Title: Dreams of Ice
Author: Marianya
Part: Chapter Three
Rate: PG
Date develop: 18 February 2002
Date revised: 19 March 2002
Chapter Three - Ice Practices
The next day...
Music from the soundtrack Simply Irresistible (Under A Blue Moon) filled the ice arena as three persons concentrated on the skate. The young lady that was upon the ice, her expression reflected the song's need for love amidst the loneliness, her extensions were near perfection, but as she did the footwork leading into her triple flip...
"Michelle, you are forgetting a step, count the rhythm... bum ba-bum bu-um bum," Her coached called out into the ice, clapping his hands to emphasize each beat.
Michelle stopped when she realized her slight misstep in her footwork sequence. She focused a lot of her energy and time to perfect her footwork, layback spins, extensions and edges during this practice. Michelle's strength lay in the balletic aspect of her skating and for the morning that was what she needed to perfect then off to hours and hours and hours of jumps that lay ahead.
Michelle nodded as she skated off into position... "Michelle's still having trouble with her jumps?" a voice asked from the doors.
Frank Carroll looked at his pupil with curious eyes, "What do you mean still, Timothy? Did you know Michelle before this?"
The newcomer nodded, "She and I used to skate under the same coach when we were young, and before I moved to Cleveland. According to our then coach her strength has always been with the presentation and artistry while mines was with the jumps and other technical skills."
Michelle's coach nodded as Michelle continued through her piece, though it was only the short program it would still merit presentation marks.
Timothy looked at Michelle's features in awe, he felt almost drawn to the character, as her heart flowed with the music as she went through jump, after jump in sequences. At times, he swore that after each of Michelle's landings he saw tears coming down her face. The pain that they expressed was like a stab of pain in his heart. For a moment he thought that she was expressing the pain she felt when they separated those many years ago. Or she is just a really good actress.
When the music drew to a close, Michelle took her final pose and skated towards the stands to where her coach and choreographer were standing nearby. Along the way Timothy could not help but noticed that Michelle had wiped the tears from her eyes.
"That was beautiful Michelle, your jumps still need to be perfected but all in all I think that this short is done for the most part. Take lunch and then we will work on jumps and the long program," the coach said to Michelle.
Timothy looked back into the ice... THAT was the short program?!?!? But it was so emotional, and the presentation... she is giving Michelle Kwan a run for her marks. Looking to his coach he couldn't really figure out what he was thinking.
As the coach and choreographer departed, Frank and Timothy stayed behind. "We finished early and I heard music coming from this rink, I just wanted to know who was in it," Timothy said.
Michelle smiled, "Well thanks for coming, but I should go back and practice the footwork for the long program." Michelle started for the ice, but Timothy held her back, "You need to eat Michelle. You barely ate anything at dinner yesterday... and I don't really think it was because you are not hungry."
"That's alright Timothy, I have a couple of grain bars in my pack as well as water."
Timothy shrugged, "Let's do this, I'll help you with the jumps and other technical skills you are having trouble with, if you promise to eat one bar and some water. Okay?" Michelle nodded a little happier than before, Timothy noted.
Frank Carroll watched the duo practice on the ice, Timothy would be a good coach someday he thought. There was something about the pair that made things look a little closer than simply tutor and student. Perhaps they would... Taking a look around he departed the ice rink and went to his office, making a few phone calls in preparation for a possibility.
Meanwhile in the adjoining rink...
In the center of the ice, there was a skater dressed in a black tanktop and black workout pants. Upon her feet were a pair of white figure skates and upon her hands were a pair of black mittens. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she was perfectly centered upon the ice in a laidback spin.
Coming into the ice was a young man, no more than a year older than the skater upon the ice. His eyes were of the lightest blues, his hair light brown almost blond in color. He watched the skater upon the ice dance and fly through her long program and decide it best to not say anything until the end.
Finally after a minute the music died down and the skater upon the ice slowed into final position not realizing the company that was with her... "Oh hello Alexei," she called out, "What brings you here?"
The blond skater smiled as he started to lace up his skates, "Nothing, Michelle, I felt needed to skate." He looked down in slight embarassment as he concentrated on lacing.
Michelle skated over to the edge and looked over the boards, "Alexei you do know that you cannot lie." She smiled softly as Alexei looked up to her slowly. She correct... he thought, there many things that hurt inside. Finishing up his skates she stood up and looked down at Michelle. For a brief moment nothing happened.
Looking away shamefully Alexei headed to the ice and started working on forward and reverse stroking for warm-ups. Michelle sighed as she skated to catch up with him, "Alexei, what's wrong? The only times you skate while on vacation is when there is something bothering you or you are completely out of shape. I know you have been working off the ice, so it isn't the second reason..." Michelle pondered, "So what's wrong."
Alexei just shrugged and picked his speed, Michelle calmly following him. There are many problems. Both about friends. After believe he had enough of forward stroking he swiftly switched his feet and started on reverse stroking. Michelle followed suit.
Michelle thought for a moment before asking innocently, "Why don't you ask her out?"
Alexei inner heart was burning with an anger and passion that just screamed to be let out. His self control was failing him, "Because I love her more than hurt her." He screamed out. Realizing what he had said he skated to his belongings and just stood there with his back to the ice.
Michelle continued to glide across the ice as she watched Alexei's shoulders shake, he must be crying. She thought solemnly, she knew of the forbidden secret, and she was sure that Alexei knew as well. What she had suspected she couldn't get out into the open until now.
Slowly she skated to Alexei and put two comforting arms around him, "I know Alexei, I understand what you are feeling."
Alexei's eyes were hot with tears, he hated himself for showing such a weakness to anyone other than himself and his coach. "You don't understand what it like. To skate with her and know that she won't love you back except as friend."
Michelle sighed, "Come on, let's go and skate all this emotional stress out. It will do you some good."
A few weeks later....
Timothy and Michele began to spend more time with one another on the ice, practicing the jumps, footwork and most other aspects that they were able to teach one another on the ice. The times that they met on the ice, away from their coaches' prying eyes were crazy as well, sometimes going from as early as five in the morning until their seven o'clock start times. And then after practices going from after their dinners, which was about six in the evening until nine or even ten in the evening.
Within those six hours a day, five days a week they concentrated solely on their skating that at times their coaches were ecstatic at the vast improvement. Each Saturday after two in the afternoon, they were able to spend some free time with their friends. However nowadays they just spend that time together, getting to know one another again and trying new and different things.
One Saturday evening while practicing on the ice, Michelle was practicing the camel and she had assumed that Timothy was right there behind her. Instead Timothy had grabbed her elevated foot, pulled her back and soon she found herself in the air in that same camel position. "Timothy!" she cried out, "What are you doing?"
Timothy smiled, they had entertained the idea for a few days now, but had never really tried anything out, well now's a good a time as any. "Just wanted to see if I could lift you up easily." Carefully he put Michelle back on the ground, "And apparently I can."
Timothy smiled, so much like a little boy when he smiles, Michelle thought. "Are you implying something Timothy? Because then if you are, then we are going to have to scratch these extra practices and work on some lifts, side-by-side jumps and others of the sort..."
Timothy just continued to smile, in fact he didn't really minded working as a possible pairs skater when Michelle is involved. Timothy shrugged his shoulders, "I'm willing if you are..."
Michelle skated towards the stereo box and changed the CD's, putting another song on the track she turned around and smiled. "Well, let's try it with this song." Music flowed from the stereo as the theme to Titanic came up.
Timothy gave a face, "That? But Titanic is so overdone. Why would you want to do Titanic?"
Michelle shrugged, "Because it is about two young lovers that were tragically torn apart. Think about it Timothy, the emotion, the expression, the presentation, if we could portray that love, that happiness, that pain throughout the program. Then it would bring the audience to their feet if we do decide to portray the young lovers."
Michelle's enthusiasm was addicting and even though the theme was overdone, bringing a new light to the piece might give them a chance. Nodding his assent, Michelle rewound the piece and motioned Timothy to join her in listening and seeing what would work.
After listening to the piece several times they had some ideas from watching other pairs programs throughout their years in competition.
Soon it was well past nine in the evening and they had already gone through practicing some easier tosses, lifts and working on side-by-side jumps off the ice and they were exhausted.
"Michelle we haven't had dinner yet, and it's well past nine. Maybe we should go and get something to eat. Are you up to it?"
Michelle smiled, so far this friendship has been going better than she thought to be possible. "Yeah but I need to go back to my home and grab change of clothes."
"Okay so I'll stop by your home and pick you up at about ten?"
"Sounds great." Michelle smiled, they had just packed their belongings and walked outside, "I'll see you then."
Timothy nodded, "Yeah I'll see you then."
Michelle leaned over and pecked Timothy on the cheek, "See you later," she said as she departed to her car.
Leaving a very stunned and confused Timothy Goebel behind.
Several weeks later...
The now familiar sounds from the Titanic Love Theme echoed through the arena on this bright and early Saturday morning. The sun was just dawning overhead as the birds chirped their sweet song, however there were two persons that have been awake long before the dawn to practice and perfect a pairs program that their coaches knew nothing about.
Each edge has to be precise. Michelle thought, they needed to bring out the grace and expression of love, pain and happiness, for all three emotions were imperative in the execution of the piece.
Timothy skated along side his partner as they set themselves up for the split toss. This was one of their more difficult elements, due in part that Timothy had to toss and catch Michelle before she hits the ice, however while in the air Michelle must have revolved AND done the splits.
Concentrate... concentrate... good... with that element completed there was still the. Okay don't botch the take off, jump... Michelle thought, jumps were harder for her than they were for Timothy so... 1... 2... 3... perfect landing Michelle was ecstatic, her skating was doing great thus far.
Now it was time for the death spiral... grabbing hold of one of Michelle's wrists, Timothy planted himself in the center and revolved Michelle around him. Perfect! Now just the final pose and....
Applause rang from the entrance of the rink. Michelle and Timothy stopped and looked to the clock, which showed one minute past seven. Their coaches were never late, not even by a second. Skating over to the edge of the rink, Timothy and Michelle grabbed their water bottles and chugged them down after their performance.
After putting down their water bottles, they just stood there. The skaters, the coaches, the choreographers, not knowing where to go or what to do just yet.
Frank Carroll reached over to the stereo and plucked out the tape, "How long have the two of you been working on this piece?" He felt that the silence needed to be broken, for the program was...
"For about a month sir," Timothy replied softly.
Michelle's coach looked at the two of them, "And when did you find time to work on this?" He didn't think it was possible, it has never been done before and yet...
"We start at about five in the morning from Monday through Saturday before our individual practices for two hours. Then we start again at about six in the evening, after we had our dinner and end anywhere between nine and ten o'clock in the evening from Monday to Friday. Saturdays we generally start at two in the afternoon until when we felt that we are done for the day." Michelle answered, she wondered what their coaches are going to say about all of this.
"And do you always simply work on this piece?"
"No we take about a fifteen minute break for every two hours of work, during this time we work on our singles programs for the most part." Timothy answered, this interrogation was driving him nuts. He didn't know what to do or what to think.
"Well, I guess we best be practicing for the Skate America competition, Timothy we'll go into the other rink, and we will meet you again at two."
Timothy and Michelle looked at each other, and mouthed, what the heck is going on?
About two o'clock that day...
"Perfect Michelle you have been working on those triple jumps lately haven't you?" Michelle glided around the arena as her coach talked from the stands.
Her heart was racing for Timothy and her cover was blown with the fact that their coaches had found them practicing their pairs routine only that morning. To make things more difficult, no one was talking about it and Michelle was at her breaking point.
Before she had a chance to answer her coaches question that Timothy Goebel and Frank Carroll came strolling in. Timothy still had his skates on so Michelle assumed one thing only...
"Timothy, Michelle I want the both of you to skate through this routine one more time, all the way through with no pauses." Frank held the cassette tape and put it in the stereo.
The two skaters looked at one another with questions and confusion in their eyes, but nonetheless they did as they were told and headed towards the center ice and took position. Soon thereafter the music started playing and the two of them started to dance upon the ice.
Each extension, each edge had to be precise and perfect. Their jumps and tosses have to flow with the likeness of figure skating. Their expressions must drive the audience to feel the love radiating between their characters, to feel the pain and happiness that the characters would have felt in their last lover's dance.
For a moment, but just a moment the only two people in the world were Timothy and Michelle, they didn't care that their coaching staff was staring intently. They didn't care that their cover has been sought, all that they cared was that they were skating and they were doing this together, that they were flying upon the ice together. That moment involved the world becoming nothing, but nothing...
However all too soon the world came back to view, and their lover's dance came to an end. During that time, Timothy swore that a connection had been formed, that in their characters there weren't two hearts upon the ice, but one...
Frank was astounded, he never thought it to be possible that two people could prepare and carry out a superb pairs routine while still working on their solo skating. The chemistry between these two friends have been beyond comprehension, as if they were meant to skate together...
Both of the coaches saw the vast improvement over the weeks between both skaters, both in the technical aspect and in the artistry and just thought it to be just over practicing. It would seem that it was more than that, they were helping one another to become better skaters, better performers, better storytellers...
"Timothy, Michelle, all four of us believe that, although the both of you would do well in the long run in skating as solos, we also think that you will do just as well as a pairs skater. No one has ever conquered becoming both a pairs skater and a soloist at the same time. We ask going to give you until Monday to make this decision: Pairs skating, or individual?"