The Next Day…

Nadia awoke with an unusually tired feeling about her. Her eyes opened slowly and looked around the room that wasn't her own, and yet, was still strangely familiar. Her eyes wandered to the window where the light of day was shining through, showing it was morning. As she lifted herself from the bed, she realized that she wasn't wearing anything.

"Oh my gosh, I'm naked!" Nadia cried. Then, all of the memories came flooding back and hit her like an ocean wave. She thought about this for a second and then looked to the bed where Vlad was still sleeping.

Nadia sauntered over to Vlad and saw that, he too, was naked. She looked up and down at his muscular body that had gotten that way from hockey training. He started at his face that was filled with kindness and love given to only one girl. She smiled and gently pressed her lips against his forehead, then kissed his lips, then finally kissed his neck. This made Vlad awake in a flash.

"Nadia," he said, "That was the night of my life."

Nadia only smiled and laid herself, rapped in a blanket, on top of him. It was the only thing separating the two bodies. But even that was too much for Vlad, who pulled the blanket lower and lower until it was completely off of Nadia and they were lying naked in the queen size bed. Then, all of a sudden, Nadia started to cry.

"What's wrong?" asked Vlad.

"I—I just never though that…" Nadia said, "that this could happen to me…"

Vlad smiled. "Can you do me a favor, Vlad?" she asked.

"Of coarse," he said, "Anything."

"I want you to hold me… and never let go…"

So Vlad held her in his arms for what seemed like forever… that is, until they heard voices outside of the room they were in. Panicking, they rapped themselves in blankets and hid in a corner of the room. Both of them were laughing, even though their secret might become revealed at any moment.

The door swung open to reveal Chelsea, Tina and Halley standing in the doorway. They looked around the room before they went in.

"I know it was her and that Commie!" said Chelsea, "I mean, she's been attached to him ever since they met in Russia!"

"Why are we making such a big deal about this?" asked Halley, "I mean, it's not like…"

Halley stopped. She was looking directly at Nadia and Vlad, huddled in the corner of the room. All Halley saw was Nadia's eyes grow wide with the fear of being humiliated, or even hurt, again. Then, Halley smiled slightly and continued talking.

"You're such a dumb blonde!" said Tina, "You just totally spaced!"

"Uh, yeah…" said Halley, trying not to look at the couple in the corner, "Sorry about that. Well, they're not here, let's go!"

"You sound so anxious to leave!" said Tina, "Why?"

"Well… uh," said Halley, "I don't want to be in a room where someone just did it!"

"Eww… yeah!" said Chelsea, "Let's get out of here! I only want to be in a room like that if it was me that just did it!"

"Trust me babe, you'll have plenty of those rooms!" said Tina.

The three of them walked out rather quickly and went to talk to a few men standing outside. Vlad and Nadia, still huddled together, went to the door to see who it was. Chelsea was talking to Rizzo, Tina was talking to OC and Halley was talking to Jimmy.

"Well, if Nadia can get it with a Soviet, then I want it with you!" cried Chelsea.

The expression on Rizzo's face was one that both Vlad and Nadia would never forget. "No, Chels!" he said, "If you want sex just because your enemy had it then… I'm sorry… we're though!"

"No, that's not why!" she said to him, trying to make him come back.

"Yeah, whatever!" he yelled to her, "I can't believe I even wasted my time with you!"

Rizzo walked away from the group with disgust and slammed the door to the USA suite behind him. That's when it hit Nadia where they were.

"We're in the US suite!" she cried.

"You don't remember me talking to a few of the boys?" asked Vlad, "Well, I asked them if we could borrow a room for the night. They pretty much understood why, knowing about Tikhonov and all…"

"So, they all know?" asked Nadia, "About you and me having… sex?"

"Not all of them…" said Vlad, "Just the coach is oblivious!"

Nadia tried not to smile but she couldn't help it. She hit him playfully on the chest a few times until he pulled her close and kissed her neck.

"Oh, wait, Vlad!" she said in-between giggles, "No…we need to, ah! Keep our presence, ah, hidden!"

"Hmm, alright…" he said, running his hands down her back, giving her chills, "but, later on, okay?"

Nadia nodded and, still smiling with delight, turned to look out the door again. She was in complete shock when she turned and saw everyone looking at them. Nadia's face turned pale as she turned to Vlad, who was even paler.

"I think they know…" said Nadia.

"Yeah, I would say so!" said Vlad, starting to stand up, pulling Nadia along with him.

The two of them walked into the common room, not caring if they were clothed or not, and sat on the couch facing the others. For a moment, there was only silence… Vlad, who was looking from face to face at each shocked expression, decided to look at the only face that knew what was going on. When he turned to Nadia, her head was down and her cheeks were unusually red. She had her eyes closed and her fists clenched on her lap. Vlad put an arm around her and she snuggled against him.

"Alright," said OC, "That's enough for me!"

"Hey, you said we could spend the night." Said Vlad, "Why did these three come in looking for us? You knew what we were doing!"

"Good question!" said OC to Tina, "Why did you go in there?"

"Well, we just wanted to see if the rumor was true!" she said, "I mean, we didn't actually think little Nadia would do such a thing!"

"Hey!" shouted Nadia, "I'm not that little! And I can do whatever I like without you knowing about it!"

"You wouldn't be talking so tough if your boyfriend didn't have his hands all over you!" Chelsea said, advancing on Nadia.

"You know what," said Nadia, getting up from the couch, "I don't really care what you think of me! To tell you the truth, the only thing I've ever seen you do, besides hit on guys, was pick on me! That's a pretty sad way to live life… just being horrible to someone!

"And I'm not saying that about all of you! Halley has a good heart and every time you pick on me, I see Halley wanting to say something!"

All eyes turned to Halley, who looked like she had a lot to say. "Well, I just can't stand seeing Nadia and Sally getting beaten on!" she said, "It's horrible!"

"You little double-crosser!" Tina said, "How dare you! You're supposed to be on our side!"

Tina wrapped her arms around OC, who pulled away from her. "No way cutie!" he said, "It's not even worth it!"

He walked out of the hotel suite the same way Rizzo did, slamming the door behind him. Chelsea and Halley looked at Tina, whose mouth was hanging open like she had just been hit… hard. Just then, Halley turned to Jim, who was looking at the door. She felt that the same thing was about to happen to her and didn't want it to be as painful.

"Okay Jim…" she started to say, "I get it… I'm a boy obsessed, self-absorbed, follower that will never amount to anything so… go ahead, you can go…"

Jim stood, dumbstruck, looking at Halley with heavy feeling in his eyes. He didn't know what to say to her. For everything that she said was true, but Jim didn't' want to leave her. Halley had a good heart deep down, unlike Chelsea and Tina, and he wanted to help her release it.

"No, Halley… no," he said, "I don't want to leave you."

Halley looked at him with tears in her eyes. "You don't?"

"No… you have a kind soul, and I can see that." He said, "I don't want to have any other girl but you."

Tina and Chelsea looked at each other and then at Halley and Jim. Chelsea glared at Halley and said, "Well fine! Have it that way you fat slut!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" cried Jim, holding Halley's hands in his, "She's worth ten times as much as you two put together!"

"You know what?" shouted Tina, "We'll find hotter guys on a foreign team! Foreign guys are so hot!"

"Fine… you do that!" said Halley, "But just remember, hot doesn't equal kind and goodhearted!"

"Yeah, it equals a nice ass!" said Tina.

Tina and Chelsea hooked arms and walked out of the room with their noses in the air, slamming the door behind them in disgust.

Vlad and Nadia looked from each other to Halley and Jim. The new couple was smiling at each other, looking like they had just found their soul mate.

"So… how does it feel?" Nadia asked Halley.

"What?" Halley replied.

"How does it feel to be free?"