If you saw Odette Ryder and Gabriel's promos by now, you would know that circumstances had greatly set themselves up for what always was meant to occur. I mean, what is the first thing that always tends to happen when you set foot inside of the shower? And here we're not even talking about a shower. At the end of Odette's promo, we saw what was sure to be a steamy encounter between one Miss Ryder and Gabriel, when the inevitable struck like lightning.
The door bell rang.
"Oh Bloody Hell!" Gabriel's snarl of anger and disappointment emerged from behind closed doors and the door to the bathroom where the sauna was opened up and a thick wafting steam emerged like a dense fog on a chill morning. Gabriel was in a state of undress, bare chested and tugging his slacks back 'on' as quickly as possible. He glanced back into the bathroom and sighed. "You finish getting dressed. I'll get the damn door and see who I have to toss down the sidewalk to get some privacy!"
Gabriel shut the door behind him, perhaps a little harder than he intended, and stomped down the hall and to the stairs. Taking two at a time, Gabriel landed at the base of the steps and stormed right up to the front door of his and Odette's shared home and he threw the door open and the anger on his face melted into one of understanding.
Before him on the foot of the house's threshold stood Synn, clad in a leather trench coat with his hands tucked into the jacket pockets. The night air blew gently, causing the ankle length garment to flap gently in the breeze and Synn arched an eyebrow at Gabriel's appearance.
Synn said, "You didn't have to leave yourself in such a state on my account, Gabriel. Finish getting undressed."
"Oh ha ha." Gabriel shook his head and stepped aside to allow Synn entry into the house. "I just forgot that you were picking Despy up. He usually stays the night when he's here."
"Ah." Synn nodded as he looked about the interior of the house. This being perhaps only one of a handful of times he had set foot within, since Gabriel and Odette first purchased the place. "Understandable. He perhaps would be staying the night as per usual if his guest were not due to arrive at the airport soon. I gathered he'd want to be there to pick her up."
Gabriel nodded, then asked, "So he knows his mom is coming to town?"
"Oh yes." Synn nodded. "She's going to help make the preparations for his birthday party, though if you were to ask Joshua, he'd insist that it was a party for Angel's birthday. Not his own."
Gabriel smirked as he heard foot steps heading for the top of the staircase. He said, "Yeah he mentioned a little something about that in the car after my web chat. Started asking what Odette and I were going to get for Angel." A momentary frown crossed Gabriel's otherwise handsome facial features and he then turned to Synn and asked, "What the Hell am I supposed to buy for a teddy bear's birthday, anyway?"
"Oh now, Gabriel.." Synn started to say, turning his head at the sound of the footsteps descending the stairs. "I'm certain that whatever you pick out will be just fine. You know how easy the boy is to shop for."
At that, Gabriel could but roll his eyes. Sure, the man behind the teddy bear was easy to shop for. But the teddy bear itself, he was expected to buy a gift for? How was that supposed to work? He then caught himself at what he was actually thinking and shook his head in a state of self disbelief.
"Oh, Synn!" I forgot that you were picking Despy up tonight." Odette said, pulling Gabriel from his thoughts.
Synn took in Odette's wearing of an over-sized t-shirt and slippers, and he said, "Yes, that seems to be going on an awful lot lately." He turned and gifted Gabriel with a wink. "I can't imagine why."
A touch of color kissed Odette's cheeks and she ran her hands through her long, chestnut locks and she hurriedly said, "I'll... I'll just go get your boy." And she quickly vanished down the hall.
"Where is Joshua, anyway?" Synn asked.
Gabriel answered, "In the entertainment room, watching cartoons with Melody."
"Of course." Synn said stoically. Gabriel gave him a brief look, then shook his head.
"Take it easy Big Daddy." Gabriel joked. "You knew Melody has a bit of a crush on our boy."
"Yes." Synn said, straightening his jacket. "It doesn't mean that I have to like it."
"Over protective much?" Gabriel smiled as a call came from down the hall.
"He's here! He's here!" And Despayre raced down the hallway and practically slammed into Synn, wrapping his small arms around the larger man's thick torso in a quick hug. Behind him came Odette, and a disappointed looking Melody.
"You ready?" Synn asked and Despayre just nodded.
"What about your things?" Odette asked but Despayre blinked.
"Oh yeah." And he raced right back to where he had come from, leaving everyone else in a trail of dust. Melody looked quickly toward Synn, then hurriedly avoided his gaze.
"I-I'll go help." She said timidly and she took off after him, Synn's eyes watching her as she went.
"You scare that poor girl, you know." Odette mused, drawing Synn's emerald gaze to her. "She thinks you don't like her."
Synn said nothing. He just raised his eyebrows and Gabriel smirked. Gabriel said, "No, he's just being his usual disarming self toward the girl who likes his baby boy."
"A father's prerogative." Synn said, when Gabriel tapped him on the arm. Synn looked to him and Gabriel had an expression on his face, one that denoted he had something on his mind. "Yes?"
"Listen, we need to talk before they get back." Gabriel turned to check that the hall was empty, then turned to Synn. By nature, the curious Odette leaned in and neither man said anything to ward her curiosity off. Gabriel continued, "You need to keep a close eye on Despy, man. I think something might be wrong."
"Wrong?" Synn raised his eyebrows. "What exactly do you mean?"
Gabriel said, "He just kind of ... zoned out. Two or three times, tonight. Started during my web chat. Everything was going great and then I was asked about the Haunted House match and he just kind of ... spaced out. Then he did it again when we was driving here."
"Mm." Synn simply murmured, nodding and he cast a sidelong glance toward the hall and where Despayre and Melody vanished to. "Unfortunately it's not something that surprises me, given what was done to him. I think he's trying to block the memory subconsciously and it keeps creeping it's way back to him."
Odette wrapped her arms around herself and shivered, "Poor kid." She said in her distinct accent. "Being locked in a coffin would give most adults twice his age the heeby jeebies. Can't imagine what it did to poor Despy."
Synn shook his head, "I so want to gut the bastard that did that to him." He said in a dangerous whisper. "Evans had best pray that Dreamwolf put him out of his misery or else I'll..."
"Ready!"
Despayre's call interrupted any thoughts of retribution and they watched as he struggled down the hall with his suitcase being pulled behind him, and Angel riding in Melody's arms. The poor girl looked absolutely miserable that her fun-filled evening with the object of her attentions was at an untimely end.
Synn walked over and took the suitcase from Despayre's grip and into his own, so that Despayre could turn and accept Angel from his 'fan girl' with a sincere "Thanks!"
Gabriel followed them to the door with the others and said, "So we'll see you at the house tomorrow?"
"You bet!" Despayre chirped. "I'll need all the help I can get to plan..." He quickly shifted the teddy bear in his arms so he could cover it's plush ears before he continued, "You know, A-N-G-E-L-'s party."
"I have a feeling the invitation list will be a sight to see." Synn said as he followed Despayre out the front door. Then deciding to ease a certain young girl's mind, he turned back and leaned over past Gabriel to make certain that Melody would know he was speaking directly to her. Synn continued, "I trust you will be attending as one of the honored guests?"
Melody looked left and right, then back over her shoulder to see to whom Synn was speaking to, then blinked as she came to understand he was speaking to her. She cleared her throat and nodded, "yeah. I mean... yes. I'd like to go."
"Good." Synn said simply. He stepped out onto the house's front porch, then paused and turned back to look in at Melody. "Perhaps then we might find time to have a chat, just you and I." And Synn turned and headed for the red Corvette Z06, where Despayre had already bypassed the car's security and was seated inside --patiently waiting.
Melody's eyes bugged out at the final words from Synn and she whimpered as Gabriel closed the door.
It was dark. So very, very dark...
"Angel?..."
Cramped. His arms could barely move at the sides and he reached up and felt with his fingers the solid lid over him as he laid flat on his back.
"Dad... Gabriel...?"
He looked from left to right but could see nothing but the darkness, and feel nothing but for the solid wood that was his prison. He started to breathe heavily as he pushed up against the lid.
"No..." He whimpered. "I want out..."
He pushed harder. His breathing started to become erratic and he fearfully cried out as his fists started banging hard up against the lid and trickles of dirt started to filter down through the lid and into his face...
"I want out! I want out...!"
"I want out! I WANT OUT!!!" Despayre screamed wildly in the dark and the lights of his bedroom were switched on quickly, flooding the room with a soft, golden illumination and Synn was the first to rush through the open door, followed closely by his mother, Margaret, whose own room was further down the hall.
"Joshua..!" Synn called out as he found the boy with his eyes clenched shut tightly and struggling under his covers, the blankets having become entangled in his thrashing limbs and causing his struggling to grow even more stressed. "Joshua!"
Synn grabbed Despayre's shoulders and pulled him up, giving him a sharp shake to force his senses alert.
"No...NO!" Despayre screamed and then his eyes snapped open and they were filled with a wave of chilling fear by the nightmare he had just suffered through. He looked around, wide eyed at everything until it all slowly started to come back to him. Where he was. Whom was surrounding him with expressions of concern. He shut his eyes and leaned in against Synn, clutching him in a fearful embrace and his small body started to rack with waves of uncontrolled emotion.
"It's okay, Joshua." Synn assured him, holding him tightly to offer him the secure reassurance. "A dream. That's all it was."
Margaret leaned down and picked Angel up from where the teddy bear had fallen to the side of the bed in the wild movements. (If you asked Despayre, he'd tell you Angel was guarding against the monsters under the bed.) She slowly sat on the edge of the bed and offered the bear over to her's and Synn's shared child and Despayre instinctively grabbed his best friend and held him tightly against his chest while continuing to hold onto his father while his mother caressed his head lovingly.
From the doorway of the bedroom, the household's live-in housekeeper, Teresa, had stood, also having been woken up from the violent cries. he watched the scene then said, "I'll go make him some hot chocolate." And she turned and left.
"Is he okay?" Rage, a frequent guest at the house, asked as Teresa passed him in the upstairs hall.
She paused only long enough to shake her head and she whispered, "Nightmare." And she went on to carry out her task of making Joshua the hot cocoa. Some might find it an odd thing to make for such a circumstance but it was a known fact that chocolate was very good for soothing the nerves and anxiety.
Rage moved up the hall and looked into the room as Despayre's parents were working to calm him down. Anyone who had a child, or the memories of being one, were all to well aware of just how frightening a nightmare could be. The lingering effects of the fear would remain for untold amounts of time. Sometimes minutes. Sometimes, hours. Synn glanced up and saw the "Sin of Wrath" standing there. Rage nodded his head toward Despayre who's breathing was slowly getting to normal.
"He gonna be okay?" Rage asked calmly.
"Yeah." Synn said as he slowly let Despayre go and massaged his shoulder with a free hand. "He will." Synn leaned down and the movement made Despayre look up into his father's eyes. "Won't you?"
Despayre took a deep breath to calm himself, or try to at least, and he nodded. He was scared, but his mom was right here beside him and he wanted her to think him brave, as any son might.
"You'll be okay?" Margaret asked, her hand having never stopped stroking her boy's hair in a soft, gentle display of affection.
Despayre nodded.
Teresa then stepped into the room with a mug in her hands that was emitting a soft steam and scent of chocolate. She carried it over and passed it to Margaret who accepted it with a gentle "Thank you." and handed it to Despayre. Synn had stood up and walked over to the TV against the wall on display and switched it on and Despayre's attention became suddenly focused on the on-screen antics of another round of Daffy Duck versus Bugs Bunny in a "Wabbit season! ... Duck season!" debate.
"Just watch this for a bit until you're ready to go to sleep again." Synn counseled and started for the door. Margaret kissed him on the scalp and followed.
"Can I keep my light on?" Despayre asked between sips of his cocoa and Margaret and Synn both exchanged looks and Synn nodded, "Of course."
Despayre's parents stepped into the hall and Margaret looked to Teresa with a grateful smile.
She said, "Thank you."
Teresa nodded and turned to Synn, "Wake me if he needs anything else."
"I will." Synn said, offering a hand to the older woman's arm. "Thank you."
Teresa smiled lightly and turned and headed back for her bedroom. Synn glanced in toward Despayre's room and listened for a brief moment to the television's sounds before he looked to the woman who gave him a son.
Margaret smiled sadly and shrugged. "I never knew what I would do if he had nightmares." She said, her eyes glistening. "He never had them when he was a boy."
"He is still a boy." Synn said, looking off down the hall before turning to her. "And I must admit, you handled it admirably."
Margaret smiled and wiped at her eyes. "Thank you."
"Go on back to bed." Synn advised. "We'll do him no good hovering outside of his room. He'll be fine."
"Right." She whispered and she turned for her own room. Synn watched the door close gently behind her and then he himself turned and rested his back against the wall, watching the door to his son's room. Not minding his own advice.
***************
And the night went on, and the concerned father indeed managed to heed his own words and found himself back in bed, although he slept little what with concern over Despayre's nightmare and how what was done to him might affect his mental state. After much time, tossing and turning, Synn had drifted into unconsciousness and started to get some much needed rest when a presence in his room alerted him and he jolted awake.
He sat upright and in the shadows saw Despayre standing in the doorway of his room, clutching Angel and his blanket. His eyes were filled with fear and even from where he stood, he could see the boy's body trembling.
"Joshua?" Synn frowned. "Is everything...?"
It then came to him all too quickly. A child having just suffered perhaps one of his first nightmares, and what that same child would desire to remain safe and protected. Synn scooted over to the right of his bed and pulled back the covers.
"Come on then." He said and nothing more need be said for Despayre, who practically dove onto the bed and crawled into the covers, draping his own over him. Synn, for the first time, found his son snuggled up against him with the small teddy bear between them for added security.
It felt like a family.
The kitchen of the household was alive with activity as a totally refreshed Despayre sat at the head of the kitchen table, with a stack of notebooks and a pen in hand, jotting down everything that came to mind as he and his family and friends made the final plans for the ultimate birthday party for a teddy bear.
Synn yawned mightily, carrying a cup of coffee from the kitchen counter and over to join the others that sat along the table. While he might have been able to sleep, during the remainder of the night, Synn had opted to stay up and watch over Despayre who slept more soundly than he could recall seeing during their relatively few short years together.
"Are you sure you want to invite them?" Gabriel asked, holding up a notepad with one hand while in his other he held one of Teresa's homemade cinnamon rolls. "That's just asking for trouble."
"Why do you say that?" Margaret asked, not understanding what would be so bad about inviting the entirety of Nick Jones's controversial 'Entourage' to her son's birthday. of course, she was not overly familiar with anything in the sport that didn't revolve around Despayre, and to a slim degree, Gabriel.
Despayre leaned over to look at the notepad in Gabriel's hand and he nodded his head vigorously. "Uh huh!" He confirmed. "Bernie loves a party! And you can't invite him without inviting his friends."
"We could sure as sh... we could try." Rage observed, shoveling almost an entire cinnamon roll into his mouth and reached for his own mug of java.
Despayre shook his head as he went over his preparation notes. "Wouldn't be fair." He said innocently. "And besides, the more people we invite, the more presents they bring!"
Synn looked to Margaret who didn't seem any more rested than he himself felt. He said, "Well he's got us there."
Margaret shrugged in defeat as she drank deeply from her mug. She brushed her free hand through her hair, pulling it back from over her shoulder. "Didn't you say they didn't get along with some of the others on the list?"
"Yeah." Synn nodded. "Nick's friends don't get along too well with Spike's and Joshua here wants them all at the party."
"Presents..." Despayre reminded them in a sing-song voice, not taking his eyes off of the notebook he was studying closely.
"I'll talk with Spike." Odette offered. "I'm sure they can keep the peace for the sake of a party."
"And Nick?" Synn asked with skepticism in his tone of voice.
"They'll behave." Melody said confidently, looking over Despayre's shoulder at the notebook, licking frosting off of her cinnamon roll.
"If they know what's good for them." Teresa said nonchalantly as she passed the table, ominously holding a skillet in her hand.
Rage nodded toward the housekeeper and said, "With her around, it'd be Jones's swan song if he started something."
"Okay..." Synn sighed. "Any last additions we should add to the invite list before I get the invitations sent out?"
Despayre tore a sheet of paper from his notebook and handed it over to his father, saying "Just her."
Margaret glanced at it and smiled. "Queen Elizabeth?" She asked, looking around the table.
Despayre nodded, "Yup. I hafta invite her. She'll be expecting it after we got along so well."
Margaret looked at her son in confusion, before turning to Synn who nodded as he drank from his coffee cup. Synn said, "Hard as it might be to believe, it's true. Your son here got lost when we were on a tour of Buckingham Palace and ended up meeting the Queen of England herself."
"We all did!" Despayre added happily.
"Almost all of us." Odette sighed. "We weren't there, Mel and I."
"Yeah." Melody said. "Meeting the Queen. Lucky..."
Despayre said, "So you see? She has to be invited. She and Angel got along great!"
"Alright Joshua, we'll invite the Queen." Synn conceded. It was a lost battle anyway. He glanced up and found a wicked smile on Gabriel's face and Synn snarled and mouthed 'Oh be quiet." All too often the magician would tease him by saying (and being truthful) that whatever Despayre wanted, Despayre got.
Synn continued, "But please don't get your hopes up. She is a very busy woman."
"She'll come." Despayre said without a lack of confidence. "Have faith."
"Not one of my particular strong suits." Synn said as he stood up and went to refill his mug.
Despayre watched him for a moment and then turned to his m0ther excitedly and asked, "So you have a special surprise for me, I mean, for Angel?"
"How did you know that?" Margaret frowned. "I was talking to your father about that on the telephone."
"Yeah. That's where I heard it." Despayre said without remorse.
"It's one of his hobbies." Gabriel offered. "Some people collect stamps. Your listens in on phone calls."
"Angel listens in on phone calls." Despayre corrected him. He then looked at his mom. "Teddy bears are very curious sorts, you know. He listens, then fills me in."
"Ah." Margaret said, taking a sip of coffee and then addressing Synn. "That's handy."
"Isn't it?" Synn said.
"So what's the surprise?" Despayre asked.
"Joshy, I can't tell you that." Margaret said. "That would spoil the surprise now wouldn't it?"
Despayre smiled and clenched his fists in his lap. "You could tell Angel." He offered.
"Like Angel doesn't tell you everything he finds out." Odette giggled and Despayre turned his head and held a forefinger to his lips, his ploy having been thwarted.
"Alright, it's time to get this underway." Synn said, walking back over with what had to have been his third or fourth straight cup of black coffee. "What's on the agenda?"
"Okay!" Despayre said happily. "We're going to make this party the best it can be for Angel! So I have tasks for everyone!" He started to tear pages from his notebook and passed the around to everyone from his mom and dad, to Teresa and Melody -- until all present had a paper in hand.
"Decorations?" Rage said with a frown. He looked up and shook his head. "You're putting me in charge of decorations?"
Despayre nodded as he gulped from his glass of chocolate milk.
"What am I supposed to decide on?" Rage asked with more than just a trace of sarcasm in his voice. "Balloons and stupid hats?"
Despayre smiled and turned to Gabriel. "And you said he wouldn't know anything about how to make for a good party!"
"I really don't see much use in talking much on this encounter that Despayre and Gabriel are scheduled for. I mean, it doesn't appear that the challengers are prepared to do so, so why show the respect to them that they are denying the champions by right?"
"Yes, I said 'by right'. Neither Blade Alexander nor D.J. Williams have done much to impress me, save for properly schmoozing the bosses enough to convince them that they would make for a credible combination in which to challenge the champions. Aside from that, they've done very little except for defeating midcarders at best."
"The champions, on the other hand, have earned everything that has passed their way. No team has met them that hasn't been put down soundly in defeat. Non-title or otherwise, Sinful Obsession has walked away as the victors, and now they hold the distinction of being the longest reigning champions in SCW history. Do you hear that, Nick Jones? The man who held the SCW Heavyweight Championship for oh so long, has been knocked off his perch. Such a shame."
"But this is about someone else other than Mister Jones. This is about two men who once had vast amounts of potential at one point in time, yet no longer are they seen as threats. Both Blade as well as D.J. are something akin to jobbers to the stars. Oh sure, they might get a win over lower or mid-card talent, but what happens when either man finds himself against top tier wrestlers, main event worthy? That is exactly what we are going to see in Las Vegas when these two make the vain attempt to challenge for and end the tag team title reign of Despayre and Gabriel."
"Yet who knows? Perhaps Blade and D.J. will surprise everyone and at least give the champions some semblance of a challenging encounter before the inevitable loss. Yet it's doubtful. The truly sad thing is that these two men have nobody to blame for their current standing other than themselves. They began their careers in the SCW with fanfare and momentum, and then without explanation, they vanished without a care in the world or any offer of explanation to anyone. How does one recover from that, when everything you built up is suddenly lost of your own accord? How can you see yourself as a rising star in the sport when you sacrificed everything you were building toward for reason unknown?"
"Well, here's your chance, gentlemen. Here is your chance to right a wrong against the very best. Here is your chance to answer the most painful of questions that you branded your very careers with;"
"What If?"
