Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 1996
"Now come on. Stop fidgeting." His grandma Victoria said with a gentle smile while she kneeled in front of her three year old grandson.
It would seem that even sixteen years ago when he was just a mere toddler, Joshua had little liking to being dressed up in anything other than something that he himself considered comfortable. He liked t-shirts with cartoon animals on them and loose jeans and the like. Sometimes his mom and grandma 'indulged' him by letting him send all day on Saturday running around in his pajamas if his grandpa wasn't taking him outside to play on the grounds of their home. But he did not like this stiff dress suit his grandma was busily tucking him into. His fidgeting did not stop, however, at her insistence. He bit into the piece of taffy his mother had given him as a treat and shifted his arms away from the side, pulling the dress jacket from Victoria's fingers. She exhaled lightly as she looked at her grandson while he gave his full on attention to the candy in his small fingers.
"Joshua." She said lightly and he stopped mid-bite to look at his grandma and he cracked a smile that showed he was missing one of his two front teeth and he waved his fingers gently at her. She closed her eyes and snorted gently through her nose, finding amusement in the simplest of the boy's actions, mannerisms and facial expressions. He was a blessing on her family, one view she shared with her daughter, Margaret, but not her husband.
James was a strict disciplinarian, a powerful judge in the city court system, and nothing short of domineering. He hated the young American who got their daughter pregnant with a passion that scared her, and at times she could tell he wanted to take it out on his grandson who he would often refer to as "that little bastard" behind the child's back, but never to his face. It was not an indulgence she herself would tolerate. Strong as James was in reputation and personality, even he could take things only so far when it came to the harsh treatments he dished out on his family.
Joshua needed a strong, male role model in his life. The only one who fit that bill was his grandpa, her husband. Not an easy position to be in when he considered the child virtually an abomination on their good standing in their community. Never mind the fact their neighbors adored the child, inviting him to parties and the like every chance that came up. Just getting James to spend any kind of time with Joshua was a virtual miracle unto itself. And Joshua seemed oblivious to the negativity that leaked from his grandpa's being. Quite the contrary, Joshua would often turn a blind eye to this and he instead looked at the older man with a loving eye.
Victoria set her hands on the knees of her dress slacks and Joshua snapped the hard taffy in another bite and just watched her as she shook a forefinger at him, and she said, "Now please Joshua, I need you to be still so I can finish getting you ready." And she shifted aside a fraction so she could pick up the small tie that rested on the edge of the chair's seat and she held it up toward the boy who took a hasty step back.
"What's that?" He asked with wide eyes, taking his wonderment from his grandma to the garment and back again. No, even way back when there was something about a tie that made this young one uncomfortable with a mere glance.
"It's alright." His Grandma Victoria assured him, or attempted to. "It's just a neck tie. It'll make you look like a handsome little gentleman."
Mmph!" He whimpered as she started to put the tie around his neck and under his collar. He started to whine and fidget all over again when a rough edged voice spoke up.
"Stop that."
The steel edged tone made the boy look up as his Grandpa James entered the room in his own suit and tie, his eyes boring holes right toward the child. He reached to a coat rack and picked up his dress jacket, not even looking at the child who was watching him with adoration in his sparkling gray eyes.
"Let your grandmother finish getting you ready." He said with a tone to his voice that said he would brook no argument or childish displays of rebellion. "And do not give her any more trouble."
Joshua swallowed the taffy he hastily chewed and called after his grandpa who left the room and headed for the front door, scooping a set of car keys up from a dish on a counter. "Are you coming with us Grandpa?"
"No." Was all the man said as he opened the door and stepped outside, allowing it to shut behind him with a sharp crack.
Victoria used the distraction to her advantage, finishing getting Joshua's tie done up and straightened while the boy's eyes never left the direction his grandpa exited. She placed her fingertips on his soft cheek and turned his head to look at her and she smiled as best she could under the uncomfortable treatment showed him by James. How a grandfather could treat his special grandson like he was virtually non-existent was beyond her scope.
She fixed the lapels of his dress jacket and said, "Your Grandpa has to work tonight."
"Oh." Was the simple response. "Why do I hafta go?"
"Why? Sweety, it's Mother's Day." She looked his hair over and could not help but marvel at how it glistened in it's sleek, black color. She fished a comb from the confines of her purse and she started to run it through the boy's hair as he clenched his eyes shut tightly and whimpered audibly. It was safe to do so now that Grandpa stepped out. She continued, "You remember that present you helped me pick out for your mommy?"
He nodded as she tucked the comb away and she slowly stood up, the evidence of age showing itself in the stiffness of her knees. She brushed her hand on his shoulder, touching him up and she smiled, "Well we're going to give it to her tonight when we go out to dinner."
"Why doesn't mommy make dinner? I like her cooking."
Victoria smiled and said, "Well you can tell her that yourself. make her feel a little bit extra special, but on Mother's Day she doesn't have to do something like that. It's all about her."
"Oh." Was spoken again in the simplest way. He then looked up at her and shrugged, "So why don't you cook dinner?"
The persistent questions from the mind of a child.
"Joshua, I'm your mommy's mommy." Was his Grandma's answer. "So Mother's day is special for me too. Okay?"
He nodded and reached up to take her hand as she led him from the front living room and into the hall where Margaret was just descending the staircase. Margaret stood in front of the two and twirled around to show off the dress she had selected for the evening.
"Well?" She asked in a playful tone. "How do I look?"
She was answered by her three year old holding out his hand palm down and giving it a 'wave'.
"Oh, thanks." Margaret laughed as she picked him up and planted a peck on the boy's cheek as he grimaced while his grandma led them from the hall and to the front door to celebrate Mother's Day properly.
Yes, this was just a short few years before the car accident that robbed this child of a potential future as a man that many might consider 'normal'.
Vancouver, British Columbia - 1998
The ambulance lights flashed as the scream of the sirens alerted every vehicle to abandon their spot on the road and pull over so they could pass.
"For God's sake, there's a kid in here!" The police officer shouted as he stared into the shattered remains of the passenger side window of the `92 Ford Escort.
The vehicle had been slammed into by a large truck that inadvertently blew a red light and crashed into the car owned by Margaret Young, sending it into a tail spin where it slammed uncontrollably into the side of an apartment building alongside the city street. The paramedics would have easy access to the driver, but the child's door was pinned against the building and dented in such a fashion that they would be unable to even open it. The female driver was barely alert, but the boy was totally unresponsive. His head had slammed violently against the hard glass of the passenger side door, splitting his small forehead open and rendering him totally unconscious. He simply hung there in his seat belt.
Her own forehead bleeding and a nasty welt developing on the temple, Margaret forced herself to come to and ease her head aside to look at the small form beside her. Her sharp cry made the officers and paramedics all the more determined.
"Joshy!" Margaret screamed. "JOSHY!!"
Las Vegas, NV - May 13
Synn sat in the leather chair in his study, silently brooding to himself. His eyes stared down at the flickering lights on his computer screen but he paid the video of a match between Nick Jones and a man by the name of "Predator" Rix Usher no mind. He knew that he should be using whatever spare time he had to further scout the three men who would be the opposition for Gabriel and Despayre, as well as the former Sin City Wrestling Roulette Champion, but this was evidence that there were indeed times when the mind simply did not go where it was intended. Small wonder given what day it was, and what he had found his household in the grips of preparing for.
He was not happy that Gabriel wouldn't be there to help get them through this. Gabriel was quickly becoming the backbone of this group, whereas Despayre was the heart. Sometimes Synn wondered if the time came for him to step down from his position as the herald of the Seven Sins, that the perfect 'heir' to the proverbial throne would indeed be the magician; the man who was both family as well as friend.
Times had changed drastically these past few years. Changed him, to be more precise. There was a time where Synn kept everyone at arm's length, the better to protect him against the betrayals of the past. There were a select few whom he would deign to call 'friend', and one was still at his side; 'Sxxxy' Shane Boswell. The other could be heard on the weekly broadcasts of 'Climax Control', namely Jason Adams. Synn used to manage the pair and serve as their bodyguard before he even fashioned one of the more controversial stables in the history of professional wrestling. Then Bad Medicine had split. Shane became the Sin of pride, and Jason struck out on his own.
That was then.
When Synn discovered a long hidden secret kept well from his attention for years, something inside of him had changed. His views on the corruptions of the world around him had not changed, nor had the beliefs in the blissful effects of the sinful freedoms. He was still a man whom many referred to as a loose cannon, one who might snap at any given moment with the temper he had made well known. But there was one now whom he simply could not address negatively, someone who he could not say the simplest of words to; no.
No, something deeper inside of him changed and gave way to release. And it was only lately that he gave way to a disturbing fear of loss.
********************
"Come on Despy!" Fantasia scolded as she made her umpteenth attempt to slip the tie around Despayre's neck before he whined and started to struggle to bat it away.
Diminutive as she was in stature, she was roughly the same height that he himself was, so when she stared at him, they met eye-to-eye. He flinched openly and averted his gaze and she huffed.
"Despy." She said and she was 'gifted' by his looking up just over his eyebrows. "This whole thing was your idea, remember?"
He nodded, but said nothing.
She went on, "Then you need to stop this and let me finish getting you ready. You want to look nice, don't you?"
Despayre mused to himself in contemplation, looking aside from the corner of his eyes. Biting his bottom lip, he yielded and nodded.
"Well then stand still and let me get this on you." She said and he frowned and a whimper escaped him. She continued, "I'm not Shane, sweety. I'm not going to chase you everywhere and wrestle you down to get this tie on you."
"Are you trying to make him struggle and depressed?" The voice came from behind her and she turned around just enough to spot the object of her affections, Shane, standing in the frame of the door. He was dressed to kill, as per usual, in a cream colored dress shirt and matching slacks. It went along well with her own pearl-white cocktail dress.
She reprimanded the handsome man, saying, "Where have you been?"
"Out picking up that bottle of wine for Theresa to serve at dinner." He answered. "Took me a little longer than I expected."
"I could have used your help getting Despy ready."
Shane smirked, "Yeah that's why it took me so long. Figured it was your turn."
Fantasia frowned and turned back to try and finish and Despayre lifted a hand to casually point in Shane's direction, asking, "Hey how come he's not gotta wear one?"
Fantasia answered, "It's your dinner Despy, not his." She cast one more glance over her shoulder before finishing the tie and Shane took his leave. She turned back around and straightened the accessory and smiled, "There. Pretty as a picture."
********************
"Synn, do you need anything?"
Synn looked up to spot his faithful housekeeper Theresa standing in the frame of his office door. Her eyes gave off a silent hint of concern but he shook his head in the negative, answering, "No, thank you Theresa. I'm fine." He looked back to the computer screen for a moment, then up as the housekeeper had almost shut the door behind her.
"Theresa?"
She turned around and pushed the door open. She said nothing, just stood there and watched him. Waiting.
He asked, "How is Joshua? Is he almost ready?"
She nodded, "Si. Fantasia is getting him ready. Having a good deal of difficulty doing so too. How about you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you ready?" She asked, her eyebrows rising almost to her hairline.
"No." Was the simple and honest answer. "I don't think I am. Or will be." He shook his head and growled almost inaudibly. "I don't know how he talked me into this."
"Simple." Shane said as he stepped inside of the room. "He asked, gave you those puppy dog eyes he perfected, and you caved." Shane paused beside Theresa and snaked an arm around her waist for a light squeeze. "Heya babe."
"Fresh tart." Theresa rolled her eyes and turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. The silence left in her wake was deafening. the tension grew thick as Shane simply stared at Synn and his light hearted manner was virtually extinguished. His face hardened as he said nothing.
He didn't have long to wait as Synn finally reached over and turned the desktop off and exhaled sharply. He leaned his elbow onto the arm rest of the chair and set his chin on his clenched fist. "If you have something to say, Shane, then please do so."
"Well the first thing I want to say is you can fucking look at me when I say something to you."
The words were calm, but the acidic tone behind them bit into Synn like a blade crafted of the coldest ice. He brought his head up and turned his head to face Shane and his eyes flashed in anger and he spoke, "Excuse me?"
"Apology not accepted." Shane quipped as he walked over to the front of the desk and stood there, refusing to take the seat opposite of the man he now looked down on. "Oh and you can lay off that intimidation bit with your frowning and angry eyes routine. I've known you for over ten years, so drop it."
Synn had been expecting this. Ever since he had argued so heatedly with Margaret and spilled the proverbial beans, there was no going back and containing the secrets again of Pandora's Box. "Just say what it is that you want to say." Synn said. "Get it over with."
"Fine!" Shane snarled and he reached over the desk and in blinding force, cuffed Synn hard upside of the head, almost sending him tumbling to the side. Synn jumped to his feet, knocking his chair back against his office wall and the two men glared at one another. Synn's temper flared to an all-time high at the audacity, but Shane was his equal in height, weight and experience. Shane stood there, and stared. Whereas Synn stood in anger, Shane felt a sense of betrayal.
Before Synn could even respond to the insulting blow to the side of the head, Shane cut him off by asking, "Why?" he shook his head. "Why the hell didn't you tell anyone?"
Synn fumed. He could not believe Shane went so far as to physically strike him, but a part of him felt the man had a point, and a right to feel as angry as he did. Shane reacted to Synn's silence by reaching to take another shot but Synn brought up his right arm to block it and both men simply stared hard at one another.
Shane nodded, "Good. For a second there, I thought I had lost you. I mean for the past couple of years you've been playing the role of a god damn coward so it's nice to see you still have a fucking set!"
Synn's eyebrows rose and he said, "Coward?"
"Coward." Shane confirmed. "I can't think of any other reason why you wouldn't tell us. I hear Gabriel found out by accident, but you still kept it from the rest of us! Fantasia and I have known you for years! God damn man! You turned this rag tag group of yours into a family! Granted, a dysfunctional family, but a family none the less! And one thing I learned in my life is you don't keep secrets from family!"
Synn said, "Maybe I didn't think you needed to know."
Shane shook his head and took a step back. "Maybe not. maybe we didn't." He said. "In the end, that was your decision. I tried to get Gabriel to open up because I might be pretty but I'm not stupid. I knew there was something going on. Fantasia and I could both feel things weren't the same. There was a ...."
"Tension?" Synn finished his thought and Shane nodded and held a hand out to indicate he was correct.
"Tension. Yes." Shane said. He shook his head and held his hands out. "What did you think was going to happen, man? Did you think we'd make fun of you for having a past we weren't aware you were capable of? Did you think we'd make jokes or put you down?"
Synn shook his head. "No."
"Then why?" Shane asked, truly wanting to know. "And don't give me that bullshit about thinking we didn't need to know! All of this has been threatening everything we've built over the past decade! If you had just been open and honest..."
"Not one of my finer qualities."
Shane nodded, "Yeah, no shit! We all knew there was a reason behind why you rescued Despy from that hell hole. we all knew there was some kind of connection, but we didn't know it extended this far. We didn't know that he was..."
Synn tucked his hands in his pockets and finished, "My son."
Shane looked down at the desk and glanced up, nodding. "Yeah." he shook his head and a smirk of amusement and annoyance broke out on his face. "God, it feels weird to even say it aloud. That kid has grown on all of us, but anyone could see he had an effect on you most of all. And now that I think about it, maybe that's why you kept it a secret. maybe you didn't want anyone to think you've changed when it's been so damn obvious you have."
"No." Synn shook his head and Shane tilted his head to the size inquisitively.
"No?" He asked. "You haven't changed?"
"No. It's not why I kept it under wraps."
"Well then, indulge me." Shane folded his arms over his chest. "Why? Even if you didn't tell us, why didn't you tell Despy?"
Synn answered, "Because of the lies his grandfather and most likely, his mother, fed him every chance they got. They gave him reasons why I wasn't around. Told him I wanted nothing to do with him, and I imagine a whole slew of colorful tales of fancy to poison a child's mind against his father."
Shane shook his head, "And did it work? No." Shane lowered his arms. "From what Gabriel told me, the kid ran right up and hugged you."
"Perhaps it was a moment of weakness." Synn tried to reason. "The surprise of the revelation." He shrugged. "He's been somewhat withdrawn since then anyway. Not as close as he was."
"You think he's processing all of this?"
"Perhaps." Synn shrugged. "Or he's remembering the lies he was told and it's starting to make him see me differently than he did in that moment."
"You don't give him much credit, do you?" Shane frowned. "He might be remembering these things. He might even be trying to process everything that's happened since he found out. But..." Shane's change in tone made Synn look at him. "...but he is smart enough to remember everything you've done for him since you took him out of that hospital. He's not stupid, Synn."
Synn said, "I never thought he was."
"Well then give him a little bit more credit you arse!" Shane's voice rose. "Its been painfully clear that kid loved you before he ever even knew you were his dad! You're not going to lose him!"
The look on Synn's face spoke volumes and screamed to Shane he had touched the raw nerve he had been looking for. Shane nodded.
"I know that's what you've been most worried about man, but face facts. You've given him a home when he'd otherwise have none. That woman was never going to take him out of that hospital."
"He doesn't know that Shane." Synn said. "A part of his mind repressed the memory that she was the one who placed him there and left him."
"And that's why you're letting him do this today." Shane finished. "You're so worried that he'll want to leave you for her that you gave in where she's concerned..."
Synn held a hand up and shook his head, "I... I just didn't know what else to do when he told me that he wanted to do this today."
Shane said, "You could have said no and spared us all having to be around the bitch and saved us a world of pain."
Synn smirked and looked around, "I don't think I'd ever know how to say 'no' to that boy."
"Clearly." Shane smiled in return. A moment later the doorbell rang and both men looked toward the office door where they could hear Despayre tearing down the hallway and shouting at the top of his lungs...
"SHE'S HERE! ANGEL! SYNN! EVERYBODY! SHE'S HERE!"
"You ready?" Shane looked to Synn who shook his head, an expression of pure misery on his face.
"No."
********************
Despayre ran down the stairs so fast he almost lost his sense of balance and tumbled the rest of the way but caught himself. Theresa almost made it to the door first but Despayre called out, "Let me! Let me!"
Theresa yielded and stepped back and Despayre grabbed the door handle and jerked it wide open and smiled widely at the woman who stood there.
"Mom!" He ran into her arms and cried out, "Happy Mother's Day!"
"I have to admit surprise that this match was signed as it was. yet it is fitting to see the champions in the main event of any program. it is the spot reserved for the best of the best, and Gabriel and Despayre most certainly fit that bill."
"Under most circumstances Sinful Obsession would have been paired with Rage in a six-man tag team match, but I won't complain. I can see and understand why the prodigy of Austin Parker, Bo Dreamwolf, was assigned to be the third man on our team. The reason and fault would lie at the feet of our esteemed Heavyweight Champion, Nick Jones. Now Nick, I have watched you from afar for a number of years. I'm sure you remember our mutual time together in GXW where we both reigned with gold around our waists. It is nice to see that some things haven't changed. You still seem to attract gold wherever you go, and that ego of yours has done nothing short of inflate itself to epic proportions."
"I admit, I admire that. Your arrogance has carried you well inside of that ring and over the years. You wouldn't be where you are today if you weren't capable of handling yourself when the chips were down. You obviously don't need that back up that you surround yourself with, but hey. I admit there's nothing wrong with having a bit of an insurance policy -- just in case. I've had that myself many a time, when I thought someone would be stupid enough to interject himself into my affairs. So I am certain that you'll understand if I decide to even the playing field a bit and have Rage, Shane and Fantasia accompany me to the ring to cheer our side on. I mean, after all... why should you have Tony and Big B and Diana. Oh, and for the record... I like your cousin. A very well mannered man for the company he seems to keep on your side. Despayre likes him as well. A shame he has such a bloodline that taints who he could be."
"Nick, the fact you're the top man here in Sin City Wrestling won't make things any easier on you in this match. So please don't make any false assumptions otherwise. If anything, I'd dare say you were teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall off and impale yourself on the jagged forms below. If you'll pardon my honesty, you wouldn't even BE the champion if a certain backstage occurrence hadn't happened, so I look forward to seeing just what will happen when the former champion meets the current. I look forward to seeing how you react when you find yourself in the ring with a little man who you see as a dangerous threat. Don't think I ever misjudged your feelings towards Despayre. call them what you will, but you have two very viable threats to your existence that will be chomping at the bit to get their hands on you -- not counting Bo. Everything stands against you this time Mister Jones. I would dare say even your own partners. Not a position i would wish on my dearest of enemies."
"Speaking of your partners, I had wondered if anyone would sink so low in maturity to focus on a childish game of name calling. Johnny Brown, how you disappoint me. Douchespayre? Gaybriel? Is that seriously the best that you can come up with to voice yourself in such a business? It's no wonder you've made it no higher than mid-card at best thus far in your career. Poking such ill mannered puns at two men who are clearly your betters both inside of the ring, as well as out. Making Native American jokes at a man that I dare say could and will wrestle circles around you. You can say the Sins being the Tag team Champions doesn't impress you, Johnny, but deep down your blood boils with the taint of jealousy because they have made it to a pinnacle you have yet to... they're champions! Tag teams, singles -- it doesn't matter. They've both done it whereas you have not! Gabriel was even the first heavyweight champion, and you have absolutely no chance at matching that accomplishment. So talk bad. Make your silly puns all you like. It'll just make you look even more foolish when you find yourself flat on your back, staring up into the lights for the inevitable count of three."
"I suppose i should ask the Convict, Bobby Cage -- what in Hell did you ever do to deserve being teamed up with two jokers such as Nick Jones and the so-called True Brit? I see you have a credible win-loss record... one of the very best I might add in this promotion. You deserve a chance at the main event level, but paired with two fools such as these? I don't know how you managed to piss off Ward and Underwood, but you obviously did something to rub them the wrong way. well, take it all in stride, Cage. Make the most of this opportunity while you have the chance. Even when your side falls by the wayside in loss, be secure in the knowledge it was through no fault of your own. You're a talented fighter, but you simply drew the short straws when it came to partners."
"Play it smart Cage. Cut your losses and stay in the backstage area. I'd hate for you to experience the fallout of what Jones and Brown are about to suffer the brunt of."
