DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND IDEAS! ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO ABC FAMILY/FREEFORM. BETA BY MY BEST FRIEND HOPE YOU ENJOY!
A/N: Hello to all my readers, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. Lots have been going on since I last updated. I will try to update again soon. Please let me know what you all think ~~~~ Darkmoon2222
Chapter Two: The Call
Payson woke the next morning at her normal time around 6:00 a.m. She stretched, then threw the covers off. She sat up, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep from them. Once a little more awake, she grabbed her toiletry bag and headed to her bathroom.
By the time Payson had showered and dressed and headed downstairs she ran almost right into her mom. "Oh, I'm sorry mom, didn't know you were up yet." Payson said, shutting her bedroom door. She slung her bag over her shoulder.
"Oh my, Pay. Yes, I couldn't sleep anymore, so I figured I would start on my day just a little bit earlier than usual. Would you like some breakfast?" Kim said, smiling at Payson.
"Sure mom, that would be great," Payson said as she followed her mom downstairs. She set her bag down beside the door. "Want some help?"
"Sure, Pay. You can cut some fruit and vegetables for omlettes. I'll start on the egg whites." Kim handed her strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and green & red bell peppers.
"Sure, Mom, not a problem." Payson took the fruits and veggies to the counter to start chopping. Her phone vibrated against her back pocket. She set the knife down to answer it. "Good morning, Aus. You're on speaker! I'm helping mom with breakfast." Payson slid her phone onto the counter before retrieving the knife.
"Lucky. A boring bowl of cereal's all I've got."
"Why don't you come over here for breakfast, Austin? I know you and Pay will be running more than normal for the next few days. You need a good breakfast," Kim called out towards the phone as she prepared the eggs for the omlettes.
"Okay, if you're sure. I'll be there in about 10-15 minutes. Got to get dressed and get my bag ready," Austin replied.
"Yes, we are sure. See you soon!" The two said as they giggled in unison.
"Okay. See you soon. Bye," Austin said, a click signaling the ending of the call.
Payson laughed to herself, continuing to chop the fruits and vegetables while her mom cracked and separated the eggs from the whites. "You know you aren't ever going to get rid of him now, right?" Payson teased. She brought the chopped peppers to her mother before pulling a bowl from the cabinets for the berries.
"And that is okay. Besides, isn't Kelly dating him? Whenever she finally leaves Denver she will live here. I won't have her paying for a home when we have room here. So, if he is dating Kelly - who's like a third daughter to us - he will be around a lot more soon." Kim said, adding some peppers and tomatoes to the omlette.
"Speaking of Kelly, she said she was going to talk to Marty about coming here soon. The coaches out there aren't doing anything to help her upgrade anything when she is ready." Payson grabbed some plates for the omlettes as she spoke.
"Well, she is always welcome here. I don't think Marty will have an issue with her finally coming here to train. The one issue might be her and Austin dating." Kim said, starting the omlettes.
"Very true. I don't think we will have an issue wit Marty, but I think Denver will once he finds out how they are treating Kelly." A knock at the door caused Payson to turn her head. She walked over to answer it. Standing in the open doorway was Austin, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Aw, for me? Won't Kelly get jealous?" Payson teased, hugging him.
"Ha ha ha. No! They are for your mom, Pay. For making me breakfast." Austin said, returning the hug.
"Well, thank you, Austin. That was very thoughtful of you." Kim said, placing a plate before a place on the island.
"You're welcome, Mrs. Keeler."
"It's Mrs. Kim, nothing else."
"Suck up," Payson whispered as Austin slid into the seat beside her.
"Yup! Anything for free food." Kim placed a plate of fruit between them.
"Mom, this is so good. I can never make them this good," Payson said, finishing her omlette.
"Thanks, Payson. It took me years to get this good." Kim told her daughter, starting one for herself. The three of them finished eating, and Kim sent Payson and Austin on their way to semi-train.
"My car or yours?" Payson asked as she stepped outside.
"We can take mine if you want?" Austin offered, pulling his keys free.
"Sure, gives me a chance to check my email," Payson said as she slid into the passenger seat. Pulling out her cell, she saw she had a message on Gymfastixs. A grin crossed Payson's lips. She opened the message, a hand suddenly blocking her view of the screen.
"Stop, Austin! Pay attention to the road," Payson laughed as Austin kept a hold on her phone, trying to snatch it away.
"Who has Payson grinning so early?"
"None of your business, Austin," Payson retorted as she opened the message.
R3G: Hello, fellow gymnast. How is not training going? If you're anything like me, you're doing some kind of training to keep up for the Olympics or Nationals. Running and swimming are good ways to train without doing anything to harm yourself when you're working without a coach. Hope you have a good day.
Payson smiled at his message. It's nice to see someone dedicated to their sport, like her. Payson went to pull up the website and saw they had an app. She clicked the download link before checking the rest of her emails. Austin parked the car. Payson put her phone away, moving to help Austin get two waters out. They started to stretch before their three mile run.
In a cottage back in the deep woods of Cambridge sat a blonde-haired man at a computer. His head was in his hands. He wondered what he was thinking, giving some stranger advice about training. He isn't a coach, or even a gymnast, anymore. But 21 years of training himself and 9 years of coaching made it difficult for him to stop himself. Sasha hit send before he could change his mind. Once it delivered, he grabbed his shoes and hurried out the door. He needed space. Sasha ran the five miles to the lake at which he spent most of his days. As he sat at the bench by the lake for a breather, his phone rang. He studied the number, said 'Colorado.' He almost declined the call, but something told him to answer it. "Hello?"
"Mr. Belvo?" a male voice inquired.
"Who's asking?"
"Mr. Belvo, I'm Steve Tanner. My daughter is Lauren Tanner. I was wondering if you would be interested in coaching at The Rock?"
"Why would I be even remotely interested in coaching a select few good gymnasts, and a bunch of spoiled brats who only think they are good?" Sasha replied, thinking of all the gymnasts his friend coaches.
"Because, Mr. Belvo, we have the top 3 ladies and top male in the world at our gym," Steve said.
"What about your current coach, Marty Walsh?" He knew if Marty knew about Steve calling him, he would be upset. Marty and Sasha may have had issues in the past but are now good friends. At times, Marty called Sasha for advice about routines.
"I'll get rid of him. He can't get my daughter to Nationals even though she's ranked third in the U.S."
"My answer is no, Mr. Tanner. Good bye." Sasha ended the call, overcome with a burst of laughter. He couldn't believe that Steve Tanner asked him to come teach his spoiled brat of a daughter. Sure,, Lauren Tanner was okay on floor, vault, and bars. She flew on the beam, but she had no discipline. From what he had seen, and talked to Marty about, Lauren would rather play head games than train. A random thought popped into his head: What if he went to help Marty? Wonder how the parents would like that. After all, Steve Tanner wanted him and Sasha knew he was nothing but a lawyer out for money.
Sasha picked his phone back up, looking through his contacts to find Marty's number. "Hello, old friend. You will never guess who I just got off the phone with."
