Chapter Four: How it almost ended before it began
Off Camera
Cedars Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles California.
6 Years ago.
His feet tapped down the hallway, his long hair tucked up and under a baseball cap. He nervously looked around each corner as he turned. A brown paper bag in his hands. He looked over at a nurse sitting behind an admissions desk, his eyes scanning the clipboard in front of her for a name. He mouthed it slowly under his breath.
“Ana-Maria Valentine Room 4F” He smiled and moved around and down along the hallway coming to a stop just outside the door. He took in a sharp deep breath and pushed it open. There laying in the bed was Ana Valentine. Her long blond hair tied back away from her beautiful face. Alex swallowed hard and his heart fluttered. He seemed lost in the moment.
Alex moved around her bed and sat down on the small chair next to her. Sitting on the table was a few cards, some flowers. A box of chocolates. Alex tilted his head reading the names. Christian Mercer, Angel Blake, Spike Kane. He scoffed and rolled his eyes with a small laugh. Ana groaned and her eyes fluttered open.
Ana turned and looked over, her mind still in a post surgery haze. She focused and looked confused. “Alex?....Alex is that you?”
He smiled and looked away, Ana tried to turn her body but she winced, her arm moving around her ribs as the pain shot through her body. The wince turned into a cry of pain. “No...Ana...don’t move…” She swallowed hard and looked up at Alex with a small grin that slowly turned to a frown.
“You shouldn’t be here...if Angel OR Spike know they’ll..” Alex smiled again, much warmer this time as his finger crept up to her lips. He placed it gently on them and gave a shushing sound. “I’m not worried about them…”
He squeezed her hand and Ana gave him a nod looking around the room. Her hand moved up to her ribs, feeling over the bandage wrapped around her upper body. She looked up at Alex then away letting go of his hand. “I must look horrible...monstrous….” Alex shook his head and sighed deeply staying forward. “Stop….you took a fall off a ten foot cage...no one is going to look good after that…”
Ana turned her head looking hurt. “Gee...thanks Alex….I love you to…”
Alex laughed to himself as Ana looked away again, his hand slowly trickled up her body, his fingertips replacing hers as they danced along the bandage. Ana shook her head as her breathing seemed broken. “Don’t...Alex….” He again shushed Ana with a boyish grin that seemed to calm her. He leaned down and with a light kiss on her ribs he sighed deeply.
“I don’t care about what artificial pieces you have inside you. It’s keeping you together….” He gave a small laugh again and his hand drifted back down her body to hers. “You will wrestle again...you will get back in that ring and you WILL make everyone remember the name of Ana Valentine…”
Ana closed her eyes and gave Alex a small nod. Alex ran a hand through her hair and Ana sniffed the air trying to change the subject. “Wait..what...what the hell is that…” Alex smirked and pulled the bag up, he opened it and placed a burger all wrapped up on the hospital tray. “Is that….a mushroom swiss cheeseburger?....”
Alex shrugged and sat back, Ana pulled herself up a little ignoring the pain as she found a comfortable position. She unwrapped the burger and took a huge bitch moaning as she does. Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “Not very ladylike sweetheart…” Ana gave him a wink and swallowed. “Hey you love me so...you know...shut up….”
Alex sighed again and sat back with a smile. “I do you know?....love you I mean….”Ana swallowed her bite and placed the burger down looking away, the reality of the situation hitting her. “I told you we...we can’t..” “I know...be together...not now...but you need to know I love you….and nothing you could ever do will change that Anamaria…”
Ana’s mouth opened as if she had something to say, but staring into his eyes she just couldn’t. She looked down and took a deep breath closing her eyes, as she counted in her head she calmed herself, as she opened them she couldn’t help herself… “I love you too”
But he was gone. The burger sat half eaten, flowers from him had replaced the others...and on the table a small card with a simple message….”I know”
Cedars Sinai Hospital-2 Years Later.
Alex sat on the bed. One of his arms up holding onto a stabilising cloth. His other arm down by his side as he stared at his leg. His right knee. He studied it, every single inch of it. The bloody post surgery bandage laid on a table next to him, his knee though looked like it was out of some kind of horror show. It had been washed and sterilized but it still looked horrid.
Alex’s heart sank as he looked over the bruising, the swelling. His skin discoloured yellow and in some places a deep purple. Then he got to it. The surgical scar. It was held together with thick stitches and a few staples. It ran right up the side of his knee. Alex closed his eyes and tried to move it. His mind pulsed and pleaded.
He could hear himself willing it to move. His own voice almost begging it to. He leaned forward and with a grunt he moved his leg, his knee only slightly bending as he let out a muffled grunt and a yell that he internalized. “Alex what the fuck are you doing?”Ana stormed in, he turned and held his leg breathing hard as she reached his bedside.
“Really?...that’s what you’re going to do?...you pigheaded idiot!” Alex shook his head and held onto his leg, just above the knee on the lower part of the thigh. Ana sighed and reached up squeezing the bridge of her nose. Her long newly dyed brown hair was tied up in a ponytail. Her ruby red lips twisted in a disappointed scowl.
Her hand dropped down to his arm, She squeezed it tight to get his attention. “Remember last time we were here?...” Alex shakes his head and pulls his arm away. “Don’t Ana...just...just don’t…”
She steps back and folds her arms, Alex looks away again and stares out the window, his hand holding his leg “You’re pathetic…” Ana spits her words with anger and venom, Alex just seems to stay vacant and uncaring, she steps forward getting her face close to his. “If I had known you’d pack your balls in a little bag and throw them away at the first speed bump…..well…”
Ana scoffs and sits back a little. “I would never have agreed to do everything I did for you. In fact, this isn’t the man I fell in love with….the Alex Jones I love...he’s a real man….” Ana gets up to leave, as she turns her back she hears his voice, deep and guttural almost demonic. “What the hell do you know?....” Ana pivots on her feet and spins. “I know you’re a fucking champion….and champions don’t quit…”
She steps forward and smirks. “Champions don’t stop….Champions don’t fail…” Alex looks up at her and sits up as she gets close, Ana’s hand reaches out caressing his face before leaning down and kissing him. “Now, get to fucking work….you’ve been lazy long enough….”
Ana chuckles and draws back, Alex looks at his knee and back at her. “I got out of surgery 7 hours ago…Ana…..ANA?!?...HEY!” Ana continues laughing as she walks out the door
You keep what you kill
On Camera
New York, New York
Present Day
It was a beautiful late winters day in New York. It was cold outside but inside the Wolfslair gym it was bustling. There was activity everywhere. German sensation Johanna Krieger was training a few women in submission grappling, Australian star Aiden Reynolds was doing cardio sprints with a few others. SCW stars Austin James Mercer and Alicia Lukas were in the corner laughing going over different business deals as Alicia’s sister Zoey worked out in one of the rings. And the gym’s head trainer and part owner Alex Jones stood above it all on the second floor scaffolding watching it all with a smirk.
“This was my dream. A place where I could get the best of the best under my room to train and get even better. A place where the next generation could come and learn under those who were the current crop and the current world beaters. That is what Wolfslair was always meant to be. Not just a stable in SCW but a brand. And since our inception we have proved ourselves to be a formidable team. But then again, did anyone really expect us not to be?. You look at the resume of the three of us and a pattern emerges. Alicia Lukas was always destined to hold the top women’s title in this company. A star in Honor, WWH and 4CW she has always been a name that companies chased. And for good reason…”
“She took a loss to Dani Weston, a woman who has proved herself to be an exceptional talent. One on one losses for Alicia don’t happen often. And she came here, back to Wolfslair to train and to center herself. And that loss made her even more determined and dangerous. Just like Austin’s loss to Fenris has made him more dangerous. But, look at the next big supercard, Blaze of Glory. Do you realise what could and most likely will happen?. Alicia has a contractually obligated title defense before we get there, but she wins that, then she will still be a champion defending that title in a fatal fourway….”
“Meanwhile. Austin and I could both be in that fatal fourway for the SCW championship. Against Fenris and...Jake Raab…”
Alex pauses with a smirk as he says Jake’s name. He looks down at Austin, a small nod of pride as he watches his pupil and friend work hard pulling himself up on a chin up bar, heavy chains around his neck as he lifts his hulking frame up and down, the sweat pouring down showing his effort and dedication.
”Austin and I could be in that match and that would give us a fifty percent chance of walking out of Blaze of glory with the SCW world title in our possession. And honestly, I could use a tenth world title to add to my collection…”
One half of the current Portland Pro Wrestling tag team champions slowly turns towards the camera from the side folding his arms over his chest, his long black hair tied back as he smiles again with a laugh.
”I can forgive many things in this business. I can forgive betrayal, I can forgive things done or said in anger. But two things I can’t forgive are ignorance and disrespect. Now, you don’t have to agree with what I say or respect what I say but you damn sure will respect the things I’ve done. And as for people like our current world champion Fenris and his partner Ty West who want to use the outdated and stupid insult of “who?”, if you don’t know who I am, then you shouldn’t be in a wrestling ring. I’m not someone like Austin who started his career on a bigger stage a year and a half ago, I’m not like Sierra Williams and Lachlan Kane, indy darlings who have exploded onto the main stage with SCW. No….”
“I am a nine time world champion, a hall of fame talent. Someone who has held thirty championships all around the world many of which were in the biggest companies around. The only two time Honor champion, the first ever Honor champion and the longest reigning. If somehow you were living under a rock and didn’t know all my other title wins and championship reigns the fact I was a huge name in a company that merged with yours should speak volumes. But, before I can get into the ring and give Fenris a lesson in humility, and trust me, I will...you thought Austin was a handful you have no idea what you have with me….before I can do that….I have to win this triple threat match against Caleb Storms and Joshua Acquin…”
“Caleb Storms, well, there’s a name I know. A guy I’ve faced before. And beaten before. Awesome taste in music aside it seems that Caleb was more successful here in SCW than he ever had a chance to be in Honor. A man who straddled that line in both companies. Now, I’m not arrogant enough to stand here and say Caleb has no talent. Cause the truth is Caleb Storms is a hell of an athlete. He flies around the ring with reckless abandon and isn’t afraid of anyone. I know this first hand and I’ll admit Caleb has had me worried in that ring before. But only for a moment. See the one issue I have with Caleb is that compared to people like myself, Austin or our SCW champion, Caleb just doesn’t have it in him to line up that killshot...and pull the trigger…”
“But, you’ve been somewhat successful in SCW, I mean you had a little run with the SCW roulette title, I mean, I took a nap and when I woke up you’d already lost it but still, you got to hold some gold Caleb, and ever since then you’ve been sniffing around the Roulette championship, you were in the warriors brawl and failed, you were in a triple threat match with Casey Williams and Austin and had a chance to show just how good you could be, and again failed. In fact, you had a few shots at me in Honor and to you there were so impactful that you have tried to use them as fuel to get better…”
“But to me...they were a few Thursdays in 2018…”
Alex shrugs with a smirk and continues.
”I told you last time we went toe to toe Caleb, humility gets you nowhere. You need to learn to pull that trigger, if not..well...you’ll stay under the glass ceiling. Not as bad as Josh Acquin is, but still pretty bad. In fact I gotta ask, why is Joshua Acquin here?. I know names got pulled from a hat but why was his name even in the damn hat?. Is it a longevity thing?. In April it’s going to be six years, Six long years of you being in SCW. Sure, you’ve had a few breaks, a little time off. But for the most part you have been here working your ass off in SCW to the point where you even call yourself “Mr SCW”. But...why?”
“People work somewhere for six years and expect to have something to show for it.”
“You Mr Acquin have a tag title run that is as forgettable as it is ridiculous. And that’s it. I don’t know what you’ve done outside SCW but inside?. It’s just not impressive. You are what we call a dead brand. You’re someone who people have simply stopped caring about and in some cases have forgotten even existed. Yet here you are being handed this lifeline. This opportunity. I mean, wow, what a beautiful story right? Joshua Acquin, a man who is “Mr SCW” overcoming Alex Jones, a bonafide legend everywhere else in this industry and Caleb Storms, a rookie midway through his second year who somehow has had more success than him. It could have a movie written about it, you could get Bradley Cooper to put on some bad fake tattoos and shave his head to play you….”
“The only problem Joshua, is that it would have to be billed as “Adapted from a true story” instead of “based on”. Because the amount of details they would need to change would be staggering…”
“There is no happy ending here, there is no amazing montage to show how hard you’re training or how great of a victory it will be. Those things don’t happen, and they don’t happen to people like you. I am going to beat you two, I am going to go on to Blaze of glory and I am going to h world title and end the white wolf...the way he deserves to be ended….by someone who has the balls…”
Alex makes a gun motion with both his hands.
”To pull the trigger…”
He “fires” the guns as we hear a gunshot and the scene cut to black and silence.
