Jane Collander is the highest ranked women’s figure skater in Canada, where hockey does not exist and figure skaters make millions of dollars and buy multiple houses.

She has a consistent triple axel and beautiful artistry in her programs and is favored to win gold at the upcoming Grand Prix and World Championships as she has every year since premiering in seniors. She is Canada’s darling, the roll model for every young girl.

Liliya Rozanova had been a rising star in juniors before she had a crushing ankle injury that cost her an entire season. She premiered in seniors when she returned but could never regain the standings that she had reached before. It seemed that she was destined to retire in obscurity.

After all, most women competing in singles retire before the age of 19, even if they do place well.

That is until, in an unprecedented turn of events, Liliya leaves her coaching team in Russia, and moves to the US to train with a new coach.

Jane doesn't know that they are both competing at Skate Canada until she sees Liliya's short program. It is the most beautiful skating she has ever seen. Liliya even has a quad in her program. She watches Liliya remain stone-faced in the kiss and cry as she takes the lead.

Jane theorizes all night how she can beat Liliya. She stays up reading everything about her, combing through all her programs, sees her devastation over the last 2 years prior to leaving Russia, sees how much her new coaching situation has changed in her skating.

But Jane can't change much in her own skating in one night. She still comes in 2nd place overall.

Liliya seems to keep herself separated from the other skaters. She doesn't really talk much to anyone except briefly to one or two other skaters from her home rink.

Jane makes a point to go up to her after the gala. And that's where the trouble begins, really, because she can't look away. Liliya is just as beautiful up close as she is far away.

"I know you, Jane Collander, and you may not know me, but you will."

"I'd like to," Jane tells her, and it seems to catch Liliya off guard because she stares at her for a moment too long before she leaves.

They both, of course, qualify for the Grand Prix Final. And Jane places 2nd again.

She's angry afterwards that she wasn't able to figure it out before the Final. She books the practice arena late that night after the events are over to skate out her anger and her obsession with Liliya Rozanova.

Unfortunately, Liliya seems to have done the same thing. She shows up shortly after Jane steps on the ice. They try to share the ice, doing increasingly more difficult elements and jumps at greater speeds, until Jane stops, exhausted.

She's gripping the boards, sweat streaming down her arms and back as she pulls off her warm up clothes because she just doesn't care anymore.

And that's when Liliya gives her a hotel number. And for some reason, Jane thinks it's a good idea, because she can't get Liliya Rozanova out of her head and she thinks it will help and maybe it may make it go away forever.

And so they hook up for the first time the night that Jane loses the Grand Prix Final. And Liliya, it turns out, is kind and doesn't say anything afterwards when Jane can't hold back a few tears. And also, the sex is really good, and it does not help Jane think about her less.

Back in the real world, it's the upset of the decade in women's figure skating. The media immediately pits them against each other, and the pressure is huge by the time the World Championships rolls around. It will also be Liliya's first senior World Championships.

Jane gives it her all. It's the best skate of her life!

She beats Liliya by a tenth of a point.

They hook up again afterwards. Jane asks this time. And it's mind blowing.

And so, it becomes a pattern.

Over the next year and a half, they trade gold and silver and hook up every time they compete against each other.

Jane's skating is the best it's ever been. Liliya struggles though. She gains weight and muscle mass over the year and loses her quad jumps in the process.

The media and chatter online starts discussing how she's starting to look "not feminine enough" for the sport. It scares Jane; reputation can go a long way in figure skating. In her eyes, Liliya looks more healthy and beautiful than ever.

Liliya's rankings fall briefly for 2-3 months. And Jane doesn't see her for over 6 months between that and the summer training break. She wants to reach out--she has her phone number after all--but she still doesn't know how.

It surprises her how relieved she is to see her again at competition in the spring, climbing the ranks in time to qualify for the Olympics. That time, Jane can't help asking Liliya to stay, just a little longer. Liliya doesn't stay though. She says she has to leave.

Liliya, of course, competes for Russia in Sochi. There's huge pressure on her competing in her home country. She doesn't reach out to Jane while they are there. She acts completely closed off.

She wins gold. She does it without quads and at a healthy weight with visible muscles.

Jane is devastated because she has worked her entire life for gold at the Olympics. She's also insanely proud of Liliya.

She stands beside her on the podium. She looks at Liliya and sees how radiantly happy she is, and for a brief moment, Liliya looks back at her and beams. Jane wants to throw her arms around her and kiss her, or at least hug her. But she wants Liliya to have her moment, and she also knows that Liliya is scared.

Jane is scared too.

This, she realizes, has gotten too big. It's something that's way beyond her control.

They're not even encouraged to put their arms around each other for a group photo. Jane assumes it's because they're pitted as enemies in the media. They get a photo of them all holding their flags separately on the podium.

When they're back behind the boards, Jane is able to snap a fast selfie of them with their heads together. It's not a good picture, and they're not on the ice.

It's Jane's favorite picture. She keeps it hidden in an unnamed album on her phone. She looks at it often in the following years.

And so, another 2 years pass. They text more often though. Jane learns that Liliya goes home to Russia for a few weeks every year, but she doesn't have much family there, only her mom. She learns that Liliya has discovered that she really loves American hotdogs, but she only lets herself have one a few times a year.

Jane wants to eat a hotdog with her.

They keep hooking up at shared competitions. Jane longs to ask for more, but she's scare of what may happen. Could it affect their rankings? The media has made them out to hate each other; no one even thinks they're friends. Would Liliya even be able to go home safely?

So Jane doesn't ask.

It's at the World Championships two years after the Olympics that it happens. During the warm up for the free skate, Jane and Liliya collide on the ice. Liliya's skate cuts deep into Jane's leg, and Jane is thrown flat on the ice and knocked out cold.

When she wakes up in her hospital room, she learns that the media are blaming the entire incident on Liliya, insinuating that she did it on purpose. It's truly the last straw for Jane. She cries until she is sick. There's no way Liliya can even visit her in the hospital. She’s a suspect in her injury.

Jane calls her instead. Liliya's voice sounds choked. She sounds terrified. She asks Jane not to hate her.

Jane tells her that she knows she did not do any of it. She would never blame her. She has to listen to Liliya cry on the phone with no other way to comfort her. She’s never seen Liliya cry, not for anything.

When she gets out of the hospital, she offers for Liliya to visit her at her home. Liliya drives to Canada, and she stays.

She stays for a week. It feels real. They feel real. Jane wants to go skating with her, and they can't. She wants to go out with her, and they can't. They're both terrified. She wants to hold a press conference to say how she doesn't blame Liliya, but she doesn't even know where to start.

When Liliya leaves, it's more painful than it's ever been before.

Jane puts out a statement about not blaming Liliya for her injury. Few people believe her.

After that, they see each other more often. They drive back and forth between their cities. Jane stays at Liliya's apartment, sees her growing house plant collection. Jane recovers slowly and enters competition again not quite a year after her injury.

They both qualify for the Olympics again. Jane wins gold, Liliya silver, beating out younger competitors. Jane knows this will be her last Olympics. The official photographer tries to make them have separate pictures again on the podium, but Jane won't allow it. She wraps her arms around Liliya and the bronze medalist for their photo together.

It shocks the world that they could ever even be friends after all that happened.

They never do figure out have to have it all at the same time.

They announce their marriage to an equal amount of backlash and surprise the following year while they are still competing. They skate together for their final gala at the World Championships, back on the ice with each other where their relationship started.

Then, they retire at age 25 and 26. Liliya's mom moves to Canada to be with her. Liliya and Jane open a skating school and continue to coach together forever.

The end.

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Other thoughts that I didn’t include since I think it diverges too much from the original:

- whenever same sex pairs/ice dance becomes a thing in canada. Jane and liliya compete. They don’t do very well since that’s not how they were originally trained but they have tons of fun!

- Instead of having a gay crisis, maybe Jane discovers she is trans masc. I’m still using she/her pronouns bc I don’t necessarily think she would change them. She announces that she’s trans around the same time that she retires and is banned from ever competing again for it. The figure skating association discusses whether to strip her prior titles but ultimately decides against it.

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Anyway TLDR; I'm angry that the hockey rpf people seem to be winning. We can't let them!!! 😭