Chapter 15: I Will Survive
"Go on now, go / Walk out the door / Don't turn around now / Cause you're not welcome anymore"
Payson was just starting to wake up, hovering in that state between sleep and true wakefulness, when she felt Sasha's fingertips tracing up and down the curve of her hip. She smiled into his chest, wiggling beneath his touch.
"Good morning," he whispered against her hair.
"Mmm, good morning," she hummed. Sasha rolled her beneath him, leaning down to capture her lips and letting the full weight of his body press down against her. Payson moaned into his lips, dragging her foot up his calf and squeezing her legs around his hips. Though she was still pleasantly numb from the night before, she would have loved a morning quickie but a glance at the clock told Payson that wasn't going to happen. It was already half past five; they had just over an hour to get to the Rock before the first of the elite girls showed up.
"Let's just call in sick," Payson muttered against Sasha's lips. He laughed, a low, husky laugh that only came from him first thing in the morning. It was Payson's favorite kind.
"I love you," he whispered, abandoning her lips for the juncture between her neck and shoulder. She squirmed and giggled beneath him.
"I love you," she echoed.
They kissed for a few more minutes before Payson forced Sasha out of bed; they would never make it to The Rock if he kept using his lips like that. He groaned and rolled out of bed, moving like he was going to fall to the floor but twisting his feet beneath him at the last moment. Payson laughed, pushing him playfully.
"Go!" She heard the shower start running and soon enough steam was billowing out of the bathroom.
Once Sasha was out of the shower it was her turn and she smiled at the comfortable ease of their morning routine. He stood at the sink, shaving and styling his hair, while she showered.
"I'm going to meet with Steve tomorrow night," Payson said, sighing as hot water poured over her skin.
"About?" Sasha asked. She could see his very blurry form patting down his neck and face with a towel.
"Terminating Jeffrey's parental rights. I want to do it right, make sure there's no way Jeffrey can come back and say we messed it up later," Payson said.
Sasha's heart started slamming against his ribs so hard he thought they might break. He hadn't thought of that when he and Marty went to pay him a visit. He glanced at Payson, her body fuzzy through the shower door, and swallowed hard. The visit had been a week ago, and no cops had been by to arrest him for assault, so he figured Jeffrey hadn't gone to the police. By the time anyone might ask him about it, the bruise from Sasha's fist would be long gone, and it was Sasha and Marty's word against the word of a habitual drug user. Sasha decided to take his chances.
He didn't want to deliberately lie to Payson but he did want to protect her, to hide her from anymore unhappiness. She deserved some peace and quiet.
"Sasha?" Payson asked as she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel tightly around herself.
"Mm?" Sasha asked, snapping himself from his thoughts.
"I asked if you want to come with me to meet Steve tomorrow night," Payson repeated. Sasha smiled softly at her, reaching up to trace his fingers down the line of her cheek.
"Of course."
#
"Come on, Annabelle!" Payson cried in frustration as Annabelle landed on her butt, again. She was starting to feel like all the work they'd done on Annabelle's triple in the last few months had been undone in an hour.
"I'm trying!" Annabelle yelled back. Payson moved closer to the vault horse. Annabelle leaned against it, her head buried beneath her arms. Payson wondered if she was about to burst into tears.
"What's going on, Belle?" Something must have happened, Payson knew. Annabelle had been landing the triple almost consistently for weeks. Sure, the still wasn't sticking it, and a lot of times she fell after she landed it, but she had been hitting the mat feet first. And now it seemed they were back to square one.
"I don't know," Annabelle groaned. Payson smiled. She was blocked. It happened occasionally, when a gymnast spent a lot of time focusing on one skill; their brain got tired of it.
"Sasha and I were going to take Harper to the zoo this week, I swear she asks to go every day, why don't you come with us?" Payson suggested after Annabelle had had a moment to calm down. "Harper just loves you, and I think you need some time out of the gym."
"Worlds is in like, a month, and you think I need time out of the gym?" Annabelle scoffed. Payson nodded.
"I do. And, you are not to train the triple for three days. Your mind and your body need a break, Annabelle, trust me. You might even come back better than before." Annabelle snorted and Payson raised an eyebrow at her. She allowed more freedom in the way gymnasts spoke to her and interacted with her than Sasha did, but even she had her limits.
"Fine. Three days, and I'll come to the zoo."
"Good girl."
#
Payson looked at her watch for the third time in as many minutes and sighed. Sasha, smirking, settled a hand over her knee and gave it a little squeeze.
"If he isn't here in five minutes, he's fired," Payson hissed.
"He'll be here," Sasha promised.
Another minute dragged by and Payson checked her watch again. Finally, fifteen minutes after their scheduled appointment time, Steve Tanner hurried into the lobby.
"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly under Payson's sharp look.
"You're worse than a doctor," Payson snapped. Sasha brushed his thumb against the back of her neck and she shuddered, willing herself to relax.
"I know, I'm sorry Payson. Meeting downtown with a judge ran long, and you can't just run out of a meeting with a judge," Steve explained. Payson nodded.
"It's fine, let's just get started," she sighed.
"Well why don't you tell me why exactly we're here," Steve offered. Payson had told him she wanted to meet with him about terminating Jeffrey's parental rights, but not about what happened at the party.
"The other day Jeffrey showed up at my house and took Harper to the zoo. Then he took her to a party at his client's house in Aspen, where he proceeded to snort cocaine in the bathroom while Mike taught my daughter how to gamble," Payson said, her voice lowering to a growl by the time she was finished. A deep frown creased Steve's forehead as he made notes on his legal pad.
"So Jeffrey showed up on a day he wasn't scheduled to visit and with no warning?" Steve clarified. Payson nodded. "And do you have proof to show a judge that Jeffrey was engaging in illegal drug use at this party?"
Sasha watched as Payson froze. It was a little eerie, actually, passing over her like a wave that he could see move from her head to her feet until she sat perfectly still, as unmoving as a statue. Neither of them had thought about documenting what had happened at the party; Payson had been too caught up in her rage, and Sasha had wanted to get them both as far away as possible, as quickly as possible.
"There were witnesses," Payson said weakly after a long pause. The corners of Steve's mouth drew down into a tense frown.
"Witnesses that will admit to being at a party where there were illegal drugs being used? Payson," Steve trailed off, sighing heavily. "There are at least four felonies that anyone at that party could be charged with. No one is going to want to come forward."
"Then we'll make them," Payson insisted. Sasha heard a hint of desperation in her voice.
"We can't make them, or do anything that could be considered compelling a witness. It could ruin the whole case," Steve reminded her. Payson's shoulders slumped and Sasha hadn't seen her look quite so defeated since breaking her back. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulders.
"So that's it?" Payson whispered. Steve shook his head.
"No. We can't try to prove his drug use at the party, but we can use the fact that he violated your custody agreement by taking Harper to the zoo, and we can use the photos my private investigator took."
Payson's head snapped up and Sasha knew she hadn't even thought about the photos. The divorce seemed like it had happened years ago, when in reality it had only been a few months.
"More extortion?" Payson asked derisively. Steve shook his head.
"No. This time we go straight to a judge."
"Good," Payson said firmly.
"We have enough here Payson, to get a judge to force him to sign away his rights. Jeffrey and his lawyers can fight it, but they'll lose."
#
"This is weird," Annabelle said as she walked beside Payson and Sasha. She glanced sideways at them, trying to surreptitiously check them out; Sasha arm was around Payson's shoulders, and Payson's hand was entwined with his. They were walking lockstep and looking so at ease, it was weirding her out.
"Why?" Sasha asked, his eyes on Harper who was running just a few feet ahead of them to look at the giraffes.
"You two are…relaxed. And so clearly together," Annabelle scoffed. Payson and Sasha laughed lightly. "I mean, I knew you were together because you aren't nearly as stealthy as you think you are, but you guys are always so careful at The Rock."
"It's not something we should be flaunting at work," Sasha said simply.
"Besides, we don't let you girls date, how mean would it be if we threw it in your faces?" Payson added. Annabelle snorted, trying to hold in a laugh.
"I guess that would be kind of douche-y," Annabelle added.
"Language," Payson warned.
"Sorry, I'm really not used to being around babies," Annabelle admitted. She'd said as much every time Harper was at the gym, but Payson didn't quite believe her; nobody not used to being around babies was that good with kids.
"Mommy! Daddy Sasha! Belle!" Harper ran to the three of them, jumping and pointing at the tiger habitat before running back and standing so close to the glass her nose was practically pressed against it.
"You like the tigers, sweetie?" Payson asked.
"Can I have one, Mommy? Like Raja?"
"Someone's been playing her Aladdin," Annabelle laughed. Payson bit her lip and tried her best to look caught.
"You got me," she said. "It's her favorite."
As Harper stood transfixed, Annabelle spotted a long bench a few yard away. Smiling devilishly she got a running start, leaping onto the bench, cart-wheeling across it, and then launching off with an aerial walkover and a full twist. She landed on her feet and then ran to a tiny bridge, switch leaping onto it and then moving into a handstand.
"Annabelle!" Sasha's stern coaching voice was firmly in place.
"What?" she called back innocently, launching herself into a Worley, a move that involved a jump backwards with a half twist and a forward walkover.
"Get down," he insisted. Annabelle huffed and obeyed, but not without a front stretched Salto dismount, twisting her body time and a half before her feet hit the ground. Sasha glowered. "That's not what I meant."
"I know," Annabelle said breezily. Payson hid a laugh.
"Come on, it's getting late and the little one needs to go the bed soon," Payson reminded them.
"Thanks, guys," Annabelle said, turning serious for a moment. "For bringing me out. You're good people."
#
No one could say Steve Tanner wasn't damn good at his job. Only a week after Payson had come to him about Jeffrey, the judge had schedule a termination hearing, thanks to Steve and his connections. Payson asked Sasha to stay at home with Harper, the last thing she needed was him losing his temper and beating up Jeffrey, and in turn Sasha had called the girls in for emotional reinforcement.
"You guys can't keep flying back into town every time something happens!" Payson raged in the hallway outside the courtroom. Kelly, Emily, and Kaylie were staring at her, totally unapologetic.
"Look, we all know what an asshole Jeffrey is and how horrible he can be, and we want to be here for you," Kelly said matter-of-factly.
"Pay, we just want to support you," Kaylie said in her newfound counselor voice. Payson rolled her eyes.
"You can support me just as well from your respective cities," Payson groused. The three women ignored her.
"Payson, are you ready?" Steve asked, walking briskly down the hall towards them. She nodded and Steve opened the door to the court room, holding it as the four of them sailed past. Jeffrey and his lawyer were already sitting at their table as Payson and Steve took their seats. A moment later, the bailiff called for everyone to stand while the judge swept in, his black robes making him look like a character straight out of Harry Potter.
"We're here today to determine whether the parental rights of one Mr. Jeffrey Thames to daughter Harper Thames will be terminated, correct?" the judge asked, his glasses perched low on his nose as he glanced at the thick case file.
"Correct, Your Honor," Steve answered.
"And Ms. Payson Keeler, mother to Harper Thames, is the one seeking termination, correct?"
"Correct, Your Honor," Steve said again. The judge looked up at Payson and offered her a small smile.
"Sit, sit," he said, like he had just noticed they were all still standing. "Ms. Keeler, why do you want your ex-husband's parental rights terminated?"
Steve squeezed her arm reassuringly as Payson stood up again, trying not to look at Jeffrey.
"Your Honor, Jeffrey has never possessed the highest moral character," Payson started, her words and voice sounding foreign to her own ears. "But I was willing to look past that, because I wanted Harper to have a relationship with him…"
"Examples, please," the judge said, interrupting her. Payson faltered a little.
"Um, well he was cheating on me for most of our relationship. He helps his high profile clients keep their affairs and addictions a secret," she offered.
"Okay, continue," the judge said.
"Like I said, I wanted Harper to have a relationship with him. But then it came to my attention that he was using cocaine, pretty frequently."
"And was Harper ever exposed to this?"
"I didn't think so, but then a few weeks ago Jeffrey took Harper to the zoo, violating our custody agreement by taking her on a day he wasn't scheduled for, and they ended up at a client's house. He was snorting cocaine in the bathroom while she was in the next room," Payson explained. She heard a strangled sound coming from Jeffrey, like he wanted to disagree, but didn't dare. The judge turned his eyes to Jeffrey.
"Mr. Thames is this true? Consider yourself under oath, and if you lie, its committing perjury and I can have you thrown in jail." Apparently Jeffrey took too long to answer, because the judge narrowed his eyes at him and then turned back to Payson.
"Do you have any proof of this, Ms. Keeler?"
"Not of that specific instance, but of Jeffrey engaging in the use of cocaine, yes. A private investigator took pictures over a period of several weeks that clearly show Jeffrey using."
The judge sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead.
"Terminating parental rights is a serious matter, one I don't take on lightly. If there is a way to keep a parent involved, I am of the opinion that whatever can be done to make that happen should be done. However, I have in this file many interviews regarding Mr. Thames and his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, and it seems to me as though he has no regard for the safety, well being, or happiness of Harper Thames. On more than one occasion he has put her in harm's way, in the path of illegal and dangerous drug use, whether directly or indirectly. Mr. Thames, I find your presence in your daughter's life to be toxic, and therefore I am terminating your parental rights and ordering you to thirty days in the rehab facility of your choice, and two years of probation thereafter. You are to have no contact with Harper or Payson."
Payson felt like an enormous weight had been lifted from her chest and she could finally breathe again. Tears welled in her eyes so quickly she barely had time to register them before she was sobbing, surrounded by the arms of her best friends. She turned to Steve, who was packing his briefcase.
"Thank you, Steve," Payson whispered, hugging him. He hugged her back tightly.
"You're welcome."
The girls started pulling her from the courtroom, ready to take her home so they could celebrate properly with Sasha and Harper, but Jeffrey stopped them by grabbing Payson's wrist. She stiffened. Kelly lunged, but Emily and Kaylie pulled her back.
"Can I at least say goodbye to Harper?" he asked. Payson narrowed her eyes.
"No, you cannot. Send her a letter from rehab, when you've had time to appreciate just exactly what you've ruined."
A/N: BIG thanks to LGCoffeeAddict, elsinore, Kiwiflea, Ida-cullen, SunStar123, poppetrussell, and LauraW89 for your reviews! Your reviews are what keep me going :)
And yes, I fully realize the irony of moving to Denver, I swear the show had nothing to do with it, haha. But I am very, very excited. 4 weeks to go!
Please, please let me know what you thought!