A/N: Hi, guys! Just as a heads up, there's a part that gets really fluffy in this chapter. So, you hang in there, kids. Ok? Kisses!

"Victor," I scrambled a bit, looking for clothes. Ok. I'm not naked, so I have that going for me. My head hurts like hell, but that's to be expected after last night. Still no explanation of how I got on the couch, though. For now, I'll take it as a win. Back to the task at hand, "What are you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop in," Victor got up to sit with me, "Gene let me in. He's delightful, by the way."

"Thanks, Victor!" Gene called from the kitchen.

"And I was going to see if you were doing anything before practice," he wondered.

"Shit..." I groaned, "That's right. I have that practice thing."

"A little forgetful, are we?" he poked at me.

"Please," I rolled my eyes, instantly regretting it. That made me dizzy, "If you could spare me the lecture this morning, that'd be great. I'm in no mood for it."

"So, you slept on the couch last night," Victor pushed my tangled mess of hair out of my face, "Violet, I'm your best friend, not your physical therapist. Why would I lecture you about that?"

"Sorry," I relaxed. By the sounds of it, he's clueless, "I'm still kind of scatterbrained."

"Although..." Shit. Here it comes, "I noticed you left your vodka out last night. That bottle was fuller the last time I saw it."

Dammit, Violet. You sloppy drunk, "What about it?"

"I thought you seemed a little off," Victor caught on, putting his hand to my forehead, "Not feeling too hot, are you?"

"No," I curled into his shoulder, hoping it'd lessen the blow.

"At least you had the sense to stay home," he kissed the top of my throbbing head.

As far as he knew. And that's the way it's going to stay, "Yeah. Finished off some leftover Chinese food, watched a movie, had a few, and I must've fallen asleep out here."

"Nevertheless," Victor got up and held his hand out to me, "Come on."

"What?" I gave him a look, "Why? Where?"

"Violet," he giggled to himself, "It's not my first time taking care of you the morning after. Come with me. You and I are going out before you go to practice and I have a feeling that Celestino would kill you if he knew you were hungover."

"Very true," I shuddered at the thought of a pissed off Celestino. Again. On a day like today, I didn't need to deal with that, "But where are we going? You make it sound like I'm getting kidnapped."

"Excuse me?" Gene perked up from his Wall Street Journal.

"Not kidnapping," Victor clarified, "But I thought it'd be nice for us to spend some quality time together before you go to practice."

"Ok," I let him have that one, "But where are we going right now?"

"Your bathroom," he led me down the hall and through my bedroom, "Like I said, you act like this is the first time I've ever taken care of you. You look for clothes. I'm going to run your bathtub."

"Ok," I knew what he had up his sleeve. Victor had this thing where he genuinely enjoyed taking care of me. In case that wasn't painstakingly obvious. Any chance he'd get to baby me, he'd take it. A long time ago, I landed wrong on the ice and dislocated my shoulder. That's how I found this little quirk. It was my first major injury and Victor took full advantage of it.

And I couldn't say no. As far as any physical intimacy was concerned, Victor giving me the occasional bath when I was deadass tired was as far as we got. I didn't mind and neither did he. Now, while the water's running...I could come back and change before practice, right? I got a soft pink dress out of my closet and clean underwear out of my dresser. When I went back into my bathroom, Victor sat at the edge of the tub with more bottles by his side than I knew I had.

"Violet, come here," Victor ordered, giving me flashbacks to last night. I'll try to hold off the nosebleed and resist the urge to call him master, "It's been a while since I've done this and I want you to tell me if the water's too hot."

I sat on the other side of the tub and ran my fingers through the perfectly warm water, "Damn, you still got it. Do you still remember exactly how I like my bath water?"

"Hot enough to feel like you're in Hell," Victor quoted me, "But not hot enough to fry your skin off."

"Aww..." I gushed, "You do remember."

"Of course I do," he smiled, "One of the happier times in our marriage. Like I'm going to forget that. Now, I suggest you get in before it cools off."

"Fine," I reached around to the back of my dress, trying to reach the pain in the ass zipper, "Could you help a sister out here?"

"Sorry," Victor unzipped me, "I'm assuming our same unspoken rule still applies?"

"You don't look when I get naked," I confirmed, "After that, everything is fair game."

"I don't understand," he turned his back to me, "I've seen you naked a million times before. Why is this any different?"

"Because," I cringed, peeling off my leggings, "When I was still escorting, a lot of guys would want to watch me get undressed and it'd always weird me out."

"Striptease?" Victor assumed.

"Perverts," I shrugged, getting into the water, "Alright. You're good."

"Fantastic," he turned back around. And immediately, his eyes went to my legs. Shit...And they looked like they were going to pop out of his head like a cartoon, "Mother of God, Violet! What did you do?"

"What do you mean?" I played it off like nothing was wrong. But the yellow and purple splotches on my legs were telling a different story.

"Don't give me that," Victor pulled my leg out of the water, "That!"

"I fell at practice last week," I kicked my leg back, "I'm fine."

"Did you get looked at?" he hoped. But my stunned silence told him all he needed to know, "Violet!"

"I'm fine," I reiterated, "Honestly, Victor. You worry too much about me."

"I don't worry enough about you," Victor hit me in the nose with the corner of a washcloth, "I know these kinds of things are just an occupational hazard, but you could've seriously gotten hurt. You know better than this."

"Thanks, Mom," I teased, "I thought you said you weren't going to lecture me today."

"When did I start a lecture?" he asked, "Where in that was a lecture?"

"Point made," I slid down into the water, "After the first day, I was a little stiff, but I'm fine now."

"Try not to fall on it anymore," Victor begged, getting my hair wet, "Please?"

"No promises," I agreed, "But yes. I'll try falling the other way, if at all."

"Thank you," he skimmed over his bottles and pulled all of my hair out of my face. If his hands don't come out purple, I'll be amazed, "Violet, I know I sound overbearing, but if I didn't love you, I wouldn't care so much."

"I know," I surrendered into his hands, feeling his fingertips work into my toes. Damn, I missed this, "Thank you."

"My pleasure," a little smile returned to Victor's face, "Put your head back."

"I have a question," I tilted my head back as he asked, "You said we were going somewhere today before practice."

"I did," he confirmed, "What about it?"

"Where are we going?" I wondered, "If you don't tell me, it really will feel like I'm getting kidnapped here."

"It's a surprise," Victor rinsed my hair out, leaving a purple cloud in the water, "We'll be going a couple places."

"Is it my birthday?" I thought for a minute. What was the date today anyway?"

"No," he giggled, "It's not your birthday. That's not until November. Your birthday's a week before Yuri's. Let's just say I'm taking you somewhere you desperately need."

Don't be rehab. Don't be rehab. Don't be rehab, "Is this my intervention?"

"You don't need an intervention," Victor assured, taking a washcloth to my face. Whatever scrub he was using, I needed it in ample quantities. It smelled like orange blossoms and sunshine, "Unless you think you do and you're not telling me something."

"No," I promised, "I'm fine."

"Good," he poked my nose, "You're so cute some days, Violet. You really are."

"Don't give me that," I blushed a little.

"And don't give me that."

"What am I giving?"

"I don't need your sass."

"Coming from the sass queen himself," I jabbed.

"You know it's bad when," Victor stole a little kiss on my cheek, "You're done, Violet. You're all clean."

"Thank you," I took a warm, fluffy towel off the shelf and started drying off.

"What do you think you're doing?" he wrapped his arms around me.

"Little things, Victor," I reminded him, "Let me do the little things. Everything else, you're more than welcome to."

"Fine," Victor pulled me into his lap and took my brush off the vanity. I don't know where my sudden sensitivity came from, but with every stroke he took, I couldn't sit still. I hardly had the energy to bathe myself, but now, I'm all twitchy? Weird, "Are you alright, Violet?"

"Yeah," I squeaked out, "Fine."

I'm not sure why, but I had the strange urge to call Mike up. Maybe later. After running two French braids down my back, Victor helped me get dressed and put me together. In all honesty, I started to feel better. Initially, I wasn't too keen on the idea, but Victor baths make everything better. If he wasn't so pissed at me the last time I was viciously hungover, I'm sure I would've got one then.

"Hey, Gene," I walked out of my bedroom, almost completely healed, but more functioning than what I once was, "Are you coming with us?"

"Absolutely," Gene got up from my kitchen table, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yep," Victor beamed, offering me his hand, "Shall we?"

"We shall." Which I gladly accepted.

"Hey, Vi," Gene stopped me, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," I nodded, "Victor, wait outside. I'll be right there."

"Ok," Victor left Gene and me alone.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I wondered, genuinely confused.

"You owe me, sweetheart," Gene threw an arm around my shoulders, "You owe me big time."

"What did I do?" I freaked, even worse off.

"Your ass was on the floor when I came in this morning," he explained, hugging me tight, "You were sleeping like the dead and I had to check to make sure you were still breathing. Scared the hell out of me."

"So," I melted in his embrace, "You're the one that put me on the couch."

"Yeah," Gene nodded, "The floor didn't look too comfortable. And I don't think you wanted Victor on your ass. Now, you owe me."

"Alright," I let out a heavy sigh, "How much?"

"What do you mean?"

"What kind of a raise are you looking for?" I assumed.

"No raise," Gene assured, "A favor."

"Oh damn it all," I groaned, "What?"

"You make it sound like I'd ask you to kill a man," he giggled, "Remember when I suggested you come for dinner with me instead of going out last night and getting wasted like you said you wouldn't?"

"Yeah."

"Tomorrow night," Gene demanded, "When my shift ends, you're coming home with me. Or I could always tell Victor what I found on the floor this morning."

"Or you could not do that," I decided, "And I can go with you tomorrow."

"That's my girl," he gave me a little pop to the jaw, "Now, I think your ex-husband is waiting outside for you. I'll keep my distance, but I'll be there."

"Thank you," I laid my head in my bodyguard's chest, "And thank you for this morning. Victor would've beaten the shit out of me for something like that."

"No," Gene rocked back on his heels, "He's too much of a pacifist for that."

Without another word, Victor, Gene, and I took to the streets of New York where I followed Victor to God only knows where. He said it was a surprise. I don't think it was much of a surprise as it was a trip down memory lane. We passed by my old apartment, coffee shops we used to frequent, clubs we'd go to. Victor and Violet's greatest hits. In a nutshell. And our trip around the city ended when we stood outside the place where it all began: The Red Room.

"You know, Vi," Victor threw his arm around me, "You've come a long way since you were dancing here."

"Yeah," I chuckled nervously, "I have. Can't wait to get back to Grand Prix this year. Or just get into competing. I miss that."

"Hey," he held me a little closer, "Do you think you could make me a promise?"

"What kind of promise?"

"You have come a long way," Victor reiterated, "Please…Don't backslide. Don't forget how far you've come. When I picked you up out of these gutters, I knew there was something special about you. And I know you're going to make me proud when you go back to the competition circuit, right?"

"Of course," I wasn't quite sure what Victor was trying to get at here. I'm sure there's a point in there somewhere.

Beep!

Neat! A text! I took my phone out of my pocket. Mike?

I had fun last night.

Should do it again.

You free tonight?

-M

Hmm…Could I really turn him down? More importantly, could I blow Victor off like that?

Still recovering from last night.

-VP

Beep!

Breakfast?

-M

I checked the clock on my phone. Damn! It's getting late.

Can't. I got practice.

Raincheck?

-VP

Beep!

Of course.

I miss you, my pet.

-M

Was it getting warm out here? I think it's getting a bit warm out here. Victor nudged me out of my headspace, "Violet?"

"What?" my voice went up an octave.

"Who are you texting?" he looked over my shoulder, "It's got you smiling, so it must be good."

Oh, it's good alright. It's very good, "Celestino. Asking me about practice. Told me we were going to get to work on my program for this season."

See you soon, Master.

-VP

A/N: My, my. Victor's worried about Violet (both physically and mentally). Violet's sneaking around. But I like this chapter. I like whenever we get some Victor/Violet bonding time. It does my heart good. Like milk, but for my heart. Uh…Ms. Olivier, you're lactose intolerant. I know, but they didn't know that, hypothetical assistant. It's a metaphor. Now, go back to your corner. Yes, ma'am. She'll get clean papers later. Yay! But I'm going to be totally honest with you guys, the bathtub scene was totally self-indulgent. But tell me you couldn't see Victor doing that with Yuri in current canon. We'd all have nosebleeds and pass out. That guy I told you about with the anime ASMR videos AkiraDubs? Before YouTube deleted his channel, he had a video of Victor giving Yuri a bath and it was my absolute favorite. I had to listen to it in installments because it was that good. It was adorable and pure in some spots and not so pure in others, but oh, how I miss it so. Anyway, friends, I'll be off. See you next chapter! xx