Rising From The Depths
SCW Climax Control #230
Travis Levitt versus Lachlan Kane versus Austin James Mercer
The scene opens up on a night time view of a regular looking bedroom. There's some dressers to one side, and the curtains are fluttering as the wind flows through, but the main sight is on the two sleeping forms under the covers of the queen sized bed. There isn't much light to see them yet but one of them is tossing and turning as they sleep. Their long legs squirming under the covers, and a moment later they sit up straight in bed gasping and breathing heavily, and thanks to the moonlight hitting his sweaty form we can see that it's Travis Levitt. The SCW superstar is staring straight ahead, eyes wide and his look is a long one. Only one word passes his lips, in an almost pitiful whine.
"Desiree....."
The nxt moment a click can be heard, and the room is flooded by light, and sitting up beside Travis is Pandora Barrett. Her wrist still in its brace, she runs her good hand over his back softly, looking at him with a lot of concern stretching her face.
"Another nightmare?"
"Worse. Memories."
Travis lets out a deep sigh, running a hand through his long hair, and trying to stop his shivering. Pandora watches him for a moment, her lips pursed as she watches him for a moment, her hand still rubbing at his back.
"Third time this week. Something's on your mind. More so then usual."
"Not something. Someone."
Pandora's eyebrow arches, a little caught off guard by the answer. Travis turns and sees the look, letting out a soft sigh as he reaches back to hold his hand over hers and giving it a squeeze.
"Go put the kettle on. I'll tell you everything."
Travis hops up, heading towards the bathroom to freshen up, and Pandora watches him with a concerned look. The scene slowly shifts out though, and comes back in on Pandora sitting at the dining room table, while Travis is across the room at the hallway cupboard. reaching up above his head for a few moments, and then coming out with a medium sized cardboard box. Walking over towards the table, he sets it down and sighs. Pandora's eyes are on the box, though they flicker towards him occasionally, until Travis opens the box and pulls out a framed photo from on the top. It's got a little dust on it, but it's clear this isn't the first time Travis has pulled this photo out. He hands it to Pandora, and the camera catches the photo, which is a picture of Travis pushing a little girl on a swing. She has deep brown hair, and is wearing it back in a pair of pigtails. Her face is lit up with a smile, and even Travis is smiling wide in the photo. Pandora looks at the photo and then looks up at Travis, who is watching her with a soft smile.
"Her name is Desiree Hope Renee."
"Renee? As in Ashley Renee?"
"One and the same."
"Didn't you and her have a thing?"
"Yeah. We did. As it turns out, we had something more then a thing. We had Desiree."
Pandora's eyes widen, before she quickly switches her gaze back to the photo, her mouth slightly widened in shock.
"You mean, Desiree is...."
"My daughter. Yeah."
Pandora can't help but stare at the photo in shock, her hands gripping the frame tightly. Travis seems to understand she needs a moment, so he continues slowly giving her time to process and listen.
"When Desiree was born, it was a little while after Ashley and I had lost touch. She had that weird thing going on with Marius, and I honestly just wanted to wrestle. She tried to call me a couple of times, but she was a distraction I didn't need. I was focused on my career. Of course, that didn't turn out too good either. Injury after injury. Stops and starts galore. But I kept pushing anyway. And so Ashley can I didn't talk for almost nine years, until one day I came back to WWH to try and make my mark there again. And one of the first people I ran into was Ash."
Pandora lifts her gaze from the photo now, as Travis's tone is becoming melancholy and withdrawn. He raises his gaze to meet her eyes and forces a smile on his face, trying to reassure her that he's okay. She stares at him pointedly and he lets out a sigh before continuing.
"She didn't tell me right away. Guess she wanted to keep me at distance as best she could. But then came the day she was dreading. Marius came looking for her. And she knew she had to run again, and that a life on the run was not going to be possible with attachments. So she showed up on my door at three o'clock in the morning one day. She had a giant suitcase with her, wet hair from the rain, and Desiree at her side."
"Wait....wasn't Ashley a vampire?"
"Stage gimmick. Though she did steal a lot of inspiration from her life. Marius wasn't her sire, so much as the man that kidnapped her as a kid. She's been fleeing from him for her whole life. He's a man with nothing to lose, and she knows it."
Pandora nods along and glances back at the photo. Travis pulls up a seat next to her, sitting close by Pandora's side and looking at the photo for a moment, and then glancing down at the ground. Pandora turns to see him, reaching out to rub his knee softly.
"We can stop if you want."
"No we can't. You deserve to know the truth. And it kind of feels good to get it off my chest."
Levitt lets out another deep sigh and then looks up at the photo.
"It wasn't easy at first. I went from living a bachelor lifestyle, where all I did was wrestle and train, to having another life dependant on me. Ash barely hung around long enough to tell me who Desiree was before taking off, and I might have been entirely lost, except Reece stepped up. Bestie Power to the rescue."
"I vaguely remember Reece. Wasn't he your tag partner for a while?"
"Yeah. When I first started wrestling, me and Reece were going everywhere as the WA Raiders. But after a few years, Reece tired of life on the road. He wanted to settle down, get a decent job, find a good woman. And to his credit, he managed it. He found Hannah, they got married, found a nice house in the suburbs. He's got himself a regular 9-to-5 job, and Hannah works as a school teacher. The only thing they don't have is the kids. And thats not from a lack of trying."
Travis pauses now, looking down again and softly shaking his head. Pandora sees him again and sets the photo aside, turning to face him. Her hand reaching out to cup Travis' own in her hands and watching him.
"Travis....."
"I'm okay. I'm.....I'm okay."
Travis sniffles a little before lifting his head, eyes slightly red and wet. Looking at Pandora he chuckles weakly and shakes his head.
"All the big hard moves I take, not a single tear. Talking about Desiree....bring the fucking tissues."
Pandora smiles softly at the weak attempt of humor from The Phoenix, but she just waits and after a moment he continues again.
"I wasn't good to Desiree at first. Got grouchy when she wouldn't eat and shit. Was just such hard work trying to get through to her, but she was still so hurt and withdrawn. Her entire life flipped, abandoned with a dude she didn't know and told he was her father. Kept asking for Ash, wanting to know when she was coming back, and I had no answers. It was Reece that managed to make me understand the obvious. I couldn't just assume Desiree would listen to me, or love me, because I was her Father. I was her world now. I had to prove I was there for her. And so, slowly, i did just that. I started making my life circle around her, instead of trying to fit her into my life. And slowly, Desiree responded. She started to smile more, started to let loose some of that happy bubbly personality. We became close."
"So, why haven't you mentioned her before now? Where is she now, if you were so close?"
Travis bows his head again and lets out a long sigh. Flicking his tongue out to tease his lips and then looking up at Pandora.
"She's with Reece. I sold her to him."
Pandora's hand instantly comes back, her eyes widening in shock as she stares at Travis. Breath catching in her throat and she can't help the stifled gasp that escapes her lips as she stares at him.
"Y--You what? So---Sold her? Sold your daughter? How could you do that? What kind of monster does that?"
"Not a monster. A junkie."
Travis hops upto his feet, leaving the shocked Pandora seated at the table, while Travis moves across the room, stepping out onto the balcony overlooking the slowly rising sun and the city underneath it. Resting his forearms on the balcony wall and just staring out at the sights. It takes a few minutes, but he finally hears some padded footsteps behind him, and sees Pandora standing there in her robe and some slipped. Eyes on the back of his head, and he lets out a long sigh before looking forward again.
"You want the full story, or the abridged one?"
"I.....maybe I sh---"
Travis turns to face her and sits back against the balcony, arms crossed over his chest as he watches her.
"Which story do you want, Panda? You want all the details? Because it isn't a happy story. It's not going to make you laugh or smile. Might make you flee a little faster, but hey.....I probably deserve that, right? I mean, I'm the monster that sold his daughter to his best friend. Who'd want to stick around here after hearing something like that?"
"Y---You had to have your reasons. I---You're too good a per---"
"NO I AM NOT!"
His explosion is so sudden that it makes Pandora jump back a little, and Travis mid step forward seems to realise he's done the wrong thing. Stopping himself and glancing around with a sigh. turning to look back out at the lights and shaking his head.
"The man you know now. The man you love. I'm a whole different man. But that doesn't mean I'm perfect, and it damn sure doesn't even make me good. Do you have any idea how many nights, I've come out to this balcony, and just thought life would be so much simpler for everyone if I tried to fly? How many times I've sat in that bathroom, just a few feet away from some sharp razor blades, and thought maybe life gets simpler for everyone else if I make some cuts?"
"Travis...."
He turns to face her and shakes his head with a sigh.
"I won't. Because thats the easy way out. I made my mistakes. I'm paying for my mistakes. And even when everything seems like its picking up for me.....I know it only takes a quick turn to lose it all again. But we're here now. So do you want the story, or would you rather just go back to sleep and pretend you didn't hear a single thing? I'm good at acting normal. You just let me know."
There's a few moments pause between the two, and then slowly and softly, Pandora tightens her arms around herself, her gaze growing steel in it as she stares at him.
"Tell me."
Travis looks at her for a moment and then turns a little to look out at the lights and starts to talk again.
"When I first hurt myself, Desiree was there backstage. Her smile eased the pain a little, but it was the pills that made it go away entirely. At first, that was fine. I was fine. I could wrestle, I could play with Desiree, and all just with the help of a pill or two. But then, slowly, it took more and more pills. And the more pills I took, the more my mood flipped on a switch. One moment I could be laughing while watching a movie with Desiree. Minutes later I'd be a shivering wreck on the bathroom floor. I started to see some darker people. Started to chase my drugs further and harder. And on some of those dark days, I would leave Desiree with Reece and Hannah."
"They were fine with it at first. Some times they even loaned me some money. All of it went to my habit, but it just....it was never enough. And every time I was around Reece, i could see it in his eyes. He was starting to be worried about me. I had been handed the one thing he and Hannah wanted more then anything else, and I wasn't taking care of her. Desiree was withdrawing back to within herself, and I just didn't care. Because she was just a distraction. Just a little brat that had been abandoned with me, and I guess.....I may have even said that to her a time or two. During my darker days."
Travis lets out a long deep breath, shaking his head and sighing. Stepping over to the balcony wall again and leaning out over it.
"So, one day, I was twitching and shaking like a leaf. I hadn't wrestled in a month or two. Our fridge was empty. Desiree was hungry and tired, but I didn't care. I needed my pills. Needed them bad. And suddenly....an idea came to me. I had what Reece wanted, and what I didn't want. So I packed Desiree in my car. Packed her things in that big suitcase she'd arrived with, and I took her to Reece's house. And the moment he opened the door, I told him my idea. told him I'd sell him Desiree, he could have a daughter, and I could have my pills, and everyone would be happy. Desiree was right there, listening as her own father tried to sell her, and I just.....I didn't care. I needed my pills."
Travis' head bows now as he glances down over the edge of the balcony. Behind him, Pandora watches for a few moments before she speaks, her voice soft but her body language still one of steel.
"How much? How much did you get for selling your daughter?"
"Nothing."
Pandora's eyes widen now, another shock for her as she stares at him, and then speaks again.
"But you said...."
"That I sold my daughter to Reece. And I did. for all intents and purposes, the moment I made that offer, she was no longer my daughter and she was Reece's."
Travis turns now to stare back at Pandora, a long sigh escaping his lips.
"Reece told me I was being stupid. That he'd never buy my daughter off me. He'd look after her until I was feeling better. Told me to go home and sleep it off. I told him, that if he didn't want to buy her, I'd find someone who would. Maybe even call Marius. He had money after all."
"YOU WHAT? Travis! How could you!"
"BECAUSE I WAS A FUCKING JUNKIE! How many more times do I need to repeat that? I didn't care what happened to Desiree in that moment. Couldn't have given any less of a fuck. She was a way for me to get high. Thats all that mattered."
"But still....she's your daughter."
"Not in that moment. I'd known her for a little over a year, and she was just a little brat that needed to be fed and bathed. That I could do much better without."
Travis and Pandora share a look, and Pandora shakes her head and looks down. It takes her a moment to speak again and her voice is hurt and soft.
"What happened next?"
"Well, I believe as a certain Southern based announcer might say, I got my ass whipped like a government mule. See, it turns out, Reece didn't take kindly to my threat either, and he proceeded to elaborate upon his displeasure with boot prints across my ass cheeks."
Pandora's eyes widened and she can't help but gasp a little.
"Reece hit you?"
"No. Hit implies he smacked me once and I took my leave. What he did, was kick my ass out his front door, beat me all over his front lawn, and finished it by grabbing me by my shirt and jeans, and tossing my ass back into my car. He then informed me that I could come and get Desiree when I sobered up. I took my leave, drove to a hospital, got myself looked into, faked being more hurt then I actually was to get more drugs, and then went home, took my pills and passed out. And when I woke up, and it hit me what I had done.....that was the day I checked myself into rehab."
"One year ago."
"Yeah. One year sober. Go me."
The two share a look, before Pandora lets out a sigh before speaking gently.
"You haven't seen her since?"
"Hasn't felt right. 'Hey Sweetie, I know I tried to sell you for drugs, but I'm better now. Please come home with me'."
"You know, I hear Hallmark is working on some cards with just that message inside them."
Travis can't help but laugh at that, Pandora joining him with a soft laugh as the tension of the past few minutes seems to fade away. As the laughter dies, Pandora glances back at the box and then back at Travis.
"Her things?"
"Yeah. Was too hard just having them around. Too many memories."
Pandora stares at him for a moment and then steps forward and reaches out to squeeze his hand. Her eyes staring into his own, and he looks at her with a thankful smile. Pandora just smiles and then softly speaks.
"I know you don't want to hear it, but you really do need to call Reece. You don't have to see him or her, not until your ready. But you should let him know you're thinking of him."
"I....I've got close. Hovered over his name a couple of times. But maybe your right. Maybe I should."
"You should. But that can wait for tomorrow. For now.....come on, back to bed. You need all the sleep you can get."
Travis walks with her as Pandora pulls him along and the scene cuts out on a final shot of the photo on the table. Father and Daughter in much happier times...
---
The scene now switches to a shot of Travis sitting cross-legged on the floor of an empty room. The walls are painted black, and there is a single swinging light bulb from the ceiling. Travis's eyes are closed at first, but after a long few moments he slowly flickers them open and smiles gently.
"So, this is it. The biggest chance of my SCW career. Just one match, and if I win, I get a shot at the SCW World Heavyweight Title. Fenris is a great champion for SCW. He's a little insane, but he also steps up and defends the title with honor. And that is a man worthy of respect. But even as I respect you Fenris, I still make plans to end your reign. Because I will become the SCW World Heavyweight Champion. I will cement my legacy."
"It wasn't that long ago that I was at Rock Bottom. Staring at four white walls, throwing my guts up, and never knowing if I would even wrestle again, let alone make an impression or take steps towards making myself a legacy. And yet....here I am. Here I am, looking history in the face, and not flinching. Because now I know. No matter what this business does to me, the only thing that can truly end me, is myself. The only obstacle I have to being the greatest wrestler in the world, is myself. Nothing that you do Fenris, will be enough to stop me, unless I let it."
"But even as I look at Fenris, my eyes are still on the prize. Still on this weeks battle. Because while I may believe I will be World Heavyweight Champion, I also recognise that my path to the title is not as easy as I would like. Lachlan Kane and Austin James Mercer are both amazing talents. Are both men that have shown time and time again that they can win, and win well. That they can face big battles and never even flinch. Both men are champions. Lachlan as a Mixed Tag Champion, is a man I have respected for fighting so hard and so well to be champion again and again. And Mercer....we all saw what you did against Fenris a few weeks ago. There is no doubt in mind that one day, you too will be a World Champion."
"The bad news for both of you, is that your future may see gold. But this week, that gold becomes my present. That World Heavyweight Title is too rich a prize to let it slip from my grasp. Too great a goal to let this opportunity pass. I have fought so hard this past year to get myself to this level, to let myself be stalled or stopped by either of you."
"The things I have done in the past, the mistakes I have made, and the things I have lost, they are my fire. They are what push me to be a better man. To be a champion. And as much as I try to forget...as much as I try and move on and make myself a clear path to the future, it becomes more prevalant with every match, that only way I am ever going to reach the top, is by making peace with my old mistakes, and recognising in them, that same belief I need to have now. That belief that I am doing the right thing for myself. And also, that no matter what either of you throw at me, I have taken worse, and still raised myself up and got back here. You can't stop me from rising. Can't stop my fire. Can't stop my heart."
"This week at Climate Control, three of us enter that ring. We're all hungry. We're all ready. And we're all ready to give it everything we have. But only one man can escape with the title shot. And as much as I respect you men, as much as I believe this will be your time some day. On this week, at this time.....the stage is mine. Make no mistake about it gentlemen, after Climate Control, The Phnoeix rises again."
And with that Travis slowly closes his eyes once more and the scene cuts...to....black.
