Gold Medal

[Ella713]

Moonlight Fan Fiction
Gold Medal
Rated PG
By Ella713


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Josef sponsors a gymnast who wins a spot in the Olympic Games when it turns out that someone doesn't want her to compete.

Josie Tumwater was nervous. This was her first time on an airplane. Would it be safe? Everyone else seemed to be completely comfortable, but Rio was a long way away. Anything could happen. She reclined in her seat and thought about how her life had so drastically changed and it all could be summed up in one name. Josef Kostan.

Her parents died in a deadly tornado that ripped their house apart. The rescue squad found her buried under debris barely hanging on to life. With no relatives to speak of, she was placed in the Foster Care system, but she knew she was lucky. She had only been 8 months old and her chances of being taken permanently were very good. Her upbringing had been fair. Jenny and Richard took good care of her and raised her with their son William, but she always felt there was some kind of disconnect. All her life she felt separate from them. Her spirit was restless. She often did dangerous things, like climbing the highest tree on the block and swinging back down, trying to impersonate Tarzan. Josie smiled at the memory. She probably gave Jenny several heart attacks.

But it all turned around when she went on a school trip to Kostan Industries. She became bored as some ancient gentleman took them to all of these floors explaining what went on there. So while they were standing quietly in line, Josie took it upon herself to climb on a nearby desk and do a backflip off of it. The other children started to giggle so Josie started to doing more elaborate flips until someone caught her. The man put her down and smiled.
"It's not everyday that my visit to this floor has caused anyone to literally do back flips" He said with a smile. The teacher supervising the children apologized profusely, but Josef told her it was perfectly alright. And then Josef Kostan came to her home to speak with her Foster Parents. It seems that Josef thought I had a real talent for gymnastics and wanted so send her to the leading gymnastics training facility! He said that he saw major potential in my stunt to make student laugh and he thought it should be nurtured. So she was sent to the Karolyi's training center in Huntsville Texas. Some of the best gymnast were trained and schooled there. Jenny and William would come by once a month to make sure I was okay but I was more than okay. Now I felt like I had a purpose. The training was grueling and disciplined, but Josie wanted to take it as far as she could. And now after 5 years rigorous training, she was on her way to the Summer Olympic in Rio De Janerio!
Josie wished her parent were alive to see this moment. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what her parents much have looked like.

Josef and Isabelle were shown to their private suite to relax before seeing the sights before the first round of the U.S. Women's Gymnastic team.
"What is it you wish to do my darling?" Isabelle said walking over to him and kissing him on the lips.
"I'm actually quite famished" Josef said with a grin.
"I know the perfect place for dining" Isabelle replied taking his arm.

Josie didn't care for Brazil. The heat felt stifling. but at least the hotel where they stayed was air-conditioned. All of the other girls on the team were nice to point. No one was fooling themselves. Even though they were a team each and every one of them wanted a gold medal for herself. So Josie took everything they said with a grain of salt. She had time for friends later, after the games.

"How do you think Josie will do?" Isabelle asked.
"I think she's the best on the team. When I went to Texas to check, her coach had nothing but glowing remarks. He even went so far as to say she could be the next Nadia and that's saying something" Josef replied as they took their seats in first row.

The U.S. team was 4th in the rotation so Josef and Isabelle marveled at the other teams, and later the U.S. was called to the floor. They would be competing against Germany. The first competition was the uneven bars, and before Josie walked to her mark she saw Josef and smiled brightly at him.
Josef and Isabelle watched as Josie flawlessly went from one bar to the next with excellent execution and the elaborate twist she preformed as her dismount was perfect. The crowd stood up and applauded and cheered loudly including Josef and Isabelle. Josie hugged her coach and her teammates and waved frantically to the crowd with a beaming smile on her face.
The score was a perfect 10! The first one of the competition!

Later in the hotel Laurel Manning and Tammy Bowen were discussing tomorrow's events.
"Do we know who we're up against?" Laurel asked.
"Not yet. They're waiting for the results from tonight's match-up" Tammy replied.
""Josie's run was amazing! I mean she stuck that landing after that difficult dismount!" Laurel gushed.
"This early in the competition, I think she was showing off." Laurel said.

Tammy didn't agree. She thought for the sake of the team they needed to see each competition as a win or go home scenario.

[Ella713]

Josie couldn't believe she was tired. She hardly ever slept but right now she could barely keep her eyes open............

"Josie!! Josie!!" She heard someone screaming. She slowly woke up and looked at the clock. Crap! She was going to be late for warm up! She jumped out of bed and splashed some cold water on her face and put a clean sweat suit on and ran out the door.
"Josie, where the hell have you been? It's not like you to be late for warm ups" Carrie the team captain was saying.
"I don't know what happened! Maybe it was from all the excitement form yesterday" Josie said wishing she could down a Red Bull or some other kind of energy drink.

"Isabelle you can just leave these at the front desk" Josef said.
"I will not. You do not know how horrid the front desk staff are here in Rio. I will take them up myself and place them in her room" Isabelle said marching to the elevators in the hotel.
"How do you plan on getting in?" Josef said. A maid came passing by with a cart.
"Excuse me Madame! Would you please let me into my daughter's room so I can leave these flowers for her. I did not want to leave them at the front desk." Isabelle said. The maid rolled her eyes and smiled at the woman knowing exactly about the lax nature of the front desk. She reached in her apron for the master key and let Isabelle in. Isabelle walked in and placed the bouquet down by her bed and was turning to walk away, when she smelled the drug. Her eyes scanned every inch of the room and settled on the glass sitting on the night stand. It still had remnants of milk, but she could smell the drug very strongly. She took the glass and placed it carefully in her handbag.
"Thank you Madame" Isabelle said taking Josef's arm as they walked away. "We must speak" She whispered to him.

"You really don't think someone's trying to kill Josie?" Josef asked in surprise. "She's 16 years old!"
"Perhaps not kill her, but destroy her chances of competing. This is a very strong sedative and I do not believe that Josie willing drank this knowing that it was drugged, so someone must have laced her beverage with it" Isabelle explained.
"You think it's someone on her team?" Josef asked.
"That will be the first place I look" Isabelle said firmly.


Josie was feeling foggy all morning. She messed up on her tumbling pass in the floor exercise and she totally fell off the balance beam which was the event she excelled at.
"Josie!" her coach screamed. "That was crap! You will do this routine again and again!"
Isabelle was closely watching the warm up and paying close attention o the rest of the team. All looked at Josie with concern and worry. All but one. The coach looked around and saw Isabelle Kostan. She clapped her hands loudly.
"Girls! This is Isabelle Kostan the former First Lady of the United States and she is here to see our team succeed!! So let's not disappoint her!" She yelled out. Josie looked at Isabelle sadly. Isabelle could tell that the girl was feeling poorly due to the sedative.

Isabelle slowly walked around the facility and casually chatted with each girl.
"What is your name?" She asked looking at the girl she felt was responsible.
"Laurel Manning" The girl said brightly.
"And what is your favorite event?" Isabelle asked.
"The uneven bars. Coach said I was the best she'd seen in a long while" Laurel bragged.
"Well. That is something" Isabelle said. walking away. Then she walked up to Josie.
"Just listen little one and behave normally. You must be careful. You were drugged last night. Someone put something in your milk last night. who brought it to you?"
"Laurel Manning" Josie replied.
"When you go back to clean up for the games, leave your door unlocked and I will give you something to revive you"
"No, Isabelle. No drugs. No energy pills. Nothing. I can do this" Josie said firmly.
Isabelle nodded and proceeded to chat with each of the team members.

"What do you think she was talking to Josie about?" Tammy asked Laurel
"She probably told her she was disappointed in her warm up. Did you see her wipe out of the balance beam? Laurel said maliciously.
"I think she's just jet lagged or something. I mean the beam is her favorite. She never messes up on that." Tammy said.
"Oh please. She's been showing off since the preliminaries. It's just all catching up with her" Laurel said turning around.

[Ella713]

"Josie is a very determined young girl" Isabelle said to Josef.
"You know who's responsible?" Josef asked.
"Yes my darling I do, but if I did what I would like to do......" She began to say.
"I get it. Hellfire and damnation. But there has to be something" Josef said.
"Let us trust in Josie's spirit and see what she accomplishes" Isabelle said.

The Vault jump was the next competition. Josie stood at the side with her eyes closed trying hard to shake off the foggy feeling she had been feeling all day. Her jump was supposed to be a round off 1/2 turn and handspring front with 5/2 twists, but she knew she would not be able to attempt that. So she decided to improvise. She took off at top speed and hit the springboard and hit a very high and elegant front handspring. Keeping her toes in a perfect point and her posture erect and a landing that was picture perfect. The crowd erupted and stood.

Josie was given another perfect 10 score.

Josie managed to complete the floor exercise, though not to her best she felt but without embarrassing her coach or teammates. Laurel looked over at Josie and saw the sweat drip from her body and she looked like death warmed over. Isabelle watched the looks that the one named Laurel threw Josie's way. She looked to getting satisfaction from Josie's state. Damn Josie for being so honest and brave! If Isabelle had her way, Laurel would never do gymnastics again.

Team U.S.A. finished their events for the evening and everyone was going to dinner and then to bed.

Josef and Isabelle took Team USA out to dinner at the very swanky Quiteria Restaurante. Everyone was having a really good time, but it was times for the girls to bed down for the night, but Isabelle decided that she would stay close to Josie's room to see what Laurel would do next.

Laurel had decided that she would double the dose of the medication tonight. Even though Josie was sluggish, she still managed to do better than most would have under the same circumstance.
With Josie out of the way, she would be confident enough to bring home all the gold medals she could carry. She quietly walked up to Josie's door and knocked softly. It was dark in the room but she saw the bathroom light on and the shower was running. She smiled to herself and placed the milk on the bedside table. She turned quickly to leave when the room was flooded in light.
"What are you doing in Josie's room?" Her coach asked her. Standing beside the coach, was Isabelle, Josie and two members from the Olympic Counsel.
"I was just dropping off a glass of milk for her. I was trying to be nice. Is that a crime?" She asked innocently. A man from the Counsel put on a pair of latex gloves, picked up the glass smelling for any trace of drugs. The smells hit him right away.
"There is some kind of drug in this glass" he confirmed. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention Mrs. Kostan. Young lady, I'm afraid you will have to come with us" He said walking over to the bed and picking op the phone and calling the police.
"Laurel, how could you?" Her coach asked in complete shock "How could you do this to your own teammate? Your country?" She asked shaking her head slowly. Josie stared at the girl in shock. She simply could not believe that she would go to this length to win.

"So you caught the little brat I see" Josef said to his beautiful wife.
"Yes. Again I wonder how humans have stayed alive for so long. They know nothing of solidarity" She said in disgust.
"Agreed. But when they are inspired for good, there is nothing they won't do to see it through." He said smiling over at Josie who was accepting her 4th gold medal. "Most of time I find humans to be simply worthless, then you come into contact with one that makes you think maybe their not lost after all" He said. "So, let's wait and see what happens" Josef finished.






The End