Chapter 1
Sasha Belov was sitting at a small circular table in the corner of a dance floor, trying to ignore the various large camera's sweeping over his head from time to time. Instead of paying attention to those, he took in his surroundings.
The TV studio where this final of 'Dancing with the Stars' was held was barely recognizable as such. A wooden floor, at least looking authentic, was laid out as a dance floor. This floor could be entered by descending from two large staircases in the back. Small tables were set out here and there at the edges of the floor, but the majority of the audience was sitting on the large bleachers behind the reach of the camera's. The light was warm and yellow and the whole made the picture of an old-fashioned ballroom for the noblemen.
Except for the grey metal desks where soon the four judges of the program would be sitting. Sasha doubted that one would've found those in the ballrooms of the past.
A studio assistant passed by his table, asking him what he wanted to drink. He ordered a tonic before the assistant turned to Mark, Kim and Becca Keeler, sitting at the table with him.
Sasha had been thoroughly surprised when Kim had called him, inviting him to the final of this season's Dancing with the Stars. DWTS was not the kind of program Sasha usually watched, but this year, he'd been staying home for it.
He'd never expected Payson to accept an endorsement like this and in the beginning he watched just because he was extremely intrigued by her motivation, and curious to see how she would pull it off. But as the program proceeded, he became more and more mesmerized by her dancing, admiring her moves. She was very graceful, he knew that already, but what was really capturing him, gluing his eyes to the screen, was the will to win that was still shining in her eyes. He would never admit it to anyone, but he'd been texting his votes for her every week until his fingers nearly fell off.
He had not seen Payson or her family much after the first hectic post-Olympic period. They'd called from time to time, send birthday- and Christmas cards, but that was about it. Sasha had come to realize that he missed his 'Rock Rebels'. He missed Kaylie's laughter and her touches of pink throughout the entire gym and he missed Payson's dedication and her goal-oriented ways. He missed the look in Emily's eyes when she found again and again that he was a man that she could trust, the surprise fading a little more with each time. He even missed Lauren's arrogance and the drama that she'd brought to The Rock.
Watching Payson on television had quickly become his weekly fix of seeing at least one of his former gymnasts, and he'd been dreading the day that she would be voted off the program. Payson and her partner had survived week after week though, and now they had made it to the final.
It was the day after the semi-finals that Sasha had gotten a phone call from Kim.
"Sasha, how would you like coming to LA this Sunday to visit the Dancing with the Stars final?" Kim had asked after a bit of chit-chat and catching up.
Sasha had been stunned momentarily, something that didn't happen often. He'd not expected this offer, after hardly having any contact for the past year.
"The NBC thought it would be nice to have some shots of Payson's former coach watching her in her new activities," Kim had confessed guiltily. "But Payson was really enthusiastic when they proposed it though, she'd love it if you'd be there," she'd added quickly, obviously fearing that she'd offended him.
He had been slightly offended indeed, but the prospect of seeing Payson dance in person had gotten the best of him. So here he was, sharing a table with the Keeler family and feeling slightly nervous now the program was about to start. It felt strange, he'd never been nervous for one of his gymnasts before. Even at the Olympics, when Payson was about to perform her last beam routine to secure the All Around gold, all he'd felt was a strong sense of anticipation.
Kim Keeler nudged his hand that was lying on the table. She smiled at him.
"You okay, Sasha?" she asked. "You look a bit pale."
The corner of his mouth came up in an almost involuntary smile. Kim had always been good in reading people. "Let's pray my gymnasts aren't watching tonight," he responded, only half joking. "I wouldn't want them to see that I am human after all."
Mark Keeler just grinned at him. "Now you know what Kim and I felt like before every competition," he said, patting his daughters ex-coach on the shoulder.
Sasha laughed with the pair, trying to take deep breaths to ease the butterflies in his stomach. This was ridiculous. "You guys aren't nervous at all?" he asked both the Keelers, but addressing Mark. He could tell that Kim was feeling more than a bit uncomfortable as well.
Mark nodded. "Off course we are," he said. "We've just had fourteen years of experience dealing with it, and we've learnt to accept that from here on we cannot do anything for her but be there and cheer." Then his eyes darkened slightly. "I just hope her dress is a bit more modest than that bikini-resemblance they had her wearing last week," he grumbled.
Sasha had to agree with him on that. He'd been frowning in front of his television, watching the last episode of the show, where Payson's dress had indeed looked more like a two-piece bathing suit than an actual dress.
"Does she have a say in what she's wearing?" he asked Mark, remembering Payson as the gymnast who was uncomfortable with wearing a dress for the gym's fashion show.
"I guess… sort of," the older man answered. "If she would really refuse to wear something, they can't force her. But you know Payson, tell her something will help her to win and she'll do it, no questions asked." Sasha nodded thoughtfully. That did sound like Payson.
"I'm just relying on her common sense to put a halt to it when it really goes too far," Mark sighed. "Although that little shred of fabric of last week that they tried to pass for a dress was already way beyond too far if you ask me."
Sasha looked up and just caught the glare that Kim Keeler was giving her husband.
"Payson is nineteen years old Mark, she's a grown woman and there's nothing wrong with her embracing her femininity. Sasha, back me up here, please."
Sasha grinned. The ease with which he and Kim fell back into their old pattern of interacting felt like a warm bath to him. At her words though, he felt slightly awkward. He had indeed been the one who had introduced the term 'embracing your femininity' into the Keeler family, but this time he had to agree with Mark. He didn't particularly like the idea of Payson prancing around on national television in that kind of clothes.
Becca saved him of the obligation of formulating a tactical answer. "I think Payson looks awesome!" she said, the eyes of the sixteen year old sparkling with enthusiasm. Payson's participation in this show had made the last months some of the most glamorous of her young life, and she thoroughly enjoyed it.
Mark looked at his youngest daughter sternly. "Rebecca Keeler, you and your sister are beautiful in whatever you wear, but if you ever try to leave the house dressed like Payson is on this show, you'll be grounded for the rest of your life."
Becca looked like she was going to retort, but then the stage manager called the audience's attention as the show was about to go on air.
"In five… four… three… two… one… and we're on!" the lanky young man called out and the opening tune of the show filled the studio. As the music faded, the two hosts of the show came walking down the stairs at the back, both wearing a gala outfit and smiling brightly.
"Welcome to the final of Dancing with the Stars 2013!" the male host exclaimed.
"Tonight we will find out who will be this year's favorite dancing celebrity," the female host continued. "And remember, it's your vote that counts!"
Sasha's thoughts wandered as the hosts proceeded to introduce the judges. He'd seen every episode of this show, so he knew the jury by heart. There were four of them, three males and a female. Sasha heartily disliked the female, who had been unreasonably harsh to Payson in episode three, telling her that her lack of elegance transformed something that could have been a wonderful English waltz into something plain boring and idiotic.
He could see the insecurity flash behind Payson's eyes on the biting critique, and although she had swallowed hard and thanked the woman for her comments, Sasha had felt like a knife was twisted in his stomach.
He didn't feel much for the younger man either, who was always calling Payson's dancing 'hot' or 'sexy' or 'smokin' hot'. The two older man were okay and made well-educated comments. Sasha had even entertained the thought of searching one of them out to help him with the dance elements of his elites' floor routines.
His attention was drawn back to the dance floor when the hostess announced the first couple to dance.
"She is a multiple Olympic Champion who grew to be the favorite of the judges, and tonight she will be dancing a sensational Tango. That's guaranteed fire here in the studio! Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please for miss Payson Keeler and her partner, David Garcia!"
Sasha's breath hitched in his throat as the dancers descended from the stairs. He could hardly believe that the young woman who took the floor in front of him was really Payson, the gymnast he took to the Olympics.
She was wearing a long black dress, covered with an intricate pattern of red rhinestones that sparkled with every move. This dress had much more fabric than the one she'd worn the previous week, but somehow this one struck Sasha as much more explicitly sexy and seductive. The dress fitted around her body like a second skin, showing off all her curves, and although it was closed high at the neck, the entire back was open. Payson's hear was tied up, with only a few loose curls falling around her face, revealing a beautiful neckline. The skirt of the dress was open on the left side, the split reaching up almost to her hip and opening with every step she took.
As beautiful as she looked, as soon as the couple started dancing it were her eyes that captured Sasha. She was focused, a look he recognized from competitions, but there was something else now too, a burning fire that showed through her eyes which made her look more mature and frankly, totally irresistible.
The tango sped up, the footwork getting more and more intricate and the dance itself increasingly sensual. Sasha felt very self-conscious all of a sudden. He glanced at Kim and Mark Keeler, who's eyes were fixed on their daughter. Mark's brow was almost unnoticeably wrinkled, but his eyes were practically glowing with pride. His wife was no different.
Sasha refocused on the dancing couple. Payson was standing with her hands in the air, one hip pushed out, while David Garcia stood behind her and let his hands run from her fingertips, along her sides towards her hips.
Sasha's unexplained uneasiness increased as he heard the faint buzz of the camera closest to him zooming in on his face. He tried to keep his face as neutral as possible as he continued to watch his ex-gymnast dance.
The tango ended with a spectacular move, where David Garcia lifted Payson high in the air and then slowly lowered her to the floor. There she remained, lying on her back with her head resting on his knee, legs elegantly twisted, while her partner hovered over her. As the last soft tones of their music died away, the guy gently lowered his head and their lips approached each other, holding still only a fraction from touching.
Sasha led out the breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, but then when the applause around them burst out, the male dancer bridged the last few inches and his lips firmly landed upon Payson's.
Sasha felt his stomach clench with unexpected rage while besides him Mark let out a low hiss. Sasha thought he saw a look of surprise flash across Payson's face, but she held the kiss until the applause started to die away.
David Garcia helped Payson up from the floor and together they walked to stand in front of the judges. David wrapped his arm around Payson's waist as they waited for the verdict, pulling her into his side.
"Wow, that was some amazing feedback," the host of the show said as the final judge finished glorifying their performance. "David, you were born in Spain, is this dance special for you?"
The guy smiled, running a hand through his black, heavily gelled hair. Sasha couldn't help but feel he looked a bit too smooth.
"I grew up watching tango and listening to Tango music," the guy explained, the same smile still glued to his face. "It was my parents' favorite dance. I'm very glad that I could dance it with Payson tonight."
With these words, he bend his head and pressed a kiss on Payson's hair.
The host then turned to Payson.
"Payson, we saw in the footage of last week's training that you were having some trouble with the expression and body language that the tango requires. Apparently you more than solved these problems, as we all could see in your amazing performance tonight. What did you do?"
Payson smiled, and Sasha could swear he saw her throw a glance towards the table where he was sitting with her family.
"Well, the tango is one of the most explicit and expressive dances, it's almost like having sex on the dance floor.." Her words were interrupted by a loud chorus of screaming and whistling of the audience while Sasha and Mark simultaneously raised their eyebrows.
"So yes, I was a bit uncomfortable with that in the beginning," Payson continued when the noise had faded enough for her to be audible. "But back in my gymnastics days, when I was having troubles with being graceful and expressive, I thought I would never be able to be those things either. So I remembered how I overcame that, and how my coach helped me through it, and I applied the same principles towards this as well."
"And it obviously worked out!" the host exclaimed. "Can you tell us what those principles were?"
Payson stole another glance to their table before answering the question.
"Believe, trust and love," she answered in a soft voice.
The next second, Sasha's view on the dance floor was blocked by a huge camera moving right in front of him, the lens inches from his nose. It didn't bother him this time though, as a warm feeling of pride rushed through him. He looked sideways to see Kim and Mark beam at him, both smiling brightly.
The host however obviously completely missed the small moment that Payson had with her coach and family, as he ploughed on without even pausing to breath.
"Fantastic, fantastic!" he exclaimed, proceeding to dismiss the couple to the 'Refresh Rroom' back stage.
Sasha watched them walk away, still feeling warm at the small recognition she gave him. It made him long sentimentally for the days when he was the one she rushed to after a successful performance, being able to hug her and congratulate her when the euphoria was still showing in her eyes.
He watched the guy, David, say something to Payson, inaudible for the audience as they left the floor. She looked up to him and a smile lit up her face. Then he reached out to grab her hand, and with their fingers entwined they disappeared behind the red curtains.
Sasha felt his stomach clench surprisingly again at the sight and almost hesitantly he turned to Mark.
"Is she, uh, seeing him?" he asked in a low voice.
Mark shrugged. "She doesn't really talk about it. The few times she's been home, she always said they're just friends. But it sure does look like they're close."
One corner of Marks mouth came up in a slightly sad smile. "It feels like just yesterday that she was a little girl who would tell her dad everything, and look at her now." He looked up at Sasha. "Maybe she'll talk to you, you two always were so close."
Sasha chuckled. "I doubt it. We were close yes, but it was always gymnastics related. We never spoke about boys and things like that."
Now it was Marks turn to chuckle. "She kissed you, would you call that gymnastics related?"
Sasha frowned, a little annoyed that Mark brought up this topic.
"Mark, I thought you of all people know what that kiss meant. Payson and I had a very close relationship, shared highs and lows, there was a lot of emotion going on… Things can get confusing for a young girl in such a situation."
Mark just chuckled again, and somehow it infuriated Sasha to his core. It suddenly was extremely important to him that Payson's dad would understand.
"Of course, for you it was always gymnastics," Mark said. "But for Payson… man she had a major crush on you those days. She didn't tell us much about it, but as her parents, we could tell. Even after the whole kissing scenario, she could talk all she wanted about mistakes and getting caught up in the moment, but I swear she still had that crush for at least another year. At least until…" Mark looked up at the ceiling, thinking back. "Until the start of the Olympic year. From there on there was no longer room in her mind for anything but gymnastics. Not even for you." Mark shot a wink at him. "Sorry, man."
Mark grinned, as if the whole thing was a big joke. Sasha however was pretty thrown off by this information. He had thought he had been able to read Payson like an open book back in those days, but he'd never noticed, or maybe never allowed himself to notice, her feelings that had been apparently so obvious to her parents.
Kim bent over the table towards Sasha and her husband, giving the latter a disapproving look.
"Mark, you shouldn't have told Sasha that," she said, frowning. "I'm sure Payson will feel embarrassed when she finds out, and it's so unnecessary, she complete grew over that crush. No offence, Sasha."
He hastily shook his head, raising his hands in front of him. "No, no, none taken."
The entrance of the next couple on the dance floor saved Sasha from any more conversation on this topic. They all quickly shut up and politely applauded the man and woman about to start their dance, but Sasha did no longer see much of any dance that was performed that night.
A/N:
Well, here it is, the first chapter of the first fic I ever wrote...
I must admit, when Payson kissed Sasha on the show, I really did not like the idea of them together. But then I read JCI's incredible story 'Not Just Yet, but Almost' and now Payson/Sasha is my favourite couple :)
As I said, I never wrote anything before so any tips/constructive criticism is more than welcome.
Oh, and the title of this fic is kind of random... It's just my favourite quote from the show ;)