Payson looked up at Madison Square Garden. The electronic marquee was flashing over and over again: 2011 Visa National Gymnastics Championships. Wordlessly she took the pass her mother was holding out for her and put it around her neck. Looking up at the building again she smiled to herself. Her World Championship was the biggest accomplishment of her career as a gymnast, but winning the All-Around at Nationals, the same competition where her career almost ended just a year before, it would mean a lot.
Despite MJ's near apoplectic reaction, Payson neatly avoided the crush of media and publicity that usually accompanied arriving at Nationals. She knew it made her seem unapproachable, but she didn't care. She needed to focus and playing games of "What's In Your Gym Bag" and trading barbs with Kelly Parker weren't high on her priorities list. She quickly ducked into a hallway following a security guard, closely as he led her to the locker room, earphones snugly tucked into her ears. The soft melody of Mona Lisa from Nat King Cole's smooth voice soothing her nerves as she smiled a thank you to the security guard and entered the still deserted room. She put her gym bag on one of the tables and hopped up on it. Laying back and closing her eyes, allowing her body to slowly relax. It wasn't mediation, she wasn't nearly chic or pretentious enough to call it that, but it was how she prepared herself mentally for an event. The song ended and another began, but not before Payson heard the shuffle of feet approaching her. She cracked one eyelid and saw Austin standing a few feet away. "You know this is the women's locker room right?"
He snickered in response as she paused her music. "Must have missed the sign on the way in." He grew silent for a minute, waiting for her to initiate conversation.
"How's MJ?" she asked, sitting up and spinning around to face him.
His lip quirked up in a half smile, "Good," he said and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Really good."
Payson shook her head, "You're disgusting."
He shrugged, "Hey, it was your boyfriends idea, I just er – closed the deal so to speak."
Payson opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it again, smirking. No one had ever referred to Sasha as her boyfriend before. It seemed like such an inadequate term for him. Sasha Beloff was no one's boyfriend. It just didn't fit. Her mind reeled at the words that should apply, words that could apply: man, friend, lover, coach, fiancé, husband, and father. Whoa, there Pay, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
"What no witty come back, Keeler? You disappoint me. How's your knee?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"Fine. I'll have it wrapped up tight for today and see. I hate competing like a mummy though, all wrapped up."
He stood, conscious that he should probably leave the locker room before the rest of the girls showed up. "You'll live. So just wanted to wish you good luck, not that you need it, you're going to rock."
She smiled at him. "Thanks, Austin," she said, jumping off the table and taking a step closer to him. He leaned down and bussed her cheek, as she stood on her tiptoes to give him a hug. Just as her arms closed around him, the door to the locker room swung open and there stood Kelly Parker and a few of her Denver Elite teammates.
Austin pulled away quickly, giving Payson a quick squeeze on her shoulder, "Good luck today," he said, moving away, nodding to the girls standing in the doorway, "Excuse me, ladies." The moved out of his way quickly, gaping at him.
"Wow, Keeler, Austin Tucker?" Kelly said, with a smirk. "I didn't believe the rumors, but then those pictures of you guys came out and now this? Canoodling in the locker room? It's just too much."
Payson laughed, having learned that Kelly's bark was much worse than her bite. "Jealous Parker?" she said, her eyes giving away her true meaning. "Austin and I are actually just friends, but since you don't actually have any friends, I wouldn't expect you to understand that."
She quickly changed into her leo, then went back into the bathroom to apply some makeup and twist her hair into her signature bun. Half a can of hairspray later, she emerged and put her iPod back in to start her relaxation again, mentally preparing her mind for the stress of competition. Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Ellen Beals, now working for the NGO as an event coordinator stuck her head in, "Five minutes ladies," she called, loud enough for Payson to hear her. She sat up and opened her gym bag, pulling on her track suit over her leo.
She approached her teammates as they gathered near the door, "How's everyone feeling?" she asked, looking each of them in the eye. No one, not even the two youngest girls on the team, just a year older than Payson's younger sister at fifteen, looked overly nervous. They all grinned or nodded to her and she let out a breath. "Good, now let's go kick some ass."
"Welcome to the 2011, National Gymnastics Championships presented by Visa. I'm Al Trautwig, alongside Olympic Gold Medalist, Tim Dagget and Elfie Schlegel and we'll be bringing you all the twists and turns over the next three days here from the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. The last time we saw you all at an international event of this level we were at the amazing and controversial World Championships in Rotterdam, where the United States of American won an astounding seventeen medals, lead by Payson Keeler and Austin Tucker, the All Around World Champions. Since then the gymnastics world dealt with a judging controversy, followed up by the London Olympic Test Event earlier this year, where most of these gymnasts competed again, with a variety of results, some similar, some not so similar to those in Rotterdam. Tim, Elfie, what can we expect from this event?"
Tim Dagget, nodded to Al, "Well, Al, I'd expect the rest of the field to have raised their game since Rotterdam and London. American gymnasts both on the men's and women's side have seen Austin Tucker and Payson Keeler dominating for too long. They're going to want to pull down the King and Queen, so to speak."
Elfie cut in, "I agree, but honestly, I don't see that happening. Austin and Payson, gymnastics' ultimate power couple, have been training extremely hard in Boulder under Coach Sasha Beloff; I'd expect that they've come to win."
Al finished up their intro smoothly, "Well, we start with the women today, the first day of the competition, where the top players will vie for a lead in the All-Around competition and event finals which will conclude the day after tomorrow, when the men begin their competition."
Sasha sighed as he looked up at the score board on Day 1. Damn it, he thought, scowling at the standings, 1. Kelly Parker 2. Payson Keeler 3. Emily Kmetko. He looked at Payson, her expression stoic as usual, but he could see the tension there, just around her eyes. She'd over-rotated on her Produnova and on a vault that difficult, when you overrate, you fall on your ass and she'd done just that, giving Parker a small lead, but a lead nonetheless going into the next day. She'd also failed to qualify for vault finals because of the sit-down, while Parker had landed, though shakily, a Yurchenko with a triple twist. Shifting gears for a moment, he concentrated on the name in third place and he couldn't help the smile that appeared. Emily Kmetko, the USA's new All-Around contender. He saw her packing her bag, for their march off the floor and caught her eye. He smiled at her and she practically beamed back at him. He studied the standings again, seeing Kaylie in fourth place and Lauren tied for fifth with Andrea Conway. Tomorrow would be a nail biter, no doubt about it.
He stood at the front of the line, Payson coming to stand in front of her, her teammates lining up behind her. They marched straight to the locker room, but before they went in he gathered them together in a small huddle, allowing the other teams to march past them. "Excellent job today, ladies. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm extremely proud of you, now curfew is at ten tonight, lights out by half past. I also expect all of you to be in the arena tomorrow supporting your male teammates, like they were here today for you."
Lauren quirked an eyebrow at him, "Except we don't have to paint our chests, right?"
He chuckled softly and smiled. It had become a tradition for the Rock men to paint their faces and chests in support of their teammates after London. "No, face paint and the like are strictly optional. Okay, give me a 'Rock on.'"
They put their hands out and shouted together, "Rock on!"
"Well done, ladies, bus leaves in a half hour, be ready or we'll be leaving without you."
The girls moved into the locker room quickly, the half hour not sounding nearly long enough, but Payson lingered behind.
"We're only ten blocks from the hotel. It's supposed to be a beautiful night. Do you feel like walking?" she asked, quietly.
He looked around quickly, "Hang around after we're supposed to leave. I'll have your mum go back to the hotel with the rest of the girls."
She nodded and went into the locker room to change. He watched her go and then looked down the hall to see his father approaching him and he sighed. Yesterday had been a long night, which had turned into a long day and by the expression on his father's face it was about to get longer.
"I must speak with you," Boris said, his usual loud voice oddly hushed.
Sasha crossed his arm across his chest, readying for battle, "What about?"
Boris narrowed an eye at him, "Do not take that tone in your voice, Sasha. I must speak with you about something and I believe you'd like to do it somewhere that is not in front of many people."
Sasha returned his dad's expression, not intimidated in the slightest, "What Dad? I haven't got time for your games."
Boris threw his hands up in the air, a familiar gesture that Sasha had been on the receiving end of many times. "Fine, you wish to throw away your career and the hard work of the finest gymnast you will ever coach, that is just okay with me. I always said a woman would be your undoing," he muttered.
Sasha's eyes grew wide. What does the old man know? What had changed from the flight when he'd thought Austin and Payson were seeing each other to this morning? Nothing, except…except that you didn't get back to your hotel room until four hours after you dropped your bags off in the room you're sharing with him. He must have noticed that, even though he didn't say anything yesterday or this morning. What was he playing at? His father frowned at him, but still did not speak.
Sasha had returned minutes later with a room key for Payson, after for reasons unknown, she'd refused to enter her own hotel room. He knew getting this hotel room would be a good idea, although at the time he'd made the reservation it had little to do with Payson and more to do with the ability to avoid his father if necessary.
"Here you go," he said, handing her the key. "It's just down the hall," he said. She picked up her bag and walked down the hallway, just two doors away from the room he'd be sharing with his father. She opened the door and then looked at him, still in front of her door. She raised her eyebrows at him invitingly, but he didn't respond, just stayed rooted in the spot. She smirked and entered the hotel room, the door shutting behind her. Immediately the fog he'd been in cleared and in three strides he was at the door, knocking lightly. The door opened immediately, and she stood there with a smile, before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him inside.
Sasha sighed, looking at Boris. "What are you talking about, Dad? Serioulsy?"
Boris shook his head, "I am not talking about anything, because I did not see anything. I did not see her holding your hand in the hallway and I did not see you go into a hotel room with her yesterday and I will not see anything else, but you will see and she will see and you must realize what a dangerous game you are playing. She is very young, Sasha."
Sasha shook his head, a sense of complete defeat overtaking him, "What do you want from me? Do you want me to end it?"
Boris glared at him, the tough old face, marred by lines, not from laughter, but scowls, "You would end it?"
Sasha set his mouth in a firm line, "For her, to protect her, I'd do anything."
Boris shook his head, "No, I do not approve, but you will not do anything to jeopardize her chances tomorrow. I cannot believe that you have put yourself in this situation, Sasha. It will come out and then what? What will happen to you?"
Sasha sighed and rubbed at the back of his neck lightly. His father was right. What then? "I don't know," he answered honestly. There was no answer to that question, not a good one anyway.
Boris scowled, "You had better figure it out."
With that his father turned on his heel and marched back down the hallway, ostensibly to grab a car back to the hotel.
Sasha turned and kicked the wall. "Shit." What are you going to do now, Beloff?
Payson changed slowly, her teammates filing out one by one to grab the bus. Emily was the only one waiting for her, "Go on, Em. I think I'll just grab a cab back to the hotel. Maybe walk. It's a nice night. Have a nice dinner with Damon."
Emily shrugged and smiled. "Good job today. I know you'll pull ahead tomorrow."
She smiled back at her friend, "You too. Would you mind taking my gym bag back with you, I don't feel like carrying if I walk." Emily took it from her and grinned. "See you later."
She waited a few more minutes before grabbing her purse and stepping into the concrete and cinderblock hallway below the Garden, it's walls lined with pictures of basketball and hockey players. Sasha was leaning up against the wall across the hall, seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey," she said, pulling her bag over her shoulder.
He smiled, "Hi, you ready?"
He pushed off the wall and they moved towards the exit slowly, their strides matching. The media had left the building long ago and the fans were only scattered now. Sasha jogged to the curb and waved for a cab, but was pointedly ignored by several taxis before Payson smiled, giving him a small shove back and waving for a taxi herself. Moments letter one of the yellow cars skidded to a stop in front of her and she smiled victoriously. "It's all about the long blonde hair," she said as they climbed in.
"More like the long legs," he murmured to her, trailing a hand over his thigh and she laughed.
"Downtown," he said to the cabby. "Gramercy Park East," he said and smiled at her. "I told you I'd show you my flat this weekend."
It was a residential street in downtown New York, exuding old world charm, it was definitely too nice not to be pricey. Sasha swiped his card and they exited the cab.
"It's a nice street," she said, looking up and down the block. Like in London she could practically feel the energy of the city radiating off the sidewalk.
He nodded, placing his hand at the small of her back, leading her towards a stone stoop. "It's on the second floor, pre-war," he said.
She smiled at him, "So it'll have some nice touches, crown moldings, wood floors, it'll have character," she said with a twinkle in her eye. They stopped at the front door and he looked at her curiously, a strange smile on his face. "What? I've been watching House Hunters," she said as he laughed and unlocked the door. "It's an addiction."
They walked up the two flights of stairs and stopped in front of a door that read, 2A. Sasha unlocked this door as well and with a flick of his wrist let it swing open.
She took a step into the apartment, but she stopped almost immediately. It was lit beautifully by the three windows overlooking the street. The wood floors were shining. "Sasha, what exactly did your mother do that she could afford this place?"
He shrugged, "She inherited it. I've been letting it for the past few years and the tenants recently moved out. I'll be leasing it again in a month or so, but it's an option," he said, but Payson could see something was wrong. The worry lines on his forehead were making an appearance.
She took a step towards him and reached up, brushing her thumb over his forehead, before running her hands lightly through his hair. "What's wrong?" she asked, as his eyes slid shut and he leaned into her touch.
"I have to tell you something," he said, taking her hand in his. "My father knows about us."
Payson wasn't expecting that. "Will he say anything?" she asked, her mouth now completely dry, her stomach turning n knots.
Sasha shook his head, "I don't think so. He was – concerned, I think. More for you than me, I'd imagine and rightly so."
She sighed and leaned her head against his chest, feeling his arms come around her. "So what do we do?"
"I don't know, but first we need to be more careful. We've been getting lazy, comfortable even. What we pulled yesterday in the hotel hallway, it was careless, and especially considering everyone traveling with us was on the same floor. And secondly, we have to figure out what we're going to do when this comes out."
"If it comes out," she murmured, taking a deep cleansing breath, pulling strength from the feeling of his arms around her and the muscles of his back that her hands held onto. "You're right. So let's order some food and figure out a plan, but nothing too heavy, because I'm going to wipe the floor with Kelly Parker tomorrow and all anyone will want to talk about is my gold medal and not who I'm dating." She smiled at Sasha, who ran a finger down from her brow to her chin, lifting it and moving her lips towards his for a kiss.
"I love you," he said, his lips still brushing against hers.
"I love you too."
Three hours and four cartons of Thai food later, they had a plan. Now only if we could be sure this'll work.
They were checking out of the hotel late Sunday evening, the Rock men and women having done extremely well at this Nationals, proving once again that they were the best club in the country. Sasha exited the elevator and saw that he was one of the earlier to arrive. He wandered into the lobby and saw Becca Keeler sitting on one of the couches, laptop open in front of her, clicking furiously. She looked to be hard at work, so Sasha sat on the couch across from her and pulled out a book he was reading. Fifteen minutes later, he felt eyes on him. He looked up from the page to see Becca looking at him.
"I'm finished, do you want to see?" she said, a smile across her face.
"What are you finished with?" he asked the new Junior Elite All Around Bronze medalist, a huge accomplishment for the girl who'd only moved up to elite earlier that year.
"Well, I DVR'd the event at home and my Dad set it up so that the files would be automatically sent to my computer. Then I divided up the footage and used iMovie to put together a video montage of all our accomplishments this weekend. I've been working on it since last night and I think it's finally perfect. I was thinking that maybe we could use it at the Rocky Awards this year?"
Sasha stared at her, having absolutely no idea what the girl was talking about. It had been complete gibberish to him. "Yeah, let me see," he said, holding out his hands for her computer. She handed it to him and then sat down on the couch next to him, clicking a button to start the show.
A punk rock song Sasha didn't know began as video clips of both the men's and women's team from throughout the competition flashed across the screen before it settled upon footage of Kaylie as she rocked the bars, landing her event silver medal performance. "What a performance from reining National Champion, Kaylie Cruz! A silver medal for Kaylie on bars and the comeback story of the year in gymnastics," an announcer's voice cut in. Followed by Lauren on the beam, who had taken home the silver in that event, "She just makes this look easy. That routine will, yes Lauren Tanner is the new silver medalist on beam."
The video shifted, using music Sasha recognized from Emily's floor routine, as Becca had seamlessly thrown together elements from all four of Kmetko's routines in her bronze All-Around performance, combined with silver on floor and a bronze on the bars. "Emily Kmetko, the fastest rising star in this sport…What a bars routine from Emily Kmetko! Kmetko…yes! What an incredible vault, sticking that blind landing and there's the score, and Emily Kmetko will take home the All-Around bronze medal, the surprise of these Championships!"
Then the pace slowed down as Becca had combined Payson's bars and floor routine, the rhythm picking up as she segued into her beam, winning gold on all three events, as she blew away Kelly Parker on the second day of competition. "Payson Keeler is here to win today folks. Look at her, the power and the grace. Flawless, absolutely flawless on bars….Look at that, Payson Keeler nails a great routine on beam, that'll be good enough for gold….She just floats through this routine with a grace you see on stage uptown at Lincoln Center, she brings everything a gymnast can to this routine ...and here it is, the vault she sat down on yesterday, wow, and she pounds her feet into the ground and then pumps her fists into the air, saluting the judges and saluting herself. Payson Keeler, the 2011 National Champion. "
Then the music became rougher, more masculine as a similar montage from the beginning of the video began this time of Carter, Austin and Nicky. Flashes of Austin and Nicky's performances, once again going one and two for the All-Around gold and silver, highlighting the gold medal performances for Austin on the rings, parallel bars and floor, silver on the remaining three. "Austin Tucker is the best male gymnast in the world. If we thought he was good in Beijing, if what we saw here tonight is any indication, he'll be even better in London." Then the music shifted, not quite as harsh as Austin's but still a good beat as it moved towards Nicky's accomplishments: gold on the high bar and pommel horse, silver on the rings and parallel bars and bronze on the vault. "Nicky Russo, what a performance here tonight from him, two golds, two silvers and a bronze, medaling on five of six events." And then Carter coming out of nowhere winning the gold on the vault and finishing a very respectable fourth all around. "What are they feeding these guys in Boulder? Carter Anderson with one of the best vaults you will ever see and that score gives him the gold on the event and moves him just off the podium into fourth place!"
Then there was a small section, the music he recognized as the ringer that sounded when he called Payson's cell phone. He smiled as some footage of him during the competition flashed across the screen. Celebratory moments with the girls, hugs and high fives, a few fist bumps with the men, a shot of him, Payson and Emily embracing as the final scores were posted. Then footage of the medal ceremonies, the girls receiving their National team jackets and then the guys from earlier today. The music faded as the voice of Al Trautwig, "Sasha Beloff and the gymnasts from The Rocky Mountain Gymnastics club are one of the most dominant forces in sports today. The Rock came to these National Championships and simply blew away the competition. They are the Murderer's Row of Gymnastics, the finest assemblage of talent this sport may ever see from one club. "
The video stopped and Sasha smiled. "This was incredible, Becca. You have a real talent."
She shrugged, "It wasn't that hard. Do you think you'll use it?"
He nodded, and patted her on the shoulder, "Absolutely." He looked up and most of their traveling party was standing around them, watching the montage, most of them with silly grins on their faces. They had won and it felt incredible.