Chapter 11: See Payson Lie…

The door to the women's bathroom opened quickly then slammed shut. Three young women – one of the desperately (and quite believably) fake coughing – just filed in and locked the door securely so that no one would follow them.

"That Ben Pierce is a scheming little rat. I just want to kick him in the –"

"Lauren!" Kaylie interrupted, massaging her temples. "Now's not the time for violence."

Emily nodded, though she somewhat understood Lauren's frustration. The three had just witnessed SNP host Ben Pierce rudely interrogate their old coach on camera.

"What's his angle anyway?" the taller brunette asked, leaning against one the sinks in defeat. "This TV special was supposed to be a warm and fuzzy reunion about us. Why has Ben been grilling Sasha all day? It doesn't make sense…"

Kaylie sighed. It looked like she was holding something back.

"What?" Lauren pressed, seeing the look in Kaylie's eye. "What aren't you saying?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Kaylie asked them. "Ben's probably trying to find out why Sasha left the Rock."

"What?" Emily asked. "That's so random. Why would Ben do that?"

Kaylie shrugged. "He's a journalist. He's just looking for a story I guess. Why else would he invite Sasha and not any of our other coaches? He suspects something happened before Worlds…"

Lauren rolled her eyes. "A "journalist"? Please…The man's on Sports Network Plus. He's not Brian Williams."

"Kaylie might have a point, though…" admitted Emily as the truth sunk in. "Scandal is good television and it's well known in the gymnastics community that Sasha is clouded in mystery."

Lauren snickered at Emily's choice of words.

"Oh whatever, Lauren." She grumbled. "You know what I mean…"

"So what are we going to do, then?" Kaylie asked the group. "Emily can't fake a coughing spasm each time Ben pulls a fast one on Sasha – "

"Although that was pretty well done, I must say." Lauren commented.

Emily smiled at the unexpected compliment. "Thanks, Lauren..."

"We have two more days of filming left." Kaylie said, some old team captain authority coming out in her tone. "We just have to stick together until then and make sure no one slips up and caves under Ben's pressure. We'll keep running interference…you know, diluting the attention away from Sasha."

"Good thinking." Agreed Emily, nodding at Kaylie's plan.

'Wait, wait, wait a second…." Lauren said, looking at the other two suspiciously. "We just started playing nicely with Sasha again and all of a sudden you are ready to take a bullet for him? Really?"

Kaylie and Emily exchanged uncomfortable looks. Neither responded to Lauren's observation.

A funny smile crept on to Lauren's face and the true reality of the situation dawned on her. "Oh…I get it."

"What?" Kaylie asked defensively.

"You two are looking out for yourselves just as much as you're looking out for Sasha!" Lauren pointed out, crossing her arms with superiority. "If Ben cracked Sasha or did more digging about his departure from the Rock, he'd find out about your arrest" she nodded to a blushing Emily "and your anorexia." She nodded towards Kaylie with an upturned eyebrow.

"This isn't just about us!" Emily insisted. "We can't have Ben find out about Payson kissing Sasha either! That would be a disaster. Sasha, Payson, Kaylie and I all have something on the line here. You might not have anything to hide, Lauren, but you could at least support the rest of us."

Lauren Tanner's body language melted. Her crossed arms fell to her sides and her stern, superior expression dissolved. Emily Kmetko was looking at her in the eye, pleading for her silence and cooperation. The ironic part of the whole thing, however, was that Lauren did have something to hide. For years now the young woman had tried to forget that she sent the picture of Payson kissing Sasha to the NGO in the first place. She'd pushed it away in the back of her mind and allowed it to rot there between a place of denial and self-loathing. Oh, if only Emily and Kaylie knew just how much Lauren hated herself for that thoughtless, spiteful act…even after all these years.

"Fine. I'll help." Lauren said.

The two other Rock Rebels gawked at her. Had Lauren just agreed to their plan without any sort of fight or resistance? Did that really just happen? Was it possible?

'What?" Lauren asked, examining their shocked expressions. "Don't act so surprised. I'll take one for the team every once and a while. Besides, if you guys won't let me kick Ben Pierce in the balls, I might as well ruin his little TV show."

Kaylie and Emily dropped the subject, just grateful that Lauren Tanner was working with them and not against them. That girl was a formidable opponent – someone you would obviously not want as an enemy. As they walked out of the bathroom and back on to the set united under their new plan, Emily found herself almost feeling bad for Ben Pierce. After all, the man had no idea just how much harder they were going to make his life.

For the rest of the day Ben tried and failed numerous times to crack Sasha Belov in interviews, but it seemed like every time he came close to getting him truly angry or finding out how the coach left in the first place, one of his former gymnasts interrupted or changed the subject entirely. The girls were playing their parts very well. The evidence of their effective teamwork could be seen on the frustration now etched on Ben Pierce's face.

Kaylie, however, noticed one more face that day. Between Ben's failed attempts and Sasha's stubborn one-word answers, her gaze occasionally shifted toward Payson. Her old teammate spent the rest of the day sitting silently in her chair, staring at her feet. Payson was usually the quiet type anyway, but there was something else in her body language and expression that caught Kaylie's eye. For a good portion of her life, Kaylie had spent most of her daylight hours in a gym with this stoic, focused girl. It didn't take rocket science for her to see the obvious.

Payson Keeler had a secret.

It was the end of the day and Payson couldn't get away from the studio fast enough. Once they were dismissed, she bolted from the interview set, ran to wardrobe and changed with amazing speed. She would've made it out the door if Kaylie Cruz hadn't grabbed her arm and forced her to stop.

"Hold up, Pay." Kaylie said.

Payson paused under the petite brunette's intense stare. She didn't like that look. It was rather intimidating – as if Kaylie could see right through her.

"W-What?" Payson asked, keeping one eye on the exit.

"Is everything OK?"

Payson hesitated, almost confused by the direct question.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Payson lied, cracking a smile.

"This doesn't have anything to do with the guy you were with last night, would it?"

Payson's eyes widened. "No! Nothing to do with him…"

"OK…" Kaylie said, though she didn't believe her. "You know, if something really was wrong, you could tell me, Payson."

"Really?" Payson wanted to challenge. Of all of her old teammates, Payson felt the most insecure about her relationship with Kaylie. She and Kaylie had always had an unspoken, complicated dynamic. Neither was the confrontational type (Lauren had that role down), but they had always been in an unacknowledged, yet intense competition during their days at the Rock. For the most part, they were both the all-around strengths. For the most part, they had both been the leaders. Thanks to the resentment game form earlier in the week, Payson was well aware of Kaylie's jealousy and Kaylie was well aware of Payson's feelings towards her eating disorder cover-up. Now, Kaylie was standing in front of Payson with concern and sincerity. It was surreal to say the least.

"I appreciate that." Payson finally replied. "But, I really should be going…"

"Wait!" Kaylie called out, running after her again. She took off the fashionable blue summer scarf draped around her neck and handed it to Payson.

"Uh – thanks." Payson said, holding it with confusion. "What's this for?"

"Well, I thought since you changed out of your pink turtleneck, you might want to….you know…" Kaylie gestured to Payson's neck subtly.

Payson blushed deeply, remembering the hickey she was sporting. "Oh geeze…I totally forgot. Thanks, Kaylie."

Payson gave a half-hearted smile to her old teammate and continued towards the door. She was too distracted to ponder the motive behind Kaylie's unexpected gesture. Her mind was preoccupied with her next task at hand. You see, Payson had to run an errand before returning to the hotel…and it just couldn't wait.

"Hi. I called in for a prescription a few hours ago. The name is Keeler – Payson Keeler."

The pharmacist gave her a friendly smile and typed her name into the computer.

"Ah yes!" the man said kindly. "I see it right here. Let me get that for you."

"Great." Payson said, sighing with relief.

She was waiting under harsh florescent lighting – the kind she always noticed in drug stores like these. Payson felt it beat down on her, almost like a spotlight. Luckily, the pharmacy was fairly empty so Payson didn't feel too insecure. She had been both dreading and anxiously awaiting this very moment for most for the afternoon.

"Here you go, miss." the pharmacist returned with a small white paper bag. Payson took it gratefully. "Make sure to take that –"

"Right away. I know." Payson finished for him.

"Oh, so you've taken emergency contraception before?"

'What? No! Of course not!" Payson blushed when she realized how defensive she sounded. "I mean, I just – I just assumed. I've never needed to-"

"My apologizes." The man said, raising his hand politely. "I didn't mean to pry. I just wanted to know if you had questions. That's what I'm here for."

Payson nodded and thanked him again. She walked away from the counter, fighting the sudden urge she had to curl up into a ball and die of embarrassment.

"Payson?"

She halted in the middle of the store and closed her eyes. Had she just heard that? Had she really just heard a male, British voice call out her name? Was it really possible that – of all the people in the entire world – Sasha Belov would be at that very pharmacy? Could life really be that cruel?

Apparently…yes.

Payson turned and saw the ironic evidence before her. Sasha was walking towards her with a small bag. Out of instinct, Payson partially hid her own behind her back.

"Hi Sasha." She said, her nervousness too overwhelming to hide.

Truth be told, Sasha looked just as terrified. He was gripping a tube of toothpaste – perhaps harder than he should've been. Payson looked down at his hand, wondering curiously whether the tube might explode from the pressure.

Sasha followed her gaze and laughed. He lifted up the product for her to see. "I always forget toothpaste when I travel…"

"Ah…" Payson said, nodding politely. "For me, it's always socks."

He chuckled. "At least I can pick mine up at any drug store. What's that you've got there?" He gestured to the small bag she was holding.

"Allergy medicine." Payson lied quickly.

"Really?" Sasha asked. "I didn't notice you had allergies."

"Well, that's because the medicine works really well!" Payson said, tapping the bag and giving a lame thumbs-up.

Wait – did I really just do that? She thought with mortification. Her mother was right. She really was a horrible liar.

Luckily Sasha didn't notice. He looked down at his feet then back up at Payson.

"Look," he started with difficulty. "I want to apologize for snapping at you this morning in the studio. Ben was acting strangely and I didn't know what he wanted. I think I just took my frustration out on you…"

Payson held up her hand and stopped him. "Seriously, Sasha, I understand."

"No," he interrupted with determination. "I shouldn't allow things like that to impact the way I treat you. All the misunderstandings from last night…and then those questions about your website…I think I just got nervous and –"

"Sasha, stop!"

Payson's voice was unexpectedly harsh. A few people paused from their shopping and looked over at them. She blushed lightly and lowered her voice to a normal level.

"Look," she said, locking their blue eyes together. "We've both been acting strange today, but the fact of the matter is we didn't do anything wrong last night. What I don't get is that you're acting guilty anyways and it's clearly driving you crazy. Sasha, just let it go."

Sasha exhaled, both out of relief and admiration for Payson's mature frankness. How is it that he – almost a decade older than her – couldn't communicate that effectively?

"You're right." He nodded, finally smiling. "I can't believe I reacted so –"

"And stop apologizing while you're at it." Payson interrupted yet again. "There's nothing to apologize for."

He nodded. "Right, right. I'm sorry-" He stopped mid sentence and hung his head. Payson laughed and punched him in the arm.

"You're hopeless, Belov. I can't believe you used to coach me…"

Sasha allowed Payson to end the conversation with the upper hand. He gestured toward to the door and opened it for her. They stepped out into the street and began walking side-by-side back to their hotel.

Payson felt proud of herself. She hadn't lied (exactly), but she did what she knew she had to do; she'd preserved the reality that Sasha needed to hear. The whole day at SNP had reminded her of their first practice at the Rock after she had impulsively kissed Sasha during training. Soon after that, he left for good. Payson wasn't about to let history repeat itself. If that meant lying, then she was going to do it. Sasha had just entered her life again and she wasn't going to let him ago. Over the last few days in New York, she'd realized just how much she missed him. If Sasha Belov was going to leave again, it wasn't going to be her fault. Payson Keeler was determined.

"Payson?" Sasha's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I think your phone is vibrating."

Sure enough Payson's phone was buzzing in her bag. She reached down into her tote and felt around for the device. By the time she got a hold of it, the ringing had ended.

"It was my mom…" she said. "Actually, I have five missed calls from my mom!"

Sasha must've picked up the worry in Payson's tone. He knew how pessimistic she could be about these things. "I'm sure she would've left a message if it was really important." he reasoned.

Payson nodded, though her curiosity was certainly awakened. She continued to stare down at her phone, even as she walked into the hotel. Sasha held the door open for her, ensuring that she wouldn't walk head first into glass.

"Payson! Sasha!"

Before Payson and Sasha realized what was happening, a young, blonde ball of energy pounced on them. Becca Keeler wrapped her arms around her sister and old coach happily. Payson's jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried, hugging her sister back. "What are you doing here?"

"We're surprising you – duh!" Becca said.

"We?" Sasha asked.

As if answering his question, the crowds in the hotel lobby parted and revealed Kim and Mark Keeler standing across the room. Payson's smiled widely and jogged over to her parents. Becca followed, pulling Sasha along with her.

"Thanks for the calls, mom." Payson teased and she greeted her parents. "Next time just text me or something. If anyone calls me more than five times like that I just assume that they're kidnapped or something…"

"Oh you know me!" Kim said. "I'm horrible at leaving messages…"

"Sasha!" Mark said, grabbing his daughters' old coach and shaking his hand firmly. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise, Mr. Keeler." He returned.

Kim, disregarding propriety, stepped forward and hugged Sasha tightly. Usually the only time Sasha hugged anyone was after a complicated gymnastics routine, but this was a nice change. Kim had been a good friend to him for several years and he missed her dearly.

She pulled away and punched in the arm (just like Payson does, he noted).

"Don't ever let that much time pass without us seeing, Sasha!" she warned in her maternal way. "It's unacceptable."

"But, hey! At least we get to make up for lost time." Becca pointed out with a charming grin. "Sasha should come to dinner with us tonight!"

"Oh no," Sashsa said. "I can't intrude on your family time…"

His polite refusal was pointless. Kim and Mark ignored his protests. Sasha had to come out with them tonight and they weren't taking no for an answer.

"You two just go upstairs to your rooms and change into something nice. Apparently your father is taking us somewhere special, but he won't say!" Kim explained, eying her husband playfully.

Mark put his hands up. "What can I say? I have a plan…"

Payson chuckled. Her family could be so overly enthusiastic sometimes, she often didn't know whether feel embarrassed or blessed. Most of the time (like now, for instance), she felt blessed.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Becca asked, pushing them toward the elevators. "I'm hungry! Hurry up!"

Payson and Sasha stepped into the elevator, both still absorbing this wonderful surprise. Just minutes before Payson had felt bogged down and overwhelmed, but now she was elated. She was so happy, her head was practically in the clouds. As the doors closed, however, Kim Keeler called out a compliment to her daughter that would unexpectedly bring Payson back to earth.

"Oh Pay – what a cute scarf!"

A/N: Thank you for your patience! Today I finally sat down and outlined the whole story. Can't wait to write the rest!