Last Chapter! Hope you enjoyed this journey :)

Thank you to 'brookletp' and 'Heroine1234' for the reviews of last chapter.

Chapter Twelve: Epilogue – August to September 2012

XII

"And that folks, was Kelly Parker on the Keeler sisters banishment and suspension from the NGO." The news anchor turned to her left, prompting the camera to zoom in on the invited commentators. "With us tonight is Jake Gallen, specialist on sport law, and Nelly Chen, sports analyst. Now that the artistic gymnastics in the Olympic games are over, what do you make of this mess Jake?

"It truly is a mess, Bob. The truth of the matter is that the NGO had no concrete evidence to keep those girls from the national competitions. The reasons they gave were flimsy, at best, and a lot of the evidence was manipulated to look a certain way." The man shook his head. "What we know now is that most of that evidence was provided by National team coordinator, Ellen Beals, and it was made to portray the girls as liars and unpatriotic, so that they would be left out of the competitions that would allow them to qualify for the national team." The man raised up a sheet of paper. "They even state that Rebecca Keeler made unpatriotic statements on her video blog, and let me tell you I watched every single one of those videos and there was nothing, and I repeat, absolutely nothing, that could be perceived as unpatriotic in any of them."

The woman beside him nodded. "That is right. Both the FIG and the IOC indicated that the NGO reports were full of holes and inconsistencies, and even stated that some of the NGO statements bordered on censure, but not even that made them back out."

"What about the USOC. Shouldn't the Keeler sisters have gone there first Nelly?"

The women nodded once again. "That is actually the problem, because they did. They went to the USOC, and what did they do? They basically gave a slap in the wrist of the NGO and ignored the issue."

Bob grimaced. "So, the USOC is also responsible for this fiasco?"

"Absolutely" The two commentators said.

"I think this is a lesson for both the NGO and the USOC." Nelly stated, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "This is a time when everyone can find everything through social media. Everyone can make their voices be heard. And the Keeler sisters decided they wouldn't be silenced and went through all the channels until they found the one open door."

"We can certainly not fault them for going to the IOC. They were completely in the right."

"What about the allegations of being unpatriotic?"

"There is nothing unpatriotic about representing the Olympic Rings. If they had taken the FIG proposal and asked for UK citizenship, now them we could talk about patriotism. But they said it all in their video, they are Americans."

"So, what happens now?"

"I expect the NGO, and Miss Ellen Beals to have a lot to answer to in the next few weeks."

"So, Payson, Becca, tell us about your plans for the future. Are you going for 2016, this time with the US team?" The show host asked, making the attending crowd roar in excitement.

Payson chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know yet." She gave a smile to the audience before continuing. "I'm definitely going to take some time off, to just relax and maybe travel a bit. And then we will see. I will definitely consider the possibility of a comeback, but I have no guarantees. It will all depend on how my body feels at the time."

"I think I'll stay for 2016." Becca announced, prompting the crowd to applaud. "I feel like there is still something more to be done, so if I'm reinstated, I hope to be there in the US for the next national championship."

"Well, you heard it folks on the other side of the Atlantic! It's up to you now!" the host joked.

'NGO fires Ellen Beals. Marcus Kane gives announcement'

'Becca Keeler wants to represent the US in 2016!'

'Breaking News: Payson and Rebecca Keeler reinstated as US Athletes. Is it too late?'

'Spotted: Payson Keeler strolling hand in hand with her beau, Sasha Belov, as they visit the Roman Coliseum'

'Kelly Parker talks about her time out to recover from her knee injury, and her hopes to reach the 2016 team: "I hope me and Payson can come 1-2 again, only reversed!"'

'Take a look at the summary of Ellen Beals hearing.'

'Payson Keeler nominated for female athlete of the year!'

'Watch on ESPN: 'Fighting for the Rings' – The struggle of two sisters to reach the dream of a lifetime!'

"And the winner of the Athlete of the year award is... Payson Keeler!"

Payson smiled as the crowd clapped, giving Sasha a kiss in celebration, before climbing up the steps to receive her price.

"Thank you everyone, thank you!" She said, looking down to the heavy object in her hands. "Although I want to thank all the coaches I had in my life and my family and my parents who are no longer with us, there is something more important that I feel I should say. To every person, athlete or not, I want to tell you this: 'For as many doors that are slammed in your face as you try to reach your dreams, for as many stones that people throw at you, there will always be a door opened by someone that believes you can make it. So just find that person, and that door, and believe in yourself. And most importantly, don't give up! Giving up is easy. The difficult thing to do is to keep going. But it is always worth it. Never doubt that.'

And with that, she bowed in thanks and left the stage, to a standing ovation.