[Mark Ward]

 All roleplays for this match go in this thread.

Limits: 1 roleplay per week, per character. 10,000 word limit.

Good luck!

[Ben Jordan]

 I couldn't believe he did it! I've seen him do it against so many others, but me? I thought the son of a bitch had a little respect for me. I knew he didn't really care about Lachlan when he did it to him, I don't think Lachlan cared, it would give him time to sort out his crossroads, but me? I thought there was no way he'd do that, no way he'd go that far, no way he'd overstep that line. Throw me through a table, powerbomb me on some stairs, sure, part of the game we're in but put my arm back to try and end my title run by injury, possibly end my career by trying to rip my shoulder from the socket, there could have been no coming back from that. Common sense should have shown him people are getting laid up all over the place with shoulder injuries lately. Travis Levitt just spent months out with a shoulder injury, Dani Weston was set to return, shoulder injury. Even Alicia Lukas, although just lost the title, she was ready to continue being dominant in the Bombshell division but boom, shoulder injury that has put her out for months, yet Fenris, someone I saw as a friend, saw this as a friendly rivalry wanted to send me to Alicia's doctor so to speak.

I couldn't believe the pain shooting through my body as I laid there with physios and doctors looking at me. I was still in shock, in disbelief, in disappointment. He'd over stepped the line for the sake a championship belt. I hope it was worth it.

January 26th - Climax Control 259 - Port Charlotte, Florida.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH GOD DAMN IT!" Was all I could yell out as a physio put his hand on my shoulder.

I'd been hurt before, countless times, but always avoided big injuries, it was always illness that took me down and a few niggling little bits and pieces that would heal with rest but this? This was a whole different level of pain. The slightest movement sent a sharp electric like pain down my arm, reaching across to my back. I was sure I tore a muscle there, I was sure my shoulder had gone and I was finished, that my championship reign had ended because of Icelandic man's boot rather then my shoulders getting pinned.

"Easy Ben." The physio said as he gently tried to move my arm.

Easy? There I was wondering if I was done, if this had put me out for six months and he's telling me to be easy? What if I was done, what if this was putting me out for six months? Would I ever have the motivation to pull myself up by my bootstraps and go again? I doubt it, I knew after the illness and fighting back from that, that I was one big injury, one more bought of illness that forced people to stick needles in me, that I was done and it was time to find another path. I genuinely thought at this moment in time that I'd need to focus on that because it seemed like my SCW career and wrestling career in general was starting to appear in the rear view mirror.

"Easier said than done mate." I half snapped. "You get to come to work next week fine, I might not be able to come to work next week, or the week after, or for six months, a year, if at all."

I closed my eyes at that point but heard the door fly open. I knew right away just by the force of the door it was one of two people, it was Fenris to come and finish the job or it was Evie in one hell of a mood. It was Evie thankfully, but she wasn't alone, I wasn't gonna be alone in the medical room much longer as I looked up, seeing Odette Stevens being helped in to the room with an ice pack on her shoulder, Evie by her side and a crowd of former students outside, also wanting to enter the room.

"Guys, I can't have everyone in the room." Another physio said to the waiting crowd, eager top check on their mentor.

"Yeah, well I'm going in there." Evie said, her voice was stern. "Because my husband is in there too and if you don't get out of my way, you're gonna be seeking medical attention."

That's my girl. I'd sent her off to watch Odette's return to the ring to talk to the crowd, but the closest she went was the monitor outside the medical room, unable to get to the ring to join the others in defending Odette, but was never gonna let anyone stop her from being in the room with her husband and her mentor.

"And what have they got you in for Dundee?" I asked as I saw Odette sit on the bed opposite from where I was.

Dundee was a nickname I had given Odette years ago, and not because of the Australian roots, this was a whole different story that we don't have to take about at this time.

"Bad shoulder." Odette said across the room.

See what I mean? Bad shoulders for everyone. It's like Oprah's put in an appearance. You get a bad shoulder, you get a bad shoulder, everyone gets a bad shoulder!

"Same." I said as I winced with a member of the medical team twisting my arm slightly. "I got stomped on by an angry Icelandic geezer, how about you."

"That big fuck Bobbie Dahl!" Evie answer for Odette. "I swear to God, when I get my hands on Fenris and Bobbie, I'm gonna make them wish their mothers had headaches the night's they were conceived."

I had to lighten the mood a little, had to do something to take the sting out the air, so I leaned forward just a little to look at Odette.

"I bet you've missed her, eh?" I said with a smile, causing Evie to look at me.

A quick purse of a my lips and a hands free blown kiss took some of the anger out of Evie's face.

"Ah yeah." Odette said from across the room. "Gutted that you get to live with her all the time."

Evie flipped her head between the pair of us, both Odette and I smiling at each other.

"Are you two trying to take the piss?" She barked out. "Two people just injured both your shoulders and you're making jokes?"

I had to make jokes, it was ever so slightly distracting me from the pain shooting through my body, just taking my mind off the fact that I could be told that he'd ruined my shoulder and my career was done. Expert medical opinion could end my career, I couldn't think about it.

"Ah babe." I said to Evie. "Relax, I'm sure these guys will patch us up and you two will be off drinking for Mel's birthday before you know it."

"I don't think I'm in the mood for that." Evie said as she looked between us both.

"Well get in the mood for it." I told her. "Odette's come down here leaving the kids with Gabriel, Melody's left her young un with James. Dani's missing work, everyone else is giving up things to be here, so don't be a stick in the mud. I ain't exactly gonna have a fun filled night, you know what I get like after something like this happens."

"Yeah, got a face like it's been smacked with a fish." Evie muttered.

"Exactly." I replied. "So when they patch Dundee up, you lot get out on it and don't worry about me."

To be fair, I already knew I was gonna be whacked out my head on painkillers and trying to find a comfy way to lay. I was happy with that rather than have Evie miss a night out, just to sit there and watch me drift in and out of life.

"And what are you gonna do?" Evie asked me.

"Knowing me, fall asleep watching some show you've probably never heard of." I said honestly.

"Well Ben." the physio said, taking my attention away from the two women in my eyesight. "There's not a break there, and not a separation either."

That was a relief, anything else, I could recover from but any bone being not as one or a separation and I knew I was screwed, I knew that was the end of the line for this championship run. It wasn't something I could recover from in a month to face Fenris, I knew new plans would have to be made and I wasn't the only one as I watched the door swing open to see SCW owner Hot Stuff Mark Ward walk in.

"Anymore people ended up in here, I'm gonna have to hire more staff." the boss said as he looked between the faces in the room. "I thought I better come and check on you two."

I could see a smile forming on my wife's face, I knew she was about to say something that most people would regret saying but she had nothing to lose.

"You're hiding from Mikah, aren't ya?" Evie said with a smile.

"Abso-fucking-lutely." Hot Stuff replied "You know she only shows up for shows when she's bored? Shows up to pretty much torture me for a few hours, tries to get me to say she's my fave bombshell and disappears, but I had to come check on you both. I mean I got you back here O to hype something for me, and I now have my World champion there laid up, so need to find out what's going on."

"What's going on is you employee reckless lunatics." Evie quickly said.

"Well, that's a given, we have the Metal Maniacs employed." Hot Stuff mused. "But I was talking more injury wise."

"Doesn't look like any major damage on Mrs Stevens." The medic talking to Odette said. "Should be fine in a bit."

"Great news." Hot Stuff said with a smile. "Well not great cause nobody likes injuries, but that it's not bad. What about Ben?"

This was it, this is where I got the start of finding out if Fenris had got his way and taken me out of the title picture or if there was some kind of reprieve on this. I have praying it wasn't too bad. I mean what kind of champion would I have been where I couldn't even get to the next supercard as champion? Would I have to go out there next week and talk to the fans and tell them my years of work, my years of getting to where I was, meant nothing because my run as champion just ended because of a stomp, not cause someone made me tap out or cause someone pinned me, just finished because of jealousy?

"There's no break, or dislocation." The physio working on me told Hot Stuff. "But the lack of mobility in the shoulder is a concern. There may be some muscle damage and some bruising waiting to come out there, but would recommend Ben going to a medical facility at some point in the next few days. It's very much a wait and see what happens over the next day or two."

My heart sank at that point. I was a few weeks away from headlining my first supercard as champion, twenty one days away and if nothing changed with my arm in the next few days, other plans would have to be made. I've been around long enough to know the full card would be out in a weeks time but if I didn't prove my fitness by then, Fenris gets what Fenris got before, he got an opponent that had probably wrestled already that night.

"What about ice or heat?" I asked, almost hoping for a solution.

"We need to give it a few days." The physio said. "Then get a scan or two, see if there's muscle damage. Right now, the swelling would mess with the results. Just need to be patient."

I worked so hard to be where I am. I took people doubting me because I spent years making up the numbers, or hovering around the tag division. Now the next couple of days are gonna decide what happens to me.

"Alright." Hot Stuff said. "As a precaution, we'll cancel the match we had planned for you next week, just to be sure and we'll sort something out for you to see a doctor in Orlando to have that checked out and make a decision later this week."

"Match next week, what match?" I asked.

I wanted to be a fighting champion, I would be willing to take the risk to myself to prove that I was ok to take on Fenris, even if I wasn't.

"We was gonna get you to defend against Austin James Mercer next week." Hot Stuff told me. "But we'll play it safe."

Oh that annoyed me. Everyone knows I'm an Austin James Mercer fan, everyone knows the respect I have for him and I've told the world I wanted to take on every single person I faced in that match where I became champion. I've taken on and beaten Vinnie, I should face Fenris in three weeks but next week I would have had Austin James Mercer? I know Lachlan had a match here tonight and the buzz was he'd lost and really thought he should have won, I don't know I didn't see it, I was here, but I wanted to give him a one on one shot, I wanted to give Caleb Storms a one on one shot, and next week, I'd been robbed of a shot against Austin James Mercer. I think that annoyed me more than Fenris doing the Riverdance on my arm.

"I'll be fine for next week." I almost pleaded. "Let me face Austin. The man is a dream opponent to me."

I watched as Hot Stuff firmly shook his head at me.

"No." He said, just as firm in tone as he did with his head shake. "Rest, get checked out, and we'll have Austin and you go against each other after the match with Fenris if you can do it. No point arguing with me, none at all. You need to just sit this one out. You'll get the matches you want, but there's no point you going in there half injured and making everyone look stupid."

Hot Stuff looked at Evie, I knew what was coming.

"Make sure he rests for the next few days." Hot Stuff told her. "And by rest, I mean sit around with sports on the TV and doing nothing else."

Evie puts her hand to her head in a mocking salute to Hot Stuff before Hot Stuff turns back to me.

"Seriously." Hot Stuff told me. "Find something to watch on the box, spend a day or two in the hotel room and if you get the all clear, things will go ahead as normal. If not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

I nodded as Hot Stuff left the room but two days in a hotel room doing nothing but watching television when I should be out there with the fans in Orlando? That didn't sit right with me, I was the face of the company, I have done more in my title run, when it came to showing up and talking to the fans then most people have done in theirs. I wasn't ready for mine to end this way, but all I could do is sit and wait....




Wednesday 29th January - Orlando, Florida

I was absolutely bored out of my skull taking the doctors and the bosses advice to sit in a hotel room and do absolutely nothing. I was told to come here to Orlando, Florida and sit around doing nothing, don't go out and promote the company for the next few days, just sit in a hotel room, watch TV. Being out with the fans grabbing me was a no no, no posed shots, not hugging fans, just sit inside and live a dull life. I'd had no choice but to do just that and Evie had done her best being me, even though she didn't want to, she went out there and met the fans on my behalf, told them the situation. Although most wrestling fans are no stupid to the ins and outs of what we do, she told them that my shoulder was legitimately in trouble and if I didn't rest it, my championship run was up without losing it.

So Evie was out with Bear in tow, no one can stay mad at me for not being there when Bear is. People love that fur ball, so I had the exciting job of sitting in bed watching TV and barely moving. I'd seen a doctor SCW bosses knew as soon as I got to Orlando  and there was nothing to do but wait for results - I should probably put a meme here about waiting for results like some clever soul does on the SCW site before a supercard but I better not, I'm not that creative... Anyway, it was a waiting game so I did what most men do when there nothing to do. Stuck on a sports show.

Clicking through the channels with my good arm, nothing seemed to take my fancy. What I knew about American Football, you could write on a postage stamp, yet that seemed to be on every channel with the build up to the Super Bowl. I really felt like I'd lost my mind, I could have at the end of the day, especially when you're sitting there talking to your own thoughts...

"He was wrong to do that." My mind wandered in to it's own thoughts, as if I wasn't controlling them.

"Huh?" I muttered out loud, surprised by my thought.

It was like my subconscious was talking to me. It's not like it's the first time it happened to me, I'm not sure I was even over all the stuff Kedron Williams had done to me all those months ago. If you knew my history or followed that, you'd see that was pretty messed up stuff. It had never really faded from me completely, the dark side of me was there, but I had it under control for the most part.

"Fenris." My mind said to me. "He was wrong to do that, he should never have done that, he crossed the line between wrestling and personal. He actually tried to injure you."

I didn't know what my mind was doing at that point. I didn't know if it was doing this to motivate me. I hadn't been the same since that incident happened. I felt robbed of a match with Austin James Mercer because of him stamping on me. I could have been sitting here happy a pig in much, working out how to counter Austin's huge ability, but instead, I'm sitting here in bed in me pants talking to myself.

"Fenris knew." my mind continued. "He knew that he wanted you out of that match at My Bloody Valentine III. He knew that he had to do something because he lost confidence in himself. In his head, he was gonna be the one walking in to this match as champion, you was gonna be his challenger and he wasn't used to that thought. The only time he had a championship shot, was against a tired idiot of a man who thought he was better than he was."

I smiled as I remember back to Fenris facing Ty West, a man who was overrated to the point he truly believed he belonged at the top. He was the only one who believed it but he might have changed people's minds if he'd had not only gone through five other men to start with, but Fenris too. Truth is, he didn't, Fenris was too fresh, he had the advantage.

"He's used to going in to matches as a defending champion." My mind continued. "But he's never actually beat a champion for a World title."

My mind, no matter how deep this was buried was right. Fenris hadn't won the World championship by beating a champion, he won a vacated title.

"And deep down." My thoughts rolled past me. "He was scared that facing someone with a champions momentum would take away his advantage, so he did what he did to try and get the advantage back and that was by attempting to injure you. Don't let this I was your friend bullshit fool you. He never was."

"He was." I said softly.

"No he wasn't." My subconscious continued. "What you was, was a guy with money he could drink with. He could go out with you, get legless and not have to pick up the tab. He waited and waited and before you knew it, his eyes got that shiny stuff in as soon as you picked up the belt because it was like people stopped paying attention to him. People were paying attention to him for being a knockout guy, probably more KO's in SCW than anyone else in it's history. That made him special but as soon as you took that title, everyone was over the moon, everyone was delighted, everyone was proud of your journey. Then those nights out, people stopped whispering about Fenris being in the building, they started talking about the World Champion. People were looking at him and he just needed an excuse to stab you in the back."

"The Vinnie thing." I whispered.

"The Vinnie thing." My mind repeated. "That was his excuse to ham it up and he suckered you in from there by saying you got lucky. He knew you take pride in your championship, he knew your struggle for years to even get a championship shot, he knew just by calling you lucky, you'd take a swing at him. You wouldn't have before Kedron gave you a little bit of evil, but he knew all about that too. He knew just by calling you a fluke, just by saying you was lucky that he was gonna push you to punch him, so you looked like the bad guy."

Was my mind telling me things I already knew but didn't say? I wasn't sure if it was or if this was a case of cabin fever. I have been stuck in this room for a couple of days and not going out in case a fan grabbed me the wrong way or something was against who I am. I love being out of the house, I love being around the fans, I am the perfect guy to be the World champion, but being stuck in had this strange effect on me.

"He drew me in." I said with a shake of my head.

"And now you know this." My subconscious told me. "Now you know what he's like. He is looking to take advantage of stupid things like accidents and now you're seeing Fenris for what he really is, so now we can take swift and appropriate action."

I didn't like where this was going. Yes, I smacked Fenris straight in the chops and put him on his arse, something I knew he could recover from in ten minutes and he'll be out on the beer later. Him to go that step further after I did it, either through Rage or embarrassment, that was a whole different story, but revenge? Me? Would I be capable of doing something like that? Wouldn't that be stooping to his whole new level of low?

"He has earned it." My mind told me. "He crossed the line and it doesn't matter if it's war in the desert, or gang turf, when someone crosses the line in to your territory, you have the right to fire back and he did that, he crossed the line to be in a place he should never have ventured in to. You can and should fire back or he will always think he has one over on you. You need to do it before My Bloody Valentine so he knows that you are the headliner and he in just in your ring."

I could feel myself start to sweat just at the thought of getting revenge on someone almost ending my career. I was angry inside but somehow managed to keep myself together, to keep things in check just about, but inside I was boiling with anger and I knew something needed to be done. Could I justify doing it though.

"You know this is something you need to do." The thought ran through my head like a train with no brakes. "You can sit there and think you can see it through but if you don't do something, you're walking in to that match as an underdog."

"If I walk in to that match." I said as my eyes glanced towards my phone, still not a call or message about my injury.

"You will because even if the news is bad, you will beg everyone you have to, to let you do it, you'll sign every waiver on earth to do it." My mind rightly tells me. "So you need to do something Ben, anything Ben, something to show him you're not walking in to this match second best, you're the champion, he's stepping up to you."

"I don't know if I can do that." I said out loud, no one else with me.

Honestly at this point, I didn't know, I didn't have a clue if I could do something like he did to me. It wasn't in my nature to ever flip out until my run in with a witch, I wasn't evil, I wasn't messed up, I wasn't until then. Part of me was denying the fact that kicking the hell out of Fenris before our possible match, was beyond me. I knew it was there, but burying it left me more than a little conflicted. I was very much fifty fifty.

"Will it even help make me feel better?" I questioned.

"When he bent your arm back, he put your career at the end of his foot." My mind told me. "Do you think he cared about how you felt at the time? No, he cared about how he felt, his embarrassment, his humiliation about getting knocked on his arse with a single punch. Big tough MMA guy got knocked on his arse with one punch. He didn't care about your career but I belt he felt fantastic after he stamped on your arm. Now it's your turn to feel fantastic and I think I know how you can do it."

I was actually sitting here considering it. I was considering attempting to injury someone like they did with me. It wasn't about the gold as such for me, it was about my fight to get there for it, the years of work, sitting there, being patient, watching so many others come in and become a champion within a year, while I waited. It wasn't about clinging to it for dear life, it was about how it could have been taken away from me without a choice.

"And you could be the bigger man from it." My mind said. "You don't have to break a part of him, to mentally break him. You just need to let him know you could. That would give you and you alone the power. That will show him that he doesn't and will never get the better of you."

I didn't know if I should even be considering this but somewhere in me, I knew this was right. I had to shift the power back to me. I know being the champion comes with power but when someone else takes the power, are you really a champion? I had to switch it back in my favour somehow. I got the feeling deep down buried somewhere, I knew how to do it, but my phone had started ringing, the conversation with myself had to wait.

"Hello?" I said answering the phone, eagerly waiting to see who was on the other end. "Hey doc."

This is it. Get the all clear or go in begging to the bosses later to still be allowed to headline My Bloody Valentine III. My heart was racing as I listened, but a smile soon crept over my face.

"That's great news doc." I said with a smile. "I'll certainly let my bosses know and I'm sure you'll get a call from them to confirm it all, but you have made my day. Have a good un!"

Hanging up the phone, I felt my whole body flood with relief, I could now focus on what I needed to and that was to get through the next week and a half before getting to that supercard, my first and hopefully not my last that I will headline as a champion. I was so relieved at the news, I didn't even hear Evie walk in to the room, nor spot her looking at me smiling as I sat on the bed.

"Well, you look like you're happy." She said. "Been messing with the pay per view channels?"

My head turned sharply to see Evie standing there with her hands on her hips and looking at me with a smile.

"Why would I need those when I got you?" I asked with a quick wink. "Where's Bear? He didn't take himself off on a wander, did he?"

Evie moved next to me, sitting down and putting her hand on my leg.

"Nah." She starts. "Ariana is watching him downstairs for a few. There was a ton of people taking pictures of him, and he started posing. I wanted to check on you, so I left him with Ari."

"You know Bear is twice her size, right?" I said with a grin. "He's the boss there."

"He's also gonna be posing for a while." Evie replied. "So what's with the smile?"

"Doc just called." I told her, squeezing her hand. "All clear, shoulders fine give or take, will be more than ready for My Bloody Valentine."

"That's great news!" Evie said as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"It is, and what's better." I said. "I can get out of here, so, if you wanna get back down to Bear, make sure he hasn't pulled Ariana around the lobby and persuaded her to do something she shouldn't. I'll get ready and meet you all downstairs and we can go do something."

Evie nodded as she kissed me on the cheek and scooted off the bed, making for the door. I finally felt free from the weight on my shoulders, knowing that both shoulders are good now. I could finally get out there, be with my wife in public, enjoy being in Orlando, work out what I was gonna do at Climax Control 260 instead of a giving up the belt speech, and probably retiring on the spot speech. I could relax, well, sort of.

"Anyway." My mind said to me. "About that revenge...."




You've heard the term dry mouth, right? I guess Americans would call it cotton mouth. It's something you get when you're about to do something wrong, it's when the nerves kick in but something in ya tells ya you need to go through it anyway. That's how I felt all day leading up to what happened this past Sunday. I knew I had to show who was the champion and take away the one thing Fenris thought he had over me, the fear factor. I was still raging on the inside about a week before, his words and what he did, this was the only way to free myself of this, the only way I could think of to show him this is not his division anymore and it ain't been for a long time. for over two months, it's been mine and I needed to get out of his head that it was anyone other than mine.

Sunday 2nd February

"I can't do this." I told myself as I stood outside the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.

I knew the show had just started, I could hear the crowd going nuts, Amanda singing through another comedy song, but I hadn't walked in the main building yet. I knew tonight was gonna be eye opening not only for myself, or Fenris, but the rest of the roster and the fans. I knew people could see this as me turning bad, but that's far from what I wanted. I just needed to assert some authority, some dominance. I was the lion at the top of the mountain and no one saw it. I knew what I had to do, but I didn't really want to.

"Shut up Ben." I told myself. "This is something we have to do. This is something we need to do. There is no friendship there anymore, he showed that when he couldn't give a monkeys what happened to you. When he tried to turn your arm in to a pancake, he was thinking of him and this."

I looked at the belt on my shoulder.

"You're doing this for all that hard work you've put yourself through." I reminded myself. "All those years, all of them and you're not gonna sit there like a side dish. This is my time now."

I took a deep breath and looked at the door to the area, Amanda must have finished her song by now, so I thought all I needed to do was walk through that door, find my dressing room, walk in, lock the door and stay there till I was ready to do what I had to do. It didn't exactly work out that way cause as soon as I walked in.

"Ben!" Ms. Rocky Mountain said excitedly. "How's your arm?"

I heard the noise in the arena and a quick glance to the side showed my what I suspected, I was live and had no choice but to switch on Ben mode and talk, so that's exactly what I did. You saw the interview, I wasn't feeling like myself but I had to be myself, at least for a few minutes. I said something about a fish to catch and I left, I couldn't stay on the camera with what was going through my mind, so I walked until I saw a show coordinator backstage.

"Excuse me mate." I said, looking at the young man. "Any idea where my dressing room is?"

"Down the hall on the left." He told me.

With an appreciative nod, that's where I went, keeping my head down on the way there and hoping not to bump in to anyone, talk to anyone, anyone that could get my mind off what needed to be done. All I needed was the when. When was my chance? when was my opportunity? I really didn't know, but I knew exactly how to find out. Here's a little inside information about the wrestling business when it comes to interviews, some have time slots, like before certain matches, after certain other segments, that kinda thing. I just needed to find out if anything was scheduled for Fenris. I didn't even know if he was actually here.

"Catering area." I whispered to myself.

Yep, the catering area, believe it or not, plans often get posted around the catering area as well as other key spots where SCW wrestlers go. The catering area was a popular place for SCW people with a menu suited for all, as much as I've heard Mark Ward curse out vegan offerings, they did it anyway. That's where I went, head down, trying not to draw attention to myself, I just followed the signs to that area. It wasn't hard to find, but I as I looked around, I saw a number of SCW superstars and bombshells standing around. I turned to the left, and saw exactly what I wanted, the schedule plastered on the wall, but I couldn't make it out from where I was and I couldn't exactly walk across the room from where I was standing partly in the shadows. A smile crept on my face.

"Thank God my missus taught me a trick or two." I said with a proud smile, mostly proud for remembering this trick.

Wouldn't surprise you now I'm telling you but I bet you've never thought about it before. Phones have great cameras, with amazing zooms - You just sat there and went oh yeah, didn't you? So that's what I did, an Evie taught trick about seeing things beyond your eyes, so I took that phone, turned it to camera mode and zoomed right in, giving it a few seconds to focus then bam, picture taken and I was away, heading towards my dressing room and in the door, locking it behind me and looking at the phone.

"After Sammi and Jessie Vs Bella and Candy." I said as I looked at my phone "Perfect."

And now all I had to do was wait. Time it right, wait for the final bell in that match and make my move. Stay out of people's sight until that moment where I can get there and strike. So I turned the TV on in the dressing room, champions perks, and I watched and I waited and there it was, the final bell. It was time to make that move and hope nothing delayed me, or that I didn't bump in to Fenris on the way, that would have been game over at that point, so I unlocked the dressing room door.

"It's now or never." I told myself.

I knew where the interviews take place in most arenas, it would always be close to the entrance so that people could talk and get out there, so that's where I headed and low and behold, I was right, not too far from the entrance ramp. I could see him and he looked frustrated. It only took a glance at the nearby screens that it was because there was some kinda spat between Candy and Bella that the producer had decided to show instead of Fenris for now. Eventually, that spat was over and Candy walked past me upset, but she didn't look at the guy against the wall, her usual bubbly self was deflated. That's when I looked up and saw Scott Oliver using his opening line.

"Give it a few seconds Ben." I instructed myself. "Then go."

I watched just till I heard Fenris say I couldn't beat me and made myself known, made it clear I was there, I was watching. I walked up to him and that was that, I got the advantage, I hoped the fans wasn't gonna turn on me and it sounded like they were actually cheering me. I could hear their cheers get louder as I throw a coke can at his head and heard them get even louder on the anticipation that I was gonna stomp on his arm. With my foot raised, I could almost hear the crowd urging me to do it, urging me to drive my foot on to his arm, but simply, I didn't have to do it. He knew at that point he was powerless and everything was in my hands and that's all I needed him to be and that's why I stepped away and boy did I move quickly down the hall and in to my dressing room.

"I did it!" I said to myself as I shut the door behind me, instinctively locking the door.

I put my back to the door and slid down it, I was sure there was a blank look on my face as I made it to the floor. I was shocked at myself, I actually broke everything I was and the fans actually sat there and cheered me. This was my defining moment on the lead up to facing Fenris, this was my moment in the sun and I won't lie, I actually liked it.

"I did it." I said to myself again, slower than the last time. "I actually showed him I wouldn't be hiding away, I wouldn't shy away from the challenge, that I can actually stand up to him and remind him that I'm not in his division, he's in my division."

I looked across at my jacket that I left in the room and forced myself to my feet, walking towards it and lifting it up. My SCW World Heavyweight Championship laid underneath and that brought a smile to my face as I picked it up and smiled down at it.

"Now I feel like a champion." I said to myself.

Oddly, I did. I'd fought back against someone considered the scariest bloke around here. I didn't melt, I stood up to someone who made Caleb Storms bring extra underwear to the arena. I made sure he knew I wasn't gonna get pushed around now, or tomorrow, or in two weeks time. At this point, I sat on the throne and until someone pulls me off kicking and screaming then dear God I'm gonna stay here. I know I face an uphill battle every day as champion to prove I can do it, I'm following in the footsteps of giants and it's time to be one of those. I won't be champion forever, I know that, but I want future World Champions to sit there and look up to me, the way I do to Senor Vinnie, Austin James Mercer and yes, Fenris.

I'm glad I did that, because tonight, showing that I would stand up to monsters, I showed that my name belonged in SCW history and I plan to cement that in just two weeks time.




Monday 3rd February - Orlando, Florida.

Discovery Cove, a place that tourists flock to when in Orlando, regardless of how much a city like Orlando has to offer. I'd been scouting around the last few days on a place to sit and record a promo, like I said in Lawrenceville, my plan was to record promos from famous places in cities. This was no different.

I sat on the side of a pool, a tank where fish freely swim around, including stingrays, allowing people to stroke them as the swim past. It was the perfect place for me to talk about someone I've called Fish lips for a long time, and I knew it as I sat there round about midday on Monday, the night after the night before. I sat and looked at the crowd walking past me, some recognizing me, some wondering why there was a guy in a suit sitting next to the pool with a big shining belt over his shoulder, but it had to be done. Giving a nod towards the camera man, he zoomed the camera in on me.

"Alright people." I said with a nod down the camera "and thank you for joining me here in Orlando"

I smiled, but knew I had to explain things.

"Regardless when this is airing, this is Monday, barely gone midday." I explained. "And I'm not leaving for Tampa till tomorrow, but I thought you know what? Come to Discovery Cove and have a little chat about what happened last night and why it happened. You guys have been blinding to me so far and I know, judging by what I've seen since it happened, I thought I should let you know why."

I adjusted the SCW World Heavyweight Championship on my shoulder as I got ready to tell all.

"Honestly people, and I've always been honest with you." I started. "It had to be done, there was no other choice in my mind. We've all seen Fenris, we've all seen what he's capable of and a lot of that is down to the fact that Fenris didn't just make himself, the people made Fenris. I know that's an odd thing to say but here's the truth of the matter. Fear and intimidation can only be taken so far by a person, but when people start talking about it, that's when it gets ramped up and what I mean by that is as soon as the knock outs started coming, as soon as people started building his reputation for him, it was easy for him to just smile and you had fear running through ya. Perfect example for this was Caleb Storms."

Caleb had actually helped the fear of Fenris grow in people, and I knew that.

"See, Caleb instantly showing fear towards Fenris, gave Fenris a boost he wasn't expecting." I said honestly. "The fear from Caleb Storms, admitting how scared he was of Fenris made Fenris think he was scarier than he actually is. Running around pandering to Fenris and helping build his reputation of fear helped him no end in being able to intimidating people more. Caleb Storms did that, Caleb Storms helped enhance Fenris' reputation. From there on it, it was easier for Fenris to just give a look to people and have them worry. It didn't work on me."

I shook my head sharply.

"It didn't even come close to working on me." I said seriously. "Because I thought I knew Fenris, I thought I knew exactly who he was. This is the guy who after an SCU show to build up for the match that never happened, jumped on my back for a piggy back when he thought the cameras were off. This was the guy who I'd seen randomly burst in to dance, a guy who would do so many things away from the camera, around people he was comfortable with, that you wouldn't believe. He knew I'd seen that side to him, and because I had, I'd never have the same fear Caleb Storms had, I'd never be nervous against him, I'd always see him as that guy, and that is why he did what he did."

All people needed to do was look close to this situation and they would have worked this one out a long time ago, as I did.

"He had to put that fear factor back in me." I said firmly. "And the only way to do that was simply to be a bully."

Yes, I did call Fenris a bully and sat firm while I said it. I knew he made a classic bully move then, a classic jealous move that drives bully's on.

"He decided he was jealous of me, and hated the fact that I didn't fear him so he had to do something to get the talking point on him." I continued. "It's what bully's want, they want the reputation of fear, they wanted the spotlight to be on them, and while Caleb Storms gave Fenris exactly what he wanted, I didn't so he tried to snap my arm just so people would talk about the big bad Fenris. He did it to the perfect person too, because he knew people would be on my side, but hell, at least they were talking about him again. He knew this would give him more of an advantage than just injuring me, cause he thought it would give him the mental advantage, that I'd sit here and be heartbroken about a friend turning on me like that."

I shook my head as I smiled down the camera.

"Here's the thing Fenris. I started. "When I was a kid, people tried to bully me and I found someone who came to my rescue, a man you know as SCU star Mickey Carroll. If you've followed SCW for a while, you'd know me and Mickey were friends long before wrestling became a thought, and he basically saw me getting bullied and bang, that bully had a broken nose. Now Mickey was a tough kid, always was, and people feared him, not because he was a bully, but because he stood up to bullies and he always told me if a bully attacks you, you smack him right back in the hooter and last night Fenris, that's what I did."

It was advice passed on for years through a lot of families, but not many kids have the nerve to do that.

"You can sit there and moan on social media that I blindsided you twice." I said firmly. "But admit it, the first one, you knew what you was doing, you drew me in to that, just so you had a reason to try and break my arm. You knew exactly what you was doing, what to say, how to act so you could have your Rocky story where you got back up and pow! Took me out of it, knocked me down. You knew before you opened your fish lips that all I would do is sock you in the gob just once and leave it at that. You'd done the work in your head to know what I was all about and it was all you needed, a reason to do what you did but you didn't expect last night, did you?"

I shook my head.

"You didn't expect me to come firing back the way I did." I said with a slight nod. "You thought I was just gonna cry away, let you go in to this match with a mental and physical advantage. You thought I was just gonna pick up a microphone and talk about it, but I didn't, did I? I fought back, I came at the bully, I showed the world not to be scared of people, no matter who they are, no matter what they've done. That's why I took it to you last night Fenris. You thought you'd won the war before it had barely begun, but I knew I had to come for you to show you I ain't Caleb Storms, I won't be pushed around and you can attempt to stamp on my arm every day of my life and I still won't be scared of you."

I tap my palm on my championship belt hanging over my shoulder.

"All those times when you've had someone else's arm pinned down, ready to stroke, could you imagine what went through their minds?" I asked. "Before last night, could you imagine the fear that some wanker was about to possible end their career? Last night, I showed you exactly what that felt like, I showed you the mindset you had me in a week before, Lachlan in weeks before that, everyone else you've had in that position. It's not nice is it?"

I put my head down, remember what it felt like to be trapped that way just over a week ago.

"I knew I needed to do that to you because I knew that would take away your mental advantage." I said seriously. "I knew once I had you there thinking I was gonna take you out of that match, you'd lose what you thought you had over me going in to My Bloody Valentine III and now you have nothing, you have no mental advantage and physically, you'll be one hundred percent by the time the show rolls around."

I quickly press my hands together.

"And that's what I wanted from day one Fenris." I said with a smile. "None of this trying to grab an advantage, just two men one on one, one hundred percent and the best man wins. You started to move the goal posts, so last night was me moving them back, me evening up the score so that neither of us are going in better off. The best man will win there and I know deep down, I can start making plans to face Austin James Mercer and Jake Raab, because the best man in that ring will be me. What you don't realize is I'm going in there with a little bit more than you think I am."

I tap the side of my head.

"Remember back to your first supercard defence Fenris." I said looking down the camera, hoping Fenris was watching. "It's all good defending the belt on Climax Control, slightly less pressure, but remember headlining your first supercard as champion? It's very much sink or swim at that point because you have to close the show but you still have to win, the pressure is on you still to win, to put out a performance, to not get caught out. It shows you if you have that heart of a champion or if you got lucky and you might think it, you might have said it but I ain't lucky son, I got the heart of a champion and I got the momentum coming in to this one. This has been a bit of a dream for me to become SCW's World Heavyweight champion and so far I've held it with pride and dignity, I've worked harder than most champions, I have been on the show every single week talking about it, selling my division, this hasn't been done in a while and I know the momentum is well and truly behind me to go out there and do well, the fans are well and truly behind me..."

I knew it was a cheap pop but the gathered crowd around me cheered as I expected they would after I said that.

"They wanna see me become one of the greatest champions SCW has ever seen." I continued. "They wanna see me be better than the greats and they know that this ride is a long way away from ending Fenris. They are here with me now, they're gonna be with me at My Bloody Valentine, they're gonna be with me after I beat you and move on to become one of the best champions SCW has ever seen. I already have won the respect of legends from SCW's past, I will win the respect of people in SCW right now, from every doubter in the back who don't think I should have it, to all the people at home who think I'm a weak champion, anyone who's ever doubted me is now gonna respect me Fenris, especially after My Bloody Valentine III and you're the key to all of this."

I point down the camera as if Fenris was standing in front of me.

"People see you as the bar, as the standard just down to the fact of who you are and your time with this championship belt." I said as I put my hand on the belt."So once I beat you, once I get past you in Tampa, people are gonna be looking at me with different eyes. There's gonna be no excuses, no need to mention others in that ring that may or may not have played a part in tiring you out, this is just me, against you, no one else. There's gonna be no reversal that's gonna nick me the win. It's gonna be one hell of an outright win for me and you'll be sitting there wondering what to do next with your career. I ain't coming to mess around or make you look good, I'm coming here to make sure I walk out of the ring with my championship belt with me."

I look at the championship belt and smile before looking back at the camera.

"I'm not worried about what you've done in the past." I said with a serious look on my face. "All I'm thinking of is in a few weeks time, the match that's been months in the making, absolutely months, with the added spice of the SCW World Heavyweight championship thrown in. I'm gonna do exactly what I would have done months ago and beat you Fenris. Eventually, you're gonna sit there and say what many others will say after you and this is there's no shame losing to Ben Jordan. You're just the first person to headline a supercard with me and the first that will lose. I ain't coming to play, I'm coming to prove a point against you. I'm coming to prove that this championship is more than earned."

I put one finger on the belt.

"But for now, I'm gonna leave you to think about all that I've said, cause the next time you see me, we'll be in that ring and I'll be looking you deep in those eyes of yours telling you that this is my night." I said with a thumb pointing to myself. "You better get in as much stamping practice as you can, because the only way you're gonna beat me is if you break every bone in my body. I'll see you there Fenris."

I wink down the camera

"Laters people."

I stood up and walked away as the camera focused on the fish swimming around in the pool, before it faded to black.

[Fenris]

 
The Trials of Friendships Part One

saint
/sant/
noun
1.
a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.
2.
INFORMAL
a very virtuous, kind, or patient person.

Las Vegas - Now

The room where he sat was dimly lit, but not so where it created a false mood of discontent, but rather one to induce a relaxed atmosphere and to allow one to find themselves in a calm, even-tempered setting. The room itself was not large, but it had the breathing room so that whoever was here for their appointment would not feel themselves boxed in or in confined quarters. It was tastefully decorated with minimal decor, just enough to be pleasant but not overbearingly so. Two paintings lined opposing walls, there typical potted fern in the neutral corner, and a bookcase that stretched to the ceiling. The minimalist decor designed as such so that it would enhance conversation, the reason for those being here.

Kristjan Baltasarsson sat on the opposing side of the office, the picture of anything but what had just been described. He was dressed casually in his fitted jeans and a plain, white shirt, but one could tell from simply looking at him that he was anything but comfortable. His arms were folded across his sternum, his posture rigid, and if looks could kill, the hymns would be sung for whoever it was that was responsible for his being here.

A soft, feminine voice that was confident but soothing, spoke to the man who was once described by none other than Ben Jordan as the ‘grumpiest man in Iceland,’ and she said, “Now Kristjan…”

“Call me Fenris.” The man himself interrupted, but the woman he was there to see felt no qualms in contradicting him as she said, “We can do that if you wish, but we are not here to discuss the athlete. We are here to discuss the man.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, ‘doctor,’” He said with no small trace of sarcasm in his tone of voice. “The athlete and the man are one and the same.”

“While technically that is true...” She shook her head. “...You’re here so that we can talk about you. The man. If we have time, or if you have the interest, then maybe we can delve a little bit into the life of ‘Fenris,’ but for now, let’s just stick to Kristjan. Deal?”

Kristjan stared at the woman across from him who was yet unseen and he shook his head, stating “Then this will go quickly because I can promise you that I won’t have the interest.”

She finally asked, “Why don’t you tell me why you're here to see me today?”

“Það er ekki eins og það hafi verið mín hugmynd.” He started to say, slipping either by habit or annoyance, into his native dialect when the woman across from him objected. She quickly interrupted, holding up an index finger for emphasis as she smiled, “In English, please.”

Kristjan was not one to be coddled, but he detested when corrected or scolded in any way, and Gabriel and Odette Stevens could both testify to this effect. The color tinted the sides of his neck as he stared at her and his brow deepened.

“So why don't you tell me what first brought you here?” She asked. “Not the wrestling matters, Kristjan. The real reason.”



02/03/2020 - Orlando Florida
Orlando Regional Medical Center

“K, slow down… please…”

The voice of Fenris’s younger brother Aron called out as the automatic doors of the hospital's 24 hour emergency room services slid open and out into the chilled, early morning air stumbled the man himself. Fenris looked to be in quite the disheveled state, with his shirt pulled roughly back over his upper body, which had been taped up extensively and in his hand, he gripped a back brace which, had the doctor had his way, the patient would have left the care of the hospital wearing. Not that Kristjan would have given anyone the basic satisfaction of seeing him in such a state. Not after what had happened less than four hours ago at the hands of his once-friend, Ben Jordan.

Actually, had the doctor had his way, Fenris would not have been leaving at all for no less than a period of twenty four hours while under observation. But when Fenris initially refused, the doctor attempted to strong-arm the young man into staying. At least until Fenris instructed Aron to call their family attorney with full intention of suing the doctor for attempting to keep him there against his will. On dose of a powerful pain medication, a prescription and the back brace and he and Aron were taking their leave, just after 2am into the cool morning.

Whatever the fuck that doctor gave him, it was stronger than anything Kristjan had ever taken before. Even during his days in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. But he was silently grateful, and were he any more doped up he felt he could have walked back into the hospital and actually thanked the man, as opposed to when Aron took it upon himself to utter the two words Fenris had a harder time saying than  any other.

Comically the man could cuss the bears off of a sailor in two different languages but to say “thank you” to anyone was almost alien in concept.

A wave of lightheadedness washed over Kristjan as they made it to the parking lot, and before he could topple over he laid a hand against one of the decorative stone pots that in warmer times saw floral life spring up, but those without a care for nature would drop their cigarette butts inside as a makeshift ashtray. Aron was immediately there at his side and helped to ease Fenris down into a seated position on the edge before his older brother pulled away by instinct.

“Are you okay?” Aron asked, and it was a handful of uncomfortable moments that passed before Fenris finally answered, shaking his head and half-muttering, “I am going to fucking kill him!”

”Who?” Aron asked innocently enough. “The doctor?”

“No!” Fenris barked, casting an angry look to the young man who stood over him with obvious concern displayed in his face. “Ben! That is the second fucking time he jumped me like that!”

Aron stood there and folded his arms over his slim chest before he said, “I can’t believe he did that lung blower on you off of that forklift.” He then sighed. “You’re just lucky he didn’t stomp on your arm the way you did him last week.”

His brother turned his head upward from his half bent over position, and his eyes narrowed dangerously, “So, what? Are you saying I had this coming?”

“K, I never said anything even remotely like that!”

Fenris lowered his head and leaned over just a hint more, trying to straighten his back and help alleviate what pain the medication had yet to on its own. He shook his head and said in a hoarse whisper, “Can’t deny it. Man is a master manipulator. Man hit me first last week, jumped me this week, but all anyone remembers is what I did! Fucking bullshit…!”

He closed his eyes and the way his body suddenly seized up told Aron just how much pain his brother was in, if that shot in the back had not taken care of everything. The moment still raced through his mind, watching as his brother who was tougher than anyone else he ever knew, save for perhaps their parents, driven across the knees of Ben Jordan in what had to have been a fifteen foot drop.

Fenris braced his arms and pushed himself back into a standing position carefully, fishing for the keys to the rental in his front pocket.

“Just go get the car.” Fenris commanded, shoving the keys into Aron’s hand before he could utter a word of protest. This one, simple act told him how much pain Fenris was in, and how high he was from the shot, if he was relinquishing his usual spot behind the wheel rather than risk driving and killing the both of them.

He went on, “Before I find myself going through these goddamn halls looking for that fucker!”

Aron looked up and blinked, “What even makes you think Ben is anywhere in this hospital?”

“After what he did, Ben HAD to have gone to the hospital too! I landed on his knees but he landed on his back!”

Aron asked, “How can you be so sure?”

“For fuck’s sake, A! Fenris barked. (Sorry! Bad pun from the White Wolf!) “He’s not Superman!”

Aron stood there and just… stared at his older brother, to which Fenris stared right back. Finally Aron shook his head and said, “Wow, you really went there!” Before he moved past Fenris and went to retrieve the rental to take him back to the hotel.



Las Vegas - Now

The woman stated, “Well, I have to admit I don’t really get this Superman reference.”

Prompting Kristjan to cast a sidelong glance toward the camera with an impish, knowing look.
She then went on, “But it still doesn’t explain why you came to see me today if you’re as reluctant as you seem.”

Kristjan exhaled a tense breath and said, “It is not as if I had much of a choice it seems.”



Las Vegas - Tuesday - 02/04/2020

“I'm sorry, you want me to see a what?” Fenris leaned forward slightly at the waist, seated in the chair opposite the desk in which his wrestling trainer and mentor, Gabriel Stevens, sat. Once the Baltasarsson siblings had returned to the city they called their home away from home, they found a message from Gabriel, instructing them, or Kristjan rather, to be at the GO Gym the very next morning. And while Aron went along for moral support, he stayed out in the gym, and Odette and a fellow trainee worked on putting Aron through a rigorous in-ring workout while Kristjan sat opposite of Gabriel in the proprietor's office.

Gabriel slid a small business card across the surface of his desk toward Kristjan, but the aforementioned student was reluctant to touch it as of yet. Gabriel answered, “There’s a woman Odette and I do business with, a therapist…”

“A fucking shrink!” Fenris blurted out, but Gabriel did not so much as flinch at the interruption as he continued on, saying, “You know as well as I do that a lot of the preparation for this business isn’t just the physical, but the mental as well. She came highly recommended, and there are times when our students need someone besides Odette or myself to talk to, and we send them to her. We’ve had this business arrangement from the start. She doesn’t just handle sports cases. She even stepped in to talk to Despy when  his own therapist was unavailable..”

“Despy’s therapist..” Kristjan rolled his eyes at the audacity of what was being suggested to him. “You want me to go talk to someone who ‘advises’ a guy who talks back to his Rice Krispies!?”

But if Kristjan was expecting an immediate retort to what he said, he was sadly mistaken. Gabriel simply sat there and stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. His eyes shifted toward Gabriel’s right hand which had a paperclip in it, a physical and mental habit he had picked up somewhere, and as soon as the words had been said, the paperclip became twisted into an unrecognizable and mangled knot.

“Careful, Kristjan.” Gabriel said in a soft but warning tone. “True as your words might be, I’d advise you to remember what happened the first and last time you ever said anything to insult Despy.”

Enough said, as the hard learned lesson had been engraved in Kristjan’s mind less than six months after his debut, as one harsh outburst in Despy’s direction had almost gotten him blacklisted from this very facility and the social circle that came with it.

Gabriel then went on to say, “This is the exact reason why I want you to go and talk to this lady. Ever since you lost at December 2 Dismember,  you've been slowly devolving back into that same arsehole personality that got you into so much trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” Kristjan asked with a frown. “I’ve always had this asshole personality!”

Gabriel could not help but smile at that stated fact, taking a small amount of personal pleasure in his student’s nonchalant obliviousness to his own personality. The fact that he was a self-professed ‘asshole’ and seemingly proud of the fact spoke volumes about both his strength of character, as well as the flaws. With a casual shrug, the paperclip in Gabriel’s fingers was dropped in the plastic waste basket at the side of his desk and he retrieved another from the small box on the corner of his desk, resuming his habit without even realizing it.

Gabriel said, “Be that as it may, you've been getting progressively worse ever since December. I know that losing in any form is Unthinkable to you, and that winning back the world championship means a lot more than even you're letting on to me, but you're getting worse. That's all I can say. What's been happening between Ben Jordan and yourself over the past few weeks? I haven't seen anything like this with the world title centered around it in years! And the two of you are supposed to be friends?” Gabriel’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline in wonder, and the words prompted an audible scoff to escape from between the lips of his charge.

Gabriel went on, “As your trainer, and I’d like to think friend, I admit that I feel somewhat obligated to take your side on the matter between the two of you.”

“Good!” Fenris barked, but Gabriel ignored the outburst and went on with his train of thought, “But from the outside looking in, I think this whole thing started because you overreacted.”

Kristjan’s own brow rose at that, and Gabriel held up a hand to forestall any verbal objections that he knew were heading his way. “I’m not saying that Ben has been anywhere close to innocent in everything going on between you two the past three weeks, but this could have been avoided. I just can’t help but think that a part of you didn’t want to avoid it. You’ve been getting angrier and angrier as each week passes. Kristjan..”

Gabriel leaned forward, his hand frozen but arms leaning heavily on the surface of the desk. “I saw that stomp. You could have broken his arm, or worse. Do you have any idea just how close you came to ending Ben Jordan’s career in that one moment?”

But Kristjan didn’t respond to the question. He knew. He knew he could have separated Ben’s shoulder, broken his arm in possibly two places with that single stomp, but he didn’t. By luck or design, he didn’t.

Fenris stared hard at Gabriel and asked, “Is this because Ben is married to Evie, your pride and joy?”

“No, it’s not.” Gabriel stared right back, not even once breaking eye contact. “And there’s that attitude issue again. This is because of concern for your welfare, mental and physical. Is it so hard to believe that you are cared about?”

Fenris just raised a thumb and forefinger close together, causing Gabriel to shake his head, eyes closed and muttering, “Little bit.” He then went on to say, “You even refused to stay in the hospital because you didn’t want to give Ben the satisfaction of knowing how much he had hurt you! And that’s why I think you need someone to talk to.”

“Funny.” Fenris said, but his expression and tone of voice said that he believed this whole talk was anything but. “I thought that’s what you and I were doing.”

“Someone impartial.” Gabriel corrected himself. “A professional. Someone who does not feel any obligation toward you or anyone else to say anything else but the truth in their own eyes.” Gabriel held up a finger. “Just one talk. That’s all I’m asking.”

“And if I say no?” Kristjan asked pointedly. But Gabriel merely shrugged and said, “Then you refuse, and we move on. This conversation is forgotten.”

The two men watched each other for any sort of body language or reaction, when Kristjan’s fingertips found themselves on the laminated business card, slowly pulling it closer toward himself.

“I will think about it.” Was all the “White Wolf” said before Gabriel excused him to take his leave.



Las Vegas - Now

And for the first time, the woman Kristjan had been speaking to was seen. She was African-American, in her late forties or early fifties and slightly overweight. And despite her stoic, businesslike demeanor, there was a warmth in her eyes and voice that helped soothe those who came to see her so that they might feel more comfortable in opening up. Her name was Felicity Price, and as a highly respected member of her field, she had come to the attention of the Stevens to help and assist in the mental well-being of their students. In fact, on her desk was a framed photograph of a smiling Felicity standing between both Gabriel and Odette inside of their school for professional wrestling.

“You can uncross your arms any time now.” Felicity said, causing a slightly surprised reaction from Kristjan who seemingly had not been aware that he had even done so. He looked up from his arms to the woman on the opposite side of the desk and she leaned on the armrest of her chair and added, “That is a defensive posture, Kristjan. You have no reason to be defensive here with me. Do you understand?”

“I am not crazy.” Kristjan uttered, giving her cause to smile and quip, “We don’t really ever use the word ‘crazy’ any longer, although I don’t know why. It pretty much sums up everything perfectly in one single word.”

This caused Kristjan to frown, whether because he was unsure if she was making light of the moment or of him in particular, but she pushed aside the moment to go on with their discussion, “So, it sounds like you had more of a choice than you’re letting on.” When Kristjan didn’t respond, she furthered her train of thought, “Gabriel gave you the choice of coming to me or not, and you decided to.”

“It didn’t feel like much of a choice.” Kristjan muttered. “Just feel like even if I had said no, it still would be in their minds I should have come here. So I did.”

“Do you think you need the help?” Felicity asked, to which Kristjan answered with more heat than he had perhaps intended, “No!”

“Then maybe you did it to make your friends happy?” She brought up the possibility, only to be openly scoffed at. Felicity took down a note on her pad and added, “Those are the only two probable explanations, Kristjan; either you acknowledge you needed someone to talk to, or you did it to make those close to you happy.”

When he didn’t reply, she said, “Tell me about your friends.”

“My friends.” He repeated almost numbly.

“Yes, you know? The people you’re close with? That you hang out with?” Felicity said, and as he stared at her, she showed a bit of her saucy side as she leaned back in her chair and looked wistfully up into the air as if in contemplation. “Oh dear, how do I explain this? A friend is…”

“I know what a friend is!” He objected, but her eyes came down to his on and the wisp of a smile on her lips helped him to realize she was just teasing and some of the tension eased from his being. He finally settled into himself and said with a trace of reluctance, “I just don’t have many. That’s all.”

“Why do you think that is?”

“Because I’m a fucking asshole, I don’t know!” He then closed his eyes and said, “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Felicity said. “Do you think I’m here to judge you? I’m here to listen.” She said, adding a sweep of her hand. “That’s al. And maybe help you if you let me. If you feel like cursing, then curse. If you want to scream and or throw something, then do me the favor of making sure it’s insured first. That’s all I ask.”

Kristjan nodded, taking her at her word even though it was another obvious attempt at her being light hearted with such a volatile ‘guest.’ Such things rolled off of his shoulders.

He finally said, “I just never had much use for people. I never had the best relationship with my two older sisters, and with one or two exceptions, just stayed to myself in school. Only one real friend was there, and I lost him.” The fond remembrance of his beloved Jokull brought back a flood of memories he did not wish to share with a total stranger.

He said, “I always had a short fuse, I don’t apologize for that. I won’t, but people just tend to piss me off and I make no bones about expressing it. Always preferred animals to people I guess.”

“Why is that?”

“Because unlike people, animals don’t go out of their way to stab you in the back or fuck you over.” He answered. “All they want is food and shelter, and maybe some affection. People want everything, and they’ll hurt their closest friends to get it or to keep it.”

“I bet you have a pet.” Felicity said, tapping the pen in her fingers pointedly on the desktop. In answer to that, Kristjan had his phone in his hand and a moment later, passed it over to the doctor so that she could have a look at his much loved Kyssa.

“She’s beautiful.” Felicity observed before handing the phone back to Kristjan, who inserted it back into his pocket. She then said, “So tell me then about one of your friends. Any one of them.”

Kristjan paused in thought before he opened his mouth to speak…



Las Vegas - February 2019

“What the fuck do you mean you’re moving out!?” Fenris protested hotly as he marched across the living room of the condo at Turnberry Towers to confront the petite blonde that he had come to think of fondly as a pseudo little sister. While Aron sat on the sofa that for the past several months had also doubled as his bed, Fenris stood a foot away from Dani who seemed to be already having second thoughts at breaking the news to the two men whom she loved like brothers.

And why not? They had taken her in following her abusive relationship with her ex, Eli, here Fenris took it upon himself to get a pound of flesh from the man who had dared put a hand to her, forever endearing himself to Dani.

“Look,” Dani tried to reason with the unreasonable. “You knew that this arrangement wasn’t going to last forever.”

“Says who!?” Fenris objected, taking up the gauntlet. “Who says?”

Dani playfully her eyes and answered, “I say. I mean, how much longer can you expect poor Aron to sleep on the sofa while I sleep in his bed?”

“I really don’t mind…” Aron started to say, but Fenris interrupted him with, “See!? If he doesn’t mind, why should you!?”

“Because I do, K!” Dani whimpered. She knew breaking the news to them would prove difficult, but this was going harder than even she had imagined it would. “I love you, and I loved staying here, but I would like to have my own place. A girl needs her independence.” She added hopefully, “You understand that, right?”

“No.” Was all he said, dashing those hopes. But before either of them could say anything further, the proverbial cooler head would have to prevail as Aron stood up and he walked around the sofa to where they stood, saying, “Come on K. I don’t like this any more than you do, but if this is what Dani wants..” He set his hand on her slim shoulder and she looked up to him with a grateful smile. Aron added, “It’s not as if we won’t see her again. She’ll still be in Vegas and close by.”

Aron then turned his own piercing blue gaze to her and confirmed, “You will be, right?” To which she nodded quickly with affirmation. Satisfied, Aron motioned a hand toward her with his eyes on his brother as if to silently proclaim, “There, you see?”

“When?” Fenris finally asked, coming to the realization that he could not keep her there even had he wanted to - and he did. Now Dani flushed with much embarrassment, interlocking her fingers together as she hunched in her shoulders and said, “...Now?” To which both brothers exclaimed, “NOW!?” Causing her to flinch.

“I know, I know!” She said nervously, waving her hands about. “I had this arranged for a little while now and meant to tell you while my application was going through, but I just couldn’t!”

“So you waited until the last fucking minute to break the news while you were walking out the goddamn door!?” Fenris practically obliterated her poor ears, taking a seat on the armrest of his favorite chair; a white, leather recliner. “That’s nice!”

“I know! I’m sorry!” Dani protested. “I just didn’t know how to tell you and before I knew it, time ran out and my application was approved! If I don’t move in today, then I lose my deposit and my new place!”

Of course this tactic did not go the way that Dani had perhaps thought it would as all Fenris did was slowly break out into a cool smile, one that made Dani squint her eyes and say, “You wouldn’t!”

“No, he wouldn’t.” Aron answered for his brother, who just rolled his eyes. Aron looked to her and said, “That was just his half-assed attempt at busting your chops.” He then reached down and scooped up one of two bags that contained her few meager possessions. Then with his free arm, he wrapped the young woman up in a brotherly hug, resting his chin on her shoulder while she returned the gesture gratefully.

Fenris’s eyes narrowed with the faux sense of betrayal, as if he had expected his brother to side with him by proxy. Dani swallowed hard and said, “Please don’t make this any harder than it is? Just … pretty please help me with my bags?”

Fenris just stared her down for what seemed an eternity before he snatched the bag from Aron’s hand, prompting the younger brother to grab the remaining one and they exited the door, leaving poor Dani to exhale a held breath through her pursed lips.

“Well! That went better than I thought it would!” She said to herself before following the brothers out into the hall…

And only moments later, the trio were in the parking garage of the residence, heading for Fenris’s car. Once they stood at the white Mazda Mx, Dani cleared her throat just before Fenris could click the button that would unlock her car.

“Um, guys?” She said timidly. “I just wanted to thank you both for everything that you’ve done for me.”

Aron smiled and gave her a nod, to which Fenris just turned from her, never really the type to accept heartfelt gratitude for much of anything. It was almost as if he didn’t want anyone to acknowledge the fact that he could, at times, have a heart. He turned away to continue throwing Dani’s things into the two seater before they would cram themselves in, when she stopped him again.

“I… just need you to do one more teeny, tiny thing for me.”

“Fuck’s sake…” Fenris muttered, turning around to confront her. “What. Now?”

She readied herself, tense, and said, “I kinda, sorta, need you to take my bags back upstairs?”

Fenris frowned, and Aron blinked as if he had not heard her correctly, saying, “Come again?”

“My new place?” She slowly slipped into a smile. “It's the vacant place on your floor! Just down the hall!”

Dani then started giggling like a mad schoolgirl, jumping up and down and pointing at the brothers. “Got you!” She laughed.

At least until Fenris threw her bags into Aron’s arms and walked over, snatching her into a playful side headlock! Dani squealed in surprise as Fenris started to forcibly escort her back to the Tower’s entrance, all the while poor Dani half laughing, half shrieking, “Sorry! I’m sorry!”...



Las Vegas - No

Felicity smiled with genuine good humor, looking down at her notes before she reached over and turned off the smart phone which she used to record her sessions for further evaluation. Sitting back in her chair, she casually observed off the record, “It sounds like you made quite the friend in Dani.”

To which Fenris could only nod, admitting, “She is more like my little sister. But yes, she is very good friend.”

Felicity asked, “Would you say she is your best friend?”

“What is this?” Fenris frowned. “Grade school?”

But his hostile response was nothing she hadn’t seen in a hundred other patients who sat across from her over the years. She stood up and walked around the side of the desk so that she could stand before him, but rested her backside on the edge.

“Grade school or adult life,” She started to say. “We all have had friends in our life who were risen above others. There is nothing wrong or immature about referring to them as our best friends.” She placed a hand on her breast. “I have a best friend, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world. And as newly acquainted as you and I are? I’d hope that you have someone like that in your life, Kristjan.”

She laced her fingers together and leaned in slightly at her ample waist to inquire, “Was Ben Jordan your best friend? If you think he actually betrayed you, it would be the answer to why you think his actions hurt so much.” She then turned her head for a sidelong glance. “Maybe it was Ty West?”

That certainly got a reaction as his head shot up and he stared hard into her eyes, part confused, part desperately uncomfortable! She waved a hand and admitted, “I’ve known Gabriel and Odette Stevens long enough to have taken a curious interest in your sport, and your history with Ty…”

But Fenris stood up abruptly, and said between his gritted teeth, “I do not want to talk about Ben Jordan, and I sure as SHIT do not want to talk about Ty West!”
He spun around on his feet and made it to the closed office door, but before he could grasp the handle to make his escape, Felicity’s voice called back his attention. He looked back over his shoulder to her and she said, “Kristjan, I apologize if I picked at a sore spot, but you do have a genuine problem where friendships are concerned. More specifically, a problem in allowing anyone to get close enough to you in order to become a true and genuine friend. I won’t press, but if you want to talk again, please. Come see me.”

Fenris stared at her from over his shoulder before he answered with a simple nod and took his leave.



Then early morning hours, as dawn had just risen to paint the sky in a cloak of reds, pinks, oranges and yellows.

“I’m not normally the type of man who goes around, throwing out his personal and private beliefs for the world to see. I let the world have a peek into my life, but only because if I did not, they’d find a way to discover things for themselves that they have no right, or they’d just make shit up for themselves to fit their perceptions of who they want or expect me to be.”

A small table, oval in shape and barely six inches off of the floor, rested in the far corner of Fenris’s bedroom in Las Vegas. Draped in a cloth of his traditional white, little adorned the surface save for a statue of an Icelandic Saint, one of the Norse god Baldur, the Fallen One, and sprigs of mistletoe. The very plant that was the downfall to the beloved god. And one, single pillar candle, also white.

“I am not a religious person, no by the standard set by pretty much the entire world. Did you know that there are many people, men and women, young and old alike, who to this day still look to and worship the Norse gods like Freya and Odin? I just happen to be one of those few, my own patron being Baldur.”

Fenris stood up from where he had been kneeling before the dais, and turned aside to exit from the room. He paused only long enough to fasten a leash onto the collar of the white Siberian Husky who stood up at the front door, tail wagging as she knew what was to come.

“I would not have ordinarily confided in something so deeply personal, but the topic of Saints has been popping up every now and then, and where Saints are concerned, one would also feel religion was not far behind. But this isn’t about religion, not by a long shot. This is more about a Saint, or at least a man who would have you believe him to be such.”

Fenris exited the lot of Turnberry Towers and proceeded to begin his usual morning routine, taking an extended jog with the only company this time around being Kyssa, as Aron who usually accompanied him, remained in bed with a head cold.

“Ever since this all started, I’ve had a lot of time to think. I’ve thought long and hard about things that have been said and done between Ben Jordan and myself. I’ve done things to prove a point. I’ve said things that a lot of people cried and bitched about, but do you know the one vital difference there is between Ben Jordan and myself? The simple fact that I am an asshole, and can admit to the fact. Ben Jordan cannot. Ben walks around like the Saint everyone seems to think he is, and he makes no bones about letting them see him as such. He puts on what is perhaps the greatest ‘nice guy’ act the world has ever seen, but every so often, the truth tends to reveal itself, and the ‘real’ Ben Jordan starts to shine through.”

“What’s that you say? The ‘real’ Ben Jordan? Hey, you can count me as surprised as anyone else to find out just how alike Ben and I really are, but the key difference is, I can admit to my faults. Ben can’t. Ben has had this Angelic image of his engraved into his personality for so long that he's actually come to believe in himself, just as much as the world around him has. We saw glimpses of dark been when he had that row a few months back with that Charmed One wannabe Warlock, Rowan Williams. Just a glimpse though and before we knew it, the good old boy Ben Jordan was back to normal. The man whose behavior is so sickeningly sweet, you feel the need to visit a dentist after every one of his personal public appearances!”

Once his morning jog had been concluded, and Kyssa returned to Turnberry Towers, Fenris entered through the double doors that separated the outside world from the interior of the GO Gym.

“Now I've had more than my fair share of people confront me since all of this bullshit first started, saying things like how dare I accuse Ben of being anything other than sheer perfection? They throw it into my face about how he donates so much time and money to Charities, because a so-called villain would never do such a thing. They also bring up the fact that been traveled all the way to my native Iceland to fetch me, to bring me back to the States so that we could finally have the match between us that I have been wanting for damn near three years but he finally only seriously acknowledged within the past six months! But let me tell you what I think on both accounts!”

“First, as far as all of his charity work? I can't deny the fact that the man donates a lot of his money to a lot of worthy causes. But donating money is easy. How much time does he actually donate? The simple fact is it's a cheap cop-out to donate money when your time is much more valuable. Not to mention the fact that whenever Ben Jordan does anything even remotely charitable, you can rest assured that a news team won't be far behind to record his doings. Just for the sake to make sure that the whole world is aware that Saint Ben is doing something worthy!”

“And I have to admit that I am not altogether certain just what was going through his mind when he came to Iceland with the sole purpose of bringing me back to the States for our match. Why then, all of a sudden, was it so important to him for us to have that match? Because Ty West had somehow ruined it, therefore making it even more important to happen? Funny that, because at the time even I have believed that he came there not just to draw me back into a match that the world wants to see, but I actually was stupid enough to believe that the man gave a damn. That he came all that way not to bring me back, but to offer an ear. To find out what happened, and do what friends do; listen! I believed that right up until the very end, after Ben won the World Championship which I do commend him for. But after waiting so long for the inevitable to happen, it is funny how Gold Fever can change even the humblest of men. Everything came to light when our one-on-one match was made official. He wants you to think that I went to the extremes to weaken him or possibly put him out of action before we clashed? Fuck him!”

Dressed in just his wrestling attire, white spandex shorts and bare feet, Fenris approached the boxing dummy and readied himself in a fighting stance.

“In case the world forgot, I have been trying to get Ben Jordan into a match ever since I first came to SCW! But who is the one who was ducking who!? Every single time the topic of a match between us was brought up, all he would respond with was some lame-ass joke about wanting to avoid getting his head kicked off! Smart man that, but looking back it was truly a Tell-Tale sign that he really wanted no part of me in the ring! Not from the very start! I'm somewhat surprised that the idea started to gain Merit in his mind when the world championship was in the picture, because he knows what a challenge means to me. He knows what a win, what's excess, means to me! He knows how much harder I am going to fight to get a win when there is the brass ring at stake, so color me surprised that when he won the world title, at my expense no less, that he seemed to look forward to finally stepping into the ring with me.”

With each jab thrown against the dummy, knocking it backward but not entirely off of its standing, it did not take long for the lightly tanned flesh of the former champion to begin to glisten. Such was the general intensity of his workout routines.

“And then, he defended his championship against Senor Vinnie and he saw his opening - and took it! Nobody is going to have me believe that his throwing Vinnie into me was an accident! That it was nothing less than what he has been accusing me of; an attempt to weaken a future challenger to his precious championship title! Ben knew where I was sitting the entire time. And you seriously expect me to believe you throwing Vinnie into me was an accident? How does that work Ben? Explain it to the world so your fans can become more deluded than the average American where Donald Trump is concerned!? What happened? Are you going to shift the blame to poor Vinnie? Maybe say he poked you in the eye and thereby blinded you so when you reversed his throw, you couldn’t see where you were throwing? Does that work for you, for your fans? Because so far it’s the most feasible excuse that I can think of!”

“Funny how all of this worked out, isn't it? When I first proposed a match between us, it was because I knew all about you. I knew about your reputation as a Triple Crown champion in ACW, and I wanted to test myself against the absolute very best. And no matter how many times you avoided a commitment to a match against me, no matter how much bullshit you stood about some so-called list of wrestler you wanted to fight before me, at the time I always thought you had your reasons and never sought to question them. The list itself never made sense to me because what would happen if you hadn't made it past some of the men that you had named, like Austin James Mercer. Would you have gone back to square one, conceded defeat and admit that you weren't ready for that final test against yours truly? Or would you have simply moved on past that loan loss and continued from name to name until you finally found yourself opposite me in the ring? I guess we’ll never know the true reasons because the moment that this one-on-one was finalized, and you became the World Champion, the gloves were off and that yellow streak down your back was there for the world to see if they hadn’t been blinded by your smile and charm.”

With a kick that sent the dummy rocking back and almost broke it at its foundation, Fenris spun around and faced the camera directly.

“The fact that you accused me of wanting pity is almost laughable, were it not for the irony of the accusation. I mean, aren’t you the one who came out in front of the world and started that whole #BenDeservesBetter bullshit on Twitter? I mean, creating a hashtag that went worldwide, right to the top, and it being all about you and how unfairly you’ve been treated in this business in not getting what you believed you deserved? Bitch, that is the very definition of begging the world to pity you! To make them feel nothing less than sad for you in the attempt to manipulate those in power so you can get whatever the hell your cold little heart desired!”

“And even when that hashtag helped rejuvenate an otherwise stagnant career, what the hell did you do to even remotely take advantage of it!? You asked for bigger matches against better opponents but did you ever really get that? Were you offered those matches as you requested and simply turned your nose up at them, not wanting to take the chance that you might fall flat on your face and realize that all your bravado was for nothing? You asked for Championship opportunities in order to prove that you were still the same Ben Jordan, but what the hell did that get you!? One brief reign as the roulette champion? Who the fuck even cares about that half assed excuse for a championship!? Compared to the world title, it’s meaningless! After that, you just allowed your career to stall -- again -- and acted as if the world was still to blame and owed you -- again!”

“Then when you finally, finally realized your goddamn potential and walked away as the champion, what was it you told everyone? Oh! That’s right. You told them that I was just jealous because you beat five men to win the championship, where I beat a man that pulled double-duty. That is how you phrased it, correct? Well I'm sorry but I just don't know where my mind was that night. I wasn't aware that it was you and not Caleb Storms that eliminated Lachlan Kane. I wasn’t aware that Ben Jordan was the one who eliminated not only Caleb Storms, but Senor Vinnie as well, and not Austin James Mercer! I was not aware that you were one who choked Austin James Mercer out, when here the entire time I thought that I had done so! But far be it for me to question your claim to have beaten all five of us to win that gold, when you really only beat one man; me. And you couldn’t even get that job done right when I had accidentally done the job for you! I said it once before, and I will say it again until it cracks that thick skull of yours! You did not pin me! I pinned myself!”

The camera switched to the inside of the ring where Fenris was engaged in a sparring match with none other than the man who prepared him for the sport, Gabriel Stevens himself. Gabriel was close to the same size as Ben Jordan, with only a few more years of experience under his belt. Who better to help keep his in-ring skills sharp against the reigning World Champion than a man who held that very same title two times himself?

“And as for Ty West, the man I beat pulling double duty? True he did do just that, but let’s not forget the simple fact that between the match he won the right to face me in, and the championship match, were at LEAST two, maybe three hours apart! Plenty of time for him to rest and recuperate! I didn’t even get two minutes, let alone TWO FUCKING HOURS, between my fight and win over Mercer before you even entered the damn match! That’s right champ! You weren’t even involved in the match yet before I busted my ass to put Mercer away, and then in you came, ready to take advantage of a weakened opponent. But nobody remembers that little nugget of information, now do they? Least of all you.”

“And even had Ty’s two matches been closer together, what of after? I held that championship for over eight months, defending against anyone and everyone who asked for a shot, and even those who did not! Senor Vinnie! Mercer! Caleb Storms! Alex Jones! I faced and beat the best, but the one I wanted? He could never be found when it mattered because he knew that one-on-one, he was simply outclassed!”

The spar between teacher and student was competitive, but safe. Neither competed to win, and once it had concluded, Gabriel clapped one of his top students on the shoulder and took his leave from the squared circle, as Fenris leaned heavily against the ropes.

“Funny how those blinders fall over the eyes of the SCW Universe where you’re concerned. If it doesn’t reflect you in a positive light, they don’t want to hear it! I had my time in the ring to speak my mind when you came out to interrupt and take the spotlight away from anyone else other than you! You sucker punched me first, just like you did in Orlando! But all anyone remembers is that I responded and stomped on your arm! They don’t remember why I did it, just that I did! You started this between us Ben, but I give credit where it’s due. I always knew you were a terrific wrestler, but I never had any idea just how much of a master manipulator you truly were! Fenris did this to Ben Jordan! Fenris said that about Ben Jordan! But when it comes to what you have said and done? Nothing. The fucking crickets would be deafening to the ears if anyone were to bring up how someone felt about the things you’ve said and done!”

“Well news Ben! Just as the gloves have come off of your own accord, I am going to tear off that two-faced mask of yours when we finally get to meet in the ring, man to man. I am going to show the world that not only are you not the man you profess to be, but compared to the ‘White Wolf,’ you are nowhere even close to being the man that I am or the champion that I was, and soon will be again!”

Fenris then performed a handstand spring over the top rope, landing on his bare feet on the outside of the ring.

“Here is a little food for thought, Ben. Were you aware that Iceland has a Saint? One, single canonized Saint, named Saint Thorlak Thorhallsson. This was a man who was born into an aristocratic family in the early 1100s, and was ordained as a priest by the age of 18. He founded a monastery and devoted himself not to materialistic possessions, but to a life of contemplative prayer. He was ordained a bishop and strived tirelessly to reform the Church and religious life in Iceland up until the day he died in 1193. Saint Pope John Paul II finally canonized him in 1984, making him the patron saint of Iceland.”

“I know a Saint when I see one Ben Jordan, and you are no Saint.”

That said, Fenris headed for the showers, further prepared for what was to come.