Ring...

Ring...

Come on. Pick up. You're only a couple hours behind me and I know you're up early anyway. Come on. Pick up, pick up...

"Hello?" an excited voice chimed on the other end. Thank God. If anyone's voice could make me feel better aside from Victor, it's his.

"Hi, Celestino," I melted over the soft Italian accent in my ear.

"Violet!" he sang, "Ciao, bella! Come va?"

"I'm a little out of sorts," I sighed out, sitting on the front steps of our building with Makkachin at my feet, "I could use some words of wisdom."

"I think you should," Celestino decided without even hearing me out first. Good to know he hasn't changed.

"Should what?" I don't think he even knew what he was talking about.

"Aren't you conflicted on whether you should make your comeback or not?" he assumed.

"No," I clarified, "I'm coaching now."

"Good for you, Violet!" Celestino praised, "Which one of the boys are you coaching?"

"Yurio," I gave Makkachin a good belly rub.

"So, what's got you nervous?" he asked.

"We have our first competition coming up," I vented, "I probably haven't had a decent night's sleep in the past three days. I mean, it's great for the dog because he could stand the early morning walks, but it's killing me. What do I do, Coach?"

"First," Celestino began, "You need to relax. The first competition is next week, right?"

"Yeah."

"Take it off," he suggested.

"Uh, Celestino," I wondered, "Did you start early this morning or are you still drunk from last night?"

"Neither," he chuckled a bit on the other end, "But I'm serious. Take this entire week off. If you're not relaxed, your skater's going to pick up on that and it's only going to make him more nervous. And since you're coaching little Yurio for Juniors, I'm assuming?"

"That's right."

"He's much more perceptive than you think he is," Celestino went on, "But really, Violet. Take the week. Do you remember when you were competing? We never skated the week before our first competition. And why is that?"

"Because you were buried in a cathouse?" I teased.

"Because I wanted you to fully rest up," he scolded me, "And the cathouse was so I could be relaxed, too. Sometimes you need to take care of yourself."

"Or have a few promiscuous young ladies take care of you," I bit my tongue almost immediately.

"You have your way," Celestino let me go, "And I have mine. How good is Yurio?"

"I'll send you videos from our last practice," I promised, "He's getting really good."

"If you taught him, Violet," he encouraged, "I'm sure he's amazing."

"Thanks, Coach," I blushed a little, but my good feeling was short lived, "But..."

"What's the matter, tesoro?" Celestino worried, "What aren't you telling me?"

"It's about Yurio," I shivered, "I wasn't the only one coaching him for a while."

"You and Victor?"

"Me and Yakov Feltsman," I cringed at the memory.

"Really?" Celestino squeaked, "You had Yakov Feltsman coaching with you?"

"Not exactly," I explained, "He was practically killing Yurio on the ice."

"Yakov doesn't have a reputation for being the sweet and cuddly type," he jabbed.

"But he made Yurio sick," I pushed through, "Like the way I was sick for a while."

"Oh..." Celestino's amusement dissipated, "How's he doing now?"

"Yurio?" I figured, "I got him to eat dinner last night and watched him like a hawk. He kept it down. Fortunately, we caught onto it before it could get to my levels."

"I owe Victor everything for that," he remembered. One minute, I was going into my hotel room in Tokyo. The next, I woke up in a Japanese hospital with an IV in my arm and Victor sleeping in the chair next to me with his hand in mine, "You got better, Violet. Yurio will, too. Just keep an eye on him. I hope you gave Yakov the boot."

"Oh, I gave him the boot," I assured, "I gave him a couple boots to his jaw."

"Violet!" Celestino screeched, "You punched Yakov Feltsman?!"

"He was hurting one of my babies," I growled, "You're damn right I punched Yakov Feltsman."

"I guess that's understandable," he allowed, "Did you at least try to talk it out first?"

"Yurio gets an eating disorder because of this son of a bitch," I scoffed, "And you ask if we used our words?"

"I'll take that as a no," Celestino guessed, "But really, Violet. Yurio will get better. Don't overfeed him, though. You remember what that was like."

"You took me back to Rome with you and introduced me to your mother," I giggled, "I don't think she let Victor or me leave her kitchen for a couple days."

"You don't say no to an Italian mother when it comes to food," he laughed with me, "That's for sure."

"Thanks, Celestino," I felt my worries drain out of my body, "Really and truly. Thank you."

"You can be retired all you want," he assured, "I'm always going to be your coach. You were one of my favorite skaters. And I really hope you do come back to the ice one day. But since you're only coaching these days, I guess that's ok, too. Buona fortuna, bella."

"Grazie," I smiled, "Maybe we'll see each other again soon. I think we should be making a stop in Rome this year. You'll come out, right?"

"Of course," Celestino promised, "I'm insulted you had to ask. You'll do great, Violet. Just keep him relaxed and focused."

"I will."

I got off the phone with my old coach and just as I predicted, everything fell into place and I felt a million times better. I missed Celestino. He was a damn good coach. And patient. Yakov would get pissed off at Victor for coming to help me. Then again, I couldn't blame him. That meant Victor taking off for a couple days without any notice. It was nothing for Victor to get a call from Yakov and he'd be in a different country or even on a different continent. But Celestino wouldn't ever fight it. Victor was always welcome in our rink. Mostly because he was already so established.

I really do miss those days. I don't miss waking up in the hospital in Tokyo. I don't miss Yakov yelling at Victor and me when we'd practice a couples routine and it'd turn into Victor being adorable with me. But I missed the ice. I missed the look on Celestino's face when I'd bring back some shiny gold hardware. I missed seeing the world. I missed the crowds, the lights, the outpouring of love and support from the fans. Maybe one day I will go back to the ice and I'll go back to competing, but for now, I had a little warrior to take care of.

Relax, huh...? Celestino may have still been slightly drunk from the night before, but maybe he was onto something. Between the tensions that Yakov was NOTORIOUS for and getting Yurio back to being ok, I have been a little on the stressed side. I nearly punched Victor yesterday for sneezing. However, that could probably be the lack of sleep talking, too. I knew exactly what I needed. But first, I had to get my baby up.

I unhooked Makkachin from his leash and he pitter-pattered his way to our bedroom to snuggle up with Victor. It's amazing how he either gravitates toward Victor or Yuri, but when Makkachin wants to cuddle with Yurio, no matter how many times Yurio says no, he wouldn't leave his side. It's been that way since the day we brought him home. Rather adorable, if I do say so myself.

As per usual, I sat at the edge of Yurio's bed, letting him sleep just a little longer. When the sun shined through his bedroom window, it almost gave my little angel a perfect halo. But it'd shine right in his eyes and make him squinty in his sleep. And I, for one, found that downright precious. We'll get you better, baby. I promise you.

"Yuri," I scooped him up in my arms, "Wake up, dovahkiin. It's that time of the day again."

"Good morning," he nuzzled his face in my shoulder, slowly opening his eyes. But then, he caught a glimpse of the clock, "It's so late, Mama...Why did you let me sleep so late?"

"What do you want to do today?"

"What?" Yurio wasn't following, "What do you mean?"

"Just that," I reiterated, "What do you want to do today?"

"Shouldn't be at the rink today?" he wondered, "Our first competition is next week. We should be working overtime."

"We don't have to," I cradled him, "You've been working so hard, Yuri. You could stand to take a day or two off."

"But," I could tell. Yurio was skeptical, "So close to competition?"

"That's right," I nodded, "But before we do anything, I need to make a call to Greta and get my nails done."

"Why?"

"Because," I told him, "I was told that I needed to relax and that's how I relax. Inhaling the fumes of nail polish and acetone."

"Can I come, too?" Yurio asked. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was excited.

"Sure, baby," I kissed the top of his head, "Go get ready and we'll leave before Victor and Yuri wake up."

"Ok," Yurio jumped out of bed and dug around in his dresser for something to wear. Looks like I'll have to rearrange his drawers again. There's two hours of my life I'll never get back, but oh, well. With the exception of Yurio in the shower, the entire house was quiet. Even Makkachin had gone back to sleep, occupying my side of the bed. I moved the puppy out of the way and curled into my husband's ribs.

"Well," a little smile graced his face, "You're not furry enough to be Makkachin, you're too big to be Yuri, and you're too small to be Chris..."

"Dobrye otro, Vitya," I spoke softly.

"Good morning," Victor wrapped his arms around me, "And where are you going this beautiful morning, my beautiful wife?"

"I'm going to take Yurio out for day," I told him, "If that's alright with you."

"That's fine with me," he allowed, "Only if it's alright that I take Yuri to the rink for the day. Competition's coming up, Vi. You nervous?"

"Not at all," I laid my head on his chest, "I talked to Celestino this morning when I took Makkachin out. A wise man, Celestino."

"That's true," Victor agreed with me, "And what did he have to day?"

"He told me to..." I stopped myself, "Hold on. I'm not going to give you my coach's wisdom. You're the competition. Trying to get in my head, Victor?"

"I'm always in your head," he teased, "Am I not?"

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes, "You're such a dork."

"But I'm your dork," Victor stole a quick kiss from me.

"Mama!" Yurio yelled from the hall, "I'm ready!"

"Duty calls," I kissed Victor's cheek, "Go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Victor rolled back over, "I love you, Violet."

"Love you, too."

Before we left, I took a quick peek in Yuri's bedroom. Sound asleep. I'm sure if he woke up early, he'd just go into our room and lay in bed with Victor anyway. And just like that, Yurio and I were off to see Greta. The dragon scales she so delicately painted on my fingers last time had started to chip off a few days ago and were nearly nonexistent now. Unfortunate, but that meant a new canvas for her to work with and a new piece of art on my fingers.

"Hello, Mrs. Nikiforov," the receptionist greeted me, "Full package today?"

"No," I shook my head, "I have an appointment with Greta."

"Yes," she nodded, "Go ahead."

"Thank you," I smiled politely and took Yurio's hand, going back to Greta's station.

"Violet!" she sang, "I forgot you were coming in today. I got a last-minute appointment for you this morning. How are you?"

"Not too bad," I sat down with Yurio in my lap, "I got competition coming up next week and things are starting to come together."

"That's wonderful," Greta chimed, "I can't wait to see you skate, Yurio."

"We've been working hard these past few months," I watched her push my cuticles back, "Hopefully, it'll pay off."

"That still looks like it hurts," Yurio winced.

"I promise it doesn't," I swore, "Care to try it? That way, I won't have to do it."

"Ok..." he got down from my lap and took a seat next to me. Yurio sat patiently waiting for a nail tech with nothing better to do until Greta flagged one down.

"Hey, Ingrid!" she called out, "Are you busy?"

"I don't have an appointment for another hour," the pretty dark haired girl came over, "Why?"

"Could you take care of him for me, please?" Greta requested, "I have my hands full here."

"Really?" she looked over at Yurio.

"Yes," Greta insisted.

"But he's so little..."

"He's not your first one," Greta pointed out, "Not even your first one this week. Didn't you have that one from out of the country in here the other day?"

"My last name is Nikiforov," I gave her the incentive, "I leave nice tips."

"Fine," Ingrid sat down with Yurio, "Aren't you adorable?"

"I'm not adorable," Yurio pouted, "I'm a warrior."

"That's right, baby," I agreed.

"That doesn't mean you're not adorable," she poked a hole in his logic, "I'm Ingrid. What's your name, little warrior?"

"Yuri," he introduced himself, putting his hands on her table, starting to warm up to her a little. Yurio was still a little apprehensive about this whole situation, but the more he spoke with Ingrid, the more at ease he became. Before too long, he began to embrace it. Yurio didn't even know she was there. Amazing how quick she got him to settle down. Even I wasn't that good.

He still watched Greta, though. Every little brush stroke she did, Yurio followed it with his eyes, hypnotized by every move. But I didn't need anything as elaborate as what she had last time. This was competition time. I only had one thing on my mind. Anything gold. If I ever came to Greta for a touch up while I was still skating professionally, she'd always give me flecks of gold in my polish. Just a little reminder of what I was after. It was almost my good luck charm. Even though Yurio had come so far with his skating and his choreography, we'd still need all the luck we could get.

Once Greta was done, Ingrid was done, too. Yurio's fingers were clear coated with a little bit of shine to them. He didn't need all the reflective gold jazz I had. If they were going to need color, I could take care of that while we're jet setting around the world. I should pick up a bottle of black polish while we're out, too. That wouldn't be a half bad idea.

Yurio and I left Ingrid and Greta behind and I was in perfect alignment again. It's odd how something as simple as a manicure could make me feel better. If we had the time and I was by myself, I'd stop and see Sasha, too. But that would end up with me taking a half hour nap on his table. I couldn't do that, though. I had Yurio with me. He'd get so bored so quick. Not to mention, he doesn't need to see his mama with another man like that. Hell, he didn't even need to see Victor and me like that.

Little did my baby know, I had a surprise for him. Celestino told me that we both needed to be relaxed and focused. And I knew the exact place that would put a smile on Yurio's face. I wasn't going to tell him. This could manage to be a complete surprise for him. Yurio could use the surprise. Especially when he sees where we're going.

"Mama," Yurio looked out the window, "Where are we going?"

"Do you remember," I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back a smile, "A few months ago when Uncle Chris was here? Do you remember what we did?"

"I try not to," he grumbled, "What about it?"

"Come on," I pulled into a parking spot, "I got a surprise for you, but you have to close your eyes, ok?"

"Fine," Yurio shut his eyes and I threw him on my back, "How long do I have to keep my eyes closed?"

"Until I tell you to open them," I brought him inside and sat him on the floor, "Stay here and keep them closed."

I took out the kitten that imprinted itself on Yurio last time we were here and put her in his lap. The warm, soft fur was enough to make my poor baby jump, "Mama, what is this?!"

"Open your eyes, sweetheart," I beamed. And just as predicted, Yurio's face lit up. I hadn't seen him that happy in far too long.

"Mama!" he squealed, snuggling the kitten in his arms, "She's still so soft. Can we take her home?"

"I'm sorry, baby," I cringed, "You know we can't. But I told you that day that we could always come see her. And she hasn't left."

"Who wouldn't want to take her home?" Yurio gushed, "Her toes look like little jellybeans and her fur looks just like a tiger's stripes. What's not to love? If we could, we'd take her home, wouldn't we, Mama?"

"I don't know how well she'd get along with Makkachin," I thought it over, "But if we could, after you win gold at Juniors, Victor and I would talk about it. Although, you do know I'm pretty persuasive."

"Maybe we can just get a different apartment," Yurio suggested, "That way we can have Makkachin and my kotenok, too."

"Do you know what that entails?" I giggled at his naive nature, "We can't just up and move, Yuri. That means selling the penthouse, finding a new one, packing, moving...And all this before competition? Sorry, sweetheart. You'll have to be ok with seeing your kitty here."

"But what if she gets adopted?" Tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Not good.

"Tell you what," I promised, "How about I talk to the shelter about holding her until we get a different place to live? One that will allow more than one pet. Then, you'll be able to visit her anytime you want and she won't get adopted."

"Ok," Yurio kept playing with the kitten he loved so much.

I hated having to keep them apart. But we can only have one pet in our unit and we ended up getting Makkachin. If Yurio would've had his way, we would've walked out with a cat, but because Victor can say no to Yurio easier than he can Yuri, we got the poodle we've all come to know and love.

After squeezing her paws and petting up her back for a while, Yurio and I left his kitten and decided on ice cream. With the way his eating has been lately, Yurio could stand the sugar buzz and the calories. He kept lunch down, so I could give him a little reward. And after the Mountain Dew, bouncy castle incident, Yurio learned quickly how to handle himself on sugar.

"Here, Yuri," I put a big sundae in front of him, "I want you to eat the entire thing."

"Ok," Yurio's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. In his defense, this sundae had more toppings on it than one had the right to, but he'd be ok. I still had to keep an eye on his weight for competition, but at this point, Yurio could stand to gain more.

"Yuri," I asked, watching him go to town on his ice cream, "You haven't been going in the bathroom anymore, have you?"

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't like throwing up, Mama. I should've stopped, but it gave me results."

"Not good ones," I scolded, "Never again, got it?"

"I won't," Yurio promised, tearing through his triple scoop.

"Good," I had a bad flashback to being in the hospital. Dare I scare Yurio straight with that story? No. That'd give him nightmares and Yurio didn't deserve that, "How about after we're done here, we go to the rink? Sound good to you?"

"You had to ask?!" Yurio squealed. I knew that would get him all excited. After leaving his favorite kitty, he was pretty bummed, but a trip to the rink might be just what he needed to relax. I had my manicure. Celestino had call girls. Yurio's got the rink. A little workaholic, just like his mama.

Looks like Victor and Yuri had this place shut down for the day. When we got there, the whole rink was empty. Once Yurio had his skates on, he did a quick triple toe loop. One more turn and he would've had Victor's form down. I remember the first time I watched Victor skate. He didn't need to open his mouth to hit on me. His skating spoke volumes. I'm sure Chris thought the same thing. And I really couldn't blame him for that.

"Alright, Yuri," I scrolled through my phone, "What song?"

"I want to do the Tale of the Dragonborn," he demanded.

"No," I shot him down, "This isn't competition practice. This is for sheer enjoyment. What's your favorite routine to do when we're in our downtime?"

"Honestly," Yurio thought it over, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing."

"Really?" I awed, "One of these days, I should show you the competition footage of Victor and me."

"Can we skate it together?" he asked. It did my heart good to know that Yakov didn't entirely beat Yurio out of him.

"Of course," I turned the music on and laced up my skates, "Do you remember how the pair choreography works?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "Keep up and don't get in your way?"

"That's my boy," I snuck a quick kiss on his forehead and waited for the vocals to kick in. That's when things took a record scratching turn. Yurio didn't know I had the remote in my pocket. And I might have changed it from I Don't Want to Miss a Thing to some Bubblegum Bitch.

"What's this?" Yurio worried, "This isn't the music I picked."

"It's something different," I told him, "It's something you've never skated to before. Show me a good freestyle, Yuri. Make me proud."

"I don't even know what I'd do for this one," he freaked.

"Follow me then," I started with a quick sitting spin and a good body roll. Only for Yurio to respond with a triple axel into a strong pirouette. Alright. Kid wants to battle, we'll battle. Yurio was definitely shedding the primadonna and becoming a true bubblegum bitch. He still had primadonna in him. That's not going to change. That was one of those little Victor things that Yurio's picked up, but if I were to tell him that, he'd never forgive me. Every move, we'd only one-up each other. That's how a two-minute song feels like an eternity. Although, I think we went through Bubblegum Bitch, Primadonna, and Pity Party before the two of us collapsed.

"Mama," Yurio caught his breath, "Can we stop for today? I think I pulled something."

"I know what you mean," I sighed out, "That was fun! I forgot what it was like to battle like that. It was an honor and a privilege, Yuri."

"So, who won?" he wondered, "If this was a battle."

"We can chalk this one up to you, dovahkiin," I allowed, "Mama doesn't have much of it in her anymore."

"That's not true," Yurio got back on his feet, "You're still the best, Mama."

"Thanks, baby," I love my son some days. Well, all days, but some days, he really makes it hard to hate him, "Come on. Let's go home."

"Ok."

It didn't take long for Yurio to clock out in the backseat. Honestly, if I wasn't driving and carrying precious cargo, I'd be right there with him. We've been going steady since this morning. I could stand a nap, too. I carried him inside and sat him on the couch, laying my own head on the arm. My feet were throbbing and my head was killing me, but I wouldn't trade today for the world.

For the first time since Yurio decided to step on the ice, we actually went out and had fun. Good, clean, senseless fun. And no one could take that away from us. I'm just glad Yakov wasn't waiting at the rink for us. I'm pretty sure the pop to the jaw got my message across. Celestino had a point. Blowing off steam like this once in a while isn't a half bad idea. And now, I had my son sleeping soundly on my hip, happy as a clam, content with the world, ready to crush any competition in his way. I had faith in him. You're going to go on to do great things, Yurio. With or without Yakov.

"Violet!" Victor called from the door, "We're home!"

"Shut up, Victor!" I scolded him, barely speaking above a whisper.

"Sorry," he came into the living room, getting a quick kiss.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Yuri had his final costume fitting," Victor said, "And we had practice all morning. What about you?"

"We took the day off," I pulled Yurio's hair out of his face, "Got my nails done, went to see Yurio's kitty, got ice cream. We just got back from the rink. He's pretty damn good, Victor. I couldn't be prouder."

"You know," he pulled my head back, getting an even better, deeper kiss, "You're an amazing coach, Violet Nikiforov. Let no one tell you otherwise."

"You ran into Yakov, didn't you?"

"This morning, I might have," Victor came clean, "You just wanted to talk, huh?"

"Yeah…" I bit my lip, "About that…"

"I understand," he took my hand, "If I wasn't such a pacifist, I would've, too. How's he doing?"

"Yurio?" I cuddled him, "Tired. Fed. Leave him alone, Victor. Don't start screwing with him just because he's asleep."

"I won't," Victor promised, "Remember? Waking him up makes me nervous. What makes you think I'd wish angry Yurio on you?"

"Thank you," I rested my head on his shoulder, ready to fall asleep right then and there. Victor's shoulder had special powers. Like taking Ambien, but without the side effects it has on my body. We learned from that. It made me sleep, but…the rest of it wasn't exactly pretty. But! I had my boys. I had my pup. I had heavy eyelids. It's nap time. It's definitely nap time.

A/N: Hi, guys! We needed a chill chapter. After last week's debacle of Yurio with the eating disorder and Violet punching Yakov, we need to remember that Yurio's still but a child…even though I'm still recovering from Welcome to the Madness…But we're going to be getting into competitions soon, so we got that going for us. See you next chapter! xx