Early the next morning when Paige and Jack walked into the hotel lobby and saw Jade waiting for them, it was as if the sun had suddenly broken through the snow clouds which had been hanging over Seattle for the past few days.
"Jade!" Paige's face lit up as she ran across the lobby to enthusiastically hug her long-time friend. "You Came!"
"When did you get here?" Jack demanded. "I would have met you at the airport."
"Mom and I got here really late last night," Jade reported as she returned Paige's hug, and then moved over to share a hug with Jack. "Everyone was asleep and we didn't want to wake you. Uncle Dave met us at the airport and brought us over."
"Uncle Dave?" Paige questioned.
"Yes," Jade reported. "He called mom early yesterday afternoon and they talked and before I knew it we were on our way to the airport to come here."
"Good Morning – Good Morning!" Ian cheerfully greeted everyone as he bustled into the lobby. "Good to see you again, Jade!"
"It's good to see you, too, Coach Ian," Jade replied with a smile. "You don't seem to be surprised to see me."
"A little bird told me you were on your way," Ian told her. "And, now that everyone is here, maybe we should be heading to the rink."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Paige's practice ice session that morning flew by because, as Tovah had observed several years earlier, she and Jade continually pushed each other to do their best.
"Maybe we should ask Jade to all your practice sessions," Ian teased Paige as they walked back to the hotel afterwards. "Even when she doesn't have skates on she makes you work harder."
"You have a triple Axel!" Jade exclaimed excitedly. "And, almost a quad toe."
"The Axel is getting pretty consistent," Paige admitted. "However, the toe comes and goes."
"She is also very close to getting a quad Salchow," Jack added proudly.
"Are you going to use any of them in your long program?" Jade wanted to know.
"I'll have to wait and see," Paige looked over at Ian. "It depends on how my warm-up goes."
"Maybe I should have Jade put you on the ice for your long program," Ian said thoughtfully. "You seem to skate better when she is there."
"I've just really missed her," Paige explained. "And, I know that Jack misses her, too." She looked over to where her brother and Jade were holding hands as they walked down the street.
"Well, Jade is here now," Ian said. "And, after you get your clothes changed, all of you need to get some breakfast. This is going to be a long day."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The rest of the morning sped by. After breakfast Paige, Laurel, and Ian attended a USFSA seminar concerning safety while traveling overseas. Lunch came soon after that and was quickly followed by a hair and make-up session, and then a visit with Phil Hughes so he could get an updated picture for press releases. Then there was a short nap followed by some warm-up stretches before Paige finally headed to the arena where she put on her competition dress and skates. Finally, it was early evening and everyone was settled into their seat to watch the finals of the USFSA Nationals Senior Ladies Competition.
"I never realized how scary this is," Jade commented as she sat next to Jack who had his arm around her. "Do I get to yell, too?"
"You can yell right along with everyone else," Rossi assured her. Laurel noted with amusement that he and Joan were sitting quite close to each other – Almost on each other's laps.
Paige was in the second-to-the-last warm-up group and when the skaters came out for their warm-up, there was the usual background cheering and calls of encouragement.
"When does Paige skate?" JJ was nervously checking her program.
"She's the third one out," Reid pointed over her shoulder at the page.
"When do I yell?" Jade worried.
"Don't worry – You'll know when," Hotch assured her.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
When the time came, Jade enthusiastically joined in the group's 'Go Paige' yell and then held her breath while her friend skated her four-minute program. When the last skater had finished her program and all the scores had been tallied, Paige was in fifth place.
"Not bad at all!" Ian complimented her. "You should be proud of yourself!"
"Hannah ended up in third place in the Junior Ladies' Group," Laurel whispered to Rossi. "And I would suspect that her mother isn't too happy about that." She had told him and Hotch about her encounter in the lobby the previous night.
"Let's just sit quietly and see if Michelle tries anything," Rossi whispered back.