Did everyone see the episode tonight? What did you think? Apart from the fact that the dancing/gymnastics kind of blew… aren't they meant to be gymnasts, not cheerleaders? And I'm pretty sure Denver isn't a contender for the 2018 Olympics. In regard to Carter/Kelly wtf? I thought perhaps he would disappear into obscurity and I do like that he's still around. I would've liked to have seen a confrontation (Lauren "you only said you loved me to save your spot at the gym", Carter "you threw me to the wolves and used me to get rid of your potential step mother").

I just think that Lauren needs someone on her side, and I dislike Summer because I don't think she understands her. Also, for a character capable of the deceitful things Lauren pulls, you would think the writers would let her show a little more tact (on the dance floor and off) and eating disorders? A guilt-free red velvet cupcake? This is the girl who in the pilot described her addiction to breakfast biscuits and then hurled them up in a locker room. There was a good opportunity for Lauren to show some tact and still cause the damage the writers wanted. She could've been the ally Kaylie wanted but no? The writers went for the cheap shot. Anyway, enough ranting. I am so glad it's back. Here's the latest chapter.

BLOWOUT

A few things come to a head, there's lots of happy Lauren/Carter bonding and some angst and a big "blowout" at the end.

Klhansen22: I'm so glad you're finding it interesting. I hope this continues.

Emmalilley: I've got to admit, I like Steve and I wish they gave Lauren the same treatment they do him because he's such a relatable guy while with her sometimes I feel like they go for the easy option. I hope you like where this is going. I'm trying not to make any obvious villains and I'd love any advice, character plot wise etc.

Iargyrop: Unfortunately as you'll soon see, Steve does not appreciate that Carter and Austin make his daughter happy and like many a father would like to keep them away from his daughter by all means necessary. Unfortunately he might have the means. Most fathers, however, don't have teenage daughters like Lauren Tanner. Don't worry, she'll hold onto her men!

Luv2Live: I'll keep writing then. I'm a big Sasha fan, so don't rule him out yet, I just don't think they could have the relationship he does with the other girls. She'll need him to prove himself, but until he gets a genuine chance (minus the blackmail) that won't happen (at least not yet). You've been here since the beginning and I'd love your opinion on an ending. At the moment, it goes from nationals (which are very soon) and then more quickly through world trials and worlds and I have a few ideas floating around about afterwards. Any thoughts of where this could go or things you would like to see? Thanks again.

Lauren wasn't overly focused on the upcoming Parents Council meeting. She was one of the few in the gym who weren't. She liked to think that was because she was the only one smart enough to realise that segregating the gym would never come to pass. Even the motion her father had introduced was just to consider the idea. Nevertheless, Carter and even Austin were a little freaked out.

Lauren just couldn't imagine how her father would get passed even the motion to consider it. The only way it was even possible was with the support of Sasha and the gym managers, and she had the tape. There was no way Sasha would risk Payson. He was almost so committed you had to wonder if something was going on Lauren wondered.

So she knew that Sasha controlled the Keelers and would sway the Cruzs and maybe even the Kmetkos. They had more than enough sway over the rest of the parent's council.

All in all, she felt pretty good. Nationals were just over a month away at the end of January and she was one of the most talked about gymnasts in the country. She was hitting all of her routines even if her bars needed some work and she had Carter Anderson and Austin Tucker as boyfriend and best friend respectively. She had even grown to tolerate the Kmetkos.

But as Lauren stretched out after beam she could see one dark spot about to come to a head. In Sasha's office the blinds were drawn and the door was closed but even so the gym could still hear some of Kaylie's defensive shrieks. Payson was beside her, but it was Austin who dropped in with a comment.

"It's about time."

"I tried to talk to her." Payson announced.

"Everyone did." Lauren replied.

"What's going to happen to her?" Payson pressed on, but no one had an answer so she proposed herself "Maybe she'll go to one of those rehab places."

"They never work." Lauren stood abruptly leaving a perplexed pair of girls behind.

"She could at least pretend to care." Emily commented.

Austin shook his head and watched Lauren head to the beam. This was beyond his expertise.

All the elite girls were off their game that day. Watching Kaylie being lead out of the gym by her father scared them all. Lauren had been on the beam when it had happened. Even though she wasn't using them in her routine, she was practicing the strength moves she didn't want to weaken from disuse.

When Kaylie had come out, she faltered and then held herself, tightly. If you'd touched her, every muscle in her body would have been found to be rock hard with tension. It lasted until the door closed behind Kaylie and the gym erupted into noise. More than a few people looked for Lauren Tanner's reaction. She squared her body to the beam, performed a half turn and then practiced her backwards walkover.

"Ice Queen of the Beam." Lucy Trelier, an NAACP hopeful commented.

"Please." Grace Mays replied "Queen is what you say in polite company."

They all smirked, though they fell when Lauren switched into her flick-flack, flick-flack, layout combination."

That night she waited until Carter got his break at 9 before heading down to the garage and picking up the spare set of keys for the car she definitely hadn't been given back yet. As she pulled out she saw the light in the front room turn on at the sound but she ignored them and revved the car down towards the centre of town.

Her father was already pissed as she'd refused to eat Chloe's (albeit hideous) attempt at cooking but had then scarfed cookies the housekeeper had made for Brian. He'd actually made a pointed comment that the Rock didn't need another eating disorder. Lauren had been a half second from shoving her chair across the room and storming out. But she'd focused on the cold in her and felt the anger drain away. Instead she stood and commented "please excuse me then," perfectly polite.

She'd thrown all the cookies up and had a glass of wine while sitting in her room, and the thoughts just kept circling around her head.

Finally, she realised she needed to see the one guy who both understood that she wasn't the nicest person and was fine with that, but would also provide a moral compass, and that led her to walking into the Pizza Shack and leaning tentatively on the very old, slightly disgusting, counter.

"I know you." The guy behind the counter commented with a smirk. "You're a Rock Girl."

"Gold star." Was all Lauren bothered to drawl in response.

"You're Carter's Rock Girl."

"You're powers of deduction suit your chosen career of pizza boy perfectly."

"You're boyfriend's a pizza boy." Razor pointed out.

"No he works in a pizza shop while being a gymnast. There's a difference."

"Of course." Razor gave a mock bow of deference before adding. "because I couldn't possibly have a post-pizza plan."

Lauren shrugged "With a name like Razor? I just can't see you achieving much success."

Razor scowled. The bitch label was clearly appropriate. Then he remembered he'd forgotten his name tag that day.

"I listen when Carter talks." Lauren informed him.

"Well he'll be back any time."

"Awesome." Lauren tapped her fingers on the counter while Razor went back to whatever it was he did behind the counter.

Then, after a second, they both spoke. "Seriously? Your parents named you Razor?" Lauren stated at the same time the employee asked "How's Emily?"

Razor didn't really look like he wanted to answer, so Lauren took up the range.

"So Pizza girl hasn't been back to visit?"

"She's busy, training and everything." Razor defended her, but there was an anger to the way he rolled the dough, and Lauren Tanner would never miss something like that.

"I train, have a boyfriend and friends and have time to be this awesome." Lauren pointed out.

"Modest as well."

"Modesty is just lying politely."

Razor couldn't help it, he laughed. Not even Lauren could keep a straight face but then awkward silence resumed.

Lauren broke it, as sympathetically as she could. "Kmetko's doing good. I mean, for a pizza girl. She's training hard, spending lots of my Dad's money. She's awesome."

"Awesome." Razor repeated.

Lauren was quickly sick of the huge counter in between them. So, ignoring that she was wearing jeans that cost more than Razor's weekly pay check, she jumped up to sit on it. Her boots connected with the front of it with a solid thud and Razor eyes to widened in surprise. He glanced around to the few customers but none of them batted an eyelid.

"You know, I have heard you play, not that Damon-angst prom set you did last year. Carter had some other live recording."

"And, do I have a career in something other than pizza preparation?"

Lauren shrugged. "You're not bad."

"Not bad, should I take that as a compliment?"

"Not bad means you could make it, it doesn't mean you will." Lauren informed him. "it's the same thing I told Carter, hard work and talent will only get you so far and it won't be you with the girlfriend and the Greenday tour."

"Damon earned everything he's gotten."

"And you haven't?" Lauren smirked. "Tell you what? When I'm fantastically famous and doing interviews about my favourite things I'll mention your band."

"You're a font of kindness." Razor retorted, but there was far less malice in his words.

Lauren shrugged and examined her nails causing Razor to shake his head all over again. He appreciated every complaint Carter had ever had about his girlfriend so much better now, but where before he'd always had the "Why are you dating her?" question hanging in the air, now he got it.

"Here." Razor shoved a box in her direction. She lifted the lid cautiously. "What's this?"

"Pizza."

Lauren nibbled on a cheezy piece while Razor answered the phone and was completely taken by surprise when Carter walked in. He was fairly surprised as well.

"Hi." He kissed her cheek "I was going to call when I finished." His eyes were full of concern. He could read her like a book.

"Do you mind if I tag along?"

Carter looked to Razor, it wasn't exactly policy but it was the Pizza Shak.

When they were on the road, steaming pizza on the seat behind them, Lauren started to talk.

"Do you think it's…" she almost said our but then changed to "my fault? About Kaylie?"

"She has an eating disorder, Lo. That's medical. It's a disease."

"So is drug addiction."

"Your mother had nothing to do with you. That was, in absolutely no way, your fault. This isn't either."

Carter considered pulling over so he could touch the blonde properly. Lauren responded to physical comfort more than anyone he'd ever met.

"I know." Lauren stated tightly. "but it's not like… cancer. People choose it. She chose to take drugs. Kaylie chose not to eat."

Carter was silent for a long time. "Maybe." He admitted. "But it's not that black and white."

"Explain it to me." Lauren requested. "Because at the moment…"

Carter knew Lauren was never going to forgive her mother for what she'd done and associating Kaylie with her was a dangerous thing.

"There's a medical predisposition, I think." Carter wracked his mind. "for eating disorders and drug addiction."

"It's genetic." Lauren stated. "But I can't believe that I would ever become a drug addict. I would never allow that to happen."

Carter could have pointed out that most people, most drug addicts, would say the same thing. Instead he said "not everyone is as strong willed as you babe."

"Kaylie isn't." Lauren mused, before adding "is that an excuse?"

"I don't know. It's complicated." Carter told her. "but I know, wouldn't you feel worse if your Mum had died and you didn't know that you had done absolutely everything to try and help her sober up."

"So I need to help Kaylie, for me?" Lauren could understand that.

Carter shrugged, but then he needed to deliver a pizza. When he got into the car he didn't start it and instead took Lauren's hand.

"I don't know why my mother got cancer." He stated. "my Dad was the one smoked, who ate badly, but she was the one who got sick. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. She fought as well. Had every form of chemo, radiation treatments, surgeries, but she was just too sick."

"Do you think Kaylie's too sick?" Lauren asked. Her grip on Carter's hand was as tight as it could be.

Carter shook his head. "They caught it early and she'll fight. Maybe that'll be enough and she'll be fine."

"Maybe" Lauren leant back against the seat. She didn't feel entirely convinced but she did feel better. "I love you." She told Carter. "I don't think I'd survive loosing you."

"Me neither." Carter informed her and then pulled her hand to his mouth.

She'd stuck by Carter's side for the rest of the night, sitting in the passenger seat when he delivered pizza and sitting on the counter when he was in the store. She and Razor insulted each other back and forth with increasing viciousness but also increasing humour.

Carter looked wary but Lauren wasn't going to mess up her boyfriend's workplace with unnecessary cruelty.

Driving out to the outskirts of Boulder in the dark he'd even brought up his family, which he never did.

"Part of me wants to prove them wrong. To have Dad and my brothers see me compete at the Olympics and apologise."

"and the other parts?"

"Think I shouldn't have to prove myself. They should've been supporting me the whole time instead of telling me I'm never going to make it and even if I do, its gymnastics." Carter's tone suggested his father's opinion and his own opinion of his father's view.

"He's wrong." Lauren stated "I have to believe we can be anyone we want to be. Look at Austin. He's got everything. We're going to have that."

"Our own lake house?" Carter stated, without thinking.

Lauren looked up, startled.

"I mean…" Carter stuttered.

"Yes." Lauren stated "I mean, not necessarily a lake house, but we're going to have a great future."

"I haven't really thought beyond gymnastics." Carter admitted. "I mean, nationals, gym dues, making the national team, hopefully worlds, maybe the Olympics. I want to qualify for an event final in 2012." He looked up. "I want you to be there when I try too."

"I will be." Lauren smiled at him. "It'll be the day after I qualify on beam."

Carter smiled, it wasn't huge, but it was growing. "Great futures, huh?"

"Oh yeah." Lauren smiled and then it faded a little. "I want Kaylie to be there too."

"Maybe she will be."

When she got home Lauren cautiously tiptoed in only to accidently stumble upon her father on his laptop in his study with the door open.

After jumping a foot she pointed out "I was expecting world war three when I got home."

"Well you've only got a few more days with these boys and then they'll be gone."

"You can't get rid of them, Daddy." Lauren pointed out.

"Austin Tucker won't stick around if he can't train and I doubt Carter Anderson will either."

Lauren frowned but she headed upstairs. In her room she unconsciously frowned. Everything seemed off that day. She was surprised she hadn't fallen at the gym. Little did she know that not an hour beforehand her father had discovered a DVD in her second bedside draw and promptly taken it downstairs to find an early Christmas present for his campaign to get boys kicked out of the Rock. Taking into consideration Sasha Belov's disobedience to his wishes, his plans had extended to him as well.

The next day the first thing Lauren said to Payson was "have you heard from Kaylie?"

The caution in Payson's eyes hurt Lauren more than she expected but the answer was simple. Payson shook her head.

"I asked Sasha. He said we'd find out today though."

Lauren nodded and headed to the floor. Carter was unusually touchy and squeezed her shoulder on her way past. She smiled in return.

Kaylie walked into the gym at ten am. Lauren was in the middle of her bars set and almost missed a connection. She finished it early and landed to watch Kaylie walk past. She was in casual clothes and headed up to Sasha's office with her parents.

After fifteen minutes, Sasha stuck his head out.

"Keeler, Kmetko, Tanner, Anderson, Tucker. Warm down and come up please."

Emily went in first, and sat as close to the couch Kaylie and her parents were sitting on as possible. Payson positioned herself next to her mother. The boys took the second couch and Lauren, faced with a choice between sitting on the open spot in between Emily and Summer and making her own, squished herself in between the boys.

"You've all been called up here because you're the elite team of this gym. Kaylie is your team mate and needs your support."

The words needs your support sent a ripple of tension running through Lauren and Carter squeezed her leg reassuringly. Summer and Sasha both noticed and Summer angrily gaped but the normally passive Carter was unrepentant then.

"As you've all hopefully noticed, Kaylie has been going through some health issues." Summer spoke up. "But with your support and consideration she can overcome them."

The gym manager carried on and Lauren was getting more and more upset until Austin did what Carter couldn't, he looped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, his forearm across her torso.

Summer gaped.

"Please." Austin stated "continue."

"Why is he here?" Alex Cruz demanded "as though he's not part of the problem? Flirting with our daughter and having sex with Lauren."

Sasha and Summer couldn't miss how every eye in the room darted to Carter Anderson.

"Kaylie and I never had… anything." Austin, although trying to be sympathetic, it wasn't his strong suit.

Sasha raised an eyebrow as though to say not helping.

"Kaylie's therapist has suggested an airing of grievances." Summer spoke up again. "Which means everyone can say what's on their mind and we get all the issues out into the open."

The only person in the room who looked less thrilled than Lauren was Kaylie.

No one said anything.

"So… does anyone have anything they'd like to say?" Summer prodded.

No one said anything.

"Anyone? Kaylie would you like to start?"

"The problem" Lauren stated "is that all our grievances are in direct violation to the Rock Rules." At everyone's look Lauren grew exasperated "Seriously. There is no one in this room who hasn't broken them. No one. Come on."

Kim Keeler turned to look at her daughter who shrank under her gaze.

"I never dated." Payson insisted.

Lauren raised an eyebrow.

"I swear." Payson insisted. "I've never been on a date."

"Yeah." Lauren drawled. "me neither."

"This is about your health and wellbeing." Sasha stated. "and yes, given the complete failure of the current regulations, at the moment we're looking at alternatives, but for the moment we can compromise and say that the moment you all work out that door, we'll forget anything you've said in here. Summer, Kim and I are here as referees and none of you will be penalised for anything that has happened in the past."

"What about the present?" Austin asked.

"Keep that to yourself." Sasha stated, and ignored the protesting look Summer sent him.

"Alright, Kaylie would you like to start?" Summer offered.

"Only if Lauren doesn't mind not being the centre of attention, for once."

"The same way you weren't always the centre of attention when you won the national championship serendipitously."

"I won that fair and square."

"Fine." Lauren conceded "and now I won, and if you didn't win because Payson broke her back, I'm sure as hell not winning because you decide not to eat. So eat something so when I beat you, no one bitches about how unfair it is. We've covered this Kaylie, not eating so your loss is less pathetic doesn't work. You just become pathetic full stop."

The whole room, bar the boys, stared at her in abject horror. Austin held her tighter, her forearm like an iron bar holding her. Carter took her hand.

"That was just unnecessary." Ronnie erupted. "Now I know you girls can be cruel but you've always been friends."

"Kaylie's made it's very clear we're not friends." Lauren retorted.

"Well why would I want a friend like you?" Kaylie questioned "I don't have a boyfriend for you to sleep with right now."

"No, so instead of crying about it, do something!" Lauren demanded. She bit down to stop herself saying something she'd regret and stared at the walls Sasha's gymnastics posters covered.

"Kaylie is sick." Alex stated. "She has a medical condition and needs help."

"Does she want it?" Lauren reached her point. "I mean, we can sit here and be supportive and whatever, but does she want to get better?"

"They won't let me compete if I don't." Kaylie admitted.

"More convincing words have never been spoken."

Kaylie had fixated on the hand Carter had wrapped around Lauren's.

"Would anyone else like to say anything?" Summer offered, desperately.

"I would like to know who you supposedly dated Payson" Her mother asked.

"No one." Payson insisted but then at Sasha's look relented. "Nicky Russo, but we never dated. Barely anything even happened!"

Lauren held back laugher at the surreal situation.

"This is supposed to be about Kaylie." Alex Cruz spoke up again.

"Well Kaylie, we'll all listen until you're finished." Summer insisted and pointedly looked at Lauren.

"You're completely selfish." Kaylie insisted of Lauren. "All you do is sabotage other people so you can feel better about yourself and I can't let you do it to me" Lauren shook her head and lay back against Austin as her former friend listed her sins.

At the end of everything she added "and you slept with my boyfriend."

"Oh come on." Lauren began to retort but Carter cut her off.

"No, I was the one who slept with Lauren. You stood in front of her that day and swore up and down that you weren't in a relationship with me and she lost her first flight status because of it. So either we weren't in a relationship, or you valued your own first flight status over your friendship and either way, if we even were in a relationship, and I remember you dumping me for a bunch of college guys and a keg, it was me who cheated so stop blaming Lauren."

"Are we done now?" Lauren said when silence reigned again. "because Kaylie's said her piece and made herself feel better, and now either she wants to get better or she doesn't, and if she doesn't, not a damn thing we do is going to make a difference."

Alex Cruz was ready to rip Lauren's throat out but the blonde didn't let him, instead she leapt of the couch and launched herself towards the door.

She paused before she stormed out though, and declared to the room.

"Talking about our feelings doesn't solve anything." She declared "Didn't we learn anything from the garbage can last year? We're still talking about the same crap and it's not going to change anything."

Austin immediately rose to follow after the blonde but Carter grabbed his arm. "Let her go, she won't talk to you yet."

Austin sunk back into the couch, nodding. "You two really are on the same wavelength aren't you?"

Carter shrugged and his eyes darted to the door but then he focused back on the people at hand.

"Was there anything else you wanted to say Kaylie?" He asked. His words were perfectly chosen and he sounded nothing like her first love.

Emily Kmetko jumped in. "She just stormed out." She pointed out unnecessarily.

Kaylie nodded. "That's the problem. You're girlfriend, whichever one of you is sleeping with her this week, is a bitch and it's not good for team unity."

"This isn't about team unity." Austin scoffed and then when all attention focused on him was forced to answer.

"I know I haven't been here that long but the last thing this is about is team unity. The one thing you have is team unity. It's the only reason the four of your talk. You don't act like friends."

"We used to be." Payson stated. "We were best friends, do you remember Kay? You, me and Lo. We were best friends, no matter what, we swore."

"Well Lauren ruined that." Kaylie crossed her arm.

"No, she didn't." Carter protested and then shook her head. "I can't believe I'm talking about this bitchy girly stuff, but it wasn't all Lauren. You dated the guy she liked and lied to her about it. None of you did anything when Emily took her spot, fairly or not. You lied to Marty and got her kicked off first flight. You were the ones who said you weren't going to be friends anymore."

"And then I forgave her and she betrayed me, again!"

Carter shrugged. "I'm not saying it was right and just saying it was all of you."

"I want to know what it'll take to put all of this behind you all, so you can get your focus back on gymnastics." Sasha spoke up. He, like Carter and Payson, looked like he couldn't believe they were actually doing this.

"Lauren has no problem focusing on gymnastics." Carter informed him. "She's probably on the beam by now."

Emily Kmetko muttered something that sounded like "icy bitch."

Austin tapped his fingers on the edge of the couch and then thanked god for Payson Keeler when the blonde spoke up. "Look Kaylie. I'm your friend and your teammate and I'm here for you."

"But can you train right now?" Kaylie deduced.

Payson nodded but she had the grace to look sheepish.

"We are here for you." Payson stated firmly. "If there's anything you need us for. I just don't know if you and Lauren going around and around is helping anyone."

"Is there anything else you'd like to say, Kaylie?" Summer prodded.

She shook her head but then pointedly looked to Emily and Payson. "Just, thank you, Pay, Em, for being here for me."

"Of course." Emily insisted. She took Kaylie's hand and squeezed it.

Austin caught Carter's eye and then stood with his housemate following. "We're going to get back on the floor then." He insisted, prodding Carter through the door in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Austin asked as soon as they were through the door. "That had to be rough."

Carter nodded and informed Austin. "I love Lo. I chose Lo."

"For what it's worth." Austin clapped his shoulder. "you chose right."

Watching Lauren carefully rotate through her onodi on the beam Carter nodded. "I know. Maybe I'm selfish but I wouldn't be half the man without her."

"Not selfish." Austin assured him. "This is a little too deep for a conversation on the mat corner though."

"Let's have a guy's night tonight." Carter said suddenly. "Video games, a beer…"

"Will Lo be cool with that?" Austin checked cautiously.

"Yeah, she'll want to come."

"Freakishly in sync." Austin joked. "Alright. I made some of that chickpea soup yesterday."

Carter shook his head. "We are so fucking domesticated."

"Speaking of which, can I borrow your girlfriend for a charity thing next week."

Carter laughed.

Ellen Beals was a huge Austin Tucker fan so long as he wasn't anywhere near the U.S. Women's gymnastics team. He was an incorrigible flirt and had her allegiance with Steve Tanner not been riding on it, she might have let him get away with anything. As it was, she made sure to tell him

"Austin, find me after this meeting. I'm sure we can find you somewhere equally pleasurable to train. I'll make sure it won't affect your national campaign at all."

"This is just a meeting to discuss." Austin pointed out.

Ellen Beals had an ego almost as large as Austin's, and a need of approval clearly stemming from her failed gymnastic career and lack of a personal life.

"Let's just say Coach Belov got a little too involved with his gymnasts and persuading the parents that the gym should be all female in every way will be easy."

"Payson Keeler." Austin deduced "You have proof?" he checked.

"Let's just say at your next gym you probably shouldn't mess around with certain men's daughters."

Austin nodded and provided the practiced grin he used on the media.

"Thanks Ellen. I'll keep that in mind."

He escaped the pre-parents council meeting drinks to duck outside.

"Have they voted already?" Lauren checked. She was at the lake house with Carter. Austin was the "elite men's representative" as chosen between the two. The NAACP men had their own representative as the two over eighteen-year old groups of gymnasts.

"Ellen Beals is here."

"Why?"

"She knows about Payson and Sasha and she's going to use it to get guys banned from the gym, and get Sasha kicked out as well."

"What? How?" Lauren mused aloud. "She'll need proof."

"Is there another tape? CCTV."

"No" Lauren answered quickly.

"Is there any way she could have gotten hold of the tape you have? Did you tell your father? Lauren?"

"It was hidden in my room." She said softly. "If he went through my room he could've found it."

"Shit Lo." Austin said softly. "They'll crucify him for this. They'll crucify us too, and it'll destroy Payson."

She didn't answer so he prodded. "Lo?"

"This is entirely my fault. If I was never going to use the tape why didn't I destroy it?"

Austin didn't have time to appease Lauren's guilt.

"They're calling us in." He told the blonde. "if you can think of anything…"

For Sasha Belov the meeting was not going well. Steve Tanner had gotten up and given a very convincing argument about how the boys needed to be removed for the good of gymnastics. The argument went something along the lines of 1) the girls needed to feel as safe and secure as they were in their own living rooms at the gym and 2) having boys there would infringe upon that. There was nothing wrong with boys but if you wanted your daughter to succeed at gymnastics you would keep them out of the gym.

Austin shifted uncomfortably when he brought up whether they really thought their daughters could fully focus with Austin Tucker in their gym, a boy half naked on every second bus station, no matter how dedicated they were.

Parents took one look at him, in his designer shirt, tight jeans and styled hair and started nodding.

Sasha and Kim Keeler disagreed. They talked about how if their daughters were to be focused enough to be elite athletes then they had to learn to focus because at a competition or in everyday life there wouldn't be segregation. They were also very convincing. Finally Kim brought up that men at the gym brought in around a quarter of their income and Austin brought unparalleled prestige and publicity.

There was a lot of discussion and it seemed a pretty even split down the official board members. Of the 12 there were four firmly against and four firmly four with another four indecisively wavering but reasonably happy with the gym currently.

Ellen Beals cleared her throat and stood up.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but this meeting has given me to express concern the national committee has about the sexualisation going on at this gym.

"Sexualisation?" A board member asked. "That's taking it a bit far."

"This information was recently provided to me." She held up a photograph and the room exploded.

They'd been arguing for close to fifteen minutes, Kim Keeler was going absolutely nuts at Ellen Beals, who looked very pleased with herself. Austin Tucker just leant back in his seat. He knew there was nothing he could do at this point.

For a second he caught Sasha's eyes and tried to apologise non-verbally.

Lauren Tanner, however, knew how to make an entrance. She shoved her way into view and Austin's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe his eyes.

She was clad in a low shirt he recognised and thought was Carter's, accompanied by a pair of barely visible shorts. It was the thigh high boots and bottle of champagne that had his eyebrows really raising though.

"Did I miss the party?" She burst out.

Austin couldn't help but smirk.

"Lauren sweetheart." Steve Tanner stood "what are you doing here?"

"Celebrating your victory Dad." She spat out the word. "I mean, we did it right? You'll have control of the Rock and position me perfectly for Olympic gold and you get to annihilate the man Summer chose over you and the family with the sqeaky clean daughter. Screw hard work and fair play, really Dad don't be shy, take the credit for your manipulation of this situation. You're destroying the reputation of a teenage girl and an honest man, that's beyond even my capabilities. So congratulations."

That was the moment that Austin realised that while Lauren wasn't drunk, she was out of control and spewing words out of her mouth.

"So awesome. Well. Done Dad. It's not as though in your ego-stroking quest you're planning on getting rid of the two people I trust in the entire fucking world. It's not like you're destroying an innocent man's career, or a sixteen year old girl's. It's not like you've actually shown the board the video that picture comes from. Have you seen it?" She demanded of the board who's faces showed no. "No? Well what happened is Payson, sweet, innocent, Payson. She's the elite member without the Californian abortion, rock star boyfriend or eating disorder. She's the girl who's had so much focus the only guy she'd even consider being interested in is the one who furthers her career. So, sweet Payson who overcame breaking her back kisses her coach once, for all of .5 of a second, and, what Ellen Beals doesn't want you to know, because if she did she would show you the actual tape, is that Sasha Belov is exactly the kind of guy you want around your daughter when she gets an inappropriate crush. If Ellen Beals was willing to show you the tape you'd see him rebuff Payson completely, try and calm her down and then call her parents so they would know and understand completely what was going on. Full parental disclosure, which, by the way, you don't need for a Californian abortion. Just if you were interested. So yeah, you've got a choice here. You can pick Dad, who raised me, the wonderful upstanding girl you see before you, we all know about my choices. Or you can go with the Keelers and Sasha and every sane person who realises that 1) taking the boys out of the gym won't stop us going after them, we'll just end up having casual relationships with the boys at the local high school instead, which, for the record, gross and 2) this picture wasn't taken yesterday but if you're all happy with having a guy who'd hold onto it and then use it as a political tool being in charge of the gym, well that's fine. Hell he raised me and I turned out alright, didn't I?

She raised the bottle of champagne in a mock cheers. "I just know you'll pick what's best for your daughter's wellbeing."

Steve was out the door a heartbeat behind her and dragged her off down to the slightly more secluded entrance.

"What was that? Are you crazy?"

As Steve's voice rose, Sasha excused himself from the mayhem and went searching for the Tanners. He arrived just in time to hear Lauren to demand.

"Where'd you get the tape, Dad, because I didn't give it to you." Her eyes darted to Sasha in recognition of his presence but her attention didn't slide from her father.

"You know where I got it Lauren."

"I want to hear you say it." She demanded "I want to hear you admit you completely violated my privacy."

"Do you really think you have a right to any privacy after the stunts you've pulled this year."

"I should've known not to expect anything from you!"

Steve Tanner didn't know what to do with the sudden aversion his daughter seemed to have for him lately, but he was a Tanner and he wouldn't back down without a fight.

"I did this for you." He insisted.

"Why, because of Carter? Of Austin? They make me happy, Dad! Okay? The way nothing else has."

"More than gymnastics?" her father made her consider. "because that's what was on the line here."

"I've gotten better. My gymnastics has actually gotten better!"

"Belov was going to have you thrown out." Steve interrupted.

Lauren's eyes widened and she turned to Sasha. "What?"

"No." Sasha insisted. "Lauren, I…"

"He said he had no place for a girl like you in his gym." Steve paraphrased hurriedly. "So this was going to be our gym. I told you, I did it for you."

Lauren mentally begged Sasha to deny it. This couldn't have happened again. Marty had already abandoned her once.

Instead all Sasha could muster was a weak, in her opinion, "I didn't mean it like that."

Lauren bit her lip and forced the tears back. The two men could actually see her harden in front of them.

"Lauren, sweetheart" Her father reached out for her but she sidestepped him.

"I can't trust either of you." She insisted and took a step back. "Stay away from me. Both of you! Unless it's about my gymnastics neither of you will say a single thing to me."

Sasha was already shaking his head but Lauren cut in.

"You will. You don't think that kiss was the only thing I had do you? So you'll both leave me the hell alone or I'll tell the Media and the National Committee all about the illegal drugs used at the Rock. Your precious Payson will go from comeback queen to drug cheat in a heartbeat. You think you don't want me at the Rock now..." she smirked but then it faded. "So keep your mouth shut, about everything. You too Dad, you have no idea what I'm capable of and your precocious new step daughter will be first on my list."

The two men watched as she blew through the doors and out into the freezing weather. With a board going crazy behind them and a gymnast in the snow in front, it certainly could've gone better for them both.

So just when it got better for the relationship between Lauren, Carter and Austin, the rest of the world came crashing back down. It has to get worse before it gets better but you just know Lauren wont take this betrayal well.

Thoughts?