Chapter 25 Part 2: Eye of the Tiger

"Rising up, straight to the top / had the guts, got the glory"

"Oh that's rich," Payson snapped, glaring at Beals. "You already tried this once, Ellen. It didn't work then, what makes you think it's going to work now? Sasha has done nothing…"

"I'm not talking about Sasha," Ellen broke in. Payson fell into shocked silence. If Ellen wasn't talking about Sasha…

"Payson? You think Payson is having some inappropriate relationship with Annabelle?" Sasha asked, sounding absolutely dumbfounded. He looked back and forth between Payson and Ellen Beals. "Payson?"

"I'm sorry, Coach Belov, but you understand we do have to investigate this," said one of the NGO officials. Payson nodded.

"Of course," she agreed. It was inconvenient, but she hadn't done anything wrong and she knew it. She would rather the NGO investigate and let her get on with her life than fight them. Sasha shook his head, but stood aside to let them into the room.

"This is ridiculous," he hissed. Payson laid a gentle hand on his arm.

"Calm down," she whispered. She saw him clench his teeth together, making his jaw twitch.

"Voi ucide ei," he growled. Payson gasped, thankful that he had thought to threaten Ellen Beals' life in Romanian instead of English.

"Sasha!" she scolded. He shrugged, unapologetic.

"Mr. Belov," one of the NGO officials broke in. "I'm sorry but we need to ask Payson a few questions privately."

Sasha started to protest, taking an intimidating step forward before Payson grabbed him by the arm and pushed him out the door.

"I'll be fine. Go tell Kelly what's going on," Payson instructed. His eyes still on Beals, Sasha leaned down for a quick kiss before complying.

"We really are sorry for the disturbance, Mrs. Belov," the official said. Beals snorted.

"It's fine, but I would like to do this as quickly as possible," Payson said, trying to be as amiable as possible.

"It came to our attention, Mrs. Belov," Ellen said, spitting Payson's new name like it was a dirty word. "That you spent nearly an hour today in Annabelle's room with her. Alone. With the door shut." Payson sighed. If it weren't for Ellen Beals, no one would have blinked twice at Payson being in Annabelle's room. It had been completely innocent.

"I did," Payson agreed. She didn't elaborate, didn't try to defend herself. Her strategy was to just answer the questions, no more and no less.

"Can you tell us why you were there, Mrs. Belov?" The NGO official asked. Payson nodded.

"I was doing my job as Annabelle's coach; we were discussing today's performance and I talked her through some visualization," Payson said. The NGO official nodded.

"And the door was shut because?" Ellen snapped. Payson glared at her, wanting nothing more than to slap that self satisfied smile right off her face.

"Because no one else needed to be party to our discussion," Payson said simply.

"Mrs. Belov, is it true that Annabelle frequently stays at your house overnight?" The official asked. Payson took a deep breath, trying very hard not to roll her eyes.

"At one point Annabelle was staying with Sasha and I because her parents were still in London with her sister and she was staying alone. Her sister was injured, she was stressed out about her own performances, it was no time for her to be staying by herself," Payson explained.

"A convenient excuse," Ellen hissed. Payson clenched her fists and forced herself not to respond.

"Well Mrs. Belov, we will have to talk to Annabelle and Annabelle's parents about this," the NGO guy said. Payson nodded, blowing out a breath and trying not to punch Ellen Beals in the face.

"And until then?" Payson asked.

"Until then we have to ask you not to have any contact with the athletes. You are still a coach so of course you may participate in team selection, but you may not talk to the gymnasts."

"Of course. Thank you." Payson felt strange thanking the man for telling her she couldn't approach her athletes, but she was actually glad that he was doing his job. It might be inconvenient for her, but it was all for the girls. Except in Ellen's head.

"We'll be in touch," he said, backing out the door. Beals was the last one out and at the last second Payson reached out to pull her back. She allowed her fingers to dig into the skin of Beals' arm, almost smiling at the tiny wince that flickered across her face.

"Yes?" Ellen asked.

"You never give up, do you?" Payson asked through her teeth.

"Not when I believe that Sasha's position as head coach is hurting the girls," Ellen said. Payson shook her head.

"You aren't all-knowing Ellen. And I won't let you get in the way of these girls winning gold in Johannesburg."

"You think Sasha is the only way they can do that?" Ellen asked. Payson met her gaze head on, not at all surprised at the spark of insanity she found there.

"I do. And apparently so does the rest of the NGO. Give it up, Beals. You're done."

#

Payson was laying on the bed she shared with Sasha, staring at the ceiling, when Kelly walked in, followed by her husband. The NGO officials hadn't been gone more than a few minutes, and Payson was pretty sure that Kelly and Sasha were hiding down the hall, waiting for them to leave. The thought made her smile.

"You okay?" Kelly asked, sitting down next to Payson while Sasha leaned against the wall. One glance told her that he was still upset; his shoulders were tense, his jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. She wished he would relax a little, the grudge match between him and Beals was going to drive him crazy if he didn't just let it go.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just Beals being Beals," Payson said with a pointed look at Sasha. He rolled his eyes.

"I meant what I said earlier," Sasha told her. Now it was her turn to roll her eyes.

"You did not. I'm sure she'll be fired after they figure out that this was just a stupid stunt on her part," Payson said. Kelly snorted.

"I'm still not sure why she wasn't fired when we were still competing," Kelly said. Sasha snorted.

"Because she had someone in her back pocket, I'm sure of it," he said. Payson sighed, tired of talking about Ellen Beals.

"Can we talk about something else please? Did anyone talk to Annabelle?" Payson asked. Both Kelly and Sasha shook their heads.

"We weren't allowed to," Kelly said. Then she glanced down at her watch. "We have to go soon. Are you allowed to be at selection?"

"Yeah, I just can't talk to any of the girls. But Kelly, if they talked to Annabelle she's going to be freaking out…" Payson said. The last thing Annabelle needed was to be thrown off her game because of Ellen Beals' stupid vendetta. She would need someone to calm her down, and since it couldn't be Payson and it couldn't be Sasha, Kelly would have to do it.

"I'll talk to her. Anything specific you want me to say?" Kelly asked.

"Just remind her to visualize," Payson said. Kelly stood up and made for the door. As soon as it latched behind her, Sasha was crossing the room and kneeling down before Payson. His hands covered her knees, radiating heat that made her shiver.

"Are you really okay?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine, Sasha. I learned a long time ago not to let Ellen Beals get to me. I wish you had too," she said with a teasing smile. Instead of acknowledging her comment, Sasha leaned forward and pressed his lips hard against hers. Payson sucked in a breath, leaning back with the force of it, and then opened her mouth beneath his.

Sasha's tongue swept inside, brushing against hers, making her moan softly. She would never get tired of kissing him. Standing, Sasha pressed her back against the mattress, covering her body with his. As he kissed his way to her neck, scraping his teeth lightly against her vein, Payson arched against him and fisted her hand in his hair.

"We don't have time," Payson gasped as her entire body started to shake. She felt Sasha's chuckle rumble against her as his hand slipped beneath the hem of her shirt to unbutton her jeans.

"There's always time."

#

"Do I even want to know what took you guys so long?" Kelly asked as Payson and Sasha hurried up to the long table where the rest of the selection committee was waiting. Payson felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she looked at the floor.

"No, you don't," Payson said. She took her seat between Sasha and Kelly and looked out at the floor. Gymnasts were warming up, ready for their last chance to make it on to the Olympic Team. Annabelle was waiting just off the floor, chewing on her cuticles. "Did you talk to Annabelle?"

"I did. She's a little shaken up, but she said she's going to do this for you," Kelly explained. Payson nodded, catching Annabelle's eye. The gymnast gave her a tiny wave, really just a wiggle of her fingers, and then turned her attention back to the floor. That little gesture was enough for Payson to believe that Annabelle would be okay.

Sasha started the rotations, watching each gymnast with an eagle eye. Payson made as many notes as she could to make the selection process easier. Annabelle looked as strong as ever, completing each routine with solid consistency. Her triple twisting vault was flawless.

When Annabelle stepped up to the beam, saluting the selection committee, Payson reached over for Kelly's hand, squeezing hard. She felt more nervous for this girl than she had for herself in all her days of competition.

"She's got this," Sasha muttered so that only Payson could hear. She thought he might be right, Annabelle was steady like a rock on the beam. There was no wobble in her knees, no balance checks, nothing. She was on fire.

Payson held her breath as Annabelle approached the dismount. It was now or never, if Annabelle couldn't nail the dismount here Sasha would never let her keep it for the actual Games.

"She's got it," Kelly said, echoing Sasha. Payson's grip tightened on Kelly's hand.

Annabelle stuck it.

"Yes!" Payson couldn't help but whisper. Loudly. Sasha's knee hit hers under the table and she clapped her free hand over her mouth. She was supposed to be an impartial observer, but Annabelle had just stuck a landing that few other gymnasts in history could claim they had.

"I can't believe she actually did it," Payson breathed. Annabelle looked up towards the table and gave Payson the tiniest thumbs up.

#

"Coach Belov?" Payson stopped and turned towards the person calling her name. It was the NGO official who had been with Ellen Beals.

"Yes?" Payson asked, waiting for him to catch up. She tried to read his expression; would he be giving her good news or bad?

"We've spoken with Annabelle and her parents, we've also had other officials back in Boulder talk to some of your gym members, and we've found no evidence to support Ms. Beals' claim," he said.

"Just like I thought," Payson said, trying not to be too rude.

"So, you're free and clear," he said. Payson nodded.

"Thank you." She dismissed the official without much fanfare. She had known there was nothing inappropriate about her talk with Annabelle, it was a last ditch effort on Ellen's part to shake things up. And Ellen had failed, again. Payson wondered if the woman would finally give up; eight years was a long time to keep fighting a losing battle.

Payson put Ellen out of her mind and hurried towards the conference room where the committee would be making choosing the Olympic team.

"Where were you?" Kelly asked as Payson slipped into the room. She was the last committee member to arrive.

"The NGO official was just letting me know that the whole thing with Annabelle has been cleared up," Payson said. Kelly snorted.

"Duh. I was talking to Marta earlier and she told me that she and Bela are about to ban Ellen Beals from the property she's given them so much trouble over the years," Kelly said.

"I'm sure," Payson agreed. "Did I miss anything?"

"No, we haven't started yet. Sasha wanted to wait for you." Sasha's hand landed on her knee under the table, squeezing lightly.

"Everything okay?" he asked. Payson nodded and offered him a smile.

"Yup," she promised.

"Good. Let's get started."

#

"Mommy! Daddy!" Payson couldn't believe how happy she was to see Harper come barreling out of the Keeler house the second she and Sasha pulled in the driveway. It had been a long two weeks at the Karoyli ranch and Payson wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with her daughter and her husband.

"Hi baby!" Payson cried, swinging Harper up into her arms and hugging her tightly. Harper squeezed her neck and then squirmed towards Sasha, who plucked her out of Payson's arms and swung her around.

"Did Belle make the Olympics?" Harper asked him, taking his face in her tiny hands and staring right into his eyes. Payson smiled.

"Yes, puiule, she did."

"Yay! She's going to win gold, just like mommy!" Harper shrieked. Payson brushed the hair away from Harper's face.

"And just like Daddy too. He won a gold medal when Mommy was just a little older than you," Payson explained. Harper's eyes went wide.

"You did Daddy?" Harper asked. Sasha nodded.

"I did."

"Someday I'm going to win a gold medal too," Harper said. Sasha winked at Payson and then pressed his forehead against Harper's.

"If your mom and I coach you, you bet you will."

#

2 Months Later

There was nothing in the world that could compare to the atmosphere of an Olympic arena. Johannesburg, Rio, London, they all felt the same to Payson. The buzz of thousands of spectators just waiting to watch you make it or break it, the crushing pressure of competition, and the way your skin itched to compete. Even for a retired gymnast turned coach, the pull of each apparatus was strong. If Payson could have put herself on the team just for one day, she would have.

Instead, she, Kelly, and Sasha stood just off the floor, watching their gymnasts with the knowledge that they couldn't do anything more for them. Sure, they could give a last minute pep talk or a few gentle reminders before the rotation, but most of their job was to sit and watch.

Payson looked up into the stands. Austin was sitting near the front with Emily, Damon, Kaylie, and Lauren, and he offered an exaggerated salute when he caught her looking. Payson elbowed Kelly and then jerked her chin at the stands.

"Is your husband ever going to grow up?" Payson asked. Kelly snorted and shook her head.

"Not a chance."

Annabelle's parents were there too, a little farther up the stands, sitting with Samantha. Payson could see, even from far away, the warring emotions on Samantha's face. She was so proud of her sister, but she also wished that she was competing too.

A camera panned in front of them and Payson glanced at it and smiled just a little bit, knowing that her parents and Harper would see it. She hated that she was away from her daughter for so long, but she knew that to bring Harper to Johannesburg would have been a terrible idea. There was too much chaos, too much going on.

The competition passes by in a blur. When her girls weren't competing, Payson was talking with them; either pumping them up for the upcoming rotation or getting them to relax if they were done. And when they were competing, her eyes were glued to them as she held her breath.

"Can you believe how far we've come?" Sasha asked, his hand clasping hers as they watched Annabelle at the top of the podium, accepting the gold medal for All Around competition.

"Hardly," Payson said. She squeezed his fingers and looked at him. She had something important to tell him, but she wanted to wait until the perfect moment.

"You okay, love?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together in a frown. She smiled at him, wishing so badly she could kiss him but not wanting to take the attention away from the girls on the podium. She wasn't just okay, she was perfect.

"I'm pregnant."

The End

A/N: Before you all come after me with torches and pitchforks, know that I thought long and hard about whether or not the end the story here. That's part of why it's taken me so long to post. In all honesty, I had planned to end this five chapters ago but you all are so awesome I decided to keep going. But I think that this is a natural place for the story to end.

I hope you are all happy with the way I ended things. And before you ask, at this point I am not planning a sequel. For now I'm focusing on my current original piece and Right Now (though it will be a little while yet before I post another chapter to it because I have a lot of plotting to do).

Fun fact: In the past fourteen months I have written THREE novel length pieces (For You, the World; this; and my original). That blew my mind.

Anyway, enough rambling. Thank you all for following this fic and let me know what you think!