A/N: Hello, you beautiful creature! And welcome to day three. We got a trip to Coney Island to go through today and a Yuri's birthday to celebrate. So, let's get to it, shall we?
After a quick ride on the ferry, the five of us got to Coney Island in record time. I remember my old boss telling me I was going to Coney Island for a few weekends in the summer. Come to find out, I was doing Burlesque at the Beach. Getting sand out of my hoopskirt sucked. Getting it out of my ass was even less pleasant. My nostalgia aside, Coney Island was ours for the day.
"Mama!" Yurio pulled on the bottom of my sweater, "I want to ride a roller coaster."
"Honestly, Yurio," I bit my lip, "I don't know if you're tall enough to get on any of the big roller coasters."
"That's not fair!" he whined, "You said I just went through a growth spurt!"
"You'll get there one day, Yurio," Victor settled him, "And Mama only said that you might not be able to. That's not a definite."
"What about me?" Yuri wondered.
"You'll be able to," Victor assured, "You're taller than him, Yuri. You can probably ride all the roller coasters you want."
"It's not fair!" I was waiting for Yurio to throw the biggest tantrum. God, I hope they lowered the signs since I was last here.
"Relax, dovahkiin," I took his hand, "There's more than just roller coasters here."
"You see that sign over there, Yurio?" Chris pointed.
"Yeah."
"If you're taller than that sign," he explained, "You can go on that roller coaster."
"Ok!" With eyes full of determination, Yurio made a dead sprint to the sign. And just barely making it over, he ran back to us, "I can! I can ride this one!"
"Go ahead, Yurio," I allowed, "Get in line."
"Aren't you coming?" he asked.
"I can't do roller coasters, baby," I told him, "They make me sick."
"They won't make me sick," Yurio worried, "Will they...?"
"I don't think so," I shot a subliminal message to Victor and Chris. I knew they'd both be up for it.
"We'll go with you, Yurio," Victor took him off my hands.
"Yay!" Yurio ran for the line.
"Come on, Yuri," Victor called for him, "Mama will be waiting for us when we get off."
"Do I have to, Daddy?" Yuri cringed, "This is an awfully big ride..."
"It's ok, Yuri," I smiled, "We can find an easier ride. We'll meet you over here, ok?"
"Ok," Victor and Chris chased after Yurio while Yuri and I looked for a lighter ride.
"What about this, Yuri?" I suggested the ferris wheel, "Or is it too big?"
"Is that a slow ride?" he wondered.
"Yeah," we started walking toward it, "And it gives killer views of the city."
"Ok," Yuri nodded, "I can do that."
The two of us got in line and waited for the next available car. I wasn't sure about how Yuri did with heights. He couldn't be too bad if he said yes to it. Although, as the two of us kept going higher and higher, Yuri's grip on me got tighter and tighter. Maybe he wasn't as ok with heights as I thought he was.
"It's ok, Yuri," I got him to calm down, "It's better if you don't look down. Look out. You don't get views like this in St. Petersburg."
But then, it hit me harder than I thought. I missed it here. I've never had such an overwhelming homesickness before. Living in New York was some of the best years of my life. Despite the occasional grope I'd get after I'd leave the clubs for the night, I had a lot of good times here. Why did I leave again? That's right. I fell in love and into a new career path. It got me the little sweetheart on my hip right now, so it can't be all that bad.
"It..." Yuri finally opened his eyes back up, "It's beautiful, Mama."
"The greatest city in the world," I told him, "At least that's what a lot of people say."
"I see why," he sat in complete awe of the concrete jungle in front of him, "This isn't that bad."
"There you go," I popped him in the shoulder, "I remember one night when I came up here with Daddy and Uncle Chris. It was around this time of year, too."
It had a certain romantic quality to it. The lights of the city reflected off the water. Temperatures below freezing, but we didn't care. It was after a competition and we wanted to wind down. Between Chris and Victor's body heat, I was kept awfully warm. But I had felt so at peace. In that moment, all was good in the world. And to make matters even better, a blanket of snow started to cover the city.
When our car got back to the bottom, I took Yuri's hand and helped him down, "Mama...?"
"Yeah, baby?" I led him away from the ride.
"Can we do that one again?" he asked.
"You want to?" I gave him a look.
"Yeah."
"Sure," I sent him back in line for us to do it all over again. I'm sure we went around that ferris wheel three times. Yuri was starting to get my appreciation for heights. They're a hell of a place to clear the head. Everything else seems so small and the world seems simpler. But at the same time, there's the adrenaline rush of knowing that at any minute, the cable could snap and send one plummeting to their death. That's why we don't look down.
After our final go around the wheel, Victor, Chris, and Yurio were waiting for us at the bottom. Of course, Victor had a smug, little grin on his face, "How did I know we'd find you here?"
"Because you know me better than anyone else," I jabbed, "Sorry, Chris. We live together. Victor knows things."
"I'm not disputing that," Chris giggled.
"So!" I chirped, "How was your first ride on a roller coaster, Yurio?"
"I loved it!" Yurio was pretty jazzed, "Can we do another one?"
"I don't see why not," Victor allowed, "Take your pick, Yurio."
And that's how our day went. Yurio, Chris, and Victor went off on the roller coasters like a bunch of adrenaline junkies while Yuri and I picked the easier rides. I tried getting him on the swings, but to no avail. Too high, too exposed for him. Once we all reconvened again, I'm not surprised my boys sniffed out the one place they could agree on.
"Look, Mama!" Yuri squeaked, "There's a skating rink here, too!"
"Can we go there?" Yurio begged, "Just to skate for fun?"
"I don't know," I looked over to Victor with a little smirk on my face, "You really think we should let them skate on their off time?"
"These two?" Victor thought for a minute, "I'm sure Yurio could use all the practice he could get. Especially after that routine in Barcelona."
"Hey!" Yurio got defensive, "I won gold in Barcelona!"
"He's just trying to get a rise out of you, Yurio," I settled him, "Relax. Do you two really want to go skate?"
"YES!" they both yelled at me.
"Alright," I nodded, "Go ahead."
"You skate, too, Mama," Yurio insisted, "Skate with us!"
"How can I say no to face like that?" I smiled, kissing his cheek, "Go on, boys."
Like a bullet out of a gun, Yuri and Yurio ran toward the rink. You can take the boys out the rink, but they'll always run back home. That sounded familiar. It's like me making my comeback. I've been away from the rink for way too long. Then, Yurio wants me to teach him how and it's like riding a bike. Or like coming home.
When we got in there, to no surprise, there were a few others on the rink; both professional and nonprofessional alike. The boys were already lacing up their rental skates, ready to get back on the ice. A whole day off and they were already missing it. Just like their mama. When Celestino told me to take a day off, I'd have to sneak to a rink. Even then, he'd call everyone within a fifty-mile radius and tell them to deny me access. I had to get crafty and use aliases. He'd catch on to that, though.
"Yura?" a little voice doubled over the railing. Not many called Yurio that.
"Beka?" I could see it all over my baby's face. He was internally squealing that he had found his friend. The one he was so worried about not getting to New York, yet here he was, "You made it?"
"I made it," Otabek nodded.
"Mama," Yurio looked up to me, "Instead of skating with you, can I go skate with Otabek? Just for a little while?"
"Go ahead," I nudged him. It was a rarity Yurio ever socialized with the other skaters. I guess he saw something different in Otabek.
"Looks like Yurio's made a friend," Chris pointed out, "When did that happen?"
"Back home," I filled him in, "Their first competition."
"I thought Yurio was going to punch him," Victor chuckled, "Turns out they become friends instead."
"That's so cute," Chris awed, "Yurio doesn't strike me as the type to keep a lot of friends around. He's more of a lone wolf."
"Stranger things have happened," I pointed out, watching my boys skate around on the rink, "Now, you can't tell me you two are sidelining this. Yuri and Yurio are skating for fun. I'm going to have to skate to get the muscle back in fighting shape. You think you could help a girl out?"
"Always," Victor kissed my cheek, "But I don't think she needs it."
"How many gold medals do you have, Violet?" Chris asked.
"Three..." I blushed.
"How many of those are Grand Prix?"
"One..."
"I rest my case," Chris beamed proudly, "You don't need us."
I didn't think I'd get this emotional over a trip to New York during Grand Prix season. And Victor could see it. He does know me, "Violet, you're a very gifted skater. I'd put you on the same level as both Chris and me. You may not need us, but you want us, don't you?"
"I haven't skated with both of you in so long," my voice shook a little.
"Chris," Victor asked, "Could you get us some skates, please?"
"Sure," Chris went up to the rental counter while I fell into Victor's arms.
"What's the matter, dorogoy?" he worried, "What has you so upset?"
"It's not upset," I explained, "I don't know what it is. Nostalgia's a hell of a drug."
"Yes, it is," Victor kissed the top of my head, "It's alright, though. Think about it. This time next year, you'll be doing this all over again."
"I know," my face lit up a little, "I can't wait."
"Neither can I," he cradled me against his chest, "Now, if it's alright with you, I'd like to skate with my wife and my sons and my boyfriend."
"That's fine by me," I loved that no matter what kind of a day I'm having, I can always count on Victor to pull me out of whatever hole I've fallen into. I just wish there was something I could do to return the favor.
"Vitya," Chris handed him a pair of skates, "Shall we?"
"It'd be my pleasure," Victor smiled, his eyes full of sparkle more than usual. A look I rarely saw.
I laced my own skates and started toward the ice. Maybe that's what I need to shake whatever this was. A good session on the ice to clear my head. I put my headphones in and made sure my phone was secure in my sweater pocket. In times of woe, I turned to musical soundtracks. What can I say? I lived in New York for quite some time. I'd be lying if I said I never went to see anything on Broadway. I'm a sucker for a good musical.
But today was a day for a more cinematic musical. Disney soundtracks managed to put a light spring in my step and made my spins all the faster and more balanced. And today was a day for 'Something There' from Beauty and the Beast. It worked like a charm. I'd say it was rather appropriate. Something to skate the feelings out.
And it was bright and happy and full of bounce! Not to mention, when I looked over at Victor and Chris, it fit those two so weirdly. There was definitely something there I didn't notice before. When Chris told me that Victor really was catching feelings, he wasn't joking. We'll wait it out a few days more...There might be something there that wasn't there before...
"Mama!" Yurio snapped me out of my head space. How out of it was I?
"What, baby?" I came to again.
"What routine was that?" he asked, "I want to learn it."
"Nothing specific," I told him, "One of those on the spot kind of things."
"That was beautiful, Violet," Victor praised, "And that was entirely improvised?"
"What can I say?" I shrugged, "I had a good teacher. Two of them."
"You flatter us," Chris blushed a bit.
"You know, Violet," Victor thought, "I had an idea. If you'd be willing to do it."
"Depends," I got nervous, "What is it?"
"You've been on this nostalgia trip since we got here," he suggested, "Do you think you could bring your past to the present?"
"What do you mean?" I wondered. But then, it clicked in my head. I knew damn well what he was talking about, "Victor, no!"
"Violet, yes," Victor begged, "Please?"
"What's he talking about, Mama?" Yuri asked.
"There are small children here, Victor," I reminded him, "No."
"It wasn't nearly as suggestive as you think it was," Victor explained, "You were just scantily clad when you did it then. Do you remember it?"
"Of course, I do," I scoffed, "But I'm not doing it."
"Yes, you are," he insisted, "Please?"
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" Chris had the same dirty grin on his face that Victor did. And when those two team up against me, there is no winning for me.
"What are they talking about, Mama?" Yurio wondered.
"Don't worry about it," I glared at them both, "It's not happening. I've never done it on ice before!"
"And what better time to try it than now?" Victor kept pushing me.
"Literally any other time!" I squeaked.
"Violet," he begged me, "You just did an entire routine without thought that you've never done before. You can't tell me you can't improvise another new routine based on choreography you know like the back of your hand."
"Not happening," I put my foot down. Although, I did always wonder how my Lady Marmalade routine would've translated to a solo performance on ice. Still, I made myself a promise that I wouldn't bring out Lady Marmalade in front of the boys. They didn't need to see me like that.
"You leave me no choice," Victor let out a heavy sigh, "I'll be right back."
"Victor..." my stomach dropped, but he never stopped, "Victor, where are you going?"
"Let him go, Violet," Chris held me back, "We're doing this because we love you. And you said you wanted to get your muscle back, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah," I grumbled, "But not like this! This is one of those things I'd do if I were by myself in the rink back home, but when I'm in front of a bunch of people? Or my eight and nine-year-old sons?"
"Relax, mon ami," he settled me, "Your apprehension was all in the costuming. I've seen nuns in less than you have on now. It was all mostly a ballet routine. Until you unleashed the beast."
"Yeah," I grumbled, "Unleashing the beast is the part I'm afraid of."
"Don't be," Chris cradled my face in his hand, "This is just something to put in your repertoire for next year."
"Ladies and gentlemen," Victor's voice boomed through the PA system, "Please clear the ice for a very special performance."
"Oh, Victor," I groaned to myself while everyone else got off the ice, "And you wonder why I say you're too much."
"Good luck," Chris kissed my cheek and skated off the rink.
"And now," Victor announced, killing the lights, "Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to the Moulin Rouge."
I loved my husband dearly, but sometimes, I wanted to clock him with my heels. I started out in the center of the rink with a steady set of snaps. Once the music started kicking in, I opened up with a good spin and a couple jumps to get the crowd going. This was just like a simple ballet routine. Chris was right. But I knew that once I got to my transformation from the sweet and innocent ballerina that hid in the back for most of the performance to the one and only Lady Marmalade, I'd have to pull out all the stops.
The music began to slow and I did a couple slow sitting spins, only to emerge and throw myself into a triple axel as soon as it picked back up. That's when I went from agape to eros at the drop of a hat just like Victor said. I needed bigger jumps. I landed my axel pretty cleanly. Maybe a quad? Let's do a quad flip. I did a quick lap around the rink to get my speed going and made my jump.
Nailed it! This was where things got a little steamier. I'm meant to be a siren. Entice the men with my skating, steal their hearts. Seduce them. See the pretty ballerina on the ice? She's going to consume you, destroy your mind, body, and soul. By the time I was done with you, you're going to be begging me to kiss my skates. And now, we're going to seal our deal with one last jump. I got my speed up for a quad lutz and landed it flawlessly.
The music started slowing down and doing the roll call. Once the song was over, I did one more sitting spin and collapsed right then and there on the ice. I haven't performed for a crowd like that since my retirement. And there wasn't a silent person in the entire rink. I took my final bows and skated off the rink. When I started, I was feeling more Cell Block Tango than Lady Marmalade, but damn, I'm glad when Victor pushes me some days.
"Mama!" Yurio jumped into my arms, "Teach me that routine!"
"Me, too!" Yuri chimed in.
"Not even if you begged me until you were blue in the face," I shot them down, "That was fun!"
"It's amazing what you do when there's no pressure, Violet," Chris praised, "Perfect tens all around."
"Thanks," I fell onto his shoulder, "Where's Victor?"
"He's still in the sound booth," he filled me in, "I'm sure he'll be back here soon enough."
"I'm exhausted," I sighed out.
"Hey, Violet," Victor had my phone in my face just as bad as the press, "If there was something you could say to the skating world right now, what would you say?"
I knew where he was going with this. He was trying to get me back in the swing of things. I knew I'd have to get used to this again before next season. Especially if I'm going to announce my return. In the meantime, I can guarantee there's going to be reporters all over the place, wanting to hear from me. But in my post routine endorphin buzz, I could only think of four words.
"I still got it," I beamed. My god, that was such a rush.
"That's my girl," Victor stole a quick kiss, "Aren't you glad you did it now?"
"I am," I fell into his arms, "If it's alright with you, I'm starving. Yurio, go say good bye to Otabek. We have to get going."
"Ok," Yurio ran off to find his friend as I caught my breath. Thank God it wasn't brutally hot outside. And the temperatures had dropped since we've been inside. I don't know if it's safe to say that Lady Marmalade was going into my skating catalog, but I knew it would be a staple in practice. I can't wait to show it to Celestino. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, too.
The five of us left Coney Island for Little Italy for massive quantities of food. Something Mama was in desperate need of. Enough carbs for me to not see straight. Lady Marmalade had taken a lot out of me. I haven't put that much energy in a routine in years. When we sat down, I laid my head on Victor's shoulder, waiting for my adrenaline buzz to wear off.
"Oh, Violet," he wrapped his arm around my waist, "You want to go back to the hotel, don't you?"
"Big time," I nodded, "But I also need pizza in my life, so here we are."
"My poor, little angel," Victor pulled my hair out of my face and put it up for me, "You could've said no."
"Could I?" I asked flatly, "Could I really? Victor, you could talk Captain Hook into buying a pair of gloves."
"I could, couldn't I?" His damn charm knew no bounds. And even worse, he knew how to use it.
"You married him, Violet," Chris pointed out, "You have to be the one to deal with him."
"I know," I whined, tired beyond belief. Too tired to argue with either one of them.
"Violet?" a very good-looking man in a suit stood at our table, "Violet Plisetsky?"
"Yes?" I gave him a look, "Who are you?"
"I haven't seen you in years," he gasped, "It's Adam. Wolff."
"I'm sorry," I dug back in my memory bank and nothing came up for an Adam Wolff, "We've met?"
"Yeah," Adam nodded, "About seven years ago. We had a night together after some big event you went to."
"Hold on," I thought a little harder, "Can you turn around?"
"Ok?" He questioned my sanity.
I exchanged a quick glance with my husband, looking Adam over, "Is that…?"
"It is," Victor confirmed, giving the guy the same look I did.
"Adam!" It clicked. The hot stockbroker with a nice ass and a jawline to die for, but he had the personality of a cardboard box.
"Now, you remember me!" he gave me a quick hug, "Hi, sweetheart."
"How've you been?" I asked, internally yelling at myself. I should've known better.
"Pretty good," Adam reported, "Not much has changed except for the yacht. I upgraded my yacht."
"Good for you," I smiled politely, wanting to get out of this.
"What about you?" Dammit, "What have you been up to?"
"You haven't heard anything about me?" I wondered. The way we left things, I'd think Adam would've followed my career religiously, "I'm kind of a big deal in the skating world."
"I thought I saw you on my homepage," Adam drawled on, "Congratulations."
"And I got married," I showed him my wedding ring. Maybe that'll get him to back off, "Adopted two babies."
"And the praises keep coming," he applauded, "Who's the lucky guy?"
"I am!" Victor chirped, "I don't know if you remember me or not, Adam, but I'm Victor. We met on your yacht that night, too."
"You, I remember," Adam assured, "You were the one that asked me if I was modeling."
"I did?" Victor thought back.
"Sounds like something you'd do," I figured, ending my suffering, "Adam, it was great seeing you again, but I'd really like to get back to the family, if you don't mind."
"Not at all," he gave me one last hug, "I hope we'll see each other again while you're in town."
"Looking forward to it." Like a pap smear and a root canal simultaneously. I liked Adam. He was sweet. But as long as he kept his mouth shut, I could deal with him. His personality was kept in his bank account.
"Well, well, well," Chris watched Adam walk away, "Who did we have here?"
"Don't ask," I suppressed the moment altogether.
"No," he dug deeper, "What happened?"
"Something I'm not discussing in front of the children," I put my foot down.
"Alright," Chris let it go, "Later then."
"After we've put them to bed," I stipulated, "And they're heavily asleep."
"I'm holding you to it," Chris promised, "I hope you know that."
I was dreading that conversation. Adam and I had one night together. ONE. And he had already started talking about getting married and having a family and getting a house in the suburbs. At the time, I was young and dumb and that scared the hell out of me. I didn't want to get married. I didn't want babies. I didn't want the suburban life. Yet what do I have now? I have two boys that I love more than life itself, a husband that I can't help but adore, his boyfriend that's become like a brother to me. And I wouldn't trade that for the world. But sometimes, it's not about me.
A/N: Well, happy birthday, Yuri. You and your dork brother got your mom to get back on the ice in a really big way. Also, keep an eye on that question Victor asked Violet. Because that'll eventually come into play and I just want to tell you everything! All in good time, friends. All in good time. Now, not only is this day three, but tomorrow's going to be the second to the last chapter. I'm going to miss this story…See you next chapter! xx