Payson carefully avoided making eye contact with the camera she knew was on her. The video feed on the big screen at the O2 Arena had been on her section of the stands almost as much as it had focused on the athletes competing in the men's High Bar final.

"We are on that screen again," Boris muttered.

"They want to see your pretty face, socru," she told him, smiling widely, drawing a chuckle from the older man. "They want to get a look at you while they can." Boris was scheduled on a flight later that afternoon and would in fact be leaving for the airport just after the competition.

Payson glanced to her left and saw KP twisting her event program into a cylinder, before unwinding it and then repeating the process. Kelly wasn't a nervous competitor, on the floor she'd been cool as a cucumber her entire career, but as a spectator, she was almost impossible to calm, especially when someone she cared about was competing.

Oddly enough, so was Lauren, who was sitting on KP's other side, biting her lip as she watched the floor carefully. Apparently Lauren was attending the event, "for old times' sake," supporting Carter Anderson, but Payson saw right through that excuse. Carter had been battling for weeks now to gain her attention and had finally succeeded the night before at Payson's party. The University of Oklahoma bound gymnast was head over heels for Lauren Tanner, and had been for years now, despite Lauren's protests to the contrary, it was obvious to everyone else that their on again, off again relationship was well on its way to being on again.

"I don't know how you're going to do this, PK," Kelly mumbled. "Watching this stuff is so much harder than doing it."

Payson hummed in agreement. She felt rather helpless sitting in the stands waiting for the warm-up session to finish. The longer she thought about it, the more she knew she'd be much more comfortable behind the scenes as she and Sasha began coaching together. She knew being out on the floor, unable to compete, unable to contribute would be virtually impossible for her, at least at first. Though she wasn't sure being in the stands was all that much better.

Austin hadn't qualified originally for the high bar final, but after one of his teammates had gone down with a tear in his rotator cuff, his alternate status upgraded and the opportunity for another medal presenting itself unexpectedly.

Their seats were relatively close to the high bar apparatus and she caught Sasha's eye as he turned towards the crowd. She smiled brightly at him, which he returned, prompting the technicians in charge of the screen to use a camera angle that captured the both of them and thus sending a large cheer through the crowd.

Payson pursed her lips and shook her head, feeling bad. There were eight athletes about to compete for a gold medal and the arena's attention was focused on her and one of the coaches. That was another reason why she thought she might remove herself a little, at least at competitions. She didn't want to be a distraction or steal the spotlight from the athletes who worked so hard. She had enough attention for one lifetime.

Sasha broke eye contact with Payson and huffed out a breath.

Austin laughed at him, "Aren't you used to it yet?" he asked quietly, tightening his wrist guards.

"Don't think I'll ever be used to it," Sasha mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "How do your wrists feel?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Great," Austin said, obviously lying through his teeth.

Sasha scoffed, not believing him for a minute. "After the games I want you to go for some treatment. I had issues with mine and acupuncture did wonders for them."

"Acupuncture?" Austin asked, chuckling. "Never took you for an alternative medicine kind of guy."

"I'm a whatever happens to cure the pain kind of guy, thought you knew that about me."

Austin snorted and nodded, still fiddling with his grips. As the last qualifier he would be the first up on the bar. "So, do you think they're going to see this coming? I mean, you are after all my coach too and after what Payson pulled all week..." he trailed off.

Sasha felt the grin spread across his face. "No," he said, looking over the other athletes and coaches, "no, I don't think they're going to see this coming."

"Did you know he was going to do that, Pay?" Lauren asked, as she flopped down on the her bed.

Payson shook her head, "Not a clue. Austin does a lot of off hours training," she explained. "He probably figured he had nothing to lose, so he went for it."

"That was one of the most incredible things I'd ever seen," Emily chimed in as she shut the door behind her and Kaylie.

Payson nodded, sitting in one of the arm chairs. They'd just made their way back from the O2 Arena where the men's high bar and rings finals had wrapped up the gymnastics competition. Austin had come out of nowhere with an astoundingly difficult high bar routine he'd obviously been keeping in his back pocket to win a fourth gold of the games and Carter Anderson won a silver on his specialty, the rings.

After the competition was over, Austin and Kelly had disappeared together, though Payson kept that information to herself. Boris had said a quick, but heartfelt goodbye to his team and then a slightly more private one to both she and Sasha before a car had taken him to the airport.

Then Sasha had informed her he and Marty were going to go out and have a drink before Marty had to leave as well, so she'd returned to the Olympic Village with the other girls.

Kaylie sighed, taking up residence on the corner of Lauren's bed. "It was incredible and I know he's your friend," she said, looking back and forth between Emily and Payson, "and I'm not asking you to take sides, but could we just not talk about Austin Tucker tonight," she asked, a pained expression easily readable across her face.

"Sure, Kay," Emily said, biting her lip in contrition.

They sat in silence for a moment until suddenly it dawned on Payson that this was the last night they would all be together. She looked around the room, taking in the faces of the girls she'd spent nearly every waking moment with, every major milestone in her life had been accomplished in their company, all her successes and failures.

"I guess this is...this is it, isn't it?" Lauren said, catching Payson's eye. "I mean after tonight we're all going our separate ways."

Emily nodded, "I'm headed to LA just a couple of days after we get back to the States."

"When does your semester start?" Payson asked.

"Not until late September, but Damon's moving into a new apartment and we wanted to spend some time together before school and gymnastics takes over my life again," she said, tucking a dark strand of bangs behind her ear.

"And Payson's staying here while Kaylie and I go on Nastia Liukin's Gymnastics Tour," Lauren said.

"I still can't believe we agreed to do that, Lo," Kaylie said, cringing.

"Oh, it'll be fun," Lauren insisted. "We'll be traveling around the country, performing for packed houses every night and most importantly, soaking up some endorsement money."

"So your dad finally gave in?" Payson asked.

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I'm an Olympic gold medalist, so he thinks it's time to cash in." Then she shrugged, "A few months touring and maybe a couple of endorsement deals I'll be set. A little wise investing and financial independence here I come!"

"You could always come out to LA and be a Bruin, Lauren," Emily said.

Her step sister wrinkled her nose, "Ugh, no offense Em, but I don't know how you're going to stand it. Full twisting Yurchenkos and double twists off the end of the beam. I think I'd die of the boredom."

Emily shrugged, "I think it's going to be fun. It's totally different from what we've done. Everything is about landing your routine cleanly and the team score and not necessarily performing skills that could kill you for a few extra tenths of a point."

"Or competing against children. I swear I spent most of this week around LiJu Cheung and the girl can't be more than thirteen," Payson said. "At least it'll be a level playing field at the collegiate level."

"Mostly I can't believe you guys are going to be able to give this up so completely," Emily said. "Gymnastics has always been a part of me. I don't think I'd be able to live with out it." Her eyes found Payson's and she knew Emily was talking to her most of all.

Payson sighed, nodding, understanding what Emily was saying and knowing it was true. "It's not going to be easy, but I'm tired, Em. I've given everything in my life to this sport and I've got the scars to prove it. I love gymnastics, but it wasn't just about the sport for me, it's about..."

"Being the best," Kaylie finished for her, managing to keep the bitterness out of her tone, at least for the most part.

Payson cringed, but knew Kaylie was right. She nodded and explained, "The sport was never enough for me, that's why I had such a hard time when I came back from the surgery at first. I knew that if I couldn't be the best, then I didn't want it at all. For me it was about the journey, about figuring out my limits and pushing past them, becoming a champion."

"I don't know how you did it, Pay," Kaylie said, her tone sincere. "That pressure, it was just too much for me. I could practically feel the target on my back and I hated it."

Payson shrugged, "It's what drove me. What kept me going."

Kaylie frowned, obviously not entirely pleased with her answer. "For me, gymnastics was, well at first it was just something fun, something I was good at and then, it was an escape. It was the one place where at all the crap and drama just didn't matter."

Lauren nodded, agreeing. "Exactly. When I'm on the beam, it didn't matter that my mother was a drug addict or that my father had yet another girlfriend. My mind would just be clear and all my focus would stay on the four inches."

Emily snorted, "Yeah, it wasn't at all about winning for you, Lauren," she said, sarcasm dripping from each word.

Lauren had the grace to laugh, "Of course it was. I love to win," she began and they all laughed heartily, "obviously," she continued, barely missing a beat, "but when I was training, it wasn't about that. I guess it was like you were saying, Pay. It was about finding my limits and pushing past them."

"Or not, but trying anyway," Kaylie added.

"I just want to know, what it's going to feel like Pay, when you see Izzy Ruggeri or someone else standing up on that gold medal podium at Nationals?"

"I might throw up," Payson said, seriously. "Honestly, Lo, I don't think I'll be able to watch. I had issues watching Austin today and that wasn't even an event I'm allowed to compete in." Then she looked to Kaylie, "Sorry," she apologized for mentioning him.

"So what? You're just going to quit, cold turkey?" Emily asked, disbelievingly.

Payson shrugged, "Well, the two weeks in San Tropez should help. I'll view it as my own personal rehab."

"Wait, what?" Kaylie asked, "San Tropez?"

Payson grinned, "Sasha's taking me away for a couple of weeks, before the semester starts," she said, with a smile, "and I cannot wait."

"You two are sickeningly perfect," Kaylie complained.

"Seriously," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "So two weeks in San Tropez and you'll be cured of the disease of elite gymnastics?"

"It'll be a start," Payson said with a shrug. "When I get back here I'll have school to distract me for a year. My body is already at the limit for this level, guys, and a year out of intense training'll just put another couple of inches on my hips and probably go up another cup size. I'll be back to where I was after my injury," she said then added quietly, "Sasha'll love it."

Lauren heard her however and snorted, "I always knew Sasha was a t and a man."

Payson's mouth dropped in silent outrage.

Emily laughed, "It's true, Pay. You saw the way he was looking at you at our parents' wedding. That dress really showed off your curves and he was practically drooling on you that whole night."

"How did I not notice that?" Lauren asked.

Payson snorted, "You were plastered to Carter the entire night and speaking of Mr. Anderson..." she trailed off, jumping upon the possible change of subject.

Kaylie smiled, "Yeah, Lo. I thought you guys were over, but I saw him blow you a kiss from the podium today."

"What happened to the swimmer?" Payson asked, feeling out of the loop when Emily groaned in reaction.

"He has a girlfriend back home," Lauren said with a scowl. "Figures and Carter only asked me to go for old times' sake and I agreed. We've been through a lot together and..." she trailed off. "And...I don't know..."

Payson couldn't help herself, "He's going on that tour with you guys, isn't he?" she asked, mischievously.

"Yep," Kaylie said, wiggling her eyebrows at Lauren.

"Okay, okay, so maybe I still feel something for him," Lauren said, throwing her hands up into the air and then falling back onto the bed dramatically. "It doesn't really matter though. I mean he's moving to Oklahoma in September. And even though I've never been, somehow I think that Oklahoma and I won't really mix well. And anyway, Kaylie, Nicky Russo is going on tour too and I saw you two the other day, all secretive and cozy in the lounge down the hall."

Kaylie shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Nicky and I were never right for each other, besides I think I'm done dating gymnasts, professional athletes of all kinds actually, in fact, for a while I think I'm swearing off boys."

At her words all three of them groaned.

"What?" she asked, looking around the room.

"You never do well when you swear off boys, Kaylie. It's like when you make up your mind not to think about something, then that's all you can think about," Emily said, kindly.

"And let's face it, Kaylie, you're never been able to stay single for long," Lauren added.

Kaylie looked genuinely offended so Payson refrained from commenting at all, though she agreed silently with Lauren's assessment. Also, she'd learned from experience, letting things happen naturally was the best way to approach relationships and deciding that you didn't want to be in a relationship didn't make feelings disappear or attraction fade, in fact it probably only increased the intensity of those feelings and made the attraction that much more acute.

The silence reigned for a few moments before Emily sighed, "This time tomorrow I'll be on a plane back to Boulder," she said, watching the clock tick closer to midnight.

"I'll be in San Tropez already," Payson said, as they would be leaving in just a few hours.

"So then this is really it," Kaylie said, "this is goodbye." They'd all individually decided not to attend the closing ceremonies. Many of the athletes didn't, simply to get a head start on the mad rush of at the airport as thousands upon thousands of people attempted to leave the country at once. For her own part, the closing ceremonies of the games always seemed so depressing for Payson and she knew she wouldn't be attending long before she'd ever stepped foot in London.

"It's not goodbye," Payson said finally, "not forever."

"For now, though, it is," Lauren said and when Payson saw tears gathering in the eyes of Lauren Tanner, one of the toughest people she knew, she felt a lump slide up into her throat.

"I'm not sure I'm ready for this to be over," Emily said, quickly, the usually stoic girl taking a deep, shaky breath and wiping furious under her eyes at tears slipped free.

"I don't think it matters if we're ready," Payson said, shaking her head. "This is one of those moments, you know? Everything changes because it has to, because it can't stay the same."

"I wish it could," Kaylie said, suddenly, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "You girls, you're my sisters, you're the only family I've ever been able to count on and now that's just over? That's not fair, I need you guys."

Lauren nodded, "I don't want it to end." She reached out and took Kaylie's hand, squeezing it.

Payson looked over at Emily and smiled tightly. She knew this would be harder for Kaylie and Lauren. She and Emily had plans, had goals and ambitions that extended beyond the next twelve hours. Lauren and Kaylie didn't and that had to be scary for them.

"It'll never end," she said, looking between each of them. "You just said it, Kay, we're sisters and teammates and we share a bond that's greater than anything the could come between us. Look at us, we've faced everything together and here we are, together, at the end of it, just like we planned. And we did it, guys. We're Olympic champions and we did it together. So wherever we are, wherever life takes us, we'll always be together. Nothing can break that bond, not time or distance. It's too strong."

"Damn it, Payson," Emily said, sniffling. "I was holding it together until you said that last part about always being together."

Payson laughed, wiping away her own tears. "I mean it though."

Kaylie nodded, "We made a pact, don't you remember? We swore to the almighty goddess of gymnastics that we'd all go to the 2012 Olympics, together, so let's do it again, let's promise that no matter where we are or what we're doing, nothing breaks the bond between us."

"Just as long as awe don't have to wear promise rings," Emily joked and they all laughed.

Payson smiled, half because she couldn't believe how silly it sounded and half because deep down she loved the idea. "I promise," she said, extending her hand into the middle of the circle they sat in.

"Me too," Lauren said, placing her hand over hers.

Emily nodded, adding her hand to the stack.

"So we promise, to never let anything come between us and to always be there for each other, no matter where life takes us," Kaylie said, putting her hand at the top.

A knock at the door shook them from the moment and Lauren leapt off the bed to answer it.

"Hey Sasha," she said, opening the door to allow him in. "Oh my God, what happened?" she asked.

Payson felt her stomach drop as she caught sight of her fiance, a fresh bruise blooming on the side of his cheek. She stood and moved towards him, realizing quickly what probably happened.

"Since my dad's out of the country, I'm assuming this is Marty's handiwork?" she asked, and he nodded, wincing as she examined the area lightly with her fingertips. "I'd really wish you'd start defending yourself."

"I promised him a free shot," he said with a shrug. "You ready to go?" he asked after another moment.

"Yeah, my bags are in my room," she said. "I'll go get them." She left the room, allowing Sasha time to say goodbye to the girls. She knew if she witnessed those goodbyes she'd simply start crying again and she'd shed enough tears for one night.

Making her way back into the room she and Kelly shared, she took her time making sure all of her belongings were packed away. Kelly's things were stacked neatly on her bed waiting for her arrival the next morning. She and Austin were flying back to the States and would be arriving back in the UK just before the holidays, so Austin could begin training again. They'd said their goodbyes in their typical casual fashion at the arena, knowing their reunion would occur sooner rather than later.

As she carefully counted and then recounted her six gold medals and as she placed the boxes one by one into her suitcase, it suddenly began to hit her in a way it hadn't yet. She was a six time gold medalist. Payson Keeler, the little girl from St. Paul, Minnesota, the girl who'd convinced her parents at age twelve to move a thousand miles from everything they knew to let her train for the Olympics, the girl who'd broken her back in front of the entire world and come back the stronger for it, the girl who'd somehow captured the heart of a man who had no intention of ever loving again, she was a six time Olympic champion. After all the years of sacrifice and hard work, extreme dedication, from her low point, the hospital bed in Boston to this moment.

It suddenly overwhelmed her.

She lowered herself down onto the bed and breathed deeply, closing her eyes. She could feel her body trembling. She slowly breathed in and then out again, letting the moment wash over her. Then she stood, nodding to herself, zipping up her suitcase and scanning the room almost mechanically one last time to be sure she didn't forget anything.

She was practically numb as she hugged the other girls goodbye, the emotions that overflowed just minutes before suddenly buried deep within her, as the realization of all that she accomplished was still slowly becoming clear.

It wasn't until she and Sasha were sitting in a car and the driver opened the door for them that reality snapped back into place.

"Where are we?" she asked, wrinkling her brow in confusion.

He smirked at her, "Oh, you're in there, are you?" he asked, cheekily. "You've been in your own world since we left the village."

"Sorry, just, thinking I guess," she said, shrugging, "but where are we?"

His smile grew, "You don't remember this place?" he asked, as he stepped out of the car and offered her his hand. "I did promise you."

She stood on the sidewalk for a moment before a smile crept over her face. "The Pilot Inn," she said, laughing. "I think you promised me breakfast, though and it's past one in the morning, Sasha. They're probably not..." she trailed off as a young man opened the door to the restaurant and waved them in.

"Best breakfast in the city," he said. "I might have asked if they minded opening up the kitchen a little early today."

They settled down at a table as a heavenly scent wafted from the kitchen area.

"I can't believe you remembered this," she said, putting her hand over his. She remembered having the urge to do so the last time they were in this restaurant and not being able to for fear of someone seeing. Now she was free to be open and show her affection for this wonderful man.

"When are you going to learn, love?" he asked softly, "I remember everything when it comes to you, everything."

They ate until their stomachs were bursting and Payson felt positively awful and yet wonderfully satisfied after consuming foods she'd rarely indulged in before.

The car took them back to the house in Wimbledon and waited as they left most of their luggage in the front hallway, taking with them only a few essentials and their passports. Anything else they'd need could be bought in France.

As they reemerged from the house, much less weighed down by luggage, Payson hesitated for a moment and turned to look back at the house that would become her home when they returned.

"Payson?" Sasha called and she shook her head at herself, before following him into the car.

"You've been awfully quiet all morning, since I came to get you at the village really," Sasha said, softly as the car sped towards Heathrow.

"I'm just a little," she shrugged, "I don't know. Despite everything, I guess I just wasn't really prepared for all this. I think I might be in shock."

He chuckled, "People in shock don't know they're in shock, love."

Payson laughed lightly with him.

The airport was relatively quiet, as most airports were at three in the morning. Of course, being a major international airport, there were still many people around, but despite a few autograph requests they were left alone for the most part.

Their flight was on time and they boarded with the other first class passengers, finding their seats. She slipped into her seat and Sasha sat next to her, as the other passengers settled in around them.

She looked out the window and through the thick glass she saw the sun beginning to peak out through the foggy morning. She sighed heavily and almost immediately she felt Sasha's warm hand engulf hers, linking their fingers together.

"It's sinking in, isn't it? Everything?" he asked in a mere whisper.

She didn't turn towards him, she simply nodded, but squeezed his hand tightly.

"I understand," he said softly and she knew he did. He understood what she saw feeling better than almost anyone in the world. "Are you ready to talk about it?" he asked.

She shook her head, finally turning towards him, "No, not just yet, but almost," she said.

He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss against it. "Well, you just let me know," he said, his tone reassuring and strong, words she'd heard from his lips before, a long time ago. And she knew she would, she would go to him as soon as she was ready and he would be there, waiting, just as he promised.

The End