Honolulu, Hawaii -
2022He had called her over video chat, and from the very first look at his face on her laptop screen, she could tell something horrible was the matter. Austin was a man that did not wear his emotions on his sleeve, just as she herself refrained. When her husband died, she had fought mightily to keep it together and the only time she had allowed herself to properly grieve was when there were no witnesses. She had never fought such a struggle as the one she had when seated at the funeral, in between Malulani's mother and Anela, Malulani's young daughter whom she had come to love as her own. Her mother-in-law had never truly accepted her as her husband's wife, having never gotten past Malulani's divorce from his previous wife. It had all been lost on Mahina the fact his wife had all but abandoned her family, deciding on the sly that she no longer wanted to be a wife and mother. 'She' was meant to be Malulani's wife, not Tempest. 'She' was meant to be Anela's mother, not Tempest. And Tempest's own pride in not wanting others to see her openly weep had worked against her in the long run, coming back to bite her in the ass as it convinced Mahina that she had little to no feelings for Malulani, which could not had been further from the truth.
Mahina used this as a means to gain custody of her granddaughter, even though Tempest had fought it mightily but without success. Malulani's mother also sought to take the house and everything her son had left his wife out of sheer bitterness, but that was without success. The court openly ruled in Tempest's favor as Malulani's wife, but she would have given up everything he had left her had it only meant keeping custody of her husband's daughter. It had been her downfall, and remained so to this day, and it was seemingly something that she had in common with one of her closest friends, and perhaps her only one in this business - Austin James Mercer.
When he had called her to tell her the tragic and horrifying news that his wife's life had been snuffed out by an assailant, she had no words of comfort to offer him because it had come as such a shock. She had questions. In-depth ones that would have to wait as she saw Austin's eyes were puffy and red, tell-tale signs that he had been grieving out of sadness and anger, but like her, away from prying eyes. Had she brought up the questions that she had wanted, she wasn't altogether certain that Austin would be able to hold back his emotions. And she wasn't going to do that to him. So she had asked the questions he would be able to answer - such as how he was, the family and most importantly... his children. To have their mother taken away from them in an act of violence was beyond anything anyone should have to endure, and their mental welfare and well-being was their father's number one priority.
That was another reason he had called.
The doorbell rang of her house, followed by the sharp rap of knuckles on the door frame, drawing her from her almost manic preparations. In all the time that she had lived here alone and without Malulani, she had never had guests, especially overnight guests, that were not close family. But when Austin told her that he needed to get his kids as well as himself away for awhile to simply grieve and process everything, there was no questioning it. He and his children were to come to Honolulu, and they would stay with her for as long as was needed. Austin had initially fought the idea of staying in her house, not wanting to put one of his only friend's out for whatever reason, but luckily she had won out. Or did she? Privately, she believed Austin 'allowed' her to win. She believed he wanted this; he wanted he and his children to stay with her so they would be around a familiar face and with that, a sense of comfort when in need. Yet being who he was and a proud man, he didn't want to come right out and ask if it were alright.
With one last look around her house, Tempest was satisfied that all was ready and in order. She walked across the threshold of her home and opened the door to find her close friend and his children at her door. No words need be said. The children were still grieving, still in a state of shock, and tempest stepped aside to allow the three Mercers entry to her home. The kids walked past first, Tempest offering a comforting touch to their arms as they walked past, but Austin? Her grip on his shoulder drew him to a stop and he turned and found her arm wrapped around his thick shoulder in an embrace that, while quick, spoke volumes.
Friends did for friends.
Las Vegas, Nevada - the GO Gym
Last weekIt was business as usual in the state-of-the-art facility that had been the birth place of many careers in the sport if professional wrestling. While there was no current class on hand in the famed GO Gym, it was yet still open to those that had already graduated from the facilities so that they could work out on the modern gym equipment, or inside of the rings of which there were two - all the better to keep their ring skills sharp and maintain the knowledge that they had learned from two of the very best. And in doing so, be able to learn anything new and evolve. Gabriel and Odette always maintained that line of truth; in order to be successful in the sport, one had to be able to evolve since wrestling itself would evolve around you. If your opponents watched and knew all that there was to know about you, you were as good as finished. You had to be able to surprise them every so often if you wanted to keep your place at the top of the proverbial mountain. They and the fans. Because if you couldn't maintain the interest of those that bought the tickets and merchandise, the promoters had little reason to want to keep you around.
And one of the most aggressive students Gabriel and Odette had come to know under their tutelage was the amazon they coined appropriately as Tempest. The 6'3" woman was by her own admitting, a fighter. You wouldn't see her throw dropkicks or take to the air; she was strictly a power wrestler and a brawler. But it worked as obvious by her string of success when on the active Bombshell roster. But it still did not mean she had nothing new that she could learn to keep the SCW Universe on the edge of its collective seat. According to the Stevens' credo - one never stopped learning until one simply stopped. Words to live by for any athlete who took heir career as seriously as the Stevens demanded their charges took theirs.
Tempest was currently in her ring gear in one of the rings, engaging in a competitive sparring match with none other than Devona, the 2023 Blast From the Past winner and as such, the current number one contender to the World Bombshell Championship. Devona had volunteered for this session against the MUCH larger Tempest, and it was a benefit to them both. Tempest would force Devona to work even harder than normal given her size and strength difference, and Devona was roughly the same size as ninety percent of the women's roster so wrestling against women half her size was something Tempest had little choice but to adapt to since her career first started.
Devona was currently perched on the middle turnbuckle and she leapt off to attempt a flying body press, but it was a glaring miscalculation on her part as Tempest easily caught her in her arms and slung her over her shoulder, when there was a timely intervention...
"Oy! Tempest!" Gabriel Stevens, one of the two proprietors of which the Gym had been named after, had walked out of the back office he shared with his wife Odette and approached the ring. Tempest turned around, almost comically holding the smaller Devona on her shoulder - both women acting seemingly nonchalant over the sight they were presenting.
"Got some good news for you!" Gabriel continued. "Drop her." And almost immediately wished he had worded that better as Tempest, with a smirk on her face, took him all-too literal and just let Devona go, dumping her to the canvas with a thud. "Ow!" Being the only thing Devona uttered after the fall.
Tempest walked across the ring and stepped OVER the top rope and dropped to the floor, Gabriel watching her every move and shaking his head. He then looked into the ring and asked, "Are you okay?" of Devona which rolled over onto her back and gave him a thumbs up. Satisfied, Gabriel turned to address Tempest who put on her best innocent face. One that was not altogether very convincing.
"Not funny." Gabriel reprimanded her, but in a good natured way as he was satisfied Devona had not been harmed.
"You said you had good news?" Tempest asked as she picked up her towel and used it to dab at her forehead and along the back of her neck.
"Yeah," Gabriel said as he sat back on the edge of the ring apron. "You know how Mark and Christian gave the public a vote and they're bringing back the Mixed Tag gold?"
"Yeah?" Tempest frowned ever-so slightly as she popped off the cap of her water bottle and took a deep pull. "What does that have to do with me?"
Gabriel answered, "Well it seems that they've got a pretty healthy start for the new division. And, I just got a text from Mark. They're reuniting you and Austin as one of the teams on the roster."
"Really." Tempest said, more of a confirmation than a question.
"Really." Gabriel affirmed.
Tempest asked, "And they're not at all concerned or worried about a conflict of interest because of what's been going down with Austin and Carter and his man?"
"Not at all." Gabriel shook his head. "Despite your overwhelming sense of loyalty to the people in this gym, Mark also knows how loyal you are to your friends. One of whom just so happens to be Austin. And as the two of you are former champions in that division, they thought it'd help the division and the tournament if they had at least one former championship team involved."
Tempest tilted her head and gave a shrug of her shoulders, "Can't fault that logic I guess." She admitted casually.
"So you're in?" Gabriel asked inquisitively.
"I wouldn't mind having a second go of that title with Mercer." She smiled genuinely. "Where do I sign?"
Phoenix, Arizona - Papago Park
TodayOne thing that Arizona had long been famous for besides unbearable heat and resembling Bedrock of Flintstones fame, were the sunsets. Not the dust storms that seemingly blew in from out of nowhere. Not the seemingly endless desert nor the mountains that stretched across the horizon - the sunsets. They were a natural beauty that the locals never tired of, and those that paid visits to the Desert State as tourists or on business seemed in awe of, even if the natural beauty was not something one would normally be able to look upon and appreciate.
Looking out across the large lake in the center of the park and adorned with a variety of desert palm trees, was none other than Tempest. Taking this brief respite from her seemingly never ending training regime, the amazon Bombshell was in a perhaps uncharacteristic state of calm as she sat on a bench carved from a log, her eyes simply watching the descending sun's reflection dance on the surface of the water.
"So, they finally decided to bring back the World Mixed Tag Team Championship, hm? Well, all I can say is that it's about damn time! I may not exactly be a wrestling historian but I have been a fan of this sport ever since I was a little girl, sitting on my papa's knee and watching on our family TV. And do you know what I realized? For the longest time, SCW was one of the only wrestling companies I've ever heard of that did not have an active tag team championship for any length of time. Now, after careful consideration from the powers-that-be, they've decided to bring back one of the only mixed tag team titles in the business, making the best of both worlds, and both rosters. All I can ask myself is what are they going to do different this time around, compared to the last time? Last time this championship was active, it felt like it was little more than card filler. Did you see regular mixed tag team matches on the shows that weren't for the titles?"
She shook her head.
"Yeah, don't feel bad because I can't remember the last time that happened either. It felt like it was just a challenger-of-the-month situation. Where they would just throw together a team and have them challenge whoever happened to be the champions at the time. And make no mistake, this tactic did com up with some interesting combinations and pretty damn good matches, but without a legit division to build the titles around, the interest just plummeted. So again, what are they going to do different?"
She shrugged.
"Well, to SCW's credit, at least they made sure they had enough legit teams to pair together before they even made the return of the titles official. Eight or so teams, if I'm not mistaken. Not a bad way to kick things off and even after the titles are decided, there's still plenty of competition all around between teams who won't be walking out of Summer XXXTreme XI as the champions. But first, before we even get that far, there's a little matter of working our way up to that point. Every team that wants to be a part of that Fatal Fourway on the cruise has to earn it, and I got no problem with that because I have a partner who I've proven myself with in the past once already."
"I won't lie. At first I admit I felt a tad insulted. Not over the fact that I'm being teamed with Austin again, because there is no one else in SCW who I'd be willing to be a tag team with. None! I've said it before, and I'll repeat myself this once; Austin has been there for me as much if not more, than I've been there for him. despite what anyone thinks of his actions recently, that fact remains. He's a friend, one of my closest ever. He has my back, and he knows damn well he can count on me to see him through this entire route to the championships. no, what I felt a bit insulted with 'at first' was the fact that he and I were told we had to earn our way into the Fatal Fourway. I mean, as if already holding the championships isn't evidence enough that we deserve to be in the running? Every other team aside from the Barnharts have never teamed before in SCW, and never held the titles. And yet, we're being reduced to the same level as men and women who are starting from ground one. But fine. So what? if that's how they want things to go, Mercer and I are more than happy to run right over whoever we have to in order to make it to Summer XXXTreme XI. And lo an d behold, look at who we got in front of us. The 'bosom buddies' themselves. SCW's answer to the Breakfast Club. Ben Jordan and Samantha Marlowe!"
She smiled, despite herself. A chuckle escaping her lips pressed together.
"If there was ever a man that was on the roster that made me wish SCW sanctioned intergender matches, it's the man standing on the opposite side of the ring. Ben Jordan. The Cockney King himself! The one man who time and again has had the number of Fenris, beating him in back to back instances. Ben Jordan, returning to active duty for the first time since September of LAST YEAR. In swear to god Jordan, who do you think you are? Me? I've had people talk about me, mentioning potential and some have said I've wasted any momentum that I've earned with wins against women like Zoey Lukas and bitches like Krystal Wolfe. But it's not like I could predict injuries or family emergencies which have time and again kept me out of the ring. I fault myself for being careless enough to get injured, whether it's my fault or not. But family to me always comes first and I'll sacrifice my career every time when it comes to being there for them. But what about you, Ben? I won't ask you what keeps you away, because curiosity aside, it's really none of my business. But what I am interested in, is what brings you back? Did Sam call you, huh? Did she want another crack at stardom and the mixed tag titles caught her attention? Did 'Saint Ben' come calling like the cavalry, so he could be there for a friend and win a new championship? ell, if so, I can't fault you either way. They don't call you 'Saint Ben' for no damn reason. The only thing that stands out more than your career is your heart. Your giving nature. You'll be there for a friend even if it ultimately costs you in the end. And unfortunately Ben..."
She shrugged, holding her hands out, palms up.
"It's going to. Because sooner or later, it won't be Austin and yourself in the ring. One of you is going to have to tag out eventually, and then 'Little Miss Sunshine' is going to have to get in the ring with me and that's when it's all going to come crashing down. I just hope the disappointment isn't too much and you decide to stick it out after the initial disappointment wears off Ben. I respect you. I like everything that I've heard about you, and everything I've seen in your history here. And it'd be a damn shame to see you go once Sammi gets planted in the mat."
By now, the glorious sunset in front of the desert horizon has changed from hues of oranges, pinks and blues to a descending blend of deep blues and purples as night was beginning to rise to its prominence. It was amazing how much Tempest was growing to appreciate the desert skyline, considering she was herself a native of Hawaii, a state that was renowned for its natural beauty all year around. It was calming -- appreciative.
"Sam Marlowe. It HAS been a long time, hasn't it? January 31, 2021? Inception IV. Actually, that was the only time that you and I have been in the ring against each other, and while I didn't walk away the winner of that match - which still galls me -- at least I take the satisfaction in knowing I also wasn't the one who suffered the loss. And even before that match, you were one of the first 'Bombshells' that I made an impression on when I was first signed. And while I would have preferred testing myself against you one on one, somehow Violet got herself involved and it just wasn't meant to be. Not until now. And while this isn't exactly what I wanted, it's close enough. Because once you step inside of the ring with me, willing or no, it might as well be a singles match because there's going to be no escape for you once I get hold of you."
"You, Sammi, you're one of the reasons I wanted to get involved in this sport. No, I'm not saying your glorious career inspired me. I'm saying that women like you are a dime a dozen physically. You see, I'm not blaming you for your physical assets. You're a beautiful woman and the promoters are smart enough to use the fact to draw in the hormonal teenage boys that are the predominant audience. You're one of the women who inspired me to get into this sport because I wanted the world to see there was more to offer the fans of women's wrestling than Cookie Cutter Barbie dolls. And no, here we are. The match I wanted - sort of. The opponent I've wanted for almost two years - definitely. And here's the part that might come as a surprise to you, Sam..."
"I don't hate you. I have no reason to. I don't even NOT respect you. See, you're far from being the biggest woman on the roster. But that lack of size has never stopped you or slowed you down. You have fought through every obstacle along your way to the point you're not only a multi-time champion here, you're also a Hall of Fame recipient. Well to that, I say bravo! And the fact that you came back, that you could not bring yourself to stay away, that speaks much for your love for this business -- or the love of the spotlight. or both!"
She held a hand up dismissively.
"Who the hell am I to judge either way? I just hope that this time, you decide to stick around. if not for yourself, if not for the fans, then for your partner. Because it speaks a lot for Ben Jordan to come back and want to team with a woman who's career is as sporadic as my own. The end result will be disappointing for you Sammi, that I can promise you, but I don't want you to hold back either way. I want to face the Sam Marlowe that is a two-time World Champion! I want to face the Sam Marlowe who has faced the darkest hearts and most dangerous of women they put in front of her and walked away with her head held high! Sunday is fast approaching, Sammi."
That being said, Tempest stood up from where she was sitting and looked down into the camera.
"Don't -- disappoint me!"
