “miau”s.
Beau pats his cat’s head. “See ya later!” He then marches off.

Awwww… Spikey solemnly stares out the Penguins as they waddle out of the room. I want to play hockey again. He makes a grave expression. Tavares, you’re gonna pay for this. Then turn me back to normal.

---

After the game, Beau strides back into the locker room. He immediately heads to Olli’s stall to greet Spikey. Once he approaches the stall though, his cat is nowhere to be found.

He gasps. “SPIKEY!!!” He snappily searches his surroundings from where he’s standing. “OHMYGOODNESS, HAS ANYONE SEEN SPIKEY?!”

Kris walks up to Beau with a confused look. “Your cat?”

Beau turns to Kris in a crazy manner. “YES MY CAT! WHERE IS HE?!”

“Oh, last time I saw it, my son had it-- He was with Flower’s and Dupers’s daughters, putting bows on it.” He points his thumb behind his shoulder.

“PUTTING ME’S ON HIM?!”

Kris groans, rolling his eyes. “Not Beaus’s, bows.”

Then right on cue, Kris’s son, Alex, with Flower’s daughter, Estelle, and Pascal Dupuis’s daughters, Maeva, Zoe, and Lola, all gallop into the room. In their arms is the white, fluffy, and big (compared to their tiny sizes) cat.

“Look at what we did!” Estelle exclaims happily. “We made a cat look pretty!”

“Yeah, pretty!” Lola adds on.

Kris and Beau snap their eyes down on the cat.

All over Spikey’s furry body and on his head are mini pink bows holding a tuft of his fur in each; one of the tufts stick up from between his ears like a water fountain. Lower down, Spikey has the most grumpiest face on earth--probably even more grumpy than the Grumpy Cat herself.

Beau’s eyes fly open. “Whoa, I never knew you were a girl, Spikey!”

From behind, Sidney begins to laugh his famous laugh: “Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh!” He then forces out with his voice still high and taut from laughing so hard: “Bubby would never let me do that!” He then continues busting up laughing.

All the five children gawk at the captain with curiosity. “Who’s Bubby?”

Sidney immediately gains his composure. “Oh no,” he starts off seriously, “Bubby’s only for me!”

Notes