Las Vegas -
Earlier this week
Not altogether an unfamiliar surrounding, the Turnberry Towers in the famed "City of Sin" aka Las Vegas. Located just under four miles from the Vegas Strip for convenience, this triad of luxury condo towers served as the home away from home to native Icelandic superstar Fenris, and his brother and manager Aron Baltasarsson, both stars in the local wrestling phenom, Sin City Wrestling. Only a couple of days had passed by since the latest worldwide tour SCW had become so well known for, as the men and women who put their bodies on the line to entertain the masses, made stops all over both Ireland as well as the United Kingdom. Then it culminated in grand fashion at London Brawling II, in London's Wembley Arena for a supercard that was stacked from start to finish. For the third straight event, the women secured the Main Event status for themselves, and the man whom we are paying this scheduled visit to competed against three other men in a vain attempt to secure for himself a second World Championship reign.
Things did not go as planned, and his current mood set was a testament to the fact.
It was far from an unusual sight to see Fenris with a drink in his hand, be it beer or hard liquor. Joking aside, even those closest to his career such as the Stevens or Daniel J. Morgan would quip that Kristjan Baltasarsson had turned drinking into an art form. But it wasn't even noon on this particular day, and Kristjan already had a glass of Scotch in his hand as he lay against the soft cushions of the sofa that dominated the floor plan of the main living area. His legs stretched out to their full length, his feet under the wooden coffee table with the glass center plate, and he lay back heavily against the back cushions while his lazy blue eyes stared straight ahead at the large LCD television secured on the wall across from him.
It had been days since the event in London, but it was almost as if the mind of the White Wolf was stuck in the past, or at least, in a perpetual state of reverse. And not for the simple fact that he did not emerge as the winner and a two-time champion, although the fact did stick in his proverbial craw. It bothered him that he had come so close, only for someone that he -- that he cared about, cost him that all important victory when Ty West broke up the pin fall attempt and dragged him from the ring. And even that wasn't the worst thing that dominated his current reflections. It was how he had reacted.
Inside of the ring, or the MMA cages, Kristjan Baltasarsson was what one might call a creature of instinct. He had a temper that had rose quickly since his debut to become quite infamous, and he would react blindly when confronted. Ty had broken up the pin, and the two men who away from the spotlight, were one of SCW's most powerful couples, sought to continue the match on the outside of the ring, and then it happened. Fenris acted on instinct alone and struck out with those lethal kicks he was known for, and struck his lover right in the head, laying Ty West out cold on the ringside floor.
That was what kept playing through the mind of Kristjan. That exact moment when he looked down and realized what he had done. Horror. Shame. And just about every negative emotion that came between. They flooded his emotions and the only thing he could do was check on the downed Ty who had clearly lost temporary consciousness. And with good reason because the last man he had kicked like that so recklessly, Kyle Kavanaugh, had never fully recovered nor returned to the six-sided ring.
The rest was a blur, as Kristjan brought the glass up to his lips and drained the last small swallow of Scotch, luxuriating in the warm, burning sensation as it washed down the back of his throat. All Kristjan knew was he tried at the last minute to keep Austin James Mercer from scoring the pin, but failed. Ty was taken right away to the closest hospital, and unbeknownst to Mister West, Kristjan had hitched a ride in the back with him to keep a close eye on him. But unfortunately, when at the hospital Kristjan was unable to be in Ty's room, nor was he privy to too much information on his care as he was not family. English privacy laws were quite strict in that regard for the safety of the hospital's patients. That was where Lora West, Ty's aunt and one of the very few who managed to sneak her way past Kristjan's hard, interior mental wall and charm the savage beast within.
She had told Kristjan that Ty had suffered a concussion and would have to stay in London until deemed fit physically to fly back home. She had almost insisted the guilt-ridden Fenris go back home to rest himself, but the Icelandic superstar remained where he was for the night, staying over and sleeping in the hospital waiting room
Just in case.
Kristjan then leaned forward and picked up the crystal decanter, a gift to him from Daniel Morgan, who knew well enough the only bling Fenris allowed himself would have to have something to do with his alcohol. Kristjan refilled his glass a third of the way and placed the cap back on the ornamented decanter before resuming his private thoughts. He sat back and took drink, remembering that the following morning Aron had shown up at the hospital with a taxi and their luggage, saying they had a flight to catch. Kristjan hadn't wanted to leave Ty alone in this state, but Aron had won out. They had contractual business to follow up on and it was Aron's signature on the contracts so it would be his ass on the line if Kristjan didn't follow through.
So home they went, and there hadn't been contact between Kristjan and Ty since. No phone calls. No Facebook chat or Twitter exchanges. Nothing. I mean, what could you say when faced with a situation where you were responsible for hurting the one you -- for hurting (literally!) someone that you actually gave a damn about? At least twice a day, Kristjan had picked the phone up and started to dial, only to hang up straight away, unable or unwilling to face head-on this personal demon. He had checked out Ty's Twitter page, and each post by his man that referenced what had happened or what he was experiencing ate away at the guilt-plagued young man.
Still, he did not call or stop by the condo he shared with his aunt.
"K, just call him!" Aron would urge time and again, always in their native tongue when alone together. "You know you want to so just do it!" But the urging gained little progress. Kristjan always acted as if he did not hear his brother. He had the vaunted reputation of being an unfeeling asshole. Better to keep up with that self image rather than admit to his own shortcoming where he had failed himself.
The sound of the lock on the front door turning helped haul Kristjan from his self imposed funk, and he turned his head to watch as Aron had come home from his morning jog, one which Fenris usually accompanied him on but this morning had uncharacteristically abandoned. Aron entered their condo, and the sight of the snow-white Siberian husky on the end of the leash at his side, brought a genuine reflection of a smile on Kristjan's face. Her tongue hanging out in a lop-sided doggy grin and a tail going a mile a minute, his beloved Kyssa did love her walks, both morning and late evening ones her master and "uncle" indulged her in without fail.
Aron paused just long enough to unfasten the leash from her collar, and Kyssa immediately trotted over to her water dish to slake her thirst before joining Kristjan on the sofa by his side. Many would not allow their animals on the furniture, but as Kristjan stated, "It's her home too!" No sooner did she crawl up to her master's side, then she snuggled in close and rested her chin on his lap, as if she could sense the turmoil he was in. He idly reached his free hand to scratch her behind her ears, her favorite spot, while Aron passed by from behind the sofa. Only then did he catch a glimpse of what was on the television and it caused him to frown.
"K," The youngest brother started to say. "What are you doing?"
"Watching Television." Was the simple answer.
Aron glanced briefly at his brother before looking at the TV screen again and he held an arm out toward it as he said, "You're watching cartoon!"
Kristjan blinked, then focused on the screen and realized that indeed he was watching some sort of animated series in his blind channel surfing. He shook his head and exhaled sharply through his nose as he reached for the remote, hitting the power button with a flick of his thumb and the screen went dark. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to rest back on the cushions of the sofa, closing his eyes as he resumed scratching Kyssa behind her ears.. Aron watched this for only a brief time before he shook his head and muttered to himself, leaving his brother to his stubborn mindset as he headed for his bedroom for a shower and change of clothes.
Time passed. How long, Kristjan wasn't certain but the shower hadn't been running for some time when the bedroom door opened and a freshly changed Aron walked into the front room, the phone in one hand and a look of concern on his face.
"K?"
Kristjan opened his eyes and saw the phone in his brother's hand and thought the usual as he said right off, "I'm not calling, Aron. I told you that. I can't."
"No... it's not that." The sound of his voice prompted Kristjan to open his eyes and look up at the concerned expression. Kristjan frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"
Aron answered, "I just got off the phone with Lora." He took a second before he went on. "Ty is in Tucson ... in the hospital."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, and once they did, Kristjan frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"
Aron took a deep breath. He wasn't good at this sort of thing and did not like doing it. He said, "Ty is in the hospital, K. That's all Lora said. He just left...."
But whatever else he was about to say was cut off quickly as Kristjan shot to his feet, startling Kyssa enough to elicit a small bark from the canine as Kristjan practically bellowed, "What the fuck are you talking about!? Why was he taken to the hospital!? What ....!?" But he stopped, the answer coming to his mind as quickly as a floodgate opening.
The concussion. Anything could happen when a concussion was suffered, and they could happen from out of nowhere. Quite literally.
"Shit!" Kristjan growled, feeling as if his heart had plummeted into the depths of his stomach for a bitter sweet roller coaster ride. He jumped to his feet and walked briskly toward the door, snatching the keys to his car from the dish at the mantle.
"K...?" Aron started to say as Kyssa whined, but the door closed fast. Kristjan was gone, and Aron exhaled a deep breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding onto. he looked down at the pooch who was glancing up at him from where she sat by his feet on her haunches. He playfully rubbed her head and muttered, "He's going to kill me for this...."
Tucson, Arizona
Just over four hundred miles and five hours later, the white Mazda MX swerved into the parking lot of the University Medical Center, nearly missing grazing a number of other parked vehicles before it found an empty space. It normally might take someone six or more hours to travel the distance between Las Vegas and Tucson, but Kristjan was not a normal driver by any means if you listened to those closest to him. That reputation, and the three speeding tickets tossed with little care to the passenger seat spoke highly of the fact the White Woolf practically broke the sound barrier to reach Tucson, and Ty, in near record time. Kristjan practically jumped from his car once the ignition had been turned off. He slammed the door and with a click of the keys, turned over the locks and turned on the alarm both before he gazed up at the towering medical center.
Fuck it was huge! That was what played through Kristjan's mind as he wondered how the fuck he was going to find Ty in this monstrosity of a structure. Ask a nurse? Go room by room on a man hunt? And if they didn't allow him to get answers, let alone see the man? He shook his head, fitted his favorite baseball cap on his head and power walked toward the front entrance....
And this is where you should take a brief commercial break to read the roleplay of one Ty West. If his hasn't been posted yet, well read it when it is and all will make perfect sense.
Indeed the last thing Kristjan had wanted to risk getting a glimpse of was the breasts of Ty's mother! While Gina fed her newborn daughter, the little Miss Taryn, Ty escorted Kristjan down the hall of the hospital in silence, Kristjan feeling like a god damned fool for allowing Aron and Lora to manipulate and coerce him into this insane action. There was an open corner where a handful of empty chairs rested along the wall, a makeshift waiting area opposite the main one further down the hall in the opposite direction.
With a hand on Kristjan's back, Ty directed him to the furthest corner of the "waiting area" before he turned to face his boyfriend in a long awaited confrontation.
"Why are you here, Jan?" Ty asked, using the affectionate nickname he had coined many months ago for this man who had most unexpectedly captured his affections.
"I told you!" Kristjan practically hissed. "I thought something had happened to you! I thought you were the one in the hospital!" He shook his head. "Didn't know it was your mom's time to have the baby!"
"You didn't call me." Ty suddenly blurted out. "All this time after the London show, and you didn't call me once to check on me."
Kristjan stared at Ty, caught completely off guard by the confrontation he was suddenly engaged in. Ty normally did not get involved in such ways, but this was clearly a matter that had been brewing in the man's head for some time and it looked ready to boil over. Many thoughts raced through Kristjan's mind but the only thing he could think to say was the old schoolyard reasoning of, "Well you didn't call me either!"
"I didn't kick you in the head!!" Ty replied hotly, but now the gauntlet had been thrown down and laid out for both men. Now Kristjan's own subconscious disappointment rose to the top as he took a step closer toward Ty and growled between clenched teeth, "I had Austin pinned! I could have been the champion again and you pulled me off of him!"
Ty exclaimed, arms held out in disbelief, "You would have done the same thing if it was me!"
"Uh huh!" Kristjan nodded, , biting at his lower lip. "It's funny. You talked all about us acting like this was just any other match. But it sounds like us treating the other like any other opponent only applies to you?"
"No." Ty shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as he continued. "I'm not mad about you retaliating. I'm mad that the whole time I was stuck in London and then once I was home it felt like you didn't even care how I was. No calls, no texts, no even a tweet. When I was the one hurt, why does it fall on me to have to call you? I swear to God...!" He flopped his arms against his sides. "Sometimes I feel like little more than a booty call for you!"
"B-Booty call!?" Kristjan blinked, and that all-too familiar anger started to burst below the surface of his being. "Is that really what you think!? I wouldn't have driven four hundred miles and gotten three speeding tickets for a goddam booty call! What, you think I'd go that extra mile just to impress you and the thrill of using your ass as my toilet!? I wouldn't have to fucking leave my building to get laid if that's all I was interested in Ty, let alone the state!" He took one more step and found himself nose to nose with Ty as he said, "Did it ever fucking occur to you that I might actually love you...."
And just as quickly as the anger had surfaced, it had been replaced by shock and surprise. On both their parts at what Kristjan had just accidentally blurted out. For them both. Ty stared at him, a delighted surprise all too evident on his face, as Kristjan stepped back several steps, his next and ears beginning to flush bright red. It took a moment, but the smile soon grew on Ty's face, as he was fairly confident his ears hadn't played tricks on him just now.
"You said it first." Ty smiled coyly.
"Shut up." Was the only thing Kristjan could think to say in response, but as he tried to look away, he found Ty's hand behind his neck and reeling him in. But before their lips could meet, the chime of the elevator arriving on their floor was heard by both. Instinctively, they both turned their heads as the doors slid open and Lora West stepped out, her arms laden with flowers and a big purple teddy bear. She took a single step forward when she glanced up, and saw just who was staring down at her.
Her eyes flicked back and forth between both men and she let loose a nervous giggle before she put on her best "innocent" face and said, "Hello boys."
But as soon as Kristjan took that first step toward her, Lora took a hasty step back into the elevator and found with her arms so full, she couldn't reach any of the buttons. The doors almost slid closed when Kristjan caught them, holding them open. He then gave Lora a devilish smile and said, "Let me..."
And he turned to extend a hand toward the floor buttons and in a swift move, pushed as many as he could, as quickly as he could. He then stepped back out to rejoin Ty at his side, the last thing the two men saw as the elevator doors slid to a close was Lora's surprised face with mouth wide open.
"And here we are again."
The Icelandic word spoken while subtitles ran across the bottom of the screen, translated for the benefit of all watching. The gym in which Gabriel and Odette Stevens had transformed him was empty and dark, save for a single light shining above the six-sided ring. The former World Champion had his back turned to the camera as he regarded the ring.
"I almost feel as if I'm experiencing deja vu. Ever since my match with Austin James Parker where I lost the world title and had my first loss, I seem to be running in circles. First that match. Then Caleb Storms and myself against Ty West and Austin again. Then the four of us in London for the title. And now, here we are again! The Wolfpack, against the Wolfslair. Myself and Ty against the champion himself, Austin, and Alex Jones. I have to admit that I'm feeling a little conflicted."
He turned his head so that we could see a frown of silent contemplation on his otherwise handsome face.
"On one hand, I feel like the higher ups don't know what to do with me now, but trust me when I say I have some ideas. On the other hand, let's face it. The ain event talent pool in SCW is sorely lacking. There's Austin, obviously, Alex Jones, Ty and yeah..." He nodded with confidence. "Myself. Senor Vinnie has made himself rather stale, putting off his own guaranteed title match so far off in the distance, and Kale Smith has one set up so he's gaining momentum and fast. But right now, it seems to be just us four so we seem to keep running in circles. facing each other."
He shrugged and turned his head away from the camera again.
"That's fine. That's cool. I don't mind facing Austin and Alex. Sooner or later I'll have the chance for a one on one return match for that title and once I do, the belt is coming home to the Alpha. And I think Alex Jones and I have been looking for a one on one match for god knows how long! Ever since he first replied to that post on Twitter and showed his face in SCW. That match? When it happens ... he and I are going to tear that fucking ring apart! The one thing I never expected from Alex is the way he shows respect for those that deserve it. He may bend the rules to the point of breaking, and borders on my level of confidence, but he doesn't let the facts get past him."
"I did bring the World Heavyweight Championship back to the point where it actually meant something again. And one day, I'll take it back where it belongs, and I don't care who the hell has it at the time! Whether it's Austin or Alex or even Ty! But that's okay. There's always plenty of time for that. That belt isn't going anywhere. And I still have a very strong desire to drag Caleb Storms' scrawny little ass into the ring for one more match, just between the two of us with nobody around to get in my way of teaching that little bitch a modicum of respect! I wanted to put the fear of the gods into him but he already beat me to that himself. But this isn't about that little shit. This is about me. This is about getting back to where I fucking belong!"
Slowly, surely, Fenris turned around to face the camera and his burning blue gaze lit up.
"I've had two matches since my loss to Mercer, and I haven't won a single fucking one! The tag team match, the Fatal Fourway ... I may not have been the one to lose in either of those matches, but I also was not the one who walked out with my head and arms held high either! And you know something?"
He tilted his head just to the side and frowned.
"It fucking pisses me off! It pisses me off that this one single loss on my part sent me into a god damned tailspin! Now that isn't a knock on you Mercer, far from it! I meant what I said every time when I gave you all the credit in the world when you were able to put my shoulders down for the three count. You earned it! You took that championship that means something again, and you ran with it like a champion should! You defended it against three men, just like I did the previous show! But you have to winder how long that's going to last. I figure..."
He tilted his head and rubbed his chin.
"Maybe as long as it takes before I get my one on one rematch? Because despite what your friend and partner Alex Jones says... the Wolfslair has not taken over SCW! Honor has not taken over SCW! This has been said time and again, just because you have the top two singles championships. That's fine. But let's reflect you two on the fact that it took two tries before Austin beat me, because as I recall, I beat him first! And Alicia? Fucking skilled as she is, she did lose the title before she regained it. Just like I will, given time."
"But this time, for now, it's not about singles matches or championships. Call it whatever pleases you, but I think of it as territorial combat. Wolves are some of the fiercest, most territorial and honorable animals to walk this planet, and when the Wolfslair stepped into MY territory, claiming it for their own, well..."
He smiled and shook his head.
"That just started something I'm not altogether sure you were or are prepared for. And now it comes down to a team effort. Who can trust who the most? I think I have that edge with Ty West at my side. Oh you can go and say that you two are friends and teammates, but we both know Alex is watching that belt every time you wear it around your waist...."
He then frowns and shrugs.
"Well, it's either that or he's checking out your ass but I doubt that very much. My point is, he covets being the best. He all but admitted that himself! So if there's a chance that whatever happens in this match would benefit his eventually holding that championship, can you honestly step back and think he wouldn't do it? I can say that about Ty, because it's not me that he has his eyes on. It's you, Austin. Your championship. When you think about it, that sort of makes you the odd man out in this tag team match, doesn't it?"
Fenris takes a step toward the camera.
"All respect to you both. You may be the Wolfslair, but we are the Alpha and the Beta. We are the wolves, and we are taking back our 'lair!"
With that being said, the one spotlight winks out, basking the scene in darkness.
