"I knew when I first offered to help Rage that it would be no easy task. I was well aware of how stubborn and pig-headed he can be, but that didn't matter to me. It still doesn't. Rage's problem controlling his anger is only getting worse, and I truly do fear what will happen if he doesn't learn to control it. His friends should be worried as well."
"Allow me to be honest, if you will, for just a moment. You know this man has issues when he refers to himself by the very problem he possesses....Rage. Really? Why on earth would he want to change his name to Rage?! I personally happen to like his given birth name, but for whatever reason, he hates it. Now, just because I like it, doesn't mean I have been brave enough to address him by that name. I am here to help him, and I think if I were to just jump right into calling him Jake, that he might refuse to let me help him anymore. So I just have to live with it for the moment."
"I have a feeling his friends, well his family as he considers them, are less than thrilled that I am trying to help him. After all, he is referred to as the Sin of Wrath in their little group. I do hope he allows me to meet them some day soon, but I will not push the matter...yet. My relationship...er, friendship...is in the beginning stages so there is no need for me to meet them at this moment."
"But, I did help him with his Christmas shopping, as I promised him I would. I just couldn't him to take the easy way out by throwing some cash in a card and saying 'Here you go, go buy what you want.' It was quite entertaining at first, and it gave me a chance to start my therapy with the big man. I thought it was a great way to start, just tossing him into the melee of the last minute shoppers on Christmas Eve, but had I not stepped in at one point, he very well might have landed himself in a jail cell for Christmas!"
"Word to the wise...If you happen to ever see Rage out shopping, please...please...PLEASE, do not bump into him with a shopping cart."
*************************
Christmas Eve
The scene opens up in the parking lot of a local Walmart somewhere in the heart of Las Vegas. The parking lot is almost full as the holiday shoppers are out trying to get their last minute gifts and necessities before the stores close for Christmas. One of these unfortunate souls happens to be the Sin of Wrath, and easily frustrated, Rage. He had returned to Las Vegas from San Diego just this morning, and as soon as he had, his lady "therapist" friend, Sabrina Stevens had met up with him at his apartment. After all, she had informed him just last week that she would take him to do his Christmas shopping as soon as he got back, and Sabrina Stevens never backs out on anything she says.
So now here Rage is, driving around the parking lot. His black Hennessy Venom GT stands out like a sore thumb amongst the mostly ordinary every day vehicles belonging to the residents of Las Vegas. He's driving up and down each row, trying to find any available parking space. Sabrina sits in the passenger seat with a smirk on her face. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, taking full notice of his increasing frustration.
"Why don't you just park towards the back of the lot, Rage? It will get us out of this car and inside the store quicker you know."
Rage huffs a little and shakes his head. He's trying to slowly follow shoppers that have left the store with their purchases in hand as they head to their cars, but the cars driving behind him seem to be growing frustrated with him.
"I hate having to walk that far, especially if we're going to be walking out with a bunch of Christmas gifts."
Sabrina laughs and shakes her head.
"Wow. Lazy much? Have you ever given thought to what might happen to this car of yours should you park closer to the building and around several other cars?"
Rage turns his head quickly to look at Sabrina questioningly, then looks away just as quickly.
"What are you talking about? I told you I don't do this whole shopping business much, if ever at all."
"Obviously. Ok, let me paint a clear picture for you. It's a proven fact, at least from my personal experience, that the closer you park to the entrance of a store, the greater the chance there is that you will walk out to your car and find a nice new dent or scuff mark on one of the doors. I can't tell you how many times I had that happen to me before I finally decided to start parking further back. And, wouldn't you know once I did, I stopped finding new dents in my beautiful car. Just how much did this car cost you?"
Rage growls, but then realizes Sabrina has a point. He drives down the row he is currently in, toward the back of the parking lot, and chooses a space where there are no cars surrounding him yet. He puts the car in park and looks at Sabrina.
"I'll have you know this car didn't cost me a damn thing. It was a gift, but even though I didn't buy it myself doesn't mean I'm going to let it get beat to shit."
"Wait. This car was a gift? From whom? This seems like an awfully expensive car to purchase as a gift!"
Rage grins slightly as he turns the engine off and removes the key from the ignition. Sabrina stares at him, still a bit shocked at this recent discovery.
"Gabriel bought it for me when I won the Heavyweight Championship this summer. He said it was because of that, but I know damn well its because I wasn't going to leave him alone about driving that car of his...which I still plan to do someday. He just doesn't know it.
The duo then get out of the car and Rage presses the remote lock. He walks around the car, meeting Sabrina on the other side and the two make their way to the entrance of the Walmart. Rage has a bit of a reluctant expression to say the least.
"You seem lucky to have a friend like Gabriel. Not many people would buy a car for their friends. Do you know what you're going to buy him?"
Rage lets out a snort as he laughs. He keeps his eyes on the entrance as they only get closer to the madness that is bound to be inside.
"Not a clue, but you're giving me no choice but to do this shit. What the hell am I supposed to get people who already have everything they want, and if they don't, they can just go out and buy it themselves! What am I supposed to find for them in a damn Walmart, Sabrina?!"
Sabrina shrugs, but her smile doesn't leave her face. The two walk inside, and Rage's frown only gets bigger as he sees the madness inside the store. All of the registers that are open(and if you have ever been in a Walmart you have probably witness that its usually not many!) are filled with never-ending lines. Shoppers accidentally run into each other in the aisles with their carts, but most are understanding enough not to get upset. Rage stops by the door as Sabrina walks up behind him with a shopping cart.
"How am I supposed to know the answer to that, Rage? Their your friends. You haven't even introduced me to them yet. Besides, whatever you choose to get them, it's the thought that counts, right? Although, I'd suggest something very special for Gabriel, but I'm fairly sure it won't even get anywhere near that car of yours."
"Gee, thanks for reminding me, Sabrina. Can we just hurry up and get this shit over with already? We've already been here five minutes longer than I would have preferred."
"Okay. Let me see your list. Who do you have to buy for?"
Rage raises an eyebrow as he stares at Sabrina in bewilderment.
"List? What do I need a list for?"
Sabrina shakes her head in disappointment, but you can tell she is holding back a laugh.
"Just how do you plan to make sure you don't forget someone? It's always a smart idea to keep a list handy so you can check off each person as you pick out a gift for them. Clearly this could take us a while, but I'm pretty sure I have a piece of scrap paper somewhere in my purse. Hang on one second."
Sabrina then begins rummaging through her purse, pulling out a pen and the piece of scrap paper she was referring to. She looks at Rage as she puts the pen to the paper.
"Okay, let's see here. I know you have Synn, Gabriel and Despayre to buy for. Who else?"
"Too many, obviously, but if you're seriously going to make me do this, there's Shane, Fantasia and Kittie."
Sabrina quickly writes all of the names down of Rage's fellow stablemates, then stops to think for a moment.
"Okay, well if you're going to buy for Gabriel, it's probably a good idea to get something for Odette as well. This is the first Christmas together, right? It's the polite thing to do."
"Oh, great. What the hell am I supposed to get Gabriel's Australian girlfriend for Christmas?"
"You should have thought about that sooner, Rage. This is exactly why you don't wait until the last minute to do these things. Okay, doesn't Synn have a live-in housekeeper as well?"
Rage sighs and nods.
"Theresa. Yeah, I guess I can't forget to get her something, too. She should be easy enough to buy for. I bet she could use a new broom."
Sabrina's eyes almost bulge out of her head, and she smacks Rage's arm. He looks down at where she slapped him and then looks directly at her.
"What the hell was that for?!"
Several people walking past the two in either direction turn and stare at Rage as he yells at Sabrina. He ignores them, and waits for Sabrina's response.
"Don't you DARE think about buying Theresa a new broom! I can't believe you'd even suggest such a thing!"
"What?! She's a housekeeper. It's what she does!"
"That may be so, but she lives with Synn and Despayre. She's clearly part of the family, so something a little more thoughtful would be nice don't you agree?"
"Thoughtful? Like what?"
Sabrina shakes her head once again, and she scans the main aisle of the store, looking at the locations of the different departments. Her eyes light up as she gets an idea.
"We'll figure something out as we go along, but I know who you can buy for first. Come on. Follow me."
Sabrina then walks off down the aisle. Rage stays back for a moment, still clearly not wanting to do this, but Sabrina turns around and calls for him. He throws his hands up in the air and growls, then catches up behind her. As she continues walking down the main aisle, Rage's eyes grow wide and he stops, refusing to walk any further. Sabrina also stops and turns to look at him.
"What are you doing? Do you want this to take all day?"
"I'm not going back there. No fu--"
Sabrina lifts her eyebrows just a little, stopping Rage just before he lets out his most recent "F-Bomb." She stands there, arms folded and just looking at Rage.
"Look, this was a terrible idea from the start. We're at Walmart on Christmas Eve for Christ's sake! You want me to pick out gifts for everyone, but Sabrina...this is Walmart. And you want me to walk back into the baby section now! It just ain't happening!"
Sabrina shakes her head and walks over to Rage, stopping directly next to him. He doesn't look at her, and the look on his face only shows how further annoyed he is getting.
"Ok, look, we can try and find some things here for everyone, and if we don't, we'll head over to the mall. I just figured this would be a great way to see first hand how you handle certain situations, because Walmart is one of the worst places to shop, in my opinion. I mean, look around us. There are no shoppers crazier than people who shop at Walmart on Black Friday or Christmas eve. As for wanting you to go back into the baby section...One of your friends is pregnant right now, right? I'm sure she could use some stuff for the baby."
Rage rolls his eyes and takes in a deep breath. Wait...did he really just do that? He looks down at Sabrina, clearly still reluctant.
"This is not my thing, Sabrina! I hate shopping. I hate dealing with all these dumbass people who wait until the last minute to do this shit. In fact...I hate---"
"Don't you dare say what I think you're going to say!"
"I hate Christmas all together!"
He said it. Sabrina's jaw drops and she lowers her head. Rage grins a little, proud of himself for whatever reason. Several shoppers dash their way around the two, as they are blocking part of the aisle, and they stare at them angrily. Rage pretends he doesn't notice them, but either way he doesn't care.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, should I? I mean, your apartment wasn't even decorated and you wanted me to take everything down. But can I be honest with you? I don't think you hate Christmas, really. You just hate the perception of it that you have in your mind. It's the same thing so many other people have of it as well. Look, you don't need to get anything extravagant for you friends, because that is not what this holiday is about. The sooner you suck up your pride--"
"Pride? Do I look like Shane to you?"
"You might as well be acting like him. You're worried about what shopping at Walmart, or what shopping all together, will do to your image. Just suck it up and get it over with. Do something nice for your friends. Surprise them and show them you can put some thought into things for a change!"
Rage tilts his head back, and looks at the ceiling. He lets out a growl, and several people stare at him, though they scurry away in a hurry, clearly intimidated by him. He takes in a few deep breaths(again, huh?), then runs his hands over his head.
"I've officially lost my damn mind. Let's just get this shit over with already."
Sabrina smiles excitedly and with satisfaction. She jumps up and down, then oddly and to Rage's horror, she hugs him. Realizing what she just did, she steps back quickly and the two look at each other awkwardly.
"Oh...ummm...Sorry about that. Sometimes I get a little too excited. It won't happen again."
"Yeah...It better not."
Sabrina nods and then the two head back to the baby section. After picking out several things in the baby section, the two search throughout the whole store for gifts for every member of the Sins, and they are nearly successful. As the two approach one of the checkout lines, Sabrina looks in the shopping cart at everything they picked out.
"Not bad, Rage. Not bad. I must say, the only ones I really had to help you with were the women, but that's hardly surprising. I think everyone will like all these gifts, but the only one you didn't get anything for was Synn. Should we head over to the mall after this?"
Rage grins and shakes his head. Another shopper walks up behind them with their cart of purchases, and stops just inches away from the back of Rage's legs.
"No, I actually have a great idea for that, and it's going to be the biggest surprise of all. That is already taken care of, I just need to make a phone call later to make sure everything is all set for--"
Rage is suddenly cut off abruptly as the woman standing behind him accidentally bumps into him with her shopping cart. Rage closes his eyes and very s-l-o-w-l-y turns around to glare at the woman. Sabrina watches for a moment, waiting to see how Rage reacts. Rage thinks for a moment, wondering what to do, and the woman looks at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry, sir."
Rage looks down at the woman's cart, which is still nearly sitting on his foot. The woman may have apologized, but she didn't back her cart away, which doesn't sit well with Rage. He takes a hold of the front of the cart, then pushes it back sharply, causing it to run right into the woman and nearly knocking her over! Sabrina looks shocked and is about to step in, when the woman, who is just as shocked, glares at Rage then rams the cart into his side as hard as she can! Rage stumbles back, grabbing his side in apparent pain, but he steps forward, bouncing back quickly.
"Asshole! I said I was sorry!"
"Yeah for someone who was so sorry you didn't back the fuck up after you hit me the first fucking time you ignorant bitch!"
Several people are now staring in amazement at the scene as it unfolds in front of their eyes. The cashier ringing out the purchases of the person in front of Rage, says something into the microphone of her walkie, alerting her manager of the situation. Sabrina steps in, trying to hold Rage back. Yeah like that really works.
"Hey...Hey, hey, hey. Take a step back, Rage. The woman apologized. No need to blow this out of proportion, right?"
"Blow it out of proportion?! Sabrina, the bitch rammed the cart right into my side after she hit my damn leg! I think I'm justified in reacting this way!"
"Excuse me?! You shoved the cart right back at me and you almost knocked me down! I think you started this fiasco, and if anyone should be apologizing now, it's you!"
Rage smiles and lets out a sarcastic laugh. The cashier keeps an eye on the situation as she waits for her manager to arrive.
"I'm not apologizing for shit, lady! And if you don't back that fucking cart up, I'll pick the damn thing up and---"
As Rage's shouting gets louder and angrier, then store's manager finally arrives on the scene. He stands a few feet away, at a safe distance, as he gets involved.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
The woman, Rage and Sabrina all look at the manager. Rage appears to be the most frustrated of them all, though the woman he is arguing with is not far behind him.
"This man is a lunatic! He is now threatening me, and I'd like you to call the police."
"Lady, you haven't seen just how much of a lunatic I can be! The problem here, sir, is caused by your store's lack of cashiers! You're lines are do damn long, so idiots like this bitch here, stand too close to the people in front of them, and run right into them! You store as thirty plus registers and not even HALF of them are open!"
"Okay, sir, I'm going to have to ask you to please lower your voice. I'm sure whatever happened here was just an accident, and if you continue to threaten other customers I'll have to get the authorities involved."
Rage's face is now flushed a bright red and as he is about to step forward and get right into the face of the manager, Sabrina quickly steps in front of him, holding him back.
"Whoa there, Jake."
This immediately grabs Rage's attention. He glares down at Sabrina, but she gives him a look that says it all. Rage takes a step back, but he is still fuming.
"Jake, why don't you give me the money to pay for all of this and go get the car? I'll take care of this, and you clearly need a few moments to calm down. There is no need to get the police involved, right?"
"Oh there absolutely is! Not only was he the first to blatantly attack me, but he continued to threaten me after the fact! He needs to be arrested!"
Sabrina turns her head to look at the woman. She has an understand look on her face, and smiles politely, trying to take charge of the situation.
"Ma'am, is there really a need for all of this? Tomorrow is Christmas. I apologize for my friend here, but he's kinda beating himself up for waiting until the last minute to do all of his shopping. You're sorry, aren't you, Jake?"
Rage looks at Sabrina, wide-eyed and shakes his head lightly. Sabrina encourages him to apologize, and the manager keeps an eye on situation.
"Whatever...I'm done with this shit. Here, take the money and hurry your ass up."
Rage takes his wallet out of his back pocket, and pulls the cash out. He hands it to Sabrina, and she takes it with a relieved look on her face. Rage huffs and walks off without another word, leaving the building and walking back to the car. Sabrina stands there with the manager and the woman, looking very apologetic.
"I can't apologize enough. Anyway, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas."
"Well, thank you, but here's a bit of advice lady. Ditch that asshole while you can."
The woman turns and walks away, choosing to wait in a different line. Sabrina bites her lip and looks at the manager awkwardly. Having taken care of the situation, the manager nods and walks away without another word. Sabrina turns around and greets the cashier as she begins placing the items at the register to check out, and the scene fades away.
*************************
"While I was fully aware of how Rage would handle last minute Christmas shopping in a Walmart, I wasn't quite prepared for that incident. He handled the shopping part very well, honestly. Even when other shoppers accidentally bumped into the cart, he kept his cool rather easily. He was clearly annoyed, yes, but he didn't react anywhere near what happened with that woman. I guess I should have seen it coming."
"None of that matters anymore. He got all of his gifts for his friends, but I had another surprise for him. I knew he wouldn't go along with it, at least not without one hell of a fight, but I had to give it a shot. His career is at stake now, so I was willing to try anything. He has to get a handle on his anger before his match with Blade Alexander, or Blade might just use that to his advantage."
"Although, now that I think about it, perhaps my next plan only had the opposite effect I intended, and fueled his bad mood."
*************************
Christmas Day
The gifts are wrapped and ready for Rage to get loaded into his car. He is all set and ready to leave and head over to Synn and Despayre's place for their Christmas gathering. Rage is about to begin carrying the gifts down to his car, when there is a knock on his door. He growls as he knows there is only one person who would be at his door right now. He sets the packages he had grabbed back down on the floor, walks over and opens his door. He pretends to be happy to see Sabrina Stevens there, always dressed to impress, and holding a large bag in her hand. Rage leans against the door frame but doesn't invite Sabrina in.
"Why am I not surprised? Shouldn't you be spending Christmas with your own family, Sabrina?
Sabrina smiles and steps into Rage's apartment, inviting herself in. Rage rolls his eyes, and Sabrina sets the bag down on the floor, turning and looking at her "patient".
"Merry Christmas to you, too, Rage."
"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry. I'm already running late, and I'd rather not have someone come looking for me. Merry Christmas, but what do you want?"
Sabrina shakes her head and laughs.
"Don't worry, I'll be quick. As you pointed out so rudely, I do have my own party to attend, but I thought I'd stop by and bring you something first. It's the next step in your therapy, if you want to call it that. Here."
Sabrina picks up the bag and holds it out for Rage. He looks at the bag hesitantly, and Sabrina shakes it, hoping to spike his curiosity a bit. Rage reluctantly takes the bag from her grasp, peeks inside and almost immediately begins shaking his head vehemently. He shoves the bag back at her, refusing to take it.
"Not just no, Sabrina...HELL NO! If you think for one second that I'm going to wear that, you've lost your damn mind!"
"Aww come on! It'll be something fun for you to do, Rage! It's perfect honestly, and I think your friends will love it, too! Just take it..."
Rage continues to shake his head.
"Absolutely not! My friends will love it for only one reason, and it's at MY expense. I don't know what the hell gave you this idea, but I'm NOT doing this."
"Yes, you are."
"No. I'm. Not!"
Sabrina drops the bag in front of Rage and folds her arms, giving him a stern look. He glares at her, refusing to give in as well. She walks around him, then stands in front of his door, standing her ground.
"Then I'm not leaving here until you do."
Sabrina keeps her arms folded across her chest. Rage is nearly seething at this point, but he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone. Sabrina's eyes widen.
"What do you think you are doing?"
"I'm calling Synn and telling him that I'm not coming over. Two can play at this game, Sabrina."
Sabrina runs over to Rage and snatches his phone out of his hand. She shoves it into her purse and he glares at her, even more furious.
"Are you trying to piss me off? Because you're doing a damn good job!"
"I'm trying to get you into the Christmas spirit, Rage! I know for a fact that if you do this, your friends will be very impressed! Just go along with it for a little while. Please?"
"Clearly you don't know anything about my friends, Sabrina. If I were to go along with this shit, they'd have every reason to laugh at me for the rest of my life!"
Sabrina smiles innocently. She puts her hands at her side and shrugs.
"So? You really need to lighten up and have a little fun every now and then. Sure they'll have a reason to laugh, but they can laugh with you and not at you."
"I'm really starting to regret ever calling you back. You know that right?"
"I would believe that, but you haven't gotten rid of me yet, have you?"
Sabrina then walks over and grabs the bag again. She walks back over to Rage, holding the bag out to him once more, waiting for him to take it. He stares at her for about a minute, trying to tell himself not to do it. Sabrina gives him an almost puppy dog look, and pouts out her bottom lip. Rage growls in frustration and snatches the bag out of her hand, shocked with himself.
"Shit, what the fuck am I about to do?"
Sabrina claps her hands excitedly like a little kid, and pushes him towards his bathroom.
"You are about to really surprise your friends. Now go and get changed. Hurry up!"
Rage lowers and then shakes his head in shame.
"I really hope there are no cameras at Synn's place when I show up wearing this...
About thirty minutes later...
The scene opens up inside Synn and Despayre's home. All of the Sins are there to celebrate Christmas and they are patiently waiting for Rage to arrive. They are all sitting in the very spacious living room, each of them glancing to their watches or the clock to look at the time. Odette Ryder is seated next to Gabriel on one of the sofas, with Shane and Fantasia sitting in Shane's lap. The pregnant Sin of Envy, Kittie, is seated on the sofa opposite the others, while Despayre can be heard helping Theresa in the kitchen. Synn is seated in the chair in between the sofas, as the others look at him and he sighs.
"What the hell is taking him so long? He was supposed to be here an hour ago right?"
Gabriel breaks the silence, and Synn looks at him and nods.
"Yes, he was, but I called him a little while ago and he said he was leaving shortly. Maybe one of us should--"
Synn is interrupted when there is a knock at the door. They all look towards the front door curiously. Despayre(with Angel of course!) and Theresa then emerge from the kitchen to join the others. Despayre skips over and sits next to Kittie as Synn makes his way to the front door.
"He could have just let himself in."
The others aren't really paying attention to Synn as he goes to open the door to let who he presumes is Rage in. They are all chatting amongst themselves when he opens the door and gets the shock of his life! There, standing before him dressed in his full wrestling gear and with a friendly smile on his face is non other than Rob Van Dam! And just how does Synn react to such a high-profile guest standing at his doorstep? He falls to the floor! This catches the attention of the rest of the group, and they all turn to see what happened. Everyone is equally as shocked to see RVD standing there, but what happens next peeks their curiosity even more. In walks jolly old...Santa Claus?! Indeed, "Santa" walks inside, holding a large red bag filled with gifts. He stands over the fallen Synn, bends down to get face to face with him, and in a cheerful deep voice he addresses him.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas, Synn!"
And cue the gasps from the entire group seated around the room. They all stare at "Santa" with their jaws dropped.
"RAGE?!"
"Santa Rage" stands up, helping Synn to his feet as well. He invites RVD inside, and closes the door behind him, before turning to the others and letting out an awkward...for several reasons...jolly ol' chuckle.
"Bloody Hell...I officially need a drink."
Shane stands up, and Fantasia takes his place on the sofa. Gabriel asks Shane to grab him a beer also, and Shane nods before disappearing into the kitchen. Synn stands in between Rage and RVD, completely at a loss for words. He just stands there, staring at RVD, and Rage pats him on the back, snapping him back to reality.
"You can thank me later, Synn."
*************************
"I really wish I could have been there to see everyone's reaction. From what Rage tells me, it was classic and the others still can't quit talking about it. Oh well. As long as it was a good Christmas for all, then I won't complain."
"Rage also tells me that everyone was quite impressed with the gifts he bought for them. Not that I'm surprised considering I helped him. And he has yet to even thank me! It seems as though I need to help him out with his manners as well as his anger issues."
"Uh oh...I think someone is on to my little hi-jacking of his promo...Gotta run!"
*************************
Back to Christmas Day
Everyone is still buzzing about Rage's special surprise(s) earlier. They're all once again gathered in the living room after eating dinner. RVD is noticeably absent now, as it seems he has already left for the day. Rage is still dressed in the Santa outfit, though he has removed the fake wig and beard. Despayre is staring at him, still clutching Angel in his arms. Rage notices, and he looks at Despayre curiously.
"Alright, Despy, go on and say whatever it is that's on your mind because if you stare at me any longer, you're really going to freak me out."
"Oh, it's not something that's on my mind, but Angel brought up a good point."
Rage folds his arms and grins. This should be interesting, he thinks.
"Oh really? And what is that?"
"He says there must not have been Grinch outfits in your size if you dressed up as Santa."
Everyone gets a light hearted chuckle. Rage tries to hide his amusement, though everyone catches the quick grin appear at the corner of his mouth. It fades quickly as he tries to save face a little, but they all know better. Rage shrugs, and then he remembers something. He spots the large red bag full of the gifts he bought for everyone over by the tree. He smacks his knees then stands up, heading over to get the bag. He throws it over his shoulder, then heads back over to the group. Gabriel looks at him with a shocked amusement.
"You mean that bag is full of actual gifts? Well I'll be damned. I think Hell has officially frozen over."
Rage reaches into the bag, pulling out the first gift. He tosses it to Gabriel and he catches it just as it smacks against his stomach. Gabriel coughs a bit from the impact.
"Geez, baldy. What the hell did you get me? It feels like a damn bowling ball."
Rage grins, as he starts passing the gifts out to everyone. Even Theresa and Odette have a special gift to open from the big man. Gabriel looks at the box and rolls his eyes.
"Oh lovely. Looks like I'm gonna have to learn how to bowl."
After all the gifts are handed out, everyone is staring at Rage, impressed.
"What? Stop staring at me like that! Just open the damn gifts already. And Synn, if you didn't know earlier, RVD was your present, so you're welcome. Everyone else...well, there ya go."
Rage signals for them all to go ahead and open their gifts. Despayre looks at the gift in front of him, but instead of a polite smile, a frown appears on his face.
"What now, Despy?"
"This just says its for me, but what about Angel? Where is his gift?"
Rage's jaw drops and he smacks his forehead, letting out a sigh.
"Shit! I knew I was gonna forget the bea...Angel!"
Rage reaches into his pocket, and pulls out his wallet. Just as he is going to take out some cash, he thinks for a second, then puts the wallet back in his pocket. Everyone stares at him, waiting for his next move.
"I'll tell you what, Despy. Since I was a complete idiot and honestly forgot to get Angel something, I'll take you two to the mall sometime soon and Angel can pick out his own gift. How does that sound."
Just then there is a loud *THUD*, followed by Gabriel shouting. They all turn and stare at the Sin of Greed, and the still wrapped gift that is now on the floor after it fell on his foot.
"I swear baldy, if that really is a bowling ball...
Rage rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He turns back to Despayre, waiting for a response. Despayre is quietly discussing the deal with Angel, and then he jumps up with a smile.
"Angel says you have a deal, but he wants to drive you car!"
"Don't push your luck..."
Despayre shrugs and he sits back down. Rage once again tells everyone to open their gifts, and they don't hesitate this time. They all tear into the packaging, opening their gifts excitedly, but curious at the same time. When all is said and done, everyone seems quite pleased with the gifts Rage picked out(some with Sabrina's help, but he doesn't tell them that) for them. Kittie looks at the box full of baby supplies that Rage got, and almost gets all teary eye, but she smiles.
"Awww, thanks Rage! I've already got two diaper bags already, but I guess this one can be used when Uncle Rage is babysitting!"
Rage nearly chokes as he is taking a drink of his beer. He tries to protest, but Kittie gets back to looking at all the baby gifts in the box, and Rage lowers his head for a moment. He looks back up as everyone is looking over their gifts, smiling. Theresa was in awe over the lovely table fountain. Despayre was jumping up and down after opening the latest Loony Tunes video game. Shane was ogling himself in a brand new mirror, while Fantasia was admiring the lovely silk night robe. Gabriel was relieved to open his gift to find that it was a professional car detailing kit, and not a bowling ball, while his girlfriend, Odette Ryder, stared at the gift, looking as though she was about to cry. Gabriel looks at the gift, then glares at Rage for a second, but Rage holds his hand up and walks over to Odette. She holds the nice picture frame in her hand, the words "Best Friends" engraved on the outside, and a picture of her and Melody Grace placed inside.
"I wasn't sure if I should have gotten this gift in particular, but let me explain that. I wasn't trying to make you upset or anything. I want you to look at that picture, and use it as fuel. Use it to fuel that anger inside you and beat the shit out of that pasty-faced bitch, Misty at New Year Rising. Don't let it bring you down, because that's what she wants. Beat her ass, because everyone wants to see it happen. Got it?"
Odette holds the picture frame in her lap, then looks up at Rage. She lets a smile appear on her face, as she wipes at her eyes.
"Oh no need to worry about that! Misty will get exactly what is coming to her and that is a promise. Thank you for the picture. I love it and I know just the place to hang it at home!"
"Nice touch, baldy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were turning into a big softy on us. Better not let Blade Alexander find out before your big match against him."
"Don't need to worry about that, Magic Man. I could beat that arrogant piece of shit on my worst day. He's not going anywhere near the Heavyweight Title."
Gabriel nods with a grin and Rage turns around heading back over to take his seat on the other side of Kittie. She is still admiring all of the baby gifts, and gives Rage a little nudge in his side. He shrugs and takes a drink of his beer as they all strike up various conversations, enjoying the rest of their Christmas together.
*************************
New Year's Day
"Did you all have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year? I'm still standing here, speaking to you cheerful bunch of people. At least I am now anyway, as I finally caught the lovely Sabrina Stevens trying to force her way into the spotlight and take over my promo. Needless to say, I put an end to that as soon as I found out. What the hell is it with these women wanting to hijack my promos? First it was those two crazy fan girls, Courtney and Marge.(I heard boss man Mark Ward call her that once and figured, what the hell.) And now, Sabrina? I should be flattered with all the attention, but honestly it's a little irritating."
"Here I am, trying to take care of business and get MY work done, and these crazy women are doing what they do best and seeking attention. Sorry ladies, it ain't happening anymore so piss off! If you want to have your time in the spotlight, sign your own damn contracts and fight the other Bombshells. Leave my shit alone, especially when I have important matches to focus on."
"The time for rest and relaxation has come and gone. The holidays are finally over, and 2012 has come to a close. 2012 started on low note for me and Jamie Staggs both. After being crowned the very first Tag Team Champions just a month earlier in December, we lost those titles on our first defense. I had a bit of a dry spell after that until I was finally given my time to shine and went after the Heavyweight Title. I worked my ass off and achieved my goal. The highlight of my year was defeating Nick Jones and being crowned the SCW Heavyweight Champion."
"I don't give a shit what anyone says about my reign as the champion. My name is still etched in the SCW record books and that's all I care about. 2012 may not have ended on a high note for me. I may not be the champion...or any champion for that matter...at the moment, but that will all change soon enough. A New Year is here. 2013 is officially here, and it is going to be MY year. It's not going to be the year of Nick Jones. It's not going to be the Year of Spike Staggs(sorry bud). And it sure as shit isn't going to be the year of Blade Alexander! He can whine and cry all he wants, but the fact remains, he's not shit here in SCW."
"Where was he all last year? What has Blade Alexander EVER done in SCW, other than run his mouth and complain because he hasn't gotten anything he thinks he deserves? Has he ever been the Heavyweight Champion? Has he ever been any champion for that matter? Hmm...let me think about that for a second. Oh, that's right...He hasn't! He was on the path to greatness last year, and what did he do? He put his tail between his legs and ran. He might have had it all, if he had just stayed and fought for what he wanted, and for what he thinks he deserves, but he didn't. So, if you ask me, Blade Alexander doesn't even deserve this chance to prove himself worthy."
"You hear that, Blade? You don't deserve this. You don't deserve anything here in SCW. You want to keep running your mouth week in and week out, talking shit about the bosses here in SCW and how the run things? I've got a bit of advice for ya....DEAL WITH IT! Do you really think that running to ACW will get you anywhere? Do you think that they'll just give in to your constant demands and cry-baby antics because you think you're God's gift to wrestling? If you do, more power to ya, but you'll do just what you've done here in SCW. You'll fail. And then you'll try and find someone to place the blame on except yourself."
"Allow me to switch gears for a moment and do something out of the ordinary here, Blade. There is something I need to say to you that might honestly shock you and everyone watching right now. You see Blade, I need to thank you. For what, you might ask? I'll tell you for what."
"If it hadn't been for you, Blade, I probably wouldn't be in SCW. Before I signed my contract with SCW, I watched from a distance. I watched and I listened as you did what you still do to this very day. You ran your mouth and pissed everyone off...including me. I couldn't sit back and let it continue any longer, so I took matters into my own hands. I came after you Blade, and what did you do? You didn't do anything! But, you ran though didn't you?"
"Why was that, Blade? Were you afraid because you knew that sooner or later, we'd finally have our one-on-one match and you knew I'd destroy you? You could spew out a bunch of bullshit lies and denial and say you'd beat me all you want, but we both know the truth. We both know that when push comes to shove, you will NEVER beat me, and New Year Rising will be no different. I know you want the Heavyweight title, Blade, but guess what? So do I. I've had that title, and yes, I lost it, but I want it back. I want to go on to face Spike Staggs more than you can imagine. You had your shot against Spike and you blew it. You're not getting another chance."
"I've been looking forward to this match between you and I for the past year, Blade. For a whole year I've wanted nothing more than to get what I came to SCW to do...face you in the ring one-on-one and beat the living shit out of you. I want to finally silence all your bullshit whining and get you to see that you're not the best this business has to offer. You talk a lot of game, but you never back it up. But who knows, Blade. It's the New Year, and I'm in the giving mood, so I might just go easy on ya....Nah...come to think of it, even I'm not that stupid."
"It's time to finally put an end to all the questions, Blade. Who is the better man? Can Blade pull off the win over The Sin of Wrath? Will Blade finally become the Heavyweight Champion or will Rage return to the top of the pack and once again hold the Heavyweight Title? So many questions, Blade, but the answer is staring you in the face. The answer is speaking to you at this very moment. Rage...The Sin of Wrath. I am the better man. I will beat you, Blade. I will become the number one contender for the SCW Heavyweight Championship, and go on to beat Spike Staggs for that title. It's that simple. I look forward to seeing what you can do against me, Blade, but to be honest, it won't be enough."
"2013 is the year of The Sin of Wrath, and there's not a damn thing you or anyone else can do to change that. Good luck trying, though. Oh, and one last thing, Blade..."
"I know you're little secret. After you left SCW, it wasn't that hard to figure out, and just know...you can't even begin to imagine the beating you have in store for you at New Year Rising. See you on the 13th, Blade."
END FEED...
