April 11
Waterford, Ireland

Descending the stairs of Mal’s childhood home that they had been staying in, Bella Madison yawned as she tied the sash of her robe. Padding barefoot into the kitchen, she smiled as she took her seat at the table watching her mother-in-law Aileen turn to her with a cup of tea and a plate of toast already in hand.

“Good morning, darling,” Aileen said in her soft Irish accent. She placed the cup and plate in front of Bella and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Did you sleep well?”

“Since we’ve been here, I think I’ve consistently had the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. As much as I love New York, it’s nice to be out of the city, away from the noise and the hectic pace,” Bella sighed, picking up a piece of toast and nibbling the corner. “But the last two nights, since we got home from Scotland…” A wrinkle formed in the middle of her eyebrows as she frowned.

Aileen took the seat next to her and gently grasped Bella’s hand in both of hers. “I know, darling. It was an absolute shame what happened in Mal’s match. And for that beast of a man to threaten you the way he did…” Aileen’s face took on an uncharacteristically fierce look as her brown eyes narrowed. “Mallacht na baintrí ort.”

Bella stared wide-eyed at her mother-in-law with her mouth agape. She may not have completely understood what she said, but she had said it with such venom that Bella had never heard from the older woman before. Normally Aileen was a sweet-tempered and kind lady, but this was a rare break in character for her. “You know, I think I’m starting to see now where Alanah gets it from,” she finally said.

The dark look faded away from Aileen’s face, and she looked up at Bella with a smile again. “Well, when someone threatens my family, that is absolutely unforgivable. Though I hardly think I’m the only one who went after that Harris fellow.”

“Oh trust me, the guy was about to have an entire O’Neil clan on his ass…even the ones that don’t wrestle.” Bella bit into her toast. “I guess that’s something the O’Neils and the O’Connells have in common - strong family bonds.”

“And that’s why you and Mal are so well suited for each other.” Aileen patted Bella’s cheek as she rose up to prepare her own breakfast. “People may see him as cold-hearted and ruthless, but he will always stand up for family, no matter the cost.”

Bella finished up the last of her toast and swallowed the last of her tea. “Speaking of, where did my husband get off to? I know he’s usually up with the birds for his workouts, but he should have been back by now.”

Aileen nodded her head towards the back door. “He’s out back splitting wood. Been at it for hours now. He’s probably got enough wood cut to keep the entire neighbourhood warm clear through until next spring.”

After clearing her dishes off the table and depositing them in the sink, Bella pressed a kiss to Aileen’s cheek and headed towards the back door. As she drew closer she heard the telltale thunk! of an axe hitting wood, and her gaze traveled through the small window in the door and out into the backyard. Sure enough, she caught sight of Mal…or rather, the back of him. He was shirtless, despite the chilly spring morning, dressed in grey sweatpants with his mid-length hair tied back at the nape of his neck. He reached down and lifted a thick chunk of wood to place on an elevated platform, before he picked up a large woodcutter’s axe. He centered his grip on the handle before swinging it above his head and in one fluid motion brought it swinging down with force into the log, splitting it cleanly in half. He picked up the two pieces and tossed them onto a massive pile that was growing in front of him.

Shaking her head slightly and pushing the impure thoughts currently fogging her mind away, Bella pushed the door open and walked out onto the stone patio, drawing the robe around herself a bit tighter to ward off the chilly morning air. “Well, after seeing this little display, I kind of want to put in a wood-burning fireplace back home now.”

At the sound of her voice, Mal turned to look over his shoulder. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead, and a few loose tendrils of hair had fallen across his forehead. He gave her a lopsided grin, one that he knew made her go weak in the knees. “And just where would I find wood to split in the middle of New York City, hm?”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Minor details. Then again, we could always move out to the woods somewhere.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “City girl like you roughing it in the woods? I highly doubt it.” He loaded up another hunk of wood and brought the axe crashing down into it.

“Hey! I could absolutely rough it if I needed to. Although, I do enjoy running water…and electricity…and internet…”

Mal shook his head with a laugh. “How about a compromise - we can always go rent a cabin somewhere this summer. Kind of like what we did a couple years ago, remember?”

She smiled as she remembered the trip they took out to the woods. They had rented a private cabin for just the two of them, and it was a blissful vacation free of obligations and responsibilities. “That was pretty amazing. But back then, I wasn’t…” She gestured to her stomach, the swelling now large enough to be noticeable under her clothes. “And I don’t know if I want to be out in the middle of nowhere at seven or eight months pregnant.”

“That…is a good point.” He leaned the axe up against the nearby shed as he walked over to the patio. He dropped into a chair and quickly pulled Bella into his lap. “As it is, I’m probably going to take the whole month of August off. I don’t want to get stuck somewhere and not be able to make it back in time.”

“Well, babies do run on their own schedule,” she said, rubbing her hand along her belly. “Look at Alanah’s twins. They weren’t due until September, but surprise!”

“I know, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. We’ve got enough savings that taking one month off won’t hurt us financially anyways.” He looked down towards her stomach. “You just better not give us any trouble, missy. You just take it easy and get here on time. Not early or late, you hear me?”

Bella giggled a bit, before a sharp gasp cut off whatever she was about to say. “Mal, quick! Gimme your hand!”

He jumped slightly at her change in tone, but held out his hand to her. She quickly grabbed it and put it on her stomach, near the middle of the bump. “When you were talking to her, she started kicking! Say something again!”

His eyes widened, but he looked back down to her stomach. “Hey, you take it easy on your mum’s insides, alright? Once you get here, I’ll teach you all about football -”

He was interrupted by the feel of a tiny foot pressing against his hand from the inside of Bella’s stomach. The sensation startled him slightly, but almost immediately he was overwhelmed with emotion. “Holy shit,” he whispered.

Bella was beaming at him, putting her own hand over his. “Apparently someone likes the sound of Daddy’s voice. That’s the hardest she’s kicked so far.”

He smiled as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her stomach. They sat together quietly for a moment, enjoying the solitude of the early morning together. But then, Bella shifted in his lap to look up at him. “So…do you want to talk about Sunday?”

Immediately, he felt his mood sour. He had been trying to keep his mind off of what had happened, and for the most part he had been successful. Still, he wasn’t mad at Bella for asking. She had been just as vocal as him in her opinions about the match, and he knew she was just trying to help him work through the roiling emotions building up inside of him. He thought he had gotten rid of most of his anger at the conclusion of the match, but there were still some lingering tendrils whenever he thought about it. He let out a sigh and pushed his hand through his hair, pulling out the hair tie as he did. “What else is there to say? The fucker twisted that finish in his favour, and I got royally screwed. Not much else to talk about at this point.”

She gave him a sad look, taking his hand in hers and gently rubbing at the back of his knuckles with her thumb. “Hey, you were absolutely amazing in that match. If it hadn’t been for Harris and his little harlot harem, I fully believe you would be sitting here as the SCW World champion.”

He gave her a small smile, gently pressing his lips to hers. “Well, what’s done is done. No use dwelling on it more than we have to. Harris will get what’s coming to him eventually, and I will enjoy every damn second of his downfall.” A pensive look came over his face at this point. “But there is one loose end that needs tying up, and it’s something that needs to be done in person, I think.”

She gave him a look of concern. “Mal…please don’t do what I think you’re going to do.”

He gave her another kiss. “I’m not going to attack anyone, I promise. On the contrary, I need to make an apology…”

—-----------

April 17
Waterford, Ireland

“Has this man completely lost his fuckin’ mind?”

The incredulous voice of Malachi rang out in the kitchen as he stared wide-eyed at the email he had just received to his phone. The door of the fridge was left open as he stood in front of it, barely registering the cold air washing over him.

Walking out from the living room into the kitchen, Bella gave him a curious look. “What are you yelling about?”

“Just the fact that I think Mark Ward is about to get us all killed, that’s all.” He snapped the fridge door shut as he turned around to stare at his wife. “He’s completely lost the plot, I swear to Christ.”

A bewildered look crossed Bella’s face as she leaned up against the counter and folded her arms across her chest. “Uh, you wanna run that by me one more time?”

He simply held his phone up to show her the email, which was the card for the upcoming SCW show on the 23rd. She looked it over, the puzzled expression remaining on her face. “Am I missing something? Like, is there some hidden message or something I can’t see? Looks like a pretty standard match card to me.”

He tapped a finger towards the top of the card. “Mark’s little decree here. Apparently everyone that’s booked for this show is supposed to camp out in the woods.”

Bella blinked at him. “I mean, that’s kind of weird, but I’m still not seeing how that’s some kind of sinister plot by Mark Ward to have you all killed.”

“Bella…we’ll be in Romania.”

“Yeah.”

“More specifically…the Transylvanian region. In one of the most haunted forests in the entirety of Europe.”

It was like the lightbulb suddenly went on in Bella’s mind as her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Wait a minute…Mark wants you all to camp out in the middle of DRACULA territory?!”

“Apparently. And before you even ask…no way in hell are you coming to this one.”

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on it.”

He gave her a withering stare. “Gee, thanks for putting up a fight.”

“Hey, there are certain things I just do not fuck with. Haunted forests are definitely one of them. Not to mention camping at five and a half months pregnant? No thank you.” She reached over and patted his shoulder in a somewhat mocking manner. “You go have fun with that one, Boy Scout. And hey, at least you won’t be totally alone. You’ll have the rest of the SCW roster and crew there with you.” She smiled sweetly at him before kissing his cheek and heading back into the living room.

He watched her go before letting out a beleaguered sigh, running a hand through his hair as he followed her. “You don’t seem too concerned by the fact that you could potentially end up a widow, you know.”

“Oh, stop being such a drama llama. Nothing’s going to happen.”

“You literally just said that you don’t fuck with haunted forests. So you do believe that there’s something out there.”

She gave him a devilish little smirk. “Whatever is out there would be absolutely stupid to mess with you. I know that you’ll be the scariest motherfucker in that entire forest.”

He stared at her for a moment, before his own smirk turned up his mouth. “You know…you just may be right.”
—--------

April 21
Hoia Forest
Romania

During the day, it was hard to reconcile the stories of Hoia Forest being one of the most supernatural places in all of Europe. It was densely packed with towering trees that were currently just starting to sprout green buds in anticipation of the warmer weather on its way, as well as freshwater springs and even a small lake. There were numerous walking and biking trails, and plenty of spaces for outdoor activities. All in all, it was a typical outdoor greenspace with no outward indication that there was anything suspect about it.

But when night descended, the rumours became just a bit more believable. This current evening, as the sun began to sink below the horizon, the entire atmosphere of the area changed. The towering trees became sinister creatures, their branches twisting into the air like spindly arms. A thick fog rolled in and obscured the ground, lending an eerie ambience to the already spooky scene. The cheerful birdsong that filled the air during the daylight hours was now replaced with the chirping of crickets and the occasional caw of a crow or hoot from an owl.

But soon, these sounds were joined by the crunch of approaching footsteps across the ground. Faint at first, they grew closer and closer, until a dimly silhouetted figure could barely be made out in the distance. The footsteps continued and the figure drew closer and closer until the slight illumination from the half-moon that peeked through a haze of clouds in the inky black sky revealed Malachi. The Irish fighter was dressed head to toe in black, nearly blending into the night around him. His bright blue eyes shone, however, as they stared directly into the camera lens.

“And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. For I am the most dangerous motherfucker here.” A cocky smirk turned up one side of his mouth. “A little trite and cliche, but accurate nonetheless. I realize that Mark Ward arranged this little ‘camping trip’ as some kind of test of character, or whatever excuse he concocted in his mind. But there’s nothing in this forest that is as dangerous as Malachi on a damn mission.”

He slid his hands into his pockets as he paced a few steps. His footsteps seemed to echo, though there was nothing around him for them to echo off of. The effect was somewhat…unnerving, though he paid no mind to it. “Two weeks ago, I was absolutely robbed of my opportunity to finally reach the pinnacle of this company by a sniveling, pathetic cowardly excuse of a ‘champion’. And when I say that pissed me off…well, I may be understating it a bit. But what it also did was motivate me like never before. One way or another, I will earn my way back to that title, and I guarantee that I will rip it from Michael Harris’ bloody, broken hands and raise it high over my head. That is, if he’s lucky enough to still have the title in a few weeks’ time.”

His eyes narrowed with that forceful declaration, before his face fell back into its cocky expression once again. “But before I get to that point, I have another opportunity in front of me, it seems. In fact, another chance at the Roulette title. Shame that Goth was forced to vacate, as he was an actually good champion. I have no shame in admitting my defeat to him, because he and I took each other to our limits and he just happened to be the better man on that night. I had hoped to get another match with him, but it seems like that won’t be happening anytime soon. Rather, there’s going to be a fatal four way match at Into The Void to determine a new champion. And how did Mark and Christian decide to celebrate this announcement? By throwing two of the men into a match, which will be guest-refereed by the third man, with the fourth man being announced that night.” He let out a short laugh through his nose, shaking his head. “Well, you can’t say that they don’t keep things interesting, that’s for sure. So, this Sunday night, it’s going to be me stepping into the ring against Peter Vaughn, with Bill Barnhart as the special guest referee.”

He stopped pacing to stand in front of the camera, his legs slightly apart and his arms now crossed over his chest. “Now, I can’t say that I know much about Peter Vaughn, besides what he’s done here in SCW and what I’ve been able to gather from a bit of research. And just going by what he’s done here in SCW, I can say that the man is pretty damn talented. After all, he is unbeaten in singles matches. But all good things must come to an end eventually. Hell, I had a pretty damn good unbeaten streak going for a while, and sure enough it came to a screeching halt. But I’m more than ready to reclaim that streak, and ride it all the way to championship gold at Into The Void. Now, it would be remiss of me to overlook the fact that you happen to be a member of the Saviors, and while at one time that could have been considered impressive, the recent addition of a certain member has kind of…dulled the shine of your illustrious group. I mean, The Troll? Seriously?” He gave a raised-eyebrow look to the camera. “The guy’s been beaten more than a pinata at a birthday party. I should know, I’ve got two wins over him myself. But hey, if you’re all into taking on charity cases, then good on you, I guess.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “But I want you to keep something in mind - you try to run the numbers game on me, I’ll dismantle each and every shitheel that’s fool enough to step to me. I’ve already been screwed over by interference, and I didn’t really care for the experience. So if you’re even entertaining the idea, I invite you to test that assumption at your convenience.” The cocky smirk slipped back onto his face at his more palatable phrasing of ‘fuck around and find out’.

“And then we have my good buddy, Bill Barnhart.” The sarcasm dripping from his words was so thick it could almost be seen as clearly as the mist escaping his mouth in the late night chill. “I find it a little bit ironic that the last time we met up in the ring, you had a lot to say about how much you thought I would cheat in our match…and now you suddenly find yourself as the guest referee for this match. I’m just gonna let you know the score right here and now - I have never, nor will I ever need to resort to cheating in a match. Unlike some people I could mention on this roster.” He gave a pointed look towards the camera, his blue eyes practically throwing daggers through the lens as they seemed to say ‘if you think this is about you, it probably is’. “When I beat Vaughn, it’s going to be under my own power, using my own moves and that’s it. So all you need to do is be ready to count the one, two, three once I pin him to the canvas. I know you tend to be a bit scatterbrained at the best of times, but I sincerely hope you can manage at least that.”

He raised a hand up and stared at it with a contemplative look on his face, curling it into a tight fist. “I’ve been within a fingertip’s grasp of gold on two occasions now, and I’ll be damned if I let it slip through my fingers again. There may not be any gold on the line in this match, but the one that walks out with the victory will have one hell of a head start going into Into The Void. I’ve got a good track record in that area so far, and I don’t plan on changing my strategy anytime soon. The only difference being that where I failed to capture gold before…it won’t happen again.”

As his eyes stared into the camera, they almost seemed to start glowing with a faint red hue. He raised his hand up with his thumb extended, drawing it across his throat with his signature gesture before he turned on his heel and began walking into the treeline. The darkness seemed to swallow him as he disappeared from sight, and all was quiet for a moment…

Until an ear-piercing scream tore through the night air, and a bright white blur dashed across the screen. The camera shuddered and fell over on its side, and as it hit the ground the feed suddenly cut to white static for a brief moment before snapping to black.

March 25
King’s Point, New York

“I still can’t believe Lanah is doing all this,” Mal said with a shake of his head as he and Bella made their way from their car up to the front door of the home owned by Mal’s younger sister Alanah and her husband Jack Russow. “She’s literally weeks away from having another baby, and from what she’s been texting me, it seems like she’s gone all out for this party.”

“Well, you know your sister. She wants everything to be special,” Bella commented. “Besides, at this point when she was pregnant with the twins she was bed bound. I’m pretty sure she’s just enjoying the fact that she’s able to walk under her own power.”

“Fair point.”

They walked up to the door, but before they even had a chance to knock it flew inward with a dramatic flourish. A high-pitched squeal could be heard as Jack’s younger sister Rosie Russow was revealed. The dramatic preteen clapped her hands together excitedly as she rushed forward, but at the last second stopped herself and gently wrapped her arms around Bella.

“Oh, my darling Bella! How I adore seeing you again!” she said excitedly as she stepped back, taking an appraising look. “You have that same stunning glow about you that my dearest Alanah has! Pregnancy has been kind to you both!”

Bella giggled a bit. “Thanks, Rosie.”

Rosie then turned to Mal and immediately wrapped him in a tight hug as well. “And my favourite not-so-grumpy man himself! I do hope that you plan to enjoy today’s festivities! After all, not only are we celebrating your little bundle of joy, but your birthday as well!”

Mal awkwardly reached up and patted Rosie on the head. “Uh, yeah. Gonna be a great day.”

Rosie smiled at them both again before she flounced off into the house. Bella and Mal traded looks, with Bella trying to suppress her giggles and Mal rolling his eyes as they followed her into the living room. It was completely decked out with blue and pink streamers, balloons and other decorations. They heard some noise coming from the kitchen, so they headed there to see a heavily pregnant Alanah waddling around the kitchen along with her and Bella’s friend Mattie Cormier as well as Aileen O’Connell, Alanah and Mal’s mother. When Alanah turned around from putting a tray in the oven and saw Bella and Mal in the doorway, she squealed and made her way over to give them both hugs.

“You guys are early!” she said. “We haven’t even got the food ready yet! Not to mention all of the guests aren’t here.”

“Well, we could always give you a hand…” Bella said, but a narrowed-eye look from Alanah stopped her mid-sentence.

“Don’t even think about it, missy. This is your gender reveal-slash-birthday party, after all!” She started shoving them slightly out of the kitchen. “Now, go relax in the den while we finish setting everything up.”

Bella and Mal traded looks and shrugged their shoulders as they made their way to the other side of the house, where in the den they found Jack playing with Patrick and Elise, while Rosie’s twin brother Charlie was curled up in the reading nook by the bay window with his nose in a thick book. Mattie’s fiance Mack McKane was in one of the armchairs at the side of the room, seemingly asleep.

When little Elise caught sight of Bella and Mal coming into the room, her face lit up and she got up from the floor to toddle her way over to them. To everyone’s surprise, she went straight past Bella and made a beeline for Mal, holding her little arms up to her uncle.

Mal’s face broke out into a wide grin as he picked up the 19 month old. “Heya, my little Leesie,” he said, playfully rubbing his beard on her round cheeks. She squealed in delight as she squirmed in his arms.

“Well, looks like someone’s got a favourite,” Jack said with a little smirk.

“Are you kidding? When we looked after them for you, she wouldn’t leave his side. Probably didn’t help that he spoiled her absolute rotten,” Bella said with a sideways glance and smirk at her husband as she sat down on the loveseat. “Even got Uncle Mal to sing her a special Irish lullaby for bedtime.”

Mal took the seat next to her, and Elise made herself comfortable in his lap while she played with one of her dolls. “Hey, Patrick got just as much attention as she did. He seemed to prefer you over me, anyhow,” he said, looking down at his nephew who was busy building a tower out of foam blocks. The stack wobbled before it came crashing down right onto Jack’s head, and the little boy giggled as Jack pretended he was hurt.

A little time passed, and soon the house was full of people and the party was in full swing. Bella’s parents Laura and Nick Madison had arrived with Bella’s little brother Aaron, who was eyeing the lavish blue and pink cake in the centre of the table. Laura was doing everything she could to keep the four year old from getting his little hands on it, and it was certainly an entertaining sight for everyone as they laughed.

At one point, Mal caught the eye of Mattie, who beckoned him over. He raised an eyebrow and excused himself from Bella’s side with a kiss on her cheek as he walked over to Mattie, who was heading over to the empty den. “Hey Matts, what’s up?”

She gave him a measured look, folding her arms across her chest. “Look, I don’t want to start anything on your big day, but there’s something I have to ask…what happened that day at the studio?”

Mal raised an eyebrow at her again. “What do you mean?”

“When you came over for your fitting before the SCW pay per view…I was running a bit late, so I messaged Claire to let her know. I get there, and she’s all in your arms.” Her look turned slightly accusatory. “I just wanna know what happened.”

Mal held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “Whoa, hold up just a second. I don’t know what she told you, but nothing happened. She figured we could get a head start on the fitting since you were gonna be there soon anyways, and when I came out after I put the gear on she tripped over something on the floor and banged up her ankle. I was just helping her to the kitchen to get some ice since she couldn’t walk. That’s it.”

Her brown eyes narrowed. “You swear?”

He drew an X over his chest on the left side with his finger. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

Mattie studied his face for a few moments before her face relaxed and she sighed slightly. “Alright, I believe you.”

Now, it was Mal’s turn to be curious. “Why? What did Claire say?”

“Nothing that you didn’t already just tell me, but she has been acting kind of weird since you and Bella started coming around the studio. Like she isn’t focused on her job. Making mistakes that she’s never made before. The girl’s always had an incredible mind for business, but lately it’s like her head’s been everywhere but.” She ran a hand through her thick brown waves of hair. “I dunno, maybe it’s just the stress of getting this collection out that’s finally getting to me. That, and watching too many telenovelas.”

Mal put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Listen, I promise you that absolutely nothing happened. You know how absolutely in love with Bella I am. Not to mention the fact that we’re finally going to have the baby that we’ve been wanting for months now.”

Mattie smiled. “Yeah, I know. You’ve been head over heels for that girl since day one.” She gave him a quick hug. “I’m sorry for bothering you with this, today of all days.”

“Hey, no harm done. I know you’re just being a good friend and looking out for Bella.” He held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. “Let’s get back to the party. I think we’re gonna be cutting the cake soon, or else Aaron’s gonna be the one revealing the surprise.”

Mattie laughed as they headed back into the living room. Bella gave him a curious glance as he returned to her side, but he just gave her a reassuring smile as he kissed her forehead.

“About time you got back!” Alanah said, grabbing both his and Bella’s arms and pulling them towards the table. “Let’s get this cake cut and find out if it’s a boy or a girl!”

Bella and Mal stood at the back of the table, the ornate cake in between them and everyone crowding around to get a good view. The couple looked at each other with eager smiles on their faces as Mal picked up the knife. “Are you ready for this?”

Bella’s hand was shaking slightly as she put it on top of his, and she took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

They smiled at each other one more time before they brought the knife down into the cake, making two cuts and lifting out the slice to reveal…

Layers of pink ombre, with pink candies spilling out across the table.

A cheer went up from the crowd as they all snapped pictures and took videos of the moment. Mal felt the biggest smile appear on his face as he stared down at the cake, before looking up to see Bella with happy tears rolling down her cheeks as she put her hands over her mouth. He gently wrapped her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head with tears spilling out of his eyes as well as the celebration continued on around them.

—----

March 26
Manhattan, New York

“Hey, the new card for SCW just dropped, babe,” Bella called down the stairs of their home, into the basement gym where Malachi was in the middle of a set of bench presses.

Dressed in a pair of black shorts and white sneakers, Mal lifted the barbell over his head once more and placed it back onto the rack. Sitting up on the bench, he pulled his headphones down off of his ears to rest around his neck and picked  up a towel to wipe away the sweat from his forehead and his bare chest. “Huh? What’d you say, Bells?”

She rolled her eyes and huffed exasperatedly. “Get your ass up here so I don’t have to keep yelling!”

He grunted in response and made his way up the stairs, walking into the living room where Bella was curled up on the couch with Luka dozing at her feet on the rug. He finished wiping himself down and plopped down beside her. “Alright, your Sassy Majesty, what were you hollering for?”

“The new Climax Control card just got announced. Figured you’d want to see if you got booked or not.” She held up her phone which was already on the SCW homepage. She tapped a few times to bring up the new card, and the two of them read it over together.

“Oh goody, I got Bill Barnhart for the umpteenth time. Whoo-hoo,” Mal said sarcastically, rolling his blue eyes and twirling a finger in the air. But Bella’s eyes lit up in excitement when she saw where the show was being held.

“Ooooo, Barbados!” Bella squealed excitedly. “I could really use some beach time. This weather has been wreaking havoc on my poor body. The headaches I’ve been getting from all the damn pressure changes…ugh. Not to mention the snow not making up its freaking mind whether it’s coming or going.”

“Uh, Bells…” Mal’s voice held an uncharacteristic worried tone. His eyes briefly glanced down to his wife’s slightly rounded stomach, then back up to her face. “Are you really sure you should be traveling that kind of distance? Going across the States is one thing…”

She gave him her best sad puppy-dog look, her blue eyes wide and her lower lip sticking out just a little bit. “Mal, I’m not gonna get to do much traveling at all soon. Besides, I researched the heck out of this and so long as I don’t have any complications, it should be safe. Even double checked with the airline and everything to make sure that I could still travel with you, at least for a little bit longer. Plus, this is the first time Mom’s been back in the ring since Aaron was born, and I wanna support her as well.” She scooted over so that she was sitting on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Please please please, pretty please can I come?”

He still looked a little hesitant. “I dunno…I just don’t want anything to happen. You know how wild these SCW shows can get sometimes.”

“Babe, I promise that I will stay out of the way. I just want to be able to enjoy as much as I can before I push a whole human out of my body.”

Mal sputtered in surprise, while Bella laughed at him. “Geez, you didn’t have to put it that way!”

“Well, it’s true! Soon, I’m gonna be waddling around the house like Alanah was, barely able to climb the stairs without getting winded.”

He laughed a bit, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, alright. As long as it’s safe for you to fly and you promise to stay out of harm’s way at the show.” He looked down to her stomach again and rubbed his hand across it, a soft smile appearing on his face. “I’m just trying to protect my girls.”

When he looked back up at Bella’s face, her eyes looked like they were on the verge of tears as she leaned forward and pressed a passionate, lingering kiss to his lips.

—---

March 30
Bridgetown, Barbados

The scene opened up on a gorgeous shot of a white, sandy beach on the Caribbean island of Barbados. It was just after sunrise, the sky painted in brilliantly saturated shades of red, orange and yellow as the sun began its climb above the horizon. The turquoise water lapping at the shoreline sparkled and shimmered as it softly lapped against the shoreline, and there was not a soul to be seen at this time of the day.

Save for one person, that is.

A silhouetted figure could be seen walking slowly along the beach, haloed by the rays of the rising sun. As they drew closer to the camera, it was revealed to be Malachi, one of the more polarizing figures on the SCW roster. While at one time he was one of the most hated men in the locker room, the new year seemed to have brought about some changes in the Irish fighter that the fans were starting to rally behind. Though he was still mostly the same no-nonsense brawler he’d always been, he seemed to come across less abrasive and a slight bit more respectful…at least to those who he felt deserved it.

Dressed for the balmy Caribbean weather in loose black and white shorts with a casual black button-up shirt that hung open and his feet bare, he wore sunglasses across his face to shield his eyes from the glare of the early morning sun. As he approached the camera, he stopped just in front of it and folded his arms across his chest, an easygoing smile across his face. “I gotta say, when Mark and Christian plan a tour, they certainly know how to pick the destinations. Granted, it may have been for an unorthodox reason, but I’m not about to complain when I’m standing on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.”

He held his arms out as he took in the scenery, the water lapping at his bare feet. “It definitely helps to lessen the sting of that loss from Blaze of Glory. I’ll give credit where it’s due - there’s a reason that Goth is a hall of famer and multiple-time champion, and he proved it at Blaze of Glory.” He bowed his head slightly. “You were the better man that night, sir. Maybe down the road we’ll clash again - with a different ending.”

He gave a cocky little smirk, pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head. “But then again, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t win the Roulette title. After all, I think I made my feelings about that damn wheel pretty apparent the last time I was in contention for the title. Pretty sure I said something along the lines of ‘I’ll chuck that stupid thing straight into the trash’, or something to that effect.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Ah well. Can’t always get what we want, I suppose. Better to just move on and look ahead. Like towards my upcoming match at Climax Control.”

His expression hardened slightly into a look of fierce determination, his blue eyes blazing in the early morning sunlight. “Bill Barnhart…now, there’s someone that I need to settle up with. See, you and I have a bit of history, don’t we? The first time we met in the ring was a mixed tag affair, which Bella and I won. But after that…well, you became a bit of a problem. A black mark in my book, so to speak. The first time we tangled one on one, I made the rookie mistake of getting too caught up in my rage. I lost focus, and we ended up going to a double count-out. Which brought us to a triple threat at Violent Conduct for the Internet title, along with Caleb Storms. And while I may not have won that night…neither did you. Not only did you not win, you were the one to eat the pinfall from Caleb. So I took some small solace in that fact.”

He slid his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “And that was the last time I was seen in an SCW ring up until the beginning of this year. And when I came back, I came back with a vengeance. I am currently undefeated on Climax Control, and I fully plan to stay that way. So, I’ve got double the motivation to beat your ass from pillar to post come Sunday night. Not only to keep my undefeated streak going on Climax Control, but to avenge that double count-out. Now, I know from experience that you are one of the toughest, most tenacious, and heaviest hitters on the entire SCW roster. But then again…so am I. I know that you and I are going to hit and hit hard come Sunday night. But one of us is going to hit hard enough to keep the other one down for the three-count…and you’re looking at him.”

He reached up to slide the sunglasses down from the top of his head back over his eyes, the cocky smirk returning to settle across his face. “Come Sunday night, I’m going to right some wrongs of the past, continue my undefeated Climax Control streak, and work my way back into championship contention.” He whistled a low note. “Gonna be a busy night for me, that’s for sure. But I’m more than up for the challenge.”

He reached up to lower the sunglasses just enough so that his bright blue eyes were visible again. “Time to put the old Bulldog down, for good.”

He pushed the sunglasses back up and slid his hands into his pockets as he walked out of frame, the camera going out of focus on the rising sun before gradually fading out to black.

January 18
Manhattan, New York

It had certainly been a whirlwind few days for Bella Madison and Malachi. Sunday night, they had been ready for Bella to take to the ring at SCW’s Inception event for a shot at the Bombshell Roulette title, only for the couple to be told that she would not be able to compete…due to her pregnancy.

The news had rocked them to their core. It certainly wasn’t the way they envisioned this particular conversation happening, not with their wrestling bosses and the head of SCW’s medical team - and certainly not broadcast to an international audience. But the proof was there, Bella’s blood test results had shown she was more than likely pregnant.

As soon as they had landed back home in New York, Mal had been on the phone to the office of the doctor that had been taking care of Bella through the fertility treatments. When Bella had questioned him about it, he simply told her that he wanted to be absolutely sure. “No way in hell am I trusting lab results from a man named Al Koholik,” he had grumbled, while Bella rolled her eyes and giggled.

Which is how they now found themselves in the waiting room of Dr. Hilland, waiting to be seen. Bella was sitting in a cushy armchair flipping through a magazine, while Mal was pacing the floor in front of her. She glanced over the top of her magazine at her husband, arching an eyebrow over one blue eye. “Mal, will you sit down? If you pace any more, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

He stopped in his tracks to give her a sheepishly apologetic stare, and took the seat next to her. “Sorry. Just…I don’t want this to be a fluke, you know? Get our hopes up just for the doctor to bring them all crashing down again.”

Bella put the magazine aside and reached over to take his hands in hers, giving him an encouraging smile. “Babe, I really think this is it. I mean, you really think Mark and Christian would tell us live on an internationally broadcast pay per view event unless they knew for sure?”

He gave her a withering stare. “Considering their medical expert was ‘Dr. Al Koholik’, I’m a little disinclined to take it at face value. Christ, I would have trusted Dr. Oz over him.”

Bella giggled. “Come on, babe. Have a little faith. You are Catholic, after all.”

“Non-practicing.” But he leaned over and gave her a kiss. “Alright, alright. Let’s just hope for the best.”

She gave him another smile just as the door opened and Dr. Hilland poked her head out. “Mr. and Mrs. O’Connell, nice to see you again! Come on back.”

They stood up and followed the doctor through the doorway and into an examining room that was set up with an ultrasound machine. The doctor closed the door behind them and turned to the couple, smiling at them brightly. “Well, from what I understand, congratulations are in order!”

“Well…we’re not ready to pop the champagne just yet, doctor,” Mal said.

Bella elbowed him lightly in the side. “What happened to ‘hope for the best’?”

Dr. Hilland laughed. “It’s all right, Bella. With everything the two of you have been through over the past few months, I can understand why your husband is a little hesitant. Luckily, I’ve got a foolproof way to put your minds at ease.” She gestured to the ultrasound machine. “Now Bella, you can go ahead and hop up on the table and get comfortable. I’ll get this all set to go.”

With assistance from Mal, Bella managed to get herself up onto the high examining table and she laid back on the pillow. Mal stood on the opposite side so as not to impede the doctor, and he held on to Bella’s hand. She gave him a big smile, which he returned just as the doctor stepped up beside the bed.

“Alright, everything’s all set to go. Bella, if you wouldn’t mind lifting your shirt just a little bit?”

Bella pushed her shirt up to expose her stomach, and Dr. Hilland poured some gel into her gloved hand. “Fair warning, this is gonna be a bit chilly.”

She rubbed it onto Bella’s stomach, and the sudden chill made her jolt a bit. Mal stifled a laugh behind his hand, and Bella gave him a mock glare. Dr. Hilland finished rubbing the gel on her stomach and lifted the wand from the table beside the bed. “Alright, here we go. The moment of truth.”

She gently pressed the tip of the wand to Bella’s stomach, moving it around in small circles around her belly button while she stared at the screen. The room was quiet while the doctor worked, and when a few moments passed by with nothing, Bella glanced up at Mal with a slightly concerned expression on her face. He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of her hand, reaching over and smoothing back her hair with his other hand. “It’s alright, mo chroí.”

The moments seemed to stretch on forever with no word from the doctor, and Mal was on the edge of throwing up his hands and cursing a blue streak to the gods for giving them the tiniest glimmer of hope only to snatch it away so cruelly, but then…

The faintest little heartbeat.

It was so faint that it could have been easy to miss, but with the silence of the room it was almost thunderous. Dr. Hilland smiled as she zeroed in on a spot just underneath Bella’s belly button. “Ah, there’s the little peanut. Tricky little one already. I think you two are going to have your hands full in about nine months or so.”

And there, up on the screen, in grainy black-and-white…

Their baby.

It wasn’t much more than a misshapen blob, but the doctor pointed out the shape of the head, the tiny nubs of its limbs just beginning to form. Bella let out a sob, the tears flowing down her cheeks as she stared in awe at the screen. But another sob drew both hers and the doctor's attention, and they turned to see Malachi - the tough, no-nonsense, borderline sadistic professional wrestler - openly weeping. The tears spilled out of his eyes and down his cheeks, rolling into his beard. Bella smiled as she squeezed his hand, and he looked down at her with the biggest, proudest smile on his face.

—-----

“And just like that, the comeback kicks off to a winning start. Just like I said it would.”

Sitting in the tastefully decorated living room of his New York townhome, Malachi smirked towards the camera as he relaxed in a cushy armchair. Dressed in dark jeans and a crisp white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he had his right leg crossed over his left with the ankle resting on his knee and his arms folded neatly in his lap. His blue eyes were shining with a determined glare as he settled more into the chair, preparing to speak.

“People are going to learn that when I say something’s going to happen, it’s a damn foregone conclusion. Like two weeks ago, when I said I was coming back to SCW and I was going to have my hand raised after I painted the canvas with Alex Rush…and lo and behold, I came out of that match with the victory. And that was just the first stop on my road to SCW gold. Next up, another annoying little pissant that I’ve already put down once before but am more than happy to do so again - The Troll.”

Malachi gave a roll of his eyes as he dropped his leg to the floor and moved to the edge of the chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “You know, I will give you a modicum of credit. You are absolutely winless in this company, and yet you still keep coming back time and time and time again to continuously get your ass handed to you by people who are leagues and miles above you. You may not have wrestling skill, but at least you’re persistent as hell.” He smirked again. “Then again, so is herpes.”

He leaned back again, crossing his arms across his chest. “Am I being a little cruel? Maybe. I know that I said I’d sort of turned over a new leaf, and for the most part I have. But you see, you’ve been an absolute shitheel on Twitter for quite some time now to a lot of people. People I care about. And that just doesn’t sit right with me.” The smirk gradually fell away from his face until he was practically glaring at the camera. “It’s one thing for you to come at me with your pathetic little insults, acting like I give one iota of a fuck what you have to say. But when you come for my pregnant wife - who can hold her own, trust me - that is absolutely unforgivable.”

The smirk returned to his face, though now it was a little more malicious. “Now, some people may be feeling pity for you after your hag of a girlfriend reamed you out on national television, but I’m definitely not one of those people. In fact, I’ve got some receipts from you that are desperately in need of being cashed in.” He reached beside the chair he was sitting in and held up what appeared to be a singular piece of paper. But when he moved a few of his fingers, the paper unfolded to about three feet in length. “I was going to sit here and list all the reasons that you’re an absolutely useless tool, but in all honesty I wouldn’t want to waste the oxygen it would take.”

He quickly balled up the paper in his fist and fired it off to the side, into the crackling fireplace that was beside him. The paper caught flame immediately and quickly burned up into a pile of ash while Malachi rose up from the chair to stand in front of the camera. “No, what I’m going to do instead is march down to that ring on Sunday night, and I’m going to tear you limb from limb. I’m going to show your little woman that she indeed saddled herself with the biggest loser on this planet, and I’m going to enjoy every single moment of it. And then, if you’re truly as smart as you say you are, you will never show your face around my ring again.”

With a snarl, he drew his thumb across his throat as he put a hand over the camera lens, cutting the feed to black.

Friday, August 20
Mount Sinai Hospital
New York City

They had finally made it to the hospital, but just barely. When Malachi and Bella Madison hurried into the waiting area that had been specially reserved for the family, they were told that Alanah was just being prepped to head to the OR. A few hours passed by, everyone on edge with anticipation, when Jack walked into the room, still wearing the surgical gown and head covering and a huge smile on his face.

“I’m a daddy!” he whooped loudly.

Everyone rushed up to congratulate him and bombard him with questions, which he answered as best he could until the doctor showed up to tell everyone that although there had been some slight complications, both babies and Alanah were doing fine. They were about to transport all three back to their room, and then the family would be allowed to visit two at a time.

Levi and Emma were naturally first, and they spent a good 45 minutes there. When they exited the room, they were both beaming proudly and Emma was dabbing at the corners of her eyes. Even Levi’s eyes were a little bit red, and he sniffled a bit as Lachlan and his mother were next to visit.

Soon enough, it was time for Mal and Bella to enter the room, and Mal practically had to restrain Bella from running full-tilt into the room. But when they walked in to see Alanah holding a blue-swaddled baby and Jack holding a pink one, even Mal had to fight back the urge to cry. Alanah smiled at her brother and sister-in-law, though she looked exhausted and somewhat pale. Mal leaned down to hug her gently, mindful of the baby in her arms.

“Hey there, Lanah-bean. How are you doing?” he asked.

“Well, let’s just say that I’m glad it’s all over,” she said, with a small laugh. A faint coo drew both of their attention, and Mal looked down into the face of his baby nephew. “Malachi, this is your nephew Patrick Ronan.” She looked over to Jack cradling the other twin, with Bella adoringly looking over his shoulder. “And that is your niece Elise Siobhan.”

He blinked a few times, and this time he let the tears fall from his eyes. “You named them after Da and Jack’s mom?”

Alanah nodded. “When I knew it was going to be a boy and a girl, I just knew that it was the right fit.” A few tears formed in her eyes. “And with today being the day that Da…”

He sat down on the bed beside her and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulder, as she buried her face in his and a few sobs escaped. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be so emotional…”

“Alanah, you just gave birth. I think you have every right to be as emotional as you want,” Mal said, slightly teasing. “The names are absolutely perfect. You did an amazing job.”

Alanah gave him a warm smile, and then shifted Patrick in her arms. “Do you want to hold him?”

There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation as he nodded eagerly and held his arms out. As soon as the warm little bundle was in his arms, he felt a sense of happiness and peace envelop him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He stared down at his nephew’s face, and the baby blinked sleepily at him and cooed happily. The smile grew on his face until his cheeks ached and he leaned down to softly press his lips to Patrick’s forehead.

He glanced up to see Bella cradling little Elise, but her gaze was locked on him with an emotional smile on her own face. When he saw Bella with the baby in her arms, he knew that without a doubt he wanted the two of them to have a child of their own...but that was a discussion to be had later. Instead, he smiled back at her warmly, and they carried on their visit with the babies.

-----------

“And just like that, I move on in the tournament. Like there was any fuckin’ doubt.”

With a derisive scoff and a roll of his eyes, Malachi folded his arms across his chest and glared down the camera lens. “I sent that Troll packing back to whatever bridge he lives under, despite his deluded claims to the contrary. I told him I wasn’t coming back to fuck around. I’m in this tournament to go all the way and claim that Internet title, and I’m damn sure going to do it. I don’t care who gets in my way. There is not a man on this roster that is going to stop me from advancing to the finals and getting my hands on that title.”

He uncrossed his arms to rest them on his hips, pacing the floor of his home gym a few times. “This week, the unfortunate sod who stands across from me just happens to be Bill Barnhart. At least I get an actual wrestler this week, not some blowhard trying to cosplay as one. Although Bill’s as much of a blowhard as the Troll anyways, at least he has a decent amount of skill in the ring.” Malachi smirked. “Nothing compared to me, however. You remember the last time we danced in the ring, old timer? Back last year, you and your little woman decided to step up to Bella and I, and we sent you back to the doghouse. Probably with a concussion, with how many times I smashed your head in. This time, it’s one on one. No wifey for you to fall back on. And you’re just another obstacle on my path to the Internet title.”

He came back to centre and folded his arms against his chest again. “And just like I did with the Troll, I’m going to beat you six ways from Sunday, pin you in the middle of that ring, and go on to finally claim my first piece of singles gold in this company. The Troll couldn’t stop me, you sure as hell aren’t going to, and no other dope in this entire tournament is going to, either. I’ve worked too long and too hard to let some flat-faced mouth breather claim what I deserve. So do yourself a favour on Sunday night, Bill. Stay in the back, and stay out of my way.”

With a final sneer and a thumb across his throat, Malachi stalked off-screen, putting his hand up to the camera lens as it cut suddenly to black.

August 2

There it was.

Finally, after all the months of hard work, dedication, and determination...the proof was in his hands. Everything they had done, everything that had led them to this point...it hadn’t been in vain.

The gold plate shone brightly under the lights as Malachi stared down at it, sweat beading and dripping off of his forehead. He crouched down in the hallway, his back pressed against the cool wall, his heavy breathing echoing in the hallway. His ears were still ringing, so he didn’t hear her voice calling out his name until she was right beside him, and he looked up to see the biggest smile lighting up Bella’s face. Her own belt was clutched tightly against her chest, and she knelt down so that she was eye level with him.

“We finally did it,” she said. “Everything we said, everything we did…” She looked down at her belt, and when she looked back up at him there were tears sparkling in her wide blue eyes.

He reached up and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly to his chest. “Well, I promised you would be a champ before the year was out, didn’t I?”

She laughed a bit, the sound muffled by his chest. She looked up at him, “That you did, but I couldn’t have done it without you though. You were so brilliant out there.”

He smirks at her and leans his head down, forehead to forehead. “I think you were the brilliant one out there. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now, 20 pounds heavier.”

“At least this time we can celebrate this one properly without the worrying about the potential aftermath of crazy dessert battles.” she says, laughing.

“Truer words have never been spoken,” he quips. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well usually it’d be a long soak in the tub but since we’re currently stuck with just a shower...”

He laughs and pokes at her side a bit. “You party animal.”

She swatted his hand away with a bit of a smirk. “Well there is also always the after party that you know is coming. Wouldn’t kill us to be a little social after all this.”

Mal just leans back, glancing up to the sky with a look of mock anguish. “Oh the life of a champion. Free booze and mingling.”

Bella laughs. “You make it sound like we’re off to the gallows. It’ll be nice to enjoy this ship a little bit more with these titles.”

He just sighs. “Alright...but shower first.”

“I have a feeling we’re gonna be fashionably late to the party.” Bella smirks, giving him a kiss. “If we show at all.”

“Now we’re talking.” he says, holding on to her and standing up with barely any issue and walking off down the hall with her in his arms and their championship titles draped across her lap.

“MAL! I CAN WALK YOU KNOW!”

—————

August 19

The past couple of weeks had been nothing short of a whirlwind for the new Mixed Tag Team Champions. Between impromptu celebratory parties thrown by their friends, media appearances, and the relentless hounding by Alanah about their wedding plans, Bella and Malachi barely had any time to themselves.

Now that things were slowing down somewhat, they had found that they were booked on the newest Climax Control card, going up against a team that has been quite vocal about our new Champs and the methods they had used to get to this point - Mikah and Kris Ryans, collectively known as “Black Sheep”. A name that Malachi found utterly ridiculous, as we opened this scene with the sight of the male half of Sass n’ Bash reclined on the sofa in his Vegas suite that he shared with his fiancée and their rambunctious Husky pup Luka. Currently, she was asleep on the couch next to her da, while he smirked towards the camera dressed in dark jeans and a fitted black T-shirt.

“You know, I could very well sit here and start this whole thing off with a great big ‘I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO’….but I will show restraint. Besides, I couldn’t give a fiddler’s fuck what the lot of you think. Bella and I went out there and did just what we said we were going to, and now here we sit as the new SCW Mixed Tag Team champions.” He gazed down at his side, where his belt rested proudly on the couch beside him.

“Black Sheep? The hell kind of after-school-special bullshit nickname is that? Then again, shouldn’t exactly be surprised that a couple of dopes whose worst insult against us is ‘oooooh, they’re nothing but a couple of crybabies!’[/i]” He snorted derisively. “Gonna be the Black and Blue Sheep, once Bella and I tear through the two of you shit-for-brains.”

From beside him on the couch, Luka gave a rather loud gruff, showing her opinion of Mal’s terrible joke. He just gave her a sideways glare.

“Shut up, that was funny.”

The pup lifted her head and gave a short, sharp bark at him. He leveled another glare at her and with one more gruff, she laid her head back down on her front paws. Mal just shook his head and gave a roll of his icy blue eyes before fixing them back on the camera in front of him in a cold stare.

“Look, painfully uncreative team name aside, the two of you have done little to nothing to warrant even being on Bella and I’s radar...other than being fuckin’ annoying little shits. You wanna harp on and on about how we ‘bitched and complained’ to get to where we’re at? Call it whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is, it got us what we wanted. Our rightfully deserved title shot, without any interference or dead weight. We said from day fuckin’ one that if it was just Wolfslair versus us, we would take those belts.” He reached over to his side and brought the belt up beside him, holding it aloft. “And we did exactly what we said we would. Not taking anything away from Jones and Krieger. They damn sure made us earn these belts at the supercard. But we had already been through the fire before then...and came out stronger than ever. If you two shitheels think you won’t have that same type of trial, then you need to get one thing through your empty heads. Bella and I, we’re just going to keep getting better and better. We’re going to make the division evolve around us, and you have 2 choices: A. You either step up and evolve with us or B. You get left in the dust.”

With a final glare to the camera and a thumb drawn across his throat in his signature gesture, he sat back on the couch, draping his championship across his waist as the scene cut suddenly to black.

OOC: I am so sorry this is shit. Work has had me drained this week and I just couldn't get motivated.

 Last week during Climax Control
Backstage Area

“Son of a BITCH!”

Letting out a loud yell and kicking a nearby production crate, Malachi watched the main event on the monitor set up in the backstage area, shaking his head and running his hands down his face. He watched on as Seleana Zdunich forced Jessie Salco to tap out, therefore becoming the new Bombshell Roulette Champion. And while the focus stayed on the celebration taking place in the ring, Malachi’s eyes were drawn to the side of the ring, where he saw Bella Madison slowly making her way out of the ring and start heading to the backstage area. He slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out her engagement ring as he made his way over to the gorilla position.

When he saw Bella emerge from the curtain separating the entrance area from the rest of the backstage, wringing out the water in her hair, he wasn’t sure if the wetness on her face was due to the water from the match or if she had shed some tears of frustration. When she looked up and he was standing right in front of her, he could see the disappointed look immediately melt into one of relief as she hurried to him. But just before she ran into his arms, she stopped.

“I would, but…” she gestured to herself. “I’m soaking wet.”

Mal just rolled his eyes and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly. “You think I’m afraid of a little water?”

“I dunno. Didn’t know if you were going to melt or not.”

He looked down at her with an unamused stare, while she giggled slightly. “Nice to see your sassiness is uninjured.”

She stuck her tongue out at him playfully, while he simply rolled his eyes again. He took her left hand in his and slid her engagement ring back on, while she stared at it and then looked back up at him, this time with a genuine smile on her face. He smiled back at her, kissing her forehead. “I promised you, didn’t I? No matter what, you and I are a team. Through thick and thin. Good and bad. And before you start going down the shame spiral that I know is building up in your head, I just want you to know that I am so proud of you. You looked like a damn star in that match, and by the end of this year I guarantee that you will have a title to your name. Whether it’s you and I finally getting our hands on those mixed tag belts, or you going solo and dominating the Bombshell division. By the end of this shit year, the entire wrestling world will have its eyes on you.”

It looked like tears were welling up in Bella’s eyes as she threw her arms around Mal’s neck and hugged him tightly. “Have I told you lately how much I freakin’ love you, you big lug?”

Mal laughed as he picked her up with one arm under her knees and one around her back and began walking towards the locker rooms. “I never get tired of hearing it. Now, let’s get you into some dry clothes and head back to the hotel. I’ve still got a bottle of champagne I swiped from Lach’s wedding.”

“But, I didn’t w-“

He cut her off with a swift kiss. “Shush. Don’t ruin the moment. We’re going back to the hotel, we’re gonna order the fanciest food from room service and drink champagne, and I don’t wanna hear another word about it.”

She shook her head with a smile, cuddling in closer to his chest. “Sounds like a plan, my man.”

---------

Earlier this week
Saxon Hotel - rooftop bar

The rooftop bar had seemingly become the go-to place for Malachi these days. Not for the reasons one might think, however. He did admire the classy decor, thinking it was a good backdrop for him to film his promo videos. The fact that the bar was close at hand while he filmed his promos there was an added bonus. Even now, as he sat near the roof’s edge and looked out over the glowing lights of downtown Las Vegas, a glass of Jameson cradled in one hand, he seemed the picture of calm as he turned his gaze towards the camera, a far cry from the brash, arrogant performer that he normally portrayed. Perhaps his fiancee was becoming a positive influence on him?

“I hope none of you think that Bella Madison and I are done with the mixed tag division, because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just because we fell short of capturing those titles does not mean you can be rid of us that easily. As a matter of fact, come this Sunday, Bella and I are going to be front row during that main event, watching as once again the Trenton Tigers get a title shot that they clearly didn’t earn. After all, Brandon Sludge was the one to take the pin back at Into The Void. Not me, not Bella.” A snarl starts to creep across his face, but he stops and takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again with a calmer look in his eyes. “But, rather than put everyone on blast like I would normally do, I’m just going to sit back, watch as - once again - the Tigers get their tails pulled by a couple of Wolves, and enjoy every last second of it. Of course, that will all be after I take out Caleb Storms at the top of the show.”

He took a slow, measured sip of his drink, savouring the taste. “Hope you enjoyed that little taste of victory back at Into the Void, Storms, because it’s the last one you’ll have for a while. I don’t want you to think that anything I say against you is personal, because it isn’t. Purely because I don’t give enough of a shit about you to make it personal. You’re nothing more than a card-filler. You’re cannon fodder for the rest of us to sharpen our skills on as we go on to bigger and better things. While you? You’ll languish at the bottom, or maybe mid-card at best.”

He leaned back in his chair, looking rather casual despite his cutting words. “Lemme pose a question to all you SCW fans watching from home. What exactly has Caleb Storms done in this company to make a name for himself? Don’t worry, I’ll wait while you Google it.” He raised his arm up to glance at his watch as he whistled for a few moments, lowering his arm and looking back to the camera. “I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that you found absolutely nothing. Well, that’s not entirely a fair assessment. The man does hold a record here in SCW - 13 consecutive defeats at SCW pay per view events. And sure, he held the Roulette title for….two weeks. Two whole weeks.” Malachi brought his hands up to give a slow, sarcastic clap to the camera. “Not to mention you lost it to the very man you beat it for in the first place. Christ, you’re a real piece of work, aren’t you? Can’t win for losing.”

He swallowed down the last of his drink and set the now-empty glass down on the table, leaning forward to glare into the camera. “Like I said earlier, this match for me is nothing more than to make sure my skills stay sharp. Come hell or high water, Bella Madison and I will be the next mixed tag team champions. All these other matches to me are nothing more than distractions and obstacles impeding our journey to that goal. And one thing that people know for a fact about me is that when there’s an obstacle in my way…” He smirked, somewhat deviously. “I remove it. With extreme prejudice. I am not in the mood to make this match a long, drawn-out affair. In all honesty, you’re not really worth the effort. But I am nothing if not a consummate professional, so if the match is booked, rest assured I will be there, and I will not hesitate to smack your dopey arse around one side of that ring to the other. So Caleb, I want you to think long and hard about stepping into that ring on Sunday night, and ask yourself a question before you do...Is your wrestling career - as pathetic as it may be - really worth crossing my path?”

Drawing a thumb across his throat, he rose up from the chair as the camera feed cut to static, before fading out to black.

 February 29
Malone’s Irish Bar
Glasgow, Scotland

Figures I’d come across the one Irish pub in the middle of Scotland, Malachi thought with a laugh to himself. The pub was buzzing with activity, even this early in the afternoon, but he had managed to snag a table near the window. He stared out at the street, drumming his fingers on the tabletop impatiently. Soon, the chime of the door drew his attention, and he looked up to see his younger sister Alanah come through the door. She spotted him almost immediately but instead of heading for him, she walked up to the bar to order herself a drink. Mal noticed the cold glare she gave him, and he sighed. Still mad at me then.

Soon, she was sitting across from him with her glass of red wine, folding her hands together on the table. “You and Bella settled in at the hotel OK?”

“Yeah, got a room with a great view,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. “Things are all good with you and Jack now?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Good. Glad to hear it.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Alanah spoke up. “Well, you were the one that wanted to meet up. I can’t imagine it was just to sit in a pub and drink all afternoon.”

Mal gave a half-hearted shrug. “Just feel like we haven’t been spending a lot of time together. Your time seems pretty precious these days, now that Jack’s here in SCW and you’ve been trailing after him like a lovesick puppy.”

She paused mid-sip, giving Mal a pointed look over the rim of her wine glass. “What is your problem?” she demanded, rather harshly. “Why do you hate Jack so much? He’s been trying so hard to get along with you, even after all the stuff you did.”

Mal let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t hate him,” he admitted. “Maybe ‘strongly dislike’ is a better term.”

“Mal…” Alanah said warningly.

“Look, it’s not him I hate...it’s what he’s doing.”

“And what is that, exactly?”

Mal hesitated for a moment, before he reached over and grabbed his sister’s hand. “I just feel…” he paused, letting out a sigh. “I feel like he’s taking you away.”

Alanah blinked her large brown eyes in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“Well, after Da died, all three of us were close as could be. Then Lach went off to Japan...and after you came here to go to school, and then you met Jack...” He stared down into his mug, seeing his reflection on the surface of his drink. “I just felt like I got left behind.”

Her face softened as she moved to sit beside him, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders. “Mal, we didn’t leave you behind,” she said. “We just grew up. We went out to live our lives. But no matter what we do, or where we all end up, nothing will ever change the fact that we’re family. Yes, I may be in love with Jack...but a girl will always need her big brothers, no matter what.”

Mal was quiet for a moment, before he grinned a little and put his arm around her, pulling her in tight to his side. “Well, when you put it that way...I suppose I can stay around to annoy you for a while longer.”

Alanah rolled her eyes, but wrapped her arms around him to return the hug.

-------

March 1
New Douglas Park
Hamilton, Scotland

“Come on.”

“Bells-”

“You promised, now get your ass up.”

“But Bells-”

“Malachi. Ass out of that chair. Now.”

With a stifled groan, Malachi raised himself from the chair he had been sitting on, sliding his phone into the pocket of his jeans. Despite the fact he didn’t have a match on this card, he still came over to Scotland to support Bella as she participated in the Blast from the Past tournament. But right now, they were on their way to see Jack Russow, who just won a grueling match against Caleb Storms.

“Pretty sure he’s gonna punch me straight in the face when he sees me,” Mal commented dryly, before a cocky smirk came over his face. “Well, he’ll try, at least.”

Bella stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at him, hands on her hips and an annoyed look on her face. “Look, you need to bury this shit already. Do you not realize what this is doing to poor Alanah?”

That gave Mal pause. “What do you mean?”

“Do you know how many times she’s called me and Mattie crying her eyes out because you and Jack are acting like stubborn assholes? She already had to go through this shit once when you and Lach were at each other’s throats, and it absolutely broke her heart. Do you really want to put her through that again?”

Mal was speechless for a minute, before he let out a defeated sigh and ran a hand down his face. “Fuck, I really have buggered this all up, haven’t I?”

Bella’s face softened, and she took Mal’s hands in hers. “Look, I think we all know by now that you and Jack are never going to be best friends, and we’ve accepted that. But please...at least make an effort to be civil to him? For Alanah’s sake?”

“....alright, fine.”

She smiled and leaned in to give him a kiss. “That’s my man.” They continued down the hallway hand in hand, until they rounded a corner near the gorilla position and spotted Jack and Alanah together. They both had big smiles on their faces as Alanah wiped at Jack’s sweaty brow with a towel in between them exchanging sweet kisses. But when Jack looked up and saw Mal and Bella approaching, his face immediately hardened into a look of pure anger. Alanah noticed this, and turned to greet them with a worried expression on her face.

“Don’t worry, we come in peace,” Bella said, throwing up double peace signs with her hands. “We just wanted to come and congratulate Jack on the win tonight. It was a hell of a match. You were amazing out there. You keep proving just why everyone’s calling you the future of this company.”

Alanah smiled, a bit cautiously, but Jack still had a doubtful look on his face as he eyed them both. Bella looked over at Mal, and promptly swatted him on the arm. Mal jumped and glared at her, but she just glared right back at him until he sighed in defeat.

“Yeah, it was….something,” he muttered under his breath.

Bella cleared her throat pointedly, and Mal rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright, fine!” He looked up at Jack. “It was a….good match,” he finally said through gritted teeth. “Congrats.”

Alanah’s smile reached from ear to ear, and she leaned over to hug him tightly. Jack raised an eyebrow, but gave a short nod of his head.

“How about we all go out after the show?” Alanah suggested. “Grab some drinks, unwind a bit? Goodness knows we deserve it after these last few days!”

Mal gave her a sideways look with his eyes narrowed. “Let’s not push our luck, alright?”

The girls looked at each other, with a shrug and a sigh. “Well, we tried,” Bella admitted.

-----

Friday night
York, England

“Like leading a poor little lamb to the slaughter, isn’t it?”

Reclining in a plush armchair in his hotel room, Malachi smirked arrogantly at the camera. The brash Irishman was dressed in a royal blue button-up shirt, dark pants, and black leather shoes shined to perfection. His steely blue eyes glinted dangerously as he stared down the camera lens in front of him.

“I mean, do you really think I’m going to let some weasel-faced little shit with a rat’s nest growing out of his head waltz on up to the big leagues and make a name for himself at my expense?

Not.
Fucking.
Likely.

I haven’t really decided yet if I want to be merciful and end this charade of a match quickly….or drag it out, make the little shitheel suffer and use him as the example that if you’re even thinking about trying to make the leap from the Underground to the big time...you should really reconsider. Do yourself a favour, and stay down there on the inferior show. You won’t be doing your career any favours by trying to climb the ladder, so you’d be best to play it safe and not cross my path.”

He laced his fingers together in his lap, his face hardening into a look of utter disdain as his lip curled up into a sneer. “Unfortunately, it’s too late for Alex Rush, as he gets the unfortunate lot of facing me, and trust me when I say that he is extremely unfortunate in this. See, I’m in a particularly foul mood this week, and the only thing I’ve found that makes me feel better is beating the absolute holy hell out of whatever poor sod that gets placed across the ring from me at any given time. And you just happen to be the lucky contestant this week. Or unlucky, depending on your view of the situation. I know you make yourself out to be some zany, off-the-wall oddball, and I sincerely don’t know if you use it as some kind of smokescreen to mask your wrestling ability. But I want to make something very, very clear to you.” He leaned forward in the chair, his face going dangerously sinister. “I am not in the habit of suffering fools. I take what I do between those ropes extremely seriously. So if you show up to this match thinking you’re going to have a fuckin’ giggle mate...I will not hesitate to break every single bone in your skinny little body and leave you lying in a bloody, battered heap in the middle of that ring. So if I were you, I would think long and hard about what your strategy is going to be walking into this match on Sunday. Your career...hell, your very livelihood could depend upon it.”

On that cryptic note, Malachi stood up from the chair and abruptly walked out of the shot, as the camera faded out to black.