A/N: Thank you, thank you to Kelsie Knock, Alliclaire, JCI, Cassie Daszko, and Ida-cullen for your reviews!
A few things about this chapter: Dameon Clarke is the name of the actor who plays the role of the character, because on the show he didn't get a name. Also, someone asked if Sasha or Payson took the disc out of the training cam the first night they kissed; I'm going to say Sasha did, because in my little world here, Lauren never got a hold of it.
Hope everyone enjoys! If you do (or even if you don't) tell me so!
Chapter 10
The last week has been rough for Payson. She's tried to keep Sasha's words in mind, about staring her fears in the eye and kicking ass, but it's easier said than done. Every time she steps up to the bars now, all she can see is Amanda over rotating and landing on her head. She still hears that awful sound in her dreams.
She's been to see Amanda, who doesn't really want to talk to anyone, and that almost makes it all worse. Her teammate is alive, but the fall made her a quadriplegic and she'll never walk again, and that makes Payson both grateful that it isn't her and ashamed that she can even think such a thing.
Sasha's been helpful, forcing her to work through her fears at practice with his stern coach voice. He's been pushing all of them; her, Emily, and Lauren, knowing that they need it now more than ever. She appreciates that he knows that, and thinks it goes to show what an amazing coach he is. Unlike Ellen Beals who, as far as Payson is concerned, is the reason Amanda can't move anything below her shoulders anymore.
"I want to go to the NGO about Beals," Payson says as she, Lauren, and Emily warm up.
"About what? We can't prove anything," Lauren huffs. Payson shrugs.
"It doesn't matter. If we tell them everything that's happened since she took over the team they'll have no choice but to fire her." Emily and Lauren look unconvinced, but Payson knows it's true. Beals is the reason Kaylie developed an eating disorder, and the reason Amanda can no longer walk. If they allow Beals to keep her job, the NGO won't have a National Team.
"Well I'm down, but I don't think it will work," Lauren says.
"I'll go too," Emily agrees.
"Good. So after practice we'll drive to their headquarters in Denver," Payson insists. Emily and Lauren nod, but Payson knows they still don't have much faith that they'll accomplish anything. Payson can't just leave it alone though, she has to at least try to do something.
"Ladies! Are you having tea, or training? Get to work!" Sasha bellows from the office. The girls scramble to their feet and separate to start training.
Payson is intensely focused on her new beam routine when she feels Sasha approach. It's weird how connected they are, that she can feel him even when she can't see him. She smiles when she feels his eyes on her, deconstructing every movement with an eagle eye.
"Watch the lines, Payson," he says warningly. Immediately she lengthens her arms and points her toes for maximum effect. Sometimes, when she feels too comfortable with her gymnastics, she forgets that she's an artistic gymnast now and falls back into her power gymnast ways.
"Better," he says. She feels him move away as she completes an aerial cartwheel with perfect extensions.
"He never harps on you like he does us," Lauren huffs, walking over to the beam so she can work in after Payson is finished. Payson sticks her dismount and then turns to Lauren.
"Yes he does," Payson says, laughing. Lauren scoffs.
"Right. I never see it."
"That's because he only does it when I stay late to train, but I promise you, he does." Lauren gives Payson a look, like she thinks there's something more to what Payson's saying. There is, but Lauren isn't usually the type to pick up on that kind of thing.
"How often do you stay late to train anyway?" Lauren asks. Payson can see the wheels turning in her mind and curses herself. She shrugs, trying to play it off.
"A few nights a week. I've got a lot to make up for if I'm going to perform well at Worlds," Payson explains. Lauren purses her lips and narrows her eyes. But the look passes quickly.
"Whatever," she says flippantly. Payson knows she hasn't let it go. Lauren may start having suspicions, but Payson knows she has nothing to substantiate them, so she isn't panicking.
For the rest of practice, Payson thinks about what they'll say to the National Committee when she, Lauren, and Emily travel to Denver. Before she realizes, it's time to go.
"Are you coming over tonight?" Sasha asks, leaning his back against the wall as she gathers her things. She shakes her head.
"No. Lauren, Emily, and I are taking a trip," Payson says cryptically. She knows she'll end up telling Sasha what they're doing, and that he won't be happy, but she doesn't have to come right out with it.
"Oh really? Where?" Sasha asks.
"Denver."
"What's in Denver?" Payson sighs.
"The National Committee."
"Payson…" Sasha says warningly. Payson zips up her bag and stands, her shoulders squared and ready for a fight.
"Sasha, we're doing it. Don't worry."
Payson starts to walk away, but Sasha reaches out and catches her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. She turns to look at him, glancing back and forth between her wrist and his eyes, her eyebrows raised. He's being risky, the touch is way too familiar for a coach and his athlete.
"I'm worried," he says simply. Payson gently extricates her wrist before she responds.
"This is something we have to do Sasha. Whether they listen or not, we have to try," Payson insists. Sasha considers that for a moment before nodding.
"Just be careful, alright Iubito?" Sasha whispers. Payson nods and reaches out to quickly squeeze his fingers before moving away.
#
The conference room at the NGO is bare, much like the one they were in when they spoke to Beals about going to France, when they still trusted that she was looking out for their best interest. The receptionist shows them in and then the committee makes them wait almost twenty minutes before they file in.
"Ms. Keeler?" The Committee Chairman, Mr. Dameon Clarke, who had allowed Payson to be seen at World Trials, seems to be running the meeting at the moment. Payson thinks he's the most levelheaded of the group, the one least pinned beneath Ellen Beals' thumb.
"Mr. Clarke, my fellow teammates and I have some very serious concerns about Ellen Beals," Payson says, trying to be as professional as possible. Mr. Clarke looks between the three girls, and Emily and Lauren nod their agreement.
"And these concerns would be?"
"Amanda Kirkwood's accident didn't have to happen. Ms. Beals asked her to combine a Jager and an Overshoot consecutively, which isn't safe. No gymnast has any business doing those moves without a transition between them," Payson explains.
"Gymnastics is a dangerous sport, Ms. Keeler. Ms. Kirkwood's accident is unfortunate and of course our thoughts are with her family, but these things happen," Mr. Clarke says with a heavy sigh. Payson shakes her head.
"It wasn't just Amanda. At our last World Team practice, Ms. Beals asked me to perform a Geiger and a Tkatchev consecutively, which I explained my back could no longer handle. She threatened to throw me off the team. And Kaylie Cruz had no problem maintaining a healthy diet until Ms. Beals told her that if she wanted to keep her title she needed to lose weight," Payson explains. Mr. Clarke looks surprised for a moment, but quickly schools his features back to neutral.
"And what do you propose we do about this situation?" Mr. Clarke asks.
"Fire Ellen Beals. She has no concern for the safety or success of my fellow gymnasts, she only cares about control. I don't feel safe with her as my coach," Payson says.
"Neither do I," Emily echoes.
"Me neither," says Lauren.
The committee members stare at the three girls. Mr. Clarke seems to take measure, size them up. Finally, he drops his pen and rubs his forehead.
"Who would you trust as your coach?" Mr. Clarke asks. Payson fights feeling victorious yet, they haven't said they'll fire Beals. So far it's all hypothetical.
Together, Emily, Lauren, and Payson say one name:
"Sasha Beloff." Mr. Clarke audibly groans and squeezes his eyes shut. Payson knows this will be the hard part; convincing the national committee that Sasha should be their coach.
"Sasha Beloff…"
"Has our best interest at heart. He's been an advocate for me when no one else was, Mr. Clarke. I wouldn't be here without him," Payson says forcefully, fighting back tears. She feels the lump in her throat and swallows past it. This is not the time to be weepy.
"May I say something?" Emily asks. Everyone in the room looks at her until Mr. Clarke nods.
"Of course," he says, waving at her to continue.
"Marty Walsh found me in Fresno and changed my life by bringing me to the Rock, but it's Sasha who's made me the gymnast I am. He's taught me to trust in others; my coach and teammates, and I know I wouldn't be where I am without him, just like Payson," Emily explains. She reaches for Payson's hand, holding it tightly in solidarity.
They both look to Lauren, who looks like she's trying to decide what to say. Payson wonders if she's ever stepped outside her own drama to see what Sasha's done for her, but she doubts it. Lauren isn't quite selfless enough for that.
"Sasha is the only person who hasn't let me push them away. I know I'm kind of a bitch, and I can cause a lot of drama," Lauren says, her voice a little shaky. Payson notices her eyes brighten and shine with tears. "A lot of people either don't notice, or refuse to ever trust me again. Sasha has never, ever turned his back on me and I know he knows more of what I've done than probably anyone else, just because he's that observant. But he's never made me feel like I can't be redeemed."
It's a rare moment of self awareness from Lauren, and Payson can't describe how relieved she is that it comes to the defense of her boyfriend. She reaches for Lauren's hand, just like Emily reached for hers and together they stand, linked, facing down the opposition.
"We'll need to discuss this, ladies. Go home to Boulder, we'll let you know what we decide," Mr. Clarke says. Payson is having trouble reading the committee members, so she has no idea what the outcome might be.
All they can do is exactly as Mr. Clarke said; go home and wait. So they do.
#
"How'd it go yesterday?" Sasha whispers in her ear as they lounge on the apartment's couch, tangled together, watching Sports Center. Payson isn't particularly paying attention to the television, but Sasha likes it so she doesn't mind.
"Fine. They said they'd let us know what they decide," Payson answers drowsily. Sasha has been running his fingers up and down her arm for the past half an hour, and it's slowly lulling Payson to sleep. She shifts a little and Sasha groans. Payson giggles and pushes herself into him a little harder. His grip around her tightens.
"If you don't stop that right now…" he warns. Payson loves teasing Sasha. He makes it so much fun, getting all growly and stern when she drives him crazy.
"What?" Payson asks sweetly. Sasha leans in and nips at her earlobe.
"You know what, you little devil," he says gruffly, laughing in her ear. She turns herself over, kneeling between Sasha's legs, and leans in to kiss him. She pulls her lips from his and kisses a trail across his jaw to his neck. She would love to give him a hickey, mark him as hers for all the world to see, but she doesn't. It would raise questions and she doesn't want Sasha to have to lie anymore than he already is.
When she bites down playful, Sasha surges forward, forcing her to lay back on the couch as he hovers above her, kissing her senseless. Payson thinks that's one of the best parts about kissing Sasha, when his lips are on hers she can't think about anything else. Her mind goes pleasantly blank.
His hand is crawling up her stomach, beneath her shirt, tracing the cup of the pink lacy bra she's wearing, when his phone rings. He stops, ready to sit up and answer it, but Payson grabs the front of his shirt and pulls him back down.
"Don't answer it," she begs, reaching up to catch his lips. He kisses back for a moment, mostly on instinct Payson thinks, before groaning and pulling away again.
"It could be important," he says. He lifts himself off of her and jogs across the room to their table where he left his cell phone.
He answers it, his back to her and listens for a moment. His words are all generic, so Payson can't figure out what the call could possibly be about, and she's pretty sure that's the way Sasha wants it. Finally he ends the call with a "thank you" and sets the phone back down on the table.
"That didn't sound so important," Payson huffs, smiling so he'll know she's kidding. He shrugs, coming back over to the couch. When he reaches her, instead of sitting back down like Payson thinks he's going to, he scoops her into his arms and starts carrying her to the bedroom.
"Sasha!" She shrieks, laughing. He doesn't say a word until he tosses her onto the bed and follows quickly after, blanketing her body with his.
"That was Mr. Clarke with the National Committee," Sasha says between kisses.
"What?" Payson cries, smacking his shoulder and pushing him away. "What did they say?"
Sasha laughs, rolling to the side and propping his head up with his arm. The free arm snakes around her waist, pulling her in close. She raises her eyebrows, waiting for him to answer her question. He leans in to kiss her again, but Payson isn't about to let him go another moment without telling her what the NGO had to say.
"Sasha!" She scolds. He smiles at her, softly, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes.
"You're looking at the new National Team Coach. They fired Ellen Beals this morning," Sasha explains. Payson squeals and throws herself at him, pushing him over onto his back. She's half on top of him now, looking down at him as he laughs.
"Really?" Payson asks, hardly able to believe it.
"Really. Apparently they were getting calls from parents of the other National Team members complaining about Beals, and they're looking at a lawsuit from Amanda's parents. Your little visit further convinced them," he says.
"So Beals is gone for good. I can't tell you what a relief that is," Payson breathes. She's so happy, she wants to call Emily and Lauren and tell them the good news. She scrambles out of the bed to go get her phone, but Sasha pulls her back.
"Where do you think you're going?" He asks, smiling.
"I have to tell Emily and Lauren," Payson says. The smile fades from his face.
"You can't, Payson. The National Committee hasn't made the formal announcement yet, how will you explain knowing?" Sasha asks. Payson sighs, knowing he's right.
"Sometimes I wish that I'll wake up tomorrow and it will be two years from now, after the Olympics, and everyone knows about us," Payson says. Actually, though, she wishes it every day. Sasha nods in understanding and holds her close, playing with a strand of her hair.
"Don't wish away these days, Payson. They'll go faster than you think."