Edward Pov:

The judges were deliberating on Alice's score for a longer time than usual. Bella was waiting on the edge of the mat to compete, and I could see the extra wait was beginning to take a toll on her. She was nervously fidgeting: shifting her wait from her bad leg and back, tightening her hands into fists before releasing them. I could feel myself beginning to tense as well, worrying for her. A familiar voice broke into my tense concentration.

"Oh, Phil, I don't think I can watch!" Renee muttered from two seats over. I looked over and discovered why I hadn't noticed her before. There was a man with receding curly hair and liquid brown eyes that reminded me of Bella. This was probably her father, Charlie, if I remember right. His presence surprised me, because I thought that he couldn't make it due to work. Renee was in the arms of another man though, who must be Bella's stepfather Phil.

"Hello Mrs. Dwyer," I said to her, drawing attention to myself. She turned around at the sound of my voice.

"Edward," she squealed. "It is so nice of you to be here for Bella. Phil, Charlie, do you know Edward?"

Phil nodded, but was kind of restricted due to Renee's arms in a stranglehold around his neck. Charlie on the other hand turned to face me and I recognized the 'riot act' look that Carlisle used on Jasper on his face.

"So you're the boy who has my little girl worked up," he said looking me up and down.

"Yes, sir," I answered respectfully. "It is very nice to meet you."

He seemed to notice my sincerity. With one last evaluating look he turned around to face the arena again. I sighed in relief, before he said one last thing. "Just remember that if you hurt my little girl, or ruin her dreams, I have a gun and am licensed to use it."

I just nodded looking straight ahead, not able to tell if he was serious or joking. Before I could figure it out, Alice's score of 15.29 appeared on the screen.

I cheered along with the crowd before redirecting my attention to Bella as she stepped up to compete.

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Bella Pov:

The wait was killing me. Alice's score was being debated among the judges, and I had to wait to compete. The extra minutes were taking their toll on me, I began shifting my weight to and from my injured leg to keep it limber and when that didn't help, I began convulsively tightening my hands into fists. Though I tried desperately to hold on to it, I was beginning to lose my focus again.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually just a few minutes, I was signaled to take to the competition zone.

I stepped onto the mat on the side of the beam and took a deep breath. I thought of the Olympic ring earrings now glistening in my ears and the beautiful Claddagh pinned securely to an inside pocket of my warm up suit and what they meant. The faces of people I cared about flew across my mind: Alice and her sisterly support, my parent's unconditional love, Bela and Carlisle's inspirational coaching and most importantly Edward and his crooked smile and unbelievable love. They all dissipated as they crossed my mind. The cheering crowds and pressure of what this event could mean all faded away from my consciousness. Soon it was just the beam and I; the way it should be. I flexed my fingers twice and took another deep breath before raising my arms in a salute.

I raised my right leg to waist level and swung it down with force; flipping my body through the air almost completely over the beam, but close enough that I felt my ponytail hit the edge of the beam. At the perfect second in time, I arched my back and caught the beam with my two hands. My legs followed through, halting at a perfect 90 degree angle. Hardly pausing, I lifted my left arm and swung my left leg under it. I now balanced my body in a perfect handstand. I held that for two seconds, before flipping into a back handspring. I landed with about an inch of beam behind me and had barely found purchase before I leapt back into action. Performing a back handspring step out, back layout step out, back layout, I landed on two feet, this time even closer to the edge; I could actually feel the lip under my heel. I flipped forward, beginning on one leg, landing on the other, and then extending into a scale; posing. I leaned back until I was completely bent backwards and my hands were touching the beam behind my ankles. I straightened up and threw one arm in the air while styling the other behind me facing the ground. I completed a full turn on toe, before leaping into the air and straightening my legs in a perfect, extended split. I leapt a second time, straightening my right leg in front of me and arching the left to almost touch my similarly arched back. I carried out a side semi, before taking two demi jete steps, until my feet were at the edge of the beam; pausing just as the bell rang signaling I had only ten seconds to dismount. I took a deep calming breath, pointing my toe and threw two back layouts shooting off the beam high into the air. My legs were curled to my chest, but held apart. I flipped in that position, once, twice three times, my muscles straining to hold position and to land directly in front of the beam.

Time seemed to freeze as my feet hit the mat, struggling to stick it. It all came down to this. 90 seconds: eight years, fifty two weeks a year, six days a week, injuries and recoveries, falls and sticks, failures and triumphs, every one of them leading up to this moment, this unmoving fragment of time. 90 seconds of fate leading up until that ultimate test of everything I had ever worked for. 90 seconds, deciding the difference between success and ultimate fulfillment; fulfillment beyond just sticking a move or taking the gold, more like fulfillment of an impossible dream. In those 90 seconds, I was at home. Thousands of miles away from my house, but in my real home. The gym, the home where my heart lived; on the beam, following my heart and my dreams, I finally found where I belonged.

My body began to react to the impact of landing and as I struggled to stick it, I realized something. This was no longer about the gold, it was about so much more. Even if I completely fell on this landing, I knew this would be the routine of my life.

Time regained itself and if anything seemed to speed up. Gravity took hold of my body and I began to lose my balance. I fought for control with everything that I had, hoping it was enough.