2005 Russian National Championships

[Angela]

The following scenes take place in Russia during the National Championships.

[Angela]

(for those guests, the following scenes, like most as you'll discover, are co-written by Marsha and myself)

It was a subzero afternoon when Danil stepped outside the airport in St. Petersburg, Russia. He had brought a fur coat as a carry-on, and was now wearing it. He looked to his coach, Parker Janson.

"You warm enough?" was all he could think of to say at the moment. This was the first time he'd visited his home country since he came out as bisexual in March of 2005. Russia was a dangerous place for gays, not so much now, but incidents still happened. Danil openly confessed to Parker that he feared for his life. Yet he still insisted on skating to the gay-themed film score "Brokeback Mountain" for his free skate, instead of his previous program to "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."

"I'm fine," Parker said, he was wearing his goose down jacket, the coldest part of him were the area around his face. "It's going to be okay, you know that?" he asked.

Danil shrugged a little. "I really don't know, Parker. If I can't be safe in America, what makes me think I'll be safe here?" He wasn't afraid so much anymore, but Brokeback Mountain had reawakened the fears he had inside, although they weren't as intense or controlling as they were before.

"Look at it this way. We are all afraid. There is something about each of us that causes us to fear. I'm a black man in Russia... Fear is everywhere. Confront it, and have no regrets."

Danil smiled a little broader. "You're right. I really admire your courage for coming here every year. And last year when you went to Korea, that must have been horrifying." The two of them got into a taxi.

"I can't change my skin color, so I have to work through it. You can't change who you are, and you shouldn't apologize or feel bad. Ever."

"Thanks, Parker. You always help me so much with these things." He gently took his hand. "I can't tell you how important you are in my life. I wouldn't be as strong without you, I don't think."

"You'd be strong, you still have your family." Parker reminded him. "You're a good man."

(this small section was edited, just because I wanted to be consistent with something I previously wrote)

Danil smiled. "That's true. It's great to be so close with them again. I hope they like my free skate program. I know they like the short, but I don't know about the long. I haven't even told them about the movie yet, just because I don't know how they'd react. Zhenya advised me to tell them, to have them see it with me, but I'm still nervous about that." The taxi pulled up to the hotel, and Danil and Parker got their luggage.

"Talk to them when you are ready, it's not Zhenya decision to make." Parker said.

"That's true, but I can't deny that I haven't thought about them even before I said anything to Zhenya about it. Oh, Parker, you wouldn't believe how he's changed! He actually asked Peter over to celebrate Christmas and New Year's, he wants us to babysit Slava, and he even stood up for us a few days ago when we went to Wheeling. A man complained to us because Peter had his arm around me and was kissing me. Zhenya stood up for me. Can you believe it?" As he spoke he was careful with the volume of his voice so as not to draw attention to himself.

"That is amazing," Parker said. He held his tounge about the way Zhenya had been treating Danil. IT was good to see a change.

"He really feelss bad about all that happened before. He wants to make it up to me but doesn't know how. Maybe something will come up and he'll be inspired," Danil continued with a chuckle.

"Maybe." Parker smile.

By now they were in the elevator.

"I am so exhausted. I think I've been stressing myself out mentally with regards to this whole thing," Danil admitted. "I think I'm going to get some rest. I'll see you later for dinner maybe?"

"Yes, I'll call your room in a couple of hours, okay?" Parker asked. "You need to keep up your strength."

"I know," Danil replied with a sigh. "Just... I've heard such horrible things that have happened here, it doesn't stop me from being nervous just a little."

"I'm here, so whatever happens, we'll be together."

"God bless you, Parker, you're truly a saint." Danil replied, and embraced him as the elevator doors opened on his floor. "See you later. I'll be resting."

"Good. I'll be just across the hall, okay?"

Danil grinned, feeling much better that they would be so close. "Thanks." They walked to their respective rooms, and Danil unlocked his door. "See you later." He sounded more cheerful than before. The fact that Parker was so close made him feel safer.

Danil managed to rest comfortably for the remainder of the day. That evening, he went to the hotel pool for a relaxing swim. He always swam before the competitions began. It helped him release pent-up energy. Afterwards he went back to his room and took a long hot bath. He ordered room service for dinner, not feeling up to going out anywhere, and just lay in bed watching television and playing with Zoloto and Vaska.

Tomorrow, he thought as he finished his fruit dessert, the real work begins.

[Angela]

(the following may contain slurs and strong language)

(Marsha, hope you don't mind me borrowing Parker for a bit! I was on a roll what can I say)

The next day, Danil was refreshed and ready for action. He worked out a little bit in his room, then headed to the bus with Parker. Parker was smiling and was unusually cheerful. Danil noticed, but did not ask, thinking it was merely about the excitement of the competition.

At practice, Danil was conentrating on himself, paying little mind to the other competitors, except where they were on the ice, so he could avoid ollision. Danil occasionally found himself near Zhenya, who smiled and nodded in encouragement at what Danil was doing. Zhenya himself still looked to be jetlagged, but otherwise was ding all right.

A skater swept by Danil, spraying a sea of ice flakes as he did so. Danil looked and watched as the skater, who was at least twenty-two years old, doing footwork that was intense and diffiult. He had competed against this skater ever since he was a senior, and he never got on the podium. He was talented, but he had a strategy of "intimidating" his rivals by showing his programs in practice, to the best of his ability. He always did this before his pratice was ended, so that his rivals would be left with that impression. But that tactic had never really worked after the first few years, when he would often make mistakes during the actual competitive programs. Danil frowned, watching the skater fly into a huge deathdrop-sit spin on the other end of the rink.

"Maksim Kovalev," Zhenya said from behind him. He sighed and shook his head. "I thought he had an Achilles injury."

"Apparently he got it taken care of, or he's skating injured," Danil observed for a moment. He skated into a triple Salchow-double loop combination. He continued on his way, running through some of his footworki. He was going in the direction of Kovalev, but was careful not to get too close. Still, he concentrated on his own movements, doing steps into a 'Tano triple Lutz. He was the only skater there who actually performed that jump at all, and it got a nice reaction from the tiny crowd that had gathered in the rink to watch.

Kovalev was right near him, and sneered. He skated casually, building up gradual speed, and leapt into a quadruple toe loop, landing almost directly in front of Danil. Danil blinked, but shrugged it off. Just another intimidation tactic, he thought, and stroked around the ice to relax some more. You can never do too little in practice, but you can do too much, he recalled Parker's words from long ago.

"Hey, faggot, watch this!" Kovalev called. Danil wrinkled his nose at the slur, but did his best to ignore it as Kovalev leapt into a triple Axel-triple toe-triple loop combination. He skated back over to Danil, and sneered. "Beat that!"

The old Danil would have been intimidated, tried to fight this with another series of jumps, but this Danil meant business. "I will beat it... in the actual competition, Maksim Nicholaievich, which should be easy considering your track record thus far these past few years." He smirked.

Kovalev glared and spat at him. "Filthy faggot. Let's see what you've got."

"Not until the competition, then I will wipe the ice with you," Danil replied with a glare of his own.

"Danil," Parker called. Danil moved to skate over to the boards to speak to his oach. As he did so, Kovalev decided to have the last word.

"Better wath your back."

"Don't let him get to you," Parker advised. "Don't sink to his level. You are better than he is, and he knows it. That's why he's trying to distract you. Don't let him win."

Danil nodded, and went back to work.

Danil went back to the hotel some time later, and rested in his hotel room after having breakfast with Parker in the hotel restaurant, and taking Zoloto outside for a walk. Relaxing in his room, Danil was surprised when his hotel room phone rang.

"Allo?" he asked. There was a mment's silence, then a gruff voice spoke.

"You're going to die tonight."

Danil's blood ran cold, and he swallowed hard. "What?" he asked. There was no answer. Danil was shaking now, and nothing but silence answered his words. He slowly lowered the phone, but missed the receiver. He switched the phone and hung up the phone. He sat on his bed, trembling.

It's all words, just talk, don't be afraid, no one's going to hurt you, Danil thought, trying to calm himself down. Zoloto came over and licked his hands, nuzzling him lovingly. Danil sighed and pet her gratefully. He swallowed hard and tried to relax. I should tell Parker, he thought.

He went to the door, but stopped in his tracks as he put his hand on the door handle. All of a sudden he felt a twinge of intense fear. Who knew what lay beyond this door? Who's to say that whoever called him was not out there at his very moment?

Danil sighed, and went back to his bed, putting his head in his hands. So much for not being afraid anymjore, he thought bitterly. He finally picked up his cell phone, and called Parker.

Parker was sitting in his hotel room, looking over some notes for the short program coming up. He sipped his coffee and answered his phone.

"Janson."

"P- Parker? I need to talk," Danil said.

"Danil? What is it? What's wrong?"

Danil tried to stifle a sob, and said, "Someone threatened to kill me tonight."

Parker's heart stopped. "What? When? Who?" he asked.

"I don't know, it was five minutes ago, or not even that. I just got a call from a man who said 'You're going to die tonight.' Then he hung up. That was all."

"I'll be right over."

"Oh, God, Parker! What if they're waiting outside for us?"

"Don't worry, Danil. I'll be very careful. Don't worry."

Danil sighed. "Well... all right..."

Parker opened the door a crack, just to see if anyone was there. Seeing no one, he hurried to the room across from his and knocked briskly. The door quickly opened and Danil ushered Parker in.

Danil closed the door and wrapped his arms tightly around him, sobbing. Parker comforted him, patting his shoulder.

"You know I'd never, ever, ever let anything happen to you," Parker promised after a few minutes, gently using his hand to lift Danil's face to him. "I'll make sure that you're protected, don't worry."

Danil sighed, lowering his head in shame. "I can't believe that I am afraid again. What a fool I am."

"You're not a fool, Danil. If you were not afraid, then I would say you were a fool," Parker said, leading him over to the bed where they sat down. "You have reason to be afraid. I tell you what. There is something we can do about this. We can call-"

Parker was interrupted by the sound of the phone ringing. Danil jumped a mile and cried out, putting his head in his hands. Parker took it upon himself to answer it this time.

"Hello?" he asked in a protective tone.

"Parker?" Zhenya asked, confused. "I'm sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number."

"No, not at all," Parker said with a relieved sigh. "This is Danil's room. He's right here. Just... hold on a second." He put his hand over the receiver and looked at Danil. "It's Zhenya. Do you want to talk to him?"

Danil looked at him and nodded. Parker handed the phone to him and Danil spoke, with a shaking voice. "Zhenya?"

"Hey, Danilka, I just... What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly aware of the fear in Danil's voice. "Did something happen? Are you all right?"

Danil sighed and shook his head, knowing that his brother could not see him over the phone, but still, he began to lose his composure. "I can't really say over the phone."

"What happened? Never mind, I'll be up in a few minutes," Zhenya said gently.

"Oh, God, no, Zhenya! It's too dangerous!"

"Dangerous? What are you talking about?" Zhenya asked, utterly shocked.

Danil sighed and said after a moment, "Just be careful," Danil said, in tears.

Zhenya was puzzled, but still replied, as soothingly as he could manage, "Of course I will be careful, Danilka. I'll see you in a few minutes."

After he hung up, Danil put his head in his hands. Parker sat next to him to comfort him.

"It's going to be okay. I promise," he said gently. "I'll make sure you are safe."

"Please... don't risk your life for me," Danil said, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. "I could never forgive myself if I lost you..."

"You won't lose me," Parker said, concerned. "You'll never lose me."

"I just don't want you to get hurt... I don't want you to die on my acount."

"I promise, that won't happen." It was hard for Parker to hear Danil saying these things again. After so long, he thought Danil was finally rid of the "demons" that plagued him after the attack. He didn't want him to be hurt, but he also didn't want him t be distracted from the competition, which started in several hours. "I'm going to call hotel security. We can let them handle it. If need be, we'll call the militia."

"They don't care, they won't help," Danil said with a sigh.

"We have to try," he said, having already picked up the phone. "Front desk? Yes, I'd like to speak to Hotel Security, immediately." He paused. "Room 641. Thank you very much. I appreciate it." He hung up, and turned to Danil. "They're sending some security personel right now."

"That's good..." Danil said, though he wasn't sure any of this would make any difference. Just then, there was a knok at the door, causing Danil to jump nearly out of his skin.

"It's probably just Zhenya," Parker said in a soothing tone, patting Danil's back. Parker went to the door.

"Parker, be carful!" Danil warned.

Parker paused, and looked through the peephole. "It's Zhenya." He opened the door.

"What happened?" Zhenya asked immediately, oncerned.

"Danil got a threatening phone call," Parker explained sadly.

"What?" Without a word, Zhenya rushed over to Danil and knelt at his feet. "Are you all right? What did they say?"

Danil got tears in his eyes from the concern displayed by Zhenya. "It sounded like a synthesized voice, it just said 'You're going to-" He broke off and fought to control his composure. He swallowed hard and tried to continue without crying. "'You're going to... d... d- die... t- tonight.'"

Zhenya embraced him and looked at Parker. "What are we going to do?" he asked, almost as upset as Danil was.

"We're going to protect him, at all costs," Parker said, as if it were obvious. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"

"Parker, many Russians could be responsible for this. It might not even have been a Russian. Who knows."

"Once security gets here I'm sure we'll be able to narrow it down," Parker said with a sigh.

"Security? They won't care. They don't give a damn about protecting those who are oppressed," Zhenya said as there was a knock on the door. Danil jumped once more, but was still held by Zhenya, so he calmed within seconds.

Parker went to the door, looked through the peephole and opened the door. "Come on in," he said. Two members of security walked in. Zhenya released Danil from his embrace and looked at them as they walked over to the bed where he and Danil were.

"Someone called for security? What's the problem?" one of them asked. A badge was shown and his nametag said Shliakov. The other was Taratovsky.

Danil explained what happened, and then Parker and Zhenya chipped in with their side of the story.

"I see," Shliakov said. "Do you have any enemies who you think may have done this?"

Danil paused, and admitted, "I am an openly gay figure skater, a public figure and celebrity, here in Russia. It could very well have been anyone."

"Answer the question, please," Taratovsky said.

"No, I do not know of anyone in particular who could have done this," Danil said, trying to contain his annoyance.

"Is there any way to trace the phone, to see who has called in?" Zhenya asked.

"I assure you, we will do everything we can to find out who did this," Taratovsky said. "In the meantime, let us handle it our own way."

Zhenya closed his mouth, his jaw tight with anger, but nodded firmly. "Very well then," he finally said.

After a few more words, the officers left the room.

"Well, that was pointless," Zhenya said, rolling his eyes.

Parker sighed. He had held his tongue the whole time, but all the while kept wondering if Danil and Zhenya were right. Did the officers really not care? But then, he did the only thing he could think of at this time to protect Danil. Maybe the officers would do something. Even if they didn't, perhaps nothing more would happen to Danil... He hoped not, anyway.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep, before practice?" Parker suggested to Danil. "We have four hours before we have to leave, and you really should spend it resting."

Danil shook his head sadly. "I could not possibly sleep..."

Zhenya put his arm around Danil and led him to the bed. "It's okay," he said gently. He paused, and chukled softly. "Remember when Andrei and Anya were fighting several years back, and Anya took you to our apartment to stay fr the night?"

Danil smiled sadly. "All the way across town, yes."

"You didn't think you could sleep then either," Zhenya pointed out. "Do you remember? We tried everything we could think of? Finally, my father managed to get you to sleep. D you remember how he did it?"

Danil looked at him thoughtfully, lying on the bed. He shook his head as Zhenya tucked him in. "No, I don't."

Zhenya ran his hand through his brother's hair, and started to sing a soft, melodic Russian lullabye. Within minutes, Danil was asleep. After a few minutes of kneeling at his side and praying over him, Zhenya got up and turned to Parker.

"My father would sing that t us all the time."

"It's a very nice song," Parker commented as his cell phone rang.

"I don't think we should leave him alone," Zhenya continued, not caring about the phone ringing.

"I agree," Parker said as he answered his phone. "Janson."

"Parker?"

Parker was unprepared for the voice that greeted him on the other end of the phone, and the bustling sounds in the background.

"Peter?"

"Hey! I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all," Parker said, confused. "Uh, Danil is sleeping, resting up for practice..."

"Oh, that's okay," Peter insisted. "I wanted to talk with you. First of all..." He paused, and asked, "What hotel are you guys in?"

Parker's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Well... we're in the Marriot closest to the arena."

"Okay, what's the name of the arena?"

"Ignatiev Ice Palace," Parker answered, then asked, "Where are you?"

Peter chuckled. "At the airport. I'm getting my things, and then I'd like to meet you in the lobby. I just need to get a taxi and then I'll be on my way. Can you meet me down there in the lobby when I all you?"

Parker paused, utterly shocked that Peter would come when Danil was so afraid to be here. "Of course I can... Just give me a call when you get here."

"Okay, I'll see you soon! Oh! Please don't tell Danil I'm here," he added immediately. "I want it to be a surprise."

Parker felt a small smile crossing his face, and he nodded. "No problem."

Parker hung up and turned to Zhenya. "Peter just called."

"What's going on now?" Zhenya asked curiously. Parker gestured towards the door so that they would be away from Danil during this conversation. Zhenya grabbed the key and put it in his pocket. The two of them walked out to the hall.

"Peter wanted to surprise Danil with his company. He's here. He asked not to tell Danil yet though, since he wants it to be a surprise."

"That crazy bastard! He's going to get them both killed!" Zhenya whispered in shock.

"On the contrary, I think this could be just the thing to help Danil," Parker disagreed with a shrug.

"Danil is already in there fearing for his own life, must he worry about Peter too? Call him back, Parker. Tell him not to come. Tell him to go home."

"Shouldn't that be up to Danil?" Parker asked with raised eyebrows.

"I am just trying to protect them," Zhenya said with a sigh. "I can't lose Danil and I won't lose Peter either."

"You don't know that something will happen to them," Parker pointed out.

"You don't know that something won't! God, Peter has just signed their death warrants!"

"You don't know that, Zhenya. I think Danil would want to be with the person he loves."

"Russia despises and is afraid of anyone with the slightest differences," Zhenya said with a sigh, shaking his head. He then looked Parker in the eye with a critical expression. "You of all people should know that." He paused. "I heard about what happened in 1989."

(the rest until I say is co-written again with Marsha!)

Parker laughed a little, but the memory was less than funny, "Zhenya, that happened almost twenty years ago, I have to believe that something has had to change in that time period. I am not saying that I don't still get stared at here, but things aren't as tense as they once were." Parker knew that Zhenya was still worried. "I know how you are feeling, but look at it this way, who is the person you'd most want to see if you were feeling like Danil?"

Zhenya lowered his eyes. "Well... I suppose you're right... I'm sorry, that was uncalled for... I didn't mean for it to be so personal... I know that must not be an easy thing to think about let alone discuss. I guess it really should be up to Danilka... and if Peter wants it to remain a surprise, then I think it can be a good thing. But what do we do, do we tell him about the threat, or should we let Danil tell him later when he reveals himself?" he asked curiously.

Parker thought for a moment. "No, I think it's important that Peter know just how serious the situation is. I want to be here for Danil, but there is no reason to be careless." Parker smiled as Zhenya still looked worried. "They are smart men, they wouldn't do anything to put the other in danger."

Zhenya nodded. "You're right. I'm sure you can d that when you meet him... I'm going to go back to Danil," he said as Parker's phone rang.

Upon hearing it being picked up, Peter said, "Hey, Parker? I'm in the lobby now. Do you want to meet me in the lounge so we can talk a little?" he asked.

"Yes," Parker said as he waved goodbye to Zhenya. "I'm on my way down now, wait for me."

"Great! I'll see you here!"

(taking over once more just to get things done faster lol)

"I'm going to meet Peter. You'll stay with Danil?"

"Of course I will," Zhenya said with a nod. As Parker headed down the hall, Zhenya called, "Be careful. Be safe. Both of you."

(ok back with Marsha)

Peter sat in one of the chairs in the lounge, his luggage nearby on a dolly. He stood up when he saw Parker coming out of the elevator. "Hey!" he said when he got to him. "So, I bet you want an explanation, huh?"

Parker greeted Peter warmly then smiled at him like a concerned father. "Yeah, and explanation would be nice," he kept his voice light. "Come on, lets get a drink."

And together the men walked into the hotel lounge.

They sat down at the bar and Peter ordered a screwdriver. "I know he doesn't want me here. I know he is convinced that something bad will happen. But I don't care. I want to face that danger with him, I want to see him compee here, I don't want him to be hiding all the time when he is here. I want to be here, to support him, like any good lover would," he explained, keeping his voice low. "So, I got tickets, and figured you could help me out. See, I want to surprise Danil. I want to go to the competition tonight, and meet him in the hotel room afterwards. But see, I want to surprise him by already being in there, you know, have things set up all romantic? I think he could use a nice night But of course, I need your help with that... I need a key to Danil's room, and I need you to stall him after the short so I can get here and beat him back after the competition's over. I mean, you will probably be pretty busy with reporters and stuff, but just in case." He shrugged. "So do you think you can help me out?" He also needed a place to stay until the short program, a place to store his luggage for the time being, but he was too polite to ask about that.

"Of course I will help you, in fact I agree with you, I think this is just what Danil needs... but I need to talk to you about something." Parker paused. "I don't need to tell you that you could be in danger her. I don't need to tell you that you and Danil need to be careful, and not careless." He paused, he didn't want to make Peter worry, but he needed to know. "There have been threats and it's not like sending in a stupid email or leaving a rude message on a message board, these are something we can't ignore, we also can't let it affect Danil, do you understand?"

Peter set down his drink and stared at him with worried eyes. "What happened?" he asked, suddenly looking extremely worried. "I understand, but what happened? Like, did someone come up to him and say something? Did someone try to hurt him, physically? What?" He bit his lip. "I understand, I won't let it get to him... Maybe I should talk to him now... Bu I don't want to have him just tell me to leave..."

"It was just a phone call, but it has Danil a little worried, but I don't want you seeing him now, it'll only make him worry more," Parker smiled reassuringly, "Where are your things, you can hide in my room until the competition starts. What's with that face, Danil needs you, but I think he'll feel better seeing you after he skates. Trust me."

Peer gulped down some of his drink and nodded. "Yeah, yeah... I think you're right, he'd only freak out if he knew I were here right now. What did the phone call say?" he asked as he took his drink out with Parker to the lobby. "Any idea who it could've been?"

"It said he was going to die tonight," Parker tried to make it sound like a joke, but couldn't help noticing the tightness in his voice. "We don't know who it was, but honestly it could be anyone. I think it was probably one of his competitors trying to knock him off his game..." Parker only half believed this so he was glad that he sounded believeable.

"Shit... Well, during football we'd always talk trash to the other team, but it was never anything like that," Peter mused, shaking his hea. He was grateful to still find his luggage sitting where he had put it, still loaded on the dolly. Parker went over to the front desk and asked for an extra key to Danil's room. He was not asked why he wanted it and they gave it to him without question. Together they went up the elevator. "I guess you're right, I have to try not to let it get to me, but I mean, now I see what Danil was talking about... He's never gotten a threat like that before... Poor baby..." He lowered his eyes. "Thanks for letting me stay for a while, till you leave. I assume tickets for the competition can be bought at the door?" he asked.

"We just want to be careful because it's unlikely that anyone would look into this if we report this. I don't want to give anyone the satisfaction of know they might have scared us. I have a set of all event tickets you should be able to use. I usually like to watch the other disaplines, but we aren't going to the arena unless we need to be there."

"I don't blame you for that... Thanks, I'd appreciate that," he said as the elevator doors opened. They stepped out and Peter wheeled the luggage following Parker's lead. "Is Danil... is he alone right now? Maybe I should call him, just to see if he's okay, and I don't have to tell him I'm here..." He hated to show it, but he was still worried. "How is this affecting him... psychologically? Do you think he could get back to his old... habits?" he asked as Parker opened the door to his room.

Parker thought about how to answer that. "I don't think Danil is going to revert... He's sleeping, Zhenya is with him now. Go a head and call him, but you have to be casual, wish him luck, send your love, but don't sound worried, you know how he gets when he thinks we're worried."

Peter nodded thoughtfully as he set some things on the floor out of he way. "Hmm..." He looked down for a moment, in thought. Finally, he said, "I think I'd like to see him. I won't wake him. I just want to see him. I won't give anything away. But since he's sleeping, at least it'll make me feel better... Where is he?" he asked.

"Come on," Parker said, leading the way to Danil's room. "Let me make sure he is still sleeping." He walked into the room and motioned for Peter to wait just outside the door. "Is he still asleep?" Parker asked Zhenya.

Zhenya turned, he had been reading the Bible that was in the room. "Yes," he said. "Is Peter here? Should I wake Danil?"

"No, let him sleep, Peter just wants to see him," Parker waved in Peter. "Make it quick," he joked.

Peter walked in and smiled, embracing Zhenya. "Parker told me what happened. I was going to wait, but I just had to see him."

"I understand," Zhenya replied gently, and gestured to where Danil was sleeping peacefully.

Peter went and held Danil's hand, kineeling at his bedside, gently running his fingers through hi hair. He hoped he wouldn't disturb him, but at the same time, part of him wanted Danil to wake up. Out of nowhere, he bagan to sing, almost in a whisper:

"When somebody loves you
Its no good unless he loves you - all the way
Happy to be near you
When you need someone to cheer you - all the way

Taller than the tallest tree is
Thats how its got to feel
Deeper than the deep blue see is
Thats how deep it goes - if its real

When somebody needs you
Its no good unless he needs you - all the way
Through the good or lean years
And for all the in between years - come what may

Who know where the road will lead us
Only a fool would say
But if youll let me love you
Its for sure Im gonna love you - all the way, all the way..."

He kissed his forehead, and concluded, "I'm gonna love you all the way..." He squeezed his hand, and got up. Turning to the others, he whispered, "Thanks for that. I better get out of here before he wakes up..."

Zhenya looked on, a piteous look in his eyes. Now he understood why it was really important for Peter to be there. "See you soon, Pete... God bless. I'm sure that even though he may not have heard it, he will be comforted by it."

"Come on, let's hide you again," Parker smiled at Peter. He gave Zhenya a playful look that said: I told you so. "I'll be right back."

Zhenya smiled and nodded. "All right," he said.

Peter walked out with Parker, who then showed him to his room. Peter sat on a chair and put his head in one of his hands, and took another big gulp of his drink. "God... I knew this place was bad, but I honestly thought he was just exaggerating..." He shook his head. "I sure hope that whoever it was was just messing around with words, instead of actually warning him about..." He paused, and shrugged. "Well, if I were going to kill someone, I sure as hell wouldn't tell hem about it, I'd just go out and do it, you know? So maybe there isn't anything to be worried about... I mean, whoever did that is sure to think that you guys wouldn't be stupid enough to go out without protection now that you know someone's after you, right? So maybe there's nothing to worry about..." He set his drink down, knowing that he was rambling, just for the sake of his own omfort. He sighed. "He's going to be fine..." He said that softly, just trying to convince himself rather than Parker. "He's going to be fine... We're going to be fine. I'm sure of it." He let out a deep sigh. "Poor Danilka... He must have been a wreck..."

Parker let him speak without interuption. "At first he was really worried, but I have to say I am surprised with how strong he is being. He's not the same man he was when you first met him

Peter smiled optimistically. "Really? Well, I am proud of him for that... I'm glad he finally knows that he doesn't have to be intimidated, that he can fight back." He smiled. "Well... I feel weird about this, but I am pretty tired from the flight... I guess I should get some sleep."

Parkeer smiled and nodded. "Go ahead and get some sleep, I have some arrangements to check on and other coachly duties, I'll check back with you before we head over to the arena. That should give you plenty of time to get there before the short program starts."

Peter nodded. "Okay. Good luck with everything." He grinned. "Soon, you're gonna be the coach of the new Russian National Champion. Better look sharp." He winked, and finished his drink. He went over to the extra bed in Parker's room and lay down. "See you guys later," he said as he closed his eyes.

Parker went back to Danil's room and stayed with him and Zhenya for a while, then advised Zhenya to get some sleep of his own; he had to skate as well. Danil was sleeping soundly, and peacefully, until the time when he had to be awoken for practice...

"Danil," Parker tried not to startle him. "You've got practice in an hour, wake up."

"Mmmm..." Danil responded, turning over so his face was on the pillow. He stretched his arm a little in reluctance. "I was having a great dream..." he relayed as he finally turned over and sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.

"Really?" Parker aksed, smiling. It was good to see that he didn't seem bothered by what had happened. "That's good."

Danil smiled, standing up to face him. "I was on a tropical island, under a waterfall, all alone... with Peter," he said with a loving sigh.

"Good dream, considering how cold it is out there," Parker joked. "Sleep well?"

Danil laughed. "Yeah. I'm going to get ready..." He turned away to get his things, then looked back at Parker, a distant fear in his eyes. "Did... did anything else happen?"

"Nothing at all," Parker said fully confident in their safty for the moment.

Danil sighed with relief, and embraced him. "Thank you for staying all this time. It was so good of you." He grabbed his clothes, changed and grabbed his skate bag, his room key in it. As they walked out, he sang very softly, "All the way." In the elevator, he said, "Peter sang that to me in the dream."

Parker smiled knowingly to himself. "Sounds like it was a great dream, so what do you say, are you ready to skate and win?"

Danil smiled. "You bet. I'm really going to wipe the ice with everyone!" As they walked out of the elevator to the lobby, and made their way to the exit, Danil suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over him. This would be the first time he would leave the hotel since receiving the threat. Leaving his room was one thing; Parker was there to protect him, they could always find someplace to hide. But out in the open...

Danil suddenly had a horrifying image in his mind: the crowded street, and all of a sudden, shots rang out. There was no way to tell where they were coming from, but they were definitely in a distance. He felt as if his body had been shot all over...

Danil froze just as they were about to open the door.

Parker had seen that look on Danil's face before. He wasn't going to let Danil know that he was also worried. "Danil," he said in a firm voice. "We're going now." And his tone left nothing to question.

Danil looked at him as he merely followed beside his coach. He was shaking, and his eyes searched the crowd for anyone who may have been an assassin. He suddenly grasped his cross and as he walked, committed himself to Heaven. The trip to the bus itself was short, but it felt like hours. Danil felt as if he was walking to his execution. Once he got on the bus, he sat by the window, still looking out in fear. He had seen films of people getting shot while sitting by windows. He grasped his cross and prayed once more, too ashamed to talk.

Parker patted Danil on the back. "We're okay," Parker said in a low voice. "All I want you to think about is practice, let me worry about everything else, okay?"

Danil looked at him and squeezed his hand in gratitude. "Thank you... you're right," he said, trying to calm himself down. He shut his eyes, trying to place himself in another setting.

"How is he?" a voice asked gently. Zhenya was now sitting on the seat beside them.

Parker shook his head and exchanged worried glances with Zhenya. "We're good, right Danil?"

"Fine..." Danil replied meekly, and turned to give a smile to Zhenya. Zhenya looked at him and had a distinctly alarmed expression. Before he could say anything though, Kovalev came and sat next to Zhenya, closer to Parker now than Zhenya.

"This seat is taken, Maxim Nicholaievich," Zhenya pointed out.

"There is nowhere else to sit," he said innocently, and looked straight ahead. After a moment, he glanced over at Danil, who was now looking out the window again.

"It's a nice day today, fine weather," Parker said in a friendly tone.

Kovalev looked at him and scoffed. "I'm sure you enjoy the cold, dirty chornye," he said, smiling devilishly.

"Leave him alone," Zhenya growled at the slur. He'd learned long ago that that was no way to talk to someone.

"I'd enjoy the cold more if not for all the stupid in the air," Parker replied in Russian, smiling.

Kovalev reached back, his hand balled in a fist. Danil had glanced to them at Parker's words, and his eyes widened, and jaw dropped.

"Don't you touch him!" Danil exclaimed, putting his arm around Parker protectively. Caught off guard, Kovalev let his hand fall slowly. He smiled and then laughed.

"What a perfect match, the chornye and the fagot! You have really made an impression to all the other pathetic people in the world."

"Stop calling him that, or the next time you try, you won't have any teeth to say it with!" Danil warned, glaring at him.

"What, are you going to do that to me?" Kovalev laughed. "You don't have the balls. They're deep inside some other fagot's ass."

Zhenya glared at him. "Go to the Devil," he said as the bus stopped. They had arrived at the arena.

"Don't give him the satisfaction Danil," Parker said. "He has no guts, if he would have hit me be would have been disqualified, not that it matters, he can't win anyways," Parker said all of this very loudly.

Kovalev glared at him, but stood up. "When this competition is over, I guarantee you will both know the true meaning of pain." With that, he left.

Zhenya sighed as he stood up. "I really thought he was going to do it," he admitted. The other skaters and coahes had witnessed what happened, but none of them, other than Aleksei, seemed concerned with it.

"You three all right?" he asked gently as he was about to pass them on his way out. He paused and sat where Kovalev was sitting, so as to let others pass.

"We're fine," Parker said, and honeslty he was unfazed with the situation. But it had cleared one thing up in his mind, now he was pretty sure he knew who called Danil. "He can't unsettle us with this childishness."

"Yes, you can't let him get to you. He's been agonizing about the two of you and the success you get for years." Aleksei shook his head, got up, and left. Zhenya sighed and stood up as well.

Danil had felt no less safer in the bus as it travelled than he did as it was stationary. He still had the fear that something would happen to him, to Parker, to Zhenya, to Aleksei, to everyone he loved. The thought of an assailant with a gun haunted his mind as he got up and left the bus with Parker. As they walked and entered the arena, Danil suddenly stopped and collapsed on a chair.

"Danil!" Zhenya exclaimed, rushing over to him. Danil was trying to keep the tears in, but it was clear that he was afraid again.

"I can not do this," he said for the first time.

"Yes, you can." Parker said, his voice was softer now. "What are you afraid of?"

"Parker, anyone could be waiting anywhere with a gun, I just can't do this..."

Zhenya rubbed his shoulders. "Parker, have mercy... Let him withdraw."

Parker shook his head. "What is a skater that doesn't skate? Danil nothing is going to happen to you." Parker wanted to fire Danil up for this competition. "So you want to quit? After all this work, you've decided that you're done?"

Danil sighed, looking at him. "I am no quitter," he said firmly. "I've never had to withdraw from a competition, I sure as hell am not going to start now."

"It's not worth your life!" Zhenya exclaimed. "Your life is at stake here. I won't lose my only living sibling, I just can't-"

"Zhenya, if I withdraw, I will regret it," Danil proclaimed, standing up. He sighed. "I have to do this. Not just for myself, but the people I love, and the people who love me. I am not going t run away. If I must face death, I will meet it on my feet."

Zhenya sighed, and clutched his hand. "You are..." He stopped, then said, "You are the bravest person I've ever known. You be careful, you hear? We'll protect you as much as we can, but... we can't be there all the time. You know that."

"I do," he replied. "I'm going to the lockerroom."

"I'll join you," Zhenya said. The two looked at Parker.

"We'll see you in a little bit," Danil said confidently.

"I'll be waiting by the ice," Parker said with a satisfied smile.

After a few minutes, Maxim Kovalev went to the ice, and sneered at Parker. He felt the urge to say something, but did not, and went onto the ice.

Soon after, Danil came and started stroking on the ice. After practicing several elements, Danil did a spin combination. This was a great oppertunity for him. While he was doing an elegant scratch spin, Danil was knocked to the ice, crashing hard. Kovalev grinned. He had managed successfully to skate by and act like that was an accident.

Zhenya rushed over and helped Danil up. "You all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Danil said, more annoyed and angry than anything else.

Zhenya glared at Kovalev. "If you ever try that again, I will kill you. Do not make the mistake of thinking that is an empty threat!"

"Danil," Parker called him over to the boards. "Quad triple triple, if you don't mind," he smiled. "He can push and shove but he can't jump or spin frankly, show off."

Danil noddeed firmly, as Kovalev spit at him. Danil built up speed and quickly did the famed quad toe-triple loop-triple loop. He had not done this in competition yet, it was a move he practiced in competitions, but did not do during the actual competitions. Still, he was determined that this competition, the free skate the next day, would be the first time the combination was ever done, not just by him, but by anyone else in the world.

Kovalev crinkled his nose, and skated into a quadruple Salchow-double toe combination, falling out of the Salchow. Zhenya chuckled, and concentrated on his own performance, at the same time keeping an eye out for Danil.

"Bravo Danil!" Parker clapped loudly.

Danil grinned, then concentrated on his performance for that evening, running through his footwork. Kovalev had his eye on him the whole time, but before he could skate over towards him, Zhenya came protectively between them, skating beside him.

"Great combination, Danilka," he praised.

"Thanks."

"You showed him." Zhenya glared back at Kovalev.

The rest of the practice went on without incident. Once it was over, Danil went to get dressed. The pent-up anxiety and fear had seemed to leave in the form of his skating.

"I'm starving, let's eat," he declared. "We have an hour before the competition, that should be just enough time."

"Come on, let's see what we can find, ah one moment I have to make a phone call," Parker said to Danil and Zhenya

Danil nodded, but was a little puzzled.

"Come on, we'll wait for him here," Zhenya said, as they sat at a few chairs nearby.

Parker went to a nearby payphone and called his hotel room. "Hey, Peter, did I wake you?"

Peter had been watching television after sleeping for about an hour or so. He heard his cell phone ring, and quickly muted the television. If it were Danil, he didn't want him to hear the Russian-translated programming or it would give the surprise away. "Hey! No, not at all," he answered cheerfully. "What's up?"

"We're heading out to get something to eat before the competition starts in two hours so I wanted to give you a heads up. If you leave in an hour you should be able to get here in plenty of time."

"Great! Thanks so much, Parker. I really appreciate all this," Peter said gratefully.

Later that evening, back at the arena, Danil was warming up anxiously for the short program; stretching, running, trying to focus. He was not as rattled as he was before about the threat. He was now focused entirely on his skating.

"Zhenya did great out there, but can you believe how amazing Aleksei did? Considering how out of the loop he's been?"

"Aleksei is one of the best skaters I have ever seen. I am not surprised."

Danil grinned. "He definitely is." He sighed and drank some water, then headed out for his warmup group.

Nearly colliding with Kovalev yet again, Danil went to his coach and sipped some water. "I'm trying to focus, really," he said, a little shaken.

"Focus... Do the program just like practice."

Danil nodded and swallowed hard. Relax, he thought to himself. It's not like you haven't done this before...

Danil took his starting position and smiled. He preferred to skate first in his particular group, that way he could get it overwith.

The sound system belted out Puccini's Turandot as performed by Vanessa Mae filled the arena. Danil had wanted to try this music as a short program for quite a while now. Its dynamic opening made him feel powerful.

He nailed his quad salchow-triple toe combination, then moved on to a flying sit spin. After that it was circular footwork, steps into a triple Lutz, a camel-change-camel, serpentine steps during Nessun Dorma, triple Axel and finally a breathtaking spin combination to finish. He jumped up and down and pumped his fist. It was the most perfect performance he'd had in a long time.

Parker stood at the boards clapping his hands. "Yes!"

Danil embraced him, so happy he was grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe it! I sure am glad I kept that Salchow combination in, can you imagine what the judges will think of it? No one else did it!"

They sat down and waited anxiously for the marks. When they came up, Danil cheered. He was in the lead! With just four skaters to go, but their programs weren't as difficult as his, and they were still virtual unknowns, just coming out of the junior circuit.

"Good man!" Parker clapped Danil on the back. "That was perfect!"

Danil stood up and waved to the crowd who regarded him with thundrous applause that he had never heard for himself before. News crews were backstage anxious to talk to him and Parker about his skate. He hadn't experienced this since he won Junior Worlds!

"Take a deep breath," Parker said as they walked in front of the press.

Danil grinned and took a deep breath, and smiled at the cameras and reporters, thrilled that at last he was getting some respect.

"Danil, how do you feel about your skate tonight? What are you planning for the long program?" one reporter asked.

"Where did the initiative come from to land the quad Salchow-triple toe combination, whereas others do only the quad toe-triple toe, if that?"

Danil laughed a little and answered them as best he could. He frowned when another reporter asked a question.

"Danil, you are in a position to become the first openly gay man to win our national championship. How does that make you feel?"

At this Parker answered. "Just winning the title will be exciting, we don't need any other lables added on to the accomplishment," his Russian was almost perfect.

Danil smiled proudly. "Parker is right. I just want to be a great skater, and have my talents recognized and respected. That is all I wish for." But if a gay person were to be inspired by me, I'd be honored, he thought... but knew better than to say that here.

He answered a few other questions, and posed for photos, signed autographs and talked with fans, more fans than he'd seen come to him in a long time. Within an hour of his skate, the short program was over, and the standings remained the same: Danil, Aleksei, Zhenya, Arcadii, and another skater named Kyrill was in 5th place.

"Pretty close between Lyosha and I! Can you believe it? One wonders where we'd be if he didn't have that two-foot on his Lutz, and if Zhenya didn't fall on his Axel!"

"YOu were on, I don't think anyone could have topped you."

Danil grinned. "Thanks, Parker." He sighed contentedly as he sat down in the van that would take them back to their hotel. "I'm so excited. I'm going to call Peter and tell him what happened. You think I should? Or would it jinx everything, you think?" he asked curiously.

"Call him! Share your good news."

Danil grinned. "I will then!" They went back to their hotel, once again greeted by a few more fans. When they finally got to their own floor, Danil opened his door and asked, "Parker, if you're not very tired, can I talk to you in true privacy for a few minutes?"

"Of course," Parker said. "What is on your mind?"

Parker took Danil into his room, and the two sat down. "I need to talk about Peter and I. I love being with him... but we're still not exactly serious."

"What makes you think you aren't serious?" Parker asked.

Danil blushed slightly. "We're not... intimate... you know? We've been together all this time, and we haven't even had sex yet," Danil explained, slightly embarrassed.

"Danil, I don't want you to be confused, intimate doesn't have anything to do with sex. Lot of couple wait until they are married. You are sharing your lives already."

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "I don't know what exactly gave me the idea. Peter agrees with you." He smiled a little. "You think he's good for me? I do love him. I had to beg him to stay home practically, he wanted to come stay with me here. But that's a death sentence, for both of us," he concluded sadly.

"If you love him, then you should be with him. I think Peter is a good man. But my opinion doesn't count." Parker smiled.

Danil grinned and embraced him. "Thank you, Parker. You're so good to me. I really appreciate all you've done. I'll call him now, tell him about tonight."

"Good plan." Parker smiled.

Danil kissed his cheeks and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me. You know how that always helps." He chuckled. "I still can't believe about my performance! I could win! I'm so excited! And at the same time I'm a little scared. I'm trying not to let it get to me too much because if I screw up in the long, then I would hate myself."

"Do what we both know you can. I'm going to be proud of you, win or lose."

Danil smiled. "I will try my very best," he promised. "Good night, Parker. Practice is at ten, yes?"

"Yes. Get some sleep."

[Angela]

Once inside the hotel, Danil dialed Peter's number on his cell phone. To his disappointment, he got the voice mail.

"Peter, it's me. I just got back from the short program. Call me! I want to tell you how I did!" He tried not to sound too happy. He wanted to surprise the love of his life with the great news. He rode up the elevator with Parker, and the two made their way to their respetive rooms. When Danil opened his door, and stepped inside, he stopped dead in his tracks and gasped in horror.

Although Vaska was lying urled up in a ball on one of the pillows, purring as he snored soundly, and Zoloto was at the foot of the bed, chewing peacefully on a bone, wagging her tail as she looked at him, all signs still pointed to one thing for Danil: Someone was in his room. There had to be, because there was a cart of room service food sitting by the bed. Danil looked around quickly, but saw no one. He then noticed the bathroom door was ajar, and the light was on. He could barely see through the foggy mirrors, but he could hear the shower running. Danil stared, puzzled. What the hell was going on?

Well, while the intruder was indisposed, Danil was given a momentary advantage. Normally, he would have been scared out of his wits, too afraid to actually do anything. But not anymore. He went to the room service cart, grabbed a steak knife, and headed to the bathroom.

"Come out, slowly, and don't make any sudden movements," he demanded in Russian. "I am armed."

"Danilka, is that you?" asked the figure in the shower, speaking in English. Danil nearly dropped the knife in surprise.

"How the... What the... Good Lord, Peter, you scared me to death!" Danil said, setting the knife temporarily on the shelf above the sink. "How did you get in here? How did you know where I was staying? When did you get here?"

"I got here last night, but stayed in another room until after you left for practice. Parker helped me to gain access to your room," Peter answered, shutting the water off. He stepped out of the shower and onto a small towel he had placed on the floor. Danil smiled at him, his athletic nude body gleaming with water. "He gave me tickets and everything. You were incredible. Of course I had to make sure I got here before you did, but Parker said he'd make sure to stall you so I could see the rest of the skaters after you," he continued, putting his bulging, muscular, soaking wet arms around him. Danil melted in his arms, leaning his head against his muscular chest.

"Oh, Pete... You were really there?"

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," Peter said, kissing the top of his head. He hummed the refrain of Nessun Dorma, swaying a little with him. He paused, and chuckled. "What's with the knife?"

"I thought you were an intruder. I grabbed it to defend myself in case someone meant to harm me," Danil explained. "I gave a warning, and that's when you spoke."

"Lucky for me," Peter said, winking as he pulled away slightly, his arms still on Danil's shoulders.

"Oh, Pete, once I found out it was you, I was okay. I wouldn't have done anything to hurt you," Danil added, shaking his head with a smile. "I could never hurt you."

Peter snickered, and they went into the bedroom, Peter taking the knife with him.

"So that's what you said, huh? A warning? I was wondering. You know I don't know that much Russian yet."

"Yes, I just said to come out slowly, no sudden movements, and added that I was armed." Danil shrugged. "It probably wouldn't have done any good against a real intruder..."

"I think it could have. People have gotten killed with these things before..." Peter trailed off and looked at Danil. Danil couldn't help averting his eyes sadly. "Sorry," Peter said gently, rubbing his shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

"It's okay," he said dismissively.

"Anyway, I thought you could use a nice hot meal. After that you're probably exhausted." He lifted up the cover on one of the dishes and said, "Voila, Monscieur. Prime rib steak, done medium well, just like you and I both like it, marinated grilled shrimp, over rice pilaf, in garlic sauce, baked potatoes, with butter and sour cream, and chives, and for veggies, we have broccoli and cheese." He replaced the cover and pulled off another one. "Fresh caesar salad, I had such a craving for that and I know you like it too. And for dessert-" He put the lid back on and took the last lid off. "Fresh strawberies, with whipped cream and chocolate syrup."

Danil smiled, his mouth watering. "Peter," he said, shaking his head with a chuckle, "this must cost a fortune."

"Don't worry, I charged it to Parker's room!"

"Peter!"

"Kidding!" Peter said with a burst of laughter. "I brought a ton of cash with me. Nothing is too much for you. Oh, which reminds me-" He moved over to the other side of the room, and moved some furniture around to reveal a bouquet of fresh red, pink, and white roses. He picked up the basket and handed it to Danil. "Congratulations, Russian National Champion."

Danil smiled, but shook his head. "It's not over yet," he said. "I still have the free skate to worry about, and it's a risky one."

"Risks often pay off," Peter pointed out. "Otherwise, they're not worth taking in the first place."

Danil shrugged, but took the bouquet. "Thank you, my love." He sighed, and glanced around the room. The curtains were only halfway drawn against the windows. Danil went and pulled them so they were compleely private. "Pete, I don't think you realize just how dangerous this is for you to be here."

"I know, you've told me a million times. But don't you see, that's precisely why I have to be here. If you're going t be in danger, I want to face that danger with you. Can't you respect me enough to let me make my own choice about that?"

"God, Peter..." Danil sighed, setting the roses on the table. He looked at him, and finally smiled gently. "I am very glad that you came. Thank you... Although I suppose most of the gratitude goes to Parker for his help in all this." He chukled.

"Come on, let's eat." Danil gently picked Vaska up off the pillow. He meowed indignantly and Danil set him on the floor, then motioned for Zoloto to get off the bed too. Peter, still nude and dripping wet, actually managed to pick Danil off the ground and carried him to the bed. Laying him down, he gently caressed him and kised his lips and neck. He stroked his hair, then slowly got up and lay next to him. "Why don't you go make yourself more comfortable, dorogoy?" he asked, kissing his right temple. Danil chuckled and kissed his lips.

"I think I'll do that." He got up and slowly started to undress in front of Peter, who eyed him lovingly.

"Damn, you're like a Greek god," Peter said with a sigh as he gazed upon his naked lover. "A statue, a true work of art."

Danil smiled bashfully. "You're a regular David yourself, you know." He lay next to him, draping his arm over his chest. He kissed his face and caressed his body just as Peter had. He paused, and shrugged shyly.

"Pete, I am not sure if I this is a good time... what with the competition and all... I mean, I'm not sure if that is a good thing to do right at this time... I should save my energy for my skating... It is an Olympic year and I am debuting a new free skate tomorrow and-" Before he could say more, Peter kissed him passionately. Immersed in the kiss, Danil did not resist. By the time the kiss was over, both of them were practically breathless.

"Marry me," Peter whispered.

Danil felt as if the breath had been physically knocked from him. He lay there, frozen in time for what seemed like years. "What did you say?" he asked.

"Will you marry me?" Peter repeated.

Danil's jaw dropped and he shook his head. "Pete... we can't get married... We're too young! Oh, God, what will my family think? I mean, it's one thing to be lovers, but to marry?"

"Whoa! Slow down! You're talking like I asked that we get married tonight!" Peter laughed. "We can have as long an engagement as you want. We can even get married like three, four years from now. That's not so bad, is it?"

Danil looked at him and was quiet for a moment. "Oh, Pete... That would be perfect. Good Lord, I don't know why I panicked so much there!" He laughed. "A long engagement would be most beneficial, I think. All that time to get to know each other, and for things to be planned..." He stopped. "Pete, it's not legal in Pennsylvania..."

"We'll get married out of state, then come back and we can still live in PA and be treated with the same rights, they passed that act you know. It's okay."

"Well..." He bit his lip thoughtfully. "All right... I accept." He smiled. "I will marry you. Someday. But not right away. Maybe... Is 2008 too far away?"

"2008 is perfect, dorogoy," Peter replied, kissing his hand. "Just perfect. Till then, we can enjoy a nice long engagement." He lay with his arm around Danil's waist for a few moments, then sat up and reached over to the room service cart. Danil sat up as well and the two started eating.

Naturally, Zoloto went up to them and put her nose on the bed, giving them her trademark "sad puppy" look. That really shouldn't work, considering she was three years old.

"Awww, baby wants some steak."

"Pete," Danil said, eyeing him disapprovingly. "Don't get her hopes up, or she won't leave either of us alone."

"Just one piece won't hurt." Peter cut a small piece of steak and handed it to the golden retriever, who happily munched on it... but would not leave them alone, just as Danil predicted.

"You see what your dog is doing now?" Danil asked, rolling his eyes playfully.

"My dog?"

"The second you fed her that steak she became your dog," Danil said wryly, and took another bite of his baked potato. The two continued to eat, and Danil leaned against Peter's chest. "This was a wonderful surprise, Peter... If I die, at least I die happy."

Peter kissed his head. "You're not going to die. Phone call or no phone call, you're not going to die."

Danil was quiet for a moment, then sat up and looked at him. "What do you mean by that? How did you know I had a phone call?"

"Relax," Peter said gently. "Parker told me all about it. I came like an hour or so after it happened. I wanted to see you then, but I also wanted to kep the surprise... I don't know. Maybe I should have come to you sooner."

"No... I wasn't in my right mind then," Danil confessed. "I would probably have told you to go home..." He shrugged. "I wouldn't have appreciated your presence. So I am glad you waited until now. But I must confess I almost had a heart attack when I noticed I was not alone here," he added with a laugh.He leaned back against his lover, closing his eyes for a few moments. After some silence, he softly said, "Peter... would you..." His hands caressed Peter's chest and he kissed him passionately.

"Are you asking what I think you're asking?" Peter whispered. Danil merely smiled and nodded. Peter wrapped his arms around him and his hands caressed Danil's body.

A few hours later, Danil was lying in Peter's arms. The two were sweaty and exhausted, but still awake.

"Are you all right?" Peter asked. Danil replied by kissing his neck.

"Was I... good?" he asked. "I haven't done... that in almost three years."

"You were wonderful." Peter ran his hand through Danil's hair.

Danil blushed. "I was worried I might be out of practice."

"You were fine. You were sweet, in fat, so sweet I can still taste you." He grinned. Danil smiled bashfully.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, I know I did."

"Care for another go?" Peter asked mischievously.

"Four times? Peter, I do have to skate in the morning. I have to have energy for that," Danil pointed out, but he was smiling.

"So... that's a no?"

"You wish," Danil said with a laugh, wrapping his arms around him, kissing him. In minutes, the two were intertwined again...

It wasn't until three o'clock in the morning that they finally fell asleep.

[Angela]

(ooc: the following contains some profanity and derogatory remarks)

It seemed like Danil had been asleep for only five minutes when he heard a ringing in his ear.

"Peter," he mumbled groggily, "turn off the alarm... wake me in ten minutes."

His arm draped over his waist, Peter snored soundly, sleeping too heavily to hear him. Danil moaned and slammed his hand on the alarm clock... The ringing continued. Annoyed, Danil opened his eyes. It wasn't the alarm that was ringing, but the telephone.

"Hello?" he asked with a yawn.

Parker smiled to himself but said very seriously. "You wouldn't mind joining me for morning practice, would you?"

Danil bolted to a sitting position. "Oh, my God. I slept in? I am so sorry, I be down in ten minutes!" After a pause, he added, "Thank you, Parker, for helping Peter to my room while I was gone. You were right, I was glad to see him."

"I knew you would be, now hurry. I'll stall the bus." Parker chuckled and hung up his phone.

Danil quickly got up and dressed, grabbing his skate bag and opening the door. He paused, and went over to Peter. He had to hurry, but he quickly wrote a note and put it on his pillow.

I slept in, I'll be at the rink. Thanks for an amazing evening. Love you, Danilechka.

He then hurried down to the ground floor and outside.

"What time is it? I haven't even had time to check my watch," he said as he sat in a seat on the bus next to Parker. He glanced at his left wrist and laughed. "Hell, I didn't even have time to put one on." He shook his head. "As Homer would say, 'D'oh!'"

"It's a little after eight," Parker said. "You'll probably only get a half hour in, but I think that will be enough to get your legs under you."

Danil sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I'm so sorry... didn't get much sleep last night..." He turned to look out the window, hoping Parker wouldn't see him blush. "Yes, a half hour should be good. Besides, the luck of the draw says I skate last tonight, that's good I think."

"It's always nice to skate last," Parker agreed. "You're ready. Don't worry, we still have this afternoon, and tonight."

Danil nodded. "I really appreciate all you're doing for this competition, if I haven't said it enough already. I don't think I could have stayed here on my own, now that I'm, you know..." He shrugged and sighed. "I'm just paranoid... even though I promised myself I wouldn't be from now on... I don't know, maybe it's just being here that frightens me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Do you know how much you've changed this year? I'm proud of you. I'm happy to be there for you."

Danil smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Parker. For the first time in years, I feel like a man. I had no idea what a great feeling that would be." He rubbed his eyes and stood up after the bus parked. They headed into the arena and Danil started stretching. After he stretched for five minutes, he hurried to the ice and stroked around.

He leapt into a triple Lutz, and right before he landed, another skater nearly collided with him.

"Watch where you're going!" the skater cried. Danil fell to the ice and crashed into the boards. Thankfully he didn't seem to be hurt too badly. He stood up and profusely apologized.

"I am so sorry, I didn't see you-"

"Watch out, or I just might return the favor, faggot," the skater growled under his breath, spitting at him. Before Danil could reply, the skater sped away.

"Keep skating Danil," Parker called. He saw what happened, and he didn't want it to affect Danil.

Shaking, Danil merely stroked around, trying to concentrate. A few minutes later, Danil got the courage to do a forward scratch spin. The skater was some ten feet behind him. He smiled maliciously and casually skated closer to him, and without warning pushed him to the ground.

Danil cried out in surprise and fear.

"What do you think you're doing?" a voice exclaimed. Zhenya appeared beside them, his fists balled. "Leave him be, or I'll tell the Federation and see that you're suspended," he growled.

The skater crossed his arms, glaring at him. But he stepped back a little, and sneered. "Just keep your head up, Andropov." He moved to leave the rink.

"Danil, come here." Parker called, thankful that Zhenya was on the ice.

Danil had been helped up by Zhenya, who helped him to the boards. He was shaking again.

"He started it... but I know the first part was my fault..." was the first thing Danil said.

"Don't you dare apologize." Parker said firmly. "Don't let him get to you. You're the one to beat. He hasn't landed a clean quad in two seasons, you are in a position to win. He trying to make you worry, afraid. You aren't afraid of him. You're better than him."

Danil listened to his words, nodding. He took a few deep breaths, trying to push the fear aside. "But is it really just talk, or would he really..." He paused, hoping he didn't sound too ridiculous. "... hurt me?" he asked, partially knowing the answer already.

"You know as well as I do that he wants to..." Parker said with a low voice. "Don't give him that chance. He wants to make it look like and accident. Be smart out there. Keep your distance."

Danil shuddered, and nodded. "I will. I'll keep my eyes open for him." He went out and skated some more. Keeping an eye on him, Zhenya stayed close to Parker.

"He looks really tired. Did he have a restless night?" he asked.

"No," Parker said, not giving Danil's secret up. "I think he sleep more soundly than he has in a long time. He's alright."

Zhenya smiled. "Well that's good. He'll need all the relaxation he can get right now." He glared towards the skater who tried to hurt Danil, now unlacing his skates. "I hope the Federation saw what happened just now," he said gruffly. "Damn Kovalev."

"Really Zhenya, we know better. They saw, but the won't care unless Danil wins."

Zhenya sighed. "True. Well, I'm off. I got hee at six sharp, I'm exhausted already." He shook his hand. "I'll see you later." He smiled.

After ten more minutes, Danil sighed, and skated over to Parker. "Well, practice is over. I feel good," he said with a confident smile.

"Good. You looks strong," Parker said. "Tonight I want you to fly through that footwork, okay?" Parker handed Danil his skate guards. "Let's get some breakfast."

Danil grinned. "I'm starving." He unlaced his skates and put his street shoes on. As they walked outside, Danil asked, "Do you think it's a good idea to skate... my new program?" He chose, for obvious reasons, not to give the title away. He sighed. "Maybe I should have saved it for next year... but I love it so much, I think it's really fine. Do you think if I skate it well enough I can win?"

"If you skate well, you will win." Parker said, he usually avoided getting Danil's hopes up. "This is your masterpiece."

Danil grinned. He noticed the change too. "Masterpiece, you really think so?" He laughed, and they went to a nearby restaurant. "I'm so proud of it. I just hope people like it." He looked over the menu, and said to the waitress, "I'll have a ham and cheese omlet, with toast, and hot tea, please."

"And juice," Parker added to Danil's mean. "I'll have a two scrambled eggs and toast, and a cup of coffee."

"You got it," the waitress replied cheerfully, and headed to the kitchen to fill the order.

Danil smiled. "I can't wait until the free skate. I can see myself skating to it in my mind right now. That's a good sign, yes?"

"Yes, I want you to relax until the free skate, then I want you to pour all your energy into it."

Danil grinned. "I will. I'll be waited on hand and foot I'm sure." He smiled as the waitress brought their drinks and toast. Danil put jam on his toast and started fixing his tea. A few minutes later the waitress brought their food. "My body took a real pounding today," Danil admitted. "I'll see if Peter can give me a massage when I get back, maybe it'll help. My back hurts, so does my right ankle."

"It should, just take it easy. If you feel nervous, just walk. I don't want you working out before tonight." Parker said, and added, "and that means no.. ehem..."

Danil blushed. "No worries there, believe me." He laughed softly. "I think I'm done for a while with that sort of thing."

Once he arrived back at his hotel room, Danil looked around for Peter. He was nowhere to be found, but thankfully he did manage to leave a note.

Danilka,
Went for a swim. You can join me if you want.
Love you,
Peter

P. S. Thanks for the note. Hope practice went well. Sorry for keeping you up so late last night.

Danil smiled, shaking his head. A swim sounded nice, but he remembered what Parker said. Still, they did have a nice hot tub there that was right beside the pool, perhaps he could enjoy a soak in that for fifteen minutes to soothe his aching muscles. He fished around for his swimming trunks, which he always brought wih him, and quickly put them on. Once he was ready, he hurried down to the pool area. He hoped that Peter would still be there. There were several other people there, but thankfully, one look in the deep end showed that Peter was indeed still there.

"Cannonball!" he cried as he launched himself into the water in a cannonball position. Danil chuckled, shaking his head as he walked in. There were some others in the hot tub, including Zhenya and Irina.

"Hey, guys!" Danil said cheerfully to them, taking off his T-shirt and getting in the tub. "What a surprise."

"It's great to see you too, Danilka," Zhenya said, and Irina nodded with a loving smile on her face.

"I saw what happened at practice today. Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied as Peter walked over to them.

"Hey!" he said. "I see you got my note."

"Yes, but I can't join you for too much of a strenuous swim. I just wanted to soak in here for a little bit to soothe my muscles," Danil explained.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"It's a long story. Suffice it to say that I had to deal with a big jack-ass today at practice," he explained. Peter crinkled his nose.

"That sounds like fun," he said sarcastically.

"Why don't you join us, Peter?" Irina asked.

"Thanks, I think I will." Peter stepped in and sat down beside Danil, putting his arm around him.

"Pete, maybe it's not such a good idea to be so open here," Danil whispered. Peter sighed, and reluctantly withdrew his arm.

"I never understood that logic. 'I don't like to see two people of the same gender be affectionate, it's not normal.' Hell, if straights can express their love to each other in public, why can't we?"

"In America we can, but not here," Danil pointed out. "It's dangerous."

"Whatever." Peter rolled his eyes. Under the bubbles, though, Danil gently took Peter's hand and held it lovingly, looking at him with a smile. Peter looked at him, and smiled as well. Yeah... this isn't that bad, he thought.

Maria and Slava were in the shallow end of the pool. Maria was teaching Slava how to swim. He had been learning ever since he started travelling with Zhenya, because he wanted to be just like his father, and his father loved to swim. He was just doing the dog-paddle, but he was very good at it.

"Well done, Slavachka!" Zhenya cheered, though he knew his son could not hear him.

"He is doing so well," Irina agreed, watching them.

Danil smiled, reaching behind Peer and putting his arm around his waist. No one could see because of the bubbles. Peter quickly glanced around them, and kissed his head.

"You're so sweet," he whispered.

"Well, I didn't want you to think I didn't appreciate it," Danil explained, also in a whisper.

Peter smiled and returned the gesture, putting his arm around Danil's waist.

"So what happened at practice?" he asked.

"A skater tried to collide with me, tried to hurt me, making it look like an accident," Danil explained.

"Son of a bitch!" Peter exclaimed in anger and shock.

"Pete..."

"Well, I hope something's going to be done about it."

"There's nothing we can do, he really did a good job trying to make it look like an accident," Danil said.

"You're okay though, right? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No, thankfully. But my hip, ankle, and back are killing me."

"Damn... Well, I hope I don't end up running into him. God knows what I'll do if I do."

"Pete, please don't start anything..." Danil groaned.

Peter rolled his eyes. "You're too passive. Sometimes you gotta walk right up to this guy and slug him."

"An eye for an eye only leaves the whole world blind," Danil pointed out. "Didn't Gandhi say that?"

"I guess you're right..."

(will edit more later)

[Angela]

Soon it was time for Danil to go to the rink for the free skate. He was feeling more relaxed now. Peter's presence helped calm him. Now, however, Peter was a little annoyed.

"I can't see why I can't go with you," Peter said flatly.

"It's dangerous here, Peter, we've already been through this. You can come, I'm certainly not stopping you from that. But we can't be seen in public in an affectionate way," Danil insisted. "It's a death wish for both of us." He kissed his cheek. "I'll see you at the rink." He ignored Peter's exasporated sigh and hurried to the lobby to meet Parker.

"Ready when you are!" he said with a grin.

"Let's go!" Parker was wearing a freshly pressed black suit, a first for Coach Janson. "This is your night!"

Danil grinned. "What's the occasion? Why the suit?" he asked. "Can't be because of little old me," he said with a laugh.

"If I'm going to be pictured with a National Champion, I can't be wearing jeans," Parker chuckled.

Danil grinned and embraced him. "Oh, but how they say, don't count chickens, da? It's not over just yet." He was so happy to see his coach so enthusiastic and confident though. It gave him hope that he could do it, for the first time in years, he could pull off two perfect skates and walk away with a gold medal around his neck. And not just any gold medal; he would be named the best male skater Russia has to offer.

During the final warmup, that bastard Kovalev was gunning for him. He steered clear of him though, skating the opposite way whenever Kovalev came on the same end as him.

Danil cheered for his friends, even though Arcadii didn't have a very good night. He was overjoyed that Aleksei could very well take silver if all went well...

His heart broke for his brother though. He hated to see him fall, and he fell three times, and had a two-foot landing as well. He applauded though, proud of the fact that he stuck through it and worked the crowd and judges.

"Any last words before I go out there?" Danil asked after Zhenya's marks were read. For some reason, he was in the lead... But then again, the judges didn't appreciate Aleksei's artistic side much.

"Fight and fly," Parker said, clapping Danil on the back.

Danil grinned, and embraced him once more. "I couldn't have gotten here without you. God bless you, Parker." He waved to the applauding crowd, and skated to center ice.

The soft picking of the guitar echoed throughout the still arena. Danil, portraying Ennis, skated using mostly edge work. His footwork was almost as complex as Zhenya's, his jumps were more difficult than anyone else's and were executed perfectly. His performance had so much emotion that Danil had to pause before the beginning of "The Wings" to blink tears away. Since it was during a pause in the music, it shouldn't affect his scores much. When "The Wings" came on, his movements became more open. You could look at him and know exactly what he was doing throughout the performance. Finally, he took his ending pose: Feet apart, his arms held out as if he were holding a shirt hanger.

The crowd was on its feet, clapping and shouting. Danil took his bows, crying a little as he waved. He skated off to the kiss and cry, embracing Parker once more. "Quad Sal combination! I finally landed it!" he cheered.

"It was beautiful! It was perfect!" Parker couldn't stop clapping.

Danil grinned and dried his tears. He couldn't believe it. "I'm about to win my first National Title!" He pumped his fist and waved to the crowd, then sat down once again, eagerly awaiting his marks. "Maybe I get 6.0s!"

A hush fell over the crowd once more, as the marks were finally read. A low hum resonated and grew into a crescendo of "Boo!"

Danil did not get any 6.0s... in fact, he was in third in the free skate, earning silver overall.

Danil stared at the 5.2s and 5.6s. His jaw hung open, speechless. He looked at Parker. What had he done wrong?

Parker swore and he felt ill. "What is this?" he asked, no one could answer. "This is an outrage."

When Zhenya was announced the winner, there were a few mild cheers, but mostly boos from the crowd.

"This is horrible," Zhenya said, staring at the judges' table in shock. "I suggest we have a petition, demanding why this happened."

"There's no need," Danil snapped, having understood the reason a few seconds earlier. "I know exactly why this happened. I lost because the judges didn't want me to win. Hell, I bet they'd kick me off the team if they got the chance. They didn't want me to win because of who I am, and even moreso because of what I skated to." He folded his arms. "That is why this happened."

Zhenya sighed, putting his hand on his shoulder. This was terrible. No one wanted to win this way. This normally would have been cause for celebration, but never under these circumstances. What just happened was an utter injurstice.

"This is your choice Danil, do you want to fight this?" Parker said. "We will. I will, if you want."

"What good would it do? It's done," he said with a sigh, putting his head in his hands.

"What do you think of my little revenge?" a gruff voice inquired from beside them. They looked up to see none ofher than Ivan Shotsky standing before them.

"What the hell are you doing here, why aren't you in prison?" Zhenya snapped, standing in front of Danil protectively.

"Didn't you hear? My supporters arranged for my freedom," Ivan boasted, folding his arms. "My first thought as of the 2005 World Championships was to bring a sense of dignity to the Russian mens division. Unfortunately, we'll have to settle for you two and Aleksei. But that will change soon, I'm sure."

"I should kill you," Parker said with a growl. "But I'll settle for you rotting in prison."

Parker turned to Danil and Zhenya, "Shall we go?"

"I'd love to see you try either one," the coach snapped. He sneered at them.

Danil nodded firmly to Parker, ignoring Shotsky. He couldn't hurt him, not anymore.

"Yeah, come on. I bet there's tons of reporters demanding to know about this injustice."

The two walked away, leaving Shotsky and Zhenya alone...

"You know it's a pity it came to this," Shotsky said, eyeing Zhenya. "I keep asking myself how things could have gotten so bad. My answer is always the same: I should have been firmer with you. I was too lenient when I raped you in 1993. It obviously wasn't painful enough. If it were, you wouldn't have dared to defy me, and none of this would have happened." He smiled, relishing in the anguished look on Zhenya's face. The tears in his eyes, the shaking hands and lips, the flushed cheeks.

Parker grabbed Shosky by his tie. He was too busy looking at Zhenya to notice Parker approach. "Never speak to him again!" Parker said, his words backed up with the rage he felt. "If you do, it will be the last thing you do. That I promise you!" He whispered.

Shotsky snorted. "All words, no actions. Typical American chornye." Still, the coward didn't want to test Parker's limit, so he merely glared at Zhenya, rather than say what he wanted to. Finally, he walked away.

Zhenya was shaking now, blinking tears away. He swallowed hard. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Parker had to take a deep breath. "I want to hurt him."

Zhenya's throat was tight. "I want to go home," was all he managed to say. It wasn't something he'd normally say; usually he'd explain his feelings.

"Let's go," Parker said. If he saw Shosky once more, he didn't know what he'd do. "Danil is waiting."

Zhenya barely registered what he said, but he nodded and walked over to Danil.

Danil stared at them, temporarily forgetting the discrimination he'd just endured.

"Zhenya? You all right? What's wrong?"

"Let's just get back to the hotel," he said quietly.

"Where's Ira and Slava?"

Zhenya didn't answer. Instead he went out to the van and stared out the window.

"What happened?" Danil asked Parker as they followed him.

"That bastard is up to his old games," Parker whispered. "Zhenya looks out of it..."

"He does..." He looked up in the stands for any sign of Irina or Slava. "Well... they're bound to go to the hotel. Parker, can we take him to your room till he calms down? Since Peter's in mine, and perhaps being with Ira might not be the best thing right now..." he suggested.

"Yeah, let's get him back to the hotel." Parker watched Zhenya with worried eyes. Had what Shosty said effected him that much?

Danil sat next to Zhenya in the van, rubbing his arm gently. Zhenya was still shaking, staring out the window, stifling sobs. barely acknowledging anyone around him.

I should have been firmer with you, the pain in the rape was too little, it should have been much worse, Shotsky's voice echoed over and over in Zhenya's mind, with images from that horrifying day playing over and over.


Parker watched Zhenya and then he realized what he was looking at. Zhenya had suddenly turned into Danil, the fear in his eyes was the same Danil held for so many years, and it was something Parker never saw from ZHenya before.

Danil swallowed hard and tried to comfortr Zhenya as best he could, and when the bus parked at the hotel, he helped Parker escort him to the elevator. Danil glanced around him in hopes of seeing Irina. No luck as of yet... They might be at the arena still, waiting for Zhenya.

They took the elevator to Parker's room. Danil led Zhenya inside.

"Here, Zhenya, lie down-"

"I'd rather stand," Zhenya said, but it sounded like he was pleading. Danil frowned, but steered him to a chair.

"Sit down, it'll help you calm down. Try and relax. I'm calling Ira and telling her what happened." Before Zhenya could protest, Danil was on the phone.

"Are you okay?" Parker asked Zhenya.

Zhenya had drawn his knees to his chest, sobbing a little as he closed his eyes. He merely looked at Parker and shook his head, then buried his head once more in his hands, sobbing.

Danil went into another room so Zhenya would not hear him.

"Hello?" Irina asked. "Zhenyechka, is that you? Where are you?"

"It's Danilka. Zhenya's..." He frowned. What exactly should he say? "He's not feeling very well. Just come to the hotel. He's here in Parker's room."

"Of course," Irina said, concerned. "Which room?"

"Ira... really it's nothing personal, you know this. But I don't think he can see anyone right now, he's not even registering Parker or I. Just give us some time to see what's going on, and we'll call you when you can come see him. I hope you understand," Danil said sadly. There was silence for a few moments.

"All right... I trust you'll take good care of him..."

"You're safe here," Parker said.

Zhenya shook his head as Danil returned. Seeing Zhenya so upset and not saying anything about it worried him. He gently comforted him as best he could, rubbing his shoulders and back.

"It's all right... whatever he did to you, he can't hurt you anymore. Just keep saying that to yourself, it helps."

Danil just didn't understand... The rape played over and over in Zhenya's mind, clouding his vision. All he could register was the voices around him.

God, please don't hurt me anymore! he wanted to scream.

"Maybe something to drink would help," Danil suggested, longing to do something, anything to hekp him. He went to the bathroom and got some water. Zhenya took it with a shaking hand. His hand was shaking so violently he spilled some water on the floor.

"Zhenya, tell me where you are." Parker said. Watching him, it was like he wasn't in the room.

Danil looked at Parker, puzzled, but looked back at Zhenya, who was shaking even worse now.

"I'm in Shotsky's hotel room," Zhenya whispered. "He has me pinned to the bed," he cried, sobbing.

Danil half-embraced him, shocked to hear this.

"Come on, Zhenya, you're not really there-" He paused, looking at Parker.

Parker motioned for Danil to settle down. "And what's happening?"

"He's hurting me," Zhenya whispered, his eyes shut tight, knees pulled close to him. Danil was at a loss, so he just clutched Zhenya's hand and rubbed his back. "He's slapping and punching me," Zhenya continued, still not registering Danil's actions. It was as if he were hypnotized.

"I want you to fight him Zhenya. Fight back." Parker wasn't sure what he was doing, he just hoped it worked. "Fight."

"I can't!" Zhenya cried, and sobbed continuously for a minute. "He won't let me, he hurts me!" He sobbed again, and whispered, "I want my father..."

Danil swallowed hard and looked at Parker. "I've never seen him like this," he whispered.

"He's never worked through this," Parker told Danil.

"Zhenya, you can fight. You are fighting back," Parker told him.

Danil frowned, and turned back to Zhenya, a sad look on his face. How could this happen, when he always appeared to be so calm, cool, and collected? Why the sudden stress now?

"I am, but he just keeps hurting me even more," Zhenya said, crying in pain.

"So keep fighting," Danil said simply, following Parker's lead. "You're not a child anymore!" he insisted.

Zhenya moaned and sobbed, begging for the pain to stop.

"Listen to me. You are fighting back. You are pushing him off of you. Understand. He can't hurt you anymore."

He could see it before his eyes... he was fighting, but the monster was punching his face, kicking his groin, scratching and biting him. Zhenya could see himself biting him, as hard as he could, and he rolled off the bed when the man pulled back to punch him once more. There was the door to the room, locked tight. He rushed to it and unlocked it, but before he could open it, there he was again, grabbing him, squeezing his genitals harder than he ever had. Zhenya cried out in agony, but let a fierce punch strike the man in the jaw, and he rushed out of the room.

But where to go? He was in a long hallway, with doors closed. Shotsky was calling after him, chasing him down. Zhenya turned a corner, running into someone's protective arms, though he couldn't see who his savior was...

Zhenya opened his eyes. He was still shaking, but mainly because his body had grown used to trembling in the last half hour. He looked between Danil and Parker, a grateful look in his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sick," he admitted. "Miserable... but safe," he continued, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. "Pardon me..." He got up and went to the bathroom for a few minutes to vomit.

Danil sighed with relief. "I can't believe you knew what to do... I didn't, and I proabably should have," he said with a shrug.

"I didn't know what to do," Parker said, feeling a little green, himself. "He never dealt with it. He pretended it didn't happen, and then he wanted to protect you... His pain wasn't allowed to escape."

"He'll be okay now, won't he?" Danil asked, worried. Even though he knew better, he felt Zhenya's situation was somewhat his fault.

Zhenya sighed, flushing the toilet. He washed his hands and stared at himself in the mirror. He hadn't seen himself this way in years. His stomach still churned, but he felt he would physically be all right. Mentally was still another story. True, the battle was over, but he still needed to deal with it all. He came out of the bathroom and sat down.

"I am so sorry... this was certainly the wrong time to have this little... episode," he apologized.

"There's no need to apologize," Danil replied. "Why don't we get some tea to room service, and I can call Ira and she can come-"

"No, not Ira," Zhenya said firmly. That was something he could not deal with. He was in no condition to see the niece of his rapist. He was only coached by him... she had to live with seeing him off the ice as well. How cruel would it be for her to see him like this?

"Let's get some tea," Parker seconded Danil's suggestion. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little, I think I just need some time to really recover from this before I go back to Ira."

Danil was on the phone ordering room service. Zhenya moaned a little, leaning his head back and putting his hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes and opened them, then went to the bathroom again.

"Maybe he should lie down," Danil suggested.

"Yeah, I think he needs to rest. He looks like he just ran a marathon."

Danil nodded sadly as Zhenya came out once again.

"Here, Zhenya, lie down and take it easy," Danil said, helping him to the bed. He felt Zhenya's forehead on instinct. All the stress had caused him to sweat profusely, and his forehead was hot to the touch. "Try and relax, take it easy."

Zhenya moaned softly, moving his head slowly back and forth. He still had a feeling that Shotsky was chasing him.

"How's your heart? You look worn out."

"I'm all right enough," Zhenya groaned. He was exhausted, and his chest was hurting, but he just couldn't get any worse. They were doing enough for him.

"Are you sure you don't want Ira?" Danil asked, going to the door to get the room service.

"She can not see me this way!" Zhenya exclaimed.

"It's not weakness to admit you need help, Zhenya," Danil said sensibly, fixing some tea for him. "I think having Ira here would help you get your feet on the ground, so to speak." Zhenya shook his head firmly, but took the tea gratefully.

"Why can't she see you this way?" Parker asked. "You can't keep this away from her. It's not fair to either of you."

Zhenya looked at Parker, an anguished look on his face. "She's his niece. She had to deal with that monster much longer than I did. I can't very well have her see me in this condition..." Of course, he had no idea if Shotsky ever did anything to her. He prayed the answer was negative, but there were a good many ladies who proudly came forward after he and Danil did, with similar accusations. Though again, Zhenya was the only one who was raped.

"If she has the same pain, don't you think she'd want to help you..."

"We don't speak of it, I have no idea if he ever did anything to her, she never gave an affirmative or negative response to that," Zhenya explained, but sighed. "Of course she'd want to help. But I can't see her just yet. I just need a little more time." He hoped they'd understand.

Danil knelt beside the bed. "I know what you're going through, Zhenya. I know how you feel-"

"You do not know," Zhenya suddenly snapped, glaring at him.

"Yes, I do-"

"You weren't raped! No one else was! What made me so god-damned special?" he exclaimed.

"Would you have perfered if he raped Danil as well?" Parker asked, his outburst was a bit off setting.

Zhenya looked at Danil, who wore a heartbroken look on his face.

"No... I would never wish this on anyone else," he answered, and buried his head in the pillow, sobbing.

"Then don't separate this. He feels your pain. He knows your pain." Parker cleared his throat. "If you want to suffer alone, acting this way will lead to that."

Zhenya sighed, feeling terrible. He sat up and embraced Danil.

"I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to apologize. I've been there many times," Danil said, gently comforting him.

Zhenya embraced Parker. "I can't thank you enough, both of you. God knows what I put you through tonight..."

"You didn't put us through anything," Parker said. "We're here for you, like you've been for us."