Anastasia on ice. Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir made the world believe in love in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. But what is their off-ice relationship truly like --- do they avoid falling in love with each other? Watch their 20+ year bond evolve as the...
Note: This is the last chapter, but the journey and this picture continues in The World With You (the sequel to this story). View story in the external link at the end of the chapter.
While the drive to Whistler was scenic, their return to the town was nostalgic and bittersweet. Eight years ago, it had been the location for the 2010 Olympic games. While Vancouver was the host city, many of the events were held at Whistler, which was an hour's drive from the city. 2010 had been their first Olympics games, and Tessa and Scott's first gold medal. But it was also after Tessa's second surgery, a time when she could scarcely walk on her own. She had relied heavily on Scott, because she was in tremendous pain. Scott's eyes welled at the sight of Whistler, the moment Patrick drove into the parking lot.
Chiddy held out a tissue for Scott, "You haven't been back here since the games?"
He shook his head, "We just didn't have the time. It was Sochi, then the wedding, and..."
"I get it, British Columbia isn't exactly next door." Patrick nodded.
Tessa interposed, "I don't think we ever recovered from the euphoria either. It's still so surreal that we made it this far."
"There are no two people that deserve this more than you." Patrick put his arms around the couple, "I've seen the hurdles you've faced through all of this, and it's amazing that you still skate like none of it ever happened. That's why we all love you - you don't let anything get in the way of your story."
They noticed some pedestrians pointing at them, and Tessa groaned, "We should've brought a disguise with us. Some vacation this is."
"Come on, you two." Patrick urged them, "Let me show you how to ski. No one will recognise us one we've changed."
He was right. While the ski resort was one of the largest in North America, the snow-gear concealed their identities well. After renting their equipment, the former Olympians boarded the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. Outside the large windows of the chairlift, the village appeared minuscule. However, as the altitude rose, the trees began to look larger. Gargantuan evergreens stood over the snowy mountains, and marked trails where they were absent.
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Beautiful, was an understatement for the province. Magnificent, was an insult to the view before them. A soft sound deterred their memorisation.
"Sorry!" Tessa piped, as her stomach churned. "I'm just starving."
"We just ate two hours ago!" Scott sighed, rolling his eyes.
"It's okay, we can grab something at the lodge." Chiddy comforted them.
They ate their second breakfast before beginning their lesson.
Chiddy instructed them, "So there are two different manoeuvres: the French fry and the backwards pizza."
Tessa pouted, thinking about food, as Scott pulled his arms around her waist.
"Are you two even listening?" Chiddy scolded them.
"I am." Tessa confirmed, "But my husband here, appears to be a bit, uh, distracted."
"I can't help that you look like a snack." Scott mused.
"Guys!" Chiddy spoke, exasperated. "You need to focus."
"Sorry." They muttered.
"As I was saying...[demonstrates French fry], this is to keep you going straight, and allow you to speed up."
Tessa and Scott mimicked his movements.
"Perfect! Tessa, straighten your left ski a little."
Both Tessa and Scott begin to accelerate, and were soon well ahead of Chiddy.
"Wait! I wasn't finished." He cried out to them.
I haven't even taught them how to brake yet, he thought to himself.
He gained momentum, but as he drew closer to his friends, he realised that they were in grave danger. They're going to drive right into that tree, he predicted.
Without hesitation, he swerved towards them, pushing their skis inward. Tessa and Scott came to an abrupt stop, but not before they pushed poor Chiddy into the tree. Time between the accident and the arrival of the paramedics became a blur.
The next thing any of them knew was that they were in a hospital.
---
This story continues in my sequel, The World With You, all will be revealed. I'd like to thank all of you from around the world for joining me here. It's been a pleasure to hear from you, to share these moments, and to write about something so dear to my heart. You've all been a wonderful part of healing in a long chapter of my life, so thank you for listening. I'll be featuring my other stories on my profile as well, so thank you for your likes, words, and messages. My heart is yours.
Once again, the sequel is in the external link below.
You can also find me on Twitter at: twitter.com/CelestialHolmes
