Chapter 4: Sueno

Payson, Kaylie, Lauren and Kelly sat in the living area that joined their two rooms. Kelly and Lauren had just showered and warmed down and Sasha had told the four of them to meet him in the living area in an hour. They were all incredibly nervous.

"He's going to kill me." Kelly muttered "can it get more embarrassing than the reigning world champion not even medalling?" She muttered, curled up on one of the couches

"It wasn't your fault" Kaylie said, giving Lauren the evils. "It's not exactly like you had your teammate there to support you."

"Fine, pick on me Kaylie. It's not like Kelly was exactly supportive when we were younger, but sure side with the cow how treated us like crap over your best friend!"

"Screw you Lauren, we psyched each other out when we were at nationals competing for different clubs, not when we were on the same team! And I never, ever would talk to another girl right before she was about to do a routine."

"What did she say?" Kaylie asked Kelly.

"It doesn't matter."

"I told her she wasn't welcome here and that she's an interfering bitch."

"Lauren!" Kaylie said, outraged. She couldn't believe how hypocritical Lauren was being, calling Kelly a bitch when Lauren had slept with Carter and done numerous other things.

"Well it's true." Lauren said obstinately "It's just that neither of you have the guts to say it." She said looking at Kaylie who looked like she was on the verge of tears and at Payson who was watching silently.

Payson stood up – her face was expressionless which Kaylie and Lauren both knew meant she was mad. "Ok that. Is enough. You are behaving like little kids. We are a team and Lauren you have to learn that we are on your side and trying to psych us out won't actually make your scores any higher. Kelly don't let yourself get down just use tomorrow to rock, Kales and I will be supporting you 100%."

"Definitely" Kaylie added – relieved Payson could keep a cool head even after such a disastrous performance.

Lauren pouted "and me? Or have you just conveniently forgotten that I exist."

Payson and Kaylie rolled their eyes "cut the pity party Lauren – you know we've got your back too."

"I so wish Emily was here right now." Payson muttered quietly to Kaylie.

"I know at least she kept her cool."

Lauren looked like she was about to chime in with words of wisdom about what she thought of Emily when the door swung open and Sasha strode in. He stood in front of them with his arms crossed.

"I suggest you start talking." He spoke in a menacing whisper.

Lauren stood up "Sasha I realise that I have let every person down in this room numerous times and that you have all forgiven me numerous times but I still act like an idiot. I want that to change, I really do. I take full responsibility for my poor performance last night organising the sleepover, today with my routines and I also acknowledge and apologise for my inappropriate involvement with Kelly."

Kelly stood up "Thanks Lauren but I want to apologise for my abysmal form today. I let things get to my head which I shouldn't have done. I also played a role in the sleepover and I have treated you all badly in the past."

Sasha whistled. "That was pretty much the lecture I was going to give each of you and you said it yourselves. Where did this come from, Kaylie? Did you put some captain talk into them?" He asked, surprised. He thought Kaylie was a good person but she wasn't really strong enough to keep personalities like Kelly's and Lauren's in line.

Kaylie looked down and shook her head. "It was Payson" Lauren said. "She sort of uh told it to us straight."

Sasha nodded. "Good job Payson." Payson blushed and looked down.

Sasha noticed this and moved on quickly. "Well since managed to work things out for yourselves I will spare you the lecture."

Lauren laughed and said "oh you're the best Sasha" in a high pitched voice. Kelly and Payson rolled their eyes at each other.

"But don't think for a second you will be missing out on the probation, extra conditioning and cleaning that is waiting for the four of you when we get back to training for last night's little soiree."

The girls apart from Payson all groaned. Sasha smiled, saving best till last "Kelly and Lauren you also have a press conference with the other all around finalists. You'd better come with me – try not to kill each other on the way there, I'm sure the press will do a fine job of that."

XXX

Emily had been completely shocked when she'd found out she was pregnant. She had definitely considered an abortion and if it wasn't for the fact that Chloe was a teen mother and that the NGO kept trying to control her, she probably would have gone through with it. But in the past few months she'd grown almost exciting about having a child. And now Darby was giving her yet another painful choice.

"So you don't think I'll be able to keep the baby, I'll have to put him or her up for adoption?"Emily, being an old fashioned gal wanted to be surprised.

Darby sighed. This was going to be the hardest choice Emily would have to ever make: motherhood or her dream. She didn't want to be harsh on Emily but she could be naive sometimes.

"Emily I think the only way you could make it to the Olympics is if you had someone to help you raise the child."

Emily smiled "Like Damon or Mum?"

Darby shook her head "like a nanny. I don't think Damon or Chloe would be able to give up their jobs to look after the baby full time."

Emily was silent for a while "I can't afford a nanny. Heck I can't even afford a proper leotard. Adoption looks like the only way."

Darby came over and put her arm around Emily.

"How hard is it?"

"Hard. But I don't regret it. My baby has a better life and so do I."

"You're right." Emily took a deep breath "adoption it is."

"Talk to your Mum, talk to Damon, for now let's just get you back into the swing of things – now are you ready for the cross trainer?"

Emily grinned "I know I'll probably regret saying this but bring it, Darby."

XXX

Lauren hated the event finals. They stressed her more than anything because they were the one event where everyone expected her to get a gold medal on beam and she hated the pressure. She looked at her teammates: Payson and Kelly showed no emotion whatsoever – they were used to having targets on their backs and they could shut out everyone else and just focus on their routines. Kaylie was the opposite: she thrived on people supporting her and she very much played to the crowd. Lauren bit her lip nervously as Sasha took the four of them on a group huddle: the other two girls on their team had not qualified.

"I want you all to forget last night. Forget the all around. Forget the crowd and the commentators and the judges. Today it is just you and the apparatus – the only thing holding you back is yourself." He put his fist in and the others joined him in a 'Rock on'

XXX

Emily felt like she was dying, but in a good way "ok I never thought I'd see the day where I'd struggle to complete an hour and a half on a cross trainer" Emily puffed.

"Thinking of giving up?" Darby teased.

"Keep dreaming." Emily quipped back, making Darby smile: this girl had changed – she was so much more determined than she used to be, which was good because if Emily ever wanted to come back she was going to have to give it twice the effort everyone else did.

"Are you being cute with me? Stop that and give me 50 push ups."

"Yes ma'am" Emily said cheekily as she forced herself down – life was so much harder when you were carrying around another person inside you.

After the workout and a shower Emily came down to Darby's hotel room to watch the event finals. "I really hopped they've stepped up their game." Darby said, although the Rock girls probably didn't give Darby a second thought, she thought about her former gymnasts constantly: she regretted not being tougher on them. She looked at Emily's six months pregnant stomach and cringed, she knew she held at least some of the blame for that.

"They will have: Sasha will have knocked some sense into them: trust me."

The vault finals came first with Kaylie and Kelly both qualifying. Emily didn't expect much to happen – Kelly wasn't spectacular on the vault and Kaylie, while good didn't have the power that Genghi Cho did or the flair of Evanka. But then Evanka fell on her first vault and lowered her difficulty on the second, and then Kaylie and Kelly both did spectacular routines. Darby whistled after Kaylie did her second vault.

"I know – when she wants to, Kaylie can blow your mind with how complex her routines get." Emily added. Genghi Cho was the last girl to compete on vault, and from the second Emily saw her start running she knew that her routine was going to be flawless: it was. But Emily knew her teammates would be pleased – Kelly had won the silver and Kaylie the bronze. They both had a lot to prove since the start of the competition – Kelly with her spectacular failure in the all around and Kaylie with her anorexia.

But it was the uneven bars that Emily wanted to see. Payson had qualified and she was going to compete despite the fact her ankle would probably turn out to be a stress fracture. Emily smiled as she imagined the argument she would have had with Sasha: the poor man wouldn't have had a chance; there was no way Payson would have given up a shot of an individual medal at Worlds because of an injury.

"I wonder how much arguing it would have taken to get Payson to agree only to compete on bars?" Darby mused.

"I'd say a lot – plus a couple of threats from Kim if she didn't listen to Sasha." Emily said, feeling a pang of nostalgia as she thought of her former best friend. Emily watched as the other girls did their routines: Gengi and Evanka both amazing in their own style – the girls from Romania and Australia performing great routines. It was a very tough group to break – Gengi Cho had guaranteed herself a medal by leading the scoreboard with just Kelly and Payson left. Kelly did the same routine she'd done in the team competition: she smiled as Kaylie, Payson and even Lauren cheered her on: she stuck her landing and to her immense surprise when her score came it was higher than Gengi's. Finally Payson walked up and saluted the judges: the cheer she received from the whole auditorium was huge. Payson had been popular before her injury not just because she was a good gymnast but because she was a good person too. She didn't try to bring her opponents down. Emily and Darby held their breaths as the blonde girl mounted the lower bar and gracefully swung herself round. Each time she moved she did so as if she was a ballerina, calmly and serenely. Finally she did a very complicated landing and stuck it. She saluted the judges and the crowd who had been stunned silent started screaming. Payson had tears in her eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen twelve months ago this young lady was told she would never do gymnastics again. She stands before you at the World Championships with a routine on the same apparatus that almost destroyed her career and she is better than ever."

Sasha ran to hug Payson, closely followed by the Rock girls and her parents. And to her immense surprise the girls from the Russian team, led by Evanka, and the Chinese team led Gengi ran over too. They seemed unsure of what to do until Payson waved them over. Evanka and Gengi both enveloped Payson. The three girls looked up at the scoreboard

Uneven Bars: Final Standings

1st USA Payson Keeler

2nd USA Kelly Parker

3rd China Gengi Cho

The camera zoomed in on Payson, Gengi and Evanka: arms around each other, beaming at the scoreboard. "That image is going to be all over every magazine in the country tomorrow." Emily said happily. As Payson – supported by Sasha, limped over to the podium.

"The next big comeback story will be yours, Em." Darby said encouragingly, Emily smiled at her. She hadn't always found it easy working with Sasha, he was sometimes overly harsh and while the other girls could deal with it more easily because they'd been in intense training. Emily found Darby's enthusiastic encouragement much more motivating. It wasn't that Sasha was a bad coach; it was just that he didn't understand Emily well.

XXX

Damon Young had had a whirlwind of a month. Being rushed to the other side of the country and recording non stop. But unlike last time he was focused, he knew this was his shot and he couldn't blow it he had a girlfriend and a new baby coming. Whenever he got tired he just thought of the two of them and he found motivation to keep brainstorming, to practice a rift once again until it was perfect. He hoped his hard work had paid off. The album was finally recorded and it had been released two days ago. Damon was keeping low, he was too nervous to see how it had done on the charts so he'd been basically holed up in his room reading until his agent had called him yesterday. He'd been bemused and annoyed that Damon hadn't contacted him and now he was being forced to meet with his agent at some swanky hotel – which unfortunately meant wearing a suit.

Damon pulled at his tie: trying to loosen it without making himself seem like a scruffy kid who didn't know how to dress. Which he thought dryly, was exactly what he was. Trying to seem erudite he pulled out the newspaper he'd picked up from a stall a block away. On the front page was a picture of the remaining rock rebels and a girl he'd heard of called Kelly Parker. With a jolt he realised that they were in Rio and that the World Championships had just finished. He smiled as he read about Payson's gold medal and laughed to himself when he read how Lauren had come so close to gold on beam when she'd tried to be a bit too sexy and lost her balance slightly on her landing: she'd still won the silver though. And Kaylie and Kelly had come 2nd and 3rd respectively on floor.

"Damon?"

Damon sat up with a start "Michael, how are you?" he was slightly intimidated by his agent: he knew Michael thought he was a bit of a liability with his constant writer's block.

"I'm well thank you, shall we go through to the restaurant?" Without waiting for a reply he headed off towards the fancy dining area. Damon hurriedly shoved the newspaper into his bag and half jogged to catch up with Michael. He cringed at how very un rock and roll he must look right now.

They found a table in the corner so they could have some privacy. Without waiting to order Michael said "I think you're going to be very happy young man."

Damon tried not to role his eyes at the patronising. "Really, how so?"

"Your second track on your album has shot to number 1 in the states and reached number 3 in the UK. This is huge, son – for anybody but for a newcomer it's just mindblowing. Your album looks set to hit platinum: I'd say that it's a safe bet you're about to become quite famous. And you've earned yourself a nice little nest egg. From the sales from the single along you've got $1m and I'd say album sales and the likelihood of more singles doing as well that could triple easily."

Damon's jaw dropped "a million dollars?"

"I knew you'd be pleased. Is there anything particular you had in mind you wanted to do with it?"

"There is actually" Damon muttered quietly. "Do you think you could get me a real estate agent?" He was going to buy him and Emily a house where they could finally live together like a normal family. And he could set up a trust fund for their baby. Damon grinned: now that the financial pressure was off him, he could actually look forward to being a father.

XXX

Payson was knackered. She was the first to admit to anyone that she was a total nana – if she didn't get her eight hours sleep she turned into a zombie. The second she'd touched back down in the states she'd had interviews both from the press and from potential sponsors: as well as a stupid mini party in her honour thrown by the guys at the Healthy Nut company. The other three had also been quite busy but Payson had had the most attention: something which she could tell the others, especially Lauren resented. This interview was the last. It wasn't as bad as the others because she got to share the spotlight with Austin who had won the all around title (again) as well as picking up three event titles (again). She tried not to laugh as he sucked up to the cameras, pretending that he didn't do any work: although everyone at the Rock knew better. After the reporter finally finished her perfunctory and banal questions they were free to go.

"Tired Keeler?" Austin asked as Payson yawned loudly.

"Shush you – I can't handle sleep deprivation, as you well know."

"Believe me I do – I'm still recovering from the sugarless cookie incident in May. Seriously who puts in salt instead of sugar?"

"I'm going to ignore you Mr Cobalt." Payson said striding away from her friend at top speed.

"Just you try." Austin said, then he realised he still had Payson's purse. He never understood why girls treated guys as things upon which to hang their possessions. "Hey wait, I've got your phone and stuff."

"Oh thanks" Payson said as she took the purse, instinctively she pulled her phone out. She hadn't checked it since they'd landed almost 48 hours ago. "Wow" she said as she saw she had four missed calls.

Austin leaned over "aw it looks like Max couldn't handle being away from you, what a cutie."

"I don't know what Kaylie sees in you, I really don't, you haven't been poisoning her have you?"

"Only with my charm."

"Eugh you are so cheesey." Payson retorted. Then she opened her text messages

Please call me as soon as you get this

I have to talk to you about something

-Max

Austin, being the nosey person he was – leant over Payson's shoulder to read. He figured it wouldn't be anything interesting anyway – Payson was the least dramatic of her friends.

"Do you know what this is about?" Payson asked.

Austin was silent for a while, he knew Max and Payson had become 'official' after the team finals but it looked like Max hadn't bothered to tell Payson he was bi. Finally he said "you've got to call him Payson, or even better go see him in person."

Payson looked worriedly at Austin. If even Austin was being serious it must be something big.

A/N I'm really not that pleased with this chapter but I don't think it's going to get any better. I was going to make Emily drop the bomb on Damon that she was returning to gymnastics in this chapter but I didn't have room, so you will just have to see how he reacts next time tehe.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you think! Also if you have any opinions about who should be with who please let me know, I'm always open to suggestions.