"Sweetie, look at me."

Emilia opened her eyes to look up into her mother's face. She was smiling, her dark hair pulled up into a tight bun. She could hear her father singing in the front seat, rolling her eyes at his off-pitch vocals. "Hmm?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm so proud of you for tonight," Her mother said, "Your father and I both are. No matter what, we will always be proud of you. Nothing could ever make us happier than watching you out on the ice. Always remember that we love you." Her mother looked away from her to gaze lovingly at her father, gently squeezing his arm.

"Well I couldn't do it without you." Emmy said, her eyelids drooping.

Her mother smiled, turning her head back to look down at where Emmy was lying in the back seat. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly a roaring noise, and then the sound of crunching metal snapped Emmy out of her sleepy haze. Glass rained down around her and she could feel herself being thrown around the car as it flipped over and over again. All the while, she could hear her mother screaming-

Emmy gasped awake, blinking in the darkness around her. The soft bed beneath her reminded her that she wasn't really in the back seat of her parent's car, but in her apartment in Russia. The thought soothed her, calming her shaking hands.

Remembering that she had to be awake early that morning to finally go to the Grand Prix Finals, she glanced at the clock next to her bed. It was only eleven o'clock, and she sighed in relief, pulling her legs up with her hands to curl into a little ball. She didn't know she was crying until her cheek touched the damp spot on her pillow and her nose was hard to breathe through.

The nightmares about her parents usually came when she was stressed out, but they'd never been as detailed as that one had been. She never heard what her parents were saying in any of her dreams, she could only see her mother's mouth moving, and she always woke before the actual accident. So why, why was it so detailed now? Now that she was finally looking forward to something, finally starting to be happy with her situation, why did the nightmares need to come as if they were trying to tell her she couldn't be.

Maybe that really was why. Maybe her fears were true, and her parents really were angry that she was trying to move on. They'd spent their last moments telling her how proud of her they were. The last thing they ever thought of was their love for her. So how proud could they really be now that she couldn't skate? All the time, hard work, and money they put into her career was for nothing. All she could do now was help other people get better with their skating while she sat on the sidelines.

And how could they be proud that she left her uncle in America to take care of all of her medical bills to chase a stupid dream? What would they think of her having gone to Russia? She gave the junior World Champion of skating a potentially gold medal-winning program without even giving it a second thought. Instead of trying harder to walk and skate again, to help her uncle, she went with Yuri because of her awe-struck desires. How selfish. All of her parents' dreams were dead because she had a crush on a superstar.

So how could they really be proud of her?

She reached out to grab her phone and read through her past messages from Yuri. The last one was from her earlier that night, Good night Yuri. The thought of him brought her comfort, but was that really okay? Was it normal to want to move on from something so tragic only months after it happened? Everyone told her that her parents would want her to be happy, but how could she be happy trying to live life without the people that were supposed to be there? Without knowing what they thought of her and her choices she was making.

Why are you still awake?

The phone in her hand vibrated, and she saw Yuri's name pop up in the chat bubble on the side of her screen. She sniffed, wiping her eyes so she could see clearly, and typed, How did you know I was awake?

Messenger said you were active. He responded instantly.

Can't sleep. You?

Same, I'm too amped up. I could probably go for a run right now.

Emmy bit her lower lip, trying to plan her next words carefully. She didn't want to come across wrong to him. Will you come here?

He didn't respond right away, and she figured he must be trying to think of what to say. It was probably too rash of her to do, and she began to type out an apology when his grey chat bubble popped up, Be right there.

Her heart was in her throat the entire time she waited for him to get there. When a soft knock tapped at her door, she didn't even answer before Yuri slipped inside. She turned the bedside lamp on, illuminating her room in a dull yellow light, and sat up to give him some room at the foot of her bed. He sat down at looked at her, his golden hair hanging in his eyes, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" She asked halfheartedly.

"You wouldn't ask me to come here if something wasn't bothering you."

She looked down at her lap, "I…" She paused, not knowing what to say. It seemed like she was always crying to Yuri. For once, couldn't she be the strong one?

Yuri plopped down across the foot of her bed, throwing his arm over his eyes, "You don't have to tell me. You don't have to say anything if you don't want, I'll just lay here so you're not alone."

There it was. The reason why Emmy had truly fallen for Yuri. He never pushed her to say or do anything she didn't want. He supported and comforted her without needing to know all the details, and it really showed to her that he cared. He understood how she was feeling and did his best at cheering her up while keeping his boundaries.

Emmy laid back down against her pillows and scooted to the side closest to the wall, "At least come up here so you're not uncomfortable."

"Are you sure?" He asked, "You want me to lay next to you…in the same bed?"

"You don't have to if you don't want," She pulled her blankets up to cover her face in embarrassment, "I just thought it would be better than laying across the bed."

The mattress shifted as Yuri plopped down next to her on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Blowing his bangs off of his forehead, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded, keeping the blankets held up over her nose to hide her blushed cheeks, "Yeah. I had another nightmare."

"About your parents?"

"Yeah." She swallowed down the lump in her throat, "I'm so afraid that I'm not making them proud."

"You are," He said instantly, "Emmy, you're afraid you're not making them proud because you're not out on the ice yet, but look at you. You're going to the Grand Prix Finals, maybe not as a skater, but you're still going. Your work got you there, don't forget that. You're working on getting back out there, but you're still in your world. You're still around skating. That's enough to make them proud, I know it."

She rested her head against his shoulder, "I always say thank you to you, Yuri. I don't know how else to show you how much I appreciate you."

"You don't have to. I already know."

"I feel better now that you're here."

He looked back up at the ceiling before closing his eyes, "Good, now let's get some sleep."

She closed her eyes as well, trying to push the memories of her parents out of her mind. It didn't take long for her to notice the changes in Yuri's breathing as he fell asleep next to her, one of his arms thrown up over his head. Her eyes traveled down to his stomach, where his shirt was pulled up from having tossed his arm. Feeling her face turn an even brighter shade of red, she quickly threw a light blanket over him.

After a while, Emmy drifted off into an uneasy and restless sleep, going in and out of it until the alarm clock on her phone started going off. She'd needed the loudest, most annoying ringtone to get her to wake up, so she'd gone with what her uncle suggested and downloaded the John Cena ringtone. As soon as it went off, Yuri jumped nearly three feet in the air, startling Emmy despite the fact that she was looking directly at him, and shouted something very angry-sounding in Russian.

Emmy reached around him to dismiss the alarm and smiled sheepishly at him, "Sorry, but at least you're awake now."

"No thanks to the heart attack I just had." He muttered, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. He itched his chest and yawned, stretching his arm in the air and saying, "Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah," She said, and she really meant it, "thanks to you."

"Good," He turned his head to look back at her with a smile, "you'll need to be looking sharp to make all those other losers jealous that you weren't their choreographer."

"Are you sure I shouldn't look sharp for all your fangirls?" She asked with a wink.

His eyelids drooped, "Don't remind me. They'll be out in full force, so be on your toes. And Emmy," he looked away, "don't let them bother you. No matter what they say, I want you to be my girlfriend. Okay?"

"Okay," She said with a smile, "thank you, Yuri."

He stood up with a groan and stretched his arms again, moving toward the door. He paused for a moment and turned to look at her, "I'm going to get my stuff, need help getting out of bed?"

"Nope, I've got it. I'm really starting to get better with my legs." She swung them out of bed with only a little held from her hands, "You go get your things."

"Alright, then I'll be back in a little-"

His words were cut off as the door swung open, hitting him directly in the face. Mila strode into the room shouting, "Alright Emmy let's go, rise and shine! Time to…" She trailed off as Yuri pushed the door slowly away from him with a searing gaze. She covered her mouth with her hand as she saw him, saying, "Oh, Yuri, I didn't know you were there."

"Mila you cow!" He muttered, brushing past her, "I hope you break a leg."

"Yeah well I hope you choke on the surprise of me breaking a leg!" She called after him as he left their suite. After a moment, she turned to Emmy, nonchalantly tapping her fingers together, "So, Yuri was here."

"Yes I saw him." Emmy muttered, reaching for the outfit she had folded neatly on the chair next to her bed the night before. It consisted of a red t-shirt, black leggings, blue high-top converse, and her team jacket. Feeling comfortable enough to change in front of Mila, she stripped off her shirt to pulled the red t-shirt over her head.

"Did he just come to wake you up, or…" Mila cleared her throat, "Did he maybe…sleep over?..."

Emmy shot her a look, "You just never mind."

"Fine," She drug out the word, kneeling down to help her slip her shoes on after the leggings were successfully pulled up, "don't let me have my fun."

"You'll just post it on the fan pages."

Mila grinned, "Exactly!"

They gathered up Emmy's luggage, Mila doing most of the heavy lifting, and carried it out to the main room where Yakov and Yuri were already standing. Lilia was off to the side supervising the boys as they carried Mila's belongings out to the car.

Finally they all packed themselves in the big van Yakov used to bus all of the skaters around, and set off toward the airport. Emmy was still sleepy, and she could see that everyone else was feeling the same way.

When they arrived at the airport, Yuri wheeled Emmy inside as Yakov and the others took care of the luggage. They stopped at the airport coffee shop to get everyone some morning elixir and by the time they came back, Lilia had the plane tickets. They sat in the waiting lobby for about forty-five minutes before boarding the plane to Barcelona.

It was a relatively busy flight for being so early in the morning, but the skaters were lucky enough to get first class. Emmy looked around at the plush seats and cold drinks waiting for them, "Wow, I've never flown first class before."

Yuri sat down in a seat next to the window, kicking his feet up on the one across from him to fold his arms behind his head, "Nice, isn't it?"

She wheeled her chair next to him, "Yeah, super nice."

Mila sat across from Emmy, slumping down so that her jacket hid her mouth and nose, "Wake me up when we get to Barcelona."

"Won't you get too hot with your jacket on?" Emmy asked.

"I'm surprised she's not already with all that hot air in her head." Yuri said.

"Actually I am," Mila cracked an eye, "It's radiating over here from yours."

"Can it, hag!"

Yakov boarded soon after, giving them somewhat of a pep talk, but left them alone for the most part. It didn't take long for them to take off, and after they did, Yuri stayed silent for most of the time. It was a good thing Emmy had brought a book.

Mid way through the flight, Emmy felt a hand close over hers, which was resting on the armrest next to Yuri. She looked over to see his hand on top of hers, and then lifted her gaze to his face. He didn't look at her, only kept his gaze fixed out the window and the clouds below them, but she smiled anyway. He must have been really nervous.

Mila woke up when they were about an hour away, getting up to use the bathroom and came back with sodas for her and Emmy. Yuri arched an eyebrow and asked, "Where's mine?"

"Get your own." Mila answered.

"You got Emmy one."

"I know, how rude of you not to get one for her yourself Yuri. You're her boyfriend, not me."

Yuri looked at Emmy to back him up but she only grinned and shrugged, "She's right, Yuri."

He groaned, "She's rubbing off on you too much." And then stood up to go get himself a drink. On the way, Yakov stopped him to chat, and Mila leaned forward, "So, you and Yuri, huh?"

Emmy arched an eyebrow, "Yep?"

"Hah," Mila leaned back in her seat, making it bounce, "I remember when I first met him. I had a crush on him, did I ever tell you that?"

"No…" Emmy said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, but I'm three years older than him, so we couldn't date until at least our twenties or it would be weird, you know? So I got over it, but I promised that I wouldn't let just any girl date Yuri. She had to be someone he deserved." Mila explained.

Emmy gulped, where was this coming from? "So, am I?"

Mila winked, "You wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't approve of you. Why do you think I've been trying to set you guys up? I'm the one who started all this. If it weren't for me, Yuri never would have gone to America. So if you guys get married and I don't get to be the maid of honor, I'm going to be pissed, Emmy."

"Relax Mila," Emmy laughed, "We've been dating for two days."

"Yeah but, I can feel it," Mila smiled, her eyes sparkling, "you guys are meant for each other. You'll get married, trust me."

"What nonsense are you putting in her head now, mule?" Yuri asked, plopping down in his spot after breaking away from Yakov. He cracked his soda open, taking a long chug.

"Hopefully none." Mila said, looking at Emmy as she held a finger up to her lips.

The pilot announced that they would be landing soon, and as he did, Emmy could see the color in Yuri's face drain almost instantly. He wouldn't be skating for a few days yet, but she knew the pressure was already setting in. No. It had set in a long time ago. She'd seen that the day before when he'd shared with her how much he was actually afraid. She wanted to make him feel better, wanted to let him know he was going to be perfectly fine. She would be there next to him no matter what.

Eventually they landed, and were able to exit the plane. The security guards checked their passes as they came through, and they all journeyed to find their luggage. As they came through the last gate, a loud noise suddenly erupted and Emmy half thought the place was falling down.

Instead, when they rounded the corner, they found a large crowd of girls, and some guys, holding signs and screaming. Yuri groaned, but Mila and the others waved excitedly. Mila looked down at her and said, "Wave to the fans, Emmy, they go crazy over it."

Emmy looked at them. So these were the girls that had gone nuts over her and Yuri being together. She rose up her hand a waved, and some girls in the front row started shouting her name. Flashes went off, and she was vaguely aware that some of them were cooing over how cute it was that Yuri was pushing her wheelchair.

"Well that's it then." Yuri muttered.

She twisted to look up at him, "What's it?"

He sighed, "The Grand Prix Finals have officially begun."

Woooooow, it has been literally forever since I last updated! Holy mackerel! Sorry about that guys, I really am.

I honestly lost faith in this story for a very long time. I'm still shaky on it, and I don't really know why. I know exactly where I want it to go from here, but it's all those small details and events that have to happen before the good parts that trips me up. For a really long time I felt that everything I've written so far was complete trash, but I have moved on as best I can from there. I wanted to write this chapter to let you know that I'm still working on this story and that it's not dead yet!

I want to rewatch the GPF episodes of the show because I'm foggy on everything that happened before the actual competition. So I plan on doing that before I write another chapter. When my next update happens, I don't know. I'm super busy with college and work, way more than usual, so I just want to be honest and upfront with you.

Also, if anything is messed up, I'm sorry. I somehow have more words in my fanfiction upload than my word document.

I truly hope that you haven't given up on this story, but if you have I completely understand. I'm also going to be kind of selfish and ask for words of encouragement. I'm going through kind of a slump, so anything really would be much appreciated.

So, until next time, friends!