Chapter 12

Christmas morning was spent opening gifts that Mark passed out while wearing a Santa hat. Around two pm they sat down to an early dinner. Payson's spirits seemed to be higher, but she still didn't eat much, and her smiles didn't quite reach her eyes. About thirty minutes into dinner they were interrupted by the doorbell. Mrs. Keeler looked to her husband and he got up to answer it. Kelly heard quiet voices coming from the front of the house and then 's voice rang out from the foyer. "Pay, Kim you guys might want to come here."

Payson moved first followed by the tables other two occupants.

''What's going on Dad?" She asked when she got to the front door.

''See for yourself,'' he said indicating she should go outside.

''Merry Christmas Payson!'' MJ was standing in her driveway next to a champagne gold Lexus coupe with a big red bow on top.

''What is going on guys?''

''I thought I would surprise you with all of the good news at once. First of all this," M.J. flourished her hand to indicate the car, "Is a gift from your latest sponsor.''

"What?! When did this happen?"

"End of last week."

"And it's mine just like that."

"It's yours," she smiled at Payson. "And that's not all. I have secured you a principle spot in the most sought after campaign in the sports world right now. The Gucci Gold Collection."

Kelly's eyes narrowed at that information. Lexus was huge but to get a high fashion campagin was almost unheard of in gymnastics. They were just too short and stocky. She listened closely as M.J. filled a stunned Payson in on the details.

"They are doing an Olympic friendly segment for their Gold Collection. There will be swimmers, tennis players, track and field stars, from a myriad of countries all the best hopes for Olympic Gold in 2012. They have dubbed it, 'We are Golden'. It will feature everything from watches, to perfume, and even some sportier pieces from their spring collection. Right now you are slotted for the fragrances, but we can get more if this goes well. Shooting starts on January 3rd and there will be more shoots in the future. It's a two year commitment from now to the Olympics, and if you win Gold there it could be longer." She paused to let the size of such a long term commitment sink in, "Now I know you are hesitant to miss training, but Payson this is the opprotunity of a lifetime. Exposure like this will catapult you to unimaginable heights, and provide you with security after the Olympics. I have Paul on standby, all you have to do, is say yes."

Payson looked back at them questioningly. Kelly rolled her eyes, "It's a no-brainer. Take the offer Keeler."

Payson looked to her mother and father, Kim spoke,"It's up to you sweetie, but I'm with Kelly. You have earned it."

Payson spun around and grinned at M.J. It was the first real smile Kelly had seen from her that day. "You've got a deal."

M.J. grinned back. "It is a pleasure working for you Ms. Keeler." She handed Payson the key to her new car.

She stepped back as the rest of Payson's family came forward to examine the car. Kelly hung back as well, watching the happy family oh and ah over their daughter's success. The distraction seemed to have lifted Payson's spirits, luxury cars and multimillion dollar deals tended to have that effect on a person.

"I'm sorry about all of that bad business with your ankle. You must really love the sport to stay so close to it, even though you can no longer compete." M.J. said in a low tone.

"What?" Kelly was genuinely confused.

"I heard about your ankle." MJ said as though that were enough of an explanation. When she saw the confusion on Kelly's face she went on, "Your mother told us, about your ankle. The doctors said you can no longer compete on it."

"M.J. I don't know what my mother told you, but my ankle is fine. Why else would I be training at the Rock everyday.''

"She said you were in denial. I understand that too, my career was cut short as well. It's a tough pill to swallow."

"I'm not in denial. My ankle is fine. I am a member of the National Team don't you think they would have replaced me if I couldn't compete."

M.J. studied her silently for a moment, as if gauging the veracity of her arguments. "There is a National Team practice on the 10th. They won't only be determining the team they take to Greece, but your eligibility to remain on the team. They already have others in mind, If what you say is true you better make that the practice of your life." She walked away leaving a stunned Kelly in her wake. She knew her mother was mad but she didn't think she would go to these lengths to destroy her career.

A laugh drew her attention back to the people in front of her; Payson and her perfect family. In that moment she felt an overwhelming surge of hatred for them, that ebbed into intense jealousy. Was this her cumuppance for all of her past wrongdoings? Did she deserve this? Why did her entire life have to be a fight? Wasn't anything ever just easy?

Payson chose that moment to look up and wave her over to the car but Kelly backed away slowly towards the house. She couldn't be here right now. She needed space to breathe, think, and get her head together.

Marty told her yesterday that her mother had broken all of her ties with the sponsors. He had been fielding calls since she left, but true to his word he hadn't said anything about her circumstances. Now she knew why her sponsors had run for the hills. Even the hint that she was damaged goods would have sent her marketability into free fall. But her mother hadn't stopped there, it seemed as though she was actively trying to have her dismissed from the National team. It was just to much.

Entering the Keeler home she searched for her things, throwing them into her bag haphazardly. She heard Payson call her name from the doorway but she ignored her. Anything she said to her right now would be incredibly hurtful, but Payson wouldn't just go away. She didn't notice she was even crying until she felt the tears soak into Paysons shirt as her arms came around her. She stood there and let Payson hug her but there was no comfort to be had, she still needed to get out of there. Pulling away she wiped her face. She wanted to be the bigger person and say congratulations or even Merry Christmas but she couldn't so instead she just walked away.

She drove around aimlessly for hours, just thinking. When it boiled down to it she was scared, losing gymmnastics meant losing herself. This was more than just a dream, it was her life. The very essence of who she was, was wrapped up in this sport. She decided that she would have to fight for it, harder than she had ever fought before, because if this was taken away from her she would truly have nothing, and that was unacceptable. Her resolution made, she pulled into her parking spot in front of her building. She trudged up the stairs happy to be home. Shifting her bag from her hand to her shoulder, she went to put her key in the lock, but the door was already open.

Austin Tucker's Christmas sucked. He had spent the day alone in his big house. All of his other friends had things to do or family to be with, and while he had been invited he didn't want to impose. Christmas with other peoples families never sat right with him. he always felt out of place, but it was better than being alone, which he always was, lots of aquaintances but no true friends.

So when his phone rang he was both excited and apprehensive. He didnt know what he wanted more, for the phone to stop ringing, or for it to be a someone inviting him to some holiday shindig. What he didn't expect was to hear an unidentifiable sobbing voice on the other end.

"Austin, it's Kelly," was all he could make out before the sobs overtook her words. He tried to calm her down, but he doubted she could hear him through her tears. She was saying something about karma, cumuppances, and robberies. The last word made him sit up and take notice.

He raised his voice to cut her off "Kelly what is going on, who got robbed?"

"I'm sorry, I'm being stupid, I shouldn't have called you like this, "

Austin knew that Kelly was alot of things but stupid wasn't one of them. "Kelly dont hang up. What happened?"

There was a long pause, and he thought maybe she had hung up. Then he heard her voice it sounded small, and registered only barely above a whisper. "I came home and my apartment was destroyed, there is glass everywhere and I can't find anything. My lamps are all broken so I cant turn on the light-"

"Kelly you need to get out of there. The person could still be inside." He was dead serious.

"There is no one here. I live in a studio, I can see the entire place from the front door."

"What's your address? I'll be right there."

She paused again. "Really?" Her voice was tiny and weak. It made him want to run to her side.

"Of course. Now give me your address." She complied, rattling off a street name in a rather shady area. "Ok, now stay there, and try to stay calm. I'm on my way."

He grabbed his keys and ran out the door. He probably broke every traffic law there was and then some but he couldn't help himself. He knew that his need to help stemmed from his inability to help his sister when she needed him most. He tried to stifle it, but his latent protective instincts seemed to bubble to the surface where the rock rebels were concerned. First with Kaylie and now Kelly, to the world, they were these strong formidable athletes, but he knew that underneath the bluster they were still fragile young women, crushed between having a normal life and living up to almost impossible expectations. He was living the same struggle. Winning his first Olympic medal was the easy part, it was the follow up act that caused him to wake up in cold sweats in the middle of the night. Living up to the demands of this sport were hard enough, too many outside problems, like the ones Kelly seemed to be facing, and one had no choice but to crumble. He wouldn't let her, not if he had any say in it.

He pulled up in front of her building and cringed. It was all but falling down. When he got to her floor he could see the door knob was hanging on by a thread, and the place where the lock met the frame was sporting a cresent shaped hole. She would not be staying here tonight, or ever again, if he had anything to say about it. He knocked gently on the wood, calling her name, and was surprised when the door opened immediately, as if she had been standing on the other side waiting for him.

There were tracks of dried tears covering her cheeks. She also looked embarrassed, giving him a rather wane smile.

"You came." She sounded like a small child, sad and hopeful at the same time. It made him want to find whomever had done this and hurt them, badly. Since that was impossible for the moment, he would have to settle for comfort over vengence.

"You called, of course I came." He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close into a tight placed her forehead in the hollow of his throat and breathed scent was comforting and his embrace was full of warmth. In that moment she felt like she could stay there in his arms forever. He felt safe.

When she had come home and found the ruins of what was once her apartment, her first thought had been to call Payson. She had the number halfway dialed, until she realized that she didn't want to face her even more now. There were very few numbers in her phone. She scrolled through until the list had restarted, with Austin. She pressed his name before she could think better of it, and was suprised when he picked up on the first ring.

Now he was here, and he was murmuring words of comfort into her hair, she didnt really care what he as saying, just that he was there. He pulled back to soon for her liking.

"Get you stuff, I'll help you pack." He said grabbing her overnight bag from Payson's and putting it on his shoulder. "Can you drive?"

She looked confused, "A bag? Drive."

"You cant stay here anymore. That lock it's busted, and this place is obviously not 'll stay with me." He said as though it was a forgone conclusion.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Pack a bag or I will take you with only the clothes you have on your back." He growled lowly.

Kelly narrowed her eyes. "I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but this isn't the time to be stubborn! You dont have to be ashamed to let someone help you. It doesnt make you weak or helpless. It makes you smart. I know you are independent. I know you can take care of yourself, but this is serious. This is no refection on your ability to take careof yourself. It's something that happened to you, but it is not your fault. Right now you need my help, so let me help you!" His eyes stared imploringly into hers. They stood there staring each other down for a solid minute.

Without breaking the eye contact Kelly said, "I'll get my stuff."

"Good," was Austin's solemn reply, before letting a smile creep up one side of his face. He leaned back putting some distance between them. "So can you drive?"

"I think I can manage." She said walking towards the far end of the tiny room.

He cringed as he finally took in the damage. The floor was covered in pieces of broken glass from the lamps and picture frames. The mattress had been flipped and torn, and didnt appear to have a frame. Did she sleep on just a mattress on the floor? The fold out table where he assumed she ate her meals was turned over and two of the legs were broken. He didn't see a T.V., but judging by the spartan furnishings there might not have been one. He doubted she had any renter's insurance, and he knew her pride would never let her accept his help putting this to rights. He would just have to be subtle about it.

She was digging frantically through the glass by the mantle. he saw her pick up a picture and slip it into her jacket pocket. She zipped up another duffel bag and threw her large satchel bag over her shoulder. He took the duffel from her hand.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's all I need."

"Well, alright then." He put his hand on her shoulder, and guided her down the stairs to her car. Austin opened the door and placed all of the bags on the backseat. She was standing next to the driver side door motionless, he reached for her hand. "Hey, it's alright. You're safe now. And I promise we will fix this, ok?"

She looked at him, and the gratitude in her eyes made him feel oddly invincible.

"Thank you. I mean, that sounds so lame. This is so far beyond, I-I can't even…I just…thank you."

"You're welcome. Though I should warn you, when I assist any damsel in distress I require a full evaluation to be submitted after the event."

She cracked a smile and shifted her hand around in his so she could lace their fingers together.

"Perfect 10's across the board. Even the German judge liked your performance." Her words made Austin breathe an internal sigh of relief. If she was joking, then it was going to be alright.

He quipped, "Damn, I'm good. I always figured I would be, but it's nice to have irrefutable proof."

She smiled again. Much, much better.

"Follow me, try not to get lost."

The trip to his house didn't take long. Kelly used the time to think. She wasn't sorry that she called him, calling Austin just felt right. She didn't know why but he always seemed to be there when she was in trouble. That night on the roof in Rio after Carter ripped her heart out and stomped on it, in the coffee shop after her mother ripped out her heart and stomped on it, and then tonight when life ripped out her heart and stomped on it. He was her personal knight in shining armour.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of what could only be called a mansion. She tried to hide her astonishment, she knew Austin had made out like a bandit after the Olympics but she had no idea that he had done this well.

"C'mon. I can give you the tour."

He led her into the kitchen, then walked into the pantry while she took a seat at the breakfast bar. He turned on the kettle and grabbed two mugs, filling them with cocca powder. He turned to her while he measured out the sugar.

"I apologize for my lack of sexy coffee drinks, hot chocolate is the best I can do, at least it is festive."

Kelly absently traced circles on the marble countertop, until he placed the steaming mug in front of her.

"Why are you helping me Austin? You could have called someone else after you found out, or taken me somewhere else, to a friends house, that is what most people would have done. So why am I here at your house, drinking hot chocolate. Why are you helping me?"

"You mean why I care so much... it's just... this being alone thing is something we share. The other people around us have support systems, Kaylie has her parents dysfunctional though they may be, and Payson has parents that would make the Cleavers jealous. Steve Tanner maybe dirty, but he does most of the dirt is done to make sure Lauren comes out on top, and Chloe Kmetko, well she would set the world on fire if it would help Emily. My family cares but they have so many problems of their own that they can't be bothered with mine. Everybody else, no matter how bad things get for them, they have family to fall back on, but not us; we just have ourselves. We are up on that high wire without the net to catch us. But we can do that for each other. You fall I'll be there to catch you. If you dont mind doing the same for me."

"What is it about this holiday that brings out the sentimentality in people." Kelly groused.

Austin smirked. "Well you just think about it. The offer is good, no expiration date. "He took a long gulp from his mug and then placed it in the sink, walking towards the doorway.

Kelly stood and followed him, before she passed through the doorway she stopped. "Dont worry, I would be doing the world a disservice if I let you smash that pretty head of yours on the ground, so I guess I would have to catch you too."

He smiled brightly at her words. "Ready for the tour?"

They walked down the hall and he pointed out some of the features of the house and important rooms. Once upstairs he led her to the spare room closest to his and placed her bag on the bed. Then he showed her where the bathroom was and left her there while he grabbed a towel from the closet. When he got back, she was grimacing at her reflection in the mirror.

"Here you go. Use as much hot water as you'd like. I'll be in my room, which is right down the hall. Just call if you need anything. Anything at all." He started to leave until he felt her grab his arm. Then they were hugging again, she was strong for such a tiny little thing.

She pulled back and looked up at him with a tremulous smile.

"Thank you again. I seriously dont know what I would have done without you."

"You would have been alright. You're made of tough stuff." He gave her a gentle smile. "But just because you can handle things alone, doesn't mean you have to. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Something about her sad eyes and fragile demeanor was bringing out the latent 'protective man' instinct in him.

"Ok. Anyway, thanks. I'm gonna go scrub at least the top three layers of my skin off." She wrapped her arms around herself while clutching the towel to her chest.

"You do that. Shampoo and conditioner are on the ledge, soap is in the holder. I'm sorry I don't have any body wash or something more feminine." He made a mental note to figure out what kind of bath products she used and pick some up just in case.

"That's fine. Soap's gender-neutral. Thanks."

He nodded and left her alone in the bathroom. Then he sat on the edge of his bed listening to the water run. He had a feeling she was probably crying in there, using the running water to muffle her sobs. The thought broke his heart a bit.

A while later, the water finally stopped. There was silence for a minute, then he heard the bathroom door open. Footsteps came down the hall and paused outside his room. He tensed, ready to jump up and help in whatever way she required, but then the footsteps continued on in the direction of her make-shift bedroom.

The house was silent for awhile. Austin knew because he stayed up listening. He tried to sleep, but part of him just couldn't stand the idea of not being there if she needed him. Around midnight he slipped out of his room and opened her door. She was asleep on top of the covers clutching the pillow to her chest as if it was another person. He grabbed the quilt that was thrown over the foot of the bed and placed it on top of her sleeping form. On a whim he leaned down and brushed his lips across her forehead.

"Merry Christmas Kelly."

He turned and left. Kelly stared at the door as it closed softly behind him.

So this chapter was Kelly/Austin centric. I got alot of requests for them so here you go hope you like it. Any other thoughts or suggestions are welcome. As always please Review Favorite and Follow (it's free and it's fun).