[Despayre]

 What brought this about?

Previously on Climax Control.....

"FUUUCK!!" The cry tore through him as he grabbed at his knee, his face covered in a sheen of sweat as he fought to retain his self control but the brutal nature of the attack and the targeted body part made this brave front next to impossible to maintain. "Son of a BITCH!"

Gabriel's scream of outrage and pain filled the backstage hallway of the Carson City High School and this, along with the screaming cries for help from Pussy Willow brought staff and star alike stampeding down the halls to find out what the outburst was all about.

"Get off me!" Gabriel thrashed as an SCW road agent loomed over him, taking a swing at the man. "get away!"

"What's going on!?" Co-Owner Christian Underwood shouted as his way through the fast growing horde of on-lookers. He arrived in time to find the young superstar curled up on the floor in a near fetal position with his one leg that was attacked, stretched out. Pussy Willow was right behind him, indicating it was she who ran to get help from the boss. He leaned over Gabriel but had no chance to start asking questions when a booming voice thundered through the mass of spectators.

"MOVE!" Synn bellowed as he shoved anyone in his path that was blocking him from getting to his man. "Get the fuck out of my way! NOW!"

The smart ones paid quick heed to the commanding voice of this rather large and intimidating individual. The ones who were slower on the take were shoved roughly aside without apology or excuse. Christian Underwood himself was grabbed by the collar of his short and tore away from his position and shoved roughly aside where he fell against a table and was just able to catch himself before toppling to the hallway floor.

"Hey!" Christian shouted indignantly. "There's no need..."

"Shut it!" Synn snarled, a finger aimed right at the boss's nose. Surprisingly, Christian, a man well known for his verbal banter and sharp wit, clammed up. He frowned as Synn turned his back on him and knelt down beside his charge. "What happened?"

"What the fuck does it look like happened!?" Gabriel cried out in frustration and stabbing pain that would not stop coursing through his leg. He was soft spoken in many cases, and under any other circumstance would not have spoken to this man in such a way -- but pain was a factor that could change the demeanor of anyone or how they react to others. Gabriel sucked in a deep breath and snarled, "That son of a bitch jumped me!"

"Who!" Synn shouted, but he turned aside and looked up. He saw Pussy Willow standing closely beside Christian and he stood up and stepped closer. His eyes were on the blonde beauty but his words were anything but gentle as his own green orbs held her gaze in his own. "What happened? Who did this?"

She was not shy about the fact this fierce stare from Synn was unnerving her. She wrung her hands within each other at the front of her waistline and looked down at Gabriel who glanced up at her.

"WHO!?" Synn shouted, his face starting to sharpen in a red hue from the growing anger and frustration. Pussy jumped and swung her head back around to look at the much larger man that was staring her down.

"Goth." She swallowed and said simply. "H-he came from out of nowhere. I was trying to interview..."

"Three times!" Gabriel interrupted, his voice strained. "Bastard hit my knee with a fucking chair three times!"

Synn looked down at Gabriel and if it were possible for a man's facial expression to betray the primal emotion of pure, unadulterated anger, you would be seeing it right now on the handsome face of the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins. He turned to look at Christian but before he could confront the owner, a shrill voice cried out from down the hallway.

"GABRIEL! Gaaabriel!!"

Bodies flew aside, some willingly, others not so much, as Gabriel's tag team partner and 'little brother' Despayre came charging through the crowd, his frantic cries for his best friend biting at everyone's eardrums. He was trailed closely by Shane, Fantasia, and the Sins' newest recruit, Bombshell Champion Kittie.

"Joshua!" Synn called out. "Go back to the..."

But for perhaps the very first time, Despayre paid no attention to the commanding presence of Synn and his orders. The unstable youth's only thoughts and concerns were for his best friend. He shouldered his way past one unfortunate staff member and stopped fast as he saw his 'hero' down on the floor, and clearly in excruciating agony.

"Gabriel!" He cried and he dashed to his friend's side but Synn moved swiftly and caught him by the arm. He pulled him aside to keep him from acting rashly or doing any further and unintentional damage to Gabriel. "Let me go! Gabriel..." He whined as he tried to pry his arm loose but without success.

Kittie, followed closely by Shane and Fantasia, came hurrying through the crowd and Synn called, "You couldn't have kept him in the dressing room!? Take him God damn it!"

Shane wasted no time in doing what was needed. They knew and understood Despayre's love and devotion for his best friend and tag team partner, but he had to be kept out of the way, at least until they could follow through and get Gabriel the help he needed. Shane grabbed the struggling Despayre and pulled him to the side where they could remain at hand but with enough space for the downed man to breathe.

Someone who had been working the back hallway came running up with a bag filled with ice from the cafeteria, wrapped in a hand towel. Synn snatched it away and knelt down at Gabriel's side and pressed the ice against the injured knee joint. Gabriel clenched his eyes tightly shut and his body tensed at the pain that seared through him but after a moment's pause, he started breathing again and opened his eyes.

"Hold that against your knee. Don't move it." Synn said and he stood up and turned to face Christian.

"Happy?" Synn asked, his eyes flashing a hint of their true intent while his face remained icey.

"Me?" Christian frowned and looked around. "What did I do?"

Synn lost all control and he raged, "I warned you and Ward about that son of a bitch back when he first showed up! I warned you what the hell that bastard was capable of and you didn't listen! You just sat on your fucking asses and did nothing! You played the 'wait and see' game until something finally happened and there's your end result!" He pointed down at Gabriel who seemed to be trying, for the first time in his life, to avoid the attention of the people around him.

"Wait, you're blaming me for what Goth did?" Christian looked stunned. "I wasn't even the one who hired the guy! I didn't..."

But Synn wasn't in any mood to listen to reason. True it had been "Hot Stuff" who had hired the boss of the Asylum Wrestling Alliance, and it had been "Hot Stuff" who Synn confronted directly that one day about doing so, but right now one of his own was hurt. The victim of an attack and Synn held his hand up in Christian's face to silence him. The affect was surprisingly immediate.

"And where the hell was the security?" Synn growled in a low tone. "You had it at every other show. I saw them here tonight, so where were they? Hm? They're supposed to stop shit like this from happening! Where were they? WHERE WERE YOU!?"

Christian's brow started to furrow in gross agitation. He was upset at what had happened, yes, but he was also upset that the sole blame was being shifted onto him. He had never been one to back down in all his years as an active competitor in the ring, and even though he was semi-retired, he was not about to begin now.

"Where was I?" Christian repeated. "Good question. Now let me ask another good question; where were you?"

Synn frowned.

Christian said, "Didn't you just have a match for your boys? Didn't you just arrive backstage with them? How was it that Goth got close enough to Gabriel to even do this with you around?"

Synn's eyes flashed under the lights in the hallway and he took a step towards the boss when Gabriel's voice cut in, "OH DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME! I'LL BE FINE!"

Synn turned his head to look back to Gabriel who was clearly fuming at the distraction, and rightfully so. Synn glanced casually back to Underwood and aimed a finger at him. "We'll talk later." And he turned back to take care of the downed magician when a timid voice brought all of their attention around.

"Goth did this?"

Eyes and heads turned over toward Despayre who Shane had a firm hold of, his huge arm wrapped around the front of the young man's chest from behind. To any other eyes it would appear a tender embrace between friends, but those close to the group knew Despayre was chomping at the bit to get loose and Shane's grip was the only thing preventing him from doing so. His face was pale, paler than the norm for him. His face seemed almost frozen in the process of emotion but his eyes darted about. It was a sign Synn did not appear endeared toward.

"Despayre..." Synn started, using his stage name in the presence of these others rather than his given name of Joshua. "... calm down before..."

"Let me go!" Despayre suddenly cried and he started fighting Shane, struggling to get free from the superior grip of the much larger, stronger man. Despayre tried ducking down with his weight and twisting every direction, kicking his feet out but Shane held him firm, understanding about as well as Synn at the dangerous state of his unstable mind just now.

"Despayre...!" Synn stood up, not liking that the eyes around them were watching Despayre with cautious eyes now. His fragile mental status was known only too well, and this episode was not helping to further cement his treatments to remain stabilized. Despayre suddenly grabbed Shane around the forearm and sunk his teeth into his muscled flesh and Shane shouted out a curse and nearly let him go when Synn's thundering voice boomed, "JOSHUA!" prompting everyone in the vicinity to jump and Despayre's head whipped up to look at the man wide-eyed.

Synn cupped his face in his hands and made him look at him. He gave him no lee-way or leverage. Despayre stared right into his face and Synn said soothingly, "Stop this right now."

"But Goth ..." Despayre started to cry. "He hurt.... Gabriel needs..."

"I know." Synn said. "And we will get him help, but you need to stop fighting us like this. You can not go after Goth. Not like this."

Despayre voice lowered to a crackling growl, "I hate him." His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "I hate him!"

"As do I." Synn nodded, then added, "But Gabriel comes first!"

He made the boy look at him until Despayre's breathing slowed to a calm. His face muscled twitched and slowly he nodded. Synn looked at Shane and nodded and the big man lowered his arm, releasing his grip. Despayre immediately bolted to Gabriel's side and looked desperately at his friend.

"Does it hurt?" Despayre asked innocently enough and Gabriel looked up at him as if he were... well you get the general idea. But Gabriel also knew the innocent nature of the question and the mind that spawned it so he bit back what he wanted to respond with and instead shook his head, "Not much Despy. Just a little bit."

Despayre nodded and stretched his hand out to touch the injured knee but Synn snatched his hand quickly before he could. Despayre looked up guiltily and bit at his lip but Synn silently shook his head. Synn then looked up at Christian and said, "Get an ambulance here."

Gabriel's head shot up and he shook his head, "No ambulance!"

Synn turned back to look at him and frowned. He said, "Are you daft? You need to have that checked out. X-Ray'd. I assume this Mayberry town has a hospital of some sort. How else do you expect to get there?"

"No. Ambulance." Gabriel stated firmly, shaking his head in the negative. "I won't give that bastard the satisfaction."

"Fuck him." Synn stated simply, making Despayre wince at the use of such strong language. "Don't worry about what that piece of..." He glanced sidelong at Despayre and sighed. "...that piece of garbage thinks." Despayre nodded at the correction. Synn went on, "And think for a moment. Your knee is hurt. We don't know to what extent, so it best we not move it. If I were to drive you, we'd have to move it more than what we should just getting you into the car."

"I could drive you!" Despayre piped up and almost every Sin member present shouted "NO!" to which Despayre frowned and pouted.

Gabriel fought to find a reason, a logical reason, as to why he should not ride in the back of an ambulance, aside from pride, that is. Sadly enough he couldn't think of any so he exhaled sharply through his nose and muttered, "Fuck!" Before Synn, satisfied, leaned back and looked toward Christian.

"Call the ambulance." He said.

Christian tilted his head and shrugged. "I already did. It's on its way."

Synn nodded and stood up. He turned to look at Kittie, Shane and Fantasia and said, "I'll ride with Gabriel. You three take Joshua back to the hotel and then..."

"No."

The voice was so soft and unyielding that they weren't certain that the word was even spoken aloud. Gabriel however saw the man's lips move so he knew otherwise. he watched as Despayre stood up and looked at Synn, his small hands clenching and unclenching into balled fists. Synn turned around and arched an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"I wanna go too." Despayre said simply.

Synn just shook his head, "No." and he turned to address Shane again but was interrupted before he could get one word in.

"I'm going."

Synn turned back around and wore a frown of surprised disbelief on his face. Despayre had never -- never -- disobeyed him so blatantly before. He always did what he was told and to be defied like this out in the open and in front of witnesses was not a situation Synn appreciated. He cocked his head and said, "Joshua..."

Despayre flinched at the strong tone and clutched Angel closer to his chest but he held firm. "I have to go. Gabriel needs me."

"Joshua..." Synn steps around Gabriel and Dspayre starts to back away but Synn quickly reaches forth and grabs the smaller man by the shoulder and brings him to a halt. Despayre starts to struggle but Synn pulls him aside, just far enough away from the others standing near to remain out of earshot. Synn backs him against a wall and leans down so that he can meet the young man who was unknowningly his own flesh and blood, and concern warred within Synn's eyes. Despayre looked up and his eyebrows rose in wonder and worry alike. Synn whispered, "Joshua, Gabriel is being taken to a hospital."

"I know." Despayre responded softly. "Why are we whispering?"

Synn closed his eyes only briefly as he shook his head. He said softly, "Never mind. But I don't want you going to a hospital needlessly..."

"It's not needlessly!" Despayre cried out. "I want to be there for Gabriel!"

"Calm down." Synn commanded, grasping him firmly by the shoulders and forcing him to look only at him. "A hospital Joshua. Think about it carefully. I promised you that you would never go back to any place like where you were made to stay."

"This is a different hospital." Despayre whispered, but his face spoke he now understood Synn's concern. Too often people thought just because Despayre had the fragile mental state of a toddler, it also meant that he was dumb. Nothing could be further from the truth. It might take him a little longer to work things out, but the point is, he could.

"I know it is." Synn nodded, pleased at Despayre's progress. "But they might look the same. Smell the same. It might make you feel something you forgotten. A smell or a nurse, anything could cause you to relive something you were akin to forget. It might seem real and make you want to act out...make you afraid..."

"I won't." Despayre vowed, holding his hand up. "I have Angel. He'll protect me from the badness like he does at night when I'm asleep. And... and I have you too. Please? Please let me go. I have to make sure Gabriel will be okay."

"Synn..." Shane's voice drew his attention aside where he could see the crowd starting to part to the sides of the hall. "The paramedics are here. Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it now."

Synn glanced over cautiously as the paramedics wheeled the gurney over to Gabriel and lowered it to the floor. Synn looked back to Despayre who had that pleading expression on his face, the one that spoke doom towards Synn's resolve.

"Fine." Synn nodded. "You can go. BUT..." He stopped Despayre from charging over. "I still ride with him. You come with Shane and the others. And ... if you start feeling badly..."

"I'll get him out." Shane said.

Synn nodded, then let Despayre's arm go from his grip and he ran over to join the paramedics at Gabriel's side. Synn watched as they slowly loaded the magician onto the gurney. Gabriel blanched at the pain that shot suddenly through his lower leg but he did not shout out. Despayre was watching him like a hawk and now Gabriel had a new reason to fight to remain calm.

Shane leaned over and whispered to Synn, "Why did that bloody fucker do it, do you think?"

"I don't 'think'." Synn answered, never once taking his eyes off of the brotherly pair. "I know. Goth never wanted a tag team match. He wanted Despayre all to himself. Unfortunately for Goth..." Synn looked at Shane. "...now he's going to get him."

Synn ended the discussion, walking up as the paramedics lifted the gurney up with Gabriel on it, and started to wheel it away when Despayre shoved Angel into the crook of Gabriel's arms.



"Well Goth, I imagine that you think your actions that evening were terribly clever. You know, if I have to be up front and honest, I would have to confess that back in your AWA, I had to almost respect how your level of intelligence in how you ran things. You might have made some bullshit calls, but the simple truth was you drew interest into the product. You made things happen that caused people to sit up and take notice. Unfortunately, you didn't know when to back off and allow things to evolve on their own. You didn't know when to flat out back off, and trouble arose."

"You never was able too control me, or any of the men that I cared for under my tutelage, and it just ate you alive. So instead of trying to use us for our talents and to the best of our abilities, you opted for the cheap and easy road and lashed out against us. you tried everything at your disposal to bury us when we wouldn't be cowed, and nothing worked, did it? Even you can't deny the fact we walked all over every single person you put in our paths. Every tag team, every individual ... they were just cattle to you, and you fed them to us with the likely knowledge they were mere sacrifices to a brazen cult. Well, I appreciated the flattery but we all know when things went too far, and you have only yourself to blame."

"Your ego will prove to be your own undoing. It was as today as it was those years ago. You can't admit when you've overstepped your own boundaries and made a grievous error in judgement. What you did at Climax Control was perhaps your biggest mistake to date. Oh don't get me wrong. Laying your hands on the teddy bear was foolish beyond imagining. But if anything, if anyone commands more love with Despayre than that bear, it would be the man you brought down with a steel chair. Your actions proved you might have a crafty mindset, but that does not equal a high level intelligence. It rather showed us all that above everything else, you do not understand a little thing called loyalty. You could not find a stronger bond than what Despayre shares with Gabriel, and your attack spoke about nothing short of stupidity."

"I know that you've been starving to get a shot in the ring at Despayre, ever since he put you in the hospital. **chuckles** Though even you would be hard pressed to deny that you had that one coming. Did that show you a side of him that you didn't expect, Goth? Did it burn, the embarrassment of the mighty dictator being beaten, brutalized and bloodied by my little man? To be so brazen for so many years in power, then to be hauled away in front of the wrestlers that you terrorized in business could not have stroked your ego very well. Perhaps it made them see you as you truly are; just a man. A man that can bleed. A man that can be broken. In short, a man that can be defeated."

"You asked for this Goth. Now, you have only yourself to blame."