Even though I spent all day at the rink with Yuri and I was already exhausted, I couldn't turn Yurio down. Nothing a little energy drink wouldn't cure. I had to admit, Victor had done a hell of a job coaching Yuri. But Yurio had gotten so much better since we first stepped foot in here. His spins have gotten tighter. It's a rarity he over rotates. He's sticking his jumps. Yurio had definitely come a long way since he stumbled on the ice.

"Mama," Yurio slid over to me after finishing his first run of the night.

"What, Yuri?" I chirped, saving the footage on my phone.

"Do you think we could skate together?" he asked innocently, "Like the way you and Victor did?"

I had only shown Yurio some of our old tapes a couple times. There's no way he would've had any of the routines memorized, "Are you saying you want to try couples skating?"

"Please?" Yurio begged.

"I don't think so, baby," I shot him down, "You're not quite ready yet."

"Come on!" he whined, "Why not?"

"Couples skating and singles are completely different," I explained, "When you're skating by yourself, you only have one person to worry about. When you're doing pairs, though, you and your partner have to be in perfect sync. That's why Victor and I were so good at what we did. If you want we can try starting with ballroom dancing tomorrow."

"Fine," he let it go, "But why do I have to do ballroom dancing first?"

"You learned ballet for singles," I pointed out, "You'll have to learn ballroom for couples. But for now, I want you to do another set."

"Any requests?" Yurio stretched.

"Let's see," I ran through his repertoire of routines in my head. And I was feeling a little nostalgic, "How about you give me the Primadonna set?"

"Ok," Yurio skated out to the middle of the empty rink and waited for me to turn the music on. As Marina's voice bounced around the room, I got even worse. I should've been out there. I should have my skates on and I should be on the ice. I hadn't even danced in so long. Teaching Yurio has been both a friendly and a not so friendly reminder of who I am. Who I've been. But I also knew some of the darker sides of the sport.

But I wasn't going to let my past distract me from watching my son pull off the most flawless routine I've ever seen him do. Yurio has ran the Primadonna routine a million and one times over, but everything was so…perfect. So clean. I got so preoccupied with how well Yuri did earlier today and how I knew it was because of Victor's coaching, but even Yuri's routine wasn't as good as this. To think, this song was initially intended as a warm up. This was never supposed to become a routine. But it worked for him.

"A lot of fire in that boy," a man's voice rumbled behind me.

"Yeah," I nodded, a little nervous about turning around. Hold on. I've heard that voice before, "You're Yakov, right? Victor's coach."

"Da," he confirmed, "Pain in the ass, but talent for days. Violet, yes? The little American girl."

"That's right. What brings you here?"

"The lights were on," Yakov explained himself, "Only one person has a key to this place aside from the owner and would be here this early in the morning. I thought I would find Victor here. Instead, I find this."

"What do you think?" I asked.

Yakov studied Yurio's every move, "I like what I see. Is he competing?"

"Not yet," I shook my head.

"Let me coach him," he offered, "I sense greatness in him. With the right push, he could beat some of Victor's records. It wouldn't surprise me if he were to bring home some gold hardware either."

"What?" I felt a pit open in my stomach, "I don't know, Yakov. I'm not sure how to feel about that."

"Who is his coach now?"

"I am."

"Really?" he gasped a little, "You've done an excellent job, Violet, but please. You've seen what I've done with Victor. Although, he never really listened to me. I'll give you some time to think about it."

"But, Yakov…"

"I'll be back in a week for your decision!" Yakov waved behind him and left Yurio and me alone in the rink.

"Mama," he skated up to me, "Who was that?"

"Victor's old coach," I sighed out, "And he wants to coach you."

"But," Yurio's eyes filled with fear and anxiety, "You coach me. You're not leaving me, are you?"

"Of course I'm not," I promised, holding his hand, "But the thing about Yakov. He's a seasoned coach, Yuri. He's been to many a Grand Prix Final. He could probably get you there."

"But I don't want him to get me there!" his voice broke…along with my heart, "I want you to get me there!"

"Relax, baby," I settled him, "I'm not going anywhere. It's just something to think about. Now, come on. Take your skates off. We're going home."

"Ok…" As soon as Yurio's skates were off his feet, he latched onto my side, "Don't ever leave me, Mama. I don't want a new coach."

"I won't," I promised, "Even if Yakov were to become your coach, I'd still be there."

Yurio's worry and Yakov's offer weighed heavy on my mind and my heart. I know he'd be better off without me. Granted, I was a great skater at one time, but I've never been a coach. Yakov knew what he was doing. Hell, he managed someone like Victor all those years. And as far as skaters go, Yurio was awfully obedient. Then again, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he didn't take criticism well. Yakov could be brutal.

But maybe I'm asking the wrong person. And I happened to sleep with the last person Yakov ever coached on a nightly basis. Maybe I needed to have a little talk with my husband. There wasn't a tie on the door, so it was safe to come in. I wouldn't walk in on Victor and Chris playing Twister. After I tucked Yurio in, I crawled into bed with Victor. A little surprised Chris wasn't in here, but at this point, it was greatly appreciated.

"Good morning," Victor kissed the top of my head.

"Morning," I moaned into his chest, "You'll never guess who I just ran into."

"Who?" his arms tightened around me.

"Yakov."

"Yakov?" Victor gave me a look, "My Yakov?"

"The one and only," I nodded, "He wants Yurio."

"Oh?" I had his interest, "And? What are we thinking?"

"I don't know," I nuzzled my face into his ribcage, "I really don't. Yurio doesn't want to go with him. He doesn't want me to leave him."

"From one skater to another," Victor cradled me, "Do you want my opinion?"

"He's your son, too," I allowed, "What is it?"

"I think you should let him," he said, "Let Yakov take Yurio for a while."

"Really?"

"He's the best coach I ever had," Victor explained, "And he's a damn good coach. I say let him. I love you, Violet. And if you've done a good enough job with Yurio to catch Yakov's attention, Yakov can only push him further."

"I'm still not sure," I let out a heavy sigh, "I'll talk it over with Yurio some more and let him decide."

"On an unrelated note," Victor always was the scatterbrained one between us, "When you wake up, do you think we could go somewhere? As a family?"

"Where did you have in mind?" I wondered, about ready to completely fall asleep.

"I was thinking an animal shelter."

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter's so short, but I promise! I pinky promise! Next week's will be a little longer. Unfortunately, I had to rush the ending. I have a thing to go do here in a bit. But next week's chapter? Next week's chapter is going to be…Well, you'll see. Now, we've also introduced Yakov in this week's chapter. Which begs the question. Will Yurio go to Yakov or will Yurio stay with his mama? Decisions, decisions…See you next chapter! xx