Sasha surveyed the busy gym floor and nodded in satisfaction at what he saw. The Rock was hosting the Women's National team along with the Junior Girls' National team, the first of many combined practices that would lead them into the Olympics in August. The junior girls turning sixteen in the calendar year would remain ineligible for most major competitions until the Olympics themselves, but based upon what he saw, there was a good chance one or possibly two of the current juniors would be taking spots on the Olympic team in place of two current members.

Everything was still very much up in the air, but if Sasha had to lay a bet on it, Kaylie Cruz had to step up her game and fast if she wanted to be included on the 2012 Olympic team. She had never really recovered her championship form after her time away from the sport after her collapse at the 2010 World Championships. After these Worlds, where some said she underachieved, the rise of Isabella Ruggeri seemed imminent. She was the perfect age and a flawless performer. He felt someone at his shoulder and looked over to see his father standing there, the same content expression upon his face. It was the program his father always dreamed of building in Romania and despite the requirements of working through the club system and not a united national program, he could see the unbridled joy wash over his father's face as his eyes flitted from one gymnast to another. His eyes finally stopped on Payson who was standing next to her sister and the youngest member of the junior team, eleven year old, Julia Harrison. She was their golden hope and his father had no idea what was about to occur in the gym. It was a new year and Payson's routines were ready. She'd debut them at the Pacific Rim championships in May, but she'd perform them for the first time at a National team practice today.

He smiled to himself and his father noticed, "What makes you smile like that?" he asked.

"You're going to want to watch Payson today," Sasha said, unable to keep the grin from spreading. His father began every National team practice with a simple rotation, allowing all the gymnasts to run through their routines fully before they began evaluations, corrections and critiques.

Boris pursed his lips, "She has new skills?"

"Just watch," he said, nodding towards the bars where she swung up under the watchful eye of most of her teammates.

He did not watch the routine, he'd seen it hundreds of times, he wanted to see the reactions of the rest of the national gymnastics program, from the awe in the faces of the younger gymnasts to the unbridled envy washing across the faces of the other club coaches including Marty Walsh who was standing at his other arm. He saw the gasps and smiles as she flew into her release combinations, one after another and then another, and then the dismount.

He heard her feet hit the mat and then an anonymous "Holy shit," exclaimed from one of the girls in the crowd that gathered.

Payson pointedly ignored the attention and nodded towards Isabella Ruggeri, the fifteen year old junior national champion, who suddenly looked nervous about doing her bars set.

"What is the…"

He cut Marty's question off, "Eight point zero," he said, unable to keep the superior tone from his voice as he quoted the calculated difficulty level of Payson's bars routine. He heard Mardy suck in a breath and then let out a low whistle.

"Way to bring your A-game, Beloff," he said and Sasha smiled at him.

"I believe it was Payson who completed the routine," Boris barked at them. He approached the bars and glared at the gathered crowd, "All of you, show is over, back to work," he said, clapping his hands in their direction. "Payson," he said, calling her over and putting a hand on her shoulder.

Sasha approached from behind them, more interested in watching Ruggeri's bar routine than listening to whatever his father had to say about Payson's routine. The old man was smiling as he spoke to Payson who smiled in return. Sasha focused on the bars and watched the fifteen year old swinging around, her tiny body flying through the air. Her routine was excellent, would bring a solid score in the high sixteens. He smiled at the young girl as she landed on the mat, taking a small hop and then raised her arms. She sighed in relief, obviously just happy to stay on her feet and keep her routine clean.

"Nice work, Isabella," he said as she moved past him.

"Oh, umm, thank you," she said, looking up at him with large brown eyes. She seemed more than a little overwhelmed by the people surrounding her at the moment.

"Focus on those handstands," he said, nodding to where Kelly Parker was working her set. "Watch Kelly, twelve o'clock every time, legs glued together, toes pointed. Every time," he said. They both watched Kelly Parker finish her routine.

"Good job, Kelly," Marty called from the other side of the mat.

Payson watched Isabella perform her bars set and was impressed. She needed some polish, but the girl was definitely legitimate. She cringed as she looked across the gym where Kaylie was working on her floor routine. Boris was standing by her side.

"That new routine, you and my son designed it?" he asked.

She smiled at him, "I drew it up originally and we worked on it together. It's very different from my original design. I have new routines on all the events," she said and he raised his busy, grey eyebrows in surprise.

Boris nodded and his expression shifted, "And how is he?" he asked.

It was standard procedure now, whenever the National Team practiced, Boris would find an excuse to talk to her alone and then he would quietly ask about his son. Payson winced. This time was different however, she hadn't seen Boris since she and Sasha had called a halt to things and she glared towards Sasha who obviously hadn't informed his father.

She sighed, "He's doing well," she said and Boris nodded. She had to tell him. Sasha didn't get along with his father, but she did. "We haven't been seeing as much of each other, outside of training," she said quietly.

Boris's eyes flashed to hers and she was shocked at the rage she saw there. She sought to cool his temper, "It was, necessary, after the world championships" she said, not sure what else to say.

"You say, necessary?" he asked. Her words hadn't had the effect she hoped. He looked even more angry than before. "And why was it necessary?" he practically seethed. Suddenly his anger seemed directed at her. Then she remembered: the kiss, he thinks it was about the kiss.

"You should talk to Sasha," she said, with a sigh.

"I will," he said, storming away from her.

"What was that about?" Isabella asked and Payson turned to her. They were the first words the junior National Champion had uttered to her.

"Boris being Boris," Payson said with a shrug and as sincere a smile as she could manage. "He tends to run hot and cold. Don't let it faze you."

The younger girl nodded. "That routine was incredible," she said, almost shyly.

Payson looked at her. The girl was tiny, probably no more than five feet tall, dark brown hair held in a high ponytail and green eyes that matched the dark green leo she wore. Payson smiled lightly, Isabella was making an effort and it wouldn't kill her to do the same. The way things were shaking out, this girl would probably be her teammate in London.

"Thank you. It's still new, so I'm trying to work out the kinks, but hopefully it will be ready for Pacific Rim."

"It looks great right now. You work here at the Rock with Coach Beloff, right?" she asked and Payson looked up sharply. The answer to the question was obvious, Isabella kne she trained at the Rock, the entire gymnastics world did.

"I do," Payson responded, eyeing the girl carefully, "along with Lauren, Emily and Kaylie."

"My parents, they're thinking of moving to Colorado," she said, looking at Payson meaningfully. Ah, she's looking to make a move.

Payson shook her head, her smile widening. "Do your parents want to speak with me?" she asked, and looked past Isabella into the parents' viewing area where she saw what had to be Isabella's parents staring at them. She nodded to them and she saw Isabella's mother smile. "Where do you train now?"

"I'm from Chicago," she said, looking shocked that Payson didn't know where she was from. "My parents think that my coaches have taken me as far as they can."

"And what do you think?" Payson asked, trying to take stock of this little girl who could possibly help her towards a team gold medal.

Isabella shrugged, "I might have planted the idea in their head," she said and they both laughed a little. Payson remembered when she'd first brought up the idea of moving to Boulder. Her parents thought she'd lost her mind.

"They really should speak to Sasha first," Payson said, looking across the gym where Sasha was watching Lauren on the beam, his father standing next to him, looking put out, but not furious like he had when he'd left her company. She'd royally screwed up that conversation, she could only rely on Sasha to mop up her mess.

"They want to hear from you, about what it's like here."

"And what about you, do you want to hear about what it's like here?" Payson asked raising her eyebrows.

"The Rock has seven national team members here right now and Coach Beloff. That's all I need to know," she said. Payson smiled. She liked this girl.

Kaylie finished her floor routine and looked over at Boris who was not paying attention in the slightest. She sighed. How had it come to this? She was a former national champion and she couldn't hold the attention of the national team head coach. She sighed and moved off the floor to let Becca Keeler work through her routine. Her eyes flashed across the floor towards the uneven bars and saw Payson standing with Isabella Ruggeri, the junior national champion. They were smiling and laughing, as if they hadn't a care in the world, which they didn't. Kaylie fumed and Lauren was suddenly by her side, after completing her beam set.

"What going on over there?" Lauren asked, nodding her head towards Sasha and Boris, who seemed to be snapping at each other. There was nothing unsual about that however, they were always sniping and being sarcastic with each other. Kaylie figured it was how they showed their affection.

Kaylie shrugged, "No idea. Boris hasn't been near me all day, so I wouldn't know what's going on in his head."

She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice, but she couldn't help it. She saw the writing on the wall. Boris had his golden girl with Payson, Kelly was a solid number two and Andrea had become his all-around fall back, finishing sixth in the all-around at Worlds. Emily had proved she could be counted on to be consistent and Lauren was money on the beam. The ways in which she could help the team at the Olympics seemed to be dwindling and Isabella Ruggeri was breathing down her neck. She looked over again and saw Payson moving away from them, towards the beam where Sasha and Boris were still speaking. No one else in the gym would have dared to do it, but Kaylie supposed when you were a two-time World Champion the rules, even unwritte ones, were a little different. Or, you know, sleeping with the coach probably helps too. She shook her head. Payson was her friend and she would help her again if she could. She remembered their media tour after the World Championships. They had just completed an exhibition with the men's national team and were attending an party in Los Angeles, on the last night of their tour before heading home.

The club was practically pulsing, the bass from the music pounding through Kaylie's ear and chest as she moved as far away from the dance floor as she could, where she spied Nicky dancing with a girl completely unfamiliar to her. It hurt a lot more than she had any right to feel after the way she treated him. She spied a set of doors that looked like they led outside and she moved through the throngs of people towards them. They led onto a large stone balcony where there were only a few people milling around. She caught sight of a familiar blonde head leaning against the stone railing, staring out into the bright cityscape.

"Hey, Pay," she said, bumping her friends' shoulder lightly with her own. Payson quickly wiped at her cheeks, trying to compose herself. Kaylie sighed. The media had been ruthless these last two weeks, constantly barraging her with questions about Austin. She didn't think it would be enough to reduce Payson to tears. Her friend was usually so strong. "You okay?"she asked.

Payson nodded and then shook her head, "Austin told me you knew, that you figured it out and you warned him about Lauren," she said and Kaylie frowned.

"I asked him not to tell you."

Payson laughed, "You know Austin, you tell him to do one thing and…"

"He does another," Kaylie finished for her, briefly remembering the day he'd come to warn her parents about her disorder and how he declared himself right there, in front of her parents.

"Exactly," Payson said, wiping away a final tear. "I wanted to thank you, for doing what you did. I know I didn't deserve it. I lied to you I've been lying to everyone."

"Payson, please, you're my friend. End of story." Payson smiled at her and Kaylie returned it.

"Thanks, Kaylie," she said. For a moment Kaylie thought she was going to go on, tell her something, something that Kaylie thought might be important, but then she clapped her mouth shut and sighed.

They stood in silence for a while longer before Kaylie could no longer contain herself, "So you and Sasha, I admit I didn't see that coming."

Payson laughed mirthlessly, "Neither did I, until it happened."

Kaylie took in her friend's expression, She didn't appear particularly happy. "Are you sure you're okay, Payson?"

"I'm fine, I just, I miss him," she said. It sounded simple enough, but Kaylie thought she saw something in Payson's eyes, something that meant more than missing a man she'd see the next day. She didn't pry, it wasn't her place and there were some things she just didn't want to know.

It was the last time she'd really talked to Payson. When they returned home, her friend threw herself head first into her training and the old Payson, the one that zoned out and barely heard a word people said around her most of the time, was back.

"Hello, Earth to Kaylie," Lauren said, snapping her fingers in front of her face.

"What?" she said, shaking her head, "Sorry."

"You're starting to act like Payson," Lauren said with a smug smirk.

They may be best friends, but Lauren Tanner never could pass up a chance to get in a small jab. Thanks to Austin's very public display, she was totally convinced, just like the rest of the world that he and Payson were together. Who could blame her though? The kiss had been remarkably convincing.

One night, feeling particularly masochistic, Kaylie had watched the video. It was all over the internet, some crazy fans even creating music videos of the footage. As she watched Austin and Payson dance, his cheek brush against her hair, and finally their lips coming together, Austin's tongue flicking lightly against Payson's bottom lip, before their mouths opened against each others, deepening the kiss before Payson pulled away abruptly and they walked out of the ballroom, Austin's arm around her waist. If she hadn't known better, she would have thought it was very real and not a complete farce. The only thought that ran through her mind when she saw it was that it was a grown-up kiss. For all her experience with Carter and Nicky, and even the few moments she'd shared with Austin, she didn't think she'd ever been kissed like that. And it wasn't even real. She thought back to what Lauren once said to her. She was the kind of girl that boys wanted to marry, not the girl boys wanted to have sex with. Was she still that girl? What made her different from Lauren or even Payson, the girl who swore she'd be a virgin until she won an Olympic medal? She looked around the gym, first towards Lauren standing at her side, a virtual lock for the Olympic team with her beam skills and the confidence, at least outwardly, to say and do whatever she liked. Her eyes shifted to Emily, on the other side of the floor, a scholarship at UCLA awaiting the conclusion of her international career and a rock star of a boyfriend who worshiped her. Then she saw Payson, the reigning National and World Champion and the favorite to win the Olympic all-around, standing next to the man she adored, a perfect match in the gym and out of it. Then she turned her thoughts to herself, and suddenly Kaylie felt very young, very silly and very much on the outside looking in.

Kim Keeler watched from the office windows as both her daughters trained under the expert eye of some of the best coaches in the world. She had never imagined this when she'd first signed her constantly bouncing four year old up for gymnastics back in Minnesota, so she wouldn't have to chase her around the jungle gym while nearly seven months pregnant. If anyone had told her this was what their life would become she wouldn't have believed them.

The initial rotation was finished and Payson had moved immediately to the beam, shoulder to shoulder with Sasha as they discussed something. Payson hopped up onto the four inches and moved towards the far edge. She flipped her body into the air from a standing position, somehow creating her enough momentum to complete what looked like a tumbling pass across the beam, finishing with her toe practically curling over the edge. Sasha moved forward as she finished and stood just infront of her. He spoke to her and she answered. They had a brief conversation, before Sasha tapped her foot lightly with his hand and she sprung backwards, again from a standing position across the beam, one skill flowing seemlessly into another. Kim didn't know what they were called, but the routine had been enough to stop the entire gym when she performed it earlier. In fact all four of Payson's routines during the initial rotation had drawn the attention of every other occupant of the gym. Her eyes refocused on Payson as she dismounted the beam and moved off the mat quickly to let another girl work. Sasha approached her, both wore equally serious expressions as they discussed something, it didn't seem to be gymnastics related as their eyes kept shooting towards the parents viewing area. Then Sasha nodded and Payson walked away towards the vault to begin stretching out her knee.

She'd watched them carefully for months now, ever since confronting her daughter about her feelings for Sasha after Thanksgiving. She had no idea what to make of what she'd seen. Either her daughter was an extraordinary actor or she hadn't been kidding when she told Kim that there was nothing to worry about. She didn't seem uncomfortable or tense around him, if anything, they seemed comfortable. She'd briefly toyed with the idea of bringing it up with Sasha, but the thought of that conversation made her uneasy. She didn't want to make Sasha feel uncomfortable around Payson. It was a tricky situation, one that she was starting to believe she imagined the expression of longing that crossed Payson's face on Thanksgiving, but then it would flash across her mind again and she knew it was real. She felt completely helpless. There was nothing she could do for her daughter, but sit back and watch and be there for her if she needed her mom.

"Kim," a voice startled her out of her reverie.

She nearly leapt out of her skin, she hadn't seen or heard his approach, "Sasha," she said, putting a hand over her heart. She turned and smiled at him.

"Sorry," he said, and moved past her to sit at his desk.

"No, I was just in another world. How's the practice going?" she asked, nodding towards the floor as she returned to her desk.

"Well enough. I think Payson is making everyone at the NGO feel very comfortable about her leading us into London. Maybe a little too comfortable," he said, frowning.

"And the juniors, how are they handling this?" she asked, waving her hand around in the air.

It was a major concern of several junior national team parents that their girls would suddenly be training with the older girls. The junior girls were the top in their sport, for their age, but the level of skill on the senior national team blew them away in general.

"Well enough," he said. "Isabella Ruggeri is thinking about coming to train at the Rock," he said. "She put a feeler out with Payson."

"Wow, well that would be…" she trailed off.

"Uncomfortable and a little too much of a good thing," he finished for her with a sigh.

Kim couldn't help but agree. The Rock currently housed four Olympic hopefuls on the women's side and there were only six spots to be had on the Olympic team. For all their talk about gymnastics really being a team sport, there would likely be some backlash from some of the elite families about adding another elite girl to the already packed roster.

"She's the junior National champion," Kim said. "You don't turn down a talent like that."

Sasha smirked, "I'm sure that's what they said when Payson wanted to come train here."

Kim snorted in agreement. She'd been told enough stories from other parents to know that was true. After Marty recruited them from Minnesota, several of the other parents, including both Steve Tanner and Alex Cruz had expressed reservations. Their daughters were the stars of the gym and would have to take a back seat to the top junior in the country. That wouldn't be the case now, but Ruggeri was excellent and would probably rank at least third in the gym right now, despite her junior status, maybe second. Those same parents would probably have those same reservations, especially this close to the Olympics.

"No matter," Sasha said, "as you said, you don't turn down talent like that. It doesn't come around very often." He smiled, mostly to himself as his gaze drifted towards one of the pictures on the wall.

Kim turned and saw it was a photograph from the World Championships two years ago, coach and athlete embracing, the scoreboard in the background flashing a ten for execution. Kim was struck at the level of affection clear as day on his face.

Slowly, very slowly, a tiny voice in the back of her head told her to take notice of it, but as quickly as the expression appeared it was gone and the voice with it. "Sasha," she began, not entirely sure what she wanted to say.

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes moving towards her expectantly.

She shook her head, "Nothing. I'm going to grab some lunch; do you want me to pick you up anything?"

"No, thank you. I'm actually having lunch with the parents board," he said, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling. "After I speak to the Ruggeris."

"Oh wow, well have fun," she said, chuckling to herself as she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair.

He snorted derisively, "About as much fun as a heart attack."