Alex walked into the arena first thing to see Peter already on the ice, and Trevor sitting in the stands. She sat down next to her dearest friend.
"Since you are here during sunrise I assume you never went to bed?" Alex asked, needing to know details from the night before.
"Yeah, we had a good time." Trevor smirked.
"Trev, are you sure we can trust him?" She asked as she watched him do a sequence of jumps.
"It's just sex." He held her hand, "And we have no chance that he's here. So either let it bother you until the end of the season or just accept it."
"You say this as if I hold grudges." Alex didn't like being called out.
"You do." He smiled as he squeezed her hand, "Like look at this it's been nearly three years ago and you're mad him on something that didn't happen to you."
"Well the look on your face…"
"Al." Trevor stopped her and gained eye contact, "It's fine. I promise." He tapped her leg. "I'll see you later." He left the scene.
"And I need you out there." Liz commanded her student.
Alex stepped out on the ice. She gained speed to keep up with Peter, "Wanna go for a lutz."
"You don't want to try the axel?"
"Side by side no. Lutz." Alex stated knowing she doesn't have her quad axel down yet. Peter nodded as he counted down for them to execute their jumps together.
Liz worked with their pageant routine as they were able to get the choreography down pretty easy. As the day went on the rest of the students and coaches were showing up. Alex watched Liz walk up the stairs. Liz met up with Lena and Barry Murdoch. She could see Liz arguing with the two.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Peter and George stopped next to her.
"The fact that Lena and Barry are both here, nothing good."
Liz walked down to her skaters, "Alex and Peter, we need you upstairs." They stepped off the ice. They changed out of their boots into their sneakers. They followed Liz and their agents to one of the big round table offices.
"What's up Barry, what are you doing here?" Peter sighed out.
"Nice to see you Peter. How have you been adjusting?" He pulled his phone out of his chest pocket.
"I'm doing well."
"And your night last night."
Alex felt she didn't need to be in the room if it was about Peter. "Why are we all here?" She cut off the pointless conversations.
Barry slid the phone to Peter, "So you're in New York. Your mind goes out the window?"
Peter picked up the phone to see the video of him and Trevor the prior night. They were at a club dancing. "Who sent this?"
"You see you're asking the wrong question, because I would like to know why this is out on the internet." Barry demanded to know questions.
"I went out for drinks with friends and we danced. There is nothing wrong with this."
Alex watched for the first time ever Peter Stone starting to squirm. "Yeah, Trevor and I were showing Peter a good time, it's been like a month since he's been here and he doesn't really have any friends." Alex explained not wanting to see anyone squirm from being on a date.
"Oh you were there Alex?" Lena asked.
"Yeah Olivia is a bartender there." Alex explained the lie.
There was an awkward silence as Lena observed the two skaters in the room. "Well it wasn't Olivia's bar they were at last night." She began tapping her fingers on the table. "That's good."
"Am I confused, what's good?" Alex asked out loud.
"We think it's great you are willing to cover for Peter."
"I don't need her to cover up for me." Peter snapped, "I'm my own person."
"We want you two…" Lena started as she looked at Alexandra. She watched her grow up with Liz.
Barry rolled her eyes. "We want you two to be an item."
"Absolutely not." They said in unison.
"I'm not involved with anyone and I like being known as such." Peter raised his voice at the statement.
"I would only like to focus on my skating. I don't need people knowing details of my personal life." Alex scoffed out.
Lena slammed her hands on the table to get their attention. "You two don't have to date or like each other. But you two are the US champions. Under the same coach it writes itself. You, Peter are known for being the wild child. Alex, you are known for being the stone cold ice princess. Working your dynamic together for nationals, and even the Olympics. Is a great PR stunt for both of you. You'll make your fans happy." Lena explained. She looked at Alex not listening or happy about the idea. "It will put you in the media enough for people to focus on you and Peter." Liz walked up to Alex to touch her shoulders. "For enough time to have everyone forget that you had to pull out of Skate Canada, and Russo beating your score."
Peter weighed his thoughts as Lena calmly explained the idea, "Look Cabot. I'm always going to vote for Me being the main focus." Peter explained. "And I hate Russo as much as you." He didn't mind this plan.
Alex squinted her eyes at Peter for even thinking about siding with this plan. "What do you think Olivia will think of this, you know I do have a girlfriend," She looked up at Liz with heartbroken eyes.
"I told you before, if you're with someone that will slow down your career then they aren't the best for you." Peter scoffed out with Alex pulling back.
Alex didn't like how much Peter sounded like her mother at that moment. "This Bull shit. It's bad enough I have to do this stupid duet routine. But I'm not going to be someone's beard." She stood up.
"Where are you going?" Liz quietly asked.
"I'm going to work on MY skating. And if you want to talk to me about me let me know." She stormed out of the office holding her skates.
"Liz." Lena softly spoke.
"Hey, break a leg." Peter smiled as Alex gave him the bird as she walked out of the gym, "Liz I don't know how have dealt with this one for so long."
Liz rolled her eyes as she looked at Peter. "Go, weight train, or something." Peter saluted as Liz walked out of the room. She followed Alex downstairs towards the locker room. "Alexandra." She called out as she saw Alex at her locker.
"It's bad enough you agreed with Branch to put on this stupid mock pairs program." She refused to look at Liz as she opened her locker.
"I wouldn't agree to something that I know you have the ability to do." Liz softly explained to her student.
"Just like making this charade with Peter fucking Stone." She threw her skates into her locker.
"Alex." Liz sighed out. "Sit down." She cleared her throat. Alex slammed her locker shut as she rested her back against the cold metal wall. "Alexandra please." She sat down on the bench.
Alex sighed out as she sat down next to her coach, "What?" She rolled her eyes.
Liz pulled out her phone. "There are pictures floating around of the Olivia and Jessica kiss at Skate America, and the next of Jessica and Olivia hanging around each other with the hickey."
Alex smirked thinking it was funny. "And you know what happened."
"I do." Liz nodded knowing exactly what happened. "Lena is concerned… If pictures of you and Olivia together get out on social media, it might harm your image. Especially with the Olympics coming up." Liz explained.
Alex's heart began to race as she was hearing, "This isn't fair." Alex knows how the ISU judges can be, but she also would like to finally be herself. "What would you do? You dated Lena while in competition."
Liz cleared her throat and held Alex's hand. "I will support you no matter what you choose. As for me, I grew up with a lack of social media time. It was easier to be quiet."
"I could just walk away from the sport and call it quits right now." She mumbled under her breath.
"I'll support that. But I know that's not what you want." Liz knew her student.
"I need to talk to Olivia." She didn't want to pull a stunt like this without informing Olivia's feelings.
"Ok." Liz stood up. "Talk to Olivia, talk to me, talk to your mother. All these choices are yours to make."
Alex stood up with her coach. "I never get to make my own choices. I'm going home." She walked out of the locker room putting on her ear buds.
Alex walked around her home, immediately walked into her room to see Olivia. She heard the shower running. Alex liked coming home to a loved one, not just Casey.
Alex looked at her wall of medals and the pictures that came with each achievement. She looked at the empty display as she was waiting for her Olympic medal. Before Olivia came into her life she wouldn't think twice about this beard arrangement. She, like Peter, would have nothing to stop her furthering her career. But here she is standing in front of pictures Olivia took of her. She smiled thinking about how these past couple of months have been a rollercoaster and Olivia has been with her the whole time.
Alex's phone rang. "Uh, yeah send him up." She sighed out. She walked over to the elevator. "You know I see enough at the rink. I really don't want to see you at my home."
Peter smirked as he was holding a bottle of wine. "Come on Cabot, I've been here before. But I think we should talk." He brought a box of cookies. "You know this is not what's gonna butter me up."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Shall we open this?"
Alex stepped to the side letting Peter Stone in her place. Alex walked into the kitchen to get a set of wine glasses. She walked them over to her dining room table. She sat down and slid Peter the wine key. She placed the glasses and plates near him as well. "What did you want to talk about?"
"I think." Peter cleared his throat. "This will be good for us."
"How do you know? You don't know me?"
"I know you more than you think." He poured the red liquid. "We've been to how many competitions together and been on how many tours together?" Peter asked. "As much as you have tried to distance yourself from me after what happened with Trevor. I still know you." He slid a glass over to Alex.
"No, you don't…"
There was a small silence as they were both trying to figure out how to have a conversation with each other and haven't really talked since the Trevor incident. Peter looked around Alex's place to see the set up with her place. Peter was still living with his parents until his father's heart attack. "You know we aren't that different."
"How so."
"We both are products of former skaters. They sent down this career we never really had a choice. And we've become the best." Peter smirked knowing his worth.
Alex scoffed, "We're obedient. We were raised to have a certain goal and if we settled for anything less we weren't worth the time." She confessed to the fellow skater in the room.
"Do you regret anything your mother has pushed you to get?" Peter asked, "There are thousands of girls who love to be where you are right. For example, look at Russo."
Alex's ears perked up. "What do you mean?"
"That four years ago. Skate America. She wants you out so she can be number one." Peter observed.
"Well she gets to go to the finale and I'm here at home."
"Injuries happen. We still have the Olympics and Worlds before we will have proper rankings." Peter shrugged it off.
Alex knew this information and trying to figure out what Peter's game was. "Why are you telling me this?" She took a sip of her wine.
Peter cleared his throat. "Because I'm going to take time off after the season. So I can be with my father."
"How is he?"
"It's not important." Peter refused to talk about his father. "But what I'm trying to tell you. I want to make an impact on and off the ice with my image. This could be in both of our favor." Peter informed Alex.
"Look if this was six months ago this wouldn't be up for discussion."
"But."
"But I need to talk to Olivia. This affects her."
"What affects me?" Olivia came out of the room in a pair of pants and a tank top.
Alex pushed a chair out next to her commanding her girlfriend to sit down. "Lena… Um… Lena has suggested that with the pageant we should have this beard thing."
"A beard thing?" Olivia questioned the information.
"We should pose as a couple for the upcoming nationals and Olympics." Alex explained, "I told them that I have to talk to you about it."
Olivia examined Peter for a hot second. She tried to read Alex. "Peter, can you excuse us?" Olivia grabbed Alex's hand and walked back into Alex's room.
Olivia turned on Alex's radio to help keep their conversation private. She sat them on the bed, "How are you?"
Alex held Olivia's hand, "I don't know what I want to do."
"Why? What is your gut telling you?" Olivia calmly asked as she gained eye contact with Alex.
"My gut is telling me that it's not fair to you."
"Me, Why?"
"Kathy." She sighed out.
"Al," Olivia played with her hair, "Kathy, chose her family over being herself and ran back into a man's arms because it was safe." Olivia was thinking about Kathy being engaged and pregnant. "But You, Alexandra have stood up to your family to be yourself. You are still with me after your mother's disapproval." She moved Alex on to her lap. "You are also a public figure. It's different." She whispered in Alex's ear.
Alex's heart raced as Olivia gave an approval. "Why does it feel like everytime I try to be my own person? Skating sucks me back in?"
"Why do you let it?" Olivia asked softly.
"I don't know. I also know before I met you I would totally cave and pull this stunt." Alex whispered as she looked in Olivia's eyes.
"Then do it. I'll be fine."
"Why are you being so cool with this?"
"Because I've told you this before. I don't want to cost you your Olympic dream." Olivia confidently explained her love. "I love you."
"I love you too." Alex pulled in Olivia for a tight hug. She loved that they had such an open and honest conversation.
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