"You're fired..."

Chapter 18

Payson blinked.

"Sasha, your sense of humor is getting way too dry."

Sasha crossed his arms in defiance. He had a look in his eye - one Payson hadn't seen since her gymnastics days. It was a look of uncompromised authority. Her smile dissolved when she realized he was serious.

"Sasha," she said laughing nervously. "I hate to break it to you, but you can't fire me. I'm the assistant coach for the National Gymnastics Team."

"Yes, but I can fire you from the Rock." he pointed out.

"In theory…" she said slowly. "Sasha, did I miss something? Did I do something horribly unprofessional – you know, besides seducing you a few times?"

Out of the corner of his eye Sasha glanced out the office window as Ellen Beals walked out of the Rock with a spring in her step. Payson followed his line of sight in horror.

"NO!" she cried suddenly. "No way!"

"What?"

She stood up and planted her hands on her hips. "This has something to do with Ellen Beals, doesn't it?"

"Why would you say that?" Sasha asked defensively.

"Because whenever you do something irrational or impulsive, it's usually because of her! Inviting the Chinese to the Rock, ditching me before Worlds…"

"I thought you'd gotten over that!" Sasha cried.

"I-I have." Payson said. "But would you please mind explaining to me what it is this time? Is she blackmailing you? Spit it out! I deserve a straight answer for once."

Payson was hovering over his desk now, filling the room with a stifling pressure.

"She's trying to ruin your life, Payson."

She rolled her eyes. "Sasha, when is Ellen Beals NOT trying to ruin either of our lives?"

"No!" Sasha was standing now. "It's different this time. She's trying to manipulate both of us into keeping you here, as far away from Austin as possible. She wants you to compete against him. She wants to publicize lovers quarrels, love triangles, and custody battles on very magazine cover and trashy television show in this country. I've seen you deal with this craziness over the past few weeks, Payson. No matter what brave face you put on, I know for a fact that it tore you up inside. So you have a choice: it can all be over right now or that bloody press conference was just the beginning. Do you really want to prolong that pain for you and Ally? Ellen Beals isn't fixing a gymnastics competition or threatening to pull you off a team, Payson. This is you life!"

Payson groaned in frustration. "Stop it! Just stop it!"

"What?" Sasha asked desperately. "I'm trying to help you."

"By firing me? You couldn't just explain to me what was going on like an adult?"

Sasha sighed. "Would you have listened?"

"Of course not!"

Now it was Sasha's turn to groan. "Payson, you can't stay. You'll regret it, I promise you. Five years down the road you'll hate me and you'll hate your life if you stay. I'm trying to be honorable here!"

"Exactly." Payson threw her hands up in the air, suddenly realizing the underlying flaw in her relationship with Sasha. "You're always trying to save me – often times without my consent or input! That might have been acceptable when you were my coach, Sasha but I am a grown woman who can make her own decisions."

"Yes." He said bitterly. "And destructive ones at that…"

"Destructive?" Payson gaped in awe at his word choice and hypocrisy. "You're the one who opened this can of worms in the first place, Sasha Belov. Remember? You sat right here in this chair while you smiled smugly at me with your feet up on the desk and begged me to date you!"

"Well I didn't have to beg much the night you came to my trailer and –"

It happened very fast. Suddenly a small, pink of imprint of Payson Keeler's hand was on Sasha's left cheek.

"I-I'm sorry." He stuttered stupidly, still shocked that she had slapped him.

There was no remorse on Payson's face. "You made me fall in love with you…and now you're firing me?"

Sasha sighed and tried to touch her cheek. Payson only backed away, grimacing at the thought of his hand on her skin.

"I know you, Payson. You wouldn't leave otherwise." Sasha said sadly. His tone changed suddenly. All the anger was drained from his face and now there was just complicated layers of regret. "I think that deep down we both know that moving is right for everyone, regardless of Ellen Beals. Payson, you belong in Boston."

Payson shook her head slowly stepping back in disbelief. She was feeling an odd mixture of hatred and longing for Sasha Belov. She loathed him for his presumptuous hero complex, but she wanted desperately to stay by his side.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stomach it, Payson." Sasha continued. "I'm not going to sit here and let you sacrifice your family and personal dignity for me. I don't care if you lie to me, but don't lie to yourself. If there is even a small part of you that wants to go to Boston – a part of you that wants to that unity and family peace that you couldn't get seven years ago, then you have to try now. You won't admit it, so I will."

Sasha paused and looked down at his hands. He hadn't realized, but they were now resting on top of the gold medal Payson had given him just minutes before. He closed the space between them, approaching her slowly with the golden circle in his palm. Payson held her breath as he returned it to her, placing it over her neck gently.

Payson was frozen, unable to react. She wanted to open her mouth and deny everything he was saying. She wanted to yell at the top of her lungs that nothing could make her leave the Rock. She wanted to throw off the medal and glue it back into Sasha's hands. Unfortunately none of these things happened. Sasha was right. There was a small part of her she'd stowed away long ago that had always wondered what a life with the father of her child would be like; what it would be like to build a traditional home like that one she grew up in. This small, forgotten part of her was what made her emotional as she watched Austin and Ally reunite. It was the part of Payson that had made her hang up the phone before turning down the offer. Most importantly, it was the part of her keeping her frozen and silent now in front of Sasha.

Sasha interpreted the silence correctly. "That's what I thought." He said sadly, kissing her on the forehead once before leaving his office.

Kim Keeler had never felt more in the dark than she did now. As a skilled mother and former gym manager, she was so used to knowing everything.

So when her daughter called her late that night to inform her of an impending and permanent move, Kim Keeler was shocked to say the least. The conversation lasted only a minute. Payson shared as little information as possible, only grunting one word answers like "Sasha" and "Boston." It was very unsatisfactory.

Her first move was to call Sasha Belov's apartment. As soon as he answered she bombarded him with a series of questions, demanding why her daughter and granddaughter were moving across the country and why Payson was leaving the Rock. Unfortunately Sasha was just as ineloquent as her daughter, only stuttering and mumbling through their talk before finally finding an excuse to hang up.

This left Kim Keeler no choice. She hopped in her car and drove to Payson's right away. She didn't even bother knocking, opting instead to use the emergency key that Payson gave her months ago. Mrs. Keeler was planning on opening the door and extracting some reason from this unexpected situation. She wanted an explanation as soon as possible and she wasn't afraid to yell to get it.

Then, when the door swung open to the living room, she paused at the sight before her. Suddenly, her face softened and her game plan changed.

Payson was curled up on the couch crying softly into a blanket. Her noise was pink and her face was half buried in the soft cloth.

"Mom?"

Payson jumped to her feet and ran over to her mother, swinging her arms around her neck and weeping into her shoulder.

Kim Keeler melted, forgetting her original purpose. "Shhh…" she said soothingly.

"I have to leave, mom." Payson said, into the fabric of her mother's sweater. "I'm sorry."

"Shh…."

Kim Keeler stayed the night, helping her daughter tape up boxes.

"I'm not leaving!"

Jessica Rudolph's voice echoed throughout the Rock the next morning. Her parents were trying to convince her to grab her gym bag and follow them.

"No!" she cried again, shaking away her mother's grip on her arm. She backed away from them quickly, not caring that she was causing a scene.

"Sweetie," Mr. Rudolph was trying to reason with his emotional daughter. "We're going to make other arrangements for you now. Remember how sad you were when we left Georgia? It's the same thing. Trust me, you'll be thank us later when you're settled and happy in Boston."

"I'm not leaving the Rock!" she repeated, crossing her arms. "This is my team."

Nina Hart walked over to her friend and stood by her with a confused look on her face.

"Jess – what's going-?"

"Boston is the best gym in the country with the best coaches." Mrs. Rudolph said. "And now you're the best gymnast in the country. It makes sense."

The color drained from Nina's face at these words. "You're leaving?"

"No." Jessica assured her. "I'm staying with Sasha and you."

Jessica's stubborn voice was now the loudest thing in the gym. No one could ignore it now. Even Sasha emerged from his office to observe the commotion.

"Get back to work!" he bellowed at the athletes. He ran down the stairs as everyone pretended to focus on training again. He strode over to the Rudolphs and Nina. The girls backed away out of instinct. Sasha had been a mess all day and hadn't even bothered to hide it. Since 5 a.m. he'd been either holed up behind his desk or bellowing unconstructive criticism from the top of the staircase.

"What exactly is the problem here?"

"Uh –" Mr. Rudolph had suddenly lost his nerve at the sight of an angry Sasha.

"They want me to leave the Rock!" Jessica said, pointing at her parents angrily. "They want to move to Boston Elite."

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Nina asked desperately.

"Mr. Rudolph," Sasha turned to him. "You're aware that you have to speak to me and fill out paperwork before you up and leave with Jessica."

Jessica stomped her bare foot on the mat. "That won't be necessary because I'm not leaving!"

"Is this about Payson?" Sasha asked the Rudolphs.

"What about Payson?" his two elite gymnasts asked together.

"She just accepted a job with Austin Tucker." said Mr. Rudolph, finally finding his voice. "It's the best gym in the country and now they have Payson Keeler."

Both girls looked awestricken at the news. Neither said a word, only gaped at Mr. Rudolph and Sasha hoping one might further explain this madness.

Then, after a whiplash of silence, everyone began talking at once. It was chaotic. Each was demanding something from someone else, asking for answers, and spewing out anger. Their voices layered on top of on another, causing an unfortunate pounding in Sasha Belov's temples. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Stop it!" cried a clear voice from the door.

Payson Keeler was standing there in street clothes, her daughter by her side holding her hand. The Keeler women stepped forward into the Rock. Sasha held in breath, hoping not to loose it completely. It didn't help that Ally ran forward. She stopped at his feet and held her hands up expectantly, waiting for him to grab her and hoist her up like usual. Payson was slightly envious of her daughter. Even after their fight she was still blocking her instincts to run up to him herself.

"Can I speak to Nina and Jessica?" she asked the fellow adults. "…alone."

No one denied her that right. The girls followed Payson outside with just their leos on. Neither could believe what was happening. Just the other day they'd had a solid National Team practice with both Payson and Sasha, two of the best athletes the sport has ever seen. Today they were one coach down.

"What's going on, Payson?" Nina asked. "This has to be some sort of mistake, right? You're not leaving the Rock."

Payson throat clenched. She felt like the worst hypocrite in the world. She had been older than Nina when Sasha left her, but she somehow doubted that this young girl would harbor half as much bitterness as she had. Even at fourteen, Nina was far too mature.

"It's true." She admitted. "I'm moving to Boston with Ally. We leave tomorrow."

"So soon?" Jessica asked incredulously.

She nodded.

"You're moving for him, aren't you?" Nina asked.

Payson knew perfectly well who him was. Nina couldn't seem to handle saying his name aloud.

"Yes," she answered honestly. "but not just for Austin. I'm also moving for Ally and myself. She needs to have both her parents in her life. You girls don't know how lucky you are to have that. I know I used to take it for granted."

The girls were silent. Nina looked down at her feet feeling slightly guily. Just a moment before anger had been boiling in her gut, but then she thought of her annoying, crowded house and clingy parents….and how miserable life would be without them.

"Will you still be coming for National Practices?" Nina's voice cracked in the middle of her question and Payson stepped forward to hug her.

"Of course I will." She said. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Nina."

Nina smiled half-heartedly.

"You know my parents want me to follow you." Jessica said, locking eyes with her now ex-coach.

"And what do you want, Jessica?"

Jessica clenched her jaw. "I uh…I want us all to stay here."

Payson grabbed Jessica's hand and squeezed. She knew very well that Jessica couldn't leave Sasha now. She'd hit a stride with him this year and their two approaches complimented one another. Sasha brought out the best in her in ways that Payson didn't know how. The last thing Jessica Rudolph wanted or needed was to leave the Rock.

"I'm sorry." Payson said. "but I want you two to promise me that you'll listen to Sasha and help one another. You're Rock Rebels too - don't ever forget that."

They nodded. Nina broke away from Payson and wiped her eyes.

A few minutes later all three walked back into the gym – trudged was more like it. Nina and Jessica relunctantly returned to their workouts, but they seemed to have invisible weights around their ankles.

Ally Keeler was smiling and doing cartwheels in front of a beaming Sasha. Payson sighed, wondering if she'd ever get the girl out of this gym and on a plane tomorrow.

"Ally," she said gently, walking over to them. "It's time to head out, sweetie."

"OK!"

She stopped rotating and grinned up at Sasha.

"See you later, Sasha!" she said cheerfully.

She walked back to her mother, ready to leave, but Payson bent down to her height. It seemed that Ally, though particularly bright for her age, hadn't grasped exactly what goodbye meant yet.

"Sweetie," Payson whispered. "You should say goodbye to Sasha."

Ally blinked her big blue eyes in confusion. "Oh. When will I see him again?"

"Not for a long time."

Ally furrowed her brow and scrunched up her chin. Payson was afraid that she might start crying. She wasn't sure if she could take that now.

"Can he come with us?" Ally whispered back, hoping that compromise might work.

Payson shook her head.

Sasha watched Payson and Ally whispering, feeling his heart sink slowly into his stomach. He remembered seeing this pair months ago for the first time in that exact spot. The adorable Ally had kicked his shin, Payson had insulted him…he would've given anything to go back to that beginning.

Suddenly, Ally was at his feet again. Sasha bent down on his good knee to meet her gaze just as Payson had done.

"Hey you." He said fondly.

"Mom says I should say goodbye."

Sasha tried to look optimistic for her. "Well, let's say good-bye then - but not for forever."

"I think I can do that."

She leaned forward and wrapped her tiny arms around Sasha's neck. Sasha hugged her back, inserting all the love he had for both her and her mother.

"Oh and Sasha." She said as she stepped back and fished for something in her back jeans pocket. "I want you to have this."

She handed him a wrinkled wad of constriction paper. He smiled sweetly.

'Thank you, Ally."

Ally ran back to Payson and took her hand. They walked toward the parking lot. Ally looked back a few times over her shoulder, but Payson didn't.

"Mommy, aren't you going to say goodbye to Sasha?"

"I already did." She answered.

Sasha watched them exit the Rock. Once they were out of sight he unfolded the paper in his hand.

It was a drawing of a building, a sun, and the Keeler family in a line with smiling faces. Next to a blonde woman in a dress and a tiny brunette with pigtails was a tall male stick figure with yellow spiked hair.