Practice and lessons kicked the shit out of me on a normal day. When I have lessons, then Master pissed off at me, THEN practice, my ass is done. My legs were killing me. My ass still hurt. My entire body was giving me one great, big middle finger and I am not here for this. By the looks of my boys, especially the youngest one of the two, I'm not the only one hurting here.

"Mama," Yurio whined, struggling to drag himself across my living room, "I'm sore."

"Me, too, Kid," I agreed, "Do you know how to turn on my hot tub?"

"Da."

"Go turn it on," I demanded, "Put your trunks on. Trust me. You'll feel a lot better when you get out. Yuri? What about you? You doing ok?"

"I'm ok," Yuri curled up on the couch, his skates leaning against the coffee table. He was always the more resilient one when it came to taking hits, "I only fell once at practice. Yurio fell three times."

"Shut up, piggy!" Yurio snapped, "No one asked you!"

"Yurio!" I scolded, "Balcony. Now. Shut the door behind you."

"Yes, Mama," he did as he was told while I sat on the couch with his brother.

"Mama," Yuri worried, almost asleep, "Am I in trouble?"

"Well, Yuri," I pulled him into my lap, "I appreciate you telling me about Yurio's injuries. God knows he won't. But he's probably thinking you're bragging about how well you did at practice."

"I was just saying what happened," he quivered. My poor baby. Whenever I raised my voice like that, it always rattled Yuri a little harder than anticipated, even if it wasn't directed at him.

"I know," I draped my arm around him, doing my best to offer a little comfort, "But learn to read a room, sweetheart. Yurio's hot and sore and tired. That's going to make him a little cranky. We don't need to make that worse. Understand?"

"I think so," Yuri let out a tiny yawn.

"You want to take a nap, baby?" I assumed.

"Yeah..."

"Ok," I pulled the afghan over him and kissed his forehead, "Love you, Yuri."

"I love you, too, Mama..." And he's out...

Now, to diffuse the little bomb in my hot tub. Yurio was already in and laying over the side. Still a little pouty, but he looked awfully comfortable. I left him alone for a minute to slip into a swimsuit myself. Yuri was napping. I could get a little quality time with his little brother. And maybe, just maybe, I could knock some of that salt off him. What better to do that with than a juice box and a hot tub?

"Here, dovahkiin," I gave Yurio his regularly scheduled, post practice apple juice, "How's that hot tub treating you?"

"Like a god," Yurio groaned, content with the world.

"I told you," I joined him, "I've been at this a little longer than you. I know all kinds of things."

"You're so smart, Mama," he laid his head on my shoulder.

"Thanks, Yuri," I kissed the top of his head, "So, you'll pretty much believe anything I tell you?"

"Just about everything," Yurio grew skeptical, "Why?"

"You're too hard on yourself," I pointed out, "Just because Yuri reports your hit count doesn't mean he did better than you did. It just means you put out more risk than he did. What move's got you tripped up?"

"I..." he wasn't sure what to make out of the nugget of wisdom I just dropped. The gears turned, but the axles weren't attached. I love this kid, "I want to put in more quads, but Celestino won't let me. And when I try them, he gets mad at me."

"Because he doesn't want you to get hurt in the preseason," I held back a little smile, "I remember that all too well. Celestino did the same thing to me when I first started skating."

"That explains why he almost called me Violet today," Yurio giggled, seeing the irony in this, too.

"But you want to know what I did?"

"What?"

"I still tried them anyway," I told him, "Even though my coach wouldn't let me, I found someone else that would help me out."

"Who was that?"

"Who do you think?" There was no holding it back anymore. A big smile stretched across my face. The nostalgia was too strong.

"Victor," Yurio grumbled, "But I don't think he'll teach me quads because I'm too little."

"Which makes now the perfect time to teach you quads!" I squeaked, "You're little, you're more aerodynamic, your center of gravity is lower. Tell you what. If you can keep secrets from Celestino, every weekend from now until your first competition, I will take you to the Coney Island rink. We can practice quads there."

"I wish you could just go back to being my full-time coach," he let out a heavy sigh. You and me both, kid, "You wouldn't hold me back."

"But here's another thing about Celestino," I went on, "Celestino doesn't hold you back. He protects you from yourself. He'll keep you from biting off more than you can chew. He's a pretty good judge of that."

"I guess you're right," Yurio yawned a bit.

"I think it may be naptime for you, too," I assumed, "Before you fall asleep in here."

"And what would be so bad about that?" he cuddled into my ribs.

"It's not good for you," I scooped him up, "Come on. Let's get you dried off and into a bed."

"Can I nap in your bed?"

"Of course." Like I would tell him no.

And that's the way things were for the next week. Me waking up in a panic. Us rushing to the rink. Me killing myself at lessons, then at practice. All my vitamins went down the sink and getting more was out of the question. After our tryst in the locker room, Master made it very clear how he felt about that. By the end of the week, I was completely drained. But for my boys and for life to feel kind of normal again? Totally worth it. It was nice being old Violet for a while, but being their Mama again was even more humbling. Not that I ever stopped. It just got abbreviated.

That Saturday morning, I promised myself that my ass was sleeping in. If I saw ten o'clock, it'd be too early. It'd have this one day off. I had to help Yurio with his quads on the down low come Sunday. Master still says I can't have any boosts. I'm wrecked. Then, like an instant relaxer, I felt a warm body pressed against my back. At first, I thought Mike found out where I lived. When would he? It's not like he ever followed me home. Then, with just a few words, everything became perfectly clear.

"Dobroye utro, dorogoy," a gentle Russian accent rumbled in my ear, "Ya doma."

Like a reflex, I cuddled into him, "Welcome home, Victor."

"Oh, Violet," Victor held me tight against his chest and I absolutely reveled in it, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," I babbled deliriously into his shoulder, "What time is it?"

"A little after six." If you were anyone else, Victor, you'd be getting the pen on my nightstand jabbed in your throat, "I just came by to get the boys. Why don't you go back to sleep?"

"My pleasure," I wasn't letting go. Victor was one hell of a pillow.

"I promise," he peeled me off him. Damn, "We'll play later. Now, go back to sleep, ok?"

"Ok," I nestled down into my bed.

Victor pulled my blankets over me and gave me a little kiss on my cheek, "Good night, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you, too," I shut my eyes and fell back asleep. My boys were home. I could sleep a little harder now.

When I woke up again, it was almost one. And I had a text on my phone from my favorite ex-husband requesting my presence at the café a couple of blocks from our building. Alright. I can do that. After a quick shower and I threw on one of the million skater dresses that inhabited my closet, I took the elevator down to the lobby and walked outside. It's so nice out today. I can't believe I was going to waste the day catching up on sleep.

"There you are, sweetheart," Victor greeted me, pulling me into his chest, "I'm starting to think you caught my jetlag."

"Ha, ha," I laughed sarcastically, taking a seat at our table. The two cups at our table worried me, though, "What do we have here?"

"I know you're on a no caffeine kick," he assured, "It's decaf. I promise."

"Still a flat white, though?" I wondered.

"What else would I get for you, Violet?" Victor smiled, "Now, sit. I need to know how things went."

"What do you mean?" I sipped on my coffee. Hello, old friend. I almost forgot how good you tasted.

"I've been gone for an entire week," he pointed out, "What happened? What did I miss?"

"It's been pretty quiet around here," I shrugged, "I'm sorry if you were expecting the boys and me to go off on a grand adventure. We did end up at Coney Island once and they made a friend."

"Our boys?" Victor gave me a look, "They only make friends at events and even that is farfetched."

"Gene's little girl came with us," I explained, "And hold onto your hat for this one. Because she got really close with Yuri."

"Yuri made friends?" I thought Victor's eyes were about to come out of his head, "Our little, antisocial, anxious Yuri made friends with a little girl?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Sophie wanted me to teach her to skate and Yuri did more of the teaching than I did."

"You should've warned me before you drop that kind of bombshell," Victor shook, "Jesus. I'm gone for a week and Yuri becomes a social butterfly."

"I wouldn't say that," I clarified, "Sophie's not exactly the overly social type either. It took her a second to warm up to me, but when she did, we were instant best friends."

"Hey, Vi," his thoughts took a hard left. It's good to see Malta didn't change him, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," I allowed, "Shoot."

"Well," Victor smirked, "I say ask. You, more or less, have no choice."

"Excuse me?" I perked up, "Victor, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing bad," he settled me, "It's our first night back. I was kind of hoping we could do family dinner like we used to."

My heart turned into a puddle. Before Victor hung up his skates and we had a minute to ourselves, it'd be the five of us around the dinner table. And it didn't matter what we were eating. We were all together. I missed those days, "Absolutely. I can't say no to that, Victor. You know that. Besides, I want to hear about your Malta trip. And I'm sure Mama Cialdini had a mouthful to say."

"Because my Italian's so stellar," Victor giggled, "All I can say is thank God I had Chris there."

"You mean, you didn't learn from Celestino?" I wondered, "Come on. We skated together for three years. You can't tell me you didn't pick something up from him."

"Unless it was some sort of cursing or praise," he admitted, "I have nothing. Maybe a few basic things."

"You try," I let him go, "Wait a second!"

"What?" Victor jumped.

"You're cooking, right…?" I hoped. Victor's pelmeni still haunted my dreams.

"Of course I am."

"Awesome…"

I really did miss hanging out with Victor. We used to be so close, but then, our divorce got in the way. It's a shame. Why did we let that happen? And then, even more so, how did it happen? I adore him AND his husband and we've been best friends for years. Then again, I also started seeing someone else, too. Master is kind of territorial. It's just Victor, though. We really needed to hang out more.

After I got home, I just had to wait until eight. Then, Victor's pelmeni would be in my stomach and I would be a happy, happy girl. The planets will align. The beacons will be lit. And the world will truly achieve peace. Because Victor's cooking had that effect on the world. Or it's just been a super long time since I had it and that withdrawal is worse than the caffeine.

Ring, ring.

Oh, hell…Who is this? I dug my phone out of my bag and if I didn't answer it immediately, the locker room would look like Disneyland, "Hello?"

"Hi, Violet," Mike answered, "What are you doing right now?"

"Laying on my couch," I reported, "Thinking about shutting my eyes for a bit."

"What?" he wondered, "The boys not there to keep you awake?"

"No," I rubbed my eyes, "They went back with their dad and their uncle this morning."

"In that case…" Oh, shit. Violet wasn't thinking. Mistakes were made, "Are you busy tonight?"

"Actually," I bit my lip, "I am."

"Alright," Mike was surprisingly cool about that, "What about tomorrow?"

"I have a thing tomorrow morning," I told him, "But tomorrow night, I'm free. Keep in mind, though, I have practice Monday morning."

"I can do tomorrow night," he agreed, "What do you have planned tonight?"

Because I didn't want to poke that bear too much, I kept Victor out of it, "Dinner with the family tonight. I can't miss that."

"I understand," Mike allowed, "It's a little early for me to be meeting your parents anyway. There's always tomorrow night. And I cannot wait to see you tomorrow night."

The choker around my neck started to feel tighter, "I'll see you then."

"You sure will…"

Click.

Even though going back to Mike's made me a little nervous, I couldn't wait. A little physical release after the week I had wouldn't be a half bad idea. He got me hooked on the feeling of sheer ecstasy that only he could give me in that special kind of way. Now, I understood why he got around so much with not one bad review in the bunch.

Later that night, I dropped a floor and shook my head when I realized Chris and Victor left their door unlocked. Our building was pretty safe, but one can never be too careful. Although, the rich smell of Russian food from the other side of this door was absolutely intoxicating. Hang in there, stomach. You will likely double in size and your coach is going to bitch at you for gaining weight, but we'll be alright. This is totally worth it.

"Hello?" I stuck my head inside, getting the full experience. Mmm…I'm home.

"Violet!" my favorite Swiss man scooped me up in his arms, "Mon ami!"

"Christophe!" I beamed, surrendering to his embrace. Oh, yeah. I'm home. Bonsoir chéri!"

"I missed you so much!" Chris was damn near breaking me in half, "We have so much to tell you!"

"One thing at a time," I settled him, "But I missed you, too."

"Violet!" Victor called for me, "Can you come here? I need you to test something for me."

And just like that, I was brought back seven years in the past. My boys, my incredible Russian food. I truly was home. Things only got worse as the boys joined us at the dining room table. Chris and Victor went on about their trip to Malta while Yuri and Yurio would start petty skirmishes between each other and Makkachin laying on the floor around the table, waiting for anything to drop. It was just like when Chris and Victor would come back from competition. And my eyes might be watering a little.

"Violet?" Chris picked up on it, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," my voice broke. Shit. Not good. I cleared my throat, "Yeah. I'm great."

"Hey, Violet," Victor put his friend hat on, too, "I want you to meet a friend of mine after practice tomorrow. She's sweet as pie and you'll love her. I promise. Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Sure. Wait, what practice?"

"Yurio said he had practice with you tomorrow," he looked over at our son, poking at a half-eaten pirozhki on his plate.

"He does," I gave Yurio the same look, "Yurio…I thought that was between us."

"I had to tell someone," Yurio squeaked, "I thought Chris and Victor would be ok."

"They're fine," I let it slide. It's not like they weren't going to find out eventually.

After I finished stuffing my face and the world could spin again, I wobbled my fat and happy ass back to my place and threw myself onto the couch. No, Violet. You can't stay here. If you do that, you'll fall asleep here. If you fall asleep on the couch, you'll wake up in your own personal hell and you don't deserve that. Come on…A little momentum and you can get up. Luckily for me, I have the greatest ex-husband in the history of mankind. On the counter sat a clear glass bottle and a note.

I did kill your last bottle.

And a little side trip to St. Petersburg won't kill anyone.

-V

Victor Nikiforov, I love you. And your Russian hospitality. I went in the fridge and poured a little glass of lemonade. A little of that…And a little of this…I popped the top on the bottle. Mmm…Sweet, sweet Russian hospitality. Hello, old friend. Nothing like a little night cap to help a girl sleep. With my vodka lemonade in hand, I headed off to bed.

A/N: Which is what I should be doing right about now. But! Chris and Victor are home! Yay! And we can return to our regularly scheduled lives. I missed Chris and Victor. I couldn't have them two gone for too long. And Violet's going to go back into Mike's arms for a while, too. Will being back with Yuri and Yurio for a while bring balance back to Violet's life or is she going to go back to what got her in trouble in the first place? The world may never know. See you next chapter! xx