On his way to realizing his Olympic dream, Tom Alan Baranowski finds himself in the midst of a dilemma. His traditional Japanese coach is insisting upon an arranged marriage between his biological daughter Erika and adopted son Tom Alan, who are partners on the ice. Tom Alan loves Erika, and his coach literally saved his life, rescuing him from an abusive home. How can he say no?<br><br>Somewhat resigned to his “not so bad” fate, everything changes when Tom Alan meets British ice dancer Milo Fisher. The spark between them is almost hot enough to melt the ice beneath their blades, and the two fall into an affair.<br><br>What about Erika? What about loyalty? What about gold? For Tom Alan, the impossible throw quadruple jump is suddenly the least difficult thing in his life.

Quadruple Flip

The judges did take that deduction on the split twist, and also one on the quad throw, saying Erika came down on both feet. Bullshit,was written all over her face. But Tsuchino and Baranowski’s marks were off the charts—technical and component scores. They were crowned the US Figure Skating Pairs Champions for 2014 and guaranteed a berth at the Sochi Games. The three of them—Otousan, Erika, and Tom Alan—stood side by side, holding hands. The only one missing was Kyoko-san, who tended to stay hidden behind the scenes at competitions.


The press lobbed the same basic questions as always, mostly about the throw quad.


“Tom Alan, do you think you can do it as well in Sochi?”


“Erika, is your faith in Tom Alan restored?”


“Are you seeing each other off the ice?”


They answered them with smiles and with confidence.


“We see each other off the ice all the time.” That Erika was a clever one.


Chapter 87