Chapter 25

Sasha had never been a homebody. In general he avoided emotionally investing in living spaces. Most of his fond memories came various gyms around the world - nothing domestic. He never understood the people that spent hours picking out wood and planning detailed tiling projects for their houses – and for what exactly? Homes change and people move through them. Sasha Belov never saw the point in making one...until now that is.

It was Monday morning and the sunlight was streaming through his window in ghostly golden rays. They streaked downward diagonally on the right side of his bed, illuminating a tangled mess of wavy blond hair. Sasha was on his side with an elbow propping up his head. He knew it was cliché to watch the woman you love sleep, but he did it anyway. Payson Keeler was beautiful. She was lying on her stomach, gently hugging the pillow underneath her head. She made a soft, tired moan and turned her head toward Sasha with eyes still closed. He smiled, imagining what she could possibly be dreaming about.

As he watched this peaceful vision, Sasha suddenly understood what motivated all those fathers and handy men at home improvement stores. He would've built a house for Payson right then if he could. If he had the skill and speed, he would've loved nothing more than to construct a home around her sleeping form - something for them to wake up in for the rest of their lives.

Payson stirred in her sleep and squeezed her pillow tighter. Sasha's hand made its way slowly toward the edge of his white sheets. At present they were bunched around her lower body, delicately resting on the creamy pale skin of her lower hips. His fingers traveled down her body, pausing at familiar but faint scars at the base of her spine. Not wanting to wake her, Sasha ever so lightly bent down and kissed the two pink incisions. They must have been over almost nine years old now. Then, Sasha straightened up and pulled the thin cloth up to cover the curve of Payson's bare back. He ended his fluid gesture by pushing some stray hair away from her face.

Payson's eyes fluttered open and she smiled sweetly.

"Good morning."

"Good morning." he answered.

Neither of them could stop smiling. It seems that all weekend they'd had some sort of stupid expression plastered across their face at any given time.

"Did you sleep well?" Sasha asked.

"Yes." she answered with sparking eyes. "Were you watching me?"

"Maybe."

Payson Keeler laughed. "That's sort of adorable."

"Thank you." Sasha answered, unashamed of his sentimentality.

Payson scooted closer to him under the thin covers and wrapped her smooth arms around his muscular torso, pulling him into a horizontal hug. She sighed in satisfaction at the warm skin-to-skin contact. She loved the feeling of his chest rising and falling against hers; it was like they were temporarily sharing a heartbeats. Sasha kissed the top of Payson's head and returned the embrace.

Payson wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. In fact, she almost fell asleep again in Sasha's arms. If she hadn't opened her eyes and peered over his shoulder, she wouldn't have spotted the time flashing on Sasha's nightstand clock.

She yelped and jumped out of bed, frantically searching for her clothing that was scattered around the ground. "We have exactly ten minutes before practice starts, Sasha. Quick!"

After grabbing some pants and undergarments from the floor, Payson realized that Sasha was still on the bed, staring at her. She threw a shirt at his head.

"Sasha!" she cried desperately. "We can't be late. Get moving!"

Sasha put the shirt on and chuckled. "Sorry, I got distracted..." he said.

Payson rolled her eyes, but a silly grin was plastered on her semi-flattered expression. "You're impossible…" she concluded.

Exactly seven minutes later the two coaches were relatively put together and crammed in Sasha's speeding car. Payson's wild looking hair was tamed in a messy bun atop her head. While Sasha drove she combed his stubborn, spiky mane with her hands and tucked the tag of his tee shirt in.

He snickered at her gestures. "Payson, settle down."

"Sorry." she said, giving up and sitting on her hands. "You know me...I hate being late."

It was worth it. Sasha thought happily.

Sasha and Payson rushed into the Rock five minutes past the hour. Their entrance was signaled by a loud bang as Sasha pushed the door open and strode in quickly with a frazzled looking Payson right behind him. About thirty pairs of eyes were on them. Their male and female elites and juniors were staring at the coaches expectantly, waiting for an explanation or an order to emit from Sasha's lips. Unfortunately, the head coach faltered under this intense scrutiny.

"Uh...good morning." he said stiffly.

"Good morning!" Payson echoed somewhat awkwardly.

No one spoke. The athletes exchanged glances. A few of the boys in the back were suppressing snickers. Nina and Jessica's eyebrows were raised. Clearly, things could not go on like this.

That was the moment Sasha Belov folded like a napkin.

"Fine. Ok, Listen up!" he bellowed, demanding everyone's attention with his usual tone. He pointed at the gymnasts surrounding him as well as the parents watching intently from the other side of the observation glass. "I'm going to say this once because I'm a professional – not because it's any of your business! Understand?"

"Uh, Sasha..." Payson whispered out of the corner of her mouth. "You don't have to do this yet if you don't want…"

"Payson and I are dating." He declared loudly. His voice bounced off the Rock's walls.

The gym remained silent. The Rock gymnasts were either not surprised at all or extremely gifted at controlling their reactions. It was hard to tell. A few parents stood up in shock in the observation room, their mouths moving up and down in confusion. Luckily, no one could hear them. Sasha was not going to concern himself with those people just yet.

"Good. Now get back to work!" he demanded. Sasha motioned for Payson to follow him to his office quickly. The pair hurried up the stairs without looking back. They entered and shut the door.

As soon as it was closed something very strange happened. Even from the other side of the wood, both Payson and Sasha could hear the eruption of sound. It was a mixture of laughter, exclamations, and applause from the gym floor. Payson bolted toward the window and saw all the Rock gymnasts heading to their first rotations in a drama-induced frenzy. A few were pointing toward the office. Near the beam, Nina and Jessica bumped fists in triumph. Payson also swore she saw one boy hand another a twenty dollar bill with a heavy sigh like he'd just lost a bet.

"Well, I think the kids will survive." Sasha joked, observing the spectacle in his gym.

"I guess so." Payson said turning to him and smiling again. "Speaking of kids..." she reached into her pocket and pulled out something for Sasha.

"This is a plane ticket to Boston." he said, examining the paper she placed in his hand.

"It's for you." she beamed. "We're picking up Ally this Saturday from Boston. Sorry, I know you usually practice with the elites on Saturday, but I think you should take a weekend -"

Sasha swooped down and kissed her deeply before she could finish her sentence.

"Sasha!" she cried. Payson blushed, tilting her head toward the window after they broke apart. "Control yourself...all eyes are on us now, remember?"

He laughed and stepped away to a safe distance from his assistance coach. "Whatever you say, Coach Keeler."

"...and he took me to this an old building...and to a big, old boat...and this museum...and the aquarium!"

Ally Keeler was skipping around the living room of her old apartment in Boulder, sharing stories of her Boston adventures with Austin. She and her mother were moving back in to their place with the help of Sasha. The two adults had just picked up the little bundle of joy and successfully taken her back to Colorado in one weekend. Payson was surprised Ally had so much energy after the journey.

"Perhaps when she's older she'll understand what the historical significance of the "old building" and the "boat'." Sasha joked. He was on his hands and knees reassembling a coffee table.

"I should hope so." Payson smirked, taking a seat next to Sasha and handing him a glass of water. "She'll get a chance to go back soon enough. Austin will make sure of that."

Ally was practicing cartwheels and walkovers on the carpets now, perfectly content with her solitary play.

"Excellent extensions..." Sasha said in a low voice. "I wonder where she gets that from?"

"Not from her father..." Payson smirked. She nudged Sasha playfully.

There was something very right about her life right now. Even though her apartment was empty, she felt like she had everything she needed. Payson Keeler used to dream about moments like these, but never thought they would become reality. She had gone through her fair share of hardship over the years with a few fleeting moments of redemption and happiness inbetween. One had been winning her gold medal. Another had been Ally's birth. For some reason this - a simple, ordinary afternoon of nothing with two people she loved - was surfacing as yet another contender. It was an indescribable, beautiful fulfillment.

"I think I'm going to head to my place and shower now." Sasha said after a few minutes. The poor man had been moving their boxes and furniture all day. "Why don't I swing by later and take you ladies out to dinner?"

"OK!" Ally said, answering for the both of them.

Payson laughed. "Sure. That's sounds lovely."

Just as Sasha was about to head out the door, Ally ran after him and tugged on his pant leg. He looked down at her curiously. The little girl obviously had a pressing question. Ally looked from Payson to Sasha and back again with a mischievous grin.

"When are you and Sasha going to get married, mom?"

Payson blushed and chuckled lightheartedly. "Allison Keeler! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, OK?" She patted her daughter on the head and looked up at Sasha apologetically. "Oh my…if she wasn't so cute, I have no idea what I'd do with her. Sorry about that…" She leaned in and gave Sasha a hug at her doorway.

Payson, whose head was resting on Sasha's shoulder, didn't see the very secretive, very meaningful wink that her ex coach shared with her daughter.

Ally Keeler's face brightened at his gesture. She winked back, zipped her lips, crossed her heart, and threw away the invisible key.

a/n - THE END (sort of)! I hope you liked the story. I'll be posting an excerpt from the sequel very soon, so look out for that! There shall be more Payson/Sasha in that as well as some new dramarama... Review if you have comments/suggestions. Love your feedback!